Category: MLB

WILD CARD SERIES, GAME 1: The Houston Astros (81-81, AL West Champions) will host the Chicago White Sox (84-78, Third Wild Card) for Game 1 of the 2026 American League Wild Card Series today at Daikin Park. It’s an unorthodox pitching matchup today to open a playoff series between RHP AJ Blubugh (5-3, 3.66 ERA) and LHP Hagen Smith (3-3, 1.29 ERA), who are both rookie relievers.

ELIAS SAYS: Per Elias, with RHP AJ Blubaugh (3 career starts) and LHP Hagen Smith (1 career start) starting against each other today, this becomes the second instance where both starters of a playoff game each entered with three-or-fewer career starts. This also happened in Game 5 of the 2020 ALCS between the Astros (RHP Luis Garcia) and the Rays (RHP John Curtiss).

IN THE POSTSEASON: The Astros are making their 19th postseason appearance in club history in what is the 65th year of the franchise that began in 1962. This season marks the 14th time in club history for the Astros to enter the postseason as a division winner. The Astros have won three different divisions in their history, the NL West (1980, 1986), NL Central (1997-99, 2001) and AL West (2017-19, 2021-24, 2026).

SINCE 2015: After a one-year hiatus, the Astros are back in the postseason for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons (dating back to the 2015 season). The Astros join the Dodgers and Yankees as the only teams in the Majors to qualify for the postseason in at least 10 of the last 12 years.

POSTSEASON VETS: Since 2015, the Astros have played more postseason games (105) and have earned more postseason wins (62) than any other AL club. The Astros are 62-43 in that span for a .590 winning pct. in the postseason.

WILD CARD BOUND: The Astros are playing in the Wild Card round for the fourth time in their postseason history. The Astros are 3-2 all-time in the Wild Card round, dispatching the Yankees in the one-game playoff in 2015, sweeping the Twins in the 2020 Wild Card Series and getting swept by the Tigers in the 2024 Wild Card Series.

THE PEACOCK BROADCAST: This series will be exclusively televised by Peacock/NBCSN. Tom McCarthy will serve as play-by-play man alongside analysts Geoff Blum and Steve Stone. Adam Ottavino and Britney Eurton will work sideline duties for the telecast.

TODAY’S POSTGAME SHOW: Following every game of this Wild Card Series, Space City Home Network will air a live 30-minute postgame show, which will be hosted by Kevin Eschenfelder and Todd Kalas. The show will be hosted from the SCHN set on the center field concourse.

VS. THE WHITE SOX: The Astros and White Sox are meeting each other for their third all-time postseason series against each other, the others being the 2005 World Series and the 2021 ALDS. The White Sox swept the Astros in 2005, while the Astros dispatched the Sox in 2021 in four games. History aside, the Astros went 5-2 against the White Sox this season, including a 3-1 record at Daikin Park.

AT THE HELM: Astros manager Joe Espada has guided the Astros to the postseason in two of his three seasons as the Astros manager since taking over before the 2024 season. Espada has posted a 256-229 regular season record in his three years as the Astros manager and ranks ninth in club history in managerial wins.

ABOUT THE ROSTER: The Astros have set their Wild Card Series roster, which includes 12 pitchers and 14 position players. 13 players on the roster have no postseason playing experience, including five position players and eight pitchers. In addition to their active roster, the Astros will carry 16 players with them throughout the postseason on their Taxi Squad.

GOIN’ DEEP: The Astros hit 226 homers as a team this year, which were the most in the Majors. The last time the Astros led the Majors in home runs was in 2000, when they hit 249 homers. The 2026 Astros also led the AL in SLG (.417) and OPS (.732).

ANNUAL HOUSTON BBWAA AWARDS: The Houston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America announced the 2026 Astros award winners as follows:

• Astros MVP: Yordan Alvarez

• Astros Pitcher of the Year: Peter Lambert

• Astros Rookie of the Year: AJ Blubaugh

• Darryl Kile Good Guy Award: Bryan Abreu

• Fred Hartman Long and Meritorious Service to Baseball Award: Brent Strom

THE CASE FOR THE MVP: DH Yordan Alvarez is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award. Alvarez led the AL in OPS (1.033), slugging percentage (.601), OBP (.432), batting average (.316), total bases (341), walks (109), IBB (33), WRC (154), OPS+ (192) and extra-base hits (77). He also ranked second in RBI (106), second in hits (179), tied for second in home runs (42), tied for third in runs (105), and tied for fourth in doubles (34).

