Aug 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) pitches against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Though the Mets struck first in this game, they ultimately fell to the Astros 3-1, as Hunter Brown out-dueled Christian Scott, who was let down by the usually solid Nate Lavender in the sixth.
Technical difficulties with both television broadcasts due to a power outage in the truck meant that just like everybody else, I did not see the first four outs of this game, but both teams went quietly in the first inning. This repeated itself in the second inning; Christian Scott induced three ground ball outs in the top of the frame and Francisco Lindor made a very nice play to his right on one of them. Hunter Brown struck out six Mets in the first three innings, while Scott still had no strikeouts through four, but was still efficient.
The Mets finally managed to break through against Hunter Brown in the bottom of the fourth. Francisco Lindor led things off with a single. Bo Bichette was then retired on a fly out, but Carson Benge then doubled off the center field wall and Lindor scored on an aggressive send by Tim Leiper. Luckily for the Mets, the relay throw was off line to an almost absurd degree and Lindor scored easily, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Brown avoided further damage in the inning and then wriggled his way out of a jam in the fifth when Marcus Semien hit a leadoff single and Luis Torrens advanced him to third with one out. This was another situation where the Astros had a chance to nab a Met on the base paths with an accurate throw, but again the throw—this time by Daulton Varsho from center—was comically inaccurate. But Brown rendered this irrelevant by getting A.J. Ewing, who continues to struggle mightily at the plate, to ground into a double play, as his month without any runs batted in continued.
The sixth turned out to be the decisive frame for the Astros. Scott, who had been cruising, struck out Jeremy Peña to lead off the inning, but then issued three straight walks, the third of which to Jose Altuve on nine pitches. That ended Scott’s evening just shy of 100 pitches and Andy Green turned to Nate Lavender to navigate out of the bases loaded jam. Unfortunately, Lavender—who had been so steady since being called up—cracked this time. Daulton Varsho muscled a low pitch into right field for a single to give the Astros a 2-1 lead. Yanier Diaz followed with a single of his own off the end of the bat to plate the third run of the inning. All three runs were charged to Scott, but they ended Lavender’s spotless record with inherited runners.
Jonathan Pintaro pitched a scoreless seventh for the Mets, thanks in part to an excellent stab by Bo Bichette on an Isaac Paredes hot shot to third, which Bichette was able to convert into an inning ending double play. In the bottom of the frame, Marcus Semien laced a single with two outs, which finally ended Hunter Brown’s night. Brown did what other Astros pitchers have mostly been unable to do this season: go deep into the ballgame. He made way for Bryan Abreu, who allowed Semien to advance into scoring position on a wild pitch, but he bounced back to strike out Brett Baty to end the threat.
Both Dedniel Núñez and Kodai Senga kept the Mets within striking distance with dominant innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively, each notching a pair of strikeouts. But the Mets were retired in order in the eighth by Abreu and in the ninth by Josh Hader, who earned his 20th save of the season.
Big Mets winner: Christian Scott, +12% WPA Big Mets loser: Nate Lavender, -26% WPA Mets pitchers: -6% WPA Mets hitters: -44% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Carson Benge’s RBI double in the fourth, +14.7% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Daulton Varsho’s go-ahead RBI single in the sixth, -24.4% WPA
The 2026-27 season is almost here for the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs are entering this campaign with the goal of taking another step forward from their very successful 2025-26 season.
The Canadiens also have multiple pending free agents heading into the new season.
Due to this, here is a complete list of the Canadiens' pending unrestricted free agents and pending restricted free agents heading into the 2026-27 season.
Canadiens' Pending UFAs
Josh Anderson, F
Kirby Dach, F
Phillip Danault, F
Alexandre Carrier, D
Samuel Montembeault, G
Alex Belzile, F
Lucas Condotta, F
Reilly Walsh, D
Kaapo Kahkonen, G
Samuel Poulin, F (Group 6 Pending UFA)
Canadiens' Pending RFAs
Alex Newhook, F
Oliver Kapanen, F
Brett Berard, F
Jayden Struble, D
Florian Xhekaj, F
Filip Mesar, F
Owen Beck, F
Sasha Pastujov, F
Jared Davidson, F
Hunter McKown, F
Adam Engstrom, D
Ethan Samson, D
Maksymilian Szuber, D
Canadiens Have Some Notable Players Entering The Final Years Of Their Contracts
When looking at the Canadiens' pending UFAs and RFAs, there are a few notable names. Among the most notable are Newhook, Anderson, Dach, Kapanen, Carrier, Danault, Struble, and Montembeault. With that, the Canadiens will have some decisions to make, but especially with their pending UFAs.
