Category: Baseball

The Pittsburgh Pirates might not be a playoff team this year, but the team still has a chance to finish the session with a winning record. The Pitching deserves a lot of credit for the success of this season. 

The Pirates set a new franchise record for strikeouts in a season with 1,444, after right-handed pitcher Lake Bachar struck out St. Louis Cardinals Alec Burleson in the top of the first inning of the 5-1 loss at PNC Park on Sept. 23. Pittsburgh eclipsed its previous record (1,443), set in 2019 with four games left, and should easily add to it before 2026 ends.

The Pirates had a deep rotation this year, 30 different pitchers recorded a strikeout this season. The 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes leads the Pirates with 200 for the second straight season.

Braxton Ashcraft came in second with 173 and rookie Bubba Chandler coming right behind him with 138. Even with some injuries Mitch Keller and Jared Jones had a good season coming in fourth and fifth in strikeouts. 

Mason Montgomery (102) and Yohan Ramirez (99) lead relief pitchers. Left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto is in third place with 79 strikeouts, while the other eight pitchers have fluctuated between the major leagues and minor leagues.

The Pirates had five pitchers who were with the team this season, but are no longer a part of the club.

The strong pitching is a really promising sign for the future in Pittsburgh. A lot of the top pitchers on the team right now are young guys like Pauk Skenes, Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones. 

The Bucs breaking their own record this year is a great start and you can tell that the future is incredibly bright for the club in the Steel City. 

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: In case you missed it, last evening the New York Yankees announced that, due to the impending bad weather, this weekend’s series against the Baltimore Orioles has been rearranged. Saturday’s game has been “pre-poned” to this afternoon, serving as Game 1 of a single admission double header. CC Sabathia’s enshrinement in Monument Park will take place today, and Josh Hart bobbleheads will be given out to the first 18,000 fans who arrive when gates open at 2:30. Only those fans with tickets for the originally scheduled game will be honored; for those with tickets to the cancelled game, rainchecks will be available, subject to the team’s normal raincheck policy.

SNY | Julia Yohe: While most of the attention has centered on whether or not Aaron Judge will be available for the Wild Card Series as he deals with a calf strain, two other Yankee bats have been inching towards a return. Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham, on the IL for a series of calf strains and a strained hamstring, respectively, participated in baseball activities, and while it’s too early to say whether either will actually be able to play, it’s something worth paying attention to.

MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: After spending the entire season rehabbing to return to the Bronx, Clarke Schmidt’s season ends after recording just two outs. The team placed him on the injured list with right bicep neuritis prior to last night’s game, and while he theoretically could return for the ALCS (assuming the Yankees make it that far), he will have essentially missed a season and a half.

ESPN | Roundtable: As the season ends its final days, ESPN’s baseball insiders got together to talk about what they’ve been hearing about the upcoming postseason. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Yankees appear to be one of the biggest wild cards: their starting rotation makes them dangerous in a short series, but their path to the ALCS consists of teams that have been very hot in the second half and whose strengths are perfectly placed to exploit the Yankees’ weaknesses — especially with Aaron Judge on the shelf.

There are three games remaining in the 2026 regular season, and somehow the Astros control their own destiny in the American League West.

The Astros have won two of three games this week despite not having a starting pitcher complete three innings. Hunter Brown will start Friday’s game in West Sacramento, with Hayden Wesneski likely to follow Saturday. But what about Sunday?

This would’ve been Cristian Javier’s turn in the rotation, but Javier was placed on the injured list Wednesday after leaving Tuesday’s start with a groin injury.

It is possible Sunday’s game will be meaningless, but what if it’s not? What if it’s a must-win? Who starts, and how on Earth do Joe Espada, Josh Miller and company piece together 27 outs?

Here are some logical, illogical and downright crazy possibilities for who could start Game 162.

Pitchers already on the active roster

Ethan Pecko

Pecko would be starting on three days rest in this scenario, but he only threw 51 pitches in 2 2/3 innings in what was a disappointing start on Wednesday in Seattle. Pecko has not pitched in a game on less than four days of rest since his second professional outing in 2023 after facing three hitters in his pro debut in rookie ball.

Miguel Ullola

Ullola will be down on Friday after another impressive outing on Thursday against the A’s. It’s hard to think he wouldn’t come into play on Saturday, assuming he’s available, but if not, the Astros could try to extract a three inning start from him on Sunday.

Ronel Blanco

Blanco has pitched once since slogging through four shutout innings against the White Sox on Sept. 1, and that was the 14-4 game in Tampa when he entered with the Astros trailing 9-0. Blanco hasn’t been good since returning from Tommy John surgery in July. He has a 7.11 ERA over 31 2/3 innings with a 6.66 FIP, but Blanco has completed at least four innings in all five of his starts.

Tatsuya Imai

Needing just 13 outs for a $1 million bonus, Imai has thrown just 17 innings in seven games since being banished to the bullpen two months ago. He has a 2.12 ERA with a 2.21 FIP and a 34.3% strikeout rate out of the bullpen, but he hasn’t thrown a pitch with the Astros leading or tied since his last start in Anaheim on July 27, when he failed to complete the first inning for the third time in 15 starts. That Blanco made that start against the White Sox should tell you all you need to know about how the team currently feels about Imai.

