PHILADELPHIA — Atlanta’s Chris Sale outdueled Cristopher Sánchez in a matchup of two of baseball’s best pitchers, and the Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 on Friday night to extend their lead in the NL East to five games.
Ronald Acuña had three hits and drove in a run and Mauricio Dubón homered for the Braves, who won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Alec Bohm homered and doubled and drove in both runs for the Phillies, who lost for just the fourth time in 19 games.
Sale (14-9) allowed two runs in six innings with seven strikeouts and a walk. He entered second in the NL in ERA, which rose slightly to 2.10.
Sánchez (16-5) remained stuck on 16 victories after surrendering three runs in six innings. He allowed five hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Atlanta scored three of its runs off Sánchez in the second inning on Austin Riley’s RBI single, Ha-Seong Kim’s groundout, and Acuña’s RBI double.
The Phillies got a run back in the bottom of the inning on Bohm’s RBI double and pulled within 3-2 in the fourth on his one-out solo drive to left.
Philadelphia had runners in scoring position with less than two outs in the fifth and sixth innings, but could not score off Sale.
After Dubón hit a two-run shot in the eighth off Orion Kerkering, Raisel Iglesias pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 30th save.
The teams were meeting for the first time since April 26, when struggling Philadelphia dropped to 9-19 and fired manager Rob Thomson. Since, the two-time defending NL East champion Phillies have gone 70-43 under interim manager Don Mattingly.
Friday’s matchup was the opener of a four-game series and the first of seven games in the next 10 between the clubs.
Bryce Harper went 0 for 4 and had his career-best 35-game on-base streak halted.
Philadelphia second baseman Bryson Stott was a late scratch from the lineup due to personal reasons.
Up next
Braves LHP Martín Pérez (8-8, 3.05) opposes Philadelphia RHP Zack Wheeler (11-5, 3.31) on Saturday night.
HOUSTON — Yordan Alvarez is one of baseball’s biggest stars: the frontrunner for AL MVP with a strong chance of becoming baseball’s first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
Comfortable as the Cuban-born slugger looks driving in runs for the Houston Astros, his real happy place isn’t the batter’s box.
It’s the driver’s seat of his family’s RV.
“People don’t recognize me, that’s the good thing,” he told The Associated Press. “I think that’s why I love the lifestyle because I can do whatever I want and no one bothers me.”
After long seasons of jam-packed stadiums, chartered flights and upscale hotels, Alvarez looks forward to a decidedly less glamorous offseason, stopping at remote campgrounds where he likes to hunt and fish. Not that he’s roughing it, exactly — the Grand Design RV model he drives starts at around $230,000 and features a full kitchen, bedroom and nicely appointed bathroom. But surely, his fellow campers might be surprised to learn the guy parked next door is a four-time All-Star and the 2021 AL Championship Series MVP.
Driving the RV was “scary” at first, but Alvarez said after the first week “it was like a normal car.” He’s since downsized to a smaller one that is easier to drive but that still affords him the freedom that’s hard to find in his everyday life. The family adventured around Florida last year, and he even lived out of the RV during the Astros spring training this year in West Palm Beach. He parked at a friend’s house right on the water where he could fish after workouts and bragged about a big snapper, he caught that he prepared and ate.
“I don’t see myself like a big star,” he said. “I just try to be normal, like a normal person and try to do fun things and whatever I want with my family.”
Alvarez’s manager thinks his poise comes from his perspective
Alvarez is as feared by pitchers as any hitter in baseball, and not just for his imposing 6-foot-4 frame. He’s famously cool-headed, even in the most tense situations, a reputation earned through repeated October excellence.
Baseball is certainly important to Alvarez, but family is everything to the 29-year-old husband and father of two. It’s a mindset that Houston manager Joe Espada believes is a big reason why Alvarez can easily navigate the ups and downs of arduous MLB seasons.
“He’s able to do what he’s doing and be able to stay calm because he’s got other things ahead of baseball,” Espada said. “He really cares about his family, kids, his parents, like baseball on his list is in the bottom and that allows him to keep things in perspective and allows him to go out there and just relax and play and have fun.”
Alvarez is having plenty of fun this season as he’s led the Astros to first place in the AL West. He tops the AL in batting average (.316) and RBIs (94) and his 37 home runs are tied for first with Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero.
He isn’t just leading in the Triple Crown categories. Alvarez is also first in the AL in nine other offensive categories including slugging percentage (.603), OPS (1.035), total bases (296) and walks (96). He also leads the majors with 29 intentional walks this season, already a franchise record.
His success comes a year after he was limited to just 48 games because of a broken hand and an ankle injury. Watching most of last season from the dugout was upsetting for Alvarez and he made a vow to himself in the offseason.
“I put in my mind that I have to change this,” he said. “I have to try to stay on the field every single day.”
When Alvarez speaks, the Astros listen
Alvarez is quiet and doesn’t show much emotion on the field. But those who know him well say that hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of the most important leaders on the team.
“He has a lot of powerful things to say,” Hall of Famer and Astros senior advisor Jeff Bagwell said. “I think he’s grown in the clubhouse. He’s just a special human being that I think we all need to just appreciate.”
Bagwell is the only other Astro to have come anywhere close to winning a Triple Crown. He was named NL MVP in the strike-shortened 1994 season when he ranked first in RBIs and second in batting average and home runs.
He’s developed a close relationship with Alvarez in his eight seasons with the Astros and is excited about the possibility of him becoming a Triple Crown winner.
“There’s not been many people that have been able to do that, so it transcends the Astros, but for him to do it in this uniform, I couldn’t be more proud,” Bagwell said. “I love him as a player. I love him as a person. I couldn’t be more happy that he wears our uniform and is doing what he’s doing.”
