Texas Rangers lineup for September 12, 2026 against the Arizona Diamondbacks: starting pitchers are Kumar Rocker for the Rangers and Brandon “Booty So” Pfaadt for the D-Backs.
Texas tries to get it together in Arizona. Josh Jung is back. That’s a positive, right?
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Seager — SS
Jung — 3B
Nimmo — RF
Duran — CF
Langford — LF
Burger — 1B
Lopez — 2B
Diaz — C
7:10 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +110 underdogs.
Saturday was the second straight clunker for Gerrit Cole.
After allowing four homers in the loss against the Padres in San Diego a week ago, the Yankees right-hander came into Yankee Stadium looking to clinch the Subway Series with a win over the Mets. However, the Mets took Cole deep three times en route to a 12-2 victory.
While Cole bounced back from the early homers against the Padres -- going seven innings and allowing four runs -- the same wasn't true against the Mets. The Amazin's pushed across five runs and banged nine hits off of Cole -- both tying season highs -- as he was chased after just 4.1 innings.
After the game, Cole was asked what he believes the reason for the uptick in homers is and the former Cy Young winner was straightforward with his observation.
"The hitters are seeing the ball well and being able to deliver good strikes to it, regardless of the pitch type or the location," he said after the loss.
When asked if it's something Cole can change on his end, the 36-year-old wasn't sure, but offered that it's something he needs to figure out.
"I think it’s something we gotta figure out for sure. It’s one of those times in the season where you have to start making adjustments," Cole explained. "Sometimes adjustments are hard. But that’s the demand of the game. Have to find a way to get through it and move forward."
"Stuff looked ok but not getting it to places he needed to get to and they made him pay for it today," manager Aaron Boone said of Cole's start. "They didn’t miss. That was a little bit of it too. They were fouling pitches off and getting to balls and there wasn’t much swing-and-miss because he wasn’t getting it to spots."
The Yankees skipper said that despite the last two starts, Cole is having a great year and that the Mets were a hot team that hit him around.
Boone is right. Cole returned from Tommy John surgery in late May, and despite the physical progression needed, the right-hander was dealing before San Diego. He made five August starts where he allowed a combined eight earned runs over 30.2 innings (2.35 ERA) and allowed three runs in 5.1 innings against the Angels on Sept. 1 before the Padres and Mets got to him.
However, there are some underlying concerns. Cole's swing-and-misses are down, which he acknowledged is "something we need to tackle," and the looming reality that, physically, he's still trying to bounce back from major surgery. Boone says Cole's arm isn't getting tired, and Cole said he's pleased with how he feels physically, considering he's coming off of Tommy John.
But Cole couldn't rule out whether this is just part of the progression from his surgery.
"Hard to pin it on one thing," Cole said. "Again, at a certain point, starting pitchers throughout the year have to make adjustments. Hitters are good, offenses are good. High-stakes games with good offenses- sometimes they teach you lessons like today."
Despite the results, Cole isn't concerned. He says he's healthy and his experience should benefit him in figuring out what adjustments need to be made to be more effective.
"It’s not easy. It’s a tough game," Cole said. "Have to make hard adjustments; that’s why it’s the big leagues."
Cole added, "Hitters are really good. There’s credit to be dished out, but at the same time we expect better. That’s what we’ll be chasing."
And Boone has those same expectations.
"I expect him to be right next time."
The Yankees hope Cole is right as they head to the final two weeks of the regular season. After the loss, the Rays hold a 3.5-game lead in the AL East with a massive four-game series between the Yankees and Tampa Bay coming up.
Even if the Yankees don't catch Tampa for the AL East crown, they'll need Cole to make a deep playoff run this October.
"It's not easy. It's a tough game, got to make hard adjustments. That's why it's the big leagues."
— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 12, 2026
Gerrit Cole talks about making the adjustments to get back to form: pic.twitter.com/U7gX7CEHnR
Jonathan Kuminga signing with the Timberwolves gave many pause.
The 23-year-old joined Minnesota on a two-year, $12.4 million deal despite the Lakers offering a deal that would allow Kuminga to earn roughly the same amount annually.
But the forward has been adamant that he made the right decision, saying he wanted to join a winning culture. The Timberwolves have never won an NBA championship, let alone an appearance in the Finals.
Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas didn’t mince words when he discussed Kuminga’s puzzling decision on his podcast.
“Someone is getting you paid to look the other way because there’s no f–king way that you should have been signing these bulls–t deals,” Arenas said.
“There’s no way [Kuminga] should be signing these bullsh*t deals!”
