Category: MLB

Mike Trout was practically beaming. He dropped the phrase “fresh start” four times in an interview that barely lasted five minutes.

The burden of the Angels’ failures has been disproportionately his to bear. He has insisted that his path to Cooperstown would run through Anaheim and only Anaheim. He has played 16 seasons for an owner that blessed him with half a billion dollars, treated his family like royalty and stranded him in position to conclude a star-spangled career without ever winning a postseason game.

On Tuesday, Trout learned that the Angels would have a new owner: Stan Kroenke. Trout got off the call, looked up Kroenke and has not stopped smiling since.

“What a track record,” Trout said. “Wherever he buys, he wins.”

The Rams. The Colorado Avalanche. The Denver Nuggets. Arsenal.

So what if the Angels have baseball’s longest playoff drought? They now have baseball’s richest owner, with a net worth valued by Forbes at $24 billion.

Kroenke bought a controlling share of the Angels at a valuation of $4 billion, a record for a major league team, with current owner Arte Moreno retaining a small stake, a source with knowledge of the deal not authorized to discuss it publicly told The Times. The sale includes the team-owned television and radio outlets, ABTV and AM 830. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and MLB approval.

In 2009, ESPN put Moreno on the cover of its magazine, proclaiming the Angels delivered the best value of the then-122 teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball. In this decade, the experience had been so devalued by 12 consecutive losing seasons that resale tickets for Tuesday’s game against the mighty New York Yankees were available for $5, amid a season of fans regularly chanting “Sell the Team!”

“He’s aware of the chants,” Angels president Molly Jolly said. “He knows about them. At the end of the day, this is about having the right next owner more than it is about anything else.”

Jolly wouldn’t say whether Kroenke or Moreno initiated the negotiations. She did say the sale was not conducted through a formal bidding process, but proceeded through face-to-face discussions between Kroenke and Moreno.

Read more:Shaikin: 'A big day for Anaheim.' Angels get a fresh start with Stan Kroenke, and much more

“He has a traditional sense about him,” Jolly said. “To be able to sit down with another gentleman and have a conversation and talk about baseball and the franchise, that resonates for how he thinks and looks at things, rather than it being a complex conversation.

“I think that’s what was the ‘Why now?’ It was the right person having the right conversation with him.”

As far as she knew, Jolly said, the conversations had not started when she assumed the team presidency in April, but the possibility of a sale had “always stayed out there” after Moreno invited bids in 2022 and then decided not to sell.

In July, after joining the Angels as interim general manager, John Mozeliak said he had spoken with Moreno for hours and the topic of whether the owner might sell the team “never came up.” On Tuesday, Mozeliak acknowledged that, when he started his position, Moreno “had mentioned that this was a possibility.”

The sale is not expected to be finalized until early next year. Kroenke has not done the usual due diligence that would precede a sale — meeting with team management and touring the stadium — and has not introduced himself to officials from the city of Anaheim. The city owns the stadium and surrounding parking lots, a 150-acre site that city officials would love to see Kroenke develop.

In the meantime, it’s business as usual for the Angels. Mozeliak, who ran the St. Louis Cardinals when the Rams played in St. Louis, said he never has met Kroenke. He did recall speaking with Kevin Demoff, who oversees all of Kroenke’s teams.

Mozeliak has no idea whether Kroenke might invite him to stay, but for now the plan of rebuilding the team and reorganizing the front office remains on course, in the interest of serving fans weary and frustrated after 12 consecutive losing seasons.

“We’ve been preaching change all along,” Mozeliak said. “Now they’re going to see even more.”

And, he noted, the Padres and Angels had sold at successive record prices for MLB teams, despite the prospect of a lockout and owners’ hopes for a new collective bargaining agreement with a salary cap intended in part to raise franchise values.

“A lot of people thought teams wouldn’t sell until there was a new CBA,” Mozeliak said. “Clearly, that prediction was wrong.”

Read more:Shaikin: What's next as John Mozeliak revamps the Angels? The interim GM discusses his plans

In the clubhouse, no one was talking about that. Neto was talking about the call Trout made to “some of the Rams guys” for a scouting report on Kroenke.

“I reached out to one Rams player,” Trout said, smiling. “He exaggerates a little bit.”

Still, given the national attention given last winter to the air conditioning not working properly in an Angel Stadium weight room, Neto said the evaluation from the Rams’ locker room was glowing.

“The most important thing they said is, he just wants what’s important for us,” Neto said. “That’s to make the clubhouse better, in the sense of whatever we need, we get, whether that’s amenity-wise, speakers, whatever it is, he’ll make sure we get those.”

Trout was so enthusiastic that, when a reporter asked if he was excited about what the new vision might be, he answered before the reporter could finish asking the question.

“No doubt,” Trout said. “Obviously, when you’re frustrated the last — I don’t know how many years it’s been, but to hear the news like this, I’m super excited to have this change.”

Read more:Plaschke: Light the Big A! Stan Kroenke just made Angels fans big winners

For his part, Neto sounded ready to pitch Tarik Skubal on pitching for the Angels — or, at least, pitching Kroenke on the possibility of recruiting him in free agency.

“Who doesn’t want to be in Southern California?” Neto said. “The weather is beautiful here. We have the best fans, in my opinion. We have a beautiful stadium.

“Who wouldn’t want to be here and play in this organization, in this market? It would be a no-brainer.”

Trout said the ownership change “was needed” and said there was “a good vibe around the clubhouse,” but both he and Neto expressed appreciation for Moreno.

“Arte was very supportive of us, whatever the outside noise was,” Neto said.

“I’ve seen a lot of hate, a lot of love, a lot more hate. But, as a player who has played under him, it was a lot of love. He treated us well, and that’s all you can ask for as a player.”

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Iowa catcher Ethan Hearn and infielder Hayden Cantrelle were both activated off the Development List.

Right-hander Dominick Reid was promoted from Low-A Myrtle Beach to High-A South Bend.

Outfieder Michael Gupton joins South Bend from the ACL Cubs.

South Bend right-hander Ethan Bell and outfielder Geuri Lubo both went on the Development List.

Shortstop Juan Tomas joins Myrtle Beach from Mesa.

It’s the final week of the season for Myrtle Beach and South Bend, although South Bend has playoffs to look forward to.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were seized by the Columbus Clippers (Guardians), 7-6.

Kohl Franklin started this game and allowed three runs on five hits over 4.2 innings. He walked three and struck out two.

Edward Cabrera threw an inning of relief in a rehab assignment. He allowed a solo home run to the first batter he faced, but then got a ground out and two strikeouts to end the inning.

Luis Peralta could not find the plate and took the loss. Peralta allowed three runs on no hits and five walks over one-third of an inning. He did not strike anyone out.

First baseman Owen Miller doubled twice in a 3 for 5 effort. Miller drove in two and scored twice.

Right fielder Jordan Nwogu was 3 for 5 with an RBI double.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies blinded the Chattanooga Lookouts (Reds), 12-3.

Kevin Valdez started and got the win after giving up two runs on just two hits over 5+ innings. Valdez struck out seven and walked two.

Left fielder Carter Trice hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning, his 15th on the year. Trice was 1 for 4 with a walk. He scored twice.

Shortstop Karson Simas hit a three-run triple in the sixth inning. Simas was 2 for 3 with a walk and one run scored.

Right fielder Alex Ramírez had a bases-loaded, three-run double in the eighth inning. He was 1 for 5 with one run scored.

Trice’s home run.

Simas’ three-run triple.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs creamed the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins), 8-4.

Starter Jostin Florentino gave up three runs on six hits over 3.1 innings. Two of those hits were solo home runs. Florentino walked one and struck out four. Florentino also hit one batter.

Nate Williams took over for Florentino, pitched 1.2 innings without allowing a run, and got the win. Williams gave up two hits. He struck out two and walked no one.

Yoendris Gonzalez tossed the final 2.1 innings and got the save. He allowed no runs on one hit. Gonzalez struck out four and walked two.

Shortstop Angel Cepeda homered twice tonight. The first one was a two-run double in the fifth and the second one was a solo home run in the seventh. Cepeda was 3 for 4 with four RBI and three runs scored. Cepeda now as 11 home runs with South Bend and 12 overall.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn hit a solo home run earlier in the seventh inning. It was Hartshorn’s 18th South Bend home run and 23rd overall. Hartshorn went 2 for 3 with a walk. He scored twice. Hartshorn has now raised his South Bend batting average above .300, with it now sitting a .302.

DH Kade Snell was 2 for 4 with an RBI triple. He also stole a base and scored twice.

A two-run double for Jose Escobar, who was 1 for 4.

Snell’s triple.

Cepeda’s first home run.

Hartshorn’s blast. As the post says, it set a new South Bend Cubs season RBI record.

Cepeda’s second home run went to almost the exact same place as the first one.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were hypnotized by the Columbia Fireflies (Royals), 13-6.

Starter Jubrayker Salaya got the loss after allowing three runs on five hits over three innings. Salaya struck out five and did not issue a walk.

Shortstop Alexis Hernandez hit his fourth home run of the season in the eighth inning. Hernandez went 3 for 4 with two RBI.

DH Corey Nunez was 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI single in the ninth. He also stole a base and scored one run.

Third baseman Derniche Valdez was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Center fielder Caden Sorrell was 2 for 4 with two runs scored.

Highlights.

The Twins bullied the Tigers again on Wednesday, putting up a score of 15-2 in this one and outdoing the beatdown they issued on Monday. Troy Melton struggled, the defense was atrocious, and while it was ugly with Melton in the game, it was farce once Kyle Finnegan took over, and by the time he departed this one was long over with.

The Tigers started off reasonably well. Kevin McGonigle and Gleyber Torres singled off of Andrew Morris to begin the game. Dillon Dingler flew out to Walker Jenkins in center field, getting McGonigle to third. Riley Greene’s return to the lineup saw him ground out for an RBI and a 1-0 lead, but that was all the Tigers would get as Hao-Yu Lee lined out.

Troy Melton took the bump in the bottom half looking to get off to a good start. He got the first two outs, then missed away with three fastballs to fall behind Kody Clemens. The right-hander came back with a fastball up and in the zone, and Clemens crushed it to right field for a solo shot, his 24th on the year. Ryan Jeffers followed by tripling past Javier Báez in right, but Melton wrapped up a long first inning by striking out Josh Bell.

Lefty Conner Prielipp took over from his opener, Morris, and Spencer Torkelson started the second inning with a ground rule double to left. Max Clark squared up to bunt and Prielipp’s heater was wild and right at his head. Fortunately, Clark ducked in time and the fastball just clipped the top of his helmet. So, two on, no outs, and the Tigers were in business. Báez quickly closed up shop with a routine grounder to short for a 6-4-3 double play. John Peck dug in for the first at-bat of his major league career, and also grounded out to shortstop.

This is how it’s going.

Melton put together a quicker second frame as Trevor Larnach flew out to right and Royce Lewis popped out. Kaelen Culpepper, the Twins young shortstop, grounded out to Peck, playing shortstop for the Tigers with McGonigle in the DH slot, and we were on to the third still in a 1-1 tie.

McGonigle tapped one back to Prielipp to start the third. Torres bit on a slider and struck out, but Dingler lined a single to left to keep the inning alive. Greene dug in and Prielipp stayed with his 90 mph slider down and away and punched out Greene as well.

Jenkins bounced a tricky one off the mound to start the bottom of the third, but Peck got to it and threw him out. Keaschall worked a little longer at-bat but flew out routinely to Báez. A changeup and a split got him ahead of Brooks Lee, and Melton eventually whiffed him with a good curveball to end the inning. Melton was at 49 pitches.

Prielipp punched out Lee with a changeup away to open the fourth. Torkelson saw the changeup better but lined out to left field, and so it was up to Clark. The speedy center fielder didn’t back down. After getting ahead in the count, he squared to bunt again and put down a really good one with the infield off guard. Prielipp collected it but his throw wasn’t in time as Clark roared down the line for a single. It didn’t do anything for the Tigers as Báez quickly grounded out to shortstop for what felt like the 100th time in the past few weeks.

Clemens and Jeffers flew out to Clark to start Melton’s bottom half of the inning. Josh Bell popped one in foul territory down the right field line but Torres couldn’t handle it, giving Bell a dangerous second chance. Melton missed with a sharp curve and then a cutter down and in, but Bell wasn’t impressed and the count was even. Bell took a changeup for a full count but finally a good slider got the whiff. Melton had retired 10 straight, but some wasted pitches in pitcher’s counts, and a few mistakes from his teammates, had driven his pitch count up to 64 pitches despite allowing just two hits and no walks with three strikeouts.

Peck led off the fifth with a little chopper back to Prielipp, who couldn’t handle it. Peck reached but they gave the error to the pitcher, so it wasn’t Peck’s first hit. McGonigle lifted a fly ball to left center field, but not deep enough for Peck to advance. Gleyber Torres put together a lengthy at-bat and drew a walk. So there were two on for Dingler, with Greene in the on deck circle. Dingler immediately swung at a first pitch slider and broke his bat. Culpepper fired to second but Dingler beat out the turn to first. So it was first and third with two outs for Greene, who flew out to left.

Just as quickly as the Tigers opportunity fizzled out again, the Twins developed one of their own. Melton walked Larnach and then Royce Lewis pulled one over Riley Greene off the left field wall to put runners at second and third with no outs. Melton got ahead of Culpepper, and the shortstop pulled one to Peck, playing in on the grass, and everyone had to hold up as he threw out Culpepper. That brought up a talented rookie in Jenkins. The center fielder yanked a pitch just foul to start the at-bat and that was scary. He eventually worked a full count and then slapped one to Peck. The Tigers shortstop fired home to Dingler in time and got Larnach in a run down. Dingler chased the runner back to third and then his nighmarish August carried into September as he threw high over Lee’s head. Both runners scored, and then a first pitch slider right down the middle was smoked by Keaschall to left for an RBI double to score Jenkins for a 4-1 lead. Brooks Lee flew out to center for the second out, and Melton punched out Clemens on a curveball to end the inning.

Prielipp cruised through another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth. Melton got the first out in the bottom half, but as his pitch count topped 90 pitches, Bell pulled a sharp grounder past a slow moving Torres for a single. Melton yanked a slider into Larnach’s toe to put him on base on Melton’s 95th pitch. Royce Lewis saw the slider first pitch, and again it was right down the middle. He absolutely crushed the cookie to dead center for a three run shot and it was 7-1 Twins.

That ended Melton’s night with five earned runs in, bumping his ERA up to 2.20 on the year. His teammates let him down quite a bit, but he also didn’t command anything consistently and probably deserved what he got in the end.

Kyle Finnegan took over and immediately gave up a double to Culpepper, and then walked Jenkins. Keaschall pulled a hard grounder up the middle, and Torres playing almost behind second base, still couldn’t get to it as the single skipped under his glove, scoring Culpepper to make it 8-1. Brooks Lee lifted a sacrifice fly to score Jenkins, and it was 9-1. We were still in the sixth inning and the game was totally out of hand. Would a position player pitch? Would the Tigers simply recruit a fan, assuming they couldn’t do any worse? Does anyone give a damn about this team at this point, including themselves?

The answer to all these questions was no. Finnegan hung a 1-1 slider to Jeffers, and he hammered it to left for another three-run homer. 12-1 Twins.

Beau Brieske is back with roster expansion and he took over to try and get this fiasco over with. He did help matters by walking Bell and then giving up a single to Larnach. Gabriel Gonzlaez pinch-ran for him. Lewis pulled a slow grounder up the middle between Torres and Peck. Torres fielded it but couldn’t get him at first. So, bases loaded and still, as there had been for 15 minutes, two outs. Culpepper pulled a two-run single to left. 14-1 Twins, and I really hope you’re not reading your way through this debacle. Jenkins finally grounded out to end the inning.

The Tigers went in order in the top of the seventh as both teams subbed in their younger players. Likewise, AJ Hinch moved Javier Báez to second base, yanking Torres, and inserted Ben Malgeri into right field. Brett Callahan hit for McGonigle, taking over the DH spot.

Mercifully, Brieske tossed a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, striking out Ben Ross in his major league debut.

Right-hander Garrett Acton took over from Prielipp in the top of the eighth. Malgeri greeted him with a single through the right side for the Tigers sixth hit in this one. Dingler grounded one softly to Culpepper, who took the force of Malgeri at second. Riley Greene swung at three straight sliders in the dirt to strike out. Hao-Yu Lee doesn’t give up, and after nearly getting drilled in the head, he got a hanger on the inner third and snoked a double up the left center field gap to plate Dingler from first. 14-2 Twins.

In a 3-2 count, Acton sailed a fastball inside and drilled Torkelson in the arm, but Max Clark struck out to send it to the bottom half.

Jacob Waguespack took over in the bottom of the eighth. Alex Jackson reached on a broken bat single that Báez had to run a long way to collect. A wild pitch moved Jackson to second and Waguespack walked Bell, struck out Gonzalez, and then walked Royce Lewis to load the bases. Culpepper grounded into a force of Lewis at second as Jackson scored. 15-2 Twins.

With two outs in the top of the ninth, Brett Callahan singled on a 109.6 mph rocket off the right field wall, but Malgeri flew out to end it.

Just a pathetic effort the past two days, coming on the heels of a brutal last three weeks. At least Hao-Yu Lee put up a fight, and Brett Callahan scalded a couple of balls. Otherwise there wasn’t much fight in evidence, and Dillon Dingler looks wholly and completely lost in all phases of the game. Troy Melton? Eh he’ll be fine.

The Tigers will try to play major league caliber baseball again at 7:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Stay tuned for all the excitement.

Baseball has a way of humbling you, regressing your performance to the mean wherever the mean may be and however you may be skirting it. The Baseball Gods are equally jealous and impish. In other words, the other shoe always drops. Though Randy Dobnak’s peripherals and underlying stats have flashed danger throughout his Kansas City tenure, his luck ran out and his magic evaporated—on Harry Potter night at the ballpark, no less—during a 6-3 loss to the Miami Marlins.

Entering tonight, Dobnak had a 1.92 ERA but a 4.55 expected ERA. He wasn’t striking guys out, and he wasn’t allowing any home runs. Unfortunately, Dobnak gave up a pair of looong home runs. The first one was to third baseman Graham Pauley in the second inning, a two-run shot:

Dobnak wobbled through the next few innings before giving up another big ol blast to designated hitter Kyle Stowers, his 17th of the year.

Throughout all this, the Royals offense was…sleepy? Sleepy is the best way to put it, yes. Kansas City mustered all of four (4) baserunners in the first seven innings, looking like they wanted to go home from the September heat as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Dobnak gave up three consecutive hits in the seventh inning, all of which came around to score. Dobnak didn’t record an out, and was charged six earned runs.

The eighth inning, though, was an absolute hoot. First, that’s when the Royals finally scored. Josh Rojas singled and Isaac Collins walked. Carter Jensen doubled, and Bobby Witt Jr. followed it up with a near-home run that nevertheless resulted in an RBI and getting Jensen to third base.

It was there where the wheels came off. Marlins pitcher Victor Vodnik stepped awkwardly off of the mound, and was called for a balk. Jensen trotted home, and Royals had briefly scored their third run of the inning.

But I said “briefly” because the umpires convened together and reversed the balk, something that I don’t ever think I’ve seen. Manager Matt Quatraro was absolutely furious. Totally, completely furious. Q got tossed by and yet nevertheless continued to stalk second base umpire Chris Guccione around the field, unleashing his anger.

The umpires’ word is final, however. Quatraro got a hearty ovation from the crowd, but eventually trudged back to the dugout. The Royals would eventually get that third run back on a solo home run from Nick Loftin, but losing 6-3 is only barely better than losing 6-2.

Kansas City has now lost two in a row, thereby firmly demolishing whatever thin, thin possibility they had at magicking their way into the playoffs. At least Q getting tossed was neat.

Mariners 9, Red Sox 6

This game: Randy Arozarena, .12 WPA

All the other games we’ve watched this season: Carlos Vargas and Julio Rodríguez, -.02 WPA each

Game thread comment of the day:

Speaking of game threads: we have an app now! (Search “SB Nation” on your app platform of choice) And I think it makes it so much easier to participate in game threads! If you downloaded it and used it please leave some feedback in the comments here that I can pass along to my bosses.

Will Smith slots into the fifth spot in the lineup in his first game back as the Dodgers welcome the Cardinals into town.

Tuesday’s game info

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

It’s September and it feels like we’ve been waiting a lifetime for this 2026 Braves team to put everything together. Glimpses of dominant pitching and barrages of offensive power have rarely coincided for long stretches. 

After a frustrating loss to the Giants to finish out August, the Braves similarly squandered opportunities and fell to the Washington Nationals tonight by a final score of 9-5. The struggles on the road noted in our “three stats to keep in mind” article continue and two Nationals, making their MLB debuts, had a memorable night at the Braves’ expense.

It was a tough night all around, and it began with Jake Irvin getting three swinging strikeouts to start the game. AJ Smith-Shawver labored in his four innings of work. He pitched a scoreless frame in the home half of the first, but not without dramatics. CJ Abrams led off with an infield single and immediately stole second. Dylan Crews struck out before Brady House walked. The hot-hitting Daylen Lile grounded into a force out and stole a base of his own. Rookie Yohandy Morales, in his first MLB plate appearance, struck out swinging to end the threat.

Given the lead after an Ozzie Albies two-out solo shot in the second, Smith-Shawver gave it right back and then some. Ha-Seong Kim made a stellar play to get the first out before things went off the rails.

Harry Ford worked a one-out walk. A ball hit by Jorbit Vivas glanced off Matt Olson’s glove and trickled all the way into right field for a double to put runners at the corners. Jacob Young struck out swinging for out number two. Abrams’ RBI single gave the Nats the lead. Crews walked before a mound visit to get Smith-Shawver to settle in, only for Brady House to double home two more runs immediately after. Lile struck out looking, but it was 4-1 after two innings.

But even with offensive sparks Brewer Hicklen and Ha-Seong Kim (yes, you’re reading that correctly – they were 1-for-3 with a walk and 3-for-3, respectively), the Braves couldn’t take advantage of a short night for Jake Irvin and dig themselves out of the hole created early. The aforementioned eight- and nine-hole hitters had two situations in both the third and fifth where they both reached with no outs. In the third, Drake Baldwin doubled home a run to cut the deficit to 4-2. But the runners, on second and third with no outs, would be stranded after the next three went down in order. Baldwin giveth but he also taketh, because in the fifth inning with yet another two runners on with no outs situation, Jared Simpson (also making his MLB debut) got him to ground into a double play. 

The Braves gave Chicago’s Braden Montgomery a storybook MLB debut back in April, and they were kind enough to do that for Yohandy Morales tonight, who homered for his first MLB hit in the bottom of the third to make it 5-2 Nats. 

AJSS finished his four innings with six hits, five earned runs, three walks, five strikeouts, and one homer, putting his ERA above a 7. Victor Mederos pitched around a leadoff walk and two-out single in the bottom of the fifth, but otherwise kept the game there, being the only Braves reliever tonight to pitch a scoreless frame. 

The Braves had a debut of their own — Blake Burkhalter got the ball to pitch the bottom of the sixth. The 25 year old righty was understandably nervous. He gave up a single to Young, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. Abrams walked. Young got to third on a Crews lineout before coming home on a House sac fly to make it 6-2. A foul tip into Baldwin’s glove secured Burkhalter’s first MLB strikeout, which came against reigning NL Player of the Week Daylen Lile. 

Brent Suter got the seventh for Atlanta and Morales hit a leadoff double. Pinch-hitter Andrés Chaparro and Harry Ford were retired, but the latter’s groundout advanced Morales to third. He came home to score on Suter’s pickoff error. Young’s single plated another to make it 8-2 Nationals.

Irvin’s exit after four innings came with a flicker of hope we could come back against the notoriously-awful Nats bullpen. Alas, Jared Simpson no-hit the Braves in his three innings of relief in his debut.

A patented late Braves-rally-that-ultimately-falls-short came in the eighth inning where Ha-Seong Kim hit his third single of the night (!) to lead off the inning. Two force outs by Baldwin and Acuña Jr., Ronald getting to third on defensive indifference, and a wild pitch by new reliever Clayton Beeter allowed Ronald to score to make it 8-3. Matt Olson followed with a ground-rule double to center and got to trot home on Michael Harris II’s homer to left center to make it 8-5.

Mop-up man Suter stayed in for the eighth and got two outs before issuing a walk to Lile, giving up a single to Morales, and then another single to Chaparro to make it 9-5.

The Braves didn’t have that Marlin in them and Ozzie, Austin Riley, and Hicklen went down in order against Orlando Ribalta to end this nightmarish contest.

ABS challenges stayed unused in key situations. The top and heart of the order looked helpless at the plate for the majority of the game. Balls kept finding their way past our infielders to the tune of .478 BABIP (thanks, Ivan!). And thus, the Braves continue their frustrating trend of playing down to inferior opponents. 

I’ll cling to the delusion of a Kim redemption tour as a silver lining. The Braves will finish this two-game set tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 pm ET.

The St. Louis Cardinals begin a long west coast swing as they’ll take on the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night. The Cardinals are starting Michael McGreevy while the Dodgers are expected to start LHP Eric Lauer. First pitch scheduled for 9:10pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.

Quincy referred to today’s start for Gavin Williams as “season defining.” If this game is defining the rest of the season, we’ll be looking at another playoff berth for Cleveland.

The Toronto Blue Jays rolled into Cleveland with an opener for Game 1 of the three game series. Gavin Williams, coming off of his worst start of the season, came back tonight to throw one of the best starts of the season. In the fifth inning, Gavin gave up a single and a walk. A throwing error by the catcher and a wild pitch by Gavin allowed the only run, unearned, to score under Gavin’s watch. Otherwise, the Big Rig was lights out. Gavin threw a career high 13 strikeouts to the Blue Jays and only gave up two hits and a walk in his 7.0 innings of work.

Hunter Gaddis pitched the eighth, striking out one, and Matt Festa closed it out having only given up one hit.

The Cleveland Guardians scored six runs on eight hits and every run was scored via the home run ball. In the bottom of the fifth, down one, Angel Martínez drew a walk. With one out, after committing an error that gave the Blue Jays the lead, Patrick Bailey sent a fly ball to center for a two run homer.

In the bottom of the seventh, Angel Martínez got on base to lead things off again. With a single to right, Angel reached first base. Angel Genao came on as a pinch-hitter for Travis Bazzana. On his first pitch of the game, Genao launched a fly ball to the left field home run porch for another two-run home run.

Angel Martínez, after scoring twice on home runs, decided to hit one of his own in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Jo Adell singled to right and was lifted for pinch-runner Petey Halpin. Angel Martínez came on, with two outs, and hit a curveball in a high arc out to right center for the third, and final, two-run homer of the night.

Something to note, Angel Martínez fouled a ball off the top of his foot in the second inning. It took him a bit to get back into it. He, obviously, finished the game and made an great catch the following inning.

Game 2 of the series is another 6:40 PM EDT start tomorrow. Dylan Cease and Joey Cantillo will be facing off as the starting pitchers.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Nick Morabito didn’t have to look far Tuesday to comprehend the possibilities.

In one corner outfield spot would stand Carson Benge, with A.J. Ewing beside him as the starting center fielder. Both rookies have established themselves with the Mets this season and have become woven into the team’s future.

It’s plenty of inspiration for Morabito, another rookie outfielder with aspirations of never returning to the minor leagues.

“It’s super cool and comforting,” said Morabito, who gave the Mets a completely rookie outfield in their 6-2 loss to the Rays. “I played with those guys in the minor leagues and I’m tight with them. To see their success … I am hoping just to bring more of it here.”

The 23-year-old Morabito, who went 0-for-1 and was hit by a pitch before being pinch hit for by Mark Vientos in the seventh inning, was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on the first day of expanded September rosters. In a stint with the Mets earlier this season, he appeared in five games and went hitless in 11 at-bats.

He brings much the same skill set as Benge and Ewing: an athletic player who will contribute defensively and with baserunning, beyond whatever production arises from his bat.

“I feel like I play a similar game to them,” Morabito said. “They’re just very exciting players.”

Over 114 games this season for Syracuse, he has posted a .254/.355/.388 slash line with 13 homers and 42 stolen bases. A second-round pick in the 2022 draft, he is rated as the Mets’ No. 13 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

“I think he understands who he is pretty well right now,” interim manager Andy Green said. “It’s speed, it’s defense, it’s get on base. It’s play the outfield as aggressively as those other two young guys we have got out there.

“I just want him to play baseball like he has his whole life. I don’t want him to make any more of it. The beauty of the last time is he got the first-time jitters out of the way. Now I would like to get the first [hit] out of the way for him.”

Luis Robert Jr.’s departure — the veteran outfielder was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Monday, saving the Mets about $5 million — has created an opportunity for Morabito, a right-handed bat, especially with Juan Soto relegated to DH in his return from a second calf strain this season.

It was the organizational outfield depth that in part prompted the Mets to trade Brandon Nimmo last offseason, creating chances for the rookies.

Benge has seized the opportunity to the hilt in emerging as a National Rookie of the Year and Gold Glove candidate.

Ewing slumped offensively in August and entered play Tuesday with a .663 OPS overall but has brought consistent defense to center field.

How does Morabito see himself as a player?

“I feel like throughout my pro career I have been able to get on base, steal bases, play good defense and the power has been coming a little bit,” Morabito said. “Ultimately, I just want to cross the plate and put runs on the board and that is my goal.”

Morabito, who struck out in nine of his 11 at-bats to begin his major league career, said his May stint with the club was a “learning point” in his development.

“He knows what he is coming back to,” Green said. “You never want to overevaluate somebody’s first taste of the big leagues. There’s been a lot of guys that have been All-Stars and Hall of Famers that started horribly at the very beginning. There’s been a lot like myself that get a home run in the first at-bat and then go downhill from there.”

The Rays came away with a very satisfying win tonight. With hits across the lineup (Victor Mesa Jr. led the way with three; defensive gems across the field; and outstanding pitching (minus a few blips), this was a satisfying win.

It sure didn’t seem like we were heading to this outcome at the start of the game. Freddy Peralta, facing his former team, had a shaky first inning. He gave up a lead off home run to Francisco Lindor, and then two singles soon after. Maybe there were some emotions pitching against friends; maybe Mets players just knew what to expect from him. But he got out of the inning having given up just the one run, and then he cruised.

We didn’t have much time to wallow about the deficit, as tied the game. In the bottom of the first, Yandy doubled and then booked it around the bases to score on Junior Caminero’s single. A double play prevented the Rays from scoring further.

But Tampa Bay did get the lead in the third inning. Victor Mesa Jr., back from an IL stint, singled and moved to second on a Walls bunt, from where he scored on Ryan Vilade’s single. And they made that score 3-1 in the sixth inning, thanks to Nick Fortes, whose double drove in Simpson from first base.

Fortes advanced to third, at which point the Mets pulled the infield in so close that they could have reached out and touched the batter, Taylor Walls. Walls responded by hitting the ball in the air, and plenty deep, scoring Fortes on the sacrifice.

That brought up Diaz. In the previous at bat, Yandy had hit a deep fly to center — 379 feet to be exact — and after it was caught he stood at the batters box, staring in disbelief. Well he must have had a good think about what went wrong because in the sixth inning he hit the ball almost identically except twenty feet farther, for a solo home run.

Ryan Vilade then followed with a triple (!), which ended Sean Manaea’s night. He had pitched fairly well, but probably should have been pulled before giving Yandy another bite at that apple. At the end of six innings the Rays had a 5-1 lead.

Peralta left the game after the sixth and wow was he good. He pitched a 3-hit no-walker, with seven strikeouts and fourteen (14!) whiffs.

The Rays went with Garrett Cleavinger to pitch the seventh inning. I understand sometimes you need to let guys pitch through their problems but at this point I’d rather drink spoiled milk than watch Cleavinger on the mound. So I can’t even tell you how he managed to load the bases with just one out, but loaded they were. I guess even Kevin Cash was starting to feel queasy, so he brought in Tyler Wells to get out of the jam. Wells got out number two on a pop up to the catcher, but then walked in Mets run number two. A second infield pop up later and the inning was mercifully over.

As my colleague Darby Robinson so aptly puts it: “Every time Cash wants to use Clev he should just use the guy he’s gonna call to to clean up Clev’s mess instead.”

The Rays tacked on one more run: in the bottom of the eight inning, Mesa Jr. singled and Walls doubled to put Mesa Jr. on third base. Vilade hit a come-backer that seemingly bounced off the torso of reliever Yan. By the time Yan got a handle on the ball and tossed to the catcher, Mesa Jr. had scored run number six.

Meanwhile, Tyler Wells and Kevin Kelly treated us to a scoreless eighth and ninth inning, and the Rays were able to close out their eighty-fifth win of the season.

It was great to see the timely hitting tonight, from soft singles to loud home runs. But the Rays defense also deserves star of the game status. Junior Caminero had two very nice plays at third base, and Chandler Simpson ran down a very difficult fly ball in the corner, with other players simply make tough plays look routine.

This was one of those games where you think “yeah, this is a playoff team!” If my math is correct, the magic number to win the division is now 22.

LOS ANGELES — Blake Treinen was at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, though wasn’t activated once active roster limits expanded on September 1. The veteran right-hander checked off the usual late-stage boxes for rehabbing relievers in the last week with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Treinen pitched back-to-back outings last Wednesday and Thursday, then on Sunday pitched in multiple innings, and retired all four batters he faced.

“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.”

Treinen last pitched for the Dodgers on June 19, sidelined since with right elbow inflammation. In seven games on a rehab assignment, Treinen had seven scoreless appearances, the first with Class-A Ontario and the last six with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

In those seven games, Treinen struck out eight of his 25 batters faced (32-percent strikeout rate) with two walks, two singles, and two hit batters. Before landing on the injured list in June, Treinen had a 3.52 ERA and 5.23 xERA in 29 games in the Dodgers bullpen, with 25 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23 innings, plus one save.

Because Treinen is on the 60-day injured list, the Dodgers will need to make a corresponding move to make room for him on the 40-man roster.

Notes

Justin Wrobleski wasthe pitcher called up on Tuesday, after getting four outs on Saturday while rehabbing in Triple-A. The plan for Wrobleski is to pitch in relief this month for the Dodgers, as that will be his likely role during the postseason.

The Dodgers plan to call up a sixth starter at some point this weekend against the Washington Nationals, because they play nine days in a row on the homestand before their next day off. Emmet Sheehan has pitched three straight excellent starts for Oklahoma City, and last pitched on Saturday, with seven strikeouts and one run allowed in 5 2/3 innings.

Gavin Stone’s 30 days of rehab are up on Friday, which means the Dodgers will need to add him back to the 40-man roster whether he’s called up or not by Saturday. Stone last pitched on August 26, with five strikeouts in four scoreless innings, and has a 1.54 ERA with 18 strikeouts against one walk in 11 2/3 innings. He is not listed to start for Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday this week. Stone is on the 60-day injured list and will require a corresponding move to be added back to the 40-man roster.

There is no date yet set for when Shohei Ohtani might next pitch in a game, but it won’t be until this weekend at the earliest. “I do stand by that nothing’s going to happen until potentially Sunday,” Roberts said, “But I do think there’s a conversation that needs to be had this week about what the outlook is, and we haven’t had that yet.”

Ben Casparius is also on the 60-day injured list with shoulder inflammation and pitched in 10 rehab games for Oklahoma City. But he last pitched on August 19, and was shut down with what Roberts called arm fatigue.

Kris Bubic, acquired by the Dodgers from the Kansas City Royals on August 3 and also on the 60-day injured list, started a rehab assignment with Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Bubic pitched a perfect inning in relief with two strikeouts and an infield popout.

Blue Jays 1 Guardians 6

The Jays had all sorts of troubles with Guardians starter Gavin Williams. Well, really just one trouble. They couldn’t hit him. Williams went seven innings and allowed just two hits and a walk with thirteen strikeouts.

Our one run was in the fourth. Kazuma Okamoto led off with a single. After Andrés Giménez struck out, Ernie Clement went to a full count and the Jays sent Okamoto (surprising me, Oka is not fast and the Jays were striking out a lot). Clement took ball four, but the Guardians threw to second anyway. The throw was well wide of second and Okamoto went to third on the play. After Myles Straw struck out (I really thought that he had to make contact or we weren’t going to score at all today) Williams threw a wild pitch to Brett Bateman, allowing Oka to score. Oka going first to home without the help of a hit wasn’t on my bingo card.

The Jays didn’t have any more luck against Guardian relievers, Hunter Gaddis and Matt Festa.

The bullpen day started off ok, for the Jays, but didn’t end well.

• Spencer Miles opened, and gave up just a two-out single in his inning.
• Ricky Tiedemann allowed a pair of walks in his inning, but no runs.
• Spencer Arrighetti pitched two excellent innings, both 3 up 3 down. But he gave up a walk and a homer run in his third inning. He ended up going 3.2 innings, giving up the two earned.
• Joe Mantiply got the last out of the sixth. But in the seventh, he gave up a single and a home run to start the inning. He went 1.1 with 2 earned, on three hits.
• Michael Lorenzen gave up two more in the eight, on another home run. As they mentioned on the broadcast, that allowed the Guardian to let their closer sit.

The Jays had three hits in total. Kirk, Guerrero, and Okamoto had one each.

Jay of the Day: Okamoto (0.13 WPA) for getting us our run.

Other Award: Arrighetti (-0.12), Mantiply (-0.11), Straw (-0.12, 0 for 2, k), Bateman (-0.10, 0 for 4, 2 k) and Lukes (-0.09, 0 for 4, 2 k).

I wasn’t expecting a sweep, but now we need to get the next two. Tomorrow Dylan Cease (9-5, 2.33) and Joey Cantillo (9-7, 3.70). Go Jays.

Welcome to September. For some teams, it’s just playing out the string of a long, disappointing season, while for others, it’s a month where every single game represents an opportunity, whether fighting for seeding, a division, or a spot in the dance at all.

After a disappointing drubbing to end August in Anaheim, the Yankees play their second straight coffee game against the lowly Angels, who might be playing with a pep in their step after learning of the merciful end of the reign of owner Arte Moreno. Personally, not great timing for that, but for a franchise who’s suffered so much with a legend who deserves so much better, good for them.

Gerrit Cole will look to get things back on track for the pitching staff, making his 18th start of the season. The former Cy Young winner will enjoy a sort of homecoming tonight, being from Newport Beach and attending UCLA, not too far from Angel Stadium. He’s been terrific coming off Tommy John surgery, pitching to a 3.19 ERA (132 ERA+) and 3.37 FIP in 98.2 innings, but surely has a sour taste in his mouth after his brilliant start last week against Houston went south in a hurry in the sixth.

On the other side is a former top prospect looking to get on track in his new bearings. Former Oriole Grayson Rodriguez will make his 16th start of the season, looking to build on consecutive strong outings. He’s been pretty rough this year after missing 2025 with injury, pitching to a 6.03 ERA (68 ERA+) and 4.68 FIP in 71.2 innings, but has allowed just one earned run in 12.2 innings across his last two starts. He dominated the Yankees in his first two career starts against them, not allowing a run in 12 total innings, but was knocked around the last time he saw them in July 2024.

G-Rod doesn’t have much going for him peripherally. He throws hard and gets good extension, but everything else is mediocre at best. He gives up a ton of hard contact in the air, struggles to get whiffs, chases, or strikeouts, and has a poor walk rate. His fastball, while sitting a firm 96, stays in the zone way too long and gets hammered, so he’ll need to lean more on his changeup against lefties and slider against righties to stay upright.

As the Yankees continue to wait patiently for the return of Aaron Judge, they’ll continue to trot out an army of lefties, eight to be exact, against a guy who allows a .912 OPS against them. It’s the first time since 1979 this has happened. Ben Rice will lead off again, followed by Cody Bellinger, Luis García Jr., and Spencer Jones. Ryan McMahon returns from the IL and bats seventh, with the lone righty being José Caballero at shortstop, batting eighth.

Zach Neto leads off for the Halos, followed by the future Hall of Famer Mike Trout and left fielder Wade Meckler. Vaughn Grissom bats cleanup after an outstanding game last night, followed by Moises Ballesteros, Christian Moore, and Josh Lowe. Former Yankee Oswald Peraza will bat eighth at third base, with Tyler Heineman rounding it out.

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)

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

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

The Mets got stung by a familiar face as Freddy Peralta dealt six innings of one-run ball in a 6-2 loss to the Rays on Tuesday night in Tampa.

New York (62-77) had some chances but went 0-for-5 with RISP, left six men on base, struck out 11 times, and after getting three hits in the first inning, didn't manage one the rest of the night. Tampa (83-55) won its 47th home game of the season, tied for second most in baseball.

Here are the takeaways... 

- Francisco Lindor got the game started off with a bang, driving Peralta’s 3-2 hanging breaking pitch 367 feet to right for a home run, his 15th of the year. After Bo Bichette and Carson Benge singled, the Mets had the chance for a big inning with one down. But Jared Young went down swinging and Brett Baty flied out to left to spurn the Mets’ first RBI chance.

Peralta then put his former team to the sword. After allowing two men aboard, he set down 17 of the next 18 batters with six strikeouts, allowing only a hit-by-pitch, to get him through six innings on just 74 pitches (53 strikes), leaving the game with a 5-1 lead. 

- Tampa went to lefty Garrett Cleavinger out of the bullpen to start the seventh, and he walked three of the first four Mets batters he faced. With righty Tyler Wells the new pitcher, interim manager AndyGreen countered with Mark Vientos off the bench, but he popped out to the catcher in foul territory.

Lindor, who jumped on a pitch but yanked it foul and was down 1-2, worked a full-count walk for his second RBI. Juan Soto, who was hitless in his first three times up, couldn't make Tampa pay as he hit a high pop-up just past the mound to leave 'em loaded.

The Mets went 0-for-26 with four walks and a HBP after Benge's single in the first. 

- Sean Manaea entered with a lead but couldn't hold it as he allowed a leadoff double to Yandy Diaz and a one-out RBI single. After a double-play to end the first and a five-pitch second inning, the lefty gave up a second run as the Rays manufactured it with a single, sacrifice bunt, walk, and a single to right. But the lefty limited the Rays to just one run, getting around a bases-loaded, two-out situation after an error.

Trouble was brewing for Manaea in the fourth as the Rays had two men on after back-to-back one-out singles (both coming on soft contact), but a couple of flyouts ended the threat.

The sixth inning has been a rough one for Manaea of late, and Tuesday night proved no different: a single, an RBI double down the third-base line, a productive out, and a sac fly to left, followed by a walloped solo homer to left by Diaz (396 feet, 104.7 mph off the bat), and a triple rocketed (105.4 mph) to the right-center gap ending the starter’s night.

His final line: 5.2 innings, five runs on 11 hits and a walk with two strikeouts on 86 pitches (59 strikes).

- Francisco Alvarez went hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts and a warning-track flyout. 

- A.J. Ewing was 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.

- Nick Morabito, just called up ahead of the game as the rosters expanded, entered the game looking for his first big-league hit and instead got plunked for the second time in 13 times up with the Mets this year. He went 0-for-2 before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh.

- Lindor, who committed his 10th error of the year in the third, went 1-for-3 with a walk and two batted in.

- Bichette went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. 

- Benge went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. 

- Young finished 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.

- Baty was hitless in two trips with a strikeout before being lifted for pinch-hitter Marcus Semien, who walked and grounded out in his two times to bat. 

- After AustinWarren put out the fire in the sixth, Dylan Ross needed 11 pitches for a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh in his first MLB appearance. (Ross, who could be headed back to the minors after the game, became the answer to a fun trivia question as he joined Wilmer Flores and John Pacella as the only three Mets to make their big league debuts on their birthday.) 

Jefry Yan struck out the first batter he faced before he got smacked for a single and a double. After another strikeout, Yan got stung with bad luck as a hard liner hit him, 

Highlights

LEADOFF LINDOR! 💥 pic.twitter.com/ajSx4cbSiR

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 1, 2026

Francisco Lindor draws the Mets' fourth walk of the 7th inning pic.twitter.com/suXcGclH9a

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 2, 2026

Happy birthday Dylan Ross!

He pitches a perfect 7th inning in his MLB debut pic.twitter.com/3yNBgdo51v

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 2, 2026

What's next

The series concludes with another 6:40 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday. 

The Mets are handing the ball to Justin Hagenman, who will be added to the roster Wednesday, for his first start of the season. Griffin Jax (3.63 ERA, 1.211 WHIP in 91.2 innings) climbs the hill for Tampa.