Category: Baseball

Here’s the Blue Jays’ lineup:

Here’s the Guardians’ lineup:

Let’s go, Guardians!

Well, if the Atlanta Braves wanted to enter the huge weekend series in Philadelphia on a serious roll, they’ll have to just settle for a slight roll instead. The Braves came into this week having won seven straight games but the streak came to a screeching halt at the hands of some unlikely opposition.

Well, maybe it was likely considering how the season series has gone against one team and how the other team usually tends to win their games but needless to say, the Braves won’t be scorching-hot heading into their big four-game series against Philadelphia. They did finally show some reasons to be optimistic about being able to get a positive result this weekend and let’s look into this week’s first three games to figure out why that is the case:

Monday, August 31

Giants 7, Braves 3

Well, there wasn’t too much positive to take away from this game. The San Francisco Giants are in the midst of what’s shaping up to be their worst season since 2017 and yet, they’ll be leaving the 2026 season with fond memories of smacking the Braves around. This made it five out of six wins for the Giants against the Braves in 2026 and it had all the hallmarks of a 2026 Braves/Giants game.

Rafael Devers home run? Check. Bryce Elder getting beat up by the Giants once again? Check, again. San Francisco essentially setting the tone for the entire contest? One more time, check. Devers essentially picked up where he left off against the Braves earlier on this season by hitting his fourth homer in sixth games against Atlanta to make it 1-0 in the first and while the Braves actually got out to a 2-1 lead, Elder was unable to keep the dam from bursting against San Francisco.

Jonah Cox frustratingly bunted in a run to tie the game in the fifth inning and then San Francisco capitalized on the Braves squandering a bases loaded opportunity with two out in the bottom of the fifth by immediately jumping on Elder in the sixth. Osleivis Basabe hit his fourth dinger of the season to lead off the sixth and by the time the smoke had cleared in the sixth, Bryce Elder and Dylan Lee were responsible for the Giants having a four-run inning. Jonah Cox then proved that he could hurt the Braves with the long ball as well, as his ninth inning dinger (also his fourth of the season) made it a 7-3 game and Atlanta was unable to respond after the breakout inning for the Giants.

Tuesday, September 1

Nationals 9, Braves 5

Well, if there’s one team that you usually don’t want to end up in a slugfest with, it’s the Nationals. That’s especially been the case for the Braves lately, as they’ve had some real struggles to put together some sustained offense away from Truist Park. The good news is that Atlanta did put five runs on the board in this one, which was the most that they’d scored in a single game away from Truist Park (or a neutral site) since July 24. On top of Atlanta scoring five, Ha-Seong Kim picked up three hits in this one! This was Kim’s first multi-hit game since September 17 of last season and needless to say, the Braves would gladly use any type of real production that they can get from Kim down the stretch.

The bad news is that this was another rough day for the pitching staff, as the 2026 Nats fired off one final salvo at the Braves in a season that’s been very productive for them at the plate. AJ Smith-Shawver was only able to get through four innings in this one and by the time he left, it was a 5-2 game in favor of Washington.

The Nats then pulled away against the debuting Blake Burkhalter and reliever Brent Suter, as Burkhalter surrendered a sacrifice fly to Brady House and then Suter got knocked around for three runs (including an error) in order to make it a 8-2 ballgame at the time. The three-run flurry that Atlanta delivered in the eighth inning was encouraging considering how tough it’s been for Atlanta to put crooked numbers up in any given inning on the road lately, but it was simply a case of putting lipstick on a pig as the Nationals rolled to a 9-5 win.

Wednesday, September 2

Braves 9, Nationals 0

It took a while but we finally got to see the Braves really hammer an opposing team for once — and on the road, no less! Things remained scoreless in this one until the sixth inning, as Grant Holmes looked very sharp in a rain-shortened outing and then the rest of the bullpen picked up the baton and ran with it in dominating fashion for the rest of the way. Atlanta only gave up two hits in this contest and it was definitely nice to see Elieser Hernández continue to come up big in yet another strong multi-inning appearance.

