Australia’s Max Purcell straight back in Davis Cup fold after 18-month anti-doping ban

  • Dual grand slam doubles champion named after tennis suspension

  • Alex de Minaur leads Australia team to face Poland in tie in Brisbane

Max Purcell, the grand slam doubles champion left shattered when having to serve a ban for an anti-doping breach, is back in the Australian tennis fold, selected as part of Lleyton Hewitt’s Davis Cup team to face Poland.

The 28-year-old Purcell, who received widespread sympathy throughout tennis from those who felt the 18-month ban was unfair and smacked of double standards, could play his first Davis Cup rubber for two years next week.

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2027 Infield Landscape Ever Changing

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 07: (L-R) Tommy White #47, Jeff McNeil #22 and Carlos Cortes #26 of the Athletics celebrate McNeil' walk-off infield single scoring Donovan Walton to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 at Sutter Health Park on September 07, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

At one time, Leo De Vries was on such a fast track that it seemed inevitable that he would be a big factor by the 2027 season. One torn labrum later (shoulder surgery scheduled this weekend) and he won’t even be back on a minor league field until mid-May.

So the presumptive starters along side Nick Kurtz become Zack Gelof, Jacob Wilson, and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, the latter two coming off of season ending surgeries. And where does the depth chart go from there?

Jeff McNeil

3 months ago, McNeil was a 2027 after thought who appeared, after a solid April, to have fallen off a cliff on his way to age-related obscurity. But the Squirrely one has rebounded in a big way, batting .335/.361/.484, 130 wRC+ since the All-Star break while providing valued veteran leadership in the clubhouse and on the field.

The A’s won’t exercise his $15.5M club option but they could decline it and then negotiate a one-year deal to bring him back. Would he be a good choice for a key bench piece in the infield mix at a modest salary? And will McNeil have superior offers that tempt him away or might he be interested in a one year deal worth around half of his club option?

Donovan Walton

After a career of consistently hitting terribly every season, something clicked with Walton. He was terrific with the Angels (.319/.354/.505, 141 wRC+), but they’re the Angels so naturally they let him go. With the A’s he’s put together some of the team’s best plate appearances, producing the rare profile of a batter who walks more than he strikes out (20 BB, 17 K).

With a nifty .400 OBP for the A’s, a 128 wRC+, and even improved defense on this home stand, Walton has shown considerable value and he is a LH batter opposite the Gelof-Wilson-JKG triumvirate. He’s also pre-arbritration and thus considerably cheaper than McNeil. Would he be the right complement to the regular starting infield?

Alika Williams

The slickest fielder of the bunch, Williams feels like the closest to a “sure thing” these days, but because he bats RH and doesn’t hit enough to start every day, it’s not necessarily clear how well he fits with the starting trio. If the A’s carry both a LH and RH infielder on the bench, Williams should have a place on the team.

But which is the real Alika Williams? The .262/.299/.421, 92 wRC+ hitter overall…or the guy who has hit all of .220/.270/.317, 64wRC+on the road?

Honorable Mention

Then there’s Max Muncy, who had half the A’s hits today and homered twice in Seattle, but can’t field worth a lick. And Darell Hernaiz, who unfortunately seems to be getting worse — and he couldn’t hit RHP to begin with.

How would you like to see the A’s set up their infield for 2027? There are many options, even absent De Vries for a while, but are any of them good enough? Or do the A’s need to set their sights on some new blood this off-season?

Randy Vásquez is a reliever now

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 21: Randy Vásquez #98 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Petco Park on August 21, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images

RHP Randy Vásquez seems to be working toward becoming the San Diego Padres’ Swiss Army knife in their pitching staff. Acquired from the New York Yankees, along with Michael King, as part of the Juan Soto trade, Vasquez came to the team as a starting pitcher. 

That role was the only one he had with the Yankees. Debuting at the age of 24, Vásquez started five games for New York, pitching 37.2 innings with a 2.87 ERA. After being traded to the Padres before the 2024 season, the righty started 20 games for the Friars and pitched 98 innings. He had a 4.87 ERA as a back-of-the-rotation arm, with 62 strikeouts to 29 walks. The command of his stuff was not great, and he worked around a lot of traffic on the bases due to walks.

In the 2025 season, Vásquez threw 133.2 innings in 28 appearances and 26 starts. His ERA of 3.84 was significantly improved, with 78 strikeouts to 52 walks. He became known by the Strandy Vasquez nickname with his penchant for walks and skill at working to get outs with multiple runners on base.

Vásquez featured seven pitches during that season, relying mostly on his cutter/four-seam combination for 46% of his pitches. He threw his sinker 19% of the time and his sweeper 13%. His curve, changeup, and slider were all less than 15% usage.

Going into this year, Vásquez reported a change in his preparation for the season with weight training and working on his mental approach. He has had a mentor/mentee relationship with RHP Yu Darvish since joining the organization, and he credits Darvish with helping him in his preparation for games and his mental work.

Now in his age 27 season, Vásquez has shown significant growth as a starter. He can still lapse into the command issues seen earlier in his career. He had a stretch in July, after coming back from the injured list, when he looked a bit like the 2025 Vasquez.

Other than those 14 innings in July, Vasquez has a sub-4.00 ERA every other month of the season and has a 2.60 ERA in 45 innings pitched post All-Star break.

Besides his increased physical strength and increased focus and preparation, the player and his coaches have reworked his pitch usage this year.

Now, he throws his four-seam 31% of the time and it averages 95 mph, up from the 93 mph of last year. His cutter is now used 24% of the time, and his sinker at 16%.  His changeup, curveball, slider, and sweeper are all now less than 10% usage. He walks hitters much less than in previous seasons. In 129 innings pitched, Vásquez has 81 strikeouts to 35 walks. That gives him a 6.5% walk rate versus a 9.1% from 2025.

His stats as a reliever are not as reassuring for this year. In 18 innings over six appearances, Vasquez has a 5.00 ERA versus his 3.81 ERA in 111 innings over 22 starts. 

With the addition of Nick Pivetta back into the starting rotation, the Padres have put Vásquez into the bullpen, allowing the overworked relievers to get a little help. In his first relief outing since the change, Vasquez pitched 1.1 innings against the Nationals with one hit. Unfortunately, that was a double that allowed the two runners on base to score. Starter Casey Mize was charged with three earned runs because of that hit.

It appears this will be his role going forward. Vásquez will try to be a high-value reliever out of the bullpen and can pitch in length as well as piggyback a starter who is having a rough day. His acceptance of his role is not an issue, as he has stated on multiple occasions his willingness to do anything to help the team win.

His new focus and effectiveness should serve him well in his new role.

Mets hold on to win crazy offensive shootout to sweep Marlins ahead of Subway Series clash vs. Yankees

An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Francisco Lindor belts a three-run homer in the seventh inning of the Mets' 15-14 win over the Marlins on Sept. 9. 2026 in Miami, Image 2 shows A.J. Ewing hits a sacrifice fly during the seventh inning of the Mets' shootout win over the Marlins, Image 3 shows Christopher Morel celebrates in the dugout with teammates after hitting a two-run homer during the third inning of the Mets' shootout win over the Marlins

MIAMI — This wasn’t exactly payback for all the late-season heartbreak the Marlins have inflicted on the Mets over the years, but it had to count for something.

