Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

The same story we’ve been seeing played out. With the wind howling in, the Cubs couldn’t hit the ball out of the park. The Cubs lost two games. The Cubs last won a game in which they didn’t homer on July 30 against the Cardinals. Fortunately, the team hits a lot of homers, because they have become a team that must have them. It’s been frustrating to watch the pitching be pretty good but the Cubs losing most of their games anyway. They go long stretches with no base runners. Then when they do get runners, they strand them anyway. The team will finish the season in quite a funk. The team got on a plane for Tampa having scored nine runs in their last five games.

Your mileage may vary as to if you consider it a silver lining that the Phillies are collapsing harder. As I sit here writing this, the Phillies were shut out, losing to the Rays. Even a Rays team that has already clinched home field advantage through the AL playoffs and is resting players was too much for the Phillies. In a wild twist of fate, the Phillies now have a decent chance to miss the playoffs. They are sitting on a magic number of two with two to play. If they could just win two games against the Rays, they’d be in. But can they do that? The Phillies will run a bullpen game on Saturday while hoping to find a way.

I write somewhere around 1,000 words about the Cubs after each of 162 games (fuzzy math for a doubleheader and my midseason vacation). I’ve been doing this for nine full seasons and one partial season. So I’ve written maybe 15,000 words about various versions of this team. Never mind that for a while there that number was drifting up to between 1,500 and 2,000 words. It starts to feel like all of the words have been said before. I think of how many hundreds of thousands of words Al has typed out about various Cub teams and I’m in awe. I believe the Barenaked Ladies once told us that “it’s all been done before.”

It was around this time last year that I flipped the script for one night. It was the last Thursday of the season. I remember Cade Horton had been injured and it was a proverbial straw breaking my back. Just one too many unfortunate occurrences. I’m not sure I’ve ever quoted myself. Maybe, to show a prediction I made or something. But let’s find this.

Ho hum. So much for reaching the playoffs with any kind of momentum. The best pitcher has an injury that is still being evaluated. The closer looked decent enough in facing a couple of live hitters for the first time in weeks. The third starter just allowed eight earned runs in a start. The best hitter is maybe going to play tomorrow for the first time in weeks but can’t play the field yet. The second best hitter is battling a terrible slump since the break, but at least showed glimpses a few times per week. It’s not polished. It’s not healthy. It’s not even playing really tight ball.

There are stories of teams that slide into the end of the season, then get hot in the playoffs and make a run. There is no one formula on how you play early, late or even the middle. To my eye, the Cubs will be two players short of their best 26. We knew one of those months ago when Justin Steele was injured. Miguel Amaya had a great start to the season but hasn’t meaningfully contributed since May. The Cubs will field a 26 that when healthy and productive are plenty adequate to win a playoff series.

We’re seeing very few signs that we are heading for that ending. For a team that I’ve enjoyed so much, and believed could do damage, I’ve lowered my expectations. It’s not even an expectation. One win and don’t be embarrassing. That’s my new definition of a successful postseason series.

Lowered expectations. I have so much optimism most of the time where the Cubs are concerned. Maybe this going to be the time. I tell myself that so often. I see all of the things that can go right. But also, Clay Holmes has struggled. Alex Bregman’s eye. The offense is scuffling. The bullpen has been historically bad and can’t really be counted on to close out a win. This team might have actually started unraveling before it ever played a game this year. So much disappointment.

One more to go. Hey, I got an unexpected gift. I didn’t expect to be able to see the Cubs in person again until 2028. But they’ll be in town Sunday, I’ll grab tickets and I’ll go watch No. 162. I hope it’s better than 160 and 161 were. I know this, I love a good conversation about game theory. I’ve seen people talking about what is best. The Cubs want to be in the 4/5 game. For whatever reason, the sport that wants to be helping its highest seeded teams didn’t set the playoffs up to re-seed after the first round. I said it a while back. The Cubs want to be in the spot that has them face the Dodgers in the second round, should they get there. No offense to the two-time champions. I suspect both they and the Brewers would beat the Cubs pretty easily. But the Dodgers are a better matchup for this team.

Try to beat the Padres again. Then stay out west and take on the back-to-back champs. Maybe, you catch them dealing with too many of their own injuries. The Brewers pretty much wiped the floor with the Cubs this year after knocking them from the playoffs last year. The games don’t look to be evenly matched at all. Let the Phillies or Diamondbacks deal with the Braves, then the winner try to beat the Brewers. The best chance for this team to win involves a whole lot of players that won’t be on the postseason roster for one reason or another.

Three Positives: (Game One)

• Michael Busch had two singles and a walk and scored a run. Busch has heated up some down the stretch, though the power numbers didn’t really come with it.
• Tyrone Taylor hadn’t gotten much playing time of late. He crushed a double and drove in a run. He hit the ball well a couple of other times with nothing to show for it.
• Matt Shaw had a single and a double.

Game 160, September 25: Red Sox 4, Cubs 3 (88-72)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Miguel Amaya (.11). 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI
• Hero: Tyrone Taylor (.07). 1-3, 2B, RBI
• Sidekick: Michael Busch (.06). 2-3, BB, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Alex Bregman (-.20). 0-4
• Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.19). 0-4
• Kid: Dansby Swanson (-.17). 0-4, R

WPA Play of the Game: Adley Rutschman singled with runners on second and third and one out in the fifth inning. Two runs scored, tying the game. (.155)

Cubs Play of the Game: Miguel Amaya doubled with runners on first and second and one out in the second to give the Cubs a three run lead. (.150)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Three Positives: (Game two)

• David Peterson threw five shutout innings, striking out six.
• Seiya Suzuki had two hits and drew a walk.
• Nico Hoerner had two singles.

Game 161, September 25: Red Sox 2, Cubs 0 (89-72)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: David Peterson (.29). 5 IP, 19 BF, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 6 K
• Hero: Javier Assad (.17). 2.1 IP, 8 BF, BB, R, 3 K (L 6-2)
• Sidekick: Seiya Suzuki (.09). 2-3, BB

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Ryan Rolison (-.32). 0.1 IP, 3 BF, H, BB, R, K
• Goat: Michael Conforto (-.22). 0-4
• Kid: Pedro Ramirez (-.15). 0-3

WPA Play of the Game: Wilyer Abreu’s two-out, two-run double in the eighth inning for all of the runs in the game. (.343)

Cubs Play of the Game: With a runner on first and no outs, David Peterson got Connor Wong to ground into a double play. (.098)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 159 Winner: Matthew Boyd received 54 of 69 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +25.5
• Alex Bregman +23
• Shōta Imanaga +15
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Carson Kelly +11.5
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Dansby Swanson -16
• Seiya Suzuki -17
• Caleb Thielbar -17.5
• Nico Hoerner -18

Notes: Four players have a shot at the bottom spot for the year. The last time last place scored over -20 was in 2022 when Jason Heyward was last with -15.5. Two people with a shot at the top spot. If PCA gets first or second for the last game, he will post the highest total by any Cubs since Cody Bellinger in 2023 (+35).

