BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 22: Parker Messick #77 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during the game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
With a playoff berth just one magic number away, the Guardians will have to make some interesting decisions regarding their pitching options.
The Guardians can make certain tonight of at least a wildcard appearance with a win, but they also hold a one-game lead in the AL Central. One more win would also guarantee that the winner of the division will be given the 2nd seed in the American League and a bye for the first round of the playoffs. This would be huge for either Cleveland or the White Sox as they could rest their bullpen and reset their starters for the opening game on October 3rd. Whoever makes the wildcard will play their first of a best of three series on September 29th.
Currently, Daniel Espino and Joey Cantillo are set to tag-team start today, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee and Parker Messick are set to start the final three games. As the rotation currently aligns, Foster Griffin would start game one of a wildcard series on regular rest, Gavin Williams game two on regular rest and then Parker Messick would be on short rest for game three as needed. None of this is ideal. The team wants Williams and Messick starting games one and two of their series on regular rest.
If it is possible to get the #2 seed, then you take the risk and allow Williams and Messick to both pitch this week as planned. It is simply THAT valuable to get the bye. However, if the Guardians would happen to lose tonight to Boston while the White Sox happen to beat the Royals, and yet Cleveland clinches a playoff berth, they should absolutely readjust their thinking with the White Sox headed to Colorado to play the Rockies to end the season.
You cannot assume anything for certain in baseball but the odds are very good that the White Sox take at least two of three from the Rockies and the Guardians will not sweep the Royals. If the Guardians are tied with the White Sox and yet sure of a playoff berth by the end of tonight, then it is time to give Williams a short leash on Friday and to hold Messick in reserve to start both at their best in an incredibly likely Wildcard series. These two pitchers are the most valuable assets the team has in terms of highest playoff impact and have to be leveraged for maximum impact for a playoff run to be reasonable.
The good news is that if there is still more room to doubt after today, the team can start Williams tomorrow and then reevaluate before Sunday’s start. If they are tied with the White Sox entering Sunday but assured of a playoff berth, they CANNOT start Messick on Sunday. He must be held for game one of the wildcard so Williams can start in game two.
To make all this happen, the team may have to go get Austin Peterson or Logan Allen to make a spot start. Perhaps Slade Cecconi can do it, but, if not, demoting Espino and then calling him back up for the playoffs makes sense (he does not have to wait the usual ten days to return when the season ends).
A lot depends on today – if the Guardians beat the Red Sox and the White Sox somehow lose another game to the Royals, then it is time to go full bore after that #2 seed. If, however, things don’t quite go to plan, the Guardians will need to stay nimble to adjust to make sure their best pitchers are positioned to keep them in the playoffs as long as possible.
READING, PA - SEPTEMBER 15: Gage Wood #15 of the Reading Fightin Phils pitches during the game between the Hartford Yard Goats and the Reading Fightin Phils at FirstEnergy Stadium on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 in Reading, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Cade Burdette/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Earlier this week, the Phillies decided to effectively end top pitching prospect Gage Wood’s season. They placed Wood on the development list despite the Reading Fightin’ Phils still playing in the Double-A Eastern League postseason, where they ultimately won the championship.
It was almost certainly a predetermined decision, as Wood has now pitched exactly 99 innings in the season after his start in the opener of Reading’s postseason. It’s very likely that the Phillies set an innings limit of 100 on Wood before the season, which is by far the most he’s ever thrown, with his previous high being 40 while in college at Arkansas in 2024.
The 22-year-old had a solid if unspectacular season in his first full season of professional baseball. Wood began the season at low-A Clearwater before earning a promotion to Reading in late May, with the Phillies opting to have Wood skip High-A Jersey Shore. He started 17 games in Double-A and pitched to a 4.72 ERA with 99 strikeouts to 18 walks, eventually even earning the start at the MLB Futures Game at Citizens Bank Park during All-Star weekend. There was some thought that maybe Wood could have appeared as a late season reliever for the major league club, especially considering the Phillies struggles in the bullpen, but his placement on the development list ended that possibility.
The Phillies’ plans for Wood in 2027 remain to be seen, but the safe bet is that he at least starts the year in Double-A but could end in Triple-A. The innings restriction will likely be loosened as the Phillies will want to see how Wood handles a more traditional starting pitcher workload now that he’s made it through his first full season unscathed. In a normal offseason, it feels as though it would be likely that Wood would receive an invite to MLB camp in the spring to test him against MLB hitters, but the looming lockout and possible delay to the start of the season makes that situation murky.
So, how do you feel about Gage Wood after his first professional season? When do you think will be the earliest we could see him in Phillies pinstripes?
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 23: Brett Baty #7 of the New York Mets celebrates a grand slam during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on September 23, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s almost the end of the season, and while the Braves are safe from the mild insanity, it doesn’t mean it can’t take hold elsewhere.
In the AL West, or really the AL Texas division at this point, both the Rangers and Astros are two games under .500 and tied atop the division. The loser probably won’t make the final AL Wild Card spot. (The Astros hold the tiebreaker.) It’d be funny if both teams lost out, leading to probably the worst team, record-wise, to ever receive a playoff spot in MLB.
In the NL, the Diamondbacks are almost-eliminated, and the three teams currently in line for a spot are all separated by a game or less. It’d be funny if the Diamondbacks knocked the Phillies out. Really it’d be funny if the Diamondbacks knocked anyone out.
Or, failing that, maybe some sort of crazy three-way tiebreak situation that MLB somehow didn’t account for? That’d be really funny too. Wait, what about a four-way tiebreak situation?
I’d say something about the Guardians and White Sox here, but honestly, the Guardians doing this same thing late in the season every year is too repetitive to be funny anymore.
Every minor league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins has closed out their season, which means it is time to look back at who the top performers were. It was a mixed bag of a season across the organization. Many of the top prospects were riddled with injuries, but there was plenty to be excited about, especially on the rookie ball scene, which sets up for a fun group of young prospects infiltrating full-season ball in 2027. Without further ado, I present my seven 2026 Twins Minor League Awards!
Hitter of the Year
OF Walker Jenkins (A, A+, AAA, MLB)
73 G | .323/.417/.559 | 151 wRC+ | 14 HR | 17 SB
While Walker Jenkins missed a month with injury and spent the final month in the majors, 73 games of pure dominance was enough for me to name him the minor league hitter of the year. Everything came together this season for Jenkins, as he combined a plus hit tool and excellent swing decisions with consistent hard contact. His raw power is now looking borderline plus at just 21 years old with room for improvement still.
