CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 29: Starting pitcher Daniel Lynch IV #41 of the Kansas City Royals tries to make a throw to first on a bunt by Steven Kwan #38 of the Cleveland Guardians (not pictured) during the third inning at Progressive Field on August 29, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the fun things about covering the Friday and Saturday night games all season has been that, on a week like this with one off day, if a good starting pitcher pitches on a Saturday, I get to write about him that night, and I know I’ll get to write about him again next Friday. The corollary, however, is that when Daniel “Danny Drips” Lynch IV pitches on a Saturday night, I know I have to write about him the next week.
At first I was fine with the Royals giving him a shot. I wasn’t optimistic it would work, but I also didn’t think it was going to hurt anything, and it made the guy happy. I’m all for making guys happy. But now that we’ve seen it for a month or so, it might be making him happy, but it’s not making anyone I care about happy. Danny Drips is not a big-league starting pitcher. I remain not-entirely-convinced that he’s a big-league reliever. But here he is, starting for the Royals on September 4, while a guy they touted as potentially an answer to their rotation woes for next season pitches for Omaha again. I have a hard time blaming Matt Quatraro and J.J. Picollo for everything that has gone wrong for the Royals this year, but when they do things like this, it gets easier.
Fortunately, the Blue Jays will be countering with Jameson Taillon. Taillon has been a very good starting pitcher for years, but this year his walk rate and home run rates have skyrocketed. That led the Cubs to cut bait on him, despite desperately needing starting pitching as they continue their playoff chase. The Blue Jays picked him up, and he has made two starts totaling eight innings. He’s only allowed 3 runs, but he’s walked 5 while striking out only 7. It does not feel like he’s turned a corner.
What I’m saying is, watch out for dueling no-hitters tonight.
Lineups
Not much new to say about the Royals’ lineup. I’ll note that if Jac doesn’t start hitting dingers again soon, he’s going to get passed by Carter Jensen. Carter only has one fewer than him after the barrage in the Marlins series.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 30: Ryan Feltner #18 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game between the Colorado Rockies and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Sunday, August 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kathryn May/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Orioles handed Colorado its franchise-record 10th consecutive home loss Monday night when Colton Cowser robbed Jake McCarthy of a potential two-run walk-off home run to preserve a 2-1 Baltimore win.
The Rockies responded with a 4-2 win Tuesday before taking Wednesday’s finale 6-5 in 11 innings. Colorado was down to its final strike in the ninth before Zac Veen tied the game with a double and Brett Sullivan delivered the walk-off single in the 11th.
Baltimore arrived at Coors Field 68-69 and left 69-71. It was not a fatal blow to the Orioles’ Wild Card hopes, but it was a stumble at a time when every series matters.
Now the Colorado Rockies (54-86) open a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals (70-71), who sit four games behind the final National League Wild Card spot.
The Cardinals are just 4-6 over their last 10 games. That has not hurt them as much as it could have. Still, a bad weekend in Denver would put a substantial dent in the Cardinals’ fading playoff chances.
Ryan Feltner takes the mound for Colorado, making his 21st start of the season.
Feltner enters at 5-9 with a 5.84 ERA over 101.2 innings. It has been a rough season overall, and especially lately. Over his last seven games, including six starts, he is 2-5 with a 6.50 ERA and 1.81 WHIP across 36 innings.
After missing his scheduled start Saturday because of illness, Feltner returned Sunday in Atlanta with encouraging results. He worked four innings of relief behind Mason Adams, allowing only an unearned run while striking out six without a walk.
The changeup was central to the outing. Feltner threw it 35% of the time and generated eight whiffs on 15 swings, with five of his six strikeouts coming on the pitch. The changeup itself did not change much. The bigger difference was Feltner’s ability to locate the four-seamer higher while keeping the changeup down, creating more vertical separation between the two pitches while maintaining roughly a 10 mph velocity gap.
St. Louis counters with Andre Pallante, who makes his 25th start of the season.
Pallante enters 12-6 with a 3.57 ERA over 136 innings and has been steady throughout the year. He owns a 3.51 ERA over his last seven starts and a 3.31 mark over his last 15.
His pitch mix changes considerably by handedness. Against righties, he is primarily a slider-sinker pitcher, using the slider about 40% of the time and the sinker around 35%. Against lefties, his four-seamer jumps above 50%, with the curveball and slider each around 20%.
That mix produces plenty of ground balls. Pallante owns a 55.0% ground-ball rate and has allowed barrels on just 5.3% of batted balls.
Three hitters in Friday’s lineup faced Pallante in his last start against Colorado last season. Hunter Goodman went 2-for-3, while Mickey Moniak and Adael Amador each had RBI singles as the Rockies scored five runs on eight hits over five innings.
The Rockies enter tonight 10-12 in Friday games this season. With four Friday games left, including tonight, they still have a chance to finish .500 or better on Fridays.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Cristian Javier #53 of the Houston Astros throws a pitch against the New York Mets during the second inning at Citi Field on August 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caean Couto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TONIGHT’S GAME: The first-place Houston Astros (72-69), who hold a slim 2.0-game lead in the AL West over the Texas Rangers, will welcome in the Arizona Diamondbacks (74-67) tonight for the first of a three-game weekend series at Daikin Park.
