EL SEGUNDO, CA - SEPTEMBER 28: Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a portrait during NBA Media Day on September 28, 2026 at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
One of the Los Angeles Lakers’ most intriguing offseason pickups was Sandro Mamukelashvili. Once struggling to find his NBA footing through four seasons after stints on the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks, he broke out in 2025-26 as a key reserve for the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, and helped juice their offense with his shooting (38.9 percent from deep), driving and playmaking.
The Lakers rewarded his career-best campaign with a four-year, $52 million deal in free agency. That lucrative contract provides Mamukelashvili a chance to play for one of the few teams he could watch on TV as a kid in Eastern Europe. Back then, he was drawn to Kobe Bryant’s determination and mindset as an athlete, both of which have shaped how he approaches his own dedication to the craft.
“Growing up, I really respected Kobe as a player, as a mentor. I didn’t know him. I wish I did. Always read his interviews, always watched his videos” Mamukelashvili told reporters at Media Day. “I always kind of tapped into his mentality and understanding there’s no Plan B. There was only Plan A. You got to execute until there was nothing you could do. He’s an amazing player.”
Mamukelashvili’s versatility could complement Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves quite well to help render Los Angeles among the league’s most potent offensive units. He can space the floor off the ball for them, attack closeouts and form nifty two-man games with them as a screener, roller and handoff hub. If he thrives in his new home, it’ll harken back to his roots, when he was well aware of Los Angeles’ global reach as a franchise and first drew inspiration on how he should look to improve his own game.
“The Lakers organization, I think, is the biggest organization in the world when it comes to basketball. Even in Georgia where I could rarely find an NBA game on TV, you would only see Lakers games,” Mamukelashvili said. “Growing up, I was a big fan of Kobe. I think that’s what influenced me to get his tattoo because I really work hard. I think Mamba Mentality is important in this sport and the dedication, passion and everything that comes with it. I love being a Laker and I’m really excited.”
On Monday, the Calgary Flames placed forward Connor Zary on waivers, a move that comes after the club reportedly tried to shop the 25-year-old over the summer.
Zary, a former 24th overall pick back in 2020, carries a modest $3.775 million cap hit this season and next. Any team that claims him would get a forward with a track record of NHL production for nothing but the cost of his contract.
One team that could take a look is the Winnipeg Jets as the team's prospect pipeline is not deep, and the club could use help up front. The Jets struggled to score last season, finishing with the eighth-worst offense in the NHL at 2.79 goals per game.
The bottom of Winnipeg's lineup is made up of older veterans like Vladislav Namestnikov, Nino Niederreiter and Alex Iafallo. Adding a younger player like Zary offers higher upside and could give the Jets a new look in their bottom six. Zary has spent his entire career with Calgary since being drafted in 2020, and a first change of scenery could be a chance to make the most of a fresh opportunity.
He would be a low-risk, high-reward type of addition and if it does not work out, Zary would only be on the Jets' payroll through the end of next season, and with the salary cap continuing to rise, his cap hit becomes easier to absorb.
In his first full NHL season, Zary recorded 34 points in 63 games, a pace that would have translated to roughly 45 points over a full 82-game schedule. If he can produce at that level in a Jets uniform at that price, he would be worth a spot in the lineup. Should Isak Rosen fail to produce on the second line alongside Viggo Björck and Cole Perfetti, Zary could be an option to join that unit in the top six.
The only problem with the move is the injury concerns around Zary and his knee injury sustained during the 2024–25 NHL season following a knee-on-knee collision. Since then, Flames fans have noticed Zary's skating that was once viewed as elite has taken a hit and could be the reason why he has seen his play start to take a downturn and is now being placed on waivers.
It would be a risk adding Zary, but with Winnipeg's offense having finished so poorly last season, and the team making only minor changes to its forward group, like drafting Björck, it begs the question of whether or not it's worth taking at least a flyer on Zary to see if that electric player is still in there prior to his knee injury.
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Following a rare day off between home playoff games, the well-rested Tampa Bay Rays will look to take a commanding 2-0 lead over the New York Yankees on Monday in their best-of-five American League division series.
The Rays got 7 ⅔ innings of no-hit pitching from Drew Rasmussen in a 1-0 victory over the Yanks in Saturday's series opener. The AL's top seed will have trade deadline acquisition Freddy Peralta (10-11, 4.42 ERA) on the mound in Game 2 against Yankees ace – and likely AL Cy Young award winner – Cam Schlittler (14-6, 1.95 ERA) in a battle of right-handers.
Follow along for live updates, lineup news, key moments, analysis and highlights from Rays vs. Yankees in the ALDS.
Yankees vs Rays live box score
Where to watch Rays vs. Yankees: Channel, live stream
First pitch between the Rays and Yankees is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 5.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone comments on lineup decision
04:54 PM ET, October 5 2026, Kristie Ackert
St. PETERSBURG - Ryan McMahon is 1-for-14 in his career against Freddy Peralta. He's batting ninth for the Yankees in Game 2 anyway.
Aaron Boone isn't blinking.
