UNLV Professional Athletes

Bryson Stott Is Earning His Spot in a Pennant Race

UNLV's most prominent MLB alumnus is making noise at exactly the right time. Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott has been a reliable presence through a bruising stretch of the NL East race — and with Philadelphia locked in a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves that could define the final month of its season, Stott is front and center.

The week's most notable Stott moment came Tuesday, Sept. 1, when he homered against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 2-1 Philadelphia win. He drove in the first run and scored himself in a game where the Phillies couldn't afford to leave anything on the table. Bryce Harper added an RBI double to seal it, but it was Stott's long ball that put the Phillies on the board first.

That win mattered — but it was bracketed by rougher days. Stott went 0-for-3 in a 1-0 loss to Arizona on Wednesday, and his batting average has dipped slightly from .259 at the start of the week to .253 by Saturday. The Phillies then dropped the opener of the Braves series, absorbing a brutal loss that set the stakes even higher for the games that followed.

Adding a layer of drama: Stott was a late scratch from the series opener against Atlanta. The Phillies announced a last-minute lineup change before that Friday night game — a marquee pitching matchup between Chris Sale and Christopher Sanchez that already had the attention of the baseball world. Stott's absence was notable. His return for Game 2 was, too.

Philadelphia's NL East title hopes depend on stringing wins together in exactly this kind of series, and having Stott back in the lineup gives the club a steadying presence at the top of the order.

Other Rebels Worth Watching

Stott isn't the only UNLV product active in the league this week — though none of the others carry quite the same postseason stakes.

Twins right-hander Dean Kremer had a rough outing Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers, logging just four innings and surrendering four earned runs (5.81 ERA on the week) while striking out five. Minnesota won the game as part of a sweep, but Kremer's underlying struggles have raised questions about his role down the stretch, with a published report from Sports Illustrated arguing the Twins should consider moving him to a bullpen piggyback role when starter Joe Ryan returns.

Erick Fedde delivered a quietly productive start for the White Sox on Friday, going five innings with two strikeouts and a 4.00 ERA — and helping Chicago shut down those same Twins, further thinning Minnesota's already fragile postseason hopes.

Kyle Isbel had his moments for Kansas City this week — a two-hit, two-run game against Miami on Thursday being the highlight — though the Royals dropped a 9-2 decision to Toronto on Saturday to close the period. Isbel's batting average sits at .232.

The headline, though, belongs to Stott. A pennant race in the NL East, a dramatic lineup scratch, and a home run that swung a one-run game — that's the kind of week that defines a season.

Stott Steps Into Rare Air

Bryson Stott is doing things in Philadelphia that haven't been done in nearly two decades — and UNLV alumni everywhere should be paying attention.

The Phillies second baseman made MLB history this week, joining Albert Pujols in exclusive company not seen since 2008, according to The Sporting News. The specifics of the milestone underscore just how quietly elite Stott has become in Philadelphia's retooled infield — a player Yahoo Sports has described as having "shined bright" in his role as the Phillies chase another playoff run.

Stott backed up the billing on the field, too. On Tuesday against Miami, he went 1-for-his-night with 2 RBIs, 2 runs scored and a walk as the Phillies beat the Marlins 6-4 — Stott and Alec Bohm each driving in a pair. He kept his bat warm through the week, logging hits and walks in multiple games against St. Louis to close the period, sitting at a .260 average by Saturday. Earlier in the week, his three-run home run capped a seven-run fifth inning in a dominant 9-1 rout of the Minnesota Twins, a performance that had Phillies fans buzzing.

It's been that kind of summer for the Las Vegas product — productive, consistent, and now historic.

Isbel Heats Up in Kansas City

Don't sleep on Kyle Isbel. The UNLV outfielder had arguably his best week of the season for the Royals, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an RBI double, a run scored and 2 RBIs total in Kansas City's 5-2 win over the Tigers on Saturday. That capped a strong stretch in which Isbel contributed in virtually every game he appeared — logging hits and RBIs in the Athletics series earlier in the week as well.

