Category: Sports News

For the fifth time in six years, the Minnesota Twins clocked out at the end of September—eschewing October overtime. On many occasions I was in the trenches with them, attending 27 contests (most at home, some away). My personal 11-16 record wasn’t exactly sterling—but neither was the club’s. You know the old mantra: “a bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work”? Swap amateur angling for stadium spectating and a lot of fun was still had at the ballpark(s) this particular 162 slate.

The beginning of the season brought cold, cold, and—you guessed it—a little more cold. I wasn’t done lugging the parka from the parking ramp until late-May. But I bundled up and even convinced some family to shiver along with me. On April 14 we saw two Buck Truck bombs and an Abel/Rogers/Sands shutout of the BoSox!

As April showers (and cold) turned into May flowers—the dogs ate them. I kid, I kid…just trying to scare gintzer more about Bark at the Park Night (when Bailey Ober inexplicably twirled a complete game shutout against the Miami Marlins!). To be fair, I also consumed my share of cased-meat dogs.

June 12 brought me a wild 9-8 win over the St. Louis Cardinals where Buxton doubled twice, homered—and the Twins still needed long balls from Royce Lewis & Brooks Lee in B8 to take a lead!

A few weeks later, I attended the big Joe Ryan versus Shohei Ohtani pitching matchup in front of a sold-out Target Field crowd. The Twins lost and were swept by True Blue—but years from now someone will be impressed at me seeing Ohtani pull double duty (even if that someone is me!).

When the calendar flipped to July, I saw Alan Roden walk off the Cleveland Guardians—then paused to enjoy the All-Star festivities with my unaccustomed-to-billed-headware niece.

Alas, July brought some epic frustrations—like being 2-hit shutout by the Unaffiliated Athletics & 5-hit shutout by Randy Dobnak and the Kansas City Royals.

Fortunately, I was able to pull off two more baseball stadium trips: Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. and Chase Field in Arizona. Great times—like a Buxton salami—in both locales!

As the non-canine and non-sausage dog days of August commenced, I saw the first MLB game and knock from Walker Jenkins.

For the first time, I was also at Target Field without a baseball game—instead, the Tim McGraw concert! My sister and I had a great time and it’s a tribute to Son-of-Tug that his music can bridge a 13-year sibling gap.

A 15-2 victory (featuring a 10-run inning!) over the Tigers was somewhat of a September salve for another late-season collapse. My final night under the North Loop skies was another high-scoring fun affair!

At least there was no Curse of Kyle Lohse (seeing him at the Dome when I pined for Santana, Radke, or even Silva)—my SP distribution was remarkably even…

• Joe Ryan: 7 starts
• Zebby Matthews & Taj Bradley: 4 starts
• Bailey Ober & Connor Prielipp: 3 starts
• Simeon Woods-Richardson & Mike Paredes: 2 starts
• Mick Abel & Dean Kremer: 1 start

Sometimes I complain about the traffic—or the ushers—or the folks oblivious to the water fountain button in the bottom right corner. Sometimes my baseball glove gets stolen out from under my seat. But I still enjoy getting out to the ballgame. There’s a song about it, after all.

Today’s Reflections

Sunday’s game didn’t matter. The playoff positions had been solidified. It was a good day to rest your players as the team heads to the playoffs.

It wasn’t an off day for Alex Bregman. After his miraculous return on Friday, Bregman does what he does best — viewed videos of his hitting. After he saw something that he could correct, he didn’t just go to the batting cage to work it out. Nah. He texted Craig Counsell and said “LFG.” That meant he wanted in the game to see if his hitting correction worked.

A two-run home run. A solo home run. A single. An RBI-double.

4-for-4, three runs scored and four RBI. That is a man determined, a man that is a leader. That’s why he’s on the Cubs team.

There were several substitutions during the game. After Pete Crow-Armstrong knocked his first-inning single to right field, Tyrone Taylor entered the game and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Michael Conforto was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Pedro Ramirez and Miguel Amaya both went 2-for-4. Amaya doubled and scored a run.

