CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 11: Wilber Dotel #66 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 11, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, September 17, 2026, 12:35 p.m. ET
The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping to avoid a sweep in the series finale hosting the NL Central rival Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park.
The Brewers are giving the start to Kyle Harrison, who is making his 24th start of the season. In his first season in Milwaukee, he is achieving career bests for the Brewers.
Harrison is 10-4 with a 3.98 ERA. In his last start on September 6 against the Cincinnati Reds, he pitched 3.2 innings, giving up nine hits and four earned runs in a 12-8 loss. Harrison is looking for his first win in just over a month. The last time he pulled out a victory was on August 18 at home against the Seattle Mariners, when he went five innings and gave up two hits in a 22-0 blowout victory.
The Pirates are countering with rookie right-hander Wilbur Poeltl, who is making just his second career start. In his first start on September 11 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, he pitched two innings, giving up four hits and three earned runs in a 12-2 loss. Poeltl has primarily come out of the bullpen this season, and he has not pitched more than four innings in a game this season. This means the bullpen should get plenty of action today as the series comes to a close.
Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Kyle Harrison (10-4, 3.98 ERA) vs. Wilber Dotel (1-5, 4.84 ERA)
BD community, this is your game thread against the Milwaukee Brewers. Chime off in the comments section below.
Emeryville, CA April 5, 1955 - Allen Gettel rides a horse on opening day at Oaks Ballpark. (Russ Reed / Oakland Tribune Photographer)
(Digital First Media Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Allen Gettel was born a ways south of the Bronx, down in Norfolk, Virginia. Growing up on the family farm, few could have predicted the journey his life would take. From pitching in Yankee Stadium to acting on the big screen, Gettel became his own type of renaissance man.
Allen Jones Gettel Born: September 17, 1917 (Norfolk, Virginia) Died: April 8, 2005 (Norfolk, Virginia) Yankees Tenure: 1945-46
Gettel graduated from Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach in 1936. The Yankees signed the young right-handed pitcher to a contract upon graduation after scout Gene McCann found the big 6-foot-3 hurler while scouting local high school games. This kicked off a nine-year stint in the Yankees farm system.
The first three years of his time in the Yankees system were spent in the lower levels of the minor leagues. Gettel’s debut campaign came with the Norfolk Tars, in the city where he was born. The following season in 1937, he split his time between the Butler Yankees and the Bassett Furnituremakers (another Virginia team). Then, in 1938, he had a standout performance for the Snow Hill Billies in the Class D Coastal Plain League, and that performance earned him a ticket to the Augusta Tigers for the 1939 season.
From 1940 through 1943, Gettel found himself in Double-A, playing for both the Newark Bears and Kansas City Blues. Following the 1943 campaign, the Yankees traded Gettel, Ed Levy, and $10,000 cash to the Philadelphia Phillies for Nick Etten. However, Gettel declared he would spend the 1943 season on the farm to ensure he could not be drafted into military service, and on the same note, Levy was classified as 1-A by the Selective Service System, meaning he was immediately eligible to be drafted into the military. The Phillies were essentially giving away a player for no one at that point and got the trade vetoed. The Yankees and Phillies later agreed to new players in the trade, and Etten became a Yankee (a very nice wartime one at that).
After the trade fell through, the Yankees assigned Gettel back to Norfolk. Back home, he could play baseball while maintaining his farm work. This is where Gettel spent the next two seasons, and he dominated. Gettel posted an incredible 1.38 ERA while going 11-11. Then, in 1944, he went 17-7 with a 1.81 ERA.
Prior to the 1945 season, the Yankees were depleted due to the war draft; the previous year had already been challenging as their streak of three consecutive pennants was snapped by the St. Louis Browns of all teams. Gettel was protected due to his farmer status, and after his performance the two years prior, the Yankees finally gave the 27-year-old a chance to play in the majors. Gettel made his debut on April 20th against the Washington Senators. Coming on in relief, he pitched four innings and allowed just one hit while striking out four to pick up a retroactive save.
Gettel went on to have a decent rookie year, tallying 154 innings with a 9-8 record and a 3.92 ERA for the Bombers. He followed that up in 1946 by going 6-7 with a 2.97 ERA in 103 innings. However, following the season and facing a roster crunch as the rest of the boys returned home from war, the Yankees decided to trade Gettel, and this time the trade went through.
On December 6, 1946, Gettel, Hal Peck, and Gene Bearden were traded to Cleveland for Ray Mack and Sherm Lollar. Gettel anchored Cleveland’s starting rotation in 1947, earning 11 wins to go along with a 3.20 ERA. In early June of the 1948 season, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox and thus could not celebrate with his old teammates when Cleveland won the World Series that fall, their most recent title as a franchise. Gettel stayed in Chicago for a year and some change before he was purchased by the Washington Senators. Gettel finished the 1949 season in Washington.
From 1950 through 1959, Gettel bounced around, playing mostly for the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast League — though he did play in the majors in 1951 for the New York Giants and in 1955 for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Gettel officially retired from professional baseball in 1959 with 38 career major league victories and 196 minor league wins. Years later in 2001, Gettel and others admitted that the 1951 New York Giants used a system to steal signs from opposing catchers, including on Bobby Thomson’s famous “Shot Heard ’Round the World.” The cheating scheme had a spotter with a telescope buzzing down the catchers finger count to the bullpen who then had various ways to signal to hitters what was coming.
During his time on the Oaks, Gettel used his farm talents to land some roles in movies and television. A skilled horse rider, he appeared in Westerns such as The Tin Star. The acting roles earned Gettel his nickname “Two Guns.” Gettel embraced the nickname and even dressed like a cowboy and rode a horse in from the bullpen when the Oaks would allow.
Gettel continued farming throughout his long life. He passed away at age-87 in 2005 in where else, but Norfolk. Happy birthday to one of Hampton Roads’ great underrated sons!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Los Angeles, CA - August 12: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Landon Knack (96) reacts after allowing a hit during the seventh inning of an baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Since getting optioned to Triple-A on August 13, Knack had a 1.56 ERA with 14 strikeouts and seven walks in 17 1/3 innings over four appearances. His last outing was five scoreless innings with four strikeouts last Thursday against Sugar Land.
Miller allowed two runs on three hits and got seven outs in Wednesday’s loss to the Reds, with one strikeout. After spending over five months on the injured list to start the season with shoulder and back problems, Miller was activated off the 60-day injured list on September 5. Miller allowed a run in three relief innings on September 6 to earn the win, then was optioned the next day.
