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For the second consecutive night, the Orioles offense was an absolute no-show, getting blanked yet again in a 5-0 defeat at the hands of visiting Red Sox on Saturday night at Camden Yards.

The sixth inning of this game felt like a a death knell for the 2026 Orioles.

At the time, the game was in a scoreless tie. Chris Bassitt, the O’s starter, was in fine form, but likely on borrowed time given how most of his season had gone. The veteran hurler was in the midst of his third time through the order. He had loaded the bases with two outs, which prompted a visit from manager Craig Albernaz. Rico Garcia was ready and waiting in the bullpen, but after a quick conversation on the bump the skipper stuck with Bassitt to face Eli White.

It was the sort of anti-analytics move that would have been quite inspiring if it worked, the spark to push the Orioles towards a much-needed win. Instead, White flared a jam shot over the head of third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand to score a pair. A frustrated Bassitt left the mound moments later, his hat askew and glove gnashed between his teeth. Same here, Chris.

Garcia then entered, and he didn’t immediately shut things down anyway. Connor Wong also singled to make it 3-0 for the visitors. And then the O’s reliever finally recorded the final out of the inning.

A three-run deficit is no easy gap to make up, but its’ manageable for most big league offenses. This currently slumping Orioles lineup is not your run-of-the-mill offense. They might as well have trailed by 20 runs. A comeback in either scenario was just as likely.

Those odds got even longer in the seventh inning, when Isiah Kiner-Falefa delivered a two-out, two-run double to score Mickey Gasper and Trevor Story off of O’s reliever Albert Suárez. That pushed the Red Sox lead to 5-0, and it’s where the game could have stopped, if we’re honest.

The Orioles did momentarily threaten a comeback in the eighth inning. They opened the inning with a Dylan Beavers single followed by a Coby Mayo walk. Eventually, after a later Gunnar Henderson walk, they would load the bases, but not before recording two outs. That brought Pete Alonso to the plate with a chance to get the O’s back in the game with one swing. It wasn’t to be. The slugger struck out on three pitches.

That was the story of the game for the Orioles. Once again, they went hitless in chances with runners in scoring position, 0-for-8 here. They also wasted doubles from Henderson and Colton Cowser earlier in the game, then left Encarnacion-Strand, well, stranded at second base to end the game.

Jackson Holliday went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts as the DH batting lead-off tonight. He has been in a bad slump since the start of August. Putting him atop the order doesn’t make much sense right now.

There was an odd moment in the seventh inning where Samuel Basallo flew out to the warning track. He reacted on contact as if he had hit a home run. And then, as he reached first base and saw the left field Wilyer Abreau corral the fly ball with several feet to spare, Basallo turned his palms upward in a confused manner as if to say “How did that not go over the fence?” He had hit the ball hard (107 mph), but at a pretty severe angle (38 degrees.). To his credit, it would have been a home run in 13 parks, according to Baseball Savant. But Camden Yards is not one of those parks.

It’s a shame the Orioles offense was so putrid that it stole the headlines. We could have been talking more about how good Bassitt was prior to the sixth inning. The veteran had extra juice on his sinker (up 1.5 mph on his season average), and he was getting oddles of whiffs overall (35% whitt rate). He looked really good! And if the offense had given him any support, he would have been pulled earier and been given a better final line. As it stands, he went 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on five hits, four walks, and six strikeouts. His ERA sits at 4.96 on the season.

This loss pushes the O’s streak of futility to five straight. They have scored a total of 12 runs in those five games, zero of which have come the last two nights at Camden Yards. It’s next to impossible to win when you average a little over two runs per game, and it is absolutely impossible if you don’t score at all. They should probably figure that out.

Elsewhere in the big leagues, the Blue Jays won and the Guardians lost. That means the Blue Jays now possess the final wild card spot in the AL, but the Orioles still trail by the same three games that they did coming into the day. So no ground was lost there, but it’s tough to feel anything positive right now. They Orioles can’t score runs, which means they can’t win games. The standings will be irrelevant while that is the case, and they are running out of time to develop any sort of solution.

Is their season officially or mathematically over? No. But it sure feels like it anway.

