BOSTON — Major League Baseball moved a regular-season series finale between the Red Sox and Chicago Cubs from Fenway Park to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, because of a weekend storm threat in the Boston area.
The original schedule had a three-game series between the playoff-bound teams with games Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Because of the forecast of heavy rains and high wind gusts, MLB on Wednesday rescheduled Sunday’s game as part of a doubleheader Friday.
After the Red Sox won the first game of the doubleheader 4-3, MLB announced Saturday’s game had been moved to the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Both teams planned to travel to Florida after Friday’s second game.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy told his team on Thursday to pack for an 11-day trip, just to be sure. Boston plays at the New York Yankees in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday.
“Pack for the next week and a half and be ready to roll,” Tracy recalled telling his players. “It’s strange. You usually know who you’re going to play and when you’re going to lay them. ... At least we’re prepared to leave.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 07: Michael McGreevy #36 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on September 07, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals begin the final series of their season Friday night in Milwaukee as Michael McGreevy is the scheduled starter. The Brewers will send Robert Gasser to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm at American Family Field and the game broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.
Sean Burke takes the hill in a game with massive playoff implications.
Well, well, well what do we have here? The same Chicago White Sox team that blew a six-run lead just last week has now roared back to life, winning four of its last five. Unfortunately, the Cleveland Guardians are still selling their souls to win every game they play, but that streak will eventually run out … right?
Either way, the White Sox have a three-game homestand to end the season against the worst team in baseball. If they can manage a sweep and the Kansas City Royals can avoid one of their own, the division is ours. Granted, the division would be already wrapped up if the White Sox hadn’t mostly sleepwalked through September, but what are you going to do?
The South Siders have clinched a playoff spot after years of despair, and now the ball is in their court to end the season on a high note. Standing, or more acting as a traffic cone in their way, are the Colorado Rockies. To put it simply, the Rockies are pathetic and their pitching staff is the worst in the majors by a wide margin. It’s not a surprise for a franchise that’s been struggling for relevance since 2018, and the Rockies have looked like they’ve wanted to go home since the All-Star break if we’re being honest.
All that lines up for a golden opportunity for the White Sox, but we’ve seen this all before. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and make sure the guys who are now likely extremely hungover can get the job done.
Starting for the Colorado Rockies is Tomoyuki Sugano, who may be the most confusing pitcher in history. He has a 5.36 ERA but an 12-11 record for a 102-loss team. He’s gone winless in his last seven starts, with six losses and an ERA over eight. Somehow, in the eight games before that, he had a ERA of more than 5 yet went 6-1 over that stretch.
For as bad as Sugano has been lately, he did give up just one hit and one run in his last outing against the Seattle Mariners. Somehow, the Rockies play well when he pitches, so this isn’t the “easy win” it should be on paper.
As for the White Sox, they are throwing out Sean Burke. Burke has been a stud for most of the season and while his record (3-1) over his last seven starts has been solid, his ERA of more than five has left plenty to be desired. Thanks to their own actions, the margin for error for the White Sox is nonexistent, so Burke will need to be sharp so the White Sox can get ahead early.
This is usually the part where I make a prediction and say what I think is going to happen, but I truly don’t know any longer. This team looked dead to rights after one of the worst blown leads I’ve seen in a while just last week, but somehow they’ve picked themselves up off the mat.
This Chicago team is just as likely to lose by 10 as they are to put up 20 runs, so I might as well just say to tune in. If it’s like any of the previous 159 games, it’ll be an entertaining game one way or another.
Now, would somebody PLEASE beat the Guardians?
Here is the lineup for the Chicago White Sox:
Here is the lineup for the Colorado Rockies:
First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN Chicago 1000. Drop your predictions and thoughts down below!
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 25: Pete Alonso #25 of the Baltimore Orioles rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the seventh inning during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, September 25, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Mooney/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
This just in, ladies and gentlemen: Pete Alonso is really good at baseball.
The Most Valuable Oriole continued to be the best thing to happen to this franchise in a long time, adding two more homers to his league-leading total in a 10-2 blowout win to open a doubleheader against the Yankees.
