Stanford Professional Athletes

Two Stanford arms headlined the Cardinal's week in MLB — one making a long-awaited return to the mound, the other making a case for being one of the best young starters in the National League.

Bubic Is Back — and He's Dodger Blue

Kris Bubic's road back wasn't short. Acquired from the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline, the 29-year-old left-hander spent the early stretch of his Dodgers tenure on the 60-day injured list, watching a playoff-bound team go to work without him. That wait ended this week when Los Angeles officially reinstated Bubic and designated outfielder Ryan Ward for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot.

Bubic made his Dodgers debut in Cincinnati on Wednesday — tossing a clean inning with two strikeouts — then followed up with another inning of work Saturday against San Francisco in an 8-2 Dodgers win, adding a punchout and carrying a 3.96 ERA. Neither outing was a showcase start, but that's not the point: Bubic is healthy, he's in the rotation mix, and the Dodgers are one of the most dangerous clubs in baseball heading into October. Getting stretched out and sharp now is the assignment, and he's checking the boxes.

Teammate Tommy Edman was in and out of the Dodgers' lineup during the week — he was held out of Friday's game against San Francisco — but factored into the club's win over Cincinnati on Wednesday with an RBI and a walk. LA was on the verge of clinching a National League playoff berth as the week unfolded, so every healthy body matters.

Mathews Puts on a Show in St. Louis

If Bubic's week was about reentry, Quinn Mathews' was about arrival. The Cardinals rookie left-hander was nothing short of dominant Monday night against San Francisco, throwing 6.2 innings, allowing just one run, and striking out eight in a 2-1 St. Louis win. Per the game account, he was literally unhittable through the first five frames — a performance that anchored the Cardinals on a night their offense was equally quiet.

Mathews finished the week with a 3.62 ERA, and this gem was the kind of outing that shifts how evaluators and fans alike think about a young pitcher's ceiling.

Around the League

Nico Hoerner continued to be a steady presence for the Cubs, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored Monday before contributing again Friday and Saturday as Chicago closed out its week. He's sitting at .265 on the season.

Cal Quantrill took the ball for Texas on Sunday and delivered six solid innings — four strikeouts, two earned runs — in a 7-6 Rangers win over Arizona. He also started Saturday against Toronto, though he managed only 1.1 innings in that outing. His ERA sits at 2.86.

Erik Miller had a mixed week out of the Red Sox bullpen: a two-strikeout inning Friday, sandwiched around a rough outing Thursday when he surrendered three runs. He's been candid about his recent struggles, and the Red Sox are watching closely.

Tim Tawa notched a first major-league triple in Arizona's loss to the Yankees on Saturday — a footnote in a rough result but a personal milestone nonetheless.

Stanford's week offered the full range: a postseason-caliber pitcher rejoining a title contender, a young ace announcing himself, and a dozen other Cardinal alumni grinding through the final stretch of a long season.

Two Cardinal infielders are making noise in the final weeks of the MLB regular season, with Tommy Edman and Nico Hoerner both delivering timely contributions for teams with eyes on October.

Edman Fueling the Dodgers Machine

Tommy Edman has been one of the quiet engines behind Los Angeles's recent surge. With the Dodgers winning five straight entering their series against Cincinnati, Edman's fingerprints were on multiple victories. On Sept. 7 against Washington, he went 2-for with an RBI, two runs scored, and a walk — part of a 4-5 Dodgers loss. He followed that with an RBI in a 6-3 victory over the Reds on Sept. 8, and added another walk in a dominant 11-1 rout on Sept. 10.

The stretch is notable because it came while Shohei Ohtani was absent from the lineup for three consecutive games. Edman and others picked up the slack, keeping the Dodgers rolling without their biggest star. By Sept. 11, with Ohtani back in the order and LA heading into a series against Miami, Edman contributed two more runs scored and a pair of walks — reinforcing his value not just as a run producer, but as an on-base asset at the top of a deep lineup. His batting average sat at .258 through the week.

