Category: MLB

The Atlanta Braves announced Thursday that left-hander Martín Pérez is headed to the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his lower back. The move is retroactive to September 21. In a corresponding move, the club called up righty Elieser Hernández. 

The #Braves today selected RHP Elieser Hernández to the major league roster and placed LHP Martín Pérez on the 15-day injured list, backdated to September 21, due to low back inflammation. To make room on the 40-man roster, the club recalled RHP Hurston Waldrep to Atlanta and…

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 24, 2026

It’s unfortunate timing as the Postseason is right around the corner, but skipper Walt Weiss said that things are “mapped out.” 

Pérez has been effective this season, manufacturing a 3.04 ERA through 30 games. He’s recorded 102 strikeouts in 142 innings. 

More Braves News:

The Braves dropped their home regular season with a 7-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

MLB News:

The Houston Astros placed outfielder Daulton Varsho on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation. The move is retroactive to September 23.

The New York Yankees placed right-hander Clarke Schmidt on the 15-day injured list with right bicep neuritis. The move is retroactive to September 21.

From the Feed:

Which matchup are you hoping the Braves get in the Wild Card round?

Shohei Ohtani is back in the lineup and the Dodgers saved their best starting lineup for the final five games of the regular season. So far, the team has gone 2-18 with runners in scoring position while scoring just three runs over their two consecutive losses to the San Diego Padres.

Ohtani was one of three Dodgers with an extra-base hit over their last two games, as the two-way superstar is 3-9 with a double, an RBI and a walk since returning. Thursday’s game in particular saw connect for two hits while smacking two deep fly balls that died on the center field warning track in their 4-2 loss, and the three weeks off have evidently helped him mitigate the unease he felt at the plate at the start of the month.

Andrew Friedman admitted the obvious, that the injuries to both his biceps and knee hampered his production at the plate, reports Jack Harris of the California Post, and he noted that he isn’t the most transparent when it comes to his physical health.

“There’s no question [the injuries] affected him,” Friedman said. “I think the fact that he feels as good as he does right now is certainly encouraging. Now it’s about making sure that holds.”

“He’s not always the best reporter of how he feels,” Friedman said. “Freddie [Freeman is] the same way. Clayton Kershaw. I’ve been around a lot of these guys that feel like their job is to be out there to help the team however they can, and sometimes will downplay some things that are bothering them.”

Despite Tyler Glasnow being dealt the loss in his final tune-up on Thursday, he impressed early on by flirting with a no-hitter through his first five innings while also racking up a season-high 11 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.

As the Dodgers begin to construct their ideal postseason pitching staff, Glasnow’s name is all but certain to be fixed into the rotation, and the right-hander stated that he’s in a good rhythm entering October while speaking to with the media postgame.

Last postseason, the Dodgers weren’t as fortunate to obtain a first-round bye, having to embark on a four-series gauntlet in their eventual success of becoming baseball’s first repeat champions in a quarter century.

With a much stronger regular season this time around, the Dodgers for the first time since 2024 will have that extra period of rest to prepare for their quest for a three-peat. The most significant factor for their first-round bye will be allowing players dealing with nagging issues to become as healthy as can be come October 3, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

“I think we all know why it’s important,” Freeman said earlier this week. “There’s a lot of us kind of limping toward the end here, a lot of aches and pains this year. It’s good to get those guys back on the field, get some ABs in them and then rest up and get some more ABs during the lives and whatever we do here in that week to get us ready for [NLDS Game 1].”

When we last left the 2006 Minnesota Twins, they were weathering injuries while continuing to win. With seventeen contests left in the season, only 1.5 games separated them from AL Central-leading Detroit.

The next two weeks produced more of the same: a 10-4 mark from September 14-September 28. Two players in particular pushed the potential playoff proceedings to the final weekend:

• The emergence of side-winding—if maybe-not-quite-teen-idol—Pat Neshek (37 IP, 53 K, 6 BB, 2.19 ERA, 0.784 WHIP, 1.4 bWAR) out of the pen.

• The return of starter Brad Radke, who could barely coax his torn labrum towards basic dental hygiene yet could somehow go five scoreless innings against the Kansas City Royals on 9/28/06.

In fact, that 9/28 contest begat one of the wildest stretches in Twins franchise history: down 1-0 going into B9, Joe Mauer homered with two outs to tie the game (because of course Joe Mauer homered with two outs to tie the game) and then Jason Bartlett won it in B10 with a walk-off single.

That thrilling victory brought the Twins into a tie with the Tigers atop the AL Central—the first time all year Minnesota grasped a share of the division’s catbird seat. This set up the season’s final weekend—the Twins hosting the White Sox for three games, and the Tigers welcoming in the 59-100 Royals:

Friday, 8/29

Despite a monumental 9th-inning rally off Sox closer Bobby Jenks, it wasn’t enough in a 4-3 L to the Pale Hose.

But hark—the Royals pulled off an epic 9-7, 11-inning victory in the Motor City!

Still tied.

