First Pitch: 6:40 PM CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM, Audacy App, LosTwins.com
Know thine enemy:Pinstripe Alley
Bailey Ober will try to hold the Yankees in check as the Twins lineup faces lefty Max Fried. Good luck.
It’s night two of the Pete Alonso Reunion Tour at CitiField, where Mets fans will continue to cheer on their team’s favorite former slugger. Expect their signs and camera phones to be held high every time Alonso steps to the plate as he seeks to mash his 300th career home run at his longtime home ballpark. And he’s not the only one — on the other side of the field, the Mets’ Francisco Lindor is also sitting on 299 career dingers. It’d be pretty neat if they both hit #300 in the same game, especially if the Orioles go on to win.
But yikes, the O’s are going to have their work cut out for them, if tonight’s starting lineup is any indication. Take a peek below. There’s Rece Hinds, leadoff hitter. There’s an entirely useless bottom four of the lineup (arguably bottom five, if you’re feeling particularly cranky about Gunnar Henderson). Rarely seen third catcher Yohel Pozo will make his first start since Aug. 16, almost a month ago. And lefty swingers Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, Heston Kjerstad, and Jackson Holliday are all on the bench against Mets southpaw Sean Manaea.
I just don’t get it. The Orioles are out of contention and the season is winding down, so why not let your young left-handers get some starts against lefties? How are they ever going to get better with their platoon splits if you don’t give them the opportunity? Why are you giving starts to guys with no future with the Orioles, like Hinds, Pozo, and Leody Taveras, instead of homegrown guys who might have a chance at being part of the future? The Orioles, as usual, make no sense.
Poor Shane Baz already never gets run support, and now this is the lineup that’s tasked with trying to help him out. Well, uh…good luck.
Orioles lineup:
LF Rece Hinds
1B Pete Alonso
DH Coby Mayo
3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand
SS Gunnar Henderson
2B Jeremiah Jackson
C Yohel Pozo
RF Leody Taveras
CF Colton Cowser
RHP Shane Baz
Mets lineup:
SS Francisco Lindor
LF Juan Soto
3B Bo Bichette
RF Carson Benge
1B Jared Young
2B Marcus Semien
CF A.J. Ewing
DH Brett Baty
C Francisco Alvarez
LHP Sean Manaea
When it comes to the Clippers-Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention scandal, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver believes it’s time to move forward.
Among the many things he made clear during his media availability Tuesday following the NBA’s Board of Governors meetings was this: He doesn’t expect for there to be any further sanctions stemming from the scandal.
“The discipline is final,” Silver said during his first public comments since the league announced harsh punishments against the Clippers two weeks ago.
The NBA, through an independent investigation conducted by the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, found the Clippers violated the league’s salary cap circumvention rules by “initiating off-court income opportunities” for Leonard with four different companies that also did business with the team.
The league dropped staggering punishments on the Clippers, fining the franchise $30 million, suspending owner/chairman Steve Ballmer for one year and stripping the franchise of five first-round draft picks from 2029-33.
President of business operations Gillian Zucker (one year) and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank (six months) were also suspended for their roles in the scandal.
But the initial report alluded to potential corroborating evidence, which left the door open for further punishment.
That was put to bed on Tuesday.
Ballmer said in a Sunday statement he has “sincere regrets” and apologized to fans, and acknowledged the franchise was complying with the penalties assessed by the league.
Leonard was forced to pay the NBA $700,000 for restitution for improper benefits provided by the Clippers, while his uncle and former business manager, Dennis Robertson, has been banned by the NBA from all business dealings for five years.
Silver said he met with Leonard but didn’t want to get into the details of his conversations with the National Basketball Players Association that led to Leonard’s punishment.
Leonard was finally traded back to Toronto Monday after a deal between the Clippers and Raptors was agreed to in late June but delayed because of the investigation.
“I think we all agree it’s time to move forward here,” Silver said. “[NBPA Executive Director] David Kelly represented his player well and the interest of the Players Association. All I can say is I think we reached a fair outcome for everyone.”
As for the Clippers, Silver said the league looked at previous violations when figuring out how to punish the Clippers.
