Category: Sports News

Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz started a rehab assignment on Sunday with Oklahoma City, and pitched a scoreless inning, though it wasn’t clean. He walked a batter and threw only seven strikes among his 16 pitches, and did not induce a swinging strike, though did get a called strikeout.

“I’m sure Edwin is going to want to get back here as soon as possible,” manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. “But I’m probably more of the ‘get another one, and then get back with us.’”

I would posit there are more than those two options, but Díaz is getting closer to a potential return. Sunday was the first step.

Player of the day

Zach Ehrhard reached base four times and drove in all three runs to finish an Oklahoma City six-game sweep. Ehrhard had a two-run single in the seventh inning to open the scoring and adding an RBI single for some insurance in the ninth.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Christian Romero and friends took the offense provided by Ehrhard to beat the Round Rock Express (Rangers). Romero pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, scattering three singles, with two strikeouts.

Hyeseong Kim had two hits, including a double, and scored a run. Noah Miller walked twice and scored the other two runs.

Kris Bubic pitched a scoreless eighth, his third scoreless inning in three tries on his rehab assignment.

Oklahoma City is tied with Sugar Land in the second half at 39-24 with 12 games left in the regular season. Those two teams play each other next week for six games in Oklahoma City, which will go a long way in determining who faces Las Vegas in the Pacific Coast league championship.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers allowed a run in the ninth to force extra innings, then gave up six runs in the 10th in a loss to the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins).

Josue De Paula had two hits, walked, and stole his 30th base of the season, two swipes shy of his career high set last year.

After a series of shortened starts and two injured list stints, Luke Fox had a nice clean outing on Sunday, with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts. The left-hander retired all six batters he faced.

Right-hander Jacob Kmatz, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the August 3 Hunter Feduccia/Jack Suwinski trade, struck out four in two scoreless innings on Sunday, stranding a pair of singles. Since joining Tulsa, Kmatz has a 1.72 ERA in 11 games, with 21 strikeouts against only two walks in 15 2/3 innings and a 30.6-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate.

High-A Great Lakes

There was no celebration hangover for the Loons, who closed out the regular season with a win over the Lake County Captains (Guardians). Third baseman Eduardo Guerrero had a pair of run-scoring singles.

With a playoff spot clinched and the postseason starting in two days, it was a group pitching effort on Sunday for Great Lakes, with six pitchers used to cover nine innings. Jacob Frost had the longest outing of the bunch with three scoreless innings, the 2025 draft pick ending his first professional season on a high note.

Second baseman Nico Perez was the designated hitter on Sunday, walked twice, and stole two bases, giving him 35 steals in 41 attempts in 83 games with the Loons this year. Last year Perez was hurt in July, ending his season, and stole 35 bases in 41 tries in only 61 games with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. Perez, who turns 22 this season, hit .270/.380/.450 with Great Lakes, including a 118 wRC+ entering Sunday.

Edgardo Quintero did not play on Sunday, but the top-100 prospect ended the regular season leading the Midwest League in runs scored (107), batting average (.309), and on-base percentage (.445), and was second in OPS (.940) and hits (123). Teammate Charles Davalan led the league in hits (128), extra-base hits (56), and total bases (235).

Class-A Ontario

Tower Buzzers relievers allowed five runs in the final three innings, turning a close game into a lopsided loss to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels).

Easton Shelton one day after hitting a billion-foot grand slam (roughly) was walked three times and had a sacrifice fly. The cornerman ends the regular season leading the California League in home runs (37), RBI (112), total bases (262), extra-base hits (65), OPS (1.047), and slugging percentage (.644), and was second in on-base percentage (.403) and fourth in batting average (.297) and runs scored (89).

With 111 RBI in 109 games, Shelton joins Emil Morales as the first Dodgers minor leaguers since Greg Brock in 1982 with at least 100 RBI and more runs batted in than games played.

Transactions

Triple-A: Catcher Eliezer Alfonzo was called up the Dodgers with Dalton Rushing on the injured list. Nelson Quiroz was promoted to Oklahoma City for catching depth, though he didn’t play Sunday.

Double-A: One day after being active without pitching, Angel Cruz was sent back to the Arizona Complex League roster. Alex Walsh joined Tulsa from the ACL roster instead.

High-A: Closer Davis Chastain was placed on the injured list retroactive to Saturday. That puts him out for the divisional playoffs. Hyun-Seok Jang was activated after four weeks on the injured list to start, but retired only three of his eight batters faced and was pulled with no outs in the second inning after allowing two runs, one earned.

Class-A: Right-hander Jesus Tillero was activated after seven weeks on the injured list. He allowed three runs in his two innings of work.

Sunday scores

• Oklahoma City 3, Round Rock 1
• Wichita 13, Tulsa 7 (10 innings)
• Great Lakes 4, Lake County 2
• Rancho Cucamonga 8, Ontario 3

The week ahead

• Midwest League East Division playoffs, best of 3: Great Lakes vs. Dayton (Reds)
• Cal League South Division playoffs, best of 3: Ontario vs. Lake Elsinore (Padres)
• Oklahoma City vs. Sugar Land (Astros)
• Tulsa at Northwest Arkansas (Royals)

Great Lakes as the second-half winner hosts Game 1 on Tuesday, with Games 2 and 3 at Dayton on Thursday and Friday. Ontario as the second-half winner hosts Game 1 on Tuesday, with Games 2 and 3 at Lake Elsinore on Thursday and Friday.

