Category: MLB

And the plot thickens. Braves 6 Astros 2. With the loss and the combination of the Rangers win, things are once again knotted up atop the A.L. West.    

Peter Lambert was cruising along until the 4th. The Braves strung together three straight hits, the biggest coming off the bat of Michael Harris who took a breaking ball opposite field for a 2-run homer. In the bottom half of that frame the crowd of over 37,000 came to life when the Astros matched with a trio of baserunners.    Yordan Alvarez started things with his 32nd double of the season. Isaac Paredes scored Alvarez with an RBI single to center. Altuve also singled, but the Astros did no more damage there.  In fact, those were the only hits the Astros managed until LaMonte Wade singled in the 8th. Isaac Paredes would eventually bring in Wade with his 88th RBI of the year.    

It appeared that Atlanta’s breakout moment would come in the 6th. They loaded up the bases which ended Lambert’s night. Lambert’s final line:  5.1 IP 6 Hits, 2 ER with a walk and 6 K’s. AJ Blubaugh came on in relief, recording outs on Yastrzemski and Riley to keep it a one run affair. However, in the 7th the Braves finally extended their lead. Drake Baldwin drew a walk and came home on Ronald Acuna’s shot to left field, making things 4-1.    

Matt Olson put the final nail in the coffin launching his 40th home run in the 9th. All three of the Braves home runs for the evening were two-run blasts.     

Tyler Mahle has now improved to 4-1 in eight starts with the Braves. The last time Peter Lambert won a game was back on July 11th. With the win, Atlanta has now clinched a spot in the playoffs for the 8th time in 9 years.     

Odds & Ends:

With a pair of walks, Yordan Alveraz now has 105 on the season.    

Daulton Varsho is now 3-30 at the plate in recent games.    

Hayden Wesneski will look for his 6th win of the season tomorrow night. First pitch set for 6:10 CDT.   

George Springer turns 37 on Saturday. 

The analogy given by the St. Louis Cardinals TV crew Friday night was that the game started in a way that would inspire most to hit the reset button if this were a video game. Unfortunately, there was no reset button available for the Cardinals poor start Friday night as the Nationals scored early and often and the Cardinals gave them a couple assists, too. The end result can only be described as embarrassing if you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan.

The troubles for Kyle Leahy started with a one-out walk to Daylen Lile. Crews and Abrams followed that walk with back-to-back singles making it 1-0 Nationals. Crews would score on an errant throw from Leo Bernal that flew into centerfield upping the Washington advantage to 2-0. Abrams scored the third Nationals run on a groundout by House giving Washington a 3-0 lead after the top of the 1st.

The Nationals added to their lead in the top of the 3rd inning when Kyle Leahy walked James Wood to start the inning. After Lile grounded out in a fielder’s choice, Dylan Crews lifted a 94 mph Leahy sinker that didn’t sink enough 379ft into the right field seats for a 5-0 Washington lead and the Nationals weren’t done. With two outs, House doubled to right which Jordan Walker turned into a triple when he mishandled the ball in the right field corner. Leahy didn’t help himself as he then walked Vivas. Morales knocked both of them in with a double into the left field corner for 2 more RBI’s and a frightening 7-0 Nationals lead. At this point, you could tell it was going to be a long night for the Cardinals. This was one of those games where you’re in the 3rd inning wondering which position player will be pitching for St. Louis in a few innings. Pathetic.

The game just kept getting better as the innings continued. Oh, wait. No, they didn’t. In the top of the 4th inning as Cooper Hjerpe took over for Kyle Leahy, Jacob Young led off with a double for the Nationals. He advanced to third on a groundout from Woods and scored on a sacrifice fly by Lile. 8-0 Nationals going into the bottom of the 4th inning.

The St. Louis Cardinals offense could do nothing exciting against Washington Nationals starter Cade Cavalli who had just signed a 4-year, $47 million dollar contract extension Friday. I would congratulate him on that new contract, but that would seem redundant since I believe the Cardinals TV crew congratulated him at least a half dozen times Friday night. The sad statistic is the Cardinals ended the game with the same amount of hits, but with 8 fewer runs. St. Louis also had more errors than runs. How is that even possible?

For the sake of being a completionist, I’ll continue to document the Nationals runs including the top of the 6th inning when Hjerpe gave up a one-out walk to Ford. Two batters later, he scored on a double from Wood. 9-0 Nationals. To give some Cardinals some credit, Hjerpe and Winquest ate the rest of the games innings without allowing any additional runs.

The Cardinals got a “who cares” token run in the bottom of the 8th inning when Nathan Church led off with a double to right. He advanced to third on a fly-out by JJ Wetherholt and scored when Herrera grounded out. 9-1 Nationals. Those who were dedicated enough to remain in Busch Stadium let out a very sarcastic cheer and who could blame them. Yawn.

