Category: Baseball

Yes, Pete Crow-Armstrong blasted another pair of homers on Sunday night just 24 hours after he hit a trio of bombs off Cincinnati Reds pitching during Saturday’s 17-5 embarrassment by the Chicago Cubs. Yes, the Chicago Cubs jumped out to an immediate lead in the process, as PCA’s first blast of the night came in the Bottom of the 1st off Reds ace Chase Burns to open the game’s ledger.

From there on, though, the scrappy Cincinnati club took matters into their own hands on the Sunday Night Baseball national stage, and in doing so head home after a long three-city road trip west with as series victory on which they can most definitely hang their hats.

Hector Rodriguez helped turn the tide with a massive left-on-left three-run homer over the RF wall in Wrigley Field, and both Dane Myers and Tyler Stephenson followed in the Top of the 5th with moonshot blasts into the bleachers beyond the LF wall.

Then, Sal Stewart went to work on the Chicago bullpen in the Top of the 7th with a solo shot out to CF that carried some 418 feet. That blast meant the NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner officially homered in each game of the series.

That gave the Reds a 7-spot, and that was enough for their pitching staff to hold onto in the eventual 7-5 win.

Burns, to his credit, shrugged off the rain delay and early poor umpiring to pour in 5.2 IP of 2 ER ball on exactly 100 pitches before being pulled. He had PCA struck out in their first PA against one another in the Bottom of the 1st in a steady rain, but the home plate ump missed the call (and Stephenson opted against challenging in the game’s first PA for his pitcher), and PCA hit his homer on the very next pitch.

The lone real blemish on an otherwise impressive night by the young core of the Reds was that Elly De La Cruz exited early after hustling down the 1B line out of the box. He was pretty clearly in at least a bit of discomfort, and it was later reported that he’s got some quad tightness.

Fortunately, it appears all parties may be mostly OK. Charlie Goldsmith reported after the game that manager Terry Francona has some confidence that Elly may even be right back in the lineup as early as tomorrow.

Reds 7, Cubs 5, and the vibes sit about as good as they can given everything else that’s fallen by the wayside so far in 2026.

Over the past month, Carson Benge’s case has strengthened. Over the past 28 games entering play Sunday, the Mets outfielder carved out a place in the National League’s Rookie of the Year race with a .952 OPS and an NL-leading 38 hits.

Benge hasn’t thought about his name continuing to pop up in chatter surrounding the award, but “[I] definitely do want it,” he told The Post before the Mets (61-76) lost 6-3 to the Astros. If he won the honor, it’d make him the first Met to do so since Pete Alonso in 2019 and just the third rookie from the franchise this century to take it, joining Alonso and Jacob deGrom (2014). But he’ll need to surge past the other candidates, including the Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt, the Reds’ Sal Stewart and the Mets’ Nolan McLean, and extend his own tear across the final month of the season.

“It’d be cool,” Benge said before going 0-for-4 as the Mets capped a six-game homestand at Citi Field. “There’s plenty of good rookies around the NL, with one being in our locker room and the conversation, too, but it’d be pretty cool to win it over all those guys.”

It’ll be challenging for Benge to separate from the field. Wetherholt, the St. Louis infielder who went on the injured list Sunday with right wrist tendinitis, has hit .242 with a .743 OPS and the sixth-best bWAR among NL position players (4.6). Stewart, 22, just became the first Reds rookie in franchise history to record a season with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs, and he entered play Sunday with an MLB-leading 104 RBIs — one of two players in the league to hit the century mark.

And McLean, who stumbled early in the season, has collected a 1.76 ERA across his last 11 starts, with the most recent one unfolding Saturday when he allowed just two hits and an unearned run against the Astros.

But then there’s Benge, who has impressed with both his bat and his arm. He played his way onto the Opening Day roster with a strong spring training and then never lost his spot. He became the first Mets rookie since Darryl Strawberry in 1983 to have 15 homers and 15 stolen bases in the same season, and he sits at 16 homers and 54 RBIs for the year. Benge’s right arm has produced outfield assists clocked at 99.9 mph and 103.9 mph.

“I think [he] definitely belongs in the conversation right now with the guy who pitched last night for us,” interim manager Andy Green said Sunday of Benge and McLean. “I know there’s other good rookies throughout the game. I think Carson, throughout the year, shows the ability to bounce back from tough moments really well. Really talented hitter. Can hit any pitch at any time. Even as he goes through funks, he maintains like the right perspective and the right attitude and the right approach.

“I think we knew that’s who he was. It’s great to see it play out on a big league field in the first season.”
Benge said he doesn’t think about what might allow him to stand out from others in contention for the award. He’ll let whoever votes judge that. He hasn’t talked to McLean, a teammate at Oklahoma State before their climb through the minors and to the Mets, about it either.

It might be tough to unseat Stewart, who has the numbers. It might be tough to topple Wetherholt, even if he misses chances to add to his stats while injured. But with his recent tear, Benge has at the very least entered the conversation, inching closer to something the 23-year-old said he thought was possible from when he first started working toward cracking the Mets roster back in spring training.

“I think if not,” Benge said of that thought, “I’m selling myself short. If you’re gonna try and come into the league and not do anything, be average to below average, I don’t think you’re doing it right.”

For most of the season, my attention stays pretty firmly on the Colorado Rockies.

That will not change down the stretch, but the losses are starting to stack up again. The Rockies are 4-11 over their last 15 games, and that can get frustrating.

Sometimes it is nice to look up and see what else is happening around baseball, and as the calendar nears September, it is a good time to do exactly that.

Fortunately, baseball’s final month looks to hold plenty of intrigue, both in the standings and on individual leaderboards.

While not a particularly good division, the AL West might be the least settled division race of all. Houston sits at 69-68, just one game above .500. Texas is 67-70 and two games back, while Seattle sits at 64-73 and five games out. Houston does not exactly look interested in running away with the division, but Texas and Seattle have not shown much desire to take it from them, either. Personally, I would not mind a Houston-less October.

Then there are the White Sox. Two years removed from losing 121 games, Chicago is 72-64 and leads the 69-68 Guardians by 3.5 games in the AL Central. Can they finish off one of baseball’s more unexpected division titles — or can the Rockies perhaps play spoilers in the final days of the season?

Both Wild Card races still leave room for a late surprise. Cleveland holds the final AL spot, but Baltimore is just one game back, Toronto is 1.5 out and Texas sits two back. In the NL, Arizona holds the final spot by just a half-game over San Diego, while Miami remains 3.5 games out.

Meanwhile, Yordan Alvarez enters the stretch run hitting .320 with 37 home runs and 93 RBI. He leads the American League in all three categories, putting a Triple Crown firmly within reach.

On the mound, Jacob Misiorowski owns a 1.73 ERA with 222 strikeouts in 151 innings. If he can stay below 2.00 and reach 250 strikeouts, he would be the first pitcher to accomplish both since Jacob deGrom in 2018.

And the National League home run race is of particular interest to us Rockies fans. Kyle Schwarber leads the league with 40, Matt Olson has 37, and Hunter Goodman is tied with Pete Crow-Armstrong at 36. Goodman has already produced two three-homer games this season, so we know he can hit them in bunches.

Those are a few things I will be watching.

What about you? What race, milestone, player or team has your attention as we head into September?

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks! 

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were thunderstruck by the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), 3-1.

The I-Cubs got a very good start from Javier Assad, who allowed just one run on three hits over 5.1 innings. Assad struck out five and walked no one.

Jaxon Wiggins gave the I-Cubs 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. Wiggins allowed one hit. He did not walk anyone and struck out one. Since moving to the bullpen, Wiggins has thrown 6.2 scoreless innings and has allowed just two hits.

Antoine Kelly got the loss when he allowed two runs on two hits over two-thirds of an inning in the top of the ninth. Kelly walked three and struck out one.

Iowa’s lone run came on a solo home run by second baseman James Triantos in the fourth inning. It was Triantos’ ninth home run this season. Today, he went 2 for 4.

Catcher Owen Ayers was 1 for 3 and was hit by a pitch.

Assad was helped by some great defense in right field from Chas McCormick.

Then he did it again with Wiggins on the mound.

Triantos’ home run.

Heads up play by Ayers. He also was 1 for 2 throwing out runners trying to steal today.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies cracked open the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers), 12-2.

Connor Schultz started and lasted four innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out four and did not walk anyone.

Yenrri Rojas handled the next two innings, didn’t allow a run on one hit, and got the win because Schultz didn’t go five. Rojas walked one and struck out one.

First baseman Edgar Alvarez had a huge night, going 3 for 5 with a double and a solo home run in the second inning. It was Alvarez’s 11th home run this year. Alvarez had four total RBI and scored twice.

DH Miguel Useche was 3 for 4 with a double. He drove in two and scored once.

Alex Madera went 2 for 4 with a two-run triple and a walk. Madera scored one run.

Alvarez’s home run.

Two-run single for Useche.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were bitten by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers), 11-10.

Anhuar Garcia threw the first four innings and surrendered two runs on six hits. Garcia struck out five and walked no one, so that makes a decent line look even better.

JP Wheat gave up three runs in the bottom of the eighth, as well as two inherited runners allowed two score, to take the loss. Wheat’s final line was three runs on four hits over two-thirds of an inning. He did not walk anyone and he struck out one.

Catcher Logan Poteet hit two home runs this afternoon. The first one came with a man on in the fourth inning and the second one was a solo shot in the top of the ninth. Poteet now has 21 home runs this year, seven of which came with South Bend. Poteet was 3 for 4 with a walk and four runs scored.

Right fielder Alexey Lumpuy went back-to-back with Poteet in the ninth as South Bend got a two-out rally going again. Lumpuy also had a bases-loaded triple in the seventh inning and an RBI single in the sixth for five total RBI. Lumpuy went 3 for 5 with the triple, the home run and a stolen base.

Center fielder Leonel Espinoza was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI single. He also scored one run.

DH Kade Snell went 3 for 5 with a steal. He scored three times.

First baseman Josiah Hartshorn was 1 for 2 with two walks, a stolen base and a sac fly. He scored one run.

Poteet’s first home run.

Lumpy’s three-run triple.

Poteet’s second home run and Lumpuy’s back-to-back blast.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans four-putted against the Augusta Green Jackets (Braves), 10-8.

The Pelicans got off to a good start with Freddy Rodriguez, who allowed just one run on two hits over four innings. The one run came on a second-inning home run. Rodriguez walked three and struck out four.

Fenuel James then pitched the next three innings and retired all nine batters he faced. He struck out three.

The wheels came off when the Pelicans held an 8-1 lead going into the bottom of the eighth and they allowed nine runs in the inning to blow the game. Jhon Cabral allowed five runs on three hits and two walks without retiring a batter. The loss then went to John Alkire II who did managed to get three outs, but not before giving up two inherited runners and four runs of his own. Alkire gave up three hits and two walks. He struck out one.

DH Alexis Hernandez hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, his third on the season. Hernandez came a triple shy of the cycle as he was 3 for 4 with a double and the home run. He had two runs batted in and scored twice.

Third baseman Derniche Valdez homered twice with solo shots in the sixth and eighth innings. Valdez went 2 for 4. He now has ten home runs this season.

Valdez’s home run in the eighth came back-to-back with a solo home run by center fielder Darlyn De Leon, who hit his fourth home run with a man on. De Leon went 1 for 4.

Second baseman Juan Cabada was 2 for 5.

Eli Lovich with an RBI double. Lovich was 1 for 4.

Ex-Pelican Cristian Hernandez’s little brother goes deep.

Home run number one for Valdez.

The back-to-black blasts by De Leon and Valdez.

DETROIT — Sunday was set up to be one of those days where Shohei Ohtani changes the narrative:

About the uncertainty surrounding his health; after the ongoing challenges with knee and biceps injuries this weekend threw his pitching plans back into a dubious flux. About his imperiled chances in the National League MVP race — following a three-homer outburst from chief competitor Pete Crow-Armstrong the day before.

And, mostly, about his own underwhelming play over recent weeks, in which his lack of form at the plate has amplified the Dodgers’ teamwide slump.

This time, however, there was no magic from the 32-year-old superstar; no towering swing nor transformational moment to remind the baseball world of his stature as its premier player.

Instead, while the rest of his club enjoyed a sigh of relief in a 6–1 win over the Detroit Tigers, Ohtani suffered an 0-for-5 clunker that dropped him to 5-for-40 over his last 10 games.

“Obviously,” manager Dave Roberts said, “we still got to get Shohei on track.”

Sunday mirrored many of Ohtani’s recently underwhelming performances: There was poor pitch selection, leading to his 11th multi-strikeout game out of 27 this month. There was a flawed approach with his swing even when he did make contact, leading to three batted balls that, despite being hit hard, all failed to escape the infield. 

As a result, Ohtani’s numbers aren’t looking as formidable as they once did: His batting average is down to .280 — the lowest it has been since the end of May. His .908 OPS still ranks top-five in the majors, but would mark his worst in a season since 2022.

More importantly, Ohtani’s OPS is also now well behind Crow-Armstrong’s, which rose to .944 following his tour de force Saturday.

Side by side, the stat lines of the two MVP candidates no longer look quite so similar as Ohtani is slashing .280/.379/.529 with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs while Crow-Armstrong is up to .282/.377/.567 with 36 home runs and 89 RBIs.

More than that, Crow-Armstrong also continues to pace Ohtani in value-based advanced metrics like wins-above-replacement (9.1 to 6.9, per Fangraphs), thanks to the surplus value he generates as the game’s top center fielder. 

After three consecutive, unanimous MVP honors, and four total in his career, Ohtani has gone this year from frontrunner to next-best.

Ohtani was supposed to begin chipping away at that deficit Sunday, of course, when he was originally expected to return to pitching for the first time since early July. However, continued problems with his knee and biceps scuttled those plans. And now, whether he even returns to the mound this season appears to at least be somewhat in question.

For the Dodgers, the bigger priority is getting his offense back on track first.

“Once we get him going,” Roberts said, “[our offense is] going to be fun to watch.”

As he’s done all year during Ohtani’s return to a full-time two-way role, Roberts downplayed the correlation between his star player’s recent pitching ramp-up and decline in offensive production.

The skipper said Sunday that Ohtani’s problems are isolated to a variety of routine hitting flaws.

“Sometimes he’s taking balls that are good pitches to hit, then expanding. Other times, I think the direction, the intent is a little too much to the pull side,” Roberts said. “So I think with Shohei, it’s a combo.”

Where Ohtani’s pitching plan could impact his hitting, however, is in the way he dedicates his limited time over the rest of the regular season.

Every hour spent playing catch in the outfield, or grinding through a bullpen session, or (if he does get back in the Dodgers’ rotation) preparing for a start is one he can’t spend working on his swing, or getting extra time in the batting cages, or maximizing his potential as the game’s most fearsome slugger.   

Team officials are conscious of that balance, and it will be taken into account once they return to Los Angeles this week and decide on next steps for Ohtani as a pitcher.

“Hopefully we can get home, get him in a better spot physically, mentally, whatever it is,” Roberts said, after revealing Saturday that the four-time MVP is still “not 100%” with his multiple injuries.

“Everyone goes through these things,” he added. “But we gotta get him going.”

As much as Ohtani’s MVP chances will depend on it, so too could the Dodgers’ season.

Because regardless of whether he’s pitching or not, their offense will always first and foremost revolve around him.

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The Mets prospects put up some huge feats and produced a bit of history on Sunday. Here's the latest roundup of what's going on down on the farm... 

Mitch Voit, Jefferson Rojas homer at Double-A

Three of the top 10 in SNY's Mets Top 30 Prospects featured in the Binghamton Rumble Ponies' 14-5 win over the Reading Fightin Phils: No. 1 Jefferson Rojas, No. 5 Mitch Voit, and No. 8 Jacob Reimer.

Voit batted leadoff and had a hot bat all night. He went 3-for-4 with two walks, a strikeout, and 3 RBI, including a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

Not to be outdone, Rojas batted third, went 3-for-6 with 4 RBI, and clobbered a two-run shot of his own. He also struck out twice.

Reimer reached base just once, going 1-for-6 with a double.

Meanwhile, No. 23 Chris Suero and No. 29 Eli Serrano III each came to bat five times. Suero worked two walks while going 0-for-3 with a strikeout, while Serrano knocked an RBI double, reached on a single, stole a base, and struck out twice.

BIG FLY VOIT

Mitch Voit (@Mets No. 4 prospect) deposits a go-ahead two-run home run! 💣

Both of his Double-A home runs have come from FirstEnergy Stadium.

🎠 x #DefendOurHome x @MetsPlayerDevpic.twitter.com/Y0MsVunWMA

— Binghamton Rumble Ponies (@RumblePoniesBB) August 30, 2026

Jefferson Rojas (@Mets No. 1 prospect) belts a two-run home run 🚀@MLBPipeline's No. 76 prospect is up to 22 HR this season and 7 HR since being traded to New York.

He has 6 HR over his last 11 games!

🎠 x #DefendOurHome x @MetsPlayerDevpic.twitter.com/GQJ7aWlcZv

— Binghamton Rumble Ponies (@RumblePoniesBB) August 30, 2026

Sammy Stafura homers for Brooklyn

The Mets' No. 3 prospect (who came over in the Luke Weaver trade) connected on the first home run of his time with the Mets in the top half of the fifth. He liked doing it so much on Sunday that he didn't wait too long to do it again in the ninth.

Playing about forty minutes from his childhood home against the Hudson Valley Renegades, Satafura finished the afternoon 2-for-4 with a walk, a strikeout, and three batted in on those two round trippers.

He's now batting .285 with a .949 for the year at High-A.

Sammy Stafura's first home run for High-A Brooklyn! pic.twitter.com/qQkwMYfcAg

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 30, 2026

Sammy Stafura has two home runs today for High-A Brooklyn! pic.twitter.com/ZeXOdEDbdr

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 30, 2026

Triple-A bullpen combines for no-hitter

There weren't quite the same eye-popping prospect performances for the Syracuse Mets in their 8-0 victory over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

No. 15 Nick Morabito batted leadoff, picking up a single, reached on a catcher's interference, and drew a walk in five times up with a stolen base for good measure. Batting sixth in the order, No. 27 Billy Amick went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.

The real story here was conducted by Mets veterans currently playing at Triple-A. Rehabbing Mark Vientos blasted a trifecta of home runs, going 4-for-5 on the day with 5 RBI. Ronny Mauricio was 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Most notably, Tobias Myers was one of six relievers who combined for a no-hitter. Myers pitched three full innings and struck out one batter, facing the minimum nine batters without issuing a walk.

Full no-hitter final out call by @SYRMetsRadio! 💪 pic.twitter.com/GTthtazYZ9

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) August 30, 2026

Rangers 7, Brewers 4

• Well will you look at that…the Rangers can win a game!
• On the road, even!
• And in a game where Kumar Rocker only went three innings!
• Kumar Rocker, man…
• Just four days ago, we marveled at the fact that Sean Burke threw 92 pitches against the Rangers in just three innings, and the White Sox still won the game.
• Rocker didn’t match the eight walks Burke issued in his three innings of work. He did match the three innings pitched and two runs allowed, however, while coming just short of Burke’s pitch total.
• Rocker needed 86 pitches to get through three innings.
• That’s not good. It is, in fact, bad.
• Rocker only faced 17 batters. That means he averaged over 5 pitches per batter.
• Its kind of remarkable he lasted that long. The Brewers’ first four batters all reached. 20 pitches into the game for Rocker, two runs were in, two runners were on base, and there were no outs in the inning.
• Rocker managed to retire nine of the next 13 batters he faced, seven on strikes. Three of the four batters he didn’t retire reached via the walk.
• By the time Rocker got the hook after the third, the Rangers had tied it up, so at least he wasn’t going to be tagged with a loss, whatever happened.
• I guess you know, though, that the Rangers didn’t lose, so he wouldn’t have gotten tagged with a loss anyway.
• Tyler Alexander — an unsung hero of your 2026 Texas Rangers — gave the team two innings of shutout work to get the team to the fifth inning. Adam Macko, Jordan Montgomery, Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz each contributed an inning apiece after that.
• I imagine the hope was that it was not going to be a save situation, with the Rangers getting seven runs on the board by the time Montgomery came in for the bottom of the seventh. A two out, two run homer by Gary Sanchez narrowed the lead, though, making it a little closer and less comfortable than we all would have liked.
• Still, it gave Jacob Latz the opportunity to pick up his first save in a week, in his first appearance for the Rangers in a week.
• Losing streaks are bad for getting your closer work. They are good for getting your closer lots of rest, though.
• The seven runs the Rangers scored are a reminder that sometimes the Rangers can hit the ball and it can find the dirt or the grass, and they can run like the wind down to first, and sometimes even second or third, without making an out.
• And eventually they can even come all the way home and score a run.
• This is actually the third time in the last six games that the Rangers have scored at least seven runs, so maybe my sarcasm isn’t necessarily warranted.
• The dynamic duo of Elias Diaz and Ezequiel Duran got the Rangers on the board, and then the lead, with Diaz hitting a two out ground rule double right after Cody Freeman had put up a two run double of his own in the top of the second, and then Duran homering in the third to tie the score.
• Duran added a ground rule double of his own in the fifth to bring home Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford, who had walked to start the inning and then advanced on a Brandon Nimmo groundout.
• Joc Pederson homered in the sixth for some necessary (it turned out) insurance, and then a sequence of singles and an error brought two more insurance runs that weren’t necessary, but which are fun nonetheless.
• Pederson had a chance to blow it open in the seventh, with the bases loaded and two outs. He could have homered again, giving the Rangers 11 runs, tying their season high.
• It would have been great had he done that.
• Pederson didn’t, however.
• I guess its okay, though. The Rangers won anyway.
• Rangers wins…they are so emotionally uplifting, aren’t they?
• Kumar Rocker touched 95.8 with both his fastball and his sinker, averaging 94.2 mph with each pitch. Tyler Alexander maxed out at 94.2 mph with his fastball. Adam Macko’s fastball topped out at 95.8 mph. Jordan Montgomery’s sinker reached 92.7 mph. Jakob Junis hit 92.9 mph with his fastball. Jacob Latz’s fastball topped out at 97.3 mph.
• Brandon Nimmo had a 105.7 mph single. Corey Seager had a 104.7 mph single and a 104.7 mph groundout. Evan Carter had a 103.9 mph groundout and a 101.9 mph fly out. Ezequiel Duran had a 103.3 mph double. Joc Pederson had a 100.8 mph home run.
• A return to the cozy confines of the Shed, and hopefully a return to winning more often than losing for a while.

The Yankees were playing an eighth game in seven days. There is a transaction just about every day that adds another relief arm, either from the scrap heap or from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Two starting pitchers — who both pitched in Saturday’s doubleheader — are attempting to stretch out from injuries at the major league level and do not have their full allotment of pitches. The few trustworthy bullpen arms are exhausted.

“Quite honestly,” manager Aaron Boone said, “going in [to the game], you’re like: I don’t know how we’re getting to the finish line today.”

The answer: Will Warren carrying the team and the staff on his right arm.

The ostensible No. 5 starter performed like he was one of the aces. Warren pitched into the eighth inning in a 16-1 demolition of the Red Sox on Sunday in The Bronx, where Warren responded to both the team’s need and his own struggles.

Warren — whose ERA had risen from 3.45 to 4.39 over his previous 11 games, a span dating to June 26 in which he had allowed 32 earned runs in 48 ²/₃ innings (5.92) — looked like his excellent April self.

In what was the biggest start of his season, given the staff’s predicament and given a tiebreaker was at stake against the blood-rival Red Sox, Warren turned in “probably his best performance of the year,” Boone said.

The final line — seven-plus innings in which he allowed one earned run on six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts — does not do full justice. Given the state of the bullpen, Boone pushed Warren as far as he could go, including two additional batters in the eighth inning (a double and RBI single) that prevented a Yankees shutout.

“I knew we were short [in the bullpen], but I think every week I just go out there and try to get as many outs as possible,” said Warren, whose club is now 17-9 in games he starts. “So that was my goal today was just — no matter what happens, just keep getting outs.”

The outing was particularly impressive considering how it started. He got into trouble in the first inning, allowing two of the first three batters he faced to reach, in the kind of ominous opening that could have left the Yankees on the other side of such a lopsided score.

But with Roman Anthony on second and Wilyer Abreu on first, Warren threw a sweeper that Willson Contreras chased for the second out.

In a full count with Adley Rutschman, Warren dotted the bottom of the zone with another sweeper and strutted off the field.

“I thought he was going to swing. He didn’t,” Warren said. “I was just trying to get back in the zone and make a good pitch and went from there.”

From there — actually, from the walk to Abreu — Warren retired 13 straight batters until Trevor Story reached with an infield single in the fifth.

If nothing else, Warren looked like an arm who should continue to take down regular-season innings and can see postseason innings in some form.

“I thought he was fantastic,” Boone said.

Will Warren started the most important game of the Yankees season so far, and that was fitting. He and other Yankees who have not pitched leverage innings for them this season will likely be doing so when their season is on the line in October. After they traded away relievers and did not replace them before the trade deadline, the Yankees will be relying on their ability to create an October bullpen weapon or two on the fly.

Warren, who threw seven shutout innings in Sunday’s win – a game that gave them the season series over the Red Sox and home-field advantage in the first round if the teams finish with the same record – will almost certainly be pitching out of the bullpen when the postseason schedule eliminates the need for a fifth starter. Sunday, he reminded the Yankees why he will be a valuable piece of their pitching staff moving forward, whatever role he holds.

“I felt like I feel like that every week,” Warren said after a masterpiece made more crucial by the fact that the Yankees bullpen was depleted by Saturday’s doubleheader. “Sometimes it doesn’t obviously play like that. But I’m confident every time I take the mound.”

Former rookie of the year Luis Gil will spend the next few weeks auditioning for a relief role after being called up for the first time in 2026 on Sunday. Clarke Schmidt, owner of a 3.82 career ERA, said Sunday that he felt good after his first rehab outing since Tommy John surgery in July of 2025 and should be built up enough to serve in relief when he returns.

If Ryan Weathers can somehow heal his elbow injury in time to pitch in the postseason, he probably would not have time to build back up to starting. He might have been in for a switch even if he were healthy: The Yankees always seemed likely to shift him to the bullpen in October anyway.

Joining them on the audition list are veterans Justin Topa and Michael Fulmer, acquired off the waiver wire after Fernando Cruz suffered an elbow injury that left the Yankees bullpen looking thin. Paul Blackburn has become nearly unhittable, which has helped the Yankees handle setup innings ahead of David Bednar. But if he lapses into mere mortality again – or if Brent Headrick starts showing the effects of making 20 more appearances in a season than he has ever made before -- they will have to get creative in leverage.

Options exist in the minor leagues, too. Yerry De Los Santos, optioned Sunday because the Yankees needed a fresh arm, has a 1.35 ERA in 15 big-league appearances this year. Aaron Boone said he expects De Los Santos to return to the major league roster before season’s end.

Angel Chivilli, who looked unhittable at times until suffering an elbow injury in early August, has resumed throwing. Boone said last week that Chivilli could “still be an option.” The Yankees recently signed veteran Eli Morgan to a minor league deal, and if he pitches well in Scranton, he might earn a tryout, too. But there are few sure things in that bunch – and no surer thing for a Yankees team struggling to score than close games down the stretch.

The Yankees have plenty of time to gain clarity. Ultimately, the eventual makeup of their postseason bullpen might become far more obvious than it seems right now. But those three current and former starters will have substantial influence over its October composition.

Warren has only made two career relief appearances, but he has a five-pitch arsenal he could winnow into his best three pitches, one of which is a fastball that sits in the mid-90s but has touched 97 and could reasonably be expected to sit nearer that number in short bursts. And he didn’t

Schmidt said he too plans to pare down his arsenal for bullpen duties – and that he thinks his stuff could grow livelier in shorter outings, as well.

“I would like to think [it would tick up], I would hope so,” Schmidt said. “I think obviously you pitch a little bit differently in that role. You can kind of let it eat a little bit.”

Schmidt, 30, said he hasn’t discussed the specifics of his bullpen role with Yankees management, though his understanding that it could resemble the multi-inning hybrid role Michael King served at times under Boone.

Gil, meanwhile, will still need to prove he deserves a bullpen start before the Yankees start to shape one for him. The righty did not make the Yankees rotation out of spring training and dealt with a shoulder injury until mid-August. He has not allowed a run in five Scranton appearances since returning. All five appearances have been for two innings or fewer.

“He seems healthy. He seems strong. The fastball seems like it’s in a good place: the profile seems good,” Boone said. “Encouraged with how he’s looking, how he’s bouncing back and everything.”

Exactly where the October innings will go will be dictated by what happens between now and late September, when the Yankees can test potential leverage options in games that, if their recent track record is any indication, will be close late. Then again, the Yankees offense scored 22 runs between Saturday night and Sunday. When it comes to solidifying a bullpen in flux during a pennant push, a few extra runs a night certainly wouldn’t hurt.

What a difference a week makes, right? Around this time last week, the Atlanta Braves were looking to simply get the train back on the tracks by salvaging a win from a series loss against the Brewers. They’d lost three full series in a row and the Phillies were red hot. It was getting too close for comfort at the top of the NL East!

Now here we are, just a week later and the Braves appear to be back in control of things. They already managed to pull off a major coup with a three-game sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers and now it was time to take care of business against a Colorado Rockies team that appeared prime to trip up the Braves based on how they performed over the weekend. Either way, it was on the Braves to make sure that they didn’t let off the gas against the NL West cellar-dwellers after putting pedal-to-the-metal against the NL West leaders earlier this week. How did things go? Let’s take a look.

Friday, August 28

Braves 6, Rockies 4

Despite the fact that it was “only” a two-run win for the Braves, this felt like a business-like performance from Atlanta as far as the offense goes. The Braves racked up 14 hits on the night and raced out to a 4-0 lead after three innings. Michael Harris II and Sean Murphy picked up RBI doubles in the second inning, Drake Baldwin delivered an RBI single to make it 3-0 after two and then Mauricio Dubón continued his incredible run with two outs and runners in scoring position as he knocked in a run to make it 4-0.

Grant Holmes was going smoothly until the fifth inning, which is when the Rockies got a small-ball rally going against Holmes. Four singles, a sacrifice fly and a productive ground ball out saw the Rockies push three runs across the board in order to make things a bit interesting but at the same time, Atlanta responded almost immediately and got all but one of those runs back in the fifth inning. In contrast to what Colorado was doing, those two runs came on one swing after Money Mike swatted one to the Chop House to put Atlanta back in front by three runs.

Those three runs were the only runs that Colorado could push past Holmes while he was out there and the only other run that the Rockies could pick up came on a sacrifice fly from Willi Castro off of Ray Kerr in the seventh to bring us to the final score of 6-4. Victor Mederos and Raisel Iglesias both made sure that the score stayed at 6-4 and ensured that Atlanta got off to a winning start in this particular series.

Saturday, August 29

Braves 2, Rockies 1

The offense wasn’t as free-flowing as it was on Friday night, as both teams really had to scrap for the runs that were pushed across the plate on this particular evening. Martín Pérez once again delivered another productive start as he went 5.2 innings and struck out six, but the sixth inning ended up being the end of the road for Pérez after he ran into some two-out trouble. A single, a walk and a Willi Castro RBI single ended up moving Colorado into the lead in the sixth and chased Pérez from the game. Atlanta struggled through the sixth and the seventh as well, so it sure seemed like the Braves were on their way to a disappointing loss to Colorado.

Instead, some of that eighth-inning Truist Park magic once again came into play as the Braves started a two-out rally of their own at a crucial time. Two singles set the stage for Michael Harris II to once again come up huge, as he slapped one out into left-center. Not only did Cole Carigg not make the catch, he booted it deeper into the outfield and gave both Matt Olson and Mauricio Dubón enough time to score. Carigg really didn’t take the flub well, Didier Fuentes shut the door in the ninth inning and the Braves were able to celebrate a series win in dramatic fashion.

Sunday, August 30

Braves 3, Rockies 2

For the Rockies to have such a bad record, they definitely made made life tough for Atlanta over the course of this series. They came close to toppling the Braves on Saturday and hung with Atlanta in the latter portion of Sunday’s contest as well. The Braves got out to an early lead thanks to Sean Murphy launching one to his buddies in the home bullpen for solo shot and then Ronald Acuña Jr. followed it up with an RBI single to put the Braves into a 2-0 lead.

Tyler Mahle pitched six innings in this one and only gave up one run, which is something he’s turned into a habit since joining the Braves. However, those two runs that Atlanta scored in the third were all the help that Mahle got and the one-run lead that he left with was eventually turned into a deadlock in the eighth inning after Colorado deftly manufactured a run out of a leadoff single, two productive outs and a two-out single from Connor Norby. The Braves had already squandered some opportunities to add on and so this game ended up being destined for extra innings.

The tenth inning was pretty straight-forward. Victor Mederos pitched a clean tenth inning and then both Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson picked up singles to start (and end) the tenth inning. Olson’s single ended up being the walk-off knock and the Braves broke out the brooms for the first time since, well, this past Thursday. Sweet!

Hoo boy, the Braves have needed a run like this for a while. After having a rough and rocky run of games where they had won only five of 15 games in August, the Braves have gotten this month back on track with a much-needed seven-game winning streak. They came into August on a good run and assuming they can keep it going on Monday against the Giants, they’ll be entering September on a run.

They’ve just about recovered from that rough road trip through the Central Divisions by beating up on both the NL West’s leaders and cellar dwellers over the course of a week. It’s also fascinating to note how close these games have been — the largest margin for the Braves during this streak has been two runs. These games have been played on a razor’s edge and it could’ve gone either way. Instead, Atlanta has managed to take advantage of any good bounces that have come their way while managing to avoid toe usual pratfalls that were catching them off-guard during their rough run of form.

In fact, a lot of the games that the Braves lost while they were scuffling through August weren’t exactly blowouts, either. A lot of those losses were by one, two or three runs, so this month could very well have been a month where they’d really be preparing to deliver the knockout blow to the Phillies — and it still could end up going in that direction if the Braves can keep up the pace heading into next weekend’s series in Philadelphia. Instead, they still have a decent-sized advantage but this streak has served to stabilize things for Atlanta rather than serve as a devastating blow to their divisional rivals from Pennsylvania.

Anyways, this was a pretty big series win for the Braves. They did a great job of taking care of business and ensuring that there was no let down following a massive sweep over the Dodgers. They kept up the intensity against a Rockies squad that showed plenty of fight over the course of the three games. Fortunately, the hitting for Atlanta was timely enough and the pitching was stellar, as has been usual since the break. The pitching staff has continued to justify Alex Anthopoulos’s faith in this unit, with deadline acquisition Tyler Mahle continuing to be impressive and Martín Pérez continuing to come up big when he’s called upon.

Plain-and-simple, Atlanta’s trending in the right direction. They’re in possession of the second bye thanks to their efforts against the Dodgers and they’ve got a decent-sized gap between them and the Phillies in the standings. With the games getting more and more important, the Braves are putting themselves in a very good position with the home stretch looming. Let’s see this run of form continue!

The Phillies successfully completed a sweep of the Angels in Anaheim thanks to six strong innings from Zack Wheeler and a pair of home runs from J.T. Realmuto and Edmundo Sosa before the offense came alive late. It was the first quality start for Wheeler since July 21st, which was also the last time he finished the sixth inning. He still didn’t look quite like his usual self, but it was a clear step in the right direction as Wheeler tries to battle through his recent struggles.

Getting better

Wheeler quickly ran into trouble to start his day, as he walked leadoff hitter Wade Meckler on six pitches and then hit Mike Trout to put the first two runners on. Vaughn Grissom followed with a single that loaded the bases with no outs, putting the Phillies starter on the ropes right out of the gate. However, Wheeler was able to recover by snagging a ground ball from Moisés Ballesteros and starting a 1-6-3 double play. One run scored, but Wheeler was able to then strikeout Christian Moore on three pitches to end the inning.

The following few innings were relatively stress-free for Wheeler outside of a leadoff double in the third that he was able to strand there thanks to some help from an incredible diving catch by Derek Hill in center field.

However, the sixth brough another threat. Wheeler, who was approaching 100 pitches, seemed to tire and walked back-to-back hitters with two outs. Pitching coach Caleb Cotham came out for a mound visit with Wheeler at 101 pitches and needing one more out to finish the inning. He fell behind Jose Siri 2-0 before battling back to collect the strikeout on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, a curveball perfectly located at the bottom of the zone.

In total, Wheeler threw 108 pitches and allowed one run on four hits and three walks with six strikeouts. He still had trouble with deep counts but was able to eventually put hitters away and limit damage when it arose. Wheeler generated 15 whiffs total on the day, five of which coming on the eleven total curveballs he threw. Of his 108 pitches, 54 of them were fastballs, and they generated six whiffs and eleven called strikes.

Peaking late

The Phillies offense meanwhile struggled to get much going against Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi. J.T. Realmuto finally broke through in the third, launching his tenth home of the season to center field to tie the game at 1-1.

Edmundo Sosa broke that 1-1 tie in the seventh, hitting his second go-ahead home run of the series to left field to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. Sosa is now 8-20 (.400) with 12 RBIs over his last seven games played.

The rest of the offense joined the party in the eighth once Kikuchi was out of the game. Kyle Schwarber led off with a walk and Trea Turner followed with a single. Bryce Harper flew out to shallow right for the first out before Alec Bohm worked a four pitch walk to load the bases. Luis Arraez then entered as a pinch hitter to face right hander José Fermin. Arraez fell behind 0-2 before working the count full and eventually lifting the seventh pitch to left field for a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 3-1. Brandon Marsh was the next pinch hitter up, and he worked an eight pitch at-bat that ended with a single to the right side that added another run. Later in the ninth, Harper would double after a Realmuto walk and a Hill single to extend the lead to 5-1.

Necessary insurance

Those extra runs turned out to be important, as both Jonathan Bowlan and Jhoan Duran were unavailable out of the bullpen. Alex McFarlane tossed a scoreless eighth inning before José Alvarado allowed a pair of singles in the eighth and was lifted for Orion Kerkering with two outs. The latter was able to erase that scoring threat but then Kerkering allowed an RBI double to Trout in the ninth to cut the lead to 5-2 with two outs. However, nothing more would come of the Angels rally, as Kerkering struck out Grissom to end the game and finish his 1.1 innings of work.

Tomorrow’s matchup

The Phillies will head to the dreaded Chase Field in Arizona to begin a three-game set with the Diamondbacks. Aaron Nola (5-10, 5.03) will look to keep his success going on the mound in game one. Arizona has not yet announced a starter as of this writing. First pitch is scheduled for 9:40 PM EDT.

The game was over.

Samad Taylor had caught Jonny DeLuca’s fly ball at Tropicana Field’s short left-field wall with two outs in the ninth and the San Diego Padres leading by two. Then Taylor collided with the low wall, the ball popped from his glove and went over the fence.

The game was not over.

The cutout in the wall was designed to help longtime Rays left-handed left fielder Carl Crawford rob home runs. This time, it robbed Taylor of the final out and turned DeLuca’s fly ball into a game-tying homer. Jorge Mateo completed the escape two innings later with a walk-off single in a 5-4 victory.

The win gave Tampa Bay its fourth straight victory and an MLB-leading 14th series sweep, matching the franchise record set in 2021.

Before the late chaos, both teams spent the first three innings making scoring chances disappear.

San Diego put runners at the corners with two outs in the first after Manny Machado walked and a fielding error by Mateo on a Ty France grounder, but Drew Rasmussen got Jackson Merrill out on a groundout. Jonathan Aranda singled in the bottom half, only to be caught stealing as Junior Caminero struck out for an inning-ending double play.

In the second Dustin Harris hit a single to get on base with one out. Two batters later Nick Fortes threw out Dustin Harris at second to end the half-inning. Ryan Vilade walked to begin the botto of the second for the Rays and moved up on Chandler Simpson’s sacrifice bunt. Robbie Ray stranded him with a strikeout and a popup.

The Padres broke through in the fourth. France walked, Merrill singled and both scored when Xander Bogaerts sent a ground ball past Taylor Walls and the drawn-in infield for a 2-0 lead.

Caminero cut the deficit in half immediately. He led off the bottom of the inning by launching Ray’s pitch 440 feet into the left-center-field seats. His 37th homer tied him for the American League lead and extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

Tampa Bay had a chance to do more in the fifth. Mateo walked, stole second and third to put the tying run 90 feet away with one out. Taylor Walls fouled off a bunt attempt with two strikes, and Yandy Díaz grounded out to end the inning.

This started to feel like a game that could be close and get away. The Rays never gave up.

Rasmussen kept the Rays close, completing six innings while allowing two runs on four hits with six strikeouts. Ray was just as effective, holding Tampa Bay to Caminero’s homer and two other hits over six innings.

San Diego added an unearned run against Cam Booser in the seventh. Taylor reached on a bunt single and advanced to third when Aranda’s throw on a pickoff attempt got away. Sung-Mun Song brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Fernando Tatis Jr. was then called out for leaving the running lane on a bunt and was ejected along with Padres manager Craig Stammen after the play.

Another lost Rays opportunity came in the eighth. Walls was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a groundout and stole third, but Adrian Morejon struck out Aranda to preserve San Diego’s 3-1 lead.

That sent the Rays to the ninth against Mason Miller, still down two. Caminero opened with a single, but Miller struck out Liam Hicks and retired Simpson on a line drive.

DeLuca then lifted a fly ball down the left-field line. Taylor tracked the ball and timed it perfectly to make the catch and appeared to finish the game. His collision with the low wall knocked the ball loose and it dropped over the fence for DeLuca’s ninth homer.

Instead of a loss, Tampa Bay had a 3-3 tie.

The Padres lost another scoring chance in the 10th when Hicks threw out automatic runner Jase Bowen trying to steal third. Tampa Bay moved Mateo to third in the bottom half but failed to bring him home.

San Diego went back ahead in the 11th after Tyler Wells’ wild pitch moved Machado to third and France followed with a sacrifice fly.

The Rays answered one last time. Richie Palacios replaced automatic runner Jonathan Aranda and moved to third on Hicks’ single. Pinch-runner Kenny Piper stole second before San Diego intentionally walked Simpson to load the bases. DeLuca chopped a ball to short that Bogaerts could not handle, allowing Palacios to tie the game.

Mateo followed with a line drive into left field to score Piper and seal a walkoff win in a game that was previously lost.

The Rays next series sweep opportunity starts tomorrow when they face the New York Mets. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40pm with Ian Seymour slated to start for the Rays opposite Robert Stock.

The Mets may have lost 6-3 to the Houston Astros on Sunday afternoon, but rookie Zac Thornton continued to impress in his rookie season.

The 24-year-old left-hander pitched five innings, allowing six hits, one walk, and two earned runs across 97 pitches, striking out five batters in the process.

"It was a gusty outing," asserted interim manager Andy Green of his greenhorn hurler. "He had to grind it out.

"Some at-bats turned into a lot of pitches... it was a hard-fought five innings for him."

Houston's batting order has some star power for pitchers to deal with, including AL MVP favorite and Triple Crown chaser Yordan Alvarez, who Thornton faced three times today.

Thornton struck him out, then got Alvarez to hit into two flyouts.

"[The Astros] have got good hitters, who worked pesky at-bats," Thornton said postgame. "I tried my best to throw good put-away pitches, and they hit them."

Thornton was then asked about his mentality as a rookie with the opportunity to prove he's good enough to be a core member of the team's starting rotation for the present and future.

"I just want to try to show up to the ballpark every day and be the same person, doing everything I can in every start."

New York, who were leading 3-2 entering the sixth inning, allowed four runs (one unearned, as a result of an errant throw home by first baseman Jared Young) on four hits in the sixth and seventh innings.

Jonathan Pintaro struggled in the sixth inning, and Jefry Yan was on the mound for Young's error in the seventh. They each threw 20 pitches.

Green, however, didn't seem upset when reflecting on their performances today.

"Pintaro is good, he's got the capacity to get lefties out consistently, he just left a pitch where he didn't want to," Green said. "The seventh inning was an ugly inning for us. It wasn't all on [Yan]... the error that brought in two runs; it's not a play we want to see happen."

He added: "Bullpens give up runs periodically. We've lived in a world where they hadn't been giving up runs for a long period of time."