Category: Baseball

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The Los Angeles Dodgers come into tonight’s game as big 68% moneyline favorites against the Washington Nationals in what should be a pitcher’s duel between Tyler Glasnow and Cade Cavalli.

I’ll break down why I’m picking the hosts to win a low-scoring game in my Nationals vs. Dodgers predictions and free MLB picks for Saturday, Sept. 5.

Who will win Nationals vs Dodgers today: Dodgers moneyline (68%)

For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be without Shohei Ohtani tonight, but they’ve still got an elite offense. And they won’t need to give Tyler Glasnow much run support, anyway.

Glasnow ranks in the 97th percentile in both xERA (2.44) and xBA (.183), as well as the 83rd percentile in overall pitching run value.

The Washington Nationals have been the second-best offensive team in baseball this season (5.16 runs per game). However, they’ve averaged just 3.80 runs per game since Aug. 14, scoring two or fewer in 10 of their last 20.

I don’t love the Dodgers' tax here, but we’re pigeonholed with L.A. only covering the run line in 13 of its last 50 contests.

Back the Dodgers to 69%.

COVERS INTEL: Since Aug. 14, the Nationals rank 28th in wOBA (.290), a big drop-off compared to their full-season number (.328, third).

Nationals vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (57%)

Cade Cavalli has been impressive for the Nationals, especially down the stretch, sporting a 1.75 ERA over his last six starts while allowing two earned runs or fewer in nine of his last 10 appearances.

The Dodgers obviously have an elite offense, but they’ll miss Ohtani, who leads all L.A. starting players in SLG and OPS vs. right-handed pitching.

Washington has cashed the Under in 29 of its last 50 games, while Los Angeles has hit the Under in eight of its last 11.

Play to 58%.

Nationals vs Dodgers home run prediction: Freddie Freeman (17%)

Freddie Freeman isn’t the 30+ home run hitter he once was, but he’s still got a respectable 16 dingers this season. He broke a near two-month home run drought on Wednesday, and I like his chances to go yard again tonight.

Freeman has been particularly dangerous against the four-seamer from righties, batting a ridiculous .355 with a .554 SLG. Six of his homers have come against that pitch type, and it’s also Cavalli’s most common offering (32.9%). 

Nationals vs Dodgers weather

Weather shouldn’t be a major factor tonight at Dodger Stadium, where they’re expecting temperatures in the 70s and very light winds blowing out to right field.

Nationals vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Nationals 33% | Dodgers 68%
• Run line: Nationals +1.5 | Dodgers -1.5
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

Nationals vs Dodgers trend

The Nationals have hit the team total Under in 10 of their last 14 away games (+5.45 Units / 31% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Nationals vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Nationals vs Dodgers and game info

Nationals vs Dodgers latest injuries

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Throughout his first full season in the big leagues, we have learned that Cade Cavalli loves a challenge. Whenever he squares off with the marquee teams in the league, Cavalli tends to have his best stuff. He will have an opportunity to do that again tonight against the Dodgers.

Cavalli will be facing off with Tyler Glasnow tonight in what should be a very exciting matchup. It feels like Cavalli is starting to get those big matchups on a regular basis now that he is emerging as the Nats ace. The last time he was on the mound, he was opposed by Sandy Alcantara. Now, he will see another one of the NL’s premier arms.

He is in these ace matchups for a reason. That is exactly what Cavalli has been over the past couple months. In his last 13 starts, Cavalli has a 2.15 ERA with elite underlying numbers. He had a streak of 10 straight quality starts that was only ended due to taking a comebacker off his leg last time out.

Cavalli’s season numbers as a whole are very impressive too. In 152.2 innings, he has a 3.12 ERA and 177 strikeouts. A 170 inning, 200 strikeout season is within reach for Cavalli. A couple years ago, that seemed like a long shot. His Tommy John recovery was bumpy to say the least. He was off the mound for most of two seasons. Even at the beginning of last year, the results were not there in AAA.

However, he got things going again at the end of last year. With the addition of a power sweeper and improved command, he has taken another leap this season. Cavalli is now one of the pillars of the organization. His competitive fire is one of his trademark traits as well.

When the lights are brightest, that is when we see the best of Cavalli. The Cubs have been the best offense in the league this season, but they were no match for Cavalli. That start against the Cubs was the best one of his career. He flirted with a no-hitter and had everything working against an elite offense.

For these big games, it feels like Cavalli always has a little something extra. The fastball velocity is up a tick, the breaking balls are sharper and his intensity is higher. Cavalli is always intense on the mound, but he takes things to another level in these games.

That Red Sox start is a perfect example of this. He may have gone too far in that start, but he did dominate a red hot offense. Cavalli got an insane 25 whiffs in that start. His fastball was up to 100 and his breakers were out of this world. That is the sort of stuff you see from Cade in a big game.

I can’t wait to see what Cavalli looks like when we are finally a playoff team someday. It would be an environment he would thrive in. The closest thing the Nats have to the playoffs are these matchups with elite teams. Those are the games where Cavalli is at his best.