I can sum up the Cardinals effort Friday night by saying this. There was an alarming lack of energy. If you were at Busch Stadium expecting a young team trying to make the most of the remaining schedule, you likely left very disappointed. I don’t know about you, but I accepted there would not be a late playoff run by the St. Louis Cardinals this season. I have not and will not accept really poor efforts like Friday night where the team seemed to be mentally checked out and ready for their golf tee times in October. The sad thing is games like Friday night also had many of us in the diehard Cardinals fanbase also looking forward to October.

Only two more games for the Cardinals season at Busch Stadium. Saturday night, it’s game 2 of the weekend homestand vs the Washington Nationals. Michael McGreevy is the starter for the Cardinals while it’s LHP Andrew Alvarez for the Nationals. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15pm and the game broadcast will be available through Cardinals.tv.

Going into the final home series of the regular season (and possibly last before an Endless pit of Baseball Despair, aka, the Lockout), the Cleveland Guardians own a share of 1st place in the American League Central. For all of the whining, dooming, panicking and flat out freaking out that many fans (read: not me, definitely not me) have been up to since Memorial Day, October baseball is completely up to them with 9 games to play. The 2 (Bye), 3 (Home for Wild Card) and 6 (still a Playoff spot!) seeds are all still up for grabs.

The Goal is simple: have a better final 9 games than the Chicago White Sox. Anything else and you’re out of control.

The path to reaching that goal started Friday night, when the Guardians welcome the A’s to town. The athletes formerly known as the Oakland Athletics have been stumbling down the standings for quite some time. They were 13-44 from June 27th-September 1st, reaching Dead Last in the American League. They did however turn the corner recently, going 8-6 since.

So. With the Final Stretch finally here, how would the Guardians attack?

Before we get into the game, let me just say this: I am so happy for Daniel Espino. He has come so far and has already accomplished what almost everyone in his position never could. In 2022, he was the top pitching prospect in the system and pushing for top pitching prospect in all of baseball. He was rising through the ranks faster than the team could ever imagine, and on pace to be our Ace in a year or two. I spoke to an Umpire that summer who was behind home plate for one of his early starts at Akron; he said that Daniel had the best arm he had ever seen. We’re talking legendary talent in a 21 year old’s body. Scary mix.

You all know the story by now. Injury knocks him out of 2022, then another for 2023. Before the 2024 season, his goal was to just take the mound in a live game at some point. And of course, he has another setback in that shoulder, one that will cost him all of 2024 and possibly 2025. If that wasn’t enough, his Father passed after a long battle with Prostate cancer. That much time away from the game, that much misery and sorrow and I can’t even imagine what weighing on your shoulders, would make most men quit. And yet, he battles back to the mound for one appearance before the end of the 2025 season in Columbus. Now, with Cleveland he’s starting (opening?) on a Friday night with the division and October life on the line. Even just throwing one pitch means he’s made it.

**Side Note. I HATE hate, hate hate-hate hAtE (hate) hatehate hater Hate, HATE talking about a series and saying we need to or we should sweep before it even begins. Almost every time, it starts with an absolute disaster, and this was no exception***

Daniel Espino would take the mound first and was shaky to say the least. He would walk the leadoff and 3 hole hitters on 7 pitches each with a 3 pitch K sandwiched in between. That umpire I was speaking about earlier? Well he has a brother who is a semi-professional wrestler. He once told me that walks are like lost dogs- they always find their way home. I found that so so accurate for our relievers this season, and while Espino wasn’t in relief tonight, his appearance was clearly more Reliever-like than Starter-like… Well, those walks DID find their way home, on a Homerun to the very next batter. Suddenly, the Guardians were down 3-0 just 4 batters into a series they “need to sweep”.

I’M NOT PANICKING. I DON’T FREAK OUT.

The good news is that the Guardians get to bat. That is good news, right? The bottom of the 1st looked strikingly similar to the top half, as Kwan and DeLauter walked their way on for Adell. The Jo Show would bang a single into Left, but unfortunately Travis Bazzana, he who hath been hotter than hot, hit a tailor made double play and the A’s were let off the hook. The Guards would threaten again, loading the bases in the 2nd, but Jose struck out, leaving them loses for the 2nd straight inning. Don’t ya just hate it when your good players don’t come thru and they don’t get a shot at redemption?!? More on THAT in a minute.

Playing from behind again, the Guardians would try “bulk inning Joey” for the second straight “start”. And while they haven’t been able to figure out the pitching ahead of him, Cantillo off the bench has been a revelation! After going 4 shutout innings at Minnesota last weekend, he would deliver 6 shutout tonight! In Aloha Joe’s 2 relief appearances this past week, he went 10 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 13 K and 0 total runs. I don’t know how sustainable this is- but you absolutely have to ride this for as long as you can. Figure out the first 2 innings, left Joey rip and hopefully that goes right into Cade.

