BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 06: Christian Encarnacion-Strand #32 of the Baltimore Orioles drives in a run with a double in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 06, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It has been a week filled with an odd sort of pride for the player development wing of the Cincinnati Reds organization. Whether they felt their seats getting warm, or not, we do not know, but this week revealed the news that team isn’t planning a major overhaul of baseball operations this winter despite another woeful season in just about every big league category.
All this as the prize of their process over the last half dozen years, Elly De La Cruz, soars while playing the best baseball of his still-young career.
Wear that one on your lapel, player development and scouting. This one you have earned.
The rest of the Reds offense, though, has flopped at an epic rate. Yesterday’s loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers means that in 4 of their last 6 games the Reds have either a) been shut out completely or b) Elly drove himself in for the team’s lone run scored. The players they’ve chose to deploy up and down the lineup outside of Elly, Sal Stewart, and the second half surges from Eugenio Suarez and Tyler Stephenson simply haven’t gotten the job done at all for most all of 2026, particularly of late.
Through that frustration came the news yesterday that the Baltimore Orioles were going to roll out a lineup featuring Rece Hinds at leadoff and Christian Encarnacion-Strand batting cleanup. You may recognize those names. You may also recall one Jose Barrero, who was added to Baltimore’s taxi squad on Tuesday after bashing 23 homers at the AAA level before Norfolk’s season came to a close.
CES wasted little time making sure folks noticed his day yesterday, homering off New York Mets lefty Sean Manaea in his first PA of the game.
For the season, CES is hitting .266/.317/.485 (.802 OPS) across 184 PA, his 9 homers and 10 doubles fueling a 125 OPS+. Those aren’t too dissimilar to the .270/.328/.477 (.805 OPS) marks he put up in 241 healthy PA with Cincinnati in his rookie year in 2023 before a wrist injury seriously screwed with his swing. On top of that, Baltimore is regularly leaning on him at 3B – not 1B – while the Reds have since thrown money at Jeimer Candelario, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Eugenio Suarez to try to solve the hot corner since CES debuted.
(Is this where I mention the Reds rank dead last as a team in Defensive Runs Saved this season? That’s probably worth a totally different article altogether.)
Anyway, it has hardly been a rose-smelling season for the Orioles at 74-78, but one thing they’ve been able to pull out of this murk and mess is another promising young, controllable player cast aside by a different, impatient franchise. That’s precisely what teams who are trying to build themselves up on the cheap need to find, and in this instance the Reds gave one away for just about the most ridiculous reasons imagineable. For those who think JJ Bleday has ended up being ‘found money’ for Cincinnati this year, well, imagine if Bleday hit better and played a more premium defensive position, because that’s what the Reds gave away this year, too.
The Mets have placed Robert Stock -- initially Wednesday night's scheduled starter against the Orioles -- on the 15-day IL due to numbness in his fingers.
Xzavion Curry was called up to replace Stock on the roster, and will start Wednesday's game.
Additionally, Daniel Duarte was placed on the 15-day IL due to a hamstring strain, with Jefry Yan called up to replace him.
Duarte appeared to injure himself while covering home plate on a wild pitch in the 10th inning on Tuesday night, but remained in to finish the inning.
With the regular season ending on Sept. 27, Stock and Duarte will not return this year.
Duarte stood out for the Mets after their trade deadline sell-off, posting a 2.12 ERA and 0.80 WHIP while striking out 30 batters in 29.2 innings, and will likely enter spring training next year as an option in what should be a revamped bullpen.
The Atlanta Braves are inching closer to clinching the division with their magic number at five with their win last night against the Chicago Cubs.
It appears that the Braves will not catch the Dodgers for the second seed and first round bye, which is likely why the decision was made to bring up JR Ritchie to pitch this evening in the spot where Chris Sale was originally supposed to start to keep him rested. The last thing the Braves need right now is a fatigued or injured Chris Sale.
Ritchie has appeared in fourteen games so far this season to include eight starts. He pitched 58.0 innings of 4.50 ERA ball. This led to him getting sent back down in early August, but he has been fantastic in AAA as of late. Two starts ago for the Stripers he went 6.2 innings and amassed fifteen strikeouts to one walk. In his last start he went 6.0 innings where he struck out nine to one walk. He still struggles with the long ball, giving up three in his last two starts.
