Category: Sports News

After the game, Connelly Early said the mound is a place of peace for him. For the first time in three months, Early was back in his happy place and on a big league mound. He may be wearing a different uniform now, but the sense of joy he gets by being on the mound has not changed.

Early’s love for the game is a big reason why he wanted to get back on the mound before the season was over. He was not able to fully build back up, but Connelly Early felt good and was ready to take the mound on a pitch count. 

Overall, the day could not have gone much better for him. Early threw three scoreless innings, only allowing one hit and striking out one batter in the process. He was pounding the strike zone and showed off his full arsenal. Early’s one strikeout came on a nasty sweeper to A.J. Ewing.

Connelly Early records his first K in a Nationals uniform. Good for him man https://t.co/DM3wpRBzOgpic.twitter.com/1GkjraXpMI

— 𝕽𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓'𝖘 𝕽𝖊𝖎𝖌𝖓 (@RomansReign617) September 26, 2026

One of the best parts about Early is the fact that he has so many weapons. With all the options he has, there should always be at least a couple pitches he can turn to. In this outing, Early said his stuff was “alright”. He thought his shapes were in a good spot, but thought his command left a bit to be desired. Early said he could have worked at the top of the zone with his fastball more effectively. 

Even without elite execution, Early was still able to get through the Mets lineup pretty easily. He did a great job generating soft contact and got whiffs when he needed to. This outing by Early made me really excited to see what he can do next season.

While the command of his changeup was not great today, the pitch popped on stuff models. With a very low spin rate and lots of movement, the pitch is absolutely filthy. If he can command that pitch better next season, I think it can be an elite swing and miss offering.

Holy change-piece, Connelly! pic.twitter.com/Qv6XZC0KH8

— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) September 26, 2026

Moving forward, one of Early’s goals is to stay durable. He mentioned that he has not been able to make it through a full MLB season and that is a goal of his for next year. Blake Butera mentioned that Early could stand to put on a little more muscle and that could help him add velocity.

Despite being fairly established after this year, Early is still just 24 years old. As a young pitcher, there is still plenty of room for growth. That is what makes the organization so excited about Early. They clearly view him as a major piece moving forward. Obviously they would not trade a player like Curtis Mead if they thought otherwise. However, it is also in the way they talk about Early.

When I asked Blake Butera what surprised him about Early after getting to know him, he talked about his maturity and confidence. Butera can just see that confidence in the way Early walks around and interacts with his teammates.

After this season, that confidence is only natural. In his rookie year, Early finished with a 3.33 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 94.1 innings. Despite missing time with injury, this was still a very positive season for the 24 year old.

Connelly Early finishes his 2026 season with a 3.33 ERA. A huge building block for next year.

Goes 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

— Nats.Talk (@TalkNats) September 26, 2026

Getting Early back on the mound was a big positive for the Nats. It would have been tough to wait the whole offseason and potentially longer to see the prize of Paul Toboni’s first deadline. Outings like this show you why Toboni traded a bat like Curtis Mead, who he loved. The best is still yet to come for Early. He may not show much emotion, but he feels a sense of joy and comfort on the mound. Hopefully he can make the Nationals Park mound home for years to come.