Miller spending five total days in the majors this month means his total time optioned to the minors fewer than the 20 days required to exhaust an option year. In other words, after using option years in 2024 and 2025 but not 2026, Miller will have one option year remaining in 2027.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 16: Brandon Nimmo #24 of the Texas Rangers runs home to score on a single by Ezequiel Duran #20 (not pictured) against the Boston Red Sox in the seventh inning at Globe Life Field on September 16, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In non-Rangers news, Blake Snell left his start for the Dodgers yesterday after just one inning due to a groin issue, and Aaron Judge departed prematurely from the Yankees’ game against the Twins yesterday due to leg tightness.
Ken Rosenthal writes about some managerial situations that are potentially up in the air when the season ends, including sixty percent of the American League West.
MILWAUKEE, WI - SEPTEMBER 12: Brady Singer #51 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Saturday, September 12, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
You need not dig too deeply through the annals of Major League Baseball history to discover a time when the Cincinnati Reds sported one of the finest collections of starting pitching in the land. In fact, you need only turn back the clock to last year to find the Reds, with 15.6 collective fWAR, ranking as the 2nd best starting pitching unit in the sport.
Oh, how times change!
Despite Chase Burns emerging as a legitimate ace prior to having his innings curtailed, Cincinnati’s starters sit with a meager 8.0 fWAR combined so far this season. That ranks 22nd overall, and given the rate at which they’ve been getting shelled lately there’s reason to believe that number could even shrink before season’s end.
(Where have you gone, Hunter Greene’s elbow? Reds nation turns their lonely eyes to you.)
As Cincinnati slumps its way towards game 162, it’s worth pointing out the meteoric fall of two starters in particular.
As of the morning of September 17th, there have been 52 big league pitchers to log 150 innings so far this season, and not a single one has a higher FIP (5.40) than Brady Singer, who’ll start this afternoon in the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That’s the guy that the front office hinted might get a $23 million qualifying offer at season’s end after they didn’t deal him away at the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, you need not look far down that bad-news leaderboard to find a fellow Reds starter, as Andrew Abbott (4.90) ranks 3rd worst. So, Cincinnati has had a bit of durability from these arms – as I mentioned, fewer than two starters per club have reached 150 IP so far this season, on average – but the ones the Reds have had clear that mark rank as the guys who more likely than not shouldn’t be pitching that much after all.
It’s almost like they lost their pitching coach mysteriously in the middle of the season and couldn’t remember how to throw anymore.
With just over two weeks remaining in the 2026 season, it’s unlikely that either of these two finds a new gear, a new pitch, a new approach that rights their respective ships enough for it to matter in the larger sample. That’s work that will be reserved for the long, cold offseason when Cincinnati once again gets to lick its wounds while other clubs play meaningful postseason ball. Whether or not it’ll be a long enough winter for them to fix all the problems remains to be seen.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 12: Kyle Harrison #52 of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch in the game against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field on September 12, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a come-from-behind win on Wednesday night, the Brewers are looking for a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Thursday afternoon, as the team is now just three wins away from setting a new franchise record and five wins away from a 100-win season.
Left-hander Kyle Harrison gets the ball for the Crew, and while his season stats still look solid — 3.98 ERA, 4.03 FIP, and 134 strikeouts over 110 2/3 innings — he’s really struggled in his last few outings. Spanning 7 1/3 innings over two starts and a relief appearance, Harrison has allowed a whopping 19 runs (17 earned) on 23 hits (including six homers) and six walks while striking out seven. That’s raised his ERA and FIP from 2.79 and 3.30, respectively. He’ll look to get back on the right track against a team he’s had plenty of success against — across 17 career innings against the Pirates, he’s allowed no runs and struck out 29. That includes a pair of wins this season, as he’s totaled 11 innings with 22 strikeouts against them.
Opposite Harrison is right-hander Wilber Dotel. Dotel, 23, has made 19 appearances this season, and this will be just his second start. Across 35 1/3 innings here in his rookie year, he’s 1-5 with a 4.84 ERA, 2.98 FIP, and 36 strikeouts. He pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning against the Brewers in Tuesday night’s loss, allowing a hit and striking out one. His only other start came on Friday against the Cubs, when he went two innings and allowed three runs before Khristian Curtis (3 IP, 6 ER) and Antwone Kelly (3 IP, 3 ER) finished things out in a 12-2 loss.
In roster news, the Brewers have designated left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny for assignment. Zastryzny, 34, made 35 appearances for the Brewers between 2024 and 2025, pitching to a 2.12 ERA, 4.09 FIP, and 25 strikeouts across 29 2/3 innings. He hasn’t appeared in any major league games this year as he’s dealt with multiple injuries and setbacks. He was sent on his latest rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville last week, but the Brewers activated and DFA’d him today. The move doesn’t open a 40-man spot, as Zastryzny was on the 60-day IL.
Brice Turang sits in the leadoff spot today, followed by Luis Lara and Jackson Chourio. Andrew Vaughn bats cleanup, with Gary Sánchez in the five-hole. Joey Ortiz, Sal Frelick, Bo Naylor, and David Hamilton round things out, as regular starters Jake Bauers, William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Cooper Pratt, and Christian Yelich all get the day off.
First pitch is set for an early 11:35 a.m. CT and will be on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
Jul 10, 2020; St. Petersburg, Florida, United States; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Sam McWilliams (64) throws a pitch during a simulated game at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
We need to come up with a cool nickname for Allan Castro. Clutchstro? The Bull Runner? Because, he’s running those Bulls (Rays AAA) out of town the last couple of nights. After capturing the walk-off knock Tuesday, he was right back at it again on Wednesday with two home runs including a 7th-inning shot that turned the game on its head. The WooSox went into that seventh inning down 5-3 and never looked back after taking the lead. Castro’s home runs were aided by Tsung-Tse Cheng. Franklin Arias and Braiden Ward really extending those innings in front of him; Ward had a three-hit night, Cheng had two, and Arias had two RBIs of his own.
