NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 26: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on during the game between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Mooney/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Our long tri-state area is over: Aaron Judge is back. After missing over three months with a right rib fracture, the Yankee captain will return to face the Colorado Rockies tomorrow night.
The YES Network teased Judge’s return earlier today on Twitter/X:
That we’d see two official hype videos for a player coming back from injury underscores just how hotly anticipated Judge’s return has become. The club is in need of his production and presence in the lineup, that much is certain. But beyond that, this is a team and a fan base that is desperate to see their talisman, their anchor, healthy and on the field.
Judge is that and more. Before he injured his rib, Judge remained an All-Universe hitter; he had a 1.060 OPS on May 5th. Crucially, the Yankee offense was excellent with Judge in the lineup, their 116 wRC+ pacing baseball on May 30th, the day before Judge finally was removed from the lineup. They’ve run a woeful 90 wRC+ in the time since, 29th in MLB, better than only the Angels.
If I’d told you before the season that Judge would get injured in April, and that the Yankee offense would limp through the entire summer without him, you may have resigned yourself to the likelihood that this was a lost season in New York. But the Yankees themselves have not done so. The offense has been putrid at times, yes, but this is a team that has held the line without Judge. They see him return to a roster that both needs him and has survived without him, and thus has put itself in position to make a run now that he’s back. The Yankees as currently constructed have everything thing they need now to win the World Series (as they are fond of reminding us).
It all begins anew tomorrow night, when Judge takes the field at Yankee Stadium and the Yankees try to mount a last-minute bid for the AL East. He’ll do so without having faced in-game pitching since May, again highlighting how badly the Yankees want him back in the lineup, and Judge’s supreme confidence in his own otherworldly skills. Will he be rusty? Is he fully healthy? We’ll have to wait to find out the answers to those questions, but after waiting three months, we’re all ready to see Aaron Judge, at last, back in the Bronx.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees looks on from the bench during the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, in Anaheim, California.
The captain is back.
After spending the last three-plus months on the injured list with a right rib stress fracture, and racing the regular-season clock to get healthy, Aaron Judge will return to the Yankees lineup on Tuesday night in The Bronx against the Rockies, the team announced Monday night.
The back-to-back AL MVP rejoins a Yankees club that is four games back of the Rays for the division with 19 games to play – and only two games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card – but survived his absence, going 45-39 while he was gone despite having to deal with other injuries during that span.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees looks on from the bench during the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, in Anaheim, California. Getty Images
“Best player in the world,” manager Aaron Boone said over the weekend. “I think it would give us a lot of balance, too, to give us that right-handed hitter. On the days we’re facing a righty, where we got all our lefties, to have a right-handed hitter in that two-three hole, I think goes a long way. Not only potentially having his production back in there, but hopefully putting the other guys in a better spot, too.”
Judge successfully petitioned his way out of having to go on a rehab assignment before being activated, though the Yankees may ease him in over the next few days as he finishes off his buildup.
That could mean a day off after his first game, playing five to seven innings in the field and/or DH days involved. He was expected to face live pitching on Monday at Yankee Stadium for the first time in his ramp-up, after going with the Yankees on their West Coast trip and hitting batting practice on the field and high-velocity pitching machines indoors.
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge works out before a baseball game against the San Diego Padres on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in San Diego. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
The last game Judge played was May 31, when the Yankees beat the Athletics to improve to 36-23. They started 10-5 without him before sputtering during a 4-14 stretch into July. But they began to break out of the malaise from there, even without scoring much, as they leaned on the strength of their pitching staff to weather the storm.
During that time, they have also withstood injuries to Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham (twice), Austin Wells, Ryan McMahon, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Ryan Weathers and more, plus multiple setbacks for Giancarlo Stanton that have kept him out since late April.
With their 5-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Monday, Sept. 7, the Los Angeles Angels are now officially the first American League team eliminated from postseason contention.
The 18 remaining games on their schedule are now rendered meaningless. Even if they were to win out, they would only be able to reach 72 wins, a game shy of the Cleveland Guardians, who currently hold the third spot in the AL Wild Card race at 73-72.
But while this marks the 12th consecutive year that October baseball won't be played in Anaheim, Halos fans finally have reason to look towards the offseason with some sense of hope. Through several of their 44 losses at Angel Stadium this season, fans in the outfield bleachers took the "tarps off" trend to another level and vigorously chanted for owner Arte Moreno to sell the team. He's done just that.
It's a good time for a reset within the franchise, too, possible pending lockout aside.
Manager Kurt Suzuki is on a one-year contract; there's a good chance he'll be gone in 2027. Former St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak was brought in as the Angels' interim general manager after Perry Minasian was fired in June and quickly began making moves towards laying a foundation for the team's long-term future by trading away seven players ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The return of prospects in those deals, headlined by shortstop Arjun Nimmala, shot the Angels organization up from 28th to 17th in MLB Pipeline's farm system rankings.
More recently, Mozeliak promoted Matt Swanson and Michael Lord to assistant GMs as part of a restructuring of the scouting department. Mozeliak has yet to decide if he'll return next year, but the moves he's making now will help whoever is in charge, regardless of whether it's him or a new hire.
Here are the three biggest questions facing the Angels this offseason:
Where will the Angels be drafting?
