Sep 9, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Richie Palacios (1) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the Atlanta Braves in the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Ah, baseball.
The Rays looked unimpressive as they lost a series to the lowly New York Mets last week, and I’ll bet I am not the only Rays fan who watched those games and thought, “THIS is a playoff team?”
And when they came into Atlanta to play a Braves team that leads the division in which the Mets are sorry after-thoughts, I was not optimistic about the outcome.
But now they have taken a series from the Braves with one game remaining, and looked pretty sharp, if not dominant, in doing so.
The Rays largely relied on their small ball ways tonight, but the scoring started with a very, very long ball. It was one of those moments that broadcasters must relish. In the second innings, Brian Anderson and Dewayne Staats were chatting about Victor Mesa Jr. and how he has brought some pop into the lower part of the Rays lineup. And then Mesa hit this ball so hard and so far that the Atlanta outfielder didn’t even turn to watch it land in the stands.
The Rays accumulated their runs mostly in the second and fourth innings, scoring three in each of those frames before tacking on an insurance run in the seventh.
Other than Mesa’s homerun, the other scores came on a characteristic night of offense for the Rays. They hit nine singles, took advantage of three walks and a hit by pitch. They managed three stolen bases, two on a fund double steal, although they did kind of botch one running play, with Mesa Jr. thrown out at home. Apparently the Braves catcher, Sean Murphy, has not yet thrown out a runner this year? (to be fair he’s only played in 21 games).
Less characteristically, the bottom part of the lineup accounted for much of the offense. To be sure, Diaz, Caminero and Hicks did each get a single and Diaz had an RBI thanks to a sac fly. But it was Mesa, Jr., Simpson, Mullins, Palacios and Mateo who set the pace. Mateo drove in two runs with an RBI single; Simpson and Mesa, Jr. each scored twice.
On the pitching end, Griffin Jax improved considerably over last week’s disappointing return from the IL. He made it through five innings, giving up just a solo homerun along with one other hit and one walk. He wasn’t super sharp (lots of deep counts), he wasn’t get whiffs or strikeouts, he got lucky on some sizzling liners that ended up in outfielder gloves. But — five innings, just one run? We can live with that, at least for now. Cash cobbled together those last twelve outs between four relievers. Newly promoted Ty Johnson was a little wobbly, giving up a run on a walk and a hit while recording two outs, but Cam Booser finished off the sixth inning, and after that Cole Sulser and Steven Matz were near perfect for the final three innings.
The Rays and Braves play an early afternoon getaway game tomorrow, with two “old guys” — Nick Martinez and Martin Pérez — on the mound.
The Mets blew an early 8-0 lead, but fought back with a six-run seventh inning and held on to beat the Miami Marlins, 15-14.
It's the first time New York has allowed 14 runs and won a game, which is even more impressive when they got out-hit, 20-15. It's also only the fifth time in franchise history they had two six-run innings in one game.
Here are the takeaways...
-- The Mets' offense caught fire in the second inning, taking a commanding 6-0 lead. A.J. Ewing started it off with an RBI single, Brett Baty followed suit with an RBI single of his own, Luis Torrens drove in two runs on a double to the gap, Bo Bichette added another on a single, and Carson Benge tacked on the sixth run with a groundout. They recorded five straight hits and six total in the frame.
-- Baty had to exit the game early with a leg injury after his single as he began limping while running to first base. Christopher Morel replaced him on the basepaths and on defense at first base.
-- Morel made the most of his playing time, crushing a two-run home run off Janson Junk to make it an 8-0 game in the third inning. It's Morel's first home run of the season and first since Sept. 12, 2025.
-- Robert Stock was solid on the mound through the first three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth. The righty hit the leadoff man and soon found himself in a bases-loaded jam. He then let up an RBI single to Graham Pauley and a two-run single to Joe Mack as the Marlins trailed, 8-3.
Stock needed 27 pitches to get through the inning, ultimately ending his night after 4.0 IP and 80 pitches. Overall, he allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
-- New York's bullpen couldn't hold onto the lead as Chris Devenski and Daniel Duarte let up five runs in the sixth inning (all charged to Devenski over 0.1 IP). Owen Caissie started the comeback with a solo home run, then Miami loaded the bases and found ways to tie it up at 8-8 thanks to an RBI single, walk, and two-run single.
-- As if things couldn't get crazier, the Mets rallied for another six-run inning in the seventh. Ewing drove one in on a sac-fly, Morel and Torrens recorded another RBI each, and Francisco Lindor put the cherry on top with a three-run HR to go up 14-8.
Naturally, Miami got a run back in the bottom of the seventh and the Mets made up for it in the eighth as Torrens' infield single made it 15-9. Jonathan Pintaro let up two more runs in the eighth, allowing the Marlins to get closer, down 15-11.
-- Nate Lavender couldn't seal the deal in the ninth, letting up three runs over 0.1 IP. Thankfully, Tobias Myers saved the day by recording the final two outs for his second career save.
Game MVP: the 7-8-9 hitters
Ewing (3-for-4), Baty (1-for-1), Morel (3-for-4), and Torrens (3-for-5) combined for 10 RBI. Morel finished a triple shy of the cycle despite coming off the bench.