RHP Cristian Javier (1-5, 6.45 ERA) will get the start for the Astros tonight opposite RHP Merrill Kelly (9-12, 5.08 ERA) and the Snakes.
EL REPTÍL: RHP Cristian Javier is making his ninth start of the season and his sixth since returning from the IL in early July. He’s split time between being a starter and reliever since his return, making five relief appearances and five starts. Since returning from the IL, he has a 4.84 ERA (19ER/35.1IP) with 38 strikeouts in 35.1 IP.
SLOW AND STEADY RECOVERY: Since starting the season with a 20-31 record after 51 games, the Astros are 52-38 (.578) in their last 90 games (since May 22). That is the second-best record in the AL in that span, behind the Red Sox (54-38).
ABOUT THE RECORD: At 72-69 and three games over .500, the Astros have matched their high-water mark for the season, also reached with 63-60, 60-57, 59-56, 58-55, 6-3, and 5-2 records. The Astros have got there with an American League-best 7-3 record over their last 10 games.
STARTING BLOCKS: Astros starters have a 1.66 ERA (4ER/21.2IP) with 21 strikeouts, a .169 opponent average (13×77) and a 1.15 WHIP in the first four games of this homestand. Stretching back over the Astros last 10 games, in which they’ve gone 7-3, Astros starters own a 2.94 ERA (16ER/49IP).
MEASURING UP: The Astros are within a streak of playing four straight teams with winning records (CWS, ARI, PHI, TB). The Astros are a Major League-best 28-15 (.651) vs. teams currently at .500 or above. Some clubs that the Astros have winning records against include BOS (5-1), CHC (3-0), CWS (5-2), CLE (4-2), MIA (3-0), and TB (2-1).
VS. THE D-BACKS: In their last series against each other, the Astros swept the Diamondbacks in a three-game set in Arizona from July 21-23, 2025. The Astros are 8-1 in their last nine games against the D-backs, which dates back to the 2023 season.
MINOR LEAGUE HONORS: Astros prospect RHP Antonio Morales has been named the Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Month for August. Morales, 19, went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0ER/14IP), while allowing a .067 (3×45) opponent average in three apps. for the DSL Astros Orange in August.
TODAY’S ROSTER MOVE: The Astros have placed LHP Steven Okert on the 15-day IL with a right hamstring strain (retro to Sept. 1). In a corresponding move, the Astros recalled LHP Bryan King from Triple A Sugar Land.
RELIEVER OF THE MONTH: Announced yesterday, LHP Josh Hader was named the American League Reliever of the Month for August. It is Hader’s ninth career Reliever of the Month Award and his third as an Astro. In the month, Hader converted all seven of his save opportunities, while going scoreless in his 13 total appearances and 14.1 innings pitched.
STREAKING: LHP Josh Hader has worked 19 consecutive scoreless appearances, spanning 20.0 innings (since July 21). This is the longest streak by an Astros hurler this season and the second-longest active streak in the Majors. Opponents are just 5×65 (.077) vs. Hader during the streak.
THE CLOSER: LHP Josh Hader has 249 career saves, needing just one more save to become the 41st player in modern MLB history to reach 250 career saves. Hader has 22 of those saves this season, in 22 save chances.
YOU’RE MY BOY BLU!: RHP A.J. Blubaugh, who’s tossed 14.0 consecutive scoreless innings, has taken a huge Major League lead in innings pitched as a reliever with 86.1, far ahead of second-place RHP Paul Blackburn (75IP). The Astros have not had a reliever lead the Majors in innings since RHP Doug Jones (111.2IP) in 1992.
TRIPLE THREAT: DH Yordan Alvarez, who is a solid candidate for the AL MVP Award, currently owns at least a share of the lead in all three Triple Crown categories. He enters tonight leading the AL in batting avg. (.316), while ranking tied for first in HR (37) and RBI (94).
Rare Feat: Since Carl Yastrzemski won the AL Triple Crown in 1967, there has been just one Triple Crown winner in the Majors, Miguel Cabrera in 2012 (AL).
FEELS INTENTIONAL: DH Yordan Alvarez has been issued 30 intentional walks on the year, which is a franchise record, besting the 27 intentional walks for 1B Jeff Bagwell in 1997. Alvarez leads the Majors in intentional walks, topping second-place DH Shohei Ohtani (16) by a whopping 14 IBB. Lastly, the AL record for intentional walks in a season is in play for Alvarez, a record that’s currently held by RF Aaron Judge (36 IBB in 2025).
THE HIT MAN: 2B Jose Altuve has 2,495 career hits, needing just five hits to reach 2,500 for his career. Among active players, Altuve ranks second in hits, trailing only 1B Freddie Freeman (2,586).
BEHIND THE DISH: C Christian Vázquez has played in 999 career games as a catcher and is looking to become just the third active catcher to reach 1,000 career games behind the dish. He would join C Salvador Perez (1,427) and C J.T. Realmuto (1,382) in that exclusive group.
