The Buffalo Sabres enjoyed a terrific 2025-26 season, winning the Atlantic Division, then beating the Boston Bruins in the first-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Sabres lost to the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2, but Buffalo sent a message – namely, that the days of the Sabres being a laughingstock are over.
With that out of the way, here at TheHockeyNews.com, we're breaking down Buffalo’s Eastern Conference opponents for the second season in an ongoing series we call “Know Your Enemy”. And in this particular file, we’re focusing on the team that won a championship last season – the Carolina Hurricanes.
BUFFALO SABRES VS. CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEW HURRICANES PLAYERS: None
2025-26 SERIES: Sabres 1-2-0, Hurricanes 2-1-0
2026-27 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: January 9, at Buffalo; February 13 at Carolina; February 18 at Buffalo
CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? GIven that the Hurricanes handed the Sabres fairly easily this past season, and given that the Canes are the defending Cup champions, we don’t see Buffalo having more success against them in 2026-27. The Canes lost a few players including goalie Frederik Andersen, but they don't need to prove anything to anyone.
The interesting wrinkle in this year’s Sabres schedule is that the Sabres and Carolina will square off three times in the span of about five weeks from January to mid-February. That’s going to give the Sabres a good barometer of what they’ll need to do to acquire pieces at next year’s trade deadline with a focus on beating the Hurricanes.
To be sure, Carolina is a swift-and-skilled squad, and to be sure, the Sabres are also swift and skilled. But Buffalo lost major pieces this summer, and the Hurricanes are probably going to improve at one point or another this season. This is why we’re skeptical that the Sabres will be able to last longer in next year’s post-season than the Hurricanes will.
The Hurricanes clearly subscribe to the school of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, and their youngsters are going to keep them competitive for years to come. So while we’ll have to wait until the new calendar season until we see the Sabres against Carolina, the wait is going to be worth it. And Buffalo will be able to use the Canes as a measuring stick by which to compare themselves. So we’re going to get high-quality hockey when these two teams go head-to-head.
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 2: Catcher Jhonny Pereda #5 of the Seattle Mariners tags out Mickey Gasper #30 of the Boston Red Sox at the plate during the first inning at Fenway Park on September 2, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox have gotten everything they could’ve wanted in the returns of Roman Anthony and Trevor Story, who have not stopped hitting in the first four games back in action. That goes for the offense as a whole in the series with 17 runs across, though a clearly-gassed pitching staff struggled again in an 8-3 loss.
Not time for panic yet, they had some cushion for the second AL Wild Card spot to begin with, but the Red Sox do need some wins stacked in September soon, even as they give valuable veterans a breather this month.
Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday afternoon’s loss.
LEFT FIELD DEFENSIVE = DECISIVE
Randy Arozarena threw out Mickey Gasper when he never should have been sent home in the first inning.
Two throws by each left fielder made a rather profound impact on the outcome in this one.
SANDOVAL SHAKY Patrick Sandoval looked excellent in The Bronx on Friday with just one earned run allowed with seven strikeouts against the Yankees. He had a different story Wednesday as his velocity ticked down and he fell into deep counts consistently.
The lefty surrendered four runs in four innings in an ill-timed short outing for Boston, giving way to a similar fate to Brayan Bello and the bullpen.
WORRIED ABOUT ADLEY?
The Red Sox played the entire series without Adley Rutschman, who continues to deal with an elbow issue as Chad Tracy discussed on WEEI this week. The talented catcher has hit just .170 in 15 games since joining Boston at the trade deadline. To go deep in October, the ballclub has to find a way to get Rutschman by and contribute alongside other talented hitters in the middle of the order.
Australia’s No 1 beats Andrea Guerrieri 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 after delays
Taylah Preston and Daria Kasatkina bow out after first-round defeats
After having his tournament opener against Andrea Guerrieri postponed until day four, Alex de Minaur had to endure another two-hour rain delay before putting away the Italian qualifier in straight sets.
The world No 7 advanced with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory to set up a second-round clash with Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 2: Brett Sullivan #26 of the Colorado Rockies is doused with water while being interviewed by Ryan Spilborghs after Sullivan's two-run, walk-off single to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 in 11 innings at Coors Field on September 2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the first time since June 22, the Colorado Rockies delivered a walk-off win as they defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 in extra innings.
After quality pitching from both starters, the Rockies ended up rallying multiple times down to their last strike to secure the victory and win the series.
