Australia may have the ascendancy after two days of rain-affected play at St George’s Park, but South Africa still have hope they can salvage a result in the second Test.
Emerging star squanders golden maiden ton chance as forgotten opener sends message — Wrap
Ollie Peake’s reaction said it all.
'Everything changed' for Freddy Peralta with Rays. His old Brewers mates will find out.
Freddy Peralta was raised as a pro in Milwaukee, got lost in New York, found the greatest version of himself in Tampa Bay and now returns where it all began.
Only this time, he'll be climbing the biggest stage in baseball: Freddy Peralta and the Tampa Bay Rays vs. the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2026 World Series.
Peralta willed that scenario into reality Monday, Oct. 20, when he stretched his American League Championship Series shutout streak to 11 ⅔ innings and won Game 6 of this battle against the Cleveland Guardians, a 7-3 triumph that sent Tampa Bay to its third World Series in franchise history.
Peralta walked off with ALCS MVP honors, as he won Game 2, picked up two huge outs in relief in Game 4 and then won the clinching Game 6. It's just what he's been doing of late.
Since Aug. 26, Peralta has gone 7-0 with a 0.89 ERA in 10 games, including playoffs.
The Rays have won all 10 games.
"He's kind of put us on our back," Rays manager Kevin Cash acknowledged.
And who could have imagined that at the end of July, when Peralta was marooned in Queens with a 4.99 ERA after he was perhaps the most significant disappontment on a highly disappointing New York Mets team that thought acquiring him from Milwaukee was the last piece of a championship offseason.
They gave him a lifeline, though, dealing him out of last place in the NL East and into the penthouse of the AL East, acquiring three Rays minor leaguers in the deal. Suddenly, Peralta had new life, and no ill will toward his old employers.
"I’m very grateful for the Mets organization. They traded for me because they trusted my talent, trusted my career, and they support me," Peralta said in a postgame interview with TBS. "They were always taking care of me, trying to make me get my confidence back. They were really good about it.
"For some reason, it wasn’t able to click. But when I got here, everything changed."
Oh, did it.
Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder has nearly an entire pitching staff of reclamation projects and optimized arms. Yet he had barely two months to work with Peralta before the playoffs.
No matter. Snyder gradually got Peralta to improve his extension down the mound and get his vaunted fastball up in the zone. Gradually, it kicked in and for the past nearly two months, Peralta has been unbeatable.
"You know, it feels so good," Peralta said in his MVP press conference, "because of the way that we've been working on the little things - not only the pitching coach and all that, I mean everybody, from the trainers, people that helped me to feel better with the massage and all that, it's been amazing, great communication.
"They've been awesome with me. They've been giving the best of themselves to make me feel good on the field every day."
This will likely be a short-hop stay in Tampa Bay. Peralta is a free agent at year's end, one reason why Milwaukee traded him with a year of control left. With this World Series matching lower-revenue clubs, it's likely Peralta will find his way to a club more willing to pay a premium.
But there's a World Series to play in the meantime. Peralta admits it will be a little emotional facing old mates, seeing familiar faces, his life as a two-time Milwaukee All-Star and a Tampa Bay ALCS MVP colliding.
"I think that they are great," says Peralta of the Brewers. "They are amazing and we are very similar teams. I don’t know how the people, the fans are going to take it. But I’m happy to go over there. I have a lot of people I love over there, people who care about me, who happen to be there.
"To be able to compete and...take a lot of pictures and videos. Because it’s something that probably won’t happen again."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Everything changed' for Freddy Peralta with Rays. His old Brewers mates will find out.
Cubs’ Finances Could Be Unsealed in Rooftop Suit Ahead of CBA Fight
As Wrigley View Rooftop appeals a federal judge’s decision granting summary judgment to its neighbor, the Chicago Cubs, and entering a permanent injunction blocking the rooftop owners from selling tickets to watch games, concerts and other events at Wrigley Field, the two sides are waging another battle with implications that could extend far beyond Wrigleyville.
The sides are arguing over whether U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman should unseal the trial court record and all the financial information, contracts and potential trade secrets it contains.
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The timing is especially important given that MLB is expected to institute a lockout after the current collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1.
The labor dispute will concern numerous issues, but at its core will be money, including how MLB revenue is divided between owners and players and the owners’ push for a salary cap. There are fears the lockout could extend well into 2027 and lead to lost games.
In professional sports labor disputes, players’ unions often argue that teams are more profitable than they claim. Unsealed financial records from the Cubs could attract attention well beyond this litigation, including from the MLBPA as it prepares for a potentially contentious labor fight.
Unpacking Wrigley View Rooftop’s arguments
In a memorandum authored by Matthew De Preter and other attorneys from Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa, Wrigley View Rooftop offers several arguments in hopes of persuading U.S Coleman to unseal the record.
Wrigley View Rooftop highlights that the Cubs “chose to bring this case” and thus “chose to put information at issue in the presumptively public forum of the Federal Court system.”
Unlike litigation in federal court, arbitration and mediation are generally conducted outside the public judicial process and often subject to confidentiality arrangements. Wrigley View Rooftop maintains there is a “strong presumption” in favor of public access to judicial records.
Last year, Coleman denied Wrigley View Rooftop’s motion to dismiss on the grounds that an arbitration provision in a prior settlement agreement was an “improper mechanism” for dismissing the Cubs’ lawsuit. In 2004, the Cubs settled litigation with rooftop businesses, including Wrigley View Rooftop, through agreements that allowed the businesses to sell rooftop access in exchange for payments to the Cubs. The team’s agreement with Wrigley View Rooftop expired on Dec. 31, 2023, and while the Cubs struck deals with other rooftop businesses, they didn’t do so with Wrigley View Rooftop.
Wrigley View Rooftop insists that the Cubs should not “hide behind its self-anointed confidentiality designations to shield the public from the full record of the case and prevent” Wrigley View Rooftop from “fully responding.”
