SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 13: Ethan Salas #8 of the San Diego Padres hits a triple in the top of the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on September 13, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (81-68) at Colorado Rockies (55-94), September 14, 2026, 5:40 p.m. PST
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NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 09: Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
With a seven-game losing streak and having gone 5-20 in their last 25 games, the Rockies are struggling to close out the 2026 season on any kind of positive note. At 55-94, Colorado is also running out of time to avoid 100 losses as it would need to win eight of its remaining 13 games to do so.
After being swept by the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers on the road, the good news is that the Rockies start a 10-game homestand, their final one of the year, tonight. The bad news is that the first series is against the San Diego Padres, who have beaten the Rockies in eight out of nine matchups this season.
The Rockies lone win against San Diego came at Coors Field on April 22 when Colorado won 8-3. Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) earned the win after giving up one run on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 5.2 innings. Luckily for the Rockies, Sugano (12-9, 5.30 ERA) will be on the mound tonight in game one of the four-game series.
Sugano has struggled in his last seven games, going 1-5 with a 7.71 ERA. His last victory came against Arizona on Aug. 11 when he gave up two solo homers as the only runs in a six-inning performance.
Casey Mize (5-9, 3.70 ERA) will be on the mound for San Diego (81-68), which is currently holding onto the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Opposite of the Rockies, the Padres enter the series riding a seven-game winning streak, including back-t0-back sweeps of the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants.
Mize, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, was traded to San Diego from Detroit on Aug. 3. In his first seven games with the Padres, the righty has gone 1-3 with a 6.34 ERA.
First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. MDT
TV: Rockies.TV
Radio: KHOW 630 AM and 103.5 HD2 KOA Sister Station for Rockies Radio Network (Denver Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs in Monday Night Football on 850/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 AM (Spanish)
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 28: Quinn Mathews #60 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Busch Stadium on August 28, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals begin a 3-game series against the San Francisco Giants Monday night at Busch Stadium. Quinn Mathews takes the mound for the Cardinals while the Giants will start RHP Landen Roupp. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 26: An exterior view of the ballpark prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants head to Missouri today to begin a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Landen Roupp, who enters today’s game with a 4.00 ERA, 3.74 FIP, with 139 strikeouts to 72 walks in 150.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 2-1 win over the Cardinals last Tuesday, in which he allowed just two hits with two strikeouts and four walks in six innings.
He’ll be facing off against Cardinals left-hander Quinn Mathews, who enters today’s game with a 4.11 ERA, 4.02 FIP, with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks in 30.2 innings pitched. His last start was also in last Tuesday’s game against the Giants, in which he allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 09: Will Warren #29 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium on September 9, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Having taken two out of three in the Subway Series against the Mets, it’s now time for the Yankees to head out on the road. Starting tonight, the Yankees will be in Minnesota to take on the Twins. Over the years, the Yankees have regularly gotten the better of the Twins, in the playoffs on several occasions. If the Yankees want any hope of tracking down the Rays in the AL East race, they’re going to have to do so again over the next few days.
For tonight’s series opener, the Yankees will send Will Warren to the mound. While he’s had his ups and downs for the season on the whole, Warren has been very good lately. He’s still likely to head to the bullpen once the postseason comes around, but he’s been a more than solid fifth starter, and the Yankees will hope that continues tonight.
The rest of the lineup is fairly normal, although José Caballero is in at second base after Anthony Volpe had gotten some run there after returning to the bigs.
For the Twins, Dean Kremer will get the ball. The Yankees shared a division with Kremer for several years, as he was on the Orioles before an early-August trade to the Twin Cities. He hasn’t been particularly great this year, both before and after the trade.
Here’s all the information you need to know to catch tonight’s game, and we hope you’ll come join us in the game thread!
How to watch
Location: Target Field — Minneapolis, MN
First pitch: 7:40 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES (NYY) | Twins.TV Presented by Progressive (MIN)
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy App (MIN)
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 14: Chicago center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) reacts during the MLB game between the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves on May 14th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Will the balls fly out at Wrigley? Or just the Cubs’ balls as they have all year?
Also, apparently the game thread experience is better in the app (I have no firsthand experience)
Jaissle did, of course, have a choice; he might’ve picked Touré. But it makes sense that in so competitive a contest and such an intimidating environment, he’s decided that one new face is enough.
