Category: MLB

TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (76-75) will continue their final homestand of the season tonight as they host the Kansas City Royals (66-85) for the middle game of their three-game series at Daikin Park.

The resurgent RHP Cristian Javier (2-5, 5.50 ERA) will try to pitch the Astros to back-to-back wins tonight as he starts opposite LHP Daniel Lynch IV (5-5, 3.52 ERA) and the Royals.

MR. CRISTIAN: RHP Cristian Javier is making his 11th start and 16th appearance of the season tonight. He’s pitched well in his last two starts, holding the D-backs and Phillies to a combined two runs on four hits in 11.0 innings for a 1.64 ERA. He had 13 strikeouts over those last two starts and has fanned 30 hitters in 23.1 IP over his last five outings.

ASTROS-ROYALS: The Astros and Royals have a memorable history, with the two clubs meeting each other in the 2015 ALDS, won by the Royals in five games. 11 years later, 2B Jose Altuve and C Salvador Perez remain on their respective team’s active rosters, while SS Carlos Correa, currently on the IL, also played in the series. More recently, the Astros are 10-4 in their last 14 games against the Royals, including a 3-1 record this season.

HADER NAMED CLEMENTE NOMINEE: For the second straight season, LHP Josh Hader has been named the Astros nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s most prestigious individual honor for MLB players. The Roberto Clemente Award is the annual recognition of an MLB player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

LOS ASTROS: Space City Home Network will televise tonight’s game in English and Spanish with the Spanish broadcast being televised on SCHN2. Enrique Vasquez and Danny Gonzales will be on the call on the Spanish telecast tonight.

LAST NIGHT’S WIN: The Astros picked up a 4-2 win last night behind a huge game by SS Jeremy Peña (3×4, 2RBI), who homered twice, including a leadoff shot. He was joined by DH Yordan Alvarez (1×2, 2RBI), who connected for a two-run homer in the 5th. RHP Hunter Brown (1ER/5IP) earned the victory, fanning 10 hitters, which ties his career high.

BROTHER BROWN: Astros ace RHP Hunter Brown has posted a 5-2 record and a 3.00 ERA (19ER/57IP) in his last nine starts (since July 25), pitching through the 5th inning in all nine outings. Brown, who finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting last season, has been limited this season, missing over two months due to a lengthy stint on the IL (April 1-June 15) with a right shoulder strain.

ON THE MEND: The Astros have five players on the Major League Injured List. Here are updates on four:

• RHP Mike Burrows (rt. shoulder inflammation) threw 20 pitches off a mound on Sunday at the Astros Florida complex. He will continue his throwing progression in Houston this week.

• IF Carlos Correa (lt. ankle tendon injury) will not return to the active roster in 2026. Correa spent last week rehabbing at the Astros Florida complex and during the ramp-up process he experienced soreness in his surgically repaired ankle. He will return to Houston this week to be medically re-evaluated.

• LHP Steven Okert (rt. hamstring strain) spent last week at the Astros Florida complex, where he began a throwing progression. He will continue his throwing progression in Houston this week.

• OF Brice Matthews (lt. knee sprain) began a minor league rehab assignment last week with Triple A Sugar Land. He’s played in four games so far, appearing defensively in CF, 2B, 3B and LF

TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently ranks first or second in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories. He enters today leading the AL in batting avg. (.310), while ranking second in HR (39) and RBI (98). Alvarez also leads the Majors in OPS (1.023), SLG (.594) and OBP (.429). Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL).

TRIPLE DIGITS: DH Yordan Alvarez reached 98 RBI last night and is looking to post the 29th 100RBI season in Astros history. Alvarez’s career high in RBI is 104, which he reached in 2021.

LEADING MAN: SS Jeremy Peña hit his fifth leadoff home run of the season last night, and the 10th of his career, a total that ranks fifth in Astros history. He now immediately trails OF Terry Puhl (13 leadoff HR) for fourth on that all-time list.

