The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated in overtime by the Minnesota Wild in preseason game 1 in St. Paul last Saturday. Both teams mostly dressed AHL lineups for that one.
Then, on Monday, the Blackhawks defeated the Wild in overtime at the United Center. The Blackhawks had more NHL players in their lineup for that one, so it was a match they expected to play better.
Now, they are set for a similar situation against the St. Louis Blues. It is a home-and-home preseason series, set to begin in St. Louis on Thursday. The difference is that there won't be any more "all-AHL" lineups.
Scouting St. Louis
The St. Louis Blues will have a lineup with plenty of NHL players in front of their home crowd. That includes star players Pavel Buchnevich, Connor McMichael, Cam Fowler, and Jordan Binnington.
They won't have their captain, Robert Thomas, or young stars like Jimmy Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway, but they will still be stiff competition with the lineup they do have. Their entire roster can be seen below:
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks will have Patrick Kane in their lineup for the first time during the preseason. This will be his unofficial re-debut after a couple of seasons away playing for other teams.
Other NHL players like Frank Nazar, Roman Kantserov, Nick Lardis, Oliver Moore, and Wyatt Kaiser will play as well. Drew Commesso and Arvid Soderblom are the two goalies going to St. Louis. The entire lineup can be seen below:
A player worth keeping an extra close eye on is Kevin Korchinski. He has been dialed in during camp, and he played extremely well in that all-AHL first preseason game. He deserves some run with NHL talent, which he will get in this preseason game against the Blues. If he is truly in the running for an NHL roster spot, which his spot in camp suggests he is, this is his chance to capitalize.
Guys like AJ Spellacy and Sacha Boisvert are going to start in the AHL, but these games are a great way to show management that they are ready. Spellacy, in particular, is an early call-up candidate if he continues to rise up the ranks.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. You can watch the game locally on CHSN. The puck will drop shortly after 7:00 PM CT.
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The NBA is a pressure-packed league and everyone feels it in one form or another: Championship pressure, legacy pressure, financial pressure, now-or-never pressure. For most players, it's simply "make sure I stick in the league and keep getting paid" pressure.
For the players on this list, the pressure is bigger picture — legacy and championship questions. How will we remember them? For these players, a lot hinges on this season. Here are five players under the most pressure this season.
James Harden
Since Donovan Mitchell arrived four years ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the best teams in the NBA, averaging 54 wins a season in part thanks to quality guard play and an impressive front line of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The one lingering hole in the Cleveland roster has been at the three, but this offseason the Cavaliers poached Peyton Watson from Denver to be an athletic two-way wing and fill that role. The Cavaliers reached the Eastern Conference Finals a season ago and got better this summer, they are title contenders.
If James Harden doesn't become the new weak link.
The pressure on Harden is about legacy. To be fair, he already has an impressive and secure legacy: Harden is unquestionably a Hall of Famer, an MVP, a three-time scoring champion and the $97 million contract he signed with Cleveland this offseason will put him at more than $500 million earned in his career. On that level, his legacy is secure.
However, he's on track to go down as one of the greats who never won a ring, and that is why the pressure is on him. His playoff legacy is… unimpressive. It has big ups, but also some poorly timed, painful downs. This Cavaliers team is the closest one they have had to a serious contender since LeBron James left (the second time), and if it off nights from Harden in critical playoff games sink them, a decade from now the opening paragraph of stories about him will feature his playoff struggles as much as the MVP. This is Harden's chance, he has to step up and show he can be a playoff force.
Chet Holmgren
It may be a little unfair to have a 24-year-old player entering his fifth NBA season (just his fourth playing) on this list, especially one that already has a championship ring and is the second-best defensive big man in the NBA. But here we are.
Fair or not, Holmgren will be judged on how he performs against Victor Wembanyama and, in the broader picture, how his Thunder come out against Wemby's Spurs. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are the two juggernauts in the NBA right now, and in last season's Western Conference Finals, Holmgren was neutralized. He averaged 10.7 points per game (down from 17.1 in the regular season), didn't shoot 3-pointers or space the floor enough, and at one point literally fell over while dribbling. If the Thunder have a chance against the Spurs this season, Holmgren simply has to be better in that matchup.
While neither team is nearing the end of their run, the second apron is coming for the Thunder sooner than it is for the Spurs. Sam Presti and company have a lot more roster juggling to do in the short term (that already started this summer with Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe leaving). That means there is more pressure on OKC to win a second title (and maybe a third) before that window closes, or at least before the opening gets so narrow it's much harder to climb through. And fair or not, a lot of that falls on the shoulders of Holmgren. (And on Jalen Williams staying healthy and getting back to an All-NBA level, which is why he is in the honorable mention part of this list below.)
Joel Embiid
This is it. Fair or not, it feels like the final test of whether "The Process" can produce results falls on this season (frankly, "The Process" has been dead for years, but it still feels tied to Joel Embiid in some ways).
Philadelphia has built a true title contender. Jalen Brown and LeBron James join Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe on a 76ers team with an elite starting five. Plus, Philly has real depth in Dean Wade, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Anfernee Simons.
However, the ceiling for this team — whether they can truly bring the 76ers their first title since 1983 — comes down to Joel Embiid and his health. Specifically, his knees. We saw how he can still take over a game and change a series against Boston in last season's playoffs. However, in the next series against the Knicks he missed Game 2 and did not have the same impact. That can't happen in these playoffs. In the regular season, if Philadelphia can get its starting five (particularly Embiid and LeBron) together on the court for 35-40 games, that's a win. (They have the talent to get a high seed even with them playing limited minutes.) They can even find ways to give Embiid some nights off during the playoffs, but ultimately he has to be out there for most games and make an impact, or Philly stands no chance in the postseason.