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) September 12, 2026
Gil can’t believe Jonathan Kuminga agreed to his latest contract dealpic.twitter.com/1as04tuwWM
“Now you’re talking about you’re in a two-year deal. You signed a podcast deal, like I said. You’re playing with two max players, three max players. You’re the fourth, fifth option. And you think you’re gonna do what?”
Kuminga joins LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards in Minnesota as part of the backcourt. The Lakers’ pitch to the wing was starting alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Throughout the offseason, the Lakers and Kuminga had gone back and forth on a potential contract but never reached an agreement.
Now, the Lakers are still searching for a versatile wing defender before the season begins.
The Colorado Avalanche prospect pool looked every bit as deep as advertised on Saturday, as the young Avs rolled to a 7-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks in Rookie Faceoff action at Tech CU Arena in San Jose. T.J. Hughes and Alex Gagne both finished with multi-point nights.
The headline performance belonged to Gagne, who capped a goal and two assist effort with a fight, completing a Gordie Howe hat trick. Hughes chipped in two assists, while Beckett Hamilton and Cooper Gay each finished with a goal and an assist. Makar, Shawn Carrier, Kalder Varga, and Matthew DiMarsico rounded out the scoring with a goal apiece.
The first game of a two-matchup showcase was also the first time Avalanche fans got to see Ilya Nabokov in action. He allowed two goals, but was largely impressive and there was no shortage of fantastic saves.
Makar put the Avalanche on the board at 3:03 of the first period when third-round pick Beckett Hamilton executed a beautiful behind-the-back pass to Makar, who was in the right place at the right time and snapped a shot past Anaheim netminder Damian Clara to give the Avs the early lead.
Just over two minutes later, T.J. Hughes carried the puck into the Ducks' zone on a 3-on-1 and stickhandled through traffic before feeding Hamilton at the back door for a slick finish, doubling Colorado's lead. Anaheim answered immediately, though, as Cruz Lucius outsmarted Nabokov in front of the net to cut the deficit.
Past the midpoint of the period, Matthew DiMarsico, who signed with the Avalanche out of Penn State last season, ripped one past Clara to restore the two-goal cushion, making it 3-1.
The Avalanche later killed off a four-minute high-sticking penalty on Makar, with Nabokov turning aside a string of highlight-reel saves, including a sprawling glove stop on Ducks forward Rian Chudzinski.
Colorado carried a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.
The second period brought more of the same for the Avalanche, who tacked on three more goals. Cooper Gay made a gorgeous move through the neutral zone to set up Shawn Carrier for a tap-in, camp invite Kalder Varga scored off a feed from Alex Gagne, and Gagne added one of his own with a blast from the point.
Anaheim's lone response came when Noah Kosick poked a puck past Nabokov, but it was otherwise a dominant frame for Colorado. The Ducks had their moments offensively, yet were largely stifled by Nabokov, who came up with a handful of impressive stops over the 20 minutes.
Tobias Tvrznik took over in net for Nabokov to begin the third period. However, the Ducks left Clara in net.
Just over nine minutes into the third period, Gay ripped home a rebound that trickled to the right circle, beating a sprawling Clara to make it a 7-2 game.
The Avalanche will wrap up the Rookie Faceoff with a matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights at 2 p.m. MDT.
The Avs-Ducks game was originally scheduled to start at 2 p.m. MDT but was delayed by over an hour due to a scheduling "miscommunication."
That… that was not quite the way I’d have drawn up another Cubs win, but we will take them any way they come.
The Cubs defeated the Pirates 4-3 on an eighth-inning two-run rally in which they had only one hit. This, after hitting two home runs off Paul Skenes and going behind thanks in part to a rare Nico Hoerner error.
Let’s begin at the beginning, shall we?
Clay Holmes dispatched the Pirates scoreless in the first, then after the first two Cubs were easy outs in the bottom of the inning, Michael Busch went oppo [VIDEO].
About Busch’s blast, from BCB’s JohnW53:
Michael Busch’s home run was the 28th by a Cub that has been the team’s first hit of a game. That is nearly one every five games. Busch had done it once before, on July 18, at home vs. the Twins. Pete Crow-Armstrong leads by far, with 10. Seiya Suzuki has four; Alex Bregman, three; Busch, Michael Conforto, Ian Happ and Dansby Swanson, two; and Nico Hoerner, Matt Shaw and Tyrone Taylor, one.
Busch’s blast went a long way [VIDEO].
That’s where the score stayed until Pedro Ramirez led off the third with a home run [VIDEO].
Watching Skenes pitch, he is a different guy than he was a year ago. His velocity has dropped from “elite” (100 or over) to “above average,” hitting 96-97 most of the time. That can be hit, as the Cubs showed. He was getting swings and misses mostly on his slider. He’s still a very good pitcher, obviously, but will he ever recover the level he was at for the first two years of his career? That remains to be seen.
