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This is the type of game where, if you look at it on the surface, the Orioles don’t stand a chance. Suddenly, they are on a four-game skid that could turn into a downward death spiral as the schedule gets tougher. Their opponent has been one of the best team’s in the league since the start of July, and they have their ace on the mound coming off yet another fine month (2.40 ERA in August) as part of a Cy Young-worthy season.

But if you dig deeper…well, it doesn’t get much better. The Orioles have a .588 OPS so far in September, and they are averaging three runs per game, which is all bad. Good luck with that!

Heston Kjerstad will be getting his first big league start of the season, an attempt to add another lefty and some power to an Orioles lineup that could use it. But he won’t be in the DH spot. That belongs to Jackson Holliday, who is batting .203/.238/.301 since the start of August. Yikes. He was good in the Colorado series, but that has not carried over to this weekend just yet. Maybe something changes here.

Chris Bassitt is coming off of a tough outing in Sacramento, where he allowed five runs across 5.2 innings. The Orioles won anyway, and credit to Bassitt for batling after some early struggles. The veteran still knows how to pitch, but don’t expect him to shutdown the opposition. The Orioles lineup will need to provide some support. That has been hard to come by lately.

Other games to keep an eye on:

• Tigers at Guardians, first pitch 6:10
• Rays at Rangers, first pitch 7:05
• Blue Jays at Royals, first pitch 7:10

Orioles lineup

1. Jackson Holliday (L), DH
2. Blaze Alexander (R), 2B
3. Gunnar Henderson (L), SS
4. Pete Alonso (R), 1B
5. Samuel Basallo (L), C
6. Heston Kjerstad (L), RF
7. Christian Encarnacion-Strand (R), 3B
8. Dylan Beavers (L), LF
9. Colton Cowser (L), CF

RHP Chris Bassitt (6-4, 4.97 ERA)

Red Sox lineup

1. Roman Anthony (L), DH
2. Mickey Gasper (S), 1B
3. Wilyer Abreu (L), RF
4. Trevor Story (R), SS
5. Nick Sogard (S), 3B
6. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R), 2B
7. Jarren Duran (L), LF
8. Eli White (R), CF
9. Connor Wong (R), C

RHP Sonny Gray (16-4, 2.82 ERA)

The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have selected the contract of infielder Vimael Machín and outrighted Tyler Freeman to Triple-A Albuquerque after he cleared waivers.

Machín has had a successful season for Triple-A Albuquerque. Currently, he is slashing .290/.317/.445 with a .816 OPS. Machín has 190 total bases that include 12 home runs and 22 triples in 427 at-bats.

The native of Humacao, Puerto Rico, was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round of the 2015 MLB Draft. He has also played for the Oakland Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles.

In other moves, the Rockies are placing utility player Willi Castro on the Injured List. Castro is suffering from plantar fasciitis in his left foot in addition to some discomfort in his right knee.

Castro has played third base almost exclusively since third baseman Kyle Karros went on the IL under concussion protocol.

As a reminder, yesterday the Rockies claimed LHP Hayden Harris off waivers from the Atlanta Braves. He is currently in Albuquerque, which required the Rockies to make the roster move that removed Freeman from the 40-man.

It has been a difficult season for utility player Tyler Freeman, who has had two stints on the IL. After he completed his most recent rehab assignment, he stayed with the Isotopes. Currently, he is slashing .289/.365/.422 with a .787 OPS. This likely points towards the Rockies hoping to get extended looks at their young position players as the season wraps up.

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TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (73-69) will play the middle game of their three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks (74-68) tonight in a nationally televised game at Daikin Park.

Rookie RHP Ethan Pecko (1-0, 6.23 ERA) will get the start for the Astros, the fourth of his Major League career, opposite RHP Brandon Pfaadt (7-2, 3.49 ERA) and the Snakes.

TONIGHT’S BROADCASTS: Tonight’s game will be nationally televised by FOX with Wayne Randazzo and John Smoltz on the call. For tonight’s game only, the English radio broadcast will be on KTRH 740 AM with Robert Ford and Josh Reddick behind the mic. As always, the Astros Spanish radio broadcast features Francisco Romero and Alex Treviño on TUDN 102.9 FM.

SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 53-38 (.582) in their last 91 games (since May 22). That is the second-best record in the AL in that span, behind the Red Sox (55-38).

ABOUT THE RECORD: At 73-69, the Astros are a season-high four games over .500 and have tied their season-high with a 3.0-game division lead. The Astros are 8-3 over their last 11 games.

YOUNG ETHAN: RHP Ethan Pecko, 24, is coming off his first Major League win, which he earned on Aug. 30 at NYY (2ER/5IP). Pecko, the Astros #3 pitching prospect per MLB.com, combined to post a 4.57 ERA (42ER/82.2IP) with 86 strikeouts in 20 games (18 starts) in the minors this season, including 17 games at Triple A. He was originally a sixth-round pick by the Astros in 2023.

STARTING BLOCKS: Astros starters have a 1.69 ERA (5ER/26.2IP) with 29 strikeouts, a .151 opponent average (14×93) and a 1.09 WHIP in the first five games of this homestand. Stretching back over the Astros last 11 games, in which they’ve gone 8-3, Astros starters own a 2.83 ERA (17ER/54IP).

MEASURING UP: The Astros are within a streak of playing four straight teams with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB). The Astros are an American League-best 32-21 (.604) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. Some clubs that the Astros have winning records against include BOS (5-1), CHC (3-0), CWS (5-2), CLE (4-2), MIA (3-0), and TB (2-1).

VS. THE D-BACKS: The Astros have won nine of their last 10 games against the Diamondbacks, a streak that dates back to Sept. 29, 2023. This run includes a three-game sweep of the D-backs in Arizona last season from July 21-23, 2025.

RELIEVER OF THE MONTH: Announced earlier this week, LHP Josh Hader was named the AL Reliever of the Month for August. It is Hader’s ninth career Reliever of the Month Award and his third as an Astro. In the month, Hader converted all seven of his save opportunities, while going scoreless in his 13 total appearances and 14.1 innings pitched.

STREAKING: LHP Josh Hader has worked 20 consecutive scoreless appearances, spanning 21.0 innings (since July 21). This is the longest streak by an Astros hurler this season and the second-longest active streak in the Majors. Opponents are just 5×68 (.074) vs. Hader during the streak.

THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader recorded his 250th career save last night, becoming the 41st player in modern MLB history to reach 250 career saves. Hader has 23 of those saves this season, in 23 save chances, giving him the most save chances in the Majors this season without a blown save.

YOU’RE MY BOY BLU!: RHP A.J. Blubaugh, who’s tossed 14.0 consecutive scoreless innings, has taken a huge Major League lead in innings pitched as a reliever with 86.1, far ahead of second-place RHP Adrian Morejon (75.2IP) and LHP Aaron Ashby (75.2IP). The Astros have not had a reliever lead the Majors in innings pitched since RHP Doug Jones (111.2IP) in 1992.

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. (.317), while ranking tied for first in HR (37) and RBI (94).

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).

THE HIT MAN: 2B Jose Altuve has 2,495 career hits, needing just five hits to reach 2,500 for his career. Among active players, Altuve ranks second in hits, trailing only 1B Freddie Freeman (2,586).

OUCH!: 3B Isaac Paredes was hit by a pitch for the 18th time of the season last night, which ranks sixth in the Majors. His 18 HBP are the most by an Astro in a single season since 2B Craig Biggio recorded 27 HBP in 2003.

BEHIND THE DISH: C Christian Vázquez has played in 999 career games as a catcher and is looking to become just the third active catcher to reach 1,000 career games behind the dish. He would join C Salvador Perez (1,427) and C J.T. Realmuto (1,382) in that exclusive group.

DOWN ON THE FARM: Astros prospect OF Caden Powell went 3×5 with two homers and five RBI for Class A Asheville in their 10-6 win over Greensboro last night. Powell, the Astros sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft, is having a strong minor league season, hitting .279 (114×408) with 18 doubles, 18 homers, 69 RBI, 30 stolen bases and an .823 OPS in 105 games for the Tourists.

TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 1971 – The late RHP J.R. Richard records 15 strikeouts in his Major League debut, which is a franchise record and ties an MLB record for a players debut. He makes this debut in the second game of a doubleheader in San Francisco, which ends as an Astros 5-3 win.

Game Info

Game Date/Time:  Saturday, September 5, 6:15 p.m. CT

Location:  Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: FOX

Radio: KTRH 740 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Hey, we’re on national television! Though the way the offense has been playing over the past week or so, it feels like it’s more likely to be national humiliation. The D-backs have now scored one run in four consecutive games. It’s actually the fifth time in franchise history the hitters have managed that unwanted feat. The last time was perhaps more recently than you’d think: the end of last July, when Arizona scored just two runs over four games in Pittsburgh and Detroit. That was part of a streak of seven games where they failed to score more than two, and plated a total of just seven runs. Over that time, they had 246 PA with a slash of .179/.241/.256 for a .496 OPS.

You can throw in the night-cap of the double-header in San Francisco, and you currently get five games in a row where Arizona has scored two runs or fewer. The hitting has been marginally better, mostly through a few more walks. The D-backs over the last five contests and 171 PA, are batting .174/.251/.258 for an OPS which at least starts with a five, at .510. They haven’t been helped by a BABIP in that time of .229. While some of that is down to the recent flailings (sic) of Corbin ‘Infield Pop-up’ Carroll, they have had some bad luck with balls in play. But in September of a post-season chase, there are no such things as moral victories, only real ones.

If the offense continue its recent pattern, Brandon Pfaadt will need to be on top form. He has had four starts this year where he has not allowed a run, and another where the sole tally was unearned. Those include seven innings of two-hit shutout ball against division leaders in the Braves and Dodgers, so we know he can do it on occasion. But it sure would be helpful if he would get a little more to work with than the paltry single run we’ve seen from the Diamondbacks of late. I’d not mind tacos, and if the Yankees co-operate, taking back the third wild-card spot from the Padres by the end of the night.

It’s just unfortunate luck that several South Side Sox writers chose this game — BRO VEST NIGHT or some such silliness — as 2026’s game to attend. I was, in fact, scheduled to join them, but instead I am taking on coverage for tonight. Probably for the best, as our crew will have more fun without me telling them tall tales of how things used to be.

HOWEVER, in tribute to our half-dozen at the park, I will be pulling an old trick back out from the past (maybe it’s just happened twice, for a 10-2 loss to the Guardians in 2018 and a 5-4 win over Detroit in 2021), where I will write tonight’s recap in the voices of my writers. In the past, I have taken on many staffers, in order:

Year of the Hamster
Michael Kenny
Danks for Nothin
Lurker Laura
KenWo4LiFe
larry
Darren Black
mechanical turk
Hannah LaMotta
Leigh Allan
Ashley Sanders
Celeste Radogno
Chrystal O’Keefe
Colleen Sullivan
Di Billick
Joe Kiang-Resis
Jacki Krestel
Robby the Recapper

Tonight, I’ll be incorporating our attendees, including Dante Jones, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Chrystal, Malachi Hayes, Leonard Gore, Kristina Airdo and Allie Wesel. I hope I can do them justice.

If the Twins have any heart, the are going to make this weekend tough on the White Sox. After all, they are now seven games behind the White Sox and all but dead in the playoff race, and that’s thanks to us taking three of four from them over the past week or so.

And that said, they may have the advantage tonight, with Taj Bradley on the mound against Anthony Kay:

Something tells me a big offensive output will finally rear its head, and Bradley is going to catch the brunt. But on paper, this one looks like the game Minny will steal on the road.

If so, perhaps this is a game where both of the ALC hopefuls struggle, as Cleveland is already down, 1-0, taking on the Tigers as of this typing.

Game time is 6:10 p.m. Central, with the usual suspects on the broadcast. Game note for tomorrow, though, the finale is being pushed to a Peacock broadcast, which not only means it’ll be harder to watch but will have first pitch pushed back to 5:20 p.m. Central.

New York Yankees (80-61) at San Diego Padres (74-67), September 5, 2026, 4:15 p.m. PST

Watch: FOX

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has not played since Wednesday, when he struck out four times and winced noticeably at the plate.

On Saturday, the Dodgers held him out of the lineup for the third consecutive game because of pain in his right biceps.

Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani’s path back to the field is predicated on how he responds to hitting in the cage, which he planned to do before Saturday night’s game against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium.

“My expectation is that he’s going to hit today in the cage,” Roberts told reporters. “Once he hits and how he comes out of it, that’ll be telling for tomorrow.”

Read more:Before Mark Walter's companies faced inquiries, he kept a low profile and built loyalty

The injured list becomes a consideration if Ohtani is not trending in a positive direction Sunday, Roberts said.

Ohtani falls under the 15-day category for the IL, which covers pitchers and two-way players, as opposed to the 10-day list for position players. The Dodgers can backdate the move up to three days, akin to time served. So a 15-day window would be reduced to 12 days.

Although Roberts said he has not spoken to Ohtani about how he feels physically, the manager said he can get a hint from the player’s demeanor.

“When he doesn’t feel well physically, he gets more short and he’s not the same personality,” Roberts said, adding that Ohtani has seemed looser and more easygoing the past couple of days.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

First Pitch: 6:10 pm CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy

What we will call The Math is finally catching up with what we have been calling The Vibe. The Twins, with two September series against the Chicago White Sox loosely circled on the calendar, watched those games progress from “significant” to “crucial” to “literally have to double-sweep to have a shot.” Now losers of three of the first four, it’s clear the 2026 season will not end with a miraculous 6-0 run against the division leaders, catapulting the team back into contention; instead, Minnesota’s performance against a playoff contender is confirming most criticisms against the team, and is calling into question whether a .500 record is still even a reasonable goal.

On that delightful note, there is still baseball to be played! Today, even. And the Minnesota Twins, for all their flaws, will be competing. Moreover, we’ve reached the point in the season where game previews devolve into the purest form of fact. Baseball, today! Your team, involved. Surely you needed this confirmation despite the schedule remaining mostly the same for over a hundred years

The Twins are chucking Taj Bradley out there, whose last few starts and final 2026 line will be one of the more interesting storylines to close out the campaign. A three-headed monster of a healthy Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Bradley could transform next year’s starting rotation, but the health hypothetical feels like a Twins trademark at this point. For now, it’s a healthy Bradley alone on the mound and practically alone in the rotation, tasked with evening the series on the South Side.

Chicago turns to lefty Anthony Kay, who’s been in Japan for the last two years and is in the AL Central for the first time in his pro career. He held the Twins to one run across six innings in a 3-1 White Sox victory back in May, the only time he’s faced Minnesota in his professional career.

GO TWINS GO!

Tampa Bay Rays @ Texas Rangers

Saturday, September 5, 2026, 6:05 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)

The Shed

RHP Drew Rasmussen vs. RHP Jacob deGrom

Go Rangers!

Detroit Tigers (64-77) vs. Cleveland Guardians (72-70)

Time/Place: 6:10 p.m., Progressive Field
SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (8-10, 4.36 ERA) vs. LHP Parker Messick (11-8, 2.46 ERA)

Here’s the Tigers’ lineup:

Here’s the Guardians lineup:

Let’s go, Guardians!