The Orioles and Red Sox will wrap up this series on Sunday afternoon. It’s a match up between Kyle Bradish (7-12, 4.01 ERA) and lefty Payton Tolle (8-6, 3.23 ERA). First pitch is set for 1:35 if you dare subject yourself to the misery that is sure to follow.

The Royals had won five straight series against the Blue Jays coming into tonight. No longer. A pair of costly errors, Kazuma Okamoto’s four-hit night taking advantage of them, and the Royals’ relapse with runners in scoring position led the Blue Jays to take the series. The Blue Jays won 4-3.

As has so often happened lately, Seth Lugo got in trouble early in this one. He gave up a leadoff single to Brett Bateman on a 3-2 middle-middle slider. Bateman continues to look like a stud acquisition by the Jays. Fortunately, Lugo caught Bateman napping at first and picked him off. Lugo got Springer to fly out to center field, and you began to hope the Royals could come to the plate for the first time in a tie game for only the second time in this homestand.

Lugo, for the eighth straight season, has seen his strikeout rate diminish. It now stands at 6.74 on the year. The problem with having a low strikeout rate is that batted balls, even when they’re not well hit, can lead to baserunners. Additionally, the lack of a strikeout pitch means there is less pressure on the hitters when they get down in the count two strikes. Lugo often finds himself filling out the count once he gets ahead of hitters who feel confident in their patience. Then, forced to come back into the zone with pitches that don’t frighten hitters, he can get punished.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. didn’t wait for the two-strike count, but smashed a 1-0 pitch into right field for a two-out single. Alejandro Kirk chased a 1-2 sweeper nearly in the dirt and hit a very slow roller to third. So slow, in fact, that Josh Rojas should have eaten it despite Kirk’s first-percentile speed. Rojas chose instead to uncork a wild throw to first. It was so bad that Guerrero was able to score from first. Nathan Lukes got a 2-2 middle-middle curve and lined it into left to score another run for a single. Kazuma Okamoto got a 2-2 middle slider and doubled into left, but hit it so hard that Isaac Collins was able to get it back to the infield in time to prevent Lukes from attempting to score. Lugo got Andrés Giménez to ground out to third on a 1-2 slider to end the inning, but Lugo had thrown 35 pitches. Partly because of Rojas’ terrible throw, but also partly because he just can’t finish guys off.

In the bottom of the first, Max Scherzer grazed Carter Jensen’s thigh with a first-pitch fastball. The Royals’ booth asserted that it was payback for last night’s first pitch that hit Bateman. I don’t understand why the Royals would have intentionally thrown at Bateman to start the game, and indeed it ignited a rally that put the Royals behind early, never to even re-tie the game. Tonight I didn’t understand why Scherzer would hit the first batter he saw, either. Even if the Jays thought they needed revenge, the whole igniting an early rally thing seemed just as likely to happen here. And, indeed, it did.

Bobby Witt Jr. laced a double over Myles Straw’s head in left to put runners at second and third with no outs. Jac Caglianone followed with an RBI infield single, and Salvador Perez grounded a single into right immediately after. The game was tied just that fast with runners at first and third with no outs. Vinnie grounded out softly to first, leading to runners at second and third with one out. Massey repeated Vinnie’s effort, but this time Jac wandered too far off third, and Guerrero gunned him down to leave runners at first and second with two outs. A balk and a walk later, Josh Rojas chased a pitch up for an easy flyout to end the scoring threat.

It would not be the last wasted scoring effort by KC, though they wouldn’t have a ton.

The Jays scored a third run in the top of the third when Lukes hit a one-out single to left, and Okamoto rapped another double. This time he was thrown out trying to turn it into a triple, but the run still scored. The Royals got the run back in the bottom of the fourth when John Rave tattooed a hanging changeup.

In the top of the seventh, the Royals’ defense bit them in the butt again. Nathan Lukes hit what appeared to be an inning-ending grounder to short, but Bobby whiffed the throw, and Lukes was able to advance to third. He scored easily when Okamoto smashed a grounder up the middle, his fourth hit of the night and second RBI.

The Royals appeared to have something cooking in the top of the eighth against Jays setup man Tyler Rogers. Nick Loftin, in the game for Caglianone, who left after the second inning with a sore left elbow, led off with a single to right. Then Salvy singled to right. Inexplicably, Loftin didn’t make it to third. It probably didn’t matter because Vinnie grounded back to the pitcher for a double play, and Loftin wouldn’t have been able to score the tying run on that anyway. Massey grounded out to Vladdy, and the Royals’ best chance to tie the game ended.