“There is precedent of a team for cap violation, circumvention violation, losing five picks, Silver said. “That was something we looked to.”
He was referencing when then-NBA Commissioner David Stern stripped the Timberwolves of five first-round draft picks (selections in the drafts from 2001-05) in October 2000 for circumventing the salary cap for Joe Smith.
The NBA gave the Timberwolves back their 2003 first-round draft pick in December 2000 after then-owner Glen Taylor accepted a suspension and executive Kevin McHale took a leave of absence.
By December 2001, the league also restored the Timberwolves’ 2005 first-round pick.
But, at least for now, it doesn’t appear the Clippers will be getting any of their draft picks back.
Silver acknowledged the tough place the Clippers’ sanctions puts their fans in.
“To your point, I think that’s in some ways the most difficult part of adjudicating these disputes,” Silver said. “Because while there have to be competitive consequences, our view, if these rules are violated, we still want to be a 30-team league. We recognize that in some ways we’re unfortunately punishing the fans of that team as well. That’s the balance we’re trying to seek.
“I don’t think in any way we’ve done permanent damage to this franchise. No question, this is a setback for the team. As I said, the ultimate goal in terms of these type of sanctions is to ensure that other teams don’t engage in this type of behavior in the future. So there has to be something beyond suspensions and financial consequences. That has to go directly to competition.”
With hockey just around the corner, the NHL has officially released the rulebook for the 2026-27 season.
While there weren't many changes, there was one that will be noticeable right off the bat for fans attending games. Players, both skaters and goaltenders, joining the league will now be required to wear neck protection moving forward.
Section 3, Rule 9.8 of the 2026-27 NHL rulebook states: "Beginning in the 2026-2027 season, players (including goalkeepers) who have zero games of NHL experience must wear cut resistant protection on the neck area with a minimum cut level protections score of A5, in accordance with the ANSI/ISEA standard.
Neck protection must be used in the manner it was intended. No modifications such as rolling, taping, cutting, etc., will be permitted. Neck protection must be worn in all games including during pre-game warm-up."
As a result, players like Ivar Stenberg will be required to wear a neck-guard when they take the ice for the San Jose Sharks this coming season. Rather than listing who will be required to wear neck protection, it'll likely be easier to name who won't be. There are a number of prospects who will be grandfathered into this rule, as they've already made their NHL debut. Of course, any player on the NHL roster last season will also be unaffected.
Exempt Prospects (NHL Games Played)
Cam Lund (11)
Igor Chernyshov (28)
Ethan Cardwell (13)
Luca Cagnoni (9)
Nolan Allan (43)
Any other prospect, including the likes of Filip Bystedt and Quentin Musty, will be required to wear neck protection when playing at the NHL level moving forward.
Australia 294-8; Zimbabwe 235 | Australia win by 59 runs
Batter scores 109; Nathan Ellis has figures of 5-31 in 9.1 overs
Australia’s Matt Renshaw scored a maiden one-day international century while Nathan Ellis took five wickets to guide their side to a 59-run win over hosts Zimbabwe in the first clash of their three-match series.
Australia chose to bat first, and the surprise decision from captain Mitchell Marsh was vindicated as they scored 294-8 in their 50 overs, setting Zimbabwe an imposing target at Harare Sports Club.
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Go Rays!
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The Dodgers are four for four against the Reds this year, all in the previous eight days. On Tuesday night they try a drive for five.
Leave it to the White Sox to save all of the dramatics for the end of the season. The South Side offense finally came back to life in Monday’s series opener against the Guardians, allowing Chicago to not only secure a win when it severely needed, but give it the tiebreaker against Cleveland on the season series as the rivals battle through an AL Central division race that is way too close for comfort.
Of course, we as Sox fans can continue to relish even getting to play meaningful baseball games after three (four, really) disappointing seasons, but I’m sure many can agree that coming up short after such an exciting, magical season would be a gut-punch. Thankfully, the South Siders have put themselves in a great position to close out the division race with the tiebreaker, but defeating the Guardians outright is the best way to ensure they can snag a spot in the postseason.
