Category: MLB

Jesus Luzardo, who’s last start was back on September 7th, pitched five innings of one-run ball. It was easily the best-case scenario given how things could play out.

The Phillies’ offense entered this postseason ranked 28th in wRC+ and was without Luis Arraez, who was their cleanup hitter before a brutal sprained ankle took him off the postseason roster. Despite that and despite facing Chris Sale, who is nearly a lock to finish in the top five for the National League Cy Young race, they tacked on three runs. It was probably the best-case scenario.

Despite all of that, the Phillies just couldn’t muster enough to take down the Braves in game one. While
Cristopher Sánchez takes the ball for game two, 15 of the 16 Wild Card series entering 2026 went to the team who won game one. The Phillies could win the series still, but it would take a lot.

Everything seemed to go the Phillies’ way in the first. Sale was not sharp, struggling to land the fastball in the zone and get a strong feel for his unhittable slider. Kyle Schwarber worked a one-out walk that took seven pitches. After a Bryce Harper strikeout, Alec Bohm crushed a head-high, 99.1 mph fastball right after the head of a sprinting Michael Harris in center field. Schwarber scored easily without a competitive throw.

Luzardo’s first inning was like clockwork but the second inning featured trouble. He struggled to land his fastball in the zone for strikes and had no feel for his sweeper and changeup. He hung a changeup to Mauricio Dubón, who smoked a double down the left field line to lead off the inning.

After a Michael Harris sacrifice bunt, Ozzie Albies worked a five-pitch walk with Luzardo struggling to throw competitive pitches. He got bailed out against Austin Riley, who saw a fastball going right to his hands, only to hit the knob of the ball and squirt right to Luzardo. Dubón made a very smart play at third, getting into a rundown that allowed Albies to get to third with two outs.

On the very next pitch, Mike Yastrzemski punched a seeing-eye single right past Bryson Stott’s glove and the Braves tied it at one.

Neither Luzardo or Sale would run into issues for nearly the remainder of their outings. Sale coasted with the fastball and slider with an occasional changeup. There was an Edmundo Sosa double in the fifth with two outs, but JT Realmuto went down swinging to end the threat.

It was the Phillies bullpen that started to bring offensive life into this game. Don Mattingly’s first guy out was Alex McFarlane, the rookie right-hander with an overpowering fastball, who’s command has gotten better and better with almost every outing.

With one out, Michael Harris went to left field on a 101.6 mph sinker, tailing away from the strike zone for a single. On the third pitch Albies saw, he smoked a 99.3 mph fastball to dead center field but Derek Hill mistimed his jump and the ball went right off his wrist. Albies got to third easily and Harris ran home and the Braves took a 1-0 lead.

With one out and a runner at third, McFarlane was able to settle down, getting an Austin Riley groundout and a Mike Yastrzemski strikeout.

The Braves sent Sale back out for the seventh and almost immediately looked gassed. With one out, Bryan De La Cruz was hit by a slider and Bryson Stott punched a fastball into right field to put runners on first and third.

Mattingly went to his bench, asking Justin Crawford to come up in a big spot against Braves right handed Didier Fuentes. Both were rookies who made the opening day roster and play roles in both teams getting to this point, albeit Fuentes was significantly better.

With a 3-1 count, Crawford hit a pop up on a slider and the runners stayed put. On the second pitch JT Realmuto saw, he punched a 99.4 mph fastball right over Matt Olson’s head and down the right field line. It took a weird hop on the lip of the grass, which Ronald Acuña Jr. could not handle. Both runners scored and the Phillies took the lead with nine more outs to go.

Jhoan Duran came in because the Phillies have no other options. Asking Duran to get six, maybe even all nine outs is a task almost any reliever would fail at. But this is where the Phillies are at. There was no one else.

He worked quickly through the seventh inning and got the first two outs of the eighth with a manageable pitch count. It seemed like Duran was ready to potentially give them all nine outs for the Phillies to steal a game, and potentially steal a playoff series they have no business being in.

With a 2-0 count, Michael Harris swung at a splinker, that chopped right over Duran’s head and Trea Turner had no chance to exchange the ball from his glove and fire an out to first base. After that infield single, Duran hit Ozzie Albies on a backfoot curveball that put two runners on.