In both Class-A and High-A, the best-of-3 league championship series start on Sunday, with Games 2-3 on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 15-16.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

NFL football returns this week, but that doesn't mean action on the diamond stops.

Our experts have banded together to bring you a trio of MLB picks for Sept. 7, highlighted by a total play in the Cardinals vs. Giants game.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Probability
Jon Metler: Cubs ML	48%
Neil Parker: Royals ML	51%
Joe Osborne: Cardinals vs. Giants - Over 7.5	53%

Probabilities courtesy of Polymarket. For help understanding Polymarket probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Jon Metler's expert pick: Cubs moneyline

Price: 48¢ at Polymarket

The Chicago Cubs are trading at 48% on Polymarket, but I make them closer to a 51% favorite. 

Two factors stand out to me. First, I'm much more comfortable backing Matthew Boyd on the road, where he owns a 2.83 ERA compared to a 5.40 ERA at Wrigley Field.

Second, Brewers starter Robert Gasser relies heavily on his slider.

The Cubs have several right-handed bats — including Alex Bregman, Nico Hoerner, and Seiya Suzuki — who are either patient against off-speed pitches from left-handed pitchers or have swing paths that profile well against the slider. 

If Gasser can't generate outs with his slider, he'll be forced to attack the zone with a low-velocity fastball. Chicago also faced him just six days ago, giving its hitters a recent look at his stuff and an even greater advantage in an already difficult matchup.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Brewers.TV, Marquee

Neil Parker's expert pick: Royals moneyline

Price: 51¢ at Polymarket

The Diamondbacks are 28th in wOBA and 30th in xwOBA over the past two weeks, so with the Kansas City Royals respectively checking in ninth and eighth in the two metrics, I’m expecting Kansas City to pull away.

Royals lefty Noah Cameron has also settled in down the stretch with a high-end 2.34 xERA and 2.82 xFIP across his past seven starts, while the Diamondbacks counter with inexperienced righty Jose Cabrera (4.84 xERA and 5.00 xFIP).

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: One national/two local

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Cardinals vs Giants - Over 7.5

Price: 53¢ at Polymarket

We’ve got all the ingredients for an Over tonight in San Francisco, with a low total and 14.6 mph winds blowing out.

Both offenses are swinging hot bats, with the St. Louis Cardinals ranking first in OPS over the past week, while the San Francisco Giants sit eighth. They should be able to tee off against two struggling starters.

Logan Webb has been rocked for 16 earned runs across his last three starts, including nine last time out, while Michael McGreevy has surrendered 14 over the same span.

The bullpens offer little relief, ranking 26th and 21st in ERA over the past two weeks. With St. Louis going Over in 14 of its last 17, Over 7.5 is the play.

• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: NBC

More MLB best bets for today

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

MILWAUKEE — Yes, I made the drive up, but just for Monday’s game.

Since these two teams split a four-game series at Wrigley Field last week, the Cubs won two of three in Miami and the Brewers lost two of three in Cincinnati, and the Cubs trail the Brewers in the NL Central by seven games. Both teams have 18 games remaining.

The Cubs trail the season series against Milwaukee six games to four, so they’d have to sweep this one to take that season series. That’s unlikely, though the Cubs did win the previous series held here this year back in June.

For more on the Brewers, check out last week’s series preview and also please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball.

Fun facts

The Cubs won two of three games in their first  visit to Milwaukee on June 26-28, losing the first, 6-2, then winning, 8-2 and 4-3. That made the Cubs’ record on the road in their 30-year rivalry 109-121.

They trail, 234-228, in all games, during which they have been outscored by a grand total of three runs, 2,110-2,107.

The Cubs have not swept a series in Wisconsin since Oct. 2-4, 2015. This will be their 28th subsequent series.

They won the first two games only once, May 2-4 of last year. They avoided being swept with third-game wins in five series, including their first a year ago. They last were swept in 2021, 13 series ago.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (8-3, 4.05 ERA, 1.231 WHIP, 4.57 FIP) vs. Robert Gasser, LHP (4-5, 4.57 ERA, 1.292 WHIP, 4.37 FIP)

Tuesday: David Peterson, LHP (4-2, 4.58 ERA, 1.458 WHIP, 4.54 FIP in 12 games with Cubs; 7-8, 5.39 ERA, 1.559 WHIP, 4.17 FIP in 28 games overall) vs. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP (14-5, 1.97 ERA, 0.794 WHIP, 2.27 FIP)

Wednesday: Kevin Gausman, RHP (4-1, 4.37 ERA, 1.143 WHIP, 3.84 FIP in six starts with Cubs; 9-11, 4.38 ERA, 1.257 WHIP, 3.58 FIP in 29 starts overall) vs. Logan Henderson, RHP (9-3, 2.48 ERA, 0.792 WHIP, 3.28 FIP)

NOTE: All three of these pitching matchups are rematches from last week’s Tuesday through Thursday games between these teams at Wrigley Field. The Cubs lost two of those three, but did well against both Gasser and Misiorowski, and defeated Henderson thanks to Gausman’s great outing and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-run homer.

