The beautiful and majestic Erick Fedde, seen here likely throwing the best pitch you’ve ever seen. | (Photo by Zoe Davis/Getty Images)
There are a lot of games left to be played. There is no doubt that one win at this point of the season won’t decide anything. With that being said, Friday night went a long way for a Chicago White Sox team that has been floundering in the deep end for a few weeks now.
When teams fall on tough times, it’s usually due to their stars falling flat, and the White Sox have been no different. Munetaka Murakami has been looking like Bob Uecker the player, and nobody else has really picked up the slack offensively. The team had scored just 14 runs over the last six games heading into Friday night, which is a big reason why the team has gone 2-4 during that time.
To this point in the season, the stars of the South Siders have shown up when they’ve been most needed, and tonight was no different. Sure, Murakami still looks more lost than Chuck Noland in Castaway, but everyone else pulled their weight.
A win would set the tone, and the tone was set loudly in the very first inning. Miguel Vargas was just the second batter in the game when he took a pretty decent fastball out to right center field to put the White Sox on the board first:
In the second inning, the second batter again did some damage once again. Braden Montgomery smoked a cutter out to right-center to double the lead, again setting the tone that their offense would not be standing pat again:
Say what you want but I’ve seen enough, I’m calling Braden Montgomery a star now.
In the fourth inning, the White Sox escaped a bit of a jam when faced with a possible turning of the tides, as Erick Fedde wriggled out of a first-and-third jam with two outs. The White Sox rewarded him by putting the Twins away courtesy the other Montgomery, who clubbed a two-run homer to double the lead to four.
Inasmuch as the game was not even halfway through, we all knew the Twins were going to wilt. They always have, and always will.
The biggest spark of the night didn’t come from the power bats, but the arms on the mound, led by one Mr. Erick “Fightin’” Fedde. If he keeps pitching like he did on Friday night, even the Pope will soon be wearing his jersey. Sure the Twins stink, but five innings of three-hit ball with no runs allowed is a great stat line no matter the opponent.
With an exhausted bullpen, Hagen Smith came up big once again, covering two innings and also not allowing a run. With just two games left until a crucial day off before a 13-game stretch without a break ahead, the ability to rest most of the bullpen arms tonight was certainly a welcome sight.
Of course, Grant Taylor had to mess around in the ninth and not only lose the shutout, but see the tying run come to the plate. Luckily, he was able to bow his neck and coax a fly out from Luke Keaschall, keeping a dangerously-placed sinker in the park to end the game on a high.
Tonight, the White Sox looked much more like the team that fans have fallen in love with by just refusing to quit and continuing to attack each and every inning. Tonight’s win brought may have brought more of a sigh of relief than jubilation, but a win’s a win and the magic number is down to at least 19.
As adamant as our fearless leader Brett Ballantini is that the Cleveland Guardians are a trash team who have no shot at coming back, they are not eliminated yet. A loss would’ve pushed the division lead down to just two games and with a series in Cleveland next week, it would certainly have brought out the nervous nellies of Chicago.
Instead, we can all take a deep breath and thank our lucky stars the Minnesota Twins are in our division.
Sep 4, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Nolan McLean (26) celebrates after retiring the side in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It wasn’t Nolan McLean’s sharpest outing, but the Mets gave him enough run support in a 10-6 victory over the Giants in this opening game of the series that it didn’t matter and McLean managed to battle his way through six innings.
McLean worked around a walk to Rafael Devers in the first and it was already clear he was missing arm side early; it was the first of four free passes McLean would issue on the night. Meanwhile, the Mets got started against Tugboat Wilkinson right away in the bottom of the frame. Francisco Lindor led things off with a single and then with one out, Bo Bichette walked to advance Lindor to second. Mark Vientos then belted an opposite field three-run homer to get the Mets out to an early lead and set the tone for what was to come.
Staked to a three-run lead, McLean retired the Giants in order in the second. The Mets piled on and added to their lead in the bottom of the second. With one out, Francisco Alvarez launched a solo homer to extend the Mets’ lead to 4-0. Nick Morabito then drew a walk and Wilkinson’s nightmares continued as he balked Morabito over to second. The Giants definitely did not pitch well, but they were not helped out by their defense either. Francisco Lindor reached on a fielding error by shortsotp Christian Koss to prolong the inning and then Juan Soto grounded into a force out at second that plated Morabito to give the Mets a 5-0 lead. Soto promptly stole second and then Bo Bichette socked a ball over the fence in left field right into the outstretched hands of an elated fan for the Mets’ second homer of the inning and third of the night. Mark Vientos then also hit a ball hard, but right at the shortstop Koss who fielded it this time. But the Mets had opened up a massive 7-0 lead for McLean to work with.
The Giants got on the board against McLean in the top of the third. McLean struck out the first batter he faced, but then walked Christian Koss. Drew Gilbert followed with a single to advance Koss to third and then Rafael Devers—who provided most of the firepower for the Giants this evening—laced a double into the gap in right center to score both runners and cut the Mets’ lead to 7-2. McLean bounced back to strike out Bryce Eldridge (his fourth strikeout on the night), but then he walked Turner Hill to prolong the inning. Marcus Semien helped McLean out with a nice play on a Jung Hoo Lee grounder to end the inning.
Both teams took a brief break from scoring during the middle innings. Wilkinson lasted just three innings and Yunior Marte came in the game in long relief for the Giants in the fourth and worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless frame. The Giants loaded the bases against McLean in the fifth on a Rafael Devers double, a walk by Bryce Eldridge, and a single by Turner Hill. But McLean escaped the jam by striking out Jung Hoo Lee and inducing a double play grounder off the bat of Drew Cavanaugh; Semien made another really nice play on this ball, flipping it to Lindor as he fell and Lindor made a nice turn to keep the Giants off the board in the inning. McLean came back out for the sixth and was pushed to a career-high 105 pitches. He ended his night with an exclamation mark, striking out Christian Koss for the third out and screaming in triumph as he walked off the mound toward the dugout. It was not smooth sailing for McLean; he had to battle, but he navigated his way through a quality start to ultimately earn his eleventh win of the season.
The Mets once again stretched their lead to seven runs in the bottom of the sixth in Marte’s third inning of relief. Jared Young walked to lead off the inning and then Marte bounced back to retire the next two batters, but then Francisco Lindor sent an absolute no-doubter into the upper deck down the right field line for the Mets’ fourth long ball of the night.
The Giants scratched out a run against Jefry Yan in the top of the seventh. Jonah Cox, pinch hitting for Drew Gilbert, singled to lead off the inning. Yan then leapt into the air after striking out Devers, but walked Bryce Eldridge to advance Cox to second. Turner Hill then notched an RBI single to chip away at the Mets’ lead. Yan logged a second strikeout in the inning and then the Giants pinch hit Andrew Knizner for catcher Drew Cavanaugh, prompting Andy Green to turn to Austin Warren. Warren came though, striking out Knizner to end the inning.
The Mets threatened to extend their lead again in the bottom of the seventh, once again due to some shoddy Giants defense. Bo Bichette blooped a single to lead off the inning and then Mark Vientos hit a sharp grounder to third that hit off Osleivis Basabe’s bare hand and trickled away, allowing everyone to reach base safely. Marte managed to escape the inning unscathed (or at least not further scathed than he was already), but Basabe did not. He was pinch hit for in the top of the eighth by Grant McCray, who Warren struck out looking. Warren retired the next batter he faced as well, but the Giants mounted a two-out rally against him. Christian Koss and Jonah Cox hit back-to-back singles and then Rafael Devers turned on an inside pitch from Warren and hit it a long way, giving the Mets a taste of their own medicine and cutting the Mets’ lead to a much more manageable 9-6. Andy Green then yanked Warren from the game before this game that had been well in hand could get away, bringing in Robert Stock to make his first appearance of the season in relief. Stock gave up a double to Eldridge and Turner Hill hit one on the nose as well, but luckily his liner made its way into Carson Benge’s glove to end the inning with the Mets’ lead still in tact, earning Stock his first hold of the season.
Francisco Alvarez provided one last bit of cushion with his second homer of the night in the top of the ninth—a solo shot and his 15th of the season to push the Mets’ run total into double-digits. Kodai Senga worked around a two-out walk to pitch a scoreless ninth to polish off the dinger-fueled victory for the Mets at Citi Field.
Big Mets winner: Mark Vientos, +21% WPA Big Mets loser: None! Mets pitchers: +12% WPA Mets hitters: +38% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Mark Vientos’ three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, +21.6% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Turner Hill’s single to load the bases for the Giants in the fifth, -5.8% WPA
He struck it severely. (Photo by Zoe Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Zebby Matthews hadn’t given up any long balls in his last two starts, so he made up for it with three here. Still, not exactly a TERRIBLE outing for him… but it kinda was for the offense. Inning-by-inning notes:
1: Kody Clemens gets a hit / nothing special comes of it
Miguel Vargas slugs a homer, on a pretty good low pitch / Harrelson sure was a homer, that was one annoying b***h (oops I guess it is his birthday today happy birthday dude)
2: Leadoff single from Josh Bell, into no-man’s land it fell, offense doesn’t follow well
Homer #2 off Zebby, that pitch right over the plate / ChiSox in their Connect jerseys, red with black stripes I do hate
3: Alright, enough of this poetry s**t. Up ‘til now the Twins had at least been working mediocre pitcher Erick Fedde, but this inning they go down on eight pitches. That doesn’t help the cause, this approach has some flaws.
1-2-3 for Zebby Matthews, that is what you want to see / very much because the bullpen smells like sickly doggie pee
4: Josh Bell takes a one-out walk, Lewis hits a dying quail / this advances Bell to third, at scoring the team does fail
Leadoff walk for Benintendi, followed by a long home run / Makes it four to nothing ChiSox, so the Twins are likely done
5: Once again the Twins do nothing here, the consequences seem pretty clear, they couldn’t hit this guy Erick Fedde if they even tried / Something tells me their playoff hopes just died
At least the Sox went down real quick, to not prolong this game of Ick
6: Lefty Hagen Smith relieving, Clemens with a leadoff single / Inning ends on double play, nothing makes your senses tingle
Taylor Rogers, our old friend, he walks a guy who don’t come in.
