Category: MLB

It took one question during a news conference — ‘When you decided to enter the Hall of Fame as a Met, what stood out to you about the organization?’ — and less than one minute for Carlos Beltrán to hint at his often rocky relationship with the team’s fanbase. 

“I would say it was my best years in baseball,” Beltrán began, “even though, at times, it felt difficult and it felt different. 

“Meaning, my relationship and sometimes how things went down — I don’t know the message that was sent out about me as a person or me as a player. It’s hard to connect with a fanbase when the message out there is always negative.” 

The most memorable moment from his Mets career was among his worst, when he could not get a swing off against Adam Wainwright. He was booed at times. He was not “Captain America” David Wright. He fought with the team about a knee surgery. He spent 2005-11 as a Met, only about one-third of his 20-year MLB career.

He spent some of that time as a Yankee, too, which does not further endear him to Mets fans. 

And yet, there he was Saturday at Citi Field, slowly walking in from center field to the infield to give a speech to polite, if not overwhelming, cheers, as the franchise celebrated a remarkable and great Met but not quite a beloved one in Queens (even if he was and is in Puerto Rico, which was well-represented). 

Beltrán now is a forever Met, his No. 15 unveiled and hung in the rafters as the organization also formally inducted him into the team’s Hall of Fame. In doing so, he completed a remarkable journey in which he learned about himself and Mets fans and felt what he called “closure” in being immortalized in a city in which he was not always welcome. 

A small-market star with Kansas City from 1998-2004, Beltrán signed a seven-year, $119 million free agent contract with the Mets that some remember better for his rough beginning — a merely OK 2005 — than for some of the best seasons (notably 2006) in franchise history. 

“All of a sudden being in New York, there were things that I needed to learn,” said Beltrán, who became the ninth former Mets player with his number retired. “I didn’t have those tools in Kansas City — dealing with the media, dealing with the responsibilities, dealing with expectations, dealing with the ups and downs of baseball in a city like New York. 

“It’s the real deal.” 

Among those he thanked was his wife, Jessica, who is a life coach and would tell him that the boos he heard were not personal. 

“It feels personal,” Beltrán would respond before a soft chuckle. “They’re pointing at me.” 

But he said his skin grew thicker over the years. Becoming a father to three kids who joined him on the field Saturday has helped him better understand the disappointment that Mets fans displayed in him. 

“Sometimes, you were hard on me, and that’s OK,” Beltrán said in his speech. “Today as a father, I realize I am hard on my own children, too, not because I love them less but because they are capable of more. 

“Back then, I did not understand it. Today, I do.” 

Beltrán did not win a World Series with the Mets and is the face of their 2006 regret, striking out to end Game 7 against the Cardinals. But by the numbers, there have been very few Mets who have been better, ranking in the organization’s top 10 in home runs, RBIs, runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. 

He also has returned — actually, a few times — to the organization, currently serving as an adviser to president of baseball operations David Stearns and could have a path toward becoming the team’s next manager if he wants. 

He does not have the reputation of the former players whose numbers his No. 15 now lives alongside — Wright, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Willie Mays, Keith Hernandez, Jerry Koosman, Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver — but the relationship has improved and is improving, which might have been best highlighted by Beltrán choosing a Mets cap on his Cooperstown bust. 

“I will always be proud to say I was, and I will always be, a New York Met,” Beltran told the crowd.

On the day of Carlos Beltran’s number retirement ceremony at Citi Field, a special and joyous occasion for the club and all those involved, Mets owner Steve Cohen made sure to also address the elephant in the room – what’s been bubbling up for many Mets fans this season, particularly this past week.

Speaking with the SNY booth in the fourth inning on Saturday, Cohen was asked about the recent shenanigans that happened at the ballpark during the team’s last series with the Baltimore Orioles.

In what was Pete Alonso’s first time back in Queens since he left the Mets in free agency over the offseason, fans came out in droves and gave the first baseman quite the reception. Not only did they give Alonso a standing ovation in his first at-bat, standard for a former beloved player coming back to his old ballpark, but fans were also actively cheering for Alonso’s success every time he went to the plate.

Things got murky when Alonso, who was chasing his 300th career home run, hit the milestone by hitting a game-tying home run against Kodai Senga in the top of the ninth inning, which caused the stadium to erupt in cheers – odd for a home ballpark. 

The Mets went on to lose that game in extra innings and during the postgame, players, including Sean Manaea, admitted to being surprised by the response of the home fans seemingly cheering against their team.

“You can’t make it up, it was just so crazy,” Cohen said on Saturday. “The fans, they’re passionate and when they feel something they’re gonna let you know and I’m okay with that. Pete hits his 300th home run and it was sort of poetic. It was sort of amazing that it all occurred at the same time.”

Cohen seemed to understand where the fans were coming from, letting their frustration out for a player they believed deserved to be a lifetime Met.

Of course, that’s not how things turned out, and in the midst of a disappointing season, it made it all the more painful.

“I’ll say it again, it didn’t surprise me,” Cohen said about the fan’s response to Alonso’s return. “I can remember being at a previous Mets event the previous year and the fans were vocal on Alonso and listen, it’s hard to say goodbye to a homegrown player. Obviously he’s well liked and a great Met and those decisions got made and unfortunately we gotta look forward and look forward to ‘27 and what we’re gonna do. 

“But it was weird because we got past the trade deadline and the team was playing well and you got a sense that fans were really getting excited and then Pete came in and we kinda reversed course for three days, but now I think we’re back on track again.”

It’s true, prior to Alonso’s homecoming, despite the lost season, fans seemed to be invested in the team because of the young talent that spurred hope for the future, as well as the team’s improved performance on the field, albeit too late.

Still, Cohen believed that what the Mets had been building was enough to garner enthusiasm for what’s to come, even if it came during a second consecutive season missing the playoffs.

“I think that’s what the fans like,” he said. “We’re playing young, we’re playing athletic. We’ve developed a lot of players in a very short period of time and so that’s something you can really look forward to. So it’s true, two things can be true: a lousy season, but still something to look forward to.”

Something else Mets fans can look forward to is help arriving for president of baseball operations David Stearns – both in terms of the front office as well as a manager.

Cohen talked about the search for somebody to lead the team and what he wants to see out of his next manager, a conversation that fittingly happened during Beltran’s number retirement ceremony.

“I see the manager’s role as mostly about culture and bringing the locker room together,” the owner said. ‘I think the actual managerial decisions are, I would say, 20-30 percent of what they do and the rest of it is trying to galvanize your ball club and trying to get them in the right frame of mind and I’m looking for someone that can bring out the best in their ball players.”

As for the front office, Cohen mentioned that he’s “identified some things that we can do better” and talked about bringing in extra voices to the mix to help out.

“We’re going to try to add certain voices into the front office that I think will be helpful and I know David supports that, and I’m looking forward to, when we make those decisions, to announce them,” he said.

Cohen continued: “It doesn’t have to be a GM, it could be other ways to support David and the front office and I think the whole point is to get more opinions in the front office and people who are either pretty good at evaluating talent or people who have been in those positions before in the front office – in high positions – and help David out and help the team out as far as getting a different point of view.”

Cohen was also asked how he deals with, as he described it, such passionate fans that are always eager to give their two cents in how to run the team.

“Everyone’s got an opinion, I'll tell you that,” he said. “…And frankly, there’s some good ideas out there, so my ears are open.”

We’re getting down to the wire, folks – barring some miracle, there is exactly one week left of Mariners baseball. It’s been a tough season and I can’t say I’m sad about it coming to an end, but it’s always tough to put baseball away for another off-season, especially when a potential lockout looms and we don’t know when exactly it will come back. I’m going to try hard to enjoy these last seven games, no matter what, which is definitely easier to do in games against the Rockies than it will be when the Astros come to town.

Reminder that tomorrow is our annual meetup/softbaLL game/watch party. We’d love to see you there if you’re able to come! Details here.

Lineups:

Montes, check. Arroyo, check. A rare day off for Cole Young (rare in the meaning of actually rare, not rare as in “a rare walk from George Kirby”).

Weird to see the Rockies embrace minimalism after seeing their City Connects last night, but here you have it:

News:

No news, good news, things of that nature. Hey have you downloaded the app yet? Please download the app. I ask you for so little and give you so much. The Mariners are not helping me out in this arena so I need you to.

Today’s game information:

Game time: 5:10 PT

TV: Mariners TV (Goldsmith/Mentink)

Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports (Rizzs/Hill Jr.)

Last night was a good night for the Yankees, seeing the team put up five runs in the first paired with a good Gerrit Cole outing to cruise to a 9-2 win over the Diamondbacks. The club also picked up a game on the Rays as the AL East leaders dropped the opener of their series to the Red Sox. Tonight, the Yankees have two goals: get the win to stay in a hypothetically-competitive division race (all but necessary since Tampa Bay avenged the loss with a 2-1 win over Boston this afternoon), and build out a little more breathing room in the Cy Young race.

Dylan Cease had his worst start of the year on Friday for the Blue Jays, going just 2.2 innings and walking six. He and today’s Yankee starter Cam Schlittler have had a heavyweight bout atop the Cy leaderboard all year, and while Cam’s pulled away a bit in recent weeks, he can start to put the finishing touches on his case tonight. He hasn’t allowed more than one earned run in a start since August 3rd (!!), making us all maybe expect a bit too much from the righty who can seemingly do no wrong. Schlittler has thrown 45 innings across those aforementioned seven starts, so he’s not a five-and-fly guy, and his 1.00 ERA in that stretch is just…a farce.

Brandon Pfaadt is having the best season of his young career, with a 3.77 ERA and 4.06 FIP that are both significant steps forward after a pretty lost 2025. He doesn’t strike many men out though, and a 45 percent ground ball rate means heavy sinking fastballs in the zone. There will be pitches to hit from Pfaadt; you just need to be able to elevate them.

Ben Rice had himself a fantastic game cleaning up last night and is bumped up to the leadoff spot tonight, with
Luis García Jr. getting the nod over Paul Goldschmidt at first base. Spencer Jones reportedly has a sore left foot, which means we get José Caballero in center, and I’m going to withhold comment on that decision for now.

It’s an 8:10pm Eastern start but not a national broadcast, this one’s on YES. The Diamondbacks will be celebrating their 2001 World Series championship throughout the evening, which seems kind of lame because you can’t really “win” a championship when you didn’t have an opponent.

How to watch

Location: Chase Field – Phoenix, AZ

First pitch: 8:10 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, DBACKS.TV

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Campesina 101.9 FM & 860 AM (AZ)

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

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

Miami Marlins (76-78) at San Diego Padres (85-69), September 19, 2026, 5:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

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

The Mets were down in the fifth inning before turning the game around and defeating the Phillies, 10-3, on Saturday at Citi Field.

Here are the takeaways...

-Carson Benge continued his great rookie campaign, smashing an 0-2 changeup over the right field wall for his 19th long ball of the season and put the Mets up 1-0 in the second. Benge's 19th homer is tied for fourth among Mets rookies in franchise history. 

Benge finished 3-for-4, and with his single in the seventh he tied Pete Alonso's rookie record for hits in a season. His check-swing single that stayed fair down the third base line gave him 156 hits on the season, a new Mets rookie record.

-Christian Scott handled the Phillies for most of the game, but Philadelphia got to the young right-hander in the fourth. Bryce Harper dumped a ground-rule double just fair down the left field line, before Alec Bohm singled him home. Scott was then chased in the fifth after the Phillies rallied with one out to take the lead. Kyle Schwarber doubled before Trea Turner singled to put runners on the corners. Harper drove in the run with a sacrifice fly and that was the end for Scott. 

Jefry Yan came on to stop the bleeding, but Bohm hit a hot shot through Francisco Lindor's legs to score a run. Yan would retire the side and put a bow on Scott's afternoon. The young right-hander pitched 4.2 innings (79 pitches/52 strikes), allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven.

-Francisco Alvarez, who has been mired in a slump, turned the game on its head with a three-run shot in the fifth to give the Mets the lead again. The young backstop finished 2-for-2 with three RBI and a run scored.

The Mets added on in the sixth against old friend Brooks Raley. With one out, Benge walked before A.J. Ewing singled. Marcus Semien walked with the bases loaded and Brett Baty came through with a single to score one, and chase Raley without the left-hander recording an out. Ronny Mauricio then walked with the bases loaded to push across the second run of the inning and put the Mets up 6-3. 

But the offense wasn't done. They put up a four-spot in the eighth thanks to a bases-loaded walk by Lindor, then back-to-back-to-back RBI singles from Juan Soto, Bo Bichette and Benge.

-The Mets bullpen was great behind Scott. The combination of Yan, Cionel Perez, Jonathan Pintaro, Dedniel Nunez and Tobias Myers got the final 13 outs.

• Yan: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 K
• Perez: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K
• Pintaro: 0.1 IP, 1 BB
• Nunez: 1.0 IP, 1 K
• Myers: 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K

-Mauricio got the start at DH, his first start since being recalled due to Jared Young's injury. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. 

Lindor finished 0-for-4 with a walk and an RBI as the shortstop continues his search for home run No. 300.

Game MVP: Mets bullpen

After Scott couldn't make it out of the fifth, five Mets relievers shut out the Phillies.

Highlights

BYE BYE BENGE!

Carson Benge's 19th home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/ZlRDW977oP

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2026

Five strikeouts in three innings for Christian Scott! pic.twitter.com/MdV4EDW9Mw

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2026

Francisco Alvarez with a three-run blast to give the Mets the lead! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lxosvYgWec

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2026

Carson Benge ties Pete Alonso's Mets rookie hits record (155) 👏 pic.twitter.com/SzL6rlG6jY

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2026

Carson Benge breaks the Mets' rookie hit record! 👏 pic.twitter.com/2SUYHGKQBU

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 19, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Phillies meet Sunday for New York's final regular season home game. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m.

Jonah Tong (2-1, 3.43 ERA) will take on Cristopher Sanchez (17-6, 2.93 ERA). 

41,910 at the ballpark last night. That’s actually only the sixth-largest home crowd of the year for the D-backs. #1 is, obviously enough, the home opener against the Tigers. But all three of the August series against the Dodgers drew a bigger crowd, and it wasn’t particularly close: an average of 45,387 per game. Initially, it seemed that the weird one to surpass the Yankees was a Thursday evening game against the Dodgers in June. which saw a crowd just one shy of forty-two thousand at Chase. That’s 5,700 more than the previous night. But a little digging showed that was Hispanic Heritage Night, with a jersey give-away that evening. Mystery solved.

This topic actually cropped up a bit in last night’s Gameday Thread, as we brainstormed ideas of getting better crowds at Chase. Note: better is not necessarily the same as bigger. As the games here and against the Dodgers have showed, we need to decide if we’d rather have a full ballpark – even if a lot of the fans might not be wearing the home team’s colors. It’s a legitimate question. Should we appeal more to the local Hispanic population? I seem to recall some efforts in that direction, and as that June crowd shows, they will show up if given reason to do so. But I have to say, my tolerance for Norteño is low. As is that of the Hispanic Mrs. SnakePit!

With two games left, it looks like attendance is going to be roughly the same as the last couple of years. If we presume another 85-90K tonight and tomorrow, that’ll make the total just under 2.30 million. That compares to 2.39 million last year and 2.34 in 2024. Probably about 1,200 per game, which is something of a recovery, considering the early numbers had them down easily the biggest amount in the major, a drop of more than 5,400 per game in the second half of May. The gap would have been closer still, if not for the games in Mexico City costing the team due to the small capacity of the ballpark there. Looks like Derrick Hall was right not to be particularly concerned.

Today’s 1-0 loss should be a reminder to all of us Orioles sickos out there: much as we love this team, the 2026 version just ain’t it. Despite Trevor Rogers turning in one of the greatest starts of his season (even, perhaps, of his career), with eight one-run innings on just three hits and ten strikeouts, the Birds did absolutely zilch on offense, getting shut out by a relative neophyte in Milwaukee’s Robert Glasser (who had just twenty-plus starts to his name before today). They managed four hits all game, and went 0-for-7 with RISP. The O’s postseason chances, already slim after last night, have taken another critical hit. I’m getting tired of the watchful waiting.

Instead, let’s let today stand as a reminder to look back with gratitude on better teams of Orioles past (Trey Mancini’s heroic career), and to think ahead to better teams of the future (imagine a day where Trevor Rogers and Shane Baz could get some run support!).

Today, prior to the game, the O’s held a moving on-field ceremony for Trey Mancini, who in six seasons as an Oriole (2016-22) racked up a .270 average and 117 home runs while also winning MVO in 2019 and AL Comeback Player in 2021 after beating cancer. After being out of baseball in ’24 and ‘25, he returned to MLB this season with the Angels before signing a one-day contract with Baltimore to retire an Oriole. Reminiscing in the MASN booth during the game, Mancini sounded as decent a guy as ever. The longtime O’s first baseman talked about homering in his MLB debut, hitting an inside-the-park home run off Josh Lowe’s face on the one-year anniversary of superfan Mo Gaba’s passing, meeting up with current O’s first baseman Pete Alonso in the 2021 Home Run Derby, and ending his career on his own terms. Kudos to Mancini. It was so great to see him.

Meanwhile, thinking ahead to next season, I can’t wait to see more of lefty Trevor Rogers. Making his final home start of 2026, Rogers made sure it would go down as his best. He threw a career-high-tying eight innings, striking out ten and allowing just three hits and one run. (That run, by the way, came because of a sun-assisted blooper by Rece Hinds that any sunglasses-wearing outfielder should have had.) It was a completely magisterial performance. Even in a comparative down year after his unreal 2025 (9-3, 1.81 ERA in 18 starts), the lefty has a 69.2% first-pitch strike rate, first in MLB this season and the highest of any Orioles starter since they started keeping track.

Here are some of the Rogers highlights, which are well worth watching when you get the chance. Rogers whizzed through the first inning in just ten pitches. He landed a third-strike fastball on the corner to freeze Brewers centerfielder Garrett Mitchell, prompting MASN’s Big Ben McDonald to say, “You can’t throw a four-seamer, folks, any better than that.”

What could beat Trevor Rogers, looking like this? Answer: Rece Hinds’ accessorizing choices. The right fielder lost a routine fly ball in the sun off the bat of former Orioles Joey Ortiz in the second inning, letting the ball roll right by him as Ortiz made it to third. The official scorekeepers counted this a triple—which felt gravely wrong. A weak squibber to third scored Ortiz, giving the Brewers the game’s first and only run. As MASN’s Kevin Brown later put it, “[Rogers is] a pair of Oakleys away from having a no-hitter!”

Rogers kept rolling. After he sewed up the fourth inning, Big Ben exclaimed, “It’s Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood!” Corny, but I liked it.

Rogers was inevitable in the fifth inning, too. You could start to see it in the face of Milwaukee backstop Gary Sanchez’s face as he rolled fruitlessly over a changeup—the face of a team that’s got nothing going against a starter. The same expression could be seen on Cooper Platt, swinging through a fastball. And Luis Lara, caught looking. (A group of hitters looking as demoralized as this shouldn’t win games.)

Come the sixth, the strike-throwing Rogers was still at just 60 pitches! It, too, was another three-up, three-down affair, and Rogers had retired nine in a row.

In the seventh, Rogers allowed a real single to William Contreras—I say “real,” because it was the first well-hit ball off Rogers all game. But it amounted to zilch in the box score, because Andrew Vaughn bounced a ball off the mound and Jeremiah Jackson, at second, played it perfectly, stepping on second and firing to first in time for the twin killing. Joey Ortiz popped out, and MASN’s Kevin Brown announced, “seven magnificent innings for Trevor Rogers.” I was so thrilled.

Then, the eighth was even more magnificent. Rogers allowed a leadoff single to Gary Sanchez, and the bullpen got to warming (gulp). But they might have just stayed seated. Rogers strung together two consecutive strikeouts. Second baseman David Hamilton tried to bunt… with two outs! Didn’t matter. Hamilton got rung up, too. Rogers had struck out the side in the eighth.

“It’s been an absolute love affair between Trevor Rogers and Orioles fans,” said Kevin Brown. Deservedly. What a performance by the Orioles lefty in his final home appearance of 2026.

And yet—somehow, ridiculously, the Brewers were still leading this game. That’s because the O’s’ efforts against Milwaukee lefty Robert Gasser, sorry to say it, were again flat, pointless, and stupid. The lefty seems just okay, stuff-wise, and at several points in the game, he lost control of his fastball. But the O’s couldn’t take advantage. They managed just two hits off Glasser and were terrible, once again, with RISP.

Is part of the trouble the platooning thing again? Clearly, this O’s lineup was built for handedness, not average—what else can explain Jeremiah Jackson at leadoff, and Rece Hinds, Christian Franklin, and Leody Taveras in the six, seven and nine spots? In fairness, Jackson was OK—he led off the O’s first inning with a single, and started that crucial double play that helped Rogers get through the seventh inning. And Rece Hinds did hit the ball hard, with one 109-mph double and a walk. But Franklin was deadweight, and Samuel Basallo, in the eight spot, looks really lost right now. Both turned in 0-fers, as did Pete Alonso, Coby Mayo (albeit one BB), and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. You need more than that from your 2-3-4 hitters.

I’ll spare you much more salt on the wound, but for the second day in a row, the Orioles wasted crucial RISP situations against Milwaukee, downing the pitching’s heroic efforts to snatch a win from the MLB’s best team with hitters going down like lambs to slaughter.

In the third, Baltimore had Gunnar Henderson and Hinds aboard with no outs before Christian Franklin, averaging .147, hit into a double play. Boo. Basallo, following him, grounded out.

They wasted a huge chance in the sixth, too, loading the bases on two walks and a HBP, but with one out, Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit into an uncharacteristic double play and the bases stayed loaded.

Alex Hoppe pitched a fine ninth, despite my nerves about seeing him out there. Actually, he’s got an incredible sinker, with like ten inches of movement on it. If he can find the plate next season, I’ll be glad to see more of him.

Anyway, that’s it. The O’s postseason chances, already slim after last night, just faded again. October baseball seems, well, close, but no cigar, like a win today. Today, instead, felt like a reminder to fans who love this team: let’s look back on nicer Orioles teams past, including the good old years of Trey Mancini’s heroics at first, and look ahead to the future, where a starting rotation that features Trevor Rogers might also get some goddamn run support.

The Rays handed the Red Sox a win and allowed them to celebrate a postseason spot and I just can’t.

Freddie Peralta got off to a great start, but stumbled in the third inning, giving up two doubles that allowed the Red Sox to take a 1-0 lead.

But things were looking up in the bottom of the inning. Cedric Mullins bunted for a hit, and the Red Sox third baseman threw the ball away, allowing Mullins to advance to second with none out.

Mullins, however, got picked off trying to steal third, erasing that runner. And then Jorge “why are you still on this team?” Mateo and Jake “missed half the season and very rusty” Fraley both struck out to end that inning with the Rays failing to score. Oh and the chef’s kiss, Mateo blew through a challenge on a clear strike in the process.

Peralta faced difficulties again in the fourth inning. After being up 1-2, he walked Wilyer Abreu, burning through the Rays second challenge along the way, and then gave up a single to Nick Sogard, to put two men on base. The inning ended, thankfully, with a strike out and a pop up.

Then, praise be, Jonathan Aranda jumped on a fastball and drove it opposite field over the fence, and the game was tied 1-1

And then we just kept going with the score 1-1. Both teams had a lot of scoring opportunities, but couldn’t capitalize. Two players (one on each team) got caught stealing third. One player (Johnny DeLuca) got thrown out at home.

The Rays could not figure out Brayan Bello. The Red Sox seemed more comfortable against Freddie Peralta, especially since his command was meh, but they still only scored one run. The Red Sox managed to get two extra base hits against Bryan Baker in the top of the ninth, a double and a triple. You’d think that would be a run, except Caleb Durbin, who hit the double, had gotten caught stealing third so the triple came with no one on base.

This entire game felt, if you’ll allow me to get a little Greek mythology on you, a bit Sisyphean. Push the boulder up the hill, watch it roll down, but in this case it was get a couple of guys on base, watch the next guys strike out and pop up. Red Sox struck out 9 times, Rays struck out 12 times.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the ninth that the Rays were able to take a final lead. With the very effective Garrett Whitlock on the mound, Caminero and Simpson singled, and moved to second and third on a passed ball with just one out. But Victor Mesa Jr was unable to get the winning run in (he struck out). And then Richie Palacios came up, got down 1-2, dinked a flare into right field, and the Rays had walked it off.

This victory is sweet for many reasons. First, of course, Rays magic number to win the division is now down to 5.

Next, they kept the Red Sox from clinching a postseason slot for at least one more day.

Finally, all those red-clad interlopers taking up space in our stadium had to go home disappointed.

Back at it tomorrow. Griffin Jax tries to build on his recent strong starts, and the Rays will face Patrick Sandoval.

Last night the Colorado Rockies lost the first game of their series against the Seattle Mariners on a ninth inning home run by Lazaro Montes. It was the latest 4-12 start to the month of September that has all but extinguished their hopes of avoiding a fourth straight 100 loss season.

With 98 losses on the season and eight games remaining it seems inevitable that they will reach that ignominious mark soon, however, they can still strive to delay it until after this weekend while they are celebrating a franchise legend.

Before the game the Rockies unveiled Todd Helton’s statue outside of Coors Field.

Helton’s statue resides alongside the Larry Walker statue that was installed earlier this season. The first 15,000 fans in the ballpark tonight will take home a replica Helton statue.

On the mound for the Rockies will be José Quintana making his first start for the Major League since suffering an elbow injury during a start on May 24th. Before going on the injured list, the veteran lefty had thrown 41 innings for the Rockies with a 5.27 ERA and 1.51 WHIP over nine starts. Quintana made two minor league rehab starts, in which he threw a total of four and a third innings, before being recalled from the injured list earlier today.

Opposing Quintana for the Mariners will be 28 year old right-handed pitcher Bryce Miller. Over 107.1 innings to this point in the season, Miller has amassed a middling 4.19 ERA alongside a 4.55 FIP but his expected stats tell a different story. His 3.70 xERA is fueled primarily by his ability to induce chase (89th percentile) and limit hard contact (87th percentile) but his heavy fly ball tendencies could play poorly in Coors Field.

Whether Quintana and is able to lead the Rockies to a win on this special night for the franchise remains to be seen. To see it for yourself simply refer to the details below!

First Pitch: 6:10 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

SB Nation site:Lookout Landing

Lineups:

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Jac Caglianone returned to the lineup Saturday against the Pirates after missing Friday night’s game for punching a dugout wall and cutting his hand. Caglianone addressed the media Saturday before the game, calling it a “very selfish and immature move on my part.”

“These guys hold me to a higher standard,” said Caglianone. “I hold myself to a higher standard. It’s definitely a learning experience, something that I want to grow from.”

Caglianone punched the dugout wall after Thursday’s loss in Houston. He went 0-for-2 and was removed for right-handed pinch hitter Nick Loftin in the ninth inning to face Astros left-handed closer Josh Hader.

“It was in the dugout after one of the at-bats,” said manager Matt Quatraro on Friday. “It was my decision to not play him.”

“It just kind of boiled over in Houston,” Caglianone told reporters in Pittsburgh. He had gone hitless in his previous ten at-bats.

“I cut my hand, and fortunately it was nothing too serious. But I was very selfish and immature, and I put the team in a bad spot. That’s something I don’t want to do again.”

Caglianone is coming off a red hot August in which he was named American League Player of the Month. He has gone into a slump in September, going 4-for-27 (.148) with 11 strikeouts in 10 games and no home runs. Overall, the 23-year-old is enjoying a terrific season, hitting .277/.328/.483 with 23 home runs. His 123 wRC+ is 17th-best among qualified hitters in the American League.

Caglianone is not the only young Royals hitter to apologize this season. Earlier this year, rookie catcher Carter Jensen apologized for missing pregame after sleeping through an alarm.

Only two more games for the Cardinals season at Busch Stadium. Saturday night, it’s game 2 of the weekend homestand vs the Washington Nationals. Michael McGreevy is the starter for the Cardinals while it’s LHP Andrew Alvarez for the Nationals. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15pm and the game broadcast will be available through Cardinals.tv.

The New York Mets etched Carlos Beltran into their history Saturday when they retired his number and inducted them into their Hall of Fame. But even as he and they reckoned with their sometimes uncomfortable past, their future together felt more pressing.

The Mets will need a manager next season, at least as things stand now, and they have hired Beltran for that role once before. They tried to hire him again this summer, at least according to Beltran, who said the Mets asked if he would be willing to take over as interim manager should they need to part ways with Carlos Mendoza. David Stearns would neither confirm nor deny that conversation happened, though no one has disputed that it did.

So as he met with media Saturday, Beltran — currently Special Advisor to Stearns — answered multiple questions about whether he might be sitting in that press conference room more often next season as a manager.

“I love what I do because being a manager in Major League Baseball is a huge commitment. A very, very huge commitment. And I’m not saying I’m not willing to take that commitment,” Beltran said. “But right now, at the position where I am today in life, I love to be a dad. I love to be a husband. I love to be involved into the Carlos Beltran Academy in Puerto Rico. And being a manager, you will not be able to do that full time.”

Beltran was unwilling to say whether he would interview for the job if asked, and he is not the only person to suggest that spending time with his family might prevent him from seeking the manager’s job, of course: Interim manager Andy Green has said he is reluctant to seek the permanent manager’s job for the same reason, though Beltran offered an unsolicited endorsement.

“Being honest, I think Andy has done a good job,” Beltran said. “He has done a very good job for the Mets since he joined the team.”

Green has built widespread respect in the clubhouse, and he would probably be the instant frontrunner for the job if he decides he can juggle the job and still make time for his family. Many people in and around the Mets organization have speculated that Green could still change his mind, though Green – relentless in his commitment to the moment – has not given any indication of that to players or ownership. Cohen and Stearns have both said publicly they still plan to conduct a search.

So it was in his job as the still-interim manager while holding his usual pregame media session when Beltran entered. As if on cue, he was asked whether he thought Beltran would be a good manager if he wanted the chance.

“I don’t think there’s a thing in the world he couldn’t do if he decided that’s what he wanted to do. I think he has proven Time and time again he’s going to be successful. But I say that with the understanding that it’s really his character that would make him successful,” said Green, who went on to heap praise on Beltran’s commitment and trustworthiness before wrapping with a smile. “… and at this point in time I have sufficiently sucked up to the guy in the back of the room.”

The legacy of that guy in the back of the room is complicated. That his induction happened days after an impromptu celebration of Pete Alonso and a day before a much-anticipated celebration of Howie Rose illuminates his unique place in this franchise’s history. With Alonso, and over months of Rose’s farewell tour, Mets fans offered support best described as unequivocal.

But Beltran’s legacy is more complex. He will be the first member of the Mets Hall of Fame to win the Rookie of the Year Award and his World Series championship elsewhere and be an All-Star with three other teams. He was never beloved here in the same way Mets fans loved homegrown star David Wright, never given the same benefit of the doubt received by Jose Reyes.

“I would say it was my best years in baseball, even though at times it felt difficult and it felt different – meaning my relationship, and sometimes how things went down on, I don’t know, the message that was sent out about me as a person or me as a player,” Beltran said. “It’s hard to connect with a fan base when the message out there is always negative.”

Beltran said he understands now that the angst is a sign of respect, that fans here do not boo players for whom they have no expectations. When he signed here, joining an Omar Minaya-led group trying to become a powerhouse. They never quite transformed, and he was remembered as much for what he could not do at the end of the 2006 National League Championship Series as the season’s worth of work he did to get them there.

“The passion of the Mets organization and the Mets fans is a legitimate one. It’s one you can feel. You can ask any player that have come from different organizations and have played for the Mets – it’s the real deal. And there is a process you have to go through,” Beltran said. “I was lucky enough to have a wife that is a life coach. And she used to say to me, ‘hey Carlos, don’t worry. It’s not personal.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but it feels personal. They’re pointing at me.’”

Beltran would have been the Mets manager in 2020 were it not for his central role in the sign-stealing plan that eventually disgraced the 2017 Houston Astros and the discipline that followed. Steve Cohen and his Mets brought Beltran back as a special advisor to Stearns in February 2023.

In that role, Beltran has stopped by regularly to talk to players, joined spring training and other planning meetings, and established himself as what Francisco Lindor referred to as “a big brother” for him and other Mets stars.

“When I say something to him, it’s almost like he’s seen it. That is good to have someone who went through it and talk to him — even things like parenthood. We both have two girls and a boy. He’s a great mentor,” Lindor said. “Stuff he went through, I’ve gone through it. It’s an advice role.”

Juan Soto said the same, that he and Beltran have gotten to know each other during his two years as a Met, that he understands the challenges of being a star here in ways few people can.

“He’s been big on me, helping me how to learn the Mets way, how things work here, how to handle New York. I only played one year in New York before I came here, and everything went well,” Soto said. “He was like, yeah, when everything is good, everyone is good. Everybody loves you. But you have to be prepared for when things are going bad. And he’s helped me with that.”

Soto said he thinks Beltran could “absolutely” be a manager for the Mets or elsewhere, but “it’s all dependent on him if he wants to do it.” Lindor, who said he lives on the Upper East Side because of advice Beltran gave him when he first came to the Mets, said the same.

“If he wants it, I believe he’ll succeed whenever he becomes a manager,” Lindor said. “If the organization feels that’s the right fit for us… if he decides to pursue, and if they feel he’s the best fit, he’ll succeed at it.”

Everyone asked about Beltran’s managerial future included the same caveat in their answer: “If he wants it.” Saturday, he did not speak like a man desperate to take the job again.

“I always say, in my heart, that if I stay relevant in the game — and hopefully I continue to be around baseball teams — I can think about [managing] later on,” Beltran said. “Right now, I’m happy with what I’m doing with the Mets….I try to learn as much as I can from that.”

Yesterday went about as well as possible for the Nats. They beat up the Cardinals, Cade Cavalli got extended and Josiah Gray returned to action. Now they will look to clinch a series win against the Red Birds. If they win tonight, they will avoid a 90 loss season for the first time since 2020.

James Wood is back in right field for this one. That moves Dylan Crews to center and Abimelec Ortiz will be the DH. Andres Chaparro replaces Yohandy Morales at first base as well. Jorbit Vivas plays third base, which slides CJ Abrams to second and Nasim Nunez to short. Andrew Alvarez is on the mound in this contest.

With a lefty on the mound, the Cardinals will change some things up. Pedro Pages is behind the plate which moves Leo Bernal to first base. Jose Fermin will make his first start of the series as well. The speedy Victor Scott will be in left field. Michael McGreevy is on the bump for the Cards. 

Game Info:

Stadium: Busch Stadium

Time: 7:15 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

The Nats had a big day yesterday. Now they will look to keep that momentum rolling on this road trip. Finishing the season strong would help make this a season we look back on fondly. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

I’m going to post this early. I was out all afternoon at a birthday party, which was very nice, but, as a devote introvert, that was a long time to be social. I need to lay out for a bit.

Welcome to today’s must win game.

There was a little bit of news this afternoon. The team announced that Trey Yesavage will pitch on Monday vs. the Orioles. He’ll be starting they say. And tomorrow is a bullpen day.

On the Rangers’ side, they are bringing Adam Macko back up to the majors.

Tonight’s lineup. No Clement today.

In other team news. The Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase is under investigation over 18 pitches he threw in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Gambling and sports are way too close together these days.

It is hard to understand how players who could make millions of dollars would willing to risk it all for gamblers. Maybe Eight Men Out should be mandatory viewing for all MLB players?

Go Jays Go.