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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minor League Wrap: Pedro Ramirez walks it off; Alexey Lumpuy hits for the cycle
Right-hander Thomas Mangus, the Cubs' 18th-round pick last year, was promoted to Low-A Myrtle Beach from Mesa. Right-hander Eli Morgan started another rehab assignment with the ACL Cubs. Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs were banished from paradise by the St. Paul Saints (Twins), 2-1. Chris Kachmar was the victim of non-support as he took the loss after allowing just two runs on three hits over five innings. One hit was a solo home run by Edouard Julien. Kachmar struck out five, walked one and hit one batter. Iowa's only run came on a home run by left fielder Owen Caissie, his 19th on the year. That ties him with teammate Carlos Pérez for second in the International League this year. Caissie went 1 for 4. First baseman Jonathon Long was 2 for 4 with a double. Yes, Caissie has been on a tear lately. Knoxville Smokies The Knoxville Smokies burnt the Montgomery Biscuits, 4-3 on a walk-off home run by Pedro Ramirez. Tyler Schlaffer turned in a strong start, giving up just one run on five hits over five innings. Schlaffer walked two, hit one batter and struck out four. AJ Puckett pitched the top of the ninth and got the win when Ramirez walked it off. Puckett allowed a one-out single, but no other baserunners. He did not have a strikeout. Ramirez's home run came with one out and the bases empty in the bottom of the ninth. It was Ramirez's seventh home run this year. He was 1 for 5 tonight. BJ Murray Jr. was 1 for 2 and opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. He also walked once and was hit by a pitch. Murray scored one run. DH Ethan Hearn went 2 for 3 with an RBI double in the bottom of the first. Hearn also walked once. Ramirez's walk off blast went a long way. I wish they had Statcast in Double-A. Hearn's double. South Bend Cubs The South Bend Cubs skinned the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers), 12-3. Brandon Birdsell was strong again in a rehab assignment, getting the win after giving up two runs on four hits over five innings. Birdsell's only real mistake was a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Birdsell walked two and struck out three. Third baseman Drew Bowser hit his second home run of the year with the bases empty in the sixth inning. Bowser went 2 for 5 and scored twice. Shortstop Jefferson Rojas clubbed a solo home run in the seventh inning, his ninth. Rojas went 2 for 6. He scored twice and drove in two runs. DH Cameron Sisneros hit the third South Bend home run of the game in the ninth inning with a man on. Sisneros has six home runs this year and three with South Bend. He went 2 for 5. Second baseman Cristian Hernandez was 4 for 5 with a two-run double in the fifth and two steals. He scored once. Catcher Miguel Pabon went 2 for 4 with a walk. He had two RBI and scored one run. Center fielder Rafael Morel was 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored. Hernandez's two-run double. Bowser's blast. Rojas stuck his home run just inside the foul pole. The Sisneros home run went off the scoreboard. Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans doused the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox), 7-3. Yenrri Rojas started and got the win. Rojas surrendered two runs on just three hits over five innings. Rojas walked three and struck out five. Thomas Mangus gave up a run on three walks and no hits in one inning in his Pelicans debut. He did not strike anyone out. Right fielder Alex Lumpuy became the first Pelican in 1999 to hit for the cycle. He even did it in descending order of difficulty—triple, home run, double, single. The home run came in the third inning with the bases empty. Lumpuy was 4 for 4 with two steals, four runs scored and two RBI. Second baseman Christian Olivo hit a two-run double in the fourth inning. He was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base. Here are all four Lumpuy hits. Olivo's double. ACL Cubs Losing to the Rockies, 6-1 in the sixth. More from Cubs roster move: Porter Hodge to injured list, Ethan Roberts recalled Twins 8, Cubs 1: Flush this one and move on The Short Porch is looking at Pete Crow-Armstrong's defense Cubs vs. Twins Wednesday 7/9 game threads Chicago Cubs vs. Minnesota Twins preview, Wednesday 7/9, 6:40 CT 2025 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 91 Cub Tracks' off-Target again
USA Today
07-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Notre Dame pitcher Joe Boyle recalled and shines for the Tampa Bay Rays
