Heading into Game 162 of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, two postseason spot are still up for grabs.
In the AL West, where the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are deadlocked at 80-81. Because Houston holds the tiebreaker, Texas faces a must-win scenario while praying for an Astros loss to steal the division crown. No matter which teams prevails, it will be the worst record for a playoff team in a 162-game season MLB history.
Meanwhile, the National League wild card race has been chaotic. The Arizona Diamondbacks erased a massive September deficit against the Philadelphia Phillies. Holding the tiebreaker, a D-backs win coupled with a Phillies loss punches Arizona's postseason ticket – and absolute despair in Philadelphia.
Here's a live look at the standings entering the final day:
Through games played Saturday, Sept. 27
MLB playoff bracket 2026
#-division champion; *clinched at least a wild card spot
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 30: Trevor Story #10 of the Boston Red Sox tags out Amed Rosario #14 of the New York Yankees in the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium on August 30, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
ESPN | Jorge Castillo: The Yankees and Red Sox will face each other in the playoffs for the seventh time. It’s a rematch of last season’s AL Wild Card Series when Cam Schlittler memorably burst onto the national stage with eight shutout innings and 12 strikeouts to seal the series in the decisive Game 3. Castillo selects five of the most pressing questions facing the Yankees roster with less than 72 hours before the series gets underway.
Obviously atop the list is the availability of Aaron Judge, who hasn’t played since straining his right calf on September 16th. Aaron Boone declared that Judge would not be available for the Wild Card Series, something that the three-time MVP disputed the next day. Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham’s availabilities are also up in the air but both are said to be “knocking on the door.” Third base starter isn’t set in stone, with Anthony Volpe taking reps at the hot corner in the final days of the season amid Ryan McMahon’s offensive woes and regressing defense. Neither is the Game 1 starter, Boone said to be between presumptive AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler and Max Fried. The bullpen also has question marks with the injuries to Fernando Cruz, Ryan Weathers, and Clarke Schmidt and the signs of fatigue after heavy workloads for Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn.
The Athletic | Brendan Kuty and Jen McCaffrey ($): The Red Sox have plenty of questions of their own, mainly focused on the health of some of their star contributors. Willson Contreras has been Boston’s best hitter but hasn’t played since getting hit on the hand by a pitch on September 17th, the player himself saying his availability is uncertain. It’s also unclear whether Garrett Crochet will even make the roster — the southpaw has been out since April with a shoulder injury and only just threw his second live batting practice. Roman Anthony will certainly be playing, the question is which version shows up after he missed most of the season with a torn finger ligament.
This series will likely be decided by the performance of the pitching staffs. Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez have all given the Yankees trouble this year, while Schlittler, Fried, and Gerrit Cole are equally if not more capable of dominating a game. Both teams have three-headed monsters at the backs of the bullpens, Headrick, Blackburn, and David Bednar opposed by Tyron Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman.
New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: Until August, Austin Wells had the lowest batting average and OPS of any hitter with at least as much playing time as him. However, since the trade deadline he posted an .800 OPS and 127 wRC+ including four home runs in nine games entering play Sunday. Wells feels that the turning point was the 15 days he spent on the IL with cervical headaches. With the affliction in the rearview mirror, Wells maintains that he is seeing the ball better and has been able to make a mechanical tweak in his swing, rewarding the Yankees’ decision to not pursue a catcher via trade.
Yahoo! Sports | Michael Whitaker: Justin Verlander called curtains on what has been a remarkable 21-year career. The likely future first ballot Hall of Famer was limited to just two starts in 2026 after suffering hip inflammation and a hamstring injury, but was able to make one last start in front of a sold out Comerica Park crowd, allowing two runs and striking out six over 5.1 innings. CC Sabathia, who himself was just honored with a Monument Park plaque and his No. 52 being retired by the Yankees, took time to congratulate his soon-to-be fellow Hall of Famer, calling Verlander “one of the best to ever do it.” Verlander had many memorable moments against the Yankees in his storied career, including his 2011 ALDS Game 3 start and 2012 ALCS Game 3 start with the Tigers as well as a pair of wins with the Astros in the 2017 ALCS to take home MVP honors. Congratulations on an incredible career, JV!
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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 26: Michael Arroyo #96, Randy Arozarena #56 and Lazaro Montes #99 of the Seattle Mariners celebrate their win against the Los Angeles Angels at T-Mobile Park on September 26, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Starting in centerfield for what is all but assuredly his penultimate game with the Seattle Mariners, Randy Arozarena carried Randyland with him once again. I wonder what goes through his mind.
I often wonder this, in fairness, whether it’s while hopscotching away from 2-0 pitches, filling out a bingo card as he rounds the bases on a big fly, or trotting into the corner, following a Gentleman‘s Double™️. What does the kid from Cuba, later choosing Mexico to represent in the World Baseball Classic, think of home?
Arozarena is the defining player for the Mariners this year. A star in search of a solar system. Not bright enough alone, nor gravitationally engrossing to draw adherence from his compatriots, but just shy. The Kyle Seager of Mantua.
