Ontario, C.A.– On Saturday, the Vegas Golden Knights kicked off the preseason with a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in the Empire Classic.
Before I make any observations, I’d like to state the obvious: this is a preseason game, and the first preseason game at that. It was evident— the Golden Knights didn’t make any egregious errors, but there was some “sloppy hockey” that’s typical of a preseason game. Passes didn’t connect, pucks were fumbled, and the overall flow of the game was choppy at times.
Still, the Golden Knights played a structured game. Their penalty kill was excellent, and they stood strong in the defensive zone to prevent the Kings from getting any real sustained offensive pressure. Preseason or not, these are things you want to see.
Without further ado, here are my three takeaways from the Golden Knights’ 4-2 victory over the Kings.
1. The Good
I’d like to preface this by saying that when it comes to positions in hockey, goaltender is by far the one I know the least about. So I try to avoid making grand observations about goaltenders unless someone who knows a lot more about the position than I do shares my opinion.
That being said, I liked what I saw out of Adin Hill tonight.
I wasn’t sure what to expect out of Hill in his first start since April 9th. It was probably a bit of a weird night for him— it took the Kings 15 minutes to record their third shot of the game.
But I liked his game. He looked as cool and calm as ever, and he backed it up. Hill made a few really flashy saves, and you can argue that neither of LA’s goals were on him.
Per head coach Ryan Craig, Hill will get another start this preseason. But so far, so good for the netminder.
2. The Bad
The Kings iced only three veteran NHL players tonight: forwards Trevor Moore and Scott Laughton, and goaltender Anton Forsberg. The rest of their roster was made up of younger guys fighting for a roster spot.
This was a game where you really wanted to see a player like Braeden Bowman shine. He didn’t.
He wasn’t awful, and there’s not a lot of reason to read into this. He’s looked great during drills for the first two days of camp, and one mediocre game is no cause for concern.
But the team didn’t give up much defensively tonight. Really, there were very few negatives to take away from the game.
I just wanted to see more from the guy that made a name for himself at last year’s training camp.
3. The Intriguing
I made the drive out to Ontario tonight because I wanted to see Trevor Connelly’s first preseason game. This is a very talented kid, one that everyone in the organization thinks very highly of. And he quietly had a strong game— he generated a couple great looks, created offense at will, and drew a penalty.
But the forward that really stood out tonight was Jackson Hallum.
Hallum’s speed has made him extremely noticeable all camp, but there’s always a difference between commanding attention in a drill and commanding attention in a game or scrimmage. Well, tonight, he stole the spotlight once again. He used his speed to create offense, which led to the game-winning goal in the third period.
“I just try to play the best I can with whatever opportunity I’m given,” said Hallum postgame. “I can’t look at the future; I’ve just got to be where my feet are and make the most of what I’m given.”
Queensland and Marnus Labuschagne were left to rue the lack of a fifth bowler as the captain’s disastrous final over saw debutant Liam Blackford secure a stunning One-Day Cup win for Victoria.
Mookie Betts celebrates with teammates after scoring on a single by Will Smith in the sixth inning of the Dodgers' 10-4 win over the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said earlier this week that the best was yet to come, his expectations were centered on the offense.
In the Dodgers’ 10-4 rout of the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, that better version of the offense was on display, putting together a pair of three-run rallies in back-to-back innings to take pressure off the pitching staff.
Before that breakout started in the fifth inning, it was a back-and-forth game.
Dodgers left-handed starting pitcher Tarik Skubal pitched only five innings, tied for his shortest start with the Dodgers. And he surrendered four runs, the worst mark of his Dodgers tenure.
Entering the game, Skubal appeared to be peaking. His past two starts, both against the Reds, were some of his most efficient.
That efficiency, however, regressed against the Giants (64-91).
Though he got through the first two innings without giving up a run — thanks in part to a diving catch by right fielder Kyle Tucker in the gap to end the first — he issued two-out walks in each.
The Dodgers’ offense used that time to mount a lead. Leadoff hitter Mookie Betts, who finished the day with three doubles and a single, hit the first of those doubles in his first at-bat, and Max Muncy authored his own to drive in the first run.
The next inning, rookie Josue De Paula’s walk, and singles from Alex Freeland and Betts combined to push in another run.
Then Skubal began to struggle. With a runner on second and one out, he pitched to a full count against designated hitter Victor Bericoto. Skubal missed down the middle with a fastball, and Bericoto sent it 425 feet to center field. It landed on the netting on the other side of the wall to tie the score.
The Dodgers’ offense, coming alive in September, struck back in the third. Catcher Will Smith hit his second home run in as many nights, launching the second pitch of the inning into the left-field stands.
The Giants took a different approach to tie the score for a second time. After back-to-back singles, they used back-to-back sacrifice bunts to advance the runners and score another run.
Then the two teams traded runs again. Betts put the Dodgers (95-60) up with an RBI double in the fourth. Skubal gave up back-to-back doubles in the fifth.
Dodgers baserunner Kyle Tucker slides head first into Giants catcher Andrew Knizner while scoring a run in the fifth inning Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
That marked both the end of Skubal’s start and the beginning of the Dodgers’ offensive onslaught.
The Dodgers brought seven batters to the plate in the fifth, and all but one reached base. Tommy Edman hit a two-run single. And pinch-hitting Miguel Rojas almost matched him, but Giants left fielder Turner Hill made a perfect throw to nab Edman in a close play at home to end the inning.
Betts’ and Smith’s bats stayed hot to open the sixth with a leadoff double and one-out RBI single, respectively. The Dodgers took advantage of the Giants’ sloppy infield play to load the bases for De Paula, who lined a two-run single into shallow center field.
Those were the kinds of stifling rallies that had defined the Dodgers’ offense earlier in the season, when they were scoring regularly in double digits.
The Dodgers’ 15 hits Saturday were their most in a game since July 2 against the San Diego Padres, and just two shy of their season high.
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 19: A bronze statue honoring Todd Helton is unveiled in front of the ballpark before the Colorado Rockies game against the Seattle Mariners at Coors Field on September 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Entering tonight with a taxed bullpen and a starting pitcher fresh off the injured list, the Colorado Rockies managed to battle back from an early deficit to earn a victory on a day of celebration for Todd Helton, a franchise legend.
Manager Warren Schaffer described the game as “one of my favorite wins of the season” in his post-game press conference, and it’s not hard to see why he would feel that way as the Rockies bested the Seattle Mariners, 5-3.
Quintana returns
José Quintana’s return to the mound started off looking very good.
He got both JP Crawford and Randy Arozarena to strike out swinging to begin the game. Dominic Canzone worked the count full before walking on a pitch right at the top of the zone that was close enough that it may have been turned into a strike had Hunter Goodman challenged it.
Instead, Canzone walked to first and was immediately driven in on Cal Raleigh’s 23rd home run of the season.
Quintana navigated through the second inning without allowing any additional runs, but it wasn’t without drama. Michael Arroyo singled on a soft fly-ball blooper with one out. Lazaro Montes came up after Arroyo and grounded out on what may have been a double-play ball that unluckily deflected off of Quintana’s foot. Connor Norby was able to adjust and salvage the play to get a single out at first but the inning continued.
The third inning featured Quintana allowing a home run by Randy Arozarena that would land in, essentially, the same spot that Raleigh’s had in the first.
The Mariners weren’t done with just that homer, however, and Canzone would immediately reach base on a soft single to left once Arozarena finished his trot around the bases. Quintana got Raleigh to pop up for the second out of the inning before Julio Rodriguez singled and advanced Canzone to third.
Josh Naylor then hit a hard liner to right center field that would have been at least a double if not for a very difficult running catch from Cole Carrigg that ended the inning.
Quintana came back out for the fourth and was able to set down the side on just an additional 14 pitches. The only hard contact was a liner from Montes that was caught on a good play by Rumfield at first.
Given his long stint on the injured list, Quintana was relieved before the fifth after having reached 70 pitches. He ended his return outing with four innings pitched with three runs (all earned) on five hits and a single walk.
Speaking to reporters after the game Quintana did not hold back on what being able to finish the year on the mound meant to him:
“It’s huge for me. Especially when you have an elbow issue. I know the process I’ve been doing for a while and want to say thank you to the Colorado Rockies organization for giving me the chance to be back and waiting for me to be healthy. It was a long process and for me I just feel lucky and blessed to get this opportunity. I know how hard I’ve been working to be in this position right now but it’s huge to finish strong, to finish pitching and enjoy this time with the team. I missed it for a long time.”
The offense gets the job done
The first couple innings of the game for the Rockies lineup were relatively quiet. Connor Norby hit a soft single in the first, and Kyle Karros managed a walk in the second, but the rest of the Rockies lineup was unable to drive either in.
Jake McCarthy got the Rockies on the board in the third inning by taking advantage of a series of rushed throws from the Mariners defense.
First, he hit a very soft ground ball that Mariners catcher Raleigh attempted to field on his own but missed the mark with his spinning throw to first that sent the ball sailing to right field, allowing McCarthy to reach third base safely.
Norby came to the plate and hit a sacrifice fly to shallow right field. The throw from Canzone went to the plate in an attempt to catch McCarthy, and it looked like it was going to before it hit the ground just in front of the awaiting Raleigh, who failed to block it.
McCarthy came in to score the Rockies first run of the game.
The next couple innings saw Mariners starter Bryce Miller settle in with the Rockies hitters unable to find an answer. A Zac Veen walk was the only Rockies baserunner throughout either of the fourth or fifth innings.
As the Rockies lineup got its third look at Miller in the sixth, however, they appeared to finally be figuring him out. Norby struck out to start the inning but was followed by hard ground singles from both TJ Rumfield and Hunter Goodman to produce only their second runner in scoring position to that point.
With the scoring threat established, Miller was relieved by Carlos Vargas after 89 pitches. Vargas went on to get Cole Carrigg to ground into a fielder’s choice and induced a groundout from Karros to end the inning and the threat from the Rockies.
As deflating as the sixth inning felt at the time, it wouldn’t take long before the Rockies would once again get some runners in scoring position. In the seventh inning, everything started to fall apart for the Mariners pitching.
It started off innocently enough with a Mickey Moniak lineout and an innocuous single from Veen. Adael Amador came in to pinch hit for Tovar, and the wheels started to come off for Mariners reliever Vargas.
During the Amador at-bat Vargas appeared notably pre-occupied with attempting to keep Veen at first who ultimately didn’t attempt a steal. Amador, however, took the opportunity to smack a single of his own, and Vargas was pulled for Jose Ferrer.
McCarthy hit a sacrifice grounder that scored Veen. The inning should have ended the next batter after Norby hit a ground ball to third that was bobbled by Mariners third baseman Wilson. With the gifted extra out, Rumfield came to the plate and smacked an RBI single.
As Goodman and Carrigg prepared to hit, Mariners manager Dan Wilson puller Ferrer in favor of righty Cooper Criswell. Despite the platoon disadvantage, Goodman was able to work a walk that loaded the bases before Carrigg drove in the go-ahead runs on a single to shallow right center.
Karros walked the bases loaded again but the inning finally came to an end on a Moniak ground out to short. When the dust had settled on the seventh inning, the Rockies had scored four runs and were winning 5-3.
The bullpen seals the win
After Quintana exited following the fourth inning, Nick Frasso took over in the fifth to face the top of the Mariners lineup the third time through the order.
He induced a sharp lineout to third from Crawford before striking out Arozarena. Canzone worked a full count before Frasso walked him. Frasso didn’t allow the long at bat and having a runner on first phase him, however, and managed to strike out Raleigh to end the inning the very next batter.
Rodriguez hit a double on a liner to left to open the sixth against Frasso. It soon looked like trouble after Naylor hit a popfly to advance Rodriguez to third. Then came a hard line drive towards left field by Arroyo . . . that was intercepted by a leaping Karros at third. Before Rodriguez had time to react, Karros tagged third and ended the inning on an unassisted double play.
Juan Mejia took over in the seventh and promptly produced the quietest two innings for Mariners hitters in the game to that point.
Other than a soft two-out double to left field from Raleigh in the eighth, Mejia shut down every hitter that came to the plate for two straight innings. After the game, Schaeffer heaped praise on Mejia’s performance saying “Everyone knows that when he goes back out a second time that’s been a struggle for him. Tonight he was nails. Not a pitch under 97.”
It was an open quesiton as to who would take the ball in the ninth inning. According to manager Warren Schaeffer Jordan Romano was willing to pitch for a third day in a row but was “sick as a dog.” So, instead, Schaeffer turned to another reliever that had pitched both of the previous two games: Brennan Bernardino.
Even though their usual closer wasn’t available, the Rockies still took the opportunity to make a show of Bernardino entering for a save opportunity.
Benardino got Naylor to ground out to start the inning before Arroyo reached first on a fly ball to right. Bernardino ensured that the Mariners savior from Friday night would not repeat his ninth inning heroics for a second game in a row with a four-pitch strikeout of Montes.
A two-out strikeout from Wilson earned the Rockies their 57th win and Bernardino his third career save.
