Goals from Jack Rudoni, Sidiki Cherif, Ellis Simms and Stephen Mfuni – Cherif’s and Mfuni’s blinders – gave Coventry their first Premier League home win in 25 years
So where is our game? Coventry will want to use their wide attackers to get them up the pitch. Down their left in particular, I’d expect to see Dasilva and Mason-Clark ganging up on Miley, who isn’t a full-back, with Rudoni and Yirkenkyi making late runs to give them presence in the box. I also wonder if Cherif will look to run off Botman, who isn’t the quickest, with Thomas-Asante and Van Ewijk looking to supply him with crosses.
Email! “I say this is a perfect fixture,” writes Mary Waltz. “To get back to semi normal football. We have had a week to focus on the City problem but let’s get real. Whatever happens to them it will probably months before the lawyers get all their billable hours in and we don’t know what the final outcome will be. I for one am tired of speculating when it is pointless untilthe powers that be make up their minds. Let’s play ball.”
The Atlanta Braves are not longer in contention but there is still some fun playoff baseball to watch as the Los Angeles Dodgers are the visiting team against the Milwaukee Brewers. We already saw an insanely good pitching matchup yesterday, but we get another one today with Yoshinobu Yamamoto taking on Logan Henderson.
Interestingly on paper in looks like the Dodgers have the advantage on paper, but some of the places people place their money do not agree.
More fun baseball is to follow as the Cleveland Guardians will be at the Tampa Bay Rays where Foster Griffin, in his first season back from Japan and after being traded mid-season, will be taking the mound against Drew Rasmussen. Rasmussen had a fantastic season with a 2.67 ERA over 172.0 innings pitched. Oddsmakers like the Rays in this matchup, but the Guardians are getting hot at the right time.
Follow along in the comments below, and don’t feel limited on just this subject. Want to talk about what the Braves should do in the offseason? Go for it. Will there even be a season next year? Who knows.
First pitch for the first game is at 4:00 EDT and can be seen on FOX. The second game will be at 7:00 EDT on TBS.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres ruled out captain Rasmus Dahlin returning after he sustained an upper-body injury in the second period against the Florida Panthers on Monday.
The Sabres did not provide any further details in making the announcement. Dahlin's final shift lasted 18 seconds and ended 3:44 into the second period during a Sabres power play.
Dahlin left the ice after going down to one knee upon taking a shot from the slot off a faceoff in the Panthers zone. He collected the rebound along the side board before turning it over, and then headed immediately to the bench.
Dahlin scored his second goal of the season on the power play 15:55 into the first period.
Meantime, Panthers starting goalie Jacob Markstrom did not return for the start of the second period. He allowed two goals on nine shots in the opening 20 minutes and was replaced by Akira Schmid. The Panthers did not have an immediate update on Markstrom's status.
Florida acquired the 36-year-old Markstrom in a trade with New Jersey to be the starter after failing to re-sign Sergei Bobrovsky, who left Florida to sign with Toronto in free agency.
NEW YORK — Batters have been more successful on robot umpire challenges in the playoffs than during the regular season, and teams are utilizing the Automated Ball-Strike System more overall in its postseason debut.
Seventy-one of 121 overall challenges under ABS prevailed during the 25 games of the Wild Card Series and Division Series. The 59% success rate was up from 54% during the regular season. That includes an improvement for batters to 57% (29 of 51) from 49%.
It’s not that hitters are necessarily being more conservative, either. Teams are challenging more in the postseason overall, with 4.8 per game compared to 4.3 during the regular season. Batter challenges are up to 2.04 per game from 1.96.
Teams exhaust their challenges when they are unsuccessful twice in the game, so the more times they win appeals the more opportunities they can have.
Catchers had won 60% (42 of 70) of challenges, just above their 59% during the regular season. Pitchers were 1 for 1, with Tampa Bay’s Griffin Jax making the only challenge.
“Maybe a little more cautious,” Rays catcher Liam Hicks said. “It’s more just in the back of your head, you’re like, you want to save these for a meaningful situation.”
Among the four teams advancing to the League Championship Series, Cleveland won 7 of 13, Milwaukee 8 of 16, Tampa Bay 3 of 5 (with no tries by batters) and the Dodgers 2 of 6.
Atlanta had the most challenges, winning 14 of 22 over seven games and the White Sox 12 of 31.
Among batters, Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers and Atlanta’s Austin Riley won both their challenges.
Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox went 0 for 2 and the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. had the most challenges, splitting on four.
“It’s a new muscle for these guys to instinctually have, so I think if this is the route we go for the next few years guys will get more and more instinctually,” New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Some guys have been really good and really adept at it early on. Other guys have been more of a work in progress. Some guys have struggled with it.”
Braves catcher Sean Murphy was 4 for 4 and the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto won 5 of 6. Realmuto had the first game-ending ABS challenge in postseason history in Game 2 of Philadelphia’s Wild Card Series against Atlanta.
Kyle Teel of the White Sox had the most challenges, winning 8 of 12, and the Guardians’ Patrick Bailey was second, succeeding on just 4 of 10. The Brewers’ William Contreras won 4 of 9.