If this was four years ago, the Angels' future would've looked even brighter as they would've held the first overall pick in next year's MLB Draft as the team with the worst record in baseball (54-90). Since 2023, however, MLB has used a draft lottery to determine the order of the first six picks. The teams with the three worst records this season will have identical odds at No. 1 overall, meaning the Angels right now share even lottery odds at 19.25% with the Colorado Rockies (55-88) and the Athletics (57-87).
What will be the Angels free agency strategy?
Stan Kroenke has shown that he will not insert himself in day-to-day operations nearly as much as Arte Moreno did. Within each of the teams he owns, he's leaned on the expertise of the personnel he hires and lets them do their jobs. He does however, seem to be a bit more selective when it comes to payroll. He's shown to spare no expense when it comes to the Rams – where GM Les Snead has once again built a superteam in the hard-capped NFL by swinging massive trades for Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett – and Arsenal, who signed midfielder Declan Rice for a club-record $133 million transfer fee in 2023. But with the Nuggets, Kroenke's notably avoided the second apron of the NBA's luxury tax even after winning the 2023 NBA Finals.
Kroenke won't get the keys to the building until January at the earliest, and that's the best-case scenario considering a lockout going into 2027 seems likelier by the day.
Who will be running the Angels front office in 2027?
John Mozeliak has made some long-overdue changes since arriving on an interim basis in June. He has the track record from his 18 years as the top executive in St. Louis: 10 playoff appearances, two NL pennants, a World Series title in 2011 and 15 consecutive winning seasons from 2008-2022, a franchise record.
When he stepped away from the Cardinals last October, the 57-year-old told reporters he didn't envision himself running another team in the near future. But in an interview with The Athletic's Katie Woo, Mozeliak said the challenge of bringing the Angels back to prominence made him feel "really energized about going back."
His contract ends in December, and he's told reporters that the plan is still to hire a GM, though he's enjoyed living in Orange County more than he originally expected. Even if he doesn't return in an official capacity, there's still a chance he could stay on an advisor. But, there's also a chance that Korenke would want to start fresh.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 3: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on September 3, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers and Reds continue their series, and Tarik Skubal makes his second start of the homestand. Because these two teams play again next week in Cincinnati, Skubal will likely start twice against the Reds.
Left-hander Nick Lodolo starts Tuesday for Cincinnati.
Aaron Judge is primed to return to the Yankees as early as Tuesday against the Rockies in The Bronx — Aaron Boone did not rule it out — though it could be Wednesday or Thursday if they choose to give him a few more days of ramping up with facing live pitching and the Trajekt machine. Neither of those was available to him over the last week as he joined the team on its West Coast road trip to check some of the final boxes in his rehab.
But the long-awaited day is nearly here.
“Best player in the world,” manager Aaron Boone said over the weekend, summing up the potential impact of his captain’s imminent return.
The back-to-back AL MVP will jump right back into a playoff race. The Yankees trail the Rays by four games for the division — and are two games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card — and survived his absence, entering Tuesday 45-39 since he last played despite dealing with other injuries during that span.
“We’re still in it,” Max Fried said Sunday. “Obviously we’d love to be playing better, [and] we’re motivated to keep going and fight to try to win the division. But anytime you get your best player back, it’s obviously a huge boost.”
Yankees Aaron Judge (99) watches play during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
On Monday’s off-day, Judge was set to face live pitching for the first time in his ramp-up, after spending the last week taking on-field batting practice, hitting off high-velocity pitching machines and standing in on bullpen sessions to track pitches.
All of that, plus having the Trajekt machine at his disposal back at Yankee Stadium, is likely to allow Judge to skip a rehab assignment in favor of being activated sooner, despite the lengthy absence. Because of that, the Yankees may ease him in over the next few days as he finishes off his buildup. That could mean a day off after his first game, playing five to seven innings in the field and/or serving as the DH.
Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge works out before a baseball game against the San Diego Padres. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
But the Yankees will welcome him back in any form with open arms, after their lineup spent a large chunk of his IL stint struggling before finally starting to break out of it over the last few weeks.
“He’s our captain, best player in baseball,” Fried said. “To have him back in the lineup is obviously a huge boost. We’re definitely a better team when he’s in the lineup.”
The Yankees opened a spot on the active roster Sunday night, when they optioned Elmer Rodríguez to Triple-A, though it was unclear if it was for Judge. They will still need to open a spot on the 40-man roster to activate Judge off the 60-day IL (plus Clarke Schmidt at some point in the next week or two), which would make it surprising if they replaced Rodríguez with a pitcher who is not currently on the 40-man roster (i.e. Eli Morgan). But of their healthy 40-man pitchers in the minors, only Brendan Beck is eligible to be recalled Tuesday, which added to the Judge intrigue.
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The last game Judge played was May 31, when the Yankees beat the Athletics to improve to 36-23. They started 10-5 without him before sputtering during a 4-14 stretch into July. But they began to break out of the malaise from there, even as they were still not scoring much, as they leaned on the strength of their pitching staff to weather the storm.
During that time, they have also withstood injuries to Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham (twice), Austin Wells, Ryan McMahon, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Ryan Weathers and more, plus multiple setbacks for Giancarlo Stanton that have kept him out since late April.
