PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 18: Paul Goldschmidt #48 of the New York Yankees warms up on deck during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 18, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Friday did not start off great for the Yankees, as news broke that Aaron Judge would indeed be going on the IL for a calf strain he suffered in the middle of Wednesday’s finale against the Twins. Judge was pulled from that game in the sixth inning and at the time it was unclear if he would need just a couple days off or if it was something more, but the team later got confirmation and will now be unable to activate their superstar until game No. 162 against the Orioles. With no minor league rehab available from that point and Judge’s immediate return without one following a lengthy layoff perhaps being the cause of said calf strain, it leaves a lot of doubt as to whether he’ll be able to contribute in the postseason. The Yankees will face a tall task going far without their captain, but to be fair to the rest of the team they’ve gotten themselves here largely without him this year.
The team at least responded to the news by immediately putting up a five-spot on the Diamondbacks to open up their latest series en route to a victory, a much-needed one as the end of the regular season draws ever closer. Before they go for the series victory tonight, we’ve got some things prepared starting with Peter going over the Rivalry Roundup featuring a critical Tampa loss to Boston giving a bit of room for the Yankees to inch closer ahead of their bout in the Bronx. Nick then shows some love to Bob Turley on what would’ve been his 96th birthday, and John gives his thoughts on the open forums that baseball analytics have provided the sport in light of some controversy over in the NFL with the opaqueness of their data.
Today’s Matchup:
New York Yankees at Arizona Diamondbacks
Time: 8:10 p.m. EST
TV: YES Network, DBacks.tv
Venue: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Questions/Prompts:
1. How much faith do you have in Aaron Judge jumping back cold into the lineup for the postseason? How far can the offense take them if he can’t?
2. After Dylan Cease had a short start last night, can Cam Schlittler put a bow on the Cy Young race with his start tonight?
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 14: Spencer Jones #78 of the New York Yankees and Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrate in the clubhouse after clinching a playoff berth against the Minnesota Twins on September 14, 2026 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: Well, it was nice while it lasted. The Yankees announced yesterday evening that they will be placing right fielder Aaron Judge on the ten-day injured list with a calf strain today; Max Schuemann is expected to be the corresponding move. Since it will be backdated to the 16th, Judge will be eligible to come off the IL for the final day of the season; however, given the nature of calf strains, it is entirely possible that we have seen the last of No. 99 for 2026.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Arguably the biggest surprise of the 2026 season — beyond the fact that the Yankees somehow managed to keep their heads above water despite Aaron Judge missing three months, of course — has been the breakout of outfielder Spencer Jones. The former top prospect has managed to position himself as “a key cog in the Yankees’ lineup,” taking advantage of opportunities offered by injuries to Judge, Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton. In particular, his performance against southpaws, which had long been a weakness throughout his minor league career, has been a pleasant surprise. That being said, it hasn’t been all sunshine and roses: Jones has yet to flash the leather in the way many have expected him to. Even so, however, it seems likely that Jones will be a critical part of the team’s postseason run, whether as the starting center fielder or a key reserve.
MLB.com | Mike Lupica: For all the attention that the Yankees’ veteran stars — Judge, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Giancarlo Stanton — receive, the 2026 season has been a veritable youth movement. Key to that has been the development, of course, of first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice and AL Cy Young frontrunner Cam Schlittler. The two youngsters from Massachusetts, never highly rated as prospects, have turned themselves into veritable forces at the plate and on the mound, and without their contributions, the injury-riddled 2026 Yankees would almost certainly be spending the final few days of the season playing out the string, not attempting to make a last-ditch run at the AL East while lining up the rotation for a matchup with the Red Sox in the Wild Card round.
MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: Yesterday afternoon, the Yankees announced that Oswaldo Cabrera, the popular utilityman who has been with the organization since 2015, had been claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds. He had been designated for assignment earlier in the week, in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Clarke Schmidt.
Playbill | Logan Culwell-Block: Earlier this summer, former Mets infielder José Iglesias made the jump from the ballfield to the stage, joining the Broadway production of Buena Vista Social Club. Now, a Yankee great will be joining him: yesterday, Bernie Williams announced that he will be joining the show’s pit band for a limited run, from October 22nd through November 29th.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 14: Spencer Jones #78 of the New York Yankees and Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrate in the clubhouse after clinching a playoff berth against the Minnesota Twins on September 14, 2026 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: Well, it was nice while it lasted. The Yankees announced yesterday evening that they will be placing right fielder Aaron Judge on the ten-day injured list with a calf strain today; Max Schuemann is expected to be the corresponding move. Since it will be backdated to the 16th, Judge will be eligible to come off the IL for the final day of the season; however, given the nature of calf strains, it is entirely possible that we have seen the last of No. 99 for 2026.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Arguably the biggest surprise of the 2026 season — beyond the fact that the Yankees somehow managed to keep their heads above water despite Aaron Judge missing three months, of course — has been the breakout of outfielder Spencer Jones. The former top prospect has managed to position himself as “a key cog in the Yankees’ lineup,” taking advantage of opportunities offered by injuries to Judge, Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton. In particular, his performance against southpaws, which had long been a weakness throughout his minor league career, has been a pleasant surprise. That being said, it hasn’t been all sunshine and roses: Jones has yet to flash the leather in the way many have expected him to. Even so, however, it seems likely that Jones will be a critical part of the team’s postseason run, whether as the starting center fielder or a key reserve.
MLB.com | Mike Lupica: For all the attention that the Yankees’ veteran stars — Judge, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Giancarlo Stanton — receive, the 2026 season has been a veritable youth movement. Key to that has been the development, of course, of first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice and AL Cy Young frontrunner Cam Schlittler. The two youngsters from Massachusetts, never highly rated as prospects, have turned themselves into veritable forces at the plate and on the mound, and without their contributions, the injury-riddled 2026 Yankees would almost certainly be spending the final few days of the season playing out the string, not attempting to make a last-ditch run at the AL East while lining up the rotation for a matchup with the Red Sox in the Wild Card round.
MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: Yesterday afternoon, the Yankees announced that Oswaldo Cabrera, the popular utilityman who has been with the organization since 2015, had been claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds. He had been designated for assignment earlier in the week, in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Clarke Schmidt.
Playbill | Logan Culwell-Block: Earlier this summer, former Mets infielder José Iglesias made the jump from the ballfield to the stage, joining the Broadway production of Buena Vista Social Club. Now, a Yankee great will be joining him: yesterday, Bernie Williams announced that he will be joining the show’s pit band for a limited run, from October 22nd through November 29th.
That's one way to start off the last homestand of the regular season.