To that point, Wrigley View Rooftop objects to some of the media coverage of the litigation. One specific grievance is with the headline for Sportico’s Aug. 17 story, “Cubs Slam Wrigley View Rooftop as ‘Parasitic’ in Legal Battle.”
The story summarizes and analyzes the Cubs’ criticism of Wrigley View Rooftop’s business model of selling seats and concessions to ticket holders to watch events at Wrigley Field, a business model the Cubs portrayed as parasitic. (To be clear, the Cubs used the word “parasitic,” and Sportico wrote about that.) Wrigley View Rooftop also objects to several stories and videos published by other media.
Wrigley View Rooftop maintains that “the bias of this coverage” reflects the Cubs’ redacting information in court filings to present the team in a more favorable light.
The Cubs, Wrigley View Rooftop insists, “pick and choose what information” to reveal in court filings “so as to unfairly frame” the Cubs’ image “while deriding” Wrigley View Rooftop. The company maintains it would be in the “public interest” for the record to be released.
In addition, Wrigley View Rooftop argues the Cubs have violated the terms of a confidentiality order issued by Coleman, who set parameters for the two sides to discuss which materials ought to be designated as confidential and sealed. Wrigley View Rooftop maintains that the Cubs haven’t explained the rationale for opposing the removal of confidentiality designations.
Wrigley View Rooftop also objects to the sealing of information regarding the Cubs’ installation of signage and screens that partially block rooftops’ views into Wrigley Field. These screens and signs “are within the plain view of the public” and ought not to be considered trade secrets, Wrigley View Rooftop charges.
The company also contends that if it is “parasitic,” as the Cubs charge, the Cubs could have stopped any misappropriation “simply by installing opaque screens that fully blocked the view into Wrigley Field.”
Unpacking the Cubs’ counterarguments
The Cubs offer a starkly different perspective on this topic.
Through a brief authored by Martin Roth and other attorneys from Kirkland & Ellis, the Cubs argue that it is unconvincing for Wrigley View Rooftop to ask Coleman to unseal documents both parties agreed to keep sealed—including documents Wrigley View Rooftop wants sealed—on the basis that the sealing “has somehow rendered [Wrigley View Rooftop] unable to speak to the press.”
The Cubs, which say they’re open to unsealing some documents with appropriate redactions, object to unsealing the entire record, particularly given that both sides have “legitimate business needs for confidentiality” that include “privacy required to protect the Cubs’ trade secrets or their customers’ personally identifying information.”
The Cubs also argue there’s no case precedent for the proposition that “an inability to effectively persuade the media of a party’s position requires widespread unsealing of an entire Court record.”
Further, the Cubs insist the media coverage hasn’t favored the team.
To that end, the Cubs note that last week ESPN published a feature based on its interview with Wrigley View Rooftop owner Aidan Dunican, with the headline “Inside a Wrigleyville Rooftop Owner’s Fight with the Cubs.”
The ESPN story, the Cubs highlight, contains “professionally curated photographs of Dunican on his rooftop, interviews with his friends, supporters, and neighbors, and commentary from an attorney who formerly represented the rooftops in previous iterations of this dispute.”
The Cubs also point out that four of the story’s first five paragraphs mention the screen the Cubs installed, “the only specific issue [Wrigley View Rooftop] claims” it has been “unable to talk about,” the Cubs charge.
In that same vein, the Cubs argue nothing has prevented Wrigley View Rooftop from discussing the case publicly, and the public hasn’t “faced any barriers” to discussing it, either.
The Cubs point out that unsealing the case record would expose customers’ names, contact information and personal credit card numbers.
Further, the Cubs argue that unsealing would reveal “highly sensitive information, such as specific pricing, costs, margins, growth strategy, and financial projections for multiple products (such as game tickets, concessions, apparel, and more),” as well as other materials that are “routinely sealed.”
The Cubs point out that it’s not just the team that has an interest in protecting this information from public review—it’s also other MLB teams. Unsealing, the Cubs say, “would harm the Cubs and potentially other Major League Baseball stakeholders if this information were publicly disclosed.”
To support this point, the Cubs note that Coleman “made no findings” as to precise dollar figures for Cubs expenses and thus didn’t publicly disclose finances. Instead, Coleman offered more generic projections as they were sufficient for purposes of reaching legal conclusions.
“That a baseball team would incur expenses related to ballpark operations, payroll, construction and equipment, and related topics is obvious and comports with the Court’s comment that it also relied on ‘common sense,” the Cubs write.
In addition, the Cubs note that sharing “detailed financial information,” including the Cubs’ contracts with other rooftop businesses, runs counter to the fact that the Cubs, Wrigley View Rooftop and other rooftop businesses are all, to some degree, competitors.
The Cubs’ contracts with other rooftop businesses could contain “highly sensitive competitive information such as audit rights, margins, and payment terms,” the disclosure of which, the Cubs insist, “could harm competition in a competitive market environment.”
In the days ahead, Coleman will issue a ruling on whether to unseal all, some or none of the documents. It’s fair to say that readership of whatever is unsealed would extend well beyond the Cubs and Wrigley View Rooftop.
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Freddy Peralta named ALCS MVP for the Rays
After Tampa Bay finished off the Cleveland Guardians and punched their ticket to the Fall Classic, the Rays took the stage for the trophy ceremony, and when Kevin Cash announced Freddy Peralta — who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Mets after a rough start to the year, bought into the Rays adjustments, and delivered when it mattered most — as the winner, the look on the Dominican-born former All Star’s face was one of shock and joy, reactions equally perfect for the moment.
This was the ultimate redemption arc.
After posting a near-5.00 ERA in 22 starts with New York, Peralta found new life in St. Petersburg. The Rays made mechanical adjustments (pitching from the stretch, speeding up his delivery, and emphasizing leg drive to improve the direction of his hips) and the results were immediate. He went 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 regular-season starts for Tampa Bay, earned AL Pitcher of the Month in September, and then carried that form into October.