This is all about legacy for Embiid, this is his chance. Will he be able to grab it?
Walker Kessler
For 40ish games over his first four seasons in the league, Walker Kessler has looked exactly like the big man the Lakers need next to Luka Doncic: a big body to set screens, rolls hard, has good hands and can finish lobs, plus he's a rim-protecting defensive force on that end of the court. It's why Doncic reportedly pushed for the Lakers to pry the center away from Utah (and the Lakers gave up two first-round picks to make it happen). It's why the Lakers paid him for what he can be with a four-year, $130 million contract.
Now the pressure is on Kessler to live up to all of it.
Kessler is fully capable of this, but he has to stay healthy — he only played five games last season due to a shoulder injury and has not played in 65 games since his rookie season — and show some maturity in his game. If Kessler lives up to expectations, the Lakers can be a top-four seed in the West and advance out of the first round, at least. However, if he is not up to the job, these Lakers start to look too much like last year's version, and that's not a long-term path forward.
(Note: Luka Doncic easily could have been in this top five as well, he's now got a roster in Los Angeles that better fits his style of play, but he has to stay healthy and lift the role players up. If he does, he's in the mix for MVP. If not, his contract extension talks get more interesting.)
LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets were one of the feel-good stories of last season, an entertaining team led by Ball's offensive creation that went 18-9 after the All-Star break and got into the play-in. Charlotte was everyone's favorite League Pass team because they were fun to watch and played without expectations.
Ball is now a key player on a team with high expectations. A team that expects to play into May and wants to return to the Western Conference Finals, where it has been two of the last three seasons. A team that made bold moves this summer and has the specter of Anthony Edwards' next contract and his future plans looming a few years out (other teams are monitoring Edwards' situation, league sources have told NBC Sports).
That's a lot more pressure on Ball than he's ever played under in the NBA. He's going to be asked to step up — in the regular season and especially in the playoffs — against high-level, physical guards like Stephon Castle in San Antonio, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (plus a lot of good wings) in Oklahoma City, Fred VanVleet in Houston (another team with a lot of good, physical wings), and the list goes on and on.
Ball is no longer the breezy feel-good story — he has to step up and perform at a level he has not been asked to so far in his NBA career. That changes starting this year.
Honorable mention names: Jalen Williams (Thunder), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Heat), Luka Doncic (Lakers), Trae Young (Wizards), De'Aaron Fox (Spurs).
Andrei Kuzmenko joined the Pittsburgh Penguins this summer.Photograph: Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko has stepped away from the team after his father, Alexander Kuzmenko, was killed in a bear attack in Siberia this week.
REN TV was the first to report the death of the 62-year-old, who was a well-known hockey coach in Russia.
Kuzmenko was with a group on a fishing trip on Tuesday in Tuva, a landlocked region in Siberia near Russia’s southern border with Mongolia, according to REN TV’s reports. The group encountered a bear that attacked Kuzmenko.
Ambulances were reportedly delayed in reaching the group because they were in a densely forested area along the Krasnaya River. REN TV said the group traveled down the river for four hours before an ambulance could locate them. Kuzmenko was airlifted to a hospital with severe facial injuries before he was pronounced dead on Wednesday.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins organization was deeply saddened this morning to learn of the passing of Andrei Kuzmenko’s father, Alexander,” team president and general manager Kyle Dubas said in a statement on Thursday. “Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the Kuzmenko family and their loved ones as they grieve the loss of Alexander. We ask that the privacy of Andrei and the Kuzmenko family be respected at this time.
“Andrei chose to be surrounded by his teammates and practice with the team this morning before returning to Moscow to be with his family this afternoon. Andrei and the Kuzmenko family have the full support of the Penguins organization during this time.”
REN TV reported that the forested area where the group went had previously been restricted because of bear activity. The outlet said at least 15 people have been killed in bear attacks across Russia this year.
Andrei Kuzmenko, 30, signed for the Penguins in July. After breaking out with CSKA Moscow and SKA Saint Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League, he made his NHL debut in 2022 with the Vancouver Canucks. He also had stints with the Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings before joining Pittsburgh. He has 85 goals and 97 assists in 271 NHL appearances.
After Andrei Kuzmenko left the Canucks in 2023, his father, mother Galina, sister Victoria and a childhood friend wrote a letter to the city’s fans thanking them for their “warm hospitality towards our son” and “for helping him grow professionally”.
Lorentz, 30, has played two seasons with the Maple Leafs since joining the club as a free agent for the 2024-25 season.
Last season, the left winger scored seven goals and 18 points in 71 games and averaged a career-high 11:52 of ice time per game.
Lorentz was strong for Toronto's fourth line when he first joined the team and didn't have a solidified spot on the roster. Since his first year, he has signed a three-year contract with the team at a $1.35-million salary cap hit.
What could be the reasoning behind this decision?
The Kitchener, Ont., native has been a one-dimensional player to some degree. He's a viable option for the penalty kill, but aside from that, he doesn't utilize his 6-foot-4 frame as he could and has only scored 10 goals in one NHL campaign on one occasion (2022-23 with the San Jose Sharks).
