Category: Baseball

Good morning folks!

The Mariners dropped another massive stinker in yesterday’s 7-0 loss to the Astros. The good news is that we’re less than a week from the end of this disappointing season.

Anyway, here’s what’s happening around baseball.

In Mariners news…

• Eric Sanford wants to know what your favorite moments were from this godawful season.
• Over on The Feed, commenter Jose Luis took a crack at outlining an offseason plan for the Mariners.

Around the league…

• The Red Sox have committed to keeping manager Chad Tracy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow through at least 2029.
• The Mets have agreed to a three-year contract extension with manager Andy Green.
• The Yankees do not expect superstar outfielder Aaron Judge to be available during the Wild Card round.
• Michael Baumann at Fangraphs wonders if the Yanks have what it takes to be successful in the postseason without Judge in the lineup.
• The Cubs are not planning to place third baseman Alex Bregman on the injured list after he suffered multiple fractures in his face from a foul ball.
• The Rays have released former Mariners outfielder Jake Fraley.
• The Rockies became the fifth team in MLB history to have four straight seasons with 100+ losses.
• Paul Skenes blamed the World Baseball Classic for his declining velocity in 2026. As long as players continue to participate in the tournament I’m going to remain skeptical that they sincerely believe any of this.
• David Roth at Defector offered up a different theory: Team USA’s players are being punished for their redassery during the tournament.
• The MLB strike zone shrank a good deal in 2026, reports J.J. Cooper at Baseball America. ($)
• David Schoenfield at ESPN gave his regular season grades for all 30 clubs.
• Jeff Passan handed out his regular season superlatives high school yearbook style.
• Ryan Blake outlined the five biggest questions facing the sport in the run-up to the 2026 postseason.

After taking some dumb losses last week, the Yankees came into this week with absolutely no breathing room left in the AL East race. The Rays magic number was down to two, meaning any Tampa Bay victory in the four-game series this week would see them clinch the division in the Bronx.

Looking to at least prevent that, the Yankees took the opener of Tuesday’s doubleheader thanks to a dominant outing from Carlos Rodón. Unfortunately, they did not put in the best of performances in the second game, and a Rays victory ended the AL East race.

The win in the opener did clinch the top AL Wild Card spot at the very least, so there will be at least two games at Yankee Stadium in October. However, that means the Yankees are now locked into the #4 seed no matter what happens to them or other teams the rest of the season. While the Yankees’ don’t have much left to play for in the regular season, that’s not accurate around the rest of the AL. Let’s check in on what happened in those races in today’s Rivalry Roundup.

Cleveland Guardians (82-75) 3, Boston Red Sox (84-73) 2

Nathaniel Lowe’s go-ahead sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth gave the Guardians another crucial victory in the AL Central race.

Cleveland jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in this one. In the second inning, David Fry hit an RBI single, while the Guardians scored another run on a double play with a runner at third. The Red Sox got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the frame as Andruw Monasterio hit into a run-scoring ground out.

That lead stood up for quite a while for Cleveland, as Parker Messick put in five solid innings, followed by a couple scoreless innings from their bullpen. However in the eighth, Mickey Gasper hit a pinch hit homer to tie things up with Boston down to their last couple outs.

Despite their newfound life, the Red Sox had the wheels come off in the ninth. Reliever Erik Miller hit Chase DeLauter with a pitch and then gave up a single to Jo Adell, putting runners at the corners. Lowe then hit his sac fly, but Cleveland left two runners on after that, missing a chance at a bigger lead. That didn’t end up costing them, though as Cade Smith worked around a walk to finish things off.

Other Games

• Chicago White Sox (81-76) 14, Kansas City Royals (69-90) 11: Cleveland’s win ended up allowing them to maintain a one-game lead in the Central, as the White Sox won a wild one in Kansas City. Chase Meidroth led the way for Chicago with a five-RBI, three-hit game that allowed the White Sox to open up a 14-4 lead. However, things got unexpectedly tight down the stretch, as the Royals scored three runs in the eighth and four in the ninth. Chicago got the final outs after that to prevent any more danger, keeping them a game back in the Central.

• New York Mets (72-85) 6, Texas Rangers (78-79) 3: Meanwhile over in the AL West, the entire division is back below .500 as the first place Rangers dropped one to the Mets. While Texas led 3-2 going into the sixth, the Mets put up three runs, taking the lead on a two-run Francisco Alvarez double. The Rangers had no answer after that as just one Texas batter reached base after the Mets took the lead.

• Houston Astros (78-79) 8, Seattle Mariners (73-84) 0: The Astros were able to take advantage of Texas’ loss, crushing the Mariners to draw even atop the West. Houston took the lead before an out had even been recorded, thanks to Yordan Alvarez, and they only kept adding on from there. Christian Walker hit a three-run homer in the third, while Alvarez added one of his own later.

• A Toronto Blue Jays- Baltimore Orioles game scheduled for yesterday was rained out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader today.

Detroit Tigers’ rookie Kevin McGonigle has put together a pretty incredible campaign in his first season of major league baseball. He hasn’t just led the rookie class in the maor leagues all year long, he’s done things few players his age have ever accomplished. Even so, the fact that he just turned 22 years old doesn’t really enter into the picture unless voters decide to put some weight on his age as a tiebreaker. McGonigle appears to have the award locked up, but Cleveland Guardians rookie left-hander Parker Messick also deserves some serious consideration, and he remains McGonigle’s top competition for the award in the final week of the regular season.

Right now, the oddsmakers don’t see this as a contest at all. Bet MGM has McGonigle at -3000 to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, while Messick is at +1500 to win. ESPN and several other sites agree with that assessment.

McGonigle entered the season as the Tigers’ top prospect and more than lived up to the billing. He hit the ground running in late March and April and really never stopped hitting. He slumped somewhat in May and again in August, but even his slumps were instructive, as McGonigle at his worst never went into a real funk for long. Even better, his work with Tigers’ Hall of Fame shortstop, Alan Trammell, in the 2025 Arizona Fall League paid dividends in the field. One of the few questions about him as a prospect was whether he could hold down the shortstop position, or whether he’d need to shift to second or third base. Instead, McGonigle improved his footwork and overall efficiency on defense, and did a nice job playing an even mix of shortstop and third base throughout his rookie season.

The standout number for McGonigle is his outstanding .376 on-base percentage, but just as impressive is his 13.5 percent strikeout rate, compared to his 13.7 percent walk rate. He’s hit for just average power, with 17 home runs and a .149 isolated power mark, but the long, pesky at-bats with minimal strikeouts, and his constant presence on the bases, have made him a true headache for opposing teams to deal with all season long. McGonigle holds a stellar 128 wRC+ overall, and a 121 wRC+ while playing shortstop, placing him fourth amongst all major league players with a 100 plate appearances as a shortstop. Of the three shortstops currently ahead of him in wRC+, only Elly De La Cruz graded out better than McGonigle defensively.

Meanwhile, McGonigle has played 601 innings as a third baseman as of this writing. He’s racked up 7 defensive runs saved (DRS) per Sports Info Solutions, while Statcast has him at -2 outs above average (OAA). He’s played 675.2 innings at shortstop, compiling a +2 DRS with a -1 OAA mark. Those differences in marks from different systems aren’t very far apart, and it’s fair to say that McGonigle has been roughly an average defender at both positions.

For a hitter this talented to be solid at both of the two most difficult spots on the infield, and to be able to comfortably flex between them as a rookie in his age 21 season is extremely impressive. At no point has McGonigle really felt like a rookie. Instead, he immediately stepped into the major leagues as a foundational piece, able to thrive in all facets of the game and even making things easier for his manager by tackling both shortstop and third base as needed. With four games remaining, he’s basically a lock to top Harvey Kuehn’s 1953 franchise record for reaching base in a rookie season.

All tallied up, McGonigle has been worth 6.7 rWAR from Baseball Reference as a rookie in one of the all-time great rookie campaigns in MLB history, particularly for such a rookie who was 21 years old for most of the season. By FanGraphs, McGonigle is at 5.1 fWAR prior to Tuesday’s matchup with the Washington Nationals.

By contrast, the 25-year-old Messick has been worth 5.8 rWAR, with one start left in his rookie regular season. Yes, the Guardians pitching factory has done it again. He’s also at 4.6 fWAR, though his solid five inning start with one earned run on Tuesday will give these numbers a little boost.

Messick has 178.1 innings across 30 starts with a 12-9 record and a 2.57 ERA/3.11 FIP combination. His 26.2 percent strikeout rate is good rather than great, but still ranks him 15th best among qualified starters. Even better, he’s done it while walking just 6.6 percent of hitters and keeping a well below average home run rate of 0.86 home runs per nine innings (HR/9). Dylan Cease of the Blue Jays and Cam Schlitter of the Yankees are probably in a two-man race for the AL Cy Young, but Messick, as well as a resurgent season from the Rangers’ Jacob deGrom, aren’t too far behind.

Messick is certainly the best rookie pitcher in the American League. I think the contest between the two is closer than their WAR totals say, and the odds should probably not be quite so far apart, but even so he’s been outpaced by McGonigle’s steady production in all phases of the game. If there’s one additional argument Messick lobbyists will point to, it’s the fact that Messick has helped the Guardians get to the postseason, while McGonigle’s brilliant debut has been for naught in that regard. Still, this isn’t a team award, and typically that sort of thing doesn’t play into the equation.

Even so, it’s important to note that Messick is having a pretty historic rookie season of his own. As pointed out by MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince on Tuesday, the last rookie pitcher to make 30 starts with a 2.60 ERA or lower was Dwight Gooden back in 1984. Maybe he goes on to have a great postseason as well, but the votes are placed before the postseason begins, so that won’t be a factor.

Kevin McGonigle was the top ranked prospect in baseball who debuted this season in the American League, and second only to the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin, who didn’t do a whole lot and missed a big chunk of the season to injury. McGonigle had all the hype and all the pressure on him coming into Opening Day. He’s done nothing but live up to every bit of it while conducting himself like a seasoned professional since arriving in camp back in Februrary. We’ve witnessed one of the all-time great seasons for a player his age, and he’s stood out above the pack against fellow rookies who are anywhere from 2-4 years older. Even better, the eight-year extension signed in April means Tigers fans will be rooting for McGonigle well into the mid 2030’s, at least.

Should this turn out as expected and McGonigle wins AL ROY, the Tigers will get a prospect promotion incentive pick for promoting McGonigle to the major leagues for the whole season, so this has implications for the whole team as well. The Tigers will then have a first round pick in the lottery pool, and two picks in the competitive balance round A, setting themselves up for a potentially monstrous draft. Certainly it’s not guaranteed that McGonigle is going to win, but he’s clearly the front runner and there really isn’t anything Messick can do to close the gap.

Rookie of the Year voting consists of 60 writers in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, with two from each franchise’s coverage. Voting occurs before the start of the postseason. So votes will be locked in by early next week, but we’ll have to wait until November to find out the results.

The San Diego Padres were riding high after a three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins, which followed winning three out of four against the Colorado Rockies. They took that momentum into UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium to face the Los Angeles Dodgers and got smacked in the mouth while being held scoreless on just five hits in a 7-0 loss on Tuesday night.

The loss was made worse when you factor in the San Diego ace, Michael King, was on the mound. The right-hander had been dominant over recent starts and was the unquestioned leader in the rotation — and he still is, but he took some lumps in his latest outing against Los Angeles. King was tagged for five runs on six hits in just four innings of work. He also allowed two walks, both of which led to runs for the Dodgers, and recorded five strikeouts.

The red-hot Padres offense which had been putting up runs and hits in bunches, went quiet — a story the Friar Faithful know all too well after recent playoff struggles against the National League West rivals. Luis Campusano was the only San Diego player to have multiple hits in the game and that was two. Fernando Tatis Jr. opened the game with a hit, but did not get anything else in the contest. Xander Bogaerts was the only other Padres regular with a hit and Ethan Salas recorded a pinch-hit single in his first plate appearance in the top of the sixth inning.

The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Rockies. The Miami Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Milwaukee Brewers. The positive from all of that is the Padres have the same record as the Cubs and Phillies, but both teams have the tie breaker over the Friars. However, they remain in control of their destiny and the magic number to clinch a playoff berth remains at two. San Diego will try to move that number to one, and hope for some help from Colorado to knock off Arizona to claim a playoff spot.

The first step for the Padres is to beat the Dodgers and they will attempt to do that tonight at 7:10 p.m.

Padres News:

• Reliever Jason Adam could return to the Padres’ bullpen some time this week.

• Jake Cronenworth was named Player of the Week, following Jackson Merrill’s selection for the same recognition last week.

• A meeting between the Padres braintrust could be what propels them into the postseason.

Baseball News:

• The Tampa Bay Rays claimed the AL East with a win over the New York Yankees.

• Zack Wheeler helped the Philadelphia Phillies get back even with the Cubs and Padres in the playoff picture.

• The Diamondbacks dominated the Rockies to keep playoff hopes alive.

• The Cubs fell to the Miami Marlins in 12 innings.

• The Chicago White Sox moved closer to a playoff berth with a win.

• The Cleveland Guardians remain in first place in the AL Central with sixth consecutive win.

• The Houston Astros got a win and moved into a tie with the Texas Rangers for the AL West lead.

Happy Wednesday, OTM readers! For the Red Sox, this week’s games are largely meaningless. They’re all but locked into the fifth seed, with a trip to the Bronx waiting for them in the Wild Card round. So, are you watching the games this week? Last night, for the first time in a long time, I opted to watch the Cubs and Phillies to see how the NL playoff picture would shake out. I’ll be at the game tonight with my softball team, and I’ll be watching tomorrow to see how Ranger Suarez approaches things, but I really won’t care about the outcome.

Do you watch every game? Are you watching the next few nights? Are you an adult who has other things to take care of and doesn’t schedule your life around the Red Sox? Talk about this and whatever else you’d like in the comments. Be respectful to one another, and go Sox.

MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams looks ahead to the cold outlook for the Royals this coming offseason.

Although the 2026 season was an immense disappointment, it’s unlikely that there will be sweeping changes made to organizational leadership. The Royals extended manager Matt Quatraro on a new three-year contract that covers the 2027-29 seasons — with a club option for 2030 — back in February. General manager J.J. Picollo signed a five-year extension just 11 months prior. He’s under contract through 2030, with a club option for the 2031 season. Prolonged struggles can eventually jeopardize executives and managers even when they’re under contract, but it’s quite rare for those figures to be replaced so early in long-term contracts — and the Royals have historically been a franchise that’s very loyal to its top decision-makers.

The challenges for Picollo and his staff this winter will be significant. They’ll have multiple needs to address both on the pitching side of the roster and in the lineup. They’ll need to do so without a great deal of payroll space, barring a sudden hike in spending from owner John Sherman. One could argue that those facts, coupled with a last-place finish in a thin American League Central, signal there’s a need for a more forward-looking, long-term approach this offseason, but Kansas City’s activity at the trade deadline was indicative of the fact that a rebuild isn’t in the cards.

Kansas City Star’s Pete Grathoff details how the AL Central this week really depends on how the Royals play at home.

Being mediocre in the American League kept most teams in the postseason hunt, but the Royals couldn’t even manage that. However, the Royals can make life miserable for their division rivals. The race for the Central crown is between the Guardians and White Sox, and the Royals will play both teams this week at Kauffman Stadium. “I’m looking forward to playing these guys this week,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters Sunday after KC’s 4-3 loss to the Pirates. “We can have something to say about who wins the division, who goes to the playoffs, and I’m looking forward to competing.”

The Athletics’ power rankings have Kansas City at 25th as the season comes to an end, but there is one clear reason to watch the team in 2027.

One reason to believe in next year: [Holds up a photo of Bobby Witt Jr.] What, are you gonna not watch this guy?

Count me among those with egg on my face when it comes to the 2026 Kansas City Royals. I expected them to compete with the Tigers for a division title. Let’s just check in on those standings …

Right. Neat.

So do you really want me to tell you what is coming in 2027? Probably not.

Instead, I’ll just say it’s always a pleasure to watch Bobby Witt Jr. play. Carter Jensen looks like a successful successor to Salvador Pérez at catcher, Jac Caglianone looks legit, and I think Noah Cameron has borderline-ace potential.

Will Vinnie Pasquantino come into his own as a star first baseman? Will Cole Ragans recover from a disaster season?

And what will they do about the bullpen? If you set the minimum number of innings to two — two innings — here are your bullpen ERA leaders:

36-year-old Anthony Gose (0.00, 9.2 innings)
32-year-old Jose Cuas (2.21, 20.1 innings)
31-year-old Randy Dobnak (3.02, 73 innings)
That’s right. Not a single reliever who has thrown more than 21 innings has an ERA under 3.00. How common is that? This year, only three* other teams are in the same boat: the Twins, Mariners and Nationals (who set a new MLB record for blown saves in a season). — Weaver

*Daniel Lynch IV had an ERA of 1.96 as a reliever, but was moved into the rotation in early August. Since we’re looking forward to 2027, I’m not counting him.

**The Angels only had one guy, Chase Silseth, and they traded him. So … count them if you want, they’re 60-96.

Kings of Kauffman’s Matthew Swigonski has high expectations for Royals prospect Carson Roccaforte after a strong 2026 season.

This year, Roccaforte took that next step the Royals had been waiting for. While spending the majority of the 2026 season at Double-A, Roccaforte saw an even greater boost in his power. He belted 30 home runs and drove in 80 runs before being promoted to Triple-A Omaha in August, where he continued to rake. In 28 games for the Storm Chasers, Roccaforte put up an .862 OPS.

There is just one flaw that is holding back his offensive game. Like in his previous seasons, Roccaforte has continued to fall victim to the K. In 540 at-bats this season, he struck out 181 times. But as his power stroke develops at an encouraging clip, it may be something that the Royals will be able to live with.

With bats like Carter Jensen, Jac Caglianone, and Bobby Witt Jr. already in the lineup, Royals fans could see an exciting change coming in 2027. Paired with fellow prospect Blake Mitchell, the addition of Roccaforte could transform the ball club into an explosive offensive powerhouse. The Royals could be young enough and good enough to compete with the Chicago White Sox as the team to watch out for in the AL Central over the next several years.

FanSided’s Robert Murray polled MLB agents on the sticking points in the MLB labor negotiations, with ACES’ Seth Levinson pointing out the competitive balance as an underrated aspect.

If the concern is that small-market clubs cannot compete with big markets, then we must first understand that small markets receive billions of dollars in subsidies through central revenues, local revenue sharing, and the redistribution of luxury tax proceeds.

Beyond the finances, the MLBPA has identified additional paths to level the playing field. For instance, the argument is that despite the subsidies, small-market clubs cannot afford to acquire high-end talent in free agency and must rely heavily on the draft. Generally speaking, why not allow small-market teams to pick at the top of the draft to ensure they can acquire young, talented, and affordable players? Brilliantly run clubs like Tampa and Milwaukee should not suffer draft position as a result of their success, while big-market clubs reap the benefits of their failures. Does anyone believe it would be fair for the Mets to have the first pick in the draft, which is a possibility?

Additionally, there has been an influx of professional Japanese players, who have immediately contributed at the big-league level. History has shown that most, if not all, of these enormously talented players sign with big-market clubs. Why not make those players subject to a draft or available only to small market clubs?

Royals Keep’s Kevin O’Brien answers whether the Royals should keep Daniel Lynch IV in the rotation or not in early 2027.

Baseball America put out their final RoboScout hitter and pitcher rankings, with Quad Cities southpaw David Shields at 13th.

Meet the new favorite to go first overall in the coming MLB Draft, infielder Dylan Seward.

Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper looks at how runs surged across minor-league baseball in 2026, and what it means for player evaluation.

Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Skenes puts some blame for 2026 struggles on playing in the World Baseball Classic.

Ahead of a return to the postseason, the Chicago Cubs are giving Chicago fun baseball again for better or worse.

With the ABS challenge system coming to the big leagues in 2026, the strike zone responded in kind by getting tighter.

Detroit Tigers legend Justin Verlander will start Saturday as the 43-year-old bids farewell.

The New York Mets make Andy Green their full-time manager, giving him a three-year contract to turn the NL East club around.

The Boston Red Sox removed the interim tag from manager Chad Tracy following a positive turnaround into the postseason.

MLB already has an exemption in place for its annual scouting dead period, with the WBSC U-18 Pan American Championship next month in the Dominican Republic.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is unlikely to play in the Wild Card series after receiving an injection in his right calf.

FanGraph’s Michael Baumann looks at the bleeding behind the pinstripes if the Yankees do not have Judge in the postseason lineup.

Chicago White Sox Chase Meidroth is producing big power numbers despite hitting the ball and swinging softer.

Former Los Angeles Angels executive Andrew Ball looks back on where the team went wrong during his five-year tenure with the club.

Cole Roberts, son of Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, finds his own way down on the farm leading a team.

Pebble Hunting looks at those darn batting helmets, always getting in the way.

Nebraska and Miami (Ohio) are set to open their 2027 seasons in Arrowhead Stadium.

The Toronto Raptors and Kawhi Leonard agree to a two-year extension worth $115 million.

NBA veteran Nicolas Batum calls it a career after 18 years in the NBA.

Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles is blowing past rookie records set by Caitlin Clark, but how does she do it?

Jessica Shepard bet on herself going to the Dallas Wings. That is paying off, not to the surprise of her or her teammates.

Swifites go nuts as Taylor Swift announces her first song, “Patient Zero”, since marrying Travis Kelce this summer.

American Royal opens a $375 million campus worthy of the historic name.

I have been steeling my heart all week to do the unthinkable, to uncork the ultimate turncoat take as a Boston Red Sox fan: in predicting the looming Wild Card series with the New York Yankees, I was ready to predict that the Yankees would win. Gasp.

But then … (Travis Scott from The Odyssey Voice), a Tweet! 

Breaking: The Yankees do not expect to have Aaron Judge available for the Wild Card series next week, manager Aaron Boone said.

Judge was placed on the injured list with a right calf strain Friday and received a PPP injection Monday. pic.twitter.com/mfLjfjw1kY

— ESPN (@espn) September 22, 2026

Yes, it’s looking like Aaron Judge will not be available for the Yankees in the Wild Card round and potentially beyond, and no matter how you slice it, that’s a disaster for New York. Judge is the best hitter in the world, and their offense without him isn’t all that scary, particularly against left-handed pitching. 

This will have major domino effects on the series, and I would wager that the Red Sox’s apparent decision to load up rookie left-hander Payton Tolle for Game 1 has a lot to do with Judge’s absence. Tolle is easily their highest upside pitcher, but he’s never been in anything close to that kind of spot in his life. He’s as competitive as they come, but a hostile Bronx crowd will be a serious pressure cooker. 

Ok, now onto the mega preview. While it is theoretically possible that the Red Sox do not play the Yankees in a three-game all-the-marbles showdown in the Bronx in one of the American League Wild Card series, it would take an impossibly specific AL Central finish for Boston to somehow tank their way to an easier matchup. I feel confident publishing this now, and if I wind up being wrong … well, I’m just going to assume that’s what God wanted. The Yankees and Red Sox are currently fourth and fifth overall in FanDuel’s World Series winner odds, so it should be a pretty even matchup.

I wrote a lengthy breakdown of the pitching matchups in this series earlier this month, and speculated that Boston would go with Sonny Gray in Game 1 with Tolle in Game 2, while the Yankees would use Cam Schlittler and Max Fried in some order, though I wasn’t quite sure how healthy Fried was or if Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodon would get the other nod. That was apparently wrong-ish, as we’ve since received word that Cole will indeed get a start in the Wild Card series, and the way the rest will work out, it’s possible manager Aaron Boone is lining him up for Game 1 with Schlittler in Game 2. That’s a real risk to potentially hang Fried out to dry if the Yankees get swept, but it’s possible he’s just not healthy enough to run out their early and risk needing too much from the bullpen. They will possibly have Rodon in the bullpen, though that wouldn’t be ideal for the rest of their playoff run (if such a thing occurs). 

The Red Sox are going with their gut and Tolle, who has looked like a young ace in Garrett Crochet’s extended absence. It’s high risk, high reward, but with how little you can actually control in the MLB Playoffs, Tolle is the one guy with dominant swing-and-miss stuff that could get you a game singlehandedly. Meanwhile, it’s an open question if Crochet will be able to provide a bullpen role in the Wild Card, but as of last week he was throwing 92 miles per hour — still a ways to go. Gray is looking like the Game 2 starter with Ranger Suarez anchoring Game 3. All that seems fine.

Other than Crochet and reliever Justin Slaten, the Red Sox should be reasonably healthy for the series. They come with one of baseball’s best bullpens anchored by the late-30s Linsanity-run Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock and new acquisition Erik Miller. They’ll have bulk relief options with Brayan Bello and could even choose to start him in longer series, but I’d be surprised if he had anything to do in the Wild Card series. Only Masataka Yoshida and Curtis Mead and perhaps Eli White would figure into the offense if healthy, and Boston hasn’t relied on any of them for major production all year. Even Tanner Houck is looking like he’ll be back in some capacity, an absolutely shocking development for all who follow his long road back from a UCL tear.

The Yankees, meanwhile, are not so healthy. Their bullpen is stacked, as is their starting rotation, and I grant them a notable pitching edge over the Red Sox. But their lineup is just decimated. Trent Grisham may not be on the Wild Card roster, and with both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton out as well, the Yankees are going to be relying on players they’d rather avoid; Max Schuemann, Amed Rosario and perhaps even Anthony Volpe could mix in. That’s not anyone’s idea of Murderers’ Row.

So what’s at stake for everyone? For New York, it all hinges on Judge. If he’s not available at any point, it is borderline unserious to project the Yankees to win four rounds. But they really do have stacked pitching, and you can get pretty damn far on just pitching in the MLB Playoffs if you can get a few lucky hits. For the Red Sox, making it out of the Wild Card for the first time in 2021 is essential. They just canned the interim tag on now-official manager Chad Tracy and signed him to a three-year deal; the organization is committed to this team, this philosophy, and this season. 

There’s also the emotional preview, which I will run through quickly: Red Sox/Yankees isn’t necessarily the same rivalry as it used to be, but it’s starting to work it’s way back into the cultural zeitgeist. This is two straight years of Wild Card action, and Boston’s last three playoff series came against the Yankees.

Here’s the deal: if all were fair and healthy, I would pick the Yankees. The three-man rotation of Cole, Schlittler and Fried is just out of this world, though I don’t necessarily agree that Cole deserves the start more than Rodon. But this is a cruel world, and Boston’s lineup is significantly better than New York’s. Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Adley Rutschman, Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu are a rock-solid one through five, and there’s no more black holes in the lineup with a major bench/pinch-hitting advantage. There’s still a chance they just get mowed down by Schlittler and Fried, but Boston’s rotation isn’t that much worse. But it’s a fascinating series, but I’m picking the Red Sox to win in three games. We’ll give Schlittler game two, and then Boston advances to play Tampa Bay. One day, I’ll pick the Yankees in this column. But it is not this day!

The Mets continue a three-game series against the Rangers at Globe Life Field on Wednesday night at 8:05 on SNY.

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Mets Notes

• Francisco Lindor enters play on Wednesday with 299 career home runs
• Carson Benge is hitting .295/.357/.453 (.809 OPS) with 18 home runs, 20 doubles, and 77 runs scored in 130 games since April 23
• Nolan McLean allowed one run on seven hits while walking three and striking out five in six innings during his last start on Sept. 17 against the Phillies

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Today's Lineups

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JR Ritchie had maybe his best outing as a major leaguer last night against the Reds. I say maybe because, well, he did give up a homer, and also that the level of competition he faced from the Cincinnati attack was a lot lower than, say, what he faced in his MLB debut against the Nationals. But, I guess the main takeaway is that especially through the first nine batters, he was really good, in a way he often hasn’t been this season.

In some ways, the question of whether there’s space on the playoff roster for JR Ritchie isn’t really one about his merits, but more about franchise preference. The reality is that there’s just plenty of room for pretty much anyone on the pitching side. Across the 13 spots, you have:

• Definite starters: Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle (2)
• Starter-ish guys: Grant Holmes, Martin Perez (2)
• Backend relievers: Didier Fuentes, Dylan Lee, Raisel Iglesias (3)

Those guys alone leave six other spots. For those spots, you probably have:

• Probably locks: Brent Suter, Dylan Dodd, Victor Mederos (3)

So then we’re down to three spots. I don’t see a reason why Ray Kerr wouldn’t get one. AJ Smith-Shawver is clearly being tested to be deployed in a bullpen role, so we’re down to one. And the candidates for that spot basically come down to JR Ritchie, and a recovered-enough Robert Suarez.

If Suarez is recovered enough to be trusted in a playoff situation, then it’s really Ritchie versus Kerr versus Smith-Shawver. I don’t see Ritchie winning that battle, necessarily, though Kerr may be redundant enough with Dodd and Suter that maybe the extra right-hander that works as a bulk-y mop-up type guy ends up on the roster instead.

So I guess it kind of comes down to how the Braves feel about Suarez when he gets his big league tune-ups, versus how they feel about Kerr with a bunch of lefties already in the bullpen, versus how they feel about Ritchie.

How do you think it plays out?

I should note, I guess, that this question is fairly academic. Teams tend to only use the same four-ish relievers in the playoffs, and I don’t know that any of the bubble guys mentioned here, save Suarez, really factor in. Ritchie would probably only pitch if the game were essentially decided, or it was a crazy extra-innings affair. I guess I should’ve made this question about Suarez, but that seems more clear-cut as a “if he looks recovered, yes, otherwise hmm.”

The Orioles, as a collective unit, have failed in 2026. Some players got hurt, some players struggled, and a few were traded away. The team will finish with a losing record and miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Few things have worked out, but there’s one thing that cannot be questioned—Pete Alonso delivered in his first season in Baltimore.

The organization entered the last offseason looking to make a splash, and they found their match with Alonso. The Orioles reportedly offered free agent Kyle Schwarber a similar deal, but Schwarber elected to return to Philadelphia at five years, $150 million. Shortly after, the Birds inked Alonso to five years and $155 million.

Schwarber has been as advertised in Philadelphia—he leads the NL in home runs and strikeouts—so the deal appears to have worked out just fine. However, the big slugger has only started 10 games in the field. Alonso, on the other hand, has developed into a plus defender at first base.

Baltimore entered the year with Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo already on the roster. Injuries to Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg eventually created room on the infield, but the Birds never let a crowded unit stop them from acquiring a top talent.

The same cannot be said for the rotation. Baltimore sent a king’s ransom to Tampa Bay for Shane Baz, but they stopped short of acquiring one of the top starters on the market. The Orioles may have believed that Baz, Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers had the makings of a big three, but the unit never achieved that level.

Everyone can remember how they felt about the offseason at the time, but how do you feel now? It’s difficult to truly assess the moves when the team fell so short of expectations. Adding a true ace may have helped, but this team was more than one signing away from a successful 2026.

Before the Orioles were all but eliminated, many wondered why a struggling Gunnar Henderson continued to get at bats at the top of the order. Baltimore skipper Craig Albernaz said that this team would not get where it wanted to go if Gunnar Henderson didn’t play like Gunnar Henderson. He was right, but Henderson never came close to his 8.8 bWAR season from 2023.

As we approach the offseason, it’s fair to wonder if Gunnar Henderson is ever going to play like 2023 Gunnar Henderson. Maybe 2025 and 2026 Gunnar Henderson is the real Gunnar Henderson? Will the real Gunnar Henderson please stand up?

What if it’s not the right Gunnar Henderson? Can the 2027 Orioles get to where they want to go? The organization is shaking things up with Matt Blood moving on, but Craig Albernaz and Mike Elias appear positioned to remain with the club.

The Orioles will enter the offseason with money to spend under David Rubenstein, but the Alonso signing proved that one good deal is not enough to make a difference. However, Alonso’s success could say something about his approach and how it compares to that of the organization.

Alonso entered the clubhouse as an unquestioned star. There were never any reports that Alonso rebuffed the coaching staff, and he routinely received praise for his leadership traits. At the same time, Alonso was never in need of any coaching. He brought an approach that worked, and he deployed it night after night. The slugger described home runs as “happy accidents” and credited his dedication to hitting the ball hard to all fields. Alonso leads Major League Baseball with 17 opposite-field home runs.

Meanwhile, guys like Henderson, Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser struggled to maximize their skills. Where does that blame go? Some falls on the player, but there’s a pattern here. Fans can speculate that it’s a pull-side approach, swinging for the fences, or all the platooning, but it’s probably a little more nuanced. I can’t tell you for sure, but I know that the Orioles need to find the root cause and make a correction.

It’s scary to think how much harder this season would have been to watch without Alonso playing every day. The former Met entered last night’s game with 16 more homers and 45 more RBIs than any other Oriole. Baltimore does deserve credit for giving the money to the Polar Bear and not another free agent. Bo Bichette has been worth only 0.7 WAR after slashing .263/.312/.392 with 17 homers. Kyle Tucker holds similar numbers with 17 bombs, a .234/.334/.393 line, and 1.1 bWAR. Alonso entered last night’s game with a 4.6 bWAR.

The Orioles should enter the offseason looking for outside help in the outfield, the bullpen, and the starting rotation. The team could struggle to attract top infield talent with Henderson, Alonso, and Jordan Westburg set to return, but a quality second baseman could play over Jackson Holliday and Blaze Alexander. Backup catcher Carlos Narváez has struggled at the plate when hitting for Samuel Basallo.

The team should know better than to tinker with Alonso after a borderline MVP season, but the team needs to rethink their development approach at the major league level. If the Orioles make that change, and whether they learn anything from Alonso’s success, could go a lot further than one big free agent signing heading into next season.

Zack Wheeler last night joined an exclusive club by vaulting past the 2,000 career strikeout number. He joins a list of names that includes fellow Phillies Aaron Nola, Roy Halladay, Jaime Moyer, Robin Roberts, Cole Hamels and Curt Schilling. It’s not a nothing stat that he has made it as it puts him in the company of the game’s greats and longest tenured starters.

It’s quite the accomplishment.

It made me think of today’s question: is Wheeler already among the franchise’s top three right handed starters in their long and storied history? The top two are probably Roberts and Grover Cleveland Alexander with an argument that Schilling is ahead of Wheeler, maybe Nola if longevity is something that still holds a lot of meaning to you. For me, my top five is (remember: right handed only):

1. Robin Roberts
2. Grover Cleveland Alexander
3. Zack Wheeler
4. Curt Schilling
5. Aaron Nola

You can talk to me about Jim Bunning and I’ll listen. I wouldn’t argue with those that maybe had him in the top five somewhere.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! While the season might be winding down, we still have things to look forward to. First and foremost, this weekend the Tigers will bid farewell to Justin Verlander in the best way possible: with a confirmed final start on Saturday. It will be very poetic to see his career end where it began, and despite how the season has gone, the seats should be packed for the last weekend.

We look at what Verlander said about his last hurrah, and we also share how Dillon Dingler has won this season’s Heart and Hustle Award, why Paul Skenes is blaming the WBC for his pitching woes, and how the Yankees are going to manage in the Wild Card without Aaron Judge.

Let’s just jump right into it.

Detroit Tigers News

• JV is ready to go!

A.J. Hinch said Justin Verlander completed his bullpen and walked into Hinch’s office “pretty excited.”

Verlander is officially “all set” to pitch Saturday, Hinch said

— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) September 22, 2026

When Verlander spoke about a successful bullpen session on Tuesday, he was candid about the excitement and the work it took him to get to this point.

“Obviously we’ve gotten tantalizingly close a couple times, so we’ve been cautious with how we announce things this time. So to do that step, I felt really pleased about. It was like a breath of fresh air coming off the mound. Just don’t do anything stupid between now and Saturday, and we should be good.”

He opened up about how much it means to him to be able to end his career where it began, and what the fans mean to him.

“And I’ve been so thankful — I think thankful’s probably a word you’ll hear a lot here the last few days. I’ve been so thankful to be here back where it started, the love that these fans have shown me even when I’m not out there pitching, whether it’s this stadium, visiting stadiums, around the city, it’s meant so much to me and really helped me through this process to feel better about how this season has gone, to know that it means something not just to me, but to the fans too.

I think for that reason, that’s a large driving factor in this. I could’ve easily hung it up a month or two ago, but really pushed as hard as I possibly could, skipping a lot of steps, risking some serious injury potentially. But hey, that’s what I’ve done my whole career. I want to be out there. I want to pitch, to do it not only for myself but for the fans.”

• Dillon Dingler is the Tigers’ Heart and Hustle winner.

Congratulations Ding 👏 pic.twitter.com/wtvdkNKRKW

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 22, 2026

• If you missed this incredible moment from Monday’s game, we’re resharing it.

Jason Benetti gets absolutely roasted by his own production crew with the camera cut after his Austro-Turkish War reference. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/nXPsCi4LE7

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 21, 2026

• A quick look at the medical updates.

Tigers Major League medical update for September 22: pic.twitter.com/PE7py9dud1

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 22, 2026

• Even a cool hype video can’t make me like this stadium name change.

We’re proud to introduce a new chapter in the history of our ballpark. Welcome to Fifth Third Park, home of your Detroit Tigers.

The name changes but what this ballpark represents does not. A gathering place for our community. A source of pride for our city. pic.twitter.com/PnK6MOJNoQ

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 21, 2026

MLB News

• Should the Brewers give Kyle Harrison a chance in the postseason?
• When will the Angels be competitive again?
• Making sense of all the potential tie-breaker scenarios in the last week of the season.
• The Yankees are without Aaron Judge again and might be that way through the Wild Card series.
• An MVP case for Bobby Witt Jr.
• Zack Wheeler reaches 2000 career strikeouts.
• Joc Pederson is heading to the IL with a hand fracture, but he’s hopeful to return for the postseason.
• How could the final week of the season change things in the MVP races?
• How the Angels have managed to develop an elite starting rotation.
• The Phillies are in a state of flux ahead of the postseason.
• How a massive storm could impact the final week of the year.
• What are the biggest stories to watch in this last week of the season?
• Paul Skenes believes participating in the WBC contributed to his velocity dip this season.
• A look at the new road grays jerseys for the Rays. ($)
• Ranking postseason pitching rotations. ($)
• The Mets are standing by their man.

Andy Green has agreed to a three-year deal to remain Mets manager after this season. Green took over as interim manager when Carlos Mendoza was fired in late June. He had insisted he wanted to return to the front office after the season, but he’ll continue in the dugout.

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) September 22, 2026

• Why the Andy Green hire is both safe and a “leap of faith.”
• This is actually super interesting.

The MLB strike zone as actually called was nearly 500 square inches in size in 2015.

This year, it's 411 square inches. It's gotten 16% smaller in 11 years, and pitchers are still throwing strikes 64% of the time.https://t.co/nN0Pc5qPebpic.twitter.com/nWuBHGf8Fu

— JJ Cooper (@jjcoop36) September 22, 2026

• Alex Bregman is a trooper.

Pic I took of Alex Bregman arriving at Wrigley Field this afternoon. He gave me a thumbs up.

I thought his eye and face looked better than in the Pic he posted yesterday.

Continued 🙏🙏 for a speedy recovery for Alex. pic.twitter.com/Qt8v3uIGf4

— Sam Bernero (@sambernero) September 22, 2026

He will also get to skip a trip to the IL and might be back playing as soon as this weekend.

Let this stand as a monument to perhaps the worst Cubs defeat of the entire 2026 season:

I could just end the tale of the Cubs’ 8-2 loss to the Marlins Tuesday evening at Wrigley Field right there, because that’s basically the entire story. Runners all over the place, RISP left in the third, fifth, sixth (bases loaded, one out!), seventh, ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th innings.

Had enough? I sure did after four hours, 10 minutes of that.

Oh, and then there was Edward Cabrera getting pounded all over the place. If the Cubs could have had just one more key hit in several different situations, they win and Cabrera’s never even in the game.

Sigh. Let’s recap anyway.

The game went scoreless into the fourth, starters Shōta Imanaga and Janson Junk keeping most trouble off the basepaths, helped by a 12 mile per hour wind blowing in. Imanaga also helped himself by picking off Heriberto Hernandez in the third [VIDEO].

The play was close, ruled safe on the field, overturned on review.

The other thing worth noting in the first three innings was Pete Crow-Armstrong drawing a two-out walk and stealing second, his 39th, bringing him within one of a 40/40 season [VIDEO].

The Marlins took the lead in the fourth. Kyle Stowers doubled off Imanaga with one out and two singles brought him in to make it 1-0. But Imanaga ran up a high pitch count in that inning and so was done after five, having thrown 91 pitches. More on Imanaga’s night from BCB’s JohnW53:

Shōta Imanaga’s start was the sixth by a Cub this season of exactly five innings with at least 91 pitches.

It was the third by Imanaga. Edward Cabrera has two and Kevin Gausman, one.

Imanaga gave up only one run in each of his starts. The first was 92 pitches at Cleveland on April 5 and the second was 102 pitches at Cincinnati on July 10.

Aaron Civale, who’s been so good in relief this year, wasn’t on this night. Stowers, the second batter he faced, hit a towering home run to left that sliced through the wind, making it 2-0.

The Cubs could do little with Janson Junk through five innings, but tied things up in the sixth. PCA hit a ground ball up the middle that went for a hit after review. A single by Seiya Suzuki moved PCA to third.

Then this happened [VIDEO].

A poor throw to the plate allowed PCA to score and Suzuki to take third. Junk was removed (that’s a baseball move, not commentary) and reliever Cade Gibson struck out pinch-hitter Matt Shaw. (This is where the Cubs really miss Alex Bregman.)

Ian Happ was next, and he singled in Suzuki to tie the game at 2 [VIDEO].

Busch took third on the hit. Nico Hoerner was then hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.

This is where the Cubs offense should have broken this game open. But they did not. Pedro Ramirez hit a line drive to first and Carson Kelly struck out, leaving the game tied heading to the seventh.

Civale threw a scoreless seventh. With two out in the bottom of the inning, PCA doubled and Busch was intentionally passed. Shaw hit a line drive to right that was caught to end the inning.

Daniel Palencia threw the eighth, retiring all three Marlins he faced on just eight pitches, hitting 100 again several times. This is really good news. But the Cubs were retired in order in the bottom of the inning by Eury Perez, normally a starter. In this game, the first relief appearance of his career, he struck out Happ, Hoerner and Ramirez to send the game to the ninth.

Palencia recorded a strikeout to begin the ninth, then Ryan Rolison entered the game, allowing a single to the first hitter he faced, then retiring the side without incident.

So the Cubs now have a chance to walk things off. PCA hit a double down the right-field line with two out. But there he stood as Suzuki popped up to send the game to extras.

Rolison struck out the first two Marlins in the 10th but with the right-handed Hernandez due up, Ryan Zeferjahn was summoned. After wild-pitching the placed runner to third, Zeferjahn ended the inning by getting this fly to left [VIDEO].

In the bottom of the 10th, Suzuki was the placed runner. Busch was given another intentional walk after running the count to 3-0. That walk set a franchise record. From John:

The intentional walk to Michael Busch in the 10th inning was the Cubs’ third walk of the game and 657th of the season, breaking the team record of 656 set in 2016. That had been six more than their previous high of 650, which had stood for 41 years, since 1975.

This is only the ninth season since 1901 in which the Cubs have reached 600 walks. The most recent had been 2017, with 622.

At their current pace, the Cubs will finish with 679. Only three teams have had more in the past 25 years: the 2003 Yankees, 684; 2007 Red Sox, 689; and 2004 Giants, 705.

Shaw attempted to bunt. This is not a bad strategy in the bottom of an extra inning with the game tied, a runner on second and nobody out. You want to get that winning run to third, where it could score on a fly ball. The thing is, bunting is becoming a lost art. After taking two pitches out of the zone, Shaw bunted a ball foul, then popped up another bunt to the pitcher.

Happ then flied to left, but Hoerner drew a walk to load the bases. Ramirez ran the count to 3-1. One more ball and the Cubs win! But Ramirez took strike two, then grounded to second.

In the 11th, Zeferjahn gave up a single, then struck out Stowers. But that was followed by a walk to load the bases. In came Caleb Thielbar, who retired the next two Marlins to end the inning.

Ramirez was the placed runner in the bottom of the 11th, but he went nowhere. Kelly and Dansby Swanson struck out and after PCA was intentionally passed, Suzuki grounded out to send the game to the 12th, making this the longest game by innings at Wrigley Field since May 7, 2023 — also against the Marlins. (The Cubs won that game 4-3.)

Here’s where the wheels fell off. Thielbar gave up a bloop single to left to Griffin Conine, scoring placed runner Esteury Ruiz to make it 3-2. A sacrifice bunt — see, someone does know how to do that! — moved Conine to second, where a single by Jacob Marsee made it 4-2.

Two runs is not an insurmountable deficit in extra innings, but Edward Cabrera entered the game and made it that way. I’ll spare you most of the carnage, but the first five batters Cabrera faced did this: walk, hit batter, walk, single, single and it’s 8-2.

This performance made one Cubs decision easy. Edward Cabrera’s not going to be on any Cubs postseason roster, not pitching like that. This had “Ryan Pressly’s nine-run extra inning” vibes all over it.

The Cubs then went down meekly 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 12th to end the game in four hours, 10 minutes, the first Cubs game to run four-plus hours since Sept. 16, 2023, a 13-inning game at Arizona.

Here are Craig Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].

After all that, this is still not the end of the world. The Cubs could have clinched a postseason spot with a win (since the Diamondbacks also won), but that will have to wait until at least tonight. The Padres lost and the Phillies won their games Tuesday, so now all three — Cubs, Padres, Phillies — are tied at 87-70. The Cubs have the tiebreaker in all situations with those two teams, including in a three-way tie. That means if the Cubs can win out, they’d still get the top wild card spot no matter what the other teams do.

But the Cubs are going to have to find ways to win games like these, or any postseason run this year is going to be short. Again, you can clearly see where the presence of a hot-hitting Alex Bregman might have won this one.

The Cubs will look to even up this series Wednesday evening at Wrigley Field. Kevin Gausman will start for the Cubs and Ryan Gusto goes for Miami. Game time is again 6:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.

Mets 6, Rangers 3

• Sigh.
• What an awful game.
• Bad defense.
• A bad relief appearance from Nathan Eovaldi.
• Bad hitting.
• As many Rangers batters reaching on HBPs as hits.
• Just a miserable, disappointing game at the worst possible time.
• And now Texas, who was in the driver’s seat and had control of their own playoff destiny, now have to win one more game than Houston in the last five.
• Yesterday, I was super nervous.
• Today? Today, I’m just really bummed.
• MacKenzie Gore topped out at 96.0 mph with his fastball, averaging 93.9 mph. Nathan Eovaldi maxed out at 94.1 mph with his fastball. Robert Garcia’s fastball reached 94.9 mph. Jakob Junis touched 93.6 mph with his fastball. Peyton Gray hit 94.4 mph with his fastball.
• Wyatt Langford had a 106.3 mph sacrifice fly. Elias Diaz had a 105.8 mph sacrifice fly.
• Not giving up hope. Let’s get back to .500 today.

Meet the Mets

The Mets beat the Rangers 6-3 in the opening game of the penultimate series of the year. Sean Manaea allowed three runs (only two earned) in six innings while striking out nine batters.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, MLB.com, New York Post

Christian Scott was placed on the injured list with left knee inflammation, ending his season early as well as creating room for Devin Williams to return to the roster from the injured list.

Justin Hagenman will most likely make Christian Scott’s next start on Friday against the Nationals.

Andy Green signed a three year contract to become the Mets manager.

The decision to make Green the permanent manager was not made lightly, from both Green and the Mets.

By keeping Andy Green, the Mets get some continuity in the form of one of the few things that went right this season.

Ahead of his first time facing the Mets since being traded, Brandon Nimmo was dealing with a 24-hour stomach bug.

Around the National League East

Phillies starter Zack Wheeler notched his 2,000th strikeout against the Brewers last night.

Ronald Acuña Jr. exited last nights game with a shin contusion after fouling a ball off his leg.

The Nationals beat the Tigers 3-1, thanks in small part to a two home run performance by CJ Abrams.

The Phillies scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to hold off the Brewers in a 6-4 win. Zack Wheeler struck out eleven batters in 5.2 innings.

The Braves were shutout by the Reds 4-0. JR Ritchie took the loss even though he allowed just one run in five innings while striking out eight batters.

The Marlins beat the Cubs 8-2 after a twelve inning marathon. Kyle Stowers and Joe Mack each drove in a pair of runs.

Around Major League Baseball

Aaron Judge has a “moderate grade” calf strain and is not expected to be available for the Wild Card round.

Despite losing Judge for at least their first playoff series, all is not lost for the Yankees.

The Red Sox gave Chad Tracy a three year deal to officially become their manager, alongside extending Craig breslow’s contract.

Justin Verlander will make the final start of his career on Saturday in Detroit, a full-circle moment for the future Hall-of-Famer.

Even the teams outside of the playoff picture can find a silver lining in the 2026 season.

Former Met Tomás Nido joined the Red Sox taxi squad.

The Rays officially clinched the American League East title witha a win over the Yankees.

Despite losing to the Phillies, the Brewers have clinched a bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs thanks to the Braves loss to the Reds.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Steve Sypa published another edition of Mets Minor League Players of the Week.

This Date in Mets History

The 1969 Mets brought themselves within a single game of clinching the National League East.