The right-hander was credited two wins while allowing just one earned run across the ALCS, logging key innings in three of the Rays’ four victories, including as the starter in the Game 6 clincher.
Throughout the ALCS, he was “Fastball Freddy” at his finest, pumping 98+ mph and elevating the talent and spirit of the clubhouse. As great of a pitcher Freddy is today, he is seemingly an even better person. But this award has an additional bit of magic.
Freddy Peralta spent years as a Milwaukee Brewers mainstay, having led the National League in wins in 2025 for the Brew Crew, and then navigated a turbulent 2026 to reach this moment. Now the Rays head to the World Series to face the Brewers in a matchup of clubs still chasing their first title. And in a fitting twist of fate, it’s former Rays first baseman Jake Bauers who was named MVP for the Brewers to bring these two franchises to this moment. It’s difficult to write a better script than that.
Whatever happens next, Freddy Peralta’s ALCS performance will be remembered as the turning point of Tampa Bay’s run: from trade-deadline project to series MVP in a matter of months.
So tonight, raise a glass (or a fastball) to Fastball Freddy. The American League champion Rays wouldn’t be here without him.
Rays win American League pennant in 7-3 win over Cleveland
The Tampa Bay Rays forced the Cleveland Guardians to win or go home in their home ballpark, and the Rays closed the door on Cleveland’s World Series dreams to advance to the Fall Classic for the third time ever after Monday’s 7-3 win.
It was a bold strategy for the Guardians to decide to roll with a bullpen game in an ALCS elimination game, and unfortunately for Cleveland, the bullpen game giveth, and the bullpen game taketh. The pitching plan certainly did not go as manager Steven Vogt planned, and the AL Central champs ended up needing three arms just to get through the second inning alone. By the time they brought in their eighth pitcher of the game,it felt like everyone in their bullpen made an appearance at some point. As for Tampa Bay, righthander Freddy Peralta held the Guardians to just one run over 5 1/3 innings while manager Kevin Cash was able to rely on his relievers for the last few stanzas to shut Cleveland down and send the Rays to the World Series to face the National League juggernaut in the Milwaukee Brewers.
Both offenses were active throughout the game, tallying seven hits apiece, but the Rays blasted two, two-run bombs to combat their 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and eight left on base, while the Guardians went 1-for-6 and left nine stranded. Tampa Bay even attempted to hand the game over to Cleveland in the eighth after walking and hitting back-to-back batters with the bases loaded and cut their lead down to two, 5-3, but the Rays bullpen prevailed tonight while the bats flourished in big moments to secure the series.
Peralta was excellent regardless of his three walks, and caused Cleveland batters to whiff 14 times (35% whiff rate), with nine of those coming from his fastball. The righty’s fastball was on fire in Game 6, accounting for two of his three strikeouts while averaging at 97.1 mph, nearly 3 mph higher than his 94.3 mph average throughout the season. On top of that, the one run that he surrendered this evening was the lone run allowed in his 12 innings tossed during the series, ending the series with a 2-0 record, 0.75 ERA, and the ALCS MVP award.
It also helped that Tampa Bay provided plenty of run support for their pitchers, which proved to be extremely important after a near-collapse in the top of the eighth inning. Three of Tampa’s seven hits were for extra bases, and all three of them tallied two runs a pop: a double from Richie Palacios in the second, and a bomb each from Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero, while Jonny DeLuca’s sacrifice fly accounted for the seventh run.
After Junior Caminero mashed his two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh, the Rays held a four-run lead, 5-1, with just six outs needed to end the game. Tyler Wells had entered the game for Tampa and though he navigated two outs, both Chase DeLauter and Nathaniel Lowe reached base and caused Cash to bring in Ian Seymour. That choice was almost detrimental to the Rays, as Seymour quite literally handed Cleveland a pair of runs solely because he couldn’t throw a strike, but thankfully Kevin Kelley shut that down by striking out Brayan Rocchio to get out of the inning. Watching Rocchio strike out on a pitch in the dirt rather than take the lead on a grand slam was quite beautiful to witness, because had that been the White Sox you just know that’s what would have happened.
The unsung hero of the game for the Rays was Taylor Walls, who reached base four times including three walks: the perfect output and patience from a nine-hitter. His third walk of the night in the bottom of the eighth was the catalyst of the Yandy Díaz shot heard around the world, which erased the two runs that Cleveland had just earned, and effectively sealed the series.
While I still firmly believe it should have been the White Sox losing to the Rays, it was an exciting series and is almost a relief to know that the Guardians only played four more games than the South Siders did. The Fall Classic will kick off Friday night, October 23, in Milwaukee, in a battle of the small markets right before a lockout. Baseball really can be beautiful.
Brewers-Rays World Series inspires both dreams and nightmares around MLB
It’s a dream World Series matchup for the Major League Baseball Players Association, which has been shouting to the world that baseball’s competitive balance is just fine, and there is absolutely no reason to dramatically change the economic system.
It’s a nightmare World Series matchup for Major League Baseball, which has stressed to everyone who’d listen that that a salary cap is desperately needed, even running advertisements into the the postseason.
It’s a dream World Series for the fans of two small-market franchises whose shrewd front offices continually outsmart their big-spending brethren.
It a nightmare World Series for the TV executives with two small-markets – including one which failed to even sell out several games of the postseason – that could lead to the lowest ratings in World Series history.
It’s a dream World Series matchup if you love the underdog, and learn about players you’ve never heard of in your life. It’s a nightmare if you love star power, with only one MVP, one presumptive Cy Young winner and not a single veteran with a ticket into Cooperstown.
Either way, it’s the Tampa Bays and the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series.
This is the first World Series between two small-market franchises since the Florida Marlins and Cleveland in 1997.
And it’s the first time in 35 years that two World Series teams ranked among the bottom half of spending when the Minnesota Twins (15th out of 26 teams) and Atlanta (19th) met in the 1991 World Series. The Brewers have baseball’s 19th-lowest payroll and the Rays have the 25th-lowest.