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2023 – Trailing 3-0 through the 4th, the Astros offense exploded in a Labor Day matinee in Arlington, scoring 13 runs over the game’s last 5.0 innings en route to a 13-6 win. The offense connected for five homers on the day, including multi-homer games by 2B Jose Altuve (4×6) and CF Mauricio Dubón (2×5), who went back-to-back on two different occasions. According to STATS, the Astros became the first team in MLB history to have their No. 9 (Dubón) and No. 1 (Altuve) hitters hit back-to-back homers twice in the same game.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, September 4, 7:10 p.m. CT
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 03: A general view of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center on April 3, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
ASTROS
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Jeremy Pena – SS
Corbin Carroll – RF
Yordan Alvarez – DH
Gabriel Moreno – C
Isaac Paredes – 3B
Ketel Marte – 2B
Jose Altuve – 2B
Lars Nootbaar – DH
Daulton Varsho – CF
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Christian Walker – 1B
Max Kepler – LF
Taylor Trammell – RF
Tim Tawa – 1B
Yainer Diaz – C
Ryan Waldschmidt – CF
LaMonte Wade – LF
Merrill Kelly – RHP
Cristian Javier – RHP
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ active roster is at 28 and the 40-man roster is at 39.
Reinstated from the 10-day injured list: OF Tommy Troy (sprained right AC joint; retro to July 12)
Designated for assignment: OF Jorge Barrosa
Is this the end of Barrosa’s time with the D-backs? He’d appeared in 97 of the team’s games so far, though had only made 34 starts, being mostly used as a pinch-runner and/or late inning defensive replacement. Does seem weird that the team has chosen to dump the switch-hitter. Let’s play the old Player A/Player B game with a couple of Arizona outfielders: Player A: 159 PA, .201/.285/.343 = .628 OPS, 0.6 bWAR, 0.4 fWAR, four-plus years control Player B: 139 PA, .214/.273/.317 = .591 OPS, -0.5 bWAR, -0.4 fWAR, 21 games control I’ll leave it as an exercise for you to figure out who’s who, and wonder why Player B is still the owner of a roster spot.
Eleven players in the D-backs bullpen right now, with just three starters, making the bullpen chart long and thin! That obviously won’t last, with the need for a fourth starter on Monday (might be Jose Cabrera who worked a couple of middle innings during the bullpen game versus the Phillies), then the widely-expected return of Corbin Burnes on Tuesday against the Royals on Tuesday. But it does give the team options, should Merrill Kelly have a short outing tonight. Mind you, his last start, he looked like a new pitcher altogether. We’ll see if it persists. If so, perhaps Merrill needs to send an Edible Arrangement to the Cubs’ third-base coach.
The main focus of scoreboard watching this weekend, will be the Padres’ series against the Yankees in San Diego, which starts 90 minutes after our game. That’s a tougher opponent than the Astros, though the Padres do have home-field advantage. It’d be nice to put a bit of daylight between us and San Diego, and with the top of our rotation going in this series, I’m hopeful that can happen. Would not hurt if the Yankees were to help out a bit. If you prefer to look up in the standings instead, the Cubs are visiting the Marlins, while the Phillies also have a tough series, hosting the Braves. Both those games will have been under way for 50 minutes when this gets posted.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 04: The Cleveland Guardians grounds crew removes the tarp from the field during a rain delay before game one of a doubleheader between the Cleveland Guardians and the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on September 04, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This game was just about a perfect microcosm of the season. The bullpen can’t hold up to pull out a tight game very often, an early lead crumbled in one terrible inning from Keider Montero, and after a nice burst from the offense early they went to sleep when it mattered most, doing nothing in the final five innings to fight back. Brayan Rocchio tied the game with a grand slam in the fourth, and he walked it off with a solo shot against Drew Sommers to win 7-6 over the Tigers in Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader in Progressive Field.
After a rain delay of about a half hour to start the day, the game got underway around 3:15 p.m. ET. Gleyber Torres led off with a single off lefty Logan Allen, and Kevin McGonigle drew a walk. Hao-Yu Lee struck out and Dillon Dingler flew out sharply to Steven Kwan in center field. Riley Greene drew a walk to load the bases, and Ben Malgeri broke through with a two-run single back through the box. Spencer Torkelson singled through the left side, and again it was the kids coming through as Max Clark ripped a line drive single to right field to plate Greene and Malgeri. Javy Báez pulled a ground out to end the top half, but it was 4-0 Tigers.
Keider Montero took the mound and gave up a one-out double to Chase DeLauter. Jose Ramirez moved him to third with a single, and a Jo Adell sacrifice fly made it a 4-1 game. Montero locked up Nathaniel Lowe with fastball in the corner down and away. It was called a ball but Dingler correctly challenged, ending the inning.
The top of the Tigers order was up again in the top of the second, and again they made something happen. Singles from Torres and McGonigle started the inning. Lee grounded into a 5-4-3 double play, but Torres scored to make it 5-1. Montero gave up a one-out double to Travis Bazzana, but stranded him with a pair of flyouts to Clark in center field.
Slade Cecconi took over for Allen in the third with one out and struck out Malgeri. Spencer Torkelson got on the board, driving a 2-0 sinker out to right field.
Max Clark followed with another single and then swiped second base. We’re loving us some Max Clark. Báez flew out to left to strand him. 6-1 Tigers.
