Phillies can't live in fear of another playoff bullpen debacle

WASHINGTON — There are 12 former All-Stars and at least two future Hall of Famers occupying the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse on a given day. This collection of well-paid, salty, accomplished stars will command most of the attention as the Phillies attempt, for the fifth consecutive year, to bring a World Series title home to Philly.

Then there is Jonathan Bowlan, an easygoing dude from Memphis, quiet and forthright, making his way through his first full season in the big leagues. Bowlan might not realize it yet, but he may have more to do with whether the Phillies raise a trophy in October than any of the superstars.

Bowlan, 26, has emerged as the Phillies’ primary set-up man, aiming, along with 25-year-old Orion Kerkering, to form a bridge between the club’s quartet of ace starting pitchers and their dominant closer, Jhoan Duran.

It is thankless work, and the sixth through 10th innings are exactly where the Phillies’ prior championship quests have gone awry. Lately, they’ve been trouble spots as the club staggers down the stretch to finalize a National League wild-card berth.

Bowlan has given up a run in five consecutive appearances entering Wednesday, Sept. 16, including late-game homers in three of those; Kerkering gave up runs in four of his last five games, including multiple-run outings in Phillies losses.

“Those innings,” says interim manager Don Mattingly, “are always the stressful innings.

“And you'd like to be able to lock down that end of the game when you get a lead or you're in a close game.”

Jonathan Bowlan has emerged as the Philadelphia Phillies' set-up man in his first season after a trade from the Kansas City Royals.

Mattingly was speaking after Bowlan gave up a first-pitch, three-run, pinch-hit homer to Daylen Lile in the seventh inning of a 6-3 loss to Washington, the latest setback that imperiled the club’s wild-card standing. Oh, the team’s still on fairly firm ground, with a 95% chance to reach the playoffs, according to FanGraphs.

It’s just that the Phillies keep slipping down the pecking order and, with a rough combo of a flailing lineup and slumping bullpen, inspiring little confidence in their postseason chances.

For Bowlan, learning to cope has come before having to face the bright lights of the postseason. He’s found that in reflecting on failure, there’s a fine line between quickly moving on and interrogating what went wrong.

“There’s definitely times I lose some sleep at night, for sure,” Bowlan tells USA TODAY Sports. “But as soon as you wake up the next morning, it’s a new day. It’s a blessing. God woke me up to continue on. And you can’t live in the past. Because you can learn from your experiences, for sure. And that’s what I continue to try and do.

“It’s taken some time to learn that, about the short memory. But I’ve gotten to the point where, ‘Yeah, you can think about it a little bit.’ And there’s times where it was a tough thing to happen in that situation.

“But you live and you learn. All you can do is just keep chugging along. Keep moving.”

Red-faced October

That ethos certainly applies to the Phillies, who won’t glean any sympathy from rival fanbases, given their four-year run of success powered by an aggressive ownership group bent on winning their first World Series since 2008.

Yet every bite at the apple ends rottenly for all but one team every year. And October's late innings have been a long-running soap opera in Philly.

In 2022, it was Jose Alvarado, relieving ace Zack Wheeler in the sixth inning of World Series Game 6, the Phillies leading 1-0, only to give up a left-on-left three-run blast to Yordan Alvarez, enabling the Houston Astros to nail down the championship.

A year later, it was the rookie Kerkering – with just eight major league appearances under his belt – summoned to protect a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning of NLCS Game 3, the Phillies nine outs from seizing a 3-0 lead on the ostensibly overmatched Arizona Diamondbacks.

Instead, Kerkering gave up three consecutive hits, including Lourdes Gurriel’s RBI double, to tie the game and set the stage for closer Craig Kimbrel yielding a walk-off hit, one of Kimbrel’s many failings in that series. The Diamondbacks won in seven games.

In 2024, the goats were numerous – from Alvarado to Carlos Estevez to Jeff Hoffman, who yielded six earned runs and recorded four outs across three games – as the Mets pulled off a stunning NLDS upset.

And last year, it was Kerkering, aiming to keep the Phillies alive in the 11th inning of NLDS Game 4 at Los Angeles, but infamously fielding Andy Pages' two-out ground ball and throwing home instead of taking an easy out at first.

He was left to face the music.

Now, Kerkering realizes that staying true to himself is just as important in the aftermath as breaking down pitches that backfired or physical errors. And even his recent struggles have provided teachable moments.

“You look at some of those struggles you’ve gone through the last couple years and just try to learn a lot more,” says Kerkering, “since I came up through the system so fast and wasn’t able to really go through those downs. I think going through them now a little bit has been super-helpful. You’ll go on some great runs and some not-so-fun runs. But that’s what baseball is. It’s a game of failure.

“You just try to make sure you get back on who you’re supposed to be as a person.”

A 'whoa' moment

Bowlan’s recent struggles have overshadowed his excellent work most of this season. He’s blown five saves but also has a 1.04 WHIP and struck out 71 in 55 innings.

It’s been a startling rise for Bowlan, who admitted he was a bit stunned – “Kind of a whoa moment,” he says – when the Phillies acquired him over the winter for longtime lefty reliever Matt Strahm. The Phillies’ suggestion he lean more heavily on his four-seam fastball – its usage has risen from 33.6% to 48% - has paid significant dividends.

