New York Mets @ Texas Rangers
Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 7:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)
The Shed
RHP Nolan McLean vs. LHP Cody Bradford
Go Rangers!
Game 158 Game Day Thread – New York Mets @ Texas Rangers
Game Thread: White Sox (81-76) at Royals (67-90)
The White Sox scored 14 runs Tuesday night, so hopefully there’s still a little gas left in the tank. A little less drama on the pitching side would be nice, too. Trevor Richards and Luis Castillo combined to give up seven runs over two innings in the 14-11 victory. Yikes.
That win, paired with a Texas Rangers loss, put the Sox one step from October. If Chicago wins tonight and Texas loses again, the South Siders will clinch a playoff berth. Cleveland’s win over Boston kept the Sox one game back in the AL Central, so there’s still plenty at stake beyond punching their ticket.
Bryan Hudson will open for Chicago before handing the ball to Erick Fedde for the bulk of the innings. This will be the southpaw’s ninth appearance as an opener, a role he’s handled well all season. In 9 2/3 innings, Hudson has a 2.79 ERA and 0.72 WHIP while holding opponents to a .188 average.
Fedde has been the Sox’s most dependable arm over his past seven outings, going 2-2 with a 2.56 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. He allowed one run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts his last time out, though he fell one out short of completing five innings.
The Sox could use some length from the veteran tonight. Skipper Will Venable had to turn to the arm barn after just four innings from Anthony Kay on Tuesday, and the Royals made sure nobody got too comfortable with Chicago’s early lead. Fedde has completed five innings in three of his last four appearances. If he can cover five or six after Hudson’s opening stint, the rest of the bullpen gets a much more manageable assignment.
Fedde’s breaking pitches rank in the 97th percentile in run value, with his sweeper in the 99th. His changeup sits in the second percentile, while his chase and whiff rates have been low. Getting ahead and leaning on that sweeper would help keep Kansas City from stringing together another long inning.
Seth Lugo starts for the Royals. The righthander is 7-9 with a 5.06 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, but things have been even rougher over his past seven starts: a 7.60 ERA and 1.81 WHIP. Houston got to him for four runs on eight hits over five innings in his last outing. That’s good news for the Pale Hose.
Lugo’s Savant numbers offer the Sox an opening. He ranks in the 11th percentile in expected ERA and the ninth in expected slugging percentage, while his four-seamer and sweeper have both struggled by run value. Chicago put up 14 runs Tuesday. Asking for a few more against Lugo doesn’t feel greedy, does it?
On the offensive side Randal Grichuk, Miguel Vargas and Brenton Doyle have each hit better than .330 over the past seven days, although Vargas is the only one of the three in tonight’s starting lineup. Kyle Teel, Andrew Benintendi and Colson Montgomery have all hit below .200 in that span. They’ll have a chance to turn things around against a pitcher who has had trouble limiting hard contact.
White Sox Lineup
The Royals don’t walk much or hit for a great deal of power, and their -105 run differential reflects a difficult season. Tuesday was a reminder that they can still score in bunches when the pitching gives them the chance. A clean opening from Hudson and a lengthy outing from Fedde would go a long way toward making this one less stressful.
Royals Lineup
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CDT at Kauffman Stadium. The game will air on CHSN, with radio coverage on ESPN 1000.
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Yankees front office makes an appearance on ‘Survivor’
If you decide to wander your eyes during a potential lull in Wednesday night’s matchup against the Rays, or if you want to kill some time waiting for the Yankees to appear in the upcoming Wild Card Series, you might find a fun surprise if you change the channel to CBS.
Yankees Assistant Director of Baseball Operations Mike Pinsky will be making an appearance as a contestant on the 51st season premiere of Survivor. For those who are unaware, the show features contestants from around the US who compete in survival challenges and mastermind social strategy to outwit, outlast, and outplay fellow competitors for 26 days until one person is left standing on a remote island with few supplies.
Pinsky will be representing the Yankees front office on the show, and he might even show off his skills to survive the first night of tribal council, where someone is at risk of getting voted off the island.
The new season airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, with approximately 13 episodes in a season. If you’re interested, tune in to see how far he can go!
5 things to get excited about Warriors ahead of 2026-27 NBA season
The Warriors are no longer considered legitimate championship contenders, but they’re still one of the NBA’s most fun teams.
There are great storylines. There’s intrigue. There’s history. There’s suspense.
They won four championships in eight years, becoming the league’s modern-day dynasty. Steph Curry, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr are still together.
Last season, Kerr referred to the Warriors as a “fading dynasty.” Can they resuscitate the team before the 38-year-old Curry retires? Will they make a big move ahead of February’s trade deadline?
Regardless of what happens, the Warriors are still one of the NBA’s most interesting teams. Here are five things to get excited about ahead of next season:
1. Steph Curry is still the most jaw-dropping player in the league
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is like a metronome because of his stunning consistency, regularly producing 30-point performances while locking down defenders.
The runner-up for the league’s most prestigious individual award, Victor Wembanyama, is rightfully called an alien because of how agilely he moves around the court with his 7-foot-4 frame, blocking shots, sinking jumpers and making his defenders look like junior high players.
But there’s something different about Steph.
When he gets going, there’s nothing like it. He goes unconscious. He makes shots from stunning distances with multiple hands in his face while falling down. The rim becomes ocean-sized. He transforms into a wizard.
Even though he’s turning 39 in March and dealt with a balky knee that sidelined him for 27 straight games last season, Steph is still Steph.
Last season he was the oldest point guard in NBA history to be named an All-Star starter. He averaged 26.6 points on 46.8% shooting from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc, 3.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
And on any given night, he was capable of the scoring explosions that make the NBA so fun to watch, including finishing with 35 points (27 in the second half) against the Clippers in their play-in game in April.
2. Draymond Green remains one of the league’s top defenders
Draymond’s magic lies in his ability to guard positions 1 through 5 on the court as well as excite his team.
He pours himself so deeply into what he does that it inspires everyone around him. He’s vocal. He’s intense. He’s long been the team’s spark plug.
Look no further than what he did against the Clippers in that play-in game. With the Warriors’ season on the line, he held Kawhi Leonard to two points in the fourth quarter.
Said Leonard: “It was hard to even get shots up.”
Green went all in on trying to recruit LeBron James to the Warriors this summer, including declining his $27.7 million player option to free up money before James eventually chose the 76ers.
Green still has it. And he still deeply cares about winning.
3. Jimmy Butler is coming back
The Warriors were dealt a debilitating blow last season when Butler suffered a torn right ACL on Jan. 19.
That knocked them out of contention, dashing any hopes of competing in the very-crowded Western Conference.
Butler will miss the start of the season, but he’s expected to make his return around January or February.
Last season, the Warriors were inconsistent when Curry, Butler and Green shared the court. But back in 2025, after trading for Butler in February, they finished the season by going 23-7.
If they can tap back into that magic, they could be exciting.
4. Steve Kerr is still at the helm
Kerr contemplated retiring as Warriors coach last season.
But he still felt the pull to be on the sideline alongside Curry and Green, and signed a two-year contract extension in May.
Kerr, who has been at the Warriors’ helm for 12 years, is the conductor of one of the greatest teams the league has seen, and there’s something that feels right about him being alongside Curry and Green as they face their basketball mortality.
Kerr did a lot of soul searching before deciding to return. He acknowledged that the team and the coaching staff have a lot of areas in which they need to improve.
And he’s ready to help the team try to fight its way back to relevance.
5. Yaxel Lendeborg is intriguing
The Warriors selected Lendeborg with the No. 11 pick in June’s NBA draft, their highest pick in the last five years.
Part of the reason they chose the 23-year-old is because he’s ready to contribute immediately.
Lendeborg, who was the Big Ten Player of the Year and led Michigan to the 2026 men’s national championship, also delivered during the summer league in Las Vegas, leading the Warriors to a championship while being named tournament MVP.
The rookie, who’s considered a jack of all trades and is skilled at scoring and defense, could make an impact in the rotation.
If all goes well, he could infuse the team with some young blood while helping plug the roster’s holes. In other words, he could make things much easier for Curry, Green and Butler.
Senators Defenceman Artem Zub Likely To Miss Start Of Regular Season
The Senators had no shortage of injuries on their blue line last season.
At one point, it forced them to bring up two rookies on the same night. Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan both jumped in a car and drove all night to make their NHL debuts in an important game in Detroit back in March.
The injury bug didn't let up in the postseason either as both Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson were knocked out of their first-round loss to Carolina
As they prepare for their second night of preseason action, Sanderson and Zub are both unavailable again.
The circumstances are different. Sanderson missed the end of the first-round playoff series against Carolina with a concussion, but head coach Travis Green described the current issue keeping him out of Wednesday’s games as minor.
Zub's injury is a much bigger deal.
He's still recovering from the injury he suffered in Game 1 against the Hurricanes, and Green said he now does not expect the defenceman to be ready for the start of the regular season.
To make matters worse, Jordan Spence and Jorian Donovan are also unavailable Wednesday, so the Sens need all hands on deck for their split-squad games against Toronto.
The Senators opened their preseason Monday with a 3–2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. On Wednesday, they’ll divide the roster between Canadian Tire Centre and Scotiabank Arena, with both games against the Maple Leafs starting at 7 p.m.
In Ottawa, William Eklund, Dylan Cozens and Fabian Zetterlund remained together at the morning skate. Stephen Halliday centred Claude Giroux and Nick Cousins, while Ridly Greig skated between Sammy Blais and Tyler Boucher. Blake Montgomery, Ryan Suzuki and Xavier Bourgault made up the fourth line.
Thomas Chabot was paired with Hoyt Stanley on defence, with Ben Hutton alongside Cameron Crotty and Tomas Hamara alongside Djibril Touré.
Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson were the goaltenders in the home group. Chabot will play, but he's on standby and could leav at any moment to be with his wife Marion, who's expecting their first child any day now.
In Toronto, Tim Stützle centred Andre Burakovsky and Drake Batherson. Shane Pinto skated between Philip Tomasino and Michael Amadio, with the remaining lines featuring Luke Ellinas, Eskild Bakke Olsen and Kasper Halttunen, and Oskar Petterson, Philippe Daoust and Hayden Hodgson.
Tyler Kleven and Carter Yakemchuk were paired on defence, as were Samuel Bolduc and Nikolas Matinpalo, and Scott Harrington and Christian Kyrou. Leevi Meriläinen and Jackson Parsons were the goaltenders in that group.
Zub’s absence, however long it will be, creates an opening on the right side of the Sens defence and another opportunity for the 20-year-old Yakemchuk to make his case. He has had some uneven moments in camp, but the numbers suggest he'll begin the year in Ottawa.
The Senators will split into two groups again on Saturday for simultaneous games against Montreal, bringing their five-game preseason to a close. Wednesday will give Green a look at how some of his lower-end players handle bigger minutes and, as opportunity knocks, which defensemen will respond best.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
Braves vs Reds chat and discussion: Chris Sale vs Andrew Abbott
The Atlanta Braves are taking on the Cincinnati Reds after overcoming a scare yesterday where Ronald Acuña when down when he fouled a ball off of his lower leg. Fortunately, tests came back negative.
Chris Sale is likely making his final start of the regular season in a matchup against Andrew Abbott where we see opposite types of seasons happening. Sale is having one of the best seasons of his career, firmly in line to come in second or third place in Cy Young voting, while Abbott is having the worst season of his four year career.
There is not much to gain or lose in today’s game since the Dodgers have all but secured the second seed, but it is always fun at the end of the season to see which players can pad their stats in hopes of earning some award respect.
Follow along in the comments. First pitch is at 7:15 EDT.
GUARDIANS AT RED SOX: Gray vs. Griffin, discussion
Here’s the Guardians lineup:
Here’s the Red Sox lineup:
Let’s go, Guardians!
Nets ink Summer League duo to fill out training camp roster
The Nets signed forwards Dain Dainja and Ben Humrichous, rounding out their 21-man training camp roster.
Dainja and Humrichous played for the Nets at Summer League.
Both are likely on Exhibit 10 deals and headed to G-League Long Island after camp, where they would be eligible for bonuses up to $91,000 after 60 days.
The 6-foot-7, 222-pound Humrichous went undrafted in June after being a backup on the Illinois team that made the Final Four.
He averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.5 minutes, shooting 36.1 percent from deep.
Dainja, 24, had gone undrafted a year earlier and spent last season with Miami’s G-League affiliate, so the Nets would need to acquire his returning rights from the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
"Progress": Dylan Larkin Skates In Red Wings Practice, But Not Quite Ready To Play
Following their 7-4 preseason victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday evening, the Detroit Red Wings returned to the ice Wednesday morning at the BELFOR Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena.
Joining them for the first time this fall was former captain Dylan Larkin, who had missed Training Camp and the first two exhibition games while recovering from an off-ice injury sustained shortly before Camp began.
Dylan Larkin is back on the ice. #LGRW#RedWingspic.twitter.com/huSRuQ9zxP
— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 23, 2026
Larkin, who participated in multiple drills with his teammates, isn't ready to return to game action just yet, but has made strides forward in the eyes of head coach Todd McLellan.
Dylan Larkin taking part in board battle drills pic.twitter.com/ExonN6X6xg
— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 23, 2026
"Progress, simple as that," McLellan said following the skate. "He's been able to progress enough off the ice in the workout room. The trainers felt good (enough) to let him go. He stayed out for the whole practice; I thought it would be just a portion of it."
"Good progress."
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Head coach Todd McLellan confirmed that Larkin would not play in Detroit's home preseason opener on Thursday evening against the Buffalo Sabres, but that there was "a chance" that he could play on Saturday in their preseason finale.
“There's a chance, we’ve got to be smart with it, but there’s a chance,” McLellan said. “I don’t know what the odds are, but there is a chance.”
Larkin, who reached the 30-goal plateau for the fifth straight campaign in 2025-26, sent shockwaves throughout the organization and fan base when he requested a trade over the summer despite having five years left on his contract.
Former GM Steve Yzerman confirmed shortly after the NHL Draft in late June that Larkin had requested a move, but noted there were no guarantees the request would be granted.
Todd McLellan: Larkin Must Heal, Edvinsson Situation ‘Business Side’Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan provided updates on injured forward Dylan Larkin, while pointing out Simon Edvinsson's contract situation is out of his control. Nearly three months later, Larkin remains with the Red Wings, albeit without the captaincy he'd held since early 2021 as the official successor to Henrik Zetterberg.
During a press conference last week alongside interim GM Shawn Horcoff, Larkin explained he wasn't ready to reveal why he asked for a trade or whether he still wanted to move on.
Following their final pair of preseason games, the Red Wings open the regular season at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 2 against the visiting New York Rangers.
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Royals vs. White Sox September 23 game discussion
There was a brief moment for just over two weeks in August when the Royals went 13-2 and looked like they were putting some things together. Since then, they have lost series to the Marlins, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Astros, and then got swept by the Pirates. If they lose tonight, it will be the 7th series loss in a row. Let’s hope the bullpen can find their way back to being some semblance of mediocre, a big step up from lately, and secure a win tonight.
I do like the feel of a lineup with Maikel Garcia moving Salvador Perez down a few spots for next year. If they had one more big right handed bat…
New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays: Gerrit Cole vs. Mason Englert
This late in the season and with no team goal to strive for other than to gain positive momentum heading into the postseason, it’s about the little things for these two division rivals. For this particular Wednesday matchup, the biggest little thing is to follow Gerrit Cole’s work on the mound — especially in how he handles what has become a bit of a home run problem as of late, allowing a whopping eight long balls in his previous three starts.
While it is true that the Rays aren’t what one might describe as a homer-happy team, particularly on the road, it’s not as if Cole’s recent opponents sat anywhere near the top of the HR leaderboards. We’ve come a long way since Cole’s regular-season debut against the Rays, in which he deployed an approach we’ve seldom seen from him since. In that game, Cole relied on a sinker as his second most used pitch to complete six scoreless innings in the Bronx against Tampa.
It’s the third different lineup for the Yankees in as many games in this series, and while that in and of itself isn’t particularly newsworthy, one specific change will jump out. For the first time since his call-up, the Yankees will hit George Lombard Jr. in the second spot in the order — it comes as a reward for Lombard, who has hit safely in seven of his last eight starts.
A while ago we discussed here that even though it wasn’t the ideal scenario, the Yankees might easily find themselves needing to move Lombard up in the order to balance a lineup without Judge. Judge came back and got hurt again, and the Yankees are now trying out this alternative against the right-hander Mason Englert. Much like his opponent on the mound tonight, Englert has also dealt with home run woes in recent starts, allowing five in his last two.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
TV broadcast: Amazon Prime Video, Rays.TV
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | WDAE 95.7 FM, WQBN/1300AM (TB)
Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
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Identical twin umpires make MLB history by suiting up together
Austin Jones worked first base at Camden Yards on Wednesday. His twin brother, Tyler, worked second. It was the first time the brothers from South Carolina had worked a major league game together. It is the first time identical twins had umpired a major league game.
The drew the opener of a Blue Jays-Orioles doubleheader. Baltimore won 4-2, and the loss knocked Toronto out of the playoff race.
The twins joined Mark Wegner's crew and were expected to umpire the nightcap as well.
The Jones started umpiring in the minors in 2014, when they worked together in the Gulf Coast League, a rookie league in Florida. They hadn't shared a professional field since then. Both spent this season at Triple-A and had been called up the the majors separately.
Austin made his big league debut on July 22, 2024, and then he was behind the plate when then Rangers ace Max Scherzer, who started the first game Wednesday for Toronto, struck out his 3,400th career hitter.
Identical twins Austin and Tyler Jones umpired their first MLB game together today in Baltimore.
— MLB (@MLB) September 23, 2026
They broke in together in the Minors in 2014 and haven't worked on the same field in over ten years! pic.twitter.com/ylZ3bdGbK5
They are the fourth set of brother to umpire in the majors. They join the Welkes, the Hirschbecks and the Jimenezes. Tim and Bill Welke spent four seasons on the same crew.
The Joneses grew up in Summerville, outside of Charleston. Shortly before they turned 15, a friend told them Summerville Little League needed umpires.
“One of our buddies said, ‘Hey, we’ve got like six umpires for the league this season. If you guys are interested, why don’t you start?’ At the time, we were obsessed with baseball. We couldn’t get enough of it. So, we signed up and covered all four divisions of play,” Austin told Little League.org.
They continued playing baseball through Fort Dorchester High School. Ronnie Saylor, their coach there, called them "cerebral players."
"Two great kids," Saylor told World Baseball network. "You won't find two better young men character-wise."
Tyler got his call less than a year after Austin, while he was in Columbus, Ohio. He drove to St. Louis and worked both games of a Cardinals-Mets doubleheader on May 4, 2025.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Identical twin umpires make MLB history by suiting up together
A defiant Fernando Cruz working to return to Yankees without elbow surgery: 'I'm going to beat this'
The Yankees lost a big piece in their bullpen this season when Fernando Cruz was placed on the IL with right elbow discomfort in late August.
It was later revealed that the 36-year-old suffered a partially torn UCL, putting the right-hander's season in jeopardy.
However, Cruz has worked to potentially be an option for the Yankees as they get ready for the postseason. Manager Aaron Boone said earlier Wednesday on Talkin' Yanks that Cruz was doing "pretty well."
Cruz told the media prior to Wednesday's game with the Rays that he had thrown a bullpen a few days ago and is getting ready to throw another one on Thursday in hopes that he can pitch this season.
"That's what we're shooting for. I mean, I'm just getting myself in a position to be healthy and those decisions... I leave that to my bosses," Cruz said. "I'm just focusing on getting healthy and getting 100 percent again, and working my way back."
Cruz said he threw all four of his pitches in his bullpen, but was being "conservative" in terms of intensity. He doesn't feel pain in his elbow outside of the normal soreness when you haven't pitched in a few weeks.
The right-hander said he's 100 percent ruling out surgery at this time, and refused to "accept" that he has a partially torn UCL a few times when speaking.
"I'm not gonna accept that," he said. "I'm not gonna say, I'm having a partial tear. I'm not gonna accept it. I had a real good inflammation, real stiffness and irritation, and people can say it's a partial tear, but in my heart, it's not a partial."
Despite the risks of a full-blown rupture, Cruz chooses to lean on his faith that he'll be able to pitch without surgery. Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka famously pitched through a partial tear and went years without getting surgery.
So there's precedent, and if Cruz could return, it could be a boost to the Yankees bullpen. Cruz was a workhorse for the team, pitching to a 3.13 ERA in 61 appearances.
However, Boone didn't want to get too ahead of himself until they get through the end of the regular season.
"I don't know [if Cruz is an option]. I don't want to speak out of turn there," Boone said. "Those are conversations as we get to the end of the weekend of who's a viable option, and who’s not."
Cruz said that in his mind, he can return in a couple of weeks, but that's not his decision. He's just getting himself ready for the chance to help the team.
"I'm just getting ready for it," Cruz said. "I'm just getting in the position to be there for my guys and perform the way I perform."
Cruz later added, "I'm gonna go through it. I'm gonna beat this."
St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Game Discussion Wednesday
The St. Louis Cardinals will do battle with the Bucs again at PNC Park Wednesday night. Matthew Liberatore is the scheduled starter for the Cardinals Wednesday night while the Pirates have announced RHP Lake Bachar as their starter. First pitch is scheduled for 5:40pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
- JJ Wetherholt (L) 2B
- Iván Herrera (R) DH
- Alec Burleson (L) 1B
- Jordan Walker (R) RF
- Leo Bernal (S) C
- Nolan Gorman (L) 3B
- José Fermín (R) LF
- Nathan Church (L) CF
- Masyn Winn (R) SS
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Padres fall flat against rival Dodgers in series opener
This was a tough one. The San Diego Padres, despite being the hottest team in MLB, feel to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in their series opener on Tuesday night. The Friars didn’t score a single run against L.A., and starter Michael King went just four innings after having command issues. He surrendered five runs in one of his worst starts of the season.
Still, the offense did nothing to pick him up. The Friars struck out (10) more times than they got on base (5 H, 2 BB). It was a rough night for San Diego, who failed to make up ground over the Chicago Cubs after they fell in extra innings to the Miami Marlins. After the Philadelphia Phillies won on Tuesday, the three teams moved back into a three-way tie for the top NL Wild Card spot. The Padres’ could still clinch with a win tonight over L.A. and an Arizona Diamondbacks loss.
Taking the mound
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) v. Robbie Ray (SD)
Yamamoto has had an incredible season for Los Angeles. Since debuting in 2024, the righty has yet to post an ERA over 3.00. He’s been electric since making the move from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) to MLB. This year, Yamamoto owns a 2.51 ERA with a minuscule 0.87 WHIP through 179 innings.
It’s been even tougher to score against him lately. In his last seven starts, Yamamoto owns a 1.79 ERA with 57 strikeouts (45.1 IP). He’s worse into the seventh inning in five consecutive starts and has pitched a full seven innings in all of his last three. San Diego will need to turn the tables on Yamamoto quickly, or they’ll lose their final road series of the season before they know what hit them.
Prior to joining the Padres at the Trade Deadline, Ray had surged this season. In his age-34 campaign, the veteran lefty posted a 3.08 ERA for the San Francisco Giants before being shopped. Since joining San Diego, Ray owns a dismal 5.22 ERA in eight starts (39.2 IP).
Most of that damage came in three of his starts. In the other six, Ray has surrendered three or less runs. Command issues have plagued him lately. He’s given up 10 walks and 13 runs in his last three starts. The Padres will need a bounce back performance from the left-hander in order to clinch a playoff spot tonight.
Batter up!
The only productive batter for San Diego last night was, arguably, Luis Campusano. The backstop went 2-for-4 at the plate. That said, the Friars didn’t have many opportunities in the first place. Only two runners reached scoring position in the bullpen game. It was difficult for San Diego to find any kind of groove at the plate with the Dodgers switching pitchers ever inning.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Dustin Harris, LF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Ty France, 1B
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Luis Campusano, DH
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
- Freddy Fermin, C
The offense has been ridiculously hot lately. Last night was the first time in exactly four weeks since San Diego was last shut out (8/25 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates). Since that day, the Padres have averaged 5.39 runs per game in what was an insane hot streak. Hopefully, that spark isn’t fully gone, but it departed a bit in Game 1 last night.
Relief corps
Thankfully, despite King’s rough start, the bullpen is not depleted for Game 2 tonight. Wandy Peralta and Griffin Canning each covered two valuable innings of work. They each surrendered a run on solo homers, striking out three batters along the way. That coverage allows San Diego to be creative tonight if Ray struggles.
Kyle Hart, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, David Morgan, Bradgley Rodriguez and Randy Vásquez are all available tonight. It’s been reported that Jason Adam could rejoin the group ahead of Wednesday, which would mean one pitcher would need to be sent down. It’s likely that that member would be Morgan, though it could just as easily be Canning or Hart.