Things are looking rough for the Detroit Tigers as the season winds down after dropping three of four to the Cleveland Guardians this past weekend, making it six losses over the last eight games. To make matters worse, all three defeats at Progressive Field came in walk-off fashion as the team continues to struggle in monumental fashion.
The Motor City Kitties return home to host the Minnesota Twins — against whom their seven-game road trip began last week — for a three-game weekday series starting on Monday with Troy Melton taking the mound in the opener. The 25-year-old has been struggling of late after a tremendous three-month stretch, having posted a 4.84 ERA and 5.02 FIP over his last four starts, which resulted in three personal losses and four total for his team.
Melton has faced Minnesota twice this summer — including his most recent outing — having put up a bloated 7.84 ERA and a brutal 10.05 FIP over 10 1/3 innings. His FIP is heavily inflated by the six home runs he surrendered over those two games, and his pair of hit-by-pitches did not help matters much either.
As of Sunday night, the Twins’ starter for Monday’s Labor Day matchup has not been announced.
Detroit Tigers (65-78) vs. Minnesota Twins (68-75)
Time (ET): 3:10 p.m. Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan SB Nation Site:Twinkie Town Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 6: Jhoan Duran #59 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch in the top of the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on September 6, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Braves defeated the Phillies 5-4. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What was with those pitch calls by Garrett Stubbs to Ronald Acuna in the eighth inning? Seven straight fastballs in that situation? Really? That was the scouting report they chose to use? Seems a little sketchy to be doing that one.
Sep 6, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles infielder Pete Alonso (25) is unable to catch a foul ball near the dugout in the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Happy Monday, Camden Chatters. If you’re off work for the long weekend, remember those in the Labor Movement who fought for your right to work reasonable hours, among other things.
As for the Orioles, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say they played themselves into irrelevance over the weekend. Having been mopped by the Red Sox in the four-game series, the Orioles find themselves four games out of the final Wild Card spot with just 18 games remaining. It’s over.
They were simply wretched over the weekend. After blowing a winnable game on Thursday, the team went into hibernation for the rest of the series. They were shut out Friday and Saturday, then eked out a single run yesterday in a 3-1 loss. You can get the full details of yesterday’s loss in John Beers’s recap.
One thing that stood out to me over the weekend was the bizarre decision-making process by Craig Albernaz and/or Mike Elias. Firstly, Samuel Basallo. The Orioles signed Basallo to a big contract extension, essentially naming him the catcher of the future. They traded away Adley Rutschman, presumably in part because they already had Basallo. And yet, Basallo started just one game this series because the Red Sox used three lefty starting pitchers.
Is Basallo a platoon bat? The Orioles seem to be telling us he is. Why would they give a platoon bat the contract they gave him? And even if you prefer to use Basallo as a platoon bat, it really only works if you have another bat who can fill in nearly as well. But they do not have that. They have Carlos Narváez, who as an Oriole his batting .083/.191/.100. Are you saying Basallo can’t do that?
Back in June, there was some hubbub around Basallo’s inability or unwillingness to play while injured. Albernaz did not look good when that happened. I’m not saying Albernaz doesn’t like Basallo; I know nothing about their relationship. But I know what it looks like to an outsider, and it looks like Albernaz doesn’t think Basallo is good enough to be an everyday catcher. And it looks like Albernaz makes decisions that harm the team.
I am not a doom-and-gloom guy when it comes to baseball managers. In fact, I tend to think they matter less than some people think. Historically, if a manager makes a move I don’t understand, especially with the lineup, I assume they have more information than me. But I have a hard time feeling that way about Albernaz. It seems obvious that he is in over his head not only with his managing choices, but also with his interactions with the press. It’s a bad scene.
The Orioles begin a three-game home series tonight with the Guardians. Last week, this series seemed huge. This week, not so much. The Orioles could sweep the series and would still be a game out of the final Wild Card spot. And I’m sure the Blue Jays and the Rangers would be happy to see the Orioles take down Cleveland. Those two teams are at the front of the pack to nab that final playoff spot.
Now that the season is basically over, I want to see some changes. Well, I wanted to see some changes earlier, but it’s clear the Orioles have no regard for what I want. No offense to Reece Hinds, but get Enrique Bradfield Jr. up here. And for heaven’s sake, get Basallo in the lineup almost every day.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have five Orioles birthday buddies, although I’ll be honest and say that I have only heard of one of them. David Nehwan is 53 years old today. Newhan had an eight-season Major League career that included three years with the Orioles. From 2004-06, the utility player appeared in 230 games for Baltimore. The best year of his career came in 2004, when he hit .311/.361/.453 in 95 games.
Also born on this day in history are former Orioles Willie Morales (54), Wade Rowdon (66), Orlando Sánchez (70), and Tommy Matchick (b. 1943, d. 2022).
On this day in 1996, the Orioles shut out the Tigers 6-0. Mike Mussina pitched a complete game with six hit, one walk, and 11 strikeouts. Bobby Bonilla hit his 25th home run. It was the team’s first shutout of the season in game 141.