“Some of the first-inning challenges, 1-0 counts, it’s like, let’s let those go and save them for when we might need them later in the game,” Realmuto said. “With that being said, we have a lot of guys that know the strike zone really well.”
Just 17 challenges were defined by Statcast as in high-leverage situations, and eight of 17 were successful.
“You’ve got to be careful trying to script it or dictate the perfect situation for it. You don’t know what it’s going to lead to, even if it’s early,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “My message has always been, the lower the leverage, the more certainty you need to have and vice versa. But at the end of the day, trust your eyes.”
Among 25 umpires who worked the first two rounds, four had perfect rates and were confirmed on all challenges. Tripp Gibson, James Hoye, Nic Lentz and Gabe Morales all were challenged twice and confirmed twice.
Lance Barrett was overturned on 10 of 12 challenges during Milwaukee’s Game 2 Division Series victory over San Diego and Adam Beck on seven of 10 during Philadelphia’s Game 2 Wild Card Series win over Atlanta.
Roberto Ortiz was overturned on 6 of 9, Jansen Visconti and Todd Tichenor on 4 of 7, Shane Livensparger on 5 of 6, Cory Blaser and Chris Guccione on 4 of 5 and Alex MacKay on 4 of 6.
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. – Dylan
Peterson was stoked to get his best opportunity to try and make the
St. Louis Blues roster out of training camp last month.
So
when the Blues sent the 24-year-old back to Springfield of the
American Hockey League to begin his third season there and not in the
NHL, there was certainly some disappointment but nothing he couldn’t
overcome.
A
strong start earned Peterson, a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL
Draft, a recall on Sunday, and the forward is poised to make his NHL
debut on Tuesday when the Blues (2-2-1) begin a three-game road trip
against the Ottawa Senators (4-1-0).
“So
surreal,” Peterson
said Monday after practice.
“It hadn’t set in until I got here and put the jersey on and went
out there for practice. I’ve wanted to wear the ‘Note’ for six
years since I got picked. It’s a long time to wait, to work, to get
here. I’m full of emotion and I’m so excited.”
Peterson
skated Monday on a fourth line on right wing alongside Pius Suter in
the middle and Ross Johnston on the left wing and judging by all
accounts, he will be in the lineup against the Senators.
“He’s
been playing well down there,” Blues
coach Jim Montgomery said of Peterson.
“He is your prototypical fourth line player. We’re going on the
road here for three game and we think he’s going to add an edge to
our game and more of a fourth-line presence for us.
“He’s
got great speed, he takes puck to the net on the outside, he’s got
a good release. That’s his skill. It’s not going to be in
play-making type areas.”
Peterson
has 25 goals, 22 assists in 115 regular-season games with the
Thunderbirds, a mix of speed and physicality in his tool shed. But no
offense to some of the players that have been put on the fourth line,
but Peterson brings more of what’s needed there, which includes
more of a chip-and-chase game, something Montgomery wants to see.
“That’s
just understanding your role,” Montgomery
said.
“It’s not an easy game to always chip-and-chase, but it’s
always needed.
“If
you look at the good fourth lines in the history of this game that
give a team an identity, we had one two years ago where (Alexey)
Toropchenko,
(Radek)
Faksa
and (Nathan)
Walker
knew exactly what they were and they played north and it just brought
momentum to us every shift.”
Peterson,
who played four years at the prestigious Boston University from
2020-24, has
put in a lot of work and waited an awfully long time to get his
moment, which it looks like is here.
“Worth
it. It’s been worth it, every second,” Peterson
said.
“Playing in the American (Hockey) League the last two years, it’s
not an easy league to play in, but I’ve learned a lot, grown a lot.
I put a lot of work in. To see it come together like this has been
very rewarding.
“As
a player and person, I’ve developed a lot. On the ice I’ve
learned how to manage the game, stand up for my teammates, stick up
for myself. So with all those things, they said go back down there,
put your head down and go to work and that’s what I did and it
didn’t take too long (to get back to the NHL). I’m very grateful
and I’m very blessed.”
A
Roseville, Calif. native, Peterson will be represented by a number of
family and friends, including his parents Vlaine and Angela along
with sisters Justine, Cassandra and Tessa.
“We
just played Laval (Saturday
night) and
a couple minutes after the game, ‘Otter’ came and grabbed me,
pulled me in his office and told me. It was a really special moment,” said Peterson, who also fought in the game Saturday.
“… I’ve got a lot of family. I played in Ottawa quite a bit
growing up. It’s a lot of family and friends and it’s just going
to be really special to share that with them.”
And
should Peterson need some teammate guidance, there are plenty to keep
him guarded.
“He
looked good at camp. He earned the call-up,” Johnston
said of Peterson.
“He did everything he could. He fought, he finished checks. He’s
deserving everything he gets here and hopefully he gets a crack at it
tomorrow. He plays straightforward, physical and if we’re together,
it should be a fun night.