Top-notch Tomo
After struggling through his last three starts, Tomoyuki Sugano got back on track with what he’s done for the majority of the 2026 season. He delivered his eighth quality start of the season, allowing just three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk over six innings.
After navigating the first two innings, the Orioles got after Sugano in the third inning. Blaze Alexander led off the inning with a single, and Colton Cowser then struck out. Jackson Holliday then delivered a single followed by an RBI single from Pete Alonso to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Later, with two outs, newly acquired Luis Robert Jr. hit a sharp line drive to right field to score two runs and make it 3-0 Orioles. Unlike his recent starts, Sugano didn’t let things get out of hand.
He responded with three more scoreless innings, allowing just three base runners.
What helped Sugano was that his secondary pitches were working well.
The curveball had a 27% whiff rate while his splitter had a 22% whiff rate. The fastball was also spotted well and had a 25% whiff rate and a 62% strike rate. He threw 90 pitches, with 61 going for strikes. An important factor was that he threw a first-pitch strike 73% of the time, allowing him to work ahead of hitters. He also induced eight groundouts against five flyouts.
“I thought Tomo was awesome,” said manager Warren Schaeffer. “I thought his stuff played up today, velo was really good, the stuff was sharp. When they adjusted to him, he adjusted right back.”
Mr. Rogers Neighborhood
While Sugano was working his way through the Orioles lineup, Trevor Rogers was carving up the Rockies for Baltimore.
Through 6.2 innings, Rogers allowed just two runs on six hits while recording a career-high 11 strikeouts in the game. He also didn’t walk a single batter.
What made Rogers so effective was that he pounded the zone. Of the 94 pitches he threw, 71 were strikes. He only induced three groundouts and had two flyouts. He relied heavily on his fastball, throwing it 54% of the time and generating a 29% whiff rate. In total, he had 15 swing-and-misses as the Rockies just couldn’t figure him out.
The Rockies’ first run came in the third inning when Adael Amador singled to lead off the inning and came in to score on a two-out triple by Jake McCarthy. The Rockies had a chance at a second run on the play as the throw into third base got away and McCarthy headed for home. He was initially called safe on the slide, but after a review challenge, the call was overturned to end the inning.
The following inning, Hunter Goodman hit a one-out double and came in to score on a two-out infield single for Cole Carrigg, which snapped an 0-for-17 stretch for him. Unfortunately, Rogers retired nine of the next 10 batters and left with a 3-2 lead.
Once the starters left the game, hits became a premium neither team could afford.
For the Rockies, Juan Mejia, Jimmy Herget, and Jaden Hill combined to allow just one hit over three innings with one strikeout and two walks.
On the opposite side, the Orioles duo of Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano limited the Rockies to just one hit over 1.1 IP with no walks and one strikeout.
However, the Rockies finally broke through in the ninth.
Facing Andrew Kittredge, there was a brief moment where it looked like Goodman tied up the game with a lead-off home run, but the ball hooked foul. Goodman ended up striking out, followed by a lineout from TJ Rumfield.
Down to their final out, Carrigg then narrowly missed a home run himself as the ball hit off the yellow foam at the top of the fence, settling for a double. The Rockies turned to Zac Veen off the bench, and he sent a ball into the gap for an RBI double to tie the game 3-3.
The Orioles turned to reliever Josh Walker and they immediately put Amador on with an intentional walk before striking out pinch-hitter Troy Johnston and sending the game into extras.
Heading into extra-innings, the Rockies caught an immediate break in the top of the 10th inning with new reliever Nick Frasson on the mound.
Alonso bounced a ball on the infield to the shortstop Carrigg. Holliday was the runner on second and had taken off on contact. Carrigg fired the ball to third base, and the Rockies were able to retire him while Alonso reached. Gunnar Henderson then struck out, and Robert grounded out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 10th, Walker then retired Mickey Moniak by getting him to pop up a ball that was caught near the Orioles dugout by Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Alex Hoppe then entered the game and intentionally walked McCarthy to then strike out Connor Norby. Unfortunately, Goodman grounded out to send the game to the 11th.
Colorado turned to Blas Castaño in the top of the 11th, and he immediately surrendered the go-ahead run courtesy of a single by Samuel Basallo. Two batters later, Dylan Beavers singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Alexander then drove in another run to make it 5-3 with a single to center field. Castaño retired the next two batters, including a strikeout of Holliday.