COMING UP BIG: 2B Jose Altuve ranks second in postseason history in HR (27), second in runs (89), third in hits (118), tied for third in extra-base hits (48), sixth in games (105) and seventh in RBI (56)

YOU’RE MY BOY BLU!: RHP A.J. Blubaugh was a workhorse in the Astros bullpen this season, as he led the Majors in innings pitched as a reliever (96.0), topping second-place LHP Aaron Ashby (87.0) by a full 9.0 innings. Blubaugh also led the Majors with 27 relief appearances of 2.0+ innings, with 16 of those being scoreless appearances. Blubaugh is the first Astros pitcher to lead their league in relief innings since RHP Doug Jones in 1992 (111.2 IP).

THE FIREMAN: LHP Josh Hader converted all 26 of his save chances this season. He is the seventh pitcher in MLB history to post 26-plus saves without a blown save. The last Major Leaguer to do so was RHP Ken Giles in 2018 (26 SV).

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2020 – After a 60-game regular season, in which the Astros went 29-31, the Astros open the postseason with a 4-1 win over the Twins in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series at MIN. With the game tied 1-1 heading into the 9th, the Astros rally for three in the top half, scoring their runs on a bases-loaded walk by 2B Jose Altuve and a two-run single by DH Michael Brantley. LHP Framber Valdez (0ER/5IP) earned the win after backing up starter RHP Zack Greinke (1ER/4IP).

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Tuesday, September 29, 4:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Peacock/NBCSN

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

After 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, veteran reliever Kirby Yates has officially announced his retirement. He spent those 12 years with nine different teams. During that time, Yates never put up the most incredible numbers. However, he has posted stellar numbers in certain spurts throughout his career. Chief among which was his time with the Padres.

Yates was placed on waivers by the Anaheim Angels in 2017. The Friars picked him up in April of that year, where he posted solid numbers. The righty posted a 3.72 ERA across 55 2/3 innings in his inaugural season with San Diego. He ramped it up in 2018 with the best season of his career. Yates pitched to a 2.14 ERA across 63 innings. He accrued 2.1 Wins Above Replacement in that year.

But 2019 was the height of his powers. Yates posted a 3.0 WAR season, dominating with a 1.19 ERA over 60 2/3 innings. He attained an astonishing 41 saves in that season with a 354 ERA+ and minuscule 0.89 WHIP. Yates received some down-ballot Cy Young votes that year as well, tying Walker Buehler for ninth place. He was the only reliever to make the list, and the first reliever to make a legitimate run for the award since Zack Britton in 2016.

In 2020, Yates was limited to just six appearances after dealing with an elbow issue that caused him to eventually undergo Tommy John surgery. He missed the entire 2021 season due to that. Apart from his 2024 season with the Texas Rangers (1.17 ERA, 61.2 IP), Yates has never been the same. That being said, he’s always been solid out of the ‘pen.

In his 12 seasons, Yates has pitched to a career 3.35 ERA in 518 games. In that time, he became one of the few pitchers to record 100-plus saves. The majority of those came from his incredible 2019 (41) and 2024 (33) campaigns. Yates recorded an above-average 123 ERA+ and 1.14 WHIP.

He’s unlikely to make the Hall of Fame, but could find new life in the newly-created Hall of Pretty Good. Regardless, hats off to the veteran reliever for 12 seasons in MLB, and four pristine years with the brown and gold.

NEW YORK — The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are meeting in the playoffs for just the seventh time. It only feels like the 70th.  Perhaps that's because the stakes always feel a little higher when these ancient rivals meet. And in three of their six previous playoff meetings – 1999, 2004 and 2018 – the winner has gone on to win the World Series. 

That feels a little bit like a stretch this season. The winner of this American League best-of-three wild-card series, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 29, advances to face the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays. Then, the AL championship series.  And then, with a lot of luck along the way, the World Series. 

That's not to say this is an undercard of pretenders. The Yankees (93-68) and Red Sox (87-75) have been locked into their Nos. 4-5 seeds for quite some time, the Red Sox needing a startling 21-4 July to overcome a grim beginning. 

Left-hander Payton Tolle will start for Boston, hoping to replicate exactly what his counterpart, Cam Schlittler, did for New York last year: dominate the archrivals as a rookie. That task will be made a little easier minus Aaron Judge, expectedly ruled out with a bad calf. Yet right-handed slugger Giancarlo Stanton is back for his first games since an April calf injury.

For Boston, Garrett Crochet also returns after a balky shoulder shelved him in April. All those stars should be even healthier down the road – if their team is fortunate enough to survive this prelude. 

Where to watch Yankees vs Red Sox: Channel, live stream

• TV channel:NBC
• Streaming:Peacock

Watch the MLB Postseason on Peacock

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If this seems familiar, that’s because it is.

For the second year in a row, the New York Yankees will begin the MLB postseason as the higher-seeded team in an AL Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox.

Cam Schlittler will be on the mound for tonight’s Game 1, a little under one year since his breakout playoff performance in Game 3 of last season’s Wild Card where he struck out 12 over eight scoreless innings.

The Yankees’ Wild Card lineup revealed Aaron Judge’s fate: the captain was left off the official roster due to a right calf strain suffered less than two weeks ago. Judge still has the opportunity to return if the team advances beyond the Wild Card, but they’ll have to face the Red Sox without him.

Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham, meanwhile, both made the roster straight off the injured list.

The Red Sox, dealing with injury concerns of their own, did include pitcher Garrett Crochet, who last pitched in late April due to a shoulder injury, on their official lineup.

This season, the Yankees narrowly won the season series against the Red Sox with seven wins in 13 games.

Whichever team wins the best-of-three series will advance to the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Here’s how to tune in to the AL Wild Card series without cable.

Yankees vs. Red Sox start time

Game 1 of the Yankees-Red Sox AL Wild Card series is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET tonight, Sept. 29.

How to watch Yankees vs. Red Sox AL Wild Card for free

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream Yankees vs. Red Sox for free.

DIRECTV is our favorite service for trying live TV for free. Right now, you can take advantage of a five-day free trial before saving $30 on your first month. We recommend the Choice plan, which includes NBC as part of its 125+ channel options.

You can also watch the Yankees AL Wild Card series for free with a Peacock Premium free trial (seven days, then $16.99/month).

Red Sox vs. Yankees starting pitchers

Payton Tolle (9-6, 3.03 ERA) will start for the Red Sox. Cam Schlittler (14-6, 1.95 ERA) will be on the mound for the Yankees.

Red Sox vs. Yankees AL Wild Card schedule

All times below are listed in ET.

• Game 1: Sept. 29, 8 p.m. (NBC)
• Game 2: Sept. 30, 8 p.m. (NBC)
• Game 3: Oct. 1, 8 p.m. (NBC)*

*if necessary

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Joe Musgrove hasn’t pitched for the Padres since October 2024.

Two years later, the All-Star pitcher has been added to San Diego’s 26-man roster for the National League wild-card series after a long recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Musgrove will work out of the bullpen as a postseason reliever for the Padres. The right-hander joins Jason Adam, Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon, David Morgan, Bradgley Rodriguez and Mason Miller in the bullpen.

“You always bet on Joe Musgrove in terms of the person, and the stuff has been good. His opportunity to go and compete in a big spot, you trust him,” president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said.

Musgrove last pitched for the Padres in the 2024 wild-card series against the Braves, the season when San Diego pushed the Dodgers to the brink of elimination in a five-game NLDS.

The 33-year-old was set to make his return in 2026 but experienced a number of setbacks that prevented him from doing so. Earlier this month, Musgrove even admitted he may not return this season.

But Musgrove has earned his way onto the 26-man roster for October as a relief pitcher. He has reportedly worked very hard over the last few weeks with the coaching staff to make a return in any capacity.

There’s a chance Musgrove could make his 2026 debut in the wild-card series opener against the Cubs, which begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Ethan Salas makes history on Padres’ wild-card roster

The Padres opted to carry three catchers on their wild-card roster with Luis Campusano, Freddy Fermin and Ethan Salas. The organization’s top prospect will become the youngest catcher in postseason history.

Salas, 20, was called up to the majors when rosters expanded Sept. 1. After a rough 0-for-15 start, he has finished the month going 10-for-24.

Salas has already made history: He became the youngest catcher to hit two home runs in the same game against the Rockies at Coors Field in a 9-3 Padres victory.

Campusano will likely get the start behind the plate for Game 1, but Salas could easily be San Diego’s starting catcher for Game 2 of the wild-card series.

Red October could be over before October begins — but Phillies are ‘confident' originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ATLANTA — In a span of four days, the Phillies will have played twice with their season on the line.

On Sunday, they needed a win in Game 162 at Citizens Bank Park to secure their fifth consecutive postseason berth, despite having been within striking distance of clinching for nearly a week.

Now, after a crushing 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series, they’ll face elimination again Wednesday afternoon at a ballpark that hasn’t been particularly friendly to them this year.

Their first visit to Truist Park came in April, when they were just days away from firing manager Rob Thomson following a series that extended their losing streak to 10 games.

The next time?

Earlier in September, when Jesús Luzardo was scratched from his scheduled start with shoulder stiffness. He eventually landed on the injured list, putting his postseason availability in question.

And now, on their third trip to Atlanta this season, the Phillies are one loss away from heading home for good.