Whatever other things have gone wrong for the Orioles this year — and oh boy, are there many — Pete Alonso has been worth the price of admission all by himself. Tonight, even in a game that had no meaning for either team, he proved why.
Alonso stepped to the plate with a man aboard in the third against Yankees starter Brendan Beck, who’d begun the game with two scoreless innings. Pete put an end to that real quick. He drove a 407-foot dinger into the left-field seats, his 42nd of the year. At that point, Alonso’s last seven hits had all been dingers. Did I mention this guy is good at baseball?
The Orioles turned the game into a laugher in the fourth even without Pete being prominently involved (though he did get a single). The O’s loaded the bases with nobody out for the soft underbelly of the lineup, including Christian Franklin and Carlos Narváez, who entered the game with a combined zero RBIs in 132 plate appearances with the Orioles. That’s Caleb Joseph territory right there. Franklin managed to get off the schneid with a sharp single to right, collecting his first major league RBI, but Narváez remained in his drought by hitting into a force at the plate.
It shouldn’t be that hard to get one measly RBI, Carlos. Just watch as Dylan Beavers gets four of them in one at-bat! The O’s right fielder jumped on a hanging curveball from Beck and clobbered it into the right-field seats for his first career grand slam. Beavers! With one mighty swing, the Orioles had an insurmountable 7-0 lead.
The Birds’ victory was all but assured, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have some more fun along the way. In the top of the sixth, Jeremiah Jackson lofted a fly ball to deep center field. Spencer Jones loped back at an ambling pace, as if he had the ball tracked all the way, but when he reached up to make the catch, it glanced off his glove and deflected to the wall. The ball trickled along the warning track for so long that Jackson just kept circling the bases, and by the time the Yankees got the ball into the infield, Jackson had slid in safely with an inside-the-park home run.
Look at the wheels on Jeremiah! If you’d told me that the Orioles would have two inside-the-parkers this season and they’d be hit by Coby Mayo and Jeremiah Jackson, I’m not sure I would’ve believed you. This has been a strange season, occasionally in good ways.
You know what’s not strange? Pete Alonso being awesome. It’s just what he does, and always has. Alonso led off the seventh against reliever Yerry de los Santos and absolutely demolished a baseball. Holy smokes, was it tattooed, a mammoth blast the landed high into the left-field bleacher seats.
Pete, that baseball had a family! The blast was his second of the game and AL-leading 43rd of the year, and extended his AL-leading RBI count to 112. In all likelihood, Pete is going to take two of the three Triple Crown categories. He won’t win AL MVP, and I’m not saying he should, but…is there any player in the American League who’s really that much better than him? I’d put him in my top five for sure.
This game was all Orioles, but if there was one disappointing aspect, it’s that Trevor Rogers didn’t get the chance to earn the win in what may well have been his final start as an Oriole. Rogers pitched brilliantly tonight as always, but the Orioles, in an apparently pre-planned move, removed him from the game after four innings and 55 pitches.
I mean…why? Rogers was showing no signs of fatigue. He mowed down the Yankees in the first four frames, throwing 41 strikes and just 14 balls. He allowed only one run, on an Amed Rosario RBI single in the fourth, and the O’s had a comfortable six-run lead when he left. Was his arm really going to fall off if he threw more than 55 pitches in his final start of the season?
I will grant that he’d already thrown a career-high 169.2 innings this season, and perhaps the Orioles saw no reason to push him in a meaningless game, but I would’ve let him at least pitch one more inning to get a W next to his name. Mostly I just don’t want to accept that this might’ve been the last time we see Rogers in an Orioles uniform.
The Orioles hit double digits in runs on Gunnar Henderson’s RBI single in the eighth that deflected off the second baseman, and the bullpen took it from there. Albert Suárez, now in his sixth stint with the Orioles this year, did his usual quality work in long relief. He tossed four scoreless innings and struck out five, even despite a nosebleed that afflicted him in the eighth. Suárez has been an unsung hero of the O’s bullpen, constantly eating up innings without complaint even when he knows he’ll probably get DFA’d the next day, then inevitably returning to the roster to do it all over again.