Forget the fact that it was against the lowly San Francisco Giants and their lineup featuring a who's who of ... "Who?" Forget the fact that five of the Los Angeles Dodgers' runs in their dominant 8-2 win on Friday night came off the relatively unknown Philip Abner. The Dodgers' lineup, without Shohei Ohtani, showed exactly what they're capable of offensively.
This is the version of the team Andrew Friedman envisioned when he signed Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million contract and Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69 million deal last winter.
"The talent," manager Dave Roberts said. "It's a high-floor talent level. I just like the way we're taking better team at-bats and making up for not having Shohei in there. Obviously, we're a better team with him, but it is nice to see there hasn't been a drop-off with him not in the lineup."
Here's a look at three winners from the Dodgers' victory over the Giants:
The Dodgers lineup is just fine
Mookie Betts started things off when he jumped on a low-90s fastball that San Francisco starter Cesar Perdomo left middle-middle and sent it over the fence in left center field for his 33rd leadoff home run as a Dodger. The bats went quiet briefly from there until the bottom of the fifth when Teoscar Hernández singled home Josue De Paula from third on a sharp liner to right field to tie the game at 2-2.
The rookie De Paula later drove in the go-ahead run on an RBI double in the sixth before a monster five-run eighth inning in which Max Muncy, Tucker, Betts and Will Smith all went yard to put the game out of reach.
"I think that's the beauty in it," Betts said. "We just keep giving ourselves opportunities and eventually, something will crack. It did tonight, so we just have to keep getting guys on base and giving ourselves the chances and the hits will follow."
Edwin Díaz looked good in return from IL
That set the stage for the trumpets to once again blare over the Dodger Stadium loudspeakers. Roberts said he wouldn't have put Díaz in if it wasn't for the six-run lead as he wanted to give Díaz some leeway in his first outing back from an IL stint after health and poor performance have plagued his season.
But Díaz took the opportunity and ran with it. In his first big league appearance since Aug. 17, he got two quick outs before giving up a base hit up the middle. Rather than let that snowball like it has many times in 2026, however, Díaz was able to buckle down and strike out Brett Harris on three pitches to seal a Dodgers win.
"I liked everything," Roberts said. "I liked his intensity; I liked the fastball velocity. The slider was good. It was just really good to get him back in the mix and that's something to build on."
Josue De Paula is different
The through line for the offense on Friday night was the 21-year-old De Paula. The No. 6 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline finished the night 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and an RBI, but it was the timing of each of those that made his Dodger Stadium debut so special.
De Paula led off the bottom of the fifth with a base hit, which Betts followed up with one of his own before he eventually scored the tying run on Hernández's RBI single. Two innings later, De Paula scored Tucker from first on a double that he put on a rope at 107 mph deep into the right field gap. As he reached second, De Paula pounded his chest and flexed.
Then, in that huge eighth inning, it was De Paula who kept it alive by working a four-pitch walk with two outs, his seventh in a week in the big leagues. Five pitches later, Betts blew the game open with a two-run homer.
"I just love his at-bats," Roberts said. "It's one of those things that we knew coming up to the big leagues, he wasn't going to get overwhelmed, and it just helps when you control the strike zone. He takes his walks, when the ball is in the hitting zone, he can slug you but he also knows how to get a base hit. It's been very professional."
That's one way to start off the last homestand of the regular season.
Forget the fact that it was against the lowly San Francisco Giants and their lineup featuring a who's who of ... "Who?" Forget the fact that five of the Los Angeles Dodgers' runs in their dominant 8-2 win on Friday night came off the relatively unknown Philip Abner. The Dodgers' lineup, without Shohei Ohtani, showed exactly what they're capable of offensively.
This is the version of the team Andrew Friedman envisioned when he signed Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million contract and Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69 million deal last winter.
"The talent," manager Dave Roberts said. "It's a high-floor talent level. I just like the way we're taking better team at-bats and making up for not having Shohei in there. Obviously, we're a better team with him, but it is nice to see there hasn't been a drop-off with him not in the lineup."
Here's a look at three winners from the Dodgers' victory over the Giants:
The Dodgers lineup is just fine
Mookie Betts started things off when he jumped on a low-90s fastball that San Francisco starter Cesar Perdomo left middle-middle and sent it over the fence in left center field for his 33rd leadoff home run as a Dodger. The bats went quiet briefly from there until the bottom of the fifth when Teoscar Hernández singled home Josue De Paula from third on a sharp liner to right field to tie the game at 2-2.
The rookie De Paula later drove in the go-ahead run on an RBI double in the sixth before a monster five-run eighth inning in which Max Muncy, Tucker, Betts and Will Smith all went yard to put the game out of reach.
"I think that's the beauty in it," Betts said. "We just keep giving ourselves opportunities and eventually, something will crack. It did tonight, so we just have to keep getting guys on base and giving ourselves the chances and the hits will follow."
Edwin Díaz looked good in return from IL
That set the stage for the trumpets to once again blare over the Dodger Stadium loudspeakers. Roberts said he wouldn't have put Díaz in if it wasn't for the six-run lead as he wanted to give Díaz some leeway in his first outing back from an IL stint after health and poor performance have plagued his season.
But Díaz took the opportunity and ran with it. In his first big league appearance since Aug. 17, he got two quick outs before giving up a base hit up the middle. Rather than let that snowball like it has many times in 2026, however, Díaz was able to buckle down and strike out Brett Harris on three pitches to seal a Dodgers win.
"I liked everything," Roberts said. "I liked his intensity; I liked the fastball velocity. The slider was good. It was just really good to get him back in the mix and that's something to build on."
Josue De Paula is different
The through line for the offense on Friday night was the 21-year-old De Paula. The No. 6 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline finished the night 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and an RBI, but it was the timing of each of those that made his Dodger Stadium debut so special.
De Paula led off the bottom of the fifth with a base hit, which Betts followed up with one of his own before he eventually scored the tying run on Hernández's RBI single. Two innings later, De Paula scored Tucker from first on a double that he put on a rope at 107 mph deep into the right field gap. As he reached second, De Paula pounded his chest and flexed.
Then, in that huge eighth inning, it was De Paula who kept it alive by working a four-pitch walk with two outs, his seventh in a week in the big leagues. Five pitches later, Betts blew the game open with a two-run homer.
"I just love his at-bats," Roberts said. "It's one of those things that we knew coming up to the big leagues, he wasn't going to get overwhelmed, and it just helps when you control the strike zone. He takes his walks, when the ball is in the hitting zone, he can slug you but he also knows how to get a base hit. It's been very professional."