But Jake! They need runs!

Oh right, about that. Well unfortunately the Guards are the kind of team this year that misses an early opportunity and packs it in- never to be heard from again… said NO ONE EVER (me, in June, July and most of August. I might have said that maybe once). When that calendar flips to September, Steven Vogt has the guys playing all the way thru that final out.

The Guards wouldn’t need that final out. In the 4th inning they finally brought those guys in, with the bottom of the lineup knocking three straight hits, including a 2 run single from Mr. September himself, Brayan “Playoff Rocchio” Rocchtember/tober (name is a work in progress, unlike his performance this month).

Two batters later, Jose Ramirez would get that redemption hit and knock in his 999th career RBI, tying the game at 3 (Terrible number but one day he’ll get to 1,000).

These guys are just so damn fun now. As much love as Halpin got this week, Rocchio gets this month, Chase has gotten this year, one guy who has been so damn hot is Travis Bazzana. The former number 1 overall pick, the guy who people were writing a career obituary for, has been scorching the ball. Travis left tonight with a 1.259 OPS(!) in September, including 6 homeruns. The most recent one broke the 3-3 tie to put the Guardians on top for good. The Thunder Down Under does it again!

And what’s one more for good measure? Jose has had such a rough year, but he might be on to something recently. Battling this hamate recovery, he finally broke thru the other day with two laser beam doubles (both hits over 100 MPH exit velo) and then today with a hard hit RBI single and a 102 MPH Homer that went 400 feet into the Cleveland sky.

The crowd was rockin. The boys were buzzing. The fireworks were warming up (no, that can’t be right, that sounds dangerous). Cantillo sat ‘em down all night long and Cade came in and did what he does. 1-2-3, Guardians back alone in 1st place.

It started ugly- but the guys who don’t quit stayed calm and eventually delivered a stress free, fun Friday night City Connect (last one of the season) 5-3 Victory! 1 down, 8 left!

Stepping out for a second, I need to say one thing. To any A’s fans that may be reading this… FJF. A close family friend of mine knows him personally and assured me that if you think he’s a spoiled rich kid who has no heart or allegiance or sense of pride, well, you’d be right. Shame on him for moving the A’s out of Oakland. He has no right. And while it probably means very little to you, this Cleveland Browns fan and supporter of all things “small market” stands with you.

The Guardians take on the A’s again Saturday night at 6:10 PM, when Tanner Bibee takes on LHP Jacob Lopez (5.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER on 5/2 vs CLE) for Game 2 of the series.

Just keep winning, just keep winning.

If you have every been stuck on the Gandy or the Howard-Frankland Bridge heading over the water to Tropicana Field, then you know what it felt like to be a Rays baserunner in this contest. The Rays were 0-13 with runners in scoring position leaving 12 men on base as the team’s runs came on two fielder’s choices in the first and final frame. It is not like Boston was much better as they were 1-5 with runners in scoring position while also leaving nine runners on base, but solo shots from both Roman Anthony & Jahmai Jones along with a two-run bases loaded single by Anthony accounted for entirety of the Boston offense in this contest.

This was not a well pitched game by either starter, but Ranger Suarez executed some pitches on the paint in key moments to keep runners stranded while Ian Seymour failed to do so. The Rays’ bullpen was nearly flawless over the final four innings as Ty Johnson, Casey Legumina, and Alex Cook scattered two singles around six strikeouts, but the Rays offense simply stalled out in key moments all throughout this contest.

Suarez generated just six swings and misses on the evening, but there were three in particular which were rather impressive. The first one came in the second inning when Yandy Diaz had two runners on and could not protect against a well-located cutter high and away that would have clipped the zone had Diaz not swung:

The second one came in the bottom of the 3rd when Jonny DeLuca was at the plate with two runners on and took a 2-2 sinker in this location that was upheld as a strike three call by ABS:

The next one came in the bottom of the 5th inning, and while the bases were empty, the 3-2 sinker vapor-locked Junior Caminero:

The Rays would go on to strike out six other times in the game, but more importantly, would go on to leave multiple runners on base in the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 9th innings. The 5th inning may have been as the final frame as the Rays would load the bases on three walks, but Jake Fraley would strike out to end the inning. Fraley, rather than Richie Palacios, was brought in for the pinch hitting in that moment. It was surprising given the fact Fraley just returned to the team on Thursday and had two plate appearances against major league pitching since mid-May. Small sample size fun says Fraley is a career .414 hitter with the bgases loaded with two grand slams and 37 RBIs in 36 plate appearances. An even smaller sample size shows that Fraley is now 0-5 with the bases loaded in 2026 with four strikeouts and an infield popout.