It was a bullpen day after a Shōta Imanaga first-inning appearance. We got our first look at Braxton Garrett. He started out rough in the second inning, with a pair of singles, a HBP and a run-scoring fielder’s choice, tying the game with the Red Sox at 2-2. But after that, Garrett went four innings of scoreless ball, but allowed two hits and three walks while striking out two. The last three innings pitched were perfect, one by Jacob Webb, the last two by Colin Rea.

Off to San Diego!

I appreciate your reading.

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Sunday’s Game Stories:

• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Fresh off facial fractures,, “Bregman mashes 2 homers in 2nd game back. “Even without any postseason implications on the line on Sunday, Alex Bregman told Cubs manager Craig Counsell that he wanted to be in the starting lineup.”

• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Alex Bregman homers twice in season-finale win, Cubs head to playoffs aiming to ‘make some noise in October’. “Bregman had a monster day at the plate just a week after taking a foul ball to the face, continuing to marvel teammates on the eve of the postseason.”

• Tony Marchese (OnTapSportsNet): Bregman Homers Twice as Cubs Close Season With 6-2 Win at Tropicana. “Alex Bregman went 4-for-4 with two homers and four RBI as the Cubs beat the Red Sox 6-2 at Tropicana Field to finish 89-73 and reach the Wild Card.”

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Playoff Pitching Stories:

• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Cubs may have to consider Clay Holmes role change that once seemed impossible to believe. “They may have no other option.”
• Jake Misenser (Cubbies Crib): Cubs need to lock in on one specific Michael King pitch in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Round. “It’s time for Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Chicago offense to dial in at the plate.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): Counsell playing Cubs’ postseason rotation close to the vest. “Cubs manager Craig Counsell likes to have as much information in hand as possible before announcing any plans for his pitching staff.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs’ Kevin Gausman, with nagging shoulder, unsure if he’d be ready for possible Game 1 start vs. Padres. “Gausman’s left shoulder is still affecting him after he banged it on a tag play last week, making it a mystery whether he’ll be available to pitch in the Cubs’ best-of-three playoff series against the Padres.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Sun-Times): Chicago Cubs’ wild-card rotation plans in flux as they monitor Kevin Gausman’s left shoulder injury. “The Chicago Cubs’ pitching plans for the opening round are expected to come together Sunday.”

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Playoff Hitting Stories:

• Mike Petriello (MLB.com): The best defender in baseball? (Almost) the best offensive player? It’s the same guy! “Here’s another way Pete Crow-Armstrong’s season was an extreme outlier.”
• Matt Snyder (CBSSports): Ranking the offenses of all 12 MLB playoff teams: Can anyone out-power the Cubs? “Home runs play in the postseason, but slugging isn’t everything when it comes to October success.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune {$}): Column: Can Alex Bregman be the difference for the Chicago Cubs in another wild-card showdown with San Diego? “The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres meet again in the wild-card series, which moves this year from Wrigley Field to Petco Park.”

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Assorted Stories:

• Tyler Courtney (LastWordOnSports): Who Needs to Step Up for the 2026 Cubs Playoff Run. “Postseason baseball is always different, and Chicago will have to put the past behind. If they wish to move on to face the Brewers, a few players need to step up.”
• Curt Bishop (Fastball On SI): Ranking the NL Wild Card Series Teams from Worst to Best. “The National League had a very packed wild card race this year, and the final spot came down to the last day of the regular season.”
• Michael Canter (Cubs Insider): The Rundown: Postseason Road Games Could Help Cubs, Bregman Swinging Hot Bat, PCA’s Historic Season, Playoff Predictions. “All things considered, going to San Diego to play a Wild Card series against the Padres is not as bad as it seems.”
• David Adler (MLB.com): Cubs-Padres position-by-position breakdown. “It’s a rematch — the Cubs vs. the Padres in the National League Wild Card Series for a second straight year.”
• Thomas Domol (North Side Baseball): Cubs Week In Review: A Wild Card Test In San Diego Awaits After Limping To Finish Line. “Pete Crow-Armstrong and his Chicago Cubs are on their way to San Diego, California for their best-of-three Wild Card Series with the Padres. Can they survive a tough test in the first round of the playoffs?”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Boog Sciambi has a new job, but it doesn’t mean he’s leaving Cubs broadcasts. “The TV voice of the Cubs has a new gig heading into the offseason.”