I wonder what Arozarena must have thought of his flanking companions. To his left, the field’s right, his erstwhile countryman. Lazaro Montes, gifted with the physicality Randy lacked and was overlooked for accordingly time and time again. A child, yet a fellow father in a foreign land. No player who has made the journey that Montes or Arozarena have can claim life to be comfortable, but Montes brings a joi de vivre few from any rearing can muster. A bilingual titan at 21, if he were not so muscle-bound, Montes might be a diplomat-to-be. Montes went 1-3 with a walk and clubbed a RBI double for the game’s first run. Arozarena’s compatriot in right has just one more night to absorb the wisdom and the perspective of his elder. For one night, Arozarena was nearer for Montes than he may ever be again.
The compact, quixotic Cuban from the Pintar del Rio region, the westernmost tip of an island famed for its participation in this nation’s pastime and resistance to its sphere of influence on all other fronts. Arozarena excelled as a youth in his father’s sport before pursuing the first choice of his homeland. His younger brother maintained the family commitment to soccer, but Arozarena must have known the path to prominence lay on the path of Tony Oliva and not the pitch.
Did Michael Arroyo know the same? His homeland of Colombia is no stranger to baseball brilliance, but Edgar Rentería taught the country to consider baseball mere decades ago, while Valderrama, Falcao, and James would be names familiar to every child. And yet, he chose baseball, faithful to his family’s favorite sport in defiance of his country, more Raiko Arozarena than Randy.
A month ago, when the season rested on a hopeful bed of nails, Arroyo arrived briefly in the M’s clubhouse. Arozarena welcomed him, with gifts of gear and good nature. Perhaps he saw a slice of his younger brother to his right as he glanced to left field tonight. Both hitters shone tonight as they have at every opportunity this year, Arozarena 2-5 with a double, Arroyo a clean 3-5.
They filled the bases for Seattle on a night things seemed easy, then crushingly grim, then smooth again. The M’s leapt out to a 4-0 lead before fear filled their hearts, as southpaw Kade Anderson wore a 104-mph-hued friendship bracelet he did not request from Angels INF Christian Moore. Though initially maintained after his fourth-inning exit, and mercifully deemed safe with merely bruising, Anderson’s exit beckoned the better natures of the rest of the Mariners.
José Ferrer wore the shame of pitching in front of this defense again one last time, and decided to stitch his own patch upon it. Facing the first real threat from Anaheim all day, he hurtled a ball wide, then watched as a single to center became a multi run mess thanks to a credited error to Arozarena that more accurately was an on target throw with a short hop which Cal Raleigh couldn’t corral. Ball after ball testing the infield yielded runs, and it seemed certain that Seattle and it’s beleaguered bullpen would cede the night to fate.
Instead, a glimpse of another world. A better world. A world of safe surprises and risks rewarded. A world of world where Taylor Ward finally has a big moment for his new club, lashing a two-run single to drive in Arroyo and Cole Young. A world where J.P. Crawford follows with a two-run smash off a southpaw to double the lead and double up on Anaheim. A world that could be ours, without too much trouble and a few turns of the calendar pages. A world where the Mariners win 8-4 and it’s meaningful, like every day in this world is to Randy, to Lazaro, to Michael Arroyo, to Kade Anderson.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 29: Alek Thomas #9 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates scoring a run in the sixth inning while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 29, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It took a while for the Oklahoma City Comets to find their offense, but they did. Alek Thomas hit a three-run double in the 10th inning, giving the Dodgers’ Triple-A team a 5-3 win over the Rochester Red Wings, a Washington Nationals affiliate, on Saturday night in the Triple-A championship game in Las Vegas.
James Tibbs III (108) and Mike Sirota (100) led Dodgers minor leaguers in walks this season, so it’s only right that they walked to open the 10th inning, joining free runner Josue De Paula to load the bases with nobody out against Clayton Beeter, who was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round in 2020.
Thomas then drove a ball 99.5 mph to the wall in left center, clearing the bases for Oklahoma City’s first lead of the game.
Thomas in four games this postseason had a .500 on-base percentage in 21 plate appearances, including two hits and a hit by pitch on Saturday.
Seth Halvorsen inherited two runners on base with one out in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game, and escaped the jam, getting the game to extras. Then he got the final three outs in the 10th to close out the win, allowing the free runner to score but nobody else.
Halvorsen, named a Pacific Coast League All-Star earlier on Saturday, struck out Leandro Pineda for the final out, securing Oklahoma City’s win over the International League champs.
The Triple-A championship game has been played since 2006. This is the first time a Dodgers affiliate has won it.
Long road coming
Oklahoma City didn’t score for the first seven innings and were hitless in their first seven at-bat with runners in scoring position, and were down 2-0 entering the eighth inning.
Mike Sirota, playing in just his sixth game in Triple-A, singled home James Tibbs III, who walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Third baseman Ryan Fitzgerald, who led all of the minors in hits this season, struck out in his first three at-bats on Saturday before doubling off the wall in left center in the eighth to bring home Sirota with the tying run.
Zach Ehrhard had three more hits on Saturday to cap a stellar postseason. The outfielder had three doubles and a home run in the three-game Pacific Coast League championship series, and in four postseason games reached base 13 times in 21 trips to the plate, including nine hits in 17 at-bats, with six runs scored and five runs batted in.
