Jacob Misiorowski walked off the mound at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, Sept. 2 having thrown 92 pitches, recorded 12 outs, and allowed five earned runs. In just four innings, the Milwaukee Brewers ace had tied his career high for earned runs allowed and had one of the worst starts of his career. The Brewers bullpen and bats pulled out a 9-5 win over the Chicago Cubs, so Misiorowski's struggled will be overlooked.
But, five earned runs ties his career worst.
On July 2, 2025, when the New York Mets got him for five in just 3⅔ innings, his fourth big-league start and his first career loss. So it's not exactly unprecedented. What makes it worth digging into is the why, and the Statcast readout from Wednesday night is not the story you'd guess.
His arm was fine
Everyone's first instinct watching this is going to be fatigue. That's been the storyline all summer. But look at the actual velocity readings and that theory doesn't hold up, not for Wednesday anyway. His fastball averaged 100.9 mph, a shade above his season average of 100.6, and it never wavered: 100.9, 101.0, 100.5, 100.5, inning by inning. He touched 102.4. Five pitches sat at 102 or better. That's not a tired arm by any measure.
So what happened? He stopped throwing his fastball. Just 48% usage Wednesday, way down from his usual 64%. He leaned heavily on his cutter (36%), nearly triple his normal 14%. And on the fastballs he did throw, he found the zone only 39% of the time, which led to four walks. Hitters weren't catching up to diminished stuff, he racked up 13 swinging strikes on the night to go with his five punchouts. He had the same power arm he always has. He just didn't use it much, and when he did, he couldn't find the plate.
That's actually a different problem than the one everyone is watching.
Against Atlanta on Aug. 21, the fastball was "100-101, a tick down," in Trevor Megill's words and Misiorowski leaned on his offspeed stuff to cover for it. Pat Murphy admitted "there could be some fatigue involved here." Six days later against the Mets, his four-seam averaged 98.7, nearly two ticks off normal, and Misiorowski chalked it up to the calendar: "The body's tired. Everyone's tired. It's August going into September." Both nights, though, the results stayed clean, so nobody made much of it.
The workload
Misiorowski is 24, in his first full big-league season, and he's already up to 155 innings. That's more than his entire 2025, majors and minors combined, roughly 129⅓, with a month still to go. He's thrown more than 2,000 pitches, nearly double his rookie-year total. He's 42 strikeouts from Ben Sheets' single-season franchise record of 264. Every one of these starts carries more weight than the last, both for him individually and for a Brewers team chasing a No. 1 seed.
Milwaukee's handling of all that has been inconsistent at best. They scratched him once in July for arm fatigue, floated a plan to shorten his outings by an inning here and there, then by mid-August basically abandoned the caution altogether. They let him go every five days with no pitch limit. That approach carried him through two starts where the warning signs were there in the pitch data and nowhere in the results.
Rookie year red flag
Misiorowski threw five no-hit innings in his June 2025 debut and made the All-Star team five starts later. It is the fastest anyone's done that in league history. Then the second half arrived and it all came apart: a 5.89 ERA over his final nine outings, bottoming out with that same five-run meltdown against the Mets.
This season, the Brewers preached smarter deployment, more oversight, no repeat of a rookie hitting a wall in September. Whether Wednesday is the first crack in that plan or just a genuinely weird one-off from a guy who clearly still has his arm depends entirely on what his next start looks like.
What to watch
If the fastball usage snaps back to normal next time out, this was a strange night and nothing more.
If he keeps burying his heater in favor of the cutter and still can't find the zone, that's a real problem. It's arguably a stranger one than fatigue, because it points at something mental or mechanical rather than just tired legs. Either way, the Brewers are still stuck with the question they've been dodging since July: how hard do you keep leaning on a 24-year-old who's already thrown more than he ever has in his life, with October still ahead of him.
Banana Bonds giveth with an eighth-inning triple, and Tristan Peters taketh away with a costly dash home. | (Troy Taormina/IMAGN IMAGES)
There are frustrating losses, and then there is whatever the White Sox subjected us to on Wednesday night.
Chicago wasted nearly every opportunity it received, went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and handed Houston the only two runs it needed in a maddening 2-0 defeat. The lone silver lining came elsewhere, as Cleveland also lost, leaving the White Sox with a three-game lead in the AL Central.
Davis Martin was considerably sharper in his return from the injured list. Making his first start since Aug. 13 after dealing with a blister on his pitching hand, the righthander breezed through a perfect first inning. He needed only nine pitches and received some help from Colson Montgomery, who made an outstanding play at shortstop for the third out.
The White Sox received their first gift in the second when Andrew Benintendi reached on a missed-catch error by LaMonte Wade Jr. Braden Montgomery followed with a 106.8 mph liner, but it was hit directly at Jose Altuve for the first out. Hayden Wesneski then plunked Colson to put two aboard, only for Chase Meidroth to ground into a strange inning-ending double play. It seems like Jose Altuve is always in the middle of these things.
Martin surrendered a one-out single to Daulton Varsho in the bottom half, and Varsho promptly swiped second. There was no reason to panic, however, as Martin struck out the next two batters on six pitches. His four-seamer was especially effective early.
Tristan Peters opened the third with a single, but Drew Romo struck out without advancing him. Antonacci recovered from an 0-2 count to work a walk, giving the Sox another opportunity with two on and one out. Munetaka Murakami’s struggles continued with a ground out to first, and Vargas popped up to strand both runners.
