We’re 4-4 in the doubles and knocking up on Ashe. Thinking more about the match, I’d expect Townsend to use top spin to hit cross at Sabalenka’s backhand, taking her outside the lines if possible. She’ll also try and slow the game down, I think, and frustrate the champ, who doesn’t enjoy the wind-ups.
Townsend comes out wearing a coat that wouldn’t be out of place in the Night’s Watch, photo to follow but, in the meantime:
Jamie Vardy has returned to English football after signing for Burnley in the Championship as a free agent.
Vardy, who will be 40 in January, has signed a contract until the end of the season, having spent last season at Cremonese in Italy. A return to Leicester, where he spent 13 years and was a Premier League champion in 2016 and an FA Cup winner in 2021, was mooted in the summer, only for Vardy to rule out a reunion.
“Selected scuttlebut,” says Ian Copestake, promisingly, “from Everton fans on the train from Birkenhead to the game is that the fans have been lied to. Promises made by the new owners (shiny new stadium not mentioned) have not been fulfilled. Mutiny is round the corner (probably at Sandhills).”
An unexpected proposal from John Stedman. “I like the new(ish) Dining Across the Divide series [in the Saturday magazine] and hereby propose a new feature: Drinking Across the Sporting Divide, which you can pitch to your taskmasters in Guardian Towers.
Nov 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka directs his team against the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images | David Gonzales-Imagn Images
This week’s question asks: How many wins will the Houston Rockets have this season?
The Rockets have been on a roller coaster since the start of the decade. From a franchise-changing trade in 2021 that sent James Harden, the Rockets’ best player, for almost a decade to a complete overhaul that saw them hit rock bottom and end up in the lottery for several seasons. The latest iteration of the Rockets has shifted from a team full of young, promising players struggling for wins to a more veteran-led team expected to make deep playoff runs.
Even though the Rockets made the playoffs the past two seasons, they hoped for more, especially after the blockbuster trade that brought Kevin Durant to Houston last offseason. The past two seasons have seen the Rockets bow out in the first round despite winning 52 games both seasons.
Now, heading into year two of the Durant era, the Rockets hope the return of Fred VanVleet and the additions of Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanovic will finally give them the push they need to get past the first round for the first time since 2020. We asked the SB Nation community for their opinion on how many wins the Rockets will have this upcoming season.
This is what you said:
The SB Nation community has spoken, and 68 percent think the Rockets will win at least 51 games for the third straight season. As mentioned earlier, the Rockets have won exactly 52 games in the past two seasons, and in the Western Conference, every win counts, as spots three through five were separated by only two games.
Some fans believe the Rockets will go backward this season. 32 percent believe the Rockets will win fewer than 51 games. After last season’s disappointing finish, it is understandable that some fans have lost confidence in the team, as the Rockets didn’t make a big splash this offseason like they did last summer.
The Rockets front office and coaching staff have made it a point to say that they believe VanVleet’s return and the other additions mentioned earlier in this article will be enough to finally get past the first round this upcoming season. With a full roster this season, if the Rockets can stay healthy, I believe the Rockets can get to 55 wins, which should be enough to have home-court advantage, something the Rockets did not have this past playoff.
Dont forget to check out our sponsor FanDuel for all your basketball odds. The Rockets are a plus 470 to win 55 games next season, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. That means if you bet 100 dollars and the Rockets win 55 games or more, you win 470 dollars!
Sep 5, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Mrs. Met is honored before the game at Citi Field between the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants for being elected to the Mascot Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Meet the Mets
The Mets fell to the Giants 9-5, as San Francisco gave the Mets a taste of their own medicine that they issued the night before by socking six home runs against Mets pitching. Four of them were surrendered by Zac Thornton, who had his worst start as a big leaguer thus far in his young career, but the one bright spot was that A.J. Ewing went deep for the Mets for the first time since July.
Though the 2026 season is lost, September is not a lost month for the Mets as they look ahead to 2027, writes David Lennon of Newsday.
Will Sammon interviewed Mets VP Eric Jagers on Jonah Tong’s development this season. Tong will start tomorrow’s game against the Marlins.
