Autumn Dreamin

Tampa needed a warm body for depth while navigating injuries in the run up to the deadline when Lowe and HSK both went down a few games apart. Gray had been in their system previously and has options, so they picked him up for cash. He's only up again now because Aranda fractured his wrist the following week, not because the Rays "clearly preferred" him to Mead. Gray is a 29 year old with less than 50 career MLB ABs, Mead is a 24 year old former top 50 prospect. These are not comparable players, and Gray backfilling an IF roster spot after injuries/trades doesn't mean they should have comparable value.

Some are beginning to suspect that Peter Bendix was much of the brains behind the vaunted Rays FO targeting and "fixing" players. He left for the Marlins after the 2023 season and the teams' trajectories have seemingly flipped.

Houser settled down to finish 5IP 4ER. Rays couldn't come back, so he took the L. Coincidentally, Davitt (5IP, 1ER, 6K) and Peoples (1IP, 0ER/H, 2K) both pitched for Charlotte today.

Houser had some unlucky calls in that first, zone seems pretty tight and he likes to work the edges. He followed up with a quick few innings to right the ship. TB back within a run in the 4th, he does fight to keep the team in it. Crazy that he gave up 4+ in back to back starts after never doing it here though. He likely won't go 6 either, after giving us 6+ in 9 of 11. Some extra irony that his first Sox start was vs. the Ms and he went 6 scoreless. Wouldn't surprise me if some of the performance difference is who he's throwing to, TB's catching situation is weird.

Dash lost, but Zavala went 3-4 with a SB. Around an .800ish OPS over the past couple months of play, 9-27 so far in August with a 2B, HR, and 5 walks to 3Ks. AMak cooled off after a very hot July (.312/.384/.519), but has 3 HR in his last 4 games.

Nice stress free save by Taylor to take the team lead with 4. I imagine Yankees fans are pretty thankful. JRam made the last out to finish an 0-5 day for him, and a 1-13 series (the one hit was that fake double in game 1). Maybe his worst series vs. the Sox in recent memory? They held Raleigh to 1-12 (a single) in Seattle too despite the sweep. Shutting down the opponent's biggest threat is not a bad goal to have playing in this division.

Good pitch there to end it at least

Sub in Quero to pick the runner off 3rd

Knights win 5-1. Davitt in his first 2 starts: 11.1IP, 3ER, 7H, 1BB (2 hit batters), 10K. Good for a 2.38 ERA and .71 WHIP. HRs from depth guys Fletcher and Sabol, scoreless pen work from Ellard (1IP, 2K), Plymell (2IP, 3K), and Peoples (1IP, 2K).

If he sticks, we could regularly see 3 CM's in the infield.

Wow Colson

Knights mashing tonight

Not in any accessible way. Mostly have to rely on word of mouth and the occasional bit of video.

👀

Pretty fun group for AFL

It's not a given, sure, but it's also not the impossibility he implied it was only days ago when he compared Robert to Anthony Rendon, said the Sox shouldn't/wouldn't pick up the option because no one thinks he's any good, and suggested it was basically negligent to not trade him for a bag of balls.

Barons are a wagon. They win again 4-2 after an 8th inning comeback. 22-2 in their last 24 games. Antonacci 1-3, Bergolla 2-4, Galanie 2-4 with a 2 run triple. Just wild to watch. They aren't being carried by star power, but anything that can go right for them just seems to lately. Did we accidentally assign Pope Leo to AA? Call him up!

Three guys drafted last month have joined the lineup in Kannapolis and Wolkow is still 2.5+ years younger than all of them. He doesn't turn 20 until early next year. Kind of puts some things in perspective.

Kanny wins the first game of the DH 6-3. Bonemer 0-2 but with 2 walks and 2 runs scored. Wolkow 1-2 with a 3 run homer, 2BB, 1 K. 12th rounder Ely Brown looks solid in CF. LaCombe cruised through 6u/6d but then gave up a single and walk in the 3rd. Got pulled for (I assume) pitch count with two outs and both runners scored after that. Final line 2.2 IP, 1H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 4 K. Road broadcaster keeps referring to Caleb "Bonnerman" and it's very annoying.

Wasn't he JUST criticizing the White Sox for not giving him away?

Rojas has to be done whenever Meidroth/Vargas are back off the IL. I feel for him because he clearly hasn't been right since the ST injury, but it is what it is. I can live with rookie struggles, but there's no room for a vet making mistakes like that.