Category: MLB

Home sweet home. The Cubs returned home and the offense produced 12 runs. Another blowout win. Another double digit run scoring game. The Cubs did what they do best. They were patient. They moved the line. They all contributed. WPA is a fickle friend. It’s a hard curve that anyone ended up with a negative score. That’s the cruel fate of early results when the game gets lopsided quickly. Over the course of nine innings, every Cub with more than one plate appearance contributed as did every pitcher who threw an inning. My friend always used to say someone had to make the outs.

I’m throwing in my proverbial white towel. We enter this last “block” of games, a tortured grouping as the two off days in the middle make it not terribly blocky. It starts with a resounding win. Many times after a game like this, I’ve noted the lack of utility of such a game. My thoughts don’t change. The Cubs aren’t more ready to win games in October because of a game like this. But, that reality has already been served. This team isn’t going to be “ready” for the postseason.

I still don’t think that means they are an automatic out. The team has playoff experience. It has a ton of talent. It has confidence. It has its league’s best player. For this year, at least. It has a chance. But it’s shortstop will surely be playing himself back into game shape and competitive groove. And he wasn’t having a great season in the first place. Its starting pitching is good, not great. Its bullpen is in disarray and there isn’t enough runway to sort out roles or get confidence back.

This organization certainly didn’t set out to be a team that tries to just flip the switch come October. The Dodgers certainly have all the looks of a team that turned it on when the calendar got to September. I expect the Yankees to follow suit. It shouldn’t be surprising to those of us who have followed the “inclusive postseason” team sports. It shouldn’t surprise that there is a growing amount of “get there at the end.” We’ve watched teams across all of the other major sports tread water and then turn it on at the end. It won’t really be noticed with the Dodgers. But that’s a team whose talent level is probably at about 115 wins that is going to win around 100. Heck, it’s very possibly too little, too late, but the Blue Jays are making a late playoff push. The Astros, the Guardians and the Padres have all made some level of late push. All of these teams have a ton of October experience.

The Cubs don’t belong in that group. They made it last year and they won a series. But it hasn’t been a storied history of late. That mini rebuild took some time and had some near misses. But injuries have crushed this team. Relying on too many pitchers with injury history or not, this team has suffered a staggering number of injuries. You had to figure it was coming on some level after last year’s team was pretty generally healthy. This team has been pretty generally not.

This team is going to trust fall into the postseason. There are no pillars, no crutches to lean on. I mean not “no” things to lean on. Their defense is at least in the conversation for historically great. Their center fielder is a superstar having a storybook season. There is a lot of experience and lot of talent. In Alex Bregman, Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes, they added to a locker room that already had Dansby Swanson with significant postseason experiences. Daniel Palencia had the amazing opportunity to close out the WBC. When the brightest lights shine, they’re going to roll out there. They probably aren’t going to be favorites. Craig Counsell is going to look at them. He’s going to ask them to just try to win one inning at a time. Don’t look ahead. Don’t focus about who’s going to throw the last inning, take the last at bat. Look to who is going to get the ball now. Whose turn it is to move the line.

Execute. Be the player you can be. Be the team you can be. It ain’t over until it’s over.

Three Positives:

• It’s always good when I could list the whole team. It starts with Shōta Imanaga. He had a rough first inning, allowing a triple among three hits. He was bailed out by his catcher on a caught stealing. Then he settled down and allowed two over six. Somehow the worst start he’s ever made versus the Pirates.
• Fellow countryman Seiya Suzuki had three hits, one a triple, and scored three runs.
• Michael Busch had a single, double, sacrifice fly and drove in three runs. He also scored two.
• Yep. I’m cheating. Alex Bregman had three hits, needing only a triple for the cycle. He drove in two and scored two.

Game 148, September 11: Cubs 12, Pirates 2 (82-66)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Carson Kelly (.194). 2-3, 2B, HBP, 2 RBI, R
• Hero: Nico Hoerner (.093). 2-5, 2B, RBI
• Sidekick: Shōta Imanaga (.092). 6 IP, 2 R, 4 K

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Pedro Ramirez (-.057). 1-4, 2B, 2 R
• Goat: Pete Crow-Armstrong (-.033). 1-4, BB, RBI, R
• Kid: Michael Conforto (-.028). 1-3, SF, RBI

WPA Play of the Game: Carson Kelly’s two-run double with two outs in the second gave the Cubs a two run lead. That’s a lot of twos. (.192)

Pirates Play of the Game: Konnor Griffin’s triple leading off the game. (.091)

Note: 23 of 79 WPA events in this game were worth .000.

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 147 Winner: Michael Conforto 27 of 36 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Alex Bregman +27
• Pete Crow-Armstrong +24.5
• Michael Conforto +17
• Carson Kelly +16.5
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Seiya Suzuki -15
• Nico Hoerner -15
• Dansby Swanson -17
• Caleb Thielbar -18.5

Scoreboard Watching: Diamondbacks win (Cubs up 3). Padres win (Cubs up 2.5). Phillies lost (Tied and Cubs hold tiebreaker).

Up Next: Game two of the three-game set. Clay Holmes (6-7, 2.83) starts for the Cubs. Holmes is 2-3 with a 3.51 as a Cub. He’s coming off of his worst start as a Cub, allowing eight runs over four innings to the Marlins. Small sample size alert, but he’s allowed one run in 18 innings of work at home at Wrigley.

Paul Skenes is just 10-11 with a 3.83. Those numbers aren’t awful, but a real step down for him. It’s worse than that if we go back over his last 15 starts. In that span he is 4-6 with a 4.78. In two starts against the Cubs, he is 0-2 and has allowed eight runs (six earned) in 10.2 innings of work. He was quite good in his last start, shutting the Angels out for 5.1 innings and picking up a win. He only made four starts in August and hasn’t thrown 100 pitches since July. Don’t be surprised if he is on a short leash.

Sadly, the minor league season is winding to a close with only Springfield and Memphis still playing. I thought now would be a good time to check out how last year’s draft class fared in their first professional season. 

First Round (5th overall) – Liam Doyle, LHP

Doyle started the season slow, but ended up with a very solid stat line to finish out his first full season. Remember, the Texas League is an extremely hitter-friendly environment with a league ERA of 5.03. His K% of 30% was excellent (league average 24.3%) and his BB% of 12.5% was slightly elevated (league average 11.3%). It may not have been the year that some hoped for from Doyle, but he stayed healthy and got better as the season progressed. Over his final eight starts, Doyle had a 1.50 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 42 innings against just 16 walks and one home run allowed. 