Times & TV channels

Monday: 1:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Wednesday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

Going to go out on the proverbial limb and say the Cubs can take two of these. As noted above, if somehow they can pull off a sweep, that would give them the season series against the Brewers.

Up next

The Cubs have Thursday off, then return to Wrigley Field for a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates that begins Friday afternoon.

Recaps

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks find a way, tip Astros as E. Rodriguez, Arenado shine – The Diamondbacks took the lead in an unconventional fashion in the third. Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo led off with a single but was struck down by a Ketel Marte line drive, which connected with Perdomo’s helmet. Perdomo stayed down for a couple of minutes before walking off under his own power. With Marte at first, third baseman Nolan Arenado crashed a two-run homer to left-center off Astros starter Peter Lambert.The Astros threatened in the seventh inning, putting two runners on and chasing Juan Morillo with two outs. Brandyn Garcia came on to retire Alvarez on a popup to end the inning. Houston scraped a run off reliever Jonathan Loaisiga in the eighth, but Kevin Ginkel struck out the side — getting Alvarez for the last out — to earn his third save.

[Dbacks.com] Rodriguez’s ‘fierceness’ emerges for D-backs’ Wild Card campaign – “It’s a lot of fun,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said about watching Rodriguez this season. “I’ve had a long-term relationship with him. The best part about him is he has not changed. His personality has been the same. He’s very engaged; he’s very caring. And when he takes the mound, there’s a fierceness to him. And that’s what I get to see every fifth day.” Rodriguez has had a winning decision in seven of his last nine starts for the D-backs dating back to late July. He is also 6-0 in his last eight road starts with a 1.90 ERA and 36 strikeouts. “Just executing,” Rodriguez said about his run of success. “Executing the pitches, follow the catcher and follow the plan that we have before the game. Never go away from the plan, and that’s what’s been working.”

Team news

[SI] Where Diamondbacks Stand in Playoff Race After Massive Win vs Astros – “Driving towards a playoff spot only intensifies it and it’s what the game’s all about,” manager Torey Lovullo said, speaking to D-backs.TV’s Todd Walsh postgame.”You got to love it. I think these guys are embracing what’s happening. They’re fighting every single inning.”Third baseman Nolan Arenado echoed that sentiment. “These games have been pretty intense,” he said. “We know how meaningful they are, and it’s meaningful for [the Astros] too. They’re playing for a spot also, so these are tough games. We haven’t collectively been great on the offensive side, but it was great to slug, get a couple wins, and get out of here.”

[Arizona Sports] Geraldo Perdomo leaves game after being hit in head by line drive from Ketel Marte – Perdomo reached base in the third inning with a leadoff single before getting nailed by Marte’s 93 mph line drive and going down. Luckily, the ball hit Perdomo’s helmet. The D-backs shortstop remained down for a few minutes as the team trainer came to check on him, as well as Marte and manager Torey Lovullo, before he was able to walk off on his own power.The D-backs later announced that Perdomo exited the game with a head contusion and would be monitored Sunday and into Monday. Lovullo said postgame that Perdomo did not enter the concussion protocol and he plans to have him in the starting lineup on Monday against the Kansas City Royals.

[MLB Trade Rumors] Diamondbacks Designate Max Kepler For Assignment – Although he began the season serving an 80-game PED suspension, Arizona gave him a major league deal worth a prorated $780K. The Diamondbacks activated Kepler on June 25, but he slumped to a .205/.262/.303 line with just two HRs, a career-worst .098 ISO and a 53 wRC+ over a 41-game, 145-plate appearance span. The 33-year-old has typically offered decent numbers against righties, though they held him to a brutal .192/.256/.283 line (47 wRC+) during his short run with the Snakes. The D-backs shielded the lefty-swinging Kepler from same-handed pitchers, whom he faced just 12 times before his designation.

[USA Today] Corbin Burnes returns and more MLB news – Corbin Burnes, who signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2024 season only to undergo Tommy John surgery one month into his deal, will return to the mound Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals. It will be his first appearance in 15 months. The D-backs will be cautious with him, knowing he still has four years, $140 million remaining on his contract, but his return could be a boost for their playoff hopes the final three weeks.Burnes’ return also gives teams a free look at him if Burnes really wanted to take the massive gamble and exercise his opt-out, but teams are fully expecting him to stay in Arizona.

And, elsewhere…

The USA Today piece linked above also goes on a blast against position players pitching. “Major League Baseball, proposing that teams be permitted to have 14 pitchers on their 26-man rosters instead of 13 in the next collective bargaining agreement, will also discuss modifying the rule on when position players can be used as pitchers in the game.Several club executives and managers agree that games are turning into a farce in blowouts with the proliferation of position players taking the mound.It has become totally absurd, ruining the integrity of the game, and destroying the sanctity of records.In what once was a bit of comic relief in blowouts has become a disgusting display that’s more suited for the Savannah Bananas than actual major league games.”