After all, the Marlins began the week clinging to National League wild-card hopes.

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They will end it as just another team that likely can focus exclusively on next season.

The Mets completed a three-game sweep of these dead fish with a 15-14 victory Wednesday at loanDepot park.

Even so, it doesn’t erase the sting of losing Game 162 last season in this ballpark, when a victory would have pushed the Mets into the playoffs.

The Mets were also denied postseason berths in 2007 and ’08 with losses to the Marlins in the regular-season finales.

Only adding to the Mets’ angst this season, they were swept three games here Memorial Day weekend.

The Marlins were on life support at four games back for the NL’s third wild-card spot when this series began.

With the losses, they fell 6 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks and Padres.

“Let them continue on that run to see if they can make it,” Francisco Lindor said, downplaying the idea of payback on the Marlins. “You have got to focus on what you have in front of you. Last year [for us] is what it is. It sucked.”

Ultimately, this limited payback by the Mets likely won’t be remembered beyond the fact interim manager Andy Green’s team is surging headed into this weekend’s Subway Series in The Bronx.

Francisco Lindor belts a three-run homer in the seventh inning of the Mets’ 15-14 win over the Marlins on Sept. 9. 2026 in Miami. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images


The Mets completed the sweep the hard way, squandering an eight-run lead before exploding for six runs in the seventh.

But the Marlins fought back to score six runs over their next three at-bats before Tobias Myers recorded the final two outs.

“We got the two-point conversion and two touchdowns for the win,” Green said. “It’s as crazy a game as you will see. I love the resilience.”

A.J. Ewing hits a sacrifice fly during the seventh inning of the Mets’ shootout win over the Marlins. Getty Images

The Mets have won four straight games and six of seven, which has included three straight series victories.

After hitting three homers against Sandy Alcantara on Tuesday, the Mets kept the offensive machine rolling against Janson Junk and raced to an 8-0 lead after only three innings.

Starter Robert Stock pitched four innings for the Mets and allowed three earned runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Christopher Morel celebrates in the dugout with teammates after hitting a two-run homer during the third inning of the Mets’ shootout win over the Marlins. Getty Images

A.J. Ewing and Brett Baty each delivered an RBI single in the second inning to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. Baty left the game upon reaching first base with “left knee pain,” according to the team.

The Mets weren’t finished in the inning: Luis Torrens stroked a two-run double before Bo Bichette’s RBI single extended the lead to 5-0. Carson Benge’s RBI groundout completed the six-run inning.

Christopher Morel smashed a two-run homer in the third that buried the Marlins in an 8-0 hole.

Luis Torrens rips an RBI double in the second inning of the Mets’ shootout win over the Marlins. Getty Images

Morel, who replaced Baty, finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

Stock was dented in the fourth, allowing all three of his runs. Joe Mack’s single delivered two runs. Stock hit and walked a batter in the frame.

Miami rallied to tie it 8-8 in the sixth inning with five runs on four hits and one walk against Chris Devenski, who recorded only one out. Owen Caissie homered leading off the inning to start the barrage.

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Ewing, Morel and Torrens each had an RBI in the seventh inning to give the Mets an 11-8 lead before Lindor unloaded for his second homer in as many games.

The Mets added another run in the eighth.

But the Marlins kept clawing, including a three-run outburst in the ninth against Nate Lavender before leaving the tying run at second base as Myers escaped.

“It was one of those days where it was tough to get anybody out,” Green said. “For our guys to be that gritty, that determined, and come out with the win was huge.”

Brewers avoid late collapse to sweep Cubs with 8-6 victory

Sep 9, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio (11) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Box Score

The Brewers, out for a big late-season sweep of the rival Cubs, got off to a great start today and, for eight innings, looked like they were cruising to victory. Milwaukee got homers from three of their biggest stars, jumped out to a big early lead, and got another good (if short) start from the guy we might have to start calling the co-ace, Logan Henderson. The Cubs (and the Brewers’ pitching staff) managed to make things uncomfortable late in this one with a big ninth inning, but in the end the Brewers hung on to complete the sweep.

It was a hot start for the Brewers on both sides of the ball. Henderson got things started by striking out the side in order in the top of the first. In the bottom of the inning, the Brewers were all over Chicago’s Kevin Gausman. Jackson Chourio followed up his monster day on Tuesday by blooping a single into left to get things started. After a Brice Turang fielder’s choice, William Contreras drew a walk to put a second runner on. Andrew Vaughn struck out, but with two outs Christian Yelich snuck onto the top of the wall in the left field gap, just out of the reach of Pete Crow-Armstrong, and it bounced over for a three-run homer.

Milwaukee didn’t score any further runs, but Sal Frelick and Joey Ortiz both added solid line-drive singles (Ortiz’s at a healthy 109.4 mph) before a Garrett Mitchell strikeout ended the inning. Eight Brewers came to the plate in the inning and Milwaukee had an early 3-0 lead. Henderson’s nice start continued in the top of the second when he went groundout, strikeout, groundout against the middle of the Cubs’ order.

After Gausman started his second inning by striking out Cooper Pratt, Chourio continued the Brewers’ assault on the Chicago pitcher. He got a first-pitch splitter way too high in the zone and absolutely crushed it, a majestic shot at 109 mph and 436 feet over the Brewer bullpen in left.

That was hardly it, though. Turang drew a walk, and on the first pitch to Contreras, he also got a splitter too high and yanked it down the left field line. The only question was whether it would be fair or foul, and it stayed safely within the foul line, and Contreras had his 100th career home run. Gausman worked out of the inning after that (with some help from the home plate ump) but the Brewers were up 6-0 after two and well on their way to a rare blowout.

Henderson kept his bid for perfection going through a third inning with a pop out, a shallow fly out, and another strikeout. Nine up, nine down, five strikeouts for Henderson on his first trip through the order.

The Brewers got a one-out baserunner against Gausman in the third when Mitchell reached on a throwing error by shortstop Nico Hoerner. Mitchell stole second—a result which held up after an unsuccessful challenge—and advanced to third when Pratt grounded out. With two outs, the blazing hot Chourio had a chance to drive him in, and of course he did, by going up to get a high 95 mph fastball that was a couple inches inside and pulling it into left. That made it 7-0, and then Chourio stole second, but Turang grounded out to end the inning. Through three innings, Chourio was 3-3 with a homer, two singles, two RBI, and a stolen base.

Crow-Armstrong finally ended Henderson’s no-hit bid when, after an eight-pitch at-bat in which he fouled off several tough pitches, PCA blooped a single into center. He moved to second on a pitch that got by Contreras, and then went to third on a fly ball to right (one on which Mitchell and Frelick came dangerously close to colliding). A Michael Busch groundout scored Crow-Armstrong from third, and Alex Bregman drew a walk to extend the inning, but after another lengthy battle Ian Happ grounded out to end the inning.

Gausman finally put up a zero and a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth, and the game settled down a bit at that point. Henderson was also back to his perfect ways in the top of the fifth, and Trent Thornton—who relieved Gausman in the bottom of the inning—retired Frelick, Ortiz, and Mitchell in order.