In 2012, the Cubs claimed pitcher Jason Berken off waivers from the Orioles, ending his three-plus seasons run with the team. Without meaning any disrespect, Berken remains the worst Oriole to ever get a t-shirt day.
In 2018, the Orioles lost their 100th game of the year, giving them an unbelievable record of 41-100. They lost 14-2 to the Rays as Dylan Bundy gave up six runs in four innings before being pulled in favor of some of the worst relief pitchers you’ve ever seen.
And one year ago today, the Orioles lost to the Dodgers 5-2. Starter Tomoyuki Sugano allowed four runs in three innings. The Orioles’ runs scored on back-to-back doubles from Emmanuel Rivera and Alex Jackson.
Happy birthday to Mark Prior, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1998 – Mariners’ OF Ken Griffey, Jr. has four hits, including two homers, and reaches the 50-home run level. He’s the third player to do so in successive seasons. Seattle defeats the Orioles, 11 – 1, as Griffey knocks in six runs, and other stories as well.
1925 – In an A.M.-P.M. doubleheader, the Senators win the morning contest with the A’s, as Walter Johnson tops Lefty Grove, 2-1, and goes 3 for 4, the second consecutive game he’s collected three hits.
1998 – Houston’sRandy Johnson strikes out 14 Reds in a 1-0 win. It is the 17th time this season he’s struck out ten or more and the 100th time in his career.
1911 – The Cubs’Frank Schulte hits his 21st home run and brings in RBI No. 121 as the Cubs sweep the Reds, 3-0 and 4-2. He will lead the National League in both home runs and RBI. He is the first player to have more than 20 doubles, triples, and home runs in one season.
1935 – Bill Lee shuts out the Phils, 4-0, for his 16th win of the season, as the Cubs move into second place ahead of the Giants. Augie Galan continues his hitting for the Cubs, driving in two runs.
1876 – Frank James and his gang are involved in a disastrous raid in Northfield, Minnesota, resulting in the death or capture of multiple gang members (Cole, Bob, and Jim Younger are arrested).
1892 – James Corbett knocks out 4 to 1 favorite and defending champion John L. Sullivan in 21 rounds at the Olympic Club, New Orleans, for the world heavyweight boxing title; Sullivan’s only defeat and his last fight.
1968 – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham make their live debut as Led Zeppelin (billed as The New Yardbirds) before about 1,200 students at Egegård School’s Teen Club in Gladsaxe, Denmark.
1979 – Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) launches; the first show is SportsCenter.
1988 – Elektra Records releases “…And Justice for All,” the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica.
1996 – Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot multiple times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas and dies 6 days later.
2018 – Rappers Cardi B and Nicki Minaj come to physical blows at a New York fashion event.
2025 – Pope Leo XIV canonizes English-Italian teenager Carlo Acutis after his death at 15 years old, making Acutis the first millennial saint.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 22: Fireworks are seen after Game 2 of the 2016 World Baseball Classic Qualifier at MCU Park on Thursday, September 22, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB via Getty Images) | MLB via Getty Images
Rochester scored a pair of runs in the first and another run in the eighth to give them three runs. Syracuse scored a run in the fourth and then a pair in the eighth to give them three runs as well. In the top of the ninth, with the score tied at 3-3, Chase McDermott had a gritty outing, getting his first two batters out before finally recording the inning’s third out after working around a catcher’s interference runner and a walk. In the bottom of the inning, MJ Melendez got on base representing the winning run and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Jose Ramos walked, Big Billy Amick came up to the plate, and what would you expect your team’s big bopper to do? Lay down a sacrifice bunt? Exactly. The move caused so much confusion that pitcher Eddy Yean threw wide to first, missing first baseman Liover Peguero’s glove and allowing Melendez to scamper home for the win. With the victory, Syracuse finds themselves 2.5 games behind the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and the Red Wings, who are now tied for first place in the International League. The Indianapolis Indians are 1.5 games back, while the Worcester Red Sox and St. Paul Twins are 2.0 back. The Mets will be playing those same Twins this upcoming week.
New Hampshire took the initial lead in this one, but Binghamton tied things up and then took the lead themselves in the bottom of the fourth on a two-RBI single off the bat of Jacob Reimer. Both teams settled down for a bit, but in the seventh, Binghamton exploded for four runs, powered by a Marco Vargas RBI single and a three-run Jefferson Rojas shot. Up 6-1 going into the ninth, Carlos Guzman had an epic meltdown, allowing six consecutive batters to reach base and three runs to score. His replacement, Gabriel Rodriguez, got the next two outs with the bases juiced before allowing a bases-clearing double that gave the Fisher Cats a 7-6 lead. The Rumble Ponies did not go down meekly, getting the tying run to third and putting the winning run on with only one out, but Jacob Reimer grounded into an extremely inopportune double play and that was that. With the loss, combined with Reading’s win over Hartford, Binghamton fell to 3.5 games back. The Fightin’ Phils will be taking on the Erie SeaWolves this upcoming week, while Binghamton will have an easier time, taking on the Portland Sea Dogs.
Calvin Ziegler opened the game, and while the right-hander has been better of late, he has had multiple games this season where he allowed multiple runs in an inning or less of work. In the 2026 Brooklyn Cyclones season finale, Ziegler was money, throwing a perfect inning of work, striking out one. That was the high-water mark of this contest, as the Cyclones completely imploded in the second. Luis Rodriguez, recorded only a single out- a sac bunt, none the less- and his replacement, Rafi Vazquez, gave up four hits, allowing four more runs to score, three of which were charged to Rodriquez and one himself. Improbably, the Cyclones offense fought back and made this a competitive ballgame, scoring two runs in the third and two in the fourth and one in the fifth to make it a 6-5 contest, but they were unable to get over that hump. With the loss, Brooklyn ends their second half below .500 and ended up with a losing record in both halves for the first time since the South Atlantic League moved to a split-season format in 2022.
This game technically began on Saturday, as Saturday’s game between the St. Lucie Mets and Jupiter Hammerheads was suspended in the first inning due to inclement weather with the score tied 1-1 thanks to a Jake Ogden homer for the Mets and a Luis Arana steal of home plate for the Hammerheads. Rather than play a doubleheader between two sub-.500 teams, a full nine-inning game was played and the second contest completely cancelled. As soon as the game resumed, Ryan Tayman hit a homer to give the Mets the lead, but it wouldn’t last long as Irving Cota gave the run right back in the top of the second. St. Lucie scratched out a run to take the lead back, and then scored another, and then another. Going into the top of the ninth, St. Lucie had a comfortable 6-2 lead, but the bullpen had other ideas. The Hammerheads plated five in the inning to take the lead. Down to their last out, the Mets fought back, with Tayman and Yovanny Rodriguez drawing back-to-back walks. Pinch runner Vladi Gomez stole third, and then was driven home by a Kuhio Aloy single to tie things up at seven apiece and into extra innings things went. Both teams scored in the tenth, neither scored in the eleventh, and in the twelfth, things looked grim when the Hammerheads scored two, but Dylan Carey ended the game in storybook fashion, blasting a two-run homer to win it for the Mets and end the 2026 season, one that was largely a bad one for St. Lucie, on a positive note.
First time former captain involved since 2014 sacking
Joins McCullum’s backroom staff for the next year
Kevin Pietersen has been appointed as a “specialist mentor” to England’s white-ball teams during the run-up to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in late 2027.
Announced on Monday morning, the move marks the first time Pietersen will have worked with the senior England side since he was controversially sacked as a player in the wake of the 2013/14 Ashes whitewash in Australia.
The dog days are never really over, regardless of what the song says. Yet, as Major League Baseball’s season staggers into the final three weeks, at least this battle of attrition will soon integrate magic numbers, tragic numbers and do-or-die games into the mix.
Alas, this week’s slate of crucial matchups is light on teams fighting for the same prize. Still, once again, more series than not are relevant.
Five of them stand out from the pack, for various reasons. With that, here’s five crucial series to keep an eye on this week:
Key matchup: Wednesday – Cubs RH Kevin Gausman vs. Brewers RH Logan Henderson
Outlook: These guys again, huh? Well, this really, truly is the final series between the two, and the Cubs need a sweep to win the season series. Milwaukee managed a split at Wrigley Field last week, its Central lead still a healthy seven games. Yet, with the playoff field still aligned to match these two up in the NLDS for a second consecutive year, it’s worth a peek to see which arms look most viable as late September approaches. Gausman beat Henderson in a 2-1 duel last week and struck out nine. How will Brewers hitters adjust to his splitter, which accounted for most of his punchouts last week?
Key matchup: Wednesday – Astros RH Hunter Brown vs. Phillies LH Cristopher Sánchez
Outlook: This is just a stopover for the Phillies in their crucial stretch of seven games against Atlanta, the final three coming next weekend at Truist Field. This rematch of the 2022 World Series has fairly wide-ranging ramifications for a September interleague clash, with the 73-71 Astros aiming to fend off the Texas Rangers in the AL West. The Brown- Sánchez clash is great eye candy, but the Phillies also hope rookie Andrew Painter can build on a three-start showing in which he’s given up just four earned runs in 20 innings (1.80 ERA). Philly fans might remember Yordan Alvarez for his mammoth home run in Game 6 of the 2022 Series. Now, he's bidding for the AL Triple Crown, leading in average and RBIs and tied with Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero for the home run lead.
Key matchup: Thursday – Braves LH Chris Sale vs. Rays RH Nick Martinez
Outlook: An I-75 World Series, anybody? OK, so that won’t sell too many travel packages, unless you’ve got grandparents to visit in The Villages on the way. Still, this is a ball aficionado’s kind of matchup, spiced up by Ronald Acuña Jr. getting his swagger back. We’re not sure when Sale will throw this series, but the Braves’ practice of giving him an extra day or two of rest figures to push him against Martinez, whose 3.04 ERA ranks sixth in the AL, just behind teammate Drew Rasmussen. While we’re on that subject, Martinez and Rasmussen are a combined 28-9. Wins? Yep, wins. Once again, a ball aficionado’s series.