Montero was cruising along pretty well until the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Lowe singled and rookie Angel Genao doubled him to third. A single from Bazzana plated Lowe, and Montero walked light hitting Patrick Bailey to load the bases. Not good. Rocchio paid it off, getting a 1-1 knuckle curve right at the bottom of the zone and launching a grand slam to right field. Tie ballgame. That gut punch took the wind out of the Tigers and they never got it back.
Tyler Holton handled the bottom of the fifth, getting a double play ball after an Adell lead off single and escaping the inning unscathed. Craig Yoyo had the ball after replacing Cecconi in the top of the sixth. Max Clark recorded his third single of the game, but that went nowhere. Holton took care of the sixth as well, while lefty Erik Sabrowski entered for a 1-2-3 top of the seventh.
Holton walked DeLauter in the bottom of the seventh, and gave way to right-hander Tyler Kinley. He got Ramirez to fly out. DeLauter swiped second, but Adell grounded into a force out, and Lowe lined out to Clark in center. After making a sliding catch, the ball came loose from Clark’s glove, but they ruled he had control long enough and we were on to the eighth.
Still, other than Clark, the Tigers had just folded up shop, and now luck deserted them as Greene and Malgeri both hammered the ball to corner outfielders, and Torkelson struck out swinging.
Drew Sommers spun a good bottom half to keep this thing deadlocked, but the Tigers had to score. It will not surprise you dear reader, to learn that they did not score.
Cade Smith gave up a one out single to Colt Keith, and he took second on a passed ball. But Torres took a called strike three, and McGonigle foul tipped a high heater into the glove.
John Peck entered the game at shortstop for defensive purposes, but there was no defense possible for this. A first pitch heater from Sommers was launched deep to left center and over the big wall for a walkoff home run. Cool, cool.
The Tigers had 11 hits and two walks, so we can’t say the offense did nothing. But the Tigers knack for giving up homers in the worst possible times is unmatched this year.
Evan Gold, the Islanders’ newly hired assistant general manager, dipped his toes into controversial waters last week. He did this by committing the time-honored public relations sin of telling the truth.
“They’re a transitional team,” Gold said of the Islanders during an appearance on “The Sheet with Jeff Marek,” and the rest didn’t seem to matter much for a small-but-loud slice of the fanbase that was already upset at this acknowledgment of reality.
So here is some more reality, of which everyone in the organization and around the NHL is well aware. The Islanders have not won a playoff series since 2021. They had 91 points last season and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
The best, most important assets in their organization are almost uniformly young enough to be in college, and 10 players enter training camp with expiring contracts, giving the Islanders an estimated $40 million in salary cap space going into next summer.
Mathieu Darche, general manager of the New York Islanders, speaks with members of the media at the site of a new community and kid-designed playspace at the Cross Island YMCA in Bellerose, N.Y., on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post
Transition is not only an accurate word to describe this situation, it is a necessary state for the Islanders to be in right now, due mainly to the stagnant operation under the last few years of Lou Lamoriello’s reign, which left them stuck in the NHL’s middle ground, needing to rebuild their prospect pipeline and get out from under a series of bad contracts.
“To be a sustainable playoff team you can’t just patch every year and just bring one player here, one player there, you have to build it,” general manager Mathieu Darche told reporters a few days ago when asked about Gold’s comment. “But a good thing is, we have some solid veterans that can keep us relevant, keep us fighting for the playoffs as we incorporate and we always need to mix up both. You can’t win with only young guys, you can’t win with only older guys, so that’s the transitional part that he’s talking about.”
When attendance dipped repeatedly, and fans who were at UBS Arena chanted for Lamoriello’s head, transition was — functionally — what they were asking for. You cannot get from where the Islanders were in 2025 to being an annual contender in one year, or even two, and the franchise’s solution to that problem under prior management was to insist that there was no problem at all.
Islanders assistant GM Evan Gold. The Islanders
None of that is to absolve Darche for his own errors in the job, or to say that fans shouldn’t be disappointed over an offseason where waiting till next summer was the strategy, in function if not in name.
Even if you are bullish about the Islanders’ medium and long-term outlook, it’s hard not to feel bearish about the here and now. The end of last season left a bad taste, and this isn’t the first time in recent memory that the selling points heading into training camp are a full season of a new coach and the returns of players who were injured for most of last season.
Darche saying the Islanders can fight for the playoffs is a slight step down from his introductory press conference in May 2025, when he said he believed the Islanders could make the playoffs.
Darche, though, was hired much more to make the Islanders better in the long haul than in the short term, and the same would have applied to any other candidate. On that front, the Islanders have rapidly turned their prospect pipeline around, made big steps in building a reputable AHL operation and made a series of front office hires to help areas like analytics and development, where the club had lagged behind the rest of the league.
Gold, who had a successful run as an assistant general manager in Boston and was a finalist for general manager jobs in Vancouver and Toronto this summer, is, ironically, part of that list.
Whether all those seeds planted in the last 16 months pay off will be the defining question of Darche’s tenure as general manager — far more than trading for Brayden Schenn — and he won’t have unlimited time to wait and see.
New York Islanders center Brayden Schenn (10) skates towards the bench after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post
A year from now, the expectation needs to be that the $40 million in waiting be put to good use, and that the prospects on whose development the franchise is staked be in position to contribute. The transitional phase, in short, needs to be winding down by training camp 2027.
