Category: Baseball

Jonah Tong earned the win in his first big league start of 2026, as the Mets bested the Marlins 9-4 in this series opener at loanDepot Park by taking advantage of some shoddy defensive work by Miami.

The Mets handed Tong a lead to work with right away, assisted heavily by the Marlins’ defense. With one out, Juan Soto lined a single up the middle that narrowly missed hitting Eury Pérez, which would have been potentially catastrophic given how hard the ball was struck. Bo Bichette then hit a grounder to second and rather than getting the sure out at first, Javier Sanoja tried to get the lead runner Soto at second, but he threw wildly and the ball went sailing into left field and all the way into foul territory, allowing Soto to score all the way from second base for the game’s first run and Bichette to reach second. Pérez then walked Carson Benge, but got Marcus Semien to fly out to right for the second out. Benge then stole second base and the Marlins made their second costly errant throw of the inning when catcher Joe Mack sailed the throw into center field, allowing Bichette to score. Benge advanced to third on the error, but Pérez managed to limit the damage to just the two runs by getting A.J. Ewing to ground out to end the inning.

Jonah Tong responded by striking out the side in the bottom of the first to send the offense right back out there and they scored for Tong again. In fact, the Mets scored in each of five of the first six innings of the game. With one out, Brett Baty scorched a double to the gap in left-center. Nick Morabito then laced a single up the middle to score Baty and extend the Mets’ lead to 3-0. The Mets would load the bases on walks to Soto and Bichette, but Pérez once again managed to limit the damage.

Tong’s only tough inning came in the bottom of the second. Things started promisingly enough when he struck out Otto López—not an easy man to strike out—for his fourth straight K. But then things unraveled for Tong rather quickly. He gave up a single to Jakob Marsee for the Marlins’ first hit and Sanoja made up for his earlier defensive miscue with a triple to plate Miami’s first run. Tong then walked Owen Caissie and Grant Pauley socked a three-run homer to put the Marlins in front. Tong stopped the bleeding there, retiring the next two batters—the latter via another strikeout—but he had coughed up the early lead the Mets had given him.

However, the Marlins’ lead was short-lived, as the Mets tied the game in the third and took the lead in the fourth, after which they didn’t look back. Marcus Semien led off the third inning with a double and then the Mets benefited from another lapse in the field by the Marlins when A.J. Ewing hit a grounder between first and second on which Griffin Conine made a nice diving stop, but Eury Pérez failed to get over to cover first base, allowing Ewing to reach safely. Ewing eventually gave the out back by getting picked off and not staying in the rundown long enough to score Semien, who had advanced to third on the play. However, now without a runner on first, the Marlins brought their infield in and Francisco Alvarez hit a sharp grounder past the drawn in infield for a game-tying single. Tong only needed six pitches to retire the Marlins in the bottom of the third and the Mets put up a crooked number in his favor in the fourth—again with some help from the Marlins’ defense. Francisco Lindor led things off by blooping a single in front of a diving Caissie. Soto then hit a screamer right at López, but the 111 mph rope ate him up and deflected off of him into center field, advancing Lindor to third. Bo Bichette then laced an opposite field single to drive in Lindor and retake the lead 5-4. It looked like Pérez was poised to avoid a big inning again, as he bounced back to get Carson Benge to ground into a fielder’s choice at second and Semien to pop out in foul territory. But then A.J. Ewing, who continues to break out of his slump, blooped a double just fair down the left field line to score both runners and extend the Mets’ lead to 7-4.

Tong delivered another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth as he settled into the game and Cade Gibson came in the game in relief of Pérez for the Marlins and provided a rare scoreless frame for Miami. All told, Pérez gave up an unsightly seven runs on ten hits in just four innings. Only five of those runs were earned, but one could certainly argue that an even greater proportion were due to defensive plays that weren’t called errors, but should have been made. Meanwhile, Tong worked around a one-out hit by pitch in the fifth to become the pitcher of record and got handshakes in the dugout for a start the final line of which looked a lot worse than it actually was. In reality, the outing amounted to one bad inning that Tong managed to battle through and still keep his team in the game, striking out seven batters while walking only one.

The Mets piled on in the sixth against Josh Ekness. With one out, Carson Benge singled to right. Marcus Semien then laced a double down the left field line to drive him in and Ewing followed with a single to score Semien and make it a 9-4 game in the Mets’ favor. Ekness threw a wild pitch to advance Ewing to second and walked Francisco Alvarez before retiring Baty and Morabito to end the inning. The Marlins threatened in the bottom of the sixth against Dedniel Núñez when López and Jakob Marsee reached via back-to-back infield singles, but Marcus Semien made an excellent play on a grounder by Sanoja to turn a 4-4-3 double play. Núñez then struck out Caissie to escape the inning unscathed.

