Category: Baseball

None of the San Diego Padres pitchers could find an answer for Cole Carrigg of the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego State product had a huge night finishing 4-for-5 with a single, a double and two home runs with two runs scored and five RBI to hand the Padres a 9-3 loss at Coors Field on Tuesday.

Carrigg connected on single in the first inning, but was thrown out attempting to steal second base. He hit a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning and doubled in the bottom of the fifth. Wandy Peralta replaced Walker Buehler in the bottom of the fifth after the Carrigg double, which meant he would have to face a new pitcher in his next at-bat. That pitcher was Randy Vasquez and Carrigg turned in a 13-pitch turn at the plate that ended with a three-run home run to right field that gave the Rockies a 7-3 lead. Vasquez was able to strike Carrigg out in his final at-bat but the performance from Carrigg was all Colorado would need to snap the San Diego eight-game winning streak.

The Padres started the game with a bang when Fernando Tatis Jr. connected on a leadoff home run. They took a two-run lead in the top of the second when Luis Campusano connected on a solo home run. Carrigg hit the two-run home run to tie the game, but San Diego regained the lead with another solo home run, this time from Austin Hays, in the top of the fifth inning. That marked the end of the scoring for the Padres despite the fact that they finished with 11 hits in the game. San Diego was 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position in the game while Colorado finished 4-for-10. Outside of Carrigg, that was the difference in the game, the Padres could not string hits together and did not get hits when they had opportunities to drive in runs.

Buehler lasted just 4.2 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout. Peralta was abysmal and allowed four runs on four hits with a hit batter and one strikeout over 0.2 innings pitched. The only real positive to come from the game was Vasquez finished the final 2.2 innings and saved the high leverage bullpen arms for San Diego who have been taxed recently. He allowed three runs on five hits with a strikeout.

The Padres will try to start a new winning streak when they play the third game of the series against the Rockies today at 5:40 p.m.

Padres News:

• Lake Elsinore and San Antonio are heading in different directions this week.

• Padres prospect Alex McCoy was named to the Arizona Fall League roster.

Baseball News:

• The Milwaukee Brewers clinched the NL Central title.

• Pete Alonso returned to Citi Field as a member of the Baltimore Orioles and hit his 300th career home run against the New York Mets.

• The Atlanta Braves moved a game closer to clinching the NL East with a win over the Chicago Cubs.

• The Philadelphia Phillies lost a pitcher to the IL and lost a game to the Washington Nationals, 6-3.

• Esteury Ruiz hit a three-run double to lead the Miami Marlins over the Arizona Diamondbacks in extra innings.

Hall-of-Fame outfielder Tim Raines was one of the faces of Canadian baseball in the 1980s—an adroit hitter and fast-twitch baserunner whose 808 career steals ranks fifth all time. By the mid-90s, he had won a batting title, accumulated 2,295 hits, reached 50 steals in eight seasons, and been named an All-Star seven times in his prime with Montreal, before a strong yet less spectacular five-year stint in the South Side. But a taste of World Series glory had always eluded Raines until he came to the Bronx in 1996.

With his prime years behind him, Raines donned the pinstripes and brought his wealth of experience to a club on the rise; while the Yankees, for minimal cost, brought an additional marquee name into the fold alongside elder statesman Wade Boggs. Despite injuries which limited his playing time in New York, Raines won two World Series rings with the Yankees in 1996 and 1998.

Born: September 16, 1959 (Sanford, FL)
Yankees Tenure: 1996-98

Raines was, commensurate to his preternatural athleticism and agility, a three-sport athlete who played baseball and football in addition to running track for Seminole High School in Florida. He was selected by the Montreal Expos in the fifth round of the 1977 Draft, behind pitchers Bill Gullickson and Scott Sanderson. Raines, though, was the prize. The young switch-hitter broke out as a rookie in 1981, securing his first of seven straight All-Star selections in the National League and establishing himself as one of the most feared (and consistently successful) base stealers in the league.

In that strike-shortened season, the Expos defeated the Phillies in the expanded playoffs before falling in a five-game NLCS to the Dodgers. Raines, who went 5-for-21 in the series with no steals, would never make the playoffs with Montreal again. He would be 33 the next time he suited up in October—with the White Sox, who fell to the defending champion Blue Jays in the ALCS. His performance in that series was far more Raines-esque: 12 hits in 29 at-bats.

Raines took a step back offensively in his final two years with Chicago as he reached the end of his prime. Now in his mid-30s, his teammates and coaches wanted him stealing fewer bases, though Raines maintained he was still as quick as ever. The White Sox, unconvinced, dealt him away a few days after Christmas 1995. Minor league pitcher Blaise Kozeniewski was the lone player the Yankees parted with for Rock.

With a fresh start in a new organization, Raines relished the opportunity to play with an organization which had gone out of its way to bring him in for a championship quest. Yankees GM Bob Watson gave him a contract extension right after trading for him. He arrived right on time to bolster a roster poised to begin a dynastic run.

While Raines fractured his thumb and missed time from May to August in 1996, he proved a useful contributor for the Bombers when healthy, with a characteristically high .383 on-base percentage and 20 doubles bolstering his slugging percentage to .468. In a postseason timeshare at left field with slugger Darryl Strawberry, he contributed 11 hits in 13 appearances.

While he never plated a run himself, he scored seven times as the Yankees ran the table in the American League playoff. He started Games 2, 3, and 4 of the World Series, scoring the go-ahead run of Game 4 on Steve Avery’s bases-loaded walk of Wade Boggs in the 10th inning. Raines had himself walked to catalyze the two-run rally which wiped away the 2-0 series deficit into which the Yankees had fallen. Raines, who memorably made the final catch of that game while slipping and falling on the warning track, did not take the field again in the Fall Classic, but New York finished the reversal in six games, giving the veteran his long-awaited World Series ring in his 16th full season.