Even the circumstances of Tuesday’s defeat were painfully familiar. For the third consecutive postseason, Philadelphia’s bullpen blew a late lead in Game 1, this time with Jhoan Duran surrendering a go-ahead, three-run homer to Austin Riley with two outs in the eighth inning.

There is one encouraging way to look at what comes next.

The Phillies are past Chris Sale, who struck out nine Tuesday. They’ll face Tyler Mahle in Game 2, a right-hander who allowed five earned runs in his final regular-season start against Cincinnati.

And they’ll have Cristopher Sánchez on the mound.

The left-handed ace went 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA across 33 starts this season. After the Phillies’ latest late-inning collapse, he’ll be asked to keep their season alive.

Sánchez hadn’t even left the dugout Tuesday before his teammates began looking ahead to what he might do Wednesday.

This is Cristopher Sanchez staring at the mound from the dugout after the Phillies crushing loss

Kyle Schwarber noticed Sanchez getting locked in. JT Realmuto has the utmost confidence Sanchez will be ready for a “Do or Die game” tomorrow as Trea Turner described it pic.twitter.com/QKyCDKhc5d

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) September 29, 2026

Kyle Schwarber noticed him standing near the top step after the loss, staring out at the mound where he’ll soon be pitching one of the biggest games of his career.

“Let’s go. You know what I mean? That’s our guy,” Schwarber said. “Get him out there and get him rolling. I saw him at the end of the game, and it just looked like he was staring out there at the mound.”

Schwarber wondered whether Sánchez was already picturing himself out there.

“Might be just a little, you know, foreshadowing, right? Just trying to get a little taste of what it will be like being out there tomorrow.”

J.T. Realmuto was equally enthusiastic about having Sánchez take the ball, identifying a quality that has become particularly noticeable as the left-hander has developed into one of the Phillies’ most dependable starters.

“His confidence gives everybody in this room confidence,” Realmuto said. “He’s been that guy for us for a long time. When he takes the ball, we have a lot of confidence, and his demeanor on the mound is something that’s easy to get behind.”

Sánchez isn’t interested in treating the assignment any differently.

Speaking before Tuesday’s opener, he said the prospect of waiting until Game 2 wasn’t difficult, even with the adrenaline that comes with postseason baseball. His priority was staying prepared and following the same routine that got him here.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Game 1 or 2, just keep focused on what we have to do and follow the game plan,” Sánchez said. “It’s not that difficult at all. It’s just a matter of being able to wait it out.”

He’s already had experience in these situations. Sánchez pitched at Dodger Stadium in last year’s postseason and has made several important starts against Atlanta, a club that knows his repertoire well.

Over the last two seasons, he owns a 2.19 ERA in four starts against the Braves, holding them to a .654 OPS.

And he’s been particularly sharp down the stretch.

In his final two regular-season starts, Sánchez pitched at least 6 1/3 innings in each, allowing no more than two runs while combining for 16 strikeouts and just one walk.

His changeup, already one of the most effective pitches in baseball, has been especially difficult to handle lately.

Across those two outings, Sánchez allowed just one hit against the pitch. Opponents swung and missed at nearly 48 percent of the changeups they offered at, while chasing nearly 49 percent of those thrown outside the strike zone.

It’s a pitch Sánchez and the Phillies have long discussed as one that can become even more effective as he gets deeper into an outing. As his body tires, he has sometimes generated more movement on it, making it even more difficult for hitters to recognize.

That’s an encouraging possibility for a pitcher who might be asked to work deeper than usual Wednesday.

It won’t necessarily be easy against the Braves, though.

Sánchez threw his changeup 43 percent of the time against right-handed hitters this season, but Atlanta has had success against it, batting .381. With the Braves capable of stacking right-handed hitters throughout their order, the effectiveness of that pitch could go a long way toward determining how deep Sánchez can work.

He understands the assignment.

“It’s a short series, so it’s just about going out there and getting as many zeros on the board as we can,” Sánchez said. “On my end, it’s just about being able to put the team in a good position to win.”

That becomes even more important when considering the state of Philadelphia’s bullpen.

The Phillies turned to Duran in the seventh inning Tuesday, asking their All-Star closer to protect a one-run lead and potentially finish the game. He retired the side in his first inning of work before Riley’s three-run homer erased Philadelphia’s lead in the eighth.

Duran threw 27 pitches. Whether he’ll be available Wednesday, and how effective he could be on that workload, remain questions for interim manager Don Mattingly.

And the alternatives come with uncertainties of their own.

Rookie Alex McFarlane allowed the go-ahead run in the sixth inning Tuesday when Ozzie Albies drove a 99-mph fastball to deep center for an RBI triple. McFarlane had emerged as one of Mattingly’s most trusted relievers down the stretch, but his first postseason appearance didn’t go as planned.