Down 0-1 and coming off a one-hitter, Boone ran back the exact same lineup Drew Rasmussen just carved up. That's eight left-handed hitters again, tying the postseason record the Yankees set against Boston in the Wild Card Series. Rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. is the only right-handed bat.
Boone's read is that Saturday was about Rasmussen, not the plan.
He has a case. Against Sonny Gray in Wild Card Game 2, this exact group scored nine runs. Bellinger is 6-for-14 with a homer and four walks against Peralta, and he has three walks and no official at-bats against him this season. Rice hit .356 with seven homers against the Rays this year.
Peralta has thrown his changeup more since the trade, and it's the pitch right-handers lean on against lefties. Rasmussen used his to carry a no-hitter into the eighth. The Yankees watched it happen and didn't change a thing.
The alternatives weren't great either. Paul Goldschmidt is the best of them, a right-handed bat with nine hits against Peralta, seven of them for extra bases. But he went 2-for-24 against the Rays this season. Jose Caballero, the popular pick to replace McMahon, is 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against Peralta.
Last October, Toronto ended the Yankees' season in the ALDS against a lineup built the same way.
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Have blessing, will travel: These Sox fans came 340 miles for Mike Vasil’s magic. Hopefully, the pixie dust covers another win in Cleveland. | (David Richard/Reuters Connect)
The White Sox have already taken over home-field advantage. Now, how about stealing Cleveland’s peace of mind?
After sweeping the Astros out of the Wild Card Series, the South Siders blazed into Cleveland and grabbed Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday. Grant Taylor supplied four scoreless frames of absolute filth, while Munetaka Murakami launched a two-run, 112.2 mph bomb that I’m pretty sure still hasn’t landed.
Three postseason games, three wins. The Good Guys are making this October thing look pretty fun.
Today, they have a chance to head home with a 2-0 lead and put the Guardians one loss away from cleaning out their lockers. There’s plenty of work left, but making our division rivals sweat through an otherwise lovely fall afternoon sounds like a worthwhile activity.
Anthony Kay will serve as the opener, with Sean Burke expected to take over for bulk work. Apparently, escaping postseason bases-loaded jams earns you a promotion around here. El Duque Lite has already helped the Sox out of trouble in Wild Card Game 2 and ALDS Game 1. It would be nice to let Kay pitch without the entire neighborhood standing on the bases for once.
Having already worked two innings this postseason, Kay likely won’t go more than a couple of frames before handing things off. The veteran southpaw has been particularly stingy against Cleveland this season, surrendering just three earned runs over 20 innings across four starts and holding the Guardians to a .171 batting average.
His Baseball Savant profile isn’t exactly a sea of red, but there are tools here to get the job done. His sinker grades best among his pitches, sitting in the 67th percentile in run value, while his ability to coax hitters into chasing ranks in the 75th percentile. The approach should be to establish strikes early, use the sinker to generate ground balls and make the Guardians reach for pitches they can’t drive.
The catch is that getting hitters to chase hasn’t translated into piles of strikeouts. Kay sits in the 20th percentile in K rate and 36th in whiff rate, so he won’t be turning every plate appearance into a punchout. His xERA and xBA also rank near the bottom, a reminder that his excellent results against Cleveland don’t give him much room to get sloppy. Give the defense something manageable, keep the free passes down and hand Burke a clean game.
And please, keep traffic off the bases in front of José Ramírez. Kay has already performed enough postseason escape acts. Let’s try an inning without the handcuffs today.
Will Venable is sticking with the strategy that has gotten the Sox this far. Burke’s four-inning start in Wild Card Game 2 remains their only traditional starting assignment of the postseason. Otherwise, it’s been all hands on deck, with the next pitcher ready whenever the situation calls for him. We’ll see whether the third outing with that approach produces another win — and whether our blood pressure survives it.
Cleveland will counter with Gavin Williams, the No. 23 overall pick in the 2021 draft. The 27-year-old righthander finished the regular season 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 32 starts.
This will be Chicago’s fifth look at Williams in 2026. The South Siders slashed .227/.318/.320 against him in their previous four meetings, so they know firsthand that stringing together hits isn’t easy. Their last encounter, Sept. 14 in Cleveland, ended with Williams taking the loss despite allowing only two runs on four hits, with two hit batters, three walks and seven strikeouts.
That game offers a useful reminder: The Sox don’t have to knock him all over the ballpark to beat him.
Williams’ Savant card practically flashes a warning sign when it comes to strikeouts: 97th percentile in K rate, 94th in whiff rate and 81st in chase rate. His four-seamer has both velocity and results behind it, while his sweeper ranks in the 98th percentile in run value. After the All-Star break, he was one of the best in strikeouts, with a 14.5 K/9. So, for the Good Guys to be successful, they can’t spend the afternoon waving at breaking balls off the plate. That would make his job entirely too easy.
But there’s a pretty big opening beneath all that swing-and-miss. Williams sits in the first percentile in hard-hit rate allowed, third in barrel rate and 12th in average exit velocity allowed. Making contact is the hard part. When hitters do connect, they’ve been capable of absolutely smoking the baseball. Looking at you, Mune and Colson Montgomery.
