Category: Baseball

Departing Houston with a series win had the Diamondbacks ahead of the Padres by a half of a game yet again with them hoping to add to that lead with a series against the Kansas City Royals on deck. As mentioned in the last episode, the Royals offense is one of the weaker parts of their roster but they make up for that lack of offense with solid starting pitching as Michael Wacha and Noah Cameron, who have been really sharp over their last month or so, would be a tough matchup for a Diamondbacks offense that has failed to do much against starting pitching over their last few series.

Labor Day Rollercoaster

The Diamondbacks offense must have been jealous of the national holiday and decided they wanted their own time off the clock as they would be blanked for the first 9 innings of the game with Noah Cameron, who was the American League Pitcher of the Month for August, continuing where he left off the prior month. Most of the time being blanked for 9 innings would result in a loss, but thanks to the D’Backs and their bullpen going toe to toe with Noah Cameron and the Royals bullpen we would get to see some extra innings excitement yet again.

After both teams decided being held scoreless was for suckers and putting up 9 combined runs, the rollercoaster of a ride that was the 10th would end with Dennis Santana walking the high wire and recording his first save as a Snake and stranding the royals tying run in scoring position. Normally a 5-0 lead would be more than enough for the Diamondbacks bullpen to get the job done, but unfortunately Gerardo Carrillo’s continuous struggles since being recalled from Triple A Reno had both Brandon and I wondering if this was Carrillo struggling mechanically or if opposing teams have finally had enough film to study and figure out how to attack.

I Fell Down Into A Burnes-ing Ring Of Fire

The main headline for Tuesday night’s game in Kansas City would be the return of Diamondbacks $210 Million dollar ace in Corbin Burnes. It was no secret that Burnes would be very limited in his first outing on a Major League mound in over 450+ days, a few lengthy at-bats from Royal hitters had Burnes only able to get through 3 innings and just under his 60 pitch limit. Most pitchers who return from Tommy John surgery take time to find their form again, and that was no difference for Corbin as he would top out at 94 MPH and struggle with his command of his arsenal (especially his curveball).

Brandon and I both agreed that we didn’t expect or want Corbin to go out there and go full throttle and pitch at 100% effort, and that while we would hope that his next outing can be a bit longer with some more efficient and clean innings, we are just happy to have him back at a time when the Diamondbacks can use as much starting pitching as they can get their hands on.

Zac Is Back (Threat)

Wednesday’s series finale would see the return of not 1 but 2 more starting pitchers from the IL as both Zac Gallen and Michael Soroka would be back on the mound in the same game. As I said previously the Diamondbacks would be looking for any starting pitching help they could get their hands on, but I’m not sure Zac Gallen would really be any more help than what the Snakes were getting from youngsters Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake. Gallen has struggled the last few years with the long ball and a subway $5 foot long meatball sub to Carter Jensen would see that issue also return from the IL. Soroka also served up his own $5 foot long meatball sub to Bobby Witt Jr that would be the difference maker in the D’Backs 5-2 loss, but Soroka is being paid nearly 1/3rd of what Gallen is earning while having an ERA that is nearly half of Zac’s 6.22 so he has earned a little more leniency.

Brandon and I discussed if it’s really worth it to let Zac Gallen continue to go out there and struggle start after start. With only 15 games left in the regular season the Diamondbacks can’t really afford to have a borderline auto-loss every 5th day as they fight for a spot in October. We both agreed that it would be a different conversation if the offense wasn’t struggling as much as it has been as of late, but with the bats already having a hard time giving their good starters in Rodriguez and Pfaadt any kind of run support it doesn’t seem like a smart plan if the Diamondbacks actually want to win enough games to make it into October.

Hook, Line and Ranger

The Diamondbacks kick off the last homestand of 2026 with a rematch of the 2023 fall classic as they would welcome in the second place Texas Rangers for a 3 game set. While this isn’t the same Rangers roster we saw back in 2023, they are a deeper and more dangerous one than what we just saw in Kansas City as the first 6 hitters in their order all have an OPS of .700+. Thankfully for Snakes fans the 2 best starters on the team in Eduardo Rodriguez should be getting the ball in 2 of the 3 games so if there was any hope in limiting the Rangers firepower and getting a series win or even a series sweep, then those 2 will hopefully have a big part of that potential success.

We’ll start with South Bend tonight.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were hijacked by the Quad Cities River Bandits (Royals), 3-1. The River Bandits win the best-of-three Division Series 2 games to 0 and advance to the Midwest League Championship Series. South Bend season ends now.

Nazier Mulé started and took the loss, although he pitched well. Mulé allowed one run on two hits over three innings. The one run scored on a pop fly that landed just fair down the line in left in the second inning for a double. Mulé walked two, hit one batter and struck out three.

South Bend’s bad luck continued in the sixth inning when reliever Cole Reynolds gave up another RBI double on a soft pop up that landed near the line just beyond first base.

South Bend could not do much against Quad Cities starter and the Royals’ top prospect Kendry Chourio. He held South Bend without a hit through four innings and while he did give up a pair of singles in the fifth, the Quad Cities bullpen bailed him out.

The only South Bend run came in the seventh inning when center fielder Caden Sorrel, playing in his first game in High-A, singled home second baseman Reginald Preciado. Both Sorrell and Preciado were 2 for 4.

Reliever Anhuar Garcia hit a batter with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth to give the River Bandits their two run lead back. South Bend went quietly in the eighth and ninth to end the season.

It was a disappointing loss for South Bend, who had one of their best seasons in memory. But that happens in baseball.

Here’s Sorrell’s RBI single. His first hit looked a lot like this one too.

Caden Sorrell comes through to start the rally!#SBCubspic.twitter.com/4DMj3QB0Rj

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) September 11, 2026

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were stuck in the mud against the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 9-1.

Connor Noland started and took the loss. Noland gave up three runs on four hits over four innings. One of those hits was a two-run home run. Noland struck out three and walked one.

Justin Steele came on to pitch the fifth inning in a rehab assignment. His first inning went poorly as he allowed two runs on three hits. He was better in the sixth inning as Steele hit a batter, but that runner was thrown out trying to steal. He then gave up another hit before recording a strikeout to end the inning without any more damage.

The final line on Steele was two runs on four hits over two innings. He struck out three and walked no one while hitting that one batter.

You can take this as you wish.

Some notable context for this outing for Steele — he had some pretty awful BABIP luck.

Of the 4 hits he allowed, not one of them was hit harder than 91 mph.

Allowed a triple on a ball hit 79 mph. https://t.co/DaH0Ri6P0G

— Alex Cohen (@voiceofcohen2) September 11, 2026

I agree that center fielder Justin Dean misjudged that fly ball into a triple.

Shelby Miller threw the seventh inning and did well. He allowed a leadoff bunt single, but that runner was thrown out trying to steal and he retired the other two batters, striking out one.

But Jaxon Wiggins struggled in relief, allowing four runs on four hits in just two-thirds of an inning in the eighth. He also walked two while striking out no one.

The only Iowa run came on an RBI groundout in the fourth inning by right fielder Kevin Alcántara. Alcántara went 1 for 4.