While one might feel it is hard to strand so many runners in one game, both Los Angeles franchises did the same thing two nights ago. Unsurprisingly, theytoo both lost while only scoring two runs. The Rays pulled off a similar line score on opening day when they stranded 16 men on base in the 9-7 loss that day. They were able to survive the next three instances of traffic jams on the bases, including the singles-fest which occurred in Seattle on August 9th. Tonight, they simply could not execute at the plate in key moments, and some of that is credited to Boston pitching executing timely pitches around multiple bouts of wildness in this game. The Rays had plenty of chances to come back and win this game, but failed to even generate one timely hit to change the outcome of this contest.

The Red Sox went 1-2 in Texas, dropping Tuesday and Wednesday before salvaging Thursday’s finale. Not a disaster, but not exactly the momentum you’d want heading into the hardest series left on the schedule. Tropicana Field, the best record in the American League, five straight home wins for Tampa coming in. No easy nights here.

Roman Anthony made sure Friday wasn’t a hard one, at least to start. He led off the game with a solo shot—his fifth of the year—and put the Sox on top before the Rays even came to bat. He came back in the second to single home two more after Boston loaded the bases. Three RBI before the third inning. It’s the kind of night that alllllmost makes you forget his current strikeout rate. Then Jahmai Jones, who apparently hits well regularly now, hit a solo homer of his own in the third to make it 4-1. Seymour was cooked. He didn’t make it out of the fifth.

Ranger did the rest. Five-plus innings against a Rays lineup that had been torching everyone—14 runs against Houston, 10 against the A’s—and he held them to one run, a Caminero ground-out RBI in the first that felt more like a minor inconvenience than a real threat. The Rays walked nine times in this game and went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position. They had all the rope they needed and couldn’t do anything with it. I still hate that this is a good thing, but you’ll take it.

The biggest moment came in the sixth. Wyatt Olds came on for Suarez and promptly walked two to help load the bases, then had to get himself out of a jam of his own partial making with Jake Fraley at the plate. He got him. Okay. Breathe.

Greg Weissert handled the seventh and eighth, then Erik Miller came on for the ninth and made it more stressful than it needed to be. What is up with his command lately? We knew this was a fault in San Francisco—that his mechanics can affect his command and make him walk-prone—but this bad? Ouch. He got it done, but still.

Final: 4-1. Sox snap Tampa’s five-game home win streak.

Magic number: 2. Pending what Texas and Toronto do tonight, but the Sox took care of their side of it.

Studs

Roman Anthony

Leadoff homer in the first inning. Two-run single in the second. Three RBI by the third. He came to Tropicana Field and made it easier on the team from pitch one.

Ranger Suarez

One run in five-plus against the AL’s best record, keeping the ball down, getting out of jams, never letting anything snowball. That’s the start this series needed. Ranger has strung together a few good ones lately after an abysmal July and August—just what the doctor ordered this time of year.

Duds

Erik Miller

Comes into a 4-1 game at Tropicana Field and makes it feel like the whole thing could come apart. Season-high 9 walks issued on the night and Miller added to the chaos. He’s not a closer right now, and that ninth inning showed it.

The Offense After the Third

Four runs in the first three innings and then nothing. Nine hits on the night, 18 combined LOB between the two clubs, and Boston left a chunk of those. They had chances after the third and couldn’t push anything across. The lead held, but you’re not getting away with that every night down the stretch.

Play of the Game

Roman Anthony leading off the game with a homer. It gave Suarez a cushion from the very first at-bat and set the tone for everything that followed.

Mets interim manager Andy Green wants rookie pitcher Zac Thornton to stay hungry.

The 24-year-old southpaw is putting the finishing touches on an extremely solid first season in the bigs, with a 3.40 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 79.1 IP.

On Friday, Thornton hurled six full innings and allowed just two earned runs on five hits as the Mets cruised to a 6-3 win over the rival Philadelphia Phillies. 

"It was typical for him," Green lauded. "He was on the attack the whole day, and when he had traffic [on the basepaths], he always seemed to execute the big pitch when he needed to.

"Against a very good offense, he did a nice job."

Green was asked during his postgame news conference whether he believes he's ready to declare Thornton is "for real."

"I do think that, but I also think that if you take your foot off the gas at this level, it'll hurt you," Green replied.

"Zac pitches with an edge and an intent to prove himself every time out. I think that's just who he is. He's resilient, he knows how to bounce back when a team gets to him, and the stuff plays."

A fist pump from Zac Thornton as he strikes out Bryce Harper! pic.twitter.com/533twEbBMX

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2026

However, Green couldn't offer praise without also providing some offseason motivation for the young lefty.