That makes selective aggression the assignment. Work the count, make Williams bring the ball into the zone and be ready to hammer a mistake. Patience shouldn’t mean watching a hittable strike sail past, especially against someone with this many ways to finish an at-bat. Look for something to drive early, then refuse to expand the zone when he tries to tempt them with that sweeper.
His cutter and sinker have graded much less favorably than his four-seamer and sweeper, so those could offer opportunities if he turns to them. Still, the goal is to punish location mistakes, not assume any particular pitch is batting practice. Make those plate appearances expensive and cash in when he gives the Sox an opening.
A walk and one loud swing can do plenty of damage. Murakami was kind enough to demonstrate that last part Saturday.
Chase Meidroth has been leading the postseason charge with a .364/.417/.636 slash line and 1.053 OPS. Colson has also delivered, including a clutch double in Game 1. Meanwhile, Mike Vasil and his magic wand need to send a little pixie dust toward Miguel Vargas and Braden Montgomery, whose bats have been on the cooler side. Miggy did reach three times Saturday with two walks and a single, though. We’ll happily take that kind of contribution while waiting for the extra-base hits.
The formula remains familiar: Make their pitcher work, capitalize on mistakes and keep the free passes under control. Another Murakami souvenir headed toward a neighboring ZIP code wouldn’t hurt, either.
First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on another perfect fall day, with sunshine and temperatures in the low 60s. Catch the game on TBS, truTV, UniMás or HBO Max, or listen to the local radio call on ESPN Chicago 1000.
Clear the afternoon calendar. The Good Guys have a chance to bring home something much better than a split.
Oct 7, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of the ALDS logo on the field in game three of the 2019 ALDS playoff baseball series between New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
After the Braves tied up their series with the Dodgers 1-1 and the Brewers took a 2-0 lead on the Padres on Sunday, the American League Division Series are on tap today.
After the Rays beat the Yankees 1-0 and the White Sox beat the Guardians 3-0 on Saturday, all four teams got an off day on Sunday. Chicago used five pitchers to hold Cleveland scoreless and Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run homer to carry the White Sox to victory in Game 1. Drew Rasmussen threw eight scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out 10 Yankees for the Rays, who got the one run they needed from a Jonathan Aranda homer.
With Game 2 for both series taking place today, will the pitchers continue to dominate? Or will the offenses show up?
Chicago White Sox (0-0) at Cleveland Guardians (0-0) — 3 p.m. MDT
Pitching Matchup: Anthony Kay (10-9, 4.44 ERA) vs. Gavin Williams (14-8, 3.76 ERA)
The Yankees jumped through the Wild Card Series without incident, sweeping the Red Sox away in a 2-0 result that featured a 16-run differential, but they’re facing a much-tougher task now that they’re up against the Rays in the ALDS. Tampa Bay quieted their offensive momentum completely in Game 1, Drew Rasmussen pitching a one-hit masterpiece over eight innings, but if they ever found a pulse in that game it was eminently winnable as Tampa had only scored one run for themselves on a Jonathan Aranda home run against Gerrit Cole. Game 2 is on deck later tonight, and while it remains a crucial one for the Yankees to win to avoid putting their backs to the wall, the season is far from over after one ugly game.
Plenty of questions were raised after getting punched in the face by the Rays though, and if the Yankees’ playoff hopes get to continue beyond this week they’ll have to answer them in rapid succession. Can their offense do more than hope to wear out opposing starters and feast on relief pitching? Will they need a gem from every starter they send out on the mound to have a chance of advancing? Who can be the spark plug in a game like Saturday’s when its clear that things aren’t working out? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.
Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of October 8th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
VOORHEES, N.J. - Carl Grundstrom has been a good soldier for the Philadelphia Flyers in his two years with the organization, eagerly taking up whatever role the coaching staff has in mind for him.
To start the 2026-27 season, Grundstrom has already found himself up in the Flyers' top-six, complementing offensive-minded linemates Trevor Zegras and Owen Tippett.
While the Flyers still struggle as a team, Grundstrom's stabilizing role has helped Zegras and Tippett at both ends of the ice. According to Natural Stat Trick, Zegras and Tippett were out-attempted 26-10 without Grundstrom, and out-chanced 13-1.
With Grundstrom on their line, the opponents' attempt advantage was a more modest 17-9, with chances 8-4. The Flyers' trio did, however, score a goal, while not allowing any at the other end.
That goal was none other than the game-tying goal in an eventual 3-2 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night, but it was important in the sense that the Flyers finally showed some signs of life.
After several attempts, Tippett flung a shot through traffic into a yawning Hurricanes cage to tie the game at 1-1, with Grundstrom battling hard with K'Andre Miller in front of the net and flopping all over the place trying to recover the loose puck before Tippett cashed in.
"Grunny's great. I've played with him a handful of times now, and he plays with a lot of speed. He plays physical, he's heavy, he gets to the dirty areas, and he's not afraid to shoot the puck," Tippett said of Grundstrom after the game. "I enjoy playing with him, and he brings a lot."
It's a familiar role for the 28-year-old Swede, who also spent time flanking Noah Cates and Matvei Michkov last season.