Stretching out
Emmet Sheehan didn’t pitch badly, but he was laboring for the first time in his last seven starts between Triple-A and the majors. He didn’t pitch a clean inning until the fifth, and his six hits allowed matched the total for his previous three starts combined, all with the Dodgers and spanning 17 1/3 innings.
Even with all the traffic on base — Sheehan walked three batters and hit another — he still struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings and only allowed two runs. He also threw 90 pitches, keeping Sheehan fully stretched out should the Dodgers need his services at some point in the postseason.
Kyle Hurt, optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, relieved Sheehan with two runners on and one out, then escaped the sixth inning with a single pitch, inducing a 3-4-1 double play. Hurt added a perfect seventh inning with a strikeout, giving him 1 2/3 scoreless frames on Saturday, after he pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in Thursday’s win over Las Vegas that won the PCL title for Oklahoma City.
Keeping things close
While Oklahoma City took a while for the offense to get going, they did provide some standout plays with the leather, including this diving stab and throw from third base by Fitzgerald in the fifth inning.
SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 26: A general view of Petco Park during the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Saturday, September 26, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Brendon Baranov/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Diamondbacks came into tonight with a golden opportunity. Several golden opportunities, actually, given that by the time our game against the Padres was underway, the Phillies were already well on their way to getting decimated by Tampa to the final tune of 12-1 Tampa. We had a chance to achieve our first 7-game win streak since 2017, we had the chance to go into the final game of the season needing only a last-game win or a loss by Philadelphia to punch our ticket to the postseason, we had a chance to secure a final series win, as well as the season series win against San Diego, with a game to spare. Walker Buehler was going for the Padres, which made things look pretty good on paper; it was a bullpen game for us, with Taylor Clarke opening for us, which also looked pretty good on paper. Alas, however, it was not to be.
Things didn’t start off great, with Buehler setting us down in order on 10 pitches to start things off, and then Clarke retiring Fernando Tatis Jr. for the first out before surrendering three straight singles and a hit batsman to give the Padres the early lead. He managed the second out on a popup on the infield, but Torey Lovullo replaced him after that with Jonathan Loaisiga, who ended the threat, but with us trailing. 1-0 San Diego
We started to make a bit of noise in the top of the second, thanks to a leadoff Geraldo Perdomo walk and a Corbin Carroll single to left to put runners on first and second. Then Padres catcher Ethan Salas tried to pick Carroll off first but threw the ball away down the right field line, which allowed Gerry to score and tie things up. 1-1 TIE
Loaisiga pitched a clean second, retiring the Padres in order, and the Diamondbacks took their first lead in the ballgame in the top of the third. Tim Tawa led off with the a single to left off the glove of shortstop Xander Boegarts, advanced to second one out later on a slow Ketel Marte groundout, and scored on a Gabriel Moreno single to right. 2-1 DBACKS
Johnny Lasagna couldn’t hold the lead though, allowing the Friars to take the lead back in the bottom of the frame thanks to a leadoff triple to center that Tim Tawa lost in the lights, followed after some extra foolishness by a slow grounder to first that scored the run. Kevin Ginkel came on to relieve Loaisiga, and promptly surrendered a Jake Cronenworth popup to shallow center that both Tawa and Perdomo lost track of and allowed to drop for an RBI double. 3-2 San Diego
But not to worry, the Diamondbacks were ready to take the lead right back themselves. With one out in the top of the fourth, Nolan Arenado was hit by a pitch with one out and was forced at second by a fielder’s choice groundout by Pavin Smith. James McCann stepped into the batter’s box and after getting ahead 3-0 on Buelher, deposited a middle-of-the-plate fastball just over the wall in pretty much straightway center field for a two-run homer:
Sadly, however, that was the last fun we were going to have for awhile, as the bullpen cracked, and basically broke, in the next three innings. Jose Cabrera took the mound for the bottom of the fourth, put two runners on, and then watched Manny Machado go yard. 6-4 San Diego
Nevertheless, he came out for the fifth as well, because he was supposed to be our “bulk” guy today, but he gave up another longball, followed by two more base hits, which earned him the hook after four outs recorded. Juan Morillo came in and got the final two outs, but not before another run scored from third on a groundout. 8-4 San Diego
Dennis Santana came out for the seventh, and allowed two more runs to score, thanks to three singles and a walk. To be fair, he pitched the eigthth as well, and sat down the top of the Padres’ lineup in order, but things were pretty out of hand by then. 10-4 San Diego
Meanwhile, the Padres’ bullpen had gotten involved in the game in the top of the fifth, and while they allowed traffic in every inning, none of that traffic found its way home, as the Diamondbacks hitters were kept in check until, somewhat unexpectedly, San Diego closer Mason Miller came out to pitch the ninth. And he was not sharp.