Alex Hoppe’s ninth inning was a mess — 22 pitches, two walks, and a run — but a nine-run lead gives you plenty of wiggle room, and he eventually finished it with a called strikeout of Ben Rice. Orioles win, 10-2. Not a bad way to start the weekend.
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 24: Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (6) celebrates his two run home run during the MLB game between the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers on September 24, 2026 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
KANSAS CITY, MO - JULY 05: John Wathan (right) shakes hands with Denny Matthews during the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame induction ceremony prior to the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday, July 5, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Tanner Gatlin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Today is my penultimate game thread for the 2026 MLB Regular season. You might have noticed I’ve been using that word a lot lately. You’ve probably guessed it’s my favorite word. You’re right.
Last time we were together, Noah Cameron was performing his penultimate start to the season. Today is the ultimate. It would be swell if he performed that colloquially as well as definitionally and did something crazy like pitch a no-hitter. The Guardians clinched a playoff berth last night. Perhaps they’re too hungover to hit? They don’t add asterisks for that, though, so Cameron should try to take advantage.
The Guardians are still battling for an opportunity to win the division rather than simply to make a playoff berth. They currently lead the White Sox by a single game in the standings, but the White Sox hold the tiebreaker, so all it will take is for Chicago to win a single game more than the Guardians do this weekend for them to claim the division crown. I’m hoping the Royals sweep the Guardians and make it easy for them. Still, the point I’m taking forever to get to is that Gavin Williams gets the start for Cleveland rather than preparing himself for a playoff series, because if the Guardians can hold out, they won’t have to play in the Wild Card series anyway.
By the numbers, Gavin has been terrific this year for Cleveland. Eating innings with style. If you dig a little deeper, you find that he is nearly elite at generating both chase and whiffs. One interesting note to me is that he has universally struggled a bit when hitters actually make contact with any of his pitches. He mixes up his pitches well, so rather than hunt a particular pitch, the Royals might be best served just trying to make contact with whatever he throws and hope for the best.
Williams has faced the Royals twice this year. In their first series, he tossed 5.2 innings of 1-run ball and struck out 8. But he also walked 5, which contributed to the short outing. He took the loss in their second meeting during the second series between the two teams, giving up 5 runs in 6 innings, though he only walked 2 and struck out 7. The Royals managed to sequence really well in that game, scoring those five runs on only eight hits with a pair of doubles and a pair of dingers.
Lineups
It’s kind of funny that Isaac Collins got left out of tonight’s lineup. He’s been unplayably bad for a bit now, but the last time the Royals faced Williams, he had a home run and a double in a 3-for-3 effort. Still, this is probably the best lineup the Royals can put together with their current roster. You could argue that Michael Massey should be above Salvador Perez, or that Nick Loftin should start in left and shift John Rave to center to bench Kyle Isbel. That would all be nitpicking, though. Hopefully the Royals can bring Denny Matthews a win for his 8000th broadcast!
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 25: A detail shot of a patch honoring CC Sabathia worn by a member of the New York Yankees during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, September 25, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Mooney/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
With nothing left to play for on either side, the Yankees vs. Orioles series opener was somewhat overshadowed with the number retirement ceremony for CC Sabathia that took place before the game. The expected bad weather tomorrow forced a doubleheader today and moved the ceremony up to this afternoon as well. The short notice change led to the stands being emptier than anyone would like, but it was still a nice ceremony for the now-forever Yankees’ No. 52. Old friends Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Andy Pettitte, and Chris Young joined in the festivities on the field, alongside Sabathia’s family.
Making something of a spot start with the doubleheader and the Yankees planning ahead for the postseason, Brendan Beck started for the Yankees. Not that it was something the Yankees were considering, but Beck didn’t particularly make a case to be a last-second playoff roster addition. In his five innings, he allowed seven runs on six hits and three walks, including two home runs. The bullpen wasn’t particularly lights out following him, allowing the Orioles to build up a big lead.