The pitching staff’s strong performance bought Atlanta enough time to finally start doing some real damage away from home. The sixth inning started with Ronald Acuña Jr. getting on with a single and then stealing his 20th base of 2026 but it only got more exciting from there. Riley Cornelio intentionally walked Michael Harris II in order to try to get Sean Murphy with two outs. That ended up being a mistake, as Murphy crushed one for a three-run shot that broke the deadlock.

History was then made in the seventh, as Ronald Acuña Jr. finally cracked his 200th career home run in order to push Atlanta into comfortable position at 6-0. Acuña is now the fastest player to join the career 200-200 Club and hopefully he’ll be able to keep the homers coming now that he’s finally moved past that particular milestone.

Anyways, Austin Riley cashed in a bases-loaded opportunity in the eighth with a liner to left that brought home two to make it 8-0 and then Sean Murphy padded his stats with an RBI single off of José Tena, who is not a pitcher. This one ended 9-0 and it was sure nice to see the Braves bring the lumber away from Cobb County, for once.

Atlanta also got a bit of good news shortly after their win on Wednesday as the Diamondbacks held on to a 1-0 win over the Phillies, which ensured that the Braves will be heading into Philadelphia with a four-game lead. Hopefully we’ll see the Braves play with some confidence in that series — Atlanta has been the top dog in the NL East all season and now’s as good of a time as ever to really confirm it and to do so in their closest pursuer’s own stadium would be huge.

In the mean time, the only real takeaways from these three games is that we can at least have some hope that the offense may have brought the bats with them on this road trip. It had been far too long since we’d seen the Braves actually do some real damage at the plate on the road and that’s going to have to continue going forward since Atlanta will be playing more games away from Truist Park this month than in their humble abode in Cobb County. While there’s also a bit of a concern that this could just be a case of the Braves beating up on a Nationals pitching staff that’s been vulnerable all season, I don’t think anybody would complain if Atlanta took that confidence from this series in Washington and carried it over to the big one in Philadelphia.

Also, how about Ha-Seong Kim? It almost feels as if a switch has turned on for the guy with the way that he’s ben productive over the past week. Kim now has six hits in his past six games, which is wild considering that he had five hits in just 31 games before then. At the risk of sounding like Chip Caray, getting a productive Ha-Seong Kim back would almost be like picking up a player after the trade deadline. As well as Mauricio Dubón has played all season, this team was designed for Ha-Seong Kim to play a crucial role. If he can step up for the rest of the way then that just makes this Braves lineup tougher to deal with going forward.

Now, it’s time for Atlanta to enjoy an off-day before the biggest series of the season gets underway. Atlanta’s going to have four pitchers that they’re confident in starting for them in Philadelphia, with Chris Sale, Martín Pérez, Tyler Mahle and Bryce Elder going for them in that order. The pitching has proven that they can keep any given lineup quiet on any given day. The offense is finally beginning to show some real signs of life away from home. There’s nothing left but to take care of business and hopefully we’ll see the Braves make it happen once it’s all said and done on Monday evening.

Go Rays!

Game two with the Guardians. It almost has to be better than game one.

The Jays are saying that Jameson Taillon will start Friday’s game against the Royals

Looking at that picture, I used to think I’d like to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but it interests me less now. And I’m not crossing that border for three more years. But I think there are other things I need to see before that particular Hall of Fame.

The year Covid hit, I had planned to go to Kansas City, to watch the Jays play there and to see the Negro League Baseball Hall of Fame. That’s higher up on the list. And I’d like to visit Nashville one day. And there are some places in Texas I’d like to visit.

Go Jays Go

WASHINGTON — Bat met ball in the top of the seventh inning, the latter flying out of the ballpark at 104 mph and soon, Ronald Acuña Jr. was flapping his arms and getting saluted in return by Atlanta Braves coaches and teammates, having witnessed another superlative from their now 28-year-old superstar.

“It’s freakish talent,” says Braves manager Walt Weiss. “And so he's capable of doing unbelievable things.”

In this case, on a rainy Wednesday, Sept 2 at Nationals Park, Acuña became the quickest player to reach 200 stolen bases and 200 homers, hitting the mark in just 904 career games, 25 sooner than Alfonso Soriano.

For a guy who debuted at 20 to reach a “fastest to” plateau at 28 seems momentarily incongruous. Yet that simply speaks to the adversity Acuña has faced after the sheen of his instant stardom wore off.