“At
the end of the day, it’s your first NHL game. No matter what I say,
you’re still going to be nervous, and you’re still going to live
off all the adrenaline. You’ve kind of just got to let him figure
it out, let him ride the wave and enjoy the experience. There’s no
sense in filling him with a whole bunch of information and so on. It
only happens once and it only happens once for him and his family.
I’m here if he needs anything; I already told him that, but enjoy
the whole process. It goes by fast.”
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The Senators will look to continue their strong start to the 2026-27 NHL season when they visit the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Monday night.
The Senators (4-1-0) have collected eight of a possible 10 points through their first five games, despite dealing with key injuries to Jake Sanderson, William Eklund, and Artem Zub.
New Jersey (2-2-0), meanwhile, is coming off a 4-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
Steve Warne talks about the Sens commitment to defensive structure in the first five games.
Monday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m., and much to the chagrin of a lot of Sens fans who don't have the channel, the game will only be available in English on Sportsnet+.
Compounding the frustration for some fans was the fact that Thursday's broadcast of the Sens' home opener was blacked out for them. As they turned on the game against the Flyers, some were greeted by the "not available in your region" message despite the fact they live in Ottawa.
The Sens' most recent outing wasn't a textbook performance, but they still found a way to nab two more points in Saturday's 3-2 shootout victory over the Nashville Predators.
The Senators went more than 22 minutes without registering a shot on goal and trailed 2-0 before Tim Stützle got them on the board with a power-play goal. Drake Batherson then tied the game with just 1:23 remaining in regulation, scoring with Linus Ullmark on the bench for an extra attacker.
Stützle assisted on the equalizer and scored in the shootout, while Shane Pinto supplied the deciding shootout goal. He's been the Sens' most productive player so far, putting up four goals and eight points through five games.
Ullmark has been a major factor in the Sens' defensive success. He has won all four of his decisions and enters Monday with a league-leading .942 save percentage.
The Devils You Know
Unlike the Senators, who are 3 for 24 on the power play, the Devils got their going with three power play goals in Saturday's 4-1 win over Vancouver. Nico Hischier scored twice with the man advantage, including the 200th goal of his NHL career.
Jesper Bratt and Jesper Boqvist also scored for New Jersey, while goaltender Jake Allen stopped 20 of 21 shots in his 500th NHL game.
The Devils had lost their previous two games, 6-0 to the New York Islanders and a 5-3 loss to Utah.
Injury Updates
Defenceman Jake Sanderson missed much of preseason with a nagging injury, and has been shut down completely since suffering a lower body injury nine days ago in the season opener in Toronto. The previous Saturday, Sanderson was also pulled from the preseason finale, so the club is going to be extra cautious this time.
William Eklund is expected to miss an extended period after suffering an ankle injury against Philadelphia on Thursday.
Andre Burakovsky returned to the lineup against Nashville after missing the first four games of the season.
The Senators have also been playing without defenceman Artem Zub, who has yet to make his season debut. Zub is skating in a regular jersey, but since he also suffered a setback in preseason, there will be an abundance of caution there as well.
For the Devils, former Senator Connor Brown has an injury that's listed as a day-to-day thing. Nick Bjugstad has been placed n LTIR with a pectoral injury. And Seamus Casey just had knee surgery and will be out 6-8 weeks.
Lineups
Sens head coach Travis Green has given Fabian Zetterlund a long, early season look at top six duty, but with 0 goals and 2 assists in 5 games, he's going to suit up on the fourth line on Monday night.
Warren Foegele takes his spot on the top two lines on Monday, skating with Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle. Andre Burakovsky, who made his season debut on Saturday, will play with Dylan Cozens and Ridly Greig.
The team has Giroux-Pinto-Amadio listed as the third line, probably out of force of habit, but it's clearly ahead of the Cozens line by a long shot, whether you're measuring by offensive production or two-way play.
Senators on X
With Cam Crotty moving to injured reserve following what the club described as an illness, Hoyt Stanley remains in the lineup. Jorian Donovan was called up on Saturday to act as the seventh D.
Linus Ullmark, riding a perfect 4-0 start, is expected to start in goal against Nico Daws for Jersey. That means Sam Ersson will likely start on Tuesday back in Ottawa.
Past And Present
New Jersey won two of the three meetings between the clubs (2-1-0) during the 2025-26 regular season. Monday's game will be the first of three again this season. They will meet again on December 3 in Ottawa and March 2 in New Jersey.
Both teams will play two games in he next two nights with travel in between.
The Senators will return home to face the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., while the Devils travel to Detroit to face the Red Wings.
The Sens' challenge is to maintain their winning ways and keep banking points, while dealing with injuries and being swamped with a busy early-season schedule.
Game Info
Teams: Ottawa Senators (4-1-0) at New Jersey Devils (2-2-0)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 10: Trae Young #3 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball during the game against the Detroit Pistons on October 10, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Trae Young is in D.C. for the long haul. Your mileage may vary on the four-year max extension the Wizards handed him this summer, but it’s clear that the Wizards are committed to Young and his style.