Martin needed only six pitches to retire the Astros in order in the third, but Houston finally made him work in the fourth. Yordan Alvarez led off with a double, and Isaac Paredes followed with a single to put runners on the corners with nobody out. This is generally where things fall apart, but Martin refused to let it happen. He induced a pop-up from Altuve, struck out Varsho, and retired Nelson Velázquez on a fly ball to escape without allowing a run.
Martin maneuvered around more traffic in the fifth after Cam Smith opened the inning with a single and Jeremy Peña added a two-out base hit. Alvarez represented the biggest threat of all, but Martin got him to fly out and preserve the scoreless tie.
Unfortunately, the White Sox offense was busy doing absolutely nothing. Wesneski retired nine consecutive batters from the fourth through the sixth, requiring only 33 pitches to complete those three frames.
Martin returned for the sixth and quickly recorded the first two outs before issuing a walk to Varsho. With Martin at 80 pitches, Will Venable turned to Sean Newcomb, who induced a fly out from Velázquez to end the inning.
Martin was excellent in his return, scattering five hits and one walk over 5 2/3 scoreless innings while striking out three. He gave the White Sox everything they could have reasonably asked for. The offense gave him nothing in return.
Braden Montgomery drew a walk in the seventh, but the Sox could not advance him. Wesneski finished his night having held Chicago to one hit and two walks while striking out five over seven scoreless frames. The Good Guys managed only four baserunners against him and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
Then came the eighth, an inning that should haunt the White Sox for quite some time.
Peters opened the frame by crushing a 103.5 mph drive to center. It would have been a home run in 19 other ballparks, but at Daikin Park, it settled for a triple. Romo followed with a walk, putting runners on the corners with nobody out.
Surely, the White Sox could push across one run.
They could not.
Sam Antonacci swung at the first pitch and hit a grounder to short. Peters broke for home and was thrown out at the plate, wasting the team’s best scoring opportunity of the night with an inexplicable baserunning decision.
Murakami then snapped his 0-for-15 skid with a single to load the bases, giving Vargas a chance to erase the mistake and become the hero.
Instead, Vargas grounded into an inning-ending double play.
It was not bad luck. It was poor execution, and it was brutal to watch.
Unlike the White Sox, the Astros took advantage when their opportunity arrived in the bottom half. Alvarez reached on a one-out grounder that was initially ruled an error on Meidroth before being changed to a base hit. Newcomb then walked Paredes on four pitches. With Altuve at the plate and the count 1-2, a pitch in the dirt was ruled to have hit him, although it sure appeared to miss him. The Sox challenged, but the call was upheld, loading the bases.
Because nothing could go Chicago’s way, Newcomb induced a ground ball from Varsho but could not escape the inning. Velázquez followed with a two-run single, finally breaking the scoreless tie and punishing the White Sox for every opportunity they had squandered.
Tyler Davis replaced Newcomb and walked Smith before getting Christian Walker to fly out and end the inning.
Josh Hader took over in the ninth and retired the South Siders in order, putting the finishing touches on one of their most exasperating losses of the season.
Martin and Newcomb kept Houston scoreless for 7 2/3 innings before Velázquez finally broke through. The South Siders put runners on the corners with nobody out in the eighth and loaded the bases with one out. They still could not score.
Chicago did not lose because of one unlucky bounce or a brilliant defensive play. The Sox lost because they failed to execute when the game was sitting there for them to take.
At least Cleveland lost, too.
The clubs will wrap up the series Thursday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CDT.
MVP Davis Martin: 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K
Runners-Up Tristan Peters: 2-for-3, 3B, SB Munetaka Murakami: 1-for-4, K
Cold Cat Sean Newcomb: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, BB, 2 K
Runners-Up Tristan Peters: Getting thrown out at home Miguel Vargas: 0-for-4, DP Andrew Benintendi: 0-for-3
Sep 2, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio (11) gestures after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
When it’s 90 degrees at Wrigley Field, games tend to be exciting—even when an ace is on the mound. On paper, this was a lopsided pitching matchup, with Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski facing off against the Cubs’ David Peterson. But both offenses had no trouble scoring early in this one, a back-and-forth affair that didn’t settle down until the fifth inning. By that point, the Brewers had gained, lost, gained again, lost again, fallen behind, and regained the lead, but once this game got to the bullpens, the Brewers had a clear advantage. By the end, the Brewers had tacked on a few insurance runs, and they won pretty easily on a night when their ace didn’t have it.
The first two Brewer batters of the night went down quickly, but the visiting team mounted a lengthy two-out rally. Andrew Vaughn and William Contreras hit back-to-back singles (the second of which of the infield variety) and Jake Bauers drew a seven-pitch walk on a ball that nearly hit him. That gave Luis Lara a chance with the bases loaded, and the 21-year-old came through by punching a single into right field—after that clutch at-bat, Lara improved to 4-for-9 with the bases loaded in his young career. Four pitches later, Gary Sánchez walked to score a second run. Joey Ortiz grounded out, but Misiorowski had a 2-0 lead before he threw a pitch.
The MVP favorite, Pete Crow-Armstrong, came into this game 0-for-12 with nine strikeouts against Misiorowski, as Brian Anderson kindly informed us on the broadcast. As we’ve seen frequently lately, Misiorowski didn’t seem entirely comfortable with the mound, and Crow-Armstrong drew a walk to start things for the Cubs. After Seiya Suzuki popped out, Miz continued to struggle with his command, and the white-hot Alex Bregman stayed that way. A 2-2 slider didn’t slide, and Bregman hit a low line drive homer that just cleared the wall in left.