STALKING 200: 1B Christian Walker is currently sitting on 199 career home runs and needs just one homer to become the 35th active Major League player to reach 200 career long balls. Walker has hit 25 homers this year for his fifth consecutive 25-plus homer season (2022-26).

THE FIREMAN: LHP Josh Hader converted his 26th consecutive save opportunity to open his season last night, which sets the Astros franchise record. The previous record of converting 25 consecutive saves opportunities to begin a season was set last season by Hader as well. Should Hader finish the season without a blown save, he would become just the seventh pitcher in MLB history to post 26-plus saves without a blown save and the first to do so since RHP Ken Giles in 2018 (26 SV).

CHAMPS!: The Class A Fayetteville Woodpeckers won the Carolina League Championship Series last night with a 7-4 win over Charleston in Game 2 of the three-game championship series. This gives the Astros two minor league champions this season, which includes the FCL Astros, who took home their respective title.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1995 – 2B Craig Biggio ties a club record by stealing four bases in an Astros 7-4 win over the Expos in Montreal. Since this date, no Astros player has recorded four steals in a 9.0-inning game.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, September 16, 7:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network, SCHN2 (Spanish)

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; KTRH 740 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Run it back!

⚾️: 7:10 PM
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN & SCHN2
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 & 740 AM | Spanish: 102.9 HD2 #ChaseTheFight x @reliantenergypic.twitter.com/BvtAH5Ha2a

— Houston Astros (@astros) September 16, 2026

Wednesday night in H-Town. pic.twitter.com/pol91WBoOK

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) September 16, 2026

The Dodgers were hit by the injury bug again, as left-hander Blake Snell left Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds early due to left groin tightness.

Blake Snell left tonight's game due to left groin tightness.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 16, 2026

Snell completed a scoreless first inning, facing the minimum after picking off first baseman Sal Stewart following his two-out single. Snell tossed just 19 pitches on Wednesday, allowing just one hit and striking out one before departing early. Blake Treinen replaced Snell for the bottom of the second inning.

If this marks the end for Snell’s 2026 regular season, he’ll finish with a 4-1 record and a 1.86 ERA, striking out 52 and walking 16, tallying 38 2/3 innings over eight starts. Snell did not allow a single home run over his eight starts.

Blake Snell exited his start against the Cincinnati Reds after just one inning on Wednesday, Sept. 19.

The former Cy Young winner told reporters he went through his normal pregame routine but felt his groin grab at him on the second to last pitch of his bullpen session. He monitored it through the first inning and retired the side in just 19 pitches, after which he talked with Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and did not return to the mound for the top of the second. Blake Treinen entered the game in Snell's place.

"That's what I thought was best," Snell told reporters after the Dodgers' 6-2 loss. "I'll see where I'm at day-to-day, but I should be good."

The Dodgers announced Snell left the game with left groin tightness. Jack Harris of the California Post reported that Snell was removed as a "precaution." Dylan Hernández added that the sense within the organization was that Snell could still make his next start.

It looks as if Snell and the Dodgers dodged a bullet, which Snell credits to learning from the four previous times in his career that he's dealt with groin injuries. On two previous times, he felt a similar pull but pushed through and ended up with a strain both times. He thought the groin injuries were behind him after his last strain with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, but Snell is confident that the work he's done with stretching and injury prevention – primarily Copenhagen planks – helped on Wednesday.

And this time around, he shut it down early and avoided a more severe injury.

"For me to stop, that's a first. Maybe I'm growing up, I don't know, but that was definitely the right move," Snell said. "Next couple days, we'll see where we're at and go from there."

Both Snell and Roberts are hopeful that he can still make his next scheduled start but acknowledged that how he feels over the next days and what comes back after imaging once the team gets back to LA will determine when he pitches again. Either way, Snell wants to get at least one more start in before the postseason.

"I don't think anyone can sit here right now and say what's going to happen in the next week to 10 days," Roberts told reporters. "So I think it's first, let's see how he comes in. But I'm glad it's not worse and we caught it early."