Doyle was tasked with developing his secondary pitches this year to supplement his electric fastball, so if you buy into the narrative that his slow start was a product of reworking his repertoire, you can come out of 2026 feeling like Doyle’s campaign was a massive success. If you prefer the negative interpretation, you can see an overall stat line that is good rather than great with the high-effort delivery and elevated walk rate leaving the relief risk still a very real concern. 

Here is how Doyle stacks up against the next two pitchers drafted.

Seth Hernandez got off to an excellent start across 74 innings in his debut season. As a high schooler, Hernandez was probably not a real consideration for the Cardinals, but if he keeps up his current trajectory, this could turn into a painful miss that we look back on for a long time.

Many people were surprised that the Cardinals took Doyle over Jamie Arnold. At the time of the draft, Arnold was seen as one of the higher-floor pitching prospects available. He also put up a solid debut season, but still looks like a pitchability back-of-the-rotation arm without Doyle’s upside. 

Second Round (55th overall) – Ryan Mitchell, OF

Mitchell had an odd debut season. Drafted out of high school, he was seen as one of the more polished prep bats available. While his excellent plate approach and feel for the barrel showed up, he struggled mightily to make contact. On the positive side, he played all year as a 19-year-old at Palm Beach and carried a solid 112 wRC+. On the negative side, he carried an alarming 33.1% strikeout rate. While he did manage to hit 13 home runs, his ISO was only .135 and his exit velocity metrics were below average. 

To put Mitchell’s season into perspective, here is how he stacks up against the next two high school bats taken in the draft.

Becker was an even bigger over-slot signing than Mitchell and played more than half of the season in the Complex League before struggling to a 65 wRC+ in his 29 Low-A games. Moss had a solid season but did not show much in the way of power. Mitchell will clearly need to show a ton of development in either the power or contact portions of his game, but he did enough to stay on the prospect radar in his first season. 

Competitive Balance B (72nd overall) – Tanner Franklin, RHP

After being drafted, Franklin quickly became one of the most hyped prospects in the system thanks to his 70-grade fastball and the knowledge that the Cardinals would try him out as a starting pitcher. He more than lived up to the hype in his first full season. Franklin ramped his innings up from 38.2 at Tennessee to 105 while advancing all the way to Double-A Springfield. 

Even with the innings increase, Franklin seemed to maintain his velocity as the season progressed and was still hitting triple digits in his Springfield debut. I assume he will start next season back in Springfield, but at his current trajectory, he could factor into the St. Louis pitching plans sometime in 2027. 

Third Round (89th overall) – Jack Gurevitch, 1B/3B

Gurevitch has had an excellent first pro season as well. His 30 home runs rank 23rd in the minors. He torched Palm Beach for 28 games, putting up an absurd 109.9 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity and maxing out at 115 mph. After being promoted to Peoria, he kept the party going with 17 home runs in 59 games. In Springfield, he has finally encountered some resistance with a strikeout rate of 40% and a wRC+ of 79.

It is a super volatile profile for Gurevitch. He will be limited to a corner infield position, and according to scouting reports, third base may be a stretch. Still, he has some of the best raw power in the minor leagues, so if he can keep his contact rates up, he has middle-of-the-order upside. All things considered, Gurevitch has increased his prospect stock significantly with his showing this year. 

Fourth Round (120th overall) – Cade Crossland, LHP

The Cardinals went $100K over-slot to grab Crossland in the fourth round. He obviously struggled with command as evidenced by his 16.5% walk rate, but he did cut it to 12.1% after being promoted to High-A Peoria. Crossland topped out at 98 mph in college, so there is hope he has more in the tank from a velocity standpoint, but he averaged only 92.1 mph during his time at Palm Beach. Crossland’s changeup is his calling card as he averaged 19.3 inches of armside movement with the pitch and used it as his primary strikeout weapon. For perspective, this would rank second in the MLB behind Devin Williams’ 20.7 inches. 

Crossland will surely be given a chance to continue starting next year, but with an outlier secondary pitch, he could be an interesting bullpen option down the road. 

Fifth Round (150th overall) – Ethan Young, RHP

The Cardinals again went over-slot in the fifth round to bring Young into the mix. Like Franklin, he was a reliever in college who the Cardinals planned to try out as a starter. Young gets an incomplete grade as he was limited to just ten starts because of injury. He did make it back for two starts to finish the year, so he should be healthy heading into 2027. Despite the inflated 7.26 ERA, the underlying metrics looked good with a 35.3% strikeout rate against an 11.3% walk rate. 

Young was the last of the big bonus prospects in the draft, so I won’t spend as much time going through the remaining picks. 

Other Pitchers

The Cardinals targeted interesting fastballs later in the draft with less focus on command or polish than in years past. While none of these pitchers set the world on fire, there could still be some interesting stuff to work with. 

Payton Graham (RHP) made his return from Tommy John surgery, which has to be seen as a positive. He flashed a plus fastball with 19 inches of induced vertical break and topped out at 97.4 mph. Ty Van Dyke (RHP) got some attention early in the season by posting a 1.64 ERA at Palm Beach across his first seven starts, but had more pedestrian numbers upon his promotion to Peoria. Jake Shelagowski (RHP) was the Cardinals’ annual prospect no one had heard of on draft day out of Division II Saginaw Valley State. He posted solid numbers and popped 98.7 mph on the gun before his season was cut short by an injury in June. Dylan Driessen (RHP) averaged over 20 inches of induced vertical break on his fastball and topped out at 98.7 mph. He pitched exclusively out of the bullpen, but could be an interesting name to watch if he can get the walks under control. 

Other Hitters

On the hitting side, none of the late-round picks broke out in the way that Deniel Ortiz did from the 2024 draft. There might be a utility player in this group, but the early returns are a bit boring.

Outfielder Matthew Miura posted elite Chase and Whiff rates but did not show any power in his debut. Miura is a good defender and runner capable of handling center, so there might be some upside here, but a fourth or fifth outfielder track looks most likely. Jalin Flores skipped straight to High-A. He played all over the infield and seems capable of handling short, so he could carve out a future as a utility infielder. 