Of the eight starts at the MLB level Ritchie made this year, one of them was against the Cubs way back in May. It was arguably one of his best starts. He only went 4.1 innings, but he held the Cubs to two hits and one earned run, but he walked three.
It will be interesting to see how many innings he goes this evening because outside of his seven-inning debut, he never pitched more than 5.1 innings with three of his starts not even reaching 5.0. However, in the minors he has been working on longer starts pitching between 5.1 to 6.2 in his last four starts for the Stripers.
Since the Cubs have only faced Ritchie once in a short start, no player has more than two at-bats against him. The two players who were able to get a hit off him were Alex Bregman and Carson Kelly.
Shota Imanaga will be taking the mound for the Cubs and he is having a solid year. It has not been as great as his rookie campaign but is right on par with his performance last season in terms of ERA+ and FIP. He has pitched 162.1 innings and is on pace to pas his career high of 173.1 if he gets two more starts in. He holds an ERA of 3.88 and a WHIP of 1.121.
Imanaga had a rough first half in terms of ERA. Through his first thirteen starts his ERA was up to 4.74. Since then, he has settled down and carries an ERA of 3.13 over sixteen starts. He did pitch against the Braves and JR Ritchie in May where he gave up two earned runs on five hits over 7.0 innings. The Braves won that game 4-1.
Ozzie Albies leads the Braves in at-bats against Imanaga with twelve, and it is no surprise that he has been successful with a 1.334 OPS since Imanaga is a LHP. Matt Olson has eleven at-bats against Imanaga and carries a .455 average and 1.136 OPS in that span. Drake Baldwin has also been successful in six at-bats holding a 1.333 OPS to include a HR. The rest of the team has either not faced Imanaga before or has struggled.
Last night the Braves exposed that the Cubs’ bullpen has been one of the luckiest in MLB this season if we look at their ERA against their expected ERA (xERA). Their season xERA is in the bottom four in MLB, while their actual ERA is in the best twelve.
If the Braves can get to the bullpen early, that is where they can do the most damage. It seems that all season long, the bullpen is there the Braves make most of their offense happen in general, but against the Cubs, it is especially true.
In 2025, the Cubs crossed the three million tickets sold line for the first time since 2019, and wound up with a paid attendance of 3,017,983, or 37,259 per date.
That included two “home” games at the Tokyo Dome which had paid attendance of 42,365 and 42,367, above Wrigley Field’s current capacity of 41,649. For the 79 dates at Wrigley Field in 2025, the Cubs sold 2,933,251 tickets, or 37,129 per date.
They won’t get to the three million mark this year, as with four dates remaining the paid attendance figure stands at 2,828,000, which is 172,000 short of that milestone. The Cubs would have to have paid attendance of 43,000 or more for the last four dates, which isn’t going to happen. They’ll probably wind up around 30,000 or so short of three million, so the average Wrigley crowd, which is currently 36,727, will also come up a little short of last year. The 2026 figures to date rank sixth in MLB in both total and average, behind the Dodgers, Yankees, Padres, Blue Jays and Phillies.
The team’s performance is going to wind up about the same this year compared to last, so what are the factors driving this small decrease?
In my view, it’s got to be the weather, which has been pretty awful all summer in Chicago — cooler than usual early in the season, then rainy for the last several weeks.
In 2025, the Cubs had 22 paid crowds at Wrigley of 40,000 or more, including two that crossed the 41,000 mark. This year there have been just 12 paid crowds of 40,000 or more at Wrigley Field, and the largest was 40,706, June 20 against the Blue Jays. (I think it’s pretty safe to say that none of the remaining four dates will have a paid attendance of 40,000 or more.)
Additionally, the Cubs had five weekdays in March and April this year with crowds of under 30,000. Last year they had four such dates — and if the schedule is played out as listed in 2027 (NARRATOR: “It probably won’t.”), there will again be five of those.
Of course, we all hope there will be more than just four dates remaining at Wrigley Field this year, and that the Cubs will at the very least host a Wild Card series at the end of September/beginning of October.