Blake Snell 2026 stats

Injuries have limited Snell to just seven starts this season, but the 33-year-old has made the most of a small sample size, posting a 1.91 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 1.09 WHIP through a career-low 37.2 innings. He's been effective when healthy, he's just rarely been healthy in 2026.

Snell began the season on the IL with left shoulder fatigue and didn't make his 2026 debut until May 9, but struggled as he gave up five runs – four of them earned – on six hits and two walks against the Atlanta Braves in just three innings pitched. He was put back on the IL six days later with loose bodies in his left elbow and underwent a minimally invasive "NanoNeedle" procedure to speed up his recovery. Snell was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 29 and began his throwing progression in early June.

Injuries have devastated the Dodgers' rotation all season, but Snell seemed to alleviate those concerns with his 1.01 WHIP since returning on Aug. 11.

Dodgers rotation

Roki Sasaki threw four simulated innings on Wednesday and is inching closer to a return after landing on the IL in late August with a blister on his right middle finger. While he'll likely pitch out of the bullpen in the postseason, Roberts told reporters that his next outing will be as a starter.

Tyler Glasnow told reporters on Sunday that he was "still figuring out some things physically" after a rough start in Miami in which he never really looked comfortable. Glasnow also missed a chunk of the season with a back issue and returned on Aug. 25 against the Braves but has struggled for the most part, giving up four runs in each of his last two starts. Roberts said that Glasnow threw his normal bullpen session on Wednesday and will pitch on an extra day of rest on Friday. He has no concerns about Glasnow's availability going forward.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blake Snell leaves Dodgers game after first inning: Latest injury update

CINCINNATI –– For all their other problems lately, the Dodgers could at least cling to the fact that the heart of their starting rotation was healthy.

On Wednesday night, that threatened to suddenly change.

After just one inning and 19 pitches at Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds, left-hander Blake Snell left his start early with left groin tightness, according to the team, forced to exit with an injury that has plagued him previously in his career.

Snell said he felt his groin “grab” on the second-to-last pitch of his pregame bullpen session, and that it continued to bother him through a scoreless first in which his velocity was noticeably down.

Thus, when he returned to the dugout, he alerted the Dodgers coaching and medical staff of the issue. From there, they made what one source with knowledge of the situation described as a “precautionary” decision to remove Snell from the game.

“I was gonna try to get through five [innings],” Snell said. “But I just knew I didn’t really have a good shot at doing that and remaining healthy.”

In the immediate aftermath of the game, Snell struck a hopeful tone that –– by not attempting to pitch through the injury further –– he had avoided anything serious.

He said he and the team will monitor how he feels in the coming days, but was optimistic that he “should be good” moving forward, perhaps to even make one more start before the end of the regular season.

“[Coming out of the game] was definitely the right move,” Snell said. “Next couple days, we’ll see where we’re at and go from there. But I think I’ll be good to go.”

Still, any concern with Snell represents a troublesome development for the Dodgers, who have been resting their World Series three-peat hopes, first and foremost, on the strength of a starting rotation led by him, Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

And while manager Dave Roberts echoed that the team will take a wait-and-see approach with the two-time Cy Young Award winner, he also emphasized that they will be extremely cautious with his health so as not to risk his injury getting worse before October.

“I don’t think anyone can sit here right now and say what’s going to happen in the next week to 10 days,” Roberts said. “So I think it’s first, let’s see how he comes in [tomorrow]. But yeah, I mean, I guess it’s under the ‘I’m glad it’s not worse,’ and we caught it early.”

Roberts added that the Dodgers would decide whether Snell needs medical imaging on the issue once they get back to Los Angeles for the start of their final homestand of the season Friday.

When asked about the possibility of Snell starting again before the beginning of the playoffs, Roberts was noncommittal.

“We’ve got to make sure that whatever start he’s going to make, he’s going to be able to make it and come out of it healthy,” Roberts said. “I like where his head is at, but he just can’t afford any more setbacks.”

Lately, Snell had been perhaps the stoutest pitcher on the Dodgers staff, allowing just four runs over six starts since returning from a surgical procedure in May to remove loose bodies from his elbow.

