DETROIT, MI - MAY 17: Caris LeVert #8 of the Detroit Pistons handles the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers during Round Two Game Seven on May 17, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After Milwaukee acquired veteran wing Caris LeVert and two second-rounders in a trade with the Detroit Pistons that sent Taurean Prince and Gary Harris eastward, LeVert looks primed for a quieter, smaller role on a rebuilding Milwaukee squad.
The 2026-27 season will be his LeVert’s in the league, making him a veteran presence in one of the league’s youngest locker rooms. The 32-year-old struggled for playing time on the Pistons, logging just 19.2 minutes per game and averaging 7.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 2.9 APG. In his peak years in Brooklyn (who could forget about his 50-ball against Boston?) and Indiana, LeVert was a high-scoring wing who could shoot efficiently both in and outside of the arc, but also operate as a ball-handler and play in the pick-and-roll. As he’s grown, LeVert has become much more of a microwave scorer.
LeVert’s season with Detroit was interesting. Despite making 60 appearances, he didn’t start a game. The journeyman logged a career-low in FG% and FT%, and he dipped below 8.0 PPG for the first time in his career. Granted, LeVert was hampered by nagging wrist and knee injuries, and played through vertigo for a patch of the season. His lack of consistency in playing time, along with limited offensive spacing with the ball in his hands, led to a series of mediocre performances for the Pistons and, eventually, a mediocre season.
Last year, LeVert ranked in the 86th percentile for the percentage of time he had the ball while on the court, but was pretty turnover-prone and struggled offensively; he posted a 51.8% true shooting percentage. LeVert’s high usage can shrink the floor at times, and it isn’t helped by his inconsistent three-point shooting. That said, he improved leaps and bounds defensively; his 6’7” frame, high work rate, and guard-like agility allow him to rack up steals and blocks. However, LeVert’s offensive inefficiency made it hard for him to grow into a more meaningful role.
If LeVert struggled in Detroit, then why did the Bucks’ front office bring him in? Although LeVert is a solid role player and was great for the Pistons at times during their postseason run, the trade is more about GM Jon Horst’s wanting to acquire assets. LeVert’s expiring $14.8m contract didn’t affect the trade exception created in the trade for Giannis or their mid-level exception. In a period where Milwaukee’s draft chest is depleted, the trade for LeVert allowed Horst to gain assets while avoiding the first apron and freeing up cap space later in the rebuild. LeVert’s archetype is nice, but shoring up those assets and keeping cap space open is arguably nicer.
At the end of the day, LeVert projects as an off-the-bench wing who can create his own shot and set up his teammates. However, it will be a real fight to get minutes in a loaded guard rotation that includes Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., and Kasparas Jakucionis. With the Bucks aiming to prioritise the future, expect head coach Taylor Jenkins to shift away from the aging LeVert and towards the younger guards.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 14: Koa Peat #18 of the Phoenix Suns poses for a portrait during the 2026 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on July 14, 2026 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus 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 Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Every day, we’ll take a closer look at another member of the 2026-27 Phoenix Suns, examining what they bring to the roster and what their role could mean for the season ahead as we count down to training camp and the preseason.
Koa Peat
Forward, 6’7”, 245lb, 19 years old, Rookie
The Suns took a big swing when they traded up and drafted Koa Peat with the 30th overall pick in the NBA Draft. Peat has obvious strengths and obvious weaknesses. His strengths made him a projected lottery-level talent in high school. However, his weaknesses in college and during the draft process caused him to almost fall out of the first round.
Peat has an incredible resume. He is a four-time Arizona High School state champion, he led the University of Arizona to its first Final Four in 25 years, and comes from a family full of professional athletes. He has all the intangibles and high character traits that will make him a fan favorite right away if he can get playing time on a deep Suns roster. Which is the biggest question mark for Peat going into this season.
Where does Peat get minutes this season in a crowded rotation at forward with Dillon Brooks, Miles Bridges, Rasheer Fleming, and Ryan Dunn all vying for minutes? And how quickly can Peat earn the trust of Jordan Ott and his teammates?
If Peat can get his now antiquated old-school style game to translate over to the new-school NBA, it will be a huge win for a Suns team that needs Peat to pan out for the future of the franchise.
Last Season
GP
MIN
PPG
RPG
APG
STL
FG%
3PT%
FT%
OFFRTG
DEFRTG
36
27.8
14.1
5.6
2.6
0.6
52.8%
35.0%
62.3%
119.5
100.7
Last season at Arizona, Peat was one of the best players in the Big 12 and the entire country. He earned Third Team All-Big 12 honors despite missing three games with an injury/illness during conference play. He excelled in the biggest moments of the season, when he scored 30 points against Florida’s humongous front line in the first game of the season and later in the postseason.
He averaged a team-leading 17.1 points in the Wildcats’ run to the Final Four and elevated his all-around play when his team needed him the most. The in-state hero broke Sean Miller’s curse and got his team to the Final Four before losing to the eventual National Champion Michigan Wolverines.
What made Peat so effective with the Wildcats was how integrated himself within their offensive and defensive schemes. His basketball intelligence allowed him to still score and create for others despite the spacing limitations on the Arizona roster. He was effective playing off the Wildcats’ excellent guards Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries while also finding his spots at the elbows and midpost areas with Arizona’s two big centers Tobe Awake and Motiejus Krivas. Even with two of the best rebounding centers in the nation, Peat still grabbed almost six rebounds a game, making Arizona the second-best rebounding team in the country. Defensively, he was a capable on-ball defender and knew how to use his thick body to keep opposing players out of the lane.
But the reason Peat was available for Phoenix late in the draft was his 3-point shooting, or lack of 3-point shooting. At Arizona, Peat shot 35% from the 3-point line on just 20 attempts the entire season. He did not make a single 3 during Summer League and struggled during the NBA Combine’s shooting workouts. His mechanics are a work in progress and have already changed considerably since his time in college, but not necessarily for the better. Although Peat does not have to be a knockdown 3-point shooter in his NBA career to be effective, the Suns will have to be creative in how they deploy Peat early in his career because of those limitations.
Contract and Roster Context
Koa Peat signed a 4-year, $15,031,531 rookie scale contract with the Phoenix Suns this summer and will be extension-eligible in 2029 and will enter 2030 as a restricted free agent. He joins Ryan Dunn and Rasheer Fleming as the Phoenix Suns’ young wings competing for playing time at the back end of the Suns’ rotation.
What He Brings
Koa Peat has a very unique style of play for the modern NBA game. Put Peat back in an era that was less three-point prolific, and he might have been a high lottery pick.
Peat has a unique blend of size and athleticism that makes him effective as a mid-post player and finishing around the basket both above and below the rim. Where Peat is elite is his footwork, whether he’s finishing off one or two feet. During his brief stint in Summer League, he showed an ability to take and make difficult shots on the block, at the elbows, and anywhere in between. Because of how physical he plays, Peat should be effective at getting to the free-throw line, where he shot 62% at Arizona.
Peat’s fluidity and touch make him an extremely difficult-to-stop locomotive in transition and attacking off of cuts. He can get his shot off in almost any situation and at unique angles. Even if the shot looks off balance, Peat has had incredible body control and soft touch to finish over and around taller defenders that should translate to the NBA.
Not only is Peat effective off the ball and in the midpost, but he can play on the ball as well. He handles the ball comfortably on the perimeter and was the Suns’ primary ball handler during Summer League outside of the point guards. He sees the floor well and is a good passer, especially dumping the ball off to his centers after penetrating to the basket.
Peat fills many needs for this Suns roster long term because he has the potential to be a good to elite isolation scorer that can attack mismatches with his versatility. He is another athletic body that the Suns can utilize to be a tough, gritty team that plays defense and rebounds at an elite level. Outside of his scoring and rebounding ability, he might be the best passing forward on this Suns roster right now. With Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale gone, the Suns need to replace their shooting first and foremost, but also their undervalued secondary playmaking, and that is a void Peat can fill immediately.
What Needs to Improve
The main weakness for Peat is easy to diagnose but difficult to fix. He is not a three-point shooter, and to survive in the NBA without a consistent jump shot, he has to be elite at another skill, whether that’s defensively, playmaking, and/or rim pressure. The Suns already do not have many shooters on the roster, so Peat only adds to that problem.
Long term, if Peat adds a consistent three-point shot, the sky is the limit for what he could be. If all he ever becomes is a very consistent midrange jump shooter, he will still be an effective player because of everything else he brings; it will just take that organization prioritizing players that fit with Peat, which is not what this Suns roster has right now.
The other area where Peat has to grow if he is going to play minutes this season is his motor and conditioning. This especially stood out during Summer League, where he was often the last guy getting back on defense because he did not sprint or was the final player in the frontcourt on offense. With Peat’s spot on the roster right now, it will be his effort and skill set doing the little things that could make the difference between him playing for the Suns or the Valley Suns this season.
Prediction
While most NBA teams usually give their exciting young players the runway at the NBA level to develop, the Suns have taken a different approach by making their players earn their opportunity before it is given. While it was frustrating to see Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach “waste away” on the bench last season, it could be beneficial for both of them long-term for their development. My prediction is that the Suns will bring Peat along slowly this year, just like last year’s rookies.
Here is why this is a good thing: it will give Peat a chance to work on his shooting mechanics and hopefully develop a passable NBA three-point jumper and work on refining his body. The Suns can work on completely overhauling his mechanics if needed and building them back from the ground up without having to stress him in NBA games, which can be detrimental during the process of reworking someone’s jump shot. As for his body, he already has the strength, but can he tap into even more athleticism if he cuts 10 pounds and adds it back in explosive muscle?
While this is my prediction, it would not surprise me if Peat is an immediate impact player as a rookie because of his unique skillset as a scorer and playmaker. If both Ryan Dunn and Rasheer prove not to be efficient enough 3-point shooters, there are so many other things Peat brings to the table that could vault him above the other young.
While we all want to see Koa Peat play for the Suns this season, and we all want to talk ourselves into the hometown hero being the next young star to lead our franchise into the future, there is a reason 29(ish) NBA teams decided not to draft Peat. The Suns are swinging for the fences, hoping that Peat turns into a star, but they could easily strike out. It is going to take Peat time to develop into the fully formed version of himself, but what gives me the confidence Peat is going to be a great Phoenix Sun is because:
Koa Peat is a winner.
He won championships in high school, he won the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships, and he delivered Arizona its first Final Four appearance in 25 seasons. The Suns likely won’t win a championship in the near future, but Peat has proven that he can win anywhere, and he has an unbelievable opportunity to win at home.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - APRIL 17: LaMelo Ball #1 of the Charlotte Hornets reacts against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter of the Play-In Tournament game at Kia Center on April 17, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Editor’s Note: It’s with great pride we introduce Kaden Cho as one of our guest contributors! He’s going to bring some of his fresh perspectives here, and you can follow him at @kady1735.
LaMelo Ball is the Timberwolves’ premier addition this offseason, and with that label, discussions have inevitably started about how impactful he really is. The 25-year-old is coming off his first healthy season in years, finally surpassing the 50 game barrier, and leading the best starting lineup in the league in terms of net rating.
This has rightfully garnered Ball praise as one of the best offensive engines in the world, and while some still harbor grievances about his injury struggles, there remains a camp that believes he is simply not good at all. To them, he’s “reckless,” “inefficient,” and the biggest of his detractors will even call him “stupid”.
This narrative is generally associated with turnover issues, but the Wolves’ new point guard was actually in the 71st percentile among his positional group in creation-adjusted turnover percentage this season. This stat reflects that Ball suppressed turnovers relative to his 94th percentile on-ball load.
Rather, much of the talk about Ball’s playstyle hinges on our perception of his playmaking process, rather than the results of that creation. He is often degraded as being “made for TikTok”, in a way that connotes the idea that he is exclusively a highlight player. The one-legged threes and no-look passes certainly feed into that view, but we must take more than one look at any player that we evaluate.
Why brand LaMelo as “reckless” rather than “innovative”? Ball’s way of playing basketball is groundbreaking and deserving of praise.
Perhaps the way that we talk about him is informed by his off-court shenanigans, with him being brought up as one of the first major social media stars in basketball, which has only continued through his irresponsible driving.
It’s understandable why many use this mental shortcut. The Julian Newmans of the world, who came up around LaMelo’s time, definitely aren’t doing as well, and clips have spread that have only further propagated this idea. LaMelo’s most recognizable highlight from his childhood is his pull-up from half-court, and it’s easy to look at that kid and say he’s an arrogant showboater.
Even in the pre-draft process, LaMelo stood out like a sore thumb. He bounced around internationally, even having a short stint with a start-up league created by his father, LaVar Ball. His interviews were even wackier: He said he wanted to be the President of the United States after he was finished with basketball.
This narrative has also been given life by the numerous clips of LaVar that have gone viral over the years.
LaVar Ball says LaMelo doesn’t need advice from Michael Jordan: ‘When the last time he won a championship?’ https://t.co/2Nz01dMQbw
It’s easy to look at this and say that LaMelo is not the most put-together person, and I wouldn’t necessarily disagree; I don’t know him personally. But I do find it to be an issue when these categorizations are applied to basketball.
Is it not our job as analysts to separate these issues from his actual play on the court? Why has the collective NBA community dumbed down LaMelo’s ability as a passer?
Basketball has long used terms like “low-IQ” to describe its own aesthetic bias, and it has routinely dipped into anti-blackness. Allen Iverson, Russell Westbrook, Magic Johnson, and so many other extraordinary passers have been demeaned for the same things that Ball faces now.
Magic, who is now widely considered to be the greatest passer to ever step foot on an NBA court, or really any court for that matter, was seen as too careless when he was drafted. Jerry West infamously tried to force him into the post as a power forward instead of as a point guard. And yet, he redefined the game by stretching its boundaries.
These words are usually used as a descriptor for a genuine evaluation of a player, but it’s important to remember that our biases are never fully isolated from stereotypes embedded in our society. There are ways that LaMelo’s shot diet could be more efficient, yes: he was a 58th-percentile point guard in rim attempts per 75 possessions last season, which is very low for his creation duties.
In the same way, LaMelo’s pull-up shooting and passing are indeed unorthodox, but it has lead to historic levels of offense, and even if there are valid criticisms of his game, we must watch what connotations our language has.
Anthony Edwards hasn’t played with a real passing point guard – at least not one who is in their prime – throughout his entire career, and the Timberwolves just went out and got one of the best in the league. Furthermore, it’s a very clear shift by the front office to counter the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder by leaning very heavily on pull-up shot creation.
Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball building chemistry. 🔥
Sometimes you have to zag when the league zigs, and that’s what Tim Connelly is known for. It is in moving away from the orthodox that we get some of the biggest Wolves moments of the decade. Coming off Rudy Gobert’s transformative defense and important part in several impressive playoff runs, you’ll never believe that trading for him was largely criticized as mortgaging their future.
Players shouldn’t be assigned personal qualities based on the different decisions they make on the court. Luka Dončić, whose eccentric playmaking style leads to incredible plays but also exasperating turnovers, has been called a playmaking savant, a passing genius, and a true innovator for the sport. But LaMelo “makes bad decisions,” and his passing process is “impaired”.
And even if you think LaMelo is reckless based on the driving, don’t apply it to the game, and vice versa.
These labels have stuck to LaMelo, but in the end, they don’t define who he is as a player. One of the best passers in the NBA is heading to the Timberwolves, and the fans should be excited for what is to come, as their franchise player is.
An opponent, ex-Met fan favorite and current Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso, tied the game with a solo home run, in this case the 300th of his career.
And the home faithful cheered as if Alonso still donned the blue and orange, seemingly not caring one bit about what that hit meant for their favorite team.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for him, I love him to death, but as a team, as the 2026 Mets, I know we have definitely underperformed. But the guys in here work their ass off every single day. To have that kind of reaction to an opposing player — it could be anybody — is crazy to me,” Manaea said after the Mets’ 7-5 loss in 11 innings. “I’ve got nothing but respect for Pete, but I’ve never seen anything like that before. I know the guys in here, we are grinding our butts off and stuff like that happens. I’ve never seen anything like that, kinda crazy.”
Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) watches his 300th career home run during the ninth inning against the New York Mets on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, at Citi Field in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Former fan favorites usually receive warm welcomes when they return to their former locale but Alonso’s return has deviated quite far from the norm.
Mets fans have cheered Alonso wildly like he’s the only thing that mattered, home team be damned.
Perhaps some of it is pent-up frustration that the Mets did not retain him, although they did make offers he rejected over the years.
Some of the emotions certainly tie to the team missing the playoffs in back-to-back years despite lofty ambitions and huge payrolls, and there are certainly those who are letting out their frustration with beleaguered president of baseball operations David Stearns after his attempt to replace Alonso with Jorge Polanco completely backfired.