Espada said Alvarez holds an important role in the clubhouse. That includes elevating concerns not only about himself but also his teammates so they can work together to improve the team.
“He’s very vocal in a respectful way,” Espada said. “He’s very observant, and he opens his mouth when he’s got something really good that is going to change something. He’s not just going to talk to talk. There’s a purpose behind every word he says.”
Alvarez knows what’s on the line with the Triple Crown, even if he doesn’t want to talk about it
One thing Alvarez absolutely does not want to discuss is his pursuit of history, nixing almost all questions about the Triple Crown.
“I know the possibility is there,” he said. “But I try to do my job, not focus on that. I just want to focus on my game.”
If he wins MVP, he’ll join Shohei Ohtani as the only players to have taken home the award while primarily serving as designated hitter.
“That tells you how good he is,” Bagwell said.
Growing up in Cuba, Alvarez couldn’t watch MLB games on television. Once he arrived in the United States in 2015, he started watching religiously, hoping he’d reach the majors one day. But even then, he never thought about winning an MVP or chasing a Triple Crown.
“I’m going to be honest, no, I never visualized all these things that are happening right now in my life,” he said. “I never visualized this.”
As the last month of the season gets underway with Alvarez slugging his way toward history, he tries not to reflect on what he’s already done but instead looks forward to helping the Astros make a playoff run after missing out last season.
But there’s one special person for whom he makes an exception when it comes to looking back. His 5-year-old son Jordan is beginning to understand that dad is a big deal and the two have a fun postgame ritual.
“After every single game, we go back home and the first thing he does is he puts on YouTube and searches Yordan Alvarez home run,” Alvarez said of the little boy who is his biggest fan. “So, he starts watching all of my home runs every single day. It makes him happy and that makes me happy.”
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani got a second straight day off Friday while the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar deals with assorted injuries.
Ohtani smiled and laughed in the dugout while watching Thursday’s game, going on the field with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates to celebrate a walk-off 3-2 win over St. Louis that avoided a series sweep.
“He was pretty jovial yesterday, which was a good sign, more kind of upbeat than I’ve seen him in months,” manager Dave Roberts said before the Dodgers opened a three-game set against Washington.
Ohtani’s symptoms involving his right biceps, neck and left knee haven’t improved in recent weeks, although Roberts remains noncommittal about the possibility of a stint on the injured list.
“Hopeful,” the manager said, “but I wouldn’t say confident.”
The injuries were initially delaying Ohtani’s return to pitching, but they’re now affecting his hitting. He’s batting .279 with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs.
Roberts said Ohtani’s hasn’t admitted that his performance has been impacted by his injuries.
“What we saw a couple nights ago wasn’t him, so clearly he was not feeling well,” Roberts said.
Ohtani has been “very agreeable” about the team’s cautious approach with him.
“He wants to be out there, wants to play,” Roberts said, “but he’s understanding that whatever decision we make is the best interest for him and the team.”
Ohtani hasn’t spoken to the media in nearly three weeks.
Center fielder Tommy Edman was in Ohtani’s leadoff spot again against Washington, while Alex Call remained the designated hitter, batting seventh. Edman went 4 for 5 with two runs scored on Thursday.
Toronto is back to .500 and can smell a playoff spot; we're riding with Max Scherzer today as part of our Royals vs. Blue Jays prediction.
The Toronto Blue Jays come into Kansas City as -110 favorites against the Royals, and should be able to have their way with Seth Lugo at Kauffman Stadium (7:10 pm ET).
Let’s dive into my MLB picks for Saturday, Sept. 5.
Blue Jays vs Royals predictions
Blue Jays vs Royals best bet: Toronto Blue Jays Moneyline (-110)
The Toronto Blue Jays are winners of five of their last six, with the offense continuing to roll, scoring 26 runs across their last three games.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is finding his stroke at the plate at the perfect time for the Blue Jays, logging five hits over his last three games, and while Ernie Clement has had a subpar second half of the season, he did register two hits just yesterday. Against a contact pitcher like Lugo, I'm expecting a ton of balls in play tonight.
Blue Jays vs Royals SGP
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2+ bases
Ernie Clement 2+ H/R/RBI
Blue Jays moneyline
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Blue Jays vs Royals home run pick: George Springer (+405)
George Springer has been making some loud contact lately, and should be able to get the barrel on Lugo, who won't overpower anyone. Springer has been extremely hot post-All-Star break, rocking a .856 OPS — let's see him connect with one tonight.
2026 Transparency Record
Best bets: 11-10, +3.26 units
SGPs: 5-17, +0.62 units
Blue Jays vs Royals odds
Moneyline: Toronto -110 | Kansas City -110
Run line: Toronto -1.5 (+145) | Kansas City +1.5 (-170)
Over/Under: Over 9.5 (-110) | Under 9.5 (-110)
Blue Jays vs Royals trend
The Over is 6-0-2 in the Royals' last eight games as a home underdog. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Royals.
How to watch Blue Jays vs Royals and game info
Location
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Date
Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026
First pitch
7:10 p.m. ET
TV
Royals.TV, SN
Blue Jays starting pitcher
Max Scherzer (2-7, 6.16 ERA)
Royals starting pitcher
Seth Lugo (6-8, 5.03 ERA)
Blue Jays vs Royals latest injuries
Blue Jays vs Royals weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 04: (L-R) Adley Rutschman #31 and Aroldis Chapman #44 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after a 1-0 victory against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 04, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Amidst the chaos of the final two innings Friday night, which included a man trying to fire up his own (sparse) crowd after their team hit into an inning-ending double play, and bullpens politely filing out of the same door to join a mini-fracas, something else quietly happened. Aroldis Chapman picked up his 399th career save in a 1-2-3 inning on 11 pitches, something that he has done time and time again over the past two years and is easy to take for granted.