Raines returned for 1997, continuing to produce when he saw the field. His 74 games played constituted only a modest uptick from the year before, but he remained highly productive with a .321/.403/.454 slash line. However, despite hitting a three-run home run in Game 1 of the ALCS against Cleveland, the Yankees were denied their title defense, losing in six.

Raines re-upped with the Yankees ahead of 1998, a year in which he served as the top reserve player for one of the greatest teams in baseball history. Despite being more of a backup, Raines appeared in more games than he did in the previous two seasons, eclipsing the 100-game threshold for the only time in pinstripes. The reliable veteran continued to be an absolute pain for pitchers to get out, as his on-base percentage once again hovered close to .400 for the whole season. On June 10th, he picked up his 800th career stolen base in where else but Montreal’s Stade Olympique, where his star was born in the 1980s. He became just the fifth player in MLB history to reach that milestone.

Now 38, Raines was increasingly stashed at DH, then struggled in the 1998 playoffs and largely rode the bench, with Chili Davis getting the majority of the plate appearances there. Still, when he wasn’t on the field, he had a front-row seat to the finest incarnation of this Yankee dynasty—including all four games of their decisive World Series sweep in San Diego.

With two World Series rings in hand, Rock could easily have walked off into the sunset as a man with nothing more to prove—but like many a baseball lifer, he couldn’t give the sport up. Not even after he was diagnosed with lupus in the middle of the 1999 season did he hang up his spikes. The treatment he had to undergo for the autoimmune disease cut short his one-year cameo with the Oakland A’s—and while he attempted to rejoin the Yankees in 2000, he didn’t make the roster.

Still, he continued playing. In 2001, Raines, already inducted into the Expos’ Hall of Fame, returned to the club and played 47 games in his old colors before taking the field with his son, Tim Jr., with the Orioles at the tail-end of the season. Even after that, he snuck in one last season with the Marlins before finally retiring at age 43.

Raines’ late retirement meant a rather delayed start to his Hall of Fame eligibility, which began in 2007. Initially, he received little serious interest from voters, but as the 2010s wore on and he neared the end of his decade on the ballot, the sabermetric community—as well as his contemporaries—rallied for his induction, as they would later do for Edgar Martinez and Larry Walker in those players’ final year of eligibility. At last, in 2017, Raines got his plaque in Cooperstown.

While the man they called “Rock” finished his career as the most efficient base stealer of all time among those who even approached his body of work, Tim Raines was not that dynamic force at the top of the lineup once he came to the Bronx. But his other skills—his outstanding contact ability, discerning plate discipline, and the ability to plug gaps and pick up doubles—hadn’t gone anywhere. Those skills allowed him to assist the Yankees as they made the leap from franchise in limbo into an era-defining dynasty.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

The Mets conclude a three-game series against Pete Alonso and the Orioles at Citi Field on Wednesday night at 7:10.

Mets Notes

• Francisco Lindor enters play on Wednesday with 299 career home runs
• A.J. Ewing is hitting .380/.448/.620 with three homers and three doubles in 58 plate appearances over his last 13 games
• Robert Stock allowed three runs on five hits while walking two and striking out four in four innings against the Marlins in Miami during his last start on Sept. 9

Today's Lineups

Colton Cowser made a game-saving catch against the Rockies on August 31. The grab took the sports world by storm and lifted the Orioles back to .500 for the first time in four months. The play also preserved Baltimore’s spot as a contender for the third and final wild card spot.

With the benefit of hindsight, Cowser’s home run robbery of Jake McCarthy probably marked the high point of another disappointing season. The Orioles proceeded to lose their next six games (two in Colorado; four against Boston). Everyone chalked the Rockies result up to fatigue at the end of a long road trip, but the Birds came home and got taken behind the woodshed. Adley Rutschman hit multiple home runs during his return to Camden Yards, and Baltimore’s offense tallied only one run over the final three games of the four-game set.

And just like that, the season was lost. The Orioles took two-of-three from Cleveland when they desperately needed a sweep, and the O’s dropped two-of-three in Toronto.

In most years, the Orioles would have lost the privilege of competing for a playoff spot long before September. The third wild card spot, paired with a mediocre American League (outside of the AL East), allowed Baltimore one last chance to compete, but the team let that opportunity slip away.

Let’s put aside the early injuries to guys like Jordan Westburg and Zach Eflin. We can even look beyond the deadline sale of Rutschman, Taylor Ward, Tyler Wells and Dean Kremer. The Orioles held possession of the third wild card spot a little over two weeks ago. If I had told you back in March that the O’s would possess a wild card spot with a month to play, would you have taken that deal? I know that I would have. I would have anticipated a better record, but the playoff spot is the selling point there.

It’s clear that the 2026 season was a failure, but how would you evaluate the last three weeks? Did Craig Albernaz and his team ever really have a real chance of making the postseason? If so, what did they do wrong?

The final two games in Colorado cannot be discounted. I don’t care if the Orioles had spent a full month on the road. Baltimore, desperate for wins, had the luxury of facing the only team in the National League with a winning percentage that begins with the number three.

The team summoned Luis De León—the team’s seventh best prospect according to MLB Pipeline—to join the team in Colorado. The 23-year-old had started in 22 of his 26 appearances in the minors this year, but Baltimore gave the lefty a few relief reps before adding him to its major league bullpen. Albernaz immediately thrust the rookie into a high-leverage situation, and De León surrendered the go-ahead homer in a 4-2 loss.

It’s fair to wonder if De León should have even been with the team, let alone working in a leverage situation during his debut. The Orioles needed a fresh lefty in the bullpen, but they opted to go with a prospect that wasn’t exactly pounding down the door (6.50 ERA over 18 Triple-A innings) over a guy like Cade Povich.

The bullpen continued to bite the team as Andrew Kittredge and Grant Wolfram both blew saves in the series finale. Kittredge, one of the only experienced relievers in the bullpen, clearly lost a step in the second half. But did Albernaz mismanage the bullpen, or was he simply working with a bunch that shouldn’t be expected to deliver?