More on Skenes from John:
This was Paul Skenes’ 85th career start. It was just the eighth in which he has allowed multiple home runs, with five of them this year. He gave up three just once: at home vs. the Cubs, on May 1 of last year. The Cubs won the game, 8-3.
The Cubs have hit seven homers off him. No other team has hit more than three.
Michael Busch became the first batter to hit two homers off Skenes. Pedro Ramirez was the 36th to hit one.
Anyway, Holmes and the Cubs nursed that 2-0 lead into the sixth, when Brandon Lowe, who has killed Cubs pitching all year, led off with a single. Then came the aforementioned Nico error, which might have wound up a double play or at least a force out. Instead, the Pirates had two men on and nobody out. One out later, Ryan O’Hearn launched a homer and the Bucs led 3-2.
Holmes then loaded the bases on a walk, single following a fly to left and another walk. Craig Counsell called on Jacob Webb to face Oneil Cruz and — be honest now — you didn’t much like that matchup. I sure didn’t. But Webb got Cruz to ground to second to end the inning.
The Cubs couldn’t do anything in the sixth or seventh. Webb threw a scoreless seventh after a leadoff walk, and hopefully this outing will help him build confidence back. Ryan Rolison threw a 1-2-3 eighth and then the Cubs got to work after Skenes was lifted for Gregory Soto.
Ramirez led off with a double, but the next two Cubs were retired, including PCA on a called third strike. I think he was looking slider and Soto rammed a fastball right down the middle.
Then Soto lost the zone almost completely. He hit Alex Bregman and walked pinch-hitter Seiya Suzuki to load the bases.
Counsell sent Matt Shaw up to bat for Ian Happ and Shaw worked a walk to tie the game at 3 [VIDEO].
I don’t know if you can tell from that clip but the energy level from the 39,422 in attendance was tremendous at Wrigley Saturday afternoon. Loud and engaged on every pitch in that inning.
That continued when Nico came to bat and Soto hit him, forcing in the lead run [VIDEO].
The Cubs will take runs any way they can get them, of course, and now had a one-run lead to protect in the ninth.
Rolison was left in the game. The first batter was pinch-hitter Rafael Flores Jr., who hit a ground ball to Bregman that Alex couldn’t handle and it went for a hit. Rolison then retired the next two Pirates on fly balls, and Counsell called on Ryan Zeferjahn to face Bryan Reynolds.
You know, I’m not sure I’d have done that either, but I can see what Counsell is doing here — trying to figure out who’s going to close games and give some relievers tough situations to see how they handle them.
Zeferjahn struck out Reynolds to end the game — but not until after an ABS challenge [VIDEO].
Again, I’m not sure the tremendous crowd energy comes across well in the video clips. Everyone in the ballpark was really into every pitch, almost a playoff atmosphere. This isn’t the way I’d have drawn up this win, but wins are wins and the Cubs will certainly take it. More from John:
This was the Cubs’ 42nd come-from-behind win — more than half of all 83 total wins. Going into today, only two teams had more: the Diamondbacks, 44, and Dodgers, 42. The Brewers and Padres had 40.
So the Cubs have a chance to go a full game up on the Phillies for the top wild card if the Braves can defeat Philadelphia again this evening. Tyler Mahle will start for the Braves and the Phillies are going with a bullpen game, started by Tim Mayza. That game begins at 6:15 p.m. CT.
As for the Cubs, they’ll go for the sweep of the Pirates Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs and Bubba Chandler goes for Pittsburgh. Game time Sunday is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
After a complete drubbing of the Cincinnati Reds last night, 20-0, to clinch a berth in the postseason, the Milwaukee Brewers are back for more against their NL Central foe.
The Brewers have a magic number of 4 to clinch the NL Central coming into tonight’s game. The Chicago Cubs did win their afternoon contest against the Pirates, which means the Brewers can no longer clinch on Sunday and the earliest they could possibly be crowned is on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
While it’ll be difficult for the Brewers offense to replicate the kind of offensive outburst they had on Friday night, they have been swinging the bat quite well of late. Jackson Chourio has especially been on a roll, batting .379/.404/.621 (39-for-103) with 6 HR and 18 RBI in his last 23 games.
To no surprise, Chourio is back in the leadoff spot for tonight’s game. He’ll be followed by Brice Turang and Jake Bauers atop the order. Christian Yelich, William Contreras, and Garrett Mitchell form the middle of the order. Then the bottom of the order has Sal Frelick in right field, Cooper Pratt at short, then David Hamilton at third base.
