Category: MLB

Fret not with that hovering malaise permeating from St. Petersburg’s aftermath. The ambient rawness of a series loss in Tampa is still fresh, but we have the perfect cure. It’s time to unveil my “All October Squad” throughout the various decades.

This might be the only list you’ll ever find without the likes of Bagwell and Biggio. Bagwell in 106 post season plate appearances, hit only .226 with a pair of home runs. Biggio also had two longballs over 167 at-bats, hitting just .234.   

The lineup card has been submitted to the home plate ump, so sit back and enjoy. Without further ado, here’s the best to do it for the Astros in October:

1.         George Springer.                                     CF.

Admit it, you miss hearing “Springer Dinger!” George’s epic 2017 Series in which he launched five home runs off Dodgers pitching is the stuff of legend. All told, he’d accumulate 19 HR, 38 RBI along with 43 runs across 63 post season games as an Astro.

2.       Alex Bregman.                                         3B.

88 hits in the postseason.    Enough said!

3.      Yordan Alvarez.                                         DH

The intimidation factor will always be there, as will stunning 3 run blast against Seattle in the 2022 ALDS.

4.      Jose Altuve.                                               2B.

Not surprising, the newly minted member of the 2,500 club, leads all Astros with 118 post season hits.   

5.      Carlos Correa                                       SS

Clutch. 18 home runs in 79 postseason games, with an engagement proposal on one knee to boot.

6.      Michael Brantley.                                LF

On his tombstone, it will say, “professional baseball hitter” Believe it or not, he actually has more postseason hits than Yordan, even with injuries cutting him short.

7.       Yuli Gurriel                                         1B

87 hits in 85 post season games.      

8.      Jason Castro                                      C

Go back and watch the 2021 postseason. Castro was clutch off the bench, registering a monster 1.159 OPS over 6 games.    

9.      Billy Hatcher                                   RF

Billy’s game tying solo home run in the 14th inning against the Mets is legendary. Every Astros fan remembers the left field foul pole shot! He also had 7 hits in that series with New York.    

SP     Mike Scott

Yes, Verlander has 10 wins in a Houston uniform, but Scott made his lone post-season appearance in 1986 count, so much so that he was named NLCS MVP even in the series loss. Scott’s combined stats from Games 1 & 4 are insane. Two complete games, 1 run allowed and 19 K’s.    

Closer:       Ryan Pressly

Shakira’s hips don’t lie and neither do the stats for Pressly. Simply put, he has the most saves in October for the Astros all-time with 14.    

Let us know your all-time Astros October lineup in the comments.

Triple-A: Memphis Redbirds (STL) 3, Norfolk Tides 2

The Tides fell, with starter Juaron Watts-Brown taking the loss. He didn’t pitch too badly, though, giving his team five innings with three runs allowed on six hits and two walks. The righty, acquired from the Blue Jays in 2025 in exchange for Seranthony Dominguez, had a 5.76 ERA in Double-A, but struggled to a 9.26 ERA in Triple-A over six starts. After JWB, Yaqui Rivera, Albert Suárez and Yosver Zulueta threw three scoreless.

The Tides scored their two runs in the sixth inning, courtesy of one big swing. Jud Fabian singled, ahead of one Creed Willems, who happily got a hanging curveball and went yard. It was the catcher’s eighteenth four-bagger this season. Other Tides batters who recorded hits were Christian Franklin, Silas Ardoin and Tavian Josenberger.

Box Score

Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 3, Richmond Flying Squirrels (SFG) 1

On their last day of the season, the Baysox pulled off a win with a three-run comeback in the eighth. But first we’ll start with pitching. Starter Patrick Reilly, reinstated in late July after Tommy John, posted a clean 5.2 one-run innings, bringing down his season ERA at Double-A to 3.63 ERA in eight starts. Reilly also struck out seven. Afterwards, 3 1/3 scoreless were tossed by a combination of Richard Guasch, Keegan Gillies, Alex Pham and Brock Moore.

This game was 1-0 Richmond until the top of the eighth, when the Baysox strung together the winning three-run rally. Griff O’Ferrall singled, Frederick Bencosme walked and then, with two outs, Wehiwa Aloy brought them all home with an Earl Weaver Special. That was all the offense the Baysox would get, and it’d be all they needed. O’Ferrall, Estrada and Aloy finished with two hits apiece.

Chesapeake ends its season 67-68, fifth in the Eastern League’s Southwest division.

Box Score

Today’s Schedule

• The Tides are off today, but they’ll pick back up on Tuesday, against the Charlotte Knights.

Seth Lugo got back in the win column on Friday, writes Jaylon Thompson.

Lugo threw his four-seamer 38% of the time during his first trip through the order. The pitch also registered 6-of-9 first-pitch strikes, per Baseball Savant.

“I think, you know, it makes the hitters be a little more aggressive,” Lugo said. “So then, the spin and off-speed pitches tend to work better when they’re trying to hit fastballs. So we were trying to challenge early in the count and make sure they are quality pitches.”

Noah Cameron looked good in Sunday’s loss, writes Ken Powtak at MLB.com.

“He battles, that’s probably his Number 1 characteristic,” Quatraro said. “He’s exceptionally competitive and he’s been on a really good run here lately the way he throws the ball. He has a lot of confidence and we have a lot of confidence in him.”

Overall, Cameron threw 85 pitches, 57 for strikes, relying a bit more on his slider than usual.

“Obviously, a long first inning. I was thankful to get out of there,” he said.

Carter Jensen tied a Royals rookie record with his 24th home run.

“That’s a phenomenal record,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We know that he’s been on a tear here offensively as of late. So good for him. Not only that, but it tied the game.”