Henderson, who was effective but inefficient tonight, took the mound in the sixth with 94 pitches on the night. He threw one more, a changeup that Carson Kelly banged into left for a leadoff single, and Pat Murphy went to lefty JoJo Romero for the top of the Cubs’ order. Turang flashed some leather when he made a great play running to his left on a PCA grounder and spun around and threw to second to get the lead runner, Kelly, and three pitches later, Romero induced a tailor-made double play from Suzuki that ended the inning. That closed the book on Henderson, who finished with five innings, two hits and one walk allowed, six strikeouts, and one unearned run on his line. Henderson’s 2.34 ERA would be fourth in the league if he had enough innings to qualify.

After Pratt lined out against new pitcher Daniel Palencia to start the bottom of the sixth, Chourio was finally retired—just the second time in his last nine at-bats. A Turang ground ball should’ve ended the inning, but second baseman Pedro Ramírez made a bad throw to Busch at first, and Suzuki—who had run in the other direction on the ground ball—was way out of position to get the ball as it trickled down the right field line, which allowed Turang to get all the way to third. That gave Contreras a chance with two out and a runner in scoring position, and on this night, the Brewers weren’t letting chances go by. Contreras lined an RBI single to left, his second hit and third RBI of the game. Vaughn popped out to end the inning, but the Brewers had restored their seven-run lead.

Romero was back out for the top of the seventh and worked around a one-out Bregman double to hold the Cubs scoreless. Caleb Thielbar replaced Palencia in the bottom of the inning, and he had a quick 1-2-3 inning despite some good contact by Frelick and Ortiz.

In the top of the eighth, we saw the return of Brandon Sproat. Sproat, who was demoted on August 4th after a series of rough outings, appeared out of the bullpen for just the third time in 26 career appearances, and he didn’t have much trouble in the eighth: he hit Michael Conforto on the foot with one out, but erased him on a Kelly double play shortly after. Colin Rea shut down the Brewers in the bottom of the inning, but Sproat still had an 8-1 lead to work with as we headed to the top of the ninth.

Sproat’s control issues reared their head in a big way in the ninth—he walked Crow-Armstrong, threw away a ball when checking on PCA at first, threw a wild pitch, then walked Suzuki, putting runners on the corners with nobody out as Abner Uribe warmed up in the Brewer bullpen. Sproat walked Busch, too, though he got no favors during an at-bat in which two pitches were called balls that looked in the zone. (Use your challenges when you’ve got both in the ninth inning, William!) Murphy stuck with Sproat despite the three consecutive walks, and he struck out Bregman for the first out. Happ, though, drew another walk, and that was all for Sproat, who didn’t allow a hit tonight but did walk four and hit a batter.

Uribe was on with the bases jacked but with a six-run lead still in place and just two outs to get. Hoerner, the first batter against Uribe, lined a single into left that scored a run and left the bases loaded. Ramírez knocked in Chicago’s fourth run but crucially made the second out when he grounded out to second. The Cubs were determined to make this stressful, though, and Conforto lined a double into the gap that made it 8-6. Pinch-hitter BJ Murray Jr. replaced Kelly and represented the tying run—with Crow-Armstrong standing as the go-ahead run on deck—and Uribe fell behind 2-0. But the big Brewer right-hander dropped a couple of sliders in the bottom of the zone to even up the count, and after a foul ball and a ball three, he struck him out with a slider down and in, and the game ended with the likely NL MVP standing on deck.

This was a game that was easy for eight innings and extremely difficult for half of one, but even if some of the good vibes vanished before the last out, the Brewers had swept the Cubs.

Offensively, the team was led by their two Venezuelan stars, Chourio and Contreras. Chourio had three hits including a solo home run and an RBI single, while Contreras hit a two-run homer and an RBI single and drew a walk in four plate appearances. Yelich also had the big early hit in this one, his first-inning three-run homer. Everything went smoothly on the mound until the ninth, with Henderson and Romero combining to allow just one unearned run through the first seven innings.

The Brewers get a deserved day off tomorrow—their first since August 24th!—before looking to get a bit of revenge against the Reds, who just won two of three over the Brewers in Cincinnati, over the weekend.

Mets offense outlasts Marlins in marathon win

MIAMI, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 09: Christopher Morel #28 of the New York Mets high fives teammates after hitting a two run home run during the third inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on September 09, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Mets came into Wednesday’s game looking to sweep a series for the first time since the middle of August. Robert Stock was taking the mound for the Mets, coming off a scoreless one-out appearance against the Giants. Janson Junk was starting in the midst a nice stretch of starts for the Marlins, having not given up more than two runs since July.

After a quiet first inning for both sides, the second inning started an offensive explosion for the Mets. Four consecutive singles from Jared Young, Marcus Semien, A.J. Ewing and Brett Baty drove in the first two runs of the game for the Mets. Baty was pulled from the game with a knee injury after his single, being replaced by Christopher Morel. Luis Torrens then drove in both remaining baserunners with a double to put the Mets ahead by four runs. Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch to put another baserunner on, and Bo Bichette hit a one-out single to drive Torrens in as the Mets fifth run of the inning. Carson Benge hit into a groundout that allowed Lindor to score as the Mets sixth and final run of the inning, giving the Mets a nice wide lead early in the game. 

The Mets made some more noise in the third inning. A.J. Ewing reached base on a one-out single, then stole second base for his 23rd steal of the year. It ended up not mattering much what base he was on, because Christopher Morel hit a two-run home run to drive him in as Morel’s first homer with the Mets. They didn’t score any more in the inning, but the Mets ended the inning with a huge eight run lead over the Marlins, a truly abysmal appearance for Junk. 

Stock started to lose it in the bottom of the fourth inning. After three shutout innings, he started the inning with two baserunners from a hit-by-pitch and a single. After getting an out, he walked Owen Caissie to load the bases. Graham Pauley singled to drive in the Marlins first run of the game, and Joe Mack hit another single to plate two more runs and cut the Mets lead to five runs. Stock was able to get out of it after that but that was the end of his evening. He ended his night allowing three runs in four innings, with five hits and two walks while striking out four.

It completely fell apart for the Mets in the bottom of the sixth. Chris Devenski was brought in to pitch, and he immediately gave up a leadoff home run to Owen Caissie to cut the Mets lead to four runs. The home run was followed by two consecutive singles to put runners on before Devenski finally got the first out of the inning. Heriberto Hernández hit a single to load the bases, and Griffin Conine single to drive in another run for the Marlins fifth run, the Mets’ lead rapidly disappearing. That was the end of Devenski’s stint in the game, being replaced by Daniel Duarte. Duarte started by walking in a run and then allowing a two-run single to Jakob Marsee to tie the game. Duarte got two more outs but the damage was done, the eight runs the Mets had scored was simply not enough for the Mets pitching staff.

The Mets offense came to the rescue of the Mets pitching staff. Benge got hit by a pitch and Young and Semien both walked to load the bases at the start of the seventh and drive Josh Ekness from the game after facing the minimum three batters. Former Met Tyler Zuber came in and Ewing hit a sacrifice fly to put the Mets back ahead by a run. Morel and Torrens hit back to back singles to drive in two more runs and put the Mets into double digits. Lindor then put the exclamation point on the inning in the form of a three run home run to cap off the Mets second six run inning of the game, putting them back ahead by six runs with just nine outs to go.

