Sep 23, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) hits a fly ball against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Guardians will try to secure a division title against a division rival eager to spoil their chances before heading to Cancun next week.
The Guardians are 83-76 with a +3 run differential, 23rd in MLB with a 95 wRC+, seventh in baserunning runs above average at 5.7, ninth in Defense at -8.6, ninth in starting pitcher ERA at 3.90 (3.88 FIP), and sixth in bullpen ERA at 3.48 (3.63 FIP).
The Royals are 68-91 with a -112 run differential, 20th in MLB with a 97 wRC+, eighth in baserunning runs above average at 5.1, sixth in Defense at -3.4, 25th in starting pitcher ERA at 4.56 (4.44 FIP), and 28th in bullpen ERA at 5.00 (5.00 FIP).
The Guardians and Royals are very similar for the season in offense, baserunning and defense. The Royals are in last place because their pitching has been awful… and they don’t have that dog in ‘em, of course. But, the Guardians will face the Royals’ best two starting pitchers this weekend, so… we will see.
Matchups: Game One, Friday, 7:40PM ET: Cameron, LHP 3.92 ERA vs. Williams, RHP, 3.63 ERA Game Two, Saturday, 7:10PM ET: Wacha, RHP 3.33 ERA vs. Bibee, RHP, 4.35 ERA Game Three, Sunday, 3:10PM ET: Lynch IV, LHP 4.13 ERA vs. TBD (Messick if necessary)
The elephant in the room as we look at these matchups is Michael Wacha who has been a Guardians’ killer. Yes, the team will need the usual suspects to come through versus the two lefties (wake up, David Fry!), but it is Wacha who has tortured this team. Nathaniel Lowe DOES have a .400 wOBA against Wacha over the past four years. Bat him cleanup and let him come through, Stephen. Patrick Bailey has a .594 wOBA, David Fry .564 wOBA, and Angel Martinez .327 wOBA. That’s about all we have to offer in terms of guys who have shown some life vs. Wacha. Would like to see Fry get the DH day and have them sit Jo Adell, but we will see what happens.
For the season, the Guardians are led by Chase DeLauter 130 wRC+, Angel Martinez 112 wRC+, Steven Kwan 112 wRC+, Travis Bazzana 109 wRC+, and Nathaniel Lowe 108 wRC+.
The Royals are led by Jac Caglianone 128 wRC+, Bobby Witt Jr. 120 wRC+, Tyler Tolbert 114 wrC+, Carter Jensen 112 wRC+, John Rave 107 wRC+, and Vinnie Pasquantino 105 wRC+.
Make the Royals’ starters work and get into their bullpen as early as possible, and don’t let Witt and Caglianone beat you. Those are your keys. AND if the White Sox are tied with you on Sunday morning, do NOT start Parker Messick in that last game because the White Sox are playing the Rockies!
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 12: A general view of Fenway Park during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals on September 12, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It wouldn’t be the 2026 Red Sox season if their final series could possibly be a show and go, right? The nor’easter impending arrival in New England is going to rock the region with snow and rain, which forced MLB’s hand into preempting the weather with a double header! The problem is there’s still one more game to play. Where and when, who knows, but we’ll get two in (hopefully) today! We start with a heavy bullpen game—Alec Gamboa takes the bump to start.
Game 1
⚾️ First Pitch: 1:05 PM EDT – Fenway Park, Boston, MA
PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes is only too aware of the impossibly high bar he set for himself during his first two years in the major leagues.
And while his third didn’t come particularly close to meeting it, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace doesn’t view 2026 as a failure.
“I’m not going to sit around all offseason thinking about how bad this season was,” Skenes said after pitching 6 1/3 dominant innings in Pittsburgh’s 2-1 win over St. Louis. “Because I just don’t think that’s true.”
Yes, Skenes didn’t post a sub-2.00 ERA, as he did while winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 and Cy Young Award in 2025. Yes, he struggled with his command at times. Yes, his velocity dipped. Yes, there were days — particularly during a two-month stretch from mid-May to mid-July — in which the towering 24-year-old went winless.
His 10-11 record and a 3.82 ERA were not awful but far less than Skenes expected.
Yet for every moment of frustration, there was a moment of brilliance, the last during the seventh at sun-splashed PNC Park during Pittsburgh’s final home game of the season.
On the cusp of 200 strikeouts after six innings, Skenes negotiated with manager Don Kelly hoping to get the chance to head back to the mound.
Cool, Kelly told him, but make it quick.
Skenes rewarded Kelly’s gesture by having his 96th pitch of the day be among the best of the 2,896 he threw all year, a full-count 95 mph sinker that froze Leo Bernal so completely all Bernal could do was spin back toward the St. Louis dugout after plate umpire Scott Barry called strike three.
Kelly walked out to the mound a moment later and took the ball from Skenes for the final time in 2026. The crowd that came to watch Pittsburgh clinch its first non-losing season since 2018 initially booed, then rose to its feet in appreciation as Skenes sauntered down the dugout steps and out of sight.
“He got what he deserved,” Kelly said.
Even if Skenes and the Pirates didn’t get the year they wanted.
A club that began the season with playoff hopes set a franchise record for home runs hit and for strikeouts thrown. It also blew 25 save opportunities, lost rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin and center fielder Oneil Cruz for extended periods and saw its unquestioned leader labor through most of the summer.
Skenes knows if he had been a little better in June and July, Pittsburgh might have been playing meaningful baseball heading into the final week of the regular season.
“I understand the standard that was set the last couple of years, but I think there was a lot of good and stuff to get better at,” he said. “Probably some low-hanging fruit and some other stuff to address in the offseason.”
The most important number to Skenes wasn’t necessarily the speed of his four-seam fastball — which dropped from 98.2 mph in average velocity last year to 96.8 mph his season but his taking the ball every time it was his rotation turn.
Making 32 starts in consecutive seasons is not something Skenes takes for granted, even as the hitters he punched out so frequently in 2024 and 2025 started punching back. Skenes gave up career highs in homers (20) and walks (49).
Still, he somehow became just the second pitcher in the history of a franchise dating to 1892 to fan 200 batters in consecutive seasons. Bob Veale did it for three straight years in the mid-1960s.
It’s heady territory, even during a year in which the grind felt all too real for both Skenes and his team.
“This is my third year, and every year, at the end, we’re talking about ‘What’s it going to look like for next year?’ and I’m tired of it,” he said. “We are in a good position for next year, I know that, but it’s gonna be tough to think about that again for a whole offseason.”
Especially considering he has no idea how long the offseason might last.
Skenes is on the players’ association subcommittee that is negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. While he wasn’t yet born during the 7 1/2-month strike that spanned the 1994-95 seasons, he knows the stakes are incredibly high.
“We have an opportunity,” he said. “We’re stewards of the game. This is our game. This is as players, it’s also the owners’ game. And we are all stewards of the game and we have to protect it.”
The sooner an agreement is reached, the sooner Skenes can turn his attention to 2027, fueled by some of the lessons he learned during a year that didn’t go the way a notoriously meticulous planner planned.
“Everybody tells you, ‘You’ll be better off for it,’ and stuff like that,” Skenes said. “We’ll see. I don’t think it’s going to hurt. I definitely learned a lot, but won’t know until you’re in it again.”
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 2: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies looks on in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Coors Field on September 2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As 2026 comes to a close, so does the first season of ABS in MLB.
Using the incredibly detailed breakdown on Baseball Savant’s ABS Challenge Dashboard, a paradoxical truth seems undeniable: The Rockies are one of the best teams at ABS challenges, while also simultaneously being one of the worst.
In the simplest terms, when the Rockies issue an ABS challenge on defense — mostly meaning when Hunter Goodman taps his catcher’s helmet — it turns out well. But when the Rockies are at the plate, they are the worst in baseball at gauging the strike zone.
We can dive into the numbers to see how the Rockies have seen their fair share of ABS challenge success and how they could use the new system more efficiently.
Starting with the basics, combining fielding and batting challenges overall, the Rockies have overturned 206 calls, which ranks No. 7 through Wednesday’s games. They get it right 54.1% of the time, which has stayed pretty consistent this year.
Fielding ABS Challenges
When it comes to fielding, which can mean the pitcher or catcher objecting to the ball or strike call, the Rockies are correct 65% of the time. That’s 10% above the league average and tied for fourth-best with the Texas Rangers, who have won 96 challenges, while the Rockies won 133.
Team
Chal
Won
Lost
Won%
Plus K Flip
Minus BB Flip
Chal. Rate
Philadelphia Phillies
140
95
45
68%
23
12
1.80%
Cincinnati Reds
195
131
64
67%
39
13
2.20%
Chicago Cubs
173
116
57
67%
29
9
2.20%
Texas Rangers
148
96
52
65%
26
10
1.90%
Colorado Rockies
206
133
73
65%
42
14
2.60%
Athletics
215
135
80
63%
53
24
2.50%
Detroit Tigers
152
95
57
63%
24
8
2.00%
Arizona Diamondbacks
157
98
59
62%
24
7
2.10%
Atlanta Braves
178
110
68
62%
27
15
2.30%
Boston Red Sox
156
95
61
61%
42
14
2.10%
Los Angeles Angels
189
115
74
61%
29
13
2.30%
Miami Marlins
239
144
95
60%
36
12
3.10%
Seattle Mariners
164
98
66
60%
37
10
2.30%
Tampa Bay Rays
182
108
74
59%
22
9
2.60%
Los Angeles Dodgers
146
86
60
59%
27
10
2.00%
Minnesota Twins
264
154
110
58%
51
20
3.40%
New York Yankees
208
121
87
58%
35
14
2.80%
Kansas City Royals
174
98
76
56%
21
17
2.10%
Toronto Blue Jays
184
102
82
55%
28
14
2.30%
San Francisco Giants
181
99
82
55%
17
10
2.20%
Milwaukee Brewers
245
134
111
55%
33
13
3.40%
San Diego Padres
205
111
94
54%
33
9
2.60%
Houston Astros
194
105
89
54%
20
7
2.40%
Washington Nationals
204
110
94
54%
21
10
2.50%
St. Louis Cardinals
147
79
68
54%
27
14
1.70%
Cleveland Guardians
193
101
92
52%
26
7
2.50%
Baltimore Orioles
155
81
74
52%
26
7
2.00%
New York Mets
190
99
91
52%
30
11
2.50%
Pittsburgh Pirates
187
95
92
51%
26
9
2.40%
Chicago White Sox
273
134
139
49%
34
11
3.60%
Colorado tends to challenge more than most teams as they are ranked No. 7 at 206. This is great because it’s working. The Rockies have flipped 42 calls that then lead to the opposing batter striking out. That’s tied for third-best in the big leagues.
Check out this Goodman challenge that resulted in Mason Adams striking out Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo on Wednesday.
They’ve also erased 14 would-be walks, which is tied for fifth-best. Goodman added to that total on Sept. 19 vs. the Mariners when he challenged what turned out to be not-ball four to Domonic Canzone.
This is largely due to Goodman’s masterful eye behind the plate. His 77 challenges won are the fourth-best in MLB, while his 68.1% success rate is the third-best among starting catchers. In addition, Brett Sullivan has 73 challenges behind the plate with a 58.9% win rate and Braxton Fulford went 7-for-10 in his challenges to boost the Rockies’ stats.
Zooming out, mostly thanks to Goodman, the Rockies have an MLB-best net ABS overturns more than expected by a fielding team seeing identical pitches (only challenges by team) at 30.6. When it comes to actual run value on overturns on challenges by team minus expected, the Rockies are No. 1 at 6.8.
Even though the Rockies enter Thursday’s home finale against Arizona with a -184 run differential, and 6.8 runs doesn’t seem like a lot, they have played in 41 one-run games (and gone 17-24). If better days are ahead and the Rockies are closer to competing, this could make a difference for Colorado.
Pitchers have a collective success rate of 39.3% across the league, which has resulted in fewer pitchers using ABS (only 178 total this season). The Rockies pitchers have combined for 10 challenges and have a 60% win rate. That’s largely due to Kyle Freeland, who has challenged four times and won three.
Batting ABS Challenges
The ABS wins on defense will only matter if they aren’t cancelled out by the Rockies batters’ horrendous challenge rate at the plate.
Through games on Sept. 23, the Rockies are in a three-way tie for worst in MLB with a 42% ABS success rate for hitters. They have challenged 175 calls and won only 73 times. That’s 7% lower than the league average of 49%. Despite the lack of success, the Rockies hitters continue to tap their batting helmets. The 175 attempts ranks No. 6.
In other words, even though they are terrible at it, they keep doing it. A lot.
The Rockies hitters have avoided 20 strikeouts with ABS calls, which is impressive, but only ranks No. 18 in MLB. The 20 strikeouts are more closely aligned with a “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” mentality than an effective approach of when to challenge or not. Colorado is No. 23 with 1,373 strikeouts, which is an improvement from finishing No. 29 last year, but hitters’ eye for the strike zone definitely leaves room for improvement. This is supported by the fact that Colorado batters have only drawn eight extra walks thanks to challenges, which ranks No. 24.
Team
Chal
Won
Lost
Won%
Minus K Flip
Plus BB Flip
Chal. Rate
Athletics
150
86
64
57%
22
8
4.80%
Arizona Diamondbacks
142
81
61
57%
19
7
3.50%
Toronto Blue Jays
151
83
68
55%
21
8
4.50%
Cincinnati Reds
164
90
74
55%
28
19
4.30%
Kansas City Royals
152
83
69
55%
24
11
4.20%
Detroit Tigers
170
91
79
54%
26
10
4.60%
New York Yankees
184
95
89
52%
23
10
5.30%
Los Angeles Dodgers
157
81
76
52%
25
12
4.40%
New York Mets
186
95
91
51%
19
11
5.50%
Chicago Cubs
159
81
78
51%
20
16
4.00%
Texas Rangers
136
69
67
51%
31
7
3.90%
Miami Marlins
157
79
78
50%
26
15
4.50%
Houston Astros
181
91
90
50%
17
11
5.50%
Minnesota Twins
178
89
89
50%
20
22
5.50%
Chicago White Sox
157
78
79
50%
16
7
5.10%
Boston Red Sox
167
81
86
49%
23
11
4.70%
San Francisco Giants
144
68
76
47%
22
9
4.00%
Milwaukee Brewers
123
58
65
47%
15
10
3.10%
Baltimore Orioles
168
79
89
47%
28
18
4.50%
Philadelphia Phillies
179
84
95
47%
16
9
5.10%
Los Angeles Angels
172
80
92
47%
26
20
5.20%
Tampa Bay Rays
150
69
81
46%
16
5
4.40%
San Diego Padres
126
57
69
45%
13
4
3.90%
St. Louis Cardinals
131
59
72
45%
14
5
3.50%
Pittsburgh Pirates
159
71
88
45%
23
8
4.80%
Washington Nationals
129
57
72
44%
21
8
3.70%
Cleveland Guardians
141
61
80
43%
15
11
3.90%
Seattle Mariners
160
67
93
42%
22
12
4.60%
Colorado Rockies
175
73
102
42%
20
8
6.70%
Atlanta Braves
118
49
69
42%
20
9
3.90%
When it comes to the bigger picture, the Rockies have an MLB-worst net ABS overturns more than expected by a team seeing identical pitches (only challenges by team) at -33.5. It’s not great, especially compared to MLB-leading A’s at 24.3. However, in the runs gained vs. runs expected department, the Rockies offense is in the top tier at 2.3, which ranks No. 6. Even though there is a large failure rate, when the Rockies do win, it’s leading to meaningful results.
Individually, the two Rockies who tend to challenge calls the most aren’t the best at it. Cole Carrigg leads the team with 26 challenges and he’s posted a 42.3% success rate.
The worst offender is Willi Castro, who has the second most challenges at 24, but a measly 25% success rate. It’s quite possible that if the Rockies made a rule that Castro can’t tap his helmet, the team average could rise exponentially next year. Here’s an example of one of Castro’s fails on Aug. 31 vs. the Orioles.
One of the Rockies with the most success is Kyle Karros, who gets it right 62.5% of the time (16 correct calls). TJ Rumfield is also above average at 15 correct calls at 46.7%. Other hitters, like Jake McCarthy, just don’t use it much. McCarthy has only challenged five times, winning four of them.
For the first season using ABS, the Rockies definitely have a lot to be proud of, especially the catchers. When it comes to improvement in 2027, if the Rockies can practice more self-control at the plate, they could turn their ABS challenges into even more of an advantage.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After becoming the first team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth, nobody would have begrudged the White Sox for spilling over the dugout railing and celebrating wildly on the field in Kauffman Stadium.
Instead, they matter-of-factly formed a handshake line, as if their 9-1 win over the Royals was any ‘ol mid-summer matinee.
They were saving the party for the clubhouse.
The White Sox clinched no worse than one of three AL wild-card spots with the rout in Kansas City, and in the plastic-draped visiting locker room, the bottles of Moët were stacking up quickly. Miguel Vargas was drenched, Munetaka Murakami was beaming and a team expected to finish last in the AL Central was relishing in a most improbable postseason appearance.
“This means a lot for us,” Vargas said. “We’ve been chasing this moment for a long time. It’s special for us. It’s special for the whole organization. This is a special group of guys, and this is the most fun we can have.”
That might be a bit of hyperbole. The White Sox could be replicating — or, one-upping — the celebration this weekend.
That’s because they still have their sights set on a division title. The White Sox are just a game back of Cleveland. Chicago is home for three games against last-place Colorado, while the Guardians are in Kansas City to wrap up the regular season.
Maybe that’s why the White Sox showed some restraint in celebrating their postseason berth right in front of the Royals.
They could still use a little help from them.
“They know what this is about,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “This comes with the expectation that this was going to happen, which is really cool. They’re definitely letting loose right now, we’ll have a fun plane ride, but then back to business tomorrow.”
It was a charmed all-around day for the city of Chicago. Just as the White Sox were securing a postseason pass, the Cubs were tying up a 2-1 win over the Marlins, clinching a wild-card spot of their own in the NL playoffs. Both Chicago teams reached the postseason for the fourth time after 1906, 2008 and 2020.
The Cubs made it last year, too, when the White Sox were busy losing 102 games and seemed to have little reason to hope.
It wasn’t just that the White Sox were two years removed from losing 121 games, setting a post-1900 record, or that no team had made the playoffs after consecutive 100-loss seasons — let alone three in a row. But even midway through April, they were making good — err, bad? — on most folks’ expectations, starting 6-13 and looking every bit the part of a perennial loser.
But then their youngsters starting slugging, and the White Sox started piling up wins.
Murakami, who signed a two-year, $34 million deal in December — after the White Sox paid a $6,575,000 posting fee to the Yakult Swallows — has 33 homers and drove in his 74th run. Vargas has been receiving some MVP hype after hitting 33 homers of his own and driving in 92. And Colson Montgomery, who tied Mark Reynolds’ season record of 223 strikeouts, has masked all those whiffs by hitting 31 homers and driving in 87 runs.
“W’s are all that matters,” Montgomery said, Champagne and beer dripping from his goggles in the middle of the pandemonium. “You see this? This is all that matters. Whatever I can do to help the team, that’s all I care about.”
Chicago’s trade of left-handed ace Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox in December 2024 also has paid long-term dividends.
Three players that the White Sox landed in the deal — Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth and Braden Montgomery — were in the lineup, and all played a big role in helping the White Sox clinch the 12th postseason appearance.
Teel homered, reached base five times and scored three runs. Meidroth had a couple of hits, extending his on-base streak to 15 games. And batting last in the order, Montgomery had a hit and scored during a three-run second inning that broke open the game.
It was 6-0 after two innings and 8-0 after four. And pretty soon, plastic tarps were going up in the visitors clubhouse, an almost unfathomable party just 90 minutes away.
“This is what the White Sox is. We come together,” Murakami said, “and this is not the end. We’re going to start from here.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Josue De Paula #95 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates his run from a Mookie Betts #50 single, with Dave Roberts #30 and Bob Geren #88, to take a 2-0 lead over the San Francisco Giants, during the second inning at Dodger Stadium on September 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First, a caveat: each round has its own roster. The Dodgers will submit a roster for the National League Division Series on the morning of Game 1, and will do so again should they advance to the National League Championship Series and World Series. Each series roster might be different, based on opponent, length of series, or other factors.
Time on their side
By clinching the No. 2 seed, the Dodgers get a bye past the wild card round, which means they have five days off between the regular season and NLDS. They’ll need it, with the oldest position-player group in baseball, averaging just under 31 years old.
Shohei Ohtani was just activated off the injured list this week, as was Andy Pages. Freddie Freeman is playing through a right knee injury and is hitting only .219/.293/.260 in September. They could all use a combination of rest and finding their form between now and October 3.
Same for Roki Sasaki, who missed over three weeks after a blister on his middle finger, and Blake Snell, who left a start last week with left groin discomfort and will start Saturday in San Francisco to see if everything is okay. Edgardo Henriquez, out since September 14 with lower back discomfort, is expected to be ready for the NLDS, nearly three weeks after he last pitched.
Optional gambit
Dodgers top prospect Josue De Paula got his first taste of the majors when Shohei Ohtani was placed on the injured list, and impressed greatly while filling in at designated hitter, plus one start in left field. In 11 games, De Paula hit .323/.500/581 with five extra-base hits and more walks (11) than strikeouts (five). But he was optioned once Ohtani returned on Wednesday.
“Josue has been awesome. Injected some life and energy into our team as we got into September,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “He handled himself and did as well as he could possibly do. Right now we view him as a DH, and Shohei’s back and going to take the DH at-bats.”
Manager Dave Roberts said something similar after De Paula was optioned.
“We have some other guys that need to play that we’ve got to put eyes on. And to be quite frank, there’s just not a lot of at-bats to go around now that Shohei’s back,” Roberts said. “We’ve still got to get Miggy (Rojas) some at-bats, Kiké (Hernández), and some other guys at-bats, too. They’re hard to come by.”
Sending De Paula down to the minors specifically on Wednesday meant that his 10 days on optional assignment will be up just in time to be available on October 3, the date of Game 1 of the NLDS. De Paula will be available for the Dodgers in the postseason, should they choose to use him.
For some pitchers, it’s not that easy.
Emmet Sheehan was optioned on Monday, and pitchers have to be down for 15 days instead of the 10-day requirement for position players. That means Sheehan wouldn’t be eligible to be called up to the Dodgers (or added to their postseason roster) until October 6, which is three days after the start of the NLDS.
Will Klein is more of an option even while currently on the 60-day injured list. He’s eligible to return by the NLDS, though the Dodgers are considering him more for the later rounds, depending on how he progresses over the next few weeks after his simulated game on Tuesday.
“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.”
How many pitchers?
Postseason rosters have 26 active players, with a limit of 13 pitchers, just like in the regular season. Here’s how many pitchers the Dodgers carried in each round of the last four postseasons, excluding the shortened wild card round which can get wonky:
That’s 13 pitchers in every round for three postseasons, then last year one fewer pitcher when they had two-way player Shohei Ohtani covering a starter’s level of innings on the mound. The Dodgers do not have that luxury this year, as Ohtani won’t pitch again in 2026.
Last year’s NLDS was the exception, when the Dodgers carried 11 pitchers plus Ohtani, or 12 if they set a normal roster. But last year’s Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies had the built-in day off between Games 1-2 to help stagger both leagues for television purposes. This year, that extra day is during the American League Division Series, so the Dodgers won’t have an extra day of rest built in to maneuver their pitching usage.
In other words, 13 pitchers seems like the most likely route for the Dodgers in any best-of-7 series this October. Where it gets interesting is in the best-of-5 NLDS, where they could carry 12 pitchers and still feel they have enough coverage.
Which pitchers?
The pool is fairly well defined, especially for the NLDS. With four starting pitchers, the Dodgers have 10 relievers active at the moment, five from each side:
Left-handers (5): Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer, Justin Wrobleski, Kris Bubic
Edgardo Henriquez has been mentioned multiple times this week as being likely to be ready for the NLDS, so that’s 11 relievers from which to pick either nine (if the Dodgers carry 13 pitchers) or eight (if the Dodgers carry 12 pitchers).
One open bench spot or two?
It took until the Dodgers’ 158th game of the season, on Wednesday, until they had their planned starting eight in the same lineup for the first time in 2026.
For the most part, that will likely be the lineup all postseason, maybe save for a few times Max Muncy might sit against a left-handed starting pitcher before coming into the game later, as he did three times in 17 postseason games last year.
The Dodgers plan to activate Dalton Rushing from the injured list on Friday, basically to get three pinch-hitting opportunities in three games in San Francisco. That puts him in direct competition with De Paula for a potential left-handed pinch-hitter role for October, a battle that thus far is decidedly in the rookie’s favor, in large part because Rushing has only played in five games in the last eight weeks thanks to two injured-list stints.
“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,” Roberts said. “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.”
Teoscar Hernández started all 33 postseason games the last two seasons. He played every inning in eight of 16 games in 2024, and did so six times in 17 games last October. Kiké Hernández could be the late-inning defensive replacement, or the Dodgers could stick with Alex Call, who has been active all season and was active all postseason last year, too, and got into seven games. Call isn’t one of the 12 listed above.
That’s before considering if one of De Paula or Rushing makes the team, or even if they decide on an extra speedster like Hyeseong Kim, who could pinch-run and play defense up the middle as needed.
If the Dodgers carry 13 pitchers, there’s room for one more position player. If it’s 12 pitchers, there’s room for two more position players.
“It’s probably a different conversation if we’re fortunate enough to get to the next round, the CS,” Roberts said Thursday. “In a five-game series it’s not as much of a conversation, as far as the need for extra pitching.”
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 15: Andrew Miller #24 of the Cleveland Indians celebrates after striking out Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays in the top of the eighth inning during game two of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 15, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Picture this: 10 years ago. 2016. The Cavs are Champs, you’re in the best shape of your life, going to concerts on the beach and sippin’ on Spring Lakers in God’s Basement listening to E Street covers all summer long…
No? Just me? Oh well how about something we can all relate to, like the then Cleveland Indians winning the AL Central and going on a magical run to Game 7 of the World Series?
Ahhh yes, there it is. And while that Playoff run didn’t end like we all wish it would have, it’s important to remember how we got there and how much we enjoyed that journey. That team was a complete bunch: an experienced Manager who has been there before, a lineup filled with few young Superstars mixed with some savvy clutch Veterans and a rotation that was one of the best in baseball. However, after a few late injuries to that rotation (both unfortunate and self inflected), the Tribe needed to lean heavily on a few reliable arms out of the bullpen. Then, we saw history.
While Cody Allen deserves his flowers in his part for getting us oh so close to our first World Series ring since 1948, it was newly acquired Andrew Miller who came up the biggest, earning ALCS MVP in the 4-1 series Win vs Toronto.
There was no one more dominant in the 2016 Postseason than ALCS MVP, Andrew Miller. pic.twitter.com/i3y2FFdo6W
For those of you who don’t know (or just love to be reminded of it), Miller Time was the absolutely greatest tasting less filling arm you’ve ever seen in that series. In the 5 ALCS games, Miller pitched in 4 of them, for 7.2 IP, allowing 3 hits and striking out 14(!). And while those numbers would’ve been one incredible start for any SP, it’s especially important to remember that Andrew wasn’t pitching in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd innings and facing the bottom of the lineup. No. Tito had Miller pitching strictly in leverage innings, multiple in every appearance, and always facing Toronto’s best: Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista and some sort of combination of Russell Martin and Troy Tulowitzski. He neutralized the biggest threat, at the biggest time, in 4 Wins on the biggest stage. That’s how you win ALCS MVP.
Now, to expect ANYONE to ever do that again is crazy talk. Trust me, I get that. But if this Cleveland Guardians team is to make the World Series again, someone (well, a bunch of someones) will have to step up and deliver big time for n the ALCS. Who might that be?
Here are my 5 candidates to be this year’s version of ALCS MVP Andrew Miller…
Missed the Cut: Tim Herrin
Look, I don’t wanna pick on the guy. He actually fits the bill: big, long, lefty out of the ‘pen, who *when he throws strikes* can be a shutdown to possibly untouchable arm out of the ‘pen. Throw a beard on the baby face and he’s a spitting image of Andrew! BUT it would be disingenuous of me to predict him, even if other writers here may believe in him. I just haven’t seen the consistency from Tim to become his alter ego Jim long enough to give us an MVP performance. I would LOVE to be proven wrong, and I know, he will have to pitch well at least once if we make a run, but I don’t see it being THAT impactful. At least as a positive. But again, prove me wrong!
HM: Justin Campbell
Who?!?! Nahhh I know my readers know who our boy JC is. But if you’re new here, Justin was a highly ranked arm in the 2022 draft that many in Cleveland had very high expectations for. But after a few injuries that sidelined him for years, he became an afterthought. That was until this year, when he broke out at High A Lake County, AA Akron and eventually made his way to AAA Columbus. Campbell was amongst the organizational leaders in just about every stat/metric, and with an impending 40 man roster spot coming his way, what better time to ride the hot hand?
Cleveland #Guardians RHP prospect Justin Campbell struckout five Indianapolis batters tonight over three scoreless innings of work for Columbus.
We saw it with Chase DeLauter last year, debuting in the Wild Card Round vs Detroit. Cleveland has shown recently that they believe in being aggressive if it can provide an advantage. Well, why not a pitcher, stretched out to go multiple innings, this Fall? It’s not like our bullpen couldn’t use the fresh arm!
As fun as it is to imagine, it’s just an honorable mention, as this is for sure one of the tougher scenarios to see playing out. Still tho, rooting for the kid who will be with us next year and hopefully for a long time after.
#5: Daniel Espino/Joey Cantillo Combo
Well there’s an idea!
Piggybacking (see what I did there) off of the Campbell idea, both Espino and Cantillo have found themselves in new roles recently. And outside of one ugly inning for Daniel, it has been a revelation for them both. Cantillo, since moving to the Piggyback spot, has thrown 15 innings, allowing 4 hits, 0 runs scored while striking out 17. That my friends is a game changer. Add in Espino touching 102 and learning to throw more frequently than he ever has, and these two are primed for some big boy innings.
Joey Cantillo, since shifting to a new role with an opener pitching in front of him:
Will they use these guys as a pseudo 3rd SP? It’s very likely! Could they deploy them in a way where they are more effective on a nightly basis? Anything is possible!
#4: Jose Ramirez
Jose is the GOAT. But he’s had a rough year. He was off to a slow start that turned into a subpar first half. And while we all believed he would break out of it, he would brake his hamate bone and be sidelined for 6 weeks, only to be nursing it (understandably so) when he returned. Jose never really found his footing this year (except for one week in April) and this turned into an extremely forgettable season.
But what if it wasn’t? What if Jose could give us one stretch of Prime Jose? Wouldn’t a classic Lapara Hot streak in late October make everyone forget about the down season? I know what people remember most, and it’s the Legends of the Fall.
We know it’s in there, and man it would be something to have him erase the bad memories of subpar Octobers past with one big one this year. And until he gives me a reason not to, I’ll always believe in Jose.
The 🐐 doing 🐐 things.
Congratulations to José Ramírez on being named American League Player of the Week for the 9th time in his career!#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/EJwAb3jMYg
He’s been the #1 Lefty option for us all year, and outside of one bad dry spell (where he may have been pitching hurt?), he’s been absolutely LIGHTS OUT. It is so easy to see why Sabrowski could be THE GUY. He generates some of the most WHIFFS on the team, he’s thrown multiple innings a handful of times, he’s hit right now… and of course, he is a Lefty. If Vogt doesn’t want to mess with the 9th, moving Sabro around is likely his best bet at making life difficult for the other team
Last night, Erik Sabrowski punched out the side in a huge win as the Cleveland Guardians look to win their division!!
He now has a truly ridiculous 73 strikeouts in 46.2 innings on the season and is a huge part of one of the best bullpens in baseball! #AHPFamilypic.twitter.com/aJ2e5I6R94
Part of the Miller Time Magic was that Andrew felt like the missing piece. That this team was already a contender, and then they added the perfect puzzle piece to help them get over the hump. And when utilized the right way, even just performing to his natural abilities, it was the greatest breath of fresh air that felt like it transformed the team.
Well, I get a lot of those feelings watching Jo Adell in the lineup. We had very little pop in the middle of the order and we couldn’t hit Lefties to save our life. Enter Adell and it felt like we just showed the bully at school we have a big brother that can whoop your butt.
Now, Jo has cooled off a bit this month, but anyone that has watched him before knows he has the ability to go scorched earth for a week or so. And if he can be that presence that he was when we brought him in and started this turn around, he can put on The Jo Show to the tune of an ALCS MVP Award.
JO ADELL IS ABSOLUTELY DIALED IN.
8-GAME HITTING STREAK 🔥
.303 AVG 10 H 2 HR 7 RBI 6 R
And he’s doing it right in the middle of an October push.
Storybook ending for the guy who could never escape the gallows of Anaheim.
#1: Cade Smith
I mean, duh. Have you seen this guy?!
I don’t even know what to lead with. His 41 saves? His sub-1.99 ERA for the season (remember when people were saying he isn’t a Closer??), and 0.62 ERA since the All Star Break? Or the recent stretch he’s put together for Vogt as a multi inning ASSASSIN?
The answer is Cade Smith. Steven Vogt has shown that he believes the Cade Crusader can do anything, including pitch the 8th and 9th or 9th and 10th of a tie ball game while already having men on. He’s been as steady of a presence and you can ever imagine. The Vancouver Vanisher has given up just 3 hits and 3 walks in his last 12 games, which spanned 14.1 IP. No runs have scored, and he’s struck out 25(!).
Cleveland #Guardians closer Cade Smith struckout the side in 9th inning tonight vs the Red Sox for his 41st save clinching a playoff berth!
Mother Nature is having a say in how the Major League Baseball season ends.
The three-game series between the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox, originally scheduled for three separate days, now includes a doubleheader on Sept. 25 due to impending weather expected to hit Boston this weekend.
Sunday's game has been moved to 1:05 p.m. Eastern on Friday as part of a doubleheader. The second game, originally scheduled for 7:05 p.m., was moved up an hour to 5:35 p.m.
“Everything is up in the air,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Can we get out of Boston if we have to leave? There’s a lot of uncertainty. We’re prepared for the uncertainty. We know that plans are going to change this weekend.”
The third and final game of the series is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Saturday, but it could be moved due to the nor'easter expected to wreak havoc in the area. Contingency plans could include moving the final game of the series to Tropicana Field in Tampa, as the Rays are in Philadelphia to play the Phillies and conclude their regular season.
“I’m planning on being ready to play those two games tomorrow,” Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said Thursday. “We should be able to get that in, even if the second game there might be like a little bit of drizzle.”
Boston has already clinched a playoff spot and is currently the No. 5 seed in the American League. If the standings hold, they would begin their postseason in the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series on Tuesday if they win one of the games against Chicago.
The Cubs are also in the playoffs and are still fighting for home-field advantage in the first round.
Note on BCB procedure today: I will post a recap of Game 1 as soon as possible after it’s over. That post will include the starting pitcher info and other details for Game 2, which is scheduled to start at 4:35 p.m. CT (see below).
You all know about the approaching storm in the Boston area. Here’s the Boston-area radar for you to keep handy.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Cubs are 42-36 on the road, but only 11-17 in day games, including 2-7 in the second of back-to-back day games, at the same or different sites. The wins were at Cleveland on April 5 and Seattle on Aug. 23. The losses were at Cleveland on April 3 and 5, Tampa on April 6, Los Angeles vs. the Dodgers on April 26, Pittsburgh on May 25; Miami on Sept. 6 and Milwaukee on Sept. 7. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
FRIDAY ON MY MIND: The Cubs are 12-13 on Friday. They are 7-6 on the road, where they have lost two of the last three after having won the previous two. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
GOTTA SCORE MORE: Yesterday’s Wild Card-clinching 2-1 win was just the Cubs’ 12th of the season in which they have scored three or fewer runs. They have lost 47. They are 76-24 when they have scored at least four. It also was only their 14th win with six or fewer hits. They have lost 35. They are 74-36 with at least seven. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Ken Holtzman takes a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Dodgers and Sandy Koufax, billed as “the battle of the Jewish left-handers.” Dick Schofield leads off the ninth with a single, breaking up the no-no, and the Dodgers score a run before Holtzman gets Willie Davis to hit into a game-ending double play and the Cubs win 2-1. It happened 60 years ago today, Sunday, Sept, 25. 1966. More on this game in this BCB article from 2021.
The bad news is that since Clay Holmes joined the Cubs, he’s pitched much better at Wrigley Field (1.14 ERA in four starts) than on the road (8.24 ERA in four starts). Yikes.
The (sort of) good news? Well… Holmes has a 3.31 ERA in 16.1 career innings at Fenway Park (11 appearances, one start). That start was May 20, 2025 and he allowed two runs in six innings, which today would be just fine. Willson Contreras is 5-for-11 vs. Holmes.
Alec Gamboa is an opener today against the Cubs. He hasn’t thrown more than 29 pitches in a game since early August so expect him to go no more than two innings.
Gamboa is a rookie this year, originally drafted by the Dodgers in 2019, but they let him go last year and he spent the rest of 2025 in Korea before the Red Sox signed him last offseason. He’s never faced the Cubs, obviously, or anyone on their active roster. It’s possible that Jake Bennett, also a left-hander, could be the “bulk guy” after Gamboa.
Please visit our SB Nation Red Sox site Over The Monster. If you do go there to interact with Red Sox fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
BRONX, NY - JULY 18: Phil Rizzuto attends a pre-game ceremony in honor of "Yogi Berra Day" during the MLB game between the Montreal Expos and the New York Yankees on July 18, 1999 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The Yankees defeated the Expos 6-0. (Photo by Vincent Laforet/Getty Images) | Getty Images
How do you define a legend like Phil Rizzuto? A kid from Brooklyn. A speedy, slick-fielding shortstop. An American League MVP. A seven-time World Series champion. A sailor in the United States Navy. The radio and television voice of the New York Yankees. The namesake for the Staten Island Yankees mascots. All of these descriptions are accurate, but none of them quite capture the Hall of Famer — although that impossibility may, in truth, capture the essence of the legend best.
Fiero Philip Francis “Phil” Rizzuto Born: September 25, 1917 (Brooklyn, NY) Died: August 13, 2007 (West Orange, NJ) Yankees Tenure: 1941-42, 1946-56 (player); 1957-96 (announcer)
Rizzuto was born on this day, September 25, 1917… probably. His birth certificate, naval records, baseball cards, obituaries, and encyclopedia entries all list this as his date of birth, but after Rizzuto’s death, reporter Murray Chass shared that, while in the hospital back in the 1970s, Rizzuto claimed his actual year of birth was 1916.
No matter the year of his birth, Rizzuto faced a stark challenge trying to break into the sport during his youth. Both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants refused to give him a shot due to his short stature. The Yankees, however, having seen him go up against the likes of Satchel Paige while playing for a semipro team, signed him as an amateur free agent in 1937, assigning him to their Virginia-based minor league affiliate, the Bassett Furnituremakers. He spent four years in the minors, racking up stories that he would tell for decades, but which were never told the same way twice: the New York native was surprised by the size of the minor league town, put grits in his pocket because he didn’t realize they were food, injured his foot stepping into a gopher hole, and received the nickname “Scooter” due to his speed.
Looking to move on from the aging Frankie Crosetti, the Yankees made Rizzuto their starting shortstop to start the 1941 season in his age-23 season. Across his first two seasons in the Bronx, he posted a .295/.343/.386 slash line, stealing 36 bases and playing great defense. He earned down-ballot MVP votes in each season, losing both times to teammmates (Joe DiMaggio in 1941, Joe Gordon in 1942), made the All-Star team in his second season, and won his first World Series as a rookie.
Like many of his teammates and opponents, Rizzuto put his Major League career on hold after the 1942 season and joined the Navy. Originally stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, to play with the dock teams, the young man was eventually transferred to the Pacific theater, where he led a 20 mm gun crew — taking him away from his new wife Cora, whom he met while at the Norfolk base. Following a stint in Australia to recover from a battle with malaria, Rizzuto briefly served on a cargo ship, then was sent ashore to organize sports competitions and serve as an athletic trainer; not only was this a much better use of his skills as a professional athlete, it was also a relief to Rizzuto, who learned after joining the Navy that he was prone to seasickness.
After the war, Rizzuto returned to the Yankees despite a brief flirtation with the Mexican League, and after sandwiching his second World Series ring between a pair of third-place finishes, Rizzuto and the Yankees embarked on arguably the greatest run in franchise history. Starting in 1949, the Bronx Bombers won five consecutive World Series championships, and the now-veteran shortstop was a big reason why. He finished as the runner-up to Ted Williams for AL MVP in 1949, then won the award the following year with a .324/.418/.439 showing, tallying a league-best 6.8 WAR. In 1951, he made the Giants regret passing on him as a teenager, slashing .320/.393/.440 against them in the Fall Classic to down them in six games.
The Yankees’ World Series streak came to an end in 1954. It was also, perhaps uncoincidentally, the beginning of Rizzuto’s decline. After two seasons of less-than-stellar production from the now-aging star, the Yankees unceremoniously released him in the middle of the 1956 season. That was almost the end of Rizzuto’s relationship with New York, as he was furious at the disrespect shown to him. Teammate Snuffy Stirnweiss, however, encouraged him to take some time away from the team before he did something he would later regret, and that turned out to be one of the greatest pieces of advice in Yankees history; soon afterwards, the Yankees invited him to join Mel Allen and Red Barber in the broadcast booth.
Rizzuto spent four decades in the broadcast booth, and in truth, had he never played for the Bombers, he would have become a Yankee legend just from his time with the microphone. He was not only the voice of the Yankees for multiple generations of Yankees fans, he in many ways set the tone for the YES Network with his ability to blend seriousness and fun: when Michael Kay, Joe Girardi, David Cone, Paul O’Neill, and Meredith Marakovits banter during the game, they follow in the legacy of Scooter.
Due to his less-than-stellar counting stats, Rizzuto became a controversial candidate for the Hall of Fame, failing to achieve baseball immortality through the traditional writers’ vote and only receiving the honor once good friends Yogi Berra, Bill White, and Pee Wee Reese sat on the Veterans’ Committee in 1994. This is fortunate, not only because he deserved the honor, but because otherwise, the world would not have gotten one of the best Hall of Fame speeches.
Major League Baseball may have waited to honor Rizzuto, but the Yankees did not. In 1985, they retired his No. 10 and gave him a plaque in Monument Park. During the ceremony, a holy cow famously knocked Rizzuto to the ground. That cow would get reincarnated, metaphorically speaking, as Scooter the Holy Cow, the first mascot for the Yankees’ former Short Season Single-A affiliate, the Staten Island Yankees.
After his retirement from the broadcast booth following the 1996 season, Rizzuto continued to be a regular presence at Yankee Stadium. When he passed away after a long period of declining health in August 2007, the entire Yankees family felt the loss. Between his playing and broadcasting days, Rizzuto had spent more than 53 years with the organization, making him by far the longest-tenured Yankee in franchise history. To honor him, the 2007 Yankees played the final two months of the season with a black armband and on his No. 10 on their sleeves.
Happy birthday, Scooter! We miss you.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Five days after sustaining facial fractures after getting struck in his left eye by a foul ball, Alex Bregman is back in the Chicago Cubs lineup.
Bregman will be the designated hitter and bat third in the Cubs' first game of a doubleheader Friday, Sep. 25 at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox.
His return completes a remarkable recovery after a Michael Busch foul ball took one hop and struck him in the face near the on-deck circle in the Cubs' game at Cincinnati Sunday. Bregman sat out three games and by Wednesday was already lightly working out and tracking pitches from a machine.
And depending on the results, it certainly stokes hopes that Bregman will be good to go once the Cubs begin their National League wild-card series on Tuesday.
Bregman has hit 26 home runs in his first season with Chicago after signing a five-year, $175 million contract; he'll be facing the Red Sox, his old team with whom he reached the playoffs a year ago. Bregman has now gone to the postseason 10 consecutive seasons with three teams.
Matt Shaw is playing third base in Game 1 against Red Sox starter Alec Gamboa.
The Chicago Cubs today placed right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera on the Family Medical Emergency List and reinstated right-handed pitcher Gavin Hollowell from the 15-day injured list.
Hollowell has a 2.51 ERA (4 ER/14.1 IP) with 13 strikeouts and eight walks in 14 games, all in relief with the Cubs this season. He was placed on the injured list on August 31 with right shoulder inflammation.
Cabrera is 5-5 with a 5.96 (53 ER/80.0) in 18 appearances/three starts this season with the Cubs.
Players can spend from three to seven days on the Family Medical Emergency Leave List, so that puts Cabrera out for the rest of the regular season. It would seem doubtful at this point that Cabrera would be on any postseason roster, so most likely the next time we see him would be next year.
As always, we await developments. Today’s game preview will post at 10:30 a.m. CT.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 24: Luis Arraez #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, September 24, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Another night. Another loss. Another lackluster performance from the offense.
It all could lead to another early-round postseason exit, IF the Phillies are even able to get there.
On Thursday night in front of a disgruntled Citizens Bank Park crowd, the lineup continued its September-long snooze in a 5-1 loss to the Brewers that featured four Phillies hits, only one of them for extra bases. It was their 12th loss in their last 20 games and, perhaps a bit coincidentally, the 12th time in 20 games this month they’ve scored 3 runs or fewer, including 7 of their last 9.
On Wednesday night they fell 4-1, piling up just six hits while going 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, and are 1-for-16 in those situations over the last two nights. Oddly, hitting with runners in scoring position hasn’t really been a problem for the Phils this year. In fact, their .271 average with RISP is actually 3rd-best in baseball and their .798 OPS is 2nd.
But both losses had all the notes of recent October failures, and the fans in attendance recognized it.
And now, they may have also lost their star second baseman and primary trade deadline acquisition for the rest of the season.
Talk about Jesus Luzardo and his potential return all you want. This offense, as currently constituted, cannot win the World Series.
Arraez’ ankle injury trying to evade the tag of first baseman Jake Bauers last night just might be the death blow to an already underachieving lineup.
Luis Arráez went down in pain after running to 1st base on this play. He has left the game. pic.twitter.com/nbKPlGanAg
Even though Arraez was hitting only .278/.309/.369 with just 12 extra-base hits in 46 games with the Phillies, his arrival gave the offense a different dynamic as the No. 4 hitter. But in September, even with Arraez (who also wasn’t hitting great) an already struggling offense is having its toughest month yet.
September: .655 OPS, 79 wRC+
May: .667 OPS, 79 wRC+
April: .678 OPS, 85 wRC+
July: .686 OPS, 85 wRC+
August: .763 OPS, 108 wRC+
June: .778 OPS, 110 wRC+
Their 81 runs scored in September are tied for 5th-fewest in MLB, their .225 batting average is 4th-lowest, .302 OBP is 7th-worst and only the Angels have a worse slugging percentage than the Phils (.352) in September. They have hit just 15 home runs as a team this month, tied with Washington for the fewest in baseball, and their .655 OPS is also last.
The struggle bus has pulled up and welcomed all comers.
Kyle Schwarber leads the team with 5 HRs (one of only three players with more than one), but is hitting .171/.236/.395 with a .721 OPS. That’s second-best among the regulars. Bryce Harper’s .278 average and .348 OBP are fine, but his .367 slugging percentage, one homer and 7 RBIs aren’t getting it done in the No. 3 hole.
It’s pretty simple. If Schwarber and Harper don’t provide the power, no one will.
There is simply no way the Phillies can win a title with players hitting like this (in September):
Trea Turner: .226/.301/.269, wRC+ 83
Bryson Stott: .182/.286/.258, wRC+ 53
Justin Crawford: .239/.265/.391, wRC+ 72
J.T. Realmuto: .113/.214/.177, wRC+ 11
Brandon Marsh: .156/.174/.267, wRC+ 12
Only Alec Bohm is hitting well among the everyday starters, with a .319/.405/.464 slash line and 12 RBIs this month.
But much of these issues aren’t exclusive to September. It’s been a feature of the 2026 Phillies, not a bug. The Phils are 17th in runs scored this season, 22nd in average, 23rd in OBP, 21st in slugging, and 28th in wRC+.
If you judge this team’s position players by fWAR, they have the 5th-worst collection of non-pitchers in the sport. Only the A’s, Reds, Angels and Rockies have less WAR from their position players. As bad as his season has been, Turner actually has the 4th-highest fWAR (1.0) among Phils’ non-pitchers.
How exactly can anyone expect the Phillies to go on a deep playoff run with a roster like this, especially when going up against 100-win teams like the Brewers and Dodgers, and facing a brutal road wild card series against the Braves in Atlanta, provided they can even hold off the hard-charging D-Backs?
And now, the Phillies face some major decisions with Arraez out. Do they move Harper back to first base, second Stott to second and play Bohm at third? Do they insert Bryan de la Cruz and/or Derek Hill into right field? Or, do they simply play Stott at second and Sosa at third the rest of the way?
At this point, it hardly matters if Luzardo is going to be available for the wild card round. It would be nice if the high-priced offense could give their struggling relievers a little breathing room, but that doesn’t seem likely.
We’ve seen these Phillies lose playoff series when the pitching has been incredible. It doesn’t matter.
The lineup stinks. They can’t hit. It isn’t getting better.
Unless something drastic and unforeseen happens, there is no way they are winning a World Series like this.
Make sure to check out an all new Hittin’ Season podcast featuring a plethora of conversation about the Phillies’ offense and its chances in the MLB playoffs.
Make sure to follow Hittin’ Season on social media!
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 23: Walt Weiss #22 of the Atlanta Braves hugs Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park on September 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the division having been locked up last weekend and the seeding essentially being locked in as well, this was pretty much a dead-rubber series for the Atlanta BRaves as they took on a struggling Cincinnati Reds squad that is also playing out the string.
As such, the main thing that everybody was looking for was simply quality of performance and health rather than actual results. The Braves have gotten the results that they needed for the 2026 regular season and all they need now is to gear up for the Postseason and the long road that awaits them. So, did the Braves escape from this series unscathed and looking fine? I’ll leave that up to you to decide. Let’s hop into it.
The only thing to take away from this is that Ronald Acuña Jr. avoided a serious injury scare after fouling one off of the one part of his lower leg that wasn’t covered in armor. Needless to say, the Braves could ill afford to lose Acuña (or anybody else in the core, for that matter) so it was certainly a relief to hear that both the X-ray and the CT scan were negative and that Acuña ended up just needing a night of rest to bounce back from the shin contusion.
Anyways, JR Ritchie got the ball to start this one and for what it’s worth, he pitched a mighty-fine five innings during this contest. If the only mistake is giving up a homer to Elly De La Cruz, you’re doing fine. Ritchie has certainly earned an opportunity to pitch his way onto the Postseason roster and if all goes well in Miami, he’ll be there.
Other than that, the offense had nothing to write home about in this one. This was the tenth time that Atlanta had been shut out this season and hopefully it’ll be the last time — both in the regular season and in the Postseason!
Chris Sale went into this one needing 10 strikeouts to reach 200 on the season for the ninth time in what is likely going to end up being a Hall-of-Fame career. Walt Weiss mentioned in the pregame press conference on Thursday that he definitely would’ve preferred to not have Sale out there for 97 pitches but ultimately, I think he was going to stay in as long as it took if he was close and sure enough, Sale was close near the end of his start. Also, shout-out to Sal Stewart for being a homie and not challenging the strikeout pitch for No. 200 because that, um, was a bit outside.