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Food For Thought:

Deitra Farr (born August 1, 1957) is an American blues, soul and gospel singer-songwriter. Farr was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and began singing in the mid-1970s with various soul bands. She converted to Catholicism as a child and sang in the gospel choir at Holy Angels Catholic Church on the South Side. She graduated from Kenwood High School (Academy) in Chicago. She studied vocal music there with Lena McLin and was a member of the Kenwood Choir. At the age of 18, she recorded the lead vocals on “You Won’t Support Me” with the Chicago group Mill Street Depo. That song made the Top 100 R&B list with Cashbox magazine in 1976.

She began singing the blues in the early 1980s. From 1993 to 1996, she was the lead singer for Mississippi Heat and recorded two albums with them, Learned the Hard Way and Thunder in my Heart. In 1997, she released her first solo album titled The Search is Over. In 2005, Farr released her second JSP album, Let It Go. The blues guitarist, Billy Flynn, played on Let It Go.

Since 1990, she has toured internationally, so far performing in over 40 countries. Farr is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She has a regular column called “Artist to Artist” in Living Blues magazine.

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

Since being drafted in 2021, Creed Willems has steadily worked his way up through the minor leagues. An eighth-round draft pick out of high school, Willems hung around on the Orioles’ prospect lists in the mid-levels, but never did enough to really cause a stir (if you don’t count his kickass mullet).

Willems spent all of 2025 with the Double-A Baysox, where he hit ..253/.338/.441 in 105 games. Just as he had done throughout his time in professional baseball, Willems hit righties pretty well but was lousy against lefties. After the season he was eligible for the Rule 5 draft. The Orioles did not protect him, and no team selected him. That’s good for the Orioles, who got to keep him in the system without putting him on the 40-man roster, but maybe a bummer for Willems that no team wanted him badly enough to give him a shot.

Willems started the 2026 season with the Norfolk Tides and stayed there for the rest of the year (except for two rehab games with Frederick). At age 23, Willems was about three years younger than the league average. The C/1B/DH came out of the gate hot, cooled a bit, then had a scorching month of May. On May 31st, Willems had an .846 OPS through 47 games and people were starting to notice. When will Creed get a chance, we wondered.

The hot hitting cooled off, but Willems was still going well enough overall that it seemed like he might actually get to the majors that year. On June 30th, Willems was OPS’ing .798. On July 1st, the Tides were on the road at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and Willems suffered a freak injury. He slipped on a mat in the dugout and pulled a hamstring, landing him on the IL for about two weeks.

If you remember July in Baltimore, the situation got pretty ugly, catcher-wise. Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo were both injured around the middle of the month. Then, of course, Rutschman was traded to the Red Sox while Basallo was on the injured list. That’s how the Orioles spent a month with catchers like Chadwick Tromp, Sam Huff, Yohel Pozo, Jake Rogers, and eventually Carlos Narváez making starts. It was an ugly scene. And yet, Creed Willems was not recalled.

There are a couple ways to look at that. One is that Willems was on the IL from 7/2-7/20 and missed his opportunity to make the big leagues due to poor timing. Rutschman went on the IL on 7/20 and Basallo went on the IL on 7/22.

So yeah, timing could have been it. Or it could have been that Mike Elias had no intention of adding Willems to the 40-man roster and bringing him up. In fact, Elias went out of his way to acquire new catchers rather than turn to Willems. He selected Pozo off waivers from the Cardinals on July 23rd. He traded for Jake Rogers on July 30th. He brought Tromp into the organization in early July. And of course, Narváez came back in the Rutschman trade and spent the rest of the season being terrible.

We’ll never know if Willems would have gotten his chance if he hadn’t been injured. It was probably for the best that they didn’t add him to the team right after his injury because he was terrible at the plate for the rest of July and all of August. His overall numbers plummeted, though he rebounded nicely in September to make his overall numbers look more respectable.

Willems finished 2026 with 113 games played and a hitting line of .260/.351/.434. He hit 21 home runs but just five doubles. One interesting thing about his batting line is that, for the first time in his career, he did not have a large platoon split. In fact, he hit lefties and righties almost evenly, with just a bit higher OBP against righties.

Due to the impending owners’ lockout, we will not need to worry about Willems being subject to the Rule 5 draft. In all likelihood, there will not be one.