Milwaukee quickly reclaimed the lead. With one out in the top of the third, Jackson Chourio hit his 21st home run of the season, matching his career high in just his 105th game of the season.
The lead did not last, though. Misiorowski remained uncharacteristically wild in the bottom of the second, and it hurt him badly. With one out, Matt Shaw jumped on a first-pitch fastball right down the middle and hit it off the wall in right. Had Lara been in right tonight instead of center, it probably would’ve been an out, but those are the sacrifices the Brewers make to get Jake Bauers into the lineup on a night like tonight. Shaw ended up with a stand-up triple, and he came around when Tyrone Taylor—who has killed the Brewers in this series—lined a single into right that scored him.
After Miguel Amaya struck out, Crow-Armstrong drew his second walk of the night, and Suzuki followed with a five-pitch walk that loaded the bases for the last hitter the Brewers wanted in that situation, Bregman. The Cub third baseman came through with a single up the middle that scored two runs and gave the Cubs a 5-3 lead. A strikeout of Michael Busch finally ended the inning, but the Cubs had already hung two more earned runs on Misiorowski through two innings than any other team had all season.
The Brewers tried another two-out rally in the third. Lara drew a walk, and Sánchez hit a ball hard to the right-center gap. But PCA showed the other reason why he’s the favorite for MVP, and covered a ton of ground to make what looked like a relatively routine play on a ball that was 101 mph into the gap. For the first time all game, a pitcher had a scoreless frame.
Misiorowski worked around a one-out single by Ian Happ in the bottom of the inning—though Taylor put a scare into fans with a warning-track shot for the third out. The Brewers made a move again in the top of the fourth. With one out, Cooper Pratt walked and Chourio crushed his second extra-base hit, a double, into the left-field gap at 110 mph. Turang, who has been struggling badly against lefties, was up next—and the Brewers pulled off a classic, the safety squeeze. Turang dropped down a bunt that just trickled far enough up the first-base line that by the time Amaya picked it up and flipped it to Peterson at the plate, Pratt had already dove in safely. It was 5-4, and everyone was safe.
With runners on the corners and one out, Peterson then had to deal with Vaughn as his pitch count neared 90, in just the fourth inning. Vaughn got ahead before knocking an RBI single up the middle, and Contreras followed by jumping on the first pitch by knocking another RBI single to center, restoring the Brewers’ lead. Peterson got one more out on a Bauers flyout before ceding to righty Trent Thornton, who struck out Lara to end the inning. After just three-and-a-half innings, the Brewers led this wild game 6-5.
A 1-2-3 inning remained elusive for Misiorowski in the fourth, but he did have an easier time than he had all game—a couple of strikeouts, a two-out walk to Suzuki, and a pop-out from Bregman made for a relatively quick and easy inning. Christian Yelich replaced Sánchez as the DH to lead off the top of the fifth against Thornton, but he struck out on a 3-2 fastball at the top of the zone. But the BABIP gods came to the Brewers’ favor after that. After Ortiz drew a walk, Pratt and Chourio hit back-to-back bloop singles to load the bases.
At that point, Chicago removed Thornton—who was a bit perturbed upon his return to the dugout—and sent out lefty Ryan Rolison to face Turang. Rolison just needed one pitch to get a weak ground ball from Turang which turned into a fielder’s choice at home. Sal Frelick, making his first plate appearance of the game after coming in defensively in the bottom of the fourth, was nearly hit by the first pitch (he appeared angry with himself for moving out of the way). That was unfortunate, as a couple of pitches later Frelick nearly added another bloop single, but a fully laid-out Nico Hoerner made a pretty spectacular diving catch running back toward the left-field corner to end the inning with no Brewers runs across.
Misiorowski was done after four innings and 92 pitches—it was his worst outing of the year, with five runs (all earned) allowed on five hits and four walks. Still, his offense came to his aid today and he left guarnateed to get a no-decision. The first Brewer out of the bullpen was Jojo Romero, a day after making his debut for the team. He delivered the first three-up, three-down inning of the game for either team: he got Busch on a groundout, got Hoerner to chase strike three in a full count, and got a nice defensive play from Chourio on a ball that was hit hard into left field.
Rolison kept going in the sixth, and he also delivered a 1-2-3 inning, the first of the game for Chicago. Romero was done after an inning and gave way to Antonio Senzatela. Shaw nearly got him for a solo homer to start the inning but it held up on the warning track for Chourio. Taylor grounded out on the first pitch, but the Cubs got a two-out baserunner when Amaya walked (with the help of what seemed like a late ask for a challenge on a 3-1 pitch that was called a strike but was out of the zone). That was big, as it gave PCA a chance with two outs and a runner on in a one-run game, but Crow-Armstrong topped a sinker and hit a comebacker right to Senzatela for the third out.
Yelich led off the seventh and picked up another extra-base hit off of the new Cubs pitcher, Daniel Palencia, after homering off of him on Tuesday night. It was close—Taylor went into a slide—but it hit the grass and Yelich motored into second base with a hustle double. Ortiz couldn’t advance Yelich as he popped out to second base. Pratt had a long at-bat, one that was extended when Palencia needed a visit from the trainer after an awkward throw to second on a pickoff throw. After the delay, Pratt had a full count—and he came through with a solid single into center that scored Yelich from second. Chourio grounded into a double play to end the inning, but Pratt had come through with a huge insurance run to set the stage for Abner Uribe.
