The Cubs lost two of three to the Braves in Atlanta back in May, scoring only five runs in the series.
That was so long ago that Pete Crow-Armstrong batted ninth, eighth and ninth in the three games and Moisés Ballesteros was the starting catcher in the series opener.
Since that series ended the Cubs are 55-51 and the Braves 58-48, only three games apart. Now both teams are trying to nail down postseason positions, the Braves the NL East title and the Cubs the first wild card spot.
For more on the Braves, here’s Demetrius Bell, manager of our SB Nation Braves site Battery Power.
The last time these two teams squared off, everybody invested in the Braves was hoping that what they’d seen from this team over the first month-and-a-half of the season was legit. Here we are in September and the Braves have a very tight grip on the NL East lead and they’re still fighting for the second seed in the National League, so I’d say that this team has proven to be legit.
With that being said, this definitely hasn’t been the type of season where the team simply puts it in cruise control and waits for October. The Braves had an awful malaise in June that nearly caused them to lose their divisional lead and a lot of that was due to the fact that the offense suffered a sustained and collective slump. Obviously they’ve recovered since then but the consistency of Atlanta’s offense is still a reasonable concern — they’ve only had a 90 wRC+ as a team since the start of August and that wRC+ goes down to 68 when it comes to their performance on the road.
I’m not anticipating the Braves to score a ton of runs during this series, though it would be cool to see Ronald Acuña Jr. keep up the fiery pace that he’s been on in recent times. Matt Olson has been slumping lately but he had a strong series against the Phillies and he could play a big factor as well. Michael Harris II has been consistent all season so if there’s anybody who could be relied upon to at least keep the line going, it’s him. Mauricio Dubón has essentially been a veritable Swiss army knife for the Braves this season and it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he played a big role in any success that the Braves have in Chicago this week.
The strength of this team is the pitching. Despite the fact that it’s felt like the rotation has constantly been in flux this season, the pitching staff has still managed to get it done at a very high level. A lot of that has essentially come down to the bullpen for Atlanta being excellent as well. For most of the season, it’s basically been a case of Atlanta hoping that whoever is starting for them can give them six innings and keep them in the game since the opposing team will usually be kept quiet from the seventh inning onwards. While Dylan Lee has been slowing down a bit lately, guys like Didier Fuentes, Dylan Dodd, Victor Mederos, Brent Suter and Ray Kerr have really been effective coming out of the ‘pen lately. Raisel Iglesias is prone to an adventure or two but usually he’s able to bring things home for the Braves in the end when it comes to saves.
Basically, if the Braves can keep things relatively low-scoring then I like their chances. If they’re unable to keep the Cubs quiet, I don’t like their chances in a slugfest. It should be fun to see how it goes!
Fun facts
The Cubs dropped two of three games when the teams met at Atlanta on May 12-14, losing by 5-2 and 4-1 before winning, 2-0.
The Cubs won their next game the next night, 10-5 over the White Sox on the South Side, then lost 10 in a row.
The Cubs’ 4-3 win over the Braves at Wrigley Field on Sept. 2 of last year was their 700th at home in the ancient rivalry, against only 466 losses. That .600 winning percentage is the Cubs’ best against any current team that they have hosted in more than 26 games.
Neither team has swept a series at Wrigley since the Cubs won four straight in 2015. They won three in 2017, then lost the fourth. They won two, then lost, in 2022 and last year.
The Braves’ last sweep at Wrigley was in 2006. This will be the 19th series between the teams on the North Side since then.
(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
Probable pitching matchups
Monday: David Peterson, LHP (4-2, 4.41 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, 4.46 FIP in 13 games with Cubs; 7-8, 5.28 ERA, 1.576 WHIP, 4.15 FIP in 29 games overall) vs. Reynaldo Lopez, RHP (4-4, 4.13 ERA, 1.389 WHIP, 4.41 FIP)
Tuesday: Kevin Gausman, RHP (4-2, 5.31 ERA, 1.282 WHIP, 4.62 FIP in seven starts with Cubs; 9-12, 4.60 ERA, 1.287 WHIP, 3.77 FIP in 30 starts overall) vs. Martin Perez, LHP (8-9, 3.08 ERA, 1.246 WHIP, 4.24 FIP)
Monday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Braves market territories)
Tuesday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, TBS (outside the Cubs and Braves market territories)
Wednesday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Prediction
On paper these pitching matchups don’t look great, but I think the Cubs will rise to the occasion and take two of three.
Up next
The Cubs have Thursday off, then play a one-series, three-game road trip at Great American Ballpark against the Cincinnati Reds beginning Friday evening.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 09: Miguel Vargas #20 of the Chicago White Sox reaches second base on a double past the tag of Brayan Rocchio #4 of the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Rate Field on August 09, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the season’s final month halfway over, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.
(Note: Records and standings are up to date through games played on Sunday, September 13th.)
First Place: Chicago White Sox (76-73)
Top Position Player: Miguel Vargas (4.4 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Sean Burke (2.9 fWAR)
The White Sox had sorta been coasting for months as the AL’s No. 2 seed in a very dreadful division in a league where the best three teams all reside on the East Coast. Up until a few weeks ago, they weren’t in any danger, holding a 5.5-game lead as of August 16. Since then, though? They’ve lost five games to the surging Guardians while stumbling to 10 losses in their last 14 games. They enter this week with just a half-game lead heading into an important series with Cleveland, beginning tonight.
The offense is what’s trying to keep this team above water, as the young nucleus that we’ve all come to know this season has been remarkably consistent (for the most part). All-Stars Miguel Vargas and Tristan Peters are both continuing to hit, while they’re getting value across the board from guys like Chase Meidroth, Sam Antonacci, Colson Montgomery, and Yankee killer Randal Grichuk as a platoon bat. The guy everyone’s watched like a hawk all season, though, is Munetaka Murakami. He was awesome to start the year, but hasn’t been the same since his injury. Since August 1, he’s slashing just .140/.276/.322 with a 69 wRC+ and a 40 percent strikeout rate.
As I said, the offense is what’s kept them afloat. The pitching has been vulnerable, with their planned ace, Davis Martin, hitting a big midseason wall after a hot start. Sean Burke would probably start a potential Game 1 for them at this point, but the bigger issue is how things line up behind them, as Anthony Kay and Erick Fedde have been so-so all season long. They have a top-10 bullpen by ERA with high-leverage options in Bryan Hudson, Grant Taylor, and former Brave Sean Newcomb, but it gets shallow after that. Seranthony Dominguez and Jordan Hicks’ walk rates are way too high to trust in October.