However, injuries have been a recurring problem for him since he joined the Dodgers on a five-year, $182 million contract two offseasons ago.

He missed much of last year with a shoulder problem, though was healthy enough in the playoffs to make six outings with a 3.18 ERA en route to the club’s World Series title.

Ongoing shoulder issues sidelined him again at the start of this year, before his elbow injury popped up after his first start back in early May.

Snell has also had left groin injuries before. He missed more than a month in 2024 when he strained his groin while playing for the San Francisco Giants, and in 2022 when he suffered a similar adductor strain with the San Diego Padres. An adductor/groin strain cost him the final three weeks of the regular season in San Diego in 2021, as well.

“I use my legs a lot, just pretty explosive in my legs,” Snell said of why his groin has been a repeated issue. “And just over time, I [have had to] find ways to maintain, keep it stronger, healthy.”

If Snell were to face another extended timeline to return again now, it could put his availability for the start of the playoffs in jeopardy.

If that were to be the case, the Dodgers would have to scramble to replace him, with Roki Sasaki (who pitched four innings of live batting practice on Wednesday afternoon in what the Dodgers hope is the final step of his recovery from a blister) representing the most logical rotation alternative.

For now, however, there was at least initial hope that this episode might be more minor for the 33-year-old.

The fate of the Dodgers’ October chances could depend on it.

“We’ve got to make sure that he comes out ready to go in the postseason,” Roberts said. “So that’s kind of where my head is at personally.”

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The Atlanta Braves face off against the Chicago Cubs today looking for their ninetieth win of the season with ten games to go. Their magic number is at five and after the Cubs series they have the Astros, then the Marlins and Reds. If the Braves win this evening, there is still a world where they could get the two seed since they hold the tie breaker over the Dodgers.

JR Ritchie was likely called up to pitch tonight to ensure Chris Sale gets the extra rest he needs for the playoffs. Ritchie struggled before he was sent back down, but over his past two starts in AAA he has twenty-four strikeouts and only three walks. If Ritchie shows his AAA starts were legit, he may just earn himself a playoff roster spot.

Follow along in the comments as the Braves attempt to clinch a playoff spot.

First pitch is at 7:40 EDT.

Lineup

Preview

With just 11 games to go in 2026, the Royals will face off against Houston in the second game of their road series tonight. Daniel Lynch is running out of opportunities to prove he deserves to stay in the rotation next season, so he needs to be careful to avoid the Crawford Boxes tonight. Christian Javier will start for the Astros. He is having a tough year but is coming off back-to-back solid starts against the Phillies and Diamondbacks. It will be a pretty standard Royal lineup.

Boston Red Sox @ Texas Rangers

Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 7:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

LHP Jake Bennett vs. LHP MacKenzie Gore

Go Rangers!

Probable pitchers: RHP Chris Bassitt (7-5, 4.88 ERA, 66 Ks) vs. Xzavion Curry (0-0, 3.44 ERA, 12 Ks)

Where to watch: ESPN

After last night’s dramatic win that included Pete Alonso’s 300th career home run, it might be natural to experience an emotional letdown in the next game. The Orioles don’t have that luxury. Tonight’s series finale is the most winnable game in the Orioles’ last 10 of the season, which makes it a must-win if the O’s want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Taking the mound tonight in Queens for Baltimore is right-hander Chris Bassitt. The 38-year-old enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career with the Mets back in 2022. That season, Bassitt was especially stingy in Citi Field, pitching to a 2.95 ERA in 16 starts while limiting opponents to a .227 average. He’s been just as good in Queens since leaving the Mets, tossing 7.2 shutout innings with the Blue Jays in 2023 and another 6.2 shutout innings against New York in 2025.

Bassitt has been solid for the O’s since returning from the IL a month ago. In 34 innings across six starts, he’s posted a 4.24 ERA while giving up a .281 average. Perhaps more importantly, the Orioles are 4-2 during that stretch. Last time out in Toronto, he pitched to a line of 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB and 5 Ks in a 7-4 Orioles win.