[Today] After ‘Ted Lasso’ Feature, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum ‘Can Hardly Handle’ Surge In Visitors – The historical institution, which preserves the long history of African American baseball in the U.S., was featured in the premiere of the new season of “Ted Lasso” in August. And since, the museum’s president Bob Kendrick tells TODAY.com, the establishment has been flooded with visitors. Sales, Kendrick says, are up around 50% to 60% compared to where they were last year at this time. “I’ll tell you — it has superseded anything that I could have ever even remotely imagined,” Kendrick says of the outpouring of interest in the museum from the show. “I honestly did not know that it would have this kind of interest and immediate impact on the museum.”

The Runner

• Rating: C
• Dir: Kevin Macdonald
• Star: Gal Gadot, Damian Lewis, Alfred Enoch, Rory Wilmot

The fact that I was more interested in tourist landmarks, than the plot or the characters, is significant. You may even spend more of the film thinking of easier, less complex ways, for the voice on the phone to achieve the same end goal. For this is very much an example of an Amazon Prime streaming movie. You don’t need to think about the plot, or even pay attention to it. Everything is clear inside ten minutes, and the last five tidies everything up nicely, with a twist you will likely see coming – at least, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. In the middle? Running, taunting of Maia by the voice on the phone, and problem-solution on repeat. As Saturday night entertainment, it was… okay, I guess? Never going to watch it again though. 

Read more

Take a trip in the wayback machine with me, friends. All the way back to Sep. 1, 2026. Ah, we were so young and innocent then.

The Orioles had just clawed back to the .500 mark for the first time since April, and they did it with one of the most miraculous game-ending plays you’ll ever see, Colton Cowser’s unbelievable home run robbery that denied a walkoff in Colorado. The O’s had won six of seven and rocketed up the wild card standings, sitting just a half game behind the Guardians for the final spot with no other team in their way.

At that point, if you had looked ahead a week and circled the upcoming Orioles vs. Guardians series on your calendar, you weren’t alone. This was potentially going to be the pivotalest of pivotal series for the Birds, pitting them head to head against the one opponent they most needed to beat. This matchup was going to decide which team would seize control of a playoff spot. The Orioles, we thought at the time, figured to be right on Cleveland’s heels — if not ahead of them — by the time this series began. All the Orioles needed to do before then was to finish up a series win or sweep in Colorado and then hold their own against the Red Sox.

Spoiler: the Orioles did not do any of those things. And now, this faceoff against the Guardians feels nothing like a heavyweight battle for a postseason spot. Instead it’s set up to be another disappointing, one-sided slog that may well plunge the final nail into the Birds’ 2026 playoff hopes.

The Orioles’ September collapse — an 0-6 record and a vanishing offense — has all but sunk them out of contention. They’re now four games back of the Guardians with just 18 games to play. They’ve also been leapfrogged by the Blue Jays and the Rangers. If it isn’t already “stick a fork in ‘em” time for the O’s, this series could end all doubt. A series loss would make the playoff math nearly impossible. Even an incredibly unlikely Orioles sweep wouldn’t catch them up with the Guardians, and they’d still have the Jays and Rangers to contend with. It’s a mess of the Birds’ own making.

If you want to look on the more optimistic side, one thing about the 2026 Orioles is that they’ve been wildly unpredictable, sometimes in positive ways. There have been plenty of instances earlier this season where we thought their goose was cooked, only for the O’s to rattle off a bunch of improbable wins — like almost sweeping the Rays twice last month — to climb back into the fringes of the race. But something about the way the Orioles have lost these last few games just doesn’t inspire hope of a similar bounceback. Their performance in the four-game set against the Red Sox was nothing short of pitiful, with all the body language of a team that’s ready for the season to end.

Anyway, here come the Guardians. Let’s see what happens!

Game 1: Monday, 1:35 PM, MASN

LHP Joey Cantillo (9-8, 3.91) vs. LHP Trevor Rogers (9-9, 4.30)

If the Orioles couldn’t even score against the Rockies’ pathetic staff — let alone Boston’s excellent one — then they’re going to have their hands full with a Guardians team that is built on pitching. Up first is Cantillo, who served as a swing man last year before converting to full-time starting this season. He’s been a solid mid-rotation starter with a 108 ERA+, though his control has been a problem with a league-leading 72 walks. He faced the Birds on April 19 and gave up four runs, including Taylor Ward’s first dinger as an Oriole. The wacky lineup that day featured Weston Wilson at third, Blaze Alexander in center field, and Johnathan Rodriguez batting cleanup.

Speaking of wacky lineups, will the Orioles continue to shoot themselves in the foot by again benching all of their lefty bats against a southpaw? They did it three times in their four games against the Red Sox, and we saw how that worked out. Please, Orioles, be a serious franchise and let Samuel Basallo actually play against lefties. Give Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, or Jackson Holliday a chance, too. We’ve seen more than enough of Leody Taveras and Carlos Narváez lately. It doesn’t matter if they bat right-handed when they can’t hit!

Just like in that April 19 game, Cantillo will square off against fellow lefty Trevor Rogers. Rogers is coming off of a brilliant performance in Colorado, racking up a career-high 11 strikeouts in a game that the O’s bullpen squandered. Trevor’s previous start against the Guardians this year, though, was a rough one: six runs in five innings, including two dingers by future Hall of Famer José Ramírez. Ramírez is having his worst year in more than a decade, with just a .708 OPS, but he has always torched the Orioles with a career .306 AVG and .972 OPS in 67 games.