Uribe’s assignment was the 2-3-4 hitters in the Chicago lineup. Suzuki was first, and he just missed hitting one out to center—Lara caught it on the warning track with a little hop in front of the wall that may have been unnecessary (which Uribe jokingly let him know). Bregman was next—he hit a grounder up the middle that got Uribe—it looked like it deflected off of his lower leg and then off his glove hand—but Turang picked it up in time to throw Bregman out at first. The trainers checked on Uribe, who was fine, and he struck out Busch to end the inning.
Caleb Thielbar relieved Palencia in the eighth. Turang struck out, Frelick hit a ball well but too close to PCA, and Contreras struck out. It remained 7-5. Aaron Ashby entered in relief of Uribe, and he had a quick inning, though Happ hit one to the warning track in dead center.
Chicago’s closer, Jacob Webb, came into the game to get some work in the ninth despite the Brewers’ two-run lead. Hoerner flashed some more leather to start the inning when he robbed Bauers of a hit on a diving play to his right. Lara reached when he got clipped by a 3-1 pitch, and Yelich followed with a 103 mph drive back up the middle that nailed Webb on what looked like his glove arm. Webb, no doubt in serious pain which certainly affected his judgment, picked up the ball and made an ill-advised throw to first to try to get Yelich, who would’ve been way safe even with a perfect throw. The throw was not perfect, and went down the line, allowing Lara and Yelich to advance to second and third. Webb did not continue; he was replaced by Colin Rea, who was given an extended period of time to warm up.
With the game still certainly in reach for the high-powered Cubs offense, it was important for the Brewers to add at least one more insurance run with such a good opportunity. Ortiz was the first batter against Rea with runners on second and third and one out, and he delivered with a single through the left side that scored both runners, with Ortiz ending up at second after the throw home. After a Pratt fly out, Chourio came through with his fourth hit of the game, a single—but Ortiz was thrown out at home to end the inning. Still, Milwaukee’s lead was up to 9-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Even though it was no longer a save situation, Milwaukee went to Trevor Megill in the ninth. He struck out a pair of pinch-hitters, Michael Conforto and BJ Murray, conceded an infield hit to Crow-Armstrong, and got Suzuki on a groundout to end the game.
In the end, the game was more lopsided than it felt. The Brewers finished with nine runs on 14 hits, while the Cubs petered out after their hot start—they had only six hits in the game, and didn’t score after the second inning. There were big numbers up and down the Brewer side of the box score: Chourio led the way with four hits including a double and a solo homer, but Vaughn had two hits and an RBI, Contreras had two hits and an RBI, Lara had a clutch RBI single, Yelich came off the bench and went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, Ortiz knocked in a couple of runs, and Pratt had two hits, a run scored, and an RBI.
The bullpen was fantastic in relief of Misiorowski. After the second inning, Misiorowski settled down and he and five relievers covered seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits and two walks. When all was said and done, the Brewers held a season-high nine-game lead in the NL Central with just 22 games to go.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 1: Graham Pauley #21 of the Miami Marlins in action against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on September 1, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a 5 run first inning, Kansas City had a multi-run lead for over half the game. The Marlins kept chipping away inning after inning to eventually win 9-6.
It was a very exciting beginning to the game tonight, though it was both the good and bad type of exciting. Noah Cameron had a breaking ball hit the back foot of the leadoff hitter to start the game. Then Otto Lopez hit a hard groundball down the third baseline and into the corner that John Rave misplayed into a triple and an RBI. Kyle Stowers was up third and the infield was in. He immediately hit a little single up the middle to make the game 2-0. Cameron started to settle in after that and got out of the first. In the bottom half the Royals decided to show Miami that anything they could do KC could do better. Carter Jensen led the game off by pulling a solo home run and cutting the lead in half. Bobby Witt managed to reach base with a single before Jac Caglianone mirrored the triple in the top half of the inning only down the first baseline and into the corner for a double. It was enough with Witt’s speed to tie the game up 2-2. That was not enough for Salvador Perez however, so he also turned on a ball and hit his 18th bomb of the year to score two and give the Royals the lead. After which Vinnie Pasquantino flew out, Nick Loftin worked a walk, and the newly returned Michael Massey drove a double to right center for a 5-2 lead.
That was a long inning for Eury Perez ending with 34 pitches thrown, and the Marlins even got the bullpen moving a bit before the end of the initial frame. It was a great start after the last two games where the Royals got blown out, but the crazy first was a long way from the end of this one. Cameron, after those first three batters, took down the next 8 in a row before Miami got to him in the 3rd. With two outs and no one on, Stowers got his second RBI knock of the night by hitting a solo homer to left center. It looked like he may have struck out on a check swing the pitch before the home run, but it was called no swing on appeal.
In the bottom of the 4th, with Eury still hanging in there, Carter Jensen tagged another mistake and lined it 110mph into the Royals bullpen. It was his second multi-homer game of his career and brought him to and then above the 20 homer mark. Not bad for your first full season in the bigs. Royals lead 6-3.
Noah started struggling in the 5th when it seemed his pitches lost some of their bite. It is ludicrously hot currently so fatigue or grip could have been an issue. He walked Jared Serna who was leading off the inning, never the way you want to start. Then the 9-hole hitter, Joe Mack, lined a pitch into right for a single. Heriberto Hernandez kept it going with a ground rule double to left center that luckily hopped the fence and kept it to one RBI cutting the lead to two. At that point Jose Cuas started warming up, but Cameron was not finished. He struck out the next three batters including Stowers on a full count after which Stowers challenged and lost. Three big Ks to strand two runners showed a level of maturity on the mound that should excite all Royals fans.