Jonathan Bowlan was available for Game 1 but wasn’t used. The right-hander hasn’t pitched in a game since Sept. 17, when he experienced groin tightness, and the Phillies elected not to bring him into Sunday’s clincher because of the wet mound at Citizens Bank Park.

Chase Shugart has been another dependable option, posting a 1.96 ERA over his last 15 appearances, although asking him to protect a late lead in an elimination game would be a significant assignment. Tim Mayza offers Mattingly a left-handed option, depending on the matchups.

Then there’s Andrew Painter.

The rookie was available out of the bullpen Tuesday, but the Phillies never called on him. There was actually no concrete plan to use him, too.

After spending the final days of the regular season preparing for a potential relief appearance, he remains an intriguing option to cover multiple innings if Sánchez can’t work as deep as Philadelphia needs.

The Phillies have arms they can turn to. What they don’t have is an obvious combination that inspires the same confidence as handing the ball to Sánchez.

That makes the left-hander’s efficiency especially important. Getting through six or seven innings would allow Mattingly to be far more selective about the relievers he uses, particularly if Duran’s availability is limited.

Sánchez has already shown how willing he is to take on additional work when the Phillies need him.

Before Sunday’s must-win regular-season finale, he told Mattingly that he was available out of the bullpen, despite being scheduled to start Game 2 if the club advanced.

“I let him know early on I felt great during catch play, so I let him know early on that I was ready to go out there for an inning if they needed me,” Sánchez said. “It’s just an important game, so I was just ready to go in case they needed me.”

The Phillies didn’t need him Sunday. They’ll need considerably more from him Wednesday.

His teammates know they have a responsibility to make the assignment easier.

Philadelphia managed three runs Tuesday, with J.T. Realmuto’s two-run triple providing a brief lead in the seventh inning. Against Mahle, the Phillies will need to create more opportunities and give Sánchez something to work with.

Schwarber was already thinking about that after watching his teammate stare out at the field.

“We know, too, that we’ve got to go out there, find a way, put traffic on base and keep trying to find a way to get guys in and give him a cushion, give him a lead,” Schwarber said. “We’re looking forward to that, I’ll tell you that. We’re looking forward to tomorrow.”

Realmuto shared that confidence, even after Tuesday’s loss. The Phillies had survived the final weekend of the regular season and knew before arriving in Atlanta that they’d have to win two games against a familiar opponent.

“For sure. This is a confident group, and we have a lot of faith in ourselves,” Realmuto said. “We just know we gotta go out and play good baseball tomorrow.”

For Sánchez, that means carrying the lessons of his previous postseason appearances into another high-pressure start. He believes the experience has helped him better understand the pace of these games, the crowd and the responsibility of keeping his team within striking distance.

“It’s about maturity,” he said. “That comes with years of experience and every process that I’ve been through as a ballplayer. Life prepares you to be in this position as well.”

The Phillies have spent the last four days playing with little room for error. Sunday, they did enough to extend their season. Tuesday, they watched another late lead disappear.

Sánchez was willing to pitch in the first of those games, but his team never needed to call on him.

Wednesday, they do.

The Yankees are stacking their righties against left-hander Payton Tolle, which means Jazz Chisholm Jr. being out of the lineup for Game 1 of the AL wild-card series.

Anthony Volpe is starting at second base against Tolle, with Amed Rosario at third base, with the Yankees turning to both righty bats to give them a boost to begin the series against the Red Sox.

Chisholm said on Monday he expected to be in the lineup and indicated he would not be happy if he was out of it, which was the same case as last year when he did not start against lefty Garrett Crochet in Game 1. 

Aaron Boone, though, hinted at this happening as he said playing the platoon game at second base was in play, after Volpe had looked the part at his new position after being called up earlier this month to replace the injured Chisholm (right thumb sprain). 

Chisholm, a pending free agent who has had a mostly rough season despite getting hot before he got hurt, only played three games after coming off the IL.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are banking on Rosario’s track record crushing lefties compared to his numbers this season, when he hit just .208 with a .606 OPS in 160 plate appearances against them. They could have started José Caballero at third base, but they seem to prefer him as a 10th man off the bench to pinch run as needed and offer defensive versatility.

Yankees lineup

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
Ben Rice, DH
Heliot Ramos, RF
Cody Bellinger, LF
George Lombard, SS
Amed Rosario, 3B
Anthony Volpe, 2B
Spencer Jones, CF
Austin Wells, C

It was almost exactly one year ago that the Cincinnati Reds embarked upon a fruitless foray into the MLB Playoffs for the first time (in a full season) in twelve years. They showed up in Los Angeles on September 30th, 2025 and promptly got shut out, their season ending for good a day later at the hands of the Dodgers.