A pair of torn ACLs, one on each leg, essentially robbed him of two seasons, including the Braves’ run to the 2021 World Series championship. This season, a hamstring strain sent him twice to the injured list, and Weiss saw fit to bench him to “slow the game down” when he struggled returning from his second IL stint.

Those struggles seemed far away Wednesday.

The San Francisco Giants continue this three-game road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Landen Roupp, who enters today’s game with a 4.25 ERA, 3.74 FIP, with 133 strikeouts to 66 walks in 139.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks last Thursday, in which he allowed one run on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

He’ll be facing off against Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler, who enters today’s game with a 4.26 ERA, 4.09 FIP, with 117 strikeouts to 68 walks in 131 innings pitched. His last start was in the Pirates’ 3-0 loss to the San Diego Padres last Wednesday, in which he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks in five and two thirds innings.

Game #140

Who: San Francisco Giants (57-82) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (68-71)

Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

When: 3:40 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

The final game of a lengthy road trip is always a tricky proposition. Having already secured a winning record on their nine-game western swing, it was easy to envision the Phillies going through the motions in anticipation of boarding their flight back to Philadelphia.

Sure enough, the offense was silent against a bullpen game by the Diamondbacks. But it almost didn’t matter because rookie starting pitcher Andrew Painter delivered a gem, pitching seven shutout innings. Unfortunately, one mistake by reliever Jonathan Bowlan was enough to send the Phillies to a 1-0 loss.

Since his return from the minors, the first inning has given Painter some trouble. But after allowing a single to start the game, Painter got the next three hitters in the frame out…and pretty much just about every other hitter he faced after that.

From the second to the sixth, the Diamondbacks had one runner reach base, and that came via Bryson Stott error in the fourth. The Diamondbacks finally recorded their second hit of the game with one out in the seventh, but Painter rebounded to get the next two batters to finish his day.

Painter’s performance was perhaps more impressive because his offense did absolutely nothing at the plate. Facing an array of relief pitchers, they managed just three hits on the day – two of them by Bryan De La Cruz, who was the only player to get as far as second base. Bryce Harper had the other hit and walked twice to extend his on-base streak to 35, but the rest of the team had a collective 0-fer at the plate.

The Diamondbacks must have been ecstatic to see Painter leave the game. Jonathan Bowlan came in for the eighth and was greeted warmly by James McCann.

And that was that.

It was a disappointing if not unexpected end to an otherwise successful road trip. They’ll fly home and have an off day on Thursday before starting a four-game series against the Braves that may very well decide which team wins the National League East. Painter won’t pitch in that series, but hopefully his veteran rotation mates can duplicate his effort.

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the bump tonight, so I'm riding with him as part of our Cardinals vs. Dodgers predictions.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are massive 70-cent favorites at Polymarket, and we'll be focused on the run line to squeeze out some extra value as a result.

Let’s dive into my MLB picks for Wednesday, Sept. 2.

Who will win Cardinals vs Dodgers today: Dodgers -1.5 (51%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

When Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the mound, it's tough to find an edge elsewhere. Yamamoto allowed just seven earned runs across 32 1/3 innings pitched in August (1.95 ERA), and is in a good spot against the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that owns a .176 average against him.

Yamamoto is having another fantastic season, with opponents rocking just a .213 xBA and .340 xSLG against him this year. He'll silence the bats, and with many questions surrounding who will be on the mound for the Cardinals, I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the Los Angeles Dodgers' offense.

COVERS INTEL: With the lowest walk rate of his career (5.9%), the Cardinals are going to have to earn it tonight. Expect Yamamoto to go deep against the team ranked 22nd in wRC+.

Cardinals vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (47%)

The Cardinals have yet to announce their starter, but while I think the Dodgers will do enough to cover, their offense has struggled recently. The Under has covered in four of their last five games, and that trend should continue with Yamamoto on the mound tonight.

St. Louis is also one of the best Under teams in baseball, hitting at a 54.2% clip this season.

Cardinals vs Dodgers home run prediction: Pick (16%)

At this price, Jordan Walker is the best bet on the board tonight. Walker owns the highest xSLG (.486) of his career and has an .821 OPS against righties.