Scoreboard Watching: Phillies lose. The Diamondbacks all over the Padres. The Phillies are in pretty desperate need of a win.

Up Next: A rare neutral site game in Tampa against the Red Sox, trying to avoid a sweep. Neither team has announced a starter. Both teams seem likely to use pitching by committee in the game.

Good day friends, and welcome to the final weekend of the regular season.

Last night the Mariners fell short in their comeback effort, dropping a 7-5 game to the Angels. The M’s will play in their last night game of the year this evening with first pitch set for 6:40 pm PT.

In Mariners news…

• In case you missed it, closer Andrés Muñoz will not be throwing any pitches this weekend after he was placed on the injured list with right knee inflammation.
• Adam Jude at The Seattle Times spoke with beloved broadcaster Rick Rizzs about his pending retirement and the long journey that has taken him to this moment.
• Over on The Feed, commenter Jose Luis wonders how the M’s can realistically improve their defense this offseason.

Around the league…

• Shohei Ohtani became the first player since 2010 (when they started tracking this data) to top the jersey sales charts for four straight seasons.
• David Schoenfield at ESPN recapped the major storylines to watch in the final weekend of the season.
• As Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer enter their twilight years in the majors, they have a message to the game: bring back the starting pitcher. Tyler Kepner at The Athletic has more. ($)
• Evan Drellich and Andrew Marchand at The Athletic explained why 60 missed games will be a key breaking point for owners during CBA negotiations.
• The Guardians truly are an enigma.

The Guardians currently have:

no qualifying .300+ hitters
no players with 20+ HR
no players with 75+ RBI
no players with 40+ SB

No MLB team has ever finished a non-shortened season without having any players accomplish any of those feats and yet still made the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/dkMgp4uUIa

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 25, 2026

• This is a super cool gesture from Ian Happ.

Ian Happ is an absolute legend….dude playing possibly his last game at Wrigley tossed a ball to the bleachers with $300 cash to buy fans beers pic.twitter.com/dZxVsO16Gg

— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) September 24, 2026

I am going to need a bit of time to digest the 2026 Cardinals season. The first half was largely defined by optimism and excitement, but the cruel forces of regression to the mean in the second half took much of the Bloom out of the Cardinals’ rose. The preseason ZiPS projected win total was 76 with an 80th-percentile projection of 82.8 wins. The Cardinals sit at 77 wins with two to play. If you take ZiPS as the gold standard, which I personally do, the Cardinals have marginally exceeded expectations. That is certainly better than marginally underachieving, but it is not the resounding success that looked like a real possibility in the early going. Today, I want to highlight a few of the things that I think I will remember when I look back on the 2026 Cardinals.  

The Position Player Core Emerging and Fading

Through the first half of the year, the Cardinals were really mostly fun. And that was mostly because of the position player core. The defense was great, and the offense was solid and seemed to have a penchant for late-inning dramatics. The combination of the completely unexpected Jordan Walker breakout and the highly anticipated JJ Wetherholt excellence stole the show. Along with the two stars, Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, and Ivan Herrera gave the Cardinals a legitimately excellent core. Through the first half of the season, the Cardinals had five players on pace for 3+ WAR seasons.

This group was producing at an elite level. Like, a “this position player core is good enough to compete for a World Series” level. I was curious how they stacked up against other teams’ core position player groups, so I pulled each team’s top five WAR players through June 27 and looked at the combined WAR production.

Through the first 80 games, the Cardinals’ quintet’s WAR of 10.3 was the fifth best in baseball. For reference, the Cubs had the best group of five with 11.5 combined WAR among Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, and Ian Happ. 

I think we were all braced for some potential regression from Jordan Walker in the second half, but regression and/or injury hit the group hard.

After the tepid second half, the Cardinals’ core five WAR total ranks 20th for the full season. I still feel really good about this group moving forward. Wetherholt and Winn dealt with injuries. Burleson only had a minimal step back. Herrera’s finish is slightly concerning, but with his track record, I expect this to be a minor bump in his career trajectory. Walker is, of course, the elephant in the room. This team looked completely different while he was obliterating baseballs in the middle of the lineup. Hopefully his second-half performance is his new floor and he can continue to build moving forward. 

The Starting Pitching Stepping Forward

Part of the reason the starting pitching sticks out to me is just how fun the Kyle Leahy breakout has been. Leahy went from being one of my least favorite pitchers to watch to perhaps my favorite on the team. His second-half charge led a rotation that only got better as the year went on. At the end of April, they ranked 29th in MLB in WAR. They improved that ranking every month and have climbed to 12th in baseball for the full season. Here is how the first and second halves compare.  

Despite trading away May, the Cardinals’ rotation has still improved in the second half, going from 4.8 WAR to 7.0. Pallante and McGreevy have remained steady by the underlying metrics throughout the season. Leahy had his coming-out party and Mathews has looked good in his first eight starts. 

I am absolutely in agreement with those who argue the Cardinals should go after a top-of-the-rotation pitcher this offseason via trade or free agency, but the quality of the depth that emerged this season is going to give the team a lot of flexibility moving forward. The Memphis rotation going into next year could conceivably be Liam Doyle, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tekoah Roby, Daniel Eagen, and Mason Molina (with a star-studded AA rotation behind them). The current rotation sets a high floor and the prospects on the way provide a high ceiling. Hopefully we look back on 2026 as the beginning of a decade-long run of starting pitcher excellence. 

The Bullpen Woes

I did frame this article as the things I would remember from this year, so, unfortunately, the bullpen must be mentioned. I don’t want to dwell on the negatives too much, but other than Riley O’Brien pitching lights out for a month or so at the beginning of the year, not much went right for this unit. The surface statistics like ERA and WAR paint the bullpen as one of the five or ten worst pens in baseball, but it felt much worse. The 29 blown saves are the most the team has had since 2008. The LOB% of 68.4% was second-worst in baseball. 

