Less than 24 hours after not finding the back of the net in their exhibition opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Detroit Red Wings opened the floodgates against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Defenseman Albert Johansson recorded four assists, while forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård scored twice in Detroit's 7-4 preseason win over Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday evening.
Johansson, taken in the fourth round (105th pick) in the 2022 NHL Draft, finished second among all Detroit defenseman in ice time behind Justin Faulk. Meanwhile, Nate Danielson picked up an assist, while Theo Rochette picked up a pair of assists.
Pittsburgh struck first thanks to a SHG from Nicolas Robertson in the first period, while Brandsegg-Nygård scored Detroit's first goal of the preseason - and the first of seven on the night - with a one-timer from the right face-off circle soon afterward.
Detroit took a quick 3-1 lead early in the second period thanks to goals from Mason Appleton and Axel Sandin-Pellikka. Appleton buried a rebound past goaltender Arturs Silovs from in tight, while Sandin-Pellikka buried a one-timer from the top of the slot after taking a feed from Viktor Arvidsson 31 seconds later.
Despite the Penguins cutting Detroit's lead to one goal late in the second period, Detroit's offense roared back to life in the game's final frame.
Brandsegg-Nygård beat Silovs with a backhander off a rebound on the power play before Ondřej Becher added another goal by deflecting a Johansson shot into the net.
Wilmer Skoog then buried a rebound off a Sutter Muzzatti shot for Detroit's sixth goal, while Jesse Kiiskinen soon found the scoresheet after he redirected another Johansson shot.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh scored shortly after Detroit's fourth and seventh goals.
Silovs played the entire contest and allowed all seven goals; he made 16 saves. Pittsburgh native John Gibson played the first two periods for Detroit, stopping 22 shots, while Trey Augustine stopped six of eight shots in the third period.
The Red Wings, who are now halfway through the preseason slate, return home to face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday evening from Little Caesars Arena.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Yankees' long-shot hopes of winning the AL East were dashed after the Rays picked up the 6-1 win in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader.
New York mustered just three hits as they have lost three of their last four games.
Tampa Bay's victory clinches the division and the No. 1 seed in the American League playoffs.
Here are the takeaways....
-Max Fried tried to match his fellow southpaw from the first game, but just couldn't keep Tampa off the scoreboard. The Rays pushed across a run in the third on a Ryan Vilade groundout.
Tampa tacked on in the seventh, after Taylor Walls hit a bunt single to drive home Chandler Simpson from third base after the Rays started the inning with back-to-back singles. Yandy Diaz singled off of John Schreiber to drive in two runs, with Walls scoring the second run sliding headfirst into home. The call on the field was safe, and it stuck after a Yankees challenge, despite it looking like Walls was tagged before he touched the base.
Fried allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four.
-The story of this game was Fried's opponent, Drew Rasmussen. The AL Cy Young candidate pitched six no-hit innings, striking out 10 batters before Heliot Ramos led off the seventh with a double.
After Jazz Chisholm Jr. walked with two outs, Rasmussen was pulled. George Lombard Jr. delivered the team's first run with a single to score Ramos before Austin Wells grounded out to end the Yankees threat.
The Rays right-hander allowed one run on one hit and three walks across 6.2 innings while striking out 11 batters.
-The Yankees offense could not get to Tampa's bullpen. The combination of Kevin Kelly, Cam Booser and Bryan Baker got the final seven outs to end the game.
The same could not be said for the Yankees bullpen. Ryan Yarbrough and Michael Fulmer allowed two runs in the ninth on a Diaz two-run single, to put the game out of reach.
-Chisholm, who was activated from the IL ahead of Game 2, went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
Game MVP: Drew Rasmussen
Rasmussen mowed down the Yankees and kept any hopes of a comeback to a minimum.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 22: Atlanta pitcher JR Ritchie (60) pitches during the MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves on September 22nd, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Was this a hangover game? Or was it a post-hangover game, given the travel-related off day on Monday? Whatever the case, the Braves didn’t put up much of a fight as they dropped a fairly meaningless contest to the Reds by a score of 4-0.
If you want a positive from this game, look at JR Ritchie. Though he didn’t alter his pitch mix and attack sequence in the way I was hoping to see, he still eviscerated a weak Reds offense in what could qualify as his best start so far. Maybe he makes the playoff roster as a nine-batter-max lower leverage guy, but if he doesn’t, this was definitely something to build off of for the offseason.
