Category: MLB

The Colorado Rockies were desperate to break an eight-game losing streak as they faced the San Diego Padres in the second game of a four-game stand.

Cole Carrigg hit his first homer in the third, but the Rally Squirrel that appeared on the auxiliary scoreboard in the fifth inning turbocharged everything.

The Carrigg-Squirrel duo had help from a third partner: Ryan Feltner in a sparkling relief performance.

Turn the page on the losing streak: The Rockies won 9-3 to tie their series with a Padres team looking to clinch a postseason spot.

Cole Carrigg set the tone

The game did not get off to the start Kyle Freeland had hoped for.

When facing Fernando Tatís Jr., the leadoff batter, Freeland surrendered a home run on the second pitch he threw.

It was Tatís Jr’s 23rd homer of the year.

Before the Rockies had even managed an out, they were down, 1-0.

Things did not improve in the second inning when Luis Campusano stepped to the plate and led off the second with a homer, à la Tatís Jr.

After the Rockies entered their half of the second inning down, 2-0.

They threatened by loading the bases with one out as Walker Buehler’s pitch count climbed. (Yes, TJ Rumfield hit a single, so his on-base streak is up to 20 games.) However, a double play that involved a base-running mistake by Kyle Karros ended the threat.

By the end of the third inning, the Padres had already accumulated seven hits.

Carrigg, however, did some encores of his own. In Game 1, he hit his eighth home run; in Game 2, he hit another, his ninth, this time with Adael Amador on base, to tie the game.

Freeland had clean third and fourth innings, before history repeated itself in the fifth when Austin Hays led off with another single-shot home run.

With the score 3-2 Padres, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer went to his bullpen.

Tonight, Ryan Feltner followed up Freeland by allowing one hit but no runs to retire the side.

Buehler started the fifth for the Padres and got two outs. However, after Carrigg hit a double (now just a triple shy of the cycle), that was it for Buehler. His final line: 4.2 IP with two runs (earned) on seven hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Wandy Peralta entered in relief and hit Rumfield with a pitch, leaving runners on first and second with two outs. However, Karros lined out to short to end the inning and the threat.

In the fifth inning, the Rockies offense got serious.

Mickey Moniak led off with a triple followed by a Troy Johnston RBI double, tying the score at three. After that came a Brett Sullivan single to score Johnston, and the Rockies had their first lead of the evening, 4-3.

Then Jake McCarthy hit a single (give him a 17-game on-base streak), and that was it for Peralta.

With two on and two out, Carrigg stepped to the plate, looking for a triple to complete the cycle is expand the Rockies lead. He battled through a 13-pitch at-bat.

Seriously, you’ve got to see it.

And then Carrigg got to work.

That’s right, Reader, it was a sweet, sweet three-run homer.

The Rockies finished the sixth inning with a 7-3 lead.

“I love this game. I love playing for my guys. Obviously a pretty long at-bat — got me fired up for sure,” Carrigg said after the game.

“That’s one of the coolest at-bats I’ve seen,” Schaeffer said of Carrigg’s extended at-bat. “He was locked in today. You see what kind of player Cole can be.”

In the seventh inning the Padres were unable to score. The Rockies, however, were not done.

Karros lead off the inning with a single, and a Johnston RBI double was enough to bring him home, and the score was 8-3.

Zac Veen was the last Rockie to get a hit, but he did in the seventh to score Ezequiel Tovar (pinch running for Johnston), and the Rockies took a 9-3 lead.

The Rockies final line was nine runs (all earned) on 16 hits. They walked once and struck out three times, going 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

“They’re all grinding ‘til the end,” Schaeffer said. “This is what they believe in. That’s why there’s so much hope for the future.”

Kyle Freeland made his return

In addition to a solid performance from Freeland, the Rockies needed length from him to spare an exhausted bullpen.

Despite giving up two home runs early, Freeland entered the fourth inning having thrown 38 pitches, which was just what the bullpen ordered.

He was done in the fifth (with no outs) after surrendering a third home run.

His final line was 4.0 IP with three runs (earned) on eight hits. He did not issue a walk and struck out one while throwing 50 pitches.

It was not the return Freeland wanted, but he helped save the bullpen.

“It was good to see him back,” Schaeffer said, noting that Freeland was efficient and on a 60-pitch limit. “I thought he got better as he went.”

“I felt good,” Freeland said. “I was able to eat some innings. Three solo-shots aren’t going to kill you.”

Stellar Feltner

If there was an unsung hero in this game, it was Ryan Feltner, who entered the game in the fifth inning.

After his outstanding showing against Atlanta, the Rockies were eager to see what he could do when following an (extended) opener.

The answer: He was good — really good.

In 5.0 IP, Feltner allowed just three hits while issuing one walk and five strike outs on 61 pitches.

“I saw attack-mode from the moment he stepped on the mound,” Schaeffer said, pointing out that it echoed the pitcher’s performance in Atlanta. He did not rule out using Feltner in a similar role going forward.

Feltner said he believed he benefits from the opposing team having less plan to prepare for him.

“Sully called a great game,” he added.

Feltner emphasized, “I’m a starter, and I like starting a game,” but he added he would do whatever the team asks of him.

Up next

Join us tomorrow night for Game 3 when Robbie Ray will face Mason Adams (and hopefully the Rally Squirrel).

First pitch is at 6:40 pm.

See you then.

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The Orioles may be playing out the string in a season that’s fallen far short of expectations. But darned if they aren’t still capable of playing some mighty entertaining baseball from time to time.

Tonight’s extra-inning affair against the Mets was one of those classic, bizarre, “how the heck did the Orioles win this?” kind of games. On an evening that was a pretty boring slog for the first eight innings, the excitement ramped up drastically in the ninth when Pete Alonso delivered his long-awaited 300th homer — a dramatic, game-tying shot — in front of the Mets faithful, and the weirdness reached new heights when Coby Mayo circled the bases on a go-ahead, three-run, inside-the-park home run in the top of the 11th.