Second Place: Cleveland Guardians (76-74)
Top Position Player: Chase DeLauter (3.2 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Parker Messick (4.5 fWAR)
With how mediocre the American League is this year, the Guardians have never quite been out of it, but there have been some times when it looked pretty bleak. They were 61-66 on August 19 after losing 18 of 25 and were falling behind the pack, even in an incredibly mediocre wild-card race. Since then, they’ve essentially mirrored the White Sox’s futility by going 15-8, pulling to within a half game and narrowly leading the Blue Jays and Rangers for the third wild card. They’d need to sweep the White Sox this week to get the tiebreaker, but even just winning the series would be huge to end the ChiSox’s 53-day streak of being alone in first.
They’ve gotten back into this division race despite an incredibly mediocre offense that hits way fewer homers than almost anyone else with a 94 wRC+. Rookie Chase DeLauter’s been their most consistent bat, while Travis Bazzana is heating back up after a post-All-Star break slump. Their defense-first catching platoon of Patrick Bailey and Austin Hedges has shockingly shown some life offensively, but this team’s playoff chances will ride and die on José Ramírez. The 33-year-old has had his worst season since 2015 around a month-long hand injury, sitting with just a 91 wRC+ entering Sunday.
With that underwhelming offense, how do they have a fighter’s chance at the division and a first-round bye? Their pitching has been spectacular again. Gavin Williams looks like an ace with one of the league’s best strikeout rates, while Parker Messick is having one of the best rookie seasons by a starting pitcher that we’ve seen in a while. It’s a whole bunch of solid behind them too with a good amount of health, as 140 of their 150 starts this year have been made by their five starting pitchers.
As has usually been their strength, they’ve also ridden a pretty good bullpen. It’s the same guys who defined them in 2024, with the exception of you know who. Cade Smith is one of the best closers in baseball and is being set up by Matt Festa, Tim Herrin, and Hunter Gaddis. You look up and down their bullpen, and this might be the deepest unit in the sport. They have five or six guys that they’d probably trust in leverage, which, when you combine that with two guys who can consistently go deep in games, that’s dangerous in a playoff setting.
Third Place: Minnesota Twins (70-79)
Top Position Player: Ryan Jeffers (2.9 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Joe Ryan (2.6 fWAR)
We’re going to get a good look at a desperate Twins team that made the controversial choice to buy at the deadline, seeing an opportunity in a very rough AL wild-card race. Unfortunately for them, they’ve played much worse after the deadline and are entering late September five games behind the Guardians after a 14-22 post-deadline stretch. Their season is as good as dead, something the Yankees can officially bring to the morgue this week in the Twin Cities.
They have a handful of really good hitters that kept them in contention for a long time, but injuries are taking a toll as they always do. Yankees deadline target Ryan Jeffers missed extended time with a broken hamate bone, but has continued to rake upon his return. More lower-body injuries continue to doom Byron Buxton, who’s been ruled out for the season after being placed on the injured list for the third time this year with a hip issue. Kody Clemens’ breakout and Luke Keaschall’s emergence have stabilized their infield situation, but it’s a unit that isn’t quite doing enough to get them in a playoff spot.
They’ve gotten great seasons from Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley, who’ve made 53 combined starts with an ERA around 3.70, but it gets bad after that, displaying the weakness of this team. Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews, and Connor Prielipp are replacement-level guys being backed up by an underwhelming bullpen. Their closer is former Yankees prospect Yoendrys Gomez, who’s been pretty effective in his first season as a real big leaguer.
The decision to soft buy at the deadline for a team devoid of investment is going to hang over this season and the Pohlads. They got Dean Kremer, Jeff Hoffman, and AJ Minter as their headline pieces, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s a half-measure for a team that was on a shaky foundation. There are too many guys on this team who are free agents in the next two years, so the soft-buying strategy for a team that would be heavy underdogs in the postseason is pretty confusing.
Fourth Place: Detroit Tigers (70-79)
Top Position Player: Kevin McGonigle (4.9 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Tarik Skubal (3.0 fWAR)
This is a team that gave up at the deadline, but tried to make a run anyway in mid-August, briefly climbing into a wild-card spot before going on a predictable skid and now finds itself on the periphery with time dwindling. It’s a big step back for the Tigers from their ALDS berth last year, but there are certainly positives to take away.
The biggest positive of them all is the emergence of a pair of stars at two of the most important positions in the sport. Kevin McGonigle will be the runaway Rookie of the Year with a very mature approach and extremely consistent offensive production, while Dillon Dingler is emerging as one of the best catchers in the sport with supreme defense and All-Star offense, even if he’s slumped in the second half. Riley Greene has also continued to be pretty awesome, as has old friend Gleyber Torres. They’ve even gotten some great cameos from recent call-ups Max Clark and Eduardo Valencia. The negatives here are the regression of 2025 Silver Slugger Zach McKinstry and the stagnation of former No. 1 pick Spencer Torkelson, but it’s an offense you gotta love going forward.
Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize are gone, so this has been a makeshift rotation ever since the deadline. Framber Valdez has been the constant all season, having an underwhelming but overall acceptable first year in Detroit. Troy Melton has been a complete revelation, being one of the best starters in baseball who’ve made at least 15 starts. Keider Montero has worked well in a swingman role, trading a spot in the rotation with bulk relief every other outing. All in all, it’s a solid group, especially if the recently returned Jackson Jobe can put together some good starts to end.
You’ve heard a lot of good things about this team, so here’s the bad. The bullpen is incredibly bad. They’ve heavily underperformed their run differential because of some horrific high-leverage relief and some pretty bad managing from ex-Astros skipper AJ Hinch. The ERAs all look pretty good, but they’ve blown a bunch of saves by overworking Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen with a very rigid bullpen structure. Tyler Holton and a rookie Drew Sommers have been good all year, but it hasn’t been enough to save this unit or their season.
Fifth Place: Kansas City Royals (66-84)
Top Position Player: Bobby Witt Jr. (6.5 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Noah Cameron (3.1 fWAR)
I’m never particularly high on the Royals as a very shallow, low-payroll team, but they’re a team that had high aspirations after their 2024 playoff run and have subsequently disappointed in back-to-back seasons. They have finished the season pretty well, going 16-10 in their last 26 including a nine-game winning streak.
The offense is Bobby Witt Jr. and eight guys who aren’t. He’s going to be the runner-up in MVP voting for the second time in three years, and might’ve had a good chance to get that award if his bat was closer to his 10-WAR 2024 self. Outside of him, Jac Caglianone has broken out in a big way, and Carter Jensen has made a name for himself behind the plate. It’s been a brutal year for Team Italy captain Vinnie Pasquantino and a down year for former All-Star Maikel Garcia, so if you’re looking at guys to step up for a better 2027, it’s them.
Noah Cameron and Michael Wacha have combined to make 56 starts with sub-4 ERAs apiece, but they’ve struggled to find depth behind them. Their best-performing starter outside that tandem? Randy Dobnak, who you might remember from the 2019 ALDS. Seth Lugo has a 4.99 ERA in 30 starts as the only other guy to make at least 15, and it’s been a hodgepodge to try and fill the rest of the rotation.