Before we dive into the lineups for tonight’s game, let’s check in on some roster updates. After Monday’s game, the White Sox announced that righthander Tyler Davis was reinstated from the Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency list, but was optioned back to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. The righty has been mostly solid out of the bullpen despite a rough few outings in June, and in 29 games (30 2/3 innings) with the big league club, Davis has posted a 3.52 ERA and a 1.174 WHIP alongside a .190 opponent batting average. He’s also scoreless in his last eight outings (eight IP) dating back to June 20, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we see Davis again this season.
The biggest news of the day is that the South Siders have recalled left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz from Triple-A and designated José Urquidy for assignment as the corresponding move. In six games (22 1/3 frames) for the White Sox the righty posted a 2-1 record and a 4.37 ERA, which looks much better on paper than the performance in real life. Despite a couple decent outings, and one incredible performance at Wrigley Field during the Crosstown Classic, Urquidy has been a bit of a loose cannon both as a starter and out of the bullpen. It’s unclear if Urquidy will clear waivers or what the next steps are there, but bringing Schultz up could be key with a struggling starting rotation.
In 15 outings with the White Sox, Schultz had accumulated a 6.06 ERA prior to being demoted to Triple-A, but in his last five starts for the Knights, he’s surrendered just three earned across his 21 2/3 innings with 10 Ks.
As for tonight’s game, lefthander Chris Murphy will be the opener in the second game of the series in Cleveland. The Good Guys are leveraging an opener in back-to-back games, as Davis Martin will own the bulk role on Tuesday. Using an opener while running a rough right-handed heavy lineup in a playoff race feels entirely unserious, but to Will Venable’s credit the White Sox absolutely suck at pitching in the first inning. As a team, the White Sox pitching staff ranks as the fourth-worst ERA (5.58), third-highest opponent SLG (.492) in baseball, and have surrendered the second-most home runs in the first inning of games.
When looking at every other inning, the White Sox hold the 10th-best ERA (3.92), opponent batting average (.237), and opponent SLG (.383). We can’t be sure what causes them to implode so much early, but perhaps we should just stop questioning the opener at this point, especially considering how great Sean Burke was in Monday’s matchup after a horrific outing in the start prior.
Murphy holds a 3.94 ERA in his 31 appearances (32 innings), and has worked as an opener two other times this season. Unlike the dominance that Sean Newcomb has displayed in pretty much every situation, Murphy hasn’t been as strong when used as an opener. While it’s a small, two-inning sample size, Murphy has posted a 13.50 ERA and surrendered three earned runs on three hits, including a home run and a double.
Righthander Davis Martin has solely pitched as a starter this season, holding a 4.05 ERA in 26 outings and 135 2/3 innings. Davis had started to struggled in July, and those struggles persisted into August, posting a 14.63 ERA in three outings before landing on the IL. Since being reactivated this month though, Martin holds a 0.84 ERA in his last pair of starts, tossing for at least five frames both times (10 2/3 total) and letting up just one run, on a solo homer against the Pittsburgh Pirates last week.
Given the left-handed Foster Griffin is making the start for the Guardians, the South Siders are rolling with their right-handed lineup — not their strongest. Chase Meidroth slots into the leadoff spot, essentially swapping places in the lineup with Sam Antonacci, who is batting sixth. Meidroth does hold the highest OPS (.859) among White Sox leadoff hitters, however, and is slashing .273/.359/.500 in 170 PAs.
The lefty-mashing Randal Grichuk will slide into the 2-hole, which is very apt considering his 1.061 OPS in 133 PAs against them, along with nine homers and 21 RBIs. After a bit of a rough week defensively, Colson Montgomery is getting a needed game off, and Luisangel Acuña will take over at shortstop and bat eighth. My one real gripe with tonight’s batting order is that Brenton Doyle is batting fifth in a playoff race, and he should really never bat higher than eighth, if at all, considering how he’s been at the plate.
Chicago White Sox Lineup
Griffin will make his 29th start of the season, posting a 3.65 cumulative ERA across 162 2/3 innings this season. Prior to getting traded to the Guardians, Griffin held a 3.06 ERA in 22 outings with the Washington Nationals. However, he’s not been as strong since being dealt to Cleveland. In his last seven outings with the Guardians, the lefty owns a 5.94 ERA in 33 1/3 innings with a 1.59 WHIP and elevated .299 opponent BA. Griffin is coming off a brutal outing against the Baltimore Orioles in which he yielded eight earned runs, so it would be fabulous if the South Siders could attack early and pile up some runs behind their pitchers.