Ritchie’s day was really pretty fun, especially in the early going. He struck out the side in the first (but also walked Elly De La Cruz). There were two more punchouts in the second, giving him a 5/1 K/BB ratio through his first nine batters. Things got a little dicier after that, as De La Cruz took him deep with two outs and none on in the third, followed by an errant walk, but he at least got a strikeout to end that frame. He collected two more strikeouts (and one more walk, again to De La Cruz) the rest of the way. His final line: an 8/3 K/BB ratio across 22 batters spanning five innings of work. His line included a sub-3.00 xFIP, his best in a multi-inning outing so far in his career, and far better than his MLB debut, which was his best start to date. (One homer allowed is also better than two.)
Nothing else of note really happened in this game, unless you want to be discouraged by the offense turning into the soporific version of itself once again. Owen Murphy relieved Ritchie and gave up two homers in three frames with a 1/0 K/BB ratio. Didier Fuentes breezed through his tune-up frame in the ninth.
The offense basically handed Brandon Williamson one of the best outings of his injury-interrupted career, and certainly his best since he was waylaid by shoulder and elbow problems in 2024. (Williamson had thrown just 58 innings from 2024-onward coming into tonight.) However, it wasn’t really all Williamson, or all paltry-Braves-offense, as Williamson managed just a 2/0 K/BB ratio, and the Braves had a .176 BABIP while he was in the game. There were multiple ripped balls right at infielders, and one barreled out.
The Braves actually kinda-sorta tried to rally once Williamson departed after six, but got nothing for it. The first two reached in the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate, but each of Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II, and Mauricio Dubon failed to do anything useful. Albies came into this game with a ghastly .280 xWOBA against southpaws, and an overperformance of that input that only puts him at a 99 wRC+ in a split he’s historically dominated, so batting him cleanup against a lefty isn’t really much of a flex these days. They actually loaded the bases to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Matt Olson in the eighth, but he fouled out. Harris had a barreled double in the ninth, but the other batters all made outs.
Worth noting too, perhaps, is that Ronald Acuña Jr. departed partway through this game after fouling a ball off his lower leg. He was seen jumping down the steps leading to the clubhouse, so it was more of a why push it sort of thing — but he might get a few days off just because, again, why push it.
So, nothing doing here, really. The series theoretically continues tomorrow as Chris Sale gets his pre-playoff tune-up.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Colton Gordon #36 and William Contreras #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers react after a two-RBI single by Bryson Stott #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies (not pictured) in the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park on September 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Entering the final week of the regular season, the biggest question for the Brewers is, “What is their plan for the rotation and the bullpen?”
Tonight, we often heard Jeff Levering and Bill Schroeder talk about this, and from the fourth inning on, the Brewers looked to have found their answer. But was Colton Gordon’s Brewers debut enough to sway the decision-makers for a spot on the playoff roster? Five innings of two-run ball on four hits, when most of that didn’t come until the bottom of the eighth inning, feels like he’d be worthy of a spot.
Pat Murphy gave us a taste of what is likely more to come in the pitching situations, especially during the postseason, as Dustin May threw the first two innings of the game. His outing wasn’t kind to him yet again, as he allowed a Brandon Marsh two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning.
Marsh’s home run came off the coat tails of Zach Wheeler striking out the first six Brewers of the game; the third of those was his 2,000th career strikeout. Following the home run from Marsh, Wheeler extended his strikeout streak to seven by cutting down Luis Lara to open the top of the third inning.
The Phillies put together a two-out rally, and with two on and two out, Alec Bohn smacked his 29th double to drive in their third run of the game to extend their lead to 3-0.
With Wheeler in complete control, the Crew needed to put together one of their signature innings, but before they could get there, they used a Garrett Mitchell lead-off single. Brice Turang followed with a single by himself, which set up William Contreras to drive in the Brewers’ first run of the game to make it 3-1.
Kyle Harrison made his first appearance coming out of the bullpen this evening, throwing just one inning where he allowed a run on three hits, striking out one. Even in a short spurt, Harrison didn’t look comfortable, continuing to raise concerns as a reliable arm in the postseason.
After Harrison’s departure, that made way for Gordon to make his first appearance in a Brewers uniform, and what an unexpected outing the Brewers received. Outside Cooper Pratt’s fielding error, Gordon was flawless, retiring the Phillies in order. His showing allowed the offense to find their groove in the top of the sixth. A single from David Hamilton and a walk from Jackson Chourio set up the Crew for a productive inning. Contreras drove in both runners with a base hit into left field to tie the game at 3-3.
Then the bottom of the eighth inning happened, raising another question of whether Gordon should’ve faced this lineup a second time through. Gordon was able to get Trea Turner and Bryce Harper out quickly to begin the bottom of the eighth inning, but Luis Arraez and Alec Bohm followed with a pair of singles. Bryson Stott made it three straight singles to make it 5-3 Phillies, as Garrett Mitchell’s throw to third hit Bohm (who may have kicked it), allowing Bohm to score and Stott to advance to second. Marsh then added some insurance as he doubled to center field to drive in their final run of the evening and make it 6-3.