That will be his best friend come the postseason, waters he’s looking forward to navigating.

“I’ve heard that being in the playoffs is one of the best experiences you can have in this game,” says Bowlan. “Being in that situation, from what I’ve learned, you’ve got to just slow things down. You can’t let things overwhelm you. These guys have been through it. They’ve been through big situations.

“I’m just trying to learn from them to the best of my ability.”

Both Bowlan and Kerkering are operating a rung higher than the Phillies anticipated this season. They signed right-hander Brad Keller to a two-year, $22 million deal over the winter after his stellar 2025 with the Chicago Cubs. But Keller struggled into June, missed a month with forearm tendinitis and then tore the UCL in his throwing elbow in July.

Veteran lefties Alvarado, Brooks Raley and Tim Mayza balance out the bullpen, but aren't necessarily built for one-inning, high-leverage situations.

That's just one reason why Bowlan and Kerkering will be front and center this postseason.

Kerkering is now in his third full major league season, yet maintains he’s “still the pup” on a club with 10-year vets like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Zack Wheeler. He has been through the postseason fire, for better or worse, and knows what he’ll tell Bowlan before his October indoctrination.

Think of it like you’re playing the Dodgers, you’re playing the Braves’ series – (multiply) that by five,” says Kerkering. “The intensity, how much people care, how much louder and the passion.

“But you still have to make your pitches. It’s a big moment for the pitcher, a big moment for the hitters. It doesn't matter how long they’ve been there. You’re battling each other out and there’s very few teams left.

“You’re highlighted, basically.”

And the spotlight is about to get a lot brighter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Phillies can't live in fear of another playoff bullpen debacle

Who will win the other two American League divisions?

HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 02: Taylor Trammell #26 of the Houston Astros attempts to avoid a tag by Elias Diaz #35 of the Texas Rangers in the third inning at Daikin Park on August 02, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Look, the Yankees are probably cooked in the AL East at this point. They had their opportunities, but the Rays have opened up a 4.5-game AL East lead with 10 games left for the Bombers, and they would need to sweep the four-game set coming up next week—one that features a doubleheader Tuesday—to even have a remote chance since that would give them the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay.

The odds are the odds at this point: a 5.9-percent chance per FanGraphs to win the AL East. Old friend Brandon McCarthy was more likely to get a hit in a given at-bat (.062 career batting average) than the Yankees are to pull this off. Bartolo Colon’s .084 average would be a dream in comparison. Hits did occasionallyhappen for McCarthy! But it ain’t lookin’ pretty for the 2026 Yanks.

So the Rays are almost certainly winning the division and the Yankees and Red Sox will almost certainly duke it out again in a best-of-three Wild Card Series. Great. Fabulous. The rest of the AL is a damn mess:

Yuck! The skinny on the teams still competing for division titles:

  • The White Sox were once actually coasting a bit to that AL Central crown and even a first-round bye, but they’ve really begun to run out of steam.
  • The Guardians are now just barely in front of Chicago for both of those, but if it ends in a tie, then the White Sox have the tiebreaker, so how comfortable can Cleveland really feel?
  • The AL West is even more garbage, with the Rangers’ win and Astros’ loss last night bringing them even at .500 on the dot, in first place. I would say that I cannot believe how much the Mariners beefed this, but, well, they have a history. So does the division itself! All these AL West teams have negative run differentials, by the way.
  • Back to the matter at hand, the Astros have the tiebreaker between those two, but with Yordan Alvarez looking hobbled … I don’t know.

Shooting from the hip, I trust Cleveland to eke out their third consecutive division title. They have a roster more accustomed to the chase this time of year and the White Sox have been surviving on some magic beans for much of the season anyway. This is not to imply that the Guardians are actually good, mind you; it was just always going to be a tough sell for the Pale Hose to go from 121 losses in 2024 and 102 last year to not only a winning record this year, but a division title as well. It could still happen, sure! I’d think it was more interesting. But my brain says Cleveland.

As for the AL West? Hooboy. Give me the Rangers, whatever. They’re oh-so-quietly getting healthier and Houston’s dropped seven of ten, including a clunker last night to the crappy Royals. Although the Astros get to end the season with four games against the awful A’s, I think Texas will take advantage of a not-so-tough slate of their own. Corey Seager has an OPS over .900 in his past month of play. He would love nothing more than to pants Houston again.

I know the Wild Card is its own mess that could allow for one of the two division contenders that loses out to sneak into October anyway if Toronto and Baltimore can’t heat up. But let’s focus on those two bye contenders. Which teams win the divisions? Who makes it to the ALCS? Sadly, one of them will, while two of the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox will be stuck at home. Them’s the breaks.


Today on the site, Scott will discuss the RailRiders’ last-ditch effort this week to make the International League playoffs, Matt will run through the Rivalry Roundup, Jonathan will celebrate the 109th birthday of a wartime Yankee who had a film career as well, and John will muse on Giancarlo Stanton’s speed. (Yes, really! It’s a fun piece, I promise.) Later, Peter will break down an excellent strikeout from Max Fried for his Sequence of the Week.