After a clutch home run robbery last night from Lara and a career-high 4 hit game from Joey Ortiz, neither of them are in the starting lineup for tonight’s game.
The Reds will have right-hander Brady Singer on the mound. He works primarily with a sinker-slider combo. The Brewers recognize Ortiz’s struggles against right-handed sinkers, which is likely contributing to him not being in the lineup tonight. The last time Singer was out on the mound, it was against the Brewers. He didn’t pitch particularly well, allowing six runs over 5 IP, but the Reds still won.
Singer is having a tough season, with his ERA experiencing a full run increase over last year. He has a 5.03 ERA in 2026 in his 28 starts.
The Brewers will be countering with Shane Drohan, who has a 7-5 record and a 4.09 ERA on the year. Drohan faced the Reds his last time out and had a tough game, allowing six runs in 4 IP. Ironically, that was the only game of that Reds series last weekend that the Brewers won.
Drohan will face a Reds lineup that’s led by Dane Myers, Elly De La Cruz, and rookie sensation Sal Stewart at the top of the order. Tyler Stephenson, Eugenio Suarez, and JJ Bleday form the middle of the Reds lineup. Then Juan Brito, Hector Rodriguez, and Ke’Bryan Hayes round out the bottom of the lineup card for manager Terry Francona.
Can the Brewers continue their push for 100 wins for the first time in franchise history? Can they make their NL Central magic number dwindle a little bit more? We’ll find out. First pitch is at 6:10 PM.
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (75-73) and Tampa Bay Rays (88-59) play the 2nd game of this 3-game set tonight at Tropicana Field.
RHP Peter Lambert (8-8, 3.67 ERA) will start for the Astros as he takes on Rays LHP Ian Seymour (9-6, 4.33 ERA). Tonight will be Lambert’s 4th career app. vs. TB and his 2nd career start/app. at Tropicana Field.
ASTROS-RAYS: The Astros are 2-2 vs. TB thus far this season. HOU took 2 out of 3 games from the Rays when they met at Daikin Park earlier this season, July 3-5.
Astros-Rays History: The Astros are 45-50 all-time vs. TB in the regular season.
Postseason: The two clubs have met twice in the postseason, with the Astros defeating TB in the 2019 ALDS, 3-2, and the Rays topping the Astros in the 2020 ALCS, 4-3.
THE LAMBO: RHP Peter Lambert is making his club-leading 26th start of the season tonight. In his last start on Sunday vs. ARI, Lambert pitched 7.0 strong innings (3 ER) but took the loss in a 3-2 defeat.
Vs. The Rays: In 3 career app. (2 GS) vs. TB, Lambert is 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA (2ER/12.2IP). Lambert defeated the Rays on July 5 of this season at Daikin Park, hurling 5.2 scoreless innings in a 2-0 Astros victory.
At The Trop: Tonight will be Lambert’s 2nd career start/app. at Tropicana Field. His other was on Aug. 24, 2023 while with COL (5.0 IP, 2 ER, ND in 5-3 loss).
100 CLUB: Tonight will be Lambert’s 100th career ML appearance and 61st ML start.
CAM CAN: Cam Smith is 6×14 (.429) on the current road trip with 3 HR and 4 RBI. He homered in all 3 games at PHI on the 1st stop of the trip. Smith is hitting .290 (9×31) in Sept. with a .998 OPS.
ROAD WARRIORS: Tonight is the 5th game (2-2 thus far) of a 6-game road trip for the Astros. Since going 1-9 on the first road trip of the 2026 season, the Astros have gone 37-26 (.587) on the road since April 14, which ranks 3rd in the Majors in that span. More recently, they are 21-14 (.600) on their last 6 road trips combined (includes current trip).
TOUGH DRAWS: Including tonight, in the last 4 games, the opposing starters that the Astros have faced have a combined won-loss record of 52-21. They are: LHP Cristopher Sánchez (17-5), RHP Zack Wheeler (12-5), RHP Drew Rasmussen (14-5), LHP Ian Seymour (9-6).
MEASURING UP: The Astros are 29-21 (.580) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. They own a .500 or better record vs. several clubs that are in the AL postseason hunt: 5-1 vs. BOS, 5-2 vs. CWS, 4-2 vs. CLE, 2-2 vs. TB, 9-4 vs. TEX, 3-3 vs. NYY, 3-3 vs. TOR.
NOTHING FINER THAN YAINER: C Yainer Diaz is hitting .367 (11×30) in the month of September with a .920 OPS.
Multi-Tasking: Diaz has tallied multiple hits in each of his last 5 starts, going 10×19 (.526) in that span.