It’s not like the bullpen’s been much better. John Schreiber, currently on the Yankees after being claimed off waivers, was their best reliever. Daniel Lynch IV has gotten away with a pretty small strikeout rate, but everyone else? Big regression for Matt Strahm, and Lucas Erceg hasn’t helped.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 7: Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants prepares for the game at Oracle Park on August 7, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you’re a dumb idiot like me who thinks the San Francisco Giants having one of their worst seasons ever is a bad thing, then I have just the post to help you really stick it to whiners like me. The Giants aren’t bad. The process wasn’t flawed. The learning curves for Buster Posey, Zack Minasian, or Tony Vitello and his coaching staff were small, if they even existed. There’s a simple, irrefutable fact: the Giants just had so many injuries this season.
That’s it. That’s the epitaph.
When we get into the offseason and see sites and platforms trash the Giants for what happened to them in 2026 and project their future records negatively as result, the real ball knowers will be able to point and laugh at them for ignoring the most obvious thing in the world. The Giants had more injuries than any team could stand and that’s why they performed below projections and below their franchise norms.
And that won’t be the case in 2027, snooty internet writer, because
Buster Posey has no doubt been meeting with the ownership group all season and will again before they lockout the players this winter, and when they ask him what went wrong — and maybe even before that when he gives a defensive and probably vacuous end of the season presser — he’ll be able to say “Bruh, check out that IL. No team can survive that.” Buster is the biggest believer that the team has gotten better throughout the season —
“I know it is easy to look at the record and say good things aren’t happening,” Posey said. “But our guys are working hard every day, and that’s a reflection on Tony and his work ethic. The effort is there, and that is important. There is improvement.”
So, I should think it’s no problem and far from unfair to predict what he’ll say very soon. And, guess what, he’d be right! At least, for the ball knowers. For the geeks, freaks, and losers like me, we’ll be stuck on results. I won’t be able to come to grips with the team’s first-ever 5-year stretch of no winning seasons. Or the decade of futility (sorry, 2021 — though, that team did lose to the Dodgers in the playoffs). But I should, because that’s what good and smart fans and media people and the team itself will do. They will point to the record and say, Minasianly, “Yeah, but there were so many injuries. That’s probably a 90-win team if it’d stayed healthy.”
Matt Chapman’s frustrating and brief season? Injury. Willy Adames in his flop era? Nah. He got hurt. Jung Hoo Lee being an average-at-best hitter and below average defender? Uhh… injury, maybe? Logan Webb? Not cooked! Just injured! Rafael Devers’ ugly and then beautiful season? Injury.
A quick note on Devers since I definitely look silly having written what I wrote back in June — he almost immediately turned around his season after I hit PUBLISH. I’ll wear the thesis, but the underlying stuff still holds up: 46th percentile bat speed, 46th percentile chase rate, 25th percentile Whiff rate, 23rd percentile K% — but he did up his zone contact rate (77.7%) and as someone who does damage when making contact, this noticeable uptick (+3.8%) surely made most of the difference — chalk that up to him not liking little dorks like me writing negatively about him or maybe it was simply getting comfortable once and for all on a team that likes and wants him on it. But then he got hurt — or… he was hurt all season. In any case, Buster won the trade, the Giants will be great next year because Devers was great this year, and if the rest of the team had stayed healthy all year — and Devers — we’d be looking ahead to the playoffs in a couple of weeks.
Right?
There’s still the matter of the pitching staff. Tyler Mahle was hurt, but then he got better, and then really good once he was traded away. Is that a sign that Atlanta is better or evidence that Mahle is less hurt? Since we have to defend Buster Posey as the face of the franchise, it’s certainly the latter. Remember, the Giants fixed Adrian Houser in-season… and then he got hurt.
Injury explains everything. The projected bullpen that the other Brian Murphy of KNBR criticized Buster for earlier in the season was hurt by all of those injuries. That’s the only explanation. Keaton Winn is an ace reliever if he doesn’t get hurt. Now, should his injury history have been taken into consideration when projecting his season? I would say yes under any other circumstance, but maybe I’m not giving Buster Posey & co. a fair shake. The tidal wave of Matt Gage, Sam Hentges, JT Brubaker, Joel Peguero, Jose Butto, Trevor McDonald and Carson Whisenhunt disrupted the team’s plans and shook up the bullpen roles before they could settle.
The Giants have not been able to really get on a roll because of all the injuries, and as Tony Vitello surmised this week, the belief that this team could really be something didn’t take hold in the clubhouse this season. From his Q&A with Andrew Baggarly:
Did the team’s rough start keep you from being the kind of person you want to be in this job?
I think a little bit. I think it’s been easier for me to be myself the deeper the season’s gotten. I assume people predicted (the Giants would be a) contender on paper; we added some guys, it’s Rafi’s (Rafael Devers) first full year, new vibe, and spring training was so good. I think everyone deep down felt we’re gonna take the world by storm, and when we didn’t right out of the chute, it put everybody on their heels, and I’d be guilty of that too. So that ultimately, I think, answers the question.
You know what doesn’t help people get off their heels over the course of a long season? Injuries!
Now, I don’t really like this excuse or explanation, but I think it’s the one that will find purchase. There’s data to back it up. It’ll be one of the rare times when data is used by the non-data crowd, sure, but I can’t refute that the Giants have had a lot of injuries and basically all of their key players have been hurt for huge chunks of the season. There are still people who are — rightfully — burned by the non-injury stuff the Giants have presented to fans this season and that isn’t going away, but for the crowd who insists that “real life” not intrude on their “escape,” INJURIES can be the battle cry.
Look, I’m doing this because if I seem to be running interference or making excuses for Buster Posey, then maybe fewer people will think it’s a good idea this offseason. That’s right. I’m tainting this take. To the takes-havers out there… you don’t want to sound like Bryan Murphy from McCovey Chronicles, do you?
Think about it. Buster Posey doesn’t have to answer any tough questions because he has an easy answer. Every question involving specificity can be returned with a “That’s definitely something we would’ve liked to have seen during the course of the season if we’d managed to stay healthier.” And, look, leading the fan base’s disappointment into a cul-de-sac of player health is just smart management. Now, Buster gets to shift things to Dave Groeschner and his staff. They get to talk about looking into things to see if they can figure out to what led to so many players having these big injuries. But also, they have a couple of carry overs to help explain away the 17 players on the 60-day IL.
They signed Rowan Wick knowing this would be a rehab year.
Randy Rodriguez is a young arm and that happened last season.
And then where some of the blame can be shifted onto the players.
Harrison Bader isn’t on the 60-day IL for any other reason than his own behavior.
Was Matt Chapman totally open about his pain from the very beginning or is he like most gamers and simply wants to play and will obfuscate to keep playing?