It’s created — as Manaea said — a “crazy” environment at Citi Field that will conclude Wednesday night in the series finale.
Plenty of patrons also headed for the exits after Alonso’s final at-bat in the eighth inning — despite it being a one-run game.
On Tuesday, the crowd roared — and we do mean roared — when Kodai Senga hung an 82-mph forkball and Alonso absolutely crushed it into the left-field stands to tie the game at 3-3.
Fans chanted “Pete Alonso” and he even received a curtain call, which, ya know, is usually reserved for when the home stars perform something magical.
Those chants later turned into rounds of “Fire Stearns.”
“Pete’s not here,” said Manaea, who exited with with a lead after throwing 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball but ultimately received a no-decision thanks to Alonso. “The powers that be — whatever that may be — he’s just not here. I know everybody loves him. He’s the man. But he’s not here.
“To see the reaction from the fans like that, I don’t know — it’s just different.”
New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea walks back to the dugout after being pulled from the game during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, at Citi Field in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Alonso appreciated the positive reaction he received from Mets fans while achieving the personal milestone.
“Everyone in the dugout was saying, ‘Go out there,’ and they were right,” Alonso said of his curtain call.
“I appreciate all the support. Especially all the years I’ve been here, all the life I’ve lived here. Obviously appreciate that, and it’s a two-way street.”
While Manaea made it clear that the fan reaction is a bit bothersome, he stressed that in no way did his views on the subject reflect on the Polar Bear himself.
New York Mets fans hold up a sign for Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso in the tenth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, at Citi Field in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“I played with Pete for a couple of years. I know how much he means to this organization, to this city. He’s an exceptional player and I love him as a player, as a teammate, he’s one of the greats,” Manaea said.
“And unfortunately he’s not on the Mets anymore and congrats to him, 300 home runs, super happy for him. It’s just crazy how things kinda unfolded.
Look away, and Cliff has another, a searing ball which spits and Leach gets an edge through to Bairstow. Somerset 86 for eight and floundering after a pretty catastrophic first 25 minutes.
Non rhythmic applause as Ben Cliff approaches his hat-trick, but no cigar this time.
Next up: How will the Sixers’ backup center situation shake out?
Given Joel Embiid’s history of injury woes, the Sixers’ backup center picture has long been worthy of considerable scrutiny. Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti are the two main figures entering the 2026-27 season.
At the 2024 draft combine, Bona’s 35-inch standing vertical leap tied for first. His big-time bounce has translated well to NBA shot blocking. The 23-year-old had a 3.3 block percentage last season, which ranked in the 88th percentile for big men according to Cleaning the Glass. He continued to struggle with excessive fouling — that problem popped up regularly in the playoffs — but Bona showed that his rookie shot blocking wasn’t just a byproduct of playing on an egregiously shorthanded team.
The essence of Bona’s game likely won’t change dramatically, but he’s aiming to be a steadier, more well-rounded player in Year 3.
“I think just staying consistent, trying to get better at everything,” he told reporters at his exit interview in May. “The most important thing for me is rebounding, (being) able to impact the team defensively, and offensively, being versatile and bringing so many things to the team besides just doing one thing. I think that’s my goal and that’s what I’m trying to improve.”
The 24-year-old lefty said he noticed the Sixers had a “great connection with the team.”
“I feel like it’s still a young team,” Hukporti said in a July virtual press conference. “They have young players and they have vets there as well, and I feel like they have a great balance between the two. I feel like it’s pretty similar to where I was before. … I was just looking at the young guys personally and seeing how connected they are. That made me want to be here.”
On a basic level, there’s plenty of shared traits between Hukporti and Bona. Both have:
Limited offensive production so far in the NBA, including hardly any three-pointers
Hukporti’s role was smaller on the Knicks, since he was behind both Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. He made 54 regular-season appearances and averaged 2.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 9.2 minutes per game.
Hukporti has hinted at future offensive expansion a tad more than Bona. He shot three-pointers for the Westchester Knicks last year in the G League and went 8 for 25 (32 percent). The German center also took threes with Nevėžis Kėdainiai back in the 2020-21 season in Lithuania and shot 13 for 47 (27.7 percent).
“We’re going to see, we’re going to see,” Hukporti said in July when asked about his jump shooting. “It’s going to be a little surprise. I’m definitely working on it.”
For now, it’s hard to give a definitive prediction on which backup center Sixers head coach Nick Nurse will ultimately prefer. Perhaps Bona has an initial edge because Nurse knows him and, even if he didn’t cleanly beat out Drummond, at least thought he earned a playoff role last season.
The bottom line is the Sixers currently have two young big men backing up Embiid, but Barlow, Wade and James are all meaningful alternatives for Nurse.
the St Louis Cardinals are 20th in total pitching productivity by fWAR. Right around where the Diamondbacks are at. Overall, the Cardinals pitching staff has a .299 BABIP against. So they’re not just hapless and unlucky. They might be hapless though. I’m looking at you, bullpen.
Yes, the Cardinals bullpen has been among the worst in 2026. Surprise, surprise. They are 26th in MLB with .3 fWAR. The worst bullpen of the bullpens that are not negative WAR. Of which, there are only 4 teams that have dumpster fire bullpens. The Cardinals is looking like a dumpster dive, by WAR at least.
You can’t really mince words, the bullpen has been that bad this year. FIP and xFIP like the bullpen best, but as far as ERA and xERA go, it’s kind of unacceptable. While you cannot really blame the poor performance on overusage completely, the bullpen has been used quite a bit this season.
567.2 IP at the time of this writing means the 12th most used bullpen. Not bad, but they needed to be good this year if that’s the responsibility level. Maybe they didn’t need the most lights out bullpen *which only can be attempted to be predicted by the richest teams* but the team needed a good ‘pen at least.
They did not get a good bullpen. Nope. Not really.
What are the main weaknesses of this bullpen? They don’t leave men on base. The bullpen has the 3rd worst LOB% in MLB. So if our starters leave guys on, or other relievers, they have a much better chance of scoring than almost every other team. Why is that? The Cardinals bullpen is at 4.22 BB/9 on the season. The bullpen is 5th worst by xERA, and 7th worst in MLB by ERA. I don’t like these types of bullpen situations. The sabermetric stats aren’t much better. The bullpen just walks too many batters and isn’t too adept at getting out of it, or at limiting damage.
Five relievers make up the core of the 2026 bullpen. We have leaned on these arms the most and you have seen them pitch many times by now. Between these five arms, 328.2 innings were pitched.
Gordon Graceffo 73 IP 2.71 ERA / 4.02 FIP | 6.53/4.07 K/BB ratio (1.6)
Justin Bruihl 72.2 IP 3.59 ERA / 3.96 FIP | 6.44/3.34 K/BB ratio (1.92)
George Soriano 64 IP 4.36 ERA / 4.90 FIP | 8.86/4.78 K/BB ratio (1.85)
Riley O’Brien 60 IP 4.20 ERA / 3.82 FIP | 9/4.05 K/BB ratio (2.22)
Ryne Stanek 59 IP 4.27 ERA / 4.56 FIP | 9.46/4.42 K/BB ratio (2.14)
At the end of the day, our best reliever was indeed Riley O’Brien. Ryne Stanek wasn’t completely awful. Justin Bruihl walked fewer batters than our other guys and was perhaps our most underrated reliever. Graceffo shouldered most of the load despite being a fringe candidate for the team, starting the season at AAA.
In case you were wondering, Graceffo and Bruihl are among the top 15 most used relievers in MLB in 2026. Thank you for your service, gentlemen.
Questionable usage totals: Soriano and Stanek have combined for -.5 fWAR. Surely we could’ve done better, somehow.
Something to ponder: Quinn Mathews has already surpassed Hunter Dobbins, Gordon Graceffo, and Riley O’Brien in WAR value! That is a positive takeaway on the season. Those three were all .4 fWAR guys in different ways arrive at the same total. What is Quinn doing well? Limiting the walks with a K percentage north of 20% in over 30 IP.
Ugly xFIPs: Mautz, Bruihl, Svanson, Graceffo, Soriano, Mathews… all prime candidates for future home run victims, maybe. I could see it, except perhaps Bruihl and Mathews being able to get away with giving up only a few home runs. I hope! Probably too early to quote Mathews xFIP, but it’s perhaps something to mention while we praise his success. To be fair.
Probably better than his statline: Luis Gastelum has a high BABIP against at .307, which considering his stuff seems a little high, especially when bringing in his 3.22 xFIP. He will be fine.
