Worldwide Sports News

TONIGHT’S GAME: With just 10 games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Astros will continue their final homestand of the season tonight as they host the Royals for a rubber game of their three-game series in Houston, TX.

Rookie RHP Miguel Ullola (0-0) will serve as an opener for the Astros tonight opposite the veteran RHP Seth Lugo (7-8) and the Royals.

THE POSTSEASON CHASE: The Astros and Rangers are locked in a tight race down the stretch for the AL West with the two teams entering play today with identical 76-76 records the Astros own the tiebreaker over the Rangers with a season series victory (9-4 record).

TONIGHT’S OPENER: RHP Miguel Ullola served as an opener his last time out on Sept. 11 at TB, tossing 1.0 scoreless inning in his outing.

Ullola has been great in his limited Major League action this season, posting a 3.38 ERA (3ER/8IP) with a .172 opponent average (5×29) and a 0.75 WHIP in six games.

A longtime minor league starter, Ullola transitioned to a relief role this season and excelled to a 1.57 ERA (5ER28.2IP) in 29 relief appearances at the Triple A level.

TONIGHT’S BROADCASTS: Tonight’s game will be televised by FOX with Adam Amin and A.J. Pierzynski on the call.

The Astros English radio broadcast can be heard on SportsTalk 790 with Robert Ford and Steve Sparks behind the mic.

Francisco Romero and Alex Treviño will call the Astros Spanish broadcast on TUDN 102.9 FM.

GIVEAWAY MADNESS: The Astros will have giveaways for their remaining four home games, including all fans receiving a Jeremy Peña Telenovela Bobblehead tonight, presented by H-E-B.

The Astros will also give away a Jeremy Peña Retro Los Astros Jersey on Friday, an Orbit Sugar Skull Bobblehead on Saturday, and a Viva Los Astros Rally Towel on Sunday.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Astros dropped the middle game of their series with the Royals last night by a score of 5-2.

SS Jeremy Peña (3×4) led the offense with his second consecutive three-hit game.

RHP Cristian Javier (2ER/5.1IP) started for Houston and was handed the loss.

STARTING STRONG: In their last 12 home games, Astros starting pitchers have combined for a 2.29 ERA (16ER/63IP), while allowing two-or-fewer runs in 10 of those contests.

Additionally, Astros starters have posted a 3.22 ERA (42ER/117.1IP) in their last 24 games dating back to Aug. 21.

TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have reinstated OF Taylor Trammell from the Paternity List and have optioned OF Joey Loperfido to Triple A Sugar Land.

TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently ranks first or second in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories.

He enters today leading the AL in batting avg. (.310), while ranking second in HR (39) and RBI (98).

Alvarez also leads the Majors in OPS (1.022), SLG (.594) and OBP (.428).

Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL):

NOTHING FINER THAN YAINER: C Yainer Diaz is hitting .372 (16×43) in the month of September with two homers, five RBI and a .971 OPS.

Diaz has multiple hits in seven if his 11 starts this month.

STALKING 200: 1B Christian Walker is currently sitting on 199 career home runs and needs just one homer to become the 35th active Major League player to reach 200 career long balls.

Walker has hit 25 homers this year for his fifth consecutive 25-plus homer season (2022-26).

THE FIREMAN: LHP Josh Hader converted his 26th consecutive save opportunity to open his season on Tuesday night, which sets the Astros club record.

Should Hader finish the season without a blown save, he would become just the seventh pitcher in MLB history to post 26-plus saves without a blown save and the first to do so since RHP Ken Giles in 2018 (26 SV).

HADER’S HEART: LHP Josh Hader will host a group from Covenant House at tonight’s game as a part of his Hader’s Heart program.

Tonight’s visit is just a small part of Hader’s charitable efforts, as the closer has been recognized as the Astros nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s most prestigious individual honor for MLB players.

ASTROS-ROYALS: The Astros and Royals have a memorable history, with the two clubs meeting each other in the 2015 ALDS, won by the Royals in five games.

11 years later, 2B Jose Altuve and C Salvador Perez remain on their team’s active rosters, while SS Carlos Correa, currently on the IL, also played in the series.

More recently, the Astros are 10-5 in their last 15 games vs. the Royals, including a 3-2 record this season.

SCHIAVONE REACHES 30-30: Prospect C Jason Schiavone, the Astros 2026 Minor League Player of the Year, recorded three steals for Triple A Sugar Land last night, giving him 32 stolen bases on the minor league season.

Schiavone has also hit 32 home runs this season, making him the first minor league catcher to post a 30- 30 season since C Willie Royster did so for theCharlotte O’s in 1981.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 17, 6:15 p.m. CT

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: FOX

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Rubber match.

⚾️: 6:15 PM
🏟️: Closed
📺: @MLBONFOX
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 & 740 AM | Spanish: 102.9 HD2#ChaseTheFight x @reliantenergypic.twitter.com/utf71hVOtS

— Houston Astros (@astros) September 17, 2026

Going for the series in Houston! pic.twitter.com/2ivlnOL9IW

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) September 17, 2026

The Mets are making a move to bring in a fresh arm for Thursday's series opener with the Phillies.  

Cameron Weston has been recalled from Syracuse, while Xzavion Curry has been optioned back down.  