But right now, it’s where the Islanders are. That is plain to everyone who cares to look, and getting mad over honesty is a request to be sold a bill of goods.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 04: Brayan Rocchio #4 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam during the fourth inning of game one of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on September 04, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Erick Fedde takes the mound tonight, in one of the biggest home games of the season.
Well, the AL Central race has not exactly been much of a race, and this past week it’s looked like two hurt tortoises limping towards the finish line. For as poor as the Chicago White Sox have been lately, the Cleveland Guardians have been just as bad, and honestly, that’s been good enough.
No, you are not seeing things, the White Sox are in fact facing off against the Minnesota Twins for the second straight weekend. This time the series is at home, and hopefully the White Sox can harness some of their home success as the season draws to a close. With just 23 games left for the South Siders, each win takes them that much closer to a division title that no one expected them to even be near in July, let alone September.
For the White Sox, Erick Fedde takes the mound. While you would’ve been laughed at at the beginning of the season, Fedde has turned out to be one of Chicago’s most reliable pitchers in a season that has seen many starters fail to impress (looking at you, Luis Castillo).
Fedde sports a 3.77 ERA over his last 15 starts, and secured the win last Saturday against the Twins with an outing of just three hits and two runs over five innings of work. While the White Sox offense of late has been about as lively as a retirement home past 8 p.m., it should be more than capable of securing a win if Fedde has a similar performance tonight.
As for the Twins, they roll out Zebby Matthews with their playoff chances on life support. While they are still technically in the division race and only three games out of the final wild-card slot, they are running out of time to make a move.
To his credit, Matthews has more than done his part to try to help the Twins limp into the postseason (where they will likely just lose in the first round like they always do). Matthews has won each of his last five starts, and hasn’t tasted defeat since July 24. In fact, in his last start, he dominated the White Sox and fell just a couple of outs short of a complete game. With a 2.90 ERA over the month of August, he’s been one of the best starting pitchers in the entire major leagues lately, not just the American League.
Munetaka Murakami needs to start looking like a baseball player again, and the White Sox need to be careful they don’t let a perfectly good postseason opportunity go to waste. Cleveland has already won the opener of their doubleheader against Detroit to narrow its division deficit to 2 ½ games, so it’s time to win some ball games.
Here is the starting lineup for the Chicago White Sox, featuring the return of Kyle Teel from yet another injury rehab in Charlotte:
Here is the starting lineup for the Minnesota Twins:
First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on CHSN and can be heard on ESPN Chicago 1000. Drop your predictions and thoughts down below!
Jun 5, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker (80) throws during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
On September 4, 1999, the Calgary Flames added one of their biggest rivals to their lineup by acquiring former Edmonton Oilers legend Grant Fuhr from the St. Louis Blues. Flames fans who grew up in the 1980s suffered through countless losses at the hands of the Spruce Grove, Alberta, native who would lead the Oilers to five Stanley Cup titles that decade.
Fuhr debuted with the Oilers in 1981 and spent 10 years with his hometown club, becoming arguably their greatest goalie. He eventually left in 1991 to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs before a brief stint with the Buffalo Sabres.
As a free agent, Fuhr signed with the Blues on July 14, 1995, and during his first season, he would go on to set one of the NHL's most unbreakable records, playing in 79 games. That year, he missed only three games and went 30-28-16, leading the league in games played, ties, shots faced, and saves.
Over four seasons, Fuhr compiled a 108-87-41 record with St. Louis in 249 games, the longest time he spent with any club besides the Oilers. In 1998-99, at 36, he played 39 games and went 16-11-8, while the Blues lost in the second round; Fuhr went 6-6 in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, in Calgary, the Flames rotated through six goalies that season, including Fred Brathwaite, Ken Wreggret, Tyler Moss, Andrei Trefilov, Tyrone Garner, and future Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jean-Sébastien Giguère. They finished 30-40-12, third in the Northwest Division, and missed the playoffs.
Flames Acquire 37-year-old Fuhr on September 4
To revamp their goaltending situation, the Flames acquired Fuhr from the Blues in exchange for a third-round pick in 2000. Coincidentally, Fuhr reunited with former Oilers teammate Steve Smith, who became Calgary's captain in 1999-2000.
Flames fans will always be thankful for Smith, who accidentally scored on Fuhr in Game 7 of the 1986 Smythe Division Finals, ultimately resulting in the Oilers' quest for a three-peat ending with that third-period own goal.
Unfortunately, Fuhr's return to Alberta would produce the worst statistical campaign of his career. In only 23 games, he'd earn a 5-13-2 record with a career-low .856 SV%. The Flames also had a worse record than the previous year, going 31-36-10-5 and finishing fourth in the Northwest Division.
Fuhr's last NHL appearance came on April 8, 2000, at the Saddledome against the Oilers in a 6-3 loss. He didn't start the game, but played 18:17 in relief and finished with a .714 SV%, stopping five of seven shots. The last goal he surrendered came off the stick of Doug Weight, who scored at 14:42 of the third period.