Maybe some of the guys — Houser, Whisenhunt, Gage — were trying to do more than they had to in order to stay on the radar.
I’m not saying this is what will happen, only that the “The injuries explain everything” gives the team a nice big space to vent some of the heat they could face once the 2026 season’s death rattle concludes. Buster Posey and Zack Minasian didn’t have a bad season. After all, they finally fixed the offense. If you take out April, August, and September, their team wRC+ of 107 was 7th-best in the sport. They scored nearly as many runs as the Phillies and more than the Yankees!
A season lost to injury gets to avoid the label of “bad” or “failure,” because injuries are beyond a team’s control and even the most conservative projections — ah, forget it. Simpsons reference:
Well, Buster Posey had nine misfortunes, so this season is a mulligan! Just bad luck. Buster wins again!
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 24: A detailed view of an MLB logo on an on deck circle is seen at Nationals Park on August 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers open a series against the Reds in Cincinnati on Monday, and can clinch a playoff berth with a win. If the Dodgers lose to the Reds, they can also clinch a playoff berth on Monday with both a Padres loss to the Rockies at Coors Field and a Diamondbacks loss to the Marlins in Arizona.
Here is the math behind it.
National League standings entering Monday
Brewers 93-57
Dodgers 90-59
Braves 88-62
Cubs 83-67
Phillies 83-67
Padres 81-68
Diamondbacks 79-71
As it stands now, the Padres are 2 1/2 games up on the D-backs for the third and final wild card spot. The Dodgers are nine games up on the Padres with 13 to play, with a magic number of four to win the National League West, since Los Angeles has already clinched the season series against San Diego, winning seven of heir first 10 matchups, with three left to play next week.
But this is about clinching a playoff spot, which for the Dodgers means guaranteeing they are better than the No. 7 seed, currently is the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers do not have the tiebreaker against Arizona, going 6-7 against them.
Why the Dodgers can clinch on Monday comes down to a potential three-team tie for two spots, and that the Padres and D-backs still have three games against each other in the final weekend of the regular season, September 25-27 at Petco Park in San Diego.
If three teams end up tying, the first tiebreaker is their record against the other two teams. Entering Monday, here’s how that stands:
Dodgers 13-10 vs. Padres, D-backs D-backs 12-11 vs. Dodgers, Padres Padres 8-12 vs. Dodgers, D-backs
The worst-case scenario for the Dodgers is losing out, but let’s look at what that looks like after Monday.
If the Dodgers win Monday, they have 91 wins, with the Padres at 68 losses and D-backs at 71 losses
If the Dodgers lose, they have 90 wins, but two losses means Padres at 69 losses, D-backs 72 losses
In both scenarios, the Dodgers losing out after Monday and Arizona winning out would leave them tied at either 91-71 or 90-72. That would also mean the Padres lose at least three games (to the Diamondbacks), putting them at either 71 or 72 losses.
Let’s give San Diego the benefit of the doubt and assume they otherwise win out, so that’s a three-team tie for two spots. But with these updated head-to-head records among the three teams:
D-backs 15-11 vs. Dodgers, Padres Dodgers 13-13 vs. Padres, D-backs Padres 11-12 vs. Dodgers, D-backs
In a three-team tie, the Diamondbacks would win the NL West, leaving a two-team tie for a wild card spot between the Dodgers and Padres. Los Angeles would win that because they would at worst be 7-6 against San Diego.
In the above situation — either the Dodgers win on Monday, or both the Padres and D-backs lose Monday — if the Padres take even one game against the Diamondbacks in the final weekend, the Dodgers would be assured of finishing above Arizona, as the D-backs would either be at 72 losses with the Dodgers already at 91 wins or Arizona at 73 losses with the Dodgers at 90 wins.
That’s why the Dodgers can clinch on Monday, either with the simplest path (a win in Cincinnati) or a more complicated one (losses by both the Padres in Colorado and the D-backs at home to the Marlins, in later games).
Yordan Alvarez's bid for a Triple Crown has hit a wall with a dozen games left in the seaosn.
More specifically, a couple of walls - Junior Caminero and Pete Alonso.
Those All-Star sluggers have seized the home run and RBI leads from Alvarez, although the Houston Astros star still leads the American League with a .310 batting average entering play Monday, Sept. 14. Alvarez is just two homers behind Caminero's 40 and four RBI behind Alonso's 100, giving him a window to steal back the crowns by season's end.
Yet his current standing shows how difficult it is to play one-on-three.
Alvarez is bidding to become the first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera pulled it off for the Detroit Tigers in 2012. Before Cabrera, Carl Yastrzemski was the last to pull off the feat, in 1967.
Here's where the 29-year-old Alvarez stands with roughly a dozen games left in the season:
The Detroit Red Wings indicated that veteran goaltender Cam Talbot would not return for a third season when his contract expired, signing Daniil Tarasov to a one-year deal after he became available from the Florida Panthers.
And while the prevailing thought was that the 39-year-old Talbot would hang up the pads, he's not ready to do so yet.
According to NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun, Talbot will be joining the Columbus Blue Jackets on a one-year contract.
Hearing the Blue Jackets will be signing UFA veteran goalie Cam Talbot, 39, to a one-year deal ($950k) later today. Colleague @Aportzline speculated in his piece today that this might possibly happen.
Talbot, who was coming off a two-year contract with the Red Wings that he signed in 2024, went 12-9-6 with a 3.19 goals-against average and an .833 save percentage during the 2025-26 season.
Never drafted into the NHL, he signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers in 2010, and worked his way up through their system before eventually being called up to the Rangers in 2013.
Since then, he's suited up for the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, and Los Angeles Kings.
Talbot has a career record of 278-204-53 with a 2.69 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage, and 33 shutouts.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - MARCH 4: Ke’bryan Hayes #3 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a double by TJ Friedl during the second inning of the World Baseball Classic exhibition game against Team Cuba at Goodyear Ballpark on March 4, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Once dead-last in all of Major League Baseball in almost every major statistical category offensively, the Cincinnati Reds have managed to make a push towards being not-worst among their 29 peers.
Though their team batting average of .230 still ranks in the cellar, their collective .308 on-base percentage ranks…wait a minute, that still ranks dead last on the list, too. If you’ll give me one second here I promise I will come up with a way to describe how not-worst they are…
…and there it is! They are slugging a robust .397 as a team, and that ranks 21st overall. You can thank the surge from Eugenio Suarez and Elly De La Cruz over the last month for that one! As a result of that power binge, Cincinnati’s team wOBA now sits at .311 – tied with the San Diego Padres for 23rd overall (even though a dip back to as much as .306 would have them tied with Cleveland for 2nd worst in the game).
Because wRC+ adjusts for Cincinnati’s home park in a brutally honest way, though, that still leaves them with just a 92 mark there – tied with the woeful Los Angeles Angels and ahead of only the miserable Colorado Rockies (90) on that leaderboard.
