The Tampa Bay Rays clinched the American League East title by beating the New York Yankees, 6-1, in the Bronx on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The win also clinches the top record in the AL for the Rays and the first-round bye that goes with it.
The division win means the Rays can sit back and rest while division rivals Boston and the Yankees likely battle it out before having to face one of them.
The Rays pulled it off in the night cap of a doubleheader after getting shutout by the Yankees earlier in the day. Drew Rasmussen almost returned the favor. The Rays right-hander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
Heliot Ramos broke up the no-hitter with a double to left and Rays manager Kevin Cash quickly pulled Rasmussen to save him for the playoffs.
Rasmussen has had two Tommy John surgeries, the first at Oregon State, where he also threw a perfect game in 2015, and the second in September 2017 shortly after the Rays drafted him. He needed a third procedure, for a flexor strain, in 2023. None of it has slowed his stuff down. His fastball has touched the upper 90's, and scouts have compared his quick, over-the-top arm action to Curt Schilling's. He's a two-time All-Star, was the American League's Pitcher of the Month in August 2022 and again in June of this season. When he posted a 0.82 ERA with 39 strikeouts and four walks over five starts. Coming into Tuesday, he was 7-4 with a 2.45 ERA and 94 strikeouts over 92 innings this season.
Sep 22, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (6) scores a run against New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) on a two run single by designated hitter Yandy Diaz (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
I’m sorry dear reader, that I don’t have much to say to you. After a high-wire act win earlier in the day, the Yankees did in fact go gently into that good night. They were overmatched by Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, and while the race for the division was functionally over after dropping two of three to Arizona, Tampa Bay can start sewing up the banner as of now. In a 6-1 loss, the Yankees had to watch the Rays celebrate winning the AL East while in the Bronx.
We’ve talked for weeks now about how the Yankees without Aaron Judge need to have a great start, good defense, and no funny business in order to make a deep playoff run. I don’t know if Max Fried had a great start, but it was quite good — two four-pitch walks annoyed you, but the two runs he let score himself came on balls that didn’t even leave the infield. I did notice his fastball down more toward 94 than 96, but if he’s in a bit of a preservation mode headed into the Wild Card Series, I’ll take it.
Pulled after 6.2, with two men on, Fried had allowed two runs. I don’t think that’s a bad pull, his pitch count was at 97 and the order was turning over again, and the Yankee bullpen has been pretty good. You bank what the starter gave you and turn it over to the big arms. The problem was what happened after, as John Schreiber came in promptly served one up to Yandy Díaz:
Ben Williamson scores on this, sure, fine, I legitimately do not know who he is even after watching 18 innings today, whatever. That’s now 6.2 innings and three earned for Fried, not quite as nice a line but you still take that. Taylor Walls though, who I am told is a terrible hitter and yet somehow is on base every three innings against the Yankees, is DOA at home plate:
I don’t watch football but I understand there is weekly consternation about what exactly a catch is. I am feeling consternation about what exactly “clear evidence to overturn” means. That’s clear evidence! Austin Wells’ glove is on Walls’ arm and Walls has not yet touched home plate! He was found safe on review!
I thought Aaron Boone was going to do one of those “I’ll get ejected to hype up the boys” after that mis-call, but he didn’t even give us that. That fourth run makes Fried’s line look uglier than it should, but more than that, every additional run surrendered by this team makes things so much harder on a pretty papery offense.
That offense was no-hit through six innings, with Rasmussen making a late charge to finish second to Cam Schlittler in the AL Cy Young race. The nine Yankee hitters appeared bedazzled by Ras’ offerings, as the righty sat down 11 in his own 6.2 innings of work. Heliot Ramos broke up the no-no leading off the seventh with a double, and suddenly the Yankees had their 4-5 hitters facing the starter, who set a career-high in pitches thrown tonight, for the third time, and maybe this is where the rally can start, and no, Luis García Jr. and Spencer Jones could not cash in the run. George Lombard Jr. was the only one who managed the trick, with an RBI knock.
Díaz then knocked in another pair of Rays against Ryan Yarbrough in the ninth, and that’s your ballgame. The blood-alcohol levels of the new division champs are surely rising, so maybe the Yankees will get some rather toothless revenge against their rivals tomorrow.
If nothing else, we have some cost certainty now. The Yankees needed a miracle to win this division and we seem to be fresh out of those. The club has locked up the fourth seed in the AL, meaning they will host the No. 5 seed—most likely the Boston Red Sox—in a best-of-three series next week. In the time between then and now the Yankees do have five baseball games to play, but it’s more important to make the final decisions on what exactly the pitching staff will look like, which of the bottom of the bullpen gets left off the Wild Card roster, and who amongst a too-often-narcoleptic group of hitters do you trust to try and push a crooked number across?