On the other side, Perez did not survive the inning. He did get two outs into the bottom of the 5th, but Loftin had singled and stole second in between them. John Rave then put together an impressive ten pitch walk. That pushed Eury over 100 pitches and Cade Gibson out of the pen to strike out Isbel and end the threat. The Marlins also lost a second challenge and would be without any for the back half of the game.
After warming up the prior inning, Cuas came in for the 6th and Cameron’s night ended in line for the win. That possible win was immediately in jeopardy after the inning began with a single followed by a walk. Former Royal Jeff Conine’s son, Griffin, came in to pinch hit and grounded an RBI single through the right side to begin a big day off the bench for Conine. Kyle Isbel then helped Cuas out by making a long run and a diving play against Serna, but it was enough to get the run home from third and tie it 6-6. Jose was removed for Connor Thomas after recording just one out and giving up the lead. Thomas has been mostly effective since joining the Royals pen but was not effective enough tonight. He struck out Mack before giving up the lead on a Hernandez double that got the Marlins back ahead 7-6. That was a third run charged to Cuas and Thomas did end the inning with no more damage done.
After all of that through 6, the scoring dried up. Only the 2nd inning had seen both teams fail to score in the first two thirds of the game and then in the final third they both started posting all zeros. The Royals had opportunities in the 6th and 7th but stranded multiple runners both innings in part thanks to Conine making two great plays in right field on well struck balls from Vinnie and Massey. In the ninth the scoring started again, though it was for the wrong team. Alex Lange had taken over for the Royals to begin the ninth and Stowers and Ramirez out to start the inning. It looked like he could maybe turn it back over to the bats needing just one run before he gave up back-to-back home runs and make it a 9-6 lead for Miami.
That was enough as no Royals reached base in the 9th. For the Marlins it is a big win to keep pace with Arizona and pick up one on San Diego, the two teams ahead of them for that third NL Wildcard slot. Miami has won the series and will go for the sweep tomorrow when Michael Wacha faces Sandy Alcantara.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 31: Nelson Velázquez #30 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park on August 31, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At this rate, Nelson Velazquez might just become “Mr. September”. For the second time this week, he’d come through in a major way. Astros 2 White Sox 0.
Wednesday Night was a scoreless affair until the 8th inning. Hayden Wesneski was nothing short of sensational. Seven innings, and only a single hit allowed. The difference would be execution late.
AJ Blubaugh initially appeared to be in trouble to start the 8th in relief. Tristian Peters tripled to start the frame. Drew Romo then walked. With runners on the corners, Peters got a late jump on Sam Antonacci’s infield contact and was thrown out easily at home. Chicago would rebound briefly thanks to Munetaka Murakami’s single to right. That loaded the bases, but Miguel Vargas grounded into a double play and the side was retired.
For Houston’s home half of the 8th, the results would be vastly different. Yordan singled to center, Paredes drew a walk and Altuve was hit by a pitch, which loaded them up. Daulton Varsho would hit into a force out, but fortunately Nelson Velazquez would bring home Altuve and Paredes on a 2-run RBI single.
Josh Hader came on and closed the door in the 9th. Hader has now converted all 22 of his save opportunities this season. The best sequence for Hader was an 8-pitch battle against Randal Grichuk who went down on a nasty slider.
140 games are in the books. The Astros sit with a mark of 71-69 and now have two game lead over the Rangers.
After all, on this night, rookie outfielder Nick Morabito was the underdog on top.
Morabito made his MLB debut on May 19, but after going hitless in his first 11 career at-bats, he was sent back down to Triple-A Syracuse just a week later.
He was called back up to the bigs by the Mets on Sep. 1, which is when all rosters across the MLB expanded from 26 to 28 players.
Morabito -- who was inserted into the game in the sixth inning as a pinch-runner for Mark Vientos -- finally notched his first MLB hit in the seventh inning with two outs and the bases loaded. He drove in all three baserunners with a double down the left-field line, extending New York's lead to 9-4.
"I'm glad to get my first one out of the way, I'd be lying to say it wasn't weighing on me," Morabito admitted after the game. "There's some relief there, for sure, but I still feel every time I get into the [batter's] box, I'm confident I can get on base."
The very next inning, playing in left field, Morabito visited that same foul line where his first big league hit landed, reeling in a line drive with a superb diving grab.
Mets interim manager Andy Green "wasn't surprised" by Morabito's web gem, but admitted that "it's special when everyone gets to see it" at the MLB level.
Meanwhile, Morabito himself, his face soaked from the water bottle shower he received from his teammates, did his best to play it cool after his big night.
"It was amazing," Morabito said of his breakout performance in his on-field postgame interview. "The guys were all giving me high-fives and hugs... it felt great."
Morabito was then asked what he was going to do with the baseball he knocked for his first career hit, which was given to him after it was authenticated in the dugout.
"I'm probably going to give it to my parents," he responded.
After the game, Green called Morabito "a plus-baserunner, a plus-defender, and a guy who can put the ball in play."
Apr 7, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) delivers against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
I’m going to get something off my chest. Any level of baseball where the player gets paid a salary is “professional.” (Name, Image and Likeness money in college doesn’t count.) The Dominican Summer League and Arizona Complex League are professional leagues. There’s some guy on Twitter that keeps saying a player’s first hit in Myrtle Beach is their “first professional hit!” when they have dozens of professional hits in lower leagues.
