ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - JULY 08: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 08, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sweeping the Red Sox with two blowout wins was a joyous occasion, not to mention the tangible positive impact of setting up your rotation for the ALDS. The Yankees can begin the series against the Rays with Gerrit Cole as the Game 1 starter, which is only fitting considering Cole’s regular-season campaign in 2026 began and ended against the Rays, both times with a quality start.
Making his postseason debut this season, Cole will get the ball after nearly a week and a half off, his longest time between starts since returning from injury. In three appearances against the AL East champs in the regular season—the most he had against any single team—Cole averaged six innings and delivered a 2.50 ERA, enjoying success against a team not known for its home run pedigree.
Having last played a competitive meaningful game well before the end of the regular season, the Rays will set out to prove there is no rust in their game with Drew Rasmussen starting Game 1. Who better to represent what the Rays are all about than Rasmussen, acquired for the power-hitting Willy Adames as a swingman/backend starter, only to turn into one of the more dominant starters in the AL?
The postseason scenario and all that it entails could be seen as an opportunity to test the Rays’ resolve when it comes to their ace. Rasmussen was already dominant last season—part of what held him back from entering the conversation with the big boys was just how carefully managed he was by the Rays, who only let him reach or surpass 90 pitches twice in 2025. This year, Rasmussen has done that 17 times, including a career-high 114 pitches in a win over the Yankees just a couple of weeks ago—one in which perhaps the Rays gave a sign of their intentions with a trial run. With this extra leeway, Rasmussen managed to pitch 22 more innings than last season despite having one fewer start (31 to 30).
Rasmussen’s ability to go deeper into games than what we’re accustomed to seeing not only from him but also from the Rays as a team is of great value—especially if we are to read into regular season numbers. As much as the Yankees may have a better rotation, perhaps the biggest advantage in this series is in the bullpen. While New York had the second-lowest bullpen ERA in baseball, Tampa was only number 14. The key here, particularly looking at the postseason and a matchup with the Yankees lineup, is that the 95 home runs allowed by the Rays’ bullpen represented the third-highest mark in the bigs.
Then again, this is a Tampa team with the benefit of off-days between each of the first three games. One can only imagine how aggressive they might be willing to go with the likes of Bryan Baker, Cam Booser, and Kevin Kelly. While Baker is the closer, Booser gets the nod as the X-factor for the Rays in Game 1 and this series as a whole—the Yankees were 1-for-10 against him in the regular season, the one being an Austin Wells home run.
Booser’s importance stems from a complete lack of southpaw options for a team whose only other left-hander who finished the season on the active roster was Steven Matz. Garrett Cleavinger was cleared to be a part of the ALDS roster, but his 2026 numbers were quite bad, with an 89 ERA+ in 41.1 innings.
Unlike the Red Sox, all the Rays’ top starters are right-handers, allowing Aaron Boone to utilize his lefty-heavy lineup without fear, starting in Game 1 against Rasmussen. And if Booser can’t shut them down out of the bullpen, Tampa all of a sudden has an incredibly difficult mission to contain Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, Luis Garcia Jr., and company.
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 01: Nico Hischier #13, Jack Hughes #86, Jesper Bratt #63 and Brett Pesce #22 of the New Jersey Devils celebrate the win after Jack Hughes scored the game winning goal in overtime at Prudential Center on October 01, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Matchup: New Jersey Devils (1-0-0) @ New York Islanders (0-1-0)
It was the season opener, and it was a good one! On Thursday, New Jersey opened their 2026-27 campaign with a home date against the Philadelphia Flyers. It took overtime, but the Devils skated away with a 3-2 victory in front of a raucous home crowd. Jake Allen got the win, while Dougie Hamilton and Luke Hughes scored in regulation and Jack Hughes scored the winner in the extra frame.
Last Islanders Game
New York is also coming off their season opener, but unlike New Jersey, they lost their first game. Back on Wednesday, the Isles traveled north to Toronto to battle the Maple Leafs, losing 2-1. Ilya Sorokin was solid in the loss, stopping 24 of 26 shots, while Emil Heineman scored the lone goal for the Islanders.
All Is Well In Devil Land For Now
The final score was not indicative of how much New Jersey dominated Thursday’s game. Pick a stat, any stat, and it will reflect near-total control for the home team. The Devils outshot the Flyers 44-25. According to Natural Stat Trick, New Jersey controlled 69.98% of the Expected Goals at 5-on-5. Another metric, Moneypuck’s fabled Deserve To Win O’Meter, tabbed the Devils at 83% deserving to win. It was a complete beatdown.
The only stats the Devils did not dominate were the power play and goaltending. The powerplay went a disappointing 0/4, though I would argue they looked reasonably good on the man advantage. It didn’t help that Jesper Bratt was absolutely robbed by Joseph Woll on a third period PP. And speaking of Woll, he was most of the reason why this wasn’t a blowout. The Flyers were playing the second half of a back-to-back after getting trounced 7-0 by the Pittsburgh Penguins in their season opener the night before, and it showed. Woll was the only one who could hold his head up high, stopping 41 of 44 shots, and saving 1.05 Goals Above Expected according to NST. It’s not like Jake Allen played poorly, as he saved 23 of 25 himself, but he was clearly outplayed by his counterpart on Thursday.
Thankfully in the end, it didn’t matter. New Jersey’s process was incredible against the Flyers, and it lifted the team to a win. It’s only one game out of 84, and a lot can and will change as the year progresses. But for now, the Devils are back and riding some good vibes into game number two.
Already Bucking The Trend
One of the biggest issues of last season was how dreadful New Jersey played against their own division. In 2025-26, the Devils went an embarrassing 7-17-2 against the Metropolitan Division. All those points they not only left on the table, but gifted to their division rivals, added up and cost them dearly. In fact, the Flyers were one of the biggest Metro thorns in the Devils’ side, sweeping the season series over three total games.
So it was refreshing to see them actually collect two points in a Metropolitan tilt right off the bat. It’s frustrating that they allowed Philadelphia to pick up a point of their own, and if the Devils really want to clean up their Metro issues, they need to start banking not just wins, but regulation wins. Nevertheless, Thursday was a good start.
