The Phillies barely made the playoffs. They went 10-14 in September, losing four of their last five games and had to wait until the last day of the season to claim the National League’s third and final Wild Card spot. They had a run differential of only +15, the offense was just 19th in runs scored, the defense was shaky, and the middle relief situation was a mess all season.

To that, I say: So what?

Once you reach the playoffs, what you did in the regular season doesn’t matter aside from home field advantage. Everyone’s stats have reset to zero, and runs don’t get added or deducted based on how well you did during the season. All that matters is that the Phillies will be taking on the Atlanta Braves in a three-game series, and whichever team wins two games advances to the next round.

With that in mind, I will preview this series with a little help from Philadelphia native Pink and her hit song “So What.”

Na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na!

I’m gonna drink my money

It seems like fan opinion was split on whether or not the Phillies should have celebrated after clinching the playoffs on Sunday.

Every other team that made the playoffs celebrated the accomplishment. You think the Phillies should have declined to do so just because they didn’t make it as convincingly as you would have liked? If they had actually backed in by still qualifying after losing their final five games, then I could see being a bit more subdued. But they actively clinched by winning the game.

As for the slow finish to the season, history has shown that like just about every factor, finishing the season strong is very predictive of a playoff run…except when it isn’t. For example, from 2022 to 2025, the Phillies’ worst month of September came in 2022, which happened to be their best postseason performance. And in September 2025, the Phillies went 17-8 – including winning four of their final five – and it didn’t help them win more than a single playoff game.

I got a brand new attitude, I’m gonna wear it tonight

The Phillies have not endeared themselves to the fans lately, and the nadir came on Saturday night when it looked like they might have actually quit. Fortunately, Zack Wheeler and the offense showed up on Sunday to propel the team to victory. If that version of the Phillies shows up, they can win this series. If the Phillies we saw for most of last week is what we get, it will likely be a short stay.

I don’t know where he went

Chris Sale is scheduled to start game one for the Braves. Theoretically this is a huge advantage for the Braves as Sale is one of the best pitchers in baseball. But that dominance hasn’t always showed up in the postseason. Sale has a career postseason ERA of 6.35 with a couple of really bad outings in there. He also hasn’t pitched in the playoffs since 2021.

Sale faced the Phillies four times this season. He undeniably did well against them, but familiarity often works against a pitcher come playoff time. If they don’t hit well against him, it won’t be because they don’t have a good scouting report or were taken by surprise.

The waiter just took my table

The Phillies’ trade deadline has turned out to be somewhat of a disaster with all the players they acquired having disappointed, gotten injured, or both. On the other hand, the Braves acquired starting pitcher Tyler Mahle from the Giants on August 2, and somehow, the guy who had an ERA of 5.13 with the Giants, has gone 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA in nine starting with the Braves.

Those numbers include him giving up five runs in five innings in his final start. But that was also a low-pressure tune up for the playoffs, so it’s hard to know if that actually means anything.

Mahle has spent most of his career as a cromulent mid-rotation starter, and certainly not a sub-2.00 ERA type of pitcher. It seems likely that there’s some regression due, and ideally, that regression would come on Wednesday afternoon when he’s scheduled to start game two of the series.

I’m still a rock star

One of the reasons the Phillies didn’t have a great September record is because their supposed star position players didn’t play well.

Kyle Schwarber had a drastic drop in production in the second half, and after a terrific August, Bryce Harper has been just okay over the last month. It feels like there have been a lot of pitches that he would have destroyed earlier in the season that have ended up being foul balls.

Then there’s Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto who both endured the worst seasons of their careers. Turner’s drop off from a guy who won the batting title and finished in the top five of MVP voting might be the biggest reason the Phillies’ win total dropped by seven. As for Realmuto, he finally ended his long hitless streak on Sunday. It seems clear that he can’t handle such a heavy workload anymore, but sadly, the backup catchers are somehow much worse.

For better or worse, these guys have all been here before. While the narrative seems to be that they’ve repeatedly failed in the playoffs, they’ve also had a lot of big moments in the playoffs as well. A strong run in the postseason can do wonders for flipping the narrative about how the season went.

And you’re a tool

I recently called Braves fans the softest in baseball, and sure enough, they’ve been at it again.

Let’s go over what the fans on Saturday night were enduring:

• Rainy weather
• A team that looked to be in full collapse mode
• A team that seemed incapable of scoring a run
• Falling behind early and eventually by double digits

Yes, they deserved to be booed! Any fan that didn’t boo was probably too numb to care. I’m fairly certain that just about every fanbase in America would have booed them. But probably not Braves fans. They would have left to watch college football or thrown garbage on the field.

There have already been complaints that it’s unfair for the Braves to have to play a “coin flip” series against the Phillies.

Remember that Braves fans whined endlessly about how unfair it was that they had to sit for a couple of days when they earned a bye through the Wild Card series in 2022 and 2023. Now it’s unfair that they actually have to play in the series?

It’s like they don’t understand or appreciate the very concept of playoffs. I guess if they had their way, we would just crown the regular season champion Brewers as the champions of baseball. (That might be the only way the Brewers ever get a title!)

You weren’t there, you never were

When these teams met in Philadelphia earlier in the month, the main character of the series was Ronald Acuña, Jr. He hit two key home runs and then did his celebratory home run trot, and for some reason, Braves fans acted like Zack Wheeler went on a hysterical tirade about it, even though he clearly did not.

