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The Rays already have dynamite pitching, as Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Shane McClanahan have all held their own. Pair that with Ian Seymour, their bullpen, snd Joe Peralta this pitching staff is built for October baseball. Peralta did get off to a rough start, but he’s managed to dial things in lately, leaning on a particular pitch.

Freddy Peralta had a rocky start to his Rays tenure. He gave up seven earned runs in his first start and then ten across his next three starts combined. His last start in August featured a six scoreless inning start with four strikeouts. It was the best and most efficient that he has looked. The Rays are a franchise that is known for tweaking pitchers and making strides.

They increased his extension with his fastball, got rid of his traditional windup, and most importantly increased his changeup usage. It was slowly building up, but his last start in August saw the pitch used 44% (most thrown) and registered two strikeouts. Furthermore, it did have a 19% whiff rate, but against his former club he not only delivered a good start, but he threw the changeup effectively.

Against his former team in the Mets, Peralta pitched six innings, gave up one earned run, struck out seven, while giving up three hits. Base traffic was very minimal for the Mets. Francisco Lindor hit a leadoff home run off of Peralta and then mustered up just two more hits. What’s crazy to think about is that Peralta struck out seven batters for the first time since May 23, so this is the most strikeouts he’s had in a Rays uniform.

The good news is that the swing and miss is slowly starting to creep back up. Last start he finished with ten whiffs and this start against the Mets finished with 14. Overall, he had a 41% whiff rate and a 30% CSW. His best swing and miss pitch? The changeup.

Peralta used the changeup 32% of this start. It had six of the 14 whiffs and a whiff rate of 40%. Efficiency was on his side, having a 63% strike rate. What stood out was the movement, as he averaged 20” of horizontal movement. That’s 3” higher than what his yearly averages are. You love to see the tweaks working.

Peralta had his most efficient start, with 72% strikes and a 68% first pitch strike rate. Doing it against his former team is even sweeter and a very encouraging sign if you are a Rays fan.

Other Pitcher Notes

• Logan Webb had the shortest career start at the time against the Red Sox. 2.2 innings pitched, five earned runs, three walks and two strikeouts. Just two starts later, Webb had the shortest start of his career at two innings, nine earned runs, one strikeout, and two walks. Nine earned runs is a career high for Webb.

• Gavin Williams gave up his lone run off a curveball that slipped into the dirt and went to the backstop. Aside from that, absolutely flawless against the Blue Jays and for a team that doesn’t strikeout a lot. Williams pitched seven innings, one run (zero earned), two hits, one walk, and 13 strikeouts. 13 strikeouts sets a new career high for Williams. Williams now has SEVEN 10+ strikeouts starts in his last ten starts. In fact, Williams now has TEN 10+ strikeout games this season, the second most in a single season in franchise history trailing only Corey Kluber (14). Williams had 23 whiffs, an 88% whiff rate with his sweeper, 50% with his curveball, and 47% with his fastball. Overall, 52% whiff rate!

• Paul Skenes was a victim of BABIP in this start, but also wasn’t a very efficient start for him. 4.2 IP. 5 ER. 4 K. 3 BB. He had one 5+ earned run start across 2023-2025. In 2026, he’s now had seven such starts.

• A very solid and efficient start by Twins pitcher Connor Prielipp. Five innings, zero earned runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. Twins starters in this series against the Tigers have pitched 12 innings, one earned run, 14 strikeouts.

• Bryan Woo had a 5.96 ERA on the road coming into this start against the Red Sox. He pitched six innings, two runs (one earned), seven strikeouts, and one walk. Seven strikeouts was the highest he’s had in a start since July 30. Furthermore, his last three road starts; 17 IP. 3 ER. 17 K. 3 BB.

• Jesús Luzardo slammed the door shut once again. 6.1 innings of one run ball and another six strikeouts. His sweeper once again the lethal pitch, as it has been over his last handful of starts. Five strikeouts and a whopping 32% whiff rate.

Kristie Ackert, USA TODAY

Sale is like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. If you are a Red Sox fan, you will always have the memory of him coming out of the bullpen and seeing Manny Machado strikeout the way he did to win the World Series in 2018 was perfect baseball poetry. Ever since then, it’s been hard seeing him on the mound. He had Tommy John, then hurt his finger on the mound in New York, and the bike incident was just the cherry on top to what’s been a snowball effect of injuries.

The Red Sox were at a crossroads, and ultimately traded their former ace to the Braves. Sale did have to waive in order to go there, but ever since he’s taken his talents down south, it’s resurrected his baseball career and truthfully it is the best he has looked, which sounds crazy to say.

Winning the CY Young Award is quite challenging, as there are so many good pitchers. The fact that 2024 was the first time in his career that he took home the award speaks volumes to the type of season that he had.  Which now leads us into how everything he has done in Atlanta is special.

2024 was a delight for Braves fans. He pitched 177.2 innings (most he’s pitched in a single season since 2017. Furthermore, he had a 2.38 ERA (led baseball), most wins (18), led the National league in strikeouts (225), ERA+ (174), and had the lowest FIP (2.09). You always knew he had it in him and it was great health was finally on his side. This CY Young season was great and 2025 was also a special season. However, his 2026 season is turning more heads and has really propelled him further into the CY Young conversation.

Sale has pitched 144 innings and his 2.06 ERA is the second best in baseball. His 2.18 FIP is also the second best in baseball and he is third in fWAR among pitchers (5.3). In fact, Sale joins inner-circle Hall of Famers and historic aces like Cy Young, Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, and Eddie Plank as the rare pitchers to throw dominant, high-strikeout shutouts or maintain sub-2.20 ERAs at age 37 or older.

Sale ranks in the top ten for strikeouts, which is spectacular and the run he is on right now is utterly insane. Since July 17, Sale has a whopping 60 strikeouts to three walks, and has only given up nine earned runs. Also, he threw his first complete game since 2019 against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Sale earned the praise of his manager Walt Weiss after the game with him saying, “I always talk about how the Hall of Famers are just different, and that's the perfect example right there.” Heck, even Mookie Betts said after the game, “Sale had it and we didn’t have much of an answer.”

Sale has been untouchable the moment he landed in Atlanta. When you break down his career over the three teams he’s pitched for, he’s having better success with Atlanta, despite winning in Boston. Here’s the numbers:

• White Sox: 3.00 ERA in 1110 IP

• Red Sox: 3.27 ERA in 670 IP

• Braves: 2.33 ERA in 447 IP.

That 2.33 ERA that Sale has is the best in the league since 2024, surpassing both Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. There is a world where he does end up pitching more innings in Atlanta than Boston, depending how many more years he chooses to pitch. Given what the Braves have done with Sale, there is a the realm of possibility he continues going for a few more years.

Let’s start with his pitching and what they’ve done tweaking his mechanics. One thing he credits the Braves staff for is focusing on his lower half, specifically keeping his back heel connected to the ground. Furthermore, given the Braves pitching infrastructure they’ve managed to see him throw more bullpen sessions and ramp up his throwing. It’s working.

The big thing is the velocity. In 2023, the Red Sox saw him average 93.9 MPH with his fastball in terms of velocity. Ever since he got to Atlanta it’s rising each season. In 2024, he was averaging 94.8 MPH and the same in 2025. In 2026, it’s skyrocketed 96.1 MPH and even saw him reach 100 MPH for the first time in eight years when he struck out Shohei Ohtani in the complete game start. What also stands out is his arm angle is back to 11 degrees, the same arm slot he had in 2024 when he won the CY Young Award.

What’s so special with Sale is the ability to throw the heater and then give you the slider. To be able to change speeds and throw you off and seeing the pitch completely tail off makes him such a difficult pitcher to face. It’s what’s made him valuable, as he is in the 99th percentile in pitching run value.

It’s crazy what Sale is doing. He’s 37 years old and is showing no signs of slowing down. He’s been every bit of their ace ever since he got traded there and the type of renaissance season he’s having is nothing short of special and be very well could have two CY Young Awards over a three year span.

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There aren’t many big blowup starts from Harrison this season. He’s had three this season, all 8+ earned runs or more. There was the Vegas series, where every pitcher saw their ERA balloon. However, twice in August he’s given up 8+ earned runs, with tonight being nine earned runs (a new career high). Harrison set a new career high in home runs allowed in a single start with five. As for Holmes, as untouchable as he’s been since being a member of the Cubs.

Holmes deserves more love and appreciation as a starter. As a fan, it feels like there is a world where relievers aren’t supposed to transition, but Holmes has starter experience and he’s been great since transitioning back over. Coming into this start, he has a 1.96 ERA as a Cub, with majority of the damage coming in his first start after the trade went down. Tonight he was efficient and effective and gave the Brewers nothing.

