Category: Baseball

By late Sunday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Rays had secured their 55th win at Tropicana Field. The victory marked the second most home wins in a single season by the Rays, second only to the fabled 2008 team. It also capped off an 8-1 home stand and series win over the Boston Red Sox.

By Sunday evening, their magic number to clinch the AL East title for the first time since 2021 was down to just two thanks to another Arizona Diamondbacks win over the Yankees. In reality, that magic number is really just one if they win just one of the four upcoming games against the second place Yankees in the Bronx. If they can win the East, they will secure home field advantage throughout the ALDS and ALCS, along with a first round bye.

So, to recap, it was a good day in Tampa Bay.

This one was all Rays from the first inning on. After Griffin Jax tossed a scoreless first, the Rays bats got to work against Red Sox starter Patrick Sandoval. Back in the lineup after a scheduled day off, Yandy Diaz drew a leadoff walk. Vilade then reached on a HBP, setting up first and second for Junior Caminero who singled to left and loaded the bases for DeLuca.

DeLuca roped a double down the left field line and drove in the first two runs of the game.

Chandler Simpson followed with a two-RBI single of his own and opened this game up. Five batters in and the Rays had opened up a 4-0 and Patrick Sandoval had yet to record an out.

Sandoval did stop the bleeding and escaped the first with no further damage. But, the damage was done. Jax continued to throw up zeroes and then in the fifth, the Rays struck again. This time it was Mesa Jr. with a solo blast to right center. It was his 14th of the year and gave the Rays a 5-0 lead.

Trevor Story ruined the shutout in the top of the ninth and hit a one-out solo home run to left. That was it for the Sox though and the 5-1 score would become final.

After the four run first, the Rays arms took over. Again, Jax was solid. He tossed five scoreless innings, punched out five, walked two, and allowed just three hits. Suler, Hopkins, and Matz combined to toss three scoreless in relief. Johnson ran into some trouble in the ninth and surrendered the blast to Story, and was relieved by Kelly who shut the door, recording the final out. Rays pitching struck out nine in total and the only walks issued were those by Jax.

Despite only mustering four hits, the Rays offense did enough in this one, mostly in the first inning. But, as we have seen all year, if the offense can get the pitching staff a lead, they very seldom surrender it.

The Rays will have Monday off prior to a double header in the Bronx on Tuesday. With a win on Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Thursday against the Yankees, they will be celebrating a division title in Yankee Stadium.

At 95-60 with seven games remaining, 100 wins is not out of the question. If they reach triple digit wins, it would be just the second time in franchise history, the first being 2021. First up, win #96.

BALTIMORE — Their sights are set on far bigger and better things.

Yet a franchise-record 98 wins and a pair of twentysomething stars are enough for the Milwaukee Brewers to pause momentarily and sniff the flowers.

They eclipsed their previous standard of 97 wins set just one year ago by putting ace Jacob Misiorowski on ice after three innings, trotting out seven pitchers and still shutting out the Baltimore Orioles3-0 on Sunday, Sept. 20 at Camden Yards.

At 98-58, with six games remaining, the Brewers are almost certainly going to post their first 100-win season in franchise history.

“Cool and all,” says closer Trevor Megill, who pitched a clean ninth inning for his 29^th save, “but not trying to be regular season warriors.”

Harsh but true.

The Brewers are National League Central champions for the fourth consecutive season, the arrow ticking up from 92 to 93 to 97 wins to however many more they can corral this week. And the postseason progress is evident, too: The club reached the NL Championship Series last season for the first time since 2018, only to get swept by the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Megill's point, then, is valid. Counterpoint: The team is sprinting through the tape, even as the No. 1 seed in the playoffs has been largely assured for a few days.

Ninety-eight wins? Yeah, crank the stereo a little more.

“It’s hard to win 98 games and be healthy. It’s hard to be in this spot to begin with,” says third-year manager Pat Murphy. “And I don’t think it’s appreciated enough. I don’t think anyone realizes how hard it is for any of the 30 teams to put themselves in this position. And that’s what makes me proud of these guys.

“We’re not the most experienced team. We’re not the most talented. We’re not the most a lot of things. But for sure, they’ve proven they’re a team. Because it’s hard to win major league games. And to win 98 of them, tells you there’s a team in there.

“And I’m really proud of them.”

Their wares were on full display Sunday, even as they pulled Misiorowski after just three innings and 44 pitches, 28 of them clocked between 99 to 102 mph.

But off he went, like a thoroughbred heading back to the barn after a brisk sprint on the backstretch. No matter: The Miz struck out four to move into second place on the Brewers’ single-season strikeout list, with 247. He’s going to be the NL Cy Young Award winner and will have one more regular-season start to lengthen out a bit before starting Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Saturday, Oct. 3.  

At 24, he’s a relative graybeard compared to 22-year-old outfielder Jackson Chourio. All that kid did Sunday was join Julio Rodriguez and Bobby Witt Jr. as the only players to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in their first three seasons.

Sure, the liberalized stolen-base rules help. But Chourio’s immense talent plays in any era.

“I’ve watched him play through countless levels,” says Misiorowski. “I think it’s cool to see a guy like that perform at the highest level. He’s an animal out there. He’s also crazy in here.”

Says Megill of Chourio, who signed an eight-year, $82 million deal in December 2023: “Dude’s a beast. They gave him a lot of money for good reason.”

The Brewers will enjoy an off day in Philadelphia on Monday, then play three against the flailing Phillies before wrapping up with three games at home against St. Louis. Then, a few off days as they await the survivors of the NL wild-card series.

Bigger things ahead, certainly. Yet plenty behind them, too, enough worth pausing to appreciate.

“It means a lot. It’s always a big deal to set a record, a franchise record,” says Misiorowski. “Hopefully, we get to a little bigger number but it’s still cool. Ninety-eight games, that’s awesome.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: On way to playoffs, Brewers stop to smell the flowers: A club-record 98 wins

Once again, the Braves are the Beasts of the NL East. For the first time since 2023, the Braves have won the 2026 NL East Division. They clinched the division over the weekend with a convincing sweep of the Houston Astros, including another win via late game heroics on Sunday. While the Braves certainly have much higher goals in mind to earn this season, it is still an accomplishment to cherish after the struggles in 2024 and 2025.

Braves News

Robert Suarez returned to the mound to begin a rehab assignment in Gwinnett for the first time in three months. While the performance was a bit shaky, he completed the inning without setbacks.

Davis Polo continued to show why he is one of the biggest breakout starts for the Braves on the farm in 2026.

MLB News

The Red Sox are once again the postseason.

Alex Bregman was hit in the face by a foul ball. Tests will be done to determine the full extent of the injury.

Another pitiful showing from the Orioles offense wasted an impressive Brandon Young start, and likely put the final nail in their 2026 coffin, as the O’s lost 3-0 to the Brewers on Sunday night in Baltimore.

The Orioles bats have now been shut out for 19 consecutive innings. That streak began in the 10th inning of the series opener against the Brewers, and then continued through the entirety of Games Two and Three of this late-season sweep. A truly nauseating experience.

Across tonight’s nine innings, the O’s managed just four hits, three walks, and three at-bats with a runner in scoring position. Of course, none of those hits overlapped with a runner in scoring position, giving us our final scoreline.

Colton Cowser had two of the hits. Coby Mayo and Carlos Narváez had one each. Mayo, Samuel Basallo, and Chrsitian Encarnacion-Strand worked one walk apiece. That was all they managed. The first three hitters of the lineup, Dylan Beavers, Pete Alonso, and Gunnar Henderson combined to go 0-for-11 with four strikeouts.

