CINCINNATI –– For all their other problems lately, the Dodgers could at least cling to the fact that the heart of their starting rotation was healthy.

On Wednesday night, that threatened to suddenly change.

After just one inning and 19 pitches at Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds, left-hander Blake Snell left his start early with left groin tightness, according to the team, forced to exit with an injury that has plagued him previously in his career.

Snell said he felt his groin “grab” on the second-to-last pitch of his pregame bullpen session, and that it continued to bother him through a scoreless first in which his velocity was noticeably down.

Thus, when he returned to the dugout, he alerted the Dodgers coaching and medical staff of the issue. From there, they made what one source with knowledge of the situation described as a “precautionary” decision to remove Snell from the game.

“I was gonna try to get through five [innings],” Snell said. “But I just knew I didn’t really have a good shot at doing that and remaining healthy.”

In the immediate aftermath of the game, Snell struck a hopeful tone that –– by not attempting to pitch through the injury further –– he had avoided anything serious.

He said he and the team will monitor how he feels in the coming days, but was optimistic that he “should be good” moving forward, perhaps to even make one more start before the end of the regular season.

“[Coming out of the game] was definitely the right move,” Snell said. “Next couple days, we’ll see where we’re at and go from there. But I think I’ll be good to go.”

Still, any concern with Snell represents a troublesome development for the Dodgers, who have been resting their World Series three-peat hopes, first and foremost, on the strength of a starting rotation led by him, Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

And while manager Dave Roberts echoed that the team will take a wait-and-see approach with the two-time Cy Young Award winner, he also emphasized that they will be extremely cautious with his health so as not to risk his injury getting worse before October.

“I don’t think anyone can sit here right now and say what’s going to happen in the next week to 10 days,” Roberts said. “So I think it’s first, let’s see how he comes in [tomorrow]. But yeah, I mean, I guess it’s under the ‘I’m glad it’s not worse,’ and we caught it early.”

Roberts added that the Dodgers would decide whether Snell needs medical imaging on the issue once they get back to Los Angeles for the start of their final homestand of the season Friday.

When asked about the possibility of Snell starting again before the beginning of the playoffs, Roberts was noncommittal.

“We’ve got to make sure that whatever start he’s going to make, he’s going to be able to make it and come out of it healthy,” Roberts said. “I like where his head is at, but he just can’t afford any more setbacks.”

Lately, Snell had been perhaps the stoutest pitcher on the Dodgers staff, allowing just four runs over six starts since returning from a surgical procedure in May to remove loose bodies from his elbow.

However, injuries have been a recurring problem for him since he joined the Dodgers on a five-year, $182 million contract two offseasons ago.

He missed much of last year with a shoulder problem, though was healthy enough in the playoffs to make six outings with a 3.18 ERA en route to the club’s World Series title.

Ongoing shoulder issues sidelined him again at the start of this year, before his elbow injury popped up after his first start back in early May.

Snell has also had left groin injuries before. He missed more than a month in 2024 when he strained his groin while playing for the San Francisco Giants, and in 2022 when he suffered a similar adductor strain with the San Diego Padres. An adductor/groin strain cost him the final three weeks of the regular season in San Diego in 2021, as well.

“I use my legs a lot, just pretty explosive in my legs,” Snell said of why his groin has been a repeated issue. “And just over time, I [have had to] find ways to maintain, keep it stronger, healthy.”

If Snell were to face another extended timeline to return again now, it could put his availability for the start of the playoffs in jeopardy.

If that were to be the case, the Dodgers would have to scramble to replace him, with Roki Sasaki (who pitched four innings of live batting practice on Wednesday afternoon in what the Dodgers hope is the final step of his recovery from a blister) representing the most logical rotation alternative.

For now, however, there was at least initial hope that this episode might be more minor for the 33-year-old.

The fate of the Dodgers’ October chances could depend on it.

“We’ve got to make sure that he comes out ready to go in the postseason,” Roberts said. “So that’s kind of where my head is at personally.”

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The Atlanta Braves face off against the Chicago Cubs today looking for their ninetieth win of the season with ten games to go. Their magic number is at five and after the Cubs series they have the Astros, then the Marlins and Reds. If the Braves win this evening, there is still a world where they could get the two seed since they hold the tie breaker over the Dodgers.

JR Ritchie was likely called up to pitch tonight to ensure Chris Sale gets the extra rest he needs for the playoffs. Ritchie struggled before he was sent back down, but over his past two starts in AAA he has twenty-four strikeouts and only three walks. If Ritchie shows his AAA starts were legit, he may just earn himself a playoff roster spot.

Follow along in the comments as the Braves attempt to clinch a playoff spot.

First pitch is at 7:40 EDT.

Lineup

Preview

With just 11 games to go in 2026, the Royals will face off against Houston in the second game of their road series tonight. Daniel Lynch is running out of opportunities to prove he deserves to stay in the rotation next season, so he needs to be careful to avoid the Crawford Boxes tonight. Christian Javier will start for the Astros. He is having a tough year but is coming off back-to-back solid starts against the Phillies and Diamondbacks. It will be a pretty standard Royal lineup.

Boston Red Sox @ Texas Rangers

Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 7:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

LHP Jake Bennett vs. LHP MacKenzie Gore

Go Rangers!

Probable pitchers: RHP Chris Bassitt (7-5, 4.88 ERA, 66 Ks) vs. Xzavion Curry (0-0, 3.44 ERA, 12 Ks)

Where to watch: ESPN

After last night’s dramatic win that included Pete Alonso’s 300th career home run, it might be natural to experience an emotional letdown in the next game. The Orioles don’t have that luxury. Tonight’s series finale is the most winnable game in the Orioles’ last 10 of the season, which makes it a must-win if the O’s want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Taking the mound tonight in Queens for Baltimore is right-hander Chris Bassitt. The 38-year-old enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career with the Mets back in 2022. That season, Bassitt was especially stingy in Citi Field, pitching to a 2.95 ERA in 16 starts while limiting opponents to a .227 average. He’s been just as good in Queens since leaving the Mets, tossing 7.2 shutout innings with the Blue Jays in 2023 and another 6.2 shutout innings against New York in 2025.

Bassitt has been solid for the O’s since returning from the IL a month ago. In 34 innings across six starts, he’s posted a 4.24 ERA while giving up a .281 average. Perhaps more importantly, the Orioles are 4-2 during that stretch. Last time out in Toronto, he pitched to a line of 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB and 5 Ks in a 7-4 Orioles win.

Opposing Bassitt is journeyman right-hander Xzavion Curry. This will be the 28-year-old’s first start since 2024 with the Guardians. However, the Mets did use him for five innings in relief in a game against the Marlins at the end of July. Curry has also pitched at least two innings in each of his last six major league appearances. He last faced the Orioles in 2024, when he allowed 6 hits and 4 runs over 3 innings in a 7-4 Orioles win.

Orioles lineup

1. Dylan Beavers (L) LF
2. Pete Alonso (R) 1B
3. Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
4. Coby Mayo (R) DH
5. Christian Encarnacion-Strand (R) 3B
6. Samuel Basallo (L) C
7. Jeremiah Jackson (R) 2B
8. Reece Hinds (R) R
9. Colton Cowser (L) CF

Mets lineup

1. Francisco Lindor (S) SS
2. Juan Soto (L) LF
3. Bo Bichette (R) 3B
4. Carson Benge (L) RF
5. Jared Young (L) 1B
6. Marcus Semien (R) 2B
7. A.J. Ewing (L) CF
8. Brett Baty (L) DH
9. Luis Torrens (R) CF

Astros right-hander Mike Burrows will restart his rehab assignment and pitch three innings for Triple-A Sugar Land this weekend, manager Joe Espada said Wednesday.

On the IL since July 7 due to right elbow neuritis, Burrows was shut down after his third rehab start because of right shoulder inflammation. Espada said Burrows could rejoin the Astros’ pitching staff before the end of the regular season if all goes well.

In his first season with the Astros, Burrows went 4-9 with a 5.99 ERA before landing on the IL.

Left-hander Steven Okert, who has been on the IL since Sept. 1 with a right hamstring strain, has been playing catch. Espada said Okert has a doctor’s appointment Thursday that will determine his next steps.

Okert has a 2.13 ERA over 68 appearances and has been one of Espada’s most trusted bullpen arms.

Andrew Abbott looks to get back on track before the season ends as the Cincinnati Reds play host to two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and the Los Angeles Dodgers once again.

First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET. Here’s how both clubs will line up to start:

Tigers 1 Blue Jays 5

Nice to win one again.

We got a great start from Max Scherzer. Five innings, gave up a run in the first on a double (well, a pop-up that no one got under) and a single, but allowed only one more hit the rest of the way and added three more strikeouts to his all-time total (now 9543, 11 short of Jason Verlander). I don’t know if he can get that many before the season ends.

Offensively, we did nothing until the fourth inning: Kazuma Okamoto walked to start it. Josh Smith doubled (hard to believe we got him for Adam Macko, giving us runners on second and third. Ernie Clement hit a sac fly to tie the game. And Myles Straw lined a hard single to left for the game-winning run.

Myles was caught stealing after that, with two outs, not a bad idea. That gave Brett Bateman a fresh count to start the next inning. On the other hand, Bateman has been very hot, and the catcher is very good at throwing out stealers; maybe let him hit?

But we got one more in the fourth, so it all worked out. Bateman singled. Nathan Lukes moved him to second with a bunt and beat it out. Vlad ground out, giving us runners on the corners. And George Springer singled Bateman home.

And a mess of Tiger errors got us two more runs in the fifth. Three errors, including two consecutive errors by SS John Peck (two of them on one play: a booted ball and then a throwing error). Nathan Lukes got an RBI.

We had nine hits, but only one extra-base hit: a Smith double. Bateman (at the top of the order) and Straw (at the bottom) each had two hits.

The bullpen did the job too:

• Mason Fluharty threw a quick sixth.
• Spencer Miles pitched two quick innings. They sent him out for the ninth, but he didn’t have it, giving up a single and a walk. He just wanted Louis Varland to have a save opportunity.
• Varland got a strikeout, a lineout, and a strikeout (Brandon Valenzuela got him the out by challenging a full-count pitch called a ball, but it was just the upper outside corner).

Valenzuela wasted a challenge in the first inning, on a 1-1 pitch, which caused trouble later when Springer wanted to challenge a pitch and quickly decided not to, in case he used our last challenge. After George struck out, he watched it on an iPad and was angry that he didn’t challenge.

I don’t know that it was a needed win for the Jays, but it was a needed win for me.

Jays of the Day: Scherzer (0.16 WPA), Straw (0.15, who didn’t look pleased that Vlad poured water in his cleats) and Smith (0.10). And let’s give an honourable mention to Varland.

Other Award: No one.

Tomorrow is an off-day. Yay. And then the Jays head to the Heart of Texas (stomp stomp) to play the Rangers for three games.