Jensen has 13 hits, five home runs and 10 RBIs in September. He leads all American League rookies in extra-base hits (57) and doubles (31). He also ranks second with 71 RBIs, and third with 24 home runs.

“He’s swinging the (expletive) out of it,” Royals starter Randy Dobnak said. “He can do it pretty well. And what he’s been doing is what he’s been doing all year. I mean, this month, he has four or five pumps. Just swinging it really well.”

And Bobby Witt Jr. is reaching milestones with his legs.

Witt began his day by beating out an infield hit before he stole second base for his 40th bag of the season. The All-Star shortstop, who reached that number for the second time in his career (49 in 2023), is one of just five players in franchise history with multiple 40 stolen-base campaigns. 

With 13 games remaining in the regular season, Witt is just two homers shy of the third 20 HR/40 SB season in franchise history. His 2023 campaign (30/49) and Carlos Beltran’s 2003 performance (26/41) are the only two to date.

Jac Caglianone returned to the lineup on Sunday.

“Yeah, definitely feel better,” Caglianone said pregame. “You know, with these, it’s different for everybody going through them. So I’m glad there was no IL (injured list) or anything like that. Still a few games left in the year, so I’m excited and very happy to be back.”

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep writes that Jensen is becoming a long-term star for the Royals.

Payton Tolle had an immaculate inning in the first against the Royals.

The Quad Cities River Bandits win Game 1 of the Midwest League Championship Series.

Former Royals pitcher Matt Strahm has knee surgery.

The Brewers and Rays clinch playoff spots.

Giants slugger Rafael Devers is out for the year with a core muscle injury.

The Diamondbacks designate outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits his first home run in Toronto this year.

Is the decline of starting pitcher innings bad for baseball?

The Tigers plan to have Justin Verlander start one more time this year.

Can Jose Altuve reach 3,000 career hits?

The Athletics interview Mike Rizzo and Billy Owens for their GM job.

The Giants ownership situation is complicated.

How the system traps and exploits Dominican baseball players.

Alexander Zverev beats Ben Shelton to win the US Open.

USA wins its fifth consecutive women’s FIBA World Cup title.

This could be a good week to see the “false dawn.”

Prediction markets are becoming professionalized and harder to beat.

Burning Man is facing a midlife crisis.

Your song of the day is The Orwells with Who Needs You.

Good morning, Purple Row!

Today and tomorrow, we are trying something a little different with our morning lineup. Rather than having one singular Rockpile that contains a feature story, minor league recap, and links to Rockies news, we’re going to split it into three parts:

• Scaling the Rocks at 6am MT: Links to Rockies and MLB News
• Rockpile at 10am MT: Daily feature story
• Daily Pebble Report at 12pm MT: Minor league recap from the night before
  • We will still have the weekly Pebble Report feature story on Tuesdays, but that will be renamed the “Pebble Report Spotlight.”

You’ll still get the same information, but it’ll be broken into smaller chunks instead of one long thread.

This is not something we’ll run regularly at this time, as we’re still in the experimentation phase, but we just wanted to make you aware.

But on to what’s happening!

Country Roads, Take Me Home

Yesterday, the Rockies lost once again, pushing their losing streak to seven games as they went 0-6 on their road trip and were outscored 46-17.

Today, they embark on their final homestand of the season. They will play four against the San Diego Padres, three against the Arizona Diamondbacks and three against the Seattle Mariners. Then, they will embark on a quick three-game road trip to end the season against the Chicago White Sox.

The quest for 63 wins is still alive, but it is exponentially more challenging than it was a few weeks ago. The Mariners are the only team not in the thick of a playoff race, so it will be a brutal push to the end.

Rockies News & Links

• Hill’s calm demeanor has roots in pee-wee football | MLB.com — Jaden Hill has been a stalwart in the Rockies bullpen this year, and Thomas Harding asked him about his origin story. For Hill, it came from growing up playing pee-wee football and learning how to not only find weaknesses in his opponents, but also stay calm in the face of danger.
• With Goodman raking, but Rox reeling, backstop focused on bigger picture | MLB.com — The Rockies lost 11-7 after a spectacular late-inning bullpen implosion. In the midst of it, though, Hunter Goodman hit his 38th home run of the season. Thomas Harding asked Goodman to shed light on his accomplishment, and how the team is dealing in the midst of a streak that has seen them lose seven in a row, 11 straight on the road, and 19 of their last 24.
• Rockies GM Byrnes talks ups and downs of Colorado’s season | MLB.com — Rockies GM Josh Byrnes was in Detroit over the weekend and offered his insights on the current Rockies situation, as well as their 2026 season as a whole. He identified three shortcomings (offense, defense, pitching) and one strength (Warren Schaeffer).
• Ryan McMahon’s reunion ‘normal baseball, while Gabriel Hughes faces off with Aaron Judge | Denver Gazette ($) — Kevin Henry traveled with the Rockies to New York when they faced the Yankees last week. He was able to connect with old friend Ryan McMahon, who was facing his old team for the first time since being traded at the 2025 deadline. Additionally, he asked Gabriel Hughes about facing Aaron Judge, who had just been activated off the IL on Tuesday, and Connor Norby about what makes for a stellar batting practice (something that helped Norby get in the starting lineup on Tuesday).