The closest the Orioles ever came to scoring was in the sixth inning. After the first two batters were retired, Henderson reached base on a hit by pitch. Brewers reliever Chad Patrick was all over the place. He then uncorked two wild pitches, advancing Henderson to third base. Mayo and Basallo followed with their walks to load the bases with two outs and Jeremiah Jackson at the plate.

So, after seeing this pitcher throw nine consecutive balls, including two that got passed the catcher and one that hit Henderson, what would you think Jackson would do? Maybe see a pitch himself. Force the guy to keep working? Nope, he swung at the opening offer and weakly grounded out to first base to end the threat.

It was a wrap after that. The O’s got some runners on in the seventh, but it never really felt like they were going to score. And then they went down in order in both the eighth and ninth innings to seal the loss.

What’s worse is that it’s not as if the eventual NL Cy Young winner shut them down all night. Jacob Misiorowski only threw three innings. Milwaukee is saving him for the playoffs, so they used this game as a formal bullpen day instead. Then it was left up to six relievers, who all dominated a Baltimore lineup that sure looks like it is throwing in the towel.

The good news of the game was all on the pitching side of things.

Brandon Young started on the bump, and was quite good. He worked six innings, putting him over the 150-inning threshold on the year. It was another solid effort as he coughed up just two runs on three hits, three walks, and a career-high nine strikeouts. That eclipsed the eight strikeouts he had against the Nationals back on June 27, his previous career-best.

Those two runs were spread across two different innings. Cooper Pratt singled in Jake Bauers in the second inning. Later, William Contreras launched his 18th home run of the season in the fourth inning. Even including all of that, it was a nice showing for Young, who may make one more start before the season is up. But if this was his last trip to the mound this year, he is ending things on a rather high note and has put himself in position to make the big league rotation out of spring training in 2027.

The most important development of this game—from the Orioles’ perspective anyway—came in the seventh inning, when Félix Bautista emerged from the Camden Yards bullpen for the first time since last July. Officially back from right shoulder surgery, the towering righty reclaimed his spot atop a big league mound. It just felt right.

The on-field results, however, still have room for improvement.

Bautista recorded two outs, both via strikeouts. He got Joey Ortiz to whiff on an 89-mph splitter up in the zone, and punched out Christian Yelich on a 90-mph splitter on the outside edge of the plate. The velocity of the sinker was 96-97, so down a touch from his prime, but still very useable and with a chance to regain a tick following a healthy offseason.

Bautista also allowed Milwaukee’s third run of the day. Prior to the two strikeouts, Jake Bauers opened the inning with a double. He then came in to score on a two-out single for Pratt. After Pratt swiped a couple of bags on the hefty hurler, and then Garrett Mitchell worked a walk, O’s manager Craig Albernaz decided that 19 pitches was plenty for a return from more than a year on the IL. Bautista was yanked, and Grant Wolfram effectively cleaned up the mess.

Getting Bautista back on the field was an important step. He is likely to get back into another game or two before the season wraps up next weekend. Whatever stats he puts on the page won’t be as important as getting over the mental hurdle of pitching in the big leagues again. He’s already done that. Now he can focus on building towards his role in 2027.

The loss drops the Orioles to 75-81 on the season, five games back of the AL’s final wild card spot with six games to play. Their elimination number is two. It’s not over folks, but it might as well be.

They now welcome a desperate Blue Jays team to town for a three-game series beginning on Monday. Shane Baz (6-15, 4.11 ERA) is set to return from being hit by a comebacker in his last start. He will be opposed by Trey Yesavage (5-5, 3.65 ERA), who will be pitching for the first time since August 4. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35.

Believe it or not, the Giants led for the majority of Sunday’s finale against the Dodgers. In this feebled state, dragging our way to the finish line, that feels like a kind-a, sort-a win.

Granted, it was 1-0 lead, which is not a lead that typically soothes or ensures. In LA, against that Dodger line-up, a run in the 1st wasn’t going to be a fatal blow. It wasn’t going to last. After Victor Bericoto’s opposite field single helped complete Jonah Cox’s scamper around the bases, I felt fairly confident that the early lead wouldn’t survive batters into the Dodgers’ bottom half of the 1st.

I was wrong about that. Matt Wilkinson proved me wrong. With Tugboat at the helm, the lead lasted — not forever, of course, the Giants obviously lost this game — but through the 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd, even the 4th! The rookie left-hander held the Dodgers in check for five scoreless innings, striking out 6, walking none, while scattering three hits. It was the best outing of his short career, and he knew it. He knew when he was out there, celebrating each shutout frame with a roar, each strikeout with a strut around the mound, each painted pitch with an affirming head nod. 

Four of his season-high six K’s came by way of his deceptive four-seamer. He got Max Muncy to lunge over a change-up immediately after Miguel Rojas’s one-out double in the 2nd. He scooted over to record the out at first on Josue Da Paula’s meek grounder and just kept running, taking a wide turn into the dugout, hyping himself up as he went, with the third out nestled in his glove.

Another change-up to Miguel Rojas negated a two-out single by Freddie Freeman in the 4th. He worked around another one-out double by Josue Da Paula in 5th when Jung Hoo Lee sold out a flare that bounced in front of him and rolled all the way to the wall in right-center. But when the dust settled on the play, Da Paula, having not booked it out of the box, only stood at second. A mental error, a gift, that Wilkinson took advantage of. A low-and-away change-up got Enrique Hernández to roll out to third before three straight bold and defiant 90 MPH fastballs dispatched Hunter Feduccia before he could even get his bat off his shoulders.  

Tugboat’s last toot — and a mighty fine one at that.

And yet, Wilkinson’s performance wasn’t even the most impressive of the game. That honor belongs to Dodger right-hander Emmett Sheehan, who took over in the 2nd down a run, and froze the San Francisco’s offense in that state. He struck out 9 over 5.1 innings, allowing just two baserunners, both Lee, with an inconsequential walk in the 3rd and an inconsequential single in the 6th.

Despite Sheehan’s overall unimpressive numbers (4.79 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) against the rest of the league, this type of dominance is run of the mill stuff for the right-hander against San Francisco. Sheehand doesn’t see red on the mound, he sees orange-and-black. You might remember his MLB debut in 2023 when he held the Giants hitless over 6 innings. Turns out that kind of work wasn’t an outlier or beginner’s luck. San Francisco hitters have batted just .057 while he’s posted a 1.29 ERA over five games (4 GS).

Those averages only dropped after this sixth outing. Lee’s single was just the sixth hit by a Giant against Sheehan in 33.1 innings. His ERA now: 1.08. The right-hander had opponents eating out the palm of his hand. Giants hitters were happy to climb a ladder to nowhere in pursuit of elevated fastballs. His curveball logged a 50% whiff rate (6/12). Familiarity did not breed comfortability. Swings against Sheehan seemed to get uglier as the game progressed. The last three batters he faced went down hacking. 

All in all, Sunday’s finale was an exposition on pitching. Dodgers arms combined for 14 strikeouts while allowing just five baserunners.  Matt Wilkinson made the molehill that is the mound look like a mountain. But he had to come down from his peak eventually, and the same suffocating narrative around the bullpen took hold. Waiver-wire Abner had an off-day, but the disease of San Francisco relievers is endemic. Give them any ground on the field, let their poison fingers touch any seams, and they will infect. Two batters into the 6th, in the hands of the SF ‘pen, and that precious one-run lead Wilkinson sweated and fought over and clutched tightly for so long, was gone in a swing. A solo shot by Tommy Edman off Carson Seymour, his sixth homer allowed this year, and 15th over 65 career innings…which is a problem.