I don’t think it is reasonable to frame the bullpen as the reason the Cardinals missed the playoffs. Going by Win Probability Added (WPA), the Cardinals’ bullpen contributed -2.82 wins. The MLB average bullpen was around +2. So, an average performance would have ostensibly netted the team about five wins. Five additional wins would still have the team five games out of the last Wild Card spot. If you swapped in the No. 1 bullpen by WPA, Atlanta at +11.71, then you would have a team sneaking into the playoffs. This is not to make excuses for the pen, but just to illustrate how narrow this team’s path to the playoffs was. 

I would love to see Chaim Bloom make some targeted acquisitions this offseason, but internal help is on the way too. The good news: things are unlikely to get any worse than this year. 

A Glimpse Into the Future 

To end on a positive note, we got some extremely fun debuts this year. Joshua Baez, Leo Bernal, Quinn Mathews, and Cooper Hjerpe have all been on the prospect radar for years and all of them acquitted themselves quite well in their limited St. Louis time. We will all remember Joshua Baez’s three-homer game at Wrigley as the signature moment of the season. But the thing that will make these debuts truly significant is what they do next. Baez and Bernal give the Cardinals two more players who could join the aforementioned core five to anchor the next great team. Bernal looked like a 10-year veteran (mostly) and has the on-field swagger and presence reminiscent of Yadier Molina. Baez hit 41 home runs across the minors and majors and could be the big power bat that the team has been searching for. Yes, they both have questions that they will need to answer, but the upside is tremendous and both should be penciled into the Opening Day lineup in 2027.   

On the pitching side, Mathews and Hjerpe overcame a lot to make successful St. Louis debuts. There are still plenty of questions around health and strike-throwing ability, but both have the upside to be difference-makers in the rotation. 

In addition to the big four prospects (and Wetherholt), Luis Gastelum, Cade Winquest, Brycen Mautz, Blaze Jordan, Jimmy Crooks, and Bryan Torres all made it to St. Louis for the first time. Not all of these gentlemen are likely to be impact big leaguers, but all of them made the 2026 season more exciting.

What I’ll Actually Remember

The harsh reality is that I probably won’t remember much of the 2026 season five or ten years from now. In St. Louis, we remember the teams that play and win in October. I am broadly supportive of the approach the Cardinals’ front office and ownership have taken in bringing in Bloom and focusing on a real reset. But I am ready to see winning baseball and monetary investment in the major league roster again. I am willing to trust the process for now, but the thing that would make 2026 truly stand out is if it is the last season in which the Cardinals miss the playoffs in the next decade or so.

San Diego Padres starter Casey Mize ran into trouble with the first pitch of the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Leadoff man Lars Nootbaar connected with the first-pitch offering from Mize and sent it over the wall in right field to give the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead. Mize continued to struggle throughout his outing, allowing seven runs over four innings and the Padres dropped the series opener at Petco Park, 11-4.

Mize continued to struggle in the first inning and allowed three runs before he could get out of the top half of the frame. Arizona was making solid contact against the San Diego starter and it continued throughout his time on the mound. Mize allowed a run in the second, two in the third and a run in the fourth and finished with seven runs allowed over four innings with two walks and a strikeout. He had problems keeping the ball in the yard and allowed two additional homers after the Nootbaar leadoff shot to start the game.

Padres pitchers continued to allow runs to the Diamondbacks and the visitors added three runs in the top of the sixth inning and a final run in the top of the seventh inning. San Diego tried to get something going in the game, and made the score 4-2 in the bottom half of the second inning. The Padres added runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and the bottom of the eighth inning.

The San Diego offense could never find a rhythm, but Fernando Tatis Jr., Sung-Mun Song and Xander Bogaerts all had two hits in th game. Tatis was the only player on the San Diego roster to record an extra-base hit. The Padres finished 2-for-10 in the game with runners in scoring position.

The Padres missed an opportunity to secure the top spot in the National League Wild Card with a win, but they will have a second opportunity tonight when they play the the Diamondbacks at 5:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune believes Padres manager Craig Stammen has done enough to earn recognition at the end of the year.

• Ethan Salas might be the youngest player in MLB, but he is playing a significant role in San Diego’s push toward the top Wild Card spot in the National League.

Baseball News:

• The Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians are still trying to decide the AL Central and neither team is willing to give up ground.

• The Philadelphia Phillies suffered a shutout at a critical time of the year with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance.

• The Houston Astros lost to the Athletics, which could prove costly in race for AL West crown.

• The Texas Rangers got beat up by the Minnesota Twins in 10-2 loss.

• The Boston Red Sox dealt a blow to the Chicago Cubs’ pursuit of the top National League Wild Card spot with a two-game sweep.

The Detroit Tigers opened up the final series of the 2026 campaign with an 8-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night at Comerica Park. Jackson Jobe earned the win after tossing 5 1/3 frames of two-run ball and the offense produced enough early runs to fend off a furious late rally.

Taking the mound for the Olde English D on Saturday in Game 2 is right-hander Justin Verlander, who will make the final start of his illustrious Hall of Fame career. The Detroit faithful are privileged to see the all-time great wrap things up wearing the Olde English D in the park where so many memories were made.

Opposite him will be fellow righty Kirby Yates, who will make his first and only start of the season. The 39-year-old has dealt with injuries this summer and is also pondering retirement after the schedule concludes.

Here is a quick look at the pitching matchup as the Tigers look to seize a series win on Saturday.

Detroit Tigers (75-85) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (81-79)

Time (ET): 1:10 p.m. ET
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 161: RHP Juston Verlander (0-1, 12.27 ) vs. RHP Kirby Yates (2-5, 3.32 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Verlander	1	3.2	5.3	10.5	18.8	7.73	-0.1
Yates	45	40.2	27.9	9.9	32.7	3.25	0.5

VERLANDER

PITCHER2

The Washington Nationals will be staying out of last place in 2026! With the 7-6 win last night, the Nats officially secured 4th place in the division. While 4th place is obviously not the goal, it is a clear step forward. As long as the Nats did not get swept, they would avoid last place and that is exactly what happened last night.

One thing that made it even sweeter is the fact that it will be the Mets who finish last. Despite being a bit of a meme, the Mets actually do not tend to bottom out. This is actually their first last place finish since 2003. Given their massive payroll, that is quite a disastrous outcome. The Nats made that outcome a reality last night.

