Baseball News
Four games today? Four games today!
Let’s talk about all the goodness.
With a win tonight, the Braves can head to Los Angeles all tied up.
Walt Weiss is hoping another new batting order will provide the offensive spark to wake up an offense that needs to win to reach Game 5.
Center fielder Michael Harris II will lead off for Atlanta, followed by Ronald Acuña Jr., who returns to right field after a late switch to DH following reports of a sore knee. First baseman Matt Olson remains in the third spot. Ozzie Albies is slated to hit cleanup. Drake Baldwin drops down several spots to hit fifth as the designated hitter. Mike Yastrzemski gets the start in left field while Mauricio Dubón mans shortstop. Austin Riley is at his usual base and set to bat eighth and Sean Murphy will catch for Tyler Mahle and hit ninth.
Dave Roberts is going all in on alternating-handedness for today’s lineup. Mookie Betts continues to lead off and play shortstop. Freddie Freeman moves up from third to second as one of two Dodgers with two home runs off starter Tyler Mahle. Will Smith will bat third and catch for Tyler Glasnow. Shohei Ohtani’s stint batting fifth was brief, as he moves up to cleanup today. Teoscar Hernández is in left field and hitting fifth, followed by third baseman Max Muncy. The bottom of the order is second baseman Kiké Hernández, right fielder Kyle Tucker, and center fielder Andy Pages.
Per The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch, BravesVision’s Brandon Gaudin will be on the call tonight filling in for Joe Davis.
We’ve seen the Braves rise to the occasion when under pressure, the most recent instance being last week’s Game 3 to eliminate the Philadelphia Phillies. Can this team fire on all cylinders to extend their season?
This will be the last day of 2026 in which there will be four MLB games. This thread is for the first two, Game 3 of the Guardians/White Sox ALDS and Game 4 of the Dodgers/Braves NLDS.
Another thread will post at 6:30 p.m. CT for the two night games.
TV: TBS, truTV, HBO Max (streaming). Announcers: Alex Faust, Ron Darling and Lauren Jbara.
Daniel Espino, RHP vs. Sean Newcomb, LHP
Baseball-reference.com preview
TV: FS1. Announcers: Joe Davis, John Smoltz and Ken Rosenthal.
Tyler Glasnow, RHP vs. Tyler Mahle, RHP
Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:
Here’s the White Sox lineup:
Let’s go, Guardians!
The day of judgment may be at hand for teams today. The League Championship Series could be determined today as the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays aim for a three-game series sweep over their opponents. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers each have a 2-1 lead in the series over their opponents.
There is a lot of important baseball being played today. It should be a good day.
As a reminder, the ALDS games will be on TBS/HBO Max and the NLDS games will be on FS1/ Fox One.
And now to the details. We’ll add lineups as they become available.
Pitching Matchup: RHP Daniel Espino (0-0, 4.11 ERA) vs. RHP Sean Newcomb (2-5, 3.09 ERA)
SB Nation Sites:Southside Sox, Covering the Corner
Lineups:
Pitching Matchup: RHP Tyler Glasnow (5-2, 3.53 ERA) vs RHP Tyler Mahle (7-10, 3.99 ERA)
SB Nation Sites:True Blue LA, Battery Power
Lineups:
Pitching Matchup: RHP Nick Martinez (15-6, 3.10 ERA) vs. LHP Max Fried (5-5, 2.80 ERA)
SB Nation Sites:Pinstripe Alley, DRaysBay
Lineups:
Pitching Matchup: LHP Robert Gasser (5-5, 3.87) vs RHP Walker Buehler (9-6, 4.63 ERA)
SB Nation Sites:Brew Crew Ball, Gaslamp Ball
Lineups:
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After several days in which the American and National Leagues alternated, all eight remaining teams will be in action today, with two Game 4s in the NL and two Game 3s in the AL.
This afternoon, the White Sox will look to make their first postseason home game of 2026 a memorable one. With a third straight win, the upstart “South Siders” would clinch their first postseason series win at home since the 1906 World Series.
Chicago is using the opener strategy for a third consecutive game. Left-hander Sean Newcomb will start on the mound for the White Sox, who have yet to lose this postseason.
Seeking to avoid a swift elimination, the Guardians are also using an opener. Rookie right-hander Daniel Espino will start for the AL Central champions. Once again, Cleveland’s lack of offense is hindering its postseason success. If the Guardians want to keep their season alive, they will need third baseman José Ramírez and the rookie duo of Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter to get their bats going.
One win away from their third consecutive NLCS appearance, the two-time defending champion Dodgers will turn to talented but injury-prone right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who will make his 14th career postseason start.
A Braves win would force a winner-take-all Game 5 in Los Angeles. Right-hander Tyler Mahle will make his second start of the playoffs, but his first of this round for the hosts. He received a no-decision in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies after allowing one run on six hits over seven innings. With their season on the line, Mahle will likely have a quick hook and be pulled early if he runs into trouble.
After winning the first two games of the Division Series in Tampa Bay, the Rays will look to eliminate the Yankees tonight as the series shifts to the Bronx for Game 3. Right-hander Nick Martinez, who had a career-best season in his first year with the Rays, will make his first career postseason start.
It is do or die time for the Yankees, who must take advantage of their home crowd to spark a series comeback. The “Bronx Bombers” will turn to left-hander Max Fried, who will make his second start of the playoffs despite his girlfriend being due to give birth to their first child any day now. Fried earned the win in the second and final game of the Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox after allowing one run on three hits over six innings.
Playing in front of their passionate fans last night, the Padres staved off elimination with a 4-3 victory in the third consecutive closely contested game between the evenly matched teams. With closer Mason Miller on the paternity list, Game 2 starter Michael King came out of the bullpen to pitch the final two innings. If the past three games are any indication, today’s nightcap should be another thrilling affair.
Right-hander Walker Buehler, freshly back from the paternity list, will make his first postseason appearance with San Diego. The veteran has extensive playoff experience from his time with the Dodgers, as this will be Buehler 19th career postseason start. With the Padres looking to win a second straight game and force a winner-take-all Game 5 in Milwaukee, they will likely turn to their bullpen as soon as Buehler finds himself in trouble. As for that bullpen, there is a chance Miller could be activated for this game.
The Brewers, who have lost an MLB-record-tying 12 consecutive road playoff games, will send left-hander Robert Gasser to the mound for his first career playoff start.
The Dodgers are back in Atlanta for Game 4 of the NLDS on Wednesday, needing just one more win to clinch the series. After getting to Chris Sale in Game 3, the Dodgers will face right-hander Tyler Mahle, who has turned heads since being acquired at the trade deadline from the San Francisco Giants.
After batting fifth in the starting lineup for the first time as a Dodger, Shohei Ohtani will once again be hitting in the middle third of the order, this time moving up to the cleanup spot with Teoscar Hernández sliding down to the fifth spot in the order.
Max Muncy makes his first start this series since batting 8th in Game 1 against left-hander Dylan Dodd, this time batting sixth in the lineup with Miguel Rojas getting the day off after dealing with bat tightness. The hero of Game 3 on offense, Kiké Hernández, makes his second straight start, this time batting seventh while getting the start at second base. Kyle Tucker once again hits in the 8 spot while Andy Pages rounds things out after a multi-hit performance.
Runs have been hard to come by so far this series, as the Dodgers have plated just 10 combined runs over their first three postseason games, all of which have come via home runs. The main Achilles heel for the Dodgers has been their consistent inability to produce with runners in scoring position, as the team is 0-13 in those situations. The Braves, to their credit, have managed to get one hit with runners in scoring position, albeit across 14 at-bats, and have combined to score just eight runs over the first three games.