The Phillies will need to do better against Acuña this time around, although shutting down Acuña in the playoffs hasn’t been all that much of an issue in the past. (He was a combined 7-29 in the 2022 and 2023 NLDS) The one year the Braves actually did make a run was 2021 when Acuña, coincidentally or not, missed the playoffs due to injury.

We’re all gonna get in a fight

Based on recent history (“Atta boy!”), there does seem to be some legitimate bad blood between these teams, which usually adds a degree of fun to a playoff series. I doubt there are going to be any “message pitches” or physical alterations, but it feels like the players would get a little extra pleasure from winning this series.

I gave you life, I gave my all

The Phillies have been carried by their starting rotation for most of the season. Can that strength carry them through this round of the playoffs?

Jesus Luzardo will start game one. He was dominant against the Braves this year, but after missing three weeks with shoulder inflammation, it’s unclear how long he’ll be able to pitch. Andrew Painter will follow him, and it’s tough to know what to expect from the rookie after his inconsistent season.

Presumably, Cristopher Sanchez will start game two. Sanchez was 0-2 against the Braves, but that’s more of an indictment of the defense (three unearned runs in 12 innings) and offense (three total runs scored in support in the two games).

Aaron Nola is scheduled for game three. (No, I don’t think they should start Zack Wheeler on short rest.) He faced the Braves three times, and based on how his overall season went, it shouldn’t surprise you that his start against them in April went poorly, while his two starts in September went well. (Three earned runs in 13.1 innings.)

Much like with Sale against the Phillies, nothing these guys do should surprise the Braves.

You let me fall

The Phillies have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. They also have a top closer. But it’s the guys who pitch in between them that has everyone understandably worried. Who among the setup relievers do you trust in this bullpen to hold a lead right now? Anyone?

The bullpen was probably the primary reason the Phillies exited the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, and those teams seemed to be in better shape entering the postseason than this year’s edition. The 2026 bullpen has a bunch of questionable arms, and a manager who hasn’t shown much of a knack for handling them.

The Phillies may need to pull from the 2019 Nationals’ playbook and use their starters in off-day relief appearances. But they will need to use some actual relievers at some point. Hopefully guys like Alex McFarlane, Jonathan Bowlan, and whatever lefthanders Don Mattingly trots out on a given day can come through.

I don’t want you tonight

The television schedule makers have made it clear that they don’t consider Phillies vs. Braves to be a marquee matchup since they’ll be relegated to the 2PM slot every game. It makes some sense. Yankees vs. Red Sox gets the 7 PM slot 10/10 times and the other two matchup feature western teams. (Although they certainly could have swapped them with the White Sox vs. Astros.)

Most of us are working at 2 PM, so hopefully, you’ll be able to either watch it somehow, avoid spoilers until you can watch, or just have to follow along remotely. Since I work from home, it isn’t a major problem for me, unless I’m unfortunately scheduled for a meeting during that time.

And guess what?

The final trivia answer of the season: In the first game the Phillies ever played at Tropicana Field, future Hall of Famers Scott Rolen, Fred McGriff, and Wade Boggs all played. Dirkniblick got it right.

Thanks for everyone who played this season!

I’m gonna show you tonight

Braves fans can talk a big game, but considering the history between the teams, you know they can’t be pleased about having to face the Phillies in the playoffs again.

Will history repeat itself? I honestly don’t know. I think the starting pitching will at least keep them in every game, but after that, it’s hard to predict much with this team. They’ve gone through stretches where they consistently get on base and then get hits with runners in scoring position. They also have stretches where every hitter seems to want to be the hero and pops up the first pitch as soon as a runner gets aboard.

It may come down to how well the bullpen performs, and that’s not a reassuring thought. But worse bullpens than this one have won playoff series, and the Phillies’ best hope might be that if the Braves find themselves trailing in the late innings, those past playoff failures start weighing on them, and they’re the ones who start pressing at the plate.

For what it’s worth, the Phillies seem to view themselves as a battle-tested team who has been there before. It’s time for them to back that up and show they have what it takes.

Go Phils!

Every generation has its random breakout journeyman, the guy who comes up, thrusts himself into the limelight with some big performances in key spots, and then, in time, fades into relative obscurity. In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, it was Shane Spencer. For the mid-2010s, Yangervis Solarte and Prestone Claiborne briefly locked down the hot corner and a middle relief spot, respectively. During the Baby Bomber years, Greg Bird, Mike Tauchman, and Oswaldo Cabrera each took a turn in this role, becoming — at least for a time — fan favorites.

Once upon a time, that flash-in-the-pan star was Shelley Duncan, now the manager for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton (no longer) RailRiders.

David Shelley Duncan
Born: September 29, 1979 (Tucson, Arizona)
Yankees Tenure: 2007-09

On this day in 1979, Duncan was born into a baseball family. The son of former A’s catcher Dave Duncan and brother of the late 2006 Cardinals champion Chris Duncan, he played ball at Canyon del Oro High School in the Tucson suburb of Oro Valley, alongside future All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler. From there, he went on to the University of Arizona, where he was named an All-American first team outfielder by Baseball America as a freshman and a Pac-10 All-Star the following year. Based on his performance, he was drafted by the Yankees in the second round of the 2001 draft.