Chris Devenski was tasked with the bottom of the seventh for the Mets and worked around a hit by pitch and wild pitch with a couple of strikeouts to keep the Marlins off the board. Meanwhile, Bradley Blalock worked two scoreless innings for the Marlins in relief. Daniel Duarte pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning for the Mets in his first outing in five days. The Mets loaded the bases in the top of the ninth with nobody out against Blalock in his third inning of relief on a walk and two choppers by Morabito and Lindor that both went for infield hits, but then Soto hit a sharp grounder to Sanoja and this time the drawn in infield was to the Marlins’ benefit, as Sanoja whipped an excellent throw home for the first out and Soto was thrown out at first for the double play. Sanoja followed that great play with another web gem when Bo Bichette followed with a grounder up the middle on which Sanoja made a leaping throw to get Bichette by a stride at first.

Austin Warren was able to bounce back from his rough outing against the Giants to pitch a scoreless ninth inning to cap off four scoreless innings of relief for the Mets’ bullpen to seal the victory. He issued a leadoff walk to Javier Sanoja, but struck out the next two batters Caissie and Pauley looking and then picked Sanoja off first base to end the game.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Bo Bichette, +26% WPA
Big Mets loser: Jonah Tong, -15% WPA
Mets pitchers: -8% WPA
Mets hitters: +58% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: A.J. Ewing’s RBI double in the fifth, +18.2% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Grant Pauley’s go-ahead three-run homer off Jonah Tong in the second, -22.5% WPA

The Mets racked up 16 hits to take the first game of a three-game series against the Miami Marlins, 9-4, on Monday afternoon.

Here are the key takeaways...

-- New York took advantage of some poor defense by Miami in the first inning, scoring two unearned runs. Juan Soto was able to score from first base on Bo Bichette's grounder to second, as Javier Sanoja sailed the throw into no-man's land in left field. Bichette later scored easily from third base to make it 2-0 on another throwing error, this time by catcher Joe Mack trying to get Carson Benge stealing second base.

-- Brett Baty ripped a double to center field with one out in the second inning, giving him four straight games with an extra-base hit. He then came around to score on Nick Morabito's single to extend the lead to 3-0. 

-- Jonah Tong, making his first start of the season, allowed four runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and one walk over 5.0 IP (87 pitches).

Tong struck out the side in the first inning, becoming just the third Met to do it this year (joining Freddy Peralta and Nolan McLean). Although, the second inning was the complete opposite. He struck out his fourth straight to open the frame, but then let up a single, RBI-triple, walk, and three-run HR to Graham Pauley as the Marlins took a 4-3 lead.

The 23-year-old rebounded with a 1-2-3 third inning, followed by four-batter fourth and fifth innings to be in place for the win.

--The Mets fought back in the third inning as Marcus Semien won an ABS challenge to extend his at-bat and doubled, then A.J. Ewing reached first on an infield single to give them runners on the corners. Ewing made a rookie mistake and was caught in rundown trying to steal second, although Semien stayed at third base. Francisco Alvarez then came through and drove him in to tie it up at 4-4.

The top three of the order recorded three straight singles in the fourth, as Bichette earned the RBI and put New York back up, 5-4. Ewing made up for his mistake earlier, slicing a two-out, two-run double down the left field line to push the lead to 7-4.

-- After Benge singled with one out in the sixth, Semien drove him in with an RBI-double. Ewing added on again with an RBI-single, extending the lead to 9-4.

-- New York's bullpen carried the baton after Tong's day was done: Dedniel Núñez, Chris Devenski, Daniel Duarte, and Austin Warren combined to throw four scoreless innings of relief, allowing just two hits (both against Núñez). Warren capped it off with an impressive pick off to Baty at first to end the game.

Game MVP: A.J. Ewing

The rookie recorded his first three-hit game since Aug. 7, going 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI.

Highlights 

Bad fundies by the Marlins and Juan Soto comes all the way around to score from first on the throwing error! pic.twitter.com/evRWDggEom

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

The Mets score their second run of the inning on another Marlins throwing error pic.twitter.com/ynbcnksekZ

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

Jonah Tong strikes out the first batter he faces today pic.twitter.com/LDpPm4WhPW

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

Jonah Tong gets two more Ks to strike out the side in the first! pic.twitter.com/NTIrLGYnNu

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

A fourth-straight game with an extra-base hit for Brett Baty!

It's his 20th double of the season pic.twitter.com/AIMSXKP57X

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

Nick Morabito with an RBI single and moves up to second on the throw! pic.twitter.com/ApBEo4tkt9

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

Francisco Alvarez ties the game at 4-4 with an RBI single pic.twitter.com/kqm70eaSS1

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

Bo Bichette drives in Francisco Lindor to give the Mets a 5-4 lead pic.twitter.com/l8q1DKd3UF

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

A.J. Ewing slices a double the other way to drive in a pair to give the Mets a 7-4 lead! pic.twitter.com/BeaPWioVGp

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

Marcus Semien with an RBI double as Carson Benge scores all the way from first! pic.twitter.com/hLbKKVXd8k

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

A.J. Ewing with his third hit and third RBI of the day to make it 9-4 Mets! pic.twitter.com/b5AUOTctrt

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

Austin Warren picks off Javier Sanoja to end the game! pic.twitter.com/i0Hei9rscw

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 7, 2026

Upcoming Schedule

The Mets and Marlins continue their three-game series in Miami on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. on SNY.