And now they have a chance to flip the script on yet another Metro team that swept them last season. The Islanders won all four matchups against the Devils in 2025-26. I would argue that this season series also featured the absolute rock bottom of the entire campaign: the 9-0 loss in January on Long Island. If the Devils can exorcise two Metropolitan Division demons from last year right away, that would go a long way toward regaining some trust with a fanbase that has been burned by disappointment so many times since 2022-23.
By The Numbers
The Devils entered this season with some familiarity amongst the forward combinations, but also with a lot of new faces and new roles. How did each of their lines fare against the Flyers? Let’s take a look at some numbers courtesy of Natural Stat Trick. All numbers reflect 5-on-5 play:
Line
TOI
CF%
xG%
Meier-Hischier-Evangelista
8:40
64.71
59.61
Mantha-Hughes-Bratt
10:54
80.95
85.38
Gritsyuk-Rodrigues-Mercer
10:55
75.00
57.13
Lombardi-Glass-Noesen
4:28
42.86
35.35
It was a pretty excellent night all around. The fourth line struggled, but that’s understandable considering it’s the fourth line, and it was missing a key piece in Connor Brown. Noesen is a legit NHL player so it’s not like the Devils went from Brown to an ECHLer, but it was still tough to lose Brown before the opener.
But otherwise the top nine rolled. The Hischier and Rodrigues lines controlled play well, while the Hughes line absolutely blasted the Flyers. Again, we’re working with a microscopic sample size here, but through one game, the lines look good.
On An Island
In a Metropolitan Division that got a lot better over the summer, the Islanders were a bit of an outlier. They brought in a few pieces like Matias Maccelli and Logan Stanley, but by and large they stood pat from a roster standpoint. Perhaps the biggest change came in the dying days of the 2025-26 season, when they brought in old friend Pete DeBoer for the final four games of their season. He enters his first full slate as Isles head coach, and while he’s had some issues in the playoffs at some of his past stops, I think DeBoer is an excellent coach who will squeeze some extra points out of this Islanders squad.
New York finished sixth in the Metro in 2025-26 with 91 points. It wasn’t an awful year, but it wasn’t a good one, and it was largely kept respectable thanks to Ilya Sorokin’s heroics. This is a roster that has some talent, but is still a bit thin. Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal are nice players, but not franchise-altering players.
They do have one franchise-altering player though, who we’ll discuss in a moment.
I came into this season thinking the Islanders will be the worst team in the Metro, and I still think that’s going to be the case now. The Devils, Rangers, and Capitals all significantly improved in my opinion. Meanwhile the Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Flyers probably didn’t improve. But the difference between those teams and the Isles is that the Hurricanes won the Cup and didn’t need to improve, the Blue Jackets finished ahead of the Islanders in 2025-26 (granted by one point), and the Penguins and Flyers were playoff teams last year. I don’t think any of those four teams got significantly worse either. The Islanders were mediocre a season ago, and now that their aging team is a year older, I expect a bit of a step back.
However, I also believe this is still a respectable team. They’re certainly capable of beating anyone on any given night and not having it be that much of a surprise. New Jersey is almost certainly more talented than New York, but they still need to take the Islanders seriously if they want to win a game against them for the first time since November of 2024.
Somebody Stop Him
And now we turn our attention to the Islanders’ franchise-altering player.
Matthew Schaefer was the first overall pick in the 2025 draft for a reason. As numero uno, he entered his rookie season with high expectations, and despite that, he still managed to blow those expectations away. As an 18-year-old, Schaefer recorded an absurd 23 goals. He added 36 assists for a total of 59 points, which is a strong number for a defenseman of any age, let alone a teenager. According to Natural Stat Trick, Schaefer put up solid play-driving numbers as well, hovering around the breakeven mark in all the major categories.
Again, we’re talking about an 18-year-old here. The fact that he did all that as a teenage rookie is breathtaking.
It didn’t take long for Schaefer to earn the trust of former Isles coach Patrick Roy either. Roy fed Schaefer some huge minutes last season, giving him 24:41 of ice time per game on average. Would that change with DeBoer now in charge? Well it did change…but not in the way you’d think. Obviously it’s only one game and the card is subject to change, but in the season opener against the Maple Leafs, Schaefer played a ludicrous 27:45.
27:45! And as a reminder, he’s still a teenager!
Schaefer didn’t register a point against Toronto, but he controlled play very well. NST had him at a 60.87 xG%, while out-attempting the Leafs by a whopping 27-8 margin at 5-on-5. Schaefer also registered three shots on goal himself, so despite the loss it was an overall sparkling season opener for the Isles’ phenom. In a post-Leo Carlsson offer sheet world, I shudder to think of how much money Schaefer is going to command as an RFA in a couple seasons.
So the moral of the story is this: get used to seeing a LOT of Schaefer this evening, and get ready to see him do some special things on the ice. The kid is a marvel, and Sheldon Keefe needs to make him the top priority in the game plan.
Your Take
What are you expecting this evening? Who on the Devils do you think will have a big game tonight? Who are you most concerned with? Which Islander will you be keeping an eye on the most? As always, thanks for reading!
On his leadership style: “I’ve always been somebody that kind of just prefers to lead by example with how I play and how I approach the game. So I don’t have to do anything different with that. But I’m, you know, 13th year in. I’m comfortable speaking up when I see something, or if something needs to be said. But I don’t have to overdo it.”
On camp thus far: “The communication has been really, really good, along with the effort and the competition. So, you know, I’m impressed. I’m never gonna put a cap or a limit on our team. We’re gonna achieve whatever we believe we can achieve. So, that’s just how I live my life, and you know, that’s what I expect from our team.”
When I tell outsiders that Julius Randle was the star of Nets Media day, even beyond the golf anecdote, and that he’s given textbook answers to questions about his leadership capabilities and vision for himself under Jordi Fernandez, I invariably get the same response: Just you wait.