You can sign up for a Postseason ticket presale at this cubs.com link through 11:59 p.m. CT on Sunday, Sept. 20. Good luck!
And looking around Citi Field just before first pitch hammered the above home, with most Mets fans -- many of whom wore Alonso jerseys -- on their feet and chanting for Alonso when he was introduced before the game and before his first time up.
But things took a bit of a turn during the game.
While there were loud "PETE ALONSO" chants, there were also "FIRE STEARNS" chants that were borne out of them, which shouldn't have come as a huge surprise since this was the first real chance fans had to clearly voice their displeasure in unison at the team's decision to not retain Alonso.
Something that was actually surprising happened in the top of the third inning, when boos rained down after young right-handerJonah Tong walked Alonso in what was his second time up.
Tong, whose outing that night was his best as a big leaguer, was overwhelmed a bit last season in his first taste of the majors after being called up out of necessity. So to hear boos directed at the Mets after he walked Alonso in that spot (with fans hoping for Alonso to instead smash his 300th career homer) was a bit unnerving.
For the remainder of the game, the fans stood and chanted for Alonso (and against David Stearns) each time he came up, and many of them streamed toward the exits following the top of the eighth inning when Alonso struck out in his last at-bat. The Mets were trailing by just a run at the time, but those who left at that point seemingly decided to bolt because it was unlikely Alonso would be coming back up (and he did not, with Baltimore sealing its 2-1 win an inning later).
On Tuesday night, things took an even wilder turn.
Following another game where Alonso was showered with love and Stearns was the target of taunts, Alonso strolled to the plate with one out in the ninth inning with Kodai Sengaon the mound and the Mets leading, 3-2. On a 2-0 count, Senga's ghost fork caught too much plate at the bottom of the zone, and Alonso demolished it -- sending it well over the left field fence at 109.6 mph.
The response from the Mets fans was thunderous, and didn't stop until Alonso took a curtain call, which was not lost on the Mets' players after the game.
Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) gestures to fans after hitting a home run during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
"I’ve got nothing but respect for him and love him to death," Sean Manaea said. "But as a team, as the 2026 Mets, I know we have definitely underperformed. But the guys in here work their ass off every single day. And to have that kind of reaction to an opposing player, could be anybody, is crazy to me."
While Manaea was taken aback, Senga wasn't bothered -- at least outwardly.
"If it wasn't Pete Alonso -- there are other great hitters that are playing for the Mets and are playing elsewhere -- but because it is him, it didn't bother me," Senga said through a translator. "It just shows how much he was loved... how much he meant to this organization."
Even though the reaction by the fans to Alonso's game-tying blast was rare, it wasn't without precedent.
That night, Piazza blasted a solo homer off Pedro Martinez in the fourth inning, which cut New York's lead to 4-1. As they did on Tuesday night with Alonso, the fans asked for and received a curtain call from Piazza.
In the sixth inning, Piazza hit another solo shot to trim New York's advantage to 4-2. He was cheered again. But the feeling from most in the stands right after (I was in attendance) was that enough was enough. It was time to refocus on the current Mets, who won that game, 4-3.
The differences between the reaction to Piazza and the reaction to Alonso are myriad.
Sep 14, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) chats with Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) as he leads off first base after hitting a single during the third inning at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
For one, the Mets' win over Piazza and the Padres that night improved their record to 68-44 as they continued to steamroll toward the NL East title.
Second, the writing was very much on the wall during the 2005 season that it would be Piazza's last in Queens. He had a career-low OPS that year as he played just 113 games, and was replaced behind the plate in 2006 by Paul Lo Duca, who was an All-Star that year.
Third and most importantly, there was no fan anger toward the front office or boos for the current team mixed in with the love that was showered on Piazza.
The only other return comparable to Alonso's and Piazza's was the first game back at Shea for franchise icon Tom Seaver after he was shockingly traded to the Reds in the "Midnight Massacre" deal in June of 1977.
On Aug. 21 of that season, Seaver came back and mowed down the Mets while tossing a complete game.
Since I wasn't born until the 80s, I can't speak to what the reaction was that day. But the video tells the story, and it's one of fans loudly saluting Seaver before the game and even cheering for him when he retired Mets players -- including Steve Henderson.