As of now Gerrit Cole is scheduled to make his final start of the year against the Rays tomorrow. We will see if the Yankees want to shuffle that with their newfound Wild Card certainty, or if it’ll be an abridged start for the veteran, or maybe he will just shove. Game 3 of this series is the weekly Amazon Prime game, and we have a 7:05pm first pitch with southpaw Ian Seymour tentatively scheduled for Tampa Bay.
The Yankees' long-shot hopes of winning the AL East were dashed after the Rays picked up the 6-1 win in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.
New York mustered just three hits as they have lost three of their last four games.
Tampa Bay's victory clinches the division and the No. 1 seed in the American League playoffs.
Here are the takeaways....
-Max Fried tried to match his fellow southpaw from the first game, but just couldn't keep Tampa off the scoreboard. The Rays pushed across a run in the third on a Ryan Vilade groundout.
Tampa tacked on in the seventh, after Taylor Walls hit a bunt single to drive home Chandler Simpson from third base after the Rays started the inning with back-to-back singles. Yandy Diaz singled off of John Schreiber to drive in two runs, with Walls scoring the second run sliding headfirst into home. The call on the field was safe, and it stuck after a Yankees challenge, despite it looking like Walls was tagged before he touched the base.
Fried allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four.
-The story of this game was Fried's opponent, Drew Rasmussen. The AL Cy Young candidate pitched six no-hit innings, striking out 10 batters before Heliot Ramos led off the seventh with a double.
After Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked with two outs, Rasmussen was pulled. George Lombard Jr. delivered the team's first run with a single to score Ramos before Austin Wells grounded out to end the Yankees threat.
The Rays right-hander allowed one run on one hit and three walks across 6.2 innings while striking out 11 batters.
-The Yankees offense could not get to Tampa's bullpen. The combination of Kevin Kelly, Cam Booser and Bryan Baker got the final seven outs to end the game.
The same could not be said for the Yankees bullpen. Ryan Yarbrough and Michael Fulmer allowed two runs in the ninth on a Diaz two-run single, to put the game out of reach.
-Chisholm, who was activated from the IL ahead of Game 2, went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Game MVP: Drew Rasmussen
Rasmussen mowed down the Yankees and kept any hopes of a comeback to a minimum.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 22: Atlanta pitcher JR Ritchie (60) pitches during the MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves on September 22nd, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Was this a hangover game? Or was it a post-hangover game, given the travel-related off day on Monday? Whatever the case, the Braves didn’t put up much of a fight as they dropped a fairly meaningless contest to the Reds by a score of 4-0.
If you want a positive from this game, look at JR Ritchie. Though he didn’t alter his pitch mix and attack sequence in the way I was hoping to see, he still eviscerated a weak Reds offense in what could qualify as his best start so far. Maybe he makes the playoff roster as a nine-batter-max lower leverage guy, but if he doesn’t, this was definitely something to build off of for the offseason.
Ritchie’s day was really pretty fun, especially in the early going. He struck out the side in the first (but also walked Elly De La Cruz). There were two more punchouts in the second, giving him a 5/1 K/BB ratio through his first nine batters. Things got a little dicier after that, as De La Cruz took him deep with two outs and none on in the third, followed by an errant walk, but he at least got a strikeout to end that frame. He collected two more strikeouts (and one more walk, again to De La Cruz) the rest of the way. His final line: an 8/3 K/BB ratio across 22 batters spanning five innings of work. His line included a sub-3.00 xFIP, his best in a multi-inning outing so far in his career, and far better than his MLB debut, which was his best start to date. (One homer allowed is also better than two.)
Nothing else of note really happened in this game, unless you want to be discouraged by the offense turning into the soporific version of itself once again. Owen Murphy relieved Ritchie and gave up two homers in three frames with a 1/0 K/BB ratio. Didier Fuentes breezed through his tune-up frame in the ninth.
The offense basically handed Brandon Williamson one of the best outings of his injury-interrupted career, and certainly his best since he was waylaid by shoulder and elbow problems in 2024. (Williamson had thrown just 58 innings from 2024-onward coming into tonight.) However, it wasn’t really all Williamson, or all paltry-Braves-offense, as Williamson managed just a 2/0 K/BB ratio, and the Braves had a .176 BABIP while he was in the game. There were multiple ripped balls right at infielders, and one barreled out.