In the deal that brought Fuhr to Calgary, the Blues received a third-round pick, which they used to select Justin Papineau, 75th overall. He played a total of 81 NHL games between the Blues and the New York Islanders, scoring 11 goals and 19 points. Papineau scored his first NHL goal against the Oilers on February 27, 2003, and played his final NHL game on April 4, 2004, against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Overall, the late 1990s and early 2000s were not a great time to be a goalie with the Flames, as they transitioned from Mike Vernon to Miikka Kiprusoff. They brought Fuhr in based on his reputation, but at 37, he didn't have much left in the tank. Unfortunately, the experiment didn't work out, and his Hall of Fame career ended on Saddledome ice.
Jacob Tobey performs the national anthem before the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game Four of the NBA Western Conference Finals on May 24, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Tobey announced Friday that he is returning to the Spurs’ broadcast, acknowledging that he still has work to do to rebuild trust within the organization and community.
“I thank the Spurs for allowing me time to step away to sort out issues in my personal life,” he wrote on X. “I understand that I will have to regain trust within the organization and across our community, a community where I will continue to be present with enthusiasm and passion. I believe I have the best job in the world and am thrilled to be able to continue as the team’s play-by-play announcer.”
Jacob Tobey, Avery Johnson and Sean Elliott pose for a photo before the game between the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 21, 2026, at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
In July, an Instagram Story was posted on Tobey’s account alleging that he had cheated on his girlfriend with Loren Waters, who is the sister of Spurs guard Lindy Waters III.
“This is my girlfriend of six years,” the post read. “But I cheated on her with Loren Waters. So feel free to continue following me if you really think I’m a good guy because I’m not. :)”
The account then posted pictures of what appeared to be photo booth prints of Tobey and Loren Waters kissing.
“Me and the new girl,” the photo caption read.
The firing sparked some backlash, with critics arguing that his personal life should not have cost him his broadcasting job.
Jacob Tobey performs the national anthem before Game 4 between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City on May 24, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
“I learned something new today, that you can get fired in America for cheating on your girlfriend. I had no idea that was legal. That literally happened, it was a big story,” Cowherd said. “You can get fired in America for cheating on your — not your wife, a girlfriend. Feels like he should hire an attorney, that is a crazy story. Um, whatever.”
Danny Green, an NBA Finals winner with the Spurs, said Tobey was a “really good dude” and that his private decisions did not merit the team letting him go.
“I love everything the Spurs do and how they operate as an organization,” Green said on his “No Fouls Given” podcast. “They run a tight ship. They don’t deal with no BS, and they don’t like drama, so I understand certain issues. They’re going to be like, ‘No, we can’t allow this.’
An insurance company affiliated with Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter’s Guggenheim Partners loaned $350 million to a Walter-controlled LLC that owned SportsNet Los Angeles in 2014, one of several instances of apparent self-dealing detailed in an episode of the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast.
The podcast reported that several figures involved in the purchase of the Dodgers – including basketball legend and minority Dodgers owner Magic Johnson – and the engineering of their massive cable rights deal later landed influential and potentially lucrative positions at Guggenheim or with its affiliated holdings.
USA TODAY Sports has reached out to Guggenheim for comment.
EquiTrust, which was a Guggenheim Partners-owned insurance company, did not disclose that the $350 million loan was made to an affiliated partner, according to Hunterbrook Media, which shared its findings with Torre. Walter, the longtime CEO of Guggenheim Partners, is already the subject of multiple federal investigations into more than $21 billion in loans not disclosed to state insurance regulators that were made by two Delaware insurers Walter owns.
The 2014 loan, to Walter’s American Media Productions, LLC, came at a time the Dodgers’ $8.35 billion local TV contract with Time Warner was taking effect, a deal that guaranteed the Dodgers more than $330 million in annual revenue for their media rights. At the time, the Dodgers’ burgeoning SportsNet LA was blacked out on multiple cable and satellite providers in the Los Angeles area due to the high carriage fee for the station.
It was by far the largest deal for a sports franchise's local TV rights and gained greater value when the club was granted the ability to shield a larger portion of it than is typical from revenue-sharing pools when Major League Baseball approved Walter’s $2.15 billion purchase of the franchise in 2012.
A lucrative TV deal, a position at Guggenheim
While the TV deal has served as a crucial piece in funding the Dodgers' aggressive spending the past six years – including the heavily-deferred, $700 million contract given Shohei Ohtani before the 2024 season – it is facing renewed scrutiny due to Walter's more recent dealings.
Puck Media reported last month that Walter recently approached Charter Communications – which merged with Time Warner – offering to let the cable network out of the deal in exchange for a lump-sum payment. When Charter refused, Puck reported, Walter then executed the $12.5 billion sale of the Los Angeles Lakers, 11 months after purchasing the storied basketball franchise for $10 billion.
The notion that Walter's 2012 purchase of the Dodgers might have been propped up by Walter's use of funds generated through life insurance policies from his affiliated companies prompted The Walter Group to issue an Aug. 26 statement refuting that notion.
"The allegation that the Los Angeles Dodgers were acquired or have been funded improperly is false and not supported by facts," TWG said in a statement. "The Dodgers transaction was subject to significant scrutiny and complied with all rules and regulations that govern the purchase of Major League Baseball teams."
While it's been nearly 15 years since Walter purchased the team, and more than a decade since the $8.35 billion cable deal with Time Warner was struck, threads between the Dodgers, Time Warner and Guggenheim endure.
