Phillies option Kyle Backhus back to Triple-A

Martin said he’s been dealing with the calf since April, but that it was more of a problem tonight because rain led to an unstable pitching mound. He said he’ll be fine to make his next start.

It was the Brewers’ 98th win, breaking the franchise record they set last year. Both of Pratt’s singles came on liners to the outfield. Each was hit at a 17-degree launch angle, and that he projected distances of 277 and 278 feet, respectively. Pratt is batting .282/.350/.371 in 249 major league plate appearances. That average is 40 points better than his mark in Triple-A prior to his callup in June.

It figured that at least one of Misiorowski’s final two starts would be a short one, and he was pulled after allowing only one baserunner and throwing 44 pitches tonight. The outing lowered his ERA ever so slightly to 1.86. He’s expected to go longer Saturday against the Cardinals and then make a Game 1 start in the NLDS.

Megill was coming off a blown save Friday, though he ended up with the win in that one anyway. He’s blown just three of his 32 chances this year.

Young generated 15 whiffs and had a fine 37 percent CSW in racking up those strikeouts. His previous high in 38 big-league starts was eight against the Nationals on June 27. Young’s ERA stands at 3.62 through 151 2/3 innings. He’ll take on the Yankees next weekend.

Bautista averaged 96.2 mph with his sinker. That’s down one mph from where he was last year before shoulder surgery and down three mph from 2023, but it is one mph better than he’d averaged in eight Triple-A appearances on his rehab assignment. Bautista will probably pitch twice more this week as he tries to give himself something to build on entering 2027.

The Orioles were expecting to rely less on Taveras after claiming Luis Robert Jr., but injuries haven’t allowed it. He’s hitting .216/.286/.339 in 474 plate appearances, and Baseball-Reference had him right at 0.0 WAR coming into tonight. He’ll likely be non-tendered this winter if he isn’t cut loose before then.

Melton was charged with four runs in 3 2/3 innings against the White Sox. His very encouraging season is almost certainly over with an 8-5 record and a 2.76 ERA.

Antonacci has been stuck on eight homers since July 29, but his OPS has held up nicely at .754. He has been sitting against lefties of late and the White Sox are slated to face three in their final six games, so he’s not a great final-week option in shallow leagues.

Though the White Sox had a 4-0 lead, they employed a very quick hook with Martin today. Part of the reasoning is that they’re looking at an off day Monday. Martin has allowed just two earned runs over 20 1/3 innings in his last four outings, though the previous three of those all turned into White Sox losses anyway. They did win today, but since he didn’t complete five innings, Martin couldn’t get the credit. Martin should be worth using in mixed leagues with a home start against the Rockies on the schedule for next weekend.