The Crew didn’t put up much of a fight in the top of the ninth as Contreras and Jake Bauers struck out to open the inning. Extending the game was Christian Yelich, who walked, advanced on defensive indifference, and scored on a Lara base hit to make it 6-4. The game would end there, though, as Pratt grounded out to end it.
Yes, the Brewers offense looked bleak tonight, and the defense made some unusual throws, but they did face a consistent Cy Young Award-caliber player. Despite the loss, good news came out of Atlanta as the Braves lost to the Reds to give the Brewers a first-round bye.
Tomorrow night, they’ll face the right-hander Aaron Nola, as Logan Henderson will take the mound for (likely) the final time this season. The Crew still needs two more wins to reach 100, but has five games left to go with good arms yet to throw this week.
Jul 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) slides safely into second base as San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2) misses an errant throw during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jon Endow-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The playoff-bound Dodgers face the likely-playoff-bound Padres. Brock Stewart starts a bullpen game.
Dan Vladar, whose steady goaltending last season helped the Philadelphia Flyers end a five-year playoff drought, left a Tuesday, Sept. 22 NHL preseason game against the Boston Bruins with an injury and didn't return.
Vladar, 29, had reached out for a loose puck in the first period and Bruins forward Tanner Jeannot appeared to clip him as he skated by. The goalie lost his stick and Boston's Michael Eyssimont scored on a deflection of a shot from the point.
Vladar then skated to the bench and a trainer appeared to be looking at his arm. The Flyers later announced that he had an upper-body injury and wouldn't return to the game.
Vladar signed with the Flyers ahead of last season as a free agent and grabbed the No. 1 job with a 29-14-7 record, 2.42 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. Philadelphia beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs before losing in the second round.
The goalie signed a five-year, $27.5 million extension during the offseason.
Dan Vladar injury update
The Flyers said Vladar had an upper-body injury. He was replaced in net by Aleksei Kolosov in the 5-1 loss.
Coach Rick Tocchet had no postgame update, saying Vladar was being evaluated.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 11: Ryan Nembhard #9 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on July 11, 2026 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Candice Ward/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
For the second time in the last two months, Gonzaga Bulldogs point guard Ryan Nembhard has been traded. This time, the Atlanta Hawks shipped him off, along with guard Buddy Hield and cash, to the Charlotte Hornets for forward Dorian Finney-Smith, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charlotte plans to waive Nembhard, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, leaving the 23-year-old currently homeless. That doesn’t mean that the 5-11 primary ball handler won’t have many suitors with an open two-way spot, such as the favorite Denver Nuggets, plus the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, and Washington Wizards.
The Atlanta Hawks are trading Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash to the Charlotte Hornets for Dorian Finney-Smith, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/bf3zzlZgVK
In his rookie season, Nembhard averaged 6.6 points on a shooting split of 41.5 field goal percentage/35.6 three-point percentage/80.6 free throw percentage, 5.3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in 19.5 minutes across 60 appearances. He set an NBA rookie record with 23 assists in the Dallas Mavericks 2025-26 season finale against Chicago.
The undrafted lead guard, who has a way of controlling the floor and flow of any offense, averaged 8.0 points, 8.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks over two games with Dallas in the NBA Summer League, before dealing with an unknown illness that kept him out for the final three games.
Nembhard also competed with his home country of Canada during the third window of the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers over the summer.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 22: Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Robertson (14) scores a goal against Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) in the preseason NHL game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings on September 22, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Lineups
The Penguins bring out a lot of their big guns and mix in a bunch of players making preseason debuts in Bill Zonnon, Tomas Galvas with Markus and Liam Ruck getting in the lineup too.
Visiting Detroit brings a slightly better lineup tonight than Buffalo did last night, though it’s very much an early preseason road game type of roster.
Egor Chinakhov went to the penalty box for tripping, the Pens not only kill it off they get a goal. Nick Robertson scores on his first shot in a Pittsburgh jersey, bursting around forward Theo Rochette, driving to the net and lifting it past John Gibson. 1-0 Pens early.
Robertson gets tripped and draws a power play. Crosby, Malkin, Chinakhov, Rakell are out there, Sam Girard fills in for Erik Karlsson (not playing).
They don’t score, the following shift the Red Wings do. Arturs Silovs makes a great save but the Pens’ defensive structure is broken down. Detroit regroups and passes it around and tie the game.