The 2026 season has been defined in part by underachieving teams, as the Mets duke it out with the Mariners and Tigers for the unfortunate distinction of being the biggest disappointment this year.
Yesterday Juan Soto received his 2025 National League LatinoMVP award from Latino Sports, a publication that created the honor and has administered it since 1989. It is his third time winning the award in the past five years and only Albert Pujols has won it more times in total than Soto.
Joe McDonald, who was the general manager of the Mets from 1975–1979, passed away at the age of 97, announced Jay Horwitz yesterday.
Around the National League East
Zack Wheeler pitched six innings of one-run ball, striking out nine in the Phillies’ 4-2 victory over the first place Braves at Citizens Bank Park.
The Nationals fell to the Dodgers 6-5, despite the absence of Shohei Ohtani from LA’s lineup for the third straight day. Tommy Edman’s go-ahead three-run bomb off Clayton Beeter in the seventh was the decisive blow in the game.
The Marlins lost to the Cubs by the same 6-5 score, as former Met Michael Conforto had a good day at the plate for Chicago.
The Marlins released veteran infielder Leo Jimenez after designating him for assignment on Thursday.
Around Major League Baseball
Trent Grisham re-injured his hamstring in the Yankees’ 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Padres on Friday and is heading back to the IL. The Yankees called up outfielder Jasson Domínguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take his place on the roster.
Speaking of repeat injured list stints, Jameson Taillon, who left Friday night’s start after just two innings in his first start back from injury, was placed on the 15-day injured list again on Saturday by the Blue Jays with right elbow inflammation. To take his place on the roster, righty Ricky Tiedemann was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com explores what is next for the Blue Jays, who have had a disappointing follow-up season to their AL Championship in 2025, but still sit just one game back in the AL Wild Card standings.
2026 has been the year of the rookie hitter in baseball; this year’s class has put up the best offensive numbers for debut hitters by multiple measures.
Hat Gate has entered its second day. If you know, you know.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
On a new episode of Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World Series, Brian Salvatore and Chris McShane talk about the loss of Luis Robert Jr. to the Orioles, A.J. Ewing’s recent struggles, the potential return of Jonah Tong, and other September Mets story lines.
This Date in Mets History
Oliver Perez pitched a complete game shutout against the Braves on this date in 2006.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 4: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the dugout in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Stadium on September 4, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Shohei Ohtani has been absent from the Dodgers lineup for three consecutive games. So far the team has had no problem picking up the pieces, as the team is currently on a three-game winning streak with a chance to sweep the Washington Nationals on Sunday.
Ohtani hasn’t been his usual self over his last 12 games, slashing a putrid .130/.298/.196 with a double, a triple and four RBI. The straw that broke the camel’s back was placed on Wednesday with a four-strikeout performance at the plate, and the Dodgers have contemplated moving him to the injured list.
Ohtani was able to hit in the cage during Saturday’s 6-5 win over Washington, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com, and the Dodgers will soon decide whether an IL stint is required. Dave Roberts views the time off as a chance for the two-way superstar to get a reset mentally and physically.
“If it doesn’t feel good today,” Roberts said, “then [the IL] certainly should be on the table.”
“There’s a chance … that we could almost just be in bed with the idea that whether it’s six, seven, eight days — [it’s] better than [15] days,” Roberts said, “if he’s trending in the right direction.”
With Ohtani not spearheading the starting lineup, Tommy Edman has done a tremendous job both filling in at center field for the injured Andy Pages and occupying the leadoff spot for the time being. Edman was the hero in Saturday’s win by making a highlight reel play in center field before hitting a go-ahead three run home run to give the Dodgers a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning.
For the defensively versatile switch-hitter, his pride comes in his ability to be plugged in any role or position, stressing the importance of filling in the gaps, writes Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.
“It’s definitely something that makes me valuable to the team,” he said of his versatility, “especially late in the year when guys get banged up. Losing [Pages] is a huge loss. I take pride in being able to fill that role a little. I’m not completely filling what he left behind, but I’m trying my best. That’s important to any championship team.”
Even with Shohei Ohtani’s chances of returning to the mound becoming an afterthought with each passing day, the Dodgers are preparing to assemble another formidable postseason rotation.