Key matchup: Sunday – Orioles LH Trevor Rogers vs. Blue Jays RH Dylan Cease
Outlook: We’re pretty much done including the Orioles in these little exercises, given the four Ls they just took at home courtesy of the Red Sox. Yet, Baltimore still has six games left with Toronto and three earlier this week against Cleveland and those guys are 1-2 for the final wild card, so yeah, you never know. The Blue Jays briefly ducked over .500 – 72-71! – for the first time since they were, uh, 4-3 back in April. Naturally, the Royals dropped them back to even. The Blue Jays are 17-9 when Cease starts. Baltimore remains winless in September.
Key matchup: Friday – Rangers RH Jacob deGrom vs. Diamondbacks RH Brandon Pfaadt
Outlook: Guess this is the week for fairly recent and mildly forgettable World Series rematches involving teams from Texas, eh? Since July 31, the Rangers have spent all but two days within one-half to three games of the first-place Astros. Be nice to take matters into their own hands, eh? Sorry! The season series is done. And the remainder of the season is just like this series – all pretty good, but not great, but also not terrible teams like the Mariners, Twins, Blue Jays and Mets. Arizona, at least, will get one more crack at its wild card rivals, the Padres. Of course, that must wait until the final series of the season. So let’s party like it’s 2023 this weekend.
BALTIMORE – After a nearly flawless long weekend of baseball at Camden Yards, the Boston Red Sox flew out of Baltimore and back home Sunday, Sept. 6, their spot in the MLB playoffs virtually assured, their World Series hopes very real.
And as their interim manager buckled into his seat, he felt far more secure than the first time he flew into Charm City this year.
More than four months ago, Chad Tracy’s professional odyssey took a shocking turn when, in the fourth inning of the 28th game of his fifth year managing Class AAA Worcester (Massachusetts), he was summoned by club president Craig Breslow.
The message: You’re going to be the new manager of the Boston Red Sox.
The circumstances: Suboptimal. The Red Sox were 17-27 when Breslow opted to eject Alex Cora, their World Series-winning manager, from the manager’s chair eight years into his tenure during a series at Camden Yards.
In his place: A minor-league lifer whose stomach turned on that April 25 flight from Worcester to Baltimore, his to-do list – Calm the youngsters, reassure the veterans, salvage the season – longer than a CVS receipt.
Tracy admits those early hours in Baltimore amounted to a “fire drill.” And the many players he’d sent from Worcester to Boston along with skeptical veterans who knew him only from spring training and brief rehab assignments were watching closely.
And quietly blown away.
“He did a great job,” says lefty starter Payton Tolle, “of being transparent, being honest. Of saying, ‘Hey, I’m going through this with you guys. This sucks, but we’re going to find our way around it and through it together.’
“He’s done a great job of reminding guys of that. He makes sure you know he’s in the foxhole with us. To me, he was the same guy he was in Worcester. His calming presence.
“I’m sure there was a little bit of nerves – there’s got to be nerves going through that – but you wouldn’t have noticed.”
Not that Tracy was an immediate salve. The Red sox went 19-26 in their first 45 games with him, seemingly cementing their spot in the American League East cellar. Yet, what happened since justified Breslow’s bold venture and Tracy’s young charges’ belief in him.
A 15-game winning streak highlighted a 21-4 July. The club is 47-19 since June 25 – a scorching .712 winning percentage. And now they’re 69-48 under Tracy.
Sunday, they completed a four-game sweep of the Orioles with a 3-1 victory, capping a series of deftly-managed, well-pitched games. They have a six-game lead for the No. 2 wild card spot in the American League with 18 games to play.
They are almost certain to square off against the rival Yankees in the wild-card round, most likely in New York. And guiding them will be a manager who might find the playoffs in the Bronx a smoother ride than the trial-by-fire that made him a big league skipper.
“Everything’s slowed down,” Tracy tells USA TODAY Sports, reflecting on his 105-day journey since getting tapped to run the Red Sox. “Getting up to speed with an entirely new coaching staff. Up to speed preparing for a big league game instead of a minor league game. Getting to know the guys and watching games and getting comfortable with having visual cues for when a guy starts to fatigue.
“So many things that, when you now fast-forward four and a half months, you feel like you have a good handle on all of them.”
The one thing Tracy does not have? The interim tag removed from his job title. Playoff baseball has a way of overturning narratives well-crafted from April to September.
Yet ,“interim” can adorn many managers like a scarlet letter. Tracy, 41, is not one of them.
“A wild situation to get thrown into,” says veteran All-Star closer Garrett Whitlock. “But he doesn’t ride the rollercoaster. Smooth and steady. The spring trainings I’ve had with him, he’s someone you want to talk to, someone you want to be around just because of how good a guy he is.
“I’d never been on his roster, but I still had a great relationship with him going into this. Just because of how easy a person he is to get along with.”
Which is perhaps the biggest prerequisite to survive in Boston.
A 'bittersweet moment'
Mickey Gasper was on the field for the WooSox on April 25 when he glanced into the dugout during the fifth inning. Something was missing.
“I was playing first base and I was just like, ‘Why isn’t Tracy in the dugout?’” remembers Gasper. “And I noticed Collin Hetzler, our hitting coach, he’s not here, either.
“And then after the game, they had a meeting with us.”
