LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 4: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on September 4, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers (84-57) pulled off a 5-3 win over the Nationals (67-76) Friday at Dodger Stadium for their second victory in as many games.
Snell kept the power-hitting Nationals off the board and navigated around two walks, utilizing his high fastball and curveball to rack up seven strikeouts over six innings pitched. The Dodgers’ bullpen made it interesting in the top of the ninth when Washington scored three late runs off Seth Halvorson and Jack Dreyer.
Despite going up against the Nats with a lineup sans Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani for the second straight game, the Dodgers offense finally strung some clutch hits together.
Kent surrendered two straight walks to Kyle Tucker and Kiké Hernández to open the bottom of the third in a scoreless game.
The Dodgers were 2-for-27 with runners in scoring position before Tommy Edman went down swinging on a sharp curveball. Things looked as if they were trending toward the wrong direction again until Mookie Betts changed the course of the game.
Betts got the Dodgers the first lead after he knocked in Tucker with an RBI single to center field, extending his on-base streak to 14 games.
In a replay of Thursday, Teoscar Hernández doubled to center field to drive in two more runs for the Dodgers in the inning.
The Dodgers got their fourth run of the night with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Alex Call opened the inning with a double off Kent. Edman reached on an error by Nasim Nuñez on a routine play at shortstop, allowing Call to come in to score.
The Nats started to figure out Snell in the top of the sixth. James Wood doubled, and Andrés Chaparro singled to give Washington runners at the corners with nobody out.
Tucker homered in the sixth to make it 5-0 Dodgers.
The Dodgers’ bullpen did a fine job to preserve the shutout until the ninth. Edgardo Henriquez threw his 104-mph fastballs in the seventh for a scoreless frame with two strikeouts.
Kyle Hurt and Tanner Scott did their job, but Halvorsen surrendered three base hits in the top of the ninth including an Abimelec Ortiz RBI single. After the third straight hit, Dave Roberts gave Halvorsen the hook.
Dreyer got the first two outs of the inning in exchange for a second Washington run. Jorbit Vivas’s scoring ground out made it 5-2.
Dreyer was one strike away from shutting the door, but Wood doubled to deep center to bring in the third run of the inning for the Nats. After the threat, Dreyer finally secured the final out and the save to give the Dodgers their second straight win.
LP — Jackson Kent (1-3): 5 IP, 4 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 4 walks, 4 strikeouts (87 pitches)
S —Jack Dreyer (2)
Up next
The Dodgers and Nats continue the series Saturday (6:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Tyler Glasnow (4-0, 2.79 ERA, 0.81 WHIP) starts for the Dodgers. Fellow right-hander Cade Cavalli (12-5, 3.12 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) takes the ball for Washington.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 04: Teammates celebrate with Luis Campusano #12 of the San Diego Padres after his two run walkoff homerun to defeat the New York Yankees in the tenth inning of a game at Petco Park on September 04, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Scoring one in extras means holding serve, and that never rang truer than in tonight’s 3-2 loss to the Padres. The Yankees got one in the 10th only to allow a pair in the bottom of the inning thanks to a Luis Campusano homer off Paul Blackburn to secure the walk-off win for the Friars.
Through nine innings, though, each team only scored once, as this game delivered scarce scoring opportunities on both sides. Ty France led off the second inning with a double, and the Friars’ attempts to score a run via small ball momentarily came back to bite them—Jackson Merrill moved the runner to third on a bunt, only for Austin Hays to pop out. It was the type of frustrating plate appearance a starter like Max Fried is capable of generating when he needs it the most. And Fried looked like he’d get out of that inning unscathed after inducing soft contact from Xander Bogaerts with two outs, but Trent Grisham was unable to run it down in center, letting in the game’s first run.
The way in which Grisham chased the sinking hit certainly generated some concerns, and it was no surprise to see him subsequently removed due to right hamstring discomfort. It’s not yet certain if this issue is connected to the hamstring problem that affected his campaign a year ago, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to pose that question. Heliot Ramos replaced Grisham, entering the game in right field in the third inning, and moving Spencer Jones to center field for the remainder of the game.
It also didn’t take long for the Yankees to respond to the Padres’ opening run, tying the game in the top of the third with a solo shot. Ben Rice received one of Walker Buehler’s biggest mistakes of the game—a middle-middle 1-0 slider—and hit a no-doubter to dead center, his 36th long ball of the season.
Buehler’s ability to mix and match and keep the Yankees guessing, though, and allowed him to bounce back from that homer about as well as he could’ve. The Yankees had their opportunities, with the leadoff hitter reaching safely in each of the next two innings after Rice’s homer, but both times that runner was stranded—including a double play from Ramos in his first at-bat of the game.
Still on a leash in his return from injury, Yankees starter Max Fried received a little more leeway than in his previous start, and he ultimately covered 5.2 innings on 73 pitches. The only thing standing in the way of Fried and a scoreless performance was that soft single by Bogaerts. Surprisingly, Aaron Boone removed Fried after two quick outs in the sixth and went to starter-turned-reliever Will Warren, entering in the middle of a frame instead of starting one himself, somewhat unusual for a pitcher embarking on a new role. Warren took a moment to settle in, walking the first batter he faced, but with two outs, an easy grounder prevented any real problems.
With different methods —the Yankees with Warren in a long relief role and the Friars using their outstanding bullpen—these two teams combined to keep the score at 1-1 through nine with few threats of a run. Adrian Morejón and Mason Miller showed why they are one of the most menacing late-inning duos in the big leagues, striking out five of the six Yankees they faced in the eighth and ninth.
With David Bednar entering a tied game in the bottom of the ninth, the Padres finally threatened a run with France once again coming up big with a double. However, Bednar pitched around him, striking out Hays to strand the winning run at third and take the game to extras.
In many ways, one could define the tenth inning by the levels of aggression from both managers. Craig Stammen sent his closer out there for a second inning of work, and although Spencer Jones got to Miller with an RBI single before getting thrown out trying to steal third, Miller stopped the scoring at one.
Trying not to ask too much of David Bednar, who had already faced four batters, the Yankees went to Paul Blackburn for the save, and despite sterling numbers on the season, he couldn’t get the job done.