That opens a range of questions around how (and whether) he molds his game to mesh with the Wizards’ young core. Here are some big ones I’ll be keeping an eye on.
Was last year’s Hawks performance a mirage?
Young’s very brief 10-game stint with the Hawks last year was a big step back. He shot the ball poorly, played especially lackadaisical defense, and struggled to drive winning. The Hawks took off when he left.
That is, to be fair, a 10-game sample, and in his even more brief Wizards cameo later in the year, he shot the ball well. But given their long-term commitment, the Wizards have to hope that Young can reach a gear of athleticism and quickness that we’ve seen from him in the past. His quick-twitch, shifty first step has helped him separate from elite defenders and poke holes in defenses. Much of his film from last year shows a player who lacked that same agility. The Wizards need him to find it again.
Is Young going to set some screens?
The Wizards profile as a different style of team than past Trae Young operations. His Hawks teams were stocked with shooters and off-ball players who fit inside of Young’s heavy pick-and-roll game. Washington, with AJ Dybantsa in the starting lineup, is oriented a bit differently.
With Dybantsa’s promising downhill game, there is going to be less appetite for endless Young pick-and-rolls. Dybantsa is too good to shuttle off to the corner and take catch-and-shoot threes. It will be important for the Wizards to weave in sets that unlock Dybantsa and others without leaving Young to wait around in a your turn, my turn offense.
One way to do that is by setting screens himself. Young, of course, is not exactly the most physical screen-setter out there. But he can ghost or slip screens, scrambling out at the last minute, to generate favorable switches and driving lanes for Dybantsa. It’s a way to leverage Young’s gravity as a shooter and create confusion at the point of attack. It also opens a bag of tricks for Brian Keefe — for example, Young could pop out of a screen, then immediately receive his own screen from a waiting big man.
Young has notoriously been reluctant to engage in off-ball actions. The Wizards have too many other offensive options for him to stand inattentively off to the side when he doesn’t have the ball.
Who will be his favorite pick-and-roll partner?
If there’s one thing we know about Trae Young, it’s that he is a big man’s best friend. He has propped up many NBA big men in the past, and now has Alex Sarr and Anthony Davis (and Deandre Ayton) to work with.
He’ll have plenty of chances to develop chemistry with all of them, and he surely will. It will be interesting, though, to see which big he most often uses as a roll man in the starting lineup, and by extension, which one that Keefe pairs him with during bench minutes. There’s a case for both AD and Sarr, and that likely will be a fluid decision.
Davis profiles as a more natural fit. He’s an elite play finisher and vertical threat at the rim — the platonic ideal of a big man partner for Young. Lineups with Davis at the five and shooting around them could score like gangbusters. (Ayton is a very nice luxury as a third big, but Keefe should resist the temptation to lean much on the AD-Ayton double-big combo.)
I also expect Young to unlock Sarr’s rim-running game, which has been relatively dormant as a result of the Wizards’ lack of high-level ball-handling. Sarr is immensely versatile; he can dive to the rim for dunks, hit floaters and jumpers on the short-roll, or pop for threes.
It will take time to develop chemistry and find the right rotations. Young has long been able to mesh with new players quickly and establish his style. We’ll see how he does it with this deep and versatile Wizards team.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 03: Drew Rasmussen #57 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts during Game One of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
On the evening of October 5th, the White Sox were riding high. After enduring three consecutive 1oo-loss seasons, their revamped roster had won their first four playoff games, sweeping the Astros in the Wild Card round and taking the first two from their division rivals in Cleveland. With just one more win in the next three games against the Guardians, they’d be playing for the pennant for the first time since they won it all in 2005.
Alas, just a few days later, the White Sox are left to watch the rest of the playoffs from the sidelines, wondering how it all went so wrong, so fast. Such is the nature of October baseball. With the upstart Pale Hose and underachieving Yankees pushed aside, the ALCS will feature two teams with miniscule payrolls but remarkably consistent performance: the Guardians and the Rays. The two teams’ similarity of approach leads to an intriguing matchup that may well be decided at the margins as Cleveland targets its first championship since 1948 and Tampa Bay eyes its first in franchise history.
Let’s start with the team that will be painfully familiar to Yankees fans. A benefit of their sweep of New York is that the Rays will be able to line up their rotation on plenty of rest. That means Drew Rasmussen in Game 1. Rasmussen ate the Yankees’ lunch in the ALDS, no-hitting them for 7.2 innings and allowing just the botched Austin Wells extra-base knock across eight innings in one of the most dominant playoff performances in recent memory.
If they take a similar tack to what they did in the last round (and why wouldn’t they?) that would mean Freddy Peralta and Nick Martinez would follow. That trio of veteran starters headlined a staff that held New York to five runs in three games, with All-Star closer Bryan Baker earning all three saves while allowing just a single baserunner. Lefty Ian Seymour could be in the mix as well as the fourth starter, or potentially getting the ball instead of Martinez for Game 3 in Cleveland.