At least they held our interests until the playoffs began that time. This year, they chucked fans to the curb with months to spare, so you may have overlooked that the good teams are actually starting up the important games today.

The Philadelphia Phillies are in Atlanta taking on the Braves in matinee action this afternoon, with veteran ace Chris Sale on the mound for the home team. Later at 5:00 PM ET, the surprising Chicago White Sox make their own return to postseason play after a trio of 100+ loss seasons as they travel to Houston to take on an Astros club that is hosting a postseason series a month after firing their own GM.

The baseball bigwigs will celebrate at 8:00 PM ET as the marquee series of this round commences in the Bronx as the Yankees play host to their age-old rivals from Boston. Then, out west, the all-hit no-pitch Chicago Cubs will take on the surging San Diego Padres at 10:00 PM ET, and that makes Red Reporter officially a San Diego Padres bar for the next few days.

The baseball will be good. If your only exposure to the sport this season was watching the Reds, well, you’ll be in for a treat – up until the point where you realize just how much the Reds need to add to their roster to even approach making it to this stage in 2027.

Go baseball!

Well, here we are again.

This is, as you all know, a rematch of last year’s Wild Card Series, won two games to one by the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The Padres had one of the best home records in MLB this year at 51-30. That included going 10-2 at home in September, although six of those wins were against the Nationals and Marlins. And the Cubs did win two of three from the Padres in San Diego in April.

Then there’s the Cubs’ record in postseason games in San Diego — no wins in three tries, though that was two generations ago in a different ballpark. It would be nice to erase some of those bad memories this week.

Here is the Cubs wild card roster. They are carrying 12 pitchers and 14 position players.

Here is the Padres wild card roster. Note that they are carrying 11 pitchers and 15 position players:

For more on the Padres, please visit our SB Nation Padres site Gaslamp Ball.

Fun facts

The Cubs are 135-130 in regular-season games at San Diego and 0-3 in postseason games. In night games, they are 96-100, all in the regular season. They are 37-38 at Petco Park, including 27-29 at night.
…..
This is the first time that the Cubs have played at San Diego immediately after having played at Tampa. They are 45-51 in first game of series at San Diego and have lost the opener in each of their last three visits. Before that, from 2016-2023, they were 5-2 in first games.
…..
The Cubs are 10-12 this year in games following a day off, including 5-5 in road games after resting.
…..
The Cubs were 42-36 against teams that had a winning record going into a game. They were 17-22 in such games on the road.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

2026 regular season records in parentheses.

Tuesday, Game 1: Matthew Boyd, LHP (10-5, 3.91 ERA, 1.208 WHIP, 4.21 FIP) vs. Michael King, RHP (12-10, 3.21 ERA, 1.178 WHIP, 4.13 FIP)

Wednesday, Game 2: TBD vs. TBD

Thursday, Game 3 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD

If he’s deemed healthy, I’d think Kevin Gausman will start Game 2, though that’s not certain yet. More on who the Cubs might go with in this Athletic article.

For the Padres, Nick Pivetta and Walker Buehler are the likely starters after King, although Robbie Ray could also be a starting option.

As always, we await developments.

Times & TV channels

Tuesday, Game 1: 9 p.m. CT, Peacock/NBC Sports Network

Wednesday, Game 2: 9 p.m. CT, Peacock/NBC Sports Network

Thursday, Game 3 (if necessary): TBD

NBC announcers for this series: Dave Flemming, Jim Deshaies, Mark Grant and Clayton Kershaw.

Flemming is the Giants radio play-by-play announcer.

NOTE: In the Chicago market, if you have Comcast/Xfinity or YouTube TV, you should have access to NBC Sports Network. NBCSN might also be on YouTube TV in other markets. I have been told by some FUBO subscribers that they have NBCSN. “Check local listings.”

Here are the umpires for this series:

Prediction

You didn’t really think I wouldn’t pick the Cubs to win this series, did you?

Cubs in three.

Up next

If the Cubs win this series, they will face the Brewers in a division series beginning Saturday, Oct. 3 in Milwaukee. Otherwise, it’s on to 2027 and uncertainty due to a likely owners’ lockout.

Right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta has been named American League (AL) Pitcher of the Month for September. This marks the second time a Rays pitcher has won the award this season, joining Drew Rasmussen’s award in June. It is also the third time in Peralta’s career he has been named Pitcher of the Month, winning two NL Pitcher of the Month awards with the Milwaukee Brewers in August 2025 and August 2023.