Duarte came back out for the seventh inning, and gave up a two-out solo home run to Joe Mack to whittle away a piece of the newly minted Mets lead. Victor Vodnik came out for the Marlins in the eight, and had two runners on with two outs for Luis Torrens, who drove in his fourth run of the game for the Mets fifteenth run of the incredibly long game.

Jonathan Pintaro took the mound for the Mets in the bottom of the eighth, and he had a rollercoaster of an inning. He hit Otto Lopez with a pitch, but that baserunner was bookended by two pop outs in what looked to be a pretty easy appearance for Pintaro. But back-to-back singles by Javier Sanoja and Caissie drove in the Marlins tenth run of the game. Pauley then singled to drive in another run and cut the Mets lead to four runs with two runners still on. But Pintaro was able to escape the jam, stranding two runners with the Mets still clinging to a four run lead. 

Nate Lavender came out in the bottom of the ninth to try and close the door on the resilient Marlins. Kyle Stowers led off the inning with a double but a Heriberto Hernández fly out provided the first out. The only out for Lavender, it turned out. Conine hit a double to drive in Stowers, and Lopez tripled to drive in Conine. Marsee broke his bat and got a single through to drive in Lopez and put the Marlins within a single run, driving Lavender from the game in favor of Tobias Myers. Myers gave up a single to Sanoja to put two runners on, but a strikeout and a pop out ended the game with the Mets clinging to their single run lead.

The Mets have a day off before heading back to New York to face the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Nolan McLean will be making the start Friday night on what will be a somber evening, it being the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Luis Torrens, +16% WPA
Big Mets loser: Chris Devenski, -24% WPA
Mets pitchers: -36% WPA
Mets hitters: +86% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Graham Pauley’s ninth inning pop out, +17.3% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Jakob Marsee’s two-run single in the sixth inning, -20.7% WPA

With A.J. Ewing, Jonah Tong and more, the Mets' future might just be present | The Mets Pod

On the latest episode of The Mets Pod, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo see pieces fueling the Mets now who could be the key to a successful future. 

The guys cover the positive response to adversity shown by young players like A.J. Ewing and Jonah Tong, while also taking one more look at the National League Rookie of the Year cases for both Nolan McLean and Carson Benge

The Mets Pod Answering Machine has questions about Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, the Mailbag has questions about Juan Soto's future and the coming offseason, and Down on the Farm checks in on the recent powerful performance by top prospect Jefferson Rojas.

Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Jax makes his way bax: Rays 7 Braves 2

Sep 9, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Richie Palacios (1) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ah, baseball.

The Rays looked unimpressive as they lost a series to the lowly New York Mets last week, and I’ll bet I am not the only Rays fan who watched those games and thought, “THIS is a playoff team?”

And when they came into Atlanta to play a Braves team that leads the division in which the Mets are sorry after-thoughts, I was not optimistic about the outcome.

But now they have taken a series from the Braves with one game remaining, and looked pretty sharp, if not dominant, in doing so.

The Rays largely relied on their small ball ways tonight, but the scoring started with a very, very long ball. It was one of those moments that broadcasters must relish. In the second innings, Brian Anderson and Dewayne Staats were chatting about Victor Mesa Jr. and how he has brought some pop into the lower part of the Rays lineup. And then Mesa hit this ball so hard and so far that the Atlanta outfielder didn’t even turn to watch it land in the stands.

The Rays accumulated their runs mostly in the second and fourth innings, scoring three in each of those frames before tacking on an insurance run in the seventh.

Other than Mesa’s homerun, the other scores came on a characteristic night of offense for the Rays. They hit nine singles, took advantage of three walks and a hit by pitch. They managed three stolen bases, two on a fund double steal, although they did kind of botch one running play, with Mesa Jr. thrown out at home. Apparently the Braves catcher, Sean Murphy, has not yet thrown out a runner this year? (to be fair he’s only played in 21 games).

Less characteristically, the bottom part of the lineup accounted for much of the offense. To be sure, Diaz, Caminero and Hicks did each get a single and Diaz had an RBI thanks to a sac fly. But it was Mesa, Jr., Simpson, Mullins, Palacios and Mateo who set the pace. Mateo drove in two runs with an RBI single; Simpson and Mesa, Jr. each scored twice.

On the pitching end, Griffin Jax improved considerably over last week’s disappointing return from the IL. He made it through five innings, giving up just a solo homerun along with one other hit and one walk. He wasn’t super sharp (lots of deep counts), he wasn’t get whiffs or strikeouts, he got lucky on some sizzling liners that ended up in outfielder gloves. But — five innings, just one run? We can live with that, at least for now. Cash cobbled together those last twelve outs between four relievers. Newly promoted Ty Johnson was a little wobbly, giving up a run on a walk and a hit while recording two outs, but Cam Booser finished off the sixth inning, and after that Cole Sulser and Steven Matz were near perfect for the final three innings.

The Rays and Braves play an early afternoon getaway game tomorrow, with two “old guys” — Nick Martinez and Martin Pérez — on the mound.

Mets lose late lead, but hold on for chaotic 15-14 win over Marlins

The Mets blew an early 8-0 lead, but fought back with a six-run seventh inning and held on to beat the Miami Marlins, 15-14.

It's the first time New York has allowed 14 runs and won a game, which is even more impressive when they got out-hit, 20-15. It's also only the fifth time in franchise history they had two six-run innings in one game. 

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Mets' offense caught fire in the second inning, taking a commanding 6-0 lead. A.J. Ewing started it off with an RBI single, Brett Baty followed suit with an RBI single of his own, Luis Torrens drove in two runs on a double to the gap, Bo Bichette added another on a single, and Carson Benge tacked on the sixth run with a groundout. They recorded five straight hits and six total in the frame.

-- Baty had to exit the game early with a leg injury after his single as he began limping while running to first base. Christopher Morel replaced him on the basepaths and on defense at first base. 

-- Morel made the most of his playing time, crushing a two-run home run off Janson Junk to make it an 8-0 game in the third inning. It's Morel's first home run of the season and first since Sept. 12, 2025. 

-- Robert Stock was solid on the mound through the first three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth. The righty hit the leadoff man and soon found himself in a bases-loaded jam. He then let up an RBI single to Graham Pauley and a two-run single to Joe Mack as the Marlins trailed, 8-3. 

Stock needed 27 pitches to get through the inning, ultimately ending his night after 4.0 IP and 80 pitches. Overall, he allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

-- New York's bullpen couldn't hold onto the lead as Chris Devenski and Daniel Duarte let up five runs in the sixth inning (all charged to Devenski over 0.1 IP). Owen Caissie started the comeback with a solo home run, then Miami loaded the bases and found ways to tie it up at 8-8 thanks to an RBI single, walk, and two-run single.

-- As if things couldn't get crazier, the Mets rallied for another six-run inning in the seventh. Ewing drove one in on a sac-fly, Morel and Torrens recorded another RBI each, and Francisco Lindor put the cherry on top with a three-run HR to go up 14-8.