Getting back to the reception for Alonso and the vitriol that has been directed toward the front office the last couple of nights, what stands out the most is that it will be an unresolved situation after Alonso and the Orioles leave town.
The Mets will enter this offseason again looking to replace Alonso's production in the lineup, and it will be Stearns at the helm as they attempt to do it.
Lost in all of this is that aside from a few of Stearns' moves (including letting Alonso go while not adequately replacing his production and relying too much on Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr.), most of the Mets' decision -making this past offseason was sound. Yes, not having Alonso has mattered, but their 2026 campaign was done in largely because of long-term injuries to irreplaceable players who had been the picture of health throughout their career (Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto) and a number of worst-case scenarios playing out.
But it's understandable why many fans remain angry, disillusioned, and laser focused on the absence of Alonso, who endeared himself to the city during his seven seasons in Queens.
The prediction here is that fans will get over this (if not necessarily forgive Stearns) if the team returns to the postseason in 2027. But there is a long way to go between now and then, and the wound is still fresh.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis activated rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt from the 10-day injured list Wednesday morning before the Cardinals met the San Francisco Giants.
Wetherholt last played on Aug. 29 and was placed on the IL on Aug. 30 with right wrist tendinitis. He missed 15 games.
In 130 games this season, Wetherholt has hit .242 with 14 doubles, 17 home runs and 48 RBI. He has scored 88 runs and stolen 14 bases.
Wetherholt, who turned 24 on Sept. 10, took part in his regular pregame routine ahead of being activated.
This will be the first time he’s played against the Giants.
Cardinals infielder Ramón Urías and pitcher Peter Strzelecki have been designated for assignment.
Urías, 32, hit .151 in 43 games this season.
Strzelecki, 31, posted a 5.78 ERA in eight games with St. Louis.
I’m not sure “light” tee work at this stage is going to have him ready for the postseason in time, but you never know.
Unfortunately there’s one player who definitely won’t return from injury in time. Justin Slaten, who was initially on the IL with elbow inflammation, has been shut down for the season. Moreover, it looks like the issue might be more serious than initially thought. “There’s some degenerative changes in the flexor mass,” Chad Tracy said. “So that’s substantially different news.” He’ll receive a plasma injection to stimulate healing, and, unfortunately, this sounds like something that could require surgery eventually. (Hayden Bird, Boston.com)
Things are progressing for Garrett Crochet, though. He threw thirty pitches over two simulated innings yesterday. “Everything went well,” Chad Tracy said. “That was the most volume he’s had, so we’ll see over the next couple of days how he feels and go from there.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
Hopefully Crochet can work his way back like Trevor Story, who is well aware that he has doubters amongst the Red Sox fanbase and media. “You see a lot of that stuff, but I really try to channel it into an energy in a way that I can use,” he said. “At the time, I wasn’t trying to pay much attention to it, but people would bring it to me, and I decided how I was going to look at it. I just tried to channel it into when I do come back, and it’s all about the playoffs, and it’s all about winning this thing at the end. That’s where I put my energy and focus.” (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
If Crochet does return and returns strong, then maybe the Sox can prove this poll of 16 MLB executives — only three of whom called the Sox the “team to beat in the AL” — wrong. (Jesse Rogers, ESPN)
MIDLAND, TX - MARCH 30: Ryan Lasko #22 of the Midland Rockhounds poses for a photo during the Midland Rockhounds photo day at Momentum Bank Ballpark on Monday, March 30, 2026 in Midland, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
MLB Photos via Getty Images
WEST ORANGE, N.J. (AP) — Ryan Lasko, a minor league prospect with the Athletics who was paralyzed in an outfield collision more than two months ago, has been released from an in-patient rehabilitation hospital and will continue his recovery from home.
The 24-year-old Lasko was released Wednesday exactly two months after arriving at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in his home state of New Jersey, about 35 miles from where he attended college at Rutgers and became a second-round draft pick by the A’s in 2023. Staff members at the facility celebrated his departure with a “clap out” farewell ceremony as he exited the building’s main entrance.