Overall, I think you have to be happy with the class’s performance. Tanner Franklin and Jack Gurevitch both had legitimate breakout seasons. Liam Doyle stayed healthy and showed positive momentum. Cade Crossland also finished strong and could be ready for Double-A in his second season. Of the high-bonus crew, only Ryan Mitchell and Ethan Young had disappointing seasons, but neither struggled in a way that should cause them to be written off completely. This has been one of the most encouraging minor league seasons in recent memory for the Cardinals, and the 2025 draft class was a big part of the success. 

Maureen Mullen at MLB writes that Jac Caglianone took some BP on Friday.

Jac Caglianone took on-field batting practice before Friday’s series opener against the Red Sox at Fenway Park for the first time since suffering a Grade 1 flexor strain in his left elbow in Saturday’s loss to the Blue Jays.

Before taking a regular rotation with the last hitting group, Caglianone also hit in the indoor batting cage and shagged balls in right field.

While manager Matt Quatraro could not say whether or not Caglianone would be available to pinch-hit Friday, he was encouraged by the progression of his right fielder.

Rex Hudler is done with his Royals broadcasts this year, writes Pete Grathoff.

David Lesky looks at potential Rule 5 decisions the Royals may need to make this offseason, such as what to do with Gavin Cross.

We all know much more about Cross. He was picked ninth overall in that same 2022 draft and just reached Omaha for the first time this season. It was a combination of injuries and poor play, though it’s fair to wonder if one informed the other. He didn’t have his first multi-hit game until May 10, but eventually made an adjustment to add a toe tap to his swing. Even though he’s hitless in his last two games, he’s hitting .291/.338/.563 since the start of June with 16 home runs and 13 doubles. He came back from another injury on August 26 and has 25 strikeouts in 52 plate appearances since then, but before the injury had a 43-game stretch where he was hitting .337/.390/.639.

I don’t know if he’s figured out how to hit or not. I do know he’s a solid defender in a corner and can probably cosplay as a center fielder for a game or two still. Guys like Cross don’t get picked a ton because the strikeouts are probably concerning, but he has real power, and I think he’d probably get picked if there is a draft. My question is if the Royals would rather simply use him as part of a trade before that and not worry about it, but I can’t predict the future, so I’m very much on the fence if I’d add him. I think I would, but I go back and forth.

Dayn Perry at CBS Sports looks at which managers could be on the hot seat, such as Matt Quatraro.

He’s probably fine because his contract runs through 2029. That said, the Royals are in last place and will have a losing record for the second straight year under Quatraro. He needs to rebound in 2027, but he’ll likely keep his job for now. 

Job status: Probably safe

The Royals hosted a 9/11 stair climb that draws over a hundred first responders and veterans.

Pete Crow-Armstrong is not slowing down.

The players that leveled up and made huge impacts this year for their teams.

The Blue Jays call up former Royals farmhand Rudy Martin Jr. to make his MLB debut and designate Jesus Sanchez for assignment.

Byron Buxton is out for the year following hip surgery.

Joe Posnanski asks what happened to the .300 hitter?

Which players have opt outs this offseason?

The Rays put in a claim on outfielder Luis Robert Jr. when he was on waivers.

MLB premieres a new documentary about the Mets taking the field following 9/11.

How a Michael Cuddyer home run kept a teammate off American Airlines Flight 11 on 9/11.

The NHL has some work to do if they want to give Texas another team.

The new Chiefs stadium will not be named Arrowhead.

Election officials ban certain public workers from trading on prediction markets ahead of midterms elections.

Harrison Ford will not be in Blade Runner 2099.

A handful of people have an unlimited pasta pass to Olive Garden.

Your song of the day is Fleetwood Mac with Tusk.

The Dodgers on Friday called up phenom Josue De Paula, their top prospect, and placed Shohei Ohtani on the 15-day injured list. Those were the expected moves, and took care of the active-roster component. But to make room on the 40-man roster for De Paula, the Dodgers transferred left-hander Eric Lauer to the 60-day injured list.

Lauer had been on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation since September 2, one day after allowing seven runs in three innings in his worst start since joining the Dodgers. Moving him to the 60-day injured list means Lauer won’t be eligible to pitch in the postseason. His 2026 campaign has concluded.

The 31-year-old left-hander was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on May 17 after Lauer was designated for assignment by Toronto, with the Jays paying all but $600,000 of his remaining $3.1 million salary the rest of the way. The Dodgers won each of Lauer’s first nine appearances with the team, a stretch in which he did not allow more than three runs in any outing.

Lauer had two blow-up starts — six runs in four innings on August 5 at Wrigley Field, September 1 at home vs. Cardinals — but mostly did everything that was asked of him, lasting at least six innings in seven of his 13 outings, including 11 starts. In all, Lauer had a 4.50 ERA and 4.48 xERA in 72 innings with the Dodgers. Combining his numbers with the Blue Jays, Lauer on the season had a 5.23 ERA and 5.03 xERA in 22 games, including 18 starts, with 72 strikeouts and 35 walks in 108 1/3 innings, with 26 home runs allowed.

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Ohtani was officially placed on the injured list with right biceps inflammation, which is what manager Dave Roberts mentioned Ohtani aggravated on a swing in Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, the only one of an eight-game stretch in which Ohtani played.

The IL stint was backdated to Tuesday, which means Ohtani can be activated as early as Wednesday, September 23. That would leave five regular season games remaining for Ohtani to dial back in to get ready for the postseason.

By the end of the third inning, Friday’s game against the Padres didn’t seem to promise much of a contest. The tally: 7-1 in favor of the visiting San Diegans after a barrage of extra basehits and two-out knocks. A

nthony Molina, who looked somewhat sharp in the 1st with two strikeouts with his four-seam, ran out of ideas in the 2nd and 3rd. He pressed hard on that fastball and the Padres bats welcomed it. Jackson Merrill bounced an outside fastball over the wall for a ground-rule double to start the 2nd. Molina retired the next two hitters he faced but couldn’t find a way out of the frame cleanly. Dustin Harris deflected another elevated fastball to score Merrill. Freddy Fermin punched another 340 feet, easily scoring Harris from first.