While unsustainable, Grundstrom did show flashes of his offensive potential, scoring seven times in 11 games for the Flyers between Dec. 9 and Dec. 30, including a four-game streak during which the Flyers won three of four games.
Grundstrom is reprising that type of role early this season with Zegras and Tippett, and he's relishing the opportunity.
"Obviously, two really, really good hockey players. I love playing with those guys. I just try to be hard on the forecheck, play physical, play my game to help them out," Grundstrom glowed to The Hockey News after Sunday's practice.
Grundstrom was placed on waivers by the Flyers back on Sept. 23 and eventually cleared, though if claimed, could have been playing hockey elsewhere.
With injuries to Denver Barkey and Nikita Grebenkin, the Flyers made the move early in the event they needed to make roster space for the return of one of their two younger players.
Grundstrom isn't fazed by that, though.
"Just try to play my game... play my game and work hard. That's my mindset."
Grundstrom has played no fewer than 47 games in each of the last six seasons, and while he is an established bottom-six rotational piece at worst, his grip on an NHL roster spot is tenuous... for now.
If he continues to prove his value with his physical attributes and pace of play, the Flyers will have tough decisions to make going forward.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks off the mound during the fourth inning against the Atlanta Braves in game two of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 04, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The good news is that the Dodgers’ primary doomsday scenarios (San Diego winning or getting swept à la 2023) are either extremely unlikely to happen or mathematically impossible.
A champion contender taking a commanding 2-0 NLDS series lead, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat? What a game. Oh wait. I’m thinking of the almost criminal—if it were against the law— mismanagement of the Padres’ super bullpen by Craig “Likely needs to update his resume ASAP” Stammen on Sunday.
Where one side of the bracket that was expected to be a five-game dogfight now looks to be all but over before it really got started, the other side of the bracket that was all but handed to the Dodgers now looks to be a dogfight.
The bad news is that the only scenario left is arguably the most annoying, and oddly enough, it feels like the Dodgers somehow snatched defeat out of the confused jaws of victory.
Echoes of 2022 or The Bye Week was for that?!?
As an aside, when do the pitchforks start coming out for Blake Snell?
The phrase “Playoff Kershaw” justifiably rankles feathers within the Dodgers community. Whether it was fair or not, the fact remains that Kershaw was often put into a position to get lit up. And he wasn’t consistently awful. While Jack Flaherty and Bobby Miller also had their playoff duds, they either were passable at times or never got another chance.
Not so with Blake Snell, who somehow seems to have unjustifiably dodged criticism. With Game 2’s execrable performance, Snell has laid an egg in his last three consecutive postseason starts.
Game 1, 2025 World Series: L, 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, HR
Game 5, 2025 World Series: L, 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 2 HR, 2 WP
Game 1, 2026 NLDS: ND, 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 BB, 5 K
Those are some ugly pitching lines. Yes, Snell did pitch 1 1/3 IP in Game 7…and nearly gave up what would have been Vlad Guerrero, Jr.’s last home run at Rogers Centre until Game 150 of the 2026 campaign.
If one were looking for a positive, at least he didn’t cough up five runs again this time. That happenstance is likely due to Dave Roberts mercifully pulling the plug on Snell’s evening rather than any heroics on Snell’s part. As things stand, Snell is probably done this series, which, all things considered, is probably a good thing.
Overall, my mind just goes back to a dud of a Game 2 with a left-handed starter who underperformed, with Robert Suarez shoving with the game on the line, the Dodgers’ offense underperforming, and the Dodgers coughing up home-field advantage?
Last night? No, Game 2 of the infamous 2022 NLDS, where a hungrier opponent outplayed a suddenly flat Dodgers squad to win what turned out to be the final game at Dodger Stadium in 2022.
This current team has so many 2022 vibes, I’m half expecting baseball texts from my deceased father. If the current iteration of the Dodgers is not careful, last night’s dud could be the final game at Dodger Stadium both this year and for a long time with the impending lockout in December.
The same old song.
Let’s not belabor the point; I saw this outcome as a possibility:
Conversely, I can see how [the 2026 Dodgers] would fall flat on their face. You did too; it was called the Summer Swoon. What if everyone I just mentioned plus Shohei Ohtani couldn’t hit water from a boat? That failure, especially with runners in scoring position, would likely do it.
The team has gone 0-9 with runners in scoring position, while leaving 13 runners on base in two games. The Dodgers have only scored by home run this series. Don’t need a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon to figure this one out.
This essay is not to take anything away from Atlanta, but it’s more an indictment that the Dodgers had a 2-0 lead just waiting for them, begging for them to take it, only to get stifled by persistent issues that were never adequately addressed.
If the last couple of nights have given any semblance of a theme, it’s this: too much emphasis on hero ball, not enough emphasis on passing the baton to put up a crooked number. I lost track of how many meatballs were spit on and how many swings at pitches well outside the zone occurred. Take your walks, people! Also, if there has been a pitching change, maybe look at a couple of pitches rather than swinging first pitch.
It feels odd to criticize the Dodgers for self-centered play, but Game 2 showcased every wart that I have been complaining about for six months.