I’m not correcting that guy because I don’t post on that site anymore unless I’m asked a direct question. But that guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Justin Steele made his first official appearance in over a year on a rehab start. Steele did well in the first inning but struggled in the second, giving up three runs, but his defense was partly to blame. The final line on Steele was three runs, one earned, on four hits over 1.2 innings. Steele struck out two and walked no one. He threw 36 pitches and 26 were strikes. His fastball averaged only 90.3 miles per hour.
Center fielder Chas McCormick was 2 for 4 with a double, a stolen base and one run scored.
DH Owen Ayers went 2 for 4 with a double.
Hearn did not get an RBI on this double, but it scored a run.
Brody McCullough turned in a great start, giving the Smokies five scoreless innings and striking out ten. He allowed just two hits and did not walk anyone.
Marino Santy pitched the seventh inning, gave up three runs and got the loss. Santy allowed just one hit in his one inning, but it was a three-run home run. Santy walked one, hit one and struck out one.
Center fielder Kane Kepley tripled to lead off the bottom of the first inning and scored on an single by right fielder Alex Ramirez. Kepley went 2 for 4 and Ramirez was 1 for 4.
Brayden Spears started and threw four scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, waled one and struck out five.
Braylon Myers picked up after that, allowed one run on three hit over the next 3.2 innings, and got the win. He struck out five and walked two.
JP Wheat gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but South Bend had a three-run lead so he got the save. Wheat’s line was two runs on one hit and three walks over 1.1 innings. Wheat also had two wild pitches. But Wheat also struck out three, including the final two batters of the game with the tying run on second.
Catcher Justin Stransky hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning, his sixth on the season. Stransky was 1 for 4.
Third baseman Matt Hallbach was 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Hallbach scored on Stransky’s blast.
Right fielder Michael Gupton got his first professional hit (really!) and it was a triple. He was 1 for 3 with a walk, a steal and a run scored.
Hayden Frank started and took the win after giving up two runs on five hits over five innings. One of those hits was a two-run home run in the fifth inning. Frank walked four and struck out four.
The bullpen did not give up a hit or a walk the rest of the way. Ashton Pocol was responsible for the first three innings of that and Jordan Henriquez pitched the ninth in a non-save situation.
Left fielder Caden Sorrell smashed a three-run home run in the third inning, his fourth as a professional. (And yes, that’s true.) Sorrell went 3 for 5 with five overall RBI.
DH Juan Thomas got his first two hits in Low-A, going 2 for 4 with a double. He scored on Sorrell’s home run.
“There is more to come than is in the NBA report,’’ Torre said Wednesday, Sept. 2 during his podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out. "This is not everything.''
Torre, 40, and his two co-hosts did not provide specifics. But Torre did offer a couple of possible hints while pointing to the findings of an investigation conducted by referring to a law firm hired by the NBA, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
The investigation has centered one player, Kawhi Leonard, and how the Clippers funneled him money in violation of the league's salary cap rules after signing him in 2019, according to a summary of the law firm's investigation. Torre cited mention in the summary of an unidentified second player.
Torre also pointed out the investigation findings did not include Dennis Wong, the Clippers' co-owner. Steve Ballmer, the team’s controlling owner, has been suspended from all league and team activities for a year.
The NBA issued a statement that in part reads, "more information will likely surface over time."
Said Torre, “I encourage people to dig in as we continue to cover it and investigate still, especially now that it seems like the story isn't over yet ... I always want more documents. Somehow still I'm unsatisfied with the documents.’’
In May, Torre’s investigative work on the Clippers’ scandal earned him a Pulitzer Prize for audio reporting. But he also has faced criticism, largely from the Clippers.
Clippers took aim at Pablo Torre
David Kelley, an attorney representing Ballmer, last year wrote that Torre’s reporting was a “vitriolic public campaign against Mr. Ballmer” and “principally based on anonymized gossip,’’ according to ESPN. Later in the year, in a statement sent to Torre’s show on behalf of Ballmer and the Clippers read, “Neither Mr. Ballmer nor the Clippers circumvented the salary cap or engaged in any misconduct related to Aspiration. Any contrary assertion is provably false.”
Aspiration was the primary company named in the investigation that held Ballmer responsible for circumventing the salary cap – largely it appears to have secured Leonard's services after he led the Toronto Raptors to the NBA title in 2019.
“How desperate was Steve Ballmer, the richest owner in American sports, one of the richest people on the planet to get a superstar that would allow him to compete as owner of the Clippers?’’ Torre asked on Wednesday. “And the answer is, look at what he was doing.’’
DENVER, CO - JUNE 6: A general view of the stadium as fans enjoy the fourth inning of a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field on June 6, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Purple Row is a fan blog. It’s also a fan blog privileged enough to have access to cover games in person from time to time. Usually when this happens, we talk as a staff about which players the person going to the game should talk to, and what they should ask. This process works, but it’s also limited to the interests of a few people.
Another characteristic about Purple Row is that it’s a community of readers who are every bit as knowledgeable about the Rockies as the staff. So why not turn to the Purple Row hive mind for ideas?
Renee Dechert will be covering the Rockies’ weekend series in Denver. So, who should she talk to? What should she ask? And what’s the story you ultimately want to read? What are you curious about?
Leave your question, questions, or story ideas in the comments. We’ll comb through all of them and pick 3-5 of the most compelling questions and will certainly take note of ideas with a lot of reader recommendations (turn your favorites purple!). Renee will do her best to get the questions to the right people and we’ll write about them over the next few weeks.