For the most part, Cleveland’s batting order is similar to Monday’s series opener, though Travis Bazzana will DH today while Angel Genao takes over at second base. Chase DeLauter is also getting a night off after a tough offensive performance yesterday where he grounded into not one, but two identical double plays to bail the White Sox out of some jams. The Good Guys were able to hold off the top of the order quite a bit yesterday, but both Steven Kwan and José Ramírez are known to beat up on the Sox, so it’s still going to be a challenge to keep them from mashing the ball.
Cleveland Guardians Lineup
It looks like it should be a beautiful evening for an AL Central battle, with temperatures in the low-80s and clear skies. We have another earlier game lined up, with first pitch taking place at 5:40 p.m. CT at Progressive Field. Tune into CHSN for the TV broadcast, or listen in on the radio at ESPN Chicago AM 1000. Time to snag a series W.
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The Nats get a chance to play spoiler in a midweek showdown with the Phillies. After a sweep of the Angels, the boys are riding high. However, they will be facing tougher opposition this week. The Nats will need to avoid some of the mistakes and tighten things up if they want another sweep.
For some reason both James Wood and CJ Abrams are out of the lineup today. The Phillies do have a lefty on the mound, but those two have been everyday players all season long. Daylen Lile is also out of the lineup. That means the outfield is Andrew Pinckney, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews. Nasim Nunez is back in the fold as the starting shortstop. Jackson Kent will be on the mound tonight.
We know most of the big names in this Phillies lineup. The top 3 of Schwarber, Turner and Harper is well established. Luis Arraez has been a good fit in the cleanup spot as well. Nationals killer Derek Hill is at the bottom of the order and in center field. Ace Cristopher Sanchez will be on the bump.
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Game Info:
Stadium: Nationals Park
Time: 6:45 PM EST
TV: Nationals.TV
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
Without Abrams or Wood, offense will be tough to come by. However, if we can keep the game close early on, those two and Lile can be threats off the bench. Being a spoiler should be a role we embrace and it starts tonight. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
Discuss the game below
The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have reinstated LHP Kyle Freeland from the 15-day injured list ahead of this evening’s game against the San Diego Padres.
Freeland was originally placed on the IL on August 24 after suffering from cervical radiculopathy (a pinched nerve in his neck). The injury occurred on August 19 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, after Freeland threw just 3.2 innings and allowed four runs on six hits with two homers, a walk and two strikeouts. He will start tonight’s game and should be able to pitch two more games in 2026 — one at home and one on the road.
To make room for Freeland, RHP Blas Castaño has been optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. Castaño was recalled from the Isotopes when the rosters expanded on September 1, and made five appearances in September. Across 6.2 innings, he allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
In addition, the Rockies did some shuffling in the field.
Catcher/DH Braxton Fulford was recalled and infielder Vimael Machín was optioned. Machín was brought up on September 5 and played in three games for the Rockies. In those three games, he went 3-for-6 with two strikeouts.
Fulford returns to the majors after being optioned on August 25. In 13 games with the Isotopes in that span, Fulford has gone 10-for-49 (.204) with two doubles, three home runs, six RBI, two walks and 17 strikeouts. In 43 games with the Rockies this year, Fulford has slashed just .174/.253/.275 with four doubles, one home run, 12 runs scored, seven RBI, seven walks and 31 strikeouts.
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Francisco Lindor – SS
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Jared Young – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
A.J. Ewing – CF
Brett Baty – DH
Francisco Alvarez – C
SP: Sean Manaea (LHP)
Rece Hinds – LF
Pete Alonso – 1B
Coby Mayo – DH
Christian Encarnacion-Strand – 3B
Gunnar Henderson – SS
Jeremiah Jackson – 2B
Yohel Pozo – C
Leody Taveras – RF
Colton Cowser – CF
SP: Shane Baz (RHP)
First pitch: 7:10 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
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The Astros are heading into the stretch run of the AL West race with the infield they already have, not the one they hoped they would. Manager Joe Espada told reporters Tuesday that Carlos Correa will not return this season, closing the door on a comeback that four days earlier had Houston's front office mapping out where to play him.