THE HIT MAN:Jose Altuve collected his 2,500th career hit on Wed. night at PHI, becoming the 103rd player in ML history to reach this milestone. Freddie Freeman was the last player to reach 2,500 hits, which happened on June 9 of this year at PNC Park vs. PIT. Freeman (2,587) and Altuve (2,503) are the 2 active hits leaders in the Majors.
ON THE OFFENSIVE: The Astros are 2nd in the AL in HR (193) and SLG (.409), T-3rd in OPS (.724) and 6th in runs scored (663).
SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 55-42 (.567) in their last 97 games (since May 22). That is the 2nd-best record in the AL in that span, behind only the Red Sox.
STARTING STRONG: In the last 11 games, Astros starters have combined for a 2.73 ERA (17ER/56IP) . The Astros are 6-5 in that span. Additionally, the Astros are 10-7 in their last 17 games, during which the starters have posted a combined 3.13 ERA (29ER/83.1IP).
TRIPLE THREAT: Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently ranks 1st or 2nd in the AL in all three Triple Crown categories. He enters today leading the AL in batting avg. (.310), while ranking 2nd in HR (38) and RBI (96). Alvarez also leads the Majors in OPS (1.017), SLG (.590) and OBP (.427).
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).
CHALLENGING STRETCH: The Astros are 6-5 thus far while in a stretch of playing 13 cons. games vs. opponents with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB). 2 of those opponents are leading their respective divisions (CWS, TB), one currently holds a WC spot (PHI) and another that is 0.5 game out of a WC spot (ARI).
BIG WES: Tomorrow’s starter, RHP Hayden Wesneski, is 3-0 in his last 4 starts with a 1.57 ERA (4ER/23IP). For the season, he is 5-1 with a 3.35 ERA in 8 starts (Astros are 7-1 in his starts).
DOWN ON THE FARM: The Fayetteville Woodpeckers have advanced to the Carolina League Championship Round after sweeping Fredericksburg, in their 1st round playoff matchup. Fayetteville will face the Charleston RiverDogs for the Carolina League championship in a best-of-three series, beginning on Sunday in Charleston. Games 2 and 3 are scheduled to be played at Fayetteville.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY:2021 – Rookie OF Jose Siri gets his first Major League start and makes it one of the best ever, tallying 4 hits with 2 HR and 5 RBI in a 15-1 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. Siri had 4 Major League at-bats but no starts prior to his big night.
2020 – At Dodger Stadium, the Astros erupt for 5 runs in the top of the 9th off Kenley Jansen for a dramatic, 7-5 win over the Dodgers. The Astros tally 6 hits in the 9th off Jansen, who does not record an out.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, September 12, 5:10 p.m. CT
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Saturday evening’s game between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers will likely include an odd feature not usually observed in Major League Baseball.
Reds pitcher Jose Trevino will potentially be unavailable. That’s Reds catcher Jose Trevino, who has pitched in each of the last two games in which the Reds have played.
Cincinnati wrapped up their series in Los Angeles mid-week with a 14-1 drubbing by the Dodgers. Then, they flew to Milwaukee just to find a way to play worse. Friday saw them completely dismantled at the hands of the Brewers to the tune of a 20-0 final score.
Cincinnati had multiple pitchers allow at least 8 earned runs. Milwaukee was up 17-0 so early that it was an honest conversation whether they should use a position player on the mound to save innings on their relievers with the game already so out of reach. Trevino, who allowed 3 ER in 2.0 IP, actually performed better than both Andrew Abbott and Luis Mey, even if he did so while leaning hard on his 22 mph eephus.
It was a game so embarrassing it wasn’t worth covering. That’s on the back of a game that was so embarrassing (and late) it wasn’t worth covering, either. That’s where this Cincinnati Reds club finds itself 147 games into this disastrous 2026 season, with the only thing left to see being whether they choose to pick themselves up off the mat or simply let it bleed out.
Something is woefully amiss within this organization. And if nothing changes yet again this winter, well, we’ll know it’s all by design.
With Carlos Correa getting closer to returning to the Astros, questions have arisen about how the team would formulate their lineup when he was ready to rejoin the team. While Correa has exclusively taken ground balls at 3B during his rehab and manager Joe Espada has stated that Correa would play 3B upon his return, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic had a report today that offered another idea:
The concept of Correa at 2B instantly leads to thoughts of “if he has a serious ankle injury he is returning from, wouldn’t playing 2B make him more vulnerable to another injury” immediately after the thought of “but Correa has never played 2B before”. While the first listed thought would seem to be true, the second one is definitely true.
Carlos Correa has never played 2B. He’s never played on the right side of the infield.