When he tallies the next one, Chapman will become the ninth pitcher in MLB history to get to 400 saves. If he pitches two more seasons, he would likely move into the top five all-time, where Craig Kimbrel sits at 441. Incredibly, the only two pitchers who have gotten to 500 saves are also both over 600 saves (Rivera 652, Hoffman 601).
Chapman now has 32 saves in each of his two seasons in Boston, with only two blown saves in each all-star season. Over 2025-2026 combined, Chapman has a 1.57 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 12.2 K/9, and just a 2.9 BB/9 (after walking 6 batters per nine in the four prior seasons combined).
Chapman recently had his 2027 option vest with the Red Sox, for $13 million, provided that he passes his year-end physical heading into his 39-year-old season. He’ll soon move into the top ten in career Red Sox saves.
The only real glaring omission from this list is Keith Foulke, who tallied 47 saves in Boston, but also had three fairly important saves in the 2004 postseason. Foulke, Papelbon, Uehara, and Kimbrel all had World Series rings with the team. Bob Stanley just missed. Those who saw Dick Radatz pitch probably would have something to say about his case too.
Where would you place Chapman on the all-time Red Sox closer list today? If he has another dominant season (or two) with the team, how high could he rise on that list? Discuss in the comments, and be good to each other.
This was not a vintage 2026 Cubs win, though another win by five runs is plenty acceptable. This one didn’t get out of hand and there wasn’t a lot of offensive heroics. Largely, the offense had one very good inning and the team rode that and really strong pitching to a second straight win. The pitching staff isn’t usually where the team finds its sweet spot. But that’s exactly where it has been the last couple of nights. To be clear, we aren’t out looking for style points right now. The Phillies got hot right when the Cubs got cold. The top Wild Card spot very much looks like a fight to the finish now.
This was two straight where the driving force was the pitching staff. Things had been rough for the pitchers lately, so these two days have to be a big morale boost. As much as the guys in this locker room would tell you that they were still comfortable and confident, everyone is aware that the position players have been carrying this team. It’s really great that in their hour of need the pitchers stepped forward. Shōta Imanaga is a welcome, if a little surprising, player to step forward and get another win for this team. Imanaga gave them one run over six, allowing only three hits. Aaron Civale locked it down for his second save (both of the three inning variety). Civale has allowed four earned runs in 26.1 innings. That’s a 1.37 ERA. Cherry picked situation or not, he has answered the bell for this team.
Offensively, there wasn’t any one performance that jumps off of the page. Nico Hoerner had a three-hit game. Michael Busch had the team’s one homer. Pedro Ramirez was the only hitter to drive in two. It was a balanced attack. Six Cubs had hits. Five Cubs drew at least one walk, including Michael Conforto with two of them. It’s good to see so many chipping in. There are days for Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman to shoulder all of the load. They can’t do it every day. And this team needs wins right now. I’m just going to keep saying it.
I wrote one day last week about how consistent this team has been if you pull back. Yeah, peaks and valleys. They happen to every team. If you get angry with Ian Happ constantly, this paragraph definitely isn’t for you. But when you drown out the noise, this is a 92ish win team. It’s been that way for a long time. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. If you want to be frustrated for what they might have been, that’s fine. I get it. It’s a fair thought.
I think back to one day a few months ago. I wrote about how unfortunate it is that this team got so swamped by pitching injuries. Some of my most loyal readers/commenters politely pointed out that it’s not like the injuries came out of nowhere. They stacked a ton of guys with lengthy injury history. I didn’t counter then, but I will now. That doesn’t mean that so many of them had to have worst case or near worst case scenarios. The points are fair and that’s why I didn’t push then. Obviously, those of you who pushed (and those who thought it) were right. This was clearly in the range of outcomes. But I have to believe there were possibilities in the range that would have had at least one or two of their real horses stay healthy and effective.
Still, this last five days has shown again, this team is in the fight. I don’t think any of us ever really, really bought in to this team. We all see the limitations. But these last five days, three really good starts. Two games that could have gone their way of they got any pitching. It kind of lays it all out there. The pieces are there. They aren’t the best pieces that will be on the field. I think the Brewers feel really confident against the Cubs and they should. But I don’t think anyone is super excited to play the Cubs though.
I’ll take it. In the fight. Not totally a lost cause.
Three Positives:
Shōta Imanaga. I covered it in my look ahead. This Marlins team is not inept offensively. One run over six is good.
In that same vein, I’m going with Aaron Civale for three scoreless innings to finish it out. Yes, it was low leverage, but he kept the entire bullpen fresh. The Cubs have now used three relievers over the last two games. Just past the halfway point of 13 straight games and you’re going to have guys that need to get in a game to stay fresh. Good problem to have.
Nico gets my third nod. Three hits. One of them drove in a run. I’ve been a bit frustrated with him in the middle of the order. He has no pop really. So it’s good to see him have this kind of game.
Plus Pete. PCA with a double, a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored. And a pretty excellent catch in center as well. Just continuing one of the best baseball seasons we’ll ever have the privilege of seeing.