Leaving scores of runners on base? Check.
Not taking the extra base? Check. (Mookie Betts not stealing third base only to have two tailor-made sacrifice flies happen back-to-back will irk me for a while.)
Relying too much on beating the B squad? Check.
Relying too much on the home run? Check.
The pitching not being bailed out by the offensive offense? Check.
Lousy situational hitting? Check. Check. Check.
For lack of a better way to describe it, it feels like the Dodgers broke an unspoken compact. The team was generally bad for two months this summer and last summer. Yes, that mindset arguably ruins baseball, but in exchange for subpar play, the team is supposed to be ready for October.
Yes, the team won by the literal skin of its teeth last year against an upstart Toronto Blue Jays team that went from first to worst faster than you can say “flash in the pan 2021 San Francisco Giants.” Still, the losses last year felt more like “oh, this team is tired,” versus “oh, this team is flat.”
At least the 2022 team gave us a fun summer and a rollicking regular season campaign of 111 wins. This current team did not give us a fun summer. It felt more like a slog and an inevitability. The point is that if the team is going to sleepwalk through the summer, it’s to ensure that games like Game 2 do not happen.
So you’ve coughed up Home Field Advantage … again.
The Dodgers now head to Atlanta, where they did not play particularly well this year, getting swept in all three games. Truist Park will likely be rowdy as the Braves effectively worked the only gambit they had: do another bullpen game, as the Dodgers frittered away home-field advantage…again.
I had it in my head the Dodgers had been absolutely terrible at Truist Park since COVID, before checking and realizing the following:
2026 – 0-3
2025 – 2-1
2024 – 2-2
2023 – 2-1
2022 – 2-1
2021 – 1-2 / 0-3 (NLCS)
Overall, the Dodgers are 9-9 in the regular season and 0-3 in the postseason at Truist Park. Ironically enough, in my travels, where I have been the bane of the Mariners (5-0 lifetime) and Giants (8-16 lifetime), when it comes to Atlanta, I have never been present for a Dodgers victory.
Kershaw coughed up a lead in a game where Atlanta had four errors, and Trevor Bauer was ineffective in 2021. Bryce Elder kept the Dodgers at bay until Atlanta walked off the Dodgers in 2023. The good news for everyone involved is that I will be nowhere near Atlanta for the remaining two games of this series.
The bad news is while poor Stephen Nelson will have the radio call, there is not a single restaurant in the area that I can recommend. I was generally underwhelmed by the entire Battery neighborhood. If you’re going to make an entertainment district and somehow mimic the charms and hours of Fresno, California, did you really make an entertainment district at all?
Yoshinobu Yamamoto versus Chris Sale should be a duel of the ages. The problem is we saw that duel play out on August 27, when Sale made a first-inning home run stand up in a complete-game shutout. In order to retake control of this series, the Dodgers need to take advantage of their supposed depth to do something that they haven’t done all year: win in Atlanta.
Jul 28, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) delivers a pitch during the first inning against New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
After Saturday’s controversial ending to Game 1 of the Padres and Brewers series, it looked like the Padres were going to even the series and put the roofball issue aside with a clean slate for the rest of the series. Instead, ace closer Mason Miller was tasked with getting six outs to and holding a 3-2 lead. Instead, he ran out of gas deep into the ninth inning as the Brewers put together a series of strong at-bats. Miller walked three in the inning and could only locate his slider, and even that was backing up on him as he presumably wore down. With the bases loaded Jackson Chourio fouled off a ferocious 103 mph fastball on the outer edge and down to stay alive. Miller missed with a slider and came back with 101 mph down the pipe. Chourio lined a single to right field, and two runs scored to give Milwaukee a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
On the other side, pitching also ruled in the Braves at Dodgers Game 2 matchup. With almost no starting pitching to work with, the Braves built a slim lead and held on with another bullpen game. Blake Snell was terrible, walking five in a short outing, but escaped with only a run allowed in his 3.2 innings of work. Yet his good fortune didn’t carry them to victory as the Braves added on single runs in the fifth and seventh inning. Ace reliever Didier Fuentes carried the Braves through 3.2 innings before finally giving up a solo shot to Max Muncy with two outs in the ninth, making it 3-2. Raisel Iglesias came on to get the final out, and so the series is even at a game apiece as they head to Atlanta for the next two games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Monday afternoon, the American League side of the bracket gets back to work with the Rays and the White Sox each up 1-0 over their opponents.
The White Sox will look to put the Guardians in a deep 2-0 hole as they send LHP Anthony Kay (10-9, 4.44 ERA) against tough right-hander Gavin Williams (14-8, 3.75 ERA). That broadcast from Progressive Field starts at 5:00 p.m. ET on TBS.
Meanwhile the Yankees need their ace to win them a game against the Rays. RHP Cam Schlittler (14-6, 1.95 ERA) will take on a rejuvenated RHP Freddy Peralta (10-11, 4.42 ERA), who has pitched much better since the Rays acquired him from the Mets. That broadcast from Tropicana Field starts at 8:00 p.m. ET, also on TBS.
