MLB News
The playoff-bound Dodgers face the likely-playoff-bound Padres. Brock Stewart starts a bullpen game.
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The Dodgers have Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell in the starting rotation.
But where will Tyler Glasnow fit in the team’s postseason plans?
“If it is the wild-card series, I probably wouldn’t start in one of those games. So, I’d probably be in the bullpen. And then the first series last year, we had four starters ,so I might be in that one,” Glasnow told Chris Rose.
“So I think it’s just going to be like a all-hands-on-deck situation, which I prefer.”
Glasnow played a versatile role for the Dodgers last October, sporting a 1.69 ERA in the postseason. He will likely be another multifaceted pitcher for the Dodgers in the playoffs.
Since his arrival to LA, the right-hander has never made it through a regular season without injury. While the 2026 season was no different, Glasnow is coming off a bounce-back start just before the regular season concludes.
The right-hander tossed six innings of two-run baseball with 10 strikeouts. It was a much improved performance from his previous start in Miami, where Glasnow allowed four earned runs in four innings.
With Shohei Ohtani’s absence in the rotation, Glasnow’s health is even more crucial heading into October. It appears the right-hander is feeling good and prepared to take on any role the Dodgers ask of him in the postseason.
“I think I feel relatively consistent. It’s just a matter of sometimes I’m not going to feel good, sometimes I will,” Glasnow said after his last start against the Giants.
“Today, I think it was a step in the right direction. I think it’s better than feeling really good for a long time before [the playoffs]. I’d rather kind of feel it, work through some stuff and have a good one right before [the] playoffs. So I think I’m in a good spot right now.”
After a convincing victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night, the Tigers looked to win their penultimate series of the season on Tuesday night. They’d have to wait another day to try for that, though, as they went down to defeat by a 3-1 score.
Drew Anderson made the start for the Tigers, and he’s been fairly solid recently as a member of the rotation. He’ll usually give you five innings and won’t let things get out of hand; his previous start in Toronto saw him complete five innings and give up a scant pair of hits with nary a run surrendered. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of him next year: rotation, bullpen, why not both?
Making the start for the Nationals was Riley Cornelio, a rookie righty who’s mostly pitched out of the bullpen but has made some starts lasting a handful of innings; he probably wasn’t going to go the distance (not that anyone does these days), as he was going to open for lefty, and fellow rookie, Jackson Kent. Cornelio’s been up-and-down between Triple-A Rochester and Washington a lot, and he was recalled for the fourth time on September 2.
Cornelio’s first inning was very up-and-down: he started off by walking Gleyber Torres on four four-seam fastballs that were nowhere close to the plate, then got two strikeouts. Eduardo Valencia then battled Cornelio for eleven pitches before hitting a 415-foot fly ball to the warning track in right-centrefield for the third out. Remember: Comerica 5/3 giveth, and Comerica 5/3 taketh away.
Washington got on the board in the second with a CJ Abrams leadoff home run just a bit farther than Valencia’s flyout, making it 1-0. (Narrator: he wasn’t done.)
In the bottom of the second, Max Clark singled with one out, and was picked off — he was initially called safe, but after an insanely long replay, that call was overturned.
Cornelio lasted until two outs in the third, giving way to Kent with Hao-Yu Lee on first after a walk. Kevin McGonigle hit a ground-rule double which forced Lee to stop at third; Valencia followed that, sadly, by swinging at strike three in the dirt for the final out, stranding the duo.
In the top of the fourth with one out, Clark made a heck of a nice running catch.
The Tigers got a pair on in the bottom of the fourth as well, via a leadoff double by Ben Malgeri and a one-out Spencer Torkelson walk. Alas, Javier Báez hit a grounder to second to start an inning-ending double play, and Detroit stayed off the scoreboard.
Meanwhile, aside from the solo home run, Anderson was absolutely rolling: after Abrams’ home run and a single following that, he shut the Nationals down very effectively, with a stingy pitch count. He had great command of a whole boatload of pitches, retiring thirteen in a row before James Wood singled with two outs in the sixth. Also, the sixth ended on another nice catch by Clark.