No matter who wins, we will have the first small-market World Series champion since the 2015 Kansas City Royals.
While Bruce Meyer, executive director of the players union will be vehemently arguing to the assembled media that there’s no reason for a salary cap (“Don’t believe what you hear from the owner who’s complaining") and commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB executives will be laying out reasons why a cap is essential for baseball’s future (“It defies human experience to ask a fan to think that the bottom end of that gap has the same opportunity to win as the top") two plucky small-market franchises will be fighting on the field for the first World Series championship in their franchise history.
The Brewers, who haven’t been to the World Series in 44 years, and the Rays, who have twice been to the World Series since 2008 but came up empty, are two of baseball’s last five franchises who have never won a title – joining the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies.
Once we get past the rhetoric whether this matchup is great or god-awful for baseball, we’ve got two teams who have proven all year that they are the best teams in baseball and belong on the big stage.
The Brewers won a franchise-record and MLB-leading 103 games, winning the NL Central in a runaway and cruising though the playoffs, sweeping the two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
The Rays won an American-League leading 98 games, capturing the powerful AL East, and survived a grueling six-game series against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALCS.
Next stop, saving the grand ol’ game of baseball, with these two teams showing that you don’t need $700 million players. They are the antithesis to the three-outcome brand we’ve become accustomed over over the years.
These two teams, who met the first weekend of the season with the Brewers winning two of the three games at American Family Field, are actually mirror images of one another.
Their offenses put relentless pressure on you. They don’t strike out. They put the ball in play. They run. They hit-and-run. They bunt. They steal bases. They have speed. They play exceptional defense.
This will be only the second World Series since 1918 that each team stole at least 162 bases during the season, with the Brewers the first World Series team since the 2014 Royals to have more stolen bases than home runs.
Then, there are intriguing similarities:
The Brewers have The Miz (Jacob Misiorowski). The Rays have The Raz (Drew Ramussen).
The Brewers have 22-year-old Jackson Chourio. The Rays have 23-year-old superstar Junior Caminero.
The Brewers have beloved captain and team leader Christian Yelich. The Rays have beloved unofficial captain and team leader Yandy Diaz.
The Brewers have speedster David Hamilton. The Rays have Chandler Simpson, perhaps the game’s fastest player.
The Brewers have a powerful bullpen led by closer Trevor Megill. The Rays have a powerful bullpen led by closer Bryan Baker.cThe Brewers have NLCS MVP Jake Bauers, a former Ray. The Rays have ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta, a former Brewer.
The Brewers have one of the shortest teams in baseball with three primary players who are 5-foot-10 or shorter: (Luis Lara (5-7), Sal Frelick (5-9) and Williams Contreras (5-10). The Rays have one of the shortest teams with three players who are 5-foot-9 or shorter: Cedric Mullins (5-7), Richie Palacios (5-8) and Taylor Walls (5-9).
The Brewers don’t have a single everyday player who was signed as a free agent. The Rays don’t have a single everyday player who was signed as a free agent.
The Brewers badly wanted two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline, only to be out-bid by the Dodgers. The Rays badly wanted Skubal at the trade deadline and were outbid too.
The Brewers acquired their MVP, Christian Yelich, in a trade. The Brewers acquired their MVP candidate Junior Caminero, in a trade.
Milwaukee prides itself on bratwurst. Tampa Bay prides itself on Cuban sandwiches.
Two brilliant organizations, each finding the edge through analytics and scouting, with the Rays having more pro scouts than any team in baseball, going head-to-head in what looms as a riveting matchup.
This World Series should be an absolute doozy.
No matter who bothers to watch.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brewers-Rays World Series inspires both dreams and nightmares around MLB
Peralta, Caminero, Díaz lead Rays to 7-3 win over Guardians and a trip to the World Series
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Freddy Peralta threw 5 1/3 gritty innings, Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz each hit a two-run homer and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night to advance to the World Series for the third time in the franchise’s 29 seasons.
The Rays will face the Milwaukee Brewers in the first matchup in which both teams are seeking their first World Series title since 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals.
Game 1 is Friday night in Milwaukee.
The loss extended Cleveland’s World Series championship drought to 78 years.
An Early Look at the 2027 Guardians
The season is over and I can’t quite let go of my beloved Guardians yet, so let’s take a super early look at the 2027 roster.
If the grief of the season being over is too near, save this article to read for a later day.
First, it’s important to remember that we are unlikely to see baseball games until about Memorial Day. The owners seem set on trying to get a salary cap, the players will never allow that, and owners won’t start to see pain from TV deal issues unless the season starts after June 1st. So, I’d predict labor strife goes until around April 25th, a deal is struck and in place by May 1st, spring training for a month, and then a 100-game season starting somewhere around May 31st. You heard it here first, so don’t stress about the lockout. I plan not to.
When the Guardians take the field, whom do I expect to see there?
Hitters:
Catcher: Patrick Bailey and Austin Hedges
Comments: If Hedges moves on, I’ll believe it when I see it. After a 100 wRC+ season, I suspect he returns for one more run, this time with Bailey taking more of a full-time role. I expect Kody Huff to see plenty of time on the roster as a third catcher and backup first baseman, also.
First Baseman: Ralphy Velazquez and [Outside Addition]
Comments: I know there are folks who will object to this, but the Guardians have another Chase DeLauter-type hitter in Ralphy. Hand him the keys to first base on opening day and don’t look back.
The number one spot where the Guardians need to upgrade offensively is in finding a right-handed hitter who can fill in at first base and DH to upgrade over David Fry. Fry is simply a C-grade option there, and we need a B to A- option. The Guardians tried to upgrade last offseason with Rhys Hoskins. Fail. This year there are three primary options… but are any of them likely to be better than Fry? Ty France (the most expensive of these options), Alec Bohm and Ryan Mountcastle are the free agent names, or they can try to shake someone like a Spencer Steer free in a trade. From August 1st to September 28th, Fry put up a 113 wRC+ vs. LHP but Vogt seemed to have almost no confidence in him to deliver in that role in the playoffs, and that’s certainly understandable. Are any of the four names above especially likely to improve from what Fry can offer? I don’t know, but I think they have to try letting Fry go and trying a different option.