Elanga, though, is a big miss. When he was playing age-group football, I really liked him – he combined the agility of a winger with the instinct of a striker. But when he broke into the Manchester United first team, his touch didn’t look good enough for the level, and even at Forest, he was more of a runner than a footballer. His worth-ethic, though, is unreal, and it might just be that he’s improved his technique to the point he’s growing into an all-round threat.
Taj Gibson has decided it was time to retire as a player after 17 seasons — but he is not stepping away from the NBA.
Gibson has announced his retirement on social media and will join the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach under Tiago Splitter.
Today is a very emotional day for me.
After 17 seasons in the NBA, I can honestly say I gave this game everything I had.
Basketball gave me the opportunity to live a dream. As a kid from Brooklyn, NY, I was lucky to get a chance to display my talent on the biggest stage. From… pic.twitter.com/tQAgHoUYl6
Gibson was drafted in the first round in 2009 by the Chicago Bulls and played eight seasons for the franchise, finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting and being top-10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting three times (including second in 2014). With the Bulls he averaged 9.4 points and 6.4 rebounds a game.
After leaving Chicago he played in New York, Minnesota, Washington, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Memphis and Detroit. This summer, the Grizzlies traded Gibson to the Pelicans, who then waived him.
Now he returns to Chicago, where he is beloved. Gibson made his mark in Bulls history and ranks fifth all-time in blocks (695), sixth in offensive rebounds (1,336), 10th in defensive rebounds (2,250), 10th in games played (562) and 12th in total rebounds (3,586).
Gibson has always had the basketball IQ and demeanor of a coach, and now he will learn under another former NBA big man turned coach in Tiago Splitter.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 13: Riley Cornelio #74 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 13, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As we finish off this season, players are looking to establish themselves and make statements entering 2027. That is especially true on the mound, where there are only a few guys who have locked down spots for next season. One pitcher who has impressed in his late season audition is Riley Cornelio and I wanted to talk about him a little bit.
Cornelio has had a few different opportunities at points this season. In total, he has thrown 27.2 innings across 14 outings. Cornelio initially got called up in late April, but his only extended runs have been in July and now down the stretch in September. Early in his big league career, Cornelio looked a bit overwhelmed, but that is starting to change as he gets more experienced.
Riley Cornelio’s go-to pitch is his slider. It is a true bullet slider that looks like a fastball before dropping off the table. Everything about Cornelio’s arsenal is built around getting to that slider. When Cornelio can execute his slider, it is game over for hitters. We saw that in his excellent opener appearance yesterday.
When you look at the data on Cornelio’s slider, the numbers are pretty ludicrous. The pitch generates an insane 53.2% whiff rate. Among pitches thrown at least 200 times, Cornelio’s slider has the 4th highest whiff rate of any offering in baseball. Mason Miller’s slider, Adrian Morejon’s changeup and Erik Miller’s slider are the only pitches that generate empty swings at a higher rate.
That pitch is Cornelio’s crown jewel. He has always had a nasty slider in his bag. The key is making everything else work too. For most of this season, control has been a big issue for him. Cornelio’s 17.7% walk rate is a big reason why he has a 4.88 ERA despite having a premier swing and miss offering. He also allows a fair share of hard contact.
It is worth noting that Cornelio’s command has looked noticeably better since he was last re-called in early September. We only have a 3 outing sample, but Cornelio has only walked 2 hitters in 7.2 innings this month. Honestly, I think his 17.7% walk rate is a bit of an outlier.
Throughout Cornelio’s career, his walk rate has consistently been between 10 to 11%. That is not amazing by any means, but if he can replicate that in the big leagues, he will be effective. I also think there is one recent tweak he made that will make throwing strikes a bit easier.
For most of his career, Cornelio has been a two-pitch guy. His fastball and slider are both good pitches, with the latter being fantastic. However, it is tough to survive in today’s game with just two pitches. That is especially true given that Cornelio’s slider is more of a chase pitch.
Midway through this season, he added a cutter. We saw glimpses of the pitch at times, but he has fully unleashed it in September. This year, Cornelio has thrown his cutter 8.5% of the time. However, in September that number spiked to 23.9%. The pitch is used to bridge the gap between his fastball and slider, which is working wonderfully.