Blackburn started the inning off well, retiring Xander Bogaerts on a strikeout, but the thing about the Manfred Man is that you’re one bad pitch away from a multi-run homer, always. That bad pitch came to Campusano, and he hit a no-doubter to left field.
Expect a much different lineup from the Yankees on Saturday as Carlos Rodón and Robbie Ray will deliver a battle of veteran lefties to a national audience. Fox will broadcast the matchup between the Yankees and Padres that starts at 7:15 p.m. (ET).
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Luis Campusano hit a two-run homer with one out in the 10th inning and the San Diego Padres beat the New York Yankees 3-2 on Friday night to move back into the third National League wild-card spot.
The Padres won for just the second time in seven games and leapfrogged Arizona back into playoff position.
New York dropped four games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Campusano homered to left field off Paul Blackburn (7-3), his sixth. It came a half-inning after rookie Spencer Jones hit an RBI single to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead against his hometown Padres.
The 25-year-old Jones, who played at La Costa Canyon High in northern San Diego County, was playing for the first time as a big leaguer at Petco Park. After going 0 for 3, he singled to center off All-Star closer Mason Miller (5-2) to bring in automatic runner Luis García Jr. for a 2-1 lead.
Jones, who advanced to second on the throw, was thrown out trying to steal third as Heliot Ramos struck out.
Miller came into a 1-all game in the ninth and retired the side.
The Padres then got a baserunner to third with two outs before David Bednar struck out Austin Hays.
Ben Rice homered to the base of the batter’s eye in straightaway center field off Walker Buehler with two outs in the third to tie the game at 1. It was the All-Star’s 36th.
San Diego had gone up 1-0 when Ty France led off the second with a double against former Padres farmhand Max Fried, advanced on Jackson Merrill’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Xander Bogaerts’ single to center.
Up next
Yankees LHP Carlos Rodón (4-3, 3.20 ERA) and Padres LHP Robbie Ray (11-7, 3.14) are scheduled to start Saturday.
Mets starter Nolan McLean didn't have his best stuff Friday night against the San Francisco Giants, but he battled to turn it into another strong outing.
Overall, the right-hander allowed two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts, needing a career-high 105 pitches to get through six innings in New York's eventual 10-6 win.
His toughest challenge came in the fifth inning with the bases-loaded as he recorded a strikeout and got a double play to escape the jam. Despite his pitch count, McLean made his case to interim manager Andy Green, coming back out for the sixth and tossing a 1-2-3 inning when the team needed it most.
"Lucky," McLean said of his night. "You never really want to get into that much traffic. But I made some big pitches when it really mattered there with the double play and then going back out for the sixth and making pitches. But yeah, you never want to pitch with that much traffic."
He added on pitching the sixth inning: "I've been honest with Andy about how I felt. He came and asked me how I was feeling, I said I was good. I would love the sixth inning if he'd let me have it. He told me he'd give me three batters. I said, 'OK, that's all I need.' I'm pretty sure that he trusted me to go back out there."
After striking out Christian Koss to end the top of the sixth inning, McLean pumped his fists and let out a scream. When asked about showing that type of emotion, the 25-year-old explained his mindset and the importance of getting through six innings.
"I never want to be the guy that just loses that fire, no matter how the game's going or how the season's going," McLean said. "I'm trying to go out there and win every single time. And when I only go five innings, I don't really put my team in a position to do that. So it's important to me to go at least six innings."
Green added that he is consistently impressed with McLean's ability to get out of trouble by using "a ridiculous amount of confidence."
"Definitely wasn't his sharpest," Green said. "I don't think we love the middle innings there, where he found himself behind a lot, walked the nine-hole hitter, put him in a tough spot. The thing about him that I have always appreciated is he can put himself in some nasty jams, and then he finds a ridiculous amount of confidence to work his way out of it.
"So you got the bases loaded, you got nobody out, he looks like's about to be done before the fifth inning's even over. Punches a guy out and gets a double-play ball and he's out of the inning. We had a conversation after that inning, he liked where he was mentally, physically. Felt good about giving him three more batters, he went out there and handled them. Not a sharp outing, six innings, two runs, great result."
McLean is now 11-8 on the year and owns an impressive 1.87 ERA over his last 12 starts (3.06 overall ERA on the season). His performances have put him in the conversation for NL Rookie of the Year, but that's not something that crosses his mind when taking the mound as the season winds down.
"Yeah, I mean, of course. I think any competitor would want to win an award," McLean said. "Is it something I'm focused on? Not really. I don't pay a whole lot of attention to it. My job is to go out there and compete for the New York Mets."
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 4: Thomas Saggese #25 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates towards the dugout after hitting an RBI double in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 4, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Rockies spent much of Friday night letting opportunities slip away, then finally broke through in a four-run sixth inning that turned a 4-1 deficit into a 5-4 lead.
TJ Rumfield added insurance with a 441-foot home run an inning later, and the bullpen carried the two-run advantage into the ninth.
Then it disappeared.
Jordan Romano opened the ninth with a walk, Connor Norby made a throwing error and Iván Herrera crushed a three-run homer to center as the Cardinals came back for a 7-6 win at Coors Field.
Colorado fell to 54-87, while St. Louis improved to 71-71. Cade Winquest earned the win to improve to 1-0, Romano took the loss and fell to 0-3, and Riley O’Brien recorded his 36th save.
Feltner battles through five
Ryan Feltner’s final line was uneven, but there were stretches where his stuff looked quite good.
The right-hander allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings, striking out five while throwing 62 of his 95 pitches for strikes.
The changeup was his best pitch.
All five of Feltner’s strikeouts came on the changeup, which generated three whiffs on seven swings.
He looked sharp immediately, retiring the Cardinals in order in the first and finishing Iván Herrera with an 84.4 mph changeup for a swinging strikeout.
Jordan Walker opened with a single and Leo Bernal walked before Nolan Gorman tied the game with an RBI single. Thomas Saggese then won a seven-pitch battle with Feltner and doubled home Joshua Báez to put St. Louis ahead 2-1.
Feltner responded with an excellent third, needing just nine pitches to retire Herrera, Alec Burleson and Walker in order. Burleson chased a changeup below the zone for strike three, while Walker took another one to end the inning.
A leadoff walk to Bernal created more traffic in the fourth, but Feltner retired the next three hitters.
