NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 05: Andre Pallante #53 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, August 5, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Amya Henley/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals head east from California, but not that far east as they’ll land in Denver on Friday for a weekend series against the Colorado Rockies. Andre Pallante returns from the injured list to the mound for the Cardinals while the Rockies will give the ball to Ryan Feltner. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via Cardinals.tv.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 23: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers is fouled by Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on March 23, 2021 in San Francisco, 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. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Put another shrimp on the barbie in Sacramento, mates. Ben Simmons is coming to the Sacramento Kings.
Just in: Three-time All-Star Ben Simmons has agreed on a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings, his agents Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe and Ryan Arney tell me and @MarcJSpears. The one-time All-NBA star is back in the NBA for a 10th season after sitting out 2025-26. pic.twitter.com/xj5X7lr3op
Simmons put down his fishing pole and got back into the gym this summer, joining the Australian national team in a mini-camp this summer and later showcasing for NBA executives in Florida.
Ben Simmons is back on the court hitting jumpers with the Australian men's national team in Melbourne 👀
Simmons is attempting an NBA comeback with several teams reportedly interested 🔥
What Kings general manager Scott Perry saw impressed him enough to offer Simmons a veteran minimum contract for next season. The team was reportedly looking for a veteran mentor and backup for Darius Acuff, Jr., the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft. They chose Simmons, even though they might not want him to advise Acuff on shot selection, free throw shooting, communicating with the front office, three-point shooting, or injury prevention.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Warriors were “in the mix” for Simmons, along with the New York Knicks. The Warriors eventually chose to sign Brandon Williams and Georges Niang to fill out the roster, which could mean they weren’t impressed by Simmons but could also mean Simmons preferred the opportunity in Sacramento to help restart his career.
Simmons was the No. 1 pick in 2016, sitting out his first NBA season with an injury and sitting out another full season in 2021-22 with a holdout and an injury. The Brooklyn Nets dealt for Simmons in 2022 after James Harden demanded a trade, and Simmons suited up for 90 games in three seasons in Brooklyn, eventually getting a buyout and joining the Los Angeles Clippers. Presumably, he got a sponsorship deal with Boingo Wireless for his trouble.
Having been dogged by health problems, specifically a chronically bad back, for years, Simmons stepped away from basketball last year. He bought a fishing team, the South Florida Sails, and spent time working and competing with the team. Leading into the summer, he was reportedly feeling much better and ramping up to return to the NBA.
For years, Simmons has been hesitant to shoot because of his struggles at the foul line, and hesitant in general because his back and legs were in so much pain. If he can actually play regularly and avoid injury, he’s still a 6-foot-10 point guard who can be a monster defensively, even if he’s never going to shoot threes and might not shoot much at all.
However, it’s not the ideal place for Simmons to make a comeback, except he should be able to get plenty of minutes for the Kings. It’s not great for Simmons that head coach Doug Christie seems to be teetering on the brink of getting fired, Domantas Sabonis wants to be traded, Zach LaVine is almost definitely getting traded, and Vivek Ranadive is the owner.
In positive news, there’s a really weird ziggurat in West Sac, there’s two big rivers where he can fish, and the movie “Lady Bird” is a cinema classic.
Once again, the Warriors were mentioned as a team that just fell short of acquiring a player, just days after we learned the Warriors didn’t trade for Jaren Jackson, Jr. It’s a strange trend and almost feels like someone in the Golden State front office has a humiliation fetish when these things get leaked.
It was perfectly reasonable for the Warriors not to reach an agreement with Simmons. Maybe they were worried about adding another injury-prone player to the roster. Maybe Simmons didn’t provide the floor-stretching outside shooting they could get from Niang. Maybe Draymond Green said something offensive about Aussies on a podcast.
It’s just weird that after so many trades and signings, someone makes sure to publicize that the Warriors did not succeed in making that move themselves. As the world of Warriors news is quite slow in early September, we’ll take it, but is Kirk Lacob really that thirsty for clicks?
Oct 7, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; A view of baseballs in the dugout during game two of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs between the Cleveland Guardians and the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Stupid Tigers blow a 5 run lead.
Oh well, just win Jays and continue to win and it doesn’t matter what the stupid Tigers do.
Jameson Taillon is back up to start tonight. Tiedemann is back in Buffalo. I’m sad about that.