Defensively, things weren’t pristine, as Blake Wehunt allowed four runs in his five innings of work and left the game in the loss column, but it was also far from a terrible start. The bullpen shoved. Seth Martinez struck the side out, Sam McWilliams again slammed the door to get his second save in just over a week, and overall this all led Durham to go 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. McWilliams is an interesting case for a “get him up to eat some innings” once the playoff spot is captured and the team is secure in their slot. A 2014 Phillies draft pick, the 6’7” 230 righty touches the high 90’s with his fastball, but, due to the 31-year-old imploding at the wrong times, he hasn’t touched an MLB roster. This includes being selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Royals in 2018 and promptly having an ERA of 15 in 7 appearances in Spring Training. Still, if you want a low-leverage, innings eater, mop-up guy for late September, look no further than McWilliams, who now hasn’t allowed a run since last month.
Another eyebrow-raiser is Romy’s OPS growing closer to that hallowed 1.000 mark in Triple-A and the possiblity of him being a guy that can help should one of these platoon guys need some rest. Gonzalez is hitting .462 in September. That’s good, right? It’s also good that the team has several “break glass in case of emergency” guys that are not a considerable step down from guys currently on the roster… or at least not guys the fanbase would collectively be quivering in fear to see on a line-up card. At least, not any more than usual…
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 15: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves fields a ball in centerfield in the sixth inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Griffin Quinn) | Getty Images
Coming off a series where the Braves mostly sewed up the NL East by taking two of three from the Phillies, they then departed on a road trip consisting of the final part of their September gauntlet. The first part of that road trip had them go up to Wrigley Field to face the Cubs, who are in the midst of maybe the weirdest season (by one measure) ever. With Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle not deployed pitching-wise against the league’s best offense, things didn’t go well for the Braves… except for the one game where they donned their homer-hitting shoes and pulled off a really fun comeback win.
The Braves gave the start to Reynaldo Lopez, and it went pretty poorly. The Cubs plated three in the second (with an inning extended due to a non-double play on a slow-enough grounder hit by the Cubs’ catcher), and then two more in the third. AJ Smith-Shawver came out of the bullpen and finished up the rest of the game, but was taken deep by presumptive NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong, who ended up going 4-for-5 and finishing a triple shy of the cycle in the game. For their part on offense, the Braves mostly just hit a bazillion grounders when they weren’t striking out against David Peterson. They plated three in the seventh, including two on a Mike Yastrzemski pinch-hit homer, but nothing else. There was a rally-killing double play in the eighth after the first two batters reached, and then Ronald Acuña Jr. hit into a game-ending double play while representing the tying run in the ninth.
For a while, this game felt like it was going to be similar to the first one. The Cubs plated a run in second, but the big blow came in the fourth: with two on and no out, Pedro Ramirez hit a routine double play ball to Mauricio Dubon at short, but the latter inexplicably threw the ball nowhere near second base. By the time the inning ended, Martin Perez and the Braves trailed 3-0.
That’s where things stayed until top of the sixth, when the Braves finally got to old friend/frenemy Kevin Gausman, thanks to Acuña drilling a two-run shot to pull them within one. The tormenting of old friends wasn’t done there, though. In the top of the seventh, Ozzie Albies exorcised his latest slump demons by mashing another huge two-run homer, this time off Jacob Webb. That turned the game around, and after two perfect innings from Didier Fuentes, Drake Baldwin added a third two-run homer in the top of the ninth. Raisel Iglesias shut the door, and the Braves had a fun comeback win where they actually hit pulled fly balls in the air to good results, instead of not doing that (which has been a theme for about the last six weeks with this team).
Crow-Armstrong was kept in check here, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout. Martin Perez had a fairly brutal outing with a 2/4 K/BB ratio, but danced through the raindrops successful-y-ish, aside from Dubon throwing that ball away.
Braves: .367 wOBA, .359 xwOBA
Cubs: .201 wOBA, .300 xwOBA
Wow, the Cubs underhit their xwOBA massively. Go figure.
The Braves gave JR Ritchie the ball in this one after he had a really good four-start run in Triple-A, and it went terribly. Meanwhile, Shota Imanaga, who’s been having a meh season due in large part to an incredible run of homers allowed since August, absolutely eviscerated the Braves.
Ritchie’s struggles were present from the get-go, with two walks and a run in the first. Crow-Armstrong tagged him for a homer on an 0-2 pitch in the third. Alex Bregman followed suit with a homer in the fourth, and the rout became apparent when the Braves left Ritchie in to face the lineup a third time, where it quickly became 6-0. Owen Murphy and Brent Suter mopped the game up, with the former giving up yet another homer to Crow-Armstrong. He finished 3-for-4 with two homers, a triple, and a walk in this one, while Bregman finished a single shy of the cycle. Combine that with Imanaga putting up an 8/0 K/BB in six innings, and the Braves didn’t really have a chance.
The Braves did score four runs in this game, through three game on RBI groundouts, which is a tough way to sustain a rally. Two of those runs came in the ninth, where the first three Braves batters reached, but the next three all made outs to end the game.
Ritchie finished with an awful 5/2 K/BB, two homers, one HBP in 4 2/3 line. Murphy was even worse with a 2/1 K/BB ratio and a homer allowed in 2 1/3. The Braves don’t need to do much to clinch the division, but this sort of stuff doesn’t help.
Braves: .257 wOBA, .247 xwOBA
Cubs: .513 wOBA, .400 xwOBA
I’m kind of surprised this game was only 8-4, to be honest.
The great news for the Braves is that the Phillies went 1-1 against the Nationals while the Braves were going 1-2 against the Cubs. So, they lost only half a game, and are up 4.5 with nine to play (including holding the tiebreaker, which is kind of like being 5.5 up). They’re also more or less assured a playoff berth at this point, as it looks like just one more win or one more Diamondbacks loss will secure them a playoff berth. It’s fine for the Braves to be coasting at this point in terms of the big picture, but it does make the games somewhat less watchable. On the flip side, this team hasn’t had much offensive success for weeks now, whether facing the Cubs’ league-worst pitching or anyone else: they’re 20th in xwOBA and 26th in wRC+ since the start of August.
So, hopefully the three-homer game that led to a win was more of a sign of things to come than the other two games. We’ll see.
I think it bears repeating as the Cubs split their season series with the Braves. The Cubs won the season series from seven teams, including the Dodgers, Phillies, Padres and Diamondbacks. They split the series with four teams, including, now, the Braves. They lost the season series to only the Cardinals and Brewers. Are the Dodgers definitely doing a thing where they coast through the regular season just trying to stay healthy for a postseason run? Absolutely. Were all of those other teams? Did any of those other teams think they had so much margin of error that they could just mail in their games with the Cubs? I don’t think so. The National League was the better league this year, by a decent margin. And the Cubs played better against the NL.