That third shape makes the hitter’s decision much more difficult. The 90 MPH cutter sits right between his 85 MPH slider and 96-97 MPH fastball both in velocity and movement. It is a really good addition to his arsenal and I think it could take him to the next level.
I think Cornelio now has the arsenal to thrive as a 1 inning or multi-inning reliever. He looks really comfortable as a 2 to 3 inning opener, so that could be a home for him. However, with a whiff rate of 35.5% this season, I would like to see what he could do in late innings next year.
The ability to generate whiffs is the highlight of Cornelio’s game and he truly does it at an elite level. In his last 300 pitches, Cornelio has generated 56 whiffs, one of the best marks in all of baseball. For context, Cade Cavalli is right behind him at 55 whiffs.
SP Leaders – Last 300 Pitches Thrown
Most Whiffs: Cristian Javier: 61 Whiffs Jacob deGrom: 60 Whiffs Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 60 Whiffs Emmet Sheehan: 56 Whiffs Riley Cornelio: 56 Whiffs Ian Seymour: 55 Whiffs Cade Cavalli: 55 Whiffs Jared Jones: 54 Whiffs
As you can see, I am bullish on Cornelio, but he is far from a finished product. The command will need to be better for him in 2027. Issuing 22 walks in 27.2 innings is just not good enough. Given his history of mediocre but not awful command, there is some hope on that front though.
When Cornelio first came up, he felt overwhelmed by the moment at times. There were moments where his mound presence was shaky. If he wants to be a late inning arm, that cannot happen. To his credit, Cornelio has gotten a lot better at that and looks like a much more confident pitcher.
Riley Cornelio’s surface level numbers do not jump off the page, but I think he is a sneaky breakout candidate. What he has been doing in his last few outings is highly encouraging. In his last 7 outings, Cornelio has a 2.77 ERA. With his filthy slider, new cutter and hard fastball, Cornelio has what it takes to be a quality big league arm.
A lot of the guys who have been put in the Nats bullpen just do not have the necessary talent. I do not think talent is a problem for Cornelio. For him, it comes down to three C’s. The three C’s are command, confidence and cutter. All three of those things could lead him to a big year next season.
Despite the drama on the court, the poor condition of Arthur Ashe Stadium was just one problem among many
At the end of another comically late night and early morning in Flushing Meadows, when the remaining spectators were departing, a familiar scene was unfolding on the US Open tournament grounds. A handful of workers had congregated directly beneath a hole in the ceiling inside one of the tournament shops as they tried to stop water from flowing out of a broken pipe and ruining thousands of pounds worth of merchandise below.
This was not a surprising sight. Upon entering Arthur Ashe Stadium this year, fans were greeted by some ominous signs: “Pardon our appearance while we write the next chapter of Arthur Ashe Stadium.” The tournament’s appearance, it must be said, was hideous. Inside the corridors and rooms at one of the biggest sporting events in the world, it felt like its main building was falling apart.
Former England batter starts role with white-ball teams
Fleming also ‘right person’ to take Test team forward
Brendon McCullum has revealed that he was the driving force behind the recruitment of Kevin Pietersen as a specialist mentor to England’s white-ball teams and said the new arrival had specific orders to “look across the environment and challenge me”.
Pietersen spent his first day in the role monitoring training at the Utilita Bowl after delivering an address that had the players “buzzing”, according to McCullum, England’s white-ball coach.
After being on hold for months awaiting a resolution in the Clippers salary cap circumvention investigation, the trade of Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors — agreed to back on June 30 — is finally going through, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
This comes one day after Clippers owner Steve Ballmer released a statement saying he and the franchise would not fight the harsh penalties handed down by Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA.
While the sides agreed to this trade in June, the Raptors put finalizing the deal on hold, waiting to see the outcome and punishments from the NBA's investigation (they would have been on the hook if Leonard were suspended). Now that the report is done, the punishments have been handed down and accepted, and the Clippers have figured out who is heading basketball operations (though they haven't officially announced it), the trade can and will move forward, as expected.
As a reminder, the trade details are:
• Toronto receives: Kawhi Leonard • The LA Clippers receive: Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033), a 2027 first-round pick swap, two second-round picks (2030 and 2033).
This is a win for Leonard, who gets out of the glare of the Los Angeles spotlight and lands in a city where he helped win a title and is beloved. Leonard is expected to reach terms for an extension with the Raptors, although the timing is unclear.
While some pundits wanted to stir up the idea that the Clippers might try to hold up or change the trade — as punishment to Leonard, who got off with a slap on the wrist in all this — league sources had told NBC Sports (and we consistently reported) the deal was going to go through. Beyond the damage to reputations there would be for backing out of an agreed-to deal, this trade also works for both sides.
The Raptors get Leonard, an All-NBA player last year, averaging 27.9 points and 6.4 rebounds a night in 65 games. Putting Leonard at forward with Scottie Barnes (almost an All-NBA player last year, 18th in voting), RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in what is a potentially dynamic and dangerous roster (if Leonard can stay healthy).
While the Clippers get a quality player in Ingram, the real draw here is the picks — Los Angeles lost five first-round picks in the punishment from the NBA, this brings a couple in the door. Whatever internal frustrations they may have with Leonard, the Clippers needed those picks and with that needed this trade.
The Montreal Canadiens’ prospects didn’t exactly shine in the first game of the Prospect Challenge, and they weren’t about to do the same on Sunday. Against the Ottawa Senators, the mini Habs proved to be quite a tenacious group and came from behind to secure a 5-4 shootout win. Montreal went with the same leadership group as in Game 1, with Luke Mittelstadt wearing the C and Dillan Brentley and Tyler Thorpe wearing the As.
Much like the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, the Sens had their fair share of high draft picks in the lineup. 32nd pick overall in the last draft, Jaxon Cover made quite an impression, with three points in the first period alone. Kasper Halttunen, who was picked 36th overall in the last draft, was also on the ice and got the first goal of the game. The Sens also had the son of former Hab Thomas Vanek, Blake Vanek, and Christian Kyrou, Jordan’s brother, on their roster.
Cover nearly had a fourth point when he took off on a breakaway early in the second, but Habs’ netminder Mikus Vecvanags made a spectacular save to keep the score at 3-1. Just like on Saturday, the Habs lacked discipline; this time it was Parker Trottier who got a prime seat in the box as the Sens deployed their power play. The Canadiens came out unscathed, however, and they even scored a second power-play goal through Josh Nadeau, who had scored in similar circumstances in the first. Mittelstadt also got an assist on each of his first two lamplighters.
The second frame saw plenty of extracurricular activity, with Wesley Roston dropping the mitts against Kaleb Dietsch and many players from both sides heading to the penalty box. It was almost like a real Montreal-Ottawa duel.
Montreal came out strong in the third, tying up the score with a shot from the point thanks to Jean-Samuel Daigneault before Nadeau completed his hat trick, once again scoring on a Mittelstadt assist.
Unfortunately for the Habs, though, Thorpe missed a hit, and it turned into a knee-on-knee collision, which sent him to the box. The Sens immediately tied up the game, with Cover getting his 4th assist of the game on Eskild Bakke Olsen’s goal. All tied up at the end of 60 minutes, the teams headed to three-on-three overtime, but nobody could break the deadlock.
Alexander Legkov pulled off a great move to give the Canadiens the lead in the shootout, and Vecvanags stood tall to stop Cover, while Parker Trottier scored as well for Montreal, giving the Habs a 5-4 win. While Ottawa had the best side on paper, the Habs were the better team on the night.
Kawhi Leonard is being sent to Toronto, while the Clippers received forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033), two second-round picks (2030, 2033), and a 2027 first-round swap in the trade.
The trade was initially agreed on and reported on June 30, 2026. The teams acknowledged the deal but held off on following through because of the ongoing investigation into the Clippers for salary cap circumvention that involved Leonard.
The NBA announced disciplinary action against the Clippers on Sept. 2, after an external law firm completed enough of its investigation and shared its findings with NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
As a result, the Clippers were given a $30 million fine and have to forfeit five first-round draft picks (2029–2033). Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and two of the team’s top executives were given suspensions.
Clippers-Raptors trade winners
Kawhi Leonard
The two-time Finals MVP is among the biggest winners. He managed to get out of Los Angeles and return to a place he’s familiar with in Toronto. He also received very little in terms of punishment from the NBA, being fined $700,000. The Raptors are expected to offer Leonard a contract extension.