Earlier in the homestand, Edman drove in two runs in a 6-5 nail-biter over the Nationals, a game that helped snap a two-game skid and ignite the winning streak. For a Dodgers club managing its stars carefully down the stretch, Edman's consistency has been anything but incidental.

Hoerner Grinding for the Cubs

Nico Hoerner may not be generating the same headline wattage as Edman, but his week was a model of steady production for a Cubs team trying to hold its playoff position. He collected hits in five of seven days tracked, posting multi-hit games on Sept. 8 against the Brewers and again on Sept. 11 against Pittsburgh, while chipping in RBIs on Sept. 9, Sept. 11, and Sept. 12.

Hoerner finished the week batting .267 — a number that reflects his profile as a reliable, contact-first middle infielder. His RBI on Sept. 12 helped Chicago edge Pittsburgh 4-3, a one-run win that illustrates just how much every single contribution matters in a tight Wild Card race. Earlier in the week, he added an RBI in a 6-5 Chicago win over Miami, part of a game in which multiple Cubs contributed across the board.

Around the Farm

Beyond the two headliners, a handful of other Stanford products saw action. Quinn Mathews gave the Cardinals a quality effort on Sept. 9, throwing six innings with four strikeouts and two earned runs against San Francisco — a strong outing in a loss. Cal Quantrill similarly went six innings for Texas against Seattle on Sept. 9, striking out four while allowing three runs in a 10-3 Rangers win. Tim Tawa had a standout individual game on Sept. 8 for Arizona, going 3-for with a home run, two RBIs, and a run scored against Kansas City. Brendan Beck, meanwhile, remains at Triple-A with the Yankees organization but was described as thriving in recent minor-league action.

The headliners, though, are Edman and Hoerner — two Stanford middle infielders, two playoff races, and one school with plenty of reason to stay tuned through the final weeks of September.

The final weeks of the MLB regular season have a way of separating the clutch from the crowd — and Stanford's alumni are making their presence felt on both ends of the spectrum.

Edman Catches Fire for LA

Tommy Edman has been the Cardinal faithful's most compelling watch in the playoff stretch. The Dodgers second baseman went 4-for-4 with two runs scored in a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, Sept. 4, capping a week in which he also went 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI in Wednesday's contest and added a hit, run, and RBI on Thursday. Over the full week, Edman raised his average to .279 before Saturday's contest against Washington, cementing himself as one of LA's most consistent table-setters during a stretch-run gauntlet against division rivals. His Friday effort came in a game the Dodgers nearly coughed away — the Cardinals bullpen ultimately couldn't hold a ninth-inning lead, and Teoscar Hernandez walked it off — but Edman's multi-hit performance kept Los Angeles alive long enough to steal it.

Fellow Stanford alum Kris Bubic, acquired in a surprise trade deadline deal, remains sidelined with injury for the Dodgers. An update on his status was issued during the Cardinals series, per Heavy Sports, but a return timeline remains uncertain.

Hoerner Quietly Brilliant for Chicago

While Edman grabbed headlines with a signature performance, Nico Hoerner has been the picture of quiet consistency for the Cubs. The second baseman went 3-for-X with an RBI on both Friday and Saturday — the latter coming in a Cubs-Marlins matchup — while also homering on Aug. 31 against the Brewers. Earlier in the week, Chicago detonated for 17 runs and nine home runs against Milwaukee, with Hoerner contributing a solo shot in that blowout. Hitting .266 on the week, Hoerner is doing exactly what a playoff-push lineup needs from its two-hole hitter: getting on base, driving runners in, and not making outs.

Stowers' Injury Clouds Miami's Horizon

The most concerning Stanford storyline of the week comes out of Miami. Kyle Stowers had actually been swinging a hot bat for the Marlins — homering in both Tuesday and Wednesday's games against Kansas City, going deep again Saturday against the Cubs, and driving in two runs on Aug. 31 against Washington. But Stowers left Thursday night's loss to the Royals with a hamstring injury, suddenly casting a shadow over Miami's playoff ambitions. The Marlins can ill afford to lose his production at this stage, and per Sports Illustrated, the organization is bracing for potentially significant news. A hamstring injury to an outfielder in September is the kind of problem that doesn't resolve quickly.