Left fielder Chas McCormick was 1 for 3 with a double and a walk.

Iowa only had four hits tonight.

Omaha was 1 for 3 trying to steal off of Owen Ayers.

MAKE IT 39! https://t.co/IvbM14EbFlpic.twitter.com/OI6kTTuCrj

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) September 11, 2026

Steele’s second strikeout.

Steele’s three strikeouts [VIDEO]

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies overthrew the Birmingham Barons (White Sox), 4-1.

Brody McCullough was strong tonight as he got the win after giving up five scoreless innings. McCullough allowed three hits. He walked three and struck out seven.

Jackson Brockett then gave the Smokies three more scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and walking just one. He struck out four.

DH Alex Ramírez was the hero tonight, going 3 for 4 with a walk and two RBI.

Second baseman Alex Madera went 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Knoxville banged out ten hits tonight, but all of them were singles.

The Rockies hung around for most of Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.

Then the seventh inning happened.

Colorado had just pulled within two runs when the Yankees answered with six in the bottom half, capped by Anthony Volpe’s grand slam, and turned a quiet, almost competitive game into a 10-3 rout.

The loss completed a three-game sweep and dropped the Rockies to 55-91, while New York improved to 84–62. John Schreiber earned the win for the Yankees, while Ryan Feltner fell to 5-10.

For much of the night, though, the final score did not match the feel of the game. The Yankees grabbed an early lead, but Feltner settled in, Colorado kept finding small openings and New York never quite put the game away.

Until they did.

Feltner digs a hole, then settles in

Feltner’s first two innings looked like they might lead to another short night.

Ben Rice opened the first with a single and advanced on a wild pitch before Luis García Jr. crushed a two-out changeup for his 30th home run of the season.

There were flashes of good stuff mixed into the trouble. Feltner struck out Cody Bellinger on a well-sequenced first-inning plate appearance, leaning on his changeup to finish him on a foul tip.

The command, particularly with the fastball, was much less consistent.

That carried into the second. Ryan McMahon singled, Austin Wells walked and recently recalled Anthony Volpe flicked an inside fastball into left field to score McMahon. Rice followed with a groundout that advanced both runners, and Bellinger’s sacrifice fly stretched the lead to 4-1.

Feltner needed 46 pitches to get through the first two innings.

Then, almost abruptly, he settled in.

He worked a nine-pitch, 1-2-3 third and followed with another clean inning in the fourth. After Volpe’s RBI single in the second, Feltner retired 10 consecutive Yankees before Bellinger finally broke the streak with a double in the fifth.

Even that nearly became an out.

Bellinger lifted a towering drive to right, where Jordan Beck tracked it all the way to the wall and leapt with his glove over the fence. Beck caught the ball, but his collision with the wall knocked it loose and back onto the field. Instead of a home run, Bellinger settled for a double.

Feltner made the play matter. He struck out Jasson Domínguez and got García to pop out in foul territory, ending his night by retiring 12 of the final 13 hitters he faced.

His final line — 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K — looks fairly pedestrian, but the outing had two very different halves.

Feltner’s four-seam fastball averaged 93.9 mph, about a tick below his season average, and the Yankees hit it hard when they put it in play. He also struggled to consistently locate it.

The secondaries gave him a way through it.

Feltner used his changeup 18% of the time, exactly in line with his season usage, and generated three whiffs on nine swings. The slider was arguably his best pitch, generating three whiffs on seven swings while avoiding hard contact.

He did not suddenly become dominant after the second inning. The Yankees continued to hit some balls hard, including a 109.7 mph flyout from Spencer Jones in the third.

What changed was Feltner’s efficiency.

His pitch counts by inning went 25, 21, 9, 17 and 11. Once he stopped fighting the zone, he let the defense work and gave the Rockies five innings after an opening that looked headed somewhere much worse.

The Rockies make Fried work, but little else

Max Fried was much better, although Colorado did make him work for it.

Connor Norby battled through a nine-pitch plate appearance in the first and appeared to earn a walk before Wells challenged the pitch. ABS overturned the call, turning ball four into strike three. Hunter Goodman then chased a curveball well below the zone to end the inning.

That curveball was good all night.

Fried threw it 19% of the time, above his season rate, and generated four whiffs on five swings. He also leaned heavily on his cutter while largely shelving the four-seam fastball.

Kyle Karros did punish one of those four-seamers in the second, crushing it for his 11th home run of the season and Colorado’s first hit of the game.

The Rockies otherwise did most of their damage to Fried’s pitch count rather than the scoreboard.

Beck walked to lead off the third and reached third when Norby got aboard on McMahon’s throwing error, but Goodman grounded into a forceout to end the threat. TJ Rumfield worked a seven-pitch walk to start the fourth, and Cole Carrigg extended his at-bat before Fried buried a curveball in the dirt for the strikeout.

Aaron Boone had already visited the mound. After Carrigg struck out, he went to the bullpen.

Fried finished with 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB and 7 K, but needed 80 pitches to get there.

It was a peculiar sort of success for Colorado. They made an excellent pitcher labor.

They just did not score.

Colorado finally finds a spark

That problem followed the Rockies into the Yankees bullpen.

Carrigg doubled with two outs in the sixth, but another successful Yankees ABS challenge turned an apparent ball four to Karros into strike three and ended the inning.

Colorado finally broke through again in the seventh.

Adael Amador worked a seven-pitch at-bat before grounding out, then Beck lined a 98.9 mph drive to center that Jones chased down with a sliding catch.

Tovar kept the inning alive with a two-out walk.

Boone went to Brent Headrick, and McCarthy jumped the first pitch he saw, driving it off the wall in right-center. Tovar scored from first and McCarthy raced into third with his ninth triple of the season.

Suddenly, it was 4-2.

Norby followed with a six-pitch walk, bringing Goodman to the plate with two on and the tying run involved.

Goodman managed only a weak fly to left.

It was another opening.

And another missed opportunity.

The seventh finally breaks it open

Zach Agnos had already escaped trouble in the sixth.

Jones singled, Wells walked and Volpe reached on a hard one-hopper that Tovar did well simply to knock down. The bases were loaded, but Carrigg tracked Rice’s deep fly to the warning track to end the inning.

Agnos came back out for the seventh, and the traffic finally caught up with him.

Bellinger doubled to open the inning. Domínguez walked. The two then executed a double steal, putting both runners in scoring position with nobody out.

García grounded to Rumfield at first and both runners held, giving Agnos a chance to escape.

Jones erased it with his third hit of the night, lining a single up the middle to score both runners. Carrigg came up firing from center, but his throw sailed over Goodman and reached the backstop as Jones advanced to second.

The Yankees led 6-2.

Agnos got Lombard to pop out, then walked McMahon.

Warren Schaeffer had seen enough.

Jimmy Herget entered and immediately walked Wells to load the bases.

Then Volpe ended the suspense.

The Yankees’ No. 9 hitter got a 1-1 sinker and drove it to right field for a grand slam, turning a game that had spent most of the night hovering within reach into a 10-2 blowout. Volpe finished with five RBI.