Game 2: Tuesday, 6:35 PM, MASN

RHP Tanner Bibee (5-15, 4.06) vs. RHP Brandon Young (9-3, 3.42)

Do you think Shane Baz is the most criminally unsupported starting pitcher in baseball? Tanner Bibee says, “hold my beer.” The Cleveland right-hander has received the worst run support in the majors this year at just 2.90 runs per game (Baz, at 3.02, is second worst). It’s too bad Bibee and Baz aren’t going head to head; that’s a game that would be guaranteed to go scoreless until, like, the 14th inning.

Bibee, like Baz, has pitched much better than his 5-15 record would imply, with a slightly above average 102 ERA+. Bibee pitched six shutout innings against the Orioles in April, but true to form, the Guardians didn’t score while he was on the mound and he left with a no-decision.

Brandon Young takes the mound for the Orioles with 137 innings under his belt, by far the most of any season in his pro career (his high mark in the minors was 111). If he’s fatigued, he’s hiding it well. Young has thrown two straight quality starts, and he continues to be a good-luck charm for the Orioles, who are 18-6 when he pitches. Young’s only previous start against the Guardians came last July, when he allowed three runs in 4.1 innings and gave up a homer to — guess who? — José Ramírez.

Game 3: Wednesday, 6:35 PM, MASN

LHP Foster Griffin (3-1, 4.06 for CLE; 15-4, 3.26 overall) vs. RHP Shane Baz (5-15, 3.91)

The aforementioned Baz will make his 29th start of the year, carrying a ludicrously poor record despite having the best ERA of any O’s starter besides Young. Two starts ago, he finally earned his first win since June, but he fell back into his extreme hard-luck ways against the Red Sox, getting saddled with the loss despite giving up just one run in 6.1 innings. I wonder if Shane is regretting his decision to commit to a long-term contract with a team that refuses to score runs for him.

Baz lost to the Guardians in April with a six-inning, four-run performance. You’ll never believe who hit a homer against him. OK, yes you will: it was José Ramírez. Have I mentioned that Ramírez loves hitting against the O’s?

The Guards will counter with Foster Griffin, a stupendous reclamation story this year. The former first-round pick washed out of the majors in 2022 after just seven appearances, then went to Japan and revived his career in Nippon Professional Baseball for three seasons. The Nationals brought him back stateside this year and he was dominant enough to earn an NL All-Star nod and a deadline trade to Cleveland. Griffin hasn’t been quite as sharp for the Guardians, but again, he’s a lefty, so the Orioles will likely field their forfeit lineup.

**

What do you expect from this series, Camden Chatters? Do the Orioles have any chance of resurrecting their season against the Guardians? Let us know in the comments.

It really feels like this was a weekend of missed opportunities for the Yankees. They easily could have left San Diego with a sweep, or at least having taken two of three from the Padres. Instead, they head home with only Saturday’s win to show for their weekend. And in the process, they let Boston creep closer and failed to gain ground on Tampa.

Elsewhere, it is starting to look like the race for the final Wild Card spot could come down to three teams: whomever out of Cleveland and the White Sox doesn’t win the AL Central, whomever out of Houston and Texas doesn’t win the AL West, and the Blue Jays. The rest of the American League’s pretenders sit at least four games out of the final playoff spot, with multiple teams in front of them.

Tampa Bay Rays (85-58) 6, Texas Rangers (71-73) 8

I guess it could have been worse. And would have, if not for Jake Burger. There’s a Burger King joke here somewhere, but I am not clever enough to think of it. Burger cracked pair of home runs, helping Texas come back from an early 5-1 deficit. The Rangers scored six in the fourth and fifth innings to take the lead and managed to hold on for a much-needed win, as they try to stay in the hunt in both the AL West and Wild Card races.

If you’re a fan of great pitching, this was not the game for you. Each team burned through six pitchers, with not a single one recording more than nine outs. Gross. Texas’ win, however, prevents Tampa from going five games up on the Yankees, who already face a steep challenge trying to make up a four-game deficit in the AL East as the season rapidly approaches a close.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (79-65)3, Baltimore Orioles (69-75) 1: You only really need to know two names from today’s game and they’re both Red Sox. In the top of the second, Eli White stepped to the dish with a pair of runners on. His three-run home run gave Boston a lead they never surrendered. And they can thank Payton Tolle for much of that. The hefty lefty spun six innings of one-run ball for Beantown, striking out 12 Orioles along the way. Former Yankee Aroldis Chapman came in for the ninth and recorded the final three outs, in the process notching his 400th career save. Chapman is the ninth man all-time to reach that milestone.

Chicago White Sox (75-68) 10, Minnesota Twins (68-75) 1: You’d never know it by the final score but for the first half of this game, it looked like “first run wins.” Then Chicago scored the first run. And nine more. So in a way, first run did win. Of note for Yankee fans: remember Randal Grichuk? The longtime Yankee killer hit .194 with nary a home run in 16 games in pinstripes. His eighth-inning longball was his 12th of the year and it pushes his OPS with the Pale Hose over .900 in 183 AB. An outcome both enraging and so incredibly predictable.