The Braves actually kinda-sorta tried to rally once Williamson departed after six, but got nothing for it. The first two reached in the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate, but each of Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, and Mauricio Dubon failed to do anything useful. Albies came into this game with a ghastly .280 xWOBA against southpaws, and an overperformance of that input that only puts him at a 99 wRC+ in a split he’s historically dominated, so batting him cleanup against a lefty isn’t really much of a flex these days. They actually loaded the bases to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Matt Olson in the eighth, but he fouled out. Harris had a barreled double in the ninth, but the other batters all made outs.
Worth noting too, perhaps, is that Ronald Acuña Jr. departed partway through this game after fouling a ball off his lower leg. He was seen jumping down the steps leading to the clubhouse, so it was more of a why push it sort of thing — but he might get a few days off just because, again, why push it.
So, nothing doing here, really. The series theoretically continues tomorrow as Chris Sale gets his pre-playoff tune-up.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Colton Gordon #36 and William Contreras #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers react after a two-RBI single by Bryson Stott #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies (not pictured) in the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park on September 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Entering the final week of the regular season, the biggest question for the Brewers is, “What is their plan for the rotation and the bullpen?”
Tonight, we often heard Jeff Levering and Bill Schroeder talk about this, and from the fourth inning on, the Brewers looked to have found their answer. But was Colton Gordon’s Brewers debut enough to sway the decision-makers for a spot on the playoff roster? Five innings of two-run ball on four hits, when most of that didn’t come until the bottom of the eighth inning, feels like he’d be worthy of a spot.
Pat Murphy gave us a taste of what is likely more to come in the pitching situations, especially during the postseason, as Dustin May threw the first two innings of the game. His outing wasn’t kind to him yet again, as he allowed a Brandon Marsh two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning.
Marsh’s home run came off the coat tails of Zach Wheeler striking out the first six Brewers of the game; the third of those was his 2,000th career strikeout. Following the home run from Marsh, Wheeler extended his strikeout streak to seven by cutting down Luis Lara to open the top of the third inning.
The Phillies put together a two-out rally, and with two on and two out, Alec Bohn smacked his 29th double to drive in their third run of the game to extend their lead to 3-0.
With Wheeler in complete control, the Crew needed to put together one of their signature innings, but before they could get there, they used a Garrett Mitchell lead-off single. Brice Turang followed with a single by himself, which set up William Contreras to drive in the Brewers’ first run of the game to make it 3-1.
Kyle Harrison made his first appearance coming out of the bullpen this evening, throwing just one inning where he allowed a run on three hits, striking out one. Even in a short spurt, Harrison didn’t look comfortable, continuing to raise concerns as a reliable arm in the postseason.
After Harrison’s departure, that made way for Gordon to make his first appearance in a Brewers uniform, and what an unexpected outing the Brewers received. Outside Cooper Pratt’s fielding error, Gordon was flawless, retiring the Phillies in order. His showing allowed the offense to find their groove in the top of the sixth. A single from David Hamilton and a walk from Jackson Chourio set up the Crew for a productive inning. Contreras drove in both runners with a base hit into left field to tie the game at 3-3.
Then the bottom of the eighth inning happened, raising another question of whether Gordon should’ve faced this lineup a second time through. Gordon was able to get Trea Turner and Bryce Harper out quickly to begin the bottom of the eighth inning, but Luis Arraez and Alec Bohm followed with a pair of singles. Bryson Stott made it three straight singles to make it 5-3 Phillies, as Garrett Mitchell’s throw to third hit Bohm (who may have kicked it), allowing Bohm to score and Stott to advance to second. Marsh then added some insurance as he doubled to center field to drive in their final run of the evening and make it 6-3.
The Crew didn’t put up much of a fight in the top of the ninth as Contreras and Jake Bauers struck out to open the inning. Extending the game was Christian Yelich, who walked, advanced on defensive indifference, and scored on a Lara base hit to make it 6-4. The game would end there, though, as Pratt grounded out to end it.
Yes, the Brewers offense looked bleak tonight, and the defense made some unusual throws, but they did face a consistent Cy Young Award-caliber player. Despite the loss, good news came out of Atlanta as the Braves lost to the Reds to give the Brewers a first-round bye.
Tomorrow night, they’ll face the right-hander Aaron Nola, as Logan Henderson will take the mound for (likely) the final time this season. The Crew still needs two more wins to reach 100, but has five games left to go with good arms yet to throw this week.
Jul 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) slides safely into second base as San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) misses an errant throw during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The playoff-bound Dodgers face the likely-playoff-bound Padres. Brock Stewart starts a bullpen game.
The Dodgers have Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell in the starting rotation.
But where will Tyler Glasnow fit in the team’s postseason plans?