Agnos’ pitch data showed just how dangerous his two innings had been. Seven of the eight balls put in play against him were hard-hit, with an average exit velocity of 98.1 mph. He survived the sixth, but couldn’t escape the seventh.

The offense leaves too much behind

Colorado did scratch across one more run in the eighth.

Zac Veen pinch-hit for Carrigg and worked a seven-pitch walk after falling behind 0-2 against Luis Gil, laying off several upper-90s fastballs in the process. Amador followed with a single that was deflected in right, allowing Veen to score and Amador to advance on the error.

The ninth inning offered one final, almost painfully tidy summary of Colorado’s night.

Tovar singled. McCarthy singled. Vimael Machín, pinch-hitting for Norby, singled in his Rockies debut.

Then Goodman flew out too shallow to score Tovar.

Rumfield did the same.

And Veen struck out.

Game over.

Final thoughts

The Rockies finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base.

Over the three-game sweep, Colorado struck out 36 times, went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 19.

They had chances. They just did almost nothing with them.

There were still a few small positives. Veen showed good discipline against premium velocity, Machín picked up a hit in his Rockies debut, and Amador continued to look more comfortable in his latest opportunity. The sample remains small, but his at-bats increasingly look like those of a hitter who belongs.

Up next

The Rockies open a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers tomorrow night at Comerica Park, with first pitch scheduled for 4:40 p.m. MDT.

Mason Adams (0–0, 3.95 ERA, 17 K) will make his third career start for Colorado. Detroit will counter with veteran left-hander Framber Valdez (9–10, 4.17 ERA, 119 K).

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We’re back with a new Breaking T shirt, featuring Milwaukee’s young outfielder.

After they dropped an “Air Lara” shirt in August, they’re back with a “Luis Aura” shirt this time around. Lara, still just 21, has continued to shine defensively, making a huge catch late in Monday’s win over the Cubs before adding an exclamation point on offense with a walk-off single on Tuesday night.

AIR LARA TO THE RESCUE pic.twitter.com/agiQsPVZwe

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 7, 2026

21-YEAR-OLD LUIS LARA COMPLETES THE COMEBACK pic.twitter.com/06NJ9m7UiH

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 9, 2026

That’s why our friends at Breaking T created this brand-new “Luis Aura” shirt.

Luis Lara has been making big play after big play in 2026, and fans in the Cream City have definitely taken notice. The 21-year-old rookie has an aura about him that has Milwaukee fans excited for both the present and the future.

• Officially licensed by MLB Players, Inc.
• Super-soft, durable t-shirts and hoodies
• Designed and printed in the USA
• Free returns and exchanges

Click here to get a Luis Aura shirt, and be sure to check out their full line of Brewers’ merchandise here.

After their first day off in September on Thursday, the Brewers will continue their stretch of NL Central foes as they’ll host the Reds for three games in Milwaukee, the second time they’ll see Cincinnati in the last two weeks, as the Reds took two of three in Cincy last weekend. The Brewers are coming off of a sweep of the Cubs to balloon their NL Central lead to 10 games over the rest of the pack, sitting at 91-56 with 15 games left. The Reds, who sit in last place, are 69-77 after being swept by the Dodgers to begin the week.

Since the last time these teams met, the Reds have activated right-hander Graham Ashcraft and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes from the IL, with left-hander Sam Moll designated for assignment and utility man Edwin Arroyo optioned to Triple-A Louisville in the corresponding moves. The Brewers have only lost Grant Anderson, who was placed on the 15-day IL with biceps tendinitis. He was replaced on the active roster by Brandon Sproat, though Sproat was demoted once again on Thursday, with the corresponding move expected to be a recall of right-hander Garrett Stallings to shore up the bullpen. Jake Bauers is also continuing to deal with a variety of lower-body injuries, and the Brewers have opted to focus on managing the injuries rather than putting him on the IL.

Just to remind you of what these two teams bring to the table offensively and on the mound, here’s a quick rundown of both squads.

Milwaukee is hitting .257/.339/.400 (.739 OPS ranks fourth), with 137 homers (last), 742 runs scored (third), and 143 steals (fourth). The Reds are hitting .230/.308/.398 (.706 OPS ranks 23rd), with 196 homers (fourth), 611 runs scored (25th), and 102 steals (11th).

On the mound, Milwaukee ranks second in the majors with a 3.56 team ERA, including a 3.63 starter ERA (fifth) and a 3.46 bullpen ERA (fifth). They’ve struck out 1,406 batters (second) over 1,312 2/3 innings. Cincinnati ranks 27th with a 4.73 team ERA, including a 4.78 starter ERA (27th) and a 4.68 bullpen ERA (25th). They’ve struck out 1,186 batters (20th) over 1,293 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, September 11 @ 6:45 p.m.: RHP Dustin May (6-9, 4.69 ERA, 3.51 FIP) vs. LHP Andrew Abbott (6-10, 4.43 ERA, 4.78 FIP)

May had two really solid starts to begin his Milwaukee tenure, but since that time, he went two innings and allowed seven runs against the Mariners, recorded just one out and exited after being struck by a liner against the Mets, and has had two so-so starts against the Rangers and Reds. Overall, he’s made six starts totaling 23 1/3 innings for the Crew, with a 6.17 ERA, 5.20 FIP, and 21 strikeouts. As mentioned above, his last outing came against these Reds, as he went 3 2/3 innings before a rain delay forced an early exit. He allowed two runs on five hits and no walks, striking out five on 56 pitches. Both of May’s starts against the Reds have come this season, as he’s totaled 9 2/3 innings with three runs allowed and 13 strikeouts.

Abbott has had a rough fourth season in 2026, as he has a career-worst 4.43 ERA and 4.78 FIP over 29 starts, which matches his current career-high from a year ago. He went four innings against Milwaukee last weekend, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits (one homer) and no walks, striking out five in Cincinnati’s eventual 5-3 win. Abbott is 3-4 with a 3.62 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 54 2/3 innings across 10 career starts against Milwaukee.

Saturday, September 12 @ 6:10 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Brady Singer (6-13, 5.03 ERA, 5.16 FIP)

The Brewers haven’t announced a starter for either Saturday or Sunday, but these spots would fall to Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison unless the rotation changes. Based on recent comments by Pat Murphy, it seems possible that Harrison will have a very short leash with a long reliever behind him. I’d bet that we will see both Drohan and Harrison in some shape or form on Saturday and/or Sunday. With that in mind, here’s a quick rundown on each.

Drohan is 7-5 with a 4.09 ERA, 3.61 FIP, and 115 strikeouts over 114 1/3 innings in his rookie season. He got hit hard by the Reds last weekend, allowing six runs on five hits (two homers) and two walks while striking out five over four frames, but his offense bailed him out to eventually win 10-7. Drohan has made three starts against the Reds this season, with worse results in each successive outing. Overall, he’s totaled 14 innings with eight runs allowed (5.14 ERA) and 17 strikeouts.