Daniel Lynch the 4th starts for the Royals (didn’t he do Twin Peaks?).
And Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage are both throwing on flat ground, throwing from the mound is the next step. And, as always, Anthony Santander is almost ready to play rehab games, until the next setback.
The NHL saw a major contract get signed on Friday.
The Vancouver Canucks signed young defenseman Zeev Buium to an eight-year, $75.04 million contract ($9.38 million AAV). The Canucks are betting on Buium's upside and will be hoping that the 20-year-old can continue to develop in the right direction after his solid rookie season.
With the way salaries have been going up around the NHL, Buium's deal certainly has the potential to age very nicely for Vancouver. He is a promising young defenseman with very good upside. Yet, at the same time, this contract only continues to show just how good Lane Hutson's contract with the Montreal Canadiens is.
Hutson is entering the first season of his eight-year, $70.8 million contract extension, where he will have a bargain $8.85 million cap hit. The young defenseman signed this deal in Oct. 2025 after he six goals and 66 points in 82 games as a rookie for Montreal in 2024-25. He also, of course, won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.
Buium was solid last season, as he recorded six goals and 26 points in 76 games. However, he was not anywhere near Hutson's level as a rookie and will now be making more than him. That only shows just how great Hutson's deal is.
The Canadiens clearly made the right call extending Hutson when they did. Had they waited until this summer, he could have landed himself a significantly higher payday when looking at the salaries this year's restricted free agents received.
Charles Barkley, 63, has put another timeline on the end of his “Inside the NBA” run, but he insists that not only will he be leaving, but Ernie Johnson may be departing with him.
Barkley said during a recent appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that he expects the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season to be his last on “Inside the NBA,” adding that Johnson will be joining him in retirement.
“Me and Ernie are a package deal,” Barkley said. “So right now, unless Ernie changes his mind, next year is my last year, 100 percent.”
Charles Barkley says — again — that he will retire from broadcasting, this time following the 2025-26 NBA campaign. Getty Images
Johnson, 70, has not publicly announced his retirement, making Barkley’s revelation with Simmons particularly notable.
This isn’t the first time Barkley hinted at leaving the show, although it came under different circumstances last time.
As the future felt uncertain for “Inside the NBA,” Barkley indicated that the 2024-25 NBA season would be the end for him. It was also the end of the NBA on TNT, with the channel heading toward missing out on the league’s new media rights deal.
“I told TNT I was going to retire at 60. And they were like, ‘Oh, he’s full of s–t. He’s not gonna retire,’” Barkley recalled to Simmons.
“So we come up, I said, ‘Hey guys, it’s my last year.’ They’re like, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘I told y’all six years ago I was gonna retire at 60.’ They’re like, ‘You were serious?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I was serious.’ Then they said to me, ‘Do us a favor. Stay two more years, ’til we get the new deal.’ I talked it over with my friends. I said, ‘OK, I’ll tell you what. I’ll stay ’til 62,’ which was last year … little did I know these f–king idiots was gonna lose the NBA,” he added.
Inside the NBA broadcasts live before a game on October 24, 2023 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NBAE via Getty Images
ESPN eventually added the show to its lineup, keeping Barkley and Johnson together alongside co-hosts Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith and the same production crew.
Barkley said Johnson called him after TNT lost its NBA rights and asked him to stay, in part so the show’s longtime behind-the-scenes employees could remain employed.
“The only reason I stayed is so everybody could keep their job behind the scenes,” Barkley told Simmons, explaining that he has worked with many members of the staff for more than 25 years, a point he has made on numerous occasions.
Barkley has also noted that he met with NBC and Amazon after TNT lost the NBA, with NBC offering him more money than he was making at Turner.
Johnson has hosted “Inside the NBA” since 1990, while Barkley joined the program in 2000.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 29: Starting pitcher Daniel Lynch IV #41 of the Kansas City Royals tries to make a throw to first on a bunt by Steven Kwan #38 of the Cleveland Guardians (not pictured) during the third inning at Progressive Field on August 29, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the fun things about covering the Friday and Saturday night games all season has been that, on a week like this with one off day, if a good starting pitcher pitches on a Saturday, I get to write about him that night, and I know I’ll get to write about him again next Friday. The corollary, however, is that when Daniel “Danny Drips” Lynch IV pitches on a Saturday night, I know I have to write about him the next week.