The Dodgers have fared well in previous matchups against Mahle, as the right-hander has a combined 3-3 record with a 3.15 ERA. Most of the damage came when Mahle was still with the Cincinnati Reds, and in his most recent start against the Dodgers back when he was with San Francisco, he shut them down over seven shutout innings in a 3-0 Giants win on April 22. Since joining Atlanta, Mahle finished the regular season with a 1.99 ERA and limited the Philadelphia Phillies to just one run in his most recent Wild Card start.
ATLANTA — Another day, another new spot in the lineup for Shohei Ohtani.
After batting the two-way star in the five-hole on Tuesday in a 3-1 win over the Braves in the National League Division Series — the lowest Ohtani had hit since the 2020 season with the Angels –– the Dodgers bumped the slumping four-time MVP up for their potential series-clinching Game 4 showdown with Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle on Wednesday, slotting him in the cleanup spot for his first time with the team.
That was one of several changes the Dodgers made as they looked to book a spot in the NL Championship Series.
Game 3 hero Kiké Hernández remained in the lineup, even against a right-handed pitcher, coming off his latest October highlight with a go-ahead home run against Chris Sale on Tuesday.
Max Muncy also returned to the starting nine for the first time since Game 1, having come off the bench the previous two games with the Braves starting left-handed pitchers.
Miguel Rojas did not get a start after tweaking his back on a swing Tuesday that forced him to leave Game 3 early (he was initially optimistic he hadn’t suffered anything too serious, but the team wanted to see how he felt pregame Wednesday before deciding on his availability).
Andy Pages, meanwhile, was dropped into the nine-hole, where he will look to build off a two-hit performance in Game 3 that snapped his previous 0-for-8 slump to start the series.
All eyes, of course, will be on Ohtani in Game 4.
The injury-hampered slugger has looked little like his typically dominant self this week, going 2-for-10 so far this series with one walk, three strikeouts and several empty at-bats with runners on base.
The 32-year-old is still searching for his first home run since Aug. 18, having suffered a power outage amid ongoing right arm and left knee injuries. He also has just one RBI in that span, hitting .163 in his last 21 games (including both regular-season and postseason play).
“I still thought his intent, the at-bats were better,” manager Dave Roberts said after Game 3, when the Dodgers overcame Ohtani’s lack of production again to take a 2-1 series lead. “It’s good to know that we can still win games without him doing a whole bunch. But he’s going to come to life. It will happen.”
Their hope on Wednesday: That a new spot in the batting order would help him snap out of his extended, physically diminished funk.
There are four — count ‘em, four — LDS games going on today.
The White Sox host the Guardians in the early game, with Chicago in position to sweep and move on to the ALCS with a win. Its a 3 p.m. Central start on TBS.
The Braves host the Dodgers in the late afternoon game. Los Angeles is up 2-1, so the Braves need to win in order to force a game five in L.A. The game starts at 5 p.m. and is on FS1.
The Yankees, down 0-2, host the Rays in the early evening game. It is on TBS and starts at 7 p.m. Central.
Finally, the Brewers, up 2-1, play in San Diego against the Padres in the late game. It is a 9 p.m. start on FS1.
Talk about the games here.
After an exciting 4-3 victory, the White Sox (84-78) incredibly hold a 2-0 series lead over the Guardians (85-77) in the ALDS. The South Siders are one victory away from advancing to the ALCS, where they have not been since 2005.
Sean Newcomb, 33, will start on the mound for the South Siders. Newcomb posted a 3.09 ERA and a 3.21 FIP in 90 1/3 regular season innings. Newcomb accumulated 1.7 fWAR, a very high single-season total for a relief pitcher. Newcomb pitched 8 1/3 innings against Cleveland in the regular season, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits. In that limited sample, the Guardians posted a .226/.368/.355 slash line against him.
Daniel Espino, 25, is a right-handed pitcher who will open the game against the South Siders. Espino posted a 4.11 ERA and a 3.75 FIP in 15 1/3 innings, resulting in an accumulation of 0.1 fWAR. Espino has pitched two innings and allowed one run against the White Sox. Miguel Vargas got the best of Espino on September 14, when he launched home run No. 31 out of 33 of his season.