On recent editions of AREA45 on 95.7 The Fan, I have hypothesized of Carlos Correa potentially playing 1B after this season, with the Astros moving on from Christian Walker. While Correa would make a great target at 1B standing 6’3”, Correa is notably superior defender at 3B than Isaac Paredes, who does have experience playing 1B. Paredes stands 5’11”, the same height as Walker.
The idea of Correa playing 2B would require Yordan Alvarez to be the everyday LF and Jose Altuve to become the team’s regular DH.
While it may not be tenable for a full season, it could certainly be a working plan for the final week of the season and the playoffs.
Jose Altuve is having a career-worst season both offensively and defensively. Altuve is a -11 OAA (Outs Above Average). For comparison, last season Altuve was a 0 OAA, making him league average. -11 OAA grades Altuve as the worst defensive 2B in MLB. It is a sharp fall defensively for the Astros aging icon.
Correa’s athleticism should allow him to play the position well, but an occasional misplay by being out of position should be expected for playing someplace he has never played before.
Kurt-Lee Arendse scores from his own half to swing a 10-try thriller in Baltimore as South Africa win the series with New Zealand by three Tests to one.
Loads of emotion from the players as the anthems are sung.
Hate to venture into cliche land, but try telling them that this is just a ‘money game’.
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The Colorado Rockies appeared to have this one in hand.
Last night, the Rockies outhit the Tigers 10-5 but managed to lose 6-2 because those hits were all singles. Today, the Rockies found a little more firepower, logging 12 hits including two home runs and some extra-base hits.
Unfortunately, it was a classic Colorado loss where the bats are working but the pitching isn’t. The Rockies surrendered 11 runs on 18 hits to Detroit. The Rockies held the lead for the majority of the game, but a whirlwind eighth inning swung the game seven runs, from a three-run Rockies lead to a four-run deficit.
After a wasted opportunity to stop the losses from piling up, the soundtrack to today’s game in Motown was, ultimately, a sad one.
Tanner Gordon came into the game looking like a road warrior yet again, piling up a couple of strong innings to start things off. Through the first two innings, he allowed some traffic but kept things scoreless. Gordon allowed a quick single to Kevin McGonigle to begin the game but fired off two strikeouts in the inning as well. After an Eduardo Valencia double and a Spencer Torkelson single put runners on the corners, Gordon gave up a walk, which is uncharacteristic for his 4% walk rate, to load the bases. A clutch double play kept zeroes on the board.
For their part, the Rockies offense kept on trying ‘til they reached their highest ground, taking a 3-0 lead to give Gordon some early run support.
After stranding runners on second and third in the first inning and a 1-2-3 inning in the second, the Rockies got to work in the third. Jake McCarthy was hit by a pitch and Connor Norby singled to put runners on the corners. No more small ball would be needed, however. A Hunter Goodman home run — his 38th of the season — brought everyone home.
The three-run cushion didn’t last long. McGonigle, the American League Rookie of the Year favorite, got a solo shot to left field off of Gordon to cut into the lead. Gordon responded with two outs, but couldn’t escape the inning. A trio of singles from Riley Greene, Valencia, and Max Clark were good enough to score a run and make it a 3-2 ballgame.
Things nearly got much, much worse. With Clark and Valencia on first and third, Torkelson nearly launched a three-run homer that would have given Detroit a 5-3 lead. McCarthy tracked it down, timed his leap, reached out, and committed a robbery.
The defensive play absolutely stopped the momentum from swinging too far in Detroit’s direction. Colorado parlayed that into growing the lead in the fourth. Jordan Beck took first with a bunt and was brought home by an Adael Amador double to make it 4-2 Rox.
As Edwin Starr sang: “War! Huh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.”
By the middle innings, the game had turned into a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, which was no good for the Rockies who were trying to hold onto their lead. The Tigers would not go quietly, fighting back to tie the game and threatening to jump ahead.
Brett Callahan doubled to kick off the fourth inning, but Gordon held his own for the moment, striking out the next two batters. Gordon worked in his off-speed pitches effectively, getting John Peck to strike out swinging on a changeup low and inside, and catching McGonigle looking at a curveball right at the bottom of the zone.
Unfortunately, two-out runs were Gordon’s kryptonite today. Hao-Yu Lee doubled to score Callahan and was brought home himself on a Colt Keith single to tie the game at 4-4. Gordon was replaced by Juan Mejia in the bottom of the fifth, ending his day with 4.0 innings pitched, a whopping 10 hits, four earned runs, and five strikeouts to a lone walk.
Gordon has been susceptible to hits in many of his starts as he was today, but he did his part to work out of jams and keep the game competitive. While not in line for a decision, he held his own in key situations and kept the Rockies in it.
After the scoring flareups from Detroit in the third and fourth innings, the bullpen kept Colorado hanging on to the lead, albeit with some scattered drama.
When Mejia took over in the fifth, he immediately allowed the basepaths to become crowded. He got behind the count against Valencia after throwing three straight balls. After strikes on the next two pitches, Mejia walked Valencia. Clark doubled as the next batter up, forcing a mound visit to calm Mejia down. It did the trick as Mejia locked in for three straight outs.
Mejia attempted to start the sixth but was replaced by Brennan Bernardino after issuing two straight walks on 14 pitches. Bernardino worked out of the inherited jam masterfully, continuing to be such an important piece of the Rockies’ bullpen. He logged three straight outs, including a strikeout to prevent any damage done in the sixth, maintaining the Rockies two-run lead. Bernardino allowed a couple of hits in the seventh but prevented any runs.
An Ezequiel Tovar solo shot in the top of the eighth helped the Rockies grow their lead to three. The home run was right near the foul pole and close to being called for fan interference, but a review called it good, putting Colorado up 7-4.
Unfortunately, no mountain or lead was high enough for the Tigers to overcome. Despite the three-run lead and several scoreless innings from the bullpen, a disastrous eighth inning would be all it would take for the Rockies’ fortune to crumble. This one couldn’t have been any worse.
Jaden Hill came in to relieve Bernardino. Unfortunately, it was Hill’s worst outing since a five-run catastrophe against the Milwaukee Brewers back in June.
Hill immediately surrendered back-to-back doubles to Lee and Gleyber Torres, making it a 7-5 game rather quickly. Greene singled to bring it to 7-6. The Rockies began warming up Jordan Romano, but they couldn’t get Hill out of the game fast enough. Hill gave up a single to Valencia and walked Clark, setting the stage for Roman with the bases loaded and no outs. Hill’s day ended at 0.0 innings pitched as he faced five batters but couldn’t record an out. He gave up five runs on four hits.
Manager Warren Schaeffer talked about Hill’s performance, noting that Detroit jumped on him with a good game plan: “Four hits and a walk with very little pitches. They had a good plan. They went out there and put the bat on the ball early in the count. And (we) just couldn’t get any outs.”
Romano didn’t fare much better after inheriting a terrible situation. After a pitch clock violation awarded an automatic ball, he walked Torkelson to walk in a run and tie the game. He next walked Ben Malgeri on seven pitches to push another run home and give Detroit their first lead of the game at 8-7.
A Peck sacrifice fly extended it by one, but the real damage was done on a Lee triple that scored two more. Romano managed two strikeouts but gave up two runs on a hit and two walks. The Tigers went into the final frame with an 11-7 lead and closed the game out there.
Cue some Smokey Robinson, because this was a sad, jarring loss for this Rockies team.
Even though they’re a young, developing team, it’s hard to see them squander games that should have been in the bag. This game often turned on a dime, partially because the Rockies’ pitchers weren’t able to close out innings — a problem that haunted them throughout the game. Colorado has still struggled to get their bats and pitching to work at the same time.
Schaeffer pointed to “positives all through this game” for a growing team, highlighting Amador’s big at bats, Tovar’s home run, Rumfield’s three-hit game, and Bernardino’s strong six outs.
The end of season woes continue to grow for the Rockies. They’ve now lost six games in a row, nine straight on the road, and 19 of their last 23.
The Rockies take on the Motor City Kitties for game three of the series. Detroit swept Colorado at Coors Field in 2025. The Tigers will try to treat the home fans at Comerica Park to the same result with a sweep on the line in Sunday’s matchup.
Colorado will start Gabriel Hughes, currently winless on the season. Hughes is 0-7 in 11 starts with a 5.81 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts.
While there has been some rotation shuffling in recent days for Detroit, they are expected to start Jackson Jobe as of now. Jobe has a 1-2 record across six starts with a 4.45 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts.
We’ve got morning baseball on deck with a 10:10 a.m. MT first pitch.
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If the Philadelphia Flyers are to enjoy a successful rebuild, they will need all of their young players, especially the wingers, to reach their full potential. Fortunately, all signs are already pointing to Porter Martone doing just that.
Despite jumping onto the moving train and joining the Flyers in the thick of their playoff push and subsequent playoff run last year, Martone, 19, looked like he belonged at the NHL level from the first shift.
In only nine regular season games with the Flyers, Martone put up four goals, six assists, and 10 points, then followed that up with two goals, three assists, and five points in 10 postseason games.
Despite his 19 total games of NHL experience, though, Martone was on the ice for the Flyers at development camp in July, and now he's on the ice for rookie camp ahead of the main training camp.
That's the kind of attitude and approach, Flyers coaches feel, will propel the teenager to stardom in the near future.
"He asks a lot of questions. He's always looking to better himself, wherever it is on the ice," Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach John Snowden said of Martone on Friday.
Flyers Debut Exciting Defense Pair in 1st Rookie Camp PracticeIn their first rookie camp practice, the Philadelphia Flyers pushed all their chips to the middle on defense."In fairness, he played at the end of the season last year, got a very, very small taste of the NHL level. Like, he should ask those questions, and he should find every single resource and avenue to make himself a better player. He's a very good player, obviously showed what he can be in the NHL, but he wants to be a superstar player, and those are the types of things you're going to have to ask.
"You're going to have to find a way to get better every single day. One percent better, two percent every day, and you're going in the right direction."
When Martone spoke during a media availability at development camp, he said he wanted to get better at "everything" during his offseason training.
And that was after having joined Canada for the World Championships, which followed the Flyers' playoff run.
That's quite the long season, and for a recent sixth-overall pick who is already looking like an above-average NHL player, that's an impressively all-encompassing outlook on the work ahead.
Martone, as well as fellow youngster and Flyers forward Denver Barkey, isn't expected to play in the first Rookie Series game against the New York Rangers on Saturday night, but he'll presumably get the opportunity to play on Sunday evening as a tune-up for the main Flyers training camp, which will officially open on Thursday.
Then, the real business begins.
It didn't take long for Viggo Björck to make his presence felt in a Winnipeg Jets sweater.
The eighth-overall selection from the 2026 NHL Draft found the back of the net in his first game with the organization Saturday, opening the scoring against the Montreal Canadiens' prospects at the 2026 Prospect Challenge in Gatineau, Quebec.
Björck's first-period marker came during 4-on-4 action alongside fellow first-rounder Brayden Yager. The two youngsters combined on a slick sequence that ended with Björck finding the back of the net for his first unofficial goal as a member of the Jets.
It was exactly the type of play Winnipeg hoped to see from the highly skilled Swedish centre, who arrived in Canada with plenty of attention surrounding him following a whirlwind 2025-26 season.
Despite standing just 5-foot-9, Björck has continually shown an ability to create offence against older and larger competition.
This is not a prospect. This appears to be an NHL-ready 18-year-old. pic.twitter.com/oDPctW0XXw
— Carter Brooks (@CBrooksie84) September 12, 2026
The 18-year-old recorded six goals and 15 points in 42 games with Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish Hockey League last season before playing starring roles internationally. He put up nine points in seven games as Sweden captured gold at the 2026 World Junior Championship, then added another six points while playing against men at the World Championship.
That resume ultimately helped make Björck the eighth player off the board at June's NHL Draft and Winnipeg's highest draft selection since Patrik Laine went second overall in 2016.
Saturday offered Jets fans their first opportunity to see what all the excitement was about with Björck actually wearing Winnipeg colours.
The early returns certainly didn't disappoint. Björck had spoken ahead of the tournament about resisting the temptation to alter his game while trying to impress the Jets' brass.
“Just trying to play my own game, the way I’m used to,” Björck said Friday. “Not trying to change anything and be a person that I’m not.”
That approach was evident against Montreal. Rather than looking overwhelmed in his first competitive action with the organization, Björck showed flashes of the skating, puck skill and offensive creativity that made him one of the most intriguing players available in this year's draft.
And with Jets training camp beginning next week, his performance couldn't have come at a much better time.
Björck isn't guaranteed an NHL job simply because of his draft pedigree. Winnipeg has repeatedly stressed that its young players will have to earn their opportunities, and the Swedish centre himself has been cautious about looking too far ahead.
But his first audition offered a glimpse of why there is considerable excitement surrounding him.
He'll get another opportunity Sunday when Winnipeg closes out its Prospect Challenge schedule against the Toronto Maple Leafs at noon central time.
Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung and pitcher Nathan Eovaldi have been activated from the injured list, the team announced today. To make room for them on the active roster, the Rangers have optioned pitcher Adam Macko and DH/catcher Logan O’Hoppe to AAA Round Rock.
Jung had been in the midst of his best season prior to going on the injured list in mid-July, slashing .294/.361/.441. Jung originally was thought to potentially miss just a day or two with a calf issue that ended up sidelining him almost two months. He has been on a rehab assignment with AAA Round Rock, and played third base each of the last two games.
Eovaldi last pitched on August 7, throwing 5.1 innings of one pitch ball against the Orioles. He went on the injured list after that with an elbow issue. He has not gone on a rehab assignment, and it remains to be seen what his role will be now that he is activated, although it would seem likely he will be used out of the bullpen initially.
Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:
For the Braves:
Let’s talk about it.