Today’s Matchup:

Offday

The Wolf deals again in Mud Hens victory

Toledo Mud Hens 3, Louisville Bats 1 (box)

Left-hander Jackson Wolf continued his excellent run since coming over from the Padres in the Casey Mize trade, while Jace Jung provided the offense on Wednesday.

Wolf located his fourseam and sinker well in this one, and dropped in plenty of good curveballs to baffle the Bats. He scattered five hits and two walks, pitching into the sixth with five strikeouts on the day. His outings tend to feature a fair amount of traffic, but very little damage.

He holds an ERA under 2.00 since coming over, and hasn’t allowed a single home run. It’s only 27.2 innings, but it’s also notable that Wolf’s strikeout rate has spiked from 21.2 percent in the Padres system, to 31.8 percent in Toledo. I don’t really see any outstanding differences in his stuff, but the Padres are pretty poor at developing pitchers so hopefully the Tigers are helping him improving his approach, pitch mix, and location. With pitching depth always a key concern, it feels like the Tigers have a pretty nice sixth starter who can also pitch in as a lefty in relief if Tyler Holton, Brant Hurter, or Drew Sommers need backup in 2027.

The Hens didn’t have much going on offensively in this one, but in the bottom of the third, Andrew Navigato drew a one-out walk. Trei Cruz ripped a single to center field, and Jung launched his 21st home run of the season to right field.

That blow made it 3-0. Wolf gave up a run in the fifth, but came back out to collect two outs in the sixth before giving way to the pen.

Nick Sandlin and Jack Little got the Hens through the eighth. Tanner Rainey walked a batter but closed it out for his fifth save.

Our friends at Tigers Minor League Report voted Max Anderson their minor league player of the year this week. He posted a single and a double in this one. No doubt it’s been a frustrating year for him, as he improved his swing decisions as needed but never got the call to the big leagues. He should get his opportunities in 2027.

Anderson: 2-4, 2B

Jung: 1-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, K

Wolf (W, 4-1): 5.2 IP, ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Yankees news: Aaron Judge expects to be back soon after leg stiffness

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 16: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on after an at-bat against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field on September 16, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Yahoo Sports: As you likely know by now, Aaron Judge exited yesterday’s game early when Heliot Ramos pinch-hit for him in the sixth. The Yankees announced it midgame as “lower leg tightness.” It’s some relief I suppose that Judge didn’t re-aggravate the rib fracture that kept him out for over three months, and Judge himself downplayed the seriousness of the ailment after the game.

“We’re still trying to ramp up so there’s still going to be little things like this that come up,” Judge said after the Yankees 13-inning loss to the Twins. “I just thought it would be best instead of pushing through it like I normally do.” Judge seemed to view his exit from the game as precautionary, and likened it to the type of thing that would happen in spring training when small, nagging things pop up as players get back into playing shape.

MLB.com | Patrick Donnelly: Clarke Schmidt came off the 60-day injured list yesterday, something we saw coming; he allowed two hits but got two strikeouts while facing four batters in his first MLB action since July 3, 2025. What we didn’t see coming was who was pushed off the roster to make room for Schmidt: fan favorite Oswaldo Cabrera. The utilityman Cabrera had spent most of the year at Triple-A, hitting .288 with 19 homers and a .790 OPS, but hasn’t spent much time with the big club ever since suffering a brutal ankle injury in a play at home plate last May. Cabrera seems likely to be claimed on waivers, meaning his time in the Bronx is likely to come to an end after being a member of the organization since signing at age-16 in July 2015.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) Spencer Jones has been a bit of a revelation for the Yankees this year, producing at a high level across the outfield throughout the summer. He’s benefited from shadowing another big lefty swinger in the outfield: Cody Bellinger. Bellinger is only 31, but has a very long and decorated track record for a player his age, something Jones has tried to tap into during his time with the Yankees. “As a young guy, I can’t help but watch every time he’s up there,” Jones said of Bellinger. “When we are in the dugout,” Jones said, “he’s one of those people I can go up to and ask, like, ‘Yo, what did you see?’ He’ll tell me bluntly what he saw, how he saw it, and essentially what he’s going to do next time.”

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Ryan Weathers cleared a key hurdle in his rehab earlier this week, tossing 15 pitches in a bullpen session and sitting 87-90 mph on his fastball. The hope, if things go right, is for the lefty to get into game action before the regular season ends. It’s a tight timeline, but with Weathers set to throw another bullpen on Friday before perhaps facing live hitters early next week, it’s doable. The Yankees could certainly use his arm in the bullpen as they try to sort out what their playoff relief corps will look like.

FanGraphs | Davy Andrews: This here isn’t news, but it is fun. Andrews discusses the Amazon TV show Reacher, in which the titular character tries to maintain a low profile by checking into hotels under aliases, which are always Yankees second basemen. The problem, of course, is that Reacher’s cover is often blown, because Yankee second basemen are frequently famous people with recognizable names (don’t choose “Starlin Castro” as your alias if you’re trying not to attract attention!). So, Andrews endeavors to help Reacher by finding players who played second base for the Yankees who would help Reacher stay undercover. Good aliases include second basemen from New York’s Higlander days, like Joe Ward, and Otis Johnson. The worst possible aliases Andrews found? Robinson Canó and Mickey Mantle.