This Dodgers lineup is a tough nut to crack. However, I have confidence that Cavalli will go out there and pitch well. It may be a late game, but I am really excited to see Cade matchup with the best team in the league. Expect to see a lot of 98’s and 99’s on the gun.

We know that Cavalli will be amped up for this matchup. The only question is whether he will get enough run support. This offense has looked lackluster lately. However, they usually come to play for Cade. There should be fireworks and a lot of strikeouts in LA tonight because big game Cade is suiting up.

Six innings, no runs.

By most standards, that would be a start worth celebrating.

Blake Snell called it a “good starting point.”

“I think I can be way better,” Snell said.

The more Snell talked about his start in the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory over the Nationals, the more dissatisfied he sounded. He wasn’t where he wanted to be.

He isn’t alone.

The starters who will comprise the Dodgers’ postseason rotation know that when the playoffs start, they will have to pitch better than they have. Their team’s inconsistent offense will once again give them little margin for error, perhaps even less than last year with Shohei Ohtani dealing with multiple injuries.

If October marks the start of the baseball season in Los Angeles, September is spring training. The pitchers have three weeks to prepare for the starts that will define their seasons, or perhaps even careers. Up next will be Tyler Glasnow, who pitches Saturday in only his third start since returning from a 3 ½-month absence that was forced on him by back spasms.

The night before Snell beat the Nationals, Tarik Skubal was flabbergasted by his stat line in his start against the Cardinals: 5 ⅓ innings, two runs, 10 hits, all of them singles.

“I mean, 10 singles,” said Skubal, taking solace in how he didn’t give up any extra-base hits. 

Skubal said he threw the ball well, pointing to how pitches that missed by a couple of inches to either side radically transformed certain at-bats.

“In my eyes,” Skubal said, “that’s executing a pitch.”

Which isn’t to say Skubal viewed himself entirely as a victim of dumb luck.

“I’ve gotta continue to make pitches and continue to suppress contact and try and get misses when I can,” he said.

The start was the sixth for Skubal since his trade from the Tigers. He has pitched more than six innings only once for the Dodgers, with whom he is 1-2 with a 3.03 ERA.

“I know we haven’t seen the best of him yet,” manager Dave Roberts said.

The Dodgers saw the best of Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Wednesday — for five innings.

Facing the Cardinals, Yamamoto had a no-hitter through five innings that was broken up in the sixth on a leadoff single by José Fermín. Two batters later, Yamamoto gave up a home run to Thomas Saggese. 

In the next inning, Yamamoto gave up a leadoff double to Jordan Walker, which was followed by a home run by Leo Bernal.

“When I went into the stretch, my control was really bad,” Yamamoto said in Japanese.

He departed the game with a 5-4 lead, which the bullpen failed to protect. The Dodgers lost the game in extra innings.

Yamamoto was frustrated, as he thought it was inexcusable to lose a game in which the Dodgers’ slumping offense scored five runs.

“They scored for me, and it was a game we could have won if I’d held the other team,” Yamamoto said.

Yamamoto has made 25 starts, and his numbers are better than they were last year at the same stage, as he has a 2.67 ERA in 165 innings. Through his first 25 starts last year, he had a 2.90 ERA in 139 ⅔ innings.

Yamamoto’s personal trainer, Osamu Yada, said Yamamoto should start hitting his stride in the second half of the month, which should position him to perform as well, if not better, in the playoffs than he did last year when he was the Most Valuable Player of the World Series.

As for Snell, he said he had to be more efficient.

His six-inning effort was an inning longer than his previous start, but he continued to call on himself to pitch deeper into the game.

“Going six is cool, and it’s a good starting point,” Snell said. “I really want to go seven, eight. I want to get to nine.”

Snell, who pitched for only the fifth time since he returned from an early-season elbow operation, threw 100 pitches.

“I just can’t be walking guys that I know I can get out. Just gotta get ahead, quit trying to be so perfect and just attack it.”

That’s what Snell did when he pitched seven shutout innings against the Reds in Game 1 of the wild-card series last year. That’s what he did when he blanked the Brewers over eight innings in the opening game of the National League Championship Series.

Snell knows where he wants to be when the playoffs open. He has three more regular-season starts to get there.

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Toronto is back to .500 and can smell a playoff spot; we're riding with Max Scherzer today as part of our Royals vs. Blue Jays prediction.

The Toronto Blue Jays come into Kansas City as -110 favorites against the Royals, and should be able to have their way with Seth Lugo at Kauffman Stadium (7:10 pm ET).

Let’s dive into my MLB picks for Saturday, Sept. 5.

Blue Jays vs Royals predictions

Blue Jays vs Royals best bet: Toronto Blue Jays Moneyline (-110)

The Toronto Blue Jays are winners of five of their last six, with the offense continuing to roll, scoring 26 runs across their last three games.

There's not much in the way of stopping them from continuing that trend today, as Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo has struggled mightily this season, owning the highest xBA (.280) and xERA (5.16) of his career. 

Don't be surprised if the Blue Jays end up putting up close to nine runs in back-to-back nights.

I'd play this up to -120.

COVERS INTEL:Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino are a combined 3-for-16 against Max Scherzer in their career, giving me plenty of confidence he'll be able to shut down the Royals' bats - they are the second-worst team hitting with RISP in the big leagues.