7: Culpepper two-out single, he steals with speedy feet / Big Jenkins called out on strikes, his bat right now is beat
A new pitcher, Garrett Acton, I don’t know who this dude is / Well despite a two-out single, ChiSox threat just does not fizz
8: Bryan Hudson for the White Sox, he has a low ERA / Clemens with a one-out single doesn’t make the bad guys pay
I guess Garret Acton, he had been on the Rays / he quickly sits three hitters, and that deserves some praise
9: Josh Bell, hits it well, home run totals they do swell / Twins on, hope still strong, a sad flyout means Game Gone.
The loss leaves the Twins 3.5 games out of the WC spot (outcome of tied Guardians/Tigers game yet to be determined). There are four teams ahead of them.
COTG goes to Zach for stories about his gram. Thanks to everyone who participated on the first night of a holiday weekend.
Tomorrow’s game at 6:10 features our own Taj Bradley against (alas, a lefty) Robbie Ray. Wake up Robbie, I think I’ve got something to say to youuuuu…
Sep 4, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt (12) throws to first in attempt to get Cincinnati Reds outfielder Dane Myers (not pictured) out in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Great American Ballpark? A hot, late summer night? Runs.
Following a 50-minute rain delay, neither Shane Drohan nor Rhett Lowder, the game’s starting pitchers, had it. Big numbers went on the scoreboard early, and by the end of the third inning we’d seen 10 runs and five lead changes. But Milwaukee struck a heavy body blow in the top of the fifth and handed the game over to their bullpen, who locked things down and led them to the finish line.
Lowder worked around a Jake Bauers walk in the top of the first. In the bottom of the inning, the Reds got the scoring started with some small ball. Dane Myers reached on an infield single, and the next batter, Elly De La Cruz, knocked him in with a well-placed grounder that got into left field. Drohan efficiently got through the rest of the inning — Sal Stewart lined out on the first pitch he saw, and three pitches after that Tyler Stephenson grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning — but the Reds had an early lead.
Milwaukee, though, had an immediate answer. With one out, Brice Turang, who was moved down in the lineup today after struggling badly in the Chicago series, jumped on the first pitch and lined a single to center. The next batter, Garrett Mitchell, fell behind 0-2 but got a slider too close to the zone and crushed a double into the right field corner. Turang held at third, but scored when Cooper Pratt grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice. With two outs, David Hamilton then came through with a grounder just inside the first base line that went into the corner—Hamilton ended up with a triple, and Mitchell scored, giving the Brewers a 2-1 lead. Sal Frelick very nearly increased that lead when it looked like he homered to center, by Myers got up and pulled back a home run, robbing the Brewers of two runs.
Cincinnati carried that momentum into bottom of the second. Drohan walked the leadoff hitter, Eugenio Suárez, and after a JJ Bleday flyout, Matt McLain snuck one just over the wall in left-center — it actually bounced off the top of the high wall out there and went over for a two-run homer that restored the Reds’ lead. Drohan got the next two to get out of the inning, but the Brewer offense was behind again.
Not for long, though! Bauers walked again to start the third — he’d seen nine pitches over two at-bats and walked twice — to get Milwaukee going. Fielder’s choice groundouts by Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich gave the Reds two outs, but William Contreras kept the inning alive with a walk. That led to Turang’s second plate appearance, and the struggling Brewer came through again with a deep fly ball that bounced off the base of the wall in right field. Both runners scored on what was a double for Turang, and the Brewers were back on top.
Once again, not for long! With one out in the bottom of the third, De La Cruz singled. Drohan retired Stewart but walked Stephenson before Suárez came through with a two-out, two-strike, three-run homer, the kind of hit that can be a real backbreaker. Cincinnati led 6-4, and we’d already had five lead changes through six half-innings.
Could the Brewers muster another immediate answer? Hamilton picked up his second hit with a one-out single, and after a Frelick flyout, advanced to second on his 26th stolen base of the season. But Bauers, despite a long battle, struck out and the inning was over — the first zero on the scoreboard since the top of the first.
Drohan was in need of a quick, clean inning, as he was approaching 70 pitches as the bottom of the fourth started. He got it: McLain grounded out, and Héctor Rodríguez and Edwin Arroyo struck out, and the Reds were held off the board for the first time all night.
Chourio got the Brewers off on the right foot in the fifth with a base hit through the right side. Yelich was next, and he fell behind 0-2 but then took four straight balls out of the zone and Milwaukee was set up nicely with runners on first and second and nobody out. Contreras was next and hit what should’ve been a rally-killing double play… but De La Cruz booted it at shortstop, everyone was safe, and the Brewers had the bases loaded. (To give De La Cruz some benefit of the doubt, it was a 107-mph ground ball. Still a play he should’ve made, and it was ruled as such.)
That was the end of the line for Lowder, who was pulled in favor of lefty Sam Moll, who entered with Turang and Mitchell due up. Moll got ahead of Turang 0-2 with some help from ABS, but the next three pitches missed way wide and the one after that rode up and in and got Turang on the inside of the back elbow. Chourio trotted home to make it 6-5, and the Brewers were still in business… and Turang was fine after a brief visit from the trainer and a jovial Pat Murphy.
