PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Bubba Chandler #36 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the first inning during the game against the Kansas City Royals at PNC Park on September 19, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming in the home stretch with the start of the final series of the year against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
In game number 160 of the season, the Pirates will trot out Bubba Chandler, who is making his 30th start of the year. Chandler is 8-9 with a 4.34 ERA in 151.1 innings pitched so far this year. In his last start against the Kansas City Royals, Chandler pitched 4 innings, giving up 8 hits and 3 earned runs as the Bucs won 6-5. Pittsburgh has won each of its last 3 appearances with Chandler on the mound, so there’s a good chance he could finish the season off on the right foot.
The Tigers are going with Jackson Job, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 MLB draft. Job has only made eight starts this season, including his last appearance against the Chicago White Sox on September 19. He pitched six innings, giving up four hits and three runs in a 3-1 loss in the Windy City.
The Tigers came into the season with a lot of hype, but injuries to players like Jobe stunted their growth, leading to them missing the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
Location: Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Broadcast: KDKA AM/FM, Sportsnet Pittsburgh
Pitching Matchup: Bubba Chandler (8-9, 4.34 ERA) vs. Jackson Jobe (2-3, 3.98 ERA)
BD community, this is your gameday thread for today’s game against the Detroit Tigers. Chime off in the comments section below.
With training camp starting next week, the Lakers’ front office has been quietly busy in recent days. They signed Anton Watson, Chase Ross and Meechie Johnson Jr. to Exhibit 10 deals, although they waived Watson one day later. Ross and Johnson were not far behind as they were waived on Sunday night for Cole Swider and William Kyle III.
What’s the point of signing someone only to waive him the next day? Why are the Lakers signing these guys when they already have 16 players on standard contracts? In essence, they’re using the expanded roster limits for training camp—teams can have up to 21 players until the regular-season cutdown—to build out their G League roster.
Exhibit 10 contracts effectively allow the Lakers to funnel a bit of extra money to players as long as they stay on the newly branded Coachella Valley Lakers for at least 60 days. They’re eligible to receive anywhere between $5,000 and roughly $90,000 from the Lakers if they do so, and that money won’t count toward the Lakers’ team salary, so it won’t impact their luxury-tax bill or their proximity to the first apron. In essence, there’s no downside for the Lakers unless you’re an heir of Mark Walter, Bob Iger or Josh Kushner.
The Lakers do have to waive Ross and Johnson prior to the start of the regular season for them to be eligible for that bonus. But since the Lakers already have 16 players on standard contracts, both players would be facing an uphill battle to make the regular-season roster as is. The Lakers might want to keep them around for training camp to see if they merit either a standard roster spot or one of their three two-way slots, because players on Exhibit 10 deals can’t be converted to two-way contracts once the regular season begins.
The Boston Celtics originally selected Watson with the No. 54 overall pick in the 2024 draft. They signed him to a two-way deal that offseason, but he never appeared in a regular-season game for them before they waived him in March 2025. The Knicks claimed him on waivers two days later, and he played a grand total of 22 minutes across nine games for them at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
The Lakers signed Watson to an Exhibit 10 deal last year as well before waiving him prior to the start of the 2025-26 regular season. He averaged 11.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 50.0% overall and 33.2% from deep for the then-South Bay Lakers across 50 appearances last year.
Ross went undrafted out of Marquette this past summer after averaging 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a senior. He was named to the Big East All-Defensive team this past year.
Johnson also went undrafted this past summer after bouncing between Ohio State and South Carolina in college. He averaged 17.2 points, 4.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game as a super senior, although he shot only 41.4% overall and 32.6% from deep.
The Lakers have now signed six players to Exhibit 10 contracts, which is the most they’re allowed to have. Watson, Ross and Johnson figure to join Robbie Avila, Williams Kyle III and Robert McCray in the G League within the next few weeks to fill out the Coachella Valley Lakers’ roster. If any of them manage to stay on the roster through Christmas, they’ll likely have a few extra bucks to dole out around the holidays this year.
These signings might all sound like inconsequential moves around the margins, and they very well might be. The odds of any of them becoming impactful players for the Lakers one day aren’t great. But the Lakers are smart to take advantage of Exhibit 10 deals to get as many players as possible into their developmental ecosystem, especially if the cost of doing so is effectively a rounding error for their owners.