It could be the Brooklyn Nets’ first four-game losing streak of the season, after which Randle skips out on talking to the media. Or it could be the subsequent fifth loss, during which Randle doesn’t touch the ball enough and his effort on defense wanes as a result. Fans and reporters of the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves consider such situations essential to the Julius Randle Experience. It’s not that he isn’t truly a pleasant, hard-working, spirited teammate, the kind of teammate he has appeared to be at Nets camp. It’s just that, additionally, he doesn’t take losing or personal struggles very well.
He earned the “moody” moniker over in Manhattan, famously giving a thumbs-down to fans that had booed earlier in the game. When asked what the gesture meant, the Texas native simply said, “Shut the f*** up,” which I personally think is hilarious, particularly because the Knicks won that game. Still, that tag followed him to Minnesota, and ex-teammate Naz Reid didn’t help matters when asked why the team kept falling short in the playoffs: “Probably just moodiness … I think we have more than enough guys bringing it to the table and can compete at a high level, but just being less moody. I think that’s just the name of the game for us, just being less moody and more selfless and just carrying ourselves with championship aspirations like we’ve done before.”
Reputations, eh? Easy to earn, hard to shake.
Julius Randle is now the veteran leader of a Brooklyn Nets team with both legitimate young talent and higher expectations than tanking to twenty wins. Michael Porter Jr., NBA champion, led the team in scoring last season, but he has yet to agree to a contract extension and will once again be in trade rumors this season. Randle, the 13-year veteran, is Brooklyn’s North Star in 2026-27. Not the franchise, not their long-term savior, not even guaranteed to be on the roster past the 2028 expiration of his contract, but likely the most important player in determining the success of this season’s Nets team. Should we be worried?
I spoke to Andrew Dukowitz, an excellent Wolves reporter, about the man of the hour. Dukowitz said, “I’m fascinated to see how it turns out. Julius comes to Minnesota, right, and they have Rudy Gobert, they have Mike Conley, they have Nickeil [Alexander-Walker], who was a big part of that locker room, Jaden [McDaniels] and Ant [Edwards] are finding their way. Joe Ingles is in that locker room. He didn’t really speak up a ton in terms of the rah-rah stuff … but what I would say is everybody in that locker room liked him. He was a liked teammate.”
Dukowitz added that “That ‘moodiness’ also existed in Ant and Jaden and Naz [Reid], really everybody but Rudy … I am interested to see how he is with young guys. He is a guy that takes a ton of pride in his work, he is a guy that is approachable, you ask him questions and he gives thoughtful answers. There were dozens of times last year where he’s sitting there with an assistant coach and Joan [Beringer], working on post-moves. I do think he’ll be a willing leader.”
Now that’s one key similarity between the Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle acquisitions. For whatever their (dissimilar) misgivings are, both are renowned workers. It appears Sean Marks & Co. target the same intangible qualities in their trade targets as they do in the NBA Draft, work ethic being a pillar of their ideal culture.
Randle, now in year 13, professes that he is still ready to work, particularly under a demanding, player-development-focused head coach: “I love to be coached, and I think there’s different ways [Fernández] can challenge me in parts of the game, whether it’s my rebounding or if it’s running the floor or if it’s being better on defense, stuff like that. Like, I’m not afraid to be coached, and you know, whatever he needs to do, I feel like you should coach your best players the hardest. And he’s not afraid to speak up, if he sees something or if he needs something from me, like, he’ll call me.”
There is also the question of how Randle will be used. Brooklyn was 27th in post-up frequency last season, 19th in isolation frequency. These play-types, of course, have been fundamental to Randle’s production in his career. How far in the middle will he and Fernández meet?
A play like this is encouraging:
Minnesota plays through the top of the key into a handoff, but Milwaukee switches the action. But a guard defending Julius Randle in that mid-post area is a mismatch, and even though the burly lefty takes a tough one, it’s two on the board. The Nets leaned heavy into that ‘delay’ offense —playing through the top of the key and finding handoff opportunities — so much so that Nic Claxton recorded triple-doubles last season. Randle, clearly, adds another dynamic to such offense.
The big question I have is how Julius Randle and Day’Ron Sharpe coexist offensively. Who is initiating these actions? If it’s Randle, what is Sharpe doing off the ball, spacing in the corner? Will Randle, a good screener and an obvious threat to keep these handoffs himself and drive it, lean more into ball-handling creation? It is encouraging that, unprompted at Media Day, he mentioned wanting to take a career-high number of 3-pointers (particularly catch-and-shoots). None of this, please:
And something tells me Nets fans, if nothing else, will love the combined strength from their front court this season. Day’Ron and Julius are strong dudes; throw in MPJ and that’s a nice rebounding trio on paper.
“The main thing is physicality,” said Sharpe of his newest teammate. “He’s a strong, strong guy. When he’s playing on offense, he’s just bumping guys out of the way and getting to the rim, like it’s no problem … I feel like he’s going to be a great help for us, I feel like his physicality and the energy, leadership, it’ll be a huge part of our team.”
I suspect we’ll see Randle play some center as well, particular if/when Moe Wagner or Sharpe misses a game. Over his two seasons in Minneapolis, Randle played over 1800 minutes (excluding low leverage) without a true center next to him, most often pairing with Naz Reid. Those offensively tilted lineups had about a 118 oRTG and 117 dRTG, per PBP Stats. I wouldn’t be surprised if something like Randle-Wolf-Clowney-Minott is a bench unit the Nets explore, with willing 3-point shooters and length around Randle at the top of the key.
I think it’s gonna go well, to be honest. Julius Randle is better than you think, and the curse of high expectations is what led to his sour exits in New York and Minny. The Nets do not have such expectations. Let’s try and approach .500 first.
“Fans midway through the season are gonna be like, ‘Holy cow, why would Minnesota get rid of him?’ It’s more so the ceiling you get with him,” says Dukowitz.
As for Randle himself, he’s happy to be living back in New York City after spending five years with the Knicks. His eldest son, yes, the one who burst into rage at the sight of a Kevin Durant poster in Barclays Center, is back at his old school. He and his wife have their old friend groups back together.
Point being, Julius Randle is content: “When things are easier off the court, when they’re great at home and they’re happy and all of those things, it makes the basketball part, the work part that much easier. I don’t even consider it work, but it makes the basketball part that much easier. So I feel really balanced, really happy, at peace.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers' 2026 postseason begins at home on Saturday, Oct. 3, hosting Atlanta in Game 5 of the best-of-five National League Division Series as the back-to-back World Series champions chase a third in a row.