Opposing Bassitt is journeyman right-hander Xzavion Curry. This will be the 28-year-old’s first start since 2024 with the Guardians. However, the Mets did use him for five innings in relief in a game against the Marlins at the end of July. Curry has also pitched at least two innings in each of his last six major league appearances. He last faced the Orioles in 2024, when he allowed 6 hits and 4 runs over 3 innings in a 7-4 Orioles win.

Orioles lineup

1. Dylan Beavers (L) LF
2. Pete Alonso (R) 1B
3. Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
4. Coby Mayo (R) DH
5. Christian Encarnacion-Strand (R) 3B
6. Samuel Basallo (L) C
7. Jeremiah Jackson (R) 2B
8. Reece Hinds (R) R
9. Colton Cowser (L) CF

Mets lineup

1. Francisco Lindor (S) SS
2. Juan Soto (L) LF
3. Bo Bichette (R) 3B
4. Carson Benge (L) RF
5. Jared Young (L) 1B
6. Marcus Semien (R) 2B
7. A.J. Ewing (L) CF
8. Brett Baty (L) DH
9. Luis Torrens (R) CF

Astros right-hander Mike Burrows will restart his rehab assignment and pitch three innings for Triple-A Sugar Land this weekend, manager Joe Espada said Wednesday.

On the IL since July 7 due to right elbow neuritis, Burrows was shut down after his third rehab start because of right shoulder inflammation. Espada said Burrows could rejoin the Astros’ pitching staff before the end of the regular season if all goes well.

In his first season with the Astros, Burrows went 4-9 with a 5.99 ERA before landing on the IL.

Left-hander Steven Okert, who has been on the IL since Sept. 1 with a right hamstring strain, has been playing catch. Espada said Okert has a doctor’s appointment Thursday that will determine his next steps.

Okert has a 2.13 ERA over 68 appearances and has been one of Espada’s most trusted bullpen arms.

Andrew Abbott looks to get back on track before the season ends as the Cincinnati Reds play host to two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and the Los Angeles Dodgers once again.

First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET. Here’s how both clubs will line up to start:

Tigers 1 Blue Jays 5

Nice to win one again.

We got a great start from Max Scherzer. Five innings, gave up a run in the first on a double (well, a pop-up that no one got under) and a single, but allowed only one more hit the rest of the way and added three more strikeouts to his all-time total (now 9543, 11 short of Jason Verlander). I don’t know if he can get that many before the season ends.

Offensively, we did nothing until the fourth inning: Kazuma Okamoto walked to start it. Josh Smith doubled (hard to believe we got him for Adam Macko, giving us runners on second and third. Ernie Clement hit a sac fly to tie the game. And Myles Straw lined a hard single to left for the game-winning run.

Myles was caught stealing after that, with two outs, not a bad idea. That gave Brett Bateman a fresh count to start the next inning. On the other hand, Bateman has been very hot, and the catcher is very good at throwing out stealers; maybe let him hit?

But we got one more in the fourth, so it all worked out. Bateman singled. Nathan Lukes moved him to second with a bunt and beat it out. Vlad ground out, giving us runners on the corners. And George Springer singled Bateman home.

And a mess of Tiger errors got us two more runs in the fifth. Three errors, including two consecutive errors by SS John Peck (two of them on one play: a booted ball and then a throwing error). Nathan Lukes got an RBI.

We had nine hits, but only one extra-base hit: a Smith double. Bateman (at the top of the order) and Straw (at the bottom) each had two hits.

The bullpen did the job too:

• Mason Fluharty threw a quick sixth.
• Spencer Miles pitched two quick innings. They sent him out for the ninth, but he didn’t have it, giving up a single and a walk. He just wanted Louis Varland to have a save opportunity.
• Varland got a strikeout, a lineout, and a strikeout (Brandon Valenzuela got him the out by challenging a full-count pitch called a ball, but it was just the upper outside corner).