From June 1 through Sunday, the Yankees lineup ranked 26th in runs per game (4.06, compared to the 5.17 they were scoring with him); 29th in batting average (.227, compared to .243 with him); 27th in OPS (.681, compared to .770 with him); and 29th in WRC+ (90, compared to 116 with him).
But now, they are on the verge of reintegrating one of the game’s most fearsome hitters at a critical time.
“I feel like we’ve played pretty well here over the last several weeks,” Boone said. “Certainly we’ve had long stretches where the offense has struggled, and I think a big part of that is not having your guy. But I also feel like that’s ticked up here in the last couple weeks where we’ve really started to play better offensively. Certainly look forward to getting our guy back.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 01: Leo Bernal #13 and Michael McGreevy #36 of the St. Louis Cardinals leave the field after the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up their west coast swing with a 3-game series vs the San Francisco Giants starting Monday night. Michael McGreevy is the starter for the Cardinals while the San Francisco Giants will give the ball to RHP Logan Webb. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via NBC/Peacock.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani will play against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday after missing four games because of soreness in his right biceps and left knee. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went over the weekend plan with Shohei Ohtani, he circled Monday as a potential date for him to return to the lineup after four days off to address lingering aches and pains, including a recurring biceps problem.
On Sunday, that plan was finalized. And Ohtani did indeed grace the top of the Dodgers’ lineup Monday as they opened a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Roberts will, however, keep a close eye on Ohtani.
“I don’t want to say it’s day to day, but I am very curious to see how he comes out of tonight to then make the decision for tomorrow and ensuing days,” Roberts said. “We’ve put a pin in throwing and just having him focus on the hitting, the running, keeping his legs good and doing whatever it takes to help us win.”
By “put a pin in” it, Roberts meant that the Dodgers didn’t have a timetable for when Ohtani might throw again, making it likely that he won’t pitch again this year. But the Dodgers aren’t ready to fully rule it out.
Roberts said he hoped tabling throwing, at least for now, could help Ohtani’s offensive production.
“That’s one part of the thought, to sort of take the pitching off of his plate and really try to let him lock in on being a hitter and get on track,” Roberts said. “Because the last couple of weeks he just hasn’t been himself in the box.”
Ohtani wasn’t available before the game to give his own explanation about his recent slump, and he hasn’t addressed reporters in three weeks, despite repeated requests. He tallied only two hits in the six games before Roberts sat him.
“A lot of it was overall body break, which was needed,” Roberts said. “I think that what happens is, when a player gets taxed physically, the mentally is affected as well.
“I think we got to a point where it all sort of came to a head, where I do think these last four days, giving his body a reset, giving his mind a reset — anything can happen [Monday] as far as performance, but I’m hoping that he’s just in a better state body and mind tonight.”
How will Roberts be able to tell if that’s the case?
“Just the swing, the barrel accuracy, how his mechanics look,” Roberts said. “Hopefully we don’t see that wincing we saw [last Wednesday]. And just quality of at-bat in the end.”
New York Mets' A.J. Ewing (9) holds up his arms after hitting a double to score Juan Soto and Carson Benge during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Miami.
MIAMI — A.J. Ewing’s late-summer siesta at the plate might finally be behind him.
A day after collecting only his second multihit game over the past month, the rookie went a step further with a 3-for-5 performance that included three RBIs in the Mets’ 9-4 victory over the Marlins on Monday.
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Did Ewing change his approach following an August in which he produced a .463 OPS?
“A little bit,” Ewing said. “I would just say that I am not chasing results and kind of sticking to an approach and a plan and just being pitch to pitch.”
Ewing’s two-run double in the fifth inning extended the Mets lead to 7-4 and was among the big hits of the 16 the Mets collected. Ewing also delivered an RBI single later in the game.
“The at-bats are outstanding,” interim manager Andy Green said. “He’s hitting the ball all over the field. He’s hitting with authority.”
Ewing’s only blemish on this day was getting picked off first base in the third inning.
“He got a little far off the base,” Green said. “But he can apply so much pressure with his speed, so getting him back on the bases really causes our offense to churn.”
New York Mets’ A.J. Ewing (9) holds up his arms after hitting a double to score Juan Soto and Carson Benge during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Miami. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
Robert Stock will start Wednesday’s series finale, according to Green. The right-hander pitched in relief Friday — facing two batters — after his best career start four days earlier, when he pitched 5 ¹/₃ scoreless innings against the Rays.
Reed Garrett, who is rehabbing from internal brace elbow surgery, will throw from a mound Tuesday in front of team officials. The right-hander has spent most of this season rehabbing in Port St. Lucie.
Jared Young was on the bench for a second straight game after fouling a ball off his foot Saturday. Brett Baty started at first base.
Justin Hagenman was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to create roster space for Jonah Tong.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 26: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the third inning at Oracle Park on August 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s time for a new series, and it’s time for holiday baseball, as the San Francisco Giants host the St. Louis Cardinals.