After a lengthy review to decide that it clearly hit Albies foot, Austin Riley stepped into the batters box looking for a fastball. He got that fastball, only at 99.9 mph but it wasn’t 102 like Duran was throwing earlier. Riley got the barrel to hit, 104.6 mph off the bat and barely over the large right field wall that swung the series. The Braves took a 5-3 lead and the Phillies went down in the ninth.

It will be easy to blame Duran for that, blame Mattingly for that, or whoever. The Phillies bullpen entered this series with two trusted relievers. The aforementioned Duran, who had a 1.82 ERA over 59.1 innings as the Phillies’ closer and Alex McFarlane. Both of them allowed runs, Duran allowed a three-run homerun.

However, the Phillies were asking for trouble when the best possible plan called for both of them to successfully pitch multiple innings to win a playoff game. Neither could and the Braves are in the drivers seat with a 1-0 lead in a best of three.

It didn't take long for the chaos of the MLB postseason to rear its head again.

Game 1 of the NL wild card series between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies went from a pitcher's duel between Chris Sale and Jesús Luzardo for the first five innings into an offensive back-and-forth over the final four frames. Philly took a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh on a JT Realmuto line drive that Ronald Acuña Jr. fumbled with in right field as Bryan De La Cruz rounded the bases and scored the go-ahead run from first. Realmuto was officially credited with a triple.

Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Austin Riley stepped up for Atlanta.

Michael Harris II started a two-out rally with a single to short. Ozzie Albies then reached first after a low knuckle curve from Jhoan Duran hit his back foot to set the table for Riley, who took Duran deep to right field on a first-pitch heater down the middle for a three-run blast.

AUSTIN RILEY
GO-AHEAD THREE-RUN HOMER
ATLANTA IS GOING WILD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/XrPQnazvVO

— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2026

Raisel Iglesias made quick work of the Phillies in the top of the ninth to hold onto a 5-3 Braves win. They're now one win away from punching their ticket to the NLDS, where they'd face the NL No. 2 seed Los Angeles Dodgers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Braves' Austin Riley deliver dramatic go-ahead home run vs Phillies

I am an optimist.  My definition of Diamondbacks success is reaching the playoffs.  Today, my thoughts are making a rare walk through the dark side to address what kept the Diamondbacks from success.

Let’s look at eleven reasons.  My view is that 4 reasons had no negative impact, 3 reasons had low negative impact (perhaps one win), and 4 reasons had high negative impact.

No Negative Impact.

1. Trade Deadline Moves Compared to the Phillies.

“We can sit here and kick ourselves for the trade deadline and say we could have done more…” Derrick Hall interview on Arizona Sports

A table in this AZ Snake Pit article (4 August) showed that at the trade deadline these two teams needed the same things (starting pitcher, relief pitcher, and a left-handed batter).  Phillies did more to address their needs by acquiring two relief pitchers (Caleb Kilian and Brooks Raley), as well as second baseman Luis Arraez.  The Diamondbacks acquired Lars Nootbaar.

Surprisingly, it could be argued that Nootbaar made more impact than three acquisitions by the Phillies.  The following list is a top-level view of the impact of these players.

• D-backs, Lars Nootbaar: 113 OPS+
• Phillies, Caleb Kilian: 37 ERA+
• Phillies, Brooks Raley: 58 ERA+
• Phillies, Luis Arraez: 82 OPS+

The Diamondbacks trade-deadline acquisition was the only one who performed above average.

2.  Torey Lovullo.

“I know there are Torey critics out there, but look at the job he’s done…This year is probably his best year, even with his 2023 getting to the World Series. … He’s done a terrific, terrific job this year…”  Derrick Hall interview on Arizona Sports

My view is that this season had more challenges than any of his previous seasons; and despite the challenges he nearly led the team into the playoffs.

3.  Drama & Distraction of Ketel Marte.  The Diamondbacks lost two of three games while Marte was on the restricted list. However, I would attribute those losses to poor pitching with 9 and 11 runs allowed in the losses.  Furthermore, my view is that Torey Lovullo handled the situation masterfully to prevent any impact. 

4.  Season Record was 6-7 Vs Padres.  Blame could be placed on losing the last two games of the season against the Padres.  The Padres are a great team, worthy of the playoffs.  The win-loss record is about what I would expect, even if the Diamondbacks reached the playoffs. 