The fifth finally got away from him.
Nathan Church opened with a soft single, Bryan Torres walked and Herrera reached on a 104.2 mph grounder to short. Burleson followed with a high chopper that Carrigg charged, but the ball kicked off the heel of his glove as a runner crossed in front of him. It was scored an RBI single.
The Rockies did make one excellent defensive play in the middle of the inning.
Walker lifted a relatively shallow fly to center, where Jake McCarthy caught it moving toward the infield and made a strong throw toward home. TJ Rumfield cut the throw off after the run scored and helped catch Herrera between second and third for a double play.
Bernal then doubled at 109.8 mph, although McCarthy made a sliding stop in deep right-center that kept the ball from reaching the wall and prevented another run from scoring in that moment.
Feltner eventually got Báez to end the inning.
His four-seamer still averaged 94.4 mph and touched 96.6, while the changeup gave him a legitimate finishing pitch. The command was not consistent enough to keep St. Louis from creating traffic.
Pallante keeps Colorado quiet
The Rockies scored before recording a hit.
McCarthy opened the bottom of the first with a four-pitch walk, stole second, moved to third on Mickey Moniak’s groundout and scored on Hunter Goodman’s sacrifice fly.
Colorado had chances for much more against Andre Pallante.
Carrigg opened the second with a triple and never moved the final 90 feet. Norby grounded out, Troy Johnston walked, Adael Amador sacrificed Johnston to second and Zac Veen grounded out to end the inning.
Goodman and Rumfield then drew consecutive two-out walks in the third before Carrigg grounded out on the first pitch he saw.
Pallante eventually settled in.
Norby singled to begin the fourth, but Johnston grounded into a double play. Pallante then worked a clean fifth to finish five innings with only one run allowed on two hits and four walks.
He struck out just one and generated only four whiffs on 33 swings, but Colorado did almost nothing with the contact it made. The Rockies averaged just 74.4 mph on 15 balls in play against him.
Pallante had retired seven straight and had thrown only 72 pitches through five.
Colorado breaks through in the sixth
Hancel Rincon entered for his major-league debut and got Goodman to line out.
Then the inning came apart.
Rumfield drove a ball into right and raced into third. St. Louis challenged the safe call, but replay upheld it.
Rincon then threw a wild pitch that brought Rumfield home.
Carrigg followed by driving a ball into the right-center gap and never stopped running, coming all the way around for an inside-the-park home run to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Norby singled, and that ended Rincon’s debut after just one-third of an inning.
Justin Bruihl replaced him, but Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was still arguing with the umpires as the pitching change was made. The argument continued before play resumed, and Marmol kept yelling from the dugout until home-plate umpire Doug Eddings ejected him.
Once play resumed, Johnston doubled Norby to third and Amador tied the game with an RBI single to right.
Veen then gave Colorado the lead.
He missed his first attempt at a safety squeeze before getting the second bunt down toward the third-base side of the mound. Bruihl charged and shoveled the ball home with his glove, but Johnston was ruled safe.
The Cardinals had already used their replay challenge on Rumfield’s triple and could not challenge the play at the plate.
Colorado had turned a 4-1 deficit into a 5-4 lead.
Manfredi and Rumfield build the lead
Mark Manfredi gave the Rockies exactly what they needed after Feltner.
The left-hander retired all six hitters he faced over two perfect innings and struck out two.
His fastball averaged 95 mph, nearly a full mile per hour above his season average, while his slider generated two whiffs on four swings.
Carrigg helped him finish the sixth.
With two outs, Carrigg ranged toward the middle on Church’s grounder, charged it, fielded it on the backhand and fired a strong throw to first that narrowly beat the runner.
Manfredi came back for the seventh and retired another three in order, ending his night by winning an eight-pitch battle with Burleson on a 94 mph fastball.
Then Rumfield gave the Rockies some breathing room.
Goodman drove a ball 382 feet to center but came up just short.
Rumfield did not.
He got a 2-0 sweeper and launched it 441 feet to right-center for his 15th home run, extending the lead to 6-4.
Jimmy Herget took over in the eighth and retired Walker and Bernal before Báez singled with two outs. Brennan Bernardino then came on to retire pinch-hitter Ramón Urías and preserve the two-run lead.
Colorado managed only a two-out infield single from Ezequiel Tovar in the bottom half.
The lead went to Romano.
Romano cannot close it
Romano opened the ninth with a seven-pitch walk to Saggese.
That was the first problem.
Church flew out, but Saggese stole second before José Fermín hit a slow ground ball toward third. Norby’s throw got away, putting runners at second and third with one out.
Herrera made the mistake hurt.
Romano left an 84.2 mph slider over the plate, and Herrera drove it 430 feet to center at 103.5 mph.
Romano retired only one hitter, allowing three runs — two earned — on one hit and one walk.
Colorado still had one last chance.
O’Brien opened the bottom of the ninth with three straight sweepers to Moniak.
Moniak swung through the third.
Goodman grounded out before Rumfield singled with two outs and Ryan Ritter entered to run for him. O’Brien then threw away a pickoff attempt, moving the tying run into scoring position.
The Rockies spent the early innings creating opportunities without finishing them.
Carrigg’s leadoff triple went to waste in the second. Consecutive two-out walks produced nothing in the third. Colorado finished just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base.
Rumfield finished 3-for-4 with a triple, homer and two runs scored. Carrigg went 2-for-5 with a triple and an inside-the-park homer.
The defense had its moments too. McCarthy made multiple important plays in center, Amador made a slick backhand play up the middle and Carrigg made a strong play to finish Manfredi’s first inning.
Manfredi was excellent, and Herget and Bernardino kept the lead intact through the eighth.
The Rockies did enough to erase a three-run deficit and build a two-run lead.
They just could not finish it.
Up next
The Rockies and Cardinals continue their series Saturday night at Coors Field, with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m. MDT.
Colorado will send Mason Adams to the mound for the third start of his major-league career. The right-hander enters 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts.
St. Louis will counter with left-hander Matthew Liberatore, who enters 5-13 with a 5.41 ERA and 141 strikeouts.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani walks back to the dugout after striking out against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 12. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
After describing a stint on the injured list as “unlikely but not impossible” on Thursday, Roberts said Friday that he was “hopeful, but I wouldn’t say confident,” that Ohtani would avoid the IL.
