Category: Baseball

The San Diego Padres released their Wild Card playoff roster the morning of the first Wild Card game against the Chicago Cubs. 

There were surprises.

Deciding to go with 15 position players and 11 pitchers was the first choice that raised eyebrows. The second was putting Miguel Andujar and Joe Musgrove on that list.

Both Musgrove and Andujar were on the injured list prior to the end of the season. Andujar had rehab appearances with Triple-A El Paso before the end of their season. He continued working in Arizona with the developmental and instructional games at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Andujar joined Musgrove in their pursuit of returning to the team. After an unsuccessful attempt to rehab as a starting pitcher, Musgrove and the Padres’ decisionmakers opted to have him work in shorter spurts, pitching as a reliever instead of a starter.

That choice proved to be the difference maker for Musgrove. President of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller discussed Musgrove’s inclusion on the roster in his interview with the morning show of the Padres flagship station, 97.3 The Fan.

Preller reported that shorter appearances pitched by Musgrove resulted in a normal bounce-back for his arm. The soreness he reported after his longer appearances went away, and he was able to pitch on a normal schedule. That breakthrough allowed him to prove he was able to contribute to the team during the playoffs. Musgrove had no issues with his stuff during this lengthy ordeal. His fastball velocity topped out at 97 mph and his repertoire showed his normal spin. His issue was recovery.

The organization kept this information on the down-low over the past couple of weeks. The last time fans and the media heard from Musgrove, he was discouraged and at wit’s end about his next move. While the Padres went through their last two series of the season, clinching home-field advantage for the first round, Musgrove was in Arizona. The hard work he put in to get himself ready for the postseason was shielded from everyone outside the organization.

Return of the native son

During the pregame introductions for the first Wild Card game, fans gave Musgrove a rousing ovation. The team set the stage with an almost perfect first playoff game, with Michael King throwing seven shutout innings while the offense and its stars went off.

Yuki Matsui threw 11 pitches in the eighth to get the team to the ninth inning with an 8-0 lead.

Even NBC decisionmakers understood the importance of what was happening in San Diego after the eighth inning.

Choosing to stay in the stadium instead of going to a commercial break, the network cameras saw the reaction of the crowd when Musgrove stepped out of the bullpen door and onto the Petco field for the first time in almost two years.

With the first sounds of his walk-out song, Vampire by Tribal Seeds, playing over the park PA system, the entire stadium crowd stood and cheered the return of the hometown player to the Padres.

The cameras then switched to a shot of the Padres dugout as Musgrove jogged to the mound. Everyone stood, and many joined the fans in applauding the return of the native son.

Big-game Joe

Musgrove last threw a pitch in the major leagues on October 2, 2024. He pitched that whole season knowing his elbow was going to go. It was just a question of when.

It turned out the “when” was during the playoffs while Musgrove was pitching in the second game of the Wild Card Series versus the Atlanta Braves. He walked off the mound after 3.2 innings of work while allowing one hit and one run while striking out four Braves. 

He had Tommy John and flexor tendon repair surgery on Oct. 11 and began the long process of rehab to return to the team. That process did not go well for Musgrove. He started Spring Training with the hope of returning to the starting rotation by mid-season. After experiencing multiple episodes of arm soreness and poor recovery after pitching, Musgrove missed the entire regular season for the Friars.

The irony of coming full-circle within the Wild Card Series, two years apart, showed the no-quit nature of the Padres’ pitching leader. Musgrove isn’t the ace of the staff, but he is the heart of the staff. He could be the heart of the clubhouse, judging by the reaction of his teammates to his return to the team.

After striking out the first hitter, Musgrove allowed two hits and a walk to load the bases. With closer Mason Miller warming in the bullpen, Musgrove buckled down and struck out Michael Conforto for the final out. His teammates lined up to congratulate him with hugs.

The future is not clear; the present is bright

There is no way to know what the future holds for Musgrove as he continues to come back from his surgery. Being a starter is the goal for a pitcher who has one more year left in his contract with the organization.

That is the long-term concern.

In the short term, Musgrove only cares about one thing — helping his team win. Being a reliever is not a unique experience for him, as Musgrove pitched out of the bullpen when he won his World Series ring with the Houston Astros in 2017.

Based on his recovery from his first major league appearance, Musgrove will make himself available for any situation, any role, and at any time during this postseason. That desire to do whatever he can for his team and his teammates is one of the things that has always set Musgrove apart with the Padres. 

Go get ‘em, Joe!

Good things are happening for the White Sox. Recently, Pope Leo XIV was asked if he had anything to do with the team’s turnaround. The Pope declined to comment before saying, “Good things happen in Chicago,” and he is absolutely correct. The White Sox secured a spot in the ALDS with a 7-3 victory over the Astros.

Astros starter Hunter Brown, 28, was terrific against the White Sox in the regular season. The South Siders could not solve him back then, as they posted a measly .174/.208/.174 in two games against him. However, it was an entirely different story for Brown today.

Sam Antonacci, the game’s first batter, drove a fly ball to deep left. Left fielder Yordan Alvarez appeared to have a play, but he narrowly missed Antonacci’s drive, so Antonacci pulled up at second with a leadoff double. Just like in Game 1, Antonacci’s successful plate appearance to open the game set the tone for a great start for the White Sox. From there, Kyle Teel went after the first pitch he saw from Brown, and he hit a sharp grounder into center field to drive in Antonacci. Five pitches and two batters into the game, the White Sox had a 1-0 lead, and they were not done. Miguel Vargas hit a high chopper to third, but third baseman Nick Allen failed to field the grounder cleanly, allowing Teel to advance to second, and Vargas was safe at first.

Munetaka Murakami struck out, but Andrew Benintendi added some insurance. Benintendi hit a soft liner that landed in front of center fielder Lucas Spence to drive in Teel. In addition, an errant throw by Spence allowed Vargas to score, and Benintendi advanced to second. Following that disaster for Houston, Tristan Peters singled to drive in Benintendi to add an exclamation point to the huge inning. Just like that, the White Sox had an early 4-0 lead.

DON'T STOP NOW, BOYS! pic.twitter.com/S7EJZYWW2V

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 30, 2026

The nightmarish inning was not quite over just yet for Brown, whose pitch count continued to rise. Chase Meidroth singled, Braden Montgomery struck out, and Colson Montgomery displayed a good batting eye by drawing a six-pitch walk. That walk resulted in the bases being loaded, and Brown’s outing was over after 36 pitches and only retiring two batters.

From there, Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh took over with the bases loaded and two outs, looking to prevent the game from getting completely out of hand, and he did that. Antonacci, who was batting for the second time in the first inning, hit a soft ground out on a sweeper in the middle of the zone. Despite that, the White Sox happily switched sides with a 4-0 lead.

White Sox starter Sean Burke, 26, had a rough start to his outing, as shortstop Jeremy Peña crushed a moonshot to left-center to lead off the bottom of the first. However, Burke did not let Peña’s blast carry over, and he did not allow any further damage that inning.

The Astros went back to work in the second, when Cam Smith got all of a sinker on the inner half and drove it way out to left. Smith’s blast went 440 feet, but fortunately, it only counted for one run, and the White Sox still had a 4-2 lead. Burke got through the third inning cleanly, as he struck out the side in order. That was a particularly difficult task, as Peña, Alvarez, and Paredes are quite tough to strike out consecutively.

Meanwhile, the White Sox offense stalled, as they were retired in order in each of the second, third, and fourth innings. That gap in offense caused some uneasiness for White Sox fans, and that restlessness grew in the bottom of the fourth, when José Altuve led off with Houston’s third solo blast against Burke. Suddenly, the Astros were within a run, and they had all kinds of momentum.

The Astros pitching staff completed its fourth consecutive perfect inning in the fifth, and they appeared to be in business. The Astros built on their momentum in the bottom of the fifth, when interestingly, Huascar Brazobán took over on the mound to begin the frame. Brazobán hit Smith with a fastball to open the inning, but he struck out Allen to cool things down. However, Brazobán allowed a single to Peña, and the Astros had two on with one out, and Alvarez stepped up to the plate. That prompted a pitching change, and Anthony Kay replaced Brazobán. Alvarez hit a sharp liner to left, but he did not get all of it, and Antonacci made the catch in deep left. Kay issued a walk to Paredes to load the bases, so the tying run was at third, and the go-ahead run was at second. In a crucial, high-leverage moment, Kay got Altuve to fly out to right to end the threat and preserve the 4-3 lead.

Entering the sixth, the previous 13 White Sox hitters had been retired. At long last, Andrew Benintendi broke that streak by drawing a leadoff walk against Astros reliever Bryan Abreu. Luisangel Acuña entered the game as a pinch-runner for Benintendi, and he immediately stole second base. From there, Tristan Peters walked, and the White Sox were setting themselves up to do some damage. Chase Meidroth stepped up to the plate and showed bunt. That drew the infield in, and the Astros were caught off-guard as Acuña and Peters executed a double-steal, and the South Siders had a pair in scoring position. Abreu fell behind 3-1 before leaving a slider over the middle of the plate, and Meidroth took full advantage.

3-RUN POSTSEASON HOMER FOR CHASE MEIDROTH! pic.twitter.com/39yNEWjiLt

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 30, 2026

Meidroth’s towering blast extended the South Siders’ lead back to four, and the victory was within reach.

Reliever Jordan Hicks was phenomenal, retiring all six batters he faced and striking out three of them. As a result, the score remained 7-3 after seven. From there, Erick Fedde took over on the mound, and he locked it down. Like Hicks, he faced six batters and retired all of them, striking out three. Although Meidroth’s blast allowed the final few innings to be relatively relaxed, Hicks and Fedde deserve plenty of credit for that, too.

CHILLS. pic.twitter.com/eOnSA6Bc7J

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 1, 2026

With this victory, the White Sox have won their first postseason series since 2005. Back in Spring Training, did any of us imagine we would be in this position at the end of September? I certainly did not, but here we are, and I am incredibly grateful. The White Sox will take on the Guardians (85-77), and that best-of-five series is scheduled to begin on Saturday at noon CT. TBS/HBO Max and TruTV will televise that matchup, and WMVP 1000 AM will have the radio coverage. We will see you then.

MVP
Chase Meidroth (2B): 2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB, 0.12 WPA

Runners-Up
Kyle Teel (C): 2-for-5, RBI, 0.03 WPA
Sam Antonacci (LF): 1-for-4, 2B, 0.02 WPA
Jordan Hicks (RHRP): 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.07 WPA
Erick Fedde (RHRP): 2, IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.04 WPA
Tristan Peters (CF-LF): 1-for-3, BB, RBI, 0.07 WPA
Andrew Benintendi (DH): 1-for-2, BB, RBI, 0.17 WPA
Anthony Kay (LHRP): 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0.13 WPA

Cold Cat
Munetaka Murakami (1B): 0-for-5, 3 K, -0.07 WPA

Runners-Up
Miguel Vargas (3B): 0-for-5, 2 K, 0.02 WPA
Sean Burke (RHSP): 4 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 8 K, -0.06 WPA
Braden Montgomery (RF): 0-for-4, K, -0.05 WPA

Not even the bubbly and suds that dripped down his 6-foot-7 frame late Wednesday emboldened Aaron Judge enough to make any proclamations about his chances of being on the Yankees ALDS roster. 

But his teammates are at least giving him a chance. 

On a day that began with Judge going to Somerset to get another round of live at-bats and continue his running progression as he rehabs a right calf strain, the Yankees finished off a sweep of the Red Sox with a 9-2 win in Game 2 of the AL wild-card series in The Bronx. 

“Saturday’s a long ways away,” Judge said, referring to Game 1 of the ALDS against the Rays. “But I’m doing everything I can, all morning, night, during the game, everything to prepare myself to be ready to go. Yeah, I want to be in there. But we’ll see what happens.” 

Wednesday marked two weeks since Judge sustained the calf injury, and while he tried to defy the odds and make a late push to be on the roster for the wild-card series, the Yankees ultimately left him off because he was not ready. 

Whether he can be ready to go by Saturday remains to be seen, especially with the complicating factor of having to play on the turf at Tropicana Field, which can be troublesome for players dealing with soft-tissue leg injuries. 

“We just finished the wild-card [series]. We’ll get into that as we get closer,” Judge said amid the champagne celebration. “I got nothing for you on that yet, but my job is to continue to get ready. That’s what I’ve been doing every day.” 

Judge’s around-the-clock treatment is apparently what kept him missing from Tuesday’s pregame player introductions ahead of Game 1. He arrived in the dugout by first pitch, and then Wednesday, pulled up a seat around the sixth inning to watch his teammates finish the win. 

The three-time AL MVP said he did not run the bases Wednesday afternoon in Somerset, which is a hurdle he will likely have to clear to prove he can be a right fielder for the ALDS. 

“I think it’s been encouraging that a couple nights ago [Monday] for the workout he was able to get out there for live BP,” manager Aaron Boone said before Game 2. “Again, that wasn’t just, he’s just going out for live BP. He had to check a lot of boxes for the trainers and the strength guys to say, ‘OK, you’re ready for that, you can go do that.’ 

“So I feel like in the couple weeks since the injury, he’s made real strides and significant improvements. And hopefully we’re in a position to make another decision in a couple of days.” 

It is possible the Yankees could carry Judge on their ALDS roster to serve as a DH, but even he has acknowledged that it would be best for the team if he can return as a right fielder because of the logjam at DH/first base involving Game 1 hero Ben Rice, Luis García Jr. and Paul Goldschmidt.

As it is, Boone had García on his bench to start Game 1 against Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle, with Rice as DH and Goldschmidt at first base.

Adding Judge into that mix would mean Rice starting at first base every game and relegating both García and Goldschmidt to pinch hitting.

What we learned: Chad Tracy, bullpen and historically bad offense sink Red Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Heading into the Wild Card Series, one could make a case that the Red Sox had a chance to beat the Yankees. It would take two or three great starts from Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and/or Ranger Suarez, it would take some timely hitting to put two or three runs on the board per game, and it would take some lockdown relief innings from the back end of the bullpen.

Yet the Red Sox only got decent starts from Tolle and Gray, they set a new franchise record for offensive utility, and their bullpen was a catastrophe.

And the cherry on top was that their manager, who inked a contract extension last week, showed he certainly does not know how to manage in the postseason.

Other than that, did you enjoy the series?

Here’s everything we learned from the ever-so-brief two-game sweep in the Wild Card Series, as the 2026 team technically failed to get as far as the 2025 Red Sox.

Red Sox set ugly new franchise record

Red Sox history spans 126 seasons, so it was a bit surprising to see the broadcast note early in Game 2 that Boston was in the midst of rewriting franchise history with the longest scoring drought to start a postseason ever.

Obviously, the Red Sox’ offense has been stagnant (or worse) for weeks, but 26 previous trips to the playoffs, you’d figure that they had started off with a scoreless game and a half before.

Alas, nope. This drought was historic. It ended at 14.2 innings, broken by Willson Contreras’ solo shot with two outs in the sixth inning.

And while some of it may be explained by the absences of Roman Anthony and Mickey Gasper, there’s no excuse for a playoff team to be this helpless at the plate.

Chad Tracy is not a big-game manager right now

There may have been a case for Chad Tracy to pull Payton Tolle for Erik Miller in Game 1. Not really, but there could have been a case made for Miller’s sinker being more effective against Ben Rice than Tolle’s fastball.

Yet there’s simply no way to understand why one night later, Tracy made the exact same move.

With Sonny Gray at just 70 pitches and the Yankees leading 1-0 with two outs in the fifth inning, Tracy went back to Miller, this time with two runners on base and Cody Bellinger at the plate. The left-left matchup was presumably the reason for the call, but Bellinger crushes sliders from lefties. And when Miller threw a slider to Bellinger … he delivered.

Bellinger singled home a run, and Miller then gave up another hit to Luis Garcia Jr. The Red Sox only got out of the inning because Rice was caught at home after an aggressive send on that second single.

Gray’s pitch count of 70 was tied for his second-lowest of the season, and though he had allowed two singles in the fifth, his body of work over the season and over the past 13 years gave him a much better chance of escaping the mini jam than Miller, who had a 2.045 WHIP and 7.36 ERA in the month of September and who gave up a home run and a single while getting just one out the night before.

If Tracy was insistent that Gray had to come out of the game, he had, quite literally, every high-leverage arm available to him. Instead, he went with Erik Miller.

And with that same complement of arms available in the bottom of the sixth inning, Tracy went with Garrett Crochet, who hasn’t pitched in a game since April 25. It didn’t go well.

Tracy also showed a lack of feel for the moment when he let leadoff hitter Jahmai Jones, who batted .129 with a .432 OPS over the final 13 games of the regular season and who struck out looking twice, to take his third at-bat in the sixth inning, with the Red Sox trailing 2-0.

Given Boston’s offensive ineptitude, the bullpen decisions are perhaps all moot. But had this been a close series, or if the Red Sox find themselves in one in the future, Tracy will carry some major doubt regarding his ability to manage those games.

Simply put, Chad Tracy did not do a single thing right in these two high-stakes games.

Luis Garcia Jr.’s home run was great hitting, not bad pitching

It took until the fourth inning for the Yankees to get to Sonny Gray, but the solo homer he allowed to Luis Garcia Jr. didn’t come on a bad pitch at all.

Leading off the fourth, Garcia was behind in the count 1-2 when Gray tried to bury a sweeper down and in to the lefty. Gray hit his spot with a pitch that was set to hit the bottom of the strike zone. But Garcia simply stayed on the pitch and went down and got it.

Luis Gar-SEE-YA 🦁 pic.twitter.com/GqxScAqskG

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 1, 2026

With the Red Sox starved for runs, Garcia’s solo shot was a jarring reminder that all it takes is one good swing to put a run on the board.

Boston eventually got that swing from Contreras in the sixth, but that jolt of hope for the visiting team didn’t last long.

What could have been with Garrett Crochet …

If you just looked at the box score, you’d be shocked to see Garrett Crochet’s line. He faced four batters, allowing all of them to score. He didn’t record an out, despite getting Spencer Jones to chase strike three to start the sixth inning.

Of course, some of that outcome was fair, as Crochet allowed back-to-back singles. But Caleb Durbin couldn’t get the out at first on what was intended to be a sacrifice bunt, Crochet left with the bases loaded, and Garrett Whitlock — who had a dreadful night — couldn’t limit the damage at all.

Such an outcome was perhaps expected, considering Crochet has not pitched in a game since April 25 due to shoulder problems. But you also can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Adley Rutschman and Willson Contreras hadn’t combined to bungle Crochet’s inning-opening strikeout of Jones.

Rutschman took an extra beat to pounce on the ball that had bounced off his chest, and then he took an extra step before firing to first base. There, Contreras was planted on the back side of the base instead of the front. As a result, Jones was able to beat the throw.

Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images

Credit to Aaron Boone for challenging that call, which was initially an out on the field, but really, it wasn’t even close.

Rutschman then compounded the matter by sailing a throw into center field when Jones stole second, allowing the runner to take third before scoring on a single. Had Rutschman made either of those two throws, it’s fair to wonder how differently Crochet’s inning could have gone.

Summing up the season

There will be plenty of time in the coming months to eulogize this season, but really, despite the 32-5 stretch in the summer, it wasn’t one to celebrate.

Last year’s team won a game in the Wild Card Series, a disappointing ending. This year’s team couldn’t even do that.

Injuries to Crochet and Anthony were certainly impactful, but this roster — and particularly the offense — was not built to contend for a World Series. The Red Sox scored two or fewer runs in 13 of their final 23 games, averaging 2.5 runs per game over that stretch.

With the season on the line, the Red Sox had Jahmai Jones, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard in their starting lineup.

After trading three of their top-five prospects to acquire Adley Rutschman, the catcher batted .222 with a .688 OPS in the regular season before going 1-for-8 in the playoffs.

Willson Contreras, a 34-year-old former catcher with a lot of MLB miles on him, was worn down by the end of the season. Caleb Durbin, whose lows outnumbered his highs this year, went 0-for-7 in the playoffs. Ceddanne Rafaela posted the same numbers, too.

The return for Marcelo Mayer was Erik Miller, who made a strong first impression but played a pivotal role in sinking the team’s chances in both postseason losses after an extremely unreliable final month of the season.

The starting pitching staff was excellent, and the bullpen was elite. But the overall roster construction will lead to plenty of questions about Craig Breslow’s ability to build a real winner. Likewise, the two playoff games cast some serious doubt on whether Chad Tracy is a manager capable of winning games in October.

The 15-game winning streak and 32-5 stretch might have led to some internal victory laps and the decisions to stick with Breslow and Tracy for the foreseeable future. But the 2026 Red Sox, on the whole, were what they were: mediocre. And having been stuck in mediocrity (or worse) for half a decade, there won’t be much more patience in and around Boston for it to continue.

Technically, the historic season turnaround may have been a positive, as making the playoffs beats bottoming out more often than not. But considering that the Red Sox likely could have loaded up on promising players by selling off veteran pieces like Contreras, Gray, Aroldis Chapman and anyone else at the deadline, that run in July may have hurt the Red Sox in the long term — especially with the prospect haul that went out to acquire Rutschman.

In any event, the Red Sox finished as the third-best team in the AL East, and they failed to win a single playoff game, getting outscored 18-2 in their lone playoff series. That’s the final word on the season as the long offseason — potentially longer than most — awaits.

The Los Angeles Dodgers might not be rooting for a specific opponent in the NLDS as they await the winner of Game 3 between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, but manager Dave Roberts does have a pretty strong preference regarding when they play Game 1 on Saturday, Oct. 3.

"I would prefer to play at night," Roberts said on Monday, Sept. 28. "As far as who we play, I don't think we really care. But I do think that it's going to be a hot weekend, and to play at night would certainly be more beneficial."

That's not entirely in the Dodgers' control. Per the broadcast schedule MLB released on Monday, there are two scenarios facing the Dodgers for Saturday: If the Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres in their wild card series, the Dodgers would play at 6:00 p.m. local time. If the Padres win, however, the start time gets moved up to 1:00 pm PT.

That significant jump might be a problem for everybody involved.

Late September/early October is generally considered the hottest time of the year in Los Angeles, as the marine layer that normally protects the region from oppressive heat in the summer months starts to dissipate. Santa Ana winds also factor in, bringing in more heat and adding to the risk during peak wildfire season. Due to El Niño and the effects of climate change, this year is set to be even worse.

Here's what you need to know about the forecast heading into Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday, Oct. 3:

Wednesday notes…

• BLANKETY-BLANK: Last night’s loss was the 12th time the Cubs have been shut out in 132 post-season games. One of them was the final game of a series. They were 7-3 in the next games of the other series, including 5-1 on the road. They won all three next games in which they were blanked on the road, then played the same team on the road in the next game. They beat the Dodgers, 10-2, after losing Game 3 of the 2016 Championship Series, 6-0. They beat the Indians, 5-1, after losing Game 1 of the 2016 World Series. Last year, the Cubs beat the Padres at home, 3-1, after losing Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, 3-0. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• GAME TWO, PART 1: In all post-season series, the Cubs are 10-17 in second games, but just 3-11 on the road. Two of the wins were the ones at St. Louis and Cleveland listed above. The third was in the 1906 World Series vs. the White Sox, 7-1. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• GAME TWO, PART 2: In the regular season this year, the Cubs were 14-12 in second games of series after losing first games. They were 8-6 after first-game losses on the road, including a win at San Diego on April 28.
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Thad Bosley singles in the tying run, then scores the winning run on a throwing error as the Cubs walk off the Cardinals 2-1 in the final regular-season game of the best Cubs season since 1945. It happened 42 years ago today, Sunday, Sept. 30, 1984.

Cubs lineup:

Padres lineup:

Kevin Gausman, RHP vs. Nick Pivetta, RHP

This is exactly why the Cubs traded for Kevin Gausman: His extensive postseason experience, which includes six appearances (five starts) and 30.2 innings in last year’s postseason for the Blue Jays in which he posted a 2.93 ERA. He’ll need to be that guy tonight.

As you know, Gausman has had some good outings as a Cub but overall has been somewhat of a disappointment. He suffered a minor injury to his non-throwing shoulder in his last start, which was a week ago at Wrigley Field against the Marlins.

Gausman threw six innings and allowed three runs, striking out eight, against the Padres July 12 at Petco Park. A repeat of that might be good enough to force a Game 3.

Nick Pivetta missed almost the entire 2026 season with a right flexor strain. He was out from mid-April until early September, when he returned to make four starts in which he posted a 1.45 ERA and 0.911 WHIP, with just two walks in 18.2 innings.

He has not faced the Cubs this year. Current Cubs are batting .252 (27-for-107) against him with seven home runs, among those two each from Dansby Swanson and Michael Conforto.

As has been pointed out elsewhere, he has extreme reverse splits this year: .442 OPS vs. LHB, .704 OPS vs. RHB. Both are fairly small sample sizes (61 PA vs. RHB this year, 79 PA vs. LHB). For his career he’s about equal against both left-handed and right-handed batters.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Petco Park. If this game had been scheduled for Wrigley Field, it would likely have been rained out, as it’s been raining in Chicago pretty much all day and evening.

Today’s game is on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.

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

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Padres site Gaslamp Ball. If you do go there to interact with Padres 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.

In the words of a Yankee legend, it was dèja vu all over again in the Bronx last night as Cam Schlittler continued crafting a legend of his own. Just like last season, Schlittler delivered a gem of a performance against the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, staking New York to a 1-0 series lead and giving them an opportunity to close the affair out early tonight. But unlike last year’s three-game set, in which the Yankee offense never fully erupted, the lineup finally achieved escape velocity. Ben Rice and his four hits, two homers, and six RBI, led the charge — but the bottom of the lineup contributed their fair share as well.

In other words, the Yankees played the perfect ballgame last night. Max Fried will be tasked with carrying the momentum into Game 2. Fried’s second season in pinstripes has been marred by a couple of IL stints limiting him to just 20 starts and 112.2 innings, but when he’s been healthy, he’s been just as good as in 2025. He’ll be pitching on seven days’ rest in Game 2 — his last appearance was an up-and-down start against the Rays, in which Tampa clinched the AL East.

As far as the recent track record against Boston, Fried has been quite effective. He only faced them twice this season: one was a short start from when he was returning from his latest injury, the other an eight-inning masterpiece in April from before the Red Sox got it together under new manager Chad Tracy. In Game 1 of last year’s WCS, he provided 6.1 scoreless innings, scattering four hits three walks while striking out six. The Yankees couldn’t hold onto the narrow 1-0 lead he had defended, and sabotaged their own comeback effort after loading the bases with nobody out in the ninth inning. None of that was Max’s fault, of course. Provided the lineup supports him, an effort like last year’s will be more than enough.

Old friend Sonny Gray never caught on with the Yankees in 2017 and 2018, but he’ll have no choice but to step up under the Yankee Stadium lights with Boston’s season on the line. Over his first season with the Red Sox, the steady veteran turned in yet another outstanding season, leading the AL with 18 wins (don’t think that doesn’t mean anything to him) and pitching to a 2.72 ERA. That’s the thing about the Red Sox’ pitching: they have lots of exciting youngsters like Payton Tolle, who pitched last night, but they also routinely get the most out of their veteran pitchers too. Gray faced New York twice in June and pitched well both times. The latter outing was his best start of the season by game score — one hit, one walk, nine strikeouts over 7.1 scoreless innings.

Unsurprisingly, Aaron Boone’s lineup for Game 2 is nearly unrecognizable when compared with the Game 1 starting nine. It’s a history-making card: according to James Smyth of the YES Network, it’s the first time a team has put eight lefty batters — switch hitters not included — in the same lineup in the postseason. The portside octet includes Trent Grisham, who entered late last night for his first action off the IL. Rice will ascend to the leadoff spot, with Cody Bellinger and Luis Garcia Jr. to follow. Spencer Jones hits cleanup and plays right field ahead of George Lombard Jr., the lone righty to get the start. Jazz Chisholm Jr. draws in at the keystone, Grisham bats in the seven-spot after him, Austin Wells will bat eighth, and Ryan McMahon starts at third and will hit ninth. Naturally, expect plenty of right-handed bats to come off the bench against a lefty-heavy Boston staff once Gray’s start concludes.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY

First pitch: 8:00 p.m. ET

TV broadcast: NBC

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | WEEI 93.7, WCCM 1490 AM (SP), WESX 1230 AM (SP) (BOS) | ESPN Radio (national)

Streaming: Peacock

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sat back on the sofa in his office on Monday, looking the most relaxed he has in weeks.

He'll be leading the charge as the Dodgers try for a historic World Series three-peat starting Saturday. If the Dodgers succeed, they would be the first team in National League history to accomplish the feat. But that's not what's on Roberts' mind right now; he knows the danger of looking too far ahead once you're in October.

"It just makes life more difficult when you don't focus on the job," he said over Zoom. "And that's winning this next series."

Max Muncy echoed his skipper, adding that the team doesn't need to add any extra pressure. Instead, the Dodgers are focusing on staying sharp over the week off, coming in to workout at Dodger Stadium, take batting practice, throwing bullpens and watching the wild card games together.

The bye helps the Dodgers get healthier, too; both Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman have been using the time to work on their mechanics at the plate while managing knee ailments (and a right bicep injury for Ohtani).

It also helps the team to lock in by just being around each other.

"Winning the World Series is hard enough as it is," Muncy said. "So for us, we're just trying to focus on what we have ahead of us without the added noise to it."

What lies ahead for the Dodgers in the NLDS is still unknown. As the No. 2 seed in the NL, they'll face either the Atlanta Braves or Philadelphia Phillies, who have battled through two chaotic games so far; the Braves jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Austin Riley's clutch three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth on Monday and led 3-1 late on Wednesday until back-to-back blasts from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper tied it up. Alec Bohm then went deep on a solo shot in the 10th to force a decisive Game 3 on Thursday.

That means the Dodgers won't know who they play until the last possible minute. Not that they necessarily care who occupies the dugout across from them, anyway.

"Either team, it doesn't really matter," Muncy said. "You're gonna have to play nothing but good teams from here on out. It's the postseason ... any team can go out and beat you. ... Whoever we play is whoever we play."

Here's a look at each of the Dodgers' possible NLDS opponents:

I don’t know that there was any better way to announce to the world that the San Diego Padres are here to stick around. The Friars took Game 1 of the three-game set against the Chicago Cubs in spectacular fashion, scoring eight runs while limiting the Cubs to zero. It’s the biggest postseason shutout in franchise history. Starter Michael King pitched seven dominant innings, taking a no-hitter into the seventh before it was broken up on a liner to third base.

The offense went off, with Fernando Tatis Jr. homering on the first pitch before captain Manny Machado went yard a moment later. Nothing could have set the stage better for a series sweep than last night’s game. Tonight, San Diego will attempt to reverse their 2025 fates and beat the Cubs to advance to the NLDS. It would be their first appearance in the Division Series since 2022 against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

Taking the mound

Kevin Gausman (CHC) v. Nick Pivetta (SD)

To say that Gausman has struggled since being traded to the Cubs would be an understatement. He was already struggling with the Toronto Blue Jays (4.38 ERA) before being traded to the North Siders and authoring a 4.83 ERA across nine starts. He looked good at the beginning of his tenure, but slowly started to struggle. In his final three starts of the season, Gausman surrendered 10 runs (15.1 IP).

The right-hander pitched quite well against San Diego when he last faced them as a Blue Jay. He twirled six innings of three-run ball in a no-decision that eventually became a Padres victory. What bit him were the walks. Gausman has an abnormally high 1.27 WHIP. Despite his fantastic stuff (184 K’s), he’s volatile. If the Friars sit and wait, they’ll get their pitch sooner or later.

Pivetta has been nails since returning from the injured list at the beginning of September. In four starts since then, the righty has authored a 1.45 ERA (18.2 IP). It’s not an abundant amount of work to draw from, but he’s looked dominant since his return. If that can continue against Chicago tonight, it would be a massive advantage for San Diego.

The right-hander is also coming off of a sterling outing against one of baseball’s best offenses in the Dodgers. His final start of the regular season came against the NL West rivals, with Pivetta twirling 4 2/3 scoreless innings. Should he be able to similarly stymie the Cubs, the bullpen won’t have too many outs to cover. That would give the Friars a major leg up in a potential NLDS appearance.

Batter up!

The offense was rocking last night, tagging Chicago starter Matthew Boyd for fours runs in as many innings. Xander Bogaerts, Machado and Tatis all homered off of the lefty. The Cubs’ bullpen was mostly solid, but gave up four more runs to San Diego in the fifth and seventh innings.

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

The Padres’ big four (Bogaerts, Machado, Jackson Merrill and Tatis) combined to go 8-for-14 (.571) last night with two walks, six RBIs and six runs scored. San Diego will likely go as far as their stars can take them. If they continue to get this level of production from them (or even a semblance of it), they’ll be well on their way to where they want to be.

Relief corps

King told reporters on Monday afternoon that he had no interest in turning the ball over to the bullpen. He was almost entirely true to his word. He pitched seven one-hit innings of scoreless ball before Yuki Matsui and Joe Musgrove (yes, you read that right) pitched the final two innings. Matsui pitched a perfect eighth before Musgrove navigated some trouble in his first big-league appearance in almost exactly two years.

That allows the bullpen to be fresh for tonight. Should the wheels fall off with Pivetta, the Friars are equipped with more than enough capable arms to fill out the remaining innings. Jason Adam, Mason Miller, David Morgan, Adrian Morejon, Robbie Ray and Bradgley Rodriguez are available for manager Craig Stammen to turn to. That said, Ray seems unlikely to pitch in relief given his experience as a starter.

Welp, you kinda just knew that this was going to be in the future for these clubs, huh?

After another close game was decided on a knife’s edge, the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are heading to a winner-take-all Game 3 in the Wild Card Series. There were twists and turns but at the end of the day, the three guys who the Braves couldn’t let beat them ended up beating them. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper went back-to-back against Dylan Lee in the eighth inning (right after the Braves took the lead) and then Alec Bohm bopped one out against Didier Fuentes in the tenth inning to essentially decide the contest.

For the first seven-and-a-half innings, it seemed like the Braves were going to snatch another one. Tyler Mahle in particular was fantastic through seven strong results as he only gave up one run while he was out there. As it turned out, he was gutting his way through it as Walt Weiss dropped a bombshell during the postgame press conference and stated that Mahle was dealing with an injury right before the matchup and was considered a game-time decision.

“We had a scare before the game. He felt an abdominal pull. We didn’t know if he was going to make the start,” explained Weiss when he was asked about whether or not Tyler Mahle was truly done after the seventh inning. When he asked to explain more about Mahle’s pregame status, he explained that it really and truly was touch-and-go for Mahle heading into today’s game.

“We weren’t sure. It was right at game time after he came out of the bullpen,” explained Weiss. “He ended up working through it, and it got better as the game went on. But we were scrambling early on.” With that particular context, it makes Mahle’s start all the more impressive — especially considering that this was his first career Postseason start. A lot of credit has to be given to Mahle for going out there and toughing it out but now his status will be in question going forward, and hopefully he’ll be feeling better as the Postseason run (hopefully) progresses.

Meanwhile, this was another tough day for Didier Fuentes, who has now given up that big triple to J.T. Realmuto in Game 1 and the homer to Bohm in Game 2. It’s a very rough stat to Postseason life for Fuentes but Weiss has likely been using his own experiences as a player to keep Didier’s head high during this particular low moment.

“When you’re a late-inning reliever, these things happen,” explained Weiss. “I’ve seen some great ones that this has happened to. I saw one of the greatest. I was at shortstop when Kirk Gibson did his thing off [Dennis Eckersley,] one of the greatest closers of all time. It comes with the territory when you’re pitching late in close games. Every once in a while, they get you.“

Weiss also stood behind his decision to go to Dylan Lee, which made sense in the moment considering how Game 1 went. “Lee is our high-leverage lefty,” explained Weiss when he was asked about going with Lee in that situation. “[He] put down the same part of the order yesterday pretty easily. Threw the ball really well yesterday. So no, that’s his inning every time.”

Lastly, Dominic Smith got the call for a big at-bat at the end and Weiss had to field a question about that situation as well. Again, Weiss backed his player in that situation and stated that he had a “good feeling” about Dominic Smith potentially coming through with another big moment.

“Dom is a really good pinch-hitter and it’s a professional at-bat,” stated Weiss as he was asked about Smith coming in for the tenth inning. “I think thought there was a good chance he may even draw a walk there and pass the baton to Yaz. Just felt good about Dom in that situation. He’s come through for us.”

All in al, it’s a tough pill for the Braves to swallow (especially considering the missed opportunities that Atlanta had in the game, including a tough double play from Michael Harris II when Cristopher Sánchez was just barely holding on to a tied ballgame in the sixth inning) but at the same time, the Phillies had to take their medicine in Game 1.

It’s part of the dramatic ebb-and-flow that comes with the Postseason — especially considering that these two are divisional rivals who have been going back-and-forth with each other all season. There are no secrets left, no surprising the other. It’s just going to be a matter of who’s going to be the better team over the next nine (or so) innings.

Hopefully once the smoke clears tomorrow, the Braves will be the ones heading out to Los Angeles for the weekend but for now, it’s clear that the margin for error is just as razor thin as everybody thought it would be. The Braves threw their haymaker, the Phillies responded in kind and now it’s time to see who’s going to be able to deliver that knockout shot in Game 3. We’ll see what happens as the Braves play their first actual game in October this season — with everything on the line.

About a month before his team reported to spring training this year, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sat on the balcony of an upscale restaurant near his offseason home in San Diego, recounting his journey from franchise scapegoat to championship leader.

The more Roberts spoke about his professional evolution, the more it became clear that he wasn’t just explaining who he was a manager at that moment.

He was envisioning the manager he would become.

“At 53,” Roberts said, “I feel I’m just scratching the surface.”

His theory is about to be tested.

The Dodgers have a loaded starting rotation. They have an experienced but inconsistent lineup. They have a hodgepodge of a bullpen.

And they have another X-factor in Roberts, who ranks third all-time in playoff wins as a manager with 59. No other manager in this postseason field has won more than 26.

With the Dodgers reaching the playoffs in each of their 11 seasons under him, Roberts has already managed 117 postseason games.

The experience has resulted in a change in how he sees October games.

“It’s slowed down,” Roberts said.

As the games unfold, he can better predict what will happen next. When making decisions, he doesn’t feel rushed.

That could be especially valuable in this postseason.

The Dodgers have an all-world rotation that includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. They have two relievers they trust at the back of their bullpen in Tanner Scott and Roki Sasaki.

The question Roberts will have to face on most nights will be how to manage the innings that aren’t pitched by the starter, Scott or Sasaki. 

When the Dodgers had a weak bullpen last year, Roberts’ approach was relatively straightforward: Ride the starters as long as possible, turn to them whenever possible.

Dodgers starters pitched into the seventh inning or beyond seven times last postseason. Yamamoto pitched two complete games. Snell made an eight-inning start. Three of the team’s four starters were used as relievers at some point, and the other, Shohei Ohtani, started Game 7 of the World Series on three-days’ rest. Yamamoto pitched the final 2 ⅔ innings of that game – a day after pitching six innings in a Game 6 win.

A repeat of that is entirely possible. But what the rotation did last year was historic and the counting on the group to do that again might not be realistic.

The advantage the Dodgers have this year is that their bullpen has more upside than it did last October, which should provide Roberts with a greater number of middle relief options. But every option carries significant risk. 

Displaced $69-million closer Edwin Diaz had a nightmare of a regular season. Edgardo Henriquez is the hardest thrower on the team – and probably the most improved as well – but he missed the end of the regular season with a back injury. Fireman Alex Vesia posted his highest walk rate in five years. Evan Phillips has looked like a ninth-inning possibility on some nights but has been home-run prone. Converted starter Justin Wrobleski was an All-Star but had a rough second half of the season.

Roberts will be counted on to navigate the middle innings of this group, which could also include the left-handed Scott if a particularly dangerous group of left-handed hitters is due up at a critical juncture.

Whatever happens, the situation shouldn’t be nearly as complicated as it was during the Dodgers’ World Series run in 2024.

The Dodgers went into that postseason with only three viable starting pitchers – Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was in his first year in the majors and limited to 90 regular-season innings because of shoulder problems; Jack Flaherty, a trade-deadline acquisition who posted a 4.99 earned-run average the previous year; and Walker Buehler, who registered a 5.38 ERA in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.

Roberts had to rely on his bullpen.

The limited number of starting pitchers forced the Dodgers into a bullpen game at least once in every series. He was forced to punt certain games to preserve the little pitching he had for the future.

As chaotic as it looked from the outside, Roberts said he was clear-headed.

“I couldn’t have said that in ‘16, ‘17, ‘18,” he said.

Roberts mentioned how athletes decline after playing a certain number of years.

“But with coaching, your best years are with experience and as you get older,” he said. “That’s the irony. And I do feel that I’m much more wise. My decision-making, I feel, has gotten even better. My feel for the game.”

Now on the brink of a three-peat, the Dodgers might be more reliant on that feel than they ever have.

SAN DIEGO — From a Fernando Tatis Jr. leadoff home run to a shutdown performance from stating pitcher Michael King, Game 1 of the National League wild card series couldn't have gone better for the San Diego Padres.

Or worse for the Chicago Cubs.

The Padres dismantled the Cubs in an 8-0 laugher on Tuesday night, as Tatis and Manny Machado started the fireworks with a pair of first-inning home runs before King settled in to 6 1/3 hitless innings before yielding a Cubs base hit.

On Wednesday, the Cubs will look to overcome long odds, as teams who win Game 1 of the wild-card round are 21-3, with 17 two-game sweeps. Home teams have gone 9-0, with eight sweeps, after winning Game 1.

First pitch in Game 2 is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET Wednesday, Sept. 30, with Kevin Gausman (9-12, 4.51 ERA) set to take the mound for the Cubs, facing Nick Pivetta (3-2, 2.86 ERA) for the Padres.

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Alec Bohm put the Phillies on top.

Some technology helped Philadelphia keep its season alive.

With runners on first and second and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, the Phillies completed their 4-3 comeback over the Braves in Game 2 of the wild-card series with the help of the automated ball-strike challenge system.

Atlanta’s Dominic Smith took an 0-2 fastball from Andrew Painter that home plate umpire Andrew Beck initially called inside and off the plate for a ball at Truist Park on Wednesday.

But Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto quickly challenged the call. The veteran catcher was right, as the pitch did clip the inside corner for strike three.

It marks the first time ABS — which was introduced to the majors this year — has been used at the major league level to end a playoff game.

The pressure-packed 10th inning was just the final chapter in what was a roller-coaster Game 2 for the Phillies. Atlanta grabbed the lead in the bottom of the seventh after Bryce Harper misplayed a fly ball from Drake Baldwin that put the Braves ahead by one. A Matt Olson sacrifice fly made it 3-1.

But one inning later, Kyle Schwarber and Harper hit solo homers to get the Phillies even before Bohm played hero in the top of the 10th with a solo home run off Didier Fuentes to right field, just clearing the high wall.

Painter, normally a starter, provided yeoman’s work out of the bullpen with three scoreless innings and three punchouts — all of which came in the final frame.

The Phillies might be the first MLB team to seal a playoff win on an ABS challenge, but they’re not even the first pro team to do so in the last week. The Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets (Dodgers) won the Triple-A National Championship over the weekend via an overturned ABS decision.

A win-or-go-home Game 3 is set for 2 p.m. Thursday in Atlanta.