Holmes pitched six scoreless innings, striking out a whopping eight batters and walking two. The Brewers mustered up five hits, but had runners in scoring position twice the entire time that Holmes was on the mound. The best gift Holmes has is the defense, whether it’s the line outs or the ground outs, he’s perfectly covered regardless. In fact, Holmes didn’t give up a single fly ball this start and kept everything on the ground (8-0 in terms of ground balls to fly balls). Holmes now has a 2.09 ERA for the season.

Holmes threw 101 pitches, 63% for strikes and 65% first pitch strikes. Only pitch that was below 50% first pitch strikes was his sweeper (43%). Everything else was high, especially the cutter at 80%. Oddly enough, the velocity was down across the board. However, the swing and miss was there (14 whiffs), good for 35% overall and 38% CSW. All but two pitches had a 30% whiff rate or more.

Holmes now has a 1.55 ERA as a Cub. Massive and what a great acquisition that ended up being for them.

Other Pitcher Notes

• There aren’t enough words to say about Taj Bradley at this given point. Bradley came over in the trade for reliever Griffin Jax and he’s now become another pitcher the Twins have taken from the Rays and developed him into a monster. The Tigers have been a struggle and you saw the strikeouts and swing and miss in their series against the Dodgers. For Bradley that was no different. Bradley pitched a dynamite start against the Tigers, going seven strong innings, one earned run, three walks, and nine strikeouts. He’s now had 7+ strikeouts in each of his last three starts. Two of the three have been one earned run or fewer. Also, this is the first time he’s pitched seven innings since July 23. Bradley made 104 pitches and his final pitch was an elevated fastball for strikeout number nine. He finished with a 63% strike rate and a 67% first pitch strike rate. His bread and butter was the four seam fastball and splitter. His splitter had a 50% whiff rate and four strikeouts, with the four seam getting four as well. His cutter (24% usage), had a 36% whiff rate. Bradley saw some of his best velocity averages in the final inning of work, which was extremely impressive.

• Another day, another Jacob deGrom dominant showing. He pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit, eight strikeouts, and zero walks. He now has two scoreless starts in his last three and in six August starts, he had one game where he allowed more than two earned runs. Velocity was good, seeing him have the hardest thrown ball all start (98.6). He finished with  19 whiffs (39% overall). His slider had a 50% whiff rate, as well as his changeup. The four seam fastball was 38%.

• Ryan Gusto with another solid start for the Marlins. 4.1 IP. 1 ER. 4 K. 2 BB. In the month of August, Gusto had a 1.88 ERA in 28.2 IP. Also, he had a 23-7 strikeout to walk ratio.

• Ian Seymour did allow three runs over 6.1 innings of work. He struck out ten batters, making that a high for the month of August. He’s struck out 7+ batters in five of his six starts. Seymour racked up 19 whiffs, having a 46% whiff rate with his changeup and four seam fastball. His slider had a 67% whiff rate. Changeup had the most strikeouts (5) and saw an added inch of HB.

Baseball Notes

• Rafael Devers hit home run number 30 this season. That’s how back to back 30 home run seasons for Devers. He also became the second Giants player in team history since 1900 to hit 30+ home runs as a lefty bat. The other? Barry Bonds, who did it 12 times.

• Cal Raleigh is on a heater. He now has six home runs over his last seven games. Shockingly enough, Raleigh now has 20 home runs on the season. In the month of August, hes hitting .198 with an .886 OPS.

• Alex Bregman has been a man on a mission. He hit three home runs against the Brewers, giving him ten in the month of August. Only Pete Crow-Armstrong has more home runs than he does this month. The Cubs as a whole hit nine home runs in this game, 62 for the calendar month of August (most by any team in a single month).

Caden Bodine: Rays

When the Orioles traded for Shane Baz and the return came through, I was in the camp of the Rays winning that trade. In hindsight it made sense for the Orioles, they needed an arm and the Rays have been more than fine in their pitching department. The Orioles traded FOUR prospects that were within their top 20, including catcher Caden Bodine out of Coastal Carolina. Bodine was one of the top catchers in that draft class and all this did was give the Rays the best catcher prospect they’ve had in quite some time. His ascension speaks for itself.

One thing that Bodine has done this season in the Rays organization is display a level of consistency. Here’s how he’s done at every single level this season:

• A: .379/.433/.613/1.047

• A+: .341/.411/.447/.888

• AA: .316/.397/.447/.844

• AAA: .533/.500/1.067/1.567

He’s shown the ability to hit not only for average, but for power as well. Most importantly, he has been an on base machine and having a high walk rate across all system levels. Even better, not a high strikeout player.

Bodine in is AAA now and has made his impacts felt. He has eight hits, with four going for extra bases. His two home runs were extremely impressive Friday night, as he homered from both sides of the plate.

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Justin Gonzales: Red Sox

Even though the Red Sox traded a big haul at the deadline from their farm (see below), they still have very good players in their system. All the talk is about Franklin Arias and deservedly so. He’s regarded by many as a top three prospect in the sport. However, they’ve got a big power bat in their system and he’s been enjoying life in Double A since being promoted to Portland.

Gonzales is a prospect of need in my opinion for the Red Sox, as he solves the need for power within their organization. You’ve seen notable power surges, as the ISO has gone from .109 to .201, his slugging rose from .390 to .481, and he has a new career high in home runs with 19. He hit four all of last season.

Gonzales has been stellar with Portland and in fact LOVES Portland. Red Sox fans got the pleasure of seeing him and Roman Anthony in the same lineup this past week. In eight games with Portland, Gonzales has hits in seven of those games and six being multi hit games. He has two home runs, a triple, and two double so far and is slashing .393/.509/.714/1.214.

He’s done a tremendous job of not striking out and also generating his walks. The power is on full display and the Red Sox have a blossoming 19 year old within their system.

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Cameron Flukey: Tigers

With Tarik Skubal out of the picture, the turning of the page is in order. The current staff is in a good place overall, with young players like Jackson Jobe and Troy Melton holding their own. In the pipeline, they do have Ben Jacobs, whom they took out of Arizona State in the 2025 draft, but it’s Cameron Flukey who has made a strong impression since beginning his professional career.

The Coastal Carolina standpoint was a mutant on the mound in 2025, helping lead the Chanticleers to the College World Series against LSU. He had a 3.19 ERA and logged the most innings of his collegiate career. A strikeout machine with good command, a polarizing fastball and good secondaries. Unfortunately injuries derailed his 2025 season, but was still one of the top arms in this draft class.

Flukey has made three starts do far is Low-A for the Tigers organization, pitching a total of 6.2 innings. It’s been more of a ramp up, seeing him increase his workload with each start. Flukey has been efficient in that starts, giving up two hits, eight strikeouts, and four walks. His WHIP sits at 0.95, batting average against at .105, and his ERA is a complete zero.

It’s a small sample, but when it comes to pure stuff, he has three pitches that grade above 100. His changeup has the highest grade (110) and his sinker is at 109. It’ll be great to see him develop his arsenal overall. His best swing and miss pitch thus far is his slider.

Was a big fan of Flukey at college, now it’ll be fun to watch him develop.

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Kyson Witherspoon: Orioles

Remember the big trade that went down this trade deadline involving Adley Rutschman to the Red Sox? The big piece in the move was pitcher Anthony Eyanson, who was cruising through the Red Sox system. He’s been just as effective since coming over to Baltimore, but Witherspoon has done a complete 360 degree turn and looks much better than he did with Boston.

Development isn’t linear, let’s remember that. Good news is, is that Witherspoon was performing better before the trade. His final two starts within the Red Sox system (Greenville Drive), was 9.2 innings pitched, three earned runs, nine strikeouts, and two walks. Furthermore, he had whiff rates of 38.9% and 36%, so seeing the swing and miss was huge. In Baltimore, he’s been the strongest he’s looked all year long.

Witherspoon has made three starts (14.1 innings), has given up two earned runs, 20 strikeouts, and ten walks. Walks continue to be a thing for Witherspoon, who has an 11.7% walk rate. But seeing him have a 42% strike rate in back to back starts is huge for him and also the highest strike rates in any starts this season. He also recorded the highest whiff rates and in zone whiff rates in back to back starts. Hes figuring things out and in the grand scheme of things, really great for the Orioles pitching outlook.

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This start doesn’t get any better than this. Scherzer had two base runners all game long. He gave up one walk (second inning) and one hit (fourth inning). He got off on the right footing in this start, striking out the side in the first inning. Outside of the Cal Raleigh double, he struck out another three batters, giving him eight strikeouts through the first four innings of work. It’s the most efficient and dialed in we’ve seen Scherzer this season. Scherzer generated some pop ups, letting the defense do the work and tacking on two more strikeouts.

What a start. What a game. What a way to get a deserved ovation for the performance displayed on the mound. Scherzer pitched seven scoreless innings, the deepest he’s pitched all season long. Furthermore, he hadn’t reached the sixth inning in a start since August 2nd. He struck out a whopping ten batters, a season high for Scherzer, who’s had as many strikeouts in his last three starts combined. In six starts in the month of August, he’s given up two or fewer runs in five of them. He’s pitched extremely well this month, finishing August with a sub-4.00 ERA. Everything under the hood was as great as the stuff on the surface.

Velocity wise, Scherzer has seen an uptick in velocity in this start. In fact, he has hovered around 93.1-93.3 MPH over his last three starts. That’s comforting to see. In his start against the Red Sox, Scherzer saw a 0.7 MPH downtick, so this is really nice to see. What also stood out in this start was his swing and miss ability.

Scherzer generated 17 whiffs, which is a season high for the future Hall of Famer. Overall, he had a 36% whiff rate and a 38% CSW. When it came to the whiffs, his four seam fastball and slider paved the way. Each of those two pitches combined for eight strikeouts (4 each). The four seam fastball had eight whiffs and a 44% whiff rate, whereas the slider had five whiffs and a 71% whiff rate and also a 60% CSW. Efficiency was also on his side, having a 69% strike rate and 70% first pitch strike rate. The slider, fastball, and curveball each had a 70% strike rate.

Truthfully, it’s vintage Scherzer and this felt great as a baseball fan to witness. The cherry on top of this entire start was that Scherzer moved into ninth all time on the strikeout leaderboard, passing Gaylord Perry.

Other Pitcher Notes

• Tyler Mahle continues to shine for the Atlanta Braves. He pitched 6.2 innings of one run ball, struck out nine batters, and walked none. Since joining the Braves, he has a 1.48 ERA across 30.1 innings of work. What an acquisition and what a turnaround compared to his time with the Giants.

• In the most important start of the season for the Yankees, Will Warren silenced the Red Sox and pitched one of his best starts. He pitched seven innings, one earned run, and seven strikeouts. It’s the first time in the month of August pitching past the sixth inning and also the most strikeouts he’s had in a start this calendar month. He chose the right time to do so.

• Tyler Glasnow since returning from the injured list. 12 IP. 4 ER. 1 BB. 13 K. Glasnow now has 6+ strikeouts in each of these two starts. Whiffs weren’t as plenty this start, having just seven. The knuckle curve was untouchable, having a 57% whiff rate and a 44% CSW. Glasnow was efficient and has been through these two starts, having a 66% strike rate and 65% first pitch strike rate.

• Zebby Matthews with his best start of the year for the Twins. He pitched 8.1 innings (longest start of his career), one earned run, and five strikeouts. Over his last three starts, he’s pitched 21 innings, three earned runs, 16 strikeouts, and two walks.

Let’s begin with Sal Stewart, who has been arguably the best bat for the Reds this season and represented the organization at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia this season. The baseball world got a glimpse of what his potential could be when he got called up last season, as he had an .806 OPS in September and the power was off the charts. After seeing him, you knew he was going to be special for this team and even though the season for the Reds has been an utter disaster, Stewart has been a consistent cog in the machine.

Stewart is not just having one of the best seasons by a Reds rookie, he’s having one of the best seasons among the rookie class this season. Stewart has 29 home runs, tying the Japanese phenom in Munetaka Murakami. Also, he has 101 RBI’s, which saw him be the fastest to reach the mark in Reds history, and also the eighth rookie this century to reach that mark. He’s now set the Reds franchise rookie record for most RBI’s in a season. Stewart is sixth in OPS this season among the rookie class and is ninth in wRC+.

Stewart can play a good first base. He’s athletic, can pick it, and gives them an everyday first baseman that brings value at the plate for the first time since the days of Joey Votto. Defensive metrics aren’t nearly as kind to first baseman, which was the knock on Pete Alonso this free agency period, yet he’s been perfectly fine over there. Stewarts’ best value is at the plate. Comparing to Wetherholt, that conversation is quite different.

If you were to ask me who I think the most well rounded rookie is in this class, it’s JJ Wetherholt. Also, Kevin McGonigle is right there, as his approach at the plate is extremely ideal, as he walks, can hit for power and average, but versatile defensively. Wetherholt is right there, providing value across the entire board.

Wetherholt is not as offensively gifted as Stewart, but he’s not bad by any means. Across the rookie rankings, Wetherholt is 26th in average, ninth in OBP, 29th in slugging, and 21st in OPS. He does have the ninth best walk rate and the seventh lowest strikeout rate, so a very ideal approach. Not mention, the most runs scored, which helps by getting in base and the guys behind him driving him in. He’s been the Cardinals lead off hitter. Wetherholt is 14th in wRC+ and overall is in the 60th percentile for batting run value. But that’s not entirely where the conversation stops.

Wetherholt also does it on the base paths. He isn’t the fastest man alive, but he has stolen 14 bases, which ties him for the seventh most among the rookie class. Stewart is right behind him with 12. When it comes to base running value, Wetherholt ranks in the 95th percentile. What does separate him from a large portion of this rookie class has been his defensive ability.

Wetherholt has the second best defensive run value across the league with 20, trailing only Pete Crow-Armstrong (24). This ranks him in the 100th percentile. As a rookie, that’s special. Among all second baseman, Wetherholt is fourth in defensive runs saved (13), and first in outs above average (21). His defensive grade per Fangraphs is 16.9. Next closest is 9.2 and it belongs to Luis Arraez. He makes the position look so fluent. He’s athletic, good range, can execute the double plays, and gives the Cardinals an athletic and dynamic middle infield for years to come. There’s a reason the Cardinals put pen to paper with him.

So, where do we stand on the matter? Personally, as great as Stewart is at the plate and the type of impact he has made on the Reds this season, Wetherholt brings the most value across the board. For what he does and how he can impact the game in different ways makes him special. The winner for me is Wetherholt, but the margins are extremely close.

Who do you choose?

Photo Credit: Detroit Free Press

The tribute video was spectacular. An emotional Tarik Skubal with smiles and tears embraced the video and went on to prepare for the game. The fans gave him his flowers and then Skubal went on to have a great start in the ballpark he’s known other than Dodger Stadium his whole career.

The Tigers generated the first hit in the very first at bat, with a Gleyber Torres double to deep center field. The response was Skubal getting two strikeouts to end the inning. Skubal then slammed the door shut entirely, having a 1-2-3 inning for the next three innings, including striking out the side in the third inning. Typical Skubal fashion. Then the hits came and the Tigers drew first blood.

Eduardo Valencia cranked a double off of Skubal and then the prized rookie Max Clark roped a triple that drove in the first run and fired off sensational emotion getting the crowd fired up. Skubal got out of the inning with just the one run and saw the defense go to work in the sixth inning. That would then conclude his night on the mound for the first time as an away pitcher.

For the fourth time as a member of the Dodgers, Skubal pitched six innings. He gave up one earned run, four hits, zero walks, and seven strikeouts. Skubal has now had 6+ strikeouts in every start he’s made in Dodger blue as well and now sees his ERA drop back down to 2.84 for the entire season.

Velocity for Skubal was well on par, which has still been remarkable given him coming back from surgery. His fastball averaged 97 MPH and he nearly touched 100 (99.6 MPH). His changeup saw a 0.9 MPH uptick and his slider 1.3 MPH. Everything was moving, especially the changeup by seeing one inch added of horizontal movement.

Strangely enough and partly because maybe the Tigers know him, the swing and miss was not very evident. Skubal racked up only nine whiffs, with a large bulk coming from his changeup. His changeup had a 32% whiff rate and a 31% CSW. Also, it had five of the seven strikeouts recorded by Skubal tonight, which has been his most lethal pitch. Heck, it had a 72% strike rate.

It wasn’t the most dominant start by Skubal, but it was another good one. He pitched well in what was likely an emotional time for him and performed against his former club. Credit to the Tigers, they went toe to toe with their former teammate.

Other Pitcher Notes

• Cam Schlittler came into this start absolutely performing well against the Red Sox to start his career. Including the playoffs, Schlittler had an 0.68 ERA. Talk about being pretty untouchable. Schlittler pitched another gem inside the Bronx and kept the Red Sox offense in check until it was his time to come out of the game. Schiller pitched 5.2 innings, giving up two hits, and eight strikeouts. That’s how 39 strikeouts against the Red Sox in his career. This season, he’s faced the Red Sox four times and has had 8+ strikeouts in two of those starts. Schlittler managed to go ahead and walk five batters, matching a season for him. Velocity was supreme for Schlittler, having 11 100 MPH pitches. He had 16 whiffs, good for 35% whiff rate overall and a 32% CSW. The walks held him back from pitcher of the day, but another web gem against the Red Sox. Also, he is the 5th starter to reach 200 strikeouts and he’s the 4th youngest Yankee to reach the mark in a single season.

• Michael Wacha allowed eight earned runs across three starts to begin the month of August. His last two starts have been quite dominant and the one Friday Night against the division rival Guardians. Against the Tigers, Wacha went seven innings, one earned run, three hits, and six strikeouts. Against the Guardians, Wacha pitched eight scoreless innings, four hits, zero walks, and a whopping ten strikeouts. This was a season high in strikeouts for Wacha and also the third of five starts this month where he didn’t walk a single batter. He threw 103 pitches, 73% of them going for strikes. Great news is velocity was sky high across the board and he maintained that velocity towards the end of the outing. Wacha had 16 whiffs, good for a 30% rate overall.

• Dylan Cease continues his CY Young surge. In the ALCS rematch from a year ago, Cease delivered in Blue Jays slaughter of the Mariners. Cease pitched 6.1 innings, allowed four hits, one earned run, and struck out eight batters. Cease has now struck out 7+ batters in 19 consecutive starts, being the first pitcher since Randy Johnson (2001), to accomplish that feat. I’d love nothing more than to see him take home the award. Cease only finished with nine whiffs, but did generate weak contact and a few fly balls that resulted in outs. Cease saw a massive downtick in velocity, but still got the job done.

• Hunter Brown to start the month of August; 16 IP. 8 ER. 10 BB. 17 K. His last two starts; 12.1 IP. 2 ER. 4 BB. 14 K. Efficiency has been the key for Brown and he put together one of his best start tonight against the Mets. 10 strikeouts tonight was the most he’s had in a start all season long. This is the first start all season where he’s walked fewer than two batters. Brown saw good velocity on his four seam and sinker (96 MPH each) and topped out at 98.7. Brown had 16 whiffs, having FOUR pitches with a 30% whiff rate or better. The knuckle curve had four of his ten strikeouts. Sinker was efficient. Vintage Hunter Brown against NY.

• Logan Henderson continues to be a machine for the Brewers. He has given up just three earned runs over his last 20 IP. He’s walked only three batters and punched out 17. It’s efficient work and it’s just another key cog in the Brewers pitching pipeline. He’s efficient, having a 69% strike rate and a 64% first pitch strike rate. Tonight he gave up one earned run and just one hit. He’s been everything you could ask for and a gem to watch pitch each and every night.

• Patrick Sandoval held his own against Schlittler this evening. Gave up one earned run over 5.1 innings pitched. He’s struck out seven (matching a season high), but walked four batters. Command slipped as the start went on, but tip of the cap.

Baseball Notes

• Sal Stewart set the Reds franchise record for RBI’s by a rookie (101) and is now just nine HR away from matching the rookie record in Reds history.

• Walker Jenkins recorded his first hit as a major league player! Congrats to the rookie and welcome to the show!

It’s funny how the tables have turned for the Twins, who find themselves in a playoff spot and are now four games back of the final wild card spot. It was a team that did buy at the trade deadline, adding Dean Kremer and Jeff Hoffman for arms. At this point the Twins are all in on a push and in doing so should put their best foot forward to trying to punch their ticket in and in what’s a very weak American League. Could be controversial, but the Twins should call up their number one prospect in Walker Jenkins.

Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune

The Twins might not be the same type of juggernaut as some of the other offensive teams, but for large parts this team has been a steady unit. As whole, the Twins have the ninth most runs, ninth most doubles, 13th most triples, and 14th most home runs. In overall slash line, they are middle of the pack. They’ve gotten some strong contributions and career defining seasons from players such as Kody Clemens and also seeing Ryan Jeffers and Byron Buxton perform. Adding an injection of youth that’s impactful could help this group and so far we’ve seen that for the Twins.

The Twins called up prospect Kaelen Culpepper and he has done nothing but perform up until this point. Culpepper hit a home run in his first game as a Twin and is now slashing .333/.381/.526 with a .907 OPS and 153 wRC+. Manager Derek Shelton praised Culpepper for his ability to take really good swings, have competitive at bats, and deliver some power. It’s been a breath of fresh air and Culpepper is one of five hitters in the month of August with an OPS above .700.

But calling up Jenkins could serve the same exact purpose as Culpepper getting called up. A blend of youth and a player that can make an immediate impact. Buxton himself has missed time this season and the beginning of the month and left the game against the Athletics earlier this week. Not to mention, inject life into an offense that’s 21st in OPS, 21st in wRC+, and 23rd in runs scored since the All-Star Break. You can say they need reinforcements, but also helping balance the roster.

Bringing in Jenkins also shifts the balance of the defense, as Luke Keaschall is better suited to play middle infield than he is in the outfield. It’s still been negative but all the metrics, but Jenkins can play a better outfield and you get his bat into the lineup.

When you look at life at the plate for Jenkins, he has been a monster overall. In Triple A this season, he is slashing .308/.407/.532 with a .939 OPS. Jenkins has 12 home runs on the season, seeing EIGHT of them come in the month of August. In August he’s hitting .411 with a whopping 1.283 OPS. The power surge has really come through this month and there is a lot to love under the hood too.

Jenkins has the ideal approach you want with a player at the plate. He has a strong walk rate (13.7%), and also does a good job of not striking out (15.6%). Jenkins doesn’t whiff, doesn’t chase outside the zone, provides good hard hit rates and the max exit velocities are an improvement from the season prior. It’s a good player to have and the development has taken flight this season.

There is the world of the lockout and the new CBA. If Jenkins is on the 40 man roster, he won’t be eligible to play if there is a lockout. However, if they are to make a push, bringing him up when rosters expand is a smart move to make. Jenkins could be a factor to help the Twins down the stretch and at this point, the team deserves every bit of that.

Lets Scoop!

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

As it currently stands, Rodriguez is sixth in ERA across the entire league (2.50). The names he trails behind: Jacob Misiorowski, Cam Schlittler, Chris Sale, Dylan Cease, and Parker Messick. That’s very elite company to be in and shows the same type of consistency as those names have had this season as well.

What helped make this start spectacular was that it was a low scoring affair and the base traffic was minimal. Rodriguez walked a few batters prior to the fifth inning, but the first actual hit did come in the fifth on a single by Tyrone Taylor. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a double in the sixth and threatened with runners in scoring position. It was their best threat against Rodriguez. As he’d done so well in every inning getting out then is punching the final batter out with a strikeout.

Rodriguez pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up two hits, three walks, and striking out nine batters. He’s now had back to back scoreless starts, has gone 6+ innings in three of his last four, and his nine strikeouts matched a season high that he set August 9th against the Dodgers. Rodriguez is now tied for third place in wins this season with 14.

Rodriguez saw an uptick in velocity in this start, with a 0.7 MPH uptick on his four seam fastball and a 1.1 MPH uptick on his cutter. Granted, he only threw the cutter 9% of the start, as he leaned very heavily into the four seam fastball and changeup combination. Of his nine strikeouts, six came off the four seam

Fastball and three came off the changeup.

Efficiency was a key part of the outing for Rodriguez. He had a whopping 81% first pitch strike rate with his four seam, changeup, and cutter each having an 86% first pitch strike rate. 68% of his pitches went for strikes, and one thing he has shown tremendously as of late is being able to grind out his starts, go deep into games, and surpass the 100 pitch limit and succeed in the process. If the Diamondbacks are going to make a run, he is going to be a large part of that.

Rodriguez also excelled in the swing and miss department. He generated 18 whiffs, good for a 35% whiff rate overall and a 37% CSW. His four seam had a 36% whiff rate and the changeup with a 43% whiff rate.

Just another strong showing and a remarkable season for Rodriguez and the snakes.

Other Pitcher Notes

• Freddy Peralta FINALLY delivered his best start as a member of the Rays. His first four starts, he gave up 17 ER in 21.1 innings pitched. He had six walks and 16 strikeouts in this span as well. Against the Tigers, who have given the Rays fits this series, he shut the door. Six scoreless innings, zero walks, two hits, and four strikeouts. Good news, is that in his time with the Rays, length has never been the issue, as he’s pitched 6+ innings in three of the five starts. Peralta generated 10 whiffs, having a 57% whiff rate with his changeup. Fastball saw a slight uptick in velocity, but a 1 MPH uptick on his sweeper and 1.4 on his curveball. When the fastball is playing, that’s key and given the Rays have been working with Peralta on his changeup specifically it’s nice to see it working. Peralta had 200+ strikeouts in each of the last three seasons. We want to see that arm again.

• The Phillies were able to salvage what was a very poor showing in this series. They did it on the backs of Jesùs Luzardo. Ironically, Luzardo had a very similar stat line to Rodriguez, but Luzardo has won this pitcher of the day plenty recently. Luzardo pitched seven scoreless innings, gave up one hit, did walk three, but struck out nine. Dating back to June 28, he’s given up one or fewer earned runs in nine of his last 11 starts. His ERA is now down to 3.09 for the season. Luzardo piled up 18 whiffs, having a 40% whiff rate of more on three of his pitches (sweeper, four seam fastball, changeup). The most came off the sweeper (8), but he had a 39% whiff rate overall and a 36% CSW. Luzardo threw 104 pitches, 62% strike rate, but got ahead of the count 72%. Love what he’s done this season and is a gem to watch.

• The see-saw affair that is Mackenzie Gore this season continues. Here’s his starts in August. Aug. 4: 6 IP. 0 ER. Aug 10: 5.1 IP. 1 ER. Aug 15: 5.2 IP. 3 ER. Aug 21: 6 IP. 0 ER. Aug 26: 3.2 IP. 4 ER. July he gave up 3+ earned runs in five of his six starts. Gore now has a 4.40 ERA on the season for the Rangers. 3.2 innings is the second shortest outing of the season for Gore.

Other Baseball Notes

Sal Stewart has 100 career RBI’s 3rd fastest in Reds history. He Has hit 100; joining these rookies this century to do it:

Albert Pujols 130 in 2001

Hideki Matsui 106 in 2003

Ryan Zimmerman 110 in 2006

José Abreu 107 in 2014

Aaron Judge 114 in 2017

Pete Alonso 120 in 2019

• Jackson Jobe pitched 4.1 innings, gave up four hits, one earned run, struck out four, and walked three. He’s struck out four batters in three of his four starts, but the walks have been a problem over the last two (6 walks combined). Here’s was stood out in this start. The curveball. In his start against the White Sox (8/14), he used the pitch 12%. No strikeouts or whiffs. Against the Pirates (8/19), he threw it just 6% and same results. Today against the pesky Rays, 17% usage, 4 MPH (85.1 MPH from 81.1 MPH). Had three of the four strikeouts and a 33% whiff rate.

• Welcome back Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow pitched 5 innings, gave up three earned runs, struck out seven, and didn’t walk a single batter. Velocity was very back to where it was for his yearly averages (95.6 MPH) and he topped out at 97.4 MPH. He had the five fastest pitches when he exited the game. Glasnow was efficient (62% strike rate). His slider was 100% for first pitch strikes AND a 65% strike rate. Glasnow had 15 whiffs, having a 40% whiff rate on three of his secondary pitches.

• Jacob deGrom with one of the worst starts of the season. He pitched 3.2 innings, gave up eight earned runs (tied career high), five walks, and threw 87 pitches. He now has four starts this season where he has given up 6+ earned runs. His two strikeouts was a season low for him.

• Piling onto that, Gavin Williams had his shortest start since 2024. He pitched 1.1 innings, gave up two home runs, five earned runs, and six hits. It’s how his second multi home run game over his last four starts and second start over his last four giving up five earned runs.

• The pitching duel in San Diego between Michael King and Paul Skenes really stole the show. The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Both pitchers delivered. King pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking two. 15 whiffs, had a 1.5 MPH uptick on his sinker and 1.7 on his changeup. Changeup and four seam each had 40% whiff rates. Sweeper saw 2” added of HB. As for Paul Skenes, this is the best he’s looked in a while. Last start was good velocity wise, averaging 96.8 MPH compared to the start prior against the Marlins with 95.7. Against the Padres, he averaged 97.2 MPH and even topped out at 99 MPH. Had a 30% whiff rate. ZERO walks. He pitched six scoreless innings striking out four batters. First time since May 12 pitching a scoreless start.

• There was a very nice underrated pitching duel inside Citi Field. Kyle Harrison facing Zach Thornton actually proved to be a very nice matchup and Thornton held his own. The first run didn’t cross the board until the fourth inning, seeing the rookie Luis Lara hit a deep single to drive in William Contreras. Thornton slammed the door since then. Thornton pitched six innings, got knocked around a bit (7 hits), but punched out four and zero walks. After giving up six earned runs across his last two starts, he slowed down a good offense. Efficiency was on his side, having a 70% strike rate and first pitch strike rate. Fastball saw a 1.3 MPH uptick. Harrison has been solid overall. Since returning from injury, he’s given up one or fewer runs in three of his four starts. He has given up four home runs, with one coming tonight. All five strikeouts came off the four seam fastball and seeing more whiffs come off it compared to his vicious slurve. Like Thornton, was also efficient with a 70% strike rate and 65% first pitch strike rate.

• Seth Lugo put together a strong start against the surging Blue Jays. Lugo has allowed 18 earned runs combined across his last four starts, but gave up one earned run across five innings of work. What stood out was his ability to use MULTIPLE pitches and evenly distributed. A Yu Darvish esque arsenal. Five pitches with a 10% usage or more. Bread and butter combo was the curveball and cutter. Combined for four strikeouts. Curveball had a 63% whiff rate and the cutter 50%. Sweeper had an 80% first pitch strike rate.

• Gage Jump had a 6.02 ERA at home coming into this start against the Twins. He put together arguably his best home start of the entire season. He pitched 6.1 innings, one earned run, NINE strikeouts (second most in a start this season), and two walks. Jump had 13 whiffs. 32% with the four seam, 33% with the changeup, and 67% with the curveball. Changeup saw a 1” addition of HB. Curveball was moving more; 2” added of drop, 1” of HB, and 107 RPM of spin.

• Taj Bradley was very solid for the Twins against the Athletics. He did allow four earned runs. The cherry on top of this start was having an immaculate inning, which is also the first immaculate inning in Twins franchise history.

• George Kirby last two starts; 8 IP. 11 ER. 5 K. 4 BB. Against the Phillies; 7.2 IP. 1 ER. 9 K. 1 BB. He’s had as many strikeouts in this start as he’s had the last four combined. Four seam fastball saw a 1.3 MPH uptick AND six strikeouts of the nine. 21 whiffs, 38% whiff rate and 36% CSW. 50% with the four seam and splitter. 38% with the sweeper. By far his most efficient start with a 73% strike rate.

Baseball Notes

Welcome back to some big home run hitters.

• Cody Bellinger hit a home run against the Astros, as he just returned from the injured list. It was his 12th of the season for Bellinger.

• Hunter Goodman in his first game back off the injured list hit a home run. He now has 35 on the season, which is the most by a Rockies player since 2019.

• Have a day Mickey Gasper. He hit two home runs today, the first multi home run game of his career. He has five home runs this month and is slashing .476/.621/1.333/1.954.

• Jarren Duran hit a grand slam in the 11th inning. His 17 RBI’s in the ninth inning or later leads all of baseball. Given the season he has had, that’s crazy to think about.

• Cal Raleigh now has FOUR home runs in the first two games against the Phillies.

But in reality, as much as the pitching did need to be addressed and added to, it’s the bats that have largely been a problem for this franchise. This team is way too talented to have performed the way that they have this season and you had in the back of your mind that if they played anywhere close to their true ceiling the tides would turn. Well, the tides have turned and they are getting those types of impacts from their big bats. It’s what helped them cling onto the final wild card spot, where they are two games ahead.

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

How they started the season was an unsustainable way to winning baseball games. The starting pitching wasn’t lighting the field on fire, but the big four weren’t getting the job done at the plate. We all know how elite the Padres bullpen is, which when you have the best closers in baseball is great. But if you aren’t in save opportunities, it’s a waste. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts all were collectively underperforming at the same time. From opening day until June, here’s what they were doing.

• Fernando Tatis Jr: .266/.340/.318/.658

• Manny Machado: .174/.267/.353/.620

• Jackson Merrill: .209/.282/.335/.617

• Xander Bogaerts: .243/.311/.376/.687

The craziest part was that the Padres had a 32-26 record, further emphasizing that it wasn’t sustainable. Not to mention they were a team that was bottom three in OPS AND wRC+. Things didn’t trend up right away. They put together a subpar June (11-15), but followed it up with a much better July (13-13), with more of the damage coming at the end of the month. August, this time has taken flight, which has allowed them to having the second best record in the division, as they’ve gone 15-7. The pitching has still gotten the job done, he coincidentally, it’s the offense that’s performed better and it starts with the big bats.

When you were ready to deem players to be the most disappointing this season, Tatis Jr. was right up there on that list. In fact, it took until MAY 30TH for him to have his first home run of the entire season. At this given rate, the disappointing player of the year torch has been passed down to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kyle Tucker because once the calendar flipped to June, Tatis Jr. has been one of the best players in baseball.

As a whole since June 1, he is slashing .303/.371/.544 with a .915 OPS. That OPS rankings him ninth in baseball, which is crazy to think about given how the year started. Furthermore, his 152 wRC+ is ninth in the league trailing Pete Crow-Armstrong, Yordan Alvarez, Pete Alonso, Willson Contreras, Luis Garcia Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Jake Bauers, and Seiya Suzuki. Good company to be in. He’s finally doing the thing, hitting home runs and to the shock of many has the most home runs of any player in the month of August.

