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Ladies, gentlemen, and distinguished others! Welcome to Meaningful September Baseball! Starting things off, you don’t get much more meaningful than this series against the Phillies. In fact, I think a case could be made that it is at least as, if not more, important than the upcoming series against San Diego. You might disagree with that sentiment, but the way I see it, if the Diamondbacks don’t win this series, here and now, against the Phillies, the odds of that final series mattering grow slimmer. On the flip side, you win or sweep this series, well, our odds of making that SD series matter less for the opposite reasons increase.

It is going to be an incredibly hard task, however. The Phillies are one of, if not the hottest team in baseball right now. They are currently on a four game winning streak, and a couple games before that they won nine in a row. They are on fire, and it’s going to take an all around performance each and every game for the Diamondbacks to have a shot. On the other hand, the Phillies are destined to come back down to earth eventually. Maybe the Diamondbacks are the ones to make that happen.

In addition to facing such a fearsome foe, the Diamondbacks are either getting a perennial MVP candidate back, or a clubhouse cancer. The debate doesn’t seem to leave much room for nuance within that binary, so it must be true. Regardless of which it is, I don’t think anyone will disagree that it is going to be incredibly impactful. Either the team is going to rally around him, forgive, and move on, or his presence will destroy the chemistry they’ve spent the past three seasons building in the clubhouse. He’s either going to be a massive difference maker, or he’s going to be a waste of a roster spot and we’ll be missing the .1-whatever batting average Vargas has been putting up in his absence. We’ll start to get the answers to that this series.

So yes, this is undeniably an important series. For reasons on and off the field. In the standings. Maybe even in decision making come this offseason, though I would hope those that run the Diamondbacks are slightly less reactionary than us fans and at least wait until the next series to make those types of decisions. Regardless, I think I’ve made my case for most important game of the season.

The Diamondbacks have not yet announced their starters as of writing. It should be Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez going in the first two starts, if the rotation holds. Right off the bat, the Diamondbacks are putting their best chance forward at winning the series. It is worth noting, however, that Pfaadt has been much more average his last two starts than he had been prior and since his return from the minors. He’s still giving the Diamondbacks length and a chance to win the game, but much less convincingly than he had been before.

E-Rod continues his Cy Young caliber season. Obviously, he won’t get it. That’s locked up by some guy in Milwaukee. But it’s a hell of a redemption story that he’s going to get any votes at all, which he should. If you had told me at the start of the season that he would clearly be our best starting pitcher, I would not have expected us to be playing Meaningful September Baseball.

The Phillies will be trotting out Aaron Nola, Jesus Luzardo, and Andrew Painter for their starters. Nola is having another down year. It feels odd to say, but between his ERA of 5.03 and Painter’s 5.95, the Diamondbacks have a pretty clear pitching advantage in this series.

Ultimately, I’m not sure it’s worth making a prediction for who will prevail in this series. The Diamondbacks have been pretty mediocre overall lately, the Phillies have been literally on fire. That being said, the rotations line up so we have our strongest part versus their weaker half. And… the Phillies can’t win forever. It will be a hard fought battle, but it will be a great series.

Game 1 — 8/31, 6:40 PM: TBD vs. Aaron Nola (1.6 bWAR, 5-10, 5.03 ERA/89 ERA+, 1.39 WHIP

Game 2 — 9/1, 6:40 PM: TBD vs. Jesus Luzardo (5.1 bWAR, 12-5, 3.09 ERA/145 ERA+, 1.12 WHIP)

Game 3 — 9/2, 6:40 PM: TBD vs. Andrew Painter (0.3 bWAR, 3-8, 5.95 ERA/75 ERA+, 1.44 WHIP)

Well, that wasn’t great. But after a rough weekend in New York the Red Sox are at home for three games against the Seattle Mariners. Boston sits at 74-63, in the second Wild Card, and has a 5.0 game lead over the Cleveland Guardians sitting in the third Wild Card. The Seattle Mariners are 5.0 games behind Cleveland. They are at 64-73. They are 5.0 games back in the AL West. Amazingly they aren’t yet out of it but that’s the 2026 American League.

Boston won 2 of 3 games against Seattle back in May, just before the Colorado Collapse and the Turnaround for All Time. Ranger Suarez, Connelly Early, and Payton Tolle started those games and the one they lost was a 3-1 outing started by Tolle. Mass Pike allowed 3 runs in 6.0 innings and was relieved by Danny Coulombe (gone) and Ryan Watson (gone).