The four-game sweep at the hands of Boston all but put the final nail in the coffin. The Orioles, facing their former franchise player for the first time, all but crumbled under the pressure. The O’s failed to score on Friday and Saturday before exploding for one run in the finale. Do you blame the front office for the bats going to sleep? Can you blame the skipper?

The team deserves credit for claiming Luis Robert Jr., but the outfielder hit the injured list shortly after his arrival. Gunnar Henderson finished 3-for-13 with 0 RBIs in the Boston series. Samuel Basallo hasn’t hit since returning from the injured list. Carlos Narváez quickly reminded everyone in Baltimore what a true backup catcher looks like at the plate. Blaze Alexander attempted to manufacture a spark before returning to the injured list.

Baltimore entered last night with a season-low .650 team OPS in the month of September. Despite all the team’s struggles, the Orioles still managed to post an OPS in the .700s during every other month of the season.

It’s understandable that the pitching staff started to run out of gas. The rotation was filled with guys approaching a career high in innings pitched. Brandon Young, the starter with the highest WAR (2.1), had been pitching above his level all season. But at the end of the day, the bullpen didn’t have the dudes. The offense, with respect to Pete Alonso and Coby Mayo, didn’t have the juice.

The Orioles were the benefit of a weak field, but they proved to be the weakest of the bunch. Albernaz deserves some heat for how things unfolded this year, but it’s not like he managed this team out of a playoff spot. Players like Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser did not take the step that everyone expected. Ryan Helsley got banged up, and Félix Bautista never returned.

This roster just didn’t have the talent to make the playoffs this season, and it will need to make several improvements if it hopes to compete next year.

No news is good news. That’s not always true (few fans feel this way during trade deadline season), but it’s arguably true during the final days of the campaign, where news can really mean only one thing: an injury. And this was so yesterday, as the Phillies placed Jesús Luzardo on the 15 day IL with the shoulder inflammation that had caused him to miss his last start. A return for the postseason is possible but certainly not guaranteed.

There’s no question that this is a major blow for the team. So today’s question is: how does it change your outlook for the rest of the season?

I’m shamelessly stealing from the comments, because it’s a long season and I had nothing else for today anyway.

Didier Fuentes is 12th among relievers with 2.0 fWAR. He also ranks in the top 15 in WPA, which isn’t really something he did alone, but is a bit of a tiebreaker when others are close.

He’s not going to win. There are five position player rookies in the NL with more than 2 fWAR, including JJ Wetherholt, who has 4.4 while underhitting his xwOBA by .030. (If he weren’t underhitting it, he’d probably ge some downballot MVP votes.) The Mets’ Carson Benge has 3.5 fWAR and hasn’t missed any time with injury. TJ Rumfield has a .375 wOBA / 125 wRC+, though the former is very Coors-addled and he’s outperforming his inputs. Sal Stewart has 31 homers.

On the pitching end, you have Nolan McLean as the “full-time starter as a rookie” option (3.1 fWAR, about 170 innings), as well as Logan Henderson as the “pitched super-well but only up for like half a season” option (2.3 fWAR, under 90 innings).

But, Fuentes is still ninth in the NL in rookie fWAR, so maybe he gets some recognition, even if it’s not much. He does actually lead all NL rookies in WPA, but again, I don’t expect that to carry the day. It is pretty funny, though.

What do you think?

What would you call the opposite of a baseball manager’s “circle of trust”?

Because that’s where the Cubs are probably going to have to send Jacob Webb after yet another blown save, yet another two-run homer served up, yet another game where it’s clear he can no longer be used in high-leverage situations.

The numbers are horrific. In his last eight appearances, Webb has thrown 6.2 innings and has a 14.85 ERA, 2.100 WHIP, 14 hits and four walks allowed and the worst part, four home runs — all of which either gave the other team the lead or tied the game. In those eight games, Webb had four blown saves.

Convert even two of those save opportunities and the Cubs are a lot more comfortable in the Wild Card race. Unfortunately, these games are in the books and they are, at the moment, not.

All right, that’s out of my system, let’s look back at the Cubs’ 6-3 loss to the Braves, all of Atlanta’s runs scoring via three two-run homers.

Kevin Gausman had a rough first inning — 25 pitches — but got out of it scoreless. The Cubs put two runners on in the bottom of the inning via a pair of two-out walks, but could not score.

The Cubs took the lead in the bottom of the second. Michael Busch led off with a single and advanced to second on a walk by Matt Shaw.

Pedro Ramirez’s single scored Busch to make it 1-0 [VIDEO].

Miguel Amaya then sacrificed Shaw and Ramirez up a base, putting runners on second and third with one out. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a ground ball to second and Shaw was thrown out at the plate. Seiya Suzuki then struck out, so the Cubs had just one run to show for all that traffic.

Gausman settled down and retired 10 straight Braves from the last out of the first through the fourth. The Cubs extended their lead in the bottom of the fourth. Busch led off with a walk and Shaw’s infield single moved Busch to second.

Then this happened [VIDEO].

That throw… what was that? That play should have resulted in at least one out. Instead, Busch scored to make it 2-0 and Shaw wound up on third, where he scored on this sac fly by Miguel Amaya [VIDEO].

About the Cubs’ two-sac night, from BCB’s JohnW53:

The Cubs went into Tuesday with nine successful sacrifice bunts, tied with the Braves and Twins for the second fewest. The Tigers had eighth; the Yankees, 10.

The Cubs were 11th in sacrifice flies with 43, one behind the Braves and Royals.

Tuesday’s game was the first this season in which the Cubs had at least one of each. They had not done it since May 26, 2025. They had played 260 games since then before Tuesday.

So it’s 3-0 Cubs going to the top of the sixth. Gausman had been sailing along, but a one-out single by Drake Baldwin followed by a two-run homer by Ronald Acuña Jr. made it 3-2. Gausman gave up another hit and a hard-hit line drive out and then was removed in favor of Daniel Palencia, who ended the sixth with a fly ball to right.

