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The Dodgers on Monday beat the Reds to clinch a playoff berth for the 14th season in a row, tying the major league record also held by the Atlanta Braves, who made it to 14 consecutive postseasons from 1991-2005.

Los Angeles won again in Cincinnati on Tuesday, which eliminated the Arizona Diamondbacks from National League West contention. The division is down to just two teams, with the Dodgers up 10 games on the San Diego Padres with 11 games left to play.

NL West standings

Dodgers 92-59, – –
Padres 82-69, 10 GB

The Dodgers have beaten the Padres seven times in 10 meetings this season, already clinching the tiebreaker. That means the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the division is only one. A single Dodgers win or Padres loss, whichever comes first, will give the Dodgers a fifth consecutive NL West title and 13th in the last 14 years.

The earliest the Dodgers can clinch the NL West is Wednesday, September 16.

Wednesday schedule
Dodgers at Reds, 3:40 p.m. PT
Padres at Rockies, 5:40 p.m.

Clinching a bye

The two division winners with the best records get a bye directly into the National League Division Series, which means beginning the postseason on Saturday, October 3 instead of in the wild card round on Tuesday, September 29.

NL division leaders

1. Brewers 94-57
2. Dodgers 92-59
3. Braves 89-63

through September 15

The Dodgers do not have the tiebreaker with either the Brewers or Braves, which means they have to have a better record to gain a higher seed. The Dodgers’ magic number to clinch at least the No. 2 seed over Atlanta is eight, or put another way the Dodgers need eight of 21 outcomes to fall their way in order to finish with a better record than the Braves. Meanwhile, Atlanta needs 14 of 21 outcomes to claim the No. 2 seed.

Getting the No. 1 seed over Milwaukee is a tougher task for the Dodgers, who have a magic number of 14 to finish with the best record in the National League. That means the Dodgers need 14 of 22 outcomes to fall their way to earn the No. 1 seed, while the Brewers need just nine of 22 outcomes to have the best NL record for the second year in a row.

Welcome to BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Please come and sit with us. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. The hostess can seat you now. There’s a two-drink minimum, but it’s bring our own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you whether it might be better for the Cubs to start the playoffs on the road in Atlanta as opposed to at home versus (probably) Philadelphia or San Diego. The idea behind this was to avoid Milwaukee as long as possible. Well, 88 percent of you thought that was crazy talk and that the Cubs should try to start the postseason at home and not worry about what comes next.

On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I don’t do any movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz and now is that time.

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Keeping up with our tribute to John Coltrane as we approach the 100th anniversary of his birth next week, here is one Coltrane song that many of you will be familiar with. No, it’s not “My Favorite Things” which you’re probably all familiar with because it is Christmas music these days. Instead, we feature Coltrane’s “Equinox.”

McCoy Tyner is on piano, Steve Davis on bass and Elvin Jones is the drummer.

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Welcome back to those who missed the Trane.

Assuming the Cubs make the playoffs, and even after tonight’s tough loss, it’s a safe assumption, the Cubs will need three starters for the Wild Card Series.

I’m assuming that two of those starters will be Clay Holmes and Kevin Gausman. That’s why the Cubs traded for them. They’ve also been the Cubs best two starters lately, although Gausman had a bad game against the Brewers recently. Luckily, the Cubs won’t play the Brewers in the first round.

But who gets the third start? Of course, the best scenario is that the Cubs win the first two games and don’t need a third starter. But manager Craig Counsell can’t count on that. So who should be the third Cubs pitcher in the Wild Card series?

There are three real options, although I’ll let you vote “other” if you want to make a case for Javier Assad, Colin Rea or a bullpen game in the comments. But the other three pitchers currently in the rotation are three southpaws: Matthew Boyd, Shōta Imanaga and David Peterson.

Between those three pitchers, which one should get the third start? That doesn’t necessarily mean in a potential Game 3. If you want to break up Holmes and Gausman and have the third starter go in game two, that’s OK. But if you were the Cubs, which one of these three pitchers would you trust alongside Holmes and Gausman to get a Wild Card Series start?

Thank you for stopping by tonight. We were so glad to see you. Please tell your friends about us. Get home safely. Don’t forget any personal items. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

WASHINGTON — Their day began with one of their All-Star left-handers, Jesus Luzardo, arguably the game's best pitcher in the second half of the season, going on the injured list with a sore shoulder, complicating their playoff drive and imperiling their chances if they get there.

Their day ended with their other All-Star left-hander, Cristopher Sánchez, arguably the game's best pitcher the first half of the season, getting hit hard for the third time in his past five outings, casting doubt on whether he'll be the lockdown ace they'll need to advance past the NL Division Series for the first time since 2023.

And the final indignity for the Philadelphia Phillies on this Tuesday, Sept. 15 was delivered by set-up man Jonathan Bowlan, who relieved Sanchez in a tie game and needed just one pitch — a changeup that Daylen Lile went down and crushed over the center field wall — to deepen the Phillies' misery.

Lile's three-run homer in the seventh inning provided a 6-3 victory for the Washington Nationals in a game the Phillies desperately needed — partly because they continue slipping within the pantheon of NL playoff teams, and mostly because they've played terribly since the last time Luzardo threw a pitch.

That came on Sept. 7, Labor Day, when Luzardo tossed a 109-pitch, two-hit shutout against the first-place Atlanta Braves. Luzardo woke up with a bum shoulder a couple days later and the Phillies have lost five of seven since, their lineup returning to its inactive ways, their rotation withering and their leverage relievers crumbling.

Now, the logistics: The Phillies (83-68) are essentially in a three-way tie for the three NL wild-card spots, as the Chicago Cubs also have 68 losses and the San Diego Padres (82-69) are just a game behind. The NL East? Forget about it: Atlanta has a six-game lead with 10 to play.

Going home for the winter? That's suddenly a distinct possibility, with the Arizona Diamondbacks within 2 1/2 games of the wild card scrum.

For a team that went 21-7 in August, that was within three games of first place just six days ago, it is a stunning position, one that adds a dash of urgency to this final sprint.

"It’s going to be a grind. There’s no doubt about it. It’s not like (the playoffs are) guaranteed," says designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, who hit his 45th home run on Tuesday. "We gotta go out and win ballgames. We knew we had the group capable of being the team that can hold up a trophy at the end of the year. We know that.

"But we also have to go out and win games. I think the writing’s on the wall. We have to show up and be ready to go tomorrow. It’s only going to keep shortening up the season."

They will hand the ball to Zack Wheeler, who along with Luzardo and Sánchez figures to earn votes on NL Cy Young Award ballots. But Sánchez's arrow continues pointing down.

Tuesday, he gave up eight hits and five earned runs to the Nationals, the third time in five starts he's given up at least eight hits and four earned runs. His ERA, which was 2.61 on Aug. 1, is now up to 2.93.

The Nationals noshed on his sinker, going 4-for-14 against the pitch with seven hard-hit balls. When he's not commanding that pitch, it neuters the effectiveness of his slider and his putaway pitch, the changeup.

"I’m missing. And I’m failing in some sorts and I don’t want to do that but I just have to take it," says Sanchez. "It’s part of the game. When you’re rolling and doing good, you don’t notice it as much. One thing that’s certain is I’m going to work on getting better and I want to get better.

"When everythng’s right, everything’s much easier. It looks smoother and better on the field."

The Phillies' task got much harder when Luzardo came to Nationals Park for treatment Monday, came back Tuesday and the club decided to cancel his throwing session and put him on the IL. It's a significant blow: Luzardo is 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA, ranks second in the NL with 221 strikeouts and fourth with a 1.08 WHIP.

Since June 23, he's 8-1 with a 1.65 ERA and the Phillies have won 12 of his 14 starts.

"We just have to keep going. Keep going and keep working," says Sanchez. "He’ll be fine and he’ll be back for us. We just have to pick him up and try to win games."

Lately, that's been much easier said than done.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: For Phillies, 'writing is on the wall' after losing game to Nationals, ace to IL

The Yankees own the Twins. This is not news; this is a basic fact of life and something most baseball fans are aware of. Since 2002, the Yankees have a ridiculous 130-48 record against the Twins since 2002, a .730 winning percentage. That’s a 118-win pace, which means that the Yankees against the Twins for the last quarter-century are the best team the sport has ever seen.

After losing two of three in the Bronx during the brief summer swoon in early July, the Yankees were in serious danger of dropping the season series to Minnesota for just the second time since 2001 (2023, of course), but have secured at least a split with two wins at Target Field this week, the first of which ensured that the Twins would not win three consecutive games in this series for the first time in 35 years. The Yankees are now 61-27 against the Twins on the road since 2002.

Ok, enough messing with the Twins. The Yankees did what they were supposed to do today, riding home runs by Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones and a sensational start by Max Fried to a safe 8-1 victory in Minneapolis on Tuesday night. The three outfielders, Bellinger, Jones, and Heliot Ramos (Judge had the day off), combined to go 6-for-13 with two home runs, six RBI, and two walks.

This game started on the right note for the offense. After being flummoxed by Dean Kremer the night before, they immediately jumped on Bailey Ober. After nearly being hit by a pitch, Ben Rice led off with a single to set up Cody Bellinger for a long, two-run shot into right-center field for his 16th home run of the season to make it 2-0. His power had completely vanished for the last month prior to his hamstring injury, but he’s now gone deep five times since returning and four times in the last eight games.

Max Fried got to work in the bottom half, working around a leadoff infield single by Luke Keaschall to put up a zero. The Yankees threatened for more in the second off Ober after back-to-back singles by Anthony Volpe and Ali Sánchez, but they were stranded. Minnesota’s offense would make them pay for stranding those runners later that inning, as another infield single by Royce Lewis (on a lackadasical play by George Lombard Jr.), a stolen base, and a two-out single by Emmanuel Rodriguez put the Twins on the board. We’d get a good sign shortly after, though, as Fried notched a textbook pickoff to end the frame.

Ober just didn’t seem to have anything to really fool the Yankees in this one, as evidenced by another rally in the third. Heliot Ramos worked a one-out walk, and Luis García Jr. singled to set the table for Lombard, who’d get that run back on a two-out RBI single through the right side to extend the lead to 3-1. A walk from Volpe almost set up Sanchez for a big moment, but his long drive to center with the bases loaded died on the warning track.

Fried was dialed in after that pickoff, retiring the next eight he faced before a Rodriguez double that was later stranded. The Yankees notched three more hits off Ober over the next few innings, but stranded them all. He wound up going 5.1 innings and allowed three runs, but this was one of those games that stat-pad your batting average, as he allowed nine hits.

Finally, Ober departed in the sixth for the lefty Taylor Rogers, as Derek Shelton looked to exploit the lefty-heavy top of the Yankees’ order. That would backfire. An E-6 on a bullet grounder from Rice and a four-pitch walk for Bellinger set up Ramos to rip an RBI double down the left-field line to make it 4-1. As it turns out, the guy who was brought here to specifically face lefties eventually starts hitting when he gets to see those lefties. Who knew?

In prime position for another run or two, García chopped one back to the mound, and Bellinger was tagged out on an unsuccessful contact play. Fortunately for him, his teammate would pick him up. Spencer Jones trotted to the plate and was given hanging sweeper after hanging sweeper, gradually picking them up better. For some reason, on 2-2, Rogers threw a fourth sweeper down the pipe to the hulking slugger, who eviscerated it 423 feet deep into the Minnesota night to break the game open.

Now pitching with a six-run lead, Fried gave up a leadoff triple to Kody Clemens, but bounced back to get a pop-out and two strikeouts to complete seven strong innings in his longest outing since April 22nd. He looks close to being fully built up, and it’s that the perfect time for the Yankees.

Former Yankee Yoendrys Gomez got the eighth for the Twinkies and worked around a leadoff single by Bellinger. Fried handed the ball to Ryan Yarbrough, who thought he gave up a long home run to Rodriguez, only for a review to overturn it to a foul ball before getting him to fly out to start a scoreless inning. Shelton found a way to get himself ejected on a fairly obvious overturn for some reason. My theory is that it’s more performative, as the Twins, who curiously bought at the deadline, fall to 70-81 with a tragic number of five.

Andrew Morris was tasked with getting three more outs for Minnesota, which he couldn’t do without coughing up a run. A bunch of long at-bats yielded a run, as a Lombard drew a walk, got to second on a slow groundout, and scored on an RBI single by José Caballero. Yarbrough would do the job in the bottom of the ninth to secure a series victory.

Tampa walked off the Athletics on a Junior Caminero walk-off home run, so they remain 3.5 games back. As of the end of the Yankees’ game, the Red Sox trail the Rangers, 4-2. A loss by Boston would put them six back (without the tiebreaker) with 11 to go, so it’s safe to assume that the Yankees have put them in the rearview mirror for the rest of the regular season.

It’s a mid-week matinee to close out the season series against the Twins, as Carlos Rodón will look to build off a brilliant start on 9/11 against Zebby Matthews tomorrow at 1:40 pm EST on YES.

Box Score

With the season basically over, the Twins welcomed the Yankees to Target Field tonight and they lost. End of recap.

Okay, I suppose I better write more. Bailey Ober was pretty good tonight. Two of the three runs he gave up came in the first inning on Cody Bellinger’s 16th homer. He ran into some trouble in the 3rd, giving up a run on George Lombard Jr.‘s RBI double. He would pitch one out into the 6th with no further damage done, with a final line of 5.1 IP, 9 H. 3 ER. 2 BB, 3 K, HR.

Meanwhile, the Twins couldn’t do much of anything tonight against any Yankee pitcher. Max Fried held them to 1 run and 6 hits over 7 innings. That one run came courtesy of Emmanuel Rodriguez’s RBI single in the 2nd inning. He would later hit a double and then almost a homer (just foul) for a 2-3 night. He and Luke Keaschall (3-4) accounted for 5 of the 7 hits the Twins had tonight. The rest of the lineup was 2-25 with no walks.

After Ober got the first out in the 6th, Taylor Rogers came in to face the lefty Ben Rice, who reached on Kaelen Culpepper’s error. Bellinger followed with a walk and then Ramos doubled, scoring Rice. Two batters later, Spencer Jones put the proverbial nail in the coffin with a 3-run homer to center to make it a 7-1 game. All four runs allowed by Rogers go down as unearned due to the error, but you’d expect your lefty whose job it is to get lefties out to get some lefties out.

Andrew Morris would allow a meaningless run in the 9th, giving us our 8-1 final score. It was nice to see Emma havea good game. Things don’t look so great now but I do think the future core of the team looks promising.

Thanks for joining the thread tonight, everyone!

Studs:

Emmanuel Rodriguez: 2-3, 2B, RBI

Luke Keaschall: 3-4

Bailey Ober: 5.1 IP, 9 H. 3 ER. 2 BB, 3 K, HR

Duds:

Kaelen Culpepper: 0-3, K, GIDP, Error

Taylor Rogers: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 0 ER, BB, K

Josh Bell: 0-4

It was a Pena-Palooza.  Astros 4  Royals 2.    

Fans were barely in their seats when Jeremy Pena started the night with a lead off smash, clearing the train tracks and putting the Astros on the board 1-0. For Pena, it was his 5th leadoff home run of the season. Pena would double down and repeat the feat in the 3rd inning, making it 2-0 and with that, the final homestand was in full effect.    

The Royals scored their first run of the night on a Carter Jensen double, which brought home Isaac Collins who started the 5th with a walk. In the bottom of that frame, Yordan Alvarez would get that run back and then some. Yordan took it deep to right field, scoring Pena who reached for the third time on a two out single. It was Alvarez’s 39th long ball.    

Kansas City cut the lead to 4-2 on Vinnie Pasquantino’s homer to center but that was as close as they’d get.

Hunter Brown earned his 6th win of the season, striking out 10. He’d go five innings before Espada went to the bullpen. Sousa, Blubaugh and Abreu would each pitch an inning before Hader closed things out in the 9th.      Josh Hader is now 26 for 26 in save opportunities.      

Michael Wacha’s unbeaten streak against Houston is now history. Wacha beat the Astros twice last season. On Tuesday night, Wacha went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits with a walk and strikeout in the loss.

The off day served the Astros well. The three-game skid is over.    

Odds & Ends:

Yordan’s walk in the 8th inning was his 103rd of the season.  

Game two will feature Cristian Javier on the mound, searching for his 3rd win. First pitch once again slated for 7:10 pm CDT.   

Wednesday will mark the 21st anniversary of Jeff Bagwell’s dramatic game winning single in the bottom of the 9th against the Brewers. It was Bagwell’s first hit upon returning from major surgery on his right shoulder.    Bagwell missed 115 games in 2005.

Tuesday night’s game between the Cardinals and Giants started out with a bang from both teams. Bombs from both Bryce Eldridge and Alec Burleson were just the beginning of a lot of offense especially from the San Francisco Giants lineup.

It didn’t take long before Andre Pallante was greeted rudely by the bats of the Giants and the Cardinals defense didn’t help the issue. Drew Gilbert led off and reached on an error from Masyn Winn. That brought up Bryce Eldridge who hit the longest home run in Busch Stadium this season. With an exit velocity of 112 mph, he launched a Pallante slider 461 feet into the right field stands giving the Giants a 2-0 lead.

The 1st inning circus continued with Cox was granted first base when it was ruled that Leo Bernal touched his foot. Cox then stole second and eventually took third base when Lee grounded out. After Basabe flied out to left, Hill singled to right to give San Francisco another run making it 3-0.

St. Louis would get a run back in the bottom of the 1st inning when Alec Burleson ripped an 88 mph slider from Blade Tidwell 376 feet into the Cardinals bullpen in right briefly reducing the San Francisco lead to 3-1.

Any feel good tendencies that Burleson’s homer inspired would all but disappear in the top of the 3rd inning when the Giants would unload on Andre Pallante. Cox reached on a bunt single when he beat Pallante to first after Burleson fielded it. Lee then doubled giving San Francisco runners at second and third with no outs. Andre would get Basabe to ground out without allowing a run, but that would only delay the Giants onslaught. San Francisco would get a run when Hill grounded out to Winn at short making it 4-1 San Francisco. After Cavanaugh walked, Hill singled to make it 5-1 Giants. McCray stole second before Koss singled to right scoring two more upping the San Francisco lead to 7-1.

The Cardinals would mount a counterattack in the bottom of the 3rd inning. It started with a single from Masyn Winn followed by José Fermín getting plunked with a pitch. Bryan Torres then walked to load the bases for St. Louis with no outs. Ivan Herrera made hard contact as he ripped a line drive to left, but it was caught and ended up being a sacrifice fly giving the Cardinals their 2nd run making it slightly more interesting at 7-2. Unfortunately that’s all St. Louis would get as Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker struck out to end the Cardinals 3rd.

The Giants would restore their 6-run lead in the top of the 4th inning when Bryce Eldridge drew a leadoff walk. He would score three batters later when Basabe doubled down the right field line which made the score 8-2 Giants.

Andre Pallante managed to survive 5 full innings for the Cardinals, but his numbers for the night were not pretty. Over those 5 innings, Andre surrendered 8 hits, gave up 6 earned runs, struck out 2 and walked 2. He was relieved in the top of the 6th inning by Brycen Mautz. He enjoyed a drama-free 1-2-3 inning which was a small bright spot. He walked two in the top of the 7th, but was able to pitch out of the jam without allowing any additional Giants runs. His mission directive was obviously “eat innings” as Brycen was also assigned mound responsibilities in the top of the 8th inning when he was greeted by back-to-back one out doubles from Harris and Eldridge which increased the Giants advantage further to 9-2. Cade Winquest came in to pitch the rest of the game for the Cardinals.

If you’re wondering where the other Cardinals offensive highlights are, Thomas Saggese got the 3rd St. Louis hit in the bottom of the 7th inning if that gives you any idea. He was the last batter faced by Giants starter Blade Tidwell who the Cardinals bats made look like Don Drysdale. San Francisco brought in Jason Foley in relief to finish off the Cardinals 7th.

The Cardinals got a smidge of offense in the bottom of the 8th inning when José Fermín led off with a double. Three batters later, Nolan Gorman singled him in to give St. Louis 33% of the Giants runs leaving them with a 9-3 lead which would have been the final score if Hill had not decided to hit a 9th inning solo shot to make it 10-3 Giants.

The St. Louis Cardinals only have 10 games left in their season and the next one will be against the San Francisco Giants Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium. Matthew Liberatore will start for the Cardinals while the Giants will assign pitching duties to RHP Anthony Molina. First pitch is set for 12:15pm central time with the game broadcast available via Cardinals.tv.

Pete Alonso hit his 300th career home run, a solo shot off Kodai Senga that tied the game in the top of the ninth, and was cheered so loudly and for so long that he came out for a curtain call. And after the game went to extra innings, Alonso’s Orioles scored a run in the tenth and three runs in the eleventh for a 7-4 win over the Mets.

Long before Alonso’s home run, Jared Young got the Mets on the board first with a sac fly in the bottom of the first. The Orioles quickly tied things up when Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a solo home run off Sean Manaea in the top of the second, and one out later, Jeremiah Jackson—who spent the end of the 2023 season and all of 2024 with the Mets’ Double-A affiliate in Binghamton—hit a solo home run to give Baltimore the lead.

It didn’t take the Mets long to tie things up, either, as Juan Soto singled in a run in the bottom of the second. And Carson Benge hit a solo home run in the top of the third to put the Mets back in front. From that point onward, nobody scored until Alonso hit his aforementioned home run.

In the top of the tenth, Encarnacion-Strand scored on a wild pitch by Daniel Duarte to give the Orioles the lead. But Marcus Semien doubled in a run in the bottom of the tenth to tie things up again and send the game to the eleventh.

Unfortunately, with two runners on and one out in that frame, Coby Mayo hit a long fly ball that twisted A.J. Ewing into a pretzel as he collided with the center field wall. And that resulted in a three-run, inside-the-park home run for Mayo.

The Mets were only able to respond with one run in the bottom of the inning on a Bo Bichette single. They’ll try to avoid getting swept in the series finale tomorrow night.

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Coby Mayo's three-run inside-the-park home run in the top of the 11th inning did in the Mets after Pete Alonso hit a game-tying home run off Kodai Senga in the ninth as New York fell 7-5 to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

Jonathan Pintaro got a pop-out to left, but walked a man to put runners on first and second for Alonso, but the Mets’ righty got the slugger swinging on a 96 mph heater off the outside corner for the second out. And after getting ahead of Mayo 0-2, he left a cutter over the plate and the O's DH clocked a ball deep to center that A.J. Ewing had a beat on it, but couldn't come up with the ball just off the heel of his glove. It would have been a sensational grab, and instead it went for a 410-foot homer that never left the ballpark. 

New York, which managed just one run in response in the home half of the 11th, had many chances, but went 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base. Baltimore managed it with four home runs to overcome 17 strikeouts and went 2-for-9 with RISP.

Here are the takeaways...

- Senga, after throwing 24 pitches on Monday night, was called upon to get the save in the ninth, protecting a one-run lead. And after getting pinch-hitter Dylan Beavers to pop up in foul ground fell behind Alonso 2-0. And the ex-Met slugger, who was 0-for-3 to that point with a strikeout, got a hanging Senga forkball and smashed it 414 feet off the face of the second deck in left (109.6 mph off the bat) for the game-tying solo homer, his 300th of his career.

Alonso knew it was gone as soon as he hit it and tossed his bat emphatically toward the home dugout. And after loud chants of his name, which had been the case all night from the home crowd, Alonso came out of the visitors’ dugout for a curtain call. Alonso finished the night 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.

Senga would get the next two batters swinging, but the damage was done. 

- Daniel Duarte got the 10th and had some tough luck. A Gunnar Henderson bloop to center put runners on the corners. And on a ball in the dirt off Francisco Alvarez’s chest, Christian Encarnacion-Strand darted home. It could have been worse as Alvarez's throw went awry, but Jared Young smartly backed up the play to keep Henderson at second. And that might not have mattered as Duarte got back-to-back strikeouts and a comebacker to keep the deficit at one run after the wild pitch.

- With one out in the bottom of the 10th, Marcus Semien yanked the first pitch he saw over the third-base bag and scored the tying run with a double. After an intentional walk, Christopher Morel, who was 0-for-2 after entering as a pinch-hitter, bounced into a force to put the go-ahead run at third, but Alvarez struck out looking at a sinker over the plate. Alvarez finished 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and left four men on base.

- The Mets jumped on Orioles starter Shane Baz right away as Juan Soto ripped a single up the middle, Bo Bichette followed with one served through the right side, and Benge worked a walk to load the bases with one down in the first. 

But they managed just one run, as Young smashed the first pitch he saw to deep center for a sac fly and Marcus Semien flew out to right to strand runners on the corners. 

- Ewing just missed an extra-base hit foul down the left field corner to start the second, but then laid down a beautiful bunt single. (His first hit on a bunt in the big leagues.) Brett Baty followed with a single to center, and the Mets had something cooking again.

But they only managed a single run to level the score, as Soto got a spinning cutter up in the zone and drove it into center for a two-strike, two-out single. The Mets opened the game 1-for-5 with RISP, with four left on base. That came back to haunt them.

- Benge wasted no time in the third, socking the first pitch for a solo homer to right (368 feet, 101.8 mph off the bat). He now has 18 homers and 58 RBI during his debut campaign. Benge had a chance to win it in the ninth with two in scoring position and two down, but a broken-bat liner to short sent the game to extra innings. He came up representing the tying run with two down in the 11th, but flied out to the deep part of center to end it, finishing 1-for-5 with the homer, one walk, and two strikeouts.

- Bichette knocked Baz out of the game with a 105.1 mph liner off his pitching elbow to leadoff the home half of the fifth. The ball hit the elbow and landed in the left-field grass for his second hit of the night. But lefty Grant Wolfram picked Bichette off first before he threw a pitch, as he broke for second on first movement.

Bichette had the chance to be the hero with two runners on first and second and one out in the ninth, but bounced into a would-be 5-4-3 double play. However, Encarnacion-Strand inexplicably went for a tag, didn't throw to second, and got only the out at first.

Bichette dropped a two-strike, two-out RBI single in the 11th to finish 3-for-6 on the night.

- Sean Manaea needed 10 pitches to get the Birds 1-2-3 in the first with a strikeout. The lefty gave the lead he got in the first right back as he left two fastballs right down the plate first to Encarnacion-Strand for a solo shot to left, and then Jeremiah Jackson clobbered one 416 feet deep to left-center.

Manaea settled in after that, getting the O’s in order in the third, with Alonso making a bid for an opposite-field homer but managing just the warning track in right. And despite allowing leadoff hits in the fourth and fifth, he sustained no damage and suffered no bother grabbing his fifth and sixth strikeouts of the night in the process. 

Manaea got the first out of the fifth, and interim manager Andy Green made the call to the bullpen. His final line: 5.1 innings, two runs, four hits, no walks, and six strikeouts on 67 pitches (48 strikes), dropping his ERA to 4.74 on the year.

 - Ewing added a single into center in the eighth to finish 2-for-4 with an intentional walk and a strikeout looking to strand a pair in the fifth. 

- Francisco Lindor popped up to third in foul territory and on the infield with two men on in his first two at-bats. He was hitless in four trips to the plate with a walk before he cracked a one-out double to the gap in right-center in the ninth. He finished 1-for-5 with a walk and is still looking for his 300th homer.

- Soto finished 2-for-5 with a strikeout and an intentional walk in the ninth.

- Young smacked a double off the wall in right with two down in the fifth. He finished 1-for-4 with an RBI and was robbed of a hit in the 10th by a great diving play by Alonso at first. 

- Semien finished 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. He reached on an error in the eighth and was thrown out at third on Ewing's single after the Orioles challenged the safe call. It was a bang-bang play, and the Mets were unlucky that the call didn't stand.

- Baty went 1-for-2 before being pinch-hit for Morel.

- Austin Warren was the first man out of the ‘pen got three outs, including getting Alonso looking at three straight pitches. (The third was several inches below the zone, but the ex-Met didn’t challenge.)

Nate Lavender entered and got the final two outs of the seventh with a strikeout looking and one swinging. He added another two strikeouts in a clean eighth, needing just 23 pitches (15 strikes) for five outs.

- Several of the players were wearing No. 21 as part of Roberto Clemente Day celebrations around baseball, including Lindor, Bichette, Soto, Semien, and Alonso.

Highlights

Jared Young opens the scoring with a sac fly to bring home Juan Soto pic.twitter.com/zb76zMuTtu

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 15, 2026

Juan Soto gets the game back level with an 2-out RBI single pic.twitter.com/RZhQ8dMcSA

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 15, 2026

A solo shot for Carson Benge gives the Mets the lead! pic.twitter.com/KsGNenEG1M

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 15, 2026

Nate Lavender strikes out 4 of the 5 batters he faces! pic.twitter.com/1uSzB6GFFK

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 16, 2026

What's next

The two foes conclude their rematch of the 1969 World Series on Wednesday night, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m.

Robert Stock (5.93 ERA, 1.747 WHIP in 30.1 innings) will get the start from the home side against ex-Met Chris Bassitt (4.88 ERA, 1.594 WHIP in 90.1 innings) going for the visitors.

Josue De Paula made his first start as the Los Angeles Dodgers' leadoff hitter on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

He went 0-for-5 at the plate in the Dodgers' 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

The 21-year-old designated hitter jumped up into the leadoff spot in place of Tommy Edman, who was originally in the role after Shohei Ohtani's injury woes.

De Paula added to the Dodgers' offense in a game against the Miami Marlins, hitting a three-run home run for his first career homer on Sept. 13. 

The 21-year-old De Paula made his major-league debut for the team at LoanDepot Park on Friday, Sept. 11, becoming the youngest Dodgers player since Alex Verdugo on Sept. 2, 2017.

De Paula has been viewed as the organization's top prospect and recently became the first Dodgers position player called up from AA, while skipping AAA, since Steve Sax in 1981.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How did Josue De Paula do for Dodgers vs. Reds on Sept. 15?

Wednesday’s Braves game at Wrigley Field was following a similar script to Tuesday’s 7-3 loss to the Cubs.

Until Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin changed the ending.

The trio of Braves each delivered a two-run homer in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings, respectively, to overcome a stagnant start and lift Atlanta to a 6-3 win over Chicago, leveling the three-game series at a game apiece.

The win, paired with the Phillies’ loss at Washington, dropped the Braves’ NL East magic number to five. Atlanta’s magic number to clinch a postseason berth is down to three, and can go down to two should Miami beat the Diamondbacks late Tuesday night.

The Braves could not touch Cubs starter Kevin Gausman in the early innings. After Matt Olson’s two-out, first-inning single, the next 10 Atlanta batters were retired in order.

The Braves then couldn’t do anything with Mauricio Dubón’s leadoff single in the fifth. But they finally broke through in the sixth against Gausman when Acuña followed Baldwin’s single with a two-run shot to left.

It was Acuña’s 18th homer of the season, 10 of which have come since Aug. 1.

Gausman then allowed a double to Brewer Hicklen and couldn’t finish the sixth inning.

Atlanta then took the lead against another old friend in Cubs right-hander Jacob Webb (6-5). Austin Riley worked a leadoff walk and, one out later, Albies cranked a homer well into the right-center bleachers to put the Braves ahead 4-3.

It was Albies’ 22nd homer of the year but just his second since Aug. 11.

Baldwin came through with some insurance for good measure, lasering his 24th homer of the season off Edward Cabrera with two outs in the ninth to make it 6-3.

The bullpen did its job exceptionally well after the comeback, as Didier Fuentes delivered two perfect innings of relief to record his 17th hold and Raisel Iglesias followed with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 33rd save, including nine straight without a blown save.

The comeback was perfectly timed to deliver Martín Pérez (9-9) his 100th career major league win in his sixth attempt to reach the milestone.

It wasn’t Pérez’s sharpest outing of the season. But as he so often does, he grinded it out to keep the Braves in the game and give the bats a chance to awaken.

Pérez worked around a pair of two-out walks in a scoreless first but couldn’t get through the second unscathed when he allowed the first three batters to reach on a pair of singles sandwiched around a walk. But the left-hander did well to limit the damage to one run, with a defensive assist from Albies and Baldwin who combined on an out at the plate.

He didn’t have the same luck in the fourth, hindered by an error from Dubón at shortstop which allowed two runs (one earned) to score.

But Pérez again did well to limit the damage, getting out of the inning with just a 3-0 deficit. That was a notable difference from Tuesday night’s 7-0 deficit that Atlanta was unable to pull out of.

Pérez finished his six-inning outing by retiring seven of the final eight batters he faced, surrendering three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks, striking out two.

He notably ended his outing by retiring NL MVP frontrunner Pete Crow-Armstrong for the fourth time in as many times against him. Iglesias got Crow-Armstrong to fly out to right to finish off his 0-for-5 night and close out the victory.

The rubber match is set for Wednesday night in Chicago, before the Braves head to Houston for a weekend series.

For the fourth straight season, the Milwaukee Brewers are NL Central champions.

They didn't even have to be on the field for the last out of the clincher. Milwaukee finished off a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park hours before the Chicago Cubs lost to Atlanta and the division was over.

How the Brewers clinched

Jacob Misiorowski improved to 15-5 with a 1.89 ERA. Milwaukee got the scoring started when Luis Lara's sacrifice fly brought home Jake Bauers in the second, then added on in the sixth when Lara doubled home William Contreras, who'd doubled the at-bat before. Brandon Lowe's solo homer in the eighth was the only run Pittsburgh got all night.

Chicago handled the rest on its own. The Cubs led 3-0 through four at Wrigley before Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin went deep for Atlanta's 6-3 win.

How the Brewers got here

This team's identity hasn't changed all year. Misiorowski is leading baseball in strikeouts, the lineup runs through Jackson Chourio and Contreras, and Milwaukee is on pace to blow past its own single-season record of 97 wins, set just last year. Pat Murphy is chasing something no manager ever has, a third straight NL Manager of the Year award.

WIN. OUR. WAY. pic.twitter.com/7kUmqaCwt0

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 16, 2026

What's next for the Brewers?

Milwaukee was already the first NL team into the playoffs. The division was just a formality. What's left to play for is seeding, namely the No. 1 overall spot in the National League and the bye that goes with it.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Milwaukee Brewers capture NL Central title for the fourth straight season