My point? This Cubs team is a flawed team. We’ve all seen that. We all know it. Heck, this was a pretty good game and it saw the Cubs bullpen allow three runs in three innings of work. And the three guys who threw have definitely been three of the better arms of late, regardless of what that says about the guys who didn’t throw in this one. So even in a nice win, we see the problem. And yet, when you have the presumptive NL MVP, a guy who is going to get a fair bit of downballot support for that same award and a deep cast of supporting characters, you do have a chance to be a pain in somebody’s butt. I see what you see. I know what has you nervous or disappointed about this team. I get it. But this team can play. They’re not going to shy away from anyone (even the Brewers who, yeah, maybe they should).
Oh and one more thing. You aren’t digging around the web and finding BCB and then finding what I write and then hanging around because you are a casual fan. You are looking for sports talk and getting in the weeds. You’re a smart baseball fan. Don’t be one of those people who’s still doom speaking and suggesting this team won’t even get into the playoffs. This team is going to be a playoff team. They’ll probably, but not definitely, be the first Wild Card. They’ll clinch a playoff spot early next week.
Can’t let Al have all of the fun. The big picture is fun, but what a fun game this was from the closeup view. This was pretty certainly the best combined game of the two best Cub hitters this year. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman each had three hits, all extra base hits. 20 total bases between the two of them. Seven runs driven in between the two of them. Four runs scored. With Bregman’s continued late push, he might finish in the top five in the NL in fWAR among position players.
PCA? He’s chasing Rogers Hornsby for the highest fWAR season in Cub history. With two more homers and a triple along with his usual excellent defense, he feels like a good bet to set that record. He’s already set new records for most homers and most extra base hits by a Cub left handed hitter. It is mind-boggling that if he doesn’t get a 40/40 season, it’s largely because he has too many homers. As if that’s such a thing. As if his season will be any less special at 44/37 (and counting). There are players in baseball history with 37 or more steals and 44 or more homers in a single season — PCA, Shohei Ohtani and Alfonso Soriano.
Simply remarkable. If we didn’t have PCA, we’d be talking a lot about the impressive season of Bregman. Pretty amusing for a guy who many suggested was a terrible signing for the first couple of months of the season, while he was working hard to work out a couple of issues. How many teammates do you think were paying attention when a savvy veteran with a couple of rings and an enormous contract was working his butt off trying to work out some issues? He could have just been satisfied and plodded along until he got things together. But we saw on Marquee several times early him going through the process of getting things worked out.
This has been the kind of season that makes you want to pull your hair out. But it has also been so much fun. I suspect we’re going to have a long offseason to digest all of the things that went wrong and try to figure out how to triage that and correct it in what will likely be a disrupted offseason. We know in some way or another there will be new economics going forward and the team will have to figure out how to navigate that new system while also trying to keep a talented team building while significantly upgrading the pitching staff. We know that they can’t solely depend on the returns of a number of guys who missed all or most of this year. But we also know that those guys might come back and have a lot to add too.
Let’s do our best to put the frustration aside and really enjoy these last few weeks of the season. I feel like there are probably some thrills still to be had before the ride comes to a full and complete stop. Do keep your hands inside the car until then. Wouldn’t want to lose anybody.
Three Positives:
Perhaps the wildest thing in this game was a Tommy Hottovy mound visit for Shōta Imanaga with no clear reason. Imanaga was terrific in this one. Four hits, no walks, one run. He struck out eight over six. The Cubs got terrific work from their starters in this series. I have to wonder if the Marquee broadcast was correct and Imanaga was tipping pitches and the Cubs rather than the Braves picked up on it. He’s so often good other than when allowing homers, you don’t need a lot of tinfoil to wonder if he has a consistent ongoing problem with tipping his pitches.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had two homers and a triple. If I heard right on the broadcast, this was his second such game. The all time record for such games is four by a couple of fellows named Ruth and Gehrig. Pete’s probably going to break that record eventually, too.
Alex Bregman joined the club of guys who have gotten the three hardest parts of a cycle but didn’t finish it. Bummer for Alex not to finish it. That’s one thing he’s never done in his very successful career. He might join some fun groups this offseason. Things like Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, MVP top 5’s, etc.
Game 153, September 16: Cubs 8, Braves 4 (85-68)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Shōta Imanaga (.266). 6 IP, 22 BF, 4 H, 0 BB, 1 R, 8 K (W 11-10)
Hero: Pete Crow-Armstrong (.210). 3-4, 2 HR, 3B, BB, 3 RBI, 3 R
Sidekick: Alex Bregman (.199). 3-4, HR, 3B, 2B, 4 RBI, R
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.083). 0-4, HBP, R, DP
Goat: Michael Conforto (-.054). 1-3, BB, RBI
Kid: Pedro Ramirez (-.056). 1-4
WPA Play of the Game: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s solo homer with one out in the third inning increased the Cub lead to two. (.103)
Braves Play of the Game: JR Ritchie got Seiya Suzuki to ground into a double play with a runner on first and no outs in the first inning. (.072)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 152 Winner: Kevin Gausman received 22 of 50 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Pete Crow-Armstrong +26.5
Alex Bregman +25
Carson Kelly +16.5
Shōta Imanaga +15
Ben Brown +13.5
Jameson Taillon -13
Nico Hoerner -16
Dansby Swanson -17
Caleb Thielbar -17.5
Seiya Suzuki -18
Note: For the second time this week we see four of the top six (Conforto drops to sixth in the overall standings) on the podium. And Suzuki drops back into the cellar as his slump continues.
Scoreboard Watching: Blake Snell left a start early for the Dodgers in their loss to the Reds. The Phillies won and remain half a game behind the Cubs (but the Cubs own the tiebreaker). The Padres won for the ninth time in 10 games (1.5 back of the Cubs but Cubs own the tiebreaker). The Diamondbacks lost another close one (five back of the Cubs and Cubs the own tiebreaker). So the Diamondbacks would have to make up six games on the Cubs over nine games played. With full understanding that the Cubs do own a 10-game losing streak this year, they are going to be in a Wild Card spot. It’s only a matter of which one. That D-backs loss was notable because Sandy Alcántara got his first career save in the game. A team using a starter out of the pen late in the season probably wouldn’t raise eyebrows. But Alcántara was Monday’s starter for the Marlins. Now that is a throwback performance.