Game 142, September 4: Cubs 6, Marlins 1 (80-62)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Shōta Imanaga (.314). 6 IP. 21 BF, 3 H, 0 BB, R, 4 K (W 9-10)
Hero: Nico Hoerner (.108). 3-4, RBI
Sidekick: Ian Happ (.100). 1-4, BB, RBI, R
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.074). 0-5
Goat: Carson Kelly (-.070). 0-4
Kid: Michael Busch (-.009). 1-4, HR, BB, RBI, 2 R
WPA Play of the Game: Ian Happ’s bases loaded walk in the sixth inning increased the lead to two with one out. (.088)
Marlins Play of the Game: Deyvison De Los Santos doubled leading off the third with the Marlins down one. (.073)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 141 Winner: Kevin Gausman received 85 of 104 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.
Alex Bregman +27
Pete Crow-Armstrong +25.5
Ben Brown +13.5
Javier Assad +12
Shōta Imanaga +11
Nico Hoerner -13
Jameson Taillon -13
Seiya Suzuki -15
Dansby Swanson -17
Caleb Thielbar -17.5
Scoreboard Watching: Brewers won (+8 on Cubs). Braves won (+4.5). Phillies lost (-.0.5, Cubs own tiebreaker). Diamondbacks lost (-6). Padres lost (-5.5). Dodgers won (+4.5). A good day for the Cubs getting into the playoffs chances.
Up Next: Game two of the weekend three-game series is this afternoon in Miami. The Cubs will look for a third straight win and a series win. After that long stretch of series wins on the road, the Cubs have now lost their last two. The Cubs are 4-4 in this stretch of 13 games in 13 days.
The Cubs will slide Javier Assad into their weekend rotation allowing Clay Holmes an extra day of rest. Assad is 6-1 with a 3.46 ERA. He’s had a chance to stretch back out a bit for Iowa after working out of the pen for a while. He’s also got a rested bullpen ready to go behind him and an offense that is probably just about due to score 10 plus again one of these days. Ryan Gusto starts for the Marlins. He’s 1-3 with a 3.86 ERA. He doesn’t work particularly deep into games, but he’s allowed one earned run in 14 innings of work over his last three appearances. He hasn’t had a real dud since a bad outing against the Phillies on July 29 when he allowed six over five innings.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 04: Teammates celebrate with Luis Campusano #12 of the San Diego Padres after his two run walkoff homerun to defeat the New York Yankees in the tenth inning of a game at Petco Park on September 04, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mason Miller needed just nine pitches to get get three outs in the top of the ninth inning, which allowed the San Diego Padres to come to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with the game tied 1-1 and a chance to get a walk-off win over the New York Yankees. The Padres sent had the heart of the order coming up, which was ideal if they were hoping for one of the big bats to put an end to the game. Manny Machado lined out, but Ty France followed with a double into the left field corner and was lifted for pinch-runner Jase Bowen. Jackson Merrill lined a ball into left that had Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger twisting and turning, but somehow he made the catch and Bowen was unable to advance. A passed ball with Austin Hays at the plate allowed Bowen to move to third base, but Hays eventually struck out to squander the scoring chance and end the inning.
Miller returned to the mound for the top of the 10th inning and immediately surrendered the go ahead run when Spencer Jones lined a ball into center field. Merrill fielded the ball and throw toward the plate but the ball sailed over the cutoff man before it reached Luis Campusano at home and the run scored. Worse yet, the throw allowed Jones to advance to second base with no outs. Miller struck out Heliot Ramos and Jones tried to steal third, but was thrown out by Campusano for a double play. On replay it appeared Jones got his foot to the bag before Machado applied the tag, but New York manager Aaron Boone chose not to challenge the play. Miller ended the inning with a strikeout of Jazz Chisholm.
San Diego started the bottom of the 10th trailing for the first time in the game, but had an automatic runner on second base in Hays. The Padres have struggled mightily with runners in scoring position over their recent skid, but they would have three opportunities to get Hays home to tie the game. It did not look promising when Xander Bogaerts led off the inning with a strikeout, which did not allow Hays to advance. Campusano followed Bogaerts and put an end to the worries of the Friar Faithful and the game when he connected on a first-pitch sinker that he hit deep into the left field bleachers for a two-run walk-off home run giving San Diego a 3-2 win over New York in the first game of their three-game series at Petco Park on Friday.
It was a perfect ending to a game that was impacted many times by Campusano. The catcher threw out two would be base stealers at second base, one in the top of the second inning and one in the top of the fifth inning, before he threw out Jones in the 10th. Campusano also singled in the bottom of the second inning before providing the game-winning home run in the bottom of the 10th. He finished his night at the plate 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. France also had a two-hit game while Machado and Bogaerts each chipped in with a hit to account for the six San Diego hits.
Lost in the excitement of the walk-off win was the start turned in by Walker Buehler. He had another solid and efficient outing. Buehler completed five innings and allowed one run on just three hits with two walks and six strikeouts. The one run came on a solo home run by Ben Rice in the top of the third inning, which tied the game at 1-1. Buehler needed just 76 pitches to get through his outing.
Perhaps the walk-off win and the hometown crowd can energize the Padres and propel them to another win over the Yankees when they meet for the second game of the series today at 4:15 p.m.
EASTLAKE, OHIO - MAY 06, 2026: Eduardo Quintero #46 of the Great Lakes Loons bats during the seventh inning against the Lake County Captains at Classic Auto Group Park on May 06, 2026 in Eastlake, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Strong performances by a pair of top-100 prospects in the Dodgers’ system highlighted Friday action in the minor leagues.
Player of the day
Eduardo Quintero reached base six times in a doubleheader for High-A Great Lakes, continuing his fantastic campaign. His grand slam in the first game was his first home run since August 9.