Usually, spring training is when a team tries to prepare for the season to come, but, as has been the case the last two years, the Dodgers aren’t like most teams. That means September is essentially another form of spring training to get their pitching staff ready for another grueling postseason run, writes Dylan Hernandez of the California Post.
The starters who will comprise the Dodgers’ postseason rotation know that when the playoffs start, they will have to pitch better than they have. Their team’s inconsistent offense will once again give them little margin for error, perhaps even less than last year with Shohei Ohtani dealing with multiple injuries.
If October marks the start of the baseball season in Los Angeles, September is spring training. The pitchers have three weeks to prepare for the starts that will define their seasons, or perhaps even careers
The Drive – Conor McGahey talks Colorado Avalanche, Makar’s contract and Denver Broncos. [TSN]
The London Knights have dealt Avalanche prospect defenseman Linus Funck, paving the way for a major import deal to take place. [The Hockey News]
Makar’s record 8-year deal was a necessity. ‘You can’t win without superstars,’ Sakic says after deal with elite defenseman, [NHL]
A look at who is already back in Denver for informal skates. [Colorado Hockey Now]
Colorado Avalanche face brutal travel schedule in 2027-2027. The Avalanche will have plenty of frequent-flyer miles to rack up during the NHL’s 84-game season. [SI]
News Around the League
Semyon Varlamov healthy, ready to roll for Islanders camp: ‘It’s almost a miracle’. The veteran hasn’t played in an NHL game since Nov. 2024. [SNY]
Hamilton NHL prospect Matthew Mayich “needs a miracle” after training collapse during a brutal workout. [CBC]
A dispute over whether a 13-year-old boy should be allowed to play on a Whitby, Ont., minor hockey team has exposed broader questions about how youth sports organizations should respond when a parent connected to a team has a history of sexually abusing children. [CTV]
TVA Sports renews NHL rights for 12 years, will broadcast more Canadiens games. [Montreal Gazette]
Pronger has played alongside some of the greatest defensemen in NHL history. He knows what an elite blueliner looks like. So when a Hockey Hall of Famer looks at Cale Makar’s record-breaking contract and sees little reason for concern, it is worth listening. [The Hockey News]
SARASOTA, FL - MARCH 15: Patrick Reilly #44 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches during the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium on Saturday, March 15, 2025 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Tides jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run home run by Jeremiah Jackson and an RBI triple by Luis Vázquez. But they fell behind immediately after that and never recovered. Starting pitcher Cade Povich had a very rough time. He allowed eight runs in five innings. He allowed seven hits, two of which were home runs, and walked four.
The rehabbing Félix Bautista pitched one inning with a walk and a strikeout. He threw 22 pitches, 13 strikes.
The Tides scored four more runs, all in the fourth inning. Sam Huff hit a three-run homer and Creed Willems reached on a single and later scored on an error.
Patrick Reilly started for the Baysox and pitched a heck of a game. Through seven innings, Reilly faced just 21 batters despite allowing three hits. In the first inning, Reilly allowed a single and then picked the runner off. In the third, he induced a double play after a single. Ditto in the fourth. Through seven innings, his pitching line was 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K.
Reilly came back out for the eighth inning with the Baysox winning 4-0. He walked his first batter, then allowed a home run. He was replaced by Bradley Brehmer, who gave up four more runs and only recorded one out. That allowed the Sea Dogs to come back and take a lead they did not relinquish.
The Baysox scored all four of their runs in the first two innings. Wehiwa Aloy homered in the first inning. In the second, one run scored on an error and Frederick Bencosme drove in two with a double.
High-A: Frederick Keys 7, Brooklyn Cyclones (NYM) 4
The Keys won their 82nd game last night, and in doing so clinched the second-half crown for the South Atlantic League North Division. They also won the first-half. They’re good. What a great way for affiliated baseball to return to Frederick. On to the playoffs!
Christian Rodriguez started and allowed three runs in 4.2 innings. All three runs came in on two homers. in the fourth inning. Carson Dorsey followed with 3.1 shutout innings. He gave up just one hit and walked two.