Former Notre Dame pitcher Joe Boyle continues to impress at the Major League level. The Tampa Bay Rays recalled the right-hander from Triple-A Durham on Sunday, and he tossed five innings of relief, allowing just one unearned run while striking out seven in a 7-5 10-inning win over the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis. Boyle was the main piece in Tampa Bay's offseason trade with the A's for Jeffrey Springs. After pitching five shutout innings in a spot start against the Atlanta Braves on April 13, Boyle returned to Durham and continued to dominate. He posted a 1.66 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and an 86-to-25 K-to-BB ratio over 65 innings across his last 13 outings. He was named the Rays' minor league pitcher of the month and International League pitcher of the month for June. Boyle was scratched from a start this past Saturday ahead of getting the call back to the big leagues. Tampa Bay will play seven games in seven days to close out its first-half schedule, so Boyle could be in line to make a spot start during the final week before the All-Star break. He could also help relieve some stress on the Rays' bullpen, which has struggled lately, and he could help back up Drew Rasmussen as a way to limit his workload as he transitions back to starting in his return from his third major right elbow surgery. Boyle was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the fifth round (No. 143 overall) in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Dave on X: Miller_Dave
NBC Sports
23-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Top fantasy baseball prospects: Chase Burns getting the call, Colt Emerson heating up
A reminder: This is ONLY players who have Rookie of the Year MLB eligibility, and ONLY a look at potential help for 2025. That out of the way, here's a look at the top prospects who can help your fantasy roster this season. 1. Chase Burns, RHP, Cincinnati Reds 2025 stats: 12 G, 59 IP, 1.83 ERA, .170 BAA, 13 BB, 82 SO at High-A Dayton, Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. For the fourth straight week, we get to cheat. According to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, the Reds will select the contract of Burns on Tuesday for his MLB debut against the New York Yankees. First, yes, this is a tough first test. The Yankees have a few players -- particularly that really tall guy -- who can give players trouble. Also, it'll come in Great American Ball Park; a park that is well known for being hitter-friendly. That being said, this is a pitcher who can miss bats with multiple pitches and commands them well enough -- well enough is an understatement -- to have immediate success. The ceiling for Burns is ace, but even if he's not that in his first taste of MLB action, he's obviously talented enough to provide fantasy success immediately. 2. Jordan Lawlar, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks 2025 stats: 52 G, .321/.411/.586, 10 HR, 18 SB, 30 BB, 60 SO at Triple-A Reno; 8 G .000/.175/.000, 0 SB, 3 BB, 9 SO at Arizona. L8awlar's average has taken a slight dip since being demoted back to Reno, but he's seen his slugging percentage go up and had another homer and stole two more bags since our last update. He also drew five free passes, as he's showing more patience at the plate and pitchers are terrified to throw the former first-round pick strikes. Even with how disappointing his run with Arizona was, there's doubt in my mind that he belongs on this list. There's five tools at his disposal, and he offers as much upside as any prospect in the minors -- at least at the higher levels. When the Diamondbacks give him another chance this summer, I'd still be willing to make the roster move. 3. Samuel Basallo, C/1B, Baltimore Orioles 2025 stats: 43 G, .264/.371/.588, 15 HR, 0 SB, 28 BB, 46 SO at Triple-A Norfolk. Basallo added another homer last week, and also doubled over his last two games as he continues to impress in the International League. Since the start of June, the 20-year-old has excelled with a slash of .352/.435/.722 with six homers over his 14 games. Pretty good. He's also been playing first base nearly as he has been behind the plate, which suggests the Orioles want to see him at both positions both in the short and long-term. Basallo isn't guaranteed to get a promotion this summer, but it sure seems likely, and his offensive upside competes with any prospects still in the minors. 4. Harry Ford, C, Seattle Mariners 2025 stats: 56 G, .306/.422/.468, 8 HR, 3 SB, 41 BB, 47 SO at Triple-A Tacoma. Another catcher? And this time one who is in the same organization as the best catcher in baseball in Cal Raleigh? Have I lost my mind? Probably, but I can explain my rationale. Ford has been one of the best hitters in Triple-A over the last month-plus for an offense that has been inconsistent -- at best -- in that time frame. Ford is also athletic enough to play in the outfield and first base, and Mitch Garver is currently languishing on the Seattle roster. Seattle would be able to find a way to get Ford at-bats, and the tools are there for him to be a fantasy-relevant player once that takes place. 