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Mauricio Dubón continues to be a lethal and versatile weapon for the Atlanta Braves.

Making a fairly rare start in center field for Friday’s series opener at the Philadelphia Phillies as the Braves elected to sit Michael Harris II against a left-handed starter, Dubón paid off that decision with a leaping catch in the outfield and, more importantly, an insurance homer late in Atlanta’s 5-2 win over the Phillies.

With the Braves clinging to a 3-2 lead after escaping a few jams where the Phillies threatened to tie the game or take the lead, Dubón followed Mike Yastrzemski’s one-out walk with a 390-foot two-run blast to left for his 11th homer of the season.

Dubón finished the night with two hits, two runs and two RBIs.

The Braves (84-57) didn’t end up needing the insurance as a rested bullpen didn’t allow a single baserunner over the final three innings after Chris Sale’s strong start. But it still allowed for some breathing room which made for a less stressful conclusion

The win pushed the Braves’ record against the Phillies to 6-1 and their NL East lead to five games. It also means that if Atlanta wins one of its final six games against Philadelphia, it will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker should the teams end up tied in the standings.

The Braves came up empty in the first inning despite Ronald Acuña Jr.’s first-pitch double to right-center to lead off the game.

But Atlanta would not be denied in the second inning. After Lane Thomas walked and Dubón singled to begin the inning, the bottom of the order came through with some situational hitting. Austin Riley opened the scoring with an RBI single to right, and Ha-Seong Kim followed with an RBI groundout to make it 2-0.

Acuña then came through for the second time in as many innings, this time with a two-out RBI single to score Riley and extend the Atlanta lead to 3-0.

Unfortunately for the Braves, that proved to be all they could manage against Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez. Starting with the final out of the second inning, he faced 13 of the final 16 batters he faced, giving up three runs on five hits over six innings with five strikeouts and three walks.

Still, Sánchez took his second loss to the Braves in as many starts this season, accounting for 40% of his five losses this campaign.

The Phillies gradually chipped into that deficit behind a pair of moments from Alec Bohm, who delivered an RBI double in the second inning and a wall-scraper of a solo homer in the fourth inning — the first homer Sale had allowed since July 4.

Sale, though, ensured Atlanta would remain ahead when he exited the game after six innings thanks to some impressive resolve.

The Phillies put two runners in scoring position with two outs in the fifth, but Sale got Bryce Harper to pop out to third base to end the threat.

Philadelphia again put the tying run in scoring position with a leadoff double from Luis Arráez in the sixth, but Sale retired the next three batters, the last two by strikeout, to end his outing.

Sale gave up two runs on six hits, striking out seven and walking one.

Acuña added a third hit, an infield single, in the seventh inning. He now has three three-hit games in his last seven appearances after he had none in his first 81 games of the season.

Paired with the Dubón homer, Didier Fuentes and Raisel Iglesias ensured there would be no late-inning drama. Fuentes retired all six batters he faced over the seventh and eighth innings on 21 pitches (18 strikes). Iglesias worked a 1-2-3 ninth with a pair of strikeouts to register his 30th save of the season.

A win in the opener takes some of the pressure off for the Braves. They now need to win just one of the next three games to ensure a split with the Phillies in this road four-game set and keep their division lead at least as large as it was entering the weekend.

They’ll look to secure that Saturday night with Martín Pérez (8-8, 3.05 ERA) facing off against Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler (11-5, 3.31).

The Dodgers and Nationals continue their weekend series on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.

Tyler Glasnow is on the mound for the Dodgers, making his first home start since returning from the injured list. Right-hander Cade Cavalli starts for the Nationals.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Nationals
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 6:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

All that Walker Buehler has done since the 2021 season has been a far cry from the best version of himself—dazzling as one of the sport’s most dominant starters in his early years with the Dodgers. Yet, it’s been in that period that Buehler, against the Yankees, has written his most important chapters. While the current offense may feel good about their chances against the Buehler we’ve seen in 2026, he doesn’t invoke good memories in this particular matchup given what happened in the 2024 World Series.

A year later, though, albeit in a far less impactful environment, the Yankees got their pound of flesh against Buehler—scoring nine runs in just four innings—twice beating him in the middle of a horrific one-year campaign with the Red Sox. They’ll look to replicate that and start off on the right foot in this weekend series versus the Padres.