A lot has changed with the player overall. Good friend of the newsletter and in general Ballpark Buzz, did an article on Tatis Jr back in May discussing the struggles. What was notably pointed out was despite hitting the ball at a hard rate, the launch angles were quite low, seeing his average launch angle at 2.4 degrees. There’s no air lift going on. Now, he’s averaging 7 degrees, which is at the lower end of the ideal attack angle, but still with good liftoff and his ideal attack angle percentage is 57.6%. Huge.

What also stands out is his batting stance. You can clearly see he has been more closed in May, evidence by his stance angle. He’s now widened his stance month after month, seeing him widen his stance to 42 degrees. These types of mechanical changes have led to better success and finally seeing the Tatis Jr. that we’ve grown to see over the years.

Remember when Jackson Merrill took the league by storm his rookie year? The infamous walkoff home run call by the legend Don Orsillo himself labeled him as “Merrill Madness”, was quite the treat and a delight to watch. Merrill was another player that had a tough season last year dealing with injuries and also a tough start to this year. He’s since turned his season around and for the better.

Since June, Merrill is slashing .259/.293/.466 with a .759 OPS. In July he finished with an .860 OPS and in August he’s maintained an .833 OPS and tearing the cover off the baseball. He had five home runs going into June and since then has how hit 21 for the season and now three shy from tying the best mark of 24 for his career. In fact, he has his first ever 20/20 season.

Like Tatis Jr., Merrill was hitting the ball hard and the bat speed was there. Just the liftoff was not there. Between June and July, the attack angles were at 10 and 11 degrees, which is right in the ideal spot for lifting the ball. You can also see the ideal attack angle rates are higher in those two months than the others, highlighting the production output further. Merrill has always been a pillar defensively, but the offense finally coming through helps.

Seeing Manny Machado deliver is huge. The money on his contract beyond this season truly is hefty and the production hasn’t matched it. He has had a .780 OPS since June, but a .921 OPS in July and has struggled in August. As a whole, he has hit 24 home runs, giving him six straight 20+ home run seasons and if not for the lost Covid-19 season, that’s 11 of 12 seasons with 20+ home runs. Anything from him is going to be needed for this team to make real noise from now and potentially into October.

This team as a whole has gotten very good contributions overall this season from unsung heroes in Ty France and Gavin Sheets. Losing Ramon Laureano was a massive blow and seeing the unfortunate struggles from Xander Bogaerts doesn’t help. If this team is to continue their strong pace, it’ll be the big bats contributing and it’s a large part to their success.

Ryan Sloan: Mariners

It’s crazy that the Seattle Mariners have the top pitching prospect that just made their debut Saturday. It didn’t have the same buzz necessarily as when Paul Skenes made his debut, but it was a highly anticipated debut by Kade Anderson and he was terrific. What’s insanely diabolical to think about is the Mariners also have another top pitching prospect across the landscape in Ryan Sloan, who was his running mate with the Arkansas Travelers (AA).

Sloan has been magnificent this season. In 19 starts, Sloan has a 3.63 ERA, 111 strikeouts, and 14 walks. Base traffic is hard to come by and if you get there, count your blessings. When you dive further into his savant page (courtesy of TJ Stats), it’s very delightful and quite lethal. There isn’t an area he doesn’t excel at, between ability to strike batters out, generate swing and miss, get the chase, and simply be in full attack mode.

His latest start was his best of the entire season, making you scratch your head and wonder what else he needs to learn at the AA level. A promotion should be in order OR bring him into the fold. Sloan pitched five innings of one run ball, zero walks, and matching a season high 11 strikeouts. It was vicious, striking out 68.8% of the batters he faced, while generating a 45.9% whiff rate and even better a 33.3% zone whiff rate.

Sloan has been a gem, further putting emphasis on the Mariners pitching lab as a whole. This kid should be talked about more now that Anderson isn’t in the mix.

Justin LeBron: Reds

JEFF GILBERT/CONTRIBUTED

One of the best draft picks was Justin LeBron to the Reds 18th overall in this last draft. It was the best player available at that spot and for a position they do need for a future outlook. There’s no denying that the pitching infrastructure is in place, even with not having Hunter Greene for the 2027 season. But when you dive into the bats for the Reds, they need some more juice in that aspect. Alfredo Duno has lived up to every bit of his hype, but LeBron is showing out very early in his professional career.

He has been assigned to the Dayton Dragons (A+) and he has demolished that league. Even though at times at the University of Alabama it was inconsistent, the power was there. In regards to power, LeBron has his five home runs in his last eight games, is slugging .733 and with a .400 ISO. Seeing him in the 99th percentile for wOBA and also 96th percentile for pulling the ball into the air is very nice to see.

There are things you want to see improve, such as making more contact inside the zone, generating more walks, and cutting down the swings outside the zone. Although, when eight of your 11 hits are for extra bases, something is going right and it’s a great sign for what could be a key cornerstone piece for the Reds franchise.

Andrew Fischer: Brewers

This kid is going to be special. We’ve seen our fair share of players get called up to the roster that have found success such as Cooper Pratt, and Luis Lara. Both are also locked in long term and players that are just part of the puzzle that makes this place run well. Let’s not forget Jesús Made is still the top ranked prospect in baseball. What also helps make this Brewers farm system the best in the sport is what Andrew Fischer has done to this point and the next coming player for the franchise.

He’s doing something that hasn’t been done across the Brewers minor league systems in 25 years and that’s hit 30+ home runs. 38 to be exact. What stands out the most is his consistency across both A+ and AA. When you dive into the slash lines, here is what they look like:

A+: .298/.443/.675/1.118

AA: .227/.349/.562/.911

Did the walks and the on base percentage take a slide? Sure. But the power has not and has been a constant across his entire season. Having a .356 ISO (isolated power) is great work and showing some serious growth after his 19 game cup of coffee last season in A+.

Fischer has been a phenomenal power threat and in my eyes one of the best prospects to watch and to monitor this entire season.

Ralphy Velazquez: Guardians

The Guardians are not a factory for household bat names. Yes, Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter have had nice rookie seasons for the club, but they could still use some extra juice in that lineup when the rosters expand in September. Enter Ralphy Velazquez.

He is the top ranked prospect in the Guardians farm system as we speak. Overall, he is hitting .293 with a .942 OPS. He has 27 home runs and 11 of them have come in the last 16 games. Velazquez is off to the best month of the entire season for the Guardians, slashing .379/.447-1.015/1.462. 25 hits and 11 home runs is a very solid month for the 21 year old.

He’s the perfect type of bat that this team could use. A pull air friendly hitter, with great barrel rates, and hits the ball hard. He dominated AA with that power and it’s never left since moving up to AAA.

The Guardians are in the midst of a playoff push and adding his bat would be a massive boost. Given what they’ve gotten production wise from the first base position, the time could be coming very soon.

MLB.com

Anderson dazzled and right from the start. He had a 15 pitch first inning and it was also a 1-2-3 inning and he notched his first career strikeout in that inning. The strikeouts also managed to pile up in the second, getting Michael Busch to punch out on his vicious slider and then got Pedro Ramirez with his curveball. Pitch sequence was in plenty this start, seeing him throw four different pitches and give the Cubs offense different looks.

His sequence against Kevin Alcantara was a special blend of power with his fastball and mixing in his vicious slider. For a Cubs team that doesn’t swing and miss a lot, Alcantara whiffed big on the slider. Anderson almost saw a home run go against him, but Randy Arozarena climbed over the fence for pure highway robbery. Anderson was efficient through three innings, striking out four and walking one with no hits.

As the start went on, the command slipped a bit and eventually the runs did come. Alex Bregman and Michael Busch went back to back to eventually take the lead and Anderson did see his debut come to a stop. He did receive a much deserved ovation, because for large parts he was terrific in his Mariners debut. Anderson pitched 5.2 innings, gave up three earned runs, struck out five, and walked two.

There were some really neat notable things that were noticed in this start. Anderson moved around a lot on the mound, changing his spots on each side of the rubber (whether it was the first base side or the third base side). He did that to be able to set up his slider. Really awesome to see for a young player if I’m being honest.

The slider was vicious, just as it was with the Arkansas Travelers. It had three strikeouts and registered a 50% whiff rate and a 38% CSW. Anderson was efficient for large parts of the night, having a 65% strike rate and 59% first pitch strike rate. His fastball was dialed in for strikes (74%).

This was a much anticipated start. Not the same level as Paul Skenes when he made his debut, but very much up there in young promising arms that can take this league by storm.