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 18: Lazaro Montes #99 of the Seattle Mariners hits a go-ahead solo home run in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The first night at Coors Field had it all. Specifically, all the possible infield permutations this Mariners roster could muster, shuffling J.P. Crawford and Cole Young around to give them a variety of vantage points for the 15 hits Seattle yielded to the Colorado Rockies as they somehow escaped with a 5-4 victory.
The M’s jumped out to a lead that evoked their recent series in Sacramento, and in keeping, they coughed up the 3-0 lead that the top of their order generously constructed for them right out of the gate. Crawford made sure this mission to mile-high altitudes would not come up homerless, cracking a solo shot in the first at-bat of the game off oft-injured Rockies RHP Gabriel Hughes. Randy Arozarena authored the first of his three hits, cracking a double that Dominic Canzone took as license to copy but Arozarena read sub-optimally off the bat, and Seattle seemed off to the races.
It seemed like that misread would haunt the M’s with Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez punching out, and while hitting the Josh Naylor 7-7-7 slots meant a rolled over grounder snuck through for a 2-RBI single with two outs, the pair of punchouts from Seattle’s stars were emblematic ones. For Raleigh, who’s looked far closer to his better self writ large in the past month and a half, it was nonetheless an eight-pitch punchout that came due to missing two center-cut fastballs by a hair, fouling them back before waving over a middle-middle slider in a 3-2 count. For Julio, the culprit was also three missed pitches in the zone, but two foul balls on bottom third sliders before a familiar frustration mostly new to 2026: staring at a fastball for strike three at the bottom rail.
Seattle would not be the major culprit of spoiled opportunities tonight, however. The Rox are a plucky club this year, with far more verve than their catastrophic 2025 season of a 43-119 season. But Colorado is likely to lose 100 games again this season, making it four straight campaigns with 100+ defeats, and tonight was a showcase in how. Despite a night where eight of their nine starters secured at least one hit, Colorado left 12 on base and went 4-for-20 with runners in scoring position, letting Bryan Woo wriggle out of danger time and time again to achieve a defensible 5.1 frames and just three earned runs. It could have easily been worse a dozen times over, and Seattle’s league-worst range on the infield created many of the conundrums Woo had to solve.
No pitcher looks stellar at Coors Field consistently, of course, and Seattle’s beleaguered bullpen deserves their kudos for tonight’s win. After Woo’s exit, Gabe Speier regrettably yielded the lead to breakout Rockies outfielder Jake McCarthy on a clobbered gap-shot triple and a RBI single in sequence, but from there it was nails. 3.1 frames followed Speier and despite runners reaching in each inning, not a single run crossed the plate again for Colorado.
It wasn’t much room, nor were Seattle’s precocious youngsters afforded much room to spark Seattle, but starting RF Lazaro Montes and pinch-hitter Michael Arroyo took their tag-team operation above the alpine. First, in the seventh, seeking a spark against southpaw from the past Brennan Bernardino, Arroyo aggressively took his chance in relief of Brock Rodden. He cracked a double down the third base line that looks familiar to anyone who’s watched Arroyo work through the minors, before dashing around the bases on a bunt and a sac fly. That set the stage for Laz, whose tour through the hitter-friendly parks of MLB has reached its zenith, visualizing and then manifesting a stratosphere-scraping second-decker to put the M’s up one in the ninth. Not even the speed of Cole Carrigg on base could stifle Seattle Friday night, as Andrés Muñoz managed a rare pickoff to clear the bases and quell the threat in the ninth. Not quite easy, but 5-4 with the players the M’s hope will help turn things around in 2027 is a pleasant way to start a series.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 18: Lazaro Montes #99 of the Seattle Mariners hits a go-ahead solo home run in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The first night at Coors Field had it all. Specifically, all the possible infield permutations this Mariners roster could muster, shuffling J.P. Crawford and Cole Young around to give them a variety of vantage points for the 15 hits Seattle yielded to the Colorado Rockies as they somehow escaped with a 5-4 victory.
The M’s jumped out to a lead that evoked their recent series in Sacramento, and in keeping, they coughed up the 3-0 lead that the top of their order generously constructed for them right out of the gate. Crawford made sure this mission to mile-high altitudes would not come up homerless, cracking a solo shot in the first at-bat of the game off oft-injured Rockies RHP Gabriel Hughes. Randy Arozarena authored the first of his three hits, cracking a double that Dominic Canzone took as license to copy but Arozarena read sub-optimally off the bat, and Seattle seemed off to the races.
It seemed like that misread would haunt the M’s with Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez punching out, and while hitting the Josh Naylor 7-7-7 slots meant a rolled over grounder snuck through for a 2-RBI single with two outs, the pair of punchouts from Seattle’s stars were emblematic ones. For Raleigh, who’s looked far closer to his better self writ large in the past month and a half, it was nonetheless an eight-pitch punchout that came due to missing two center-cut fastballs by a hair, fouling them back before waving over a middle-middle slider in a 3-2 count. For Julio, the culprit was also three missed pitches in the zone, but two foul balls on bottom third sliders before a familiar frustration mostly new to 2026: staring at a fastball for strike three at the bottom rail.
Seattle would not be the major culprit of spoiled opportunities tonight, however. The Rox are a plucky club this year, with far more verve than their catastrophic 2025 season of a 43-119 season. But Colorado is likely to lose 100 games again this season, making it four straight campaigns with 100+ defeats, and tonight was a showcase in how. Despite a night where eight of their nine starters secured at least one hit, Colorado left 12 on base and went 4-for-20 with runners in scoring position, letting Bryan Woo wriggle out of danger time and time again to achieve a defensible 5.1 frames and just three earned runs. It could have easily been worse a dozen times over, and Seattle’s league-worst range on the infield created many of the conundrums Woo had to solve.
No pitcher looks stellar at Coors Field consistently, of course, and Seattle’s beleaguered bullpen deserves their kudos for tonight’s win. After Woo’s exit, Gabe Speier regrettably yielded the lead to breakout Rockies outfielder Jake McCarthy on a clobbered gap-shot triple and a RBI single in sequence, but from there it was nails. 3.1 frames followed Speier and despite runners reaching in each inning, not a single run crossed the plate again for Colorado.