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of a baseball game. Wally Skalij for CA Post
“If it is the wild-card series, I probably wouldn’t start in one of those games. So, I’d probably be in the bullpen. And then the first series last year, we had four starters ,so I might be in that one,” Glasnow told Chris Rose.
“So I think it’s just going to be like a all-hands-on-deck situation, which I prefer.”
Tyler Glasnow says he'll most likely start and pitch in relief in the postseason pic.twitter.com/eBLJEdlEpe
Glasnow played a versatile role for the Dodgers last October, sporting a 1.69 ERA in the postseason. He will likely be another multifaceted pitcher for the Dodgers in the playoffs.
Since his arrival to LA, the right-hander has never made it through a regular season without injury. While the 2026 season was no different, Glasnow is coming off a bounce-back start just before the regular season concludes.
The right-hander tossed six innings of two-run baseball with 10 strikeouts. It was a much improved performance from his previous start in Miami, where Glasnow allowed four earned runs in four innings.
With Shohei Ohtani’s absence in the rotation, Glasnow’s health is even more crucial heading into October. It appears the right-hander is feeling good and prepared to take on any role the Dodgers ask of him in the postseason.
“I think I feel relatively consistent. It’s just a matter of sometimes I’m not going to feel good, sometimes I will,” Glasnow said after his last start against the Giants.
“Today, I think it was a step in the right direction. I think it’s better than feeling really good for a long time before [the playoffs]. I’d rather kind of feel it, work through some stuff and have a good one right before [the] playoffs. So I think I’m in a good spot right now.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow gets a new baseball against the San Francisco Giants. Wally Skalij for CA PostLos Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow walks off the mound during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 22: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals rounded the bases after hitting a solo home run in the second inning during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Izzy Rincon/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a convincing victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night, the Tigers looked to win their penultimate series of the season on Tuesday night. They’d have to wait another day to try for that, though, as they went down to defeat by a 3-1 score.
Drew Anderson made the start for the Tigers, and he’s been fairly solid recently as a member of the rotation. He’ll usually give you five innings and won’t let things get out of hand; his previous start in Toronto saw him complete five innings and give up a scant pair of hits with nary a run surrendered. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of him next year: rotation, bullpen, why not both?
Making the start for the Nationals was Riley Cornelio, a rookie righty who’s mostly pitched out of the bullpen but has made some starts lasting a handful of innings; he probably wasn’t going to go the distance (not that anyone does these days), as he was going to open for lefty, and fellow rookie, Jackson Kent. Cornelio’s been up-and-down between Triple-A Rochester and Washington a lot, and he was recalled for the fourth time on September 2.
Cornelio’s first inning was very up-and-down: he started off by walking Gleyber Torres on four four-seam fastballs that were nowhere close to the plate, then got two strikeouts. Eduardo Valencia then battled Cornelio for eleven pitches before hitting a 415-foot fly ball to the warning track in right-centrefield for the third out. Remember: Comerica 5/3 giveth, and Comerica 5/3 taketh away.
Washington got on the board in the second with a CJ Abrams leadoff home run just a bit farther than Valencia’s flyout, making it 1-0. (Narrator: he wasn’t done.)
In the bottom of the second, Max Clark singled with one out, and was picked off — he was initially called safe, but after an insanely long replay, that call was overturned.
Cornelio lasted until two outs in the third, giving way to Kent with Hao-Yu Lee on first after a walk. Kevin McGonigle hit a ground-rule double which forced Lee to stop at third; Valencia followed that, sadly, by swinging at strike three in the dirt for the final out, stranding the duo.
In the top of the fourth with one out, Clark made a heck of a nice running catch.
The Tigers got a pair on in the bottom of the fourth as well, via a leadoff double by Ben Malgeri and a one-out Spencer Torkelson walk. Alas, Javier Báez hit a grounder to second to start an inning-ending double play, and Detroit stayed off the scoreboard.
Meanwhile, aside from the solo home run, Anderson was absolutely rolling: after Abrams’ home run and a single following that, he shut the Nationals down very effectively, with a stingy pitch count. He had great command of a whole boatload of pitches, retiring thirteen in a row before James Wood singled with two outs in the sixth. Also, the sixth ended on another nice catch by Clark.
McGonigle led off the bottom of the sixth by striking out, but he reached first on the ol’ third-strike passed ball. He was erased on a fielder’s choice grounder by Valencia to third (which would’ve been a double play if the throw to first hadn’t sailed a mile wide). Valencia himself was erased at second on a Malgeri bouncer to first, but Malgeri scooted all the way to third when Clark singled to right. He came home on a wild pitch to tie the game 1-1, with Clark moving up to second.