Low Negative Impact.

5. At Chase Field, Too Many Losses to Rockies.  In away games, the Rockies won 26 and lost 55.  At Chase Field, the Rockies did better with 3 wins and 4 losses.   If Chase was an average venue, the Rockies would have one less win (and the Diamondbacks one more win).

6. The Padres Win Streak.  From 6-20 September, the Padres won 13 of 14 games.  That put them ahead of the Diamondbacks in the race for a Wild-Card position.

7.  Inconsistent and Poorly Performing Players at First Base. 

This season, the team Wins Above Average (WAA) at first base was negative 2.4.  This season, Ildemaro Vargas had the most games at first base (74 games).  This season, he seemed to mostly share the position:

• April/May, shared with Jose Fernandez
• June, shared with Pavin Smith
• July/August, shared with Tim Tawa and Tyler Locklear
• September, shared with Tim Tawa and Pavin Smith

For more detail, see this AZ Snake Pit article, which will be posted next week.

High Negative Impact.

8.  Losses in 1-run Games Compared to the Phillies.  The Phillies lost fewer 1-run games than the Diamondbacks (16 vs 21).  My view is that difference accounts for a 5-win difference between the teams. 

Another view is to compare the percentage of 1-run games lost.  The Phillies lost a smaller percentage of 1-run games (39% vs 43%).

9.  In June and July, Injuries to Starting Pitchers.  Albeit, significant injuries happened prior to June and July, those two months were the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.  The following list shows the impacts.

• Corbin Burnes, about June, tore his Teres Major which delayed his return to 8 September.
• Ryne Nelson, 16 June to 16 September, returned as a reliever.
• Michael Soroka, 20 June to 5 July, worse ERA upon return; Dbacks lost 5 of 7 games.
• Zac Gallen, 9 July to 7 September, returned as a reliever.

10.  Heavy Use of Young and Inexperienced Bullpen Pitchers.  Two examples stand out:

Jose Cabrera, 24 years old, instrumental in 3 losses: 27 June, 3 July, 26 September.

Mitch Bratt, 22 years old, instrumental in 2 losses: 25 July, 11 August.

11.  Decline in Performance of Three Batters.  The following list shows this season’s decline for three outstanding players:

• Ketel Marte, 2025: 147 OPS+, 2026: 107 OPS+
• Corbin Carroll, 2025: 143 OPS+, 2026: 120 OPS+
• Geraldo Perdomo, 2025: 138 OPS+, 2026: 110 OPS+

Summary.

There were four main reasons why the Diamondbacks missed the playoffs:

• Five more losses in 1-run games compared to the Phillies. 
• In June and July, four starting pitchers were injured (Burnes, Nelson, Soroka, and Gallen).
• Heavy use of young and inexperienced bullpen pitchers.
• Three batters declined (Marte, Carroll, and Perdomo).

Rooting for long, grueling, exhausting contests

With a compression sleeve on his throwing arm underneath a cheeky t-shirt in support of Game 1 starting pitcher Cam Schlittler, Yankees left-hander Max Fried attended a news conference on Tuesday afternoon as he prepares to start Game 2 against the Boston Red Sox.

Max Fried is wearing his Cam Schlittler shirt for his press conference today pic.twitter.com/TLG5RqHu62

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 29, 2026

Fried missed a chunk of games during this past regular season due to a left elbow issue, first back in May and then again in mid-August.

Thankfully, unlike ailing Yankees captain Aaron Judge, the star is good to go for the team's AL Wild Card series against Boston.

In fact, the top four arms in New York's starting pitching rotation — Schlittler, Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón — are all healthy entering the postseason.

"This was the goal, to make sure that we were in a good, built-up, healthy position going into the playoffs," said Fried. "It's a credit to the training staff, the coaches, and obviously, the rest of the team who picked us up when any of us were out [injured]."

"We're really excited to go out and try to win a World Series... we didn't get here by accident."

Fried is no stranger to the champagne showers of the Fall Classic. During his time with the Atlanta Braves, he spun a championship-clinching performance of six shutout innings against the Houston Astros on the road in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series.