🚨BRANDSEGG-NYGARD!!!🚨
Beautiful pass by Nate Danielson to set up MBN for the first goal of the preseason for the Red Wings and now we have a tie game!!!#LGRW#GoGRGpic.twitter.com/nLyGBUbH1Q
Crosby and Marco Kasper get tied up and slash each other enough to both take penalties. While at 4v4 the Red Wings score twice. First, Arturs Silovs coughs up a bad rebound that Mason Appleton bulls through Tomas Galvas to knock into the net. 2-1 Red Wings. They add another on a broken play, Malkin only got a piece of a centering pass, throwing off the timing for a Red Wing to quickly hammer home.
The Pens’ first line turns up the heat with a long shift of pressure. Ilya Solovyov and Sam Girard are all over the puck too. Eventually Girard sends the puck down to the net for Rickard Rakell, the Swede spins and shoots it in to narrow Detroit’s lead to 3-2.
Trey Augustine is in net for Detroit, Silovs remains in there for the Pens.
Rakell gets taken down and Pittsburgh gets their third power play of the night, which comes up empty for the third time.
More tempers flare, Carlile grabs a guy and drops the gloves and ends up with a double minor and 10 minute misconduct. Detroit scores on one of their power plays after Silovs leaves a rebound and Girard can’t clear it away. 4-2 game.
Kaeden Korczak gets on the board in his Pittsburgh debut, wristing in a long shot from the right side. 4-3.
Detroit re-establishes their two goal lead with a deflection goal. 5-3 with over 10 minutes to go.
More bad news, another huuuge rebound that’s kicked out and Chinakhov isn’t quick enough to get to it. 6-3.
The damage keeps coming, off an offensive zone faceoff for the Red Wings, they get a point shot through that hits Girard and flutters into the net. 7-3.
The Pens get one before time runs out. Pretty passing between the Rucks and Rutger McGroarty leads to an open net for the latter to score on. 7-4.
UNREAL PLAY FROM THE RUCK TWINS AND RUTGER MCGROARTY!
Beautiful steal from Liam Ruck, followed by an even prettier give-and-go between Markus Ruck and Rutger McGroarty!pic.twitter.com/DFllJQ1ZSX
It didn’t take Robertson long to flash. As we wrote this weekend, this addition could be a really big deal if the Pens can unlock his talent fully. In his size and quick skating, Robertson is reminiscent of a former Crosby winger in Conor Sheary from a decade ago. Unlike Sheary, whose hands often couldn’t keep up with his feet, Robertson has already demonstrated a higher degree of finishing ability – which was on display tonight. Gotta temper it a little bit but it’s hard to not see this as an exciting and encouraging possibility.
It was probably a lesson that didn’t need to be taught though nice to see Declan Carlile get the memo and charge in after a whistle when a Red Wing got a stick up and was jousting with Crosby after the whistle. He was really mad! The ref had to do the old hug and drag away, with Carlile still trying to get after anyone in red. Small but nice to see.
Tomas Galvas’ debut was unremarkable. He got caught on the ice for nearly a two minute shift on the first DRW goal, roving up in the zone at one point and unable to get possession back. Galvas got a lesson in NHL strength when the 6’2, 200 pound Mason Appleton drove through him to the net on the second DRW goal. Not the end of the world but doesn’t look particularly close to being an NHL regular at a first glance for preseason action.
Atley Calvert has a bit of the ‘Avery Hayes condition’ in him and by that I mean the more you see, the more there is to like. Calvert looks bigger on the ice than the 6’1, 196 he’s listed at. He skates very well. He’s positionally solid and always in the right spot, good along the boards. He’s never going to win a scoring title but is just a good player. Calvert’s surely Wilkes-Barre bound in the near future but he’s showing enough to wonder if there’s something more down the line.
Lowkey but it was smart to see the coaches stick with the Zonnon+Calvert partnership on a line tonight. The two played together extensively in the AHL playoff run last spring. That bit of familiarity had to help the 19-year old Zonnon in his first taste of NHL action. For his part, Zonnon was fine, though he too is clearly going to need a measure of time to grow his game and adapt to the pro speed.
It’s kinda crazy to think this is the fourth decade of Malkin’s life (teens, 20s, 30s and now 40s) that he’s worn a Penguin jersey. Quiet night for the elder statesman, though at one point he was backchecking hard and battling to successfully lift an opponent’s stick and win the puck back. Observing Malkin as long as we all have, seeing a high level of engagement is always a positive indicator of where his form is at.
The Ruck boys too in their first glimpse of NHL action, only getting a handful of shifts from the fourth line but made the most of it, Liam (the first round pick) grabbing two assists and Markus making a really nice play late to add one. Great to see them with Mikhail Ilyin, hopefully in about five years that could be a future NHL line if all the cards come together right. Long way between there and here, of course, just an idle September dream for what could be one day.
Not a very inspiring performance in net from Silovs, but then again the stakes couldn’t be lower. Seven goals on 23 shots is what it is. Besides the sheer quantity of allowing seven goals in a game, the only major problem I had was seeing the costly rebound on three of those goals- all too common a sight last season when his game wasn’t sharp. No need to stew or analyze it too much besides hoping to see him tighten up before next week.
Really liked what we saw out of Solovyov tonight. His moonlighting tonight in Karlsson’s spot suggests Solovyov is in-line to be the seventh defenseman, at least for the moment, and he played really well. Three shots on goal (always forget how active he is in the offensive zone). Two hits, a blocked shot and an assist (ironically he was more influential in the play where he DIDN’T get an assist officially). Solovyov doesn’t do anything great but he does a lot to a nice degree.
The best thing about any preseason game is when it’s over and now this one is in the history books. The Pens will bring a team on the road to play in Columbus on Thursday for their next one.
The Dodgers have Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell in the starting rotation.
But where will Tyler Glasnow fit in the team’s postseason plans?
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of a baseball game. Wally Skalij for CA Post
“If it is the wild-card series, I probably wouldn’t start in one of those games. So, I’d probably be in the bullpen. And then the first series last year, we had four starters ,so I might be in that one,” Glasnow told Chris Rose.
“So I think it’s just going to be like a all-hands-on-deck situation, which I prefer.”
Tyler Glasnow says he'll most likely start and pitch in relief in the postseason pic.twitter.com/eBLJEdlEpe
Glasnow played a versatile role for the Dodgers last October, sporting a 1.69 ERA in the postseason. He will likely be another multifaceted pitcher for the Dodgers in the playoffs.
Since his arrival to LA, the right-hander has never made it through a regular season without injury. While the 2026 season was no different, Glasnow is coming off a bounce-back start just before the regular season concludes.
The right-hander tossed six innings of two-run baseball with 10 strikeouts. It was a much improved performance from his previous start in Miami, where Glasnow allowed four earned runs in four innings.
With Shohei Ohtani’s absence in the rotation, Glasnow’s health is even more crucial heading into October. It appears the right-hander is feeling good and prepared to take on any role the Dodgers ask of him in the postseason.
“I think I feel relatively consistent. It’s just a matter of sometimes I’m not going to feel good, sometimes I will,” Glasnow said after his last start against the Giants.
“Today, I think it was a step in the right direction. I think it’s better than feeling really good for a long time before [the playoffs]. I’d rather kind of feel it, work through some stuff and have a good one right before [the] playoffs. So I think I’m in a good spot right now.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow gets a new baseball against the San Francisco Giants. Wally Skalij for CA PostLos Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow walks off the mound during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 22: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals rounded the bases after hitting a solo home run in the second inning during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Izzy Rincon/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a convincing victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night, the Tigers looked to win their penultimate series of the season on Tuesday night. They’d have to wait another day to try for that, though, as they went down to defeat by a 3-1 score.
Drew Anderson made the start for the Tigers, and he’s been fairly solid recently as a member of the rotation. He’ll usually give you five innings and won’t let things get out of hand; his previous start in Toronto saw him complete five innings and give up a scant pair of hits with nary a run surrendered. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of him next year: rotation, bullpen, why not both?
Making the start for the Nationals was Riley Cornelio, a rookie righty who’s mostly pitched out of the bullpen but has made some starts lasting a handful of innings; he probably wasn’t going to go the distance (not that anyone does these days), as he was going to open for lefty, and fellow rookie, Jackson Kent. Cornelio’s been up-and-down between Triple-A Rochester and Washington a lot, and he was recalled for the fourth time on September 2.
Cornelio’s first inning was very up-and-down: he started off by walking Gleyber Torres on four four-seam fastballs that were nowhere close to the plate, then got two strikeouts. Eduardo Valencia then battled Cornelio for eleven pitches before hitting a 415-foot fly ball to the warning track in right-centrefield for the third out. Remember: Comerica 5/3 giveth, and Comerica 5/3 taketh away.
Washington got on the board in the second with a CJ Abrams leadoff home run just a bit farther than Valencia’s flyout, making it 1-0. (Narrator: he wasn’t done.)
In the bottom of the second, Max Clark singled with one out, and was picked off — he was initially called safe, but after an insanely long replay, that call was overturned.
Cornelio lasted until two outs in the third, giving way to Kent with Hao-Yu Lee on first after a walk. Kevin McGonigle hit a ground-rule double which forced Lee to stop at third; Valencia followed that, sadly, by swinging at strike three in the dirt for the final out, stranding the duo.
In the top of the fourth with one out, Clark made a heck of a nice running catch.
The Tigers got a pair on in the bottom of the fourth as well, via a leadoff double by Ben Malgeri and a one-out Spencer Torkelson walk. Alas, Javier Báez hit a grounder to second to start an inning-ending double play, and Detroit stayed off the scoreboard.
Meanwhile, aside from the solo home run, Anderson was absolutely rolling: after Abrams’ home run and a single following that, he shut the Nationals down very effectively, with a stingy pitch count. He had great command of a whole boatload of pitches, retiring thirteen in a row before James Wood singled with two outs in the sixth. Also, the sixth ended on another nice catch by Clark.
McGonigle led off the bottom of the sixth by striking out, but he reached first on the ol’ third-strike passed ball. He was erased on a fielder’s choice grounder by Valencia to third (which would’ve been a double play if the throw to first hadn’t sailed a mile wide). Valencia himself was erased at second on a Malgeri bouncer to first, but Malgeri scooted all the way to third when Clark singled to right. He came home on a wild pitch to tie the game 1-1, with Clark moving up to second.
Torkelson walked again, but Báez flew out to centre and the score remained knotted at ones.
Abrams struck again in the top of the seventh, though: with Dylan Crews on second, he mashed another long home run on a meatball of a changeup to make it 3-1. That was the end of Anderson’s day, and his final line slightly belied how well he pitched for most of it: 6+ innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, no walks, 5 strikeouts. Heck, if you take out those two home runs by Abrams, that’s a heck of a start… but the last time I checked, that sort of thing is not allowed. Tyler Kinley came on and got the next three outs in fairly quick order.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh the Tigers got another pair of runners on via singles by Lee and McGonigle. That wast the end of Kent’s outing, and righty Jack Sinclair was brought in to face Valencia; he hit a soft grounder to second and that was the end of the inning.
Brant Hurter came on for the eighth and gave up a single and a stolen base but that was all. Beau Brieske was brought in for the ninth and he did exactly the same. The Nationals stole three bases on the evening, and no, Dillon Dingler was not behind the plate, thanks for asking.
Erik Tolman, the visitors’ fourth rookie pitcher of the evening, pitched the ninth. He had some trouble with either his cleats or the pitching rubber, slipping a couple of times. Lee walked with two out; during the at-bat he swung awkwardly and may have strained something in his leg, so Zach McKinstry pinch-ran for him. McGonigle very nearly hit a double right down the left-field line, but he ended up striking out to end the game and Tolman earned his fourth save of the year.
Hao-Yu Lee (who would probably refer to himself as Lee Hao-Yu, using their naming convention), has had one heck of a nice rookie season: 340 plate appearances, .268 batting average, 10 home runs, .757 OPS (110 OPS+), coming into tonight.
Interesting lineup construction tonight: Gleyber Torres led off, and was followed by five rookies. You don’t see that every day.
I can’t be the only one who thought about Beavis and Butt-Head when reading Riley Cornelio’s name. I get it, Riley: you’ve heard it before. Sorry, pal.
Happy 137th birthday to former Tigers pitcher George “Hooks” Dauss. I’ll give you one guess as to which of his pitches was really good. Also, happy much-less-than-that birthday to my dad; no idea if he ever had a curveball of note.
It's no surprise that ever since twins Liam and Markus Ruck were selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2026 NHL Draft, they've been inseparable - both literally and figuratively, in person and in print.
But starting now, their developmental journey will begin to differentiate even the smallest bit.
Both Rucks were invited to NHL training camp and, subsequently, had the opportunity to play on the same line in Pittsburgh's second pre-season game, which came against the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday.
Even though both still plan to play together for Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL - barring they don't make the NHL roster and sign entry-level contracts - next season and then head to the University of North Dakota in 2027-28, Markus is excited to tap into who he is as an all-around player even more, both in tandem with Liam and individually.
And that includes unleashing his shot more.
"For sure. I want to be an all-around player that can do whatever," Markus said. "I don't just want to be known as a passer because guys will start picking those off and reading the pass. So, I'm definitely working on that, and I want to be able to do both."
Of course, he is referring to his reputation as a playmaker, while Liam has developed a reputation as the shooter. As a tandem for Medicine Hat last season, they were first and second in WHL scoring, with Markus posting 21 goals and 108 points to Liam's 45 goals and 104 points.
Markus has a shot that can pop, too, and he plans to use it more as he develops. But, in general, he also wants to continue developing his all-around game, which he believes presents the best path to becoming an effective player at higher levels of hockey.
"That's always really important for me," Markus said. "Just the little details, not cheating the game at all. There will be times where, you know, higher-point guys in leagues will cheat the game a bit, and I definitely want to focus on not doing that and just playing the right way."
And training camp has provided an excellent opportunity for him to hone some of those skills. He has been on Team 3 - the prospect group - for the duration of camp, and he earned an opportunity to suit up in that pre-season game with his brother due to some of those details he showcased within his game. He mentioned that the coaching staff has been very helpful in helping him learn the nuances of the NHL game that aren't necessarily present in lower levels.
In general, there are few better places to learn some of those details than Pittsburgh, too - whether on-ice or off-ice details - considering the NHL veteran players he is sharing the ice and the locker room with during training camp in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson.
"It's really cool seeing those guys in person," Markus said. "Those are the guys that I grew up watching and idolizing. Seeing them around the rink and what they do to take care of their body or how they eat, I'm trying to pick up things like that because they're, obviously, some of the best to ever do it."
He added: "It's unbelievable. There's tons of great players out here and so many staff members that are willing to help out. It's really cool, it's something that I've always dreamed of, to be in this situation. So, I've been having lots of fun and learning a lot."
Both Markus and Liam join a crop of Penguins' prospects who both fans and the organization have high hopes for. There is a lot of belief that the prospects currently developing can help usher in a new wave of talent - and winning - for the NHL club beyond the years of Crosby.
And Markus is excited to be included as part of it all.
"There's tons of great young players here, and the staff, the organization, has done a great job of bringing in lots of great players and good people, too," he said. "It's exciting, and going forward, I think the future is bright here.
"I'm excited to be a part of it, and I've been working towards it every day to, hopefully, help his team win in the future."
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks back during the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on August 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — It’s the final week of the regular season and the Dodgers are sorting things out as they prepare for the postseason, which they hope will start on October 3 in the National League Division Series rather than September 29 in the wild card round.
Before Tuesday’s game, Blake Snell pitched a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium as he works his way back from leaving last Wednesday’s start with left groin discomfort. Manager Dave Roberts said Snell is in line to start on Saturday in San Francisco against the Giants, with Tarik Skubal — currently on the bereavement list — starting Friday night at Oracle Park.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto starts Wednesday and Tyler Glasnow Thursday against the Padres.
Also on Tuesday, reliever Will Klein pitched a simulated inning against Dalton Rushing in a battle of players on the injured list. Klein is on the 60-day injured list with elbow discomfort and not eligible to be activated until September 30 at the earliest, but it looks like he’ll be in the stay-hot camp should the Dodgers have room to add him at some point later in the postseason, similar to in 2025 when Klein wasn’t active until the World Series and he pitched five scoreless innings, including four innings in the marathon Game 3.
“With Will it’s more get healthy, show that you’re healthy, throw to some hitters,” Roberts said. “He’ll throw during the week off, then we’ll kind of see if there’s an opportunity later on in the postseason, sort of like last year.”
Rushing is trying to work his way back from elbow discomfort suffered when practicing throwing. His role would be a left-handed bat off the bench, a role currently occupied by Josue De Paula, who has been the designated hitter with Shohei Ohtani out. But Ohtani is expected to be activated Wednesday barring an unforeseen setback.
That essentially sets up a battle between Rushing and De Paula for a postseason roster spot, though Roberts said the plan is to activate Rushing at some point this week to literally get back into the swing of things.
“Quality of at-bat, conducting an at-bat obviously, the ability to swing at strikes, take balls, get on base, get a hit. There’s potential slug with both guys. I think it’s a good debate,” Roberts said. “Hitting off the bench is very difficult so we’re trying to figure out who gives us the best chance.
“And to be quite frank, it’s going to be tougher for Dalton given the time he’s missed, and to think that you have [three] games to get back into playoff form, it’s tough to do. It’s not a knock on him, he’s been great for us, but it’s still tough, right, Given that we talk about having the consistency of at-bats recently from Josue. But we have to have those conversations and make a decision.”
Activating both Ohtani and Rushing this week, when the Dodgers have 14 active position players, would require two corresponding moves to make room on the active roster. If De Paula doesn’t get sent down — “I think Josue has done a fantastic job,” Roberts said Tuesday — that might mean rough news for Alexes Call and Freeland, either this week or next.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 16: Anthony Molina #45 of the San Francisco Giants delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium on September 16, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this three-game home series against the Minnesota Twins tonight.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Anthony Molina, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.91 ERA, 2.88 FIP, with 23 strikeouts to five walks in 23 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals last Wednesday, in which he allowed just two hits and a walk with six strikeouts in five and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Twins right-hander Taj Bradley, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.81 ERA, 3.86 FIP, with 199 strikeouts to 73 walks in 172.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Twins’ 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels last Thursday, in which he allowed three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and a walk in seven innings.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Jared Jones #17 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on September 22, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tuesday night started as an old school pitcher’s duel as the Cardinals Andre Pallante and the Pirates Jared Jones were throwing a lot of balls that were missing bats. Ultimately, it would be the Pittsburgh and St. Louis bullpens that would decide the winner. The lack of Cardinals offense combined with an epic start by Pirates pitcher Jared Jones would all but seal the deal.
The first real scoring opportunity wouldn’t come until the bottom of the 4th inning when Pittsburgh would load the bases in a somewhat unusual way. With one out, Bryan Reynolds would reach on catcher’s interference. After Oneil Cruz grounded out on a dribbler in front of home plate (thanks to a successful St. Louis challenge), Pallante walked Flores Jr. giving the Pirates runners at first and second. Ryan O’Hearn then hit a hard grounder to Thomas Saggese at third base who seemed to stop the ball with his body, but was then unable to tag out Reynolds who was running to third and also couldn’t manage to get a throw off to first base. Fortunately for the Cardinals, Simon grounded out with the bases loaded to end the Pittsburgh scoring threat.
While Andre Pallante was shutting the Pirates down while pitching out of the occasional jam, Jared Jones of the Pirates was perfect through the first 5 innings. The Cardinals had no hits or baserunners going into the top of the 6th inning. The first Cardinals hit and baserunner was Nathan Church who managed to barely slap a ball out of the reach of the Pirates third baseman Gonzales that Church turned into a one-out double. Unfortunately, St. Louis could not turn that into a run as Masyn Winn lined out to first and JJ Wetherholt struck out.
The Pirates would break the scoreless tie in the bottom of the 6th inning when Oneil Cruz drew a one-out walk. He advanced to second on a groundout by Flores Jr and then scored when Ryan O’Hearn singled to left making it 1-0 Pittsburgh. That would end Andre Pallante’s night as he gave the Cardinals a strong 6 full innings allowing just 3 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 2 and walking 2.
After the Cardinals went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 7th inning, Justin Bruihl started the bottom of the 7th inning, but didn’t finish it. He walked Horwitz to start the inning which almost always leads to trouble. One out later, Konnor Griffin singled to left-center for his second hit of the game giving the Pirates runners at first and second with one out. Horwitz advanced to third as Lowe flied out to center for the second out. Manager Oli Marmol decided to bring in Cade Winquest to face Bryan Reynolds. After Winquest jumped out to an 0-2 count on Reynolds, he bounced the third pitch in the dirt which scored Horwitz for the second Pittsburgh run making it 2-0 Pirates after 7 innings.
Jared Jones of the Pirates pitched an amazing game. Pittsburgh pulled him after he completed 7 innings allowing just one hit, no runs and striking out 9 while walking no one. He was replaced by former Cardinal Luke Weaver. Other than giving up a walk to Thomas Saggese, he had no real problems shutting the Cardinals down in the top of the 8th inning.
Cade Winquest stayed in the game to start the bottom of the 8th inning. He gave up a leadoff double to Bryan Reynolds to start the inning as Pittsburgh looked poised to add to their lead. However, Winquest got Cruz to flyout to center and then struck out Flores Jr. for the second out. Cade then struck out O’Hearn to end the Pirates threat.
The Cardinals would have to hope that their bats would awaken in the top of the 9th as Masyn Winn was leading it off. The Pirates brought in Gregory Soto to close out St. Louis. Instead, he issued a 4-pitch walk to Winn bringing up Pennsylvania native JJ Wetherholt as the potential tying run. JJ worked the count full, but ended up striking out watching a 98 mph sinker go over the middle of the plate for the first out. Iván Herrera was next for St. Louis and he also worked the count full before he struck out swinging for the second out. Herrera struck out 4 times Tuesday night. That left the game in the hands of Alec Burleson who flew out on the first pitch he saw for the final out of the game.
Final score – Pirates 2, Cardinals 0
The St. Louis Cardinals will do battle with the Bucs again at PNC Park Wednesday night. Matthew Liberatore is the scheduled starter for the Cardinals Wednesday night while the Pirates have yet to announce their starter. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin’s tenure as New South Wales coach began in stunning fashion with the Blues knocking off Queensland’s monster total of 358 with an over to spare at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field on Tuesday night.
Top Scoring Griffins Scorer Included In Latest Red Wings Roster Trim The Detroit Red Wings continued to trim their roster as the start date of the 2026-27 NHL regular season draws closer. 