Breslow had called. Tracy and Hetzler were bound for Baltimore, where Breslow had fired Cora and five members of the coaching staff. Tracy was getting the promotion of a lifetime, one his charges in Worcester dreamed about for themselves.
“It was a bittersweet moment being there. We loved having Trace there,” says Gasper. “I certainly did; he’s one of the best managers I’ve ever played for. Always there for us, always ready to work.
“Always wanting to get us better, wanting us to succeed.”
Yet, several reunions were soon in the offing.
In Boston, Tracy was surrounded by several former Worcester pupils, most notably outfielders Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu and pitchers like Tolle. By summer, three members of the Worcester lineup on that fateful April afternoon would rejoin Tracy in Boston.
None made quite a splash as Gasper, 30, who’s hit eight homers in 17 games since an Aug. 17 recall and had a 1.671 OPS in August. Gasper is in his ninth season of pro ball and, entering this season, had just 58 major league games under his belt.
When he bade Tracy farewell when the manager left Worcester in April, it resonated.
“I thought he’d earned it, you know?” says Gasper, a 27th-round pick of the Yankees in 2018. “That’s a guy that’s paid his dues in the game of baseball, played the game, managed the game for quite some time, been in the game his whole life.
“A guy that paid his dues and earned his way to his spot. I was ecstatic for him getting this opportunity.”
Yet much of the heavy lifting was ahead.
Veteran outreach
Oh, Tracy wasn’t exactly a major league newbie: His dad, Jim, spent 11 years managing the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies. Yet, Chad’s playing career hit a ceiling at Class AAA, getting that far with the Texas Rangers, Rockies and Kansas City Royals.
He’d bring pedigree but not playing bona fides to Boston’s clubhouse. Which he knew might be a challenge in a room largely bifurcated between the kids and a group of veterans led by shortstop Trevor Story.
The veteran crew was buttressed by off-season acquisitions of first baseman Willson Contreras and ace Sonny Gray from St. Louis, but the group was misfiring when Tracy joined them.
“It was important to get to know Willson," says Tracy of Contreras, who's having an All-Star season but currently on the injured list. “It was important to get to know Sonny. I knew Trevor, had managed him on rehab assignments, but it was important understanding what those guys are all about.
“They’re what helps your locker room go. That was important.”
Gray, now 17-4 with a 2.69 ERA, says he appreciates that Tracy does not overmanage. Eventually, the Red Sox found themselves, and their scorching July and August have set the stage for bigger things.
“I think it says that we have good players and it just took us a little while to gel and find our rhythm,” says Gray. “But I think if you find it, hopefully you can maintain it.”
A feel for the room
Or at least regain it. Their sweep at Baltimore came after losing four of five against the Seattle Mariners and the Yankees. The weekend came with a bonus: Tracy summoned Worcester hitting coach and Red Sox legend Rich Gedman to Baltimore for the weekend.
Gedman, the catcher for their 1986 AL pennant-winning team who’s been in the organization since 1979, coached almost all the current Red Sox hitters in Worcester and remains beloved. When the team convened a hitter’s meeting during their final game against Seattle at Fenway Park, Gedman walked into the room.
His former pupils roared in delight, and responded even louder when Tracy said, “And he’s coming with us to Baltimore.”
It was a symbolic nod to a longtime friend of the franchise. Perhaps more significantly, it was a sign the man running the dugout knows his players and recognizes that respect is earned in the game’s endless meritocracy.
“You want to recognize people,” says Tracy, “who mean what he means to the organization.”
Soon, Tracy may find out just what he means to the Red Sox.
BOSTON, MA - MAY 2: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics dribbles the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One Game Seven of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 2, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Payton Pritchard has come a long way in his career, and has earned the right to be a starter in the NBA. He is almost certainly one of Boston’s top-5 players coming into the 2026-27 season. Is there a chance that the former sixth-man of the year is best utilized off the bench, though?
Nate and Nirav debate:
Nate says starter
I feel very comfortable saying that starting Payton Pritchard is the right option. The numbers and fit make it an easy call to make.
He’s taken a leap in each of the last three seasons, and is now one of most balanced scoring guards in the NBA. That’s not an exaggeration, there’s almost no level of the floor where he’s not highly efficient. Among guards, Pritchard ranked in the 84th percentile at the rim, the 97th percentile in the short mid-range, and the 91st percentile at the line. With the 5th most 3PA per game at his position, he knocked down a solid 37.7% from distance.
This kind of shot profile is underutilized coming off the bench. The production is great, but the value is heightened when it’s built into the Celtics’ best lineup from the opening tip. With Pritchard as a starter, you’re focusing on getting off to a strong start, instead of needing a lift or change of pace from the bench.
An understandable question to address is that if Pritchard was so effective off the bench, why not allow that to continue. The answer for me is about fit and lineup optimization.
As the team’s two most effective creators, Pritchard and Brown had some play style overlaps that benefited from both of them having an opportunity to lead their respective units. Pritchard’s output skyrocketed in every single category with Brown on the bench, and his role was muted when they shared the floor.
The net rating further supported the need to give them room to create. With both players on the floor, they had a respectable +6.6 net rating. With Brown and no Pritchard, it rose modestly to +7.0. With Pritchard and no Brown, it nearly doubled to +13.7.