During the doubleheader on Friday, Quintero had the slam, two singles, three walks, drove in five runs, and scored twice. He also stole his 44th base of the season in Game 2.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
James Tibbs homered in the ninth to help force extra innings, then Eliezer Alfonzo drove in runs in the 10th and 12th innings to beat the Round Rock Express (Rangers) on the road.
Alfonzo didn’t start on Friday, but his pinch-hit single in the 10th game Oklahoma City its first lead of the game. Then he hit a two-run home run to cap the scoring in a three-run 12th. Ryan Fitzgerald doubled home the go-ahead run in the final frame.
Landon Knack struck out three in 2 2/3 scoreless innings to start. Rehabbing Kris Bubic pitched a scoreless sixth inning, working around a walk. Ronan Kopp struck out two in a scoreless 12th inning to close out the win.
Double-A Tulsa
First baseman Joe Vetrano homered twice, backing a strong Christian Zazueta start in the Drillers’ win over the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins). Vetrano had three hits in the game and drove in four runs.
Zazueta allowed two runs in six innings for the win, with seven strikeouts and no walks. The 21-year-old right-hander has a 3.42 ERA in 11 starts since getting promoted to Double-A, with 74 strikeouts against only seven walks in 50 innings.
High-A Great Lakes
The Loons split a doubleheader with the Lake County Captains (Guardians), blowing them out in the first game then losing in nine innings by a run in the nightcap. With the win and West Michigan loss, Great Lakes has a magic number of one to clinch a playoff berth by winning the Midwest League East Division second half.
Sterling Patick struck out six in five scoreless innings to win the opener on Friday. Catcher Gio Cueto homered in the loss in the second game.
Great Lakes had a chance to clinch a playoff berth on Friday night up two runs in the ninth inning, but Nicolas Cruz walked a batter and allowed two run-scoring doubles to give Lake County the walk-off win.
Class-A Ontario
The Tower Buzzers scored six runs in the seventh inning, turning a three-run deficit into a win over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels).
Oswaldo Osorio had three hits, including and RBI double and his RBI single opened the scoring in the six-run seventh inning. Kellon Lindsey had two hits, including an RBI double in the seventh, and also walked and stole a base.
Brady Pendley allowed three singles to load the bases in the ninth inning, putting the tying runs on base, but also struck out a pair to record his first professional save.
Transactions
Triple-A: Landon Knack was activated after nine days on the injured list. Outfielder Chris Newell was promoted to Oklahoma City from Tulsa, but did not play.
With the Cardinals leading 4-1, the rookie right hander made his MLB debut in the sixth inning when Rockies batter Hunter Goodman asked, "Hey, can he wear his hat like that?" Eddings said after the game, per MLB.com.
Eddings asked catcher Leo Bernal to tell Rincon to straighten his cap, and Rincon complied.
But after he got Goodman to line out, Rincon surrendered a triple, an inside-the-park home run and a single. After a pitching change, Marmol argued with Eddings, who charged the Cardinals with a pitch clock violation and then ejected Marmol.
I’ve never seen anything like this…
This ump stopped the game & made Cardinals rookie Hancel Rincon straighten his hat, saying nobody will wear it like that on his field. Quickly followed up by the worst revenge call I’ve ever seen.
"I had an issue with Doug," Marmol said. "Just Doug. He took it upon himself to tell our rookie pitcher the kid's 'not going to wear his hat on my field that way.' You got Dontrelle Willis, CC Sabathia, Pedro Strop – plenty of guys that have worn it way more tilted. I have an issue with that. That's just a power-hungry move, in my opinion."
Eddings said Rincon wasn’t breaking a rule but said it was appropriate to issue "a directive."
"It's not (a rule)," Eddings said. "I guess it's a little unwritten rule. They can't wear (their cap) backwards like a catcher. If it's a distraction, like anything on the field, like a glove or something, and someone makes you aware of it, then you kind of address that."
September 7, 2015: Minnesota Twins rightfielder Tori Hunter (48) heads to the dugout after scoring in the sixth inning during an MLB game between the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Twins won, 6-2. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Lynch got through five innings. He had more conviction in the final three frames as he didn’t allow a run for the remainder of his start. And the challenge now is to replicate his command and carry it into his next appearance.
“I don’t know how many more I got left, but it’s just going to take execution,” Lynch said. “And like I said, I think the move forward is going to be figuring out how to just get to kind of fully letting it rip from pitch one. I thought I did a really good job against Chicago and L.A. (Dodgers) where I still was kind of in that reliever mindset. So I think just kind of stick with that and then just put it together.”
“I didn’t feel like my stuff was that different,” Lynch said of the switch between the first two versus the last three innings of his start. “I just felt like maybe my attitude was different. Started [with] just a little more intent behind it. I felt like my body was moving slow, and I wasn’t really letting it rip like I usually do, especially in the first inning.”
Jensen and Caglianone are competitors in just about everything, and that can be a good thing for the Royals as the 23-year-old sluggers keep getting better with 2026 nearing an end. They certainly feed off each other, and it’s not just in homers, either. They’re nearly neck-and-neck in RBIs. Three from Jensen on Thursday with his triple and two-run homer put him at 67 for the year, while Caglianone pushed ahead with two of his own on Thursday – thanks to a double and single – to give him 69 on the year.
“I’ve got to freaking start hitting homers,” Caglianone said. “I can’t let him pass me or tie me. I’m glad I got that last RBI, because that puts me ahead of him.”
