Duke Ellis of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders runs the bases during a Minor League Baseball game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, United States, on May 23, 2026. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
That’s all, folks. We’ve reached the end of the road for the 2026 minor league season. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders officially concluded things on Saturday, which also served as a retirement for the RailRiders (shoutout Clint Frazier). Tampa was unfortunately not able to bring some gold back home, losing in Game 3 of the FSL Championship Series.
If you still have an MiLB itch to scratch, the Arizona Fall League begins in two weeks as six Yankees prospects take on the desert, headlined by top prospect Dax Kilby. I’ll be there to chronicle all that, but for now, here’s the end of the minor league slate:
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Record: 41-31 (78-68), 2.5 GB in the International League East after a 3-2 week against the Rochester Red Wings (Nationals)
Run differential: +55 (+58)
The RailRiders are no more. The final games that the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate will ever play as the RailRiders came and went this last week, as they were unable to make up a self-inflicted deficit in the division to prolong their season. Sunday’s game was cancelled, so an extra-innings thriller on Saturday night was how the season concluded. They won on a walk-off wild pitch in the 10th, and get this: the winning pitcher was emergency catcher Edinson Duran, who was used once Justin Topa reached a pitch count. What an awesome way for the name to go out on.
It was a strong final week for guys like Jasson Domínguez (7-for-19, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 2B, 4 BB) and J.C. Escarra (7-for-21, HR, 2 RBI, 2B), two guys who undoubtedly thought they’d spend more of this season with the big league club. Marco Luciano also capped off a really strong season that should earn him a 40-man spot and audition for 2027 next spring. A cool storyline from this week was 2025 10th-rounder Connor McGinnis getting another aggressive promotion to finish the season, to finish a strong debut season that’s been mostly spent in Double-A. He went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI, and two walks in his cup of coffee in Scranton.
It was not a good final week of the season for a rotation. The recent progress made by Alexander Cornielle fizzled out with a mediocre final start, while the quartet of prospects didn’t end on a high note. Kyle Carr never got fully built up, but he was once again not able to finish three innings in his start. Both Brendan Beck and Elmer Rodríguez failed to finish the fifth to end their strong seasons at the level, while Xavier Rivas took a step back in a brief, three-inning start to end what was overall a big season for him.
The best part about the bullpen this week was a starter as a piggyback, as Adam Kloffenstein tossed six shutout innings in relief of Carr. Zach Messinger, Eric Reyzelman, and Bradley Hanner all pitched well in their two outings each this week.
A full-season review of the 2026 RailRiders will come next week, but I’ll end this with a tribute to Oswaldo Cabrera, who was DFA’d and claimed by the Reds. I’m happy he’ll be getting a fresh start in an organization that has less of a strict edict on winning. Players like him populate the benches of rosters around baseball, but organizations like the Yankees demand excellence from all 26 spots. Will be rooting for him.
Well, that stinks. Tampa’s incredible offense carried them all season long, but they face-planted at the wrong moment. In three games against Jupiter in the FSL Championship Series, they scored five total runs. Last time we talked, they had lost Game 1 last Sunday, but they had a chance to win the series early this week.
They won Game 2, 4-1. Wilberson De Pena and Diego Castellanos ripped RBI singles, while they scored the other two runs on an RBI walk and a wild pitch. Big day for Luis Puello, who went 3-for-5 with a double. Wyatt Parliament tossed five solid innings to conclude his debut season, while the bullpen behind him was sharp. Usual starter Tyler Boudreau tossed 1.2 innings, followed by Matthew Tippie, Pedro Rodriguez, and Greysen Carter for the save.
Game 3 was a pure pitcher’s duel. Neither team could score for eight innings. Tampa’s offense was completely flummoxed, striking out 16 times. The pitching was outstanding. JT Etheridge, who you’ll see in the Arizona Fall League, tossed six shutout innings to conclude a fantastic September. Jose Ledesma and Rafael Arias did their jobs to get it to the ninth, but Arias gave up a walk-off double to end the season in the bottom of the ninth. Heartbreaking for an incredible group.
Ellis is not a prospect anymore, but I’m giving him flowers in the season’s final week for reaching 60 stolen bases with a great final stretch. He steadily improved over the course of the season and has been a solid presence at the bottom of Scranton’s order. I would think the soon-to-be-29-year-old will sign with another organization next year, as even with his extremely niche skill set of being a designated pinch runner, the team just won’t have a roster spot for this Terrance Gore-type.
SPRINGDALE, AR - MARCH 31: Brett Squires #7 of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals poses for a photo during the Northwest Arkansas Naturals photo day at Arvest Ballpark on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 in Springdale, Arkansas. (Photo by Lacey Whitmer/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Royals left-handed pitching prospect David Shields (the club’s No. 4 prospect per MLB.com) was named the Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year. Meanwhile, Josh Hammond (No. 2) won the Alex Gordon Heart and Hustle Award.
Brett Squires was named the George Brett Hitter of the Year. The club also recognized Squires as the Mike Sweeney Community Impact Award recipient. He is the first player to win multiple organization awards in the same season.
Other award winners include the LP Langevin (Dan Quisenberry Reliever of the Year), Carson Roccaforte (Frank White Defensive Player of the Year) and Asbel Gonzalez (Willie Wilson Baserunner of the Year).
The city’s Special Committee for Legal Review on Monday advanced an ordinance that would place the question on the April 6 ballot during the 2027 spring municipal election. The proposal now goes to the full City Council for consideration.
The council’s pending approval appears to be a formality. City staff previously told The Star that if the petitioners filed a request to send their proposed ordinance to voters, the city’s charter would require the council to place the initiative on the ballot at the earliest eligible election, which would be April 6.
“Curt Nelson and I had wondered for years: How many games has Denny done? Denny has saved all of his scorecards, and years ago he turned them over to Curt. Curt asked for them, and so they’ve been in the Royals’ possession for years,” Lefebvre said on the broadcast. “And he and I have been saying one of these days we’ve got to find out how many games he’s done. Call it divine inspiration, instinct, whatever. But Curt and I finally said, ‘We’re either going to do this or we’re not going to do this.’ …
“But he and I got a group of about 10 to 15 Royals employees, and the Royals paid for lunch. And here come all the boxes of scorecards going back to 1969, and we actually counted all of them in about an hour. It didn’t take that long, and I’m glad we did. Sam Mellinger was in charge of tallying up the numbers, so someone would say, ‘OK, in 1972, we did 161 games,’ and we’re adding them up, and we’re tallying them up, tallying them up, and all of a sudden it hit us: ‘Oh my gosh, he’s going to do his 8,000th game this year.’”
I’m also struggling some with this particular edition because this is the first time since maybe 2022 where these games are just totally irrelevant. They were at least on the periphery of the race last year. They obviously made it to the dance two years ago. Even in 2023, we had Bobby Witt Jr.‘s ascent to stardom along with Cole Ragans, James McArthur (yes, his September was worthy of mention) and a bunch of other young guys trying like hell to make an impression. This year’s team is mostly guys we know are part of the future and have nothing to prove and guys we know aren’t part of the future and have nothing to prove.
Davy Andrews at FanGraphs went deep into the idea of an off-peak season for Bobby Witt Jr and his case for MVP.
This is Witt’s fifth major league season, and you could argue that it’s his fourth consecutive MVP-caliber campaign. Mind you, that argument would focus only on 2022, in which he put up 5.9 WAR, good for 10th in the majors. There’s no argument to be had about the 2024 and 2025 seasons. That said, along with Shohei Ohtani’s combined 9.2-WAR 2022 sesaon, they are the two most valuable seasons this decade for which a position player did not win an MVP. In 2024, Witt ran a 169 wRC+, stole 31 bases, and put up a Fielding Run Value of 11, fourth among all shortstops. That was good for 10.5 WAR, and it took the best season of Aaron Judge’s career – 58 home runs, a 19% walk rate, and a .322 batting average – to beat him. In 2025, Witt put up 8.0 WAR with a 130 wRC+, 38 steals, and 20 FRV, the best mark among all shortstops. Again, he was bested by a 10-win season from Judge and Cal Raleigh’s 60-homer campaign. Witt has never received a first place MVP vote.
Baseball America picked Kendry Chourio as the Royals minor league player of the year.
With the road slate of games completed this season, Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep took a look at the struggles the Royals faced away from home.
Brian Burrows at Kings of Kauffman analyzes the bullpen through the lens of FanGraphs’ “Meltdowns” stat.
Speaking of the Tigers, corporate goons are renaming their stadium after two fractions, or rankings, or a bank, or whatever, I don’t care. It’s dumb. At least have the temerity to name it “First” or something.
The New York Giants ran up their healthcare bill in last night’s Monday Night Football game, which saw a slew of injuries for Big Blue. I saw “nightmare game” from…a lot of people on the internet.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac bought a pub next to Wrexham’s stadium so they can apparently make a Welsh version of all those American entertainment districts that our billionaires want so badly.
Paramount reached a settlement in the antitrust lawsuit, which apparently clears the way for them to complete their giant acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery. Yakko, Wakko, and Dot need to drum up some chaos to put a stop to this corporate ghoulish behavior.
It’s a bit outdated, but your song of the day is Yakko with the world country sing-along.
Monday was a well deserved off day for the Braves. However, there are still few games to be played and a few story lines to sort out as the postseason comes into focus. For one, it is still a really close race to determine who the Braves will actually play. The Braves also want to be fully confident that Robert Suarez will be ready to contribute, as he could be activated over the next few days to pitch this week in the majors.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 13: Edwin Diaz #3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts as he leaves the game after allowing two runs to score for a 4-4 tie against the Milwaukee Brewers, during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers have managed to work their way out of their usual late summer lull, by going 14-5 so far in the month of September. But they face a test starting Tuesday to see if they really are in postseason form.
This month, the Dodgers have beat up on below .500 teams in the Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. But they have one last team with a winning record to face before the playoffs – the San Diego Padres.
The Padres come in to this series winners of 13 of their last 14 games, needing two wins to secure a wildcard playoff spot. They have never made the playoffs three seasons in a row in the history of their franchise.
“I feel like the whole team is in a good spot right now,” San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Sunday. “We’re playing really good baseball. We’re checking in when we have to. The entire lineup is in a good spot right now. So when it’s going like that, it’s … a good time.”
For their part, the Dodgers have a magic number of three to secure the second bye in the playoffs, which is important in setting the rotation that the Dodgers want.
“I think it’s going to be a good kind of (playoff) primer,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the upcoming series. “They’re a very talented team. They’re playing as good as anyone in all of baseball. I’m looking forward to playing those guys and just kind of ramping it up a little bit more for our guys.”
Andy Pages is expected to be activated off the IL on Tuesday, hopefully fully healed and ready to add to the Dodgers offensive firepower.
Doug Padilla of the OC Register covers more of the details of what the Dodgers are thinking in their last six games of the season here.
One of the things still up in the air as far as the postseason roster goes is the status of Edwin Diaz, and if he can make a positive impact in the playoffs.
Diaz returned from the IL on Friday, a has two scoreless outings. But is that enough to get back on Dave Roberts’ trust tree?
“It’s been really disappointing,” Díaz said of his season. “But now I’ve found growth to come back and perform the way everyone was expecting.”
Diaz was on the IL earlier this season after having surgery on bone chips in his elbow and he came back ready to return to the leverage part of the bullpen. Except he wasn’t actually ready.
Katie Woo of The Athletic covers all of the ins and outs of Diaz’s return and playoff roster hopes here:
“Everybody was telling me I have a new elbow, so just keep going, keep climbing the ladder,” Díaz said. “You will be fine. We trust you. They always stayed positive with me, and you know, I was positive too. I know when I’m right, I can do really good things. I just trusted the process with them. They stuck with me. They supported me. So I was OK.”
But he wasn’t ok. In his nine outings after returning from the IL, Diaz’s ERA swelled to 11.85. He landed back on the IL with neck inflammation. So far in this return, he seems to be doing better. But with only six games left, he only has three to four games to prove he’s playoff ready.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 19: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on from the dugout during sixth inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 19, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Boston Red Sox are going to face the New York Yankees in the American League Wild Card Series.
It’s still unclear whether or not they’ll face Aaron Judge…
Judge, who has been dealing with several different injuries this season, suffered a calf strain last week and was placed on the injured list (retroactive to Thursday) on Saturday. Judge is obviously going to be frustrated with situation, but perhaps even more so after he spent the majority of the regular season sidelined with a fractured rib and will likely finish the campaign slashing .241/.360/.511 with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs in 66 games — not exactly what we all expected.
“I’d like to be back by the postseason,” Judge told MLB Media’s Bryan Hoch. “That’s definitely the plan. [It’s the] 10-day IL, so the 10th day is probably the last game of the season. We’ll see. I’ve got really no answers for you on any timeline or anything like that.”
I, too, would like him to be back.
It’s pretty difficult arguing that you want to face the reigning AL MVP and one of the two best hitters of the 2020s, but let’s all be serious about the reality of the situation. If he makes his way back into the lineup for the postseason, you’ll be pitching to someone who has been sidelined for the majority of the last four months. It’s not like he’s been the same guy since returning earlier this month, either, as he went just 4-for-23 (.174) with one home run across six games since being activated on Sept. 8.
Judge at 50% is still better than most at 100%, but it is important to remember that he has found it somewhat difficult to stay productive in past postseasons.
2-for-8 in terms of productive stretches. 58-for-246 in terms of at-bats. 0-for-forever in terms of making enough of an impact to actually be considered a winning baseball player.
The Yankees absolutely would prefer to have him in the lineup, but it’s not an obvious choice right now. If they have to force him in they’ll either lose Luis Garcia Jr. or Ben Rice as the designated hitter or put someone with a bum calf in the outfield at Yankee Stadium. If they choose to let him fully heal and miss that first series, they can play both Rice (.889 OPS) and Garcia (.843 OPS) while having the space to play guys like Spencer Jones (1.177 OPS vs. LHP), and Paul Goldschmidt (.997 OPS vs. LHP).
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 08: Manager Pat Murphy #00 of the Milwaukee Brewers looks on against the Chicago Cubs in the seventh inning at American Family Field on September 08, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We are close enough to the MLB playoffs that we can assume the postseason field in the National League is set—by the time you read this, it’s possible that the Diamondbacks could be eliminated from postseason contention and the six teams who will participate in the NL playoffs are finalized, with only the order of the three Wild Card teams remaining to be sorted out. So, a week out from the start of the postseason, let’s take a look at the five teams the Brewers could end up facing when they suit up for the National League Division Series on October 3rd.
I don’t do this necessarily to create a ranking of who I’d most like to face, but to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each team in order to judge what sort of threat they present. Of course anything can happen in the postseason, so this is likely all moot anyway, but it’s an interesting exercise.
I will go in alphabetical order, and I’ll include run differential plus ranks from FanGraphs for overall offense, overall defense, wRC+, and expected ERA.
The Braves won the NL East without too much trouble this year, as they’ve got a six-game advantage over the Phillies as of Monday afternoon and have been in first for essentially the entire season; the last time they weren’t in first in the NL East was on April 7th. The East was expected to be a competitive division, but the Mets’ tailspin and the Phillies’ awful start made it easy.
The Braves might have reason to be nervous, though. They jumped out to a nine-game lead in the division by mid-May and were rocking a winning percentage near .700, which held out until the second week of June. But since they were 42-20 on June 4th, they’ve gone 50-44 and they let the Phillies get to within three games at the beginning of September. Atlanta won two of three from the Phillies last week and then swept the Astros over the weekend, which clinched the division, but this isn’t a team that’s playing its best baseball at the moment.
While Atlanta hasn’t quite lived up offensively to the juggernaut it looked like they’d be for the foreseeable future after a team of young stars led them to the World Series in 2021, they’re still heavy on offensive talent. Matt Olson is the most reliable player in baseball, and no, he’s not at the level that nearly won him the MVP in 2023, but this season he’s got 40 homers and 33 doubles—not too shabby. Acuña, likewise, isn’t the same player he was before knee injuries sapped some of the explosiveness that won him the 2023 MVP, but he’s still a dangerous player who managed 20 homers in just 103 games so far this season (though his baserunning has gone from “weapon” to “liability”—he’s stealing bases this season at just a 71 percent clip).
The other big offensive piece is 2025 Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin, who for much of this season looked like Atlanta’s best offensive player. A midsummer swoon hurt his overall numbers a bit, but he’s hitting .313/.370/.478 over the last two months, essentially, not too shabby for a catcher. There are a lot of other familiar names in the lineup: Michael Harris II can certainly win you a game, Ozzie Albies has 22 homers, Austin Riley has 17 (even if his game has mostly fallen apart otherwise).
On the other side, the big story is Chris Sale, who should finish third in NL Cy Young voting after winning the award two seasons ago. Even at age 37, Sale is killing it—over the past three seasons, he is 39-17 with a 2.37 ERA and 2.31 FIP in 460 1/3 innings while striking out 11.3 batters per nine and walking only two. He’s a Hall of Famer, and he’s pitching as well as he has ever pitched. There are only a couple of pitchers in the league who can match up with Misiorowski, and Sale is one of them.
Injuries have been a big problem for the Braves’ pitching staff over the past couple of seasons, so there are bigger questions after Sale. Grant Holmes and Martín Pérez have ably filled their roles; neither is likely to throw a postseason shutout or anything, but they’ve both covered over 140 innings with ERAs below 3.50. (Both have FIP numbers significantly higher, though, so who knows.) Deadline pickup Tyler Mahle has also been huge: after posting a 5.13 ERA in 18 starts with the Giants before the trade, he has a 1.28 ERA (!) in eight starts since joining Atlanta. I’ve been waiting for Mahle to get blown up for weeks and it hasn’t happened, so who knows, we may keep waiting.
The bullpen is a strength, though their closer, Raisel Iglesias, has been mediocre over the past couple of months after an incredible start. Overall he has good numbers, but I suspect Braves fans will be nervous if he needs to protect a one-run lead late in a playoff game. Atlanta has also gotten big relief seasons from Didier Fuentes and Dylan Lee, and there is one big question mark here: Robert Suárez, the former San Diego closer who started the season with a 0.56 ERA in 32 innings, hasn’t pitched since mid-June because of elbow inflammation. He was sent on a rehab assignment this week, though, and pitched for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday. If he’s able to pitch at the level he was early in the season, it’s a game-changing addition for Atlanta.
Strengths: Bullpen, a deep lineup, a real ace. Weaknesses: Inconsistent offense, can the rotation keep producing after Sale?
Chicago Cubs
87-69, currently holding first Wild Card position Offense: 1st; Defense: 1st; wRC+: 115 (1st); xERA: 4.60 (24th)
The Cubs are a strange team. Their offense and defense are both ranked first. Their pitching is not. It’s been a struggle on the mound this year; injuries decimated the staff (most prominently with Cade Horton, who threw only 7 1/3 innings before his elbow blew up, and Ben Brown, who looked like the team’s best pitcher when healthy but who hasn’t pitched since late June) and it’s just been a real struggle.
There is real danger here. Pete Crow-Armstrong is going to win the MVP award, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, he will 100% deserve it; he has a strong case as the league’s best defensive player and he’s leading the league in OPS, runs scored, and homers. He’s almost surely going to have a 40/40 season and he has 10.4 WAR via FanGraphs. It is a historically good season.
That’s far from all in the lineup. Seiya Suzuki is just a good hitter and has been dependable. Ian Happ has struggled a bit but he’s got 24 homers. Michael Busch is dangerous, even if the surface numbers have taken a step back. Michael Conforto has recovered from his nightmare 2025 season and has been a very good role player. Tyrone Taylor has been great since coming over at the trade deadline. Everyone walks—only the Brewers have a higher walk percentage this season than the Cubs.
Then there’s the defense. Whether you are a fan of Defensive Runs Saved or Outs Above Average, the Cubs are far and away the best team in the league.
Now, there are some issues here: Alex Bregman, who has been their second-best offensive player in the second of the season and who is a good defender, suffered facial fractures after being hit by a foul ball on Sunday. For now, we don’t know what his situation is; according to Jeff Passan, he is electing not to undergo surgery at this time, which could mean a return in the postseason is possible. We also don’t know what to expect from Dansby Swanson, who was playing well when he strained an oblique a little over a month ago. He had a good weekend, but we’ll see.
But the biggest problem is pitching. Shota Imanaga, Colin Rea, Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, and David Peterson are all players who have thrown at least 75 innings for the Cubs this year, and not one of them has a FIP better than 4.20. Kevin Gausman hasn’t been good since coming over at the deadline. Clay Holmes started well after his trade to the Cubs but his September has been disastrous. The bullpen isn’t in any better shape; they can’t figure out who their closer is (no Cub has more than nine saves this season) and even the players who have pitched better have serious questions. No joke, their best reliever of late has been Aaron Civale (who has allowed only five earned runs in 32 1/3 innings with Chicago this season).
This team could win the World Series. The offense and defense are that good. But if they do, I’m fairly certain they’d be doing it with the worst pitching staff to ever win a title.
Strengths: the MVP, the lineup, the defense. Weakness: Almost everyone who steps on the mound.
Los Angeles Dodgers
96-60, clinched NL West, likely to get first-round bye Offense: 2nd; Defense: 13th; wRC+: 111 (2nd); xERA: 3.62 (2nd)
The Dodgers are now in the “favorites until they’re not” phase of their dynasty, and a glance at any betting market (for whatever that’s worth) will show you that even if the Dodgers don’t have the best record in the league, they’re the clear favorite to win the World Series, at least in a casual sense. I’ve observed this amongst my own friends, who follow the Brewers but aren’t die-hard baseball fans—they all assume the Brewers will just lose to the Dodgers again in the postseason.
Maybe, maybe not. While the Dodgers are undoubtedly still very good, cracks may be beginning to show. Shohei Ohtani, who is banged up and currently on the injured list, has his lowest OPS+ (a still stellar 146, but still) since 2022. While he was outstanding when on the mound this year, he couldn’t stay healthy and it seems certain that he will not pitch in the postseason. He recently turned 32, so this may be the new normal for him. Will Smith has only played 69 games. Freddie Freeman, at 36, is having his worst season since he was 22 in 2012. A good September (he has a 1.215 OPS in 17 games this month) has buoyed Mookie Betts’ numbers, but he was about a league-average hitter for the season’s first five months. He’s also about to turn 34. Teoscar Hernández, at age 33, hasn’t been the same hitter the last two seasons that he was the six or seven before that. Kyle Tucker has been, mostly, a very expensive bust.
And yet, they still have the second-best offense in the league, which is frustrating. Unexpected sources have stepped up: Andy Pages became one of the league’s most well-rounded players and has over 20 homers. Max Muncy, another mid-30s guy, doesn’t seem to have lost anything and is having his best season by WAR since 2021. He’s got 29 homers and 26 doubles. Josue De Paula, the uberprospect who was called up all the way from Double-A to take some at-bats after Ohtani got hurt, is hitting .286/.474/.500 in 38 plate appearances. Like I said, frustrating.
On the whole, though, the offense looks beatable. They’re a little beat up and they’re definitely aging; this season more than any other since he got there, it feels like if you don’t let Ohtani beat you, then you can (carefully) deal with the rest of the lineup.
The pitching staff is impressive, though. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP, continues to be one of the most reliable players in the league and should finish in the top five or so in NL Cy Young voting. Blake Snell missed much of the season but has been incredible in eight starts since returning; he has a 1.86 ERA and 1.73 FIP in 38 2/3 innings and looks like one of the two or three best pitchers in baseball right now. Tyler Glasnow looks like the best number four starter in the league. Oh, and they have Tarik Skubal.
The bullpen isn’t exactly a strength but it’s been a lot better than last year, even though the high-priced Edwin Díaz move hasn’t worked out thus far. After a horrible year last year, Tanner Scott has ably stepped into the closer role. Alex Vesia continues to get outs. Jack Dreyer has been solid. Edgardo Henriquez has been excellent, though he’s on the injured list with back trouble at the moment. Plus, guys like Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, and Rokie Sasaki—who’ve been up and down as starters this year—could fill Chad Patrick-like roles for this bullpen in the postseason.
I understand why they’re the favorite, and it’s definitely possible that everything will come together at the right time again the way it did last year. But this team isn’t invulnerable.
86-70, currently holding third Wild Card position Offense: 27th; Defense: 18th; wRC+: 92 (27th); xERA: 3.64 (3rd)
This Phillies team is a weird inversion of the Phillies teams I feel like I’m used to from the last few years. Aside from a couple of notable exceptions, they can’t really hit. But after years of absolute chaos in their bullpen, they’re rocking one of the league’s best closers, and in the rotation there is some real juice.
Let’s start there, with Cristopher Sánchez. While I still think it’s likely that Misiorowski wins the Cy Young, Sánchez is almost certainly going to prevent him from winning unanimously. He’s made 32 starts and thrown 200 innings, with a 2.93 ERA and 2.81 FIP. The advantage in innings means that he’s comfortably ahead of all other pitchers in Baseball Reference’s version of WAR.
The rest of the rotation is in good shape too, though a shoulder injury for Jesús Luzardo creates some uncertainty. Luzardo has had an excellent season: in 29 starts, he’s actually ahead of Sánchez in both ERA and FIP and is striking out 11.1 batters per nine. He’s one of the league’s best pitchers, but while the team is hopeful he can return from this late-season injury, it’s unclear if he’d be able to start or would need to move to the bullpen.
Zack Wheeler is here, and he’s been typically excellent. It’s been mostly a struggle for Aaron Nola over the past two seasons, but he’s got a 2.92 ERA since the beginning of July (though there’s some noise in those numbers). The bullpen is anchored by Jhoan Duran, who has a 1.76 ERA and 1.45 FIP in 56 1/3 innings, but there are some questions beyond him. Luzardo could play a major role there, if he’s not able to start.
Offensively, though, it’s rough. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are getting older—both are in their age-33 seasons—and have done what they can. Harper leads the NL in walks and is hitting .271/.382/.491 with 28 homers; a good season. Schwarber leads the NL with 45 homers and is having what I’d describe as a fairly typical Schwarber season. But after that, there is nothing. Amongst J.T. Realmuto, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford, Edmundo Sosa, and Luis Arraez, there are precisely zero players with an OPS+ above 90. That’s really, really rough.
The offensive problems are probably too much for the pitching staff to overcome, especially with Luzardo’s health as a question mark. Harper has a history of elevating his play in the postseason and Schwarber is not a mystery, but there’s just too little.
Strengths: Starting rotation, the closer, Harper and Schwarber. Weaknesses: Bullpen depth, everyone else who hits
San Diego Padres
87-69, currently holding second Wild Card position Offense: 7th; Defense: 4th; wRC+: 102 (11th); xERA: 3.98 (9th)
The Padres are a surprisingly well-balanced team. They might have the best 1-2 punch in the bullpen in all of baseball with Mason Miller and Adrián Morejón, and there are several other solid contributors amongst the relief corps. After a weird, homerless start to the season, Fernando Tatis Jr. has looked much more like the perennial MVP candidate we have come to expect in the second half. Ty France is having maybe the most random great season in the entire league—be honest, did you know that Ty France is hitting .301/.366/.519 with 21 homers and 4.8 WAR this year? They’ve gotten good contributions from a variety of role players, like Luis Campusano and Samad Taylor and even Luis Rengifo, though his season is over after a torn ACL.
It comes down to the starting pitching, though. Michael King has turned into a really solid player, and he holds the top spot in San Diego’s rotation. Walker Buehler has stayed healthy this year (31 starts, his most since 2021), but he’s far from the player he was before his injuries and has been solidly below average. Randy Vásquez has been, in a word, fine. Casey Mize and Robbie Ray were acquired at the deadline to play major roles in the rotation… and they’ve combined for an ERA of 5.93 in 17 starts.
If the Padres can get just enough starting pitching to shorten games to the point that their bullpen can handle things, things could go well for them this postseason. But this is a team that looks like it has one starting pitcher worthy of any level of trust in the postseason right now, and that’s a difficult place to be. While the offense has performed well this year, it doesn’t look to me like a group that came overcome major pitching woes, like the Cubs’ group might be able to do. The Padres, to have success, will need to get something unexpected from a starting pitcher or two, and I’m not sure who that’ll be.
Strengths: The bullpen, Tatis, King. Weaknesses: The rotation beyond King, is this a lineup prone to slumps?
The 2026 schedule hasn’t yet concluded, but the Cardinals’ playoff hopes are officially extinguished. From JJ’s debut and Burley’s monstrous blast that set the tone for the season on opening day, to a group of SFA baseball players taking their shirts off and swinging them over their heads. Jordan Walker reintroducing himself to the baseball world and taking down hometown favorite Kyle Schwarber in the home run derby, and Joshua Baez’s historic debut in Wrigley, the dropped fly ball that Dane Meyers missed in Cincinnati, and the ascension of the future at Catcher in Leo Bernal.
Although the season finishes with a flounder, rather than a fury, it’s hard to walk away from 2026 saying you weren’t entertained, you weren’t engaged, and you didn’t have fun. The Cardinals organization should feel emboldened in an upcoming offseason to push down on the accelerator and fill short-term gaps that have long-term solutions ascending through the system but still might be a year or two away. 3rd base would appear to be the only everyday spot that still remains unsettled for 2027. The top of the rotation could use a veteran leader with postseason experience, and the bullpen could use a versatile reliever with the ability to pitch high-leverage innings, in case incumbent Riley O’Brien’s consistency issues leak over into next season.
The entire roster, seemingly, was one big question mark after the franchise traded away organizational foundation pieces in Donovan, Arenado, Gray, and Contreras. Players like the aforementioned Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, JJ Wetherholt, Nathan Church, Joshua Baez, Kyle Leahy, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, and Leo Bernal positively answered questions we had about those positions; others like Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore still provided answers, though in a negative light. Gorman isn’t the answer at 3rd base and has been provided ample opportunity to take the spot and run with it; he did not, so I feel it’s in the best interest of the organization to move on and let him try to succeed elsewhere. I still have confidence Matthew Liberatore can provide value out of a big-league bullpen; the strikeout stuff took a step forward, but the ability to navigate a big-league lineup several times effectively doesn’t appear to be something he can do without a big blowup somewhere. Perhaps a more targeted opportunity and return to a late-game reliever role will allow him to find more consistent success.
Since President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has taken over at the top of baseball decisions, I have been met with nothing but optimism and future confidence in what the Cardinals’ brain trust is creating, and it led me to a unique place in my brain that this season feels a lot like an announcement that the Cardinals are nearing a return to prominence similar to Paul Revere’s revolutionary ride through Massachusetts in April of 1775. Chaim Bloom, of course, coming to the Cardinals after his time spent in Boston previously, I felt was a very clever tie-in to this metaphor.
Therefore, borrowing from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem and the assistance of ChatGPT, I repurposed the famous poem and cadence to further some of our reckless optimism as we await a long, potentially dark winter, with CBA strife and uncertainty surrounding the financial structure of the sport; the one positive of that, though, is that the Cardinals have almost no long-term or high-dollar investments tied up to the roster. JJ’s extension is peanuts and doesn’t kick in, in earnest, until 2028. So, once the “ground rules” of roster building are agreed to, the Cardinals can pursue any opportunity without financial restriction, further inflaming my reckless optimism that contention is just ahead and I proclaim to Cardinals fans, “The winning is coming, the winning is coming!”
The Prospects’ Ride
Listen, my friends, to the tale of the Cards, Of players who labor on diamonds and yards; When twilight descends on the Memphis lights, And Springfield awakens beneath summer nights, A whisper runs through the Cardinal land: “The future is coming—it’s close at hand!”
For deep in the system, the young players rise, With bats in their hands and ambition in their eyes; From Palm Beach to Peoria, Springfield to town, A red wave is rolling, and none shall slow down.
Then out from the shadows a catcher appears, A slugger so young, yet he conquers his fears; Rainiel Rodriguez, with thunderous might, Sends baseballs soaring into the night. The scouts write his name, the faithful rejoice: “The future has found us! We’ve heard his voice!”
And down from the mound comes a left-handed flame, With Liam Doyle bringing heat to the game; His fastball comes roaring, his breaking ball bends, And every young hitter discovers new friends— Or rather, discovers, when stepping inside, That sometimes the safest course is to hide.
Then Báez takes lumber and steps to the plate, With power enough to make outfielders wait; Joshua swings with a thunderous sound, And baseballs go sailing far over the ground. The Cardinals watch as the youngster takes flight: “Perhaps this is one who will play here at night!”
From Curaçao’s breeze came a pitcher unique, With Jurrangelo Cijntje possessing the mystique; A switch-pitching story that once made him known, Now throwing his best from one side alone. With fastball and slider and dreams in his heart, He waits for his moment to make his big start.
Then Quinn Mathews rises, determined and strong, A left-hander working his way right along; While Tanner Franklin, with fire in his hand, Is learning to start and to command. The farm fields are crowded, the competition fierce, But every young Cardinal continues to persevere.
And somewhere beyond them, the newest names grow, From the Class of Twenty-Six, eager to show; Trevor Condon arrives with a bat and a dream, The newest young star in the Cardinal scheme. With Rocco behind him and more on the way, The future gets brighter with each passing day.
So listen, St. Louis, when night settles down, And Busch Stadium glows over all of the town: For somewhere tonight, when the old stars have played, A new generation is quietly made.
No trumpet announces the moment they come, No banner is raised, and no beating of drum; They simply keep working, each day and each night, Till suddenly one of them steps into sight.
And then, when the call from St. Louis is heard, The dream will arrive with a single small word: “Debut.”
And the Cardinal faithful will know That the prospects they watched have begun to show.
So remember the names as they travel the road— The hitters, the pitchers, the players bestowed; For the future is riding beneath Cardinal red, And Springfield and Memphis are forging ahead.
The bats will keep swinging, the pitchers will throw, And from all across Missouri, the young stars will grow.
Then someday the gates will swing open at night, And a youngster will run underneath Busch’s lights; The crowd will rise up, and the redbirds will fly—
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 13: Alex McFarlane #71 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Sunday, September 13, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kathryn May/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Detroit Tigers opened up the penultimate series of the 2026 campaign with a 9-2 victory at Comerica Park — soon to be Fifth Third Park — on Monday night. River Ryan looked good in his debut wearing the Olde English D, while home runs at the bottom of the batting order from Spencer Torkelson and Javier Báez helped fuel the offensive output en route to victory.
Getting the start in Game 2 is right-hander Drew Anderson, who has been a perfectly serviceable member of the Tigers’ pitching staff this season after spending the majority of his past four seasons pitching in Asia. While a lion’s share of his appearances this year have been out of the bullpen, the 32-year-old has been a member of the starting rotation over his past eight outings, putting up a tidy 2.58 ERA but a less-impressive 4.82 FIP across 38 1/3 innings of work.
For the Nats, left-hander Jackson Kent will make his eighth start of the year in search of just the second quality start of his debut campaign. The 23-year-old has had a rough September so far, posting a brutal 7.62 ERA but a less offensive 4.40 FIP over 13 innings, allowing 16 hits (one home run) and eight walks while striking out 10 and uncorking a wild pitch. Washington has lost five of his seven appearances this season.
Here is a quick look at how the two hurlers match up on paper for the second of the three-game series in Detroit.
Detroit Tigers (74-83) vs. Washington Nationals (73-84)
Time (ET): 6:40 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:Federal Baseball Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 158: RHP Drew Anderson (5-6, 3.62 ER) vs. LHP Jackson Kent (1-4, 6.40 ERA)
Sep 21, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) celebrates a home run during the eighth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie LeBlanc-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters!
Last night, we got a reprieve from the misery that has been Orioles baseball lately. And we got it mostly thanks to Pete Alonso (who else). Alonso hit his 39th and 40th home runs of the season last night, powering the Orioles to a 4-3 victory over the Blue Jays. He’s now the 10th Oriole to have a 40-homer season, and his 108 RBI are the most in the American League. It’s Alonso’s first 40-homer season since 2023 and his fourth in his career.
Oh, and Alonso just happened to hit two homers on the day that his son, Teddy, celebrated his first birthday. What a guy.
Gunnar Henderson also homered, his 24th. Henderson had three hits in the game. Starting pitcher Shane Baz struggled through a three-run first inning, but went on to pitch 6.2 innings without allowing a run after the first. You can get the full details of the win in Alex Church’s recap.
By my estimation, the Orioles have been out of the race since the Red Sox swept them in early September. Now it seems like the White Sox or Guardians will take the final Wild Card spot, with the other winning the AL Central. The Blue Jays are basically out of it as well, and the Orioles have the chance in this series to ensure their AL East foe is truly finished.
The Orioles won’t go to the playoffs and they won’t have a winning season, but they can put the nail in the coffin for the Blue Jays. And if the Orioles win tonight and tomorrow, these teams will leave Baltimore with the Blue Jays in last place instead of the Orioles. It’s not something to get excited about, but it’s always preferable to NOT be in last place.
Tonight, it’ll be an old-man special as Chris Bassitt (37) and Max Scherzer (42) face off. It’s a rematch of the game on 9/11, in which both pitchers went five innings. Scherzer allowed six runs and took the loss, while Bassitt allowed two runs and got the win. I wouldn’t hate to see a repeat of that. The weather forecast today is pretty dicey, so hopefully they get the game in. I mean, I guess. Would it really matter if they didn’t?
Alonso homers twice to reach 40 and give Orioles 4-3 win over Blue Jays – MASN Sports Roch Kubatko’s game story has plenty of quotes about how amazing Pete Alonso is, but also includes some info on Samuel Basallo, who exited last night’s game after being hit square in the mask with a foul ball. Be ok, Samuel! Knocks to the head are scary.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have a ton of Orioles birthday buddies, each more forgettable than the last. But because today is their birthday, today we remember them:
Luis Ortiz (31), who appeared in three games in 2018-19
Chris Ellis (34), eight games in 2021-22
Luis García (51), six games in 2002
César Devarez (57), 16 games in 1995-96.
P.J. Forbes (59), nine games in 1998
John Stefero (67), 61 games in 1983 and 1986
Bob Harrison (b. 1930, d. 2023), two games in 1955-56
On this day in 1961, Jim Gentile hit his fifth grand slam of the year. That tied him with Ernie Banks for the most in a season. The current record is six, held by Travis Hafner and Don Mattingly.
In 1966, the Orioles clinched their first AL pennant with 6-1 victory over the Kansas City Athletics. Jim Palmer, just 20 years old, pitched a complete game.
In 1973, the Orioles defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 to clinch the division. Al Bumbry hit three triples in the win.
In 2012, the Orioles beat the Red Sox 9-6 in 13 innings, marking their 87th win of the year. They scored three runs in the top of the 13th with RBI hits from Jim Thome, Endy Chavez, and Manny Machado. Mark Reynolds and Adam Jones homered earlier. They remained one game out of the AL East after the Yankees pulled off an extra-innings win of their own.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 21: Pete Alonso #25 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 21, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the last few months, this space has featured the Rays heavily, given there was real intrigue about whether they or the Yankees would end up with the AL East title. Tampa slipped ahead of the Yankees in the division early in the season, but they never got too far afield, and as the season progressed and New York saw its cavalcade of wounded stars start to recover from injury, it seemed very plausible that the Yankees would eventually challenge the Rays at the very top of the American League.
Unfortunately, that never quite materialized. The Yankees are six back with seven to play, needing a miracle to catch the Rays in the division, meaning that the primary focus of our Rivalry Roundup may about to be extinguished. Now, we’ll have to focus more on the periphery, as there still is much to be decided out in the AL Central, the AL West, and in the race for the third Wild Card. That latter race was the only one impacted yesterday, with just three total MLB games on the slate, one of them featuring the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, who maintain slim but non-zero chances of snagging a playoff spot.
Baltimore Orioles (76-81) 4, Toronto Blue Jays (77-80) 3
This game was delayed by rain, but the Blue Jays wasted no time getting to Baltimore starter Shane Baz once the contest got underway. Toronto opened the game with back-to-back walks from Brett Bateman and Alejandro Kirk, before singles by Nathan Lukes and George Springer scored both runners. A run-scoring sac fly by Kaz Okamoto put the Orioles in a 3-0 hole by the time Baz recorded his first out.
That gave Trey Yesavage a comfortable lead to work with, the young right-hander making his first start since undergoing meniscus surgery in early August. The O’s got on the board against Yesavage in the first thanks to a remarkable piece of hitting from Pete Alonso, who climbed the ladder to drive a high Yesavage fastball over the wall in right field:
That’d be the only blemish for Yesavage in a brief outing, with the Jays pulling Yesavage after just two frames as he ramps up at the end of the season. Baz settled in after his first-inning bump as well, allowing just one hit over the next five innings. That gave Baltimore some time to pull closer, and they did in the sixth, Gunnar Henderson hitting his 24th homer of the season off rookie reliever Chad Dallas:
Toronto essentially deployed a bullpen game with Yesavage serving as an opener, and for a while, it seemed the strategy might work. Brendan Cellucci, José Rodríguez, and Mason Fluharty each turned in scoreless outings of relief, but with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, the Jays turned to the typically dependable Tyler Rogers to face Alonso with one on. The Polar Bear got off a mighty swing on a Rogers sinker, hitting a stinger that cleared the left field wall in the blink of an eye:
Alonso’s two-homer game gave him 40 on the season, and was enough to deliver Baltimore a 4-3 win, with (Yankee legend) Rico Garcia closing out the ninth to earn the save. It’s a crushing loss for Toronto, who looked like they might run away with it early, but now drift to 3.5 games back of the White Sox for the last AL Wild Card with just five games to play. The O’s remain technically alive, 4.5 games back of Chicago.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 20: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees walks to the dugout after a pitching change in the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 20, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Yankees 8-4. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The regular season is coming to a close, and there’s just two series left in the regular season for the Yankees to play — the Rays and the Orioles are coming into town for four and three games, respectively. There’s still technically something to play for as the Yankees are, for the moment, alive in the AL East race, but they’d need to effectively run the table and still get some help from the Phillies against Tampa to win the division. They’ll play for it as long as it’s available, but at some point it’s fair to assume that the Rays will be popping champagne sooner or later.
With that being said, the Yankees will be playing in the postseason one way or another, and they’ve got plenty to fine tune before they face their first opponent. So what should we keep our eyes on as they play out these final seven games, and what will the team be looking out for?
New York has their rotation lined up for this Rays series, with all of their potential playoff starters getting a game: Carlos Rodon and Max Fried will handle the doubleheader, Gerrit Cole is being tasked with Wednesday’s game, and Cam Schlittler will toe the slab in the series finale. With Will Warren probably starting the opening game of the Baltimore series, that leaves only two more games to cover before the postseason rotation needs to be lined up for next Tuesday. That means that this will be Cole and Schlittler’s final tune up before the regular season ends, and likely Fried’s as well considering he’d have too quick a turnaround for Game 2 of the Wild Card Round where he’s expected to slot in. For Cole this is the chance to make sure he’s got the gopher ball under control and instill confidence that the home runs won’t be flying out of the park in a potential elimination game, while for Schlittler this is the final act of a Cy Young campaign and he’ll be looking to end it on a high note. In Fried’s case, he threw 88 pitches in his previous outing which was the most he’s tossed since his most recent IL stint, and this last go around gives him the chance to push it beyond 90 pitches assuming he can get in a rhythm.
Turning our attention over to the lineup, this is make or break time for some of the bats looking to be penciled in for Game 1. The Yankees’ likely opponent in the Wild Card Round is Boston, and their lefty-heavy rotation is going to stress-test their lineup. The team’s best hitter since the Deadline has been their big get in Luis Garcia Jr., but he’s a platoon bat that hasn’t seen the field much against lefties. Aaron Boone could use this final week to look for the right spots where Garcia could pinch-hit in the games where he doesn’t start, because it’ll be hard to go a full nine innings without him having some kind of impact on the game if the Yankees want to go far.
As for the bullpen, the question is simple: who can be trusted outside of the big three? Paul Blackburn, Brent Headrick, and David Bednar are going to get the call when the chips are down in a critical inning, but there will undoubtedly be some frames that need to get handled by someone other than them or the starter. The team’s anticipated cavalry hasn’t panned out the way they hoped, with Ryan Weathers not expected back before the postseason putting him in a Nestor Cortes-esque state of limbo and Clarke Schmidt had a bit of a scare with his biceps prompting the team to not use him in their most recent series with Arizona. Luis Gil finally got some looks in non-mop up duty and handled them well, but does he have the inside track to being used in the postseason over someone like John Schreiber who has pitched well in pinstripes up until his most recent outing? Both will be under the microscope in this final week.
While we’ve got a super busy day with the doubleheader on deck, we’ve still got some things prepared to start your morning off. Jake handles the Rivalry Roundup with most of the league resting up letting the O’s and Jays take center stage, and then Michael delivers the weekly minor league recap covering the finale of the MiLB season. Matt celebrates Urban Shocker’s birthday with a look back on his time with the Murderers’ Row Yankees, Andres debates the idea of letting the rotation stay rolling with Gerrit Cole getting the Game 1 start for the Wild Card, and Peter gives George Lombard Jr. the spotlight for the latest At-Bat of the Week.
It is a point Pat Murphy rarely fails to make as he guides the Milwaukee Brewers toward another run at the World Series: Winning a Major League Baseball game is very hard.
Murphy, the Brewers’ two-time National League Manager of the Year, is no Captain Obvious. He is simply breaking down the notion of competition into bite-size moments, be it a spring training conversation, or a teachable moment after a loss, or tossing a young player into situations they might initially find untenable.
Doing the hard things. And sometimes, the end result is making things look very easy.
Externally, the Brewers are a machine, taking a club-record 98 victories into the final six games of the season. For the second consecutive postseason, they’re poised to seize the NL’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in an attempt to reach the World Series for the first time since 1982.
Easy.
Yet if you stick around Milwaukee long enough, you know the path to teamwide bliss is anything but.
"I’m super grateful they traded for me. Super grateful to be here these last three years," Jake Bauers, the Brewers’ first baseman who’s hit a career-best 26 home runs, tells USA TODAY Sports. "At the same time, I think playing here can be a little bit uncomfortable, compared to some places.
"There’s a lot of things that the staff, starting with Murph, and also the players in the clubhouse – we don’t let slide. That’s a big key to our success.
"At the same time, it can be uncomfortable at times if you’re not willing to face the man in the mirror."
When the Brewers stare into the mirror nowadays, the best team in baseball stares back. They hold a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the game’s best record and given the rampant mediocrity in the game this season, the two clubs appear on a collision course for a rematch in the NL championship series.
With a lockout looming, that matchup would once again be a metaphor for Massive Market Behemoth vs. Lower Revenue Pluckiness, a tired if apt comparison.
Perhaps the better matchup is the Brewers vs. Themselves, a group that’s won four consecutive NL Central titles, will play postseason baseball for the eighth time in nine seasons yet must overcome the notion they don’t have the staying power to outlast October.
"Cool and all," closer Trevor Megill said after saving the club’s record 98th victory, "but not trying to be regular season warriors."
Doing so might require them to be just a little less imperfect than their opponents.
1-2 punch enough?
Can you win a World Series title with just two starting pitchers?
The Brewers might have little choice but to find out. Presumed NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski will start every Game 1 he is lined up for, and fellow 24-year-old Logan Henderson – born one month earlier than Misiorowski in 2002 – is a potentially dominant No. 2.
Yet the second-half regression of lefty Kyle Harrison and recent struggles of trade deadline acquisition Dustin May puts the Brewers in a bit of a corner. They’re aiming to rebuild Harrison’s fastball and for now are spoon-feeding him in relief bursts; he’d do well to claim a swingman spot for the postseason.
May is more vexing. The man who flirted with a perfect game earlier this season hasn’t completed five innings in three of his past four starts. After diligent off day work with pitching coach Chris Hook, he’ll start Tuesday, Sept. 22 against Philadelphia on three days’ rest.
For now, May seems to be teetering between short-burst or bulk-man duties and fully snagging a starting role for the postseason.
"He’s shown flashes of brilliance. I firmly believe he’s going to do well," says Murphy.
The manager calls May "humble" and his stuff – a four-seam fastball and power sinker that both run up to 97 mph – is tantalizing.
"I feel really good in this moment," May said after failing to get out of the third inning of his last start at Baltimore. "I don’t have anything else to blame other than execution."
Fortunately, there’s the Miz.
He’s thrown nearly 1,100 pitches of at least 100 mph this season, according to MLB.com, a record in the pitch-tracking era. For old heads who scoff at velocity guns and ghoulishly predict a breakdown, Misiorowski has been utterly precise, too, leading the major leagues in both ERA (1.86) and WHIP (0.80).
He’ll likely claim the strikeout title as well, sure to cross the 250 mark in his final start.
And then, the postseason, where Misiorowski still has fond memories of his three- and four-inning relief stints in a stirring five-game defeat of the Chicago Cubs in the NL division series.
Misiorowski gave up just four hits and one run in Game 2 and Game 5 victories.
"It was all that and more. Hard to describe in words," Misiorowski tells USA TODAY Sports. "Just thinking about it, it was a blast. It was everything I thought postseason would be, all wrapped up in one series."
Now, he will enter the postseason squarely as The Guy.
It’s a slightly different spot than the rookie curiosity he was a year ago. At the same time, the man has thrown 169 ⅓ innings and is still hitting 102 mph on the radar gun in late September.
Playoff ace? Game 1 starter, no questions asked? Bring it.
"I’m excited. But still, I have a job to do," says Misiorowski. "The role might have changed a little bit, but still gotta do my thing.
"There’s still pressure with it. But it’s just understanding my role and doing it well and helping my team win."
Been here before
That’s in the water in Milwaukee, where Murphy can use almost all the roster on a given night, be it platoon shifts with Bauers and Andrew Vaughn at first base or young Luis Lara and Sal Frelick in right field. Some nights, almost every reliever in the bullpen might be summoned.
"Everyone knows their roles," says Frelick. "Everyone’s ready when their name’s called."
Not that these are simply working-class, lunch pail platoon guys and role players. The Miz, obviously, is a superstar. Garrett Mitchell, finally healthy after four seasons of injury, has few peers in center field and posts a 117 adjusted OPS.
And then there is left fielder Jackson Chourio, who just joined Julio Rodriguez and Bobby Witt Jr., as the only players to begin their career with three 20-homer, 20-steal seasons.
"An absolute talent. Quickest hands I’ve ever seen," says Frelick. "Just a pleasure to watch, especially when he catches fire like that.
"It shouldn’t be slept on that a guy like that’s been doing that. He’s one of the best players in the league and I don’t think he gets the recognition he deserves."
Chourio, All-Star second baseman Brice Turang – whose 6.9 WAR leads the club – and catcher William Contreras form an interesting cohort. All are supreme talents between 22 and 28, all playing in either their third, fourth or sixth postseasons.
Young, peak performers – yet playoff-tested.
"I know we have an incredible group here, a special group," says Chourio through a club translator. "In certain aspects, it helps going three years now. Last year, you view as a learning experience, more than anything.
"Just looking forward to giving our all and going further."
No, it won’t be easy. Yet if the theory that the more times you simply get in the playoffs greatly enhances your odds of winning proves true?
Well, one of these years the Brewers are going to find out the hard part is already over.
"We understand the atmosphere. We understand what it takes to be there and win a game," says Misiorowski. "There’s a lot that we can take into it."
Or, as Bauers puts it, "You start holding yourself to a higher standard. And on top of that, there’s just certain things you don’t know.
"And you don’t know what you don’t know until it happens, right?"
Josue De Paula celebrates in the dugout after scoring on an RBI single by the Dodgers' Mookie Betts last weekend against the San Francisco Giants. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Dodgers rookie Josue De Paula sat down with third base and outfield coach Dino Ebel in the visiting coach’s room at Great American Ball Park. Ebel pulled up defensive metrics on three different outfielders.
One was Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, the National League MVP favorite and MLB’s defensive fWAR leader. Another was Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages, who has evolved into an elite center fielder during his time with the organization. And the third was De Paula.
“There’s a lot of colors in the game, and when you have red, it’s not good, and when you have green, it’s good,” Ebel said in a recent conversation with The Times. “And he saw a lot of green from the other two players, and he saw some green and some red on his side. So it kind of hit home with him.”
The reports broke down his first step, going right and left, arm strength, and so on.
“Just comparing [Pages’] journey, too, with mine — and that it’s possible,” De Paula said of what he took from the conversation. “I have all the tools under my belt to be able to do so. It’s more about just being focused throughout the whole thing, and having that drive to want to do it.
“And when I saw it, it was also a motivation for me. It was like, all right, let’s go now.”
It was De Paula’s bat that earned him a call-up when Shohei Ohtani landed on the injured list. And it’s his bat that’s now making his case for a postseason roster spot. (“This is more of a trial run,” manager Dave Roberts said last week.)
For De Paula to stick in the majors, however, his development on the defensive side is going to be key. As he has risen through the system, his outfield play has lagged behind his offensive influence. But the Dodgers have already seen growth this year.
“Our goal is to become, one day, a Gold Glover,” Ebel said. “And I think he’s young enough to do it, and his mindset is right, he’s got a chance to do that.”
Dodgers special assistant Jason Heyward started poring over video of the team’s top prospects — a group chalk full of outfielders, led by De Paula — as soon as he began working for the Dodgers’ front office at the beginning of May.
“He handles constructive criticism, for me, with some of the best of them that I’ve been around,” Heyward said.
Heyward, a five-time Gold Glove outfielder, first met De Paula in spring training in 2024, when the prospect jumped in on outfield drills with the major leaguers. In Heyward’s new role, he’s made multiple trips to Tulsa, Okla., to work with De Paula and the rest of the group there.
Heyward emphasized building a consistent and productive routine.
“He makes it so easy to have something to make relatable to this because I’ve seen his work in the cage, I’ve seen his attention to detail,” Heyward said. “He takes on challenges, but it’s not a, ‘Let me hurry up and get to this challenge, let me rush through this.’ He’s like, ‘No, I’m going to go about this how I want to go about it, I’m not going to be rushed, I’m going to lock in, and I’m going to give this like all my focus.’”
That process on the offensive side was something Heyward encouraged De Paula to tap into in all parts of his game, including defense. But De Paula said Heyward also acknowledged that the nature of playing in the outfield can make that more difficult.
“Hitting, you are always unfocused on the next pitch, your mind is always going,” De Paula said. “But you could go three days without getting a fly ball. So it’s kind of easy for your mind to drift and stuff like that. But it’s just more about tips of engagement and that intensity of focus.”
Heyward was a fitting person to deliver the message. Once a heralded prospect for the Braves, he put together a 16-year MLB career that included a second-place rookie of the year finish, an All-Star nod, and a stellar reputation for defense and veteran leadership.
“It’s a blessing to have somebody like that in your corner, especially rooting for you, to be able to see your talent, like what you’re capable of,” De Paula said. “He’s been through it, so he knows, man. So it’s awesome to have somebody like that as your mentor.”
“It’s a very commendable job that all of our staff have done at every level,” Heyward said. “... I’d be doing a big injustice without giving everyone their flowers on this because it’s definitely been a group effort. … For someone like him who became a part of the organization at 16 years old, he’s a Dodger through and through.”
Over the past week and a half, the major-league coaching staff, which also had De Paula in major-league spring training camp the last two years, has taken over. And already, they’ve seen the benefit of the routine he’s developed this year.
“All the reports that we’ve gotten from our minor-league staff are right on cue,” Ebel said. “He’s been working, he’s bringing it right here to the major leagues. And it’s a pleasure for me, with some energy, coming out early every day — hasn’t missed. We’re working on game situations, ground balls, left, right, right at him, fly balls, shags during BP. So we’re on the right track.”
Dodgers two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell joined them one day in Miami, catching De Paula’s throws in early work. Though the new teammates wanted to keep the specifics of their conversations between them, Snell’s advice and encouragement made an impression — “It’s like putting fuel in a rocket,” De Paula said.
“He’s just really, really talented, lots to learn,” Snell said. “And excited for him in his journey and what it could turn into.”
In the next city, Cincinnati, Roberts spent an afternoon in left field with him while he was shagging fly balls during batting practice.
“I wanted to be up close to watch him get off on the baseball, watch his reads, his angles to balls and make sure he’s shagging the right way,” Roberts said. “Had some instruction for him; he was great.”
Roberts, too, has challenged De Paula to make defense a strength, one that will keep him in games, rather than lifted for a defensive replacement. And De Paula has met it with bright eyes and motivation.
“The trust on the defense is going to come,” De Paula said. “I have to prove it over time. And with the work that I’m doing on the field, I know I’m going to gain it.”
A gold glove is a goal of his too.
“That’s one thing about me, when my mind is set on something, I feel like it’s no going back,” De Paula said. “So, I’ve gotten a lot of hate on my defense, and I just love to prove people wrong. So I’m like, hey, all right, there’s a weakness there, but I’m gonna shut you up. Just give me some time. I’ve got you.”
The slog is almost over, yet there’s still a fair amount of business to take care of during the final week of Major League Baseball’s 2026 season.
All three wild-card berths in the National League are technically still up for grabs, while the American League has two division titles and a wild card to give out. The slightly less pressing matter of playoff seeding also needs settling, though several teams are virtually locked into position.
With that, a look at four series that will impact this final week:
Key matchup: Tuesday – Guardians LH Parker Messick vs. Red Sox LH Payton Tolle
Outlook: The Chicago White Sox will certainly be interested to see just how motivated the Red Sox (who clinched a playoff berth Sunday) are to take down the Guardians. Cleveland enters the week holding a one-game lead over Chicago in the AL Central. Most notably, Red Sox aces Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez are lined up for all three games – but how deep will they go in their final starts ahead of their highly expected AL wild-card assignment against the Yankees?
Regardless, Tuesday’s game is a fantastic matchup of rookie left-handers, both likely to finish high on AL Rookie of the Year balloting but likely behind Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle.
Key matchup: Tuesday – Rays RH Nick Martinez vs. Yankees LH Carlos Rodón
Outlook: Well, this four-game series got downgraded in a hurry, from "showdown for AL East title" to "possible ALDS preview" to "Will the Yankees be upright come playoff time?"
The Diamondbacks’ series win over the weekend in the desert was hardly the worst news for the Bombers, who learned Aaron Judge could miss at least part of the postseason. Now they will get an up-close look at a seemingly unstoppable Rays squad that’s 17-6 and likely to celebrate their East title on the Yankees' turf. After that, it's simply fine-tuning while taking the week off before the ALDS.
The Yankees have a 5 ½-game lead over Boston for home-field advantage in the wild-card series, so they're all but locked in. Yet the Yankees need to show some signs of life and get some good news – on Judge, and center fielder Trent Grisham, who’s aiming to return from a hamstring injury. Tuesday’s doubleheader will line up the Rays’ top starters – Martinez and Drew Rasmussen – against lefties Rodón and Max Fried.
Key matchup: Wednesday – Brewers RH Logan Henderson vs. Phillies RH Aaron Nola
Outlook: A carbon copy of Yankees-Rays: A small-market team simply tuning its engine before a first-round bye faces a bigger-market behemoth crashing out at the worst time. Make no mistake, the Phillies’ plight is much worse than the Yankees’. Their bullpen is a mess, with Orion Kerkering demoted to the minors and Jonathan Bowlan’s groin barking, All-Star lefty Jesus Luzardo will be fortunate to come back as a short reliever for the playoffs and the lineup ranks 26th in the majors in September OPS, at .671.
The Brewers? Basically sunning themselves before the NLDS, with a franchise-record 98 wins in hand and the No. 1 seed in the NL soon to follow. That said, they’ll want to see Dustin May provide quality length in his Tuesday assignment opposite Zack Wheeler and emerge as a solid No. 3 playoff starter. And Henderson-Nola is a fantastic matchup – perhaps one we’ll see in the NLDS, should the Phillies get their heads together.
Key matchup: Sunday – Diamondbacks RH Michael Soroka vs. Padres RH Michael King
Outlook: This is it. This is the big one.
OK, not really, but in a lackluster final week short on head-to-head showdowns, Arizona possibly fighting for its life against the team it’s been chasing all year is as good as it gets. Shoot, the D-backs could be eliminated by then, but winning two of three against the Yankees breathed new life into their flagging playoff hopes.
They cannot screw things up on their three-day diversion to Coors Field before heading to San Diego.
The Padres? Simply the game’s most devastating offense in the second half, second only to the Cubs in slugging and OPS and tied with the Brewers in batting average. The Padres and Cubs (87-69) and Phillies (86-70) enter the final week almost assured of a playoff spot yet could land in any of three slots: Hosting a wild card series, on the road at the division-winning Braves or out of the money altogether.
That can only happen if Arizona – four games behind the Phillies and five behind the Cubs and Padres – virtually wins out this final week. If nothing else, they can keep it interesting into the weekend.