In the bottom of the third inning, Helton was invited into the Rockies television broadcast booth and talked about both the process of posing for the statue creation process joking that he “cramped up a little but” needing to hold his iconic pose for so long.
While Helton was watching McCarthy score the first Rockies run of the game, he spoke to his time on the 2007 Pennant-winning Rockies team and his celebration at catching the final out of the National League Championship series. About the fan response to that rare image of emotional response from him on the field Helton joked, “If I would have known it meant that much to people, I would’ve done it for 17 years. When you’re winning, it’s easy to be happy.”
Given how happy the crowd in the stands at Coors Field sounded tonight watching the Rockies win, Helton may just be on to something.
Up Next
Tomorrow night the Rockies will face the Mariners for the final time this season.
On the mound for the Rockies will be Tomoyuki Sugano facing Kade Anderson.
Carlos Beltrán said he loves what he is doing right now, which would complicate what he could be doing.
Beltrán, who is an adviser to president of baseball operations David Stearns in the Mets front office and is free to offer help throughout the organization without feeling obligated to be anywhere specific, is an obvious candidate to become the club’s next manager.
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He technically was the manager once, a short-lived stint, and Mets officials had talked to Beltrán about taking over for the fired Carlos Mendoza this season.
Beltrán declined then and was publicly noncommittal Saturday when asked about the prospect, with the club expected to begin a managerial search once the season is complete.
“Being a manager in Major League Baseball is a huge commitment — a very, very huge commitment,” Beltrán said before he was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame. “And I’m not saying that I’m not willing to take that commitment, but right now, at the position where I am today in life, I love to be a dad. I love to be a husband. I love to be involved in the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico.
“And being a manager, I would not be able to do that full time.”
Beltrán did not outright reject the notion and said he was not sure if he would interview.
“If I stay relevant in the game, and hopefully I continue to be around baseball teams, I could think about [managing] later on,” said Beltrán, who was hired for the job in November 2019 and resigned two months later amid the revelations about his role in the Astros sign-stealing scandal.
He eventually returned to the organization as an adviser to then-general manager Billy Eppler in early 2023, even if he was unofficially helping the club before then.
Carlos Beltrán’s wife puts his Mets Hall of Fame blazer on during his induction to the team’s Hall of Fame on Sept. 19, 2026 at Citi Field. Jason Szenes for New York Post
Fellow Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor said he lives on the Upper East Side because of Beltrán, whom he called upon being traded early in 2021 and hooked him up with a realtor.
When Lindor struggled in his first season in Queens, just as Beltrán had done, he leaned on Beltrán for advice.
Lindor and interim manager Andy Green responded similarly when asked about the possibility of Beltrán as the next Mets manager: Whatever Beltrán wants to do, they said, he will do well.
Carlos Beltrán waves to the crowd during his induction ceremony into the Mets Hall of Fame. Jason Szenes for New York Post
“If he decides to pursue it and if they feel like it’s going to be the best thing for the organization, I think he’s going to succeed at it,” Lindor said before the Mets’ 10-3 win over the Phillies. “He’s somebody that’s very respected, but to be a manager is not about respect. It’s about knowing the game and making the right moves at the right time and connecting with players, and I think he can do all of those.”
The Chicago Blackhawks took a trip up to St. Paul to take on the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. This was each team's first tilt in the 2026 NHL Preseason. Each squad has very specific goals for the 2026-27 season, but this game was each organization kicking things off in a low-key manner.
Both the Blackhawks and Wild took a mostly AHL-caliber group to the ice. There were a handful of veterans in each lineup, but it was mostly a non-NHL group overall. Despite this, each team played a well-played game that ended in overtime, 3-2 in favor of the Wild.
Arvid Soderblom made the start for the Blackhawks, while Calvin Pickard started for Minnesota. Each guy played the whole game, and each played well enough for their team to have a chance at winning.
Jeff Blashill said he was going to give Arvid Soderblom and Spencer Knight all of the preseason reps so that they are fully prepared for the NHL regular season. For Soderblom, this was a decent performance, abliet being against a lower-level lineup. With the extra time, he made 23 saves on 26 shots.
Kevin Korchinski appeared to score Chicago's first goal of the game, but it was later credited to Dominic Toninato on a redirect. It was the type of play where Korchinski was a late man in on the rush before receiving a pass and shooting it.
This assist was only one small part of his game against the Wild. In 25:15 of ice time, which was the most of any player on either team, he made good passes, defended well, and showed poise in his in-game skating.
This match was an example of how good Korchinski can be. It appears right off the bat that he has improved over the summer. You can't help but wonder if he earned himself a shot at playing an exhibition game with the NHL club. He's in a position where a great preseason could earn him a roster spot, but an average (or worse) one will get him sent to Rockford.
Dillon Boucher scored Chicago's second goal, which eventually stood as the goal they needed to get the game pushed to overtime.
AJ Spellacy is one player who deserves some additional praise, despite not being on the scoresheet. Later in his career, he may be a goal-scoring middle-six forward regularly, but if he plays in the NHL this year, he will be on the penalty kill and in the bottom six with a certain role to fulfill.
In this game against the Wild, Spellacy did all of that. He was hard to play against at even strength and was one of their better penalty-killing forwards in the game. The Wild found it difficult to generate offense on the man-advantage when he was out there.
Now that this road game was completed with a mostly AHL-caliber lineup for both sides, you can expect to see some of their stars when they meet next.
The Chicago Blackhawks are officially underway in the preseason. They will match up with the Minnesota Wild again on Monday, but this time it will be at the United Center in Chicago.
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After the 2025-26 season ended, both Mike Sullivan and Chris Drury emphasized the New York Rangers’ need to add a puck-moving defenseman.
They did so by acquiring Sean Durzi from the Utah Mammoth on July 1 in a trade centered on Vincent Trocheck.
Between his time with the Los Angeles Kings and the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth, Durzi has been known for his puck-moving abilities and takes pride in that part of his game.
“I take pride in giving a flat pass, on the tape, on time,” Durzi emphasised. “I know when that is. The forward knows when that is, and that's something that comes with getting used to the guys… It’s about utilizing my puck-moving ability within our system, and that’s the important thing.”
A key factor in the Rangers going out and acquiring Durzi had to do with his skating skills and high offensive instincts for a blueliner.
Because of Durzi’s mobility, Sullivan expects to utilize him in a multitude of different ways, and envisions him playing a lot of minutes.