Saturday, 9/30

Another 9th inning Twins rally—another “too little too late”. This time, a Matt Garza 2.2 IP, 4 ER tilt could not be dug out from in the eventual 6-3 defeat.

Again, eyes anxiously turned to Comerica Park—where KC put up a 7-spot in T1 and cruised to a 9-6 victory!

Still tied.

10/1

On the 2006 season’s last gasp, the Twins again fell behind 1-0 to the ChiSox. But this time, an RBI double from Justin Morneau and a home run from Torii Hunter broke things open in B4! A Carlos Silva Classic (5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3K) backed by shutdown pen outings from Dennys Reyes, Juan Rincon, Jesse Crain, & Joe Nathan netted a 5-1 victory.

The Twins would end 2006 at least tied for the AL Central crown.

Then, a remarkable thing happened: very few of the announced 45,182 Twins Territory mass allowed themselves to be blown out of the Dome. They stuck around as the JumboTron showed the conclusion of KC/DET.

Because there was seemingly MN magic in the air, the Royals scored four runs in T8 and the game went into extra frames tied 8-8.

In the out-of-town bonus time, KC scored twice off DET’s Kenny Rogers (of all people) and held on for the sweep.

For one single, shining day in 2006, the Minnesota Twins were atop the AL Central—and it just so happened to be the day it matters the most!

Before October 1, 2006, the Metrodome had seen its share of goosebump-inducing moments—championship homecomings & amazing World Series performances. But the outpouring of energy and pure emotion on this day belongs in that same category.

(Thank you to whoever keeps this video up on YouTube. From the Dome interior to the noise to the grandma in the Smell ‘Em shirt, it is absolute cinema!)

Sometimes, sports provide a much-needed emotional outlet for life. Though I wasn’t at the Dome for the big celebration, I watched it on television with tears streaming down my cheeks. A magical moment for all of Twins Territory, to be sure.

Ladies and gentleman…your 2006 American League Central champion Minnesota Twins!

The conventional wisdom around drafting amateur players, especially the later in gets in the process, is that it’s essentially a crap shoot. There’s a lot of opinions and variables to sift through, and the reality is that many times even the best talent evaluators are going to get it wrong. But other times, it can seem a whole lot easier.

That is the situation the Orioles found themselves in with the 31st overall pick in the 2025 draft. Wehiwa Aloy, the reigning Golden Spikes Award and SEC Player of the Year winner, who was considered a top 20 talent in the class, was still on the board. The Orioles under Mike Elias love themselves a proven college hitter, especially one that players a premium position. It was a perfect match.

Since being selected, Aloy has been everything the Orioles could have hoped. He had a 20-game stint in Delmarva last summer. There he posted an impressive .288/.356/.500 line, which was enough to prove to the organization that he didn’t need to go back there this season.

His 2026 campaign was split between High-A and Double-A. Between the two levels he hit .288/.358/.506 with 25 home runs, 92 RBI, 84 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases (on 23 attempts). For that performance, he earned the honor of being named the Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year in the Orioles organization.

That sort of production could be enough to get him into consideration for all of the “Top 100” lists, this offseason though the only one he has cracked to this point was Keith Law’s (#73), which has not been fully updated since the start of the year. Notably, Aloy was not on Law’s smaller “Top 50” list, which came out in late May.

This season began in High-A Frederick for Aloy, where he started to experience the ups and downs that you would expect for a young player being challenged in the professional ranks.

His OPS by month from April through July looked like this: .714, 1.026, .606, 1.071. That’s quite the roller coaster ride for the 22-year-old, though it averaged out to an .874 OPS with a 123 wRC+ on the season for Frederick. Overall, those are good numbers, though not overwhelming so when you consider most top prospects.

That performance was enough for the Orioles to give him a promotion to Double-A Chesapeake for the final two months of the season. He found some more consistency there, posting an OPS of .883 in August followed by .930 in September to wrap up his first full pro season in fine form.

Aloy showed off a knack for the long ball through 2026 as well. He hit 15 home runs with Frederick and then followed that with 10 more at Chesapeake for a total of 25 over 123 games. Only a handful of big league shortstops will end up hitting 25 homers this season, which makes Aloy’s offensive profile quite attractive for the position.

As often happens with players that have a power element to their game, strikeouts are a bit of a concern for Aloy. The folks at FanGraphs point out that “elevated chase likely contributed to a draft day fall.” They go on to explain that Aloy has been “whiff prone” in the pro ranks, though he shaved just a bit off of his strikeout rate, from 27.8% last year to 26.5% in 2026. That did jump back up to 28.5% in Double-A, so it is worth watching.

Whether or not Aloy can stick at shortstop doesn’t seem to be much of a question at this point. MLB Pipeline reports that “Despite fringy speed, Aloy should be able to stick at shortstop given his smooth actions, reliable hands and strong arm, and his range and instincts allow him to project as at least an average defender up the middle.” The crew at FanGraphs largely agrees, saying “He’s a plus athlete with an athletic build, a plus arm, above-average range, and average hands. He struggles some with hot shots, but otherwise looks like a pretty clean shortstop fit.”