Houston Astros (73-71) 2, Arizona Diamondbacks (76-68) 3: I cannot describe how much I am going to hate it if Houston makes the playoff with 84 wins and then goes on a deep run. Eduardo Rodriguez and Arizona did their job Sunday to try and prevent that. Rodriguez threw six frames of one-run ball, earning his 15th win of the season in the process. For Houston, presumptive AL MVP Yordan Alvarez was up to his usual tricks, bashing his 38th homer of the season. He continues to lead (or share in the lead) for each of the Triple Crown categories as well, though an MLB Triple Crown seems a longshot at this point.

Cleveland Guardians (73-71) 3, Detroit Tigers (65-78) 2 (F/10): Apparently Guards Ball is now when Cleveland keeps it close at home, gets the game to extra innings, and walks it off for the win. Sunday marked their third such game of the weekend, this time with Daniel Schneemann providing the heroics on with a tenth inning single. In a “you can’t predict baseball, Suzyn” anecdote… at no point this weekend did Cleveland ever lead one of their games prior to walking each one off. Wild. Oh, and Gavin Williams notched double-digit strikeouts again. Ho hum. That’s eight of his last 11 starts.

Toronto Blue Jays (72-72) 1, Kansas City Royals (64-80) 6: Maybe Spencer Arrighetti just isn’t good. I remember being surprised at the deadline that the Astros of all teams would trade away young, controllable starting pitching. I’m increasingly less surprised. After getting shelled on Sunday, Arrighetti has allowed 14 ER in 15.2 IP since becoming a Blue Jay. That’s “good” for an 8.04 ERA. Yikes.

(74-64) Charlotte Knights 2, (70-67) Gwinnett Stripers 5

• JR Ritchie, SP: 6.2IP 4H 2ER 1BB 15K, 3.30 ERA
• Rowdy Tellez, PH-DH: 1-for-1, HR, 4 RBI, .262/.352/.472
• Jim Jarvis, SS: 1-for-3, 2 R, .304/.400/.443
• David McCabe, 1B: 0-for-4, .304/.358/.522

Box Score

JR Ritchie stole the show in dominant fashion as he struck out 15 over just 6.2 innings pitched, while Rowdy Tellez provided the big hit to propel the Stripers to a 5-2 win.

JR Ritchie provided the headline with a Gwinnett record 15 strikeouts across his 6 innings of work. He surrendered a pair of solo home runs, and a pair of singles but outside of that was brilliant. JR utilized his five pitch mix with his four-seam, curveball, cutter, and changeup all grading above average. He pounded the zone with a 73% strike rate, generated 20 whiffs, while getting ahead of 68% of his matchups with a first pitch strike. His four-seam averaged 95, but touched 97 during the outing.

He was brought out in the seventh inning but was relieved by Danny Young (0.2IP 1H 0R 0BB 0K) who worked out of the jam and kept the Knights at just two runs. Ricky Vanasco (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K) came in for Danny Young and recorded a spotless inning of work, striking out two.The Stripers would strike in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead, and James Karinchak (0.2IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K) recorded the final two outs to complete the win.

Offensively, the Stripers were held in check for a large amount of the game. After going down 1-0 in the first inning, the Stripers struck back with a Jordan Groshans RBI single that drove in Jim Jarvis who had earlier singled in the inning. They were then held scoreless, not threatening too much, until the eighth inning. After the first three batters of the inning reached based, Lizandro Espinoza and David McCabe both struck out. Rowdy Tellez would then pinch hit for Jordan and provide a memory for everyone in the stadium. 1 pitch, 1 swing, 4 runs, and a lead.

(76-55) Pensacola Blue Wahoos 7, (62-65) Columbus Clingstones 5

• John Gil, 2B: 2-for-5, R, .322/.399/.446
• Owen Carey, RF: 1-for-4, RBI, R, BB, .250/.344/.384
• Alex Lodise, SS: 2-for-5, HR, 2 R, RBI, .307/.346/.493
• Adam Żebrowski, DH: 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, R, .279/.350/.624
• Luke Sinnard, SP: 4IP 2H 1ER 1BB 4K, 2.08 ERA

Box Score

After strong pitching through the games first seven innings the Clingstones fell apart late, giving up six runs in the final two innings to fall to 62-65, and drop to fourth in the Southern League standings.

Luke Sinnard returned to the mound after being scratched with some back soreness and was effective – striking out four across four innings of work while pounding the zone with a 68% strike rate. His only hiccup came in the third inning when he surrendered a first pitch solo home run to Connor Caskenette to put the Blue Wahoos on the board. 2026 has been a really strong, yet somewhat disappointing season for Luke Sinnard who has looked fantastic on the mound but has really struggled to stay on it. After a total of 72.1 innings in 2025, Luke has followed it up with just 47.2 this season so safe to say as long as he’s healthy he is definitely a candidate for the AFL. Piggybacking the Sinnard start was Julio Robaina (3IP 2H 1ER 1BB 5K) who did what Julio Robaina does – pound the zone for quick, effective outs. He would be replaced by Duncan Davitt (1.2IP 5H 5ER 1BB 0K) who was effective in the 8th, getting three quick outs, but once it hit the 9th it was an absolute disaster for Duncan. After getting the first two outs of the inning he would surrender the following: HR, 1B, HR, 2B, HR, BB, before being mercifully relieved by Tyler LaPorte (0.1IP 1H 0R 0BB 1K) who faced two batters, getting one out and ending inning.