Blue Jays vs Royals same-game parlay (SGP)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is finding his stroke at the plate at the perfect time for the Blue Jays, logging five hits over his last three games, and while Ernie Clement has had a subpar second half of the season, he did register two hits just yesterday. Against a contact pitcher like Lugo, I'm expecting a ton of balls in play tonight.

Blue Jays vs Royals SGP

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2+ bases
• Ernie Clement 2+ H/R/RBI
• Blue Jays moneyline

Blue Jays vs Royals home run pick: George Springer (+405)

George Springer has been making some loud contact lately, and should be able to get the barrel on Lugo, who won't overpower anyone. Springer has been extremely hot post-All-Star break, rocking a .856 OPS — let's see him connect with one tonight.

Blue Jays vs Royals odds

• Moneyline: Toronto -110 | Kansas City -110
• Run line: Toronto -1.5 (+145) | Kansas City +1.5 (-170)
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 (-110) | Under 9.5 (-110)

Blue Jays vs Royals trend

The Over is 6-0-2 in the Royals' last eight games as a home underdog. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Royals.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Royals and game info

Blue Jays vs Royals latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Royals weather

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This was not a vintage 2026 Cubs win, though another win by five runs is plenty acceptable. This one didn’t get out of hand and there wasn’t a lot of offensive heroics. Largely, the offense had one very good inning and the team rode that and really strong pitching to a second straight win. The pitching staff isn’t usually where the team finds its sweet spot. But that’s exactly where it has been the last couple of nights. To be clear, we aren’t out looking for style points right now. The Phillies got hot right when the Cubs got cold. The top Wild Card spot very much looks like a fight to the finish now.

This was two straight where the driving force was the pitching staff. Things had been rough for the pitchers lately, so these two days have to be a big morale boost. As much as the guys in this locker room would tell you that they were still comfortable and confident, everyone is aware that the position players have been carrying this team. It’s really great that in their hour of need the pitchers stepped forward. Shōta Imanaga is a welcome, if a little surprising, player to step forward and get another win for this team. Imanaga gave them one run over six, allowing only three hits. Aaron Civale locked it down for his second save (both of the three inning variety). Civale has allowed four earned runs in 26.1 innings. That’s a 1.37 ERA. Cherry picked situation or not, he has answered the bell for this team.

Offensively, there wasn’t any one performance that jumps off of the page. Nico Hoerner had a three-hit game. Michael Busch had the team’s one homer. Pedro Ramirez was the only hitter to drive in two. It was a balanced attack. Six Cubs had hits. Five Cubs drew at least one walk, including Michael Conforto with two of them. It’s good to see so many chipping in. There are days for Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman to shoulder all of the load. They can’t do it every day. And this team needs wins right now. I’m just going to keep saying it.

I wrote one day last week about how consistent this team has been if you pull back. Yeah, peaks and valleys. They happen to every team. If you get angry with Ian Happ constantly, this paragraph definitely isn’t for you. But when you drown out the noise, this is a 92ish win team. It’s been that way for a long time. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. If you want to be frustrated for what they might have been, that’s fine. I get it. It’s a fair thought.

I think back to one day a few months ago. I wrote about how unfortunate it is that this team got so swamped by pitching injuries. Some of my most loyal readers/commenters politely pointed out that it’s not like the injuries came out of nowhere. They stacked a ton of guys with lengthy injury history. I didn’t counter then, but I will now. That doesn’t mean that so many of them had to have worst case or near worst case scenarios. The points are fair and that’s why I didn’t push then. Obviously, those of you who pushed (and those who thought it) were right. This was clearly in the range of outcomes. But I have to believe there were possibilities in the range that would have had at least one or two of their real horses stay healthy and effective.

Still, this last five days has shown again, this team is in the fight. I don’t think any of us ever really, really bought in to this team. We all see the limitations. But these last five days, three really good starts. Two games that could have gone their way of they got any pitching. It kind of lays it all out there. The pieces are there. They aren’t the best pieces that will be on the field. I think the Brewers feel really confident against the Cubs and they should. But I don’t think anyone is super excited to play the Cubs though.

I’ll take it. In the fight. Not totally a lost cause.

Three Positives:

• Shōta Imanaga. I covered it in my look ahead. This Marlins team is not inept offensively. One run over six is good.
• In that same vein, I’m going with Aaron Civale for three scoreless innings to finish it out. Yes, it was low leverage, but he kept the entire bullpen fresh. The Cubs have now used three relievers over the last two games. Just past the halfway point of 13 straight games and you’re going to have guys that need to get in a game to stay fresh. Good problem to have.
• Nico gets my third nod. Three hits. One of them drove in a run. I’ve been a bit frustrated with him in the middle of the order. He has no pop really. So it’s good to see him have this kind of game.
• Plus Pete. PCA with a double, a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored. And a pretty excellent catch in center as well. Just continuing one of the best baseball seasons we’ll ever have the privilege of seeing.

Game 142, September 4: Cubs 6, Marlins 1 (80-62)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Shōta Imanaga (.314). 6 IP. 21 BF, 3 H, 0 BB, R, 4 K (W 9-10)
• Hero: Nico Hoerner (.108). 3-4, RBI
• Sidekick: Ian Happ (.100). 1-4, BB, RBI, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Seiya Suzuki (-.074). 0-5
• Goat: Carson Kelly (-.070). 0-4
• Kid: Michael Busch (-.009). 1-4, HR, BB, RBI, 2 R

WPA Play of the Game: Ian Happ’s bases loaded walk in the sixth inning increased the lead to two with one out. (.088)

Marlins Play of the Game: Deyvison De Los Santos doubled leading off the third with the Marlins down one. (.073)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 141 Winner: Kevin Gausman received 85 of 104 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Alex Bregman +27
• Pete Crow-Armstrong +25.5
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Javier Assad +12
• Shōta Imanaga +11
• Nico Hoerner -13
• Jameson Taillon -13
• Seiya Suzuki -15
• Dansby Swanson -17
• Caleb Thielbar -17.5

Scoreboard Watching: Brewers won (+8 on Cubs). Braves won (+4.5). Phillies lost (-.0.5, Cubs own tiebreaker). Diamondbacks lost (-6). Padres lost (-5.5). Dodgers won (+4.5). A good day for the Cubs getting into the playoffs chances.

Up Next: Game two of the weekend three-game series is this afternoon in Miami. The Cubs will look for a third straight win and a series win. After that long stretch of series wins on the road, the Cubs have now lost their last two. The Cubs are 4-4 in this stretch of 13 games in 13 days.

The Cubs will slide Javier Assad into their weekend rotation allowing Clay Holmes an extra day of rest. Assad is 6-1 with a 3.46 ERA. He’s had a chance to stretch back out a bit for Iowa after working out of the pen for a while. He’s also got a rested bullpen ready to go behind him and an offense that is probably just about due to score 10 plus again one of these days. Ryan Gusto starts for the Marlins. He’s 1-3 with a 3.86 ERA. He doesn’t work particularly deep into games, but he’s allowed one earned run in 14 innings of work over his last three appearances. He hasn’t had a real dud since a bad outing against the Phillies on July 29 when he allowed six over five innings.

Find a way. Win another game.

Amidst the chaos of the final two innings Friday night, which included a man trying to fire up his own (sparse) crowd after their team hit into an inning-ending double play, and bullpens politely filing out of the same door to join a mini-fracas, something else quietly happened. Aroldis Chapman picked up his 399th career save in a 1-2-3 inning on 11 pitches, something that he has done time and time again over the past two years and is easy to take for granted.

When he tallies the next one, Chapman will become the ninth pitcher in MLB history to get to 400 saves. If he pitches two more seasons, he would likely move into the top five all-time, where Craig Kimbrel sits at 441. Incredibly, the only two pitchers who have gotten to 500 saves are also both over 600 saves (Rivera 652, Hoffman 601).

Chapman now has 32 saves in each of his two seasons in Boston, with only two blown saves in each all-star season. Over 2025-2026 combined, Chapman has a 1.57 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 12.2 K/9, and just a 2.9 BB/9 (after walking 6 batters per nine in the four prior seasons combined).

Chapman recently had his 2027 option vest with the Red Sox, for $13 million, provided that he passes his year-end physical heading into his 39-year-old season. He’ll soon move into the top ten in career Red Sox saves.

The only real glaring omission from this list is Keith Foulke, who tallied 47 saves in Boston, but also had three fairly important saves in the 2004 postseason. Foulke, Papelbon, Uehara, and Kimbrel all had World Series rings with the team. Bob Stanley just missed. Those who saw Dick Radatz pitch probably would have something to say about his case too.

Where would you place Chapman on the all-time Red Sox closer list today? If he has another dominant season (or two) with the team, how high could he rise on that list? Discuss in the comments, and be good to each other.

Mason Miller needed just nine pitches to get get three outs in the top of the ninth inning, which allowed the San Diego Padres to come to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with the game tied 1-1 and a chance to get a walk-off win over the New York Yankees. The Padres sent had the heart of the order coming up, which was ideal if they were hoping for one of the big bats to put an end to the game. Manny Machado lined out, but Ty France followed with a double into the left field corner and was lifted for pinch-runner Jase Bowen. Jackson Merrill lined a ball into left that had Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger twisting and turning, but somehow he made the catch and Bowen was unable to advance. A passed ball with Austin Hays at the plate allowed Bowen to move to third base, but Hays eventually struck out to squander the scoring chance and end the inning.

Miller returned to the mound for the top of the 10th inning and immediately surrendered the go ahead run when Spencer Jones lined a ball into center field. Merrill fielded the ball and throw toward the plate but the ball sailed over the cutoff man before it reached Luis Campusano at home and the run scored. Worse yet, the throw allowed Jones to advance to second base with no outs. Miller struck out Heliot Ramos and Jones tried to steal third, but was thrown out by Campusano for a double play. On replay it appeared Jones got his foot to the bag before Machado applied the tag, but New York manager Aaron Boone chose not to challenge the play. Miller ended the inning with a strikeout of Jazz Chisholm.