Upon joining the Yankees organization, Duncan began to slowly but steadily climb through the ranks: he spent 2003 and 2004 in High-A Tampa, broke out with Double-A Trenton in 2005, then reached Triple-A Columbus in 2006. He began the 2007 season with Triple-A Scranton (the Yankees swapped minor league affiliates that winter), before he got the call to the Show on July 20, 2007; with the team 7.5 games behind the first-place Red Sox in the standings and barely sitting up above .500, the Yankees were looking for a jolt — and fortunately, the hard-hitting outfielder provided.

Batting ninth and DHing during his first career start, Duncan went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, capping off a rally that made a 13-1 Yankees deficit into a not-quite-as-awful-but-still-bad 13-4 loss. The next day, he hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth for his first career home run, helping lead the Bombers past the Devil Rays. Two games later, he had his first multi-homer day, driving in four runs as the Yankees absolutely obliterated Tampa Bay 21-4.

Duncan excelled in a part-time role down the stretch for the 2007 Yankees, slashing .257/.329/.554 with 7 homers in 83 plate appearances. While he wasn’t the main reason for the 44-22 finish to the season to secure a Wild Card spot, his ability to produce off the bench certainly helped ensure the Yankees finished the season with the best offense in the American League.

Duncan spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons bouncing between Scranton and the Bronx, slashing just .181/.250/.264 in 80 plate appearances in the Majors, but earning the 2009 International League MVP while leading the league in home runs and runs batted in. On the back of these performances, when he chose free agency after the season when outrighted to Scranton, signing a deal with Cleveland that January.

Duncan was a part-time player for the next three years in Cleveland, where he was teammates with future Yankee Jayson Nix. Splitting time between first base, left field, and the DH spot, he posted a .231/.309/.430 slash with 33 homers across three seasons. Following a brief spell with Tampa Bay in 2013, Duncan bounced between minor league systems for the first couple of months of 2014 before hanging up the cleats for good after being released by the Reds in June.

After finishing his undergraduate degree in 2014, Duncan embarked on a minor league coaching career in 2015. He spent four years working for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization as a minor league manager, then joined the Blue Jays front office as a Major League Field Coordinator and scout. After a couple years north of the border—and unfortunately personal hardship when his brother Chris passed away from brain cancer in 2019—Duncan worked as an analyst for the Chicago White Sox for two seasons. Soon, he was back in both the dugout and the Yankees family, as he took the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders managerial job in January 2023.

Duncan has spent the last four seasons in the role, leading the RailRiders to the league finals last season while earning the 2025 International League Manager of the Year Award. Happy 47th birthday, Shelley!

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Carter Jensen capped off a terrific rookie season with his best month in September. The catcher hit .338/.407/.788 with eight home runs in 20 games, leading all of baseball in month in ten doubles, 19 extra-base hits, slugging percentage, and OPS (1.194). The league recognized his performance, awarding him not only American League Rookie of the Month, but American League Player of the Month.

It is the second month in a row a Royals hitter has taken home the monthly award in the American League, with Jac Caglianone winning honors in August. The two young hitters combined for 50 of the team’s 170 home runs this year.

Jensen’s 1.194 OPS is the second-best ever by a Royals hitter with at least 20 games in September, behind only Danny Tartabull’s performance in 1987. He is the first Royals catcher to win American League Player of the Month. It is just the fifth time a Royals hitter has won American League Rookie of the Month since the award was created in 2001. Eric Hosmer won it in July and September of 2011, Brian Bannister won it in June and August of 2007, and Billy Butler won it in July of 2007. It is the 14th time that a player has won both Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month at the same time.

Jensen seems to enjoy hitting in the fall. Last year he hit .300/.391/.550 with three home runs in 16 games upon a September callup.

Overall, Jensen hit .239/.323/.467 this year with 27 home runs, 80 runs scored, and 81 RBI. His 3.7 fWAR is fourth among all MLB rookies, and his 116 wRC+ leads all qualified American League catchers.

The Braves are going with a lineup that’s simultaneously surprising and not-so-surprising in Game 1 of their three-game playoff set against the Phillies:

The top half of the lineup isn’t that surprising. Sure, maybe you expected the Braves to start with Ronald Acuña Jr. given that the nominal starter they are facing today throws with his left hand, but they’ve chosen to alternate handedness while keeping Matt Olson ensconced in the third spot in the lineup.

This means that Mauricio Dubon, of the 317 wOBA, .308 xwOBA, 99 wRC+, with an 84 wRC+ and .290 xwOBA against southpaws this season, is hitting cleanup. Now, you might say, hold on — Dubon was one of the few guys hitting for this club in September. And, that’s true — he had a 131 wRC+. But, he also outhit his xwOBA by .064 in that month, so… the Braves are hoping it works anyway, I guess?

The rest of the lineup is surprising insofar as Mike Yastrzemski slots in at DH, despite said southpaw on the mound. The Braves are either hoping Jesus Luzardo doesn’t last long enough to get to the eighth spot in the lineup (or that if he does, there was a big early rally and it doesn’t matter), or afraid that they simply don’t have enough options to protect Yastrzemski against a lefty reliever later if they start someone else and then give the reins the Yastrzemski. After all, they’re not really awash in righty pinch-hitting options.