Naturally, Miami got a run back in the bottom of the seventh and the Mets made up for it in the eighth as Torrens' infield single made it 15-9. Jonathan Pintaro let up two more runs in the eighth, allowing the Marlins to get closer, down 15-11.

-- Nate Lavender couldn't seal the deal in the ninth, letting up three runs over 0.1 IP. Thankfully, Tobias Myers saved the day by recording the final two outs for his second career save.

Game MVP: the 7-8-9 hitters

Ewing (3-for-4), Baty (1-for-1), Morel (3-for-4), and Torrens (3-for-5) combined for 10 RBI. Morel finished a triple shy of the cycle despite coming off the bench.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets are off on Thursday and will begin a three-game Subway Series against the Yankees on Friday at 7:05 p.m.

Nolan McLean (11-8, 3.06 ERA) is scheduled to start, while the Yanks have yet to decide on a starting pitcher.

Keyonte George: Sun among the stars or a radiant supernova?

Do you ever stretch out on the Earth, gaze at the pinpricked majesty of the Lite-Brite night sky, and take a moment to consider your place in the universe? Ponder the scope of existence. Observe the celestial bodies that pierce the outer reaches of the void and flicker a message of awareness in our direction.

The Earth is a satellite of observation. A clump of something, floating and whirling through the stretching expanses of the infinite.

From our point of view, our Sun, the source of Earth’s warmth and life, appears much larger than the specks of light that break out across the night sky’s pubescent, acne-riddled firmament. We understand, of course, that the Sun is not larger than the average star for the same reasons we understand that the Moon is not as large as the Sun: it’s all a matter of perspective.

So, though the Sun appears grander and more brilliant than the rest of the visible universe’s inhabitants, its proximity to us Earthlings makes it appear as though it’s the most magnificent body in the sky (save for that hunk of a constellation, Orion, winner of the night sky pageant 32,000 years running!).

But truthfully, the Sun isn’t anything special in the grand scope of the universe. Sure, brown and red dwarf stars make up the majority of the star population, but our resident star is microscopic compared to cosmic giants, which are hundreds to thousands of times larger — they’re not in the same weight class.

Last season in Utah, third-year point guard Keyonte George was a star.

Is Keyonte George truly a cosmic giant, or did he only look that way because he shared the floor with dwarfs?

He averaged 23.6 points per game, which ranked 22nd in the NBA. He neighbored established superstar scorers like James Harden (23.6 PPG), Cade Cunningham (23.9 PPG), Cooper Flagg (21.0 PPG), and LeBron James (20.9 PPG). And he did it on decadent shooting splits of 45.6% FG, 37.1% 3PT, and 89.2% FT. And he added 6.1 assists per game for good measure. Everything in this paragraph was a career-high for Keyonte, and by a wide margin.

Not bad for a player who entered the league branded as an inefficient volume scorer with a shallow playmaking portfolio.

Keyonte is a great success story for the Jazz’s youth-driven rebuild, and a very needed one, considering Utah’s shortcomings in developing lottery picks Taylor Hendricks and Cody Williams. But now that the rebuild is reaching its maturity, the question becomes whether George, whose stock rose exponentially on a subpar roster, can maintain his upward trajectory once the Jazz begin pushing for wins.

In other words, is Keyonte George truly a cosmic giant, or did he only look that way because he shared the floor with dwarfs?

From the perspective of the Utah Jazz, Keyonte was a borderline All-Star snub after his incredible 2025-26 campaign.

But he rarely shared the floor with the veteran players who populate the starting lineup. Markkanen missed 40 games. Jackson Jr. only appeared in four. Darryn Peterson was still attending classes during Keyonte’s ascension.

The Utah Jazz gave Keyonte plenty of floor time during games that they did not want to win.

And he shared the court with plenty of players who greatly assisted in Utah’s tanking efforts. But his improvement in efficiency suggests that he improved in his third season. Despite sharing minutes with few difference-makers for much of the season, he managed to increase his usage in lockstep with his effectiveness.

Contrast that with Taylor Hendricks and Walter Clayton Jr., who both saw their scoring averages increase with more floor time in Memphis, but with zero meaningful improvement in their shooting percentages.

Admittedly, his defensive rating is horrific — the worst on the roster last season despite averaging over 1 steal per game — and this has always been one of the biggest knocks on his game. As a defender, George has a lot of room to grow, but he doesn’t seem the type to allow his weaknesses to stay that way without any corrective effort. Considering Utah finished 29th of 30 teams in defensive rating, there’s (practically) nowhere to go but up on that end.

On the flip side of that coin, it would be unfair not to mention that Keyonte also boasts Utah’s highest offensive rating of any player who played a meaningful chunk of the season, and that’s vital for a team that still ranked in the bottom 10 of the NBA in offensive rating.

His leadership off the court and in the offseason led me to believe that there’s much more to Keyonte George than what you see in the box score. As an involved participant with the Summer League team — the NBA feared what he could accomplish as a coach in ways they did not fear Derrick White — George pushed the prospective NBA talents around him. As a teammate, he’s been a driving force in encouraging chemistry in the locker room. He represented the franchise at the draft lottery, excitedly chatted up his future teammate Darryn Peterson, and stuck around to watch the combine. These are not common traits, but they are incredibly promising indicators.

It takes effort off the court to find success on the court, and we all watched as Keyonte set the stat sheet ablaze last year.

Head coach Will Hardy has always pressured George, and last season’s output is a reflection of that refining process’s apparent success. It takes effort off the court to find success on the court, and we all watched as Keyonte set the stat sheet ablaze last year.

I’m not going to forecast an All-Star season for Keyonte George next season. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see his averages take a bit of a dip as he shares the backcourt with a prospect who is believed by many to grow into the NBA equivalent of a red giant.

But if the question is whether or not Keyonte George is the point guard of the future in Utah, I’d argue he measures very favorably with some of the better point guards in the basketball universe.


Calvin Barrett is the Associate Editor for SLC Dunk. Originally from Springville, Utah, he currently lives in Japan and has covered the NBA and college athletics since 2024.

George Lombard Jr. delivers Yankees’ first grand slam of season in rout of Rockies

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. #96 hits a grand slam during the third inning, Image 2 shows George Lombard Jr. and Aaron Judge celebrate after Judge's grand slam

The Yankees arrived at Game 145 of the season having crushed 194 home runs, good for the fourth most in the majors, despite missing Aaron Judge for three months.

And yet, somewhat inexplicably, none of those 194 blasts had come with the bases loaded.

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George Lombard Jr. changed that Wednesday night, delivering the kind of juice that typically comes with grand slams as the Yankees’ first of the season gave way to a 6-1 win over the Rockies in The Bronx.

“Hopefully they come in bunches,” manager Aaron Boone said with a grin.

Judge, in his second game back from an extended stay on the injured list for a broken rib, recorded a pair of singles, one of which started the rally that led to Lombard’s first career grand slam in the third inning.

He played eight innings in right field before getting pinch run for in the bottom of the eighth as the Yankees (83-62) continue to build him up carefully while trying to chase down the division, remaining four games back of the Rays with 17 games to play while moving to four games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card.