Leadoff batter DJ Layton was the offensive star of the game. Layton went had five hits, including two doubles. He knocked in two runs and scored two runs. Enddy Azocar knocked in Layton once as the pair hit back-to-back doubles. Azocar also walked. Jaiden Lo Re drove in two with a double, his only hit. The recently promoted Ty Head added a pinch-hit RBI single.
Stiven Martinez had just one hit in the game, but it was a big one. His 14th home run of the year was a grand slam that ended up being the difference in the game. The Shorebirds were kept off the board until the sixth inning. In the sixth, Carlos Sanchez and Jhomnardo Reyes pulled off a double steal of home and second. Reyes later scored on a ground out. In the seventh, Sanchez and Jimmy Anderson each knocked in a run with a single.
Eric Booth, Jr. reached base four times with three singles and a walk. Anderson and Adriander Mejía both had two hits.
Collin McKinney started on the mound and pitched two shutout innings despite allowing two hits and three walks. Javier González earned the save with 1.1 hitless innings.
Shōta Imanaga = Don’t pitch in Wrigley? Or get a haircut before the rest of his starts?
Imanaga pitched into the seventh inning Friday night, allowing only three hits without a walk while striking out four in the Cubs’ 6-1 win. Imanaga allowed a single in the bottom of the seventh, which Aaron Civale allowed to come around to score in the starter’s only blemish on his box score. It was only the second time this season that Imanaga had a start without a home run and a walk. He looked like the Imanaga we keep seeing glimpses of, and need to finish off the year.
Civale did otherwise pitch scoreless ball over three innings for the save.
Offensively, it was a fantastic mixed bag of ways of scoring runs. Only the final run, off the bat of Michael Busch, came by way of the home run. For example, Pedro Ramirez was 0-for-3, but had RBI’s off a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly. After three walks and a pitching change in the sixth, Ian Happ walked to drive in a run, followed by a Nico Hoerner RBI single.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had earlier in the game stolen his 33rd base on the season. PCA later doubled to start the seventh, aggressively advanced to third on a medium fly-ball to right off the bat of Seiya Suzuki, and scored on a wild pitch.
PCA also added, probably, his best catch of the season in the sixth. After travelling around 100 feet, PCA positioned himself parallel along the center-field wall. He did something he couldn’t do at Wrigley — he launched himself up into the soft wall and snared the flyball at the peak of his jump.
Let’s hope that the rest of the road trip continues with this success.
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Perla Paredes (MLB.com): New do, no HRs? Shota’s haircut helps him get back on track in Miami. ““Building trust is like Dominos or Jenga, where it takes time and it’s hard to build up,” Imanaga said. “But in an instant it can disappear. So I slowly built that trust back up [to] be that pitcher that everyone can trust on.”“
One of the great blues singers of the post-World War II period, Jimmy Witherspoon was also versatile enough to fit comfortably into the jazz world. Witherspoon was born on August 8, 1920 in Gurdon, Arizona. As a child, he sang in a church choir, and he made his debut recordings with Jay McShann for Philo and Mercury in 1945 and 1946. His own first recordings, using McShann’s band, resulted in a number one R&B hit in 1949 with “Ain’t Nobody’s Business, Pts. 1 & 2” on Supreme Records. Live performances of “No Rollin’ Blues” and “Big Fine Girl” provided ‘Spoon with two more hits in 1950.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
The KHL season is kicking off this weekend, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed that the Montreal Canadiens’ first-round pick in the last draft, Gleb Pugachyov, has failed to make Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod’s roster for its four-game opening road trip. Alexei Isakov’s men took on Spartak Moscow on Saturday, then face Dynamo Minsk on the 7th, CSKA Moscow on the 9th, and Lada Togliatti on the 11th before returning home to host Ak Bars Kazan on the 14th.
Given the fact that Pugachyov is only 18 years old, there’s no reason to panic because he could play in the lower leagues (MHL, VHL) this season. Besides, the fact that he’s not in the initial roster doesn’t mean that he won’t be in the near future; there’s a lot of movement in the KHL, and players go up and down levels easily. It’s also worth remembering that in the KHL, rookies do not have it easy; they need to earn their ice time. Even Ivan Demidov struggled to get ice time while playing under Roman Rotenberg at SKA St. Petersburg. It wasn’t as tough for Alexander Zharovsky with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, but it wasn’t as strong a team.