At first I was fine with the Royals giving him a shot. I wasn’t optimistic it would work, but I also didn’t think it was going to hurt anything, and it made the guy happy. I’m all for making guys happy. But now that we’ve seen it for a month or so, it might be making him happy, but it’s not making anyone I care about happy. Danny Drips is not a big-league starting pitcher. I remain not-entirely-convinced that he’s a big-league reliever. But here he is, starting for the Royals on September 4, while a guy they touted as potentially an answer to their rotation woes for next season pitches for Omaha again. I have a hard time blaming Matt Quatraro and J.J. Picollo for everything that has gone wrong for the Royals this year, but when they do things like this, it gets easier.
Fortunately, the Blue Jays will be countering with Jameson Taillon. Taillon has been a very good starting pitcher for years, but this year his walk rate and home run rates have skyrocketed. That led the Cubs to cut bait on him, despite desperately needing starting pitching as they continue their playoff chase. The Blue Jays picked him up, and he has made two starts totaling eight innings. He’s only allowed 3 runs, but he’s walked 5 while striking out only 7. It does not feel like he’s turned a corner.
What I’m saying is, watch out for dueling no-hitters tonight.
Lineups
Not much new to say about the Royals’ lineup. I’ll note that if Jac doesn’t start hitting dingers again soon, he’s going to get passed by Carter Jensen. Carter only has one fewer than him after the barrage in the Marlins series.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 30: Ryan Feltner #18 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Sunday, August 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kathryn May/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Orioles handed Colorado its franchise-record 10th consecutive home loss Monday night when Colton Cowser robbed Jake McCarthy of a potential two-run walk-off home run to preserve a 2-1 Baltimore win.
The Rockies responded with a 4-2 win Tuesday before taking Wednesday’s finale 6-5 in 11 innings. Colorado was down to its final strike in the ninth before Zac Veen tied the game with a double and Brett Sullivan delivered the walk-off single in the 11th.
Baltimore arrived at Coors Field 68-69 and left 69-71. It was not a fatal blow to the Orioles’ Wild Card hopes, but it was a stumble at a time when every series matters.
Now the Colorado Rockies (54-86) open a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals (70-71), who sit four games behind the final National League Wild Card spot.
The Cardinals are just 4-6 over their last 10 games. That has not hurt them as much as it could have. Still, a bad weekend in Denver would put a substantial dent in the Cardinals’ fading playoff chances.
Ryan Feltner takes the mound for Colorado, making his 21st start of the season.
Feltner enters at 5-9 with a 5.84 ERA over 101.2 innings. It has been a rough season overall, and especially lately. Over his last seven games, including six starts, he is 2-5 with a 6.50 ERA and 1.81 WHIP across 36 innings.
After missing his scheduled start Saturday because of illness, Feltner returned Sunday in Atlanta with encouraging results. He worked four innings of relief behind Mason Adams, allowing only an unearned run while striking out six without a walk.
The changeup was central to the outing. Feltner threw it 35% of the time and generated eight whiffs on 15 swings, with five of his six strikeouts coming on the pitch. The changeup itself did not change much. The bigger difference was Feltner’s ability to locate the four-seamer higher while keeping the changeup down, creating more vertical separation between the two pitches while maintaining roughly a 10 mph velocity gap.
St. Louis counters with Andre Pallante, who makes his 25th start of the season.
Pallante enters 12-6 with a 3.57 ERA over 136 innings and has been steady throughout the year. He owns a 3.51 ERA over his last seven starts and a 3.31 mark over his last 15.
His pitch mix changes considerably by handedness. Against righties, he is primarily a slider-sinker pitcher, using the slider about 40% of the time and the sinker around 35%. Against lefties, his four-seamer jumps above 50%, with the curveball and slider each around 20%.
That mix produces plenty of ground balls. Pallante owns a 55.0% ground-ball rate and has allowed barrels on just 5.3% of batted balls.
Three hitters in Friday’s lineup faced Pallante in his last start against Colorado last season. Hunter Goodman went 2-for-3, while Mickey Moniak and Adael Amador each had RBI singles as the Rockies scored five runs on eight hits over five innings.