McGonigle led off the bottom of the sixth by striking out, but he reached first on the ol’ third-strike passed ball. He was erased on a fielder’s choice grounder by Valencia to third (which would’ve been a double play if the throw to first hadn’t sailed a mile wide). Valencia himself was erased at second on a Malgeri bouncer to first, but Malgeri scooted all the way to third when Clark singled to right. He came home on a wild pitch to tie the game 1-1, with Clark moving up to second.
Torkelson walked again, but Báez flew out to centre and the score remained knotted at ones.
Abrams struck again in the top of the seventh, though: with Dylan Crews on second, he mashed another long home run on a meatball of a changeup to make it 3-1. That was the end of Anderson’s day, and his final line slightly belied how well he pitched for most of it: 6+ innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, no walks, 5 strikeouts. Heck, if you take out those two home runs by Abrams, that’s a heck of a start… but the last time I checked, that sort of thing is not allowed. Tyler Kinley came on and got the next three outs in fairly quick order.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh the Tigers got another pair of runners on via singles by Lee and McGonigle. That wast the end of Kent’s outing, and righty Jack Sinclair was brought in to face Valencia; he hit a soft grounder to second and that was the end of the inning.
Brant Hurter came on for the eighth and gave up a single and a stolen base but that was all. Beau Brieske was brought in for the ninth and he did exactly the same. The Nationals stole three bases on the evening, and no, Dillon Dingler was not behind the plate, thanks for asking.
Erik Tolman, the visitors’ fourth rookie pitcher of the evening, pitched the ninth. He had some trouble with either his cleats or the pitching rubber, slipping a couple of times. Lee walked with two out; during the at-bat he swung awkwardly and may have strained something in his leg, so Zach McKinstry pinch-ran for him. McGonigle very nearly hit a double right down the left-field line, but he ended up striking out to end the game and Tolman earned his fourth save of the year.
Final score: Nationals 3, Tigers 1
LOS ANGELES — It’s the final week of the regular season and the Dodgers are sorting things out as they prepare for the postseason, which they hope will start on October 3 in the National League Division Series rather than September 29 in the wild card round.
Before Tuesday’s game, Blake Snell pitched a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium as he works his way back from leaving last Wednesday’s start with left groin discomfort. Manager Dave Roberts said Snell is in line to start on Saturday in San Francisco against the Giants, with Tarik Skubal — currently on the bereavement list — starting Friday night at Oracle Park.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto starts Wednesday and Tyler Glasnow Thursday against the Padres.
Also on Tuesday, reliever Will Klein pitched a simulated inning against Dalton Rushing in a battle of players on the injured list. Klein is on the 60-day injured list with elbow discomfort and not eligible to be activated until September 30 at the earliest, but it looks like he’ll be in the stay-hot camp should the Dodgers have room to add him at some point later in the postseason, similar to in 2025 when Klein wasn’t active until the World Series and he pitched five scoreless innings, including four innings in the marathon Game 3.
“With Will it’s more get healthy, show that you’re healthy, throw to some hitters,” Roberts said. “He’ll throw during the week off, then we’ll kind of see if there’s an opportunity later on in the postseason, sort of like last year.”
Rushing is trying to work his way back from elbow discomfort suffered when practicing throwing. His role would be a left-handed bat off the bench, a role currently occupied by Josue De Paula, who has been the designated hitter with Shohei Ohtani out. But Ohtani is expected to be activated Wednesday barring an unforeseen setback.
That essentially sets up a battle between Rushing and De Paula for a postseason roster spot, though Roberts said the plan is to activate Rushing at some point this week to literally get back into the swing of things.
“Quality of at-bat, conducting an at-bat obviously, the ability to swing at strikes, take balls, get on base, get a hit. There’s potential slug with both guys. I think it’s a good debate,” Roberts said. “Hitting off the bench is very difficult so we’re trying to figure out who gives us the best chance.
“And to be quite frank, it’s going to be tougher for Dalton given the time he’s missed, and to think that you have [three] games to get back into playoff form, it’s tough to do. It’s not a knock on him, he’s been great for us, but it’s still tough, right, Given that we talk about having the consistency of at-bats recently from Josue. But we have to have those conversations and make a decision.”
Activating both Ohtani and Rushing this week, when the Dodgers have 14 active position players, would require two corresponding moves to make room on the active roster. If De Paula doesn’t get sent down — “I think Josue has done a fantastic job,” Roberts said Tuesday — that might mean rough news for Alexes Call and Freeland, either this week or next.
The San Francisco Giants continue this three-game home series against the Minnesota Twins tonight.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Anthony Molina, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.91 ERA, 2.88 FIP, with 23 strikeouts to five walks in 23 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals last Wednesday, in which he allowed just two hits and a walk with six strikeouts in five and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Twins right-hander Taj Bradley, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.81 ERA, 3.86 FIP, with 199 strikeouts to 73 walks in 172.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Twins’ 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels last Thursday, in which he allowed three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and a walk in seven innings.
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Who: San Francisco Giants (65-92) vs. Minnesota Twins (73-84)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: 6:45 p.m. PT
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
National broadcast: n/a
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
Tuesday night started as an old school pitcher’s duel as the Cardinals Andre Pallante and the Pirates Jared Jones were throwing a lot of balls that were missing bats. Ultimately, it would be the Pittsburgh and St. Louis bullpens that would decide the winner. The lack of Cardinals offense combined with an epic start by Pirates pitcher Jared Jones would all but seal the deal.
The first real scoring opportunity wouldn’t come until the bottom of the 4th inning when Pittsburgh would load the bases in a somewhat unusual way. With one out, Bryan Reynolds would reach on catcher’s interference. After Oneil Cruz grounded out on a dribbler in front of home plate (thanks to a successful St. Louis challenge), Pallante walked Flores Jr. giving the Pirates runners at first and second. Ryan O’Hearn then hit a hard grounder to Thomas Saggese at third base who seemed to stop the ball with his body, but was then unable to tag out Reynolds who was running to third and also couldn’t manage to get a throw off to first base. Fortunately for the Cardinals, Simon grounded out with the bases loaded to end the Pittsburgh scoring threat.
While Andre Pallante was shutting the Pirates down while pitching out of the occasional jam, Jared Jones of the Pirates was perfect through the first 5 innings. The Cardinals had no hits or baserunners going into the top of the 6th inning. The first Cardinals hit and baserunner was Nathan Church who managed to barely slap a ball out of the reach of the Pirates third baseman Gonzales that Church turned into a one-out double. Unfortunately, St. Louis could not turn that into a run as Masyn Winn lined out to first and JJ Wetherholt struck out.
The Pirates would break the scoreless tie in the bottom of the 6th inning when Oneil Cruz drew a one-out walk. He advanced to second on a groundout by Flores Jr and then scored when Ryan O’Hearn singled to left making it 1-0 Pittsburgh. That would end Andre Pallante’s night as he gave the Cardinals a strong 6 full innings allowing just 3 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 2 and walking 2.
After the Cardinals went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 7th inning, Justin Bruihl started the bottom of the 7th inning, but didn’t finish it. He walked Horwitz to start the inning which almost always leads to trouble. One out later, Konnor Griffin singled to left-center for his second hit of the game giving the Pirates runners at first and second with one out. Horwitz advanced to third as Lowe flied out to center for the second out. Manager Oli Marmol decided to bring in Cade Winquest to face Bryan Reynolds. After Winquest jumped out to an 0-2 count on Reynolds, he bounced the third pitch in the dirt which scored Horwitz for the second Pittsburgh run making it 2-0 Pirates after 7 innings.
Jared Jones of the Pirates pitched an amazing game. Pittsburgh pulled him after he completed 7 innings allowing just one hit, no runs and striking out 9 while walking no one. He was replaced by former Cardinal Luke Weaver. Other than giving up a walk to Thomas Saggese, he had no real problems shutting the Cardinals down in the top of the 8th inning.
Cade Winquest stayed in the game to start the bottom of the 8th inning. He gave up a leadoff double to Bryan Reynolds to start the inning as Pittsburgh looked poised to add to their lead. However, Winquest got Cruz to flyout to center and then struck out Flores Jr. for the second out. Cade then struck out O’Hearn to end the Pirates threat.
The Cardinals would have to hope that their bats would awaken in the top of the 9th as Masyn Winn was leading it off. The Pirates brought in Gregory Soto to close out St. Louis. Instead, he issued a 4-pitch walk to Winn bringing up Pennsylvania native JJ Wetherholt as the potential tying run. JJ worked the count full, but ended up striking out watching a 98 mph sinker go over the middle of the plate for the first out. Iván Herrera was next for St. Louis and he also worked the count full before he struck out swinging for the second out. Herrera struck out 4 times Tuesday night. That left the game in the hands of Alec Burleson who flew out on the first pitch he saw for the final out of the game.
Final score – Pirates 2, Cardinals 0
The St. Louis Cardinals will do battle with the Bucs again at PNC Park Wednesday night. Matthew Liberatore is the scheduled starter for the Cardinals Wednesday night while the Pirates have yet to announce their starter. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (77-79) will begin their final road trip of the regular season with the first game of two-game series against the Seattle Mariners (73-83) at T-Mobile Park.
RHP Cristian Javier (2-6, 5.31 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros, opposite RHP Logan Gilbert (12-10, 3.69 ERA).
EL REPTIL: RHP Cristian Javier is making his 12th start and 17th appearance of the season tonight. In his last three starts, he’s recorded a 2.20 ERA (4ER/16.1IP) with 15 strikeouts, a 0.98 WHIP and a .161 opponent batting average. Has also had success against the Mariners in his career, posting a 2.87 ERA (12ER/37.2IP) with 37 strikeouts, a 1.09 WHIP and a .165 opponent batting average.
THE POSTSEASON CHASE: The Astros and Rangers are locked in a tight race down the stretch for the AL West with the two teams separated by just one game with six left to play. The Astros own the tiebreaker over the Rangers with a season series victory (9-4 record).
VS. THE M’S: This is the final series between the Astros and Mariners this season, with the two clubs last seeing each other from Aug. 14-16 at Daikin Park. The Astros have gone 2-9 vs. Seattle this season. The Astros also own an overall regular season record of 134-106 against the Mariners, including a 64-48 record at T-Mobile Park.
ROAD WARRIORS: Tonight is the first game of a six-game road trip for the Astros. Since going 1-9 on the first road trip of the 2026 season, the Astros have gone 37-28 (.569) on the road since April 14, which ranks third in the AL in that span.
SUNDAY RECAP: The Astros were defeated the Braves, 4-2 at Daikin Park on Sunday afternoon. RHP Hunter Brown allowed three hits and two walks with a season-high tying 10 strikeouts in five scoreless innings. DH Jose Altuve (2×4, HR, RBI) and C Yainer Diaz (2×4, HR, RBI) provided the offense for the Astros with both of them recording a solo home run.
GOIN’ DEEP: The Astros have hit 209 homers as a team this year and have hit 200-plus homers in a single season for the 10th time in franchise history (last, 222 HR in 2023). The Astros rank second in the AL in home runs this season behind only the Yankees (217).
TWO-OUT MAGIC: The Astros lead the American League in two-out runs with 307 on the season, trailing only the Cubs (329) in the Majors. 3B Isaac Paredes has led this effort, as he is tied for the Major League lead with 44 two-out RBI, with CHC CF Pete Crow-Armstrong.
FOR THREE!: 2B Jose Altuve went 3×4 on Saturday night for his 226th career three-hit game, which is the Astros franchise record. He surpassed Hall of Famer 2B Craig Biggio (225 three-hit games).
THE CASE FOR THE MVP: DH Yordan Alvarez is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award. Alvarez leads the American League in OPS (1.027), slugging percentage (.597), OBP (.430), batting average (.313), total bases (324), walks (105), IBB (32) and extra-base hits (73). He also ranks second in home runs (40), second in RBI (99), third in hits (170), tied for fourth in runs (98), and tied for fourth in doubles (32).
ROSTER MOVES:OF Jorge Barrosa has been outrighted to Triple A Sugar Land. He was designated for assignment on Saturday. Also RHP Mike Burrows was returned from his rehab assignment yesterday.
THE FIREMAN: LHP Josh Hader has converted 26 consecutive save chances to open his season, which is the Astros record. Should Hader finish the season without a blown save, he would become 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).
RACKING UP K’S: RHP Bryan Abreu has posted 527 career strikeouts, which ranks fourth among relievers in Astros history. He’s closing in on third-place RHP Dave Smith (529), needing only two strikeouts to match the Astros reliever from the 1980s. LHP Billy Wagner (694) and RHP Brad Lidge (557) sit atop that all-time list.
MOVIN’ ON UP: On Sunday, C Yainer Diaz went 2×4 with a solo home run. Marked his 57th career home run as a catcher, surpassing C Martin Maldonado for the third-most home runs as a catcher in Astros franchise history.
STRONG SEPTEMBERS: 3B Isaac Paredes has a .950 OPS this month to go along with a team-leading 17 RBI, which ranks tied for second in the AL. C Yainer Diaz is also having a strong September, as he’s hitting .357 (20×56) with three homers, seven RBI and a .961 OPS in 17 games (14 starts) this month.
TUVE VS. THE MARINERS: 2B Jose Altuve has hit .312 (255×818) with 49 doubles, 21 homers, 99 RBI and an .827 OPS in 201 career games against the Mariners. He already ranks third all-time in hits vs. SEA, trailing only Cal Ripken Jr. (261) and Michael Young (259).
STARTING STRONG: In the Astros 18 games in September, their starters have combined for a 2.90 ERA (28ER/87IP), which is the third-lowest ERA in the American League for the month behind only the Yankees (2.64 ERA) and Rays (2.81 ERA) rotations.
POSTSEASON CREDENTIALS: All media who wish to cover potential Astros postseason home games in the Wild Card Series and ALDS must apply for credentials on MLB’s credentialing system. The events are now open with a deadline set for Sunday, Sept. 27. ALCS and World Series credential applications are also live online.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!: The Astros would like to wish IF Carlos Correa and IF Jeremy Peña a Happy Birthday today.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY:2019 – The Astros clinch their third straight AL West division title on a Sunday afternoon with a 13-5 victory over the Angels at Minute Maid Park. CF George Springer (3×5, 4RBI) led the way, as he smashed his way to just the 14th three-homer game in club history. RHP Justin Verlander picked up his 20th victory of the year by tossing 5.0 innings, allowing just two runs.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, September 22, 8:40 p.m. CT
Location: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
TV: SCHN
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; KTRH 740 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
San Diego Padres (87-69) at Los Angeles Dodgers (96-60), September 22, 2026, 7:10 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles, Calif.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.
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With a tragic number of two and still six games to go, all that’s probably left for the Mariners in 2026 is to play spoiler for others. Though the Mariners will be staring elimination in the face Tuesday night (and every subsequent night they can manage to survive), they could still potentially do some damage to the Houston Astros’ playoff hopes in the first of a final pair of games in 2026 between the two teams. The Astros currently trail the Rangers by a game atop the AL West, but hold the head-to-head tiebreaker if they manage to make up that deficit in the final week.
Lázaro Montes and Brock Rodden will continue to receive some valuable major league reps as they round out the Mariners lineup.
First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. PDT
TV:Mariners.TV, with Aaron Goldsmith, Ryan Rowland-Smith and field analyst Angie Mentink
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs (beginning his final homestand!) and Gary Hill Jr.
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Alex Bregman won’t be going on the injured list after sustaining multiple facial fractures from a foul tip during Sunday’s game against the Reds.
And the Cubs third baseman hasn’t been ruled out of returning for the regular season.
Chicago manager Craig Counsell updated reporters on Bregman’s status on Tuesday, noting that the three-time All-Star does have significant swelling around his left eye and face that will need to improve, but that his vision was in a good place, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“But all things considered, he’s in a good place,” Counsell said. “So we’re going to just have to progress over the next couple days and see where that takes us.
“I mean, he’s completely himself. He can’t sit still. He’s all over the room. Those are really good signs.”
For Bregman to return, he will need to run the bases, field ground balls, and take batting practice, all of which could take place over the next few days.
That would allow him to potentially return to the lineup by this weekend when the Cubs finish the regular season in Boston.
“His pain is in a pretty good place right now,” Counsell added. “He says, ‘I feel really good,’ and you can’t fake that. His mood is good, so his pain is in a good place. … I think Alex is going to be fine, I really do.
“He’s going to do everything in his power, and as long as symptoms don’t increase or happen as he increases activity, I think you’re going to see him play.”
Bregman was standing in front of the on-deck circle on Sunday when Michael Busch fouled a ball off that struck the Cubs player in the fourth inning in a wild sequence of events.
The infielder was taken to a local hospital in Cincinnati, but returned to Chicago the same day.
Bregman has been an important piece of the Cubs lineup this season, hitting .292 and posting an on-base percentage of .378 along with 17 home runs and 48 RBIs in the second half.
The Atlanta Braves got quite a scare ahead of the playoffs Tuesday night as star Ronald Acuna Jr. exited the Sept. 22 game against the Cincinnati Reds with what the team called a left shin contusion.
Acuna's night ended in the bottom of the third inning after he fouled a ball off his leg. He was in obvious pain as he was tended to by a trainer. He walked off the field under his own power.
The Braves said that X-rays came back negative and Acuna is considered day-to-day.
Ronald Acuña Jr. has left the game tonight after fouling a ball off his left leg pic.twitter.com/qGYJGX8xTr
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 23, 2026
Here is a look at the foul ball that hit Acuna between the shin guard and his left knee. He was in some pain, but got off the field under his own power pic.twitter.com/UofEhDBXpi
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 23, 2026
Acuna has been plagued by injuries since his 2023 MVP campaign, appearing in 49 games in 2024, 95 in 2025 and 104 this year. Despite the 28-year-old 5-time All-Star's hampered availability, the Braves managed to capture the NL East championship.
They will keep their fingers crossed and all eyes will be on Acuna's status as the Braves prepare for a likely wild card series.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ronald Acuna Jr. injury update: What we know as Braves star leaves game with shin contusion
The Giants accidentally posted a nude player on social media.
In what was supposed to be a celebration video for rookie Bo Davidson, a nude Giants player was captured in the five-second clip. Blink once and you miss the mishap, but watchful viewers were quick to notice the camera’s purview of the Giants’ clubhouse.
The clip has since been removed from social media but not before fans took screen recordings of the Instagram Story.
Davidson, the Giants’ No. 8 prospect, made his major league debut Monday against the Twins. In San Francisco’s 5-2 victory, the rookie recorded a hit in his first at-bat.
Davidson also made history as he became the first Giants player to steal a base, get a hit and score a run in a debut since 1931.
The performance earned Davidson several social media posts from the team account and rightfully so on such a phenomenal night. But the mishap came as a social media team member followed Davidson into the clubhouse, where the nude player was seen standing facing the double doors as they opened.
It’s not clear who the nude Giants player was, but thankfully Davidson’s arm and glove covered the nether regions. Of course, the clubhouse is a space for players to shower and change so nudity isn’t uncommon.
But the camera capturing the nudity was obviously a mistake.
First Pitch: 8:45 PM CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy App
Know thine enemy:McCovey Chronicles
If Taj Bradley gets a strikeout tonight he’ll reach the 200 strikeout milestone for the season. The last Twins pitcher to do so was Pablo Lopez in 2023 with 234 strikeouts.
I just hope everyone has a good time and doesn’t suffer any career altering injuries.
Drew Gilbert – CF
Jonah Cox – 2B
Victor Bericoto – 1B
Turner Hill – LF
Bo Davidson – DH
Shay Whitcomb – 3B
Scott Bandura – RF
Drew Cavanaugh – C
Christian Koss – SS
Anthony Molina – RHP
Luke Keaschall – RF
Brooks Lee – 3B
Kody Clemens – 2B
Josh Bell – DH
Walker Jenkins – CF
Emmanuel Rodriguez – LF
Royce Lewis – 1B
Victor Caratini – C
Ryan Kreidler – SS
Taj Bradley – RHP
Welp, this was just about the absolute last thing that anybody wanted to see with the Postseason on the horizon. With two outs in the third inning and a full-count, Ronald Acuña Jr. fouled one off of his lower leg on one of the spots that wasn’t protected by padding. He was in obvious pain and the trainer attended to him while manager Walt Weiss went out to check on him as well. After a bit of a lengthy examination, Acuña limped off of the field and Brewer Hicklen came on to finish the at-bat.
Needless to say, losing Acuña for the Postseason would be a huge development and not in a good way, either. It would also stink for Acuña since he’s been doing so well in recent weeks and I’d imagine that on a personal level, he’d love to contribute to any type of deep Postseason run that the Braves could make.
For now, here’s hoping that this is just a substitution being made with a precautionary eye towards the Postseason and not anything serious. We’ll see what happens, though.
UPDATE [8:33 p.m. ET]: The Braves have possted on social media that the X-rays on Acuña’s lower leg were negative and that he’s currently listed as being day-to-day. That’s a big sigh of relief.
UPDATE [8:42 p.m. ET]: Lindsay Crosby of Braves Today astutely noted that while the X-rays may be negative, a potential bone bruise wouldn’t show up on an MRI and you’d have to imagine that Acuña might end up needing one at some point. We’ll likely have more information in the postgame press conference and media availability, so stay tuned for more updates.
The Athletics’ spoiler magic ran out last week, as the team dropped all six games of its final road trip against the first-place Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays. Tonight, the A’s open the last week of the season with the first of two matchups against the Los Angeles Angels, with both teams trying to avoid finishing at the bottom of the American League West standings.
Additionally, with a looming offseason lockout leaving the fate of the 2027 season up in the air, this week may mark the end of the Athletics’ time in Sacramento, which served as a placeholder while their new stadium in Las Vegas gets built. All the more reason for the A’s to try to close out 2026 with a winning homestand.
Before the game, the A’s made a roster move.
Rookie infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has recovered from a ruptured testicle to rejoin the Athletics for the remainder of the season. He spent the past few days on a rehab assignment with the franchise’s Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators, who begin their quest for the Pacific Coast League championship today.
To make room for him, fellow infielder Max Muncy lands on the injured list with left knee chondromalacia, also known as runner’s knee. Additionally, J.T. Ginn, who was shut down for the season a couple of weeks ago, moves to the 60-day injured list.
Back to the game, left-hander Brady Basso will get the A’s final homestand underway. The 28-year-old enters his 25th appearance and seventh opener assignment of the season with a 1-3 record, a 4.50 ERA, a 1.48 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 40 innings.
Tonight will be Basso’s third consecutive outing as his team’s opener. Two starts ago, he pitched four scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. However, the southpaw struggled in his most recent outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing four runs on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings.
The A’s will hope Basso pitches as well as he did in his last home game. Yesterday’s off day means the team’s league-worst bullpen is well-rested should Basso’s second career appearance and first start against the Angels only last a couple innings.
Here’s the A’s lineup for the series opener:
At the very least, this lineup should ensure the A’s will be defensively sound, with no players being asked to play out of position. Kuroda-Grauer, who will hopefully remember his cup this time, immediately finds himself in the starting nine at second base. His MLB career was off to a hot start before he suffered the unfortunate injury. Will JKG pick up where he left off, or will he be rusty after spending weeks on the sidelines?
Further down the lineup, center fielder Denzel Clarke receives a rare start to showcase his athleticism on the baseball field. Everyone knows how good a fielder Clarke is, but the jury is still out on whether he will hit enough to warrant a full-time spot on a major league roster. If the A’s want to win, they will need offensive production from Clarke, shortstop Alika Williams and five-hole hitter Tommy White.
The A’s offense will face Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is finishing up an injury-plagued campaign. The 35-year-old enters his 13th start of the season with a 1-6 record, a 5.02 ERA, a 1.55 WHIP and 58 strikeouts over 57 1/3 innings.
Tuesday night will be Kikuchi’s first start against the Athletics this season. He has gone 3-5 with a 4.20 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 14 appearances vs. the A’s in his career. Last year, the veteran went 1-2 in three games against the Green and Gold.
And Los Angeles’ starting nine:
The Angels’ lineup quality drops dramatically after Zach Neto and Mike Trout at the top of the order. First baseman Vaughn Grissom has had a solid season, while catcher Moisés Ballesteros was one of the well-known prospects the team acquired during its trade-deadline selloff.
Time to start this final homestand strong and avoid another last-place finish in the division. Let’s go, A’s!
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