It will be interesting to see how these players can perform during their contract years from here.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 28: Dylan Cease #84 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the first inning during a game against the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre on August 28, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Despite working with some of his worst stuff of the season, Dylan Cease carved through the Mariners’ lineup tonight. The Cy Young frontrunner did it the same way he did when he faced Seattle two months ago: sliders and changeups tumbling, pushing the Mariners to chase the fastball high. The meanest pitch was the one sinker he threw, a beauty that started out of the zone and snuck back in, freezing J.P. Crawford like a statue. Frankly, it was excessive.
Across two starts against the Mariners this season, Cease now has 17 strikeouts in 13 innings, against two walks and seven hits. For a guy who’s more of a whiff generator, the 33 called strikes stand out as a master class in getting what should be a good offense utterly puzzled as to what’s happening.
But even while he’s been locked in, he has not mastered his own humanity. And a classic human failing is hubris. So when he got Dominic Canzone to just stare helplessly at a middle-middle fastball in the first inning, Cease thought he could do no wrong. He tried it again. It didn’t go as well. A 113-mph rocket to right field gave Dom his 20th home run of the season. He’s gone yard off of four-seamers, two-seamers, cutters, sliders, curveballs, changeups, and splitters. He’s hit ‘em on the road and he’s hit em’ at home, on native soil and abroad, against righties and against lefties. It’s been a minute since we got a Dom bomb, but he’s been looking just fine, and you cannot sneak the same pitch by him twice, even if you’re one of the best pitchers in the game. This big fly, essentially the Mariners only offense in a blowout, and a salve from the barrage of hits off the bat of George Springer, gets Canzone his third Sun Hat Award.
The Mets offense couldn't muster much of anything in a 3-1 loss in the team's home series opener against the Houston Astros.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Right-handed flamethrower Hunter Brown didn't allow a single Mets baserunner until the third inning, when Marcus Semien drew a walk to lead off the frame.
-- Francisco Lindor led off the following inning with a single to notch the first Mets hit of the night. With one out, Carson Benge drove Lindor all the way home from first base with a double which clattered off the wall in center field. Benge moved up to third base on a Luis Robert Jr. ground out, but Jared Young flied out to left field to leave him on base with the Mets leading 1-0.
-- Brown escaped a jam in the fifth, with the Mets putting runners on first and third with one out. A.J. Ewing grounded into a double play.
-- Mets starter Christian Scott held the Astros to just one hit through five innings. However, in the sixth inning, after striking out Jeremy Pena to open the inning, Scott lost control, walking three straight batters to load the bases. Interim skipper Andy Green took the ball from his starter and called in lefty Nate Lavender from the bullpen. Lavender allowed his first runs (inherited, not earned) of 2026 when Daulton Varsho golfed a low breaking ball on an 0-2 count into right field to drive in two runners. The Astros tacked on a third run in the inning after Yainer Diaz poked a soft line drive into right field to beat New York's defensive shift. The inning ended with the Mets trailing 3-1.
-- After the wheels fell off in the sixth inning when all three Astros batters he walked came around to score, Scott's final line was stamped in as 5.1 IP, one hit allowed, five walks allowed, two strikeouts, and three earned runs across 96 pitches.
-- Semien's second single of the night finally knocked Brown out of the ballgame in the seventh inning. Houston's ace pitched to the tune of 6.2 innings, 10 strikeouts, one walk, five hits, and one earned run allowed. Bryan Abreu came in to relieve Brown with two outs away, and his wild pitch allowed Semien to advance to second base, but Abreu battled back to strike out Brett Baty and end the seventh inning.
-- Astros closer Josh Hader notched his 20th save of the season to put the nail in the coffin on a 3-1 Mets loss.
Game MVP: Hunter Brown
Brown was dominant all night, delivering a much-needed performance for an Astros team that is clinging onto a narrow lead in the AL West.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 28: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning during a game against the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre on August 28, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Blue Jays 8, Mariners 1
Notes from a secret admirer: Dominic Canzone, +0.03 WPA Keeping secrets: Emerson Hancock, -0.26 WPA
TAMPA, Fla — The Tampa Bay Rays got county approval Friday on a financing plan that will allow them to build a new stadium, a day after city officials approved their part for the $2.3 billion ballpark project that will replace the domed Tropicana Field.
The Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 on Friday to approve its $796 million share of the mixed-use entertainment district that includes a new 31,000-seat stadium that will be near Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rays’ new stadium is expected to open in 2029. The Tampa City Council city voted 4-3 on Thursday to approve $80 million.
Rays CEO Ken Babby said the team’s partnership with the county and city on the project secures the long-term future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay.
“We now look forward to celebrating before breaking ground with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa on a future that has long been doubted, but will indeed happen,” Babby said. “By making the Forever Home a reality, the Rays are now home forever in Tampa Bay.”
The Rays have committed to contributing at least $1.3 billion, plus any cost overruns. Another $30 million will come from federal disaster recovery funds.
The Rays ownership reached an agreement earlier this year with Hillsborough College to build the stadium and entertainment district on the campus and to renovate some of the school’s buildings. The property is located next to the New York Yankees’ spring training facility and across a highway from the NFL stadium.
Since the team’s inception in 1998, the Rays have played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, except for moving home games to the Yankees’ George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2025 following hurricane damage at the Trop. The Rays’ lease runs through at least the 2028 season. The team returned to the Trop last month for the start of this season.
A proposed $1.3 billion redevelopment deal for a new ballpark adjacent to the Trop fell through last year, raising new questions about the future of the team, which was bought last September by Patrick Zalupski’s ownership group.
“This has been a long and challenging process, and we know that transformational projects rarely come easily,” Zalupski said Friday. “Today’s vote represents an extraordinary milestone, not simply for the Rays or for a ballpark, but for the future of Tampa and the entire Tampa Bay region.”
The 2026-27 season is right around the corner. The Columbus Blue Jackets are entering this season with the hope of taking a step forward and getting back into the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
The Blue Jackets are also entering this season with multiple players who are pending free agents, both unrestricted and restricted.
Because of this, here's a full list of the Blue Jackets' pending free agents ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Blue Jackets' Pending UFAs
Danton Heinen, F
Isaac Lundestrom, F
Erik Gudbranson, D
Jake Christiansen, D
Elvis Merzlikins, G
Pheonix Copley, G
Owen Sillinger, F
Blue Jackets' Pending RFAs
Kirill Marchenko, F
Dmitri Voronkov, F
Kent Johnson, F
Luca Del Bel Belluz, F
Denton Mateychuk, D
Joshua Eernisse, F
Riley Bezeau, F
Max McCue, F
Jordan Dumais, F
James Malatesta, F
Guillaume Richard, D
Caleb MacDonald, D
Corson Ceulemans, D
Nolan Lalonde, G
Marchenko Headlines The Blue Jackets' Pending Free Agents
When looking at the Blue Jackets' pending free agents, it is clear that Marchenko is the biggest one. The star pending RFA winger has been the subject of trade speculation this summer, and it will be interesting to see if Columbus can convince him to stick around.
However, the Blue Jackets have other notable players like Johnson, Voronkov, and Mateychuk who will be due for new deals after this season.
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 22: Blade Tidwell #46 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the game at Fenway Park on August 22, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue this four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight from Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Blade Tidwell, who enters tonight’s game with a 3.58 ERA, 3.51 FIP, with 27 strikeouts to 12 walks in 32.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 3-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, in which he allowed just three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in five and two thirds innings.
He’ll be facing off against Diamondbacks left-handed rookie Kohl Drake, who enters tonight’s game with a 5.40 ERA, 5.48 FIP, with 13 strikeouts to six walks in 16.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Diamondbacks’ 5-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on August 6th, in which he allowed three runs on six hits with one strikeout and one walk in three and two thirds innings.
The San Francisco 49ers released a veteran running back before 53-man roster cuts.
The San Francisco 49ers have parted ways with veteran running back Patrick Taylor Jr. and have removed him from the team’s injured reserve list.
Because he was on the team’s injured list, Taylor’s does not count as a member of the team’s 90-man roster, meaning his release will not affect San Francisco’s path to narrowing the roster down to 53 players.
San Francisco 49ers running back Patrick Taylor Jr. running the ball against the Tennessee Titans. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The veteran running back has seen limited time on the field this preseason, despite competing for a spot on the team’s roster, as he had very little impact in their opener, when he had 5 carries for -5 yards.
In 2024, Taylor signed with the 49ers and appeared in 13 games, where he saw time as a rotational running back and ran the ball 39 times for 183 yards and scored 1 touchdown. He also had 3 receptions out of the backfield for 25 yards.