Now back in the NL West, Buehler hasn’t struggled as heavily as he did with the Red Sox and is actually coming off a solid month of August, with a 3.16 ERA in six starts. Buehler will face off against Max Fried, which for the average baseball fan may cause a bit of dejà vu, reminiscing on those playoff duels between the two in 2020, back when they played for the Braves and Dodgers.

Another interesting aspect of this matchup is the vast difference in lineup construction between the two teams, with each already leaning to their natural tendencies, the Yankees flooding theirs with eight left-handed hitters and just a single righty, while the Friars roll out with seven right-handers and just two lefties against Fried. After presenting reverse splits last season, Fried has absolutely massacred the same-side hitters this season, yet to allow a home run against a lefty in 16 starts.

For the Yankees’ offense, don’t look now, but they come into this game having scored a total of 39 runs in their last five games. As promising as that stretch is, we must exercise caution considering how many of these runs came after the Red Sox inexplicably quit earlier than you’d expect in a crucial game—not to mention the benefit of facing the Angels, who aren’t likely to be confused with an outstanding pitching staff between now and the end of the season.

How to watch

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, CA

First pitch: 7:40 pm ET

TV/Streaming: YES, Padres.TV

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 – NYY | KWFN 97.3, XEMO 860 – SD

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

We got a win yesterday! A great way to start off the series in Seattle and the A’s are riding a two-game winning streak. They’ll hope to make it three in a row this evening in the second of four games against the division-rival Mariners.

Before we get to the starters and lineups, the A’s announced a notable roster move just an hour or so ago. The team is demoting pitcher Jack Perkins to Triple-A, replacing him with Joey Estes:

The move doesn’t have any direct impact on tonight’s game but it’s still notable. Perkins has been a starting pitcher for the better part of the past two months after beginning the year in a relief role. Neither situation seemed to work out for the right-hander as he struggled all season long. The A’s were content to let him try to work through things at the big league level but just couldn’t continue trotting him out there when he’s not ready. He’ll remain in Triple-A for probably the rest of the year before trying to regain his spot on the roster next Spring.

Estes meanwhile looks likely to get another look in the big leagues as a starter. He’s made one start for the big league team this year, pitching 4 1/3 innings of four-run ball against the Rockies in Sacramento. The righty has otherwise spent the entirety of the year with the Aviators. In 17 starts he’s sporting a nasty 6.88 ERA with nearly as many walks (44) as strikeouts (65) in just 85 innings of work. Doesn’t hurt to take another look at him in the big leagues though. This might be his last chance to reestablish himself with the A’s.

Back to tonight’s contest. Taking the ball this evening for the Green & Gold will be right-hander Kade Morris. Considered one of the better pitching prospects in the Athletics’ farm system, Morris made his big league debut earlier this year. That did not go well at all for the young righty as Houston shelled him for nine runs in his first appearance. He was soon optioned but has returned a couple times to the big league team as a bulk reliever. Tonight he gets another shot at starting. How will he do in his second chance as a starting pitcher?

Here’s how the Athletics will line up for the second game in Seattle:

The usual top of the lineup these days with Henry Bolte, Jeff McNeil, Zack Gelof and Lawrence Butler occupying the top four spots in the order. McNeil and Gelof will make up the corner infield duo while Bolte and Butler remain in their usual defensive spots.

The left-handed Carlos Cortes draws the start in left field tonight against a right-handed starter on the opposing mound. Jonah Heim is back behind the plate after a half-day yesterday. Max Muncy is back in the lineup again as tonight’s DH. And our double play combo tonight is Alika Williams and Donovan Walton.

Meanwhile the M’s will have righty Logan Gilbert on the mound for them in this one. The 29-year-old has been consistently solid for Seattle this year, posting a 3.42 ERA through 27 starts. That’s solid production for them and he’s a big reason why they’re in the playoff hunt. He’s pitched twice against the A’s this season, first allowing three runs in just four innings way back in April before pitching six shutout frames at the end of May. Which pitcher will show up tonight to take on the short-handed A’s?