Logan Webb is scheduled to take the mound for the Giants, with the three-time All-Star right-hander making his 26th start of the season. Webb is 8-8 on the year, with a 4.21 ERA, a 3.44 FIP, and 119 strikeouts to 38 walks in 149.2 innings. Webb is looking to bounce back after his last outing, when he gave up nine runs in two innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For the Cardinals, it’s righty Michael McGreevy, who makes his 28th start. The 26-year old is 6-9 on the year, with a 3.97 ERA, a 4.31 FIP, and 102 strikeouts to 40 walks in 147.1 innings. McGreevy gave up four runs in five innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last start.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo threw the first complete game of his career Monday, Sept. 7, a two-hit, 12-strikeout shutout that beat the Atlanta Braves1-0 and pushed his record to 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA.
Five months ago, his ERA sat at 5.50.
Since then, he has won the National League Pitcher of the Month for August, going 3-0, with a 1.31 ERA, 46 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. Over his last 22 starts, his ERA is 2.39.
He's not the only team member pitching well at the right time.
Cristopher Sanchez is 16-14 with a 2.52 ERA and the major's best pitching WAR, running second in the Cy Young race behind Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski. Earlier this year he put together a 50 2/3-inning scoreless streak, the longest by a left-hander in major league history.
Zack Wheeler had a miserable August, a 6.26 ERA that had people writing him off, and has answered it with back-to-back starts of six innings with one run apiece. Aaron Nola's season line still looks rough at 4.76, but that number isn't the whole story. Since late June, Nola has a 3.43 ERA over his last 11 starts, including going seven innings and holding the Braves to a run in his last start.
After a rough start, Philadelphia's rotation is leading the majors in strikeouts.
The Phillies are 99% likely to make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, according to postseason odds models. They were four games back of the Braves after beating them Monday and hold the first NL wild card spot. So, they are not only pitching well for that push for the division, but are going to have good decisions to make for October.
The playoff rotation of Luzardo, Wheeler and Sanchez is as formidable as any in the majors.
Game 1 is a real argument for interim Phillies manager Don Mattingly. Luzardo has a 1.76 ERA on the road this season and a 4.52 at home. Sanchez is the mirror image, a 1.68 at Citizens Bank Park and a 3.68 on the road. Whoever the Phillies face and wherever that series opens will likely be the deciding factor.
Wheeler slots in behind them. He posted a 2.16 ERA through his first 16 starts, then a 7.12 over his next seven. The staff traced it to his glove. He was holding it two inches lower than usual in his windup. He has had two strong starts since the fix.
Nola and Painter will be fighting for a potential fourth spot. Whichever one it is, the more likely job in October is relief, giving the Phillies another arm to go with Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado and Jhoan Duran.
Monday was a flash of what the Phillies pitching is capable of doing. Luzardo scattered two hits, walked one and struck out a dozen Braves hitters. It was the first 1-0 complete game shutout by a Phillies pitcher since Roy Halladay did it against Houston on Sept. 14, 2011. That was a masterpiece that clinched the Phillies' playoff spot that year.
He last played Sept. 2, when he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts against the St. Louis Cardinals and looked, for a few innings, like a hitter who could not catch up with the ball.
He returns as a designated hitter. Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 because of inflammation in his left knee, and manager Dave Roberts said over the weekend that a mound return this season is unlikely. Nobody has closed the door, but he has not started throwing.
The knee issue dates to June. The right biceps flared up after that Sept. 2 game against the Cardinals. He is also dealing with a sore neck. Ohtani, 32, did nothing for two days, then hit in an indoor cage Saturday, and his hitting coaches and the training staff all gave him the go-ahead.
Ohtani was cold before he sat. He has not hit a home run since Aug. 18. He had two hits in his last 23 at-bats with 11 strikeouts.
Overall, Ohtani is hitting .279 with a .381 on-base percentage, 30 home runs, 80 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a .906 OPS in 499 at-bats.
On the mound, Ohtani went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP and 95 strikouts in 95 2/3 innings over 14 starts.
The Dodgers went into Monday night's game 86-57 and 10 games up on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. Milwaukee, at 89-56, has the better record in the NL, but the top two finishers get a bye, which would give Ohtani more time to rest.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 07: Gleyber Torres #25 of the Detroit Tigers turns a double play around Josh Bell #56 of the Minnesota Twins in the seventh inning at Comerica Park on September 07, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a labor of a game on Labor Day. The Twins were resilient and had plenty of chances to score, but more bad luck with RISP, four double plays, and poor defensive execution led to another Twins loss. The same script as most of the second half.
The Twins once again struck first in the game. Luke Keaschall was hit by a pitch and Brooks Lee stroked a strong single to center. Keaschall and Lee then double stole to put two in scoring position for the heart of the lineup. Kody Clemens struck out and Ryan Jeffers hit into a fielders choice, scoring one and keeping runners at the corners with only one out, but Josh Bell hit into a double play to end the inning.
Joe Ryan made his grand return and was reasonably effective. After only one short rehab appearance, the Twins limited his workload to 65 pitches with rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp scheduled to follow. Ryan had a long first two innings, throwing 43 pitches and allowing three runs, but it genuinely could have been much worse.
Ryan K’d Colt Keith on three pitches to start the inning, but left a heater down the heart of the plate to AL ROY favorite Kevin McGonigle, giving Detroit their first run. In the second, he gave up a leadoff triple and struck out Spencer Torkelson, and then had perhaps the worst 4 pitch sequence of his life. Ryan walked rookie Max Clark after a long battle, then hit light-hitting rookie John Peck on the very next pitch to load the bases. On the next pitch he hit Keith to plate the go-ahead run, and then McGonigle reached on a soft grounder to first, but Royce Lewis’ throw home took Jeffers off the plate and allowed the Tigers to score another. Ryan buckled in and got the next two Tigers to end the threat, but the damage was done.
Ryan locked in from there, retiring the next six straight Tigers batters, including three strikeouts, to end his day at four innings and 66 pitches. It was a decent return for the Twins’ ace. His velocity looked strong and other than the McGongile homer (the only hard hit ball he allowed), he pitched reasonably well for someone effectively making his second rehab appearance. Some better defense behind him and he likely puts the Twins in a great position to win.
Connor Prielipp took over from there and was also pretty strong the rest of the way. He gave up a two-run shot to All-Star Riley Greene, but gave the Twins four strong and efficient innings and continues to show good stuff despite being 40 innings over his 2025 career high and flying past the combined 58 innings he threw from 2020-2024. The numbers won’t dazzle you, but he’s done more than enough to warrant a 2027 rotation look and stave off the bullpen concerns some evaluators thought he was destined for.
Back on the offensive side, the Twins did an excellent job getting back in the game after falling behind. Trevor Larnach, who has been hearing the call of the void, shrunk the gap to 1 with a laser wall-scraper in the fourth. Then, they finally managed to string some hits together with two outs in the sixth, trailing 5-2 at this point. Larnach got things started again with a single and Kaelen Culpepper scorched a single to left on the next pitch. Walker Jenkins then had his best at-bat as a Twin so far, working a full count before scorching a double into the right-center gap to plate two. If it wasn’t for Tigers centerfielder Max Clark’s speed, Jenkins might have had an inside-the-park home run in cavernous C0merica Park, but Clark made a nifty play, sliding to cut off the ball in the gap before it could get past him.
Twins legend Tyler Kinley came in to try to finish the game, but walked Keaschall and Lee to juice the bases for Clemens, who watched a fastball down the middle of the plate to end the threat with the Twins trailing 5-4. They had chances in every inning that followed, but hit into double plays in each of the final three frames to stop any momentum they had built.
Minnesota had one final chance to pull out a win in the ninth, but once again couldn’t come up with the final hit they needed. A leadoff walk to Clemens put the tying run on. Jeffers then hit a fly ball about 400 feet out to dead center that stayed in the park and Josh Bell bounced into a double play to end the game.
They “only” left 10 men on base this game, which doesn’t seem that bad, but that’s because double plays don’t count for that number. They had at least one runner reach base in every inning and two runners in five of them, yet only managed three total runs in those innings with multiple baserunners. Little things like that are what has the Twins well outside the playoff field with three weeks to go.
STUDS
Bottom of the lineup (Larnach/Kreidler, Culpepper, Jenkins): 5-10, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI
Luke Keaschall: 1-2, 2 BB, stole third base
DUDS
Rest of the lineup: 2-20, 3 BB, 3 GIDP, 0-6 with RISP
We’re back tomorrow for the stellar pitching matchup of Dean Kremer vs Drew Anderson, which we’ve all been waiting for. Here’s hoping Emmanuel Rodriguez and Alan Roden are with the team, too!
Baseball, perhaps more so than every other ball sport save golf, might be the one in which more happens to decide the outcome of a play, game, or season not on the field of play but in that one square foot of real estate nobody can see: What's going on inside the players’ minds?
During a 19-game stretch in August during his rookie year, Mets outfielder A.J. Ewing had just eight hits in 73 at-bats (.110) and saw his average (.269) and OPS (.743) fall by .033 and 0.089, respectively.
“He’s been really good,” Green said after the win. “The at-bats are outstanding; he’s hitting the ball all over the field, he’s hitting it with authority.”
Ewing said it comes down to feeling “really comfortable in the box right now” as he tries to stay true to his game. Does that mean there was a change of approach after the August slump?
“A little bit,” Ewing said. “I would say it’s not chasing results and just kinda sticking to an approach and a plan and just being pitch-to-pitch.”
And chasing results and letting the mental side of his game slip away is something Ewing indicated was happening during the bad run at the plate
“I’d say it’s impossible not to be up there and have those thoughts in your head,” Ewing said. “But staying away from that as much as you can is definitely the mental challenge of this game.”
For the season, Ewing has five games with three or more hits over his first 102 appearances and has his slash line back up to .247/.319/.365 for a .684 OPS.
With Ewing getting back on base, Green added that he is once again bringing an extra dimension to the Mets' offense with his speed.
“He can apply so much pressure with his speed,” the interim skipper said. “So getting him back on the bases really causes our offense to churn.”
Of course, the 22-year-old rookie will still have more to learn. “I just wasn’t expecting [it],” he said about getting picked off first in the third inning on Monday.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 6: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 6, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Braves defeated the Phillies 5-4. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Four down, three to go. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have now played four of the seven games they’ve got scheduled against each other here in September and so far, the Braves can at least rest easy knowing that they held serve in the division. Sure, it would’ve been great to see the Braves win the series or even sweep it but being realistic, a road split was a decent result and as we always say, “you always take a four-game split on the road.”
So, how did Atlanta go about earning the split in order to make sure that their four-game lead in the division remained at four games once they left town? Let’s not waste any more time and hop right into it, shall we?