Highlights
A.J. Ewing with the Mets' third consecutive hit in the 2nd inning and the first run is on the board pic.twitter.com/oYUtIvYlg6
The Yankees arrived at Game 145 of the season having crushed 194 home runs, good for the fourth most in the majors, despite missing Aaron Judge for three months.
And yet, somewhat inexplicably, none of those 194 blasts had come with the bases loaded.
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George Lombard Jr. changed that Wednesday night, delivering the kind of juice that typically comes with grand slams as the Yankees’ first of the season gave way to a 6-1 win over the Rockies in The Bronx.
“Hopefully they come in bunches,” manager Aaron Boone said with a grin.
Judge, in his second game back from an extended stay on the injured list for a broken rib, recorded a pair of singles, one of which started the rally that led to Lombard’s first career grand slam in the third inning.
He played eight innings in right field before getting pinch run for in the bottom of the eighth as the Yankees (83-62) continue to build him up carefully while trying to chase down the division, remaining four games back of the Rays with 17 games to play while moving to four games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card.
George Lombard Jr. hits a grand slam during the third inning of the Yankees’ 6-1 win over the Rockies on Sept. 9, 2026 at the Stadium. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Luis García Jr. and Cody Bellinger added solo shots — the latter ensuring David Bednar did not have to pitch the ninth inning — as the Yankees improved to a season-hight 21 games above .500 on a day that began with news that Jazz Chisholm Jr. would require a stint on the injured list due to a right thumb sprain.
Will Warren pitched well again, holding the Rockies (55-90) to one run across six innings while striking out eight. It came five days after Warren tossed 2 ¹/₃ scoreless innings of relief against the Padres — offering a preview of what may be to come in the postseason before he returned to a starting role on Wednesday with an uptick in velocity for a third straight outing.
George Lombard Jr. celebrates with right fielder Aaron Judge after belting a grand slam during the third inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rockies. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Lombard became the second-youngest Yankee to hit a grand slam at 21 years and 99 days — only older than Mickey Mantle (who did it twice as a 20-year-old in 1952) — marking the latest feat for the shortstop who has continued to impress the organization both on and off the field.
“He’s young, but he carries himself like he’s been around for a long time,” Warren said. “The stuff that nobody really sees — grinding beforehand, and stuff like that — but even when he has a bad go, he’s professional about it and keeps going about his business. Like tonight, the grand slam to basically seal it off for us.”
Lombard has now been a big leaguer for just over a month, and while that included a six-game error streak and missing a series last week with a knee injury, he has calmly continued to make an impact.
“Just his maturity [stands out],” Boone said. “Physical kid, talented, I think he’s going to be a really good player in this league for a long time. But right now, it’s just his maturity. Doesn’t seem to speed up for him. He handles success and failures within the game, which you’re always going to have every single night, maturely.
“I feel like he’s found his rhythm, found his routine and he’s right in the middle of what we’re doing.”
In an odd outing, Rockies right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano retired the Yankees in order in four of his six innings.
Aaron Judge looks to the dugout after hitting a single, his second hit of the game, during the eighth inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rockies. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
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But in the other two, they made him pay, first on García’s leadoff home run in the second inning.
In the third, Judge came up with two outs and worked an eight-pitch at-bat that ended in a soft line drive to left, which García followed with a double and Spencer Jones an eight-pitch walk to load the bases.
Lombard then got a 1-0 slider down the middle and took it the other way into the short porch for the grand slam, his third career home run and the 5-0 lead.
In the process, he got the Yankees off the schneid as they threatened to become the first team in franchise history without a grand slam since 1990.
“It’s a big swing to put us in front and give us a good lead,” Lombard said. “[Sugano] has got a bunch of different pitches and gets a lot of weak contact, so just looking for something in the middle of the zone that I could drive.”
Sep 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge (8) and center fielder Jonah Cox (53) embrace after scoring the tying runs against the St. Louis Cardinals during the eighth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It was understandable to think a white flag was being waved when it was announced before Wednesday’s finale against St. Louis that Tony Vitello planned to rest Rafael Devers.
The veteran had played in 309 straight games. He had spent the past fortnight terrorizing opposing arms. The relationship pitchers had with Devers had the same off-kilter power dynamics as a tree and a lumberjack. His slugging percentage since August 24th is above .900., while his 1.411 OPS leads the Major Leagues. The prevailing joke around the water-cooler was he needed a rest because his arms were tired from carrying the team.
Devers deserved a day off — even if it was a significant hit to the Giants’ chances of winning, and considerably lowered the average service time of the starting line-up considerably. Sans Devers, Jung Hoo Lee was the elder statesman with just two seasons worth of games (321) under his belt. Utility infielder Christian Koss possessed the second longest resume at just 132 MLB appearances. On paper — and on the field for most of the day — the Giants came off as headless and punch-less. Kids stacked on each other’s shoulders, wrapped in a trench coat and topped with a fedora.
For 7.2 innings, 23 of 27 outs, playing big-leaguer went about as well as expected. Five runners reached base against St. Louis starter Andre Pallante, and just one first inning run scored. Their portfolio from the plate consisted of three singles, two of them by Koss, since the 1st. Pitching and defense suffered from an unsightly ooze of inexperience impossible to ignore. Starter Blade Tidwell, in his 15th career game and seventh start, was put to work by Cardinals bats. A mental error by Tidwell in the 3rd dominoed into a 3-run homer off the bat of Leo Bernal.