The Mets finish LAST in the NL East for the first time since 2003 🤯

New York had MLB’s second-highest payroll at $357 million. pic.twitter.com/hXQ23eOiwp

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 26, 2026

It felt important to get that one win and stay out of last. With how the team played for most of this season, it would have been cruel to be in the basement at season’s end. Outside of a brutal 6 week stretch that basically doomed the season, this team has played inspired baseball.

The game last night was quite the whacky one. Andrew Alvarez has pitched so well this season, but he did not have it in this one. His command was all over the place from the jump. A combination of uncompetitive misses and pitches in the middle of the zone doomed the southpaw. 

Alvarez settled in a little bit and Blake Butera wanted to get him through 5 innings to qualify for a win. However, Alvarez allowed two homers in the 5th and was pulled. Despite pitching very well this season, Alvarez will finish the year with a 2-6 record.

Unlike most Alvarez outings, the Nats actually gave him a lot of run support tonight. That started with a CJ Abrams two run single in the first. Abrams thought it was gone and watched the ball fly, but it hit off the wall. He has not done that since Opening Day, but it was not the best of looks for CJ. A wild third inning which saw 4 wild pitches helped the Nats cash in four more runs.

However, the deciding run in this game came in the bottom of the 7th. After Justin Hagenman blew a fastball by Dylan Crews to start the at bat, he tried to do it again. This time Crews was ready and hit an absolute bomb out to left field to make it a 7-5 game.

DYLAN CREWS NUKE‼️#Natitudepic.twitter.com/AQvhO7I0vf

— SleeperNationals (@SleeperNats) September 26, 2026

After Jack Sinclair allowed a run on a sac fly in the 8th, we were going to be in for a tense finish. The only question was who was going to close the game. After working 4 times in 5 days, Erik Tolman was likely unavailable even after the off day. That limited the options.

Blake Butera turned to a surprise candidate, Josiah Gray. The former All-Star just rejoined the big league club, and now he was being thrust into a massive spot. Gray did not have a save in his career entering last night. Now, he was being trusted to face Lindor and Soto in the 9th.

Things started very well for the 28 year old. He got Christopher Morel to pop up and then struck out Lindor. After pitching around Juan Soto, it all came down to Bo Bichette. While Bichette has not had a great first season in Queens, he has had a lot of success against the Nats, including a home run in this game.

After getting ahead 1-2, Gray got Bichette to chase a breaking ball that was nearly in the dirt. Somehow, Bichette made contact, but it was only a dribbler back to the pitcher. Gray picked it up and fired to first to get his first save. He bounced on the Nationals Park mound in triumph as he got his first ever save.

JOSIAH 🙏 pic.twitter.com/0P5bU1vmHf

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 26, 2026

It was a very long road back for Gray, who was pitching at Nationals Park for the first time since April of 2024. You can tell he was very emotional, not only about the win. This was not just a feel good moment though. A performance like that also puts Gray in the mix for a bullpen, or even rotation spot in 2027.

Honestly, I quite like Gray in the bullpen. He can just spin guys to death with his slider, curve and sweeper. Gray only threw one fastball on the night, but he still had success. I think he has the chance to be a solid arm in the ‘pen.

Overall, this was a great night. It was fantastic to stay out of last place and do it in style with the Gray save. Today will be an early start at 12:45. The pun was intended there as Connelly Early will also be making his Nationals debut today. After last night, the Nats now have 10 more wins than last season. Let’s see how many more they can get.

There are so many ways that one can describe this team right now. There is a lot of (rightful) negativity going at the team thanks to the supreme funk they have put themselves in, so let’s let it all hang out. What is the best nonprofane word that you can use to describe the Phillies right now? There are so many to choose from – frustrating, disappointing, etc. – that one can think of, but I’m sure that many of you can be a little more eloquent than I.

Whatcha got?

Major League Baseball will give MVP awards for the League Championship Series and the World Series. They do not award an MVP for a Wild Card Series or a Division Series. I’m not sure why the earlier rounds don’t have their standout players honored. Let me understand this. After 162 games and 6 plus months of baseball, sets of three and five games aren’t that meaningful. Why are we playing them then? It’s almost as if it’s stupid for a team to win their division only to turn around and possibly play the second or third place team in their division en route to an additional three rounds to win the trophy. Or maybe have a sub-.500 team host one of these rounds is any better? Yeah, yeah I know. Money. Can’t you just sell another 20 games to Netflix and make up the difference?

Sorry for the aside. While I’m having my one-way argument against Rob Manfred, why not consider the difference makers of the Braves and who will come up big? Chris Sale could go a long way to putting a stranglehold on this coming series at home. I think Drake Baldwin might do something special. I have this feeling that Mike Yastrzemski might stay hot.

So who would win a theoretical NL Wild Card MVP? As long as a Brave is among the winners, anyone would be fine.

Good morning Birdland,

We know the Orioles have already been eliminated from the playoff picture, but it’s possible that their regular season is over a day or two early as well. They played a double-header with the Yankees on Friday, where the teams split the games. The Orioles walloped their hosts 10-2 in the opener while the Yankees took the nightcap 6-3. That arrangement was done to avoid the nasty weather on the east coast today, and they are still scheduled to play the finale on Sunday. But that proposition is looking dicey, with rain expected throughout the day. MLB is not going to push a game without meaning to Monday, so it is possible that what we have already seen the last of the 2026 Orioles.

That means Trevor Rogers’ time in black and orange is over. If it is, he went out on a good note in Game 1. Craig Albernaz only used him for four innings, but they were solid. He allowed just one run and struck out four. His 2026 ERA is 4.03. The lefty will now test free agency, though he has said time and time again he would like to return to Baltimore.

If Sunday’s tilt doesn’t happen, then Leody Taveras has probably played his last game with the O’s too. The outfielder was unexpectedly helpful when the team was trying to find any sort of production from the position group. His continued playing time as the season went on was less helpful. He also had a nice showing yesteday, going 2-for-4 with two RBI in the loss.

Chris Bassitt and Andrew Kittredge are two other veterans that could walk out the door one last time as well. Bassitt was quite good post-injury, but he will entered the 2027 season as a 38-year-old, and it’s unlikely he gets less hurt as he ages. Kittredge was a reliable arm to lean on in the bullpen, but many of his peripheral numbers took a dive this season, and the Orioles are spoiled with relief options at the moment. A pricey righty that has spent some time on the IL recently probably isn’t at the top of their list.