San Diego started the bottom of the 10th trailing for the first time in the game, but had an automatic runner on second base in Hays. The Padres have struggled mightily with runners in scoring position over their recent skid, but they would have three opportunities to get Hays home to tie the game. It did not look promising when Xander Bogaerts led off the inning with a strikeout, which did not allow Hays to advance. Campusano followed Bogaerts and put an end to the worries of the Friar Faithful and the game when he connected on a first-pitch sinker that he hit deep into the left field bleachers for a two-run walk-off home run giving San Diego a 3-2 win over New York in the first game of their three-game series at Petco Park on Friday.

It was a perfect ending to a game that was impacted many times by Campusano. The catcher threw out two would be base stealers at second base, one in the top of the second inning and one in the top of the fifth inning, before he threw out Jones in the 10th. Campusano also singled in the bottom of the second inning before providing the game-winning home run in the bottom of the 10th. He finished his night at the plate 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. France also had a two-hit game while Machado and Bogaerts each chipped in with a hit to account for the six San Diego hits.

Lost in the excitement of the walk-off win was the start turned in by Walker Buehler. He had another solid and efficient outing. Buehler completed five innings and allowed one run on just three hits with two walks and six strikeouts. The one run came on a solo home run by Ben Rice in the top of the third inning, which tied the game at 1-1. Buehler needed just 76 pitches to get through his outing.

Perhaps the walk-off win and the hometown crowd can energize the Padres and propel them to another win over the Yankees when they meet for the second game of the series today at 4:15 p.m.

Padres News:

• A frustrated Joe Musgrove met with the media on Friday to discuss the struggles associated with his rehab and his potential return to the Padres.

• San Diego minor leaguer Braedon Karpathios stays hot.

• Nick Pivetta has passed Musgrove on the return timeline as he continues his rehab progression.

Baseball News:

• Chris Sale delivered a win for the Atlanta Braves over the Philadelphia Phillies.

• The Cleveland Guardians got two walk-off wins in one day over the Detroit Tigers.

• Shota Imanaga pitched the Chicago Cubs past the Miami Marlins.

• Kyle Tucker homered to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a win over the Washington Nationals.

• Josh Hader got his 250th save in a 3-1 win for the Houston Astros over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Strong performances by a pair of top-100 prospects in the Dodgers’ system highlighted Friday action in the minor leagues.

Player of the day

Eduardo Quintero reached base six times in a doubleheader for High-A Great Lakes, continuing his fantastic campaign. His grand slam in the first game was his first home run since August 9.

During the doubleheader on Friday, Quintero had the slam, two singles, three walks, drove in five runs, and scored twice. He also stole his 44th base of the season in Game 2.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

James Tibbs homered in the ninth to help force extra innings, then Eliezer Alfonzo drove in runs in the 10th and 12th innings to beat the Round Rock Express (Rangers) on the road.

Alfonzo didn’t start on Friday, but his pinch-hit single in the 10th game Oklahoma City its first lead of the game. Then he hit a two-run home run to cap the scoring in a three-run 12th. Ryan Fitzgerald doubled home the go-ahead run in the final frame.

Landon Knack struck out three in 2 2/3 scoreless innings to start. Rehabbing Kris Bubic pitched a scoreless sixth inning, working around a walk. Ronan Kopp struck out two in a scoreless 12th inning to close out the win.

Double-A Tulsa

First baseman Joe Vetrano homered twice, backing a strong Christian Zazueta start in the Drillers’ win over the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins). Vetrano had three hits in the game and drove in four runs.

Zazueta allowed two runs in six innings for the win, with seven strikeouts and no walks. The 21-year-old right-hander has a 3.42 ERA in 11 starts since getting promoted to Double-A, with 74 strikeouts against only seven walks in 50 innings.

High-A Great Lakes

The Loons split a doubleheader with the Lake County Captains (Guardians), blowing them out in the first game then losing in nine innings by a run in the nightcap. With the win and West Michigan loss, Great Lakes has a magic number of one to clinch a playoff berth by winning the Midwest League East Division second half.

Sterling Patick struck out six in five scoreless innings to win the opener on Friday. Catcher Gio Cueto homered in the loss in the second game.

Great Lakes had a chance to clinch a playoff berth on Friday night up two runs in the ninth inning, but Nicolas Cruz walked a batter and allowed two run-scoring doubles to give Lake County the walk-off win.

Class-A Ontario

The Tower Buzzers scored six runs in the seventh inning, turning a three-run deficit into a win over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels).

Oswaldo Osorio had three hits, including and RBI double and his RBI single opened the scoring in the six-run seventh inning. Kellon Lindsey had two hits, including an RBI double in the seventh, and also walked and stole a base.

Brady Pendley allowed three singles to load the bases in the ninth inning, putting the tying runs on base, but also struck out a pair to record his first professional save.

Transactions

Triple-A: Landon Knack was activated after nine days on the injured list. Outfielder Chris Newell was promoted to Oklahoma City from Tulsa, but did not play.