Chris Sale just keeps on making it happen, doesn’t he? While this wasn’t on the same level as that epic complete game shutout that he pulled off against the Dodgers not too long ago, the fact that he was able to pitch six strong innings while holding Philadelphia to just two runs and leaving the game with a lead was absolutely huge. The only Phillies hitter who really had any sort of idea as to how to really get to Sale on the night was Alec Bohm, whose RBI double in the second and his dinger in the fourth served as the only blemishes on Sale’s record for the night. Outside of that, Sale gave the Braves exactly what they needed on this particular night.
While this was going on, Atlanta’s lineup essentially rode a three-run inning in the second nearly all the way to the house. Like manna from heaven, the Braves managed to get a real rally going off of Cristopher Sánchez and it peaked with a three-hitter run where Austin Riley bounced one into right field (where Bryce Harper continued to show why it’s probably not a great idea to have him back in the outfield) for an RBI single, Ha-Seong Kim continued his return to relevancy with a productive out that plated Mauricio Dubón from third base and then Ronald Acuña Jr. fired off his first salvo of the weekend with an RBI single to make it 3-0 Braves.
Atlanta had a 3-2 lead heading into the eighth before a big fly gave Atlanta the breathing room they needed in order to make it a relatively comfortable finish. Mike Yastrzemki came through with a pinch-hit, one-out walk against Orion Kerkering and then Mauricio Dubón popped one into the seats in left field for a two-run shot that put the Braves out ahead by three. Didier Fuentes and Raisel Iglesias held down the fort in their relief innings and Atlant was halfway towards the split they needed.
Unfortunately, it was Philadelphia’s turn to go up 3-0 early on in the contest. The Braves wasted a bases-loaded opportunity against Zack Wheeler in the first inning and as it turns out, that was the golden opportunity for the Braves against Wheeler as he ended up cruising through six innings with only one run given up. Meanwhile, Martín Pérez got tagged for four runs in just 3.2 innings as he struggled to find the strike zone for most of his outing.
Four walks for Pérez in the first basically led to two runs being scored by the Phillies and then a productive out from Kyle Schwarber cashed in a leadoff triple in the second from Derek Hill. Schwarber then proceeded to add Philadelphia’s fourth run in his usual way in the fourth inning — via dinger. That’d be the first of three dingers on the weekend for Schwarber, who currently has five homers against the Braves so far this season. Good grief. For what it’s worth, he’s also got six dingers agains the Mets so basically he’s the ultimate crowd-pleaser up there in Philadelphia.
Anyways, Atlanta’s offense couldn’t hack it against José Alvarado and Jhoan Duran on this particular night, though Ronald Acuña Jr. did homer off of Wheeler in the third and Austin Riley smacked one out against Jonathan Bowlan in the seventh outside of those big flies (and Acuña continuing to be a thorn in Philadelphia’s side), there wasn’t much to cheer about from an Atlanta perspective as the Braves were unable to keep up with the Phillies on the offensive side of things.
This one was certainly looking bleak late! Once again, the Phillies rushed out to an early lead and it eventually turned into a late lead after both Derek Hill and Kyle Schwarber launched bombs at Dylan Dodd’s expense to make it a 4-1 ballgame. The Braves had six outs in order to make sure that they didn’t drop two in a row to Philadelphia and fortunately, they had one of their stars ready to do some more damage.
Ronald Acuña Jr. was already responsible for the lone run batted in for Atlanta up until that point (via a sacrifice fly) and he had an opportunity in the eighth inning to at least add two more RBI to his tally with both Drake Baldwin and Mike Yastrzemski in scoring position. He ended up adding three in one swing, as he turned on a 101-mph heater from Alex McFarlane and drove it into the seats in left-center for a game-changing three-run dinger (his 1,000th career hit, to boot) that brought both the Braves and the local boo-birds in Philadelphia back to life.
Jhoan Duran got the ball for the ninth inning in an effort to restore order. He did not do so, as Ozzie Albies led off the ninth with a double and then Austin Riley picked a fantastic time to hit his second triple of the season over the head of Derek Hill in center field. The three-bagger put the Braves in front, which gave Raisel Iglesias a chance to make another save. A leadoff single made things scary considering Iglesias’s track record with men on base and then a productive out and a passed ball brought Stott al the way to third. For the second time in as many weeks, Iglesias ended up stranding the tying run at third base and just like that, the Braves had stolen one and guaranteed themselves the crucial road split.
Well, as you can tell by the scoreline, there wasn’t much to write home about as far as the offense goes. It was always going to be tough sledding for the Braves on this particular day with Jesús Luzardo going and it ended up being the toughest sledding of all, as Luzardo ended up going the distance and pitching a complete game shutout. Atlanta only managed two hits on the day and three baserunners total, as Matt Olson and Michael Harris II got on with base knocks and then Ronald Acuña Jr. got on with a walk. That’s all she wrote as far as the offense went for the Braves and it was a very, very good thing that they had the split going into this game because this would’ve been a very depressing note to end a four-game series loss on!