And don’t forget about Ryan Mountcastle. He played in just eight games this year due to a couple of serious injuries. There is a team option in his contract for 2027, but it’s hard to see the Orioles picking that up given all of the other solutions they have at first base. It’s unfortunate that his time with the team is coming to an end like it is.

Most other Orioles of consequence will return in 2027, or they are at least under team control for the season. That’s a nice place to start building from. But clearly, there are adjustments needed to the roster. If Mike Elias stays, as we expect him to, and then rolls out an identical team apart from a healthy Jordan Westburg in 2027, there will be mobs at the gates of the warehouse.

So, what do they need to do? For me, they need to add an impact outfielder. I’m OK with Colton Cowser in center everyday simply because his glove is that good. But improvement is needed in either corner. I wouldn’t mind some serious competition at second base too. Jackson Holliday is not finding his ceiling the way we may have hoped, and I’m not sure they want Blaze Alexander married to any one position. On top of that, I would like a rotation upgrade, someone that you would consider for the Opening Day start, and then a left-handed reliever that can pitch high leverage innings.

That’s a lot to get done in an offseason, but if Elias wants to keep his job into 2028 he probably needs to get most of it across the finish line.

Links

Alonso says ‘unacceptable’ for O’s to miss postseason: ‘That’s not the standard here’ | Orioles.com
Alonso has been everything the Orioles could have every dreamed he would be. But we should understand that this is probably the best he will ever be during the length of this contract, so hopefully the rest of the roster can elevate their performance moving forward

This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko
Seems like a lot of Orioles are sad about missing the playoffs. They should be. The talent on this team was good enough in this weak American League. The execution, coaching, and decision-making was not. That’s an organizational failure.

Trevor Rogers loves the Orioles, but he’s excited to test free agency | The Baltimore Banner
Rogers’ turnaround in Baltimore is a good story for him and the Orioles’ pitching development program. Hopefully it lands him a big contract and also encourages other pitchers to join this organization in hopes of finding their secret sauce.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Doug Sisk turns 69 today. He spent the 1988 season in the Orioles bullpen, accumulating a 3.72 ERA over 94.1 total innings.
• Dave Duncan is 81 years old. The catcher had a two-year stint in Baltimore from 1975-76, when he was worth 0.5 bWAR as a defense-first backstop.

This day in O’s history

1956 – Orioles pitcher Charlie Beamon throws a 1-0 shutout win over the Yankees in his very first major league start.

1962 – Dave McNally shuts out the Athletics 3-0 in his first major league start.

1971 – Jim Palmer gets his 20th win of the season, becoming the fourth member of the Orioles pitching staff to do so along with McNally, Mike Cuellar, and Pat Dobson. Only one other major league team (1920 White Sox) has ever had rotation with four pitchers that had 20 or more wins in the same season.

1978 – Mike Flanagan comes within one out of a no-hitter against Cleveland. Instead, he allowed a home run to Gary Alexander, followed by two singles. Don Stanhouse is brought on to notch the save and finish up the Orioles 3-1 win.

1994 – Johnny Oates is fired as Orioles manager despite guiding his team to a 63-49 record before a strike ended the season early. It was the latest in a series of hands-on decisions by the club’s new owner Peter Angelos.

2012 – The Orioles crush the Blue Jays 12-2 thanks to the seven home runs they hit. Chris Davis and Manny Machado both go deep twice. The win keeps them on the Yankees heels for the top spot in the AL East.

2023 – The greatest third baseman in major league history, and Orioles icon, Brooks Robinson dies at the age of 86.

Having moved a scheduled Saturday game against the Orioles up to Friday for a straight doubleheader, the Yankees and O’s split the twin bill. Baltimore blew out Brendan Beck and company in a 10-2 loss in the opener—an ignominious follow-up to CC Sabathia’s number retirement—but Ryan Yarbrough and Will Warren combined to lead them to 17 strikeouts in the 6-3 nightcap win. Most importantly, everyone remained healthy. Wins and losses don’t matter for the regular season at this point! Now, they wait at home for the storm to pass today and see if they can play a Game 162 tomorrow. If not … see you on Tuesday for the Wild Card Series, Boston.

Here’s what else was going on Friday among the remaining AL playoff hopefuls.

Tampa Bay Rays (97-63) 2, Philadelphia Phillies (87-73) 0

We’ll only take a minute on this one since—with all due respect to the playoff hopes of our friends in Philly (but boy is it suddenly getting tense with the Diamondbacks hot on the trail)—it really doesn’t mean much with Tampa Bay locked into the top AL seed. The Phils got a really nice outing from ace Cristopher Sánchez, who fanned 10 Rays in seven innings of work. But he did allow an RBI single to Jonny DeLuca in the first and a solo shot to catcher Nick Fortes in the second, and with the Phillies absolutely sputtering … yeah, that was it. Freddy Peralta blanked Philly through 5.1 before a quartet of relievers completed the four-hit shutout, Bryan Baker notching his 41st save of the season.

Boston Red Sox (86-74) 4, Chicago Cubs (88-72) 3 [Game 1]

It took a little longer than anyone expected, but the Red Sox officially locked themselves into the No. 5 seed in the American League and a date with the Yankees in the Wild Card Series. The best-of-three will begin on Tuesday with all games in the Bronx. At first, it seemed like Boston’s odd skid would continue when the Cubbies plated three within the first four outs. Tyrone Taylor had doubled in Seiya Suzuki following a one-out walk in the first, and the trio of Matt Shaw, Michael Busch, and No. 9 hitter Miguel Amaya continued the mini-parade against Alec Gamboa in the second with with a single and a pair of doubles, Amaya’s going off the Green Monster to drive in a pair.

Part of that rally had involved Shaw getting thrown out on a grounder to third though, and Chicago never scored that fourth run. They would rue that result, with typical starter Jake Bennett getting his first relief appearance in anticipation of the Wild Card showdown and throwing 3.2 scoreless. Greg Weissert and Raymond Burgos continued to keep the Cubs off the board for the rest of the game as their offense rallied off Clay Holmes. A rare error by Dansby Swanson brought in the first Boston run in the fourth, and Holmes allowed a leadoff single to former Yankees teammate Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the fifth, followed by a Roman Anthony double. He got one more out, but Caleb Thielbar entered and allowed a game-tying knock from Adley Rutschman.