"There's another level to go," Green continued. "He's 185 pounds soaking wet right now. If he uses his offseason effectively, he can get to 195 pounds, increase his velocity from 91 to 93 miles per hour to 94 and above, and add more refinement on the changeup and the curveball."

In Green's eyes, accomplishing these goals will require Thornton to have both a healthy growth mindset and the day-by-day motor to constantly put in the work required to get better.

"The path to improvement is staying on the gas pedal," the interim manager declared. "Train like you've never won anything, and compete like you've never lost. That's where Zac's mentality has to be going into the offseason. We don't hand you a job next season because you had 14 good starts, you have to continue to prove yourself."

Thornton himself clearly has the "myself versus everybody" mentality Green alluded to.

"It's great just to prove myself right, prove a lot of others wrong," Thornton stated postgame. "Hopefully, I'm in this league for a long time and I'll always kind of have that mentality pitching, no matter how long I'm going to be here for."

"It's tiring, but the reward is special. Being on a team that wins baseball games, having a lengthy and successful career, all of that is in front of Zac if he wants to go get it," Green concluded.

After start No. 14 — essentially half a season’s worth of work in which he has more than held his own — Zac Thornton received an endorsement and a challenge. 

“I do think this is who he is,” interim manager Andy Green said after Thornton impressed again in a 6-3 win over the Phillies in front of 29,764 at Citi Field on Friday. 

But. 

“We don’t hand you a job next year because you had 14 good starts,” Green later added, showing the player-development-executive side of himself who knows how to motivate. 

The Mets probably are not yet writing Thornton’s name in ink among next year’s starting rotation, but with each start his case has grown stronger. 

The lefty does not have elite stuff but competes with what he has in the strike zone and, so far at least, rarely loses. Against an imposing, likely playoff-bound lineup, Thornton allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk in six strong innings.

He has pitched twice against Philadelphia and has turned in two quality starts. 

All from a pitcher without major prospect hype and who strains to throw 95 mph and yet owns a 3.40 ERA largely due to his aggression: He has walked two or fewer hitters in 13 of his first 14 starts, joining Mike Bruhert as the only pitchers in franchise history to do so. 

“It’s great just to prove myself right,” Thornton said after his eighth quality start, “prove a lot of others wrong.” 

As Green made clear, he will have to continue proving himself. The interim manager challenged Thornton, who is “185 pounds soaking wet,” to gain weight this offseason and watch the velocity tick up with the extra pounds.

There is another level Thornton can reach, Green said, if he wants to ensure he slides in with Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and whomever else in next season’s rotation. 

Even so, this version of Thornton is pretty good — his arm and his glove, which sparkled in the fifth when Trea Turner hit a tapper toward first base. 

Thornton raced toward the line as first baseman Brett Baty gave up chase and stood with his foot on the base. Thornton did not quite grab the ball but instead shoveled it — fielding and tossing in one swift motion before tumbling into foul territory — for a bounce pass to Baty, who scooped it to retire the speedy Turner for the second out of the top of the fifth. 

Thornton hit the dirt hard and was checked by a trainer, but the Mets were thankful there was no further reminder of the Jared Young incident a night prior. Thornton shook himself off, threw a warmup pitch, and then struck out Bryce Harper swinging, allowing himself a fist-pump as he walked off the field. 

“Pretty typical for him,” Green said of a pitcher who is trying to prove that this, indeed, is typical for him. “Just on the attack the whole day.”

After start No. 14 — essentially half a season’s worth of work in which he has more than held his own — Zac Thornton received an endorsement and a challenge. 

“I do think this is who he is,” interim manager Andy Green said after Thornton impressed again in a 6-3 win over the Phillies in front of 29,764 at Citi Field on Friday. 

But. 

“We don’t hand you a job next year because you had 14 good starts,” Green later added, showing the player-development-executive side of himself who knows how to motivate. 

The Mets probably are not yet writing Thornton’s name in ink among next year’s starting rotation, but with each start his case has grown stronger. 

The lefty does not have elite stuff but competes with what he has in the strike zone and, so far at least, rarely loses. Against an imposing, likely playoff-bound lineup, Thornton allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk in six strong innings.

He has pitched twice against Philadelphia and has turned in two quality starts. 

All from a pitcher without major prospect hype and who strains to throw 95 mph and yet owns a 3.40 ERA largely due to his aggression: He has walked two or fewer hitters in 13 of his first 14 starts, joining Mike Bruhert as the only pitchers in franchise history to do so. 

“It’s great just to prove myself right,” Thornton said after his eighth quality start, “prove a lot of others wrong.” 

As Green made clear, he will have to continue proving himself. The interim manager challenged Thornton, who is “185 pounds soaking wet,” to gain weight this offseason and watch the velocity tick up with the extra pounds.

There is another level Thornton can reach, Green said, if he wants to ensure he slides in with Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and whomever else in next season’s rotation. 