It wasn’t much room, nor were Seattle’s precocious youngsters afforded much room to spark Seattle, but starting RF Lazaro Montes and pinch-hitter Michael Arroyo took their tag-team operation above the alpine. First, in the seventh, seeking a spark against southpaw from the past Brennan Bernardino, Arroyo aggressively took his chance in relief of Brock Rodden. He cracked a double down the third base line that looks familiar to anyone who’s watched Arroyo work through the minors, before dashing around the bases on a bunt and a sac fly. That set the stage for Laz, whose tour through the hitter-friendly parks of MLB has reached its zenith, visualizing and then manifesting a stratosphere-scraping second-decker to put the M’s up one in the ninth. Not even the speed of Cole Carrigg on base could stifle Seattle Friday night, as Andrés Muñoz managed a rare pickoff to clear the bases and quell the threat in the ninth. Not quite easy, but 5-4 with the players the M’s hope will help turn things around in 2027 is a pleasant way to start a series.
Bottles of Angry Orchard hard cider on the production line at the Boston Beer Co. Samuel Adams brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio, US, on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The Federal Reserve is scheduled to release Industrial Production figures on May 16. Photographer: Jeffrey Dean/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Bloomberg via Getty Images
Record: 80-74. Pace: 84-78. Change on 2025: +3.
Is it too late to bring Angry Orchard on as an official SnakePit sponsor? In sharp contrast to last Friday night cider-cap, where we blasted the Rangers 9-1, tonight was an exercise in Charles Bukowski-esque cirrhosis. By the time the first inning was over, the sky had fallen right through the leaking roof of Chase Field. The Yankees didn’t even have to swing hard to start the bleeding. Walks, a passed ball, and a cheap little bloop single. Then George Lombard Jr. cracked a two-run single into the grass, and the scoreboard already read 5-0. It was ugly, the kind of early wreck that makes a recapper want to reach into the fridge for something that burns going down.
Eduardo Rodriguez’s struggles in the first inning had been a matter of record, even before tonight. He came in with a first-inning ERA of 6.60, and facing nine batters over the course of a 45-pitch first inning was no help in that area. He was getting ahead of batters, but proved almost clinically unable to put them away. Instead, the Yankees kept on reaching base. A walk to some Goldschmidt guy. A single. Two more walks. Another single. By the time Rodriguez recorded his first out, it was with his 32nd pitch of the inning. There was still time for a wild pitch and two-RBI single, before Eduardo finished striking out the side. Can’t be many innings involving five runs and three strikeouts.
Fast forward to the sixth inning, and E-Rod was somehow still out there. He had staunched the bleeding, but allowed a pair of solo home-runs. One in the third, and one in the sixth, finally ending his night. The line: seven runs, all earned, in 5.1 innings, on five hits and four walks, with five strikeouts. It was the ninth time this year a Diamondback has been charged with seven or more earned runs in an outing, the most for the team since 2016. First time since June 20th though, when somehow we had two pitchers (Zac Gallen and Yilber Diaz) do it in the same game. But the D-backs’ rotation has struggled in September. They are now 1-6 in fifteen starts, with an ERA of 4.80.
After a brief cameo by Taylor Clarke in the sixth, we got to see Zac Gallen make his first appearance out of the bullpen, since the opening three appearances of his professional career, back in 2016 for the rookie league Cardinals. He wasn’t helped by his defense, with errors by Nolan Arenado and Pavin Smith. Though, to be fair, the latter E could probably have gone to Gallen. He seemed surprised to discover that, if you run over to cover first, somebody might throw the ball to you. He ended up allowing two runs, one unearned, over three innings, on two hits and two walks with two K’s. So our most expensive mop-up guy since Jordan Montgomery did at least save the bullpen.
There was a brief flurry of interest in the second inning when Corbin Carroll hit his 22nd home-run of the year (above). That narrowed the gap to 5-2 due to the presence of Geraldo Perdomo on base after a single. But the Diamondbacks wouldn’t actually get an at-bat with a runner in scoring position until the seventh inning. Arenado singled, and Carroll got his second hit, with a hustle double. Of course, pinch-hitter Jose Fernandez struck out, wasting a challenge in the process, and Tim Tawa also K’d. Two other at-bats with RISP in the ninth proved equally unproductive, but going 0-for-4 there tonight was hardly the cause of this defeat.
It was really more to do with Arizona pitchers issuing six walks, four of which came round to score for New York. Meanwhile, our hitters drew just one walk, while striking out eleven times. Perdomo, Arenado and Carroll each had two-hit games, the first-named also getting the only base on balls. Carroll was dropped to seventh in the order tonight. It’s the first time Corbin has started a game that low in the order for over two years (August 29, 2024). Perhaps there’s hope though, since he’s now batting .256 over his last ten games. This is a distinct improvement over the .081 BA in the ten prior to that. Too late for this year, but always good to finish strong.
The Padres won again, because of course they did. They are now in a three-way tie with the Cubs and Phillies, This would be tremendously exciting, if it weren’t for the fact that all that’s really to be decided are the seeding positions for the wild-card spots, because the D-backs are now five games back, with eight to play. Though I do note that the Cubs and Phillies possess worse records in September than the D-backs, both having gone 7-9, compared to Arizona’s 7-8. So are they “choking” as well? Or does that not count? Anyway, the Padres are 12-4, enjoying their own version of 2007’s Rocktober. Pet-tember? I dunno. Figure it out yourself.
Click for details at Fangraphs He drinks a cider drink: Corbin Carroll, +10% Pissin’ the night away: Eduardo Rodriguez, -38%
Yeah, not exactly the way I’d choose to finish my recaps for 2026, a game where our Win Probability was already down to 12% before the second out was recorded. But, hey, them’s the breaks. The killer hippo film will still be there tomorrow, I imagine. Thanks to those who stuck it out in the Gameday Thread. Not exactly a happy one, but there you go. Comment of the night to Justin27, who came up from Tucson with his best friend and her two kids, who got to see their first game at Chase. A salutary reminder, that even the darkest cloud has a silver lining somewhere.
Same two teams tomorrow, with a special celebration to honor the 2001 World Series team. Brandon Pfaadt starts for the D-backs, with a slightly earlier first pitch of 5:10 pm, Arizona time. See you for that. Killer hippos permitting, anyway…
Bottles of Angry Orchard hard cider on the production line at the Boston Beer Co. Samuel Adams brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio, US, on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The Federal Reserve is scheduled to release Industrial Production figures on May 16. Photographer: Jeffrey Dean/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Bloomberg via Getty Images
Record: 80-74. Pace: 84-78. Change on 2025: +3.
Is it too late to bring Angry Orchard on as an official SnakePit sponsor? In sharp contrast to last Friday night cider-cap, where we blasted the Rangers 9-1, tonight was an exercise in Charles Bukowski-esque cirrhosis. By the time the first inning was over, the sky had fallen right through the leaking roof of Chase Field. The Yankees didn’t even have to swing hard to start the bleeding. Walks, a passed ball, and a cheap little bloop single. Then George Lombard Jr. cracked a two-run single into the grass, and the scoreboard already read 5-0. It was ugly, the kind of early wreck that makes a recapper want to reach into the fridge for something that burns going down.