Molina tried to adapt, shifting off his primary weapon his second time through the San Diego order, but nothing worked. Jake Cronenworth set the tone in the 3rd with a feisty 8-pitch scuffle that ended with a 107 MPH single off a change-up. Luis Campusano plated him by punishing a hanging slider. That double would be the first of four RBI extra base knocks in the inning. Seven Padres reached, five scored in all. Molina became less as a road-block and more as a facilitator, the operator of a fast food drive-thru, the In-N-Out at Tejon Ranch, taking each hitter’s order, efficiently moving the high-volume of customers from window to window before sending them on their way with exactly what they asked for.

As Molina’s fortunes plummeted, San Diego starter, Robbie Ray, making his first start against the Giants since his trade, steadied himself after a prolonged 1st inning.

After a run came in on a Bryce Eldridge single, the veteran lefty recorded two outs to strand two runners in the 1st, then cruised through the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th allowing just one walk.

If Molina was an In-N-Out employee, Ray worked at Del Taco. Any customers venturing into the drive-thru sat there waiting in lonely limbo. Cracks and discolorations obscured half the menu. No disembodied voice came from the speaker. At the first window, tinted glass, firmly shut. At the second window, orders were botched. You wanted a Crunchtada Tostada? Here’s an All-American Burgertaco instead. Harassed, harangued, or ignored — with Ray in charge any hope a Giant had of completing the trek through the drive-thru was abandoned. 

This performance was a much-needed step up, because Padre Ray has been a bit of a mixed bag. He posted a somewhat solid 3.42 ERA over his first 5 starts, though that’s a far cry from the dominant numbers he logged that raised his trade-value in the previous two months as a Giant. Bad habits have resurfaced. Fatigue has reared its head. Over 26.1 innings in August, he walked 16 batters and only struck out 19. His last start against the Yankees was his shortest of the season, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks over 2.1 innings pitched. 

So allowing one run on two hits over four innings was certainly some much needed sunshine for the southern California transplant. But those good vibes proved brief. Ray treated his old home crowd to a familiar sight in the 5th. A vintage Ray de-railing thanks to a couple of walks and a long-ball. Nice to be on the other end of one of those.  

A lead-off double by Andrew Knizner was followed up with back-to-back walks to Andrew Koss and Jonah Cox, loading the bases before the hottest hitter on the planet, Rafael Devers. Ray tried pitching him backwards. He started him off with a slider, low and away, for a called strike. The next pitch, in retrospect, was probably a palate cleanser. A distraction, a throw-away, a joke to set up something elevated and hard — but Devers ended up having the last laugh. The knuckle-curve lazily rolled out of Ray’s hands as it always does. It came in slow and low and much easier to track than the slider. Devers, as he has shown before, is an excellent golfer: Head down, eyes down, bat as driver, teeing off the plate. 

The grand slam changed the feeling of the game if not the eventual outcome. Molina still got the “L,” and Ray, who saw his way through the 5th, held onto the win. What looked to be a blow-out became a tense affair, requiring SD closer Mason Miller to survive some nervy moments to record his 35th save. Yunor Marte took the mound for Molina in the 4th and tossed five shutout frames. He stranded two runners in the 5th, worked around a bad pickoff throw in the 6th, as well as a lead-off triple by Fernando Tatis Jr. in the 8th  to keep the Giants offense within striking distance. 

And they had their chances too. Eldridge led off the 8th with a double but, mirroring Tatis, couldn’t get beyond third base. In the 9th, all with two outs, the Giants put the tying run on base and in scoring position against Miller. Tension ratcheted up when Jonah Cox reached on a bunt single, pushing Nate Furman to second, bringing Devers up as the winning run. The collision of power arm vs. power bat didn’t culminate in any explosive finality though, Devers worked a walk, passing the baton to the kid. Echoes of Wednesday’s comeback against St. Louis could be heard as Eldridge gained early count leverage with a 2-0 count. Visions of well-placed slap singles played in front of our eyes. Fans felt the warm spirit of Wilmer Flores descend, recalling his walk-off walk against Miller two seasons ago. As good as Miller has been, as bad as this Giants team has been, hope remained in its seats. 

But Miller found his way back into the at-bat with an elevated slider that clipped the top of the zone upon review. A tough break that seemed to completely change the dynamics of the confrontation. Eldridge seemed to shift onto his heels. Looking fastball, he chased at a terrible pitch well inside and down to even the count. He fought off the third consecutive slider at the bottom of the zone, and perhaps expecting a fourth, watched as a 102.8 MPH fastball zipped over the plate.

Just a devastatingly perfect pitch for strike three, for the 27th out, to squash a potential comeback, to end the game. 

Meet the Mets

The Mets and Yankees took the field last night on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The Bombers ended up getting the better of the Amazins, as Nolan McLean surrendered five runs in five innings en route to a 6-4 loss.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, NY Post, Daily News, North Jersey, MLB.com

The Mets made a swap in their bullpen, with Jack Weisenburger returning to the majors from Syracuse and Chris Devenski getting optioned.

Yesterday brought a lot of reflection on the aftermath of the attacks—including Mike Piazza’s famous home run in the first game back in New York.

Andy Green has educated many of his younger players on the impact of 9/11.

While Brett Baty sat last night following an injury scare with his knee earlier in the week, he was reportedly available off the bench.

Zac Thornton is hoping to play spoiler against the Yankees this weekend.

Around the National League East

The Braves and Phillies began a crucial three-game series last night, and Atlanta won in dramatic fashion by coming back from one-run deficits in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh innings—finally winning on a walk-off double from Drake Baldwin.

As if losing in heartbreaking fashion wasn’t bad enough, the Phillies also announced that Jesús Luzardo is being scratched from his scheduled start today due to left shoulder stiffness.

The Marlins continued their rough stretch with a 6-2 loss to the Dodgers.

The Nationals staged a late-inning comeback to defeat the Angels 4-3 and snap a seven-game losing streak.

Around Major League Baseball

Two teams punched their ticket into the postseason last night, with the Brewers clinching a spot in October for the eighth time in nine years and a walk-off homer securing the Rays’ first trip to the playoffs since 2023.

The Padres won their fifth straight game as they continue to fight for a wild card spot.

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki could keep his job beyond this year despite being on an expiring contract and the Angels being the Angels.

Byron Buxton’s season is over, as the Twins outfielder is undergoing hip surgery.