Lasko suffered the spinal cord injury in a collision with a teammate June 30 that left him paralyzed from the chest down, with both arms affected, too. His dominant right arm — the one he uses to throw and hit — is weaker and will take more time to strengthen. His legs and feet have begun to regain some feeling and tingling sensations.
He told The Associated Press this week he can’t predict how the next year will go. For now, he is focusing on the present and “reworking my brain to just wait, there’s nothing else I can do now, I have to wait.”
Going home is a major milestone. He said he’s excited for a home-cooked meal and to follow through on offseason travel plans with girlfriend Alli Graff despite the additional challenges.
“I’ve kind of stopped trying to look that far ahead because they keep telling me it’s two months, this is only the beginning still, but it feels like it’s been forever,” Lasko told the AP. “It’s gone by quick, but it’s also been the longest two months of my life. They keep telling me that it’s only the beginning so that’s where I’m trying to learn to have patience, because I expected it would happen overnight and that’s really not how it works whatsoever. But I’m learning, slowly, it’s a very slow process with everything.”
Lasko fractured the C6 and C7 vertebrae in his neck during a frightening moment as he and Double-A Midland teammate Devin Taylor ran into each other in a game at Frisco, Texas, both attempting to make a play on a ball to the gap.
Lasko was carted off the field and taken to a nearby hospital for immediate spinal decompression and stabilization surgery.
His doctors and physical and occupational therapists are encouraged by his progress and optimistic he could make a full recovery and walk again in time.
“It’s been a long road,” Lasko’s mother, Patti, said while moving some of his belongings into her car with Graff outside the facility. She was in the stands for the game when he was hurt.
“The two of them work as a team. I feel like it’s a new beginning.”
He will initially return to his hometown of Jackson, New Jersey, and then live in a hotel near the Kessler facility for approximately two months as he continues to make strides.
Lasko counts each of the “big wins” along the way, like being able just to go outside again.
“I don’t know what the next step is, so that’s kind of scary. There’s a lot more unknown,” he said. “The first day I got here they asked me what my goal was and I said to be as independent as possible. I’ve gotten to that point, I’ve checked a lot of boxes. Everything that I said I couldn’t do, I can do now — simple stuff like opening my water bottle that you take for granted. ... There’s a lot of small things that I took for granted that I couldn’t do that I can do somewhat now again.”
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 18: Yovanny Cruz #48 of the Washington Nationals throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on August 18, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We have not had many of these this season, but yesterday was a great night for the Nationals bullpen. They tossed four scoreless innings, only allowing one hit and more importantly walking nobody. There were plenty of heroes last night, but Yovanny Cruz is the one I want to talk about today.
The flame throwing Cruz was the first man out of the bullpen last night. He gave the Nats 1.2 innings of fantastic work. It was by far the best version of Cruz that we have seen in DC. His stuff was nasty like it always is. However, he showed much more pose and strike-throwing. Cruz also unleashed a new weapon with his sinker.
In most of Cruz’s 8 outings as a National, he has struggled to get ahead of hitters and establish his fastball. While Yovanny Cruz throws 100 MPH, his 4-seam fastball shape and command are not very good. That makes the pitch play down from its high velocity.
In August, Cruz lost confidence in his heater. Things reached a boiling point in a blown save against the Mets where he threw 13 straight sliders to end the game. Shortly after that outing, Cruz was sent to Triple-A to fix some of his issues. So far, it seems like the demotion has been a blessing in disguise for Cruz. His fastball was 100 MPH, but it was simply a bad pitch.
Will Dion’s 91 mph fastball is way better than Yovanny Cruz’s 100 mph heater, here is why. https://t.co/2MfzDddyb0
Last night, Cruz was pounding the zone with his fastballs. The plural in fastballs is a big deal here. Before being sent down, Cruz only had one fastball, his 4-seam. The pitch had triple digit velocity, but that alone was not enough. With his 4-seamer getting natural run anyways, a sinker always felt like a natural fit.
In his last couple outings, Cruz has shown that sinker quite a bit. Last night he actually used it more than his 4-seam. It worked like a charm and gave Cruz a new weapon. Just like his 4-seamer, Cruz throws his sinker in the triple digits. However, his sinker has much more run. It bores in on right handed hitters. He used the pitch to get Alec Bohm to weakly ground out.