“So after the 2014 season, I had a decision to make, and guess what the decision was: should I go to the Royals, or should I go to the Twins?” Hunter recalled. “I’m like, ‘Man, I could go to the Royals. I have seven uncles that live in Kansas City.’ Every time I go to Kansas City, I leave 45, 50 tickets. My paycheck is empty when I leave.”…
“They had Hosmer, Moustakas, they had Alex Gordon, LoCain, they had all these guys, and I’m like, ‘Oh, it’d be cool to go over there.’ So I was really thinking about going to Kansas City,” Hunter said.
Although it wasn’t quite as clear-cut as Jesús Made in 2024 and Josuar Gonzalez in 2025, selecting Gomez as the No. 1 prospect in the league was fairly simple. Though there were plenty of highly talented prospects around the circuit, Gomez offered the best combination of tools, skills and production. The gem of Kansas City’s 2026 international class, Gomez spent all summer bullying baseballs and wowing evaluators.
His short, powerful swing helped him earn a reputation as one of the few prospects in the league who projects as above-average or better in terms of hittability and impact. He has a decent chance to stick in center field, but his arm strength and power potential would profile nicely in right field if he had to move one day. Gomez is an above-average runner now but might slow down a tick as he matures. All told, he has a future as a strong everyday player who can make a few all-star games.
Good morning, foLLks, and happy Labor Day Weekend!
The M’s fell to ten games under .500, losing 7-6 to the A’s. Now seven games back of the Astros, I think a fork can be safely stuck in the 2026 Mariners season. The string demands to be played out, though, and if you’re a true glutton for punishment you can tune in at 6:40pm Pacific time to see George Kirby square off against Jeffrey Springs.
After stand-up comedian Jordan Jensen’s bit about Julio Rodríguez accidentally killing a pigeon via throwing a ball into the stands at Yankee Stadium went viral, Kate did some investigating.
Around the league:
After missing all of 2024 and 2025 thanks to several injuries, Rays lefty Shane McClanahan has finally been back on the mound with regularity this year, spinning a strong 3.36/3.49 ERA/FIP over two dozen starts. The injury bug has sadly reared its head again, though, as Tampa Bay placed him on the injured list with forearm tightness.
The Diamondbacks are in a dead heat race with the Padres for the final NL Wild Card spot, and they’ll be getting a boost next week, with Corbin Burnes set to make his long-awaited return on Tuesday – his first start since June 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 04: Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana (37) celebrates after hitting a walk-off single during the tenth inning of game 2 of the Major League Baseball doubleheader between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians on September 4, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Yankees lost a tough one on Friday night, as they failed to score more than a Ben Rice solo shot against old nemesis Walker Buehler, and while Max Fried, Will Warren, and David Bednar admirably went toe-to-toe with a fierce Padres bullpen, it wasn’t enough. A 2-1 lead in the 10th vanished on one mighty swing of the bat by Luis Campusano against Paul Blackburn, who entered play with a 1.62 ERA. No shade at the pitching in this one, the offense just had to do more early on with Buehler. He’s better than he was in his nightmare 2025 with Boston, but not that much better.
Here’s what else was afoot around the Junior Circuit on Friday. The loss was costly.
Tampa Bay Rays (84-57) 7, Texas Rangers (70-72) 6
Texas helped New York gain a half-game on the Thursday offday by blanking Tampa Bay 6-0, but six runs weren’t enough for the Rangers to be of any use on Friday. The Rays jumped back to four games ahead of the Yankees, doing most of their damage against former top prospect Kumar Rocker in a bulk relief appearance. Ezequiel Duran briefly gave Texas a 1-0 lead in the second, only for Tampa Bay to counter with six unanswered runs between the third and the fifth. Jonathan Aranda and Richie Palacios both hit solo shots, and in the fifth, Aranda sandwiched a double between two-baggers from Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero.
Victor Mesa Jr. also had an RBI knock in the fifth as Tampa Bay’s lead grew to 6-1.
Give credit to the Rangers’ No. 9 hitter, catcher Elias Díaz. He is the primary reason why the Rays had to sweat this one out late. In the seventh, Texas drove Nick Martinez from the game with a one-out walk from Jake Burger and an Evan Carter single. Garrett Cleavinger entered, walked Cody Freeman to load the bases, and then coughed up a game-changing grand slam to Díaz.
As it turned out, the Rays needed the insurance run they got with one down in the ninth. Yandy singled off Trade Deadline acquisition Chase Silseth, Jorge Mateo pinch-ran and stole second, and after Aranda got plunked, Caminero drove in Mateo with a hit to center. Adam Macko then entered and stranded the runners, making it a 7-5 ballgame to begin the bottom of the ninth.
The Rangers had life in the ninth when Bryan Baker issued back-to-back walks to the first two batters; he was forced from the game rather quickly due to illness with his velocity down, too. Tyler Wells had to get the last three outs, and he pulled it off. Pinch-hitter Nicky Lopez bunted the runners into scoring position, Díaz played his fifth run with a sacrifice fly, and Justin Foscue popped up a 2-1 pitch to end it.
Other Games
Boston Red Sox (77-65) 1, Baltimore Orioles (69-73) 0: I don’t know how many of you caught the Chris Sale shutout against the Dodgers a little over a week ago, but it played out in a somewhat-similar manner to this Red Sox/O’s game last night. Drake Baldwin led off that one with a homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the first and only run of the night. Yamamoto was otherwise brilliant but LA never dented home plate against Sale and it was a 1-0 final.
Well, Ranger Suarez didn’t go as deep as Sale and Mickey Gasper homered on the second at-bat of the game rather than the first, but otherwise … pretty close! (Although I suppose Braves/Dodgers didn’t have the same benches-clearing feistiness.) Boston won its second straight one-run game at Camden Yards, with Suarez firing seven shutout frames before Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door. The O’s only three at-bats all night with a runner in scoring position, and none resulted in hits. Shane Baz and the Baltimore bullpen did a very nice job, but no cigar. They’re in serious trouble now, losing a game and a half to Cleveland in the Wild Card race in one day, falling to three back. Meanwhile, Boston is 3.5 behind New York for the top Wild Card spot.