Up Next: The Reds will host the Dodgers again on Thursday afternoon while the Cubs have an off day. The Cubs can rest their bullpen and all of the players have a day to recharge and they don’t have any crazy travel. Of course, the Reds are staying at home, so no travel for them either. I’m sure the Reds would love to win two or three games from the Cubs here and play spoiler, but they are in last place in the division and very much playing out the string at this point. Heading into play Thursday, they’ve lost seven of 10.
We just covered this team at the end of August. They are 24th in OPS. They don’t really walk but they hit a lot of homers. This series features the first and third place teams in baseball in homers hit (and first and fifth in homers allowed). The Reds are 28th in ERA and 28th in WHIP. Their bullpen is 25th in ERA and WHIP, just slightly better than their starters. Keep the ball in the park and the team is very beatable.
Fangraphs still has the Reds as favorites in the first two games of this series. They have the Cubs as favorites in just four of the final nine games. Coincidentally, the four games the Cubs would need to reach the playoffs even if the Diamondbacks win out and the other two teams do enough to pass the Cubs.
The Cubs haven’t announced starters. But Clay Holmes (6-7, 2.85) is due. Clay is 2-3 with a 3.46 as a Cub in seven starts. Last time out, he got no decision as he allowed two runs over 5.2 innings versus the Pirates. He’s not started against the Reds this year. The Reds did beat him in New York once last year. So there are several Red hitters familiar with him.
Chase Burns (15-3) is scheduled for the Reds. He beat the Cubs a few weeks ago, allowing two runs on six hits over 5.2 innings. The Reds have him significantly pitch limited. He’s thrown three innings in each of his last two starts (at the Dodgers and Brewers). He allowed two runs over six innings and threw 100 pitches total in the two starts. So it’s essentially a bullpen day, regardless of how well he pitches (he had three no hit innings against the Dodgers).
Survive the Burns start and then beat the bullpen. Stay hot. Go Cubs.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR - SEPTEMBER 06: Luke Pelzer #6 of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals runs during the game between the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Arkansas Travelers at Dickey-Stephens Park on Sunday, September 6, 2026 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. (Photo by Caton Marsh/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
I am not a prospect hound. I don’t spend my time poring over scouting reports or watching tape. But that doesn’t mean that I am not interested in what’s happening on the Kansas City Royals farm. Those players playing in Omaha and Springfield and Davenport and Columbia have the potential to be future big leaguers, the potential to change the fortunes of the entire franchise.
So every year I like to peruse what I have access to: Minor League stats. And when I’m looking at those stats, I keep an eye out for guys with lines that interest me in one way or another. I have a system of sorts that I use, and though it’s basic I think it does pretty well. I look at four aspects of the stats:
Performance. I get that tools are important. But tools are meant to accomplish things on the field, and I value players who are productive.
Age. Until you get to the big leagues, you generally expect older players to dominate younger players. How often a player competes against older talent is an important indicator.
Skillset. How is a player accomplishing their production? Some skillsets translate better to big league play than others, and some deficiencies can be exploited more than others.
The Double-A line. Lots of guys are good in A ball. The upper minors are a crucible that separates guys who have a potential big league future and those who have a potential Banana Ball future.
Is this approach perfect? No. But I’m not in search of perfect. I’m in search of players who intrigue me and who I might want to spend time learning about because they could be future Royals.
Back in February, I applied this framework to Carter Jensen’s 2025 campaign. I argued that people were sleeping on Jensen, and that his track record and skillset at his age suggested that chances were really high that he’d end up as an effective big leaguer. Sure enough, Jensen has cruised to a 3.3 WAR season per Fangraphs this year–an incredible achievement for a rookie catcher. He’ll end up in the top three of the American League Rookie of the Year vote.
And now, I’m applying this framework to somebody a lot of Royals fans have no idea about: a 5’ 10” utility player from Wisconsin by the name of Luke Pelzer. What, you might be asking, is so interesting about a guy drafted in the 17th round from the University of Illinois Chicago? I’ll tell you what: dude just hits.
A .374/.450/.515 career slash line as a pro. Is that good?
After two full seasons in the minors with time in Columbia, Northwest Arkansas, and the Quad Cities, Pelzer has a robust .351/.429/.482 line. Oh, and this is coming off his senior year with the Flames where he hit .387/.455/.559.
Normally, you could chalk this up to a guy just being on a heater for a while–after all, batting average is a notoriously luck-dependent stat. Normally, you could chalk it up to your average late-round, no-power guy and point to Pelzer only having four home runs in those 565 minor league innings.
But I think there’s something there with Pelzer, for two key reasons. First: Pelzer’s swing is optimized to produce batted balls that result in hits. This year, Pelzer has posted a hilarious line drive rate of 27.5%. For context, there isn’t a single qualified hitter in Major League Baseball who has a line drive rate at 27% this season. Pelzer also limits fly balls, hitting them at a rate of 25.9% this year. And again, for context, only two of the 137 qualified MLB batters this year have hit fewer fly balls. Pelzer maximizes the types of batted ball events that could become hits and avoids the ones that become outs at a high rate.
The other reason is Pelzer’s plate discipline. Luke has walked 10.4% of the time this year and hasn’t walked below 10% in any of his three stops so far. It is pretty rare for a player with a contact-oriented swing to also have the eye to be able to take walks at the same time.
How rare is it? I took a look at all Minor League seasons dating back a decade with these qualifications:
Age 23 or younger season
Minimum 450 PAs
At least one plate appearance in Double-A
Batting average at least .300
Walk rate 10% or more
Line drive rate 27% or higher
Pelzer is one of only nine guys who qualify, and he has the highest batting average of anybody. Take a look:
Year
Name
Team
Level
Age
PA
BB%
K%
AVG
OBP
SLG
wRC+
2026
Luke Pelzer
KCR
A+,AA
23
482
10.4%
20.7%
0.336
0.407
0.466
128
2024
Kristian Campbell
BOS
A+,AA,AAA
22
517
14.3%
19.9%
0.330
0.439
0.558
177
2023
Vaughn Grissom
ATL
AAA
22
468
12.0%
14.1%
0.330
0.419
0.501
138
2016
Chance Sisco
BAL
AA,AAA
21
497
12.3%
17.7%
0.317
0.403
0.430
130
2025
A.J. Ewing
NYM
A,A+,AA
20
564
12.1%
18.6%
0.315
0.401
0.429
147
2025
LuJames Groover
ARI
AA
23
547
11.5%
14.4%
0.309
0.399
0.434
120
2026
Murf Gray
PIT
A,A+,AA
22
558
11.8%
20.4%
0.305
0.402
0.567
146
2026
Josue De Paula
LAD
AA
21
588
13.8%
14.8%
0.303
0.401
0.547
145
2024
Nick Yorke
PIT
AA,AAA
22
541
11.1%
18.7%
0.303
0.385
0.449
127
Now, none of those guys are world-beaters, at least not yet. But you know what they are? Big league players. Kristian Campbell, Vaughn Grissom, Chance Sisco, AJ Ewing, LuJames Groover, Josue De Paula, and Nick Yorke have all debuted with an MLB team. Murf Gray is a Top 100 prospect who is setting up a 2027 debut.