Mike Krukow reflects on narrating MVP Baseball video game with Duane Kuiper

Mike Krukow reflects on narrating MVP Baseball video game with Duane Kuiper originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants have struggled in 2026 and are out of the postseason chase for the fifth consecutive MLB season. Looking ahead to next season, the team is eager to bounce back and bring glory back to the diamond in San Francisco. But when the Giants take the field in 2027, longtime broadcaster Mike Krukow will not be a part of the journey after announcing that he will retire from the role at the end of this year.

And now that his retirement is official, Krukow has taken time to reflect on his storied broadcasting career — with multiple prestigious opportunities coming along the way. Sitting down with NBC Sports Bay Area Giants insider Alex Pavlovic, Krukow talked about the time he and Duane Kuiper provided commentary for the “MVP Baseball” video game series.

“We were really proud of that,” Krukow told Pavlovic. “It was a good project and we were involved with a bunch of engineers that put this thing together that really had a real passion for this project, and we had fun when we did it. And I found out what your voice is capable of because they give you a phonebook worth of dialogue that you had to talk about.

“A little tougher for Kuip because every time there was a line, it had to be inclusive of all the 600 players in the game. But you had about four hours of voice, and then you were done. That was it; you couldn’t go anymore. But they were so creative. We had one project where they gave us a game on TV, and it was like a video game with no sound. And the whole concept was just do the game, they set up the situation, talk about the game like you would talk about it. Talk about the elements of the weather, I mean, whatever. Talk about it like it’s a regular game.”

Doing commentary for the game required Kruk and Kuip to really channel their love for baseball, but the project gave the two a chance to add their own flair and give a whole new set of fans the chance to truly understand how the pair called games.

“It took us about 40 minutes to do nine innings,” Krukow told Pavlovic. “And it was really fun. But there were a lot of things that they did that were cutting edge. We would have chalk talks, and they would say ‘okay, what can we bring into this?’ And we would talk ball, we would talk ball for hours, and the next time we would gather, which would be in about a week or so, we’d come back and all these things we talked about were in the game.”

Krukow and Kuiper provided commentary for all three MVP Baseball titles stemming from 2003-05. While EA Sports stopped making the series ahead of the 2006 MLB season in favor of the MLB 2K franchise, the game left a lasting impact on Krukow’s legacy, cementing his status as one of baseball’s best announcers.

Krukow, who has been a Giants broadcaster for 36 years, has dealt with health related issues in recent seasons– most notably inclusion body myositis that has caused him to use a wheelchair. And while the disease has forced him to cut back both on his travel schedule and overall workload, he has continued to capture the hearts of many and provide moments that will live forever on in Giants history.

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Mt. Frustration and Misery: the sequel

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 16: Gabriel Moreno #14 of the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrates during the game between the Miami Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Brendon Baranov/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

I’m fairly convinced that baseball fans are a special breed. There aren’t that many sports fans that can watch their team lose in heartbreaking fashion and then show up less than 24 hours later to support the team. It’s just too bad those special fans weren’t rewarded with a better result or better play. Instead, they were treated to another tense, frustrating affair that ended with another one-run loss against a team that is functionally playing out the string of the season.

Merrill Kelly took the bump looking to bounce back from a shortened outing against the Rangers. Unfortunately, he looked like he needed another hour to warm up as the first two innings were a real slog. The first two runners of the game reached before he struckout the side in the first and he loaded the bases in the second inning on a double and a pair of walks. Heriberto Hernandez then grounded a ball sharply down the third base line that Nolan Arenado reached and then made a heroic attempt to throw Hernandez out that took Pavin Smith off the bag and allowed two runs to score. There’s certainly an argument to be made that Arenado could have held the ball, but there’s no other fielder I trust to make that judgement than Arenado who has been a revelation this season in the desert. The Marlins would tack on two more runs in the third when Jakob Marsee, who had an excellent series, launched a two-run shot into the right field bleachers to extend the Miami lead. Kelly would last into the fifth inning and collected a season-high nine strikeouts, but another short outing from their starting pitcher was one of the last things the team needed. Thankfully, the Arizona bullpen continues to shine with 4.1 scoreless innings from Ryne Nelson, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Dennis Santana to keep the team within striking distance.

Meanwhile, the Arizona offense continues to sputter. Yes, they scored three runs, but they were all solo home runs as the struggles with runners in scoring position. Tonight they were an inexcusable 0-for-6 in such situations and even when they loaded the bases with less than two outs in the home half of the first, Corbin Carroll couldn’t find a way to get the ball in play to even give the team the chance to score the runner from third. The team was particularly dependent on the home run ball in the series, scoring all but two of their 13 runs via the long ball. That’s not how the team is particularly constructed and it helps to explain why the offense was so mediocre.