Chicago White Sox (74-67) 4, Minnesota Twins (67-74) 1: Chicago’s AL Central lead would be trimmed by half a game due to circumstances beyond their control, but the Pale Hose won their own game against the Twins. Miguel Vargas, Braden Montgomery, and Colson Montgomery all flexed their muscles with blasts off Zebby Matthews, and the White Sox threw shutout ball until the ninth. Vargas and Colson each registered their 30th homers of the season. Incidentally, we have not been tracking the Twins for a moment, but at 4.5 games behind Cleveland for the Wild Card with three teams ahead of them, they are all but toast.
Cleveland Guardians (71-70) 7, Detroit Tigers (64-76) 6 [Game 1]: The perhaps-no-longer-Gritty Tigs’ season is utterly lost at this point, so they have to settle for trying to play spoiler for the team that rallied from a record 15.5 games down to swipe the AL Central from them in 2025. And they took a 6-2 lead in Cleveland by beating up on Logan Allen with two-run knocks from Ben Malgeri and Max Clark, as well as a solo shot by Spencer Torkelson. However, the doubleheader matinee turned into The Brayan Rocchio Show. He crushed a game-tying grand slam off Keider Montero in the fourth, and with it still knotted at 6-6 in the ninth, he launched the longest homer of his career to walk it off.
Cleveland Guardians (72-70) 4, Detroit Tigers (64-77) 3 [10 innings] [Game 2]: The Guardos had so much fun walking the Tigers off in the opener that they decided to do it all over again in the nightcap. Once again, Detroit had the early advantage, tallying three off Trade Deadline acquisition Foster Griffin. The Guardians crawled back, and 2024 No. 1 pick Travis Bazzana swatted a two-run homer in the eighth to knot it up at 3-3. Bazzana must have taken notes from Rocchio because he also got to tally the walk-off as well as that game-tying blast. Hunter Gaddis stranded the zombie runner in the top of the 10th with three groundouts, opening the door for Bazzana to end it on a single off Kenley Jansen with Rocchio on third following a pair of stolen bases. Cleveland’s twin bill sweep lifted their Wild Card lead to a game over Toronto.
Toronto Blue Jays (71-71) 9, Kansas City Royals (63-79) 2: Cleveland winning twice with the doubleheader always meant that the Jays would be losing ground of some kind to them in their late Wild Card chase. But they at least limited the damage to a half-game loss. Although old friend/two-time Tommy John surgery recipient Jameson Taillon had to leave with dreaded elbow discomfort, his offense picked him up. Everyone in the starting lineup outside of Charles McAdoo had at least one hit, with Ernie Clement, Alejandro Kirk, and George Springer all delivering RBI doubles.
Houston Astros (73-69) 3, Arizona Diamondbacks (74-68) 1: Not much to touch on from this one because neither of these teams are very interesting. Cristian Javier fired five frames of one-hit, one-run ball, fanning eight, and batterymate Yainer Diaz kicked off the scoring for Houston with a solo shot against Merrill Kelly. The ’Stros tacked on more in the third when Isaac Paredes doubled in Jeremy Peña, and Jose Altuve plated Yordan Alvarez on a sacrifice fly. The Rangers’ loss means that Houston has a fairly comfortable three-game lead, aided by an Astros edge in the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Just as Bournemouth’s Alex Scott seemed to have succeeded in building a personal playground by the Tyne, another midfielder emerged from the shadows and ruined his afternoon.
Since Matthias Jaissle succeeded Eddie Howe as Newcastle’s manager, Jacob Ramsey has been largely shunted to the margins, but substitute’s superbly executed 88th-minute equaliser ensured Scott and his teammates had to settle for a point.
KANSAS CITY, MO - JUNE 19: JJ Wetherholt #26 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, June 19, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
If the season ended today, Sal Stewart is the presumed National League Rookie of the Year. This bothers me. As you may be aware, I am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals hired a new fellow by the name of JJ Wetherholt to play second base and bat leadoff for them this year. He has really done an excellent job this season. He has done such an excellent job, that if I run over to FanGraphs and look at the leaderboards, I see he has posted more WAR than any other National League rookie. The big problem with JJ’s Rookie of the Year case is that he has racked up value in a less flashy way than the Cincinnati slugger. While Stewart has been smacking home runs, Wetherholt has been getting on base and playing incredible defense.
Today I want to have some fun and look at some of Wetherholt’s defensive highlights this year through the lens of Outs Above Average (OAA). This metric is one of the primary inputs to FanGraphs’ WAR formula, but it can feel like a bit of a black box. My goal is not to convince you that WAR is perfect or tells the whole story of a player, but rather to connect some visuals to the underlying metrics upon which JJ has built his Rookie of the Year resume.
While defensive statistics are arguably less accurate than offensive statistics, they are certainly more opaque. You can meander over to Wetherholt’s Baseball Savant profile and note that his OAA on the season is 22, which places him in the 100th percentile. That is pretty good! Here is the definition of OAA per the MLB glossary,
Outs Above Average for infielders takes the following factors into account.
• How far the fielder has to go to reach the ball (“the intercept point”). • How much time he has to get there. • How far he then is from the base the runner is heading to. • On force plays, how fast the batter is, on average.