And the Seattle starting nine:

Three in a row? That’d be the first time for the A’s since June. Time to make it happen. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics -Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

Luke Weaver has an explanation for his struggles since arriving in Pittsburgh.

And it’s a pretty good one.

The ex-Mets reliever, who was dealt to the Pirates at the trade deadline, revealed this week that he has been battling a “severe” case of poison ivy for nearly a month.

“I’ve had my own set of personal challenges over the last month, and I’ve kept them to myself, but at the end of the day, I’ve had almost a month worth of severe poison ivy,” Weaver told DK Pittsburgh Sports on Thursday.

Weaver said the issue began in Miami in August, shortly after he joined the Pirates, when he brushed up against a bush.

“To the point where I’ve just been in hives over my entire lower body,” Weaver said. “Brushed up against a bush and my body went into a really bad state. I’ve been fighting my own personal battle with sleep. I haven’t slept in about a month, I wake up a lot. But that’s my own deal. I’m trying to find ways every single day.”

Weaver, traded for the Pirates’ No. 9 prospect, infielder Sammy Stafura, has posted a 5.79 ERA across 10 appearances since the deal. 

Before leaving the Big Apple, Weaver had a sparkling 1.84 ERA over 44 innings for the Mets.

“It’s been tough,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said, per MLB.com. “He got a really bad case of it. Just navigating that in a way, trying to help him. I know our medical staff has tried to help him as much as possible to get rid of it. It’s been tough to kick. It was a really tough case. He’s doing a lot better now.

“It’s been going on for a little while.”

Shohei Ohtani is again out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for Friday's series opener against the Washington Nationals amid lingering inflammation in his right bicep and soreness in his neck. It marks the first time all season that the Dodgers' two-way superstar has missed back-to-back games.

Manager Dave Roberts described Ohtani's off day in Thursday's 3-2 walkoff win over the St. Louis Cardinals as a "spa day" that provided just as much of a mental break – Ohtani went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in a loss Wednesday, Sept. 2 – as it did a physical one. With a second day off Friday, Sept. 4, Roberts mentioned he can possibly start moving his body without the pressure of having to prepare to hit leadoff.

"A lot of players, when they're not feeling well physically, it adds to the toll mentally and emotionally," Roberts told reporters pregame. "So I think that Shohei is just kind of like that, like most players."

Tommy Edman will bat leadoff for the Dodgers against the Nationals, with Alex Call sliding into the DH spot.

A.J. Ewing got what interim manager Andy Green called a “reset” Friday, as the rookie center fielder’s season has gone a bit sideways in the second half. 

Ewing wasn’t in the lineup against San Francisco left-hander Matt Wilkinson, even though the lefty-swinging Ewing has better numbers versus lefties than righties. 

Green said it was a “48-hour reset to get going again” coming off Thursday’s off day in the schedule. 

Ewing said he understood the decision. 

“I’m ready to go, for sure, but taking a second to watch and learn can help sometimes,’’ Ewing said prior to the Mets’ 10-6 win over the Giants. “You pick up things whenever you watch, so it can work.” 

Ewing’s issues at the plate date back to right around the All-Star break. 

After putting up an .805 OPS over his first 55 games following his May call-up from Triple-A Syracuse — where Ewing played just 12 games — the 22-year-old has been in a funk offensively. 

Entering Friday, he had put up just a .494 OPS in his previous 44 games. Only Washington’s Namim Núñez has been worse. 

He’s also struck out at a 28.2 percent clip in that stretch — a number that typically is more associated with power hitters. 

“I think he’s going to come around,’’ one National League scout said. “His speed and athleticism are too good and with his defense, he doesn’t have to hit a ton. But the strikeouts are a worry. That’s not who he should be.” 

Ewing has a few weeks to end his first season in the majors on a high note and insisted Friday his confidence hasn’t slipped. 

“One thing I understand is the person going through anything like this right now is the same person that was going the other way [in the first half],’’ Ewing said of his drop-off in production. “This stuff happens and as much as I want to say it’s never going to happen again, it’s going to happen again. But I’m going to get out of this.” 

Green, who inserted another rookie, Nick Morabito, into the lineup Friday, struck a similar note regarding Ewing’s future — despite the prolonged slump. 

“We know there’s more in there from him in the batter’s box than we’re seeing right now,’’ Green said. “We’ve seen it. Like anybody else, he’s trying to get hits and sometimes you have to take a breath and trust how good you are and the work you’ve put in. He’s a guy we believe in to an incredibly high degree going forward. This will serve him well in the long run.” 

At various points of what’s been a lost season in Queens, the Mets could at least say they believed they had found long-term answers in both center and right field with Ewing and fellow rookie Carson Benge. 

Ewing’s rough patch since the break has cast some doubt on that, but the NL scout said these could be natural ups and downs from a player who played just two full seasons in the minors before his MLB debut. 

“Maybe it will serve him well,’’ the scout said. “Better now than when they’re playing for something.”

If you are a Mariners fan, there’s a strong chance someone in your life has recently sent you a reel by the comic Jordan Jensen in which Jensen tells a story about being at the Sunday August 13th Yankees game and seeing Julio Rodríguez throw a ball into the stands and allegedly kill a pigeon. If you haven’t seen the reel yet, it’s worth a watch; you can see it, titled “The Perfect Throw” here.

As I watched the reel, my first thought – as I’m sure it was for many of you – was absolutely no way. It’s too good a story, too neat a parallel to the infamous Randy Johnson dead dove incident, and most importantly, too much Mariners as central character. Surely this was exaggerated for the bit. So because I am a Serious Journalist, I asked Julio about it, just hours after the reel was distributed to Jensen’s 822 thousand followers on Instagram.

Julio, who hadn’t seen the reel yet, watched through it with me, rolling his eyes at Jensen’s lengthy discussion of what a “Mariner” actually is (“that’s not funny”), but appreciative of the way Jensen characterized his throw and interaction with the crowd (“Of course I throw a ball to the kids. Of course I do that.”). But when we hit the actual part of the story with the pigeon, Julio had some corrections.

The first point of contention: the death of the pigeon.

“No way,” said Julio immediately at that part of the video. “No, no, no. No way.”

According to Julio, the ball did strike the pigeon—one of a flock circling around the outfield hoping to scavenge a snack in the late innings of a day game—and the pigeon fell, but it was concussed, not dead, and certainly not obliterated in a Randy Johnson-style poof of feathers.

Mariners bullpen catcher Justin Novak, who was in the bullpen at the time, backs up Julio’s story, saying the grounds crew came and picked up the pigeon and deposited it in a shaded spot in the Mariners bullpen, under an overhanging bit of wall, where the bird could let the shock wear off. It remained there through the end of the game, with members of the bullpen checking in on it occasionally.

“It was just sitting there like, bro, what?” says Novak.

“But as far as we know, that pigeon is fine.”

However, both Julio and Novak say the part about the crowd chanting “pigeon killer” at Rodríguez is accurate, and backed up by film. You can see him being playful with the crowd in the next inning after a routine flyout from Trent Grisham, the only ball that would reach him in the outfield for the rest of the afternoon:

“They were shouting ‘pigeon killer!’ said Novak. “And like, ‘we love pigeons!’”, proving the biggest liars in this story are the Yankees fans themselves.

So no, Julio Rodríguez did not kill a pigeon. However, this shouldn’t stop you from modernizing one of the greatest couples costumes of all time and going as Julio and the Pigeon this Halloween.

New York Yankees (80-60) at San Diego Padres (73-67), September 4, 2026, 6:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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The Mets’ young outfield group has difference-making potential.

In a mostly lost season, there have been emergences in both the rotation and bullpen that provide hope for 2027 and beyond. 

Which is part of why much of David Stearns’ time Friday afternoon during his homestand availability was spent discussing what has gone wrong (plenty) and right (a bit) with the club’s infield. 

With the exception of Bo Bichette — who would plug in as the everyday third baseman if he opts in for next season, a contractual decision that Stearns said he has not discussed with the infielder — Stearns provided hints at how the Mets’ infield could look next season, including: 

Despite a rough defensive season, Francisco Lindor will be the everyday shortstop in 2027.

In just about every metric, from the traditional (10 errors in his first 82 games) to the more advanced (ranking 52nd among 62 shortstops who had logged at least 150 innings this season in Defensive Runs Saved), Lindor has taken a step back defensively. 