The Rockies enter tonight 10-12 in Friday games this season. With four Friday games left, including tonight, they still have a chance to finish .500 or better on Fridays.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Cristian Javier #53 of the Houston Astros throws a pitch against the New York Mets during the second inning at Citi Field on August 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caean Couto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (72-69), who hold a slim 2.0-game lead in the AL West over the Texas Rangers, will welcome in the Arizona Diamondbacks (74-67) tonight for the first of a three-game weekend series at Daikin Park.
RHP Cristian Javier (1-5, 6.45 ERA) will get the start for the Astros tonight opposite RHP Merrill Kelly (9-12, 5.08 ERA) and the Snakes.
EL REPTÍL: RHP Cristian Javier is making his ninth start of the season and his sixth since returning from the IL in early July. He’s split time between being a starter and reliever since his return, making five relief appearances and five starts. Since returning from the IL, he has a 4.84 ERA (19ER/35.1IP) with 38 strikeouts in 35.1 IP.
SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 52-38 (.578) in their last 90 games (since May 22). That is the second-best record in the AL in that span, behind the Red Sox (54-38).
ABOUT THE RECORD: At 72-69 and three games over .500, the Astros have matched their high-water mark for the season, also reached with 63-60, 60-57, 59-56, 58-55, 6-3, and 5-2 records. The Astros have got there with an American League-best 7-3 record over their last 10 games.
STARTING BLOCKS: Astros starters have a 1.66 ERA (4ER/21.2IP) with 21 strikeouts, a .169 opponent average (13×77) and a 1.15 WHIP in the first four games of this homestand. Stretching back over the Astros last 10 games, in which they’ve gone 7-3, Astros starters own a 2.94 ERA (16ER/49IP).
MEASURING UP: The Astros are within a streak of playing four straight teams with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB). The Astros are a Major League-best 28-15 (.651) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. Some clubs that the Astros have winning records against include BOS (5-1), CHC (3-0), CWS (5-2), CLE (4-2), MIA (3-0), and TB (2-1).
VS. THE D-BACKS: In their last series against each other, the Astros swept the Diamondbacks in a three-game set in Arizona from July 21-23, 2025. The Astros are 8-1 in their last nine games against the D-backs, which dates back to the 2023 season.
MINOR LEAGUE HONORS: Astros prospect RHP Antonio Morales has been named the Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Month for August. Morales, 19, went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0ER/14IP), while allowing a .067 (3×45) opponent average in three apps. for the DSL Astros Orange in August.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have placed LHP Steven Okert on the 15-day IL with a right hamstring strain (retro to Sept. 1). In a corresponding move, the Astros recalled LHP Bryan King from Triple A Sugar Land.
RELIEVER OF THE MONTH: Announced yesterday, LHP Josh Hader was named the American League Reliever of the Month for August. It is Hader’s ninth career Reliever of the Month Award and his third as an Astro. In the month, Hader converted all seven of his save opportunities, while going scoreless in his 13 total appearances and 14.1 innings pitched.
STREAKING: LHP Josh Hader has worked 19 consecutive scoreless appearances, spanning 20.0 innings (since July 21). This is the longest streak by an Astros hurler this season and the second-longest active streak in the Majors. Opponents are just 5×65 (.077) vs. Hader during the streak.
THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader has 249 career saves, needing just one more save to become the 41st player in modern MLB history to reach 250 career saves. Hader has 22 of those saves this season, in 22 save chances.
YOU’RE MY BOY BLU!: RHP A.J. Blubaugh, who’s tossed 14.0 consecutive scoreless innings, has taken a huge Major League lead in innings pitched as a reliever with 86.1, far ahead of second-place RHP Paul Blackburn (75IP). The Astros have not had a reliever lead the Majors in innings since RHP Doug Jones (111.2IP) in 1992.
TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently owns at least a share of the lead in all three Triple Crown categories. He enters tonight leading the AL in batting avg. (.316), while ranking tied for first in HR (37) and RBI (94).
Rare Feat: Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL).
FEELS INTENTIONAL: DH Yordan Alvarez has been issued 30 intentional walks on the year, which is a franchise record, besting the 27 intentional walks for 1B Jeff Bagwell in 1997. Alvarez leads the Majors in intentional walks, topping second-place DH Shohei Ohtani (16) by a whopping 14 IBB. Lastly, the AL record for intentional walks in a season is in play for Alvarez, a record that’s currently held by RF Aaron Judge (36 IBB in 2025).