The Red Sox took the lead in the seventh, breaking the tie off Aaron Civale when Anthony tripled and Connor Wong doubled him in. With Weissert and Burgos silencing Chicago, that was all she wrote. The only downside for Boston was that surprise story Mickey Gasper had to leave the game early with biceps discomfort.

Boston Red Sox (87-74) 2, Chicago Cubs (88-73) 0 [Game 2]

The weather got gloomier as the day went along but the Red Sox left Fenway with a clean doubleheader sweep. Boston kept Brayan Bello in playoff tune-up mode despite coming off an outing of eight innings of 11-K, one-run ball, and they still twirled a shutout. Bello blanked Chicago through four, departed with his pitch count at 58, and gave way to rookie Jedixson Paez, making his fifth career appearance. Paez outpitched Bello, fanning five in five shutout frames to earn his first career win.

David Peterson’s own five zeroes for the Cubs were in vain. The scoreless tie was broken up in the eighth with IKF and Jahmai Jones (another former Yankee) on base after walks. Wilyer Abreu cracked a double off Ryan Rolison to plate both runners. That was all Boston needed. The Cubs had hoped to host a Wild Card Series at Wrigley, but that’s looking unlikely now with the Padres a game and a half ahead of them. Game 162 will determine their flight path, and they’ll need a flight just to play it. The nor’easter is not supposed to get any better in Beantown over the weekend, so the Sunday game will be at a neutral site: Tropicana Field. Let’s get weird.

Texas Rangers (79-81) 2, Minnesota Twins (76-84) 10

When Jacob deGrom was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, opportunities like this one undoubtedly drove him. Yes, the AL West is lousy, but the Rangers can easily win it and they had deGrom out there against a team playing out the string in the Twins. Even with Joe Ryan on the bump opposing him, they felt great. Instead, Minnesota clobbered deGrom and tallied six in the second, Luke Keaschall delivering the big blow on a two-run triple. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was tagged for eight runs in four innings of work. The news got worse for the Rangers learned that top bat Josh Jung broke his hand on a hit-by-pitch; he’s likely done for 2026. This one had to hurt, and deGrom was furious at himself in the postgame, saying multiple times that he was “embarrassed.”

Houston Astros (79-81) 5, The Athletics (64-96) 6

Well don’t worry Jacob because remember: the AL West is lousy. The Rangers lost while the Astros were still playing on Friday, so they had a golden opportunity to seize control of the AL West, especially because they own the tiebreaker and were facing a terrible A’s team. Said terrible A’s team held off Houston and won, 6-5. A six-run sixth proved to be enough for the A’s offense as Hunter Brown’s once-solid outing went by the wayside with awful relief from Bennett Sousa, who failed to record a single out and allowed three runs. Henry Bolte smacked a two-run triple in the frame and the A’s had a commanding 6-1 lead.

Houston did fight back, in part because the A’s bullpen is horrific. Cam Smith homered and a rally in the eighth broke the score to 6-5 with runners on second and third after a wild pitch. Baby Bomber alum Luis Medina fanned Smith though and Houston was held at bay. Nelson Velázquez got a one-out walk in the ninth to put the go-ahead run on against Hogan Harris, only to be erased on a Jeremy Peña double play ball, stranding Yordan Alvarez in the on-deck circle. For the first time in MLB history, we are guaranteed a full-season division winner with either a .500 record or worse because neither Houston nor Texas can be better than 81-81.

lol

Cleveland Guardians (84-76) 12, Kansas City Royals (68-92) 9

Funky one in KC. The Guardians maintained their hot streak and withstood rallies from the Royals to win late without actually getting all that many hits. They had a dozen runs scored but only nine hits. Carter Jensen slugged two homers and drove in five for the Royals, but it wasn’t nearly enough, even with a tied-up ballgame at 7-7. Six walks and a fielder’s choice in the eighth led to Cleveland plating three without a hit before the surging Angel Martinez drove in two with a double to make it a 12-7 game. Salvador Perez’s 324th career homer cut into the lead in the ninth, but the Guardians held on to maintain their one-game lead in the AL Central.

Chicago White Sox (83-77) 6, Colorado Rockies (57-103) 1

Munetaka Murakami clobbered a pair of dingers to reach 35 in his rookie MLB season, and both came off countryman Tomoyuki Sugano, who he’d homered against twice in NPB play. Sean Burke threw 5.1 innings with one run allowed, and all that was easily plenty for the Pale Hose to take care of business on the South Side. They’ll just need some help from KC if they’re going to pass Cleveland for the division again.

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AL Standings

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Meet the Mets

The Mets fell to the Nationals 7-6 in what was an sloppy game for both teams, but a disastrous third inning that featured four wild pitches—two of them forcing in runs—sealed the Mets’ fate. On the bright side, with his 20th home run last night, Carson Benge became the first Mets rookie to have a 20-20 season.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, Faith and Fear in Flushing, MLB.com, New York Daily News, New York Post

The second game of this weekend’s series between the Mets and Nationals, originally scheduled for 4:05pm, will be played at 12:35pm due to the rain in the forecast later this afternoon and evening in Washington DC.

“Anything that can be in the history book and done for the first time is something special,” Carson Benge said about becoming the first Mets rookie to have a 20-20 season. “I hold that close to my heart.”

“If it matters to a Mets fan, it matters to me, but deep down, if I think about it, there’s playoffs and there’s not playoffs. There’s nothing we’re going to do to get to that spot,” said Andy Green prior to last night’s game about the importance—or lack thereof—of avoiding the cellar in the NL East. “As we watch other teams celebrate inclusion in playoffs, that should leave a bitter taste in all of our mouths to get back there. That’s all I’m really concerned with.” Last night’s loss to the Nationals ensured that the Mets will indeed finish in last place this season.

Prior to yesterday’s game, the Mets called up Justin Hagenman, who pitched the bulk of last night’s game in relief, and optioned Jack Weisenburger. Also, Xzavion Curry cleared waivers and was outrighted to the FCL Mets.

“It would be something that I would cherish for the rest of my career, probably one of the most important awards that I earn, that I win,” said Francisco Lindor about being nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award for the fourth straight year and what it would mean to win.