The team, as we all well know, is top-heavy. Elly has been transcendant, Sal Stewart a significantly above-average rock all year, and since the moment he woke up on August 4th after the trade deadline sent him nowhere Geno’s .401 wOBA ranks as the 10th best in the entire sport (just beind pending MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong’s .404).
It’s what isn’t that trio on the roster where things get dicey. Not just dicey, I should say, but downright cataclysmic.
349 MLB players have logged at least 200 PA so far this season. That’s a lot of baseball hitters! You’ll likely be unsurprised to hear that with a wRC+ of just 20, Cincinnati 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes ranks a clear 349th among them. You may also not be surprised to hear that TJ Friedl, at 35, ranks 347th. Ranking just behind TJ is Noelvi Marte (46) at 346th.
You’ve read that correctly – the Cincinnati Reds actively deployed three of the four worst hitters in the sport at this level this season, and every single one of them is still on the roster.
I’m honestly not even sure what’s worse here – that the front office in charge of putting together a big league roster so egregiously failed at assembling offense that they’ve sought out and employed three of the four worst hitters in the sport, or that they still, at this juncture of this awful season, think all three are still deserving of roster spots heading into the offseason.
As is seemingly a yearly tradition at this point, the NBA’s salary cap for next season will rise. This time, though, it’ll do so at an even higher number than anticipated, according to a report from Fred Katz of The Athletic.
“The NBA recently informed teams of its updated salary-cap projections for the 2027-28 season, league sources told The Athletic, with the new projections coming in $2 million higher than the league’s previous numbers,” Katz wrote.
This year, the salary cap is set for $165 million while the luxury tax will sit at $200 million. Both numbers will swell about 7%, according to Katz’s reporting.
“Those sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because the projections have not been made public, said the league is now projecting the 2027-28 salary cap will rise to $176 million and the luxury tax line will be $213 million,” he wrote.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a luxury tax team for 2026-27 and will presumably remain as such in 2027-28, though the increased projections certainly benefits their wiggle room.
If Jarred Vanderbilt exercises his $13.2 million player option, their payroll across just 12 players is $201 million. Granted, that includes team options for Dalton Knecht ($6.4 million), Jaden Hardy ($6 million), Adou Thiero ($2.5 million), and Bronny James ($2.4 million), which total $17.5 million.
Kevon Looney, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams are all on one-year minimum deals this season. The hope is they play well enough for the Lakers to want to retain their services, even if it pushes them into the luxury tax. They’ll certainly need at least a couple of them to flourish and help bolster the rotation, which may be a bit thin and could stand to have a few players solidify themselves as reliable mainstays.
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 28: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks back to the dugout after pitching in the sixth inning during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Friday, August 28, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Multiple series against the same club in such a short time span create a scenario in which specific pitching matchups can be repeated—the case for this battle of southpaws between Tarik Skubal and Nick Lodolo. The prevailing sentiment in cases such as these is that the repeat game can favor the hitter who starts to adapt to the more looks he gets—a mindset that’s not as easily embraced when Skubal is the one doing the pitching.
Brought over for the impact he’d provide in the postseason above all else, Skubal has been a key factor in helping the Dodgers fight for this playoff bye that comes with one of the top two campaigns in the NL. The Dodgers have won each of Skubal’s last four starts, and they needed every last drop of quality he can provide, considering each one of them was a one-run win—this sequence obviously includes last week’s 3-2 over the Reds. While the Dodgers’ offense had Lodolo on the ropes, it didn’t produce anything in a significant sample against Cincinnati’s bullpen, leading to a close game until the end despite Skubal’s longest outing as a Dodger, covering 7.1 innings.
For those who want to see even more of Josue De Paula following his impressive performance on Sunday, including his first big-league home run, this game and series present some obstacles. Lodolo will be one of two left-handed starters the Reds will utilize in a three-game series against the Dodgers. Then again, even if he occasionally doesn’t start a game here and there, De Paula is a lock to get in on the action at some point given the composure he has displayed in his first few games.
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 13: Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday, September 13, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
We’ve talked a lot around these parts about how Red Sox baseball this September — particularly after the disappointing late-August Yankees series in the Bronx — has been looking a little sleepy. With playoff positioning essentially fixed, the Sox have gone just 7-5 on the month overall, despite playing an entire slate of teams below .500. Does it matter? Well, maybe. “Throughout baseball history, World Series winners have typically excelled on October’s doorstep, with the 121 champions posting a collective .629 winning percentage from Sept. 1 through the end of the regular season… Only 10 World Series winners had sub-.500 records in September, most recently the 2015 Royals.” But the expanded playoffs has changed things. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
But there was nothing sleepy about Payton Tolle’s performance last night. His immaculate inning was just the eighth in Red Sox history, the first since Chris Sale in 2021, and the first to occur in the first inning since Pedro did it in 2002. The fact that he cracked a smile before firing the final pitch certainly made Tolle’s unique, though. “I was definitely thinking about it, had it in the mind,” Tolle said. “Just looked over at Bailes (pitching coach Andrew Bailey), and he was smiling, too.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
And here is that Pedro immaculate inning, by the way. He should probably get a few bonus points for starting his off against Ichiro:
Tolle is almost certainly the most well-liked Red Sox player right now (though Mickey Gasper of all people is hot on his heels, judging by the reception he receives at Fenway). Where does he stand in terms of popularity amongst New England athletes overall? If he has some moments like last night in October, he could become the most popular athlete in the whole region. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
Willson Contreras may not have cracked as big a smile as Tolle, but he was pretty pleased with his return performance, though he still seems a little miffed about recent treatment from the fans. “I had to (run the bases). I don’t want to get booed again,” Contreras said. “So I made sure my hamstring was 100%.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Hopefully Tanner Houck returns from injury as seamlessly as Contreras did. But what role will he play? “Three innings out of the pen is a little bit more appealing than just being a one-inning limited-pitch-count guy,” Houck said. “So if I can get built up for 40-50 pitches and help out in any way, then it’s a lot easier role. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 09: Bryce Eldridge #8 of the San Francisco Giants hits a single that scored a run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Oracle Park on September 09, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After winning the weekend series against the Chicago White Sox, the St. Louis Cardinals do not get a break as they begin the week playing host to the San Francisco Giants. While there are no playoff slots realistically at stake, it should make for an interesting 3-game series.
I can’t give you a realistic look at pitching matchups for the Cardinals/Giants series since San Francisco has not announced their starters as of the time of this writing. St. Louis has announced their starters and they’re expected to hit the mound in this order:
Monday night – Quinn Mathews
Tuesday night – Andre Pallante
Wednesday afternoon – Matthew Liberatore
The San Francisco Giants come to town after losing a weekend series against their NL West adversaries the Padres. They are 5-5 over their last 10 games 3 of which will be very familiar to St. Louis Cardinals fans after the team was swept a week ago in San Francisco. The Cardinals are 4-6 in their last 10 games, but they are coming off of the weekend series win against the White Sox.