Second Baseman: Travis Bazzana
Comments: Props to Bazzana who has made himself an acceptable defensive option at second base and, with an offseason of prep, should be ready to make the necessary adjustments at the plate to become a consistent threat offensively, while improving defensively as well. I wouldn’t entirely rule out moving him to the outfield with Welbyn Francisca ending the 2026 season on a huge heater.
Shortstop: Brayan Rocchio and Angel Genao
Comments: I’d like to see Genao get a genuine opportunity to win the shortstop job in Spring Training. Rocchio is a good player to have, but I’d really like to see if the Guardians can manage to get more from the position on the offensive side of things given that Rocchio is not a game-changer defensively. I know we are all ready to cut him after this playoffs, but he is a valuable player. Just not an ideal first division shortstop.
Third Baseman: Jose Ramirez
Comments: Reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated. He will be good again. Mark my words.
Left Field: Angel Martinez and Cooper Ingle
Comments: Martinez had a good 2026, but, we are seeing in the playoffs why it is unwise to plan on him being a reliable piece in a major league lineup. If Angel is going to continue to run a first percentile chase rate, he will not produce as a bat in the long term. Pitchers will simply stop throwing him meaningful strikes, just as they did with Oscar Gonzalez, Jhonkensy Noel and Franmil Reyes before him. Personally, I’d like to see the team commit to an offseason plan for Ingle to play left field full-time and let him have the position to start the season.
Center Field: Steven Kwan and Petey Halpin.
Comments: Do not trade Kwan. Try to extend him. But, if you can’t extend him, hold him for the season, let him go for a comp pick and hope Aaron Walton or Jaison Chourio is ready to take this spot in 2028. Halpin is an adequate 13th man on the roster and should not be seen as more than that.
Right Field: Jo Adell and Chase DeLauter
Comments: So, Adell, currently, would be set to rotate at right field and DH with DeLauter. And, we can all see that Adell is best used as a platoon bat against LHP. Will the Guardians for once in their life be in play for a big time free agent like Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena? I HIGHLY doubt it. Do they have plans to bring Kyle Manzardo back into the fold as a DH? It doesn’t seem like it, nor is that some kind of sure thing. Can they pull off a huge blockbuster trade for Yordan Alvarez or Bryce Harper? In my wildest dreams, yes. In the real world, no. How about a more reasonable trade for an Alec Burleson (PLEASE), Bryan Reynolds, Kyle Stowers, Tyler Soderstrom, or Coby Mayo? Well… I can at least imagine that one of these deals could come together in November without laughing at myself terribly hard. It’s certain that even one of those names would make me feel 100% better about the lineup entering the 2026 season. Otherwise, it’s back to hoping Martinez finds some plate discipline, that Manzardo rediscovers his 2024 form, that Ryan Cesarini continues to tear through the minors, or maybe that George Valera’s late season surge was a meaningful event (the last possibility being, admittedly, wildly unlikely). It would be so nice to put a fairly sure thing like Burleson or Stowers where only wishful thinking currently resides.
Starting Pitchers:
Three are clear: Parker Messick, Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee. Yes, it was a bad season for Bibee. I expect Bibee to get in a pitching lab and figure his way to some more whiffs and a solid #4 starter role given that trading him now would be selling him at the nadir of his value. I will say that it was a shock not to see him pitch tonight, so I wouldn’t rule out a trade. Joey Cantillo PROBABLY gets a chance to win a starting spot again, which is also fine. The question for me is who could take the #3 spot (as I try not to lament Luis Ortiz’s stupidity).
Braylon Doughty, Justin Campbell and Franklin Gomez are the most exciting options on the farm, but it’s unclear whether Doughty or Gomez will be ready in 2027, and Campbell’s extensive injury issues leave him a question mark. With a strong offseason program and a good start in Columbus (he won’t be able to play until the major league season starts because he is Rule-5 eligible, unfortunately), Campbell could become an option in fairly short order. The usual fifth starter types are around in Austin Peterson, Ben Lively (depending on what his late-season injury was…), and Rorik Maltrud. I’d like to see them move on from Logan Allen and I want Slade Cecconi in the bullpen. I wouldn’t HATE going into the season with Peterson in the number five starter role and trying Bibee and Cantillo as #3 and #4 while looking for upgrades at the deadline. Could you see the Guardians aim for a Patrick Sandoval, Trevor Rogers, Foster Griffin or Shane Bieber-type in free agency? Could they make a large trade for like a George Kirby from Seattle? I get the strange feeling that WERE they to spend some money, this is where it would happen… but probably not until after the lockout to try to snag someone looking for a seat in a wild, last-minute game of musical chairs. For now, I’ll project a rotation of Messick, Williams, Cantillo, Bibee and Peterson, and I feel reluctantly content with that as the likes of Campbell, Doughty and Gomez (and maybe even Liam Peterson?) continue to develop.
Bullpen:
Projected: Cade Smith, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, Colin Holderman, Daniel Espino, Shawn Armstrong and Tim Herrin. I suspect the team picks up Shawn Armstrong’s $8 million option (only costing $6.5 million because of a $1.5 million buyout he is already owed), and I like it.
Probably: I would like to see Slade Cecconi make the pen as a full-time reliever. Give him the whole offseason to think about and train for one inning at a time and he can be a high leverage option.
Other Options: Matt Festa, Craig Yoho, Franco Aleman, and Steven Perez.
Comments: I suspect we see the Guardians focus on some waiver wire/minor-league additions as usual, but I definitely wouldn’t oppose seeing them spend a little for a left-handed reliever like Sean Newcomb or Gregory Soto. I don’t find it likely, but a reliable left-handed option in the pen to make Herrin expendable would be a pretty significant upgrade.