“I think he has good offensive instincts, he can pass the puck, we knew that when we got him,” Sullivan said of Durzi. “I think that was one of the things that attracted us to him. He’s a real competitive guy as well. I’ve learned that in the short time that we’ve been together. I think he’s going to help us five-on-five offensively, he’s going to help us with breakouts, getting out of our endzone clearer. I think he’s going to help us with his skating ability, joining the rush. He’s in great shape. I can tell in the first three days, he’s a guy that can eat minutes.”
“As far as how we use him on special teams, he’s a guy who is very capable on a power play. And I think with his competitiveness, he’s got a good stick and mobility, I can see him being a big part of the penalty kill as well.”
Durzi averaged the most time on ice of his career during the 2023-24 season with the Coyotes when he played 22:43 minutes per game, leading all Coyotes players.
During that season, Durzi served as the team’s No. 1 defenseman on the power play, so while Fox will preside over that spot with the Rangers, Durzi is in a prime position to earn a role on the second power-play unit.
The 27-year-old defenseman emphasized that he feels comfortable playing on both phases of special teams.
“I played it (the power play) my whole career in the NHL,” Durzi said. “I take pride in special teams, power play and PK. If I'm needed there, blocking shots has been a strong suit of mine. Whatever the situation is, if I'm playing power play, if I'm playing PK, I'm here to you know do it to the best of my ability.”
Over the first three days of training camp, Durzi has been paired with Marcus Pettersson, who was also acquired by the Rangers over the summer.
Durzi and Pettersson will likely make up the Rangers’ second defensive pairing to kick off the season, as Sullivan has taken an extensive look at them playing alongside each other at training camp.
“I think they’ve been one of the better pairs that we’ve had together out there,” Sullivan said. “They seem to complement each other really well. They defend well, they made some plays, they made some outlet plays. They are not just out the glass and out guys I think just their ability to move the puck has been evident and on display for the first few days here.
“We were going to explore it and see what it looked like, and so far we’ve liked what we’ve seen. I would anticipate them getting some looks in these exhibition games and then we’ll make decisions.”
Last season, the Rangers were lacking a reliable second pairing behind Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov, but the duo of Durzi and Pettersson provides an option to take pressure off of the team’s top pairing.
Durzi is pleased with the chemistry he’s been able to build with Pettersson so far in a short sample size.
“It’s been awesome,” Durzi said of playing with Pettersson. “I think the most important thing is, after every shift out here and every rep in practice, we're talking about it. ‘What do you think about that play? I should be here. I like the puck to be in that area.’ Just questions about the D-zone and the neutral zone, things like that. It's been great to have him. He's made the transition that much easier.”
Since being drafted in 2018, Durzi has been traded three separate times, so he’s grown accustomed to the business side of hockey.
After being able to decompress in the couple of months since being traded to New York, Durzi expressed his excitement to embark on this next chapter with the Rangers.
“Hockey-wise, I’m excited. There’s not much more you can ask for: original six team, a lot of history,” Durzi said. “Guys play with their hearts on their sleeves when you play for the Rangers, and that’s what I love to do. I’m pumped to be here. I’m focused and ready to go.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Josue De Paula #95 of the Los Angeles Dodgers scores on a Mookie Betts #50 single behind Andrew Knizner #19 of the San Francisco Giants, to take a 2-0 lead, during the second inning at Dodger Stadium on September 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers and San Francisco Giants kept things neck-and-neck through the first half of Saturday night’s contest, but the Dodgers rattled off six unanswered runs in a 10-4 victory.
After Tarik Skubal allowed a two-out walk to Giants designated hitter Victor Bericoto, Jung Hoo Lee attacked the first pitch he saw into the right-center field gap, but a diving play from Kyle Tucker got Skubal out of the inning with the game remaining scoreless.
Mookie Betts started things off in the bottom of the first inning with a leadoff double, and Max Muncy cashed him in with a two-strike, two-out RBI double to give the Dodgers the first lead of the game. Betts would come through again in the bottom of the second inning, lacing an RBI single the other way to plate Josue De Paula and make it a 2-0 Dodger lead.
Skubal worked his way around two baserunners for a scoreless top of the second inning, but after allowing a one-out single to Turner Hill in the top of the third inning, Bericoto launched a 3-2 fastball deep over the center field wall, tying the game at 2. Will Smith wasted no time giving the Dodgers the lead again, hammering a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the third inning, giving him his second home run in as many games.
The Giants responded with a pair of leadoff singles from Andrew Knizner and Osleivis Basabe to begin the top of the fourth inning. A bunt from Christian Koss moved both men into scoring position, and a squeeze bunt from Jonah Cox plated Knizner to tie the game at 3.
The Dodgers would get another one-run lead thanks to an RBI double from Mookie Betts in the bottom of the fourth inning— his second double and second RBI of the game. The Giants wouldn’t let Skubal settle in for the top of the fifth inning, as Bericoto and Lee both doubled to tie the game at four.
Saturday turned out to be Skubal’s worst outing of the season, let alone as a Dodger. Skubal managed to complete five innings of work but allowed a season-high four earned runs, while his three strikeouts on the night were the fewest in any start since striking out three on August 14 of last season against the Minnesota Twins.
Despite the poor start, the Dodgers put Skubal officially in line for the win as Teoscar Hernández ignited a two-out rally with an opposite-field single. Kyle Tucker and Josue De Paula each followed with a walk, and Tommy Edman snapped out of a 1-37 funk with a go-ahead, two-run single to give the Dodgers their first multi-run lead since the third. Miguel Rojas knocked a pinch-hit single to bring home De Paula, but Edman was thrown out at home attempting to make it a four-run inning.
Evan Phillips recorded the first clean inning of the night in relief of Skubal in the top of the sixth inning, and the Dodgers responded with another three-run inning, capitalized by a two-run single by De Paula and giving the Dodgers a six-run cushion.
After a scoreless inning from Alex Vesia in the seventh inning, Edwin Díaz came in for his second consecutive game since returning from injury, pitching a scoreless top of the eighth inning while picking up a pair of strikeouts.
Mookie Betts finished Saturday going 4-4 with three doubles and two RBI, reaching base five times after a walk in the seventh inning. Betts is now 10-12 (.833 average) over his last three games with three doubles, two home runs and five RBI.
With their win over the Giants, the Dodgers maintain a four-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the no. 2 seed in the National League. They still trail the Milwaukee Brewers by two games for the top seed.