The architect of the TV deal, David Rone, the former president of Time Warner Cable Networks and Time Warner Cable Sports, left Time Warner in 2015. In 2016, Rone was named senior managing director and company head of strategy for Guggenheim. Rone was eventually named co-president of Guggenheim Investments and remains a senior executive at Guggenheim Partners.
And then there's Johnson.
Magic Johnson: Former EquiTrust controlling shareholder
The Dodgers-Guggenheim marriage also brought Johnson, the five-time NBA champion and Lakers legend, into the fold. Johnson was an early addition to the group headed by Walter aiming to buy the Dodgers, bidding in a group of finalists that included current Rams and future Angels owner Stan Kroenke.
Johnson’s L.A. bona fides likely added more value to the bid than his vanity stake in the franchise. Less than two years after Walter won control of the Dodgers, Pablo Torre Finds out reported, Johnson became controlling shareholder of EquiTrust in January 2014.
Johnson eventually hired Eric Holoman, his longtime friend and business partner with Magic Johnson Enterprises, as managing partner of EquiTrust. Hunterbrook Media, citing SEC documents, reported that EquiTrust eventually invested more than $100 million in Johnson and Holoman’s JLC Infrastructure Fund.
Like the loan to Walter’s media LLC, the filings indicate the investment between the two entities is listed as "unaffiliated." Federal laws include disclosure regulations for affiliated persons and entities.
I am proud that I have such a talented executive team across Magic Johnson Enterprises and some of my portfolio companies including - SodexoMAGIC, Equitrust, Atlanta Life Insurance, JLC Infrastructure, and Unchartered Power! pic.twitter.com/ehcGerKOuw
In 2025, EquiTrust was sold to Amistad Financial Group – which is also currently under investigation by the Department of Justice. Holoman, the former head of Magic Johnson Enterprises, is the managing founder of Amistad. USA TODAY Sports has reached out to Johnson’s company for comment.
Dodgers future: Team not for sale
Predictably, what all this means for the Dodgers, Walter and Johnson remains very unclear. Dodgers president Stan Kasten has reiterated the ballclub – which is in first place in the NL West as it seeks a third consecutive World Series title – will not be for sale.
The federal investigation into Walter – concurrent probes by the Department of Justice and SEC – has only recently begun, in relative terms. The FBI seized Walter’s cellphone and computer one year ago.
For now, Walter has sold the Lakers and he and Dodgers minority owner Todd Boehly remain in talks to sell their shares in the Chelsea football club. The attendance, revenue and performance behemoth that is the Dodgers remains untouched.
ChiSox starter Erick Fedde won Player of the Year in 2023, when he pitched for the NC Dinos in Changwon, Korea. Here are their rather adorable mascots:
In MLB, though, Fedde is strictly a #4/#5 starter. He throws a sinker and a slider/sweeper (stop fighting, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant) plus a cutter and change. The fast stuff tops out at 94; the “swider”‘s his best pitch. If the Twins want to get the series off to a good start, this is the guy to do it against.
One of the innumerable awful sides about AI taking over everything is that we’ll probably get fewer typos. Like in the following 2024 vaportecture of a proposed new ChiSox stadium. “Vaportecture” is a term coined by stadium shenanigans reporter Neil deMause, referring to the shiny, glowy artwork about what new stadiums will look like. They NEVER look the way they do in vaportecture artwork, and sometimes the artwork has sunlight coming from the wrong angles or skyways to nowhere, etc. I’m sure AI could come up with this:
I’m sure AI would be just as capable of depicting those terraced porches on the left which have no guardrails — heck, most Silicon Valley oligarchs hate humans and want them plummeting to their deaths. But, I think it takes a human to make a typo like this one, from the big Sox logo in the center:
Notice the spelling of Chicago. Typo time! Although maybe not; “ca-ca” is a silly term for poop. Maybe the artist really has a beef with Chicago or the Sox. Anyways, AI doesn’t have beefs. Except, again, with all humans who don’t own tech companies.
Anyhoo, expect very different vaportecture of a proposed ChiSox stadium to pop up anytime, now. Their lease in Corporate Name Here Stadium ends in 2029 and they don’t even have a brand new building yet! What if the old one collapses and everyone dies? That won’t happen, so what if a new one would have swankier luxury boxes and far fewer general seats, driving ticket prices up, up, up! (The proposed/likely new Royals/A’s/Rays stadiums would have 34,000/33,000/31,000 seats.) Yeah, that sounds good! But who’s gonna pay for it?
You KNOW who.
Because “how the sausage gets made” baseball stuff is so much fun, I’ll share a video a frustrated fan clued me into recently. It’s only 12 minutes long and it’s well-done.
It’s about how revenue sharing works and what the goals of the offseason CBA negotiations are likely to be, including some form of a salary cap. And how the idea of a salary cap will be presented as “competitive balance” but is actually all about increasing team resale values across the board.
I don’t have much to add here, except that historically, when there’s been CBA / salary cap discussions, inevitably you hear some version of “how come these dumb guys who are only good and running and jumping want so much money for a game I’d play for free?” Notably, you will not hear too many people complaining about owners wanting so much money. Even though many of them are dumb guys who inherited the teams / inherited their wealth. Or sociopaths who made their money in private equity by having no consciences or souls. Or dumb sociopaths who inherited their team / money.