All of this means that Dubon starts in left, and Ha-Seong Kim gets the reins at shortstop. By carrying both Rowdy Tellez and Dominic Smith, the Braves have a lot of latitude to pinch hit for Kim whenever they feel like it, including early on — and move to Dubon to short in the process — we’ll see what happens, though.

While really anything can happen and something weird probably will, this game is more likely going to be about whether the Braves’ actual good bats can do stuff against Luzardo and/or whomever replaces him (Andrew Painter? I don’t know). From Dubon-onward, only Michael Harris II has actually hit at all well this year (and he’s been great, if kind of weird offensively with strong bookend months and a lot of luck in between), so either those guys all having bad seasons manage to show a scintilla of something positive, or it’s gonna be waiting for one of the mashers to mash.

The Phillies were kind enough to post their lineup right as I was ready for it, and it looks like this:

With Luis Arraez injured, the Phillies get to plug in an extra righty. Chief Ivan Annoyer Derek Hill hits fifth, former Brave and famed horse armor aficionado Bryan De La Cruz hits sixth, and Edmundo Sosa is hovering out there and will probably annoy Chris Sale and us out of the eight hole.

I won’t do batter-versus-pitcher stats against Luzardo since I have no idea how long he’s going to last, but for those that care about these guys versus Sale:

These numbers are neither good nor bad, really. They just kind of are. Alec Bohm’s gotten a bit lucky, and Sale has dominated most of the weaker hitters (except, of course, in seven PAs, Derek f’n Hill aargh). If you sum these all up, it bodes well with a .258 wOBA / .279 xwOBA in head-to-head matchups, but of course that means managing the mischief of Bohm, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber a bit, while avoiding tumbling off the Derek Hill, roo. Anyway, I can’t imagine batter-versus-pitcher has that much bearing here, but what else is there to talk about? I guess I could scratch my head about Dubon hitting cleanup some more.

This game starts at 2pm ET.

Before we get to the four main minor league clubs of the Kansas City Royals, we are going to look at the Arizona Complex League and Dominican Summer League for Royals prospects.

The ACL

Tyson Moran, a 2025, 13th round pick by the Royals from Canada, spent most of his season in the ACL. The 20-year-old shortstop had a solid year too. Moran had a slash line of .322/.406/.538 in 171 at bats. He hit 12 doubles, 2 triples and 7 homers as well. Despite being listed as a shortstop, he spent most of his time defensively at first or second base. He was a perfect .1000 on his fielding at second, but around .980 at first. Moran did end the year in Columbia, but not before a good season in the ACL.

Manuel German is a 21-year-old first baseman that the Royals signed when he was 16 out of the Dominican Republic. After going through all the Dominican Royals affiliates, German played in the ACL this season. He has played in the ACL the last two season in fact. This year, his numbers were substantially better. German slashed .308/.370/.564, all of which are way better than his 2025 campaign. German also had 19 extra base hits. He had a .975 fielding at first base.

Ricson Gonzalez turned into a fast riser this season. The 21-year-old catcher from Venezuela played in 4 different levels, playing in the ACL, Columbia, Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas. His ACL numbers were solid, slashing .292/.426/.438 over 31 games. He walked 16 times, while only striking out 19 times. He did only play a combined three games between Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas, but did get 19 games in Columbia, where his average was better than what it was in the ACL. He threw out 20 of 69 base stealers, or 29%.

Switching over to some of the better ACL pitchers. The Royals had plenty of guys who had tons of strikeouts, but a high ERA, like Keisther Castillo, a 19-year-old right hander from the Dominican Republic. Or Jesus Oliveira, a 21-year-old right hander. A guy that we did talk about, because of what he did in Columbia, is Ryan McDonagh, a 20-year-old right hander. The Canadian was exceptional, posting a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings, allowing hitters to only bat .187 against him. He struck out 20 batters in the 21 innings, only walking 6. It was mixed bag results for him in his 12 starts at Columbia, but expect McDonagh to start next season there for sure.

Cameron Millar, a 19-year-old right hander, who the Royals drafted in the 3rd round in 2025, out of high school, threw 17 innings this season, with a 4.76 ERA. He made 7 appearances, 6 starts, allowing 15 hits, 9 runs, 5 homers, walking 3 but striking out 25. Moises Amezquita, a 22-year-old left hander from Venezuela, had a good year between the ACL and Columbia. In the ACL, Amezquita posted a 2.40 ERA in 30 innings. He struck out 21 batters and allowed just 22 hits and 8 earned runs. Batters only hit .202 against him.

The DSL

Angeibel Gomez, the 17-year-old phenom, put up video game numbers this season. In 144 at bats, he slashed .361/.467/.653. He hit 13 doubles; a triple and 9 homers did the outfielder. He was also 15 of 17 stealing bases. He had a .978 fielding percentage in centerfield, with 5 outfield assists. He will be playing in the Arizona Fall League too.

Adrián Lunar, an 18-year-old catcher from Venezuela, posted a .336/.410/.369 slash line this season. Lunar is a left-handed hitter. He only had 4 extra base hits, all those being doubles. He started 31 games at catcher and was signed this past January by the Royals. Alan Angulo, an 18-year-old shortstop, slashed .323/.468/.421 this season. He also stole 14 bases. The Royals signed Angulo when he was 17. He split time between second and third base, despite being listed as a shortstop. Max De La Cruz, a 17-year-old outfielder, slashed .263/.456/.323 this season. De La Cruz, walked 31 times, compared to 23 strikeouts. He also stole 14 bases. He played all three outfield spots and had a perfect fielding percentage, all the way around.