The Dodgers wrap things up against San Francisco on Sunday (1:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA) before hosting the San Diego Padres for their final regular season home series beginning Tuesday. Both teams have yet to announce their starters.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 18: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with Mike Yastrzemski #18 and Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 after defeating the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on September 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Braves now have a magic number of 1 for the division title and it would take a collapse of truly epic proportions for them to lose the division at this point. While they do of course have to avoid that collapse, it’s fair to say that they can turn their eyes to the postseason and prioritize lining things up optimally for their playoff appearance. Lean on non-playoff starters a little longer to preserve the bullpen, lean on those low leverage arms a bit more, give your stars a day or two off. This next week is about what happens in the week afterward.
PHOENIX — On a night that began with the Diamondbacks honoring the 25th anniversary of their 2001 team that won the World Series against the Yankees, they paid tribute again a few hours later to deliver some more nightmares back in New York.
It was by no means Luis Gonzalez versus Mariano Rivera, nor a bloop over a drawn-in infield.
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But it was a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth, with Pavin Smith belting a two-run shot off Michael Fulmer to sink the Yankees in a 5-3 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday night in front of 47,918 nostalgic fans at Chase Field.
This one did not end the Yankees’ season, but it did put another dent in their chances of winning the American League East, which are shrinking by the day — now trailing the Rays by five games with eight games to play.
“It’s going to be tough,” said Cam Schlittler, who looked human by his standards while giving up three runs (one earned) across six innings. “I think we’ve had opportunities all season to put ourselves ahead, and we haven’t done a great job of that. Still a chance, but we got to play our asses off a little bit.”
Even after Saturday’s loss, the Yankees (89-65) have won 25 of their last 39 games and yet, during that span, have dropped a half-game further behind the Rays.
Three hours before first pitch here, multiple Yankees sat in the visiting clubhouse tuned into the Rays and Red Sox game with vested interest in the two teams surrounding them in the standings.
The Rays eventually walked off with a 2-1 win, which at least allowed the Yankees to remain 5 ¹/₂ games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card.
Arizona’s Pavin Smith belts a two-run walk-off homer in the ninth in the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Diamondbacks on Sept. 19, 2026 in Phoenix. Getty Images
But even with a four-game showdown against the Rays looming when they get home, the Yankees may need a miracle to catch them for the division.
“If we sweep [the Rays], then it gets interesting,” manager Aaron Boone said. “But can’t sweep before [Sunday’s] game, so we got to get ready for [Sunday’s] game and hopefully go out and finish off what’s been a good trip out West. That’s all we can control right now.”
In his penultimate start of the regular season, Schlittler gave up more than one run for the first time since Aug. 3.
Two bunts and a brief lack of command opened the door just enough for the Diamondbacks (81-74) to get to him, though Schlittler still finished the night with a 1.94 ERA across 190 ²/₃ innings, leaving him in the driver’s seat for the AL Cy Young Award.
Cam Schlittler allowed three runs over six innings and received a no-decision in the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. Getty Images
The Yankees had a prime chance to break a scoreless game open in the top of the fifth inning, when they loaded the bases with one out against Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.
But manager Torey Lovullo, in a sign of how desperate his club is in trying to stay alive in the National League wild-card race, went to the bullpen for hard-throwing righty Justin Martinez.
The move worked, as Martinez limited the damage to just a sacrifice fly from Ben Rice, which put the Yankees ahead 1-0 before Cody Bellinger flew out to end the threat.
Austin Wells celebrates with teammates in the dugout after belting a solo home run in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ loss to the Diamondbacks. AP
The Diamondbacks’ first hit off Schlittler came on Nolan Arenado’s bloop broken-bat single with one out in the fifth. Tim Tawa then laid down a bunt to the left of the mound, which Schlittler tried to field himself but bobbled, never even getting a throw off to first base.
Then with two outs, Schlittler got ahead 1-2 on No. 9 hitter Jordan Lawlar before leaving a 99 mph fastball over too much of the plate, as Lawlar smoked it to the gap for a two-run triple that put the Diamondbacks ahead 2-1.
“I wouldn’t say I really gave [my team] a chance,” Schlittler said. “That one’s kind of on me. I’ll take the blame for that. Made an error, let up two runs.”
Heliot Ramos and Austin Wells answered with solo home runs off righty reliever Kevin Ginkel to regain a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth before Schlittler opened the bottom of the frame with eight straight balls. Geraldo Perdomo followed with another bunt to the left of the mound, and this time Ryan McMahon could not get a clean handle on it, loading the bases with no outs.
Corbin Carroll then hit a sacrifice fly that tied the game 3-3.
After Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn provided the bridge to the ninth, Boone called on Fulmer, not wanting to use closer David Bednar for two innings. But one out after a leadoff walk, he left a cutter over the plate to Smith, who clobbered it to walk it off.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 19: Jordan Lawlar #10 of the Arizona Diamondbacks reacts after hitting a two-RBI triple against starting pitcher Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees during fifth inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on September 19, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One would figure that with Cam Schlittler going on Saturday night, this would be the game for the Yankees to win if they had any hope for a last-ditch AL East comeback, but something about Arizona wore down the likely Cy Young Award winner tonight. The Snakes were pesky, annoying, and other terms my editors won’t let me use while in the batter’s box tonight, finally breaking through on a Pavin Smith walk-off home run, to win it, 5-3.
Right off the top, I need to be grumpy about something. Nobody likes West Coast games and nobody likes the fact that every time the Yankees are on the West Coast, they play more night games than day games. This goes double for West Coast Yankee fans, because the beautiful thing about cheering for an East Coast team is that they start playing when you get off work, or when you’re just finishing your Saturday morning coffee, the game takes three hours and you have the evening to yourself. That doesn’t happen on these trips.
Now, the Diamondbacks were celebrating the only World Series title in history, 25 years ago this season. I get it, you want to have a special event, the team isn’t very good so the end of the season starts to drag a little bit, you want a little spice. I even respect the cheek of waiting until the Yankees are in town. What I don’t respect is being completely incapable of running a functioning ceremony. The Yankees have Old-Timers’ Day every year, they designate a special start time and at that time, the festivities have concluded and we can get down to the reason we’re all here, to watch a baseball game, which I don’t think is an unreasonable expectation at a baseball stadium with a baseball team in town.
The Diamondbacks started their pregame ceremonies at 4:30pm local time, with a scheduled 5:10pm first pitch. They absolutely blew past that in a way that, in my opinion, was both unprofessional and downright insulting. The four clocks I have ready access to in my apartment agreed: Brandon Pfaadt didn’t throw his first offering to Ben Rice until 5:42pm. This was an absolute joke of a start to the series’ second game. That all this happened in a city I’m predisposed to dislike already was…whatever the anti-cherry on top. I also firmly don’t like the existence of Phoenix as a city in general so I was always going to be ticked off watching this one.