As most Guardians fans would have told you prior to games 3-5 of the ALDS and game one of the ALCS, the biggest area the team should improve in the offseason is in hiring a hitting coach/executive from a successful hitting organization. I still strongly believe they should bring someone in to add new insights and life to the current group despite a spark in the playoffs. In fact, bring in more than one someone. This 21st ranked offense since 2019 thing needs a shakeup. The Guardians seem pretty stubborn about believing in their guys at every level, though, so I won’t hold my breath.
The White Sox are not going anywhere and will likely have money to spend. Detroit will likely only take a small step back, and the Twins and Royals are frisky. In a right and just world, the Guardians would make a trade or free agency splash in November to solidify things before the lockout, but I expect them to lean further into development where there are just enough potential pieces of value to make another run at the playoffs a good chance, currently. There are no guarantees, however, and an injury to one of their starting pitchers with the roster as it is currently would be devastating (is Gavin Williams OK?), as would Jose Ramirez not being a 120 wRC+ hitter when he has an offseason to recover.
So, let’s not ponder those possibilities. Let’s celebrate the amazing season that was, grieve what could have been, settle in for a lengthy lockout, and get ready for another year of experience and growth to give us the Guardians’ season we’ve been dreaming of all our lives. Also, I first wrote the first draft of this article after game two of the ALDS and I got to see my team play nine more games after that!
With That, the 2026 Cleveland Guardians Season Comes to a Close
Cleveland had found themselves in another win or go home elimination game. The Tampa Bay Rays threw Freddy Peralta against the Cleveland Guardians with Cleveland going with their go-to postseason line up.
Steven Kwan led the game off with a single after working a 2-2 count. Two quick flyouts and a pop out retired the side quickly, but Shawn Armstrong did it even faster. Armstrong retired the side in seven pitches, catching the final out, a pop out, himself.
The top of the second began with a ball and a pitch com issue, but ended with a long fly ball to the warning track from Patrick Bailey. The middle of the order did a great job to work pitch counts and drove Peralta up to 29 pitches finish the second inning.
Shawn Armstrong came on for one more batter, giving up a weak bloop single to Junior Caminero. Stephen Vogt was quick with the hook and brought out Tim Herrin to face Tampa’s 5-6-7 batters. Herrin gave up a fielder’s choice to Chandler Simpson, eliminating the lead runner from scoring position. Unfortunately for Herrin and the Guardians, Simpson immediately stole second base and was called safe after a near perfect throw from Bailey to shortstop Brayan Rocchio. The steal was, essentially, nullified after Victor Mesa Jr. drew a five pitch walk. Jonny DeLuca lined out to centerfielder Petey Halpin for the second out with Richie Palacios up to bat. Herrin fought with a six pitch at bat to the former Guardian Palacios, but Richie came out on top. Palacios swung on a foul ball out of the zone and blooped it perfectly into right center for a two-run double, prompting Vogt to turn to Matt Festa with two outs in the bottom of the second. Festa walked Taylor Walls and hit Yandy Díaz to load the bases for one of Tampa’s best. Festa lucked out with Jonathan Aranda flying out to left.
Peralta saw traffic again despite a quick first out, a strikeout to Petey Halpin. Brayan Rocchio singled on a liner to center, but was called out at second when Steven Kwan grounded into a force out. José Ramírez, representing the tying run with two outs, didn’t see a single pitch resembling a strike. Chase DeLauter was called out on strikes after being shown two strikes high in the zone. The final strike was low and outside, originally called a ball, but overturned to a strikeout.
The hitting ramped up for the Rays in the bottom of the third. Joey Cantillo came on as the bulk relief guy to replace Matt Festa. Cantillo gave up two singles and a walk before the first out was recorded. A forceout at home plate kept the bases loaded, but kept a runner from scoring. The scoreless frame didn’t last. A sac fly to left scored Caminero, giving Tampa a 3-0 lead before the side was retired.
Things continued to look bleak for Cleveland in the top of the fourth. Jo Adell hit a perfect double to left field to start the inning with a bit of forward momentum. Nathaniel Lowe drew a walk, getting two on, but a lineout and a GIDP ended the inning before anyone could think about scoring.
Joey Cantillo did not provide the much needed depth, walking the first batter and hitting the third in the bottom of the fourth. Cantillo went 1.2 innings of work, handing things over to Daniel Espino to face Junior Caminero for the fourth time this series. Caminero hit a long fly ball that looked dangerous, but was caught by Petey Halpin to retire the side. Espino stayed on in the bottom of the fifth, getting three quick outs and pitching the Rays well.
Cleveland finally responded in the top of the sixth. Chase DeLauter hit a long double that bounced off the wall in center to lead off the inning. Nathaniel Lowe, with one out, singled on a grounder to center that scored DeLauter and finally forced Kevin Cash to go to his bullpen. Cam Booser got the next two batters out, but Cleveland got on the board.
Erik Sabrowski came on in the bottom of the sixth. Richie Palacios hit a single to right, but a well played forceout on Taylor Walls got the lead runner out at second. Yandy Díaz grounded out for the second out of the inning in a well played G1-3. Sabrowski sent down Jonathan Aranda with a swinging strikeout to quickly retire the side.
Vogt turned to Cade Smith early in the bottom of the seventh with the goal of keeping it 3-1. Cade gave up a walk to Liam Hick and then gave up a home run to Junior Caminero. Caminero hit the home run on the first pitch, a splitter, that was thrown well inside. It was a rather incredible ball to swing at, let alone hit a homer off it. According to the broadcast, it was the first home run that has been hit off of Cade Smith’s splitter. Cade got the next three outs, but the damage had been done.
