The Mets have reinstated 29-year-old right-handed pitcher Justin Hagenman from the 60-day injured list, and they’ve optioned 26-year-old right-handed reliever Dylan Ross back to Triple-A Syracuse to clear a spot on the active roster.
Hagenman last pitched in a major league game last September, and after hitting the injured list with a rib fracture back in mid-March, he didn’t get into a minor league game until he appeared with the Single-A St. Lucie Mets on August 18. In 9.1 innings over the course of that appearance and one each with Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, he had a 2.89 ERA. He’ll start for the Mets tonight as they play the rubber game of their three-games series against the Rays.
Ross finally made his major league debut in the Mets’ loss last night. While he was called up to the big leagues for the first time last September, he didn’t get into a game. And while his 6.25 ERA and 5.61 FIP in the minors this year might not have been the most encouraging stats, his debut went well, as he threw a scoreless inning.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 27: Los Angeles infielders Enrique Hernandez (8), Mookie Betts (50), Freddie Freeman (5), and Miguel Rojas (72) talk during a pitching change during the MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves on August 27th, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the final month of the season just ahead, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.
Note: All records and stats are for games played as of Tuesday morning.
First Place: Los Angeles Dodgers (82-55)
Top Position Player: Andy Pages (4.0 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (4.1 fWAR)
The rich got richer at the trade deadline, adding two-time American League Cy Young Tarik Skubal in a deal with the Detroit Tigers, giving the Dodgers arguably the deepest starting rotation in baseball — when healthy, that is, which has been basically never. And yet, despite that, Los Angeles has been merely treading water for the past two months: they followed up a 13-11 July with a 13-14 August that included a stretch in which they lost eight out of nine, including seven straight. They’ve dealt with quite a few injuries: Shohei Ohtani has not yet returned to the mound, Andy Pages has been on the shelf since August 22nd with a left hand fracture, Roki Sasaki, Blake Treinen, and Edwin Díaz aren’t expected back until the middle of the month, and catchers Will Smith and Dalton Rushing were just activated from the injured list last night.
None of this matters, though. The Dodgers have a commanding lead in the division, a quartet of healthy aces in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Skubal, Tyler Glaswow, and Blake Snell, a small army of arms on the mend, and a lineup that, even with down years from Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker, and Teoscar Hernández, still ranks second in the league in OPS+ (110) and fourth in runs/game (4.89). Until anyone says otherwise, they are the team to beat, not just in the National League West, but in all of baseball.
Second Place: San Diego Padres (73-65)
Top Position Player: Fernando Tatís Jr. (3.8 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Mason Miller (3.1 fWAR)
In the days leading up to the trade deadline, speculation ran rampant that the Padres were going to be sellers, with the Yankees trying to pry one of Adrian Morejon or Mason Miller from them in order to bolster the team’s bullpen. That, ultimately, did not come to pass, as the Padres decided to push all their chips into the middle of the table and add at the deadline instead, bringing in Robbie Ray and Casey Mize to reinforce the rotation and Luis Renfigo to lengthen the lineup. Those moves turned out to be the right move, as the Padres went 17-11 in August to put them squarely in contention for the third Wild Card spot.
How did the Padres manufacture that strong month to bring them right back into the thick of the playoff hunt? Although the lineup has, on the whole, been underachieving this season — Father Time is coming on fast for Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts in particular — Tatís Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Ty France have been dominant of late, posting wRC+ of 146, 136, and 138 in the month of August, respectively. Their pitching staff, meanwhile, has been strong of late, with Randy Vásquez (2.57 ERA in August), Walker Buehler (3.16 ERA), Michael King (2.21 ERA), and Ray (3.42 ERA) doing just enough to hand leads to one of the most dominant bullpens in baseball — a recipe which has given them the best ERA in baseball in August, 3.04. In truth, they probably have been overachieving a bit, but at least they’re doing so at the right time.
Unfortunately for them, however, Renfigo’s season is done after tearing his ACL and MCL in Tampa Bay.
Third Place: Arizona Diamondbacks (73-66)
Top Position Player: Corbin Carroll (4.4 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Eduardo Rodriguez (2.9 fWAR)
After a middling August in which they went 15-14, the D-Backs have lost a tiny bit of ground to the Padres, and have fallen back into the third place in the division and out of the third Wild Card spot (albeit just barely). That being said, if there’s any team in a position to make a run down the stretch, it’s Arizona. Six starters, including trade deadline acquisition Lars Nootbar, have an OPS+ above 100, and three players — Corbin Carroll, Gabriel Moreno, and Geraldo Perdomo — are in line to finish the season with at least 4 fWAR. Their pitching staff, meanwhile, looks to get Corbin Burnes, Michael Soroka, and Zac Gallen back from the injured list, even if Gallen has not been his All-Star self since he was a Cy Young finalist in 2023, he’s at least a starting pitcher… and the D-Backs are currently low on those.
Of course, none of these are the real story in Arizona right now. At the moment, everybody is focused on long time second baseman Ketel Marte, who recently returned to the team after going AWOL for the fourth consecutive season. While Arizona is definitively a much better team with him than without him (even though his 108 OPS+ is a far cry from his career baseline), this is a story that will cast a shadow over the team for the rest of the season — and, given the fans’ and team’s response, until he gets traded this winter.
Fourth Place: San Francisco Giants (57-81)
Top Position Player: Luis Arráez (3.8 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Logan Webb (2.9 fWAR)
There is perhaps no better indication of just how bad the season has gone for the San Francisco Giants than the fact that the player who accrued by far the most fWAR for them was batting cleanup for the Philadelphia Phillies last night (Rafael Devers comes in at a distance second with 2.5). Not surprisingly, their offense has been absolutely atrocious since sending Luis Arráez to Philadelphia and Heliot Ramos to the Bronx, with their 88 wRC+ in August fifth-worst in baseball. Between the trades and the injuries to Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, and Harrison Bader, they have exactly two hitters who can truly be feared, Devers and the rookie Bryce Eldridge, while Drew Gilbert and Jung Hoo Lee have been simply average too just-above-average.
The pitching staff has been better, but only slightly. Due to a flood of injuries and deadline departures, out of the six starters and five relievers that Baseball-Reference lists as the team’s “main” pitchers for the year, only two, Logan Webb and Landen Roupp (the latter of whom leads the league in losses) are currently on the active roster. Somehow, their 4.23 ERA and 2.8 fWAR in August only ranks in the bottom third. Still, it’s not enough to salvage what has been a disastrous campaign for the Giants, who are somehow making the pre-John Harbough New York Giants look like geniuses in comparison after refusing to move on from much-maligned first-year manager Tony Vitello.
Last Place: Colorado Rockies (52-86)
Top Position Player: Hunter Goodman (2.6 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Kyle Freeland (1.1 fWAR)
And somehow, the Giants aren’t the worst team in their own division. That distinction belongs to the Colorado Rockies, who are barely holding off the Athletics and Angels in the race to the bottom of the Major League Baseball standings. And yet, their disaster season represents a major step up from their 2025 campaign, and not just because they have already guaranteed that their final record will be significantly better than last year’s 119-loss season: between Hunter Goodman, Kyle Karros, and T.J. Rumfield, they have at least three players who look like they can be part of the solution, and not further parts of the problem. It’s not much, but it’s a start.
Outside of that, the season has pretty much been a disaster. Tomoyuki Sugano and his 5.23 ERA has been their best starter, while Jordan Romano — he who blew two saves against the Yankees earlier this season — has been their most consistent reliever. Now in his fourth full season, 24-year-old shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has taken a major step back for the second consecutive season, and his 47 wRC+ is by far the worst among qualified hitters. Mickey Moniak has been good as the designated hitter, but he is a free agent at the end of the season.
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 01: Lazaro Montes #99 of the Seattle Mariners signs the inside of the Green Monster scoreboard before his Major League debut prior to the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Mariners will look to keep their perfect September alive and steal a series in Boston.
After a five-game losing streak to wrap up one of the worst months in franchise history, the Mariner rocked the Sox off Boston last night in Lazaro Montes’ debut. They’re back at it this afternoon with a chance to take the series and improve to 2-0 in the final month of the season. It’ll take something close to perfection to claw back into the race at nine games under .500 with 23 left to play.
Bryce Miller is on the bump in his first start since being moved to the bullpen. He never actually made a relief appearance, as Emerson Hancock went down with an injury shortly after. This will be Miller’s first time on the mound in 10 days. Perhaps the time off will have him back to where he was in his first few outings of 2026, when his velocity was electric and he looked like a tip-top pitcher. We haven’t seen that version of Miller in months. The Mariners lost his last two starts by a combined score of 41-2, partially because he couldn’t make it through five innings.
Miller will face Patrick Sandoval, who’s exactly the type of not-very-good-but-crafty lefty that’s given the Mariners fits all season. That’s largely because the versus-lefty lineup tends to include players like Weston Wilson and Jhonny Pereda, as is the case this afternoon. Montes is not in the lineup a day after his spectacular debut.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 21: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts as he leaves the game during the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on August 21, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers offense showed up finally on Tuesday night, but eight runs were not enough to overcome the terrible pitching performances by Eric Lauer and those that followed him. If the Dodgers muster even half of that on Wednesday, they should be in pretty good position as Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the mound.
In his last outing, Yamamoto went 6 1/3 innings, allowing only a leadoff homer to Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, and then nothing else as he went toe-to-toe with Chris Sale. Sale of course completely shut down the Dodgers going for the complete game shutout, as the Dodgers couldn’t muster anything against him.
It was indicative of what has happened to Yamamoto throughout most of his career and especially this August, as he had a 1.95 ERA and only a 1-2 record to show for it. L.A. has scored three or more runs behind him only twice in his past six starts, and five of those games were decided by one run, giving him little margin for error while he’s on the mound.
This time the Dodgers will be facing the Cardinals bullpen. Ryan Fernandez went 1.2 innings in Tuesday night’s game, but every other arm in the ‘pen hasn’t seen much usage in the last few days and should be fresh and ready to go.
Yamamoto has faced the Cardinals twice before, and has yet to allow a run in 11 innings pitched.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 8,1990: Michael Carbajal (L) throws punch against Leon Salazar during the fight at the Rawhide Western Theme Park in Scottsdale, Arizona. Michael Carbajal won the IBF light flyweight title by a KO 4. (Photo by The Ring Magazine via Getty Images)
Today’s Lineups
PHILLIES
DIAMONDBACKS
Kyle Schwarber – 1B
Lars Nootbaar – LF
Trea Turner – SS
Corbin Carroll – RF
Bryce Harper – DH
Gabriel Moreno – DH
Luis Arraez – 2B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Bryson Stott – 3B
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Brandon Marsh – LF
Tim Tawa – 1B
Justin Crawford – CF
James McCann – C
J.T. Realmuto – C
Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
Bryan De La Cruz – RF
Jordan Lawlar – CF
Andrew Painter – RHP
Jose Cabrera – RHP
The line-up above shows Cabrera as the “starter”: it’s quite possible he will end up throwing most innings today, but the actual first pitcher to take the mound today will be Taylor Clarke, in what looks likely to be a vaguely bullpen game for Arizona. There haven’t actually been too many of those this year for Arizona, compared to previous seasons. It’s hard to get an exact count, but simply looking at games where the “starter” has lasted two or fewer innings, seems to be the first bullpen game of 2026. The only <= 2 IP starts were Michael Soroka’s injury-curtailed one, and Ryne Nelson’s 0.1 IP, 8 ER outing.
There were two bullpen games last year, both with Jalen Beeks as the opener. But 2024 had six of them, starting as early as April 30 with Brandon Hughes. And if you’re thinking “who?” there, you’re probably not alone. Admittedly, there was a fairly good excuse. That was the famous “bee delay” game, which ended up icing Jordan Montgomery. But there was a genuine opener used by Arizona on May 20, when Joe Mantiply started in Dodger Stadium, and pitched a scoreless inning. It feels like it was something which was very much in vogue around the 2023-24 seasons, but has since fallen out of vogue.
There had been whispers in some circles that we might see Corbin Burnes come off the IL for this outing. But the team decided he was still not quite ready for prime-time. He would only have been able to throw about 45 pitches, and the team wants more. Torey Lovullo said, “We’re going to continue to allow Corbin to increase that overall pitch count in a setting we can control… He’s going to go out there and compete. We want to put him in the best situation possible for when he does re-enter our rotation, that he can pitch a little bit deeper into the game and not leave a little bit of a blank spot.” Should see him next week.
Don’t forget, we now have the SB Nation app available. Download it here:
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 22: A view of a tarp on the field during a weather delay before the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on June 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s the fourth inning of a scoreless game and the Atlanta Braves are knocking on the door with the bases loaded and one out in the top half of this frame. We’ll have to wait and see if the Braves can cash in on the opportunity since some inclement weather that had been knocking on the door at Natioanls Park finally came through and made it too bad to play in.
Today's game is currently in a delay due to inclement weather. We will provide an update as more information becomes available.
Please visit https://t.co/gCCIe3IKat for more info or text SEPT2 to 91347 to receive notifications.
So on that cliffhanger, we wait. Stay tuned right here as we’ll have updates for you as they come in. In the meantime, why don’t you give the new SB Nation App a whirl? We’ve got more information for you right here in case you’d like to try it out!
UPDATE [2:52 p.m. ET]: If you’re watching the TV broadcast, this won’t be a surprise. The grounds crew in Washington appears to be removing the tarp and play could be resuming in the near future. For what it’s worth, CJ Nitkowski guessed that it might be sometime after three, which it would have to be considering we’re knocking on the door of 3 o’clock.
UPDATE [3:00 p.m. ET]: Alright, we got a start time. 3:20 p.m. ET, folks. Lock in, everybody.
Today's game will resume at approximately 3:20 p.m.
The Blue Jays (68-71) and the Guardians (70-68) continue their crucial three-game series in Cleveland tonight. The Guardians strengthened their hold on the final Wild Card with a 6-1 win last night over the Jays in the series opener. With the win, Cleveland extended their lead over the Blue Jays to 1.5 games in the race for the final Wild Card spot.
Toronto arrived in Cleveland after taking three of four from Seattle over the weekend but saw that momentum snuffed out by Gavin Williams. The Guardians’ ace was elite striking out 13 and allowing just one unearned run over seven innings. Patrick Bailey, Angel Genao, and Angel Martinez each ripped two-run homers to provide the offense for Cleveland. With the win, the Guardians are now 11-4 since August 12.
Toronto sends its ace, Dylan Cease (9-5, 2.33 ERA) to the mound tonight. Among the Cy Young favorites in the American League, Cease has been lights out for the last two months. In just two of his last 11 starts Cease has allowed three earned runs and in five of those 11 he has not allowed a run (earned or otherwise). Cease has thrown 67 innings since July 1 and allowed just 11 earned runs while striking out 89. Cleveland counters with left-hander Joey Cantillo (9-7, 3.70 ERA). His latest outing came August 26 against the Angels, when he worked six innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits in a Cleveland victory. Cantillo has been particularly effective lately, posting a 2.16 ERA across his last three starts. During that stretch he has allowed just four earned runs in 16⅔ innings.
Cleveland has won three of five games against Toronto this year and can clinch the season series with a win tonight.
Lets dive further into tonight’s game and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game Details and How to Watch: Blue Jays vs. Guardians
Peacock offers one of the most comprehensive live sports streaming lineups available today, bringing together the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, Premier League, NCAA football, NCAA basketball, golf, motorsports, and major global sporting events in a single service.
The Latest Odds: Blue Jays vs. Guardians
The latest odds as of Wednesday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Toronto Blue Jays (-131), Cleveland Guardians (+109)
Spread: Blue Jays -1.5 (+135), Guardians +1.5 (-163)
Blue Jays: Dylan Cease Season Totals: 150.1 IP, 9-5, 2.33 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 217K, 65 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Blue Jays vs. Guardians
Dylan Cease has struck out 8+ hitters in 4 of his last 5 starts
Patrick Bailey is 4-7 in his career against Dylan Cease
Jose Ramirez is just 6-30 against Cease
Nathaniel Lowe has homered twice in 13ABs against Cease
Kazuma Okamoto is 2-3 including 1 HR in his career against Joey Cantillo
Joey Cantillo has struck out 5+ hitters in 6 of his last 8 starts
Steven Kwan has hit safely in 9 of his last 11GP (17-46)
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top Betting Trends & Insights: Blue Jays vs. Guardians
The Jays are 67-72 on the Run Line this season
The Guardians are 71-67 on the Run Line this season
The OVER has cashed 68 times in Toronto’s 139 games this season (68-66-5)
The OVER has cashed 65 times in Cleveland’s 138 games this season (65-73)
Expert picks & predictions: Blue Jays vs. Guardians - September 2
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s game between the Guardians and the Blue Jays:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Blue Jays on the Moneyline.
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Blue Jays on the Run Line.
Total: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 7.0
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 27: Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning at Busch Stadium on August 27, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One reason why the Orioles are where they are right now is they just can’t keep up a consistent high level of play. This is playing out in miniature over the first two games against the Rockies. Monday’s game brought the highest of highs with Colton Cowser’s amazing game-ending home run robbery to give the Orioles a fourth straight victory. Last night brought frustration and disappointment as the Orioles lost a game against a starting pitcher they had no business losing a game against.
Now, the Orioles need a win in the series finale so that we can all feel a little better. Losing two out of three to the Rockies, one of MLB’s worst teams, would not be a very auspicious beginning to the September stretch run that the Orioles are going to have to make. You can’t go around scoring two runs per game in Coors Field, against the Rockies pitching staff and get anywhere good. They lost a game to the Guardians with last night’s loss, so now they’re 1.5 games back – tied with the Rangers – in the wild card race.
It’s maddening with these guys. They should be better than this, even with all of the challenges they’ve faced this season. They just aren’t. Maybe they can be better over the final 23 games. They probably need to go 14-9 from this point on. Or, you know. Maybe they can’t be at least as good as that.
We are running a poll this week that is asking Orioles fans which area of the team they are most worried about when it comes to postseason contention. Have you voted yet? I’ll make it easy for you and embed it right here:
The performance of the hitters over the first two games of this series may tilt the poll a particular way. We’ll see! Results will be shared on Friday or Saturday.
Orioles lineup
Jackson Holliday – DH
Pete Alonso – 1B
Gunnar Henderson – SS
Luis Robert Jr. – LF
Samuel Basallo – C
Coby Mayo – 3B
Dylan Beavers – RF
Blaze Alexander – 2B
Colton Cowser – CF
Trevor Rogers gets the start for the Orioles. As you all probably remember, he’s been pretty good since June 1, though he was also not good in his last start, giving up six runs in five innings. It did not help the season ERA. He’s going to need to have a good September in order to get that number down to 3.something before the end of the season.
I hope Luis Robert Jr. makes a nice first impression on Orioles fans in his first start. I actually don’t have any hopes but it would be nice if he did it anyway.
Rockies lineup
Jake McCarthy – LF
Connor Norby – 3B
Hunter Goodman – C
TJ Rumfield – 1B
Cole Carrigg – CF
Jordan Beck – RF
Adael Amador – DH
Ryan Ritter – 2B
Ezequiel Tover – SS
Familiar face Tomoyuki Sugano is starting for the Rockies. He has an ERA over five. These guys better score more than two runs. Preferably more than four.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 01: Corey Seager #5 of the Texas Rangers swings at a pitch during the third inning against the Athletics at Globe Life Field on September 01, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Athletics of some location out west @ Texas Rangers
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 31: Nico Hoerner #2 of the Chicago Cubs tags out Garrett Mitchell #5 of the Milwaukee Brewers at second base at Wrigley Field on August 31, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the Trade Deadline behind us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.
First Place: Milwaukee Brewers (85-53)
Top Position Player: Brice Turang (4.2 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Jacob Misiorowski (5.7 fWAR)
After the trade deadline, I made my perspective known in these pages about the Brewers’ strategy — namely that winning on the margins without a cast of superstars is all well and good in the regular season, but tends to turn into a liability in October. Well, Milwaukee has unsurprisingly continued to win since then, including against their biggest NL rival. They took three out of four in Los Angeles against the Dodgers to secure the tiebreak and make the top seed in the NL just that little bit easier. If they stay the course in September, that first round bye is all theirs.
There are superstars on this roster, to be clear. Jacob Misiorowski leads MLB in ERA, FIP, WHIP, and strikeouts. He’ll obviously be a nightmare for opposing lineups to face. Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan have been capable complementary rotation arms, and their bullpen remains rock-solid.
On the hitting side, Jackson Chourio is finding his stride at the right time — he posted a .914 OPS in August. If he can continue to produce at that echelon, suddenly my argument against the Brewers gets ricketier. That said, one wonders whether Brice Turang, Jake Bauers, and Garrett Mitchell will be able to replicate the regular seasons they’ve had once they face the best of the best on the mound.
Top Position Player: Pete Crow-Armstrong (9.3 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Ben Brown (2.0 fWAR)
It felt like every game involving the Cubs this month had some fireworks. Sometimes, they were running up the score against the Mariners; other times they were blowing late leads to the Diamondbacks. In the last week of August alone, they lost 10-8 to the Reds, won the very next contest 17-5, and put up 17 runs against the Brewers in the final game of the month. The people having the most fun with this team are the impartial fans. Like me! I’ve been watching these guys a lot.
I don’t think the Shohei Ohtani industrial complex, powerful as it is, will be able to deny Pete Crow-Armstrong from claiming the NL MVP this year. He has made a habit of either beginning or ending games with home runs — sometimes, he’ll even do both, like in a crosstown bout with the White Sox. He’s the commander of the league’s best offense, which boasts a 117 wRC+, well above the Dodgers’ second place mark of 109.
The questions lie in the pitching staff. The Jed Hoyer-led front office did a solid job adding veterans Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes to shore up a rotation which has been bitten hard by the injury bug. (More bad news on that front: their biggest breakout arm, Ben Brown, suffered a setback in his recovery from a neck injury and will remain on the shelf.) The Cubs have 10 pitchers on the injured list — all but one of those guys are on the 60-day. Can they outslug their problems on the hill? They may have no choice.
Top Position Player: JJ Wetherholt (4.4 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Andre Pallante & Kyle Leahy (2.4 fWAR)
The Cardinals now reside in the mushy middle following a promising start to the year in which it appeared they may have been ahead of schedule. POBO Chaim Bloom’s project to reshape a team which was decidedly behind-the-times before his arrival is still a work in progress; St. Louis has the league’s 22th-ranked offense by wRC+ and the 20th-ranked pitching staff by ERA-. They’ve been playing above their weight class by doing the things the Cardinals always do well: induce soft contact, play good defense, and get hits in high-leverage spots.
The top of the St. Louis lineup seems to be largely set for the next few years: JJ Wetherholt as the toolsy tablesetter at the top ahead of Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson, two power bats with more contact chops than you’d expect. Joshua Báez announced his arrival bombastically with homers in his first three at-bats in the Show, something no one else has ever done. The construction zone begins after those guys. And this rotation won’t knock your socks off with high-caliber stuff or elite results anytime soon. They’re perfectly solid, not much more than that.
The future picture for the Cardinals is a bit of an odd one; with the Cubs and Brewers bidding to remain atop the food chain for quite a while, do they try to aggressively punch their way back into the playoff picture, or do they bide their time for regression to come for their rivals? Obviously, the upcoming offseason labor theater will also factor into these tough decisions as well.
Top Position Player: Brandon Lowe (3.6 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Paul Skenes (4.1 fWAR)
Were the season a little shorter, these Pirates may have stuck around in the playoff race a bit longer. But attrition has hit the Bucs rather hard, particularly in the rotation. Veteran Mitch Keller is out for the year with an injury to his teres major injury, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler have been inconsistent, and Paul Skenes is having a down season by his stratospheric standards. Manager Don Kelly has moved to more of a six-man rotation to give Skenes more time between his starts, and that strategy has allowed him to rebound from a rough July. At the end of the day, the playoff odds for a team with the NL’s longest postseason drought continue to dwindle.
The Pirates were hitting their way to relevance this season with one of the highest scoring lineups, but that offensive production has waned. In August, they hit just .217/.398/.334 as a team. That’s a 50-point drop in average from the previous two months, and a 90-point drop in slugging from July. The dog days are not kind to this seafaring crew by the Allegheny. Not even Oneil Cruz hitting a home run off Mason Miller was enough to make up the difference.
I’m sure Pirates fans were chagrined by the news that Angels’ owner Arte Moreno finally took a hint and sold his team on Tuesday, sparking sudden optimism that one of the most moribund franchises in MLB — and the only one with a longer playoff drought than Pittsburgh — can finally turn the corner to relevance. Fans in western PA have been longing for Bob Nutting to do that very thing for a long time. I suppose they’ll keep on hoping.
Top Position Player: Elly De La Cruz (4.6 fWAR) Top Pitcher: Chase Burns (4.2 fWAR)
These Redlegs sure could use a break. Early in August it was announced that All-Star pitcher Hunter Greene would need to undergo a second Tommy John surgery, meaning Cincy will probably be without the former second-overall pick until 2028. The news cast a funerial pall over what was already a rough year in Queen City.
The youth movement that never seems to come to fruition did see some big strides this season. First baseman Sal Stewart deservedly made the All-Star team, as did fireballer Chase Burns — who, like Greene, was once drafted second overall. Elly De La Cruz hasn’t set the world on fire, but has remained a very, very good player. It just isn’t enough to make up for all the places where this team remains deficient. Cincinnati’s team wRC+ of 92 is the second-worst figure in baseball. Their 4.68 staff ERA is tied for fourth-worst.
This anecdote probably sums up the season as well as anything else: last week, the Reds placed veteran Eugenio Suárez and outfielder TJ Friedl on waivers. These decisions are often kept private due to the emotional nature of placing a well-respected player on waivers — and manager Terry Francona was irate that the news escaped the room. That both players ultimately went snubbed by the rest of the baseball likely only added to his consternation. In Suárez’s case, he’s got some more important matters at hand: the popular slugger will be stepping away from the team to take the naturalization test as he seeks to become an American citizen.
Salas, who is 20 years and 93 days old, made his MLB debut for the Padres’ road game against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. In doing so, he became the youngest catcher to play in an MLB game since the legendary Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez debuted at 19 years old in 1991.
This is good company for Salas to share, as Pudge Rodriguez was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017, on what was his first ballot.
Ethan Salas of the San Diego Padres bats in the first inning of his MLB debut during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Getty ImagesSan Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas looks on during the second inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, in Cincinnati. AP Photo/Tony Wagner
Of course, Salas still has a very long way to go before being deemed a Hall of Famer. But the 20-year-old has plenty of time to make his mark in the big leagues.
The Padres signed Salas as an international amateur free agent in 2023, giving him a $5.6 million signing bonus. He was just 16 years old at the time, but wasted no time progressing through the Padres’ organization.
Salas was then promoted to the Padres’ big league roster on Tuesday and got his first start on Wednesday, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his first three plate appearances. He produced a .296 average and an .822 OPS in 96 games in the minor leagues this season, and is seen as an extremely gifted defensive catcher.
National League’s Ethan Salas reacts to hitting a single during the second inning of the MLB All-Star Futures baseball game against the American League on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Philadelphia. AP Photo/Chris Szagola
An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta celebrates after the match, Image 2 shows Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay raises his hands with his mouth open while wearing a headset, Image 3 shows Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke raises the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LVI
Why didn’t the Angels match the offer from the Dodgers that Shohei Ohtani ultimately accepted? Because Arte Moreno didn’t want to.
Why did the Angels blow $245 million on Anthony Rendon? Because Moreno said so.
Why didn’t the Angels finalize an agreed-upon trade in which they would have received Andy Pages from the Dodgers? Because Moreno didn’t want to.
Why did the Angels invest $240 million in Albert Pujols or $125 million in Josh Hamilton? Because Moreno believed in them.
Almost every major decision that resulted in the Angels missing the postseason for the last 11 years can be traced back to Moreno.
Under Moreno, the Angels’ most important decision maker wasn’t the general manager.
It was the owner.
The anticipated change in this dynamic is the primary reason the Angels will have a chance to return to prominence once Stan Kroenke officially takes over as the team’s owner. Kroenke, who owns the Rams, has agreed to purchase a controlling share of the Angels from Moreno.
Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke raises the Lombardi Trophy at the conclusion of Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The Los Angeles Angels have been sold to Kroenke, adding to the Walmart heir’s burgeoning and increasingly successful sports portfolio. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Judging by how Kroenke operates his other sports teams, expect baseball decisions to be made by baseball people rather than a super fan who happened to become wealthy enough to buy the team.
Unlike Moreno, Kroenke is not a micromanager.
Kroenke is what a sports team wants in an owner. He trusts the people under him to do what they were hired to do and provides them with financial support.
In football or soccer, a franchise’s vision is often provided by the head coach or manager. In baseball, the vision comes from the head of the baseball operations department.
But former general managers Jerry Dipoto, Billy Eppler or Perry Minasian were never granted the level of autonomy McVay and Arteta have received from Kroenke.
McVay was the driving force behind the Rams’ trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Arteta played a similar role in Arsenal’s acquisition of midfielder Declan Rice.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reacts after a touchdown by Dean Connors during the second half of a preseason game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Thursday, August 27, 2026. Getty Images
Moreno stuck the Angels with Pujols and his massive contract, then tasked Dipoto, Eppler and Minasian to work around that mistake.
“But I would say this on Arte’s behalf,” interim general manager John Mozeliak said. “He cared about this team as much as anyone.”
The problem with Moreno wasn’t that he didn’t care.
The problem was that he cared too much and couldn’t resist making decisions he lacked the expertise to make.
His temper further complicated the situation.
“I get too pissed off to be on Instagram,” he once said.
While the joke demonstrated a measure of self-awareness on Moreno’s part, it wasn’t a laughing matter for the Angels, who were at the mercy of his impulses.
Perhaps the most egregious example of this came before the 2020 season. Wanting to clear payroll, the Dodgers agreed to send Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling to the Angels for infielder Luis Rengifo and two minor leaguers. As part of the deal, the Dodgers threw in a 19-year-old Pages.
But the trade was contingent upon the completion of a separate deal the Dodgers were making with the Boston Red Sox for Mookie Betts. In his impatience, Moreno scrapped his team’s trade with the Dodgers.
Whoops.
Moreno did Kroenke at least one huge favor by clearing the decks for the new owner to rebuild the team as he wants.
Rendon’s contract will be off the books, and the only players currently under contract for next season are Mike Trout and Yusei Kikuchi.
The challenge for Kroenke will be to find the person who will be to the Angels what McVay is to the Rams, what Arteta is to Arsenal – or what Andrew Friedman is to the Dodgers.
That won’t be easy.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta celebrates after the match on Monday, August 31, 2026, at Villa Park in Birmingham, Britain. REUTERS
Steve Cohen has committed significant resources to the New York Mets since he purchased them in 2020. Cohen thought he found his Friedman in David Stearns, but that Stearns’ appointment hasn’t translated into the kind of success the owner envisioned.
Kroenke knows there aren’t any guarantees. Before McVay, there was Jeff Fisher, and before Arteta, there was Unai Emery.
Nonetheless, Kroenke’s first step as owner promises to be a step forward for the Angels.
Moreno won’t be calling the shots for them anymore.
1902: Laurie Auchterlonie won the U.S. Open at Garden City Golf Club, setting a then-championship scoring record and capturing his lone major title.
1906: Chicago White Sox ace Ed Walsh threw a two-hit shutout against the Cubs in Game 3 of the World Series, striking out 12 and setting a World Series record at the time.
1911: Ty Cobb of the Tigers and Frank Schulte of the Cubs became the first recipients of Major League Baseball’s MVP honor, then known as the Chalmers Award.
1925: Washington Senators ace Walter Johnson threw a six-hit shutout to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 in Game 4 of the World Series, his second complete-game victory of the Series.
1927: Lou Gehrig was named American League MVP after helping power the Yankees’ legendary 1927 season.
1943: Spud Chandler pitched a 10-hit shutout as the New York Yankees defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 in Game 5 to capture their 10th World Series championship.
1948: The Cleveland Indians defeated the Boston Braves 4-3 in Game 6 to win the World Series, securing the second championship in franchise history.
1959: NFL commissioner Bert Bell suffered a fatal heart attack while watching the Philadelphia Eagles play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Franklin Field. Bell had served as NFL commissioner since 1946.
1960: John Fetzer, already a member of the Detroit Tigers’ ownership group, acquired majority ownership of the franchise and became its principal owner.
1967: Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith and Rico Petrocelli homered in the fourth inning of World Series Game 6, making Boston the first team to hit three home runs in one inning of a World Series game, as the Red Sox defeated St. Louis 8-4.
1971: Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson reached base in five consecutive plate appearances during an 11-3 World Series victory over Pittsburgh, setting a World Series record.
1980: The Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA regular-season game, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 103-92 in the expansion franchise’s debut.
1984: Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Mario Lemieux scored on the first shot of his first shift in his NHL debut, beating Boston Bruins goaltender Pete Peeters 2:59 into the game.
1986: Lenny Dykstra hit a two-run, ninth-inning walk-off home run to give the New York Mets a 6-5 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.
1991: Chip Beck shot a 59 during the Las Vegas Invitational, becoming just the second golfer to record a sub-60 round on the PGA Tour.
1992: Deion Sanders made sports history by playing for the Atlanta Falcons and joining the Atlanta Braves for that night’s National League Championship Series game on the same day, though he didn’t play in the Braves’ game.
1999: Pedro Martínez came out of the bullpen to throw six no-hit innings and strike out eight, leading Boston past Cleveland in the decisive Game 5 of the AL Division Series.
2004: Carlos Beltrán homered twice as the Houston Astros routed the Atlanta Braves 12-3 in Game 5 of the NL Division Series, giving Houston the first postseason series victory in franchise history.
2009: The United States defeated the International Team to win the Presidents Cup at Harding Park, with Tiger Woods completing a perfect 5-0 week and clinching the event in singles.
2010: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre became the first player in NFL history to reach both 500 career touchdown passes and 70,000 passing yards in a game against the New York Jets.
2012: Buster Posey hit a grand slam as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Cincinnati Reds 6-4 in Game 5 of the NL Division Series, completing a comeback from a 2-0 series deficit with three consecutive road victories.
2014: Dak Prescott accounted for three touchdowns as No. 3 Mississippi State defeated No. 2 Auburn 38-23, improving to 6-0 during a season in which the Bulldogs reached No. 1 for the first time in school history.
2015: The United States edged the International Team 15½-14½ to capture a sixth consecutive Presidents Cup.
2020: Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to win his record-extending 13th French Open title, earn his 100th Roland Garros match victory and tie Roger Federer’s then-record of 20 men’s Grand Slam singles titles.
2023: The Arizona Diamondbacks became the first team in postseason history to hit four home runs in one inning, using the record-setting third to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 and complete an NL Division Series sweep.
— USA TODAY Network
This story was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of information gathering, review, editing and publishing. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 01: Brandon Marsh #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with teammate Bryce Harper #3 after the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Zach Gardner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Here are the lineups for the series finale in Arizona. Let’s discuss!
PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 21: Emil Morales #96 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a one-run single to tie the game in the first inning during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
In the last 50 years, only four other Dodgers minor leaguers had at least 100 RBI in their age-19 season or younger — Mike Marshall (1979), Candy Maldonado (1980), Adrían Beltré (age 18 in 1997), and Cody Bellinger (2015).
Ontario first baseman and occasional third baseman Easton Shelton has 35 home runs this year, 15 more than any other player in the circuit. The 20-year-old Shelton has driven in 106 runs in 106 games this season. We’ll know by Sunday if Morales or Shelton can be the first Dodgers minor leaguers with at least 100 RBI and as many runs batted in as games played since Greg Brock knocked in 138 runs in 135 games for Triple-A Albuquerque in 1982.
In the last 50 years, the only other Dodgers minor leaguers with 100 RBI and at least as many RBI as games are Kelly Snider (139 RBI in 138 games for Class-A Lodi in 1977) and Mike Marshall (137 RBI in 128 games while inning Pacific Coast League MVP for Albuquerque in 1981).
Josue De Paula, the Dodgers top prospect, joined this group on Wednesday with Double-A Tulsa.
The last Tulsa Driller before De Paula to knock in 100 runs was Joe Koshansky in 2006 when Tulsa was a Colorado Rockies affiliate. De Paula had already scored 100 runs this season, and he’s just the second Tulsa Drillers player with triple digits in both runs and RBI, joining then-Rangers prospect Carlos Peña in 2000.
James Tibbs III, who was not called up to the Dodgers, is also sitting on 96 RBI for Oklahoma City with nearly three weeks to go in the Pacific Coast League season, so he could easily join this group, too.
