MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JULY 7: Kyler Fedko #51 of the Minnesota Twins bats against the Cleveland Guardians during the second inning of the game at Target Field on July 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are wasting no time in the offseason, already making moves to firm up their Minor League rosters, when it was announced over the weekend that they signed outfielder and Gibsonia native Kyler Fedko to a two-year Minor League contract.
Per source, the Pirates have agreed to re-sign outfielder Kyler Fedko to a two-year, minor league deal.
Fedko, 27, is a Gibsonia native who made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins in June. He had a .907 OPS in Triple-A last year.
Fedko is coming off of a torn ACL and MCL, but he expects to be back in action getting healthy somewhere around February. That means he will likely still be rehabbing when the season starts, but he is expected back on the field sometime this year.
The 27-year-old was drafted in the 12th round by the Minnesota Twins in 2021. They DFA’d him back in September, allowing the Bucs to snatch him up on a short deal, which has now been upgraded to this two-year contract. Fedko originally played at Vicentian Academy in McCandless and for the University of Connecticut before starting his pro career.
He also has a fair bit of power. He hit .274 with 17 homers and 54 RBIs this past season for St. Paul, while he also hit 28 combined homers and 82 combined RBIs in double and triple-A in 2025. He had one brief call up to the Majors last season, where he went hitless in 16 at-bats. Nevertheless, the Bucs certainly like a hometown kid story, and they can always use a little extra bat pop, so this move makes sense in that regard.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 11: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning in game one of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field on October 11, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers are on the outside looking in to see how the fates of three remaining teams in the postseason play out. While the 2026 World Series gets underway, the Dodgers will now be focusing on how they will operate either before or after the impending lockout.
Nine players that were on the 2026 team will be reaching free agency; the biggest name of the bunch being left-hander Tarik Skubal. One of the biggest questions surrounding the Dodgers’ offseason will be whether or not they bring him back in the fold, and what price they’ll have to pay to retain his services. Sonja Chen of MLB.com lists the questions the Dodgers will have to answer, including Skubal’s future with the team.
The Dodgers parted with two Top 100 prospects — MLB-ready starter River Ryan and outfielder Zyhir Hope — in addition to right-hander Brady Smith in exchange for up to three months of Skubal. They weren’t the only team willing to spend big on a talent of Skubal’s caliber, and the same will be true when he hits the open market for the first time.
Although the Dodgers were unsuccessful in their hopes for a three peat, both Skubal and Blake Snell still believe that their championship window is still wide open, notes Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.
“I don’t feel that at all,” Skubal said. “It’s hard to win the World Series, and this group has done it the last two seasons. Obviously, not this year, but … I think that this group is incredibly talented. And the preparation and the work ethic that this group has — I don’t buy into that narrative.”
Said Snell: “We’re only getting better.”
Jack Harris of the California Post gives Shohei Ohtani an “F” grade as a part of his end-of-season report card, with his turbulent second half and postseason derailing what looked to be another MVP-caliber season.
To be clear: The two-way star was the second-best player in the National League this year, hitting 30 home runs and posting a sub-2.00 ERA in 14 starts on the mound. Even in a relatively down year for him, he finished fifth in the majors in FanGraphs’ version of wins above replacement. He remains, undoubtedly, MLB’s foremost star player and the Dodgers’ most potent weapon.
But that is why the way his season finished was such a failure.
Miguel Rojas will no longer take the field in a Major League Baseball game, and he took the time to appreciate all of his teammates following their NLCS Game 4 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers, per Cary Osborne of Dodger Insider.
“They changed my life,” Rojas later said, his eyes still pink from his speech to his teammates. “I truly and honestly say that from the bottom of my heart. The last couple years here for me, it’s been the most amazing time of my life in baseball, and I grew so much with this group. I grew as a man, as a father, as a player, as a leader, as a teammate. And I just wanted to say thank you to every person here in this organization for giving me the opportunity to be myself and to kind of help change the culture of this club.”
A rainout in Cleveland?!? What, did they NOT think of putting a dome on Progressive Field???
Well, if they did, those 17 magical moments wouldn’t have happened that November night. So, I guess it’s an even trade in the end.
I appreciate your reading.
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Doug Schwamb (Chicago Cubs On SI): What Does a Successful Cubs Offseason Actually Look Like? “The Chicago Cubs have some moves to make, but what is a realistic offseason plan for them? There are some different ways to approach it.”
Food For Thought:
Tommy Castro (born April 15, 1955) is an American blues, R&B, and rock guitarist and singer. He has been recording since the mid-1990s. His music has taken him from local stages to national and international touring. According to The Chicago Sun-Times, Castro plays “Memphis soul-drenched R&B…top-of-the-line blues.” Tom Callahan of Blurt added, “Castro has a soulful voice, searing guitar and is an excellent songwriter and vocalist. If you close your eyes you will be convinced that you are listening to Otis Redding singing in 1967…tremendous.”
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
Los Angeles, - October 15: Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgerslook on in the ninth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Dodgers 6-4 to win Game 4 of a NLCS playoff baseball game and advance to the World Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 15, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
We’re more than half-way through the month of October, and one half of the World Series matchup has been decided.
There will be no three-peat.
The Milwaukee Brewers, getting their revenge for how they bowed out of the playoffs last year, did something that seemed unimaginable at the start of this season. The Brew Crew swept the dreaded Los Angeles Dodgers—with their gargantuan payroll and roster loaded with future Hall of Fame talent—in the National League Championship Series. In doing so, Milwaukee now has their sights set on winning their first title in franchise history as they prepare for the team’s first World Series appearance in 44 years.
The Brewers now await the crowning of the American League champion to be their opponent in the Fall Classic. The Cleveland Guardians—looking for their first World Series win since 1948—and the Tampa Bay Rays—looking for their first World Series win in franchise history—have the series tied up at two games each and have guaranteed their seasons will continue until at least Monday night.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies look to continue their rebuild after another 100-loss season. The first change of the off-season in pursuit of that goal came last week with the firing of pitching coach Alon Leichman after just one season.
With that being said, here’s what our staff here at Purple Row had to say this week:
Who do you want the Brewers to face in the World Series, and ultimately who do you want to win it all? For the Rockies, how do you feel about the Leichman firing? Do you believe more departures will follow?
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 21: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Tonal effects have been applied to this image) A general view of a baseball statue is seen as the Toronto Blue Jays play against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 21, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
There are 157 days remaining until the next scheduled Orioles game. We will probably not know whether a game will happen on that day or not until something like 110 days from now. Many of the days between now and then will have apocalyptic rhetoric about whether there will be a 2027 season at all. It’s going to suck for fans.
For now, the 2026 season remains to be decided. Milwaukee is sitting around waiting to find out who they will play in the World Series. The Brewers will probably be trying to stay sharp; they won’t play another game until Friday regardless of when the series ends between the Guardians and Rays to determine the AL representative. When the World Series is over, no later than Halloween, we can start to find out what will happen with the offseason.
Cleveland and Tampa Bay will play another one in Cleveland today. Game 5 was pushed back to today due to Friday’s rain in northeast Ohio. That is set to begin at the unusual time of 5:08 Eastern. The series will not end tonight. The Rays fought to even the series up on Saturday night. The Guardians cannot clinch in front of their home crowd. They can only hope to take a lead back to the Trop.
I am mildly hoping the Guardians are the winners in the series, but I’m not sad about the Rays winning last night. Cleveland had former Oriole Shawn Armstrong as an opener yesterday and then ended up using seven different pitchers on the way to a 7-3 loss. It offends me on an aesthetic level to see bullpen games or openers in the playoffs. If you don’t have starting pitchers that can even get you five innings in the postseason, you don’t deserve to move on. Deserve has nothing to do with it in baseball, not the regular season nor in the postseason. But for last night, the Rays had a real starting pitcher and they won, so, good for them.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
Five surprising occurrences from the 2026 Orioles season (School of Roch) Number one is that the Orioles catching duo of Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo was separated in the middle of their first full season together. I’m still surprised Elias pulled the trigger on that one.
A possible unexpected Orioles 40-man roster decision (Orioles on the Verge) The prospect enthusiasts at the Verge are stumping for reliever Yaqui Rivera, which would keep hope alive for the Orioles getting any MLB value whatsoever out of the Cole Sulser/Tanner Scott trade.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Nothing of particular consequence has happened on this day in Orioles history. Until the team makes a deep postseason run in the three wild card era, this is not going to change.
There are a number of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2025 outfielder Jordyn Adams, 2007-08 pitcher Garrett Olson, 1992-98/2000-01 pitcher Alan Mills, 1995 pitcher Terry Clark, and 1977 one-game pitcher Ed Farmer.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: toy retailer Frederick August Otto Schwarz (1836), baseball Hall of Famer Candy Cummings (1848), longtime Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau (1919), rock’n’roller Chuck Berry (1926), tennis legend Martina Navratilova (1956), movie martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme (1960), jazz legend Wynton Marsalis (1961), gold medal skier Lindsay Vonn (1984), and actor Zac Efron (1987).
On this day in history…
In 1597, Spain’s King Philip II had a third armada launched with the aim of invading England. Although some forces were actually landed from the armada in Cornwall and Wales, this endeavor was ultimately no more successful than the previous two attempts to invade.
In 1748, the War of the Austrian Succession came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, a treaty that was notably concluded without any Austrian participation. The result of the treaty was Austria losing a lot of territory to Prussia, which had begun the war in 1740 by refusing to accept a woman, Maria Theresa, as inheriting the throne of Austria.
In 1851, Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick was first published in London, although at this point it was simply called The Whale.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on October 18. Have a safe Sunday.
Sep 13, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) hits a single to drive in two runs against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Honestly, I don’t think that it does much to sway anything in the upcoming negotiations either way too wildly. The MLBPA still hasn’t started putting out ads to combat the ones the league is putting out, so the PR battle is still kind of one sided.
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 17: Yandy Díaz #2 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates with Richie Palacios #1 and Jonathan Aranda #8 at home plate after hitting a two-run home run in the ninth inning during Game Four of the American League Championship Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Saturday, October 17, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The National League Championship Series might have ended in a four-game whooping of the Dodgers, but the American League Championship Series is already guaranteed for six. Following Friday’s rainout, the Rays brought the lumber to Cleveland with their best offensive showing of the postseason, ALDS sweep of the Yankees included. The 7-3 win knotting the ALCS up at 2-2 and ensured that no matter what happens today, we’ll have a Game 6 at Tropicana Field on Monday. Someone will have a shot at a World Series date with Milwaukee by then, but a Game 7 can’t be ruled out. Tire yourselves out, I say! (Or at least give us more compelling baseball than yesterday.)
Today on the site, Madison will recap Game 4 of the ALCS, Peter will discuss why he’s rooting for the Brewers in the World Series no matter what, and Matt celebrates what would’ve been the 95th birthday of a valued 1950s dynasty role player, Andy Carey. Matt then returns to recount the dumbest games of the Yankees’ 2026 season, and John runs through the weekly Social Media Spotlight.
Today’s Playoff Matchup:
American League Championship Series Game 5 (Series tied, 2-2)
Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Time: 5:08 p.m. EST
TV: TBS/HBO Max/truTV
Venue: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Questions/Prompts:
1. Where are you now on your ALCS prediction? Would you say Rays in 6, Rays in 7, Guardians in 6, or Guardians in 7?
2. It’s Jets/Patriots and Giants/Saints today in the NFL. Who ya got in each?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 25: Jacob Young #30 of the Washington Nationals looks on before a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 25, 2025 in New York City. The Yankees defeated the Nationals 10-5. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
NJ.com | Randy Miller and Bob Klapisch: With no baseball on Friday night, Randy Miller and Bob Klapisch of NJ.com sat down to discuss what Yankees fans throughout the world are probably talking about: general manager Brian Cashman. Discussing a whole host of trades, free agent signings, and other roster moves — and in particular, arguing over which ones had good logic but which didn’t work out for unforeseeable reasons (Giancarlo Stanton becoming injury-prone, Joey Gallo forgetting how to hit) and which ones were just bad overall (Ryan McMahon). I don’t totally agree with them on everything — the idea that the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade, a move for a player that helped them make the 2024 World Series and was a major contributor in 2025, was a mistake is absolutely laughable to me — but it is an interesting read nonetheless.
MLB Trade Rumors | AJ Eustace: The playoffs may still be ongoing, but that doesn’t mean the hot stove hasn’t started to simmer. Jon Heyman this week highlighted that the Yankees have previously shown interest in Nationals center fielder Jacob Young. Arbitration-eligible for the first time, the 27-year-old is not known for his bat (his 95 wRC+ in 2026 was a career-high), but he provides great defense in center field. Young’s +49 Outs Above Average is second only to defensive wiz Pete Crowe-Armstrong.
Although it’s unclear whether the Nationals are looking to move him at this time, they have explored the possibility in the past, and given the recent history between the Yankees and Nationals front offices (they have struck deals at the past two trade deadlines), it’s not out of the question — especially with New York likely in need of a center fielder.
The Athletic | Keith Law: While most of the baseball world has their eyes on the ALCS and the upcoming World Series, the Arizona Fall League quietly began this week. A developmental league where young players go to learn new positions, get in some reps after injury-filled seasons, and just generally work on their play (check out my colleague Michael for some Yankees-specific coverage), the AFL has occasionally been used to test out potential rule changes. This year, the league is experimenting with restrictions on outfield alignment, using Statcast to force the corner outfielders closer to the lines and the center fielder more shallow than they typically play — an attempt to help more balls in play find the outfield grass. A week into the AFL season, Law calls this attempt a “misfire,” as not only has this actually resulted in balls down the lines turning into outs at a weirdly high rate, the test is itself inherently flawed because many of these players are learning the position for the first time.
The Athletic | Jason Lloyd: (subscription required) Friday night’s Game 4 matchup between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays was postponed because of rain, pushing back Games 4 and 5 and eliminating the offday. This was no surprise to literally everybody who could watch The Weather Channel or has a weather app installed on their phones — in fact, Major League Baseball had even altered the schedule slightly already, playing Thursday night’s game during the day in order to get ahead of the storm. Even so, the league went through the charade of inviting everybody into the ballpark so that fans could pay “$70 to park, $30 on beer and nachos,” all without the slightest intention of playing the game. (Yankees/Orioles Game 162, anyone?)
No, this article might not directly matter to us — after all, the Yankees are unfortunately not playing — but with the CBA negotiations coming up and the inevitable lockout looming, it’s important to remember who Major League Baseball is, and what they care about.
CBS Sports | Mike Axisa: As happens every time a quasi-dynastic team falls in the postseason (I refuse to say to call the Dodgers a dynasty yet), sportswriters have begun to ask which team will emerge as the next “superteam” and challenge for the right to be called a dynasty. In what may be a surprise to, well, everybody who is tuned into Yankees fan culture, which is arguably the most pessimistic place on the internet, the Yankees are considered one of the three powerhouses most likely to go on a dynastic run, alongside the Brewers and Dodgers.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 07: The Los Angeles Dodgers pose for a photo on the field after defeating the Atlanta Braves in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 07, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As we approach the offseason and it increasingly looks like we will get a window for transactions before a likely lockout in early December. Last time we had a CBA negotiation and associated lockout, there was a flurry of transactions before the lockout, as teams and players looked to lock in some certainty before an unknown absence. Labor tensions seem higher and the changes being discussed larger than last time, which could chill the market some, but we will surely still see some movement. I would love to see the team lock in Tyler Mahle to a 2-3 year deal and add a high-quality bat before the lockout, and then perhaps allow themselves more time to evaluate their injured pitching before adding more after the lockout. Of course, Alex Anthopoulos will be opportunistic and the market conditions may not allow for this strategy, but I think it’s a decent plan.
The San Diego Padres wasted no time making their first move of the offseason. Pitcher Tatsuya Nogami signed a minor-league deal out of Osaka Sangyo University, bypassing Nippon Professional Baseball. It’s an emerging trend among Japanese players to bypass NPB by signing out of the collegiate level. Whether it continues is another question entirely. NPB could certainly step in and put a stop to it, but they haven’t just yet.
Regardless, San Diego has an intriguing new prospect. Not much is known about Nogami. By “not much” I mean next to nothing. Nogami has almost zero public stats available. What is known is that he played baseball in high school before attending OSU. He decided not to play for the university team in his first year, instead joining them in his second year.
Crunching the Numbers
There are no stats available for that second year, but there are some for his most recent season. This spring, OSU won the league championship in the Seito Six University Semi-Hardball Baseball League with an undefeated record. Much of that was due to Nogami’s work on the mound. In six games of work (25.1 IP), Nogami allowed just one earned run for a 0.36 ERA.
The 20-year-old’s most intriguing ability is his strikeout rate. In 25 1/3 innings pitched this season, Nogami struck out 54 batters. That is not a typo. The number resulted in a blistering 19.18 K/9 rate. He threw up to 90 mph in high school but hasn’t had any public measurements available while in university. It’s safe to say his velocity has increased a little since then. His pitch mix has obviously kept hitters guessing, with a four-seamer, slider, cutter, curveball and splitter.
Differences in Semi-Hardball
The big question is how Nogami will adjust to MLB. That’s not just because he’s coming over from Japan, it’s because he’s been pitching in a semi-hardball league instead of baseball. Semi-hardball isn’t that much different from baseball. The way that the ball moves for pitchers is incredibly similar. The bigger difference is for hitters, with batters not being able to hit the ball as hard.
Because Nogami is a strikeout pitcher (in every definition of the term), the change shouldn’t affect his stuff all that much. It might be a bigger problem if he was a groundball pitcher, but that shouldn’t change too much for the 20-year-old in his transition to professional baseball in America.
Immediate Expectations
Nogami is certain to begin the coming season in the minor leagues. Not only is he incredibly young, but he also would benefit from gaining some experience facing higher-caliber hitters. A more intriguing question is whether Nogami will be issued a non-roster invite to Spring Training. It could be valuable to see him face big-league hitters. If his stuff plays well against them in a small sample, that could push his timeline forward.
Week two of the AFL season saw the Peoria Javelinas dealing with a rainout that was rescheduled for an off day. Going 2-3 for the week, the Javelinas sit in fourth place with a 5-6 record overall. They are 2.5 games back of the two leading teams, the Scottsdale Scorpions and Surprise Saguaros.
San Diego Padres RHP Kannon Kemp had a start on Oct. 10 and pitched three innings allowing four runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Two of the runs were the result of a home run. RHP Winyer Chourio started on Oct. 14, pitching 2.2 innings allowing a hit and two runs with six walks and two strikeouts. He also had three wild pitches in his 59 pitches thrown with only 25 strikes. After a breakout season in 2025, Chourio has struggled with command during parts of the 2026 season.
Righty reliever Francis Peña pitched in one game for one innings and allowed no hits or runs. He had no walks or strikeouts. Lefty reliever Igor Gil pitched 1.2 innings with a hit, two walks and three strikeouts.
Outfielder Alex McCoy played in two games and hit his second home run for the Javelinas. Infielder Justin DeCriscio also played in two games with two RBI. Catcher Ty Harvey played in two games with two RBI for the week.
Sam Dykstra, who writes for MLB Pipeline on MLB.com, featured McCoy and Harvey in his AFL update this week. For his first two home runs in the AFL, McCoy rose to the top levels of baseball with a 118.2 mph EV on the 435-foot homer he hit on the 15th. The blast came on an 89.3 mph sinker and was not the hardest-hit ball of his 2026 season.
On April 12, while playing for Fort Wayne, McCoy had a groundout clocked at 119.5 mph and a 118 mph home run with Lake Elsinore at another point in the season.
McCoy missed time in 2025 due to injury but that is not reportedly the reason he is playing in the AFL this year. The Padres want him exposed to other pitching than he has seen so far. Hoping that there would be top prospects throwing during AFL games, McCoy’s high strikeout rate and swing-and-miss tendencies need more exposure to improved pitching. A successful adjuster so far in his career, challenging the 6-foot-5 outfielder makes sense as the Padres consistently challenge their top prospects.
Harvey, who did miss big portions of the 2026 season, is making up for lost time. At 20 years old, just one month younger than Padres catcher Ethan Salas, Harvey is also a potential plus power hitter in the system. After returning later in the season, Harvey was the catcher of record for most of the championship run for the Lake Elsinore Storm.
Ethan Salas gets an award
To wrap up the 2026 minor league season for the Padres’ top prospect, Ethan Salas was named the MiLB Defensive Player of the Year. Recognized as a plus defender at this point in his career, Salas almost certainly is done with his minor league career. Assured of an opportunity to win a starting job with the Padres in 2027, Salas will benefit from working with Padres catching coach Kevin Plawecki, who has been credited with helping Luis Campusano up his game.
On the call with play-by-play announcer Joe Davis, the former Cy Young winner watched every pitch from the Dodgers’ rotation. Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow comprised the lethal group, but none of the elite hurlers made it past the fifth inning against a red-hot Brewers lineup.
Los Angeles Dodger pitchers from left, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto watch from the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the NLCS. Wally Skalij for the CA Post
Smoltz criticized the Dodgers’ pitch selections in the NLCS, where the back-to-back World Series champions were swept by Milwaukee.
“They pitched well, but they didn’t pitch good enough in situations where veteran pitchers should not be making those mistakes,” Smoltz said on the Flippin’ Bats podcast. “In my opinion, there were some pitch selections — I don’t know if it came from Will Smith or it was the pitcher himself — and they put the Milwaukee Brewers in a position to flex their muscles when the Dodgers should have been flexing theirs.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell and Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith talk on the mound during the seventh inning of Game 3 of baseball’s National League Championship Series. AP Photo/Ashley Landis
John Smoltz questions the Dodgers pitch selection in the series:
“There were some pitch selections… I don’t know if it came from Will Smith or from the pitcher himself. But it allowed the Brewers to flex their muscle” pic.twitter.com/sKeYAdIdyv
Tyler Glasnow #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is removed from the game during the fifth inning in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Getty Images
“It was the most shocking scenario that I could have seen from a standpoint, all right, lay out the series, this is how Milwaukee’s gonna win. There’s no way you said they’re gonna win trailing every game, never being down, with the exception of the last game being down by four. They were gonna out-homer, they were gonna hit better with runners in scoring position, that isn’t as shocking they did that in the regular season. And they were gonna dominate from the bullpen in a way that we have never seen.”
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 13: Shawn Armstrong #43 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during Game Two of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Today, the AL could get one step closer to joining its Senior Circuit brother in the World Series. The Brewers finished off a sweep of the Dodgers on Thursday, so they’ll be sitting at home waiting to see who comes out of this one. Game 4 is set for 8 pm in Cleveland.
The Guardians took Game 3, 3-2, thanks to a two-run homer from Petey Halpin, so they lead the series 2-1. Tampa Bay has never trailed an ALCS 2-1 before. A win tonight would put Cleveland one game away from the World Series. A Rays win sends us back to square one as a best-of-three.
Tampa has fiddled with the lineup a little for Game 4, with Chandler Simpson now hitting third and Junior Caminero in the cleanup spot. Tampa’s starter, Nick Martinez, went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA in 180 regular season innings. Martinez’s history against Cleveland should make Guardians fans nervous: two starts in the regular season, 13 innings, zero runs. The Rays need him to hold the line because their bats went quiet in Game 3. Díaz, Aranda, and Caminero went a combined 1-for-12, and Caminero struck out four times. Chandler Simpson has been their spark plug so far.
Tampa Bay lineup
Yandy Díaz – DH
Jonathan Aranda – 1B
Chandler Simpson – LF
Junior Caminero – 3B
Liam Hicks – C
Victor Mesa Jr. – RF
Jonny DeLuca – CF
Richie Palacios – 2B
Taylor Walls – SS
Cleveland is running it back with the exact same lineup from Game 3. That’s fine because José Ramírez and Chase DeLauter have been on fire, OPS’ing 1.038 and 1.438 respectively this postseason. Cleveland’s starting pitcher is none other than old friend Shawn Armstrong, the right-hander who in three seasons in the Baltimore bullpen posted a 5.34 ERA (was it really that high?). Anyway, this is another Cleveland bullpen game. You might expect Joey Cantillo will probably cover a good chunk of it after Armstrong, and Tanner Bibee and Slade Cecconi are available for bulk outings. Also, Cade Smith has been lights out this postseason, with a 1.00 ERA and 13 strikeouts in nine innings.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 16: A general view of a tarp covering the field prior to game four of the American League Championship Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on October 16, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Let’s try this again, shall we? Here’s a note from samath on what we’re heading towards in next week’s World Series.
Whoever advances out of the AL, we’re already guaranteed some all-time drought-busting. A Brewers-Rays World Series would feature two teams who have never won! That would be the first time that’s happened since the 1980 World Series between the Royals and Phillies, and only the second since 1920, i.e. the last century. A Brewers-Guardians World Series would feature two teams who haven’t won for a combined 78 + 56 = 134 years, second all-time to 2016’s famous Cubs-Indians (108 + 68 = 176 years), just ahead of the 2005’s White Sox-Astros (88 + 43 = 131 years). For this purpose, I’m counting years in their current city, because that counts to fans.
So, who do you want to win the American League this year? The drought-busting Guardians? Or do you want the expansion sibling Rays to get their first title?
Tampa Bay Rays @ Cleveland Guardians (1-2), 5:00 pm, TBS
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Kike Hernandez gestures toward his dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
“LA, we fell short of our big goal. But looking at the big picture, what a ride these last three years were!!” Hernandez wrote in the Instagram caption.
“If this is it for us…. Once again, I will always be thankful for you guys & I will forever love ya! #JustAKidFromPR,” Hernandez said.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman brought Hernandez back on a one-year deal last offseason, saying the “door was always open” for the utilityman. It remains unclear whether that will be the case this winter as Hernandez hits free agency again.
Hernandez has built his career as an electric personality in the Dodgers’ dugout and a clutch bat every October. His postseason numbers are simply mystifying with Hernandez coming to life every fall.
Kike Hernandez #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the dugout during the game against the Colorado Rockies Getty Images
But as the Dodgers look to get younger, the front office may go in another direction this offseason. The Dodgers assembled the most expensive roster in baseball, which also happened to be the oldest.
While the Dodgers won 100 regular-season games with their veteran core, the back-to-back World Series champions were swept by a hungrier, younger Brewers team.
Hernandez, who has been a key part of Los Angeles’ back-to-back World Series titles, could play another major role in the postseason. Getty Images
The four-game sweep in the National League Championship Series may alter the Dodgers’ plans as the front office attempts to build another winning roster.
Only time will tell whether Hernandez is a part of that group.
#JustAKidFromPR,” Hernandez said.