No NL team has ever won three consecutive titles and the last Major League Baseball team to do it was the New York Yankees from 1998-2000. The Dodgers got a bye to the NLDS with the second-best record in the NL, while Atlanta had to win a hard-fought wild card series against their rival to advance.
Trade deadline acquisition and back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal makes his first postseason start for the Dodgers, who last played six days ago. Skubal went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts after the joining the Dodgers and the 29-year-old is a free agent this winter, expected to sign a record-setting contract.
"Everybody's got one goal at hand. I fit right in with that," Skubal told reporters. "I think everything that I try to do is try to win as many baseball games as I can. I'm excited to start doing that in October."
Where to watch Dodgers vs Braves: TV channel, streaming
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NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 30: Willson Contreras #40 and Wilyer Abreu #52 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after Contreras' solo home run in the sixth inning of Game Two of the American League Wild Card Series presented by AbbVie between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Red Sox clearly weren’t couldn’t hit enough this year and the Yankees exposed that in glaring fashion in the postsesson.
Boston added a real bat last offseason in Willson Contreras – who produced an All-Star season and did homer to produce one of just the two runs the Red Sox scored in the Wild Card series. Contreras alone clearly wasn’t enough, especially after the spaced-out departures of Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman from last year’s team.
Caleb Durbin had a nice summer improvement. Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu each get ridiculously hot for a few weeks. The potential still remains in Roman Anthony despite a frustrating injury finish to the season. But as a sum of the parts, the Red Sox took a massive step back offensively in 2026.
They scored just two runs in the series. They’ve scored just 11 in eight postseason games dating back to Game 4 of the 2021 ALCS (more of a historical trend than current lineup analysis but you get the point). Most notably in a trend I’ve followed for awhile, Boston finished outside of the top-10 in team OPS for the first time since 2017. Clearly, there’s a lack of slug and lack of clutch production among the group.
To me, two real problems stand out when I consider the lack of production in the postseason:
Red Sox in the 2000s
14 years with Ortiz as primary DH 45 playoff wins, 3.2 per season
5 years with Martinez as primary DH 17 playoff wins, 3.4 per season
8 years with neither of the two as primary DH 2 playoff wins, 0.25 per season
I totally agree that historically the Red Sox operate best with a full-time DH with power – though Craig Breslow and his theory of versatility disagrees. And for as important as Rafaela and Abreu have been with their gloves and regular-season production, Boston needs them to step up in October to have any chance of real advancement in the coming years.
So, how do you fix it? Because that’s the hard part. Boston can use right-handed power, but where can the difference really be made?
The Red Sox really don’t pay for free-agent bats anymore (a year of Bregman does not qualify to me). Even if that approach changes, the headlining names in an underwhelming class this offseason are Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki.
Could this be the lineup whenever the Red Sox next take the field?
Roman Anthony, LF
Adley Rutschman, C
Randy Arozarena, DH
Willson Contreras, 1B
Wilyer Abreu, RF
Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
Caleb Durbin, 3B
Curtis Mead, 2B
Franklin Arias, SS
It seems like this could finally be the offseason where the team and Jarren Duran go in different directions for a fresh start on both sides. Is Trevor Story on the roster come next year – or whenever the sport commences a season again? Whatever the scenario is, outside of DH, the Red Sox don’t have a position that’s open to fill when pursuing offensive additions. They’re ultimately going to need to make hard decisions about players already on the roster to move on from and identify real talent that can produce when it matters. And likely turn to another daring trade. Because ultimately that’s what the need for improvement comes down to. The Red Sox did enough to qualify for the postseason in consecutive years – the first time they did so since 2016 through 2018. That can’t be good enough on its own anymore after two disappointing exits.
The lineup will be the central point of roster construction this winter. What’s your confidence level the Red Sox are ready to go to war offensively next time baseball resumes?
October’s baseball bazaar is just getting started. Narratives are barely in script development. Yet things are about to pick up with four fairly compelling Division Series matchups.
And the window for pivotal players to emerge has opened.
Perhaps the plot will stick to the main characters, and Shohei Ohtani and Junior Caminero and Jacob Misiorowski will steal the headlines, dominate the search engines and/or artificial intelligence summaries.
Yet the difference may come down to players who have not yet seized the spotlight, fading into the tapestry of a 162-game season yet now with an opportunity to break out in a larger way.
Herewith, four players who could decide the American and National league Division Series:
Rays-Yankees: Victor Mesa Jr.
He doesn’t even have 100 major league games under his belt. But goodness, can Mesa impact a baseball.
It’s been six years since Randy Arozarena took over the COVID bubble playoffs with a stunning power display of 10 home runs in an 18-game span. We are not expecting that from Mesa. But it’s safe to say he’s the Rays’ latest reclamation project to pay off.
Mesa hit 14 home runs in just 79 games, slugged .498, posted an .803 OPS and 128 wRC+. Sure, he’s never done that over a full season.
But he doesn’t have to.
Mesa’s on a heater in this moment, with a .355/.410/.605 line and four homers in September. And he will enter these playoffs bereft of expectations. Caminero is the Rays’ MVP hopeful, Yandy Díaz the swole and savvy veteran of past playoffs, Chandler Simpson the blazing speed merchant.
Mesa bats seventh. Kind of the perfect place to chill out and ambush a pitcher hopeful he’s navigated the teeth of the Tampa Bay lineup. We’ll see about that.
If you’re on your lunch break and looking for something to zone out on for a few minutes, get a load of this 18-pitch at-bat between Peters and Guardians ace Gavin Williams.
Williams led the AL with 248 strikeouts, but in the sixth inning of a scoreless game, Peters literally ended him, by fouling off 12 pitches and driving Williams’ pitch count from 95 to 113 before drawing a walk. The White Sox took the lead that inning and maintained their AL Central lead, though the Guardians would claw back and win the division title.