Torkelson walked again, but Báez flew out to centre and the score remained knotted at ones.
Abrams struck again in the top of the seventh, though: with Dylan Crews on second, he mashed another long home run on a meatball of a changeup to make it 3-1. That was the end of Anderson’s day, and his final line slightly belied how well he pitched for most of it: 6+ innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, no walks, 5 strikeouts. Heck, if you take out those two home runs by Abrams, that’s a heck of a start… but the last time I checked, that sort of thing is not allowed. Tyler Kinley came on and got the next three outs in fairly quick order.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh the Tigers got another pair of runners on via singles by Lee and McGonigle. That wast the end of Kent’s outing, and righty Jack Sinclair was brought in to face Valencia; he hit a soft grounder to second and that was the end of the inning.
Brant Hurter came on for the eighth and gave up a single and a stolen base but that was all. Beau Brieske was brought in for the ninth and he did exactly the same. The Nationals stole three bases on the evening, and no, Dillon Dingler was not behind the plate, thanks for asking.
Erik Tolman, the visitors’ fourth rookie pitcher of the evening, pitched the ninth. He had some trouble with either his cleats or the pitching rubber, slipping a couple of times. Lee walked with two out; during the at-bat he swung awkwardly and may have strained something in his leg, so Zach McKinstry pinch-ran for him. McGonigle very nearly hit a double right down the left-field line, but he ended up striking out to end the game and Tolman earned his fourth save of the year.
Hao-Yu Lee (who would probably refer to himself as Lee Hao-Yu, using their naming convention), has had one heck of a nice rookie season: 340 plate appearances, .268 batting average, 10 home runs, .757 OPS (110 OPS+), coming into tonight.
Interesting lineup construction tonight: Gleyber Torres led off, and was followed by five rookies. You don’t see that every day.
I can’t be the only one who thought about Beavis and Butt-Head when reading Riley Cornelio’s name. I get it, Riley: you’ve heard it before. Sorry, pal.
Happy 137th birthday to former Tigers pitcher George “Hooks” Dauss. I’ll give you one guess as to which of his pitches was really good. Also, happy much-less-than-that birthday to my dad; no idea if he ever had a curveball of note.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks back during the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on August 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — It’s the final week of the regular season and the Dodgers are sorting things out as they prepare for the postseason, which they hope will start on October 3 in the National League Division Series rather than September 29 in the wild card round.
Before Tuesday’s game, Blake Snell pitched a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium as he works his way back from leaving last Wednesday’s start with left groin discomfort. Manager Dave Roberts said Snell is in line to start on Saturday in San Francisco against the Giants, with Tarik Skubal — currently on the bereavement list — starting Friday night at Oracle Park.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto starts Wednesday and Tyler Glasnow Thursday against the Padres.
Also on Tuesday, reliever Will Klein pitched a simulated inning against Dalton Rushing in a battle of players on the injured list. Klein is on the 60-day injured list with elbow discomfort and not eligible to be activated until September 30 at the earliest, but it looks like he’ll be in the stay-hot camp should the Dodgers have room to add him at some point later in the postseason, similar to in 2025 when Klein wasn’t active until the World Series and he pitched five scoreless innings, including four innings in the marathon Game 3.
“With Will it’s more get healthy, show that you’re healthy, throw to some hitters,” Roberts said. “He’ll throw during the week off, then we’ll kind of see if there’s an opportunity later on in the postseason, sort of like last year.”
Rushing is trying to work his way back from elbow discomfort suffered when practicing throwing. His role would be a left-handed bat off the bench, a role currently occupied by Josue De Paula, who has been the designated hitter with Shohei Ohtani out. But Ohtani is expected to be activated Wednesday barring an unforeseen setback.
That essentially sets up a battle between Rushing and De Paula for a postseason roster spot, though Roberts said the plan is to activate Rushing at some point this week to literally get back into the swing of things.
“Quality of at-bat, conducting an at-bat obviously, the ability to swing at strikes, take balls, get on base, get a hit. There’s potential slug with both guys. I think it’s a good debate,” Roberts said. “Hitting off the bench is very difficult so we’re trying to figure out who gives us the best chance.
“And to be quite frank, it’s going to be tougher for Dalton given the time he’s missed, and to think that you have [three] games to get back into playoff form, it’s tough to do. It’s not a knock on him, he’s been great for us, but it’s still tough, right, Given that we talk about having the consistency of at-bats recently from Josue. But we have to have those conversations and make a decision.”
Activating both Ohtani and Rushing this week, when the Dodgers have 14 active position players, would require two corresponding moves to make room on the active roster. If De Paula doesn’t get sent down — “I think Josue has done a fantastic job,” Roberts said Tuesday — that might mean rough news for Alexes Call and Freeland, either this week or next.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 16: Anthony Molina #45 of the San Francisco Giants delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on September 16, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this three-game home series against the Minnesota Twins tonight.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Anthony Molina, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.91 ERA, 2.88 FIP, with 23 strikeouts to five walks in 23 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals last Wednesday, in which he allowed just two hits and a walk with six strikeouts in five and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Twins right-hander Taj Bradley, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.81 ERA, 3.86 FIP, with 199 strikeouts to 73 walks in 172.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Twins’ 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels last Thursday, in which he allowed three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and a walk in seven innings.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Jared Jones #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on September 22, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tuesday night started as an old school pitcher’s duel as the Cardinals Andre Pallante and the Pirates Jared Jones were throwing a lot of balls that were missing bats. Ultimately, it would be the Pittsburgh and St. Louis bullpens that would decide the winner. The lack of Cardinals offense combined with an epic start by Pirates pitcher Jared Jones would all but seal the deal.
The first real scoring opportunity wouldn’t come until the bottom of the 4th inning when Pittsburgh would load the bases in a somewhat unusual way. With one out, Bryan Reynolds would reach on catcher’s interference. After Oneil Cruz grounded out on a dribbler in front of home plate (thanks to a successful St. Louis challenge), Pallante walked Flores Jr. giving the Pirates runners at first and second. Ryan O’Hearn then hit a hard grounder to Thomas Saggese at third base who seemed to stop the ball with his body, but was then unable to tag out Reynolds who was running to third and also couldn’t manage to get a throw off to first base. Fortunately for the Cardinals, Simon grounded out with the bases loaded to end the Pittsburgh scoring threat.
While Andre Pallante was shutting the Pirates down while pitching out of the occasional jam, Jared Jones of the Pirates was perfect through the first 5 innings. The Cardinals had no hits or baserunners going into the top of the 6th inning. The first Cardinals hit and baserunner was Nathan Church who managed to barely slap a ball out of the reach of the Pirates third baseman Gonzales that Church turned into a one-out double. Unfortunately, St. Louis could not turn that into a run as Masyn Winn lined out to first and JJ Wetherholt struck out.
The Pirates would break the scoreless tie in the bottom of the 6th inning when Oneil Cruz drew a one-out walk. He advanced to second on a groundout by Flores Jr and then scored when Ryan O’Hearn singled to left making it 1-0 Pittsburgh. That would end Andre Pallante’s night as he gave the Cardinals a strong 6 full innings allowing just 3 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 2 and walking 2.
After the Cardinals went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 7th inning, Justin Bruihl started the bottom of the 7th inning, but didn’t finish it. He walked Horwitz to start the inning which almost always leads to trouble. One out later, Konnor Griffin singled to left-center for his second hit of the game giving the Pirates runners at first and second with one out. Horwitz advanced to third as Lowe flied out to center for the second out. Manager Oli Marmol decided to bring in Cade Winquest to face Bryan Reynolds. After Winquest jumped out to an 0-2 count on Reynolds, he bounced the third pitch in the dirt which scored Horwitz for the second Pittsburgh run making it 2-0 Pirates after 7 innings.
Jared Jones of the Pirates pitched an amazing game. Pittsburgh pulled him after he completed 7 innings allowing just one hit, no runs and striking out 9 while walking no one. He was replaced by former Cardinal Luke Weaver. Other than giving up a walk to Thomas Saggese, he had no real problems shutting the Cardinals down in the top of the 8th inning.
Cade Winquest stayed in the game to start the bottom of the 8th inning. He gave up a leadoff double to Bryan Reynolds to start the inning as Pittsburgh looked poised to add to their lead. However, Winquest got Cruz to flyout to center and then struck out Flores Jr. for the second out. Cade then struck out O’Hearn to end the Pirates threat.
The Cardinals would have to hope that their bats would awaken in the top of the 9th as Masyn Winn was leading it off. The Pirates brought in Gregory Soto to close out St. Louis. Instead, he issued a 4-pitch walk to Winn bringing up Pennsylvania native JJ Wetherholt as the potential tying run. JJ worked the count full, but ended up striking out watching a 98 mph sinker go over the middle of the plate for the first out. Iván Herrera was next for St. Louis and he also worked the count full before he struck out swinging for the second out. Herrera struck out 4 times Tuesday night. That left the game in the hands of Alec Burleson who flew out on the first pitch he saw for the final out of the game.