Marcos Hernandez, a 17-year-old catcher slashed .278/.407/.340, walking 17 times and striking out 17 times. He also threw out 21 base stealers. Roy Rivero, an 18-year-old infielder, slashed .338/.422/.424. He stole 14 bases and hit 9 doubles. Jaider Suárez, a 17-year-old infielder slashed .379/.508/.564 in 140 at bats. He hit 6 doubles, 7 triples and a pair of homers. He was also 30 of 34 stealing bases. He might be one to keep an eye on as well.

On the mound, Luis Garces, a 17-year-old left hander, from Colombia, threw 28 innings, with a 4.82 ERA. He struck out 36 batters, allowing a .245 opponents’ batting average. The Royals signed him this past January. Ricardo Montilla, a 19-year-old right hander, from Panama, pitched 16.1 innings, with a 0.55 ERA. He walked 10 batters but struck out 8. Batters hit just .214 off him. Melvin Robles, an 18-year-old left hander, made 11 starts, totaling 35.2 innings, striking out 37 batters, allowing a 3.53 ERA. Batters hit just .237 off him.

Alving Campusano, a 19-year-old right hander, from the Dominican Republic, threw 17.2 innings, striking out 14 hitters, with a 2.04 ERA. The Royals signed him when he was 17. Kenyer Penaloza, an 18-year-old right hander, from Venezuela, threw 37 innings, allowing a 3.16 ERA, striking out 23 batters. Batters hit just .206 off him. Reynell Ramos, a 19-year-old from Venezuela, threw 37.1 innings, allowing a 2.41 ERA, striking out 42 batters, batters hit .248 off him.

A pair of National League East division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, kick off the 2026 MLB postseason with an afternoon opener at Truist Park.

The Philliesjust squeaked into the playoffs thanks to Zack Wheeler's gem in their regular-season finale, taking the final NL wild card spot over the hard-charging Arizona Diamondbacks. But their faltering finish means nothing now that everyone starts from scratch.

Meanwhile, the Braves cruised into the postseason, winning the NL East by six games over the Phils. They were able to set their playoff rotation so that ace Chris Sale (14-9, 2.16 ERA) will be on the mound for Game 1 of the best-of-three series. He'll be opposed by left-hander Jesus Luzardo (14-5, 2.86 ERA), who was Philadelphia's best pitcher during the second half of the season, but who just returned from the injured list on Sunday after dealing with shoulder inflammation.

Follow along for live updates, highlights and analysis from the Phillies-Braves NL wild-card matchup:

The MLB Postseason officially begins today, with all of the Wild Card series playing Game 1 of their best of three format. The Phillies made it close, but they eventually ensured that they too will be a part of the field, and they will actually be the first game of the day when they take on the Braves at 2:00 pm.

Here’s the rest of the postseason bracket:

There are many intriguing storylines as we begin the tournament, with two divisional rivalries right out of the gate in Phillies-Braves and Yankees-Red Sox. That’s before even diving into the surprising White Sox or the division winning, .500 record Astros. Beyond the Wild Card, there’s the ever-persistent question of can the Brewers or Rays convert regular season success into postseason wins, can Cleveland snap their 78-year championship drought, and can the new evil empire in the Dodgers pull of a three-peat?

The road to those answers and more begins in earnest today. So, what are your predictions for the 2026 MLB postseason? Who will be the last two teams standing? Who takes home the World Series trophy? How far will the Phillies go? What team could make a surprise run in the vein of the Blue Jays last year?

Meet the Mets

David Stearns addressed the media following a disappointing Mets’ season. Overall, he saw “extremely encouraging signs” as he looks ahead to 2027.

When asked about whether he would do anything differently with Pete Alonso given what happened in 2026, David Stearns replied bluntly, “I don’t get mulligans”.

Speaking on other topics of interest, Stearns talked about retiring the phrase ‘run prevention’, what it meant to see Freddy Peralta succeed in Tampa Bay, how he’d evaluated his free agent signings, Kodai Senga’s future with the Mets, the need to add starting pitching, and the decisions that created an “uncapped downside scenario”.

The Mets are planning to look ‘externally’ to fill their first base void.

Laura Albanese wrote about Stearns owning his failures and how he will get another chance to prove he’s not a failure.

John Harper graded Mets players, the front office, and Andy Green after their last-place finish.

While the Mets missed the playoffs in 2026, their 2027 blueprint is already taking shape, explains Chelsea Janes.

Juan Soto and Nolan McLean were nominated for the 2026 All-MLB Team. Now it’s up to the fans to cast their votes.

Around the National League East

Jesús Luzardo will start Game 1 for the Phillies, with Cristopher Sánchez taking the ball in Game 2 and Aaron Nola standing at the ready if a Game 3 is necessary.

Mark Bowman detailed three things the Braves learned from their final week of the regular season.

After an uneven 2026 season, the Marlins believe they are right there and are hungry to take the next step.

Around Major League Baseball

Will Leitch at MLB.com shared the Power Rankings at the start of the postseason.