THE HIT MAN: 2B Jose Altuve has 2,495 career hits, needing just five hits to reach 2,500 for his career. Among active players, Altuve ranks second in hits, trailing only 1B Freddie Freeman (2,586).
BEHIND THE DISH: C Christian Vázquez has played in 999 career games as a catcher and is looking to become just the third active catcher to reach 1,000 career games behind the dish. He would join C Salvador Perez (1,427) and C J.T. Realmuto (1,382) in that exclusive group.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2023 – Trailing 3-0 through the 4th, the Astros offense exploded in a Labor Day matinee in Arlington, scoring 13 runs over the game’s last 5.0 innings en route to a 13-6 win. The offense connected for five homers on the day, including multi-homer games by 2B Jose Altuve (4×6) and CF Mauricio Dubón (2×5), who went back-to-back on two different occasions. According to STATS, the Astros became the first team in MLB history to have their No. 9 (Dubón) and No. 1 (Altuve) hitters hit back-to-back homers twice in the same game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, September 4, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 03: A general view of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center on April 3, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
ASTROS
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Jeremy Pena – SS
Corbin Carroll – RF
Yordan Alvarez – DH
Gabriel Moreno – C
Isaac Paredes – 3B
Ketel Marte – 2B
Jose Altuve – 2B
Lars Nootbaar – DH
Daulton Varsho – CF
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Christian Walker – 1B
Max Kepler – LF
Taylor Trammell – RF
Tim Tawa – 1B
Yainer Diaz – C
Ryan Waldschmidt – CF
LaMonte Wade – LF
Merrill Kelly – RHP
Cristian Javier – RHP
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ active roster is at 28 and the 40-man roster is at 39.
Reinstated from the 10-day injured list: OF Tommy Troy (sprained right AC joint; retro to July 12)
Designated for assignment: OF Jorge Barrosa
Is this the end of Barrosa’s time with the D-backs? He’d appeared in 97 of the team’s games so far, though had only made 34 starts, being mostly used as a pinch-runner and/or late inning defensive replacement. Does seem weird that the team has chosen to dump the switch-hitter. Let’s play the old Player A/Player B game with a couple of Arizona outfielders: Player A: 159 PA, .201/.285/.343 = .628 OPS, 0.6 bWAR, 0.4 fWAR, four-plus years control Player B: 139 PA, .214/.273/.317 = .591 OPS, -0.5 bWAR, -0.4 fWAR, 21 games control I’ll leave it as an exercise for you to figure out who’s who, and wonder why Player B is still the owner of a roster spot.
Eleven players in the D-backs bullpen right now, with just three starters, making the bullpen chart long and thin! That obviously won’t last, with the need for a fourth starter on Monday (might be Jose Cabrera who worked a couple of middle innings during the bullpen game versus the Phillies), then the widely-expected return of Corbin Burnes on Tuesday against the Royals on Tuesday. But it does give the team options, should Merrill Kelly have a short outing tonight. Mind you, his last start, he looked like a new pitcher altogether. We’ll see if it persists. If so, perhaps Merrill needs to send an Edible Arrangement to the Cubs’ third-base coach.
The main focus of scoreboard watching this weekend, will be the Padres’ series against the Yankees in San Diego, which starts 90 minutes after our game. That’s a tougher opponent than the Astros, though the Padres do have home-field advantage. It’d be nice to put a bit of daylight between us and San Diego, and with the top of our rotation going in this series, I’m hopeful that can happen. Would not hurt if the Yankees were to help out a bit. If you prefer to look up in the standings instead, the Cubs are visiting the Marlins, while the Phillies also have a tough series, hosting the Braves. Both those games will have been under way for 50 minutes when this gets posted.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 04: The Cleveland Guardians grounds crew removes the tarp from the field during a rain delay before game one of a doubleheader between the Cleveland Guardians and the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on September 04, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This game was just about a perfect microcosm of the season. The bullpen can’t hold up to pull out a tight game very often, an early lead crumbled in one terrible inning from Keider Montero, and after a nice burst from the offense early they went to sleep when it mattered most, doing nothing in the final five innings to fight back. Brayan Rocchio tied the game with a grand slam in the fourth, and he walked it off with a solo shot against Drew Sommers to win 7-6 over the Tigers in Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader in Progressive Field.