Even so, this version of Thornton is pretty good — his arm and his glove, which sparkled in the fifth when Trea Turner hit a tapper toward first base. 

Thornton raced toward the line as first baseman Brett Baty gave up chase and stood with his foot on the base. Thornton did not quite grab the ball but instead shoveled it — fielding and tossing in one swift motion before tumbling into foul territory — for a bounce pass to Baty, who scooped it to retire the speedy Turner for the second out of the top of the fifth. 

Thornton hit the dirt hard and was checked by a trainer, but the Mets were thankful there was no further reminder of the Jared Young incident a night prior. Thornton shook himself off, threw a warmup pitch, and then struck out Bryce Harper swinging, allowing himself a fist-pump as he walked off the field. 

“Pretty typical for him,” Green said of a pitcher who is trying to prove that this, indeed, is typical for him. “Just on the attack the whole day.”

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was in good spirits as he sat at the podium beneath Dodger Stadium on Friday, Sept. 18. His team returned home as National League West champions for the 13th time in 14 years after their 8-2 rout of the Cincinnati Reds to end their road trip.

They also entered Friday's series opener against the San Francisco Giants with a four-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the No. 2 seed in the NL and sat just two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top seed with just nine games to go before October.

But perhaps taking priority over chasing playoff positioning, Roberts expressed confidence that the Dodgers could finish the season relatively healthy with both Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell progressing well in the final two weeks of the regular season.

"I think it's about winning games, all the while ... getting our players back to health. But I think 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 and at the same time, making sure we try to get our best players to optimum health when the postseason starts."

Ohtani, who has been rehabbing at home while the Dodgers were on the road, swung a bat for the second time since landing on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 8. The two-way superstar took another step forward in his hitting progression as he took batting practice off of coach pitch and came away feeling good, per Roberts. While the Dodgers' skipper acknowledged "he's not there yet" as far as facing live pitching, that would be the next hurdle for Ohtani to clear before returning to the lineup.

In a fairly lethargic game, the Mets defeated the Phillies 6-3.

Zac Thornton started for the Mets, and hit Kyle Schwarber with a pitch, putting the first runner of the game on first base. But Thornton buckled down, striking out Treat Turner and Bryce Harper and then inducing a ground out from Luis Arraez.

The Mets teed off on opener Tim Mayza. Francisco Lindor led off the game with a double, and was pushed to third by a Bo Bichette single. Carson Benge then singled, scoring Lindor, and putting the Mets up 1-0.

Mark Vientos walked, and that would do it for Mayza. José Urquidy came in next and, aside from allowing a two-run single to A.J. Ewing in his first at-bat, settled in nicely. Urquidy went four and two-thirds innings, giving up no runs on five hits, while striking out six.

The Phillies got a run back in the bottom of the second when Bryston Stott doubled off of Ewing’s glove in center field, scoring Edmundo Sosa. That would do it for the scoring until the top of the sixth, when Sosa hit a solo home run to left-center field.

Thornton continues to impress, going six innings and allowing those two runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out five.

In the bottom of the sixth, with two on, Juan Soto hit a towering home run to right-center field, pushing the lead to 6-2. That was Soto’s 26th home run of the year which, considering how long he was on the shelf for, is impressive.

Derek Hill hit a solo dinger off of Nate Lavender, who was otherwise solid in his one and two-thirds innings of work. Dedniel Nuñez pitched the last inning and a third, and was perfect against those four batters.

Tomorrow, otherwise known as Carlos Beltrán day, will see Christian Scott face off against Andrew Painter at 4:10pm.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big winner: Juan Soto, +18.0% WPA

Big loser: Brett Baty, -4.0% WPA

Total pitcher WPA: +21.0% WPA

Total batter WPA: +21.0% WPA

Teh aw3s0mest play: Juan Soto’s three-run home run, +20.9% WPA

Teh sux0rest play: Edmundo Sosa’s solo home run, -11.0% WPA

The Athletics opened their final road series of the year against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night. The A’s offense faded after a strong first inning, while starter Mason Barnett and the bullpen combined to allow five unanswered runs in a 5-3 defeat, giving the A’s their 93rd loss of the season.

A’s Strike First

The A’s offense wasted no time against Guardians opener’ Daniel Espino. Center fielder Henry Bolte and right fielder Lawrence Butler walked. With one out, left fielder Zack Gelof hit his 19th home run of the season, a three-run shot to right center that put the visitors up 3-0 before the hosts got a chance to bat. That was the A’s first and only scoring chance of the game.

Barnett Navigating Traffic

Recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to start today’s game, A’s right-hander Mason Barnett’s command problems presented themselves immediately. The Guardians loaded the bases in the bottom of the first on a pair of walks and a single. Cleveland failed to score, however, as Barnett got second baseman Travis Bazzana to ground into an inning-ending double play.