With the postseason beginning today, Alden Gonzalez wondered if the Dodgers could be more vulnerable than we think.

The staff at The Athletic made their Wild Card round predictions.

In Ken Rosenthal’s view, even if the Brewers or the Rays win the World Series, the competitive balance argument will endure heading into the uncertain MLB offseason.

The Astros will run a bullpen game in Game One.

Newsday’s David Lennon made his picks for the end-of-season MLB awards.

Max Ralph provided the latest update on whether Aaron Judge will suit up for the Yankees in the Wild Card round.

Mike Elias vowed to get the Orioles back on track after a rough 2026 campaign that saw Baltimore miss the postseason yet again.

The Twins fired pitching coach Peter Maki and assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Thank you for joining us at Amazin’ Avenue during what was, by all accounts, a rough season for our Mets.

Lukas Vlahos looked at what the team’s 40-man roster would look like heading into the free agency period.

Linus Lawrence provided us with a much-needed Monday Stat Party.

This Date in Mets History

Casey Stengel was brought in to manage the expansion New York Metropolitans on this date in 1961.

The MLB wild card round gets underway on Tuesday, Sept. 29, featuring a packed slate of games to kick off the action. Among them is an NL wild card series rematch, as the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs face off for the second straight year.

Last season, the Cubs edged out the Padres in a close 2-1 wild card series at Wrigley Field in Chicago. This year, the stage shifts to San Diego, giving the Padres home field advantage at Petco Park for the best-of-three set. The winner will earn the right to face the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers in a best-of-five Division Series.

"Should be a great series," Padres manager Craig Stammen said. "They’re a great team, they’ve got a lot of great players, a good coaching staff. It’ll be tightly contested. They’re the ones that knocked us out of the postseason last year. So we’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game."

In Game 1, Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd will take the mound, while the Padres will start right-hander Michael King, in a duel to set the tone for the series.

More: MLB playoffs extra-innings rules: Is there a ghost runner?

Playoff baseball is finally here. Chris Sale will man the mound for the Braves while Jesus Luzardo will start for the Phillies. Sale is ready for the moment, but many in Braves country know it is going to be just as important that the offense is ready to go as well. It does seem that the Braves are ready to make the most of the opportunity, especially in front of the home crowd at Truist.

Braves News

Nine Braves players were nominated for ALL-MLB team awards.

An in-depth preview of what to expect in the Wild Card round.

The end of season Top 30 prospects from Battery Power.

MLB News

The Mariners are going through a coaching staff overhaul, including the departure of former Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer.

Another major development in the Wild Card round is the Phillies will not have second baseman Luis Arraez on the roster.

Another year another Red Sox vs Yankees Wild Card round at Yankee Stadium.

I think it’s safe to say we’d all like something different but if that’s not possible, for the Red Sox to win this year. They almost pulled it off in 2025 but with the offense and pitching (minus Garret Crochet) both depleted it was just too much to overcome. This year, while Crochet is at most a bullpen arm, the Sox acquired veterans Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez to bolster a playoff rotation. And watched Payton Tolle surge to the top anyway and become the obvious choice for Game 1.

Game 1

Tolle made his brief MLB debut and playoff debut (1 out) last year but is still very much a rookie. This year he’s been fantastic while putting up an ERA right about 3.00 and striking out 171 in 148.2 innings of work. It’s wild to think that he didn’t make the team out of Spring Training. But they wanted a little more development out of Tolle and when he returned in late April he looked MLB-ready starting from 6.0-inning, 11 strikeout tour de force against these same Yankees. Tolle made a second start against the Yankees in June during The Turnaround Homestand where he struck out 7, allowed 1 hit, and 0 runs.

Cam Schlittler is the Game 1 starter for New York.

Compared to Tolle’s 16 MLB innings in 2025, Schlittler threw 73.0 in the regular season. He bumped that to 193.3 in 2026 on his way to, unfortunately, probably a Cy Young award. Not bad for a guy drafted in the 7th round. The Red Sox selected Caleb Bolden with the pick immediately preceding him. Win some, lose some. He faced the Sox four times this season with the Yankees winning three of the four. That’s just bad luck. April he was dominant: 8.0 inning, 4 hits, 2 runs. Early June he lasted just 5.2 innings, 4 hits, 1 run. Honestly most of the time the Sox might win this one but it featured that 5-run eighth inning bullpen collapse. In Boston during late June was another 5.0 inning effort with 4 runs (0 earned) on 5 hits. Sox win this game. Then back in NYC in August 5.2 innings, 2 hits and 0 runs. Hopefully the coaches have been working on this. Third time through the order and he’s a .691 OPS allowed pitcher vs. ~.500 which is huge. The Blue Jays also faced him in four games and put up a total OPS of .686 against Schlittler to the Sox .560 mark. So, it can get better.

Game 2

Game 2 features Sonny Gray, the elder statesman of the rotation. Gray faced the Yankees twice this season, the Sox won both matchups. In early June he went 6.1 innings while allowing 3 runs on 8 hits. During The Weekend he was even better: 7.1 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs. The Sox did have to wait until the 10th inning to walkoff the game but it was a masterpiece against (probably still) Aaron Judge-less Yankees.