Friday scores

• Oklahoma City 5, Round Rock 2 (12 innings)
• Tulsa 7, Wichita 4
• Great Lakes 9, Lake County 0 (Game 1)
• Lake County 5, Great Lakes 4 (Game 2)
• Ontario 9, Rancho Cucamonga 6

Saturday schedule

• 4 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Cam Leiter) at Lake County (Nelson Keljo)
• 5 p.m.: Tulsa (Patrick Copen) vs. Wichita (Riley Quick)
• 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Charlie Barnes) at Round Rock (Dalton Pence)
• 6:05 p.m.: Ontario (Charlie West) vs. Rancho Cucamonga (Angel Rivero)

A crooked cap led to a manager getting ejected.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol got tossed from team's 7-6 victory against the Colorado Rockies on Friday, Sept. 4, after arguing with home plate umpire Doug Eddings over how tilted Hancel Rincon's cap was.

With the Cardinals leading 4-1, the rookie right hander made his MLB debut in the sixth inning when Rockies batter Hunter Goodman asked, "Hey, can he wear his hat like that?" Eddings said after the game, per MLB.com.

Eddings asked catcher Leo Bernal to tell Rincon to straighten his cap, and Rincon complied.

But after he got Goodman to line out, Rincon surrendered a triple, an inside-the-park home run and a single. After a pitching change, Marmol argued with Eddings, who charged the Cardinals with a pitch clock violation and then ejected Marmol.

I’ve never seen anything like this…

This ump stopped the game & made Cardinals rookie Hancel Rincon straighten his hat, saying nobody will wear it like that on his field. Quickly followed up by the worst revenge call I’ve ever seen.

Suspend him now @MLBpic.twitter.com/wgov05ubXy

— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) September 5, 2026

"I had an issue with Doug," Marmol said. "Just Doug. He took it upon himself to tell our rookie pitcher the kid's 'not going to wear his hat on my field that way.' You got Dontrelle Willis, CC Sabathia, Pedro Strop – plenty of guys that have worn it way more tilted. I have an issue with that. That's just a power-hungry move, in my opinion."

Eddings said Rincon wasn’t breaking a rule but said it was appropriate to issue "a directive."

"It's not (a rule)," Eddings said. "I guess it's a little unwritten rule. They can't wear (their cap) backwards like a catcher. If it's a distraction, like anything on the field, like a glove or something, and someone makes you aware of it, then you kind of address that."

The Yankees lost a tough one on Friday night, as they failed to score more than a Ben Rice solo shot against old nemesis Walker Buehler, and while Max Fried, Will Warren, and David Bednar admirably went toe-to-toe with a fierce Padres bullpen, it wasn’t enough. A 2-1 lead in the 10th vanished on one mighty swing of the bat by Luis Campusano against Paul Blackburn, who entered play with a 1.62 ERA. No shade at the pitching in this one, the offense just had to do more early on with Buehler. He’s better than he was in his nightmare 2025 with Boston, but not that much better.

Here’s what else was afoot around the Junior Circuit on Friday. The loss was costly.

Tampa Bay Rays (84-57) 7, Texas Rangers (70-72) 6

Texas helped New York gain a half-game on the Thursday offday by blanking Tampa Bay 6-0, but six runs weren’t enough for the Rangers to be of any use on Friday. The Rays jumped back to four games ahead of the Yankees, doing most of their damage against former top prospect Kumar Rocker in a bulk relief appearance. Ezequiel Duran briefly gave Texas a 1-0 lead in the second, only for Tampa Bay to counter with six unanswered runs between the third and the fifth. Jonathan Aranda and Richie Palacios both hit solo shots, and in the fifth, Aranda sandwiched a double between two-baggers from Yandy Díaz and Junior Caminero.

Victor Mesa Jr. also had an RBI knock in the fifth as Tampa Bay’s lead grew to 6-1.

Give credit to the Rangers’ No. 9 hitter, catcher Elias Díaz. He is the primary reason why the Rays had to sweat this one out late. In the seventh, Texas drove Nick Martinez from the game with a one-out walk from Jake Burger and an Evan Carter single. Garrett Cleavinger entered, walked Cody Freeman to load the bases, and then coughed up a game-changing grand slam to Díaz.

As it turned out, the Rays needed the insurance run they got with one down in the ninth. Yandy singled off Trade Deadline acquisition Chase Silseth, Jorge Mateo pinch-ran and stole second, and after Aranda got plunked, Caminero drove in Mateo with a hit to center. Adam Macko then entered and stranded the runners, making it a 7-5 ballgame to begin the bottom of the ninth.

The Rangers had life in the ninth when Bryan Baker issued back-to-back walks to the first two batters; he was forced from the game rather quickly due to illness with his velocity down, too. Tyler Wells had to get the last three outs, and he pulled it off. Pinch-hitter Nicky Lopez bunted the runners into scoring position, Díaz played his fifth run with a sacrifice fly, and Justin Foscue popped up a 2-1 pitch to end it.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (77-65) 1, Baltimore Orioles (69-73) 0: I don’t know how many of you caught the Chris Sale shutout against the Dodgers a little over a week ago, but it played out in a somewhat-similar manner to this Red Sox/O’s game last night. Drake Baldwin led off that one with a homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the first and only run of the night. Yamamoto was otherwise brilliant but LA never dented home plate against Sale and it was a 1-0 final.