The Cubs are hoping that Dansby Swanson will return from his oblique injury next week.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Vasilis Drimalitis previewed round two of the 2026 Subway Series.

Joe Sokolowski provided the latest installment of This Week in Mets Quotes.

This Date in Mets History

Shea Stadium may have been the Mets’ stadium, but the New York Jets also called it home, and they played their first game there on this date in 1964.

Before he was a star for the Yankees, Charlie Keller was a small-town boy on a Maryland farm. In a truly poetic life journey, that is exactly the life that he would return to after playing 13 years in the major leagues, with a gap year in there to serve as a merchant marine.

Charles Ernest Keller
Born: September 12, 1916 (Middletown, MD)
Died: May 23, 1990 (Frederick, MD)
Yankees Tenure: 1939-1943, 1945-1949, 1952

Keller came of age working on the family farm and eventually became a standout athlete at Middletown High School, just a bit outside Frederick, Maryland. While at Middletown, Keller was a state champion in track while playing baseball, basketball, and soccer. With the book smarts to match his athletic ability, Keller went to the University of Maryland on scholarship. While in undergrad, Keller played both basketball and baseball at the varsity level, gradually turning into one of the greatest Terps to ever grace the diamond.

Baseball became the sport that the right-hand-throwing and lefty-swinging Keller would come to dominate. After an impressive showing both in school and during a semi-professional league, Yankees scout Gene McCann signed Keller to a contract just before the start of the 1937 season.

At 20 years old, Keller’s professional journey officially began as a member of the Newark Bears. Upon reporting to spring training, the Yankees informed Keller they planned to play him in right field, a new position. The Yankees also spent the 1937 season trying to get the stout lefty to focus on pulling the baseball. In his first taste of pro ball, Keller slashed .353/.431/.541 with 13 home runs, 14 triples, and 34 doubles. Keller ditched the pull approach ahead of the 1938 season and went on to win the batting title with a .353 average while also leading the league in runs and hits. For his efforts, he was named both the International League Rookie of the Year and Minor League Player of the Year of 1938.

Skipper Joe McCarthy and the Yankees gave Keller his first taste of pro ball in 1939. After missing the start of the season due to injury, the rookie, who was now primarily playing left field, finally made his debut at the end of April. The rookie struggled to find playing time over the first few months of the summer, but starting in August, the kid caught fire and would force his way into the lineup through the end of the regular season and into the Fall Classic.

New York swept the Cincinnati Reds in the 1939 World Series as Keller had a team-high .438 average, to go along with three home runs and six RBIs. The rookie’s triple in the ninth inning of Game 1 (as seen below) led to a walk-off hit by Bill Dickey and set the tone for the series. In the Game 4 clincher, he came around to score in the 10th inning on a chaotic play started by a Joe DiMaggio hit. An E9 enabled Keller to come home, and as he did so, he collided with Reds catcher Ernie Lombardi. The dazed Lombardi was slow to come to his senses and by the time he’d done so, DiMaggio had scored himself. The sweep was completed shortly afterward.

The 1940 season was the start of a legendary run for Keller. He was an All-Star in 1940, leading the league in base on balls while batting .286 with 21 home runs. The Yankees would miss the playoffs that season after finishing 88-66 and third in the American League.

Keller had one of, if not his best, seasons in 1941. He hit .298 and posted career highs in home runs with 33 big flies and 122 RBIs. Keller finished fifth in the MVP vote and was an All-Star for the second time. The Yankees found themselves back in the World Series and Keller impressed again, batting .389 while driving in five runs and scoring another five himself. In the most memorable highlight from that series, Yankees batter Tommy Henrich and Brooklyn catcher Mickey Owen both missed a wicked pitch from Hugh Casey, and what would have been a strikeout for the end of a series-tying Dodgers win in Game 4 instead continued with Henrich on first. DiMaggio singled and Keller became the one to really twist the screws with a two-run double that put the Yankees ahead, 5-4.

Both the Yankees and Keller had a bit of a disappointing year, for their standards, in 1942. Keller posted a .292/.417/.513 slash line behind 26 home runs and a career-high 14 stolen bases. The Yankees made the World Series but lost to the Cardinals 4-1; Keller was held to four hits in five games, though two were homers.

The 1943 campaign saw Keller get his third All-Star selection as he led the league in base on balls again and OPS with a .922 and OPS+ of 168. The Yankees again found themselves facing the red bird of St. Louis in the World Series. This time, the Yankees prevailed in five games, giving Keller his third ring in five seasons.

Then, in January of 1944, everything changed for Keller as he was commissioned into the U.S. Maritime Service. Keller would serve in the Pacific for the next 20 months. In August of 1945, Keller returned to the Yankees for the final stretch of the season. Despite still having his sea legs under him, Keller hit .301 with 10 home runs in 44 games as the Yankees finished third in the league.

The 1946 Yankees also finished in third place and missed the playoffs, but Keller returned to his pre-war form and was again an All-Star. On the season, Keller launched 30 home runs, driving in 101, and drawing 113 base on balls to give him his fifth career season to exceed 100+ walks.

Keller was still in top form for the first third of the 1947 season. Entering June, he was leading the league in several offensive categories and would earn his fifth All-Star selection in just a few weeks. Little did anyone know, but a small tweak of his back while taking a swing forever changed his career. Keller ended up having surgery to remove a slipped disk in July. Keller missed the rest of the season and had to watch from the dugout as his teammates took down the Dodgers in seven games to win the 1947 World Series.

The legendary swing from King Kong Keller was never the same. Despite trying to work his way back into form, Keller struggled in 1948 and 1949. Over those two campaigns, he slashed .262/.378/.405 with only 9 home runs in 143 games. The man once a lock for 600 at-bats and 100 walks was no more. In another bittersweet moment, Keller watched his teammates win the 1949 World Series.

As a Yankee, Keller finished his career with a slash line of .286/.410/.518 with an OPS of .928 and a WAR of 42.3 in 1066 games. His .410 career OBP ranks him top 5 all-time in Yankees franchise history. Keller also averaged roughly three walks for every two strikeouts, which is crazy for a slugger like him.

The Tigers signed Keller after the Yankees released him in 1949. Keller spent the 1950 and 1951 seasons mostly appearing as a pinch-hitter for the Tigers. In limited action over those two years, Keller hit .283 with five home runs. The Yankees brought Keller home for the 1952 season. However, after only one at-bat in 1952, the Yankees released Keller and his playing career was over.