Still considered day to day, Ohtani did not play in the Dodgers’ 5-3 win over the Washington Nationals.
There are a wide range of possibilities for Ohtani as he continues to deal with lingering pain in his right biceps. Though the Dodgers experimented earlier in the season with ways to manage his two-way workload — holding him out of the batting order on the day he pitched, giving him the day off after a start on the mound, or both — this is the first time he has missed two consecutive games. And he hasn’t pitched since July 3.
Roberts described Thursday as a “spa day,” meaning Ohtani rested, watched the game from the dugout and didn’t do any baseball activities. Roberts said Friday was a day to “start getting his body moving a little bit.”
“Let’s stay in communication, and let’s see when the time to give the green light is,” Roberts said.
Roberts said Ohtani has been “very agreeable” with the decision to rest him. Ohtani has declined multiple requests for comment over consecutive days through a team spokesperson.
“I think he wants to be out there, wants to play,” Roberts said, “but he’s understanding.”
An MRI scan of the area around his biceps and neck showed no structural damage, or as Roberts put it “nothing of note at all,” which is a promising sign. But Ohtani’s swings and body language Wednesday signaled that something was clearly wrong, affecting Ohtani’s play.
The fact that the Dodgers (84-57) have not put Ohtani on the IL yet doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll be out fewer than 10 days — it just means that they can’t rule out an earlier return. Teams can backdate IL moves up to three days. But that hasn’t traditionally served as a hard deadline for the Dodgers to make IL decisions. It isn’t expected to in this case, either.
Although having an injured player take up a roster spot for more than a few days isn’t ideal, it’s easier to cover for the designated hitter spot than other positions. And there is no obvious replacement on the 40-man roster pushing for a call-up through an extended period of outstanding play. Those factors mitigate the urgency to make a move.
In Ohtani’s absence, the Dodgers have started outfielder Alex Call at DH against left-handed pitchers, with Dalton Rushing available off the bench in the later innings.
Dodgers' starting pitcher Blake Snell delivers against the Washington Nationals in the first inning Friday. (Scott Strazzante / For The Times)
The setup has afforded Rushing more regular at-bats than initially expected when the Dodgers activated him this week. Because Rushing (elbow) is still working through a throwing program, the original plan was to have him pinch-hit one at-bat per game until he was ready to return to catching duties.
The Dodgers also have not officially ruled out Ohtani’s return to pitching, seeing even one or two innings from him as a plus. But the longer he’s out, the less likely it’ll become.
Ohtani’s planned buildup from tossing live batting practice on Aug. 22, to preparing to possibly start a little more than a week later, instead ended with the Dodgers shutting him down from throwing. Ohtani hasn’t even gone through weighted plyo ball drills in “a few days,” according to Roberts.
Asked what that meant for Ohtani’s return-to-pitching timeline, Roberts said it “certainly pushes it back.”
Mookie Betts scores on Teoscar Hernández's two-run double in the third inning against the Nationals on Friday. (Scott Strazzante / For The Times)
The priority, however, is getting Ohtani back to himself on the offensive side before the postseason — whether that means a couple days off or more than a week.
Roberts described the two-day break from the lineup as not just a physical one, but also a mental reprieve for Ohtani. He recorded just two hits in his last six games (23 at-bats). And over the past four weeks, he has a .703 OPS — compared to his .903 OPS overall this season.
“With a lot of players, when they’re not feeling well physically it adds to the toll mentally and emotionally,” Roberts said. “So I think Shohei is like that, like most players. We’re just kind of balancing how many days is sufficient to then be worth the time to get back, versus running this play out of days off and it not being adequate.”
Back on track?
Kyle Tucker scores on a single by Mookie Betts in the Dodgers' 5-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Scott Strazzante / For The Times)
Coming off a series loss to the Cardinals, the Dodgers’ offense carried the momentum it found at the beginning of the week into Friday. Even slumping Kyle Tucker hit a solo home run against the Nationals — his first homer since Aug. 8 and his first at Dodger Stadium since June 15.
Blake Snell tossed six shutout innings, navigating the traffic of five hits and two walks while allowing only one baserunner past second base.
Reliever Seth Halvorsen gave up three hits without recording an out in the ninth, but the Dodgers had built up enough of a lead to weather a Washington (67-76) comeback attempt.
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending prospect Sergei Murashov quickly rose through the ranks these past few seasons.
Murashov was selected by the Penguins in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft and had two great seasons in Russia's MHL before coming over to North America ahead of the 2024-25 season.
He started with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers and lit it up with them, finishing the 2024-25 season with a 17-7-1 record, a 2.40 goals-against average, and a .922 save percentage. He also made his AHL debut in Wilkes-Barre that season and didn't look out of place either, compiling a 12-3-0 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.64 goals-against average.
Murashov quickly graduated to the AHL full-time in 2025-26 and served as the 1A goaltender. He looked unbeatable at times down there, finishing the regular season with 24 wins, a .919 save percentage, and a 2.20 goals-against average.
He was even the guy in the playoffs, starting all of Wilkes-Barre's games before the team lost to the Toronto Marlies in the AHL Eastern Conference Final. Despite the loss, he did what many expected and played extremely well.
He even made his NHL debut during the season and showed some of his potential, especially against the Nashville Predators in Sweden on Nov. 16. He showcased strong agility, looked confident in the crease, and had great rebound control. It resulted in his first career NHL win and shutout.
It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows in his other starts, but that's common for a young goaltender who is getting his first look at NHL action.
The trick for Murashov now is how he does when he makes the full-time jump from the AHL to the NHL. It's the hardest jump for any prospect. Teams and players will have film on him, and they'll try to exploit any of his weaknesses. How he adjusts to that is going to be super fascinating.
Granted, this is all assuming he makes the team out of training camp. That is the likeliest scenario, but he will still have to earn it.
If Murashov does earn it, he'll likely be the 1B/backup goaltender to Arturs Silovs during the regular season. He'd earn 30-35+ starts and could push Silovs for the 1A job if he plays well enough.
Goalies, especially rookie goalies, are insanely hard to predict, but if he can finish the year with a save percentage between .900 and .905 and be at least positive in goals saved above expected, that would be a success.