For what it’s worth, the Orioles seem quite committed to making him a shortstop. Out of the 109 games in which he saw playing time in the field this year, 90 of them were spent at short with the remaining 19 at third base.

It’s common for players to develop as shortstops and then move off of it as they get closer to the bigs, particularly if there is already someone cemented at shortstop on the major league squad. The Oriole do currently have Gunnar Henderson, who despite struggles this year is not going to move off of the position any time soon. However, he is only under team control through the 2028 season, and the likelihood of a contract extension seems slim. So it is possible that Aloy becomes the “shortstop of the future” in Baltimore.

That future is probably not coming in 2027 though. The Orioles should be trying to compete next season, which would mean holding onto Henderson. Meanwhile, Aloy has only played 39 games of Double-A ball, and needs more seasoning. You may see him appear in some major league spring training games, but his regular season will begin back at Chesapeake, where he will need to prove he has conquered the level before the Orioles give him a promotion to Triple-A. His big league debut, if all things continue to go well, is likely slated for some time in 2028.

Good morning.

It seems like Fangraphs is instituting a paywall for the playoffs. I don’t believe it has started yet, but it may by the time you read this. I’m unclear whether or not it will be permanent or just for the postseason. They do vow to always have one free article a day. But I just wanted you to know in case you’re locked out of something. Of course, you could just sign up for Fangraphs. They do good work.

• You have probably heard this, but the Chicago White Sox clinched a spot in the postseason. It was just about two minutes after the better Chicago team clinched.
• Jon Greenberg looks at how the White Sox have gone from a bad joke to a playoff team in just two years. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Also of note: The White Sox Colson Montgomery tied the record for most strikeouts in a season at 223, last accomplished by Mark Reynolds in 2009. He’s still got three games to break the record.
• Matt Snyder has three reasons the White Sox can win the World Series. (CBS is doing this for every playoff team when they clinch. Here’s their one on the Cubs.)
• The Guardians also clinched their spot in the playoffs.
• Zach Meisel has more on the Guardians season and their playoff clinch. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Dayn Perry has three reasons the Guardians can break their 78-year dry spell.
• The Brewers won 100 games for the first time in franchise history.
• The Phillies got some bad news in that loss to the Brewers as Luis Arraez left that game with a sprained ankle. X-rays were negative, so that’s good news for Philly at least.
• Andrew Baggarly explains all the playoff tiebreaker scenarios. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Injured Yankees star Aaron Judge is hopeful he can return for the Wild Card Series, although the team isn’t counting on it.
• The Yankees are also dealing with weather issues as their Saturday game against Baltimore has been moved to a Friday doubleheader. Of course, that game means nothing for either team.
• David Schoenfield hands out final grades for all 30 teams.
• The ESPN writers make some “bold” predictions for the postseason.
• Kristie Ackert has an “x-factor” for every team in the playoffs.
• Mitch Bannon looks at how the Blue Jays fell from almost winning the World Series to not even making the playoffs. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. defended his big contract after a poor year, saying he’s being paid for what he has done and not what he will do. Yeah, that’s not how it works, Vladito. And even if it was, it’s not a good idea to say that out loud.
• Jordan Schusterman asks and answers “What went wrong with the Mariners?”
• Ken Rosenthal and C. Trent Rosecrans answers Reds owner Bob Castellini’s question of why aren’t the Reds the Brewers? (The Athletic sub. req.) Quick answer is that the problem is you, Bob.
• Alden Gonzalez examines how the Padres have become a talking point for both sides of the upcoming CBA talks.
• Russell Dorsey has some players who had great seasons but flew under the radar.
• Anthony Castrovince has some “bonkers” stats that defined the 2026 season.
• Davy Andrews is pulling for the Rays’ Chandler Simpson to join the increasingly rare club of players who qualify for a batting title without hitting a home run. Myles Straw is the only one to do it since 2012.
• Karl Rasmussen has nine players who shook off bad starts to have a great second half.
• Dan Szymborski runs the numbers and determines that players who played in the World Baseball Classic have performed equally to players who didn’t. So no, Paul Skene’s season probably wasn’t because of the WBC. And it’s not exactly like Skenes was bad or injured this year.
• The CBS baseball writers have their picks for all the end-of-the-season awards.
• Jordan Shusterman looks at the great crop of 2026 rookies.
• Ben Clemens explains how he evaluates the candidates for National League Rookie of the Year.
• Michael Baumann looks at the current state of pinch-running, including why slow backup catchers are being put in games to pinch run.
• The Giants claimed reliever Camilo Doval off of waivers from the Pirates, which, LOL. Are they hoping Doval is the missing piece that gets them to 68 wins?
• And finally, enjoy this “slide” from Yankees rookie George Lombard Jr. that scores a run. I think such plays should be called “El Magos.”