Tampa’s lineup is led by Yandy Díaz, Junior Caminero, and Jonathan Aranda. Aranda was the best of the bunch in the DS, hitting .333 with a homer. Díaz, who led the AL in hits, and Caminero, who just hit 40 home runs for the second straight year, loom large as well. The team’s position players also trade on their gloves, playing mostly clean baseball last round in contrast with the Yankees’ defensive unraveling. Their leader on that side of the ball of Taylor Walls, who brings almost nothing with the bat but led all of baseball with 3.0 dWAR at shortstop.
The Rays were 2nd in DRS (87) this year, and a big reason why was Taylor Walls. Among SS, his 21 DRS led the pack, and he was the 4th-best defender in MLB per DRS. Great pre-pitch movements, high IQ, & great range. He brings so much value to a team that prides itself on defense. pic.twitter.com/yIyb6LR4L9
Like the Rays with Rasmussen, the Guardians have a true ace of their own in Parker Messick. Messick exploded onto the scene in his first full season, pitching to a 2.56 ERA while punching out more than a batter per inning. Behind him is Gavin Williams, who led the league with 248 strikeouts and fanned 23 White Sox across two starts in the ALDS.
Just as vitally, Cleveland features one of the game’s most dominant closers, Cade Smith. Smith just recorded his second sub-2.oo ERA season in his three-year career while leading all of baseball with 41 saves.
The Guardians have less to hang their hat on offensively. While both they and the Rays were top-five in the AL in runs allowed, Tampa scored 58 more runs than Cleveland, a huge factor in their winning 13 more games. The Guardians, never an offensive juggernaut in recent years, was particularly hamstrung as their superstar, José Ramírez, had a massive down year. He played like a man reborn in the ALDS, though, posting a 1.187 OPS with two homers, a major factor in their ultimate victory.
Throughout the season, the team’s best hitter has been relative newcomer Chase DeLauter, who slashed a strong .287/.363/.457 in 133 games. Fellow rookie Travis Bazzana was named an All-Star at second base, posting a 110 OPS+ with 22 doubles and 15 homers in 517 trips to the plate. Elsewhere, there are notable holes; first baseman Kyle Manzardo took a step back in his second season and Cleveland struggled to find production at DH, with midseason acquisition Jo Adell settling into the role after Rhys Hoskins was unable to regain his previous form.
On paper, the edge goes to Tampa Bay in all three facets of the game. But underestimate Cleveland at your own peril. Since Terry Francona took over as skipper in 2013, the Guardians have made the playoffs in 9 of 14 seasons, including in each of Stephen Vogt’s three years at the helm. This is their second ALCS appearance under Vogt, and they could give Tampa Bay a bigger fight than they offered the Yankees in 2024. Both of these teams have a knack for overperforming expectations, making this a strength-on-strength matchup worth watching.
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 11: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers slides into home to score in the second inning during Game One of the National League Championship Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Sunday, October 11, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
We have two games today.
Dodgers @ Brewers at 3:00 5:00 Eastern. Stupid time zones.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (14-9, 2.53) vs. Logan Henderson (11-3, 2.47).
Go Brewers.
Last night’s game was great. Very enjoyable baseball, with the right team winning. I’m going to miss the start of this one but will see most of it.
Guardians @ Rays at 8:00 Eastern.
Foster Griffin (15-6, 3.60) vs Drew Rasmussen (18-5, 2.67).
SURPRISE, AZ - OCTOBER 04: Manager Ted Tom #9 of the Salt River Rafters looks on from the dugout prior to the game between the Salt River Rafters and the Surprise Saguaros at Surprise Stadium on Sunday, October 4, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
The Arizona Fall League is in full swing down here in Phoenix, but today we’re not here to discuss top prospects or future Mariners; rather, I’m interested in which coaches teams have opted to send in order to burnish their resumes and gain them experience with a diverse array of players from all different organizations. The Mariners are represented by long-tenured Mariner Jordan Cowan, acting as the hitting coach for the Javelinas, and pitching coach Dylan Gargas; look for stories on them later in the week.
Several big-league managers have experience helming an AFL crew: Kevin Cash, AJ Hinch, Torey Lovullo, Derek Shelton, and Warren Schaeffer have all managed AFL teams in the past. Generally there’s a bit of experience-building in between the two – Schaeffer managed the Salt River Rafters in 2022 before becoming interim manager of the Rockies in 2025 – but at the very least here are some names to put on your radar as the Mariners reassert their desire to look out of the organization for new voices on their coaching staff. (As such, I have left off Surprise’s manager, one-time Mariner and Sporcle remember-some-guys stumper Daniel Robertson.)
