Category: Sports News

It didn't take long for the chaos of the MLB postseason to rear its head again.

Game 1 of the NL wild card series between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies went from a pitcher's duel between Chris Sale and Jesús Luzardo for the first five innings into an offensive back-and-forth over the final four frames. Philly took a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh on a JT Realmuto line drive that Ronald Acuña Jr. fumbled with in right field as Bryan De La Cruz rounded the bases and scored the go-ahead run from first. Realmuto was officially credited with a triple.

Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Austin Riley stepped up for Atlanta.

Michael Harris II started a two-out rally with a single to short. Ozzie Albies then reached first after a low knuckle curve from Jhoan Duran hit his back foot to set the table for Riley, who took Duran deep to right field on a first-pitch heater down the middle for a three-run blast.

AUSTIN RILEY
GO-AHEAD THREE-RUN HOMER
ATLANTA IS GOING WILD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/XrPQnazvVO

— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2026

Raisel Iglesias made quick work of the Phillies in the top of the ninth to hold onto a 5-3 Braves win. They're now one win away from punching their ticket to the NLDS, where they'd face the NL No. 2 seed Los Angeles Dodgers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Braves' Austin Riley deliver dramatic go-ahead home run vs Phillies

I am an optimist.  My definition of Diamondbacks success is reaching the playoffs.  Today, my thoughts are making a rare walk through the dark side to address what kept the Diamondbacks from success.

Let’s look at eleven reasons.  My view is that 4 reasons had no negative impact, 3 reasons had low negative impact (perhaps one win), and 4 reasons had high negative impact.

No Negative Impact.

1. Trade Deadline Moves Compared to the Phillies.

“We can sit here and kick ourselves for the trade deadline and say we could have done more…” Derrick Hall interview on Arizona Sports

A table in this AZ Snake Pit article (4 August) showed that at the trade deadline these two teams needed the same things (starting pitcher, relief pitcher, and a left-handed batter).  Phillies did more to address their needs by acquiring two relief pitchers (Caleb Kilian and Brooks Raley), as well as second baseman Luis Arraez.  The Diamondbacks acquired Lars Nootbaar.

Surprisingly, it could be argued that Nootbaar made more impact than three acquisitions by the Phillies.  The following list is a top-level view of the impact of these players.

• D-backs, Lars Nootbaar: 113 OPS+
• Phillies, Caleb Kilian: 37 ERA+
• Phillies, Brooks Raley: 58 ERA+
• Phillies, Luis Arraez: 82 OPS+

The Diamondbacks trade-deadline acquisition was the only one who performed above average.

2.  Torey Lovullo.

“I know there are Torey critics out there, but look at the job he’s done…This year is probably his best year, even with his 2023 getting to the World Series. … He’s done a terrific, terrific job this year…”  Derrick Hall interview on Arizona Sports

My view is that this season had more challenges than any of his previous seasons; and despite the challenges he nearly led the team into the playoffs.

3.  Drama & Distraction of Ketel Marte.  The Diamondbacks lost two of three games while Marte was on the restricted list. However, I would attribute those losses to poor pitching with 9 and 11 runs allowed in the losses.  Furthermore, my view is that Torey Lovullo handled the situation masterfully to prevent any impact. 

4.  Season Record was 6-7 Vs Padres.  Blame could be placed on losing the last two games of the season against the Padres.  The Padres are a great team, worthy of the playoffs.  The win-loss record is about what I would expect, even if the Diamondbacks reached the playoffs. 

Low Negative Impact.

5. At Chase Field, Too Many Losses to Rockies.  In away games, the Rockies won 26 and lost 55.  At Chase Field, the Rockies did better with 3 wins and 4 losses.   If Chase was an average venue, the Rockies would have one less win (and the Diamondbacks one more win).

6. The Padres Win Streak.  From 6-20 September, the Padres won 13 of 14 games.  That put them ahead of the Diamondbacks in the race for a Wild-Card position.