You've never seen a slide like this before: @georgelombardjr 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Hi96H8XHqp

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 25, 2026

Good morning, baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants begin their final series of the year tonight. Which means it’s time to take a look at what Oracle Park has on deck for fans planning to attend a game.

Throughout the weekend, there will be various giveaways and discounts given out to fans in lucky sections.

First up, tonight is the Willie Mac Award ceremony! They don’t have a time posted for fans to plan to be in their seats, but I would imagine you’ll want to get there early for the festivities.

Saturday is the final Fiesta Gigantes celebration of the season, which will feature Latin music, culture and food throughout the park as it has every Saturday home game this season. Additionally, the first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a fan favorite giveaway item from the 2026 season. There will also be activities for the family throughout the park, with face painting/airbrushing available in sections 318 and 334; and a charm bracelet station in the Bullpen Boardwalk underneath the bleachers where fans can create their own custom charm bracelets.

Sunday is the final game of the season. And most importantly, it will be Mike Krukow’s final game on the broadcast. Kruk will be celebrated throughout the game, but after the game, fans should plan to stay in their seats for a ceremony to honor his momentous contributions to the Giants organization and community.

If you’re headed to the park this weekend, have fun! And give Kruk an “Atta Babe!” from all of us!

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to town to begin a three-game series tonight at 7:15 p.m. PT.

Go Rays!

The final series of the regular season is here, but it’s going to look a little wacky. A nor’easter coming through over the weekend has prompted MLB to reschedule Saturday’s game pre-emptively into a single-admission doubleheader today. There’s nothing to play for on either side as the Yankees are going to the postseason as the No. 4 seed and the Orioles are couch-bound in a few days, but these game will still serve as a final tune-up for the team as they line their rotation up for the Wild Card Round. Also, on a sillier note, if the Yankees manage to sweep this series they’ll end 2026 with more regular season wins than they got in 2024 or 2025 without Aaron Judge playing for most of the year, which I find kind of incredible. Go get those wins boys! Just please, no more last-minute injuries.

We’ve got a lighter schedule to get through before the doubleheader takes up most of the day, but we’ll start it off with Matt giving us a series preview on the starters we expect to see from the Orioles (the Yankees haven’t announced any of their starters as of last night). Peter has the Rivalry Roundup covering the Guardians and White Sox securing their postseason tickets, John celebrates the life and accomplishments of Phil Rizzuto on his birthday, and I’ll be back to answer your questions in our last mailbag before the postseason.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

Time: 4:05 p.m. EST (Game 1), 7:05 p.m. EST/30 minutes after Game 1 ends (Game 2)

TV: YES Network, MASN (both games)

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. Do you think the Yankees are overthinking their Game 1 starter for the Wild Card, have a legitimate reason to start someone other than Cam Schlittler (days of rest, matchup, etc.), or are they just laying a smokescreen?

2. Who plays more games in the postseason, Giancarlo Stanton or Aaron Judge?

The Pittsburgh Pirates might not be a playoff team this year, but the team still has a chance to finish the session with a winning record. The Pitching deserves a lot of credit for the success of this season. 

The Pirates set a new franchise record for strikeouts in a season with 1,444, after right-handed pitcher Lake Bachar struck out St. Louis Cardinals Alec Burleson in the top of the first inning of the 5-1 loss at PNC Park on Sept. 23. Pittsburgh eclipsed its previous record (1,443), set in 2019 with four games left, and should easily add to it before 2026 ends.

The Pirates had a deep rotation this year, 30 different pitchers recorded a strikeout this season. The 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes leads the Pirates with 200 for the second straight season.

Braxton Ashcraft came in second with 173 and rookie Bubba Chandler coming right behind him with 138. Even with some injuries Mitch Keller and Jared Jones had a good season coming in fourth and fifth in strikeouts. 

Mason Montgomery (102) and Yohan Ramirez (99) lead relief pitchers. Left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto is in third place with 79 strikeouts, while the other eight pitchers have fluctuated between the major leagues and minor leagues.

The Pirates had five pitchers who were with the team this season, but are no longer a part of the club.

The strong pitching is a really promising sign for the future in Pittsburgh. A lot of the top pitchers on the team right now are young guys like Pauk Skenes, Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones. 

The Bucs breaking their own record this year is a great start and you can tell that the future is incredibly bright for the club in the Steel City. 

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: In case you missed it, last evening the New York Yankees announced that, due to the impending bad weather, this weekend’s series against the Baltimore Orioles has been rearranged. Saturday’s game has been “pre-poned” to this afternoon, serving as Game 1 of a single admission double header. CC Sabathia’s enshrinement in Monument Park will take place today, and Josh Hart bobbleheads will be given out to the first 18,000 fans who arrive when gates open at 2:30. Only those fans with tickets for the originally scheduled game will be honored; for those with tickets to the cancelled game, rainchecks will be available, subject to the team’s normal raincheck policy.