Billy Facteau (Bench coach, Peoria Javelinas)
Age: a literal infant
Current role: Development coach, Norfolk Tides (Orioles’ Triple-A team)
Relevant experience: 5+ years as development coach for the Orioles, played college baseball at Lynn University
Okay. OkAY. OKAY. I just need everyone to chill out and be cool for a moment and ignore the fact that Billy here looks like he came out of the beta version of the Orioles’ quirked-up-white-boy factory. And that his age starts with a 2. Remember we are scouting for the future here in addition to the current vacancies. And also, if you want a coach like this, someone who has been homegrown and nurtured in another organization, you’re going to have to dangle either more money or a bigger role (or both, ideally both) in front of them. It’d be too much to jump Facteau directly into a manager role – although he also has experience as a tech coordinator as an intern with the Orioles – but if the Mariners want to promote internally, I’d like to see an infusion of fresh perspective from outside the organization. As a former tech intern for the Orioles, he’s not only well-versed in tech like BlastMotion and Rapsodo but also how to translate that data to the players – including those who don’t speak English as a first language – and he has a special interest in coaching the outfield, a position in the Mariners system that’s maybe less robust than some other areas. A name to put on your radar.
Jeff Livesey (Hitting Coach, Surprise Saguaros)
Age: 60
Current role: Hitting coach, Reading Fightin’ Phils (Phillies’ AA team)
Relevant experience: Played professionally; 5+ years as MiLB hitting coach (WAS, PIT); two years as bench coach in NPB; one year as Marlins assistant hitting coach.
And now to the total opposite end of the spectrum. Livesey has the experience, but maybe not the fresh eyes the Mariners need. If you were a Kevin Seitzer fan, Livesey seems to have the same plainspoken approach to hitting, and the experience to back it up. Reading finished at the top of their division in the second half this season with the most runs scored in the Northeast division of the Eastern League.
“Sometimes with young hitters you get pitched tough, and guys get in-between pitches, and get kind of careful, We want to get to the point, we hunt our pitches. Good hitters hunt what they want to hit. When they get it, they take aggressive swings. That’s what we want to work towards. If they make two good pitches on us, we still have got something we can go to with two strikes. We can battle, and still be tough outs.”
Toby Nagel (Pitching Coach, Glendale Desert Dogs)
Age: ?
Current role: Pitching coach for the Blue Wahoos (Miami’s AA team)
Relevant experience: Driveline, Inspiration Academy
As you’d expect from someone who worked at Driveline, Nagel is a data-driven coach, but also adept at explaining that tech to players – you can see a ton of short videos he’s made explaining pitching tech and how to use it on TikTok. The Mariners are pretty rich in pitching coaches already but I wanted to throw Nagel onto this list just to get his name out there; his thoughts on command specifically make him a particular organizational fit (and make me dream about having him work with George Kirby).
Relevant quote:
🧵You're Thinking About Command the Wrong Way
You think it's just dotting corners. But command isn’t just about control. It’s targeting strategy, too.
Relevant experience: 5+ years of playing professionally, 5+ years of managing the ACL Brewers
Bonus points: bilingual (born in Mexico, played at UNM)
The ACL Brewers have been to the playoffs twice under Neda, winning the ACL championship in 2023. Neda is another one who is deeply engrained with the organization he played for professionally, but hasn’t progressed past the complex level yet – maybe because he’s young enough that searching his name still provides stories about his playing days. As a player, Neda was a super utility player who played all across the diamond – including catcher, so a true super-super utility player. As a collegiate at UNM he was named to the Johnny Bench Award watchlist, with his coach calling him the best catcher in the country for his work on and off the field.
Ted Tom (Manager, Salt River Rafters)
Age: ? Older than Billy Facteau, for sure.
Current role: manager of the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals High-A)
Relevant experience: 20+ years of coaching at the college level
Another one for those of you who value extensive experience, although Tom’s mostly comes at the college level. He has experience working with future big-leaguers at that level, though, such as Alex Freeland, now playing for the Dodgers; he also has a Mariners tie-in, having coached Dylan Moore during his time at UCF. At UCF, Tom mentored six all-conference selections, and after being promoted to hitting coach in 2019, helped the team reach the NCAA tournament.
Relevant quote:
There are lots because this man loves a podcast interview, which I love. I really enjoyed his thoughts on failure here and also “You need to fall in love with the monotony of every day” from this unfortunately very business-brained podcast.
Danny Worth (Manager, Peoria Javelinas)
Age: 41
Current role: infield coordinator with the Padres
Relevant experience: 8+ years of pro baseball plus a stint in the KBO; coached at Pepperdine before moving to MLB.
Worth is in his first year of MLB coaching, so he’s in the shallower end as far as MLB experience, but he has some of the most playing experience out of anyone on this list. He’s also got some college-to-big-league pipeline experience; he worked with current Tigers prospect John Peck at Pepperdine, helping him with his swing mechanics in addition to his infielding. At Pepperdine, Worth also mentored the 2018 WCC Player of the Year, Jordan Qsar, as well as five MLB Draft picks from the positions he coached.
Michael Jordan’s final championship with the Bulls came in 1998, and a piece of memorabilia from the NBA Finals that season sold for a record eight-figure price.
A game-worn autographed Jordan jersey from 28 years ago sold this week for $14 million, according to auction house Hunt Auctions. That represents the most ever paid for a single item of basketball memorabilia, the Pennsylvania-based company announced Monday.
Florida real-estate investor Ron Firman was identified as the winner of the private treaty sale for the red road jersey, which Jordan wore in the Bulls’ Game 2 victory in the ’98 Finals against the Jazz.
Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan dunks during game two of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Friday, June 5, 1998. USA TODAY SportsA 1998 NBA Finals Game Two Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan game worn road jersey sold via private treaty sale for $14,000,000 by Hunt Auctions. The price is a world record for any basketball memorabilia item and the second highest price ever paid for a sports jersey of any type. Hunt Auctions
The Bulls took that series in six games to complete their second three-peat of the decade, also winning three straight titles from 1991-93.
Jordan earned Finals MVP honors during all six of those championship years, averaging 33.5 points in 1998 against Utah.
Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan pulls the ball out of reach of Utah Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek during third quarter action in Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Salt Lake City, Friday, June 5, 1998. AP Photo/MARK J. TERRILLChicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan plays against the Utah Jazz in game two of the 1998 NBA Finals at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Friday, June 5, 1998. USA TODAY Sports
That year also marked Jordan’s so-called “Last Dance” in Chicago; he retired after the ’98 Finals before coming back for two seasons with the Wizards from 2001-03.
The Jordan jersey, however, does not represent the highest-paid figure among all sports. A game-worn Babe Ruth jersey from his supposed “called shot” home run in the 1932 World Series sold in 2024 for $24.12 million, according to the Associated Press.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 11: Joey Ortiz #3, Jake Bauers #9, Brice Turang #2 and Cooper Pratt #12 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in game one of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field on October 11, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Milwaukee Brewers are looking to take a 2-0 series lead in an LCS for the first time in franchise history. They’ve had two chances in the LCS before (2011 and 2018) and they lost both of those games. Today is their chance to change that.
It’ll be a tough task with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brewers faced Yamamoto in Game 2 last year and he threw a complete game three-hitter while striking out seven. Yamamoto faced the Brewers twice this season. The first time was in May and Yamamoto threw 7 IP and allowed just one run. Then he faced the Crew again in August and went 6 IP, allowing just one run.
Yamamoto is as good as it gets, especially in the postseason. In the NLDS against the Braves, Yamamoto went 7 IP again, allowing just one run and striking out 10. Over 11 career postseason outings over the last three years, he has a 2.14 ERA.
On the other side, the Brewers will have Logan Henderson, the 24-year-old rookie who has yet to allow more than 3 ER in a single start in his career. Henderson was solid in Game 2 in the NLDS against the Padres, going 5 IP allowing just one earned run. He did have some shaky command, allowing three walks, but he kept the Brewers in the game.
“I don’t know what the secret sauce is, man, but he’s in the clubhouse now chopping it up with some of the guys like he doesn’t have one of the biggest starts of his life tonight. That, I think, reflects when he’s one the mound. You can just feel it,” Jake Bauers said on Henderson.
Pat Murphy is changing up his lineup a little bit again from Game 1. Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick are back in the lineup today to face the right-handed Yamamoto. David Hamilton is also in the lineup starting at third base.
The top four spots remain unchanged with Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, William Contreras and Jake Bauers getting things started. Yelich is the DH and batting fifth. Garrett Mitchell and Cooper Pratt are in their same spots of sixth and seventh. Frelick is batting eighth in right field and Hamilton bats ninth.
The Dodgers lineup also will have a few changes. Will Smith and Teoscar Hernández have flip-flopped in the No. 3 and 5 spots in the lineup. Also, Tommy Edman will be starting at second base and batting ninth in place of Kiké Hernández, who got the start last night. Still, the group of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani make up the No. 1, 2, and 4 spots in the lineup.
Milwaukee hasn’t gotten a ton of length from their starters this postseason, putting quite the toll on their bullpen. The multiple days of rest has helped, and an off day on Tuesday will help as well. But the more looks the Dodgers get on the Brewers top relievers, the more of a chance familiarity could breed success for the hitters.
“Sometimes there’s nothing else you can do. You have to give your team the best chance to win. Familiarity, as we know, as the numbers tell us, does provide an edge when you know them better. So, what we try to do is make sure they don’t face the same guys the next time they pitch if they’re the one-inning guys. Can’t always do that, but we try like hell. I do think it’s an advantage, but what were we to do last night differently?” Pat Murphy said.
The Brewers will be hoping for length, and perhaps a larger lead than they’ve enjoyed to this point in the postseason as every single inning has been within two runs so far for the Crew. But runs will be hard to come by against Yamamoto.
First pitch is at 4:08 p.m. CT on Fox and the Brewers Radio Network.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Brody Hopkins #88 of the Tampa Bay Rays throws a pitch during the sixth inning of the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The rosters are out for the American League Championship Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians.
The Rays look to keep the good times rolling after sweeping the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series as they’ve kept the group of 26 players mostly the same. In fact, the Rays only made one change and that was to add their top pitching prospect, Brody Hopkins, to the active roster and dropped LHP Garrett Cleavinger.