After a rain delay of about a half hour to start the day, the game got underway around 3:15 p.m. ET. Gleyber Torres led off with a single off lefty Logan Allen, and Kevin McGonigle drew a walk. Hao-Yu Lee struck out and Dillon Dingler flew out sharply to Steven Kwan in center field. Riley Greene drew a walk to load the bases, and Ben Malgeri broke through with a two-run single back through the box. Spencer Torkelson singled through the left side, and again it was the kids coming through as Max Clark ripped a line drive single to right field to plate Greene and Malgeri. Javy Báez pulled a ground out to end the top half, but it was 4-0 Tigers.
Keider Montero took the mound and gave up a one-out double to Chase DeLauter. Jose Ramirez moved him to third with a single, and a Jo Adell sacrifice fly made it a 4-1 game. Montero locked up Nathaniel Lowe with fastball in the corner down and away. It was called a ball but Dingler correctly challenged, ending the inning.
The top of the Tigers order was up again in the top of the second, and again they made something happen. Singles from Torres and McGonigle started the inning. Lee grounded into a 5-4-3 double play, but Torres scored to make it 5-1. Montero gave up a one-out double to Travis Bazzana, but stranded him with a pair of flyouts to Clark in center field.
Slade Cecconi took over for Allen in the third with one out and struck out Malgeri. Spencer Torkelson got on the board, driving a 2-0 sinker out to right field.
Max Clark followed with another single and then swiped second base. We’re loving us some Max Clark. Báez flew out to left to strand him. 6-1 Tigers.
Montero was cruising along pretty well until the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Lowe singled and rookie Angel Genao doubled him to third. A single from Bazzana plated Lowe, and Montero walked light hitting Patrick Bailey to load the bases. Not good. Rocchio paid it off, getting a 1-1 knuckle curve right at the bottom of the zone and launching a grand slam to right field. Tie ballgame. That gut punch took the wind out of the Tigers and they never got it back.
Tyler Holton handled the bottom of the fifth, getting a double play ball after an Adell lead off single and escaping the inning unscathed. Craig Yoyo had the ball after replacing Cecconi in the top of the sixth. Max Clark recorded his third single of the game, but that went nowhere. Holton took care of the sixth as well, while lefty Erik Sabrowski entered for a 1-2-3 top of the seventh.
Holton walked DeLauter in the bottom of the seventh, and gave way to right-hander Tyler Kinley. He got Ramirez to fly out. DeLauter swiped second, but Adell grounded into a force out, and Lowe lined out to Clark in center. After making a sliding catch, the ball came loose from Clark’s glove, but they ruled he had control long enough and we were on to the eighth.
Still, other than Clark, the Tigers had just folded up shop, and now luck deserted them as Greene and Malgeri both hammered the ball to corner outfielders, and Torkelson struck out swinging.
Drew Sommers spun a good bottom half to keep this thing deadlocked, but the Tigers had to score. It will not surprise you dear reader, to learn that they did not score.
Cade Smith gave up a one out single to Colt Keith, and he took second on a passed ball. But Torres took a called strike three, and McGonigle foul tipped a high heater into the glove.
John Peck entered the game at shortstop for defensive purposes, but there was no defense possible for this. A first pitch heater from Sommers was launched deep to left center and over the big wall for a walkoff home run. Cool, cool.
The Tigers had 11 hits and two walks, so we can’t say the offense did nothing. But the Tigers knack for giving up homers in the worst possible times is unmatched this year.
Evan Gold, the Islanders’ newly hired assistant general manager, dipped his toes into controversial waters last week. He did this by committing the time-honored public relations sin of telling the truth.
“They’re a transitional team,” Gold said of the Islanders during an appearance on “The Sheet with Jeff Marek,” and the rest didn’t seem to matter much for a small-but-loud slice of the fanbase that was already upset at this acknowledgment of reality.
So here is some more reality, of which everyone in the organization and around the NHL is well aware. The Islanders have not won a playoff series since 2021. They had 91 points last season and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
The best, most important assets in their organization are almost uniformly young enough to be in college, and 10 players enter training camp with expiring contracts, giving the Islanders an estimated $40 million in salary cap space going into next summer.