Here are some general parameters to think about before you offer your pitch:
Think about questions that will get interesting answers — while I, too, would really like to know about playing time distribution, asking Warren Schaeffer “Why do you play Jordan Beck so much?” isn’t going to return anything interesting.
Think about ideas that can be accomplished with one or two interviews that last 3-5 minutes at most — so something about one player’s mechanics, but not the Rockies philosophical and practical approach to mechanical adjustments.
Remember the source of information: Difficult questions are welcome, but questions that amount to “Why are you a disappointment?” won’t get very far.
And there’s one other caveat: Sometimes, we can’t talk to players we hope to ask questions of, such as starting pitchers on the day they start. (Baseball players are very busy people who keep to a fairly rigid routine and schedule!) Still, well done our best to find out.
So turn to your friends, your family, your neighbors, and your fellow Rockies fans and brainstorm anything you’ve always wanted to know about your favorite team. Be thoughtful, be creative, and most importantly: Have fun!
Aug 27, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) is removed from the game against the Atlanta Braves by manager Dave Roberts (30) during the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Dodgers will try to not fall behind 7-0 in this one.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 01: Thomas Saggese #25 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates his home run with a teammate in the dugout in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s game 2 in Los Angeles as the Cardinals take on the billionaires Dodgers Wednesday night. LA will start Yoshinobu Yamamoto while the St. Louis starter is Brycen Mautz. First pitch is scheduled for 9:10pm central time with the game broadcast available via Cardinals.tv.
Sweat flies from the arm of Oklahoma City Comets pitcher Blake Treinen (41) as he throws a pitch during a minor league baseball game between the Oklahoma City Comets and the Sugar Land Space Cowboys at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Treinen pitched in seven games on a minor league rehab assignment over two and a half weeks, with one appearance with Class-A Ontario and six games in Triple-A Oklahoma City, after missing two and a half months with right elbow inflammation. He totaled 6 1/3 scoreless inning, with two singles, two walks, and two hit batters with eight strikeouts, culminating with a four-out appearance on Sunday.
“He had a good up-and-down the other day. For us it’s more of he’s here. We’ll see when we activate him,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. “I assume we will activate him very soon.”
Because Treinen was on the 60-day injured list, the Dodgers needed to make room on the 40-man roster as well. Will Klein was moved to the 60-day injured list with right elbow discomfort. Klein last pitched on July 31 and was placed on the IL on August 1. This means his regular season has concluded, as Klein isn’t eligible to return until September 30, which is in the middle of the wild card round.
For now on the active roster the Dodgers have four starting pitchers active in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow. The Dodgers were already planning to insert a sixth starter this weekend against the Washington Nationals. That will almost certainly be Emmet Sheehan, who has allowed only one run over his last 17 1/3 innings with 24 strikeouts in Triple-A.
If Sheehan slots in Sunday, the Dodgers would still need to fill innings on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds in what would have been Lauer’s next turn in the rotation. They have Justin Wrobleski on the active roster as well and he’s been pitching in relief. Even if he’s not fully stretched out, Wrobleski could conceivably pitch bulk innings of a bullpen game if needed, especially with 14 active pitchers on the roster.
I asked about Gavin Stone as a potential option for the Dodgers, as the right-hander has pitched very well in his rehab assignment to date, with 18 strikeouts against only one walk with two runs allowed in 11 2/3 innings in his four starts. But it sounds like the Dodgers are being cautious with Stone, who has not otherwise pitched since right shoulder surgery in October 2024.
“Gavin’s been good. I think right now — this is not talking to guys in player development — but just getting him to stay upright and stay healthy is a win for 2026,” Roberts said Wednesday. “Is there a chance he could impact us at some point in time in September? Possibly. I just don’t know that answer.”
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 2: Juan Soto #22 of the New York Mets celebrates a single in the top of the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on September 2, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Parker S. Freedman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mets entered Wednesday night’s game with a hope to win an away series against the Rays. They had Justin Hagenman making his return to the major league roster after missing months on the 60-day injured list with a fractured rib. They would be facing Griffin Jax, also making his return from the injured list.
The Mets got off to a blazing start. They had runners on first and second with two outs, and Jared Young hit a single to right field that scored Bo Bichette as the game’s first run. Liam Hicks missed the throw at the plate and the ball bounced away, allowing Carson Benge to score and Young to make it to second. Marcus Semien then hit a double to drive in Young as the Mets third run. A.J. Ewing grounded out to end the inning, but the Mets had taken a nice, roomy early lead.
After a quiet inning and a half, the Mets ignited again in the top of the third. Bichette led off with a single, then stole second after two consecutive outs. Semien walked and Ewing got an infield single to load the bases. Brett Baty hit a monster double off the wall in left field, missing a grand slam by a few feet but driving in three runs to double the Mets lead. He also drove Rays starter Griffin Jax from the game in less than three full innings, with Steven Matz coming in to get the final out and stop the bleeding for the Rays.
The Rays began trying to comeback in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, they got a walk and a single to put two runners on, and Jonathan Aranda hit an RBI single to drive in Taylor Walls as the Rays first run. Hagenman got the final out to end the inning, which was also the end of his night. He went three innings, giving up a run on two hits and a walk while collecting a pair of strikeouts.