Yes, those aren't the highest of expectations, but it's important to remember that this is a process. Development takes time.
With that in mind, Murashov is an easy person to root for, and it will be fun tracking his progress during the season.
Sep 4, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Nick Martinez (28) delivers a pitch to the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Death, taxes, and the Rays having a horrible time in Globe Life Field.
It’s been 4 years since the Rays last win in Arlington, Texas. On this night, they turned to a former Ranger to break the long losing streak. Nick Martinez has been the Rays stopper all season, and once again he answered the call.
6.1 IP 5 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks, and at his hand just a solo HR given up. Now his final earned run line looked a bit uglier thanks to Garrett Cleavinger, but make no mistake, Martinez was exactly the man the Rays needed to finally break the Globe Life curse. Well, the win and loss curse at least.
On the night when the Rays finally got their first win since June 2nd 2022 in Globe Life, it came at the cost of three of their key pitchers. Before the game Shane McClanahan and Manny Rodriguez were announced added to the 15-day IL. But it was the end of the game, with All Star closer Bryan Baker, in the midst of a an all time Rays season for a reliever, would leave the game wincing and twisting looking anything but comfortable. Hopefully precautions abound, but the Rays pen has been a struggle all season and they can ill afford to miss Baker for any amount of time.
Can’t wallow in the unknown, so back to what happened earlier on the field and Nick Martinez. More than anything, Martinez gave the Rays room to breathe a little. Just stay within a game and feel like they had a true punchers chance to take a game from Texas in Texas. He gave time for the bats to find ways to get the lead and extend a lead and hit with a lead. And he turned the ball over to the pen with only 8 outs to cover and 5 runs to protect. Hard to ask more than that from the ace of the Rays.
Speaking of the Rays hitters, a night after floundering without a hope or prayer vs Cal Quantril, they faired much better vs former 1st round Vanderbilt star Kumar Rocker. Rocker came in after an opener, which how it ended up mostly was academic as he entered to start the 3rd facing Rays leadoff hitter Yandy Diaz.
In terms of Rays hitters, perhaps nobody needed a big night more than Jonathan Aranda. Aranda has not been his normal self for several months, but the All Star level hitter is still in there, and tonight he was the engine that drove the Rays offense.
Aranda tied up the game in the 3rd greeting Rocker with a loud solo HR. The homer came the inning following the Rangers jumping out to an early lead the inning before on their own solo HR. Having that answer immediately showed some fight desperately needed vs a fellow playoff contender.
Richie Palacios would follow that up with a solo shot of his own to give the Rays a lead which somehow, and frankly unbelievably, they would not relinquish.
He would follow that up in his next at bat by doubling in Yandy Diaz who had a double himself to extend the Rays lead. Junior Caminero would have a double of his own, followed by more hits from Mesa, and Chandler, and even a productive albeit rally killing run scoring double play by Cedric Mullins, would all work to give the Rays a 6-1 lead.
But this is Texas and nothing is easy. Or fun. Or without agony.
After Nick Martinez was unable to get through the 7th to save the pen, Cash would call upon Garrett Cleavinger to try and clean up the mess.
Now, I have a strategy that I think could work well for the Rays: whoever Kevin Cash will call upon to get warm in a hurry and come in to clean up Cleavingers mess, just use that guy first instead.
Well, that bit of analytics has not made its way to the dugout yet, and instead Cleavinger would immediately walk the first batter he faced loading the bases. 9th hole hitter Elias Diaz would then hit a grand slam to bring Texas back within a run 6-5.
Cleavinger was given another batter to maybe try and get an out. Unfortunately, not gonna happen. After another single, Cleavinger would be replaced by Cam Booser would would clean up the mess and induce an inning ending double play vs Corey Seager to escape the inning with Martinez still the pitcher of record.
Garrett Cleavinger’s line tonight: 0 outs recorded, 2 hits 2 ER 1 BB
The rest of the way Cash used the few reliable high leverage arms he had. Kevin Kelly continued his great season, working a scoreless 8th.
In the 9th Baker would take the ball, and mentioned at the top, never quite looked right before departing. Two walks, no outs, and we wait with bated breath.
Tyler Wells would get the call to try and hang on to the win, and much like the rest of the Rays 2026 deadline, would deliver. Big save, huge win, and maybe just maybe now the Rays can take less than 4 years before their next win in Arlington.
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 03: Iván Herrera #48 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates with teammates after scoring a run in the third inning during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, September 3, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Game Summary
Andrea Pallante pitched 5 stout innings to get the Cardinals started. Gorman, Saggese, Burleson and Walker drove in early runs to stake the Cardinals to an early 4-1 lead. Unfortunately, the Cardinal bullpen melted down yet again, with a disastrous debut by Hancel Rincon, allowing the Rockies to go up 6-4. But a late 3-run HR by Ivan Herrera bailed the team out, followed by an O’Brien save to close out a win, ugly, but a win.
The Cardinals have won 3 out of 4 on a tough road trip that spans 9 games in 3 cities. Anything can happen, right? Winning creates that opportunity.
Pre-game notes
Greetings from Denver, Colorado. It’s a warm evening tonight, just under 90 degrees start. Weather won’t be a factor, other than I expect the ball to be flying.
Pallante goes for the Cardinals. I’m curious how Coor affects his stuff.
Feltner for the Rockies.
Fernandez optioned to make room for Pallante. I assume that means Mautz to the bullpen and likely hot tonight.
The first innings
The Cardinals go quickly in the top of the first. Pallante walks the first guy on four pitches, McCarthy, who was a pain in the series back in St. Louis. A stolen base, ground out and a fly ball produce a quick 1-0 lead for the Rockies.
The Cardinals answer right back in the second. Walker leads off with a single and Bernal walks. A one-out RBI single by Gorman ties the game and a liner by Saggese that carooms off the pitcher into the outfield lands another run. Pallante works in and out of trouble in the bottom of the second, having trouble locating any of his pitches.
The Cardinals go quietly in the third, Burleson racks up another strikeout. He is on an awful streak. In the bottom of the third, Pallante continues to struggle with command, issuing two more walks, but working in and out of trouble. Cardinals up 2-1, in spite of Pallante with 4 walks and 0 K’s.