Like this year, he was in a similar role last season, competing for a backup spot on the 49ers roster, but would end up coming up short after suffering another injury and spending the season on the team’s injured reserve.
San Francisco 49ers veteran running back Patrick Taylor Jr. rushing through a pile of defenders. San Francisco Chronicle / Polaris
Taylor’s career began when he was picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2020. He spent the first four years of his career between the Packers and the New England Patriots.
Despite never playing in a game with New England, Taylor Jr. has had 47 carries for 444 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.
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DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 28: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a first inning pitch against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 28, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers (81-54) snapped their mini losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Tigers (62-72) Friday night in Detroit.
Tarik Skubal wasn’t involved in the decision, but his return to Comerica Park was a success. He allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks over six innings of work.
The Dodgers had tons of traffic all night, but they failed to cash in a whopping 15 men left on base. Skubal and the bullpen did a solid job in taming the bats of some good young players in the Detroit lineup.
Skubal returned to the mound at Comerica Park to a mixed response and weak ovation. Gleyber Torres welcomed him back with a booming double to center field to start things off for the Tigers.
Skubal struck out the side in the bottom of the fourth, picking up six strikeouts. Max Clark whiffed against the change to open the third. Skubal came back to strikeout Javier Baez with his fastball for strikeout no. 5, and Gleyber Torres looked at a changeup for strike 3 and another Skubal strikeout.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, chasing Anderson from the game a bit early. Teoscar Hernández opened the inning with a single, and Ohtani walked.
Drew Sommers relieved his fellow Drew (Anderson) out of the Detroit bullpen to face Muncy with the bases loaded. Sommers got the job done, striking out Muncy with the four-seamer to strand another three runners. The Dodgers already left seven men on base through five innings to that point.
Skubal was perfect after the leadoff Torres double to start the game, but Eduardo Valencia broke up the streak with a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh.
The Tigers’ No. 1 prospect Clark figured out Skubal in his second at-bat against him. His RBI triple lit up the crowd and put the Tigers ahead 1-0 against their old friend Skubal and his new team.
Kiké Hernández singled to right after Tucker reached second on an error, but Dino Ebel gave Tucker an aggressive wave home. Ben Malgeri threw him out at the plate from right field. Even when they managed a hit with runners in scoring position, the Dodgers failed to score.
Miguel Rojas was the one who came up with the game-tying pinch-hit single against Sommers.
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the seventh against the Detroit bullpen, but they failed to capture the go-ahead run.
Evan Phillips took over for Skubal out of the Dodgers bullpen and struck out the side on 10 pitches. Phillips has been back on track in his last 4-5 relief appearances.
Teoscar opened the eighth inning with a single and advanced to second on a Ben Rortvedt sac bunt. Teoscar moved to third on Ohtani’s groundout.
Freeman’s two-out base hit to center finally gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
The Dodgers finally put together a key double play of their own in the bottom of the eighth behind Brock Stewart. It got Stewart off the hook for a leadoff walk to Clark and Brett Callahan base hit.
Tanner Scott got the ball in the ninth and shut the door on the Tigers for his 20th save of the season and halted the mini losing skid.
Friday particulars
Home runs: none
WP — Evan Phillips (2-2): 1 IP, 3 strikeouts
LP — Jacob Waguespack (1-2): 1 1/3 IP, 2 hits, 1 run
S — Tanner Scott (20): 2 strikeouts in 1 IP
Up next
The Dodgers and Pirates continue the series on Saturday (10:10 a.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Blake Snell (2-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) counters Keider Montero (9-8, 3.30 ERA, 1.00 WHIP).
In his first game back in Detroit since being traded to the Dodgers, Tarik Skubal held the Tigers to four hits and one run in the Dodgers' 2-1 victory. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)
As Tarik Skubal crossed the field from the bullpen, he had to crane his neck to catch part of the tribute video playing on the massive screen behind him.
By the time he reached the Dodgers dugout, the crowd rose to give him an ovation. Skubal controlled his expression and wiped his face with the towel draped over his neck.
Less than four weeks ago, he said goodbye to the only organization he’d known — the Detroit Tigers drafted him in 2018 out of Seattle University. Now, he was back in the ballpark he’d called home for six years.
