Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt completed his second rehab start on Wednesday, as he makes his way back to the big league club.
While it was an overall success, Schmidt pitched into trouble in the first inning. After getting the first two outs, Lehigh Valley picked up back-to-back hits, the second being a double, to score the game's first run. Schmidt bounced back by getting Alex Binelas to fly out and strand a runner on second.
But that's all Schmidt would allow. In his second inning of work, Schmidt struck out two in a 1-2-3 frame to end his night.
Schmidt tossed 23 pitches (20 strikes), allowing one run on two hits and no walks across his two innings of work while striking out three batters.
Wednesday was an improvement on Schmidt's first rehab start. Pitching with Double-A Somerset on Aug. 29, Schmidt tossed just 20 pitches, allowing two runs on two hits in 0.2 innings while striking out two.
It's unclear if this will be Schmidt's final rehab start as the right-hander makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old said he felt good after his first rehab start and expects to be stretched out enough to pitch out of the bullpen when he's activated.
"Today was a lot sharper, I felt like," Schmidt said after the game. "Obviously in the first inning I gave up a couple of hits on the sinker. There’s different things I’m working on. The sinker I’m continuing to work on. The cutter was sharp and a lot of swing-and-miss on the four-seam."
Schmidt said Wednesday that he's just trying to get the rust off after 400-plus days on the shelf, and execute his pitches, but is also mindful of the transition to the bullpen and is trying to make those adjustments in these rehab starts.
“There’s a lot of different factors when you’re relieving," Schmidt said. "You go straight from the bullpen to jog in, lot less throws in the bullpen. Not as long of a sit-down period. Just getting used to those adjustments, just trying to make the transition as easy as possible."
With the injury to Fernando Cruz, the Yankees are looking to piece together a bullpen of former starters, which includes Schmidt and Luis Gil, who was activated this week.
🎙️ #Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt discusses his rehab outing with SWB after more than 400 days since he’s been on the mound.
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 28: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) prior to the game between the Detroit Tigers versus the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday August 28, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Dodgers finish off their home series against the St. Louis Cardinals with Tarik Skubal on the mound on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.
Skubal in his first month with the Dodgers had a 3.00 ERA in five starts and 30 innings, with 37 strikeouts (a 30.6-percent strikeout rate) against only seven walks, and two home runs allowed. This will also be Skubal’s first Dodgers start with Will Smith behind the plate, but not his first time pitching to Smith. On March 7 at Daikin Park in Houston, Skubal allowed a solo home run in three innings and struck out five against Great Britain.
Left-hander Quinn Mathews is expected to be on the mound for the Cardinals, making his fifth major league start. Expect Tommy Edman to be back at second base after a few games in center field to begin the series.
INGLEWOOD, CA - OCTOBER 23: Steve Ballmer smiles before the game between the Phoenix Suns and the LA Clippers on October 23, 2024 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
In a decision we’ve been waiting nearly a year to hear, the NBA has finally ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers circumvention investigation. The case was originally uncovered by Pablo Torre and centered on Kawhi Leonard and Aspiration, a company that allegedly paid Leonard to serve as an ambassador while potentially functioning as a mechanism to provide him additional compensation outside of his Clippers contract.
The decision came down today. And the penalty was significant.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania:
“The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe — stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker, sources tell ESPN.
Kawhi Leonard will have to pay $700,000 in restitution for improper benefits by the Clippers for his uncle and former business rep, Dennis Robertson. No contract void or suspension for Leonard. And Robertson — who was fired by Leonard in June — is being banned by the NBA from all business dealings”
BREAKING: The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe — stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence… pic.twitter.com/JCV5bI88BE
“The Clippers shall forfeit five first-round draft picks, one in each of the 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033 NBA Drafts.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is suspended from all league and team activities for one year for knowingly seeking to help Mr. Leonard obtain off-court income opportunities, for approving a business deal that he knew was a precondition for Aspiration to enter into an endorsement agreement with Mr. Leonard, and for his failure to create conditions under which his organization abided by the NBA’s circumvention rules.
Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker is suspended without pay for one year for being primarily and directly culpable for the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for providing false and misleading statements to investigators.
Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank is suspended without pay for six months for his involvement with the impermissible endorsement arrangements and for approving impermissible expenses incurred by Mr. Leonard and his family.
The Clippers organization and personnel are subject to a compliance and monitoring program overseen by the league office for a period of five years.”
Let me start by saying holy shit. This is one of those events you will certainly remember for years to come, and if you support Clippers blue and red, you are devastated. I don’t envy anyone involved, from the fanbase to the front office, from The Wall to Ballmer’s crapper stall. This is a story of greed, rule-bending, deception, and corruption. It’s a black eye for the NBA and a death sentence in the City of Angels.
The Clippers are no longer a viable threat for more than half a decade moving forward. They’ve been stripped of assets and significantly limited in how they can operate. And for what? For a player who could help sell tickets and help usher in a new arena in Inglewood? For a team that still never made it out of the Western Conference, with its best chance coming in 2021 before the Phoenix Suns ended it? As if giving up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t a big enough kick in the gonads, they did all of this and won 23 playoff games in 7 seasons.
The tally for the Clippers getting Kawhi is now 10 first-round picks, two-swaps and SGA https://t.co/qi7S4XLNfA
As Carl Spacker once uttered, “So I got that goin’ for me, which is nice”.
The saga is over, and personally? I’m pleased with the result. Because it showcases accountability, something I wasn’t convinced we would fully see when this decision eventually came down. After all, Steve Ballmer is the richest owner in the NBA, and there was always the possibility that the league would hand down what amounted to a slap on the wrist for circumventing the cap. I’m no lawyer. This isn’t a court of law, it’s a court of opinion. But based on everything Pablo Torre reported, it certainly appeared there was enough evidence to suggest that something wasn’t right and that the spirit of the rules had been violated in Los Angeles. And now, apparently, that has been validated.
Again, that’s something I wasn’t convinced would happen. We live in a time where circumvention, lack of accountability, and corruption seem to run rampant in plenty of corners of the world. Apparently, you don’t need approval from Congress if you don’t call it a war, even when every opportunity is taken to call it a war, know what I mean? A lack of accountability compromises integrity, and that’s not only frustrating but also exhausting. Because so many people try to do things the right way. And when those who don’t are allowed to skate by without consequences, it wears on you.
That’s what I was worried about here. But it didn’t happen. It was nice for the system to work, at least from my narrow-viewed, uninformed perspective. It looks and feels like justice to me. If you try to cheat, you will get burned, as well you should. It’s a reminder that rules exist for a reason. Playing by them has value. It has merit. It has integrity.
I know what you’re thinking, and you’re not wrong. Who am I to step up on a pedestal and start spouting off about cap circumvention and integrity in the NBA? Maybe that’s fair. But I’ll tell you what I am. I’m a fan who watches this sport. I’m someone who believes in fair play, and I’m someone who wants to know that everyone is operating on an even playing field. From there, teams can make their mistakes. Trust me, as a Phoenix Suns fan, I know plenty about mistakes. The difference is that those mistakes were self-inflicted. They weren’t made by trying to cheat the system.
“Integrity and respect for this game are fundamental to who I am. I accept full responsibility for lapses in judgment by people within my inner circle and regret the distraction this situation has caused the fans and my family.
I entered into my contract with the Clippers as well as the agreements in question in good faith, fully committed to fulfilling my obligations and with no knowledge of any intent on anyone’s part to circumvent the salary cap.
For 15 years, my priority has been giving everything to my family, the game, and those I share the court with. As I return to Toronto, I am focused on what I can control, closing this chapter, and moving forward with a clean slate.”
You may wonder where the accountability is for Leonard, considering $700,000 is essentially a rounding error to him and he won’t miss a single game. The decision was made by the team and the owner, not the player, although Leonard’s hands were certainly not clean in all of this. He is the one who cashed the checks.
The real punishment for Kawhi is that this is a legacy tarnisher. We probably won’t see the full implications of this today. Leonard will play basketball, collect his money, and eventually move on to the next season. But this story is going to follow him. Years from now, when people talk about Kawhi Leonard and his career, this will be part of the conversation. It will be referenced when his legacy is discussed. Father Time has a funny way of stripping away the noise and leaving behind the things that mattered. Trust me, he is going to look poorly upon Leonard’s role in this story.
“We vehemently reject the NBA’s findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence. What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it’s fairness and accuracy.
For the past year, we cooperated fully and in good faith and we will now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence.
We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process.”
What else would you expect them to say? Challenge it all you want, but the NBA doesn’t have an appeals process for this. The league made its decision, handed down the penalty, and that’s where it ends. There isn’t another door to knock on.
It’s a complex process, a complex investigation, and one that took nearly a year to complete. Perhaps it was a witch hunt. Perhaps the Clippers were presumed guilty rather than innocent. Those arguments will exist. But the fact remains that when you put yourself in bad situations, bad things can happen. And without a doubt, that is what occurred with the Clippers.
As a fan of the sport, I’m pleased that perceived accountability ultimately won out. We finally have an example where you can’t simply throw money and lawyers at a situation, circumvent the rules, and walk away scot free. You cheated. And this time, there were consequences.
That’s ultimately what matters here. Not whether the Clippers agree with the findings, or whether Ballmer can afford the $30 million. Umm…he can. The NBA investigated, reached a conclusion, and handed down consequences with actual teeth. Five first-round picks are gone. Executives are suspended. The franchise will carry this with it for years. Rules only matter when breaking them costs you something. The Clippers found out exactly what that cost looks like.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 02: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves bats during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alyssa McDaniel/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Alyssa McDaniel/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a three-run homer to become the fastest player in major league history to reach 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 9-0 on Wednesday.
Sean Murphy homered for the third time in five games, a three-run shot in the sixth inning that broke a scoreless tie in a game that was interrupted by a 1-hour, 25-minute rain delay in the fourth.
Acuña followed with a drive to left-center in the seventh, his 14th of the season, to make it 6-0. He needed 904 games to reach the 200/200 club. Alfonso Soriano set the previous record at 929 games in August of 2006 while playing for the Nationals against the Braves.
Acuña stole the 225th base of his career and 20th of the season, swiping second after his leadoff single in the sixth against Riley Cornelio (2-2), who struck out the next two batters. After Michael Harris II was walked intentionally, Murphy took Cornelio deep to left.
Acuña led off the fourth with a single off Nationals starter Brad Lord. A walk and an error loaded the bases before it started raining. When play resumed, Cornelio came in and retired Murphy and Mike Yastrzemski to escape the jam.
Grant Holmes needed only 26 pitches to retire the first nine Nationals before the delay. Dylan Dodd worked a scoreless inning and Elieser Hernández (2-0) pitched the next three, allowing two hits, including James Wood’s two-out single in the sixth for Washington’s first hit.
Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz left in the fourth inning after taking a foul ball off his mask.
Up next
The Braves will start LHP Chris Sale (13-9, 2.06) on Friday at Philadelphia opposite Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez (16-4, 2.52) in the opener of a four-game series. The Nationals begin a series at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.
DALLAS - APRIL 21: Guard Jason Terry #31 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts after scoring a three point shot against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 21, 2010 in Dallas, Texas. NOTO TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s time for our next category of Spurs villains. This time, we’re looking for your votes on Spurs haters. These are the people who have made it a priority to take a dig at the Silver and Black, on or off the court. Readers will vote for the biggest villain in a poll, and the winner of each match-up will advance to the next round, with the eventual winner crowned as the Biggest Spurs Villain of all time. Let’s get to the voting!
1. Phil Jackson vs. 8. The 2025/26 New York Knicks
Some villains are just annoying. Others make you sad. This matchup elicits both emotions.
Phil Jackson has never gained back the goodwill of the fan base since saying their lockout-season 1999 title has an asterisk next to it. What’s always made me laugh about this statement is that it came right after the Spurs swept Jackson’s Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Sounds a lot like jealousy if you ask me.
The New York Knicks are new to this list. It’s not just the NBA Finals loss, but the victory lap that followed. Quotes from Knicks players talking about the Spurs taking them for granted, or New York fans clowning on Victor Wembanyama, sting a little bit more after already losing a seemingly winnable Finals. These are budding villains in Spurs history. San Antonio will look for revenge on Christmas Day this year.
2. David Stern vs. 7. Tony Allen
David Stern is a fascinating character in the league’s history. He was a stronger commissioner than Adam Silver, often taking control of a situation rather than letting it play out. One of those situations was “rest gate,” when Stern fined the Spurs $250k for sitting their best players for a nationally televised game. It’s not like they are the only franchise that has done that. And of course, there was his infamous implication that the Spurs’ success was hurting the league’s ratings by saying if he had his way, all Finals would be Celtics vs. Lakers.
Tony Allen was both a defensive pest and made some interesting comments about the Memphis Grizzlies’ upset of the Spurs in 2011. He said Memphis lost their last two regular-season games on purpose to match up with San Antonio, saying they liked their chances against the 60-win Spurs. That post-win gloating makes the loss sting even more.
3. Mark Cuban vs. 6. Jason Terry
We have a pair of Dallas Mavericks in the 3 vs. 6 matchup.
From the moment Cuban bought the Mavericks, he made himself a constant thorn in San Antonio’s side. He seemed determined to personally participate in the historic rivalry. The Spurs and Mavericks played some of the most intense playoff basketball of the 2000s and 2010s, and Cuban was always in the crowd to add to the fiery atmosphere.
Terry was a key part of the Mavericks’ rivalry with San Antonio, helping Dallas knock out the defending champion Spurs in a brutal seven-game series in 2006. He was also one of the most outspoken and antagonistic Mavericks, regularly getting under the Spurs’ skin. And, of course, there’s the infamous Game 5 incident when Terry struck Manu Ginóbili below the belt.
4. Uncle Dennis vs. 5. Shaquille O’Neal
What a fitting time to talk about Uncle Dennis! He finally got his comeuppance after meddling in Kawhi Leonard’s NBA life for decades. The Aspiration scandal aside, Dennis really set the Spurs on a bad path after weaseling Leonard to Toronto and eventually Los Angeles. He will always be one of the most hated Spurs villains, but hey, at least San Antonio got Wembanyama out of the deal.
Speaking of Wembanyama, Shaq’s take on him has been both infuriating and hilarious. The constant Bol Bol comparisons are laughable, but have just enough rage bait to make him a Spurs villain. But what really made Spurs fans hate him early on was his story that Mr. Nice Guy David Robinson snubbed him as kid when he asked for an autograph. No one believed him then, and he eventually admitted he made it all up to motivate himself in their match-ups.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 22: David Peterson #19 of the Chicago Cubs pitches during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on August 22, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The long-awaited results of the NBA's investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers' alleged salary cap circumvention practices were finally released on Wednesday, Sept. 2, and the fallout is just beginning.
Among the punishments handed out, the Clippers must forfeit five first-round draft picks and pay a $30 million fine. Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers' superstar at the heart of the scandal, has been fined $700,000. Additionally, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and president of business operations Gillian Zucker have been suspended by the league for one year. Lawrence Frank, the team's president of basketball operations, has been suspended for six months.
The official investigation report from the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz explicitly lays out why the organization is facing the brunt of the penalties. Throughout the 36-page document, investigators state the three individuals most responsible for the Clippers’ rule-breaking are Ballmer, Zucker and Frank, and call out the organization for obfuscating the investigation's efforts.
The report also notes investigators "continue to receive information relevant to the subjects discussed in this report" and will supplement their findings as appropriate. Wachtell Lipton said it conducted 73 interviews of 60 people and reviewed 200,000 pages of documents.
Here are 13 must-read segments from the investigation. Each is quoted directly from the report.
"Investigators endeavored to conduct their work as expeditiously as possible. This effort was challenged by, among other things, the approach of the Clippers and their outside counsel, who at times delayed in responding to requests for information and operated in an adversarial or obfuscatory manner that slowed investigators' ability to gather the facts."
"Over the course of the investigation, Ms. Zucker made several statements that proved inconsistent with contemporaneous documents, other witness statements, and the broader chronology of events, professed a lack of recollection on important issues, placed responsibility on subordinates, and offered inconsistent renditions of facts in separate interviews. By contrast, Mr. [Lawrence] Frank openly discussed with investigators his conduct from the relevant time period, recalled details of key events, took responsibility for the actions of subordinates, and was generally consistent across his interviews. While the determination of any consequences for the rules violations described herein lies with the NBA, investigators believe that it would be appropriate in making such determinations to take cooperation and credibility – or the lack thereof – into account."
"The Clippers were especially aware of the CBA’s circumvention rules in this area because the NBA had previously found that the team violated them. In 2015, in circumstances similar to the matter at hand, the Clippers engaged in efforts to facilitate an endorsement agreement between DeAndre Jordan – a player the Clippers were then seeking to sign in free agency – and an incoming team sponsor. The League investigated this matter, determined that the rules had been broken, and fined the Clippers $250,000."
"The Clippers were also aware of circumvention concerns specifically related to Mr. Leonard. In July 2019, Mr. Leonard became a highly sought-after free agent after winning the NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors. In his dealings with the Clippers and several other interested teams, Mr. Robertson (on Mr. Leonard’s behalf) made numerous requests for benefits that were prohibited under the CBA, including equity in teams, housing, access to private transportation, and off-court income such as endorsement deals. Mr. Leonard ultimately signed a player contract with the Clippers. The NBA subsequently questioned the Clippers about these matters, and the team – while acknowledging Mr. Robertson’s improper requests – denied agreeing to accommodate them. The NBA’s investigation of the team was left open pending receipt of further evidence."
"The Clippers advanced a novel theory addressing one part of the conduct at issue here: that NBA rules permit affirmative (not responsive) introductions of players to business partners for the purpose of helping them generate off-court income if such introductions are requested by the player or his representative. The Clippers offered no persuasive explanation for how this theory comports with the clear language of the circumvention rules referenced above, the correct understanding of the rules previously expressed by Mr. Ballmer, Ms. Zucker, and Mr. Frank, or the fundamental purpose of the CBA’s circumvention rules to prevent teams from providing outside income opportunities for players. The Clippers’ position is particularly suspect, as will be described further below, because the team took pains to ensure that its 'introduction' emails to team partners were written to appear to be “responsive” to requests from those partners."
"In early June 2020, at the time of Ms. Zucker’s 'introductions,' none of Boingo, Daktronics, and Lockton had commercial agreements with the Clippers, but all three companies were in active discussions to provide business services to the team or its arena. Within weeks following the 'introductions,' either before or on the same day as the companies signed endorsement agreements with Mr. Leonard, each company entered into a multi-million dollar consulting agreement with the Clippers. Two of the companies received almost the entirety of their consulting fees up front – in payments of $10 million each, delivered prior to these companies entering into endorsement agreements with Mr. Leonard."
"Ms. Zucker had personal relationships at two of the companies. At one, her husband was chair of the board of directors during the relevant time period, and she also had a 30-year working relationship with that company’s CEO. At another, Ms. Zucker had a longstanding relationship with the company’s president (the person who signed the company’s endorsement deal with Mr. Leonard), and she recommended him as “really good people” in an email to an internal colleague charged with the process of securing services for the Clippers in this area."
"The facts surrounding the Daktronics-Leonard endorsement agreement make the conclusion explicit: that company’s agreement with Mr. Leonard was not arranged independently of the Clippers, by virtue of Daktronics’ affirmative interest in Mr. Leonard’s services as an endorser or as a result of any request it made to Ms. Zucker for an “introduction.” Rather, investigators conclude, it was procured by the Clippers in exchange for other business that the team would and did supply to Daktronics. ... Daktronics believed that failing to enter into a commercial relationship with Mr. Leonard could jeopardize its ability to win the bid for the Intuit Dome."
"Investigators note, however, that the Clippers’ misconduct may have been even more severe. As set forth above, the timing of the three endorsement agreements with Mr. Leonard coincides with each of the companies receiving multi-million dollar payments from the Clippers, purportedly in connection with business to be provided by these companies to the team. But these payments may in fact have been made principally to fund the endorsement deals with Mr. Leonard."
"During the investigation, it was discovered that the Clippers had made such payments on behalf of Mr. Leonard, his family, and Mr. Robertson during Mr. Leonard’s tenure with the team. A detailed analysis then followed, substantiating hundreds of instances in which the team paid for personal air and ground travel, accommodations, gifts, and tickets without then properly deducting the amounts of these expenditures from Mr. Leonard’s pay (as it was required to do by CBA rules)."
"The NBA’s rules enforcement initiative also included a training session on the CBA’s circumvention rules conducted with each team and its senior leadership. On December 4, 2019, in the same time period as the misconduct detailed in this report, the League provided this training to the Clippers, including Mr. Ballmer, Ms. Zucker, Mr. Frank, and other team personnel."
"Mr. Robertson communicated a target: he expected the Clippers’ assistance in obtaining approximately $10 million per year for Mr. Leonard. He communicated these demands primarily to Mr. Frank, but also to Mr. Ballmer and Ms. Zucker. There is no evidence that any of these individuals told Mr. Robertson to stop making such improper requests or – as required by NBA rules – reported them to the NBA."
"In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the NBA. In April 2020, Mr. Robertson spoke with Mr. Ballmer and Mr. Frank to express his frustrations about what he perceived to be a lack of effort by the Clippers to facilitate off-court business opportunities for Mr. Leonard. According to contemporaneous notes kept by Mr. Frank."
Follow the NBA with USA TODAY
The NBA never rests, and USA TODAY is keeping tabs on the league all year long with reporters on the ground covering every team. Follow the news on our NBA hub. Get our USA TODAY Sports newsletter in your inbox every morning and join our WhatsApp channel to get the latest updates right in your texts.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 01: John Peck #18 of the Detroit Tigers leads off first base during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Ritter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Detroit Tigers (63-75) vs. Minnesota Twins (67-72)
Time/Place: 7:40 p.m., Target Field SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: RHP Drew Anderson (4-5, 3.87 ERA) vs. RHP Dean Kremer (2-5, 5.60 ERA)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 27: Hayden Wesneski #39 of the Houston Astros in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 27, 2026 in New York City. The Astros defeated the Yankees 5-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (70-69), who hold a slim 1.0-game lead in the AL West, will play the third game of their four-game series with the Chicago White Sox (73-65) tonight at Daikin Park.
RHP Hayden Wesneski (4-1, 3.86 ERA), who’s won his last two starts, will get the start for the Astros tonight opposite RHP Davis Martin (9-6, 4.32 ERA) and the White Sox.
SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 50-38 (.568) in their last 88 games (since May 22). That is the second-best record in the AL in that span, behind the Red Sox (53-36).
MEASURING UP: The Astros are within a streak of playing four straight teams with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB). The Astros are a Major League best 26-15 (.634) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. Some clubs that the Astros have winning records against include BOS (5-1), CHC (3-0), CWS (3-2), CLE (4-2), MIA (3-0), and TB (2-1).
VS. THE WHITE SOX: The Astros are 3-2 against the White Sox on the season, which includes winning two of three in Chicago from July 24-26. The Astros are 23-15 vs. CWS over the past six seasons (2021-26), posting winning records in each of those years. Houston is 56-48 all-time vs. the White Sox.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros are 36-33 on the road and 34-36 at home. Since going 1-9 on the first road trip of the 2026 season, they have gone 35-24 (.593) on the road since April 14, which ranks third in the Majors in that span. More recently, they are 19-12 (.613) on their last five road trips.
BAGGY IN THE BOOTH: Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell will be on the Space City Home Network telecast tonight, alongside play-by-play man Todd Kalas and sideline reporter Julia Morales. Geoff Blum will return to the telecast for tomorrow’s day game.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: The Astros have returned RHP Mike Burrows from his rehab assignment. He will remain on the 15-day Injured List.
ON THE OFFENSIVE: Among AL teams, the Astros rank second in home runs (184), second in total bases (1,909), third in runs scored (631), third in slugging (.409), and fifth in OPS (.724).
TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently owns at least a share of the lead in all three Triple Crown categories. He enters tonight leading the AL in batting avg. (.316) and RBI (94), while ranking tied for first in HR (37).
Rare Feat: Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL).
MATCHING HIS BEST: DH Yordan Alvarez has matched his career high by smacking 37 home runs on the season, reaching his total from 2022.. His career-high in RBI is 104, set in 2021 (currently has an AL-best 94 RBI).
WALK OF FAME: DH Yordan Alvarez has been issued 29 intentional walks on the year, which is a franchise record, besting the 27 intentional walks for 1B Jeff Bagwell in 1997. Alvarez leads the Majors in intentional walks, topping second-place DH Shohei Ohtani (16) by a whopping 11 IBB. Lastly, the AL record for intentional walks in a season is in play for Alvarez, a record that’s currently held by RF Aaron Judge (36 IBB in 2025).
THE HIT MAN: Jose Altuve enters tonight’s game needing just six hits to reach 2,500 for his career. Among active players, Altuve ranks second in hits, trailing only 1B Freddie Freeman (2,584).
BIG WES: Tonight will be the seventh Major League start of the season for RHP Hayden Wesneski, who rejoined the Astros rotation on July 29 after missing 14 months while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Since his return, he’s been one of the Astros best starters, leading the club in wins and ranking second in innings (32.2), while pitching through the 5th inning in five of his six starts.
THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader has worked 18 consecutive scoreless appearances, spanning 19.0 innings. This is the longest streak by an Astros hurler this season and the second-longest active streak in the Majors. Opponents are just 5×62 (.081) vs. Hader during the streak. Hader is also 21-for-21 in save opportunities in 2026. Hader in August: 1-0, 13 G, 0.00 ERA, 14.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 15 SO.
PLAYERS OF THE MONTH: IF/OF Logan Hughes and RHP Alex Santos II have been named the Astros minor league Player and Pitcher of the Month for August. Hughes, 21, batted .343 (24×70) with 12 extra-base hits, 25 RBI, eight stolen bases and a 1.073 OPS, while hitting safely in all 18 August games. Santos, 24, went 1-0 with 24 strikeouts and a 0.68 ERA (1ER/13.1IP) in August between Double A Corpus Christi (six appearances) and Triple A Sugar Land (four appearances).
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY:2017 – The Astros sweep both games of an emotional doubleheader against the Mets in the club’s first games in Houston following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. In Game 1, the Astros score seven times over the first 2.0 frames en route to a 12-8 win. A four-run 4th in Game 2 gives the Astros a 4-1 win. Newly-acquired ace RHP Justin Verlander joins the team in the dugout during Game 1.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Wednesday, September 2, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 2: Brett Sullivan #26 of the Colorado Rockies is doused with water while being interviewed by Ryan Spilborghs after Sullivan's two-run, walk-off single to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 in 11 innings at Coors Field on September 2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A team that wants to stay in the postseason race can’t lose a game like this one. The Orioles faced a Rockies starting pitcher, in Coors Field, with an ERA over 5. They had their own starting pitcher, Trevor Rogers, set a career high with 11 strikeouts over an excellent start that took him into the seventh inning. They had the lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning. They scored two runs in the top of the eleventh inning. All of these things were true and they still lost the game, and with it the series, in Colorado.
The only thing that had to happen, when it came down to the end, was for reliever Grant Wolfram, the sixth Orioles reliever used in the game, to get three outs before he gave up two runs. This is not a difficult ask, even for a Wolfram-level pitcher and even when, in extra innings, the Manfred Man starts out on second base to begin each inning. It’s an even easier ask to have Wolfram get the third out when the tying run is merely on first base and two men are already retired.
Wolfram could not do it. He could not get the third out. He could not get the third out even when he got bailed out by the extreme good fortune of having a fly ball hit by Colorado’s Rookie of the Year candidate first baseman, TJ Rumfield, bounce up into the seats for an automatic double, stopping the man on first from scoring. He could not get the third out even when the next batter after this was Brett Sullivan, the stereotypical poor-hitting backup catcher for the Rockies.
Even after getting two strikes, Wolfram could not finish off Sullivan even when he threw strike three, because the umpire missed the pitch and the Orioles had their challenge wasted by Jackson Holliday in the top half of the eleventh inning. Any of these things could have gone differently, would have gone differently for a better team. Sullivan hit a walkoff single, scoring two runs; new Oriole Luis Robert Jr.’s throw in from left field went way wide of home plate as he tried to stop the game-winning run from scoring. A better throw might have at least made it interesting. Robert did not make a good throw.
The result of all of this, of the Orioles scoring a total of nine runs across 29 innings played at Coors Field, of the Orioles going seven straight innings without scoring a run in this game, of all of the other stupid things that happened in this game and on Tuesday night, is that the Orioles are back down to two games below .500, potentially staring down a 2.5 game deficit with 22 games to play, nearly all of which will be against contending teams.
They needed a series win. They needed batters to stop wasting challenges. They needed to score more than three runs off of Tomoyuki Sugano. They needed Mike Elias to not trade away Tyler Wells at the trade deadline. They needed Andrew Kittredge to be up to the task of closing. They needed to not leave ten men on base. They have needed a lot of things that they didn’t get this year. It’s just who they are.
It all could have gone differently. The Orioles had a 3-0 lead at one point in the game! They built this lead up in the third inning, when Blaze Alexander led off with a single. This was one of three hits by Alexander in the game. It’s good to have him back. With one out, Jackson Holliday singled, and Pete Alonso scored Alexander with another single. These guys both ended up scoring as Robert delivered an RBI double in his second at-bat with the team.
The Orioles didn’t score again after this until the eleventh inning. They didn’t manage to get multiple runners on base again until the seventh. This series was such a poor and frustrating output at – and I can’t stress this enough – Coors Field, the stadium that is legendary for its being a hitter-friendly environment, against the Rockies, a team that is legendary for not being able to have good pitchers. It’s bad!
Colorado pulled one of the runs back in the bottom of the third inning. Rogers gave up a leadoff single before getting two strikeouts. Outfielder Jake McCarthy tripled to easily score the runner, Adael Amador. In the course of this play, the throw coming in from the outfield went to third base and bounced past Coby Mayo. McCarthy tried to help himself to a Little League home run. Rogers, backing up the play, threw a strike in to Samuel Basallo, who tagged out McCarthy for the third out. The home plate umpire initially blew this play, though replay review thankfully corrected the error promptly.
The fourth inning saw the Rockies get another two-out run when Rogers couldn’t finish off Cole Carrigg with Hunter Goodman standing on second base. The score held at 3-2 until the ninth inning. That’s when Kittredge got involved.
Perhaps Yennier Cano, who got the last out of the eighth inning, should have pitched to more than one batter. I’m sympathetic to why this was not done, since Cano has fallen down in the ninth in recent weeks. Still, Kittredge. He got two outs without any problems. Carrigg doubled on the first pitch he saw, then Kittredge worked a 1-2 count on pinch hitter Zac Veen. A hanging slider later and the game was tied. Kittredge got the hook. Josh Walker had to finish the ninth, which only ended when Basallo used an ABS challenge to get the inning-ending strikeout.
Nobody scored in the tenth inning. One reason why the Orioles did not score is that Holliday, who was the Manfred Man for that inning, inexplicably chose to run from second base to third base on a ground ball hit to the shortstop. That’s not a difficult baserunning rule. Don’t advance from second base on a ground ball to the left side! But Holliday was thrown out, Henderson wasted a challenge while striking out, and Robert grounded out. The Rockies didn’t score in the tenth either, so the agony continued.
In better pitching circumstances, Basallo and Alexander would have been the heroes of the game for their eleventh inning RBI hits. We did not witness those better circumstances.
The Orioles fly back to Baltimore to start a four-game set with the Red Sox on Thursday night. The O’s have yet to list a starter. Boston is expected to send lefty Jake Bennett to the mound. The 7:15 game will air only on Fox.
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 2: Catcher Jhonny Pereda #5 of the Seattle Mariners tags out Mickey Gasper #30 of the Boston Red Sox at the plate during the first inning at Fenway Park on September 2, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox have gotten everything they could’ve wanted in the returns of Roman Anthony and Trevor Story, who have not stopped hitting in the first four games back in action. That goes for the offense as a whole in the series with 17 runs across, though a clearly-gassed pitching staff struggled again in an 8-3 loss.
Not time for panic yet, they had some cushion for the second AL Wild Card spot to begin with, but the Red Sox do need some wins stacked in September soon, even as they give valuable veterans a breather this month.
Here’s three takeaways from Wednesday afternoon’s loss.
LEFT FIELD DEFENSIVE = DECISIVE
Randy Arozarena threw out Mickey Gasper when he never should have been sent home in the first inning.
Two throws by each left fielder made a rather profound impact on the outcome in this one.
SANDOVAL SHAKY Patrick Sandoval looked excellent in The Bronx on Friday with just one earned run allowed with seven strikeouts against the Yankees. He had a different story Wednesday as his velocity ticked down and he fell into deep counts consistently.
The lefty surrendered four runs in four innings in an ill-timed short outing for Boston, giving way to a similar fate to Brayan Bello and the bullpen.
WORRIED ABOUT ADLEY?
The Red Sox played the entire series without Adley Rutschman, who continues to deal with an elbow issue as Chad Tracy discussed on WEEI this week. The talented catcher has hit just .170 in 15 games since joining Boston at the trade deadline. To go deep in October, the ballclub has to find a way to get Rutschman by and contribute alongside other talented hitters in the middle of the order.
Australia’s No 1 beats Andrea Guerrieri 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 after delays
Taylah Preston and Daria Kasatkina bow out after first-round defeats
After having his tournament opener against Andrea Guerrieri postponed until day four, Alex de Minaur had to endure another two-hour rain delay before putting away the Italian qualifier in straight sets.
The world No 7 advanced with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory to set up a second-round clash with Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 2: Brett Sullivan #26 of the Colorado Rockies is doused with water while being interviewed by Ryan Spilborghs after Sullivan's two-run, walk-off single to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 in 11 innings at Coors Field on September 2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the first time since June 22, the Colorado Rockies delivered a walk-off win as they defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 in extra innings.
After quality pitching from both starters, the Rockies ended up rallying multiple times down to their last strike to secure the victory and win the series.
Top-notch Tomo
After struggling through his last three starts, Tomoyuki Sugano got back on track with what he’s done for the majority of the 2026 season. He delivered his eighth quality start of the season, allowing just three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk over six innings.
After navigating the first two innings, the Orioles got after Sugano in the third inning. Blaze Alexander led off the inning with a single, and Colton Cowser then struck out. Jackson Holliday then delivered a single followed by an RBI single from Pete Alonso to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead. Later, with two outs, newly acquired Luis Robert Jr. hit a sharp line drive to right field to score two runs and make it 3-0 Orioles. Unlike his recent starts, Sugano didn’t let things get out of hand.
He responded with three more scoreless innings, allowing just three base runners.
What helped Sugano was that his secondary pitches were working well.
The curveball had a 27% whiff rate while his splitter had a 22% whiff rate. The fastball was also spotted well and had a 25% whiff rate and a 62% strike rate. He threw 90 pitches, with 61 going for strikes. An important factor was that he threw a first-pitch strike 73% of the time, allowing him to work ahead of hitters. He also induced eight groundouts against five flyouts.
“I thought Tomo was awesome,” said manager Warren Schaeffer. “I thought his stuff played up today, velo was really good, the stuff was sharp. When they adjusted to him, he adjusted right back.”
Mr. Rogers Neighborhood
While Sugano was working his way through the Orioles lineup, Trevor Rogers was carving up the Rockies for Baltimore.
Through 6.2 innings, Rogers allowed just two runs on six hits while recording a career-high 11 strikeouts in the game. He also didn’t walk a single batter.
What made Rogers so effective was that he pounded the zone. Of the 94 pitches he threw, 71 were strikes. He only induced three groundouts and had two flyouts. He relied heavily on his fastball, throwing it 54% of the time and generating a 29% whiff rate. In total, he had 15 swing-and-misses as the Rockies just couldn’t figure him out.
The Rockies’ first run came in the third inning when Adael Amador singled to lead off the inning and came in to score on a two-out triple by Jake McCarthy. The Rockies had a chance at a second run on the play as the throw into third base got away and McCarthy headed for home. He was initially called safe on the slide, but after a review challenge, the call was overturned to end the inning.
The following inning, Hunter Goodman hit a one-out double and came in to score on a two-out infield single for Cole Carrigg, which snapped an 0-for-17 stretch for him. Unfortunately, Rogers retired nine of the next 10 batters and left with a 3-2 lead.
Once the starters left the game, hits became a premium neither team could afford.
For the Rockies, Juan Mejia, Jimmy Herget, and Jaden Hill combined to allow just one hit over three innings with one strikeout and two walks.
On the opposite side, the Orioles duo of Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano limited the Rockies to just one hit over 1.1 IP with no walks and one strikeout.
However, the Rockies finally broke through in the ninth.
Facing Andrew Kittredge, there was a brief moment where it looked like Goodman tied up the game with a lead-off home run, but the ball hooked foul. Goodman ended up striking out, followed by a lineout from TJ Rumfield.
Down to their final out, Carrigg then narrowly missed a home run himself as the ball hit off the yellow foam at the top of the fence, settling for a double. The Rockies turned to Zac Veen off the bench, and he sent a ball into the gap for an RBI double to tie the game 3-3.
The Orioles turned to reliever Josh Walker and they immediately put Amador on with an intentional walk before striking out pinch-hitter Troy Johnston and sending the game into extras.
Heading into extra-innings, the Rockies caught an immediate break in the top of the 10th inning with new reliever Nick Frasson on the mound.
Alonso bounced a ball on the infield to the shortstop Carrigg. Holliday was the runner on second and had taken off on contact. Carrigg fired the ball to third base, and the Rockies were able to retire him while Alonso reached. Gunnar Henderson then struck out, and Robert grounded out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 10th, Walker then retired Mickey Moniak by getting him to pop up a ball that was caught near the Orioles dugout by Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Alex Hoppe then entered the game and intentionally walked McCarthy to then strike out Connor Norby. Unfortunately, Goodman grounded out to send the game to the 11th.
Colorado turned to Blas Castaño in the top of the 11th, and he immediately surrendered the go-ahead run courtesy of a single by Samuel Basallo. Two batters later, Dylan Beavers singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Alexander then drove in another run to make it 5-3 with a single to center field. Castaño retired the next two batters, including a strikeout of Holliday.
The Rockies got a run back in the bottom half of the inning when Rumfield lined a ball to left field to score Norby and make it 5-4 against new reliever Grant Wolfram.
Carrigg struck out swinging for the first out of the inning, which brought Veen to the plate in a crucial situation again. Unfortunately, Veen also struck out, this time looking, bringing the Rockies to their final hope, Amador, with two outs. Amador blasted a ball into the gap that one-hopped the fence for an automatic double, preventing Rumfield from scoring the tying run.
Brett Sullivan, who had entered the game in the top of the 11th behind the plate, found himself in a situation with the winning run at second base. On a 3-2 pitch, he singled into shallow left field where Robert had no chance to throw out the speedy Amador, winning the game 6-5.
Baltimore ended the game with 10 hits and struck out just seven times with three walks while going 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The Rockies tallied 12 hits while striking out 17 times against just two walks. They went 4-for-11 with RISP as well, but did so in the clutch. Carrigg ended up with three hits while Amador, Rumfield, and McCarthy each had two.
Up next
The Rockies are off Thursday before welcoming the St. Louis Cardinals for a weekend series. Ryan Feltner (5-9, 5.84 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Rockies while the Cardinals have not yet announced a starter.
Davis Martin returns blister-free and ready to give Houston trouble. | (John Jones/IMAGN IMAGES)
The first two contests in Houston have produced a split, with the Astros taking Monday’s opener and the White Sox bouncing back for a 5-1 victory on Tuesday. Now, with two games left in the series, both clubs have an opportunity to gain ground in a race that carries major implications for American League playoff seeding and a potential first-round bye.
Before tonight’s game, the White Sox returned Davis Martin from his injury rehab assignment, reinstated him from the 15-day injured list and optioned Tanner McDougal to Triple-A Charlotte. Martin goes directly back into the rotation and makes his first major league start since Aug. 13.
Prior to tonight’s game at Houston, the Chicago White Sox returned right-handed pitcher Davis Martin from his injury rehabilitation assignment at Class AAA Charlotte, reinstated him from the 15-day injured list and optioned right-hander Tanner McDougal to Class AAA Charlotte.
The 29-year-old righthander is 9-6 with a 4.32 ERA and 1.33 WHIP this season. Martin was outstanding during April and May but has struggled considerably since, culminating in three particularly ugly starts in August. He was placed on the injured list Aug. 14 with a blister on his right middle finger.
Martin made one rehab start for the Knights on Aug. 27 and could hardly have been better, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing only one hit and one walk with five strikeouts. Let’s hope that version of Martin followed the team to Houston.
The Baseball Savant numbers illustrate why Martin’s season has been such a mixed bag. His overall pitching run value sits in the 46th percentile, but his expected statistics are much less encouraging. He ranks in the 24th percentile in expected ERA, 11th in expected batting average and 28th in expected slugging percentage. He also sits in just the eighth percentile in hard-hit rate and the 16th in average exit velocity, meaning hitters have made plenty of loud contact against him.
The good news is that Martin has a couple of pitches capable of keeping Houston’s bats under control. His offspeed run value ranks in the 86th percentile, driven by a changeup that also sits in the 86th percentile. His sinker has been another strong offering, ranking in the 77th percentile in run value.
Martin will need both pitches working, particularly against the left-handed bats scattered throughout Houston’s lineup. The Astros have Yordan Alvarez, Daulton Varsho, Taylor Trammell and LaMonte Wade Jr. batting from the left side, giving Martin plenty of opportunities to use the changeup to keep hitters off balance. The sinker can help him generate weak contact and keep the ball on the ground.
The slider is another story. Its run value ranks in only the eighth percentile, while Martin’s breaking-ball run value is in the 13th. If he leaves sliders over the plate, a Houston lineup featuring Alvarez, Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve can make him pay quickly. Martin does a respectable job of inducing chase and limiting walks, but he does not miss a ton of bats. His success will depend on staying ahead, leaning on the changeup and sinker and avoiding the poorly located breaking pitches that have led to so much hard contact.
Alvarez enters tonight in a rare cold spell, slashing .158/.346/.316 over the past seven days. Of course, that does not make him any less capable of changing the game with one swing, especially if Martin gives him something hittable. Nick Allen has been Houston’s hottest batter during that span, producing a .455/.500/.545 line and 1.045 OPS, but thankfully he is not in tonight’s starting lineup.
Hayden Wesneski will make his seventh start of the season for Houston. The righthander has spent much of the past two years on the injured list and underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2025. He joined the Astros as part of the Kyle Tucker trade with the Cubs in December 2024.
Through six starts, Wesneski owns a 3.86 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The veteran earned the win in his most recent outing against the Yankees, surrendering one run on three hits and two walks while striking out six.
Wesneski’s Savant profile offers the White Sox a fairly obvious plan of attack: Do not help him. His chase rate ranks near the very top of baseball, but his strikeout rate is much closer to the bottom half of the league. His arsenal is built around getting hitters to expand the zone, with his sweeper and changeup grading as his best secondary pitches.
Chicago’s hitters need to recognize those pitches early and force Wesneski to come over the plate. His average exit velocity and hard-hit rate both rank in the bottom third of the league, suggesting hitters can do damage when they make contact against pitches in the zone. His fastball velocity is also below average, so the Good Guys should be ready to attack hittable four-seamers rather than chasing sweepers off the plate or changeups below the zone.
That sounds simple enough, but Chicago’s offense has not exactly been firing on all cylinders. Colson Montgomery and Andrew Benintendi have been the best South Side hitters over the past seven days, while Chase Meidroth and Miguel Vargas have also been seeing the ball reasonably well. Those are the only four players in tonight’s lineup hitting better than .200 during that span. Everyone else has been firmly aboard the struggle bus.
Sam Antonacci gets the start in the leadoff spot, followed by Munetaka Murakami and Vargas. Benintendi bats cleanup as the designated hitter, while Braden Montgomery returns to the lineup in right field. Colson and Meidroth follow, with Tristan Peters and Drew Romo rounding out the order.
With so many hitters searching for their timing, patience could be the key tonight. If the Sox can resist Wesneski’s chase pitches and make him work in the strike zone, there should be opportunities to generate hard contact. If they spend the evening fishing for sweepers and changeups, it could be a very long night for the offense and the fans.
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 02: Bryce Miller #50 of the Seattle Mariners warms up in the bullpen prior to the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Mariners 8, Red Sox 3
September Mariners: Bryce Miller, +0.15 WPA August Mariners: Nobody could possibly be that bad on the September Mariners