I said in the game thread that we had maybe begun to develop outsized expectations for Cam Schlittler. He’s been so good, for long enough, that we needed to remember the player on the other team all drive nice cars and live in nice houses too. While Cam did get through 4.1 innings without allowing a hit, the Diamondbacks pushed a pair of runs across in the fifth. Nolan Arenado reached with a one-out single, before Tim Tawa attempted to give himself up with a sac bunt. Schlittler couldn’t corral what should have been an out though, an error that put two men on, and No. 9 hitter Jordan Lawlar made him pay:
Funnily enough, because Schlittler was charged with that error, both of the runs were unearned, and he still hasn’t allowed more than a single earned run in eight starts now. He entered with a 1.95 ERA and departed with a 1.94 despite a more uneven outing than the norm. The Yankees would tie the game the next inning, but all those extra pitches taxed his right arm, and I think had a major impact on what would happen in the sixth.
Speaking of tying the game, Heliot Ramos was brought to New York because of his opposite-field power. He stunk in his first taste of East Coast baseball, but has looked much more representative in his last 20 games, and flexed that oppo pop within moments of Schlittler getting back in the dugout:
Corbin Carroll ran down a sinking Anthony Volpe liner for the second out. It was a very nice play that loomed larger when Austin Wells stepped to the plate:
Wells is getting hot at the right time, with three home runs in his last five games and he’s actually been a league average hitter since August 1st! The nice thing about being a good defensive catcher is if you can just not embarrass yourself at the plate, you’re a major asset for your team.
The good vibes only lasted until Schlittler got back on the mound though. I think the error and the triple shook him up a little, and we’ve seen this happen before. Cam is a high-energy guy, and when that energy is less than positive I do think he gets a little in his own head and starts to overthrow. He walked the first two batters of the inning on eight total pitches, completely uncompetitive at-bats that are just so out of whack with what he’s done so far this season.
A soft Geraldo Perdomo bunt with two strikes loaded the bases, and Cam did seem to lock in at that point. Corbin Carroll did bring in the third Snakes run of the game — and the only earned for Cam — but the ace got both Arenado and Tawa to whiff to end the threat. It was a weird one for Schlittler tonight, but six innings and one earned run is what the line reads.
The bullpen wasn’t exactly dynamite in Cam’s stead; the Diamondbacks have the third-lowest strikeout rate in baseball and their ability to grind out at-bats showed, even if the Yankees got through eight innings keeping the game tied at three. This was a long, miserable game, and wasn’t helped by the fact the Yankees couldn’t really find the nine-run spark that they showed on Friday.
If nothing else, I got to re-hate Michael Fulmer, and all those feelings from 2016 sprung forth anew. He walked the leadoff batter to open the ninth, and gave up the walk-off dinger to Pavin Smith:
The division race is functionally over with the Rays’ win earlier today, as they restored their five-game lead. Get yourself set for the Wild Card, lock up home-field advantage for that series, and don’t get yourselves hurt. The Yankes finish this series tomorrow with Will Warren on the hill. First pitch is supposedly at 4:10pm Eastern, but we’ll see.
The Yankees were walked off on Saturday night by the Arizona Diamondbacks, losing by a score of 5-3.
Here are the key takeaways...
-- We pick this one up in the fifth inning after both teams couldn’t get anything going through the first four. Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe opened the frame with back-to-back singles and Jose Caballero loaded the bases with another single. Ben Rice followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home the game’s first run and give New York a 1-0 lead.
-- The lead was short lived, though, after the Diamondbacks scored two in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run triple by Jordan Lawler. Both runs were unearned against Cam Schlittler who didn’t help his own cause with a fielding error on a sacrifice bunt in the inning.
-- New York quickly tied things up in the sixth on Heliot Ramos’ solo home run and then re-took the lead after Wells hit his 13th dinger of the season. Both long balls came against reliever Kevin Ginkel after starter Brandon Pfaadt went 4.1 innings.
-- However, Schlittler couldn’t make it stick and immediately allowed another run in the bottom half of the inning after loading the bases with no outs on two walks and a single before Corbin Carroll’s sacrifice fly.
-- The right-hander struck out the next two batters to end his night. His final line: 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K on 98 pitches (61 strikes). He lowered his season ERA to 1.94.
-- Things stayed knotted at 3 apiece until the bottom of the ninth when Pavin Smith walked things off with a two-run homer off reliever Michael Fulmer.
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 19: Starting pitcher Bryce Miller #50 of the Seattle Mariners throws against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at Coors Field on September 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Confession time: I didn’t expect the Mariners to win this game against the Rockies, but not in the way the Mariners did eventually lose this game to the Rockies. Not to sugarcoat things, 2026 Bryce Miller has been a rough watch this season, almost as rough as watching the 2026 Mariners. Miller has been on a particularly tough stretch of road lately, and the combination of 2026 Miller plus Coors Field felt like a recipe for a true TOT (Tough One Tonight). It did become a TOT eventually, but none of that was Miller’s fault.
Instead, Bryce Miller turned in his best start since…July 31st against the Twins? I’m actually going to argue this was significantly better than that start, as Miller gave up no earned runs – the one blemish against him wasn’t his fault, coming as a result of two errors by his catcher and right fielder that resulted in a free run for the Rockies.
Other than that, Miller did markedly better in several key performance indicators: he still collected five strikeouts, but he was more efficient with his pitch count, able to work into the sixth inning for the first time since August 12th against the Yankees. A primary way he was able to do this was by competing better in the zone, cutting down his walks and being more aggressive on the plate, putting his five-walk performance against the A’s behind him and issuing just two walks (still not ideal, but better). Miller did some especially effective sequencing, setting up his four-seamer up in the zone with his splitter and cutter before going to the kill shot at the top of the zone. Here’s a good example of this: he has Rumfield 0-2 having gone four-seam in, a splitter up but on the plate for a called strike two, another split Rumfield, late, fouled off, and then he goes top rail with the heater for the K:
Miller talked postgame about how he planned pregame knowing that his splitter and slider were two pitches that work well in the high-altitude environment of Coors Field, but his primary focus this week was on getting back his fastball command and “putting it where it needs to go.” All those pitches worked well together tonight, and when the Rockies did make contact, it wasn’t hard contact – he had just one hard-hit ball against him, from power threat Hunter Goodman, in the first inning, that landed harmlessly in Julio Rodríguez’s glove, and then nothing after that.
“He was a different guy out there tonight,” said manager Dan Wilson postgame, to which I say yes and no: he wasn’t 2026 Bryce Miller, but he was the version of Bryce we’ve seen in the past. That’s good!
Unfortunately, because this is the 2026 Mariners and nothing can be just Good, the offense and bullpen couldn’t back up Miller’s strong start. On the one hand, the offense was extremely unlucky; the Mariners’ xBA in this game was, in the eighth inning, .278 to the Rockies’ .213. On the other hand, it’s literally the Rockies pitching staff, guys, and the Rockies were starting José Quintana, who is old enough to have had an AIM screen name, making his first start since May 24th. So. That plus some sloppy defensive play – pick a struggle, fellas – adds up to a pretty disappointing loss.
Thanks to Miller’s strong start, the Mariners were actually able to hold on to a lead in this game until the seventh. They got on the board early after Dominic Canzone smartly worked a two-out walk in the first and Cal Raleigh followed that up by absolutely demolishing a 3-1 sinker in the fat part of the plate. Initially this ball was ruled to have traveled 472 feet before the no-fun Statcast folks walked it back to a mere 459, but that’s still the longest homer of Cal’s career by the length of about one Cooper Criswell, or two Brock Roddens in a trenchcoat.
Put this in the dictionary for “no-doubter.”
But other than a Randy Arozarena solo homer – his 26th, as he continues to push towards a career-high in long balls – the Mariners offense was silent. Again, though, that was enough, until it wasn’t. The Rockies were able to tie things up in the seventh simply by exploiting the Mariners’ greatest weakness: putting the ball in play and forcing them to play defense. Zac Veen singled against Carlos Vargas, who threw Veen a cutter right in the heart of the plate, followed by another single to pinch-hitter Adael Amador, who got a hold of a sinker on the plate in a full count. With just one out and the lead still a narrow two runs, Dan Wilson brought in José Ferrer to try to get some ground ball outs. He did get Jake McCarthy to ground out softly, but it was essentially a functional bunt allowing Veen to score. Connor Norby then tapped a nubber on a slider right down the middle to Weston Wilson at third, who looked like he slipped a little trying to field the ball, extending the inning. That proved costly when TJ Rumfield singled on the fist pitch he saw from Ferrer, another sinker on the plate, bringing home the game-tying run. Wilson went to the bullpen again, this time summoning Cooper Criswell, who walked the first hitter he saw, Hunter Goodman, the best power threat in the Rockies’ lineup, bringing up hotheaded but impressive young rookie Cole Carrigg. (How dire was it? Cal Raleigh, not the cozy-touchiest catcher in baseball, put his arm around Criswell during the post-walk mound meeting.) In a full count, Criswell delivered a pitch right on the plate and Carrigg hit it into center for a two-run single. 5-3 Rockies, and that’s where things would stay as the Mariners offense continued to sputter and falter.
At this point, a loss is just a loss as we continue to march towards the end of this cursed season. It’s a bummer to have wasted a good outing from Bryce Miller, but hopefully Miller will be able to carry some of this momentum forward. Tomorrow Kade Anderson takes the ball, and I have a similarly bad feeling about the rookie in Coors Field. Hopefully I’ll be as wrong about that as I was about this, but maybe with a slightly better outcome for the offense. And as a reminder, if you’re in the Seattle area, come join us tomorrow for some silly fun times on the softball field plus a postgame watch party at Growler Guys. We promise it’ll be more fun than the 2026 Mariners season.
But with rain in the forecast on Sunday — expected to start in the morning and last throughout the day — Rose made Saturday count like it was his last.
“I don’t want to think that this was it, even though in my mind I’ve kind of treated today as though it might well be,” Rose said after the Mets’ 10-3 win over the Phillies. “Whether we play tomorrow, or they play tomorrow or not, I just preemptively want to say how much you all mean to me.”
If all goes as planned, the Mets will hold a retirement ceremony on the field Sunday while the first 15,000 fans will receive a notebook and scorecard with Rose’s signature “put it in the books” call.
"Just know that I love you all."@HowieRose signs off from tonight's broadcast, which could be his final one in the Mets radio booth pic.twitter.com/yYLTEHLjE6
Growing up a Mets fan in Queens during the team’s nascent years, Rose, who also spoke to the crowd at Carlos Beltrán’s induction into the Mets Hall of Fame on Saturday, took the time in his nearly four-minute closing monologue to shout out his fellow born-and-bred fans.
“Any one of you could sit where I’m sitting here in this booth because we have very similar backgrounds,” Rose said. “I grew up in the upper deck at Shea Stadium, many of you sit in the upper deck here or sat somewhere here or at Shea Stadium. But the point is that I feel like I know you. And more importantly, I feel like you know me.”
Mets radio announcer Howie Rose talks to the fans during Carlos Beltrán induction ceremony into the team’s Hall of Fame on Sept. 19, 2026 at Citi Field. Jason Szenes for New York Post
Rose — known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the Mets and baseball in general — hearkened back to fellow broadcasting legend Vin Scully, who penned in a letter to fans before his final broadcast: “I needed you more than you needed me.”
“I didn’t understand that when he said it,” Rose said of Scully’s words. “But reading the comments to everything that’s been written — whether in the newspapers or online or broadcast anywhere else — to hear the love that you’ve sent to my family and me, I think I know what Vin meant now.”
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Rose also told fans this wouldn’t be it.
After Sunday’s scheduled ceremony honoring him, he expects to be called back for various events — and maybe even a cameo or two in the booth.
But if Saturday was goodbye for now, he had one has parting message for fans.
“Just know that I love you all,” Rose said, seeming to hold back tears as he signed off.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 19: Dylan Crews #3 of the Washington Nationals catches a fly ball against the St. Louis Cardinals in the third inning at Busch Stadium on September 19, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You would be forgiven if you felt a bit of Deja vu watching Saturday night’s St. Louis Cardinals game as it felt a lot like Friday night’s game as the Washington Nationals jumped out to another quick lead early against Michael McGreevy. It would become a much different game at the end, though. Late in the game the Nationals would do everything they could to help St. Louis including numerous errors and base physics would even come to the Cardinals rescue, but only until the game would slip away in extras.
By the time McGreevy had the first out in the top of the 1st inning, the Washington Nationals would already be leading 2-0. James Wood led off with a single followed by a Dylan Lile who lifted an 88 mph Michael McGreevy cutter and deposited it into the plants just above the center field wall for a 2-run homer. To add injury to insult, Nathan Church slammed into the centerfield wall in the process and took a few minutes to get up and be checked out by manager Oli Marmol and the trainer to make sure he could stay in the game. McGreevy would throw 34 pitches before the top of the 1st mercifully ended with the Nationals only scoring 2 runs as they threatened to score more stranding runners on first and third.
While we’re on the topic of stranding runners, let’s talk about the St. Louis Cardinals bottom of the 1st. It looked like there might be hope of an immediate bounce-back from that top of the 1st when Ivan Herrera drilled a one-out single to left. After Jordan Walker struck out, the Washington Nationals did everything they could to help the Cardinals create a rally as their shortstop Nasim Nuñez sailed a throw into (or it might have been over) the St. Louis Cardinals dugout when Leo Bernal grounded to short. Nationals pitcher also was charitable as he walked Thomas Saggese to load the bases, but Masyn Winn struck out further elevating the Cardinals RISP numbers.
As Michael McGreevy’s pitch count climbed into the high 80’s, he was taken out of the game after 4 innings. Justin Bruihl took over in the top of the 5th and had no issues shutting the Nationals down 1-2-3 with some help from Masyn Winn.
Bruihl would continue until 1-out in the top of the 6th when he left the game with one runner on base as Luis Gastelum was brought in. He would end up running into trouble as Chaparro reaching on an infield single. After Ruiz grounded into a fielder’s choice, Nuñez would also reach on an infield single scoring Vivas and giving the Nationals a 3-0 lead. Brycen Mautz was brought in to get the Cardinals out of that jam and he would also pitch his way out of a two-on potential Nationals rally in the top of the 7th escaping with no runs allowed.
That would prove important as the Cardinals would be given more gifts by Washington in the bottom of the 7th inning. Masyn Winn would reach on a throwing error by third baseman Vivas to leadoff the inning. After Nathan Church grounded out advancing Winn to second, Pedro Pages reached on an infield dribbler that the Nationals reliever Lovelady sailed over the first baseman’s head into right field scoring Winn and giving the Cardinals their first run making it 3-1 Washington. After Victor Scott II struck out, Jose Fermin came through with a clutch two-out single scoring Pedro and reducing the Washington lead to just 1 at 3-2 after 7 innings.
Brycen Mautz would pitch into the top of the 8th inning that would also include Ryne Stanek who would get the final two outs of the inning. After the Cardinals could not mount any kind of rally in the bottom of the 8th inning, George Soriano came in to keep the game close in the top of the 9th inning and he was successful.
For St. Louis to rally in the bottom of the 9th, it would depend on the bottom of the Cardinals lineup getting something started. Church, Pages and Scott II were the scheduled batters. The Nationals brought in Erik Tolman to try and lock down a Washington win. An inanimate object would smile upon the Cardinals fate in the bottom of the 9th when a ball hit up the middle by Nathan Church would careen off of second base into short left field allowing Church to reach scoring position at second to leadoff the inning. Pages was apparently given bunting orders at least for the first two strikes. Fortunately, after two unsuccessful attempts, Pedro snuck a single into left field which tied the game at 3-3.
JJ Wetherholt was brought in as the pinch-runner representing the potential winning run at first base. Manager Oli Marmol then sent up Alec Burleson to pinch-hit for Victor Scott II. Alex unfortunately struck out for the first out. That brought up Jose Fermin who managed to poke a single through the hole between second base and first moving Wetherholt up to scoring position at second. The Nationals decided to remove Tolman from the game bringing in RHP Cruz to face Herrera, but on the third pitch he nailed Ivan with a 100 mph fastball which loaded the bases for the very overdue Jordan Walker. All Jordan needed was a sacrifice fly to win the game for St. Louis. Unfortunately, he struck out even after the Nationals dropped a popup trying to gift the Cardinals another opportunity. All Leo Bernal could manage with the bases loaded and two out was a groundout to second to send the game into extras.
Riley O’Brien was the Cardinals pitcher for the top of the 10th inning as Tena was the Nationals “free” runner at second base to start extra innings. Riley got Abrams to fly out to start the 10th without advancing the runner and then he struck out Crews for the second out. However, Vivas smacked a single through the hole at short which scored Tena and giving the Nationals a 4-3 lead. The throw from Fermin in left did not come to second base which allowed Vivas to move up to second into scoring position. Riley O’Brien was able to overcome that by striking out Morales to end the Washington 10th.
Washington brought in Riley Cornelio for the bottom of the 10th. Leo Bernal was the Cardinals “free” runner at second. Thomas Saggese was first up with the goal of at least moving Bernal up to third. He managed that with a infield groundout that went over the pitcher and was handled by their third baseman. Masyn Winn tied the game with a single down the right field line, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Nathan Church was the Cardinals last hope to keep this game from going into an 11th inning. That hope was squashed as he lined out softly to short. 4-4 tie game as the Cardinals and Nationals dug deeper into the bullpens.
Gordon Graceffo was given the top of the 11th inning responsibilities. Morales was the free runner at second for Washinton. Ruiz led off the inning with a single to left which moved Morales to third with no outs. Nasim Nuñez was next up for Washington. He was walked by Graceffo which loaded the bases with no outs with the top of the Nationals order coming up. With Jacob Young at the plate, the Nationals would challenge a 2-2 strike call alleging catcher’s interference and replay would prove that true giving Young first base and Washington a 5-4 lead still with no outs. Graceffo would give the Cardinals hope as he struck out Lile for the first out. However, that hope would be short-lived as Tena would slap a single into left-center giving Washington a 7-4 lead. The Cardinals chose to walk Abrams intentionally to load the bases which brought up Dylan Crews. He lined a ball into the right-centerfield gap which looked like it would go to the wall, but Jordan Walker made a remarkable catch as it resulted in just a sacrifice fly scoring another run making it 8-4 Nationals, but it could have been a lot more.
The Cardinals bottom of the 11th would start with Nathan Church as the free runner at second base and JJ Wetherholt leading off. He smoked a single up the middle easily scoring Church and making it 8-5. Alec Burleson was next up for St. Louis. He hit a single up the middle in almost the exact same spot as JJ giving the Cardinals the tying run up to the plate in Jose Fermin with no outs. Cornelio ended up walking him to load the bases bringing up the potential winning run at the plate. Ivan Herrera unfortunately struck out for the first out. Jordan Walker was next. Could he make the tarps off crowd in right field go out of their minds with a moonshot? Well, that would have made a great moment, but it didn’t happen as Jordan struck out on yet another sweeper. Leo Bernal was the Cardinals final hope as the Nationals brought in RHP Will Dion to turn the switch-hitting Bernal around batting from the right side. Bernal popped out to right to end the game which turned out to be interesting at least.
The St. Louis Cardinals will wrap up their final homestand of the season Sunday as Quinn Mathews gets the start for the Cardinals while the Washington Nationals will assign starting duties to RHP Jake Irvin. First pitch is scheduled for 1:15pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