Harrison is 10-4 with a 3.66 ERA, 4.03 FIP, and 134 strikeouts over 110 2/3 innings this season, though he’s been roughed up by the Cubs and Reds in his last two outings, giving up 15 runs (13 earned) over just 7 1/3 innings, allowing 19 hits (six homers) and six walks to seven strikeouts. In four career starts against Cincinnati, Harrison is 0-1 with a 6.27 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings.

Singer hasn’t had a great season, but he remains in the rotation despite his 6-13 record, 5.03 ERA, and 5.16 FIP over 28 starts. He picked up the win against Milwaukee last weekend, though it wasn’t pretty — he went five innings, allowing six runs on four hits (one homer) and six walks, striking out three in Cincinnati’s eventual 12-8 victory. Singer is 3-2 with a 4.70 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 30 2/3 innings in six career starts against Milwaukee.

Sunday, September 13 @ 1:10 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Chase Burns (15-3, 2.73 ERA, 3.09 FIP)

See above for rundown on Milwaukee’s potential starters for Sunday.

Burns, 23, is a former No. 2 overall pick and the lone probable starter to not have pitched in last weekend’s series. He’s turned in a great sophomore season, with a 15-3 record, 2.73 ERA, 3.09 FIP, and 176 strikeouts over 148 1/3 innings, though he’s on a very strict innings limit as we near the end of the season. He worked three scoreless innings on just 44 pitches against the Dodgers his last time out, allowing no hits and a walk while striking out five, though the Reds would ultimately lose 6-3. Burns has a 2.35 ERA and eight strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings against Milwaukee for his career, including six innings of two-run ball in a victory back in early July.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, September 11: Exclusively televised on Apple TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, September 12: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, September 13: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The Brewers are rolling, and there’s a solid chance they can lock up a postseason spot this weekend, while the Reds have struggled after taking two of three over Milwaukee last weekend. Give me the Crew to win two of three.

Coming into this game, a lot of eyes were on one particular player. Earlier today, the Yankees officially placed Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a thumb sprain. In his place, they recalled Anthony Volpe, who has been playing second a lot since he was sent back down to the minors in place of George Lombard Jr.

In the weeks since then, Volpe has hit pretty well, but it was Triple-A, and Yankees’ fans had seen a lot of him putting up .600 OPSes over the years. However with Chisholm’s injury, Volpe was the call to get some reps at second base. At least through one game, there’s reason to have hope that whatever he was working on in the minors has helped.

In his big league return, Volpe went 3-for-4 with five RBI, including a seventh inning grand slam that basically put the game away for the Yankees. Obviously, drawing any hard conclusions about one game against a 100-loss team is premature, but it was still good to see. Besides Volpe, the Yankees got a couple solid contributions on offense as they swept the Rockies with a 10-3 win.

After a good top of the first from Max Fried, the Yankees’ offense struck early. Ben Rice led off the game for New York with a single, eventually moving to third thanks to a wild pitch and a ground out. With two outs, Luis García Jr. was the Yankees’ last hope for the inning, and he delivered. His deep shot to center field hit off the very top of the wall for a two-run homer, the 30th of his very nice season.

The Rockies did answer right back, with a two-out homer of their own. After Fried got the first two Colorado hitters, Kyle Karros took an offering out to left field for a solo shot.

However, the Yankees proceeded to get that run back and more in the second. Ryan McMahon and Austin Wells started the inning with a single and a walk respectively, bringing Volpe to the plate. After working an eight-pitch at-bat, Volpe punched through a single to score McMahon and move Wells to third. A couple batters later, Wells tagged up and scored on a Cody Bellinger fly out.

The home run from Karros ended up being the only run that Fried allowed, but he didn’t have the most efficient day. After a seven-pitch at-bat that ended in a strikeout in the fourth, Fried was already sitting at 80 pitches, only 48 of which were strikes. With Fried still only a couple starts back from an injured list stint, the Yankees went to the bullpen. In his 3.1 innings, Fried allowed one run on one hit and two walks, striking out seven. Those numbers are fine other than the length, he just struggled putting batters away at times.

Following Fried, the bullpen held things down for a while, but the Rockies eventually threatened again. After getting the first two out of the seventh, Ryan Yarbrough issued a walk to Ezequiel Tovar, leading to Aaron Boone going to Brent Headrick. On the very first pitch Headrick threw, Jake McCarthy hit one to right center that nether Spencer Jones or Jasson Domínguez could track down, with it landing in between them. Tovar scored with McCarthy racing all the way to third with a triple. The tying run was suddenly at the plate, but Headrick did get out of the inning after that.

However much like the previous time Colorado scored, the Yankees’ offense answered and extended the lead. Bellinger and Domínguez started the inning with a double and walk respectively, before both moving up with stolen bases. Jones then came through with an RBI single, scoring both runners, and moving to second on the throw. A couple batters after that, McMahon and Wells drew walks to bring the order back around to Volpe. Once again, he came up with the big hit, getting a grand slam to just clear the porch in right. After the years of hubbub around Volpe and his play, he did get a deserved curtain call in this game.

In the top of the eighth, with Luis Gil on the mound, the Rockies picked up one run thanks in part to a Domínguez misplay in right field. Gil stayed on for the ninth and managed to load the bases with nobody out, causing Boone to get David Bednar up in the bullpen. Gil got the next three outs without allowing a run, preventing any further madness.

Having swept the set with Colorado, the Yankees will now welcome the Mets to the Bronx. Tomorrow’s 9/11 anniversary game is set to begin at 7:05 p.m. ET. Carlos Rodón and Nolan McLean are expected to be the starting pitchers.

Box score

In the final game of their three-game home series against the Colorado Rockies (55-91), the Yankees (84-62) completed the sweep with a 10-3 victory.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Luis Garcia Jr. opened the scoring for the Yankees with a two-run home run in the first inning off of right-handed Rockies starter Ryan Feltner, his second straight game with a round-tripper. Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros responded in the bottom half of the frame with a solo homer, taking advantage of the righty-lefty matchup against New York southpaw Max Fried.

-- In the second inning, Anthony Volpe made a triumphant return to Yankee Stadium, stroking an RBI single into left field in his first at-bat since he was promoted to play second base in place of the injured Jazz Chisholm Jr. Volpe's at-bat lasted nine pitches, and he stole third base later in the inning. Cody Bellinger brought home another run with a sacrifice fly, pushing the lead to 4-1.

-- Ryan McMahon made an errant throw with two outs in the bottom of the third, which put runners on the corners for Colorado catcher Hunter Goodman. Fried escaped the jam by getting the slugger to softly ground out.

-- Fried had a strange outing. He only allowed one earned run on one hit (the aforementioned Karros solo shot), but he also only managed to complete 3.1 innings across 80 pitches. The lefty struck out seven and walked two. Manager Aaron Boone was clearly keeping Fried on a pitch count given his recent return from injury, and pulled him for right-handed reliever Michael Fulmer. Fulmer retired the next two Rockies batters he faced with a strikeout and a groundout.

-- Fulmer was relieved by John Schreiber in the fifth inning, who allowed a two-out single but still worked a scoreless inning. In the bottom of the frame, Rockies right fielder Jordan Beck robbed Bellinger of a potential home run with a leaping effort to keep the ball from going over the wall, but Beck couldn't keep the ball in his glove, holding Bellinger to a double. Feltner was able to strand him at second base and keep the score at 4-1.