And then there’s Pelzer.
I want to be clear: I’m not saying that Pelzer is going to be the next Big Thing. The fact that he doesn’t hit for much power lowers his overall ceiling, and Pelzer is probably going to end up as a left fielder as opposed to a center fielder. That’s nice, but not a cornerstone defender or anything.
But what I am saying is that I think Pelzer is going to be a big leaguer, and it could happen as soon as next year. Keep an eye on him, because players with his performance and skillset don’t come along very often.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 15: Daylen Lile #4 of the Washington Nationals is interviewed on the field after the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on September 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As we enter the offseason, extensions will be a hot topic. Outside of Keibert Ruiz a few years ago the Nats have not really given out long term contracts to their young players. I hope that changes this offseason now that Paul Toboni has had a chance to evaluate everything.
Obviously, we would all love to see CJ Abrams and James Wood extended. However, those deals seem pretty difficult to pull off. A more realistic target is Daylen Lile. While Lile is not a superstar, he has established himself as a solid regular who still has room to grow. He is a well-rounded player who has the capability to carry the offense when he is rolling.
At 23 years old, Lile is still a player on the rise. After winning NL player of the month in September last year, Lile’s offensive production has been less consistent than expected. However, he has taken massive strides defensively, which has made him a solid ball player. Even with a streaky offensive season, Lile has posted 1.8 fWAR and 2.0 bWAR.
This just feels like the beginning for Lile as well. He has been more or less a league average hitter this season with a .251 average and .742 OPS. As he develops, I think he will be closer to a 120 wRC+ bat. If you can get that with his now above average defense, you have a very good starter.
Daylen Lile has 21 HR in his first full major league season. His OPS is up to .740.
Nats fans know what Lile is all about as a player at this point. The real question is what would an extension look like? When I looked over some recent contract extensions, I found a comparable deal. Before the 2025 season, the A’s signed Lawrence Butler to a 7-year $65.5 million extension with a club option for an 8th year.
Like Lile, Butler was coming off his first full big league season at age 23. His 2024 season was better than Lile’s 2026, but Lile has a longer track record of success. Butler’s 2024 success was propelled by a monster second half, he has been unable to replicate before or since. With Lile, we have a longer track record of at least solid production.
There are just so many similarities between the two. I think if you offered Lile that deal, he would have to seriously consider it. There is a chance that it could take a little bit more, but I think we are in the right range here. Jacob Wilson’s 7-year $70 million deal is another bench mark to look at too.
Getting an extension done this offseason would be a PR win for Paul Toboni and I think Lile is a good candidate. While it is unlikely that Lile explodes and becomes a mega-star, it is tough to see this deal just going off the rails.
Lile is not a Boras client and was drafted by the organization. All of these things make him such a logical extension candidate. I still think the ceiling is fairly high as well. If everything clicks, there still is a Michael Brantley type player in Lile.
One other thing I love about Lile is that he gets better as the season goes on. That has not been the case for a lot of the Nats key players. Lile can be a guy who can pick up the slack if James Wood goes into his customary August rut.
With his bat to ball skills, power and athleticism, Lile is also a very fun player to watch. He can fly around the bases and loves pushing the envelope. The youngster already has 19 triples in his career, which is a testament to his speed.
Even in a year that could have been better for Lile, he has still put up impressive numbers. 21 homers, 15 steals and 85 RBI’s is a good jumping off point. I still truly believe the best is yet to come for Lile though.
This year seems to have taught him a lot. He is known to be tough on himself and can get into ruts because of that. However, he has kept pushing and is peaking at the right time. Lile has an .823 OPS since the All-Star break.
Daylen Lile will never be the face of the franchise, but he is one of those perfect complementary players. I can totally envision him being a force on a good team. He also feels like the type of player who would rise to the occasion in a big spot.
He is not the biggest name on the team, but I think Daylen Lile is a prime extension candidate. I would love to see the 23 year old locked up and spend his whole prime in DC. He is already a good young player, but he has so much more left in the tank.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 14: (Editors Note: Tonal effects have been applied to this image) Keaton Wagler #1 of the LA Clippers poses for a portrait during the 2026 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at UNLV on July 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Keaton Wagler is the most important player on the LA Clippers roster.
That might sound ridiculous when we’re talking about a 19-year-old rookie who hasn’t played a meaningful NBA minute yet, but hear me out.
The Clippers’ future outlook is bleak after being handed the most substantial team penalty in NBA history. The punishment includes fines and suspensions, but the most damaging part is the loss of five first-round draft picks from 2029 through 2033.
The Kawhi Leonard trade helped soften the blow. LA was able to get two unprotected future first-round picks from Toronto, but I don’t think it can be overstated how important it is for Wagler to become a legitimate NBA player.
Over the next seven NBA drafts, the Clippers have only those two Toronto first-round picks that aren’t tied up in complicated swaps, protections or forfeitures.
Unless the Clippers acquire more picks through trades, they simply aren’t going to have many opportunities to add high-level young talent through the draft. Even making those trades becomes harder when half the league can offer a pile of first-round picks and the Clippers are basically searching the couch cushions.
That’s what makes Wagler so important.
If Wagler develops into a star, the Clippers already have the hardest piece of a rebuild sitting on their roster: a young cornerstone they can build around.
If he doesn’t?
Well, then the Clippers have a problem.
They selected Wagler fifth overall in June, making him their highest draft pick since Blake Griffin went No. 1 overall in 2009. At the time, it looked like the Clippers had found an opportunity to inject some young talent into one of the oldest rosters in basketball.
Less than three months later, that pick looks more like a lifeline.
Wagler doesn’t have to become a Hall of Famer. He doesn’t have to become the best player from the 2026 draft. Honestly, he doesn’t even have to become a superstar.
