2026 Campaign Reaches Halfway Mark
PLUS: SUGGESTING SONG TITLES FOR CURRENT BASEBALL SEASON
Pregame Pepper
Andy Green is the fourth Mets manager since Steve Cohen bought the team on Nov. 6, 2020, following Luis Rojas, Buck Showalter and Carlos Mendoza — with none of them able to last at least three seasons . . .
He’s also the second Green manager to sprout in Flushing, where Dallas Green ruled from May 1993 to August 1996 . . .
And let’s not forget the immortal Elijah Jerry (Pumpsie) Green, who played 17 games for the Mets in 1963, their second year and his last . . .
This week’s debut of Trei Cruz with Detroit marks the fifth time a three-generation family reached the majors . . .
Willy Adames is the only Giant to hit 30 homers in a season since Barry Bonds . . .
More than 185 Hall of Famers have played, coached, or managed at 116-year-old Rickwood Field in Birmingham . . .
The trade of southpaw starter David Peterson to the Cubs could be the first of many by the last-place Mets . . .
Flushing food for thought: no team that lost 12 games in a row during the season has ever reached the playoffs . . .
Wondering whether the struggling Tigers would trade both Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, starting pitchers who are prospective free agents . . .
Predicting that Rowdy Tellez will win Atlanta’s DH spot if given the chance . . .
His real name, by the way, is Ryan John Tellez but his mom called him Rowdy because he was very active in her womb before birth.
Leading Off
Halfway Through 2026: Where Do They Stand?
By Jeremy Dorn
Most teams have played about 81 games so far, meaning we’re officially halfway through the 2026 MLB season. As 30 teams line up for the second leg of the race to the 2026 post-season, here is where all the division races stand:
AL West:
The Seattle Mariners stumbled out of the gate but were fortunate to be running in a field with several other flawed teams. It took most of the first two months for the M’s to get going, but they are now poised to run away with the division down the stretch.
The Houston Astros would be smart to trade some valuable chips before the deadline and hasten what could be a very quick re-build. If they can do so without trading all-world slugger Yordan Alvarez, even better.
Short a few arms, the Athletics and potential AL MVP Nick Kurtz are still a fun watch and are poising themselves well to have a serious contender when they land in Las Vegas in 2028.
Just a few years removed from the franchise’s first title, the Texas Rangers are stuck in neutral, despite some significant talent among the roster. The next two off-seasons will be telling in terms of the direction of the franchise. Finally, the Los Angeles Angels are, simply put, an abomination. Sell the team, Arte Moreno. [GM Perry Minasian was fired yesterday.]
AL Central:
Another year, another underrated Cleveland Guardians squad. Stephen Vogt is establishing himself as an elite manager, but this year it’s as much about contributions from youngsters like Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana as it is about the Cleveland pitching factory and Jose Ramirez [currently on the IL].
Somehow, the Chicago White Sox continue to hang around. Fans should be mightily encouraged by the make-up of the roster headed into 2027 and beyond.
After a weird 2025 deadline fire sale, the Minnesota Twins are…okay? Kind of what we all expected. But where do they go next? Will Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton be the next to move?
On the other hand, the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers were supposed to be the next big things and dominant powerhouses. It’s probably fair to assume the teams’ front offices are just as confused about what to do next as all of us are.
AL East:
Can anyone in the AL challenge the New York Yankees, who have arguably the best rotation in baseball? Assuming the starters (and Aaron Judge) are all healthy, who in the world wants to face Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Cam Schlittler in a short post-season series?
The Tampa Bay Rays are hurtling towards a playoff spot with a roster full of guys most fans have never heard of. Shocker! It would be pretty cool to see the ultimate underdog team take advantage of their great play in 2026 and make a big splash at the deadline.
The Toronto Blue Jays should probably be better. But such is life in a brutal division and an unforgiving sport. Their run might come soon as they begin to get healthy.
The Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox have both under-performed expectations. Despite incredible talent on both rosters, each front office should probably commit to a quick re-tooling at the deadline and just try again next year.
NL West:
Surprise, surprise. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in pole position to cruise to yet another NL West title. The only lingering questions are: can Shohei Ohtani add a Cy Young Award to what will likely be another MVP Award and will his injured rotation-mates build up in time for another World Series run?
After a blazing hot start, the San Diego Padres have regressed to a more realistic version of themselves. But, given the bad start for the offense, this team has plenty in the tank –- and certainly has the arms –- to make noise as a Wild Card team.
It feels like the Arizona Diamondbacks are a better team than their record indicates. Something is missing, which may be addressed at the deadline.
The San Francisco Giants are shockingly subpar and might start shedding big contracts this summer. So far, that college-to-manager experiment is not going well.
And, as expected, the Colorado Rockies are suffering through another season of meaningless baseball.