-- Despite allowing a two-out double to Cole Carrigg, Ryan Yarbrough protected the Yankees lead in the sixth without allowing a run. He nearly replicated the feat the following inning, but after issuing a two-out walk to Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, he was swapped out for fellow lefty Brent Headrick. Headrick surrendered an RBI triple to the first batter he faced, Jake McCarthy, and walked Connor Norby to put the potential tying run on base. Thankfully, he got Goodman to harmlessly pop out to end the threat with the score now 4-2 in favor of New York.

-- With men on second and third with one out in the seventh, Spencer Jones roped a single to center field, which scored both baserunners. Later on in the inning, the bases were juiced with two outs for Volpe. He fought off a sinker the opposite way, muscling it into the right-field seats for a grand slam that put the game out of reach at 10-2.

-- Luis Gil was given the ball to handle the final six outs in his new bullpen role. He allowed a run in the eighth and allowed three straight singles in the ninth before recording an out. Remarkably, Gil retired the next three batters in order, with two flyouts not deep enough to score Tovar from third and a strikeout, to put the finishing touches on the 10-3 win.

Game MVP: Anthony Volpe

With Aaron Judge out of the lineup tonight as the Yankees continue to be cautious with his health, it was the returning infielder who did the most at the dish to pick up the slack. Volpe played second base and recorded three hits on the night, tallying a career-high five RBI. The crowd was fully on his side all night, most vocally when Volpe took his curtain call following his grand slam. He looks primed to make the most of what could be his last chance to nail down an everyday role in the Yankees lineup.

Highlights

Luis Garcia Jr. gets the Yankees started! pic.twitter.com/EpzakjadS0

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 10, 2026

Welcome back, Anthony Volpe! pic.twitter.com/sfJD2QGA1R

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 10, 2026

Spencer Jones drives in two! pic.twitter.com/hpZU70V1Kj

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 11, 2026

ANTHONY VOLPE PUTS AN EXCLAMATION POINT ON HIS RETURN WITH A GRAND SLAM! pic.twitter.com/Dk67cQVALE

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 11, 2026

What's next

On Friday, Sep. 11, the 25th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks, the Yankees will play host to the Mets in the opener of their three-game series. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Carlos Rodón (3.09 ERA, 1.17 WHIP in 64.0 IP) is set to take the mound for the Yankees.

The Mets will send out NL ROY candidate Nolan McLean (3.06 ERA, 1.14 WHIP in 161.2 IP).

The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost one of their best players as they cling to hope of making a late charge to reach the MLB postseason.

The team announced Thursday that All-Star starter Braxton Ashcraft is headed to the 15-day injured list with right arm discomfort, retroactive to Sept. 7. Manager Don Kelly told reporters that his season is finished ahead of the series finale against the White Sox in Chicago, though he added that there's no indication of any structural issues.

Ashcraft is 14-6 with a 3.65 ERA and 173 strikeouts this season. He was selected to his first All-Star game in July alongside reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. He's been particularly solid since Aug. 1, allowing no more than three runs in any of his seven starts and allowing no more than one in four of those outings.

Required reading: The Pirates have gotten hot, and just might save GM Ben Cherington's job

His performance has been a key building block of a late-season surge that's lifted the Pirates back to the .500 mark at 73-73 and on the fringes of wild card contention. The club has not had a winning season since 2018 and hasn't been to the playoffs since 2015 but has won seven of its past eight series to stay in the mix following a midseason swoon.

The Pirates enter action Thursday five games back of the San Diego Padres for the final wild card spot. Fangraphs pegs their odds of making up that deficit to reach the postseason at 1.3%.

Pitcher Antwone Kelly was promoted to the active roster in the corresponding roster move. He's allowed five runs in 8.1 innings of big-league action in 2026. He has a 4.93 ERA across 23 appearances - 17 of them starts - with Class AAA Indianapolis in the minors this season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pirates lose All-Star Braxton Ashcraft, major piece of late-season surge

When the schedule makers came up with this year’s second installment of the Subway Series, they no doubt had Friday’s commemoration of the 9/11 attacks in mind but also a matchup of two New York teams expected to be at least in the hunt for the postseason. Instead, the Mets’ playoff chances were pretty much done in by a 12-game losing streak in April. 

However, they have played better of late and could impact the Yankees’ path to October. The Yankees, though, got a much-needed boost from the return of Aaron Judge this week. 

Here’s a look at how the teams match up heading into Friday’s series opener in The Bronx. 

At the plate

Getting on base 

The Mets are a much different team since they were sellers at the Aug. 3 trade deadline, and they’ve defied expectations by improving in a handful of areas, including this one. In addition to Bo Bichette looking more like himself, the Mets have gotten contributions from Carson Benge and Brett Baty, as well as unlikely sources such as Jared Young and Luis Torrens. Now, they have a healthy Juan Soto — although Baty is dealing with a potential knee injury. The continued struggles of Francisco Lindor, A.J. Ewing and Francisco Alvarez have limited the offense. Meanwhile, the Yankees have been inconsistent in virtually every aspect of their offense since Judge went down with a fractured rib at the end of May. He’s just come off the injured list, but the Yankees hope his presence will help the likes of Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger and that deadline acquisitions Luis García Jr. and Heliot Ramos find their groove at the plate, since the team had the worst on-base percentage in the majors without its captain. Losing Jazz Chisholm Jr. to a sprained thumb hurts because the second baseman was hitting well over the last two weeks after slumping for much of the season. 

Edge: Yankees 

Power 

Somehow, since the trade deadline the Mets entered Wednesday with the second-highest slugging percentage in the majors. Perhaps the slugging of Baty, Bichette and Soto will continue in The Bronx and Lindor, who’s shown some pop lately, will benefit from the short porch in right. With Austin Wells, Ryan McMahon and George Lombard Jr. dragging down the bottom of the order, the Yankees need Judge — as well as Bellinger and Rice — to get back into form quickly. Fortunately, Spencer Jones has shown he’s ready to contribute in the middle of the lineup. 

Edge: Yankees 

In the field 

Infield 

The Yankees hoped the addition of the smooth-fielding Lombard would improve their defense up the middle, but the rookie shortstop is dealing with growing pains on both sides of the ball as he adjusts to the majors. Without Chisholm at second, the Yankees will have to go with José Caballero or Anthony Volpe, who had played some second base with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but remains inexperienced at the spot. García and McMahon have been adequate at the corners, and Wells has handled the pitching staff well. Across town, Young has been serviceable at first, as has Bichette at third, but Semien and Lindor clearly have taken steps back at second and short, respectively, and Torrens remains far superior to Alvarez behind the plate. 

Edge: Even 

Outfield 

How much time is Judge going to spend in right field? If it was up to him, he’d be there every inning of every game, but the Yankees insist they’ll be cautious. That means Ramos or Jasson Domínguez could see action there. No thanks. Jones has looked solid in center, with Bellinger an expert in left. Soto and the Mets are still being cautious with him in left after his return from a calf strain, plus left field at the Stadium is spacious. Nick Morabito should see time there, with Ewing (with his speed) and Benge (with his arm) already having proved themselves defensively. 