Tim Tawa didn’t wait around, going oppo on the first pitch he saw for a line drive single into shallow right. That turned the lineup over for Lars Nootbar, who walked. Ketel Marte than lined a single to left to load the bases. Somewhat oddly, Torey Lovullo sent Adrian Del Castillo, newly up from Reno, to pinch-hit for Moreno, and ADC promptly struck out. I assume that Torey was playing the lefty-righty matchup there, but Moreno’s bat has been fire while Del Castillo has been languishing back at AAA for god knows how long at this point, and having the first MLB pitcher he’s faced in months be a flamethrower like Miller didn’t seem like it would go well. That said, we weren’t done yet, as Miller walked Perdomo to bring in a run. Corbin Carroll then rolled over to second for a fielder’s choice that scored Nootbaar. Nolan Arenado, with an 11-game hitting streak on the line, then singled to center to score Marte and advance Carroll to third. Ildemaro Vargas, who’d pinch-hit for Pavin Smith in the eighth, came to the plate as the tying run, but alas he struck out to end the ballgame. 10-7 San Diego FINAL
A Whale of a Player: James McCann (4 AB, 1 H, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 2 K, +21% WPA) King Salmon: Gabriel Moreno (3 AB, 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, +12% WPA) Fish Food: Jose Cabrera (1 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 K, -45% WPA), Taylor Clarke (2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 HBP, -12% WPA)
Sadly, due to some late afternoon discombobulation that left me in a diabetic low blood sugar fugue state for the first three innings or so, I never managed to stop by the penultimate Game Day Thread of the regular season, which made me sad. We seem to have had banner attendance, though, with a whopping 583 comments at time of writing. I’m not quite sure what all was going on in the thread this evening, but the two top comments by popular acclaim both seem to be hitting the same theme, so rather than choosing between them, I’m going to split the CotG between Diamondhacks and onedotfive, for these two statements that I very much agree with:
Damn straight. It sucks to lose one-run games, but we win more of them than we lose, and it is indeed magical that, given where we were two weeks ago or a month ago or, really, coming into this season, that we’ll still playing to get into the postseason tomorrow, in game 162. Speaking of which.
So, About Tomorrow….
So, besides two essentially meaningless early games, first pitch for every single game 162 happens at the same time, which is 12:05pm AZ time. Michael Soroka is going for us, and the Padres, having clinched the home field advantage that comes with grabbing the top wild card spot, haven’t announced who’s going to be taking the mound for them. This is significant, because while San Diego has been playing for seeding position in the first two games, they have nothing whatsoever to gain or lose tomorrow, whatever happens in our ballgame. So we may very well see them resting all their starters, and most of their “A” bullpen, and running out a bunch of filler guys to go up against us while we’re going to be playing for our lives.
Meanwhile, the Phillies are going to be playing for their lives as well, hosting Tampa at what, by the weather forecasts, seems like it’s going to be a very waterlogged Citizens’ Bank Park. The Phillies are pretty much in the same boat we are, but the Rays are not. The Rays have already secured their top AL seed and their first-round bye. As such, they have no real incentive to rest starters or send out trash pitchers to the mound, because they’re going to have plenty of downtime during the bye and plenty of time to order their ALDS starters in whatever sequence they desire. So I’d say, in terms of opponents and opponent motivation tomorrow, it seems like it’s advantage Diamondbacks.
The kicker, of course, because we lost tonight, is that not only do we need to beat the Padres tomorrow, the Phillies also need to lose to the Rays. We lose, or the Phillies win, and they’re in and we’re out. So it really is for all the marbles tomorrow, and we will need a final dollop of help from the baseball gods to keep our wacky and improbable season going into October.
So please join us in the Gameday Thread, as we celebrate the final game of the 2026 regular season, and cheer our Snakes to help get them back to October baseball, and to just enjoy what might be the very last regular season baseball any of us might get to watch for some time to come. We hope to see you tomorrow!
If this is my last recap of 2026, so be it….it’s been an uneven season, but it’s always a pleasure to write up these recaps and share the triumphs and defeats of the Diamondbacks with the lovely denizens of the Snake Pit. As always, thanks for reading. And as always, especially tomorrow, GO DIAMONDBACKS!
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 26: Michael Arroyo #96 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates a run with J.P. Crawford #3 against the Los Angeles Angels during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park on September 26, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Zack Gelof #20 of the Athletics hits into a fielders choice that scored a run against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning at Sutter Health Park on September 26, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Athletics faced the Houston Astros in the penultimate game of the 2026 MLB season. In a season full of blowout losses, how fitting that the A’s suffered another lopsided defeat, falling 13-2 as the team’s league-worst pitching staff once again failed to keep the ball in the ballpark.
Astros In Control Early
A’s starter Jack Perkins did not get through the first inning unscathed. With two outs, Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes hit his 25th home run of the season, a solo shot to left field that put the visitors ahead 1-0. Perkins rebounded to strike out the side in the second inning.
Houston increased its lead in the top of the third inning when shortstop Jeremy Peña’s 21st home run of the season, a two-run shot to center field off Perkins, made it a 3-0 game. Meanwhile, Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski needed just 20 pitches to complete three scoreless innings. The A’s obsession with double-plays continued, as Wesneski induced a double play to end two consecutive innings.
A’s Comeback Begins
The Athletics generated their first scoring chance against Wesneski in the bottom of the fourth inning, loading the bases with one out. The hosts caught a break when Peña mishandled a potential inning-ending double-play grounder.
Zack Gelof hustled down the line for an RBI force out, bringing home Lawrence Butler for the A’s first run of the game. Peña made another mistake on that play, as his throw pulled the first baseman off the bag and allowed Gelof to reach safely. The A’s had a chance to score more, but Donovan Walton grounded out to strand runners at the corners.