In the bottom of the second, the Guardians loaded the bases against Barnett for the second time in as many innings. Once again, the hosts failed to score as Barnett struck out Jose Ramirez to end the inning. The A’s right-hander needed 54 pitches to navigate two traffic-filled, scoreless frames.

Guardians Comeback

Espino pitched just one inning before left-hander Joey Cantillo replaced him. The Guardians’ southpaw neutralized the A’s offense, throwing six scoreless innings while facing just one batter above the minimum. His strong performance on the mound gave his teammates time and confidence to mount a comeback.

Cleveland finally scored off Barnett in the bottom of the fourth inning. After two singles to open the inning, shortstop Brayan Rocchio’s two-RBI double cut the A’s lead to 3-2. Ramirez hit an RBI single to drive home the game-tying run and send Barnett to the showers.

The A’s right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits and four walks over 3 1/3 innings. He was fortunate to allow just three runs given the number of baserunners Cleveland put on early in the game. Fellow right-hander Scott Blewett replaced him and stopped the bleeding to keep the game tied.

A’s Bullpen Continues to Struggle

Blewett remained in the game for the fifth inning, but he did not fare as well. Bazzana put Cleveland in front for the first time this evening with his 15th home run of the season, a solo-shot to right-center field.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Ramirez hit his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot to right field against A’s reliever Seth Johnson that extended Cleveland’s lead to 5-3. That long ball was the third baseman’s 1,000th career RBI.

No Comeback Tonight

The Guardians’ bullpen prevented the A’s from mounting a comeback. Designated hitter Shea Langeliers came up as the game-tying run in the eighth inning against setup man Hunter Gaddis, but instead hit into the visitors’ second double play of the game. In the ninth inning, Cleveland closer Cade Smith quickly retired the side to secure his 38th save of the season.

The Green and Gold will try to snap their four-game losing streak and earn one final road win this season tomorrow afternoon. Left-hander Jacob Lopez will start for the Athletics, while the Guardians will counter with right-hander Tanner Bibee.

Two three-run innings surrendered by their problematic bullpen doomed the Philadelphia Phillies (85-69) in a 6-3 loss to the New York Mets (70-84) on Friday night.

Tim Mayza opened the game with a lead-off double to Francisco Lindor. He would get one out before leaving with an 0-1 deficit and the bases loaded. New recruit, Jose Urquidy came on in relief and and allowed a two-RBI single to AJ Ewing to make it 3-0 Mets after the first.

Urquidy looked like found money in the middle innings as he pitched four scoreless from the second through the fifth.

The Phillies would get on the board against Mets’ lefty starter, Zac Thornton, in the second as Edmundo Sosa singled and came home to score on a double by Bryson Stott to cut the gap to two runs.

Sosa got a double of his own in the fourth and homered in the sixth to make it a one-run game.

Orion Kerkering relieved Urquidy in the bottom of the sixth, notched two punch outs but put two men on with a pair of singles and left a meatball in the middle of the plate for Juan Soto to bash the game open with a three-run home run.

Derek Hill hit a solo shot with one out in the seventh to make it 6-3, but the next eight batters were set down in order without much resistance.

The Phillies mustered six total hits on the night, went 0-5 with runners in scoring position and the 1-5 hitters in the order combined to go 1 for 18 with just a single by Trea Turner and a walk by Kyle Schwarber.

Andrew Painter will face Christian Scott tomorrow afternoon in game three of the four game set.

The NL West division champions come home for their final regular season homestand.

The Dodgers (93-60) open a three-game series against the Giants (64-89) Friday night. 

Tyler Glasnow (4-1, 3.50 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) starts for the Dodgers, and left-hander Cesar Perdomo (0-1, 3.68 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) takes the ball for San Francisco. 

Lineups

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Giants
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 7:15 p.m.
• TV: Apple TV
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The game started off so well for the Royals as they got out to a 4-0 lead after the top of the third. But the Pirates scored 8 over the remaining six offensive innings, and the Royals could only score 1 more. KC, therefore, fell to Pittsburgh by a score of 8-5.

Paul Skenes, in his first career start against KC, began well against the Royals. He struck out Carter Jensen and got Bobby Witt Jr. on a routine lineout to center. However, Vinnie Pasquantino was not intimidated by Skenes’ ace bona fides.

In the top of the third, the Royals struck again. Kyle Isbel got a one-out single up the middle, then Bobby lined a single to right. Vinnie came through again, this time with an RBI single. Maikel Garcia then got his first hit since returning from the IL earlier this week, a double into right field. Maikel was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple, but not before Vinnie scored the third run of the inning and gave the Royals what seemed like a reasonable lead.