Pitchers in the organization

Mike Burrows

Remember him? Burrows was returned from his rehab assignment on Monday after the minor league season ended. While on the 60-day IL, Burrows is throwing bullpens are joined the Astros in Sacramento on Thursday. He was a candidate to start that game against the White Sox on September 1, but shoulder inflammation ended that possibility. Burrows hasn’t pitched in the Majors since July 6, but he did post a 1.76 ERA in four rehab starts with Sugar Land.

Bryce Mayer

The Astros minor league pitcher of the year posted a 5.45 ERA in seven Triple-A starts after finishing his time in Double-A with a 2.61 ERA. Allowing 10 earned runs in eight innings while making two starts in Albuquerque and Las Vegas didn’t help that ERA. Mayer’s last two starts were a struggle despite pitching in neutral ballparks, and he eclipsed 100 innings for the first time as a pro. I imagine the Astros are content with his season being over. 

You want to get nuts? Let’s get nuts!

Lance McCullers Jr.

Listen, I have no idea if McCullers has even thrown a baseball since he was released by the Brewers two months ago. I’m here for the story, and what a story it would be if the man who closed out game seven of the 2017 ALCS and started game seven of the World Series 11 days later, ended his career by helping the Astros win another American League West crown.  

Justin Verlander

Hey man, you said you wanted to get nuts.

Verlander is currently scheduled to make the final start of his illustrious career on Saturday in Detroit, but hear me out: What if his old golfing buddy, Jim Crane, were to make a call to see if Verlander might be interested in rejoining his old team and pitching in a game with actual stakes?

The Tigers could then place Verlander on waivers, where the Astros could claim him and get him on a flight to California.

Of course, none of this will ever happen. The Tigers wouldn’t screw over their already pissed-off fan base, and even if Verlander wanted it to happen, he’d have to be placed on waivers now so the 48-hour waiver period could pass in time for him to start for the Astros on Sunday.

But imagine if it did happen.

You’d have one of this generation’s greatest pitchers making the final start of his career, pitching in one of baseball’s great cathedrals, Sutter Health Park, on the west side of Sacramento, California, trying to get a team he hasn’t played for in two years back to the playoffs.

How can you not be romantic about baseball?

Entering this week, the Dodgers seemed to be rolling toward the postseason. 

They had won 14 of 17 games. They had clinched the National League West division crown. They separated themselves for a top-two NL seed. And they had finally gotten the entirety of their roster –– from a previously slumping offense to a once-scuffling bullpen to a star-studded rotation –– synced up and playing well at the same time.

There was, of course, one caveat to all that success.

The team had gotten an exceedingly soft late-season schedule, having not faced a fellow contender in almost a month.

Thus, this week’s visit of the San Diego Padres felt like something of a pre-October test, if not a preview of a potential postseason matchup.

And with a 4-2 rubber-match loss on Thursday night at Chavez Ravine, it was one they concerningly failed in their last true tune-up before the playoffs.

The Dodgers, of course, will downplay the significance of this week’s results. They won 7-0 with a bullpen game on Tuesday night. They felt Wednesday’s 5-1 defeat was closer than the final score reflected. In the big-picture, Thursday’s setback didn’t hurt them either –– especially after they clinched a first-round playoff bye pregame thanks to the Atlanta Braves’ loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

There was also a matter of motivation, with the Padres clinching their own postseason spot by winning each of the last two games.

Nevertheless, dropping this series continued an increasingly troublesome trend for the two-time defending champions.

On the season, the Dodgers are just 25-28 against above-.500 teams currently on track to make the playoffs this year (excluding the sub-.500 Astros and Rangers, who are currently tied atop the AL West).

In the last two months, that mark includes an eye-popping 2-14 rut in such matchups.

Over that period, there were series sweeps at the hands of the Red Sox, Cubs and Braves. There was just a lone win in a dispiriting four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. 

And still, no outcome felt more foreboding than this one.

After a four-run rally in the bottom of the second on Tuesday, the Dodgers’ once-resurgent lineup scored just six more times over its next 25 innings –– even with Shohei Ohtani returning from the injured list on Wednesday, and recording a multi-hit effort Thursday that included a consolation RBI double in the ninth.

Though they manufactured plenty of traffic and prevented each of San Diego’s starters from completing even five innings, they wasted countless opportunities by going 4-for-25 with runners in scoring position.

It didn’t matter that the team got a pair of quality, though hardly dominant, starts out of Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Wednesday (six innings, two earned runs –– albeit with two more unearned) and Tyler Glasnow on Thursday (6.1 innings, three earned runs –– the last of which scored after he left the game).

Or that their own bullpen was, by and large, excellent; only done in during a three-run seventh-inning rally from the Padres on Thursday that was aided by some shoddy Dodgers defense (another area where the team suddenly regressed against a higher level of opponent).

Instead, their red-hot offense reverted back to its mediocre mid-summer form.

And now, after several weeks of increasingly auspicious form, the Dodgers have renewed questions to answer about their inability to beat other playoff-bound teams.

If it doesn’t change soon, it could portend an unexpectedly short October.

The Houston Astros were coming off perhaps their most devastating defeat of the season Wednesday, fearing it might have cost them the AL West title. They called up rookie Lucas Spence to replace center fielder Brice Matthews, who was placed on the injured list.

Certainly, they had no expectations but needed a body.

Spence, who wasn’t even drafted out of Southern Illinois, was hitting just .150 with one extra-base hit when he was sent back in April to Triple-A Sugar Land.

He came up Wednesday and didn’t collect a hit, but was back in the starting lineup Thursday − and just may have saved the Astros’ season.

He hit not one, not two, but three home runs with five RBI in the Astros’ 7-5 victory over the Athletics.

He became only the third player in MLB history to hit the first three home runs of his career in the same game, according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs.

And just like that, the Astros are back tied with the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West with a 79-80 record and just three games remaining.

“That was fun, man, that was awesome,’’ Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters after the game. “I enjoy watching young players come up here. The biggest stage there is. We need some of these kids to step up and do big things, and (he) just delivered. …

“He hit three homers (in) a must-needed win.’’

Spence, who still was in disbelief after the game, had trouble describing his emotions on the Astros’ postgame show.

“That was really exciting,’’ Spence said. “It kind of helped me settle in after getting called back up. It’s nerves or whatever, and you take a good swing like that, it helps you settle in and build on the day and keep it going forward.’’

“When there’s nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire” – Stars, “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”

“When there’s nothing else to fight for, let me fight for this” – Bryan Woo, on fighting to stay in a little too long in tonight’s Mariners game, a sloppy 6-4 loss to the Angels.

I’m trying to sum up some annoyance at Bryan Woo for arguing to stay in this game, and at Dan Wilson for letting him, and at Cal Raleigh for dropping a third strike (stupidest rule in baseball) leading to a Rube Goldberg-esque chain of events, and at the Mariners for going 1-for-8 with RISP tonight and generally blowing chances against literally the 2026 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Disneyland, USA, and I just can’t. There’s nothing to fight for, or against, just the slow march towards the end of this dreadful season.

The Angels got on the board in annoying fashion in the second inning, when Josh Lowe lofted a little two-out single into center field. Christian Moore then hit an even weaker parachut fly ball that Julio dove for and missed, causing Laz Montes to bluescreen momentarily as he scrambled to pick up the loose ball in what’s been his first real tough test as a big-league outfielder, allowing Lowe to score from first. Blech, and also unfortunately a tone-setter for the rest of the night.

The Mariners answered back in the bottom of the inning, though. Cal Raleigh worked a walk, and then Julio Rodríguez obliterated a terrible middle-middle fastball from Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez. I remember listening to Grayson Rodriguez pitch to Julio Rodriguez in 2019 when Julio was playing for the West Virginia Power and the other Rodriguez was with the Delmarva Shorebirds in the now-defunct South Atlantic League. Those games were always hyped up big time, top prospect vs. top prospect. Anyway, Julio won this outing.

Here, with the Rick Rizzs call, as is proper:

451 feet is currently the longest distance a ball has been hit in baseball today, and I will miss saying that when there are no balls hit in baseball today because there is no baseball.

The Mariners had a chance to really break the game open here after Josh Naylor worked a walk and Cole Young singled to put two more on with no outs, but unfortunately Lazaro Montes reached out for a changeup and grounded into a double play to put two outs on the board. Leo Rivas then came through with a clutch two-out RBI, though, bringing home Naylor to make it 3-1 before J.P. popped out to end the threat.

The Mariners had some traffic against Rodriguez and a chance to add on more but frittered away their opportunities. A leadoff double from Randy Arozarena in the second was left stranded at third (Julio and Canzone both struck out) and in the fourth a clever challenge from Cole Young to turn a strikeout into an eventual walk followed by a laserbeam single off the bat of Lazaro Montes was also stranded when Leo Rivas, who is notably not Michael Arroyo, grounded into an inning-ending double play.

That opened the door for the Angels to tie things up in the fifth. Josh Lowe threw his bat at a curveball and was rewarded with a weakly hit leadoff double, and then some more sloppy play bit the Mariners as Cal Raleigh threw away what should have been out number two on a curveball Christian Moore chased after in the dirt, leading to Lowe advancing to third and Moore reaching on my absolute least favorite play in baseball, the dropped third strike rule. Lowe would then score on a groundout to bring the Angels within one.

Despite the curveball working well for him – he had already struck Neto out on the pitch twice – Woo went with a sinker in to Neto, who yanked the pitch into right for a game-tying RBI. I was perplexed as to why Woo moved off his curveball, which he was throwing particularly well tonight – he boosted its usage up to 14%, his most commonly-used secondary tonight, and of 15 thrown landed four for called strikes and got swings on another seven with four whiffs. I was going to ask him about it postgame, but instead we had to do the continued sad autopsy of slicing up the 2026 Mariners to see what parts are the most shriveled. So for now we will put Bryan Woo’s curveball in a box labeled “40 in 40s – 2027” and hope we get to unpack them this spring.

The Mariners jumped back in front in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of some shoddy command from Rodriguez, who walked two and then threw a wild pitch that allowed J.P. Crawford, who had led off the inning, to score. But again, the Mariners couldn’t do any more damage than that, and the Angels then went ahead in the sixth against a clearly tiring Bryan Woo.

Woo’s efficiency hadn’t been great all day, despite recording eight strikeouts against the strikeout-prone Angels. For those who have watched a lot of Mariners starters in 2026, the noncompetitive five-pitch leadoff walk to a hitter with a below-average walk rate who strikes out a quarter of the time appears like a canary in the coal mine that has been this season. Two batters later, Woo allowed another free pass by plunking Denzer Guzman, who walks even less and strikes out even more. With Woo pushing into the 80s with his pitch count, Dan Wilson came out to do a mound visit, at which point Woo was seen yelling forcefully in the face of his manager from behind his glove. Because there’s nothing left to burn but ourselves, Wilson left him in, and Woo immediately went to a 3-0 count against Christian Moore – who is currently running a 34% K rate – before serving up a fastball right on the plate that Moore tattooed into center for a go-ahead double. Just when you think the 2026 Mariners can’t get any more 2026 Mariners, they Mariners all over.

Michael Rucker came in and cleaned up the mess, everyone say thank you Michael Rucker, and Laz Montes helped him out with a great catch. And you know if we’ve reached the “defensive highlights” part of the recap we’re in dire straits.

Direness indeed. Cooper Criswell had the eighth and continued to look not as sharp as he did before going on the IL, walking – no come on guys, seriously, Denzer Guzman again? And of course that leadoff walk came around to score because baseball does still have rules, even meaningless baseball. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway – the Mariners failed to score again after that wild-pitch run in the fifth against the Angels bullpen. It’s the most not matters time in the most not mattering season. Why does it still hurt?

The Dodgers didn’t win a game Thursday. But they got something far more valuable before even taking the field for their 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres.

With the Atlanta Braves’ loss to the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the day, the Dodgers clinched the second seed in the National League playoffs and the first-round bye that goes with it. That means the Dodgers will get five days off next week to prepare for their playoff opener, a godsend for a bruised and bloodied team that has stumbled to the finish of the regular season.

“I think we all know why it’s important,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said of the break. “There’s a lot of us kind of limping toward the end here, a lot of aches and pains this year.”

In addition to Freeman, who has been hobbled all month by a sore right knee, the Dodgers are rushing to get designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, starting pitcher Blake Snell and closer Edwin Díaz healthy.

Read more:Shaikin: For the Dodgers, the varsity will take it from here

Center fielder Andy Pages, who missed a month with a broken hand, returned to the lineup three days ago while Dalton Rushing, who is competing for a bench spot on the postseason roster, is expected to be activated off the injured list Friday.

All of them will benefit from some additional rest before their playoff opener, at Dodger Stadium, on Oct. 3.

And speaking of Dodger Stadium, the No. 2 playoff seed carries another important perk: the home-field advantage for the Division Series — and possibly the World Series, if the Dodgers make it that far. Home has certainly been an advantage for the Dodgers, who drew a sellout crowd of 53,027 Thursday, pushing the team’s total home attendance over four million for the second straight year.

“It’s more turning of the turnstiles than any venue in the world,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “The amazing thing is that it’s not just localized. It’s international. Everyone looks different at Dodger Stadium.

“It’s spectacular and our players certainly feed off of it.”

The Dodgers are one of five franchises in big-league history to draw more than 4 million fans in a season but just two others — the Toronto Blue Jays, from 1991-93, and the New York Yankees, in the final four years at old Yankee Stadium — did it in consecutive seasons.

Plus the Dodgers are the only team to do it since 2008. They also lead the majors in road attendance this season, having drawn 2.82 million, or 36,159 a game. And for some fans, it’s hard to separate their support from the team’s success.

“A synergy exists between we the fans and the players,” said Charles Flores, an associate professor at Cal State L.A. and lifelong Dodger fan who attended more than a dozen games this season. “One inspires the other.”

Russ Hoffman of Santa Clarita, a season-ticket holder for 40 years, agrees.

“The atmosphere created by drawing so many fans definitely contributes to their success,” he said. “Winning continuously drives the attendance and the current ownership has committed the assets to do that.”

That edge can be even bigger in the playoffs. The Dodgers lost just five of 16 postseason games at home — a .688 winning percentage — en route to World Series titles the last two years.

“During the playoffs Dodger Stadium is a tough place to play because it’s 56,000 crazed fans yelling on every play,” said Stan Brooks, an award-winning film producer and long-time season-ticket holder. “The fans are so loud and the environment is so intense every night.”

The Dodgers (97-62) will finish the regular season with three games this weekend in San Francisco, where they will continue their preparation for the postseason. Ohtani had a single and a run-scoring double Thursday. He also sent Jackson Merrill to the center-field wall to run down two long outs Thursday.

Mookie Betts, dropped to second in the lineup with Ohtani’s return, went three for three with a walk, raising his average for September to .347, while Freeman had two hits for the third time in four games.

Read more:Dodger Stadium has a botanic garden tour. Meet the man entrusted with making it a draw

But the Dodgers stranded eight runners, going 0 for 8 with men in scoring position through eight innings, avoiding their first shutout of the season at home on Adrian Morejon’s balk in the eighth.

On the mound, Tyler Glasnow, who will be the Dodgers’ fourth starter in the postseason, was perfect through three innings. He walked Fernando Tatis Jr. on four pitches to start the fourth, but didn’t allow another Padres batter to reach base until Ethan Sales singled with one out in the sixth.

That proved costly when Tatis singled on the next pitch, sending Sales to third, from where he scored on Dustin Harris’ sacrifice fly, putting the Padres ahead to stay.

Glasnow (5-2) got out of the inning by striking out Manny Machado, giving him a season-high 11 strikeouts on the night and 21 in his last two starts but San Diego then blew the game open in the seventh, chasing Glasnow and scoring three times off reliever Justin Wrobleski on run-scoring singles by Austin Hayes, Sales and Tatis.

Díaz pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two.

With the win, the Padres (89-70) clinched a postseason berth for the fifth time in seven seasons.

Staff writer Maddie Lee contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers ended their final homestand on a whimper, as they managed to scratch across just two late runs against the San Diego Padres in a 4-2 loss on Thursday.

After a bullpen game from the Dodgers and a four-run outing for Yoshinobu Yamamoto over the first two games, Thursday night’s contest turned into a pitcher’s duel. Tyler Glasnow and Nick Pivetta both struck out five over their first three innings on the mound, with the former facing the minimum while not allowing a single baserunner.

San Diego broke up the perfect game bid with a leadoff walk to Fernando Tatis Jr. in the top of the fourth inning, but Glasnow prevented the Padres from striking further and did not allow a hit over his first five innings, racking up nine strikeouts. Pivetta, just like Robbie Ray on Wednesday, had his pitch count inflated early on and he was pulled after allowing a two-out single to Mookie Betts in the bottom of the fifth inning— his third hit of the game. Yuki Matsui allowed a single to Freddie Freeman to put runners at the corners but got Teoscar Hernández to strike out swinging, keeping the game scoreless.

After Glasnow struck out Samad Taylor for his 10th strikeout of the night, Ethan Salas broke up the no-hit bid with a single to left, promptly followed by an opposite-field single from Tatis. Dustin Harris hit a fly ball just deep enough to break the ice and plate Salas, giving San Diego a 1-0 lead.

Glasnow managed to pitch into the seventh inning, but his night was done after allowing a double to Jackson Merrill and a walk to Xander Bogaerts. Justin Wrobleski came on in relief, and San Diego countered with pinch-hitter Austin Hays, and the right-hander smoked an RBI single just past Betts to double the Padres lead. Salas’ second hit of the night plated Bogaerts, and Tatis cashed in Hays with his second hit in as many at-bats, making it a 4-0 lead.

Despite the complete lack of run support, Thursday proved to be a fine outing for Glasnow as he totaled a season-high 11 strikeouts on the night while being charged for the three runs on just three hits. In his six starts after being activated off the injured list, Glasnow posted a 4.46 ERA while striking out 49 and walking 12 over 34 1/3 innings.

It was another brutal night for the Dodgers offensively, as a night after leaving 12 men on base while going 1-9 with runners in scoring position, the Dodgers left eight men on base while going 1-9 with runners in scoring position. Their first run of the night came on a balk from Adrián Morejón that plated Mookie Betts in the bottom of the eighth, and Shohei Ohtani roped a double for his team-leading 81st RBI against Mason Miller in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Padres can thank the Dodgers for helping them secure their third consecutive postseason berth, doing so for the first time in franchise history.

Game particulars

• WP— Yuki Matsui (4-1): 1 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
• LP—Tyler Glasnow (5-2): 6 1/3 IP, 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
• SV—Mason Miller (38): 1 IP, 1 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts

Up next

The Dodgers head up to San Francisco for their final regular season series against the Giants beginning Friday (7:15 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Tarik Skubal faces rookie Yunior Marte.

Fighting for the division title and a playoff spot, the Houston Astros tallied five home runs, three from rookie outfielder Lucas Spence, to defeat the spoiler-minded Athletics 7-5 in a back-and-forth opener to their season-ending four-game series.

Astros In Front Early

Both starting pitchers, Mason Barnett and Peter Lambert, tossed scoreless first innings. A’s center fielder Henry Bolte made a stellar diving catch for the second out of the game.

In the second inning. Spence hit his first major league home run against Barnett to give the Astros a 3-0 lead. Seeking an immediate response, A’s first baseman Jeff McNeil doubled to open the bottom of the second. Zack Gelof then drew a walk to put two runners on with no outs. The Athletics failed to capitalize on the scoring opportunity as Lambert struck out the next three batters.

Squirrel Power: Tie Game!

Shea Langeliers, who kept his at-bat alive by winning an ABS challenge, hit a two-out single in the bottom of the third inning, bringing McNeil to the plate as the potential tying run. McNeil’s ninth home run of the season, a three-run shot to right center off Lambert, made it a brand-new ballgame.

Back-to-Back Jacks

Gelof followed with a solo home run to center, his 21st of the season, to give the Green and Gold a 4-3 lead.

Donovan Walton singled for the Athletics fourth consecutive two-out hit, knocking Lambert out of the game after just 2 2/3 innings. The Astros right-hander was one pitch away from ending the inning before suffering that two-out collapse. Left-hander Bryan King replaced him and got that elusive third out.

Athletics catcher Jonah Heim hit a one-out double in the bottom of the fourth inning, giving the A’s an opportunity to extend their lead. The hosts did not cash in on that scoring opportunity as King struck out two straight to strand Heim at second.

Barnett One Mistake Too Many

Pitching with the lead for the first time, Barnett pitched two straight scoreless innings, retiring eight in a row. In the sixth inning, Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes tied the game with his 24th home run of the season, a solo shot to left on a fastball down the middle.

The A’s right-hander rebounded to retire the next three hitters, completing a career-high six frames. Barnett will want those two home run pitches back, but otherwise it was a much-improved outing. He walked two while tying his career-high with eight strikeouts.

A’s Bullpen’s Struggles Continue

The A’s turned the game over to their bullpen as right-hander Scott Blewett entered for the seventh inning. With one out, Spence put the Astros back in front 5-4 with his second home run of the night. Houston had a chance to add on, but Blewett retired Paredes to strand two runners.

While the Astros surged ahead, rookie right-hander Miguel Ullola kept the A’s offense quiet with three scoreless innings of long relief. A night after recording four hits, Bolte struck out looking in his first four at-bats. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, A’s right fielder Lawrence Butler just missed a game-tying home run, settling for a double off the right-field fence. Ullola stranded the tying run at second by getting Langeliers to fly out.

Right-hander Chris Roycroft pitched the eighth inning for the A’s, looking to keep it a one-run game. With two outs, first baseman Christian Walker hit his 27th home run of the season and the Astros’ fourth of the game, extending their lead to 6-4.

Gelof On Fire

The Athletics got a run back in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Gelof hit his second home run of the night, a solo shot to left against Astros left-hander Bennet Sousa to cut the hosts’ deficit to one. On a night when he received the Catfish Hunter Award, Gelof recorded his second career multi-home run game.

No A’s Comeback Tonight

Astros reliever Bryan Abreu replaced Souza and retired Heim to end the inning, stranding the game-tying run at second base. Tommy White put together another useless three-pitch at-bat as a pinch-hitter that inning.

In the ninth inning, A’s right-hander Elvis Alvarado gave up Houston’s fifth home run of the game. Spence hit his third home run of the night, restoring the Astros’ two-run lead. The unheralded rookie became the third player in MLB history to hit his first three career home runs in the same game.

In the bottom of the ninth, Butler collected his third hit to bring the tying run to the plate. The game ended one pitch later as Abreu got Langeliers to ground into his second double play of the game.

The Athletics will look to bounce back Friday. Left-hander Jacob Lopez will start for the Green and Gold, while the Astros will counter with right-hander Hunter Brown.

Angels 6, Mariners 4

The guy I saw wearing a NOTHING IS REAL GO LET LOVE DESTROY YOU hat at the park: Julio Rodríguez, .19 WPA

The guy I saw wearing an Angels hat at the park*: Bryan Woo, -.52 WPA

*the guy in question was Mike Trout

Game thread comment of the day:

The bad news? The Rays lost again. The good news? Well, it didn’t matter and they leave the Bronx healthy with three games remaining in the regular season. At the end of the day, what really matters at this point in the season is that the Rays stay healthy and rest up for October.

On Thursday night, they did just that and held a four-run lead entering the bottom of the sixth inning. Then, the Jake Woodford entered the game and it was downhill from there. In return, the Rays used none of their high leverage arms and got them some much needed rest. This is the benefit of clinching the East and the top seed in the playoffs five games to go.

Facing soon-to-be AL Cy Young award winner Cam Schlitter, the Rays jumped out to an early lead in the third inning, scoring a pair of runs on singles from Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero. Walls crossed the plate first, scoring from first on a throwing error by outfielder Heliot Ramos. Yandy later scored on the single by Caminero.

Schlitter only went three innings as the Yankees looked to get him some rest as well and line him up for the Wildcard series. Michael Fulmer followed and the Rays tagged him for another run in the fifth inning. Again, Caminero singled home Yandy.

In the sixth inning the Rays added on again the following inning when Vilade scored on a groundout by Liam Hicks.

After five scoreless innings from Ian Seymour, the Rays B-Bullpen took over and the rest is history. So, lets focus on Seymour for a second. Over five innings, he allowed just one hit, walked none, and punched out three. He threw 58 pitches and 41 of those for strikes.

Back to the pen… Woodford, who is up to eat innings, was tagged for three earned runs over 1.1 innings of work. He walked a pair and allowed three hits. The always electric but wild Hopkins entered in the bottom of the seventh with one out and a man on second who quickly advanced to third on a wild pitch. Hopkins then walked Volpe and Wells, recorded one out on a Jose Caballero ground out and allowed a game-tying single to Goldschmidt before being lifted for Matz.

With two outs in the eighth and the game tied 4-4, Matz allowed a single to Rosario and then a two-run go-ahead bomb to Lombard Jr. The 6-4 final score would hold and with the loss, the Rays record moved to 96-63.

The Rays will face the Phillies in their final regular season series of the season. Expect more of the same out of the Rays over the final three games — tune up appearances for the arms, some shortened appearances for Yandy, Caminero, Aranda, Hicks, etc. But, the Rays will also look to finish the season on a high note before heading into a five day break as they await their ALDS opponent.

The 2026 season was nothing like Juan Soto envisioned for himself or the Mets, and he put a lot of the team's woes this year on himself.

Speaking with Mike Puma of the NY Post prior to the Mets' 3-1 loss to the Rangers on Thursday, the slugger said he needed to play better to get the team where they need to be.

“It’s definitely not what I imagined in my head,” Soto said. “There is nothing I can do other than blame myself. I have got to be better. I have got to be at the level to take us forward.”

The slugger boasts formidable numbers despite playing in just 108 games (with three still left to play), but two stints on the IL due to separate calf injuries played a part in the Mets missing out on the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Following Thursday's game, Soto is slashing .274/.393/.522 with an OPS of .915 to go along with his 27 home runs and 68 RBI.

But Soto missed a couple of weeks in April for his first calf injury, and then a month for the second in July/August. By the time he returned, the Mets sold at the trade deadline and the team was on the verge of being eliminated from playoff contention.

Despite missing the postseason, Soto told The Post he likes the direction the Mets are headed, especially with its young core of Carson Benge, Nolan McLean, A.J. Ewing and more.

“We have a young core, and we have got to maintain that young core and encourage them to the right way, the right path for the future,” Soto said. “I think we are going in the right direction.

“Look at the young core and what they have been doing their first year in the big leagues. I think it’s real special. It’s always the first and second years are probably the toughest ones of your career, so what they’re doing, I think is very special.” 

But with expectations being high in 2027, Soto hopes the organization is active this offseason to add to the core of veterans that includes him and Francisco Lindor -- and potentially Bo Bichette if he opts in -- and the aforementioned young core so that Soto sees playoff baseball for the first time as a member of the New York Mets.

When Soto was asked about Tarik Skubal, a pending free agent and a fellow Scott Boras client, as a potential addition, the perennial All-Star said he wants to see the Mets bring in anyone who can help the team.

“We should go and get as much as we can,” Soto said. “We need as much help as we can get. It was a real tough year for us, so I think we have got to go out there and grab as much as we can.”

The Arizona Diamondbacks stayed alive this afternoon as they were able to complete the 3-game sweep at Coors Field. This marks the first time since 2018 that the Dbacks have been able to complete a sweep at Coors, and it could not have come at a better time.

The story of the game was the offensive explosion to the tune of 6 runs in the first inning as the Dbacks first 6 hitters all reached. This was capped by a 3 run HR by the red hot Gabi Moreno and a 2 run shot by the veteran Nolan Arenado. Both guys have really broke out in the late season for this team and really put this offense on their back. I believe Arenado deserves a special shoutout in this one for really bouncing back from a couple of rough seasons to put up this kind of season at 35. Well done!

Eduardo Rodriguez was excellent today to cap off a steller 2026 regular season. ERod was able to put aside his traditional first inning struggles in this one and put up a 0 in the bottom of the first and get the Dbacks right back in the dugout after that big first inning outburst which at the time you felt like was the key to the game. Keep the momentum on the Dbacks side and get the Rockies pitching right back onto the mound and that is exactly what he was able to do for his team.

ERod would go on to allow just 2 ERs over 6 innings earning his 16^th win of the season and finishing the year with a sparkling ERA of just 2.89. What an incredible bounce back season from ERod and someone who should certainly get many votes for Dbacks MVP of the 2026 season. Especially considering all of the injury they had earlier in the year. What an incredible way for him to step up.

The Dbacks offense was able to continue tacking on runs in just about every single inning. Worth noting Lars Nootbaar, Perdomo, and Arenado all picked up 3 hits. In addition, James McCann continued to hold his own collecting 2 hits of his own including a HR and an RBI single.

Everything was cruising pretty nicely up until the Rockies offense started making things a little bit too interesting in the 7^th inning. In the 7^th, the Rockies were able to jump all over Dennis Santana for 4 runs, and then continued to make things interesting in the 8^th with 2 more runs against Taylor Clarke. Fortunately for the Dbacks, the veteran Kevin Ginkel was able to come in in the 9^th and slam the door shut on the pesky Rockies offense with 3 strikeouts. Perhaps what was even more important about Ginkel being able to come in and shut them down was the fact that the Dbacks were able to save Garcia, JMart, Morillo, and Loaisiga for the Padres series.

The Dbacks have now won 5 consecutive games and will look to keep their season alive Friday night in San Diego. It has all come down to this! No matter how things wind up for this team, I think we can all be thankful we get so many fun meaningful games this late in the season. And the fact that they continue to fight continues the mantra this team has lived by all season long. They are the comeback kids, the never say diemondbacks… It shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise that they aren’t going to go away without a serious fight.

With the Yankees set to host a best-of-three AL Wild Card series next Tuesday, it's time to take a detailed look at their most likely opponent - who also happens to be their most hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox.

With this in mind, the most recent news coming out of Boston certainly shakes up the outlook for their potential playoff series in New York.

All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras, who was hit on the right hand against the Texas Rangers on Sep. 17, is still unable to swing a bat due to the pain.

"I tried to swing the bat yesterday, and couldn't swing, I tried to swing the bat today, and couldn't swing," Contreras lamented. "It's really concerning... I couldn't hit because my hand hurts, my right hand just feels weaker. It's not a good sign."

"I know Tuesday's [Wild Card opener] is going to be a really important game, the start of a really important series," the slugger continued. "I'm an honest guy, so if [on Tuesday], the game comes around and I don't feel confident in my hand to play, if I'm not feeling good, I'm not taking [a teammate's] spot."

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy commented that the team is "still working through" Contreras' injury, but has "the goal of getting him to the postseason."

Following the team's 1-0 loss to the Guardians on Thursday, Contreras leads all qualified Red Sox batters in home runs (27), RBI (81), on-base percentage (.387), and OPS (.905).

The Red Sox will conclude their season with a three-game home stand against the Chicago Cubs, with Friday being a doubleheader due to Sunday's game being postponed due to inclement weather.

Unless the Boston Red Sox (85-74), Cleveland Guardians (83-76), and Chicago White Sox (82-77) all finish the regular season with identical 85-77 records, the Yankees will face the Red Sox in that playoff series.

For anyone interested in that extremely unlikely scenario where all three teams finish 85-77, here's the breakdown: the White Sox would win the AL Central on a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Guardians, and the Guardians would earn the higher AL Wild Card seed due to their superior interdivisional record compared to that of the Red Sox. 

In that (and only that) scenario, the Yankees would host the Guardians rather than the Red Sox in that series.

Cam Schlittler made the final start of his Cy Young-worthy regular season Thursday night and would be lined up to start Game 1 of the wild-card series Tuesday in The Bronx on regular rest.

But it’s not that simple, according to the Yankees, who are considering holding Schlittler for Game 2, with Max Fried potentially pitching the opener.

“Who wouldn’t want to start the first game?” Schlittler said after his tune-up start in a comeback, 6-4 win over the Rays. “I feel like the whole pitching staff deserves it. We’re all competitors. I’ll let [Aaron Boone] decide.”

The Yankees haven’t settled on their postseason rotation with less than a week to go before the playoffs start.

Pitching coach Matt Blake said Fried is in “heavy consideration” to pitch Game 1, while Schlittler — who threw 70 pitches in an intentionally abbreviated outing against Tampa Bay — was also in the mix.

“He’s the guy we want with the ball,’’ Boone said of Schlittler. “Whether it’s Game 1 or Game 2. You try to play out the whole [postseason]. You want to win the whole thing and want to have him have the most opportunities he can.”

If Schlittler is held for Game 2, he would be lined up for Games 2 and 5 of the ALDS against the Rays. Both games would be on the road, where he has pitched better than at home.

Gerrit Cole, according to Blake, isn’t guaranteed a start in the wild-card series, as Game 3 would go to Cole or Carlos Rodón.

“Both guys have pitched well down the stretch,’’ Blake said of Cole and Rodón. “All four guys are good options. It’s just a matter of making sure we check in, see where they’re at and finding the best fit for whoever we play.”

Their opponent is still undetermined, as Boston was unable to clinch the fifth spot in the American League after losing to Cleveland on Thursday.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

Regardless of who the Yankees end up facing, part of the equation with the rotation will be rest, since Schlittler would be pitching on his fifth day if he went in Game 1.

Cole would be on his sixth day, while Fried — as well as Rodón — would be on his seventh day.

Asked if they could be “overthinking” the situation by not just naming Schlittler the Game 1 starter after his Cy Young-worthy season, Blake said, “Certainly.”

Schlittler finished his first full year in the majors with an AL-best 1.95 ERA, as well as 239 strikeouts.

The ERA is third-best in franchise history, trailing only Spud Chandler (1.64 in 1943) and Ron Guidry (1.74 in 1978).

“He’s been the best pitcher in the league, hands down,” Boone said.

“He’s earned the right to pitch Game 1,’’ Blake said prior to Schlittler allowing two runs, one earned, in a meaningless game. “We’re taking inventory of all our starters and giving us the best chance to advance in the three-game series.”

And that could leave Cole out and ready for a potential ALDS matchup against the Rays.

“If we don’t have him as one of our three starters or out of the pen, he’d be available for [ALDS],’’ Blake said. “I don’t know where we’d go.”

Blake said they could go with all four starters on the wild-card roster, understanding the challenges of putting those pitchers in unfamiliar roles.

Rodón, despite pitching to a 1.89 ERA over his last seven starts since returning from the IL, said he would be fine if he was put in the pen.

“Whatever way we can win a game, I’ll do,’’ Rodón said. “I’m confident in my ability whatever role I have.”

“Any of those guys that haven’t pitched out of the pen in a while, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got a clear plan for them and they understand what role they’ll be in because you probably get one shot if we use one of these starters out of the pen,’’ Blake said. “They’re not gonna pitch two games [in the series].”