He earned his call-up on August 28th after the most dominant run of his career in August, slashing .411/.488/.795 for a 223 wRC+ with 8 homers and 7 stolen bags in 18 games. Now Jenkins is producing in the majors with the potential to be a franchise player for the Twins.
Honorable Mentions: SS Marek Houston, C/OF Khadim Diaw
Pitcher of the Year
RHP Riley Quick (A, A+, AA)
81.2 IP | 4.74 ERA | 4.94 FIP | 110 K
Riley Quick’s season numbers were damaged when he was thrown into Double-A after just 11 starts at High-A, but the righty hurler showed plenty of potential throughout the season. As the only pitcher in the system with a strikeout rate over 30% on 80+ innings, Quick showed off the diabolical stuff that made him a first round pick in 2025.
He struggled with command, posting alarming walk and home run rates. A 13.4% walk rate and 26.1% HR/FB rate were both top 4 in the system. Still, elite whiff and strikeout production was able to keep him afloat and produce respectable numbers. With improved strike-throwing, Riley Quick has the stuff to dominate the upper minors and crack the Twins rotation in 2027.
71 G | .267/.378/.386 | 103 wRC+ | 57 SB | 10 OF Assists
With 101 stolen bases in 135 professional games since Merphy Hernandez was signed out of the Dominican in 2024, he is one of the most prolific baserunning threats in minor league baseball. While there are lots of questions about the bat, Merphy has the best speed/defense profile in the Twins system.
With 51 steals in just 61 games at Single-A this year, no other player at the level came close to his level of effectiveness. The speed is evident as you watch him glide across center field. Hernandez played some corner outfield in 2026, but spend most of his time in center, where he showed off elite ground coverage and impressive instincts. His arm is also a weapon as he tallied 10 outfield assists in only 71 games, good for the third-most in the system behind Garrett Spain and Graham Brown. With such an impressive blend of range and arm value, the Twins would love to have his glove out in center field at some point down the road.
His bat showed promising signs towards the end of the season as well. Merphy just cracked my top 40 prospects list in September, and he has a chance to push much further up if we see some improvements offensively in 2027.
Honorable Mentions: SS Marek Houston, UTIL Ben Ross
Breakout Prospect of the Year
OF Luis Fragoza (FCL, A, A+)
83 G | .313/.408/.542 | 148 wRC+ | 14 HR | 24 SB
The 19-year-old outfielder came into the 2026 season as an afterthought. Luis Fragoza was signed out of Venezuela in 2024 and posted respectable numbers in rookie ball over his first two year, but nothing about his production suggested he would be a future major leaguer.
After 10 games in the FCL this spring, Luis Fragoza made his Single-A debut on May 20th and absolutely took off. In 59 games with the Mighty Mussels he was among the best teenage hitters at the level, posting a .322 batting average with a 1.007 OPS. While there are questions regarding his swing decisions and hit tool, the quality of contact was overwhelming as he showed off impressive raw power with an advanced barrel feel. He finished the season by playing 14 games at High-A with a .295 average and 122 wRC+, where he was one of 42 teenage hitters to reach the level this year.
Fragoza now ranks as my No. 22 Twins prospect and has a chance to really make a name for himself if he can build on this success in 2027.
Honorable Mention: OF Caden Kendle
System Player of the Year
1B Aaron Sabato (AAA)
113 G | .273/.349/.528 | 121 wRC+ | 25 HR | 5 SB
System Player of the Year is meant to be given to a minor leaguer who is not your traditional prospect, typically an older player, but a guy that is dominating the minor league scene nonetheless. Its hard not to be happy for Aaron Sabato, who recently earned an unlikely call-up to the Twins at 27 years old after a grueling 6 years in the minors. The former 1st round pick was nearing the end of the road until an offensive explosion in 2025 put him back on the map. He built on that success in 2026, working on his areas of concern and consistently producing at the highest step of the minors.
Sabato possesses plus raw power with an excellent barrel feel. Extreme chase rates and hit tool concerns limited him in the past, but he cut the chase rate close to league average this season and brought his strikeout rate down to a manageable 25.3%. His 55 extra-base hits and 25 home runs ranked top 10 in Triple-A. While he doesn’t hold much defensive value as a burly first baseman, Aaron Sabato has given himself a real opportunity to build a major league career.
Honorable Mention: OF Kyler Fedko, OF Matt Wallner
Sleeper Prospect of the Year
RHP Reed Moring (FCL, A, A+)
83.0 IP | 3.58 ERA | 4.10 FIP | 86 K
The 2025 15th round pick had a successful debut season. Not only was he able to hang in the lower levels, but Reed Moring showed off some legitimate big league stuff. He pairs a well-rounded arsenal with quality strike-throwing. Refined command is needed to consistently live around the edges, but the 8% walk rate in year one is a good sign.
He is my No. 31 Twins prospect, and further stuff or pitchability improvements as he moves into the upper minors in 2027 could push him firmly into the Twins long-term plans. His solid low-90s fastball with a quartet of enticing secondaries is a mid-rotation arsenal if his command continues to develop. He is all but a sure big leaguer, but he had a productive season, and all of the ingredients are there for Reed Moring to develop into a MLB starter.
Yovanny Duran played very well in the Dominican in 2025 after being signed out of Venezuela at 17 years old. This year, the switch-hitting outfielder took his bat to another level. The quality of contact drastically improved as Duran sacrificed some contact for more gap power, and he showed off a patient approach with excellent spin recognition and understanding of the strike zone. He complements the bat with quality center field defense and aggressive baserunning.
While his Single-A stint didn’t go particularly well, there is plenty of reason to believe that Yovanny will figure it out and cement himself as a big league prospect in 2027. His well-rounded profile has lots of potential to dream on, and the 18-year-old is only scratching the surface of what he could become.
Honorable Mention: OF Jhomnardo Reyes, OF Jendy Martinez
Coming into this brief three-game homestand, the last regular-season games at Wrigley Field for 2026, the Cubs needed to win only one of them to punch their ticket into the postseason tournament and also to bolster their chances for hosting the first round of that tournament.
Well. Here we are two days into that three-game homestand and the first of those things is still true and the second might be fading away.
The Cubs lost to the Marlins 3-2 on another wind-blowing-in night at Wrigley Field. With the Diamondbacks defeating the woeful Rockies and the Padres beating the Dodgers, the Cubs did not clinch a wild-card spot — and if everyone wins out now, the Cubs would find themselves traveling to San Diego for a Wild Card Series on Tuesday.
Sheesh. This is not going the way anyone connected with the Cubs had hoped.
Let’s look at what happened in this one.
Kevin Gausman and Ryan Gusto matched zeroes for five innings. The Cubs had RISP in the first and fourth but failed to score. Yes, you have heard this song before. Way too many times. It didn’t help that Nico Hoerner got picked off in the second [VIDEO].
You can hear Jim Deshaies in the clip say, “Hopefully he’s okay” about Gausman, who left the game after that play. Gausman was at 101 pitches so he likely wasn’t going much longer anyway, but…
Kevin Gausman banged his left shoulder “pretty good” when he lunged to tag runner at 3B.
He dislocated the same shoulder in HS. Gausman said he “didn’t necessarily do the same exact thing” though his shoulder feels pretty weak right now. “Hopefully it’s just a couple day thing.”
Javier Assad got out of the inning by inducing a ground ball to short.
The Cubs then got some offense going in the bottom of the inning. Michael Busch led off with a single. One out later, Ian Happ doubled, with Busch stopping at third. Hoerner was hit by a pitch, loading the bases, but Pedro Ramirez then struck out.
So now the game’s tied heading to the seventh. Unfortunately, it would not be tied for long. Ryan Rolison entered to throw the seventh. With one out, Agustin Ramirez and pinch-hitter Esteury Ruiz singled. Ramirez took third on the Ruiz hit, which would turn out to be very important.
An inning-ending double play was called on the field, but as you can see, the runner at second was safe, and the call was overturned on review. That allowed the lead run to score.
Still, down 3-2 in the seventh, not insurmountable, right?
Wrong. The Cubs went down in order in the seventh and eighth. Jacob Webb and Colin Rea threw scoreless eighth and ninth innings, and then the Marlins used starter Sandy Alcántara to close, something he’d done a week ago against the Diamondbacks.
Pedro Ramirez led off with a single, but Swanson flied to left and Carson Kelly, batting for Amaya, hit into a game-ending double play.
You can clearly see how much this offense misses Alex Bregman’s bat. 1-for-8 with RISP in this one, making the team 2-for-26 in those situations over the last two days. That’s just not going to win many baseball games.
About this one, from BCB’s JohnW53:
This was the eighth loss of the season for the Cubs in which they rallied to tie but never led.
They have erased 72 deficits, in 64 different games. They are 41-23 in those games, but have lost four in a row, seven of eight and nine of 11 starting Aug. 21.
With the Padres’ win over the Dodgers Wednesday evening, that means the Cubs would have to win one more game than San Diego does over the season’s final four games to have home field — and also win at least as many games as the Phillies do going forward. Something that seemed a no-brainer two days ago now appears to be a tough hill to climb.
The Cubs can still get into the postseason tournament, of course, but they are looking at possibly having to play a road series at San Diego — or maybe at Atlanta, if things don’t shake out better than they have over the last two days.
One regular season game remains at Wrigley Field, Thursday afternoon at 1:20 p.m. CT. Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs and Tyler Phillips goes for Miami. The game will be televised by Marquee Sports Network.
Just four days remain in MLB's regular season and there's a good chance at least one playoff spot − not to mention playoff seedings − won't be determined until the final outs are recorded.
That's just the way baseball fans like it. (Unless their team is the one that gets left out.)
One thing to keep in mind: The regular season won't go into extra innings.
If two or more teams finish tied for a playoff spot after 162 games, MLB now uses a tiebreaker formula instead of a one-game playoff to determine which team advances.
Here's how it could all play out.
NL wild card tiebreakers
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record as four teams in the National League battle for the three wild card spots.
San Diego Padres (88-70): 1-5 vs. Cubs, 0-6 vs. Phillies
Chicago Cubs (87-71): 6-1 vs. Phillies, 5-1 vs. Padres
Philadelphia Phillies (87-71): 6-0 vs. Padres, 1-6 vs. Cubs
The Arizona Diamondbacks, who play the Padres in a three-game series this weekend, remain barely alive in the playoff chase. In order to claim a wild card spot, the D'backs will need to sweep and have either the Cubs or Phillies lose the rest of their games.
AL Central tiebreakers
The Chicago White Sox won the season series with the Cleveland Guardians 7-6, so they will win the Central division title if the teams finish with the same record.
The Central runner-up will most likely claim the AL's final wild card spot with the White Sox three games ahead of both AL West teams with four to play.
Chicago White Sox (81-77): 4-2 vs. Rangers, 2-5 vs. Astros
Houston Astros (78-80): 5-2 vs. White Sox, 9-4 vs. Rangers
Texas Rangers (78-80): 2-4 vs. White Sox, 4-9 vs. Rangers
AL West tiebreakers
The Houston Astros won the season series against the Texas Rangers 9-4, so they'll take the West division crown if the two clubs finish the regular season tied.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 23: Wyatt Langford #36 of the Texas Rangers watches a home run by Marcus Semien #10 of the New York Mets during the eighth inning at Globe Life Field on September 23, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets 7, Rangers 2
I don’t want to think about it.
Or talk about it.
At least the Astros lost.
Cody Bradford topped out at 90.4 mph with his fastball, averaging 89.1 mph. Tyler Alexander hit 92.5 mph with his fastball. Chase Silseth maxed out at 96.9 mph with his fastball. Jacob Latz’s fastball touched 95.7 mph. Jordan Montgomery hit 90.2 mph with his sinker. Trevor Williams’ fastball reached 91.1 mph.
Ezequiel Duran had a 104.4 mph groundout. Danny Jansen had a 103.1 mph line out. Brandon Nimmo had a 100.8 mph single and a 100.6 mph fly out. Josh Jung had a 100.1 mph single.
Sep 23, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Mets third baseman Bo Bichette (19) and third baseman Brett Baty (7) hug after defeating the against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Meet the Mets
The Mets launched three home runs to defeat the Rangers and take the series. Juan Soto, Marcus Semien, and Brett Baty all left the yard while Nolan McLean pitched seven solid innings. The Mets have an opportunity to sweep the series with Zac Thornton on the mound in the finale this afternoon.
Green’s past experience with struggle both as a manager and a player has made him the perfect person to take over managerial duties and put this season behind them.
LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto sat in the dugout. He had just finished pitching six innings in his final start of the regular season on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and one of the first things he did was bury his head in his notebook as he began to write.
The Los Angeles Dodgers' ace had posted a mixed bag in a 5-1 loss to the San Diego Padres in their penultimate home game before the postseason. Yamamoto was confident in his gameplan, which may have included throwing his four-seam fastball at a far lower clip (13%) than his usual usage rate of 27%. Instead, he threw his sinker more often, which he says wasn't predetermined but rather he threw pitches that he felt fit each situation.
But there was one that kept nagging at Yamamoto for the rest of the night.
In the top of the fourth inning, Yamamoto threw a first pitch sinker to Manny Machado. His intention was to throw it high and get the Padres' three-hole hitter to chase, but instead it fell just on the inner half of the plate – exactly the location where Machado has a .709 career slugging percentage – and he instantly made Yamamoto pay by sending it over the fence in straightaway center field.
To make matters worse, Yamamoto had plunked the previous batter, Dustin Harris, so it ended up being a two-run homer to push San Diego ahead.
"I felt really frustrated about that," Yamamoto said through an interpreter. "I also need to reflect deeply on the play after that, and I want to look back and review the video carefully."
It wasn't his sharpest outing of 2026, but it wasn't his worst, either. And more importantly than anything else that transpired on the diamond on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, Yamamoto finished his 28th start of the year. That means he's now gotten through each of the last two seasons having posted all of his scheduled outings. He doesn't expect it to be his last time accomplishing that feat, either.
"While it's a very difficult task," Yamamoto said. "I want to keep leveling up so that doing so becomes my absolute minimum goal going forward."
During his pregame comments, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said: "For me, players that you gravitate towards, and that you really love to have and you can't have enough of them, are dependable players. And Yoshinobu is very dependable. He's probably had one or two clunkers this year, but everything outside of that has been six innings plus. Very consistent. You know what you're going to get and when the moments get big, he certainly rises to those occasions."
Case in point, his 2025 postseason run in which he threw two complete games for the Dodgers, including one in the Game 2 of the World Series. Then of course, was his mythological outing in Game 7 when Yamamoto threw 2⅔ scoreless innings, a day after throwing 96 pitches in Game 6, to seal back-to-back championships for LA.
"He'll never say it outwardly, but he takes pride in being there for his teammates and knowing that he's the best option," Roberts said. "He's one of the more underappreciated pitchers in all of baseball."
Entering this year's postseason, Yamamoto says that he feels similar to how he did last fall. His confidence was never really part of the equation; it was the fact that he finished the season healthy. When his condition is in a good spot, Yamamoto feels like he can prepare well enough to face whatever and whoever might be facing him in the batter's box come October.
One of those possibilities just might be the Padres.
The divisional foes have also become a familiar face in the playoffs as well considering the two SoCal sides have squared off three times in the last three years, the most recent being the Dodgers' comeback from down 2-1 in the best of five NLDS in which they shut out the Padres and ended their season on 24 consecutive scoreless innings.
The bad blood hasn't been lost on either team or fanbase, as seen by the thunderous boos Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. routinely receive by the Dodger Stadium faithful as the possibility of yet another meeting in October loomed in the background.
"It's in there," Roberts said. "Looking at the five other teams that potentially we could play, and these guys are one of them. Certainly, we're playing them recently, we're pretty familiar with these guys. Gathering information on (Robbie) Ray and their guys in the pen, (Michael) King yesterday and we'll see (Nick) Pivetta tomorrow, so certainly."
When assessing his entire 2026, Yamamoto naturally knows there are parts of his game that he needs to adjust but maintained that his feel for the ball has been in a good spot throughout the second half of the season. He feels he's grown as his third season in the big leagues has unfolded, he's in shape, and he'll be ready to help the Dodgers on their quest for a historic World Series three-peat.
"Heading into October," Yamamoto said. "I want to prepare well and do my best so that we can be the best pitching staff possible."
Jul 5, 2020; Denver, Colorado, United States; A general view of Coors Field during workouts. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning, Purple Row!
The Colorado Rockies will finish their penultimate series of the year today with a final game against the Arizona Dimaondbacks. They’ve already lost the series by dropping the first two games but will look to avoid a sweep before heading east to Chicago where they will finish off their season against the White Sox.
Notably, today’s game will be the final home game of the 2026 season for the Rockies. One last baseball game in Denver before settling in for an offseason of uncertain length. Despite the Rockies crossing the 100 loss mark for the fourth straight season, the impending end to the daily routine of baseball will still be a loss for many. Take advantage of these last few chances to watch live Rockies baseball.
First, though, let’s dig into some news from around the league.
Rockies News & Links
Rockies hit latest low, become fifth team with 4 straight 100-loss seasons | ESPN.com — As mentioned, the Rockies reached triple-digit losses on Wednesday. As it turns out, this streak puts the franchise into rare and undesirable company. If you can’t remember a team having matched this four-season streak previously that’s because the Rockies are just the fifth team ever to have done so and the first since the expansion New York Mets in the early 1960’s.
Rockies lose 100 games in four straight seasons as Colorado joins ill-famed MLB fraternity | Denver Post ($) — Kyle Newman of the Denver Post digs even deeper into the state of the franchise in the wake of their extremely poor four season streak. Where ESPN provides the cliff notes for a league wide audience, the Post dives into the ins and outs of how the 2026 team collapsed in the final two months of the season. It ends with a reminder that it’s possible that the Rockies could become only the second team in MLB history to extend a 100 loss streak to five straight seasons without a drastic turnaround next year.
Freeland deals with ‘rush of emotion’ in possible final home start at Coors | MLB.com — It’s very possible that Kyle Freeland pitched his final outing for the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. After the game, the ten-year veteran who has spent his entire professional career with the organization, did not hold back the emotional impact the possibility of his time with the Rockies having come to an end had on him.
Rockies GM Josh Byrnes sees progress at Coors Field, but ‘it’s not good enough’ | Denver Gazette ($) — As we enter the offseason it’s important for fans to understand that the folks in charge of baseball operations in the Rockies organization are being realistic about the amount of work remaining to turn the club around. Rockies GM Josh Byrnes speaks on that topic with Kevin Henry and is open about how far the team still has to go before becoming a competitive team. It’s a refreshingly self-aware interview for a fanbase that had become accustomed to hearing that the team was in a better shape than their record indicated under the previous leadership team.
Around Baseball
After Rockies secure fourth straight 100-loss season, Angels aim to avoid first | The Athletic ($) — While the Rockies may have the most losses in the league for a second straight season, they are not the only team struggling to avoid ending the season on a low note. Fabian Ardaya takes a look around MLB and highlights the Los Angeles Angels attempts to avoid their first 100 loss season, the Athletics struggles to put together a winning ballclub before their impending move to Las Vegas, and the St. Louis Cardinals who are at risk of posting consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1959.
Queens Crowned Baseball Royalty, Beat Firebells in WPBL Championship | Fangraphs — The inaugural season of the Women’s Professional Baseball League concluded on Tuesday night. Kiri Oler of Fangraphs breaks down the Championship series game by game. If you didn’t catch the games while they were on this is a great way to catch up on how the leagues first championship was won. The final game in particular was a perfectly poetic capstone to a thrilling first season.
The MLB Strike Zone Got A Lot Smaller In 2026 | Baseball America ($) — If you entered the season thinking that the addition of the ABS Challenge system would alter which pitches are called strikes, you’d be correct. J.J. Cooper breaks down how the effective strike zone has noticeably shrunk in the first season of the Challenge system. Most fascinatingly, the piece also goes into how pitcher’s have adapted to this changing zone.
This Wave Of Japanese Talent Is The Beginning Of A Pipeline | Baseball Prospectus ($) — Robert Arthur looks into a recent spike in the total percentage of MLB innings and plate appearances that Japanese born players are contributing. As it turns out, a increasingly reliable performance data on players outside the US has given MLB front offices the confidence required to make investments that would have seemed risky just a decade ago.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 23: hird baseman Miguel Vargas #20 of the Chicago White Sox is tagged out in a rundown by pitcher Seth Lugo #67 of the Kansas City Royals during the 3rd inning of the game at Kauffman Stadium on September 23, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Maikel Garcia was instrumental in the Royals 5-4 win last night, over the White Sox.
KC raced to an early lead in the first inning. Carter Jensen and Bobby Witt Jr. recorded singles to open the game. Jac Caglianone moved them into scoring position and Maikel Garcia drove them home with a two-run single. The Royals took an early lead. It was a near-perfect start as White Sox opener Bryan Hudson lasted one-third of an inning. KC tallied two additional runs as Vinnie Pasquantino added an RBI single and scored on an error.
Zion Rose named the Royals top Arizona Fall League prospect by MLB.com
One of three 2026 Draft picks in this year’s AFL class, the former Louisville outfielder missed time this spring with ankle and hamstring injuries, making this a good opportunity to pick up more at-bats and grow even more comfortable in the Royals system. Rose, who was a surprise pick for some at No. 6 overall, earns strong reviews for his bat-to-ball skills, speed and power potential, though he’ll need to elevate more on contact to get his raw pop into games. He hit .268/.389/.338 with one homer and 14 steals in 19 games with High-A Quad Cities after the Draft.
If you didn’t already know, through the first two games of this homestand, the Royals will likely decide who wins the division this season.
If you haven’t checked it out in a while, here is the Royals Top 30 prospects list.
With the minor league season ended, here are some injury updates on some Royals players.
Kevin O’Brien of Royals Keep pondered what the Royals should do with Daniel Lynch IV next year.
Philip Ruo of Royals Keep talks about the Royals 2027 roster problems.
Brian Burrows of Kings of Kauffman talks about Royals prospect, Brett Squires.
Braves ace Chris Sale cemented his 9th 200 strikeout season the other night.
Yankees Ben Rice has tied the AL lead for most homers this season.
Are the Cubs ever going to clinch their playoff spot?
Speaking of that, the Diamondbacks are still alive in the race
Aaron Judge is in danger of missing start of playoffs as well
Here it is, your song of the day: Calypso by John Denver
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 5: Starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore #32 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 5, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last Friday, ORSTLcardsfan wrote about how the Cardinals might approach the upcoming offseason by looking at the 40 man roster, seeing who could be shed and who needed to be added, plus highlighting team needs over the offseason. He made a comment that got my attention: he put Matthew Liberatore in the nontender category. That got my attention because the thought had not occurred to me, and he said he wasn’t expecting it either.
It inspired this post. There are nine players entering arbitration next season. For some of them, this will not be their first rodeo, Liberatore included. Last I checked, MLB Trade Rumors, pretty much the gold standard for this, estimated the Super Two cutoff at 2.130 years of service. Riley O’Brien is at 2.129 years of service. They did estimate this based on where players where at as of the trading deadline, so it could change. Riley O’Brien would be Super Two eligible in 7 of the last 17 seasons, so it’s certainly possible. Let’s make him our tenth player.
The idea is simple: I estimate what a player’s salary will be and then will determine whether they are tendered a contract. I will be using Point of Pittsburgh’s numbers, admittedly it is from 2016. So a little bit outdated, but I’m guessing the numbers haven’t changed wildly. According to their calculations, a player will earn 25% of their free agent value in their first year of arb, 40% in their second year of arb, and 62% in their third year of arb. It works differently for Super Two players. For them, it’s 18% in their first year, 33% in their second year, 50% in their third year and 69% for their fourth year.
Andre Pallante
Service Time: 4.145 (translated, this means 4 years, 145 days)
Pallante should see a decent bump. He was eligible for Super Two back in 2025, earning $2.1 million. Pallante supports Point of Pittsburgh’s method actually, because based off that, he “should” have made $3.85 million in his second year. His actual salary was $4 million. But the Cardinals and Pallante came to an agreement before a hearing and that means it was between the Cardinals number and Pallante’s number. Not to mention, it’s possible his value raised slightly due to making 31 starts and throwing 162 innings even if they were below average innings. I wouldn’t be surprised if arbitration valued a below average and full-time, healthy starter over a swingman.
With all that said, there is no doubt in my mind that 50% of Pallante’s value will be based off a higher figure than what his previous arb figures were based on. It won’t be as much of a difference as you’d expect – the standard set by the initial figures still matters. But they do change the price slightly. If arbitration valued him exactly the same way, he’d get a $6 million salary. Based on his 2.7 fWAR season, he’d get a $13.5 million salary. Arbitration wouldn’t project him for him to repeat that season though.
An unscientific guess on my part is splitting the difference. Let’s say he projects for 2.2 WAR. Take the average and I get $8.5 million. That sounds right to me. With two years of team control and a projection probably over 2 WAR, you can see how he’d be pretty valuable on the trade market. Just throwing it out there. He’s a no brainer keep though.
Estimated Salary: $8.5 million
Conclusion: Tender a contract
Alec Burleson
With Burleson, we have yet another player whose value has been raised. Burleson is actually a virtually identical hitter to last season, believe it or not. His struggles in September have gone way under the radar, but he has an 80 wRC+ this month and actually it’s worse than that because he went 1 for 5 with a single yesterday. He is somehow still racking the RBIs which is probably why nobody is really noticing it. But he had a 123 wRC+ last year, he has a 122 wRC+ this year. However, there’s a good chance arbitration does actually care about RBIs and better defense at 1B has led to a higher WAR, not to mention what will be well over 100 more plate appearances. It adds up.
I have already looked into Burleson’s arbitration price when I looked at a Burleson extension. I see no reason to alter what I thought then. I said if arbitration viewed him exactly the same, he’d be worth $5.3 million based on his $3.3 million in his first year. I threw out the new number of $7 million, which might actually be high, because I think he had a 130 wRC+ then. However, he’s effectively the same exact player, but seen by arbitration, he plays more and with lots of RBIs. So I’ll stick with $7 million.
Well, I already advocated for a Burleson extension, so you shouldn’t be surprised at my conclusion.
Estimated salary: $7 million
Conclusion: Tender a contract
Nolan Gorman
Well, the fun had to end sometime. I don’t know if there’s a point in figuring out his price. At best, arbitration will view him exactly the same. It’s likely he wouldn’t see a very big raise though. He made $2.6 million in his first year of arbitration, and based on that, he’d make $4.16 million in his second year of arb. He wasn’t exactly coming off a good season last year either, but clearly his numbers got worse. I think the lack of homers would especially hurt him.
I honestly don’t think we’re going to find out, but let’s say $3.5 million is his arbitration price. It’s not really about the money with Gorman. Gorman needs a change of scenery. It’s not going to happen here. For a really bad team with a bad situation at 3B, Gorman is a good shoot for the moon pickup – honestly just getting out of Busch Stadium might help him. But the Cardinals have two unlikely, but potentially the future guys he’d get in the way of and a lot more potential behind them and Gorman has become the new Arenado, but with no trade value.
Estimated salary: $3.5 million
Conclusion: Nontender
Matthew Liberatore
The man who inspired this post. I am going to pay attention to his 2027 number, because I do want to know how much arbitration values a 30+ start starter, even if that starter wasn’t very good. Liberatore’s arb 1 salary, which was Super 2, was $2.26 million. That’s not a lot, but Liberatore didn’t have a good track record aside from 2025 and his 2025 was mediocre. What I’m saying is that if leading up to 2026, Liberatore had a 2023 and a 2024 that looked a hell of a lot like his 2025, his salary would have been higher.
Because he made 31 starts and because he exceeded his innings last year, I don’t think his value will take a hit and there is a small chance arbitration thinks he’d be worth (slightly) more in free agency, purely based on games started and innings. I repeat what I said about Pallante: a below average starter is worth more than a swingman. That said, if he gets a bump, it’s really not much. Based on his 2026 salary, he would make $4.14 million. I’ll just say $4.5 million for 2027.
Whatever the Cardinals think of Liberatore, I think there’s about a 1% chance they nontender him at that price. I just don’t see it. They just gave Ryne Stanek $5 million. The reliever version of Liberatore is certainly worth a $4.5 million gamble. The Cardinals are not even remotely in a salary crunch situation.
The Cardinals have given hints they are done with Gorman. That is not the case for Liberatore. He’s coming back or is traded, but he won’t be nontendered.
Estimated salary: $4.5 million
Conclusion: Tendered a contract
Masyn Winn
Okay now we’re in comp territory. I found a much better comp than I expected, although slightly worse in just about every way. Anthony Volpe coming into this season had a Gold Glove, was a career 84 wRC+ hitter, and is a very good defender. I don’t know what an arbitration panel uses for defense, but Volpe is actually a much better comp if it uses Baseball Reference. Considering he won a Gold Glove in his rookie season based on Baseball Reference (since his OAA was +1), and he didn’t win a Gold Glove the year he had +14 OAA, that is a possibility. Winn’s defense is much, much closer to Volpe’s if it uses DRS. Winn has 5.2 dWAR, Volpe had 5.3 dWAR entering this season. OAA tells a different story. Volpe was +8 OAA entering this season (thanks to a bad 2025), Winn will be +39.
So to say the least, Volpe could either be an extremely good comp or a very bad comp depending on which defensive metric you want to use. Winn is also a better hitter. Volpe has a career 84 wRC+, Winn is at 87. But that includes his 29 wRC+ debut season, so I feel like he’d be viewed as a clearly better hitter. Volpe is a better base stealer and baserunner, like a lot better, both in terms of stolen bases and BsR so that might soften the gap between the two. Anyway Volpe made $3.48 million in his first arbitration season. I think having two Gold Gloves will matter a lot in this comp, so I think I’ll bump it a million.
Estimated salary: $4.5 million
Conclusion: Tender a contract
Jordan Walker
Another difficult comp, but I don’t need to find a player who had his exact same trajectory, which is good, because that player does not exist near as I can tell. Jo Adell is the closest, but he was farther along in the arbitration process and wasn’t as good, making any comparison pointless. So I had to resort to someone who had a similar season overall. I found Kerry Carpenter, who had 2.9 fWAR and a 120 wRC+. Greene has better (but still below average) defense, but he’s a negative baserunner. This is as close as I’ll get. Greene made $5 million, but his MLB Trade Rumors estimate was $6.6 million. Greene agreed to a deal before the panel. I don’t know if he was poorly advised or Trade Rumors was really off, but I’m going to say he should have held out for more money.
So I’m going to operate with the $6.6 million figure. With that said, Walker should be valued as worse than Greene. For starters, Greene came into the 2026 season as an extremely reliable hitter. Somewhat in hindsight but not completely, but 120 wRC+ more or less appears to be his floor (his worst full season wRC+ is 119 and he has a 138 wRC+ this season). That is not the case with Walker. Those other seasons matter too in his figure.
So ironically, Greene’s $5 million salary for 2026 is actually kind of a reasonable guess for Walker. Walker has the most variance in what his number could be, but $5 million is a good middle ground in my mind.
Estimated Salary: $5 million
Conclusion: Tender a contract
Ivan Herrera
Boy, Herrera is such a specific type of player that I could not find a good comp. There were not catchers who had the playing time that he did. There were good hitting catchers, but they caught 80% of their games. The closest I found was Yanier Diaz. He’s not a great comp, because he was coming off a 92 wRC+ season, and he catches the majority of games he plays, but he is an offensive-oriented catcher who isn’t very good at defense. His is more framing related than stolen base related, although Herrera isn’t really a good framer either. Yanier Diaz made $4.5 million, which happened to be exactly what MLB Trade Rumors projected.
I’ll just go with that. I don’t know how to factor in that Herrera DH’d twice as much as he caught, but we’ll say Diaz catching more games makes up for Herrera’s better offense (at least when Diaz was first eligible for arbitraton)
Estimated Salary: $4.5 million
Conclusion: Tender a contract
Pedro Pages
I found an extremely good comp, far better than I expected if I’m being honest. The only problem is that this was a good comp entering the 2025 season, not the 2026 season. Not a big problem honestly. But this player has leveled up to make it appear to be a bad comp. Nick Fortes entering the 2025 season was essentially Pedro Pages. Worse hitter, his numbers on defense were better though. But he was coming off a 58 wRC+ season, which followed a 52 wRC+ season. In case anybody thinks it’s impossible Pages’ bat ever improves to acceptable range, I present Nick Fortes. Ironically, his defense hasn’t rated very well this year though.
Honestly, this is about as close as I’ll get to a 1:1 comparison, so I’m just going to use Nick Fortes 2025 expected salary of $1.6 million. I don’t see any way Pages is nontendered at this price. You should at the least be able to trade him. Fortes in fact was traded to the Rays. The Marlins got what appears to be a nonprospect, but he’s a 24-year-old outfielder with a 108 wRC+ in AAA right now, so it’s not nothing.
Estimated Salary: $1.6 million
Conclusion: Tender a contract
Kyle Leahy
Oh my god, the Cardinals can’t just have a normal player, can they? I didn’t really find anyone, because you know pitchers don’t have Kyle Leahy’s career trajectory like ever. It’s why I was skeptical about him as a starter. He didn’t debut until he was 26, he was a not great reliever at 27, turned into the bullpen equivalent of an innings eater at 28, and then managed to make 29 starts where he was mostly good but didn’t throw a lot of innings. That comp doesn’t exist.
So I just kind of looked at a bunch of Super Two pitchers and my official guess is $3 million, but it’s just based on vibes. I looked a few pitchers and the assigned numbers seemed more or less random, but it was usually between $2 million and $3.5 million if the pitcher was somewhat close to how Leahy pitched. I doubt this is wildly off, but I really have no clue what his salary will be.
Estimated Salary: $3 million
Conclusion: Tender a contract
Riley O’Brien
And of course we have another weirdo here, essentially a mediocre reliever with a ridiculous amount of saves. Based on his performance, he’d get paid not a lot more than league minimum, but the All-Star appearance and saves will get him something. If a pitcher gets to 38 saves by the time they reach Super Two status, they are normally much better relievers than Riley O’Brien has been. I’m not knocking him, teams just don’t usually give the closer role to relative newcomers who aren’t elite. He did seem elite at first, granted, but it’s just hard to find a comp for a 0.3 fWAR reliever with 38 saves and an All-Star appearance.
Anyway, MLB Trade Rumors projected Mason Miller for $3.4 million, and since that feels like the absolute ceiling a true reliever could ever get in their first year of arbitration as a Super Two player, let’s just say $2 million and call it a day? The saves might end up mattering later, but Super Two relievers just don’t get paid ever. Also I’ll repeat O’Brien might not actually qualify for Super Two.
Estimated Salary: $2 million
Conclusion: Tender a contract
Frankly, I’m curious if and how the Cardinals raise their payroll to a not embarrassing level next year. Before the league minimum guys and the arbitration figures are factored in, the Cardinals have a committed $16 million on the books right now. SIXTEEN MILLION. Almost all of that is for players who will play zero innings for the Cardinals too. $13 million combined for Contreras and Arenado, $500K for buying out Ramon Urias. It’s pretty much just JJ’s salary.
If the Cardinals followed my estimates, they’d have an additional $40.6 million from the arbitration players, assuming O’Brien even qualifies. Good chance one or more of these guys is traded, so it won’t even be that. I know the league minimum guys factor into their overall payroll, but bare minimum, they got to spend like $40 million for this not to be an absolutely embarrassing payroll, no? I could not be asking for less. They spent $183 million in 2024 and I’m wondering how they’re going to get to $100 million.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JULY 24: Shawn Armstrong #43 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during the game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday, July 24, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Alex Zadorozny/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After last night’s one run loss to the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland finds themselves still looking for the playoff clinch. Boston out hit Cleveland, but Foster Griffin gave one of the best performances he has had in a Cleveland uniform. The lefty pitcher worked his way out of multiple jams, only giving up a RBI single. The bottom of the order and Kwan were the only Cleveland batters to record hits, with José, Adell, and Bazzana reaching on walks. Travis Bazzana also had a couple of good plays defensively.
Around the League
The AL West could very well end the season with every team below .500.
Weather is forcing MLB to change up the final Cubs series of the season. Chicago will be heading to Boston where impending weather forced MLB to move Sunday’s game 162 to Friday afternoon.
A lot of people are blasting the Cubs’ fluctuating bullpen performance Tuesday night for the loss, and rightly so.
But I first wanted to point out a problem from that game. For most of the season, when the bottom part of the order is contributing, the top part of it explodes. I wish I wrote it down, and I’m sure someone out there recalls it, but there was a graphic that said that the Cubs’ number nine hitter has the highest or second highest OPS (?) in baseball. I swear I saw something like that. The trouble Tuesday was that not only was the bottom third of the lineup dead — so was the middle third.
PCA, Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch combined for a productive 5-for-14 with four walks, two runs scored, two doubles and a stolen base. The bottom six (most of the usual suspects) were a combined 2-for-30 with an RBI. THAT ….. is a large outage, and put the team in the position to have to depend on the bullpen.
First off, Shota Imanaga gave up a run on four hits, no walks and seven strikeouts in five innings pitched. He threw around half of his pitches in the fourth inning, but battled through to keep the Marlins within reach, 1-0, before handing the game over to the bullpen.
In comes Aaron Civale, and on his second pitch, he gave up a solo home run to Kyle Stowers into a roaring wind to make the game 2-0. Civale provided no more damage, and Ryan Rolison, Daniel Palencia and Ryan Zeferjahn kept the game scoreless. A total of 5.1 scoreless innings (following the HR allowed by Civale). All and all, excellent work for the guys Counsell has turned to most often.
But then he had to turn to Caleb Thielbar and Edward Cabrera. Thielbar entered the game in the 11th with one out and coerced a pair of outs to get out of the inning. But NO! Thielbar started the 12th! And he gave up a pair of RBI singles for a 4-2 deficit. Counsell turned to Cabrera, who turned into a bubbling mess — walk, HBP, RBI-walk, RBI-single, and two-RBI single for an 8-2 deficit. Cabrera appeared to be left in there to wear it and save the rest of the pen.
So, yes, it was the bullpen that lost it, but with only one-third of a productive Cubs’ lineup, that lack of offense couldn’t produce more than a minimal amount of runs, causing that high-leverage need from the bullpen.
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Tuesday Night’s Game Stories:
Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Cubs’ clinch put on hold after rocky 12-inning loss to Marlins. “The Cubs are on the cusp of clinching their second consecutive trip to the postseason, but the champagne will need to be kept on ice at least one more night.”
Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Alex Bregman Tracking Pitches in Cage, Won’t Need IL. “Alex Bregman arrived at Wrigley on Tuesday afternoon looking exactly like a guy who was just two days removed from taking a foul ball to the face.”
Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): After In-Season Pitch Mix Overhaul, Ryan Rolison is a Whole New Dude. “Over the winter, the Cubs scooped up Ryan Rolison on the waiver wire. This spring, he showed up with an uptick in velocity sufficient to make him a viable big-leaguer. Since the season began, though, he’s gone to a different level, thanks to two major tweaks to his pitch mix.”
Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Lack of Execution in Tuesday’s Loss Highlights Postseason Fears. “With some notable exceptions, postseason baseball typically involves tighter games that require a higher degree of execution than some Tuesday night affair against a non-contender.”
Green, Spencer, and Kirwan left the band in succession during 1970–1972, with McVie’s wife, singer/keyboardist Christine McVie, and American singer/guitarist Bob Welch joining during this period. 1974 saw the band’s relocation to the United States and Welch’s departure.
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays watches the game in the seventh inning during game two of a double header against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 23, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees handled Tampa Bay for the second time in as many days, blowing them out 9-2 behind a pair of Ben Rice home runs as well as a Ryan McMahon grand slam. Of course, there was another game played in between that didn’t go New York’s way, but overall they’ve had a solid series against the Rays as they’ll look to win it outright later tonight as a potential precursor to an ALDS matchup. While the last few games don’t really matter to New York as they’re locked into the top Wild Card seed, they do matter around the rest of the league with both the Central and West still up for grabs and the final Wild Card slots undecided. With that in mind, let’s see what went down on Wednesday to impact the race.
Boston Red Sox (85-73) 1, Cleveland Guardians (82-76) 0
Boston has a spot in the playoffs, but they have to do a little more work to secure the fifth seed and finalize a meeting with the Yankees in the Bronx a few days from now. They moved closer to that goal with a win over Cleveland, though it was a nailbiter when it had no real business being one.
Sonny Gray and Foster Griffin had a close-fought pitchers’ duel in this one, though Griffin was walking a tightrope the entire time. The Sox collected 10 hits against him in six innings but managed to scrape across only a single run in his final frame of work, Andruw Monasterio delivering the RBI single that scored Jarren Duran. Otherwise, Griffin managed to strand two in the first inning, induced a double play to get around an error in the second, left the bases loaded in the third, worked his only clean inning in the fourth, and then stranded two more in the fifth.
Gray, as mentioned, held serve for six innings of his own scattering four hits with no damage done. Tyron Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman combined to take the final three innings and continued holding Cleveland’s offense down to secure the 1-0 win with Chapman getting his 35th save of the season.
American League Rock Fight
Chicago White Sox (81-77) 4, Kansas City Royals (68-90) 5: So with the Guardians losing to Boston, could Chicago take advantage and bring the AL Central back to a tie? Unfortunately for them, they gave up a four-spot to Kansas City to open this game, Bryan Hudson getting chased after recording just one out of the inning with three runs already in. A throwing error on top of a single brought home the fourth to cap it off, but the White Sox actually tied the game back up in the third with a four-spot of their own. A pair of hits and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Kyle Teel who singled in a pair before Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami each drove in another run. All was quiet again until the seventh, when Maikel Garcia doubled home Bobby Witt Jr. to score the game-winning run, holding Chicago a game behind Cleveland for first place for one more day.
Houston Astros (78-80) 5, Seattle Mariners (74-80) 6 (10 innings): Well how about out West, where fans have been begging for literally any one of these teams to pull themselves out of the pile and take the division. Houston’s held the biggest lead most recently, but they’ve squandered that advantage and failed to hold onto this one after jumping ahead 4-0 midway through the third by giving three of those runs back immediately in the bottom half. Seattle then tied it in the fifth inning on a Dominic Canzone single, and though there were a few chances no one else scored until extras. There, Houston opened with a Yainer Diaz RBI triple but couldn’t bring home Diaz for the insurance run that proved essential. In the bottom half, a trio of walks forced in the tying run and brought Josh Naylor to the plate, who singled up the middle to walk this one off.
I’m not saying it’s in any way likely, but for context of how absurd this division has been — Seattle has been eliminated from Wild Card contention, but this win keeps them mathematically alive in the AL West race. This division is seriously flirting with having the first winner with a losing record in MLB history, so really who knows how this one finishes out.
Texas Rangers (78-80) 2, New York Mets (73-85) 7: Naturally, the Rangers were unfit to take command as well and blew it late to the Mets. This game was tied at two entering the eighth inning when Marcus Semien hit a go-ahead solo shot, and then the Mets piled on with a Brett Baty grand slam in the top of the ninth for insurance.
Baltimore Orioles (77-81) 4, Toronto Blue Jays (77-81) 2: These two got rained out yesterday requiring a doubleheader, and Baltimore got the better of them in the opening tilt. The O’s got on the board first with two runs in the second on a Jeremiah Jackson RBI single before a double steal attempt brought in another run. Then they extended their lead in the fifth with some pop, Pete Alonso launching his 41st home run of the year to make it 4-0. The Jays clawed back two in the sixth after chasing their old friend Chris Bassitt from the game, but could get no further.
Baltimore Orioles (78-81) 4, Toronto Blue Jays (77-82) 2: No, that’s not a mistake – The O’s went out and swept the doubleheader with the same score. This time Baltimore opened the game with three runs on a two-run Christian Encarnacion-Strand single and RBI double from Colton Cowser. Encarnacion-Strand hit a solo homer in the fourth to give the Orioles their offense, and Toronto was dormant until a ninth inning rally where Davis Schneider hit a two-run shot to cut the deficit in half. The next two Jays went down to end it though, and with the pair of losses Toronto not only swaps places with Baltimore in the standings but the reigning AL champs have officially been eliminated from postseason contention. It’s been a far fall for the Blue Jays this year, and now they’ll have to watch on the couch as the rest of the East battles it out this year. Even the O’s are still mathematically alive in the Wild Card with these wins and a Chicago loss, though there is no margin for error.