Around Baseball

• Diamondbacks designate Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment | Arizona Sports — The Diamondbacks are pushing for a playoff spot, and cut ties with Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who was a key player in their 2023 World Series run. However, since then, he’s been injury-prone — including an ACL tear in 2024 — and the Snakes decided it was time to move on.
• The perks and heartaches of being a dad and an MLB player | The Athletic (Gift Link) — Stephen Nesbitt writes an excellent article about the joys and challenges of being a big leaguer and a dad. He spoke with 15 players about their experiences, including old friend Trevor Story.
• WPBL Takes Adaptability to the Next Level | Kick the Concrete — Purple Row’s own Joelle Milholm covered the WPBL this season for Kick the Concrete. This is her third article in the series, and she talks about the positional versatility of all the players. You can read her other articles here and here, as well as a feature she wrote for SB Nation.

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

Good morning, baseball fans!

A new week of San Francisco Giants baseball starts today, with the team heading back out on the road for the last time this season.

First up is a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, followed by a day off on Thursday and then a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I would usually pick a Dodgers series for the one that I’m most interested in this week. But given the way things are going, and the way things went against the Cardinals last week, I’m picking that series.

Which series are you most interested in this week?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants begin this series against the Cardinals this afternoon at 4:45 p.m. PT.

Welcome to week 25 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!

1. Milwaukee Brewers (93-57); 5-1 this week; 100.0% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)

The Brewers locked up their postseason spot and have a magic number of just two to clinch the NL Central after they swept the Cubs and took two of three from the Reds in a strong homestand.

William Contreras led the offense with three homers and 12 RBIs, while Jake Bauers, Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Brice Turang added two homers each. Chourio also led the team with 13 hits overall, including three doubles.

Most of the Brewers’ rotation had a strong week, as Robert Gasser, Logan Henderson, Jacob Misiorowski, and Dustin May combined for 27 innings across five starts (Gasser made two), allowing just three earned runs and striking out 31. Garrett Stallings picked up a save with three shutout innings in Milwaukee’s 20-0 win over the Reds, while JoJo Romero, Chad Patrick, and DL Hall also turned in scoreless

Milwaukee now departs for their last road trip of the season, as they’ll visit the Pirates, Orioles, and Phillies for three games each over the next week and a half.

2. Chicago Cubs (83-67); 2-4 this week; 99.0% chance to make postseason

The Cubs are hanging in the fight for the top NL Wild Card spot, as they’re currently tied with the Phillies at 83-67 this season. Chicago was swept by the Brewers to begin the week but bounced back to take two of three at Wrigley against the Pirates.

Pedro Ramírez led the offense with two homers and two doubles this week, while Alex Bregman led the team with eight hits, including a homer and three doubles. Michael Busch, Miguel Amaya, and Pete Crow-Armstrong also homered.

Shota Imanaga had the only quality start of the week, going six innings with two runs allowed and four strikeouts. David Peterson went 4 1/3 innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts, while Javier Assad, Aaron Civale, Colin Rea, Ryan Rolison, and Trent Thornton combined for 11 1/3 scoreless innings for the bullpen, striking out 11.

Chicago now hosts the Braves for three games before visiting the Reds for three games over the weekend.

3. Pittsburgh Pirates (75-75); 4-2 this week; 0.1% chance to make postseason

The Pirates had a solid week as they’re on pace to finish at (or above) .500 for the first time since 2018. They spent the entire week in Chicago, sweeping the White Sox and dropping two of three against the Cubs.

Five players had a homer this week, including Oneil Cruz, Rafael Flores, Ryan O’Hearn, Bryan Reynolds, and Esmerlyn Valdez. Cruz led the team with nine hits and drove in five, while Flores added eight hits.

Jared Jones turned in another strong start, going seven scoreless with just a hit and two walks allowed, striking out eight. Lake Bachar continues to function as an opener, going 1 2/3 scoreless innings, while Paul Skenes went seven frames, allowing two runs and striking out four. Mason Montgomery led the bullpen, picking up three saves over three scoreless innings.

Pittsburgh now returns home for their final homestand of the season, hosting the Brewers, Royals, and Cardinals for three games each over the next week and a half.

4. St. Louis Cardinals (74-76); 2-4 this week; 0.0% chance to make postseason

The Cardinals had a rough week, as they were swept by the lowly Giants in San Francisco before taking two of three from the White Sox at home.

Leo Bernal led the squad with two homers as part of a six-hit week, adding a double and driving in seven. Alec Burleson had the only other homer, also doubling twice and driving in six. Joshua Báez and Nathan Church each added three doubles.

Michael McGreevy made a pair of solid starts, spanning 12 2/3 innings with four runs allowed (three earned) and 10 strikeouts. Quinn Mathews went six innings with two runs allowed and four strikeouts, Andre Pallante went five innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts, and Kyle Leahy worked three scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Luis Gastelum, Gordon Graceffo, and Ryne Stanek combined for 11 scoreless innings for the bullpen, striking out 11.

St. Louis wraps up their last homestand of the year this week, as they’ll host the Giants and Nationals for three games each.

5. Cincinnati Reds (70-79); 1-5 this week; 0.0% chance to make postseason

The Reds had another rough week, as they were swept by the Dodgers in Los Angeles and dropped two of three against the Brewers in Milwaukee, salvaging the series finale on Sunday.

Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez each slugged three homers this week, with De La Cruz adding three doubles as part of a nine-hit week. Juan Brito also homered, and Sal Stewart added seven hits (all singles).

Chase Burns was just about the only bright spot for the rotation, making a pair of starts totaling six innings with two runs allowed and 10 strikeouts. Tejay Antone, Brock Burke, and Emilio Pagán combined for six scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out four.

Cincinnati now heads home for the last time in 2026, as they’ll host the Dodgers for four games and the Cubs for three games.