What a memorable night of baseball. Exhausting, but memorable.

Let’s cut right to the chase. There’s one reason and one reason only that fans have flocked to CitiField this week, and it’s not because they’re riveted by Orioles/Mets mid-September baseball. Fan-favorite ex-Mets slugger Pete Alonso returned to his old stomping grounds just one shy of his 300th career homer, and the constant standing ovations and celebratory handmade signs among the crowd have made it clear: Mets fans want to witness the Polar Bear’s historic blast, even against their favorite team.

Tonight, they got their wish, despite it directly robbing the Mets of a victory. The dramatic moment came in the top of the ninth with the Orioles trailing, 3-2, and two outs away from defeat. Alonso, who at that point was 0-for-3 in the game and 0-for-6 in the series, stepped to the plate against Mets closer Kodai Senga. Senga, the forkball specialist, missed with his first two pitches. Then he hurled another forkball that hung right down the middle of the plate, and Pete didn’t miss.

SMASH. Alonso clobbered one to deep left and instantly knew he’d gotten it, flinging his bat toward the O’s dugout and raising his hands in triumph. A cool 414 feet later, the ball landed among the Mets fans, most of whom were in a full-throated cheer, not caring that they’d just blown a ninth-inning lead. Honestly, good for those fans. These games don’t matter to the already eliminated Mets, so why not celebrate the historic achievement of one your franchise’s all-time greats?

A pumped-up Alonso, after exchanging intense high-fives with his O’s teammates, came out of the visiting dugout for a curtain call, doffing his cap to the crowd. Alonso got to enjoy a milestone individual achievement that also rescued his team, and the fans got to share a special moment with their longtime hero. A good time was had by all. Well, maybe not Senga.

After all the festivities, though, there was still a baseball game to finish playing. And boy, did it get weird. Two other former Mets, Rico Garcia and Josh Walker, combined to escape the bottom of the ninth with the winning run in scoring position, and off to extras we went. That’s when both teams wasted opportunities to take control.

In the top of the 10th, a Gunnar Henderson single moved the free runner, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, to third base with nobody out. The next three Orioles then had three of the worst at-bats you’ll see: Jeremiah Jackson twice failed to bunt and struck out looking, wasting the Orioles’ ABS challenge in the process; Heston Kjerstad struck out looking on a fastball right down the middle; and Leody Taveras grounded out to the pitcher. Fortunately, a Daniel Duarte wild pitch during the Jackson at-bat allowed Encarnacion-Strand to score the go-ahead run.

The lead didn’t last long. In the bottom half, Marcus Semien’s one-out double off Alex Hoppe plated the Mets’ free runner, knotting the score at four. But with two aboard and Hoppe clearly struggling with command, Christopher Morel inexplicably swung at a 3-0 pitch and grounded out, short-circuiting the Mets’ rally.

On to the 11th, where the Orioles took the lead in a way that absolutely nobody could have expected. With two on and two out — after Alonso struck out, failing to hit his 301st homer — Coby Mayo pounced on an 0-2 cutter from righty Jonathan Pintaro and crunched it to deep center field. A.J. Ewing made a sprawling, Colton Cowser-esque leap at the wall, but the ball barely eluded his glove and deflected off the fence while Ewing crashed hard into it. By the time the other Mets outfielders could rush over to back up the dazed Ewing, a hustling Mayo had hurtled all around the bases for his first career inside-the-park home run. Wow!

Mayo’s chaotic sprint around the bases had given the Orioles a 7-4 lead, and this time the lead was bulletproof. Andrew Kittredge, who has badly struggled of late, was able to nail down the save in the bottom of the 11th despite a two-out RBI single by Bo Bichette. The Orioles, somehow, had escaped with their second straight win.

Long before the late-inning bedlam, Shane Baz’s extremely weird year came to what may be an extremely weird end. The first-year Oriole entered the game with a league-leading 15 losses due to his well-chronicled lack of run support, and he never got a chance to add a win to his ledger tonight after an abrupt fifth-inning exit. Bo Bichette led off the inning with a scalding 105-mph liner that deflected directly off Baz’s right elbow as he tried to turn away. The ball was hit so hard that it sailed all the way into left field after hitting Baz, who kneeled on the mound and clutched his arm.

Craig Albernaz and the training staff immediately came out to check on the injured hurler. Baz gamely attempted to throw a warm-up pitch, but he sailed it to the backstop and promptly walked off the mound without argument. After the game, X-rays came back negative, but when you’re dealing with an elbow, why risk trying to pitch again this year? It’s not like these games matter for the Orioles anymore. Shut down Baz and have him get an early rest before next season.

Before the injury, Baz was having one of his rockier outings. The Mets tagged him for seven hits (including the Bichette liner) and two walks in his four innings of work, which came on a first-inning sacrifice fly, a second-inning Juan Soto RBI single, and a Carson Benge solo homer in the third.

The Orioles’ bullpen, thrust into action earlier than expected, did a nice job to keep the Mets off the board. Grant Wolfram, Luis De León, and former Mets prospect Anthony Nunez combined for four scoreless innings of relief while the O’s trailed. De León was particularly impressive by throwing a pair of shutout frames, his best outing as a big leaguer.

For a while, it didn’t seem like it would matter, because the Orioles’ offense was nonexistent for most of the game. Their wacky lineup against southpaw Sean Manaea included Rece Hinds (a career 3-for-55 against lefties) in the leadoff spot and Leody Taveras (.502 OPS against lefties this year) also in the lineup, while homegrown left-handed hitters like Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, and Heston Kjerstad were once again benched. What are we doing here, guys?

The threadbare O’s lineup had a grand total of two good swings against Manaea. Both came in the second inning, when Encarnacion-Strand launched a solo homer to left-center, and two batters later, Jeremiah Jackson followed suit with his first dinger since June 14. And…that was the end of the Orioles scoring runs for the next seven innings. Manaea, Austin Warren, and Nate Lavender held the Mets’ 3-2 lead until the ninth.