In the Dodgers’ 2-1 win Friday, Skubal showed why he was widely considered the best player available at the trade deadline, holding the Tigers to one run and four hits over six innings. The Dodgers’ offense continued to scuffle but did just enough to bounce back from a three-game sweep in Atlanta — the 14th time this month they played a game decided by a single run.
Skubal’s reception included some boos (and “Scuuuub”s) as he took the mound. Even though the trade was out of Skubal’s control, a faction of the Tigers fan base — including this reporter’s rideshare driver from the airport — was upset Skubal never reached an agreement for a contract extension with Detroit (62-72).
The Tigers’ last publicly discussed extension offer was four years and $75 million at the end of 2024 — which drastically pales in comparison to the contract he’s expected to garner in free agency this offseason.
The mutual affection between the player and Detroit, however, took center stage Friday, even as Skubal tamed the Tigers’ offense.
He quickly reined in his emotions. After a delay for a PitchCom malfunction, Skubal gave up a leadoff double to Detroit’s Gleyber Torres on a fastball down the middle. But then the left-hander retired the next 12 batters.
Skubal struck out the side in the third inning, getting Max Clark to swing through a changeup, Javier Báez to chase a high fastball and Torres to watch an off-speed pitch clip the bottom of the zone.
That streak ended with a double up the left-field line from Eduardo Valencia, who turned on an inside slider to lead off the fifth. Then with two outs, Clark stayed back on an outside fastball and sent it the other way for a triple that drove in the game’s first run.
Skubal induced Báez to fly out to center field and punched the palm of his glove on his way off the field.
The Dodgers (81-54) missed a chance to tie with one out in the sixth, when Kyle Tucker was thrown out at home trying to score on a pinch-hit single by Kiké Hernández. But they salvaged the inning when Teoscar Hernández drew a walk and Miguel Rojas smoked a single through the infield to tie the score.
In the seventh, the Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs and failed to squeeze in a run.
Evan Phillips took over on the mound in the bottom of the inning. Skubal’s pitch count stood at only 83, but he had thrown 100 pitches in each of his previous two starts.
The Dodgers finally took the lead in the eighth, manufacturing a run with singles from Teoscar Hernández and Freddie Freeman on either side of a sacrifice bunt from Ben Rortvedt.
Jets rookie running back Chip Trayanum was injured on the final play of the first half in Friday night's preseason game against the Giants.
Giants linebacker Trace Ford reached Trayanum just as quarterback Cade Klubnik handed the ball to Trayanum on the final play of the first half. Ford trucked Trayanum, who remained on the ground as medical personnel worked on him for several minutes.
Many of the Jets remained on the field, taking a knee and watching with concern.
Rich Cimini of ESPN reports that Trayanum appeared to be wearing a neck brace as he was strapped into the cart.
Trayanum had 12 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 25 yards in the first half.
The Jets report that Trayanum is headed to the hospital, but is awake, alert and has movement in his extremities.
They have ruled out sixth-round rookie guard Anez Cooper (shoulder).
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 28: Starting pitcher Michael Wacha #52 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 28, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What is there to say about Michael Wacha at this point? Do you think any teams are regretting not blowing the Royals away with an offer for him at the trade deadline? All I can say for sure is that the Royals and Royals fans can be very happy he’s still in KC, as he led the team to a 3-0 victory over the Guardians tonight.
Prior to tonight, Wacha’s best start of the season was back on April 11 when he pitched eight shutout innings against the White Sox. Tonight he matched that but struck out more, walked fewer, and allowed the same number of hits. To be specific, he gave up four hits (all singles), walked none, and struck out ten. Pretty damn good.
Early on, he looked fine but not utterly dominant. He got the first six outs in order, but only struck out one. The third inning was the first (and, as it turns out, only) inning he allowed multiple baserunners. In the bottom of the fourth, that all changed when he got José Ramírez to pop out to Carter Jensen, then struck out Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe. From then on, he struck out six while allowing only two more baserunners, including a strikeout looking of Steven Kwan to record his final out in the eighth. That made the first time Michael Wacha had struck out double digits in a game since he struck out 11 against KC for the Padres back in 2023.
The Royals’ offense appreciates the heck out of him for it because it was not a good night for them. They had multiple scoring opportunities, but struggled to get any of them home. Tanner Bibee got a lot of soft flyouts and popouts. The Royals’ only run of the night was scored in the fifth inning. Bobby Witt Jr. torched a ball over 110 MPH off the top of the high wall in left field. Jac Caglianone had gone 2-for-2 with a pair of singles prior to that point and hit a jam shot into right that Petey Halpin managed to run down, advancing Bobby to third. Then Salvy smoked a grounder that required Bryan Rochio to dive for it to keep it on the infield, but allowed Bobby to score easily.