Join us here to chat about both games while we enjoy other fanbases’ problems and ignore the state of Detroit sports at the moment.
El Segundo, CA, - September 28, 2026: Los Angeles Lakers guard Quentin Grimes speaks at a press conference during the team's media day at the UCLA Health Training Center on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026 in El Segundo, CA. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Quentin Grimes was an unrestricted free agent for the first time this summer. He’d bounced around the league a bit during his first five years, trekking from New York to Detroit to Dallas to Philadelphia, and the 2026 offseason was his first opportunity to truly pick his NBA home. When it became clear the Los Angeles Lakers were a potential fit, which would reunite him with Luka Dončić, whom he played well alongside in Dallas, it also represented a chance to pay for the team his dad, Marshall Grimes, grew up supporting.
“It’s crazy because he grew up in the Oakland, San Jose area, played with Kurt Rambis for two years over there at Santa Clara, so he always had a Lakers connection,” Grimes told ESPN LA radio at Media Day last week. “His team was the Lakers and so just being back here and knowing that he always wore Lakers gear when we would work out and he would train me and whatnot, it was kind of surreal that when the feeling of mutual interest when the offseason came, that the Lakers were where I wanted to be. It was kind of fun to see that kind of come back.”
Los Angeles displayed considerable trust and optimism in Grimes by handing him a four-year, $60 million deal over the summer. The full-circle moment he gets to enjoy with his father could be amplified if he actualizes the sensible fit he seems to be for this roster.
He’s a good shooter who can attack closeouts and owns a history of impressive on-ball defense, a skill he’s looking to embrace again after skewing a bit more offensive-minded during 1.5 years with the Sixers. Those are all valuable traits alongside Dončić and Austin Reaves, and it sounds like Grimes is entering the year with plenty of reasons for excitement as he begins his Lakers tenure.
If the end goes as Alex Ovechkin plans, his final NHL game will occur in the postseason in pursuit of another Stanley Cup title. But the end is near for the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, regardless of how the 2026-27 season plays out for the Washington Capitals.
Ovechkin announced on Monday, Oct. 5, this will be his final NHL campaign after 22 years in the league. It means, after 1,575 career games, limited opportunities remain to watch the "Great 8" skate against the world's best hockey players. Only 82 games are left in the regular season.
So what are the matchups you can't miss? Here are the 10 most significant games left during Ovechkin's final regular season with the Capitals:
Ovechkin's first game after announcing this would be his last season will be against the rival he's been linked to since the beginning of his NHL career. The enduring debate and classic games between Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby helped define a generation of the league.
Monday, Dec. 28 vs. Edmonton Oilers
This is the last of two games Ovechkin will play this season against the NHL's best all-around player, Connor McDavid, who has matched Ovechkin with three Hart Trophy wins. McDavid's career has mirrored Ovechkin's in that the remarkable individual accomplishments during the first decade of his career have not yet resulted in a Stanley Cup title. Ovechkin won in his 13th season.
Saturday, Jan. 16 vs. Colorado Avalanche
Ovechkin faces the NHL's leading goal scorer from last season (Nathan MacKinnon) for the final time. Ovechkin recently named MacKinnon as the current player best suited to carry on his signature style of yellow skate laces and a dark, tinted visor on the ice. MacKinnon, Ovechkin and Mario Lemieux are the only players in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup, Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, Calder Trophy and lead the league in goals.
This will be Ovechkin's final game against the NHL team he grew up rooting for in Russia. The Sharks also feature Macklin Celebrini, who recently signed a five-year contract extension that, at the time, made him the highest-paid player in the league based on average annual value. Ovechkin signed the league's first $100 million contract when he was a rising superstar in 2008.
This is the final meeting between the Capitals and defending Stanley Cup champions, and the two teams have been division rivals throughout Ovechkin's NHL career. He has faced the Hurricanes more than any other team in the NHL (97), and has scored his second-most goals against them (53).
Monday, March 15 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
This is Ovechkin's final game against Lightning star Nikita Kucherov, who has supplanted Ovechkin as the best Russian hockey player in the NHL in recent years.
Sunday, March 21 at New York Rangers
This will be Ovechkin's last game at Madison Square Garden against a team that eliminated him from the playoffs four different times.
Ovechkin's final meeting with Crosby and the Penguins will also be the final home regular-season game of Ovechkin's career. The two famously had dueling hat tricks when they met in Washington D.C. during a 2009 Stanley Cup playoff series for the first time. The cheapest available ticket, as of 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, is more than $1,100.
Saturday, April 10 at Philadelphia Flyers
Should Ovechkin remain healthy and available through the end of the regular season, his final scheduled game at the moment will occur on the road against another familiar foe. The Flyers were the first team Ovechkin faced in the Stanley Cup playoffs back in 2008.
For the first time in his NBA career, Austin Reaves is on a deal that actually reflects — or, comes close to it — his league-wide standing as a player. No longer is he on a two-way contract or four-year, $54 million deal, despite being among the Los Angeles Lakers’ top players and one of the NBA’s better guards. Now, he is rightfully beginning year one of a four-year, $184 million deal, which was agreed upon during the offseason.