Eduardo Rodriguez’s struggles in the first inning had been a matter of record, even before tonight. He came in with a first-inning ERA of 6.60, and facing nine batters over the course of a 45-pitch first inning was no help in that area. He was getting ahead of batters, but proved almost clinically unable to put them away. Instead, the Yankees kept on reaching base. A walk to some Goldschmidt guy. A single. Two more walks. Another single. By the time Rodriguez recorded his first out, it was with his 32nd pitch of the inning. There was still time for a wild pitch and two-RBI single, before Eduardo finished striking out the side. Can’t be many innings involving five runs and three strikeouts.
Fast forward to the sixth inning, and E-Rod was somehow still out there. He had staunched the bleeding, but allowed a pair of solo home-runs. One in the third, and one in the sixth, finally ending his night. The line: seven runs, all earned, in 5.1 innings, on five hits and four walks, with five strikeouts. It was the ninth time this year a Diamondback has been charged with seven or more earned runs in an outing, the most for the team since 2016. First time since June 20th though, when somehow we had two pitchers (Zac Gallen and Yilber Diaz) do it in the same game. But the D-backs’ rotation has struggled in September. They are now 1-6 in fifteen starts, with an ERA of 4.80.
After a brief cameo by Taylor Clarke in the sixth, we got to see Zac Gallen make his first appearance out of the bullpen, since the opening three appearances of his professional career, back in 2016 for the rookie league Cardinals. He wasn’t helped by his defense, with errors by Nolan Arenado and Pavin Smith. Though, to be fair, the latter E could probably have gone to Gallen. He seemed surprised to discover that, if you run over to cover first, somebody might throw the ball to you. He ended up allowing two runs, one unearned, over three innings, on two hits and two walks with two K’s. So our most expensive mop-up guy since Jordan Montgomery did at least save the bullpen.
There was a brief flurry of interest in the second inning when Corbin Carroll hit his 22nd home-run of the year (above). That narrowed the gap to 5-2 due to the presence of Geraldo Perdomo on base after a single. But the Diamondbacks wouldn’t actually get an at-bat with a runner in scoring position until the seventh inning. Arenado singled, and Carroll got his second hit, with a hustle double. Of course, pinch-hitter Jose Fernandez struck out, wasting a challenge in the process, and Tim Tawa also K’d. Two other at-bats with RISP in the ninth proved equally unproductive, but going 0-for-4 there tonight was hardly the cause of this defeat.
It was really more to do with Arizona pitchers issuing six walks, four of which came round to score for New York. Meanwhile, our hitters drew just one walk, while striking out eleven times. Perdomo, Arenado and Carroll each had two-hit games, the first-named also getting the only base on balls. Carroll was dropped to seventh in the order tonight. It’s the first time Corbin has started a game that low in the order for over two years (August 29, 2024). Perhaps there’s hope though, since he’s now batting .256 over his last ten games. This is a distinct improvement over the .081 BA in the ten prior to that. Too late for this year, but always good to finish strong.
The Padres won again, because of course they did. They are now in a three-way tie with the Cubs and Phillies, This would be tremendously exciting, if it weren’t for the fact that all that’s really to be decided are the seeding positions for the wild-card spots, because the D-backs are now five games back, with eight to play. Though I do note that the Cubs and Phillies possess worse records in September than the D-backs, both having gone 7-9, compared to Arizona’s 7-8. So are they “choking” as well? Or does that not count? Anyway, the Padres are 12-4, enjoying their own version of 2007’s Rocktober. Pet-tember? I dunno. Figure it out yourself.
Click for details at Fangraphs He drinks a cider drink: Corbin Carroll, +10% Pissin’ the night away: Eduardo Rodriguez, -38%
Yeah, not exactly the way I’d choose to finish my recaps for 2026, a game where our Win Probability was already down to 12% before the second out was recorded. But, hey, them’s the breaks. The killer hippo film will still be there tomorrow, I imagine. Thanks to those who stuck it out in the Gameday Thread. Not exactly a happy one, but there you go. Comment of the night to Justin27, who came up from Tucson with his best friend and her two kids, who got to see their first game at Chase. A salutary reminder, that even the darkest cloud has a silver lining somewhere.
Same two teams tomorrow, with a special celebration to honor the 2001 World Series team. Brandon Pfaadt starts for the D-backs, with a slightly earlier first pitch of 5:10 pm, Arizona time. See you for that. Killer hippos permitting, anyway…
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 18: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates a solo home run with Teoscar Hernández #37, to take a 1-0 lead over the San Francisco Giants, during the first inning at Dodger Stadium on September 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NL West division champion Dodgers (94-60) were not hungover from the champagne celebrations and defeated the rival Giants (64-89) Friday night at Dodger stadium.
The 8-2 victory evoked memories of the “4+1” game on this date 20 years ago when the Dodgers clobbered four home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning including two sets of back-to-back jacks.
Mookie Betts has been locked in at the plate of late. Betts greeted Cesar Perdomo with a leadoff home run to give the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead. He would go on to hit a second home run in the eighth to give him 22 on the season, the most he has hit since 2023.
The Giants answered with a Jung Hoo Lee solo home run against Glasnow to tie the game at a run apiece.
Glasnow continued to miss with his fastball, and the Giants made him work. Two singles, a stolen base, and a walk gave San Francisco a 2-1 lead in the third. Although Glasnow’s fastball command wasn’t the sharpest, he struck out a season-high 10 batters on the night.
Betts got on base for the third time of the night with a single in the fifth inning. Mookie’s hit followed Josue De Paula’s first career hit at Dodger Stadium, a leadoff single. Teoscar Hernández drove in the tying run with the third single of the frame against the rookie left-hander Perdomo.
De Paula impressed in his Dodger Stadium debut. The young phenom drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning against the San Francisco bullpen with a ringing double to right field. He went 2-for-3 on the night with two hits and a walk.
The Dodgers put on a show with back-to-back home runs twice in the eighth inning. Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker started the homer fest with two booming back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the eighth against lefty Philip Abner.
The consecutive homers by the Dodgers harkened me back to the 4+1 game on this day in 2006. The Dodgers hit four consecutive home runs in the ninth inning, followed by a walk-off home run for a comeback win against the Padres. That was an electric game 20 years ago, and tonight’s win allowed us to both reminisce about the past and be excited for the upcoming postseason.
Betts hit the third home run of the inning for the Dodgers and the second of the night for the Dodgers shortstop. Then Will Smith followed Mookie with a solo shot of his own for the fourth long ball of the inning to make it 8-2 Dodgers.
It was a perfect opportunity to get Edwin Diaz in the game for the first time in a month. Diaz struck out two and capped off the 8-2 win with a scoreless ninth.
Friday particulars
Home runs: Mookie Betts 2 (22), Max Muncy (29), Kyle Tucker (17), Will Smith (8); Jung Hoo Lee (10)
The Dodgers and Giants battle again Saturday at Dodger Stadium (6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA). Tarik Skubal (10-7, 2.70 ERA, 0.955 WHIP) makes his final regular season start at Dodger Stadium before he pitches for the Dodgers in the postseason.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 18: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates a solo home run with Teoscar Hernández #37, to take a 1-0 lead over the San Francisco Giants, during the first inning at Dodger Stadium on September 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NL West division champion Dodgers (94-60) were not hungover from the champagne celebrations and defeated the rival Giants (64-89) Friday night at Dodger stadium.
The 8-2 victory evoked memories of the “4+1” game on this date 20 years ago when the Dodgers clobbered four home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning including two sets of back-to-back jacks.
Mookie Betts has been locked in at the plate of late. Betts greeted Cesar Perdomo with a leadoff home run to give the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead. He would go on to hit a second home run in the eighth to give him 22 on the season, the most he has hit since 2023.
The Giants answered with a Jung Hoo Lee solo home run against Glasnow to tie the game at a run apiece.
Glasnow continued to miss with his fastball, and the Giants made him work. Two singles, a stolen base, and a walk gave San Francisco a 2-1 lead in the third. Although Glasnow’s fastball command wasn’t the sharpest, he struck out a season-high 10 batters on the night.
Betts got on base for the third time of the night with a single in the fifth inning. Mookie’s hit followed Josue De Paula’s first career hit at Dodger Stadium, a leadoff single. Teoscar Hernández drove in the tying run with the third single of the frame against the rookie left-hander Perdomo.
De Paula impressed in his Dodger Stadium debut. The young phenom drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning against the San Francisco bullpen with a ringing double to right field. He went 2-for-3 on the night with two hits and a walk.
The Dodgers put on a show with back-to-back home runs twice in the eighth inning. Max Muncy and Kyle Tucker started the homer fest with two booming back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the eighth against lefty Philip Abner.
The consecutive homers by the Dodgers harkened me back to the 4+1 game on this day in 2006. The Dodgers hit four consecutive home runs in the ninth inning, followed by a walk-off home run for a comeback win against the Padres. That was an electric game 20 years ago, and tonight’s win allowed us to both reminisce about the past and be excited for the upcoming postseason.
Betts hit the third home run of the inning for the Dodgers and the second of the night for the Dodgers shortstop. Then Will Smith followed Mookie with a solo shot of his own for the fourth long ball of the inning to make it 8-2 Dodgers.
It was a perfect opportunity to get Edwin Diaz in the game for the first time in a month. Diaz struck out two and capped off the 8-2 win with a scoreless ninth.
Friday particulars
Home runs: Mookie Betts 2 (22), Max Muncy (29), Kyle Tucker (17), Will Smith (8); Jung Hoo Lee (10)
The Dodgers and Giants battle again Saturday at Dodger Stadium (6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA). Tarik Skubal (10-7, 2.70 ERA, 0.955 WHIP) makes his final regular season start at Dodger Stadium before he pitches for the Dodgers in the postseason.
Josue De Paula reacts after hitting a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning of an 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
With eight games left in the regular season, the Dodgers already have ticked off the most important boxes on their to-do list for the postseason.
They clinched a playoff berth for a record-tying 14th straight season and won the division title for the fifth time in a row. And with Friday’s 8-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers (94-60) also have an outside shot at their fourth 100-win season in six years.
But that doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot of work to do between now and the playoffs — the most important task being determining exactly where and when they’ll open the postseason.
With Friday’s win and the Milwaukee Brewers’ victory in Baltimore, the Dodgers trail the Brewers by two games in the race for the league’s best record and home-field advantage that goes with it. They also lead the Atlanta Braves by four games for the second-best record, which would give them a first-round bye and an extra five days to get their sizable contingent of walking wounded healthy.
“To get one of these top-two seeds is important. And our guys understand that,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Winning the division is great, but I still think our best baseball is ahead of us.”
Achieving that, however, will require emptying an injury list that is almost as long as the starting lineup. If the season ended today, the Dodgers would have at least seven players who wouldn’t be ready to play.
The Dodgers are hopeful left-hander Blake Snell, who came out of Wednesday’s game after an inning because of groin tightness, will be healthy enough for one more regular-season start.
Center fielder Andy Pages, who shares the team lead in RBIs with Shohei Ohtani despite missing a month because of a fracture in his left hand, is expected to be activated for the series against the San Diego Padres, which begins Tuesday, while backup catcher Dalton Rushing is swinging a bat and will hit against a pitching machine this weekend.
Roki Sasaki threw 48 pitches in a bullpen session Wednesday and could come off the IL next week, but Edgardo Henriquez, second among Dodgers relievers in innings and strikeouts, will miss the rest of the regular season because of a back strain. He could rejoin the team for the playoffs.
Then there’s Ohtani, the four-time most valuable player. He’s dealing with injuries to his left knee and right biceps. He has resumed taking batting practice and is eligible to come off the IL on Wednesday. Roberts hopes to get Ohtani 10 to 12 at-bats before the playoffs.
“I’m just really waiting to hear when he’s going to get on the field, let alone take live BP,” Roberts said. “He’s not there yet. But everything I’ve heard, it’s been a really productive last three to four to five days.”
One player who did return was closer Edwin Díaz. Limited by injuries to 16 appearances in his first season with the Dodgers, he was activated Friday and threw 17 pitches in the ninth, giving up a single and striking out two.
Dodgers reliever Edwin Díaz reacts after the final out of an 8-2 win over the Giants on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
For Roberts, the last month has looked like an episode of “The Pitt,” with medical crises piling up, one atop the other. Yet that’s hardly slowed the Dodgers, who opened their final homestand of the season having won 11 of their last 14 games.
Now the focus becomes continuing that momentum while getting as close to full strength as possible.
“They can go hand in hand,” Roberts said. “We have a lot of good players that are more than capable of helping us win baseball games, at the same time making sure we try to get our best players to optimum health when the postseason starts.”