But the Clippers desperately need him to become something.
A 20-point-per-game scorer. A legitimate long-term starter. A secondary creator. Ideally, an All-Star.
Because the normal safety net is gone.
If a normal NBA team misses on a top-five pick, it hurts. But eventually they get another shot. They go back into the draft, take another swing and hope they get it right the next time.
The Clippers don’t have that luxury.
It’s basically the basketball version of Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy. Losing five first-round picks doesn’t magically make all of your other problems disappear. You can’t just yell “I DECLARE A REBUILD” and suddenly have a bunch of 20-year-olds and lottery picks show up.
The Clippers’ next clean opportunities in the first round are years away, and there’s no guarantee those Toronto picks eventually land anywhere near the top of the draft.
That means Wagler’s development could legitimately determine what the next era of Clippers basketball looks like.
Fortunately, there are plenty of reasons to believe in him.
Wagler went from an overlooked recruit to one of the best players in college basketball in a matter of months. As a freshman at Illinois, he averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting nearly 40 percent from three. He led Illinois to the Final Four, became the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and played himself all the way into being the No. 5 pick in the NBA Draft.
Now the Clippers need him to make another leap. And this is where his rookie season becomes fascinating.
Nobody should expect Wagler to walk into the NBA at 19 years old and immediately become the Clippers’ best player. There will be bad games. There will probably be stretches where he looks completely overwhelmed. That’s what happens with young guards in the NBA.
The Clippers can afford patience with Wagler.
What they can’t afford is for him to eventually become just another guy.
Because this isn’t simply a team hoping its top-five pick works out anymore. Every team hopes its lottery pick becomes a star.
For the Clippers, the stakes have changed. They aren’t just developing a promising rookie. They might be developing the player who determines whether this franchise can survive the consequences of one of the harshest punishments the NBA has ever handed down.
Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Yandy Diaz (2) singles to center field during a Major League Baseball game against the Houston Astros at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on September 13, 2026. The Rays defeated the Astros 14-4 to sweep the series. (Photo by Kim Hukari/Image of Sport/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
So far this year the Rays as a team have produced just a 91 wRC+ against left-handed pitching heading into Wednesday’s game – ranking just 22nd in the league. After watching Martin Perez throw seven shutout innings against the Rays last week in Atlanta, I began wondering whether their struggles against left-handed pitching could become a problem in October. The short answer is no, and the current iteration of the roster suggests they should be better against lefties going forward.
First, that overall team wRC+ is skewed a bit. The problem is concentrated among the team’s left-handed hitters. They have combined for a 72 wRC+ against southpaws, while the team’s right-handed hitters have posted a 101 wRC+. Some left-handed hitters will still have to appear in a postseason lineup, but the Rays have enough alternatives that the weakest platoon bats do not all need to play.
Chandler Simpson should be in the lineup against lefty starters. He has transformed himself into an impact defender, and his skillset is platoon-neutral so there’s no reason his performance data should be as low as it has been against lefties. His contact rates are still near elite against them, but he does chase quite a bit more versus left-handed pitchers. Simpson’s underlying contact ability suggests there is room for improvement in his production against lefties, particularly if he can reduce the additional chase that has limited his results. It wasn’t an issue for Simpson in his minor league career as he maintained nearly identical chase rates against both righties and lefties, so I expect that to take shape in the majors with more time.
Jonathan Aranda is another player who could be in a lineup against left-handers. His approach is more passive against them; he gets his A-swing off about half the time compared to when he faces right-handers, but Aranda maintains similar contact rates against lefties. His results against southpaws have been roughly league average, and his batted-ball profile suggests he has leaned into contact toward left field and up-the-middle rather than trying to pull the ball. Here’s his spray heatmap against righties this year:
And then we can see how he’s going less pull-heavy when he faces a lefty:
That may not be enough to keep him in the lineup if Victor Mesa Jr. establishes himself as a viable everyday option.
Mesa looks like a potential everyday option for the Rays when healthy. He has similar contact and chase rates against both righties and lefties for his brief major-league career so far, and that trend extends back to his time in AAA since 2024. Mesa even gets to his best bat speeds when facing lefties, so he doesn’t appear to be overmatched by same-side matchups. I’m cautiously optimistic he could start and hold his own against lefties in a larger sample in the majors because of his underlying data. He plays near-elite defense in right field, so a configuration of Vilade at first base and Mesa in right field against lefties offers more impact on both sides of the ball compared to Aranda at first base and Vilade in right field.
Here’s how each position player on the current roster stacks up in the majors against righties and lefties from the start of 2024 through September 15th, 2026:
Player
Contact%(vs RHP and LHP)average ~77%
EV90(vs RHP and LHP)average is ~104mph
FB+LD% (vs RHP and LHP)average is ~48%
Yandy Diaz
85.8%, 88.6%
108.1mph, 108.2mph
39.5%, 47.4%
Jonathan Aranda
79.7%, 79.0%
105.9mph, 103.3mph
60.2%, 46.0%
Junior Caminero
76.4%, 78.4%
109.7mph, 110.2mph
43.0%, 43.2%
Liam Hicks
88.5%, 87.8%
101.1mph, 96.5mph
50.2%, 44.1%
Chandler Simpson
91.3%, 92.5%
96.7mph, 96.3mph
39.1%, 29.7%
Victor Mesa Jr.
77.3%, 84.7%
105.4mph, 98.0mph
60.3%, 45.8%
Cedric Mullins
80.2%, 81.6%
102.8mph, 100.9mph
53.4%, 49.0%
Richie Palacios
79.4%, 80.3%
101.4mph, 97.8mph
50.6%, 39.4%
Taylor Walls
79.3%, 79.9%
100.3mph, 98.0mph
51.5%, 46.1%
Ryan Vilade
78.6%, 79.9%
106.8mph, 106.9mph
41.0%, 53.2%
Nick Fortes
85.3%, 86.1%
102.6mph, 103.0mph
37.7%, 40.7%
Jonny DeLuca
79.9%,75.8%
102.7mph, 102.2mph
44.4%, 47.5%
Jake Fraley
78.8%, 82.2%
102.9mph, 97.0mph
52.7%, 42.4%
Jorge Mateo
72.1%, 75.1%
104.5mph, 104.0mph
44.9%, 55.0%
Nick Madrigal
89.9%, 92.5%
99.1mph, 97.7mph
38.1%, 35.7%
Ben Williamson
80.2%, 84.0%
102.9mph, 104.4mph
39.4%, 38.6%
Simpson’s underlying contact profile is nearly identical against both handedness groups, while Mesa’s contact and batted-ball data provide reason to believe he may be able to handle left-handed pitching better than his limited major-league results suggest. His Triple-A EV90 against lefties was 102.8 mph, suggesting the major-league split may have room to stabilize. Also, it’s likely that Mateo and Madrigal won’t be on the roster when Walls and Williamson get healthy. The left-handed hitters whose overall offensive production is weakest against southpaws are Aranda, Hicks, Mullins, Palacios, and Fraley.