While the 4-seamer may remain in his arsenal, I think the sinker will become Cruz’s primary fastball as he gains comfort with the pitch. It suits the way he throws and he gets a lot of movement on the sinker. The pitch also compliments his slider very well.
Before getting demoted, Cruz only really trusted his slider. The 27 year old had good reason to trust the pitch too. It averages 91 MPH and has filthy downward movement. He locates it reasonably well and gets a lot of whiffs. That slider is truly a special pitch, but he also needed a fastball to compliment it.
This Yovanny Cruz slider is the kind of weapon banned in the Geneva Convention pic.twitter.com/I1LwjYkQ0g
In Rochester, finding confidence in his fastball was the mission. Not only did he add the sinker, but his fastball command has looked sharper as well. Cruz has not been afraid to challenge hitters in the zone with his heater. Before, there were a lot of non-competitive misses with his fastball, but that was not the case last night.
Cruz actually did not strike out any batters last night. Honestly, I think that is a good thing in some ways. He was on the attack and forced hitters to beat him. While they made contact, the Phillies did not make any good contact against Cruz. It was all ground balls and lazy fly outs.
There were also not any walks, which is the most encouraging thing. In his first stint with the Nats, Cruz was very wild. He walked 6 batters in 5 innings during his August spell. Since coming back from Rochester, he has looked under control and relaxed.
Hopefully he can finish the year strong and take this success into next season. Cruz has all the stuff in the world, but he needed to fix a couple things. The early returns since coming back to the big leagues suggest he has made some tangible changes.
Not only does he have a new pitch, but Cruz also looks more confident and composed on the mound. If everything clicks for the flame-thrower, he can be a big piece in the Nats bullpen next season. For now, he remains a wild card, but at least he is back on track and improving.
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón throws during the first inning of their game against the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday, May 10, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It’s been a nice start to the week in the Yankees’ home-away-from-home. On Monday night, they clinched a postseason berth with a 7-3 win against the Twins. On Tuesday evening, they fielded the proverbial “hangover lineup” of sorts and still cruised to an 8-1 victory behind a strong start from Max Fried and plenty of strong performances at the plate.
On today’s getaway day game in Minneapolis, Carlos Rodón leads the Yankees’ effort for a sweep. His most recent start against the Mets was perhaps the best of his season, as he held down the crosstown rivals for one run in 6.1 innings—with eight strikeouts to just one walk. For Rodón, who has for various reasons not pitched deep into games as routinely as he did in 2025, a second straight start of six or more innings would be an excellent sign as he prepares for the postseason.
The Twins, now 4-9 in September, will look to young righty Zebby Matthews, who has turned in an uneven campaign on the hill this season. His past three starts have been illustrative of the step-forward-step-back tendency which has tormented many a young hurler. On August 30th, he twirled an absolute gem, pitching into the ninth inning against the rival White Sox with just one run allowed in a win. His next appearance, also against Chicago, was a far more pedestrian five-inning, four-run effort. Then last time out, he failed to escape the third inning in Detroit—walking four batters and surrendering five runs to hit the showers early.
While the Yankees rested a few of their starters for last night’s contest, including Aaron Judge, it didn’t prevent them from running up the score. Today, Judge returns to the lineup card, hitting third behind DH Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger, who led the way with three hits and a homer last night. Cleanup hitter Luis García Jr., Spencer Jones, and George Lombard Jr. will make up the middle of the order, with Ryan McMahon, Austin Wells, and second baseman Anthony Volpe (it’s still weird to say that) pulling up the rear.
How to watch
Location: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
First pitch: 1:40 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Twins.TV
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), TIBN, The Wolf 102.9 FM, LosTwins.com (MIN)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 15: Travis Bazzana #37 of the Cleveland Guardians hits a solo home run in the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on September 15, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 25: Matthew Liberatore #32 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning at Busch Stadium on August 25, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up their 3-game series against the San Francisco Giants Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium. Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals while the Giants will assign pitching duties to RHP Anthony Molina. First pitch is set for 12:15pm central time with the game broadcast available via Cardinals.tv.
MIAMI, FL - SEPTEMBER 11: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (7) otiches in the first half during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Miami Marrlins on Friday, September 11, 2026 at LoanDepot Park in Miamim, FL (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The colloquially called “Great American Small Park” has looked awfully big for the Cincinnati Reds hitters facing the best pitching that the Dodgers have to offer. And it doesn’t get much easier with Blake Snell taking the mound, as the Dodgers are one win away from sweeping the Reds in a fourth straight series dating back to last year—counting both the regular season and playoffs.
Considering Sunday’s loss to the Marlins in which Emmet Sheehan pitched quite well, Dodger starters have held opponents scoreless through 20 innings, 14 of which have come against starters Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. On top of being dominant, Skubal and Yamamoto share the fact that they deviated somewhat from their regular approach in their last outing against the Reds, but in opposite directions—Skubal leaning more heavily on the fastball, while Yamamoto threw it even less than he normally does.
A critical distinction must be made between these two previous starters and Snell. Unlike the pair, Snell will be facing the Reds for the first time this season since he was not on the schedule in the three-game series at Dodger Stadium last week. And speaking of a track record against the Reds, Snell will have fond memories of his last time pitching at this stadium. Back in 2024, still with the Giants, Snell delivered one of the greatest outings of his career when he shut out the Reds in a 3-0 win—the two-time Cy Young winner punched out 11 in what, to this day, remains the only complete game and the only shutout of Snell’s illustrious career.
Anthony Kay owns a 1.69 ERA in three starts (16 IP) against the Guardians this season. | (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
It’s been a little more than 12 hours since the Guardians walked off the White Sox in yet another heartbreaking loss, but despite having their backs against the wall in the AL Central race, they still control their destiny from here on out.
The Good Guys hold the tiebreaker over Cleveland after Monday’s win, but walking away with a series victory would really help keep the South Side train on the tracks in the stretch run. Lefthander Anthony Kay is on the mound for the White Sox, making his 29th start (31st appearance) of the season in what is likely the most important game he will start in 2026.
Prior to the South Siders dropping today’s lineup, the White Sox announced a few roster moves to round out the 40-man roster after José Urquidy was designated for assignment yesterday. Righthander Drew Thorpe has officially been cleared from the 60-day IL but was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, once again not getting the call back up to the big leagues. It’s possible the Sox would rather Thorpe fully work through his rehab and be fully ready for next season, which is likely why Noah Schultz a call up yesterday instead.
On top of that, outfielder Tommy Pham was suddenly reactivated from the 10-day IL, and will shockingly get the start as a DH while batting … cleanup. No, I am unfortunately not making this up. With this move, Edgar Quero was optioned back down to Charlotte, leaving the South Siders with a standard amount of catchers (two) on the roster, with Kyle Teel and Jake Rogers.
The legend has it that Pham ran into GM Chris Getz on the elevator last night and said he was “ready” … and now is batting cleanup in today’s crucial intradivisional game. Those who have been mostly riding the bench perhaps have done themselves a disservice if they’ve been taking the stairs lately! One elevator conversation was apparently all it took — and if we know anything, Tommy approached Getz with enormous clarity and decorum —and now Pham is batting in the 4-hole despite only taking ONE major league at-bat in the last several months.
Simply because I, and many others, are complaining about Pham being in the lineup for no reason at all for a crucial game, he’s surely going to go 3-for-4 with a homer. And if so, bravo. But let it be known that the process is bogus from the start.
On the bright side, Kay has been excellent in three starts against Cleveland, and owns a 1.69 ERA across 16 innings. The Guardians own just a .182 batting average against the lefty, who holds an 89.7% left-on-base percentage (LOB%), so he’s been efficient at stranding the few Clevelanders who even make it on base. Kay owns a 4.53 ERA this season, but has struggled a bit in his last few starts, reaching a 6.17 ERA across his last 35 frames with 24 earned runs at a 1.40 WHIP. His two September starts have been a bit rough, and in his two starts so far in September (8 1/3 IP), the lefty has accumulated an 8.64 ERA. Kay has been known to lock in and work out of jams this season, however, so with his success over Cleveland so far I am feeling positive about him today.
The same can’t be said (for me) about the batting order. The top looks solid, knowing that Chase Meidroth, Randal Grichuk, and Miguel Vargas have been seeing the ball really well lately, and the three tagged five RBIs in Tuesday’s game. I’ve yapped enough about how dumb it is that Pham is hitting cleanup, so I am just going to bypass that. Whatever.
Munetaka Murakami is getting a much-needed break after striking out four times in yesterday’s game, and three more times Monday. With that, Vargas will take over at first today while Colson Montgomery slots in at third, batting seventh, and Luisangel Acuña will play in back-to-back games at shortstop. Brenton Doyle is also back int he lineup, but batting sixth this time around, which is probably fine considering he actually made contact with the ball yesterday. The South Siders desperately need an offensive breakout game, and only time will tell if this lineup can beat lefthander Parker Messick.
Similar to Kay, Messick has been excellent against the South Siders, just as he has been the entire season. In 29 starts (172 1/3 innings), Messick owns a 2.51 ERA, and has struck out 178 batters, which ranks 16th across MLB. In three starts against the White Sox, the lefty owns a 2.29 ERA and has surrendered just five runs against them, allowing just a .169 batting average. In 12 hits, the South Siders have mashed three bombs and struck out 21 times, essentially living and dying by the long ball — as they have for a good chunk of the season. I’d take a few bombs, today, however.
The Guardians are rolling with a near-identical lineup as yesterday, and the Good Guys need to just take it one at-bat at a time and maintain clean defense. Despite the left-handed hitters struggling a bit against left-handed pitching, that essentially gets thrown out the window when Cleveland plays the Sox. Travis Bazzana and Steven Kwan both own two of the top-four batting averages against White Sox lefties, so it’s best not to assume that because their splits say so, they might not hit well today.
First pitch will take place at 12:10 p.m. CT, but will be airing on ESPN this time around. Nothing like a good ole’ national TV broadcast with Tommy Pham batting cleanup! You can also tune into the radio broadcast, still at ESPN Chicago AM 1000. Hopefully when we’re back together later, I’m writing up a less sad article than I did last night. Time for a series W against the Guardians.
Tampa Tarpons shortstop Dax Kilby (3) prepares for the game against the Lakeland Flying Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, on July 28, 2026. (Photo by Carl Rizzo/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
All eyes are on the Yankees as they make their 61st postseason berth with the division still in sight, but it’s also a great time to see prospects shine from the Yankees’ farm system. The Arizona Fall League will get underway in the next few weeks, and the Salt River Rafters will have six Yankees prospects on the roster to watch.
Dax Kilby, the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect and MLB’s No. 85 prospect overall, is one of the most notable names of the bunch. He was their top pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Despite battling a hamstring strain that has limited him to 36 games this season between the Single-A affiliate Tampa Tarpons and FCL Yankees, the 19-year-old shortstop is an exciting hitter who’s managed to turn some heads.
#Tarpons INF @dax_kilby (1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, R) reached base 3 times last night while also making the best play of the game, saving the tying run from scoring by making a diving stop and making a strong throw to 1B. #Yankeespic.twitter.com/zpLgD86YkY
The Arizona Fall League will provide ample opportunity for Yankees prospects to stand out and potentially generate some buzz about bumping up in the minors. Kilby will be joined by fellow shortstop and Yankees No. 12 prospect Core Jackson, who has 14 home runs, 41 stolen bases, and a .819 OBP in 101 games between the Hudson Valley Renegades and Somerset Patriots.
First baseman Kyle West and righty pitchers Mack Estrada, J.T. Etheridge, and Chris Veach will also be joining Kilby and Jackson among the Yankees’ contingent on the Salt River Rafters squad.
In addition to the Yankees, the Salt River Rafters are also affiliated with the Diamondbacks, Rockies, Twins, and Nationals. The league kicks off with the Rafters facing the Desert Dogs at 1:30 p.m. on October 3. You definitely won’t want to miss the AFL Home Run Derby and Fall Stars game before all the action comes to a close on November 13th. Pinstripe Alley will have regular updates on the best of the AFL throughout the season.