Know who is also a problem? Sam Hentges. He gets weak contact. His 3.51 ERA doesn’t look too bad. But two rights don’t make a good lefty reliever. For being so heavily relied on mid-inning, his 34% inherited runners scored is a tick above league average. His -1.5 WPA going into Sunday’s game was the lowest on the pitching staff (and has only got worse after today’s events), and his seven losses are the most out of the bullpen.

Hentges appearance in his return from the IL lasted just four batters. He recorded an out in the 7th before being chased from the game by two singles and a lead-claiming double by Enrique Hernández. Dylan Smith and Trent Harris tag-teamed the 8th and fell victim to three more singles in the frame which scratched across another run for LA.  

Three runs over three frames — considering recent damages, that’s a pretty good collective outing for the San Francisco bullpen. Still, they ended up as the scrubs once again. The wrong end of a 3-1 final. Across the three game series, the Giants bullpen posted a 9.31 ERA with opposing hitters batting .417 against them. 

That’s not good. Nor is being swept in LA.

Emmet Sheehan’s next start will be in the minor leagues.

The right-hander might be out of sight, but that doesn’t mean he will be out of mind.

His scheduled start Saturday for triple-A Oklahoma City in a Pacific Coast League playoff game is part of a design to prepare him to pitch for the Dodgers in October.

Sheehan has pitched his way into consideration for a spot on the playoff roster.

His quote-unquote demotion came after he pitched 5 ⅓ scoreless innings in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ sweep-sealing 3–1 victory over the San Francisco Giants Sunday.

The game was the third Sheehan pitched this month for the Dodgers. His numbers in those three games: 17 innings pitched, one run allowed, 24 strikeouts, three walks.

“I’ve loved the version we’ve seen of Emmet the last three outings,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s been fantastic.”

Sent down to Oklahoma City in early August, Sheehan returned to the major leagues earlier this month with a slightly modified arsenal that has significantly improved his results. He’s thrown his curveball more, and his increased inability to change speeds has made his fastball play up even when he’s not touching 97 mph with it.

“I think that obviously there’s a 97 that plays better, but 94–95 commanded still misses bats,” Roberts said. “So I think that’s something that, that’s one part of it. The other part of it is holding the velocity. And so, for me, the last three or four since he’s been back here, he’s held those 94s and 95s for the, call it, 85 pitches.”

With the Dodgers expecting to start Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tarik Skubal and Tyler Glasnow in the postseason, the team has started the process of moving Sheehan into a relief role by having Jack Dreyer pitch an inning as opener Sunday. Sheehan was down in triple-A over the last week but a roster spot for him was opened up because Skubal went on the bereavement list.

Sheehan entered the game in the second inning and pitched into the seventh. He gave up only one hit and one walk; he struck out nine.

He said he has made it a point to feel “free and easy” with his delivery.

“Instead of saying, ‘I need 97 [mph] here,’ it’s more like, ‘If I hit my spot, he’s not going to hit it,’” Sheehan said. 

What it means

The teams with the two-best records in each league will earn a first-round bye and the Dodgers are close to wrapping up one of those spots. With their win over the Giants, the Dodgers maintained a four-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the National League’s No. 2 seed. Both teams have only six games remaining in the regular season.

Who’s hot

Left-hander Kris Bubic, who was acquired from the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline, replaced Sheehan in the seventh inning and registered the final two outs of the inning. Bubic struck out Scott Bandura, only for Shay Whitcomb to reach base on a throwing error by Max Muncy.

No problem: Bubic forced Grant McCray to fly out to left field.

Bubic has pitched 2 ⅔ innings in three appearances for the Dodgers over the last week, and he still hasn’t allowed a run. He has struck out four.

Roberts said he’s also pitched his way into consideration for a spot on the playoff roster.

“It’s nothing overpowering, but there’s just funky swings, soft contact,” Roberts said. “I see him as a neutral pitcher, gets left and right out, and I like those converted starters because he knows how to navigate lineups.”

Who’s Not

For today, this section should be renamed “Who Wasn’t Hot.”

The label certainly applied to Tommy Edman, who was two for his last 42 before his sixth-inning at-bat: That’s when Edman jumped on an inside cutter from Carson Seymour and launched it into the visiting bullpen behind the right-field wall.

Edman’s home run tied the game at 1–1.

Up next

The Dodgers have a day off Monday. They will resume play Tuesday when they host the San Diego Padres, who will send No. 1 starter Michael King (12-9, 3.03 ERA) to the mound. The Dodgers won’t have a traditional starter, as Roberts said the team is planning for a bullpen game.

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For the first time since 2023, the Brewers have pitched back-to-back shutouts as they completed a sweep of the Orioles and reached a franchise-record 98 wins with a 3-0 victory Sunday night.

Orioles starter Brandon Young dominated in the first, setting Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and William Contreras down in order with three strikeouts. Jacob Misiorowski responded with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the first, including one strikeout.

Jake Bauers became the first runner to reach as he led off the second with a walk, moving up to second base on a groundout by Christian Yelich. With two outs, Cooper Pratt put Milwaukee on the board, hitting a liner to left that allowed Bauers to score, giving the Crew an early 1-0 lead.

Cooper Pratt stays hot and puts us up 1-0 pic.twitter.com/Bbilf3XeRH

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 20, 2026

Misiorowski had another 1-2-3 frame in the second with another strikeout, and Garrett Mitchell’s leadoff single went for naught in the third before Misiorowski finished up his shortened outing with two more strikeouts and just one hit allowed, a two-out single by Carlos Narváez.

With a 1-0 lead entering the fourth, Contreras quickly doubled the deficit, crushing his 18th homer of the year to leadoff the inning.

A towering moonshot for Wild Bill 🚀 https://t.co/VlOpXCpqr0pic.twitter.com/kaLDsBv0Ty

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 21, 2026

Antonio Senzatela entered to replace Miz in the fourth, allowing a two-out infield single to Coby Mayo before being removed for the lefty JoJo Romero, who induced a flyout to end the inning.

Milwaukee had another 1-2-3 inning in the fifth, and Romero remained in for the fifth, allowing a one-out single but getting a pair of groundouts to get out of the inning unscathed.

In the sixth, Chourio led off with a walk before stealing his 20th base of the season (initially ruled an out, then overturned upon review). Chourio’s steal makes him the first player in MLB history to have three 20-homer-20-steal seasons before age 23, and just the third player — joining Julio Rodríguez and Bobby Witt Jr. — with three straight 20-20 seasons to begin their careers.

The Wonder Kid continues to do things never done before pic.twitter.com/f2GIcSiomK

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 21, 2026

On the next pitch, however, Chourio inexplicably ran on a chopper to third, as Mayo turned an easy 5-3 double play with the tag.

Romero stayed in to get one more out to begin the bottom of the sixth before being lifted for Chad Patrick. Patrick got Pete Alonso to ground out but then lost his command, hitting Gunnar Henderson, walking Mayo on four pitches (including two wild pitches to advance Henderson to third), and doing the same with Samuel Basallo to load the bases for Jeremiah Jackson. The moment was anticlimactic for the home squad, though, as Jackson hit a soft grounder to first, helping Patrick escape the jam and extending Baltimore’s scoreless streak to 16 innings.

Looking for insurance, the Brewers would have to do so against the towering, 6’8” Félix Bautista, who was making his first appearance since last July as he recovered from shoulder surgery. Bauers promptly greeted him with a double into right-center, and he’d go on to score again as Pratt hit another RBI single. After swiping second and third base, Bautista walked Mitchell, and he exited to make way for left-hander Grant Wolfram, who set down Sal Frelick to end the inning.