The Royals are now 1-4 in September after their 16-11 August. They’ll have Randy Dobnak (2.65 ERA, 4.62 SIERA) on the mound to avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon. The Jays have not yet announced their own starter for the game. But considering the Royals have been nearly blanked in the two bullpen games Toronto has thrown against them this season, that doesn’t exactly bode well. Especially with Caglianone out with yet another injury. The guy just can’t seem to catch a break.

Regardless, the game will start at 1:10 Kauffman Stadium time. I’m almost tempted to root for the Blue Jays because they’re now tied with the Guardians for the final Wild Card spot, and I really hate Cleveland.

In the second game of their three-game road series against the San Diego Padres (74-68), the Yankees (81-61) prevailed with a 5-1 victory.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Yankees' offense chased Padres starter Robbie Ray early. The veteran southpaw recorded just seven outs and allowed five earned runs on five hits. In the second inning, Spencer Jones got things going with an RBI double, Ray walked in a run when Paul Goldschmidt got the better of him in the at-bat, and Cody Bellinger drove in two with a bases-loaded single. 

The following inning, George Lombard hit a sacrifice fly to score Ben Rice, before San Diego brought in right-hander Griffin Canning to face Austin Wells with the bases juiced and one man out. The Padres escaped the jam as Wells grounded into a double play.

-- Carlos Rodon brought his best stuff tonight. Apart from a solo homer allowed to potential future Hall of Fame third baseman Manny Machado in the fifth inning, which cut New York's lead to 5-1, the lefty hurler was largely spotless. Rodon completed five full innings and threw 89 pitches, allowing just two hits and striking out seven Padres batters. 

-- In relief of Rodon, four Yankees relievers -- Carson Fulmer, Brent Headrick, John Schreiber, and Tim Hill -- protected the lead the rest of the way with flying colors. Hill was the only pitcher of the quartet to allow a hit, surrendering a harmless single to Austin Hays in the ninth inning before bouncing back to seal the 5-1 win.

Game MVP: The pitching staff

Holding a lineup with Fernando Tatis Jr., Machado, and Jackson Merrill to one run on just three hits is worthy of praise. The bullpen in particular continues to show why it ranks among the best in MLB.

Highlights

RBI double for Spencer Jones gets the Yanks on the board! pic.twitter.com/1vlHKdjPyy

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 5, 2026

Cody Bellinger brings home two more! pic.twitter.com/I7W8avl6yp

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 5, 2026

A sac fly for George Lombard Jr. extends the lead! pic.twitter.com/oQ2LS4MRgx

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) September 6, 2026

What's next

The Yankees conclude their West Coast road trip with the final game of their three-game set against the Padres on Sunday, with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m.

Gerrit Cole (3.29 ERA, 1.11 WHIP in 104.0 IP) is set to take the mound for the Yankees and the Padres will send out former Yankee Michael King (3.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP in 162.0 IP).

Blue Jays 4 Royals 3

The Jays are above .500 and own the last Wild Card spot.

After the first inning, I thought this was going to be a high scoring game.

The Jays got two in the first (it should have been more). Brett Bateman started the game with a single, but was quickly picked off first. George Springer had a fly out to center. But Vladimir Guerrero singled. Kirk hit into what I thought was going to be the third out, but Royals third baseman threw wide of first, and Vlad scored from first. Kirk made it to second. Nathan Lukes lined a single to left scoring Kirk. Kazuma Okamoto followed with a double giving us guys on second and third, but that’s as far as they’d get.

We thought it was going to be a great day.

But Max Scherzer had a terrible first inning. He gave up 3 hits, a walk, a hit batter, a balk, but just two runs scored. Pretty lucky really, but it was a tie game.

Max got it together after that. He went 4.2 more innings allowing just 1 more run, a John Rave (who?) home run.

We got our third run in the third inning, Nathan Lukes had a one out single and Okamoto doubled him home.

And the game winning run came in the seventh. Springer led off with a walk and a stolen base. Vlad struck out and Kirk ground out. But Lukes reached on a Bobby Witt throwing error. And Okamoto, again, singled in the run.