UPDATE: Rafael Devers will not be someone the Cardinals have to deal with as ESPN is reporting his season is ending due to a core muscle injury.
Willy Adames: Adames has 21 home runs with 51 RBI’s and an average of just .230.
Casey Schmitt: Schmitt also has 21 home runs on the season with 55 RBI’s and an average of .271.
Bryce Eldridge: Eldridge is having a solid season with 16 home runs, 53 RBI’s and an average of .267.
The San Francisco Giants have already been eliminated from playoff contention and the St. Louis Cardinals aren’t far behind as they’re currently 7 games out of the final Wild Card slot with 4 teams ahead of them which include the Diamondbacks, Padres, Pirates and Marlins. The Cardinals are hopeful that JJ Wetherholt will be back in the lineup before the final homestand of the year against the Washington Nationals happens. You would think that the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals would give the young Cardinals an opportunity to string together some wins before the 2026 campaign is over, but the bullpen will always be a question mark with this roster. Let’s hope the development of exciting young players like Bernal, Baez and others continues to make positive strides. More than a few of us would also love to see Alec Burleson win the NL RBI title this year. Let’s hope good things happen as our team of the future begins to take shape.
Matt Boldy has blossomed into everything the Minnesota Wild hoped he would be and more after drafting him 12th overall in the 2019 NHL draft.
He's become a true top-line winger, capable of playing in offensive and defensive scenarios, on the top power-play and penalty-kill unit, and, as he's developed and matured, a leader.
He's an Olympic gold medalist, a world junior gold medalist, and just an overall big-time performer when the lights are brightest.
Boldy's ascent to superstardom has been a treat to watch, and it would shock no one if the 25-year-old took another step forward, because that's all he's done in the NHL.
Boldy has played five seasons in the NHL, and each year has set a new career-high in points. In his rookie season, Boldy notched 39 points in 47 games, which was outdone by his 63 points in 81 games in his sophomore season. In year four, he posted 69 points in 73 games, and then exploded for 85 points in 76 games last season.
This was Boldy's first season scoring above a point per game, and he set a career-high in goals with 42. His outstanding season saw him receive Selke Trophy votes (finished 32nd) and finish sixth in All-Star votes among left wingers in the NHL.
Although his 42 goals and 85 points were outstanding, there's a path for him to outdo those numbers again. At 25 years of age, he's now truly entering the prime years of his NHL career. His understanding of the game, his skill set, and how his opponents want to defend him are as clear as they've ever been. He's also at a great spot physically, standing 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds.
Everything in Boldy's game is coming together, and his all-around approach is beginning to become borderline dominant. In the 2025-26 season, Boldy ranked in the 94th percentile in hardest shot and the 85th percentile in average shot speed, according to NHL EDGE. His skating speed numbers slightly decreased from the prior season, but they were still above average.
Only 14 players threw more shots on goal than Boldy, only eight players scored more goals, only 18 players recorded more points, only 13 players recorded more power-play points, and only eight players recorded more shorthanded points, while just one player recorded more shorthanded goals.
Everything Boldy has shown through the first five seasons of his career demonstrates that he will continue to add elements to his game, improve in areas that are already strengths, and take on more responsibility.
With some of the departures this off-season, Boldy will be called upon to elevate his game, and all his tools suggest he is equipped to answer those calls.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source.Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, the Brewers and Rays clinch playoff spots, the White Sox and Guardians clash, rookie bats are mashing, and Payton Tolle continues to steal our hearts.
As a reminder, this article is a combination of current performance and long-term outlook.
Let’s get into it!
Note: Rankings are from the morning of Monday, September 14.
1) Milwaukee Brewers
Last week: 1
The Brewers had an authoritative few days as they once again lay claim to the top spot in our rankings. They swept the Cubs to begin last week before clinching a playoff spot with a 20-0 victory over the Reds. Whether their success translates to the postseason is the big question, but they’re making a compelling case that this October could be different.
The Brewers are the FIRST TEAM in MLB history with MULTIPLE SHUTOUT WINS OF 20+ RUNS IN A SEASON https://t.co/KLpSSQ2mgd
As decisive as the Brewers’ clinching effort was on Friday, the Rays ramped up the drama for theirs. Junior Caminero reached the 40-homer mark in walkoff fashion on Friday, and the celebration was on. While some would mark the occasion with champagne, Yandy Díaz is built different.
The Dodgers carried an eight-game winning streak into the weekend before losing two out of three to the Marlins. Of course, the biggest news in recent days is that Shohei Ohtani finally hit the injured list with his biceps and knee injuries. What version of Ohtani will we see in the postseason is anyone’s guess.
As for Ohtani’s replacement, rookie slugger Josue De Paula, he launched a mammoth homer for his first career hit on Sunday.
Playoff intensity, not just from the players but from the fans as well. Who else is ready for the postseason?
5) New York Yankees
Last week: 5
Cam Schlittler dominated the Mets on Sunday and has now allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his last seven starts. He has the AL Cy Young Award locked up this point, but the chatter about his MVP candidacy is starting to pick up.
6) Chicago Cubs ⬆️
Last week: 7
Pete Crow-Armstrong is now the heavy favorite to win the NL MVP Award, but don't let that distract you from Alex Bregman, who has been one of the best players in baseball during the second half. He’s hitting .333 with 15 homers and a 1.086 OPS over his last 45 games while playing Gold Glove defense at third base.
7) Philadelphia Phillies ⬇️
Last week: 6
After losing two out of three to the Braves over the weekend, winning the division probably isn’t going to happen. At this point, it’s about making sure they are at full strength going into the postseason. Jesus Luzardo’s shoulder is going to be a focal point in the coming days. He was scratched from Saturday’s start, though an MRI didn’t show any structural damage. It’s unclear when he’ll pitch next.
8) Boston Red Sox
Last week: 8
If you’re not a Payton Tolle fan, it's time to reevaluate.
Payton Tolle's Smile right before his final pitch to get the Immaculate Inning. pic.twitter.com/StYJgA0keQ
Winners of seven straight, the Padres are the hottest team in baseball. After sweeping the Giants over the weekend, they now own a 2.5 game lead over the Diamondbacks for the final NL Wild Card spot. In other news, Manny Machado has gone blonde.
The Diamondbacks are being forced to make some tough decisions as they attempt to secure a playoff spot. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was designated for assignment over the weekend now Zac Gallen is shifting into a bullpen role to finish out the season.
11) Chicago White Sox ⬇️
Last week: 10
On Saturday, Randal Grichuk delivered what was arguably the biggest hit of the season for the White Sox.
Grichuk, who began the season with the Yankees, is hitting .301 with 13 homers and a .939 OPS over 205 plate appearances since joining the White Sox in early May. Pretty cool to see for the 35-year-old.
12) Cleveland Guardians ⬆️
Last week: 13
Say hello to your must-see series of the week. The Guardians sit a half-game back of the White Sox in the AL Central as the two clubs square off for three games in Cleveland beginning on Monday.
13) Houston Astros ⬇️
Last week: 12
With Carlos Correa on the verge of returning from ankle surgery, the Astros are reportedly considering using him at second base for the first time in his career.
14) Toronto Blue Jays
Last week: 14
It took until September 13, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finally hit his first home run of the season at Rogers Centre.
Barring a miracle, there’s not enough time for the Pirates to chase down a playoff spot, but they have a chance at securing their first .500 season since 2018. That would be a major accomplishment.
16) Texas Rangers ⬇️
Last week: 15
With a playoff spot there for the taking, the Rangers picked a good time for their first series win on the road since the end of June. Beginning on Tuesday, they’ll play nine games at home while taking on the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Mets.
17) Miami Marlins
Last week: 17
This has been a frustrating year for Agustín Ramírez as he lost his spot in the Marlins’ lineup and found himself down in Triple-A for three months, but he channeled that frustration into a walk-off win against the Dodgers on Sunday.
There are moments when your life flashes before your eyes. That’s how I felt seeing Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina being inducted into the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame on Sunday.
An unforgettable day welcoming Bill Sherdel, Yadier Molina, and Albert Pujols into the Cardinals Hall of Fame ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PU2jEEHuvQ
Between Rodríguez, Walker Jenkins, and Kaelen Culpepper, there’s a lot to be excited about with the Twins moving forward.
21) Detroit Tigers ⬆️
Last week: 25
Justin Verlander threw a bullpen session on Saturday and the hope is that he can wrap up his career with one last outing during the final weekend of the regular season. Let's hope it happens.
22) Cincinnati Reds ⬇️
Last week: 20
The most dangerous job in the world last week was being a Reds pitcher. They gave up 47 runs (!) in the span of three games between Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. That's the worst three-game stretch in franchise history.
23) Seattle Mariners ⬇️
Last week: 22
Lazaro Montes has the juice, people. Just sit back and enjoy this 474-foot moonshot, which ties Fernando Tatís Jr. for the longest homer in MLB this season.
It was also the longest homer at T-Mobile Park since the introduction of Statcast. Oh baby.
24) Washington Nationals ⬇️
Last week: 23
We’ve spent a ton of time highlighting the Nationals’ powerhouse offense this season, but what a year Cade Cavalli has had. After making it back from Tommy John surgery, the 28-year-old has compiled a 3.12 ERA with 194 strikeouts across 164 2/3 innings. No Nationals pitcher has reached the 200-strikeout mark since Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin all reached it when they won the World Series in 2019. Cavalli could get there Wednesday against the Phillies.
25) New York Mets ⬇️
Last week: 24
After going deep twice in Saturday’s win over the Yankees, Francisco Lindor has now reached 20 homers in six straight seasons and for the ninth time in his career. Much like former teammate Pete Alonso, he’s sitting on 299 career homers to begin the week.
26) Kansas City Royals
Last week: 26
Carter Jensen slugged his 24th homer of the season on Saturday, which ties him with Bob Hamelin for the Royals’ rookie record. This is mostly an excuse to highlight what is widely regarded as the worst (or best?) rookie baseball card of all time. If you haven't seen it before, you're welcome.
27) San Francisco Giants
Last week: 27
Rafael Devers has been on a legendary run of late, so it’s a shame to see him go down with a season-ending core muscle injury. He slugged 11 homers over his final 18 games.
28) Athletics
Last week: 28
In a year where seemingly all of the A’s noteworthy bats went down with injury, this definitely checks out. Leo De Vries, the big prize in the Mason Miller trade last year, is slated for surgery to repair an anterior labrum tear in his right shoulder. He could miss around eight months, which would place his return around mid-May next year.
29) Los Angeles Angels
Last week: 29
After being swept by the Nationals over the weekend, the Angels will need to go 7-6 over their final 13 games to avoid their first 100-loss season in franchise history. The odds aren’t good.
30) Colorado Rockies
Last week: 30
The Rockies have lost seven straight and now appear likely to have their fourth-straight 100-loss season.
The Florida Panthers are going to be a team that is watched closely this season.
Coming off an injury plagued campaign a year ago, the Panthers are once again healthy and ready to resume their role as one of the league’s top teams.
But they are also on the cusp of becoming something the NHL has not seen in over a decade and rarely has seen over the past half century.
A dynasty.
Generally, a team can be considered a dynasty when they win three of more championships during the same era of dominance.
Most recently, the Chicago Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups in a six-year span (2010, 2013 and 2015). Prior to that, the Detroit Red Wins won Cups in 1997, 1998 and 2002.
Those count as dynasties.
Before that, the New York Islanders winning four straight titles from 1980 to 1983 and the Edmonton Oilers winning five titles between in seven years between 1984 and 1990 dominated the 80s, and the Montreal Canadiens basically running the 70s with six Stanley Cup wins in nine years were absolutely dynasties.
Now what about the Panthers?
Florida won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025 after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons, starting in 2023.
Another championship (or two, or three) over the next several seasons will absolutely qualify the Panthers as a dynasty.
Looking forward, the team’s window of opportunity to continue finding that kind of success seems wide open.
They have an incredibly formidable core group of players who are all signed through at least the end of the decade and are entering or currently residing in the prime years of their respective careers.
It’s a list that includes Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekblad, Seth Jones, Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, Gustav Forsling, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola.
Additionally, Florida General Manager Bill Zito and his staff will have more money to spend in the coming years as the league’s salary cap continues to rise.
Some of that will go toward an extension for Brady Tkahcuk, whose contract has two years remaining and is eligible to sign a new deal next summer, and the team’s future goaltenders, as both Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid are under contract through the end of the 2027-28 season.
Based off his track record, Panthers fans can feel confident that Zito will continue to build and maintain Florida’s elite, championship contending roster.
Under head coach Paul Maurice, the team will continue to play a brand of physically imposing and aggressively defensive hockey that thrives once the playoffs arrive.
Will all that be enough for the Panthers to reach the mountaintop at least one more time over the next several seasons?
Time will tell, but there’s an argument to be made that Florida will be as prepared and capable of any team vying to make that climb.
Their next bite at the championship apple will begin later this week in Fort Lauderdale.
Photo caption: Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; The FloridaPanthershoist theStanleyCupafter winning game six of the 2025StanleyCupFinal against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 11: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs hits his hat to the crowd before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field on September 11, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The pace continues to be a furious one for the Atlanta Braves here in September. Once they get done facing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field this week, they will have played 13 games in a row against teams who are currently in Postseason position — and it could be 16 games in a row if the Houston Astros can find any vein of real consistency.