After his playing days ended, Keller returned to Maryland and started Yankeeland Farm. He remained on the farm for the remainder of his days except for when the Yankees asked him to don the pinstripes again as a coach during the 1957 season. Keller stuck with the team under Casey Stengel through the end of the 1959 season. While he served as the team’s first base coach, the team lost the 1957 World Series but get revenge and win the 1958 World Series in a rematch with the Milwaukee Braves. That ring gave Keller his sixth as a Yankee.

Though it was cut short, Keller’s peak was one remarkable run. Three modern players who can help put his career into perspective, according to Baseball Reference’s Similar Batters, are Juan Soto, Josh Hamilton, and Cody Bellinger. Another comparison is Bryce Harper as the athletic, converted catcher, super-slugging lefty. In an organization with some of the greatest of all time, Keller might truly be the greatest what-if in pinstripe history.

Happy birthday, Charlie!

---

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Robbie Ray made his return to Oracle Park for the first time since being traded from the San Francisco Giants to the San Diego Padres at the Trade Deadline. He nearly squandered a 7-1 lead, but did just enough to limit the Giants and lead the Padres to a 7-5 win on Friday.

Ray had his typical outing where he issued hits and walks, but as has been the case since arriving in San Diego, he was unable to limit the damage. He allowed a first inning run but San Diego responded with two runs in the top of the second and five runs in the top of the third to give him a 7-1 lead. Ray worked through the bottom of the third and the bottom of the fourth without much issue, but found big trouble in the bottom of the fifth.

The right-gander allowed a leadoff double to Andrew Knizner and then issued back-to-back walks to Christian Koss and Jonah Cox. Rafael Devers came to the plate with the bases loaded and nobody out and golfed on 0-1 knuckle curve over the right field wall to get the Giants back in the game with a grand slam to make the score 7-5. Ray bounced back to get the next three batters and completed his outing with five runs allowed on four hits through five innings. He issued four walks and had five strikeouts.

It was another disappointing outing for Ray in a Padres uniform. It followed his last outing against the New York Yankees where he lasted just 2.1 innings and allowed five runs on five hits. He also issued four walks in that game. Ray has now made seven starts for San Diego and has a record of 2-2 with a 5.35 ERA. He has allowed 29 hits but has alarmingly allowed 24 walks in 33.2 innings pitched. Ray also has accumulated 25 strikeouts over that time. Those are not the numbers San Diego or the Friar Faithful were hoping to see from the deadline acquisition, but the offense gave him just enough room to survive his return to his former home field.

Jackson Merrill was a big part of the Padres offense once again. He finished 3-for-5 at the plate with a double and two runs scored. Dustin Harris had his best offensive night as a Padre. He finished 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, two runs scored and two RBI. Freddy Fermin also chipped in with a two-hit game with two RBI.

San Diego will look to win the series and keep their playoff position when they play the second game of the series against San Francisco today at 1:05 p.m.

Padres News:

• San Diego had a big week with a bigger home stand that allowed them to climb back into playoff position.

• The El Paso Chihuahuas and San Antonio Missions both suffered losses.

• Mason McCoy returned to the big league roster with Ty France landing on the Paternity List.

Baseball News:

• The Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays each clinched playoff berths with wins on Friday.

• The Atlanta Braves rallied to get a win in extra-innings.

• The Arizona Diamondbacks got a blowout win over the Texas Rangers.

• Kyle Tucker led the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-2 win over the Miami Marlins.

• The AL Central playoff race got tighter with the Chicago White Sox dropping their fourth game in a row.

The Detroit Tigers won their second game in a row for the first time since early August with a 6-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Comerica Park on Friday night. Riley Greene’s 3-for-4 performance fueled the good guys on offense and dodged danger on several occasions for a quality start while earning his 10th win of the 2026 campaign.

On Saturday afternoon, left-hander Andrew Sears will try to make it three in a row while clinching the team’s second straight series win. The 24-year-old put up a fine performance last time out, tossing 5 1/3 frames of one-run ball against the Guardians in Cleveland on four hits and two walks while striking out four and hitting a batter for a no-decision in an eventual 4-3 loss in extras.

For the Rockies, right-hander Tanner Gordon will make his 10th start of the 2026 campaign, having bounced back and forth between a starting and relieving role this summer. Over the 28-year-old’s last four appearances — all starts — he has posted a 3.63 ERA and a 3.96 FIP, but gave up five runs in two of those games and just one run in the other two.

Gordon allowed 18 hits (two home runs) and three walks while striking out 10 across 17 1/3 innings over that stretch, plus a balk. Will the Tigers see the good or bad version of the former sixth-round pick? Find out on Saturday afternoon.

Detroit Tigers (68-79) vs. Colorado Rockies (55-92)

Time (ET): 1:10 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Purple Row
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 148: LHP Andrew Sears (0-1, 4.38 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Gordon (1-4, 5.40 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Sears	3	12.1	15.7	5.9	25.6	3.83	0.2
Gordon	21	93.1	18.7	4.2	34.6	4.45	0.7

SEARS

GORDON

Once the Red Sox lost the final game of the four game set at Yankee Stadium in late August, the team found themselves in a strange state of affairs. Four games behind the Yankees (five if you include the tiebreaker), they pivoted to getting healthy for October. The team is without six significant players who should be available for the postseason: Willson Contreras, Ceddanne Rafaela, Curtis Mead, Tyron Guerrero, Justin Slaten, and Garrett Crochet.

In the meantime, all of September feels like a second Spring Training. Losing two of three against the Mariners and Angels, and the first game against the Royals, all of which are at home, feels a bit anticlimactic after witnessing separate win streaks of fifteen and nine games in the months of July and August. And yet there is no concern of losing out on a playoff spot as Boston is seven games clear of Toronto (the first team out of the playoffs), and five games ahead of Cleveland for the second Wild Card spot. At the end of the day, we are somehow still 17 days away from the next relevant baseball game for the Boston Red Sox.

So, how concerned are you about these performances at home over the past two weeks? Is it a case of prioritizing health, or are you seeing any bad habits from the hideous first half of the season starting to creep in? Discuss in the comments, and be good to each other.