Now, the Central rivals square up again. And there couldn’t be a greater contrast than the teams’ pitching staffs: Cleveland will attack Chicago with two studs, Williams and Game 1 starter Parker Messick, who could be AL Rookie of the Year after posting a 2.56 ERA and 6.3 WAR.
The White Sox, with no such aces, will keep the bullpen door open constantly, a mix-and-match that worked well in their wild-card wins at Houston. That approach will be tougher.
No, the best asset the White Sox may have is their quietly potent lineup neutralizing Messick and Williams and lengthening the bridge to dominant closer Cade Smith. Enter guys like Peters, who almost serves as a second leadoff man in the No. 6 hole, after Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami and Co. have had their bite of the apple and before the Flyin’ Montgomery Fellas (Braden and Colson) and Game 2 wild-card hero Chase Meidroth dig in.
Peters posted 47 extra-base hits, plays a stellar center field and, like many of the above White Sox, fills a role akin to a deluxe glue guy. He yielded to defensively gifted Brenton Doyle in the Game 1 lineup against Messick, but this is a roster that will use every corner of it to best the Guardians. And this time, if Peters manages to wear out Williams again, the stakes will be much higher.
Dodgers-Braves: Matt Olson
Not exactly a dark horse pick here. Yet for a four-time All-Star with a 54-homer season and the longest current consecutive games streak to his name, the man could use a little more shine.
And also a trip to the NLCS.
This is Olson’s seventh postseason. Three ended at the wild-card level, the other three in dispiriting Division Series defeats, two of them against the Phillies. Now, the Braves will have to break serve against the two-time defending champion Dodgers.
And L.A. will start Tarik Skubal out of the gate, with a slew of southpaws – Blake Snell, Justin Wrobleski, Evan Dreyer, Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott – ready to attack Olson.
Yet Olson, among the more chill dudes you’ll ever meet, isn’t fazed by much. And his platoon splits are downright chilling: A .500 slugging percentage and .823 OPS against right-handers, .506 and .824 against lefties.
He will be unmoved by Skubal and the half-dozen or so other southpaws L.A. will throw at him. And it’s not lost on him that while he’s beloved in Atlanta, the club’s most recent World Series title came with Freddie Freeman manning first base.
Freeman always gets the lion’s share of attention when it comes to the Great First Base Swap Of 2022, and he’s earned it. But perhaps it is Olson’s turn to command the spotlight and remind folks that while Freeman got two more rings in L.A., the guy who replaced him has been plenty good, too.
Brewers Padres: DL Hall
Certainly, it can be tiresome when clubs trade a well-accomplished player before they reach free agency. Well, the saying goes, better get something for him.
That’s not necessarily the case every time. Yet when it comes to the Milwaukee Brewers it makes a lot more sense.
Because they certainly have a knack for turning those guys into something.
So it went when they dealt former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes to Baltimore as his walk year began. They received Joey Ortiz, now a valued infielder and their primary third baseman at the moment.
They also received Hall, a former first-round pick who clearly wasn’t going to reach the starter ceiling that got him drafted yet also didn’t have the raw stuff associated with a high-leverage reliever.
Yet the Brewers certainly found something in him.
On a team with Misiorowski as the headliner and Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe providing late-inning electricity, Hall bridges the gap. The man posted a 1.91 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 61 1/3 innings this season, and his role has only gained greater import as the season wound down.
Simply, the Brewers are going to try and win a championship with two starting pitchers – The Miz and Logan Henderson – and then the rest is TBA. What they do anticipate are significant contributions from virtually every member of the staff they roster.
Situational kills, multi-inning bursts, high-leverage, high-wire acts – Milwaukee needs it all. And Hall, 28, can provide it all: He recorded at least four outs in 20 of his 47 appearances, and just one or two in seven more. He’s a little more vulnerable against righties than lefties, but a .558 OPS against will not set off alarms.
And he gave up just one homer to lefty hitters this year. Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth will probably see a lot of him. And he may compel Craig Stammen to empty his bench earlier than he’d like, possibly leaving the Padres short in the later innings.
It’s a stealth weapon. But over five games, one that may pay dividends time after time.
Sep 30, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; The postseason logo is seen on the dugout railing prior to game two of the Wildcard round between Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves in the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
LOS ANGELES — After two days of four playoff games during the wild card round, Saturday gives us one more day full of baseball on Saturday to start the Division Series round in both the American League and National League.
“Hopefully everyone is drinking a lot of water and staying hydrated,” Skubal said Friday. “It’s going to be a hot one.”
But the first game of Saturday is in Cleveland, with the Guardians facing the Chicago White Sox in a true division series. The other ALDS is also an actual division series with Drew Rasmussen and the Tampa Bay Rays hosting Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees.
Saturday ends with Robbie Ray and the San Diego Padres on the road to face likely NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski and the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
Fox Sports has the NL playoffs this year, with TBS televising the AL side.
After Saturday, there’s one more chance for a day with four postseason baseball games. If both National League series don’t end in sweeps, next Wednesday, October 7 will feature two NLDS Games 4 and two ALDS Games 3.
Saturday Division Series schedule
10 a.m. PT: White Sox at Guardians ALDS Game 1: Hagen Smith vs. Parker Messick TBS (Alex Faust, Ron Darling)
1 p.m.: Dodgers vs. Braves NLDS Game 1: Tarik Skubal vs. bullpen game Fox (Joe Davis, John Smoltz)
3:30 p.m. PT: Yankees at Rays ALDS Game 1: Gerrit Cole vs. Drew Rasmussen TBS (Brian Anderson, Jeff Francoeur)
5:30 p.m. PT: Padres at Brewers NLDS Game 1: Robbie Ray vs. Jacob Misiorowski FS1 (Adam Amin, Adam Wainwright, A.J. Pierzynski)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 30: A detail shot of the main entrance to Dodger Stadium prior to Game One of the National League Wild Card Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers open their 2026 postseason run on a sweltering Saturday afternoon, hosting the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium.
Tarik Skubal will start for the Dodgers in Game 1, the team’s prized trade-deadline acquisition set to make his seventh career postseason start. Amazingly, all six of his playoff starts with the Detroit Tigers were on the road, and he did quite well, with a 2.04 ERA and 56 strikeouts against only six walks in 39 2/3 innings.
“Usually when I walk out onto the field in a playoff game, it’s usually received with a lot of boos. So I’m excited to get some cheers in there for us,” Skubal said Friday. “And to pitch at home, I think it’s going to be a ton of fun in front of this atmosphere.”
The Braves haven’t yet named a starting pitcher and will likely go with a bullpen game on Saturday.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 04: Spencer Torkelson #20 and Kerry Carpenter #30 of the Detroit Tigers celebrate after defeating the Seattle Mariners in game one of the Division Series at T-Mobile Park on October 04, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB Trade Rumors published their estimates for 2027 raises for arbitration eligible players on Friday. Their system is based on a model created by Matt Swartz that inputs all the relevant historical data on arbitration salaries both agreed and arbitrated to generate an estimate for each player. MLBTR has been using it for over a decade and generally has a strong reputation for general accuracy.
The Detroit Tigers have 11 players due a raise in 2027. The Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Rays all have more than 11 players due an arbitration raise. Four other teams have 11 players exactly in line for a raise.
A good place to start getting a grasp on the offseason is through these estimates, a list of impending free agents, and an understanding of each club’s payroll and 40-man roster situation. For example, the Brewers and Rays are both generally small payroll clubs. The fact that they’re in the top seven teams in terms of players due a significant raise says that they may have some payroll issues this offseason, and could be pretty active in trading players away as they get more expensive. Of course we have to get into their projected 2027 payroll to really know if they’re facing a problem as most of these raises are very small, and they may have money coming off the books elsewhere.
The new CBA negotiations are going to weigh heavily on teams’ calculations as well. Other than in his first months on the job back in 2022, Scott Harris has shown absolutely no interest in the trade market, dealing away or acquiring talent only when he has to around the trade deadline, so who knows if he’ll even be thinking about trades this offseason, but there will probably be plenty of opportunities once the CBA is settled.
As noted by MLBTR (read the full 30 team breakdown here), service time data isn’t finalized by the league yet, and there may be some minor adjustments to come. We also don’t have the Super Two cutoff date that can alter the equation for a few specific players. For now, this is the best estimate we’re going to get. We’ll list the player, their age and service time, and then their 2026 salary followed by MLBTR’s arbitration estimate for 2027.
Will Vest-31 (5.100 years): $3.950MM —>$4.4MM
Zach McKinstry-31 (5.099): $4.2MM —> $5MM
Matt Vierling-30 (5.026): $3.255MM —>$3.7MM
Riley Greene-26 (4.110): $5.0MM —>$9.3MM
Spencer Torkelson-27 (4.076): $4.075MM —>$7.7M
Kerry Carpenter-29 (4.057): $3.275MM —>$4.1MM
Tyler Holton-30 (4.047): $1.575MM —>$2.4MM
Beau Brieske-28 (4.007): $1.157MM —>$1.5MM
Reese Olson-27 (3.123): $818,100 —>$1.5MM
Wenceel Pérez-26 (3.000): $803,400 —>$1.4 MM
Parker Meadows-26 (2.169): $805,300 —>$1MM
Using FanGraphs’ Roster Resource, the Tigers final estimated payroll for 2026 was $205M, whereas in 2025 that number was $155M. The Tigers spent right up to the luxury tax threshold back in the spring, but by dealing away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize’s remaining salary, they ended up well under the limit. That was important as to not affect their draft position in a year in which they’re due a Competitive Balance Round A selection as a revenue sharing club. That’s the round where they drafted Kevin McGonigle in 2023, as well another really exciting young hitting prospect in Michael Oliveto in 2025. With a few sizable free agent contracts coming off the books, Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg should also have plenty of payroll flexibility.
Looking through the arbitration eligible list, the only players that are locks to return are Riley Greene and Reese Olson. Greene remains a real bargain, and the larger question in his case is whether the Tigers front office is even interested in an extension. If not, perhaps Greene could even end up traded in 2027. Meanwhile, Olson is still super cheap and the Tigers need starting pitching, so that’s a guaranteed keeper as well.
Most of the rest are seeing only small increases in their arb years. I added their ages to the list, because that’s often instructive. Are the Tigers going to pay 30-year-old Matt Vierling an extra half a million after two seasons where he was barely on the field? It’s not impossible but it seems pretty likely he’s gone with only one position in the outfield not spoken for and Ben Malgeri a younger, more well rounded version of Vierling. Wenceel Pérez isn’t getting a big enough increase to worry about, but again the Tigers need some roster spots open, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Pérez was released either. His eyesight is the more pressing concern at the moment and we wish him the best. Parker Meadows’ defensive ability is such an outlier that the Tigers might decide to keep him and see if he can finally get right, but with Max Clark in center field and Ben Malgeri, Brett Callahan, as well as Zach McKinstry and to some extent Javier Báez all able to play the position, perhaps they’ll finally just move on from Meadows as well. More likely they bring him to camp and see how it goes.
The Tigers will see if Will Vest can get back from the stress fracture in his elbow as he’s still inexpensive and the needs in the bullpen are so glaring. For similar reasons and lack of expensive, the Tigers will probably hang onto Holton and Brieske. They are starting to develop enough left-handed relief pitching that maybe they’ll shop Holton for something else, but that’s going to be a very small scale deal if it were to happen. It’s not easy to have too many lefties, generally.
The two biggest questions on the current roster are whether the Tigers will keep Kerry Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson. The latter continues to produce to a modestly above average degree at the plate, but by the standards of a first baseman that’s not terribly compelling production. Torkelson’s struggles on ground balls and the fact that the Tigers have some other candidates to play first base all say that Torkelson is far from certain to return. He’s actually a decent little trade chip if the Tigers do decide to move on, as his power and plate discipline all say he should be a better hitter than he is. Probably there’s a team out there that believes they can get more production out of him.
On the other hand, the Tigers have just Dillon Dingler, Hao-Yu Lee, and Eduardo Valencia holding things down as the right-handed bats should the Tigers part ways with Torkelson. Of the young players they can look to for help, it’s basically down to Ben Malgeri and John Peck. Torkelson for $7.7M doesn’t sound so bad in that light. The Tigers should just stop considering him their full-time first baseman, and they took some steps toward that posture in September.
Kerry Carpenter is another whose time in the organization could be coming to an end. The Tigers can certainly keep him into whatever kind of spring camp we have next year and then decide, but the injuries and one-dimensional nature of his game all say he’s going to be of limited utility. He’s also 29 and dealing with a case of plantar fascitis that didn’t resolve after months of rest and rehab. That’s sometimes a hard injury to fully resolve as players get older. The Tigers could certainly use him in a limited role as a part-time DH, considering the number of inexperienced outfielders they have available, but all of those outfielders are major upgrades defensively as compared to putting Carpenter back in right field very often.
His situation probably depends on his medicals in the spring, and he’s another one that certain teams might look to as a minor trade acquisition if they need some low cost power from the left side. Carpenter does still have three options available and a decent highlight reel, but right now he’s a part-time DH with a bit of a difficult medical history.
The Tigers ended the season with nine players on the 60-day injured list. Space will have to be opened back up on the 40-man roster for each of them. Expect at least a few to be released or possibly moved in trade.
LHP Bailey Horn
RHP Reese Olson
RHP Burch Smith
RHP Will Vest
INF Trey Sweeney
OF Kerry Carpenter
OF Parker Meadows
OF Wenceel Pérez
OF Matt Vierling
This offseason, Gleyber Torres, Jack Flaherty, and Kenley Jansen are headed to free agency, so they’ll come off the 40-man to open three spots, but they’ll still need to clear six spots to keep all their 60-day guys, and they’ll also need to protect Josue Briceño and Max Anderson from the Rule 5 draft in December, or whenever the draft happens this offseason. The 40-man certainly has plenty of players who could be lost with negligible impact.
We saw a new look Tigers team over the final 6-8 weeks of the regular season as many of the names we’ve mentioned here were on the injured list. It’s time to move on from some of them, let the new breed take over, and use available roster spots to add some supporting cast, most particularly serious relief help, this offseason.
It looks like a pretty quiet offseason is in store for the club in free agency. Acquiring one of the top relievers available should be a priority, and every team wants more starting pitching depth, but don’t expect much until the new CBA is in place. Even then the free agent market doesn’t have many interesting fits for the Tigers. Their focus should be to sort out their roster, especially in regard to the bullpen, right field, and first base, add some pitching help, and then be ready to pounce if the new CBA causes payroll and roster issues for other teams that the Tigers can exploit. They have payroll space and plenty of prospect depth should the front office decide to get active in a market for trades and free agents that should be fairly frenzied if the expected lockout goes as long or longer than last time around, and comes with significant changes to payroll structure around the league.
The best baseball happens in October. It's time for the best teams to make their mark and etch their name into history.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were the second-best team in the National League this season and, after a first-round bye, are ready to get their best-of-five NL Division Series with the Atlanta Braves going.
The Braves are coming off a three-game NL wild card series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Braves were one of the few teams that LA struggled with throughout the regular season. Through six meetings, the Dodgers have beaten the Braves just once. Atlanta has outscored Los Angeles 26-15 and the Braves swept the Dodgers in their last three-game series at Truist Park in August.
However, luckily for LA, the Dodgers have home field advantage in this round.
The first two games will be played at Dodger Stadium. The series will switch to Atlanta for Game 3. If a Game 4 is necessary, the teams will remain in Atlanta. If there is a deciding Game 5, it will be held in Los Angeles.
Here's a look at the NLDS schedule between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves:
NLDS Game 1: Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers
Date: Oct. 3
Game Site: Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)
Start time: 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
TV/Stream: Fox
NLDS Game 2: Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers
Date: Oct. 4
Game Site: Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles
Start time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV/Stream: FS1; FOX Deportes; FOX One
NLDS Game 3: Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves
Date: Oct. 6
Game Site: Truist Park in Atlanta
Start time: 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT
TV/Stream: FS1; FOX Deportes; FOX One
*NLDS Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves
*= if necessary
Date: Oct. 7
Game Site: Truist Park in Atlanta
Start time: 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT (subject to change)
TV/Stream: FS1; FOX Deportes; FOX One
*NLDS Game 5: Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers
*= if necessary
Date: Oct. 9
Game Site: Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles
Start time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. ET (subject to change)
There's no time like October in baseball. It's the race for the coveted World Series pennant in the MLB postseason.
The San Diego Padres advanced to the National League Division Series to face-off against the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers in a best-of-five game series beginning Saturday, Oct. 3.
The Padres found their way to the NLDS by defeating the Chicago Cubs in the National League wild card series in a 2-0 sweep. The Brewers were resting as they were awarded a first-round bye with the top record in the NL.
San Diego should feel confident going into the series with the Brewers. Each hosted a three-game series at their home ballpark. The Padres when 3-0 at Petco Park during the regular season, however on the road at American Family Field in Milwaukee, they lost the series 2-1. Overall they won the season series 4-2.
The five-game series begins with back-to-back games at American Family Field, then the series shifts to the West Coast at Petco Park in San Diego for Game 3 and Game 4, if necessary. A deciding Game 5 would be played back in Milwaukee.
Here's a look at the NLDS schedule between the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers:
NLDS Game 1: San Diego Padres at Milwaukee Brewers
All times Eastern, unless otherwise noted; *= if necessary
Date: October 3
Game Site: American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Start time: 8:30 p.m.
TV/Stream: FS1; FOX Deportes; FOX One
NLDS Game 2: San Diego Padres at Milwaukee Brewers
All times Eastern, unless otherwise noted; *= if necessary
Date: October 4
Game Site: American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Start time: 4 p.m.
TV/Stream: FS1; FOX Deportes; FOX One
NLDS Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers at San Diego Padres
All times Eastern, unless otherwise noted; *= if necessary
Date: October 6
Game Site: Petco Park in San Diego, California
Start time: 6:30 p.m. (PST)
TV/Stream: FS1; FOX Deportes; FOX One
NLDS Game 4: Milwaukee Brewers at San Diego Padres
All times Eastern, unless otherwise noted; *= if necessary
Date: October 7
Game Site: Petco Park in San Diego, California
Start time: TBD
TV/Stream: FS1; FOX Deportes; FOX One
NLDS Game 5: San Diego Padres at Milwaukee Brewers
All times Eastern, unless otherwise noted; *= if necessary
Date: October 9
Game Site: American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
On Friday, the 26-year-old was able to have his first practice with the Maple Leafs. He continued to be positioned on the left wing of Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic on Toronto's top line.
For the majority of his time in Columbus and his NHL career, Marchenko was a right winger. Based on where he's been slotted since joining the Maple Leafs, there have been some questions about his comfort level.
But according to the player, there are no issues with where he's playing on the top line. In fact, playing the off-side on the left wing might even be his preference.
"I am from Russia, guys. In Russia, I grew up for left winger until 22," Marchenko said after practice. "And it's kind of my side, actually, for full life. Only on NHL I start to play right."
It's true, many star Russian wingers do play on their off-side. Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin, and Alexander Ovechkin are just a few examples of top Russians who play on the opposite wing of their handedness.
When Marchenko explains that he's played the left wing until coming into the NHL, that would be referencing his time with St. Petersburg in the KHL, playing three full seasons there from 2019-20 to 2021-22.
"It's kind of a little different sometimes, but the game right now is so fast, and it's a lot of changes. Sometimes I'm in the middle, sometimes I'm on the right. It doesn't matter for me, and I'm just happy to play," he added.
While playing the left wing full-time in the NHL may be a new look for Marchenko - but not so much in his hockey career - playing the bumper position on the power play definitely is, and he admitted to that.
Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller has slotted Marchenko in the bumper position of Toronto's top power-play unit, which also includes Darren Raddysh at the point, William Nylander and Auston Matthews on the flanks, and John Tavares as the net-front presence.
"Yeah, again, it's a new experience for me because usually I play on the wing," Marchenko said. "But again, we have a lot of rotation right now. Try to build chemistry and power play again too because we had a lot of skill there. A lot of skill guys and they helped me and we find the ways how we can score. If we score the goals, I don't care where I need to play."
Marchenko is gearing up for his third game for the Maple Leafs on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. He posted an assist in his debut on Tuesday, but is looking for his first goal with the team.
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At long last, the Montreal Canadiens will play the second game of their season on Saturday night as they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins. Like the Habs, the Pens have played only one game so far, and it was on the road, so this will be another home opener. Chances are it will be a bit louder than the lukewarm reception Scotiabank Arena gave the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Last year, Montreal and Pittsburgh met in three games, all in December. The Habs won two of the duels, and their only loss came in the shootout in the final faceoff on December 21. Over the season, the Canadiens outscored the Penguins 11-5 and will no doubt be looking to improve on that. However, Pittsburgh has won seven of the last 10 games between the two teams, but that goes back to March 2023; the Habs have come a long way since then.
The Pens brought in some new players this offseason, including Nicholas Robertson, Andrei Kuzmenko, Hendrix Lapierre, Declan Carlile, Trevor Van Riemsdyk, and Kaeden Korczak. Just like Martin St-Louis’ men, Sidney Crosby and co. won their first game of the season, but they did it in dominating fashion, beating their Pennsylvania rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, 7-0.
The starting netminders have yet to be confirmed, but it would be a shock if Jakub Dobes wasn’t back between the posts after his first-game performance. Dobes has only faced the hosts once; he was on duty in last season’s 4-3 shootout loss and therefore has a 2.77 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Meanwhile, Samuel Montembeault has a 2-3-1 record in seven games against the Pens with a 3.72 GAA and an .880 SV.
On the other side, Artus Silovs was in net for the Pens’ shutout win earlier this week. He’s only faced the Habs once so far and has won the game. He has a 2.77 GAA and a .880 SV against them. Meanwhile, Sergei Murashov, who only has five NHL games to his name, has never taken on the Sainte-Flanelle.
Up front, the Canadiens have yet to confirm if Oliver Kapanen will be back in the lineup. However, logic dictates that Florian Xhekaj should still be in the press gallery, since the Penguins do not play an especially physical style. Chris Kreider is the Canadiens’ highest scorer against Dan Muse’s men; he has put up 38 points against them in 47 games. Captain Nick Suzuki is a distant second with 13 points in 18 duels, while alternate captain Josh Anderson has 12 points in 29 tilts.
Unsurprisingly, Crosby is the Pens’ most productive player against the Habs with 72 points in 55 games, followed by Evgeny Malkin, who’s on 64 points in 52 games. Erik Karlsson comes in third with 44 points in 55 games, just ahead of Kris Letang, who has 41 points in 50 games.
The game is scheduled for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on Sportsnet in English and on TVA Sports in French. Trevor Hanson and Liam Maaskant will officiate the game, while David Brisebois and Jesse Marquis will serve as linesmen. Which team will remain unbeaten this season? Can the Canadiens go home with a 2-0 record and have a winning streak when they play their home opener on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes? Time will tell.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -SEPTEMBER 28: Harrison Barnes #40 of the San Antonio Spurs poses for a portrait at the San Antonio Spurs Media Day at Victory Capital Performance Center on September 28, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Spurs are back to having fun with each other. After surpassing expectations and making the NBA Finals in 2026, the core of the team have returned for training camp looking closer than they did before having a break. Overall, there always seemed to be camaraderie in some form or fashion all summer long. From the group that met Wemby in France to the GQ article that released at the end of September, these guys have been bonding when many take time to themselves.
Apparently someone on the team is giving out nicknames, and Harrison Barnes received the name “Drizz.”
That’s Hector Ledesma of Clutch Points relaying Julian Champagnie’s question “what’s it like to be referred to as Drizz?”
Harrison’s response sent Champagnie into the locker room in haste. Are they messing with each other or do I detect a hint of beef? An obscure and interesting joust to say the least.
Let the interpretations begin.
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Mar 31, 2022; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski looks on from the stands in a game against the New York Yankees during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Today begins the Division Series around the game and the Phillies are home. Should we be shocked by this? Maybe not, but Wednesday’s game sure made the reality a bit harder to swallow.