The Statcast technology knows where players are positioned, so shifting and positioning do not artificially impact the metric. Statcast tags each ball with a probability of turning into an out. If a player converts a ball with a 93% chance of being an out, they would be awarded 0.07 OAA.
Alright, seems like a good statistic to me, but what does it look like to accrue an out above average? For outfielders, Baseball Savant has a lovely visualization tool. You can hover over a given play to see the catch probability and click directly to a video of the play. Well, it turns out, for infielders, this is not readily available. Fortunately, I found this Fangraphs article where Michael Rosen outlines a very manual workaround to finding play-specific OAA for infielders.
Using this methodology, you can extract play-level data, including the batter handedness, the home park, the launch speed, and the month in which the play occurred. The problem is that there is no unique identifier, so you have to manually search for plays that match up with those high-level criteria. With these data points, I set out on a scavenger hunt to find a visual representation as to how Wetherholt has managed to accrue 22 OAA.
Alright, drumroll please: JJ Wetherholt’s top defensive play of the year according to OAA.
According to Statcast, this play had a less than 1% probability of turning into an out, so Wetherholt received almost a full OAA. To my eye, this looks something closer to a 50/50 chance. The ball was not hit particularly hard (84 mph) and the runner, Lane Thomas, has 91st percentile sprint speed. Wetherholt makes the play look easier than it is with his excellent footwork and quick transfer, but I am still not sure if that looks like his best play of the year.
Next, let’s take a look at a play that Statcast gave a 26% chance of turning into an out.
Wetherholt ranged 27 feet to his right and easily threw out a good runner in Ian Happ. I am already seeing a theme emerge. Wetherholt is making plays, particularly to his right, look too easy! For a point of comparison, here is Sal Stewart trying to complete a similar play.
Now, I know this ended in an error, so it looks worse, but both balls were hit at essentially the same exit velocity and with negative launch angles. Stewart only had to range 20 feet to his right and was clearly at the edge of his range. I know that no one is arguing that Stewart is a better defender than Wetherholt, but I think this comparison helps highlight how easy JJ can make a play look.
Alright, depending on your view of the difficulty of these first two plays, you may be leaning towards OAA overrating defensive contributions. This eye test cuts both ways, though. This next play only credits JJ with 0.04 OAA.
Here, Wetherholt goes full extension to snag a 92 mph line drive and turn it into a double play. The runner on first, Alex Freeland, seems to agree with me as he is caught about 40 feet away from the bag before he realizes the error of his ways.
Jake Bauers is a slightly below-average runner, but Wetherholt had to go a long way, 51 feet, to get to this ball and make the play.
Wetherholt has had his fair share of highlight plays this year, but it has been his incredible consistency that has allowed him to rack up one of the most valuable defensive seasons in baseball.
Assuming you are bored with watching highlights and would prefer to look at an eye chart, here is a breakdown that illustrates the types of plays that are driving Wetherholt’s defensive value.
This table shows that Wetherholt has had 106 balls hit into his zone with a probability of an out between 0% and 25%. The average expected out was 2%. Wetherholt converted 3% of these plays into outs giving him one OAA on the most difficult opportunities. You can see that he has accrued most of his value by his consistency of performance on balls with a greater than 75% chance of turning into an out.
Does this compilation of clips convince you that Outs Above Average and WAR are perfect statistics? Of course not! But hopefully it puts a little color behind the season that Wetherholt has put together. I remain convinced that he is the best rookie on the senior circuit. Wetherholt is at 4.4 WAR, with Stewart sitting at 2.6. The gap is even bigger over at Baseball Reference where Wetherholt leads Sal by 2.5 bWAR.
Yes, I know Sal Stewart has put up a more impressive offensive season than Wetherholt. There is plenty that could be said about each hitter’s home ballpark and the value provided on the base paths, but this really comes down to defense. The argument against Wetherholt is that defensive statistics are more volatile and less precise than offensive statistics, so his WAR contributions can be mentally discounted. I agree with that conceptually as a tiebreaker, but come on. A 1.8 WAR gap is not a rounding error. That is the full season fWAR for Michael Busch! If Wetherholt can come back quickly from his injury, he could still have 15 games to pad his resume, but even if he doesn’t, he has earned the hardware. His defensive consistency and excellence may not be appreciated by Rookie of the Year voters, but it helps win ballgames, which is sort of the whole point.
We already had the 2027 regular season schedule announced in July, and on Friday the White Sox released the games that will lead into the regular season.
There aren’t many surprises, given the same 14 opponents. And we’ve got no game times or broadcast information yet. But nonetheless, here it is:
Everything starts earlier in 2027, which is somewhat terrifying to those of you who are accustomed to 30-odd Cactus League games and 162 in the regular season, because a lockout looms as soon as the White Sox wrap up the 2026 World Series title.
But that said, best-case scenario sees pitchers and catchers due in Glendale around February 6 and the full roster reporting date coming on the 10th. Actual action gets underway about 10 days from there, with a “road” matchup with the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch.
There are just two games against the Cubs this coming Cactus season, the first in Mesa on February 23, the second at Camelback on March 12. There is also just one split-squad day this spring season, coming on February 21 at the Guardians and hosting the Reds. The team has the customary two days off, likely some form of cut-down days, on successive Tuesdays: March 2 and March 9. The total of 30 games is arrived at with a blistering final run, with no days off between March 10 and the Cactus League finale, on March 21.
There are three days off from there, and the White Sox keep living out a suitcase for the first six games of the season, opening 2027 at Detroit and then heading to Kansas City to finish out the month.
We’ll replace or update this schedule post once MLB and the White Sox provide game times and broadcast information.
COVERS INTEL:
