Category: Baseball

If you’re a dumb idiot like me who thinks the San Francisco Giants having one of their worst seasons ever is a bad thing, then I have just the post to help you really stick it to whiners like me. The Giants aren’t bad. The process wasn’t flawed. The learning curves for Buster Posey, Zack Minasian, or Tony Vitello and his coaching staff were small, if they even existed. There’s a simple, irrefutable fact: the Giants just had so many injuries this season.

That’s it. That’s the epitaph.

When we get into the offseason and see sites and platforms trash the Giants for what happened to them in 2026 and project their future records negatively as result, the real ball knowers will be able to point and laugh at them for ignoring the most obvious thing in the world. The Giants had more injuries than any team could stand and that’s why they performed below projections and below their franchise norms.

And that won’t be the case in 2027, snooty internet writer, because

Buster Posey has no doubt been meeting with the ownership group all season and will again before they lockout the players this winter, and when they ask him what went wrong — and maybe even before that when he gives a defensive and probably vacuous end of the season presser — he’ll be able to say “Bruh, check out that IL. No team can survive that.” Buster is the biggest believer that the team has gotten better throughout the season —

“I know it is easy to look at the record and say good things aren’t happening,” Posey said. “But our guys are working hard every day, and that’s a reflection on Tony and his work ethic. The effort is there, and that is important. There is improvement.”

So, I should think it’s no problem and far from unfair to predict what he’ll say very soon. And, guess what, he’d be right! At least, for the ball knowers. For the geeks, freaks, and losers like me, we’ll be stuck on results. I won’t be able to come to grips with the team’s first-ever 5-year stretch of no winning seasons. Or the decade of futility (sorry, 2021 — though, that team did lose to the Dodgers in the playoffs). But I should, because that’s what good and smart fans and media people and the team itself will do. They will point to the record and say, Minasianly, “Yeah, but there were so many injuries. That’s probably a 90-win team if it’d stayed healthy.”

Matt Chapman’s frustrating and brief season? Injury. Willy Adames in his flop era? Nah. He got hurt. Jung Hoo Lee being an average-at-best hitter and below average defender? Uhh… injury, maybe? Logan Webb? Not cooked! Just injured! Rafael Devers’ ugly and then beautiful season? Injury.

A quick note on Devers since I definitely look silly having written what I wrote back in June — he almost immediately turned around his season after I hit PUBLISH. I’ll wear the thesis, but the underlying stuff still holds up: 46th percentile bat speed, 46th percentile chase rate, 25th percentile Whiff rate, 23rd percentile K% — but he did up his zone contact rate (77.7%) and as someone who does damage when making contact, this noticeable uptick (+3.8%) surely made most of the difference — chalk that up to him not liking little dorks like me writing negatively about him or maybe it was simply getting comfortable once and for all on a team that likes and wants him on it. But then he got hurt — or… he was hurt all season. In any case, Buster won the trade, the Giants will be great next year because Devers was great this year, and if the rest of the team had stayed healthy all year — and Devers — we’d be looking ahead to the playoffs in a couple of weeks.

Right?

There’s still the matter of the pitching staff. Tyler Mahle was hurt, but then he got better, and then really good once he was traded away. Is that a sign that Atlanta is better or evidence that Mahle is less hurt? Since we have to defend Buster Posey as the face of the franchise, it’s certainly the latter. Remember, the Giants fixed Adrian Houser in-season… and then he got hurt.

Injury explains everything. The projected bullpen that the other Brian Murphy of KNBR criticized Buster for earlier in the season was hurt by all of those injuries. That’s the only explanation. Keaton Winn is an ace reliever if he doesn’t get hurt. Now, should his injury history have been taken into consideration when projecting his season? I would say yes under any other circumstance, but maybe I’m not giving Buster Posey & co. a fair shake. The tidal wave of Matt Gage, Sam Hentges, JT Brubaker, Joel Peguero, Jose Butto, Trevor McDonald and Carson Whisenhunt disrupted the team’s plans and shook up the bullpen roles before they could settle.

The Giants have not been able to really get on a roll because of all the injuries, and as Tony Vitello surmised this week, the belief that this team could really be something didn’t take hold in the clubhouse this season. From his Q&A with Andrew Baggarly:

Did the team’s rough start keep you from being the kind of person you want to be in this job?

I think a little bit. I think it’s been easier for me to be myself the deeper the season’s gotten. I assume people predicted (the Giants would be a) contender on paper; we added some guys, it’s Rafi’s (Rafael Devers) first full year, new vibe, and spring training was so good. I think everyone deep down felt we’re gonna take the world by storm, and when we didn’t right out of the chute, it put everybody on their heels, and I’d be guilty of that too. So that ultimately, I think, answers the question.

You know what doesn’t help people get off their heels over the course of a long season? Injuries!

Now, I don’t really like this excuse or explanation, but I think it’s the one that will find purchase. There’s data to back it up. It’ll be one of the rare times when data is used by the non-data crowd, sure, but I can’t refute that the Giants have had a lot of injuries and basically all of their key players have been hurt for huge chunks of the season. There are still people who are — rightfully — burned by the non-injury stuff the Giants have presented to fans this season and that isn’t going away, but for the crowd who insists that “real life” not intrude on their “escape,” INJURIES can be the battle cry.

Look, I’m doing this because if I seem to be running interference or making excuses for Buster Posey, then maybe fewer people will think it’s a good idea this offseason. That’s right. I’m tainting this take. To the takes-havers out there… you don’t want to sound like Bryan Murphy from McCovey Chronicles, do you?

Think about it. Buster Posey doesn’t have to answer any tough questions because he has an easy answer. Every question involving specificity can be returned with a “That’s definitely something we would’ve liked to have seen during the course of the season if we’d managed to stay healthier.” And, look, leading the fan base’s disappointment into a cul-de-sac of player health is just smart management. Now, Buster gets to shift things to Dave Groeschner and his staff. They get to talk about looking into things to see if they can figure out to what led to so many players having these big injuries. But also, they have a couple of carry overs to help explain away the 17 players on the 60-day IL.

• They signed Rowan Wick knowing this would be a rehab year.
• Randy Rodriguez is a young arm and that happened last season.

And then where some of the blame can be shifted onto the players.

• Harrison Bader isn’t on the 60-day IL for any other reason than his own behavior.
• Was Matt Chapman totally open about his pain from the very beginning or is he like most gamers and simply wants to play and will obfuscate to keep playing?
• Maybe some of the guys — Houser, Whisenhunt, Gage — were trying to do more than they had to in order to stay on the radar.

I’m not saying this is what will happen, only that the “The injuries explain everything” gives the team a nice big space to vent some of the heat they could face once the 2026 season’s death rattle concludes. Buster Posey and Zack Minasian didn’t have a bad season. After all, they finally fixed the offense. If you take out April, August, and September, their team wRC+ of 107 was 7th-best in the sport. They scored nearly as many runs as the Phillies and more than the Yankees!

A season lost to injury gets to avoid the label of “bad” or “failure,” because injuries are beyond a team’s control and even the most conservative projections — ah, forget it. Simpsons reference:

Well, Buster Posey had nine misfortunes, so this season is a mulligan! Just bad luck. Buster wins again!

The Dodgers open a series against the Reds in Cincinnati on Monday, and can clinch a playoff berth with a win. If the Dodgers lose to the Reds, they can also clinch a playoff berth on Monday with both a Padres loss to the Rockies at Coors Field and a Diamondbacks loss to the Marlins in Arizona.

Here is the math behind it.

National League standings entering Monday

1. Brewers 93-57
2. Dodgers 90-59
3. Braves 88-62
4. Cubs 83-67
5. Phillies 83-67
6. Padres 81-68
7. Diamondbacks 79-71

As it stands now, the Padres are 2 1/2 games up on the D-backs for the third and final wild card spot. The Dodgers are nine games up on the Padres with 13 to play, with a magic number of four to win the National League West, since Los Angeles has already clinched the season series against San Diego, winning seven of heir first 10 matchups, with three left to play next week.

But this is about clinching a playoff spot, which for the Dodgers means guaranteeing they are better than the No. 7 seed, currently is the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers do not have the tiebreaker against Arizona, going 6-7 against them.

Why the Dodgers can clinch on Monday comes down to a potential three-team tie for two spots, and that the Padres and D-backs still have three games against each other in the final weekend of the regular season, September 25-27 at Petco Park in San Diego.

If three teams end up tying, the first tiebreaker is their record against the other two teams. Entering Monday, here’s how that stands:

Dodgers 13-10 vs. Padres, D-backs
D-backs 12-11 vs. Dodgers, Padres
Padres 8-12 vs. Dodgers, D-backs

The worst-case scenario for the Dodgers is losing out, but let’s look at what that looks like after Monday.

• If the Dodgers win Monday, they have 91 wins, with the Padres at 68 losses and D-backs at 71 losses
• If the Dodgers lose, they have 90 wins, but two losses means Padres at 69 losses, D-backs 72 losses

In both scenarios, the Dodgers losing out after Monday and Arizona winning out would leave them tied at either 91-71 or 90-72. That would also mean the Padres lose at least three games (to the Diamondbacks), putting them at either 71 or 72 losses.

Let’s give San Diego the benefit of the doubt and assume they otherwise win out, so that’s a three-team tie for two spots. But with these updated head-to-head records among the three teams:

D-backs 15-11 vs. Dodgers, Padres
Dodgers 13-13 vs. Padres, D-backs
Padres 11-12 vs. Dodgers, D-backs

In a three-team tie, the Diamondbacks would win the NL West, leaving a two-team tie for a wild card spot between the Dodgers and Padres. Los Angeles would win that because they would at worst be 7-6 against San Diego.

In the above situation — either the Dodgers win on Monday, or both the Padres and D-backs lose Monday — if the Padres take even one game against the Diamondbacks in the final weekend, the Dodgers would be assured of finishing above Arizona, as the D-backs would either be at 72 losses with the Dodgers already at 91 wins or Arizona at 73 losses with the Dodgers at 90 wins.

That’s why the Dodgers can clinch on Monday, either with the simplest path (a win in Cincinnati) or a more complicated one (losses by both the Padres in Colorado and the D-backs at home to the Marlins, in later games).

Yordan Alvarez's bid for a Triple Crown has hit a wall with a dozen games left in the seaosn.

More specifically, a couple of walls - Junior Caminero and Pete Alonso.

Those All-Star sluggers have seized the home run and RBI leads from Alvarez, although the Houston Astros star still leads the American League with a .310 batting average entering play Monday, Sept. 14. Alvarez is just two homers behind Caminero's 40 and four RBI behind Alonso's 100, giving him a window to steal back the crowns by season's end.

Yet his current standing shows how difficult it is to play one-on-three.

Alvarez is bidding to become the first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera pulled it off for the Detroit Tigers in 2012. Before Cabrera, Carl Yastrzemski was the last to pull off the feat, in 1967.

Here's where the 29-year-old Alvarez stands with roughly a dozen games left in the season:

Yordan Alvarez stats: MLB Triple Crown race

Stats through games played Sunday, Sept. 13

American League batting average leaders

1. Yordan Alvarez, Astros – .310
2. Chandler Simpson, Rays – .305
3. Yandy Díaz, Rays – .301
4. Chase DeLauter, Guardians – .291
5. Riley Greene, Tigers – .283

AL home run leaders

1. Junior Caminero, Rays – 40
2. Yordan Alvarez, Astros – 38
3. Ben Rice, Yankees – 38
4. Pete Alonso, Orioles – 35
5. Kazuma Okamoto, Blue Jays – 32

AL RBI leaders

1. Pete Alonso, Orioles – 100
2. Yordan Alvarez, Astros – 96
3. Junior Caminero, Rays – 95
4. Ben Rice, Yankees – 90
5. Jonathan Aranda, Rays - 89

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Yordan Alvarez win Triple Crown? Astros slugger chases history

Once dead-last in all of Major League Baseball in almost every major statistical category offensively, the Cincinnati Reds have managed to make a push towards being not-worst among their 29 peers.

Though their team batting average of .230 still ranks in the cellar, their collective .308 on-base percentage ranks…wait a minute, that still ranks dead last on the list, too. If you’ll give me one second here I promise I will come up with a way to describe how not-worst they are…

…and there it is! They are slugging a robust .397 as a team, and that ranks 21st overall. You can thank the surge from Eugenio Suarez and Elly De La Cruz over the last month for that one! As a result of that power binge, Cincinnati’s team wOBA now sits at .311 – tied with the San Diego Padres for 23rd overall (even though a dip back to as much as .306 would have them tied with Cleveland for 2nd worst in the game).

Because wRC+ adjusts for Cincinnati’s home park in a brutally honest way, though, that still leaves them with just a 92 mark there – tied with the woeful Los Angeles Angels and ahead of only the miserable Colorado Rockies (90) on that leaderboard.

The team, as we all well know, is top-heavy. Elly has been transcendant, Sal Stewart a significantly above-average rock all year, and since the moment he woke up on August 4th after the trade deadline sent him nowhere Geno’s .401 wOBA ranks as the 10th best in the entire sport (just beind pending MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong’s .404).

It’s what isn’t that trio on the roster where things get dicey. Not just dicey, I should say, but downright cataclysmic.

349 MLB players have logged at least 200 PA so far this season. That’s a lot of baseball hitters! You’ll likely be unsurprised to hear that with a wRC+ of just 20, Cincinnati 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes ranks a clear 349th among them. You may also not be surprised to hear that TJ Friedl, at 35, ranks 347th. Ranking just behind TJ is Noelvi Marte (46) at 346th.

You’ve read that correctly – the Cincinnati Reds actively deployed three of the four worst hitters in the sport at this level this season, and every single one of them is still on the roster.

I’m honestly not even sure what’s worse here – that the front office in charge of putting together a big league roster so egregiously failed at assembling offense that they’ve sought out and employed three of the four worst hitters in the sport, or that they still, at this juncture of this awful season, think all three are still deserving of roster spots heading into the offseason.

It’s been a masterclass in roster construction failure. At least we can rest well knowing they’ll all be back making the same decisions again this winter.

All stats courtesy of FanGraphs.com.

We’ve talked a lot around these parts about how Red Sox baseball this September — particularly after the disappointing late-August Yankees series in the Bronx — has been looking a little sleepy. With playoff positioning essentially fixed, the Sox have gone just 7-5 on the month overall, despite playing an entire slate of teams below .500. Does it matter? Well, maybe. “Throughout baseball history, World Series winners have typically excelled on October’s doorstep, with the 121 champions posting a collective .629 winning percentage from Sept. 1 through the end of the regular season… Only 10 World Series winners had sub-.500 records in September, most recently the 2015 Royals.” But the expanded playoffs has changed things. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

But there was nothing sleepy about Payton Tolle’s performance last night. His immaculate inning was just the eighth in Red Sox history, the first since Chris Sale in 2021, and the first to occur in the first inning since Pedro did it in 2002. The fact that he cracked a smile before firing the final pitch certainly made Tolle’s unique, though. “I was definitely thinking about it, had it in the mind,” Tolle said. “Just looked over at Bailes (pitching coach Andrew Bailey), and he was smiling, too.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

And here is that Pedro immaculate inning, by the way. He should probably get a few bonus points for starting his off against Ichiro:

Tolle is almost certainly the most well-liked Red Sox player right now (though Mickey Gasper of all people is hot on his heels, judging by the reception he receives at Fenway). Where does he stand in terms of popularity amongst New England athletes overall? If he has some moments like last night in October, he could become the most popular athlete in the whole region. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)

Willson Contreras may not have cracked as big a smile as Tolle, but he was pretty pleased with his return performance, though he still seems a little miffed about recent treatment from the fans. “I had to (run the bases). I don’t want to get booed again,” Contreras said. “So I made sure my hamstring was 100%.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Hopefully Tanner Houck returns from injury as seamlessly as Contreras did. But what role will he play? “Three innings out of the pen is a little bit more appealing than just being a one-inning limited-pitch-count guy,” Houck said. “So if I can get built up for 40-50 pitches and help out in any way, then it’s a lot easier role. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

Multiple series against the same club in such a short time span create a scenario in which specific pitching matchups can be repeated—the case for this battle of southpaws between Tarik Skubal and Nick Lodolo. The prevailing sentiment in cases such as these is that the repeat game can favor the hitter who starts to adapt to the more looks he gets—a mindset that’s not as easily embraced when Skubal is the one doing the pitching.

Brought over for the impact he’d provide in the postseason above all else, Skubal has been a key factor in helping the Dodgers fight for this playoff bye that comes with one of the top two campaigns in the NL. The Dodgers have won each of Skubal’s last four starts, and they needed every last drop of quality he can provide, considering each one of them was a one-run win—this sequence obviously includes last week’s 3-2 over the Reds. While the Dodgers’ offense had Lodolo on the ropes, it didn’t produce anything in a significant sample against Cincinnati’s bullpen, leading to a close game until the end despite Skubal’s longest outing as a Dodger, covering 7.1 innings.

For those who want to see even more of Josue De Paula following his impressive performance on Sunday, including his first big-league home run, this game and series present some obstacles. Lodolo will be one of two left-handed starters the Reds will utilize in a three-game series against the Dodgers. Then again, even if he occasionally doesn’t start a game here and there, De Paula is a lock to get in on the action at some point given the composure he has displayed in his first few games.

Monday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Reds
• Ballpark: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
• Start time: 3:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

After winning the weekend series against the Chicago White Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals do not get a break as they begin the week playing host to the San Francisco Giants. While there are no playoff slots realistically at stake, it should make for an interesting 3-game series.

I can’t give you a realistic look at pitching matchups for the Cardinals/Giants series since San Francisco has not announced their starters as of the time of this writing. St. Louis has announced their starters and they’re expected to hit the mound in this order:

Monday night – Quinn Mathews

Tuesday night – Andre Pallante

Wednesday afternoon – Matthew Liberatore

The San Francisco Giants come to town after losing a weekend series against their NL West adversaries the Padres. They are 5-5 over their last 10 games 3 of which will be very familiar to St. Louis Cardinals fans after the team was swept a week ago in San Francisco. The Cardinals are 4-6 in their last 10 games, but they are coming off of the weekend series win against the White Sox.

Who are the San Francisco Giants players to watch?

UPDATE: Rafael Devers will not be someone the Cardinals have to deal with as ESPN is reporting his season is ending due to a core muscle injury.

Willy Adames: Adames has 21 home runs with 51 RBI’s and an average of just .230.

Casey Schmitt: Schmitt also has 21 home runs on the season with 55 RBI’s and an average of .271.

Bryce Eldridge: Eldridge is having a solid season with 16 home runs, 53 RBI’s and an average of .267.

The San Francisco Giants have already been eliminated from playoff contention and the St. Louis Cardinals aren’t far behind as they’re currently 7 games out of the final Wild Card slot with 4 teams ahead of them which include the Diamondbacks, Padres, Pirates and Marlins. The Cardinals are hopeful that JJ Wetherholt will be back in the lineup before the final homestand of the year against the Washington Nationals happens. You would think that the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals would give the young Cardinals an opportunity to string together some wins before the 2026 campaign is over, but the bullpen will always be a question mark with this roster. Let’s hope the development of exciting young players like Bernal, Baez and others continues to make positive strides. More than a few of us would also love to see Alec Burleson win the NL RBI title this year. Let’s hope good things happen as our team of the future begins to take shape.

The pace continues to be a furious one for the Atlanta Braves here in September. Once they get done facing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field this week, they will have played 13 games in a row against teams who are currently in Postseason position — and it could be 16 games in a row if the Houston Astros can find any vein of real consistency.

It’s definitely a tough gauntlet for any team to endure but the good news is that the Braves have done a solid job of navigating it so far. They did what they needed to do against the Phillies and they avoided getting swept against a red-hot Rays squad, so they’ve been doing a decent job of simply treading water in these turbulent waves during this part of the schedule.

It remains to be seen whether or not this will have a galvanizing effect on the Braves going forward or if it’ll cause them to run out of gas at some point but either way, you can’t say that the Braves will be cruising into October no matter how they get in. They will have been baseball battle-tested and proven resilient thanks to this unrelenting schedule, which continues on with six more big games this week.

September 14-16: Chicago Cubs

Current Record: 83-67 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 90-72

Depending on how things shake out, this could be a potential Wild Card Series preview and it would certainly be an intriguing one if the Braves stayed in the third seed and the Cubs potentially fell to the six-seed. This would be a good ol’ fashioned matchup of whether or not strong pitching (from the Braves) can overcome a lineup that can seemingly go off at any given moment. We’ll get a taste of that this week as the Braves visit Wrigley Field for three games against the Cubs.

Chicago essentially finds themselves in a similar spot as the Phillies, since losing five-out-of-six to the Brewers this month essentially nuked any hope they had of catching Milwaukee for the NL Central title. Instead, they’re now jockeying for position in the NL Wild Card. Barring the collapse of the century, they should make it into the Postseason altogether but their position in the standings isn’t as comfortable — what with the Phillies being tied with them on record and the Padres currently surging in the standings with a seven-game win streak. It’s anybody’s guess as to whether or not the Cubs will be hosting a series at Wrigley or potentially having to travel to get their October quest started.

Either way, this is likely going to be a tough series for the Braves considering what the Cubs have going on. Chicago has had the best offense in baseball this season (according to wRC+) and they’ve only tightened their grip on that position since August. Dating back to August 1, the Cubs have collectively hit at a clip of .260/.342/.477 with a wOBA of .330 and a wRC+ of 126. The nearest team in wRC+ to them since August is (none other than) the Brewers, who have produced a wRC+ of 114 since August. Pete Crow-Armstrong is likely going to win NL MVP and he’s been mashing lately along with Alex Bregman and Seiya Suzuki in particular. We’re all familiar with Dansby Swanson’s wOBA Rollercoaster and as of right now, the cart is going upwards so he’ll also potentially be dangerous to deal with as well.

So with Chicago’s offense being as good as it is, it’s only natural to try to figure out why they aren’t leading their division (outside of the Brewers just being a buzzsaw this season) and it’s partially due to the fact that Chicago’s pitching hasn’t been nearly as consistent. Since August 1, Chicago’s pitching staff has the 20th-highest ERA- in baseball (105) and the next-to-worst FIP- in all of baseball (114). The Braves probably don’t want to get into a slugfest with this team but if they can keep things low-scoring and tight, Atlanta’s bullpen would have the clear advantage here.

With that being said, the Cubs are sending two of their better starters to the mound during this series in the form of David Peterson and old friend Kevin Gausman, so this probably won’t be smooth sailing for a Braves lineup that has found it tough to hit away from home in recent times. On the other hand, the Braves have had plenty of experience with Peterson over the years due to his stint with the Mets and for the most part, they’ve had decent success against him so hopefully that’ll continue. On top of that, the Braves managed to get four runs off of Kevin Gausman when they saw him earlier this season as a member of the Blue Jays, so the Braves have shown that they can get something against these two guys. We’ll just have to see if Atlanta can manage to get the job done and get some runs on the board against this duo for the first two games and Shota Imanaga for the series finale on Wednesday.

Monday, September 14 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision, MLB Network)
Tuesday, September 15 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV, TBS)
Wednesday, September 16 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

September 18-20: Houston Astros

Current Record: 75-75 Projected Record: 81-81

Is it really going to happen? Are we going to see a .500 (or possibly below) team make the Postseason? If the Astros (or the Rangers) don’t pick up the pace then it’s looking very likely that this apparently broken sport with no parity that’s dominated by one club in particular will be dealing with a scenario where an 81-81 team will be 13 wins away from a World Series title. That is the future that awaits the Astros if they can manage to make it through this season on top of the AL West.

It’s been a deeply weird month of September for the Astros so far, who are showing the sense of urgency that you’d expect from a team that’s going to finish very close to .500 but also somehow finds themselves in the thick of a playoff race. They took out the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox over four games but then slipped on a banana peel at home against the Diamondbacks. They then proceeded to do the Braves a solid by taking a series in Philadelphia before going down to Tampa Bay and getting rocked in a three-game sweep. They’ll be taking on the moribund Royals before hosting the Braves but with the way this Astros team has looked, it’s really anybody’s guess as to whether or not Houston will be above or below .500 once the Braves come to town.

Houston hasn’t been particularly good at much of anything this season, which makes sense considering their record. They’ve put up a wRC+ of 91 since August 1 (24th-best mark in baseball since that date. Better than the Braves, which is scary) and their pitching hasn’t been too great, either with an ERA- of 102 and a FIP- of 99 since that date. They’ve been a very average ballclub but they still have to be taken seriously since this is a steam that’s still having to swat away the Rangers for the lead in the AL West. Atlanta’s going to have to take them seriously — especially if the Braves want to keep pressure on the Dodgers for the sixth seed.

At the plate, I think everybody knows to look out for Yordan Alvarez but he’s also been getting some help from guys like Issac Paredes, Yainer Diaz, Cam Smith and ol’ Jose Altuve. With that being said, outside of old friend Nick Allen surprisingly carrying a 100 wRC+ for the season, there’s not a lot of danger to be found elsewhere in Houston’s lineup. The same could be said for their pitching staff, which doesn’t have a lot of guys who should be feared outside of Josh Hader. If you see Josh Hader, it’s probably too late.

In order to avoid seeing Josh Hader, Atlanta will have to likely figure out how to score runs off of the probable trio of Peter Lambert, Hayden Wesneski and Hunter Brown. It’s kind of wild how similar these three pitchers are — Brown’s FIP since August 1 has been 3.69, Lambert’s FIP since then has been 3.57 and Wesneski has been sporting a FIP of 3.78. Brown and Wesneski are also separated by 10 points in ERA (3.56 and 3.66, respectively) but Lambert has been the exception with an ERA of 5.27. Either way, all three of these guys are perfectly fine and while that doesn’t seem imposing, it could be for a Braves lineup that is still trying to get their footing as far as hitting on the road is concerned. Hopefully Atlanta will have it figured out and they’ll be able to crack their code as they return to a former place of glory from five years ago.

Friday, September 18 at 8:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Saturday, September 19 at 7:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
Sunday, September 20 at 2:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision)

The Milwaukee Brewers are set to conclude their stretch of consecutive NL Central opponents this week, as they’ll visit the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games to begin a nine-game road trip. The Crew has faced the Cubs for seven games and the Reds for six games over the last two weeks, going 8-5 over the stretch to clinch a playoff spot and all but put the NL Central away. On the other side, the Pirates have been playing well and are back to .500 on the season, as they won five consecutive series before dropping two of three to the Cubs over the weekend. Pittsburgh currently has the edge in the season series at 6-4, including a three-game sweep in their only series at PNC Park.

All of Milwaukee’s current injuries are on the mound, as they’re without relievers Rob Zastryzny (on rehab assignment), Grant Anderson (mid to late September), Bryse Wilson (mid-September), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season). Starters Quinn Priester (out for season) and Brandon Woodruff (may return for postseason) are also shelved.

The Pirates just lost slugger Esmerlyn Valdez, who exited over the weekend with a hamstring strain that’s expected to keep him out the rest of the season. Catcher/first baseman Endy Rodríguez is also done for the year, as is right-hander Mitch Keller. Pitchers Kirby Yates, Braxton Ashcraft, and Isaac Mattson are all listed as late September returns after going on the IL in the last couple of weeks.

Jake Bauers leads the Brewer offense with 26 homers in what has been a career-year for him. Jackson Chourio is also raking, with 23 homers, 17 steals, and a .292 batting average, while Brice Turang, William Contreras, and Garrett Mitchell are also coming off a solid homestand. Joey Ortiz continues to surprise after a very rough first two months of the season, and Christian Yelich, Gary Sánchez, Andrew Vaughn, Sal Frelick, Cooper Pratt, Luis Lara, and David Hamilton have all contributed at various points this season. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .259/.341/.406 (.747 OPS ranks fourth), with 146 homers (28th), 778 runs scored (second), and 144 steals (fifth).

Brandon Lowe leads Pittsburgh with 29 homers and 85 RBIs this year, adding 28 doubles. Oneil Cruz and Ryan O’Hearn both have 18 homers, and Cruz is closing in on 30 steals with 27 thus far. Bryan Reynolds also has 17 homers and a team-high 36 doubles. Henry Davis starts behind the plate, with Rafael Flores Jr. sharing duties, while Spencer Horwtiz, Nick Gonzales, rookie Konnor Griffin, Jared Triolo, and Jake Mangum are among the other regulars. Ronny Simon, Billy Cook, and Jacob Gonzalez round out the squad. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .253/.330/.401 (.731 OPS ranks seventh), with 170 homers (17th), 718 runs scored (fifth), and 126 steals (eighth).

Milwaukee’s bullpen is led by Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and Aaron Ashby, with Chad Patrick and DL Hall also taking some of the medium- to high-leverage innings. JoJo Romero has been good, not great, while Antonio Senzatela has been not so good, and Garrett Stallings, who was called up again last weekend, has yet to allow a run in 11 major league innings. Kyle Harrison has also seemingly been moved to the bullpen, though he’s been roughed up in the worst way over his last few appearances. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.57 team ERA (second), including a 3.63 starter ERA (fifth) and a 3.50 bullpen ERA (fifth). They’ve struck out 1,433 batters (second) over 1,339 2/3 innings.

Mason Montgomery has seemingly taken over the closer role for Pittsburgh, as he now has 13 saves and a 2.73 ERA over 62 2/3 innings. Yohan Ramírez, Gregory Soto (who still leads the team with 14 saves), and Luke Weaver also play key roles. Camilo Doval, Wilber Dotel, and Brandon Eisert fit somewhere in the middle, while Lake Bachar has been one of the better deadline pickups with a 2.61 ERA over 20 2/3 innings in 10 appearances (five “starts”). Speaking of “starts,” after the injury to Ashcraft, the Pirates don’t really have a clear five-man rotation — instead, Khristian Curtis and Carmen Mlodzinski have functioned more as innings eaters than typical one-inning relievers. Antwone Kelly rounds out the group. As a staff, the Pirates have a 4.18 ERA (15th), including a 4.23 starter ERA (17th) and a 4.11 bullpen ERA (17th). They’ve struck out 1,369 batters (fifth) over 1,338 1/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Tuesday, September 15 @ 5:40 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (14-5, 1.95 ERA, 2.24 FIP) vs. TBD

Misiorowski is looking to close out his NL Cy Young candidacy with at least two (likely three) more outings over the next two weeks. Through 27 starts this year, Miz is 14-5 with a 1.95 ERA, 2.24 FIP, and 236 strikeouts over 161 1/3 innings. He went 6 1/3 innings against the Cubs in his last outing, allowing one run on four hits and two walks, striking out nine as the Brewers would go on to win in extra innings. Misiorowski has made three career starts against Pittsburgh, going 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 18 frames. That includes a six-inning no-decision with three runs allowed and nine strikeouts back in April of this season.

With Ashcraft and Keller both shelved and no other clear starters, the Pirates have been deploying Lake Bachar as an opener with some combination of Khristian Curtis and Carmen Mlodzinski eating most of the innings. Assuming Bachar gets the start here, I’d expect Curtis and/or Mlodzinski to pitch in relief, with the other likely to start in Thursday’s series finale.

Wednesday, September 16 @ 5:40 p.m.: RHP Logan Henderson (10-3, 2.34 ERA, 3.17 FIP) vs. RHP Jared Jones (4-6, 4.10 ERA, 3.71 FIP)

Henderson continues to turn in strong results in his first full season. He’s made 16 starts this year, with a 10-3 record, 2.34 ERA, 3.17 FIP, and 99 strikeouts across 88 1/3 innings, and he’s allowed three or fewer runs in all 16 appearances. He went five innings against the Cubs his last time out, allowing just an unearned run on two hits and a walk, striking out six to pick up the win. Henderson has made two starts against the Pirates, totaling 11 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 14 strikeouts. That includes a win in early August, when he went six frames with two runs allowed and eight strikeouts.

Jones, 25, has great stuff on the mound but hasn’t quite been able to put it together yet. He’s made 18 starts this year, with a 4.10 ERA, 3.71 FIP, and 100 strikeouts over 85 2/3 innings. He’s coming off back-to-back great starts, though, as he’s earned the win in both games, totaling 13 innings with no runs allowed on four hits and three walks, striking out 17 against the Angels and White Sox. Jones is 1-1 in two starts against Milwaukee, as he allowed one run and struck out seven over six innings in 2024 but took the loss in August of this year (in the same game that Henderson won), allowing three runs and striking out four over four innings.

Thursday, September 17 @ 11:35 a.m.: RHP Dustin May (7-9, 4.49 ERA, 3.43 FIP) vs. TBD

May is coming off one of his better starts since joining the Brewers, as he went six strong innings, allowing no runs on two hits and a walk while striking out six in Milwaukee’s 20-0 blowout victory over the Reds. Across seven starts with Milwaukee, he’s now 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA, 4.47 FIP, and 27 strikeouts over 29 1/3 innings. May picked up a win against Pittsburgh in his Brewers’ debut back in early August, going six innings with two runs allowed and five strikeouts. For his career, he’s 1-2 with a 5.56 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings against the Pirates.

See Tuesday’s probable pitching matchup above for more information on the Pirates’ likely plan.

How to Watch & Listen

Tuesday, September 15: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Wednesday, September 16: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Thursday, September 17: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The Brewers are on the verge of clinching the division, while the Pirates are still trying to keep themselves in the playoff picture, even if the odds are very slim. I think that will make this a more interesting series than one might expect but still give me Milwaukee to win two of three.

Rays pitching prospect made his Major League debut this weekend against the Astros. His stuff was electric and his command was better than expected. He could be an impact reliever during the final two weeks of the regular season and into October.

It’s not a hyperbole to say that Hopkins has the best stuff in professional baseball.

Brody Hopkins just posted the best single-game reliever proStuff+ of the season at 136, filthy stuff from top to bottom. The line was messy though, 2 runs on a homer allowed. Josh Ekness graded next at 115, Tanner Scott at 112. pic.twitter.com/ADaEiv5Amj

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) September 14, 2026

It starts with a very low, sub five-foot release height with plus extension that makes his 100mph fastball get on hitters even faster than the radar gun suggests. It gets significantly more vertical movement that expected from his slot, making it a pitch that plays best up in and above the zone – although the release traits and sheer velocity make it something that will be effective anywhere in the zone.

Hopkins pairs that with a mid-90s cutting fastball that can miss bats when located up and induce weak contact when located down. His best pitch though is his upper 80s breaking ball. It has a steep break and drops more than other breaking balls from a similar slot and velocity. There really isn’t a 1-for-1 comp for that pitch. Hopkins hasn’t thrown any in the majors yet, but Hopkins also throws a pair of plus secondaries. He has a low-90s offspeed pitch that he gets plus separation off his fastball, and an upper-80s slider with a two-plane shape.

The area for Hopkins remains his command. He has a relatively low training age as he didn’t start pitching full time until he became a professional in 2024, so he is likely to be a slow-burn type of developer in his command. This, coupled with having to adjust to a new baseball this season in Triple-A, gave him some struggles early on.

His command improved following a mechanical adjustment in June, and his zone and strike rates steadily improved as the year went on. But there wasn’t room for Hopkins in the Major League rotation. They began to shorten him up to a relief role in mid-August, and he has taken to it well.

Fast forward to yesterday, and Hopkins looked solid with his command in his Major League debut:

He had an above-average strike rate in that outing, and the homerun he allowed was really just a great piece of hitting from Isaac Paredes to turn on triple-digits at the very top of the zone up and in. He zoned two pitches at 50% as well, so hitters couldn’t be passive at the plate. Hopkins continues to command the ball a little bit better every time he takes the mound.

In the bullpen, his command has looked closer to average than the 30-grade command he was showing previously this season.

1st major league K, fam ✔️ pic.twitter.com/3PfaG69mWg

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 13, 2026

Hopkins honestly looks more like how he did at Double-A Montgomery in 2025.

It appears that he’s adjusting well to the AAA/Major League baseball. His arsenal has been simplified a bit – relying less on his offspeed pitch and leaning more into his fastballs and outlier breaking ball. Hopkins could still work as a starter in the future with a smaller arsenal because all three of those pitches grade as elite or close to it.

Hopkins will certainly have an opportunity to work as a starter beyond this season, but he’ll have a chance to impact games in relief as the Rays look to make some noise in the Postseason.

Dodgers left-handed pitcher Kris Bubic is scheduled to meet the team in Cincinnati, according to people with knowledge of the plans who weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly.

Bubic made his last rehab appearance for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, so the Dodgers are not expected to activate him off the 60-day injured list right away.

The Dodgers acquired Bubic from the Royals at the trade deadline this year. He’d been on the IL since May, first with a low-grade flexor strain in his left forearm, and then a shoulder impingement setback.

Bubic reported to the Dodgers’ Arizona complex, where the 2025 All-Star began working back as a reliever due to the time constraints of the season.

In six Triple-A rehab appearances (5 2/3 Innings) this month, Bubic didn’t allow a run, and he limited opponents to two hits and two walks.

Because Bubic is on the 60-day IL, the Dodgers will need to clear spots on the active and 40-man rosters to reinstate him.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Wild Card Race.

As of Monday morning, the Marlins are 5 games back from the Diamondbacks in the NL Wild Card race.

The Diamondbacks have chances of winning a NL Wild Card. As of Monday morning, they were 2.5 games back from the third Wild Card. They need to win this series, and a sweep would be really nice.

The Obvious. Diamondbacks bats will live-like-kings in this series.  In September (through the 10th), the Marlins allowed an average of 7 runs per game.   

The Subtle. Although this season the Diamondbacks allowed an average of 4.41 runs per game (much less than 7), in 20% of their games they allowed 7 or more runs.

The Difference that Matters. Winning games is the difference that matters.

Royals Players to Watch.

Former Diamondback Deyvision De Los Santos at first base.  In 2022, he was a Dbacks minor league All-Star. In 2024, he was traded to the Marlins. This season is his MLB debut.  His OPS+ of 133 is outstanding, but his .444 BABIP suggests that his batting is not sustainable. He is a bench player and may not play in every game.

Pitching Matchups.

Announced Diamondbacks Pitchers:

Corbin Burnes.  His first game back he pitched three scoreless innings (2 hits and 2 walks).  His results were excellent!  With the caveat of only 9 batted balls (and zero ground balls), his underlying statistics tend to show he only pitched average (4.39 xERA, 3.79 FIP, 7.27 xFIP).  Nevertheless, I’m confident he will again have excellent results.

Michael Soroka.  His first game back he pitched 4 innings with 3 earned runs (3 hits and 1 walk).  With the caveat of 11 BIPs, his underlying statistics show that possibly he pitched better than each of Burnes and Gallen in their first game back (3.04 FIP, .319 xOBP, .407 xSLG).

Merrill Kelly. Two of his last three starts were quality starts. The non-quality start was 4.1 innings with only 1 eanred run, and the Diamondbacks won that game.

Anounced Marlins Starters:

Sandy Alcantara.  The Marlins lost the last six games that he was the starting pitcher.  That increased my confidence that the Diamondbacks will win this game.

Janson Junk.  In September, his 10.13 ERA (2 games) shows that the Diamondbacks will have chances to score runs.  Will they win this game?

Ryan Gusto. In June, he pitched well against the Diamondbacks (0 earned runs in 4 innings).  On the other hand, in his latest start against the Cubs, he allowed 5 earned runs in 4.2 innings.  Will he pitch with Gusto?

Game start times follow:

Monday, 6:40 PM MST.

Tuesday, 6:40 PM MST.

Wednesday, 6:40 PM MST.

Floating on a river, gazing at the heavens, you’re liable to see neither the hearts of the Anaheim Angels nor the spirits of the Seattle Mariners. Sacramento offered two of the season’s most gutting, but representative losses, and Seattle’s California carousel of hell continues in Disneyland. They’ll take on the team owned no longer by Arte Moreno for the first time in more than two decades.

Game	Time	Mariners Starter	Angels Starter	Mariners Win%	Angels Win%
Game 1	Monday, September 14 | 6:38 pm	LHP Kade Anderson	LHP Reid Detmers	46.9%	53.1%
Game 2	Tuesday, September 15 | 6:38 pm	RHP Logan Gilbert	RHP Ryan Johnson	58.0%	42.0%
Game 3	Wednesday, September 16 | 6:38 pm	RHP George Kirby	LHP Yusei Kikuchi	52.8%	47.2%

Overview	Mariners	Angels	Edge
Batting (wRC+)	102 (6th in AL)	92 (15th in AL)	Mariners
Fielding (FRV)	-45 (15th)	-30 (13th)	Angels
Starting Pitching (FIP-)	100 (8th)	101 (9th)	Mariners
Bullpen (FIP-)	104 (10th)	97 (7th)	Angels

The Angels are a moribund bunch, but they are in many ways what Seattle would look like if the M’s couldn’t hit. Like, really couldn’t hit. They are an atrocious defensive team (hark, the vantablack kettle) that strikes out a boatload, undermining what’s actually a decent pitching staff. Deadline deals chipped away at that pitching staff and lineup, moving Jo Adell and Jose Soriano among others. While they dealt some arms away from their bullpen, flamethrower Ben Joyce is healthy after missing half the year and working his way into high leverage.

Player	Position	Bats	PA	K%	BB%	ISO	wRC+
Zach Neto	SS	R	644	30.6%	8.7%	0.200	113
Mike Trout	CF	R	579	26.3%	16.2%	0.186	129
Wade Meckler	LF	L	282	19.1%	10.3%	0.092	119
Vaughn Grissom	1B	R	418	18.9%	6.5%	0.144	93
Moisés Ballesteros	C	L	308	23.1%	8.4%	0.133	77
Denzer Guzman	3B	R	252	26.6%	5.2%	0.128	71
Josh Lowe	DH	L	308	29.2%	8.1%	0.148	75
Jose Siri	RF	R	213	32.4%	6.1%	0.171	87
Christian Moore	2B	R	104	29.8%	6.7%	0.084	41

Anaheim has a couple familiar faces up top in Zach Neto and Mike Trout, but not many. They’ve taken the back half of the year to wisely audition several young players, finding some promise in folks like Wade Meckler but still waiting on more elsewhere. Moises Ballesteros was a highly regarded prospect with the Cubs but has not found his swing yet since coming over in return for reliever Ryan Zeferjahn. There’s a few post-hype hopes here as well in Josh Lowe and Jose Siri, but hope has been their predominant currency. 

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Reid Detmers	168	28.4%	6.7%	9.0%	37.6%	3.32	3.04
Kade Anderson	21	18.4%	9.2%	14.8%	35.5%	4.29	5.20

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	45.6%	45.0%	94.1	102	99	103	0.312
Sinker	0.5%	2.6%	93.5
Changeup	12.6%	1.0%	83.8	101	120	112	0.301
Curveball	11.8%	8.9%	72.3	101	119	118	0.303
Slider	29.4%	42.5%	86.0	110	107	95	0.215

From a previous series preview:

Last year, the Angels moved Reid Detmers to the bullpen and he wound up seeing some high leverage work by the end of the season. Perhaps it was out of frustration with his slow development path despite possessing above average stuff, but that experiment lasted one season because a talented starter — even an inconsistent one like Detmers — is always going to be more valuable than a back-end reliever. If there’s one thing that he’ll carry forward from his time in the ‘pen, it’s a more aggressive approach that leans heavily on his two fantastic breaking balls to put batters away.

Detmers has thrived in his return to the rotation this year, accumulating a career-high 4.4 fWAR with career-best marks in ERA and FIP. His strikeout rate is right in line with his career norms but the big reason he’s taken a big step forward is because he’s cut his walk rate by nearly three points and has dramatically reduced the amount of hard contact he has allowed. The last time he faced the Mariners, way back in early April, he held them scoreless over 6.2 innings with four strikeouts.

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Ryan Johnson	84.1	17.4%	10.7%	14.6%	34.5%	5.12	5.91
Logan Gilbert	172	27.3%	6.4%	14.1%	37.3%	3.72	3.84

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Sinker	22.4%	17.3%	92.3	81	18	73	0.511
Cutter	37.7%	37.8%	89.6	104	97	83	0.336
Splitter	8.3%	30.4%	84.7	74	92	143	0.243
Sweeper	31.6%	14.5%	80.8	106	92	68	0.286

From a previous series preview:

Ryan Johnson is a perfect encapsulation of everything wrong with the Angels current player development philosophy. He was drafted in the second round in 2024 after dominating in college ball at Dallas Baptist. He made the Opening Day roster in 2025 as a reliever, skipping the minor leagues entirely. After a month and a half and a 7.36 ERA, the Angels pulled the plug and sent him to High-A to continue his development as a starter. He made 12 starts in the minors and looked really good. Fast forward a year and Johnson had a solid, but not outstanding, spring training and Los Angeles opted to start the season with Johnson on the big league roster again. After allowing six runs in his first start of the year, the Angels sent him back to the minors for a few months before recalling him for good in mid June. It’s really too bad because Johnson has a really intriguing profile, and obviously has some raw talent, but the games the Angels have played with his development pathway have really hurt his ability to grow.

Since the beginning of August, Johnson has enjoyed some solid results on the mound — he’s running a 2.11 ERA over his last seven starts — but his peripherals are just as bad as ever — his FIP is up at 5.43 during this stretch.

Pitcher	IP	K%	BB%	HR/FB%	GB%	ERA	FIP
Yusei Kikuchi	53	22.9%	9.7%	11.7%	38.9%	4.75	4.20
George Kirby	165.1	19.9%	5.6%	11.2%	43.9%	4.25	3.85

Pitch	Usage vRHB	Usage vLHB	Velocity	Stuff+	Whiff+	BIP+	xwOBA
Four-seam	40.7%	41.4%	95.7	101	96	112	0.287
Cutter	6.9%	7.4%	90.2	76
Splitter	20.4%	7.4%	86.7	105	94	75	0.336
Curveball	10.8%	9.3%	79.2	97	86	151	0.310
Slider	21.1%	34.4%	87.3	93	84	110	0.361

Yusei Kikuchi missed nearly four months of the season with a shoulder injury. He returned to the majors towards the end of August and resumed his brand of effectively wild pitching. After a slight dip in velocity last year, his heater is back to averaging close to 96 mph. It’s the eighth hardest four-seamer from the left side among all starting pitchers this year. He continues to mix in a hard slider and a curveball as his primary secondary pitches, but he’s replaced his changeup with a true splitter and added a cutter this season. The split has been an excellent pitch but the cutter has been hit pretty hard.

---

The Big Picture:

Team	W-L	W%	Games Behind	Run Diff	Recent Form
Astros	75-75	0.500	—	-53	L-W-L-L-L
Rangers	74-76	0.493	1.0	-44	L-L-L-W-W
Mariners	70-80	0.467	5.0	-58	W-W-L-W-L
Athletics	61-89	0.407	14.0	-203	L-W-W-L-W
Angels	56-93	0.376	18.5	-76	W-W-L-L-L

Team	W-L	W%	Games Behind	Run Diff	Recent Form
Yankees	86-63	0.577	+10.5	+125	W-W-W-L-W
Red Sox	82-68	0.547	+6.0	+88	L-L-L-W-W
Guardians	76-74	0.507	—	-7	W-L-W-L-W
Blue Jays	75-75	0.500	1.0	-31	W-L-L-W-W
Rangers	74-76	0.493	2.0	-44	L-L-L-W-W

Academically, baseball continues elsewhere. Houston hosts Kansas City, because other teams get really mad if you flake on games you committed to a year ago that you never really thought would materialize until it’s this week. Texas hosts the Red Sox, the winner gets to keep the red, blue, and white color scheme for the rest of the year, the other has to wear a city connect of the opponent’s choosing. 

The White Sox face the Guardians and the Cubs take on Atlanta if you’d like to prioritize baseball from clubs who might respect your time better the rest of this year.

Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the final month of the season just ahead, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.

First Place: Houston Astros (75-75)

Top Position Player: Yordan Alvarez (5.8 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Peter Lambert (2.4 fWAR)

Much like a panicked squashed cockroach in a muggy South Texas roadside motel, the Astros currently find themselves right at .500 but somehow leading the division. What I mean is they’re barely alive, but still living their dream in a division that is a trashcan. 

The rest of the way the Astros start with four games at home versus lowly Kansas City and then welcome the NL East leading Braves to Space City for a three game set. Houston then finishes the year with two games in Seattle before finishing the season with a four-game set with the Athletics. 

Houston might very well walk away from what should be a disappointing season in terms of record with a division crown, triple-crown winner, and possible MVP. Why the baseball Gods feel inclined to continue to bless this abomination of a ball club is beyond me.

Second Place: Texas Rangers (74-76, 1 GB)

Top Position Player: Ezequiel Durán (4.7 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Jacob deGrom (4.1 fWAR)

The other Texas team came into the month with a chance to run down their instate foes but have not done anything to make it easier on themselves after starting September 5-6. The odds makers currently have the Rangers’ playoffs chances around 30 percent. And it might just be recency bias, but the Rangers seem like the hottest team out west with their current two-game win streak.

The Rangers’ next game kicks off a nine game homestand. The Red Sox are the first team to come to town, followed by the Blue Jays, and then the Mets crash the party. All three series are three games apiece. The Rangers then close the season in Minnesota with another three game set against the Twins.

Not having a single game left against the AL West hurts the Rangers chances to run down the Astros. Another Texas-sized problem for the Rangers is the fact their lone star neighbors hold the tiebreaker so they are really an additional game back in the standings. With 12 games left to go will the Rangers be able to free the world from having to watch the Astros in the playoffs?

Third Place: Seattle Mariners (70-80, 5 GB)

Top Position Player: Randy Arozarena (4.3 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Bryan Woo (3.7 fWAR)

While I would say the Tigers have to hold the torch for the most disappointing team in 2026, the Mariners might be the challenger for that top spot. Seattle’s sky high expectations are all but sleepless at this point, unless they find some magic and get some help.

In order to reach the .500 mark, that might be all that is needed to win the west, the Mariners would need to be near perfect. They honestly have the schedule to pull it off, but it is hard to sweep teams. Starting today the Mariners are in LA for three games against the Angels, then shoot over to Denver to face the punching bag of a club in the Rockies for three games. Seattle returns home for the final six, with two against the Astros, before getting the Angels for the last four games of the season. 

The Mariners have already clinched the tiebreaker versus the Astros on the season. It is very unlikely, but having the tiebreaker is huge and if the Astros slip the Mariners very well could be the team that squeaks their way into the division crown. 

Fourth Place: The Athletics (61-89, eliminated)

Top Position Player: Nick Kurtz (2.6 fWAR)
Top Pitchers: J.T. Ginn (1.7 fWAR)

The team formerly from Oakland always comes into the season looking at true two outcomes. They either surprise and find themselves at the top of the division with players to be traded later, or they bottom out like they did this season. The Athletics have one more year before relocating to Vegas.

On a Yankees note, the Athletics are our second favorite team this week as they face the Rays starting on Tuesday for a three game set in the Trop. It might be a bad bet, but maybe the Athletics will be able to channel ghosts of decades past and take one or two games before leaving Florida. 

Last Place: Los Angeles Angels (56-93, eliminated)

Top Position Players: Mike Trout and Zach Neto (3.3 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Reid Detmers (4.4 fWAR)

The Angels might finally, ironically, have a light at the end of the tunnel as they will be under new ownership after the 2026 season. Change cannot come fast enough for the team battling the Rockies for the league’s worst record.