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Nightengale’s Notebook: MLB managers on hot seat as playoff race heats up

News RoomBy No Comments33 Mins Read
Nightengale’s Notebook: MLB managers on hot seat as playoff race heats up

It not only is shaping up as a frantic National League wild-card race these final six weeks, with three teams (the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks) fighting for the final two wild-card berths, but it could also determine the fate of three managers.

The contender among the trio that misses the postseason likely will also be looking for a new skipper.

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– Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, barring a dramatic change, likely must make the playoffs to keep his job. He’s in the final year of his contact, and there have been no talks about an extension.

He was saved once before by GM Mike Hazen, who is close friends with Lovullo, but Hazen may be unable to stop a firing this time if the D-backs miss the playoffs for the eighth time in the past nine years with a franchise-high payroll.

– Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly, who took over for Rob Thomson on April 28, not only must lead the Phillies to the postseason, but likely to the World Series or even win it to be asked back. Alex Cora, who turned down the job when Thomson was fired, is expected to be the Phillies’ next manager barring a World Series berth or title.

– Craig Stammen, who’s in his first season as manager, may have the best job security of the trio. He signed a three-year contract in November. Yet, if the Padres miss the playoffs, someone needs to be the fall guy, and Stammen is A.J. Preller’s seventh manager in 12 years since becoming GM and president of baseball operations.

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– In the American League, Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson is expected to be fired if the Mariners miss the playoffs, and the same goes for Houston Astros manager Joe Espada.

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MLB team payroll rankings from lowest to highest in 2026

Guess what? The Dodgers don’t have MLB’s highest payroll!

Due to the team’s heavy use use of deferred contracts, MLB’s Labor Relations Department’s present-day salary calculations has the Mets at No. 1.

(Payrolls entering opening day)

(Brad Penner, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

– Dave Dombrowski, Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations, may be under fire by fans and segments of the Philadelphia media, but his job is not only safe, high-ranking officials say, but that he also will receive a contract extension this winter.

Dombrowski is in such good standing with the Phillies and owner John Middleton that when he received his last contact extension in 2022, he wanted a two-year deal. He was offered a four-year deal. They split the difference and Dombrowski received a three-year deal extension through 2027.

This time, it’s likely Dombrowski’s call again how long of a deal he desires.

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– While if Mark Walter is no longer the controlling partner of the Dodgers, a person close to Ohtani said that even if Walter changes his mind and sells the franchise, Ohtani is definitely staying put.

– The San Diego Padres’ sale will become official Monday when MLB owners vote on the  transfer of ownership to a group led by José E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones. The vote will be conducted by a conference call.

– Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas says he’s thinking about changing his mind about retiring, and that it’s possible he’ll stick around for another year before he goes into a hybrid coaching/front office role.

“I want to help young players,” he said, “any way I can. And one day I want to manage. I believe I can do it.”

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– MLB and the players union are meeting nearly weekly these days, but they are not discussing core-economic issues since their opening proposals. The serious talks will commence in November before the Dec. 1 CBA expires.

– Kudos to Doug Drabek, the former Cy Young winner and Arizona Diamondbacks Triple-A Reno pitching coach, who has helped turn starter Brandon Pfaadt into one the best pitchers in the game.

Pfaadt lost his starter’s job with the D-backs after three starts, was demoted to the bullpen, and was optioned to the Reno on June 3 with a 5.92 ERA.

Pfaadt spent 3 ½ weeks in the minors with Drabek, returned to the Diamondbacks on June 30, and has become the hottest pitcher on the planet, and has pitched 32 ⅔ consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, out-dueling Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale in his last two starts.

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Pfaadt has made nine starts since his return, and is 7-1 with a 1.15 ERA, yielding a .203 batting average. He became only the third pitcher in franchise history to pitch seven shutout innings in consecutive starts while yielding two or fewer hits after his latest gem Friday night in the D-backs’ 2-0 victory over Atlanta.

– Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Charley Steiner, who has been in the business for 59 years, called Saturday night’s broadcast of the Dodgers-Milwaukee Brewers game “the most meaningful game of my career.”

It was the first time that Steiner called all nine innings of a game since Oct. 11, 2023 when the Diamondbacks were the last team to beat the Dodgers in a postseason.

Steiner, who has been battling cancer, began the season broadcasting just three innings in the first game of a home series this season, gradually building up to six innings, and now his first complete game.

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“It means the world to me,” Steiner told USA TODAY Sports.

– It will be the one-year anniversary Monday, Aug. 17, of Vladimir Guerrero’s last home run at Rogers Centre in Toronto, if you can believe it.

Guerrero, entering Saturday, has now gone 329 plate appearances at home without hitting a single homer.

– The Dodgers anticipate that Shohei Ohtani will be pitching again in September, barring any setbacks, which should also clinch his fifth MVP award as he returns to being a two-way player.

– There have been 10 instances in which a player hit at least 60 homers in a season.

No one has hit fewer than 32 the following season.

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Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has 12, while hitting .158.

It would be the lowest batting average by a qualifying player in modern-day baseball history, eclipsing Chris Davis’ .168 batting average in 2018 for the Baltimore Orioles.

– The Phillies’ prized starting trio of Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo is certainly capable of leading the Phillies to the World Series.

Yet, they have made 15 starts since the All-Star break, and the Phillies have lost seven of them. Wheeler has particularly had his struggles, going 0-3 with a 6.04 ERA since the All-Star break, with the Phillies losing four of his five starts.

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– You think the folks on the Southside of Chicago appreciate a winner?