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. Some players might not be feeling so good this week, as they are seeing their seasons end early as the need for rest or surgery has forced them into an early offseason. As we’ll read below, both Byron Buxton and Rafael Devers are out for the remainder of their seasons due to injury. We’ve also recently seen superstar Shohei Ohtani hit the bench to hopefully recover so he can help the Dodgers in the postseason. This is not a general statement on the grind of baseball, or how players are pushing themselves too hard, but it is always interesting to see players wait until their teams are out of postseason contention before allowing themselves to be taken off the roster for much-needed recovery or surgery.

We look at that and more below, including how one injured player — Justin Verlander — is hoping to come back in time to pitch one last time before he retires.

So let’s get into today’s links!

• Jay Jaffe looks at the timely revival of Teoscar Hernandez.
• Keegan Matheson shares that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has finally gotten his first home run at home for the season. It just took until September.
• Molly Burkhardt reports that Willson Contreras has been activated from the IL by the Red Sox.
• David Schoenfield looks at the 10 players who made the biggest positive difference for their team.
• Dan Hayes reports that Byron Buxton will undergo season-ending hip surgery. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Love to see things like this.

• Former MLB player Jonathan Schoop has been sentenced to 30 months for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. (Curaçao Chronicle)
• Five things Ben Clemens liked (or didn’t like) this past week.
• Brent Maguire shares the six teams who most defied expectations this season… for better or worse.
• Karl Rasmussen looks at which players have been the most disappointing this season.
• Rafael Devers’ season is over due to a core muscle injury. (AP)
• Tyler Kepner assesses why Walt Weiss deserves to be manager of the year. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• I don’t think he intended for this to work so well.

• White Sox scouting director Mike Shirley has resigned amid verbal harassment allegations. Story by Brittany Ghiroli and Keith Law. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• David Laurila talks to several starting pitchers about the decline in starting innnings and what it means for baseball.
• Max Ralph shares that the Diamondbacks have designated Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment.
• Stephen J. Nesbitt talks to MLB players about the positives and negatives of being a father while also being a professional ballplayer. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Ryan Phillips revisits the trade deadline five weeks later.
• Tigers’ starter Justin Verlander is on the path to make at least one final start before he retires. (AP)
• Brendan Kuty looks at how the Yankees honored 9/11 during the Subway Series. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• A really touching moment.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

Tanner Houck’s last appearance for the Boston Red Sox was July 9, 2025.

That was more than 14 months ago. A month after that start, he underwent hybrid right-UCL reconstruction and flexor tendon repair—Tommy John surgery, with the flexor tendon thrown in on top. That’s the kind of procedure that doesn’t just end your season, it rewrites your timeline entirely. Pitchers come back from Tommy John. They come back from flexor tendon repairs. Coming back from both at once is its own thing, and doing it in a little over a year is fast.

The plan from here: two more rehab outings on Tuesday and Saturday, and a potential activation window around the Cubs series to close out the regular season. If that holds, Houck gets back on a big-league mound sometime in the last week of September—maybe two appearances before October.

So the question isn’t whether Houck is coming back. It’s what the Red Sox actually do with him when he gets here.

The case for being careful

This is a pen that has worked. Erik Miller, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten when healthy, Greg Weissert (begrudgingly), and Aroldis Chapman give you everything you need at the back of a bullpen. Alec Gamboa and Jovani Moran soak up the slop innings, Wyatt Olds pops up when needed. The roles are defined, the trust chart makes sense, and hitters have no idea what’s coming next. You don’t throw a new arm into that mix without thinking about it, especially when he hasn’t thrown more than 50 pitches in a professional game since the All-Star Break of last season.

And Houck himself is a factor. He’s been through a brutal rehab to get back to this point. The last thing you do to a pitcher in that situation is drop him into a tie game in the seventh inning of a September game that actually matters, with no ramp-up, no rhythm, no feel for what he has right now. One bad outing at the wrong time can get in a pitcher’s head in ways that outlast the outing itself. The Sox don’t need that.

The case for using him

An extra arm is always better than not having an extra arm. That’s just true, especially this late. And Houck isn’t some random September call-up—he’s a legitimate starting-caliber pitcher coming back with something to prove and a reason to be sharp. Whatever version of him shows up, he’s still Tanner Houck.

The Cubs series also isn’t nothing. Chicago is 81-62 and fighting for NL Wild Card position. They’ll be playing real baseball in those three games. Getting Houck live innings against a good team in meaningful contexts—not a blowout, not a dead game—is exactly the kind of tuneup you want going into October.

The right way to use him

There are two spots where Houck fits, and neither of them require forcing it.

First: open for Brayan Bello. Two or three innings, hand it off. Reliever Bello is one of the best pitchers in baseball and having a competent opener for him is just as important. Houck gets his legs under him in a real game, and the workload splits naturally.

Second: long reliever when Patrick Sandoval starts. Sandoval has a habit of looking decent through four innings and then hitting a wall. When that happens, you’re burning three or four bullpen arms to get through the game. Plug Houck in for innings five through seven and suddenly those guys are available for something that actually matters. In September and October, that’s a big deal.

These aren’t mutually exclusive. Both roles make sense. And frankly, the question of whether Sandoval even makes the playoff roster is still open—which would solve some of this on its own, but also makes Houck’s value as a multi-inning arm even more obvious.

The other piece: Houck was a starter before the surgery, and he’ll go back to being a starter this offseason and into 2027. What he’s doing right now—coming out of the pen, staying in the 50-pitch range—is about getting back on a mound, not reinventing his role. Don’t mistake this for his ceiling or his future. He’s a starter who’s doing what makes sense for the moment.