Cooper Pratt is very, very fun to watch pic.twitter.com/FEIXuJlcte

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 21, 2026

Staked to a 3-0 lead, Pat Murphy turned to struggling Kyle Harrison, who once again ran into trouble, allowing a single and a walk around a lineout (on a ball that Mitchell needed to dive for) before being replaced by DL Hall. Hall got out of the jam quickly, needing five pitches to get two flyouts and sending this one to the eighth.

Chourio singled and stole second in the eighth before a walk by Contreras, but Bauers grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to allow Wolfram to get out of it.

Hall struck out a pair in a scoreless bottom half of the eighth, and neither team did much of anything in the ninth, as Pratt walked but stayed on first and Trevor Megill set the Orioles down in order, completing the sweep and giving Milwaukee a franchise-record 98 wins on the season.

With Miz going just three innings, Hall was awarded the win for his 1 2/3 innings of work, striking out a pair and allowing no baserunners, while Megill picked up his 29th save after blowing the save on Friday night. Pratt led the offense with two RBI singles and a walk, while Contreras had the solo homer and Bauers scored the other two runs, reaching three times via two walks and a double.

At 98-58 on the year, Milwaukee still has six chances to reach the 100-win threshold, as they’ll get an off day on Monday before a three-game set with the Phillies in Philadelphia. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 5:40 p.m., with Dustin May set to toe the rubber opposite Zack Wheeler. See you then.

A scary scene unfolded in the fourth inning of the Cubs’ 9-1 blowout win over the Reds on Sunday when Alex Bregman took a foul ball to the face, forcing him to leave the game. 

The foul ball came off the bat of teammate Michael Busch, who had checked his swing and sent the ball speeding toward Bregman standing in the grass several feet in front of the on-deck circle. 

Bregman was taken to an area hospital to undergo X-rays and CT scans. 

Alex Bregman was struck in the face by a foul ball while in the on-deck circle.

He was helped down the dugout steps with a towel to his face and was forced to exit the game. pic.twitter.com/ACj2a2ZEgT

— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) September 20, 2026

The foul struck Bregman on his left cheekbone under his eye and left a cut, Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters, according to the Chicago Tribune. 

A photo Bregman posted to his Instagram Story seemed to confirm that as well, with the Cubs third baseman showing bruising around his eye and padding up his nose to stop bleeding. 

“Thanks for all the messages yall. I’ll be back,” Bregman wrote. 

Counsell expects that Bregman will fly back to Chicago on the team plane. 

“I knew it hit him somewhere in the face, the Cubs manager said. “It’s just an unfortunate accident, terrible accident. Hoping and praying he’s OK.”

“He’s pretty swollen. … I don’t know anything more than that right now.”

Counsell appeared to be focused on the health of his player more than the impact it could have on the Cubs’ playoff hopes, but the freak accident comes at a crucial point for the team. Chicago sits atop the NL wild card standings with just six games left in the regular season. 

“We’ve got to get good results at the hospital, that’s what’s first,” Counsell said. “He got hit in the face, so you’re worried about general well-being first. If we get a good report, then we’ll move to the next step. I want to get a good report first.”

The Colorado Rockies are 57–99.

One more loss will give them their fourth consecutive 100-loss season, and they are almost certainly going to finish with the worst record in baseball.

These are absurd times for the Rockies, so I have devised an appropriately absurd rule to help them out.

The team with the worst record in baseball gets to steal one player from a playoff team.

There are, naturally, some restrictions. We’re freezing the playoff field as it stood before games on Sunday, September 20. The player has to come from one of those 12 teams, cannot be a pending free agent, and you cannot take the player who leads his team in FanGraphs WAR. The Rockies also inherit the player’s existing contract.

No, one player is not suddenly turning the Rockies into a contender. But could one poached superstar at least keep this thing from becoming five consecutive 100-loss seasons?

Here’s the board:

Team	Off limits: fWAR leader	Highest available fWAR	Other players worth considering
Rays	Junior Caminero (5.2)	Drew Rasmussen (4.7)	Jonathan Aranda (3)
Guardians	Parker Messick (4.6)	Steven Kwan (3.4)	Gavin Williams (3.4), Brayan Rocchio (3.3), José Ramírez (2.2)
Rangers	Ezequiel Duran (4.6)	Jacob deGrom (4.2)	Josh Jung (2.9), Wyatt Langford (2.8)
Yankees	Cam Schlittler (6.1)	Ben Rice (4)	Cody Bellinger (3.9), Aaron Judge (2)
Red Sox	Willson Contreras (4.1)	Payton Tolle (4)	Ceddanne Rafaela (3.9), Ranger Suárez (3.7)
White Sox	Miguel Vargas (5)	Chase Meidroth (4)	Tristan Peters (3.9), Sean Burke (3.1)
Brewers	Jacob Misiorowski (6.3)	Brice Turang (5.4)	Jackson Chourio (4), Jake Bauers (3.6)
Dodgers	Shohei Ohtani (6.7)	Yoshinobu Yamamoto (4.7)	Max Muncy (4.3), Andy Pages (3.9)
Braves	Chris Sale (5.7)	Michael Harris II (4)	Matt Olson (4), Drake Baldwin (3.1)
Cubs	Pete Crow-Armstrong (10.2)	Alex Bregman (5)	Dansby Swanson (3.6)
Padres	Fernando Tatis Jr. (5)	Jackson Merrill (4)	Ty France (3.8), Mason Miller (3.7)
Phillies	Cristopher Sánchez (5.8)	Jesús Luzardo (5.6)	Zack Wheeler (3.5), Bryce Harper (3.4)

For me, the choice comes down to Brice Turang, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Aaron Judge.

Turang is probably the sensible choice.

At 5.4 fWAR, he would easily lead the Rockies, giving them a legitimate top-end player while immediately solving second base for the foreseeable future. He’s 26, hitting .266/.367/.441 with an .808 OPS, and brings value on both sides of the ball with elite range, strong baserunning and a 95th-percentile walk rate.

It would be a very easy way to make the roster better.

But the Rockies really need starting pitching.

Enter Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

He’s 14–8 with a 2.51 ERA, 178 strikeouts and a 0.87 WHIP over 179 innings. His Statcast profile is just as impressive: 100th-percentile pitching run value, 99th-percentile fastball run value, 95th-percentile offspeed run value and a 91st-percentile xERA.

Pitchers are risky, and Yamamoto comes with a lot of money attached. But it’s hard to argue with either the profile or the results, and the addition of the Penner family makes absorbing that contract a lot easier to imagine.

Speaking of high-priced items…

Aaron Judge.

Judge being available is basically a loophole created by our own stupid rule. Injuries have limited him to just 285 plate appearances, which is why he sits at only 2 fWAR, but he’s still hitting .241/.360/.511 with 15 home runs.

And the underlying numbers are still very much Judge: a .396 xwOBA, .569 xSLG, 94.0 mph average exit velocity and a 57.5% hard-hit rate.

It is very hard to look at that and say, “No thanks.”

After all, Aaron Judge is the type of hitter that, if he were playing 81 games a year at Coors Field, I might take out a small loan for season tickets.

So who are you stealing?

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks! 

Introduction

Continuing with the deep dive into the more interesting Diamondbacks pitching prospects, we’ll be looking at two sets of very different pitchers.

More RHP Prospects

Junior Ciprian ( FG | B-Ref | Pipeline )

Bats/Throws: R/R Height/Weight: 6’3″, 180 LBs Born:: 6/02/2005 in Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 Control: 50

Background: The Diamondbacks signed Junior Ciprian out of the Dominican Republic in August of 2023, for a signing bonus of only $20,000. Ciprian was older than the norm for prospects out of the Dominican Republic, only signing a few months after his 18th birthday, and then he didn’t break into stateside ball until 2025. Long story short, his development is probably further behind than where you’d expect a pitcher of his age and background to be.

