Category: Baseball

The final road game of the 2026 regular season is upon us, as the Yankees will conclude it with a seven-game homestand before likely hosting the Red Sox for the Wild Card Series. If the season ends there, this is the end of the line for the gray uniforms for 2026, but obviously, we all hope we’ll see them next in Tampa (and more) in early October.

Looking to end a road slate that has been very generous to the Yankees on a high note is Will Warren, who’s finishing his sophomore season strong after his great start to the campaign unraveled into a bit of a mess over the summer. Rotation reinforcements that threatened to throw him in the bullpen never came with the recurring injuries, so he’ll finish 2026 with 30 starts for the second straight season. This is No. 29, as he enters with a 3.89 ERA (108 ERA+) and 4.07 FIP in 148 innings. No matter what happens from here, Warren has had a successful year in solidifying himself as a true MLB-caliber rotation arm.

Opposing him will be a former Cy Young winner trying to round into form off Tommy John surgery in Corbin Burnes, whom Yankees fans remember well from his lone season in Baltimore in 2024. Returning from a 16-month absence on September 8 to help with the playoff push, Burnes has allowed five runs across 7.2 innings with six strikeouts to two walks against the Royals and Marlins. He isn’t totally built up, having thrown 75 pitches in his last start, so expect him to settle around 80-85 today. He’s always befuddled the Yankees, pitching to a 1.93 ERA across 23.1 innings in his career, but he doesn’t have a win in any of those four starts.

Ben Rice will once again lead off, followed by Cody Bellinger, Heliot Ramos, and Luis García Jr. We’ve seen better ABs and swings from George Lombard Jr. lately, who’ll bat fifth. Spencer Jones is back after a one-day absence due to a sore foot and will bat in front of Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, and José Caballero.

Lars Nootbaar will also be a repeat leadoff hitter for the D-backs, followed by Ketel Marte, Gabriel Moreno, and Geraldo Perdomo. Corbin Carroll is batting fifth, Nolan Arenado will bat sixth, and former Blue Jay Jesús Sánchez bats seventh ahead of last night’s hero Pavin Smith and Tim Tawa.

How to watch

Location: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

First pitch: 4:10 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, DBACKS.TV

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), ESPN 620 AM, La Campesina 101.9 FM & 860 AM (AZ)

Online stream: MLB.tv (out-of-market only), Gotham Sports App

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

The final game at Chase Field in the 2026 regular season. Though hopes of any post-season are likely dampened by the early lead the Phillies have taken over the Mets in New York. Still, the team are set to remain at least theoretically in contention for playoff spot until at least Tuesday night. And, of course, the more they win, the more the meaningful part of the season can be extended. The majority of the National League has already been mathematically eliminated, but despite injuries, under-performance in some quarters, and too much off-field drama, Arizona are still here. Somehow, this is Torey’s fault. 🙂

It’s effectively another “rehab” start for Corbin Burnes, though having thrown 75 pitches last time, there shouldn’t be much of a limit on him there this afternoon. His last outing, against the Marlins, was a bit rough, allowing five runs over 4.2 innings, though giving up home-runs on consecutive pitches was a factor there. He’s going to be a key part of the rotation in 2027. But it’s an area which has struggled of late, with Arizona’s starters getting just one win (Eduardo Rodriguez against Houston two Sundays ago) since the opener of the double-header in San Francisco on August 29. That’s an eighteen-game span.

Conversely, the bullpen is 7-2 with a 2.54 ERA this month. It has been a bit of a wild ride, undeniably. But it’s the fourth month they have won seven games this year. I know relief wins is far from a perfect start, but with seven games to go, their 35 wins is already tied for the second-most relief W’s in franchise history. It trails only 2023’s thirty-eight victories, and that bullpen had a higher ERA (4.22 vs. 3.91). Whenever the story of the 2026 D-backs gets written – and we’ll probably be starting with that in the next week! – the relievers are going to be a very interesting chapter.

Stick around for the guest recap, which will hopefully appear this week. But it’s TheRealRamona, so I have faith!

Miami Marlins (76-79) at San Diego Padres (86-69), September 20, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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The season could end today.