Sean Manaea (4-7, 4.70 ERA) takes the mound against Sandy Alcantara (13-9, 3.54 ERA).

Washington Nationals (67-78) at San Diego Padres (75-68), September 7, 2026, 2:10 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Harry Potter Day 🪄 pic.twitter.com/ASQcbTQOmG

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 7, 2026

🌴

→ https://t.co/HyMhWpLQbBpic.twitter.com/QYoRaJ35GS

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 7, 2026

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In 143 games this season, the Colorado Rockies have 146 pinch-hit at-bats. While the PH lineup changes have only happened in 92 games, meaning there are often multiple pinch hitters per game, the approach marks a massive change in Colorado.

Over the last five seasons, the Rockies have trended upward on MLB leaderboards for pinch-hit at-bats. Since 2022, here’s where Colorado has ranked:

• 2022 — 30
• 2023 — 16
• 20204 — T-28
• 2025 — 14
• 2026 — 5

The difference is drastic to move from last in MLB to fifth.

Obviously, this coincides with Warren Schaeffer taking over as manager. Being put in charge after 40 games in 2025, Schaeffer immediately increased how often the Rockies used a pinch hitter. In his first season, in 122 games, plus the 40 from Bud Black, the Rockies did very well in the pinch-hitting department. As a team, they slashed .260/.325/.442 with 27 hits, five homers, and 16 RBIs.

This season, the Rockies have already pinch hit in eight more games and had 42 more at-bats than they did in 2025, but they aren’t quite seeing the same production at .233/.285/.308. Those numbers are well below Colorado’s team batting line of .254/.324/.417.

Season	G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2026	92	146	34	8	0	1	15	8	53	.233	.285	.308	.593
2025	84	104	27	2	1	5	16	9	33	.260	.325	.442	.767
2024	54	61	13	3	1	5	15	5	18	.213	.269	.541	.810
2023	75	98	24	6	0	1	24	6	36	.245	.280	.337	.617
2022	34	29	8	2	0	1	10	60	10	.276	.389	.448	.837

At the same time, the 34 hits are tied for the second-most in MLB, while ranking No. 5 in at-bats.

Across baseball, whether it’s the pressure or not being in the groove of the game or the fact that pinch hitters are usually bench players, pinch hitters don’t have as good of numbers as everyday players. The median batting average is .209. The Rockies batting average is in the top half at No. 11, the OBP and slugging are both in the lower half at No. 19.

Schaeffer has used 19 different pinch hitters this season, so the sample size is pretty small per player.

Troy Johnston is the most often-used pinch hitter and he’s gone 5-for-15 with two doubles, three RBI, two walks and seven strikeouts. The best pich hitter overall is the Rockies best hitter in TJ Rumfield, who’s gone 4-for-8 with a double and two RBI. No surprise there — whatever the situation is, Rumfield rakes.

Player	G	AB	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
Troy Johnston	18	15	5	2	0	3	2	7	.333	.444	.467
Braxton Fulford	14	14	2	1	0	3	0	8	.143	.143	.214
Edouard Julien*	15	13	2	0	0	0	1	6	.154	.267	.154
Mickey Moniak	13	12	2	0	0	0	1	3	.167	.231	.167
Jordan Beck	13	11	3	1	0	0	2	4	.273	.385	.364
Tyler Freeman	10	10	2	1	0	1	0	1	.200	.200	.300
Willi Castro	8	8	1	0	0	0	0	4	.125	.125	.125
Kyle Karros	8	8	3	1	1	1	0	1	.375	.375	.875
TJ Rumfield	8	8	4	1	0	2	0	0	.500	.500	.625
Zac Veen	9	8	3	1	0	2	0	4	.375	.444	.500
Hunter Goodman	8	7	1	0	0	1	0	4	.143	.143	.143
Brett Sullivan	7	7	1	0	0	0	0	1	.143	.143	.143
Cole Carrigg	6	6	1	0	0	0	0	4	.167	.167	.167
Brenton Doyle*	6	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333

In the Rockies 10-8 loss on Sunday, Hunter Goodman, Connor Norby, and Zac Veen all pinch hit and did fairly well. In the ninth inning, Goodman was hit by a pitch, and Veen singled. Both came around to score when Jake McCarthy hit a single. Norby went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, but the pinch hitters did their job in the final frame.