Sensing a chance to take control of the game, Murphy chose at that point also to play the matchup, and removed Mitchell in favor of bases-loaded-specialist Luis Lara, who came in 4-for-9 on the season with the bases jacked. It didn’t work out this time: Lara worked to a full count but took a pitch that just clipped the low inside corner, and lost a challenge trying to get it. Really close pitch, but Lara was the first out of the inning. The Brewers still had a golden opportunity to tie the game or retake the lead, though, and they did that emphatically when Pratt went with a ball that was about a foot outside and drove it into the right-field corner for a bases-clearing triple. On the next pitch, Moll’s sweeper nearly hit Hamilton (who was showing bunt), it got past Stephenson, and Pratt raced home from third. Brewers up 9-6.
Moll got the Reds out of the inning, but the damage was done, and the Brewers were then able to hand the game over to their bullpen, which has generally been bad news for trailing opponents lately. The first man out was Chad Patrick, who worked around a one-out De La Cruz single to put up a zero in the fifth.
Milwaukee was back at it in the sixth. Bauers led off by punching a single through the left side, advanced on a balk, and after a Chourio strikeout and a Yelich groundout, scored when Contreras ripped a double into the gap. After a pitching change, Lara struck out to end the inning, but Milwaukee’s lead was up to four.
Patrick walked Bleday with one out in the bottom of the sixth. After a McLain flyout, Rodríguez put up quite a fight, and after nine pitches drew another walk with two outs. But a visit from Chris Hook calmed things down, and the newly promoted Carlos Jorge, off the bench for his first major league at-bat, flew out to left to end the inning.
Pierce Johnson was the new Cincinnati pitcher in the seventh. Frelick ripped a two-out double, but nothing came of it, and the Brewers did not score in their half of the seventh. The Reds picked up a run off of Antonio Senzatela in the bottom of the inning, after Myers doubled and Stephenson knocked him in with a single, but a double play ended the inning with the score at 10-7.
A Yelich single went for naught in the top of the eighth. Aaron Ashby was the Brewer pitcher in the bottom of the inning, and he walked Bleday with one out but struck out the next two batters to end the inning. The Brewers brought Trevor Megill on to close the door, and he did so emphatically by striking out the side in order.
It was a big day for the Brewers offense, and in particular, a big day for one struggling brewer: Turang. He went 3-for-4 with a two-run double, two runs scored, and an RBI hit-by-pitch. Pratt also had a big night — just one hit, his three-RBI triple, but he got on with a walk, too, scored a run, and stole a base. Every other Brewer except Lara (who came in late) had at least one hit (Hamilton had two, including his RBI triple). On the pitching side, Drohan struggled on the evening, but it was another solid night for the bullpen: Patrick, Senzatela, Ashby, and Megill combined for five innings of one-run ball.
Another solid bounce-back win for the Brewers puts them in good position to win another series. Game two is tomorrow night at 5:40 p.m.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 04: Gunnar Henderson #2 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts after striking out in the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 04, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles and Red Sox faced off for the second game of their four-game series, and once again the Orioles were unable to give starter Shane Baz any run support. Baz and Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez dueled and ended with similar results, the only difference being one first-inning run. That was enough to decide the entire game and send the Orioles to their fourth straight loss.
Baz was fantastic tonight. That’s all there was to it. On the first pitch of the game, Roman Anthony flew out. On the second pitch, Mickey Gasper hit Baz’s fastball onto the flag court. Not a great way to start, but Baz more than made up for it. He followed with a strikeout of Adley Rutschman and a flyout by Wilyer Abreu to get out of the inning.
Over the next 5.1 innings, Baz did have traffic on the bases. But only twice did a runner get into scoring position, and both times it happened when a fielder made an error behind him. In the third inning, Eli White singled with one out. Anthony followed with a ground ball to Jackson Holliday that looked at best like an inning-ending double play, at worst a ground ball out that moved up the runner. But Holliday just…didn’t catch the ball. It hopped right past his glove and into right field. Holliday looked at his glove accusingly, but I don’t think the glove was the problem.
Baz picked his teammate up by getting the next two batters, ending the inning on a Rutschman groundout. He had to throw a few extra pitches, but beyond that no more damage was done.
With the Orioles still down one run, Gasper started off the sixth inning with a single to left field. Leody Taveras tried to field the ball in some weird sideways fashion and it kicked away from him. Get in front of the ball! What on earth? Gasper moved up to second on the error.
Again, Baz got out of it. He struck out Rutschman for the second time in the game, then worked around a walk and got the final two outs. It was a very nice job by Baz after the leadoff runner reached second base.
Baz started the seventh inning with a Jarren Duran groundout, then allowed a single to Trevor Story. It was his fourth hit allowed. Not bad. Craig Albernaz went to the bullpen and called for Logan Hoppe. Hoppe got himself into a little trouble. He walked Anthony, then barely clipped Gasper with an 0-2 pitch to load the bases.
That brought Rutschman to the plate, and I know I wasn’t the only one envisioning a grand slam to break the game open. But on a 3-1 pitch, Hoppe fired 100.9 mph to the plate. Adley got the bat on it but flew out harmlessly to end the inning. He ended the game 0-for-4.
Josh Walker pitched a little bit of a messy eighth. He struck out the side but also allowed a hit and a walk. Cam Sanders took over for the ninth and pitched a 1-2-3. It was an all-around great game for the pitching staff. Baz’s pitching line: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K. The bullpen combined for 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K.