Handle it the right way and the Red Sox enter October with one more quality arm than they had a week ago, Houck’s confidence intact, and a bullpen that just got deeper. Don’t overreach and blow it.

That’s the whole ask.

Six divisions, four runaways, one battle to see which club proves less feeble.

Thank goodness for the American League Central.

Never thought you’d be hearing that, eh? Yet, that’s where most of the tension will be focused over the final two weeks of this Major League Baseball season – beginning with a long-anticipated head-to-head battle.

The surprising Chicago White Sox are hanging by a thread, taking a half-game Central lead to Cleveland where the always-resilient Guardians aim to steal off with their third consecutive division title.

The clash on the Cuyahoga highlights four series with significant playoff ramifications this week:

Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians

When: Monday-Wednesday, Progressive Field

Key matchup: Tuesday – White Sox RH Davis Martin vs. Guardians LH Foster Griffin

Outlook: A consequence of the more-balanced schedule that features beaucoup interleague play is that division rivals often do not play each other in September. Not this time, baby!

The White Sox have held at least a share of the AL Central lead since July 4, with the Guardians yapping at their heels the whole time. Now, the dog has caught up to the car: Chicago holds just a half-game lead entering this tussle. And on paper, all the pitching matchups favor Cleveland.

Lefty Sean Newcomb will try to battle Cleveland right-hander Gavin Williams, whose 228 strikeouts are tied for the major league lead, on Monday, Sept. 14. The Martin-Griffin matchup is also intriguing; they strike out 7.6 and 8.1 batters per nine, respectively, and require exquisite command to be effective. Not much margin for error.

Parker Messick, the Guardians left-hander who’s a worthy Rookie of the Year candidate, will face a TBD White Sox starter in the Wednesday afternoon finale (ESPN). The Guardians would need a sweep to win the season series, which of course may loom large.

If the season ended now – and it does not – both teams would make the playoffs; Cleveland has a one-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild card spot. The Guardians also lost the season series to the Blue Jays. Speaking of which…

Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers

When: Friday-Sunday, Globe Life Field

Key matchup: Friday – Blue Jays RH Dylan Cease vs. Rangers RH Kumar Rocker

Outlook: Ah, isn’t this the life: A 75-75 team just a game out of a wild card spot, and a 74-76 squad just a game out of the division lead. Welcome to Blue Jays-Rangers, where a winning record may not be a prerequisite to make the playoffs.

The Blue Jays, at least, are trending positively, not only winning a de facto elimination series against Baltimore but also learning that 2025 playoff hero Trey Yesavage will likely return to the rotation this week – probably Tuesday – after August arthroscopic knee surgery. That will be a big boost to their rotation as they can likely skip Spencer Arrighetti’s turn.

Either way, the Rangers will get both Cease and trade deadline prize José Soriano, giving Toronto a significant edge in this series. The Blue Jays haven’t been two games over .500 since April 1, the Rangers since July 28. The odds are stacked against Texas this week, with the Red Sox preceding the Blue Jays into Arlington.

MLB POWER RANKINGS: Can Vlad Jr., Blue Jays wake up in time for playoffs?

Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros

When: Friday-Sunday, Daikin Park

Key matchup: Friday – Braves LH Chris Sale vs. Astros RH Hayden Wesneski

Outlook: There’s a chance the Braves may soil the carpet in the visiting clubhouse with champagne this weekend, as they take a magic number of four to clinch a playoff berth and seven to clinch the NL East into this week. It’s more likely they’ll wrap up the playoff spot at Wrigley Field, while the division may have to wait until early next week. That said, the Braves could be closing in on a marginally competitive situation: The division salted away and a first-round bye too far out of reach.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Dave Hillman, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 2003 – Homering in his final at-bat, Vladimir Guerrero hits for ‘Le Carrousel’ at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. Facing Mets’ southpaw Tom Glavine, the Expos right fielder doubles (second), singles (third) and hits a triple (fifth) and completes the sixth cycle in team history by going deep off Dan Wheeler in the seventh. and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1915 – Babe Ruth fires a two-hitter, as the Red Sox beat the White Sox, 2-1, for their seventh win in a row. Ruth has two of Boston’s three hits. Boston will win four of five in the series with Chicago.
• 1916 – MLB Cincinnati Reds pitcher Christy Mathewson pitches and wins his final game
• 1921 – Washington’s Walter Johnson gives up three hits but still faces just 27 batters in edging the Browns 1 – 0.
• 1936 – Pittsburgh’s Paul Waner ties Rogers Hornsby‘s modern National League record, reaching 200 hits for the seventh time.
• 1983 – Behind Marty Bystrom‘s five-hit win in the nightcap of a doubleheader, the Phils sweep the Expos, 9-5 and 5-0. Mike Schmidt and Joe Morgan hit homers to back Steve Carlton‘s 298th career win in the opener, while Schmidt and Len Matuszek, with his first in the majors, homer in the second game. The two losses virtually eliminate the Expos from contention in the NL East.
• 1990 – The Mariners’ Ken Griffey, Sr. and his son, Ken Griffey, Jr., become the first father and son to hit homers in the same major league game.
• 1997 – Sandy Alomar hits a bases-loaded single to key a bizarre seven-run eighth and Cleveland defeats Chicago, 8-3. Jim Thome nails his 40th homer for the Indians.
• 2013 – Jon Lester brings the Red Sox closer to a division title with a 5-1 win over the Yankees, pitching eight solid innings and allowing only three hits in defeating CC Sabathia.

Today in Cubs history:

• 1902 – Chicago’s infield combo of Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance pull off their first double play, but they lose 8-6 at home to the Reds.
• 1905 – Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers engage in a fist fight on the field during an exhibition game in Washington, IN, because Evers took a taxi to the park, leaving his teammates in the hotel lobby. The pair will not speak to each other ever again.
• 1907 – At the West Side Grounds, Chicago beats the visiting Reds, 12-5. The Cubs collect 19 hits to the Reds’ ten hits – all 29 are singles.
• 1913 – In front of the largest crowd of the season (22,000), Cubs hurler Larry Cheney hurls a 14-hit shutout against the visiting Giants, defeating them 7-0 while setting a major-league record for most hits allowed in a nine-inning whitewashing. Milt Gaston of Washington will duplicate the feat on July 10, 1928. Cheney wins his 20th over Rube Marquard, also seeking his 20th.
• 1923 – The Cubs’ Vic Keen stops the Giants, 7-1, cutting the National League leaders lead down to a half-game. The lone Giants score is a George Kelly homer.
• 1935 – The Cubs outlast the Dodgers, 18-14, for their 11th straight win and go into first place. In winning, the Cubs use a relief pitcher for the first time in 11 games. Chicago scores five in the 2nd and eight in the 6th in outhitting Brooklyn, 18 hits to 15. Johnny Babich starts and goes a third of an inning to take the loss. Starter Charlie Root is the Chicago winner.
• 1965 – Five days after pitching against each other, the Cubs’ Bob Hendley and LA’s Sandy Koufax hook up again. No no-no this time as Hendley allows four hits and wins, 2-1.
• 2008 – Carlos Zambrano* of the Chicago Cubs pitches a no-hitter against the Houston Astros, winning 5-0 at Milwaukee’s Miller Park. The game was shifted from Houston to Milwaukee due to Hurricane Ike. It is the first no-hitter pitched at a neutral site in modern major league history, although the crowd is composed almost exclusively of Cubs fans who have made the short trip from Chicago.

Cubs Birthdays:Dave Hillman, Jim Fanning, John Bottarini, Nick Allen, Reggie Richter. Also notable: Kid Nichols HOF.

Today in history:

• 1814 – Francis Scott Key pens the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” later known as “The Star-Spangled Banner,” while witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry from a ship in Baltimore Harbor.
• 1901 – Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as the youngest man to serve as US President, after William McKinley finally dies after an anarchist shoots him in Buffalo.
• 1913 – Route for the Lincoln Highway is announced, the first paved coast-to-coast highway across the United States, with terminal points in New York City and San Francisco.
• 1923 – In his fourth heavyweight boxing title defence Jack Dempsey recovers after being sent through the ropes to KO Argentine challenger Luis Firpo in the 2nd round at the Polo Grounds, NYC.
• 1939 – World’s first practical helicopter, the VS-300, designed by Igor Sikorsky, takes a short tethered flight in Stratford, Connecticut.
• 1956 – IBM introduces the RAMAC 305, the first commercial computer with a hard drive featuring magnetic disk storage, which weighs over a ton.
• 1968 – Jimmy Ellis beats Floyd Patterson in 15 for heavyweight boxing title.
• 1979 – The film “Quadrophenia”, loosely based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera of the same name, is released.
• 1986 – NFL Bears running back Walter Payton scores his 100th career rushing touchdown, and gains 177 yards, surpassing 15,000-yard career plateau in 13-10 overtime win over visiting Philadelphia Eagles, at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois.
• 2022 -Procession of Queen Elizabeth II‘s coffin from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster to lie in state, with queues of people paying their respects forming 2.4 miles (3.8km)

*pictured.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/38-30)

ST. PAUL 6, SYRACUSE 5 (BOX)

Coming into this one, Syracuse was 1 game behind the second place RailRiders (38-28) and 1.5 games behind the first place Redwings (40-28). With the two teams playing each other, Syracuse was guaranteed to gain ground on somebody. The Mets got on the board first, with Hayden Senger launching his twelfth home run of the season in the top of the third to drive in himself and Ryan Clifford, who was on third base on a triple. An inning later, Eric Wagaman drove in a pair to double Syracuse’s lead to 4-0. Justin Hagenman had been pitching well, allowing just a single run in the fourth before being removed from the game, but Ryan Lambert had no such luck. The right-hander allowed a three-run homer to tie the game up and then walked another batter before being taken out of the game having recorded just two outs. His replacement, Brian Metoyer, allowed a home run before getting out of the inning, and just like that, Syracuse trailed 6-4. Billy Amick brought Syracuse within one with two out solo shot in the ninth, but Ryan Clifford grounded out weakly to short to end things. With their loss, combined with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s, Syracuse is now 2 games behind the RailRiders and 2.5 games behind the Red Wings. They will finish up the season at home taking on the 32-25 Lehigh Valley IronPigs while Rochester will be playing the 31-35 Buffalo Bisons and the RailRiders will be playing the 29-39 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

·  CF D’Andre Smith: 0-3, BB, K

·  2B Émilien Pitre: 0-3, BB, K

·  3B Ronny Mauricio: 0-4, K

·  RF MJ Melendez: 0-3, R, BB, K

·  SS Vidal Bruján: 0-3, R, BB, K

·  1B Eric Wagaman: 1-4, RBI, K

·  DH Billy Amick: 1-4, R, HR (8), RBI, K

·  LF Ryan Clifford: 1-3, R, 3B, BB, K

·  C Hayden Senger: 1-3, R, HR (12), 2 RBI, 2 K

·  RHP Justin Hagenman: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Ryan Lambert: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HBP, L (3-2)

·  RHP Brian Metoyer: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Zach Franklin: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  LHP Jefry Yan: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

·  RHP Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/34-34)

NO GAME (INCLEMENT WEATHER)

And just like that, folks, the 2026 Binghamton Rumble Ponies season comes to and end not with a bang but a whimper.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/32-34)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/25-39)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Hayden Senger

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Ryan Lambert

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Orioles are done. Cooked. Finito. The miraculous run to the postseason ain’t happening. Start planning accordingly.

The Birds haven’t yet been mathematically eliminated, but there’s no feasible path to the final wild card spot at this point. They made it all but official with yesterday’s futile 8-1 defeat in Toronto that capped a lackluster series loss. It was a game that featured a nonexistent Orioles offense, a bullpen blowup, and the kind of shoddy defensive play to which O’s fans have become all too accustomed.

The Orioles are now four games behind the Guardians — essentially five, since Cleveland holds the tiebreaker — as well as three games behind the Blue Jays and two behind the Rangers, both of whom also hold tiebreakers over the Birds. In short, stick a fork in ’em. The O’s needed nothing less than a series win in Toronto, and preferably a sweep, to have any chance of staying alive. Instead, they crumbled.

I would say, Well, at least the Orioles had a good run, but…did they? The O’s were nominally involved in the postseason race into September, but only because of the American League’s historic mediocrity, not because the team itself was ever particularly good. The Orioles haven’t been an above-.500 team since April, and they’re not going to reach a winning record again this year.

The Orioles’ ineptitude has invited Baltimore sports fans to fully turn their attention to the NFL. It seems only appropriate that at the same time the Ravens won a 41-23 beatdown to begin their season, the O’s were limping through one of their most uninspired losses of the year. It’s as if the Orioles themselves were asking fans, “Why are you watching us instead of football right now?”

With the 2026 season now a lost cause, the Orioles should shift their focus to 2027 for the final two weeks. Give everyday playing time to the hitters who will still be on the team next year, and forget about those who won’t. Let Heston Kjerstad get regular at-bats. Play Samuel Basallo, Colton Cowser, and Dylan Beavers against left-handers. We don’t need to see Leody Taveras in the lineup anymore. Normally I would advocate for calling up Enrique Bradfield Jr. just to get his feet wet in the majors, too. But with a lockout looming this offseason, the O’s might not want to add him to the 40-man roster because then he’d be ineligible to play if MLB games are wiped out next year, whereas the 2027 minor league season will be unaffected.

While they’re at it, the O’s should protect the health of their homegrown pitchers who are showing visible signs of fatigue. Yesterday they finally shut down Kyle Bradish for the season by placing him on the 15-day IL. It would also be a good idea to call it a wrap on Brandon Young, who has set a career high in innings pitched. Call up Cade Povich or go with a few bullpen games to finish the season. As with Bradish, there’s no reason to push Young’s arm any further.

It stinks that the Orioles are once again playing out the string in late September, with nothing to play for but pride. But that’s where we are. It’s an organization in need of drastic changes this offseason, if the lockout allows. For now, let’s just hope they can play somewhat entertaining baseball for these final 12 games.

Links

Blue Jays hit 3 straight homers off Trevor Rogers to capture series win vs. Orioles – The Baltimore Banner

I understand why the Orioles keep saying things like, “We’ve just got to turn the page and go on a hot streak.” But those words ring hollow when you’ve been hearing them for three months with the O’s continually failing to follow through.

Do Orioles platoon too much? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Every team platoons to a certain extent, but the O’s seem to be particularly obsessive about it. The world won’t end if you let your $67 million, 22-year-old catcher face some southpaws from time to time.

Bradish placed on injured list – School of Roch

This probably should have been done weeks earlier. But Bradish’s dud of a birthday outing was the last straw.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Two former Orioles were born on this day: right-hander Chad Bradford (52) and outfielder Delmon Young (41), which means I am obligated to post this video:

Never gets old.

On this day in 1980, the Orioles’ Eddie Murray bashed three solo home runs against the Blue Jays, including a game-tying blast in the ninth and a go-ahead shot in the top of the 11th. Unfortunately, he was the only Orioles hitter who showed up that day; Murray had four hits and the rest of the team combined had just three, and Eddie’s three homers accounted for the Birds’ only runs in an eventual 4-3 walkoff loss.

And on this date in 1987, Cal Ripken Jr.’s record consecutive innings streak of 8,264 ended when his father, O’s manager Cal Ripken Sr., took him out of the eighth inning in an 18-3 loss to the Blue Jays. The early exit, of course, didn’t affect his consecutive games streak, which was five years deep and continued for another 11 years.

Random Orioles game of the day

The random number generator has given me the number…2025. So I guess we’re only going back one year for this one. On Sept. 14, 2025, the Orioles were blasted in Toronto, 11-2. (Why is every Orioles game on Sept. 14 against Toronto?) The O’s held their own in a bullpen game for a while until reliever Carson Ragsdale, making his major league debut, coughed up eight runs in three innings. It was one of just two MLB appearances for Ragsdale, who is currently pitching for the Hanshin Tigers of the Japan Farm League. Solo homers by Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser provided the only runs for the Orioles, who dropped to 69-80.

Who would have thought that in the year of our Lord 2026, we’d see a pitching matchup of Bailey Falter against Tanner Banks. What a crazy world that we live in.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Trea Turner is having his worst year of his career. His teammates still think there is time to turn it around ($). Sure.
• Tanner Banks was activated from the injured list and pitched pretty well yesterday. Maybe he’ll be useful again?