Sitting at a .234 average, Isbel isn't lighting up the leaderboard, but his multi-hit, multi-extra-base performance against Detroit is the kind of showing that keeps a roster spot secure and a fan base engaged as Kansas City navigates the second half.

Kremer and Fedde Grind On

Dean Kremer found himself in an unfamiliar role this week — as the opposing pitcher in a Phillies-Twins matchup where his fellow UNLV alum was doing damage. Kremer turned in 5.1 innings against Philadelphia on Sunday, striking out 6 but allowing 4 earned runs as his ERA settled at 5.40. It was a competitive outing in a tough matchup, even if the result wasn't what Minnesota needed.

Erick Fedde, meanwhile, continues to log innings for the rebuilding White Sox. Against the Cubs on Wednesday, Fedde worked 4.2 innings with 5 strikeouts, holding his ERA at 4.33. There's nothing flashy about his line, but durability has value — especially in Chicago's situation.

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Four active Rebels, two franchises in playoff contention, and one legitimate piece of MLB history. Stott's moment is the headline, but this is a quietly impressive week for UNLV's MLB footprint.

Two UNLV alumni turned in headline-grabbing performances this week in MLB — one rewriting a record book that hadn't been touched since Barry Bonds was in his prime, the other delivering a surgical takedown of the team that cut him loose.

Stott Enters Rare Air

Bryson Stott is doing something in Philadelphia that hadn't been done since Barry Bonds in 2002, per The Sporting News — a feat the outlet called "wild history" without burying the lede. The Phillies second baseman capped an already scorching week with a 3-RBI, 1-HR performance on Saturday, Aug. 15, finishing the day hitting .266 with runs and walks to match his pop. It was the punctuation mark on a stretch that saw Stott accumulate hits in every game from Aug. 9 through Aug. 15, knocking in at least one run in multiple contests along the way.

The week opened on Sunday, Aug. 9, with Stott going 2-for-the-day with an RBI and a run scored against the Blue Jays in a wild 7-6 Phillies win in 12 innings. With Toronto rallying from 5-2 down in the eighth to force extras, it was Stott's go-ahead RBI single in the 12th that proved to be the decisive blow — preventing a Phillies sweep and handing the Blue Jays a frustrating near-miss. He then kept the hits coming through a Cardinals series (hits in each of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday's games) before delivering the biggest performance of the stretch on Saturday.

For a Phillies club chasing October, Stott's consistency at the plate has been exactly what the lineup needed. The UNLV product is batting .266 on the season and providing the kind of multi-dimensional offensive production — hit tool, power, walks — that makes the Bonds comparison something more than a clickbait curiosity.

Kremer's Revenge Tour Opens Strong

While Stott was padding his stat line, Dean Kremer was settling scores.

Just days after the Baltimore Orioles designated him for assignment, Kremer made his Twins debut on Monday, Aug. 10, against his former club at Target Field — and it wasn't close. The right-hander spun a 7-inning, one-hit gem, striking out seven and allowing just one earned run in a dominant 9-5 Minnesota win. His ERA now sits at 5.25 on the season, but the performance suggested the Orioles may have given up on him too soon.

Kremer's control and composure against a lineup that knew him well made the outing all the more impressive. Facing a former team with something to prove is one of the oldest narratives in baseball; not everyone delivers. Kremer did.

Around the Horn

Kyle Isbel had a quiet week for the Royals until Tuesday, Aug. 11, when he went deep against the Dodgers with a 1-HR, 2-RBI effort in a tight 5-5 game. The UNLV outfielder is batting .229 on the season and has shown flashes of pop when the opportunity presents itself. Erick Fedde had a rough outing for the White Sox on Thursday, Aug. 13 — 3.0 innings, four earned runs, one strikeout — a tough line as Chicago continues to navigate a difficult season.

For UNLV alumni watching from Las Vegas, this was a week worth staying up late for.