The problem for Willems is that he doesn’t hit well enough to be a starting catcher, but he doesn’t play defense well enough to be the backup catcher. He is also a first baseman and designated hitter, but the Orioles are pretty full up on players to fill those roles.

FanGraphs is a Creed fan, however, ranking him as the Orioles #15 prospect back in May. He has surely been pushed down that list with the influx in talent from the trade deadline deals, but that is still a pretty good ranking for Willems. Eric Longenhagen likes Willems’ bat and predicted in May that Willems should have been ready to debut in the summer. As for his defense, Longenhagen says:

Willems isn’t great behind the plate. He isn’t an especially smooth receiver or blocker, and it takes him awhile to get out of his crouch and release the ball on stolen base attempts. You can play him there occasionally, but it’s hard to see a team starting him there every day even if he hits his offensive ceiling. Willems thus projects as a hybrid sort of bench bat, a Mitch Garver type who catches once per week while playing a little first base and DH and pinch-hitting when he’s not in the bucket. 

Willems did join the Orioles on the taxi squad at the end of the year, but he was never activated and will have to wait to make his MLB debut. Steve Melewski caught up with Willems during that time and posted a nice interview with him on his website.

If Willems is not shipped off via trade this off-season, I expect he’ll be back at Triple-A Norfolk to start the 2027 season. Basallo is committed to the Orioles long-term, Willems isn’t strong defensively behind the plate, and the Orioles are awash in 1B/DH types. That doesn’t bode well for him. But I hope he will force his way up when given the chance.

The MLB playoffs are here.

Starting on Tuesday, September 29, 12 teams remain alive in the chase for the World Series. But by the middle of October, only two teams will be left standing.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are chasing an elusive three-peat, as only four teams — and two organizations — have pulled off that accomplishment. The New York Yankees have done this three times (1936-1939, 1949-1953, and 1998-2000), while the Athletics pulled off a three-peat from 1972 through 1974.

If the Dodgers join this exclusive club, they would be the only National League team to pull off a three-peat.

Here is the MLB Playoff Bracket, as well as the times for every game leading up to the ALCS and NLCS.

MLB Playoff Bracket

Here is the playoff bracket for the 2026 MLB Playoffs. You will see that the Tampa Bay Rays secured the top seed in the American League and have a bye, as do the Cleveland Guardians as the No. 2 seed. Tampa Bay will face the winner of the Wild Card Series between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, while the Guardians will take on the winner of the series between the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox.

In the National League the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the top seeds, and will wait on the wild card winners. The Brewers will face the winner of the series between the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres, while the Dodgers will take on the winner of the series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves.

Bracket courtesy of MLB.com:

National League schedule and scores

Here is the schedule for the National League playoffs. All times listed are Eastern.

Scores will be updated as games go final.

Wild Card: Phillies vs. Braves

Game 1: Braves 5, Phillies 3 (Braves lead series 1-0)
Game 2: Phillies 4, Braves 3 (F10) (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: Braves 6, Phillies 2 (Braves win series 2-1)

Wild Card: Cubs vs. Padres

Game 1: Padres 8, Cubs 0 (Padres lead series 1-0)
Game 2: Padres 4, Cubs 1 (Padres win series 2-0)

NLDS: Padres vs. Brewers

Game 1: Padres at Brewers, Saturday, October 3, 8:30 p.m., FS1
Game 2: Padres at Brewers, Sunday, October 4, 4:00 p.m., FS1
Game 3: Brewers at Padres, Tuesday, October 6, 9:30 p.m., FS1
Game 4: Brewers at Padres, Wednesday, October 7, 10:00 p.m., FS1*
Game 5: Padres at Brewers, Friday, October 9, 4:30 p.m., FS1*

NLDS: Braves vs. Dodgers

Game 1: Braves at Dodgers, Saturday, October 3, 4:00 p.m., FOX
Game 2: Braves at Dodgers, Sunday, October 4, 8:00 p.m., FS1
Game 3: Dodgers at Braves, Tuesday, October 6, 6:00 p.m., FS1
Game 4: Dodgers at Braves, Wednesday, October 7, 6:00 p.m., FS1*
Game 5: Braves at Dodgers, Friday, October 9, 8:00 p.m., FOX*

NLCS

Game 1: NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed, Sunday, October 11, TBD, FOX or FS1
Game 2: NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed, Monday, October 12, TBD, FOX or FS1
Game 3: NL Higher Seed at NL Lower Seed, Wednesday, October 14, TBD, FOX or FS1
Game 4: NL Higher Seed at NL Lower Seed, Thursday, October 15, TBD, FOX or FS1
Game 5: NL Higher Seed at NL Lower Seed, Friday, October 16, TBD, FOX or FS1*
Game 6: NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed, Sunday, October 18, TBD, FOX or FS1*
Game 7: NL Lower Seed at NL Higher Seed, Monday, October 19, TBD, FOX or FS1*

* If necessary

American League schedule and scores

Here is the schedule for the playoffs on the American League side of things. All times listed are Eastern.

Wild Card: White Sox vs. Astros

Game 1: White Sox 6, Astros 3 (White Sox lead series 1-0)
Game 2: White Sox 7, Astros 3 (White Sox win series 2-0)

Wild Card: Red Sox vs. Yankees

Game 1: Yankees 9, Red Sox 0 (Yankees lead series 1-0)
Game 2: Yankees 9, Red Sox 2 (Yankees win series 2-0)

ALDS: Yankees vs. Rays

Game 1: Yankees at Rays, Saturday, October 3, 6:30 p.m., TBS
Game 2: Yankees at Rays, Monday, October 5, 8:00 p.m., TBS
Game 3: Rays at Yankees, Wednesday, October 7, 8:00 p.m., TBS
Game 4: Rays at Yankees, Thursday, October 8, 8:00 p.m., TBS*
Game 5: Yankees at Rays, Saturday, October 10, 8:00 p.m., TBS*

ALDS: White Sox vs. Guardians

Game 1: White Sox at Guardians, Saturday, October 3, 1:00 p.m., TBS
Game 2: White Sox at Guardians, Monday, October 5, 5:00 p.m., TBS
Game 3: Guardians at White Sox, Wednesday, October 7, 4:00 p.m., TBS
Game 4: Guardians at White Sox, Thursday, October 8, 5:00 p.m., TBS*
Game 5: White Sox at Guardians, Saturday, October 10, 5:00 p.m., TBS*

ALCS

Game 1: AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed, Monday, October 12, TBD, TBS
Game 2: AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed, Tuesday, October 13, TBD, TBS
Game 3: AL Higher Seed at AL Lower Seed, Thursday, October 15, TBD, TBS
Game 4: AL Higher Seed at AL Lower Seed, Friday, October 16, TBD, TBS
Game 5: AL Higher Seed at AL Lower Seed, Saturday, October 17, TBD, TBS*
Game 6: AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed, Monday, October 19, TBD, TBS*
Game 7: AL Lower Seed at AL Higher Seed, Tuesday, October 20, TBD, TBS*

World Series schedule

Here is the schedule for the World Series:

Game 1: Lower Seed at Higher Seed, Friday, October 23, TBD, FOX
Game 2: Lower Seed at Higher Seed, Saturday, October 24, TBD, FOX
Game 3: Higher Seed at Lower Seed, Monday, October 26, TBD, FOX
Game 4: Higher Seed at Lower Seed, Tuesday, October 27, TBD, FOX
Game 5: Higher Seed at Lower Seed, Wednesday, October 28, TBD, FOX*
Game 6: Lower Seed at Higher Seed, Friday, October 30, TBD, FOX*
Game 7: Lower Seed at Higher Seed, Saturday, October 31, TBD, FOX*

The Dodgers are in their bye period, getting everyone healthy and their pitching lined up how they want it for the NLDS that will start this Saturday at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will play the winners of the Braves/Phillies Wild Card Series.

Fans of other teams often accuse the Dodgers of buying their championships, and does one player who joined the Dodgers this off season need to have a great October to wipe out his dismal regular season? Kyle Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million contract in the offseason. He proceeded to have the worst offensive season of his life, with a slash line of .233/.330/.385 and OPS of .715.

Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register talked to Tucker, Dave Roberts, and Andrew Freidman about Tucker’s season:

“Oh, for sure,” Friedman said. “Like if you said, Player X can have a down regular season as compared to his previous performance but a really good October – I couldn’t pick it across the board because then we wouldn’t get a bye. But with one-offs, I would absolutely take that.”

Katie Woo of The Athletic ponders the Dodgers NLDS roster decisions, and predicts Josue De Paula should make the team as a pinch-hitter over Daulton Rushing who is just coming back from the IL. The club optioned him with the exact number of days needed to be added to the postseason roster last week:

“He’s done everything he can to put himself in a position to be in the conversation for us as we’re making our postseason roster,” Dodgers president Andrew Friedman said at the time.

De Paula added a lot of pop and swagger to a team that at the time was coasting to the finish line of the regular season. His youthful exuberance could buoy the oldest team in the playoffs.

The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies open the 2026 Major League Baseball postseason on Tuesday, Sept. 29 with Game 1 of the National League wild card series at Truist Park in Georgia.

Atlanta won the NL East while Philadelphia got into the postseason as a wild card team, nearly coughing up a fifth consecutive playoff trip struggling down the stretch. But everyone's slate is now wiped clean with the best-of-three series running through Thursday, if a Game 3 is necessary.

"Guys played a lot of postseason games and know anything can happen this time of year," Phillies shortstop Trea Turner told reporters. "It looked ugly, but that's behind us, and I think we feel good. We feel like we can beat anybody."

It's the third postseason meeting between the rivals in five years, with the Phillies upsetting the Braves in the 2022 and 2023 NL Division series. Philadelphia had won the division each of the previous two seasons, snapping Atlanta's six-year streak from 2018-2023.

Where to watch Phillies vs Braves today

• Game time: 2 p.m. ET
• TV channel: NBC
• Live stream: Peacock

Watch MLB playoffs on Peacock

What time is Braves vs Phillies today?

First pitch in Game 1 of the NL wild card series is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

Phillies vs Braves schedule

Wild card series at Truist Park in Atlanta. Game 3 time subject to change.

• Game 1, Tuesday: Phillies at Braves – buy tickets – 2 p.m. ET, NBC & Peacock
• Game 2, Wednesday: Phillies at Braves – buy tickets – 2 p.m. ET, NBC & Peacock
• Game 3*, Thursday: Phillies at Braves – buy tickets – 2 p.m. ET, NBC & Peacock

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where to watch Braves vs Phillies today: Time, TV channel for MLB Game 1

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Let the quest for the World Series begin.

The MLB playoffs begin Tuesday, Sept. 29 with the wild card rounds, two in each league. The winners will advance to the divisional series and face the teams that earned a bye.

Teams with the top-two records in the National and American leagues were awarded first-round byes, where they wait to see who they will face in the best-of-five Divisional Series.

The wild card series features the Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres.

Here's are the teams in the MLB postseason that were awarded a first-round bye:

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a title favorite, coming off of back-to-back World Series. They can become the first NL team to three-peat with three consecutive titles. L.A. looks to be a strong opponent and made a clear case to defend its titles, finishing the season 100-62. However, they had the second-best record in the National League.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers believe it's their year. They believe that every year, but after they topped the National League with 103 wins and 59 losses, there's more indication that this actually might be their year. It was the first time the organization has reached 100 wins. They have Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski. There's a lot going in their favor.

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians are itching to have their "Cleveland! This is for you" moment by raising a World Series trophy. They clinched the AL Central title for the seventh time in the last 11 years. Don't expect a lot of home runs. The Guardians rank 27th in the majors in homers – only Milwaukee hits fewer among playoff teams – and 26th in OPS.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays got used to playing in the wild card round in their last two playoff appearances – 2022 and 2023 – but graduated to a first-round bye this year. After getting bounced in the wild card series those last two appearances, a rest between the regular season and playoffs could bode well for the Rays. One thing's for sure, the need Nick Martinez to play like an All-Star.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which MLB teams have first-round byes into the division series?

Breathe. The regular season is over, we’ve made it to the postseason, and we have a bye week. It’s all positive over here.

Clinching’s So Nice, We Did It Twice

Thanks to a 1-0 win against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, the Guardians clinched a postseason berth for the third year in a row. It was all Angel Martínez as he took a 79 mph changeup from Ranger Suarez into the right field seats. A combined two-hit effort from Daniel Espino, Joey Cantillo, Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski, and Cade Smith secured the one-run win and postseason spot. While the Kansas City Royals took an early three-run lead on Saturday, the Guards answered with four runs of their own in the second inning. They secured the win with a four-run ninth inning and locked down the American League Central. They’ll have a first round bye and will play the winner of the Wild Card series.

Ingle Earns MVP

The Guardians’ number four prospect, Cooper Ingle, brought home the hardware on Saturday when Minor League Baseball announced that he earned International League MVP honors. On top of hitting 20 home runs this season, he topped the league in OPS with a .952. He was also in the top-five for runs with 85, walks with 86, batting average with .297, and BABIP with .362. In 21 at bats with the Major League club this year, he hit just .095/.208/.095. However, with nearly a full season of Triple-A experience under his belt and a fresh start just six months away, he has the opportunity to blossom in 2027.

ClevelandRox Gives Back

Thanks to two home runs from catcher Hunter Goodman, the Colorado Rockies took down the Chicago White Sox on Saturday which secured the AL Central for the Guardians. Fans took to Twitter to show their gratitude, especially user @GuardsJoey. They quoted the Rockies’ win graphic asking if they could set up a GoFundMe for Goodman’s favorite charity. Goodman selected Kids of Denver which provides school clothing for children in Denver. By Sunday, fans had donated $2,500 to Kids of Denver to show their thanks to the catcher.

The San Diego Padres host the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-three National League wild card series beginning Tuesday, Sept. 29, a rematch from a year ago – won by the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

"I'm looking forward to playing a really good ballclub and getting another crack at them and starting this playoffs off on a high note," Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said Monday.

Crow-Armstrong will likely be the National League's MVP after becoming just the seventh player in MLB history with 40 home runs and 40 steals in a season and the 24-year-old finished tied for the MLB lead with 45 home runs.

"This place is super fun to play in in the regular season, and it's rocking and it's a party," Crow-Armstrong said of San Diego's Petco Park. "I'm just looking forward to year two of playoff baseball."

The Padres are one of five Major League Baseball franchises to have never won a World Series, last reaching the Fall Classic in 1998. The Cubs last won it all in 2016, snapping a 108-year championship drought.

Where to watch Cubs vs Padres: TV channel, streaming

• Time: 10 p.m. ET
• TV channel: NBCSN
• Streaming: Peacock

Watch MLB playoffs on Peacock

What time is Cubs vs Padres today?

First pitch is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET at Petco Park in San Diego.

Padres vs. Cubs predictions

• Bob Nightengale: Padres in 2
• Gabe Lacques: Padres in 3
• Kristie Ackert: Cubs in 3
• Jesse Yomtov: Padres in 3

Padres vs Cubs schedule

Game 3 time subject to change

• Game 1, Tuesday: Cubs at Padres – buy tickets – 10 p.m. ET – NBCSN/Peacock
• Game 2, Wednesday: Cubs at Padres – buy tickets – 10 p.m. ET – NBCSN/Peacock
• Game 3*, Thursday: Cubs at Padres – buy tickets – 10 p.m. ET – NBCSN/Peacock

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What time is Cubs vs Padres today? Where to watch, MLB playoffs Game 1 channel

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The 2026 MLB postseason begins on September 29 and as excitement builds for October baseball, the postseason brings a few key rule differences compared to the regular season, especially in how extra innings are handled.

During the regular season, if a game goes to extra innings, the so-called 'ghost runner' rule is in effect: starting in the top of the 10th inning, each team begins its half-inning at bat with a runner automatically placed on second base.

However, in the postseason, the "ghost runner" rule does not apply.

Extra innings in the playoffs are played under traditional baseball rules, with no automatic runner starting on second base.

Extra innings continue until one team leads at the end of a completed inning, or the home team scores the go-ahead run in the bottom half of an extra inning, ending the game immediately.

More: Who's in? Every MLB team that has clinched a playoff spot in 2026

When does the MLB postseason start?

The MLB postseason kicks off on Tuesday, Sept. 29, with Game 1 of each of the four wild card series. If needed, a decisive Game 3 will be played two days later on Thursday, Oct. 1.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB playoffs extra-innings rules: Is there a ghost runner?