The middle innings
The top of the fourth is more of the same. The Cardinals ABs look like hitters who flew in late and didn’t get enough sleep. Feltner K’ed 5 through four innings. In the bottom of fourth, Pallante yet again dealt with traffic but a GIDP settled things nicely. I don’t think I’ve seen him land a 4-seam FB for a strike all night.
Rolling into the fifth inning (noting the game is barely an hour old), the Cardinals rally. Church and Torres lead off with a walk and a single. Herrera reaches on a ball whiffed by their SS Carrig. They gave him a hit, but he just screwed up a doubleplay ball straight up. Burleson singled in a run. Walker hit a SacFly that scored a second run, but a TOOTBLAN by Herrera resulted in an out at third on the play. Bernal promptly doubled, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd but the rally ended there as Baez grounded out. Cardinals leave the inning leading 4-1, but should have been more. Pallante did a good thing and comes out with a quick, clean bottom of the fifth. 72 pitches for him.
Feltner was lifted for Manfredi in the sixth. Cardinals went quietly. Rincon in for Pallante in the bottom of the sixth. After a quick out, things went sideways. Rumfield with a Coors triple on a ball not well played by Walker. An unsuccessful challenge by the Cardinals results in an umpire doing a jig after the replay supported the call. followed by a Rincon wild pitch to narrow the score. Carrig scores on a poor choice by Church who tried to leap and catch a ball 20 feet over his head, turning a double into an inside-the-park-homerun. A third hit ends Rincon’s debut outing, which felt a lot like Mautz’ debut the other night. Ugly. Bruihl in for Rincon. An automatic ball on a pitch timer violation adds drama and an Oli ejection. Not entirely sure what happened there, but suspecting the roots of this was the earlier challenge. A double and a single continue the avalanche, tying the game. A squeeze bunt gives the Rockie’s the lead, and no out is recorded. Runner looked out, but alas, no challenge remaining. The inning mercifully ends with the Rockies leading 5-4. Could have been much worse.
The decisive and bitter exhilarating end
The Cardinals offer no resistance to the vaunted Rockies pitching in the seventh. Burleson racks up another K. This is not going well. Bruihl remained in for the seventh. He gives up a HR to Rumfield and was promptly replaced by Winquest. He gets two quick outs, but the Rockies now up 6-4.
Herget replaces Winfredi in the eighth. Two quick outs followed by a Baez single chases Herget for Bernadino. Urias pinch hits for Gorman and pops out. Winquest remains in for the eighth and works through without drama.
In the ninth, Saggese leads off with a walk and steals second. A fly reduces the WPA for the Cardinals. Fermin gets on via error putting runners at second and third. Herrera crushes a 3-run HR to straight away center, dramatically changing the Cardinals’ WPA. For the record, WPA calc is unaware of the Cardinal bullpen situation.
O’Brien in to close. Leads out with a 3-pitch K. Goodman grounds out. A single and an ROB throwing error on a pick-off adds drama, but a K ends it quickly. Cardinals win 7-6.
Post-Game Notes
This season has had some ugly losses. This one falls into the ugly win category.
Be sure and check out “Tonight on the Farm – Friday 9.4” over at The Feed.
Walker reached 100 RBI this game.
Winquest with his first MLB decision…a win!
Watching a game at Coors Field is indeed a pleasant experience. I wish the Cardinals played better here, but they don’t. It’s a weird place to play.
Aug 21, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers catcher Elias Díaz (35) singles against the Los Angeles Angels during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Texas Rangers scored six runs but the Tampa Bay Rays scored seven runs.
Maybe the Rays go on to enjoy some success in October as the American League’s best team but baseball’s like 12th best team. Who knows.
What I do know is they’re the only team that has given up a grand slam to the Rangers in 2026.
However, in prime 2026 Rangers fashion, the only time they’ve hit a grand slam was in a game where they also lost and their chances of meeting the Rays again next month dropped by a few more percentage points.
Player of the Game: Down 6-1 in the bottom of the seventh after tonight’s starting pitcher Kumar Rocker was worked over despite being eased into the game with not one but two openers, catcher Elias Diaz stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded which is usually a death sentence for a team such as this.
Instead, Diaz drilled a laser over the left field fence to give Texas its first grand slam in 2026.
Suddenly the Rangers were back to within a run but the Rays added a ninth inning insurance run to tamp out the comeback bid that ended with Texas only getting one run back — via a Diaz sac fly — after the first two batters reaching in the bottom of the ninth and Tampa Bay’s closer Bryan Baker exiting early.
Up Next: More Rangers and Rays with RHP Jacob deGrom set to take the mound for Texas against RHP Drew Rasmussen for Tampa Bay.
The Saturday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 6:05 pm CDT and you can watch it on the Rangers Sports Network.
Sep 4, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals designated hitter Salvador Perez (13) hugs Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) after a single during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Blue Jays 9 Royals 2
Let’s get the bad news out of the way off the start. Jameson Taillon came out of the game after the second inning with right elbow discomfort. Why is it always the throwing arm that gets the discomfort? Oh right, because they are doing something very unnatural with the throwing arm. Taillon gave up 2 hits, 1 earned run (on a Bobby Witt homer), with a strikeout.
John and Pete must be saying to each other, ‘When is it going to get easier?’
But, amazingly, the Jays are back to .500. 71-71,
Other than the injury, it was a great night. We scored four in the top of the first, and the game was never in doubt from there on out.
In that first inning, Brett Bateman was hit by the first pitch of the game. An out later, Vladimir Guerrero lined a single to right (101.7 mph). Then Kirk lined a single to left, scoring Bateman. Kazuma Okamoto singled in Vlad. An out later, Ernie Clement doubled in the last two runs of the inning.
We got one more in the second. Myles Straw started it with a single. Two outs later, Vlad singled (102.7 mph), and Kirk doubled in Straw.
There were three more runs in the sixth. Clement led off with a single, and Nathan Lukes singled, giving us runners on the corners. Straw put down a sac bunt, scoring Clement, making it 6-1. Bateman walked, and George Spinger doubled in both, 8-1.
And Sean Keys hit his second MLB home run in the ninth.