The Yankees’ offense was always going to be up against it considering that fact, but they didn’t do much. Orioles starter Trevor Rogers mostly kept the Yankees in check as Baltimore kept adding on. The Yankees could only plate one run from their eight hits, dooming them to a 10-2 loss in the first game of the doubleheader.
On the mound, Beck started things off with a couple scoreless innings. However, Baltimore got on the board in the third. Beck nearly got through the inning again, but issued a two-out walk to Dylan Beavers. That came back to haunt him, as Pete Alonso did a Pete Alonso thing and homered to put the O’s in front.
An inning later, Beck loaded the bases after walking two and allowing a single. Christian Franklin then dropped in a single, plating another Orioles’ run. After a force out got a runner at home, Beavers took Beck deep for a grand slam, putting Baltimore well in front.
The Yankees got on the board themselves in the bottom of the fourth. Heliot Ramos reached with a triple, aided by center fielder Colton Cowser misplaying the carom off the wall. Amed Rosario followed that with an easy single to score the Yankees’ first run.
Baltimore got that run back a short time later, thanks to an outfield miscue of the Yankees’ own. With reliever Yerry De los Santos in for the Yankees, Jeremiah Jackson hit a ball to deep right-center. The ball just got over the glove of Spencer Jones and took a fortuitous bounce past him. Jackson managed to race all the way around and beat the throw home for an inside-the-park homer, the first one in the Bronx in a dozen years — coincidentally with today’s honoree on the mound against Wil Myers. Alonso added a more conventional homer in the seventh in that it went over the fence, but it was unconventional in that it was an absolute bomb, 471 feet away.
Honestly, I can’t even be mad at that one. Baltimore would tack on one more run to get to double digits for the game. Paul Blackburn and David Bednar got their work in as expected, and we now won’t see them again until the Wild Card Series.
The Yankees did get one run back after Spencer Jones singled in the bottom of the ninth and eventually came around to score on a Paul Goldschmidt sacrifice fly. Ben Rice struck out looking to end it.
One pretty disappointing thing to come out of the game was the play of the offense. Yes, the game didn’t actually mean anything, but the Yankees did send out the likes of Goldschmidt and Rosario and their theoretical “lefty” lineup. Them not doing much on offense isn’t what you would want to see considering that the Red Sox Wild Card Series lineup is now locked in and Boston has a bunch of left-handed pitchers they can throw at the Yankees.
The second game of today’s doubleheader is set to begin at 7:30pm ET, which New York just announced. Brandon Young will go for Baltimore, while the Yankees will counter with Ryan Yarbrough, with Will Warren expected to provide relief work in anticipation of his playoff role.
The Yankees (92-68) didn't have much going for them in Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader, falling to the Baltimore Orioles (79-81), 10-2.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Brendan Beck was called up to make his second start of the year, but like his previous appearances, he struggled in a short outing. The right-hander let up seven runs on six hits and three walks over just 5.0 IP (97 pitches) with eight strikeouts.
Beck struck out the side in the first inning and got through the second, but ran into trouble the next two frames. He surrendered a two-run homer to Pete Alonso (his AL-leading 42nd) in the top of the third inning to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead. Beck then loaded the bases in the third, gave up an RBI single, and allowed a grand slam to Dylan Beavers, which made it a 7-0 game. The 27-year-old returned for a quick 1-2-3 fifth inning to help save the bullpen arms.
-- After recording just two hits through the first three innings against lefty Trevor Rogers, New York's bats woke up in the fourth inning. Heliot Ramos smashed a leadoff triple that bounced off the wall in center field and scored on Amed Rosario's RBI single, cutting the Baltimore lead to 7-1. They had a chance to get more runs back after an error extended the inning, but left two runners on base.
-- Yerry De los Santos, who was also recalled Friday, replaced Beck on the mound in the top of the sixth and saw similar results. He gave up an inside-the-park home run to Jeremiah Jackson as the ball sailed over the outstretched arms of Spencer Jones in right-center and rolled around the outfield. The right-hander let up another homer in the seventh inning as Alonso launched his second of the day to go up 9-1.