The historical data paints the same picture, as the numbers hold very true across their last five seasons together.
The team benefited from the strategy of using them as separate forces. With Brown out of the picture, and Tatum in the mix to start the year, that idea is no longer necessary. In fact, it’s far more beneficial to maximize Pritchard and Tatum’s playing time together.
Take that same five year sample. While Payton and Jaylen always remained positive together, they fared even better apart. For Pritchard and Tatum, their relationship is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Across 2,884 minutes, they have an elite +13.1 net rating together. Though still solid, it dips noticeably when they play without each other.
This is a pairing that unlocks the best parts of their games. For Tatum, it’s a ridiculous advantage to have a guard with a lightning fast trigger that spots up and spaces the floor from 30+ feet. It makes double teams and help defense significantly harder with Payton one pass away. Both of them can also work as the screener in actions, which lets Boston flip who’s creating and who’s spacing, and forces defenses into tough decisions.
You also can’t leave him open for a second so help defense is unpleasant and miscommunications are a death sentence pic.twitter.com/3eICIqQVdB
For Pritchard it does mean a downtick in responsibility, but with much easier looks as a trade off.
To make up for that, you can scale up Pritchard’s role and maintain his influence on bench scoring by staggering him effectively. He can either start the game with a longer stint and lead the first bench unit, or he can sit early and then come back eventually when it’s Tatum’s turn for rest.
They also have a new resource in Paul George. With George, Pritchard, White, and Tatum you can easily stagger any of them to lead a bench unit. You’re not left needing one bench spark plug to make the difference.
For as synergistic as his fit with Tatum is, the same has been equally true alongside both White and Queta. The three of them had a +15.2 net rating in 853 minutes last season. Ensuring that those three and Tatum have as much time together as possible is a recipe for success. With his combination of spacing and creation, I have no doubts George can slide right in with that group as well.
Starting Pritchard is how the Celtics put the best group together, and take advantage of their strongest partnerships. For me, this one is a no-brainer.
Nirav says sixth-man
Every so often, we come across players like Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford who have all the skills they need to be great, but for some reason, they just excel in that sixth man role. Pritchard may just fall into that category as well.
Payton has primarily come off the bench in his career, with the exception of the last season in which he started for 50 of his 79 games played. He had an outstanding year with the increased opportunity, but he did struggle with his shot early on.
It wasn’t long after the mid-way point of the season where Joe Mazzulla decided to put Pritchard back into the sixth-man role, and Payton immediately saw a huge explosion in his production, scoring at least 24 points in six out of the next seven games.
From that point, Pritchard only started in two more games for the rest of the season, one of which both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White were inactive. Now, even with that offensive explosion, Payton’s season averages coming off of the bench don’t appear to be clearly better than his numbers as a starter – that is, with the important exception of his efficiency.
Pritchard saw a small decrease in his minutes and attempts, in part due to the return of Jayson Tatum just 13 games after PP went back to the bench. Despite that, he saw his field goal percentage rise from 45.6% to 47.7%, his three-point percentage from 34.8% to 42.9%, and his free-throw percentage from 86.7% to 94.7%. This came in a year where if Payton’s season averages as a starter were to hold, it would have been his lowest FG% since the 22-23 season, and the lowest 3P% of his career.
Another thing to consider with sending Payton to the bench, someone else has to step into the starting role. Currently, it’s safe to assume that Derrick, Jayson, and one of Neemias Queta or Mitchell Robinson are locked in. Paul George will likely get the nod as well, though I wouldn’t rule out a bench role for him just yet. If George does end up starting, Sam Hauser would be the perfect fit to round out the lineup.
White and Tatum are the offensive engines that primarily handle the ball and create shots. Even PG has the ability to do both, though at this stage he may be utilized as more of a spot up shooter. Having another creator would be a luxury, but having another catch-and-shoot threat like Hauser makes the lineup more complete.
They would be deadly from every spot on the floor. Even without Queta/Robinson being outside threats, defenses would have a tough time finding a weak link, especially with the screen-setting ability of the bigs. Having PG and Hauser to kick it out to would make them think twice about doubling. Tatum and White’s ability to read the floor while attacking would help dissect the opposing teams, spotting and taking advantage of any mismatch which presents itself.
Not only that, but with ball-security and maximizing possessions being such a focal point of Mazzulla Ball, having Payton use his playmaking skills to maintain order with the second unit gives the team a level of depth and continuity that will be hard for opposing teams to rival. Out of all players who had at least 100 assists last season, Pritchard ranked 10th highest in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.74. That may just be the most underrated tool he could bring to the bench.
Payton has been a sort of spark plug for the Celtics over the past several years. He’s proven that he can come in hot at any moment. By bringing him off the bench, Boston can maximize their potential through the entirety of the game while still packing a punch with their starting lineup. After all, it’s not about how you start a game – it’s about how you finish it.
So, CelticsBlog readers, what do you say? Should Pritchard start or come off the bench next season?