The Rockies got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when Rumfield lined a ball to left field to score Norby and make it 5-4 against new reliever Grant Wolfram.
Carrigg struck out swinging for the first out of the inning, which brought Veen to the plate in a crucial situation again. Unfortunately, Veen also struck out, this time looking, bringing the Rockies to their final hope, Amador, with two outs. Amador blasted a ball into the gap that one-hopped the fence for an automatic double, preventing Rumfield from scoring the tying run.
Brett Sullivan, who had entered the game in the top of the 11th behind the plate, found himself in a situation with the winning run at second base. On a 3-2 pitch, he singled into shallow left field where Robert had no chance to throw out the speedy Amador, winning the game 6-5.
Baltimore ended the game with 10 hits and struck out just seven times with three walks while going 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The Rockies tallied 12 hits while striking out 17 times against just two walks. They went 4-for-11 with RISP as well, but did so in the clutch. Carrigg ended up with three hits while Amador, Rumfield, and McCarthy each had two.
Up next
The Rockies are off Thursday before welcoming the St. Louis Cardinals for a weekend series. Ryan Feltner (5-9, 5.84 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Rockies while the Cardinals have not yet announced a starter.
Davis Martin returns blister-free and ready to give Houston trouble. | (John Jones/IMAGN IMAGES)
The first two contests in Houston have produced a split, with the Astros taking Monday’s opener and the White Sox bouncing back for a 5-1 victory on Tuesday. Now, with two games left in the series, both clubs have an opportunity to gain ground in a race that carries major implications for American League playoff seeding and a potential first-round bye.
Before tonight’s game, the White Sox returned Davis Martin from his injury rehab assignment, reinstated him from the 15-day injured list and optioned Tanner McDougal to Triple-A Charlotte. Martin goes directly back into the rotation and makes his first major league start since Aug. 13.
Prior to tonight’s game at Houston, the Chicago White Sox returned right-handed pitcher Davis Martin from his injury rehabilitation assignment at Class AAA Charlotte, reinstated him from the 15-day injured list and optioned right-hander Tanner McDougal to Class AAA Charlotte.
The 29-year-old righthander is 9-6 with a 4.32 ERA and 1.33 WHIP this season. Martin was outstanding during April and May but has struggled considerably since, culminating in three particularly ugly starts in August. He was placed on the injured list Aug. 14 with a blister on his right middle finger.
Martin made one rehab start for the Knights on Aug. 27 and could hardly have been better, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing only one hit and one walk with five strikeouts. Let’s hope that version of Martin followed the team to Houston.
The Baseball Savant numbers illustrate why Martin’s season has been such a mixed bag. His overall pitching run value sits in the 46th percentile, but his expected statistics are much less encouraging. He ranks in the 24th percentile in expected ERA, 11th in expected batting average and 28th in expected slugging percentage. He also sits in just the eighth percentile in hard-hit rate and the 16th in average exit velocity, meaning hitters have made plenty of loud contact against him.
The good news is that Martin has a couple of pitches capable of keeping Houston’s bats under control. His offspeed run value ranks in the 86th percentile, driven by a changeup that also sits in the 86th percentile. His sinker has been another strong offering, ranking in the 77th percentile in run value.
Martin will need both pitches working, particularly against the left-handed bats scattered throughout Houston’s lineup. The Astros have Yordan Alvarez, Daulton Varsho, Taylor Trammell and LaMonte Wade Jr. batting from the left side, giving Martin plenty of opportunities to use the changeup to keep hitters off balance. The sinker can help him generate weak contact and keep the ball on the ground.
The slider is another story. Its run value ranks in only the eighth percentile, while Martin’s breaking-ball run value is in the 13th. If he leaves sliders over the plate, a Houston lineup featuring Alvarez, Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve can make him pay quickly. Martin does a respectable job of inducing chase and limiting walks, but he does not miss a ton of bats. His success will depend on staying ahead, leaning on the changeup and sinker and avoiding the poorly located breaking pitches that have led to so much hard contact.
Alvarez enters tonight in a rare cold spell, slashing .158/.346/.316 over the past seven days. Of course, that does not make him any less capable of changing the game with one swing, especially if Martin gives him something hittable. Nick Allen has been Houston’s hottest batter during that span, producing a .455/.500/.545 line and 1.045 OPS, but thankfully he is not in tonight’s starting lineup.