Unfortunately, the hitters did not hold up their end. Not even close. They couldn’t get anything done against Ranger Suarez. In fact, pretty much the only guy who didn’t look like a disaster was leadoff man Blaze Alexander. The team had six hits altogether, and Alexander had three of them. He and Mayo hit back-to-back singles with two outs in the third, but were stranded. Mayo’s was an infield hit.
After Carlos Narváez was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning, Alexander again singled with two outs. Again, the runners were stranded. And in the eighth inning, Alexander led off with a single but was erased on an inning-ending double play by Luis Robert. Blaze tried to stir up some emotions after that. He and second baseman Nick Sogard exchanged words after Alexander’s totally normal slide, and Alexander went after him a bit.
The benches cleared, and Alexander tried to get the crowd to make some noise. But his passion didn’t do much other than give us a bit of spice in what was otherwise one of the dullest games imaginable. I also enjoyed when the cameras caught Colton Cowser saying something to Rutschman in the middle of the mob of players, neither looking much interested in a fight.
Up by a run in the ninth inning, the Red Sox sent in closer Aroldis Chapman, probably my least favorite baseball player. Last night, Chapman allowed two runs but held on for the win. I was hoping for something similar with big bats coming up to the plate. But Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, and Encarnacion-Strand went down without a fight.
Orioles lose, 1-0. They have lost every game since reaching .500 on the road trip and are now 69-73. Game three of the series is tomorrow at 7:05 with Chris Bassitt on the mound opposite Sonny Gray. Woof.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 04: Trevor Story #10 of the Boston Red Sox, Nick Sogard #20 of the Boston Red Sox, Caleb Durbin #5 of the Boston Red Sox, Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa #2 of the Boston Red Sox react as Mickey Gasper #30 of the Boston Red Sox hits a home run during the first inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles on September 4, 2026 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ranger Suarez was everything this team needed on Friday night.
Seven innings. Zero runs. Ten ground ball outs. No serious threats from a Baltimore lineup that came in buzzing after Thursday’s seven-homer drama. Suarez just went out there and made them pound the ball into the ground, inning after inning after inning. It was the best start he’s had since coming back from the IL in late July, and it felt like a statement—not just from him, but from the rotation. When this guy is right, he is really, really right.
But before Suarez could take over, Evil Mickey had to do his thing. (I cannot take credit for Evil Mickey, that goes to @rockmeannadeus on X)
Mickey Gasper stepped in on the second pitch of the game and sent one over the wall. That was the whole ballgame. One swing. One run. 1-0 final. That’s all Ranger Suarez needed, and Suarez knew exactly what to do with it. Roman Anthony tried on the first pitch of the game—he lined out to center, but it almost felt like it had to be Mickey.
The game got seriously chippy in the 8th. There was already some residue from Thursday—Jahmai Jones had a late but legal slide that didn’t go unnoticed—and when Blaze Alexander slid into second on the inning-ending double play, he made very sure to go right at Nick Sogard. Intentionally. Blatantly. Dugouts and bullpens emptied, words were exchanged, nobody got tossed, but it was the kind of thing that sits with a team for a few innings. Cam Sanders—the Orioles reliever in the 9th—tried to keep it going, exchanging words with the Sox dugout on his way back to his own, but Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela very much wanted all the smoke.
Then Aroldis Chapman came in and closed it clean. No drama. No Encarnacion-Strand two-run shot like Thursday. Just three outs and a handshake line. Chapman learned from last night. Good night.
September baseball. Stress filled, but mega important. I’d argue these wins against the Orioles are more important than any we could have taken against the Yankees. There’s no shot at winning the division so beating teams ahead of us isn’t the most critical. Taking wins against teams behind you, staying ahead in the Wild Card race, and hitting your weight—aka beating teams you should be beating—that’s what matters down the stretch. Two more games in this series, and they continue to get more and more pivotal for the chances of October baseball in Boston.
Studs
Ranger Suarez
Best start since his IL return. Seven shutout frames, 10 ground ball outs, made a dangerous lineup look completely harmless. When Suarez is locating and keeping hitters off-balance, he is a legitimate top-of-rotation arm. Tonight he looked like that guy again. Welcome back, Ranger.
Mickey Gasper
Second pitch of the game. Home run. Walks to the dugout. That’s the whole review. Evil Mickey is not to be trusted, and Baltimore found that out before the count even hit 0-1.
Duds
Blaze Alexander
There may be some carryover from Jahmai Jones’ late slide Thursday, but that doesn’t excuse what Alexander did. He slid into second on the double play and went directly, intentionally at Nick Sogard. Blatantly bad. If you want to send a message, fine, but own it—don’t act surprised when the benches clear.
The Offense Otherwise
I get Shane Baz has been throwing the ball better as of late, but five hits? What is up with Friday night offense not at Fenway?
The Mets blasted five home runs to take the series-opener over the San Francisco Giants, 10-6.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Mark Vientos continued his hot hitting since returning from the injured list, blasting a three-run home run to right field against LHP Matt Wilkinson in the bottom of the first inning to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. It's his second home run in four games and No. 13 on the year.
-- Francisco Alvarez kept it going in the second inning, launching a solo home run on a high fastball to right-center field as the Mets took a 4-0 lead. New York continued to apply pressure against Wilkinson, as Juan Soto drove in Nick Morabito on a fielder's choice to first base and then Bo Bichette joined in on the fun with a two-run homer to left field to go up 7-0.
