Category: Baseball

This past Sunday, Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler’s walk-off home run ensured a winning record during the team’s penultimate homestand of the season. After a day off Monday, the Athletics begin their final road trip of 2026 tonight with a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Roster Move

Before the game, the A’s made an unsurprising roster move.

We have made the following roster moves. pic.twitter.com/aDPU68HGKS

— Athletics (@Athletics) September 15, 2026

Rookie left-hander Gage Jump lands on the injured list with a left shoulder impingement, a few days after exiting his start early with shoulder soreness. The 23-year-old’s first MLB season ends with a 6-11 record, a 5.47 ERA and 108 strikeouts over 20 starts and 98 2/3 innings.

Like several other talented young pitchers, Jump experienced his share of highs and lows during his first season in the majors. Look for the southpaw to rest up this offseason before preparing to pitch toward the front or middle of the Athletics’ rotation next season.

The A’s claimed left-handed reliever Joe Rock off waivers from the Chicago White Sox a month ago. The 26-year-old southpaw began his A’s tenure with Triple-A Las Vegas, recording a 0.87 ERA over his first eight appearances with the Aviators.

With two weeks left in the regular season, Rock has an opportunity to cement himself as part of the team’s bullpen depth moving forward. His addition, however, leaves the A’s with a question to answer: How will they fill Jump’s spot in the rotation to close out the season?

Game Preview

Right-hander Jack Perkins will start the series opener for the Green and Gold on Roberto Clemente Day. The 26-year-old enters his 35th appearance and 15th start of the season with a 3-11 record, a 6.53 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP and 119 strikeouts in 103 1/3 innings.

Perkins is still attempting to find consistency in the majors, with his long-term role as a reliever or starter still in question. The right-hander took the loss in his last outing against the Toronto Blue Jays after allowing four runs on seven hits over five-plus innings.

The Indiana University alum will look to bounce back in his second start against the Rays this season. When Tampa Bay traveled to Sacramento in August, Perkins took the loss after allowing seven runs on 12 hits over five innings.

Will Perkins take advantage of Tropicana Park’s less hitter-friendly conditions to post a rare quality start, or will the Rays offense jump all over him again?

Here’s the Athletics’ lineup for the series opener:

new series on deck 👊 pic.twitter.com/azaCpWO1Yn

— Athletics (@Athletics) September 15, 2026

The Athletics are rolling with the same guys they relied on to win their series against the Seattle Mariners this past weekend.

Designated hitter Shea Langeliers returns to the lineup after coming off the bench Sunday to record a game-tying, pinch-hit two-run single. Right fielder Lawrence Butler and second baseman Donovan Walton seek to carry over their success following standout performances during the team’s latest homestand.

If the A’s want to win this series against the best team in the American League, they will need every position player on the active roster to contribute. Outfielder Denzel Clarke is on the bench once again. He could benefit from getting some starts on this road trip to continue developing at the plate.

The Rays, meanwhile, have right-hander Griffin Jax taking the ball for them this evening. The 31-year-old enters his 32nd appearance and 21st start of the season with a 7-10 record, a 3.99 ERA and 103 strikeouts over 99 1/3 innings. Jax is coming off a winning outing against the Atlanta Braves in which he allowed one run on two hits over five innings.

In typical Rays fashion, the small-market club that consistently punches above its weight has successfully converted a longtime reliever into a starting pitcher. Today will be Jax’s 14th career appearance, but first career start against the Athletics. He has dominated the A’s throughout his career, entering play with a 2-0 record, 0.68 ERA, 18 strikeouts and three saves in 13 appearances against the Green and Gold.

Tampa Bay’s starting nine:

#Rays lineup vs. #Athletics, RH Perkins: pic.twitter.com/mwbZ1kkioz

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) September 15, 2026

Despite already clinching a playoff berth, the Rays have bigger goals in mind, as they have not yet won the AL East title. As a result, their lineup’s potent combination of power and speed will be eager to do more damage against the A’s league-worst pitching staff.

Tampa Bay’s top three hitters all have more than 20 home runs, with slugging third baseman Junior Caminero having reached the 40-homer mark. In addition to avoiding mistake pitches over the plate, Perkins and catcher Jonah Heim must control the running game against a Rays squad entering play with the fourth-most stolen bases in the majors.

Time to continue playing spoiler and impacting the AL playoff picture. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Athletics – Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

There’s a chance of rain this evening in Chicago (forecast link below) so here’s the local radar for you to keep handy:

Tuesday notes…

• SIX HUNDRED: The Cubs now have a .600 winning percentage this year in night games, at 51-34. In day games, they are .500, at 33-33. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• RUN DIFFERENTIAL, PART 1: The Cubs’ run differential is a season-high +142, with 806 scored and 664 allowed. Their previous high had been +141, 742-601, after a 17-3 win at home over the Brewers on Aug. 31. It had dipped to +128 following their 8-6 loss at Milwaukee last Wednesday, but since then the Cubs have tallied 26 runs and given up only 12. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• RUN DIFFERENTIAL, PART 2: In their 84 wins, the Cubs have outscored their opponents by 406 runs, 627-261, for an average score of 7.5 to 3.1. In their 67 losses, they have been outscored b 224 runs, 403-179, for an average of score of 6.0 to 2.7. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• NOT WHIFFING: Cubs batters struck out only four times last night. They have had fewer than 10 strikeouts in five consecutive games, 16 of 17 and 19 of 21. They have not ended back-to-back games with double-digit strikeouts since Aug. 21-22 at Seattle. With nine or fewer strikeouts, the Cubs are 60-40; with 10 or more, 24-27. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Ray Burris throws a two-hit shutout and the Cubs defeat the Expos at Jarry Park 2-0 in just one hour, 45 minutes in front of a tiny gathering of just 2,782. It happened 50 years ago today, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 1976.

The Cubs lineup was not available at posting time. Please check BCB social media for the Cubs lineup.

Braves lineup:

Martín on the mound #BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/Fsm6R0uoT4

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 15, 2026

Kevin Gausman, RHP vs. Martin Perez, LHP

Kevin Gausman’s last start was just bad, so hopefully it’s been flushed and he starts fresh tonight.

Gausman faced the Braves June 2 in Atlanta and allowed four runs in six innings, which is… not great, but not awful either. Matt Olson homered off him, one of three career long balls Olson has off Gausman.

Overall current Braves are batting .240 (24-for-100) against Gausman.

Martin Perez is 35 now, but having an under-the-radar solid year for Atlanta.

In eight starts since Aug. 1 he has a 2.18 ERA and 1.282 WHIP and only two home runs allowed in 41.1 innings.

His only appearance against the Cubs this year was one inning of scoreless relief May 13 in Atlanta. The Cub who has faced him most is Alex Bregman (10-for-42, a double, nine walks).

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on TBS (outside the Cubs and Braves market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Braves site Battery Power. If you do go there to interact with Braves fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Here are the lineups for the first game of two in Washington. Let’s discuss!

For the Phillies:

Down in D.C. for a two-game set#RingTheBellpic.twitter.com/xgbLwxb5qt

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 15, 2026

For the Nationals:

reminder: your lineup club membership auto-renews on september 27

→ https://t.co/HyMhWpLQbBpic.twitter.com/CSbeHGNKvJ

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 15, 2026

1901
In a doubleheader nightcap hosting Milwaukee, the White Sox hit an MLB-record five triples in the eighth inning — and three of them were consecutive! Sam Mertes, Fred Hartman and Herm McFarland started off the barrage with three three-baggers in a row, and after Frank Isbell somehow failedto triple, two more were hit consecutively, by Frank Shugart and Billy Sullivan. The second-biggest crowd at South Side Park that year (and, possibly, second-biggest in the AL: 18,000) saw the White Sox rally, from down 4-2, with a seven-run eighth to pace a sweep of the Brewers, 5-4 and 9-4.

Billy Hoy had hit a triple earlier in the game, giving the White Sox a total of six, setting the American League record — it would be 19 years before anyone tied that single-game mark. The White Sox also had three triples in the opener (including from Hoy and Mertes), making nine total for the doubleheader.

With two weeks left in the season, the White Sox were 79-48 and in first place by seven games, on their way to winning the first major-league AL pennant.

Nineteen years later, almost to the day, the White Sox again hit six triples, again in a regulation, nine-inning game. And in-between the two contests, in fact earlier in the 1920 season, the White Sox had another six-triple game (albeit needing 16 innings to get there). Given just 15 games in MLB history where a lineup has hit six triples or more, the White Sox own 20% of those contests (and at that point in 1920 where two more were added to the White Sox docket, they had 30% of the total six-triple games in history).

Also on this day, the White Sox released shortstop Jimmy Burke, just two months after purchasing him from Milwaukee. Burke was solid in his 42 games on the South Side, with 11 steals, 12 walks and 21 RBIs during his tenure. Pittsburgh snatched Burke up the next day, and he had two more solid MLB seasons before spending most of the rest of his career in the minors, playing until 1913.

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1915
Although still not yet a full-time starter, Red Faber beat the Red Sox, 3-1, with a one-hitter. Boston’s hit (and run) came in the fifth inning after a single-sac-bunt-stolen base-sac fly, and actually put the outcome in doubt by knotting the score at one.

In the sixth, the White Sox came right back with two singles and an eventual fielder’s choice RBI from Eddie Collins, and in the seventh Ray Schalk added an RBI single to finish out all scoring. In-between those runs, Babe Ruth led off the Boston sixth as a pitch-hitter — and Faber whiffed him.

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1940
Ted Lyons Day was held at Comiskey Park. The “Baylor Bearcat” would eventually win 260 games with the club and be elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955. His No. 16 would be retired by the White Sox in 1987. 

This was the second time Lyons was so honored, the first coming in 1933.

This game was the opener of a twin bill, with Lyons getting the complete game, 5-1 win with a three-hitter.

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1948
The White Sox blew upon a relatively quiet, 5-4 game with a 10-run outburst in the seventh inning of an eventual 17-10 win at Comiskey Park.

The onslaught featured four singles, three walks, a double and a stolen base before Taffy Wright — who had tapped back to the pitcher but got on safely after a failed attempt to cut Luke Appling down at home plate — clobbered a home run with the bases fully tenanted. All-in-all, Appling had singled and doubled in the inning, Pat Seerey singled and walked — and Ralph Hodgin made two of the three outs, including the fly to right field that ended the inning.

By game’s end, every player in the White Sox lineup had at least one hit, and all but Hodgin and starting pitcher Al Gettel had at least two.

On the Boston side, Ted Williams slapped five straight singles in the game before getting retired on a fly out to center field that ended the game. He raised his astronomical batting average six points to .377.

The final twist to the story: As if to prove the adage any given day, the last-place, 45-92 White Sox had entered action that night 37 games worse than American League- leading Boston.

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1954
It was a massive change in the dugout, as Go-Go Sox instigator Paul Richards bolted the White Sox for Baltimore, where he would receive a three-year, $150,000 pact that surpassed any of the two-year extension offers from the Sox.

Replacing Richards in the dugout on this day, and signing a one-year deal to manage the team in 1955, was bench coach Marty Marion, former St. Louis Cardinals star. Marion was considered a shoo-in for the role, although ex-Dodgers skipper Charlie Dressen was considered, along with White Sox players George Kell and Phil Cavarretta.

---

1964
In his first at-bat in the American League after many seasons in the NL, pinch-hitter deluxe Smoky Burgess belted a game-tying home run at Detroit. The White Sox would eventually win the game, 3-2, in 10 innings, keeping their pennant hopes alive. 

Burgess would lead the league in pinch-hits in 1965 and 1966. His 20 pinch hits in the 1966 season tied the big-league record originally set by Ed Coleman in 1936.

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1970
Shortly after taking over as the new director of player personnel, Roland Hemond targeted the man who’d eventually (in his words) “save” the franchise. Hemond called Cardinals GM “Bing” Devine to see what the chances were of making a deal for slugger Dick Allen — offering franchise icon Luis Aparicio in return. Devine turned him down — but 15 months later Hemond would get his man from the Dodgers, for Tommy John and Steve Huntz. The Dodgers also wanted Terry Forster, but Hemond refused to include the young, hard-throwing lefthander in the trade.

Also on this day, Chuck Tanner made his managerial debut, having waited to begin the job he was hired for earlier in the month until his Triple-A playoff run as manager was finished. Johnny Sain began his role as pitching coach with the White Sox as well.

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1983
The White Sox set the franchise record for most runs scored in the sixth inning of a game when they tallied 11 in a 12-0 win over the Mariners at Comiskey Park. LaMarr Hoyt got the win, his 21st on the season. Even more impressive regarding the run total is that the game only lasted seven innings due to rain. 

Harold Baines had a grand slam, as the Sox cut their magic number down to two for winning the division. The Sox sent 17 men to the plate in the sixth, with nine hits.

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1990
Owner Jerry Reinsdorf fired the man who’d become by far his most effective GM, Larry Himes, citing “personality differences.” Himes drafted and signed White Sox future stars like Frank Thomas, Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura and Alex Fernandez. 

During the press conference announcing the hiring of Ron Schueler as the new GM, Reinsdorf issued his famous “Point A to Point B to Point C” comment. Later, in a rare radio appearance, he was candid on the subject with host Chet Coppock: “The fact is, Larry Himes cannot get along with anybody. You can hardly find anybody in the Sox organization who wasn’t happy when Larry Himes left.” 

Farm director Al Goldis was also fired.

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1996
Frank Thomas slugged his 215th home run in a White Sox uniform, breaking the three-way tie among he, Harold Baines and Carlton Fisk. In fact Thomas homered three times at Fenway Park, off of Boston’s Tim Wakefield, yet the White Sox lost the game, 9-8. Thomaswent 3-for-4 with three RBIs and four runs.

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1997
In an 11-10 loss in Milwaukee, White Sox rookies Mario Valdez and Jeff Abbott both hit their first big-league home runs. Valdez got his in the fifth inning, Abbott an inning later.

   

Joey Loperfido is finally back with the Houston Astros.

The Astros today recalled Loperfido from Triple-A to replace OF Taylor Trammell, who was placed on the paternity list.

The Astros put Taylor Trammell on the paternity list and called up Joey Loperfido.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) September 15, 2026

Loperfido was off to a solid start this season, batting .276 before straining his right quad running to first base on April 17, landing on the IL. Upon returning June 9, Loperfido struggled through sporadic playing time until he was optioned to Triple-A on July 4.

Loperfido hit well for Sugar Land, batting .289 with a .375 OBP and .766 OPS. He has 3 HR, 14 doubles, 29 RBI, 36 runs scored and 7 stolen bases in 228 AB for the Space Cowboys this season.

Trammell also started the season hot. After working on his swing in the off-season, Trammell started the season on fire. He was hitting .345 when he was injured on a play at third base on April 20. When he returned May 26, he seemed like he was able to pick up mostly where he left off, as he collected hits in his first 5 games off the IL.

Unfortunately for him, he has since reverted to his old struggles, and his overall numbers have reverted back in line with his career norms. He is currently hitting .204 with a .292 OBP and .645 OPS for the Astros this season.

Bad news on the doorstep: per Matt Gelb of the Athletic, Jesús Luzardo has been placed on the Injured List. It had been hoped that his shoulder inflammation would only cause him to miss a single start; that more optimistic scenario has not come to pass. No specific timetable for his return was given, with Don Mattingly stating that a postseason start is still possible, though uncertain.

With Luzardo out, the Phillies will have to turn to other options as they work towards clinching a playoff berth. Also per Gelb, Grant Holman has been called up and a bullpen game will be needed in the near future.

Update: The Phillies have recalled Kyle Backhus instead of Holman.

WASHINGTON — The Philadelphia Phillies placed left-hander Jesus Luzardo on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Sept. 15 with shoulder inflammation, manager Don Mattingly said, a blow to the club’s stretch drive and, potentially, the playoffs.

Luzardo has not pitched since throwing a 109-pitch shutout against Atlanta on Sept. 7. In the wake of that start he reported discomfort and an MRI revealed inflammation. Luzardo, 28, has arguably been the best second-half pitcher in the National League, going 8-1 with a 1.65 ERA since June 23. The Phillies are 12-2 in those starts.

He reported to Nationals Park on Monday for treatment and a day later, team specialists determined he should back off scheduled catch play. At that point the club decided to place him on the IL and recall reliever Grant Holman.

Luzardo vowed to return for the postseason, though he acknowledged the compressed timeframe to rest, recover and build back up creates a narrow window.

"I can’t 100% say I’m going to start for this team, but that’s the goal. And I feel confident I can make that happen," says Luzardo, who is eligible to come off the IL on Sept. 27, the final day of the regular season. "I feel confident in my ability and preparation that whenever it is I set foot on the mound, I’ll be ready to go."

In a rotation with fellow Cy Young award candidates Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler and a resurgent Aaron Nola, the loss of Luzardo would still be significant. The Phillies are battling the Chicago Cubs for the No. 2 wild card spot and are likely to face them in the best-of-three wild card series beginning Sept. 29.

The Phillies entered play Tuesday 4 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and a half-game behind the Cubs, who own the tiebreaker between the two clubs. The team with the better record would have home-field advantage in that wild-card series.

While Luzardo likely won’t make it back to pitch in a regular season game, if his shoulder enables him to play catch, throw a bullpen and perhaps a simulated game in the next two weeks, that could keep him in play for the wild-card series. The NL Division Series would begin Oct. 3.

“It is a blow,” says Mattingly, “but you have to take care of the guy. Make sure he’s healthy before he pitches again.”

Overall, Luzardo is 14-7 with a 2.87 ERA over 178 ⅔ innings, just shy of the 183 ⅔ he threw last season. With a day off Monday, Mattingly says it’s possible the club folds rookie Andrew Painter into the rotation on regular rest Friday at Citi Field against the Mets.

Yet the club will have to throw a bullpen game sometime soon, anyway, and potentially two bullpen game turns as the season winds down.

"I don’t think anyone’s worried this is long term, this is into next year or anything like that,” says Mattingly. "I think we do think he’s going to be ready to pitch at the end of the year. We just have to take care of our business to get there.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jesus Luzardo injury update: Phillies ace's postseason in jeopardy?

Texas Rangers lineup for September 15, 2026 against the Boston Red Sox: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Patrick Sandoval for the BoSox.

The Rangers start a very big nine game homestand with three games against Boston. With a lefty on the mound for the Sox, the Rangers have their righty-swinging crew going.

The lineup:

Foscue — 2B

Seager — SS

Jung — 3B

Burger — 1B

Nimmo — RF

Langford — LF

Duran — CF

Diaz — DH

Jansen — C

7:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -135 favorites.

It was a scary one, but the San Diego Padres ended it with their eighth consecutive win. Facing the Colorado Rockies in their series opener on Monday night, the Friars got off to an early lead. San Diego scored six runs by the third inning, holding a five-lead over the Rox. Then, it happened. The Padres gave up a run in the fifth, then three in the sixth.

That made it a one-run ballgame before the Friars scored in the top of the seventh. Then they surrendered another run in the bottom of the frame. They played the same cat-and-mouse game in the eighth before Mason Miller slammed the door in the ninth inning. San Diego’s bullpen has looked worse for wear lately. Thankfully, the offense has picked up the slack. They’ll need that latter trend to continue (and the former to stop) to keep their win streak going.

Taking the mound

Kyle Freeland (COL) v. Walker Buehler (SD)

Freeland has had a solid season with the Rockies, despite his seemingly dismal 6.37 ERA. He’s been much better down the stretch. In his last seven games, the left-hander owns a 4.25 ERA with 33 strikeouts in his last 42 1/3 innings. Command has been a slight problem, with 10 walks in that time.

Historically, the Friars have owned Freeland. Xander Bogaerts and Ty France each have 10-plus career at-bats versus him and own a .462 and .364 batting average, respectively. Manny Machado has faced Freeland 54 times in his illustrious career. The third baseman owns a ridiculous .315 batting average and .837 OPS versus the lefty.

Buehler has downright dominated lately. In his last seven starts, the righty has pitched to a 2.88 ERA (34.1 IP). His major problem has been working deep into games. Buehler made it through just 2 1/3 innings in his last start versus the Washington Nationals. Some of that was due to a miscue by manager Craig Stammen, forcing Buehler to exit the game early.

Other than that, Buehler has given up two runs or less in every start he’s made since August 6. He’s surrendered three runs or less in every starts since July 21. It’s been a dominant stretch for Buehler, who has truly buoyed the San Diego rotation this season.

Batter up!

Thank goodness the offense has been white-hot lately, because the Friars are barely staying in games even when they do score seven runs. In their last four games, San Diego has scored 27 runs for an average of 6.25 runs per game. If the Padres continue raking, they won’t have any problems retaining their playoff spot.

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Dustin Harris, LF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Ty France, 1B
5. Jackson Merrill, CF
6. Luis Campusano, C
7. Austin Hays, DH
8. Xander Bogaerts, SS
9. Jake Cronenworth, 2B

The Padres’ stars have been fantastic lately. Between Machado, Merrill and Tatis, the trio has looked so confident in the box. Merrill was just named the NL Player of the Week after an especially hot stretch at the plate. The center fielder has gone 15-for-30 with a 1.467 OPS in his last seven games.

Relief corps

Casey Mize pitched a very solid five innings before Kyle Hart came on in relief. Hart immediately attempted to give up the game, surrendering three runs and only recording a single out. Bradgley Rodriguez came on and finished the sixth before pitching the seventh. Apart from a solo shot, the rookie reliever looked good on the mound. Adrian Morejon and Miller closed out the game.

Hopefully Miller is alright. While pitching, he was struck on the leg by a comebacker. It seemed like he was alright since he immediately recorded the final two outs by striking out Mickey Moniak and inducing a groundout from Adael Amador. For Game 2 tonight, the Friars have Griffin Canning, Yuki Matsui, David Morgan, Wandy Peralta and Randy Vásquez available.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are celebrating Clemente Day on Tuesday, honoring the life and legacy of their most memorable and beloved baseball player and humanitarian.

Every September 15 across Major League Baseball is Roberto Clemente Day, paying tribute to the late right fielder who left a lasting impact in Pittsburgh still felt over 50 years later.

Each season, the Roberto Clemente Award honors the player who best exemplifies Clemente’s work in the community, character, and a positive impact as a humanitarian on and off the field. 

The Pirates nominated second baseman Brandon Lowe as their 2026 recipient and is one of 30 nominees for the national award. Lowe was nominated by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022 for the Clemente Award.

Embodying everything The Great One stood for, both on and off the field. 🖤💛

Brandon Lowe is our 2026 Roberto Clemente Award nominee. pic.twitter.com/hsv3SXF9rW

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 14, 2026

In 2019, Lowe founded Home Runs for Hope and donated $100 for every home run he hit to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay to help those with mental health challenges. He has continued the initiative with the Pirates and has hit a single-season record 29 home runs for a Bucco second baseman, equaling $2,900 for charity.

Stop No. 3: The Pirates Roberto Clemente Award nominee (Brandon Lowe) at the center of a rowdy game … and later signing a bow and scrunchie. pic.twitter.com/Vp8vuiRY9x

— Jason Mackey (@JMackey_PGH) September 15, 2026

The Pirates hosted numerous community events, including a food drive for veterans at PNC Park. Lowe is active in the Pittsburgh community and with Pirates Charities’ youth baseball and softball events.

All Pirates players will wear No. 21 when the team takes the field against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. 

Clemente passed away in a plane crash delivering relief efforts to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. His life and legacy live on through the Pirates, MLB, The Clemente Museum, and through the lives of fans.

The Dodgers are in the postseason for a 14th consecutive year, and they can potentially clinch the National League West on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

Entering Tuesday the Dodgers’ magic number over the Padres was three, meaning the earliest they could possibly clinch is Wednesday.

Blake Snell is on the mound for the Dodgers, having not allowed more than one run in any of his six starts since returning from the injured list. Fellow left-hander Andrew Abbott is on the mound for Cincinnati.

Wednesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Reds
• Ballpark: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati
• Start time: 3:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Dodgers minor league corner man Easton Shelton led the California League in several categories and on Tuesday was named the league MVP, a highlight of the first season of the Class-A Ontario Tower Buzzers.

Shelton hit .297/.403/.644 with 37 home runs, 112 RBI, and a 151 wRC+ in 109 games this season. His 37 home runs were 16 more than the second-best in the Cal League (his Ontario teammate, outfielder Ching-Hsien Ko). Shelton led the league in home runs, RBI, OPS (1.047), slugging percentage, extra-bast hits (65), and total bases (262), and was second in on-base percentage.

His 37 home runs were tied for fifth-most in all of the minor leagues this season.

Shelton also homered in Game 1 of Ontario’s playoff series last Tuesday.

Easton Shelton keeps the Home Runs coming in the post season! Make that 38 total (and counting 🐝) on the season for Shelton! pic.twitter.com/r9c8z8TSIS

— Ontario Tower Buzzers (@towerbuzzers) September 9, 2026

Signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2023, the 6’4 Shelton turns 21 on Thursday. He started 82 games at first base and 14 at third base this season for Ontario, and also played a smattering of corner outfield in 2024-25 in the Arizona Complex League and a very brief sojourn with High-A Great Lakes.

Shelton gives the Dodgers two straight California League MVP awards, along with outfielder Eduardo Quintero, who won the award last year with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes despite getting promoted to Great Lakes in July with seven weeks left in the regular season. Shelton is the 18th Dodgers minor leaguer to win Cal League MVP, representing eight different cities.

Dodgers to win California League MVP

• 1941: C Spider Jorgensen, Santa Barbara
• 1959: OF Willie Davis, Reno
• 1960: SP Robert Arrighi, Reno
• 1961: SS Don Williams, Reno
• 1962: 1B William Haas, Reno
• 1970: C Sonny Johnson, Bakersfield
• 1977: 1B Kelly Snider, Lodi
• 1979: 1B Mike Marshall, Lodi
• 1980: OF Candy Maldonado, Lodi
• 1987: C Luis Lopez, Bakersfield
• 1995: 2B Adam Riggs, San Bernardino
• 1999: OF Chin-Feng Chen, San Bernardino
• 2008: C Carlos Santana, Inland Empire
• 2014: SS Corey Seager, Rancho Cucamonga
• 2017: OF D.J. Peters, Rancho Cucamonga
• 2018: 3B Rylan Bannon, Rancho Cucamonga
• 2025: OF Eduardo Quintero, Rancho Cucamonga
• 2026: 1B/3B Easton Shelton, Ontario

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In addition to the MVP award, Minor League Baseball also announced season-ending awards and honors for all Class-A levels. Four Ontario players made the California League All-Star team — Shelton at first base, plus second baseman Kellon Lindsey, outfielder Jaron Elkins and Mairo Martinus as a utility player. Elkins was promoted to High-A Great Lakes in the last week of July, and Martinus joined him with the Loons in the first week of August.

Elkins with Ontario hit .339/.421/.584 with a 150 wRC+, 13 home runs, 19 doubles, six triples, and 34 steals in 40 tries in 68 games for the Tower Buzzers. The 2023 draft pick in 267 career minor league games to date has stolen 125 bases.

Martinus started games at all seven positions in the infield and outfield for Ontario, and hit .317/.359/.537 with a 119 wRC+, 15 home runs, 25 doubles, eight triples, and 30 stolen bases in 35 attempts in 94 games.

Lindsey, the Dodgers’ first-round draft ppick in 2024, hit .288/.421/.507 with 11 home runs, nine doubles, four triples, a 141 wRC+, and 18 steals in 19 attempts in 61 games for Ontario after missing the first five weeks of the season on the injured list.

There isn’t all that much for news yet today. It is a bullpen day for the Jays. I’m truly not a fan of bullpen days. I understand that they have done well in these games, but I wonder about the few days after the game. Using almost the entire bullpen on Tuesday must affect games for the next couple of days. I think there is a study in there, but, for the Jays, we seem to be doing bullpen days too often to get any worthwhile result from studying it.

But, if I use my long man today, what happens tomorrow if I have to take my starter out early? I know I’m getting close to ‘old man yelling at clouds’ territory. OOTP baseball has setting for having a bullpen day, but I would rather call up a random arm from the minors to pitch three or four innings than using a reliever for one. And I structure my bullpen around having at couple of guys who can go three or so innings of relief. They can always be used as a spot starter if there is a need.

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The Jays say Spencer Arrighetti will pitch Friday, Dylan Cease Saturday with Jose Soriano going Sunday. They also say that Anthony Santander won’t play tonight for the Bisons because of back stiffness. Someone was saying he would be up with the Jays this week and I likely made a flip remark about being willing to bet my weight in cheese doodles that it wouldn’t happen. I truly didn’t think we’ll see him unless the Jays are eliminated from the Wild Card race. Now, I doubt even that will happen.

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Voting for the Roberto Clemente award has started. If you want to vote for George Springer, here is a link. I don’t know how you judge if he is the most worthy. The child in me wants to say the award is for the player who appears in the most TV commercials in a day. Springer would be a shoe in for that. But in George’s bio for the award it says:

Since 2023, George has hosted the annual George Springer Bowling Benefit in Toronto, raising critical funds and awareness for Jays Care Foundation and the Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY). What began as an opportunity to bring people together around two causes has grown into a signature community event. Over four years, the benefit has raised more than $500,000, helping support life-changing programs for youth who stutter and children participating in Jays Care programming across Canada. George’s active involvement in the event, from engaging donors and sponsors to connecting personally with participants, demonstrates his commitment to creating opportunities for young people to thrive.

George’s dedication to SAY is deeply personal. Having lived with a stutter since childhood, he understands firsthand the challenges that many youth face as they navigate communication barriers, self-confidence and social acceptance. Rather than allowing those experiences to define him, George has used them as motivation to advocate for others. As a spokesperson for SAY, he has become one of the most recognizable voices in raising awareness and understanding of stuttering. Through public appearances, speaking engagements, mentorship and fundraising efforts, he has inspired countless children and families by sharing his journey and showing that obstacles can be transformed into strengths. His willingness to be vulnerable and authentic has empowered youth to embrace their own voices and pursue their goals with confidence.

The Florida State League announced their All-Stars today and SS Jojo Parker (.258/.388/.471 with 13 home runs and 22 stolen bases and 2B Demeury Pena (.322/.39./.389, 1 home run, 21 steals) made it from the Dunedin Jays.

And the team announced players going to the Arizona Fall League:

OFFICIAL: Presenting our representatives at the 2026 Arizona Fall League with the Mesa Solar Sox! pic.twitter.com/osByALYStL

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 15, 2026

And we have the Jays lineup on a bullpen day:

Let's bounce back! #BlueJays50pic.twitter.com/2bezbkHLYI

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 15, 2026

And it was picture day for the Blue Jays:

📸 Your 2026 Toronto Blue Jays! #PhotoDay | #BlueJays50pic.twitter.com/wBFK2JaU2g

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 15, 2026

At the end of April, the Astros were 12-20, the worst team in the American League. Since then, they have gone 63-55, the fourth-best AL record over that time. They have climbed back into contention in a laughably weak Western Division, and actually begin this series in first place, despite a .500 record.

Kansas City Royals (66-84) vs. Houston Astros (75-75) at Daikin Park in Houston, TX

Royals: 4.23 runs scored/game (23rd in MLB), 4.85 runs allowed/game (25th)

Astros: 4.46 runs scored/game (16th), 4.81 runs allowed/game (24th)

The Astros have hit slightly worse at home than they have on the road, with just 47 percent of their home runs coming at Daikin Park. They have the fewest stolen bases in baseball, and the highest caught stealing rate (31 percent) in baseball.

Who’s hot:

• Isaac Paredes is hitting .298/.403/.512 with six home runs over his last 34 games.
• Salvador Perez has begun to heat up, batting .326/.383/.512 with two home runs in his last 11 games.

Who’s not:

• Jeremy Peña is batting just .149/.200/.191 in 12 games in September.
• Isaac Collins is batting just 2-for-28 (.071) in September, although he has drawn a team-high eight walks.

Interesting splits:

• Yordan Alvarez is hitting .362/.472/.687 at home, by far the best home numbers by any hitter.
• Jac Caglianone is third in the AL in OPS since the All-Star break, hitting .323/.352/.551.

Michael Wacha has given up three runs or fewer in nine of his ten starts since the All-Star break, with a 2.29 ERA in that time. Hunter Brown has a 8.82 ERA in four career starts against the Royals, including a start in 2024 where he gave up nine runs while recording just two outs.

Daniel Lynch IV has a 6.37 ERA as a starter in seven games. Cristian Javier has struggled this year, but had his best start in his last outing, giving up just one run in six innings against the Phillies.

Seth Lugo has a 5.76 ERA since the All-Star break, second-worst among qualified starters, but with a 3.79 FIP over that time. The Astros have not yet announced a starter for Thursday, but rookie Ethan Pecko is likely to pitch. He has given up just four earned runs in 15 innings over his last three starts.

The Astros have a 4.12 ERA from their relievers this year, with the eighth-best strikeout rate. The Astros have just 11 blown saves, the fewest in baseball. Josh Hader has 25 saves and has given up just one earned run since July 21, good for a 0.38 ERA in 21 innings over that time. AJ Blubaugh is just ten innings away from becoming the first reliever to throw 100 innings in a season since 2006. Bryan Abreu has a 1.65 ERA in 27 games since the All-Star break.

The Astros have dropped six of eight and are coming off a losing road trip. They are just 37-38 at home, a worse home record than the Royals.

With only 11 games to go and the Nats officially eliminated from playoff contention, we are officially in the home stretch. It would be easy to just play out the string here, but I do think there is one major goal the Nats should look to accomplish. They should make it their mission to beat the Mets to the 4th place spot and stay out of last place.

Right now, the Nats are 70-81, 0.5 games ahead of the Mets who are 69-81. I think that getting that 4th place spot would be a good way to spring board into the 2027 season. For most of the season, the Nats have been well above the Mets. Holding them off would be a good way to finish the year.

The Mets lose and fall into last place in the NL East. pic.twitter.com/oPOA22DRjj

— Nats.Talk (@TalkNats) September 15, 2026

Since the Nats won the World Series in 2019, they have been in the basement of the NL East in 5 of the past 6 seasons. Nats fans have truly been in the trenches for a long time now. This season has been a step forward despite a disappointing last couple months. However, it would be a blow to the psyche to finish last again.

This epic battle for 4th place should truly come down to the wire. It is likely to be decided on the final days of the season. The Nats play the Mets in a 3 game series to finish the season from the 25th to the 27th. Blake Butera needs to pull out all the stops in order to get his team over the line here.

It would also be cool if the crowd got into it as well. We should back the team and help the boys get over the line. They deserve some love to close out this season. While it has not been perfect, this has been the most entertaining season of Nats baseball since 2019. The offense has been electric and Cade Cavalli has established himself as a top of the rotation arm.

How great would it be to send this highly paid Mets team into last place to close out the season? It would be quite the way to close out the season. The Mets have not been a last place team in a while. This stat surprised me, but the Mets have not had sole possession of last place in the division since 2003. It is time to change that over these next two weeks.

Last time they finished in last place in the NL East:

Nationals: 2025
Marlins: 2024
Phillies: 2017
Braves: 2016
Mets: 2003

— Mike Peters (@Mike_Peters_LGM) July 8, 2026

At this point in the season, you have to find meaning in these games. This is true both for the fans and the players. I am sure all these players’ bodies are aching and they can see the finish line. However, as we saw in the Angels series, they have not given up yet, especially at home.

Despite being out of the playoff race, there is still a lot to play for. They are two wins away from having the most wins since 2019 and three wins away from avoiding a 90 loss campaign. If they go 5-6 down the stretch, this team could get to 75 wins. Back in April, I would have 100% taken a 75 win season.

As we wrap up this season, there is still a lot on the line. There are milestones to be reached. It is time to fight to stay out of last place! Let’s keep the Mets in the basement where they belong.