It’s important to remember that Pugachyov was only picked 26th overall by the Canadiens. While Montreal has been blessed with a lot of early selections over the last few years, the team’s emergence from its rebuild means that they won’t get to speak so early at the draft. Pugachyov can play hockey, but he brings size, grit, and energy; he’s not the kind of player who’ll fill the net, which makes it even harder for him to earn a roster spot in the KHL.
The forward signed a two-year contract extension with Torpedo in June 2025, which only expires at the end of the 2027-28 season. There’s no rush; Pugachyov has got plenty of time to develop. In an ideal world, he would develop into a middle-six type of player, but if he turns out to be a supersized third-line winger who’s a pain to play against, it will still be good news for the Canadiens.
It takes a little bit of everything to have a Stanley Cup-winning team; it’s not solely about skills and talent, as demonstrated by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who thought they could plan the parade once they had Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly. You need more than just headliners; you need depth players who can play the right type of game and thrive in your system.
While we impatiently wait for the Philadelphia Flyers and, more broadly, NHL hockey to return, the OHL preseason is underway, and many European pro leagues are beginning to kick things off, too.
Let's start in Sweden, shall we?
Flyers forward prospect Max Westergard, who was unable to participate in development camp in July, scored a goal and an assist in 11:44 of ice time for Frolunda HC in a 6-1 win over SaiPa in Champions Hockey League competition.
Over in Russia, Egor Zavragin will likely debut for his new club, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, on Sunday (today) or Tuesday, Sept. 8, with two games against Amur Khabarovsk on the docket.
He'll have some competition from the older, more experienced Alexander Smolin, who is also a Gagarin Cup champ with Metallurg as Ilya Nabokov's backup, but we can expect the two Russian netminders to share the crease barring something unforeseen.
And here? We will soon see if David Jiricek has what it takes to stick at the NHL level with the Flyers.
Head coach Rick Tocchet and GM Danny Briere both acclaim Jiricek's shot and offensive ability, but only 12 days separate the start of training camp on the 17th and the first game of the regular season on the 30th.
Don't forget about Maksim Sokolovskii
Lost in all the prospect talk, try not to forget about Maksim Sokolovskii throughout the year. I mean, I'm sure there will be highlights, as you will see shortly here, but regard him as a legitimate prospect.
Yes, Sokolovskii is going to be a project, and yes, it will be some time before we see him take the ice for an NHL game with the Flyers, but the potential gets more and more fascinating with each watch.
In the clip above, Sokolovskii aggressively pinches up the left wall, narrowly missing an opponent en route to the 50/50 puck. After settling an attempted play up the boards from his opponent, Sokolovskii turns up the ice and immediately looks to make a play.
A smaller, more nimble 5-foot-7 Cameron Schmidt, who led the WHL with 51 goals last season, was waiting to defend in the high slot, but Sokolovskii pulled the puck back to his left side and powered past Schmidt and another defender with just a few strides.
Shielding the puck, Sokolovskii tried to make the high-percentage play, passing across the slot as time expired, but his nearest teammate was tied up, and nobody else was available at the back post.
So, despite no goal being scored, I loved this play by Sokolovskii. It proved a few things.
The 18-year-old is showing a willingness to take control, be the guy, and use his talents and tools to manufacture offense in a pressure situation.
The skating, which is already anomalous for his size, looked Travis Sanheim-esque as he shielded off defenders, and Sokolovskii clearly has an understanding of where the puck needs to go create a dangerous chance for his team.
Sokolovskii, drafted 27th overall by the Flyers in June, can easily outperform his draft slot just by getting in the same orbit as his full potential.
His passing and puck-handling will have to develop further, as will the decision-making, but when things go right, they look incredible.
Sokolovskii is the player I'm most excited to watch at Flyers rookie camp next week, especially as we have already seen a good bit of Porter Martone, Alex Bump, Denver Barkey, and Jett Luchanko in past years.