Hayden Wesneski will make his seventh start of the season for Houston. The righthander has spent much of the past two years on the injured list and underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2025. He joined the Astros as part of the Kyle Tucker trade with the Cubs in December 2024.
Through six starts, Wesneski owns a 3.86 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The veteran earned the win in his most recent outing against the Yankees, surrendering one run on three hits and two walks while striking out six.
Wesneski’s Savant profile offers the White Sox a fairly obvious plan of attack: Do not help him. His chase rate ranks near the very top of baseball, but his strikeout rate is much closer to the bottom half of the league. His arsenal is built around getting hitters to expand the zone, with his sweeper and changeup grading as his best secondary pitches.
Chicago’s hitters need to recognize those pitches early and force Wesneski to come over the plate. His average exit velocity and hard-hit rate both rank in the bottom third of the league, suggesting hitters can do damage when they make contact against pitches in the zone. His fastball velocity is also below average, so the Good Guys should be ready to attack hittable four-seamers rather than chasing sweepers off the plate or changeups below the zone.
That sounds simple enough, but Chicago’s offense has not exactly been firing on all cylinders. Colson Montgomery and Andrew Benintendi have been the best South Side hitters over the past seven days, while Chase Meidroth and Miguel Vargas have also been seeing the ball reasonably well. Those are the only four players in tonight’s lineup hitting better than .200 during that span. Everyone else has been firmly aboard the struggle bus.
Sam Antonacci gets the start in the leadoff spot, followed by Munetaka Murakami and Vargas. Benintendi bats cleanup as the designated hitter, while Braden Montgomery returns to the lineup in right field. Colson and Meidroth follow, with Tristan Peters and Drew Romo rounding out the order.
With so many hitters searching for their timing, patience could be the key tonight. If the Sox can resist Wesneski’s chase pitches and make him work in the strike zone, there should be opportunities to generate hard contact. If they spend the evening fishing for sweepers and changeups, it could be a very long night for the offense and the fans.
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 02: Bryce Miller #50 of the Seattle Mariners warms up in the bullpen prior to the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Mariners 8, Red Sox 3
September Mariners: Bryce Miller, +0.15 WPA August Mariners: Nobody could possibly be that bad on the September Mariners
With NHL training camps starting to get closer, the Montreal Canadiens have been beginning to skate together.
However, one defenseman who recently skated on his own without his teammates was Canadiens blueliner Kaiden Guhle.
Guhle was the only player who skated on his own in track suit on the Canadiens' second rink while the rest of Montreal's players who practiced on Tuesday skated on their first rink.
The Canadiens have not provided an injury update regarding Guhle, but it is fair to wonder if something could be bothering the left-shot defenseman. Him skating on his own, not dressed in full gear, is interesting.
With Guhle being a key part of the Canadiens' blueline, they are certainly hoping that he will be good to go for the start of the season. This is an important season for the 2020 first-round pick, as he will be looking to have a big breakout year for the Habs.
Guhle has also dealt with injury trouble over the last few seasons, so it would be unfortunate if he injured again with training camp getting closer. He was limited to just 39 games last season for Montreal, where he posted two goals, 11 points, 86 hits, and a plus-5 rating.
We will now need to wait and see if the Canadiens end up announcing that Guhle is dealing with something. Here's to hoping that the 24-year-old defenseman is healthy.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 27: Noah Cameron #65 of the Kansas City Royals looks on during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Thursday, August 27, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Michael Chisholm/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Only 23 games to go on this Royal season and I guess the goal at this point is to win 11 of them an avoid 90 losses? Today offers another opportunity for a win with newly resurgent Noah Cameron trying to continue his run of dominance that started back on July 24th. Since then, he has had seven starts and a 1.29 ERA. We will see if he can take care of Miami’s very middle of the road offense. Eury Perez will start for the Marlins. He is a talented young righty, so it will not be an easy task for Kansas City tonight as the fish try to stay in the playoff hunt where they are still on the outside looking in. Game kicks off at 6:40 central.
Aug 27, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) during the game against New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Two nights ago, the Cubs demolished the Brewers. Yesterday, the Brewers fell behind early before they bounced up off the mat and won convincingly. Tonight, they’ll send Jacob Misiorowski to the mound as they look to ensure they’ll leave Chicago with no worse than a series split.
Miz will be for continued success against Chicago. On May 19th at Wrigley Field, Misiorowski pitched six shutout innings in which he walked one and gave up just three hits while striking out eight en route to a 5-2 Brewers victory. A little over a month later, Misiorowski walked four but allowed only two hits and a run in six innings while striking out eight at American Family Field. Including last season’s playoffs, Miz has pitched against the Cubs six times, for a total of 27 innings, with 35 strikeouts and just seven earned runs allowed, good for a 2.33 ERA. Tonight Misiorowski will also look to add another signature outing to bolster his Cy Young case, as Cristopher Sánchez and Chris Sale continue to pitch well and make cases for themselves.
On paper, the Brewers should have a significant advantage in the pitching department tonight. Taking the mound for the Cubs is lefty David Peterson, who was acquired from the Mets in late June. Peterson has had an odd season; with the Mets, he had an ugly 6.09 ERA but a 3.84 FIP in 68 innings, while with the Cubs that’s flipped a bit to a 3.90 ERA but 4.32 FIP in 55 1/3 innings. The peripherals on Peterson aren’t great, but he’s had somewhat surprising success in his career against Milwaukee: Peterson is 4-1 with a 3.44 ERA (despite a 4.28 career ERA) in 34 innings spanning seven outings (six starts) against the Brewers.
There’s a roster move to note today: Joel Kuhnel used up the maximum 30 days allowed on a rehab assignment and was not added back to the major-league roster. Since he is out of options, he has been designated for assignment.
Of some note, Cooper Pratt is fine after his wrist took a shot from Jackson Chourio in that three-way outfield collision last night. He’s back in the lineup. The lineup looks a little different with the lefty Peterson on the mound: Joey Ortiz is at third base, while Jackson Chourio, Luis Lara, and Jake Bauers go left to right in the outfield. Brice Turang remains near the top of the lineup (second) against the lefty, with Andrew Vaughn batting third, William Contreras catching and batting fourth, and Gary Sánchez in there as the designated hitter.
It’s a hot one in Chicago today, so expect some more offense. First pitch is at 6:40 on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 01: Cleveland Guardians left fielder Angel Martinez (1) celebrates with Cleveland Guardians second baseman Angel Genao (17) after hitting a 2-run home run during the eighth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians on September 1, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 02: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves hits a three-run home run in the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 02, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, if the Atlanta Braves wanted to enter the huge weekend series in Philadelphia on a serious roll, they’ll have to just settle for a slight roll instead. The Braves came into this week having won seven straight games but the streak came to a screeching halt at the hands of some unlikely opposition.
Well, maybe it was likely considering how the season series has gone against one team and how the other team usually tends to win their games but needless to say, the Braves won’t be scorching-hot heading into their big four-game series against Philadelphia. They did finally show some reasons to be optimistic about being able to get a positive result this weekend and let’s look into this week’s first three games to figure out why that is the case:
Well, there wasn’t too much positive to take away from this game. The San Francisco Giants are in the midst of what’s shaping up to be their worst season since 2017 and yet, they’ll be leaving the 2026 season with fond memories of smacking the Braves around. This made it five out of six wins for the Giants against the Braves in 2026 and it had all the hallmarks of a 2026 Braves/Giants game.
Rafael Devers home run? Check. Bryce Elder getting beat up by the Giants once again? Check, again. San Francisco essentially setting the tone for the entire contest? One more time, check. Devers essentially picked up where he left off against the Braves earlier on this season by hitting his fourth homer in sixth games against Atlanta to make it 1-0 in the first and while the Braves actually got out to a 2-1 lead, Elder was unable to keep the dam from bursting against San Francisco.
Jonah Cox frustratingly bunted in a run to tie the game in the fifth inning and then San Francisco capitalized on the Braves squandering a bases loaded opportunity with two out in the bottom of the fifth by immediately jumping on Elder in the sixth. Osleivis Basabe hit his fourth dinger of the season to lead off the sixth and by the time the smoke had cleared in the sixth, Bryce Elder and Dylan Lee were responsible for the Giants having a four-run inning. Jonah Cox then proved that he could hurt the Braves with the long ball as well, as his ninth inning dinger (also his fourth of the season) made it a 7-3 game and Atlanta was unable to respond after the breakout inning for the Giants.