George Lombard Jr. hits a grand slam during the third inning of the Yankees’ 6-1 win over the Rockies on Sept. 9, 2026 at the Stadium. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Luis García Jr. and Cody Bellinger added solo shots — the latter ensuring David Bednar did not have to pitch the ninth inning — as the Yankees improved to a season-hight 21 games above .500 on a day that began with news that Jazz Chisholm Jr. would require a stint on the injured list due to a right thumb sprain.

Will Warren pitched well again, holding the Rockies (55-90) to one run across six innings while striking out eight. It came five days after Warren tossed 2 ¹/₃ scoreless innings of relief against the Padres — offering a preview of what may be to come in the postseason before he returned to a starting role on Wednesday with an uptick in velocity for a third straight outing.

George Lombard Jr. celebrates with right fielder Aaron Judge after belting a grand slam during the third inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rockies. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post


Lombard became the second-youngest Yankee to hit a grand slam at 21 years and 99 days — only older than Mickey Mantle (who did it twice as a 20-year-old in 1952) — marking the latest feat for the shortstop who has continued to impress the organization both on and off the field.

“He’s young, but he carries himself like he’s been around for a long time,” Warren said. “The stuff that nobody really sees — grinding beforehand, and stuff like that — but even when he has a bad go, he’s professional about it and keeps going about his business. Like tonight, the grand slam to basically seal it off for us.”

Lombard has now been a big leaguer for just over a month, and while that included a six-game error streak and missing a series last week with a knee injury, he has calmly continued to make an impact.

“Just his maturity [stands out],” Boone said. “Physical kid, talented, I think he’s going to be a really good player in this league for a long time. But right now, it’s just his maturity. Doesn’t seem to speed up for him. He handles success and failures within the game, which you’re always going to have every single night, maturely.

“I feel like he’s found his rhythm, found his routine and he’s right in the middle of what we’re doing.”

In an odd outing, Rockies right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano retired the Yankees in order in four of his six innings.

Aaron Judge looks to the dugout after hitting a single, his second hit of the game, during the eighth inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rockies. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
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But in the other two, they made him pay, first on García’s leadoff home run in the second inning.

In the third, Judge came up with two outs and worked an eight-pitch at-bat that ended in a soft line drive to left, which García followed with a double and Spencer Jones an eight-pitch walk to load the bases.

Lombard then got a 1-0 slider down the middle and took it the other way into the short porch for the grand slam, his third career home run and the 5-0 lead.

In the process, he got the Yankees off the schneid as they threatened to become the first team in franchise history without a grand slam since 1990.

“It’s a big swing to put us in front and give us a good lead,” Lombard said. “[Sugano] has got a bunch of different pitches and gets a lot of weak contact, so just looking for something in the middle of the zone that I could drive.”

No Devers, no problem

Sep 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge (8) and center fielder Jonah Cox (53) embrace after scoring the tying runs against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was understandable to think a white flag was being waved when it was announced before Wednesday’s finale against St. Louis that Tony Vitello planned to rest Rafael Devers.

The veteran had played in 309 straight games. He had spent the past fortnight terrorizing opposing arms. The relationship pitchers had with Devers had the same off-kilter power dynamics as a tree and a lumberjack. His slugging percentage since August 24th is above .900., while his 1.411 OPS leads the Major Leagues. The prevailing joke around the water-cooler was he needed a rest because his arms were tired from carrying the team. 

Devers deserved a day off — even if it was a significant hit to the Giants’ chances of winning, and considerably lowered the average service time of the starting line-up considerably. Sans Devers, Jung Hoo Lee was the elder statesman with just two seasons worth of games (321) under his belt. Utility infielder Christian Koss possessed the second longest resume at just 132 MLB appearances. On paper — and on the field for most of the day — the Giants came off as headless and punch-less. Kids stacked on each other’s shoulders, wrapped in a trench coat and topped with a fedora. 

For 7.2 innings, 23 of 27 outs, playing big-leaguer went about as well as expected. Five runners reached base against St. Louis starter Andre Pallante, and just one first inning run scored. Their portfolio from the plate consisted of three singles, two of them by Koss, since the 1st. Pitching and defense suffered from an unsightly ooze of inexperience impossible to ignore. Starter Blade Tidwell, in his 15th career game and seventh start, was put to work by Cardinals bats. A mental error by Tidwell in the 3rd dominoed into a 3-run homer off the bat of Leo Bernal.

With one out, it looked as though Tidwell had Iván Herrera picked off at first base. Herrera left early, Tidwell stepped off and did as he was taught: run straight at the runner and force them to commit to a base. Tidwell was a bit overzealous in his pursuit. He ran too far and too close to Herrera before lobbing the ball to Koss, and his momentum took him across the basepath, allowing the runner to lunge into the pitcher, draw contact and coax an interference call. 

Herrera essentially drew a foul, and in doing so, changed the complexion of the whole inning. Instead of a rosy two outs and nobody on situation in a 1-1 game, Tidwell, noticeably frustrated, had the reminder of his mistake breathing down his neck at second base. The righty was forced to nibble to big Alec Burleson and eventually walked him. He doubled up on his 4-seam fastball to Bernal — flat and at the top of the zone —  and the catcher didn’t miss it. 

Tidwell lasted into the 5th, but a leadoff single, followed by a hit batter and a walk, ensured his early exit.  Lefty newcomer Philip Abner limited the damage to just one earned run in the frame, ending Tidwell’s day with 5 earned over 4+ innings pitched. The 25 year old has now allowed 5 or more runs in three of his seven starts and has yet to throw six complete frames.

The Cardinals would add on in the 6th after Jonah Cox, playing second base with just 13 prior innings at the position, forced an ill-advised throw to first on a softly hit ground ball off the bat of Nathan Church that skipped past Eldridge, bounded over the railing and disappeared into the camera well. The error unnecessarily pushed  a runner over to third, and promptly scored on a José Fermín sac fly. 

Mental and physical errors had inflated the Cardinals’ run total to six. The offense’s lone run felt distant. They had no dominating presence, not even a shade of Devers, in their line-up for the entire afternoon. By the 8th inning, when Koss flew out to center for the second out, the anticipated loss felt inevitable…

And somehow, 15 minutes later, the Giants had won. The Giants had five baserunners all game. Then, as if a switch was flipped, six reached in a row. Six scored. A 6-1 bummer into a miraculous 7-6 lead. Water into wine. A game-winning, sweep-securing rally completely conjured out of thin air. 

The six-run rally in the 8th grew from humble origins. Brett Harris, in his SF debut, barely flinched as he wore a 79 MPH breaking ball on his thigh. Five pitches later, Turner Hill walked to load the bases. Eldridge, responsible for the Giants only run, added two more by slapping an outside fastball through a hole where the shortstop usually stands. Right-hander George Soriano came in to face Cox, who made a poor bunt attempt on the first pitch and watched another go by. Down a quick 0-2 he lunged at a change-up, hitting it so poorly towards short that he easily legged out a single. Another run in, the tying run now on base…the inning began to feel different, like it had purpose, a direction, like it was building towards something. Rafael Devers loomed somewhere in the dugout as a potential pinch hitter, only to be used in extreme circumstances, in break-the-glass emergencies when one swing could change the outcome. But he wasn’t needed. Another power source was plugged into. 