If you missed last game, where were you? Let’s fast forward to the bottom of the eleventh in a tie game with two outs, with Ozzie Albies on second base and Ha-Seong Kim at the plate.

Kim has come alive in September to help push the Braves over the line. Let’s look at this again. First of all, this is a pretty standard 106.3 MPH off the bat for a .670 xBA in left field. Pretty standard for most people not named Kim, however. Second of all, Ozzie’s helmet didn’t come off. That feels like a party foul, but I’ll allow it.

But have a look at this. Hang it in the Louvre already.

So much going on here. You have Kim with the smooth finish. You have tense moments in the crowd.

Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on here.

We have neutrals making scouting reports and taking it all in.

Kim? Hit the ball?

How good does that feel? After the last six months? My. Word.

Then you have the winning hit to bring Kim home.

This is your standard 101.2 MPH off the bat and .490 xBA for a double. Only not so standard for a week period for Drake Baldwin, I guess. He went from August 30th to September 6th without a pulled fly ball or line drive. They’re starting to come back now, even after reaching across the plate to reach this one.

Bullpen is waving them home before this double lands.

All right, the batting helmet is off five steps after hitting second base. This is just good technique. 11/10 no notes.

And the hair is flying. This is what you want to see.

Get down lol jk.

Come at me with that bubble gum.

Wait, where’s Kim?

There we go.

Y’all, we’re almost home. This feels like the Braves are right there and able to put this to bed by the middle of September. Almost there. And Ha-Seong Kim is just getting started.

Walt Weiss on Ha-Seong Kim: “All the stuff he’s been through, then you fast forward into later in the season and he has two of the biggest hits of our season. You love when guys persevere and the game rewards them for it.”

— Gabe Burns (@GabeBurnsAJC) September 12, 2026

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 5, Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals) 3

The Tides used a late comeback to win this one, tying the game in the eighth on a Bryan Ramos RBI single and then scoring two in the top of the ninth on a Creed Willems sac fly and Payton Eeles single. Nearly every Tides hitter contributed to the victory, led by Enrique Bradfield Jr. atop the order, who had two hits, stole a base, and scored two runs. Jud Fabian homered for the third time in the last two days. The Tides’ lineup was facing Cardinals prospect Jurrangelo Cjintje, who was drafted as a switch-pitcher but now appears to be exclusively right-handed.

Cade Povich turned in a quality start for the Tides — six innings, three runs — and the bullpen followed with three scoreless frames. The 27-year-old righty Jake Dykhoff was summoned all the way from High-A Frederick to Norfolk, and he responded by throwing two scoreless innings in his Triple-A debut. Left-hander Andrew Magno worked around two walks in the ninth to notch his 10th save.

Box score

Double-A: Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants) 1, Chesapeake Baysox 0

As usual, a Baysox starting pitcher turned in a stellar performance. Right-hander JT Quinn twirled five scoreless innings in his final start of the year, allowing six baserunners and striking out three. He finished the season with a 1.96 ERA in five starts for the Baysox after a 3.75 mark in 20 starts at High-A.

Unfortunately, Quinn’s effort went criminally unsupported by the Baysox offense, which managed only four hits (all singles) against three Richmond pitchers. Wehiwa Aloy had one of them. Vance Honeycutt went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Left-hander Jacob Bresnahan, the Giants’ #9 prospect, worked seven shutout frames. The game’s only run came on a solo homer by Gavin Kilen, the Giants’ #6 prospect, off Baysox reliever Brandon Downer in the sixth.

Box score

High-A: Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pirates) 7, Frederick Keys 5

Sadly, the Keys’ playoff run has come to an end. After winning Game 1 of the best-of-three North Division Series, Frederick dropped the last two, including a heartbreaker in this win-or-go-home finale. The Keys carried a 5-4 lead into the top of the seventh before Greensboro rallied for three runs against relievers Twine Palmer and Braeden Sloan. The Frederick offense couldn’t respond in the final three frames, and the Keys’ magical season is over.

Jaiden Lo Re contributed a pair of hits in the game, and Andrés Nolaya powered a pinch-hit homer. Ty Head went 0-for-2 but drove in a run on a squeeze bunt. Enddy Azocar took an 0-for-4. Starter Christian Rodriguez gave up four runs (two earned) in 3.1 innings, giving up two home runs to Pirates #5 prospect Wyatt Sanford.

Box score

Saturday’s scheduled games:

• Norfolk: at Memphis, 7:05 PM. Starter: Trey Gibson (3-6, 4.04)
• Chesapeake: at Richmond, 7:05 PM. Starter: Patrick Reilly (0-2, 3.97)

In these next few weeks, as the season winds down and playoff teams are put into their proper place in the bracket, a lot of words will be spoken about home field advantage. Our own John Stolnis will be talking about this in a little bit and you have probably already seen some things pop up regarding the Phillies and holding the advantage once their playoff season begins.

The question is: do you really even care about it?

Does home field advantage really matter to you as much as it may matter to others? The players probably prefer to have it, but the Phillies haven’t exactly set the world on fire when playing in Citizens Bank Park of late in October. There are probably a bunch of reasons for this, so maybe having the ability to bat last in a game isn’t truly that big a deal.

Maybe it is, I don’t know, but what do you think about it?

The Palestinian flag-waving idiot who sprinted onto the field at Yankee Stadium during the 9/11 25th Anniversary game after posting an unhinged rant about the terrorist attack is a self-described “revisionist-Marxist,” according to his OnlyFans page.

Kelly Marcucci, of Long Island, is facing misdemeanor charges for interference with a professional sporting event and trespassing, according to the NYPD.

Marcucci, 38, allegedly jumped from the stands onto the baseball field, cops said.

He charged the field in the seventh inning of the Yankees-Mets Subway Series game in The Bronx on Friday at exactly 9:11 p.m. — before quickly getting tackled in centerfield by security, video showed.

Fans immediately broke out into chants of “USA!” when the man was brought down onto the grass.

Just hours before the stunt, around 4:30 p.m., Marcucci posted an unhinged, rambling rant on Facebook.

He went off on a nonsensical tirade about capitalism, Zionism, Saudi Arabia and 9/11, mentioning a string of high-profile people including President Trump and Joe Rogan.

Marcucci also posted a brief video of himself at the baseball game before he allegedly stormed the field, showing off his personalized “K. Marcucci” jersey from the stands. 