7.  Inconsistent and Poorly Performing Players at First Base. 

This season, the team Wins Above Average (WAA) at first base was negative 2.4.  This season, Ildemaro Vargas had the most games at first base (74 games).  This season, he seemed to mostly share the position:

• April/May, shared with Jose Fernandez
• June, shared with Pavin Smith
• July/August, shared with Tim Tawa and Tyler Locklear
• September, shared with Tim Tawa and Pavin Smith

For more detail, see this AZ Snake Pit article, which will be posted next week.

High Negative Impact.

8.  Losses in 1-run Games Compared to the Phillies.  The Phillies lost fewer 1-run games than the Diamondbacks (16 vs 21).  My view is that difference accounts for a 5-win difference between the teams. 

Another view is to compare the percentage of 1-run games lost.  The Phillies lost a smaller percentage of 1-run games (39% vs 43%).

9.  In June and July, Injuries to Starting Pitchers.  Albeit, significant injuries happened prior to June and July, those two months were the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.  The following list shows the impacts.

• Corbin Burnes, about June, tore his Teres Major which delayed his return to 8 September.
• Ryne Nelson, 16 June to 16 September, returned as a reliever.
• Michael Soroka, 20 June to 5 July, worse ERA upon return; Dbacks lost 5 of 7 games.
• Zac Gallen, 9 July to 7 September, returned as a reliever.

10.  Heavy Use of Young and Inexperienced Bullpen Pitchers.  Two examples stand out:

Jose Cabrera, 24 years old, instrumental in 3 losses: 27 June, 3 July, 26 September.

Mitch Bratt, 22 years old, instrumental in 2 losses: 25 July, 11 August.

11.  Decline in Performance of Three Batters.  The following list shows this season’s decline for three outstanding players:

• Ketel Marte, 2025: 147 OPS+, 2026: 107 OPS+
• Corbin Carroll, 2025: 143 OPS+, 2026: 120 OPS+
• Geraldo Perdomo, 2025: 138 OPS+, 2026: 110 OPS+

Summary.

There were four main reasons why the Diamondbacks missed the playoffs:

• Five more losses in 1-run games compared to the Phillies. 
• In June and July, four starting pitchers were injured (Burnes, Nelson, Soroka, and Gallen).
• Heavy use of young and inexperienced bullpen pitchers.
• Three batters declined (Marte, Carroll, and Perdomo).

Rooting for long, grueling, exhausting contests

With a compression sleeve on his throwing arm underneath a cheeky t-shirt in support of Game 1 starting pitcher Cam Schlittler, Yankees left-hander Max Fried attended a news conference on Tuesday afternoon as he prepares to start Game 2 against the Boston Red Sox.

Max Fried is wearing his Cam Schlittler shirt for his press conference today pic.twitter.com/TLG5RqHu62

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 29, 2026

Fried missed a chunk of games during this past regular season due to a left elbow issue, first back in May and then again in mid-August.

Thankfully, unlike ailing Yankees captain Aaron Judge, the star is good to go for the team's AL Wild Card series against Boston.

In fact, the top four arms in New York's starting pitching rotation — Schlittler, Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodón — are all healthy entering the postseason.

"This was the goal, to make sure that we were in a good, built-up, healthy position going into the playoffs," said Fried. "It's a credit to the training staff, the coaches, and obviously, the rest of the team who picked us up when any of us were out [injured]."

"We're really excited to go out and try to win a World Series... we didn't get here by accident."

Fried is no stranger to the champagne showers of the Fall Classic. During his time with the Atlanta Braves, he spun a championship-clinching performance of six shutout innings against the Houston Astros on the road in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series.

Fried's most recent playoff outing for the Yankees was in Game 2 of the 2025 ALDS on the road against a different AL East rival, the Toronto Blue Jays.

In that game, Fried lasted just three innings, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits, a game which the Yankees went on to lose 13-7. 

New York won just a single game of that best-of-five series, swiftly eliminated from the postseason by last postseason's eventual AL pennant winners.

"Anytime you don't end the season holding up the [World Series] trophy, it doesn't sit well with you," Fried lamented, reflecting on his performance against the Blue Jays. "Starting in spring training, you sacrifice time that would be spent with family to go out there with a group of guys and have the goal of winning it all."

"When you come up short, it's tough, given how much you've put into it, so it was definitely something that fueled me last offseason when I was working on my own."

Depending on the outcome of Game 1 of the Wild Card, Fried will be tasked with either salvaging the season or clinching a sweep over their fiercest rivals in Game 2.

He claims that he'll be dialed in, regardless of the situation.

"It's the same," Fried declared. "Any time I take the ball, whether it's the regular season or the playoffs, I have the feeling that we have to win today's game."

Just two years ago, the Chicago White Sox etched 121 losses in the record books to mark the worst MLB season in modern history. Fast forward through another turbulent season in 2025, and the South Siders suffered three straight 100-loss seasons, albeit with a more positive second half as several of the organization’s promising prospects began to make a difference while others worked on improving their approach. Many White Sox fans assumed it would be a moderately-improved season in 2026, knowing that the Good Guys had officially moved on from the failed 2021 roster, and pretty much every baseball journalist and projection model expected the same.

The South Side clubhouse was aware that no one was expecting them to make any noise this year with so many prospects breaking into the big leagues, and after a rough April it another season in the second division might be the case. But with 36 comeback wins and 11 walk-offs, Chicago showcased the elite talent that was cooking up at 35th and Shields, along with a resilience that never counted them out. The White Sox were seven games worse than .500 in mid-April, and at their best were nine games better in late August, spending a total of 96 days atop of the AL Central. Despite ultimately earning a Wild Card spot rather than a division title, the White Sox still made history with their 84 wins by qualifying for the playoffs after three consecutive 100-loss seasons.

As the South Siders head to Houston for a three-game Wild Card series against the AL West champion Houston Astros, looking for revenge from their 2021 ALDS defeat. With the MLB postseason comes playoff rosters, and the White Sox released theirs earlier today, announcing that they will be carrying 12 pitchers, two catchers, five infielders, and seven outfielders. The two most notable players who did not make the roster were righthander Trevor Richards, and catcher Drew Romo, who both spent a significant time on the South Side this season and were key contributors. Jake Rogers will slot in as the backup catcher behind Kyle Teel, and as one of the bigger surprises, Tommy Pham will be joining Chicago rather than adding a 13th pitcher.

Today’s game will be the first time in postseason history that both teams will be leveraging an opener to start the game, likely sending baseball traditionalists — and many White Sox fans — into a tailspin. Chicago has used an opener 31 times this season, and in their defense, it has gotten them this far. Is there still concern that the pitching depth might not be enough to make a deep playoff run? Sure there is. But we are working with what we got, because GM Chris Getz chose not to spend on another starter at the trade deadline, and the starter that he did trade for isn’t even on the playoff roster (Luis Castillo).

With that, lefthander Hagen Smith will make his first career postseason start, and will be his second appearance as an opener since joining the White Sox. Smith tossed 28 innings in 18 games with the South Siders in 2026, posting an excellent 1.29 ERA to complement a 0.964 WHIP while striking out 41 batters at a 37.3% strikeout rate, which was the fifth-highest in all of baseball (minimum 20 IP). The overall though process behind the opener today is to attempt to shut down the top of the order right off the bat, as the first three hitters for Houston (Jeremy Peña, Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes) all have weaker splits against left-handed pitchers compared to righties.

Recency bias also doesn’t help defend the opener, as we’ve had a couple of brutal outings recently with Chris Murphy and Bryan Hudson. However, with how strong Hagen has been since being called up, there’s more optimism with the strategy this time around. After Smith, it’s probable that righthander Erick Fedde will take over as the bulk pitcher, and he has been one of the more consistent arms that the Sox have had down the stretch.

As for the lineup, the South Siders are working with the right-handed pitcher AJ Blubaugh on the mound for the Astros, with the batting over heavily favoring left-handed hitters. Given the RHP matchup, Sam Antonacci will maintain the leadoff spot, with Kyle Teel and Miguel Vargas rounding out the top three. Andrew Benintendi will take over as the DH, though it’s still possible we see Randal Grichuk sub in at some point depending on the Astros bullpen situation. The main change between the typical batting order is that Colson Montgomery will be slotted into the 9-spot considering his struggles at the plate recently, though he’s still a sound shortstop with more than 30 bombs on the season and he could run into one any time.

For the Astros, Blubaugh will be opening for the first time in 2026 after coming out of the bullpen for all 64 appearances this season. The righty owns a 3.66 ERA in 96 frames with a 1.229 WHIP, though he doesn’t strike batters out at as high of a rate as Smith does. Blubaugh has posted 96 Ks with a 23.4% strikeout rate, though he also has walked batters 10.5% of the time, which could be beneficial for a White Sox team that ranks sixth in MLB in walk rate (9.5% BB%).

The South Siders have only defeated the Astros twice in seven games this season, and they’ve seen their fair share of Astros power hitters. In order to be successful tonight, the key will be to control the top of the order and keep them off base as much as possible. Outside of Alvarez, Peña, and Paredes, you can’t sleep on José Altuve, who owns a career .842 OPS in the postseason.

Because MLB can’t make anything easy, tonight’s game can be viewed either on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) or on NBC’s streaming service Peacock. We also have extra details in our broadcast guide for the week, but at least they made it easy enough to remember that we play at the same time for the next few days, and we still get to listen to Steve Stone in the broadcast. First pitch will take place at 4:00 p.m. CT at Daikin Park, and it’s time for a White Sox winner.

What scares you the most about the Yankees?

The rotation. Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, and Gerrit Cole are one of the few groups that have been as good as the Red Sox’s top three. That, combined with a Red Sox offense that has been lethargic in September, could make for a difficult series.

— Jacob Roy

The pitching. One of the few teams with as good or better pitchers than the Red Sox: the Yankees. The Sox are already struggling to hit consistently; the last thing I want is to see New York roll out three aces. (Well, maybe 2.5 with the 2026 version of Garrett Cole.)

— Mike Carlucci

The pitching. And yes, there’s an echo in here, but it’s also the right answer. If you could play this series in a simulation a thousand times, I’d be willing to bet that over 90 percent of the Red Sox losses come from the lineup just not bunching enough hits, not hitting for enough power, and not being about to knock in enough men with runners in scoring position against the Yankee staff.

— Matthew Gross

Hate to repeat what everybody else is saying here, but yeah: New York has one hell of a pitching staff. When you’ve got the soon-to-be AL Cy Young winner staring you right in the face in the first game of a short series, it’s a tall task. Luckily, I think the Sox have a comparable pitching staff—at least among the trio of starters that are lined up for the Wild Card—but the Yankees’ starters are formidable.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice. Did you know they’re both from Massachusetts?? Is anyone going to write a story about this!?

— Bob Osgood

The answer is the pitching, but you know that already. So let’s get a little creative and say something else: home runs. The Red Sox pitching staff allowed the fewest homers in baseball this year. But the Yankees lineup hit the most homers in baseball this year. I’m expecting the Sox to struggle to score, so even if the Sox get a great outing from the starter, one back-breaking dong in the 7th could decide the game.

— Dan Secatore

What scares you the most about the Red Sox?

The bullpen. Without Tyron Guerrero, the only arms I truly trust are Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman. Erik Miller and Brayan Bello are meltdowns waiting to happen, Garrett Crochet is a total mystery, and the rest of the guys just aren’t that good. If the starters can’t go deep, it’s going to be difficult to hold leads.

— Jacob Roy

Jarren Duran. I’ve been… critical… of the much-maligned outfielder throughout the majority of his career, but something tells me that, given the ways things have unfolded over the last few weeks (Mickey Gasper’s injury, Andruw Monasterio being bad) he’ll be forced into the lineup against right-handers and open up the opportunity for the spotlight to be placed directly on him. I hate that.

— Keagan Stiefel

The pitching. If Tolle/Gray/Suarez go 5.0-6.0 innings with 2-3 runs are the Sox scoring that many? Are the big arms entering the game down by 1? Down by 2? 

— Mike Carlucci

Their complete inability to hit high velocity pitching, which the Yankees have in spades. Mickey Gasper was actually even one of the better guys at doing this, and now he’s on the shelf too. Somebody’s going to have to step up and have a huge series at the plate because on paper they lack the firepower to counteract the Yankee arms.

— Matthew Gross

The issues with runners in scoring position are unbecoming. This team ended with a .709 OPS with RISP in 2026, good for 26th best in MLB (wow, that’s a lot of initials; it’s like alphabet soup). This is especially worrisome considering my aforementioned point about the pitching that the Sox will be going up against; if/when you do get some traffic on base, you have GOT to take advantage of it. These trends can’t continue….but I’m nervous that they might.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

The offense, specifically the lack of power and struggles with runners in scoring position. Boston was 25th with RISP this season, with a .241 batting average, and it was far worse in September. They also finished 26th in baseball with 163 home runs, an issue that Craig Breslow vowed to fix, but did not fix, after falling short in the playoffs a season ago.

— Bob Osgood

What’s one thing you really want to see happen during the series?

Wilyer Abreu going to the top deck off Cam Schlittler, please and thank you.

— Keagan Stiefel

Jarren Duran steals home.

—Mike Carlucci

Roman Anthony to have a huge series. This would not only be a great first step to counteract New York’s biggest strength, but big picture wise, wouldn’t it be nice if — in Anthony’s first time in a hostile, road playoff environment — he just proved he’s one of those guys that thrives in these high intensity moments? It would be huge not just for this series, but in his growth as a franchise building block.

— Matthew Gross

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that I’d like to see the Red Sox win the series.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

Payton Tolle to outduel Cam Schlittler in Game One. I love Payton Tolle. And I hate Cam Schlittler.

— Bob Osgood

I’d like to see a pigeon to take a big ol’ dump on Cam Schlitter as he’s bowing his head for the National Anthem before Game 1. We deserve to have nice things.

— Dan Secatore

One time my girlfriend and I were walking, and I happened to look up at the right moment, put my arm out to stop her, and pigeon shit fell exactly where her next step would have been. She never really gave me credit for that heroic act, and I bring it up regularly to this day. Anyway, what Dan said.

— Jacob Roy

Who will be the series MVP?

Wilyer Abreu. If there was ever a time for the king of streakiness to start turning back in the right direction, it’s with that absurdly short porch staring him directly in the face for three straight games.

— Keagan Stiefel

Nick Sogard. As the man says, you don’t watch him every day and you don’t see what he’s capable of. 

— Mike Carlucci

Probably somebody incredibly annoying like like Jose Caballero. The real MVP will probably be the Yankees pitching staff, but because that’ll be a multiheaded monster without an obvious solo choice, it will be some middle or bottom of the order Yankee bat that manages to get bat on ball and find a hole a couple of times with men on base.

— Matthew Gross

This is the perfect time for Roman Anthony to step into the national spotlight. Lefty at Yankee Stadium with an offense that could use a shot in the arm; why not him? In a short series, it especially only takes one or two big moments to make your mark. This is the Roman Anthony breakout series.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

Wilyer Abreu. I’m glad he was one of the players from the Sox core who got his first playoff reps in the Bronx a year ago. He’s due, and when he gets hot, look out.

— Bob Osgood

Which non-star will have a Dave Roberts/Brock Holt/Steve Pearce moment and what will that moment be?

With Willson Contreras ailing, I was convinced that Romy Gonzalez was going to hit a go-ahead home run in the 8th inning of Game 3. That just would’ve been the perfect playoff moment for this team of AAAA overachievers. But with Contreras (thankfully) healthy and back in action, let’s give that moment to Jahmai Jones instead. This is what lefty-killers are for.

— Dan Secatore

Jahmai Jones will get his chances against lefties. He won’t start against Schlittler, but he’ll likely get an at-bat against one of the lefties in the Yankees’ bullpen, plus Max Fried in game two. He’ll hit a multi-run home run in a big spot to give the Red Sox a lead.

— Jacob Roy

Connor Wong. While the “Forever Young” catcher will always be a starter to me, he’s been pushed back for Adley Rutschman. I think he drives in a run with a shallow double just between the shortstop and left fielder. 

— Mike Carlucci

I was gonna say Sogard, but let’s change it up here and go for a wild one. In one of these games, it’ll be the sixth inning or so. Boston will be in a tight spot with a handful of righties lined up for the Yankees. The Sox need to get out of a jam. They turn to one of the most unsung heroes in the second half of this season, and Wyatt Olds shuts New York down.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

Brayan Bello. He has a 2.11 ERA and 1.03 WHIP for Boston over 55 ⅓ innings since being recalled on July 12th, and he is barely talked about in this bullpen. He struggled in his start in Yankee Stadium a year ago, and will get payback here. One of Boston’s starters is bound to go short in their start this week, and Bello will pick up the slack with a strong 2-3 inning stint to bridge the gap to the back of the ‘pen.

— Bob Osgood

What’s your prediction for the series?

2-1, Red Sox, because it’s going to go to three games to give me a heart attack and because I refuse to pick the Yankees.

— Jacob Roy

2-1, Red Sox. I can’t do this two years in a row…

— Keagan Stiefel

We’ve seen so much out of this team. April-June. July-August. September. They can win this in two, even with the Yankees starters. They can be aggressive, look for the home run pitch, bunt, and make the Yankees play defense. Cause chaos. But that act probably can’t win you two straight. 2-1 Red Sox. 

— Mike Carlucci

2-0 Yankees. I have grave concerns about the offense getting muzzled by New York’s pitching, and since the best-of-three Wild Card series went in place in 2022, 11 of the 16 series played have ended in two games. Hopefully I’m wrong.

— Matthew Gross

2-1 Sox. Gotta believe, baby.

— Fitzy Mo Peña

Red Sox 2-1. With Max Fried and his 5.31 career playoff ERA throwing Game 2, and Gerrit Cole’s history against Boston in Game 3, I feel damn good about the Sox chances, even if they lose Game 1.

— Bob Osgood

Playoff baseball is almost upon us, and after finalizing their roster, the Yankees have set their starting nine for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series in the Bronx. It’s a righty-heavy lineup, intentionally aligned to face lefty Payton Tolle, who is slated to make his first career postseason start for the Red Sox.

Paul Goldschmidt, who hit .299 against lefties this season with a .393 OBP and .967 OPS, will take the leadoff spot and hopefully allow the perfect setup for Ben Rice. The 27-year-old designated hitter batting second in the order posted good numbers from the Bronx during the regular season, hitting .254 with a .371 OBP and .917 OPS, bolstered by a team-high 41 homers.

Heliot Ramos—another lefty masher like Goldschmidt—is batting third and starting in right, followed by Bellinger starting in left. Placing Bellinger in the cleanup spot could work out well for the Yankees, adding some power to give some of the younger guys, like George Lombard Jr., a boost of confidence before stepping up to the plate in the five-hole.

Amed Rosario will start at third, and this came as a somewhat surprise in my opinion. Despite only making six starts in September, the Yankees placed enough confidence in him to bat sixth in the order for Game 1, perhaps in part to a sluggish month from José Caballero.

Fans will surely have mixed opinions about Anthony Volpe at second, who is getting the start over Jazz Chisholm Jr.. The New Jersey native has played well with the Yankees since rejoining the majors, but being cautiously optimistic about him is certainly a gamble — especially in the postseason. Chisholm had just a .650 OPS against southpaws in 2026, so they’re certainly playing the matchups game with Tolle on the bump for Boston.

Spencer Jones getting the start over Trent Grisham isn’t particularly surprising, since Grisham hasn’t started a game since early September, and it will be exciting to see how Jones shows up when the lights are at their brightest. He can be an adventure in center at times, but even before his recent injury, Grisham’s glovework had fallen off from his heights of past years.

The Yankees also seem confident in Wells’ ability to round out the order and remain defensively adept behind the plate. He’ll be coordinating with Cam Schlittler, who as discussed the other day, will get the start from the mound.

Here’s a look at the Red Sox lineup, which puts Roman Anthony leading off and DH’ing in his first career postseason game.

Don’t miss a second of the action in this rivalry matchup, which begins Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.