The position is mostly patrolled by younger kids, and Lindor turns 33 in November. The only players who are older and have spent most of their time at shortstop this year are Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Trea Turner. 

Lindor’s glove has regressed, with several booted balls, including Tuesday at Tropicana Field, but perhaps more notably, his sprint speed is down for a third straight season, falling from 28.1 feet per second in 2023 in his fastest one-second window in 2023 to 26.8 feet this season. 

But there is “no question” the normally steady and two-time Gold Glover will be the Mets shortstop next year, Stearns said. 

“Certainly a few more mistakes than we’re accustomed to seeing,” Stearns allowed before the Mets began a series with the Giants at Citi Field. “I think a lot of the underlying stuff is still pretty good. And uncharacteristically, he just hasn’t completed some of the plays that he normally completes. 

“I really don’t think there’s anything more in there than that. And I think we’re going to be looking at a shortstop next year who completes those plays at the rate we’re usually seeing him complete.” 

Marcus Semien is a “steadying force” but has not been steady at the plate.

In evaluating Semien’s season, Stearns praised the second baseman in just about every way except his bat. 

The 14-year veteran is a “consummate professional” who “does post every day,” “works incredibly hard,” and is “still a really good defender,” Stearns said. 

But such attributes are secondary considering Semien entered play with a .632 OPS that ranked 138th among 142 qualified hitters. 

“The offensive performance in its totality this year hasn’t been what he wants, hasn’t been what we would want,” Stearns said. “We’ve seen flashes.” 

Not enough of them in Semien’s first season in Queens after being swapped for Brandon Nimmo, who has hit better (.761 OPS) with the Rangers but had a lengthier contract and blocked outfield spots that are being used on Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing. 

It is possible the Mets consider competition — either established major leaguers or rising prospects — for the second baseman next season, but Stearns did not sound as if he was about to recommend the club eat the $46 million due Semien over the next two years. 

“Who he is as a person, how he’s contributed to our team, from a work-ethic standpoint,” Stearns said, “it’s been outstanding.” 

Jorge Polanco’s status: “TBD” 

Brought in to assume the bulk of the work Pete Alonso left behind, Polanco played two games at first base and will enter next spring as a mystery defensively. 

Having undergone ankle surgery last month for an injury that hampered him all season, Polanco’s status defensively will be “TBD,” Stearns said, until the Mets see how he is moving and how he recovers. 

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Jorge is he’s going to work incredibly hard to do everything in his power to be a good player for us next year,” Stearns said. “I think he will be.” 

Owed $23 million next year, Polanco’s would be a difficult contract to move, especially because his bat — which most attracted the Mets — never awoke, perhaps because of the ankle, hitting .148 with a .431 OPS in 37 games. 

“Clearly it did not work out the way we anticipated this year,” Stearns said. 

Jared Young’s modest breakout “is real.” 

Polanco’s brutal season has opened a door that Young stepped through. 

A 31-year-old who had not proven himself in the majors and played in South Korea in 2024, Young has held his own defensively at first base and hit well enough — particularly against righties, against whom he entered play with a .799 OPS and eight homers in 243 plate appearances — to make himself an option for next season, maybe as half of a platoon at first. 

“This is a good hitter, and it’s someone who we thought of as a good hitter going back to last year,” Stearns said. “We just couldn’t get him the consistent runway at the big league level. 

“But he’s done it for a prolonged stretch now. We think it’s real — he controls the strike zone well, he gives you constantly good at-bats, he understands game situations. He’s a good player, and I think he’s demonstrated that.” 

The St. Louis Cardinals head east from California, but not that far east as they’ll land in Denver on Friday for a weekend series against the Colorado Rockies. Andre Pallante returns from the injured list to the mound for the Cardinals while the Rockies will give the ball to Ryan Feltner. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.

Stupid Tigers blow a 5 run lead.

Oh well, just win Jays and continue to win and it doesn’t matter what the stupid Tigers do.

Jameson Taillon is back up to start tonight. Tiedemann is back in Buffalo. I’m sad about that.

Daniel Lynch the 4th starts for the Royals (didn’t he do Twin Peaks?).

And Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage are both throwing on flat ground, throwing from the mound is the next step. And, as always, Anthony Santander is almost ready to play rehab games, until the next setback.

Go Jays Go