The bullpen did a great job again:

• Mason Fluharty got the last out of the sixth and the first two outs of the seventh.
• Paul Sewald (I’m still wondering why Sewald?) got the last out of the seventh.
• Tyler Rogers fought through a tough eighth. He gave up singled to the first two batters, but then got a ground ball hit back to him. He turned and threw a perfect throw to second to start a big double play. And then got another ground out to end the inning.
• Louis Varland had a great ninth picking up his 33rd save.

In that first inning, Vlad made a terrific play in that first inning. With runners on first and second, Vlad got a ground ball and threw to third to get the lead runner. It turned out to be big, because Max balked, moving the runners up from first and second. Had there been a runner on third, he would have scored (but then things wouldn’t go exactly the same had he taken the out at first).

We had 13 hits, but just two extra base hits, both Okamoto doubles. He had four hits. Lukes had three hits. The only Jay without a hit was Springer (but he walk and stole and scored).

Jays of the Day: Okamoto (0.32 WPA), Varland (0.21), Rogers (0.15), Lukes (0.13) and Fluharty (0.09).

Other Award: Vlad (-0.11, tho that defensive play would bring that up a bit), Bateman (-0.10, plus the pickoff), Straw (-0.10, his one hit he beat out an infield single on pure hustle), and Clement (-0.09).

Tomorrow we have a day game. 2:00 Eastern. Jays list TBD, but I thought it was to be Spencer Arrighetti, being, at least, the bulk guy. The Royals have Randy Dobnak (2-3, 2.65)

Seems a game thread is needed, so here’s one. Springs vs. Kirby if you’re wondering (and even if you’re not).

The Texas Rangers scored three runs but the Tampa Bay Rays scored six runs in ten innings.

In more evidence to theory that we’re merely in purgatory watching the same Rangers game over and over, tonight’s contest was starting to travel a similar trajectory as last night’s loss and many that came before it.

The Rangers trailed after the customary Jacob deGrom first inning home run and didn’t seem especially competitive at the plate. After a second Rays solo home run, the Rangers got a home run of their own to move to within a run. Like last night, they couldn’t tie the game before the Rays got a late insurance run, but then scored the run that would have tied it had the leverage arms of the bullpen kept Tampa Bay off the board for their third run.

Unlike last night, however, the Rangers found a way to score the tying third run before they’d even gotten an at-bat with runners in scoring position all evening.

Following a solo home run from Evan Carter that brought Texas to within a run to lead off the eighth, Danny Jansen singled with one out and after Cam Cauley was brought in to pinch run for Jansen, Justin Foscue laced a double that allowed the speedy Cauley to come around all the way from first and score the tying run.

With Foscue the first Ranger in scoring position, Texas had the guys you’d think you’d want up with Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford due. However, neither could get the hit to give the Rangers the lead, both grounding out harmlessly. That was as emblematic as it would eventually be problematic.

Another difference between tonight’s game and last night’s loss was a Jacob Latz showing. The All-Star closer pitched in a tied game in the ninth and got three outs on nine pitches which allowed him to also pitch the tenth inning after the Rangers failed to produce a walk-off winner in the bottom of the ninth.

Latz stayed in the game but after the Rays sac bunted their Manfred man over to third base, the Rangers elected to intentionally walk Yandy Diaz to set up a potential double play. Instead of doing that, Jonathan Aranda hit a two-strike low quadrant slider 409 ft for a three-run home run.

The Rangers did not hit a three-run home run in their half of the extra frame — they did not even score their free runner, finishing the night 0-5 with RISP — and they are now three games below .500.

Player of the Game: After a solo home run in the eighth, Evan Carter is now one away from double digits on the year.

Up Next: The Rangers and Rays close out this series with LHP MacKenzie Gore expected to take the mound for Texas opposite a pitcher yet to be named for Tampa Bay.

The Sunday afternoon first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 1:35 pm CDT and you can view it on the Rangers Sports Network.

The Dodgers finish things off with the Washington Nationals with a rare Sunday night start, a 7:10 p.m. first pitch on the night before Labor Day at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers will use a variety of arms to fill innings on Sunday, including Justin Wrobleski and likely Bobby Miller for bulk outings, while left-hander Andrew Alvarez goes for the Nats.