So while his style of game couldn't excel in some ways, the Maple Leafs might've found someone to fill his place on the fourth line, and that's right winger Zack MacEwen.
MacEwen, featuring in the NHL-heavy lineup on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena, made his presence felt in different ways. The 30-year-old continued to play his physical style of game - getting into a scuffle at the tail end of the contest - playing hard on the forecheck and along the boards, while also contributing on the scoresheet
"Well, we like the physicality," Hiller said. "I mean, I know he scored last night, but I think what was equally or probably more, important to us was, you know, there was some stuff going on, and he was able to get in there fairly quickly and do his job."
Lorentz hasn't featured in the AHL since 2019-20, as a member of the Charlotte Checkers in the Florida Panthers organization.
If he were to be claimed by another NHL team within the next 24 hours, that would get the organization under the maximum number of standard contracts in the organization. Going into training camp, Toronto didn't have a free spot, with 50/50 standard contracts in the organization.
That would allow Toronto to keep defenseman Nick Blankenburg, who has joined the team this training camp on a PTO. He requires a standard contract to join the team officially for the regular season.
If he's not claimed, most of Lorentz's cap hit will come off the books, leaving a remaining $125,000 on the Maple Leafs' payroll.
Paul, 31, only played 4:42 of ice time in Wednesday's pre-season game against the Ottawa Senators at home. Head coach Jim Hiller didn't have an update following that game, but said he'd have more on Thursday after practice.
Here's what he said of Paul on Thursday.
"I'll just say it like this. Obviously, he didn't skate today," Hiller said. "That's nothing I think that we're overly concerned about. But we have to take it day by day. That's what I would leave it with."
He added that he can't say with certainty that he'll be available for the season opener on Tuesday. He, as well as Dakota Joshua, who skated with the Leafs today, will be travelling to Arizona for the team trip.
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The father of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Andrei Kuzmenko has died in a bear attack in Russia.
Ren TV reported that Alexander Kuzmenko, a hockey coach, was mauled Sept. 23 in the Tuva region. A bear reportedly came out of the woods quickly and bit Kuzmenko. His companions were able to free him from the animal, but attempts to treat him failed.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins organization was deeply saddened, this morning, to learn of the passing of Andrei Kuzmenko’s father, Alexander,” Penguins GM Kyle Dubas said in a statement Thursday. “Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the Kuzmenko family and their loved ones as they grieve the loss of Alexander. We ask that the privacy of Andrei and the Kuzmenko family be respected at this time.
“Andrei chose to be surrounded by his teammates and practice with the team this morning before returning to Moscow to be with his family this afternoon. Andrei and the Kuzmenko family have the full support of the Penguins organization during this time.”
Bear attacks in this area of the country have surged in 2026. According to Ren TV, 15 people have been attacked across four provinces, with experts blaming a poor harvest of berries and pine nuts.
Andrei Kuzmenko signed a one-year deal with the Penguins on July 1 and had just reported to Pittsburgh for training camp. The 30-year-old has 85 goals and 97 assists across four NHL seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers.
Pittsburgh opens its season Sept. 30 against the Flyers.
‘I want to try and win every single race. That’s my goal’
Briton quickest in practice for Azerbaijan Grand Prix
George Russell has insisted he will keep fighting for the Formula One world championship until it is mathematically gone but while he made an encouraging start to his efforts by going quickest in practice for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix the makeup of said numbers remains somewhat in limbo.
Russell is 81 points behind his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli going into the race in Baku which is taking place on Saturday to avoid clashing with Azerbaijan’s national remembrance day. The Italian has eight victories this season including the past two in a row, coming through to win from 19th on the grid in Monza and then taking the flag in Madrid.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park on September 22, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With four games left in the regular season, it is still impossible to predict where the Phillies are going to play in the opening round of the postseason next week.
Yes, this is assuming the Phils don’t blow a 3-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks with four to play, but I’m willing to take that risk.
Things got even murkier on Wednesday night.
The Phillies fell 4-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers after going 0-12 with runners in scoring position.
The Miami Marlins edged the Cubs 3-2, their second win over Chicago in as many nights.
The San Diego Padres handled the Dodgers in L.A., 5-1.
Suddenly, the Padres now sit atop the wild card standings at 88-70, holding a one-game lead on the Cubs and Phillies, both of whom are 87-71.
San Diego is going to enter the playoffs as the hottest team in baseball, 15-5 in September, and 32-16 since the start of August, the best mark in baseball (the Phillies are 30-18, by the way, 4th-best). If the season ended today, the Padres would host the Cubs in the wild card round, with the Phillies heading to Atlanta.
However, the Padres would need to finish with the best record, as they would lose the tie-breaker to both the Cubs and the Phillies. They went 1-5 against Chicago and 0-6 against Philadelphia. The Cubs went 6-1 against the Phils and hold that tie-breaker.
The ideal scenario for the Phillies would be for them to finish as the top wild card team and the No. 4 seed, with the Padres slotting in as the 5-seed and Chicago landing at 6. In that situation, the Phils would welcome the Padres to Citizens Bank Park, and that is a realistic scenario given what’s coming this weekend.
On Thursday, the Phils will wrap up their series against the Brewers, who will be throwing a bullpen game as they ready themselves for the postseason. The Padres finish their series against the Dodgers and the Cubs play one more against the feisty Marlins.