With one out, it looked as though Tidwell had Iván Herrera picked off at first base. Herrera left early, Tidwell stepped off and did as he was taught: run straight at the runner and force them to commit to a base. Tidwell was a bit overzealous in his pursuit. He ran too far and too close to Herrera before lobbing the ball to Koss, and his momentum took him across the basepath, allowing the runner to lunge into the pitcher, draw contact and coax an interference call.
Herrera essentially drew a foul, and in doing so, changed the complexion of the whole inning. Instead of a rosy two outs and nobody on situation in a 1-1 game, Tidwell, noticeably frustrated, had the reminder of his mistake breathing down his neck at second base. The righty was forced to nibble to big Alec Burleson and eventually walked him. He doubled up on his 4-seam fastball to Bernal — flat and at the top of the zone — and the catcher didn’t miss it.
Tidwell lasted into the 5th, but a leadoff single, followed by a hit batter and a walk, ensured his early exit. Lefty newcomer Philip Abner limited the damage to just one earned run in the frame, ending Tidwell’s day with 5 earned over 4+ innings pitched. The 25 year old has now allowed 5 or more runs in three of his seven starts and has yet to throw six complete frames.
The Cardinals would add on in the 6th after Jonah Cox, playing second base with just 13 prior innings at the position, forced an ill-advised throw to first on a softly hit ground ball off the bat of Nathan Church that skipped past Eldridge, bounded over the railing and disappeared into the camera well. The error unnecessarily pushed a runner over to third, and promptly scored on a José Fermín sac fly.
Mental and physical errors had inflated the Cardinals’ run total to six. The offense’s lone run felt distant. They had no dominating presence, not even a shade of Devers, in their line-up for the entire afternoon. By the 8th inning, when Koss flew out to center for the second out, the anticipated loss felt inevitable…
And somehow, 15 minutes later, the Giants had won. The Giants had five baserunners all game. Then, as if a switch was flipped, six reached in a row. Six scored. A 6-1 bummer into a miraculous 7-6 lead. Water into wine. A game-winning, sweep-securing rally completely conjured out of thin air.
The six-run rally in the 8th grew from humble origins. Brett Harris, in his SF debut, barely flinched as he wore a 79 MPH breaking ball on his thigh. Five pitches later, Turner Hill walked to load the bases. Eldridge, responsible for the Giants only run, added two more by slapping an outside fastball through a hole where the shortstop usually stands. Right-hander George Soriano came in to face Cox, who made a poor bunt attempt on the first pitch and watched another go by. Down a quick 0-2 he lunged at a change-up, hitting it so poorly towards short that he easily legged out a single. Another run in, the tying run now on base…the inning began to feel different, like it had purpose, a direction, like it was building towards something. Rafael Devers loomed somewhere in the dugout as a potential pinch hitter, only to be used in extreme circumstances, in break-the-glass emergencies when one swing could change the outcome. But he wasn’t needed. Another power source was plugged into.
Jung Hoo Lee worked the count full. He jumped all over an inside fastball, but got it too early, lining it off the right-field bricks well-wide of the foul pole. He shrugged off the disappointment, collected himself back in the box, and jumped all over the subsequent slider for a game-tying double. A pitch later Shay Whitcomb ambushed a first-pitch fastball, scoring Lee and earning the infielder his second game-winning knock of the series.
Thin air might not be fair. While Devers has hogged all the attention, Eldridge has put together an impressive 18 game on-base streak of his own in which he’s hitting .364 with 13 BB, 19 RBI, and 1.002 OPS. It hasn’t necessarily been dominated by displays of power (2 HR in 18 games), but by a much more disciplined approach in the box. Both of his run-scoring hits this afternoon went to the opposite field. And Lee, while struggling overall as of late, has continued to be a menace with two outs. His .383 batting average continues to lead the Majors.
And after Tidwell, a trio of cobbled-together relievers did a nice job of keeping St. Louis within reach of a miracle.
As I mentioned before, Abner gladly traded a run for two outs with a double play ball in the 5th. He needed just four-pitches to get out of that mess, and limited the damage inflicted by Cox’s throwing error in the 6th — both key moments that helped make the 8th inning rally possible. Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson came out of the pen for the first time, pitching a scoreless 7th and 8th, while earning his first career win. And Trent Harris recorded his first save with just six pitches, working around a lead-off single by with a 6-4-3 double play off the bat off pinch-hitter, Jordan Walker.
The first real series sweep of the year. Not stoked that I had to wait until September for it — but at least they delivered it in style.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 9: Jonathan Aranda #8 of the Tampa Bay Rays fields a pop fly in the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on September 9, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the second straight night, the Atlanta Braves received a frustrating beating from the Tampa Bay Rays and for the third straight day, the offense didn’t have a lot of success at the plate. This time, it was a 7-2 loss for the Braves that doomed them to an ill-timed series loss.
Things stayed scoreless in this one for precisely one inning before the Rays proceeded to pick up where they left off following Monday night’s loss for the Braves. Reynaldo López had seen the minimum four batters before running into Victor Mesa Jr. with one out in the second and Mesa put Tampa Bay on thte board in a loud way with a deep shot to right center that broke the deadlock. López got to two outs and he was actually one strike away from getting out of the second inning with just the one run allowed. That is, until old friend Jorge Mateo managed to take the end of the bat and poke a slider out into the grass for a two-RBI backbreaker of a single.