Fried's most recent playoff outing for the Yankees was in Game 2 of the 2025 ALDS on the road against a different AL East rival, the Toronto Blue Jays.

In that game, Fried lasted just three innings, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits, a game which the Yankees went on to lose 13-7. 

New York won just a single game of that best-of-five series, swiftly eliminated from the postseason by last postseason's eventual AL pennant winners.

"Anytime you don't end the season holding up the [World Series] trophy, it doesn't sit well with you," Fried lamented, reflecting on his performance against the Blue Jays. "Starting in spring training, you sacrifice time that would be spent with family to go out there with a group of guys and have the goal of winning it all."

"When you come up short, it's tough, given how much you've put into it, so it was definitely something that fueled me last offseason when I was working on my own."

Depending on the outcome of Game 1 of the Wild Card, Fried will be tasked with either salvaging the season or clinching a sweep over their fiercest rivals in Game 2.

He claims that he'll be dialed in, regardless of the situation.

"It's the same," Fried declared. "Any time I take the ball, whether it's the regular season or the playoffs, I have the feeling that we have to win today's game."

Just two years ago, the Chicago White Sox etched 121 losses in the record books to mark the worst MLB season in modern history. Fast forward through another turbulent season in 2025, and the South Siders suffered three straight 100-loss seasons, albeit with a more positive second half as several of the organization’s promising prospects began to make a difference while others worked on improving their approach. Many White Sox fans assumed it would be a moderately-improved season in 2026, knowing that the Good Guys had officially moved on from the failed 2021 roster, and pretty much every baseball journalist and projection model expected the same.

The South Side clubhouse was aware that no one was expecting them to make any noise this year with so many prospects breaking into the big leagues, and after a rough April it another season in the second division might be the case. But with 36 comeback wins and 11 walk-offs, Chicago showcased the elite talent that was cooking up at 35th and Shields, along with a resilience that never counted them out. The White Sox were seven games worse than .500 in mid-April, and at their best were nine games better in late August, spending a total of 96 days atop of the AL Central. Despite ultimately earning a Wild Card spot rather than a division title, the White Sox still made history with their 84 wins by qualifying for the playoffs after three consecutive 100-loss seasons.

As the South Siders head to Houston for a three-game Wild Card series against the AL West champion Houston Astros, looking for revenge from their 2021 ALDS defeat. With the MLB postseason comes playoff rosters, and the White Sox released theirs earlier today, announcing that they will be carrying 12 pitchers, two catchers, five infielders, and seven outfielders. The two most notable players who did not make the roster were righthander Trevor Richards, and catcher Drew Romo, who both spent a significant time on the South Side this season and were key contributors. Jake Rogers will slot in as the backup catcher behind Kyle Teel, and as one of the bigger surprises, Tommy Pham will be joining Chicago rather than adding a 13th pitcher.

Today’s game will be the first time in postseason history that both teams will be leveraging an opener to start the game, likely sending baseball traditionalists — and many White Sox fans — into a tailspin. Chicago has used an opener 31 times this season, and in their defense, it has gotten them this far. Is there still concern that the pitching depth might not be enough to make a deep playoff run? Sure there is. But we are working with what we got, because GM Chris Getz chose not to spend on another starter at the trade deadline, and the starter that he did trade for isn’t even on the playoff roster (Luis Castillo).

With that, lefthander Hagen Smith will make his first career postseason start, and will be his second appearance as an opener since joining the White Sox. Smith tossed 28 innings in 18 games with the South Siders in 2026, posting an excellent 1.29 ERA to complement a 0.964 WHIP while striking out 41 batters at a 37.3% strikeout rate, which was the fifth-highest in all of baseball (minimum 20 IP). The overall though process behind the opener today is to attempt to shut down the top of the order right off the bat, as the first three hitters for Houston (Jeremy Peña, Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes) all have weaker splits against left-handed pitchers compared to righties.

Recency bias also doesn’t help defend the opener, as we’ve had a couple of brutal outings recently with Chris Murphy and Bryan Hudson. However, with how strong Hagen has been since being called up, there’s more optimism with the strategy this time around. After Smith, it’s probable that righthander Erick Fedde will take over as the bulk pitcher, and he has been one of the more consistent arms that the Sox have had down the stretch.