The ninth inning was shaping up to be a disaster for the offense. Isaac Collins led off with a line drive into right that clanked off the glove of Jo Adell. Josh Rojas bunted him over to third, then the Royals pinch-ran Tyler Tolbert for him. The broadcast speculated that Kyle Isbel might attempt to squeeze him home, but instead Kyle swung away and struck out on a nasty Craig Yoho changeup. With two strikes, Carter Jensen seemed doomed to offer an encore of Isbel’s performance, and longtime Royals fans could just feel the Guardians gearing up for a walk-off win in the ninth off of Steven Cruz. But Yoho chose to offer a cutter to Carter instead of the changeup, and Carter got just enough of it to get it off the top of the wall and over.
The Missile still came on for the save in the ninth. He allowed two singles and a hit by pitch, but struck out a pair, including Ramírez, and got a soft ground out to end the game. So no harm was done.
Coming into tonight, both teams had been extremely hot and hitting the tar out of the ball. So naturally we had a low-scoring contest. But the good guys came out on top, and that’s what matters. They’ve got two more games in Cleveland and in August. Winning both of them would go a long way toward letting the dreamers dream.
The Royals will have a very tough matchup tomorrow afternoon. Seth Lugo (4.61 ERA, 4.51 SIERA) will go for KC. Foster Griffin (3.19 ERA, 3.86 SIERA) will go for Cleveland. The game will be at 3:10 Royals time. See you then.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 8: Les Snead of the Los Angeles Rams on the sideline during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium on October 8, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Los Angeles Rams enter the 2026 season with some of the highest expectations in the NFL, and the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook reflect that confidence. FanDuel currently lists the Rams at +500 to win Super Bowl LXI, making them the favorite to capture the Lombardi Trophy.
The Rams are completing the final touches on their roster as they work towards the 53 man roster limit. Teams working to get to their 53 may have to make some tough decisions; leaving other franchises potentially interested. The majority of players released will have to pass through waivers.
The NFL waiver system determines which team has the first opportunity to claim a player who has been waived. If multiple teams submit claims for the same player, the organization positioned highest in the waiver priority receives the player.
The Los Angeles Rams have an elite roster on paper right now and will likely release a handful of players that other teams have interest in. The Rams, themselves may have interest in cut candidates on other rosters but acquiring them may not be as easy.
Waiver Rules
For the initial waiver period following roster cutdowns, as well as the first three weeks of the regular season, waiver priority follows the league’s original draft order from that year. Trades involving draft picks and forfeited selections do not alter the waiver order.
Players with fewer than four accrued NFL seasons generally must pass through waivers when released. An accrued season is credited when a player spends at least six games on a team’s active roster, PUP list, or injured reserve.
Once a qualifying player is waived, other teams have an opportunity to submit a claim, with the waiver period typically lasting 24 hours. Players with four or more accrued seasons, often referred to as veterans, generally are not subject to the standard waiver process.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 28: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts walking to the dugout prior to playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 28, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Tigers were unable to spoil Tarik Skubal’s homecoming. The now Dodgers ace had a pretty normal, excellent but nothing special start, while Tigers pitching dealt with a ton of traffic on the bases all night long. They held up enough to make it close, but the offense couldn’t cope with Dodgers pitching, losing 2-1 in front of a big Friday night crowd at Comerica Park.
Drew Anderson took the mound against Tarik Skubal on Friday night in front of a pretty packed crowd out to welcome the former Tigers’ ace home, and hopefully beat him. Anderson started off well, quickly retiring the first two batters he faced, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman on swinging strike threes.. He then walked Mookie Betts and Max Muncy, but escaped by getting Tommy Edman to ground out to first.
At that point it was Skubal time, and the former Tigers’ ace was clearly feeling overwhelmed by emotion as he entered from the visitor’s bullpen to cheers and a video tribute on the scoreboard. He saluted the fans and his old teammates in the Tigers dugout as he wiped his eyes with a towel. He got a standing ovation as he took the mound in the bottom of the first, and then everyone got down to business again.
A first pitch Skubal heater was smoked for a double by Gleyber Torres, but the big lefty dialed in and punched out Hao-Yu Lee and Kevin McGonigle, with Dillon Dingler flying out to Alek Thomas in center field to end the first.