READING, PA - AUGUST 25: Corey Collins #37 of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning during the game between the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and the Reading Fightin Phils at FirstEnergy Stadium on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 in Reading, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Cade Burdette/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Emilien Pitre’s first Triple-A home run – along with homers from Ronny Mauricio and MJ Melendez – were not enough to overcome a truly dreadful pitching performance from nearly every arm who got in the game tonight. Truly a waste of a lineup performance when all but one starter had at least one hit.
Two runs in the first on a Corey Collins double were enough to support R.J. Gordon and the rest of the Binghamton staff. Collins isn’t a top-end prospect, but he’s had a nice season with a .910 OPS in Double-A. He’s also old for the level and is benefitting from an overly passive approach that will likely not play at the higher levels (probably). Marco Vargas also continued his solid post injury reply and how has his OPS at .750 in Double-A.
Two more homers wasted by a poor pitching performance. This time it was Ryan Dollar who was the primary culprit, coughing up four runs in an inning of work. Elian Peña also had a bad night, going 0-for-5 and making an error that led to two unearned runs.
Jun 21, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jonathan Bowlan (52) throws a pitch against the New York Mets in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jonathan Bowlan gave up another home run last night, leading to some discussion about his effectiveness. For me at least, I think he’s simply getting tired after a long season of being depended on as much as he has been this year. With Kansas City, he wasn’t used to being put into higher leverage spots all year, thus hasn’t been subjected to the type of stress he is under each time he toes the rubber with the Phillies. So now, having done it for months, he might be wearing down a bit. Hopefully they can clinch a spot in the playoffs soon in order to give him and other bullpen arms some rest.
The Detroit Tigers bounced back from a pair of walkoff losses during Friday night’s doubleheader to blank the Cleveland Guardians, 6-0, on Saturday night. Riley Greene’s four-hit performance powered the good guys against a potential Rookie of the Year candidate while the pitching staff threw its first shutout since blanking the Guards back on Aug. 13 at Comerica Park.
For the final game of the weekend series, right-hander Jobe Jackson will take the mound looking for a split with the Motor City Kitties’ American League Central rivals. The 24-year-old’s last outing, coming against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, saw him start off pretty decently before things blew up in his face, ultimately allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits (two home runs) and two walks while striking out four over five frames.
For the Guardians, fellow righty Gavin Williams gets the nod for the 29th time this season. The 27-year-old started September strong with seven shutout innings on two hits and a walk while striking out 13 Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field to earn his 13th win in a 6-1 final.
Neither pitcher has faced their respective opponents yet this summer. Here is a look at how they match up on Sunday afternoon.
Detroit Tigers (65-77) vs. Cleveland Guardians (72-71)
Time (ET): 1:40 p.m. Place: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 143: RHP Jackson Jobe (1-2, 4.63 ERA) vs. RHP Gavin Williams (13-7, 3.81 ERA)
Sep 5, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) reacts to a strikeout during the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Hello, friends.
Even the optimists in Birdland have to be pretty much ready to put the hopes to bed for the season at this point. Last night’s loss to the Red Sox comes darn close to settling it for the Orioles. They needed to come out and have a strong September in order to keep themselves as a possible wild card team. Instead, the Orioles are the only winless team in MLB in the month of September, and they’ve now been shut out in consecutive games by the Red Sox. Check out Tyler’s recap of last night’s 5-0 loss for more of the not-so-lovely totals.
There is certainly a dark comedy to it. The Orioles did something modestly interesting when they took on a non-trivial amount of late-season salary in the waiver claim of Luis Robert Jr., a total of $5 million, in hopes that his recent strong performance would carry over and bolster the offense. What’s happened instead is that the offense has disappeared.
This is giving off big 2017 Orioles collapse vibes to me. That team hit its September peak at a 71-68 record on the 5th and then went 4-19 over their final 23 games. The offense just absolutely died in that last month of the season as the team batted a combined .220/.268/.349 in the month’s 28 games. It was a complete disaster. The pitching was bad too, largely driven by Dan Duquette’s regrettable decision that having a rotation with Wade Miley and Jeremy Hellickson would be a good idea; those two guys between them were the losing pitcher in eight of the team’s 21 Sept/Oct losses, and they didn’t win any games started by either one.