Valenzuela wasted a challenge in the first inning, on a 1-1 pitch, which caused trouble later when Springer wanted to challenge a pitch and quickly decided not to, in case he used our last challenge. After George struck out, he watched it on an iPad and was angry that he didn’t challenge.

I don’t know that it was a needed win for the Jays, but it was a needed win for me.

Jays of the Day: Scherzer (0.16 WPA), Straw (0.15, who didn’t look pleased that Vlad poured water in his cleats) and Smith (0.10). And let’s give an honourable mention to Varland.

Other Award: No one.

Tomorrow is an off-day. Yay. And then the Jays head to the Heart of Texas (stomp stomp) to play the Rangers for three games.

TV: NESN

First Pitch: 8:05 p.m. ET

The Red Sox have cut their magic number for a postseason spot to five despite losing the first of three games in Texas on Tuesday night. Boston looks to take another step closer to October. The ballclub will do so with Jake Bennett on the mound, who struggled with six earned runs last time out during the overall disappointing series against the Angels. 

Here’s who the Red Sox will send to the plate behind him Wednesday evening at Globe Life Field. 

Game 2 in Texas. pic.twitter.com/GOPNmGS34Z

— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 16, 2026

The Rangers counter with lefty Mackenzie Gore, who has allowed nine earned runs in just seven innings over his last two starts. 

Every game matters. #AllForTX

🎟️ https://t.co/K5mbqMk9Vepic.twitter.com/ZFFjWwrpx6

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 16, 2026

Before yesterday’s game with the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros manager Joe Espada told the media that 3B Carlos Correa would not be returning to the team this season.

This came as a bit of a surprise, considering the amount of information and conversation coming from the Astros and from Correa directly as he ramped up his rehab to make a return this season. Correa had been very transparent about wanting to return, and working hard to rejoin his teammates. The Astros had weekly updates on Correa’s progress and he recently was doing baseball activities in Florida to get ready for a rehab assignment this week with the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys.

Correa was set to meet with doctors earlier this week before going out for the Space Cowboys final week of the season. Apparently it didn’t even get that far.

Today, the Astros revealed why Correa’s attempts to rejoin the team were thwarted. From the Astros:

IF Carlos Correa (lt. ankle tendon injury) will not return to the active roster in 2026. Correa spent last week rehabbing at the Astros Florida complex and during the ramp-up process he experienced soreness in his surgically repaired ankle. He will return to Houston this week to be medically re-evaluated.

There is always a chance of setbacks during rehab, and unfortunately, Correa’s ankle just didn’t respond well enough to his ramping up baseball activity in preparation for a rehab assignment.

Blake Snell faces Andrew Abbot as the Dodgers look to make it three consecutive wins against the Cincinnati Reds.

Today's #Dodgers lineup at Reds: pic.twitter.com/riwR7Y6q9B

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 16, 2026

WEDNESDAY GAME INFO

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Reds
• Stadium: Great American Ball Park
• Time: 3:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 (Spanish)

Well, these were back-to-back games that made you want to slam your head in a wall, but that’s baseball, right? In a game that traded leads a couple of times — including an absolutely ridiculous, three-run homer from Tommy Pham — Cleveland had the last laugh once again, as a four-run sixth inning gave the Guardians a three-run lead that held up, 6-3.

Lefthander Anthony Kay tossed a solid outing despite two unearned runs in his box score. In his four innings, Kay only surrendered two hits with two walks while striking out three, and was throwing GAS today. The lefty typically averages around 95-96 mph for both his sinker and fastball, but today was hanging in the upper-90s, topping out at 99.2 mph while tossing three of the fastest pitches in the game. On top of that, his changeup had a bit more spin on it today that added about a two-inch increase horizontal break, which got batters to whiff every time they swung at it (3-of-7) at a 42% called-strike-plus whiff rate (CSW%).

Both runs that scored in the bottom of the third were due to an error made by Chase Meidroth while attempting to turn a double play. Petey Halpin led the inning off with a base hit, and with one out, Steven Kwan hit a grounder to Chase at second, who seemingly had an easy double play to tag Halpin and toss it over to first to get Kwan. Meidroth probably should have made the tag with two hands to ensure that he at least got ONE out, but the ball flew out of the glove as he tagged Halpin, which allowed the rookie to move into scoring position.

Kay was able to work soft contact out of José Ramírez to get the second out of the inning, although unable to get the much-needed double-play ball. Let us be reminded that errors and walks will always kill, and sadly the Meidroth error came back to haunt the South Siders as Jo Adell ripped a two-run base hit out to left to take a two-run lead.

After working through that brief chaotic period, Kay settled down and was able to work through the fourth without too much issue. The southpaw had used just 66 pitches through four, and it felt like a bit of a panicked move for Will Venable to decide to go to the bullpen early, in the fifth, to bring lefthander Hagen Smith in. With the way Kay was throwing today, he seemed to definitely have at least one more inning in him before needing to rely on the bullpen. But we could debate this until we are blue in the face, and either way, the White Sox lost the game.

On the other end of the ball, the White Sox had actually outhit the Guardians this game, 8-5. The issue, however, for the billionth time this season (don’t fact-check me, but I’m sure it’s a close estimate), the team could not execute with runners in scoring position: 1-for-8 while stranding eight runners. In fact, the White Sox mashed seven of those eight against Parker Messick in his six innings, but also struck out eight times along the way.

Their lack of ability to score in the first inning after Randal Grichuk smoked a one-out triple set the tone early. Once again Miguel Vargas simply needed to make some contact — any contact would have been a good start! — but he struck out on a high pitch out of the zone, and Tommy Pham grounded out to end the frame, in his first plate appearance after elevator-lobbying his way into the game.

The South Siders loaded the bases up in the fourth with base hits from Vargas and Brenton Doyle, and Colson Montgomery was hit by a pitch in the wrist for the third base runner with … Luisangel Acuña up to bat. It was not lost on me that it was just the fourth inning, but having that meaningful of an opportunity and letting Acuña take the plate appearance feels … icky. The AB ended just as you’d expect, too, with a ground out to the shortstop to end the inning. Pain. The only good news in this situation is that Montgomery’s X-rays came back negative, and he will be day-to-day.

All game, Meidroth was attempting to start a rally, going 3-for-5 on the day with a two-bagger, marking his fifth hit in the last two games from the leadoff position (5-for-10). Outside of the rally in the fifth that scored all three South Side runs, the rest of the lineup just could not come through in the clutch. Except Tommy. Freaking. Pham.

If you were like me, you were probably punching the air while yelling about the bonkers decision that GM Chris Getz and Venable made to bat Pham in the cleanup position in his first game off of the IL. Especially given that, prior to today’s game, he has had exactly ONE (1) at-bat in MLB since APRIL, and has been on the injured list since then. Meidroth and Grichuk worked back-to-back base hits with one out in the top of the fifth, looking to ignite the offense with Vargas coming up to bat. Vargas was likely looking for another fastball, but ended up getting way too out front on a changeup and flew out to right, bringing none other than Pham up with two outs. The 38-year-old had hit the ball hard (104.4 mph) in his first at-bat, but in the inning prior he went down on strikes after staring at a fastball down the middle; needless to say the confidence in him producing wasn’t really there.

But Pham proved us all wrong. On the very first pitch, he blasted a three-run, no-doubt bomb to give the Sox a one-run lead, 3-2, completely turning the game on its head and rendering me speechless. I’m sure he saw people talking smack and knew the consensus around his addition to the lineup was generally negative, so naturally he rose to the occasion to prove everyone wrong. I will stand on 10 toes to say that I was absolutely someone that was not a fan of Pham being selected to bat fourth in a must-win game, but TOMMY, I WAS WRONG: 412-feet with a loud crack off of the bat … bravo. This is the type of psychopathic behavior that we love to see.

That truly could have been the magical home run that saved the White Sox season, but alas, they couldn’t maintain the lead, and the game became un-fun in about 10-15 minutes. Pham’s malevolent homer flashed the clutch, home-run hitting White Sox that we’ve seen all season, but it’s such a brutal punch to the gut knowing that a guy with a Backyard Baseball name like Petey Halpin crushed the South Side momentum like a tiny little lego under a hydraulic press.

As the game moved into the bottom of the fifth, Smith came in and was able to get through the frame despite José Ramírez hitting the first of two doubles on the day. But as has been the case each game this series, things started to go haywire in the sixth. Smith managed to get two outs, but his two walks ended up coming back to bite Chicago. The worst part, truly, is that Smith surrendered walks to David Gry and Austin Hedged, who are better matchups ahead of potential killers such as Brayan Rocchio in the 9-hole.

Instead of letting the southpaw face Halpin as the 8-hitter, Venable turned to the third lefty of the game, and Sean Newcomb was chosen to try to clean up Smith’s mess and escape the inning with the lead. As good as Newcomb has been, he was immediately rocked for a three-run homer from Halpin. Petey was batting just .029 against southpaws in 40 plate appearances with a -76 wRC+ and a .108 OPS. Smith has been throwing some nasty pitches, and could potentially have been a better match against the rookie outfielder. Again, everything is in hindsight so who knows, maybe the Halpin homer was as destined as Pham’s.

Newcomb has been excellent all season, but unfortunately the Guardians beat him today. On a 3-1 count, Newcomb served up a sinker that hung mostly down the middle of the plate, and Halpin turned on the pitch and blasted a three-run shot to right, handing the lead back over to Cleveland, 5-3.

Newcomb walked both Rocchio and Kwan to put two runners on for Ramírez, who knocked his second double of the game to score an insurance run for the Guardians, completely erasing Pham’s miraculous homer. After the Ramírez RBI, Venable went to the bullpen for the second time in the inning, and thankfully Jordan Hicks was able to strike Adell out to get out of the inning. In his one appearance this series, Hicks was ready when we needed him most, but that was all for today.

For the final two frames, lefthander Noah Schultz made his first relief appearance of the season, and his first MLB outing since early August. Schultz was solid for both innings, and retired all six Cleveland batters that he faced in order to keep the White Sox at just a three-run deficit.

Both Kyle Teel and Munetaka Murakami — in for Colson — drew walks to put two runners on with two outs in the eighth, giving the South Siders another chance to get back in the game. You better believe it, Acuña was due up to bat again in a huge situation, but Sam Antonacci pinch-hit for him after the Guardians brought in Cade Smith. The Matrix had already glitched once earlier in the game for the Pham homer, and maybe in another timeline Antonacci blasts the game-tying bomb — but not in this one.

The Good Guys went down in order in the top of the ninth, giving Smith his 37th save of the season after 1 1/3 innings, striking out the first and last batter of the inning to slam the door on the White Sox. We all knew Chicago needed to win AT LEAST one game this series. They did that, and they have the tiebreaker. That’s all cool and fun, but wow, these last two games were truly heartbreaking.

Chicago will head back home tonight with a sour taste in their mouths, but there’s still a way into the postseason, despite how flat it feels after these three in Cleveland. Righthander Erick Fedde is set to go against Framber Valdez of the Detroit Tigers as they kick off a four-game set in the Southside jerseys, honoring Tim Anderson’s career with the White Sox.

I’m gonna go cry now. Let’s try again tomorrow, I guess.

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MVP
Tommy Pham: 1-for-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, K

Runners-Up
Anthony Kay: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 3 K
Randal Grichuk: 2-for-5, R, K, 3B
Chase Meidroth: 3-for-5, R, 2B, E (cost 2 R)
Noah Schultz: 2 IP, 0 H

Cold-Cat
Sean Newcomb: 0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K, Blown Save (2)

Runners-Up
Hagen Smith: 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K, LOSS (3-2)
Luisangel Acuña: 0-for-3, K
Tristan Peters: 0-for-4, K
Chase Meidroth: 3-for-5, R, 2B, E (cost 2 R)