Mistakes may be few and far between from Yamamoto tonight, but if there's one guy in the Cardinals' lineup that will capitalize, it's Walker.

Cardinals vs Dodgers weather

It's a perfect night for baseball in Los Angeles, with temperatures of 79 degrees Fahrenheit accompanying sunny skies.

Cardinals vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Cardinals 31% | Dodgers 70%
• Run line: Cardinals +1.5 (50%) | Dodgers -1.5 (51%)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (54%) | Under 7.5 (47%)

Cardinals vs Dodgers trend

The Dodgers are 6-0 in Yamamoto's last six starts vs. NL Central teams. Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Cardinals vs Dodgers and game info

Cardinals vs Dodgers latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

In the last game of a 16 day run where they played every day, the Nats did not have any juice. They came out flat before the rain delay and that continued when play resumed. However, given the context, it was a performance I can live with in a 162 game season.

This was still a successful home stand. After leaking oil for most of August, the Nats had a solid 6-4 run at home. Things reached rock bottom after they got humbled in a 13-1 defeat against the Rockies. However, after Blake Butera called out the team’s effort, they responded. They won 3 out of 4 against the Marlins and last night’s win over the Braves was one of my favorites of the season.

Today was a different story though. Even though James Wood was back, it just felt like a punt game from the beginning. Between the pitching plan and the lack of offense, they never felt in the game. It was Wood who got the first hit of the game in the 6th inning. This was just a sleepy performance.

Brad Lord actually did his part, firing 3.1 strong innings before a lengthy rain delay. After play resumed, Riley Cornelio got out of a bases loaded jam. That could have been the spark to ignite the Nats, but they just did not have it today. On the broadcast, they said that the Nats played 39 games in 41 days. With an off day and such a dramatic win last night, coming out flat was honestly understandable.

This game was pretty uneventful outside of a couple 3-run homers for the Braves and Max Kranick getting lit up like a Christmas tree. I want to circle back to last night though. That was one of the best wins the organization has had in some time.

I put it like that because the group accomplished a lot in that win. With their 67th win of the year, the Nats exceeded their win total from 2025. Heading into the season, there was real doubt about whether that would happen following the losses of MacKenzie Gore, Jose A. Ferrer and Josh Bell. 

However, they got it done with plenty of time to spare. That is due in large part to the impressive hitting infrastructure the new front office has put in place. Even in September, the Nats are still second in baseball in runs scored and have some real distance between themselves and third. The pitching development has been hit or miss, but it feels like almost every hitter in the organization has improved.

We saw that on display last night with Yohandy Morales. The 24 year old looked right at home in his MLB debut. He had three hits on the night, with his first being a home run which was an amazing moment. There are not a ton of massive names in this lineup, but everyone they bring up seems to be at least showing some promise offensively.

There have been some players who have taken massive leaps, while others are taking slow but steady strides. Some players like Curtis Mead immediately took to the new coaching and broke out right away. For others such as Luis Garcia Jr. and Andres Chaparro, it took a couple months for things to click, but when it did, the impact was loud. 

Brady House is another fun example. He showed he was better than last year at the plate right away, but still needed to make big improvements. House actually had to go to the minor leagues to do that. Since being recalled, he has looked a lot better on both sides of the ball. He has a second half OPS of .755. As a whole, his OPS has gone from .574 last year to .710 this year in a nearly identical sample.

While Dylan Crews has not taken the leap most were hoping for, he also had a big moment this home stand. One thing that dogged the Nationals all year long was late inning offense. Crews finally gave the boys their first walk off all season. It was a big moment for him and the team.

Crews has slumped since that moment, which is honestly on brand for how his career has gone. However, I do think the walk off still gave him extra confidence that could be helpful down the line.

It was ugly today, but this was honestly one of my favorite home stands of the year. The team looked pretty dead coming into it, but came out with more life. This season could have gone totally off the rails, but this home stand helped the Nats stabilize.

They finally have an off day now before going on a west coast trip. The boys better bring more energy this weekend because the Dodgers are no easy challenge. It is time for the Nats to finish strong and build momentum into next season. This home stand helped that goal tremendously.

San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, September 2, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle of a three-game set inside PNC Park against the San Francisco Giants.

On the mound for the Giants is Landen Roupp (8-13, 4.25 ERA), who is making his 27th start of the season. Roupp last pitched against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home on August 27, going five innings and giving up four hits and one earned run in a 6-1 victory. With the win, he snapped a six-game losing streak. Roupp pitched against the Pirates earlier in the season, giving up three hits and one earned run in a 13-3 loss back in May.

Jared Jones is getting the ball for the Pirates, where he hopes to bounce back after a tough losing streak of his own. In his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 28, he went 4.2 innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs in a 4-1 loss. The Pirates last won a game in which Jones pitched on July 18 against the Cleveland Guardians. Since then, they have dropped seven in a row when he takes the mound.

Perhaps September will bring some hope for Jones, but they will have to earn it against the Giants.

Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh

Pitching Matchup: Landen Roupp (8-13, 4.25 ERA) vs. Jared Jones (2-6, 4.83 ERA)

BD community, this is your game thread against the San Francisco Giants. Chime off in the comments section below.

Mets lineup

Francisco Lindor – SS
Juan Soto – DH
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Jared Young – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
A.J. Ewing – CF
Brett Baty – LF
Luis Torrens – C

SP: Justin Hagenman – RHP

Rays lineup

Yandy Diaz – DH
Jonathan Aranda – 1B
Junior Caminero – 3B
Liam Hicks – C
Chandler Simpson – LF
Victor Mesa – RF
Cedric Mullins – CF
Richie Palacios – 2B
Taylor Walls – SS

SP: Griffin Jax – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 6:40 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

Wednesday notes…

• YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHY THIS HAPPENED: During the Cubs’ 6-10 slide, their starting pitchers have allowed no more than three runs in 11 games. The Cubs won only five of them. They lost once when a starter permitted up no runs, twice each when he yielded one and two, and last night, when Matthew Boyd gave up three. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• CUBS vs. BREWERS: With last night’s loss, the Cubs are 120-114 in games at home against the Brewers. In games of home series that began in the last week of August or later, they are 32-27, but in the last 10 such series, just 13-19, and in the last six, 6-13. They are 8-9 in all third games of the late-season series but 2-8 in the last 10 and 1-5 in the last six, with the win coming in the most recent third game, in 2023. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• HOME RUN NOTE: One day after hitting a team-record nine home runs, the Cubs did not hit any. On July 1, they hit eight; in their next game, two days later, none. Last year, they hit eight for the first time on July 4, then two the next day. The Cubs lost all three of the next-day games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Ryne Sandberg’s grand slam highlights a six-run eighth inning, bringing the Cubs back from a 5-4 deficit to an eventual 10-8 win over the Padres in San Diego. It happened 35 years ago today, Monday, Sept. 2, 1991.

Cubs lineup:

Brewers lineup:

David Peterson, LHP vs. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP

In eight starts and one relief appearance since that debacle against the Cardinals July 3, David Peterson has been outstanding: 2.35 ERA, 1.261 WHIP, although he struggled a bit in his last start, Friday against the Reds.

Peterson’s first start as a Cub was against the Brewers, June 27 in Milwaukee, and he turned in a creditable 5.2 inning outing with two runs allowed and no walks.

That’d work pretty well tonight.

So, Jacob Misiorowski. You all know what he’s accomplished and how hard he throws.

The Cubs have had some success against him, largely when they can work counts and foul off a lot of pitches. That’s about the only thing I can suggest for success this evening.

He has been slightly less fantastic since his ERA dropped to 1.34 on June 12. Since then: 2.25 ERA in 11 starts, with nine home runs allowed in 64 innings. That’s really good but not as otherworldly as before, with that 1.34 ERA in his first 14 starts and only four HR in 87 innings.

Good luck tonight, Cubs hitters.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Brewers market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball. If you do go there to interact with Brewers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Prior to Wednesday night's rubber game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Mets interim skipper Andy Green talked about the team's starting pitching rotation moving forward and the health status of key players. 

Is a Jonah Tong call-up just around the corner?

With the MLB rosters having just expanded by two additional players, 23-year-old righty Jonah Tong is a strong candidate for a September call-up from Triple-A Syracuse.

In his last outing in the minors on Aug. 29th, Tong allowed just one hit through seven full innings, striking out eight batters and walking two.