Perhaps the best pinch-hit performance came on June 11 when rookie Sterlin Thompon connected for a PH single to help the Rockies walk-off the Cubs 3-2.

The Rockies have an impressive history when it comes to pinch hitters. John Vander Wal set the MLB record at the time when he recorded 28 pinch hits in 1995 for the Rockies. Pat Valakia became a fan favorite in 2017 when he posted 12 extra base hits and drove in 16 runs as a PH. In 2019, Raimel Tapia hit not one, but two pinch hit grand slams. For Vander Wal and Valakia, they were important pieces of playoff teams.

While the Rockies numbers may not jump off the board, they are decent. Perhaps more importantly, Colorado is establishing itself as a team that plays to analytics to favor the matchup and the moment by using pinch hitters. As they slowly improve as a team, perhaps they can find their next Vander Wal or Valakia. Maybe that guy is already in the Rockies organization.

Only more at-bats will tell.

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Let's kick off this Monday off with three of my favorite home run props and predictions for today's MLB slate.

Find out why I am backing Jackson Merrill, Kody Clemens and Rafael Devers. 

Here are my favorite MLB picks for Monday, Sept. 7.

MLB home run props for today

For help understanding Polymarket probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Home run prediction: Jackson Merrill (18%)

A guy I don’t think I have laid coin on since he was a rookie, but San Diego Padres young star Jackson Merrill is in a great spot this evening against Washington Nationals right-hander Jake Irvin.

Merrill looks ice-cold on the surface, but his underlying metrics suggest he is ready to explode. He owns a .750 xSLG while generating a near-70% hard-hit rate and a near-20% barrel rate over his last 10 games.

Against the last 60 left-handed hitters he has faced, Irvin is allowing nearly 60% hard hit and a 53.8% elevation rate, while those hitters have posted a .324 xBA and .475 xSLG 

I’m taking a shot on Merrill tonight.

• Time: 5:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SDPA, NATS

Home run prediction: Kody Clemens (17%)

That is right, we are backing The Rocket's son to leave the yard this afternoon. Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens finds himself in a boom spot against Detroit Tigers right-hander Troy Melton, who has struggled in his last three starts. Melton has a 5.71 xERA, allowing a 44%+ hard-hit rate and nearly 12% barrel rate during that stretch.

Over his last 10 games, Clemens has a .515 SLG, .710 xSLG and .273 ISO, while producing a 53.6% hard-hit rate and 14.3% barrel rate. The 30-year-old enters with an elite rating on Batters-Box, covering 95.8% of Melton's pitches.

This season, Clemens has homered in 30% of his 30 elite-rating games. With a sample that big, those are trends you can trust.

• Time: 3:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: DSN, MNNT

Home run prediction: Rafael Devers (20%)

Easily one of my favorite overall looks this evening, as San Francisco Giants slugger Rafael Devers is in yet another boom spot against St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Michael McGreevy.

Devers enters with one of the highest matchup ratings on Batters-Box this evening, covering more than 87% of McGreevy’s pitch mix. The last 30 left-handed hitters McGreevy has faced are generating a 13% barrel rate and 30.4% ground-ball rate while owning a .282 xBA and .473 SLG.

The 29-year-old has been making a ton of hard contact as of late. He has also maintained a .923 SLG and .538 ISO while producing a near-70% hard-hit rate and 27% barrel rate over his last 10 games.

With all that being said, this is easily one of my favorite long-ball looks this evening. Take it down to 24%.

• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBC/Peacock

Best home run combo for Sept. 7

Want more baseball parlays? Check out our MLB parlay picks page!

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Jesús Luzardo put the Phillies on his back, as he tossed a two-hit, complete game shutout in a 1-0 win to split this four-game series with the Braves. It’s the first time Luzardo has ever even recorded an out in the ninth inning in his career, let alone throwing a complete game. He dazzled the Atlanta hitters with 12 strikeouts and allowed only two singles, a hit batter, and one walk in the way of baserunners. His sweeper was particularly devastating, as he collected 12 whiffs on 41 pitches. Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber launched his 43rd home run of the season in the eighth to provide all the offense the Phillies and Luzardo needed on the day.

Masterful

Luzardo was in control right from the start of the game, as he didn’t allow a baserunner until hitting Austin Riley in the foot with a sweeper in the third inning. That baserunner was quickly erased though, as Luzardo struck out Ha-Seong Kim and got Ronald Acuña Jr. to fly out on one pitch. Atlanta got their first hit of the day in the fourth, when Matt Olson punched a two-out single up the middle. But once again, Luzardo promptly ended any sense of a scoring threat, as he struck out Lane Thomas on three pitches for his sixth punchout.

Jesús Luzardo, Painted 87mph Sweeper. 🖌️🎨

6th K thru 4.

18 consecutive strikes pic.twitter.com/aMPoF58Y5m

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 7, 2026

That strikeout started a string of ten straight hitters retired by Luzardo, with the next baserunner coming on a leadoff single in the eighth from Michael Harris II that just hopped over the glove of Luis Arraez at second base. Arraez quickly made up for not getting to that ball though, as he turned a crisp double play three pitches later on a Mauricio Dúbon ground ball. Luzardo punctuated the inning with another strikeout, his 11th of the day.

Jesús Luzardo's 11th K thru 8 ✝️🦎 pic.twitter.com/DQzFCk2Jtt

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 7, 2026

Didn’t waste it

While Luzardo was dealing, the Phillies offense was stymied by Braves starter Grant Holmes. They loaded the bases in the first on a Schwarber single and walks from Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm, but Bryson Stott lined out to center to end the threat with no runs scored. That would be the only scoring threat for Philadelphia until the fifth, when Brandon Marsh led off with a single to break up a string of ten straight retired. But a strikeout from J.T. Realmuto and a double play from Justin Crawford assured that the game remained scoreless.

Trea Turner ripped a double down the line in the sixth with one out, giving the Phillies their third hit of the day and first runner in scoring position since the first inning. But he too would not score, as Ozzie Albies made a nice play on a Harper groundout to the right side to prevent a base hit before Arraez lined out to end the inning.

Schwarber stepped to the plate with two outs in a scoreless game and the Phillies bullpen, which has struggled mightily this series, warming in preparation to enter. Braves manager Walt Weiss elected not to remove right-handed reliever Didier Fuentes for a left-hander, as Fuentes had already five Phillies in a row. Schwarber made him pay for that decision, as he smashed a center-cut fastball into the second deck for his third home run in three days and the only run scored in the game.

THERE GOES MY HEROOOOOO pic.twitter.com/TLJQ193jOk

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 7, 2026

Finish him

Despite the bullpen already being warm, Don Mattingly elected to send Luzardo back out for the ninth at 92 pitches. The crowd roared as Luzardo took the mound and retired Kim for the first out. Acuña was next, and he worked a six pitch walk to give Atlanta a gasp of air. But as was the theme all day, Luzardo allowed no more, as he struck out Drake Baldwin for his 12th and final K of the game before getting Albies to fly out softly for the final out.

Jesús Luzardo had never pitched into the 9th inning before today …

In his first time, he completes a 2-hit shutout! https://t.co/YoVrBfwQxlpic.twitter.com/Xzr91Vmdtq

— MLB (@MLB) September 7, 2026

Tomorrow’s matchup

The Houston Astros come to town for a three-game series, sending Hayden Wesneski (4-1, 3.18) to the mound against Andrew Painter (3-8, 5.55) for the Phillies. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40.

The Atlanta Braves took on the Philadelphia Phillies today a day after the dramatic win yesterday that secured the season series. If they won today they would also take this series 3-1 and take a large 6.0 game lead in the division. Grant Holmes who has been very good when he is good, and very bad when his not, took the mound for the Braves and All-Star Jesús Luzardo took the mound for the Phillies in the midst of his best season he has ever had.

The Braves were sat down in order in the first inning, but Grant Holmes was not able to reciprocate. Kyle Schwarber led off with a single. After a Trea Turner fly out, Holmes walked Bryce Harper. He got Arreaz to line out, and then walked Bohm to load the bases. This is uncharacteristic for Holmes, even with a top heavy lineup like the Phillies. It is normally the second time through that gets to him. Fortunately, he got Stott to line out to Harris who made a great read on the ball and made a difficult play look easy.

In the second, Matt Olson struck out on a challenge that was about as close to being a ball as it possibly could be. Thomas, who has four HRs against Luzardo in his career, grounded out followed by Harris also striking out on a challenge. Holmes looked much better in the second by retiring the side in order while picking up a strikeout along the way.

The Braves finally got a baserunner in the third inning due to Austin Riley getting hit by a pitch, but that was the only offense the Braves could muster. The top half of the order gave Holmes trouble the first time around so the second time was scary to think about. However, Holmes was settled in and struck out Schwarber, Turner, and Harper all in order. It is safe to say, the third inning was huge.

The Braves ended the no hitter in the fourth inning when Matt Olson had a single. before that hit, Olson only had five hits in his last forty-four at-bats. This was yet again the only offense the Braves could muster. Baldwin struck out, Albies grounded out, and Thomas struck out as well. Holmes came back out for the fourth with a vengeance striking out Arraez for his fourth strikeout in a row and then retiring both Bohm and Stott to make it ten straight hitters retired.

The fifth inning showed once again that the Braves have been a bottom five offense in the last two weeks when they were retired in order as Harris, Dubón, and Riley could not get it done. Holmes came out to pitch the fifth and his ten hitter streak ended when Marsh hit a single, but he then struck out Realmuto and got Justin Crawford to ground into a double play.

In a shocking development, the Braves were sat down in order again in the sixth when Kim and Acuña struck out, and Baldwin grounded out. Holmes stayed in the game to face the top of the order for the third time. He was able to hold his own. He got Schwarber to fly out, but then surrendered a double to Turner. He kept his composure and got Harper to ground out, which moved the runner to third, and then got Arraez to line out to end the sixth.

Yet again the Braves were sat down in order in the seventh. Lane Thomas was the final out of the seventh, which was disappointing considering the history he has had against Luzardo. Didier Fuentes replaced Holmes in the seventh. Holmes had one of the best starts of his career and tied his season high in innings pitched with 6.0. He gave up only three hits and had six strikeouts to only two walks. Fuentes struck out Bohm and Stott and then got Marsh to fly out, lowering his season ERA to 2.23.

The Phillies opted to leave Luzardo in to pitch the eighth inning, and it was the right move. Harris hit a single, but then Dubón hit into a double play and Riley struck out. Fuentes stayed in to pitch the eighth and struck out Realmuto and Crawford. Realmuto challenged the call, but it was upheld. Then, Schwarber did what he does best. He hit a HR on a pitch that Fuentes pitched right down the middle of the plate, to give the Phillies the lead. This was all it took. Turner flied out, but it did not matter.

In the ninth Luzardo stayed in the game and struck out Kim. Acuña walked, but then Baldwin struck out and then Albies flied out on the first pitch saw to end it.

Luzardo was able to pitch a complete game and only give up two singles while striking out twelve and walking one. The Braves are going to have a tough time in the playoffs if this keeps up on offense. This is not the first time the offense has wasted a stellar start from an SP.

The Braves are not getting in breaks as they will face the Tampa Bay Rays for three games starting tomorrow where the back end of their rotation will taking them on. Hopefully the offense can get going or this is going to be a long few weeks.

Detroit Tigers (65-78) vs. Minnesota Twins (68-75)

Time/Place: 3:10 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Troy Melton (7-4, 2.20 ERA) vs. TBD

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Melton	17	102.1	20.6	7.1	42.9	3.95	1.6
TBD	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

144/162

⚾️ 3:10 PM ET
📺 @WatchDSN
📻 @971theticketxyt
🏟️ Comerica Park pic.twitter.com/jqVCZNEhqP

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 7, 2026

Labor Day lineup

📺 https://t.co/UHffFx7FCspic.twitter.com/UMJNNwyty3

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 7, 2026

Entering Monday night, the St. Louis Cardinals have 18 games remaining in the regular season. A third of those games will be against the San Francisco Giants with the first set of 3 being in San Francisco.

Here are the pitching matchups according to MLB.com:

Monday night, September 7: Michael McGreevy (RHP 6-9, 3.97 ERA, 102 SO) vs Logan Webb (RHP 8-8, 4.21 ERA, 119 SO)

Tuesday night, September 8: Quinn Mathews (LHP 1-2, 4.38 ERA, 24 SO) vs Landen Roupp (RHP 8-13, 4.17 ERA, 137 SO)

Wednesday, September 9: TBD vs Blade Tidwell (RHP 0-2, 4.43 ERA, 36 SO)

Logan Webb is winless in his last 3 starts with the most recent a shelling he received at the hands of Pittsburgh on September 1 where he surrendered 9 hits and 9 earned runs over just 2 innings. Landen Roupp has fared better as he’s 1-1 over his last 3 starts although his most recent was a no-decision on September 2 against the Pirates as he threw 5 innings of 2-hit ball allowing just 1 earned run while striking out 4 and walking 2. Blade Tidwell is winless in his past 3 starts as he was given the loss on September 3 when he tossed 5 innings against the Pirates giving up 2 earned runs on 2 hits while striking out 5 and walking 5. While the Cardinals have not announced a starter for Wednesday as of this writing, I believe that would be Matthew Liberatore’s spot in the rotation.

Who are the San Francisco Giants players to watch?

Rafael Devers: By far the Giants most dangerous hitter as he’s slammed 35 home runs with 91 RBI’s and an average of .258, but he also leads the team in strikeouts with 158.

Willy Adames: Adames has 21 home runs with 51 RBI’s and an average of just .230.

Casey Schmitt: Schmitt also has 21 home runs on the season with 55 RBI’s and an average of .271.

Bryce Eldridge: Eldridge is having a solid season with 15 home runs, 45 RBI’s and an average of .262.

The San Francisco Giants have already been eliminated from playoff contention with a miserable record of 59-85. They are 4-6 over their last 10 games. The Cardinals, by comparison, have won 6 of their last 10 games and still have a tiny 1.7% chance of grabbing the final wild card spot. St. Louis had an inspiring comeback Sunday against the Rockies, but gained no ground in the wild card as the Padres, Marlins and Diamondbacks all won their games, too. There’s a lot to be optimistic about for those of us who are diehard St. Louis Cardinals fans with the strong debuts of Leo Bernal, Joshua Baez, Quinn Mathews and Connor Hjerpe over the past few weeks. If this young team wants to taste what it’s like to compete in the playoffs, they’re going to need to get red-hot over the final 3 weeks of the regular season and the 3 teams above them in the standings to stumble.