Espada told reporters that Correa did not have a setback, but the workload to get back into game shape was too much for a season that has less than two weeks left.
Correa tore the peroneus brevis tendon in his left ankle in May, a tendon that helps stabilize the outside of the ankle, and needed surgery. He had played just 32 games, with three home runs, 16 RBI and a .369 on-base percentage. He was told then that his season was over, but he chose not to believe it.
He kept working his way back: running the bases, taking live batting practice and fielding ground balls through the summer. On Sept. 12, a report had the Astros planning to bring him back at second base rather than third, a move that would have pushed Jose Altuve to DH and left Jeremy Pena at shortstop and Isaac Paredes at third.
That plan is dead now.
Houston leads the American League West with a 75-75 record heading into Tuesday night's games, clinging to a division lead more than running away with it. Correa's second half was supposed to help them hold on. Instead, the infield that's gotten them this far is the infield they will go into October with.
Correa is still owed $31.5 million this season on the six-year, $200 million deal he originally signed with the Twins, though Minnesota is covering roughly $10 million of it annually as part of the trade that sent him back to Houston. The man who made the trade to bring back Correa won't be around this October, either.
Owner Jim Crane pushed out Dana Brown on Aug. 24, weeks after Crane reportedly killed a deadline deal Brown wanted for outfielder Trevor Larnach. Crane is running baseball operation himself now, the job split across three assistant GMs and senior advisor Jeff Bagwell.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carlos Correa's 2026 Astros comeback bid ends in Houston injury update
The Braves have managed Ronald Acuña Jr. carefully since his return from a second injured list stint this season due to a left hamstring strain
That plan has included mixing in days for Acuña as designated hitter, a role he will fill for the second time in three days when the Braves continue their three-game series at the Chicago Cubs Tuesday at 7:40 p.m. EDT.
Mauricio Dubón is also back at shortstop and hitting fifth, while Brewer Hicklen makes a somewhat rare start, hitting ninth and playing right field for Game 2 of the series.
Also of note, Ozzie Albies is down to the eighth spot in the batting order against a right-handed starting pitcher for Chicago.
The Cubs waited until nearly 6 p.m. EDT (over two hours after the Braves’ lineup was posted) to release their lineup.
No major surprises in there. Michael Busch drops from third to sixth against a left-handed starter. Tyrone Taylor, acquired from the Mets in the David Peterson trade, is batting cleanup and playing left field. Matt Shaw replaces Michael Conforto as DH in the seven-hole, and Miguele Amaya replaces at the bottom of the lineup and behind the plate.
The active Braves have a combined 100 career at-bats against Cubs starter Kevin Gausman, hitting .240 against him with just three walks and 22 strikeouts. The slugging percentage, though, is a more respectable. 450.
Of Atlanta’s six all-time homers against the right-hander, Matt Olson (6-for-19) has three of them, making this a possible night for him to hit homer No. 40. Austin Riley (4-for-9, one homer), Dubón (3-for-9, one homer) and Mike Yastrzemski (3-for-9, one homer) have all had success against Gausman as well, while Albies (1-for-7), Michael Harris II (2-for-9) and Ha-Seong Kim (0-for-6) have had less.
Of the Cubs’ hitters 77 all-time at-bats against Braves starter Martín Pérez, Alex Bregman has over half of them (42, to be exact). He’s 10-for-42 (.238) against Pérez with just one extra-base hit (a double) and one RBI. However, he does have a 373 on-base percentage behind nearly twice as many walks (nine) as strikeouts (five).
Overall, Chicago’s hitters are 15-for-77 (.195) against Perez. No one has had much success against him, with Taylor (2-for-7) posting the best batting average against him at .286. The current Cubs have never hit a homer off Pérez and have just four RBIs against him.
England captain Harry Brook’s blistering unbeaten century paved the way for a 119-run thrashing of Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 international at Southampton on Tuesday.