George Kirby did not face the Red Sox in June when he was having a better go of things. In the last month, Kirby has struggled against the Astros (4.2, 5 earned) and Brewers (3.1, 6 earned). However he also had some success: 7.0 shutout innings against the Twins, 7.1 innings of 1-run ball against the Phillies. His other August start was a middle level: just 5.0 innings but only 1 run. He’s opposed by Payton Tolle. Still in his second MLB season, Tolle is called on to be the stopper. After three losses in NY he’s the one the team is counting on to reverse the bad run. Against the Marlins he struck out 7 over 5.1 innings. The ‘pen is rested thanks to Mona but 6.0+ innings of shutdown baseball would be welcome. Hopefully the bats can back him up early.

Bryan Woo also missed the Sox when they were in Seattle. While Kirby shut down the Philles last week, Woo struggled: 4.0 innings and 6 runs allowed. And the Rangers and Dodgers each hit him for 5 in July. He’s struck out 5 batters in four straight outings heading into Tuesday. Sonny Gray was bumped from his normal schedule to get a little more rest. The Sox insist there is nothing wrong, this is just load management. If this is true, the Sox are looking at that big lead over Wild Card 3 and saying they need to keep their key players at their best. The Yankees shuffled their rotation to prioritize last weekend. Boston did not. Gray and Tolle faced the Fish instead. This might have handed the Yankees home field advantage but the tradeoff is the Sox are looking at October. If they are ready to go vs. a little tired will that be more important?

The series concludes with Seattle not knowing exactly who will pitch. But the Sox send forth Yankees Killer Patrick Sandoval.

Was this his best start for Boston? Maybe? It tied his high in strikeouts (7) and he allowed just 3 hits in 5.1 innings. One solo home run decided the game. There were walks (4) which wasn’t the best thing but he’s literally the last guy in the rotation and is – mostly – keeping them in games. The last time he faced the Mariners was 2023. Were the Yankees just unprepared? Is he gaining strength and feeling as he makes more starts? Are the Mariners a good offense?

Cal Raleigh hit 3 home runs in one game against the Phillies. Plus 1 more in the series and 1 against Toronto this weekend. This his streak has him up to 19 homers and a .171/.288/.353 slash line. He had an .867 OPS in August but that came with a .195 batting average but a .347 OBP.

Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez, and Dominic Canzone each have 20 homers to lead the team.

Josh Naylor leads the Mariners with 25 steals. He’s still running and still taking bags. Who else not know for speed could just add this to their game?

Probable Pitching Matchups

Monday, August 31: George Kirby (4.02 ERA /3.32 FIP) vs. Payton Tolle (3.09 ERA / 3.19 FIP)

Tuesday, September 1: Bryan Woo (4.36 ERA / 3.42 FIP) vs. TBD (— ERA / —FIP)

Wednesday, September 2: TBD (— ERA / — FIP) vs. Patrick Sandoval (4.20 ERA / 4.22 FIP)

When/Where to Watch

Monday, August 31: 6:45 PM ET on NESN

Tuesday, September 1: 6:45 PM ET on NESN

Wednesday, September 2: 4;10 PM ET on NESN

Earlier in the week, I put a post on The Feed asking about which prospect has impressed the most in the Phillies’ minor league system this year. My original idea was Bryan Rincon since he came from so far down the team’s prospect list to put himself in contention to at least be considered for a bench spot on the 2027 Phillies, but then you had some ideas as well.

What did you have to say about it? Let’s see.

When I wrote up that post earlier last week, Rincon was the name that came to mind right away since he has hit over 20 home runs a season after not doing a whole lot.

However, Francisco Renteria is probably the name that has impressed the most this season. Coming into the year as a highly touted international prospect, there was a fair amount of hype surrounding him. What he did in the Dominican Summer League was nothing short of amazing, living up to all the talk. He hit for power, he hit for average, he showed some surprising speed – it was the whole package.

There needs to be a pretty decent amount of brake pumping on his prospect profile though. He was doing all of this damage against kids that probably don’t have a major league debut in their future, so obliterating the pitching is probably to be expected. When the team decides to bring him stateside would give us a better look at how he fares against better pitching, so it’s fine to get excited about what he might be able to turn into.

However, what he did this year was incredibly impressive and we should be excited about him. Is he the best prospect in the system right now? There could at least be an argument made for him.