Edge: Mets 

On the bases 

Caballero has been dangerous on the basepaths, though he as been unable to get on base consistently. Coupled with Chisholm’s absence, it doesn’t do them much good. Ewing and Benge can wreak havoc on the bases, and Morabito is a known speedster but already has been caught stealing twice. 

Edge: Mets 

Bench 

Losing Chisholm hurts their depth, too. Ramos is best utilized when facing left-handed pitching, while last year’s lefty-killer Amed Rosario has been bad all year, and Caballero’s effectiveness has slipped. Ali Sánchez hasn’t done much as Wells’ backup. Baty has been valuable at various positions, although his bat is his best weapon, while Mark Vientos has potential for pop, as does Christopher Morel. 

Edge: Yankees 

On the mound

Rotation 

Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole and Cam Schlittler are slated to start for the Yankees. Rodón has been effective but unable to pitch deep into games since returning from an inflamed elbow, and Cole has been uncharacteristically shaky. At least Schlittler has been in Cy Young form. The Mets will counter with three promising rookies: Nolan McLean, lefty Zac Thornton and Christian Scott. 

Edge: Yankees 

Bullpen 

The Yankees figure to have plenty of moving parts in their pen as they approach the playoffs. For now, they’ve gotten strong pitching from lefty Brett Headrick, ex-Met Paul Blackburn, and closer David Bednar. Michael Fulmer, another former Met, also is in the pen alongside newcomer John Schreiber. Mets interim manager Andy Green has been forced to get creative after the pen was dismantled at the deadline. Nate Lavender, Daniel Duarte and Dedniel Núñez have been solid, as has Kodai Senga in his new role finishing games. 

Edge: Yankees 

Manager 

The Mets have a new manager in the dugout since the team’s last meeting, and Green has the team playing better, while Aaron Boone has the Yankees in line for another playoff berth. 

Edge: Yankees 

Intangibles 

The Mets have shown some spunk following the sell-off, but the Yankees — who were without Judge for three-plus months and still held on to a playoff spot — clearly have been energized by the return of the best hitter in the game. As long as he stays healthy, that won’t change. 

Edge: Yankees 

So often pitchers’ duels don’t really stand up to the hype, but today’s matchup between two former Stetson Hatters – the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert and the Rangers’ Jacob deGrom – delivered on all that promise and then some. The two pitchers combined for 23 strikeouts, and deGrom carried a perfect game through five innings. In true pitching duel style, it looked like the pitcher who blinked first would come out on the short end, but despite Logan Gilbert making a couple of mistakes, his offense was able to pick him up and deliver him the win. Bragging rights are fun; wins are better. (Gilbert also gets the honor of leading MLB in whiffs today: 24 to deGrom’s 20, despite having one fewer strikeout than deGrom.)

This all being said, it was a slog for the Mariners early on. The best at-bat the first time through the order for the Mariners went to – surprise, surprise – Cal Raleigh, who battled deGrom for nine pitches before striking out on deGrom’s fastest fastball of the day, a 99.6 mph heater (my campaign for decimal points on the ribbon board in the stadium, which read 100, continues unabated). But the Mariners did fight deGrom, getting themselves into good counts and forcing him into the zone; he finished the second inning at 37 pitches, compared to Gilbert’s 24.

But it only took two pitches to offset that work in the third. Nicky Lopez was able to take 96 up and in from Gilbert and find a hole on the infield, and one batter later, with two outs, Joc Pederson jumped a first-pitch slider for a two-run homer. It wasn’t a terrible pitch from Gilbert, away from Pederson but probably still too much on the plate; Gilbert had struck Pederson out on the slider in his first at-bat. The slider was particularly nasty today, with an eye-popping 75% whiff rate. He led with the pitch, throwing it 40 times, 12 times to start off an at-bat, which feels like a different sequence than he’s used. Gilbert credits Cal for coming up with a good game plan, especially after he felt like he fell into some predictable patterns in his last time out against the A’s.

“Like with Joc, we got him with the slider early, so he probably thought we were going to it next time,” explained Gilbert. “But then also other guys, we went heavy spin, like with Duran, and then next time went three or four straight fastballs. So I think we did a good job there. They’re trying to look at how we’re probably scouting them, and then next time through, maybe pitch them different. I think Cal did a good job there.”

But deGrom was just as tough on the other side. After striking out eight times in the first three innings, the Mariners hitters decided to try a different strategy the second time through the order. That also didn’t work, as they let deGrom cruise through the fourth on nine pitches, keeping his perfect game intact.

Unfortunately, in a game that was all about which pitcher would blink first, Gilbert blinked both first and second. He made a mistake to start the fifth, hitting Evan Carter with a slider; Carter went on to steal second and then take third on an erroneous throw by Cal Raleigh, essentially making that hit by pitch a leadoff triple. Gilbert seemed to lose focus after that, walking Jake Burger after striking him out earlier, and then the Rangers were able to small-ball in a run on a bunt from Nicky Lopez that turned into a base hit when Gilbert couldn’t field the weak dribbler cleanly. Nine-hole hitter Danny Jansen then bunted the runners into scoring position, but that strategy backfired as Pederson hit into a fielder’s choice on a soft grounder to Naylor, erasing the runner trying to come home, and then the Rangers tried to get overly aggressive on a wild pitch from Gilbert that bounced hard off the brick backstop and directly to Cal Raleigh, where he was able to tag out Lopez trying to come home.

Finally in the sixth inning Cole Young, Perfect Boy, broke up the perfect game; in an 0-2 count he cracked a ball that glanced off deGrom’s glove for an infield single and then scampered to second on a wild pitch. Young spoke yesterday after his big double about how he feels like in September he’s been trying to simplify things and just focus on putting the ball in play, and he did do that here. Thank you for saving me from having to write up deGrom’s perfecto, Cole, you have never been more My Favorite than you are right now.

“Obviously, I knew the perfect game was going, so I just wanted to put the ball in play,” said Young postgame. “I kind of got lucky there with it hitting off his glove and then bouncing in a dead zone, so I was able to get that hit. But just trying to get on the fastball and put it in play, honestly.”

The Rangers threatened again in the seventh, with Gilbert still out there; Langford led off with a walk and the Rangers made productive outs to get him to third, which brought up Lopez with two outs. With Logan pushing into the upper 90s in his pitch count, he spiked a splitter, and Langford broke for home aggressively. Cal was able to recover the ball, though, and made a nice toss to his long-term batterymate; Gilbert smacked down the tag on Langford to save a run and earn perpetual bragging rights among the starters. This is unironically one of my favorite clips of the year; I could watch it all day. (What is Logan saying there? I think it’s “it’s in my glove” but I can’t tell.)

With deGrom finally out of the game in the seventh, the Mariners made their move. Jakob Junis started off the inning by hitting Randy, never a smart move; he then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Dominic Canzone then briefly got to hold the title of WPA leader for the day, knocking in Arozarena with a solid ground ball single and ensuring the Mariners wouldn’t get shut out. Cal Raleigh followed that up with a single, extending his on-base streak to 12 games.