NL Central:
In what has been the best division in baseball in the first half, the Milwaukee Brewers keep producing incredibly strong teams after off-loading their best-known stars each winter. This time, it was Freddy Peralta traded to the Mets, so Jacob Misiorowski just turned into prime Bob Gibson and Kyle Harrison became prime Sandy Koufax.
Despite Milwaukee’s persistent success, the Chicago Cubs have kept themselves right in the thick of things. It may take a deadline acquisition or two to boost the rotation, but the division crown is still feasible.
There may be no bigger surprise than the St. Louis Cardinals this season. They are on accelerated rebuild and are competing harder and faster than many expected.
On a similar trajectory, the Pittsburgh Pirates have an elite starting rotation and a much-improved offense. It feels like they are a move or two away from being a top-five team in the league.
In a great division, someone has to suffer. After a rough June, it looks like that team is the Cincinnati Reds. If they get Hunter Greene back soon, they still stand a chance. If not, it might be curtains.
NL East:
Shame on you for underestimating the Atlanta Braves. Shame! We all should have known that even a team seemingly held together by rusty staples and moldy duct tape would find a way. They might enter October as favorites to win it all.
Well, unless the surging Philadelphia Phillies have anything to say about the division race down the stretch. Apparently Don Mattingly (and Zack Wheeler…) are the saviors Philly didn’t know it needed.
The Miami Marlins have a really solid young core to build on with Xavier Edwards, Liam Hicks, and Otto Lopez. Could they be a Wild Card dark horse?
It’s another lost season for the Washington Nationals, but don’t blame C.J. Abrams, James Wood, or the young offense. If Washington secures some pitching, it is going to be incredibly dangerous in the coming years.
Were the New York Mets supposed to be good? Yikes. The off-season shuffle failed miserably. Everyone is hurt. Steve Cohen is probably furious — and Carlos Mendoza became an ex-manager Friday morning. This winter will be, um, entertaining in Queens.
Jeremy Dorn is an occasional columnist for Here’s the Pitch.
Cleaning Up
What Historians Might Say as ‘26 is Half Done
By Dan Schlossberg
Now that the 2026 season has careened past the halfway mark, historians are already suggesting what they might record for posterity.
If they wanted a short and sweet title, why not “Les Miz,” an apt description of the fire-balling Milwaukee pitcher who routinely reaches three digits on the mound?
Or how about “The Young and the Restless,” referring to the ridiculously young roster of the rebounding Chicago White Sox plus the comeback capacity of erstwhile Yankees ace Gerrit Cole?
Another choice could be “Around the Block in Eighty Days,” describing the snail-like attempt of the Colorado Rockies to climb out of the National League West basement.
“Only You” could be the title of a Kyle Schwarber biography or perhaps a bilingual tome by Shohei Ohtani.
And the constant cravings for cash by virtually everyone in uniform suits the Charlie Chaplin film “The Gold Rush.”
As for the likely lockout that looms in December, how about “Stop in the Name of Love” or “Somewhere Over the Rainbow?”
Baseball purists pray that the two parties find common ground but that seems like a pipe-dream. The game will generate some $12 billion this year but dividing it seems impossible — even if Qatar is willing to host negotiations . . .
That means everyone associated with the game could spend 2027 on an unwanted “V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N.” Yes, peanut vendors, hotel clerks, airline crews, and umpires will be thrown out of work — perhaps for a long time.
Life ain’t fair, especially this season. But it very definitely could go foul.
HtP weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ covers the game for Lucas Communications, Sports Byline USA, Sports Collectors Digest, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, and many other outlets. His email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia: Cubs Staff Stymied By Injuries
After starting this season with two 10-game winning streaks, the Chicago Cubs looked like the best ballclub in the NL Central. But that was before the injury wave became a tsunami . . .
The team lost 2025 rookie sensation Cade Horton for the year and maybe erstwhile ace Justin Steele as well . . .
In addition, Jameson Taillon is out for at least another month, joining Ben Brown (neck strain) and Edward Cabrera (hamstring) on the IL . . .
Even with Matthew Boyd back from surgery to repair his meniscus, the rotation is so thin that the team agreed to acquire struggling southpaw David Peterson (6.09 ERA) from the Mets for a minor-league first baseman . . .
That leaves manager Craig Counsel with a shaky-but-not-stirred rotation of Boyd, Colin Rea, Javier Assad, Peterson, and homer-prone Shota Imanaga . . .
Other possibilities are Bryse Wilson, cut by the Phillies, and holdover Jordan Wicks . . .
With Milwaukee again coasting in the division, the Cubs will have their work cut out for them even to reach the six-team playoffs — unless of course they land Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, or another available and accomplished starter.
Know Your Editors
Here’s the Pitch is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], does the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.