NEW YORK — Ben Rice’s route to stardom with the New York Yankees was anything but routine, even though he is a creature of habit.
A rare Ivy League graduate playing big league baseball, the baby-faced 27-year-old has filled the offensive void created by Aaron Judge’s injury-filled season. Rice had a night to remember in the AL Wild Card Series opener, hitting a grand slam with six RBIs and four hits in a 9-0 rout of the Boston Red Sox.
He tied the Yankees RBIs record for a postseason game, matching Bobby Richardson, Bernie Williams, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Canó.
“Ben is Mr. Consistency, on top of being a Ivy League graduate,” teammate Spencer Jones said. “He’s incredibly smart. He doesn’t take himself too seriously.”
A 12th-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft from Dartmouth, Rice played just 30 college games over three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts, less than an hour’s drive south of Fenway Park.
He was a Yankees fan surrounded by Red Sox Nation, idolizing New York captain Derek Jeter.
“I was always playing with the Yankees on MLB 2K6 when I was a little guy. What a team to root for. They’re always so good. Pretty cool,” he said.
Rice thought back to his youth at Joseph Osgood Elementary School.
“Definitely wearing the Yankees jersey to the first-grade picture day probably got some weird looks,” he said.
Rice was a 10-year-old in Massachusetts when he watched the Yankees win their last title in 2009.
“It’s probably a little hazy for me,” he said. “I was pretty young.”
Rice likely will get MVP votes after leading the Yankees with 41 homers, 97 RBIs and 105 runs while hitting .264 in his second full big league season.
“Count on one hand, one of the best hitters in the league,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
New York struggled when Judge was out with a toe injury in 2023 and had difficulty generating offense this year when their captain missed most of the season with a broken rib. Rice became the key cog, living up to the “Benny Barrels” nickname given to him by Yankees broadcaster David Cone.
Rice was hitting .306 through May, then batted .196 in June. An 18-for-58 (.119) slide after the All-Star break dropped his season average to .248 on Aug. 22 but he hit .327 (37 for 113) over the remainder.
“For as great a year as he had, he had a stretch there for a month where it was a grind and a struggle,” Boone said. “But he kind of got himself out of it. Really finished the last month with a flurry, and obviously carried it in here the first game of the postseason.”
When Rice debuted with the Yankees two years ago, he joined Yankees coach Brad Ausmus, Kyle Hendricks and Jim Beattie as Dartmouth graduates in the major leagues. Rice’s degree is in psychology.
“He’s a Dartmouth grad — he’s an intelligent guy,” Ausmus said when Rice first made it to the big leagues.
Before heading to Yankee Stadium, Rice makes sure to start every day with scrambled eggs and toast.
“Same breakfast every day. Same routine in the cage every day. The whole timeline of the day is the same. Really just everything,” he said. “Of course, you’ve got different pitchers on the mound, there’s different ways you prepare, but I think the consistency just leaves you asking yourself fewer questions throughout the day because you just go out there, OK, this is what I do, and this is how I’m going to go about my business and just be ready for whenever the game starts.”
The Chicago White Sox were the only team in Tuesday's four wild-card openers to win on the road. That shouldn't really have come as a surprise since they did have a better regular-season record (84-78) than their opponent, the AL West champion Houston Astros (81-81).
The Sox will go for the sweep Wednesday afternoon in Houston with their top starting pitcher, right-hander Sean Burke (11-7, 3.34 ERA) going against Astros ace Hunter Brown (6-4, 3.19 ERA).
Chicago took advantage of a bullpen game for Houston in Game 1 by jumping out to an early lead and holding on for a 6-3 victory.
The Astros, who've lost their past eight postseason games at home, will need to snap that streak to keep their season alive.
USA TODAY Sports will follow all the action with updates and analysis.
HOUSTON – The Astros might slowly be inching toward a comeback. Outfielder Cam Smith deposited a two-out solo home run into the Crawford Boxes and whittled the White Sox's lead to 4-2 after two innings. Smith, a 23-year-old playing in his first MLB postseason, gestured excitedly to the Astros dugout as he rounded the bases.
Jeremy Peña hits leadoff HR to get Astros on the board
05:51 PM ET, September 30 2026, Danielle Lerner
HOUSTON – Jeremy Peña gave Astros fans something to cheer about when he pounced on a middle-of-the-plate slider and crushed a leadoff homer in the top of the first. Jose Altuve struck a two-out hit but was left stranded when Yainer Diaz struck out swinging. Houston remains in a 4-1 hole with another bullpen day looming after Hunter Brown's disastrous start.
HOUSTON – Hunter Brown allowed four or more runs in just three games this regular season. Today, he gave up four runs in the opening frame and failed to finish the first inning. Five pitches in, the White Sox were on the board after Sam Antonacci's leadoff double and Kyle Teel's RBI single. They added three more runs and cycled through the batting order before the Astros decided to pull Brown off the mound.
Brown secured just two outs on 36 pitches and was hailed with a mix of boos and cheers as he walked to the dugout. He left the bases loaded for reliever AJ Blubaugh, who had a rough outing as Houston's opener in Game 1.
Although Brown didn't deliver his best stuff, the Astros defense behind him didn't help matters. Yordan Alvarez missed Antonacci's leadoff double in left field, and replacement third baseman Nick Allen and center fielder Lucas Spence both committed errors.
Not exactly a full house at Daikin Park
05:17 PM ET, September 30 2026, Danielle Lerner
HOUSTON – At first pitch, large sections of the Daikin Park stands remain empty. Announced attendance for Game 1 was 34,011 fans, about 7,000 below official capacity.
Game 2, Wednesday: White Sox at Astros – buy tickets – 5 p.m. ET, NBCSN & Peacock
Game 3*, Thursday: White Sox at Astros – buy tickets – 5 p.m. ET, NBCSN & Peacock
Astros lineup for Game 2 vs White Sox
04:21 PM ET, September 30 2026, Danielle Lerner
Yordan Alvarez will start Game 2 in left field for the Astros while Isaac Paredes moves from third base to designated hitter. Houston's lineup was released less than an hour before first pitch because the team was waiting on the status of Paredes, who fouled a ball of his left knee during a Sept. 26 game against the A's. Although Paredes has played multiple games since then, including Game 1 against the White Sox, he said before the wild card series began that his knee was still sore.
Utility infielder Nick Allen, who has played mostly at shortstop and second base this season, will start at third base in Paredes' place and bat ninth.
Jeremy Peña SS
Yordan Alvarez LF
Isaac Paredes DH
Jose Altuve 2B
Yainer Diaz C
Christian Walker 1B
Lucas Spence CF
Cam Smith RF
Nick Allen 3B
MLB payrolls
03:52 PM ET, September 30 2026
While eight of MLB's final 12 teams are in the top 10 end-of-season payrolls, based on figures from the MLB Labor Relations Department and obtained by USA TODAY, the remaining four are among baseball’s lowest spenders.
That includes the teams with the best records in each league, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Brewers’ payroll entering the postseason is $143.5 million, good for 19th in MLB. The Rays’ $98.3 million total is No. 25.
White Sox — Sean Burke went 11-7 with a 3.34 ERA in 27 starts (32 games); 185 strikeouts in 172⅓ innings.
Astros — Hunter Brown went 6-4 with a 3.19 ERA in 20 starts; 124 strikeouts in 107⅓.
Munetaka Murakami, Tatsuya Imai and Kazuo Matsui chat before Game 2
03:06 PM ET, September 30 2026, Danielle Lerner
HOUSTON - White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami stood on the field at Daikin Park on Wednesday with Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai and former big leaguer Kazuo Matsui, the three chatted before Game 2.
All three came to the majors from Japan's top league, Nippon Professional Baseball. Murakami starred for the Yakult Swallows, and Imai pitched for the Seibu Lions. Matsui played seven seasons in the majors with the Mets, Rockies and Astros. He later managed Imai in Seibu.
White Sox infielder Munetaka Murakami, Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai and former MLB player Kazuo Matsui (who played for the Astros from 2008-10) have a pregame chat at Daikin Park surrounded by Japanese media pic.twitter.com/mnuFvNomw5
After the home crowd at Daikin Park vehemently booed the Astros during Tuesday night’s Game 1 loss, Houston players Bennett Sousa and Christian Walker denounced their fans’ reaction in comments to The Athletic.Astros manager Joe Espada addressed the tension before Game 2, saying he spoke to players about it and adding that he loves the franchise’s fans.“I understand both sides,” Espada said. “There's frustration. Our players and the fans have the right to also show their emotions, and I get it. But one thing I do know is that our players love our fans. We respect our fans. We need our fans. We need the energy from our fans. We feed off that.But I did talk to the players and we're going to move on. But I do want our fans to know that we love them and we need them.”
White Sox players climb up to Daikin Park train before Game 2
02:25 PM ET, September 30 2026
Before Game 2, a troupe of White Sox players visited the train above left field at Daikin Park. The field trip perhaps indicates how relaxed the White Sox are feeling with a chance to end the series tonight.Manager Will Venable said he and the front office have tried to balance setting high expectations with eliminating stress for players.“We want to create an environment where people can be themselves,” Venable said. “We have some of the best personalities in the league in that room, and at the same time, you know, having real clarity on where our vision for winning looks like, and the expectations that help us get there.
White Sox lineup for Game 2 vs Astros
02:15 PM ET, September 30 2026
Chase Meidroth went 2-for-4 with an RBI from the No.8 spot in the White Sox win Tuesday. On Wednesday, the second baseman moved up a spot.
White Sox manager Will Venable swapped Meidroth and rookie right fielder Braden Montgomery for Game 2 of the AL wild-card series against the Houston Astros. The rest of the order is the same as in Tuesday's 6-3 win. One more win and CHicago advances to the Division Series.
The White Sox are facing a real starter this time. Hunter Brown is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA against them this season.
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Aug 13, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman (12) throws to the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Best-of-three series are weird, huh? The postseason just started yesterday and already there are four teams that could be eliminated today. To think that you battle and slog through a six-month, 162-game season to make the playoffs, and then it could be over in the blink of an eye. Or two blinks of an eye, I guess. Baseball is an unforgiving game.
Day 1 brought few surprises, as the team with the better record won all four games (including the White Sox, who were three games better than Houston despite being the road team in this series). The Yankees/Red Sox and Cubs/Padres games were particularly uncompetitive. Of the four teams with their backs against the wall, can any of them find a spark to keep their season alive?
Phillies at Braves, 2:00 ET (NBC/Peacock) — ATL leads 1-0
LHP Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) vs. RHP Tyler Mahle (ATL)
I was today years old when I learned that Tyler Mahle was on the Braves. Maybe I should have been paying more attention, considering that the veteran has been outstanding since joining Atlanta in a trade-deadline deal with the Giants. Mahle had a 1.99 ERA in nine regular-season starts with the Braves, averaging less than one baserunner per inning, and he’ll be facing an opponent he’s particularly dominant against. Mahle has pitched against the Phillies four times this year — twice as a Giant in May, and twice as a Brave in September — and has posted a 2.28 ERA against them, with his team winning three. It’s not the ideal opponent for the Phillies, whose offense went into a deep freeze down the stretch.
At least the Phils have the right guy on the mound to try to stave off elimination. Sánchez, last year’s NL Cy Young runner-up to Paul Skenes, just finished his second consecutive brilliant season. The 29-year-old lefty had a 2.91 ERA and a league-leading 18 wins, and earlier this season he strung together a 50.2 scoreless innings streak, the longest in the Phillies’ 144-year history. For the second straight year, Sánchez led the league with an 8.1 bWAR, though he’ll probably finish second place in the Cy vote again, this time to Jacob Misiorowski.
Of course, it won’t matter how well Sánchez pitches today if the Phillies’ beleaguered bullpen can’t hold a lead. Closer Jhoan Duran coughed up the game-losing three-run homer to Austin Riley yesterday and threw 27 pitches in doing so. The Phillies need to find one or two reliable relievers or they’re cooked.
White Sox at Astros, 5:00 ET (NBCSN/Peacock) — CWS leads 1-0
RHP Sean Burke (CHW) vs. RHP Hunter Brown (HOU)
I think it’d be a joke for a .500 team to advance far in the playoffs (unless that team were the Orioles, of course), and the fact that it’s the already unlikeable Astros makes it easy to root against them. So yesterday’s result, with the scrappy White Sox pulling out the victory while Houston fans booed their own team, was delicious.
I’ll also be rooting for University of Maryland alum Sean Burke to close out this series for the White Sox. The righty had a fine year, with a 3.34 ERA and better than a strikeout per inning in 27 starts and five bulk-relief appearances. If he can hold down (or pitch around) MVP front-runner Yordan Alvarez, who was 1-for-4 in Game 1, then Burke can get the job done.
But the Astros seem to have the pitching advantage here, sending ace Hunter Brown to the mound needing a win to survive. Brown missed two months with injury but was his usual excellent self when healthy, racking up 10.4 K/9 and posting a 3.19 ERA. In eight career postseason appearances, mostly in relief, Brown has allowed only two earned runs in 16.1 innings.
Red Sox at Yankees, 8:00 ET (NBC/Peacock) — NYY leads 1-0
RHP Sonny Gray (BOS) vs. LHP Max Fried (NYY)
Boston’s unlikely comeback this season, rallying from 14 games under .500 in June to 12 games over by the end of the year, could reach a swift end today. It certainly will if their offense doesn’t put up a more competent performance than in Game 1, when AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler and two relievers combined to shut them out. The Sox managed just three hits and struck out 11 times. Old friend Adley Rutschman had a single and fanned twice. But the job doesn’t get any easier in Game 2 against three-time All-Star Max Fried, who had a 2.80 ERA and 0.994 WHIP in 20 starts.
It wasn’t just the Red Sox offense that stunk in Game 1. So too did their pitching, which gave up nine runs. The soft underbelly of Boston’s bullpen gave up eight runs, including guys I’ve never heard of like Alec Gamboa and Wyatt Olds. (“Wyatt Olds”? Come on, am I supposed to believe that’s a real person?) It’ll be up to Sonny Gray, who had an excellent first season in Boston with a league-leading 18 wins and a 2.72 ERA, to force a Game 3. He faced the Yankees twice this season and delivered two quality starts, with the Sox winning both. Gray has now made the postseason four times in his career, each at least four seasons apart and with four different teams (with the 2013 Athletics, 2017 Yankees, and 2023 Twins before this).
Cubs at Padres, 10:00 ET (NBCSN/Peacock) — SD leads 1-0
RHP Kevin Gausman (CHC) vs. RHP Nick Pivetta (SD)
You’d never know that the Cubs had the most potent offense in baseball this season. They had no answer for Padres pitching in Game 1, an 8-0 shutout loss. Like the Red Sox, the Cubs had only three hits in the game, and presumptive NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. Combined with last year’s 5-for-27 playoff performance, Crow-Armstrong is not exactly building a sterling postseason career so far.
Veteran Nick Pivetta, who was limited to eight starts this season due to a right flexor strain, will take the mound for San Diego, hoping to follow up on Michael King’s seven scoreless innings in Game 1. Pivetta faced the Cubs in last year’s NL Wild Card Series and struck out nine in five innings, but gave up two runs to take the loss.
Another old friend, Kevin Gausman, starts for the Cubs. Acquired from Toronto at the deadline, Gausman didn’t have a great regular season in Chicago, posting a 4.83 ERA and giving up 11 home runs in nine games. This will be Gausman’s 15th career playoff game — including three relief appearances with the Orioles in 2014 — and while he struggled for most of his postseason career, he was brilliant last year during the Blue Jays’ World Series run, with a 2.93 ERA in six games.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 9: Michael Lorenzen #24 of the Colorado Rockies expresses his frustration on his way back to the dugout against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning at Busch Stadium on August 9, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
The expectation was never that Lorenzen would suddenly become an ace — or even necessarily a No. 2 or No. 3 starter. The hope was that an established veteran could give the Rockies rotation plenty of reasonably league-average work.
There was some track record behind that hope. Lorenzen had spent most of his career around league average, and he wasn’t far removed from a strong 2024 season in which he posted a 3.31 ERA and 117 ERA+ over 130.1 innings between Texas and Kansas City.
Pitching for Team Italy, Lorenzen looked sharp against a loaded United States lineup shortly before the regular season began. It provided one more reason to be curious about how Lorenzen might fit in Colorado.
The Rockies didn’t need greatness. They needed innings, stability and something close to average.
Instead, Lorenzen’s season unraveled almost immediately.
The numbers
The traditional numbers are every bit as ugly as the season felt.
Team
G
GS
W-L
IP
ERA
WHIP
H
HR
BB
SO
Rockies
26
25
3-11
115.2
7.08
1.88
168
19
49
82
Blue Jays
6
0
0-2
11.2
8.49
1.97
18
4
5
8
2026 totals
32
25
3-13
127.1
7.21
1.88
186
23
54
90
Colorado gave Lorenzen 25 starts and 115.2 innings to find something that worked. He finished his Rockies tenure with a 7.08 ERA and 1.88 WHIP, allowing 168 hits while striking out only 82 before being designated for assignment on August 17. 10 days later, Lorenzen signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The move to Toronto didn’t provide a reset. Used exclusively out of the bullpen, Lorenzen allowed 11 earned runs in 11.2 innings, including four home runs, for an 8.49 ERA and 1.97 WHIP before being DFA’d again on September 18.
The lack of length was also a problem. 19 of Lorenzen’s 25 Rockies starts lasted 5.0 innings or fewer, repeatedly leaving the bullpen to cover four or more innings. He recorded only two quality starts all season.
What actually happened
The Rockies showed their faith in Lorenzen immediately.
After making his Colorado debut on the road in Miami, Lorenzen was given the ball for the home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 3.
Philadelphia scored seven runs in the first inning, and Lorenzen was gone after 3.0 innings having allowed nine runs on 12 hits. Brandon Marsh and Bryce Harper both homered as the Phillies turned the afternoon into a rout before the Rockies ever really had a chance to settle into their home opener.
A week later, Lorenzen looked like a different pitcher.
He held the Cubs to one run over 5.0 innings on June 10, striking out seven while allowing just two hits. He generated a whiff on 25% of Chicago’s swings and produced some of the weakest contact against him all season.
Five days later in Chicago, he again allowed one run over 5.0 innings, this time striking out five.
For a moment, that looked like the kind of stretch Lorenzen had spent the first two months searching for.
But even his better stretches require some perspective.
June was one of Lorenzen’s two best months of the season. He still posted a 5.92 ERA.
July was technically better. His 5.48 ERA was his lowest monthly mark of the year.
That was as good as it got.
By August, whatever hope remained was gone. Lorenzen allowed 16 earned runs in 13.0 innings during the month, while opponents hit .393/.471/.607 against him and his WHIP climbed to 2.46.
His final five Rockies starts lasted 3.2, 4.0, 3.0, 4.1 and 3.2 innings.
Lorenzen did not spend the season repeating the same approach.
Early in the year, he spread his workload fairly evenly across a seven-pitch arsenal. As the season progressed, the sinker and changeup became more prominent, while his curveball and slider usage fell. His first-pitch sequencing changed as well, with heavier doses of sinkers and cutters later in the year.
There were a few pieces that worked better than others, and the changeup stands out.
Lorenzen threw it 20.8% of the time with Colorado and generated a whiff on 28.4% of swings against it. When hitters put it in play, they averaged 85.5 mph in exit velocity, with a 30.3% hard-hit rate.
Hitters whiffed on only 8.5% of their swings against the pitch. When they put it in play, the average exit velocity was 94.9 mph and 58.2% of those balls were hit at least 95 mph.
That is a brutal combination for any fastball: very little swing-and-miss and extremely loud contact.
The broader Statcast picture was just as ugly.
Lorenzen finished near the bottom of baseball in Pitching Run Value, expected ERA, expected batting average, average exit velocity, chase rate, strikeout rate and hard-hit rate.
The individual pitches reflected that same problem. None of Lorenzen’s seven pitches finished with a positive Pitch Run Value overall. There were a couple of matchup-specific exceptions: against right-handed hitters, his cutter produced a plus-five Pitch Run Value and his four-seamer finished at plus-two. But neither carried that success across platoons.
Against left-handed hitters, the cutter finished at minus-eight and the four-seamer at minus-15. In fact, none of Lorenzen’s seven pitches produced a positive Pitch Run Value against left-handed hitters.
Lorenzen changed his pitch mix and sequencing throughout the season, but none of those changes produced sustained improvement.
Where things stand
Lorenzen’s time with the Rockies is over, and his $9 million club option for 2027 is no longer part of the picture.
There was plenty of logic behind the original signing. Lorenzen had recent starting experience, a broad arsenal and an existing relationship with Leichman. The Rockies were looking for innings and stability, and neither materialized.
Off the field, Lorenzen appeared to embrace the veteran role. Ahead of the club’s trip to Las Vegas, he bought suits for the team’s minimum-service-time players.
On the mound, though, the innings and stability the Rockies signed him to provide never came.
Signing Lorenzen was a worthy risk. It just didn’t work out.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 29: The Post Season logo on the On Deck Circle mat before the the Philadelphia Phillies game versus the Atlanta Braves in game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series on September 29, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The first day of the post-season is in the books, and most of the games were pretty dull. The only excitement came in Atlanta, where the Braves came back late to take their opener. But elsewhere, the White Sox took the lead in the first inning, and never led by less than three from the middle of the second. The evening games were then totally uncompetitive, with the Yankees and Padres winning in blowouts, each holding their opponents to just three hits. Let’s hope for something a bit more attention keeping in today’s batch. Here’s the schedule which, in a very helpful way, is exactly the same as yesterday!
Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves (0-1): 11:00 am, NBC
Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros (1-0): 2:00 pm, Peacock
Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees (0-1): 5:00 pm, NBC
Chicago Cubs @ San Diego Padres (0-1): 8:00 pm, Peacock
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers expect a healthier Shohei Ohtani at the top of their lineup for the postseason.
The two-way superstar played in the final five games of the regular season after coming off a two-week stint on the injured list with nagging right biceps and left knee issues.
With five days off leading up to Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani has time to rest and refine his hitting stroke.
He went 5 for 21 with an extra-base hit, eight strikeouts and a walk over the final five games.
“Everything is feeling great physically,” general manager Brandon Gomes said. “The swings, once he came back, overall were in a good place, and using these five days to continue to get reps and feeling good into this series is really important. But feels like he’s in a great spot.”
Ohtani hit .275 with an .889 OPS and a team-high 30 home runs in the regular season despite injuries that curtailed his pitching and a slump at the plate that knocked him out of contention for a fifth MVP award.
During his offensive skid, Ohtani batted .198 with 34 strikeouts in 24 games before going on the IL.
“I feel confident that you’re going to see the best version of Shohei of the last two months,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I know that’s sort of a low bar given his injury, but I do think that he’s as healthy as he’s been in quite some time. Every day from the training staff, it keeps getting better. So yeah, number one, he’ll be a threat being in the lineup, but I do think that the performance piece will be what we’re hoping for.”
Roberts wants to see Ohtani take a handful of live at-bats and hit off the Trajekt machine.
“He did everything he could to manage it, all the while being somewhat compromised,” the manager said. “I think that he’s going to be as healthy and feel as good as he’s felt.”
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on September 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s game 2 of the National League Wild Card series as the Atlanta Braves will try to eliminate the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday afternoon. LHP Cristopher Sánchez will make the start for the Phillies while the Braves will hope RHP Tyler Mahle can help them dispose of Philadelphia. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00pm central time and the Wild Card series broadcasts are being handled by NBC/Peacock.
MILWAUKEE — Joey Ortiz believes he’s healthy enough to play in Milwaukee’s NL Division Series opener, but the Brewers are remaining careful with the 28-year-old infielder who underwent an MRI on his right knee.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy limited Ortiz’s participation in a workout as the Brewers prepare to face the winner of the NL Wild Card Series between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres. Ortiz left Milwaukee’s victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth inning and didn’t play in the Brewers’ final two regular-season games.
“His knee, his abdomen, there’s still concern,” Murphy said. “He won’t tell you about it.”
Murphy had indicated that Ortiz’s MRI results turned out well. Ortiz hurt his right knee while trying to make a play on a foul ball in Philadelphia.
“It’s all good,” Ortiz said regarding his health. “We’re good.”
Ortiz then went into a little more detail regarding his preparation to make sure he’s healthy as possible for the start of Milwaukee’s playoff run.
“The goal is to make sure that I’m ready to play and compete at 100% during the postseason,” Ortiz said. “That’s going to be the goal. At this point in the season, everyone’s dealing with something. So you’ve just got to stay on top of it and just make sure you can play.”
Ortiz, who alternates between third base and shortstop, is primarily known for his exceptional defense. But he also emerged as one of the Brewers’ hottest hitters late in the season while bouncing back from a miserable start at the plate.
He was hitting .188 with a .518 OPS at the end of May, but recovered to finish the regular season with a .270 batting average, .328 on-base percentage, .402 slugging percentage, nine homers and 47 RBIs in 134 games.
Over his last 61 games, Ortiz batted .333 with a .378 on-base percentage, .531 slugging percentage, seven homers and 28 RBIs.
He’s eager to help the Brewers chase their first World Series title in franchise history. The Brewers won a franchise-record 103 games this season to earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
“The biggest reason for optimism for our ballclub is we know how to win,” Ortiz said. “I think our competitive level is extremely high and we want to win every ballgame. It doesn’t matter what the score is at any point, we always feel like we can win. I think we’re going to make a great run and win the World Series.”
In other Brewers news, Murphy essentially confirmed the obvious by saying he likely would start Jacob Misiorowski in Game 1 and Logan Henderson in Game 2 of the NLDS, though he immediately backtracked on that remark. Misiorowski (16-5) posted a 1.80 ERA and struck out 252 batters during the regular season to lead the major leagues in both categories. Henderson went 11-3 with a 2.47 ERA in his rookie season.
“It’s obvious they’re our two top starters right now, so it will probably be the way that we go,” Murphy said. “Subject to change, you never know how things will go.”
New York, NY - September 29: The Boston Red Sox played the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 2026 Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on September 29, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
We have four game again. Same order as yesterday. The games were good yesterday.
2:00 Eastern: Phillies @ Braves. Braves won game one.
Today it is Cristopher Sánchez (18-7, 2.91) vs. Tyler Mahle (7-10, 3.99)
The lineups are posted already:
Today’s Lineups
PHILLIES
BRAVES
Trea Turner – SS
Ronald Acuna – RF
Kyle Schwarber – DH
Drake Baldwin – DH
Bryce Harper – RF
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Bryson Stott – 2B
Matt Olson – 1B
Alec Bohm – 1B
Mauricio Dubon – LF
Brandon Marsh – LF
Austin Riley – 3B
Edmundo Sosa – 3B
Michael Harris – CF
Justin Crawford – CF
Sean Murphy – C
J.T. Realmuto – C
Ha-Seong Kim – SS
C. Sanchez – LHP
Tyler Mahle – RHP
5:00 Eastern: White Sox @ Astros. White Sox won game one, I thought it was the best game of the day.
Sean Burke (11-7, 3.34) vs. Hunter Brown (6-4, 3.19).
8:00 Eastern: Red Sox @ Yankees. Yankees crushed the Red Sox yesterday. Always happy to see the Red Sox get thumped, but then it was the Yankees.
Sonny Gray (18-5, 2.72) vs. Max Fried (5-5, 2.80). If they can figure out a way for both to lose, I’d appreciate it.
10:00 Eastern: Cubs @ Padres. Padres won game one.
Kevin Gausman (9-12, 4.51) vs. Nick Pivetta (3-2, 2.86). Go Kevin Go.
I am going to cheer for all the teams that lost yesterday, so we get more baseball, other than the Yankees/Red Sox game, I can’t cheer for either of those teams.
ATLANTA – If Alec Bohm is indeed in his final days with the Phillies, he’s going out with a bang.
Bohm, who’ll soon be a free agent, smacked a solo home run with two outs in the top of the 10th inning to lift the Phillies to a dramatic 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on Wednesday afternoon.
The best-of-three series is tied at a game apiece. A winner-take-all Game 3 is set for Thursday. Aaron Nola, the longest tenured Phillie, will make the biggest start of his career.
Bohm’s homer was one of three that the Phillies hit against the Braves’ bullpen in the late innings. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back-to-back shots in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game at 3-3.
Harper’s game-tying homer came moments after he misplayed a ball in right field in the seventh inning that paved the way for the Braves to score two runs and break a 1-1 tie.
The Phillies’ beleaguered bullpen got a huge lift from rookie Andrew Painter. He did not allow a run over the final three innings and got the win. He struck out Dominic Smith looking with two men on base to end the game. The final pitch was initially ruled a ball but overturned by ABS.
Starting pitchers Cristopher Sanchez and Tyler Mahle hooked up in a tight pitchers’ duel.
Atlanta’s Mahle pitched seven innings and allowed just one run. The run came in the first inning as the Phillies stroked three hits. He put up zeroes the rest of his day.
Sanchez went 6 2/3 innings and gave up just three runs, two of them after his defense collapsed in the seventh. He threw a career-high 116 pitches.
It was a 1-1 game entering the bottom of the seventh. The Phillies’ defense betrayed them in the inning. One inning after making an excellent play to start a 3-2-3 double play, first baseman Bohm could not get an out on a bunt as the Braves put runners on first and second. With one out, Harper then misplayed a ball in right field – it was generously scored a double — that allowed the Braves to score the tie-breaking run. Matt Olson followed with a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-1 game.
With a two-run lead, the Braves went to lefty Dylan Lee in the top of the eighth. He allowed back-to-back homers to the first two batters he faced, Schwarber and Harper, as the Phillies tied the game.
Bohm’s homer in the 10th came against right-hander Didier Fuentes. Bohm has RBIs in both games of the series. He had 88 RBIs during the regular season. None were as big as Thursday’s. It helped the Phils live for another day.
The Cubs and Padres will again be the last of the four Wild Card Series to get underway today. That game will begin at 9 p.m. CT and I will have the usual game preview up at 6:30 p.m. CT.
In the meantime, there are three other Wild Card games today, so this is an all-purpose game thread for you to discuss the baseball action this afternoon and early evening.
The Braves, White Sox and Yankees can wrap up their series by winning today, as well as the Padres over the Cubs later tonight.
Here are all the details for those three games.
1 p.m. CT: Phillies at Braves (Braves lead series 1-0)
TV: NBC. Announcers: Matt Vasgersian, John Kruk, C.J. Nitkowski, Joey Votto
The Atlanta Braves are looking to secure a Wild Card series win today behind Tyler Mahle. Mahle only allowed one earned run against the Phillies in thirteen innings against them earlier this month.
Cristopher Sánchez is pitching for the Phillies. Overall he has had a fantastic season, but has an ERA north of five this past month. He also has struggled mightily against Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuña, and Austin Riley.
On paper the Braves have the slight edge. Follow along in the comments as we root for a series win today.
The Chicago White Sox' Sam Antonacci is hit by a pitch in the sixth inning against the Houston Astros in Game 1 of an A.L. Wild Card series at Daikin Park on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Houston. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
We have a second day of Wild Card games today, and you can talk about them here.
The Braves host the Phillies at 1 p.m. in a game that will be played on NBC. Atlanta is up 1-0 in the series.
The Astros, down 1-0, deal with the White Sox at 4 p.m. in a game that is on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.
Boston plays New York at 7 p.m. on NBC in a series where the Yankees are up 1-0.
And the Padres, up 1-0, play the Cubs in San Diego at 9 p.m. on a Peacock/NBC Sports Network game.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres reacts after scoring a run on a throwing error by Carson Kelly #15 of the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park on September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The first day of the 2026 playoffs was a good one across the board. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies battled back and forth before the Braves took a crucial lead in the bottom of the eighth to win 5-3. The Chicago White Sox then rolled into Houston to defeat the Astros 6-3. Then, in the primetime matchups, the New York Yankees shut out the Boston Red Sox 9-0 while the San Diego Padres shut out the Chicago Cubs 8-0.
It’s a crucial day as Tuesday’s winners look to wrap up the series and move on to the division round while the losing teams try to stave off elimination.
Here’s the schedule for today:
Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves on NBC/Peacock at 12:00 pm MDT
Chicago White Sox @ Houston Astros on Peacock/NBC at 3:00 pm MDT
Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees on NBC/Peacock at 6:00 pm MDT
Chicago Cubs @ San Diego Padres on Peacock/NBC @ 8:00 pm MDT
We’ll add lineups as they become available.
Philadelphia Phillies (0-1) at Atlanta Braves (1-0) — 12:00 pm MDT
The curious case of Roman Anthony’s 2026 season is, in all likelihood, over.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy announced prior to Game 2 of the Wild Card Series that Anthony had been sent back to Boston for further imaging on his injured hand the previous night, and that the results were not good.
“[The imaging] showed additional damage to some muscles in his wrist that weren’t there before,” Tracy said.
Tracy shared that the Red Sox had “paperwork in” to replace Anthony on the roster, which would by necessity keep him out for the Wild Card Series and the ALDS, if the Red Sox make it that far. Based on Tracy’s report on the injury, it did not sound like a return at any point in October would be realistic.
“He’s a really good player,” Tracy said of Anthony. “Certainly not something that we wanted to happen.”
Per multiple reports, the Red Sox replaced Anthony on the roster with infielder Curtis Mead. The team acquired Mead via trade in late July but he played just one game for Boston, breaking his wrist in his debut. He batted .253 with an .851 OPS in 88 games for Washington prior to the injury.
A torn ligament at the base of Anthony’s ring finger — originally diagnosed as a minor wrist injury by the Red Sox — ended up costing Anthony nearly four months this season. He returned to the Red Sox at the end of August and played through the end of the season, but a check swing in Game No. 162 appeared to aggravate his injury, and two check-swing strikeouts in Game 1 against Cam Schlittler of the Yankees ended his playoff debut early.
The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported that Anthony’s “issue predated” Game 1, with Andruw Monasterio being told before the game that he may be needed to pinch-hit for Anthony at some point.
Tracy said that it’s “not necessarily” a recurrence of the same injury, and also that it’s too soon to know if surgery will be required.
Anthony was limited to just 55 games this year, hitting .245 (down from .292 last year) with a .735 OPS (down from .859 last season). Interestingly, due to the timing of his injury, Anthony missed out on most of the Red Sox’ winning this year.
The team was 14-21 when he suffered the injury in Detroit on May 4. When Anthony returned on Aug. 30, the team was 74-62, having gone 60-41 in his absence. The team went 13-13 after Anthony’s return.
Anthony also missed last year’s Wild Card Series after suffering an oblique strain in early September.
“He’s upset. Mentally going through it, he wants to be out there. He wants to be out there with the guys,” Tracy said, noting that Anthony was traveling back to New York to be with the team. “It’s grinding on him for sure. He’s upset. He wants to be out there with the guys. And obviously, everything he’s gone through this year, dealing with these different things, it’s tough for him. There’s no question from anyone on our side of things, we love the kid, love the player, fantastic player. He’s just dealt with hardships this year, and this is the next in line with that.”