It’s easy to point to the final play of the game with Jordan Lawlar’s unsuccessful attempted steal of second base as the reason the D-Backs lost this game, but there’s plenty of blame to go around for this loss. Kelly looked shaky early on and struggled to put hitters away at times which shortened his start, the top half of the lineup besides Moreno went a combined 2-for-15 with a couple walks, and the team failed to get a single hit with runners in scoring position. That last point is worth emphasizing again as it also includes an at-bat with a runner at third with less than two outs that wasn’t cashed in either. Yes, it’s frustrating that the attempted steal “took the bat out of Marte’s hands,” and it’s possible Lawlar scores from first on an extra-base hit anyway, but having a runner in scoring position is always preferable. And it took a near-perfect throw and tag from a rookie catcher in order to nab Lawlar. I’d prefer the team stick to its identity and roll the dice on something like that than rely on a home run or a double that could theoretically score Lawlar all the way from first base.

This was a particularly frustrating series to watch. It was against a team that has little more than pride left to play for on the road versus a team very much in the postseason hunt. And yet, the starting pitching for the D-Backs struggled to a 5.66 ERA and covered just 14.1 innings, forcing the bullpen to cover that much more of the game. Meanwhile, the offense scored just 13 runs, nearly all of them coming via home run as they went a pathetic 6-for-31 with runners in scoring position for the series. As a result, the team finds themselves going into their off day 3.5 games back of the Padres for the final Wild Card spot with just nine games to go. If they fail to make the playoffs, going 1-5 against a mediocre Marlins team on the season will be just one of many reasons. We can only hope that they have better things to think about instead.

Mariners maintain some semblance of dignity, take series finale in Anaheim

ANAHEIM, CA - SEPTEMBER 16: J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners celebrates during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Tony Macon/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

After dropping the first two games of the series against the worst team in the American League, the Mariners bounced back to win the series finale over the Angels, 7-2.

It was Jo Adell Home Run Robbery Bobblehead Night, despite Adell no longer being an Angel of Anaheim. You might remember, the Angels scheduled this promotion after a win over Seattle earlier this season. Yes, Jo Adell robbed three home runs in a 1-0 win against the Mariners this year, and yes, I did almost forget that this happened until Aaron Goldsmith and Angie Mentink brought it up on the broadcast because this season has pretty much been one big nightmare that I’ve been trying to forget.

The Mariners jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first off of their former All-Star Yusei Kikuchi. Back-to-back singles by J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena, plus a walk to Dominic Canzone, loaded the bases with nobody out. Cal Raleigh opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly to left that plated Crawford. Then, with two outs in the inning, Josh Naylor grounded a single through the right side to put the M’s up 2-0.

The bottom of the first started as a near-mirror image of the top half. George Kirby loaded the bases with nobody out by allowing a single to Zach Neto and walking the next two hitters. Vaughn Grissom then cut the Mariners’ lead in half with a shallow sacrifice fly to left that successfully tested Randy Arozarena’s arm; his throw came a bit up the line, allowing Neto to score. Unlike the top half of the inning, however, the Mariners were able to limit the damage. With one out, Moisés Ballesteros hit a liner right at Crawford at short, who was able to step on second to double up Mike Trout and end the inning.

The Mariners may have worked out of trouble in the first, but their hold on the lead was brief. In the bottom of the second, the first two runners reached — Denzer Guzman skipped a base hit to left and Josh Lowe singled with a bunt that Kirby had trouble barehanding. Former Mariner Adam Frazier would dump an RBI single just in front of Arozarena to tie the game, but Kirby again avoided disaster in the second, striking out the side and leaving the bases loaded.

After a quiet couple of innings for both sides, the Mariners hopped back in front in the top of the fifth. Kikuchi walked a pair of hitters with one out, and even though his pitch count was at 96, Angels manager Kurt Suzuki elected to stick with him. Three more pitches and three runs later, Kikuchi was chased from the game; Cal Raleigh roped a double down the right field line to score a run, and even though Grissom was able to snare a Josh Naylor grounder on the next pitch, he threw his double-play attempt into left field, allowing two more runs to come across.

The Angels immediately threatened to get back into the game. With one out in the bottom half of the fifth, Grissom himself reached on an error by Crawford, who sailed a throw to first on a routine ground ball. Kirby walked a career-high fifth hitter to end a 4.1-inning start where he wasn’t his sharpest, but managed to limit damage anyhow. I suppose we’ll take it — can’t be too choosy at this point, can we? Carlos Vargas took over in relief, and he K’d a couple of hitters to get out of a jam. After five innings, the Mariners had a 5-2 lead.

Once they finally got some separation, the Mariners went for the jugular. They got right back to work in the sixth, scoring two more on successive RBI singles by Canzone and Raleigh to make it 7-2.

With some breathing room in the late innings, the Mariners felt safe enough to return to their Mariner-ing. Naylor was doubled up on a play that, if it had occurred in any sort of consequential situation earlier in the season, it likely would’ve drawn some sort of aversive response from me, but now it didn’t even prompt me to bat an eye.

Luckily, the Mariner-ing in question remained inconsequential, as the Halos failed to get anything going in the late innings. The Mariners bullpen had one of its better nights of late, allowing no runs over 4.2 innings with contributions from Vargas, José Ferrer, Cooper Criswell and Andrés Muñoz.

M’s get a day off Thursday as they head to Colorado to face the Rockies in the final road series of the year. With the Astros losing to the Royals, the Mariners’ elimination number remains at five.