While a larger payday may elevate the standard people set for Reaves’ performance, he isn’t worried about that sort of thing. He’s focused on winning games and how he can best help the Lakers do that, regardless of whatever box-score numbers he may produce in the process.
“It doesn’t really matter to me. In a sense, there has to be. I would assume that people would look at it that way, but at the end of the day, like, I got to go out there and play basketball and I’ve been playing basketball for 15 years now,” Reaves told ESPN LA radio at Media Day last week. “It’s the same thing I’ve done since I was a kid and I’m going to enjoy it the way that I’ve always enjoyed it. The main thing is winning. If you go out there and win, nobody really – if I have 15 points and we win, it’s better than me having 30 [points] and losing. So just figuring out how to win games and win games at the highest level is the main thing for me.”
It’s natural that expectations for Reaves’ game could raise now. But it’s also natural for Reaves to be unbothered by that outside noise. When not hampered by injury, he had a tremendous 2025-26 and showcased encouraging chemistry with Luka Dončić, especially offensively. If he stays healthy and keeps playing like that, the Lakers will win plenty of games, just as Reaves wants.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 11: General manager Mike Hazen of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on prior to Game Three of the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field on October 11, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the Arizona Diamondbacks’ campaign now in the books, it’s time to look back at all the moves made by GM Mike Hazen over the course of the year, and see which ones worked out for Arizona, and which ones don’t. I’m going off the list of transactions here, which basically begins after the end of the last World Series. Oddly, it doesn’t include the re-signing of Zac Gallen, but I’d like to forget all about that as well…
The best
#1. Traded RHP Jack Martinez to the Cardinals, for Nolan Arenado and cash.
Arenado’s time with St. Louis had been a mixed bag. He had finished 3rd in MVP voting in 2022, but 2023-25 he had averaged barely two bWAR, while earning St. Louis between $20-27 million. They wanted out from under the remaining two years, so heavily discounted them for Arizona. We paid $5 million, and got a player worth 3.4 bWAR – his best season since 2022. Nolan hit 30 homers, had a 122 OPS+, and might be a nominee for his 11th Gold Glove. Meanwhile, his replacement in St. Louis, Nolan Gorman, was below replacement level. Arizona has Arenado for 2027 at a very reasonable $6 million, but even if he spontaneously combusted today, we’ve got our money’s worth.
#2. Signed Jonathan Loaisiga as a free agent.
The day before, the team inked relief pitcher Loaisiga to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training, after the Yankees declined to exercise his $5 million option. The decision was described at the time as an “easy decision… New York simply can’t hold any sort of confidence in his durability moving forward.” But you wonder if they might think otherwise now. For Loaisiga made the roster out of spring, and was a key component in the renaissance of the Diamondbacks bullpen. He proved perfectly durable, pitching 67 times, posting a 2.42 ERA and 2.88 FIP across 67 innings, worth 1.7 bWAR. He’ll get guaranteed money this winter, and won’t be cheap.
#3. Signed Michael Soroka as a free agent.
As we headed towards Opening Day, it seemed that Soroka’s role would be a minor way. After the late signing of Zac Gallen, he was expected to start in the bullpen, and the anticipated return of Corbin Burnes looked set to push Michael further down the depth chart. But he ended up starting 21 games for the D-backs, and pitched very well in those. He has an ERA of 3.41 (a 121 ERA+), a FIP that was lower still (3.18), and trailed only Eduardo Rodriguez among Arizona pitchers by bWAR, at 2.2. Even with incentives which added an extra $1.35 million onto his base salary of $7.5 million, he still proved a very worthwhile investment by Hazen.
#4. Signed Taylor Clarke as a free agent.
Another essential Clarke in the Arizona bullpen was Clarke, whose 70.2 relief innings led all pitchers for Arizona. And that doesn’t include his two games as an opener. It was a return home for Taylor, who had been drafted by the D-backs back in 2015, and debuted with the team in 2019. He came back after four years in the Royals organization, and had a strong campaign, working to a 2.96 ERA, even if his final outing, against the Padres was probably not the one he’ll want remembered. He didn’t strike out many, but he walked even fewer. A sub-one WHIP for any reliever with that many innings is always a good thing.
#5. Traded Daniel Eagen, Brian Curley and Sandro Santana to the Cardinals for Lars Nootbaar.
There was a lot of disappointment at the trade deadline when this was the only significant move made by Hazen. But say what you like, Nootbaar did the job for which he was asked, with an OPS+ of 113 across 42 games. That job was to hit right-handed pitching, and at an OPS of .800, he had the highest numbers there among any of the dozen left-handed batters tried by Arizona – and mostly found wanting, the group collectively having an OPS of .664. In particular, the Noot was better than the D-backs Big 3: vs. RHP, Geraldo Perdomo was at .762, Corbin Carroll .727, and Ketel Marte only .688. Not bad for Nootbaar, though the prospect cost was higher than I’d like.
The bad
#5. Signed Max Kepler as a free agent.