Well, if there’s one team that you usually don’t want to end up in a slugfest with, it’s the Nationals. That’s especially been the case for the Braves lately, as they’ve had some real struggles to put together some sustained offense away from Truist Park. The good news is that Atlanta did put five runs on the board in this one, which was the most that they’d scored in a single game away from Truist Park (or a neutral site) since July 24. On top of Atlanta scoring five, Ha-Seong Kim picked up three hits in this one! This was Kim’s first multi-hit game since September 17 of last season and needless to say, the Braves would gladly use any type of real production that they can get from Kim down the stretch.
The bad news is that this was another rough day for the pitching staff, as the 2026 Nats fired off one final salvo at the Braves in a season that’s been very productive for them at the plate. AJ Smith-Shawver was only able to get through four innings in this one and by the time he left, it was a 5-2 game in favor of Washington.
The Nats then pulled away against the debuting Blake Burkhalter and reliever Brent Suter, as Burkhalter surrendered a sacrifice fly to Brady House and then Suter got knocked around for three runs (including an error) in order to make it a 8-2 ballgame at the time. The three-run flurry that Atlanta delivered in the eighth inning was encouraging considering how tough it’s been for Atlanta to put crooked numbers up in any given inning on the road lately, but it was simply a case of putting lipstick on a pig as the Nationals rolled to a 9-5 win.
It took a while but we finally got to see the Braves really hammer an opposing team for once — and on the road, no less! Things remained scoreless in this one until the sixth inning, as Grant Holmes looked very sharp in a rain-shortened outing and then the rest of the bullpen picked up the baton and ran with it in dominating fashion for the rest of the way. Atlanta only gave up two hits in this contest and it was definitely nice to see Elieser Hernández continue to come up big in yet another strong multi-inning appearance.
The pitching staff’s strong performance bought Atlanta enough time to finally start doing some real damage away from home. The sixth inning started with Ronald Acuña Jr. getting on with a single and then stealing his 20th base of 2026 but it only got more exciting from there. Riley Cornelio intentionally walked Michael Harris II in order to try to get Sean Murphy with two outs. That ended up being a mistake, as Murphy crushed one for a three-run shot that broke the deadlock.
History was then made in the seventh, as Ronald Acuña Jr. finally cracked his 200th career home run in order to push Atlanta into comfortable position at 6-0. Acuña is now the fastest player to join the career 200-200 Club and hopefully he’ll be able to keep the homers coming now that he’s finally moved past that particular milestone.
Anyways, Austin Riley cashed in a bases-loaded opportunity in the eighth with a liner to left that brought home two to make it 8-0 and then Sean Murphy padded his stats with an RBI single off of José Tena, who is not a pitcher. This one ended 9-0 and it was sure nice to see the Braves bring the lumber away from Cobb County, for once.
Atlanta also got a bit of good news shortly after their win on Wednesday as the Diamondbacks held on to a 1-0 win over the Phillies, which ensured that the Braves will be heading into Philadelphia with a four-game lead. Hopefully we’ll see the Braves play with some confidence in that series — Atlanta has been the top dog in the NL East all season and now’s as good of a time as ever to really confirm it and to do so in their closest pursuer’s own stadium would be huge.
In the mean time, the only real takeaways from these three games is that we can at least have some hope that the offense may have brought the bats with them on this road trip. It had been far too long since we’d seen the Braves actually do some real damage at the plate on the road and that’s going to have to continue going forward since Atlanta will be playing more games away from Truist Park this month than in their humble abode in Cobb County. While there’s also a bit of a concern that this could just be a case of the Braves beating up on a Nationals pitching staff that’s been vulnerable all season, I don’t think anybody would complain if Atlanta took that confidence from this series in Washington and carried it over to the big one in Philadelphia.
Also, how about Ha-Seong Kim? It almost feels as if a switch has turned on for the guy with the way that he’s ben productive over the past week. Kim now has six hits in his past six games, which is wild considering that he had five hits in just 31 games before then. At the risk of sounding like Chip Caray, getting a productive Ha-Seong Kim back would almost be like picking up a player after the trade deadline. As well as Mauricio Dubón has played all season, this team was designed for Ha-Seong Kim to play a crucial role. If he can step up for the rest of the way then that just makes this Braves lineup tougher to deal with going forward.