Perkins failed to complete a shutdown inning in the fifth. With two outs and two runners on, Houston’s superstar designated hitter Yordan Alvarez hit his 42nd home run of the season, a three-run shot to right field that extended the visitors’ lead to 6-1.
One pitch before, A’s catcher Jonah Heim failed to challenge a pitch that appeared to clip the bottom of the strike zone. Instead Alvarez crushed Houston’s third home run of the night and the 10th allowed by A’s pitchers through the first 2 1/2 games of this season-ending series.
Perkins allowed six runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out nine, but that was offset by the three home runs he allowed.
Jonah Heim opts not to challenge a ball call on Yordan Alvarez that would have gone for strike three, setting a career high in K's for Jack Perkins.
Right-hander Scott Blewett entered out of the A’s bullpen to pitch the sixth inning. Blewett quickly found himself in a jam after the first two batters he faced recorded hits, putting runners on second and third with zero outs. Blewett struck out the next two Astros before left-hander Drew Rom replaced him and completed the houdini act.
With a five-run cushion, Wesneski cruised through six innings on 60 pitches. The Athletics plated a second run against Wesneski in the bottom of the seventh on first baseman Tommy White’s two-out RBI single.
A’s Relief Struggles Continue
Rom remained in the game for the seventh inning, allowing four singles and two more runs. With two outs, Lucas Spence’s RBI double brought home the third run of the inning, the Astros’ ninth, and sent Rom back to the dugout.
Right-hander Yunior Tur continued to look overmatched against major league hitters. In the eighth inning, Peña’s second home run of the night, a two-run shot, extended his team’s lead to 11-2. Two more hits made it a dozen runs for the Astros. The following inning, Spence hit his fourth home run of the series, this one off Tur.
With a double-digit lead, Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco pitched a scoreless final two frames, preserving the rest of his team’s bullpen for tomorrow’s high-stakes matchup.
The Athletics will look to win the season finale to earn a series split and potentially knock the Astros out of the playoffs. Right-hander Seth Johnson will serve as the Green and Gold’s opener, while the Astros have yet to reveal their starter.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Jeremy Peña #3 of the Houston Astros reacts as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Athletics during the third inning at Sutter Health Park on September 26, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It will come down to the final day of the season to decide the A.L. West, but Houston has inched closer.
Astros 13 A’s 2
The odd innings paid dividends all night for the Astros, as they’d score in the first, third, fifth and seventh and ninth, along with the eighth for good measure. Isaac Paredes started things with a solo shot to make things 1-0.
In the top of the third, Cam Smith drew a walk and then came around moments later on Jeremy Pena’s 21st home run of the season.
The fifth inning was the exclamation point of the night and on Yordan Alvarez’s MVP season. Alvarez launched his 42nd HR, a 3-run blast, making things 6-1. The lead expanded with three more runs in the seventh, highlighted by Jose Altuve’s 48th RBI.
Aside from the offensive output, largely driven by long balls, the night was really about Hayden Wesneski, who earned the win. Since emerging from a 449-day rehab from Tommy John surgery in a victorious effort back on July 29th, Wesneski has been a vital cog in pushing Houston to the brink of their 9th post season berth in 10 years. Saturday night marked his 11th start. Wesenski’s threw just 82 pitches, going seven innings with five strikeouts and 1 earned run. It was the third time this season that he’d go seven innings.
For good measure, Pena added to his impressive night, registering a fourth hit with his 22nd homer of the year. Pena has tied his career high. By the time 8th was completed, the Astros had 12 total runs on the board. Lucas Spence made it a baker’s dozen, hitting his fourth homerun of this A’s series in the 9th for the final run of the night.
Pitching for the first time in almost two weeks, Ronel Blanco would come on and secure two innings of scoreless relief.
Sunday will be a day of scoreboard watching. The Rangers will complete their season at Target Field, sending left hander MacKenzie Gore to the mound. With a win or a Rangers loss tomorrow, the Astros will host the White Sox on Tuesday at Daikin Park for the Wild Card round.
Odds & Ends:
Yordan Alvarez now has 105 RBI on the season.
The Astros now lead all of baseball with 225 home runs.
Jose Altuve has moved into spot #100 on baseball’s all-time hit list with his pair of hits Saturday Night. He can leapfrog Todd Helton next.
MIAMI, FL - SEPTEMBER 26: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves high-fives teammates in the dugout after scoring in the first inning during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on Saturday, September 26, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Brandon Pratt/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Well Atlanta is positioned pretty well for the playoffs, with their seeding locked up for a while now and the ability to line up their pitching that comes with that. They managed Saturday’s game well, despite the injury to Martin Perez, with Brent Suter covering the first 3.0 innings and no blowups to disrupt plans in the bullpen. Meanwhile, the Phillies can’t quite finish the deal for their playoff spot, with a 1 game lead on the D-Backs, but losing the tiebreak to Arizona. They resorted to starting Aaron Nola on 2 days rest Saturday, which went very poorly for them. This could work out favorably for Atlanta if they end up facing the Phillies in the Wild-Card round, with the Phils having to pull out all the stops on their pitching staff just to get there, or they could even watch their division rivals flame out and miss the Wild-Card entirely, which is its own type of fun.
Sep 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Empty seating area at Citizens Bank Park during a rain delayed start between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
This game never stood a chance. Seeing a lineup posted that included putting Aaron Nola on the mound to begin the game on only two days’ rest meant this coaching staff had reached a level of panic they weren’t prepared for.
And that’s where I want to remain for this recap.
Nevermind the score, no one really cares. A loss is a loss and even as I write this with Arizona losing in the bottom of the fifth in San Diego, this game showed that major changes need to happen, either in personnel or in philosophy.
Thanks to a roster construction that borders on inept, the team had no real answers for an offense already in hibernation outside of switching Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner. This solution went 2 for 9. Yes, the minor league season ended a week ago and there really are no good options to help them on whatever taxi squad they have decided to patch together, but they still decided that a hobbled Luis Arraez, with no hope of playing in this game, remained on the active roster.
To me though, that’s not even the worst part.
Jonathan Bowlan last pitched on September 17. He has thrown multiple bullpens in the meantime, yet the team has continually decided that an injured list stint was not necessary. They have insisted that he will be ready for the wild card round even having not faced hitters since that date.
Yet in their most dire day, a day in which a panic had set in – if you are starting Nola on two day’s rest, you are panicking – they opted to pitch a bullpen game down one reliever thanks to Bowlan not being ready to face major league hitters.
To put it in a different light: they have willingly chosen to pitch for over a week, to have a bullpen game on a day where they badly needed a victory, where they were short one reliever.
How does that happen?
How does an organization that is in a complete and total freefall decide to have an active roster with three catchers on it and two guys that can barely walk and say they are ready to fight for a playoff spot? The hubris shown by the players in the lineup has been galling enough, but to seemingly taunt the fans with these rosters decisions that make absolutely no sense is insulting. Obviously we all want them to actually make the playoffs and they might fall ass backwards into doing so if this Arizona score holds and they are somehow able to cobble together runs tomorrow.
Yet with each passing day, each passing decision made by Don Mattingly, who quite frankly should never work again in major league baseball after this week’s debacle of what only he might call “major league managing”, each rolled over ground ball to the second baseman, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that a major shift in how this team is run, from the top of the chain down to the coaching in their Domincan academy.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Owen Murphy #73 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Cincinnati Reds during a game at Truist Park on September 22, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Minor League All-Stars have finally been unveiled for all of the affiliated levels, with the announcement of the Triple-A All-Stars capping off what’s been a bit of an extended rollout for these minor-league standouts. The Braves had a handful of All-Stars in Low-A and High-A, they had just one representative in Double-A and they once again will have a single representative at the Triple-A level.
Owen Murphy has been recognized as a Triple-A All-Star for his performances with the Gwinnett Stripers during the 2026 International League season.
Murphy earned a promotion to Triple-A pretty early on this season, as he made his debut with the Stripers on May 2. From that point forward, Murphy made 18 starts, pitched 117.2 innings and produced a 3.07 ERA (66 ERA-) along with a 4.23 FIP (90 FIP-) and a strikeout percentage of 24.2 percent. While Murphy’s still got a bit of a way to go before he can be considered a reliable big league hurler, he certainly appears to be on the right track based on how he performed for Gwinnett this season.
As Matt Powers’ season review for the Stripers noted, you could potentially give JR Ritchie an honorable mention for his efforts, as he threw 82.1 innings and produced a 3.17 ERA (68 ERA-) and a 4.35 FIP (93 FIP-) across 16 starts for the Stripers this season. I’d imagine that the fact that Ritchie didn’t clear 100 innings at the Triple-A level is what held him back from potentially getting the nod, as he did spend a fair amount of time helping out the big league Braves here in 2026.
Either way, congratulations are in order for Murphy on a job well done in the 2026 season. Hopefully we’ll see those results translate to the big league level at some point in the future!
CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 26: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the third inning during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Saturday, September 26, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Lawrence Brown/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies came together to work through the weekend on a high note. After a bleak August and September, the fight that this team flashed throughout the season was on display again tonight. With a strong opponent in the Chicago White Sox, playing for their division title, the Rockies held their ground and came away with a win. With several players facing off against their former teams on either side and with milestones being hit in the Rockies clubhouse, it was an emotional Saturday night game.
Blink and you’ll miss Davis Martin
Talk about a hot start for the Rockies.
Colorado has been on the wrong end of first- and second-inning beatdowns all season long. They flipped the script today and got the jump on the White Sox, ending starter Davis Martin’s day before the end of the first inning.
Leadoff hitter Jake McCarthy reached on an error by Martin before being moved to third on a Cole Carrigg single. Hunter Goodman struck out and it felt for a moment like Chicago might escape with Colorado running into their familiar problem of stranding runners. That worry proved to be unfounded, with TJ Rumfield hitting an RBI line drive to right.
Connor Norby drew a walk on five pitches that weren’t close to the zone, prompting a mound visit and showing the short leash for the starter. An Adael Amador single drove in two runs for a 3-0 Rockies lead.
With the AL Central on the line and the Sox feeling like Martin just didn’t have it today, he was pulled quickly after recording just two outs on 25 pitches and allowing three runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout. Noah Schultz entered in relief to grab the final out before the Rockies recorded a 1-2-3 inning.
Winding down the season on some happy notes
Given that this year marked the Rockies’ fourth-straight 100-loss season, things were — obviously — not sunshine and rainbows. But with a marked improvement in their record compared to 2025 and a swath of fun, young players on the roster, there were plenty of good times to be had. The Rockies added to that list today.
Rumfield has been hitting well and hitting often this year. His RBI single in the first inning put his average at the .300 mark on the season. With that, manager Warren Schaeffer rewarded him with a nice early break to protect that number. Connor Norby shuffled to first base to replace Rumfield defensively, while Kyle Karros entered the game to bat fourth in Rumfield’s place.
The Rockies and White Sox traded some long ball blows in the early innings. In his first at-bat against his old team since the trade, Brenton Doyle hit a solo home run to put Chicago on the board. Luisangel Acuña would add another solo dinger for the White Sox in the bottom of the third inning.
But the biggest home run among them came for the Rockies in the top of the third. Goodman hit his long-awaited 40th home run of the season.
With the 381-foot shot to left field, Goodman joined a list of just seven other times a National League catcher has hit 40+ homers, joining the likes of Johnny Bench, Roy Campanella, and Mike Piazza. It’s the last 40-home run season for Colorado since Nolan Arenado reached that mark in 2019. Goodman caps off the best offensive season by a Rockies catcher in franchise history.
Starter José Quintana had an emotional day as well, facing off against the club where he spent nearly the first decade of his career. After a season of injuries, Quintana pitched a strong first and put the Rockies in a position to win before exiting after three innings of work, giving up two solo home runs as his only two hits allowed, alongside three strikeouts.
Ezequiel Tovar has found some good moments late in the season after a brutal start. He added a solo homer of his own in the fourth inning as he continues to rediscover his rhythm at the plate.
As the Rockies went up 5-2, the Cleveland Guardians led 5-3 in their matchup across the AL Central, making the situation more dire for the White Sox.
Steady as she goes through the seventh
After the early flurry of runs, both bullpens kept things where they were through the next few innings with little action.
Ryan Feltner entered for Quintana and immediately logged a 1-2-3 inning, including a four-pitch strikeout of Kyle Teel. He allowed a hit and a walk in the fifth, but remained unscathed, getting Randal Grichuk to pop up for the third out. His biggest challenge came in the sixth inning. After getting the first two outs, he allowed a single to Teel and grew frustrated after another single to Sam Antonacci. He responded with a strong strikeout of Colson Montgomery.
After Martin and Schultz, the various White Sox pitchers held their own, too. Jordan Hicks worked a scoreless, hittless fifth inning, before Sean Newcomb pitched a shutout sixth inning. Newcomb got the first two outs of the seventh, but a double by Carrigg led to a move to the bullpen for Huascar Brazobán, who worked out of the inning.
The offense flared back up in the bottom of the seventh inning. After a walk to Miguel Vargas, a ball got by Amador putting runners on the corners. Grichuk grounded for the second out, scoring a run in the process to bring the Sox within two at 5-3. Feltner was pulled there for Brennan Bernardino. Things got dicey, as the always dangerous Munetaka Murakami came up to bat. He hit a deep fly ball to the warning track that was, thankfully, just short.
With eyes on the scoreboard at Rate Field, the Guardians held an 8-5 lead heading into the ninth inning, putting the White Sox’ division hopes on the brink.
Closing time
The White Sox wouldn’t go down without putting another scare in the Rockies. Chase Meidroth entered the game to replace Braden Montgomery and kicked off the eighth inning with a double. A Teel single put runners on first and third with no outs and the White Sox still just down two.
Bernardino went into his bag for another clutch inning, one of many he’s put up this year. He logged the first out with a three-pitch strikeout on Antonacci, getting him to swing at a curveball outside. Next, he was fired up after getting Colson Montgomery to ground into a double play on one pitch.
As the Guardians extended their lead to 11-5 out in Kansas City, the Rockies picked up some insurance of their own and told the White Sox faithful, “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
Colorado started to close things out with some small ball. Jordan Beck doubled, before being moved to third on a Brett Sullivan sacrifice bunt. Tovar flew out for the second out, but McCarthy drew a walk on six pitches to keep things alive. Carrigg delivered a single to put the Rockies up 6-3.
Why stop there? Goodman added to the history books with his second home run of the night, his 41st of the year. The three-run shot put the Rockies up 9-3. Bernardino swung the game with 1.1 innings pitched and no runs allowed on two hits. In tandem with the Guardians result, it slammed the door on the AL Central divisional race.
The extra insurance paid off, as Jordan Romano struggled to end things. A wild pitch that would have been a strikeout for out number one instead put a runner on. Romano then walked Vargas, setting up a three-run homer from Andrew Benintendi to make it a 9-6 game. Romano settled down after that for three straight outs to put the game to bed.
Final thoughts
The Rockies came together as a team for a strong, well-rounded victory, one of their best over the last few months of the season.
In the postgame discussion, the emotion of the game was present. Goodman gave props to his team for not calling it quits this late in the year and continuing to fight and try to get better every day. He dished out compliments to Rumfield, Quintana, Feltner, and the rest of the bullpen for big nights all around.