With Julio up to bat, Junis tried to sneak a first-pitch sinker past him. It’s been a struggle at the plate lately for Julio, but this sinker arrived right in Julio’s – to use a Ryon Healy-approved term – honey hole.

“I thought that ball was going to go through the back net in the bullpen,” said manager Dan Wilson postgame. “There was no way the ballpark could contain it because it was just hit so hard…As we’ve said before, this game rewards you when you do things right, and he’s been putting in the work and got a big payoff today for that.”

Julio was actually out for early work yesterday – something he doesn’t always do – working on his swing with his longtime organizational scout and friend (and home run derby pitcher) Franmy Pena.

Julio out early yesterday with Edgar and his HR Derby pitcher Franmy Pena working on getting the ball in the air. pic.twitter.com/VGAhIgg2pa

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) September 10, 2026

“I just feel like I’m focusing on getting back to my roots,” said Julio about reconnecting with his old friend. “[Franmy] was someone who signed me to the Mariners. He helped me develop back then when I was a kid, and I just feel like I needed a little refresher on things and just getting back to who I am and the things I do well.”

Gabe Speier posted a clean eighth in relief of Gilbert to keep the Mariners’ lead alive, setting up Andrés Muñoz for the save. Muñoz retired his first two hitters on groundouts but then walked the righty Langford, setting up a battle with Evan Carter. But Muñoz couldn’t reign in his command despite being able to use his changeup against the lefty, walking Carter and bringing up the power threat Burger. In a 2-2 count, Muñoz spotted a fastball at 101.2 on the outer edge that Burger was forced to swing at, grounding it right to the steadiest hand on the Mariners’ infield, Cole Young, who both stepped on second to beat out Carter and completed the throw through to first to easily beat out the slow-footed Burger, essentially getting the third and fourth outs of the inning to secure the Mariners win and the series win.

“There’s just so many different layers to that play,” said Young. “I wanted to make sure it didn’t hit the base and get past me, so making sure of that first, and then after I caught it I’m like, okay, I’ve got a chance at second, let’s just go there. But I knew it was going to be a bang-bang play so I started running and he’s approaching second and I’m like, oh, this could be close, I don’t know if I got him, so I threw it to first to make sure. I knew we got him at first, so I wasn’t worried, but it was definitely a really weird play.”

(Postgame when the media was thanking Young for his time, Muñoz piped up from his neighboring locker: “yes, thank you, Cole.”)

The math continues to not math in the Mariners’ favor, with the Astros winning today as well, but what’s done is done; bragging rights might not get you to the postseason but they are a nice comfort, and for all the times his offense hasn’t helped him out, it’s nice for Gilbert to get that big shiny W.

Clippers 1, Bats 6

The Clippers only scored one run, but they still managed 8 hits and 4 walks. George Valera went 2-3 with a HR and Kahlil Watson went 2-5 with two doubles. Kody Huff also went 1-3 with a walk.

Logan Allen had his first start back in AAA and it did not go very well. He allowed five runs in 4.0 innings pitched with two strikeouts and a walk. His AAA ERA is now up to 4.65.

RubberDucks 5, Curve 9

Welbyn Francisca went 1-3 with a walk and his first AA RBI. Jaison Chourio went 2-5 with an RBI single. Jake Fox continued his bounceback season going 2-3 with a walk and an RBI. He is now hitting .349 with a .964 OPS on the season. Luke Hill also went 1-3 with a walk.

The good news is that the RubberDucks bullpen combined for 7 scoreless innings of relief with 10 strikeouts and zero walks. The bad news is starter Sean Matson gave up 9 runs on 8 hits and two walks in the first innings. His ERA is now up to 7.23 on the season.

With a sweep on the line, the White Sox need to lock in, with both pitching and the lack of hits over the last two games against the pesky Pirates. While the South Siders are still atop the American League Central, Cleveland is hanging around, and another loss tonight could be detrimental.

Hagen Smith, who has been great in a relief role, will open for Erick Fedde tonight. Jake Rogers will be behind the plate, with Andrew Benintendi as DH and at cleanup. The rest of the lineup is what we’re used to, with Sam Antonacci leading off. After last night’s bench-clearing kerfuffle caused by Antonacci’s elbow, and the White Sox on the verge of being swept, it should be a tense night in Chicago.

Jared Jones (3-6) will be on the mound for the Bucs. Jones is coming off one of his best games of the season, fanning nine in six frames against the Los Angeles Angels.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CT. You can watch on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.

As the Cardinals limp home from a rough road trip, I would prefer to focus on the enshrinement of Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols in the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame this weekend. However, there are still games to be played and 3 of them over the weekend will be against the Chicago White Sox who will hopefully give St. Louis a glimpse at what might be their not-so-distant future.

Pitching Matchups

(NOTE: As of this writing, the Chicago White Sox have not officially announced their starters, but these pitchers are projected based on recent rotation)

Friday night, September 11 – Matthew Liberatore (LHP 5-14, 5.57 ERA, 144 SO) vs Erick Fedde (RHP, 8-8, 4.00 ERA)

Saturday night, September 12 – Kyle Leahy (RHP 10-4, 3.41 ERA, 124 SO) vs Anthony Kay (LHP, 9-8, 4.47 ERA)

Sunday afternoon, September 13 – Michael McGreevy (RHP 6-9, 3.92 ERA, 106 SO) vs Sean Burke (RHP, 8-7, 3.58 ERA)

Former Cardinal Erick Fedde has won 2 of his last 3 starts including September 4 when he threw 5 innings against the Minnesota Twins allowing just 3 hits and no earned runs. Anthony Kay has lost 2 of his last 3 starts including the most recent on September 5 against the Twins where he threw 4 1/3 innings allowing 6 hits and 5 earned runs. Sean Burke is 1-1 over his last three starts as he took the loss in his most recent start on September 8 against the Pirates allowing 8 hits and 7 earned runs.

Who are the Chicago White Sox players to watch?

Colson Montgomery: Leads the team with 31 home runs, 83 RBI’s with an average of .209

Munetaka Murakami: Also a home run threat with 30 home runs, 62 RBI’s and an average of .208

Miguel Vargas: Vargas also has 30 home runs plus 79 RBI’s and an average of .250

Andrew Benintendi: Has 14 home runs, 70 RBI’s and an average of .244

Randal Grichuk: Former Cardinal has 12 home runs, 34 RBI’s and an average of .286

The Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals look like two organizations going in completely different directions on paper, but an optimistic person would also point to the quick turnaround of the White Sox as a possible near-future glimpse of what the Cardinals could be. This season, though, these teams are in different worlds. The Chicago White Sox sit atop the American League Central with a record of 75-69. The Cardinals record isn’t all that different as they’re 72-75 but they’re near the cellar of the National League Central only a couple games above the lowly Reds and they’re 6.5 games out of the final Wild Card which might as well be 20.