-- Nolan McLean powered through 6.0 IP and tossed a career-high 105 pitches, allowing two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and four walks.
The right-hander cruised through the first two innings before running into trouble in the third. He walked the nine-hitter Christian Koss, let up his first hit of the night to former Mets prospect Drew Gilbert, and surrendered a two-run double to Rafael Devers as the Giants trailed, 7-2. McLean walked another Giant before Marcus Semien helped him out with a nice backhand stop for the third out.
After letting up back-to-back singles in the fourth inning, McLean locked in and retired the next three Giants. He needed to pull off another trick in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and no outs, escaping with a strikeout and 4-6-3 double play. Surprisingly, McLean came back out for the sixth inning and capped off his night with a 1-2-3 frame, expressing his emotion on the inning-ending strikeout.
-- Francisco Lindor extended the lead with two-run homer in the sixth inning, making it a 9-2 game.
-- Jefry Yan allowed a run over 0.2 IP of relief in the seventh inning, as Austin Warren had to come in and get the third out. The game took a turn in the eighth when Devers ripped a three-run HR to cut the Mets' lead to 9-6. Warren was replaced by Robert Stock, who let up a double before getting a lineout.
-- Alvarez responded in bottom of the eighth with a solo home run off Yunior Marte, pushing the lead to 10-6.
-- Kodai Senga closed things down in the ninth inning, issuing just one walk over 10 pitches.
Game MVP: Francisco Alvarez
It's the third multi-home run game of the season and the eighth of Alvarez' career, as he's up to 15 total home runs this year.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks back during the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on August 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers (83-57) open a three-game series against the Nationals (67-75) Friday at Dodger Stadium after they walked off with the series finale win over the Cards Thursday night.
Blake Snell (2-1, 2.42 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) counters rookie left-hander Jackson Kent (1-2, 5.59 ERA, 1.71 WHIP).
TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 30: Logan Gilbert #36 of the Seattle Mariners pitches in the first inning of their MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on August 30, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The potential Seattle Mariners Pie Stroll September met an early end with game one against the Athletics yesterday, but alas, the season persisted. The Mariners have perhaps found themselves in less of a playoff conversation recently, but that hasn’t stopped one of their star players in Julio Rodríguez from appearing in conversations surrounding possible bird murder. Today they try to bounce back with a win behind starter Logan Gilbert.
Lineups
Lazaro Montes is in the starting lineup batting eighth, and who doesn’t love them some Brock Rodden?
Injury Update
GM justin Hollander provided injury updates on Matt Brash, confirming he will be out for the rest of the season. You can read more details in our coverage here.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 01: The Washington Nationals celebrate after the 9-5 victory against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park on September 01, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After finally getting a day off, the Nats are back and have a tall task. They head to LA to square off with the mighty Dodgers. This will be a good challenge for a young squad. They are going to face off with the Lions of baseball. However, the Dodgers main man is not in the lineup.
James Wood will stay in the lineup, but he goes from right to left field. CJ Abrams plays his second consecutive game at second base, with the team finally committing to the move. Those are the only two lefties in the lineup though. Daylen Lile will be out and Dylan Crews will play right with Jacob Young in center. Harry Ford will do the catching. Jackson Kent will take the mound at Dodgers Stadium.
As we hinted at, Shohei Ohtani is out of the lineup in this one. He is dealing with some nagging injuries. Freddie Freeman is also getting the day off, so this Dodgers lineup looks less intimidating than usual. However, the Nats still have to deal with the likes of Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and the struggling but talented Kyle Tucker. Old friend Alex Call is also in the lineup. The decorated Blake Snell will be on the bump.
The Nats have the ultimate litmus test this weekend. Even if they don’t have the best record, we all know the Dodgers are the best team in baseball. The Nats will get to test themselves against this veteran group. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 04: Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale #51 pitches the ball during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves on September 4th, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Through the first seven innings of this game, it had the feeling of a true battle between teams with margins as thin as paper. Both starters, Chris Sale and Cristopher Sánchez, labored through five innings at exactly 88 pitches, faced sixth-inning jams before escaping unscathed with a 3-2 Braves lead for the late innings. Both teams even brought in rookie right-handed flamethrowers who threw scoreless seventh innings on eight pitches. It’s sort of crazy when you think about it.
Sometimes the differences, even if they only last for a single game, are defined by a few moments.
The second inning would feature several of these moments. The Braves failed to capitalize on a leadoff Ronald Acuña Jr. double in the first but were ready to rally aninning later. Lane Thomas started it off by working a six pitch walk, then Mauricio Dubón pulled a changeup right past the gloves and Edmundo Sosa and Trea Turner for a base hit into left field.
After a Sean Murphy strikeout, Austin Riley was ready to punch a changeup into a vacated hole between first and second base to bring Thomas home, the ball went right under Bryce Harper’s glove in right field, leading to Dubón taking third base.
That moment would matter when Ha-Seong Kim, who entered the game hitting .120 with a .344 OPS, did what he could against a Sánchez changeup for a groundout that scored a run.
On the very next pitch, Acuña took a first pitch changeup to center field for a base hit that brought in a third run to make it 3-0.
The Phillies answered right back in the bottom half, Luis Arraez punched a single into left field and on the very next pitch, Alec Bohm took a hanging slider to the center field wall to cut the Braves lead down to two.