Goodman himself deserves heaps of praise. His two-home run game pushed him past Johnny Bench for the most road home runs by a catcher in NL history. Schaeffer called it “an incredible feat by an incredible guy.”
Schaeffer spoke to the resilience of the team. “I thought there was redemption there.”
He pointed to Amador responding by getting a double play after a fielding error, to Quintana and Feltner battling, to Bernardino for locking down a double play after a rough start to the inning, and to Tovar finding his swing and finishing the year strong offensively.
Above all, Schaeffer pointed to the model that tonight’s opponent laid out. After dropping 100 games last year, the White Sox are a playoff team this year.
“It can happen. Nobody’s saying it can’t happen, and we feel like we’re on the right trajectory. It’s on the right path.”
Up Next
We bid farewell to another season of Rockies baseball with Game 162 on deck Sunday afternoon.
Kyle Freeland (4-11 in 25 starts, 6.58 ERA) is set for perhaps his last game as a Rockie as an unrestricted free agent. Anthony Kay (9-9 in 30 starts, 4.53 ERA) is the probable pitcher for the White Sox.
The Rockies and White Sox wrap up the series and the season with a rubber match scheduled for a 1:10 p.m. MDT first pitch.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 26: Brice Turang #2 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates with Jackson Chourio #11 after hitting two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth inning at American Family Field on September 26, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Brice Turang is charging hard toward 100 RBIs on the season and he doesn’t appear ready to take no for an answer as he helped lift the Brewers to their 102nd win of the regular season.
Dustin May was making his final start of the regular season and his final opportunity to show the Brewers that he’ll be a trustworthy arm for them in October. He started off well in the first inning, getting a pair of strikeouts while touching 99 MPH. Then it slowly turned to a struggle from there.
In the 2nd inning, he gave up a pair of singles and a walk, which led to a run and a 1-0 Cardinals lead. The Cardinals would tack on one more against May in the 3rd inning when Alec Burleson lifted a mammoth home run that was 111 MPH off the bat. That made it a 2-0 Cardinals lead.
The Brewers would answer in the bottom half of the 3rd inning. Brandon Lockridge in his first AB back, taking the roster spot of Andrew Vaughn who was placed on the IL with an illness, ripped a ringing double to right. David Hamilton dropped down a bunt that got him to third and then Lockridge came around to score on Jackson Chourio’s single.
That still wasn’t going to be enough to keep May back out there as his night was done after just three innings. He did strike out five, but made a couple of mistakes as well.
Pat Murphy turned the ball over to Kyle Harrison after that, another pitcher who is pitching for his chance to be trusted in the postseason. Harrison’s outing went much better. He covered two innings, striking out four and the only baserunner he allowed was a hit by pitch. The fastball velocity was good and the vertical break on his fastball was much better, around his usual season average. Murphy said on Friday he was seeing signs that Harrison was improving but needed to see the results match.
On Saturday night, the results matched for Harrison, which could be a massive development for his confidence and what his role could be going forward.
“Harrison was sharp. He wasn’t thinking, he was just attacking. He was sharp, didn’t matter righty, lefty. The ball had the explosion to it that it had early in the season. His breaking ball was way more convicted. I was impressed.” Pat Murphy said.
Then the Brewers continued to answer at the plate. In the 5th, after Lockridge and Hamilton struck out, Chourio singled and then Brice Turang blasted his 21st homer of the season and brought in his 98th and 99th RBIs.
Turang is still one stolen base shy of a 20-20 season and is now one RBI shy of 100 for the first time in his career.
“Yeah, that’s special. He’s such a baseball kid. He responds so well. That’s the thing that’s most impressive about our group. Brice epitomizes this. He can go through a lull and he doesn’t get too down, he just knows how to respond.” Murphy said.
That gave the Brewers a 3-2 lead, one they would not relinquish.
JoJo Romero, Antonio Senzatela, and Aaron Ashby combined to close out the final four innings in order. The Cardinals did not get a baserunner after that Harrison HBP of Bryan Torres back in the 4th inning.
The Brewers secured their 102nd win of the season, further setting their franchise record. The Cardinals drop to 77-84. There’s just one game left in the regular season. So much is still to be decided in the playoff picture, but the Brewers have everything they control locked up.
Some more good news came out postgame that Joey Ortiz’s MRI came back “all good” and that he doesn’t have a bone bruise. There’s some swelling in the abdomen, but overall nothing concerning popped up. Ortiz will sit out Sunday’s game but is overall fine.
WHAT A GAME!!! WHAT A SEASON!!! The offense has completely bailed out the pitching staff the last couple weeks, and tonight was no different. We got contributions from just about everyone. Multi HR games from both Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio is just a hilariously beautiful way to finish the regular season. We also saw 3 hit games from both Steven Kwan and Travis Bazzana and a HR from Chase DeLauter.
The main difference between this Guardians team and every Guardians playoff team since 2017/2018 is that this team is capable of hitting in the playoffs. This is the most offensive talent they have had in years, albeit most of it young and inexperienced. I’m super happy about the first round BYE and the fact that we only have to beat one of the White Sox or Astros to reach the ALCS, but I am a little worried about rust considering how hot this lineup has been of late.
This has been such an awesome season and it has been so much fun to watch the development of our young players, and I can’t wait to watch how they play in the playoffs.
Eric Samulski