Pete Alonso homers against Mets again as Orioles win 7-1 to finish sweep at Citi Field

NEW YORK — Pete Alonso homered against the New York Mets again, a solo shot in the first inning that sent the Baltimore Orioles to a 7-1 victory Wednesday night and a three-game sweep at Citi Field.

Jeremiah Jackson, a former Mets farmhand, went deep in the second before Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Samuel Basallo hit back-to-back homers in the third. Chris Bassitt pitched into the seventh for the Orioles (75-78), who moved within 2 1/2 games of the Chicago White Sox for the last American League playoff berth.

Alonso tied the score in the ninth inning Tuesday with his 300th career homer and took a rare curtain call on the road to acknowledge adoring Mets fans still unhappy about his departure for Baltimore last December.

This time, he connected off fill-in starter Xzavion Curry (0-1) to begin an early power display by the Orioles. They launched nine homers in the series after totaling seven in their previous nine games before arriving in Queens on Monday.

Alonso rounded the bases to another warm ovation Wednesday night — albeit not as raucous as the one he received Tuesday night.

The popular slugger hit a franchise-record 264 home runs and made five All-Star teams in seven seasons with the Mets. But they didn’t attempt to re-sign him as a free agent last offseason and Alonso agreed to a $155 million, five-year contract with Baltimore.

Basallo added an RBI single in the ninth for the Orioles. Bassitt, who won 15 games for the Mets in 2022, allowed five hits — including Marcus Semien’s fourth-inning RBI single — and struck out six over 6 2/3 innings.

The start matched the longest this season for Bassitt (8-5), who underwent back surgery in June.

Ethan Salas becomes youngest catcher with a multi-homer game as Padres beat Rockies 9-3

DENVER — Ethan Salas hit his first two major league homers and became the youngest catcher in history with a multi-homer game Wednesday night as the San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3.

Salas led off the second inning with a first-pitch shot off Rockies starter Mason Adams (0-1) that went 426 feet over the wall in center field, becoming the youngest catcher to homer in the majors since 19-year-old Iván Rodríguez in 1991.

Salas added a two-run homer that capped San Diego’s four-run fifth and made it 8-1. At 20 years, 107 days, he broke the record held by Butch Wynegar, who was 20 years, 192 days when he hit two home runs for Minnesota on Sept. 22, 1976.

San Diego (83-69) has won nine of 10 and entered the night with a 2 1/2-game lead over Arizona for the final NL wild-card spot. The Padres also prevented the rival Los Angeles Dodgers from clinching the NL West.

Robbie Ray (13-8) allowed three runs and three hits with six strikeouts in six innings for the Padres.

Samad Taylor and Ty France each drove in two runs for San Diego and Jackson Merrill had three hits.

France hit a sacrifice fly that drove in Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jake Cronenworth added an RBI single to give the Padres a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Kyle Karros hit a two-run homer in the sixth for the Rockies and Adael Amador had an RBI groundout in the first.

Taylor singled to lead off the fourth, stole second base and scored on a triple by Dustin Harris to make it 4-1 and added a two-run single in the fifth.

Adams allowed six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Mets’ Robert Stock on IL with season-ending injury, but it could have been worse

An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows Mets starter Robert Stock's season is over after was placed on the injured list

Robert Stock’s season ended Wednesday with the disappointment of his placement on the injured list but relief that his situation doesn’t appear serious after he experienced finger numbness.

Earlier this season, the Mets right-hander underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.

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Stock said an MRI exam determined poor circulation in his hand and that he’s begun treating the condition with medication.

He was scratched from his scheduled start against the Orioles because the Mets did not want to risk overextending the bullpen if he wasn’t feeling right on the mound.

Xzavion Curry was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and started in Stock’s spot.

Stock, 36, completed his season with a 5.93 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts) for the Mets.

“I have proven that my name should be in consideration for being a major league pitcher,” Stock said before the Mets’ 7-1 loss to the Orioles on Wednesday night at Citi Field. “There are a million things I want to do better.”

Stock, a career journeyman, called it a “dream come true” to pitch for the Mets.

“It’s my dream to be an established major league starter and go pitch for the next two decades in Major League Baseball,” Stock said. “To do that requires an absurd amount of work and success and this was a half-step in what is 50 steps.”

Mets starter Robert Stock’s season is over after was placed on the injured list. Jason Szenes for New York Post

Stock didn’t misspeak in saying his plan at 36 is to pitch another two decades.

“Aside from the lack of circulation, my arm, when we got all the other imaging done, it looked great,” Stock said. “I feel great. I am throwing fast for someone that throws from a low slot and I have no reason to think that will decay anytime soon.”


Daniel Duarte was placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.

The right-handed reliever pitched to a 2.12 ERA in 24 appearances this season. Lefty Jefry Yan was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.


Carson Benge, with his homer Tuesday, joined Gregg Jefferies (1989) as the only rookies in franchise history with at least 40 extra-base hits and 20 stolen bases in a season.

Benge began the night with 18 homers, 19 doubles and three triples along with 22 stolen bases.