Sunday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Nationals
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

SAN DIEGO — The endgame is near for Aaron Judge.

The Yankees captain took on-field batting practice for the second straight day Saturday at Petco Park, part of another busy day of full baseball activities as he tries to build up his endurance with just about all of the physical boxes checked off ahead of his potential return next week.

“He’s physically to the finish line, where he needs to be, but it’s about just doing it a lot, because that’s ultimately what you’re trying to replicate is being out there for nine innings where you’re playing for three hours and sit down, get up, those kind of things,” manager Aaron Boone said Saturday. “Just replicating that. So we’re getting to that point with the volume. He ran bases again today. He’s in a good spot.”

The only thing Judge has not done yet is face live pitching, which the Yankees are trying to make happen Monday when they get back home for an off-day.

One potential option could be having Clarke Schmidt (currently on a rehab assignment) throw to him, though Boone would only say, “We’re working on it.”

Judge, who has been out since the beginning of June with a right rib stress fracture, indicated Friday that he would likely need to face live pitching “a couple” times before he is activated, though he does not want that to be on a rehab assignment.

Instead, the Yankees could finish off his buildup in the big leagues during the homestand against the Rockies and Mets, like having him play a game and then take a day off, or playing five to seven innings in the field his first few games back.

“I would consider that kind of buildup,” Boone said. “Those things are on the table.

“He’s done everything he needs to do to be at the finish line to be ready to play.”

After throwing 2 ¹/₃ scoreless innings Friday night while piggybacking Max Fried, Will Warren will slot back into the rotation for his next turn on the homestand.

There was some question as to why the Yankees did not challenge Spencer Jones being thrown out at third base on a steal attempt in the 10th inning Friday night, but Boone said replay coordinator Brett Weber had Jones clearly out.

Austin Wells was back in the lineup Saturday against lefty Robbie Ray and will likely catch Gerrit Cole in Sunday’s series finale as well, meaning he will have started all three games of the series.

We’re three days into the “soft” part of the schedule to round out the year, and the last two games against these A’s have been… suboptimal is the polite way to put it. The best the M’s can hope for at this point in this four-game series is a split, and George Kirby will be on the mound to try to staunch the bleeding.

Lineups:

The Athletics are running out a largely unchanged lineup from last night aside from glove-first center fielder – and cousin of Josh Naylor – Denzel Clarke in the lineup over Carlos Cortes and rookie Henry Bolte starting in left. Noted left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs will be on the hill, so we’re treated to Weston Wilson rounding out Seattle’s lineup at the hot corner while Taylor Ward – who last night became the worst Mariners hitter in franchise history by wRC+ (minimum 80 PAs) – will occupy the DH spot. There is nowhere to go but up for him in these last few weeks, and today would be a great time to start that climb!

Lázaro Montes will sit after exiting last night’s game early with hip soreness thanks to crashing into the wall in right-center field. X-rays were thankfully negative, but with a southpaw opposing the M’s, it probably would have been a day that he was out of the lineup regardless, although Montes should be available to pinch-hit tonight. Láz was also spotted chatting with Ichiro pregame, with the Hall of Famer giving the rookie tips on navigating the angles at T-Mobile and making sure to always be in the correct position to field the ball.

In other injury news, Emerson Hancock did some light throwing from flat ground, his first baseball activity since landing on the injured list on August 30th (retroactive to 8/28) after making an awkward tumble fielding a ground ball up the first base line in Toronto.

Game Info:

First Pitch: 6:40pm Pacific

TV: Mariners TV

Radio: Old Reliable

The Dodgers take on the Nationals with a slightly earlier start than last night. With right-hander Cade Cavalli on the mound for Washington, left-hander Dalton Rushing was set to get the start at designated hitter this time around, with Shohei Ohtani out a third straight game for the first time since joining the Dodgers.

But Rushing was scratched with elbow soreness, as was third baseman Max Muncy with illness from the original lineup. Alex Call and Kiké Hernández get starts now, with Teoscar Hernández moving to DH.

Dodgers lineup

Edman CF
Freeman 1B
Betts SS
Tucker RF
T. Hernández DH
Feduccia C
Freeland 2B
Call LF
K. Hernández 3B

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Nationals
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 6:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Nats rallied late last night, but it was not enough. They will look to even this series with the mighty Dodgers tonight. It will not be easy, but the Nats do have an ace up their sleeve. That would be Cade Cavalli, who is on the mound.