We had 13 hits, with 3 doubles and a home run. Vlad, Kirk, Clement and Straw had two each. Vlad had three balls hit at over 100 mph; the one he hit hardest was a 115.8 mph lineout to third. I don’t know how you catch something moving that fast. Springer also had two hits over 100, 108.4 and 110.7.
If we can continue to hit like that, we’ll enjoy the rest of the season.
The game became a bullpen day:
Joe Mantiply threw two innings, allowing just 1 hit with a strikeout.
Braydon Fisher pitched the fifth, allowing a walk.
Brendon Little got the sixth, giving up a walk, getting a strikeout and throwing a ton of pitches (31).
Michael Lorenzen threw the last three innings, getting a rare three-inning save. He allowed 3 hits and a run with two strikeouts. He saved us from using more arms, a good thing at this time of the season (he also put a bullseye on his back; the team might send him down since he won’t be able to pitch for a couple of days.
If the stupid Tigers could have held on to a lead in either game of their doubleheader, we would be in a tie for the last spot. But we are one game back.
There was a cute moment, went Sal Perez was caught between first and second and he and Vlad hugged it out. Vlad had a very good day with the glove.
Jays of the Day: Kirk (0.15 WPA) and Clement (0.13).
No one gets the Other Award.
Tomorrow we have a rare weekend night game. 7:00 Eastern. Max Scherzer, who was amazing in his last start, vs. Seth Lugo (6-8, 5.03).
Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham exited Friday's game against the San Diego Padres early due to right hamstring discomfort, the team said.
Grisham appeared to have trouble running in for a bloop single that scored a run in the second inning, and immediately went to the trainer in the dugout at the end of the frame.
He did not return to the field in the bottom of the third inning, as Heliot Ramos came in to play right field with Spencer Jones sliding over to center.
Grisham had walked in his lone at-bat prior to leaving the game against his former team.
The 29-year-old dealt with a right hamstring strain earlier this season, missing nearly three weeks from June 13 to July 2.
Overall across 121 games, Grisham has hit .211 with a .703 OPS, 18 home runs, and 59 RBI.
Sep 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (17) talks with home plate umpire Chris Segal before the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Game Summary
The Diamondbacks are nothing if not consistent. Unfortunately, D-Backs fans would perhaps prefer a different sort of consistency. The Snakes scored 1 run for the 4th game in a row have gone hitless with RISP for just as many games. This is their longest streak of RISP ineptitude this season, breaking a tie with 2 other streaks of 3 games.
The offense felt like they were a step behind Houston starter Cristian Javier from the jump and they never could climb out of the hole. The team struck out 13 times, blowing away their previous season high of 8 Ks in a single game, but they also drew 7 walks which is their new season high in that metric. To be honest, though, it didn’t feel like the walks were great at bats by the hitters. They weren’t battling in the box and taking close pitches or fouling off a bunch of balls in the shadow zone, the D-Backs were simply not swinging at pitches way out of the strike zone on those particular plate appearances.
Gabriel Moreno was the top offensive contributor on the night, with a pair of walks and homer on his box score, but he also had the most negative plays if WPA actually calculated events outside the batter’s box. Gabi’s whiff on a throw home from Max Kepler that would have prevented the third Astros run from scoring was the first blemish on his night and then an absolutely epic TOOTBLAN put a nice bow on his Jekyll and Hyde evening.
The pitching staff did well again, but not well enough to let a single run by the offense stand up. Merrill had one rough inning, but other than that was almost completely spotless. Outside of the 3-run third, Merrill didn’t allow an Astro to reach 2nd base. The bullpen did well, too, with JMart looking awesome outside of his incredibly poor ABS challenge. Martinez averaged over 102mph on his Sinker and 4-seamer! Merrill’s second straight good start is key if this is what we can expect down the stretch. Hopefully his month-on-month-off season continues through September.
Loss Probability and Box Score
Outside the Box Score
Geraldo Perdomo made a slick play at short to record the first out of the game for Merrill Kelly. The Astros speedy leadoff hitter hit a chopper to short and Gerry made an excellent backhand on a short hop before gathering and firing quickly to first for the out.
Ketel’s first action at 2B since returning from the Restricted & Injured Lists was a little shaky. Ketel fielded the ball on the far side of second base, planted and threw but the ball went several feet to the home plate side of first base. Fortunately the Astros hitter wasn’t hustling up the line and Tim Tawa could cooly apply the tag to record the out.
Perdomo got a 2-out walk in the 3rd and then stole second. His jump didn’t appear to be too great but the throw to second was way short and the fielder opted to come up to catch the ball rather than wait on the hop.
Merrill Kelly gave up a homer to Yainer Diaz to lead off the 3rd on a hanging slider that was in the middle of the strike zone. Diaz blasted it at 100mph EV into the Crawford Boxes.
Merrill have up an RBI double to Isaac Paredes in the 3rd that landed within a foot of the left field foul pole. Really close to being nothing more than a strike, but even if it was foul, there was a definite them of hard contact against Merrill in the 3rd: 101, 100, 69, 102 were the EVs to start the inning. The 69mph hit belonged to Yordan Alvarez. Go figure.
Jose Altuve was credited with a sac fly in the third, but it was very nearly an inning-ending double play. Altuve popped it into shallow left right along the left field line by the wall and the stands, a pretty tricky spot. Kepler made a running, shoe string catch then threw home as Yordan Alvarez tagged and went for home. Kepler’s throw bounced a couple times but it was on target and well ahead of the runner, but Gabi whiffed the catch and Alvarez slid home safely for a 3-0 lead.
Gabi got that run back that he allowed with his whiff of Kepler’s throw home when he tattooed high cutter into the Crawford Boxes for a leadoff homer in the 4th. Exit velocity was, to this point, a game high 105.1.
The D-backs young players have seemed very hesitant to challenge, but Waldy broke the trend, at least for now, by challenging a called strike 3 that was actually off the outside corner. Unfortunately, it only flipped the box score from ꓘ to K as he struck out swinging on a pitch even further outside the strike zone a couple pitches later.
Ketel Marte’s double in the 6th was about the luckiest double this he’ll have this year. A high pop up into shallow left field (almost exactly where Altuve hit his sac fly to Kepler earlier in the night) land just inside the fair line as the left fielder overran it and then had to reach back and whiffed the catch. The ball then bounced high into the air and landed in the stands along the left field line for a ground-rule double.
