Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today's games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here. Triple-digit stolen base totals are pretty rare around baseball, but don't tell Dodgers prospect Kendall George.
George, Los Angeles' No. 25 prospect, has been on a thievin' spree for High-A Great Lakes, where he's nabbed 101 bags so far this season -- the fifth-highest single-season total by a Minor League player since 2005. That's impressive enough, but consider this: He's stolen an outlandish 70 bases since July 1. Not only that, but he has 15 steals in his past five games. It's almost unbelievable.
The only other Minor League players to swipe 100 or more bags in the past 20 years are Billy Hamilton (2011, '12), Chandler Simpson (2024) and Delino DeShields Jr. (2012). No MLB player has stolen 100 or more bases since the Cardinals' Vince Coleman swiped 109 in 1987.
The 20-year-old George told our Joe Trezza that he attributes his success on the bases to "going out there and being fearless and understanding that I am capable of doing this." He added, "I just put my head down and kept running."
He's running right into the record books.
While George needs just three steals over the Loons' final three games to match Simpson's 104 from last season -- the second-highest total since '05 -- he won't be able to match the all-time record of 155, set by Hamilton in 2012.
Speaking of which, it's a fun coincidence that just as George was reaching the 100 mark, Hamilton is taking a step back toward the bigs, having recently signed a Minor League deal with the Cubs. The 34-year-old Hamilton, who last played in the Majors in 2023 and has 326 stolen bases in an 11-year big league career, might never cross paths with George. But if they do meet, the two speedsters will certainly have something to talk about. -- Jason Foster |
- Mets at Reds (6:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): This weekend, a couple of the Mets' prized pitching prospects will take center stage (more on this below), but what the club really needs is David Peterson to get back on track after he recorded a 6.68 ERA in six August starts. Facing him will be a fellow lefty looking to turn it around as well in Andrew Abbott, who dropped four decisions and posted a 4.45 ERA last month. With the Reds five games back of the Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot, a series win or sweep could position Cincinnati well for the final stretch.
- Astros at Rangers (8:05 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): The Silver Boot Series is always big in Texas, but both teams have plenty at stake beyond bragging rights. Texas is 1 1/2 back of the Mariners for the final AL Wild Card spot, while Houston is 3 1/2 up on those same M's in the AL West. Deadline acquisition Merrill Kelly, who has a 0.73 ERA in two career starts vs. the Astros, takes part in his first Silver Boot Series tonight for the Rangers.
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BAT-LINES HAVE BEEN DRAWN |
Move over, George Brett. The Yankees were in the middle of another bat inspection incident yesterday. This one happened during the ninth inning of their game in Houston. Aaron Boone added a new wrinkle to the Yankees-Astros rivalry when the Bronx Bombers skipper had the umpires check Taylor Trammell's bat following his double off the left-field wall. Boone said the Yankees thought Trammell's bat might be illegal because of discoloration on the barrel. Trammell said he'd been using that same bat forever, and the paint on the bat was simply worn down. Whatever the case may be, the end result was the umpires removing the bat from the game -- it will be sent to the MLB league office to be examined -- and the Yankees holding on for an 8-4 win. Of course, the most famous "illegal bat" incident in history involved the Yankees and Brett in 1983, when the Royals legend's go-ahead home run in the ninth inning off Goose Gossage was nullified and Brett was called out for having too much pine tar on his bat. And we thought we'd seen everything with the Yanks and 'Stros over the last few years … -- David Adler |
It was only a week ago that our Mets beat reporter Anthony DiComo was asking the biggest question facing the Queens faithful: Could right-handers Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat (the club's Nos. 4 and 5 prospects per MLB Pipeline) be called up to bolster the rotation down the stretch -- and into the playoffs? Already, they have their answer.
After a callup that was a surprise even to president of baseball ops David Stearns, Tong capped his sensational rise by becoming the second Mets rookie aged 22 or younger to go five-plus innings with one or fewer earned runs in his MLB debut last Friday. The first was 1984 NL Rookie of the Year Dwight Gooden.
On Sunday in Cincinnati, it will be Sproat's turn, a source told MLB Pipeline's Sam Dykstra. The 24-year-old was the Mets' top prospect entering 2025, and though his ranking dropped with early struggles at Triple-A Syracuse, he is coming off his best start of the season, having tossed seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts.
Tong and Sproat make up two-thirds of the Mets' Big 3 pitching prospects; the final third is already in the big leagues. Nolan McLean, ranked as the club's No. 3, debuted on Aug. 16 and has captivated New York ever since, with a 4-0 record and a 1.37 ERA. Now that Kodai Senga has accepted an assignment to Triple-A, the trio could make up half of a six-man rotation for the big league club for the foreseeable future.
As our David Adler recently pointed out, McLean and Tong are potential future aces and, suddenly, keys to the Mets' playoff aspirations. They're about to have another. -- Betelhem Ashame |
There was something special about a person simply going to work every day -- doing all they could to post up for their team and teammates and fans -- even when they weren't at their best. The fact that the player doing it was a beloved one-team, homegrown superstar who was chasing one of the game's immortal legends made it almost too good to be true.
A streak that spans more than a decade and a half is by definition a slow burn, but as the finish line to set the new record began to come into focus, the excitement built to a crescendo. And when the fateful night of Sept. 6, 1995, finally arrived, Cal Ripken Jr.'s imminent record of 2,131 consecutive games played was an international story, and the game was shown nationally on ESPN so that fans everywhere could join in on the celebration.
By now, you probably know what happened. The home run. The lap around Camden Yards. They conjure up iconic images that no one who watched it in real time will ever forget. For a much deeper dive into everything that went into the night Ripken passed Lou Gehrig, please do yourself a favor and read this excellent oral history that MLB.com's Joe Trezza put together.
Tomorrow night at Camden Yards, the Orioles will celebrate the 30th anniversary of 2131 prior to hosting the Dodgers. If you are going in person or watching on MLB.TV, be sure to show up or tune in early for special on-field ceremonies beginning at 6:25 p.m. ET, including Ripken taking a ride around the warning track and delivering remarks reflecting on the streak and its meaning to him and the game itself.
-- Ed Eagle |
If you're a fan of Sluggerrr, the crowned lion who has been the Royals' mascot since 1996, we have great news: Sluggerrr's Birthday Bash is this Sunday during Twins-Royals! And suffice to say, Sluggerrr knows how to party. (How much do you know about team mascots? Take our quiz.)
The game starts at 1:10 p.m. CT, but come early! Among the activities taking place at Kauffman Stadium between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. are face painting, photo ops, balloon artists, bubbles, sign-making and there will be a magician. Not to mention, the first 5,000 fans 14 and younger will receive a pair of Sluggerrr-themed shorts, which could come in handy during the special Fun Run after the game.
Finally, a few of Sluggerrr's mascot friends will also be in attendance. The picture up there is from one of his previous parties, but if Chiefs mascot K.C. Wolf makes the guest list again, we're hoping he wears similarly festive pants. |
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