Around the National League East

The Phillies were shut out 2-0 by Freddy Peralta and the Rays, as the Diamondbacks won their game last night and inched within a game of Philadelphia for the final NL Wild Card slot (and own the tiebreaker over the Phillies) with two games to play. The Phillies were five games ahead of Arizona with eight games to play and are now in danger of missing the playoffs.

The Braves, with their NL East title already secured, were shut out by the Marlins 3-0. Eury Pérez ended his season on a high note with a one-hit shutout, striking out eight.

Around Major League Baseball

The Mets weren’t the only team whose games were impacted by the incoming Nor’easter this weekend. The Cubs and Red Sox—already originally scheduled to play a doubleheader yesterday—instead had the final game of their series moved to Tropicana Field in Tampa to avoid a soggy Fenway Park. The Yankees and Orioles preemptively moved the game originally scheduled for today and played a doubleheader yesterday.

With a 4-3 victory over the Cubs in Game 1 of yesterday’s doubleheader, the Red Sox secured the No. 5 seed in the AL and a matchup with the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Series.

“I don’t know,” said George Springer when asked whether he plans to retire after this season. “I love this organization. I loved being a Blue Jay. I’ve loved every single bit of being here. I haven’t really gotten that far yet. I’ve kind of taken every day with these guys in stride.”

The Twins and assistant general manager Daniel Adler have agreed to part ways.

“No comment,” Pope Leo XIV said with a smile when asked if he had any divine influence over the White Sox’s 2026 season. ”Great things happen in Chicago.”

MLB.com ran down the top 20 selling jerseys for the 2026 season. Not surprisingly, Shohei Ohtani was number one with Aaron Judge and Pete Crow-Armstrong rounding out the top three. Juan Soto was tenth, the only Met to make the list.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. apologized yesterday afternoon for comments he made earlier in the week in a Spanish-language interview with Veronica Batista, in which he said that he was being paid his $500 million contract for what he’d done in the past, not what he’d do in the future. “I just gave it some thought, and I felt like the comments I made the other day were not really what I wanted to say,” he said. “I felt that everyone, my fans and everyone, deserves an apology from me.”

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Vasilis Drimalitis previewed the final series of the season between the Mets and Nationals.

In a new episode of Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World Series, Brian Salvatore and Chris McShane discuss Andy Green being installed as the new permanent Mets manager and the Mets’ addition of Derek Falvey to the front office.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets became the first New York baseball team to draw 3 million fans in a season on this date in 1987, the year after their championship campaign. The Yankees would eventually do it too, but it would take another dozen years.

The Rays stayed healthy in a game that didn’t matter to them — and won.

That’s about all you can ask for at the end of the regular season post-clinching. And they looked good doing it, sporting the sweet new Tampa Bay road grays.

Jonny DeLuca got the jump on Phillies lefty Christopher Sanchez (‘fOrMeR rAy!’ Yes, we get it.) with an opposite field RBI single, 1-0 Flappy Boys in the first.

Nick Fortes cut through the 17 MPH wind in from left field at Citizens Bank Park to extend the Tampa Bay lead to 2-0.

OH MY GOD NICK FORTES OWNS “Christopher Sanchez” 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/R4E6hD3Ms7

— Caminero Fan Club (@CamineroFanClub) September 25, 2026

In the top of the third, Junior Caminero nearly left the yard but the aforementioned wind took 38 feet off the distance of his 107 MPH missile to center field, resulting in a flyout to Justin Crawford (damn I’m old).

Freddy Peralta dazzled yet again, going 5.1 IP while striking out four and only allowing four hits.

In Peralta’s last six starts, he’s gone 5-0 with a 0.79 ERA, only allowing three earned runs over 34 innings.

Freddy Peralta tonight:

5.1 IP | 4 H | 0 ER | 3 BB | 4 K | 12 Whiffs

He was up in velocity, sitting 96.2 mph and topping out at 98.5 mph. His changeup returned a 40% Whiff%, and he mixed in some sliders and sweepers.

Over his last 6 starts (34 IP), he has a 0.79 ERA. pic.twitter.com/031r63eSER

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) September 26, 2026

Cam Booser, Kevin Kelly and Cole Sulser each earn holds while Brian Baker earns his 30th save in a row, a team record.

You could tell the Phillies were pressing tonight.

They have not clinched a postseason berth, and their magic number was two coming in to tonight’s game.

Not only did they go 0-6 with runners in scoring position, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team directly behind them in the NL Wild Card standings, won 11-4.

As expected in Philly, they got booed mercilessly at “The Bank”.

Tarik Skubal’s final regular season tuneup went about as well as he and the Dodgers could have hoped, with 10 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings on only 75 pitches, with no walks against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night. On the season the left-hander had a 2.72 ERA and 3.06 xERA in 158 2/3 innings, including a 2.61 ERA, 3.15 xERA, and 23.2-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate in 10 starts for the Dodgers.

Tom Verducci at Sports Illustrated wrote about Skubal being the latest ace to join the Dodgers starting rotation, looking forward to an October run. Skubal on the Dodgers:

“It’s awesome to be a part of something where the standard is winning a World Series. That’s the way everybody goes about their business, from ownership to president to GM to manager to players, and then you talk about support staff and the chefs in the kitchen, the flight attendants … They all go out of their way to make sure you have everything you need to go out there and perform. I feel like everyone in this organization is rowing in the same direction and everybody wants a World Series just as bad as the players do.”

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Jarrett Seidler at Baseball Prospectus ranked all 30 MLB front offices and wrote many words about his hierarchy over the last few weeks. After writing about Nos. 21-30 and Nos. 11-20, Seidler on Thursday wrote about his top 10 front offices, with the Dodgers No. 2 overall, one of three teams in his top tier along with the top-spot Brewers and No. 3 Rays. From Seidler:

The Dodgers remain the best team around at trades, both buying and selling. They remain at or near the top in draft acquisition, player development, and research. They are going to be one of the best teams in baseball deep into the 2030s on an annual basis. They got Shohei Ohtani to sign with them. So there’s a lot going for them.

But I just don’t know how one can call the guys who signed the Kyle Tucker deal seven months ago—a deal that is currently trending towards being the literal worst contract in the history of the sport—the best front office in baseball, ultimately.

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Baseball America named its players of the year at every level. Josue De Paula, who won Texas League MVP, was named Double-A player of the year by BA, and California League MVP Easton Shelton was named Class-A player of the year. Eduardo Quintero lost out to Great Lakes outfield mate Charles Davalan for Midwest League MVP, but Quintero was tabbed by BA as High-A player of the year.