Other Pitcher Notes

• Tarik Skubal has given up three or more earned runs in two of his four starts as a Dodger, which he only did four times as a Tiger. But tonight was one of the most dialed in starts of the season for Skubal. He pitched 6 innings, gave up three earned runs, walked one batter, but struck out 11 batters. That’s his third 10+ strikeout of the game. All of the damage came in the first inning, and he allowed one base runner after the second inning. Skubal threw 105 pitches, 70% for strikes and 63% first pitch strikes. Skubal generated 23 whiffs, with all pitches having a whiff rate of 30% or better. Skubal is Elite.

• Logan Henderson delivered yet another gem for the Brewers. He pitched 6.1 innings, one earned run, four strikeouts and two walks. Not alot of swing and miss, but did see a climb in velocity across the board. He’s given up two earned runs in his last 13.1 IP with ten strikeouts and three walks.

• Andrew Painter with his best start of the entire season. He pitched seven innings (season high), one earned run, zero walks, eight strikeouts (matches season high). Painter threw the five fastest pitches by the time he exited the game, highest being 99.6 MPH. Furthermore, he had a season high 20 whiffs. Painter finished with a 33% whiff rate and a 34% CSW. Every pitch he had in his arsenal had a 30% whiff rate or better. Great day for a career best start thus far and he got the run support.

• Shane McClanahan delivered in a pivotal start against the surging Orioles. He pitched five scoreless innings, walked one batter, and struck out four. He’s give up one or fewer earned runs in three of his last four starts. It’s the first time he didn’t walk a batter since his start on July 8. Velocity on the four seam was slightly up (0.6 MPH) and he topped out at 98.6. He had a 29% whiff rate overall, and a 31% CSW. Efficient and effective and his best start in quite some time.

• Tip of the cap to Blade Tidwell, putting this start into the best of the year for him. He pitched 5.2 innings, zero earned runs, three hits, seven strikeouts (season high), and two walks. This topped his start against the Astros (5.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 K, 1 BB). A pitcher that this franchise can groom into a starter next season. The sweeper/sinker combo worked well for him (3 strikeouts each). Sweeper had a 29% whiff rate. And despite that, saw 3” less of HB on the pitch. Threw it very well for strikes (74%) and the sinker was 87% strike rate. It averaged 17” of HB.

• Jacob Lopez with a very efficient day on the mound for the Athletics. Six strong innings, one earned run, nine strikeouts (tied season high), and one walk. Lopez generated 15 whiffs. A whopping 48% with his slider and 33% with his fastball. Slider averaged 3” more of HB compared to what he averages.

Other Baseball Notes

• Alex Bregman has become a home run machine. He hit two home runs on Friday and added another, giving him three home runs this series against the Mariners. He has 11 home runs in the month of August.

• Jackson Merrill hit his 20th home run of the season. His second 20 home run season of his three year career.

The Guardians have a pitching pedigree and should be talked about more in that light. What makes this team special is that until the acquisition of Foster Griffin from the Nationals, the Guardians used the same FIVE guys in the rotation. To have that type of consistency and also health is outstanding over a 162 game season. When you dive into what has made the Guardians rotation the sixth best in baseball, Parker Messick and his strong rookie season is a very key ingredient. However, the pitcher that deserves more love and appreciation is Gavin Williams. The type of season he is having should be talked about a bit more than it is.

MLB.com

Gavin Williams hasn’t always been the Gavin Williams we know today and quite frankly the last two seasons. In fact, his first two years coming into the league, he’d only made 16 starts in each of those seasons. He’s gone from that to an absolute unit at the forefront of the Guardians rotation. Scrolling through Twitter or what the cool kids call X these days, the nickname the MLB account gave him was “The Big Rig”. It’s fitting, given his stature, but also his performance.

As a fan, last year felt special and was more of the coming out party for Williams. He notched 31 starts and pitched 167.2 innings (most in career). His ERA was a career low 3.06, but the FIP was a 4.39. It wasn’t so much he was a victim of poor BABIP luck, but the fact he had a whopping 11.8% walk rate. In fact, among qualified starters he led the league in walks with 83. This season has been a year of growth for Williams and the type of run he is on right now is certainly something electrifying.

Williams has pitched 154.2 innings, which he’s very in line to set a new career best for a workload. He’s currently at 26 starts and in those starts he has a 3.72 ERA, but a nearly identical FIP at 3.58. He’s one a very historic run in Guardians franchise history, becoming the fourth pitcher to have 75+ strikeouts and 30 or fewer hits over an eight start stretch. This joins Corey Kluber and Shane Bieber (who’s done this twice).

Williams is having a career year and has taken the next steps into growing as a player. For starters, let’s get into the strikeouts. Williams has 201 strikeouts (career high) and also became the third player to reach the mark, joining Jacob Misiorowski and Dylan Cease who are both CY Young favorites. Over his last eight starts, he has had 10+ strikeouts in six of them. He became the first Guardians player since Shane Bieber to have four straight 11+ strikeout games. Furthermore, he is third overall in strikeout rate (32.4%) and K/9 (11.70). While this is much more eye opening, what has helped make him the pitcher he is this season is controlling the strike zone and limiting his walks.

Remember last season he had a career high in walk rate? Well, now it’s a career low 7.7%, which places him in the 61st percentile overall. When you break it down year over year and look at the changes, he’s taken huge strides and growth in that regard. Especially when the K-BB% rises nearly 12%. Magnificent. Not to mention, he’s throwing first pitch strikes 63.6%, while also getting hitters to chase more and whiff more.

His arsenal has also improved. The four seam fastball has seen an uptick in velocity, and also has seen significantly less damage done to the pitch this season. It’s not getting hit as hard as it was last season. Furthermore, his sweeper has become his best pitch by run value as well (7). He isn’t throwing frisbees like Nolan McLean is, but adding 1” of horizontal movement has helped make it more successful. It’s his best swing and miss pitch (42.2% whiff rate), and also his top putaway pitch.

Williams has been an absolute treat to watch, as is majority of the Guardians rotation. What he’s done this year shouldn’t fly under the radar and he deserves more praise than what he’s been given.

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What more can you say about Misiorowski to this given point? Each time he takes the mound and takes the baseball, it glues you to the screen or for the fans in the stand makes you sit on the edge of your seat. It’s the velocity, the strikeouts, and finding a way to get outs and limit damage. That’s what happened today in front of the Brewers faithful.

Misiorowski walked Ronald Acuña Jr., but managed to punch out the next two batters. Acuña Jr. was caught stealing, getting out of the inning. Between the second and third innings, it was a matter of getting the fly outs to his athletic outfielders, but also inducing weak contact and letting the defense go completely to work. Fourth inning saw a ball go to deep center field and you thought the ball was going to leave the yard, but Luis Lara made an outstanding grab. He got into a bit of a jam in the fifth inning, seeing the most base traffic he has seen all game long. With runners in scoring position, he got the ground out the escape the jam and get into the sixth inning. He got Drake Baldwin to strikeout looking for the second time this game and got some fly outs to get out of the sixth and walk off with a standing ovation from the Brewers faithful.

What stands out the most and in somewhat the funniest way possible is that Misiorowski averaged 100.1 MPH with his four seam fastball. Lately he’s been averaging 101. Oh well, he still topped out at 103.1 MPH, which was the fastest pitching this game. He threw the fastball 58% of the start and piled up four of his six strikeouts with the pitch. What caught the eye of many was his ability to use his secondary pitches more.

Throwing hitters off balance was the use of his slider. It’s always been his most used secondary pitch, but he threw it 22% of the start and saw alot of his swing and misses come off the pitch. The slider had a whopping 45% whiff rate and a 41% CSW. When you can throw 100 and have your slider sit at 90, that’s one recipe for success, especially with the movement profile of the pitch. Then there’s the cutter, throwing mainly to lefties in this start, but was efficient with a 69% strike rate. Was it the most dominant start we’ve seen from him this season? No. But just another scoreless start for Misiorowski, who in fact has struck out 5+ batters and given up 3 or fewer runs in every single start this season.

Chris Sale was also not bad by any means. However, he was touched up by this Brewers offense, who was raking in their last series against the Mariners. They had six hits through the first three innings, ultimately scored their two runs in the third. The fifth inning saw Sale give up three or more hits in a single inning this game, but no damage came of it. Sale escaped the sixth unscathed and his day was over.

Sale generated more whiffs than Misiorowski, 15 compared to his 14. He was four seam fastball and slider heavy this start, which isn’t abnormal by any stretch. He did throw his sinker eight times and all to lefties.

His slider and fastball were effective with the swing and miss, each registering whiff rates north of 30%. The four seam had a higher CSW% (42), but his changeup and sinker were also wildly effective in that regard. His sinker had wicked movement, averaging 18” Of horizontal break and the changeup also saw that same movement, which is a 2” rise.