The Astros catcher whiffed on both his challenges, giving Houston a rare (to my understanding) ofer in the challenge department.
Justin Martinez foolishly challenged a pitch in the 7th. The official ruling confirmed the ball landed more than 3” off the plate inside. Yikes.
Gabi got a leadoff walk in the 8th, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. They gifted the DBacks a runner in scoring position and Gabi threw it away with a horrible TOOTBLAN. Ketel hit a grounder up the middle between Gabi’s secondary lead and second base. Gabi froze, then decided to try and run back toward second. The Astros SS charged and fielded the grounder and made the quick tag of Gabi before throwing to first to complete the double play. TOOTBLANs are inherently ridiculous (getting out like a nincompoop is ridiculous) but that version was way more nincompoopish than what is standard.
Comment of the Game
A fairly average showing tonight in the GameDay Thread with a total of 271 comments at time of publishing. Only a single comment crossed into Sedona Red territory and that was a greeting rather than commentary on the game so no COTG winner this evening.
Coming Up
The Diamondbacks face the ’Stros tomorrow at 4:15pm televised nationally on FOX. Brandon Pfaadt (7-2, 3.49 ERA) will get the ball for the good guys and young right-hander Ethan Pecko (1-0, 6.23 ERA) will get the ball for Houston.
Scoreboard Watching
Cubs beat the Marlins to keep the Fish 3 games back of AZ.
Padres are tied with Yankees 1-1 at home after 7 innings. Currently tied with AZ pending the results of their game.
Cardinals won in Colorado 7-6. They are very much back in the hunt at 3 games behind AZ.
South Bend shortstop Angel Cepeda celebrates getting a double during a Minor League Baseball game between the South Bend Cubs and the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Four Winds Field on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Iowa right-hander Andrew Wantz was activated off the temporarily inactive list.
Iowa second baseman Hayden Cantrelle went to the development list.
Knoxville right-hander Brody McCullough went to the development list.
Knoxville right-hander Luis Martinez-Gomez comes off the 7-day injured list.
Braxton Garrett wasn’t bad tonight, allowing two runs on three hits over 4.2 innings. Both runs scored on a third-inning home run. Garrett struck out five and walked three. Garrett still got the loss.
Edward Cabrera had a rough relief appearance in a rehab assignment. Cabrera gave up four runs, three earned, on three hits over two-thirds of an inning. His defense did him no favors, but he didn’t do any favors for his defense either. Cabrera walked two and struck out one.
Iowa had just two hits tonight and second baseman Ben Cowles had both of them, going 2 for 4 with an RBI double in the third inning.
The Knoxville Smokies got in the eyes of the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 8-3. The win moved the Smokies back in to a tie for first place in their division with 8 games to play. Of course, the Smokies have already clinched a playoff spot from winning the division title in the first half.
Luis Martinez-Gomez came off the IL and went three innings. He allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits. He walked two and struck out three.
Grayson Moore allowed one run on two hits over 1.2 innings and got the win. Moore struck out one and walked no one.
Right fielder Alex Ramírez hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning, his 14th on the year. Ramírez went 1 for 5.
Shortstop Alex Madera was a perfect 4 for 4 with a double. He drove in two and scored two. Madera also stole a base.
DH Andy Garriola doubled twice in a 3 for 5 night. Garriola scored two runs.
Starter Alfredo Romero allowed two runs on three hits over 3.1 innings. One run was unearned. Romero walked three and struck out four.
Cole Reynolds took over for Romero and got the win because Romero didn’t go five innings. Reynolds pitched 3.1 innings and gave up one run on four hits. He struck out three and walked no one.
The Kernels literally could not get center fielder Alexey Lumpuy out, as Lumpuy was a perfect 5 for 5 with three doubles and a stolen base. Lumpuy drove in four runs and scored once.
Shortstop Angel Cepeda went 3 for 4 and was hit by a pitch. Cepeda scored three times and drove in one.
Third baseman Matt Hallbach was 2 for 3 with two walks. He scored four runs and had one run batted in.
Right fielder Leonel Espinoza went 2 for 4 and scored once.
Everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit except catcher Justin Stransky, but Stransky had a big night anyway, going 0 for 1 with a bases-loaded walk and three sacrifice flies for four total RBI. I can’t remember anyone getting four RBI without a hit.
Riely Hunsaker pitched the first five innings and surrendered two runs on four hits. One of the two runs was unearned. Hunsaker struck out four, walked two and hit one.
Luis Mata pitched the next two innings and got the win. Mata gave up no runs on no hits, but he did walk one while striking out one. Mata also hit a batter.
DH Juan Tomas hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, his first for Myrtle Beach and sixth overall. Tomas was 1 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored.
Catcher Jose Silva went 2 for 4 with a stolen base. He scored once.
Interim manager Andy Green told reporters Friday night after the team's 10-6 win over the San Francisco Giants that Tong will be called up and start on Monday when they face the Marlins in Miami.
Green was asked about the decision to bring in Robert Stock to pitch in the eighth inning, leading him to share the plan to have Tong rejoin the rotation.
"I think we kind of rearranged our rotation coming out of the off-day," Green said. "We knew the three guys that were going to go this series. We have, we'll say it now, Jonah will start the first game against Miami. Sean [Manaea] will start the next one and then we'll figure out where we are on that last day in Miami, which gave Robert a long time down and us the opportunity to use him in that capacity."
Green had hinted at Tong being considered for the opportunity earlier in the week, and now the 23-year-old will get prove he deserves it.
Tong last pitched in the majors on June 2 against the Seattle Mariners, allowing four earned runs on five hits in bulk relief (3.1 IP). In his brief stint with the Mets earlier this season, he went 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA over 10.0 IP (all in relief).
Meanwhile, it's been an up-and-down year for Tong in Triple-A, as he's gone 5-6 with a 4.54 ERA with 126 strikeouts across 23 starts. But he has impressed recently, pitching to a 0.84 ERA with 23 strikeouts over his last four starts, including a seven-inning one-hitter on Aug. 29.
New York has been patient with Tong's development this year after he was rushed to the big leagues at the end of the 2025 season and struggled.