Mathieu Darche, general manager of the New York Islanders, speaks with members of the media at the site of a new community and kid-designed playspace at the Cross Island YMCA in Bellerose, N.Y., on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post
Transition is not only an accurate word to describe this situation, it is a necessary state for the Islanders to be in right now, due mainly to the stagnant operation under the last few years of Lou Lamoriello’s reign, which left them stuck in the NHL’s middle ground, needing to rebuild their prospect pipeline and get out from under a series of bad contracts.
“To be a sustainable playoff team you can’t just patch every year and just bring one player here, one player there, you have to build it,” general manager Mathieu Darche told reporters a few days ago when asked about Gold’s comment. “But a good thing is, we have some solid veterans that can keep us relevant, keep us fighting for the playoffs as we incorporate and we always need to mix up both. You can’t win with only young guys, you can’t win with only older guys, so that’s the transitional part that he’s talking about.”
When attendance dipped repeatedly, and fans who were at UBS Arena chanted for Lamoriello’s head, transition was — functionally — what they were asking for. You cannot get from where the Islanders were in 2025 to being an annual contender in one year, or even two, and the franchise’s solution to that problem under prior management was to insist that there was no problem at all.
Islanders assistant GM Evan Gold. The Islanders
None of that is to absolve Darche for his own errors in the job, or to say that fans shouldn’t be disappointed over an offseason where waiting till next summer was the strategy, in function if not in name.
Even if you are bullish about the Islanders’ medium and long-term outlook, it’s hard not to feel bearish about the here and now. The end of last season left a bad taste, and this isn’t the first time in recent memory that the selling points heading into training camp are a full season of a new coach and the returns of players who were injured for most of last season.
Darche saying the Islanders can fight for the playoffs is a slight step down from his introductory press conference in May 2025, when he said he believed the Islanders could make the playoffs.
Darche, though, was hired much more to make the Islanders better in the long haul than in the short term, and the same would have applied to any other candidate. On that front, the Islanders have rapidly turned their prospect pipeline around, made big steps in building a reputable AHL operation and made a series of front office hires to help areas like analytics and development, where the club had lagged behind the rest of the league.
Gold, who had a successful run as an assistant general manager in Boston and was a finalist for general manager jobs in Vancouver and Toronto this summer, is, ironically, part of that list.
Whether all those seeds planted in the last 16 months pay off will be the defining question of Darche’s tenure as general manager — far more than trading for Brayden Schenn — and he won’t have unlimited time to wait and see.
New York Islanders center Brayden Schenn (10) skates towards the bench after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post
A year from now, the expectation needs to be that the $40 million in waiting be put to good use, and that the prospects on whose development the franchise is staked be in position to contribute. The transitional phase, in short, needs to be winding down by training camp 2027.
But right now, it’s where the Islanders are. That is plain to everyone who cares to look, and getting mad over honesty is a request to be sold a bill of goods.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 04: Brayan Rocchio #4 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam during the fourth inning of game one of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on September 04, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Erick Fedde takes the mound tonight, in one of the biggest home games of the season.
Well, the AL Central race has not exactly been much of a race, and this past week it’s looked like two hurt tortoises limping towards the finish line. For as poor as the Chicago White Sox have been lately, the Cleveland Guardians have been just as bad, and honestly, that’s been good enough.
No, you are not seeing things, the White Sox are in fact facing off against the Minnesota Twins for the second straight weekend. This time the series is at home, and hopefully the White Sox can harness some of their home success as the season draws to a close. With just 23 games left for the South Siders, each win takes them that much closer to a division title that no one expected them to even be near in July, let alone September.
For the White Sox, Erick Fedde takes the mound. While you would’ve been laughed at at the beginning of the season, Fedde has turned out to be one of Chicago’s most reliable pitchers in a season that has seen many starters fail to impress (looking at you, Luis Castillo).
Fedde sports a 3.77 ERA over his last 15 starts, and secured the win last Saturday against the Twins with an outing of just three hits and two runs over five innings of work. While the White Sox offense of late has been about as lively as a retirement home past 8 p.m., it should be more than capable of securing a win if Fedde has a similar performance tonight.