Sale is effective, efficient. He can paint a 95 MPH heater and then throw a frisbee of a slider. Sure, he gave up the two runs and got hit more this game than he has over his last handful of starts. Comparing the two starts; here’s how they performed overall.

• Jacob Misiorowski: 6 IP. 4 H. 0 ER. 6 K. 2 BB.

• Chris Sale: 6 IP. 8 H. 2 ER. 6 K. 0 BB.

Between two of the best pitchers in this league, they delivered a really good performance, in what was also the pitching matchup of the day.

Other Pitcher Notes

• Logan Webb came into this game with the best ERA in the month of August (0.90). Webb didn’t even make it out of the third inning against the Red Sox. A three run HR by Willson Contreras, followed by two more singles and a hit by pitch. Webb walked a batter with the bases loaded and plunked another. He finished his night with 2.2 IP, 5 ER, 2 K, 3 BB. It was the second shortest start of his career.

• The strange night in Boston continued. Sonny Gray had the second lowest ERA this month coming into this start (0.95) and was crushing through the first three innings and then the fourth happened. A two run home run by Drew Gilbert followed up by a Rafael Devers home run saw him give up four earned runs. He’s only given up two earned runs this month. Gray notched his 16th win, tied for the league lead.

• Cam Schlittler pitched 6 innings, one earned run, three walks, four strikeouts. He’s now given up one or fewer earned runs in five of his last six starts. Schlittler has the 10th lowest walk rate this season and he’s now walked three or more batters in three of his last four starts. His season high in a start is five. He’s given up five earned runs against the Blue Jays in 24.1 IP.

• Freddy Peralta pitched seven innings for the first time since May 23. His five earned runs against the Orioles was as many as he’s had the last two starts combined. Prior start (also against the Orioles), he threw the four seam fastball 68% usage and changeup 14%. This start, changeup was 45% and fastball was 33%. They’ve been tinkering with the changeup to help fix him. 2 strikeouts with the changeup tonight.

• Mackenzie Gore with his best start of the entire season for the Rangers. He pitched six scoreless innings, two hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts. That’s two starts this month that are scoreless. Gore threw exactly 100 pitches, having a 64% strike rate. He finished with 21 whiffs. Every pitch had a whiff rate above 30%. Angels offense had nothing on him.

• Reid Detmers helps keep the Angels in the top of the league in ERA since the deadline. He pitched six scoreless innings, five strikeouts, and one walk. Detmers has given up one earned run over his last 20 IP. In that span he has 22 strikeouts and five walks.

Other Baseball Notes

• William Contreras has hits in four of his last five games. Three of them are multi hit games, including a four hit game against the Braves. Good to see after going hitless for six games in a row.

• A good night for home runs. Rafael Devers hit a home run in his first game back in Boston since the big trade. Pete Alonso hit home run number 30 for the season. It’s his sixth straight 30+ home run season.

• Andrew Fischer (Milwaukee Brewers prospect) demolished his 38th home run of the season. That leads MiLB and he’s the first Brewers prospect in 25 years to have a 30+ HR season.

• The White Sox were down 4-0. Miguel Vargas, Randall Grichuk, and Colson Montgomery went back to back to back to tie the game. Jake Rogers walks it off and the magic on the Southside continues.

• Alec Bohm has been a machine for the Phillies. He went 3-5 and had a walk off triple to give the Phillies an MLB best seven game win streak. Bohm has a .944 OPS in the month of August.

MLB.com

Messick did give up the lone run during his time in the game. He started the game strong, giving up one hit and one base runner through the first three innings. Then the fourth inning happened. A Rafael Devers double saw him eventually tag up to third base before being driven in. He did give up another hit before getting out of the inning, but cruised through the fifth and sixth without any significant base traffic. Messick got part of the seventh before being pulled from the game, but what a start it was.

Messick pitched 6.2 innings, with six hits, zero walks, and a whopping ten strikeouts. There was only two innings (1st and 7th) where he struck out just one batter. This tied a season high for Messick and also makes the second time this season he has reached the 10 strikeout mark.

Messick was very fastball heavy, which not a surprise given it has the second best run value in the league this season. He threw the pitch for a 58% usage, but did see the changeup (14%), slider (12%), and sinker (11%) be used. His velocity was slightly upticked across the board and truly the bread and butter was his fastball.

Of his ten strikeouts, seven came off of it. Furthermore, of his 19 whiffs, 15 came off the pitch (41% overall) and also had a 47% CSW. His slider had a 50% whiff rate as well, being the next best pitch in his arsenal.

Messick was extremely efficient, having a 73% strike rate and a 85% first pitch strike rate. Getting ahead of the count is always what a pitcher wants. Messick has been stellar as a rookie and a mainstay in this rotation. He really is must see television and always delivers a good start.

Messick now has a 2.54 ERA on the season.

Other Pitcher Notes

• Paul Skenes returned to the mound after seeing his start skip. The good news? The velocity is back to his yearly averages, where it was down 1.5 MPH last start. Bad news? 81 pitches across 4.1 IP. 3 ER. 5 K. 4 BB. 11 whiffs. All four strikeouts with the fastball. 54% fastball usage. 16% sweeper usage. 10% sinker and splitter usage. 57% strike rate and only a 45% first pitch strike rate. The control isn’t changing and it’s very unlike Skenes to have that in his game.

• Taj Bradley continues to get it done for the Twins and being a leader in this rotation. Bradley pitched five innings, two hits, one earned run, seven strikeouts, and three walks. He’s given up three or more earned runs in each of his last three starts. Three of his last five starts he’s had 7+ strikeouts. Bradley was averaging 97.1 MPH on his fastball (yearly average), and topped out at 99.4. By the time he exited the game, he had the five fastest pitches of the game. His splitter had a wicked 50% whiff rate. 64% strike rate overall and a 75% first pitch strike rate. You love to see it.

• Since June 30, Brandon Pfaadt had a 1.15 ERA and a 2.66 FIP coming into this start. The ERA was the best and the FIP was 10th best. Also, he hadn’t allowed a single run in four starts (27.2 IP), but today he did. Nick Sogard on the first pitch took him deep and Jarren Duran got one after Corbin Carroll lost it in the Sun. Furthermore, he saw Gasper hit another home run, giving him three home runs and five earned runs. He had given up just one home run since returning from Reno. He did strikeout eight batters and for the second start didn’t walk anybody.

• Robert Stock over his last two starts; 8.2 IP. 1 ER. 6 BB. 11 K. Finished with ten whiffs; 29% whiff rate. 31% CSW. Fastballs pounded the strike zone today. You’ll take these types of starts if you are the Mets.

• Clay Holmes had a rather peculiar start today. He went 5.1 innings, gave up six hits, one strikeout, and two walks. He induced a lot of weak contact, with 15 ground balls to one fly ball. He threw the sinker 53% of the start (which checks out). When you have the infield defense like the Cubs do, job well done.

• Shoutout Jose Urquidy, who piggybacked Sean Newcomb in a bulk role. He pitched six scoreless innings, giving up two hits, and eight strikeouts. Changeup and curveball each got three strikeouts. 100% whiff rate with his curveball. 4” added of drop (averaging 60”). He had a 74% first pitch strike rate (90% with his sinker) and a 75% strike rate. That’s effective and efficient.

• Aaron Nola put together his strongest start in quite some time. He pitched seven innings for the first time since July 5. He gave up one earned run, giving up a home run (as he’s done now in eight straight starts and 19 of 25 this season). Nola didn’t walk a single batter (first start since July 22), and struck out eight. That’s three straight starts of 8+ strikeouts. 19 whiffs. 12 coming off the wicked knuckle curve (63% whiff rate) and seven strikeouts. He increased the RPM on the pitch by 79.

• Cade Cavalli has been a machine for the Nationals over his last two starts. Against the Cubs, he pitched eight scoreless innings while giving up one hit and two walks. His 10 strikeouts were the most since his career day in Boston. Against the Rangers, he struck out 11 over six innings and another scoreless start. In total, 14 IP, 21 K, 3 BB, 28 whiffs, and only FOUR hits. Nationals really may have found their next ace.

Other Baseball Notes

• Alex Bregman had eight assists by the fifth inning in the finale for the Cubs. That’s the most assists in a game since 1992. The team record is nine. Heck of a day for Bregman at the hot corner.

• Miguel Vargas has hits in nine of his last ten games. In that span, he is hitting .325 with four home runs, ten runs scored, and five driven in. Vargas is slashing .254/.351/.556/.907 for the month of August.

• Luke Keaschall has hits in five of his last six games. They are all multi hit games. Four of his ten hits are for extra bases.

• Sal Stewart has finally reached 100 career RBI’s. Becomes the third fastest player in Reds history to do so AND leads the league in RBI’s