Category: MLB

By one measure, these Los Angeles Dodgers stand shoulder to shoulder with the great Atlanta Braves teams of the 1990s.

The Dodgers clinched their 14th consecutive playoff berth Monday, Sept. 14 by defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 4-1. That victory ensured the Dodgers (91-59) would stretch their playoff streak to 14 years, tying the Braves for the longest consecutive postseason run in Major League Baseball history.

Thirteen of the Dodgers' postseason trips have come by winning the National League West; their lone wild-card berth in this stretch came in 2021, when they won 106 games, one fewer than the San Francisco Giants. The 1991-2005 Braves won 14 consecutive NL East titles — the 1994 strike-shortened season crowned no champion — under Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox.

Yet the Dodgers have three World Series titles — 2020, 2024 and 2025, and working on a fourth — while the Braves' lone championship came in 1995.

CINCINNATI –– The Dodgers were hoping Edwin Díaz would be back from the injured list by now.

Instead, continued poor performances have left his postseason roster chances in doubt.

A day after the team’s $69 million closer suffered his latest setback during a triple-A rehab assignment –– allowing five runs in ⅔ of an inning while giving up two hits, three walks and hitting one batter –– manager Dave Roberts made no guarantees about the three-time All-Star’s place on the club’s potential postseason roster, marking the latest disappointing twist in his disastrous debut season with the team.

“He needs to pitch better,” Roberts said, while announcing that Díaz will make at least one more minor-league appearance on Wednesday in his ongoing rehab stint. “It hasn’t been good.”

That became even more true a few hours later, when the Dodgers suffered their latest health-related surprise by putting hard-throwing reliever Edgardo Henriquez on the injured list with low back discomfort.

That move will rule Henriquez out for the rest of the regular season, since the minimum 15-day stint will extend past the team’s finale. And while the severity of his issue wasn’t immediately clear –– nor was his potential postseason availability –– it only adds to the headache the Dodgers are facing in the bullpen, where Henriquez had helped compensate for Díaz’s absence by posting a 2.85 ERA in 61 appearances.

For now, the Dodgers find themselves suddenly short on trustworthy right-handed relief depth. Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips and Brock Stewart represent their most experienced options, but each have battled injuries and inconsistency throughout the season.

Roki Sasaki could eventually provide another alternative. But the Dodgers are still hoping to use him as a starter, at least initially, when he returns from a blister that has forced him on the injured list.

In the meantime, getting something out of Díaz only figures to become more paramount.

“I think the world of him. And the [back of the] baseball card looks great,” Roberts said. “But it’s like, where we’re at, there’s got to be something for us to be able to hang our hat on. And he knows that.”

Díaz has made only 16 appearances with the Dodgers this year because of loose bodies in his elbow (which required a surgical procedure in April that sidelined him for three months) and a neck inflammation problem (which landed him back on the IL last month).

And even when he has pitched, his performances have been shockingly ineffective, with the 32-year-old suffering an 11.85 ERA and only seven successful saves in 11 attempts.

The Dodgers identified flaws in Díaz’s mechanics –– which likely arose as a result of his injuries –– that they hoped he’d be able to fix during his current rehab assignment.

Instead, he has battled more command problems, walking seven batters in his four appearances. He hasn’t limited damage, letting Sunday’s outing spiral out of control by plunking one batter with the bases loaded before walking another. 

And on Monday, Roberts gave an ominous answer when asked about his chances of making the postseason roster, despite the mounting issues the team is facing elsewhere in the bullpen.

“Yeah,” he said when asked if the marquee offseason signing could be left off the team. “I mean, we have to go with our best pitchers, as far as performance, talent, all that stuff. So my bet is that he will be [on it]. But again, there’s got to be some kind of evidence or something for us, again, to sort of bet on.”

As awful as yesterday’s game was—the torture only exacerbated by it being a brutally long game—there’s reason for optimism today. The Mariners are 5-3 in games after getting walked off. Maybe that doesn’t strike you as a sterling record, but it compares quite favorably to how other teams have fared after being walked off by the Mariners: 3-8 (as in, the Mariners have won 8). In addition, those five Mariner wins after getting walked off have included some of the best games of the year, including Hancock’s 7 innings and 8 Ks in Houston, Laz’s debut, and Saturday’s historic 19-1 win.

The Mariners attempt to bounce back today will require overcoming Reid Detmers, who, despite being an Angel, is having a phenomenal year. He’s in the top 20 in WAR, whether you’re going by FanGraphs, Baseball Reference, or Baseball Prospectus. He’s basically keeping all the gains he made from last year’s temporary conversion to a releiver. His wipeout pitch is his slider, which breaks so much that it’s practically an 86-mph curveball, except that he’s got a legit curve too that drops an impossible 68 inches. He’s one of the many recent positive developments for Anahiem that are, like, not ideal.

Lineups

• Kade Day! Be sure to read Kate’s profile of him from earlier today.
• Michael Arroyo gets rewarded for his multi-hit day Saturday and three walks yesterday with another start this evening.
• Kade Day and Cole In The Graphic Day on the same day. It’s like it’s my birthday.

Still with the Mike Trout.

Game Info

First pitch: 6:38 PDT
TV: Mariners TV
Radio: Old Reliable

Fun Fact

The Roberto Clemente Award nominees were announced today. Anaheim’s is shortstop Zach Neto. Combined with the A’s Zack Gelof, this is the first time I could find with multiple nominees names Zach/Zack. Seeing how mad people get about my self-indulgent inclusion of this as a fun fact is really just my way of deterimining how many people actually read the previews.

The Mariners’ nominee is Julio.

Of all the parts of the 2026 season that went sideways for the Mets, perhaps the most predictable was Luis Robert Jr. having another injury-filled season after being acquired from the White Sox in the offseason. 

And while Pete Alonso was treated as a conquering hero in his return to Citi Field on Monday with the Orioles, the injured Robert, not surprisingly, fell far under the radar. 

Robert’s brief Mets tenure included a carefully planned schedule designed to help him avoid the leg injuries that affected him the previous two seasons in Chicago, followed by a rocky first month of the regular season. 

A nearly three-month absence due to lumbar spine disc herniation followed. 

When he finally began to produce, putting up an OPS of 1.061 in an 18-game stretch in August, A.J. Ewing had already established himself as the everyday center fielder. 

Robert — on the IL again with Baltimore after being claimed off waivers in a move that saved the Mets $5 million — said there was regret with how his brief tenure in Queens worked out. 

“It was difficult,” Robert said through an interpreter about his time with the Mets, during which he appeared in just 58 games. “We had the talent to be a playoff team and get where we wanted to, but injuries and other stuff happened and it didn’t turn out that way.” 

Instead, the Mets sold at the Aug. 3 trade deadline — although they couldn’t find a taker for the high-priced and injury-prone Robert. 

His prolonged absence, coupled with a lack of production, helped lead to Ewing’s emergence in center, which the Mets hope will serve as a silver lining as they look to the future. 

“I wanted to be able to return from my injury sooner and then when I didn’t get traded [at the deadline],” Robert said, “I wanted to contribute as much as possible and stay healthy.’’ 

The Mets, though, had enough of the experiment and placed him on waivers Aug. 31. He was picked up by the Orioles. 

“What happened, happened,’’ Robert said of the move. “You can’t control that.” 

After just three games with Baltimore, Robert landed back on the IL with left hamstring discomfort. 

“It’s not what I wanted to happen, but I think I’ll be back,” Robert said.

The Mets got their biggest crowd at Citi Field on Monday since July 25 against the Dodgers for all the wrong reasons, as just about everyone in the stands was there for the same reason: to cheer Pete Alonso. 

Before the game and each of his plate appearances in Baltimore’s 2-1 win, Alonso received a raucous ovation. 

“It was awesome,’’ Alonso said. “It was much appreciated.’’ 

And while this day was almost certainly never going to be an easy one for the Mets, with Alonso’s name etched in the team’s history before he was allowed to depart as a free agent for Baltimore in the offseason, it was made more difficult by what’s happened since he left. 

The first baseman’s long-awaited return was marked not only by the numerous “Pete Alonso” chants and a sea of his old No. 20 Mets jerseys, but also a loud “Fire Stearns” chorus, as the masses made their displeasure regarding president of baseball operations David Stearns known as loudly as they have all year. 

Asked about the fanbase’s anger regarding the team letting him leave, Alonso said, “I take it as they appreciate what I brought to the field and the pride of giving everything I have every single night. The years of effort and performance.” 

What’s made Alonso’s absence even more glaring than perhaps the Mets had anticipated is the fact that as the ever-durable slugger made yet another start at first base — he’s been in the lineup for every game this season, as is usually the case — the Mets have gone through seven players to try to replace him thanks in part to Jorge Polanco’s injury-filled season. 

As much as the 35 homers and 100 RBIs have defined Alonso’s year, so have his 151 games played. And his .863 OPS dwarfed the .685 mark Mets first basemen have put up this season, tied for the third worst in the majors. 

No one on the Mets can say they haven’t missed a game. That reliability and production are just parts of Alonso’s game the team has missed in this lost season. 

Lindor called Alonso “one of the most beloved players to come through here.” 

But even the shortstop didn’t foresee the dropoff being so great without Alonso. 

“We thought the guys we acquired were gonna help us win games,’’ Lindor said. “We just haven’t performed our best.” 

And Alonso, for the most part, has. 

Despite going 0-for-3 with a walk on Monday, he still has some of the best numbers in the majors. And he made a bid for his 300th career homer with a long foul ball down the left field line in the third. 

“My job is to play, and I want to do whatever I can for my team to help win the game,’’ Alonso said. “For me, I love playing. I relish every opportunity I get to go out and put the uniform on. It’s a special opportunity to play baseball for a job. I take pride in it.” 

The Mets were ready to move on from Alonso, and he reiterated that once Baltimore made a strong offer early last offseason, he was interested. 

“I didn’t want to mess up a good thing,’’ Alonso said of why he was willing to act quickly when the Orioles came knocking with a five-year, $155 million contract offer. 

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As for the Mets and their willingness to let him go, Alonso said, “I respect their decision. The guys running the team, it’s their prerogative to do whatever they think is best. I respect it professionally. At the same time, I’m so stoked to be an Oriole. I feel very, very fortunate to be here. I feel very fortunate to play all those years I had with the Mets. Two things can be true.” 

He recalled his favorite memory as a Met as the homer in the 2024 wild-card series in Milwaukee, but acknowledged the rough times in Queens, as well. 

As for this year’s disappointing Mets team, Alonso said, “I know there’s so much talent over there. I’ve been part of teams with a lot of talent that didn’t get it done. … You can have all the talent and then injuries [happen] or things are not clicking. It’s baseball. You hate to say that, but it happens. You can’t necessarily predict things and have things work out in a perfect manner.” 

That’s putting it mildly. 

And while Alonso’s bat helped get the Orioles back into the wild-card race last month, they are three games out of the final spot with four teams to pass. 

But for a night, he had reason to look back fondly on his days with the Mets. 

“New York is always gonna feel like some kind of homecoming,’’ Alonso said. “New York will always be a special place for my family.”

San Diego Padres (81-68) at Colorado Rockies (55-94), September 14, 2026, 5:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Coors Field – Denver, Colo.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
• Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
• Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our thread

With a seven-game losing streak and having gone 5-20 in their last 25 games, the Rockies are struggling to close out the 2026 season on any kind of positive note. At 55-94, Colorado is also running out of time to avoid 100 losses as it would need to win eight of its remaining 13 games to do so.

After being swept by the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers on the road, the good news is that the Rockies start a 10-game homestand, their final one of the year, tonight. The bad news is that the first series is against the San Diego Padres, who have beaten the Rockies in eight out of nine matchups this season.

The Rockies lone win against San Diego came at Coors Field on April 22 when Colorado won 8-3. Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) earned the win after giving up one run on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 5.2 innings. Luckily for the Rockies, Sugano (12-9, 5.30 ERA) will be on the mound tonight in game one of the four-game series.

Sugano has struggled in his last seven games, going 1-5 with a 7.71 ERA. His last victory came against Arizona on Aug. 11 when he gave up two solo homers as the only runs in a six-inning performance.

Casey Mize (5-9, 3.70 ERA) will be on the mound for San Diego (81-68), which is currently holding onto the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Opposite of the Rockies, the Padres enter the series riding a seven-game winning streak, including back-t0-back sweeps of the Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants.

Mize, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, was traded to San Diego from Detroit on Aug. 3. In his first seven games with the Padres, the righty has gone 1-3 with a 6.34 ERA.

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KHOW 630 AM and 103.5 HD2 KOA Sister Station for Rockies Radio Network (Denver Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs in Monday Night Football on 850/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 AM (Spanish)

Padres SB Nation Site: Gaslamp Ball 

Lineups:

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The St. Louis Cardinals begin a 3-game series against the San Francisco Giants Monday night at Busch Stadium. Quinn Mathews takes the mound for the Cardinals while the Giants will start RHP Landen Roupp. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.

The San Francisco Giants head to Missouri today to begin a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Landen Roupp, who enters today’s game with a 4.00 ERA, 3.74 FIP, with 139 strikeouts to 72 walks in 150.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 2-1 win over the Cardinals last Tuesday, in which he allowed just two hits with two strikeouts and four walks in six innings.

He’ll be facing off against Cardinals left-hander Quinn Mathews, who enters today’s game with a 4.11 ERA, 4.02 FIP, with 28 strikeouts to 14 walks in 30.2 innings pitched. His last start was also in last Tuesday’s game against the Giants, in which he allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks in six innings.

Game #151

Who: San Francisco Giants (62-88) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (74-76)

Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri

When: 4:45 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Having taken two out of three in the Subway Series against the Mets, it’s now time for the Yankees to head out on the road. Starting tonight, the Yankees will be in Minnesota to take on the Twins. Over the years, the Yankees have regularly gotten the better of the Twins, in the playoffs on several occasions. If the Yankees want any hope of tracking down the Rays in the AL East race, they’re going to have to do so again over the next few days.

For tonight’s series opener, the Yankees will send Will Warren to the mound. While he’s had his ups and downs for the season on the whole, Warren has been very good lately. He’s still likely to head to the bullpen once the postseason comes around, but he’s been a more than solid fifth starter, and the Yankees will hope that continues tonight.

The rest of the lineup is fairly normal, although José Caballero is in at second base after Anthony Volpe had gotten some run there after returning to the bigs.

For the Twins, Dean Kremer will get the ball. The Yankees shared a division with Kremer for several years, as he was on the Orioles before an early-August trade to the Twin Cities. He hasn’t been particularly great this year, both before and after the trade.

Here’s all the information you need to know to catch tonight’s game, and we hope you’ll come join us in the game thread!

How to watch

Location: Target Field — Minneapolis, MN

First pitch: 7:40 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES (NYY) | Twins.TV Presented by Progressive (MIN)

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy App (MIN)

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Will the balls fly out at Wrigley? Or just the Cubs’ balls as they have all year?

Also, apparently the game thread experience is better in the app (I have no firsthand experience)

Detroit Tigers (70-79) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (75-75)

Time/Place: 7:07 p.m., Rogers Centre
SB Nation Site:Bluebird Banter
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Troy Melton (8-4, 2.42 ERA) vs. RHP José Soriano (12-7, 3.48 ERA)

The start of another three game series. 12 games left this season and we still have meaningful baseball. That really should be celebrated, because, over the last 30 years, Jays fans haven’t had that often enough.

12 games….would 8-4 be good enough? Likely? That would be winning 2 of 3 of each of the series we have left.

But then, winning one more game than the Guardians will do it. The Guardians are playing the White Sox tonight. The White Sox have reasons to win, so hopefully they will come up big.

Go Jays Go!

The San Francisco Giants have endured the bad, the worse and the ugly throughout a 2026 campaign that started with high hopes and landed with bleak realities.

The Giants have been among the most disappointing teams in Major League Baseball this season. There was optimism in San Francisco when the team brought in first-year manager Tony Vitello from the college ranks with no previous MLB experience. Many experts predicted that the Giants would win 82 games and maybe even sneak into a wild-card berth. It would have been the most success the team has seen in nearly a half decade.

Then the season began and things shifted immediately. San Francisco isn't anywhere near discussions of making a postseason appearance. Instead, the Giants have the second-worst record in the National League (only the division-rival Colorado Rockies have a worse record).

The Giants haven't had the play they were expecting on the diamond. The Giants lacked depth in the bullpen, dealt with a series of injuries which contorted lineups, and key players just looked like a shell of themselves through large parts of the season. Vitello has been ejected from multiple games this season. Frustration has settled in San Francisco like fog covering the Golden Gate Bridge.

It's since seemed like a salvageable season after seeing younger prospects such as Bryce Eldridge see the field more. After a sluggish start, Rafael Devers found his bat as of late and is nearing a 40-homer season. There are few positive takeaways from the Giants this year, which leaves a little excitement for the next season.

It’s a battle of lefties in Great American Ball Park on Monday night as the Cincinnati Reds welcome Tarik Skubal and the Los Angeles Dodgers to town for a four-game series.

Nick Lodolo gets the start for Cincinnati, with first pitch set for 6:40 PM ET.

Here’s how both clubs will line up to start: