ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - AUGUST 7: Kyle Leahy #62 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium on August 7, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals kick off their final homestand of the season against the Washington Nationals Friday night at Busch Stadium. Kyle Leahy will start for the Cardinals while the Nationals will send RHP Cade Cavalli to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.
While Marnus Labuschagne is not in Zimbabwe with Australia’s ODI squad, the 32-year-old is set to return for Queensland in their One-Day Cup opener against Victoria at Allan Border Field on Saturday.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 16: Nasim Nuñez #26 of the Washington Nationals runs into teammate Daylen Lile #4 in left field after making a catch on a short fly ball in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on September 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It is a happy day in Nats nation. Ace Cade Cavalli got a contract extension which has fans fired up. The boys will start their last road trip of the year and that will start in St. Louis. These two teams have not faced off since April, so this will be an intriguing matchup.
James Wood will be the DH tonight. That means the outfield will consist of Daylen Lile, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews. Despite a righty being on the mound, Yohandy Morales will start over Abimelec Ortiz at first base. Brady House and Harry Ford are also in the lineup. Cade Cavalli got a contract extension this afternoon and will be pitching tonight.
This season JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker and Alec Burleson have been the big 3 in the Cardinals lineup. Since he got called up, catcher Leo Bernal has given the Red Birds a spark. He will be in the lineup tonight. Defensive ace Masyn Winn will also be at shortstop. Kyle Leahy has had a nice season for the Cards and will take the ball tonight.
Hopefully Cade Cavalli can put together another excellent performance and show why he got the big bucks. The Nats have a chance to get their most wins in a season since 2019 tonight as well. The road has not treated the Nats well lately, but that can change quickly. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
After the New York Rangers acquired Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights over the offseason, the biggest question quickly became who Dorofeyev will play alongside.
Pairing Dorofeyev with the right center is critical if the Rangers want to maximize his potential as a goal scorer, as his back-to-back 30-plus-goal seasons with Jack Eichel as his primary center made clear.
After two days of training camp, the Rangers have taken an extensive look at Dorofeyev on a line with J.T. Miller.
While Mika Zibanejad may feel like a better fit for Dorofeyev, playing alongside Miller has its benefits.
The year in which Miller recorded a career-high of 103 points with the Vancouver Canucks, he primarily played with Brock Boeser at his wing, who scored 40 goals, so Miller has a track record of propelling his wingers to high-level offensive production.
“He’s a great player,” Dorofeyev said of Miller. “He competes hard. That’s something you can learn from him. It will take some time to become predictable with one another, but we will get there eventually.”
For Miller, his offensive production has regressed since his 103-point 2023-24 season, but having Dorofeyev by his side could help the Rangers captain recapture his offensive game.
“It’s exciting for me,” Miller said of playing with Dorofeyev. “Try to stay out of his way, try to make room for him. I like playing on the forecheck and playing below the goal line. So hopefully, I can make some room for him.”
Over the first two days of training camp, Dorofeyev has played on the right side, with Oliver Bjorkstrand playing on the left side.
Because of Dorofeyev’s versatility, Sullivan confirmed that he plans to try out Dorofeyev at both right and left wing, giving the Rangers more flexibility to test different line combinations.
“I know he can play both,” Sullivan said of Dorofeyev. “From talking to him, talking to some of his former coaches, I know he can play both sides. I think a lot of it is going to come down to what we think is the best fit based on the combinations that we put together.
“So we're going to explore different options to figure out how we can create the balance that we think is necessary to win consistently, but also to set players up for success, him included. I would anticipate probably seeing him on both sides throughout the course of the next couple of weeks.”
Dorofeyev shared the same sentiment as Sullivan, confirming that he’s open to playing at either wing.
The addition of Dorofeyev will not only help elevate the Rangers’ five-on-five play, but he makes the power play more lethal and fills the void left by Artemi Panarin, although the two Russians play completely different games.
In Vegas, the 25-year-old forward was usually positioned at the right flank, where his shot was heavily utilized, as he led the Golden Knights last season with 20 power-play goals.
“Wherever coach sees me, I’ll be there for him,” Dorofeyev said of his power-play role.
If trading two first-round picks didn’t raise expectations for Dorofeyev in The Big Apple, the seven-year, $77 million contract he signed with the Rangers certainly did.
That comes with a lot of pressure, something he wasn’t exposed to with the Golden Knights despite his impressive offensive production.
Even with heightened expectations and an increased role, Sullivan expressed his confidence in Dorofeyev’s ability to handle the pressure moving forward.
“I think he understands what the expectations are,” Sullivan said. “In the short time that I’ve gotten to know him, in the conversations I’ve had with him, and just observing him and how he carries himself around his teammates, I think he’s a confident kid. He’s got a quiet confidence about him. I think he’ll handle it fine.”
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 15: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Griffin Quinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Braves will attempt to clinch a playoff spot on Friday night behind Tyler Mahle, who was been superb for Atlanta since coming over at the trade deadline.
A Braves win — or Diamondbacks loss — on Friday night would clinch a postseason spot for Atlanta and would trim the magic number to four games to win the NL East. It would mark the eighth time in nine years the Braves would be postseason bound. We will also do a bit of scoreboard watching as the Phillies take on the Mets at Citi Field.
Mahle and the Braves will be opposed by Peter Lambert, who has been Houston’s best starter in 2026. Lambert has been on a strong run lately, allowing three runs or fewer in every start since the beginning of July.
First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET. You can watch and stream the game on Braves Vision.
Pelle Larsson drives on Hornets wing Kon Knueppel during the NBA Play-In Tournament on April 14, 2026.
Pelle Larsson is a name NBA fans should get used to this season.
The Swedish wing just agreed to a four-year, $60 million extension to remain in Miami, where the Heat are coming off a transformative summer, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Friday.
The last year of the deal, which would be for the 2030-31 season, is a mutual option.
The deal will see Larsson — who will still bank a rookie-scale $2.3 million for the upcoming 2026-27 season — reportedly make $13.5 million in 2027-28 to begin the extension before getting annual increases.
Pelle Larsson drives on Hornets wing Kon Knueppel during the NBA Play-In Tournament on April 14, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
Larsson is expected to play a huge role in his third season on a Heat team looking to contend once again.
The team executed a blockbuster for Giannis Antetokounmpo in late June, a deal which also netted Bobby Portis.
Miami sent an extensive package in the deal, highlighted by former All-Star Tyler Herro, Sixth Man of the Year contender Jaime Jaquez Jr., recent first-rounders Kel’el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis and a combination of first-round picks, including No. 13 overall in 2026, which Milwaukee used to select Nate Ament out of Tennessee.
Larsson, 25, made a big leap in his second season, jumping from 4.6 to 11.4 points per game in 2025-26, starting in 54 of his 70 appearances.
Pelle Larsson is the leader of the Swedish National Team. FIBA via Getty Images
The two-way swingman also saw his rebounds climb from 1.7 to 3.5 and his assists from 1.2 to 3.4 per game in his increased role.
The 6-foot-5 glue guy also shot nearly 50 percent from the field for the season and 32.3 percent from 3, going 62-for-192 from beyond the arc.
Larsson is also the top player on the Swedish National Team.
This offseason, he averaged 26 points per game across four contests with Sweden in FIBA 2027 World Cup qualifiers, where the team went 3-1 and pulled off an upset against Lauri Markkanen and Finland in Helsinki on Aug. 27. Larsson had 31 points in the game.
In last summer’s EuroBasket tournament, he averaged 18.8 points and 4.4 rebounds while leading Sweden, though it went 1-4 and was eliminated in Group Play.
Sep 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Max Clark (15) scores during the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Detroit Tigers (72-81) vs. Chicago White Sox (78-75)
Time/Place: 7:40 p.m., Rate Field SB Nation Site:South Side Sox Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Andrew Sears (0-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. RHP David Sandlin (2-2, 5.64 ERA)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - SEPTEMBER 12: Peter Lambert #38 of the Houston Astros pitches during the game between the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday, September 12, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
TONIGHT’S GAME: With just nine games remaining on their schedule, the first-place Houston Astros will welcome in the Atlanta Braves for their final home series of the 2026 regular season.
RHP Peter Lambert (8-9, 3.71 ERA) will make his penultimate start of the season for the Astros tonight opposite RHP Tyler Mahle (6-10, 3.91 ERA) and the Braves.
THE POSTSEASON CHASE: The Astros and Rangers are locked in a tight race down the stretch for the AL West with the two teams entering play today separated by just one game. The Astros own the tiebreaker over the Rangers with a season series victory (9-4 record).
AL WEST NEXT GAME
1. Houston: 77-76 vs. ATL (89-64)
2. Texas: 76-77 1.0 GB vs. TOR (76-77)
3. Seattle: 71-82 6.0 GB at COL (56-97)
CHALLENGING STRETCH: The Astros are within a stretch of playing 13 of 16 games against opponents with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB, ATL), going 6-7 so far in those contests. On the season, the Astros are 28-21 against teams with .500 or better records, the third-best mark in the Majors, immediately ahead of the Braves (35-28).
OLD RIVALS: The Astros and Braves are longtime rivals, having played each other 720 times in the regular season and another 25 times in the postseason. The Braves dominated the Astros early in their playoff matchups, in 1997, 1999 and 2001, before the Astros broke through in 2004 and 2005. The two teams matched up again in the 2021 Fall Classic, won by the Braves in six games.
DUBIE!: The Astros are happy to welcome back Braves IF/OF Mauricio Dubón, who’ll be recognized with a pregame video tonight. Dubón, a 2022 World Series Champion, played parts of four seasons (2022-25) with the Astros, appearing in 485 regular season games with Houston.
HISPANIC HERITAGE WEEKEND: The Astros are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Weekend starting tonight. The ballpark will come alive with Latin music, vibrant festivities, and cultural pride all weekend long. As part of the celebration, 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a Jeremy Peña Retro Los Astros Jersey
LAST NIGHT’S BIG WIN: The Astros hammered a season-high five home runs in their 6-2 win in the rubber game of their three-game series with the Royals last night. SS Jeremy Peña started the home run barrage with a leadoff homer and was later joined by CF Daulton Varsho, 1B LaMonte Wade Jr., DH Yordan Alvarez and RF Taylor Trammell, who all hit solo shots. RHP Ethan Pecko (1ER/5.2IP) pitched great as the bulk reliever, allowing just three hits in his outing.
GOIN’ DEEP: The Astros have hit 206 homers as a team this year and have hit 200-plus homers in a single season for the 10th time in franchise history (last, 222 HR in 2023). The Astros rank second in the AL in home runs this season behind only the Yankees (209).
TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently ranks first or second in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories. He enters today leading the AL in batting avg. (.311), while ranking second in HR (40) and RBI (99). Alvarez also leads the Majors in OPS (1.027), SLG (.598) and OBP (.429). Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL).
BIG NUMBERS: DH Yordan Alvarez hit his 40th homer of the season last night, marking the eighth time an Astro has hit 40-plus homers in a single season in club history. He’s also up to 99 RBI on the season and is looking to post the 29th 100-RBI season in Astros history. Alvarez’s career high in RBI is 104, which he reached in 2021.
LEADING MAN: SS Jeremy Peña hit his sixth leadoff home run of the season last night, and the 11th of his career, a total that ranks fifth in Astros history. He ranks tied for second in the AL in leadoff home runs this season, trailing only the Rangers DH Joc Pederson (7).
NOTHING FINER THAN YAINER: C Yainer Diaz is hitting .362 (17×47) in the month of September with two homers, five RBI and a .932 OPS. Diaz has multiple hits in seven if his 12 starts this month.
STALKING 200:1B Christian Walker is currently sitting on 199 career home runs and needs just one homer to become the 35th active Major League player to reach 200 career long balls. Walker has hit 25 homers this year for his fifth consecutive 25-plus homer season (2022-26).
STARTING STRONG: In their last 13 home games, Astros starting pitchers have combined for a 2.40 ERA (17ER/63.2IP), while allowing two-or-fewer runs in 11 of those contests. Additionally, Astros starters have posted a 3.28 ERA (43ER/118IP) in their last 25 games dating back to Aug. 21.
THE LAMBO:RHP Peter Lambert has been the most consistent starter for the Astros this season, as he leads the club in wins (8), starts (26), innings pitched (145.2) and strikeouts (141). He’s allowed two-or-fewer earned runs in 18 of his 26 starts on the year and has done so in 10 of his last 13 starts.
THE FIREMAN: LHP Josh Hader has converted 26 consecutive save opportunities to open his season, which is the Astros club record. Should Hader finish the season without a blown save, he would become the seventh pitcher in MLB history to post 26-plus saves without a blown save and the first to do so since RHP Ken Giles in 2018 (26 SV).
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2019 – Many milestones are reached in the Astros 3-2 victory over the Rangers at Daikin Park. First, the win clinches a postseason berth for the Astros and gives the team 100 victories for the third consecutive season. Secondly, RHP Gerrit Cole tallies 10 strikeouts in the game to reach 300 on the season, joining RHP J.R. Richard and RHP Mike Scott as the only Astros to reach that total in strikeouts. RHP Justin Verlander would also reach 300 later that season.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, September 18, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: SCHN, SCHN2 (Spanish), Peacock (subject to blackout)
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish), ESPN Radio (subject to blackout)
The Warriors didn’t have an eye-popping offseason.
But they had an under-the-radar acquisition that could help them: They added Frank Vogel to their coaching staff as an assistant.
Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Frank Vogel looks on during a game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center in Chicago, Jan. 10, 2026. Getty Images
Vogel is bright. He’s defensive-minded. He led the Lakers to an NBA championship in the 2020 bubble at Walt Disney World.
When Steve Kerr (who won five championships as a player and four as coach) decided to return to Golden State’s helm this summer, he made it clear that the team and the coaching staff had some major areas in which they needed to improve.
Kerr added that he recently rewatched every turnover the Warriors committed last season. He believes they need to tighten the ship, bolster their decision-making and work on their fundamentals.
Vogel can help with all of that.
He’s known for transforming defenses. When he was the head coach of the Pacers from 2011-2016, he helped lead them to consecutive Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and 2014, in large part because of their discipline on the less glamorous side of the court.
Kerr has long been one of the league’s top coaches. He has a great staff. They helped the Warriors become the league’s modern-day dynasty, winning four championships in eight years from 2015-2018.
But it’s clear the Warriors could use some fresh eyes, too.
And Vogel will be very helpful with that.
Since the Warriors won their last championship in 2022, they’ve struggled. They haven’t made it past the second round of the playoffs the last four seasons. In two of those seasons, they missed the postseason altogether.
That said, those are guys who have lived atop the league the last decade and are used to winning.
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, left, and assistant coach Frank Vogel look on during a game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena in Denver, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
The Warriors will surely look to make some major moves ahead of the trade deadline to shore up their roster holes. And Vogel will be there to help oversee it all.
Vogel has a keen eye. In many ways, he got the raw end of the deal when he was fired by the Lakers in 2022 after the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 2021 and missed the postseason in 2022.
But that wasn’t Vogel’s fault.
After the Lakers won their first championship in a decade in 2020, they parted ways with some key pieces of their championship squad to acquire Russell Westbrook, a move that will live in franchise infamy. Someone had to take the fall for the Lakers’ dysfunction. Vogel was first in line, a fate many coaches around the league have suffered in a role that often resembles a carousel.
After coaching the Suns from 2023-24 and serving as an assistant for the Mavericks last season, Vogel has landed with a veteran-laden team and a future Hall of Fame coach who will surely appreciate his skills.
A pairing of Kerr and Vogel just seems right.
There’s old blood. There’s new blood. And there are two great minds who have independently carried teams across the finish line now working in tandem.
By-and-large, the Buffalo Sabres had a great 2025-26 season, finishing atop the Atlantic Division, then beating the Boston Bruins in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. That was manna from heaven for Sabres fans – and now, their appetite has been whetted.
Meanwhile, here at TheHockeyNews.com, we’re analyzing the Sabres’ Eastern Conference opponents in an online series called “Know Your Enemy”. In each file in this series, we’re breaking down how Buffalo played against each East team, in addition to how they’re likely fare against the team this year. And in this file, we’re turning our attention to the New York Rangers.
The Rangers have one of the biggest markets in the league to try and satisfy, but there’s no assurance they’ll be better enough this year to challenge for a playoff position. Here’s this writer’s perspective on how the Sabres will do in their three regular-season showdowns this year:
BUFFALO SABRES VS. NEW YORK RANGERS
NEW RANGERS PLAYERS: Pavel Dorofeyev (RW), Joonas Korpisalo (G), Marcus Pettersson (D), Sean Durzi (D), Oliver Bjorkstrand (RW), Joe Veleno (C)
2025-26 SERIES: Sabres 2-1-0, Islanders 1-2-0
2026-27 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: November 25 at Buffalo; February 15 at Rangers; March 6 at Buffalo
CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? The Sabres took two out of three games against the Rangers last season, but this is a significantly-changed Blueshirts roster, as GM Chris Drury is under all sorts of pressure to get his team back into the post-season after two calamitous years of constant letdown. And by THN.com’s standards, the Rangers did have one of the better off-seasons of any NHL team.
So, the Rangers team Buffalo takes on this year will be considerably different than the one they saw last season. And the biggest area of improvement – other than adding former Vegas Golden Knights sniper Dorofeyev – is on defense, where Drury picked up Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks, and Durzi was acquired from Utah in the trade that sent veteran center Vincent Trocheck to the Mammoth.
That improvement will almost certainly help star goaltender Igor Shesterkin, but if Shesterkin is injured for any significant stretch, and the Sabres are playing the Blueshirts during one of those stretches, the Rangers’ new backup – former Bruins and Ottawa Senators veteran Korpisalo – Buffalo will need to take advantage of that matchup.
Otherwise, the Rangers will be a tougher opponent for the Sabres than they’ve been for a while now. Drury still desperately needs some internal improvement and young players to step up and evolve into difference-makers, but he’s been given a mandate by Rangers ownership to retool instead of rebuild. That may be a decision the Blueshirts come to regret, but for now, at least, the Rangers will be harder to knock around for Buffalo.
And while we still expect the Sabres to win the season series against the Rangers this season, it’s going to take a stronger effort, and a consistent thrust from Buffalo to get the job done and keep the Rangers out of the playoff picture yet again.
The fate of the AL Central lies in the hands of David Sandlin tonight.
It may not be Thanksgiving quite yet, but I’d like to make a toast to the City of Detroit. Sure, your football franchise is irrelevant, your hockey team is a shell of what it was and the best thing about your city is the bridge to Canada, but you do have the Detroit Tigers. We would like to thank you for giving them to us for an easy win to get the White Sox back on track.
After back-to-back collapses at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians, the White Sox scored three runs in the first inning yesterday vs. Detroit, and dared the kitty cats to do something about it. Much like they have all season (and all decade, really), the Tigers laid an egg when it mattered most and the White Sox are back atop the AL Central thanks to their handy-dandy tiebreaker.
Unfortunately, thanks to their monthlong collapse, the White Sox still have work to do. There’s certainly pressure on the Guardians, but with their next series being against the Athletics at home, it’s mostly on the White Sox to keep up.
With a bullpen that is also absolutely gassed, they’ll need more length from their starters, as no team this season has gotten less out of its rotation in terms of innings load. To wit, it’s been more than a month since a starter has gone six innings, and that can’t continue for much longer.
Drew Sandlin gets the task for the White Sox Friday night, and he came close to snapping the streak his last time out, perfect into the sixth inning on Sunday at St. Louis. Despite mixed results overall during his first taste of the majors, Sandlin has crushed it all season at Triple-A and ran a streak of five minor league starts allowing more than a run just once. And his work vs. the Cardinals earlier this week was as impeccable as you’re going to get from the White Sox rotation. Hopefully the home crowd will give Sandlin some juice, and he can will his way to a strong start.
The Tigers will throw out Andrew Sears. While he may look like a high school robotics teacher, he’s seen some success at the major league level — with the operative word being, “some.” Means has started in two of his four appearances and it seems his performance comes down to the flip of a coin. In a relief appearance against Kansas City in late August, he surrendered five runs in four innings. He followed that up by blanking the Los Angeles Dodgers in his next outing.
Everything looked bright when he limited Cleveland to one run in his first career start, in just under six innings of work. Unfortunately for him, Means quickly followed that up by allowing four runs in under five innings in his next outing. His best two outings were against two good teams and his two worst outings came against two of the worst teams in baseball. The good news is that if Means shuts us down, that means we’re a good team, right?
As every game has felt for Chicago lately, expect the unexpected. There is no doubt that Chicago could blow Detroit out, but there is also zero doubt they could get ran out of the park by a guy with goggles we haven’t seen since the 1980’s NBA.
Ease your nerves with some wise words from Tom Cappello:
Here is the starting lineup for the Chicago White Sox:
Here is the starting lineup for the Detroit Tigers:
First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN Chicago 1000. Drop your predictions and thoughts down below!
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 13: Gabriel Hughes #43 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Comerica Park on September 13, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There is not much on the line at Coors Field this weekend.
The Colorado Rockies enter tonight’s series opener at 56-97, three losses away from their fourth consecutive 100-loss season. They are 4-11 in September and 7-23 over their last 30 games, turning another difficult year into an ugly finish.
The Seattle Mariners reached the ALCS last season and entered 2026 looking poised to build on it. Instead, they arrive in Denver at 71-82, six games back of first place in the AL West and even further back in the Wild Card race.
Seattle remains a much more competitive team than Colorado, but several parts of last year’s formula have slipped. The pitching has been roughly similar, the defense has been among the worst in baseball, and the offense has fallen from a 113 wRC+ in 2025 to a roughly league-average 102 this season.
The biggest drop has come from Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez. Raleigh went from 60 home runs and a 161 wRC+ last year to a 96 wRC+ this season, while Rodríguez has fallen from 126 to 102 — turning what began as another hopeful season in Seattle into something much different.
The grind continues tonight.
Rookie Gabriel Hughes will make his 13th major-league start. He remains in search of his first win and enters 0-8 with a 6.37 ERA over 59.1 innings.
Against the Yankees on Sept. 8, Hughes generated 13 whiffs and struck out six over five solid innings. Five days later, Detroit repeatedly extended at-bats and forced him to throw 70 pitches in two innings. He allowed five runs and two home runs while generating just six whiffs.
Hughes has held hitters to an 87.2 mph average exit velocity (82nd percentile), a 29.9% hard-hit rate (96th percentile) and a 5.4% barrel rate (84th percentile), while his 4.04 FIP sits well below his ERA. The larger issue has been finishing hitters.
Woo is 12-9 with a 3.88 ERA and 163 strikeouts, including a 1.93 ERA and 0.76 WHIP over his last seven starts. One six-run outing against Philadelphia accounts for most of the damage during that stretch; across the other six starts, he has allowed just three earned runs in 38 innings.
Woo works from a lower arm slot, around 24 degrees, and changes his mix by handedness. He leans on the four-seamer and slider against lefties, with a sinker and changeup mixed in, while right-handers see a heavier four-seam/sinker combination with the sweeper as his primary breaking ball.
Both fastballs sit around 96 mph, with the slider around 89 mph, the changeup around 88 mph and the sweeper dropping into the low 80s.
Woo’s whiff rate is 24.7% (48th percentile), while he has walked just 5.3% of opposing hitters (95th percentile). Still, he has allowed some firm contact — an 89.3 mph average exit velocity (31st percentile) and a 42.0% hard-hit rate (20th percentile) — and much of it has come in the air, with a 38.1% ground-ball rate (28th percentile).
That makes his first career start at Coors Field especially interesting.
TJ Rumfield and Jake McCarthy enter play fifth and sixth in the National League in batting average, with Rumfield at .301 and McCarthy at .295. Cole Carrigg has slugged .633 with three home runs over his last 30 at-bats, while Hunter Goodman, with his 38 home runs, returns to the middle of the lineup.
For most of the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have had to navigate their roster like a stout ship dashing through a storm.
Shoulders. Elbows. Backs. Necks. Knees. Hands. Biceps. Blisters. And now, with October quickly approaching, Blake Snell’s groin.
In what is turning out to be an annual occurrence, the Dodgers have spent much of their pursuit of history trying to outrun the injured list, and the numbers show just how bruised and battered baseball’s powerhouse has been.
For most of the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have had to navigate their roster like a stout ship dashing through a storm. AP Photo/Tanner Pearson
According to RotoWire’s latest MLB injury severity rankings, the Dodgers currently sit 11th among all 30 teams with a 75-point score, including 11 players on the 60-day injured list and six on the 10- or 15-day IL. RotoWire’s model assigns greater weight to long-term absences, giving five points for every 60-day IL placement and three for shorter 10- or 15-day stays.
Ironically, this is the first time the Dodgers have fallen out of the top 10 in the rankings this season. At the end of August they were 8th, and have consistently been in the top 10 throughout the year. Maybe, their slip to 11th is coming at the perfect time.
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (3) signals to the dugout against the Seattle Mariners in the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post
The Dodgers have already secured their 14th consecutive postseason appearance and clinched the NL West for the 13th time in 14 seasons. Now comes their attempt to become the first National League franchise to win three consecutive World Series championships.
That attempt will come with some of their biggest stars fighting through injuries.
Superstar Shohei Ohtani is still on the 15-day IL with lingering left knee and right biceps issues, but Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently told the California Post that Ohtani is “progressing well,” and he expects him to return before the end of the regular season.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after fouling a ball off his foot during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. Getty Images
All-Star closer Edwin Diaz has been battling several injuries throughout the season but was activated on Friday after being sidelined since Aug. 18 with neck inflammation.
All-Star center fielder Andy Pages remains on the IL with a fractured left hand, but could be activated during the Dodgers final homestand.
Tyler Glasnow is back in the starting rotation, but missed more than three months with lower back spasms before returning in late August. Snell opened the season sidelined by shoulder fatigue and underwent elbow surgery in May and didn’t return until August.
On Wednesday in Cincinnati, he lasted just one inning before left groin tightness forced him from the game. A source told the California Post the decision to remove him from the game was “precautionary,” and Snell himself said he expects to make his next start.
All-Star center fielder Andy Pages remains on the IL with a fractured left hand, but could be activated during the Dodgers final homestand. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Roki Sasaki has been sidelined since Aug. 27 with a blister on his pitching hand, and Will Smith recently returned after missing nearly three months with neck inflammation.
The Giants and Orioles are the only two teams in RotoWire’s study that have more than 100 points on their severity score due to the amount of players currently on the 60-day IL.
Currently there are 526 roster players currently on injured lists across all 30 teams.
According to Spotrac, the Dodgers have had 26 different players on the IL this season and lead the league in total days players have been on the injured list with 2,194. They trail only the New York Yankees ($91.4 million) with an estimated cash total of $83 million in players salaries on the IL this season.
The Dodgers survived six months of baseball’s version of a demolition derby and still won the West. The question now isn’t whether they were good enough to survive the regular season.
It’s whether enough of them will be healthy enough to survive October and bring home a third straight World Series title.
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 12: Starting pitcher Kumar Rocker #80 of the Texas Rangers walks to the dugout after being removed during the fifth inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 12, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 10: Ausar Thompson #9 of the Detroit Pistons looks on during the first half of a basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on April 10, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Detroit Pistons finally came to terms with a core member of its young core … and it wasn’t Jalen Duren. While the extended standoff between the All-NBA center and the Pistons continues, the Pistons swooped in and took care of a different kind of business, signing young forward Ausar Thomspon to a five-year, $155 million rookie extension, per Shams Charania of ESPN.
Thompson has already established himself in the upper echelon of defenders in the NBA. At first blush, it might seem crazy to give a player who has averaged less than 10 points per game and isn’t a threat from deep a $31 million average annual contract. However, talk to any Pistons fan, or anyone who watches Pistons games regularly, and this truly feels like a steal.
Thompson thrived last season and set a high bar as a premier wing defender. He was an All-NBA First Team selection and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
And consider Ausar’s twin brother, Amen, who was picked one spot ahead of Ausar and signed a $208 million deal with the Houston Rockets earlier this offseason. Amen is certainly the superior offensive player thanks to his distribution skills, but he is also not quite the defensive presence of Ausar. To get Ausar at nearly $50 million less than Amen is a bit shocking to me, to be honest.
That doesn’t mean that Thompson can be a finished product. He certainly needs to become a legitimate offensive threat in some form or fashion. But he’s an S-tier perimeter defender, rebounds the hell out of the ball, can run the floor, and he’s just 22 years old. To be able to lock up Thompson through his age 28 season to play alongside star Cade Cunningham is a commitment to building a championship-level team for the Pistons.
You can’t ask for much better by way of complementary building blocks than Thompson and Cunningham. However, you know what is even better than a great two-person core as you try to build your way to a championship roster? A three-person core. And therein lies the Jalen Duren conundrum.
It has been widely reported and confirmed by sources close to the team that the Pistons are eager to sign Duren to a contract that would significantly exceed the $155 million Thompson deal. But Detroit is offering a deal between $185 million and $190 million, and Duren wants a deal exceeding $200 million.
I have no reason to believe either side is disputing this, representing the gulf in negotiations, and somehow neither can reach a deal. In fact, if you’re willing to believe Duren’s side, their player is willing to take his $9.6 million qualifying offer in order to chase a max contract next offseason. That would amount to him netting less than what the Pistons are reportedly offering over the same five-year window, but pride can do funny things to a guy.
While we wait for the inevitable conclusion to the Jalen Duren saga, at least we can take comfort in the knowledge that one of the NBA’s three best defenders is locked up long term with the Pistons.