Around the League

Cal Quantrill turned in the gem of the week for the Rangers, striking out five over seven two-hit innings in a 6-0 shutout of the Rays — improving his career mark against Tampa Bay to 4-0 over seven starts. It's a dominant statistical ownership of a franchise that has enough problems without adding Quantrill to the list.

In Arizona, Tommy Troy was reinstated from the 10-day IL this week, with the Diamondbacks designating Jorge Barrosa for assignment to clear a roster spot. Tim Tawa picked up hits in multiple games for the D-backs, batting .238 on the week. Quinn Mathews gave the Cardinals a fighting chance Friday, going five innings with four strikeouts and just one earned run in a game St. Louis ultimately lost in the ninth. And Austin Slater re-signed with Tampa Bay on a minor league deal after opting out of a previous agreement, returning to Triple-A Durham for now.

Stanford's playoff footprint is real — and how Stowers' hamstring responds in the next 72 hours could define the Marlins' October.

Stanford's Week in MLB: Aug. 23–29

Tim Tawa Powers Arizona's Offense

Tim Tawa is giving Diamondbacks fans something to cheer about down the stretch. The Stanford outfielder went deep twice in the span of a week — homering in Arizona's 5-11 loss to the Reds on Sunday, Aug. 23 (2-for-2, 2 RBI, 1 R), then delivering again Saturday against the Giants (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R) as Arizona rolled to a 9-5 victory. Tawa joined Corbin Carroll and Lars Nootbaar in the long ball column against San Francisco, giving the D-backs a Stanford alumnus right in the thick of their offensive surge. His average has climbed to .246 on the back of a productive week, and at this pace he's making a case to be in Arizona's everyday lineup plans heading into September.

Erik Miller Is a Force in Fenway's Bullpen

While Tawa was doing damage with his bat, Erik Miller was quietly putting together one of the more impressive stretches for any Stanford product in the league. The Red Sox lefty owns a 2.09 ERA — a number that's drawing national attention. MLB Network's Dan Plesac called him "a force," and Boston pitching coach Chad Tracy echoed the sentiment, saying Miller has "been everything as advertised." Over consecutive appearances Monday and Tuesday against Miami, Miller tossed two clean innings and struck out four total batters. At a point in the season when Boston's bullpen construction matters most, Miller has become a reliever his club can genuinely count on in high-leverage moments.

The Rest of the Cardinal Flock

Cal Quantrill had arguably his best outing of the season for the Rangers on Aug. 23, spinning six scoreless innings and striking out six in a 5-3 win over the Angels. It was a vintage performance from the Stanford right-hander, who has quietly been one of Texas's steadiest starters in a down year for the club.

Quinn Mathews turned in a mixed week for St. Louis. The Cardinals righty got pummeled by the Phillies in one start but bounced back impressively Friday against Pittsburgh — 5.2 innings, 7 strikeouts, just 1 earned run in a Cardinals 4-1 win. The Jekyll-and-Hyde stretch reflects a season that has both frustrated and flashed potential.

Nico Hoerner continued his reliable production for the Cubs, going 3-for-3 with a run scored Friday and adding hits in four of his five appearances during the week. He's hitting .260 and remains one of Chicago's most consistent table-setters.

Tommy Edman delivered a highlight-reel moment Wednesday, going 2-for-4 with a homer, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored for the Dodgers against Atlanta — a reminder of just how dangerous Los Angeles's Stanford-stocked lineup can be.

Brendan Beck had a brief cup of coffee with the Yankees — called up as the 27th man for a doubleheader Saturday before being optioned back down. He worked one inning against Boston. With an 8.22 ERA in limited looks, Beck will need more development time before sticking on a big-league roster.

Austin Slater also made news this week, opting out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, per FanSided's Robert Murray — a move that puts the Stanford veteran back on the market ahead of what could be a final push for a meaningful roster spot.