As for the lineup, the South Siders are working with the right-handed pitcher AJ Blubaugh on the mound for the Astros, with the batting over heavily favoring left-handed hitters. Given the RHP matchup, Sam Antonacci will maintain the leadoff spot, with Kyle Teel and Miguel Vargas rounding out the top three. Andrew Benintendi will take over as the DH, though it’s still possible we see Randal Grichuk sub in at some point depending on the Astros bullpen situation. The main change between the typical batting order is that Colson Montgomery will be slotted into the 9-spot considering his struggles at the plate recently, though he’s still a sound shortstop with more than 30 bombs on the season and he could run into one any time.

For the Astros, Blubaugh will be opening for the first time in 2026 after coming out of the bullpen for all 64 appearances this season. The righty owns a 3.66 ERA in 96 frames with a 1.229 WHIP, though he doesn’t strike batters out at as high of a rate as Smith does. Blubaugh has posted 96 Ks with a 23.4% strikeout rate, though he also has walked batters 10.5% of the time, which could be beneficial for a White Sox team that ranks sixth in MLB in walk rate (9.5% BB%).

The South Siders have only defeated the Astros twice in seven games this season, and they’ve seen their fair share of Astros power hitters. In order to be successful tonight, the key will be to control the top of the order and keep them off base as much as possible. Outside of Alvarez, Peña, and Paredes, you can’t sleep on José Altuve, who owns a career .842 OPS in the postseason.

Because MLB can’t make anything easy, tonight’s game can be viewed either on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) or on NBC’s streaming service Peacock. We also have extra details in our broadcast guide for the week, but at least they made it easy enough to remember that we play at the same time for the next few days, and we still get to listen to Steve Stone in the broadcast. First pitch will take place at 4:00 p.m. CT at Daikin Park, and it’s time for a White Sox winner.

What scares you the most about the Yankees?

The rotation. Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, and Gerrit Cole are one of the few groups that have been as good as the Red Sox’s top three. That, combined with a Red Sox offense that has been lethargic in September, could make for a difficult series.

— Jacob Roy

The pitching. One of the few teams with as good or better pitchers than the Red Sox: the Yankees. The Sox are already struggling to hit consistently; the last thing I want is to see New York roll out three aces. (Well, maybe 2.5 with the 2026 version of Garrett Cole.)

— Mike Carlucci

The pitching. And yes, there’s an echo in here, but it’s also the right answer. If you could play this series in a simulation a thousand times, I’d be willing to bet that over 90 percent of the Red Sox losses come from the lineup just not bunching enough hits, not hitting for enough power, and not being about to knock in enough men with runners in scoring position against the Yankee staff.

— Matthew Gross

Hate to repeat what everybody else is saying here, but yeah: New York has one hell of a pitching staff. When you’ve got the soon-to-be AL Cy Young winner staring you right in the face in the first game of a short series, it’s a tall task. Luckily, I think the Sox have a comparable pitching staff—at least among the trio of starters that are lined up for the Wild Card—but the Yankees’ starters are formidable.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice. Did you know they’re both from Massachusetts?? Is anyone going to write a story about this!?

— Bob Osgood

The answer is the pitching, but you know that already. So let’s get a little creative and say something else: home runs. The Red Sox pitching staff allowed the fewest homers in baseball this year. But the Yankees lineup hit the most homers in baseball this year. I’m expecting the Sox to struggle to score, so even if the Sox get a great outing from the starter, one back-breaking dong in the 7th could decide the game.

— Dan Secatore

What scares you the most about the Red Sox?

The bullpen. Without Tyron Guerrero, the only arms I truly trust are Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman. Erik Miller and Brayan Bello are meltdowns waiting to happen, Garrett Crochet is a total mystery, and the rest of the guys just aren’t that good. If the starters can’t go deep, it’s going to be difficult to hold leads.

— Jacob Roy

Jarren Duran. I’ve been… critical… of the much-maligned outfielder throughout the majority of his career, but something tells me that, given the ways things have unfolded over the last few weeks (Mickey Gasper’s injury, Andruw Monasterio being bad) he’ll be forced into the lineup against right-handers and open up the opportunity for the spotlight to be placed directly on him. I hate that.

— Keagan Stiefel

The pitching. If Tolle/Gray/Suarez go 5.0-6.0 innings with 2-3 runs are the Sox scoring that many? Are the big arms entering the game down by 1? Down by 2? 