Crow-Armstrong homers twice, Imanaga shines as Cubs beat Braves 8-4

CHICAGO — Pete-Crow Armstrong hit his 43rd and 44th homers and broke the Chicago Cubs’ record for left-handers, and Shota Imanaga allowed a run in six innings in an 8-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.

Armstrong homered to lead off the third, breaking Billy Williams’ franchise record set in 1970. Crow-Armstrong led off the seventh with another shot for his 13th career multi-homer game and seventh of the season.

Alex Bregman went 3 for 4 with a home run, triple, double and four RBIs, and Crow-Armstrong added an RBI triple as the Cubs stayed a half-game ahead of the Phillies for the first NL wild card.

After allowing three hits in the first two innings, Imanaga (11-10) retired 11 straight batters before Ronald Acuna Jr. doubled and later scored in the sixth, striking out eight and walking none.

On a night when the Braves could have clinched a playoff spot with a win and results elsewhere, starter J.R. Ritchie (1-3) allowed six runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Bregman led off the fourth with his 26th home run, and Crow-Armstrong drove in Carson Kelly with a triple to right in the fifth before Bregman’s triple scored a pair of runs.

Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, who has been out since August 16 with a left oblique strain, took six at-bats in a simulated game Wednesday and is on schedule to be activated Friday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Pete Fairbanks makes quick return to injured list with nerve irritation

In this week's Closer Report, Mason Montgomery remains spotless over nearly two months with two more saves this week. Mason Miller is inching towards his first 40-save season. And Sandy Alcantara recorded his first career save for the Marlins. That and more as we review the last week in saves.

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2026 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings

▶ Tier 1

Mason Miller - San Diego Padres
Jhoan Duran - Philadelphia Phillies
Cade Smith - Cleveland Guardians
Josh Hader - Houston Astros
Bryan Baker - Tampa Bay Rays
Louis Varland - Toronto Blue Jays

Mason converted three saves in four days for the Padres this week. The 28-year-old right-hander has never left the top spot in the rankings, accumulating 37 saves with a 1.12 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 119 strikeouts over 64 1/3 innings.

Duran surrendered a solo homer to take the loss against the Astros last Thursday. After five days without an appearance, he bounced back with two strikeouts in a clean inning for a save against the Nationals on Wednesday.

Smith tossed a scoreless inning against the Twins on Friday to convert a save. He then recorded five outs on Tuesday against the White Sox to fall in line for a win before converting a four-out save on Wednesday for his 37th of the season. The 27-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.09 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts over 69 innings. Meanwhile, Hader picked up two more saves to stay a perfect 26-for-26 in save chances.

Baker made three appearances, picking up a win on Friday before converting a four-out save against the Astros on Saturday. He then pitched a scoreless ninth on Tuesday to fall in line for a win. And in Toronto, Varland struck out two batters in a non-save situation against the Orioles on Saturday, then took the loss on Monday when he gave up a run during a five-out save attempt against the Tigers. He then struck out two for his 34th save on Wednesday.

▶ Tier 2

Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers
David Bednar - New York Yankees
Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox
Mason Montgomery - Pittsburgh Pirates
Jacob Latz - Texas Rangers
Raisel Iglesias- Atlanta Braves
Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers

Megill's pitched with a four-run lead in the ninth on Tuesday against the Pirates, working around a pair of hits for a scoreless inning in the non-save situation. He then struck out two batters in a perfect inning on Wednesday for his 28th save.

Bednar surrendered a home run against the Mets on Friday before holding on for the save, then bounced back with a scoreless inning on Sunday for his 34th save of the season. He had two chances to earn a win on Wednesday, pitching the 10th and 11th innings against the Twins with a one-run lead, but allowed the runner on second to score in each frame.

Chapman pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Royals on Saturday, then worked around two walks before striking out the side for his 34th save on Sunday.

Montgomery made two appearances this week, converting a pair of saves against the White Sox and Cubs. He's now at 13 saves and has extended his scoreless outing streak to 21 games.

Latz recorded four outs in a non-save situation against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, then surrendered two runs before holding on for a save on Sunday in Arizona. He bounced back for a five-out save, striking out three for his 30th save of the season on Tuesday.

Iglesias also gave up a run before converting a save on Thursday against the Rays, then bounced back with a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Phillies on Friday. He then added his 33rd save against the Cubs on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Scott suffered a loss and blew a save chance on Sunday, giving up three runs to the Marlins.

▶ Tier 3

Emilio Pagán - Cincinnati Reds
Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Riley O'Brien - St. Louis Cardinals
Kodai Senga - New York Mets
Kenley Jansen - Detroit Tigers
Yoendrys Gómez - Minnesota Twins
Jordan Romano - Colorado Rockies

Pagán continued his excellent second half with two more scoreless outings. He picked up his 23rd save against the Brewers on Sunday. He's posted a 2.01 ERA over 22 1/3 innings since the All-Star break.

Muñoz worked around two walks to pick up a save against the Rangers on Thursday before giving up two runs and blowing a save on Sunday against the Athletics, charging him with his tenth blown save.

O'Brien made four appearances this week, blowing a save and taking a loss on Saturday against the White Sox before recovering for his 37th save against the Giants on Monday. Pitching the top of the tenth on Wednesday, he gave up a two-run homer to take the loss.

Senga struck out the side for a scoreless inning in a non-save situation on Monday, then took a blown save when he surrendered a solo homer against the Orioles on Tuesday.

Jansen picked up a pair of saves this week with scoreless outings against the Rockies and Blue Jays. The 38-year-old veteran right-hander is up to 20 saves with a 3.43 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts over 42 innings.

Gómez recorded just one out and surrendered three runs to take a loss against the Guardians on Friday. He bounced back with a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Yankees on Tuesday before blowing a save against New York on Wednesday. A.J. Minter picked up a save for the Twins this week and could be a factor as an effective left-handed option. And Romano gave up two runs against the Tigers on Saturday to blow a save, then struck out two in a clean inning against the Padres on Monday.

▶ Tier 4

Ben Joyce - Los Angeles Angels
Erik Tolman/Jack Sinclair - Washington Nationals
Rico Garcia/Andrew Kittredge - Baltimore Orioles
Jacob Webb - Chicago Cubs
Grant Taylor/Sean Newcomb/Bryan Hudson - Chicago White Sox

Joyce gave up a run to blow a save against the Nationals on Saturday, then bounced back on Monday for a save against the Mariners. Meanwhile, the Nationals optioned Clayton Beeter to Triple-A Rochester this week, giving Tolman some runway to finish the season as the lead in a closer committee over the final weeks. He converted two saves and picked up a win. In another closer committee, Garcia picked up two saves for the Orioles this week while Kittredge added a save on Tuesday.

In Chicago, Webb's struggles continue after he gave up two runs against the Braves on Tuesday to blow a save and take a loss. Things aren't much better on the other side of town. Taylor has given up at least one run in each of his last four outings. He gave up two runs to blow a save against the Guardians on Tuesday.

▶ Tier 5

Elvis Alvarado/Hogan Harris - Athletics
Calvin Faucher - Miami Marlins
Nate Pearson/Steven Cruz - Kansas City Royals
Dylan Smith - San Francisco Giants
Brandyn Garcia/Juan Morillo/Kevin Ginkel - Arizona Diamondbacks

Pete Fairbanks returned from the injured list, converted a save, then departed his next outing early with a recurrence of his right median nerve irritation. Two days after throwing 101 pitches in a start, Sandy Alcantara entered in the top of the ninth with a one-run lead against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday and recorded his first career save.

71-82: Chart

Sep 16, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena (56) is greeted in the dugout after scoring a run during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mariners 7, Angels 2

Mr. Pibb: Cal Raleigh, 0.19 WPA; Josh Naylor, 0.18 WPA; Dominic Canzone, 0.14; Carlos Vargas, 0.12 WPA

RC Cola: Cole Young, Weston Wilson, -0.08 WPA

Game Thread Comment of the Day:

Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brian Wolfe dies at 45

Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brian Wolfe has died, the team announced on Wednesday, Sept. 16. He was 45.

"We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Blue Jay, Brian Wolfe," the team said in its social media posts. "Our thoughts are with his loved ones during this difficult time."

Wolfe's wife, Rachell, posted on Facebook on Tuesday, Sept. 15 that he passed away that day.

"(After) a really really difficult and torturous battle Brian Wolfe passed away early this morning," she wrote.

The cause of death has not been made public.

Brian Wolfe was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1999 MLB Draft after he starred at Servite High School in Anaheim, California. According to the Los Angeles Times, in his sophomore year he went 8-0 and had an ERA of 0.27. The Fullerton, California, native spent eight years in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 2007 with the Blue Jays.

Wolfe spent three seasons in MLB, all in Toronto. He made 72 appearances and went 5-5 with a 3.81 ERA, tossing 47 strikeouts, 22 walks and allowing 79 hits.

After becoming a free agent in December 2009, Wolfe played in Japan from 2010 to 2018. He spent a few years with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, the same team where Shohei Ohtani cut his chops. Ohtani and Wolfe were both on the team in 2013.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brian Wolfe dies at 45

Braves News: JR Ritchie, A-ball All-Stars, more

JR Ritchie had a rough outing Wednesday, going 4.2 innings with 6 runs allowed, 2 homers, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. The strikeout number was at least respectable, but he continues to look like a fringe major league starter at best, despite having looked like a new pitcher over the last period in the minors since his last major league appearance. That’s a bummer for the Braves, who were perhaps hoping for a higher upside for anyone to start a playoff game after Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle. Right now it feels a whole lot like “Grant Holmes for 2-3 innings and then pray the bullpen can cover the rest” and that doesn’t even address a fourth starter. Not a great spot for the playoff rotation.

Braves News

Five Braves’ prospects were named to the A-ball All-Star teams.

JR Ritchie struggled again on his return from the minors, as the Braves lost the series to the Cubs in Chicago.

MLB News

A’s prospect Ryan Lasko was released from the hospital after two months, after he was originally injured and paralyzed in an outfield collision.

The Cardinals activated star rookie JJ Wetherholt, who has spent the last two weeks on the IL.

Dodgers’ Blake Snell left his start against the Reds after just one inning on Wednesday with a groin injury.