On the other side of things, Andrew Abbott largely kept Atlanta in check for the most part as the Braves once again found runs very hard to come by against this Reds pitching staff. Fortunately, they actually did score on this particular night — Matt Olson hit his 41st dinger of the season in the sixth inning to tie the game up at one run apiece and then Austin Riley hit a homer of his own to knot things up at two in the seventh inning. There weren’t any fireworks after that in regulation, so it was time for the ghost runners to get involved in extra innings.
The tenth ended up being pretty straightforward — Brent Suter sat down the Reds in order in their half of the tenth and then Mauricio Dubón came through with a short dribbler that was as good as a line drive to center that brought home the speedy DaShawn Keirsey Jr. from third base and earned Dubón the Dubble Bubble helmet of honor for the night. Sweet.
Carlos Jorge, Héctor Rodríguez and Elly De La Cruz all homered in this game for the Cincinnati Reds as they continued to find their power stroke during this series at the expense of Atlanta’s pitching staff. Those three Reds players have a combined 37 home runs so far this season and 30 of those have come from Elly, so that tells you how much of a shock it was to see some of those balls get out for Cincinnati on this particular night.
Fortunately, the Braves were able to keep pace for the most part as their offense continued to ramp up a bit. Atlanta got this one started on the right foot with four runs in the first inning off of Brady Singer but instead of it turning into a walkover for the Braves, it turned into a serious baseball battle as Tyler Mahle had his first rough start for the Braves since arriving at the Trade Deadline. Austin Riley added on a home run in the fifth inning in order to bring the game to a 5-5 deadlock.
Mike Yastrzemski’s go-ahead single in the fifth inning ended up being the final run that the Braves put on the board in this one, as the aforementioned Rodríguez dinger off of AJ Smith-Shawver ended up being the one that turned the game around in favor for the Reds as it was a go-ahead, two-run shot of his own. The offense for Atlanta was certainly active and the fielding display on defense was very solid as well but sometimes it’s hard to still win a game when the pitching has a rough night. That was the case here as the Braves ended up dropping their final home series of the season.
So, the most important development to come from this series is that the Braves will have to go without Martín Pérez until the NLCS (if they get that far). Also, Mauricio Dubón finally got a walkoff hit, Chris Sale hit 200 strikeouts on the season and Ronald Acuña Jr. cane out of it healthy. Outside of that, it’s hard to really glean too much from this series since the Braves don’t really have a ton to play for and the Reds are certainly playing out the string, themselves.
With that in mind, it’ll certainly be interesting to see how JR Ritchie’s next start goes. That’s likely going to be his final audition for a Postseason roster spot and considering how Atlanta’s starting pitching depth has suddenly been tested, it’ll be crucial to see if he can perform. It is going to be very, very fascinating (and t o t a l l y not nerve-wracking at all) to see how everything works out for the rotation and the rest of the pitching staff going forward.
Anyways, the Braves are officially locked into the three-seed and set for the Wild Card Series beginning on September 29. While Atlanta was still able to do enough to win the division, it’s not lost upon me that Atlanta dropped 13 games against the Reds, Giants and Mets this season. Turning over even half of those games would’ve probably gotten the Braves the bye but also, I hate looking at “what-if’s” since it comes to that sort of thing since Walt Weiss has always been adamant that it’s not about who you’re playing but when you’re playing them. Either way, it’s still a tiny bit frustrating to think about so many winnable games against struggling teams that could’ve had a big impact on the Postseason seeding. Again, I’m not super upset about it since ultimately the goal is to get into the bracket no matter what and the Braves did that (and have a divisional flag to show for it) but boy oh boy, having that bye sure would’ve been nice!
So yeah, there’s the takeaways. It stinks to lose Martín Pérez, it’s good that they didn’t lose Ronald Acuña Jr. and let’s make sure that nobody else goes down as they wrap this season up in Miami.
Los Angeles, California - September 24: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 and Ethan Salas #8 of the San Diego Padres celebrate with teammates in the clubhouse after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers to secure a playoff spot on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
With a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night, the Padres won the series and more importantly secured a postseason berth. It is the first time in franchise history the team has reached the postseason in three consecutive seasons. San Diego is in, but with three games remaining against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park, there is still plenty to play for.
The Padres hold a one-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the top Wild Card spot and if they can maintain that position they would host the Wild Card Series. The Philadelphia Phillies dropped another game back with a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers which means the Diamondbacks still have a chance to reach the postseason if they can get some wins to end the regular season and the Phillies continue to struggle.
San Diego was held hitless against Los Angeles until the top of the sixth inning. Ethan Salas broke up the no-hitter by Tyler Glasgow with a one-out grounder to left field that seemed to wake the slumbering Padres offense. Fernando Tatis Jr. followed with another single on a grounder ball to right field that allowed Salas to move to third base. With runners on the corners, contact man Dustin Harris hit a sacrifice fly to right-center field that was caught by Andy Pages. He did not even attempt to throw home and Salas tagged up and scored to give San Diego a 1-0 lead. Tatis later stole second base, but the inning ended when Manny Machado struck out.
The Padres kept the Dodgers off the scoreboard and returned to the plate in the top of the seventh looking to add on. Jackson Merrill hit a one-out double to right field and Xander Bogaerts drew a walk to put runners at first and second base. Glasgow was removed from the game and Austin Hays was called on to pinch-hit against Justin Wrobleski. Hays hit a sharp ground ball that kicked off the glove of Max Muncy and rolled into shallow left field, that allowed Merrill to score to give the Padres a 2-0 lead. Samad Taylor struck out for the second out of the inning, but Salas impacted the game once again with his second single which allowed Bogaerts to score from second to push the San Diego lead to 3-0. Tatis again followed Salas with a single to drive in the fourth run of the game and Harris grounded out to end the inning. The three-run inning allowed the Padres to take control of their playoff destiny.
The Dodgers were able to score a run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Adrian Morejon was called for a balk, which allowed Mookie Betts to score. Morejon ended the inning one batter later when he got Miguel Rojas to fly out to end that Los Angeles scoring threat.
The Dodgers were able to add a run in the bottom of the ninth, but they should have never had the opportunity. Mason Miller struck out Pages, got Hunter Feduccia to fly out and then struck out Tommy Edman, but the strikeout pitch bounced and got through Salas allowing Edman to reach first base. Shohei Ohtani who was limited throughout the game hit an RBI-double to left-center field to score Edman who advanced to second base on a defensive indifference and the Padres’ lead was cut to 4-2. Miller finally closed the game and earned the playoff-clinching save when he got Betts to ground out to Ty France at first base.
It is important to note that Nick Pivetta pitched very well in the game. He did not stay in long enough to earn the win, but that was not because he was ineffective. He needed 87 pitches to get through 4.2 scoreless innings, which was his most pitches thrown since his return from injury. Pivetta allowed just four hits and one walk to the Dodgers and he had seven strikeouts. He was in a little trouble when manager Craig Stammen removed him from the game, but Pivetta put together a solid night. Yuki Matsui and Jason Adam each completed scoreless inning. Morejon pitched 1.1 one innings with one run allowed on a balk and Miller allowed the one run in his inning of work.
Salas finished the night 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI and Tatis followed with a 2-for-3 night with a walk and RBI. Merrill and Hays had the only other hits in the game and despite San Diego being outhit 7-6, the Padres were able to end the night with a champagne celebration in the visitor’s clubhouse before returning to San Diego.
The Padres will look to maintain and perhaps improve their playoff position when they host the Diamondbacks tonight at 6:40 p.m.
