Quite a Guardians lineup today for the hangover game:
Here’s the Royals lineup:
Let’s go, Guardians!
GUARDIANS AT ROYALS: Lynch vs. Messick, discussion
Chicago Cubs vs. Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field preview, Sunday 9/27, 2:05 CT
Sunday notes…
- AT THE TROP: Today’s game will be the Cubs’ 12th at Tropicana Field. They are 4-7, including 2-1 this year. They lost to the Rays on April 6, then beat them on April 7 and 8. It will be the 243rd game for the Red Sox at “the Trop,” where they are 116-126 vs. the Rays overall and 1-6 this year. They played there just last weekend, winning the first game and losing the next two. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- WINNING AND LOSING SERIES: This is the 25th series that the Cubs have lost. They have won 26 and split three. Last year, they were 31-19-3 in series and finished 92-70. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- NOT SCORING RUNS: The Cubs have allowed a total of 10 runs in their last four games but lost three of them. This is the 18th span this season, some overlapping, in which the Cubs allowed no more than 10 runs. It is the first in which they did not win at least two games. They won all four in five spans, three games in five more and two games in seven. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- RISPy BUSINESS: On June 16, the Cubs’ batting average for the season with runners in scoring position was .219. In the next 65 games, through Sept. 2, it was .289, raising the season average to .252. In their last 21 games, it is .185, dropping the season average to .243. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: The Cubs sweep a doubleheader from the Pirates, 4-2 and 7-2, thus clinching the NL Central title. It happened 23 years ago today, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003.
Cubs lineup:
Red Sox lineup:
Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Tanner Houck, RHP
I’m actually a bit surprised that Shōta Imanaga is starting this game, unless the plan is to have him only go a couple of innings so he could be available maybe on Thursday against the Padres.
Imanaga has had a very good September: 1.96 ERA, 0.783 WHIP in four starts covering 23 innings, with only one home run allowed. Keep up the good work, Shōta. The last time he faced the Red Sox was July 19, 2025 at Wrigley Field, where he threw seven shutout innings and struck out five.
Tanner Houck, who had a really good year for the Red Sox in 2024, had Tommy John surgery after nine starts in 2025 and has not pitched in MLB at all this year. He’s thrown eight innings in four rehab outings in the Red Sox minor leagues this year and posted a 3.38 ERA and 0.875 WHIP.
No current Cub has more than six at-bats against Houck. Dansby Swanson is 2-for-5 with a home run. The pitch chart for Houck below is from 2025.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.
Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Red Sox site Over The Monster. If you do go there to interact with Red Sox 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.
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Rest for regulars in Braves-Marlins series finale
Here we are, Braves Country. One last contest before some (afternoon, ugh) Postseason baseball at Truist Park starting Tuesday.
This is a lineup we’ve been expecting all week – one that allows the Braves to rest some of their stars. Drake Baldwin, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Michael Harris II all get watch this one from the dugout today.
Our modern iron man Matt Olson is where you expect him, though. His start today cements his fifth straight season of playing all 162 games.
Mauricio Dubón gets the start in left and will lead off today. Ozzie Albies will hit second. Austin Riley gets to be in the cleanup spot today ahead of DH Mike Yazstrzemski. Sean Murphy and Ha-Seong Kim get to move up a couple spots in the order to bat sixth and seventh, as their usual spots are taken by RF Brewer Hicklen and CF DaShawn Keirsey Jr.
For the Marlins, Griffin Conine will lead off and play right field. Javier Sanoja bumps up a couple spots to hit second and moves from third base to shortstop today. LF Heriberto Hernández drops a spot to third. Yesterday’s catcher Agustín Ramírez will hit cleanup as the designated hitter. Third baseman Graham Pauley follows. CF Esteury Ruiz remains at sixth and in center field. Deyvison De Los Santos, Jared Serna, and Brian Navarreto round out the batting order for the Fish.
First pitch for the final game of the regular season is at 3:10 pm ET.
Washington Nationals vs New York Mets Game Thread
This is it! The 2026 season ends for the Washington Nationals this afternoon. After this game against the Mets, the Nats enter a potentially longer than usual offseason. It has been a step forward season, but hopefully the season goes into October for the Nats next season. They have driven me nuts, but I will miss the 2026 Nationals.
With a lefty on the mound, the Nats will bring some right handed bats into the fold. Andres Chaparro will play first base and hit second. Jacob Young is also back in center field. That pushed Dylan Crews to right and James Wood to DH. Harry Ford also gets the start behind the plate. DJ Herz will make his second start and first in Nationals Park since 2024 this afternoon.
After leaving the game early following a HBP, Juan Soto is back in the Mets lineup. Brett Baty makes the move from shortstop to first base in this one. Francisco Lindor moves back to short and Marcus Semien will be at second. Ronny Mauricio is going to be the DH. Luis Torrens starts behind the plate. Sean Manaea gets the start for the Mets.
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Game Info:
Stadium: Nationals Park
Time: 1:05 PM EST
TV: Nationals.TV
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
It has been a great season! Thank you to everyone that has been following on Federal Baseball. There is still one more to go though. Hopefully the Nats can finish this season with a curly W. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles: Elmer Rodríguez vs. Shane Baz
We have reached the end of the 2026 regular season. In a couple hours, the 162-game marathon will be complete and full focus will turn to the sprint that is the playoffs. However, we still have nine innings (maybe fewer if the weather has anything to say) of regular season ball today against the Orioles. The game is not of importance to either team really, but someone will add one last digit to their final win total for the season.
Elmer Rodríguez will be the Yankees’ starting pitcher for this one, though they will need a not-yet-announced roster move to activate (probably demoting someone like Alexander Cornielle, who was just brought up yesterday for the doubleheader). The Yankees have mostly used Rodríguez as a spot starter this season, giving a couple chances to the highly rated youngster. He’s had some solid moments, but he’s mostly been below average on the year.
As for Baltimore, Shane Baz will get the start on the mound for them. Baz has a league-leading 15 losses, but he has been right around average for the season with a 4.11 ERA and 3.63 FIP.
Here’s how to catch all of today’s season-ending action, and we hope you’ll come join us in the game thread. New York has already announced that the game will not start on time. There is also not yet a confirmed lineup for the Yankees.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
First pitch: 1:05 p.m. ET TBD (delayed)
TV broadcast: YES (NYY) | MASN (BAL)
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | 98 Rock 97.9 FM, WBAL 1090 AM (BAL)
Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
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Texas Rangers lineup for September 27, 2026
Texas Rangers lineup for September 27, 2026, against the Minnesota Twins: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Dean Kremer for the Twins.
It is the last game of the regular season. The Rangers are still in contention. They need a win, and an Astros loss, to win the West. They need just a win to finish at .500 for the second season in a row. They are going with the same group as yesterday.
UPDATE — Originally, Lopez was hitting sixth, Carter eighth, and Osuna ninth. They’ve shuffled that group around in an update that came in a little more than an hour before gametime.
The lineup:
Nimmo — RF
Langford — LF
Seager — SS
Burger — 1B
Duran — 3B
Osuna — DH
Jansen — C
Lopez — 2B
Carter — CF
2:10 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -115 favorites.
Orioles vs Yankees discussion
Orioles @ Yankees, 1:05 pm (originally scheduled for 3:05)
TV: MASN/YES
We made it, team. It’s the final game of the season. There is no denying that this has been a disappointing season for the Orioles. With a win today, they’ll finish at 80-82. I have seen a lot worse baseball than that over the years, but I don’t know that I’ve seen much more frustrating.
Shane Baz will get his final start of the season. His 4.11 ERA has been disappointing, but it’s an improvement over last year and he put in a full season. Today is his 32nd start of the year, which is tops on the team. His 179.2 IP is also the most. He has shown flashes of brilliance, enough that he’s the kind of pitcher you can dream on a bit. Like the entire pitching staff, he’s been the victim of poor defense, but he’s also been the victim of low run support. Hopefully today he goes out on a high note.
Starting for the Yankees is Elmer Rodríguez. He’s making his seventh start of the season and first since August 31st. He’s got a 5.40 ERA, 15 BB, and 21 K in 26.2 innings.
The Orioles are sending out about the best lineup they can for the final day of the season. For better or for worse, these have been our guys this year. I’d like to see them go out victors. Maybe with another home run from Pete Alonso?
Orioles lineup
Dylan Beavers (L) LF
Pete Alonso (R) 1B
Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
Coby Mayo (R) DH
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (R) 3B
Colton Cowser (L) CF
Jeremiah Jackson (R) 2B
Heston Kjerstad (L) RF
Carlos Narváez (R) C
Let’s go O’s!
MLB playoff schedule 2026: Wild card series game times revealed
Major League Baseball's postseason officially begins on Tuesday, Sept. 29 with the best-of-three wild card series, two in each the American and National League.
The New York Yankees host their rival Boston Red Sox in the Bronx for the second year in a row, another explosive showdown between the AL East foes who missed out on the division crown behind the Tampa Bay Rays.
The AL West winner, the Atlanta Braves and the San Diego Padres will also host the wild card series. If necessary, winner-take-all Game 3s will be played on Thursday.
The wild card series winners advance to the best-of-five Division Series, where they will face the division winners who received a bye. The Yankees-Red Sox victor takes on the Rays, with the ALDS beginning Saturday, Oct. 3.
MLB expanded the postseason in 2022, adding one more wild card in each league, creating the high-intensity wild card series. In the first four years under the new format, two teams – the 2023 Texas Rangers and 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers – have gone on to win the World Series after playing in the wild card series.
Here's a full look at this week's schedule:
MLB wild card series schedule
Tuesday, Sept. 29
- NL Game 1: Diamondbacks/Phillies at Braves – buy tickets – 2 p.m. ET
- AL Game 1: White Sox at Rangers/Astros – buy tickets – 5 p.m. ET
- AL Game 1: Red Sox at Yankees – buy tickets – 8 p.m. ET
- NL Game 1: Cubs at Padres – buy tickets – 10 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Sept. 30
- NL Game 2: Diamondbacks/Phillies at Braves – buy tickets – 2 p.m. ET
- AL Game 2: White Sox at Rangers/Astros – buy tickets – 5 p.m. ET
- AL Game 2: Red Sox at Yankees – buy tickets – 8 p.m. ET
- NL Game 2: Cubs at Padres – buy tickets – 10 p.m. ET
Thursday, Oct. 1 (*if necessary)
Game 3 times subject to change
- NL Game 3: Diamondbacks/Phillies at Braves – buy tickets – 2 p.m. ET
- AL Game 3: White Sox at Rangers/Astros – buy tickets – 5 p.m. ET
- AL Game 3: Red Sox at Yankees – buy tickets – 8 p.m. ET
- NL Game 3: Cubs at Padres – buy tickets – 10 p.m. ET
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoff schedule 2026: Wild card series game times revealed
Game Discussion: Milwaukee Brewers (102-59) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (77-84)
When the Brewers won the division in 2024, they lost their 60th game on September 6th. The year before, the division-winning Brewers lost number 60 on September 3rd. The 2002 Brewers lost their 60th game on July 16th, a little less than a week after the All-Star break.
Today, the 2026 Brewers will try to avoid losing 60 games entirely.
It has been quite a ride, as we arrive at the end of this magnificent regular season. The best regular-season team in franchise history has a chance to set a team record in wins by six games, a pretty remarkable feat for a 57-year-old franchise.
For those who have the postseason on their minds, you’ll no doubt just be hoping that everyone gets through today’s game unscathed. With Dustin May and Kyle Harrison both having pitched on Saturday, it’s unlikely we’re going to see much in terms of “might this guy be a factor in the postseason?” questions.
For those of you who enjoy milestones, keep an eye on Brice Turang—he’s one RBI away from 100 and one stolen base away from 20. There are only 165 seasons of 20 home runs, 100 RBI, and 20 stolen bases in the long history of baseball, just five of which belong to Brewers: three by Ryan Braun (2009, 2011, 2012), one by Christian Yelich (2018), and one by Willy Adames (2024). If Turang were to hit those marks, he’d be just the 11th player to do so in a season in which they were primarily a second baseman.
Jacob Misiorowski will also get a final tuneup before the postseason, putting him in line to start game one of the NLDS on Saturday against either the Cubs or Padres. He’ll also get one final chance to bolster his Cy Young case, though I’d expect he’s in line to throw something like the three innings he tossed his last time out. We’ll run a more comprehensive debriefing soon, but some numbers to note for Miz: he’s certain to finish with the best H/9 mark (4.9961 as of this moment) in AL/NL history by a starting pitcher, and he will set franchise records in ERA, WHIP, and K/9. Misiorowski will not catch Ben Sheets’ franchise record for strikeouts (264), but his 247 Ks are already the second-best mark in Brewers history.
St. Louis’s starter in game 162 will be the righty Andre Pallante, who has had a solid season: he’s 12-8 with a 3.61 ERA in 157 innings. Starting pitching hasn’t been St. Louis’s strongest area, but Pallante has probably been their best option.
Milwaukee doesn’t exactly have the roster flexibility at the moment to take it easy, so they’ll field a pretty strong lineup this afternoon. William Contreras is getting some time off his feet, and Joey Ortiz is of course out as the team is cautious with his knee. That means that Gary Sánchez and David Hamilton are in the lineup, and they’ll be joined in the infield by Jake Bauers, Turang, and Cooper Pratt. Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Sal Frelick go left-to-right in the outfield, and the new captain, Christian Yelich, is the designated hitter.
First pitch is at 2:10 p.m. Join us for the last anxiety-free game thread of the year!
MLB announces 2026 Wild Card Series schedule for Atlanta Braves
Somehow, the race for the final Wild Card spot in the National League has gone to the final day of the season, which means that the Atlanta Braves won’t know who they’re facing at home at Truist Park in the Wild Card Series until later this evening.
With that being said, that hasn’t stopped Major League Baseball from revealing the times at which the Braves will be playing their games during this year’s Wild Card Series. If you’re the working-type, then you’d better get ready to play some hooky this week as the Braves have been slotted into the afternoon spot.
Here’s the schedule for the first two games, which is set in stone:
GAME 1: Tuesday, September 29 vs. Diamondbacks or Phillies at 2:00 p.m. ET
GAME 2: Wednesday, September 30 vs. Diamondbacks or Phillies at 2:00 p.m. ET
It gets tricky after Game 2, though. If all four Wild Card Series go to GAME 3 then Atlanta will be playing their series-decider on October 1 at 2:00 p.m. ET just like the first two games. If there are three Game 3s that need to be played and the Braves are involved then once again, GAME 3 will take place at Truist Park on October 1 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
If the only two Game 3s that are left to be played are in the National League then once more, the Braves will be locked into the 2:00 p.m. ET slot on October 1 for GAME 3. If it comes down to Atlanta’s series and the Yankees-Red Sox series being the only two Game 3s left, that will also put Atlanta into the 2:00 p.m. ET slot on October 1 for GAME 3.
In fact, there are only two scenarios where the Braves will be playing at 8:00 p.m. ET:
If Yankees-Red Sox and Padres-Cubs are over, GAME 3 will be on October 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
If Atlanta’s series is the only one to go to three games, GAME 3 will be on October 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET
All games will be televised on NBC and Peacock.
So there you have it. More than likely, the Braves will be doing their Postseason activities at 2:00 p.m. for the Wild Card Series and (hopefully) we’ll go from there. Again, play hooky if you have to since the Braves are going to need your energy for this run.
The Cubs and Padres TV schedule is for late-night baseball in the Wild Card Series
Get ready to stay up late, Cubs fans. Major League Baseball announced the TV schedule for the Wild Card Series Sunday and the Cubs, at least for Games 1 and 2 Tuesday and Wednesday, will be playing at 9 p.m. Central time.
Here’s the entire schedule for the first two days of Wild Card baseball:
There are various scenarios for Thursday, Oct. 1, depending on how many games are being played. If the Cubs are playing a Game 3, here’s how it would shake out.
If there are three games Thursday, the Cubs would again play at 9 p.m. Central time. But here are other three-game scenarios for Thursday:
Now, here are the scenarios for two games, if the Cubs are still playing Thursday:
And if the Cubs/Padres series is the only game on Thursday, it would start at 7 p.m. CT and be televised on NBC and Peacock.
Thus, note: You will have to have a TV subscription that includes Peacock and/or NBC Sports Network to watch the Cubs’ first two games of this series.
UPDATE: The games listed as being on Peacock and NBC Sports Network are being carried only on those channels and will NOT be on any over the air TV channels.
Phillies weather updates: Dramatic finale's game time changed due to rain
First pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies' season-deciding finale at Citizens Bank Park has been moved up a half hour to 2:30 p.m. ET due to weather concerns.
The nor'easter that has hit the Northeast United States has thrown some wrenches in Major League Baseball's final week, with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs scheduling a doubleheader on Friday – then playing Sunday's game in Florida – to avoid rainouts.
Originally all of MLB's Sunday finales had a synchronized start time of 3 p.m., but two games without playoff implications – Yankees-Orioles and Nationals-Mets – were bumped to earlier in the day with rain forecast in the areas.
The Phillies looked to be a lock for the MLB playoffs but have fallen apart in recent weeks while being chased down by the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks. But Philadelphia controls its own destiny and will clinch the NL's final wild card spot with a win or an Arizona loss.
Should the Phillies lose and Diamondbacks win, Arizona would get into the postseason via the intradivision record tiebreaker since the two teams split the seasons – and Philadelphia would miss the postseason for the first time since 2021.
Watch Phillies vs Rays on Fubo
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Phillies weather updates: Dramatic finale's game time changed due to rain
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Mets at Nationals: Lineups, broadcast info, and open thread, 9/27/26
Mets lineup
Francisco Lindor – SS
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Brett Baty – 1B
Luis Torrens – C
A.J. Ewing – CF
Ronny Mauricio – DH
SP: Sean Manaea – LHP
Nationals lineup
James Wood – DH
Andres Chaparro – 1B
Brady House – 3B
CJ Abrams – 2B
Dylan Crews – RF
Jacob Young – CF
Daylen Lile – LF
Harry Ford – C
Nasim Nunez – SS
SP: DJ Herz – LHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 1:05 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
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What happens if AL West, NL wild card are tied? MLB tiebreaker rules
With one day remaining in MLB's regular season, we still don't know the identities of the final two teams in the 2026 playoffs.
There's a pretty good chance a tiebreaker will be needed to decide the AL West division champion and the third NL wild card participant.
The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are deadlocked atop the West with identical 80-81 records. Meanwhile, the floundering Philadelphia Phillies (87-74) are a game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks (86-75). If they don't claim the postseason spots outright, the Astros and Diamondbacks would win their respective tiebreakers.
Here is how everything shakes out.
AL West: Astros-Rangers tiebreaker
The Astros won the season series against the Rangers 9-4, so if the two teams finish the regular season tied, Houston would advance to the AL playoffs as the No. 3 seed.
The only way for the Rangers to advance would be to win their game on Sunday at Minnesota and have the Astros lose to the A's in Sacramento.
NL wild card: Phillies-Diamondbacks tiebreaker
The Phillies and Diamondbacks split their six games during the regular season, so they would need to go to MLB's second tiebreaker: Intradivision record.
The Phillies went 28-24 vs. their NL East rivals, while the Diamondbacks were 32-19 against their NL West foes.
The Phillies need a win at home against Tampa Bay or an Arizona loss in San DIego to claim the NL's No. 6 seed.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What happens if AL West, NL wild card are tied? MLB tiebreaker rules
Sunday morning Rangers things
Good morning, folks…
The Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins yesterday by a score of 6-2.
Shawn McFarland writes that Nathan Eovaldi came up big in a must-win game.
Evan Grant, who has harped on the Rangers lacking an “identity” all season, returns to that theme as we head into Game 162.
Josh Jung, who has been one of the Rangers’ best hitters this season, was placed on the injured list before Saturday’s game due to his fractured hand.
His replacement, Nicky Lopez, left Saturday’s game due to heel and ankle issues, but he says he’ll be ready to go for today’s game.
The Philadelphia Phillies are trying to avoid a historically bad collapse today.
Justin Verlander pitched the final game of his Hall of Fame career on Saturday, and when A.J. Hinch came out to get him, Verlander’s daughter, Genevieve, accompanied Hinch in what was an emotional moment.
The American League West has been so bad in 2026 that its prompting folks to ask whether the playoff format should be re-vamped.
David Laurila has his Sunday Notes column up at Fangraphs.