Ciprian’s time in the Dominican Summer League consisted of just 3.0 innings in 2023 and 25 innings in 2024, so we’re gonna jump ahead to 2025. Ciprian started out the year in the Arizona Complex league, where he’d pitch 39 innings with a 4.62 era, along with a rather ugly 6.14 FIP and 5.82 xFIP. The ERA was slightly above league average with a 94 ERA-, and as expected, a well below average 121 FIP. He’d then get promoted to Single A Visalia, where he’d appear in 5 more games, 15⅔ innings total, with a 3.45 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 4.73 xFIP.

Ciprian would return to Visalia to start the 2026 season, and he’d out up 71⅔ innings pitched with a 2.76 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 5.19 xFIP. 51 ERA- and 83 FIP-. That would earn Ciprian a promotion to High-A Hillsboro, and he’d pitch 32⅔ innings with a 4.68 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 5.65 xFIP, 95 ERA-, and 90 FIP-.

 Scouting report:

Junior Ciprian is essentially the ideal ’projectability’ type of pitching prospect, who seems to be becoming that pitcher he was projected to be. Ciprian already sports an mighty impressive fastball, that can touch 98-99 AND has 18 inches of vertical break, giving him a plus primary pitch, that is complimented by a high 80s slider with late dive and break. He lacks a true plus third pitch though to go after left-handed batters, so he’s going to need to develop those tertiary pitches to succeed as a starting pitcher at the MLB level. That said, I have very little doubt that he could succeed as a reliever though with just the main two pitches.

Wellington Aracena RHP ( FG| B-Ref |Pipeline )

Bats/Throws: R/R Height/Weight: 6’3″/ 180lbs Born: 12/27/2004 in Mao, Dominican Republic

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 40

Background: The Mets signed him out of the Dominican Republic for just $70,000 as part of their 2022 international draft class. He’d eventually broke out as a prospect in 2025, but was acquired by Baltimore in the Gregory Soto trade at the deadline. The Diamondbacks acquired Aracena in the Blaze Alexander trade back in Jamuary.. Aracena was assigned to High A Hillsboro, whwre he pitched in 19 games, started 16 of them, putting up a 4.83 ERA, a 98 ERA-, 4.09 FIP, 4.55 xFIP and an 84 FIP- in 72⅓ innings. Double A Amarillo and the Texas league didn’t treat him nearly as well in the six games he appeared in he put up a 6.91 ERA, 117 ERA, 5.71 FIP, 5.04 xFIP, and a 102 FIP- in 27⅓ innings pitched.

The biggest issue at both levels has been a high walk rate and poor command at times, with Aracena walking 13.1 percent of batters faced in High-A and 12.7% of batters in Double-A.

Scouting Report: Aracena just might have the best raw stuff of any of the pitchers discussed today; He usually sits in the mid to high 90s with his four-seam fastball, but has topped out at 100+ mph. His low 90s cutter has impressive glove side run that I’d call it a fully developed pitch. His slider generates a lot of swings and misses, with a near 50% whiff rate. He apparently throws a two-seamer and a changeup as well, but they’re used so little they’re a non factor.

Unfortunately, Aracena’s command might be the worst of the four pitchers here, and overall he’s very inconsistent from game to game. He might look unhittable one outing and then the next he can’t find the strike zone. I honestly question giving him an average grade for Control, but on a good day, he does command the strike zone well

Junior Sanchez (FG | B-Ref | Pipeline )

Bats/Throws: R/R Height/Weight: 5’10” 175lb Born: 9/16/2005 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Scouting grades: Fastball: 40 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50| Cutter: 50 | Control: 50

Background: Junior Sanchez signed with the D-backs for $50,000 as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in January 2023. He’d make his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League the same year and putting up a 2.76 ERA, a 3.84 FIP, and a 4.44 xFIP in 42 ⅓ IP spread across 11 games. Looking at his above average 59 ERA- and 82 FIP- shows just how good he was, especially as a 17 year old and one of the youngest pitchers in the league. Sanchez came stateside and pitched in the Arizona Complex League for all of the 2024 season. He’d pitch 33 ⅓ innings across 13 games with a 3.78 ERA, 4.88 FIP and 4.89 xFIP. 72 ERA- and 91 FIP-.

In 2025, Sanchez would start the year in Single-A Visalia, and in 73⅔ innings he’d put up a 2.32 ERA, 3.95 FIP, 4.19 xFIP, 52 ERA- and an 87 FIP-. He’d then get promoted to Hillsboro. put up 2.40 ERA in 105 innings between Single-A Visalia and High-A Hillsboro, which was the best among D-backs Minor Leaguers (min. 100 IP) and ranked 10th among MiLB hurlers who met that requirement. This year Sanchez return to High A Hillsboro, where pitched in nine games, six as a starter, totalling 41⅓ innings with a 2.61 ERA, 53 Era-, 3.07 FIP, 4.46 xFIP, and a 63 FIP. He struck out 35% of batters he faced, while walking just 6.3%.

If you look at just his 89 ERA- and 98 FIP- for the 72⅓ innings he pitched in AA Amarillo, you’d be forgiven for assuming he didn’t also have an ERA over five. This is the Texas league and a 5.23 ERA, 5.50 FIP, and 4.89 xFIP are above average. His strikeout rate shrunk down 23.8% and his walk rate jumped up to 10.3%.

Scouting Report: At 5-foot-10, Junior Sanchez is an undersized righthander with very little remaining projection in his frame. His delivery is very deceptive, with a short arm action and vertical release, and he hides the ball very well. His average fastball velocity is up, more than the initial scouting reports I came across, but it still only tops out at 94-95 mph on his best day. He an excellent feel for all of his secondary pitches, with the best of them being a high-spin sweeper in the mid 80s. He has advanced feel for it and the pitch results in high chase and whiff rates. Sanchez also has a high-80s cutter and changeup. His changeup has good action and can miss bats, while his cutter is a pitch he can comfortably land in the zone.

Sanchez succeeds in spite of the lack of raw velocity, but the amount of movement he has on all four of his pitches and the command he has over all of them seems to make up for that, at least so far in the minor leagues. The real question is will his arsenal of pitches be enough for him to find success at the MLB level in today’s game, facing batters with better pitch recognition. The drop in strikeout rate and surge in walk rate tells me that he’s might have a hard time repeating his previous success as he faces tougher hitters going forward.

Sanchez has the intelligence, personality and makeup to succeed in spite of the limits on his stuff though, and I wouldn’t bet against him finding success eventually.

Mason Marriot ( FG | B-Ref | Pipeline)

Bats/Throws: L/R Height/Weight: 6’0 /198 lbs Born: 8/14/2002 in Tomball, TX

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 60+ | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50

Background: As a freshman at Baylor, Mason Marriot was deployed out of the bullpen, but shifted to the starting rotation for his sophomore and junior seasons. Marriot was far from successful though, putting up an awful 7.52 ERA and 6.28 FIP in 58⅔ IP his sophomore season, followed by a slightly-better-but-still-awful 5.94 ERA and 5.09 FIP in 69⅔ IP his junior season. In spite of that, the D’Backs liked him enough to draft Marriot in the 6th round of the 2024 draft, although they signed him for below slot at $241,000.

Marriot got off to a great start to begin his pro career, giving up just a pair of runs on six hits and walk(while striking out 6), in the seven innings he pitched in 2024. (Obviously a small sample size; that works out to a 2.34 ERA, 54 ERA-, 2.78 FIP, 3.84 xFIP, 58 FIP-)

In 2025, he was assigned to high-A Hillsboro, where he continued that hot start in his first four games, giving up just five runs on 13 hits and eight walks, while striking out 25 batters in 19⅔ innings . That works out to a 2.29 ERA, 51 ERA-, 2.13 FIP, 2.91 xFIP, and a 48 FIP-. Unfortunately, after those four games, Marriot suffered a season ending UCL injury, necessitating Tommy John surgery and he wouldn’t pitch again until the middle of 2026 season.

I’ll be blunt, Marriot had some ugly numbers in his three game rehab stint and then predictably struggled after he was promoted to AA Amarillo, but in the six games he pitched in A+ Hillsboro he was very impressive and looked like the pitcher he was prior to the injury. If you look at his just Hillsboro he had a 3.29 ERA with a 1.60 FIP and 2.28 xFIP. In the relatively pitching friendly Northwest League, that results in a still well above average 67 ERA- and very impressive 33 ERA-. If you add in the other two leagues, it adds up to a 5.52 ERA, 96 ERA- along with a 4.87 FIP and an 87 FIP-.

Regardless, the stat that stands out to me the most is his high rate of strikeouts (K/9, SO%) along with relatively low walk rates. In high-a Hillsboro he struck out 37.3% of batters he faced while walking only 5.9% of batters. In AA Amarillo he struck out 25% percent of batters for a 11.37 K/9

I am not really sure if the D-backs intend on keeping Marriott as a starter, and to be honest, considering how limited his innings have been, does he actually qualify as one? He has technically started 15 out of the 19 games he’s played in, but has only pitched 51⅔ innings. While Marriott doesn’t have blow me away velocity, he has the arsenal of pitches to work as a starter.

Looking at Marriott’s pitch mix, he shows a natural feel for spin and the ability to command his breaking balls with big movement profiles. Marriott’s fastball is a generic-looking four-seamer that sits in the 94-96 mph, but it is a very hittable pitch. He’s going to need to find a better shape for his fastball if wants to continue finding success as he moves up the ladder of professional baseball. 

As far as his secondary pitches go, he has three above-average pitches. The best in the trio of secondaries is a low 80s curveball with a 2700+ RPM spin rate and a heavy two-plane break Marriott also mixes in a mid-80s sweeper and a high-80s changeup, but they’re used much less frequently, although latter is an excellent pitch for keeping the ball on the ground.

Based on watching a couple of his outings and looking at his career fielding statistics he’s a competent above average fielder on the mound.

Conclusions

Of the four pitchers, Junior Ciprian might be one of the safer bets if he continues to develop like he has. Aracena has great stuff and will eventually find success if he can be a little more consistent hitting the strikezone. Junior Sanchez lacks the raw stuff but has everything else. Finally, Mason Marriott is gonna need to be stretched out as a starter; but he has the stuff to he successful as reliever.

Next time we’ll look at the final handful of pitching prospects that have shown potential, but didn’t make the cut here for whatever reason.

If you overlook a four-hour rain delay and miserable fall football weather that lasted throughout the three-hour game, Sunday’s 8-1 crushing of the Detroit Tigers was unqualified joy from first pitch to final out.

In beating Detroit in three of four games, the White Sox remained just one game behind Cleveland heading into a significant matchup advantage in the penultimate series of the season: The Guardians travel to 84-win Boston, Chicago to 67-win Kansas City. Cleveland swept the Athletics over the weekend, widening its lead on the White Sox by a half-game.

Battling the rough conditions of soggy grounds and drizzle, the White Sox grinded out an opening tally after a walk from Colson Montgomery, a fielder’s choice out at second base off the bat of Chase Meidroth, and Meidroth turning a pickoff into a stolen base. Up came Braden Montgomery, who smashed a 102 mph grounder past nonplussed Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson that the soggy field grounded to a halt before it could be picked up:

Or, perhaps you would like the Japanese call of the eventual game-winning RBI?

For a brief time, given the fall mist it appeared that the single run would have to hold up, with a nod to the low-scoring affair just north at Soldier Field this afternoon. But at just about the time the Good Guys accepted the fact that they’d be running around in soggy underwear for a couple more hours, they took their discomfort out on the baseball.

In the fourth inning, the runs came via more grinding: ANOTHER Colson base on balls and a two-out single from Brenton Doyle put runners on the corners. Screamin’ Sam Antonacci stepped to the plate, fresh off of a dogged fly ball pursuit that lured him almost to the infield, and the wild man took a two-strike slider off his toes and onto the scoreboard:

Kyle Teel added an RBI single from there, and the rout was on. One inning later, the White Sox piled on with a two-run shot from Meidroth into the teeth of a wind biting in from left field.

Now, just because this played out as an easy win doesn’t mean there weren’t some head-scratching moves from melting manager Will Venable. Caring not for the fact that his bullpen is absolutely gassed while starter Davis Martin is relatively fresh after a few-week vacation in August, Will trotted out after a Martin K to start the fifth, summoning Hagen Smith for what, at this juncture, was garbage-time work. Smith rose to the unnecessary occasion, you might say, by walking two to hand Detroit a rally. Thankfully, the lefty phenom bounced back with a nail-biting whiff of hot Bengals rookie Hao-Yu Lee and a broken-bat tapper to first from Riley Greene.

Huascar Brazobán, Trevor Richards and Luis Castillo held things down well enough to end it, while the White Sox piled on even more in the eighth, as two singles and a walk packed the sacks and another free pass and a sac fly brought two more scores in to arrive at the 8-1 finals.

Another head-scratcher came at the start of the Sox eighth, as Tommy Pham (his suiting up for the White Sox in an of itself, a head-scratcher) slapped a pinch-hit single to start the inning and was replaced on the bases by … injured center fielder Tristan Peters, for some reason pressed into action up five rather than enjoying a full day of rest and off-day Monday to rev up for the final six contests. And sure, why not insert Peters into left field to finish out the game?

But, all’s well that ends, and this one ended 8-1, landing the White Sox one win from their first non-losing season in three years and two wins from their first winning campaign in four.

After Monday’s off-day, it’s three games in Kansas City and three back home to take on the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies. Don’t forget to scoreboard watch the jagbag Guardians tomorrow, as they are ready to be overwhelmed by the Boston Red Sox.

---

MVP
Davis Martin: 4 ⅓ IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K, removed from the game at 70 pitches, 18.1% WPA; he gonna start on three days’ rest from here?

Runners-Up
Sam Antonacci: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, SB, 17.1% WPA
Braden Montgomery: 2-for-4, RBI, 2B, 8.4% WPA
Colson Montgomery: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB
Miguel Vargas: 1-for-2, R, 3 BB, K
Munetaka Murakami: 0-for-2, RBI, BB, K

Cold Cat
Will Venable: Goofy choices in a win, but hey at least it’s a win

Runners-Up
Brenton Doyle: 1-for-4, R, K
Andrew Benintendi: 0-for-2, K
Randal Grichuk: 0-for-2, RBI, SF
Hagen Smith: ⅔ IP, 2 BB, K, 8-of-18 strikes
Trevor Richards: 2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K

On a blustery, wet Sunday evening in Chicago, Troy Melton struggled through a shaky outing and left in the fourth with an apparent injury. The Tigers didn’t swing the bats that well, though they had their chances, but the bullpen crumbled in the middle innings to put this one out of reach. The Tigers lost 8-1, with the White Sox taking three of four in the series.

Troy Melton was looking to get back on track after a little rough stretch on Sunday. After missing the first 10 weeks of the season with elbow trouble, the right-hander was great until late August, but recently looks like he’s running out of gas as he nears 130 total innings on the year. The White Sox sent a reasonably good right-hander in Davis Martin to oppose him. This one was delayed for four hours due to rain, but there was nothing to do but wait as this game had to be completed for its playoff implications. Most of the game was dogged by a steady drizzle that made things tricky for both pitchers.