Now, it’s time for Atlanta to enjoy an off-day before the biggest series of the season gets underway. Atlanta’s going to have four pitchers that they’re confident in starting for them in Philadelphia, with Chris Sale, Martín Pérez, Tyler Mahle and Bryce Elder going for them in that order. The pitching has proven that they can keep any given lineup quiet on any given day. The offense is finally beginning to show some real signs of life away from home. There’s nothing left but to take care of business and hopefully we’ll see the Braves make it happen once it’s all said and done on Monday evening.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Aug 30: Tampa Bay Rays Infielder Junior Caminero (13) hits a home run and celebrates during the regular season game between the San Diego Padres and the Tampa Bay Rays on August 30, 2026, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 30: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum on August 30, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Duane Prokop/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game two with the Guardians. It almost has to be better than game one.
The Jays are saying that Jameson Taillon will start Friday’s game against the Royals
Looking at that picture, I used to think I’d like to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but it interests me less now. And I’m not crossing that border for three more years. But I think there are other things I need to see before that particular Hall of Fame.
The year Covid hit, I had planned to go to Kansas City, to watch the Jays play there and to see the Negro League Baseball Hall of Fame. That’s higher up on the list. And I’d like to visit Nashville one day. And there are some places in Texas I’d like to visit.
WASHINGTON — Bat met ball in the top of the seventh inning, the latter flying out of the ballpark at 104 mph and soon, Ronald Acuña Jr. was flapping his arms and getting saluted in return by Atlanta Braves coaches and teammates, having witnessed another superlative from their now 28-year-old superstar.
“It’s freakish talent,” says Braves manager Walt Weiss. “And so he's capable of doing unbelievable things.”
In this case, on a rainy Wednesday, Sept 2 at Nationals Park, Acuña became the quickest player to reach 200 stolen bases and 200 homers, hitting the mark in just 904 career games, 25 sooner than Alfonso Soriano.
For a guy who debuted at 20 to reach a “fastest to” plateau at 28 seems momentarily incongruous. Yet that simply speaks to the adversity Acuña has faced after the sheen of his instant stardom wore off.
A pair of torn ACLs, one on each leg, essentially robbed him of two seasons, including the Braves’ run to the 2021 World Series championship. This season, a hamstring strain sent him twice to the injured list, and Weiss saw fit to bench him to “slow the game down” when he struggled returning from his second IL stint.
Those struggles seemed far away Wednesday.
Acuña singled, swiped second - his 20th steal in 29 tries this year - and scored in the sixth inning. An inning later, he clobbered a first-pitch 95 mph sinker up in the zone from Nationals reliever Max Kranick 379 feet into the Nationals bullpen for a 6-0 lead.
Two hundred to pair with his 225 steals.
In this era of liberal stolen-base rules, Acuña tops several superlative lists. But this one might be most significant - it implies longevity while also speaking to his precocious talent.
“I know how much I worked to be here, with my teammates, and I also, for me, wanted to be in that list with Alfonso Soriano and the superstars,” Acuña said after the Braves completed the rain-delayed 9-0 victory, increasing their NL East lead to four games over the Phillies ahead of their four-game weekend series in Philadelphia.
“Injuries are part of the game, though. So I need to keep continuing working hard, play hard, no matter what happened, help my team win a lot of games, so (we) make the playoffs this year.”
Acuña won’t be in the hunt for his second NL MVP award this season. Limited to 86 games, he’s posted a .243 average and .761 OPS, with 14 homers.
That’s OK. The Braves have taken control of the NL East without his very best. Now, they can really use his game-breaking ability as the stakes get higher.
“I love, I love, playing against Philly,“ says Acuña. “This weekend, it's like a playoff game, so let's see what happens in Philadelphia.”
Perhaps something spectacular, once again, from the Braves’ superstar whose career is gaining ever-richer context.
“Yeah, anytime you're first, or even top 50 on any list in this game, it's amazing,” says Weiss. “You think about the history of this game, and the people who played it, but, yeah, we know Ronald's talent, man.“
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 01: A general view of PNC Park prior to the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rayni Shiring/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this three-game road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Landen Roupp, who enters today’s game with a 4.25 ERA, 3.74 FIP, with 133 strikeouts to 66 walks in 139.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks last Thursday, in which he allowed one run on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks in five innings.
He’ll be facing off against Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler, who enters today’s game with a 4.26 ERA, 4.09 FIP, with 117 strikeouts to 68 walks in 131 innings pitched. His last start was in the Pirates’ 3-0 loss to the San Diego Padres last Wednesday, in which he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks in five and two thirds innings.