MLB news:

• The White Sox scouting director has resigned after reports of verbal abuse allegations have surfaced about him ($).
• The A’s need a general manager and are now looking at retreads and current employees to maybe fill the spots.
• Rafael Devers is done for the season after going on the 60-day injured list with a core muscle injury that might need surgery.

The Detroit Tigers have been on a little run recently, having won four straight games and two straight series as the regular-season schedule quickly wanes. Perhaps it is too little, too late, but it is still great to see this team show some life even if the playoffs are all but mathematically out of the question.

Next up on the docket is a trip to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays in a three-game weekday series starting on Monday night. Right-hander Troy Melton will start in the opener looking to get back on track after a rough five-game stretch in which his team has lost four.

The 25-year-old has put up a 5.14 ERA and a 5.21 FIP over that span, having surrendered 20 runs — but only 16 were earned — on 35 hits (five home runs) and six walks while striking out 18 and hitting four batters over 28 innings of work. Detroit did win Melton’s last outing against the Minnesota Twins at home, but he still coughed up a four-spot over 5 2/3 frames, which is a far cry from his nine-game run that saw him allow two or fewer runs over 42 1/3 innings.

For the Blue Jays, fellow righty José Soriano will take the mound for his eighth start for Toronto since being traded by the Los Angeles Angels at the deadline. Since arriving north of the border, the 27-year-old’s numbers have declined, with his ERA increasing from 3.29 to 4.05, while his FIP got a bump from 3.79 to 4.33 and his WHIP jumping from 1.25 to 1.38.

Soriano did earn a quality start his last time out against the Athletics in Sacramento, however, tossing seven innings of two-run ball on six hits (two home runs) and a walk while striking out three and uncorking a wild pitch for his 12th win of the 2026 campaign in a 4-2 final.

Take a look below at how the two match up on paper for the series opener on Monday night.

Detroit Tigers (70-79) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (75-75)

Time (ET): 7:07 p.m.
Place: Rogers Center, Toronto, Ontario
SB Nation Site:Bluebird Banter
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 150: RHP Troy Melton (8-4, 2.42 ERA) vs. RHP José Soriano (12-7, 3.48 ERA)

MELTON

SORIANO

Last Week’s Results:

• Monday: Brewers 4, Cubs 3
• Tuesday: Brewers 4, Cubs 3
• Wednesday: Brewers 8, Cubs 6
• Friday: Brewers 20, Reds 0
• Saturday: Brewers 13, Reds 9
• Sunday: Reds 4, Brewers 3

Division Standings:

• Brewers 93-57
• Cubs 83-67 (10 GB)
• Pirates 75-75 (18 GB)
• Cardinals 74-76 (19 GB)
• Reds 70-79 (22.5 GB)

Last Week:

• Brewers 5-1
• Cubs 2-4
• Pirates 4-2
• Cardinals 2-4
• Reds 1-5

Top Pitching Performance of the Week

This week was not short on solid pitching performances, so it’s really difficult to pick just one. Dustin May went six shutout innings against the Reds, Logan Henderson allowed just an unearned run over five innings, and Jacob Misiorowski turned in another strong outing with 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run and striking out nine. But how about Robert Gasser? While he didn’t provide a ton of length, Gasser totaled 9 2/3 innings in his two starts this week, allowing two runs (1.86 ERA) and recording a team-high 10 strikeouts.

Several bullpen arms also deserve shoutouts, including Chad Patrick (3 IP, 0 R, 6 K), DL Hall (3 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 K), JoJo Romero (3 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 K), and Garrett Stallings, who pitched three scoreless innings to close out Milwaukee’s 20-0 victory over the Reds, becoming the first pitcher to record a save in a shutout win of 20 runs or more. Stallings is off to a great start in his major league career, totaling 11 innings in relief for Milwaukee, allowing no runs and striking out 11.

Top Hitting Performance of the Week

How about another 20-run shutout? After beating the Mariners 22-0 in August, the Brewers took down the Reds 20-0 on Friday night, becoming the first team to ever have two 20-plus run shutout wins in a single season. With that and four other solid wins, the Brewers’ offense has no shortage of stars to shout out this week. William Contreras led the squad with three homers and 12 RBIs, but Jake Bauers, Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Brice Turang all added two homers, and Joey Ortiz and Christian Yelich each had one. All those homers also mean the Brewers no longer rank last in the majors (they’re now 28th with 146, one more than the Angels and four more than the Guardians)! Chourio led the team with 13 hits for the week, slashing .481/.517/815. Turang had 10 hits, Mitchell and Ortiz added eight hits, and six Brewers batted over .300 for the week.

Injury Notes & Roster Moves

• Milwaukee placed reliever Grant Anderson on the 15-day injured list with right biceps inflammation on Monday, as he’ll look to get healthy before the team’s playoff run. Right-hander Brandon Sproat replaced him on the active roster and, in his return to the majors, went 1 1/3 innings, allowing four runs without allowing a hit as he walked four and hit another. Pat Murphy was obviously upset by the performance, and Sproat was quickly sent back to Triple-A Nashville, with the aforementioned Garrett Stallings replacing him.
• Left-handed reliever Rob Zastryzny, who hasn’t pitched in a major league game this year as he’s dealt with multiple injuries and setbacks, began another rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday. He pitched twice, totaling 1 2/3 innings with two runs allowed.

On Deck:

• Monday: Off Day
• Tuesday: @ Pirates (5:40 p.m.)
• Wednesday: @ Pirates (5:40 p.m.)
• Thursday: @ Pirates (11:35 a.m.)
• Friday: @ Orioles (6:05 p.m.)
• Saturday: @ Orioles (3:05 p.m.)
• Sunday: @ Orioles (6:20 p.m.)