Category: Baseball

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Braves:

Let’s talk about it.

Another day of minor league baseball is in the books. See the results below. Check out the previous day’s recap here.

AAA: Sugar Land Space Cowboys (71-66) won 3-1 (BOX SCORE)

Sugar Land got on the board in the first inning on a Cole solo home run. Hendrickson started for Sugar Land and pitched well allowing 1 run over 5.2 innings while striking out 8. In the bottom of the 6th, Ferreras broke the tie with a solo home run to right center field. Price added some insurance in the 8th inning with a solo home run. The pen was great tossing 3.1 scoreless as they closed out the 3-1 win.

Note: Ferreras is hitting .320 in Triple-A.

• Zach Cole, CF: 2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB
• Pascanel Ferreras, SS: 2-for-3, R, HR, RBI
• Collin Price, 1B: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI
• Zach Dezenzo, LF: 2-for-3
• Lucas Spence, RF: 1-for-2, BB

• Josh Hendrickson, RHP: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
• Christian Roa, RHP: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (WIN)
• Logan VanWey, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Roddery Munoz, RHP: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (SAVE)

AA: Corpus Christi Hooks (59-73) lost 8-2 (BOX SCORE)

The Hooks got on the board in the third inning on a Call 2 run home run. Hicks got the start and pitched well allowing 2 runs over 6.2 innings while striking out 7. The game stayed tied until the 8th where the bullpen allowed 6 runs as the Cardinals took the lead. The Hooks offense was unable to respond as they fell 8-2.

Note: Call has 21 home runs this season.

• Marcus Brown, 3B: 1-for-3, R
• Chase Call, LF: 1-for-2, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB

• James Hicks, RHP: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
• Ramsey David, RHP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
• Amilcar Chirinos, RHP: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

A+: Asheville Tourists (43-87) lost 6-4 (BOX SCORE)

Howard started for Asheville and went 5 innings allowing 2 runs while striking out 8 batters. The offense got on the board in the 4th on a Gomez RBI double. They got another run in the 5th on a Neyens RBI single. Cruz struggled in relief as he allowed 4 runs over 4 innings. The offense got one back in the 7th on a Moss RBI single and another in the 8th on a Vasquez RBI single but that was it as Asheville fell 6-4.

Note: Neyens finished with a .807 OPS in High-A.

• Kyle Walker, 2B: 2-for-5, R, 2B
• Xavier Neyens, 3B: 2-for-5, RBI
• Jack Moss, 1B: 3-for-5, R, 2B, RBI
• Kenni Gomez, CF: 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI
• Yosweld Vasquez, C: 1-for-4, RBI

• Dylan Howard, RHP: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
• Anthony Cruz, RHP: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers (71-58) CANCELLED

Today’s minor league starters:

SL: OFF

CC: OFF

AV: SEASON OVER

FV: SEASON OVER

The Dodgers have momentum.

Doesn’t matter if the last three victories in their four-game winning streak came against the Nationals.

Momentum is momentum, and momentum in September can be especially valuable, as it can lead to momentum into October.

“Obviously, if you can end it in September playing good ball, then I think it gives you confidence going into the postseason,” shortstop Mookie Betts said.

The Dodgers, who on Monday open a three-game series against the Reds at Dodger Stadium, understand they have to finish the regular season playing better than they did when they posted a 13-14 record last month.

“I think a couple of years ago we finished September not that great, and then it kind of carried into the playoffs,” Betts said.

Betts could have been referencing the 2022 season.

The Dodgers dropped three of their last four regular-season games that year and went on to be eliminated by the Padres in a National League Division Series.

Last year, they recovered from a dreadful July and mediocre August to post a 15-10 record in the final month of the regular season. They won nine of their last 11 games, including each of their last five, and went on to win the World Series.

The year before that, they also posted a losing record in July, only in that season, their comeback started a month earlier. They ran over their opposition in August, maintained their form through September — and guess what? — they won the World Series.

“I think a lot of September is the depth,” manager Dave Roberts said. 

Rosters expand to 28 players on Sept. 1 of every season, and the Dodgers use that to give their players breaks. 

Shohei Ohtani was out of the lineup for four consecutive days so that he could recover from an assortment of injuries. Max Muncy didn’t play on Saturday because he was sick. Betts is scheduled to take a day off on Monday.

“We’ve kind of done that over the years, and that’s a sign of having a lot of good players,” Roberts said. “But, yeah, it’s important to go into October playing well.”

The early signs are promising.

The starting pitching is coming together, the recent comebacks of Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow giving the Dodgers four Cy Young Award-caliber pitchers in their projected postseason rotation. Ohtani is expected to return to the lineup on Monday after missing the last four games.

The Dodgers averaged just 3.9 runs scored per game in August. They averaged 5.8 runs in their first six games of September, which included two losses to the Cardinals.

Over their three-game sweep of the Nationals, they scored a total of 18 runs. An offense that previously had difficulties hitting with men on base was 9-for-28 (.321) with runners in scoring position and drove in 11 runs with two outs.

“We’ve just taken good at-bats and continued to get runners on base,” Roberts said. “I just like the at-bat quality. It just seems like every night is someone different.”

Their 7-5 victory over the Nationals on Sunday was an example.

Trailing 4-1 through four innings, the Dodgers collected five hits in the fifth to score three runs and level the score at 4. Of the five hits in the inning, only one was an extra-base hit, a one-out double by Tommy Edman that drove in Muncy for the first run of the frame.

The Dodgers let the Nationals move in front of them again but by only one run. 

“I thought we were going to break through, I really did,” Roberts said. 

He was right. With two outs in the eighth inning, Alex Call singled and Edman walked. With the two of them on base, Betts stepped into the batter’s box.

The first pitch thrown to Betts by Nationals left-hander Will Dion was up and in.

“I was wishing he would get hit by the pitch,” Roberts said.

Betts sent the next pitch into the left field pavilion for a three-run home run.

Roberts said Freddie Freeman joked with him, “That’s why he avoids the pitch — so he can hit a home run.”

Betts has a .246 average this season, but he’s batting .305 with five homers, seven doubles and 22 RBIs over his last 24 games. His resurgence is overlapping with that of Teoscar Hernández, who is batting .423 with a home run over his last eight games.

The Dodgers have something to play for this month, as they started the week a game ahead of the Braves in the race for the No. 2 seed in the National League, which entitles a team to a first-round bye in the postseason. 

Then again, the Dodgers went into the playoffs last year as the No. 3 seed, which required them to play in the wild-card round. They learned something important from the experience: Where they finished in the standings didn’t matter as much as how they played down the stretch.

The Cincinnati Reds woke Monday with the knowledge that it’s at least possible to take down the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series. I am not sure the same could have been said when they woke up on Friday, even if they’d firmly believed it all along.

Despite dropping Friday’s series opener 10-7 in a way that’s become so maddening, they rebounded in kind. Friday saw the Reds jump to an early lead only for the grind of the Brewers at-bats to chase starter Rhett Lowder amid a flurry of line drives and singles as Milwaukee turned the scoreboard upside down one professional at-bat at a time.

Still, Cincinnati pocketed that during Saturday’s game, and took home a hard-earned 5-3 victory that featured the best of their bullpen finally getting the best of Milwaukee’s. Then, on Sunday, the Reds themselves churned out 12 runs on 14 hits – just one of them a homer – as they found ways to work counts deep and pick up key hits with men in scoring position.

Sunday saw them overcome the demons that cost them in the series opener, too. They did jump to an early lead, and they did see Milwaukee scratch and claw their way back and into a lead of their own. Undeterred, the Reds plowed right ahead, as Elly De La Cruz had yet another big day to lead them through to a 12-8 win that maybe, just maybe, can propel them through the gauntlet that remains this season.

And that’s the point here, I think. This stretch of Milwaukee/Dodgers/Milwaukee/Dodgers/Cubs/Braves is as difficult as it gets. It’s a veritable playoff slate for a 2026 Reds club that will not be playing in actual playoff games. But if the Reds brass and ownership is truly committed to keeping this entire band together for another year in 2027 – should there be a season – coming up large in September against this caliber of team is what the team needs for its psyche to clear through a run of a more important ilk this time in a calendar year.

Hopefully, this weekend serves as a wake-up call to the players on Cincinnati’s roster that yes, they can play and win against the big clubs. They can hang, they can take punches, and they can punch right back. That’s what the good teams do, anyway – they never feel like they’re buried and out of reach, something that’s been felt in Reds games all too often over the last few years as their overall offense slumped to league-worst marks. This weekend, at least, that era of Reds baseball took a backseat.

Let’s just hope it was for good.

This season, Nasim Nunez has had the chance to prove he can be an everyday player. While he showed some promise at times in the summer, he has failed in that mission. For most of this season, his flaws have been brutally exposed as he has been overplayed. Nunez has skills, but this is not something that works in a full-time role.

It is tough to overstate just how bad Nasim Nunez has been offensively. On the season, his OPS is .534, which is over 50 points worse than the second worst qualified hitter. You can be an all-world baserunner and defender, but there are offensive thresholds you have to hit to be on an MLB field every day. Nunez is simply not hitting those.

When you look at his Baseball Savant page, it is very easy to identify the problems here. Nunez just is not strong enough to consistently make hard contact. His xwOBA, xSLG and barrel rate are all in the first percentile. There are actually ways to work around this, but Nunez either can’t or won’t do that.

Chandler Simpson has the same issues as Nunez, but he is hitting .308 this season. That is because he has gone all in on making contact and weaponizing his speed. Simpson only strikes out 8.2% of the time while Nunez strikes out over 20% of the time. Being like Chandler Simpson is the only way for Nunez to have offensive success. However, I just don’t think he has the bat to ball skills to do that.

The result of this is pretty disastrous. This season, Nunez has an insanely low 52 wRC+. That means he is about half as good as even an average hitter. It is rare to see a wRC+ that low for a guy with over 450 plate appearances because usually those sorts of bats don’t get this much rope.

People would counter that Nunez makes up for this on the bases and in the field. However, fWAR does not think so. Even while grading out as an elite baserunner and very good fielder, Nunez still has -0.2 fWAR. With his profile, you have to be an impressively bad hitter to compile negative WAR. That is exactly what he is doing though.

It feels like the new regime has really bought into Nunez’s skillset. He is getting way more opportunities than he did with the old regime. They even moved CJ Abrams off of shortstop to get Nunez looks over there. Seaver King has been knocking on the door for a while, but Paul Toboni has decided to stick with Nunez.

With a slash line of .211/.289/.245, that faith is not being rewarded. Lately, Nunez has been as close to an automatic out as you get in the modern game. He is hitting .116 with a .302 OPS. Even old NL pitchers would be disappointed by those numbers. In his last 15 games, it has gotten even worse with an .095 average and .235 OPS. These numbers are just comically low.

With the offense having a tougher time post-deadline, you just cannot have this player in the lineup with any regularity. Whenever he comes up in a big spot, you are just conceding an out to the other team. That is what happened last night, with Nunez looking helpless at the dish.

Nasim Nunez has a unique skillset, so I understand giving him some run in a rebuilding year. However, entering next season with Nunez as an Opening Day starter would be unacceptable. He has proven to be incapable at the plate and not starter quality.

You can keep him around as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. However, if he is a starter on the 2027 infield, the offseason would be a failure. Nunez has gotten his chance and has very clearly shown he cannot be an everyday player.

The Phillies are at the top of the wild card standings thanks to a solid end of a West coast swing, but this weekend has been a bit of a bummer. Bullpen issues are creeping in again, making the prospect of a postseason swoon that much more looming, but hey – have to make it in first.

Three up

Bryce Harper – As I inferred in the question of the day this weekend, I believe Harper has joined the conversation about a top three MVP finish on the season. Another week in which he was getting on base and scoring runs, Harper has led this team (.409/.480/.455 on the week) to the top of the wild card standings, giving the definition of what an MVP is some meaning.

Alec Bohm – Bohm’s tenure with the Phillies is probably coming to an end. A free agent once the season is over, he’ll likely be on a new team thanks to his not really becoming what they thought he would be plus what he’ll want in free agency. That doesn’t mean he can’t be productive in the final days, just as he was this week (.278/.381/.611 on the week) against the Diamondbacks and Braves. If he can keep it up into October, it’ll help this lineup tremendously.

Zack Wheeler – It’s nice to be able to put Wheeler back to this part of the list. His last two starts have quelled the cries about his possibly being washed as he’s looked the part once again of ace of the staff. It might have been a dead arm period, likely a more complicated explanation, but I feel comfortable putting those says behind us. Wheeler is back and ready for the postseason.

Three down

Bryson Stott – Whew, is Stott ice cold or what? A paltry line of .111/.150/.278 was helped by a mammoth home run in Arizona, but Stott looks like he could use an extended break.

J.T. Realmuto – The first week of September was not kind to Realmuto, who really does look worn down these days. With the addition of Rafael Marchan to the roster thanks to the expansion, there really is no need to catch Realmuto more than three days a week at this point. Get his legs fresh for October, when he will really be leaned on.

Orion Kerkering – I’ll have more on this this week, but I am of the opinion that Kerkering needs to be in a new organization once this season is over.

A sweep of the Baltimore Orioles was just what the medical team ordered for the Red Sox. The O’s had been hanging around the Wild Card for weeks – even through a selloff that included their starting catcher – while the Sox won 15 straight and 9 straight and put up an historic run since the end of June. A sweep for Baltimore would have put them solidly into the playoff picture, if still a bit outside of a playoff spot. But even lacking Willson Contreras and Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston came out on top.

Now at home, the Sox welcome the Angels for three games. They played the Angels to kick off winning 15 straight at the start of July, part of the 9-game, 3-series, road sweep on their way into the All Star Break.

Speaking of former Orioles. Grayson Rodriguez, who should have been their ace by now, will start for the Orioles Monday afternoon. That ERA over 6.00 looks promising but he was really pummeled early on. A 3.2 inning 7-run outing, another with 8 runs (7 earned) obscure that he hasn’t been quite that bad. Since giving up 11 runs over two starts in July he’s actually put up a 3.49 ERA / 3.85 FIP. Baltimore acquired him for Taylor Ward who they since traded to the Mariners for prospects. Health is a skill, but maybe they do wish they’d just stuck with their guy? Brayan Bello isn’t listed as the starter but he might be! Bello has lost some of his bullpen magic of late, but the Sox need to know what kind of pitcher he has become as they approach October. It’ll be interesting to see how long he’s even in a game. Bello threw 94 pitches on 8/29. Then given three days grace before tossing another 69. Pain. This time he’ll have four days of rest. It’s not too late, never too late for Bello to reclaim a rotation spot.

Why didn’t the Angels trade Reid Detmers? Who can say. But the 27-year-old southpaw is on a roll in what is something of a breakout season. Boston hit him hard back in July with 5 runs in 5.0 innings. He gave up 5 runs to the Rangers the next time out but since then has an ERA/FIP of 1.52/2.61 over 9 starts. That includes a 7.0 inning, 1 run, gem against the Yankees last time out. New York won in 10 innings but Detmers was gone. The Sox will send Patrick Sandoval. After gutting his way through 5.1 innings with just a single run allowed against the Yankees he turned back into a Pablo pumpkin against the Mariners allowing 4 runs (3 earned) in 4.0 innings. He pitched in the same game as Bello, tossed 80 pitches, but will get even more rest. Hope it helps!

Boston will look to have their knives out against Ryan Johnson, owner of an ERA north of 5.00. However, with some luck, he’s been better of late. In 12 starts before August: 7.63/6.31 ERA/FIP with 37Ks, 20 walks in 46 innings. Since the calendar hit August, over 6 starts, 1.67/5.26 ERA/FIP with 21Ks, and 18 BBs across 32.1 innings. He hasn’t been allowing runs but it hasn’t been exactly stress free. Is Jake Bennett back? The stoic Sox lefty turned in another quality start last time out against the Orioles and has 14 Ks to 0 walks over his last two outings. You can go back another start and it’s 20-1 or perhaps 26-2 if you go back yet another start. The point is he’s been good since getting that extra rest.

Mike Trout isn’t MIKE TROUT but he’s putting up a .241/.376/.422 line with 20 homers.

Old friend Vaughn Grissom is slashing .249/.310/.391

Since the trade deadline, shortstop Zach Neto is hitting .265/.306/.444.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Monday, September 7: Grayson Rodriguez (6.03 ERA / 4.76 FIP) vs. Brayan Bello (5.07 ERA / 4.33 FIP)

Tuesday, September 8: Reid Detmers (3.44 ERA / 3.10 FIP) vs. Patrick Sandoval (4.41 ERA / 4.42 FIP)

Wednesday, September 9: Ryan Johnson (5.17 ERA / 5.88 FIP) vs. Jake Bennett (3.34 ERA / 4.22 FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Monday, September 7: 1:35 PM ET on NESN

Tuesday, September 8: 6:45 PM ET on NESN

Wednesday, September 9: 6:45 PM ET on NESN

Jesús Luzardo makes quick work of Braves in Labor Day masterpiece originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Jesús Luzardo pounded his mitt, looked toward the sky and took in the roar of a near-sellout crowd.

It was 2:56 p.m.

One hour and 51 minutes after he threw his first pitch, Luzardo had completed the first complete game of his career in his 150th start.

Every time the left-hander takes the ball nowadays, it feels like a short day awaits the bullpen — and anyone hoping to get home at a reasonable hour.

His latest turn came on Labor Day, with more than 41,000 fans filling Citizens Bank Park on a beautiful afternoon against the Braves.

No one was in a rush to leave. Luzardo sent them home early anyway.

The Phillies beat Atlanta 1-0 in the finale of their four-game weekend series behind the pitcher who has been the best in baseball since the end of July and arguably since the second week of June.

Working quickly from the start, Luzardo repeatedly jumped ahead of Atlanta’s righty-heavy lineup with his four-seam fastball. Twelve of the 14 at-bats he opened with a heater began with a strike.

Getting ahead did not make him predictable.

Luzardo finished with five strikeouts on his fastball and five more on his signature sweeper, giving him his sixth double-digit strikeout performance of the season. The two pitches attacked opposite eye levels and kept one of baseball’s best lineups guessing throughout the afternoon.

The Braves managed two hits. They did not draw a walk. And because Luzardo needed only 88 pitches to complete eight scoreless innings, there was never much doubt about who would take the mound for the ninth.

First, the Phillies needed to give him a lead.

Their offense had done little against Atlanta all afternoon, struggling both to create opportunities and cash them in. Then Kyle Schwarber stepped to the plate with one out in the bottom of the eighth.

Facing Didier Fuentes, who entered with six consecutive scoreless appearances, Schwarber got a fastball over the heart of the plate and drove it into the right-field seats.

That was all Luzardo needed.

At 2:50 p.m., he walked back to the mound as the crowd rose around him. Ha-Seong Kim flew out. Ronald Acuña Jr. was hit by a two-strike pitch, bringing the tying run aboard.

Luzardo bore down.

He froze Drake Baldwin for his 10th strikeout, then got Ozzie Albies to fly out for the final out.

Luzardo pounded his glove, turned his eyes toward the sky and spoke to the heavens.

Before some fans could finish their meal or afternoon drink, his masterpiece was complete.

Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz started a rehab assignment on Sunday with Oklahoma City, and pitched a scoreless inning, though it wasn’t clean. He walked a batter and threw only seven strikes among his 16 pitches, and did not induce a swinging strike, though did get a called strikeout.

“I’m sure Edwin is going to want to get back here as soon as possible,” manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. “But I’m probably more of the ‘get another one, and then get back with us.’”

I would posit there are more than those two options, but Díaz is getting closer to a potential return. Sunday was the first step.

Player of the day

Zach Ehrhard reached base four times and drove in all three runs to finish an Oklahoma City six-game sweep. Ehrhard had a two-run single in the seventh inning to open the scoring and adding an RBI single for some insurance in the ninth.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Christian Romero and friends took the offense provided by Ehrhard to beat the Round Rock Express (Rangers). Romero pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, scattering three singles, with two strikeouts.

Hyeseong Kim had two hits, including a double, and scored a run. Noah Miller walked twice and scored the other two runs.

Kris Bubic pitched a scoreless eighth, his third scoreless inning in three tries on his rehab assignment.

Oklahoma City is tied with Sugar Land in the second half at 39-24 with 12 games left in the regular season. Those two teams play each other next week for six games in Oklahoma City, which will go a long way in determining who faces Las Vegas in the Pacific Coast league championship.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers allowed a run in the ninth to force extra innings, then gave up six runs in the 10th in a loss to the Wichita Wind Surge (Twins).

Josue De Paula had two hits, walked, and stole his 30th base of the season, two swipes shy of his career high set last year.

After a series of shortened starts and two injured list stints, Luke Fox had a nice clean outing on Sunday, with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts. The left-hander retired all six batters he faced.

Right-hander Jacob Kmatz, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the August 3 Hunter Feduccia/Jack Suwinski trade, struck out four in two scoreless innings on Sunday, stranding a pair of singles. Since joining Tulsa, Kmatz has a 1.72 ERA in 11 games, with 21 strikeouts against only two walks in 15 2/3 innings and a 30.6-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate.

High-A Great Lakes

There was no celebration hangover for the Loons, who closed out the regular season with a win over the Lake County Captains (Guardians). Third baseman Eduardo Guerrero had a pair of run-scoring singles.

With a playoff spot clinched and the postseason starting in two days, it was a group pitching effort on Sunday for Great Lakes, with six pitchers used to cover nine innings. Jacob Frost had the longest outing of the bunch with three scoreless innings, the 2025 draft pick ending his first professional season on a high note.

Second baseman Nico Perez was the designated hitter on Sunday, walked twice, and stole two bases, giving him 35 steals in 41 attempts in 83 games with the Loons this year. Last year Perez was hurt in July, ending his season, and stole 35 bases in 41 tries in only 61 games with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. Perez, who turns 22 this season, hit .270/.380/.450 with Great Lakes, including a 118 wRC+ entering Sunday.

Edgardo Quintero did not play on Sunday, but the top-100 prospect ended the regular season leading the Midwest League in runs scored (107), batting average (.309), and on-base percentage (.445), and was second in OPS (.940) and hits (123). Teammate Charles Davalan led the league in hits (128), extra-base hits (56), and total bases (235).

Class-A Ontario

Tower Buzzers relievers allowed five runs in the final three innings, turning a close game into a lopsided loss to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Angels).

Easton Shelton one day after hitting a billion-foot grand slam (roughly) was walked three times and had a sacrifice fly. The cornerman ends the regular season leading the California League in home runs (37), RBI (112), total bases (262), extra-base hits (65), OPS (1.047), and slugging percentage (.644), and was second in on-base percentage (.403) and fourth in batting average (.297) and runs scored (89).

With 111 RBI in 109 games, Shelton joins Emil Morales as the first Dodgers minor leaguers since Greg Brock in 1982 with at least 100 RBI and more runs batted in than games played.

Transactions

Triple-A: Catcher Eliezer Alfonzo was called up the Dodgers with Dalton Rushing on the injured list. Nelson Quiroz was promoted to Oklahoma City for catching depth, though he didn’t play Sunday.

Double-A: One day after being active without pitching, Angel Cruz was sent back to the Arizona Complex League roster. Alex Walsh joined Tulsa from the ACL roster instead.

High-A: Closer Davis Chastain was placed on the injured list retroactive to Saturday. That puts him out for the divisional playoffs. Hyun-Seok Jang was activated after four weeks on the injured list to start, but retired only three of his eight batters faced and was pulled with no outs in the second inning after allowing two runs, one earned.

Class-A: Right-hander Jesus Tillero was activated after seven weeks on the injured list. He allowed three runs in his two innings of work.

Sunday scores

• Oklahoma City 3, Round Rock 1
• Wichita 13, Tulsa 7 (10 innings)
• Great Lakes 4, Lake County 2
• Rancho Cucamonga 8, Ontario 3

The week ahead

• Midwest League East Division playoffs, best of 3: Great Lakes vs. Dayton (Reds)
• Cal League South Division playoffs, best of 3: Ontario vs. Lake Elsinore (Padres)
• Oklahoma City vs. Sugar Land (Astros)
• Tulsa at Northwest Arkansas (Royals)

Great Lakes as the second-half winner hosts Game 1 on Tuesday, with Games 2 and 3 at Dayton on Thursday and Friday. Ontario as the second-half winner hosts Game 1 on Tuesday, with Games 2 and 3 at Lake Elsinore on Thursday and Friday.

In both Class-A and High-A, the best-of-3 league championship series start on Sunday, with Games 2-3 on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 15-16.

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NFL football returns this week, but that doesn't mean action on the diamond stops.

Our experts have banded together to bring you a trio of MLB picks for Sept. 7, highlighted by a total play in the Cardinals vs. Giants game.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Probability
Jon Metler: Cubs ML	48%
Neil Parker: Royals ML	51%
Joe Osborne: Cardinals vs. Giants - Over 7.5	53%

Probabilities courtesy of Polymarket. For help understanding Polymarket probabilities, see our odds calculator.

Jon Metler's expert pick: Cubs moneyline

Price: 48¢ at Polymarket

The Chicago Cubs are trading at 48% on Polymarket, but I make them closer to a 51% favorite. 

Two factors stand out to me. First, I'm much more comfortable backing Matthew Boyd on the road, where he owns a 2.83 ERA compared to a 5.40 ERA at Wrigley Field.

Second, Brewers starter Robert Gasser relies heavily on his slider.

The Cubs have several right-handed bats — including Alex Bregman, Nico Hoerner, and Seiya Suzuki — who are either patient against off-speed pitches from left-handed pitchers or have swing paths that profile well against the slider. 

If Gasser can't generate outs with his slider, he'll be forced to attack the zone with a low-velocity fastball. Chicago also faced him just six days ago, giving its hitters a recent look at his stuff and an even greater advantage in an already difficult matchup.

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Brewers.TV, Marquee

Neil Parker's expert pick: Royals moneyline

Price: 51¢ at Polymarket

The Diamondbacks are 28th in wOBA and 30th in xwOBA over the past two weeks, so with the Kansas City Royals respectively checking in ninth and eighth in the two metrics, I’m expecting Kansas City to pull away.

Royals lefty Noah Cameron has also settled in down the stretch with a high-end 2.34 xERA and 2.82 xFIP across his past seven starts, while the Diamondbacks counter with inexperienced righty Jose Cabrera (4.84 xERA and 5.00 xFIP).

• Time: 2:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: One national/two local

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Cardinals vs Giants - Over 7.5

Price: 53¢ at Polymarket

We’ve got all the ingredients for an Over tonight in San Francisco, with a low total and 14.6 mph winds blowing out.

Both offenses are swinging hot bats, with the St. Louis Cardinals ranking first in OPS over the past week, while the San Francisco Giants sit eighth. They should be able to tee off against two struggling starters.

Logan Webb has been rocked for 16 earned runs across his last three starts, including nine last time out, while Michael McGreevy has surrendered 14 over the same span.

The bullpens offer little relief, ranking 26th and 21st in ERA over the past two weeks. With St. Louis going Over in 14 of its last 17, Over 7.5 is the play.

• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• How to watch: NBC

More MLB best bets for today

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A very merry “Mariners won yesterday” to all, and to all a “they can’t lose today” this night. Oh, and happy Labor Day!

In Mariners news:

• The Mariners have called up IF Michael Arroyo, only the 35th Colombian-born player in the MLB. He started second in his debut yesterday for Seattle against the Athletics, and had an 0-for-3 day with a strikeout.
• Bryan Woo didn’t score a Pitchergami yesterday, which is fine, but he did put up a stat line that hasn’t been thrown since Félix Hernández.

Around the league:

• Shohei Ohtani could return to the lineup for the Dodgers on Monday, but is unlikely to pitch again in the regular season.
• Elly De La Cruz helped an injured bird. That’s it, that’s the story. This is a bird blog, after all.

• Luis Robert Jr., a recent Oriole waiver claim, has quickly landed on the injured list.
• C Dalton Rushing has been placed on the 10-day IL by the Dodgers, retroactive to September 5th.
• LHP Cooper Hjerpe made his MLB debut for the Cardinals, and spun four perfect innings to put his name among those like Max Scherzer for debut performances.

• Semi-related, the Nationals have outrighted Max Kranick to Triple-A.
• RHP Nick Pivetta is to be activated from the 60-day IL to start for the Padres against the Nationals today.

MILWAUKEE — Yes, I made the drive up, but just for Monday’s game.

Since these two teams split a four-game series at Wrigley Field last week, the Cubs won two of three in Miami and the Brewers lost two of three in Cincinnati, and the Cubs trail the Brewers in the NL Central by seven games. Both teams have 18 games remaining.

The Cubs trail the season series against Milwaukee six games to four, so they’d have to sweep this one to take that season series. That’s unlikely, though the Cubs did win the previous series held here this year back in June.

For more on the Brewers, check out last week’s series preview and also please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball.

Fun facts

The Cubs won two of three games in their first  visit to Milwaukee on June 26-28, losing the first, 6-2, then winning, 8-2 and 4-3. That made the Cubs’ record on the road in their 30-year rivalry 109-121.

They trail, 234-228, in all games, during which they have been outscored by a grand total of three runs, 2,110-2,107.

The Cubs have not swept a series in Wisconsin since Oct. 2-4, 2015. This will be their 28th subsequent series.

They won the first two games only once, May 2-4 of last year. They avoided being swept with third-game wins in five series, including their first a year ago. They last were swept in 2021, 13 series ago.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (8-3, 4.05 ERA, 1.231 WHIP, 4.57 FIP) vs. Robert Gasser, LHP (4-5, 4.57 ERA, 1.292 WHIP, 4.37 FIP)

Tuesday: David Peterson, LHP (4-2, 4.58 ERA, 1.458 WHIP, 4.54 FIP in 12 games with Cubs; 7-8, 5.39 ERA, 1.559 WHIP, 4.17 FIP in 28 games overall) vs. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP (14-5, 1.97 ERA, 0.794 WHIP, 2.27 FIP)

Wednesday: Kevin Gausman, RHP (4-1, 4.37 ERA, 1.143 WHIP, 3.84 FIP in six starts with Cubs; 9-11, 4.38 ERA, 1.257 WHIP, 3.58 FIP in 29 starts overall) vs. Logan Henderson, RHP (9-3, 2.48 ERA, 0.792 WHIP, 3.28 FIP)

NOTE: All three of these pitching matchups are rematches from last week’s Tuesday through Thursday games between these teams at Wrigley Field. The Cubs lost two of those three, but did well against both Gasser and Misiorowski, and defeated Henderson thanks to Gausman’s great outing and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-run homer.

Times & TV channels

Monday: 1:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Wednesday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

Going to go out on the proverbial limb and say the Cubs can take two of these. As noted above, if somehow they can pull off a sweep, that would give them the season series against the Brewers.

Up next

The Cubs have Thursday off, then return to Wrigley Field for a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates that begins Friday afternoon.

Recaps

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks find a way, tip Astros as E. Rodriguez, Arenado shine – The Diamondbacks took the lead in an unconventional fashion in the third. Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo led off with a single but was struck down by a Ketel Marte line drive, which connected with Perdomo’s helmet. Perdomo stayed down for a couple of minutes before walking off under his own power. With Marte at first, third baseman Nolan Arenado crashed a two-run homer to left-center off Astros starter Peter Lambert.The Astros threatened in the seventh inning, putting two runners on and chasing Juan Morillo with two outs. Brandyn Garcia came on to retire Alvarez on a popup to end the inning. Houston scraped a run off reliever Jonathan Loaisiga in the eighth, but Kevin Ginkel struck out the side — getting Alvarez for the last out — to earn his third save.

[Dbacks.com] Rodriguez’s ‘fierceness’ emerges for D-backs’ Wild Card campaign – “It’s a lot of fun,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said about watching Rodriguez this season. “I’ve had a long-term relationship with him. The best part about him is he has not changed. His personality has been the same. He’s very engaged; he’s very caring. And when he takes the mound, there’s a fierceness to him. And that’s what I get to see every fifth day.” Rodriguez has had a winning decision in seven of his last nine starts for the D-backs dating back to late July. He is also 6-0 in his last eight road starts with a 1.90 ERA and 36 strikeouts. “Just executing,” Rodriguez said about his run of success. “Executing the pitches, follow the catcher and follow the plan that we have before the game. Never go away from the plan, and that’s what’s been working.”

Team news

[SI] Where Diamondbacks Stand in Playoff Race After Massive Win vs Astros – “Driving towards a playoff spot only intensifies it and it’s what the game’s all about,” manager Torey Lovullo said, speaking to D-backs.TV’s Todd Walsh postgame.”You got to love it. I think these guys are embracing what’s happening. They’re fighting every single inning.”Third baseman Nolan Arenado echoed that sentiment. “These games have been pretty intense,” he said. “We know how meaningful they are, and it’s meaningful for [the Astros] too. They’re playing for a spot also, so these are tough games. We haven’t collectively been great on the offensive side, but it was great to slug, get a couple wins, and get out of here.”

[Arizona Sports] Geraldo Perdomo leaves game after being hit in head by line drive from Ketel Marte – Perdomo reached base in the third inning with a leadoff single before getting nailed by Marte’s 93 mph line drive and going down. Luckily, the ball hit Perdomo’s helmet. The D-backs shortstop remained down for a few minutes as the team trainer came to check on him, as well as Marte and manager Torey Lovullo, before he was able to walk off on his own power.The D-backs later announced that Perdomo exited the game with a head contusion and would be monitored Sunday and into Monday. Lovullo said postgame that Perdomo did not enter the concussion protocol and he plans to have him in the starting lineup on Monday against the Kansas City Royals.

[MLB Trade Rumors] Diamondbacks Designate Max Kepler For Assignment – Although he began the season serving an 80-game PED suspension, Arizona gave him a major league deal worth a prorated $780K. The Diamondbacks activated Kepler on June 25, but he slumped to a .205/.262/.303 line with just two HRs, a career-worst .098 ISO and a 53 wRC+ over a 41-game, 145-plate appearance span. The 33-year-old has typically offered decent numbers against righties, though they held him to a brutal .192/.256/.283 line (47 wRC+) during his short run with the Snakes. The D-backs shielded the lefty-swinging Kepler from same-handed pitchers, whom he faced just 12 times before his designation.

[USA Today] Corbin Burnes returns and more MLB news – Corbin Burnes, who signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2024 season only to undergo Tommy John surgery one month into his deal, will return to the mound Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals. It will be his first appearance in 15 months. The D-backs will be cautious with him, knowing he still has four years, $140 million remaining on his contract, but his return could be a boost for their playoff hopes the final three weeks.Burnes’ return also gives teams a free look at him if Burnes really wanted to take the massive gamble and exercise his opt-out, but teams are fully expecting him to stay in Arizona.

And, elsewhere…

The USA Today piece linked above also goes on a blast against position players pitching. “Major League Baseball, proposing that teams be permitted to have 14 pitchers on their 26-man rosters instead of 13 in the next collective bargaining agreement, will also discuss modifying the rule on when position players can be used as pitchers in the game.Several club executives and managers agree that games are turning into a farce in blowouts with the proliferation of position players taking the mound.It has become totally absurd, ruining the integrity of the game, and destroying the sanctity of records.In what once was a bit of comic relief in blowouts has become a disgusting display that’s more suited for the Savannah Bananas than actual major league games.”

[Today] After ‘Ted Lasso’ Feature, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum ‘Can Hardly Handle’ Surge In Visitors – The historical institution, which preserves the long history of African American baseball in the U.S., was featured in the premiere of the new season of “Ted Lasso” in August. And since, the museum’s president Bob Kendrick tells TODAY.com, the establishment has been flooded with visitors. Sales, Kendrick says, are up around 50% to 60% compared to where they were last year at this time. “I’ll tell you — it has superseded anything that I could have ever even remotely imagined,” Kendrick says of the outpouring of interest in the museum from the show. “I honestly did not know that it would have this kind of interest and immediate impact on the museum.”

The Runner

• Rating: C
• Dir: Kevin Macdonald
• Star: Gal Gadot, Damian Lewis, Alfred Enoch, Rory Wilmot

The fact that I was more interested in tourist landmarks, than the plot or the characters, is significant. You may even spend more of the film thinking of easier, less complex ways, for the voice on the phone to achieve the same end goal. For this is very much an example of an Amazon Prime streaming movie. You don’t need to think about the plot, or even pay attention to it. Everything is clear inside ten minutes, and the last five tidies everything up nicely, with a twist you will likely see coming – at least, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. In the middle? Running, taunting of Maia by the voice on the phone, and problem-solution on repeat. As Saturday night entertainment, it was… okay, I guess? Never going to watch it again though. 

Read more

Take a trip in the wayback machine with me, friends. All the way back to Sep. 1, 2026. Ah, we were so young and innocent then.

The Orioles had just clawed back to the .500 mark for the first time since April, and they did it with one of the most miraculous game-ending plays you’ll ever see, Colton Cowser’s unbelievable home run robbery that denied a walkoff in Colorado. The O’s had won six of seven and rocketed up the wild card standings, sitting just a half game behind the Guardians for the final spot with no other team in their way.

At that point, if you had looked ahead a week and circled the upcoming Orioles vs. Guardians series on your calendar, you weren’t alone. This was potentially going to be the pivotalest of pivotal series for the Birds, pitting them head to head against the one opponent they most needed to beat. This matchup was going to decide which team would seize control of a playoff spot. The Orioles, we thought at the time, figured to be right on Cleveland’s heels — if not ahead of them — by the time this series began. All the Orioles needed to do before then was to finish up a series win or sweep in Colorado and then hold their own against the Red Sox.

Spoiler: the Orioles did not do any of those things. And now, this faceoff against the Guardians feels nothing like a heavyweight battle for a postseason spot. Instead it’s set up to be another disappointing, one-sided slog that may well plunge the final nail into the Birds’ 2026 playoff hopes.

The Orioles’ September collapse — an 0-6 record and a vanishing offense — has all but sunk them out of contention. They’re now four games back of the Guardians with just 18 games to play. They’ve also been leapfrogged by the Blue Jays and the Rangers. If it isn’t already “stick a fork in ‘em” time for the O’s, this series could end all doubt. A series loss would make the playoff math nearly impossible. Even an incredibly unlikely Orioles sweep wouldn’t catch them up with the Guardians, and they’d still have the Jays and Rangers to contend with. It’s a mess of the Birds’ own making.

If you want to look on the more optimistic side, one thing about the 2026 Orioles is that they’ve been wildly unpredictable, sometimes in positive ways. There have been plenty of instances earlier this season where we thought their goose was cooked, only for the O’s to rattle off a bunch of improbable wins — like almost sweeping the Rays twice last month — to climb back into the fringes of the race. But something about the way the Orioles have lost these last few games just doesn’t inspire hope of a similar bounceback. Their performance in the four-game set against the Red Sox was nothing short of pitiful, with all the body language of a team that’s ready for the season to end.

Anyway, here come the Guardians. Let’s see what happens!

Game 1: Monday, 1:35 PM, MASN

LHP Joey Cantillo (9-8, 3.91) vs. LHP Trevor Rogers (9-9, 4.30)

If the Orioles couldn’t even score against the Rockies’ pathetic staff — let alone Boston’s excellent one — then they’re going to have their hands full with a Guardians team that is built on pitching. Up first is Cantillo, who served as a swing man last year before converting to full-time starting this season. He’s been a solid mid-rotation starter with a 108 ERA+, though his control has been a problem with a league-leading 72 walks. He faced the Birds on April 19 and gave up four runs, including Taylor Ward’s first dinger as an Oriole. The wacky lineup that day featured Weston Wilson at third, Blaze Alexander in center field, and Johnathan Rodriguez batting cleanup.

Speaking of wacky lineups, will the Orioles continue to shoot themselves in the foot by again benching all of their lefty bats against a southpaw? They did it three times in their four games against the Red Sox, and we saw how that worked out. Please, Orioles, be a serious franchise and let Samuel Basallo actually play against lefties. Give Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, or Jackson Holliday a chance, too. We’ve seen more than enough of Leody Taveras and Carlos Narváez lately. It doesn’t matter if they bat right-handed when they can’t hit!

Just like in that April 19 game, Cantillo will square off against fellow lefty Trevor Rogers. Rogers is coming off of a brilliant performance in Colorado, racking up a career-high 11 strikeouts in a game that the O’s bullpen squandered. Trevor’s previous start against the Guardians this year, though, was a rough one: six runs in five innings, including two dingers by future Hall of Famer José Ramírez. Ramírez is having his worst year in more than a decade, with just a .708 OPS, but he has always torched the Orioles with a career .306 AVG and .972 OPS in 67 games.

Game 2: Tuesday, 6:35 PM, MASN

RHP Tanner Bibee (5-15, 4.06) vs. RHP Brandon Young (9-3, 3.42)

Do you think Shane Baz is the most criminally unsupported starting pitcher in baseball? Tanner Bibee says, “hold my beer.” The Cleveland right-hander has received the worst run support in the majors this year at just 2.90 runs per game (Baz, at 3.02, is second worst). It’s too bad Bibee and Baz aren’t going head to head; that’s a game that would be guaranteed to go scoreless until, like, the 14th inning.

Bibee, like Baz, has pitched much better than his 5-15 record would imply, with a slightly above average 102 ERA+. Bibee pitched six shutout innings against the Orioles in April, but true to form, the Guardians didn’t score while he was on the mound and he left with a no-decision.

Brandon Young takes the mound for the Orioles with 137 innings under his belt, by far the most of any season in his pro career (his high mark in the minors was 111). If he’s fatigued, he’s hiding it well. Young has thrown two straight quality starts, and he continues to be a good-luck charm for the Orioles, who are 18-6 when he pitches. Young’s only previous start against the Guardians came last July, when he allowed three runs in 4.1 innings and gave up a homer to — guess who? — José Ramírez.

Game 3: Wednesday, 6:35 PM, MASN

LHP Foster Griffin (3-1, 4.06 for CLE; 15-4, 3.26 overall) vs. RHP Shane Baz (5-15, 3.91)

The aforementioned Baz will make his 29th start of the year, carrying a ludicrously poor record despite having the best ERA of any O’s starter besides Young. Two starts ago, he finally earned his first win since June, but he fell back into his extreme hard-luck ways against the Red Sox, getting saddled with the loss despite giving up just one run in 6.1 innings. I wonder if Shane is regretting his decision to commit to a long-term contract with a team that refuses to score runs for him.

Baz lost to the Guardians in April with a six-inning, four-run performance. You’ll never believe who hit a homer against him. OK, yes you will: it was José Ramírez. Have I mentioned that Ramírez loves hitting against the O’s?

The Guards will counter with Foster Griffin, a stupendous reclamation story this year. The former first-round pick washed out of the majors in 2022 after just seven appearances, then went to Japan and revived his career in Nippon Professional Baseball for three seasons. The Nationals brought him back stateside this year and he was dominant enough to earn an NL All-Star nod and a deadline trade to Cleveland. Griffin hasn’t been quite as sharp for the Guardians, but again, he’s a lefty, so the Orioles will likely field their forfeit lineup.

**

What do you expect from this series, Camden Chatters? Do the Orioles have any chance of resurrecting their season against the Guardians? Let us know in the comments.

It really feels like this was a weekend of missed opportunities for the Yankees. They easily could have left San Diego with a sweep, or at least having taken two of three from the Padres. Instead, they head home with only Saturday’s win to show for their weekend. And in the process, they let Boston creep closer and failed to gain ground on Tampa.

Elsewhere, it is starting to look like the race for the final Wild Card spot could come down to three teams: whomever out of Cleveland and the White Sox doesn’t win the AL Central, whomever out of Houston and Texas doesn’t win the AL West, and the Blue Jays. The rest of the American League’s pretenders sit at least four games out of the final playoff spot, with multiple teams in front of them.

Tampa Bay Rays (85-58) 6, Texas Rangers (71-73) 8

I guess it could have been worse. And would have, if not for Jake Burger. There’s a Burger King joke here somewhere, but I am not clever enough to think of it. Burger cracked pair of home runs, helping Texas come back from an early 5-1 deficit. The Rangers scored six in the fourth and fifth innings to take the lead and managed to hold on for a much-needed win, as they try to stay in the hunt in both the AL West and Wild Card races.

If you’re a fan of great pitching, this was not the game for you. Each team burned through six pitchers, with not a single one recording more than nine outs. Gross. Texas’ win, however, prevents Tampa from going five games up on the Yankees, who already face a steep challenge trying to make up a four-game deficit in the AL East as the season rapidly approaches a close.

Other Games

Boston Red Sox (79-65)3, Baltimore Orioles (69-75) 1: You only really need to know two names from today’s game and they’re both Red Sox. In the top of the second, Eli White stepped to the dish with a pair of runners on. His three-run home run gave Boston a lead they never surrendered. And they can thank Payton Tolle for much of that. The hefty lefty spun six innings of one-run ball for Beantown, striking out 12 Orioles along the way. Former Yankee Aroldis Chapman came in for the ninth and recorded the final three outs, in the process notching his 400th career save. Chapman is the ninth man all-time to reach that milestone.

Chicago White Sox (75-68) 10, Minnesota Twins (68-75) 1: You’d never know it by the final score but for the first half of this game, it looked like “first run wins.” Then Chicago scored the first run. And nine more. So in a way, first run did win. Of note for Yankee fans: remember Randal Grichuk? The longtime Yankee killer hit .194 with nary a home run in 16 games in pinstripes. His eighth-inning longball was his 12th of the year and it pushes his OPS with the Pale Hose over .900 in 183 AB. An outcome both enraging and so incredibly predictable.

Houston Astros (73-71) 2, Arizona Diamondbacks (76-68) 3: I cannot describe how much I am going to hate it if Houston makes the playoff with 84 wins and then goes on a deep run. Eduardo Rodriguez and Arizona did their job Sunday to try and prevent that. Rodriguez threw six frames of one-run ball, earning his 15th win of the season in the process. For Houston, presumptive AL MVP Yordan Alvarez was up to his usual tricks, bashing his 38th homer of the season. He continues to lead (or share in the lead) for each of the Triple Crown categories as well, though an MLB Triple Crown seems a longshot at this point.

Cleveland Guardians (73-71) 3, Detroit Tigers (65-78) 2 (F/10): Apparently Guards Ball is now when Cleveland keeps it close at home, gets the game to extra innings, and walks it off for the win. Sunday marked their third such game of the weekend, this time with Daniel Schneemann providing the heroics on with a tenth inning single. In a “you can’t predict baseball, Suzyn” anecdote… at no point this weekend did Cleveland ever lead one of their games prior to walking each one off. Wild. Oh, and Gavin Williams notched double-digit strikeouts again. Ho hum. That’s eight of his last 11 starts.

Toronto Blue Jays (72-72) 1, Kansas City Royals (64-80) 6: Maybe Spencer Arrighetti just isn’t good. I remember being surprised at the deadline that the Astros of all teams would trade away young, controllable starting pitching. I’m increasingly less surprised. After getting shelled on Sunday, Arrighetti has allowed 14 ER in 15.2 IP since becoming a Blue Jay. That’s “good” for an 8.04 ERA. Yikes.