Here are today’s starting lineups:
Baseball Reference keeps a statistic called cWPA, or Championship Win Probability Added. In this series, Grant Taylor (+3.42%) leads the way due to his ability to shut down the Guardians and close the first two games. Sean Burke (+3.00%) is No. 2, as his strong performance in Game 2 was crucial. Among hitters, Vargas (+2.81%) is the leader, as he is 2-for-4 with four walks. Munetaka Murakami (+2.07%) is next, which is no surprise, given that he is 3-for-8 with a homer. Up next is Braden Montgomery (+1.53%), who is only 1-for-7, but the lone hit was a clutch double that put the White Sox ahead.
This game is available on TBS and HBO Max, and the first pitch is scheduled to take place at 3:00 p.m. CT. Will the South Siders pick up another postseason series sweep? We will find out soon.
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Yoshinobu Yamamato starred for the Dodgers on Tuesday as they took a 2-1 lead over the Braves. The Padres scrapped their way to a victory to avoid elimination by the Brewers as starter Michael King filled in for ace closer Mason Miller, who is on paternity leave. On Wednesday, all four series are back in action, and four teams face elimination. The Guardians, Yankees, Padres, and Braves are all in a tight spot here and have to win or go home.
Here are the matchups for Wednesday, October 7.
Cleveland Guardians at Chicago White Sox (2-0): 4:00 p.m. ET, TBS
RHP Daniel Espino vs LHP Sean Newcomb
Los Angeles Dodgers (2-1) at Atlanta Braves: 6:00 p.m. ET, FS1
RHP Tyler Glasnow vs. RHP Tyler Mahle
Tampa Bay Rays (2-0) at New York Yankees: 8:00 p.m. ET, TBS
RHP Nick Martinez vs. LHP Max Fried
Milwaukee Brewers (2-1) at San Diego Padres: 10:00 p.m. ET, FS1
TBD vs RHP Walker Buehler
White Sox lead, 2-0
First pitch: 4:00 PM EDT
TV: TBS/HBO MAX
Probable pitchers: Sean Newcomb, LHP (CWS), Daniel Espino, RHP (CLE)
Dodgers lead, 2-1
First pitch: 6:00 PM EDT
TV: FS1/FOX ONE
Probable pitchers: Tyler Glasnow, RHP (LAD); Tyler Mahle, RHP (ATL)
Rays lead, 2-0
First pitch: 8:00 PM EDT
TV: TBS/HBO MAX
Probable pitchers: Max Fried, LHP (NYY), Nick Martinez, RHP (TB)
Brewers lead, 2-1
First pitch: 10:00 PM EDT
TV: FS1/FOX ONE
Probable pitchers: TBD (MIL); Walker Buehler, RHP (SDP)
ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman claimed not to hear the boos that came raining down on him Tuesday night.
Having expected as much in his return to Atlanta this week, he simply blocked out the crowd every time he stepped to the plate.
“I don’t really hear much out there,” the future Hall of Fame first baseman said after Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday. “It’s just noise, because it’s so loud.”
There’s been plenty of noise around Freeman entering this series, of course, with the veteran Dodgers star being pitted against his old Braves team.
But from the beginning of the week, Freeman downplayed the narrative, minimizing his role in this best-of-five series.
It’s been half a decade, after all, since Freeman’s stunning free-agent departure from Atlanta and $162 million signing with the Dodgers during the 2022 offseason. At this point, only four of his former teammates from the Braves’ 2021 World Series campaign are even still with his former organization.
“I understand it will be a storyline, I get it,” Freeman told reporters before the start of this NLDS. “But it is five years later. I’m not going to try and look at it any differently.”
Indeed, the only real difference in this reunion has been the reception he received from his former home fans.
Over the years, Freeman usually receives ovations during his trips back to Truist Park. In his first return in 2022, he got choked up while being serenaded during his championship ring presentation.
On Tuesday night, however, there were no cheers when he was announced during pregame introductions or before the start of each of his at-bats.
Instead, he was met with a wave of repeated boos. One particularly vocal fan near the press box went so far as to begin chanting “traitor!”
To the 37-year-old, it was all to be anticipated.
“I’ve got a gray uniform on,” he said with a smile. “I expect boos. It’s OK.”
Freeman still made sure to reflect fondly on his 15 years in the Braves’ organization.
“I’ve had wonderful experiences with the white uniform on here,” he said. “I loved every second of it.”
Then again, he also loved the way that Tuesday’s 3-1 win played out, when he quieted the boos by hitting his second home run of the series.
It helped put the Dodgers one win from the NL Championship Series and the Braves’ season on the brink of elimination.
“We’re trying to win the game. They want to win it for their team,” he said. “So it’s OK. It’s all love. I still love everybody here.”
As for the boos, he was asked again:
“I would be surprised if they cheered me in October.”
The Dodgers relied on Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s pristine postseason pedigree in a critical game once again on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old Japanese hurler outdueled Braves ace Chris Sale in a pivotal Game 3 of the NLDS, throwing seven innings, giving up one earned run and totaling 10 strikeouts. Los Angeles secured a 3-1 win to go up 2-1 in the best-of-five series.
Yamamoto and the Dodgers’ day might have ended differently if not for a vulgar intervention from Kiké Hernández.
The Athletic’s Katie Woo wrote an article on Tuesday night that included an anecdote from Yamamoto about when Hernández (who homered in the 3-1 win) and Dodgers catcher Will Smith made a mound visit after the Braves loaded the bases in the fifth inning.
Hernández could be seen whispering something to Yamamoto at the end of the discussion, prompting a nod from the pitcher.
Yamamoto clearly took inspiration from whatever Hernández said, as he got two straight groundouts to end the inning.
After the game, Yamamoto said Hernández used a “dirty word.”
He wouldn’t shed light on what this word was, only reiterating that it was “very” dirty.
Hernández’s “dirty word” may never become public knowledge. But whatever it is, Dodgers fans are happy Yamamoto now knows it.
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It’s the battle of the Tylers.
At 6 p.m. ET today, Tyler Glasnow’s Los Angeles Dodgers will take on Tyler Mahle’s Atlanta Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS at Atlanta’s Truist Park.
After feeling confident heading home, Atlanta’s backs are up against the wall following their Game 3 loss yesterday afternoon. To make sure their season doesn’t end today, they’ll need strong offensive performances from Ronald Acuña Jr., Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies as well as a gem from Mahle.
“…All you can do out there is make pitches. I’m not trying to trick them. [The Dodgers] know. They’ve seen me,” Mahle said, prior to Game 3. “I’m sure they’re going to watch film, whatever. So it’s making pitches at the right times and that’s all you can hope to do.”
Still, oddsmakers believe Los Angeles will close out the series today. They’re -150 favorites on the moneyline and Glasnow has a 2-1 career history against Atlanta over six appearances dating back to 2017.
That being said, the 33-year-old right-hander got a no-decision in their last meeting on Aug. 25 (his first appearance on the mound in 3.5 months), going five innings and giving up three runs in a 4-3 loss.
As for Mahle, the former Giant is 3-3 all time against LA with a 3.15 ERA.
Which Tyler will prevail today?
Although we can’t say for certain, we do know the best way to find out is live.
Here’s how to tune in to the Game 4 of the NLDS without cable.
Game 4 of the Dodgers vs. Braves NLDS is scheduled to begin today, Oct. 7, at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET.
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream Dodgers vs. Braves NLDS games for free.
DIRECTV is our favorite service for trying live TV for free. Right now, you can take advantage of a five-day free trial before saving $30 on your first month. We recommend the Choice plan, which includes FS1 as part of its 125+ channel options.
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