— Mike Carlucci

Their complete inability to hit high velocity pitching, which the Yankees have in spades. Mickey Gasper was actually even one of the better guys at doing this, and now he’s on the shelf too. Somebody’s going to have to step up and have a huge series at the plate because on paper they lack the firepower to counteract the Yankee arms.

— Matthew Gross

The issues with runners in scoring position are unbecoming. This team ended with a .709 OPS with RISP in 2026, good for 26th best in MLB (wow, that’s a lot of initials; it’s like alphabet soup). This is especially worrisome considering my aforementioned point about the pitching that the Sox will be going up against; if/when you do get some traffic on base, you have GOT to take advantage of it. These trends can’t continue….but I’m nervous that they might.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

The offense, specifically the lack of power and struggles with runners in scoring position. Boston was 25th with RISP this season, with a .241 batting average, and it was far worse in September. They also finished 26th in baseball with 163 home runs, an issue that Craig Breslow vowed to fix, but did not fix, after falling short in the playoffs a season ago.

— Bob Osgood

What’s one thing you really want to see happen during the series?

Wilyer Abreu going to the top deck off Cam Schlittler, please and thank you.

— Keagan Stiefel

Jarren Duran steals home.

—Mike Carlucci

Roman Anthony to have a huge series. This would not only be a great first step to counteract New York’s biggest strength, but big picture wise, wouldn’t it be nice if — in Anthony’s first time in a hostile, road playoff environment — he just proved he’s one of those guys that thrives in these high intensity moments? It would be huge not just for this series, but in his growth as a franchise building block.

— Matthew Gross

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that I’d like to see the Red Sox win the series.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

Payton Tolle to outduel Cam Schlittler in Game One. I love Payton Tolle. And I hate Cam Schlittler.

— Bob Osgood

I’d like to see a pigeon to take a big ol’ dump on Cam Schlitter as he’s bowing his head for the National Anthem before Game 1. We deserve to have nice things.

— Dan Secatore

One time my girlfriend and I were walking, and I happened to look up at the right moment, put my arm out to stop her, and pigeon shit fell exactly where her next step would have been. She never really gave me credit for that heroic act, and I bring it up regularly to this day. Anyway, what Dan said.

— Jacob Roy

Who will be the series MVP?

Wilyer Abreu. If there was ever a time for the king of streakiness to start turning back in the right direction, it’s with that absurdly short porch staring him directly in the face for three straight games.

— Keagan Stiefel

Nick Sogard. As the man says, you don’t watch him every day and you don’t see what he’s capable of. 

— Mike Carlucci

Probably somebody incredibly annoying like like Jose Caballero. The real MVP will probably be the Yankees pitching staff, but because that’ll be a multiheaded monster without an obvious solo choice, it will be some middle or bottom of the order Yankee bat that manages to get bat on ball and find a hole a couple of times with men on base.

— Matthew Gross

This is the perfect time for Roman Anthony to step into the national spotlight. Lefty at Yankee Stadium with an offense that could use a shot in the arm; why not him? In a short series, it especially only takes one or two big moments to make your mark. This is the Roman Anthony breakout series.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

Wilyer Abreu. I’m glad he was one of the players from the Sox core who got his first playoff reps in the Bronx a year ago. He’s due, and when he gets hot, look out.

— Bob Osgood

Which non-star will have a Dave Roberts/Brock Holt/Steve Pearce moment and what will that moment be?

With Willson Contreras ailing, I was convinced that Romy Gonzalez was going to hit a go-ahead home run in the 8th inning of Game 3. That just would’ve been the perfect playoff moment for this team of AAAA overachievers. But with Contreras (thankfully) healthy and back in action, let’s give that moment to Jahmai Jones instead. This is what lefty-killers are for.

— Dan Secatore

Jahmai Jones will get his chances against lefties. He won’t start against Schlittler, but he’ll likely get an at-bat against one of the lefties in the Yankees’ bullpen, plus Max Fried in game two. He’ll hit a multi-run home run in a big spot to give the Red Sox a lead.

— Jacob Roy

Connor Wong. While the “Forever Young” catcher will always be a starter to me, he’s been pushed back for Adley Rutschman. I think he drives in a run with a shallow double just between the shortstop and left fielder. 