Martin had an easy time of it in the top of the first. Kevin McGonigle grounded out, Gleyber Torres struck out, and Hao-Yu Lee flew out to right field.

Sam Antonacci burned a challenge as the first White Sox hitter of the game, but he singled to Brett Callahan in right field. Melton got Kyle Teel whiffing on a slider that was tipped into the glove, but first the Sox catcher burned their second challenge and they were out of challenges two batters into the game. Melton blew Vargas away with a good heater, but then clipped Munetaka Murakami with a curveball. So it was first and second with two outs for Andrew Benintendi, who pulled a hot one-hopper to first. Spencer Torkelson knocked it down, collected it, and flipped to Melton to refute the White Sox threat.

Rain was pretty steadily coming down in the top of the second. Riley Greene took a called third strike to start the inning. Eduardo Valencia pulled a sharp groundball single into left field. Max Clark showed bunt and then pulled it back first pitch, taking a curveball for a strike. He fouled off a heater but chopped one to second for a force of Valencia. A 3-2 slider to Torkelson backed up and hit him in the back, and so it was two on, two outs for Callahan. The corner outfielder was hunting a breaking ball as Martin continued to lean on his curve and slider, and he crushed a ball to right field that looked gone off the bat, but the wind and water knocked it down at the wall for the final out.

Melton was spraying it again to start the second inning, walking Colson Montgomery to start the inning. Chase Meidroth bounced into a force at second base. With Braden Montgomery at the plate, Melton spun and tried a pickoff throw but slipped on the muddy mound. Meidroth broke for second and Melton heard his teammates but auto fired to first, allowing Meidroth to reach. Melton was clearly irritated with himself, with the mound, shaking off Valencia repeatedly, and then trying to calm himself down. In a 3-2 count, he hung a slider up and Montgomery pulled a hard grounder past Torkelson for an RBI single. 1-0 White Sox. Brenton Doyle flew out to Clark on a sliding catch for the second out. A first pitch cutter to Antonacci drew a sharp comebacker but Melton snared it and flipped to first to end the inning.

The third started with Martin walking John Peck, turning the Tigers lineup over. McGonigle worked a full count, but swung a bit late at a cutter up and away to strike out. Peck tried to steal second and Teel’s throw was in the dirt, but Meidroth picked it and got the tag down in the nick of time. Torres flew out to end the frame.

Teel flew out to start the bottom of the third, but Melton walked Vargas. He bounced back to punch out Murakami with a good slider in the zone and was doing his best to battle. Benintendi worked a full count, but Melton snapped off a great curveball to whiff him and end the inning. Still 1-0 White Sox.

Martin locked up Lee with a curveball to start the fourth. Greene lifted a high fly to left and the thick, wet air knocked it down right behind the shortstop Montgomery, who didn’t even attempt to make a play. Instead, Antonacci had to run full tilt in toward the dirt and making a diving catch. Valencia lined a single to center and a passed ball got him to second. Clark walked, and so it was up to the bottom of the Tigers’ lineup to even this one up. Torkelson battled into a full count, but took a slider for strike three.

Melton walked Colson Montgomery to open the bottom of the fourth, still struggling to spot his stuff to a degree. Meidroth lined out to Peck for the first out. Brayden Montgomery grounded out to Lee at third, but Torres was late to get to second base and they settled for the out at first. A 2-2 slider to Antonacci was ripped to right field and just died in the wet grass. Both runners scored, and the left fielder cruised into second base. 3-0 White Sox.

Things got worse, as Melton missed with a first pitch sinker to Teel. He looked uncomfortable, and Valencia and Chris Fetter both came out to the mound, and then called for AJ Hinch and the trainers. Melton left the game, and he did shake out his arm a bit two pitches earlier, and seemed to keep extending it as he left the field with the trainer. Nothing to do but hope for the best there as he was no doubt cranking his grips in the rainy conditions. Either way, his season is over.

Tyler Holton made haste to get ready, but immediately gave up a single to Teel that scored Antonacci. 4-0 White Sox. Holton then walked Vargas, bringing Murakami to the dish, but after a long battle, Holton walked him as well. Randal Grichuk entered as a pinch-hitter for Benintendi, and still the steady drizzle continued as he flew out to Clark in center field.

Callahan started the fifth with a solid single into right field. Peck struck out, but that was the end of the day for Martin. Will Venable turned to tough lefty Hagen Smith to tackle McGonigle. Instead, Smith walked McGonigle to put two on for Torres. Smith got ahead of Torres 0-1, but back to back challenges for Torres were correct, making it a 2-1 count, and the Tigers second baseman walked to load the bases. And then Lee struck out and Greene swung first pitch and grounded out to strand everyone. Great work, guys.

Ty Madden took over in the bottom half, and promptly gave up a single to Colson Montgomery, and then a two-run shot to left off the bat of Meidroth. He cleaned up the rest of the inning, but it was 6-0 White Sox.

Right-hander Huascar Brazobán entered in the sixth. He got a fly out from Valencia, and Clark popped up on the infield. Torkelson got ahead 2-0 and pulled one into the left field corner for a double, but Callahan grounded out to first.

Teel flew out to start the bottom half. Vargas popped one foul into foul territory near the visitor’s dugout but Torkelson just dropped it. Madden then walked Vargas, balked him to second, and then had his foot slip again, bouncing a wild pitch to get him to third. Murakami grounded one sharply to Torres at second, and Vargas had to hold at third. So it was two outs, man on third with Grichuk up, and he flew out to Clark to end the inning.

Trevor Richards tossed a 1-2-3 top of the seventh.

Callahan made a great diving catch down the right field line to retire Colson Montgomery in the bottom half. Meidroth struck out, but Brayden Montgomery slashed a single to left. Doyle drove a ball hard out to center, but Clark had a really good jump on it and handled it easily.

Richards was still on in the eighth, and he got Lee to fly out to right. Riley Greene followed with a double to right, and Valencia singled up the middle to get Greene to third. Max Clark lifted a sacrifice fly to score Greene to make it a 6-1 game, but after Torkelson walked, Callahan flew out to end the top of the eighth.

Brant Hurter took over in the bottom of the eighth. Tommy Pham hit for Antonacci and singled. He was then lifted for pinch-runner Tristan Peters. Good work if you can get it. A brief calm in the weather in the seventh quickly came to an end as the rain and wind picked up again.

Hurter walked Teel, and Vargas reached on a grounder to third that Lee couldn’t make a play on. Hurter walked Murakami to force in a run. Grichuk lifted a sacrifice fly to score Teel. Colson Montgomery flew out, and Meidroth struck out to end the inning. 8-1 White Sox.

Veteran starter Luis Castillo entered to finish this off in the top of the ninth as Venable was desperately trying to get some of his middle relievers a day off. John Peck popped out, and McGonigle flew out to leave it up to Gleyber Torres. The veteran second baseman fouled off a slew of two-strike pitches before whiffing on a heater to end it.

The Tigers are now eliminated officially from postseason contention. They come home for the final week of the season against the Nationals and then the Pirates. Top prospect River Ryan will make his Tigers debut on Monday night in Comerica Park against the Nationals, with Keider Montero slated to take over after a short outing for Ryan.

White Sox 8, Tigers 1: Box Score

After the game, Troy Melton reported some “achyness” in his throwing arm, per A.J. Hinch.

Troy Melton reported “achyness” in his arm, A.J. Hinch said. He’ll get further examination.

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) September 21, 2026

PHOENIX — There was no music. Just a smattering of idle clubhouse chatter. The New York Yankees weren’t even in the mood to turn on the big-screen TV on Sunday to check on their fantasy football teams.