-- Baltimore took a 10-1 lead in the eighth inning against Paul Blackburn after Jose Caballero couldn't handle Gunnar Henderson's sharp grounder, allowing Christian Franklin to score from second base.
-- New York tacked on a run in the ninth, making it 10-2 on Jones' sacrifice fly. Overall, the Yanks recorded nine hits as Ramos, Rosario, and Anthony Volpe each had two apiece; Ben Rice, Spencer Jones, and Ali Sánchez had the other three.
Game MVP: Pete Alonso
The windy, cold conditions were made for the polar bear. Alonso hit two home runs (going 3-for-5 with three RBI) and is up to 43 home runs on the season with 16 career homers against the Yanks.
Bill Giles, the longtime Philadelphia Phillies executive credited with conceptualizing the Phillie Phanatic and spearheading the construction of both Veterans Stadium and Citizens Bank Park, died Friday, Sept. 25 at 92, the club announced.
Giles was a key figure in the Phillies' front office beginning in 1969, rising from business operations head to executive vice president to, in 1981, organizing a group that purchased the franchise, under which he served as president until 1997 and then chairman. The Phillies won the World Series in 1980 and again in 2008.
In his span, the Phillies moved into multipurpose Veterans Stadium, which they shared with the Philadlephia Eagles, before constructing their baseball-only ballpark on Broad Street that opened in 2004 and has since hosted three World Series and, this past July, the All-Star Game.
Perhaps his most enduring contribution, visually, was conceiving the Phillie Phanatic, likely the most recognizable mascot across the major leagues.
“The Phillies family lost an icon today,” Phillies owner John Middleton said in a statement released by the club. “Bill helped to reshape our franchise from a traditional baseball club into a highly visible entertainment and business operation.
"His profound impact in overseeing one of the greatest eras in franchise history, both on and off the field, will forever be his legacy. Our hearts are heavy for the Giles family and all those who had the privilege of knowing Bill.”
Giles was named honorary National League president in 2001 and served on MLB committees that spearheaded the introduction of interleague play and the wild card.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 25: Pete Alonso #25 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, September 25, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It is Friday evening.
The Orioles have beaten the Yankees in the first game of a single admission doubleheader, winning a 10-2 blowout. Pete Alonso hit two homers in the game to increase his season homer total to 43 and RBIs to 113, Dylan Beavers blew the game open with a grand slam, and Jeremiah Jackson added an inside-the-park homer just to make things fun. Five Orioles had multi-hit games.
There is still another one to play on Friday, but for now,
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 20: Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of the Colorado Rockies walks off the field after pitching in the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Coors Field on September 20, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Three games. That’s it.
The Rockies have reached the final weekend of the 2026 season, and after the way the last two months have gone, I am very much looking forward to the offseason and what comes next — pending lockout notwithstanding.
Don’t get me wrong, there was real progress this year. Colorado had stretches where it looked much more competitive and gave some reason to believe things were moving in the right direction.
But August and September have been rough.
The Rockies are 14-35 over the last two months, including 5-16 in September, and come into Chicago on a four-game losing streak. They closed the book on Coors Field by getting swept by Arizona, falling 7-2, 5-3 and 12-8.
So yes, I am ready for the offseason. Ready to start sorting through the roster, the rotation, what worked, what didn’t and what comes next.
Six months of watching this team every day is about to stop all at once, and as ready as I am to turn the page, I know I am going to miss watching these guys play when suddenly there is no game to turn on.
Tomoyuki Sugano gets the first chance to help make that happen tonight, probably for the final time as a Rockie.
Sugano enters 12-11 with a 5.36 ERA over 147.2 innings. A win tonight would give him 13, making him the first Rockies pitcher to win 13 or more games in a season since 2018, when Kyle Freeland won 17 and Germán Márquez won 14.
Recently, the biggest issue has been avoiding the big inning.
Sugano has shown he can still navigate a lineup when he keeps the damage contained, but several starts have gotten away from him quickly when mistakes begin stacking together.
Sean Burke will make his final regular-season start for Chicago after putting together a strong year.
The right-hander enters 10-7 with a 3.40 ERA, 178 strikeouts and a 1.20 WHIP over 167 innings. Burke leads with a four-seam fastball around 95 mph and pairs it with a knuckle curve around 79 mph, creating a sizeable velocity gap. He fills the space between with a slider and cutter while also mixing in a sinker. The changeup is barely used at all.
The exact combination changes with handedness. Lefties see more four-seamers and curveballs, while the slider becomes a bigger part of the plan against righties. Left-handed hitters have produced a .233/.305/.405 line against Burke, compared with .217/.302/.339 for righties.
Burke doesn’t have pinpoint command and can give up some hard contact in the air, but he has enough stuff to miss bats. He has also pitched well down the stretch outside of one ugly start in Pittsburgh. In his other three September outings, Burke has allowed just one earned run over 16.2 innings.
On offense, there are a few milestones worth tracking over the final weekend. Hunter Goodman is sitting on 39 home runs, one away from 40, while T.J. Rumfield is batting .297 with a chance to finish his first major-league season at .300. Jake McCarthy is also two triples shy of 15, which would give him at least 15 doubles, 15 triples, 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases on the year.
So, can Sugano avoid the big inning and pick up win No. 13 while the Rockies find a way through Burke and open their final weekend with a win?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres earns a save in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What a game. What a series. What a season. What a way for the San Diego Padres to clinch their spot in the 2026 postseason. The Friars sealed a series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night, earning a Wild Card berth and maintaining a one-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the top spot in the NL Wild Card.
Despite being no-hit by Tyler Glasnow through 5 1/3 innings, the Padres quickly got to work with back-to-back singles before the first run crossed home plate on a Dustin Harris sac fly. Nick Pivetta worked in and out of trouble through 4 2/3 scoreless innings before turning it over to the bullpen. The Friars’ offense kept it going with a three-run seventh, capping off a huge series win with major playoff implications.
San Diego now returns home to Petco Park for the final series of the 2026 regular season. They’ll play the Arizona Diamondbacks with Wild Card seeding on the line. The Padres need to win every game to ensure that they retain the top Wild Card spot. The Dbacks, meanwhile, are playing their way into the playoffs. They’re two games back of the Philadelphia Phillies for the last spot.
Taking the mound
Brandon Pfaadt (AZ) v. Casey Mize (SD)
Pfaadt has had a resurgent year with Arizona this season. He recorded a 5.25 ERA in 2025 but has pitched to a 3.72 ERA this year across 128 1/3 innings. He missed most of June after being demoted to Triple-A to figure out his mechanics and it worked. Since coming back on June 30, Pfaadt owns a 2.79 ERA (90.1 IP).
The right-hander has faced the Padres three times this season and gotten the better of them twice. After tagging Pfaadt for four runs in three innings on April 25, the Padres haven’t scored an earned run against him since. They’ll need to reverse that in order to notch a win in the series opener tonight.
Mize is scheduled to make his final start of the regular season tonight. It’s hard to understate just how much he has struggled since joining San Diego. It’s tanked his stock as an impending free agent as well as any ability to trust him as a playoff starter. That said, Mize has a great track record in the postseason and could shove when the lights are brightest.
The righty is coming off of one of his roughest outings, surrendering five runs to the Miami Marlins last Saturday. Thankfully, the Padres managed to come out with the win in extra innings. Since joining the Friars, Mize has pitched to a 6.64 ERA (40.2 IP), surrendering three or more runs in six of those outings. He’ll need to turn the tables tonight to restore some faith in his pitching.
Batter up!
The offense cooled off a bit in L.A., but that didn’t stop the Padres from scoring. After being shutout in the series opener, San Diego scored nine runs in the final two games. Against a pitching staff like the Dodgers’, that’s fantastic production. They’ll need their lineup to keep that up against Arizona if they are to retain their current seeding.
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Dustin Harris, LF
Manny Machado, 3B
Ty France, 1B
Jackson Merrill, CF
Luis Campusano, C
Xander Bogaerts, SS
Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Ethan Salas, DH
Salas has turned into an incredibly potent hitter in the last few weeks. In his last seven games, he’s recorded a blistering .389/.421/.722 slash line with five RBIs and a walk. He’s raking his way to a spot on the postseason roster, and could see plenty of time behind the dish this weekend.
Relief corps
After Pivetta’s stellar (albeit short) outing on Thursday night, Yuki Matsui, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller nailed down the final 4 1/3 innings. Adam, in his long-awaited return from the injured list, pitched a perfect frame on just five pitches. Miller struck out Tommy Edman to end the game, but the pitch was so filthy that the ball got away from Salas, allowing Edman to reach first. Miller ended the game shortly thereafter despite allowing a run to cross on a Shohei Ohtani double.
Tonight, San Diego can breathe a sigh of relief as they hope to give their high-leverage arms some rest in anticipation of the coming playoff series on Tuesday. The Friars will have Kyle Hart, David Morgan, Wandy Peralta, Bradgley Rodriguez and Randy Vásquez available out of the ‘pen tonight. Adam will likely be available as well given his low pitch count last night.
Detroit Tigers designated hitter Kerry Carpenter (30) bats against Athletics during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Detroit Tigers (74-85) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (81-78)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Jackson Jobe (2-3, 3.98 ERA) vs. RHP Bubba Chandler (8-9, 4.34 ERA)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 16: A general view of Toronto Blue Jays batting gear prior to the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jon Blacker/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Game One of the last series of the season.
Not surprisingly, there was a roster move: CJ Van Eyk was optioned to Buffalo and John Klein has been recalled. So we only have two more days of roster moves let.
And Vlad apologized for his comment. People that are mad about it all aren’t going to care about the apology.
"He told me that what I did was wrong."
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. says he spoke with his father, who advised him to apologize. pic.twitter.com/mnelRs1TUq
Vladdy starts his availability with a statement, through interpreter:
“The reason I'm here because I regret my comments the other day … I feel from my heart, my fans, my teammates, they needed an apology from me, and that's why I'm here for.”#BlueJays
Anyway, today’s lineup. As Dan has said, George Springer will likely play in the outfield on Sunday so that John can take him out of the game to allow the fans to give Springer a well deserved ovation. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get an ovation in every at bat.
Today’s Lineups
REDS
BLUE JAYS
Carlos Jorge – CF
Charles McAdoo – 2B
Elly De La Cruz – DH
Alejandro Kirk – C
Sal Stewart – 1B
Vladimir Guerrero – 1B
JJ Bleday – LF
George Springer – DH
Eugenio Suarez – 3B
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Hector Rodriguez – RF
Nathan Lukes – RF
Juan Brito – 2B
Davis Schneider – LF
Jose Trevino – C
Ernie Clement – SS
Oswaldo Cabrera – SS
Myles Straw – CF
Nick Lodolo – LHP
Jose Soriano – RHP
Joey Votto is just a good guy.
A message from players. We give to our communities, love the cities we play for, and are always thinking of the fans. Vladdy is this guy. When I listened to his comments I just heard a frustrated competitor. Kudos to him for making this right. He loves the city that loves him.
Sep 24, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) rounds third base on his way to score a run against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
With 159 games down, there are just three left in the Atlanta Braves’ 2026 regular season.
Those final three will be played at Miami, starting Friday at 7:10 p.m. EDT, before the Braves return to Truist Park to host a best-of-three wild-card series against a TBD team starting next Tuesday.
But first, Atlanta has a three-game set against the Marlins which has minimal stakes with the Braves locked into the No. 3 seed in the National League. The Braves are kicking off their time in South Florida with a bullpen game started by left-hander Ray Kerr.
Let’s all enjoy some rare innings of (relatively) stress-free baseball this weekend before the impending dread that is postseason baseball descends next week.