And we know what happened after that: a hefty dose of Alonso heroics, some good luck against a bad Mets team, and, of course, a sprinkling of Orioles Magic.

Camden Chatters, who’s your Most Birdland Player for tonight?

The Texas Rangers scored four runs while the Boston Red Sox scored two runs.

The Rangers, in need of as many wins as they can get from here on out, returned home to begin their final homestand of the season with the first leg of three against AL Wild Card-leading Boston.

Texas had the non-Cal Quantrill guy you’d want on the mound with Jacob deGrom starting the opener. It would seem that perhaps tonight was a poor groin night for the achy veteran, however, as he lasted only five innings and sometimes labored through his 92 pitches.

But deGrom also mostly kept Boston off the board aside from a two-run home run hiccup from No. 9 batter Nick Sogard after the Rangers had grabbed an early 4-0 lead.

How that lead came about is something of a lost media mystery if you’re an at-home Rangers Sports Network viewer. All of the Rangers four runs came in a window of time when the broadcast feed had gone down. I guess an opportunity to see Texas go up on Boston was a Shed exclusive tonight.

With the Rangers putting together a rally with two runners on base and Elias Diaz at the plate with two outs, the telecast suddenly cut to commercials before showing a segment of Elvis Andrus and Jared Sandler learning how to do the two-step. In The Shed, Diaz was doing a little two-step of his own as he doubled in the game’s first runs.

Right as the RSN switched gears to show Andrus and Sandler trying their hand at running the mascot Dot Race, Danny Jansen and Justin Foscue drew two-out walks and Corey Seager received a gift with a blooper to shallow center field that Boston shortstop Trevor Story seemed to have a play on before letting it drift beyond his reach as two more runs scampered in.

The game returned to our televisions in time for the Red Sox to bat in the top of the third, which is when Sogard took deGrom deep. For us TV baseball watchers, it could have been assumed that the Rangers were down a couple of runs but within the pocket dimension of The Shed, it was known that Texas was up 4-2.

And then the game just stayed at that score the rest of the way because baseball is weird like that. It turns out, if the Rangers cannot be observed, they’re pretty good!

The Rangers needed four innings from arms not named deGrom and that meant a heavy bullpen day. The Rangers were off on Monday so everyone was a little more rested and up to the task. Chase Silseth pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and Tyler Alexander did the same in the seventh. In the eighth, however, Robert Garcia was elevated to setup duty and ran into some trouble.

With one out, the Rangers brought in Jacob Latz for another of his patented extended outings. Called on to face Rangers killer and Shed lover Wilyer Abreu with two on, Latz got a ground out and then intentionally walked Story before striking out pinch hitter Andruw Monasterio to leave the bases loaded.

Latz had a more usual scoreless frame in the ninth to pick up his 30th save of the season and give the Rangers a big win in the opener.

Neither Houston nor Cleveland lost so the Rangers didn’t make up any ground on the leaders of their two avenues to the playoffs, but Toronto lost which allowed Texas to leapfrog the Blue Jays for the nearest contender behind the Guardians for the final Wild Card spot at a game and a half back.

Player of the Game: Latz once again went the extra mile with a five-out save as he continues to be an x-factor, multi-inning weapon at the end of games for the Rangers if they can get to him with a lead.

Up Next: The Rangers and Red Sox will play the second game of this series with LHP MacKenzie Gore next up to pitch for Texas opposite LHP Jake Bennett for Boston.

The Wednesday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and you can catch it on the Rangers Sports Network.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto continued his excellent season and beat the Cincinnati Reds for the second time in a week, this time with seven scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 4-0 win at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

Yamamoto was uncharacteristically wild to open the game, with eight of his first nine pitches outside the strike zone, but then completely settled down and didn’t walk another batter the rest of the way.

Elly De La Cruz doubled with two outs in the third, his fifth game with an extra-base hit in five tries against the Dodgers over the last nine days. But the first four of those games included home runs, so Yamamoto keeping him in the park was a win.

After the double, Yamamoto retired his next 13 straight batters. After the two walks, Yamamoto retired 21 of 22 batters to finish seven innings for the third straight start and 12th game this season, the latter second-most in the majors.

Yamamoto finished with seven strikeouts and has allowed zero or one run in 14 of his 27 starts. Since the All-Star break, Yamamoto has a 1.98 ERA in 68 1/3 innings in 10 starts, with 72 strikeouts and 16 walks.

Yamamoto’s outing immediately following Tarik Skubal’s gem in Monday’s series opener gives the Dodgers back-to-back starts of at least seven scoreless innings for the first time since September 12-23, 2022, when Tyler Anderson and Clayton Kershaw turned the trick in Arizona. In both cases, the first such win clinched a postseason spot for the Dodgers.

Teoscar Hernández was hitless in each of the first two games in Miami to snap his hit streak before sitting on Sunday, and has now homered in each of the first two games in Cincinnati. On Tuesday, it was another hard-hit ball for Hernández, a 109.3-mph screamer over the left field wall for a two-run shot in the third inning to pad the Dodgers’ advantage.

Over Hernández’s last 14 games, he’s hitting .417/.517/.771 with four home runs, eight extra-base hits, and 18 RBI.

Notes

• After a planned off day Monday — his third time sitting in the previous five games with a sore right knee —Freddie Freeman snapped 0-for-16 and 1-for-26 skids with three singles on Tuesday.
• Catcher Hunter Feduccia drove in the Dodgers’ first run with an RBI single, his second straight start with a run batted in. He also walked twice, reaching base three times on Tuesday.
• Alex Freeland homered into the left (opposite) field corner in the seventh inning for an insurance run, and doubled in the ninth. It’s Freeland’s fourth game this season with two extra-base hits, along with March 27 (homer, double), April 25 (two doubles), and May 31 (homer, double).
• Josue De Paula batted leadoff and went 0 for 5. After five walks in his first 17 major league plate appearances, De Paula finally struck out in the big leagues and did so in his final two PA on Tuesday.
• The win, coupled with the Padres loss to the Rockies in Colorado, reduced the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the National League West to one. The earliest the Dodgers could clinch the division is Wednesday.

Tuesday particulars

Home runs: Teoscar Hernández (15), Alex Freeland (4)

WP — Yoshinobu Yamamoto (14-8): 7 IP, 1 hit, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts

LP — Rhett Lowder (6-11): 5 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts

Up next

Blake Snell is on the mound on Wednesday night (3:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA), pitching on four days rest for the first time this season. Left-hander Andrew Abbott starts for Cincinnati.

The Dodgers on September 14 beat the Reds to clinch a playoff berth for the 14th season in a row, tying the major league record also held by the Atlanta Braves, who made it to 14 consecutive postseasons from 1991-2005.

Los Angeles won again in Cincinnati on September 15, which eliminated the Arizona Diamondbacks from National League West contention. Then the Dodgers beat the Reds on September 16, ensuring they’d finish ahead of the San Diego Padres and clinching the fifth consecutive division title for Los Angeles and 13th in the last 14 years.

Clinching a bye

The two division winners with the best records get a bye directly into the National League Division Series, which means beginning the postseason on Saturday, October 3 instead of in the wild card round on Tuesday, September 29.

NL division leaders

1. Brewers 97-58
2. Dodgers 96-60
3. Braves 92-64

through Dodgers and Braves games on September 20

The Dodgers do not have the tiebreaker with either the Brewers or Braves, which means they have to have a better record to gain a higher seed. The Dodgers’ magic number to clinch at least the No. 2 seed over Atlanta is three, or put another way the Dodgers need three of 12 outcomes to fall their way in order to finish with a better record than the Braves. Meanwhile, Atlanta needs 10 of 12 outcomes to claim the No. 2 seed.

Getting the No. 1 seed over Milwaukee is a tougher task for the Dodgers, who have a magic number of nine to finish with the best record in the National League. That means the Dodgers need nine of 13 outcomes to fall their way to earn the No. 1 seed, while the Brewers need just five of 13 outcomes to have the best NL record for the second year in a row.

Welcome to BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Please come and sit with us. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. The hostess can seat you now. There’s a two-drink minimum, but it’s bring our own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you whether it might be better for the Cubs to start the playoffs on the road in Atlanta as opposed to at home versus (probably) Philadelphia or San Diego. The idea behind this was to avoid Milwaukee as long as possible. Well, 88 percent of you thought that was crazy talk and that the Cubs should try to start the postseason at home and not worry about what comes next.

On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I don’t do any movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz and now is that time.

Keeping up with our tribute to John Coltrane as we approach the 100th anniversary of his birth next week, here is one Coltrane song that many of you will be familiar with. No, it’s not “My Favorite Things” which you’re probably all familiar with because it is Christmas music these days. Instead, we feature Coltrane’s “Equinox.”

McCoy Tyner is on piano, Steve Davis on bass and Elvin Jones is the drummer.

Welcome back to those who missed the Trane.

Assuming the Cubs make the playoffs, and even after tonight’s tough loss, it’s a safe assumption, the Cubs will need three starters for the Wild Card Series.

I’m assuming that two of those starters will be Clay Holmes and Kevin Gausman. That’s why the Cubs traded for them. They’ve also been the Cubs best two starters lately, although Gausman had a bad game against the Brewers recently. Luckily, the Cubs won’t play the Brewers in the first round.

But who gets the third start? Of course, the best scenario is that the Cubs win the first two games and don’t need a third starter. But manager Craig Counsell can’t count on that. So who should be the third Cubs pitcher in the Wild Card series?

There are three real options, although I’ll let you vote “other” if you want to make a case for Javier Assad, Colin Rea or a bullpen game in the comments. But the other three pitchers currently in the rotation are three southpaws: Matthew Boyd, Shōta Imanaga and David Peterson.

Between those three pitchers, which one should get the third start? That doesn’t necessarily mean in a potential Game 3. If you want to break up Holmes and Gausman and have the third starter go in game two, that’s OK. But if you were the Cubs, which one of these three pitchers would you trust alongside Holmes and Gausman to get a Wild Card Series start?

Thank you for stopping by tonight. We were so glad to see you. Please tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Don’t forget any personal items. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

What a night for Pete Alonso and the majority of the 28,097 Mets fans on hand. 

What a gut punch — or maybe a jab directed a bit lower — for the Mets. 

In yet another surreal scene during a series filled with them, Alonso crushed a milestone, game-tying home run at Citi Field and bathed in the adoration of Mets fans who had just watched him help steal a game from the team they root for. 

Alonso’s 300th helped send the game to extra innings. It was another home run — an inside-the-parker from Coby Mayo in the 11th inning — that just about sealed it for the Orioles. 

And after all that, the Mets might have felt as bruised as A.J. Ewing, who smacked into the wall and was slow getting up after trying to catch the Mayo drive that led to the 7-5 Mets loss Tuesday in Queens, where the fans showed dramatic swings in allegiance. 

“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” said Sean Manaea, a close friend of Alonso who nonetheless made clear that he did not love the team’s own crowd supporting the opponent. 

In a game the Mets led 3-2 with one out in the ninth, Alonso demolished a high-arcing blast to left off Kodai Senga for history in a ballpark that has seen 124 of those homers, but only one in which Alonso provided a run for the other team. 

The swing was less jarring than the reaction: Alonso hurled his bat toward the Orioles dugout and circled the bases to mostly cheers. 

“Pete Alonso” cheers broke out until Alonso — in a visiting ballpark, having just tied the game — took a curtain call from a fanbase that does not have much to root for during September of a lost campaign and thus decided to root for the one who got away. 

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“Everyone in the dugout was saying, ‘Go out there,’ and they were right,” Alonso said. “I appreciate all the support. Especially all the years I’ve been here, all the life I’ve lived here. Obviously appreciate that, and it’s a two-way street.” 

The love between fans and player is understandable. The virtual entirety of a ballpark cheering as its team’s closer blows a save is nearly unfathomable. 

Senga said the crowd reaction did not bother him solely because it was Alonso — with any other hitter, he said, he would have been irked. 

While choosing his words carefully, Manaea did not agree. 

“I love him to death, but as a team, as the 2026 Mets — I know we have definitely underperformed,” said Manaea, who threw 5 ¹/₃ effective, two-run innings. “But the guys in here work their ass off every single day. To have that kind of reaction to an opposing player — it could be anybody — is crazy to me.” 

As Alonso disappeared into the dugout, those cheers transitioned into a loud, piercing jab toward the person who helped shoo the Polar Bear away: a stadium-wide round of “Fire Stearns.” 

After both teams traded runs in the 10th, the Orioles — who are still alive and fighting for a wild-card spot — ran away with the contest against Jonathan Pintaro in the 11th. The big blow was Mayo’s drive chasing Ewing to, and almost through, the center field wall, smacking hard against it and then hitting the warning track dirt. Ewing appeared to be OK, but by the time he and the Mets outfield recovered, Mayo had rounded the bases for a three-run, inside-the-park home run. 

For Mets fans hoping for another Alonso moment in Queens and mere drama in a season that no longer has much, the ninth-inning swing offered plenty. 

For the Mets — a group that has been the undercard in its own city, with Jonah Tong hearing boos a day earlier when he walked Alonso rather than serving up a home run — it is hard to imagine the season winding down any worse. 

“Pete’s not here,” Manaea said. “The powers that be — whatever that may be — he’s just not here. I know everybody loves him. He’s the man. But he’s not here. 

“To see the reaction from the fans like that, I don’t know — it’s just different.” 

The scenes in each clubhouse — raucous cheers and beers around the Orioles, while the Mets tried to grasp what just happened — sure were different, too. 

“It’s crazy,” Manaea said four times.

WASHINGTON — Their day began with one of their All-Star left-handers, Jesus Luzardo, arguably the game's best pitcher in the second half of the season, going on the injured list with a sore shoulder, complicating their playoff drive and imperiling their chances if they get there.

Their day ended with their other All-Star left-hander, Cristopher Sánchez, arguably the game's best pitcher the first half of the season, getting hit hard for the third time in his past five outings, casting doubt on whether he'll be the lockdown ace they'll need to advance past the NL Division Series for the first time since 2023.

And the final indignity for the Philadelphia Phillies on this Tuesday, Sept. 15 was delivered by set-up man Jonathan Bowlan, who relieved Sanchez in a tie game and needed just one pitch — a changeup that Daylen Lile went down and crushed over the center field wall — to deepen the Phillies' misery.

Lile's three-run homer in the seventh inning provided a 6-3 victory for the Washington Nationals in a game the Phillies desperately needed — partly because they continue slipping within the pantheon of NL playoff teams, and mostly because they've played terribly since the last time Luzardo threw a pitch.

That came on Sept. 7, Labor Day, when Luzardo tossed a 109-pitch, two-hit shutout against the first-place Atlanta Braves. Luzardo woke up with a bum shoulder a couple days later and the Phillies have lost five of seven since, their lineup returning to its inactive ways, their rotation withering and their leverage relievers crumbling.

Now, the logistics: The Phillies (83-68) are essentially in a three-way tie for the three NL wild-card spots, as the Chicago Cubs also have 68 losses and the San Diego Padres (82-69) are just a game behind. The NL East? Forget about it: Atlanta has a six-game lead with 10 to play.

Going home for the winter? That's suddenly a distinct possibility, with the Arizona Diamondbacks within 2 1/2 games of the wild card scrum.

For a team that went 21-7 in August, that was within three games of first place just six days ago, it is a stunning position, one that adds a dash of urgency to this final sprint.

"It’s going to be a grind. There’s no doubt about it. It’s not like (the playoffs are) guaranteed," says designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, who hit his 45th home run on Tuesday. "We gotta go out and win ballgames. We knew we had the group capable of being the team that can hold up a trophy at the end of the year. We know that.

"But we also have to go out and win games. I think the writing’s on the wall. We have to show up and be ready to go tomorrow. It’s only going to keep shortening up the season."

MINNEAPOLIS — As the Yankees prepared for their game Tuesday, the visiting clubhouse at Target Field still smelled of stale champagne, the rug still wet from the morning cleaning it underwent hours after being drenched in a playoff-clinching celebration. 

Otherwise, there were no signs of a hangover for the Yankees, who got back to work in what their manager called an “uphill battle” to overtake the Rays for the division title. 

Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones went deep while Max Fried turned in his best start since coming off the injured list again, the combination allowing the Yankees to cruise past the Twins 8-1. 

The only real headache for the Yankees (88-63) was that the Rays kept winning, courtesy of another walk-off home run from Junior Caminero. That meant the Yankees remained 3 1/2 games back for first place in the AL East with 11 games to play, with their chances of catching up to the Rays for the division getting slimmer by the day, even with a four-game set against them awaiting next week. 

“We got to show up and win,” said Bellinger, who went 3-for-4 with a walk. “We expect to win every day and we got to keep on rolling.” 

For now, the Yankees controlled the only thing they could by beating up on their longtime punching bag, the Twins (70-81), while moving six games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card. 

They gave Fried a 2-0 lead before he even took the mound, courtesy of Bellinger’s two-run home run in the top of the first, and then the left-hander ran with it. Fried completed seven innings for the first time since April 22 and recorded his first win since April 27 (this was his 12th start since), as he scattered one run and six hits while walking none and striking out six across 88 pitches. 

“It definitely was nice to be able to put what felt like a full start together,” said Fried, who was still working on a pitch count in his fourth start back from a second IL stint for a left elbow bone bruise. “It’s a mix of feeling good with where we’re at but also knowing we still have stuff to work on. I want to make sure I’m a little bit sharper coming down to the end. We got a big series coming up against Tampa for my next one, so just want to make sure I’m ready for that.” 

The Yankees gave Fried plenty of support as they racked up 14 hits against right-hander Bailey Ober and the Twins bullpen. Every member of the starting lineup had at least one hit, with Heliot Ramos, George Lombard Jr. and Anthony Volpe each reaching three times. 

Jones delivered the crushing blow to break the Twins’ back in the sixth inning, clobbering a three-run shot off lefty Taylor Rogers to put the Yankees ahead 7-1. 

Before Jones swatted his sweeper 423 feet, Rogers had not allowed a home run to a left-handed hitter all season (in 133 plate appearances). Jones, meanwhile, went deep against a lefty for the third time (of his 10 big league home runs) — improving to batting .435 with a 1.251 OPS in 46 at-bats against lefties and continuing to show he is worthy of starts against them with plenty of Red Sox southpaws looming in a likely AL wild-card series. 

“It’s been awesome,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I know the numbers are great … but I was even talking to Brad in the dugout, it’s like, he’s done it a lot off of some really good lefties. Sometimes you can stumble into some numbers, especially when it’s smaller sample. I feel like he’s having great at-bats against them and controlling at-bats against them. That’s a bomb off a guy that’s really tough left-on-left.” 

Earlier in the inning, Ramos had reached base for the third time by drilling an RBI double to the left field corner for the 4-1 lead.

The right fielder, wearing No. 21 for the night to honor his fellow Puerto Rican and “inspiration” on Roberto Clemente Day, went 2-for-4 with a walk while starting for Aaron Judge, who got the day off. 

Ramos, who is vying with Jones to start in the outfield against lefties in the postseason, acknowledged that it has been an adjustment not playing every day after being acquired at the trade deadline.

But he has been much better of late, batting .275 with a .896 OPS over his last 16 games. 

“I work hard every day for whatever is happening right now,” Ramos said. “Honestly, I stay positive just cheering the boys. I love winning, I love being here, and that’s the main thing I’m worried about right now.”

The Yankees own the Twins. This is not news; this is a basic fact of life and something most baseball fans are aware of. Since 2002, the Yankees have a ridiculous 130-48 record against the Twins since 2002, a .730 winning percentage. That’s a 118-win pace, which means that the Yankees against the Twins for the last quarter-century are the best team the sport has ever seen.

After losing two of three in the Bronx during the brief summer swoon in early July, the Yankees were in serious danger of dropping the season series to Minnesota for just the second time since 2001 (2023, of course), but have secured at least a split with two wins at Target Field this week, the first of which ensured that the Twins would not win three consecutive games in this series for the first time in 35 years. The Yankees are now 61-27 against the Twins on the road since 2002.

Ok, enough messing with the Twins. The Yankees did what they were supposed to do today, riding home runs by Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones and a sensational start by Max Fried to a safe 8-1 victory in Minneapolis on Tuesday night. The three outfielders, Bellinger, Jones, and Heliot Ramos (Judge had the day off), combined to go 6-for-13 with two home runs, six RBI, and two walks.

This game started on the right note for the offense. After being flummoxed by Dean Kremer the night before, they immediately jumped on Bailey Ober. After nearly being hit by a pitch, Ben Rice led off with a single to set up Cody Bellinger for a long, two-run shot into right-center field for his 16th home run of the season to make it 2-0. His power had completely vanished for the last month prior to his hamstring injury, but he’s now gone deep five times since returning and four times in the last eight games.

Max Fried got to work in the bottom half, working around a leadoff infield single by Luke Keaschall to put up a zero. The Yankees threatened for more in the second off Ober after back-to-back singles by Anthony Volpe and Ali Sánchez, but they were stranded. Minnesota’s offense would make them pay for stranding those runners later that inning, as another infield single by Royce Lewis (on a lackadasical play by George Lombard Jr.), a stolen base, and a two-out single by Emmanuel Rodriguez put the Twins on the board. We’d get a good sign shortly after, though, as Fried notched a textbook pickoff to end the frame.

Ober just didn’t seem to have anything to really fool the Yankees in this one, as evidenced by another rally in the third. Heliot Ramos worked a one-out walk, and Luis García Jr. singled to set the table for Lombard, who’d get that run back on a two-out RBI single through the right side to extend the lead to 3-1. A walk from Volpe almost set up Sanchez for a big moment, but his long drive to center with the bases loaded died on the warning track.

Fried was dialed in after that pickoff, retiring the next eight he faced before a Rodriguez double that was later stranded. The Yankees notched three more hits off Ober over the next few innings, but stranded them all. He wound up going 5.1 innings and allowed three runs, but this was one of those games that stat-pad your batting average, as he allowed nine hits.

Finally, Ober departed in the sixth for the lefty Taylor Rogers, as Derek Shelton looked to exploit the lefty-heavy top of the Yankees’ order. That would backfire. An E-6 on a bullet grounder from Rice and a four-pitch walk for Bellinger set up Ramos to rip an RBI double down the left-field line to make it 4-1. As it turns out, the guy who was brought here to specifically face lefties eventually starts hitting when he gets to see those lefties. Who knew?

In prime position for another run or two, García chopped one back to the mound, and Bellinger was tagged out on an unsuccessful contact play. Fortunately for him, his teammate would pick him up. Spencer Jones trotted to the plate and was given hanging sweeper after hanging sweeper, gradually picking them up better. For some reason, on 2-2, Rogers threw a fourth sweeper down the pipe to the hulking slugger, who eviscerated it 423 feet deep into the Minnesota night to break the game open.

Now pitching with a six-run lead, Fried gave up a leadoff triple to Kody Clemens, but bounced back to get a pop-out and two strikeouts to complete seven strong innings in his longest outing since April 22nd. He looks close to being fully built up, and it’s that the perfect time for the Yankees.

Former Yankee Yoendrys Gomez got the eighth for the Twinkies and worked around a leadoff single by Bellinger. Fried handed the ball to Ryan Yarbrough, who thought he gave up a long home run to Rodriguez, only for a review to overturn it to a foul ball before getting him to fly out to start a scoreless inning. Shelton found a way to get himself ejected on a fairly obvious overturn for some reason. My theory is that it’s more performative, as the Twins, who curiously bought at the deadline, fall to 70-81 with a tragic number of five.

Andrew Morris was tasked with getting three more outs for Minnesota, which he couldn’t do without coughing up a run. A bunch of long at-bats yielded a run, as a Lombard drew a walk, got to second on a slow groundout, and scored on an RBI single by José Caballero. Yarbrough would do the job in the bottom of the ninth to secure a series victory.

Tampa walked off the Athletics on a Junior Caminero walk-off home run, so they remain 3.5 games back. As of the end of the Yankees’ game, the Red Sox trail the Rangers, 4-2. A loss by Boston would put them six back (without the tiebreaker) with 11 to go, so it’s safe to assume that the Yankees have put them in the rearview mirror for the rest of the regular season.

It’s a mid-week matinee to close out the season series against the Twins, as Carlos Rodón will look to build off a brilliant start on 9/11 against Zebby Matthews tomorrow at 1:40 pm EST on YES.

Box Score

CINCINNATI — For the first time in what’s felt like a while, the Dodgers’ usually foreboding daily injury updates came with some needed signs of optimism on Tuesday. 

Before the game, manager Dave Roberts said two-way star Shohei Ohtani “felt good” after resuming hitting activities on Monday, when he took swings off a tee back in Los Angeles. And while Roberts didn’t guarantee Ohtani would return from the injured list before the end of the regular season, that at least remains the team’s expectation for now.

“Today was positive,” Roberts said, “and hopefully we can just keep building towards that.”

Then, in an even bigger development, first baseman Freddie Freeman not only returned to the lineup in Tuesday night’s win over the Cincinnati Reds, but put together a three-hit performance that “played myself in” to Wednesday’s lineup, he proudly noted with a grin.

Initially, Roberts was planning to rest Freeman on Wednesday amid his ongoing battle with a right knee injury. That would have marked the 37-year-old’s fourth missed game out of the last seven for the team.

Early in the night, however, Freeman struck a deal with his manager.

“He was joking, saying, ‘If I get three hits, then can I be in there tomorrow?’” Roberts recounted. 

Right on cue, Freeman lined singles in the first, fifth and seventh innings — snapping out of his troubling 3-for-30 slump previously.

“It looked good,” Roberts said. “It looked more like Freddie.”

Not only did the veteran slugger feel no pain in his knee — where he has been battling a patellar tendinitis problem — but he also revealed a fruitful adjustment he had made before the game with his swing.

Amid his recent knee problems, Freeman felt he had started letting the ball travel too far in his stance before beginning his swing, causing him to “slide” in the box, especially with a compromised front leg.

Thus, he made a temporary change he hopes will spark him ahead of the playoffs, focusing on getting his front leg down sooner and catching the ball further out at the front of his swing.

“I feel like my faults are I try to hit the ball to the opposite field too much, and I let the ball get too deep,” he said. “So today was [get the] foot down early, catch the ball out front a little bit, and it kind of worked. I wasn’t squaring the ball up in the game, but I’ll take those three hits and keep that work going tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll get hot.”

It’s not a permanent solution, Freeman noted. But at this point in the year, “I’m not trying to find something that’s sustainable,” he said. “I’m trying to find something that works for four weeks.” 

Indeed, between that and Ohtani’s progress — which has the Dodgers remaining cautiously optimistic about his chances to make an impact in the playoffs — it was enough for the team to finally feel some optimism about the way they are trending toward October, getting a couple of positive updates on two of their superstar hitters.

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With the season basically over, the Twins welcomed the Yankees to Target Field tonight and they lost. End of recap.

Okay, I suppose I better write more. Bailey Ober was pretty good tonight. Two of the three runs he gave up came in the first inning on Cody Bellinger’s 16th homer. He ran into some trouble in the 3rd, giving up a run on George Lombard Jr.‘s RBI double. He would pitch one out into the 6th with no further damage done, with a final line of 5.1 IP, 9 H. 3 ER. 2 BB, 3 K, HR.

Meanwhile, the Twins couldn’t do much of anything tonight against any Yankee pitcher. Max Fried held them to 1 run and 6 hits over 7 innings. That one run came courtesy of Emmanuel Rodriguez’s RBI single in the 2nd inning. He would later hit a double and then almost a homer (just foul) for a 2-3 night. He and Luke Keaschall (3-4) accounted for 5 of the 7 hits the Twins had tonight. The rest of the lineup was 2-25 with no walks.

After Ober got the first out in the 6th, Taylor Rogers came in to face the lefty Ben Rice, who reached on Kaelen Culpepper’s error. Bellinger followed with a walk and then Ramos doubled, scoring Rice. Two batters later, Spencer Jones put the proverbial nail in the coffin with a 3-run homer to center to make it a 7-1 game. All four runs allowed by Rogers go down as unearned due to the error, but you’d expect your lefty whose job it is to get lefties out to get some lefties out.

Andrew Morris would allow a meaningless run in the 9th, giving us our 8-1 final score. It was nice to see Emma havea good game. Things don’t look so great now but I do think the future core of the team looks promising.

Thanks for joining the thread tonight, everyone!

Studs:

Emmanuel Rodriguez: 2-3, 2B, RBI

Luke Keaschall: 3-4

Bailey Ober: 5.1 IP, 9 H. 3 ER. 2 BB, 3 K, HR

Duds:

Kaelen Culpepper: 0-3, K, GIDP, Error

Taylor Rogers: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, BB, K

Josh Bell: 0-4

It was a Pena-Palooza.  Astros 4  Royals 2.    

Fans were barely in their seats when Jeremy Pena started the night with a lead off smash, clearing the train tracks and putting the Astros on the board 1-0. For Pena, it was his 5th leadoff home run of the season. Pena would double down and repeat the feat in the 3rd inning, making it 2-0 and with that, the final homestand was in full effect.    

The Royals scored their first run of the night on a Carter Jensen double, which brought home Isaac Collins who started the 5th with a walk. In the bottom of that frame, Yordan Alvarez would get that run back and then some. Yordan took it deep to right field, scoring Pena who reached for the third time on a two out single. It was Alvarez’s 39th long ball.    

Kansas City cut the lead to 4-2 on Vinnie Pasquantino’s homer to center but that was as close as they’d get.

Hunter Brown earned his 6th win of the season, striking out 10. He’d go five innings before Espada went to the bullpen. Sousa, Blubaugh and Abreu would each pitch an inning before Hader closed things out in the 9th.      Josh Hader is now 26 for 26 in save opportunities.      

Michael Wacha’s unbeaten streak against Houston is now history. Wacha beat the Astros twice last season. On Tuesday night, Wacha went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits with a walk and strikeout in the loss.

The off day served the Astros well. The three-game skid is over.    

Odds & Ends:

Yordan’s walk in the 8th inning was his 103rd of the season.  

Game two will feature Cristian Javier on the mound, searching for his 3rd win. First pitch once again slated for 7:10 pm CDT.   

Wednesday will mark the 21st anniversary of Jeff Bagwell’s dramatic game winning single in the bottom of the 9th against the Brewers. It was Bagwell’s first hit upon returning from major surgery on his right shoulder.    Bagwell missed 115 games in 2005.

Tuesday night’s game between the Cardinals and Giants started out with a bang from both teams. Bombs from both Bryce Eldridge and Alec Burleson were just the beginning of a lot of offense especially from the San Francisco Giants lineup.

It didn’t take long before Andre Pallante was greeted rudely by the bats of the Giants and the Cardinals defense didn’t help the issue. Drew Gilbert led off and reached on an error from Masyn Winn. That brought up Bryce Eldridge who hit the longest home run in Busch Stadium this season. With an exit velocity of 112 mph, he launched a Pallante slider 461 feet into the right field stands giving the Giants a 2-0 lead.

The 1st inning circus continued with Cox was granted first base when it was ruled that Leo Bernal touched his foot. Cox then stole second and eventually took third base when Lee grounded out. After Basabe flied out to left, Hill singled to right to give San Francisco another run making it 3-0.

St. Louis would get a run back in the bottom of the 1st inning when Alec Burleson ripped an 88 mph slider from Blade Tidwell 376 feet into the Cardinals bullpen in right briefly reducing the San Francisco lead to 3-1.

Any feel good tendencies that Burleson’s homer inspired would all but disappear in the top of the 3rd inning when the Giants would unload on Andre Pallante. Cox reached on a bunt single when he beat Pallante to first after Burleson fielded it. Lee then doubled giving San Francisco runners at second and third with no outs. Andre would get Basabe to ground out without allowing a run, but that would only delay the Giants onslaught. San Francisco would get a run when Hill grounded out to Winn at short making it 4-1 San Francisco. After Cavanaugh walked, Hill singled to make it 5-1 Giants. McCray stole second before Koss singled to right scoring two more upping the San Francisco lead to 7-1.

The Cardinals would mount a counterattack in the bottom of the 3rd inning. It started with a single from Masyn Winn followed by José Fermín getting plunked with a pitch. Bryan Torres then walked to load the bases for St. Louis with no outs. Ivan Herrera made hard contact as he ripped a line drive to left, but it was caught and ended up being a sacrifice fly giving the Cardinals their 2nd run making it slightly more interesting at 7-2. Unfortunately that’s all St. Louis would get as Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker struck out to end the Cardinals 3rd.

The Giants would restore their 6-run lead in the top of the 4th inning when Bryce Eldridge drew a leadoff walk. He would score three batters later when Basabe doubled down the right field line which made the score 8-2 Giants.

Andre Pallante managed to survive 5 full innings for the Cardinals, but his numbers for the night were not pretty. Over those 5 innings, Andre surrendered 8 hits, gave up 6 earned runs, struck out 2 and walked 2. He was relieved in the top of the 6th inning by Brycen Mautz. He enjoyed a drama-free 1-2-3 inning which was a small bright spot. He walked two in the top of the 7th, but was able to pitch out of the jam without allowing any additional Giants runs. His mission directive was obviously “eat innings” as Brycen was also assigned mound responsibilities in the top of the 8th inning when he was greeted by back-to-back one out doubles from Harris and Eldridge which increased the Giants advantage further to 9-2. Cade Winquest came in to pitch the rest of the game for the Cardinals.

If you’re wondering where the other Cardinals offensive highlights are, Thomas Saggese got the 3rd St. Louis hit in the bottom of the 7th inning if that gives you any idea. He was the last batter faced by Giants starter Blade Tidwell who the Cardinals bats made look like Don Drysdale. San Francisco brought in Jason Foley in relief to finish off the Cardinals 7th.

The Cardinals got a smidge of offense in the bottom of the 8th inning when José Fermín led off with a double. Three batters later, Nolan Gorman singled him in to give St. Louis 33% of the Giants runs leaving them with a 9-3 lead which would have been the final score if Hill had not decided to hit a 9th inning solo shot to make it 10-3 Giants.

The St. Louis Cardinals only have 10 games left in their season and the next one will be against the San Francisco Giants Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium. Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals while the Giants will assign pitching duties to RHP Anthony Molina. First pitch is set for 12:15pm central time with the game broadcast available via Cardinals.tv.