Peralta, 30, went 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA (28.0 IP, 3 ER), 23 strikeouts, nine walks, one home run, a 0.89 WHIP, and two quality starts while holding opponents to a .165/.243/.216 (16-for-97) slash line over five starts in September. He paced AL pitchers in ERA, tied for the league lead in wins, ranked second in opponent slugging percentage, third in opponent batting average, fourth in opponent OPS, sixth in WHIP, and tied for ninth in innings pitched. The Rays won all five of his September starts.

Along with Chris Archer in July 2013, Peralta is the second pitcher in team history to win four games or more with a sub-1.00 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP in a calendar month. He was one of four AL pitchers this season to toss 28.0 innings in a month with a sub-1.00 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP, joining Toronto’s Dylan Cease (July), Rasmussen (June), and Los Angeles-AL’s José Soriano (March/April).

He became one of four Rays pitchers in franchise history to post a sub-0.90 WHIP with 28.0 innings or more across a month in an age-30-or-older season, joining Rasmussen (June 2026 and March/April 2026), Rich Hill (May 2021), and James Shields (September/October 2012 and August 2012). Throughout September, Peralta allowed three extra-base hits (two doubles, one home run), becoming the ninth Rays traditional starter (10x) to make five starts or more in a month and permit three extra-base hits or fewer, and the first since Griffin Jax in May 2026 (5 GS, 1 XBH).

This marks the 13th time in franchise history a Rays hurler has won AL Pitcher of the Month. The Moca, Dominican Republic native is one of 10 Rays pitchers to earn a monthly award, joining Rasmussen (June 2026 and August 2022), Taj Bradley (July 2024), Tyler Glasnow (July 2023 and April 2019), Hill (May 2021), Blake Snell (August and September 2018), Archer (July 2013), Jeremy Hellickson (May 2011), David Price (September 2010), and Scott Kazmir (May 2008).

After being acquired from the New York Mets on Aug. 2 in exchange for right-handed pitcher Gary Gill Hill, infielder Émilien Pitre, and outfielder Aidan Smith, the right-hander went 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA (55.1 IP, 20 ER), 43 strikeouts, a .208 (41-for-197) opponent batting average, and a 1.01 WHIP in 10 starts with the Rays compared to a 5-9 record, a 4.99 ERA (113.2 IP, 63 ER), 113 strikeouts, a .264 (120-for-455) opponent batting average, and a 1.48 WHIP in 22 starts to begin the season with New York-NL.

The Dodgers were mostly without Shohei Ohtani, Andy Pages, and Roki Sasaki over the last month until the final week of the season. But they also saw an exciting debut by Josue De Paula and more excellent pitching en route to a strong September.

Sure the schedule was soft as butter, but the Dodgers did what they should have, winning 18 of 25 games to close out the regular season. It was a welcome sight after a ho-hum July and underwhelming August.

September numbers

18-7 record
131 runs scored (5.24 per game, 5th in MLB)
83 runs allowed (3.32 per game, 2nd in MLB)
.697 pythagorean win percentage (17-8)

Mookie comes alive

During a second straight down year offensively, relative to his lofty career standards, started to find his way in mid-August. In September his bat was one of the best in baseball, hitting .337/.438/.674 with seven home runs and nine doubles, with 20 runs scored and 22 RBI. His 16 extra-base hits were his most since a sublime August 2023 during which Betts won National League player of the month.

Betts in September was second to Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz in FanGraphs WAR (1.9, to 2.0), and Betts ranked fourth in the majors during the month in OPS (1.112) and wRC+ (202).

Betts wasn’t the only one with a late-season turnaround. After getting near-replacement-level production from both corner outfielders for nearly five months, Teoscar Hernández (166 wRC+, 18 RBI) and Kyle Tucker (140 wRC+, six home runs) were among the Dodgers’ best hitters in September. If there’s a concern with Tucker, he had only five singles in 21 at-bats after fouling a ball off his right knee on September 19.

The team also got Will Smith back after nearly three months on the injured list, and the catcher was back to his All-Star self, hitting .290/.400/.548 with a 160 wRC+.

Alex Freeland in limited duty had a 133 wRC+, hitting .250/.413/.389.

Blowout wins

In that mediocre stretch in July and August, the Dodgers stopped blowing teams out, winning just four games by at least five runs during that 51-game stretch, two in each month. But in September the Dodgers had five blowout wins, one shy of most in the majors.

That’s more like the first half of the year, when the Dodgers had 25 blowout wins through the end of June, best in baseball. On the season, the Dodgers’ 34 blowout wins were tied for second-most with the New York Yankees, one shy of the Chicago Cubs

Freeman struggling

First baseman Freddie Freeman hit a three-run home run on September 2, part of a two-hit game in which he reached base five times. But after that, Freeman did not have another extra-base hit in 18 games and 77 plate appearances, hitting a feeble .167/.208/.167.