Cleveland held on in the top of the eighth. Tyler Wells came on in relief of Cam Booser. Wells gave up two singles and two outs. With DeLauter on second and Lowe on first, Kevin Cash went to Ian Seymour to replace Tyler Wells. Seymour struggled immediately with control, walking Bazzana to load the bases. Patrick Bailey walked in a run and kept the bases loaded for Angel Martínez. Angel was immediately hit by pitch, scoring Lowe. Kevin Kelly came in to replace Seymour and struck out Rocchio to end the Cleveland rally.
The nail in the coffin came in the bottom of the eighth. Hunter Gaddis came on for Cade Smith and got a flyout to start the inning. Taylor Walls drew a walk and Yandy Díaz launched a home run to left to put the Rays up 7-3.
The Guardians offense was at the top of their order and as out of gas as the pitching staff has been. Steven Kwan and José Ramírez hit into back-to-back ground outs, leaving Chase DeLauter with the final at bat for the Cleveland Guardians 2026 season. A pop up in foul territory was the final out, stamping the Rays’ ticket to the World Series.
Very few thought this Guardians team would make it this far. Many national media experts had the White Sox going the whole way. The highs were mountains and the lows, deep valleys, but across the landscape that made up this season, this team rallied together and put together a playoff run that many would have never predicted even into August. All of the season’s weaknesses were exposed in the ALCS by a team that was, in short, better. Regardless of that, the Guardians held their own against the best team in the American League.
The World Series is set. One team will win it all for the first time ever. Tampa Bay Rays vs. Milwaukee Brewers.
Grading every Padre on 40-man roster
Welcome to our new series grading every member of the San Diego Padres’ 40-man roster. The roster being evaluated is current as of Oct. 18, prior to the end of the World Series. Because of that, it will include players who will be free agents once the postseason concludes. Each player will be graded on their performance in the 2026 season, including the playoffs. That performance will be weighted based on how much time the player spent with the team (availability is the best ability).
A Premier Setup Man
In two-plus seasons with San Diego, Adam has posted a 2.08 ERA. Prior to 2026, the right-handed reliever posted consecutive sub-2.00 ERA seasons. He was the Padres’ go-to reliever for the eighth inning behind closer Robert Suarez. Southpaw Adrian Morejon has since turned into their setup man for closer Mason Miller following Adam’s subpar 2026 campaign.
Overall Grade: B-
Adam pitched to a 2.62 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and .233 opponent batting average in 2026. Those are phenomenal numbers, but the right-hander pitched just 34 1/3 innings after missing nearly three months down the stretch with a right shoulder strain. The lower grade is mostly due to that missed time. Adam missed the stretch run that saw San Diego go from a .500 ballclub to the top NL Wild Card spot.
Still, what Adam managed to do is impressive. He posted his first season under 2.0 WAR since 2023 due to the missed time. When he was on the mound prior to rehab, his injury was apparent in his performance. Adam simply couldn’t limit hard contact. The right-hander surrendered the same number of home runs (5) that he did in 2024, except in half of the innings (73.2 IP in ‘24 compared to 34.1 in ‘26).
The right-hander is set to be a free agent and should receive a large payday despite his injury-marred 2026 campaign. Adam has set himself up as one of the most consistently dominant relievers in all of baseball. He’s posted a sub-3.00 ERA in five consecutive seasons and a sub-2.00 ERA in three of those years. His game went up a notch after being traded to San Diego. It remains a possibility that he re-signs with the Friars, though Adam seems likely to depart in free agency.
How to watch Rays vs. Brewers Game 1 of 2026 MLB World Series: TV channel/streaming info, schedule, preview
After a thrilling ride through the 2026 MLB playoffs, the World Series has finally arrived. The 122nd Fall Classic is set to begin on Friday, Oct. 23, with the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers set to clash in their first-ever postseason matchup.
Making their first World Series appearance since 1982, Pat Murphy and the Brewers enter the Fall Classic after sweeping the defending back-to-back champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
The Rays return to the World Series for the first time since 2020, when they fell to the Dodgers in six games.
Ahead of Friday's Game 1, get everything you need to know below, including TV/streaming information, the full World Series schedule and more.
How to watch Rays vs. Brewers 2026 World Series Game 1
- When: Friday, Oct. 23
- Where: American Family Field - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- TV: FOX, FOX Deportes
- Streaming: FOX One
Rays vs. Brewers 2026 World Series schedule
- Game 1: Friday, Oct. 23 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Brewers
- Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 24 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Brewers
- Game 3: Monday, Oct. 26 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Rays
- Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 27 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Rays
- *Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 28 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Rays
- *Game 6: Friday, Oct. 30 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Brewers
- *Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 31 - 8:00 p.m. ET - at Brewers
Rays vs. Brewers Game 1 2026 World Series projected lineups
The starting lineups for Game 1 of the 2026 World Series are TBD.
Rays vs. Brewers Game 1 2026 MLB World Series probable pitchers
Brewers: TBD
TBD: TBD
Rays vs. Brewers Game 1 2026 World Series betting odds
Milwaukee Brewers: -155
Tampa Bay Rays: +135
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Have the Milwaukee Brewers ever won a World Series?
The Brewers have never won a World Series, having lost their only prior appearance in 1982 (defeated by the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games).
Have the Tampa Bay Rays ever won a World Series?
The Rays are 0-2 across their two World Series appearances, with losses to the Dodgers in 2020 (4-2) and Phillies in 2008 (4-1).
How many games are in the World Series?
The World Series is a best-of-seven series. The first team to win four games wins the series.
Will Smith won’t win the World Series, for the first time since 2019
Will Smith won each of the last six World Series, but that streak will end this year, because nobody named Will Smith plays for the Milwaukee Brewers nor Tampa Bay Rays. The Dodgers catcher and the since-retired left-handed relief pitcher of the same name played for teams that won championships every season from 2020-25.
Those two players converged during the 2020 National League Championship Series, a few weeks before the first of those six straight championships.