Well, Ranger Suarez didn’t go as deep as Sale and Mickey Gasper homered on the second at-bat of the game rather than the first, but otherwise … pretty close! (Although I suppose Braves/Dodgers didn’t have the same benches-clearing feistiness.) Boston won its second straight one-run game at Camden Yards, with Suarez firing seven shutout frames before Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door. The O’s only three at-bats all night with a runner in scoring position, and none resulted in hits. Shane Baz and the Baltimore bullpen did a very nice job, but no cigar. They’re in serious trouble now, losing a game and a half to Cleveland in the Wild Card race in one day, falling to three back. Meanwhile, Boston is 3.5 behind New York for the top Wild Card spot.

Chicago White Sox (74-67) 4, Minnesota Twins (67-74) 1: Chicago’s AL Central lead would be trimmed by half a game due to circumstances beyond their control, but the Pale Hose won their own game against the Twins. Miguel Vargas, Braden Montgomery, and Colson Montgomery all flexed their muscles with blasts off Zebby Matthews, and the White Sox threw shutout ball until the ninth. Vargas and Colson each registered their 30th homers of the season. Incidentally, we have not been tracking the Twins for a moment, but at 4.5 games behind Cleveland for the Wild Card with three teams ahead of them, they are all but toast.

AL Wild Card Rock Fight

Cleveland Guardians (71-70) 7, Detroit Tigers (64-76) 6 [Game 1]: The perhaps-no-longer-Gritty Tigs’ season is utterly lost at this point, so they have to settle for trying to play spoiler for the team that rallied from a record 15.5 games down to swipe the AL Central from them in 2025. And they took a 6-2 lead in Cleveland by beating up on Logan Allen with two-run knocks from Ben Malgeri and Max Clark, as well as a solo shot by Spencer Torkelson. However, the doubleheader matinee turned into The Brayan Rocchio Show. He crushed a game-tying grand slam off Keider Montero in the fourth, and with it still knotted at 6-6 in the ninth, he launched the longest homer of his career to walk it off.

Cleveland Guardians (72-70) 4, Detroit Tigers (64-77) 3 [10 innings] [Game 2]: The Guardos had so much fun walking the Tigers off in the opener that they decided to do it all over again in the nightcap. Once again, Detroit had the early advantage, tallying three off Trade Deadline acquisition Foster Griffin. The Guardians crawled back, and 2024 No. 1 pick Travis Bazzana swatted a two-run homer in the eighth to knot it up at 3-3. Bazzana must have taken notes from Rocchio because he also got to tally the walk-off as well as that game-tying blast. Hunter Gaddis stranded the zombie runner in the top of the 10th with three groundouts, opening the door for Bazzana to end it on a single off Kenley Jansen with Rocchio on third following a pair of stolen bases. Cleveland’s twin bill sweep lifted their Wild Card lead to a game over Toronto.

Toronto Blue Jays (71-71) 9, Kansas City Royals (63-79) 2: Cleveland winning twice with the doubleheader always meant that the Jays would be losing ground of some kind to them in their late Wild Card chase. But they at least limited the damage to a half-game loss. Although old friend/two-time Tommy John surgery recipient Jameson Taillon had to leave with dreaded elbow discomfort, his offense picked him up. Everyone in the starting lineup outside of Charles McAdoo had at least one hit, with Ernie Clement, Alejandro Kirk, and George Springer all delivering RBI doubles.

Houston Astros (73-69) 3, Arizona Diamondbacks (74-68) 1: Not much to touch on from this one because neither of these teams are very interesting. Cristian Javier fired five frames of one-hit, one-run ball, fanning eight, and batterymate Yainer Diaz kicked off the scoring for Houston with a solo shot against Merrill Kelly. The ’Stros tacked on more in the third when Isaac Paredes doubled in Jeremy Peña, and Jose Altuve plated Yordan Alvarez on a sacrifice fly. The Rangers’ loss means that Houston has a fairly comfortable three-game lead, aided by an Astros edge in the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Good morning, foLLks, and happy Labor Day Weekend!

The M’s fell to ten games under .500, losing 7-6 to the A’s. Now seven games back of the Astros, I think a fork can be safely stuck in the 2026 Mariners season. The string demands to be played out, though, and if you’re a true glutton for punishment you can tune in at 6:40pm Pacific time to see George Kirby square off against Jeffrey Springs.

In Mariners news:

• In case you missed it, new Mariners lefty Hoby Milner was placed on the family medical emergency list yesterday. RHP Troy Taylor was called up to replace his roster spot.
• After stand-up comedian Jordan Jensen’s bit about Julio Rodríguez accidentally killing a pigeon via throwing a ball into the stands at Yankee Stadium went viral, Kate did some investigating.