The Clingstones offense got off to a fast start with John Gil singling to lead off the game, stealing second, and then coming in to score on this Owen Carey double.

Alex Lodise would then single himself, moving Owen Carey over to third, where he would then score on a wild pitch to put the Clingstones up 2-0. Adam Zebrowski would follow that up with an RBI single himself, to push the lead to 3-0. The offense would then be held scoreless until the bottom of the eighth when Alex Lodise and Adam Zebrowski would both hit solo home runs to put Columbus up 5-2, before their late collapse.

(73-58) Winston-Salem Dash 4, (61-68) Rome Emperors 12

• Carter Beck, CF: 1-for-2, 3 R, 3 BB, .203/.353/.319
• Conor Essenburg, RF: 3-for-4, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 3 R, .235/.412/.392
• Luis Guanipa, LF: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, R, .217/.233/.355
• Cody Miller, SS: 1-for-3, HR, 4 RBI, R, .200/.314/.329
• Tanner Smith, C: 1-for-4, HR, RBI, BB, R, .118/.250/.324
• Daniel Brooks, SP: 2IP 0H 0R 1BB 5K, 0.00 ERA

Box Score

Strong pitching and dominant hitting was the recipe of success for the Rome Emperors who picked up their 61st win of the season in convincing fashion.

Daniel Brooks got the start for the Emperors and struck out all but two batters he faced in his start. He was removed after the second inning with his pitch count just at 34, as he continues to deal with a small shoulder injury. He would be replaced by David Rodriguez (3IP 1H 0R 0BB 2K) who pitched the next three innings to great success – allowing just one hit. Heading into the sixth inning the Emperors were comfortably in the lead with a 10 run cushion, and they would turn the ball over to Tanner Bauman (1IP 0H 0R 1BB 1K). He would be followed by Justin Long (1IP 1H 0R 1BB 2K), and Tyler Schoff (1IP 1H 0R 0BB 0K) who also provided the zeroes for the Emperors. In the ninth, the Emperors turned to Jarret Whorff (1IP 4H 4ER 1BB 1K) who struggled, but with such a huge lead, was kept in the game and finished off the game.

Offensively the Emperors collected 12 hits, five of which were extra-base hits, and walked an additional eight times. The first two runs came within the first three hitters with Carter Beck leading the game off with a single and coming into score on a Conor Essenburg double to center. Just two pitches after that it was Luis Guanipa that collected a double of his own to push the lead to 2-0. The offense did not stop there as the second inning featured a lead off home run by Tanner Smith, and a two out GRAND SLAM by Cody Miller.

The score would remain 7-0 until the fifth inning when it was time for Conor Essenburg to UNLOAD on a towering opposite field home run to push the lead to 10-0.

The Emperors would go on to score to more runs in the seventh inning for a comfortable, season ending 12-4 win.

(70-61) Augusta GreenJackets 3, (73-59) Charleston RiverDogs 2

• Manuel Campos, SS: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, .262/.292/.402
• Caleb Klein, CF: 1-for-3, 2 BB, .310/.425/.322
• Dominic Kibler, C: 1-for-2, R, 2 BB, .167/.417/.333
• Junior Tilien, 2B: 1-for-4, RBI, R, 2B, .241/.353/.345
• Will Holmes, SP: 3IP 2H 0R 1BB 4K, 4.76 ERA

Box Score

The GreenJackets come from behind and hold off the RiverDogs in the series finale that featured timely hits, and decent pitching from five combined pitchers.

Will Holmes got the start and relatively cruised through three innings, striking out four. He allowed one runner on in the first, before immediately recording a double play to erase the runner. He then allowed a one out single in the second, before immediately picking the runner off at first. It was a strong end to his season as he looked more and more comfortable as time went on after he made his debut. He was relieved by Logan Forsythe (1IP 0H 1ER 3BB 2K) who struggled with his command, allowing a run on zero hits before he walked three. Logan was replaced by Ryan Heppner (2IP 1H 0R 1BB 2K) who worked a scoreless pair of innings. After Ryan it was time for Cristobal Abreu (1.1IP 0H 1R 0ER 3BB 1K) who, like Logan, struggled with his control walking three, but allowed just one unearned run. Lewis Sifontes (1.2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K) picked up his eighth save of the season, pitching across a pair of innings without allowing a runner on base.

Offensively, the GreenJackets got just enough done. They tied the game in the fifth inning when Junior Tilien doubled in Dominic Kibler who had walked and stolen second base. Two batters later it was Manuel Campos who ripped a single to left to drive in Junior and put the GreenJackets up 2-1. They would add onto that lead in the next inning as it was Yamvier Carrero who got it done, singling to the opposite field and driving in Cooper McMurray to make it 3-1 and secure the season finale for the GreenJackets.

A very merry “Mariners won yesterday” to all, and to all a “they can’t lose today” this night. Oh, and happy Labor Day!