Sep 5, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones (78) makes a catch during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If the Yankees fall just short in their quest to rally in the AL East, they may just look back at this series in San Diego as where they missed their opportunity. They had the lead in extras on Friday, having managed to damage Mason Miller, but lost in devastating fashion. They rebounded strongly on Saturday, and had a chance to win the series with Gerrit Cole on the mound, but lost by one run, Cole giving up four solo home runs. Fortunately, the Rays lost to the Rangers to keep the division deficit at five, but two one-run losses this weekend could prove extremely costly.
The Bombers travel back to New York today, where maybe, just maybe, they’ll welcome Aaron Judge back to the lineup. It’ll be a quiet day on the site today, and in the morning, Kevin will recap Sunday’s AL action, while John puts out this week’s SB Nation Reacts poll. Later, Madison puts out the call for this week’s mailbag, and Nick highlights the great Suzyn Waldman on the occasion of her 81st birthday.
Today’s Matchup:
Offday
Questions/Prompts:
1. The Yankees host the Rays for a four-game set in the Bronx in the final week of the season and the second-to-last series of the year. How many games would they have to be behind the Rays for you to feel like they still have a shot at the division? How many games back would they have to be for you to feel confident about their chances?
2. Which teams do you think will secure first-round byes in the National League?
Last season, the Pittsburgh Penguins finished third overall in the NHL with 293 goals for as a team, trailing second place Carolina Hurricanes by just three and first place Colorado Avalanche by nine. While the Avalanche had Nathan MacKinnon posting a league leading 53 goals along with Martin Necas and Brock Nelson topping the 30 goal mark, the Penguins relied on a much more balanced attack to rack up their total.
Anthony Mantha may have been one-and-done with the Penguins, but his lone season in Pittsburgh was a memorable one, leading the team with 33 goals, making him the only Penguins player to reach the mark during the 2025-26 season.
Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust both potted 29 goals respectively last season, but together they missed a combined 24 games, meaning they were both on pace for over 30 goals but injuries kept them just short and gave Mantha a clear path to be the team leader.
Now the 2026-27 is on the horizon and the Penguins will be hoping to repeat that scoring prowess that helped them back to the playoffs last go around, but to do so, they will need to find a way to replace those departed goals from Mantha, along with needing other players still on the roster to repeat or exceed what they did last season.
Here now are a few of the names who could sit atop the Penguins goal scoring race when the 2026-27 season comes to a close.
Sidney Crosby
As mentioned above, Crosby fell just shy of the 30 goal mark in 2025-26, netting 29 while missing 14 games. If Crosby even misses just a fraction of those games instead of all 14, he likely eclipses 30 goals and possibly even finishes above Mantha’s mark of 33 to lead the team.
Although Crosby is now 39 years old and entering his 22nd NHL season, he will be one of the clear favorites to lead the Penguins in goals this season. In his NHL career thus far, Crosby has only failed to reach 30 goals seven times, with three of those seasons either being lock out shortened or COVID shortened.
If Crosby stays healthy in 2026-27 and keeps scoring at his normal pace, it’s not hard to envision him being back above 30 goals again and leading the charge for the Penguins offense as he has done basically his entire career to this point.
Bryan Rust
After coming agonizingly close to hitting the 30 goal mark several times, Rust finally broke that barrier in 2024-25, hitting 31 goals for the first 30 goals season of his career. Rust nearly repeated the feat last season, but fell just short at 29 goals, while like Crosby, missing a double digit amount of games that suppressed his overall total.
Now Rust is back for his 13th NHL season looking to get back to that magic 30 goal mark. He’ll be featuring on the top line alongside Crosby as he has been doing for years now, so the scoring opportunities will be there for Rust and it will be up to him to capitalize on those chances.
Health has always been a bit of an issue for Rust, he’s played 75+ games just once in his career, but when he’s on the ice, he’s been as reliable of a goal scorer of just about anyone else on the roster. History says he’ll be hanging around that Penguins goal scorer lead again this season.
Egor Chinakhov
In 41 games with the Penguins in 2025-26, Chinakhov posted 18 goals, good for sixth most on the season. That pace equaled out to roughly 0.44 goals/game, or 36 over an entire 82 game slate. That puts Chinakhov above Mantha for the overall scoring lead if he plays in Pittsburgh and scores at that pace all season.
After the Penguins acquired Chinakhov just before the new year, he burst onto the season and became one of the team’s most prolific goal scorers in the second half of the season. His shot it out of this world and his chemistry with fellow Russia Evgeni Malkin was instantaneous.
The goal scoring dried up for Chinakhov in the playoffs, but the process was still good he was just snake bitten at the absolute worst time. If he produces at the rate we saw with the Penguins again this season, he may be the early favorite to lead the entire team in goals this time around.
Rickard Rakell
Although Rakell’s reputation is of a goal scorer, he’s only topped the 30 goal mark three times in his career, once with the Penguins in 2024-25 when he set a new career high with 35 goals to lead the team. He regressed back to just 24 goals this past season, coming in fourth on the Penguins, but like Crosby and Rust, missed a significant chunk of time which undoubtedly suppressed his total.
There were plenty of trade rumors surrounding Rakell again this summer, but as of now, he’s still on the roster, and as long as he remains a Penguins player, he will be in the running for top goal scorer playing alongside Crosby and Rust on the top line.