Anderson held serve in the second with a quick 1-2-3 inning to get his pitch count back in order. He dusted Teoscar Hernandez with a good high fastball in that tied him up. Skubal whiffed Eduardo Valencia and got Ben Malgeri and Spencer Torkelson, the latter of which lined out to Betts at shortstop .
Anderson gave up a leadoff walk to Hunter Feduccia to start the third, but erased him on a double play ball from Ohtani. He then walked Freeman, but dusted Betts to end the inning. Skubal tore through Max Clark, Javy Báez, and Torres, striking out the side.
Anderson gave up one out singles to Edman and Tucker in the top of the fourth, but Thomas grounded into a double play to end that threat. Lee lined out to Edman in right to start the bottom of the third. McGonigle and Dingler grounded out, and we were quickly on to the fifth.
Hernandez lined a single to left to open the fifth. Feduccia flew out, but Anderson walked Ohtani. A long at-bat against Freeman followed, in which Freddie fouled off a bunch of good pitches and Dingler wasted a challenge. Eight foul balls in the at-bat had Anderson frustrated, but Dingler called for a change of pace with the curveball, and a perfect one whiffed Freeman. Still, Anderson was at 85 pitches. Betts lined a one-hopper to Lee, who couldn’t handle it, but fortunately the ball didn’t bounce far away and everyone had to hold up with one base. The bases were loaded, and Anderson’s day was done. Drew Sommers entered, looking to keep this a scoreless deadlock.
A pair of heaters got him ahead 0-2 against Max Muncy. He missed high with a fourseamer, and Muncy fouled off the next one. He missed with another one away trying to catch him fishing. The next one jammed him and was fought off for a foul. Sommers wasn’t giving in and trying to mix in the slider. He fired a perfect 96 mph heater up and in but still in the zone and Muncy swung through it. Great job working through that inning, and the score was still tied 0-0, but there was a long way to go and a lot of outs for the Tigers bullpen to collect.
First, the Tigers needed to get Skoobs out of the game. Valencia gave them a shot with a leadoff double to left. Malgeri grounded out, and Skubal locked up Torkelson with a perfect backdoor slider. Tork blew the Tigers’ last challenge on a pitch fully in the zone, which didn’t help matters. Fortunately, Max Clark was there, and he smoked a 1-2 heater at 99 mph right down the left field line at 105 mph off the bat to plate Valencia. The ball rattled around and Hernandez couldn’t retrieve it immediately as Clark roared into third with an RBI triple. 1-0 Tigers. Báez drilled a ball deep to center, but Thomas had it without issue, and we were onto the sixth.
Sommers locked up Edman in a 2-2 count with a heater right down the gut to start the sixth. Tucker grounded one to McGonigle at shortstop with a broken bat, and McGonigle collected the slow roller and threw it over Torkelson into the Dodgers dugout, putting the runner on second. The right-handed Enrique Hernandez pinch-hit for Alek Thomas at that point. Hernandez fell behind 0-2, but then rifled a fastball on a line to right field for a single, but Malgeri picked it and fired a strike home to Dingler to cut down Tucker at the plate. Heck of a play by Ben Malgeri there.
Of course, that was only two outs, and Hernandez battled Sommers into a 3-2 count, and the lefty missed away to walk him. So there were runners on first and second, and Miguel Rojas entered to pinch-hit for Feduccia. He got a first pitch sinker and smoked it past McGonigle on a line to tie the game 1-1. That brought Ohtani to the plate, and the situation was far from ideal. However, Sommers got him to foul off a pair of heaters and then locked him up high and away in the corner of the strike zone to turn the Dodgers away. The McGonigle error was costly, but it was still a tie game at 1-1. Sommers was at 27 pitches and likely done. Chris Fetter was seen holding Sommers by the shoulders and pumping him up after a good outing. However, figuring out how to get the next nine outs was the issue.
Torres was still seeing Skubal well, and after battling him for a while, lined a leadoff single to start the bottom of the sixth. Lee bounced one to Betts, who got Torres at second, but they couldn’t turn the double play as Lee beat feet down the line. McGonigle was having less fun with Skubal, and flew out to Hernandez in left. Dingler got a good pitch to hit and drilled a drive to right field, but Tucker was there to turn the Tigers away.
Tyler Holton took over in the seventh, but Freeman greeted him with a sharp single. A good fading changeup away whiffed Betts, and Holton quickly popped Muncy up to McGonigle for the second out. An 0-1 changeup to Edman’s was in the dirt and bounced away from Dingler to get Freeman to second. Edman’s chased a changeup well away to get the count to 1-2, but Holton yanked a cutter and hit him on the leg. Kyle Tucker, who is going through a nightmarish season after signing a huge deal with the Dodgers, got ahead 2-0, but Holton worked back to 3-2 as Jacob Waguespack was warming up. Then the lefty missed and walked Tucker to load the bases. A.J. Hinch bounced out of the dugout to make the change as Hernandez came to the plate. The right-hander did the job, popping up Hernandez to again strand the bases loaded.
The Tigers were playing with fire all game long, but they’d escaped so far and a couple of runs could put the Dodgers in a tight spot. With Skubal out of the game, their odds looked a little better.
Dave Roberts turned to right-hander Evan Phillips to start the bottom of the seventh, and Hinch countered with Colt Keith batting for Valencia. Keith struck out swinging, and Phillips stayed with the heat and blew away Malgeri as well. Torkelson took a first pitch heater for a strike, was approximately five minutes late swinging at the next one, and a sweeper down and away in the dirt drew a feeble whiff to end the inning.
Waguespack gave up a leadoff single to Hernandez, and once again in the eighth the Tigers would have to dig themselves out of an inning. Ben Rortveldt, catching after Feduccia was lifted, dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt to move the runner to second. That brought Shohei to the dish. Waguespack fell behind 3-1, and walking him didn’t seem like the worst idea. A high fastball was fouled off, and Ohtani pulled a curveball foul down the right field line. Waguespack, whose teal glove contrasted nicely with the orange alternate jerseys, came back with a good heater at the bottom of the zone, and Ohtani pulled a ground to Torres for the second out. That brought Freeman to the plate, and as Benetti discussed walking him to pitch to Betts, Waguespack fired a first pitch heater and Freeman lined an RBI single for a 2-1 lead. Betts lined out to Clark, but the Tigers were now down a run and would face a really tough right-hander in Brock Stewart in the bottom half.
Max Clark coolly took three straight balls to get in a great hitter’s count. Stewart countered with a pair of strikes, but missed away with the 3-2 to put the speedy Clark on first to start the bottom half of the eighth. Brett Callahan pinch-hit for Javy Báez and ripped an 0-1 changeup to right for a sharp single. Torres, who had two hits already…grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. So, Clark was at third with two outs as Lee stepped to the dish. Stewart missed with three straight as Lee stayed patient, and Dave Roberts decided to give Lee an intentional pass. He then called on lefty Alex Vesia to try to get Kevin McGonigle in a bat that would likely decide the game. Vesia fired a first pitch fastball and McGonigle drove one high and deep into the right center field corner, but he lifted it a bit too much and Enrique Hernandez hauled it in just before the warning track.
Tyler Kinley handled the top of the ninth for the Tigers. Claimed off waivers from the Braves on Monday, Kinley quickly collected the first two outs, but then walked Kyle Tucker. That was the eighth walk issued by Tigers pitchers on the night. Tucker stole second, and it didn’t matter as Kinley walked Enrique Hernandez as well. Surely this wouldn’t become an issue, right? Teoscar Hernandez was up next. A pair of good sliders drew whiffs, and they tried again but Hernandez just held up. In a 1-2 count, Kinley missed away with a fourth straight slider, and a fifth over the middle was popped into the seats. Would he try to sneak a fastball past Hernandez? Nope. Another slider drew a foul pop-up that Lee charged in and handled to end the inning. The Dodgers were now 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position, with 15 LOBsters.
Southpaw closer Tanner Scott took the mound in the bottom half to close it out against Dingler, Keith, and Malgeri. Dingler took a nasty 2-2 slider down for a ball, but a second one up in the zone locked him up and he swung late to strike out. Corey Julks entered to hit for Keith against the lefty and grounded out to Betts. Malgeri was also locked up by Scott’s heavily tilting fastball and whiffed to end this one.
The Tigers put up a fight but while the Dodgers struggled to score in this one, the Tigers lineup got a good dose of elite caliber pitching in this one and managed just five hits and two walks drawn, while the Dodgers had nine hits and nine walks. It could’ve been worse, but either way it’s an L in the record books.
The Tigers are now 62-72 and 2-8 in their last ten to finally put any lingering playoff hopes to bed. RHP Keider Montero will take the mound against LHP Blake Snell on Saturday at 1:10 p.m. ET.