In Mariners news:

• The Mariners have called up IF Michael Arroyo, only the 35th Colombian-born player in the MLB. He started second in his debut yesterday for Seattle against the Athletics, and had an 0-for-3 day with a strikeout.
• Bryan Woo didn’t score a Pitchergami yesterday, which is fine, but he did put up a stat line that hasn’t been thrown since Félix Hernández.

Around the league:

• Shohei Ohtani could return to the lineup for the Dodgers on Monday, but is unlikely to pitch again in the regular season.
• Elly De La Cruz helped an injured bird. That’s it, that’s the story. This is a bird blog, after all.

• Luis Robert Jr., a recent Oriole waiver claim, has quickly landed on the injured list.
• C Dalton Rushing has been placed on the 10-day IL by the Dodgers, retroactive to September 5th.
• LHP Cooper Hjerpe made his MLB debut for the Cardinals, and spun four perfect innings to put his name among those like Max Scherzer for debut performances.

• Semi-related, the Nationals have outrighted Max Kranick to Triple-A.
• RHP Nick Pivetta is to be activated from the 60-day IL to start for the Padres against the Nationals today.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

It's not every day the San Francisco Giants (55%) are favored, but that's the case in tonight's series opener at Oracle Park in Calif.

I have more faith in Logan Webb delivering a quality start than Michael McGreevy, especially with San Francisco's recent form against righties.

That is reflected in my Cardinals vs. Giants predictions and MLB picks for Monday, Sept. 7, with opening pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Who will win Cardinals vs Giants today: Giants (55%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

The San Francisco Giants quietly sit second in xSLG and xwOBA against righties over the past month, and now draw Michael McGreevy.

McGreevy hasn’t performed well in night games (4.86 ERA, 5.47 xERA) and enters play in poor form, conceding three or more runs in six of his last eight.

Logan Webb has pitched much cleaner at home (3.39 ERA, 3.59 xERA) this season. He has a good chance of holding up against a St. Louis Cardinals team that ranks 23rd in xwOBA vs. right-handed pitchers the last 30 days.

Back San Fran to 57%.

COVERS INTEL:The Cardinals own the 10th highest ground ball rate vs. righties the last month, playing into the hands of Webb's heavy groundball profile.

Cardinals vs Giants Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (49%)

Webb has allowed a hard-hit rate of just 29% on home soil. He has also done a fantastic job of keeping the ball down, inducing grounders at better than a 49% clip.

That profile will make it tough for the Cardinals to generate power in a park that makes it difficult on its own.

McGreevy is excellent at limiting walks and has only allowed 0.88 HR/9 in pitcher-friendly conditions, which he’ll certainly get in San Francisco tonight.

This has the makings of a low-scoring affair. Play to 52%.

Cardinals vs Giants home run prediction: Rafael Devers (17%)

There’s hot, and then there’s Rafael Devers. The Giants’ top slugger has homered six times over his past seven games, and now has an enticing matchup against McGreevy.

Devers has five career at-bats vs. McGreevy. He hit the ball hard in four of them, and left the park twice.

As you’d expect given that history, Devers profiles well against McGreevy’s mix. Fastballs and cutters make up two of his three most-used pitches, and Devers has posted ISOs of .370 and .475 against those two.

Don’t be surprised if the heater lasts another day.

Cardinals vs Giants weather

Temperatures are expected to stay in the mid-60s. Even with the wind blowing out, it should play in favor of the pitchers.

Cardinals vs Giants odds

• Moneyline: Cardinals 46% | Giants 55%
• Run line: Cardinals +1.5 (64%) | Giants -1.5 (37%)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (52%) | Under 7.5 (49%)

Cardinals vs Giants trend

San Francisco has hit the game total Over in only 19 of its last 45 home games. Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Giants.

How to watch Cardinals vs Giants and game info

Cardinals vs Giants latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Good morning! Gerrit Cole allowed three consecutive home runs to start yesterday’s game against the Padres. Thankfully for Cole, he’s actually used to this — he had already done it once before and is now the only pitcher in baseball history to have done it twice. Historic lolz, Gerrit!

Kermit’s faceplant and the fact that the Sox are now only 2.5 games behind the Yankees has a lot of Sox fans wondering if they can still catch the Yankees for the first Wild Card, even after the disappointing recent series in the Bronx. That seems highly unlikely to me. While 2.5 games doesn’t look like a lot, the Sox are 3 games behind the Yankees in the loss column — and you can effectively call that 4 games, since the Yankees hold the tie-breaker. Moreover, the Yankees have a pretty soft schedule to close out the season, starting this week with the Rockies and the Mets.

But you know who doesn’t have a soft schedule to end the season? The first place Rays, who play the Braves, Astros, A’s, Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies to close out 2026. Yikes!

The Rays have a four-game lead over the Yankees, and, ultimately, I think it’s highly unlikely we see any movement between these three teams over the last month. But the Rays’ schedule combined with the fact that they will play a series directly against the Yankees has me at least wondering: could they slip into the Wild Card and would the Sox be better off playing the Rays in the first round?

If such a series did come to pass, it would mean that the Rays would be seriously spiraling heading into the postseason. And let’s face it, despite the better record, they don’t look as strong as the Yankees anyway. But it would also mean that the Yankees would be seriously surging into October, and I don’t love that, either.

Talk about postseason permutations and whatever else you want in this space and, as always, be good to one another.