It’s hard to believe that Rakell will be embarking on his fifth season with the Penguins in 2026-27 and he’s played some of his best hockey in Pittsburgh. Health will be a concern again, but he’s been a productive player for the Penguins and a full season should produce team leading results like they have in the past.
Ben Kindel
With 17 goals in his rookie season, Kindel posted once of the best goal scoring seasons for an 18 year old in NHL history. What he does for an encore remains to be seen, but he is coming into 2026-27 with a full year of professional experience under his belt, plus a full summer of training to prepare for his second go around.
While it remains to be seen exactly where Kindel settles into the lineup this season, he’ll certinaly be looking to build and improve on his rookie numbers. It may be too big of an ask for him to jump for 17 goals all the way into the 30 goal range, but he’s shown us he does have the ability to get the puck in the net.
Evgeni Malkin
Malkin was the fifth leading goal scorer for the Penguins last season, but he failed to reach the 20 goal mark for the second straight season and has not reached the 30 goal mark since all the way back in 2017-18 when he posted 42 goals. It’s clear as he enters his 21st NHL season that his prime goal scoring days are well behind him, but you cannot just pass over a player like Malkin without a mention.
Andrei Kuzmenko
Could Kuzmenko be the 2026-27 version of Mantha for the Penguins? He scored a whopping 39 goals back in 2022-23, but the goal scoring has mostly dried up since then as he has bounced around to different teams across the past few season. If he does find away to rediscover his scoring touch and turn in a Mantha-esque season, then what a find by Kyle Dubas for a second straight offseason.
Perhaps the final playoff spot in the American League won't come from some sub-.500 team backing into it. Perhaps someone will seize the moment just like the Cleveland Guardians did – three times, in fact – this weekend.
The Guardians capped a roller-coaster week in startling fashion, winning three of four games from the Detroit Tigers – all their wins coming in walk-off fashion. All coming when they didn't lead for a single second all game – save for the decisive hit and the Gatorade baths and sunflower-seed showers. Daniel Scheeneman capped the trio of unlikely wins with a 10th-inning RBI single Sunday, Sept. 6, a dagger of a weekend for the Tigers but a potentially transformative one for the Guardians.
"We're in the hunt. The weather's starting to turn. It's starting to feel like fall is coming. It’s starting to feel like we're chasing playoff baseball," closer Cade Smith told reporters Sunday after striking out five in two innings, helping the Guardians regain sole possession of the third wild card spot. They remain 2½ games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. And they maintained the No. 12 spot in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings.
Mercedes principal likens 20-year-old to F1 greats
‘No stopping him when a driver and car are one’
Toto Wolff has compared Kimi Antonelli to the greats of Formula One after the Mercedes driver’s remarkable victory at the Italian Grand Prix where he came back to take the flag from 19th place on the grid.
The Mercedes team principal cited the win as similar to some of the best made by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and said that Antonelli would likely remember the race as one of the greatest of his career.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 30: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees looks on during batting practice prior to the start of the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on May 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Yankees captain Aaron Judge will take a huge step towards a return to play on Monday, as he is scheduled to face live pitching for the first time since suffering his stress fracture. There’s still no word on who will be throwing to Judge, though. To this point, he has faced the Trajekt machine and also took on-field batting practice on Friday. The plan is for the three-time AL MVP to return after a couple of live BP sessions, so we might see him back in the lineup this week.
CBS Sports: After hurting his right hamstring on Friday, the Yankees announced on Saturday that outfielder Trent Grisham had been placed on the injured list. Sunday brought even worse news, as the team deemed the ailment a ‘moderate’ Grade 2 strain, which makes it highly unlikely that the player will return before the end of the regular season. The 29-year-old had already spent some time on the IL in June with the same ailment, so it’s definitely a worrisome development.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips David Bednar’s splitter is, to put it lightly, a nasty pitch. It has held hitters to a .156 wOBA and has a 36.9 percent whiff rate. As it turns out, he learned the pitch early in his career from Japanese pitching legend Hideo Nomo, who was working with the San Diego Padres, Bednar’s team in 2017, as an instructor.
“I don’t want to say it clicked right away, but it was something I had good feel for and good confidence for early on,” said Bednar. “Obviously, that pitch helped me get to the big leagues, and it’s also helped me stay.”
The current Yankees closer said he wasn’t too familiar with Nomo’s career back then, but after watching some videos, he became enamored with the pitch and wanted to throw it. “After I learned [the splitter] from him, I went and watched the highlights, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I want that one!’” Bednar recalled.
Fulham need a win, Tottenham show some spirit and Jack Grealish offers Everton much-needed energy
With 25 minutes to go against Manchester United, the Everton supporters had something to roar about as Jack Grealish made his return after rejoining on loan. The attacking midfielder remains universally popular thanks to his desire to entertain, getting the hosts back on their feet by creating dangerous situations within seconds of his arrival. Everton were limited in the final third for long periods as Thierno Barry sat on the periphery. If David Moyes is to keep his side pushing for a top-half finish, he will need Grealish to be a creative focal point. Will Unwin