The Yankees, who lost 8-4 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, came to grips with reality after their latest loss, and now are faced with the inevitable.

They’re going to have no choice but to watch the Tampa Bay Rays celebrate the AL East title on their home field this week.

The Rays (95-90), who have a six-game lead with six games remaining, need to win just one of the next four scheduled games at Yankee Stadium, including a doubleheader on Tuesday, to celebrate their first AL East title since 2021.

The way the Rays have played all season, they just might be celebrating their first World Series title in October, too.

“You know, it’s tough,’’ Yankees infielder/outfielder Jose Caballero said. “We fight for the whole season, but at the end of the day, we’re already in the postseason. So that’s what we look forward to, and just be better and learn from little mistakes.’’

The Yankees (89-66) have been looking up at the Rays in the standings since June 28, so it’s hardly stunning they didn’t win the division. Yet, they always circled this week on the calendar believing that they could use the four-game series to finally vault ahead of the Rays.

Realistically, it will be nothing more than tune-up games for their best-of-three wild-card series beginning Sept. 29 against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, with the winner playing the powerful Rays in a best-of-five series.

“You got to make sure guys are in a good spot going in, you know …’’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “But first things first is we’re going to show up Tuesday and try and kick their butts. I mean, simple as that. And then I’ll do what I think is best for the club and for the guys trying to get ready.

“We’ve been through a lot as a team already, and we’ve answered the bell, mostly all of the turns, and looking forward to playing a good week of baseball and building some momentum going into the postseason.’’

If it means limiting Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler and other pitchers in their next starts, they’ll do it. Why pitch their high-leverage relievers in consecutive games? If position players need a day off, they’ll get it. There’s no reason to take any unnecessary risk at this juncture.

The Yankees even shut down reliever Clarke Schmidt when he was warming up in the bullpen to enter the game in the sixth inning on Sunday. He felt tightness in his biceps, so they stopped his warmups, and immediately had him checked out. Everything was fine, but they still will have him see their own doctors on Monday.

“You know, he checked out pretty well afterwards and all of the strength tests,’’ Boone said. “So, I’m hoping it’s not a big deal, but enough to not have him go into the game, so we’ll see what we have there.’’

Schmidt, who just returned Wednesday for the first time in 14 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery, called it “precautionary’’ considering his lengthy absence.

“Obviously, given the circumstance coming back from the surgery,’’ Schmidt said, “I don’t want to push through anything. But all of the testing was fine. Nothing with the shoulder. Nothing with the elbow. It was more like a cramping-type feeling. …

“In the previous days, I’ve been feeling very strong, so just kind of very, very minor.’’

The Yankees, who are expected to have infielder Jazz Chisholm (sprained thumb) back Tuesday, and perhaps center fielder Trent Grisham (hamstring strain) before the playoffs, certainly have a bigger concern: the health of Aaron Judge. The Yankees have no idea whether he’ll be able to rejoin the team, but he’ll continue to undergo treatment in hopes he can be back sometime during the postseason.

“The first thing we’re focused on is getting Aaron healthy,’’ Boone said, “and hopefully we can get him back in the mix, in some way, shape or form.’’

In the meantime, the Yankees have a wild-card series to win against Boston, and then, a division series matchup against the Rays.

“Now, it’s a race to the title,’’ Cabrera said. “They [the Rays] play their game and it’s kind of tough to play them playing the way they play. They did a good job during the whole year, and pitching wise as well, so that’s why they lead the American League.

“But at the end of the day, it’s about what we do in the postseason. The 162 first games doesn’t matter. Now, it starts in the postseason.’’

The Yankees have to get past the Red Sox first, of course, but they’d love to take their chances and take down what has been the best team in the American League.

“They’ve put together a great season to this point,’’ Boone said, “and they’ve put themselves in great position. You’ve got to respect the season they had so far.

“Hopefully, we’ll cross paths beyond Tuesday at some point.’’

Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees will have to watch Rays celebrate AL East title on home field

The superstar is on the injured list. But his team is hopeful he will be able to play in the postseason. Sound familiar?

But this isn’t about Shohei Ohtani; it’s about Aaron Judge.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will head into the playoffs this year considerably more unsettled than usual: Ohtani has problems with his right arm and left knee; the bullpen is a mess; the inconsistent offense has started hitting — but against awful teams. Which makes them like pretty much every other contender.

Every postseason-bound team is banged up or has something wrong, starting with the Dodgers’ potential World Series opponents, the New York Yankees.

The Yankees spent the majority of the summer without Judge, who barely hit in the six games he played after he was activated from the injured list earlier this month. Judge is now back on the IL with a calf strain and the team isn’t making any promises about how much he’ll play in October, if at all.

“We’re going to get him back, or we’re not,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters. “That’s what we’re going to work to do, and we’ll see.”

As the likely No. 2 seed in the National League, the Dodgers are expected to earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. They are lined up to take on the No. 3 seed Atlanta Braves or one of the three wild-card teams in the divisional round — potentially the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres or Chicago Cubs.

Every one of their NLDS opponents have their own problems.

With former All-Star Spencer Strider sidelined with elbow problems, the Braves don’t have much starting pitching outside of Chris Sale.

The Braves had a deal in place to acquire Jacob deGrom from the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline, but the two-time Cy Young Award winner invoked the no-trade provision in his contract and blocked the exchange.

DeGrom’s decision might have decided the fate of the Braves, who ended up with Tyler Mahle as their only midseason starting pitching acquisition. Mahle has outpitched expectations since his move from the San Francisco Giants, but he didn’t have a season earned-run average of under four until last week.

If there was a rotation that figured to give the Dodgers trouble, it was the Phillies’, which included two electric left-handers in Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sanchez. But Luzardo is now on the IL with shoulder inflammation and Sanchez has a 4.70 ERA over his last six starts.

The Phillies also have issues in their bullpen, as they have encountered more and more difficulty getting the ball into hands of closer Jhoan Duran. Setup man Jonathan Bowlan has been particularly atrocious this month, posting a 6.75 ERA and allowing runs in five of his seven appearances.

With Mason Miller as their closer, the Padres have one of the best bullpens in baseball. The Padres don’t blow many late-game leads, but can they build one against competent opposition in the postseason? 

They have Michael King in their rotation, followed by Nick Pivetta, who has started only seven games this season because of elbow problems; followed by Casey Mize, who has a 6.64 ERA since the Padres acquired him from the Tigers; followed by Robbie Rays, who has a 5.52 ERA since his move from the Giants.

At least the Padres have a No. 1 starter.

The Cubs have the best player in baseball this season in Pete Crow-Armstrong, but they might have to send Clay Holmes to the mound in their postseason opener. Acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Mets, Holmes has a 4.26 ERA in eight starts for the Cubs.

That’s still better than the team’s other trade-deadline prize, Kevin Gausman, who was bad for the Blue Jays and now even worse for the Cubs. 

The Cubs could have an even greater problem now: Third baseman Alex Bregman was struck in the face with a foul ball standing in the on-deck circle Sunday. He was sent to a nearby hospital for X-rays and a CT scan, according to multiple reports.

The Brewers have the best record in the major leagues, but they don’t look invincible, either. Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson are their only two starting pitchers with ERAs under four. 

Their recent postseason record indicates their teams are also better-suited for the regular season. Case in point: They were swept by the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series last year.

None of this makes the Dodgers’ concerns less real.

The reality is they don’t know what Ohtani will be able to give them in October. They have to keep a close eye on Blake Snell after he departed his most recent start after one inning. And they still have to figure out who they have and don’t have in their bullpen.

But they aren’t alone.

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