That home run on September 2 snapped a string of 47 full games and 196 plate appearances without a long ball, the longest drought of Freeman’s career. During that homerless stretch, Freeman was still reasonably productive, hitting .318/.362/.374 with 10 doubles. But that power disappeared over the last nearly four weeks, with Freeman also working through a knee injury and he sat four games and was designated hitter for another. That had Freeman looking forward to the five days the Dodgers have off between the regular season and Game 1 of the NLDS.

“I think we all know why it’s important,” Freeman last week said of the bye. “There’s a lot of guys limping toward the end, a lot of aches and pains this year.”

Welcome aboard

With Ohtani on the injured list, Dodgers top prospect Josue De Paula had a runway to play and impressed in his major league debut. His command of the strike zone was evident with 11 walks against only five strikeouts in 11 games, and he hit .323/.500/.581 with three doubles, a home run, and a triple.

De Paula the first Dodgers player to reach base at least half the time in a month of at least 40 plate appearances since Betts in August 2023. Those are the only two Dodgers to do so in the 2020s.

“Josue has been awesome. Injected some life and energy into our team as we got into September,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Wednesday. “He handled himself and did as well as he could possibly do.”

The big four

The Dodgers’ biggest strength going into October is its starting rotation, and while there was a brief concern with Blake Snell leaving his September 16 start after only one inning as a precaution with left groin discomfort, the quartet of Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Snell, and Glasnow combined for a 2.76 ERA with 117 strikeouts and a, 30.3-percent strikeout rate in 98 innings in their 17 starts.

Emmet Sheehan was also great in his three appearances after getting called back up from Triple-A, allowing only one run in 17 innings, with 24 strikeouts and three walks.

Among the relievers, Alex Vesia allowed only one run in his 11 games and 10 1/3 innings with 15 strikeouts. And while posting his highest walk rate (13.5 percent) in a season since 2021, Vesia in September only walked one of his 35 batters faced.

Up next

The National League Division Series starts on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will play either the Atlanta Braves of Philadelphia Phillies.

The Padres’ playoff game against the Cubs on Wednesday could be a hotbed for romance if one eligible bachelor gets his wish.

On Monday night, X user @Eggorian posted a selfie and a POV shot from where his Padres season tickets are with the caption, “Do you want to go to the #Padres / Cubs playoff game on Wednesday night with me? This is me. I sit here….dugout club section 4. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I no longer have a date for the game and want to fix that.

“Are you: 1) Female / 2) Single / 3) Age 30-55 / 4) A Padres fanatic / If so, you qualify!,” the post continued,

“I am: 53 6’0” 180 lbs Almost divorced (4.5 years and counting. Final November hearing) 2 grown kids Business owner 25% season ticket holder If you’re interested, send me a DM. I’m dreading the trip back to Bumble/Hinge next week and hopeful this helps avoid that! #forthefaithful”.

This post has gone viral, amassing over 900,000 views in about 16 hours. Some of the reaction is fans being upset about how specific these dating requirements are, as if this person should not be so picky when trying to fing a date on such short notice.

Others either find it hilarious or sad that a man is taking to social media to find a date for this Padres game.

Regardless, you can’t fault the guy for trying. Perhaps he’ll end up with a date after all.

Here are the 26 players who will be available to face the Padres in the best-of-three Wild Card Series which begins this evening at Petco Park in San Diego. Players are listed in alphabetical order by position.

Infielders (6)

Gabriel Arias, Alex Bregman, Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner, Pedro Ramírez, Dansby Swanson

No surprises here.

Outfielders (6)

Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Conforto, Ian Happ, Matt Shaw, Seiya Suzuki, Tyrone Taylor

I have Shaw listed as an outfielder here, but obviously, he can also play second base or third base.

Catchers (2)

Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly

Obviously.

Starting pitchers (3)

Matthew Boyd, Kevin Gausman, Shōta Imanaga

Not necessarily in that order, though Boyd will start Game 1 tonight.

I want to make it crystal clear that this list is my opinion and no one else’s.

Relief pitchers (9)

Javier Assad, Aaron Civale, Clay Holmes, Daniel Palencia, David Peterson, Colin Rea, Ryan Rolison, Jacob Webb, Ryan Zeferjahn

Caleb Thielbar is odd-man-out for this series (and perhaps beyond).

Holmes, who’s been a starter the last two years, has extensive relief experience, including being a closer for the Yankees for three seasons. He could be an excellent bullpen weapon.