The front of the shirt reads “No Kings,” a widespread anti-Trump sentiment. 

Marcucci is a self-described journalist and “spiritual tactician” who graduated from Stony Brook University, according to his social media accounts.  

His Instagram is flooded with bonkers conspiracy theories, posts about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and reposts of videos of political commentators such as Candace Owens. 

In one absurd post, Marcucci appeared to spiritually analyze Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani ahead of the 2025 mayoral election. 

“It’s not just about left vs right. It’s not just about two candidates. It’s about what kind of energy is being installed over New York City,” he wrote in his bizarre caption. 

His Instagram account also links to an inactive OnlyFans profile, where Marcucci claimed to have made the page “as a joke.” 

“Politically, I identify as a revisionist-Marxist, and the core values of this expression are very important to me,” the bio reads.

Marcucci and representatives for the Mets and Yankees did not immediately return requests for comment.

The Yankees went on to beat the Mets 6-4 during Friday night’s Subway Series matchup. 

Married couple Brielle Saracini and Sean McGuire, who both lost their fathers on 9/11, threw the ceremonial first pitches. 

The jersey-wearing pair met at a camp for children whose parents were killed in the attacks. 

Saracini shares a special bond with Yankees legend Derek Jeter, who was also at the game. After her father, Victor Saracini, a pilot of one of the hijacked flights, was killed, she wrote a letter to Jeter. 

Jeter invited the then-10-year-old to the stadium to meet the team and feel a sense of normalcy amid the devastation.

“When we invited her to the stadium, you really don’t know what to say,” Jeter said during a news conference.

“So I don’t even know if I said ‘I’m sorry’ or anything like that. I just tried to make her day feel special…and you just try to make her feel as comfortable as you possibly can.”

The Yankees kicked off the Subway Series with a win, scoring six on the Mets and managing to hold on despite the anomaly that was Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick both struggling on the same night. David Bednar came in for the five-out save and got the job done, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the eighth before getting a game-ending double-play out of Juan Soto in the ninth. While they were handling business in the Bronx, they were also scoreboard watching with several key games going on simultaneously — so let’s see what the result of those out of town scores were.

Tampa Bay Rays (88-59) 3, Houston Astros (75-73) 1

The Rays looked like they could’ve slipped up and lost this game ceding some ground to New York, but they came around to walk it off instead. Houston had their chances against Drew Rasmussen, scattering eight hits against the Rays’ ace, but the only run they managed to score came in the fourth inning when Isaac Paredes doubled with one out and Daulton Varsho singled to put runners on the corners. Yainer Diaz hit a ball hard to second base, and while Ritchie Palacios made a fantastic play on the ball flipping it to the shortstop quickly enough for the force out keeping the potential double play alive, Diaz managed to beat the throw letting the run count. However, several other innings were cut short by double plays that did get converted, and the Rays tied the game back up in the fifth when Victor Mesa Jr. launched a home run to lead off the inning.

Things stayed quiet until the bottom of the ninth, when the Rays got the winning run aboard on an Aranda double before Junior Caminero stepped up to the plate. Bryan Abreu chose to start him off with a fastball up in the zone and Caminero made him pay, ripping a walk-off two-run shot to left.

The win not only kept the Rays three games ahead of the Yankees in the standings, but it clinched a playoff spot for Tampa Bay — the first team to secure a spot in the 2026 Postseason. The Brewers would join them a little later in the night with a blowout win on their part, but the Rays are, for now, the only American League team holding a ticket to the dance.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (80-68) 2, Kansas City Royals (66-82) 3: The Yankees did gain some ground on Friday, as the Red Sox fell behind early to Kansas City and couldn’t dig themselves out of the hole. Carter Jensen led off the game against Sonny Gray with a double and later scored on a Salvador Perez single to left, and then the Royals added to their lead in the third as Isaac Collins and Jensen hit back-to-back doubles followed by a Vinnie Pasquantino RBI single. Mickey Gasper got Boston on the scoreboard in the fifth with a solo shot, and after Adley Rutschman walked Wilyer Abreu doubled him in to cut the lead to 3-2. The Sox struck out from there though, and Boston would get just one hit the rest of the way stranding a Trevor Story double in the eighth.

Chicago White Sox (75-72) 3, St. Louis Cardinals (73-75) 7: The White Sox are squandering their advantage in the Central, losing their fourth straight game. The Cardinals scored a run in each of the first three innings, but they delivered the knockout punch in the fifth as Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, Joshua Báez, and Leo Bernal chained consecutive hits to drive in three runs. The Cardinal bullpen dealt with some traffic on the basepaths but managed to limit Chicago to just one run in the final 4.2 innings. Chase Meidroth showed up for the Southsiders, launching two home runs to briefly keep them within arm’s reach of St. Louis.

AL Wild Card Rock Fight

Cleveland Guardians (75-73) 5, Minnesota Twins (69-78) 2: Chicago’s faltering opens the door for Cleveland, who moved to within a half-game of first place after taking this one against the Twins. The game was tied at two in the ninth when a wild pitch and a two-run double from Brayan Rocchio put them up three in a heartbeat. Cade Smith entered looking for the save and got the job done quickly with a double-play ball to erase a one-out single from Trevor Larnach.

Toronto Blue Jays (73-75) 4, Baltimore Orioles (72-76) 7: The O’s jumped out to a 6-0 lead in this game, scoring five in the second inning with two-run hits from Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers leading the procession. Toronto had a rally in them in the ninth, scoring two runs on a Brett Bateman homer before George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit singles to bring the tying run to the plate. Unfortunately for Toronto this all came with two outs, and when Baltimore went back to their ‘pen summoning Rico Garcia to pitch he managed to get Alejandro Kirk to ground out to end it.

Texas Rangers (72-76) 1, Arizona Diamondbacks (79-69) 9: Two innings were all Arizona needed to put up a nine-spot on Texas in a rematch of the 2023 World Series. A trio of doubles in the fifth led to four runs scoring for the Diamondbacks, followed by Corbin Carroll and Nolan Arenado launching back-to-back homers in the sixth to drive the dagger home. Justin Martinez had the highlight of the night for the pitching staff, tossing an immaculate inning in the top of the sixth shutting the door on any potential response from Texas after Arizona took the lead.