— Mike Carlucci

I was gonna say Sogard, but let’s change it up here and go for a wild one. In one of these games, it’ll be the sixth inning or so. Boston will be in a tight spot with a handful of righties lined up for the Yankees. The Sox need to get out of a jam. They turn to one of the most unsung heroes in the second half of this season, and Wyatt Olds shuts New York down.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

Brayan Bello. He has a 2.11 ERA and 1.03 WHIP for Boston over 55 ⅓ innings since being recalled on July 12th, and he is barely talked about in this bullpen. He struggled in his start in Yankee Stadium a year ago, and will get payback here. One of Boston’s starters is bound to go short in their start this week, and Bello will pick up the slack with a strong 2-3 inning stint to bridge the gap to the back of the ‘pen.

— Bob Osgood

What’s your prediction for the series?

2-1, Red Sox, because it’s going to go to three games to give me a heart attack and because I refuse to pick the Yankees.

— Jacob Roy

2-1, Red Sox. I can’t do this two years in a row…

— Keagan Stiefel

We’ve seen so much out of this team. April-June. July-August. September. They can win this in two, even with the Yankees starters. They can be aggressive, look for the home run pitch, bunt, and make the Yankees play defense. Cause chaos. But that act probably can’t win you two straight. 2-1 Red Sox. 

— Mike Carlucci

2-0 Yankees. I have grave concerns about the offense getting muzzled by New York’s pitching, and since the best-of-three Wild Card series went in place in 2022, 11 of the 16 series played have ended in two games. Hopefully I’m wrong.

— Matthew Gross

2-1 Sox. Gotta believe, baby.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

Red Sox 2-1. With Max Fried and his 5.31 career playoff ERA throwing Game 2, and Gerrit Cole’s history against Boston in Game 3, I feel damn good about the Sox chances, even if they lose Game 1.

— Bob Osgood

Playoff baseball is almost upon us, and after finalizing their roster, the Yankees have set their starting nine for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series in the Bronx. It’s a righty-heavy lineup, intentionally aligned to face lefty Payton Tolle, who is slated to make his first career postseason start for the Red Sox.

Paul Goldschmidt, who hit .299 against lefties this season with a .393 OBP and .967 OPS, will take the leadoff spot and hopefully allow the perfect setup for Ben Rice. The 27-year-old designated hitter batting second in the order posted good numbers from the Bronx during the regular season, hitting .254 with a .371 OBP and .917 OPS, bolstered by a team-high 41 homers.

Heliot Ramos—another lefty masher like Goldschmidt—is batting third and starting in right, followed by Bellinger starting in left. Placing Bellinger in the cleanup spot could work out well for the Yankees, adding some power to give some of the younger guys, like George Lombard Jr., a boost of confidence before stepping up to the plate in the five-hole.

Amed Rosario will start at third, and this came as a somewhat surprise in my opinion. Despite only making six starts in September, the Yankees placed enough confidence in him to bat sixth in the order for Game 1, perhaps in part to a sluggish month from José Caballero.

Fans will surely have mixed opinions about Anthony Volpe at second, who is getting the start over Jazz Chisholm Jr.. The New Jersey native has played well with the Yankees since rejoining the majors, but being cautiously optimistic about him is certainly a gamble — especially in the postseason. Chisholm had just a .650 OPS against southpaws in 2026, so they’re certainly playing the matchups game with Tolle on the bump for Boston.

Spencer Jones getting the start over Trent Grisham isn’t particularly surprising, since Grisham hasn’t started a game since early September, and it will be exciting to see how Jones shows up when the lights are at their brightest. He can be an adventure in center at times, but even before his recent injury, Grisham’s glovework had fallen off from his heights of past years.

The Yankees also seem confident in Wells’ ability to round out the order and remain defensively adept behind the plate. He’ll be coordinating with Cam Schlittler, who as discussed the other day, will get the start from the mound.

Here’s a look at the Red Sox lineup, which puts Roman Anthony leading off and DH’ing in his first career postseason game.

Don’t miss a second of the action in this rivalry matchup, which begins Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.

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

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees vs Red Sox LIVE updates: Ben Rice home run, where to watch MLB playoffs

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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