I suppose people complain about the greedy players more than the greedy owners because they know cries of “sell the team!” mean nothing. You can’t force an owner to leave. Whereas a player with a bad contract will eventually be gone.
Ultimately, I can’t get too wound up by the salary cap discussion because I don’t really care how it works out. If I were commissioner, I’d DEFINITELY have ideas how I WANT it to work out, but I’m not commissioner. A guy who hates baseball is. The way it will work out will benefit owners most and fans last, with players/sports agents in the middle. That’s the way it’s always worked out and always will. As a player said to Jim Bouton in his book Foul Ball, “baseball is like religion — a great game with sh***y owners.”
One thing that, I suspect, is already slowing payroll growth is the idiotic playoff structure, which probably Manfred wants to include even MORE teams in the future. It’s September, and depending how you define “have a chance,” 20 of 30 MLB teams have a chance at the postseason. Six of those have losing records. The more that teams can field mediocre rosters and have a chance at the postseason, the less incentive teams have to try and be better than mediocre. Certainly the Twins’ owners would see no reason to change how they do anything next year (assuming there is baseball next year).
I would note that wherever you stand on CBA negotiations, a lot of fans are feeling pretty angry/frustrated about how baseball is operated these days. You can see it in the clips of angry/frustrated fans in the video, or read it in online comments. People do not like that ticket prices keep going up, more games are being broadcast on more streaming services, and a lot of teams do not seem to care if they put out a genuinely thrilling product on the field or not. (Supposedly, TV ratings are up — but some of that might be because of the growing gambling addiction crisis.)
None of these things bode well for the future of the sport… but team sale prices keep going up, so Manfred is happy. Stadiums are getting more and more expensive, and teams are paying less and less of the costs, so Manfred is happy. I’m not happy, and neither are many fans, but the offseason will be what it will be. I know personally I have a LOT more to worry about than sports, and maybe you do, too.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 23: Matt Wilkinson #71 of the San Francisco Giants pitches at Fenway Park on August 23, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A new series is about to kick off, and it’s unclear if that’s the good news or the bad news. Either way, the San Francisco Giants are visiting the New York Mets, in a battle of the “wow, we really didn’t think we’d be this bad” teams.
Taking the mound for the Giants is left-hander Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, a 23-year old making his fourth career appearance. Despite having an 0-2 record, Tugboat has impressed so far, with a 4.63 ERA, a 3.70 FIP, and six strikeouts to just two walks in 11.2 innings. He was fantastic in his last outing, which came against the Arizona Diamondbacks, as he took a shutout into the seventh inning … though, unfortunately, he allowed the first two batters to reach base, was removed, and watched as both of his runners scored against the Giants bullpen.
For the Mets, it’s right-hander Nolan McLean, who makes his 28th start of the year. The 25-year old has been mighty impressive this season, with a 10-8 record, a 3.06 ERA, a 3.60 FIP, and 172 strikeouts to 62 walks in 155.2 innings. He’s on an absolute heater at the moment, as in his last four starts he’s given up just two earned runs and 10 hits in 25 innings.
BALTIMORE — Garrett Crochet's latest attempt to salvage his 2026 season reached another milestone Friday, Sept. 4, as he threw 16 pitches off the mound in his first bullpen session in nearly three months.
Crochet, the 2025 AL Cy Young Award runner-up, has not pitched since April 25, when he threw six scoreless innings at Baltimore, then was shelved with shoulder soreness. In his first attempt to return, Crochet progressed to throwing a mound session in May, then was shut down again shortly thereafter.
Boston Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy acknowledged the window is tight for Crochet to return in any form this season, with barely three weeks left in the regular season. But he is not ruling it out.
"The fact he got on the mound today and threw is a really good sign," says Tracy Friday at Camden Yards. "How he comes in tomorrow will be an important piece of it. Does he feel any lingering effects that will slow him down or will he feel really good and can proceed?
"But I think the fact that, with all the work he put in, the fact he got off the mound and threw a bullpen today is a really good sign. The goal is to get him, by the end of the season, out there, if he can."
The Red Sox entered Friday holding a 5 1/2-game lead for the No. 2 wild card and are a virtual lock to reach the postseason. That would certainly extend Crochet's window to return, even if as a short reliever.
Tracy also said Tanner Houck, who'd likely return this year as a reliever, successfully threw a simulated game and is slated for a rehab outing at Class-AA Portland on Tuesday. Houck is returning from 2025 Tommy John surgery. Johan Oviedo, out since April with a flexor tendon strain, also may soon begin a rehab assignment.
The reinforcements, or at least the option of turning to them, would be welcome.
"As you get beat up and you need help" says Tracy, "having guys of that caliber of big league talent, if you can get them there it would be important down the stretch.
Garrett Crochet stats
Crochet, 27, posted a 3-3 record and 6.30 ERA in six starts this season, showing signs of shaking off a poor early start before the shoulder inflammation shut him down. He was runner-up to Tarik Skubal in 2025 Cy Young balloting after striking out a major league-best 255 in 205 1/3 innings, with a 2.59 ERA.