Anyways, you’ve got to give credit to Grant Holmes for delivering a strong performance while he was out there. Holmes went six innings and only gave up three hits and two walks while striking out six. When he left the game, it was still a scoreless tie. Instead, Didier Fuentes ended up being the “goat” in this one as he left a 2-2, 2-out pitch against Kyle Schwarber right down the middle. Schwarber is only thinking about one result and looking for one pitch in one location in that situation — he got what he wanted and that ended up being the difference!
So there you have it! Atlanta went into Philadelphia with a four-game lead in the NL East standings and they’ll be leaving town with the same lead in hand. Considering the circumstances, that’s a job well done for the Braves to be able to go into hostile territory with the stakes as high as they were and ultimately hold serve. It’s also huge for the Braves to have gone ahead and clinched the season series over Philadelphia as well — they now hold the tiebreaker over both the team that they’re pursuing for the second seed in the National League and the team that they’re trying to hold off for the divisional title. It’s been a productive couple of weeks for the Braves!
Perhaps the most encouraging development over the past couple of weeks is that Ronald Acuña Jr. is going back on a heater. Heading into the series finale and dating back to August 24, Acuña had been hitting .419/.458/.698 over 11 games and 48 plate appearances, good for a wOBA of .488 and a wRC+ of 213 during that short sample size. It’s exactly what you want to see from a player of Acuña’s caliber as the team gets closer and closer to the Postseason and hopefully this’ll be the start of a special run for Acuña as the playoffs beckon.
Meanwhile, Matt Olson has been mired in a serious funk in that same span, as he’s only been hitting .149/.216/.255 over the past couple of weeks with a wOBA of .205 and a wRC+ of 24. It’s hard to begrudge Olson considering just how well he’s been playing all season but it sure would be nice for him to figure it out at the plate as the season winds down. We’re slowly but surely starting to finally see what this lineup was meant to look like when it was constructed and hopefully this team will finally start hitting on all cylinders at the plate as a unit once October rolls around.
Predictably, the pitching was solid. Chris Sale kept up his fantastic level of performance with a strong outing on Friday, Tyler Mahle pitched another six solid innings on Sunday and then Grant Holmes’ six shutout innings on Monday shouldn’t be forgotten, either. Martín Pérez had the only slip-up as far as starting pitching was concerned and even still, the bullpen picked up the slack and kept the Braves in that particular game. In fact, outside of stumbles from Dylan Dodd on Sunday and Didier Fuentes on Monday (and again, tough to begrudge him considering that he came up huge on Friday), the bullpen put in some really good work against Philadelphia’s lineup in their own cramped ballpark.
Overall, I will absolutely take the Braves grabbing a split of this four-game series. Weirdly enough, the result may also suit the Phillies as well considering their remaining schedule. They’ll be facing the Astros for the next three days while the Braves face the Rays and then after this weekend’s series, Philadelphia will be taking on the Nationals for two and the Mets for four to complete their road trip before returning home to face the Brewers and the Rays. On paper, that seems imposing but both of those teams may have clinched their divisions and their Postseason seeds so they might be letting off the gas a bit in that final week.
Meanwhile, Atlanta has to take on the Rays next, then they travel to Wrigley to face a mercurial-but-tough Cubs team, then they’ll be facing that same Astros team that’s fighting to hold on to the AL West crown before ending the season with three at home against the Reds and three at home against the Marlins. Depending on the circumstances, both teams will have choppy seas to navigate heading into October.
The good news is that the Braves still have the four-game lead intact. That’s not to say that it’s a green light to let off the gas but it’s still good that the Braves remain in the driver’s seat. A strong homestand against the Rays and Phillies is still a must for Atlanta and with the way that they’ve performed at home lately, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that they can get it done and make sure that this lead holds up heading into mid-September. For now, Atlanta has avoided slipping up at the first hurdle and hopefully they’ll continue to clear the hurdles that are ahead of them.
Sep 7, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) slaps hands with Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (14) after scoring during the tenth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There have been some interesting games on Labor Day over the years. We begin in 2002, with the infamous 19-1 blowout against the Dodgers at Bank One Ballpark, which ended in Mark Grace working the ninth inning. At the other end of the pleasantness spectrum, and also against Los Angeles, we have J.D. Martinez blasting four home-runs against them on Labor Day 2017, in Dodger Stadium. Between those, we had Internet famous (and sadly missed) Arizona resident Grumpy Cat, who along with her owner threw out the first pitch, on this holiday in 2015, paving the way for a 6-1 Diamondbacks victory.
This one likely deserves to be filed alongside them. Despite being a bullpen game for Arizona, it was a taut pitcher’s duel, with both sides failing to score. The Royals left the bases loaded in one inning. The D-backs wasted a situation with men on the corners and no outs. But neither side could score in regulation. So it went to extras, where the D-backs proved to be kryptonite for Craig Kimbrel once again. They scored five runs, and looked to be laughing their way to victory. But Gerardo Carrillo had another nightmare, allowing four runs to score while recording one out. Dennis Santana came in with the tying run on second, but got the last two outs for the save.
If my searching is correct, it’s the first time in National League recorded history (per Baseball Reference) where a game was scoreless through the regulation nine innings, but ended with both teams scoring 4+ runs. It has happened twice in the AL, most recently in April 2015, when Houston beat Oakland, also 5-4. Though the record number of runs scored in a scoreless regulation game is 12. The White Sox and Mariners were scoreless through nine in June 2013. After four more sets of zeroes, Chicago scored five in the top half of the fourteenth – only for Seattle to do the same in the bottom half! The White Sox finally prevailed 7-5 in sixteen innings.
Anyway. A long, long time ago, Derek Law started for the Diamondbacks. It’s not actually his first experience of the role, having been the opener for three games during his time in Cincinnati, three years ago. He filled the same role in Toronto back in 2019. I’d forgotten the concept of the opener had been around that long, but it was started by the Rays the previous season. Today, he worked a pair of scoreless innings, assisted by a nifty unassisted double-play by Ildemaro Vargas. Though really, it was more a case of buzzard luck for the hitter. No change of that kind of thing happening twice in the same game, right? Right?
That was, by and large, the most interesting thing that happened in the first eight innings. Santana was followed by Jose Cabrera, who added three scoreless inning. That did get a little wobbly in the fifth, when he put men on the corner with one out. But in a demonstration of why attempting to bunt isn’t necessarily a good idea, the KC hitter popped it up, for Vargas to catch on the slide. The Royals then loaded the bases, before Bobby Witt Jr. hammered one with an exit velocity of 101.4 mph, sending it 375 feet, but fortunately into the waiting glove of Tim Tawa. Scoreless through five, it was then turned over to the more traditional bullpen.
Taylor Clarke worked the sixth and seventh, giving the team two innings for only the second time this year. The pair of scoreless frames reduced his ERA to 2.45. And, remember – he was tagged for four runs in less than an inning on Opening Day against the Dodgers. Since then, his ERA over 63 appearances and 65.2 innings has been 1.92. Brandyn Garcia struck out two batters in the eighth, and Justin Martinez worked around a walk in the ninth. He also threw a pitch at 103.4 mph, the second fastest ever thrown by a Diamondbacks (he had one at 103.6 mph last month).
The top of the ninth had seen Arizona have their best chance to score. Ketel Marte extended his hitting streak to six games with a lead-off single. A perfectly executed hit-and-run by him and Gabriel Moreno, saw our catcher lace one through Gaby Lane (TM, Berthiaume Productions, Inc.) to put men on the corner with one out. Nolan Arenado then came up, and on an 0-2 count, lined a 99 mph fastball, with an exit velocity of 101.4 mph… Right into the diving glove of the Royals’ third baseman, who was then able to lunge for the bag and double off Marte. He wasn’t exactly far off the bag: it was just the same buzzard luck, which had benefited the team earlier.
It felt like a momentum swing, but Kansas City couldn’t score, and so it was hello to old friend Craig Kimbrel in the 10th. Corbin Carroll was the man on second, having struck out woefully on three pitches to end the ninth. Ildemaro Vargas looked to bunt, and did so perfectly past a lunging Kimbrel, to put men on the corners with no outs. Lars Nootbaar pinch-hit and drove in the game’s first run with a deep sacrifice fly. But Kimbrel and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day continued. Arizona scored four more times with two outs, on RBI by Ryan Waldschmidt, Geraldo Perdomo (+1 on an error) and Gabriel Moreno.
To be fair, Kimbrel had actually been good against us since taking two losses in the 2023 NLCS while pitching for the Phillies. Five scoreless appearances, but that streak died hard today. 5-0 up in the middle of the tenth, with a Win Probability of 97.9% = game over, right? No. Enter Carrillo, whose last outing was also a stinker. Today was worse still. Four-pitch walk, RBI double, HBP, K, three-run double. His ERA has jumped from 1.06 to 4.15 in 0.1 IP. Should Dennis Santana have been up earlier? Well, given the results, I’d say he was up just in time. A fly-ball got the second out, but moved the tying run to third, before the most perfectly placed strike three (above) ended a dramatic inning.
This one seriously reminded me of some of the games in the 2007 campaign. There were a couple against San Diego where we blew a 5-1 lead in the ninth, only to win 9-5; or where Arizona were eight runs up at the stretch, only to squeak out an 8-7 victory. But the win’s the thing: it was the D-backs’ fourth in five games, all of them coming by a margin of one run. We now get to relax, enjoy the rest of the day’s games and engage in a little light scoreboard watching, while we prepare for the long awaited return of Corbin Burnes tomorrow…
Click for details at Fangraphs The Dignity of Labor: Dennis Santana, +29% Labor relations: Perdomo, +27%; Moreno, +21%; Cabrera, +18%; Clarke, +17%; Martinez, +14%; Vargas, +13%; Garcia, +11%; Law, +10%
Labor pains: Nolan Arenado, -34% Labor dispute: Carrillo, -27%; Gurriel, -15%; Lawlar, -12%
To be fair, Arenado doesn’t deserve the blame, considering his double-play ball has an xBA of .530. Gurriel did not look good, in his first game back. Those Reno numbers look painfully real, and he may not see much playing time the rest of the way. 267, increasingly-stressed comments – feels like most of them came after the eighth inning! A number turned Sedona Red, but I’m giving it to chwalter, for one which slipped through the net at the time, but in hindsight proved entirely prophetic.
Tomorrow, the same two teams, albeit at a more civilized hour, with a first pitch scheduled for 4:40 pm, Arizona time. As noted above, it will be the long-awaited return of Corbin Burnes, who last pitched for the D-backs on June 1st 2025…