The Dodgers got a big lift Friday from rookie Josue De Paula, who didn’t figure in their regular-season plans — much less their postseason ones — until a week ago when he was called up to take Ohtani’s place. In his Dodger Stadium debut, De Paula singled and scored on a Teoscar Hernández single in the fifth, then roped a double to the wall in right-center an inning later, scoring Kyle Tucker to put the Dodgers ahead to stay.
Tucker, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts and Will Smith all homered in a five-run eighth inning, turning a nail-biter into a comfortable win. Betts also hit a solo blast in the first.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the first inning Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“It’s crossed my mind,” De Paula said with a smile when asked if he’s in the discussion for a playoff roster spot. “But I try to focus on the now while I’m here and I’m enjoying every moment.”
“Yeah, he’s in the mix,” Roberts confirmed. “He’s certainly doing a lot of things well.”
All of the scoring helped Tyler Glasnow (5-1) earn his second win since April 23. Glasnow gave up just three hits in six innings, striking out a season-high 10.
Hernández, who had two hits, is batting .368 with 17 RBIs in September; Tucker, who also had two hits, is hitting .424 with five home runs and 13 runs scored in his last 10 games; Betts has six hits in his last eight at-bats, lifting his average to a season-high .254.
That’s helped make up for Freddie Freeman’s struggles. Freeman, who went hitless in four at-bats Friday, striking out twice, has just six hits — and 13 strikeouts — in his last 48 at-bats.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Roberts said with a sigh before the game.
Josue De Paula reacts after hitting a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning of an 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
With eight games left in the regular season, the Dodgers already have ticked off the most important boxes on their to-do list for the postseason.
They clinched a playoff berth for a record-tying 14th straight season and won the division title for the fifth time in a row. And with Friday’s 8-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers (94-60) also have an outside shot at their fourth 100-win season in six years.
But that doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot of work to do between now and the playoffs — the most important task being determining exactly where and when they’ll open the postseason.
With Friday’s win and the Milwaukee Brewers’ victory in Baltimore, the Dodgers trail the Brewers by two games in the race for the league’s best record and home-field advantage that goes with it. They also lead the Atlanta Braves by four games for the second-best record, which would give them a first-round bye and an extra five days to get their sizable contingent of walking wounded healthy.
“To get one of these top-two seeds is important. And our guys understand that,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Winning the division is great, but I still think our best baseball is ahead of us.”
Achieving that, however, will require emptying an injury list that is almost as long as the starting lineup. If the season ended today, the Dodgers would have at least seven players who wouldn’t be ready to play.
The Dodgers are hopeful left-hander Blake Snell, who came out of Wednesday’s game after an inning because of groin tightness, will be healthy enough for one more regular-season start.
Center fielder Andy Pages, who shares the team lead in RBIs with Shohei Ohtani despite missing a month because of a fracture in his left hand, is expected to be activated for the series against the San Diego Padres, which begins Tuesday, while backup catcher Dalton Rushing is swinging a bat and will hit against a pitching machine this weekend.
Roki Sasaki threw 48 pitches in a bullpen session Wednesday and could come off the IL next week, but Edgardo Henriquez, second among Dodgers relievers in innings and strikeouts, will miss the rest of the regular season because of a back strain. He could rejoin the team for the playoffs.
Then there’s Ohtani, the four-time most valuable player. He’s dealing with injuries to his left knee and right biceps. He has resumed taking batting practice and is eligible to come off the IL on Wednesday. Roberts hopes to get Ohtani 10 to 12 at-bats before the playoffs.
“I’m just really waiting to hear when he’s going to get on the field, let alone take live BP,” Roberts said. “He’s not there yet. But everything I’ve heard, it’s been a really productive last three to four to five days.”
One player who did return was closer Edwin Díaz. Limited by injuries to 16 appearances in his first season with the Dodgers, he was activated Friday and threw 17 pitches in the ninth, giving up a single and striking out two.
Dodgers reliever Edwin Díaz reacts after the final out of an 8-2 win over the Giants on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
For Roberts, the last month has looked like an episode of “The Pitt,” with medical crises piling up, one atop the other. Yet that’s hardly slowed the Dodgers, who opened their final homestand of the season having won 11 of their last 14 games.
Now the focus becomes continuing that momentum while getting as close to full strength as possible.
“They can go hand in hand,” Roberts said. “We have a lot of good players that are more than capable of helping us win baseball games, at the same time making sure we try to get our best players to optimum health when the postseason starts.”
The Dodgers got a big lift Friday from rookie Josue De Paula, who didn’t figure in their regular-season plans — much less their postseason ones — until a week ago when he was called up to take Ohtani’s place. In his Dodger Stadium debut, De Paula singled and scored on a Teoscar Hernández single in the fifth, then roped a double to the wall in right-center an inning later, scoring Kyle Tucker to put the Dodgers ahead to stay.
Tucker, Max Muncy, Mookie Betts and Will Smith all homered in a five-run eighth inning, turning a nail-biter into a comfortable win. Betts also hit a solo blast in the first.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the first inning Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“It’s crossed my mind,” De Paula said with a smile when asked if he’s in the discussion for a playoff roster spot. “But I try to focus on the now while I’m here and I’m enjoying every moment.”
“Yeah, he’s in the mix,” Roberts confirmed. “He’s certainly doing a lot of things well.”
All of the scoring helped Tyler Glasnow (5-1) earn his second win since April 23. Glasnow gave up just three hits in six innings, striking out a season-high 10.
Hernández, who had two hits, is batting .368 with 17 RBIs in September; Tucker, who also had two hits, is hitting .424 with five home runs and 13 runs scored in his last 10 games; Betts has six hits in his last eight at-bats, lifting his average to a season-high .254.
That’s helped make up for Freddie Freeman’s struggles. Freeman, who went hitless in four at-bats Friday, striking out twice, has just six hits — and 13 strikeouts — in his last 48 at-bats.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” Roberts said with a sigh before the game.
In a tribute to Judge, who has fueled much of their first-inning damage over the years, the Yankees put up a five spot in the opening frame before Gerrit Cole took care of the rest in an important bounce-back start.
Coming into the day having allowed seven home runs over his last two starts, Cole gave up another but limited the damage to just one on the way to the Yankees’ 9-2 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
On a day that began with news of Judge going on the injured list with a right calf strain that very much threatens his availability for the postseason, the Yankees (89-64) inched within four games of the Rays for the division with nine games remaining, while staying 5 ¹/₂ games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card.
“We’re obviously bummed for Aaron and Aaron’s probably bummed too,” Cole said. “But we’ve been in this position before this year, so unfortunately, it’s our reality at this point. We came out tonight with a good mentality and we played really good baseball and that’s a recipe for success, regardless of who’s in the lineup. Aaron’s a quick healer and a hard worker, and he’ll be back sooner than later for us. In his absence, we’ll hold the fort.”