Final score – Pirates 2, Cardinals 0
The St. Louis Cardinals will do battle with the Bucs again at PNC Park Wednesday night. Matthew Liberatore is the scheduled starter for the Cardinals Wednesday night while the Pirates have yet to announce their starter. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Yainer Diaz #21 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Daikin Park on September 20, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (77-79) will begin their final road trip of the regular season with the first game of two-game series against the Seattle Mariners (73-83) at T-Mobile Park.
RHP Cristian Javier (2-6, 5.31 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros, opposite RHP Logan Gilbert (12-10, 3.69 ERA).
EL REPTIL: RHP Cristian Javier is making his 12th start and 17th appearance of the season tonight. In his last three starts, he’s recorded a 2.20 ERA (4ER/16.1IP) with 15 strikeouts, a 0.98 WHIP and a .161 opponent batting average. Has also had success against the Mariners in his career, posting a 2.87 ERA (12ER/37.2IP) with 37 strikeouts, a 1.09 WHIP and a .165 opponent batting average.
THE POSTSEASON CHASE: The Astros and Rangers are locked in a tight race down the stretch for the AL West with the two teams separated by just one game with six left to play. The Astros own the tiebreaker over the Rangers with a season series victory (9-4 record).
VS. THE M’S: This is the final series between the Astros and Mariners this season, with the two clubs last seeing each other from Aug. 14-16 at Daikin Park. The Astros have gone 2-9 vs. Seattle this season. The Astros also own an overall regular season record of 134-106 against the Mariners, including a 64-48 record at T-Mobile Park.
ROAD WARRIORS: Tonight is the first game of a six-game road trip for the Astros. Since going 1-9 on the first road trip of the 2026 season, the Astros have gone 37-28 (.569) on the road since April 14, which ranks third in the AL in that span.
SUNDAY RECAP: The Astros were defeated the Braves, 4-2 at Daikin Park on Sunday afternoon. RHP Hunter Brown allowed three hits and two walks with a season-high tying 10 strikeouts in five scoreless innings. DH Jose Altuve (2×4, HR, RBI) and C Yainer Diaz (2×4, HR, RBI) provided the offense for the Astros with both of them recording a solo home run.
GOIN’ DEEP: The Astros have hit 209 homers as a team this year and have hit 200-plus homers in a single season for the 10th time in franchise history (last, 222 HR in 2023). The Astros rank second in the AL in home runs this season behind only the Yankees (217).
TWO-OUT MAGIC: The Astros lead the American League in two-out runs with 307 on the season, trailing only the Cubs (329) in the Majors. 3B Isaac Paredes has led this effort, as he is tied for the Major League lead with 44 two-out RBI, with CHC CF Pete Crow-Armstrong.
FOR THREE!: 2B Jose Altuve went 3×4 on Saturday night for his 226th career three-hit game, which is the Astros franchise record. He surpassed Hall of Famer 2B Craig Biggio (225 three-hit games).
THE CASE FOR THE MVP: DH Yordan Alvarez is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award. Alvarez leads the American League in OPS (1.027), slugging percentage (.597), OBP (.430), batting average (.313), total bases (324), walks (105), IBB (32) and extra-base hits (73). He also ranks second in home runs (40), second in RBI (99), third in hits (170), tied for fourth in runs (98), and tied for fourth in doubles (32).
ROSTER MOVES:OF Jorge Barrosa has been outrighted to Triple A Sugar Land. He was designated for assignment on Saturday. Also RHP Mike Burrows was returned from his rehab assignment yesterday.
THE FIREMAN: LHP Josh Hader has converted 26 consecutive save chances to open his season, which is the Astros record. Should Hader finish the season without a blown save, he would become the seventh pitcher in MLB history to post 26-plus saves without a blown save. The last Major Leaguer to do so was RHP Ken Giles in 2018 (26 SV).
RACKING UP K’S: RHP Bryan Abreu has posted 527 career strikeouts, which ranks fourth among relievers in Astros history. He’s closing in on third-place RHP Dave Smith (529), needing only two strikeouts to match the Astros reliever from the 1980s. LHP Billy Wagner (694) and RHP Brad Lidge (557) sit atop that all-time list.
MOVIN’ ON UP: On Sunday, C Yainer Diaz went 2×4 with a solo home run. Marked his 57th career home run as a catcher, surpassing C Martin Maldonado for the third-most home runs as a catcher in Astros franchise history.
STRONG SEPTEMBERS: 3B Isaac Paredes has a .950 OPS this month to go along with a team-leading 17 RBI, which ranks tied for second in the AL. C Yainer Diaz is also having a strong September, as he’s hitting .357 (20×56) with three homers, seven RBI and a .961 OPS in 17 games (14 starts) this month.