Clippers
The team needs to hit the restart button, considering the loss of picks as a result of the investigation findings. The trade helps ease the burden of not having to go without too many first-round picks in the future.
Clippers-Raptors trade losers
Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick
The pair are among the biggest losers in the deal. They were left in limbo, spending most of the summer wondering what their basketball future would look like for the upcoming season and potentially beyond.
Ingram is expected to have a player option for the 2027-28 season.
Ingram is coming off a season wherein he averaged 21.5 points on 47.7% shooting from the field across 77 games played. Dick played in 76 games in his third season, averaging six points and 1.9 rebounds.
Earlier this summer, the two teams agreed to terms on a trade that sent Leonard to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, two second-round picks (2030, 2033) and a 2027 first-round swap to Los Angeles. That deal was put on pause to await the conclusion of the NBA's almost year-long investigation into the Clippers and Leonard.
The league investigation reached its conclusion Sept. 2, ruling that the Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer violated the league's collective bargaining agreement by facilitating side deals between Leonard and four companies in an effort to circumvent the salary cap. Severe punishments were handed out, but Leonard emerged relatively unscathed with a $700,000 fine. That cleared the way for the Raptors and what remains of LA's front office to move forward with the trade, which has now gone through according to ESPN.
Done deal: The LA Clippers and Raptors have both agreed to complete the trade sending Kawhi Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-rounders, per ESPN sources. The sides will now schedule a… pic.twitter.com/c0lk5xUGJG
Here's exactly what the Clippers are getting in return for Leonard, and how the NBA's sanctions factor in:
Brandon Ingram
Ingram is no stranger to Los Angeles. The Lakers' No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft spent much of the early part of his career under the intense microscope that comes with playing for the purple and gold and showed enough flashes of potential that he was considered a centerpiece of the haul the New Orleans Pelicans received from the Lakers in the Anthony Davis trade in 2019. He was an All-Star in his first year with the Pels, but injuries kept him from being a consistent force, and New Orleans eventually shipped him off to Canada at the 2025 trade deadline.
The headliner of the return package, Ingram is coming off of his second career All-Star season after averaging 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 33.8 minutes in 77 games played in his first (and now only) season in Toronto. Those 77 games are notable because it's the most Ingram has played in a season since his rookie year a decade ago (79).
A smooth 6-8 wing, he's shown he can be a walking bucket when healthy and when paired with a true facilitator in the backcourt. Darius Garland checks that second box. As for the first one, that can only be determined in time.
Gradey Dick
Whereas Ingram is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, Gradey Dick is coming off of his worst.
The 6-8 wing out of Kansas was lauded during the 2023 draft as someone who could space the floor on offense and be a lockdown defender. His shooting hasn't exactly translated to the NBA, however. Dick shot a pedestrian 36.5% from 3-point range during his rookie season; that number dropped to 35% in 2024-25 and 30.1% last season as his usage dipped to a career-low 14.0 minutes per game. His player efficiency rating has yet to surpass 10.7 (league average is 15) and he carries a career box plus/minus of minus-4.
Dick has struggled during his first three seasons, but maybe a change of scenery – specifically to a team that has no immediate future of contending – is exactly what he needs to turn his career around.
Draft picks
This is the most important part of the trade for the Clippers. They get back two unprotected first-round picks, one in 2031 and 2033, two second-rounders in 2030 and '33 and a pick-swap in 2027.
How do NBA sanctions affect the trade?
Aside from delaying the trade from being completed for over two months? Significantly.
Arguably the biggest punishment (out of many) announced by commissioner Adam Silver was the forfeiture of five first-round draft picks. Starting in 2029, the Clippers have been stripped of one pick in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033. But since the Leonard trade technically hadn't happened yet, they'll still be able to receive the Raptors' first-rounders in '31 and '33 with no penalty, while forfeiting only their own picks. They also have a top three-protected pick swap with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2029 after forfeiting the unprotected pick they received from the Indiana Pacers that year for Ivica Zubac at last season's trade deadline.
Ingram and Dick are also two tradeable assets that the team has suddenly been strapped with after an offseason of roster overturn. Ingram has two years left on the three-year, $120 million extension he signed with the Raptors and has a player option for 2027-28. Dick is set to be a restricted free agent after this season, but with president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank suspended for six months, any major move seem unlikely.