Max Fried was rumored to be starting Game 1 for a bit over the weekend, although that seemed kinda nuts to everyone. Is it good or bad he tossed only 112.2 innings this year? Is he fresh or rusty? Fried was originally drafted by the Padres in 2012 and traded with a package for Justin Upton. Did you forget the Justin Upton era (1 year) in San Diego? (I sure did). Despite this limited workload, Fried faced the Sox twice. One was 8.0 innings of 3 hit, 0 run ball. The second was a 3.2 inning return from the IL during the August doubleheader in the Bronx. Three hits, 1 run. That one run? A Nick Sogard homer. Just about 12 innings and 1 run. Maybe they should have opened with this guy?

Game 3

Hopefully there is no Game 3 because the Sox go 2-0. But if they can only win one of the first two games then Ranger Suarez will start the third matchup of the Wild Card series. The Sox signed him in part because he’s been excellent in October. Well, he had a pretty good September. He’s allowed just 3 runs all month putting up a 1.09 ERA in that span. Batters hit just .182/.250/.284 during the last month of the regular season. In his introduction to the rivalry in April, Suarez lost 4-1, hit hard through 4.2 innings of work including a crushing homer. Then in early June he held the Yankees to 1 run in 6.1 innings but the bullpen couldn’t hold them back. Sox lost 6-1. Then he allowed 6 runs as part of the 16-1 drubbing in August. He might not be the guy you want starting in this series but then again, he’s in a groove now and has recovered from various IL stints so he might just be in a better place pitching-wise than August.

Gerrit Cole used to be the ace. Now he’s the number three. Cole missed all of 2025 with injury but came back for 127 innings this year. Despite no longer having Rafael Devers, Cole was hit hard by Boston: 5.1 innings, 7 hits, 2 homers, 4 runs. Masa and Anthony Seigler hit the bombs, and, clearly neither will e playing this fall. So someone else will need to emerge as the hero.

Aaron Judge is probably out but he’s trying to play anyway.

Giancarlo Stanton is possibly out but he’s been on the IL since April. If he’s healthy is that even the way to return? We might find out!

Trent Grisham is also a possibility.

Ben Rice ended up with 41 homers but didn’t even lead the American League. Thanks, Pete! Alonso also robbed Yordan Alvarez of a chance at the Triple Crown by winning RBI as well. Just doing service all over the league.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Tuesday, September 29: Payton Tolle (3.03 ERA / 3.04 FIP) vs. Cam Schlittler (1.95 ERA / 2.56 FIP)

Wednesday, September 30: Sonny Gray (2.72 ERA / 3.47 FIP) vs. Max Fried (2.80 ERA / 2.65 FIP)

Thursday, October 1: Ranger Suarez (3.22 ERA / 3.16 FIP) vs. Gerrit Cole (3.41 ERA / 3.93 FIP) (If needed)

When/Where to Watch

Tuesday, September 29: 8:00 PM ET on NBC / Peacock

Wednesday, September 30: 8:00 PM ET on NBC / Peacock

Thursday, October 1, 8:00 PM ET on NBC / Peacock (If needed)

Jaylon Thompson wrote about the now-wrapped season.

The Royals have a long way to go.

Their 2026 campaign was an utter disappointment. The Royals entered the year with high expectations but fell short of their intended goals. A slow start and a slew of injuries sent them tumbling down the American League Central standings.

KC suffered through a rough spring. As the calendar flipped to June, the Royals were 22-37, well behind the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians in the division race.

This week, both of those competitor teams made the playoffs. The Royals had to watch from their own dugout as their AL Central rivals clinched postseason berths at Kauffman Stadium.

Jackson Stone at MLB mothership turned an eye toward 2027.

The Royals have been here before. A large part of this team was here when they turned 106 losses in 2023 into a postseason run in 2024. There will most likely be a few changes to the coaching staff and free-agent signings to bolster the bullpen and rotation — but the core is here to stay, including starters Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo.

It’s up to that group to get back to the winning baseball of years prior.

“From my end, I feel like we have the pieces to be able to do it and we didn’t do it this year,” Pasquantino said. “Like I said, that’s a failure. That doesn’t mean I have any less confidence going into next year. … I’m walking into next season expecting us to be in a playoff push the whole year. Those are just words; they don’t mean anything right now, but those are my expectations. We just gotta go do it.”

David Lesky pointed toward the last game in August as the last gasp of a team falling apart.

I sort of think September, and this weekend on a smaller scale, was just a team that ran out of gas. Specifically, it was about a pitching staff that ran out of gas. That’s an issue, of course, but it’s a bigger issue when they weren’t good enough on a full tank. I will never stop believing that when they got the band back together in mid-August and went on that run, they saw that Sunday loss against Cleveland that dropped them to 7.5 back with 24 to play and realized the longshot dream was dead. They went 7-17 from there. I have a hard time thinking they could have continued the run they were on with this pitching staff, but none of them are stupid. They knew that they almost had to win that last game of August. And when they didn’t, it completely fell apart.

Former Royals broadcaster Buddy Blattner (1969-1975 for the Royals) is on the ballot for the 2027 Ford C. Frick award.

Brian Burrows at Kings of Kauffman took a look at departing free agents.

The case for each team to win the World Series.

Luis Arraez will not be on the Phillies Wild Card roster due to injury.

The Mariners are cleaning out some coaching staff, which includes firing former Royal Kevin Seitzer from his post as hitting coach.