TUVE VS. THE MARINERS: 2B Jose Altuve has hit .312 (255×818) with 49 doubles, 21 homers, 99 RBI and an .827 OPS in 201 career games against the Mariners. He already ranks third all-time in hits vs. SEA, trailing only Cal Ripken Jr. (261) and Michael Young (259).
STARTING STRONG: In the Astros 18 games in September, their starters have combined for a 2.90 ERA (28ER/87IP), which is the third-lowest ERA in the American League for the month behind only the Yankees (2.64 ERA) and Rays (2.81 ERA) rotations.
POSTSEASON CREDENTIALS: All media who wish to cover potential Astros postseason home games in the Wild Card Series and ALDS must apply for credentials on MLB’s credentialing system. The events are now open with a deadline set for Sunday, Sept. 27. ALCS and World Series credential applications are also live online.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!: The Astros would like to wish IF Carlos Correa and IF Jeremy Peña a Happy Birthday today.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY:2019 – The Astros clinch their third straight AL West division title on a Sunday afternoon with a 13-5 victory over the Angels at Minute Maid Park. CF George Springer (3×5, 4RBI) led the way, as he smashed his way to just the 14th three-homer game in club history. RHP Justin Verlander picked up his 20th victory of the year by tossing 5.0 innings, allowing just two runs.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Tuesday, September 22, 8:40 p.m. CT
Location: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA
TV: SCHN
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; KTRH 740 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 20: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres hits a solo home run against the Miami Marlins during the seventh inning at Petco Park on September 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (87-69) at Los Angeles Dodgers (96-60), September 22, 2026, 7:10 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles, Calif.
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HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 15: Brock Rodden #90 of the Seattle Mariners picks off Taylor Trammell #26 of the Houston Astros as he attempts to steal third base during the seventh inning at Daikin Park on August 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With a tragic number of two and still six games to go, all that’s probably left for the Mariners in 2026 is to play spoiler for others. Though the Mariners will be staring elimination in the face Tuesday night (and every subsequent night they can manage to survive), they could still potentially do some damage to the Houston Astros’ playoff hopes in the first of a final pair of games in 2026 between the two teams. The Astros currently trail the Rangers by a game atop the AL West, but hold the head-to-head tiebreaker if they manage to make up that deficit in the final week.
Lineups
Lázaro Montes and Brock Rodden will continue to receive some valuable major league reps as they round out the Mariners lineup.
Game Information
First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. PDT
TV:Mariners.TV, with Aaron Goldsmith, Ryan Rowland-Smith and field analyst Angie Mentink
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs (beginning his final homestand!) and Gary Hill Jr.
Alex Bregman won’t be going on the injured list after sustaining multiple facial fractures from a foul tip during Sunday’s game against the Reds.
And the Cubs third baseman hasn’t been ruled out of returning for the regular season.
Chicago manager Craig Counsell updated reporters on Bregman’s status on Tuesday, noting that the three-time All-Star does have significant swelling around his left eye and face that will need to improve, but that his vision was in a good place, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Third baseman Alex Bregman runs off the field after getting hit by a foul ball in the fourth inning of the Cubs’ blowout win over the Reds on Sept. 20, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“But all things considered, he’s in a good place,” Counsell said. “So we’re going to just have to progress over the next couple days and see where that takes us.
“I mean, he’s completely himself. He can’t sit still. He’s all over the room. Those are really good signs.”
For Bregman to return, he will need to run the bases, field ground balls, and take batting practice, all of which could take place over the next few days.
A bloodied Alex Bregman walks off the field after getting hit by a foul ball in the fourth inning of the Cubs’ blowout win over the Reds on Sept. 20, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That would allow him to potentially return to the lineup by this weekend when the Cubs finish the regular season in Boston.
“His pain is in a pretty good place right now,” Counsell added. “He says, ‘I feel really good,’ and you can’t fake that. His mood is good, so his pain is in a good place. … I think Alex is going to be fine, I really do.
“He’s going to do everything in his power, and as long as symptoms don’t increase or happen as he increases activity, I think you’re going to see him play.”
Alex Bregman is seen in a photo posted to his Instagram Story. Alex Bregman/Instagram
Bregman was standing in front of the on-deck circle on Sunday when Michael Busch fouled a ball off that struck the Cubs player in the fourth inning in a wild sequence of events.
The infielder was taken to a local hospital in Cincinnati, but returned to Chicago the same day.
Bregman has been an important piece of the Cubs lineup this season, hitting .292 and posting an on-base percentage of .378 along with 17 home runs and 48 RBIs in the second half.