Five games into September 2026, the Orioles are hitting .207/.274/.308, the third-worst OPS of any MLB team this month. The rotation isn’t proving to be quite as much of a problem. They just aren’t good enough to be a solution to the offense doing, approximately, nothing.
We got a little taste of that last night, when Chris Bassitt ran into trouble in the sixth inning, talked manager Craig Albernaz into staying in for one more batter, then ended up on the wrong end of a bad luck broken bat single that scored two runs. Rico Garcia then let the inherited runner score for good measure. Bassitt deserved better than 3 ER in 5.2 IP, but that’s what he got. He needed to be perfect since the offense was absent and he wasn’t perfect.
It’s not the first time that Albernaz has shown faith in a player and have it immediately blow up in his face. This is one of the more consistent things of the Albernaz experience. He believes in the guys. He tends to refer to them as “the boys.” He thinks they’re going to do it. The problem is how often they aren’t doing it. This kind of thing is more defensible when he’s believing in like, Kyle Bradish, as opposed to when he’s believing in Carlos Narváez or Anthony Nunez. It would probably be a noble and laudable quality if Mike Elias had given Albernaz a better roster.
All there is to really hope for at this point is to start to see some signs of life from key guys who are almost certain to be around next year. I have no hope about this. After 143 games of watching the Orioles problems, I don’t think they know what’s going wrong or what needs to be done to fix it, either on the individual player level or on the team level. I think the front office is locked into something that has failed. If it’s getting punted to the next generation, I don’t know that lessons have been learned to make those players more successful and more able to gel into a consistently good team.
I’m not going to post the wild card standings. That’s toast unless the Orioles rip off like a six game winning streak starting today. They’ll try to avoid being mopped by Boston with a 1:35 game to close out this four-game weekend set. The scheduled starting pitchers are Payton Tolle and Kyle Bradish.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
Takeaways as the Orioles playoff hopes slip away (The Baltimore Sun) This was published yesterday, after the Orioles had merely lost four straight games. It’s five straight now and of course all of the concerns still apply.
Albernaz on Kjerstad in last night’s starting lineup (School of Roch) “We’re excited to get his bat here,” the manager said. I hope Kjerstad can pay off that belief over the remaining few weeks of the season.
Today in 1974, the Orioles swept a doubleheader from the then-Indians, winning 2-0 and 1-0 with each of Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar pitching a complete game shutout. These marked the fourth and fifth straight Orioles games with complete game shutouts, setting an American League record. Across MLB this season, all pitchers combined have nine complete game shutouts.
In 1995, Cal played 2131. The Orioles beat the then-California Angels, 4-2.
In 1996, Eddie Murray joined the 500 home run club. He was the 15th player to do so; there are 28 today. Murray was just the third player with 3000 hits and 500 homers. That list has (I think) six players on it now. The team is honoring this 30th anniversary at today’s game. The O’s lost the game to the Tigers, 5-4, in 12 innings.
In 2012, the Orioles beat the Yankees on Cal’s statue night honoring the 2131 anniversary. That 10-6 victory, which saw the Orioles take an eighth inning lead right after blowing a lead, pulled the O’s into a tie with the Yankees for the AL East. This is the greatest game I’ve ever been to at Camden Yards.
One year ago, the Orioles were being no-hit by Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers with two outs in the ninth inning and a 3-0 deficit. Emmanuel Rivera eventually hit a walkoff single off of former Oriole Tanner Scott.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2025 reliever Shawn Dubin, 2016-18 reliever Donnie Hart, 2011 first baseman Derrek Lee, 1991 pitcher Roy Smith, and 1954 outfielder Jim Fridley.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: America’s favorite Frenchman Marquis de Lafayette (1757), Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters (1943), author Alice Seabold (1963), and actor Idris Elba (1972).
On this day in history…
In 1620, the Mayflower left England for North America, carrying 102 Pilgrims as passengers.
In 1901, President William McKinley was shot and fatally wounded; he died eight days later of an infection that spread from the gunshot.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on September 6. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!