Jung Hoo Lee worked the count full. He jumped all over an inside fastball, but got it too early, lining it off the right-field bricks well-wide of the foul pole. He shrugged off the disappointment, collected himself back in the box, and jumped all over the subsequent slider for a game-tying double. A pitch later Shay Whitcomb ambushed a first-pitch fastball, scoring Lee and earning the infielder his second game-winning knock of the series.

Thin air might not be fair. While Devers has hogged all the attention, Eldridge has put together an impressive 18 game on-base streak of his own in which he’s hitting .364 with 13 BB,  19 RBI, and 1.002 OPS. It hasn’t necessarily been dominated by displays of power (2 HR in 18 games), but by a much more disciplined approach in the box. Both of his run-scoring hits this afternoon went to the opposite field. And Lee, while struggling overall as of late, has continued to be a menace with two outs. His .383 batting average continues to lead the Majors.

And after Tidwell, a trio of cobbled-together relievers did a nice job of keeping St. Louis within reach of a miracle.

As I mentioned before, Abner gladly traded a run for two outs with a double play ball in the 5th. He needed just four-pitches to get out of that mess, and limited the damage inflicted by Cox’s throwing error in the 6th — both key moments that helped make the 8th inning rally possible. Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson came out of the pen for the first time, pitching a scoreless 7th and 8th, while earning his first career win. And Trent Harris recorded his first save with just six pitches, working around a lead-off single by with a 6-4-3 double play off the bat off pinch-hitter, Jordan Walker.

The first real series sweep of the year. Not stoked that I had to wait until September for it — but at least they delivered it in style.

Braves continue to show a ton of effort with little reward in loss to Rays

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 9: Jonathan Aranda #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays fields a pop fly in the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on September 9, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

For the second straight night, the Atlanta Braves received a frustrating beating from the Tampa Bay Rays and for the third straight day, the offense didn’t have a lot of success at the plate. This time, it was a 7-2 loss for the Braves that doomed them to an ill-timed series loss.

Things stayed scoreless in this one for precisely one inning before the Rays proceeded to pick up where they left off following Monday night’s loss for the Braves. Reynaldo López had seen the minimum four batters before running into Victor Mesa Jr. with one out in the second and Mesa put Tampa Bay on thte board in a loud way with a deep shot to right center that broke the deadlock. López got to two outs and he was actually one strike away from getting out of the second inning with just the one run allowed. That is, until old friend Jorge Mateo managed to take the end of the bat and poke a slider out into the grass for a two-RBI backbreaker of a single.

Reynaldo López found himself in further trouble in the fourth inning. That’s when each of the first four Rays batters he saw in that frame all reached base safely. Three singles and a walk and suddenly the Rays had pushed ahead to a five-run lead. A sacrifice bunt from Jorge Mateo and a sacrifice fly from Yandy Diaz later, the Rays were up by six thanks to some steady hitting and productive outs. That’s good for them but not-so-good for all the folks here on this website who are cheering on the Atlanta Braves!

Fortunately, we finally saw some signs of life from Atlanta’s offense against Griffin Jax. Drake Baldwin got a sinker that he liked and drove it to center for a big solo homer that put the Braves on the board. Sure, it was only 6-1 but hey, that’s a sign of life! Anyways, not much happened after that and the Braves had to settle for only chipping away with one run at the time.

Once Griffin Jax mercifully exited the game ahead of the sixth inning, the Braves did get a little something going at the plate against Rays reliever Ty Johnson. The rookie was making his second big league appearance and Atlanta greeted him somewhat rudely after Drake Baldwin coaxed a walk out of him and then Ronald Acuña Jr. laced one into right center for a double. Matt Olson brought home Baldwin with a sacrifice fly and that was when Tampa Bay went to their bullpen in order to not let this one even get close to getting out of hand. Sure enough, Cam Booser struck out Michael Harris II to end the scoring threat right then and there.

By this the seventh inning, Reynaldo López had been long gone from the game and Ray Kerr had done a very good job of getting through an inning-and-a-third before handing the baton off to Victor Mederos. Unfortuantely, Mederos was unable to keep things from getting even rougher. Mederos hit Jonathan Aranda with a pitch and then gave up two straight singles in order to make it a 7-2 contest. The next two batters were retired in order but the Rays had gotten that run back from the sixth inning so they were plenty satisfied. They were even more satisfied after Cole Sulser retired the Braves in order in the bottom half of the seventh.

The only drama left in this one was whether or not the roach that invaded the TV booth at Truist Park would poke their head out to wreak some more havoc. Either that or if any of the Braves could hit the beer cup tower in the Chop House with a dinger. There was no such luck and the Braves went down quietly in a 7-2 series loss to the Rays.

Notably, the Braves had 11 separate batted balls above 95-mph that ended up turning into outs during tonight’s contest. They had 12 separate instances on Tuesday night, so that’s now 23 bullets the Braves have peppered out there that ended up turning into outs instead of hits. Mauricio Dubón’s final out of the game was hit at 99.4 mph and he snapped a bat over his knee in frustration, so that tells you where the Braves are at right now when it comes to their batted ball luck.

Atlanta has now lost three straight games and their lead in the division is down to three games after the Phillies evened up their series with the Astros in Philadelphia. With the Phillies coming to town this weekend, it’s certainly ideal for Atlanta to at least make sure that they’ll retain a three-game lead heading into that series so hopefully we’ll see something better from the Braves tomorrow afternoon.

The matinee contest will get going at 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, as Martín Pérez will be going for a bounce-back start opposite of Tampa Bay starting pitcher Nick Martinez.

George Lombard Jr.’s first career grand slam powers Yankees win

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees connects a grand slam against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning at Yankee Stadium on September 09, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images

If I asked you before the season, “Who would hit the Yankees’ first grand slam of the season?”, I’m sure I’d have gotten plenty of answers. Most of them would be some form of Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton, maybe a Ben Rice or Trent Grisham or Jazz Chisholm Jr., but I don’t think anyone would’ve had the gall to say George Lombard Jr.

For a long time, it actually seemed like the answer would be “nobody”. After all, we had gotten to September without a grand slam, something that seems unfathomable for a slugging team like this. With the bases loaded this season, the Yankees were slashing just .255/.331/.302 in 133 plate appearances entering play, but that line got a boost tonight.

Lombard, who hasn’t hit very well since a tremendous first week in the majors, blasted his first major league grand slam in the third inning to blow things open in the Bronx on a day that also saw a quality start from Will Warren and the first two hits off the injured list by Aaron Judge in a 6-1 win.

Warren got things going with a mostly quiet first inning, pitching around a two-out walk to T.J. Rumfield. The most bewildering part of this game came early, as Tomoyuki Sugano, a man who generates fewer whiffs, chases, and strikeouts than almost any starter in the majors, tore through the top of the Yankees’ order. Six whiffs, four chases, and three strikeouts on 13 pitches. Woof.

Warren responded to his masterful first by tossing an even better inning, striking out the side on just 12 pitches to immediately give the bats a chance to make up for it. It took just three pitches into the second for someone to pounce, as Luis García Jr. walloped a 2-0 sinker into the right-field bleachers for his 29th homer of the season to make it 1-0 Yankees.