Stephen Curry could have waited until December, when he could gather enough intel on this Warriors season to have at least some idea of its direction.
He could have remained patient until the Feb. 11, 2027 NBA trade deadline, giving Golden State CEO Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy four-plus months to buttress the roster or simply consider that deed completed with the anticipated midseason returns of Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody.
Curry, however, decided to put pen to paper on Friday, signing a two-year contract extension worth a reported $116 million, $20 million less than the maximum $136 million he became eligible for last month. He holds a player option for Year 2 (2028-29).
Curry has consistently said he wants to be a Warrior for life, and there is every reason to believe him. This extension, however, indicates the most decorated player in franchise history wants to give himself leverage after he turns 40.
More significantly, though, Curry’s willingness to take less than the max gives the Warriors considerable room to maneuver next summer. They could have at least $60 million in cap space in the summer of 2027.
Curry reportedly will earn $55.7 million in 2027-28, nearly $6 million less than he will be paid ($62.6 million) for the upcoming season. Consider this a roughly 10 percent sacrifice for the sake of building a stronger roster.
The heat now turns up on Lacob and Dunleavy, as it’s up to the front office to do the work.
“I’m pretty sure just knowing the dynamics of our team, where we’re at, and all that,” Curry said on Wednesday. “It’s not really an obvious type of let’s-just-do-this-and-keep-it-moving type situation. This is one of the rare ones in my career that you’re trying to make sure you have just peace of mind with it all. I don’t know if there’s any more new information. It’s just the conviction of I’m doing the right thing for me, for the team, for now, for the future, like all those things.
“And it’s obvious I don’t have that many more bats at the plate. So just want to make sure I’m doing right by me and by the team.”
Curry, 38, acknowledges that the sun is setting on his career. The extension pushes his career to 20 years, and he’s big on the significance of numbers – just as he committed to retire having worn only one jersey.
Curry for many years has done his part to boost the Warriors. This is yet another effort.
So, now we wait.
Wait to see how the Warriors look in the first three months of the season whether there is a quick reaction. Wait to see if Lacob/Dunleavy find a way to bolster the roster at the trade deadline. Wait to see if they use their optionality – the word often used by Dunleavy – to reshape the roster next summer.
It would be a shame, however, if the waiting is in vain.
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 15: Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) walks off the mound after allowing a two run home run during the MLB game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers on September 15, 2026 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for September 25, 2026 against the Minnesota Twins: starting pitchers are Jacob deGrom for the Rangers and Joe Ryan for the Twins.
Game 160. Let’s keep the pressure on Houston.
The lineup:
Nimmo — RF
Jung — DH
Seager — SS
Langford — LF
Duran — 3B
Lopez — 2B
Burger — 1B
Carter — CF
Jansen — C
7:10 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -118 favorites.
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 7: Catcher Adley Rutschman #31 of the Boston Red Sox congratulates pitcher Brayan Bello #66 after the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park on September 7, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
INSERT SOMETHING RE FIRST GAME HERE
Now we get starter Bello back on the mound! He looked incredible in Tampa and hopes to keep that momentum going for his final regular season start.
⚾️ First Pitch: 5:35 PM EDT – Fenway Park, Boston, MA
📺 TV: NESN
📻 Radio: WEEI
Red Sox lineup vs. Cubs tonight, with Ceddanne Rafaela not in there:
Anthony RF Jones LF Abreu DH Story SS Sogard 1B Monasterio 3B Duran CF Kiner-Falefa 2B Wong C — Bello P
Pope Leo XIV has said that in his role he does not play favorites, but on his way to Paris on Friday, Sept. 25, it was hard not to notice his smile when he was asked a baseball question.
On the papal plane, a reporter asked the Chicago-born pope whether he'd had anything to do with the White Sox reaching the playoffs. He smiled.
"No comment," he said, according to video posted by NBC News. "Great things happen in Chicago."
Technically that was a no comment, but it didn't sound much like a denial
Two years ago, the White Sox went 41-121, the most losses in baseball's modern era. They lost 102 more last season. On Thursday, they beat Kansas City to clinch their first postseason berth since 2021. According to MLB.com, they're the first team to reach the playoffs after two or more consecutive 100-loss seasons.
So, Robert Prevost, a White Sox fan, was elected pope in May 2025. Less than a year and a half later, his team is headed to the postseason. The pope did not say if that was a coincidence or not.