5. Andrew Painter, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies 2025 stats: 12 G, 47.1 IP, 4.18 ERA, .243 BAA, 18 BB, 58 SO at Low-A Clearwater and Triple-A LeHigh Valley. Welcome to the list, Andrew. Painter's numbers aren't overly impressive, on paper, but they've been better as of late; including five innings of two-run baseball with five strikeouts against Triple-A Rochester on Saturday. Honestly, the numbers really don't mean as much here as they do with other prospects. This is a pitcher with three swing-and-miss pitches from a 6-foot-7 frame, and while he's battled some command issues this year, there's no concern that he has the ability to throw strikes at a consistent enough level to be a starter at the highest level. The Phillies are going to be careful with Painter because he's a hurler who missed the previous two seasons, but he'd be someone I'd roster immediately as soon as Philadelphia made that call. Around the minors: The Mariners have one of the best systems in baseball, and Colt Emerson ranks as the top player in the system. He's played at that level and then some as of late, as he's hitting .438/.550/.781 with a pair of homers and two stolen bases over his last 10 games. A first-round selection in 2023, Emerson has one of the best potential hit tools in the minors regardless of level, and he's beginning to tap into solid -- perhaps even better -- power as well. He has the ability to stick at shortstop, and of all the quality infield prospects Seattle has, he's the most likely to stay at that position outside of maybe Felnin Celestin. Wherever he plays Emerson's bat plays as well, and he could be an everyday option for Seattle by the end of 2026. Alex Freeland was another player that I considered for the fifth spot in this week's list, and if he played for a different team, he'd probably be up there. The 23-year-old has forged a solid .857 OPS in 2025, but he's been even better as of late with seven homers over the last month and a .703 slugging percentage over his last 10 games. Freeland has 55-grade (on the 20-80 scouting scale) hit and power tools, and is a solid defender who could play shortstop and third base. As much as Max Muncy has struggled with the glove, it seems likely that the Dodgers would need an injury before he got a chance to play at the highest level. He seems likely to be the future at that position, however, and is someone fantasy managers should do their best to acquire in keeper formats. If you're looking for a pitcher that isn't getting enough attention -- and who isn't? -- then you might wanna take a closer look at Henry Baez. In his 14 starts with Double-A San Antonio, Baez has forged a 2.06 ERA, 69/22 K/BB and 1.04 WHIP over 70 innings. The 22-year-old doesn't possess a pitch that tops the scales, but everything has a chance to be above-average, and his command should be good enough to allow that arsenal to play as a starter; although it could play up in a relief role. Baez should get a chance to face Triple-A hitting soon -- a much tougher test to be sure -- and if he handles that level with anything close to the level of his success in Double-A, he could be making appearances for San Diego by the end of the year. More than likely he's a 2026 play, and one who deserves attention in those keeper formats we mentioned with Freeland.
New York Post
21-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Mets refusing to rush their Big 3 of pitching prospects — even with a desperate need for arms
Access the Mets beat like never before Don't miss Mike Puma's text messages from Queens and beyond — he's giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Mets. Sign up Now PHILADELPHIA — Nolan McLean has pitched to superb numbers at Triple-A Syracuse, generating plenty of buzz this season as one of the Mets' top-tier pitching prospects. And yet the right-hander was never seriously considered for Friday's spot start against the Phillies in large part because team officials want improvement from him against left-handed hitters. It's a weakness McLean can hide pitching in the International League, but probably not so much in the big leagues. The start instead went to Blade Tidwell, whose numbers at Syracuse have underwhelmed. Tidwell possesses high-90s heat that at least figured to give him a chance against a Phillies lineup that thrives on contact. Tidwell's selection — likely based on his rough major league debut in St. Louis last month — seemed to elicit a collective groan from a fan base desperate to find the next great thing. Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong are the high-end arms that surround McLean to form the Big Three of Mets pitching prospects. But will any of them get an opportunity to help the major league club this season?