Chris Devenski came in for the bottom of the fourth, and he had a rough go of it. A Chandler Simpson single was bookended by the first and second outs of the inning, and a pickoff attempt was unsuccessful after Simpson was deemed to not have run out of the basepath on his way back to first, and a balk was called on Devenski to allow Simpson to advance anyway. Cedric Mullins then hit a single that drove in Simpson as the Rays second run, and Benge committed a throwing error that allowed Mullins to reach second. Richie Palacios then hit a two run home run to bring the Rays within two runs. A Taylor Walls double was the end of the line for Devenski, who ended his night with three runs allowed in 0.2 innings. Dedniel Núñez came in and got the final out of the inning to allow the Mets to escape the nightmarish fourth.
Núñez ended up going 1.1 hitless innings with a strikeout, helping the Mets reach the seventh inning, where the offense exploded once again. Bichette led off with a double, and Benge followed that up with a single to move Bichette to third. Young hit into fielder’s choice with Bichette being thrown out at the plate, driving Rays reliever Cam Booser from the game in favor of Manuel Rodríguez. Semien was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Ewing struck out in what looked to be the makings of a missed opportunity for the Mets offense. But Nick Morabito, brought in to be the defensive replacement in left field, came up to the plate for the first time in the game. He ended up getting his first major league hit, a double to drive in three runs and put the Mets ahead by five runs. Rodríguez struck out Torrens to end the inning but the Mets had opened up another wide lead with little time left for the Rays to mount another comeback.
The Mets had one last run in them, coming in the top of the eighth courtesy of a Juan Soto solo home run. And the Mets bullpen, thanks to Nate Lavender, Daniel Duarte, and Jonathan Pintaro, held the Rays scoreless for the final frames. They get a day off tomorrow before returning to New York to face the San Francisco Giants in a series that starts Friday night.
Big Mets winner: Nick Morabito, +14% WPA Big Mets loser: Chris Devenski, -20% WPA Mets pitchers: +10% WPA Mets hitters: +40% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Jared Young’s two-run single in the first inning, +18.1% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Richie Palacios’ fourth inning two-run home run, -13.4% WPA
The San Antonio Spurs have officially announced DAZN as their exclusive media rights partner for the 2026-2027 season. Last month, DAZN announced deals with several other NBA teams, filling the gap that regional sports networks left behind after closing up shop. A deal with San Antonio was strongly suggested but was not official until now.
In a deal similar to that of the Indiana Pacers, DAZN will be the exclusive provider of all Spurs games not exclusive to national television. The games will be streamed on the DAZN app, which is available on a multitude of devices and will offer simultaneous multi-device streaming.
In addition to the games, the app will offer pre- and post-game shows, highlights, behind-the-scenes insights, and original programming.
The Spurs will oversee and manage the production of the games, Spurs Sports & Entertainment tells Pounding the Rock.
As far as availability, the app will serve those in South, Central, and West Texas. Once signed up, they will be able to use the app and stream games while traveling. For those fans residing out-of-market, NBA League Pass will still be the provider.
As expected, 22 games will be broadcast over-the-air from a local provider, yet to be announced.
In addition to Spurs games, DAZN will also offer select Spurs Sports & Entertainment content including San Antonio FC matches and Austin Spurs G League games.
The cost
This is all great, but how much will it cost? A Season Pass is available at $119.99/year. Month-to-month starts at $19.99. DAZN will also be offering an “Ultimate Tier” priced at $139.99/year or $24.99/month, which will include incremental benefits, several of which will include a one-time discount code good for 25 percent off at the Spurs Fan Shop, access to alternate feeds and camera angles, and multi-view capabilities.
As far as discounts go, a free seven-day trial will be available; season ticket holders will be given 20 percent off the Season Pass price, and fans who become “Official Spurs Fan Club members” by September 9 are eligible for an exclusive subscription discount, yet to be disclosed. Additional discounts and promotions will be offered throughout the season.
The service will be available within the coming weeks. Fans can sign up here to receive updates directly from DAZN.
Shohei Ohtani is expected to have an impact on the postseason as the Los Angeles Dodgers continue their quest for a World Series three-peat.
What opportunities Ohtani might have to make an impact remain uncertain.
Ohtani appeared to be trending in the right direction with his pitching progression, but that was put to a halt on Aug. 29. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that the team's two-way star would not be making a return as it was anticipated. The pitcher had thrown a 20-pitch bullpen just the day before.
In a Sept. 2 conversation with reporters, Roberts said the team is still considering shutting down Ohtani, but the Dodgers aren't ready to make that decision.
“I know he is in lockstep with (Mark Prior), the pitching guys, the training staff, but I think for me he has to throw a bullpen, then we will see the next progression,” Roberts said.
Ohtani is expected to remain available as a designated hitter, but hasn't taken the mound as a pitcher in a game since July 3 due to knee inflammation and biceps discomfort.
Ohtani did not pitch during his first season with the Dodgers, after needing a full year to recover from right elbow surgery.
Roberts was also asked about the possibility of Ohtani playing in the outfield, but the manager declared that’s "not on the table.”
What to expect if Shohei Ohtani pitches
The Dodgers have not officially shut down Ohtani as a pitcher for the rest of the season. If and when he is cleared and ready to pitch, Ohtani could see limited action on a pitch count before working a full game.
Shohei Ohtani stats
As of Wednesday, Sept. 2, Ohtani was hitting .281 with 88 runs scored, 30 home runs and 80 RBIs in 128 games this season.
As a pitcher, Ohtani has posted an 8-2 record in 14 starts this season. He's allowed 55 hits, 21 runs (17 earned) and four home runs, while striking out 95.