Pope Leo's White Sox fandom
Leo was born in Chicago and grew up in south suburban Dolton, and his baseball loyalty has never been in doubt. Soon after his election, video surfaced of him in the stands at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series against Houston. That series brought the South Side its first championship in 88 years.
His brother John cleared up any doubt in an interview with WGN-TV.
"He was never a Cubs fan, so I don't know where that came from," John Prevost said. "He was always a Sox fan."
The pope has shown he can needle the other side of town too. Last October, a few days after Milwaukee ousted the Cubs, someone in St. Peter's Square called out "Go Cubs!" during his weekly general audience.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 14: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts in the fourth inning during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 14, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Visiting the Giants in their final regular-season series, it should be noted that it was through beating up the lower class of the NL and AL as well that the Dodgers built their way towards a 97-win record. After possessing baseball’s top records against winning teams a season ago, the Dodgers have extracted more overall wins out of simply handling the inferior teams.
With no more games against clubs with a record over .500 in the regular season, we can confirm the Dodgers will have a .500 record against them, winning 36 of 72. Meanwhile, regardless of other results this last weekend, the Dodgers will finish with MLB’s best record versus losing teams—already accumulating 61 wins against them—and even amidst that contrast, a 6-4 record versus their biggest rivals doesn’t jump off the page quite like you’d expect.
In fact, Los Angeles needs a sweep here to at least even the success of the previous two campaigns, having last dropped a season series to San Francisco in 2021—the year of their unbelievable record that cut off the Dodgers’ sequence of NL West titles.
Tarik Skubal will take the ball for this series opener, wrapping up a curious stretch in his schedule facing the same two teams over the span of four appearances—with back-to-back outings against the Giants following two straight versus the Reds. Skubal’s latest outing against the Giants was his worst one in Dodger blue, allowing four runs in five innings, but even that wasn’t enough to stop this team’s streak of six wins when their prized left-hander takes the mound.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 13: Freddy Peralta #51 of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Tropicana Field on September 13, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Phillies begin their final series of the 2026 regular season as the Tampa Bay Rays come to town. The Rays have secured their playoff spot, while the Phillies still have some work to do in order to make the postseason.
Cristopher Sanchez will make his final start of another strong season. He is 18-6 with a 2.93 ERA.
Freddy Peralta goes for the Rays. After an awful start to his season with the Mets, Peralta was traded to the Rays and has been improved, putting up a 3.60 ERA in nine starts.
Game time is 6:40 PM and will be televised locally be NBCSP.
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 7: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers protest a referee's foul call during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on February 7, 2019. (Staff Photo By Christopher Evans/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The ghost of LeBron James will forever haunt the Cleveland Cavaliers. The King’s latest free-agency saga took center stage this summer.
To no surprise, James was a key talking point during Koby Altman and Kenny Atkinson’s media availability. Specifically, whether the Cavs missed their chance to improve the roster and entice James for one more homecoming.
“I think the misconception is, if we do something, that means [James] comes back,” said Altman. “That’s a misconception.”
The Cavs watched as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown changed teams this summer. It’s impossible to know if Cleveland could have swung for either one of those players, but it’s safe to assume their best package would have been in the mix.
Altman says the idea that James would have returned to Cleveland if the Cavs had traded for one of the big names on the market is incorrect.
“We explore everything, as you know. We’re a really active franchise. We explore different things, different prices, different price points, and to go out and get that caliber of player [like Antetokounmpo or Brown], you’re giving up a lot. Is that the best thing for the team and the best thing for our future? And so not going too far deep into that question in terms of specifics, both [trade possibilities] would have taken a toll on both [our present and future] if we would have gone down that path.”
Sticking to your guns has been a theme of this era of Cavs basketball. Cleveland has kept the same core intact for most of the decade, while shuffling things on the margins to see what sticks. It wasn’t until this previous season that they made a major swing for James Harden, but aside from that, they’ve stuck to the same construction that’s led to success in the regular season.
“We’ll leave that internal in terms of our conversation with [James],” said Altman on his reported meeting with James earlier this summer.
“We have a lot of confidence and faith in the talent that we have in-house. You don’t fluke your way to the Eastern Conference Finals [last season],” said Altman.
“I’m not downplaying the enormity of [James’] decision and the magnitude of the decision. I get all of that, I just think the way we’re built as an organization is we have a great foundation and a great sort of ecosystem within our franchise in terms of talent, coaching staff, our performance staff. We’re built for a sustainable run here, regardless of one outcome.”
As for what ultimately led to James choosing Philly over Cleveland, the answer remains a mystery. Altman declined to reveal any of the details behind his meeting with James this summer.
“We’ll leave that internal, in terms of our conversation with him,” said Altman. “We have tremendous respect for LeBron, what he means to this organization, what he means to this region.”
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 28: Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners reacts to striking out during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Anyone who watched the 2026 Mariners could easily point to areas where the team failed, but Cal Raleigh, meeting with the media on Thursday, was unflinching in his assessment of what went wrong this season.
“I think there’s a lot of areas you can point to. I think ultimately, I think it was a lack of focus, a lack of execution, a lack energy at times. Defense was not good all year, controlling the running game was not good all year. Playing bad on the road all year, hitting with runners in scoring position was definitely not good. I’d say those were some key points that I kind of look at.”
Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the baseball season?
One thing Raleigh is steadfast in is not blaming injuries for the team’s poor performance, shutting down that line of questioning immediately.
“Every team deals with that. Guys are going to go through aches, pains, injuries. So it’s silly to use that as an excuse. 29 other different ball clubs are dealing with the same thing that we are, and you can’t use that as an excuse. And we’re definitely not going to. It came down to play on the field, and it was not executed.”
But fans were there. They saw the lack of execution. They are less interested in the why, and more in how it’s going to get better. Unfortunately, in order to get to the second part – knowing how to fix it – it is necessary to first understand what went wrong, and why. But that’s a more complex discussion that first involves figuring out where to assign blame, and how much of it goes where. It’s not a one-size-fits-all answer, notes Raleigh.
“I don’t think it was one thing,” said Raleigh. “I think we could point to a lot of things that that went wrong, but I don’t think it was one thing. I don’t think it was one person. I don’t think it was one department that failed this year. I think it was a collective failure, unfortunately.“
“Ultimately, yeah, the players are the ones playing every single day, 162. I think if you ask everybody, typically it’s going to fall on the players. But like I said, I think there’s not one person or one group that it falls under. I think it’s a collective effort. I think it’s all the way from the top, to all the way to the bottom, and that’s a tough pill to swallow.”
While the players are, as Cal points out, ultimately the ones on the field, it’s clear from his comments they aren’t the only ones in charge of turning around this miserable season next year. Deficiencies that showed up early in the season as far as the roster went were only exacerbated by injuries and ineffectiveness, especially in the pitching staff, which suffered the biggest drop in WAR from the first to the second half as starters stuttered and bullpens imploded.
“We need more depth in the bullpen,” said Raleigh. “I mean, we honestly do. We need to get some more whiff. We need to get some more guys that can punch some tickets here and there.”
But beyond adding pieces, Raleigh says the core of pitchers who make up the rotation need to return to form or maybe change tactics. He seems to feel other teams have figured out the Mariners pitchers plan of attack, and the focus now needs to be on counter-attacking aggressive hitters rather than allowing them to ambush first pitches.
“The starters, they got to continue to get better. They’ve been one of the best rotations in all of baseball for the last few years, and and like I said, you can talk to all of them, and they’re probably disappointed with how they did. When I when I’m watching the game back there, I’m seeing a lot of very aggressive teams, very aggressive teams, even teams that aren’t [usually] aggressive. And when I look at that, it’s going to come down to execution. It’s not not necessarily all the time about winning your 0-0s, your 1-1s. It’s about executing a pitch and how can we get this guy out.”
“I saw a lot of very aggressive hitters and guys that were were ready to go from you know pitch one because that’s kind of in our DNA. We’ve got to continue finding ways to combat that. I think we’ve done a great job of that, and creating pitchers [who attack the zone] and having guys that are really good at doing that. But at the end of the day, it’s about wins, it’s about execution. It’s not about chasing a stat or, or doing anything like that. So it’s just about getting better, and I don’t know if maybe we were complacent in that fact. Maybe we were. Maybe we weren’t. Maybe it was just unlucky. Maybe it wasn’t. But it’s finding a way to, ‘how can we get better? How can we combat those things that other teams are doing to us?’”
Beyond just the core of pitchers, Raleigh said the core of players as a whole has to do better. Yes, injuries decimated the bullpen and that depth has to be rebuilt, and every team always wants to get better, but the core members of the team as a whole have to play better.
“I said it right at the right at the deadline. The core is here. The core is here, and this core got us where we were last year. But ultimately, that core has to get better as well. It’s not always bringing in extra pieces that are gonna help. Do we need to bring in more people in certain areas of the game? Yes, 100%. We need to get better, and that’s always gonna help. But at the same time, when you look at the core guys, I think you can look at most of the guys, and they will tell you that they did not have the season they wanted, and team-wise, we didn’t have the season we wanted. Ultimately we failed. That’s the easiest way to put it.”
What caused this team-wide failure across the core? Raleigh noted there might have been times where the team stagnated when they needed to take a step forward, failing to make adjustments and finding the kind of edges that great teams do.
“Every facet can be better,” he said bluntly. “I think we—myself included—we could have done a better job of of preparing and continuing to get better throughout the year. I think sometimes in the game you can get a little stagnant at times, like, ‘I got to rest my body’ or ‘I got to make sure I’m ready for the game at 7 o’clock,’ which is ultimately, what you want to do.”
“But you also have to continue to get better and continue to get stronger as the year goes on, and we just never did. We never made those adjustments we had to make. We didn’t get better in the areas that we were deficient in, and we just kind of stayed stagnant the whole time. We were relying more on catching a lucky streak rather than to keep preparing better, to keep getting better, keep finding those those edges to to find ways to to win ball games, whether it was defensively holding runners, hitting with runners in scoring position, finding a way to get through six innings instead of five from the starters…there’s lots of different things. Taking an extra bag here and here, things like that. And and it just never got there. Never got there.”
Raleigh is an admirer of Seahawks coach Mike McDonald, and has clearly absorbed McDonald’s message of “chasing edges”, or finding small ways to edge out an opponent. Again, his comments reflect some frustration with the status quo and a lack of innovation, as well as a lack of execution.
“You can’t rely on the bullpen or you can’t rely on the big home run every single time. We have to be able to win in different fashions, win in different ways. Find a way to sneak out those one-run ball games. I don’t think we were very good in one-run ball games this year. I think it was right around .500. Like I said before, the road record was poor, we got swept too many times. It’s finding a way to edge out those games. It’s—I heard this phrase the other day, ‘chasing edges.’ How can we win one game here and there, one extra game a month? That’s six, seven extra wins. Now we’re tied for first, or we’re we’re in first place. It’s cliché to say it’s the little things, but those are what win you ball games, and those are things we did not do this year.”
Raleigh’s biggest takeaway is not letting this become a habit, pointing out that it if happens once, it’s an unfortunate event; if it happens twice, it’s a habit.
“We’ve got to figure out why why that happened, and and there’s going to be lots of talks, lots of discussions throughout the off season to make sure that doesn’t come back next season. Every single aspect needs to be geared towards how can we win this ball game today. Not taking days off, not letting one thing slip through the cracks. Because once that happens, it’s a domino effect, right? Like you let one thing slide, then you let another thing slide. The next thing you know, you don’t know what’s going on. There’s no standards. There’s no accountability. There’s no dynamic of who we are and what we do, and and I think that’s what’s going to be looked at this off-season.”
The 2026 season was certainly a slide for the Mariners. Now Cal Raleigh, his teammates, and the rest of the organization – top to bottom – have to reset those dominoes and figure out how to not let them fall again. Raleigh seems to have a vision: chasing edges every day, stopping slides before they start, being less predictable as a pitching staff, cleaning up sloppy play on the field. Now, he has an off-season to implement it.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 24: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees looks on during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on September 24, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The MLB postseason is finally upon us, and the No. 4 seed Yankees are kicking things off by facing the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, just as they did in 2025. New York will end the season at least four games better than Boston, but as they say, all records reset to 0-0 come October — or very-late September in the case of the 2026 season.
The Red Sox defeated the Cubs on Friday afternoon to officially clinch the No. 5 seed, meaning the Yankees will have home-field advantage by starting the postseason in the Bronx. They already knew they would be hosting, but it wasn’t yet official that they would face Boston. Per MLB’s Sarah Langs, this will be the seventh all-time postseason meeting between the Yanks and Red Sox, tied for the second-most common matchup in league history and trailing only the 12 famous Yankees/Dodgers World Series rumbles. New York and Boston have each won three series apiece in the playoff head-to-heads.
You won’t want to miss all the action in the best-of-three series, with the winner advancing to face the Rays in the American League Division Series in a race for the pennant.
Here’s all the information you’ll need to know to tune into every game. Unsurprisingly given all the hubbub that usually surrounds Yankees/Red Sox, all three will be night games, beginning at 8 p.m. EST. (The other three Wild Card Series start times can be found here.) Below are the start times, pitching matchups, and more preview informtion.
How to watch Yankees vs. Red Sox in Wild Card Series
Game 1
Date: Tuesday, September 29 Pitching Matchup: RHP Cam Schlittler (NYY) vs. LHP Payton Tolle (BOS) First Pitch: 8 p.m. EST Channel: NBC Streaming: Peacock
Game 2
Date: Wednesday, September 30 Pitching Matchup: LHP Max Fried (NYY) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (BOS) First Pitch: 8 p.m. EST Channel: NBC Streaming: Peacock
Game 3*
Date: Thursday, October 1 Pitching Matchup: RHP Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs. LHP Ranger Suarez (BOS) First Pitch: 8 p.m. EST Channel: NBC Streaming: Peacock
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 17: The sneakers worn by Darius Bazley #36 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the game against the Boston Celtics during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 17, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It won't be long before the Detroit Red Wings open the 2026-27 regular season, with just one exhibition game remaining before the real action begins Oct. 2.
Between now and Monday, however, every NHL team must trim its roster to 23 players or fewer. The Red Wings took another step toward that requirement with their latest round of roster moves.
17 players have been sent to the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, including:
F Ondřej Becher
F Cameron Butler
F Noah Dower Nilsson
F Sheldon Dries
F Dylan James
F Jesse Kiiskanen
F John Leonard
F Sutter Muzzatti
F Théo Rochette
F Dominik Shine
F Wilmer Skoog
D Ronnie Attard
D Jacob Bryson
D Shai Buium
D William Lagesson
G Trey Augustine
G Michal Postava
Additionally, forward Kienan Draper and defensemen Justice Christensen, Alex Kannok Leipert, and Jacob Truscot have all been released from their professional tryouts; All four players will return to Grand Rapids.
This means that players like Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Anton Johansson all still have a chance to make the Opening Night roster.
Last fall, Brandsegg-Nygård and Sandin-Pellikka, along with Emmitt Finnie, earned roster spots thanks to their strong performances in Training Camp and the preseason.
The Red Wings have one game remaining on their exhibition slate, as they'll host the Columbus Blue Jackets to Little Caesars Arena on Saturday evening.
The Red Wings suffered their only loss of the preseason thus far against the Blue Jackets, a 1-0 setback via the shootout. They followed that with a 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with a 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Detroit opens the regular season on Oct. 2 against the New York Rangers.
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 25: Roman Anthony #19 of the Boston Red Sox makes a catch during the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Fenway Park on September 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by CJ Gunther/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Alec Gamboa is not a starter. At least not at the Major League level caliber. But when the Red Sox needed someone to open a doubleheader on the last Friday of the regular season, they handed it to him anyway—and the Cubs made him pay for it quickly.
Tyrone Taylor doubled in the first inning to put Chicago on the board. Miguel Amaya followed with a two-run double in the second. Three runs in two innings, Clay Holmes cruising, and the Sox in a hole before most of Fenway (whoever was going to brave the risk of weather) had settled into their seats.
Then the defense took over.
Caleb Durbin threw Matt Shaw out at the plate in the second inning to keep the Cubs from stretching it further. Isiah Kiner-Falefa made a sliding grab in the third. Andruw Monasterio came up with a diving catch in the fourth. Not glamorous plays in the box score, but they kept 3-0 from turning into 5-0, and that mattered later.
Roman Anthony was (finally) doing Roman Anthony things all afternoon. He went 3-for-3 with a walk and his fingerprints are on both comeback sequences that mattered. He got things started in the third when he scored on a Dansby Swanson throwing error to make it 3-1. Stayed alive. Kept the at-bats meaningful.
It stayed there until Adley Rutschman. With two on in the fifth against Caleb Thielbar, Rutschman hit a two-run double to tie the game. That’s the at-bat the rest of this recap hangs on. There’s no comeback without it.
The Cubs went to Aaron Civale in the seventh. Anthony tripled to right field, then Connor Wong stepped up and hit the go-ahead double. Red Sox 4, Cubs 3.
Willson Contreras didn’t play game one—his hand still won’t let him swing without pain. Ceddanne Rafaela sat out too. You can file away what Boston did to Chicago’s depleted lineup, but you can also file away that a team down 3-0 didn’t pack it in. The seventh inning happened.
Game 2 is next. They went ahead and won the first one.
Studs
Roman Anthony — 3-for-3 with a walk. On base four times. Scored on the error in the third to keep Boston in it, tripled in the seventh to set up the go-ahead, and was just relentless all afternoon. This was his game.
Adley Rutschman — utschman’s two-run double off Thielbar tied it and gave the whole thing a different shape. That’s what you pay for.
Connor Wong — Go-ahead double in the seventh coming in for Mickey Gasper. Simple entry in the ledger, but a needed go-ahead run.
Dud
The first two innings — Three runs on Gamboa before anyone got comfortable. Fair amount of that is on Gamboa, fair amount is just what happens when you open with a reliever and it doesn’t work. The Sox survived it. They shouldn’t count on that against a full-strength playoff opponent.
The wind — How many times did the wind knock balls down today? Yes for better with potential Cubbies homers knocked down, but also it’s a hamper on an already struggling offense for the Sox.
Play of the Game
Rutschman’s two-run double in the fifth. Down 3-1, two runners on, Cubs holding a lead that had felt comfortable since the second inning—and Rutschman turned the whole situation. That swing is why the seventh inning got to mean something.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 07: José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians runs home to score against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium on May 07, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians coming to town to end the season rubs salt in the wound of this season. Cleveland has been completely ordinary. They were at .500 a few games into September, and yet they have already clinched a playoff spot and are in control their own destiny to win the division this weekend, one game ahead of the White Sox. If only the Royals could have bee mediocre this year.
The Guardians have actually scored fewer runs than the Royals, yet have a winning record. That should give you an indication of how different their pitching staffs are.
Cleveland Guardians (83-76) vs. Kansas City Royals (68-91) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Angel Martinez is hitting .395/.395/.895 with four home runs in his last 10 games. Steven Kwan is hitting .350/.438/.423 since the All-Star break. Rookie Chase DeLauter is hitting .325/.377/.469 against left-handers. Jo Adell is hitting .237/.311/.396 in 45 games with the Guardians since being acquired from the Angels.
José Ramírez has just 12 home runs, his fewest total since 2016, and his 94 wRC+ is his worst since 2015. Chandler Simpson is the only qualified hitter with fewer home runs than Kwan. Brayan Rocchio is hitting .216/.271/.313 on the road. The Guardians are 27-21 in one-run games. Cleveland has the third-best success rate at stealing bases at 83 percent.
Gavin Williams leads MLB with 244 strikeouts. He pitched seven shutout innings his last time out and has a 2.92 ERA in his last 11 starts. Noah Cameron has a 2.01 ERA over his last 11 games.
Lefties are hitting .239/.301/.450 against Tanner Bibee. Bobby Witt is a career .370 hitter (10-for-27) with three home runs and five walks against him, while Salvador Perez is 2-for-24 (.083). With 5.2 innings, Michael Wacha can become the only American League pitcher to reach 200 innings pitched this year.
The Guardians have not yet announced a starter for the finale, it will likely depend if they have anything left to play for at that point. Daniel Lynch gave up a career-high nine runs in four innings in his last start against the White Sox.
The Guardians once again had a very good pen, with a collective 3.48 ERA, sixth-best in MLB, with the best strikeout rate. Cade Smith has the fourth-highest strikeout rate among all relievers, and over the last two seasons combined he has 5.3 fWAR, second behind only Mason Miller among relievers. He leads MLB with 41 saves, and has not blown a save since August 5, and has not given up a run in his last 12 outings. Hunter Gaddis has given up just three runs in 23 innings over his last 24 games. Righties are hitting just .137/.283/.235 against lefty Erik Sabrowski with a 43 percent strikeout rate.
The last series of the year is bittersweet in a season like this. The Royals will finish in last place and you want to quickly put this season in the rearview mirror. On the other hand, the next regular season Royals games isn’t for another six months – if there’s no work stoppage. From everyone at Royals Review, thanks for spending this disappointing season with us, and we hope to see some better baseball next year!