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brian Van Belle logs third-straight seven-inning start, conquers a 'boogeyman'
WORCESTER -- To say that Brian Van Belle has been the savior of the WooSox pitching staff this season is an understatement, according to his manager Chad Tracy. But more than just saving the bullpen arms in Worcester, Van Belle has done something else this season: gone from someone who was a question to make it out of spring training to a legitimate starting or long relief option should the Red Sox be in need. Advertisement Van Belle transitioned to the bullpen for the bulk of the 2024 season and found a lot of success. From July to the end of the season, Van Belle pitched almost exclusively in relief and posted a 2.27 ERA, holding the opposition to a .230 batting average. A big part of his success came from making arm slot changes while he was on the development list earlier in 2024. 'We were working on lowering the slot, putting a two-seam in his hand,' Tracy said. 'Let's create movement because he was way more over the top, just [throwing a] flat four-seam at 90, 89 miles an hour, and it wasn't working.' The changes made a notable difference. Compare his numbers as a starter in 2024 to those when he's pitching in relief: an 8.05 ERA with 16 walks and 29 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings as a starter, compared to a 2.47 ERA with 14 walks and 54 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Advertisement But the needs of the WooSox dictated Van Belle's role this year, forcing him to move out of the space where he had success and back into the starting rotation. Tracy said that Van Belle had come to like the routine (or lack there of) when it comes to pitching in relief - 'they don't have much time to prepare for him, and he just pounds the zone' - and the idea of shifting back to starting wasn't the most appealing to Van Belle at first. 'The starter role was kind of the boogeyman for him for a while,' Tracy said. 'We had a lot of conversations with him leading into starting more, [telling him] it's not the starter role that was causing [the hard hits], it was your arsenal. You're more equipped with your arsenal to to handle it. You're better prepared. You have four pitches you can land in the zone whenever you want. You can use that really good changeup. And he's pitched really, really well for the last four starts.' With another seven-inning, one-run outing on Wednesday, Van Belle has now gone six or more innings in four straight starts (and seven full in his last three, the only International League pitcher to accomplish that), allowing just five runs - and maybe more impressively, just one walk - over his last 29 innings of work. Home runs can be an issue for Van Belle occasionally, but they haven't hurt him over the past month as he's gone 5-0 since May 14 (one win was a shorter relief appearance behind Cooper Criswell). 'He was in a role at the beginning of the season where he wasn't even going to make it out of spring training, and we pretty adamantly fought for him as far as, like, this is what he can do in the different roles he can pitch in, the innings he can pitch and chew up because efficient he is,' Tracy said. 'And it's showing right time we see him, here goes Van Belle, he throws six or seven innings and saves our bullpen.' WooSox 9, Red Wings 1 Balls were flying out of Polar Park early and often during an early afternoon game on Wednesday. Advertisement Nick Sogard got a first-inning rally started with a single followed by a double from Jhostynxon Garcia, his third since joining the WooSox a couple of weeks ago. Nate Eaton drove them both in, and Vaughn Grissom continued the hit parade with a single and was driven in by Blaze Jordan, who doubled. Another double, this one from Ryan Noda, put two on for Nathan Hickey who delivered the big blow of the inning with a three-run home run, giving the WooSox a 7-0 lead with just one out in the first. Jordan continued his good day in his second at-bat, sneaking one over the left field wall for his first Triple-A homer, coincidentally while his parents were being interviewed on NESN. Grissom added to the lead with a solo home run of his own in the fifth, his fourth of the season. Van Belle turned in another very good start, allowing just one run on five hits and striking out five and racking up 11 ground ball outs. Zach Penrod tossed his third straight scoreless outing since being activated from the injured list, going an inning and a third. Notes - With Blake Sabol having been designated for assignment last week and Yasmani Grandal being placed on the restricted list as he weighs retirement, the WooSox are suddenly pretty short-handed at catcher. Seby Zavala will get the bulk of the innings behind the plate, while Hickey will see more time at catcher, starting with catching Van Belle on Wednesday. Previously Hickey has only caught three games this season for Worcester, usually providing relief in the second game of a doubleheader. What's Next - The WooSox get back at it on Thursday night against the Red Wings with Isaac Coffey, who was promoted from Portland on Wednesday, getting the start. Read the original article on MassLive.