As for the Twins, they roll out Zebby Matthews with their playoff chances on life support. While they are still technically in the division race and only three games out of the final wild-card slot, they are running out of time to make a move.
To his credit, Matthews has more than done his part to try to help the Twins limp into the postseason (where they will likely just lose in the first round like they always do). Matthews has won each of his last five starts, and hasn’t tasted defeat since July 24. In fact, in his last start, he dominated the White Sox and fell just a couple of outs short of a complete game. With a 2.90 ERA over the month of August, he’s been one of the best starting pitchers in the entire major leagues lately, not just the American League.
Munetaka Murakami needs to start looking like a baseball player again, and the White Sox need to be careful they don’t let a perfectly good postseason opportunity go to waste. Cleveland has already won the opener of their doubleheader against Detroit to narrow its division deficit to 2 ½ games, so it’s time to win some ball games.
Here is the starting lineup for the Chicago White Sox, featuring the return of Kyle Teel from yet another injury rehab in Charlotte:
Here is the starting lineup for the Minnesota Twins:
First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN Chicago 1000. Drop your predictions and thoughts down below!
Jun 5, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker (80) throws during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
On September 4, 1999, the Calgary Flames added one of their biggest rivals to their lineup by acquiring former Edmonton Oilers legend Grant Fuhr from the St. Louis Blues. Flames fans who grew up in the 1980s suffered through countless losses at the hands of the Spruce Grove, Alberta, native who would lead the Oilers to five Stanley Cup titles that decade.
Fuhr debuted with the Oilers in 1981 and spent 10 years with his hometown club, becoming arguably their greatest goalie. He eventually left in 1991 to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs before a brief stint with the Buffalo Sabres.
As a free agent, Fuhr signed with the Blues on July 14, 1995, and during his first season, he would go on to set one of the NHL's most unbreakable records, playing in 79 games. That year, he missed only three games and went 30-28-16, leading the league in games played, ties, shots faced, and saves.
Over four seasons, Fuhr compiled a 108-87-41 record with St. Louis in 249 games, the longest time he spent with any club besides the Oilers. In 1998-99, at 36, he played 39 games and went 16-11-8, while the Blues lost in the second round; Fuhr went 6-6 in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, in Calgary, the Flames rotated through six goalies that season, including Fred Brathwaite, Ken Wreggret, Tyler Moss, Andrei Trefilov, Tyrone Garner, and future Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jean-Sébastien Giguère. They finished 30-40-12, third in the Northwest Division, and missed the playoffs.
Flames Acquire 37-year-old Fuhr on September 4
To revamp their goaltending situation, the Flames acquired Fuhr from the Blues in exchange for a third-round pick in 2000. Coincidentally, Fuhr reunited with former Oilers teammate Steve Smith, who became Calgary's captain in 1999-2000.
Flames fans will always be thankful for Smith, who accidentally scored on Fuhr in Game 7 of the 1986 Smythe Division Finals, ultimately resulting in the Oilers' quest for a three-peat ending with that third-period own goal.
Unfortunately, Fuhr's return to Alberta would produce the worst statistical campaign of his career. In only 23 games, he'd earn a 5-13-2 record with a career-low .856 SV%. The Flames also had a worse record than the previous year, going 31-36-10-5 and finishing fourth in the Northwest Division.
Fuhr's last NHL appearance came on April 8, 2000, at the Saddledome against the Oilers in a 6-3 loss. He didn't start the game, but played 18:17 in relief and finished with a .714 SV%, stopping five of seven shots. The last goal he surrendered came off the stick of Doug Weight, who scored at 14:42 of the third period.
In the deal that brought Fuhr to Calgary, the Blues received a third-round pick, which they used to select Justin Papineau, 75th overall. He played a total of 81 NHL games between the Blues and the New York Islanders, scoring 11 goals and 19 points. Papineau scored his first NHL goal against the Oilers on February 27, 2003, and played his final NHL game on April 4, 2004, against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Overall, the late 1990s and early 2000s were not a great time to be a goalie with the Flames, as they transitioned from Mike Vernon to Miikka Kiprusoff. They brought Fuhr in based on his reputation, but at 37, he didn't have much left in the tank. Unfortunately, the experiment didn't work out, and his Hall of Fame career ended on Saddledome ice.