Weston, a right-handed reliever, joined the Mets after being claimed off waivers from the Orioles this month.  

The 26-year-old had a rough Triple-A season with the Norfolk Tides but has been pitching well since joining Syracuse, allowing just one hit while striking out eight over his three appearances. 

He made his big league debut earlier this season with Baltimore, throwing a scoreless frame. 

If/when he gets into a game down the stretch, Weston will be the 40th pitcher the Mets have used this season. 

Curry, of course, joined the club on Wednesday to start in place of the injured Robert Stock and he was knocked around for six runs on six hits and three homers over just three innings of work. 

The Jays are in the thick of a slapstick caper of a wildcard race, but with today being an off day I thought I’d look at the minor leagues as their seasons wrap up. The International League (AAA) goes through this weekend, so the Buffalo Bisons have a few more to play, but the other levels’ seasons came to a close over the course of the last couple of weeks.

---

The Vancouver Canadians won the Northwest League championship in a 12 inning thriller on Friday night. You can read a full recap here, but it involved a three run comeback in the ninth to force extras and plenty of other drama. It’s the Canadians’ sixth league championship since they became a Blue Jays affiliate in 2011, and their second since the Northwest League was converted from short season ball to A+ in the minor league reorganization.

---

As Tom mentioned in his roundup yesterday, the rosters for the Arizona Fall League were released. The AFL is a developmental league that is mostly used to give prospects who missed time or otherwise need a little more work an opportunity for some additional reps. This year, it runs from October 3rd through November 14th. Because the number of players teams want to send is limited, especially on the pitching side, AFL rosters are blended. The Jays team up with the Cubs, A’s, Red Sox and Angels to form the Mesa Solar Sox.

Participation in the AFL can be a big opportunity for prospects. They get a chance to shine when there aren’t any other minor leagues going, with scouts from all 30 teams paying attention. Recent proof is Spencer Miles, who caught the Jays’ attention with 8.2 impressive innings in last year’s AFL.

The Jays prospects going this year are:

• Brandon Barriera: The 2022 first round pick has alternated between injured and ineffective so far in his career. This season was more of the same, as he managed just 38.2 innings but walked 29 in that span. He’s managed just 66 innings over four pro seasons, so the Jays are likely both inclined to get him more action and not too concerned with sheltering him anymore.
• Gilberto Batista: It was a rough year for Batista. He recorded a 7.86 ERA across 87 innings as a multi-inning reliever for Vancouver. He did show some promise last year with Dunedin, after being acquired from the Red Sox in the Danny Jansen trade.
• Jake Bloss: Bloss is the exciting name from a Jays fan point of view. He came back from Tommy John surgery throwing 2mph harder than he had before the surgery, but then went down almost immediately with a teres major strain. If he can make a few healthy appearances, retain the stuff bump, and continue to rediscover his command after the surgery, he’ll be set up for a potential rotation role with the big league club next year.
• Fernando Perez: The word for Perez’ season is mysterious. He ranked high on our prospect list last winter on the strength of his elite command and strong results across A+ Vancouver and AA New Hampshire, but had a disastrous start to his 2026, walking 10 in nine innings over his first three starts. He was placed on the Development List, a new addition to the minors since the 2021 reorganization that basically allows teams to take players off the roster indefinitely to manage workloads or to work on things outside of game action. He returned for three more appearances in August and September and didn’t look any better. Command is Perez’ whole draw as a prospect, so losing it so completely is concerning. The AFL will be a big opportunity to show that he’s righted the ship. He’s Rule 5 eligible, and coming into the season I’d have expected him to warrant protection, but that seems a distant concern now.
• Yondrei Rojas: Our #32 prospect entering the season, Rojas struggled to build on his strong 2025 this year. He struck out just 20% of batters, mostly at AA, and missed fewer bats that last season. He’s 23 and Rule 5 eligible, so this might be one more chance to harness his plus fastball-slider combination and mark himself as a future Blue Jays bullpen hand.
• Aaron Parker: 2026 was a breakout for the third year pro. He cut down his swing rate and went on a power binge at New Hampshire, launching 19 home runs in 87 games. He’s a below average defensive catcher and his 67% contact rate is scary, but plus power is plus power, and he may have a shot at the third catcher role at some point in 2027.
• Jake Casey: The Kent State prospect has just hit since the Jays took him in the 15^th round last year. This season, a broken hamate wiped out his first couple of months, but he managed 13 home runs in just 64 games. He still needs to show he can adjust to upper minors quality spin, and the results are iffy so far, but as long as he keeps producing he’ll warrant watching.
• Jake Cook: Last year’s third rounder was just average in A ball, which would be concerning for most pedigreed college draftees. Cook is just two years into switching back to the field from the mound, though, and working to overhaul the pure slap, inside-out swing he used in college to try to develop a modicum of power. He did up his home run total over last year, from 3 to 5, in spite of switching to wood bats and facing better pitching, and he improved as the year went on. He was also 22 for 27 stealing bases, showcasing the athletic tools that convinced the Jays to gamble a top 100 pick on him. He needs reps, and the AFL will offer an opportunity against pitching a bit better than he’s seen so far.