Around the league:

• After missing all of 2024 and 2025 thanks to several injuries, Rays lefty Shane McClanahan has finally been back on the mound with regularity this year, spinning a strong 3.36/3.49 ERA/FIP over two dozen starts. The injury bug has sadly reared its head again, though, as Tampa Bay placed him on the injured list with forearm tightness.
• Astros lefty – and bullpen workhorse – Steven Okert was placed on the injured list with a right hamstring strain.
• The Diamondbacks are in a dead heat race with the Padres for the final NL Wild Card spot, and they’ll be getting a boost next week, with Corbin Burnes set to make his long-awaited return on Tuesday – his first start since June 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
• Not to be deterred, the Padres grabbed hold of that playoff spot on the back of a walkoff two-run shot from Luis Campusano.
• Yankees minor league outfielder Luis Durango is enjoying a breakout season on the farm, though if you watch him play, you might be wondering how the heck a dead-ball era guy is getting it done in 2026.

Jaylon Thompson writes Daniel Lynch IV had mixed results in a loss to the Blue Jays Friday.

Lynch got through five innings. He had more conviction in the final three frames as he didn’t allow a run for the remainder of his start. And the challenge now is to replicate his command and carry it into his next appearance.

“I don’t know how many more I got left, but it’s just going to take execution,” Lynch said. “And like I said, I think the move forward is going to be figuring out how to just get to kind of fully letting it rip from pitch one. I thought I did a really good job against Chicago and L.A. (Dodgers) where I still was kind of in that reliever mindset. So I think just kind of stick with that and then just put it together.”

Lynch continues to struggle in the first inning, writes Anne Rogers.

“I didn’t feel like my stuff was that different,” Lynch said of the switch between the first two versus the last three innings of his start. “I just felt like maybe my attitude was different. Started [with] just a little more intent behind it. I felt like my body was moving slow, and I wasn’t really letting it rip like I usually do, especially in the first inning.”

Anne writes how Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone have developed into productive hitters.

Jensen and Caglianone are competitors in just about everything, and that can be a good thing for the Royals as the 23-year-old sluggers keep getting better with 2026 nearing an end. They certainly feed off each other, and it’s not just in homers, either. They’re nearly neck-and-neck in RBIs. Three from Jensen on Thursday with his triple and two-run homer put him at 67 for the year, while Caglianone pushed ahead with two of his own on Thursday – thanks to a double and single – to give him 69 on the year.

“I’ve got to freaking start hitting homers,” Caglianone said. “I can’t let him pass me or tie me. I’m glad I got that last RBI, because that puts me ahead of him.”

Pete Grathoff writes about how on a recent podcast, Torii Hunter admits he regrets not signing with the Royals in 2015.

“So after the 2014 season, I had a decision to make, and guess what the decision was: should I go to the Royals, or should I go to the Twins?” Hunter recalled. “I’m like, ‘Man, I could go to the Royals. I have seven uncles that live in Kansas City.’ Every time I go to Kansas City, I leave 45, 50 tickets. My paycheck is empty when I leave.”…

“They had Hosmer, Moustakas, they had Alex Gordon, LoCain, they had all these guys, and I’m like, ‘Oh, it’d be cool to go over there.’ So I was really thinking about going to Kansas City,” Hunter said.

Baseball America ranks Royals outfielder Angeibel Gomez as the top prospect in the Dominican Summer League. [$]

Although it wasn’t quite as clear-cut as Jesús Made in 2024 and Josuar Gonzalez in 2025, selecting Gomez as the No. 1 prospect in the league was fairly simple. Though there were plenty of highly talented prospects around the circuit, Gomez offered the best combination of tools, skills and production. The gem of Kansas City’s 2026 international class, Gomez spent all summer bullying baseballs and wowing evaluators.

His short, powerful swing helped him earn a reputation as one of the few prospects in the league who projects as above-average or better in terms of hittability and impact. He has a decent chance to stick in center field, but his arm strength and power potential would profile nicely in right field if he had to move one day. Gomez is an above-average runner now but might slow down a tick as he matures. All told, he has a future as a strong everyday player who can make a few all-star games.

David Lesky recaps Thursday’s win over the Marlins.

The Quad Cities River Bandits clinched a playoff spot.

Drew Waters cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A.

The rezoning for the Royals downtown ballpark is delayed again so the city can finalize the tax districts.

Stephen Kolek’s baby is now home after ten weeks in the NICU.

Oli Marmol is ejected after umpire Doug Eddings tells Cardinals rookie Hancel Rincon to straighten his hat.

Benches clear in the Orioles/Red Sox game.

The Pirates get shortstop Konnor Griffin back.

Jim Callis at MLB Pipeline lists his prospect breakout team.

Can the Brewers turn regular season success in into postseason hardware?

The best and worst trade deadline moves, one month later.

The Tigers may be one of the biggest underperformers in recent history in terms of their run differential.

Which prospects are benefitting from a home run surge in the minors?

The Blue Jays are roasted for using AI slop.

Former baseball exec Zack Scott recounts the time Felix Hernandez almost ended up in Boston.

Reds third baseman Eugenio Suárez passes his U.S. citizenship test.

The NBA made an example of the Clippers.

Embattled WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is retiring.

James Patterson writes a book with….MrBeast.

George Lucas opens the Museum of Narrative Art.

Rome is cracking down on golf carts.

Your song of the day is 38 Special with Hold On Loosely.