SNY | Julia Yohe: While most of the attention has centered on whether or not Aaron Judge will be available for the Wild Card Series as he deals with a calf strain, two other Yankee bats have been inching towards a return. Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham, on the IL for a series of calf strains and a strained hamstring, respectively, participated in baseball activities, and while it’s too early to say whether either will actually be able to play, it’s something worth paying attention to.

MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: After spending the entire season rehabbing to return to the Bronx, Clarke Schmidt’s season ends after recording just two outs. The team placed him on the injured list with right bicep neuritis prior to last night’s game, and while he theoretically could return for the ALCS (assuming the Yankees make it that far), he will have essentially missed a season and a half.

ESPN | Roundtable: As the season ends its final days, ESPN’s baseball insiders got together to talk about what they’ve been hearing about the upcoming postseason. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Yankees appear to be one of the biggest wild cards: their starting rotation makes them dangerous in a short series, but their path to the ALCS consists of teams that have been very hot in the second half and whose strengths are perfectly placed to exploit the Yankees’ weaknesses — especially with Aaron Judge on the shelf.

There are three games remaining in the 2026 regular season, and somehow the Astros control their own destiny in the American League West.

The Astros have won two of three games this week despite not having a starting pitcher complete three innings. Hunter Brown will start Friday’s game in West Sacramento, with Hayden Wesneski likely to follow Saturday. But what about Sunday?

This would’ve been Cristian Javier’s turn in the rotation, but Javier was placed on the injured list Wednesday after leaving Tuesday’s start with a groin injury.

It is possible Sunday’s game will be meaningless, but what if it’s not? What if it’s a must-win? Who starts, and how on Earth do Joe Espada, Josh Miller and company piece together 27 outs?

Here are some logical, illogical and downright crazy possibilities for who could start Game 162.

Pitchers already on the active roster

Ethan Pecko

Pecko would be starting on three days rest in this scenario, but he only threw 51 pitches in 2 2/3 innings in what was a disappointing start on Wednesday in Seattle. Pecko has not pitched in a game on less than four days of rest since his second professional outing in 2023 after facing three hitters in his pro debut in rookie ball.

Miguel Ullola

Ullola will be down on Friday after another impressive outing on Thursday against the A’s. It’s hard to think he wouldn’t come into play on Saturday, assuming he’s available, but if not, the Astros could try to extract a three inning start from him on Sunday.

Ronel Blanco

Blanco has pitched once since slogging through four shutout innings against the White Sox on Sept. 1, and that was the 14-4 game in Tampa when he entered with the Astros trailing 9-0. Blanco hasn’t been good since returning from Tommy John surgery in July. He has a 7.11 ERA over 31 2/3 innings with a 6.66 FIP, but Blanco has completed at least four innings in all five of his starts.

Tatsuya Imai

Needing just 13 outs for a $1 million bonus, Imai has thrown just 17 innings in seven games since being banished to the bullpen two months ago. He has a 2.12 ERA with a 2.21 FIP and a 34.3% strikeout rate out of the bullpen, but he hasn’t thrown a pitch with the Astros leading or tied since his last start in Anaheim on July 27, when he failed to complete the first inning for the third time in 15 starts. That Blanco made that start against the White Sox should tell you all you need to know about how the team currently feels about Imai.

Pitchers in the organization

Mike Burrows

Remember him? Burrows was returned from his rehab assignment on Monday after the minor league season ended. While on the 60-day IL, Burrows is throwing bullpens are joined the Astros in Sacramento on Thursday. He was a candidate to start that game against the White Sox on September 1, but shoulder inflammation ended that possibility. Burrows hasn’t pitched in the Majors since July 6, but he did post a 1.76 ERA in four rehab starts with Sugar Land.

Bryce Mayer

The Astros minor league pitcher of the year posted a 5.45 ERA in seven Triple-A starts after finishing his time in Double-A with a 2.61 ERA. Allowing 10 earned runs in eight innings while making two starts in Albuquerque and Las Vegas didn’t help that ERA. Mayer’s last two starts were a struggle despite pitching in neutral ballparks, and he eclipsed 100 innings for the first time as a pro. I imagine the Astros are content with his season being over. 

You want to get nuts? Let’s get nuts!

Lance McCullers Jr.

Listen, I have no idea if McCullers has even thrown a baseball since he was released by the Brewers two months ago. I’m here for the story, and what a story it would be if the man who closed out game seven of the 2017 ALCS and started game seven of the World Series 11 days later, ended his career by helping the Astros win another American League West crown.  

Justin Verlander

Hey man, you said you wanted to get nuts.

Verlander is currently scheduled to make the final start of his illustrious career on Saturday in Detroit, but hear me out: What if his old golfing buddy, Jim Crane, were to make a call to see if Verlander might be interested in rejoining his old team and pitching in a game with actual stakes?

The Tigers could then place Verlander on waivers, where the Astros could claim him and get him on a flight to California.

Of course, none of this will ever happen. The Tigers wouldn’t screw over their already pissed-off fan base, and even if Verlander wanted it to happen, he’d have to be placed on waivers now so the 48-hour waiver period could pass in time for him to start for the Astros on Sunday.