Like I said before, Bryan Rincon having the kind of season he has had puts him squarely in the conversation with next year’s utility position that will (likely) be vacated by Edmundo Sosa.

Can he hit for the same kind of power away from Double-A Reading and the high offensive environment their home field has? That’s likely the big question. At least according to Keith Law, maybe it won’t be that much of an issue:

Shortstop Bryan Rincon has had a real breakout season this year in his first go-round in Double A, with 20 homers already (his previous season high was eight) and a .267/.402/.501 line that has him up 98 points of OBP and over 200 points of SLG from 2025. Reading is a great home-run park, but Rincon doesn’t have much of a home/road split.

I don’t think he’s going to be a 20-25 homer guy in the majors, but he is clearly hitting the ball much harder now, and there will probably be 15-20 homers in his peak seasons. With his eye and his plus defense at short, he looks like he could be an everyday player.

That’s a useful player to have and helps the team make some roster decisions for the future. So while this season was a great one to have for him, next year, when he presumably makes it to Lehigh Valley, becomes just as important for how his role is shaped within the organization’s future.

Alirio Ferrebus, the man that made Eduardo Tait expendable at last year’s trade deadline.

Man, that trade looks better every day.

I’m mostly being facetious about Tait being expendable because of Ferrebus, but the latter’s season this year has opened up some eyes. He didn’t walk that much while in Clearwater (where he spent the bulk of his season), but there was some power and a decent hit tool at that level while maintaining defense that we can at least say “Hey, maybe he can stay there a bit”. Catching prospects are fickle, so much shouldn’t be expected as he climbs the latter, but at least he has given something to get a tingle about.

We had hoped that this series might be a meaningful clash for the NL Central title.

Instead, the Brewers lead the division by eight games. It’s still possible for the Cubs to catch them, I suppose, but extremely unlikely. Instead, these become important games for the Cubs to hang on to the top wild card spot.

For more on the Brewers, here’s Harrison Freuck, manager of our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball.

After more than two months without seeing each other, the Brewers and Cubs are set to go head-to-head for seven games over the next two weeks, starting with four games at Wrigley. With Milwaukee up seven games in the division, these last two series will play a role in how the standings shake out. Milwaukee, after a rough sub-.500 April, played great baseball in May and has maintained a pretty consistent rate through June, July, and August, with a winning percentage at .600 or better each month. Interestingly, the Brewers have had the most success against teams over .500, going 37-21 against those opponents compared to a 48-31 record against sub-.500 teams.

Over the last month or so, the Brewers’ offense has been led by Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers, and Joey Ortiz (yes, Joey Ortiz). Chourio looks to be on his way to another 20-20 season despite missing the first six weeks of the season, while Bauers is having a career year in his age-30 season. Vaughn, while not flashing a ton of power, has been great at getting on base, with a .307 batting average and .395 OBP. Ortiz, hitting just .253/.318/.382 for the season, has quietly been one of the best hitters in baseball over the last two months — since July 4, he’s hitting .328/.377/.552 with five homers, seven doubles, three triples, 19 RBI, and 19 runs. Even as some of the other big boppers (William Contreras, Brice Turang, and Christian Yelich) have struggled, he’s provided a solid presence to the bottom of the lineup. Other key pieces offensively for Milwaukee include rookies Luis Lara and Cooper Pratt, as well as Garrett Mitchell, Gary Sánchez, Sal Frelick, and David Hamilton.

On the mound, the Brewers have lined up their best arms for this series, with Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, and Logan Henderson all expected to appear. Not much can be said about Misiorowski that hasn’t already been said, but Harrison and Henderson have also been quietly great on their own. In the bullpen, closer Trevor Megill has been one of the best since the end of April, as he’s 20-for-21 in save chances with a 1.09 ERA since that time. Abner Uribe, who has missed the last couple of weeks, is also slated to return by this series, shoring up the backend of the ‘pen. Aaron Ashby, Chad Patrick, and DL Hall have also been solid.

This should be another fun series between two of baseball’s best teams. I’ll predict a 2-2 series split at Wrigley.

Fun facts

The Cubs were swept in three games when the Brewers made their first visit to Wrigley Field in May. The scores were 9-3, 5-2 and 5-0. That made the Cubs’ record at home in their 30-year rivalry 119-113. They are 40-32 in first games, 36-36 in second games, 32-34 in third games, 11-9 in fourth games and 0-2 in fifth games.