With their current roster, the Rays have to use at least two left-handed hitters in a lineup against a left-handed starter. Here’s how I’d lineup against a left-handed starter with the current roster:
Yandy Diaz DH
Ryan Vilade 1B
Junior Caminero 3B
Jonny DeLuca CF
Chandler Simpson LF
Nick Madrigal 2B (or Ben Williamson when healthy)
Victor Mesa RF
Nick Fortes C
Jorge Mateo SS (or Taylor Walls when healthy)
This alignment prioritizes right-handed bats and defensive range while keeping the weakest left-handed platoon options on the bench. Cash could still use Aranda aggressively as a pinch hitter. Even if an opposing manager responds with a left-handed reliever, Aranda’s ability to shoot a single into left-center may be more valuable in a late-game matchup than in several early at-bats against a left-handed starter due to the difference in leverage.
While the lineup they can run against right-handed starters is more impactful, the drop-off against left-handed starters is not as severe as the Rays’ overall numbers might suggest. The combination of right-handed power, platoon-neutral contact skills, and strong defense gives them enough flexibility to build a competitive lineup against southpaws. If Mesa can establish himself as an everyday option, the Rays may have enough depth to handle left-handed starters without compromising their defensive identity.
For the tea time scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the “candy” flower cup that Gene Wilder chomped on was actually made of wax. Additionally, the chocolate river was made of actual water, chocolate, and cream that spoiled throughout shooting.
The smallest ocean is the Arctic ocean.
It is also the shallowest and the coldest ocean among the world’s five ocean basins. The Arctic ocean is about 1.5 times the size of the United States.
An episode of Peppa Pig was banned in Australia.
This was mainly due to the episode’s message that aimed to teach children not to fear spiders. For Australians, spiders found on the continent are much larger and deadlier compared to other parts of the world. This episode was banned in the country so that children would not harm themselves whenever a spider was around.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 16: Nick Madrigal #20 of the Tampa Bay Rays secures a catch over his shoulder in the top of the seventh inning against the Athletics at Tropicana Field on September 16, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Wednesday ended up producing one of the more frustrating Yankees’ games of the season. Having rallied to tie the game after being down to their last out, the Yankees took leads in the 10th and 11th innings, and had the bases loaded and nobody out in the 12, but couldn’t put up a crooked number on any occasion. That allowed the Twins to continue answering and then eventually walk the game off in the 13th. While the Yankees had already won the first two games of the series, that was another very winnable one that they let slip away.
While that was a missed opportunity, just how much did it end up hurting the Yankees? Let’s check in on action from around the AL playoff races on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay Rays (92-59) 4, The Athletics (61-91) 3
Well, New York didn’t get any help in the race atop the AL East, as the Rays scored four early runs and withstood an A’s charge to hang on and gain a game on the Bombers. They’re 4.5 ahead of the Yanks and could boost it to a full five with another win over the A’s this afternoon.
Tampa Bay seemed like they were going to walk away with an easy one early. They picked up two runs in the first inning on Jonny DeLuca and Chandler Simpson RBI hits. They then opened up a 4-0 lead in the second after Nick Fortes and Ryan Vilade drove home runs with hits of their own.
However, the A’s kept Tampa Bay off the board after that and got back into the game. Tommy White and Henry Bolte each hit solo homers in the third, halving the Rays’ lead immediately. A Shea Langeliers RBI single in the sixth then had the A’s within one.
After that though, the Rays’ bullpen kept the Athletics in check. The A’s managed just one more hit over the final three innings, and it was a single that didn’t lead to much.
Other Games
Cleveland Guardians (78-75) 6, Chicago White Sox (77-75) 3: The Guardians have taken over first place of the AL Central after rallying to defeat the White Sox. Petey Halpin’s three-run home run helped Cleveland put up four runs in the sixth, taking the lead for good. The Pale Hose had gotten their own key three-run homer from Tommy Pham, but they couldn’t hold onto their edge and have now dropped to second place for the first time since July 3rd. Chicago is half a game behind Cleveland now and also only a game up for the last Wild Card spot.
Texas Rangers (76-76) 7, Boston Red Sox (82-70) 3: The Red Sox failed to take advantage of the Yankees’ loss, while the Rangers — aided by the game below — won to draw even for first in the AL West (yes, at .500). The game was tied going into the seventh, where Texas scored three runs via RBI hits from Brandon Nimmo and Ezequiel Duran. Nathan Eovaldi also gave them four good innings out of the bullpen, helping the Rangers to a key win.
Kansas City Royals (67-85) 5, Houston Astros (76-76) 2: Meanwhile, the Astros failed to beat the lowly Royals, resulting in the aforementioned tie atop the AL West. Houston couldn’t muster much against KC starter Daniel Lynch IV, who allowed just two hits in five innings. The Royals themselves only managed two runs off Cristian Javier, but they tacked on some insurances runs late on, allowing them to hang on for the win. Houston does have the tiebreaker over Texas, but this division struggle should go down to the wire.
Toronto Blue Jays (76-77) 5, Detroit Tigers (72-80) 1: Max Scherzer turned back the clock, allowing just one run in his five innings to help the Blue Jays to a win. The Tigers scored first, picking up a run in the top of the first, but that was all they got. Seven Toronto position players recorded at least one hit as the Jays overtook Detroit in the fourth inning and held on from there. The Jays are a game and a half back of the White Sox for the final Wild Card.
Baltimore Orioles (75-78) 7, New York Mets (69-83): Pete Alonso homered against his former team again as the Orioles picked up a necessary win for their slim playoff hopes. Mets’ starter Xzavion Curry was crushed to the tune of six runs in three innings, as the O’s went up big early and never looked back. Baltimore is still alive at two and a half games behind Chicago, but there’s no margin for error as they welcome the NL Central-winning Brewers to town tomorrow.