With a righty on the mound, the Nats make some lineup adjustments. Daylen Lile returns to the lineup after getting a day off yesterday. Lefties Jorbit Vivas and Jose Tena are also in the lineup. Dylan Crews is down in the 9 hole and Keibert Ruiz will do the catching. As mentioned, Nats ace Cade Cavalli is on the hill.

Shohei Ohtani remains out of the lineup, but the Nats will have to deal with Freddie Freeman. The former Brave has been a Nat killer his entire career. Hunter Feduccia and Alex Freeland will be at the bottom of the order in this one. After facing Snell last night, the Dodgers are rolling out another ace (when healthy) in Tyler Glasnow.

Game Info:

Stadium: Dodger Stadium

Time: 9:10 PM EST

TV: Nationals.TV

Radio: 106.7 The Fan

The offense has been a bit lethargic the past couple games but hopefully that 9th inning can bring some momentum. We desperately need CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews to get doing as well. It is Cade day and we need a curly W. Follow along in the comments and let’s go Nats!

The Tigers needed some of their big names to get it together and win them a game. Framber Valdez answered the call with seven shutout frames on Saturday, while Riley Greene homered twice and drove in four in a four-hit game. The bullpen only needed to go two innings to hold a 6-0 lead, and they did so with no trouble.

The Tigers already saw the weaker end of the Guardians rotation, so this was only going to get tougher on Saturday against Parker Messick, and then Gavin Williams on Sunday. With Framber Valdez going, the defense would need to be sharp, while Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark both got a needed day off against the left-hander.

Gleyber Torres and Hao-Yu Lee started the game off by striking out, but Riley Greene crushed a Messick cutter over the left center field wall for a solo shot and a quick 1-0 lead.

Steven Kwan grounded out to Lee to start the bottom of the first. Angel Martinez dumped a little broken bat bliner between Spencer Torkelson and Javier Báez for a single. Báez, playing second, collected it but Valdez wasn’t covering first expecting the ball in the air to be caught. Jose Ramirez lined out to Ben Malgeri in right field. Jo Adell got a bat broken as well but fouled off a 1-2 sinker in on his hands. A high fastball missed, but a good curveball whiffed him.

Malgeri started the second inning by driving a single to right center field. He thought about two, but hit the brakes, probably wisely. Torkelson chased a slider away and struck out. John Peck stayed back just enough to flick a changeup into center field for a single. Messick blew Zach McKinstry and Báez away with high fastballs to end the inning, with five and the Tigers first six outs coming on swinging strike threes.

David Fry led off the bottom half with a single through the right side of the infield. Angel Genao did the same thing. The speedy Petey Halpin put down a bunt toward third, but Hao-Yu Lee handled it, firing to Báez covering first. So it was second and third with one out. Valdez popped Austin Hedges up down the right field line to Malgeri, and the right fielder fired a strike to the plate to keep Fry at third. Brayan Rocchio grounded out to Peck, stranding both runners.

The Tigers took a little momentum from that as Torres led off with a single and Lee walked. Riley Greene came though again with a line drive single to score Torres, but Lee took way too big a turn and was thrown out trying to get back to the bag. Dillon Dingler bit on a good changeup and struck out as his recent struggles continued. Messick’s seventh strikeout came on another high fastball that Malgeri couldn’t hold up on. 2-0 Tigers, but yet again, they failed to fully capitalize on a rally.

Framber Valdez cruised in the bottom half, striking out Ramirez again to end the inning.

Torkelson, Peck, and McKinstry grounded out quickly in the top of the fourth, helping get Messick’s pitch count back in order. Valdez dispatched Adell with high heat to start the bottom half, and then snagged a comebacker from Fry for the second out. The dangerous, talented rookie Genao was up next, and barely checked with swing on an 0-2 curveball. A sinker got the ground out to Lee, wrapping up the fourth inning.

The top of the fifth saw Messick blow away Báez, Torres, and Lee in quick succession to reach 10 strikeouts in five innings of work. Halpin popped up a bunt to Valdez, who had it rattle out of his glove but caught it again waist high. That brought a rueful chuckle as his infield cracked up for a moment. He then walked Hedges, but got a 6-4-3 double play ball from Rocchio to end the inning. He was at 65 pitches through five frames. Still 2-0 Tigers.