After Edmundo Sosa got hit with a backfoot slider, the Phillies were just not able to capitalize off Sale. Bryan De La Cruz grounded into a double play, then JT Realmuto went down swinging on a backfoot slider.
These were not the last situations each of the aces had to escape from but in the in-between, Alec Bohm smoked a fastball for a line drive home run to cut the Braves lead in half.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Phillies had the chance to build on their budding momentum over the last few innings. Sánchez escaped the top half of the fifth by getting Matt Olson to flyout after an Ozzie Albies two out double.
After a Realmuto walk and a pair of flyouts, Trea Turner took a high fastball near the foul line in left field that put runners on second and third with two outs and Bryce Harper to the plate. Harper, who entered tonight with a 35 game on-base streak, was unable to deliver and hit a pop up to Austin Riley at third base.
The sixth inning is probably what will haunt the Phillies the most for the night. Arraez smoked a hanging slider off the wall in right field for a leadoff double with three straight right-handed hitters behind him to face a tired Sale.
Alec Bohm, who had seen Chris Sale very well in his first two at-bats, grounded out to third base, keeping Arraez at second. Edmundo Sosa swung at two backfoot sliders in a row and walked back to the dugout. Bryan De La Cruz had a clear plan against Sale, looking for a high fastball but fouling the 1-0 heater. He took consecutive down-and-in sliders but one of them was barely a strike. After an uncompetitive slider made the count 3-2, De La Cruz was late on a hanging slider and went down swinging to end the inning.
After scoreless seventh innings from two rookie relievers, Alex McFarlane and Didier Fuentes, Orion Kerkering came in for the eighth to try and keep the game close. With one out, Kerkering walked Mike Yastrzemski on eight pitches that sent Mauricio Dubón up. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Kerkering hung a sweeper that Dubón crushed, into the left-field seats, sealing Atlanta’s fate.
After Fuentes and Raisel Iglesias were able to retire the next hitters, the Braves muscled a 5-2 victory to start the wraparound Labor Day series.
The gaps between these teams look thin, but maybe that is just because of the starting pitching matchup. Whatever it is, the Phillies will need them to break their way for three straight games if they want to have any real chance at their third straight division title.
Sep 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Mauricio Dubón continues to be a lethal and versatile weapon for the Atlanta Braves.
Making a fairly rare start in center field for Friday’s series opener at the Philadelphia Phillies as the Braves elected to sit Michael Harris II against a left-handed starter, Dubón paid off that decision with a leaping catch in the outfield and, more importantly, an insurance homer late in Atlanta’s 5-2 win over the Phillies.
With the Braves clinging to a 3-2 lead after escaping a few jams where the Phillies threatened to tie the game or take the lead, Dubón followed Mike Yastrzemski’s one-out walk with a 390-foot two-run blast to left for his 11th homer of the season.
Dubón finished the night with two hits, two runs and two RBIs.
The Braves (84-57) didn’t end up needing the insurance as a rested bullpen didn’t allow a single baserunner over the final three innings after Chris Sale’s strong start. But it still allowed for some breathing room which made for a less stressful conclusion
The win pushed the Braves’ record against the Phillies to 6-1 and their NL East lead to five games. It also means that if Atlanta wins one of its final six games against Philadelphia, it will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker should the teams end up tied in the standings.
The Braves came up empty in the first inning despite Ronald Acuña Jr.’s first-pitch double to right-center to lead off the game.
But Atlanta would not be denied in the second inning. After Lane Thomas walked and Dubón singled to begin the inning, the bottom of the order came through with some situational hitting. Austin Riley opened the scoring with an RBI single to right, and Ha-Seong Kim followed with an RBI groundout to make it 2-0.
Acuña then came through for the second time in as many innings, this time with a two-out RBI single to score Riley and extend the Atlanta lead to 3-0.
Unfortunately for the Braves, that proved to be all they could manage against Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez. Starting with the final out of the second inning, he faced 13 of the final 16 batters he faced, giving up three runs on five hits over six innings with five strikeouts and three walks.
Still, Sánchez took his second loss to the Braves in as many starts this season, accounting for 40% of his five losses this campaign.
The Phillies gradually chipped into that deficit behind a pair of moments from Alec Bohm, who delivered an RBI double in the second inning and a wall-scraper of a solo homer in the fourth inning — the first homer Sale had allowed since July 4.
Sale, though, ensured Atlanta would remain ahead when he exited the game after six innings thanks to some impressive resolve.
The Phillies put two runners in scoring position with two outs in the fifth, but Sale got Bryce Harper to pop out to third base to end the threat.
Philadelphia again put the tying run in scoring position with a leadoff double from Luis Arráez in the sixth, but Sale retired the next three batters, the last two by strikeout, to end his outing.
Sale gave up two runs on six hits, striking out seven and walking one.
Acuña added a third hit, an infield single, in the seventh inning. He now has three three-hit games in his last seven appearances after he had none in his first 81 games of the season.
Paired with the Dubón homer, Didier Fuentes and Raisel Iglesias ensured there would be no late-inning drama. Fuentes retired all six batters he faced over the seventh and eighth innings on 21 pitches (18 strikes). Iglesias worked a 1-2-3 ninth with a pair of strikeouts to register his 30th save of the season.