Reynaldo López found himself in further trouble in the fourth inning. That’s when each of the first four Rays batters he saw in that frame all reached base safely. Three singles and a walk and suddenly the Rays had pushed ahead to a five-run lead. A sacrifice bunt from Jorge Mateo and a sacrifice fly from Yandy Diaz later, the Rays were up by six thanks to some steady hitting and productive outs. That’s good for them but not-so-good for all the folks here on this website who are cheering on the Atlanta Braves!
Fortunately, we finally saw some signs of life from Atlanta’s offense against Griffin Jax. Drake Baldwin got a sinker that he liked and drove it to center for a big solo homer that put the Braves on the board. Sure, it was only 6-1 but hey, that’s a sign of life! Anyways, not much happened after that and the Braves had to settle for only chipping away with one run at the time.
Once Griffin Jax mercifully exited the game ahead of the sixth inning, the Braves did get a little something going at the plate against Rays reliever Ty Johnson. The rookie was making his second big league appearance and Atlanta greeted him somewhat rudely after Drake Baldwin coaxed a walk out of him and then Ronald Acuña Jr. laced one into right center for a double. Matt Olson brought home Baldwin with a sacrifice fly and that was when Tampa Bay went to their bullpen in order to not let this one even get close to getting out of hand. Sure enough, Cam Booser struck out Michael Harris II to end the scoring threat right then and there.
By this the seventh inning, Reynaldo López had been long gone from the game and Ray Kerr had done a very good job of getting through an inning-and-a-third before handing the baton off to Victor Mederos. Unfortuantely, Mederos was unable to keep things from getting even rougher. Mederos hit Jonathan Aranda with a pitch and then gave up two straight singles in order to make it a 7-2 contest. The next two batters were retired in order but the Rays had gotten that run back from the sixth inning so they were plenty satisfied. They were even more satisfied after Cole Sulser retired the Braves in order in the bottom half of the seventh.
The only drama left in this one was whether or not the roach that invaded the TV booth at Truist Park would poke their head out to wreak some more havoc. Either that or if any of the Braves could hit the beer cup tower in the Chop House with a dinger. There was no such luck and the Braves went down quietly in a 7-2 series loss to the Rays.
Notably, the Braves had 11 separate batted balls above 95-mph that ended up turning into outs during tonight’s contest. They had 12 separate instances on Tuesday night, so that’s now 23 bullets the Braves have peppered out there that ended up turning into outs instead of hits. Mauricio Dubón’s final out of the game was hit at 99.4 mph and he snapped a bat over his knee in frustration, so that tells you where the Braves are at right now when it comes to their batted ball luck.
Atlanta has now lost three straight games and their lead in the division is down to three games after the Phillies evened up their series with the Astros in Philadelphia. With the Phillies coming to town this weekend, it’s certainly ideal for Atlanta to at least make sure that they’ll retain a three-game lead heading into that series so hopefully we’ll see something better from the Braves tomorrow afternoon.
The matinee contest will get going at 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, as Martín Pérez will be going for a bounce-back start opposite of Tampa Bay starting pitcher Nick Martinez.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees connects a grand slam against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning at Yankee Stadium on September 09, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If I asked you before the season, “Who would hit the Yankees’ first grand slam of the season?”, I’m sure I’d have gotten plenty of answers. Most of them would be some form of Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton, maybe a Ben Rice or Trent Grisham or Jazz Chisholm Jr., but I don’t think anyone would’ve had the gall to say George Lombard Jr.
For a long time, it actually seemed like the answer would be “nobody”. After all, we had gotten to September without a grand slam, something that seems unfathomable for a slugging team like this. With the bases loaded this season, the Yankees were slashing just .255/.331/.302 in 133 plate appearances entering play, but that line got a boost tonight.
Lombard, who hasn’t hit very well since a tremendous first week in the majors, blasted his first major league grand slam in the third inning to blow things open in the Bronx on a day that also saw a quality start from Will Warren and the first two hits off the injured list by Aaron Judge in a 6-1 win.
Warren got things going with a mostly quiet first inning, pitching around a two-out walk to T.J. Rumfield. The most bewildering part of this game came early, as Tomoyuki Sugano, a man who generates fewer whiffs, chases, and strikeouts than almost any starter in the majors, tore through the top of the Yankees’ order. Six whiffs, four chases, and three strikeouts on 13 pitches. Woof.
Warren responded to his masterful first by tossing an even better inning, striking out the side on just 12 pitches to immediately give the bats a chance to make up for it. It took just three pitches into the second for someone to pounce, as Luis García Jr. walloped a 2-0 sinker into the right-field bleachers for his 29th homer of the season to make it 1-0 Yankees.
The Yankees nearly got some more that frame on a pair of walks by Spencer Jones and Austin Wells, but a frozen rope lineout by José Caballero stranded them. Warren got into trouble in the third after a leadoff double by Connor Norby and a walk to Zac Veen, but got a gift when Jake McCarthy inexplicably tried to bunt on 0-2, killing the Rockies’ rally as Warren got the next two to keep the Rox off the board.