Because they share a team with the Angels, the Jay’s prospects will get a chance to catch up with Arjun Nimmala. He finished the season red hot, clubbing four home runs and four doubles last week for the AA Rocket City Trash Pandas.

---

Baseball America has graded the year for each farm system. They give the Jays a B+ overall, which seems about right to me. When I reviewed the performance of the top 40 before the deadline, there were a lot of guys moving in different directions, but the overall trend seemed to be upwards.

There were several impressive breakouts, although many of those guys will miss next year’s list because they’ve already graduated. Miles, Brandon Valenzuela, and Brett Bateman have all already far exceeded their prospect expectations. Valenzuela has fallen off badly in the second half and Bateman is surely playing over his head offensively, but both still project as at least quality role players now. For Miles, his peripheral stats fully support his exceptional performance this year, and continued health seems like the only real question. Still on the farm is Nolan Perry, who returned from Tommy John and immediately torched three levels, striking out 117 in only 82.2 innings. Sean Keys, who raced through AA and AAA early in the season, is in between. He’s with the Jays right now but not seeing a lot of playing time. His early MLB results haven’t been good, but the underlying contact and power data remain tantalizing.

Of course, there were some disappointments as well. Bloss showcased improved stuff in his own TJ comeback, but remained healthy only briefly. Juan Sanchez, last year’s Dominican Summer League star, has so far failed to consistently translate his success in the US. Ricky Tiedemann, among others, continued to struggle with his health.

The farm’s ranking, in BA’s reckoning, rose from 17 to 15 between the preseason and the midseason update. That’s impressive given that a lot of the preseason value was tied to Trey Yesavage, who graduated soon after returning from his early season shoulder issues. They might dip slightly this winter, as they traded top prospect Arjun Nimmala and had fewer resources in the draft than most other teams, but the system produced new talent, fed the major league team, and allowed them to make major deadline acquisitions without moving backwards in overall talent. That’s a good year.

Texas Rangers lineup for September 17, 2026 against the Boston Red Sox: starting pitchers are Tyler Alexander (opening for Cody Bradford) for the Rangers and Sonny Gray for the BoSox.

Texas will look to sweep the series against Boston this evening. Tyler Alexander will be opening for Cody Bradford (though not for Ed Sheehan, as he stands in solidarity with Macklemore). Joc Pederson is apparently still not ready to go, so Josh Jung is at DH, giving his calf some extra rest.

The lineup:

Duran — 3B

Seager — SS

Jung — DH

Nimmo — RF

Langford — LF

Burger — 1B

Lopez — 2B

Jansen — C

Carter — CF

7:05 p.m. Central time. Rangers are +105 underdogs.

The Milwaukee Brewers, who have officially locked up the NL Central, have just three three-game series left this season, and they’re still looking to lock up the top seed in all of baseball at 95-58 this year, two games ahead of the Dodgers at 93-60. On the other side, the Baltimore Orioles sit at 75-78 and are surprisingly still in the AL playoff picture despite sitting in last place in the very deep AL East, sitting just 2.5 games behind the White Sox for the final AL Wild Card spot with nine games to go. Baltimore is coming off a series sweep of the Mets in New York.

Milwaukee’s injured list currently includes right-handers Grant Anderson and Bryse Wilson, both of whom started rehab assignments with Triple-A Nashville this week and hope to return before the end of the regular season. The Brewers are also without Brandon Woodruff (possible postseason return), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), Quinn Priester (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season).

Baltimore is without infielder Jackson Holliday (return TBD), outfielder Christian Franklin (late September), outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (TBD), utilityman Blaze Alexander (late September), first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (TBD), infielder Jordan Westburg (out for season), and outfielder Tyler O’Neill (TBD). Pitchers Zach Eflin (out for season), Keegan Akin (out for season), Colin Selby (out for season), Ryan Helsley (on rehab assignment), Félix Bautista (on rehab assignment), and Kyle Bradish (out for season).

Jake Bauers continues to pace Milwaukee’s offense with 26 homers, slashing .269/.394/.497 this season. Jackson Chourio is hitting .286/.343/.481 with 23 homers and 17 steals, putting him on the cusp of another 20-20 season. Brice Turang, William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich, and Joey Ortiz have also been hot, with Gary Sánchez, Andrew Vaughn, Sal Frelick, David Hamilton, Cooper Pratt, Luis Lara, and Bo Naylor also slotting in as regular contributors, especially over these last couple of weeks as Milwaukee hopes to rest their regulars. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .259/.342/.405 (.747 OPS ranks fourth), with 147 homers (tied for 28th), 792 runs scored (second), and 148 steals (fifth).

Pete Alonso paces Baltimore’s offense with 37 homers, 24 doubles, and an AL-best 102 RBIs this season, as he hit his 300th career homer earlier this week. Coby Mayo has 24 homers, and Gunnar Henderson has added 23 homers, while rookie catcher Samuel Basallo has 18 homers. Former Red Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, and Leody Taveras are also regulars, with Rece Hinds, Heston Kjerstad, Jeremiah Jackson, José Barrero, Carlos Narváez, and Yohel Pozo rounding things out. As a team, the Orioles are hitting .234/.315/.396 (.711 OPS ranks tied for 22nd), with 188 homers (10th), 688 runs scored (13th), and 76 steals (25th).

Aaron Ashby’s 72 appearances pace the Milwaukee bullpen, though the best arms have been Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, and, lately, clean-up man Garrett Stallings, who hasn’t allowed a run across 14 major league innings. Chad Patrick, DL Hall, and Shane Drohan (recently moved to the bullpen) have also been solid, and trade deadline acquisitions JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela have shown flashes of their previous successes. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.58 team ERA (second), including a 3.66 starter ERA (fifth) and a 3.47 bullpen ERA (fourth). They’ve struck out 1,467 batters (second) over 1,365 2/3 innings.

Rico Garcia leads Baltimore’s bullpen with a 2.94 ERA over 72 appearances, picking up nine saves, second only to Andrew Kittredge’s 10 saves. Kittredge has a 3.66 ERA over 53 appearances, Grant Wolfram has a 4.56 ERA over 57 appearances, and Yennier Cano has a 3.06 ERA over 65 appearances. Anthony Nunez (3.97 ERA over 56 2/3 IP), Josh Walker (1.61 ERA over 28 IP), Alex Hoppe (1.42 ERA over 12 2/3 IP), Cam Sanders (3.00 ERA over 18 IP), Luis De León (2.45 ERA over 7 1/3 IP), and Brewer trade deadline acquisition Codi Heuer (no appearances) round things out. As a staff, the Orioles have a 4.14 team ERA (15th), including a 4.36 starter ERA (19th) and a 3.84 bullpen ERA (10th). They’ve struck out 1,229 batters (22nd) over 1,364 1/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, September 18 @ 6:05 p.m.: RHP Dustin May (7-9, 4.49 ERA, 3.42 FIP) vs. LHP Cade Povich (2-1, 4.05 ERA, 4.81 FIP)

May has now made seven starts since joining Milwaukee at the trade deadline. He’s 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA, 4.46 FIP, and 27 strikeouts over 29 1/3 innings with the Brewers, and he’s coming off one of his best starts yet, going six scoreless frames and allowing just two hits and a walk, striking out six in Milwaukee’s 20-0 blowout victory over the Reds. May has made two career appearances (one start) against Baltimore, totaling eight innings with two runs allowed (2.25 ERA) and seven strikeouts.

Povich, 26, is currently with Triple-A Norfolk, though he was scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday and is expected to start this weekend. The left-hander has made just seven appearances (six starts) in the majors this year, with a 4.05 ERA, 4.81 FIP, and 25 strikeouts across 33 1/3 innings, and he’s been even worse at Triple-A, with a 6.28 ERA and 69 strikeouts across 61 2/3 innings. Povich has never appeared against the Brewers.

Saturday, September 19 @ 3:05 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (4-5, 4.30 ERA, 4.32 FIP) vs. LHP Trevor Rogers (10-10, 4.22 ERA, 3.63 FIP)

Gasser, who is still auditioning for a spot in Milwaukee’s rotation come postseason time, has made 19 appearances (18 starts) this season, pitching to a 4-5 record with a 4.30 ERA, 4.32 FIP, and 92 strikeouts across 96 1/3 innings. The former second-round pick looked solid once again in Sunday’s loss to the Reds, allowing one run on three hits and a pair of walks, striking out five in a no-decision. This marks Gasser’s first career appearance against Baltimore.

Rogers, 28, was the runner up in the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year race and was acquired by the Orioles at the trade deadline in 2024. After a great season last year (5.3 bWAR with a 1.81 ERA and 2.82 FIP over 109 2/3 innings), he’s regressed a bit this year, pitching to a 10-10 record with a 4.22 ERA, 3.63 FIP, and 143 strikeouts over 157 2/3 innings. He got roughed up by the Blue Jays in his last outing, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk over six frames, striking out five. Rogers had made five starts against Milwaukee, all of which came while with the Marlins. He’s 4-0 in those outings, with a 2.84 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings.

Sunday, September 20 @ 6:20 p.m.: TBD vs. RHP Brandon Young (9-4, 3.65 ERA, 4.57 FIP)

The Brewers haven’t yet announced a starter for Sunday’s series finale, but it could be Jacob Misiorowski, Shane Drohan, a bullpen game, or somebody else. We’ll see.

Young, 28, made 12 starts with little success (6.24 ERA) last season, but he’s been much better this year, with a 3.65 ERA, 4.57 FIP, and 118 strikeouts over 145 2/3 innings through 26 starts. He went five frames against the Mets in his last outing, allowing one run on five hits and five walks, striking out six. This would mark Young’s first career appearance against the Brewers.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, September 18: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, September 19: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, September 20: Exclusively televised on Peacock/NBC Sports Network; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

The Orioles are still fighting for their playoff lives while the Brewers are looking to lock up the top seed in the National League (and all of baseball), making for an exciting late-season weekend set. I’ll take the Crew to win two of three.

It was great seeing you again, Joey. Sorry you have to leave so soon.

Recalled two days ago, Loperfido did get one pinch-hit AB. That is all it is going to be.

Recalled because OF Taylor Trammell was going on the Paternity List. Today, the Astros activated Trammell from the Paternity List, and optioned Loperfido back to Triple-A Sugar Land.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/BcyrYvFTwz

— Houston Astros (@astros) September 17, 2026

Barring an injury, Loperfido will have made his last appearance for the Astros this season due to the 10 day rule. Players optioned to the minors must wait 10 days before being recalled unless they are an injury replacement.

The Dodgers are back in the postseason for a 14th season in a row, and are National League West champions for the fifth year in a row and 13 of the last 14 years.

This year’s clinch came with a win over the Reds in Cincinnati on Thursday, September 17, in the Dodgers’ 153rd game of the season. Here’s how that compares to other division clinches during this 14-year run.

• September 19, 2023, Game 153: at Arizona (Dodgers in last place as late as June 30)
• September 24, 2014, Game 159, vs. Giants
• September 29, 2015, Game 157, at Giants (Clayton Kershaw 13-K shutout, retired last 19 batters)
• September 25, 2016, Game 156, vs. Rockies (Charlie Culberson’s walk-off homer in Vin Scully send-off)
• September 22, 2017, Game 154, vs. Giants (Cody Bellinger set NL rookie home run record)
• October 1, 2018, Game 163, vs. Rockies (Walker Buehler wins tiebreaker)
• September 10, 2019, Game 146, at Orioles
• September 22, 2020, Game 55 (of 60), vs. A’s
• September 13, 2022, Game 141 at D-backs (earliest Dodgers clinch since moving to Los Angeles)
• September 16, 2023, Game 147 at Mariners
• September 26, 2024, Game 159 vs. Padres
• September 25, 2025, Game 159 at D-backs
• September 17, 2026, Game 153 at Reds

Garett Crochet wants to pitch in the postseason without making a single rehab appearance. That’s audacious enough, but how about playing in the postseason, without having ever played in the big leagues at all? That could be the situation Braiden Ward finds himself in. If you need to refresh your memory, Ward was the little speedster who was running wild all over Grapefruit League diamonds this spring. He hasn’t gotten a chance to show whether he can do that in the Majors yet, but Chad Tracy isn’t ruling it out. “Every time he gets on, he’s not afraid,” Tracy said. “That’s the thing. If he gets on base, he’s looking to go. That’s a unique trait. There’s a lot of guys who can run and steal bases and then there’s other guys who are, every single time they get on, almost regardless of the timing.” (Conor Ryan, Boston.com)

But a lack of speed on the base paths isn’t really the Red Sox problem right now as they muddle through a middling September. Strikeouts are. “The Red Sox are swinging and missing too much and not walking enough. This month, they have the eighth-most strikeouts and seventh-fewest walks. That doesn’t play in the postseason. Making contact does.” (Rob Bradford, WEEI)

After he initially returned to the big leagues with a bang, Roman Anthony is one of the Sox hitters who’s struggling to make contact right now. But he doesn’t sound worried. “I’m right where I want to be,” said Anthony. “I came back with enough time to get a good number of plate appearances, and to fail like I am right now and to succeed like I did in the beginning, and then kind of meet in the middle and continue to grind out every single day and get ready for what we want to be a long postseason run. [The playoffs are] what you play for after such a long year … At the end of the day, those few weeks are the only thing that really matters.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Unfortunately, the other big power threat in the Sox lineup is also struggling to get back up to speed. Willson Contreras homered last night, but he’s still dealing with a nagging hamstring injury. “I ran pretty good there on the ground ball to shortstop, but I need to manage my leg better,” he said. “I know it’s feeling good and it’s feeling alright, but on a hard-hit ball like that, I know I’m going to be out. I was just trying to put pressure on him, see if he made a bad throw or whatever. Next time, I’ll manage better.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

With Anthony and Contreras struggling in different ways, it’s important to remember that this team’s success has been built on depth, not individual star power. “Whether it was an expanded version of the trade that brought Caleb Durbin from Milwaukee to include Monasterio and Seigler, or waiver claims of Cheng and Gasper, or a minor league deal for Guerrero, the season has been a case study in the notion that perceived little moves can have a huge impact.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Fortunately, the Sox have some depth in the good guy department, too. After the departure of Liam Hendriks, who had been nominated for the Clemente Award seven times throughout his career for his charitable efforts, Garrett Whitlock has stepped in and picked up the baton. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

On Thursday afternoon, the Rays were looking to complete a series sweep against the A’s before going into a weekend series against the Red Sox. To get the job done, they had Drew Rasmussen on the mound, up against Jeffrey Springs for the A’s. Old friend alert!

The A’s went 1-2-3 in the top of the first, though they gave up an ABS challenge pretty early in the game when the final called strike of the inning was confirmed. The Rays also went 1-2-3 for the inning.

Zack Gelof singled to start the second, but Donovan Walton grounded into a double play to eliminate the baserunner. Rasmussen got another ground ball out to end the inning. In the home half, Liam Hicks got a leadoff single, but three outs followed to end the inning.

In the third, Denzel Clarke got a two-out single, then successfully stole second. Henry Bolte walked. We got a good old-fashioned double steal as Clarke and Bolte both stole a base, but despite both getting into scoring position, the A’s weren’t able to capitalize on the baserunners. The Rays went three-up, three-down in the home half.

Lawrence Butler singled to start the fourth, but three outs followed to leave him stranded. In the home half, things opened up for the Rays in a big way. Jonathan Aranda got things started with a leadoff double. Junior Caminero walked. Liam Hicks then walked. Jonny DeLuca grounded into a force out that ended with Aranda out at home, but the bases safely loaded. Chandler Simpson singled, driving in two runs.

Moving the Chans ⛓️‍ pic.twitter.com/Oc59IRE1Nc

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 17, 2026

Ryan Vilade was hit by a pitch. Richie Palacios then doubled, but thanks to a fielding error by Heim, three runs scored and Palacios ended up on third.

Everybody's in on the fun! pic.twitter.com/2cFQYCpH7w

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 17, 2026

Taylor Walls then singled, bringing in another run. That was all she wrote for Springs, sorry old friend, but not sorry. He was replaced by Geoff Hartlieb who got the next two outs in a row, but the Rays were suddenly up 6-0.

Welcome back, Wallsy! pic.twitter.com/IglA7Y37TW

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 17, 2026

Ras had to be breathing a little easier going into the fifth inning. Clarke managed a two-out walk, then Bolte singled, but the A’s couldn’t manage to bring either of them home. The Rays went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Rasmussen was done after five innings with a final line of 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K on 76 pitches. Personally, I probably would have let him go another inning, but perhaps Cash has insights we don’t. Casey Legumina replaced him and immediately gave up a solo home run to Butler. Three outs followed, but the A’s had made their way onto the scoreboard. Joe Rock came out of the A’s pen in the home half and gave up a leadoff single to Simpson. Simpson stole second, and Vilade walked. Cedric Mullins replaced Vilade as a pinch-runner, then both Simpson and Mullins stole a base to put two runners in scoring position. Palacios walked to load the bases. Between a Rock and a hard place, the A’s went back to their bullpen for Chris Roycroft. Walls was walked, bringing in a run. With one out, Aranda walked to bring in another run. Two outs followed as the A’s finally got themselves out of their mess, but the Rays were now up 8-1.

Brody Hopkins was the new Rays’ pitcher for the seventh. Alika Williams got a leadoff walk. A wild pitch allowed Williams to advance to second. Hopkins got things back under control, though, and got the next three outs in order. Yunior Tur came in for the home half and got the Rays out in order.

Steven Matz came on for the eighth. With two outs, Gelof reached on a fielding error from Caminero, but it didn’t end up hurting the Rays as they got the final out in the next at-bat. In the bottom of the inning Palacios got a leadoff walk. Walls grounded into a force out to eliminate Palacios but keep a runner on. Aranda then reached on a fielding error to load the bases. Hicks then singled to score two more runs. Jake Fraley then walked. Drew Rom came in from the A’s bullpen to get the final out of the inning. The Rays now led 10-1.

Alex Cook took over for the Rays in the ninth and got the final three outs of the game to wrap up the Rays’ win and the series sweep.

Final: Rays 10, A’s 1

Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is having an historic season. Through Wednesday, 153 games, he is batting .282 /.375/.581 with 115 runs scored, 44 home runs and 37 stolen bases. The slugging percentage and .956 OPS lead the National League.

However, based on this Bluesky post, PCA might have done even better:

Okay, that’s something of what might be called a “freak show stat,” because as Mike Petriello points out, baseball is a very different sport than it was during DiMaggio’s time, which is now between 75 and 90 years ago. That’s a really long time and we should expect sports to evolve over time.

There’s one truth not stated in that post, though, and that’s the reason PCA has faced so many different pitchers. That’s from 10 days ago, and the Cubs haven’t played any teams in those 10 days that they hadn’t faced earlier this yer, so that number isn’t likely to have increased much. The only team they’ll face going forward that they haven’t seen is the Red Sox, who they’ll play for the final three games of the 2026 regular season.

The truth is this: The balanced schedule.

Before the balanced schedule took effect in 2023, MLB teams played a schedule mostly in their own league. They’d play their “rival” twice, then three games each against one division in the other league. It amounted to 20 interleague games, and playing 20 of the other 29 teams.

Now, with the balanced schedule, every team plays all 29 other teams and there are 48 interleague contests per team. What that means, of course, is that teams are playing nine clubs that they didn’t used to see, and fewer games against divisional opponents, down from 19 to 13.

This, obviously, means that players would see many more different pitchers. In 2022, 523 different men pitched for MLB teams. Now, this includes position players pitching, though that was done far less even that recently — only 30 different position players that year, compared to the ridiculous number of 11o this year. We can’t really take an “average” per team because some of these pitchers pitched for multiple teams.

You ready for this? There have been 856 different players throwing at least one pitch for an MLB team this year. Even if you take out the position players for both years, that’s still a 48 percent increase.

And that’s my point here. Hitters are just seeing far more pitchers now than they did with the unbalanced schedule. Combine that with the fact that even over just four years, the number of pitchers who can throw 98 miles per hour has also increased, and I think that likely results in a drop in batting average and offense.

Now, the Cubs have bucked that trend, a bit, by having what could be an historically great offensive season. Good on them, but if MLB went back to the unbalanced schedule, I think that would help boost offensive production. The unbalanced schedule is a good idea for a number of reasons; this is just one more, and I think that MLB and the MLB Players Association should consider reverting to the unbalanced schedule for the next CBA. It would be good for the sport, in my view.

What do you think?

We’ve learned a lot about the current St. Louis Cardinals roster this season including some great things and others not so much. The last view of this team at home this season begins Friday night when the Cardinals welcome the Washington Nationals to town.

Pitching Matchups

Friday night – Kyle Leahy (RHP 10-4, 3.33 ERA, 128 SO) vs Cade Cavalli (RHP 12-5, 3.12 ERA, 194 SO)

Saturday night – Michael McGreevy (RHP 7-9, 3.83 ERA, 112 SO) vs Andrew Alvarez (LHP 2-6, 3.35 ERA, 99 SO)

Sunday afternoon – Quinn Mathews (LHP 2-3, 3.62 ERA, 36 SO) vs Jake Irvin (RHP 2-9, 5.51 ERA, 96 SO)

Cade Cavalli has 3 no decisions in his last 3 starts. His last appearance was September 11 against the LA Angels where he threw 6 innings allowing 3 hits with 2 earned runs while striking out 9 and walking just 2. Andrew Alvarez also has no decisions in his last 3 starts. His most recent was September 12 against the LA Angels where he threw 7 innings of 1-hit ball allowing no earned runs while striking out 8 and walking 4. Jake Irvin has 1 loss and no wins in his last 3 starts. His most recent was on September 13 against the LA Angels tossing 5 innings while allowing 3 earned runs with only 2 hits striking out 6 and walking 4.

Washington Nationals Players to Watch

CJ Abrams – Abrams is tied for the home run lead for the Nationals with 30 home runs so far this season with 96 RBI’s and a .264 batting average and 29 stolen bases.

James Wood – Wood also has 30 homers this season with 75 RBI’s and an average of .266 and 21 steals.

Luis Garcia – Garcia has 23 home runs with 76 RBI’s and an average of .283.

Daylen Lile – Lile has 21 home runs with 85 RBI’s and an average of .252.

Curtis Mead – Mead has 15 home runs, 48 RBI’s and an average of .254.

The Washington Nationals have already been eliminated from playoff contention with a record of 71-81 as they sit in 4th place in the NL East. The Cardinals are on the cusp of playoff elimination as the team is 8 games out of the last Wild Card slot with just 9 games left to play.

There are a few new injury twists that the St. Louis Cardinals are dealing with. Joshua Baez left Wednesday’s game against the Giants with tightness in his side according to a report from Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch.

Joshua Baez left game with tightness in his left side. #stlcards

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) September 16, 2026

JJ Wetherholt returned to the lineup Wednesday playing a limited number of innings against the Giants, but it’s expected that he’ll be in the lineup again this weekend against the Nationals.

I’m in the process of collecting my own thoughts like many on our staff are likely doing as this season winds down. I will say that I have thoroughly enjoyed following this team much more than the previous few seasons. I really want to see this current version of the St. Louis Cardinals finish out the 2026 campaign strong. Winning or sweeping the Washington Nationals this weekend would be a good start.

While the first two games of this three-game series saw the A’s barely lose, there was no doubt who the better team was today in the last game of the set. The Athletics got smacked in the finale on Thursday afternoon, losing to the play0ff-bound Rays 10-1 to wrap up their time in Florida. Just one more road series of the season left!

Springs solid early, falters late

Making what is likely one of the final starts of his A’s tenure, veteran Jeffrey Springs got the call for the finale against his former team. It’s been an overall rough season for him but he seemed to be sprinting through the finish line here at the end. The game started out well enough for the lefty as he allowed just one hit the first time through the Rays’ lineup.

Things hit the wall in the fourth however for the southpaw. If you want to look up the exact details of what happened then be my guest but it was ugly. When the inning had ended the Rays had put up a six-spot, chasing Springs from the game after he managed just one out in the frame.

• Jeffrey Springs: 3 1/3 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 66 pitches

Another dud from Springs and his season ERA now stands at 6.18 through 28 starts. Today was probably he second-to-last start in an Athletics uniform, with his final start scheduled for next week at home against the Angels. He’ll certainly be glad to not call Sutter Health Park home next year.

A’s offense struggles against an ace

On the other side of things, the Athletics’ offense was going up against Tampa’s co-ace in Drew Rasmussen. The right-hander has had a fantastic season up to this point and today was no different. The Athletics managed just four hits and a pair of walks against the right-hander as he looked dominant from the jump. The A’s had a chance to push across a run against him in the third when a double-steal put runners at second and third, but with two outs they needed a base hit and Jeff McNeil couldn’t deliver. That was their best chance against Rasmussen but just couldn’t cash in. That’s why he’ll be starting a playoff game for Tampa Bay soon enough.

The A’s would not be shutout in this one though. Rasmussen was done after five full innings, making way for the bullpen for the final four frames. Right fielder Lawrence Butler greeted the first arm out of the ‘pen with a leadoff blast to start the sixth, putting the A’s on the board:

Law Dog's bomb gets the A's on the board 🐶 pic.twitter.com/tgztRTGzd4

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) September 17, 2026

No shutout today! That was Butler’s 17th of the year and 20 home runs is definitely within reach. That should be a personal goal for him in the final week-plus we have here in the 2026 season. He started the year slow but he’s sure ending it on a high note.

The final frames

That was just about it though. The A’s would work one more walk from Alika Williams but the Rays would continue to add on, first two more in the sixth before another pair in the eighth for good measure to make it double-digits for them on the day. Funnily enough Tampa only collected seven hits this afternoon, but they also worked nine (!) walks. Can’t win like that.

Not a good day at all in Tampa. The A’s couldn’t escape Florida with at least one win and now head to their final road destination of the year with a 61-92 record. With just nine games to go the A’s should be able to avoid a 100-loss season, but the sooner we get that 63rd win the better. Hopefully it comes this weekend.

The A’s now head to Cleveland for what will be their final road series of the season. The Guardians are holding onto the AL Central lead by a thread so it’s an excellent time for the A’s to play spoiler. The A’s have yet to announce their starter for tomorrow but it could be right-hander Mason Barnett, who could get one or two more looks here in the final stretch. Cleveland does know who they’re going with as right-hander Daniel Espino gets the nod as an opener. We’ll have to wait and see how Cleveland follows him up.

Box Score

It seems safe to say that Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison will not be on the postseason roster.

Harrison, who recorded the first five outs of today’s game against the Pirates working around just a first-inning double, then gave up three hits, two walks, and hit two batters with two outs in the second, allowing five runs (four earned) by the time he exited.

Harrison entered his August 31 start against the Cubs with a 2.79 ERA over 103 1/3 innings this season, but he now sits with a 4.25 ERA over 112 1/3 innings, allowing 24 runs (21 earned) over his last nine innings across four appearances. The velocity is still there, but the shape is not, and it’s all but a certainty with less than two weeks until the postseason that Harrison will not be on the roster this postseason.

That’s the bad news.

The good news?

Milwaukee’s bullpen (mostly) picked him up to get the finish line.

While the Brewers ultimately lost 7-4, the bullpen worked the last 6 1/3 innings, allowing just a two-run homer in the eighth, and right-hander Garrett Stallings once again turned in a great relief appearance.

The Brewers struck first in this one, as Gary Sánchez, Sal Frelick, and David Hamilton hit a trio of singles in the top of the second to plate a run, putting the Crew up 1-0.

After striking out Brandon Lowe and inducing a groundout from Nick Gonzales to begin the second, things quickly went awry for Harrison.

He walked Ronny Simon, allowed an infield single to Jared Triolo, and a catcher’s interference by Bo Naylor (which officially counts as an E2) loaded the bases. It only got worse from there, as the rookie Konnor Griffin hit a two-run double and Oneil Cruz followed with a two-run single to make it 4-1 Pittsburgh.

Harrison then hit Bryan Reynolds with a pitch, loaded the bases again with a walk of Rafael Flores Jr., and hit Lowe to make it 5-1 before Pat Murphy was forced to pull him.

Chad Patrick entered and struck out Gonzales, but the damage was done.

Neither team had much of a threat after that until the sixth inning, when the Brewers got one back with a Joey Ortiz walk, Frelick single, and a Naylor forceout on what should have been a double play ball — Griffin threw the ball into the first-base dugout, allowing Ortiz to score and cut the lead to 5-2.

The Brewers continued to chip away in the eighth inning against Luke Weaver, as Garrett Mitchell doubled and scored after advancing on a pair of flyouts by Ortiz and Frelick. Naylor then followed with a solo home run that barely made it over the 21-foot wall in right field, as a young Brewer fan appeared to possibly reach over to (unsuccessfully) grab the ball. The homer call stood after review, and suddenly it was 5-4.

After Cooper Pratt kept the pressure on with a single up the middle, Pirates manager Don Kelly opted to go to his closer Mason Montgomery, who walked Brice Turang but got out of the inning with a strikeout of Luis Lara.

Aaron Ashby took over for Stallings — who pitched three scoreless innings from the fourth through the seventh, allowing just a hit and a walk while striking out six — in the eighth looking to preserve the one-run deficit. He wasn’t able to do it, though, as he allowed a single and a homer to Henry Davis, extending Pittsburgh’s lead to 7-4.

Andrew Vaughn drew a one-out walk in the ninth, but he was left stranded there and the Brewers were unable to complete the sweep in Pittsburgh.

It was a very rough day for Harrison (1 2/3 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 2 K) and home plate umpire James Hoye (nine overturned calls on 11 challenges), but a good day for Patrick (1 1/3 IP, 1 BB, 2 K), JoJo Romero (1 IP, 1 K), and Stallings, who has yet to allow a run over 14 major league innings this season.

Offensively, the Brewers finished the day with nine hits and six walks, but they didn’t do quite enough to make up for Pittsburgh’s five-run second inning. Frelick was the only player with two hits, while Naylor, Turang, and Ortiz each reached twice with a hit and a walk.

The Brewers will look to shake this one off as they continue their road trip in Baltimore this weekend. Dustin May gets the ball in Friday’s series opener, while the Orioles have yet to announce a starter (though it’s expected to be Cade Povich). First pitch in that one is at 6:05 p.m. See you then.