Brody Hopkins has the arsenal of a sure fire 100% first ballot Hall of Famer but the command of someone that could only enter Coopertown with a paid admission ticket. The 24-year former 6th round draft pick is still relatively new to being a full-time pitcher as he didn’t fully make the conversion until he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2023. The Rays acquired him a year later as part of the return for Randy Arozarena and quickly looked like they had pilfered another team in a deal as Hopkins quickly developed into one of the top starting pitching prospects in baseball.
However, his command issues quickly became apparent with a promotion to Triple-A to start off the 2026 season. There were times when Hopkins was absolutely unhittable on the mound, but the reasoning at times could either be due to his incredible pitch repertoire or his inability to throw within the zone. The Rays eventually tinkered with Hopkins mechanics and moved him from the starting rotation to try and see what they could do solve Hopkins command woes. While pitching in relief, Hopkins BB% did drop while he remained very effective so in late September, and the Rays decided to bring the talented flame thrower up to the big leagues in a trial run for the postseason.
The results were disastrous.
Hopkins did demonstrate just how ridiculous his aresnal is as FanGraphs rated his stuff as elite, albeit in a small sample size of 5 IP.
However, it doesn’t matter how jawdropping your fastball is when you can’t locate it. Over those 5.1 IP, Hopkins 6 of the 24 hitters he faced (25%) while also throwing 3 wild pitches. A bright spot is that Hopkins threw in the zone on 49% of his offerings, which is above league average.
Unlike the ALDS where the Rays only used 8 of their rostered 12 players, the ALCS will likely call for each arm that Kevin Cash has in his deck, meaning that Hopkins will make an appearance at some point.
VANCOUVER, CANADA - OCTOBER 10: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors warms up before the game against the Toronto Raptors during a 2026 NBA Preseason game on October 10, 2026 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Jones/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Raptors have split the outcome of their first two preseason games, but it seems they might have a leg up against their Atlantic division rivals with the first on-court appearance for the Raptors of Kawhi Leonard.
“He went through practice today,” said Rajaković about Leonard at today’s practice. “He’s feeling great. So, yes, he’s gonna be available for game tomorrow.”
The superstar’s status seemed to be somewhat ambiguous before today. When the question was raised about how Jamal Shead felt about facing the New York Knicks alongside Kawhi, he seemed surprised.
“I ain’t know that,” Shead said, with a laugh. “Yeah, I mean, it’s going to be cool… seeing him in that 1st group and see how they start the game and see, you know, where he’s at conditioning wise. I know that was one of his biggest focusses… He’s a talent. He’s who he is.”
The New York Knicks handily defeated the Raptors in all five of their regular season games last year, en route to the championship, but things are different with Kawhi back. Brandon Ingram, while indeed an All-Star and a talented scorer, is not the player Kawhi is from both an offensive and defensive perspective, and Leonard’s addition to the squad could make all the difference.
The Knicks and the Raptors share a love for defensive wings, but this time, Leonard brings a level of experience and offensive prowess that the Knicks’ forwards will be hard pressed to match.
Leonard playing his first game for the Raptors at home will mark the first time he’s played at Scotiabank Arena in a Raptors’ jersey since the 2019 Finals. While it’s possible that he could be held back at the last minute for load management, it’s likely that this matchup and its place on home court will mark the Klaw’s first steps back into the hearts of Raptors fans across the country.
But the odds will be stacked against them if the Dodgers lose Game 2 against the Brewers on Monday, Oct. 12, in Milwaukee.
Only six teams have fallen behind two games to none and still won a best-of-seven NL or AL championship series, according to MLB.com.
In fact, the Dodgers did it in 2020 against the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers then went on to win the World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Historically speaking, not even a 3-0 deficit is reason to surrender. In 2004, the Boston Red Sox lost the first three games to the New York Yankees before storming back to win the ALCS in seven games.
Also, if the Dodgers fall behind 2-0, they’ll be headed back to Los Angeles for potentially three games in front of their home crowd before the series shifts back to Milwaukee.
Potentially demoralizing
The Dodgers' meager output in a 2-1 loss to the Brewers in Game 1 underscored a problem.
In the postseason, Los Angeles has scored 15 runs, leaving them tied for sixth in run production. Who are they tied with? Milwaukee, it turns out.
But scoring a single run on a night Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski struggled with his command was demoralizing for the Dodgers.
Even more demoralizing would be losing Game 2 with star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto starting for the Dodgers.
He finished the regular season with an ERA of 2.53 – fifth best in the majors. In Game 3 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, Yamamoto allowed one run on four hits in seven innings, striking out 10.
Teams that came back from 0-2 in LCS
The six teams that won the league championship after falling behind two games to none:
2025 ALCS: Toronto over Seattle in seven games
2023 NLCS: Arizona over Philadelphia in seven games
2020 NLCS: Los Angeles over Atlanta in seven games
2004 ALCS: Boston over New York in seven games
1985 ALCS: Kansas City over Toronto in seven games
1985 NLCS: St. Louis over Los Angeles in six games
Brewers comeback
The league championships were decided by a best-of-five before 1985. And in 1982, the Brewers fell behind the California Angels 2-0 in the ALCS before winning the final three games and advancing to the World Series. The Brewers moved to the National League in 1998.