Well, the Mariners season has been effectively over for weeks now, but a loss and a Rangers win would be the dagger to finish off whatever long-shot odds remain in 2026. I hate to say I’m rooting for it, but a win today would extend the misery and hand the knife to the Astros next week. On the other hand, dropping a series to the worst team in the majors would be a hard way to go out on its own. You know, I’m starting to think there aren’t a lot of fun ways to lose a baseball season.

Lineups

SEA Starter: Kade Anderson
COL Starter: Tomoyuki Sugano

Game Information:

Game time: 12:10 PT
TV: Mariners TV
Radio: 710 AM Seattle Sports

The Cincinnati Reds effectively called time for two of their more prominent players on Sunday afternoon prior to the series finale in Great American Ball Park against the Chicago Cubs. For one in particular, it’s more likely than not time called on his entire Reds career.

Cincinnati placed star pitcher Chase Burns on the 15-day IL with a right groin strain, effectively ending his season given how little remains on the 2026 schedule. Replacing him on the roster will be Carson Spiers, who has worked his way all the way back from Tommy John surgery that ended his 2025 season early.

Spiers, though, wasn’t on the 40-man roster, so the Reds needed room there.

That 40-man spot came at the expense of TJ Friedl, unfortunately.

Freidl, Cincinnati’s regular leadoff man and everyday CF from 2023 through the start of the 2026 season, has seen his play decline precipitously year over year. Last season saw him post a brilliant .364 OBP en route to a 2.4 bWAR season, work that echoed a breakout 2023 that saw him hit .279/.352/.467 with 18 homers in route to a nearly 4 WAR campaign.

2026, though, has been a far cry from that. It’s been a far cry from even a typical regression, as everything from his hitting to his speed, his fielding, and his ability to work walks has cratered completely. Given that he’s heading into his second trip through arbitration this winter after $3.8 million this season, he was an obvious non-tender candidate at season’s end on the heels of his .510 OPS so far through 91 games at the big league level, and the Reds opted to make the cut now rather than later.

There’s certainly a chance that Friedl’s awful year means he’ll be available on a minor league contract this winter, and the familiarity and fondness of him within the Reds means it’s not completely outlandish to think he might come back in 2027 on that kind of deal. However, every other team out there will get the chance to see if they can fix him, too, and the odds do seem long of a reunion even of that variety.

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers made a number of pitching moves ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants. Tarik Skubal, who started on Saturday, was placed on bereavement leave, which facilitated the return of Emmet Sheehan from Triple-A Oklahoma City. In addition, reliever Kyle Hurt was recalled and Seth Halvorsen optioned in a swap of right-handers in the bullpen.

Sheehan was just optioned on Monday and normally would have needed to stay in the minors for 15 days, but because he’s replacing a player on the bereavement list (or injured list or paternity list) that allows the right-hander to return early.

After getting sent down to Triple-A on August 3, Sheehan turned his season around, including winning Pacific Coast League pitcher of the month, and he allowed one run in 11 2/3 innings last week for the Dodgers before getting optioned to Oklahoma City so the Dodgers could use a fresh arm. In his last five outings — three in Triple-A, two with Dodgers — Sheehan has allowed only two runs in 29 innings with 39 strikeouts (36.4-percent strikeout rate) against only eight walks.

All 26 outings by Sheehan this season have been starts, but on Sunday he’ll follow an opener in left-hander Jack Dreyer. Sunday provides at least a practice run of Sheehan’s most likely role in the postseason, pitching in bulk relief.

“Emmet’s a part of the conversation,” manager Dave Roberts said Sunday, “but if there is a role in the postseason it would be out of the ’pen.”

Bereavement leave lasts for a minimum of three days and up to seven, so Skubal wouldn’t be activated until Wednesday at the earliest. But considering the left-hander just started on Saturday, don’t expect him to be activated until his start day, likely next weekend in San Francisco.

Halvorsen has allowed nine runs in 10 innings with the Dodgers, including three home runs, with six strikeouts and two walks. He pitched a scoreless inning on Saturday, which was his third appearance in four days.

Hurt pitched a scoreless inning for Oklahoma City on Friday, his only appearance in the last week. Since getting optioned on September 5, Hurt pitched in three games for Oklahoma City, all scoreless innings. This season with the Dodgers, Hurt has a 4.33 ERA and 3.84 xERA in 43 games, with 56 strikeouts and 23 walks in 43 2/3 innings.