This entry is a personal one. I mean, Kepler only played 41 games for Arizona: how bad could he be? Well, pretty damn bad, with a .565 OPS (58 OPS+), and so was swiftly cut. However, he should never have been signed to begin with, performance entirely aside. For the team inked Kepler while he was still serving an 80-game suspension, for a positive test in January for Epitrenbolone. He had shown no remorse and offered no explanation (not even the “ringworm” defense). But Arizona still opted to throw years of a laudable position. consciously avoiding unrepentant PED cheats out the window, for… -0.6 bWAR.
#4. Traded Jake McCarthy to the Rockies for Josh Grosz.
Was torn between including this, or the Blaze Alexander trade. But our utility infielders were good enough I didn’t really miss Blaze much. Obviously, Jake’s numbers were severely inflated by Coors: his OPS outside of Colorado was 159 points lower. But even that .727 road OPS would have been welcome on the D-backs, especially with him being a left-handed hitter (though McCarthy actually had reverse splits this season). If we still had Jake, we probably would not have needed either to sign Kepler, or trade for Nootbaar, and McCarthy’s outfield defense was likely superior to both. Add his 1.9 bWAR, take off Kepler, and it’s more than the gap by which we missed the playoffs.
#3. Signed Carlos Santana as a free agent.
A deal worth only $2 million probably doesn’t deserve as prominent a place. But it was symptomatic of the black hole which was first-base for the Diamondbacks. I’m not clear exactly what Hazen’s plan was for the position, but if it featured Santana – a 40-year-old coming off a 78 OPS+ season – it seemed poorly considered and doomed from the start. And lo, it was a complete disaster, particularly in the early going. In mid-June, 74 games into the season. Arizona’s first-basemen had a .561 OPS – no team had posted a figure that low since 1920. Things improved a little thereafter, but our 1B still finished at .636, dead-last in the majors, with Ildemaro Vargas getting most playing-time. Santana? 2-for-24 in eight games.
#2. Signed Merrill Kelly as a free agent.
Kelly wasn’t the worst starting pitcher on our books: you’ve probably already figured out who #1 here is. But unlike Gallen, he is also on the team’s books for 2027. We should perhaps have paid attention to the sharp fall-off late last year, after Merrill’s trade to Texas. His ERA for the Rangers was over a run higher than with the D-backs, and that trend continued into 2026. Merrill had an ERA of 4.94, a FIP of 5.32 and an overall value of just 0.3 bWAR. He cost Arizona $19 million this season, including the signing bonus, and will receive $21 million next year, CBA permitting. We can only hope for better. No, really. That’s all we can do: hope.
#1. Signed Zac Gallen as a free agent.
You are perhaps detecting a theme here. This feels like the infamous case where the D-backs beat catcher Jorge Fabregas in arbitration, and paid him what he wanted anyway. The team made Gallen a qualifying offer, he rejected it and entered free-agency. Then when none of the other 29 teams offered anything as good, we still gave it to him. We should have listened to the free-market, because Gallen was epically bad. His -1.7 bWAR was the lowest value posted by a starter for Arizona in over twenty years, since Russ Ortiz touched -1.8 in 2005. This will sting for a bit. Due to the deferrals in the deal – the only positive – he’ll get a check from the team for $4.675 million on July 1 of 2032, 2033, and 2034.
For a bloke from the bush in Bendemeer, finding solitude in Sydney can be a tricky feat, but Josh Hazlewood found an idyllic spot in the suburbs with a mate when first making his way as a talented tearaway quick.
“We actually had a great conversation, [manager Chad Tracy] and I, with Willson yesterday,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow revealed in a press conference on Monday. “We met for over two hours and we talked about a whole host of things. Many of those things I will keep private just to protect, or preserve the relationship that we have, but it was incredibly constructive. Willson would be the right person to ask directly, but he spoke very, very highly of his time here.”
The conversation came on the heels of Contreras publicly stating his frustrations with Boston’s reliance on data to make decisions and doing a lip-zipping motion to demonstrate his feelings about Tracy pulling Sonny Gray early from their Game 2 season-ending loss.
Craig Breslow had a 2-hour sitdown with Willson Contreras and Chad Tracy the other day.
Called it "incredibly constructive" and that Contreras spoke highly about his experience with the Red Sox so far. pic.twitter.com/8D1wfoUWXT
Boston Red Sox’s Willson Contreras waves his batting helmet as he leaves the field after losing to the New York Yankees in Game 2 of baseball’s American League Wild Card Series, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in New York. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Tracy has been widely criticized for his choice to pull both Payton Tolle and Gray early from their starts in the first and second Wild Card games, respectively. The Red Sox went on to get swept by the Yankees, outscored by a combined 18-2.
“Making decisions about data, about all the stuff we cannot do anything about it…At the end of the day, it’s not about data. It’s about executing the game plan,” Contreras said after Boston was eliminated last Wednesday.
Gray expressed his own frustration with Tracy’s decision to pull him after a mere 70 pitches.
Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy signals for a pitching change in the fifth inning during Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order a third time. I think that’s a fact,” Gray said after the game. “I would have liked to have been trusted in that moment.”
Tracy signed a three-year extension with the team before the conclusion of the season, removing his interim tag and keeping him with the club through the 2029 season.