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

While there was some news regarding the Detroit Red Wings' general manager search on Monday afternoon, it wasn't the announcement of a new hire.

Instead, one name that had been receiving serious consideration for the position vacated by Steve Yzerman on July 15 has withdrawn from consideration.

Jeff Greenberg, the Detroit Tigers' assistant general manager, is no longer in the running for the Red Wings' GM job, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.

"Detroit Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg — citing his commitment and desire to finish what he’s started— has withdrawn from consideration for the vacant Red Wings position," Friedman reported. 

Greenberg's withdrawing from consideration was also confirmed by MLB.com Tigers beat writer Jason Beck.

"Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg, through a team spokesperson, said he is not pursuing a role running the NHL's Detroit Red Wings and is committed to Tigers," Beck wrote on X. "He indicated he was honored to be considered for the opportunity.

Greenberg, who was hired by the Tigers in 2023, had previously worked for over a decade with the Chicago Cubs and also spent a season working in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks as associate general manager. 

This means that with training camp for the 2026-27 NHL season just over a week away (Sept. 17), the Red Wings are still searching for a general manager nearly two months after Yzerman vacated the role he had held since April 2019.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

The Red Wings announced a major leadership transition in mid-July, marking the second piece of stunning news Detroit fans had faced over the summer after captain Dylan Larkin's eye-popping trade request became public in early June.

While Detroit announced in its initial mid-July news release that both "internal and external" candidates would be considered for the position, the organization has yet to officially disclose exactly who has been interviewed as part of its search.

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The hits keep on coming for the Nationals, dropping 3 close contests to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a series sweep. They’ve fallen to 11 games under .500, and desperately need to get things going again to have any sort of momentum heading into 2027. The bullpen continues its historically rough season, the offense has dissipated, and the starting pitching keeps revealing its flaws. There are a plethora of younger players on the roster, and much of the next 3 weeks will be spent evaluating the Nats’ internal options at the MLB level before any decisions are made for the future.

The schedule doesn’t get much easier after the Dodgers, with the West Coast trip continuing into San Diego for 3 games against the Padres. San Diego hasn’t been lighting the world on fire recently, but they sit 7.0 games above .500 and are right in the thick of the Wild Card race at just 0.5 games back. The Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks have been going back and forth for months, and the Nats have to face them when their games mean the most.

Game One – Monday, 5:10 PM ET

WSH: RHP Jake Irvin (2-8, 5.57 ERA)
SD: RHP Nick Pivetta (1-2, 4.50 ERA)

Irvin has been consistent for Washington, just not consistently very good. He’s looking to avoid getting closer to a 10-loss season and push his ERA below 5.50. Pivetta will be making his first start since April 12th, and he’s being thrown into the fire at the most important time of the year.

Game Two – Tuesday, 9:40 PM ET

WSH: TBA
SD: TBA

The middle game of the series is set up to be a full-blown bullpen game with no listed starter for either team at the moment. With how difficult things have been going for the Washington bullpen, this one could get ugly if the offense continues to stay dormant.

Game Three – Wednesday, 4:10 PM ET

WSH: LHP Jackson Kent (1-3, 5.55 ERA)
SD: TBA

The Padres are going with another undecided pitching decision, and the Nats have the young southpaw Jackson Kent on the mound for the finale. He showed flashes but was overall unimpressive in his last outing against the Dodgers, something the Nats hope to improve moving forward.

First Pitch (CT):2:10 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe:Bless You Boys

The playoff hunt isn’t over quite yet, but we’re just about there. For the sixth time in the past five seasons, the Minnesota Twins went into the trade deadline with a decent shot to make the postseason, and then fell apart in the second half.

That’s largely represented by their best players. Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan, and Carlos Correa have all had issues staying healthy and have missed large chunks of time late in the season and been ineffective when healthy. Pablo Lopez missed all of 2026 and most of 2025. Royce Lewis has missed plenty of time and simply hasn’t been a good enough hitter the past two seasons.

Now, we should add some caveats here. In most of those seasons, the past two in particular, the Twins came in projected to go about .500 and miss the postseason. They likely would have ended about in the same spot as they will this year if they hadn’t sold off every good reliever in their bullpen. Also, this season has come with quite a few positive signs that haven given Twins fans a glimpse at an exciting future.

Kaelen Culpepper looks like he can hold down shortstop for the foreseeable future and is plenty athletic enough to contribute in other places if he eventually has to move off of it. Luke Keaschall has been one of the 10 best hitters in baseball since his awful April. Brooks Lee still has plenty of questions about his sustainability on offense, but looks excellent defensively at third and has 23 homers despite his approach. Walker Jenkins hasn’t lit it up, but the at-bats look better than the results and is still only 21 years old. Zebby Matthews and Connor Prielipp have flashed great stuff throughout the season and would likely be talked about much better with a better defense behind them. Plus, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Alan Roden might be the two best hitters at AAA while 2026 draftees Vahn Lackey and Carson Tinney have been among the best players in the minors since debuting last month.

It’s hard to not be disappointed as the season winds down, but unlike the end of last season, this one has left me feeling very optimistic about the future of the Minnesota Twins. If Tom Pohlad sticks to his word and significantly increases the payroll, this team should be the AL Central favorites in 2027.

Today, we’ll get to see the Joe Ryan Experience make his grand return to the pitcher-friendly Comerica Park, a nice soft landing for the Twins’ ace. The bats will be facing Troy Melton, who may be the Tigers’ next ace, but the Twins have shown the ability to hit him the two times they’ve seen Melton earlier this season. Let’s see if they can do it again!

Lineups

Twins	Opponent
SP: Joe Ryan	SP: Troy Melton
1. Luke Keaschall, RF	1. Colt Keith, DH
2. Brooks Lee, 3B	2. Kevin McGonigle, 3B
3. Kody Clemens, 2B	3. Gleyber Torres, 2B
4. Ryan Jeffers, C	4. Riley Greene, LF
5. Josh Bell, DH	5. Dillon Dingler, C
6. Royce Lewis, 1B	6. Zach McKinstry, RF
7. Trevor Larnach, LF	7. Spencer Torkelson, 1B
8. Kaelen Culpepper, SS	8. Max Clark, CF
9. Walker Jenkins, CF	9. John Peck, SS

Never has a four-game streak felt so flat as one with the heavy cloud of Shohei Ohtani’s absence looming over the Dodgers, but those scary days seem to be over, and not a moment too soon. According to Dave Roberts, his star player is ready to return tonight against the Reds as the Dodgers get set for a far more daunting challenge than they had in any of the four games without the MVP. While the Reds as a team have tailed off after an encouraging start to the season, currently sitting in last place of the NL Central, Chase Burns has been at the top of his game—if not for Jacob Misiorowski’s ridiculous season in Milwaukee, the Reds’ ace would be in the running for the NL Cy Young.

When Burns faced the Dodgers early in his first year last season, he wasn’t as polished, but there were already clear signs of the dominant pitcher he could be—hosting the reigning champs in late July of 2025, he reached double-digit strikeouts for his third straight start in a 5-2 loss. Assessing this game’s outlook in particular, for as great as Burns has been with his 2.79 ERA in nearly 150 innings, so has the run support he has received, the fourth-best in the sport at 5.88—the ideal recipe for a dominant 15-3 record.

All of this certainty on the Reds’ side is contrasted by the direct opposite on the Dodgers’ pitching plans for this matchup. An odd man out amidst the return of multiple key starters, Emmert Sheehan was sent down at the beginning of August after a blowup start against the Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball—the Dodgers were coming off five straight losses in his starts. Since then, the work in Triple-A has been promising, with Sheehan allowing just one run in 17.1 innings.

Even in great teams, individual pitchers are susceptible to an underwhelming record for any number of reasons, but the comparisons of this specific matchup are too unique to ignore. The last-place Reds will send out a starter who has won 15 of his 18 decisions across 26 starts this year, while the first-place Dodgers will go with a starter who has lost two-thirds of his decisions with a 4-8 record in 20 appearances. When will we see something like this so late in the season from two players who have been with their respective clubs right from the start? It might be a while.

Monday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Reds
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 6:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

An 11:10 am first pitch on a Monday? What fresh hell is this? I know it’s Labor Day and all, but Monday is one of my days off anyway, so it makes no difference to me. I’m used to relaxing, watching a couple of movies, then sauntering towards a Gameday Thread in the late afternoon. Today though? No such luck. Even though it is one of the holidays “observed” by baseball, with an afternoon start time an option, it has been a long while since we’ve had one start this early in Arizona. Usually, we’re at home, or playing close to it. From what I’ve found, it’s the earliest Labor Day in SnakePit history. The last morning game was 2000, when Atlanta meant a 10:05 am start here.

So I’ll keep this brief. All told, it hasn’t been a happy holiday for Arizona. They are only 9-18 on Labor Day over the years (they had no game in 2001), and have just one win in six attempts this decade. They’ll be hoping for better today. It’s another bullpen game, so maybe it’ll be as successful as the last one. Though the line-up above shows Cabrera as the starter, he’s going to be the “bulk” pitcher, with Derek Law the opener. Plenty of options in the ‘pen, with five players who haven’t pitched in five days or more, and two more on three days rest. No Corbin Carroll, who is simply getting a day off, but good to see Geraldo Perdomo bounce back after the friendly fire incident yesterday.