Let’s be realistic and stop concerning ourselves with Wild Card hopes. The St. Louis Cardinals expect to get JJ Wetherholt back in the lineup this weekend vs the White Sox. Perhaps he’ll catch fire offensively to give himself a better chance at winning some Rookie of the Year votes. The real highlight of the weekend will be the enshrinement of Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina and Bill Sherdel in the Cardinals Hall of Fame. That ceremony will begin at 5pm Saturday, September 12 and everyone with a game ticket can enter the stadium early to witness it. Let’s hope the young Cardinals on the current and future rosters will soak in that moment and see what they can aspire to.

Add this one to the long list of blockbuster baseball trades that nearly happened.

Before this year’s trade deadline, Jacob deGrom nearly became a Brave.

Instead, the ex-Met declined to waive his no-trade clause, citing his desire to remain in Texas.

The Post’s Jon Heyman reported the potential deal at the time, but the return Atlanta discussed is only now coming to light.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand revealed Thursday that Spencer Strider was discussed as part of a possible “contract swap” for deGrom.

The deal would have amounted to a stunning exchange of two of baseball’s most accomplished right-handers who also bring plenty of baggage. 

DeGrom, who is owed $37 million in 2027 and has a $20 million club option for 2028, has been solid for the Rangers this season, posting a 3.80 ERA across 149 ⅓ innings.

But he turned 38 in June, and injuries have limited him throughout his career, although deGrom has remained relatively healthy over the past two seasons, making at least 25 starts in consecutive years for the first time since he won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 2018-19. 

Strider, meanwhile, would have represented a much younger arm for Texas, although the hard-throwing right-hander has dealt with significant injuries of his own in recent years.

The 27-year-old has made just 33 big league starts since the beginning of the 2024 season thanks to a string of injuries, including elbow surgery in 2024, a hamstring strain last year and oblique and elbow issues this season.

Strider, who struggled on the mound this season with a 5.31 ERA across eight outings, is owed $22 million over the next two seasons with a club option for 2029. 

When it comes to Shohei Ohtani‘s injury management, it’s tempting to dwell on the what-ifs.

What if the Dodgers forced him to give up pitching duties in July, when he needed a lubricant injection to alleviate irritation in his left knee?

It was clear by then that Ohtani was playing through multiple injuries. A right biceps problem popped up for the second time on July 3 — the last time he pitched in a game. The Dodgers said his knee inflammation was only aggravated by pitching and the biceps tightness was tied to hitting. And yet, they were confident that the MLB All-Star break would give Ohtani enough time to bounce back.

If the Dodgers had been more proactive, instead of starting and stopping Ohtani’s throwing program until his injuries forced a shutdown, would he be in the lineup Friday against the Miami Marlins instead of the 15-day injured list?

Maybe.

Or maybe one or both injuries were far enough along by then that they would have affected him down the stretch regardless. Maybe seeing if he could return to the mound was worth the risk.

Maybe not.

Read more:'Right thing to do.' Dodgers put Shohei Ohtani on injured list after rout of Reds

“Anyone can do that, and say, ‘What could you have done better or different?’” manager Dave Roberts said earlier this week when asked if he had any regrets about Ohtani’s injury management. “That’s something going forward we’re going to look at, absolutely. But, it’s certainly not a blame-game thing. It’s learning from what happened and getting better.”

Parsing through the alternative outcomes from decisions made months ago could take time. But the fallout from this past week is clearer.

What if instead of resting Ohtani four days, and bringing him back Monday, the Dodgers had put him on the IL right away?

“I think if we look right now, here today, I would love to go back and put him on the IL,” Roberts said. “But at that moment in time, we all felt that giving him four days was sufficient. He was agreeable. Getting him out there on Monday with the hope that he would be able to play [again Wednesday]. But where we’re at right now, sure.”

Two weeks without Ohtani is hard to swallow. As a two-way player, he’s eligible for the 15-day IL instead of the 10-day for position players.

Read more:Shaikin: Why it’s past time for MLB players, owners to get a 2028 Olympics deal done

The Dodgers tried to avoid it. But when he returned to the lineup Monday, he “didn’t feel great” on a swing, Roberts revealed.

So now the Dodgers can only backdate Ohtani’s IL stint to Tuesday, rather than Sept. 3. At minimum, Ohtani will be out until the final five games of the regular season.

“The most important thing is him being as healthy as possible, not compromising his swing, and kind of bet on that,” Roberts said.

He acknowledged that Ohtani wouldn’t be back to “100%” even with the two weeks off.

But plenty of players push through injuries in the playoffs. October becomes a test of pain tolerance before addressing ailments in the offseason.

“I want to make sure that when I look back [on] this season,” Ohtani said Monday through interpreter Will Ireton, “that I used this as an experience, a learning experience and make sure that I use that as something to improve upon for next season.”

So, does that mean Ohtani feels like he could be more up-front with the team about his physical well-being, regardless of whether he thinks he can play through aches and pains?

“It’s hard to say now with the season still going on,” Ohtani said. “It’s something that I’m going to reflect back on during the offseason. I’m just making sure that I’m focusing on the now and finishing strong.”

The Dodgers, for the first time navigating what was expected to be a full season of two-way play from Ohtani, leaned on his expertise while managing his workload. In retrospect, they might have put too much stock in his self-evaluations.

Baseball has a long tradition of players downplaying injuries, out of a desire to play and a belief in their own perseverance.

“What can I learn?” Roberts said this week. “I think that sometimes, potentially trying to get ahead of managing his workload — it always feels good to run him out there offensively as a DH. Always feels good when you pencil him in as a starter — for me, it’s just really trying to be mindful of the long season.

“And I guess it’s under the thing of, ‘you don’t know until you know,’ and it’s important to learn from experiences. And I think it’s good for all of us to kind of appreciate that he’s not supernatural, as much as we think he might be at times.”

Roberts said he didn’t learn until Tuesday night, after giving Ohtani a day off for the fifth time in six games, that a swing on Monday had bothered him.

So, Ohtani didn’t return to the lineup Wednesday as planned. And the team arranged for No. 1 prospect Josue De Paula to meet the team in Miami, called up straight from double-A for his MLB debut on Friday.

Read more:Catcher Will Smith shows how much he was missed as Dodgers beat Reds

“It was more just really huddling up and saying, ‘Hey, how are you going to feel on Friday? How are you going to feel on Saturday, talking to the doctors and training staff?’” Roberts said. “There was not much certainty that he’d be in a much better place. With that, just taking it off the table seemed like the best course of action.”

De Paula wasn’t otherwise guaranteed to debut this season, although the Dodgers would have needed to eventually put him on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

The Dodgers see him as a major-league ready hitter, but he still has work to do on the defensive side for the team to feel comfortable playing him in the outfield regularly. An early taste of the big leagues, even with his playing time expected to come mostly in the DH spot, could be beneficial for the 21-year-old’s development.

For Ohtani, the ramp from the IL to postseason play will be short. But his recent offensive struggles emphasized the importance of having a healthier version of him in the lineup come October.

If anyone can make it work, it’s Ohtani. He may not be supernatural, but he also isn’t just any player. And if he performs in the postseason, that will drown out any lingering what-ifs.

Times staff writer Kevin Baxter contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.