The White Sox have already drawn more fans (1,501,495) this season than all of last year (1,445,738). They’ve drawing nearly 7,000 more fans a game, outdrawing the 2025 team by 412,994 at this point a year ago.

– Dodgers two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is saying all of the right things about his upcoming free agency, even revealing his interest about a potential return to Detroit.

The cold-hearted truth is that there will be only two teams who will make serious bids for his services:

The Dodgers and New York Mets.

That’s it.

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Tarik Skubal takes mound in first Dodgers appearance after Tigers trade

Tarik Skubal of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning in his Dodgers debut at Wrigley Field on Aug. 4, 2026 in Chicago, Ill. The Detroit Tigers staple was traded to the Dodgers at the trade deadline.

(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)

– If the trade deadline was Aug. 15 like GMs desire, the Tigers never would have traded away Skubal or Casey Mize, and the Pittsburgh Pirates wouldn’t have aggressively added four relievers. The Tigers are still alive in the weak AL Central, and the Pirates have spiraled out of contention.

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– Tim Leveque is the Angels’ sixth pitching coach in seven years after the dismissal of Mike Maddux, who has been a big-league pitching coach the past 24 years.

– It could be quite the day on Oct. 11 with the rival Bears and Packers playing at Lambeau Field, and a scheduled Game 1 of the NLCS that could feature the Cubs and the Brewers.

Get your tailgate parties ready.

– Freddy Peralta has hardly made a good first impression with his struggles in his first two starts with the Tampa Bay Rays (9.31 ERA, 15 hits and 10 earned runs in 9 2/3 innings) but his two starts also have been in the high altitude of Colorado and the launching pad in Sacramento.

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– The New York Mets made a $20 million blunder taking center fielder Luis Robert off the Chicago White Sox’s hands, but with another $20 million club option coming up, the Mets have learned their lesson.

They won’t be touching this option with Robert playing in just 44 games this season after missing 289 games in his last five years with the White Sox.

– The last six World Series champions have all finished among the top four in home run totals during the regular season.

The Milwaukee Brewers, who have the league’s best record, is last.

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Bark at the Park: Furry friends at Major League Baseball games

A golden retriever watches the game between the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants during the annual “Bark in the Park” at Globe Life Field on Aug. 4, 2026.

(Raymond Carlin III, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

– The Seattle Mariners (57-66) are in a complete free-fall, losing 21 of their last 31 games since July 7, scoring the second-fewest runs in MLB, and dropping a season-high six games behind the Houston Astros.

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It’s going to be long dreary winter in Seattle, with heads rolling, if they don’t turn this around quickly.

– Congratulations to future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, who not only moved into the top 10 in strikeouts, but became just the 18th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to have 3,000 strikeouts and pitch 3,000 innings.

– Remember when those in the industry believed that Hunter Greene’s six-year, $53 million contract extension was club-friendly, and could come back and cost him plenty.

Well, Greene just underwent his second Tommy John surgery, will be out until 2028, making just 13 starts since June 3, 2025, with seven stints on the injured list. He will be paid $15 million in 2027 and $16 million in the final year of his contract in 2028.

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– Considering how barren the free-agent market is this winter, little surprise that MLB teams have been heavily scouting Japan this summer for talent.

Hiromi Itoh of the Nippon Ham Fighters along with pitcher Hiroto Takahashi of the Chunichi Dragons, and third baseman Teruaki Sato and Hiroto Saiki of the Hanshin Tigers, are attracting the most interest.

– Astros closer Josh Hader has helped his club turn its season completely around since his season debut June 3. The bullpen is yielding a 2.67 ERA, they have the second-highest strikeout rate in baseball, and the Astros have gone 36-25 and vaulted into first place.

– Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz’s struggles may explain why the Mets were so lackadaisical trying to re-sign him as a free agent, and turning to Devin Williams. Diaz is yielding a 10.66 ERA while opponents are slashing .376/.462/.643 off him. He blew more saves in four games last week than he did all last season for the Mets.

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– The Milwaukee Brewers paid infielder Luis Rengifo $3.5 million to become their everyday third baseman, only to give up on him after 57 games, and release him in June when he was slashing .205/280/.254 with no homers and 19 RBI.

The Padres decided to give him a shot, and now he’s become a vital part of their turnaround, slashing .318/.414/.447 with three homers and 12 RBI in 25 games.

“It’s part of baseball,” Rengifo said.

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‘Field of Dreams’ hosts Twins against Phillies in Dyersville, Iowa

(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)

– Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll has quietly produced 100 homers and 56 triples in 606 career games, with only immortals Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio accomplishing the feat in their first 610 career games. Carroll also has 139 career stolen bases and is the only player in major league history with at least 100 homers, 50 triples and 100 steals in fewer than 650 games.

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– San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill made himself a cool $5 million by reaching his 500th plate appearance on Friday, which adds $1 million to the next five years of his contract.

It increases his original nine-year deal from $135 million to a minimum of $140 million.

– Remember when the Yankees brought in San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos at the deadline to pick up their struggling offense?

Well, he’s fallen into that dark hole that has ensnared most of the Yankees this year.

He is an ugly 2-for-28 with two doubles and 10 strikeouts in his first nine games with the Yankees.

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– MLB is about to set a new record for fewest complete games in a season.

There have been only 15 complete games entering Saturday, with the record-low of 28 set in 2024, with only two complete games all of July, averaging a record-low 5.03 innings

Incredible, considering there were 302 complete games as recently as 1998.

“Can you imagine what it would be like with expansion, and adding 26 more pitchers?” one veteran NL executive said. “It will be ugly.”

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nightengale’s Notebook: MLB managers on hot seat as playoff race heats up

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