A win in the opener takes some of the pressure off for the Braves. They now need to win just one of the next three games to ensure a split with the Phillies in this road four-game set and keep their division lead at least as large as it was entering the weekend.
They’ll look to secure that Saturday night with Martín Pérez (8-8, 3.05 ERA) facing off against Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler (11-5, 3.31).
Los Angeles, - September 02: Pitcher Tyler Glasnow #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The Dodgers and Nationals continue their weekend series on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
Tyler Glasnow is on the mound for the Dodgers, making his first home start since returning from the injured list. Right-hander Cade Cavalli starts for the Nationals.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 30: Kade Morris #67 of the Athletics pitches during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Sutter Health Park on August 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We got a win yesterday! A great way to start off the series in Seattle and the A’s are riding a two-game winning streak. They’ll hope to make it three in a row this evening in the second of four games against the division-rival Mariners.
Before we get to the starters and lineups, the A’s announced a notable roster move just an hour or so ago. The team is demoting pitcher Jack Perkins to Triple-A, replacing him with Joey Estes:
The move doesn’t have any direct impact on tonight’s game but it’s still notable. Perkins has been a starting pitcher for the better part of the past two months after beginning the year in a relief role. Neither situation seemed to work out for the right-hander as he struggled all season long. The A’s were content to let him try to work through things at the big league level but just couldn’t continue trotting him out there when he’s not ready. He’ll remain in Triple-A for probably the rest of the year before trying to regain his spot on the roster next Spring.
Estes meanwhile looks likely to get another look in the big leagues as a starter. He’s made one start for the big league team this year, pitching 4 1/3 innings of four-run ball against the Rockies in Sacramento. The righty has otherwise spent the entirety of the year with the Aviators. In 17 starts he’s sporting a nasty 6.88 ERA with nearly as many walks (44) as strikeouts (65) in just 85 innings of work. Doesn’t hurt to take another look at him in the big leagues though. This might be his last chance to reestablish himself with the A’s.
Back to tonight’s contest. Taking the ball this evening for the Green & Gold will be right-hander Kade Morris. Considered one of the better pitching prospects in the Athletics’ farm system, Morris made his big league debut earlier this year. That did not go well at all for the young righty as Houston shelled him for nine runs in his first appearance. He was soon optioned but has returned a couple times to the big league team as a bulk reliever. Tonight he gets another shot at starting. How will he do in his second chance as a starting pitcher?
Here’s how the Athletics will line up for the second game in Seattle:
The usual top of the lineup these days with Henry Bolte, Jeff McNeil, Zack Gelof and Lawrence Butler occupying the top four spots in the order. McNeil and Gelof will make up the corner infield duo while Bolte and Butler remain in their usual defensive spots.
The left-handed Carlos Cortes draws the start in left field tonight against a right-handed starter on the opposing mound. Jonah Heim is back behind the plate after a half-day yesterday. Max Muncy is back in the lineup again as tonight’s DH. And our double play combo tonight is Alika Williams and Donovan Walton.
Meanwhile the M’s will have righty Logan Gilbert on the mound for them in this one. The 29-year-old has been consistently solid for Seattle this year, posting a 3.42 ERA through 27 starts. That’s solid production for them and he’s a big reason why they’re in the playoff hunt. He’s pitched twice against the A’s this season, first allowing three runs in just four innings way back in April before pitching six shutout frames at the end of May. Which pitcher will show up tonight to take on the short-handed A’s?
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 1: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees pitches in a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 1, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
All that Walker Buehler has done since the 2021 season has been a far cry from the best version of himself—dazzling as one of the sport’s most dominant starters in his early years with the Dodgers. Yet, it’s been in that period that Buehler, against the Yankees, has written his most important chapters. While the current offense may feel good about their chances against the Buehler we’ve seen in 2026, he doesn’t invoke good memories in this particular matchup given what happened in the 2024 World Series.
A year later, though, albeit in a far less impactful environment, the Yankees got their pound of flesh against Buehler—scoring nine runs in just four innings—twice beating him in the middle of a horrific one-year campaign with the Red Sox. They’ll look to replicate that and start off on the right foot in this weekend series versus the Padres.
Now back in the NL West, Buehler hasn’t struggled as heavily as he did with the Red Sox and is actually coming off a solid month of August, with a 3.16 ERA in six starts. Buehler will face off against Max Fried, which for the average baseball fan may cause a bit of dejà vu, reminiscing on those playoff duels between the two in 2020, back when they played for the Braves and Dodgers.
Another interesting aspect of this matchup is the vast difference in lineup construction between the two teams, with each already leaning to their natural tendencies, the Yankees flooding theirs with eight left-handed hitters and just a single righty, while the Friars roll out with seven right-handers and just two lefties against Fried. After presenting reverse splits last season, Fried has absolutely massacred the same-side hitters this season, yet to allow a home run against a lefty in 16 starts.
For the Yankees’ offense, don’t look now, but they come into this game having scored a total of 39 runs in their last five games. As promising as that stretch is, we must exercise caution considering how many of these runs came after the Red Sox inexplicably quit earlier than you’d expect in a crucial game—not to mention the benefit of facing the Angels, who aren’t likely to be confused with an outstanding pitching staff between now and the end of the season.