The Cubs did not score in the bottom of the sixth and that’s when Webb entered the game. Honestly, I was surprised Craig Counsell didn’t just leave Palencia out there — he’d thrown only two pitches to retire Mauricio Dubon to end the sixth.

Webb, as I noted above, did not have a good game. The two-run homer he allowed to Ozzie Albies gave Atlanta a 4-3 lead.

Still, that’s not insurmountable — usually. But the Cubs bats went silent. After Shaw led off the sixth with a single, the next 12 Cubs went down in order.

Meanwhile, Edward Cabrera made his Cubs relief debut. And actually, it was going along pretty well until a two-run homer by Baldwin in the ninth put the game out of reach. Cabrera threw 40 pitches — maybe too many for his first outing out of the bullpen? I do still think Cabrera can be a useful weapon in relief. He touched 99 with his four-seamer several times, and that, combined with his 94 mile per hour changeup, can record outs — but again, maybe in shorter bursts.

Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].

In that clip, Counsell doesn’t sound like he’s going to take Webb out of that circle of trust, and he really needs to. He notes that the team is giving up “too many home runs.” Ya think? This cannot keep happening:

Fortunately, all the other teams in Wild Card competition with the Cubs — the Phillies, Padres and Diamondbacks — also lost Tuesday, so no ground was lost and the Cubs still have the top wild card spot by half a game over the Phillies. The Cubs lead the Padres by 1.5 games and the Diamondbacks by four. Arizona’s loss reduced the Cubs’ magic number to clinch a postseason spot to 6.

The Cubs still have a chance at a series win over the Braves Wednesday evening at Wrigley Field. Shōta Imanaga will take the mound for the Cubs and JR Ritchie, just recalled from Triple-A by Atlanta, goes for the Braves. Game time is again 6:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! We are enjoying a little unexpected winning streak, and I, for one, would like to see it go as long as possible, because winning baseball games is the most fun. We’ve got some little news bites to get you through your day, including looking at who the successes and disappointments of the Tigers’ season are (not a lot of surprises there) and Justin Verlander is the Tigers’ Roberto Clemente Award candidate for his work with veterans.

We also look at some controversial topics like whether now is the time the Braves should sell, and whether or not Shohei Ohtani should give up pitching for good.

So let’s just get into it!

Detroit Tigers News:

• ESPN released a list breaking down the biggest successes and disappointments on each MLB team. For the Tigers, the results are unsurprising. Writer Bradford Doolittle singled out Kevin McGonigle as the biggest success of the season, and there aren’t many who would argue that the rookie’s breakout year has been magical to watch. He said:

McGonigle [has surpassed] the six-win mark on the way to a probable AL Rookie of the Year award. An even better race: Can McGonigle walk more than he strikes out as a 21-year-old rookie? He’s at 88 walks and 89 strikeouts, so it’s going to be close.

In terms of the biggest disappointment? The trade of Tarik Skubal. While most of us looked at the trade as inevitable, Doolittle pointed out how one-run games in particular—the extra-winnable games of the season—really went against the Tigers and could have given them a better opportunity to win, and as a result, potentially keep Skubal on their roster.

Given the circumstances, the Tigers did the right thing in trading Tarik Skubal. Still, it’s disappointing that Detroit’s struggles in close games left the team in that position. While you can point to pitching injuries and other factors for the Tigers’ disappointing record, it all still might have worked out if Detroit wasn’t a surreal 26 games under .500 in games decided by one or two runs.

• The Tigers celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

• Learn more about why Justin Verlander is the Tigers’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.

MLB News:

• Is Gavin Williams a legit ace?
• How Noah Cameron’s worst pitch actually made him better.
• Is it time for Shohei Ohtani to give up pitching for good?
• Chatting pitching with Sean Doolittle.
• Checking in on the likely leaders for Cy Young Award voting.
• And according to this poll, the likely winners might very well be unanimous selections. (Because MLB voters are notorious for voting for the most deserving candidate, right?)
• Why height actually matters a lot when it comes to baseball.
• The San Francisco Firebells are dominating the WPBL postseason.
• Arizona Fall League rosters have been revealed.
• Garrett Crochet could be on his way back, what could his return mean for the Red Sox?
• The Dodgers just clinched their 14th straight postseason berth, tying an MLB record.
• The wild story of a banned minor leaguer who changed his name to sneak back into the majors.
• Gerrit Cole needs to stop blaming the ABS for his pitching woes.
• Aaron Judge helped the Yankees clinch a postseason berth with his first home run after coming back from the IL.
• Some milestones we could see achieved in the final weeks of the season.
• Why are so few Puerto Rican players represented in the majors?
• Pete Alonso was moved by the warm welcome he received in his return to Citi Field.
• Why does one Braves’ investor think now is the ideal time to sell the team? ($)
• Major sports franchises need to do more to protect their players from the threats of angry bettors as sports betting increases.
• Terry Francona was relieved by reports that the Reds wouldn’t be doing any major shakeups in their front office.
• Jim Bowden offers the perspective of a former MLB exec when it comes to labor negotiations. ($)
• Yasiel Puig has been convicted, so why hasn’t he been sentenced? (S)
• What a wild at-bat

• Here are the 2026 Roberto Clemente Award Nominees.

• A good reminder on Roberto Clemente Day.

• MLB owners are being tight-lipped about the looming offseason drama.