Barring a Rays collapse, the Yankees will almost certainly be facing the Red Sox in the AL wild-card series, and Aaron Boone said before Friday’s game that he would expect Cole to make a start in that series despite getting roughed up of late.
Designated hitter Ben Rice lets a low pitch go as he earns a bases-loaded walk during the first inning of the Yankees’ 9-2 blowout win over Diamondbacks on Sept. 18, 2026 in Phoenix. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
Cole then took the mound and backed up that faith, tossing six innings of two-run ball in his penultimate start of the regular season.
The runs both came on Corbin Carroll’s two-run shot in the second inning, which came on a 97 mph fastball, the pitch that opponents have hit hard lately against Cole.
And though he still only generated four whiffs on 20 swings against his fastball, he found a way to minimize the damage and get back on track.
George Lombard Jr. celebrates while running the bases after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ win over the Diamondbacks. Getty Images
“I think a lot of people probably overreacted to a couple of outings that, frankly, are inevitable in a long season,” Boone said. “The reality is he’s having an outstanding season, he’s throwing the ball really well, and a great pitcher like him is going to be able to make some adjustments when you have a couple where they get to you.”
The veteran right-hander struck out six while walking none and scattering just four hits — all of which came off his fastball — against the Diamondbacks (80-74), who are on the outside looking in for the final NL wild card.
Boone said Cole “grinded pretty hard” between starts, which the former Cy Young winner indicated was about tightening up his delivery to create more deception.
“I don’t think we did a perfect job tonight,” Cole said. “I think we moved the needle in the right direction, but there’s still some meat on the bone there. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary. It’s the big leagues.”
Ben Rice celebrates with Spencer Jones after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of the Yankees’ win over the Diamondbacks. Getty Images
It helped that the Yankees gave Cole a 5-0 lead to work with before he threw a single pitch, as they made Diamondbacks All-Star lefty Eduardo Rodríguez throw 45 pitches in the top of the first.
Each of the first five batters reached base, as Paul Goldschmidt walked, Cody Bellinger singled, Heliot Ramos walked, Ben Rice walked and Amed Rosario singled.
One out later, George Lombard Jr. roped a two-run single up the middle to make it 5-0.
Gerrit Cole, who held the Diamondbacks to two runs over six innings and picked up the win, throws a pitch during th fifth inning of the Yankees’ road victory. Getty Images
Rice added a solo shot off Rodríguez in the third inning, for his 39th home run of the season — a number Boone insisted he predicted back in spring training — before Lombard knocked him out of the game in the sixth with a home run of his own that made it 7-2.
“Obviously we were missing [Judge] for a long time there, so this one is especially hard to swallow, him just being back for a brief period and now already gone,” said Rice, who added a triple and two walks. “But we have no choice but to keep playing hard, keep doing our thing.”
In a tribute to Judge, who has fueled much of their first-inning damage over the years, the Yankees put up a five spot in the opening frame before Gerrit Cole took care of the rest in an important bounce-back start.
Coming into the day having allowed seven home runs over his last two starts, Cole gave up another but limited the damage to just one on the way to the Yankees’ 9-2 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
On a day that began with news of Judge going on the injured list with a right calf strain that very much threatens his availability for the postseason, the Yankees (89-64) inched within four games of the Rays for the division with nine games remaining, while staying 5 ¹/₂ games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card.
“We’re obviously bummed for Aaron and Aaron’s probably bummed too,” Cole said. “But we’ve been in this position before this year, so unfortunately, it’s our reality at this point. We came out tonight with a good mentality and we played really good baseball and that’s a recipe for success, regardless of who’s in the lineup. Aaron’s a quick healer and a hard worker, and he’ll be back sooner than later for us. In his absence, we’ll hold the fort.”
Barring a Rays collapse, the Yankees will almost certainly be facing the Red Sox in the AL wild-card series, and Aaron Boone said before Friday’s game that he would expect Cole to make a start in that series despite getting roughed up of late.
Designated hitter Ben Rice lets a low pitch go as he earns a bases-loaded walk during the first inning of the Yankees’ 9-2 blowout win over Diamondbacks on Sept. 18, 2026 in Phoenix. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
Cole then took the mound and backed up that faith, tossing six innings of two-run ball in his penultimate start of the regular season.
The runs both came on Corbin Carroll’s two-run shot in the second inning, which came on a 97 mph fastball, the pitch that opponents have hit hard lately against Cole.
And though he still only generated four whiffs on 20 swings against his fastball, he found a way to minimize the damage and get back on track.
George Lombard Jr. celebrates while running the bases after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ win over the Diamondbacks. Getty Images
“I think a lot of people probably overreacted to a couple of outings that, frankly, are inevitable in a long season,” Boone said. “The reality is he’s having an outstanding season, he’s throwing the ball really well, and a great pitcher like him is going to be able to make some adjustments when you have a couple where they get to you.”
The veteran right-hander struck out six while walking none and scattering just four hits — all of which came off his fastball — against the Diamondbacks (80-74), who are on the outside looking in for the final NL wild card.
Boone said Cole “grinded pretty hard” between starts, which the former Cy Young winner indicated was about tightening up his delivery to create more deception.
“I don’t think we did a perfect job tonight,” Cole said. “I think we moved the needle in the right direction, but there’s still some meat on the bone there. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary. It’s the big leagues.”
Ben Rice celebrates with Spencer Jones after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of the Yankees’ win over the Diamondbacks. Getty Images
It helped that the Yankees gave Cole a 5-0 lead to work with before he threw a single pitch, as they made Diamondbacks All-Star lefty Eduardo Rodríguez throw 45 pitches in the top of the first.
Each of the first five batters reached base, as Paul Goldschmidt walked, Cody Bellinger singled, Heliot Ramos walked, Ben Rice walked and Amed Rosario singled.
One out later, George Lombard Jr. roped a two-run single up the middle to make it 5-0.
Gerrit Cole, who held the Diamondbacks to two runs over six innings and picked up the win, throws a pitch during th fifth inning of the Yankees’ road victory. Getty Images
Rice added a solo shot off Rodríguez in the third inning, for his 39th home run of the season — a number Boone insisted he predicted back in spring training — before Lombard knocked him out of the game in the sixth with a home run of his own that made it 7-2.
“Obviously we were missing [Judge] for a long time there, so this one is especially hard to swallow, him just being back for a brief period and now already gone,” said Rice, who added a triple and two walks. “But we have no choice but to keep playing hard, keep doing our thing.”