Rangers 6, Twins 2

• On Saturday, we got a reminder of what the Rangers can look like when they are playing well.
• Nathan Eovaldi making his first start since early August, giving the Rangers 4.1 with just one run allowed. The bullpen preserving the lead over 4.2 innings. The offense putting up a big inning early, then adding in a couple of homers to pad the lead. The defense making big plays.
• The Rangers kept their playoff hopes alive with the win, have pushed it to the final game of the season. They no longer control their own destiny — that went by the wayside in the loss to the Mets on Tuesday — but they have nonetheless hung in. The last game of the regular season will matter for Texas.
• And I sit here and think of Saturday’s performance, and ask, why couldn’t they have done this a couple more times this year, have played well enough in just a couple more games that would have meant a win instead of a loss, have clinched the division already and soaked the visitor’s clubhouse in Minnesota in champagne and be able to relax and treat Sunday’s game as an exhibition of sorts and prepare for the Wild Card series next week.
• Amusingly, it was Nicky Lopez who got things started in the second inning when the Rangers took the lead. The Twins had scored a run in the bottom of the first, on the heels of Bailey Ober needing just six pitches to set down the Rangers in the top of the first. Jake Burger and Ezequiel Duran went down swinging to start the second. It wasn’t feeling great.
• And then Nicky Lopez doubled, giving the Rangers a runner in scoring position. Danny Jansen singled him home to tie the game. Evan Carter, Alejandro Osuna and Brandon Nimmo followed that up with doubles, and suddenly, it was a 4-1 Ranger lead, fueled by the bottom of the lineup.
• Eovaldi didn’t allow a run after the first, in no small part by a diving catch by Brandon Nimmo on a two out line drive by Kody Clements with two on and two out in the third, a play that, if not made, would have made it a 4-3 game with the Twins still batting.
• Instead, Minnesota’s rally was shut down, and Danny Jansen punctuated that with an upper deck homer into the left field stands.
• Jake Burger added a homer in the fifth, making it 6-1, and the Rangers’ lead was never really threatened after that.
• The win was punctuated by Jacob Latz striking out the side in the ninth, in what I’m hoping wasn’t the last appearance Latz will make in a game this year.
• And so here we are, season on the line, the Rangers — of course — being one game under .500, a mark they’ve seemingly been at for half the season.
• Win, and the Rangers are a .500 team for the season, and give themselves a chance at the postseason.
• Isn’t baseball fun?
• Nathan Eovaldi touched 94.0 mph with his fastball, averaging 93.2 mph. Robert Garcia touched 94.9 mph with his fastball. Jakob Junis’s fastball reached 93.9 mph. Tyler Alexander hit 92.6 mph with his sinker. Jacob Latz’s fastball maxed out at 96.7 mph.
• Brandon Nimmo had a 108.2 mph double. Corey Seager had a 106.4 mph single, a 102.5 mph fly out and a 101.6 mph fly out. Alejandro Osuna had a 106.3 mph single and a 103.9 mph line out. Jake Burger had a 105.5 mph home run. Ezequiel Duran had a 102.3 mph single and a 100.9 mph single. Danny Jansen had a 101.4 mph home run. Evan Carter had a 100.3 mph double.
• 161 down. One to go.

We’ll know exactly what the Red Sox postseason roster will look like soon enough. But since half of New England is under water right now and there was no Red Sox game yesterday to discuss, let’s talk about it anyway.

Thanks to the injuries to Willson Contreras and Mickey Gasper, there are an uncomfortable number of question marks in the roster at this point. We don’t even know who the starting first baseman will be.

For this exercise, I’m assuming that Contreras isn’t healthy enough to make the cut. I’m also assuming the Sox carry 14 position players and 12 pitchers, which is what most teams do in the Wild card round.

Let’s take a look.

Catchers

2 Locks: Adley Rutschman, Connor Wong

The Mikey Gasper injury is bad for Red Sox fans and for fans of the poetry of baseball. But for Connor Wong, it may be the thing that got him onto the playoff roster.

Infielders

4 Locks: Caleb Durbin, Trevor Story, Nick Sogard, Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Question Marks: Romy Gonzalez, Andruw Monasterio, Curtis Mead, Nate Eaton

With Mickey Gasper having been ruled out and Willson Contreras looking unlikely, the infield bats are suddenly looking pretty weak. And while the importance of defense can be magnified in October, I’m not sure a glove-first infield of Durbin-Story-IKF-Sogard has enough offensive juice in it to take on the Yankees.

Romy Gonzalez has not contributed to this Red Sox season at all. But he’s healthy, he has produced in AAA, and with the Yankees’ tough lefties, he’s needed more than ever. Remarkably, Romy is going to be the primary first baseman this series. And if the 2026 Red Sox have any magic fairy dust left, look for him to be the one sprinkled with it.

I’m expecting Monasterio to make the cut but probably not contribute in any way while Sogard and IKF split duties at second. Nate Eaton’s speed and defensive flexibility make him a mighty tempting option for the last spot on the roster, but he might get passed over in favor of a surprising outfield option.

Outfielders

5: Locks:Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Jaren Duran, Jahmai Jones

Question Marks: Braiden Ward, Nate Eaton

Jones, Anthony, and Duran will cycle through the DH/LF spots.

Does Braiden Ward get the final roster spot and make his MLB debut in the postseason? He’s the closest thing the organization has to a guaranteed stolen base, and as Red Sox fans know, sometimes you really, really need a stolen base in October.

Starting Pitchers

3 Locks: Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez

This is only part of the roster that is written in stone. Thankfully, it’s the most important part of the roster.

Relief Pitchers

6 Locks: Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock,Tyron Guerrero, Brayan Bello, Erik Miller, Greg Weissert

Question Marks: Jake Bennett, Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Jovani Moran, Alec Gamboa, Jedixson Paez, Raymond Burgos

In a short series you don’t need too many arms. The Sox could probably get away with just 8 relievers, but they put 9 relievers on the Wild Card roster last year, so let’s assume they will again this year. That leaves just 3 spots from that group of question marks — and, man, question marks is absolutely the right term to use here.

The left-handed middle relief looks like a potential problem. Jake Bennett got his first taste of bullpen work on Friday and it went down smooth. Given his contributions to the team this year, I think he’ll get the nod. But I’m not sure how the team will use him. He has no experience as a true, one-inning reliever and, since he’ll be called on to start in the next round should they advance, he’ll need to keep his arm stretched out to some degree.

Miller, Gamboa, Moran, and Burgos all have their issues. Miller and Moran have gotten the bulk of the innings, but can we trust either one of them to throw strikes when it counts? If you can’t — and if you’re not sure about using Bennett to get one tough lefty in a tight spot as opposed to throwing multiple innings — then who do you turn to? Maybe there really is a non-romantic need for Garrett Crochet on this roster after all. I’m giving the final three spots to Bennett, Moran, and Crochet. Let’s see what you got in the tank, big man.

As late as Saturday afternoon, the Cubs still had a chance to host Wild Card Series games. Or go to Atlanta to play the Braves.

With the Padres’ win over the Diamondbacks Saturday evening in San Diego, they clinched the top wild card spot over the Cubs. That was San Diego’s 90th win of the year, and the Cubs can now max out at 89 if they win Sunday against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field.

Thus this year’s first postseason series for the Cubs will be a rematch of last year’s series against the Padres, except the venue moves to Petco Park instead of being hosted by the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won two of three from the Padres in San Diego in April, for whatever that’s worth. Those two wins were the first two of the Cubs’ first 10-game winning streak earlier this year.

So in the end, Sunday’s Cubs/Red Sox game is now meaningless. I would expect the Cubs to rest some regular players and use some relievers who aren’t the high-leverage guys. At the time of this post (8 a.m. CT), neither the Cubs nor the Red Sox had announced a starting pitcher, and it’s possible both teams go with a bullpen game. As always, we await developments.

We got a bit more clarity on some other postseason positioning after Saturday’s games.

In American League games Saturday, the Guardians defeated the Royals and the White Sox lost to the Rockies. Those results clinched the AL Central title for the Guardians and dropped the White Sox into the No. 6 American League seed. Thus Cleveland gets a first-round bye and the White Sox will play the AL West winner on the road.

That winner has yet to be determined. The Astros and Rangers both won Saturday and are tied atop the AL West at 80-81. If they remain tied after Sunday’s games, Houston owns the tiebreaker and will be the AL West champion. Otherwise the team with the better record between Houston and Texas will win that division and host the White Sox in a Wild Card Series. Whoever wins will have the worst record for any division champion in MLB history. This has raised questions about seeding for the postseason, but that’s a topic for another day.

The last undecided Wild Card spot is the No. 6 seed in the National League. The Phillies got blown out by the Rays 12-1 Saturday and are 87-74. As noted above, the Diamondbacks lost to the Padres and are 86-75. If Philadelphia and Arizona are tied at 87-75 after Sunday’s games, the D-backs get the postseason spot because of the second tiebreaker, intradivisional record (they and the Phillies split their season series 3-3). If the Phillies win Sunday, they get the postseason berth. Whoever takes this spot will travel to Atlanta to face the Braves in a best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday.

None of the Wild Card Series games have starting times yet; I’ll post the full schedule when it’s available, likely this evening.

The St. Louis Cardinals outperformed expectations based on preseason projections but as the season went on, I admit to being disappointed in this season finishing below .500. While it may not have made much difference in the overall standings, the young Cardinals left plenty of meat on the bone in the win column this year. The fWAR numbers tell a different story, but the pitching was the culprit more often than not.

Bullpens are a coin flip the majority of the time, especially in a rebuild, but there seemed to be times the relief corps was treated unfairly. The lack of interest in churning the 12th and 13th pitching spots over to avoid an overworked and seemingly always taxed bullpen. This will likely be addressed in a different way during a contention window, so I am not ready to get too upset over it just yet.

In the starting rotation, opportunities were given according to plan it seems. Dustin May was always going to be a trade piece at the deadline to give way to whichever prospect was knocking on the door. Richard Fitts was injured early, so that put Hunter Dobbins in the spot, who was then lost for the year with elbow surgery. Those injuries along with Matthew Liberatore’s poor year in the rotation mean that there are a couple spots up for grabs in 2027.

Quinn Mathews leads the way in the Cardinals’ future rotation competition

As things stand at the end of the 2026 season, next year’s rotation guarantees spots to Andre Pallante, Kyle Leahy, and Michael McGreevy. Dobbins was the early lock for the fourth spot, but he will be out most or all of next seasons.There has been little update on Fitts, so the final two spots in the rotation need to be figured out.

Quinn Mathews has gotten the biggest opportunity in the season’s final stretch and has taken full advantage. After last night’s five inning start against the Brewers, Mathews finishing his major league season giving up three runs or fewer in eight of his nine starts. In nearly 50 big league innings, we got the full Mathews experience with strikeouts, walks, unhittable stretches, and the longball. According to Jeff Jones, manager Oliver Marmol said that Mathews will be the McGreevy of this season and is penciled into the rotation.

Oli Marmol this afternoon did not push back much on the idea that Quinn Mathews exits this season in much the same place Michael McGreevy exited last season. That is to say, if not an incumbent in the rotation entering spring, just a whisper short. Team feels he's earned that.

— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) September 26, 2026

That still keeps a young rotation that has some upside, but currently lacks a true veteran presence. In what is an attempt at a power ranking for the fifth starting spot, I would rank tradable free agent signee as the leader in the clubhouse. In some world, that could become Dustin May again (how fun), but I also hope the Cardinals get someone with a little more long-term potential. The 2027 season could either be really fun or really painful, so getting a veteran outside of the top-five free agents would be a move I would like to see considered.

Younger arms are probably outside of this spot for St. Louis as those pitchers are more expensive and looking for long-term deals that the Cardinals may not be able to offer. Without looking too far into the free agent list or expected contracts, some names that pop up are Shane Bieber, Patrick Sandoval, Michael Soroka, and Griffin Canning. Not a super interesting list, but potentially a better fit for the 2027 version of the Cardinals.

Beyond FATBNL, the Cardinals would probably like to go internal (cheap) and give a reliever a chance at the rotation or give lower-profile Triple-A arms tryout opportunities. For the relieve transition, the obvious candidate is Gordon Graceffo, who has basically followed Kyle Leahy’s career usage to a T. He has been on a starter’s regimen more recently than when Leahy began his shift, so if Graceffo earns the spot, I would be interested to follow his innings restriction in comparison to Leahy’s.

I think the #STLCards already know who their next Kyle Leahy is

The usage trend for Gordon Graceffo is near identical to Leahy's before his move to the rotation pic.twitter.com/7Vypv6cPE3

— Scott Plaza (@MrPlaztastic17) September 22, 2026

To cheat and stick with the reliever shift, Cooper Hjerpe will also be in consideration, but I believe he is the leading candidate for the Quinn Mathews treatment this year. Hjerpe missed time with injury and struggled with command in the same way that Mathews did last season. Because of that, I could see him very easily being rotation option six for when there is an extended opportunity in the big league staff.

Sticking with the lower profile options, Cade Winquest could also be an option in the same way that Brycen Mautz may figure into the team’s plans. They could enter spring training in a theoretical competition for the rotation but both become larger pieces of the relief corps instead. The reason I stuck with guys in this tier rather than some more upside prospects is because of the 2027 lockout/work stoppage/strike/whatever is on tap. I would think Jurrangelo Cintnje, Ixan Henderson, and Mason Molina will compete in some way once there is clarity on minor league options and 40-man placement.

There is plenty that can change with this list, but hopefully with the offseason approaching, we will not hear any injury news to cloud their availability for 2027. The biggest question mark is probably the lockout, and I refuse to pay much attention until the season is in jeopardy. In my naivety, I will treat my offseason wishes as if the season is to happen on schedule and that is going to figure into my thoughts and preferences.

The pitching will be one of the larger stories and what the team does with Matthew Liberatore will start to clear some pictures. Libby could easily be in the competition as well and he always shows a flash of something right after I personally write him off.

Let me know your pitching wish list for the offseason and who you want to see round out to the rotation. Thanks as always, it was a pleasure riding the 2026 roller coaster with you!

Alright, it really does come down to today. It shouldn’t, but it does. The Phillies’ magic number is down to 1 and they need either a win or an Arizona loss to back into the playoffs, whether you want them to or not.

So what happens?

Let’s make sure we’re like yesterday and keep the profanity down, but where do we see this finishing? Are the Phillies in the playoffs or are they going home? At least they have Zack Wheeler on the mound to finish it out.

Meet the Mets

In the penultimate game of a season to forget, the Mets had themselves a satisfying 7-1 victory over the Nationals. Jonah Tong pitched five innings of one-run ball while striking out nine, and the Amazins slugged three homers—including two from Ronny Mauricio, one from both sides of the plate.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, NY Post, Daily News, Faith and Fear in Flushing

The first pitch of today’s game has been moved up to 1:05 pm due to the weather forecast.

Yesterday’s Mets lineup had an unusual name at shortstop, as Brett Baty received his first career start at the position.

The Mets optioned Jefry Yan yesterday and called up Chayce McDermott.

Tong’s development has continued through the ups and downs of this year, and he will have to battle for a spot on next year’s team.

Kodai Senga heads into the offseason with some uncertainty about his future role with the Mets.

X-rays on Juan Soto’s hand thankfully came back negative after he was hit by a pitch and removed from yesterday’s game.

Francisco Lindor knows his 2026 season can’t become his new normal.

“He’s been great, probably my favorite manager to play for,” said Bo Bichette about Andy Green. The installment of Green as the permanent manager may play a role in Bichette’s decision whether to opt out, writes Max Goodman of NJ.com.

Carson Benge’s rookie 20-20 season and his bright future represent the Mets’ biggest win in an otherwise lost season, writes Will Sammon of The Athletic.

Around the National League East

The Braves enjoyed a comfortable 8-3 win over the Marlins as they prepare for their playoff series this week.

The Phillies, hanging onto their playoff lives, got pummeled by the Rays 12-1 at Citizens Bank Park. However, the Diamondbacks remained one game behind Philadelphia by losing to the Padres 10-7 in a wild back-and-forth affair in San Diego. By winning, the Padres secured the No. 4 seed in the NL and will host the Cubs in the Wild Card Series. Meanwhile, the Phillies’ postseason hopes come down to the season’s final day. If either the Phillies win or the Diamondbacks lose, the Phillies will hold onto the final Wild Card spot in the NL. If the Diamondbacks win and the Phillies lose today, the Diamondbacks will snatch the last playoff berth from the Phillies.

Around Major League Baseball

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house for Justin Verlander’s final start, which featured his daughter come out to the mound as he came out of the game and descended the steps of the dugout with his family.

Meanwhile another legend Max Scherzer hasn’t made a decision about his own retirement yet.

The Yankees and Orioles have also moved the first pitch of their game today to 1:05 pm to accommodate the weather.

The Texas Rangers placed third baseman Josh Jung on the 10-day injured list with a broken right hand yesterday with two games remaining in the regular season. He was hit in the hand by Twins starter Joe Ryan in yesterday’s game.

With an 11-5 victory over the Royals yesterday, the Guardians clinched the AL Central—their third straight division title.

In a historic moment, Christian Yelich was named captain of the Brewers.

This Date in Mets History

The eventual pennant-winning 2000 Mets clinched their wild card spot on this date twenty-six years ago.

Well folks, the final game of the 2026 regular-season schedule has finally arrived.

On Sunday afternoon, the Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates will face off at Comerica Park for the final time this year, officially marking the end of summer for Major League Baseball fans. The good guys have already won the first two games against their designated interleague rivals and are looking to complete the sweep in front of the home crowd.

For Detroit, right-hander River Ryan will make his second start wearing the Olde English D, while fellow righty Jared Jones makes the 21st of his sophomore campaign. The latter has had a spectacular September, posting a 1.08 ERA and 0.78 FIP over his last four games stretching across 25 innings, allowing 12 hits and four walks while striking out an eye-popping 35 batters en route to three personal wins; his team lost the fourth.

Take a look below at how they match up as we prepare to say goodbye to the current campaign.

Detroit Tigers (76-85) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (81-80)

Time (ET): 3:10 p.m. ET
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 162: RHP River Ryan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Jared Jones (5-6, 3.87 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Ryan	1	3.0	25.0	8.3	25.0	2.10	0.1
Jones	20	97.2	29.4	7.7	35.6	3.29	2.5

RYAN

JONES

After a long marathon to the finish line, the Dodgers wrap up their regular season Sunday afternoon against the San Francisco Giants, looking to win their 100th game for the first time since 2023.

On the penultimate game of the season, Blake Snell wrapped up his final tune-up on Saturday, tossing four shutout innings while striking out three and not allowing a walk in the Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the Giants. It was Snell’s first start since exiting early against the Cincinnati Reds on September 16, but Saturday proved that Snell is ready for October, with added extra time being a an added bonus for the left-hander.

There were some issues that only limited Snell to less than half of Saturday’s contest, but he is looking forward to at least a week’s worth of rest to perfect his craft heading into October, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

“Really encouraged by it, and just happy to get my legs underneath and get going and completely move past the groin,” Snell said. “I mean, it felt great today, and the velo was good. And was inconsistent — I’ve got to figure my body out a little more, but I got a week to do so, and I’m really looking forward to that.”

Shohei Ohtani has performed decently over his four games since being activated off the injured list, but the team is optimistic that the best is yet to come, per Mirjam Swanson of the Los Angeles Times.

“I hope that’s a sign of things to come,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Even … taking the first slider from Robbie Ray [on Wednesday] for a ball got him into a good count. Whereas the last couple weeks, [it was] really hair on fire, swinging and chasing. It’s a hard way to make a living that way, right?”

Both Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott are lock-ins for the postseason bullpen, with the former hoping to revamp his ferocity out of the bullpen and the latter looking to make his first big statement with the Dodgers in the postseason, per Dylan Hernandez of the California Post.

Per Scott: “October is about winning every single game. It really doesn’t matter what roles you get asked to do. Just go out there and do it.”