Rangers 4, Red Sox 2

• And that’s three in a row.
• Oh damn…just realized that this has gotten us to the much feared and hated one-game-under-.500 spot again.
• That’s been a bit of a stumbling block this season, hasn’t it?
• But that is the next game’s problem, not this game’s problem.
• This game featured some gritty gutty work from Jacob deGrom, who was originally scheduled to make his next start on Wednesday. But with the urgency of the Rangers’ current situation and Monday’s off day, the Rangers could move deGrom up a day and still have him start on regular rest.
• Doing so also means that deGrom would be slated to start in the Sunday series finale against the Blue Jays.
• Despite an ongoing groin issue which deGrom had to manage, he gave the Rangers five strong innings, with the blip being a two run Nick Sogard homer in the third inning.
• deGrom has now allowed just nine hits in his last four starts, and just 16 hits in his last six starts.
• Oh, and he struck out eight batters in the game, allowing him to pass Aaron Nola on the all time strikeout list.
• deGrom is now tied with Dazzy Vance for 86th on the all-time K list.
• There’s been not enough people named Dazzy in the world in recent years. Someone needs to look into that.
• Rangers hitters didn’t do a lot in the game, but they did enough, putting up a four run inning in the second, with all the runs coming with two outs, and with the broadcast feed not working, so none of us watching at home were able to see what was happening.
• I bet it was exciting, though.
• Also exciting? A bases loaded situation in the fifth, an inning that started with deGrom’s first hit by pitch of the season, and was followed by a catcher’s interference. With two outs and the bases full, a seven pitch Adley Rutschman at bat ended with a 3-2 ground out, and also ended deGrom’s night at 92 pitches.
• Meanwhile, in the eighth, an infield single, a fly out and a walk was followed by Robert Garcia being lifted for Jacob Latz, who was asked to get the final five outs. After a groundout moved the runners to second and third, Trevor Story was intentionally walked, leading to another lengthy at bat, this time by pinch hitter Andruw Monasterio, finally ending in a 3-2 swinging K.
• I can say now that those bases loaded jams were exciting because things turned out okay. I’d use a different adjective if things had turned out poorly.
• Corey Seager’s bloop single brought home the final two runs of the second inning for the Rangers. He was 2 for 4 in the game. Since returning from the injured list the first time in early June, he is slashing .280/.359/.511 in 206 plate appearances.
• That’s pretty good, I think.
• Cleveland won, so the Rangers are still a game and half back in the Wild Card race, and the Astros won so the Rangers are still a game back in the A.L. West. Toronto, however, lost, so the Rangers moved ahead of the Jays in the Wild Card chase, and now have no one between them and Cleveland.
• Oh, and Martin Perez won his 100th career game. That’s neat.
• Jacob deGrom topped out at 98.8 mph with his fastball, averaging 97.0 mph. Chase Silseth hit 97.3 mph with his fastball. Tyler Alexander touched 92.7 mph with his fastball. Robert Garcia’s fastball reached 92.1 mph. Jacob Latz maxed out at 97.5 mph with his fastball.
• Corey Seager had a 108.8 mph single. Brandon Nimmo had a 106.3 mph single. Ezequiel Duran had a 105.3 mph single. Danny Jansen had a 103.9 mph single. Jake Burger had a 101.9 mph groundout. Wyatt Langford had a 101.9 mph fly out.
• Eleven games to go.

Meet the Mets

The Mets lost to the Orioles 7-5 in the eleventh inning. The game winning runs were scored when Coby Mayo hit a ball just out of A.J. Ewing’s reach, which turned into a three-run inside-the-park home run.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic

Pete Alonso’s return to Citi Field not only inspired rosy nostalgia, but caused the season-long anger some fans have held to bubble over.

While the end of the contract might still go poorly, the return of Alonso illuminates the difficulty of replacing Alonso in the present.

The Arizona Fall League rosters have been released, and eight Mets prospects will be playing in the autumn.

The Mets claimed infielder Christian Cairo from the Phillies, optioning him to Triple-A Syracuse.

Around the National League East

An investor in the Atlanta Braves believes now is the time to sell the team.

Jesús Luzardo has landed on the injured list in a big blow to the Phillies rotation in the midst of a playoff push.

Luzardo’s injury at such a critical point in the Phillies season has many possible ramifications.

The Phillies fell to the Nationals 6-3. Cristopher Sánchez had an uncharacteristically rough start, giving up fine runs in 6.1 innings, allowing eight hits and two walks while striking out five.

The Braves beat the Cubs 6-3 in Chicago. Ronald Acuña Jr., Drake Baldwin, and Ozzie Albies all drove in two runs each.

The Marlins beat the DIamondbacks 4-2 in eleven innings. Esteury Ruiz drove in the inning runs with a three run double in the top of the elventh inning.

Around Major League Baseball

MLB and the MLBPA have joined forces with multiple other major leagues to crack down on betting related harassment of players, coaches, and families and urged regulators to combat such harassment.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has joined an elite group in baseball history, with his season WAR passing 10.0.

It was Roberto Clemente Day yesterday, and the celebration has overshadowed MLB’s shrinking Puerto Rican player representation, with the number being just 27 this year, half of what it was 25 years ago.

Carlos Correa won’t be rejoining the Astros this season after his ankle surgery in May.

Reds manager Terry Francona was encouraged by the reports of the front office leaders being expected to stay put in Cincinnati.

The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their fourth straight National League Central title behind another great Jacob Misiorowski start.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

A Pod of Their Own released another episode.

Steve Sypa published the 25th edition of Mets Minor League Players of the Week for 2026.

This Date in Mets History

September 16th is a date with multiple Mets 20-count milestones, both for pitchers and hitters.

History was in jeopardy for a bit when the Twins came into the Bronx earlier in the season and won a series against the Yankees, but the timeline course-corrected as the team has traveled up to Minnesota and won the first two games of the rematch. The Bombers’ perpetual punching bag have fallen out of the still-bloated race for the third Wild Card spot and that point’s been driven home by the Yankees taking a second-consecutive win with eight runs scored, this time only allowing a single run in exchange and getting their offense going much earlier than the eighth inning.

With their business handled, New York’s eyes drifted across the league to see what their rivals managed to do on Tuesday. The Rays and Red Sox were both in action, and there was a battle going on between the two top teams in the Central to check in on.

