Category: Baseball

After a couple of crazy games — one loss and one win — the Rockies will look to take their final game against the St. Louis Cardinals in this afternoon’s rubber match. If they win, they will tie the season series 3-3.

The Rockies have played 19 rubber matches so far this season and are 6-13, the second-worst rubber match winning percentage (.316) behind the Boston Red Sox (5-14, .263). Seven of their rubber match losses have come by two or fewer runs, and they are 3-5 in home rubber matches (3-8 on the road). Wednesday’s rubber match against the Orioles marked the first time the Rockies have won three-straight rubber matches since winning five-straight May 7-June 25, 2023.

Tanner Gordon (1-4, 5.18 ERA) will take the mound for the Rockies. Gordon was on a roll in his last outing before being stymied by a one-hour and 38-minute rain delay. Gordon managed to toss five innings before the delay, only allowing three hits and one run with one walk and three strikeouts. But he only threw 60 pitches, so hopefully that means he’ll be fresh this afternoon. He has faced the Cardinals twice (one start) and is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 9.1 innings.

Gordon will face Colorado Mesa product, and Boulder native, Kyle Leahy (10-4, 3.13 ERA). Leahy is in his fourth MLB season, but first where all of his appearances have been starts. He made 98 appearances from 2023-2025, but only one start — the Cardinals’ final game against the Chicago Cubs last September where he pitched three perfect innings with a strikeout. In his last outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Leahy pitched three innings and allowed one run (a solo homer) on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. He has faced the Rockies six times in his career, and started against them this year on August 7th in St. Louis. He is 2-0 against them with a 4.05 ERA in 13.1 innings.

First Pitch: 1:10pm MT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

SBN Site:Viva El Birdos

Lineups:

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It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! The Yankees have spent the last seven days in the West Coast, hanging in Anaheim as Arte Moreno sold the Los Angeles Angels, then heading on down to San Diego after an offday to take on a bunch of old friends, the Padres. With so much in store, we’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get started!

Down Goes Boston

Last Sunday afternoon, the Yankees gave the Red Sox a 16-1 bearsown, winning the season rubber match to give them the tiebreaker in case both squads finish the season with identical records (as we saw last year, when the Yankees lost the tiebreaker to Toronto, that can be significant come playoff time). Key to that win was Heliot Ramos, whose big three-run home run marked his first significant Yankees moment. Not surprisingly, he took to Instagram to celebrate after the game.

Late in the game, Boston announcer Will Flemming earned the ire of Yankees fans everywhere, criticizing Jazz Chisholm Jr. with language that has historically been used to criticize Hispanic and Black players, then wishing that the Red Sox drilled Austin Wells and started a fight with Chisholm. Naturally Yankees players and fans took to social media to criticize him — including on his own ““apology.”

Game Belts

We had a quite a few game belts this week, with Will Warren, Spencer Jones, and Austin Wells each taking home the honor.

Off-Day Fun

Suzyn Waldman took advantage of the Thursday’s offday to hang out in the warm confines of Southern California.

Question of the Day

For this week’s QOTD, we get to see just how good (or bad) the Yankees are at writing in cursive — I can confirm that it’s more rarely taught to students these days, so if you think these may be hard to read at times … yeah, I’m not surprised.

Miscellaneous

We wrap up this week’s roundup with some other photos from around the team.

Game three of the series with the Royals. This is game 144. It would be nice to stay above .500.

Let’s get a sweep.

Sean Keys gets into the lineup and Josh Smith plays.

Go Jays Go.

The Royals have struggled in the month of September and to open this homestand, sitting at 1-4. For the second straight series they will look to avoid being swept. The Royals are 63-80 on the season.

Today, it was announced that Jac Caglianone, who left the game last night, has a grade 1 flexor strain.

Randy Dobnak will start today and try to help the team avoid being swept. Here is the lineup behind him, with an interesting option at leadoff.

The Blue Jays are streaking currently, winning 8 of their last 10 after it looked like they were dead in the water, after the Royals dominated them in Canada. Them and the Guardians are tied for the last wild card spot right now, both sitting at 72-71, but the Blue Jays own the tiebreaker. Also, after last night’s win, they are above .500 for the first time in a very long time.

Spencer Arrighetti starts for them today. Here is the Jays lineup against Dobnak.

First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. CT. The game can be watched on Royals.TV.

Tampa Bay Rays @ Texas Rangers

Sunday, September 6, 2026, 1:35 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

LHP Ian Seymour vs. RHP MacKenzie Gore

Go Rangers!

TODAY’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (73-70) will host the Arizona Diamondbacks (75-68) for the rubber game of their three-game series today at Daikin Park.

RHP Peter Lambert (8-7, 3.66 ERA) will close out the homestand for the Astros today as he starts opposite All-Star LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (14-5, 2.59 ERA) and the Snakes.

SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 53-39 (.576) in their last 92 games (since May 22). That is the second-best record in the AL in that span, behind only the Red Sox (55-38).

IN THE WEST: The Astros currently hold a 3.0- game lead in the AL West over the second-place Rangers, which ties as their largest division lead of the season. The Astros have stretched this lead lately thanks to an 8-4 record in their last 12 games.

STARTING BLOCKS: Astros starters have a 1.74 ERA (6ER/31IP) with 31 strikeouts, a .171 opponent average (19×111) and a 1.13 WHIP in the six games of this homestand. Stretching back over the Astros last 12 games, in which they’ve gone 8-4, Astros starters own a 2.78 ERA (18ER/58.1IP).

MEASURING UP: The Astros are within a streak of playing four straight teams with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB). The Astros are 29-19 (.604) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. Clubs that the Astros have winning records against include BOS (5-1), CHC (3-0), CWS (5-2), CLE (4-2), and TB (2-1).

VS. THE D-BACKS: The Astros have won nine of their last 11 games against the Diamondbacks, a streak that dates back to Sept. 29, 2023. This run includes a three-game sweep of the D-backs in Arizona last season from July 21-23, 2025.

TODAY’S BROADCASTS: Today’s game will be televised by Space City Home Network with Kevin Eschenfelder, Geoff Blum and Julia Morales on the call. The English radio broadcast will be on SportsTalk 790 AM with Robert Ford and Josh Reddick behind the mic. As always, the Astros Spanish radio broadcast features Francisco Romero and Alex Treviño on TUDN 102.9 FM.

ROAD WARRIORS: After today’s game, the Astros will embark on a six-game road trip that will take them to Philadelphia (3g) and Tampa Bay (3g). The Astros are 36-33 on the road, compared to their 37-37 record at home. Since going 1-9 on the first road trip of the 2026 season, they have gone 35-24 (.593) on the road since April 14, which ranks third in the Majors in that span. More recently, they are 19-12 (.613) on their last five road trips.

ASTROS ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have recalled RHP Miguel Ullola from Triple a Sugar Land. He takes the roster spot of RHP Kai-Wei Teng, who was optioned to Triple A after last night’s game.

TWO-OUT MAGIC: The Astros lead the American League in two-out runs (293) on the season, topping the second-place Rays (255) by close to 40 runs. 3B Isaac Paredes has led this effort, as he leads the AL in two-out RBI with 39, trailing only 1B Rafael Devers (40 RBI) in the Majors.

ISAAC’S FABLES: 3B Isaac Paredes has posted a 13-game on-base streak, in which he owns a .404 OBP, which ties as his second-longest on-base streak of the year. He also has hit safely in six consecutive games, batting .318 (7×22) with six RBI and a .945 OPS in that span.

THE HIT MAN: 2B Jose Altuve has 2,496 career hits, needing just four hits to reach 2,500 for his career. Among active players, Altuve ranks second in hits, trailing only 1B Freddie Freeman (2,586).

THREE-BAGGERS: RF Cam Smith tripled again last night, giving him three triples in his last 11 games and six triples on the season, which ranks tied for first in the AL. These are the most triples in a single season by an Astro since OF Kyle Tucker recorded six triples in 2020.

1K BEHIND THE DISH:C Christian Vázquez played in his 1,000th career game as a catcher last night, becoming just the third active catcher to reach 1,000 career games behind the dish. He joined C Salvador Perez (1,427) and C J.T. Realmuto (1,384) in that exclusive group.

THE LAMBO: RHP Peter Lambert has been the most consistent starter for the Astros this season, as he leads the club in wins (8), starts (24), innings pitched (132.2) and strikeouts (131). He’s allowed two-or-fewer earned runs in 18 of his 24 starts on the year and has done so in 10 of his last 11 starts.

STREAKING: LHP Josh Hader has worked 21 consecutive scoreless appearances, spanning 22.0 innings (since July 21). This is the longest streak by an Astros hurler this season and the second-longest active streak in the Majors. Opponents are just 5×71 (.070) vs. Hader during the streak.

THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader recorded his 250th career save on Friday night, becoming the 41st player in modern MLB history to reach 250 career saves. Hader has 23 of those saves this season, in 23 save chances, giving him the most save chances in the Majors this season without a blown save.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1979 –RHP J.R. Richard tosses a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits in a 2-0 Astros win over the Padres in the Astrodome. This marked Richard’s ninth consecutive complete game, a club record that will never be topped.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, September 6, 1:10 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Roster moves

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ active roster is at 28 and the 40-man roster is at 38.

• Recalled from Triple-A Reno: C Adrian Del Castillo
• Designated for assignment: OF Max Kepler

Good riddance.

Hey, it IS possible to get hits with a runner in scoring position! Who knew? Hopefully, that comeback, from two down through six innings, will have unclogged the pipes as it were. The offense can then do their part to make things easier on the pitching. Five of Arizona’s last seven wins have been by one or two runs, which perhaps plays into the sense of tension lately. Easy victories have been the exception, rather than the rule. But another factor is the team’s inability to put together a winning streak. Never mind seven games, the Diamondbacks have not won more than two in a row since August 1, a span of 32 games.

As a result, the team’s recent progress towards the postseason has felt like one step forward, one step back. The chart above shows their playoff odds (per Baseball Reference) over the past couple of weeks, and the whiplash is real. Since August 24, there have been seven days in which their postseason percentage has changed by 7.5% or more – over half the time. Yesterday’s win, combined with results elsewhere (most obviously the Padres’ loss to the Yankees), resulted in an improvement by 12.2% to 56.8%. That’s the highest since August 15, and despite all the “alarums and excursions” of late, the trend is up. Before the game in Boston where KetelGate started, the odds were 51.4%, so the team is slightly better off now.

A win today – ideally combined with a San Diego loss – would definitely be helpful. Victory would ensure another series crossed off the schedule, with Arizona at least retaining a wild-card spot. That’s all we need to keep doing: reducing the window for the Padres to catch us, until it closes entirely. The D-backs have been almost relentlessly mediocre of late: 5-5 in the last ten, 10-10 over the last twenty, and 15-15 in their last thirty games. But the Padres have been little if any better. If we play out the remaining 19 games, as we have the last 19, Arizona will go 9-10 end at 84 wins. If San Diego do the same over their final 20? They are 9-11, to end the year at 83 wins…

Detroit Tigers (65-77) vs. Cleveland Guardians (72-71)

Time/Place: 1:40 p.m., Progressive Field
SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Jackson Jobe (1-2, 4.63 ERA) vs. RHP Gavin Williams (13-7, 3.81 ERA)

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Sunday Night Baseball between the Twins and White Sox should be an exciting matchup.

I'll be highlighting why Kody Clemens is a great look in my Twins vs. White Sox props and MLB picks for Sunday, Sept. 6.

Twins vs White Sox props for September 6

Pick	Odds
Munetaka Murakami 1+ Hit	-170
Kody Clemens Over 1.5 Hits, Runs, RBI	+100
Tristan Peters 1+ Hit	-160

Twins vs White Sox player prop picks

Munetaka Murakami 1+ hit (-170)

Despite the Chicago White Sox superstar rookie’s recent issues at the dish, Munetaka Murakami is still the most lethal bat in this lineup. The South Side slugger enters Sunday night with the highest matchup rating on both of Batters-Box’s datasets. The model has him covering nearly 85% of Minnesota Twins right-hander Bailey Ober’s arsenal.

So far this season, across 31 elite ratings at home, Murakami has recorded at least one hit 67.74% of the time. Overall, across 66 elite ratings, he is still recording a hit 65% of the time.

Although he has been slumping over the last few weeks, Murakami has posted a 33% ground-ball rate, 55.6% hard-hit rate and 11.1% barrel rate over his last five games.

Over the last 60 left-handed hitters Ober has faced, they own a sub-.300 xBA, .525 xSLG and .342 xwOBA.

Is this a juicy price? Yes. But 67.74% implies -210, so we are getting a great edge even though we are paying $1.70. Do not pay more than this because I wouldn’t. If you want to add some value, sprinkle on his double and home run.

Kody Clemens Over 1.5 Hits, Runs, RBI (+100)

White Sox right-hander Jose Urquidy has been pure nails for the South Side since joining the team. He does not give up a lick of hard contact, but he does allow hitters to elevate the ball at a high rate. Twins second baseman and son of Roger, Kody Clemens, has been keeping the ball elevated while making plenty of hard contact.

Over the 30-year-old's last 10 games, Clemens owns a .694 xSLG and .265 ISO while generating a 33.3% ground-ball rate, 55.6% hard-hit rate and sub-15% barrel rate. Clemens owns the hottest bat in the Twins lineup, and snagging his HRR prop at even money feels like a steal.

Do not pay juice for this prop. Plus money, or nothing.

Tristan Peters 1+ hit (-160)

I am not thrilled with telling you all to pay this much juice for a seven-eight-hole hitter, but the way Tristan Peters has been hitting the ball lately, asking for the bare minimum is very doable. The former Banana Ball player owns a .296 BA, .519 SLG, and .886 OPS while posting an almost 61% hard-hit rate.

If Ober is allowing left-handed hitters to own a sub-.280 BA and .486 SLG while allowing a 70.5% elevation rate on the road, asking Peters to find some grass at $1.60 is not a big ask.

Shop around; there are far shorter prices. Do not pay more than this.

How to watch Twins vs White Sox and game info

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

It’s series finale time, and it’s the rubber match between the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets, a pair of teams who expected to be a whole lot better than they are.

On the mound for the Giants is left-hander César Perdomo, who makes his second career appearance. The 24-year old, who was only just added to the roster, made his MLB debut on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and gave up just one run in four relief innings. Now he’ll get a chance for his first Major League start, and his first Major League win. In nine starts with AAA Sacramento this year, Perdomo had a 5.10 ERA and a 5.33 FIP, with 36 strikeouts and 20 walks in 47.2 innings.

For the Mets, it’s right-hander Christian Scott, a 27-year old in his second career season. Scott has made 20 starts this year, and is 4-4 with a 3.80 ERA, a 3.76 FIP, and 113 strikeouts to 44 walks in 94.2 innings. In his last outing, Scott gave up three runs in 5.1 innings against the Houston Astros.

Enjoy the baseball, everyone!

Game #144

Who: San Francisco Giants (59-84) vs. New York Mets (64-78)

Where: Citi Field, Queens, New York

When: 11:40 a.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

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

The Houston Astros announced this morning that they are recalling reliever Miguel Ullola from Triple-A Sugar Land. The team optioned reliever Kai-Wei Teng to Sugar Land following last night’s game.

Ullola, 24, is 0-0, 4.50 ERA for Houston in 4 appearances spanning 6 innings. He has allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 1 and struck out 9. He did allow 2 HR.

At Sugar Land this season, Ullola converted from a starter to a reliever, as the team believed it would help with his control issues. He is 5-4 with a 4.21 ERA for the Space Cowboys this season. In 39 appearances (including 10 starts) Ullola has allowed 45 hits and 42 walks in 66.1 IP, with 90 strikeouts.

Teng, 27, started the season well but has struggled since developing arm fatigue and then landing on the IL with a knee sprain in late June. Teng is 5-7 this season with a 4.76 ERA. In 30 appearances (including 10 starts), Teng has allowed 69 hits, 33 walks and 10 HR in 73.2 IP. He has struck out 73, but he has hit 13 batters.

Teng had allowed a run in each of his last 3 outings. In that time, he has allowed 6 ER in 3.1 IP on 6 hits, 3 walks and only 2 strikeouts. He took the loss on Tuesday Sept. 1 when he allowed 3 runs in 2 innings against the White Sox.

It’s been a tough week in Birdland. After beginning the week with two heartbreaking losses in Denver, the Orioles have been thoroughly outplayed in three straight losses to the Red Sox. 

Pitching hasn’t been the problem for the O’s. During their current five game losing streak, Baltimore has three quality starts and none of their starters have allowed more than three runs. 

Offensively, the Orioles have been a disaster. Over the last fives, Baltimore is averaging just 2.4 runs/game. The O’s haven’t scored any runs since Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s two-run homer in the 9th inning of Thursday’s Game 1 vs. the Red Sox. Friday and Saturday’s shutout losses was only the second time all season the O’s were shutout in back-to-back games. 

The Orioles’ playoff chances are on life support, and if they want to stop them from flatlining, they’ll have to score some runs against stingy southpaw Payton Tolle. The rookie left-hander has faced the Orioles twice this season, both times in Fenway Park. 

His first matchup with Baltimore back in June saw him toss 6 shutout innings while punching out five. A month later, the Orioles tagged Tolle for 4 runs, though he struck out 9 in a game Boston won 6-5. 

Much like Brandon Young for the Orioles, Tolle pitching has meant wins for Boston. The Red Sox are 9-1 in the left-hander’s last 10 outings. 

The Orioles will turn to right-handler Kyle Bradish as they look to end they five-game skid. Bradish has faced Boston twice this year, guiding the O’s to a win in Boston in July, but taking the L against the Red Sox back in April. His last six starts have been a bit rocky for the Orioles’ former ace, putting up a 5.10 over 30 innings. 

orioles lineup

1. Blaze Alexander (R) 1B
2. Pete Alonso (R) 1B
3. Coby Mayo (R) DH
4. Christian Encarnacion-Strand
5. Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
6. Rece Hinds (R) LF
7. Leody Taveras (S) RF
8. Carlos Narváez (R) C
9. Colton Cowser (L) CF

Red Sox lineup

1. Roman Anthony (L) RF
2. Mickey Gasper (S) 1B
3. Adley Rutschman (S) C
4. Trevor Story (R) SS
5. Nick Sogard (S) 2B
6. Caleb Turbin (R) 3B
7. Jarren Duran (L) LF
8. Andruw Monestario (R) DH
9. Eli White (R) CF

The Baltimore Orioles are clinging to their playoff lives. They’ve dropped five straight games and sit three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot, with two teams between them. With just 19 games remaining, they’ll need to turn things around in a hurry to sneak into the final spot.

Unfortunately for Baltimore, they have an opponent with added motivation. After Blaze Alexander’s questionable slide and subsequent hyping of the crowd on Friday, the Red Sox weren’t happy. Last night, Isaiah Kiner-Falefa mocked Alexander’s slide, and Sonny Gray said they wanted to “bury” the Orioles. If last night wasn’t the final nail in the coffin for Baltimore, a sixth straight loss could be.

Payton Tolle goes for the Red Sox, who went 5.2 against the Seattle Mariners last Monday. He looked fatigued throughout the start, so the extra rest is very welcome for Tolle. The team has an off day each week to finish the season, making the pitching management much simpler. The Orioles will throw Kyle Bradish. He held the Sox to one run over six innings back in July, but has a 5.71 ERA over his seven starts since then.

In roster news Ceddanne Rafaela went on the injured list retroactive to September 3rd with a quad sprain, while Nate Eaton was recalled to take his place. Eli White gets his fourth straight start in center field today.

We’re still 3.5 games behind the Yankees, but dates with the Angels and Royals on the horizon represent a chance to stack wins and gain ground if New York scuffles. Taking care of the O’s is up first, though, at 1:35 PM EST on NESN and WEEI.

Lineups

Mets lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – DH
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Carson Benge – RF
5. Mark Vientos – 1B
6. Marcus Semien – 2B
7. Nick Morabito – LF
8. A.J. Ewing – CF
9. Luis Torrens – C

SP: Christian Scott – RHP

Giants lineup

1. Drew Gilbert – CF
2. Rafael Devers – DH
3. Bryce Eldridge – 1B
4. Jonah Cox – 2B
5. Jung Hoo Lee – RF
6. Osleivis Basabe – 3B
7. Grant McCray – LF
8. Drew Cavanaugh – C
9. Christian Koss – SS

SP: Cesar Perdomo – LHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 1:40 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2