Last year, in a five-game series, the Cubs lost, won three and lost.

The Cubs last swept the Brewers at home on Aug. 2-4, 2019. Since then, they have won five series, split one and lost nine, including four straight losses in 2021. The Cubs won the first two games twice in 2022 but lost the third.

In series that began in the last week of August or later, the Cubs are 61-62 overall vs. the Brewers, but just 15-27 during the past 10 seasons. At home, they are 33-31 overall and 6-14 since 2016.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Clay Holmes, RHP (1-2, 1.96 ERA, 0.957 WHIP, 3.69 FIP in four starts with Cubs; 5-6, 2.26 ERA, 1.057 WHIP, 3.35 FIP in 13 starts overall) vs. Kyle Harrison, LHP (10-3, 2.79 ERA, 1.123 WHIP, 3.29 FIP)

Tuesday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (8-3, 3.99 ERA, 1.216 WHIP, 4.67 FIP) vs. Robert Gasser, LHP (4-5, 4.59 ERA, 1.300 WHIP, 4.44 FIP)

Wednesday: David Peterson, LHP (4-1, 3.90 ERA, 1.355 WHIP, 4.31 FIP in 11 games with Cubs; 7-7, 5.11 ERA, 1.516 WHIP, 4.05 FIP in 27 games overall) vs. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP (14-5, 1.73 ERA, 0.755 WHIP, 2.14 FIP)

Thursday: Kevin Gausman, RHP (3-1, 5.14 ERA, 1.214 WHIP, 4.08 FIP in five starts with Cubs; 8-11, 4.52 ERA, 1.275 WHIP, 3.60 FIP in 28 starts overall) vs. Logan Henderson, RHP (9-2, 2.48 ERA, 0.825 WHIP, 3.29 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Monday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, TBS (outside the Cubs and Brewers market territories)

Wednesday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Brewers market territories)

Thursday: 6:15 p.m. CT, Fox-TV (regional — coverage map). A reminder that if you subscribe to MLB.TV or MLB Extra Innings, you can watch this game via those services even if it’s not on the Fox affiliate in your market.

Prediction

I’m going to agree with my SB Nation colleague and call for a 2-2 series split.

Up next

The Cubs travel to Miami for a three-game series against the Marlins. That series begins Friday evening.

Days after hitting the waiver wire, reliever John Schreiber is making a new home in the Bronx.

The Yankees reportedly claimed Schreiber on Monday, according to MLB Insider Joel Sherman. The Royals placed him on waivers Saturday following their 8-3 win against the Guardians.

The 32-year-old right-hander joins the Yankees bullpen with a 3.65 ERA in 55 appearances with Kansas City this season. Through 49.1 innings pitched, however, Schreiber’s strikeout (17.7 percent) and walk (10.8 percent) numbers raise some questions that aren’t exactly reassuring for the September playoff push.

Sherman reported that he’ll be joining the roster on Tuesday, providing the Yankees with a 14th pitcher for the upcoming three-game series against the Angels. A spot opened Monday after the Yankees announced that reliever Justin Topa elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment.

This move will hopefully allow relievers David Bednar, Brent Headrick, and Paul Blackburn to take some much-needed rest after exhausting their efforts in the last few series against the Blue Jays, Astros, and Red Sox.

Schreiber first went to Kansas City in 2024 in a trade with the Red Sox for David Sandlin. He initially made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2019 and spent two seasons with the team before he was claimed by Boston.

The Royals reportedly sought options to part ways with Schreiber ahead of the August 3 trade deadline, but couldn’t find any trade partners eager to participate.

With the postseason looming, this move has the potential to work out well for the Yankees after losing both Fernando Cruz and Ryan Weathers to the IL. Accompanied by fellow new additions Michael Fulmer and Luis Gil, who was most recently called up on Sunday, Schreiber is an addition that can help the Yankees’ bullpen shut down any offense.

Clinging to hopes of claiming a wild-card playoff berth in the American League, the Baltimore Orioles have picked up center fielder Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the New York Mets.

The move gives the Orioles a right handed-hitting and former Gold Glove-winning center fielder for the final month of the regular season.

The waiver claim was first reported by SNY's Chelsea Janes.

Robert, who signed a free-agent deal with the Mets this past offseason, has been a disappointment in New York − battling a back injury and playing in just 58 games. Sandwiched around a trip to the 60-day injured list, Robert has posted a .223/.303/.399 slash line with 10 home runs and 23 RBIs.