Riley Greene led off the sixth, and he got a fourseamer in the same spot as the cutter he crushed in the first, and he hit it to almost exactly the same spot over the big wall in left center field for his 18th homer of the season. 3-0 Tigers.

Dingler bit on the changeup again and struck out. Malgeri though, hammered a drive into the right field corner for a double. Torkelson lifted a shallow fly ball off a pretty good 3-1 pitch to hit, and so it was up to Peck as Messick’s pitch count hit 90. The lefty missed with three straight fastballs, and Peck was taking on a 3-0 heater for a strike. He whiffed on the next fourseamer but Messick missed again to walk him, and Carl Willis came out to give his starter a pep talk for what would probably be his last batter in the game. That batter was McKinstry, who worked a 3-2 count but whiffed on a 96 mph heater for Messick’s 11th strikeout.

Valdez started bottom half getting Kwan to fly out to McKinstry in center. Martinez popped out to Torkelson behind first base. Ramirez got ahead 2-0, but grounded out to Peck to end the sixth.

Right-hander Matt Festa succeeded Messick in the top of the seventh, and there was a delay as the grounds crew cleaned up the mound. Báez fell behind 0-2 and flew out to center on a mistake pitch, clearly frustrated with himself. Torres pulled a grounder under Rocchio’s glove into left for a single. Lee put together a good at-bat and drew his second walk in the contest. That brought Greene to the dish and he hammered a double off the right field wall just short of his third home run.

Torres scored to make it 4-0, but Lee had to wait a beat to make sure the ball wasn’t caught and they held him at third. Festa was uncharacteristically spraying and he fell behind Dingler. The Tigers catcher lifted a high fly ball to left but just got underneath it a touch. Still it was a deep fly ball and enough to score Lee. Malgeri then lined a soft single to left center to plate Torres, and it was 6-0 Tigers. Malgeri now has 103 plate appearances in the majors with a 117 wRC+. I wouldn’t expect him to turn into a full-time, above average player for the Tigers, but he does a lot of things well and has already made a good case to take over Matt Vierling’s roster spot in particular.

Ron Kulpa had an equipment problem at that point, giving Festa a break as Willis came out to chat. He then punched out Torkelson to end the top of the seventh.

Valdez had a good 20 minute break while his teammates poured on the offense. He was only at 76 pitches beginning the frame, so he could potentially go two more frames with a quick inning. Instead, Adell fought through a long at-bat and then just nicked Adell with an inside heater in a 3-2 count. Fry grounded to Lee, who fired a one-hopper to second to get Adell as Báez made a nice pick on the throw. Genao then grounded into a 5-4-3 double play with a sweet turn from Javy and a nice scoop by Torkelson to wrap up the inning, and Valdez’s outing. The lefty was fired up after seven shutout innings, and so were his teammates. Gotta take a spark where you can find it right now.

Rookie right-hander Austin Peterson took over in the eighth. We saw him against the Hens twice this year, one good start and one shakier one. His fastball is nothing special, but as you’d figured from even a mediocre Guardians pitching prospect, he has quality secondary pitches and decent command.

Peck greeted him with a grounder to third that Ramirez couldn’t handle. They called it a single, and Peck will take it. McKinstry grounded into a force of Peck at second. Báez tapped one back to Peterson, and he spun and threw high to second and everyone was safe. That one was charged an error. Jose Ramirez gets a lot more deference, apparently. So first and seecond, one out, with Gleyber Torres at the plate. Torres hit a fly ball to Kwan in left and McKinstry tagged and took third, but Lee took a breaking ball just on the edge inside for strike three.

So, it was everyone’s favorite…bullpen time for the Tigers. Thanks to Valdez, they’d only need two innings, so we felt okay with a six-run lead. Possibly that’s because nothing matters anymore and life is meaningless, please Eat Arby’s, but hey, that’s just a long, miserably disappointing season talking.

Kyle Finnegan made quick work of the Guardians in the eighth. Halpin popped out again, and Hedges and Rocchio grounded out to wrap up a nine-pitch inning.

Peterson whiffed Greene on a changeup as the Guardians finally retired him in this one. Dingler grounded out, and Malgeri struck out to send it to the ninth.

Beau Brieske looked as good as we’ve seen him all year yesterday, and he came in to finish this one off. The new power curve Brieske debuted recently is pretty interesting, and his fastball-changeup combo look better, though he’s not back to the high 90’s velocity we saw from Brieske in his 2024 peak.

He got Kwan to ground out to Peck for the first out. Martinez lined out softly to Peck as well. Ramirez popped out to Báez, and that was a Tigers victory.

Jackson Jobe will take the mound for the Tigers on Sunday, facing off against the tough RHP Gavin Williams as the Tigers look to split the series. First pitch is set for 1:40 p.m. ET.

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers originally planned to start Dalton Rushing at designated hitter and Max Muncy at third base on Saturday against the Washington Nationals, but both were scratched from the lineup. Rushing has elbow soreness and Muncy is sick, the team said.

Rushing spent four weeks on the injured list after a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow before getting activated on Tuesday. He played in each of the last four games, batting only, going hitless in four at-bats plus a hit by pitch.

Several hours before first pitch on Saturday, Rushing was going through drills to test his elbow, including throwing from varying distances in the outfield, including what looked like to be around 120 feet. Rushing also did drills throwing to second base from behind home plate.

In their place, Teoscar Hernández moved from left field to designated hitter with Alex Call now starting in left field, and Kiké Hernández was inserted into the lineup at third base.

Every baseball fan is familiar with the scam known as the shell game— after all, it’s present, in more innocuous form, in the cap shuffle ubiquitous to scoreboards. Tonight Zack Wheeler offered the visiting Braves a shell game, tempting them with three baserunners through three at-bats… but when the Braves selected their shell, there weren’t very many runs underneath.

The start was rather subpar for the home crowd, with Wheeler allowing a pair of singles to the first two Braves, then walking Matt Olson to load the bases with none away. But a pop fly and a strikeout (aided by a canny ABS challenge from J.T. Realmuto) put him just a single out away from pulling off the great escape. Ozzie Albies flew out to center, and the Braves trudged back to the dugout with the dreaded NOBLETIGER (No Outs, Bases Loaded, Ending in Team Incapable of Getting Easy Runs, it’s a real term) nipping at their heels.

But the Phillies would give Atlanta starter Martin Pérez a rougher start. Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner worked walks to start off the game, with the former dashing for third on a fly out from Bryce Harper, and slipping right past the tag. A single to right from Luis Arraez scored him, and the bases were then loaded on a walk of Alec Bohm. Realmuto walked to bring in a run (an ABS challenge on ball four proved fruitless for the visitors). The inning ended when Ronald Acuña Jr, looking truly superb, leapt into the air to turn a line drive from Bryson Stott into out number three.

Wheeler’s second inning of work was a far smoother affair, with three up and three down. Pérez could not say the same. Derek Hill lined a ball to right, and Acuña suddenly looked far less superb, stumbling and allowing Hill to reach third. He then scored when Matt Olson bobbled a grounder at first.

The roller coaster ride that is Ronald then took another sudden swerve in the top of the third as he sent a Wheeler sweeper deep, deep into the left field seats. But the Phillies were certainly not inclined to let themselves be outslugged in their own ballpark: in the bottom of the fourth, Schwarber knocked a Pérez pitch over the fence in right. Two more hits, both with two outs, ensued, and Pérez’s night ended.

Acuña came up to the plate again with two outs in the fifth; both of his predecessors in the inning had walked away with Ks. The Citizens Bank Park crowd expressed their particular feelings for the Peach State superstar, roaring with delight whenever he fouled the ball off; the cheers reached a fever pitch when he whiffed for strike three.

Wheeler wrapped up his start after the sixth: three hits, one earned run, two walks, nine strikeouts. Jonathan Bowlan took over, allowing a homer to Austin Riley to narrow the score to 4-2. José Alvarado took the eighth, and kept the score where it was. And so, it was time for Jhoan Duran to do his thing. He did, striking out Michael Harris II, inducing a ground out from Mauricio Dubon, and another from Albies. That’s the game.

The Phillies are 80-62. They return to action on Sunday at 1:o5 for game three of the series.