The Yankees nearly got some more that frame on a pair of walks by Spencer Jones and Austin Wells, but a frozen rope lineout by José Caballero stranded them. Warren got into trouble in the third after a leadoff double by Connor Norby and a walk to Zac Veen, but got a gift when Jake McCarthy inexplicably tried to bunt on 0-2, killing the Rockies’ rally as Warren got the next two to keep the Rox off the board.

That’d be pretty important because of a two-out rally the Yankees would go on. Aaron Judge got his first hit off the injured list in a pretty long at-bat and got to third on a rope of a double by García. With two in scoring position and two outs, Spencer Jones worked an eight-pitch walk to load the bases. All of that would set up the rookie Lombard, who got a hanging 1-0 slider and flicked it the other way for a big grand slam into the short porch to break the game open.

Now pitching with a big lead, Warren filled up the strike zone and got the next four outs with no trouble. Colorado would answer back in the fifth on a one-out homer by Norby and a pair of singles to flip the lineup over, suddenly putting the tying run on deck with nobody out. Needing to make a big pitch, Warren got Cole Carrigg to roll over a first-pitch sinker into an inning-ending 3-6-1 double play to extinguish the threat.

From there, the game would go into a bit of a slumber. Sugano, after allowing five runs in the first 2.2 innings, retired 10 in a row to end his outing with one of those old-school six-inning, five-run outings. Warren would get through six himself, tossing a second straight quality start and inching his ERA down to 4.05. He’s seemed to find it over the last few outings, something everyone in the organization is excited to see down the stretch.

John Schreiber and Juan Mejia got the ball first in their respective bullpens, both tossing 1-2-3 seventh innings. Paul Blackburn would get the eighth for the Yanks and pitch around a two-out walk thanks to a spectacular grab by Caballero at second base.

Looking for insurance to ensure David Bednar doesn’t come into the game, Cody Bellinger ripped a 3-1 hanging sweeper into the short porch for his 13th home run of the season to make it 6-1. A bullet single by Judge ended his night on a high note, and Jones doubled into the right-field corner, but the two were stranded sending this game to the bottom of the ninth.

Michael Fulmer was tasked with doing what Tim Hill couldn’t the night before: closing this out without needing Bednar to come in. He got some help with a great diving play by Lombard to start the inning and struck out Mickey Moniak, but, like Hill the night before, gave up a two-out baserunner with a triple by Kyle Karros. But Fulmer rebounded to induce a game-ending groundout from Brett Sullivan to play Sinatra.

The Braves were once again no help at all, losing to the Rays for a second straight night. The good news? Not only is the magic number for clinching a playoff spot down to five, but Boston lost the series to the Angels, restoring the four-game cushion the Yankees had after winning that series just under two weeks ago.

The Yankees will go for the sweep tomorrow night against the Rockies at 7:05 pm. It’ll be Max Fried (on a TBD pitch count) against Ryan Feltner at 7:05 EST on YES.

Box Score

A third-inning grand slam sinks Rockies in 6-1 loss to the Yankees

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of the Colorado Rockies reacts on the mound after surrendering a grand slam against George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees in the third inning of the game at Yankee Stadium on September 09, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Despite a night that featured some quality pitching from both teams, the Colorado Rockies dropped their 90th game of the season as they couldn’t recover from a third-inning grand slam. The Yankees have now won the series as the Rockies continue to struggle with putting the ball in play and taking advantage of scoring opportunities.

One grand mistake for Tomo

Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) has not always had the best outings against the New York Yankees in his Major League Baseball career. He entered the night with a 6.19 ERA in four starts against the Yankees over eight innings.

The night started on a high note as Sugano struck out the side in the bottom of the first inning on 13 pitches. Unfortunately, Luis García Jr. blasted a belt-high sinker for his 29th home run of the season to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Sugano then fell into a trap that has hurt him over the last month as he started to labor in the second inning. Despite throwing nearly 30 pitches in the inning and issuing walks to Spencer Jones and Austin Wells, Sugano escaped without further damage.

He seemed to rebound in the third inning, quickly retiring the first two batters of the inning. However, things quickly unraveled as Aaron Judge singled and García Jr. hit a double into the right-field corner. Sugano then walked Jones again to load the bases. That set the table for George Lombard Jr. to sneak a grand slam over the right field walk to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead.

For Sugano, that was just the second time this season the bases had become loaded against him and just the second time in his professional career that he’s given up a grand slam, the other coming in 2022. For the Yankees, Lombard Jr. became the youngest Yankee to ever hit a grand slam at home.

Ever the professional, Sugano settled in and retired the final nine batters he faced. Aside from the third inning, it was another strong outing for Sugano. He ended up throwing 99 pitches over six innings, allowing five runs on just four hits, including the two home runs. He also tallied five strikeouts while issuing three walks.

Warren of Attrition

Ignoring the grand slam, the game had a sense of a pitchers duel between the two starters as Will Warren was particularly dominant for the Yankees.

The Rockies certainly had a few chances to make it a closer game. In the top of the third inning, the Rockies got the first two men on base. However, Jake McCarthy struck out on a foul bunt, followed by a swinging strikeout of Cole Carrigg. TJ Rumfield — who drew his 67th walk in the first inning to tie Dexter Fowler’s rookie record — then popped out in foul territory on a highlight-reel catch by Ryan McMahon.

The Rockies then had something cooking in the fifth inning after a one-out home run followed by singles from Zac Veen and McCarthy. Warren escaped any danger by getting Carrigg to bounce into a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning.

Warren breezed through six innings, allowing just one run on four hits. The Rockies’ strikeout issues continued as he tallied eight strikeouts against two walks while throwing 95 pitches, 65 for strikes.

Yankees add on in the eighth

After the double-play in the top of the fifth, there wouldn’t be another base runner for either team until Carrigg drew a walk with two outs in the top of the eighth. There were 18 consecutive batters retired between the two teams. Rumfield almost had the first hit since McCarthy’s single in the fifth, but Jose Caballero made a nice leaping grab to rob the hit.

After a quick seventh inning, Rockies reliever Juan Mejia came back out to face the top of the Yankees order in the eighth. The Yankees finally found a way to add on to their lead when Cody Bellinger hit a line drive that carried out to right field for a Yankee Stadium home run, making it 6-1. Judge then collected his second single of the game, followed by a one-out double from Jones, but Mejia escaped without any further damage.

Notable Norby offense

The offensive bright spot for the Rockies came courtesy of Connor Norby. He ended up going 2-for-3 batting out of the eight-spot in the lineup. He collected the team’s first hit with his double in the third and then scored the Rockies’ lone run with a home run in the fifth inning. Since joining the Rockies, Norby is slashing .280/.372/.463 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 82 at-bats.

As for the rest of the Rockies, the team collected five total hits, including a Kyle Karros triple in the ninth, while striking out 11 times with three walks. They also went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

Up next

The Rockies will look to avoid the sweep Thursday evening against the Yankees. Ryan Feltner will take the hill for the Rockies while Max Fried toes the rubber for New York.

First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 pm MDT.


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