Tampa Bays Rays (91-59) 2, Athletics (61-90) 1

After taking consecutive series against Atlanta and Houston, the temporarily-relocated Athletics weren’t expected to put up much of a challenge to Tampa. However, after allowing an unearned run in the second inning on a passed ball the A’s buckled down and prevented the Rays from extending their lead, Jack Perkins going 6.2 innings without any more runs crossing home plate under his watch. Meanwhile, the A’s offense wasn’t managing much against Griffin Jax but Kevin Cash pulled him after just 67 pitches despite it being his third start back from the IL. The Athletics took advantage and pounced on the new pitcher Ty Johnson in the sixth, stringing a pair of singles before scoring the lead runner on a wild pitch to tie the game.

The Rays couldn’t be stifled forever though, and in the ninth inning they finally broke through. Elvis Alverado was brought on to start the frame facing Junior Caminero, and after getting a generous high strike to get ahead in the count Alverado threw two pitches middle-middle. Caminero fouled off the first one, but he wouldn’t get cheated on the second and drove it 345 feet for the walk-off homer. The big hit prevents the Yankees from gaining any ground once more, as they remain 3.5 games behind Tampa with 11 games left to play.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (82-69) 2, Texas Rangers (75-76) 4: The Rangers blitzed Patrick Sandoval in the second inning for all four of their runs, Elias Díaz and Corey Seager getting the RBI base-knocks with a double and single, respectively. Nick Sogard got two of those runs back in the third, but that’s all they could manage against Jacob deGrom as he struck out eight over five innings and ended his night by performing a Houdini act to prevent any runs from scoring after letting the first two runners aboard in the fifth. The Rangers’ bullpen held serve with Boston’s, working themselves out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth to secure the win and move to within a game of .500. The Sox now fall to six games behind the Yankees for the top Wild Card seed, and with New York owning the tiebreaker it’s looking all but guaranteed that the Yankees will have home field advantage for whatever their opening round of the playoffs are.

Cleveland Guardians (77-75) 7, Chicago White Sox (77-74) 6: Chicago’s opener strategy backfired as Chris Murphy gave up three runs on a pair of homers in the first inning, only recording two outs before getting pulled. The White Sox clawed a couple of those runs back before charging out into a lead of their own in the sixth inning as they plated four. Travis Bazzana got one of those back immediately with his second homer of the night, but Cleveland entered the ninth inning down a run and in need of a rally. Nathaniel Lowe started it with a single to lead off, and Kyle Teel walked to put the winning run on two batters later. A groundout brought Cleveland down to their last out, but Brayan Rocchio stepped up and delivered a double just out of the leaping Sam Antonacci’s reach to walk it off. The Guardians erased the previous night’s loss and move to within a half-game of Chicago again for first place, setting up a critical rubber match later today.

AL Wild Card Rock Fight

Toronto Blue Jays (75-77) 1, Detroit Tigers (72-79) 10: The Tigers punished the Jays for running a bullpen game, dropping five runs on Michael Lorenzen before adding at least one more run against each of the next three Jays pitchers. Toronto’s only offense came in the eighth when Kyle Finnegan entered and promptly gave up several hits with Alejandro Kirk getting the RBI single, but he quickly exited and the outs resumed without further incident.

Houston Astros (76-75) 4, Kansas City Royals (66-85) 2: Two hitters did it all for Houston, Jeremy Peña hitting a pair of solo shots to put the Astros up early before Yordan Alvarez launched his 39th homer of the year for a two-run shot that wound up as the game-winning runs. Hunter Brown struck out 10 over six innings with just one run allowed to earn the win, and Josh Hader continued his sub-1 ERA run with another clean inning for his 26th save.

Baltimore Orioles (74-78) 7, New York Mets (69-82) 5 (11 innings): Down 3-2 in the ninth inning, Pete Alonso hit his 300th career home run against his former team to tie things up and force extra innings. The O’s got one across in the 10th on a wild pitch but could muster no more and got matched by a Marcus Semien RBI double, but they exploded for three runs in the 11th as Coby Mayo hit an inside-the park three-run homer that he initially stopped to admire before actually running the bases. Fortunately for him A.J. Ewing wasn’t able to turn around in time to come up with the grab near the wall and the ball caromed into no-man’s land deep in center field allowing him to race home easily.

The Atlanta Braves evened the series against the Chicago Cubs after Tuesday night’s 6-3 win.  Martín Pérez got the start, lasting six innings and allowing three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out four. Though a bit of a shaky start, Pérez ultimately got the win, the 100th of his career.

The Braves got some much needed insurance in the ninth, courtesy of Drake Baldwin’s two-run blast. Pérez kept the Braves in the game, the offense came through, and the magic number dwindled to 5.

More Braves News:

Right-hander Reynaldo López was placed on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation. Fellow righty JR Ritchie was recalled as a result.

Tate Southisene headlines the list of the eight Braves prospects headed to the Arizona Fall League.

The 2026 season has come to an end for the Columbus Clingstones, and here is a recap of the 64-68 season for the Double-A affiliate.

MLB News:

The Philadelphia Phillies placed left-hander Jesús Luzardo on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation. The move is retroactive to September 12.

Joc Pederson of the Texas Rangers is dealing with a small fracture in his left hand but is attempting to play through it. 

The Athletics placed left-hander Gage Jump on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder impingement. The move is retroactive to September 13.

From the Feed:

Cast your vote for Braves Player of the Game here.

The Dodgers’ winning ways in September were briefly interrupted for two games against the Miami Marlins, but they have picked back up against the Cincinnati Reds, taking the first two games of a four-game set.

After Tarik Skubal shut down Cincinnati over seven innings on Monday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto continued the trend of marvelous results from the rotation with a seven-inning scoreless gem on Tuesday, working through a pair of lead-off walks while allowing just one hit while striking out seven. Yamamoto has amazed in his two most recent starts— both against the Reds— allowing just one run over 14 innings while racking up 17 strikeouts compared to just three walks.

Yamamoto held the Reds to just a 1-21 clip after walking his first two hitters of the game on Tuesday, and the right-hander managed to take a page out of Skubal’s playbook for his dominating efforts, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

Yamamoto was able to learn from how the Reds approached Skubal the night before, and Snell was no doubt gathering similar information on Tuesday.

“That kind of encouraged me to be aggressive and attack the hitters,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda.

The pitching has managed to hold their end of the bargain against Cincinnati this week, and Blake Snell looks to keep that trajectory in motion. On the offensive side of the ball, Teoscar Hernández has fortified the offense at Great American Ball Park, as the right-hander has crushed a pair of two-run home runs that put both games out of reach.

Hernández has once again found his stride that fans saw during spring training this year, and the Dodger outfielder’s recent success is the brainchild of hitting coach Aaron Bates, allowing Hernández to have a “twister tap” in his stride to the ball, per Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.

“It was a great meeting we had,” Bates said. “We all talked about it, and then he felt comfortable enough to do it, and then the rest is to his credit. He’s just been who he is.”

“When Teo’s hips are loose that way, and his front leg looks like an Elvis knee, it’s a good sign for us,” Bates said. “Because that means that he can open and close it without his upper body going with it.”

Update on Shohei Ohtani

It’s an unusual feeling watching the Dodgers without Shohei Ohtani in the everyday lineup. So far, rookie Josue De Paula has filled in at DH to a small degree of success in limited time (.143/.368/.429, 19 PA) while the reigning two-time NL MVP recovers from multiple nagging issues.

Jack Harris of the California Post notes that Ohtani was able to take batting practice on Monday, and the team is optimistic that he can potentially return from the injured list before the end of the regular season.

“Today was positive,” Roberts said, “and hopefully we can just keep building towards that.”

As the calendar turns to September, every Major League Baseball team deals with fatigue. Pitchers are pushing past their workload caps, arms are heavy, and the grueling 162-game slate takes its toll. But in Colorado, the September decline is hitting differently.

There isn’t just one simple thing to point the finger at for the team’s struggles over the last few weeks. Hitting has cratered in the clutch, and the defense hasn’t been up to standard. One of the constant question marks for the Rockies has been the approach to pitching this season. It’s still a mystery to understand exactly what they are trying to build on the mound, but the performance has been inconsistent at best throughout the season.

Rockies’ pitching has run into a proverbial brick wall of late and has been a significant factor as to why 100 losses have become an unescapable reality. Over the past few weeks, the pitching staff hasn’t just shown signs of fatigue—the bottom has completely fallen out. What was already a thin, heavily-taxed unit has cratered down the stretch, turning late-season games into painful endurance tests for the bullpen and starting rotation alike.

The Rockies, unsurprisingly, have the highest team ERA in the league this season at 5.59, just ahead of the Athletics, who play in a Triple-A ballpark and spent a horrid week in Las Vegas early in the season. The team has a 6.13 ERA from the starting pitchers, worst in baseball, while the bullpen has been solid for most of the season, albeit with an inflated 4.97 ERA, which is the fourth-highest in the league.

As the season winds down, let’s take a look at where things stand and why the Rockies are struggling so badly on the mound.

The starters

Let’s start with the starting rotation.

The rotation has been a struggle for the Rockies all season between injuries and lackluster performances. After a promising start to the year with a 4.60 ERA in April, the Rockies haven’t posted a rotation ERA under five since, including four months with an ERA over six.

September has been brutal, to the tune of a 6.47 ERA, which is the third-highest in baseball. There isn’t anything new as to why the rotation is struggling. They have allowed the sixth-most runs (43) on the third-most hits (71) while ranking 18th in strikeouts (51). They have also thrown the 10th-fewest innings (57.0).

Pitches fill up the strike zone, but the Rockies are generally in the middle of the pack when it comes to contact rates. It’s often death by a thousand cuts as the team deals with an abundance of traffic, foul balls, and elevated pitch counts.

The first time through the order, the Rockies’ rotation has a 5.56 ERA in September. Digging down further, the Rockies have a 3.75 ERA in the first inning that inflates to a 10.50 ERA in the second inning and a 9.00 ERA in the third. Despite an excellent ERA in the fourth, the team struggles in the fifth inning as well.

Rockies starter constantly laboring through four or five innings while digging a hole the team has a hard time getting out of isn’t a recipe for success. Two solid innings mean nothing when the surrounding ones are so catastrophic. Opposing teams are slashing .305/.355/.502 against the rotation in September and have faced just 256 total batters, one of the lower totals across the league. That would be a positive number by itself it wasn’t coupled with the other stats.

Aside from Mason Adams, the Rockies rotation hasn’t had much to celebrate this month and has to be one of the major points of focus in the offseason, heading into 2027.

The bullpen

Throughout the season, the bullpen has been one of the strong points for the Rockies. Tasked with taking on a heavy workload because of the failings of the rotation, they have thrown 609 total innings, the sixth-most in baseball.

They haven’t been without their bumps in the road; May and June were rough as the bullpen had an ERA over six those two months, but they have otherwise been solid overall.

Well, until September happened.

September has been the worst month for the bullpen by far.

Holding a 7.66 ERA, the Rockies’ arm barn trails only a historically bad Washington Nationals bullpen this month. They have thrown just 47 innings this month, good for 17th in the league, while allowing the most runs (42).

The inability to prevent runs has been most detrimental for the Rockies as a whole. It seems at time that the starting pitchers and offense at least keep the game close, or even work with a lead, only to see the bullpen immediately give things away.

In Detroit, Adams had a strong start through five innings, leaving the game with a 1-1 tie. The Rockies bullpen proceeded to give up four runs in the sixth inning and the team went on to lose 6-2. On Monday, the Rockies battled back and forth with the San Diego Padres, but ultimately fell 8-7 after the bullpen gave up runs in the seventh and eighth to put the game just out of reach 8-7.

A major issue for the pen has been the surge in walks as the Rockies have issued 30, third-most in baseball. Meanwhile, they have 41 strikeouts and opponents are .278/.378/.492 with eight home runs and 12 doubles. The abundance of traffic given up by the bullpen has led to devastating mistakes that have put too many games out of reach. The bleeding hasn’t been stopped, or they simply open up the wound.

Perhaps fatigue could be the reason for the bullpen’s struggles. Perhaps it could be overexposure. Perhaps it could be a lack of talent. Or perhaps, it’s all of the above. Either way, the way the bullpen has fallen flat in the final month of the season has been a major disappointment after everything they had accomplished this season.

Going forward

I hope that the new pitching minds at 20th and Blake have learned some valuable lessons this season about pitching in Colorado. It’s definitely frustrating to see everything collapse at once down the final stretch, but good teams have to be able to compete for all 162 games. There is plenty of talent and potential along with promising developments, but the Rockies have to find a way to win in the margins of pitching and take the next step forward to being a competent and competitive team.

September has proven the team still has a long way to go in that department.

On the Farm

Triple-A: Salt Lake Bees 7, Albuquerque Isotopes 5 (F/10)

The Albuquerque Isotopes took an early 4-1 lead in the second inning, but ended up falling 7-5 in extra-innings of the opener of their final series of the year. Edouard Julien hit a two-run double in the bottom of the second inning, followed by a two-run home run by Chad Stevens to take the lead. However, the offense couldn’t add on until Charlie Condon contributed an RBI single in the seventh inning. Unfortunately, due to costly errors, Parker Mushinski ended up giving up four runs on the top of the eighth to tie the game 5-5. Evan Shawver eventually took over the 10th inning, giving up a double and a triple to put the Bees up by two. The Isotopes threatened in the bottom half of the inning, but couldn’t score any more runs.

Double-A:Reading Fightin Phils 21, Hartford Yard Goats 4

It was a forgettable night for the Hartford Yard Goats as they kicked off their playoff series with a devastating 21-4 loss. Connor Staine made the start and threw a scoreless first inning, and the Yard Goats then took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second. Unfortunately, things went downhill after that; Staine gave up six runs on six hits without recording an out in the second inning.

He was replaced by Bryson Hammer, who recorded two outs but gave up another six runs on three hits with three walks. Fisher Jameson then tossed 2.1 innings, but allowed another four runs on six hits. After a few scoreless outings from other relievers, Nathan Blasick was tagged for another five runs, three earned, in the seventh inning. The pitching staff gave up 16 hits while walking 12 and striking out six. Oddly enough, they only gave up one home run.

Offensively, Cole Messina led the way with two hits, but Braylen Wimmer’s double was the only extra-base hit. The Yard Goats drew seven walks against 10 strikeouts, but went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Rockies Reacts Survey: How many walks will TJ Rumfield take by the end of 2026?

Affected by Altitude Episode 225: The Proverbial Wall | Rocky Mountain Rooftop

This week, Evan Lang and I discuss the struggles of the Rockies’ offense and defense over the last week. We then talk about the excellent play of Adael Amador since his call-up.

Here are the 2026 Arizona Fall League rosters | MLB.com

The Rockies will be represented by eight players and two staff members on the Salt River Rafters squad in the Arizona Fall League.

The prospects behind Double-A Hartford’s playoff run | MLB.com

Thomas Harding gives a rundown of the prospects that helped propel the Yard Goats to the playoffs.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Tuesday was Roberto Clemente Day in MLB, celebrating one of the most outstanding humans to ever play baseball, and annually it is used as an opportunity to honor both Latin players and also the humanitarian and charitable efforts of players on every team by nominating a candidate for the season’s Roberto Clemente Award. It’s a good day to remember all the good that Clemente did, but also all the good he continues to inspire.

We will also look at some more controversial topics, like whether or not it’s time for the Braves to consider selling the team, or if it’s time for Shohei Ohtani to give up pitching for good. Plus, is Gerrit Cole putting too much blame on the ABS system for his pitching woes?

There’s all that and more below, so let’s get right into it!

• Dan Szymborski wonders if Gavin Williams is a legit ace.
• Arizona Fall League rosters have been revealed. (MLB)
• A look at some other players who have managed to have a 10 WAR season. (MLB)
• Ryan Phillips thinks it’s time that Shohei Ohtani give up pitching for good.
• Evan Drellich explains why one Braves’ investor thinks now is the time to sell the team. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• On Roberto Clemente Day, Jorge Castillo takes a deep dive into the declining numbers of Puerto Rican players in MLB.
• Aaron Judge got his first home run after his return from the IL, and helped the Yankees clinch a postseason berth. (AP)
• Jim Bowden assesses what is and isn’t fair in the CBA negotiations from the perspective of a former exec. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• This is a crazy at-bat.

• David Laurila talks to the delightful Sean Doolittle about pitching.
• Does height really matter? In baseball it sure does, and Davy Andrews explains why.
• With 14 straight, the Dodgers have tied the record for consecutive playoff clinches. Story by Sonja Chen.
• Andy Demetra shares the story of a banned minor leaguer who changed his name to sneak back into the majors.
• Terry Francona seemed relieved by reports that there would be no major changes in the Reds’ front office. (AP)
• Tom Verducci explains why Gerrit Cole can’t blame the ABS for his pitching woes.
• Pete Alonso was touched by the crowd’s welcome in his return to Citi Field. (AP)
• Tyler Kepner bemoans the Mets’ loss of Alonso and their inability to replace him. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Your 2026 Roberto Clemente Award nominees.

• Jay Jaffe checks in on the Cy Young races and the leading candidates for both leagues.
• Jared Greenspan also checks in on the likely (and possibly unanimous) Cy Young winners.
• Ben Clemens talks to Noah Cameron about how his worst pitch actually made him better.
• Kiri Oler checks in on how the San Francisco Firebells are dominating the WPBL postseason.
• Ian Browne looks at what the return of Garrett Crochet could mean for the Red Sox.
• Karl Rasmussen rounds up some milestones that could be set in the final weeks of the season.
• David Purdum looks at the rising threat of angry bettors as sports betting continues to grow.
• The biggest success and disappointment on each MLB team. Story by Bradford Doolittle.
• Sam Blum revisits Yasiel Puig’s conviction and wonders why he has yet to be sentenced. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• A good reminder on Roberto Clemente Day.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.