This weekend, the Cubs could be in real trouble. With nasty weather anticipated up in Boston, MLB is scheduling a day-night doubleheader between Chicago and the Red Sox on Friday and a single game on Saturday, understanding that one, or multiple, of those games might have to be made up. That kind of disruption could be difficult for the Cubs, even going up against a Red Sox team that is locked in as the AL’s second wild card.
The Padres, meanwhile, are hosting a Diamondbacks team that may or may not still have an outside shot at a playoff berth. San Diego should be able to handle Arizona at home, and may have the clearest path to the NL’s top wild card spot now.
As for the Phils, it remains to be seen how the Rays are going to play things this weekend at Citizens Bank Park. They have the American League’s No. 1 seed locked up, so these games are meaningless to them. They are unlikely to pitch their top starters for more than a couple innings, and their regulars will likely get some rest. That said, Tampa is still a very good, and deep, team, capable of handling the Phils even with some of their regulars out of the lineup.
There is a realistic path to the Phillies earning the top wild card spot and hosting either the Cubs or the Padres. There’s just as likely a chance they’ll finish as the second wild card and travel to Chicago or San Diego for the best-of-three series, and also as likely a chance they are the NL’s final wild card and head to Atlanta for a series against the Braves.
Obviously, a first round match-up with the Padres would be the ideal scenario. The Phillies have owned them over the last few years. A trip to Wrigley would, for the sake of spectacle, be terrific. Despite both teams having existed for more than 100 years, the Phils and Cubs have never squared off in the postseason.
A trip to Atlanta would be ick.
There’s an argument to be made that starting the playoffs on the road, as an underdog and away from the crushing expectations of the fanbase, might be the best thing for this group. They could sell themselves as the upstarts, the same way they did in 2022 against the Cardinals in St. Louis, rather than “the favorite,” expected to win.
Fans should continue to hope for a home wild card series, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they started the postseason away from home.
On the latest Hittin’ Season podcast, I discussed all the scenarios with Mike Robertson of FranzkeLA, so make sure to check it out!
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 22: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels looks stands in the dugout during the eighth inning of the Los Angeles Angels and Athletics game at Sutter Health Park on September 22, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Technically, there’s a miniscule chance the Mariners could sneak into the playoffs. They’d need to win out and both the Rangers and Astros would have to lose out. That would give all three teams a 78-84 record and Seattle would take the division via a three-way tiebreaker. FanGraphs thinks the chances of that happening are … 0.0%. Really, this weekend is all about sending off Rick Rizzs into retirement. (If you’re watching these final four games on Mariners.TV or MLB.TV, make sure you’re switching your audio feed to the radio broadcast!) We never got a chance to say goodbye to Dave — he was here one season and then he was gone the next — so cherish this opportunity to say thank you and godspeed to Rick. The sound of our summer will be different next year.
What can I say about the Angels that John didn’t already say last week when the Mariners faced them in Anaheim? This organization is in a weird spot right now. They’re on the verge of losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history but the team also just got out from under former owner Arte Moreno. This is the worst the team has ever played, yet it might be the most optimistic the fan base has been in a long, long time.
Player
Position
Bats
PA
K%
BB%
ISO
wRC+
Zach Neto
SS
R
684
30.6%
9.5%
0.194
114
Mike Trout
DH
R
619
26.0%
16.6%
0.183
132
Wade Meckler
LF
L
321
18.7%
9.7%
0.081
117
Vaughn Grissom
1B
R
455
18.2%
6.6%
0.151
99
Moisés Ballesteros
C
L
339
22.7%
8.3%
0.121
75
Denzer Guzman
3B
R
290
25.5%
5.5%
0.122
71
Josh Lowe
RF
L
331
30.2%
7.6%
0.153
76
Jose Siri
CF
R
244
32.4%
6.1%
0.167
91
Christian Moore
2B
R
131
34.4%
6.1%
0.066
31
From a previous series preview:
Anaheim has a couple familiar faces up top in Zach Neto and Mike Trout, but not many. They’ve taken the back half of the year to wisely audition several young players, finding some promise in folks like Wade Meckler but still waiting on more elsewhere. Moises Ballesteros was a highly regarded prospect with the Cubs but has not found his swing yet since coming over in return for reliever Ryan Zeferjahn. There’s a few post-hype hopes here as well in Josh Lowe and Jose Siri, but hope has been their predominant currency.
At one point a few years ago, Grayson Rodriguez was considered the best pitching prospect in baseball. Unfortunately, a variety of injuries have prevented him from making good on those lofty expectations. He was traded from Baltimore to the Angels this past offseason — straight up for Taylor Ward — and returned from a major shoulder injury in May. He definitely hasn’t looked as sharp in his first major league action since 2024, though he’s slowly improved as the season has gone on. The good news is that his fastball velocity is still intact, but his command has really slipped and he’s just not generating as many swings and misses with his secondary pitches this year.
Pitcher
IP
K%
BB%
HR/FB%
GB%
ERA
FIP
Reid Detmers
179
28.4%
6.4%
9.5%
37.8%
3.47
3.05
Bryce Miller
112.2
24.4%
7.8%
14.6%
37.9%
3.99
4.43
Pitch
Usage vRHB
Usage vLHB
Velocity
Stuff+
Whiff+
BIP+
xwOBA
Four-seam
45.8%
44.9%
94.1
102
95
102
0.314
Sinker
0.5%
2.5%
93.5
Changeup
12.3%
0.9%
83.8
101
123
112
0.294
Curveball
12.0%
8.6%
72.3
101
117
110
0.307
Slider
29.5%
43.2%
86.0
110
109
97
0.218
From a previous series preview:
Reid Detmers has thrived in his return to the rotation this year, accumulating a career-high 4.4 fWAR with career-best marks in ERA and FIP. His strikeout rate is right in line with his career norms but the big reason he’s taken a big step forward is because he’s cut his walk rate by nearly three points and has dramatically reduced the amount of hard contact he has allowed.
The Mariners managed to score three runs off Detmers last week and he struggled in his next outing against the Twins over the weekend.
Pitcher
IP
K%
BB%
HR/FB%
GB%
ERA
FIP
Ryan Johnson
95
18.5%
9.5%
13.0%
34.1%
4.93
5.38
Kade Anderson
32.1
21.4%
6.1%
11.1%
38.3%
4.18
3.72
Pitch
Usage vRHB
Usage vLHB
Velocity
Stuff+
Whiff+
BIP+
xwOBA
Sinker
21.7%
15.3%
92.4
81
17
73
0.515
Cutter
37.0%
38.8%
89.7
104
102
88
0.317
Splitter
8.1%
29.3%
84.6
74
93
146
0.253
Sweeper
33.2%
16.7%
80.9
107
90
80
0.279
From a previous series preview:
Ryan Johnson is a perfect encapsulation of everything wrong with the Angels current player development philosophy. He was drafted in the second round in 2024 after dominating in college ball at Dallas Baptist. He made the Opening Day roster in 2025 as a reliever, skipping the minor leagues entirely. After a month and a half and a 7.36 ERA, the Angels pulled the plug and sent him to High-A to continue his development as a starter. He made 12 starts in the minors and looked really good. Fast forward a year and Johnson had a solid, but not outstanding, spring training and Los Angeles opted to start the season with Johnson on the big league roster again. After allowing six runs in his first start of the year, the Angels sent him back to the minors for a few months before recalling him for good in mid June. It’s really too bad because Johnson has a really intriguing profile, and obviously has some raw talent, but the games the Angels have played with his development pathway have really hurt his ability to grow.
Johnson held the Mariners to just a single run in six innings last week, striking out seven against zero walks.
Pitcher
IP
K%
BB%
HR/FB%
GB%
ERA
FIP
Yusei Kikuchi
62.2
21.3%
10.3%
10.1%
40.8%
4.88
4.12
Logan Gilbert
182
26.7%
6.5%
14.3%
38.0%
3.81
3.91
Pitch
Usage vRHB
Usage vLHB
Velocity
Stuff+
Whiff+
BIP+
xwOBA
Four-seam
41.1%
42.0%
95.5
99
88
115
0.304
Cutter
6.0%
5.7%
90.2
76
Splitter
20.7%
7.1%
86.6
107
91
66
0.344
Curveball
10.4%
9.9%
79.4
97
76
168
0.301
Slider
21.7%
35.3%
87.4
93
78
122
0.356
From a previous series preview:
Yusei Kikuchi missed nearly four months of the season with a shoulder injury. He returned to the majors towards the end of August and resumed his brand of effectively wild pitching. After a slight dip in velocity last year, his heater is back to averaging close to 96 mph. It’s the eighth hardest four-seamer from the left side among all starting pitchers this year. He continues to mix in a hard slider and a curveball as his primary secondary pitches, but he’s replaced his changeup with a true splitter and added a cutter this season. The split has been an excellent pitch but the cutter has been hit pretty hard.
Kikuchi did not have his best stuff against the Mariners last week. He allowed five runs on five hits and five walks in just 4.1 innings.
The Big Picture:
Team
W-L
W%
Games Behind
Run Diff
Recent Form
Astros
78-80
0.494
—
-53
L-L-L-W-L
Rangers
78-80
0.494
—
-42
W-W-L-L-L
Mariners
74-84
0.468
4.0
-62
W-L-W-L-W
Athletics
63-95
0.399
15.0
-217
L-L-L-W-W
Angels
60-98
0.380
18.0
-93
L-W-L-L-L
Like I said above, the Mariners can sneak into the postseason if they win out and the Astros and Rangers both lose out. That means we’re rooting for the A’s against Houston and the Twins against Texas.
With a major storm system on track to hit New England on Sunday, the Cubs' regular-season finale in Boston that day has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Friday.
"They never move games up and especially within a five-day window of a starting rotation," Counsell told reporters on Wednesday, Sept. 23. "So we can't have somebody ready to pitch on Saturday. They just moved games up on us. I understand there's extenuating circumstances, but you just don't see that happening."
After the regular season concludes, there's a rest day on Monday before the start of the wild card playoffs.
MLB could conceivably move a rained out game on Sunday to the off day, but that would leave the Red Sox and Cubs very little time to travel to and get ready for their wild-card openers on Tuesday.
The Red Sox are just about locked in to the No. 5 seed in the American League, which will send them to New York to face the Yankees in a best-of-three AL wild card series.
The Cubs are still battling for the top spot in the NL wild card race, but they would still need to get from Boston to the site of their playoff opener, be it home or away.
One other disadvantage for the Cubs is that with expanded rosters in September, they aren't allowed to add an extra player for a doubleheader, as they would normally. So Counsell will have to juggle his pitching staff for two games on Friday and lose one day of rest for his starter on Saturday.
"The decision is made always on a balance of everybody's interest," Counsell said. "And you get shortchanged in some … or not have the optimal solution."
The Chicago Blackhawks have been doing a great job getting some of their young depth pieces signed to long-term deals with good value.
The next in line is Oliver Moore, who was set to be an RFA next summer. Instead of dealing with that after the season, they got it done now. Moore and the Blackhawks are in agreement on a five-year extension that will carry a cap hit of $4.25 million.
For the next six years, the Blackhawks are locked into an incredibly fast, tenacious, and skilled forward who can play up and down the lineup. In a perfect world, he is a third-line forward, preferably a center, who can help shut down the other team's top players while contributing middle-six levels of offense.
Moore can play on the power play when necessary, but his true special teams value comes from his ability to kill penalties. His speed is his best asset, as he has an argument for being considered the fastest player in the organization. That helps him with his abilities on the PK.
The Blackhawks selected Moore in the first round (19th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. Since then, he has had an excellent tenure at the University of Minnesota and has played in 60 NHL games over parts of the last two seasons.
In 2025-26, his official rookie year, Moore had 5 goals and 14 assists for 19 points in 51 games played. He still has another level to get to in terms of production. If he reaches that level, his cap hit will look even better.
The Blackhawks have a handful of other players set to become RFAs at the end of the 2026-27 season, so getting this team-friendly deal with Moore done now is incredible business.
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PICKING UP THE PIECES: This is the 11th of the Cubs’ 52 series in which they lost the first two games. They are 7-3 in third games, including 3-2 at home. They beat the Pirates on April 12, the Braves on May 14 and the Cardinals on July 5. They lost to the Brewers and Astros in back-to-back series on May 20 and 24. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
DAY vs. NIGHT: The Cubs are just 34-33 in day games this season. A win today will assure them of finishing with a winning record in sunshine if they play one day game at Boston in their final series. They have finished below .500 in only one of the past 10 full seasons: 32-39 in 2021. They were 8-8 in the 60-game 2020 season. The Cubs are 23-17 in day games at home this year, including 11-5 in day games following night games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
WINNING ON THURSDAYS: The Cubs are 10-3 on Thursday, their best record on any day of the week. They are 15-10 on Saturday, 15-11 on Wednesday and 11-7 on Monday. At home the Cubs are 5-1 on Thursday. They are 9-2 on Monday, 8-5 on Saturday and 7-6 on Wednesday. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: The Cubs lead 7-3 heading to the seventh, only to give up five to the Mets and trail 8-7. A two-run homer by Jody Davis gives them the lead back, but the Mets score in the eighth to tie the game 9-9. Bobby Bonds homers in the bottom of the eighth and the Cubs hold on for a 10-9 win. This brings them within three games of the NL East lead in that strike season’s “second half.” After the game on the WGN radio broadcast, Lou Boudreau complains that only 2,555 came to see the Cubs in a “pennant race game,” which was technically true, three games back with 10 remaining. The Cubs lost seven of those 10 and finished well out of any postseason play. That Cubs/Mets game happened 45 years ago today, Thursday, Sept. 24, 1981.
Matthew Boyd threw well in his last start, Saturday at Cincinnati, allowing the Reds just two hits and two runs (one earned) in five innings.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that he’s been much worse at Wrigley Field this year (5.53 ERA in 10 starts) than on the road (2.86 ERA in 11 starts).
He has not faced the Marlins as a Cub, either this year or last year. No current member of the Marlins has ever faced him, so maybe that’ll be a positive this afternoon.
The Cubs scored three runs in five innings off Tyler Phillips Sept. 6 at Miami, including Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 40th home run of the season.
Since then Phillips hasn’t gotten out of the fourth inning in two starts, and hasn’t thrown more than 68 pitches. Perhaps the Cubs can get to him early today.
Please visit the Marlins site Fish On First. If you do go there to interact with Marlins fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 21: Jackson Chourio #11 of the Milwaukee Brewers bats against the Baltimore Orioles during the tenth inning at American Family Field on May 21, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here we are, the last series of the regular season.
The Brewers, at 99 wins entering Thursday night’s series finale in Philadelphia, have four more chances to reach the 100-win threshold for the first time in franchise history. Their magic number for the No. 1 overall seed also sits at 2, meaning they need some combination of two wins and Dodgers’ losses to lock it up over these next few days. On the other side, the Cardinals, at 77-81, got off to a strong start despite low expectations entering the season. They’ve cooled off considerably over the last few months and now look like they’ll finish just below .500 but still ahead of the “Why aren’t we the Brewers” Reds at the bottom of the NL Central.
On the injury front, the Brewers are without relievers Grant Anderson and Bryse Wilson (both could be activated for Thursday’s series finale in Philadelphia), as well as Brian Fitzpatrick and Angel Zerpa (both out for season). Starters Quinn Priester (out for season) and Brandon Woodruff (slim chance of returning in the postseason) are also out.
St. Louis is without position players Blaze Jordan, Joshua Báez, and Everson Pereira. Pereira is the only player we could see this weekend, as he was on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis entering their postseason series this week. Pitchers Hunter Dobbins and Max Rajcic are also done for the year.
Jake Bauers, Jackson Chourio, and Brice Turang have anchored Milwaukee’s well-rounded offense this season, and all three of them are now at 20-plus homers. William Contreras has an outside chance at hitting the 20-homer threshold, sitting at 18 with four games to go. Garrett Mitchell, Andrew Vaughn, Cooper Pratt, Luis Lara, Christian Yelich, and Joey Ortiz are the other regulars, with Sal Frelick, Gary Sánchez, and David Hamilton the first players off the bench. Bo Naylor has effectively served as the emergency catcher/travel day backstop since rosters expanded earlier this month. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .257/.339/.402 (.741 OPS ranks fourth), with 151 homers (tied for 28th), 810 runs scored (second), and 159 steals (fifth).
The Cardinals are led by Jordan Walker, who is wrapping up what will likely be a top five MVP finish as he’s hitting .273/.330/.470 with 28 homers, 100 RBIs, 94 runs scored, and 21 steals this season. Alec Burleson has added 23 homers and an MLB-best 112 RBIs, while Iván Herrera, Rookie of the Year candidate JJ Wetherholt, and Nathan Church also have double-digit homers. José Fermín, Leo Bernal, Nolan Gorman, Masyn Winn, and Bryan Torres are also in the regular mix, with Victor Scott II, Thomas Saggese, César Prieto, and Pedro Pagés rounding things out. As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .241/.315/.380 (.695 OPS ranks 26th), with 161 homers (25th), 709 runs scored (tied for 12th), and 99 steals (17th).
Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe have the late innings on lock for Milwaukee’s bullpen, while Aaron Ashby, Chad Patrick, and DL Hall have all taken on high-leverage roles. Deadline acquisitions Antonio Senzatela and JoJo Romero (a long-time Cardinal) have had their ups and downs, while Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison have both moved to the bullpen here late in the season. Lyon Richardson is the latest piece, replacing Colton Gordon after his long relief outing on Tuesday night. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.53 team ERA (second), including a 3.64 starter ERA (fifth) and a 3.40 bullpen ERA (third). They’ve struck out 1,503 batters (second) over 1,410 2/3 innings.
All-Star Riley O’Brien has 38 saves this season, but he’s also blown eight saves and has a 4.08 ERA. Justin Bruihl (3.69 ERA over 75 2/3 IP), George Soriano (4.23 ERA over 66 IP), and Ryne Stanek (4.09 ERA over 61 2/3 IP) are the other anchors for the bullpen. Gordon Graceffo (2.76 ERA over 78 1/3 IP) has been one of the best arms for St. Louis, and rookie Luis Gastelum (4.29 ERA over 35 2/3 IP) has also been solid. Cade Winquest (4.63 ERA over 11 2/3 IP), Cooper Hjerpe (6.00 ERA over 9 IP), and Brycen Mautz (6.92 ERA over 13 IP) round things out. As a staff, the Cardinals have a 4.26 team ERA (21st), including a 4.10 starter ERA (11th) and a 4.50 bullpen ERA (24th). They’ve struck out 1,248 batters (25th) over 1,410 2/3 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, September 25 @ 6:40 p.m.: LHP Robert Gasser (5-5, 4.01 ERA, 4.32 FIP) vs. RHP Michael McGreevy (7-9, 3.84 ERA, 4.24 FIP)
Gasser has been a solid arm for the Brewers this season, particularly over the last couple of months, and he seems in line to be in the rotation for the postseason. He’s coming off arguably the best start of his young career, as he went seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over the Orioles, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out a pair. The left-hander has now allowed one run or fewer in four of his last five outings, lowering his season ERA from 4.79 to 4.01. Gasser has made three career starts against St. Louis, going 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 16 2/3 innings. That includes a win in St. Louis back in July, when he went 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out four.
McGreevy, 26, has turned in a solid season, making 30 starts with a 3.84 ERA, 4.24 FIP, and 113 strikeouts over 164 innings. He went four innings in his last appearance, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out one in an extra-innings loss to the Nationals. McGreevy’s two career appearances against Milwaukee both came this year, and he’s 1-1 with six runs allowed and 12 strikeouts across 10 1/3 innings.
Saturday, September 26 @ 6:10 p.m.: RHP Dustin May (7-9, 4.67 ERA, 3.59 FIP) vs. LHP Quinn Mathews (2-3, 3.65 ERA, 3.80 FIP)
May, who started the season with the Cardinals and made 21 starts for them, was acquired by the Brewers alongside JoJo Romero at the trade deadline. He’s had an up-and-down tenure with Milwaukee, going 2-2 with a 5.61 ERA, 5.06 FIP, and 33 strikeouts over 33 2/3 innings. Despite those numbers, there are a few strong starts in there, including six scoreless against the Reds just two weeks ago. This is May’s first time facing the Cardinals since he was a Dodger back in 2023. He’s made two career starts against St. Louis, going 1-0 with a 2.53 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 10 2/3 innings.
Mathews, 25, is a rookie who was called up right around the trade deadline. He’s made eight starts for St. Louis, going 2-3 with a 3.65 ERA, 3.80 FIP, and 39 strikeouts across 44 1/3 innings. He went seven solid frames against the Nationals in his last appearance, allowing three runs and striking out three. This marks his first career appearance against Milwaukee.
Sunday, September 27 @ 2:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (15-5, 1.86 ERA, 2.16 FIP) vs. RHP Andre Pallante (12-8, 3.61 ERA, 3.71 FIP)
Misiorowski has all but locked up his NL Cy Young candidacy, and Sunday will just be a tune-up outing for him ahead of the postseason. Across 169 1/3 innings this year, Miz is 15-5 with a 1.86 ERA, 2.16 FIP, and 247 strikeouts, leading the majors in all three of those stats. He went three scoreless in an intentionally shortened start against the Orioles on Sunday night, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out four on 44 pitches. Miz has made five starts against St. Louis, going 3-1 with a 3.25 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 27 2/3 innings. That includes two starts this year, going 2-0 with four runs allowed over 14 innings, striking out 23.
Another familiar foe, Pallante, 28, is in his fifth season with St. Louis and third as a full-time starter. This has been his best year as a starter yet, pitching to a 12-8 record with a 3.61 ERA, 3.71 FIP, and 106 strikeouts across 157 innings. The right-hander took a tough luck loss in his last outing, allowing one run and striking out two over six innings as the Cardinals lost 2-0 to the Pirates. Pallante has made 17 career appearances (five starts) against Milwaukee, with a 6.07 ERA and 24 strikeouts across 43 innings. That includes a pair of losses this season, as he’s totaled 11 innings with 11 runs allowed and five strikeouts.
How to Watch & Listen
Friday, September 25: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, September 26: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, September 27: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
Neither of these two teams should have much to play for this weekend, but I can’t imagine Pat Murphy will let his team let up on the gas as they approach the postseason. Give me the Brewers to win two of three as the squad looks to turn things up a notch before next weekend.
NEW YORK — Ben Rice one-upped Aaron Boone. And then he two-upped the New York Yankees manager.
Boone predicted during spring training that Rice would finish with 39 home runs this season. Rice hit Nos. 40 and 41 in a 9-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, tying for the American League home run lead.
He smiled and pointed at Boone when he returned to the dugout after driving Mason Englert’s first pitch of the game into Yankee Stadium’s right field second deck. Rice grinned at Boone some more after another solo homer in the fourth.
“I think I said, `Hey, there’s 40 for you,’” Rice recalled. “I was joking with him after the 41st one, saying, `Hey thanks for inspiring me this year.’ But it’s all in good fun. Back in spring when he told me that, I knew that secretly meant he was hoping I’d hit 40.”
Rice is tied for the AL home run lead with Baltimore’s Pete Alonso, the Rays’ Junior Caminero and Houston’s Yordan Alvarez. He is hitting .263 and leads the Yankees with 97 RBIs and an .899 OPS, becoming a first-time All-Star and the biggest cog in an offense missing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for most of the season.
Boone deliberately picked an odd total rather than a round figure.
“I was confident he was going to have a really big year,” he said. “Probably wanted to make sure it was just south of a number, maybe to maybe let him know that.”
Rice, who had three hits and a walk, became the 13th Yankees player with a 40-home run season but just the third to reach the milestone during his first three seasons after Joe DiMaggio and Judge. Rice’s plate appearances often prompt a rendition of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets″ from the stadium’s organist, and Rice has sparked an often struggling offense with 16 go-ahead homers this year and three that have tied games.
“One thing I always tell guys the difference between minor leaguers and big leaguers is the consistency,” Judge said. “He’s one of the best. I can look up at the clock and I know exactly where he’s going to be in the cage. You know what he’s doing in the training room, the weight room. It’s just every single day, man, this guy’s a machine.”
A 12th-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft from Dartmouth, where he played just 30 games over three years due to the coronavirus pandemic, Rice mostly was a catcher but occasionally a first baseman in the minors. He made his big league debut in June 2024 at age 25 after Anthony Rizzo broke a forearm.
Rice hit .171 with seven homers and 23 RBIs in 50 games that year, then batted .255 with 26 homers and 65 RBIs in 138 games last year.
With Stanton sidelined for most of the season, the left-handed-hitting Rice has 93 games at DH this year and 52 at first.
“It’s tough to pull him off his back leg,” Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole said. “He’s really able to stay balanced and deliver high-efficacy strikes on various pitches in all parts of the zone.”
Rice was hitting .306 through May, then batted .196 in June. An 18-for-58 (.119) slide after the All-Star break dropped his season average to .248 on Aug. 22 but he’s rebounded to bat .333 (34 for 102) since.
“Went through a lull, which is inevitable, even in a great season,” Boone said. “Had a stretch in there where it was a struggle and he was grinding but kind of battled through that and feel like the last few weeks has been on a really good run.”
Rice’s potential was evident on July 6, 2024, less than a month into his big league career, when he became the first Yankees rookie with three home runs in a game and tied Lou Gehrig’s Yankees rookie record of seven RBIs. Consistency took time.
“A lot of it I always feel like is just experience-based,” Rice said. “You just see more pitching at the big league level, get exposed to guys who throw all different kinds of pitches from different angles and slots and all these things. I feel like I’ve always been a good learner in that way.”
Justin Foscue of the Texas Rangers swings at a pitch during the game between the New York Mets and Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on September 22, 2026. (Photo by Seth Garber/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for September 24, 2026 against the New York Mets: starting pitchers are Kumar Rocker for the Rangers and Zac Thornton for the Mets.
The Rangers this afternoon try to finish their home schedule with a win, avoid a sweep, keep alive their hopes of a winning record, and keep afloat in their battle with the Astros for the A.L. West.
The lineup:
Foscue — 2B
Seager — SS
Jung — 3B
Burger — 1B
Nimmo — RF
Langford — LF
Duran — CF
Diaz — C
Jansen — DH
1:35 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -131 favorites.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 22: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates warms up in the bullpen before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on August 22, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals will face the Pittsburgh Pirates for the final time this season Thursday when they’ll face Paul Skenes. The Cardinals will counter with Kyle Leahy who will pitch at least the first few innings depending on his pitch count limitation. First pitch scheduled for 11:35am at PNC Park and the game broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.