Saturday was his 15th day on optional assignment in Triple-A, making Sunday his first day eligible to return from the minors.

It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! This weekend has been yet another veritable whirlwind in the Bronx, as the team celebrated a postseason appearance, bid farewell to a fan favorite, closed an era of minor league baseball, and watched as their Captain hit the shelf once more. With so much in store, let’s get started!

Another Celebration in Minnesota

It was deja vu all over again! For what feels like the fifty millionth time, the Yankees celebrated in Minnesota, as they clinched a postseason berth earlier this week with a victory over their favorite AL Central punching bag.

The Roberto Clemente Award

This week, the New York Yankees named Carlos Rodón their nominee for the 2026 Roberto Clemente Award. The team honored the Rodón Foundation, which sets out to help families suffering with fertility issues.

In Service

Yankees reliever Brent Headrick welcomed Henry Ledlowe from his hometown in Illinois to the Bronx, courtesy of the National Down Syndrome Society. Unfortunately, the Instagram post cannot be embedded, but can be found here.

The Jazz Chisholm Jr. Foundation, meanwhile, marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Where’s Oswaldo? Unfortunately, Cincy.

This week, the Yankees designated fan favorite Oswaldo Cabrera for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Clarke Schmidt. Unfortunately, he was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds, and while we’re all excited to see him (hopefully) get some regular playing time — as he was very much blocked in the Bronx — it will be sad to see the human golden retriever, well-loved by the fans and players alike, in a different uniform.

A testament to his popularity is the fact that the Yankees, RailRiders, Patriots, and YES Network all posted farewells to him on their social media accounts. David Cone also came back to Twitter briefly in order to wish him well.

Farewell to the RailRiders

Starting next year, the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate will undergo its second rebrand since joining the Yankees family, abandoning the RailRider moniker in exchange for a new nickname which has yet to be revealed. To honor the end of the era, Clint Frazier — who self-identifies as a Scranton RailRider more than anyone else in baseball — threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to their final game.

Road Trip Nonsense

Meredith Marakovitz, Suzyn Waldman, and Dave Simms always have fun on the road trips, and this one is no different!

The Knicks are Back

This week, the Yankees will be hosting Josh Hart bobblehead night, celebrating the 2026 NBA Champion (and 2016 NCAA Champion!) who is related to Yankees legend Elston Howard. Fun fact — this has been scheduled since last year, so it actually predates the Knicks’ championship; what fantastic luck for the marketing team!

Celebrating Howie

Last Sunday, Mets broadcaster Howie Rose called his last game at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees set out to make the day special, and many of his friends and coworkers in the Yankees broadcast teams celebrated his career with him.

Official Videos

First, the latest episode of Behind the NY gives us a behind-the scenes look at the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

Then, we got a behind-the-scenes look of David Bednar entering the game on Sunday.

Last, but not least, we have Cody Bellinger talking about his story.

Social Media Nonsense

We’ve got a special edition of this week’s Question of the Day, as we not only have the Yankees answering questions, we’ve got the Somerset Patriots reading Thank You Cards as they wrap up their season.

Texas Rangers pitcher Cal Quantrill has been placed on the 15 day injured list with a strained right lat, the team announced today. To take his place on the active roster, the Rangers have recalled pitcher Winston Santos from AAA Round Rock.

Quantrill had been dealing with this issue in his previous start, which he left after only 70 pitches, before being pulled after four batters yesterday. Going on the 15 day i.l. means Quantrill is out for the regular season and, if the Rangers make the playoffs and play in the Wild Card Round, Quantrill would not be eligible for that series. He would potentially be available after that, but, unlikely as it is that the Rangers would advance beyond a Wild Card Series, its even more unlikely than Quantrill, coming back from a lat strain, would be ready to return for one of those future rounds.

My guess is that the Rangers will have Nathan Eovaldi return to the rotation and start on Tuesday in the opener of the series against the Mets, which would also put him on track to pitch the final game of the season in Minnesota. Jacob deGrom, pitching today, would presumably go on Friday in the opener in Minnesota on five days rest, though they could push him back to Saturday if they wanted to give him an extra day. MacKenzie Gore, who was dealing with shoulder and back spasms in his last start on Wednesday, could go this coming Wednesday at home against the Mets on six days rest, with Kumar Rocker and Cody Bradford being used in the other two starts.

Of course, this assumes that Nathan Eovaldi is ready to go and able to start on Tuesday. If he isn’t, well, you’re looking at Gore or Bradford on Tuesday.

Santos is up to give the Rangers a long man out of the bullpen if needed. He was supposed to start last night’s game for Round Rock but was scratched after Quantrill was pulled.

After dropping the first game to the Seattle Mariners (72-83) but winning the second, the Colorado Rockies (57-98) will look to take the rubber match today.

Incidentally, the Rockies logged their 36th come-from-behind win last night and their 29th by two or fewer runs. Their 46 losses in games decided by two or fewer runs are the most in the National League. Colorado is looking to win their 14th series of the season today, their first since Aug. 31-Sept. 2 vs. Baltimore. They are 6-14 in rubber games this year, but 3-1 in their last four.

Colorado’s 98 losses are tied for the fourth-most in franchise history with the 2012 Rockies. They will need to go 6-1 in the remaining seven games to avoid their fourth consecutive 100-loss season. The Rockies are also looking to avoid becoming the fifth club in Major League history to lose 100 or more games in four consecutive seasons alongside the 1962-65 New York Mets, 1961-64 Washington Senators, 1938-42 Philadelphia Phillies (5) and 1909-12 Boston Doves/Braves.

The news isn’t all bad, however.

 The 726 team runs scored by the 2026 Rockies are the most since the 2021 team plated 739 runs. If Colorado reaches 740, it will be the most runs scored by the franchise in a season since 2019 (835). The Rockies 59 games with at least 10 hits are the second-most in the Majors behind the Brewers’ 64. The club’s 1,346 hits are their most in a season since 2023 (1,368).

Per Fangraphs, the Rockies went from a -3.1 offensive WAR in 2025 to an 8.6 WAR so far in 2026. They also improved from a 0.4 pitching WAR in 2025 to 3.3 in 2026.

With that in mind, let’s turn to today’s game.

Starting for the Mariners is Kade Anderson. This will be his sixth start in 2026.

The lefty has a 5.33 ERA in 25.1 IP. He’s struck out 21, walked eight and given up four home runs. Anderson has a 1.42 WHIP. 

According to Baseball Savant, he offers a four-pitch mix: four-seamer (41.5%), slider (21.6%), changeup (17.8%), and curveball (15.1%).

Taking the mound for the Rockies will be RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之).

Currently, he has an ERA of 5.49 in 142.2 IP. He’s struck out 86 while giving up 34 walks and 34 home runs with a 1.36 WHIP. Sugano suffered his 10th loss of the season his last time out on Sept. 14 against San Diego at Coors Field, allowing six runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts. It was his third start at Coors Field this season when he allowed two or more home runs.

And now to the details.

First Pitch: 1:10 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

SB Nation site: Lookout Landing

Lineups:

For the visiting Mariners:

And the home Rockies:

Please note the updated lineup:

And since this is my final game coverage for the 2026 season, for those interested, let’s take another run at some afternoon bingo.

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

After dropping the first game to the Seattle Mariners (72-83) but winning the second, the Colorado Rockies (57-98) will look to take the rubber match today.

Incidentally, the Rockies logged their 36th come-from-behind win last night and their 29th by two or fewer runs. Their 46 losses in games decided by two or fewer runs are the most in the National League. Colorado is looking to win their 14th series of the season today, their first since Aug. 31-Sept. 2 vs. Baltimore. They are 6-14 in rubber games this year, but 3-1 in their last four.

Colorado’s 98 losses are tied for the fourth-most in franchise history with the 2012 Rockies. They will need to go 6-1 in the remaining seven games to avoid their fourth consecutive 100-loss season. The Rockies are also looking to avoid becoming the fifth club in Major League history to lose 100 or more games in four consecutive seasons alongside the 1962-65 New York Mets, 1961-64 Washington Senators, 1938-42 Philadelphia Phillies (5) and 1909-12 Boston Doves/Braves.

The news isn’t all bad, however.

 The 726 team runs scored by the 2026 Rockies are the most since the 2021 team plated 739 runs. If Colorado reaches 740, it will be the most runs scored by the franchise in a season since 2019 (835). The Rockies 59 games with at least 10 hits are the second-most in the Majors behind the Brewers’ 64. The club’s 1,346 hits are their most in a season since 2023 (1,368).

Per Fangraphs, the Rockies went from a -3.1 offensive WAR in 2025 to an 8.6 WAR so far in 2026. They also improved from a 0.4 pitching WAR in 2025 to 3.3 in 2026.

With that in mind, let’s turn to today’s game.

Starting for the Mariners is Kade Anderson. This will be his sixth start in 2026.

The lefty has a 5.33 ERA in 25.1 IP. He’s struck out 21, walked eight and given up four home runs. Anderson has a 1.42 WHIP. 

According to Baseball Savant, he offers a four-pitch mix: four-seamer (41.5%), slider (21.6%), changeup (17.8%), and curveball (15.1%).

Taking the mound for the Rockies will be RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之).

Currently, he has an ERA of 5.49 in 142.2 IP. He’s struck out 86 while giving up 34 walks and 34 home runs with a 1.36 WHIP. Sugano suffered his 10th loss of the season his last time out on Sept. 14 against San Diego at Coors Field, allowing six runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts. It was his third start at Coors Field this season when he allowed two or more home runs.

And now to the details.

First Pitch: 1:10 pm MDT

TV: Rockies TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

SB Nation site: Lookout Landing

Lineups:

For the visiting Mariners:

And the home Rockies:

And since this is my final game coverage for the 2026 season, for those interested, let’s take another run at some afternoon bingo.

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

We have an early game today, 2:30 Eastern. And, of course, I’m busy until then, so getting the game thread together early.

I had a bad night last night. During the day I had a couple of notifications that someone was trying to get into my hotmail mail account. I stupidly ignored them, as I had gotten this sort of thing before, but the email address sending it turned out to be nothing to do with hotmail. The emails were scams. Well, this time the email wasn’t a scam. Just before I planned to go to be, the language on my hotmail accounts changed to something I couldn’t read. Some had accessed my hotmail account from somewhere else.

I only use that account for when a business asks for an email, so I can keep the stuff they mail to me out of my main accounts. I don’t send emails out of it. But it had me checking my online banking to make sure no one was accessing that. It took me a few minutes to changed the language back to English. Then a couple of minutes to change the passwords on it. And to download a handy app that Microsoft has to track attempted sign ins to my account. And then to change passwords to my online banking and all.

So, I was a little late to bed and also had a tough time falling asleep, because I keep checking. things.

I’m going to be a bit groggy today.

Anyway, all seems good now.

Today is a bullpen day, led by Spencer Miles. We are likely to see anyone and everyone.

Go Jays Go.

Detroit Tigers (73-82) vs. Chicago White Sox (79-76)

Time/Place: 2:10 p.m., Rate Field
SB Nation Site:South Side Sox
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Troy Melton (8-4, 2.52 ERA) vs. RHP Davis Martin (9-7, 3.96 ERA)

The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up their final homestand of the season Sunday as Quinn Mathews gets the start for the Cardinals while the Washington Nationals will assign starting duties to RHP Jake Irvin. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.

After a dramatic win last night, the Nats are in position to sweep the Cardinals this afternoon. The Nats have been playing good baseball since their 7 game losing streak. They will look to continue that today in St. Louis. With heavy bullpen usage this series, both teams will want length from their starters as well.

With a lefty on the mound, James Wood, CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile are the only left handers in the lineup. Wood will actually be the DH in this one in order to make room for Jacob Young in center field. Brady House will also be back in the lineup. Harry Ford is behind the plate. Jake Irvin is on the bump this afternoon.

The Cardinals will be adding some left handed bats to the lineup. Both JJ Wetherholt and Alec Burleson got days off yesterday, but they are back. We will also see Bryan Torres for the first time in this series. Masyn Winn is out of the lineup, which moves Thomas Saggese to shortstop. Rookie Quinn Mathews is on the mound for the Cards.

Game Info:

Stadium: Busch Stadium

Time: 2:15 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

The Nats swept the Angels recently and now they are in position to do it again. This team has suddenly gone on a run down the stretch. Hopefully they can continue this strong finish and build momentum into the offseason. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!

Toronto Blue Jays @ Texas Rangers

Sunday, September 20, 2026, 1:35 PM CDT (KRLD 1080 / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

RHP Spencer Miles vs. RHP Jacob deGrom

Go Rangers!