Other Dodgers minor leaguers named All-Stars at their level were James Tibbs III as designated hitter in Triple-A, third baseman Jake Gelof in Double-A, Davalan and pitcher Zach Root in High-A, plus third baseman Chase Harlan and outfielder Jaron Elkins in Class-A.

Triple-A end-of-season awards should be announced on Saturday, with the Triple-A title game coming at 7:05 p.m. PT in Las Vegas between PCL title-winning Oklahoma City and Rochester, the International League champs.

Good morning, baseball fans!

The final weekend of San Francisco Giants baseball is upon us, and as we have spent the rest of the season picking the Player of the Week, I thought today we would make our picks for Player of the Year.

BUT, before we get started, there is to be no stat checking whatsoever. This is strictly based on your memory of the season that was. The time will come for player reviews and further introspections. This is not that time. This is the time for vibes.

So, based on my recollection of this season and having picked players every week of it, my pick absolutely has to be Rafael Devers. I don’t keep stats on how many times I pick players during the course of a season, but I know for absolute certain that I picked Devers more than any other player. He was a rare bright spot in a season of dark clouds. So he’s my guy.

Who is your pick for Player of the Year?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants play game two of this three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers this afternoon at 1:05 p.m. PT.

Good morning, Purple Row!

There are two games left in the 2026 season, and there is absolutely nothing left for the Rockies to settle in the standings.

There is, however, one oddly specific statistical chase still worth watching.

Jake McCarthy enters Saturday with 30 doubles, 13 triples, 15 home runs and 32 stolen bases. He needs two more triples over the final two games to reach 15 in all four categories.

Individually, none of those numbers jumps off the page, but putting all four together is rarer than you might think.

Corbin Carroll has done it this season and in 2025, accounting for the only two 15-15-15-15 seasons in the last 10 years.

Before Carroll, you have to go back to 2011, when Shane Victorino did it. Looking all the way back to 2006, the other examples are José Reyes in 2008 and 2006, Jimmy Rollins and Curtis Granderson in 2007, and Carl Crawford in 2006.

That makes just eight such seasons by six players over the past 21 seasons.

McCarthy still needs two triples in two games, so it is very much an outside shot. But it gives the Rockies one more quirky statistical chase before the season ends.

Beyond Colorado, there are only three real races left in the standings.

In the American League, Houston and Texas enter Saturday tied atop the West at 79-81, with the Astros holding the tiebreaker. Cleveland also holds a one-game lead over Chicago in the AL Central.

In the National League, Arizona has stormed to within one game of the sputtering Phillies for the final Wild Card spot. The Diamondbacks have won six straight while Philadelphia has dropped three in a row.

There isn’t much left to the regular season, but there are still plenty of reasons to keep tuning in.

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Rockies News & Links

Rockies’ rotation shortcomings have club searching for answers going into 2027 | MLB.com

Thomas Harding digs into Colorado’s biggest offseason problem: a rotation that has spent the season near the bottom of just about every meaningful category and helped drive a brutal late-season collapse. The Rockies are expected to be aggressive in free agency and on the trade market, while also considering more creative ways to piece together innings with the pitchers already in the organization.

Grading Rockies’ Tomoyuki Sugano’s 2026 Season | SI.com

Sugano’s season gets a C-minus from Miguel Mike Medina, though the grade was handed out before he actually made his final start of the year. He then closed things out Friday by allowing four earned runs over 6.2 innings, putting the finishing touch on a season that had some legitimately strong stretches before falling apart late. The grade is a little harsher than I probably would have gone, but it is still a useful look back at Sugano’s uneven one-year run in Colorado.

José Quintana returns to the South Side for what could be his final career start, with his former team chasing an AL Central title | WhiteSoxRoundtable

Sam Phalen looks ahead to José Quintana’s return to the South Side, where the longtime White Sox starter could now complicate Chicago’s push for the AL Central. Quintana spent six seasons with the White Sox from 2012-17 and built a reputation there as one of baseball’s steadier starters before bouncing around the league, making Saturday a pretty fitting setting for what could be his final major-league start.

Renck: Rockies keeping Warren Schaeffer, talking improvement during awful finish is a tough sell| The Denver Post($)

A brutal 7-28 finish makes the Rockies’ progress a tough sell, and Troy Renck argues that the biggest culprit is a familiar one: starting pitching. He also digs into Josh Byrnes’ support for Warren Schaeffer and a front office willing to rethink everything from rotation usage to unconventional pitching arrangements as Colorado searches for answers heading into 2027.

Around MLB

Aaron Boone’s Anthony Volpe reveal may finally stick a fork in Ryan McMahon before Yankees playoff run | yankeesgoyard.com

Anthony Volpe getting a look at third base could further squeeze former Rockie Ryan McMahon out of New York’s postseason plans. McMahon still brings value with the glove, but his offensive struggles have become increasingly difficult to overlook as the Yankees experiment with other options at the hot corner heading into October.

AL West ineptitude: MLB to have first playoff team with non-winning record after full season | The Athletic

Johnny Flores Jr. puts the AL West’s mess into historical context: Houston and Texas are both 79-81 with two games remaining, meaning the division champion can finish no better than 81-81. That guarantees MLB will have its first playoff team from a full 162-game season without a winning record.

Brewers reach 100 wins for 1st time, lock up home field as No. 1 overall seed | MLB.com

The Brewers reached 100 wins for the first time in franchise history and locked up the No. 1 overall seed. They did it in unusual fashion, too: Milwaukee became the first 100-win team in MLB history without a winning streak longer than five games, and now heads into October trying to avoid the early exits that have tripped up most recent 100-win clubs.

Bregman back in Cubs’ lineup, plays full game days after being hit in face with foul ball | MLB.com

Just days after taking a foul ball to the face and suffering multiple fractures, Alex Bregman was already back in Chicago’s lineup Friday. He went hitless in four plate appearances, but simply getting through a full game was a big step for a Cubs team that will need him healthy for October.

Surging D-backs pull closer in Wild Card race with 6th straight win | MLB.com

Arizona just keeps applying pressure. Steve Gilbert breaks down the Diamondbacks’ sixth straight win, an 11-4 rout of San Diego that pulled them within one game of Philadelphia for the final NL Wild Card spot. Arizona still needs some help, but it owns the tiebreaker and has turned what looked like a long shot into one of the last real races of the regular season.

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