But imagine if it did happen.

You’d have one of this generation’s greatest pitchers making the final start of his career, pitching in one of baseball’s great cathedrals, Sutter Health Park, on the west side of Sacramento, California, trying to get a team he hasn’t played for in two years back to the playoffs.

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

Entering this week, the Dodgers seemed to be rolling toward the postseason. 

They had won 14 of 17 games. They had clinched the National League West division crown. They separated themselves for a top-two NL seed. And they had finally gotten the entirety of their roster –– from a previously slumping offense to a once-scuffling bullpen to a star-studded rotation –– synced up and playing well at the same time.

There was, of course, one caveat to all that success.

The team had gotten an exceedingly soft late-season schedule, having not faced a fellow contender in almost a month.

Thus, this week’s visit of the San Diego Padres felt like something of a pre-October test, if not a preview of a potential postseason matchup.

And with a 4-2 rubber-match loss on Thursday night at Chavez Ravine, it was one they concerningly failed in their last true tune-up before the playoffs.

The Dodgers, of course, will downplay the significance of this week’s results. They won 7-0 with a bullpen game on Tuesday night. They felt Wednesday’s 5-1 defeat was closer than the final score reflected. In the big-picture, Thursday’s setback didn’t hurt them either –– especially after they clinched a first-round playoff bye pregame thanks to the Atlanta Braves’ loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

There was also a matter of motivation, with the Padres clinching their own postseason spot by winning each of the last two games.

Nevertheless, dropping this series continued an increasingly troublesome trend for the two-time defending champions.

On the season, the Dodgers are just 25-28 against above-.500 teams currently on track to make the playoffs this year (excluding the sub-.500 Astros and Rangers, who are currently tied atop the AL West).

In the last two months, that mark includes an eye-popping 2-14 rut in such matchups.

Over that period, there were series sweeps at the hands of the Red Sox, Cubs and Braves. There was just a lone win in a dispiriting four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. 

And still, no outcome felt more foreboding than this one.

After a four-run rally in the bottom of the second on Tuesday, the Dodgers’ once-resurgent lineup scored just six more times over its next 25 innings –– even with Shohei Ohtani returning from the injured list on Wednesday, and recording a multi-hit effort Thursday that included a consolation RBI double in the ninth.

Though they manufactured plenty of traffic and prevented each of San Diego’s starters from completing even five innings, they wasted countless opportunities by going 4-for-25 with runners in scoring position.

It didn’t matter that the team got a pair of quality, though hardly dominant, starts out of Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Wednesday (six innings, two earned runs –– albeit with two more unearned) and Tyler Glasnow on Thursday (6.1 innings, three earned runs –– the last of which scored after he left the game).

Or that their own bullpen was, by and large, excellent; only done in during a three-run seventh-inning rally from the Padres on Thursday that was aided by some shoddy Dodgers defense (another area where the team suddenly regressed against a higher level of opponent).

Instead, their red-hot offense reverted back to its mediocre mid-summer form.

And now, after several weeks of increasingly auspicious form, the Dodgers have renewed questions to answer about their inability to beat other playoff-bound teams.

If it doesn’t change soon, it could portend an unexpectedly short October.

The Houston Astros were coming off perhaps their most devastating defeat of the season Wednesday, fearing it might have cost them the AL West title. They called up rookie Lucas Spence to replace center fielder Brice Matthews, who was placed on the injured list.

Certainly, they had no expectations but needed a body.

Spence, who wasn’t even drafted out of Southern Illinois, was hitting just .150 with one extra-base hit when he was sent back in April to Triple-A Sugar Land.

He came up Wednesday and didn’t collect a hit, but was back in the starting lineup Thursday − and just may have saved the Astros’ season.

He hit not one, not two, but three home runs with five RBI in the Astros’ 7-5 victory over the Athletics.

He became only the third player in MLB history to hit the first three home runs of his career in the same game, according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs.

And just like that, the Astros are back tied with the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West with a 79-80 record and just three games remaining.

“That was fun, man, that was awesome,’’ Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters after the game. “I enjoy watching young players come up here. The biggest stage there is. We need some of these kids to step up and do big things, and (he) just delivered. …

“He hit three homers (in) a must-needed win.’’

Spence, who still was in disbelief after the game, had trouble describing his emotions on the Astros’ postgame show.

“That was really exciting,’’ Spence said. “It kind of helped me settle in after getting called back up. It’s nerves or whatever, and you take a good swing like that, it helps you settle in and build on the day and keep it going forward.’’

The Astros, coming off a deflating 10-inning defeat Wednesday night to the Seattle Mariners, couldn’t have asked for Spence’s heroics to come at a better time. He hit a three-run homer in the second inning, a solo homer in the seventh, and then led off the ninth with his third homer of the night.

“It means everything,’’ Spence said. “You know, you’re up here. You want to win. You want to get to the playoffs. It’s why we work every day. It’s everything to us.’’

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rookie Lucas Spence saves Astros' season with epic 3-homer game

“When there’s nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire” – Stars, “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”

“When there’s nothing else to fight for, let me fight for this” – Bryan Woo, on fighting to stay in a little too long in tonight’s Mariners game, a sloppy 6-4 loss to the Angels.

I’m trying to sum up some annoyance at Bryan Woo for arguing to stay in this game, and at Dan Wilson for letting him, and at Cal Raleigh for dropping a third strike (stupidest rule in baseball) leading to a Rube Goldberg-esque chain of events, and at the Mariners for going 1-for-8 with RISP tonight and generally blowing chances against literally the 2026 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Disneyland, USA, and I just can’t. There’s nothing to fight for, or against, just the slow march towards the end of this dreadful season.

The Angels got on the board in annoying fashion in the second inning, when Josh Lowe lofted a little two-out single into center field. Christian Moore then hit an even weaker parachut fly ball that Julio dove for and missed, causing Laz Montes to bluescreen momentarily as he scrambled to pick up the loose ball in what’s been his first real tough test as a big-league outfielder, allowing Lowe to score from first. Blech, and also unfortunately a tone-setter for the rest of the night.

The Mariners answered back in the bottom of the inning, though. Cal Raleigh worked a walk, and then Julio Rodríguez obliterated a terrible middle-middle fastball from Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez. I remember listening to Grayson Rodriguez pitch to Julio Rodriguez in 2019 when Julio was playing for the West Virginia Power and the other Rodriguez was with the Delmarva Shorebirds in the now-defunct South Atlantic League. Those games were always hyped up big time, top prospect vs. top prospect. Anyway, Julio won this outing.

Here, with the Rick Rizzs call, as is proper:

No. 2️⃣2️⃣ for JULIOOOOO 🚀 pic.twitter.com/al5yLvXbRt

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 25, 2026

451 feet is currently the longest distance a ball has been hit in baseball today, and I will miss saying that when there are no balls hit in baseball today because there is no baseball.

The Mariners had a chance to really break the game open here after Josh Naylor worked a walk and Cole Young singled to put two more on with no outs, but unfortunately Lazaro Montes reached out for a changeup and grounded into a double play to put two outs on the board. Leo Rivas then came through with a clutch two-out RBI, though, bringing home Naylor to make it 3-1 before J.P. popped out to end the threat.

The Mariners had some traffic against Rodriguez and a chance to add on more but frittered away their opportunities. A leadoff double from Randy Arozarena in the second was left stranded at third (Julio and Canzone both struck out) and in the fourth a clever challenge from Cole Young to turn a strikeout into an eventual walk followed by a laserbeam single off the bat of Lazaro Montes was also stranded when Leo Rivas, who is notably not Michael Arroyo, grounded into an inning-ending double play.

That opened the door for the Angels to tie things up in the fifth. Josh Lowe threw his bat at a curveball and was rewarded with a weakly hit leadoff double, and then some more sloppy play bit the Mariners as Cal Raleigh threw away what should have been out number two on a curveball Christian Moore chased after in the dirt, leading to Lowe advancing to third and Moore reaching on my absolute least favorite play in baseball, the dropped third strike rule. Lowe would then score on a groundout to bring the Angels within one.

Despite the curveball working well for him – he had already struck Neto out on the pitch twice – Woo went with a sinker in to Neto, who yanked the pitch into right for a game-tying RBI. I was perplexed as to why Woo moved off his curveball, which he was throwing particularly well tonight – he boosted its usage up to 14%, his most commonly-used secondary tonight, and of 15 thrown landed four for called strikes and got swings on another seven with four whiffs. I was going to ask him about it postgame, but instead we had to do the continued sad autopsy of slicing up the 2026 Mariners to see what parts are the most shriveled. So for now we will put Bryan Woo’s curveball in a box labeled “40 in 40s – 2027” and hope we get to unpack them this spring.

The Mariners jumped back in front in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of some shoddy command from Rodriguez, who walked two and then threw a wild pitch that allowed J.P. Crawford, who had led off the inning, to score. But again, the Mariners couldn’t do any more damage than that, and the Angels then went ahead in the sixth against a clearly tiring Bryan Woo.

Woo’s efficiency hadn’t been great all day, despite recording eight strikeouts against the strikeout-prone Angels. For those who have watched a lot of Mariners starters in 2026, the noncompetitive five-pitch leadoff walk to a hitter with a below-average walk rate who strikes out a quarter of the time appears like a canary in the coal mine that has been this season. Two batters later, Woo allowed another free pass by plunking Denzer Guzman, who walks even less and strikes out even more. With Woo pushing into the 80s with his pitch count, Dan Wilson came out to do a mound visit, at which point Woo was seen yelling forcefully in the face of his manager from behind his glove. Because there’s nothing left to burn but ourselves, Wilson left him in, and Woo immediately went to a 3-0 count against Christian Moore – who is currently running a 34% K rate – before serving up a fastball right on the plate that Moore tattooed into center for a go-ahead double. Just when you think the 2026 Mariners can’t get any more 2026 Mariners, they Mariners all over.

