Category: MLB

LOS ANGELES — One day after allowing seven runs in three innings in his worst start with the Dodgers, Eric Lauer was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. That opened an active roster spot for Blake Treinen to be activated from the 60-day injured list.

Treinen pitched in seven games on a minor league rehab assignment over two and a half weeks, with one appearance with Class-A Ontario and six games in Triple-A Oklahoma City, after missing two and a half months with right elbow inflammation. He totaled 6 1/3 scoreless inning, with two singles, two walks, and two hit batters with eight strikeouts, culminating with a four-out appearance on Sunday.

“He had a good up-and-down the other day. For us it’s more of he’s here. We’ll see when we activate him,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. “I assume we will activate him very soon.”

Because Treinen was on the 60-day injured list, the Dodgers needed to make room on the 40-man roster as well. Will Klein was moved to the 60-day injured list with right elbow discomfort. Klein last pitched on July 31 and was placed on the IL on August 1. This means his regular season has concluded, as Klein isn’t eligible to return until September 30, which is in the middle of the wild card round.

For now on the active roster the Dodgers have four starting pitchers active in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow. The Dodgers were already planning to insert a sixth starter this weekend against the Washington Nationals. That will almost certainly be Emmet Sheehan, who has allowed only one run over his last 17 1/3 innings with 24 strikeouts in Triple-A.

If Sheehan slots in Sunday, the Dodgers would still need to fill innings on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds in what would have been Lauer’s next turn in the rotation. They have Justin Wrobleski on the active roster as well and he’s been pitching in relief. Even if he’s not fully stretched out, Wrobleski could conceivably pitch bulk innings of a bullpen game if needed, especially with 14 active pitchers on the roster.

I asked about Gavin Stone as a potential option for the Dodgers, as the right-hander has pitched very well in his rehab assignment to date, with 18 strikeouts against only one walk with two runs allowed in 11 2/3 innings in his four starts. But it sounds like the Dodgers are being cautious with Stone, who has not otherwise pitched since right shoulder surgery in October 2024.

“Gavin’s been good. I think right now — this is not talking to guys in player development — but just getting him to stay upright and stay healthy is a win for 2026,” Roberts said Wednesday. “Is there a chance he could impact us at some point in time in September? Possibly. I just don’t know that answer.”

Stone has not pitched since August 26, when he struck out five in four scoreless innings, and he’s not listed among the starting pitchers this week for Oklahoma City.

The Mets entered Wednesday night’s game with a hope to win an away series against the Rays. They had Justin Hagenman making his return to the major league roster after missing months on the 60-day injured list with a fractured rib. They would be facing Griffin Jax, also making his return from the injured list.

The Mets got off to a blazing start. They had runners on first and second with two outs, and Jared Young hit a single to right field that scored Bo Bichette as the game’s first run. Liam Hicks missed the throw at the plate and the ball bounced away, allowing Carson Benge to score and Young to make it to second. Marcus Semien then hit a double to drive in Young as the Mets third run. A.J. Ewing grounded out to end the inning, but the Mets had taken a nice, roomy early lead.

After a quiet inning and a half, the Mets ignited again in the top of the third. Bichette led off with a single, then stole second after two consecutive outs. Semien walked and Ewing got an infield single to load the bases. Brett Baty hit a monster double off the wall in left field, missing a grand slam by a few feet but driving in three runs to double the Mets lead. He also drove Rays starter Griffin Jax from the game in less than three full innings, with Steven Matz coming in to get the final out and stop the bleeding for the Rays.

The Rays began trying to comeback in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, they got a walk and a single to put two runners on, and Jonathan Aranda hit an RBI single to drive in Taylor Walls as the Rays first run. Hagenman got the final out to end the inning, which was also the end of his night. He went three innings, giving up a run on two hits and a walk while collecting a pair of strikeouts.

Chris Devenski came in for the bottom of the fourth, and he had a rough go of it. A Chandler Simpson single was bookended by the first and second outs of the inning, and a pickoff attempt was unsuccessful after Simpson was deemed to not have run out of the basepath on his way back to first, and a balk was called on Devenski to allow Simpson to advance anyway. Cedric Mullins then hit a single that drove in Simpson as the Rays second run, and Benge committed a throwing error that allowed Mullins to reach second. Richie Palacios then hit a two run home run to bring the Rays within two runs. A Taylor Walls double was the end of the line for Devenski, who ended his night with three runs allowed in 0.2 innings. Dedniel Núñez came in and got the final out of the inning to allow the Mets to escape the nightmarish fourth.

Núñez ended up going 1.1 hitless innings with a strikeout, helping the Mets reach the seventh inning, where the offense exploded once again. Bichette led off with a double, and Benge followed that up with a single to move Bichette to third. Young hit into fielder’s choice with Bichette being thrown out at the plate, driving Rays reliever Cam Booser from the game in favor of Manuel Rodríguez. Semien was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Ewing struck out in what looked to be the makings of a missed opportunity for the Mets offense. But Nick Morabito, brought in to be the defensive replacement in left field, came up to the plate for the first time in the game. He ended up getting his first major league hit, a double to drive in three runs and put the Mets ahead by five runs. Rodríguez struck out Torrens to end the inning but the Mets had opened up another wide lead with little time left for the Rays to mount another comeback.

The Mets had one last run in them, coming in the top of the eighth courtesy of a Juan Soto solo home run. And the Mets bullpen, thanks to Nate Lavender, Daniel Duarte, and Jonathan Pintaro, held the Rays scoreless for the final frames. They get a day off tomorrow before returning to New York to face the San Francisco Giants in a series that starts Friday night.

SB Nation GameThreads

Amazin’ Avenue
DRaysBay

Box scores

MLB.com
ESPN

Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Nick Morabito, +14% WPA
Big Mets loser: Chris Devenski, -20% WPA
Mets pitchers: +10% WPA
Mets hitters: +40% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Jared Young’s two-run single in the first inning, +18.1% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Richie Palacios’ fourth inning two-run home run, -13.4% WPA

Shohei Ohtani is expected to have an impact on the postseason as the Los Angeles Dodgers continue their quest for a World Series three-peat.

What opportunities Ohtani might have to make an impact remain uncertain.

Ohtani appeared to be trending in the right direction with his pitching progression, but that was put to a halt on Aug. 29. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that the team's two-way star would not be making a return as it was anticipated. The pitcher had thrown a 20-pitch bullpen just the day before.

In a Sept. 2 conversation with reporters, Roberts said the team is still considering shutting down Ohtani, but the Dodgers aren't ready to make that decision.

“I know he is in lockstep with (Mark Prior), the pitching guys, the training staff, but I think for me he has to throw a bullpen, then we will see the next progression,” Roberts said.

Ohtani is expected to remain available as a designated hitter, but hasn't taken the mound as a pitcher in a game since July 3 due to knee inflammation and biceps discomfort.

Ohtani did not pitch during his first season with the Dodgers, after needing a full year to recover from right elbow surgery.

Roberts was also asked about the possibility of Ohtani playing in the outfield, but the manager declared that’s "not on the table.”

The Mets (63-77) took the rubber match of their three-game road series against the Tampa Bay Rays (83-56), 10-4, the final score.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Amazins wasted no time taking an early lead over Rays right-handed starter Griffin Jax. Juan Soto reached base on a single up the middle, but was retired on a fielder's choice by Bo Bichette. Carson Benge walked to put runners on first and second with two outs, and Jared Young capitalized with an RBI single. Tampa catcher Liam Hicks couldn't hold onto the ball when applying the late tag on Bichette, and the ball skittered away. The error allowed Benge to score and Young to move up to second base on the play. Marcus Semien added to the damage with a double down the left field line to bring Young across home plate, and the Mets were up 3-0.

-- The Mets engineered another two-out rally in the third inning. They loaded the bases after A.J. Ewing hustled out an infield single, and Brett Baty capitalized with a big opposite-field swing which ricocheted off the very top of the wall in left-center field, clearing the bases and knocking Jax out of the game. 

-- 29-year-old righty Justin Hagenman was called on to make the start for the Mets on Wednesday, marking his first MLB appearance of the season. He threw 46 pitches, allowed two hits, walked one batter, and allowed one earned run while striking out two over three full innings. 

-- Right-handed reliever Chris Devenski came in for Hagenman, and had a nightmare outing. After recording two outs in the fourth inning, Devenski unraveled, allowing three earned runs on three hits, including a two-run homer off the bat of Richie Palacios. Taylor Walls extended the inning with a double to force Mets interim skipper Andy Green to call on Dedniel Núñez to strand the runner in scoring position and hold the Mets' 6-4 lead.

-- Bichette led off the seventh inning with a double off the foot of the wall in right-center field. With the bases loaded and nobody out, rookie left fielder Nick Morabito stepped into the box for his first turn at the plate. He cleared the bases with a looping line drive into the left-field corner, his first career hit.

-- The Mets wouldn't relinquish their lead, and closed out the final three frames of the ballgame without surrendering a run thanks to strong relief pitching from Nate Lavender, Daniel Duarte, and Jonathan Pintaro. Along the way, Soto mashed a solo shot, his 23rd round-tripper on the season, to extend New York's lead to 10-4.

Game MVP: Whoever was batting eighth!

Baty began the game as the eighth batter in the Mets' order, and his three-run double padded the team's early cushion. Mark Vientos pinch-hit for Baty to face left-handed reliever Cam Booser and stroked a single. Morabito pinch-ran for Vientos and, in his first time at the plate, faced right-handed reliever Manuel Rodriguez, and he replicated Baty's earlier feat with yet another two-out three-run double, a moment he'll cherish for a lifetime. Morabito kept his momentum rolling in the ninth inning with a line drive single. 

Collectively, the eighth man in the Mets lineup batted 4-for-5 with six RBI on the night. 

Highlights

Jared Young opens the scoring for the Mets!

Carson Benge comes home with the second run as the ball gets away at the plate! pic.twitter.com/KmbXC2KW7v

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 2, 2026

Marcus Semien doubles home the third Mets run of the first inning 💪 pic.twitter.com/PHwmSTul5d

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 2, 2026

Brett Baty runs down the fly ball and runs into the netting along the left field line 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qxxTNXr3kJ

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 2, 2026

BRETT BATY CLEARS THE BASES!

6-0 METS! pic.twitter.com/Vd6dBkEAs6

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 2, 2026

Brett Baty makes the leaping catch in front of the left field wall! pic.twitter.com/t6o3jvdVDY

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 3, 2026

NICK MORABITO'S FIRST BIG LEAGUE HIT IS A THREE-RUN DOUBLE! pic.twitter.com/w8yoL21Zat

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 3, 2026

23 FOR 22.

Juan Soto's 23rd home run of the season! 💣 pic.twitter.com/m240rN6yYG

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 3, 2026

NICK MORABITO LAYS OUT FOR THE CATCH! pic.twitter.com/mhx6jodtfv

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 3, 2026

What's next

The Mets travel to San Francisco to take on the Giants in a three-game series, with first pitch for Friday's game set for 7:10 p.m. EST.

New York will send out Nolan McLean (3.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP in 155.2 IP).

The Giants have not yet announced their starter.

The Yankees rebounded from their ugly loss in the opener to level the series against the Angels with a 7-3 victory. Spencer Jones and Jazz Chisholm Jr. continued to power the offense, their bats heating up at just the right time. New York has just the man they want on the mound to go for the series win as Cam Schlittler looks to stick another pin in his AL Cy Young case.

Schlittler is coming off one of his most important starts of the year. It was a bit of a weird one — he allowed just two hits in 5.2 scoreless innings while also becoming the fourth-youngest Yankee to record 200 strikeouts in a season, but also tied a career high with five walks. Nonetheless, it spearheaded a big win over the Red Sox to keep the rivals at arm’s length in the division. Keep an eye out for Schlittler to keep upping the usage of his curveball, an offering that he has turned into a true unicorn pitch in baseball. In 28 starts, Schlittler is 12-6 with a 2.09 ERA (202 ERA+), 2.63 FIP, and 201 strikeouts in 163.2 innings pitched.

Reid Detmers was widely expected to be traded at the deadline alongside since dealt rotation mate José Soriano, but he ended up staying put. He has yo-yoed between the rotation and bullpen the last three seasons but really nailed down a starting role this year. He’s got one of the best sliders in baseball from a run value standpoint, the pitch inducing a 35.3-percent whiff rate and 38-percent strikeout rate. The southpaw faced the Yankees on April 14th, holding them to a run on four hits while striking out nine in seven innings. In 27 starts, Detmers is 4-8 with a 3.54 ERA (116 ERA+), 3.20 FIP, and 174 strikeouts in 155 innings.

Both Jones and Jazz are sporting a wRC+ of at least 150 over the last month or so, the pair a big part of the offense’s turnaround in August. Otherwise, the Yankees make four changes to last night’s lineup with the lefty on the mound. Paul Goldschmidt plays first and leads off giving Luis García Jr. the night off. Heliot Ramos comes in to play right sliding Jones to center and Trent Grisham to the bench. Amed Rosario replaces Ryan McMahon at third and Ali Sánchez subs in for Austin Wells behind the plate.

The Angels meanwhile make just one change to their lineup, Travis D’Arnaud getting the start at catcher over Tyler Heineman. Zach Neto and Wade Meckler have had big series for the Angels so far. They form the top of the batting order sandwiched around the ever-dangerous Mike Trout which, if silenced, makes the job a whole lot easier for Schlittler.

How to watch

Location: Angel Stadium – Anaheim, CA

First pitch: 9:38 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, ABTV

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | KLAA 830, KWKW 1330 (LAA)

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

The Dodgers made an expected roster move on Wednesday, activating reliever Blake Treinen from the injured list.

In an unexpected twist, however, the Dodgers announced that starting pitcher Eric Lauer was going on the injured list in a corresponding move, leaving a Dodgers rotation once blessed with ample depth suddenly short on arms for the stretch run of the season.

Lauer’s IL stint came a day after he was knocked around for seven runs in three innings during a 13-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

According to the team, the veteran left-hander is dealing with elbow inflammation, making him the third Dodgers starter to land on the IL in recent weeks.

Last month, Justin Wrobleski went down with forearm inflammation. And though he made a quick return to rejoin the club on Tuesday, he has been shifted to the bullpen for the rest of the season as he works to rectify his recent problems with giving up long balls.

Last week, Roki Sasaki was sidelined with a blister on his right middle finger. And while he could be ready to return as soon as next weekend’s trip to Miami, the Dodgers are still deciding whether he will also shift to the bullpen –– where, like Wrobleski, he is most likely to have a role in the playoffs.

Over this past weekend, Shohei Ohtani was forced into a change of plans to his pitching progression, too, having his expected return to the mound on Sunday scuttled because of ongoing discomfort with his knee and biceps injuries.

Those losses had left the Dodgers operating with only a five-man rotation, rather than the six-man group they’ve used all season. Because of that, they were already planning to call up a pitcher –– likely Emmet Sheehan, who was demoted to triple-A a month ago amid season-long problems with his mechanics –– to make a spot start this weekend.

Now, they will need to find a more permanent replacement to complement their current starting core of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, especially as they battle for a top-two National League playoff seed over the rest of the regular season.

In the meantime, Treinen’s return will at least give the club’s bullpen another experienced option; albeit, one who has struggled to find much consistency over two injury-plagued campaigns the past two years.

Treinen has been out since mid-June with elbow inflammation, marking the second straight season he has dealt with issues in his elbow or forearm.

Prior to getting hurt, he had a 3.52 ERA in 29 appearances this year. That represented an improvement from the career-worst 5.40 ERA he suffered in 2025, but was still far off the elite form he has displayed for much of his Dodgers career.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Treinen’s return from the 60-day IL, the Dodgers had to make another roster maneuver, transferring injured reliever Will Klein onto the 60-day as he continues to recover from his own elbow problem.

That move will rule Klein out for the rest of the regular season (he originally went on the IL on Aug. 1). He will still be eligible for the team’s postseason roster, but his availability remains uncertain and dependent upon his health.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

It’s not much, but it’s a start, for Bryce Miller and the Mariners.

The Mariners took a series in Boston on Wednesday with a solid 8-3 win. Bryce Miller got the start for the first time since his no-good, very-bad week, and did all that was asked of him, handing the ball to the bullpen with a lead. The Mariners offense did something we haven’t seen much in 2026, stringing together 12 hits and five walks and applying constant pressure to Red Sox pitchers, who simply couldn’t handle it. The Mariners somehow, someway salvaged their road trip, and return home with a shiny 2-0 record in September.

It was Miller’s first start since being demoted to the bullpen last week. He never actually appeared in a game as a reliever because Emerson Hancock got hurt shortly after the decision, which allowed Miller to slot back into the rotation after nine days of rest. If anybody on the team needed a break, it was probably Miller, whose last two starts ended 22-0 and 19-2.

I was interested to see how the Mariners would manage Miller after acknowledging he wasn’t holding up as a true starter. We kind of got the answer: Dan Wilson pulled Miller at just 65 pitches in the middle of the fifth inning while holding a 4-1 lead. The start looked more like his abbreviated outings from May, albeit without the bullpen-saving piglet on his shoulders.

But Miller didn’t exactly recapture the dominance from his former piggyback role. He was in trouble from the jump, putting runners on with back-to-back singles in the first. It looked like the Red Sox would score on a third single, but Randy Arozarena came up firing and just caught Mickey Gasper at the plate (with a nice tag from Jhonny Pereda):

Miller set down the side in order in the second inning, and easily worked around a single in the third. The fourth wasn’t so simple. Wilyer Abreu doubled off the Monster to lead off the inning. Miller got an out, then walked a batter, then got an out, then gave up a dinky ground rule double to score a run. This was kind of a make-or-break moment, and Miller completely broke Connor Wong’s brain with a sweeper way out of the zone for a swinging strike three.

Miller returned for the fifth inning to face the top of the order a third time. Roman Anthony singled to lead off. Gasper hit a little flare that nearly landed for hit, if not for Arozarena’s second Gasper-thwarting gem of the day — a diving-ish effort that left him breathless for a few beats.

Miller got the second out in the fifth inning with a grounder, then Wilson came out to get him. The decision made some sense. Miller has really struggled in the middle innings and later. For whatever reason, whether that be health or stuff or God, he entered Wednesday with a 10.57 ERA and 7.07 FIP on the third pass through the lineup in 2026. It’s been an issue dating back to last year, and really calls into question his long-term status as a starter. That’s why he was such a great candidate for the piggyback setup. With Abreu already two-for-two against Miller, and José Ferrer presenting a favorable platoon matchup out of the bullpen, Wilson decided to call it before things could sour. Miller finished at 4 2/3 innings, seven hits, one run, one walk, three strikeouts, and five whiffs. That’s not great, but it’s nice to see him get through a game without making any national headlines.

Of course, we also saw why it’s not ideal to pull a starter early. Wilson turned to Ferrer to face Abreu, and Ferrer immediately gave up a double to put runners on second and third. Ferrer eventually escaped, but Wilson still found himself with four innings to cover with one of the worst bullpens in the majors. He turned to Michael Rucker, arguably one of his best options (I know, I know), to try and hold an 8-1 lead. Rucker cruised through the sixth inning, but gave up a pair of runs in the seventh on a solo homer and back-to-back doubles.

This looked like the makings of a classic “no lead is safe at Fenway” kind of game, but Seranthony Dominguez pitched a clean eighth, and Cooper Criswell pitched a clean ninth to seal a relatively comfortable 8-3 win. The game was managed better than it was pitched, but ultimately everyone did their job.

The lineup did their job, too. Patrick Sandoval got the start for the Red Sox, as the sort of crafty lefty that seems to give the Mariners fits. They put up a four spot and chased him midway through the fifth inning, then put up a four-spot against his replacement Brayan Bello (who’s having a season not dissimilar to Miller’s).

The Mariners didn’t homer in this one. In fact, their only extra base hit was a double from Dominic Canzone. Instead, they strung together 11 singles and five walks and always seemed to have someone on base. It’s the type of performance that doesn’t summarize well in text, because it was just single after single after single. The hardest single was a 107 mph line drive from Julio in the third that scored a run to make it 2-0. The softest single came on the next batter, a 68 mph flare from Josh Naylor that scored two more runs (thanks in part to a throwing error from Jarren Duran). 

The Mariners now return to Seattle after a 2-4 road trip. I wrote after Sunday’s brutal — and I mean brutal — loss to Old Man Scherzer that I wasn’t sure if Wilson would make it back home as manager. That seemed about right following another hard-feelings, extra-innings loss on Monday, which punctuated one of the worst months in team history. 

But the Mariners have pulled off commanding, back-to-back wins to steal a series in Boston. They’re now 2-0 in September, and face the easiest strength of schedule in the majors the rest of the way. It’s going to take something close to perfection to win the division, or even finish above .500. Nevertheless, everything remains in front of them. The 2026 Mariners aren’t dead yet.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jonah Tong appears set for his next chance with the Mets.

The rookie is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Syracuse next week and pitch for the Mets during their series in Miami, according to an organizational source.

Tong, 23, has dominated in his past four starts for Syracuse, pitching to a 0.84 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 10 walks over 21 ¹/₃ innings in that stretch. Tong carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his Aug. 29 start. He finished with one hit and two walks allowed over seven innings.

Interim manager Andy Green, before the Mets beat the Rays 10-4 on Wednesday, indicated that if Tong joins the team it will likely be as part of an extended rotation.

“We have been paying attention to Jonah’s outings and we think positively about what he’s done,” Green said.

Nolan McLean, Zac Thornton and Christian Scott are aligned to face the Giants the next three games, beginning Friday at Citi Field.

Justin Hagenman was added to the rotation Wednesday, allowing extra rest for Scott.

Tong, the organization’s second-rated pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline, was briefly with the Mets earlier this season, pitching to a 3.60 ERA in three appearances in a bulk relief role.

Tong debuted for the Mets last season, pitching to a 7.71 ERA in five starts.

“When Jonah is in the strike zone and he’s on the attack and he’s letting his best stuff play, he usually has a lot of success,” Green said.

Devin Williams has begun playing catch — his first throwing since he was placed on the injured list Aug. 8 with a shoulder strain.

Green said he didn’t have a timetable for a rehab schedule for Williams, whose closer’s spot has been filled by Kodai Senga.

Green indicated it’s possible Juan Soto will return to playing left field when the Mets return home this weekend. Soto on Wednesday started his fourth game as the DH since returning from the injured list and went 2-for-5 with a solo home run.

Dylan Ross was optioned to Syracuse — clearing roster space for Hagenman — a day after pitching a scoreless inning in relief in his major league debut.

Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt completed his second rehab start on Wednesday, as he makes his way back to the big league club.

While it was an overall success, Schmidt pitched into trouble in the first inning. After getting the first two outs, Lehigh Valley picked up back-to-back hits, the second being a double, to score the game's first run. Schmidt bounced back by getting Alex Binelas to fly out and strand a runner on second. 

But that's all Schmidt would allow. In his second inning of work, Schmidt struck out two in a 1-2-3 frame to end his night.

Schmidt tossed 23 pitches (20 strikes), allowing one run on two hits and no walks across his two innings of work while striking out three batters. 

Wednesday was an improvement on Schmidt's first rehab start. Pitching with Double-A Somerset on Aug. 29, Schmidt tossed just 20 pitches, allowing two runs on two hits in 0.2 innings while striking out two. 

It's unclear if this will be Schmidt's final rehab start as the right-hander makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old said he felt good after his first rehab start and expects to be stretched out enough to pitch out of the bullpen when he's activated. 

"Today was a lot sharper, I felt like,"  Schmidt said after the game. "Obviously in the first inning I gave up a couple of hits on the sinker. There’s different things I’m working on. The sinker I’m continuing to work on. The cutter was sharp and a lot of swing-and-miss on the four-seam."

Schmidt said Wednesday that he's just trying to get the rust off after 400-plus days on the shelf, and execute his pitches, but is also mindful of the transition to the bullpen and is trying to make those adjustments in these rehab starts. 

“There’s a lot of different factors when you’re relieving," Schmidt said. "You go straight from the bullpen to jog in, lot less throws in the bullpen. Not as long of a sit-down period. Just getting used to those adjustments, just trying to make the transition as easy as possible." 

With the injury to Fernando Cruz, the Yankees are looking to piece together a bullpen of former starters, which includes Schmidt and Luis Gil, who was activated this week. 

🎙️ #Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt discusses his rehab outing with SWB after more than 400 days since he’s been on the mound.

Schmidt’s Final Line:
2.0 IP | 3 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 0 BB | 3 K pic.twitter.com/qwM4ICGvsw

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) September 3, 2026

The Dodgers finish off their home series against the St. Louis Cardinals with Tarik Skubal on the mound on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

Skubal in his first month with the Dodgers had a 3.00 ERA in five starts and 30 innings, with 37 strikeouts (a 30.6-percent strikeout rate) against only seven walks, and two home runs allowed. This will also be Skubal’s first Dodgers start with Will Smith behind the plate, but not his first time pitching to Smith. On March 7 at Daikin Park in Houston, Skubal allowed a solo home run in three innings and struck out five against Great Britain.

Left-hander Quinn Mathews is expected to be on the mound for the Cardinals, making his fifth major league start. Expect Tommy Edman to be back at second base after a few games in center field to begin the series.

Thursday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Cardinals
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Go get ‘em, David.

Detroit Tigers (63-75) vs. Minnesota Twins (67-72)

Time/Place: 7:40 p.m., Target Field
SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Drew Anderson (4-5, 3.87 ERA) vs. RHP Dean Kremer (2-5, 5.60 ERA)

TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (70-69), who hold a slim 1.0-game lead in the AL West, will play the third game of their four-game series with the Chicago White Sox (73-65) tonight at Daikin Park.

RHP Hayden Wesneski (4-1, 3.86 ERA), who’s won his last two starts, will get the start for the Astros tonight opposite RHP Davis Martin (9-6, 4.32 ERA) and the White Sox.

SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 50-38 (.568) in their last 88 games (since May 22). That is the second-best record in the AL in that span, behind the Red Sox (53-36).

MEASURING UP: The Astros are within a streak of playing four straight teams with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB). The Astros are a Major League best 26-15 (.634) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. Some clubs that the Astros have winning records against include BOS (5-1), CHC (3-0), CWS (3-2), CLE (4-2), MIA (3-0), and TB (2-1).

VS. THE WHITE SOX: The Astros are 3-2 against the White Sox on the season, which includes winning two of three in Chicago from July 24-26. The Astros are 23-15 vs. CWS over the past six seasons (2021-26), posting winning records in each of those years. Houston is 56-48 all-time vs. the White Sox.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros are 36-33 on the road and 34-36 at home. Since going 1-9 on the first road trip of the 2026 season, they have gone 35-24 (.593) on the road since April 14, which ranks third in the Majors in that span. More recently, they are 19-12 (.613) on their last five road trips.

BAGGY IN THE BOOTH: Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell will be on the Space City Home Network telecast tonight, alongside play-by-play man Todd Kalas and sideline reporter Julia Morales. Geoff Blum will return to the telecast for tomorrow’s day game.

TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have returned RHP Mike Burrows from his rehab assignment. He will remain on the 15-day Injured List.

ON THE OFFENSIVE: Among AL teams, the Astros rank second in home runs (184), second in total bases (1,909), third in runs scored (631), third in slugging (.409), and fifth in OPS (.724).

TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently owns at least a share of the lead in all three Triple Crown categories. He enters tonight leading the AL in batting avg. (.316) and RBI (94), while ranking tied for first in HR (37).

Rare Feat: Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL).

MATCHING HIS BEST: DH Yordan Alvarez has matched his career high by smacking 37 home runs on the season, reaching his total from 2022.. His career-high in RBI is 104, set in 2021 (currently has an AL-best 94 RBI).

WALK OF FAME: DH Yordan Alvarez has been issued 29 intentional walks on the year, which is a franchise record, besting the 27 intentional walks for 1B Jeff Bagwell in 1997. Alvarez leads the Majors in intentional walks, topping second-place DH Shohei Ohtani (16) by a whopping 11 IBB. Lastly, the AL record for intentional walks in a season is in play for Alvarez, a record that’s currently held by RF Aaron Judge (36 IBB in 2025).

THE HIT MAN: Jose Altuve enters tonight’s game needing just six hits to reach 2,500 for his career. Among active players, Altuve ranks second in hits, trailing only 1B Freddie Freeman (2,584).

BIG WES: Tonight will be the seventh Major League start of the season for RHP Hayden Wesneski, who rejoined the Astros rotation on July 29 after missing 14 months while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Since his return, he’s been one of the Astros best starters, leading the club in wins and ranking second in innings (32.2), while pitching through the 5th inning in five of his six starts.

THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader has worked 18 consecutive scoreless appearances, spanning 19.0 innings. This is the longest streak by an Astros hurler this season and the second-longest active streak in the Majors. Opponents are just 5×62 (.081) vs. Hader during the streak. Hader is also 21-for-21 in save opportunities in 2026. Hader in August: 1-0, 13 G, 0.00 ERA, 14.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 15 SO.

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH: IF/OF Logan Hughes and RHP Alex Santos II have been named the Astros minor league Player and Pitcher of the Month for August. Hughes, 21, batted .343 (24×70) with 12 extra-base hits, 25 RBI, eight stolen bases and a 1.073 OPS, while hitting safely in all 18 August games. Santos, 24, went 1-0 with 24 strikeouts and a 0.68 ERA (1ER/13.1IP) in August between Double A Corpus Christi (six appearances) and Triple A Sugar Land (four appearances).

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY:2017 – The Astros sweep both games of an emotional doubleheader against the Mets in the club’s first games in Houston following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. In Game 1, the Astros score seven times over the first 2.0 frames en route to a 12-8 win. A four-run 4th in Game 2 gives the Astros a 4-1 win. Newly-acquired ace RHP Justin Verlander joins the team in the dugout during Game 1.

Game Info

Game Date/Time:  Wednesday, September 2, 7:10 p.m. CT

Location:  Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

A team that wants to stay in the postseason race can’t lose a game like this one. The Orioles faced a Rockies starting pitcher, in Coors Field, with an ERA over 5. They had their own starting pitcher, Trevor Rogers, set a career high with 11 strikeouts over an excellent start that took him into the seventh inning. They had the lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning. They scored two runs in the top of the eleventh inning. All of these things were true and they still lost the game, and with it the series, in Colorado.

The only thing that had to happen, when it came down to the end, was for reliever Grant Wolfram, the sixth Orioles reliever used in the game, to get three outs before he gave up two runs. This is not a difficult ask, even for a Wolfram-level pitcher and even when, in extra innings, the Manfred Man starts out on second base to begin each inning. It’s an even easier ask to have Wolfram get the third out when the tying run is merely on first base and two men are already retired.

Wolfram could not do it. He could not get the third out. He could not get the third out even when he got bailed out by the extreme good fortune of having a fly ball hit by Colorado’s Rookie of the Year candidate first baseman, TJ Rumfield, bounce up into the seats for an automatic double, stopping the man on first from scoring. He could not get the third out even when the next batter after this was Brett Sullivan, the stereotypical poor-hitting backup catcher for the Rockies.

Even after getting two strikes, Wolfram could not finish off Sullivan even when he threw strike three, because the umpire missed the pitch and the Orioles had their challenge wasted by Jackson Holliday in the top half of the eleventh inning. Any of these things could have gone differently, would have gone differently for a better team. Sullivan hit a walkoff single, scoring two runs; new Oriole Luis Robert Jr.’s throw in from left field went way wide of home plate as he tried to stop the game-winning run from scoring. A better throw might have at least made it interesting. Robert did not make a good throw.

The result of all of this, of the Orioles scoring a total of nine runs across 29 innings played at Coors Field, of the Orioles going seven straight innings without scoring a run in this game, of all of the other stupid things that happened in this game and on Tuesday night, is that the Orioles are back down to two games below .500, potentially staring down a 2.5 game deficit with 22 games to play, nearly all of which will be against contending teams.

They needed a series win. They needed batters to stop wasting challenges. They needed to score more than three runs off of Tomoyuki Sugano. They needed Mike Elias to not trade away Tyler Wells at the trade deadline. They needed Andrew Kittredge to be up to the task of closing. They needed to not leave ten men on base. They have needed a lot of things that they didn’t get this year. It’s just who they are.

It all could have gone differently. The Orioles had a 3-0 lead at one point in the game! They built this lead up in the third inning, when Blaze Alexander led off with a single. This was one of three hits by Alexander in the game. It’s good to have him back. With one out, Jackson Holliday singled, and Pete Alonso scored Alexander with another single. These guys both ended up scoring as Robert delivered an RBI double in his second at-bat with the team.

The Orioles didn’t score again after this until the eleventh inning. They didn’t manage to get multiple runners on base again until the seventh. This series was such a poor and frustrating output at – and I can’t stress this enough – Coors Field, the stadium that is legendary for its being a hitter-friendly environment, against the Rockies, a team that is legendary for not being able to have good pitchers. It’s bad!

Colorado pulled one of the runs back in the bottom of the third inning. Rogers gave up a leadoff single before getting two strikeouts. Outfielder Jake McCarthy tripled to easily score the runner, Adael Amador. In the course of this play, the throw coming in from the outfield went to third base and bounced past Coby Mayo. McCarthy tried to help himself to a Little League home run. Rogers, backing up the play, threw a strike in to Samuel Basallo, who tagged out McCarthy for the third out. The home plate umpire initially blew this play, though replay review thankfully corrected the error promptly.

The fourth inning saw the Rockies get another two-out run when Rogers couldn’t finish off Cole Carrigg with Hunter Goodman standing on second base. The score held at 3-2 until the ninth inning. That’s when Kittredge got involved.

Perhaps Yennier Cano, who got the last out of the eighth inning, should have pitched to more than one batter. I’m sympathetic to why this was not done, since Cano has fallen down in the ninth in recent weeks. Still, Kittredge. He got two outs without any problems. Carrigg doubled on the first pitch he saw, then Kittredge worked a 1-2 count on pinch hitter Zac Veen. A hanging slider later and the game was tied. Kittredge got the hook. Josh Walker had to finish the ninth, which only ended when Basallo used an ABS challenge to get the inning-ending strikeout.

Nobody scored in the tenth inning. One reason why the Orioles did not score is that Holliday, who was the Manfred Man for that inning, inexplicably chose to run from second base to third base on a ground ball hit to the shortstop. That’s not a difficult baserunning rule. Don’t advance from second base on a ground ball to the left side! But Holliday was thrown out, Henderson wasted a challenge while striking out, and Robert grounded out. The Rockies didn’t score in the tenth either, so the agony continued.

In better pitching circumstances, Basallo and Alexander would have been the heroes of the game for their eleventh inning RBI hits. We did not witness those better circumstances.

The Orioles fly back to Baltimore to start a four-game set with the Red Sox on Thursday night. The O’s have yet to list a starter. Boston is expected to send lefty Jake Bennett to the mound. The 7:15 game will air only on Fox.