It’s definitely a tough gauntlet for any team to endure but the good news is that the Braves have done a solid job of navigating it so far. They did what they needed to do against the Phillies and they avoided getting swept against a red-hot Rays squad, so they’ve been doing a decent job of simply treading water in these turbulent waves during this part of the schedule.
It remains to be seen whether or not this will have a galvanizing effect on the Braves going forward or if it’ll cause them to run out of gas at some point but either way, you can’t say that the Braves will be cruising into October no matter how they get in. They will have been baseball battle-tested and proven resilient thanks to this unrelenting schedule, which continues on with six more big games this week.
September 14-16: Chicago Cubs
Current Record: 83-67 Projected Record (via FanGraphs): 90-72
Depending on how things shake out, this could be a potential Wild Card Series preview and it would certainly be an intriguing one if the Braves stayed in the third seed and the Cubs potentially fell to the six-seed. This would be a good ol’ fashioned matchup of whether or not strong pitching (from the Braves) can overcome a lineup that can seemingly go off at any given moment. We’ll get a taste of that this week as the Braves visit Wrigley Field for three games against the Cubs.
Chicago essentially finds themselves in a similar spot as the Phillies, since losing five-out-of-six to the Brewers this month essentially nuked any hope they had of catching Milwaukee for the NL Central title. Instead, they’re now jockeying for position in the NL Wild Card. Barring the collapse of the century, they should make it into the Postseason altogether but their position in the standings isn’t as comfortable — what with the Phillies being tied with them on record and the Padres currently surging in the standings with a seven-game win streak. It’s anybody’s guess as to whether or not the Cubs will be hosting a series at Wrigley or potentially having to travel to get their October quest started.
Either way, this is likely going to be a tough series for the Braves considering what the Cubs have going on. Chicago has had the best offense in baseball this season (according to wRC+) and they’ve only tightened their grip on that position since August. Dating back to August 1, the Cubs have collectively hit at a clip of .260/.342/.477 with a wOBA of .330 and a wRC+ of 126. The nearest team in wRC+ to them since August is (none other than) the Brewers, who have produced a wRC+ of 114 since August. Pete Crow-Armstrong is likely going to win NL MVP and he’s been mashing lately along with Alex Bregman and Seiya Suzuki in particular. We’re all familiar with Dansby Swanson’s wOBA Rollercoaster and as of right now, the cart is going upwards so he’ll also potentially be dangerous to deal with as well.
So with Chicago’s offense being as good as it is, it’s only natural to try to figure out why they aren’t leading their division (outside of the Brewers just being a buzzsaw this season) and it’s partially due to the fact that Chicago’s pitching hasn’t been nearly as consistent. Since August 1, Chicago’s pitching staff has the 20th-highest ERA- in baseball (105) and the next-to-worst FIP- in all of baseball (114). The Braves probably don’t want to get into a slugfest with this team but if they can keep things low-scoring and tight, Atlanta’s bullpen would have the clear advantage here.
With that being said, the Cubs are sending two of their better starters to the mound during this series in the form of David Peterson and old friend Kevin Gausman, so this probably won’t be smooth sailing for a Braves lineup that has found it tough to hit away from home in recent times. On the other hand, the Braves have had plenty of experience with Peterson over the years due to his stint with the Mets and for the most part, they’ve had decent success against him so hopefully that’ll continue. On top of that, the Braves managed to get four runs off of Kevin Gausman when they saw him earlier this season as a member of the Blue Jays, so the Braves have shown that they can get something against these two guys. We’ll just have to see if Atlanta can manage to get the job done and get some runs on the board against this duo for the first two games and Shota Imanaga for the series finale on Wednesday.
Monday, September 14 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision, MLB Network) Tuesday, September 15 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision, Gray TV, TBS) Wednesday, September 16 at 7:40 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
September 18-20: Houston Astros
Current Record: 75-75 Projected Record: 81-81
Is it really going to happen? Are we going to see a .500 (or possibly below) team make the Postseason? If the Astros (or the Rangers) don’t pick up the pace then it’s looking very likely that this apparently broken sport with no parity that’s dominated by one club in particular will be dealing with a scenario where an 81-81 team will be 13 wins away from a World Series title. That is the future that awaits the Astros if they can manage to make it through this season on top of the AL West.
It’s been a deeply weird month of September for the Astros so far, who are showing the sense of urgency that you’d expect from a team that’s going to finish very close to .500 but also somehow finds themselves in the thick of a playoff race. They took out the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox over four games but then slipped on a banana peel at home against the Diamondbacks. They then proceeded to do the Braves a solid by taking a series in Philadelphia before going down to Tampa Bay and getting rocked in a three-game sweep. They’ll be taking on the moribund Royals before hosting the Braves but with the way this Astros team has looked, it’s really anybody’s guess as to whether or not Houston will be above or below .500 once the Braves come to town.
Houston hasn’t been particularly good at much of anything this season, which makes sense considering their record. They’ve put up a wRC+ of 91 since August 1 (24th-best mark in baseball since that date. Better than the Braves, which is scary) and their pitching hasn’t been too great, either with an ERA- of 102 and a FIP- of 99 since that date. They’ve been a very average ballclub but they still have to be taken seriously since this is a steam that’s still having to swat away the Rangers for the lead in the AL West. Atlanta’s going to have to take them seriously — especially if the Braves want to keep pressure on the Dodgers for the sixth seed.
At the plate, I think everybody knows to look out for Yordan Alvarez but he’s also been getting some help from guys like Issac Paredes, Yainer Diaz, Cam Smith and ol’ Jose Altuve. With that being said, outside of old friend Nick Allen surprisingly carrying a 100 wRC+ for the season, there’s not a lot of danger to be found elsewhere in Houston’s lineup. The same could be said for their pitching staff, which doesn’t have a lot of guys who should be feared outside of Josh Hader. If you see Josh Hader, it’s probably too late.
In order to avoid seeing Josh Hader, Atlanta will have to likely figure out how to score runs off of the probable trio of Peter Lambert, Hayden Wesneski and Hunter Brown. It’s kind of wild how similar these three pitchers are — Brown’s FIP since August 1 has been 3.69, Lambert’s FIP since then has been 3.57 and Wesneski has been sporting a FIP of 3.78. Brown and Wesneski are also separated by 10 points in ERA (3.56 and 3.66, respectively) but Lambert has been the exception with an ERA of 5.27. Either way, all three of these guys are perfectly fine and while that doesn’t seem imposing, it could be for a Braves lineup that is still trying to get their footing as far as hitting on the road is concerned. Hopefully Atlanta will have it figured out and they’ll be able to crack their code as they return to a former place of glory from five years ago.
Friday, September 18 at 8:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision) Saturday, September 19 at 7:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision) Sunday, September 20 at 2:10 p.m. ET (BravesVision)