Michael Rucker came in and cleaned up the mess, everyone say thank you Michael Rucker, and Laz Montes helped him out with a great catch. And you know if we’ve reached the “defensive highlights” part of the recap we’re in dire straits.

Direness indeed. Cooper Criswell had the eighth and continued to look not as sharp as he did before going on the IL, walking – no come on guys, seriously, Denzer Guzman again? And of course that leadoff walk came around to score because baseball does still have rules, even meaningless baseball. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway – the Mariners failed to score again after that wild-pitch run in the fifth against the Angels bullpen. It’s the most not matters time in the most not mattering season. Why does it still hurt?

The Dodgers didn’t win a game Thursday. But they got something far more valuable before even taking the field for their 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres.

With the Atlanta Braves’ loss to the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the day, the Dodgers clinched the second seed in the National League playoffs and the first-round bye that goes with it. That means the Dodgers will get five days off next week to prepare for their playoff opener, a godsend for a bruised and bloodied team that has stumbled to the finish of the regular season.

“I think we all know why it’s important,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said of the break. “There’s a lot of us kind of limping toward the end here, a lot of aches and pains this year.”

In addition to Freeman, who has been hobbled all month by a sore right knee, the Dodgers are rushing to get designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, starting pitcher Blake Snell and closer Edwin Díaz healthy.

Read more:Shaikin: For the Dodgers, the varsity will take it from here

Center fielder Andy Pages, who missed a month with a broken hand, returned to the lineup three days ago while Dalton Rushing, who is competing for a bench spot on the postseason roster, is expected to be activated off the injured list Friday.

All of them will benefit from some additional rest before their playoff opener, at Dodger Stadium, on Oct. 3.

And speaking of Dodger Stadium, the No. 2 playoff seed carries another important perk: the home-field advantage for the Division Series — and possibly the World Series, if the Dodgers make it that far. Home has certainly been an advantage for the Dodgers, who drew a sellout crowd of 53,027 Thursday, pushing the team’s total home attendance over four million for the second straight year.

“It’s more turning of the turnstiles than any venue in the world,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “The amazing thing is that it’s not just localized. It’s international. Everyone looks different at Dodger Stadium.

“It’s spectacular and our players certainly feed off of it.”

The Dodgers are one of five franchises in big-league history to draw more than 4 million fans in a season but just two others — the Toronto Blue Jays, from 1991-93, and the New York Yankees, in the final four years at old Yankee Stadium — did it in consecutive seasons.

Plus the Dodgers are the only team to do it since 2008. They also lead the majors in road attendance this season, having drawn 2.82 million, or 36,159 a game. And for some fans, it’s hard to separate their support from the team’s success.

“A synergy exists between we the fans and the players,” said Charles Flores, an associate professor at Cal State L.A. and lifelong Dodger fan who attended more than a dozen games this season. “One inspires the other.”

Russ Hoffman of Santa Clarita, a season-ticket holder for 40 years, agrees.

“The atmosphere created by drawing so many fans definitely contributes to their success,” he said. “Winning continuously drives the attendance and the current ownership has committed the assets to do that.”

That edge can be even bigger in the playoffs. The Dodgers lost just five of 16 postseason games at home — a .688 winning percentage — en route to World Series titles the last two years.

“During the playoffs Dodger Stadium is a tough place to play because it’s 56,000 crazed fans yelling on every play,” said Stan Brooks, an award-winning film producer and long-time season-ticket holder. “The fans are so loud and the environment is so intense every night.”

The Dodgers (97-62) will finish the regular season with three games this weekend in San Francisco, where they will continue their preparation for the postseason. Ohtani had a single and a run-scoring double Thursday. He also sent Jackson Merrill to the center-field wall to run down two long outs Thursday.

Mookie Betts, dropped to second in the lineup with Ohtani’s return, went three for three with a walk, raising his average for September to .347, while Freeman had two hits for the third time in four games.

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But the Dodgers stranded eight runners, going 0 for 8 with men in scoring position through eight innings, avoiding their first shutout of the season at home on Adrian Morejon’s balk in the eighth.

On the mound, Tyler Glasnow, who will be the Dodgers’ fourth starter in the postseason, was perfect through three innings. He walked Fernando Tatis Jr. on four pitches to start the fourth, but didn’t allow another Padres batter to reach base until Ethan Sales singled with one out in the sixth.

That proved costly when Tatis singled on the next pitch, sending Sales to third, from where he scored on Dustin Harris’ sacrifice fly, putting the Padres ahead to stay.

Glasnow (5-2) got out of the inning by striking out Manny Machado, giving him a season-high 11 strikeouts on the night and 21 in his last two starts but San Diego then blew the game open in the seventh, chasing Glasnow and scoring three times off reliever Justin Wrobleski on run-scoring singles by Austin Hayes, Sales and Tatis.

Díaz pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two.

With the win, the Padres (89-70) clinched a postseason berth for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Staff writer Maddie Lee contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.