On the other side, it was clear Randy Dobnak was not going to have his best night, despite getting to pitch in front of friends and family as the stadium is only a few miles from where he grew up. He danced around trouble in the first two innings but gave up a two-run bomb to Brandon Lowe in the bottom of the third. Michael Massey got one of those back in the top of the fourth.

However, Dobnak’s struggles continued in the bottom of the fourth inning. He ultimately gave up two more runs before being relieved by Connor Thomas, with Lowe coming back to the plate. Thomas retired Lowe with a strikeout, and the Royals clung to a 5-4 lead. Still, they’d been hitting Skenes hard all night. Surely they could get some more, right?

Right?

Nate Pearson, likely the Royals’ best current reliever, was tasked with pitching the seventh inning. Since coming to KC, Nate* had compiled a 1.57 ERA and 0.5 fWAR. Most on the team by anyone pitching in relief, except for Daniel Lynch IV. After giving up three runs tonight, unfortunately, that ERA rises to 2.63. Still good, but considerably higher. Pearson has now allowed at least one run in three straight appearances. He was battling his control in this one; he walked 1, hit another, and allowed 3 hits. He did strike out 2, but it just wasn’t enough.

*He really needs a good reliever nickname; anyone got any ideas? I’ve got bupkis so far.

On the bright side, Anthony Gose continues to make a case for a bullpen spot next year. I wasn’t sold even a week ago, but now he’s struck out 4 over 2 innings in his last 3 appearances. He has also given up 3 hits, so let’s not ink him to a multi-year deal, just yet, but there is some promise there. And, even better, Lucas Erceg was tasked with pitching the eighth.

We all know Erceg’s story, and I think most of us are hoping for the best for him. He impressed a lot of people in his first appearance back against Houston, but I wasn’t sure I was among them when I watched the replay. Watching live tonight, I’m sold. Pitching like this, he is going to mow some batters down. Sure, he didn’t strike anyone out, and he allowed a hit. But the hit was allowed after a filthy front-hip sinker was called a ball, making the count 2-0. Things probably go very differently if it’s a 1-1 count after that pitch. For that matter, Bryan Reynolds is credited with a double, and I can’t say he didn’t hit it hard, but I will say he was behind that pitch. If he’d been more on time, it’s probably an out because the Royals were playing him to pull. He was tunneling the sinker and slider with elite effectiveness, and none of the remaining three batters made particularly good contact. In fact, the inning-ending double play might have been in doubt if Ryan O’Hearn were a faster runner because it was hit so softly.

More important than whether the Royals won or lost this game are the things that can help them plan their roster for next year. The return of an unfair Lucas Erceg would be a huge boon for next year’s team.

The Royals will take another shot at the Pirates tomorrow evening; Noah Cameron (3.84 ERA, 4.13 SIERA) will face Bubba Chandler (4.28 ERA, 4.78 SIERA) at 5:40 PM Central Time. It should be a really fun pitching matchup.

P.S. I almost forgot about it my exuberance over Lucas Erceg’s elite arsenal on display tonight, but the Royals made an announcement about Jac Caglianone before today’s game. I expect I’ll write more about it early next week, when we know a bit more, but here are the details that were offered prior to the game via Joel Goldberg implications and Matt Quatraro responding clearly to Goldberg questions:

• Jac Caglianone was pinch-hit for last night because he hurt his hand. He did not hurt his hand on the field, but in the dugout. The implication is that he punched a wall or other inanimate object in frustration.
• Quatraro claims sole discretion over keeping Jac out of the lineup tonight. It was neither because of his previous arm injury nor the hand. This was Q making a call based on Jac’s behavior.
• Joel indicated that he didn’t believe Jac would have been held out of tonight’s contest if this was the first time something like this had happened.
• Jac Caglianone is supposed to speak to the media about the situation tomorrow.

I don’t know what Jac is going through. I do think it’s particularly concerning that the team has chosen to go so very public with the punishment and go so far as to pre-announce a time for the player to address it. Add that to Goldberg’s assertion that this has been a repetitive occurrence, and I am very concerned for the slugger’s mental health and well-being. I hope he is able to face whatever is leading him to behave so destructively and deal with it before things get even more out of hand.

The San Francisco Giants begin a three-game road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight. Just a heads up that this is yet another Apple TV broadcast only.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be left-hander Cesar Perdomo, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.68 ERA, 4.19 FIP, with 11 strikeouts to four walks in 14.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 7-6 loss to the San Diego Padres last Saturday, in which he allowed five runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts and two walks in four and two thirds innings.

He’ll be facing off against Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.50 ERA, 2.93 FIP, with 77 strikeouts to 21 walks in 61.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday, in which he allowed four runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in four innings.

Game #154

Who: San Francisco Giants (64-89) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-60)

Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California

When: 7:15 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: n/a

National broadcast: Apple TV

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM