ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 7: Kyle Leahy #62 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium on August 7, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals kick off their final homestand of the season against the Washington Nationals Friday night at Busch Stadium. Kyle Leahy will start for the Cardinals while the Nationals will send RHP Cade Cavalli to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 16: Nasim Nuñez #26 of the Washington Nationals runs into teammate Daylen Lile #4 in left field after making a catch on a short fly ball in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on September 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It is a happy day in Nats nation. Ace Cade Cavalli got a contract extension which has fans fired up. The boys will start their last road trip of the year and that will start in St. Louis. These two teams have not faced off since April, so this will be an intriguing matchup.
James Wood will be the DH tonight. That means the outfield will consist of Daylen Lile, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews. Despite a righty being on the mound, Yohandy Morales will start over Abimelec Ortiz at first base. Brady House and Harry Ford are also in the lineup. Cade Cavalli got a contract extension this afternoon and will be pitching tonight.
This season JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson have been the big 3 in the Cardinals lineup. Since he got called up, catcher Leo Bernal has given the Red Birds a spark. He will be in the lineup tonight. Defensive ace Masyn Winn will also be at shortstop. Kyle Leahy has had a nice season for the Cards and will take the ball tonight.
Hopefully Cade Cavalli can put together another excellent performance and show why he got the big bucks. The Nats have a chance to get their most wins in a season since 2019 tonight as well. The road has not treated the Nats well lately, but that can change quickly. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 15: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Griffin Quinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Braves will attempt to clinch a playoff spot on Friday night behind Tyler Mahle, who was been superb for Atlanta since coming over at the trade deadline.
A Braves win — or Diamondbacks loss — on Friday night would clinch a postseason spot for Atlanta and would trim the magic number to four games to win the NL East. It would mark the eighth time in nine years the Braves would be postseason bound. We will also do a bit of scoreboard watching as the Phillies take on the Mets at Citi Field.
Mahle and the Braves will be opposed by Peter Lambert, who has been Houston’s best starter in 2026. Lambert has been on a strong run lately, allowing three runs or fewer in every start since the beginning of July.
First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET. You can watch and stream the game on Braves Vision.
Sep 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Max Clark (15) scores during the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Detroit Tigers (72-81) vs. Chicago White Sox (78-75)
Time/Place: 7:40 p.m., Rate Field SB Nation Site:South Side Sox Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Andrew Sears (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. RHP David Sandlin (2-2, 5.64 ERA)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - SEPTEMBER 12: Peter Lambert #38 of the Houston Astros pitches during the game between the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday, September 12, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
TONIGHT’S GAME: With just nine games remaining on their schedule, the first-place Houston Astros will welcome in the Atlanta Braves for their final home series of the 2026 regular season.
RHP Peter Lambert (8-9, 3.71 ERA) will make his penultimate start of the season for the Astros tonight opposite RHP Tyler Mahle (6-10, 3.91 ERA) and the Braves.
THE POSTSEASON CHASE: The Astros and Rangers are locked in a tight race down the stretch for the AL West with the two teams entering play today separated by just one game. The Astros own the tiebreaker over the Rangers with a season series victory (9-4 record).
AL WEST NEXT GAME
1. Houston: 77-76 vs. ATL (89-64)
2. Texas: 76-77 1.0 GB vs. TOR (76-77)
3. Seattle: 71-82 6.0 GB at COL (56-97)
CHALLENGING STRETCH: The Astros are within a stretch of playing 13 of 16 games against opponents with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB, ATL), going 6-7 so far in those contests. On the season, the Astros are 28-21 against teams with .500 or better records, the third-best mark in the Majors, immediately ahead of the Braves (35-28).
OLD RIVALS: The Astros and Braves are longtime rivals, having played each other 720 times in the regular season and another 25 times in the postseason. The Braves dominated the Astros early in their playoff matchups, in 1997, 1999 and 2001, before the Astros broke through in 2004 and 2005. The two teams matched up again in the 2021 Fall Classic, won by the Braves in six games.
DUBIE!: The Astros are happy to welcome back Braves IF/OF Mauricio Dubón, who’ll be recognized with a pregame video tonight. Dubón, a 2022 World Series Champion, played parts of four seasons (2022-25) with the Astros, appearing in 485 regular season games with Houston.
HISPANIC HERITAGE WEEKEND: The Astros are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Weekend starting tonight. The ballpark will come alive with Latin music, vibrant festivities, and cultural pride all weekend long. As part of the celebration, 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a Jeremy Peña Retro Los Astros Jersey
LAST NIGHT’S BIG WIN: The Astros hammered a season-high five home runs in their 6-2 win in the rubber game of their three-game series with the Royals last night. SS Jeremy Peña started the home run barrage with a leadoff homer and was later joined by CF Daulton Varsho, 1B LaMonte Wade Jr., DH Yordan Alvarez and RF Taylor Trammell, who all hit solo shots. RHP Ethan Pecko (1ER/5.2IP) pitched great as the bulk reliever, allowing just three hits in his outing.
GOIN’ DEEP: The Astros have hit 206 homers as a team this year and have hit 200-plus homers in a single season for the 10th time in franchise history (last, 222 HR in 2023). The Astros rank second in the AL in home runs this season behind only the Yankees (209).
TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently ranks first or second in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories. He enters today leading the AL in batting avg. (.311), while ranking second in HR (40) and RBI (99). Alvarez also leads the Majors in OPS (1.027), SLG (.598) and OBP (.429). 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).
BIG NUMBERS: DH Yordan Alvarez hit his 40th homer of the season last night, marking the eighth time an Astro has hit 40-plus homers in a single season in club history. He’s also up to 99 RBI on the season and is looking to post the 29th 100-RBI season in Astros history. Alvarez’s career high in RBI is 104, which he reached in 2021.
LEADING MAN: SS Jeremy Peña hit his sixth leadoff home run of the season last night, and the 11th of his career, a total that ranks fifth in Astros history. He ranks tied for second in the AL in leadoff home runs this season, trailing only the Rangers DH Joc Pederson (7).
NOTHING FINER THAN YAINER: C Yainer Diaz is hitting .362 (17×47) in the month of September with two homers, five RBI and a .932 OPS. Diaz has multiple hits in seven if his 12 starts this month.
STALKING 200:1B Christian Walker is currently sitting on 199 career home runs and needs just one homer to become the 35th active Major League player to reach 200 career long balls. Walker has hit 25 homers this year for his fifth consecutive 25-plus homer season (2022-26).
STARTING STRONG: In their last 13 home games, Astros starting pitchers have combined for a 2.40 ERA (17ER/63.2IP), while allowing two-or-fewer runs in 11 of those contests. Additionally, Astros starters have posted a 3.28 ERA (43ER/118IP) in their last 25 games dating back to Aug. 21.
THE LAMBO:RHP Peter Lambert has been the most consistent starter for the Astros this season, as he leads the club in wins (8), starts (26), innings pitched (145.2) and strikeouts (141). He’s allowed two-or-fewer earned runs in 18 of his 26 starts on the year and has done so in 10 of his last 13 starts.
THE FIREMAN: LHP Josh Hader has converted 26 consecutive save opportunities to open his season, which is the Astros club record. Should Hader finish the season without a blown save, he would become the seventh pitcher in MLB history to post 26-plus saves without a blown save and the first to do so since RHP Ken Giles in 2018 (26 SV).
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2019 – Many milestones are reached in the Astros 3-2 victory over the Rangers at Daikin Park. First, the win clinches a postseason berth for the Astros and gives the team 100 victories for the third consecutive season. Secondly, RHP Gerrit Cole tallies 10 strikeouts in the game to reach 300 on the season, joining RHP J.R. Richard and RHP Mike Scott as the only Astros to reach that total in strikeouts. RHP Justin Verlander would also reach 300 later that season.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, September 18, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: SCHN, SCHN2 (Spanish), Peacock (subject to blackout)
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish), ESPN Radio (subject to blackout)
The fate of the AL Central lies in the hands of David Sandlin tonight.
It may not be Thanksgiving quite yet, but I’d like to make a toast to the City of Detroit. Sure, your football franchise is irrelevant, your hockey team is a shell of what it was and the best thing about your city is the bridge to Canada, but you do have the Detroit Tigers. We would like to thank you for giving them to us for an easy win to get the White Sox back on track.
After back-to-back collapses at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians, the White Sox scored three runs in the first inning yesterday vs. Detroit, and dared the kitty cats to do something about it. Much like they have all season (and all decade, really), the Tigers laid an egg when it mattered most and the White Sox are back atop the AL Central thanks to their handy-dandy tiebreaker.
Unfortunately, thanks to their monthlong collapse, the White Sox still have work to do. There’s certainly pressure on the Guardians, but with their next series being against the Athletics at home, it’s mostly on the White Sox to keep up.
With a bullpen that is also absolutely gassed, they’ll need more length from their starters, as no team this season has gotten less out of its rotation in terms of innings load. To wit, it’s been more than a month since a starter has gone six innings, and that can’t continue for much longer.
Drew Sandlin gets the task for the White Sox Friday night, and he came close to snapping the streak his last time out, perfect into the sixth inning on Sunday at St. Louis. Despite mixed results overall during his first taste of the majors, Sandlin has crushed it all season at Triple-A and ran a streak of five minor league starts allowing more than a run just once. And his work vs. the Cardinals earlier this week was as impeccable as you’re going to get from the White Sox rotation. Hopefully the home crowd will give Sandlin some juice, and he can will his way to a strong start.
The Tigers will throw out Andrew Sears. While he may look like a high school robotics teacher, he’s seen some success at the major league level — with the operative word being, “some.” Means has started in two of his four appearances and it seems his performance comes down to the flip of a coin. In a relief appearance against Kansas City in late August, he surrendered five runs in four innings. He followed that up by blanking the Los Angeles Dodgers in his next outing.
Everything looked bright when he limited Cleveland to one run in his first career start, in just under six innings of work. Unfortunately for him, Means quickly followed that up by allowing four runs in under five innings in his next outing. His best two outings were against two good teams and his two worst outings came against two of the worst teams in baseball. The good news is that if Means shuts us down, that means we’re a good team, right?
As every game has felt for Chicago lately, expect the unexpected. There is no doubt that Chicago could blow Detroit out, but there is also zero doubt they could get ran out of the park by a guy with goggles we haven’t seen since the 1980’s NBA.
Ease your nerves with some wise words from Tom Cappello:
Here is the starting lineup for the Chicago White Sox:
Here is the starting lineup for the Detroit Tigers:
First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN Chicago 1000. Drop your predictions and thoughts down below!
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 13: Gabriel Hughes #43 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Comerica Park on September 13, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There is not much on the line at Coors Field this weekend.
The Colorado Rockies enter tonight’s series opener at 56-97, three losses away from their fourth consecutive 100-loss season. They are 4-11 in September and 7-23 over their last 30 games, turning another difficult year into an ugly finish.
The Seattle Mariners reached the ALCS last season and entered 2026 looking poised to build on it. Instead, they arrive in Denver at 71-82, six games back of first place in the AL West and even further back in the Wild Card race.
Seattle remains a much more competitive team than Colorado, but several parts of last year’s formula have slipped. The pitching has been roughly similar, the defense has been among the worst in baseball, and the offense has fallen from a 113 wRC+ in 2025 to a roughly league-average 102 this season.
The biggest drop has come from Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez. Raleigh went from 60 home runs and a 161 wRC+ last year to a 96 wRC+ this season, while Rodríguez has fallen from 126 to 102 — turning what began as another hopeful season in Seattle into something much different.
The grind continues tonight.
Rookie Gabriel Hughes will make his 13th major-league start. He remains in search of his first win and enters 0-8 with a 6.37 ERA over 59.1 innings.
Against the Yankees on Sept. 8, Hughes generated 13 whiffs and struck out six over five solid innings. Five days later, Detroit repeatedly extended at-bats and forced him to throw 70 pitches in two innings. He allowed five runs and two home runs while generating just six whiffs.
Hughes has held hitters to an 87.2 mph average exit velocity (82nd percentile), a 29.9% hard-hit rate (96th percentile) and a 5.4% barrel rate (84th percentile), while his 4.04 FIP sits well below his ERA. The larger issue has been finishing hitters.
Woo is 12-9 with a 3.88 ERA and 163 strikeouts, including a 1.93 ERA and 0.76 WHIP over his last seven starts. One six-run outing against Philadelphia accounts for most of the damage during that stretch; across the other six starts, he has allowed just three earned runs in 38 innings.
Woo works from a lower arm slot, around 24 degrees, and changes his mix by handedness. He leans on the four-seamer and slider against lefties, with a sinker and changeup mixed in, while right-handers see a heavier four-seam/sinker combination with the sweeper as his primary breaking ball.
Both fastballs sit around 96 mph, with the slider around 89 mph, the changeup around 88 mph and the sweeper dropping into the low 80s.
Woo’s whiff rate is 24.7% (48th percentile), while he has walked just 5.3% of opposing hitters (95th percentile). Still, he has allowed some firm contact — an 89.3 mph average exit velocity (31st percentile) and a 42.0% hard-hit rate (20th percentile) — and much of it has come in the air, with a 38.1% ground-ball rate (28th percentile).
That makes his first career start at Coors Field especially interesting.
TJ Rumfield and Jake McCarthy enter play fifth and sixth in the National League in batting average, with Rumfield at .301 and McCarthy at .295. Cole Carrigg has slugged .633 with three home runs over his last 30 at-bats, while Hunter Goodman, with his 38 home runs, returns to the middle of the lineup.
For most of the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have had to navigate their roster like a stout ship dashing through a storm.
Shoulders. Elbows. Backs. Necks. Knees. Hands. Biceps. Blisters. And now, with October quickly approaching, Blake Snell’s groin.
In what is turning out to be an annual occurrence, the Dodgers have spent much of their pursuit of history trying to outrun the injured list, and the numbers show just how bruised and battered baseball’s powerhouse has been.
For most of the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have had to navigate their roster like a stout ship dashing through a storm. AP Photo/Tanner Pearson
According to RotoWire’s latest MLB injury severity rankings, the Dodgers currently sit 11th among all 30 teams with a 75-point score, including 11 players on the 60-day injured list and six on the 10- or 15-day IL. RotoWire’s model assigns greater weight to long-term absences, giving five points for every 60-day IL placement and three for shorter 10- or 15-day stays.
Ironically, this is the first time the Dodgers have fallen out of the top 10 in the rankings this season. At the end of August they were 8th, and have consistently been in the top 10 throughout the year. Maybe, their slip to 11th is coming at the perfect time.
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (3) signals to the dugout against the Seattle Mariners in the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post
The Dodgers have already secured their 14th consecutive postseason appearance and clinched the NL West for the 13th time in 14 seasons. Now comes their attempt to become the first National League franchise to win three consecutive World Series championships.
That attempt will come with some of their biggest stars fighting through injuries.
Superstar Shohei Ohtani is still on the 15-day IL with lingering left knee and right biceps issues, but Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently told the California Post that Ohtani is “progressing well,” and he expects him to return before the end of the regular season.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after fouling a ball off his foot during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. Getty Images
All-Star closer Edwin Diaz has been battling several injuries throughout the season but was activated on Friday after being sidelined since Aug. 18 with neck inflammation.
All-Star center fielder Andy Pages remains on the IL with a fractured left hand, but could be activated during the Dodgers final homestand.
Tyler Glasnow is back in the starting rotation, but missed more than three months with lower back spasms before returning in late August. Snell opened the season sidelined by shoulder fatigue and underwent elbow surgery in May and didn’t return until August.
On Wednesday in Cincinnati, he lasted just one inning before left groin tightness forced him from the game. A source told the California Post the decision to remove him from the game was “precautionary,” and Snell himself said he expects to make his next start.
All-Star center fielder Andy Pages remains on the IL with a fractured left hand, but could be activated during the Dodgers final homestand. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Roki Sasaki has been sidelined since Aug. 27 with a blister on his pitching hand, and Will Smith recently returned after missing nearly three months with neck inflammation.
The Giants and Orioles are the only two teams in RotoWire’s study that have more than 100 points on their severity score due to the amount of players currently on the 60-day IL.
Currently there are 526 roster players currently on injured lists across all 30 teams.
According to Spotrac, the Dodgers have had 26 different players on the IL this season and lead the league in total days players have been on the injured list with 2,194. They trail only the New York Yankees ($91.4 million) with an estimated cash total of $83 million in players salaries on the IL this season.
The Dodgers survived six months of baseball’s version of a demolition derby and still won the West. The question now isn’t whether they were good enough to survive the regular season.
It’s whether enough of them will be healthy enough to survive October and bring home a third straight World Series title.
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 12: Starting pitcher Kumar Rocker #80 of the Texas Rangers walks to the dugout after being removed during the fifth inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 12, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 19: José Rodríguez #97 of the Los Angeles Dodgers poses for a photo during Los Angeles Dodgers Photo Day at Camelback Ranch on February 19, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There is a little bit of Jays news this afternoon:
Michael Lorenzen has been DFAed.
José Rodríguez has been called up.
Anthony Santander is playing in the outfield for the Bisons.
Andres Gimenez is dealing with a hamstring, but it is ‘feeling better’. He will be available off the bench tonight.
Trey Yesavage threw a side session in Texas.
Shane Bieber will throw a side session tomorrow.
Rodríguez came to us from the Dodgers, in trade for Sebastian Rodriguez on September first this year. Jose is a 25-year-old right-hander. He has pitched in 28 Triple-A games this year, with a 4.50 ERA. in 38 innings, he’s allowed 30 hits, 23 walks and 51 strikeouts. That’s a lot of strikeouts (and a lot of walks). He throws high 90s.
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 31: Starting pitcher Cade Povich #37 of the Baltimore Orioles delivers a pitch in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 31, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Clinging to ever-fainter AL wild card hopes, the Orioles are back in Baltimore to play the MLB-best Brewers over the penultimate weekend of the 2026 regular season. No big deal or anything, but the Orioles probably need to sweep this series, and definitely need to at most lose a single game, to hold on to that tenuous hope.
It’s not an impossible task. The Orioles have had some good baseball against good teams at times this year. They are capable of playing well. They are also fully capable of not playing well, reflected in their records against teams like the Yankees (2-8) and Red Sox (4-9). Not being competitive against two of their AL East rivals is one reason why they are where they are.
Scoreboard watching is almost entirely irrelevant. The Orioles have to win enough to get themselves to 83 wins and then see what happens. If the Orioles do win tonight, the best thing for their slim chances beyond that would be if the Guardians beat the Athletics and the White Sox lose to the Tigers. It’s better for the Orioles if the White Sox are the third wild card team rather than the Central leader because the O’s have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Chicago, which they don’t over Cleveland.
Again, though, it doesn’t matter if the Orioles don’t go 8-1. Maybe they could go 8-1 and it still wouldn’t matter! That’s the problem with how many games they’ve blown that they should have won this year, such that they now face a three game deficit with nine games to play. They have had some bad luck this year, to be sure, but mostly the players who were supposed to play well have not played well, with the exception of Pete Alonso. I like that guy.
Orioles lineup
Dylan Beavers – LF
Pete Alonso – 1B
Gunnar Henderson – SS
Coby Mayo – 3B
Samuel Basallo – C
Christian Encarnacion-Strand – DH
Colton Cowser – CF
Jeremiah Jackson – 2B
Leody Taveras – RF
Cade Povich has been recalled to make the start for the Orioles. I am on the record as a Povich disliker, chiefly because of his poor last two seasons in the majors, when he had a 5.21 ERA. Through seven games of this season, he’s done much better at a 4.05.
The Brewers are a bit worse against lefties as compared to righties, at least in terms of their team OPS. Perhaps in tonight’s game, Povich will be a good enough lefty to capitalize on that platoon advantage. That’s not to say it will be easy. Even with that weaker split as a team, the Brewers have gone 33-14 in games started by lefties. Wow! The Orioles, if you are wondering, while much better than they began the season, are 24-25 in those games.
Brewers lineup
Jackson Chourio – LF
Brice Turang – 2B
William Contreras – C
Andrew Vaughn – 1B
Christian Yelich – DH
Joey Ortiz – 3B
Garrett Mitchell – CF
Luis Lara – RF
Cooper Pratt – SS
The Brewers starting pitcher, Dustin May, began the season with the Cardinals, where he posted a disappointing 4.38 ERA (89 ERA+). Milwaukee acquired him at the trade deadline and he’s been worse for them (4.91 ERA, 85 ERA+). Orioles fans are well acquainted with the fact that this means little for how the team’s hitters will perform against a particular pitcher.
Just days after his return from a lengthy absence, Aaron Judge is once again heading to the injured list, a heavy blow for a Yankees team with great postseason aspirations that relies on the presence of their star player. Although the news broke today, Judge will be officially placed on the IL on Saturday, leaving the Yankees short a healthy player for tonight’s matchup against the Diamondbacks.
There has been a heavy cloud in Yankee land ever since Judge left Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning of an eventual 5-4 loss. Now, we know for sure that he is out for nearly the entire remainder of the season (Jon Heyman reports that he could be activated for Game 162).
According to Judge, he felt a problem in the first inning but initially decided to play through it before eventually leaving with right leg discomfort that’s been diagnosed as a calf strain. In the game, Judge struck out in both of his plate appearances before giving way to pinch-hitter Heliot Ramos, who took over in right.
Moving forward, it’s a glass-half-empty, half-full scenario; considering this injury is unrelated to his previous issue, it mostly depends on how you want to look at it. Clearly, it’s severe enough that, at the very least, the Yankees decided to err on the side of caution, removing their star hitter from the home stretch.
As far as Judge’s replacement on the roster is concerned, since the official IL placement will come on Saturday, the Yankees can’t announce who is coming up, but all expectations are that Max Schuemann will get the nod. The utility player formerly of the A’s last appeared in the bigs roughly a month ago, accumulating 87 plate appearances in 41 games off the bench for the Yankees this season with a pair of home runs.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 12: A general view of Tropicana Field prior to a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Seattle Mariners on July 12, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
⚾️ First Pitch: 7:10pm – Tropicana Park, Tampa, FL
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 12: Randy Dobnak #62 of the Kansas City Royals pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the game at Fenway Park on September 12, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the penultimate weekend of regular season baseball and the Royals’ final road series of the year. What a long, disappointing journey it’s been. I’m old enough to remember when the baseball season seemed like it would never end, and this one felt like it just started a couple of weeks ago.
Speaking of when I watched baseball as a youth… I had a habit back then of comparing the expected starting pitcher ERAs to determine who I thought was likely to win the series. If I still did that, today’s matchup of Randy Dobnak (2.73 ERA) versus Paul Skenes (3.78 ERA) would be a slam dunk for KC in my mind. Sadly, I’ve since learned better. Ignorance is bliss, y’all.
Unbelievably, Dobnak Time is still running strong after a full 13 games and 11 starts. That’s 1/3 of a season! At this point, it doesn’t seem like DT will stop before the season does. That bodes super well for the hirsute 31-year-old. Even if the Royals inexplicably didn’t bring him back in some capacity for 2027, it now seems like he could probably wrangle a big league deal out of someone instead of having to exercise an upward mobility clause just to get on the 40-man roster in a tailspin.
Paul Skenes is having the worst season of his young career, and he still figures to be worth nearly 5 fWAR. If only we could all have such lackluster seasons. He’s had a couple of good starts in a row, but before that he got shelled by the lowly San Francisco Giants. A team I’ve been assured has little to no offensive capabilities. So maybe the Royals have a shot. Either way, this will be Skenes first ever appearance against the Royals. They managed to just dance around him each of the past two seasons, but the time has come for them to face the music.
Lineups
Jac Caglianone, who doesn’t have a hit after missing time with the most recent arm injury, gets the day off. But Maikel Garcia will play for the second straight day. John Rave and Nick Loftin will man the corners.
To be entirely honest, the Pirates only have like three hitters who scare me. And I haven’t even heard of a couple of them. But that doesn’t mean tonight’s game will be easy.
Aug 30, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zac Thornton (49) pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS Juan Soto – LF Bo Bichette – 3B Carson Benge – RF Mark Vientos – DH A.J. Ewing – CF Marcus Semien – 2B Brett Baty – 1B Luis Torrens – C
SP: Zac Thornton – LHP
Phillies lineup
Kyle Schwarber – DH Trea Turner – SS Bryce Harper – RF Luis Arraez – 2B Alec Bohm – 1B Edmundo Sosa – LF Bryson Stott – 3B J.T. Realmuto – C Derek Hill – CF
SP: Jose Urquidy – RHP
Broadcast Info
First pitch: 7:15 PM EDT TV: Apple TV+ Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