Unsung bullpen heroes? Ryan Fernandez and JoJo Romero were pretty good this season. Hjerpe and Winquest seem fine. Svanson, as bad as he seemed, was replacement level, not one of the negative WAR players. Hunter Dobbins was the bridge between the bullpen and the rotation. Best wishes on a full recovery and return.
Perhaps what stands out the most about the 2026 bullpen is that there is no lynchpin reliever. No one is locking down the bullpen with 1+ WAR performance or anything even close to that. The 2025 bullpen was quite good and effective with over 5 WAR. Kyle Leahy, Matt Svanson, and Phil Maton were are very good last season. In 2024 we had 2.3 fWAR Helsley. 2023 had Helsley and Romero over 1 fWAR. The 2026 bullpen doesn’t really have an anchor outside of Riley O’Brien’s save total.
MLB teams giving playing time to below league average hitters
Another subject to talk about is how many players in this new era are below average hitters getting ample playing time. The Blue Jays have several hitters in their lineup that are below league average. The Yankees are fielding some below average hitters too, getting lots of playing time. Zach McKinstry, third baseman of the Tigers, makes Masyn Winn look like a good hitter. The Angels have a few guys that can’t hit for league average playing every day. Cam Smith of the Astros has played 140 games at 89 wRC+ with mediocre defense. Full time Rangers outfielder Evan Carter bats at 78 wRC+ providing more value on defense than on offense.
The Braves Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley are below league average hitters playing full time on a winning team. The Phillies play a few below league average hitters every day and are going to the playoffs. Ildemaro Vargas is a full time player for the Diamondbacks and is barely above replacement level. I have plenty more examples of this.
Is it just me, or does it seem pretty normal for MLB teams to be fielding below average hitters full time? There are just not enough good hitters to go around I guess. This should assuage some of the concerns about our lineup.
1996 Heavy Metal Edition
I have 1997 (non-metal) almost ready for next week, but I cannot skip over my passion for heavy metal. It began with a box of Columbia House CDs, Metal Maniacs magazine, Headbangers Ball, and plenty of friends into heavy metal when I was growing up. The box of CDs and my friends were my intro, Headbangers Ball brought it to the mainstream, and Metal Maniacs was my connection to the underground despite living in the country at the time.
I only picked 10 albums for 1995, but heavy metal had a resurgence in the underground in ‘96 which I would like to write about. So, if you love heavy metal, you might want to check this list out! Jump into my time machine set for 1996.
Acid Bath – ‘Paegan Terrorism Tactics’ eclectically heavy alterna-metal with that New Orleans sludge sound, genre hopping similar to Mr. Bungle/Faith No More (but more metal focused), and both soulful clean vocals and heavy metal screams to bring words and a human voice to the story. Cover art provided by 90s phenom Dr Jack Kevorkian. You might like this one even if you don’t like metal. It’s heavy stuff though. Those riffs… (New Orleans)
Fu Manchu – ‘In Search Of’ speaking of riffs, this album has them in bulk. And that tone! Completely fuzzed out. Think Black Sabbath channeled through the spirit of skate punk mixed with a dash of southern California desert magic. (southwest)
eyehategod – ‘Dopesick’ more Sabbath (and let’s be honest, melvins) worship but through the lens of post-hardcore punk and drenched in the heat of the deep south and poverty. More ultra heavy music from New Orleans circa 1996! I linked to the remastered version because I couldn’t find the whole album on youtube. Anyways, don’t listen to this it is filled with disturbing feedback, tar-black riffs, and suffocating insanity. (NOLA)
Today is the Day – ‘self-titled’ perhaps the closest thing to Today Is The Day making an industrial album, as they introduced keyboards for a couple albums. This is nothing peculiar for the band, as they were more of an Amphetamine Reptile noise rock band before this, and more of a heavy metal band after. In reality this is probably more of a sludge album with a keyboard. It’s heavy af. And disturbing as hell. (Nashville)
Neurosis – ‘Through Silver In Blood’ speaking of heavy, this might be the heaviest album on the whole damn list for 1996! What an absolutely stacked year for heavy music. Neurosis used to bring a guy with a film projector to their shows, who would play grainy films of unexplainable atrocities through an old projector. Mixed with the bands ultra-dark heaviness and propensity to start jamming out tribal drum style when they were done playing guitar for a while… you just had to be there, but this album does a really good job of capturing the insane vibe. Very very disturbing. (Oakland)
Immolation – ‘Here In After’ there is no way to describe this band other than they are most definitely death metal, maybe with some black metal overtones, I guess? They’ve always dialed in their own version of extreme metal, very atonal, very wrong, yet totally controlled chaos. More uneasy listening from another legendary band still going strong today. (NY)
Red Harvest – ‘Hybreed’ and now we arrive at our industrial metal segment for a couple albums. This band Red Harvest was a cool find! I had no idea this existed, but it’s quite excellent! If you like Ministry, you’ll like this! This album is not quite as extreme as the others, but it’s interesting…. besides industrial metal, you’ll hear some elements of goth rock, nu-metal, soundtrack, and grunge. (Norway)
Godflesh – ‘Songs of Love and Hate’ maybe the most underrated Godflesh album? If post-hardcore punk, industrial, hiphop, and heavy metal gave birth to an album, this is the blueprint. Sure, Godflesh’s prior album ‘Pure’ had a lot of hip-hop beats, but not to this level. (UK)
Type O Negative – ‘October Rust’ industrial goth metal mavens released fan favorite October Rust in 1996, their discography is so stacked you cannot really go wrong but a lot of people really love this one. Think of a band fronted by what a vampire would sound like and get ready for Halloween. Dark material, but with a lot of wry humor thrown in to make it all the more fun. (NYC)
Adremalech – ‘Psychostasia’: you won’t find an underground extreme metal album produced better than this. The mix is perfect, the vocals aren’t as distracting as those of most other death metal bands, and the music is highly advanced both melodically and technically. If you haven’t heard of these guys, they come very highly recommended. I found out about Adramelech years ago through VEB’r Heavy Metal, ironically enough. (Finland)
Iniquity – ‘Serenadium’ more ultra-heavy sounds of ‘96! Another perfectly mixed death metal album. Not too sterile, but clear enough to hear all the instruments really well. If you are a fan of Gorguts, you need to check these guys out! A new classic for my collection, a hidden gem I had never heard before. (Denmark)
Sacramentory Abolishment – ‘River of Corticone’ enormous avant-garde death metal riffs, creative and unique drumming, and a singer that sounds like a cross between Donald Duck and Gollum, giving it a cartoony black metal layer. Is that even possible? I have just discovered this album and am extremely impressed, even though it’s really weird even by my standards. What is that name, even? (Canada)
Angelcorpse – ‘Hammer of Gods’ ludicrously fast, diabolically put together, for once it sounds like the drummer trying to catch up to the guitarist! Phenomenal guitar solos. How have I never heard this before now. Thank you metal gods. This is an all-time classic aggressive underground metal album. \m/ (KC)
Pan-thy-monium – ‘Khaooohs & Kon-Fus-Ion’ speaking of really weird heavy metal that is actually mixed well, Pan-thy-monium more than qualifies! Apparently, I have been missing out over the years on all these top notch avant garde metal releases hiding in 1996. I could only buy a few CDs here and there back then! Words cannot describe what this band sounds like, but it’s utterly unhinged genius, I can say that. And it riffs. (Sweden)
The Chasm – ‘From the Lost Years’ classic blackened death metal from Mexico, one of their best albums among a stacked discography… they have always been one of my favorite death metal bands. (Mexico City)
Cryptopsy – ‘None So Vile’ no list of heavy metal from 1996 would be complete without None So Vile. Wicked brutal technical death metal. My favorite release of theirs. The vocals are just omfg lol. Insane. (Quebec)
One Eyed God Prophecy – ‘self titled’ perhaps the most obscure, underground sounding album on the list, it is also a pretty good example of a heavy metal/hardcore punk crossover band, bringing in some doom and black metal influence too. Something struck me about the wall of sound guitars, guy screaming like from out of a car trunk, and overall raw vibe of the recording, and the songs are pretty good too. (Quebec)
Monstrosity – ‘Millennium’ and I leave you with perhaps the most crazy, polished, technically accomplished heavy metal album on the list, represented by crystal clear production and a perfect mix from 1996. Technical death metal at its best. That album cover is something else though! I sure did find a lot of interesting, really good heavy metal albums this week. And realized how good 1996 was among heavy albums I’ve owned for decades.
Tune in next week when I finally get to writing about 1997! I will be talking about albums by bands like Amon Tobin, Squarepusher, Autechre, Company Flow, Cornelius, Portishead, godspeed you black emperor, and KARP!
Kent Hughes has done it. The Montreal Canadiens have signed all their players, but it took longer for Arber Xhekaj. The big defenseman only put pen to paper on the eve of training camp, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. The question everyone is asking is: why did it take all summer for that kind of deal?
After this season, both parties will be right back where they started since, once again, Xhekaj, who will then be 26, will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. In the past, Hughes had always signed the Ontarian and Jayden Struble to two-year pacts; what’s different this time around?
Given the logjam on the blueline and the fact that eventually someone will have to go, perhaps Hughes wanted to make Xhekaj’s contract more attractive in a potential trade. After all, if he were traded during the season, the team that acquires him wouldn't just be buying one year of his services, since he would remain under team control at season's end. The Habs had no issue signing Zachary Bolduc to a deal that walked him straight to free agency at age 27, but it’s a much longer deal. Or the hulking defenseman may feel he’s worth more than $1.5 million and doesn’t want that to be his salary for the next two seasons; that’s also a possibility.
Now that the deal is signed, however, Xhekaj has another chance to prove he belongs on the Canadiens for the long haul. According to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, Kaiden Guhle will miss the start of the season and won’t be available to play until perhaps November. That gives Xhekaj runway to make the sixth-defenseman role his own.
What’s different this season? Well, as we heard at the golf tournament, Derek Lalonde will bring a fresh set of eyes to the defensive structure and the penalty kill. Perhaps he’ll like what he sees from Xhekaj and will be willing to give him a fair audition on the PK. His presence might also be good news for the blueliners, since he could teach them a thing or two about their role. While he wasn’t a defenseman himself in his playing days, Lalonde was a netminder who had the opportunity to watch defensemen’s play up close.
Whether he’s pleased with the outcome of the negotiations or not, Xhekaj must approach training camp as another chance for a fresh start and find a way to make himself essential to the Canadiens. That starts with playing a safe, consistent game and knowing when to use the rough stuff. Making good reads and making good decisions on the ice will be key to securing a regular spot in the lineup. His teammates love Xhekaj and love having him in the lineup; they’ve said it time and time again. He needs to get the coaching staff to feel the same.
Heading into their 2026 rookie camp, the Philadelphia Flyers had one message for their prospects, especially with a shorter training camp and preseason: "Get noticed."
The more experienced players, like Porter Martone, Alex Bump, and Denver Barkey didn't need to hear that twice, though they took it upon themselves to take the extra practice time seriously anyway.
For other players, it's already been decided that they will head back to junior hockey, and for a much smaller group, now is the time to make an impression.
With two Rookie Series games against the New York Rangers over the weekend, the prospects who could conceivably make the Flyers' NHL roster in the next few years had their first chances to make an impression, and from those games and the camp overall, we can begin to assess the trajectories of those with the most at stake.
Winner: Cole Knuble
Cole Knuble was a bit of a wildcard heading into rookie camp, as he had joined the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the tail end of last season, scoring a goal, two assists, and three points in seven games.
Before that, the 22-year-old former fourth-round pick starred at the University of Notre Dame for three years, scoring 21 goals and 70 points across his last 70 collegiate games.
Knuble, the son of former Flyers forward Mike, only played in one of the Rookie Series games against the Rangers, and that was all he needed to open some eyes.
Featuring on the top line alongside Alex Bump and Jett Luchanko, Knuble was consistently making things happen, using his legs to advance the play and crashing into bodies on the forecheck despite his modest 5-foot-10, 192-pound build.
Knuble's rapid ascent and ceaseless motor are reminiscent of former Flyers forward Bobby Brink, who improved considerably over the years and made himself a third-line staple before being exchanged at the 2026 trade deadline for David Jiricek as the Flyers sought to clear their logjam of wingers and make room for Porter Martone.
If Knuble's arrow continues to point upwards, a Brink projection is certainly possible and would be a phenomenal outcome for the Flyers, who are in need of some more mid- and late-round hits from their drafting.
Loser: Devin Kaplan
On the other side of the coin, Devin Kaplan already has some NHL experience and a full pro season under his belt, but was far less noticeable than his peers.
Kaplan, 22, is heading into a contract year and scored just five goals, eight assists, and 13 points in 49 games with the Phantoms last year, and while he does project as more of a grinder than anything else, Noah Powell was considerably more noticeable in that regard.
It was a disappointing initial showing from the 2023 third-rounder, who was impressive this time last year, but not so much this time around.
Kaplan does deserve some grace as he shakes off the rust coming back from a season-ending injury and subsequent surgery, but the combination of the Flyers' overall glut of wingers and the strong performances from Knuble and Powell don't bode well for his future prospects with the organization.
Kaplan will have another chance to draw some eyes when training camp officially opens Thursday.
Winner: Carson Bjarnason
Deservedly so, Egor Zavragin is always a hot topic when Flyers prospects are being discussed, but we often forget that draft classmate and fellow goalie Carson Bjarnason was picked ahead of him in the same year.
After four seasons with the WHL Brandon Wheat Kings, including three as the starter, Bjarnason turned pro last year, playing in 32 games for the Phantoms.
The 21-year-old's results were mixed, as a strong start faded into a skid, and Bjarnason eventually played two games for the ECHL Reading Royals, going 1-1-0 with a 3.57 GAA and .881 save percentage.
In the AHL, Bjarnason ultimately finished with a 14-11-7 record while playing second-fiddle to Aleksei Kolosov, posting a 3.43 GAA and .877 save percentage.
But, it's worth noting that the Phantoms dealt with tons of roster turnover losing Emil Andrae, Barkey and Bump, as well as injuries to Bonk, Kaplan, and Ty Murchison. Reinforcements in the forms of David Jiricek, Boris Katchouk, Powell, Knuble, and Jack Berglund didn't arrive until the season was long lost.
Bjarnason should have a more stable environment around him in 2026-27, and he put some doubts to bed with a very good full game against the Rangers over the weekend. The former second-rounder was beaten only twice, and both goals came on the power play.
Look for Bjarnason to get some preseason ice time as he continues to build on a strong start to camp.
Losers: Veteran defensemen
We're going a little off the cuff here, but Bonk, Ty Murchison, Spencer Gill, Brek Liske, and Maksim Sokolovskii were all impressive this past week in their own ways.
For older Flyers like Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen, the time has come for them to begin watching the rearview mirror a bit. Murchison wore the 'C' in the first game against the Rangers this weekend and already got some NHL games last year, and Bonk, after making his NHL debut and playoff debut to finish the season, was as impressive as he needed to be in a camp of this nature.
Seeler no longer has trade protection and has just two more years left on his contract. A transition to No. 7 defenseman, especially after Simon Benoit's contract expires next summer, seems likely with Murchison continuing to ascend.
As for Ristolainen, the trade rumors never really went away, and he now has Bonk and Jiricek pushing him for a roster spot and ice time with Gill and Liske still on the way.
If both Bonk and Jiricek look the part and convince Flyers brass that they can handle expanded workloads and added responsibilities, that could very well start the countdown on Ristolainen's tenure in Philadelphia.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - APRIL 13: Luke Evangelista #77 of the Nashville Predators skates the puck during the third period of the game against the San Jose Sharks at Bridgestone Arena on April 13, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
A five-year extension for Luke Evangelista:
Luke Evangelista’s 5-year extension kicks in for the 2027-28 NHL season.
“The Devils will play their first of four preseason games, starting Sunday, Sept. 20, and there’s plenty to follow as the regular season approaches. Here are five storylines to keep an eye on as the preseason gets underway.” [Devils on the Rush]
Hockey Links
A flurry of deals:
Cutter Gauthier, six years x $13.5M AAV with Anaheim
The Washington Capitals have re-signed forward Justin Sourdif to an eight-year, $50.8 million contract. Sourdif’s contract will carry an average annual value of $6.35 million.
“There’s always a possibility for a sudden change of heart, but as we have this conversation as a group of insiders, I do not believe Hellebuyck will report to the opening of training camp. If that is the case, that forces the Jets to respond. That response will likely come Wednesday or Thursday.” [TSN]
“With training camps opening up this week, I caught up with over two dozen NHL superstars to get their takes on vital and trivial issues. Some of hockey’s biggest names discuss NHL rule changes they’d like to see; how an 84-game regular season will impact them; how they feel about the current state of fan culture; as well as their offseason life highlights and what they’d name a new expansion team in Houston or Austin, Texas.” [ESPN]
“Will Adam Fantilli sign a contract in time? When will Quinn Hughes sign an extension? What will happen to Connor Hellebuyck? This week, The Athletic asked its staff for one burning question facing each NHL team heading into training camp, and those were just a few of the enticing storylines we heard about in response. With camps opening this week and the preseason around the corner, here’s what we have our eyes on.” [The Athletic ($)]
Neck protection:
The NHL has released its 2026-27 rule book and there's only one change for this year:
All players with 0 NHL games experience must wear neck protection starting this season, even in warmups.
For players with at least 1 NHL game experience, neck protection remains optional.
Sep 13, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott (45) pitches in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
I honestly expected this meter to be worse, but the Mets concentrated most of their poor pitching performance into a couple of games—particularly the series finale against the Marlins, which they ended up winning by the skin of their teeth anyway. The past couple of weeks have also seen some shuffling of personnel—notably the return of Jonah Tong to the big leagues and Robert Stock shifting to the bullpen.
Player
Last week
This week
Chris Devenski, RHP
Daniel Duarte, RHP
Justin Hagenman, RHP
Nate Lavender, LHP
Sean Manaea, LHP
Nolan McLean, RHP
Tobias Myers, RHP
—
Dedniel Núñez, RHP
Jonathan Pintaro, RHP
Dylan Ross, RHP
—
Christian Scott, RHP
Kodai Senga, RHP
Robert Stock, RHP
Zac Thonton, LHP
Jonah Tong, RHP
—
Austin Warren, RHP
Jack Weisenburger, RHP
Jefry Yan, LHP
Nolan McLean’s run of dominance unfortunately came to an end at the hands of the Bronx Bombers on Friday night, who lived up to their namesake by taking him deep twice. McLean was shaky right from the jump in that outing, loading the bases in the first inning with nobody out and managing to escape with just one run on the board. But he didn’t get so lucky in the second when Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer to put the Yankees back in front, ultimately for good. All told, McLean gave up five runs on ten hits in five innings of work and took the loss to drop his record to 11-9. Jack Weisenburger, freshly recalled from Triple-A, soaked up the final three innings of that game in relief of Mclean and allowed one insurance run over the three frames. He struck out two, walked none, and gave up three hits. McLean avoids a bad grade though because he delivered a quality start in his first outing of the month against the Giants in which he earned the win. In that outing, he gave up just two runs on six hits in six innings of work, striking out seven batters and walking four and throwing a career-high 105 pitches.
Jefry Yan appeared twice in that Giants series—once in relief of McLean in the series opener and again the following day. Yan was scored upon in all three of his September appearances. He was unable to navigate his way through a clean seventh in relief of McLean, but luckily the Mets held on to win despite some shaky bullpen work. The next day he gave up a two-run homer in the eighth inning to put the game further out of reach. In Tampa Bay he did the same, yielding an insurance run in the eighth on three hits. Yan was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse after the Giants series.
The roster carousel has been moving when it comes to the pitching staff this month. When rosters expanded, the Mets briefly recalled Dylan Ross from Triple-A. Ross pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning in the 6-2 loss to the Rays and was immediately sent back down in favor of Justin Hagenman, who had spent all season on the injured list recovering from a fractured rib he suffered in spring training. Hagenman took the spot start in the series finale against Tampa to give Christian Scott an extra day of rest. Hagenman pitched well, giving up just one run on two hits in three innings of work. He pitched again in last Saturday’s loss to the Giants and gave up a solo homer, but the game was already well out of reach at that point. Chris Devenski also appeared in both games Hagenman pitched in and nearly spoiled Hagenman’s strong start by getting tagged with three runs in just 2/3 of an inning in relief, but luckily the Mets had their hitting shoes on and Andy Green gave Devenski the hook before the game could get away. Devenski was better last Saturday, pitching two scoreless innings of relief. He followed that up with a scoreless seventh inning in the series opener in Miami, but then was the primary culprit in the first of two times the Marlins clawed their way back from a massive deficit in the absolutely insane series finale. All told, Devenski was charged with five runs in just 1/3 of an inning in that game, after which he was designated for assignment and then outrighted to Triple-A.
Christian Scott clearly benefitted from the extra day of rest because he has been the most consistent performer in the rotation of late. In the series finale against the Giants, which ended in a comeback victory for the Mets, he gave up two runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings of work. Impressively, he struck out seven batters and walked none in that outing. He followed that up with arguably an even more impressive performance against the Yankees, but unfortunately the Mets were blanked by Cam Schlittler and Scott took the loss despite delivering a quality start. Scott gave up just two runs on three hits in six innings of work, striking out seven batters and walking two. Both runs he gave up came on a pair of solo homers to Ben Rice and Austin Wells.
Nate Lavender pitched in relief of Scott in both of his starts and did his job in both of those outings. He was called upon in Scott’s start against the Giants to pitch to Rafael Devers with the bases loaded and got a huge strikeout to keep the Giants off the board and helping to set things up for the comeback that was to come. Lavender pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief of Scott on Sunday, but unfortunately the Mets did not have a comeback in them on that day. The aberration on Lavender’s otherwise spotless record is—you guessed it—the 15-14 game in Miami in which he participated in the collective bullpen nuclear meltdown. He was charged with three runs in just 1/3 of an inning in that game, blowing up what would have been a good grade otherwise because he also pitched a scoreless seventh inning and earned a hold in Tuesday’s win in Miami and earned a hold in the series opener in Tampa as well.
Sean Manaea started that game on Tuesday in Miami and earned the win despite a somewhat mediocre final line of four runs on five hits in five innings of work. He struck out four and walked none in the outing. But the Mets had their hitting shoes on against the Marlins and were able to out-hit the bad pitching all series long. The same cannot be said for Manaea’s other September outing, which took place in Tampa. He was roughed up for five runs on eleven hits in 5 2/3 innings of work and took the loss.
Kodai Senga earned the save in Miami on Tuesday despite a shaky outing. Luckily, Senga had some breathing room to work with and navigated his way through the inning with the lead still intact. That was Senga’s only earned run allowed across four outings covered by this meter in which he’s been a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities. One of his other saves came in relief of Scott in the series finale against the Giants in which he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth complete with a strikeout to successfully protect a two-run lead after the Mets put up a four spot in the bottom of the eighth. The other came in the series opener against the Rays. Senga also appeared in a non-save situation in the series opener against the Giants to cap off that victory in relief of McLean.
Robert Stock also came out of the bullpen for the first time this season in that game, coming to Austin Warren’s rescue after Warren gave up a three-run homer to Rafael Devers in the eighth that put the game in jeopardy. Stock recorded a key final out of the inning to bridge the gap to Senga. Stock started the series opener against the Rays on the last day of August and had his best outing yet. He pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no walks and earned the victory in that game. He then started again in last Wednesday’s infamous victory, pitching the first four innings of that game before things got really silly. He was charged with three runs on five hits in four innings of work, striking out four batters and walking two. Warren bounced back from his poor outing against the Giants with two good ones in Miami, including a scoreless fifth in relief of Stock on Wednesday that I suppose one could describe as the calm before the storm. Warren pitched a scoreless ninth inning complete with two strikeouts in the series opener in Miami as well and a scoreless ninth inning in Sunday’s loss.
The series opener in Miami was Jonah Tong’s 2026 debut and he pitched better than his final line indicates. Luckily the Mets were able to give him enough run support to earn the win, thanks in part to some poor defense by the Marlins. Tong struck out the side in the bottom of the first inning and had one tough inning in the second in which the Marlins dropped a four spot on him. But he was able to recover and bounce back to make his way through five innings and make himself the pitcher of record. He struck out seven batters in total and walked only one. It was surely a debut to build upon and yesterday’s outing against the Orioles will be covered in the next meter.
The bullpen was spotless in relief of Tong, including Dedniel Núñez, who has had a solid couple of weeks. Núñez worked around a couple of hits to pitch a scoreless sixth inning in relief of Tong in the series opener in Miami. He followed that up with a scoreless eighth inning the following day in relief of Manaea as part of a solid all around bullpen effort that day. Núñez also appeared twice in the Rays series—once in the opener and once in the finale. In the series opener, he earned a hold with a 1-2-3 seventh inning complete with a strikeout. He then earned the win in the series finale for calming things down and recording the final out of the fourth inning after Devenski failed to get through the inning. He went on to pitch a scoreless fifth as well.
Jonathan Pintaro pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to cap off the rubber game victory against the Rays. Pintaro followed that up with a fantastic outing against the Giants in that closely-contested series finale in which he delievered two hitless innings of work in relief of Christian Scott, striking out a batter in the process. Like Lavender and Núñez, Pintaro earned a hold in relief of Manaea with a scoreless sixth inning in the second game of the Marlins series, but like much of the rest of the bullpen, his record was besmirched by Wednesday’s disaster. He was charged with two runs on three hits in that game.
An unlikely hero earned the save to finally put the series finale against the Marlins to a merciful end: Tobias Myers, called up before the series finale at Citi Field against the Giants when Yan was optioned. With the Mets’ lead somehow once again cut to just a skinny run, Myers came in the game to replace Lavender with the tying run on first base. He allowed a single to Javier Sanoja and suddenly the tying run was in scoring position, but he bounced back to strike out Owen Caissie and get Graham Pauley to pop out to miraculously end the game with the Mets hanging on to win. Myers has been great since his return to the big leagues after nearly two months in the minors. Myers earned the win in the series finale against the Giants in his very first outing back with a scoreless eighth inning, after which the Mets put up four runs to take the lead. Myers also pitched the final two innings of Saturday’s raucous slugfest victory against the Yankees.
Those two scoreless innings from Myers came in relief of Zac Thornton, who earned the win with seven brilliant innings against the Mets’ crosstown rivals. Thornton was amped on Saturday, throwing six pitches at 95+ mph and needing only 81 pitches to get through those seven innings, over which he struck out four batters and walked one. He worked his way out of a jam in the seventh by inducing an inning-ending double play, after which he pumped his fist and yelled in triumph as he walked off the mound—deservedly so. That was a performance worthy of a high grade, but unfortunately Thornton’s other September outing thus far was a clunker. The Giants took him deep four times and he took the loss, charged with six runs in five innings of work, over which he struck out six batters and walked one.
If Daniel Duarte’s only shaky outing was in the wild series finale against the Marlins, I may have been lenient, but he nearly spoiled Robert Stock’s strong start against the Rays in the series opener in Tampa. He gave up two runs in the eighth to bring the Rays within a run before Chris Devenski got the final out of the inning to keep the Mets in front. His next two outings were positive; he pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the series finale victory in Tampa and then a scoreless eighth inning in Tong’s debut in the series opener in Miami. But he caught whatever disease the rest of the bullpen was infected with on Wednesday. He came in the game in the sixth with one out and Devenski struggling and walked the first man he faced to force in a run and then allowed a game-tying single—those runs all charged to Devenski. Hilariously, Duarte was tagged with the blown save in that game, but then also earned the win because the Mets took another big lead in the seventh which they managed to just barely protect. Duarte came back out for the bottom of the seventh and allowed a solo homer that added an earned run to his ledger.
Happy birthday to Vito Valentinetti, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1992 – The Cubs blow out the Phils, 14-9, to give Greg Maddux his 18th win. Led by Andre Dawson‘s four hits, the first four hitters collect 11 hits and 11 RBI for the Cubs. Dave Hollins homers for the Phils, while Dawson, Ryne Sandberg and Rick Wilkins go deep for Chicago. Mark Grace makes an error, ending his streak of 102 errorless games at 1B; his streak began after two errors on May 18th vs. the Dodgers, and 2014 – The Cubs’Jake Arrieta* throws a one-hitter in shutting out the Reds, 7-0. Brandon Phillips‘ two-out double in the eighth is the only blemish as Arrieta strikes out 13, and other stories as well.
1966 – The Mets (5) and Giants (3) tie a major-league record by using eight pinch hitters in the ninth inning as the Mets win, 5-4. Willie McCovey hits a 500-foot home run, judged the longest ever at Candlestick Park.
1975 – Rennie Stennett ties a major league mark established in 1892 going 7 for 7 in a nine-inning game. The Pirates’ second baseman gets two hits in one inning twice (in the 1st and 5th innings), helping make the game the most one-sided shutout since 1900, as the Bucs crush the Cubs at Wrigley Field, 22-0.
1996 – A 5th-inning triple off Royals pitcher Jose Rosado gives the Twins’Paul Molitor3000 hits. He will become the first major leaguer to accomplish this milestone in a season in which he collects 200 hits. It is the first time a three-bagger is a career 3000th hit.
1996 – Backed by two three-run homers from Tim Raines, celebrating his 37th birthday, Jimmy Key stops the Blue Jays, 10-0. Raines’ second home run, a 457-foot blast to center field, is the longest hit by a Yankee this year.
2025 – Cal Raleigh keeps on setting records. By hitting two more homers in a 12-5 win by Seattle over Kansas City, he has now hit 56 this season, setting a new all-time mark for a switch-hitter (Mickey Mantle was the previous record holder with 54) and ties the Mariners record for most in a season (Ken Griffey Jr. had hit 56 twice).
Today in Cubs history:
1909 – President Taft attends a Cubs–Giants game in Chicago and players are introduced to him before the game. Giants ace Christy Mathewson then outdeals Chicago ace Three Finger Brown, 2-1, with each allowing seven hits. Taft downs popcorn and lemonade during the match, according to the Chicago Tribune.
1923 – The Cubs lose, 10-6, to the Giants in Chicago, despite the hitting of Hack Miller who collects three doubles and a triple. A riot occurs in the eighth inning when umpire Charlie Moran makes an out call at second base on Sparky Adams, Moran is pelted by hundreds of pop bottles. Judge Landis, in attendance at the game, shakes his cane at the angry mob, and play is held up for 15 minutes. John McGraw and the umpires need a police escort at the conclusion.
1935 – In the opener of a critical four-game series in Chicago, the Giants lose, 8-3, to Lon Warneke. The Cubs have now won 12 straight.
1971 – At New York, lefty Juan Pizarro of the Cubsshuts out the Mets and Tom Seaver, 1-0. Pizarro does it all, clubbing a solo homer to win his own game. It’s Pizarro’s second shutout in a row and Seaver’s first loss after seven straight wins. Tom’s last loss was August 1st, also to Pizarro.
1972 – In an 18-5 victory over the Mets, Cub infielder Glenn Beckert goes 0 for 6 and sets a record by leaving 12 men on base.
1998 – Sammy Sosa‘s grand slam in the 8th inning, his 63rd home run of the year, leads the Cubs to a 6-3 win over San Diego. He now has 154 RBIs for the season.
2000 – Cub outfielder Sammy Sosa joins Mark McGwire (1997-1999) as the only major leaguer to hit 50 home runs three consecutive seasons.
1620 – The Mayflower departs Plymouth, England, with 102 Pilgrims and about 30 crew for the New World.
1830 – Oliver Wendell Holmes writes poem “Old Ironsides” as tribute to the 18th-century USS Constitution.
1893 – Cherokee Strip, Oklahoma, opens white settlement homesteaders.
1908 – Carriage maker William C. Durant founds General Motors in Flint, Michigan.
1920 – The “Wall Street bombing” occurs at 12:01 when a horse-drawn wagon explodes on Wall Street, New York, killing 38 and injuring 143.
1960 – Amos Alonzo Stagg retires as a football coach at 98 years old after a 70-year career that included his final coaching role as the kicking coach at Stockton Junior College.
1965 – British singer Davie Jones changes his stage name to “David Bowie” to avoid confusion with the Monkee of similar name.
1977 – Sire Records releases “Talking Heads: 77,” the debut studio album by the American rock band Talking Heads, featuring the single “Psycho Killer”.
1978 – American rockers the Grateful Dead perform last of three-night stand at the Giza Sound and Light Theater beside the Sphinx at the foot of the Great Pyramid in Egypt.
2023 – A massive rockslide in Greenland creates a tsunami wave in the Dickson Fjord that shakes the earth for nine days
The Detroit Tigers have been on a roll of late, notching their sixth straight win on Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays with a 10-1 triumph at the Rogers Center. If this keeps up, perhaps AJ Hinch and Co. might just sneak into the playoffs — but do not get your hopes too high just yet.
In the final game of the series for the Motor City Kitties, right-hander Keider Montero will make his 25th start of the season looking to keep the streak alive. However, the 26-year-old has failed to get past the four-frame mark in his last two starts and got shelled in one, surrendering six runs over four innings to the Guardians in Cleveland, resulting in a 7-6 loss on Sept. 4 in the first game of a doubleheader.
Montero bounced back the next game against the Minnesota Twins in Detroit, allowing just a pair of runs — both on solo homers — over four innings in what turned out to be a 7-2 victory for the Olde English D.
Sound the old friend alert! Fellow righty Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays in what should be the final season of his illustrious Hall of Fame career. The heterochromatic former Tiger had his best game of the season three starts ago against the Seattle Mariners at home, tossing seven frames of one-hit, shutout ball along with 10 strikeouts for his second win of the season.
The 42-year-old’s brown eye took back over in his last two appearances, resulting in a 7.59 ERA and 5.45 FIP across 10 2/3 innings on 12 hits (two home runs) and a pair of walks while striking out five, hitting a batter and getting called for a balk.
Take a look at how the two pitchers match up as Detroit goes for its second-straight sweep and seventh-straight win.
Detroit Tigers (72-79) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (75-77)
Time (ET): 3:07 p.m. Place: Rogers Center, Toronto, Ontario SB Nation Site:Bluebird Banter Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 152: RHP Keider Montero (9-8, 3.55 ERA) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (2-8, 6.38 ERA)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 15: Coby Mayo #16 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a inside the park home run in the 11th inning during the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning Birdland,
Despite their playoff odds fading by the day, these Orioles are still putting up a fight and (occasionally) doing some pretty neat things on the field. Last night’s extra-inning win over the Mets could end up being the most memorable of the entire season.
Pete Alonso, the long-time Met that had a much-publicized departure from the club last winter, has been having a dream homecoming this week. The Citi Field faithful have thrown all of their support behind Alonso, sometimes even booing their own team while giving the first baseman regular standing ovations. Those cheers got particularly loud in the top of the ninth inning, when Alonso hit his 300th career home run to tie the game.
Alonso was pumped, throwing his bat in triumph back towards the Orioles bench. And the Queens crowd was appreciative too. They kept on cheering until Alonso stepped back up from the away team dugout for a curtain call.
That reaction is rare. Usually, a crowd wouldn’t be too happy to see their team blow a ninth-inning lead, and they certainly wouldn’t be praising the guy that hit it. Of course, Alonso in New York is a unique case. That didn’t stop some Mets players from noting the oddity. The reality is that as disappointing as the Orioles have been, the Mets have been even worse. They don’t even have a mathematical chance of making the playoffs, and Alonso has had himself a great season in Baltimore. The Mets fan base has acted exactly as you should expect given the situation.
The winning home run came later on, when Coby Mayo smacked an inside-the-park, three-run homer that was made possible when Mets center fielder A.J. Ewing made a valiant effort, but fumbled the catch away on the warning track. Neither of his outfield mates was there to help him, giving Mayo plenty of time to circle the bases despite not hustling right out of the box. Mayo now has 24 home runs and a 112 OPS+ on the season. Pretty good!
The O’s did not gain any ground in the AL wild card standings. Both the Guardians and Rangers won, so they remain three games back with 10 games to play. They will wrap up this series in New York at 7:10 p.m. Chris Bassitt (7-5, 4.88 ERA) is facing Robert Stock (1-3, 5.93 ERA).
Links
Baz exits after taking comebacker off elbow, but hopes to avoid IL | Orioles.com Shane Baz got hit on the right elbow with a 105-mph line drive off in the fifth inning. It clearly did not feel great, and Baz’s one warm-up pitch he took to test out the elbow flew over his catcher’s head. So, we were fearing bad news here. But it sounds like things are relatively OK. X-rays were negative, and Baz himself thinks he should be able to make his next scheduled start, which could be his last of the season.
This, that and the other | Roch Kubatko The rotation is getting thin as the end of the season nears. We know Kyle Bradish is done for the year. Baz is dealing with the elbow. The team has not announced starters for the Brewers series yet. It seems likely that at least one of Cade Povich or Trey Gibson comes to Baltimore for those games.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
Paul Shuey turns 56 today. The righty returned to the big leagues in 2007 to pitch for the Orioles after spending the two prior years out of affiliated ball. He had previously spent a decade in the majors from 1994 through ‘03.
Mark Parent is 65 years old. He had two stints in Baltimore that spanned three seasons in total. From 1992 to ‘93, the catcher appeared in 57 games for the O’s, and then he played in 18 more games during the ‘96 season.
Mickey Tettleton turns 66. He was the Orioles primary catcher and occasional DH from 1988 through ‘90. His 1989 season was his best, when he posted a 150 wRC+, made the all-star team, and won a Silver Slugger award.
Tim Raines Sr. is 67 today. The Hall of Famer spent 23 seasons in the majors, most of that with the Expos and White Sox. But his four-game stint with the Orioles in 2001 was noteworthy because it allowed him to play in the same lineup as his son, Tim Jr..
This day in O’s history
1985 – The Orioles hit six home run runs to trounce the Tigers, 14-7. Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray, and Fred Lynn hit three straight long balls in the eighth inning alone.
1997 – Jimmy Key finally gets back in the win column at Camden Yards. He had been on an 0-7 run across his previous nine starts. Baltimore beats Cleveland 7-2 to split the double-header.
2012 – The Orioles clinch a winning record for the first time since 1997, beating the Athletics 9-5. Matt Wieters homers twice off of future Orioles pitcher Dan Straily.
2014 – The O’s beat the Blue Jays 8-2 to become champions of the AL East for the first time since 1997.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 14: Anthony Volpe, Carlos Rodon #55 of the New York Yankees and Clarke Schmidt #36 of the New York Yankees celebrate in the clubhouse after clinching a playoff berth against the Minnesota Twins on September 14, 2026 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ok, so you clinched a postseason berth. Now what?
The Yankees will be in October for the ninth time in the last 10 years, punching their ticket on Monday night in Minnesota. There’s still a very outside shot the team wins the AL East — FanGraphs gives them a 12 percent chance at time of writing — but the smart money is on hosting the Wild Card series in the Bronx, likely against the Red Sox. The defining story of the Yankees in 2026 has been how the team has managed so many players, especially key ones, on the IL while staying competitive, and with several of those players possibly returning, the postseason roster begins to fill up quickly.
We start with the pitching side, where despite what some on the internet may say, Gerrit Cole will be on the postseason roster. The Yankees are not leaving their $36 million man out in the cold despite his last two starts. Indeed, I’m sure priority #1 in Matt Blake’s workshop right now is figuring out how to stop Cole from allowing so many home runs. Depending on the actual seeding and whether the Yankees can run down the Rays atop the division, the team will shuffle its rotation ahead of the season’s final series with Baltimore, and I imagine they’ll set Cam Schlittler up to start Game 1, Max Fried Game 2, and Cole for a potential final contest.
We then think of the bullpen, where I think the Yankees have an understated advantage. Sometimes, you need a guy to wear one, like Bradley Hanner last Saturday facing the Mets. In the postseason, that doesn’t really happen; you can deploy your high-leverage guys early and often, and yank ‘em at the first sign of trouble. The Yankees also have three MLB-caliber starters potentially available to pitch in relief, with Clarke Schmidt expected to be activated this week, Will Warren not necessarily needed in the rotation, and Ryan Weathers likely to be added to the team off the IL before the season ends.
Weathers is the biggest wild card, no pun intended, here as Schmidt has 11 games to get himself used to a relief role, something he’s done in the past. Weathers has come out of the bullpen too, but with less tuneup time, he may end up being the odd man out. I imagine Hanner and John Schreiber will be the current active players dropped for the postseason, opening up those two slots, but it’s just two slots.
The position player side sees a similar challenge, with it left up to debate whether either Trent Grisham or Giancarlo Stanton returns this year. If I were to bet I’d say Trent does and Big G does not, which stings given Stanton’s history of strong postseason play. We know the Yankees like Grish, and like having him in center, but even if he’s back to 100 percent, I think he has to occupy a fourth outfielder role in the playoffs. Since August 1, Spencer Jones has a 122 wRC+ to Grisham’s 102, and while Jones’ defense hasn’t been great, Grisham has looked like he’s lost a step himself in center this year, and the power upside of Jones in a short series has to get priority.
Then the last question is Jazz Chisholm Jr., currently on the IL with a thumb sprain. Anthony Volpe and George Lombard Jr. have provided a very good vibe in the middle of the infield over the last week or so, but both have been weaker hitters than Jazz in that same Aug 1-present period — albeit Volpe has had just 18 plate appearances in that span. I think Jazz gets the nod over Volpe if the Yankees believe he’s game-ready, and the club has stayed devoted to Amed Rosario, leaving Volpe out in the cold.
We still have a week and a half before the season ends, which is just enough time for someone else to get hurt and an injury timeline to be updated. The key is the Yankees are in the dance, and they get to drop some of the weaker elements of the team while they’re in it.