Down three games to one in the NLCS that year, the Dodgers trailed the Atlanta Braves 2-1 in the sixth inning of Game 5. With Mookie Betts on second base and two outs, the lefty Smith was called in from the bullpen to face Max Muncy, who drew a six-pitch walk.
Will Smith the Dodgers catcher ran the count full himself, before hitting a three-run home run off Will Smith the pitcher to turn the game around, in what would be a 7-3 Dodgers win.
That home run by Smith was the only hit off his pitching namesake in seven tries. In the other matchups — 2019 when the lefty was with the Giants, and 2021-22 with the Braves — the catcher was hitless in six at-bats with three strikeouts against the pitcher.
The Dodgers won that 2020 NLCS over the Braves then snapped a 32-year championship drought by beating the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series. One year later, Smith the reliever was on the Atlanta team that snapped a 26-year title drought.
Will Smiths’ World Series wins
- 2020 Dodgers: catcher
- 2021 Braves: lefty pitcher
- 2022 Astros: lefty pitcher
- 2023 Rangers: lefty pitcher
- 2024 Dodgers: catcher
- 2025 Dodgers: catcher
The Dodgers’ Will Smith punctuated the 2025 championship by hitting the series-winning home run in the 11th inning of Game 7, after setting a record by catching all 73 innings in the World Series.
It was a good run for the Will Smiths.
MLB teams to never win a World Series: 2026 will have first-time champion
In 2026, we will have a first-time World Series champion.
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians7-3 on Monday, Oct. 19 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series to punch their ticket to the World Series. They powered their way through the ALCS after going down 2-1 early and persevering after Game 4 was postponed due to rain. They were the top seed in the American League and swept the New York Yankees in the Division Series.
They will face the Milwaukee Brewers, who secured their spot in the Fall Classic by sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. They beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 in the division series after finishing the regular season with a 103-59 record, making them the National League's top seed.
Both teams have appeared in the World Series before, with the Rays having more recent experience, but have yet to hoist the Commissioner's Trophy.
Which teams haven't won a World Series?
There are five teams that have never won a World Series. Two of them are the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, who will face each other in the 2026 World Series. The Seattle Mariners are the only active franchise to have never appear in a World Series.
- Colorado Rockies - established 1993, one World Series appearance in 2007
- Milwaukee Brewers - established 1970, one World Series appearance in 1982
- San Diego Padres- established 1969, two World Series appearances in 1984 and 1998
- Seattle Mariners - established 1977, zero World Series appearances
- Tampa Bay Rays - established 1998, two World Series appearances in 2008 and 2020
When is the last time the Rays and Brewers played in the World Series?
The Rays and Brewers have three previous World Series appearances between them.
Tampa Bay has two of those, playing in the 2008 Fall Classic when they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, and in the 2020 World Series where they were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It's been a little bit longer since Milwaukee played in the World Series. They faced the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 and lost in seven games. That Brewers team featured several players who would eventually be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Rollie Fingers, Don Sutton, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Ted Simmons.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB teams to never win a World Series: 2026 will have first-time champion
Rangers stay unbeaten at home with 5-2 win over Ducks
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean Durzi scored 78 seconds in, Dylan Garand made 29 saves and the New York Rangers defeated the travel-weary Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Monday night to improve to 6-0-0 at home this fall.
The Rangers did not pick up their sixth victory at Madison Square Garden last season until Jan. 26, their 23rd game there. They lost 27 of 41 at home on the way to missing the playoffs and finishing last in the Eastern Conference.
There is hope of a turnaround given this start, even missing franchise goaltender Igor Shesterkin for the rest of the season. Garand was making a fifth consecutive start since Shesterkin went down, and he has allowed two or fewer goals in nine of 10 NHL appearances dating to his debut last spring.
He got support early and often, with Durzi’s goal making it three home games in a row where the Rangers have a goal in the first two minutes. That has only happened once before for New York, in March 1989.
Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice, captain J.T. Miller and Gabe Perreault each had a goal and Alexis Lafrenière recorded two assists. Pavel Dorofeyev, the team’s most notable trade acquisition over the summer, came close on several occasions but remained stuck on two goals for the season.
FLYERS 3, AVALANCHE 2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Matvei Michkov scored two goals and Philadelphia beat Colorado for its second straight victory after opening the season with nine consecutive losses.
Michkov leads the Flyers with six goals this season. Noel Acciari also scored for Philadelphia, which lost six games in regulation and three in overtime or shootouts before breaking through on Saturday with a victory over Ottawa.
Joseph Woll made 24 saves for his first victory with the Flyers. He spent the previous five seasons with Toronto.
Martin Necas and rookie T.J. Hughes scored for the Avalanche (5-3-1), last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 21 shots.
Cole Knuble made his NHL debut for the Flyers, the team he grew up rooting for. His father, Mike, played for Philadelphia from 2005-09 and in 2013. The 22-year-old right wing had 13 minutes, 44 seconds of ice time.
Mitchkov scored on a power play at 7:41 of the first period and made it 2-0 at 12:23 of the second when he skated around the net and fired a long-range wrist shot past several players that beat Blackwood on the glove side.
MAPLE LEAFS 3, SHARKS 1
TORONTO (AP) — Gavin McKenna scored the go-ahead goal on a third-period power play and Toronto snapped a three-game slide with a victory over San Jose.
Auston Matthews added a goal and two assists for Toronto. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves to pick up his first home win for the Maple Leafs. Nick Paul added an empty-netter.
Mason Marchment scored for San Jose, which got 28 stops from Yaroslav Askarov.
The game featured the first meeting between the No. 1 and 2 picks of the 2026 NHL draft — McKenna and Sharks winger Ivar Stenberg.
Marchment opened the scoring at 13:54 of the first when he was left alone in front of Bobrovsky after Matthews turned the puck over in the defensive zone.
Matthews made up for that mistake and got his team even with 12 seconds left in the second on a power play. Toronto’s captain took a pass from Kirill Marchenko and ripped a shot upstairs on Askarov before McKenna pushed the Leafs in front in the third.