The Twins fired their pitching coach and assistant pitching coach.

The Rays returning to the Trop juiced 2026 MLB attendance numbers.

Barry Petchesky wrote about the other former Tiger who might also be ending his career – psycho Max Scherzer.

Sporting KC has filed a countersuit against former coach Zoran Savic in the dispute about youth soccer in Kansas City.

The Chiefs are a totally different team this September compared to last September.

The New York Giants gave up an actual draft pick (2027 5th) to acquire J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings.

Miami Dolphins star RB (and fantasy top pick) De’Von Achane suffered a torn ACL in the game against the Chiefs and is out for the season. Football is brutal.

USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino is mad about Manchester City’s financial chicanery, of which they’ve apparently been found guilty.

Atlanta’s NWSL expansion club starting in 2028 has been revealed to be Atlanta City FC.

The Senate passed a bill containing regulations over college sports by a 77-22 vote yesterday.

Your song of the day is Audioslave with Yesterday to Tomorrow.

Good morning, baseball fans!

The 2026 MLB Playoffs begin today and it will be jam-packed with four games. Here’s everything you need to know to keep up with the action.

National League

The Atlanta Braves welcome the Philadelphia Phillies to town for Game 1 of their Wild Card series which begins at 11:00 a.m. this morning and will air on NBC/Peacock, with national radio coverage on ESPN Radio.

After that, the San Diego Padres will welcome the Chicago Cubs to Petco Park to begin their series at 7:00 p.m. PT tonight. This series will have the same broadcast coverage on NBC/Peacock and ESPN Radio. I would expect that to be delayed for this one due to the overlap with the second AL game.

American League

The Houston Astros will welcome the Chicago White Sox to town to begin their series this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. PT, with coverage on Peacock/NBC Sports Network and radio coverage on ESPN Radio.

After that, the New York Yankees will host the Boston Red Sox for Game 1 tonight at 5:00 p.m. PT. This will somehow also be on NBC/Peacock with national radio coverage on ESPN Radio.

Who are you rooting for today?

Good morning, Purple Row!

While much of MLB looks to the postseason with games starting today, the Colorado Rockies are turning to their rebuild, a point Paul DePodesta stressed in a recent conversation (linked below) with MLB.com’s Thomas Harding.

“After living through this for a year, we have a very good direction on what it is we feel we need,” DePodesta said. “So we’ll certainly be ready to act early this offseason if need be.”

For teams not playing in the postseason, this week will make debriefing sessions with media and the beginning of personnel changes. DePodesta is expected to speak with media within the week, so stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, here’s what’s happening with the Rockies and in baseball today.

Rockies news & links

• DePodesta, Rockies ready to ‘act early’ after 4th straight 100-plus-loss season | MLB.com — In his conversation with Thomas Harding, Paul DePodesta points to some highlights of the 2026 season and says the Rockies are ready to begin their postseason work.
• Grading TJ Rumfield’s rookie season with Colorado Rockies | si.com — Dominic Minchella provides some analysis of Rumfield’s 2026 season, including a look at his splits — and don’t forget he won back-to-back “NL Rookie of the Month” awards in May and June.
• Close losses defined this 100-loss season for Rockies | Denver Gazette ($) — As Kevin Henry writes, “ avoid 100 losses in 2026, the Rockies needed to win five more games than they did. Considering the team was 17-25 in one-run games and 12-24 in two-run games this season, there are plenty of contests where one or two moments made the difference between a win and a loss.” He then identifies five games that the Rockies should have won, including a heartbreaker at Coors Field on August 31 with Colton Cowser made a stunning bottom-of-the-ninth catch that led the Baltimore Orioles to a 2-1 win.
• Colorado Rockies remain record-setting terrible, but there is always next year (maybe) | Colorado Sun — Columnist Mario Nicolais noted the Rockies improvements and rebuilding efforts while admitting he’s given up his season tickets at Coors Field to follow the Denver Summit.

Around MLB

• Wild Card Series predictions: Yankees or Red Sox? Can the Phillies find a spark? | The Athletic ($ — gift link) — In the spirit of the day, here are predictions from The Athletic staff with a handy gift link.
• Will Judge play in Wild Card Series? Here’s the latest | MLB.com — Judge is doing everything in his power to make sure he does.
• Tom Verducci’s 10 Big Takeaways That Define the 2026 MLB Season — si.com — For Verducci, there was a lot going on, including expanded pitch menus, a youth movement, and a return to “small ball.”
• The Pope to thank for White Sox playoff berth? Pope Leo XIV answers | FoxSports.com — This has been one of my favorite storylines of the 2026 season. As Pope Leo said when asked this question, “”No comment,” adding, “Great things happen in Chicago.”
• Scouting in the age of machines | FanGraphs — Here Brendan Gawlowski, himself a former scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates for four years, explains what scouts bring to baseball teams.

This week on the internet

In case you missed it, with their win last Saturday, the Rockies helped not only themselves but also the Cleveland Guardians, which led Guardians fan @GuardsJoey to post this:

The Guardians reached out to the Rockies for Goodman’s charity of choice, and he went with Clothes to Kids. As of Monday morning, the organization had received more than $7,000 in donations.

Thanks, Hunter, and thanks, Cleveland.

#ClevelandRox

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