That’d be pretty important because of a two-out rally the Yankees would go on. Aaron Judge got his first hit off the injured list in a pretty long at-bat and got to third on a rope of a double by García. With two in scoring position and two outs, Spencer Jones worked an eight-pitch walk to load the bases. All of that would set up the rookie Lombard, who got a hanging 1-0 slider and flicked it the other way for a big grand slam into the short porch to break the game open.
Now pitching with a big lead, Warren filled up the strike zone and got the next four outs with no trouble. Colorado would answer back in the fifth on a one-out homer by Norby and a pair of singles to flip the lineup over, suddenly putting the tying run on deck with nobody out. Needing to make a big pitch, Warren got Cole Carrigg to roll over a first-pitch sinker into an inning-ending 3-6-1 double play to extinguish the threat.
From there, the game would go into a bit of a slumber. Sugano, after allowing five runs in the first 2.2 innings, retired 10 in a row to end his outing with one of those old-school six-inning, five-run outings. Warren would get through six himself, tossing a second straight quality start and inching his ERA down to 4.05. He’s seemed to find it over the last few outings, something everyone in the organization is excited to see down the stretch.
John Schreiber and Juan Mejia got the ball first in their respective bullpens, both tossing 1-2-3 seventh innings. Paul Blackburn would get the eighth for the Yanks and pitch around a two-out walk thanks to a spectacular grab by Caballero at second base.
Looking for insurance to ensure David Bednar doesn’t come into the game, Cody Bellinger ripped a 3-1 hanging sweeper into the short porch for his 13th home run of the season to make it 6-1. A bullet single by Judge ended his night on a high note, and Jones doubled into the right-field corner, but the two were stranded sending this game to the bottom of the ninth.
Michael Fulmer was tasked with doing what Tim Hill couldn’t the night before: closing this out without needing Bednar to come in. He got some help with a great diving play by Lombard to start the inning and struck out Mickey Moniak, but, like Hill the night before, gave up a two-out baserunner with a triple by Kyle Karros. But Fulmer rebounded to induce a game-ending groundout from Brett Sullivan to play Sinatra.
The Braves were once again no help at all, losing to the Rays for a second straight night. The good news? Not only is the magic number for clinching a playoff spot down to five, but Boston lost the series to the Angels, restoring the four-game cushion the Yankees had after winning that series just under two weeks ago.
The Yankees will go for the sweep tomorrow night against the Rockies at 7:05 pm. It’ll be Max Fried (on a TBD pitch count) against Ryan Feltner at 7:05 EST on YES.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of the Colorado Rockies reacts on the mound after surrendering a grand slam against George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees in the third inning of the game at Yankee Stadium on September 09, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite a night that featured some quality pitching from both teams, the Colorado Rockies dropped their 90th game of the season as they couldn’t recover from a third-inning grand slam. The Yankees have now won the series as the Rockies continue to struggle with putting the ball in play and taking advantage of scoring opportunities.
One grand mistake for Tomo
Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) has not always had the best outings against the New York Yankees in his Major League Baseball career. He entered the night with a 6.19 ERA in four starts against the Yankees over eight innings.
The night started on a high note as Sugano struck out the side in the bottom of the first inning on 13 pitches. Unfortunately, Luis García Jr. blasted a belt-high sinker for his 29th home run of the season to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Sugano then fell into a trap that has hurt him over the last month as he started to labor in the second inning. Despite throwing nearly 30 pitches in the inning and issuing walks to Spencer Jones and Austin Wells, Sugano escaped without further damage.
He seemed to rebound in the third inning, quickly retiring the first two batters of the inning. However, things quickly unraveled as Aaron Judge singled and García Jr. hit a double into the right-field corner. Sugano then walked Jones again to load the bases. That set the table for George Lombard Jr. to sneak a grand slam over the right field walk to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead.
For Sugano, that was just the second time this season the bases had become loaded against him and just the second time in his professional career that he’s given up a grand slam, the other coming in 2022. For the Yankees, Lombard Jr. became the youngest Yankee to ever hit a grand slam at home.
Ever the professional, Sugano settled in and retired the final nine batters he faced. Aside from the third inning, it was another strong outing for Sugano. He ended up throwing 99 pitches over six innings, allowing five runs on just four hits, including the two home runs. He also tallied five strikeouts while issuing three walks.
Warren of Attrition
Ignoring the grand slam, the game had a sense of a pitchers duel between the two starters as Will Warren was particularly dominant for the Yankees.
The Rockies certainly had a few chances to make it a closer game. In the top of the third inning, the Rockies got the first two men on base. However, Jake McCarthy struck out on a foul bunt, followed by a swinging strikeout of Cole Carrigg. TJ Rumfield — who drew his 67th walk in the first inning to tie Dexter Fowler’s rookie record — then popped out in foul territory on a highlight-reel catch by Ryan McMahon.
The Rockies then had something cooking in the fifth inning after a one-out home run followed by singles from Zac Veen and McCarthy. Warren escaped any danger by getting Carrigg to bounce into a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning.
Warren breezed through six innings, allowing just one run on four hits. The Rockies’ strikeout issues continued as he tallied eight strikeouts against two walks while throwing 95 pitches, 65 for strikes.
Yankees add on in the eighth
After the double-play in the top of the fifth, there wouldn’t be another base runner for either team until Carrigg drew a walk with two outs in the top of the eighth. There were 18 consecutive batters retired between the two teams. Rumfield almost had the first hit since McCarthy’s single in the fifth, but Jose Caballero made a nice leaping grab to rob the hit.
After a quick seventh inning, Rockies reliever Juan Mejia came back out to face the top of the Yankees order in the eighth. The Yankees finally found a way to add on to their lead when Cody Bellinger hit a line drive that carried out to right field for a Yankee Stadium home run, making it 6-1. Judge then collected his second single of the game, followed by a one-out double from Jones, but Mejia escaped without any further damage.
The offensive bright spot for the Rockies came courtesy of Connor Norby. He ended up going 2-for-3 batting out of the eight-spot in the lineup. He collected the team’s first hit with his double in the third and then scored the Rockies’ lone run with a home run in the fifth inning. Since joining the Rockies, Norby is slashing .280/.372/.463 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 82 at-bats.
As for the rest of the Rockies, the team collected five total hits, including a Kyle Karros triple in the ninth, while striking out 11 times with three walks. They also went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Up next
The Rockies will look to avoid the sweep Thursday evening against the Yankees. Ryan Feltner will take the hill for the Rockies while Max Fried toes the rubber for New York.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 4: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers works out in the outfield prior to the game against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on September 4, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yoshinobu Yamamoto looks to make it seven wins in a row.
Sep 9, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) walks during the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A big third inning propelled the Orioles to a convincing 9-5 win over the visiting Guardians on Wednesday night at Camden Yards.
For the second consecutive start, Shane Baz gave up a home run to the second batter of the night. Last time, it was a solo shot from Boston’s Mickey Gasper. Tonight, it was a two-run bomb off the bat of Cleveland’s Chase DeLauter.
Given how many of Baz’s appearances have gone this season, it seemed likely that those two early runs would be enough for the visiting Guardians to win with ease. Coming into this game, Baz had been provided with the least run support of any qualifying starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Thankfully, for one inning at least, that trend reversed.
Eight of the Orioles nine runs came in the bottom of the third inning. They collected eight hits, walked twice, got hit by a pitch, and benefited from one Guardians error to string together the onslaught.
Leody Taveras and Carlos Narváez led off with back-to-back singles. After a throwing error from pitcher Foster Griffin on a pickoff attempt, Dylan Beavers doubled both of the runners home on a flare that came off the bat at 53.4 mph and landed in the perfect spot beyond the shifted infield and away from any outfielders in the area.
A single for Pete Alonso followed by a Coby Mayo walk loaded the bases before Christian Encarnacion-Strand was hit by a pitch to score Beavers to make a 3-2 game. Jackson Holliday then drove in Alonso on a single into left field for the fourth run of the inning. Rece Hinds nearly left the yard, but had to settle for an RBI sac fly onto the left field warning track to increase the lead to 5-2. From there it was a trio of run-scoring singles from Jeremiah Jackson, Leody Taveras, and Beavers to put a cap on the outburst.
All eight of those runs were charged to Cleveland starter Foster Griffin, who entered the day with impressive season totals. Griffin also faced the Orioles earlier this year as a member of the Washington Nationals. On that June day he tossed seven innings and allowed just one unearned run on three hits, two walks, and nine strikeouts. The outcome was quite different tonight, so kudos to the Orioles for making some improvements in that matchup.
At the same time Baz was cruising on the mound for the O’s. From the second inning through the fifth inning, he kept traffic to a minimum, allowing one hit, a walk, and a hit by pitch, but none of them came in the same inning. It felt like the Orioles might be able to coast to the series win.
Of course, that wasn’t too be. Baz returned to the mound for the sixth inning, and even retired the first two batters he faced. And then he started to fade. First, he hit Travis Bazzana to put a runner on base. Then, Nathaniel Lowe made him pay with a 407-foot homer that sailed onto the right field flag court to draw the Guardians within four runs.
The scoring didn’t stop there, and Baz remained in the game. Angel Genao singled, and then came into score on a Patrick Bailey double that bounced off the base of the right field wall. That was the end of the line for Baz. He was lifted for Josh Walker, who then recorded the third out of the inning without further damage.
Baz didn’t have his best stuff in this game. His velocity was down a tick, and there wasn’t a ton of swing-and-miss in the Cleveland bats. He was also a bit wild, hitting two batters in addition to his one walk. His 5.2 innings tonight pushed him to 169 frames on the season. That’s already more than the 166.1 innings he tossed in all of 2025, so maybe he is showing some fatigue. But the baseball gods owed him a positive outcome tonight. He wasn’t great, but his offense finally provided some support.
The Orioles bullpen was quite solid in this one. Walker stayed on the seventh inning after recording the final out of the sixth and kept the Guardians off the board. Yennier Cano was called on the eighth, and he had issues, allowing two base runners and getting just one out. But manager Craig Albernaz didn’t allow a meltdown to transpire. He turned to Rico Garcia, who was probably the team’s best hurler of the day. He tossed 1.2 shutout innings and struck out three for his seventh save of the season.
Almost all of the Orioles offensive productive was reserved for that third inning, but they did score one more in the sixth inning. Coby Mayo, facing the right-handed Franco Aleman, went deep for the 22nd time this season. His home run went down as unearned because moments earlier he hit a weak foul pop up that José Ramírez just straight up dropped.
This was a nice win for the O’s. They scored nine runs without Gunnar Henderson, Blaze Alexander, or Samuel Basallo, and largely without extra base hits. Eight of their 10 hits were singles, and the Mayo homer, while nice, was largely inconsequential. Baz was not particularly good, but his bullpen and lineup supported him, which was a nice change of pace for him.
The Blue Jays and Rangers also lost tonight, so the Orioles gained ground on everyone they needed to in the AL wild card race. Their path to a postseason place remains slim, but it does exist.
The O’s are off on Thursday before beginning another big series on Friday, this time in Toronto. Chris Bassitt (6-5, 4.96 ERA) will start the opener against his former club. First pitch is set for 7:07 from Rogers Centre.
Most Birdland Player, Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Here are a few players for your consideration for MBP in tonight’s win:
Dylan Beavers (2-for-5, three RBI)
Josh Walker (cleaned up for Baz in the sixth inning)
Rico Garcia (1.2 scoreless innings, got out of Cano’s jam)
Shane Baz (finally got some run support)
Coby Mayo (homer off a righty, made the error hurt)
Houston Astros Bryan King (74) reacts after hitting Los Angeles Angels Wade Meckler to a pitch during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (Photo by Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
It’s only fitting that history was made a mere stone’s throw away from Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Roughly 24,000 players have played Major League Baseball since the N.L. debuted in 1876. Jose Altuve is just the 103rd member to reach the 2,500-hit milestone thanks to a double in the top of third inning. Little did he realize that “his moment” would serve as a catalyst for a continued offensive explosion for the night in front of 39,642. Phillies 11 Astros 7.
Throughout the third, the Astros and Phillies would combine to score 8 runs, each posting 4 spots in their respective frames. Isaac Paredes worked some two out magic launching a 2-run blast, his 19th of the year, which brought home Yordan Alvarez. Moments earlier, Alvarez drove in Cam Smith on a double to deep right center. Altuve’s historic double preceded a Yainer Diaz singlethat drove him in, making it 4-0.
The Phillies would respond. J.T. Realmuto reached on a leadoff single. Bryan De La Cruz, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Luis Arraez joined him with base knocks of their own, and just like that, things were tied up 4-4.
The Astros would regain the lead in the fourth. Cam Smith brought in Daulton Varsho with a 2-run shot to center. For Cam, it was his second straight night with a home run. Sadly. that was where the fun would end for Houston.
Trea Turner sent one to the seats getting one of those runs back in the fifth. Then in the sixth, the wheels officially came off.
Hunter Brown, who was making his 17th start of the year, went five innings. He’d allow 4 runs on 7 hits while striking out 7. Enter Bryan King. Four batters faced, zero retired and to boot a fielding error from Christian Walker. AJ Blubaugh attempted to clean up the mess, but to no avail. Inheriting a bases loaded nightmare, things only went bad to worse. Blubaugh’s stuff was missing the corners at an alarming rate. Bryan De La Cruz drew a bases loaded walk which gave Philly the lead, and they’d never relinquish it. At one point, AJ threw a sequence of six straight balls. Kyle Schwarber added the defining exclamation point, clearing the bases with a monster grand slam. It was Schwarber’s 44th blast of the season. Philadelphia would score 6 in the 6th, making it 11-6.
In the seventh, Isaac Paredes drove in Houston’s 7th run of the night with an RBI single, scoring Jeremy Pena who doubled. Pena now has 30 doubles.
Tatsuya Imai started the bottom half of the seventh issuing back-to-back walks but settled down. Once again in the 8th, Imai allowed multiple base runners to reach but got out unscathed.
Odds & Ends:
The Astros and Phillies would combine for 24 hits on the night.
Kyle Schwarber has now hit 10 career grand slams. Ryan Howard holds their team record with 15.
Cristian Javier will get the start in Thursday’s rubber match. First pitch is set for 12:05 CDT. He’ll be opposed by Zack Wheeler, who has 12 wins.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 9: Jose Siri #28 of the Los Angeles Angels hits a home run in the top of the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 9, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Natalie Reid/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox haven’t been super sharp in September, though they haven’t exactly needed to be. There shouldn’t be a ton of panic after the Angels took two of three in Boston with the 6-4 loss for the Red Sox in the rubber match.
The magic number will fall. The team will be whole soon. So don’t freak out about a series loss to a lowly Los Angeles team.
Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday night’s loss
HOME RUNS HURT
Jake Bennett struggled with one tough inning where the home run ball. Los Angeles scored five runs off the lefty in the third inning from a three-run blast from Zach Neto, who also had four hits Tuesday night, and a two-run shot for Jose Siri.
The Angels added another run in the fourth inning and didn’t look back behind another solid start from Ryan Johnson, though the Red Sox did snap his six-start streak of allowing two runs or fewer as he surrendered three earned runs.
RELAX, JUST GET THE LINEUP HEALTHY Boston showed some solid fight late with four runs coming as the game went on. Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu impressed as they both slugged homers over 400 feet.
While the group had ups and downs in the series, Willson Contreras could rejoin the team this weekend after a Friday rehab assignment with Double-A Portland. Ceddanne Rafaela appears on the right track after a retroactive injured list designation as well.
As we’ve discussed all September, just get the lineup healthy for the postseason. They will.
MAGIC NUMBER WATCH
The loss would have kept the magic number for the Red Sox at 10 to clinch an American League playoff spot.
Instead, Boston got some help from an American League East rival as the Blue Jays lost 2-0 to the Athletics already Wednesday. That Toronto defeat dropped Boston’s magic number to nine with 15 games remaining.
The Yankees smashed three home runs, including a George Lombard Jr. grand slam, to defeat the Rockies 6-1 on Wednesday night.
Lombard's blast was the first grand slam of the young shortstop's career and the youngest Yankee since Mickey Mantle in 1952 to hit a grand slam. It was also the first hit by a Yankee this season.
The Yankees (83-62) remain 4.0 games behind the Rays, who defeated the Braves earlier in the evening, for first place in the AL East. The magic number to clinch a playoff spot is five.
Here are the takeaways...
-Luis Garcia Jr. continued his hot hitting with a solo shot in the second to give the Yankees an early 1-0 lead, but the Yankees broke the game open in the third inning when Lombard launched his grand slam over the right field wall.
The third Yankees home run was a Cody Bellinger solo shot in the eighth.
-Will Warren cruised through the first two innings, but the right-hander started to lose the zone, allowing a leadoff double and a walk to put him in trouble in the third. Warren struck out the next two batters (one on a failed bunt) and then Ryan McMahon made an impressive running grab in foul territory to get the Yankees out of the frame.
Colorado would get to Warren in the fifth, as Connor Norby slammed a homer to get the Rockies on the ball. Warren then allowed two runners on with one out, but got Cole Carrigg to ground into an inning-ending double play. Warren, who pitched in relief on Friday, got through six innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out eight batters.
-In relief of Warren, three Yankees relievers pitched three scoreless innings to wrap up the game.
John Schreiber: 1.0 IP, 1 K
Paul Blackburn: 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K
Michael Fulmer: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K
-Aaron Judge got his first hits since coming off the IL, going 2-for-4 -- both singles. Judge is now 2-for-7 with three strikeouts in his two games back.
A day after the Yankees captain made it clear he was “not happy” to be pulled after six innings Tuesday night, in his first game in 100 days because of a right rib stress fracture without going on a rehab assignment, Judge got another inch Wednesday, playing eight innings in right field while going 2-for-4 before being pinch run for in a 6-1 win over the Rockies.
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“I feel like both nights, it’s all real valuable for him,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Just continuing to see pitches, see different pitches, have at-bats. I feel like his swing decisions have been pretty good so far. The more we do it, the more comfortable he’ll get. Good to see him throw a couple knocks out there though.”
Even with the encouraging results Wednesday, Judge could be out of the lineup altogether for Thursday’s series finale against the Rockies — almost certainly guaranteeing he would play in Friday’s Subway Series opener against the Mets on the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 — as the Yankees try to build him up smartly coming off a three-month layoff.
Aaron Judge hits the first of his two singles in the third inning of the Yankees’ 6-1 win over Rockies on Sept. 9, 2026 at the Stadium. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Though Judge expressed his frustration Tuesday night — which Boone said the right fielder shared with him both during that game and the day before — it was not expected to alter the Yankees’ plan in doing what they think is best to keep him healthy down the stretch., even though they are up against the clock to chase down the Rays for the division.
“I like the fact that he wants to be in there because he’s feeling good,” Boone said.
In the meantime, Judge’s teammates have been impressed by how he has looked in his first days off the IL after the long layoff and only facing live pitching once (Monday against Yankees minor leaguers).
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“It’s not easy,” Cody Bellinger said. “But that’s obviously a guy that really understands what he wants to do and how he needs to get ready. … It’s been pretty tremendous.”
Boone described the situation as “fluid,” as the Yankees try to get a read on how Judge is looking, feeling and recovering from his first games in three-plus months. The manager, who has a strong relationship with Judge, said he thinks his player “probably on some level” understands why the Yankees are easing him back in carefully.
“But that’s him, he likes to play and obviously, he’s one of those guys that has the ability to play through a lot — not that he’s playing through anything right now,” Boone said.
“But obviously the biggest thing is the buildup and not having played, so just want to be mindful and smart about that.”
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 28: Rhett Lowder #25 of the Cincinnati Reds delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 28, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Sage Zipeto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cincinnati Reds are back in action against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night in southern California. This time, they’re up against one of the best pitchers in the world in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, off whom Elly De La Cruz will attempt to extend his dinger streak.
Rhett Lowder starts for the Reds, with first pitch scheduled for 10:10 PM ET. Carlos Jorge is in the leadoff spot for the first time in his young career as manager Terry Francona continues to try to find a non-Elly or Sal spark to the top of the lineup.
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 03: Lake Bachar #71 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Thursday, September 3, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Christopher Denver/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Chicago White Sox vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, September 9, 2026, 7:40 p.m. ET
Pitching Matchup: Lake Bachar (1-3, 3.61 ERA) vs. Davis Martin (9-6, 4.13 ERA)
The Pirates are back on the South Side of Chicago for game two of their series against the White Sox. The Buccos had an offensive explosion in their previous game, outlasting the White Sox 9-3. That offensive onslaught started with a five-run first inning and the Pirates did not let up after that.
The Pirates have topped their win total from last year and although it’s a hard climb, they are still very much alive in the race for the postseason. Another win against a division leader could be huge for their momentum as the regular season comes to a close.
Hug your loved ones, get outdoors, pet your dog and as always let’s go Bucs!