Green told the media that Tong's potential addition to the team's pitching staff is "under discussion right now" and called the prospect of an extended starting rotation "definitely a possibility".

"We have been paying attention to Jonah's outings, we've seen where he's at, and we think positively about what he's done," he continued.

"When Jonah is in the strike zone, on the attack, letting his best stuff play, he usually has a lot of success," Green concluded.

However, it seems that Tong's potential first appearance with the big league club since June of this year might have to wait until after New York's three-game road set against the San Francisco Giants, as Green named Nolan McLean, Zac Thornton, and Christian Scott as the team's starters for that series.

Status of injured RHP Devin Williams

The Mets said they "hope and anticipate" that closer Devin Williams will return from his shoulder strain this season.

Accordingly, Green provided a brief update on the right-hander in his news conference.

"He's playing catch. I don't have a timetable yet, but he is throwing," he stated.

In Williams' place, Kodai Senga has been converted into an effective makeshift reliever. In August, Senga recorded five saves and 12 strikeouts across 10.1 innings, sporting a 1.74 ERA in the process.

Juan Soto's potential return to the outfield

The last time Juan Soto started a game in the Mets' outfield was Jul. 24 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the same game in which the star slugger exited early with a calf injury.

Since returning from that injury on Aug. 29, Soto has served as the team's designated hitter rather than taking his usual spot in left field.

However, Green had some positive news about Soto's potential return to the outfield.

"He'll definitely get back out there," Green shared. "We'll let how he feels daily dictate how often he's out there, since we'd obviously like him in the lineup every single day, so we'll do our best."

"There will be DH days, but how many depends on a number of factors," Green revealed.

The A’s managed to steal a win in Texas and avoid another sweep, beating the Rangers 9-2 to wrap up the series and snap the losing streak. Win #54 locked up.

More to come…

36 Years Ago Today

Blue Jays starter Dave Stieb had carried no-hitters into the ninth inning three times before. So, when Stieb took the mound in Cleveland on September 2, 1990, he must have wondered what would happen this time. Here’s what happened those previous three times:

• On September 24, 1988, in Cleveland, Julio Franco broke up the no-hitter with a ground ball that took an unexpectedly high hop, sailing over second baseman Manny Lee’s head.
• In Stieb’s very next start, this time in Toronto against the Orioles, Jim Traber ended the bid with a soft two-out fly ball that dropped between the infielders and outfielders.
• Then, on August 4, 1989, during the inaugural season at SkyDome, Roberto Kelly spoiled a potential perfect game with a two-out double into the gap in the ninth inning.

But the fourth time, everything finally fell into place.

In the ninth, Stieb:

• Got pinch-hitter Chris James to fly out (a pretty deep flyout).
• Struck out pinch-hitter Candy Maldonado.
• Walked Alex Cole (Stieb walked 4, unusual for him).
• And he induced Jerry Browne to fly/line out to right fielder Junior Felix.

Here is the final out:

Cleveland didn’t exactly have a powerhouse lineup in 1990. Their cleanup hitter, Ken Phelps (perhaps best known for a Seinfeld reference rather than his baseball stats), was batting just .155/.288/.198 at the time. In fact, five of their starters had an OPS below .700.

Stieb didn’t feel he was at his best that day. From the Toronto Star game story:

I didn’t have great control. I couldn’t find my release point in the early innings. I hung pitches but got away with them. They helped me out a few times by swinging at bad pitches. They hit balls right at people.

The win was Stieb’s 17th of the season against 5 losses. He finished the game with a 2.91 ERA. He would finish the season 18-6 with a 2.93 ERA, his most wins in a season, setting a new team-high.

I was a huge fan of Stieb—he was fiercely competitive. He would have been a good match for Jose Bautista, but unlike Jose, Stieb wasn’t afraid to stare down teammates who made mistakes. Unfortunately, the team wasn’t at its best when he was in his prime. I’m not sure if he was a bad teammate in other respects, but that kind of behavior probably didn’t make him popular in the clubhouse.

But I wasn’t on the team—I just saw him as the best player on my team and, at the time, the best pitcher in baseball. I admired his drive to win. For much of his career, there weren’t many other Jays worth cheering for.

It is still the only no-hitter in Blue Jays history.