Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees looks on from the bench during the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, in Anaheim, California.
The captain is back.
After spending the last three-plus months on the injured list with a right rib stress fracture, and racing the regular-season clock to get healthy, Aaron Judge will return to the Yankees lineup on Tuesday night in The Bronx against the Rockies, the team announced Monday night.
The back-to-back AL MVP rejoins a Yankees club that is four games back of the Rays for the division with 19 games to play – and only two games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card – but survived his absence, going 45-39 while he was gone despite having to deal with other injuries during that span.
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees looks on from the bench during the third inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, in Anaheim, California. Getty Images
“Best player in the world,” manager Aaron Boone said over the weekend. “I think it would give us a lot of balance, too, to give us that right-handed hitter. On the days we’re facing a righty, where we got all our lefties, to have a right-handed hitter in that two-three hole, I think goes a long way. Not only potentially having his production back in there, but hopefully putting the other guys in a better spot, too.”
Judge successfully petitioned his way out of having to go on a rehab assignment before being activated, though the Yankees may ease him in over the next few days as he finishes off his buildup.
That could mean a day off after his first game, playing five to seven innings in the field and/or DH days involved. He was expected to face live pitching on Monday at Yankee Stadium for the first time in his ramp-up, after going with the Yankees on their West Coast trip and hitting batting practice on the field and high-velocity pitching machines indoors.
New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge works out before a baseball game against the San Diego Padres on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in San Diego. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
The last game Judge played was May 31, when the Yankees beat the Athletics to improve to 36-23. They started 10-5 without him before sputtering during a 4-14 stretch into July. But they began to break out of the malaise from there, even without scoring much, as they leaned on the strength of their pitching staff to weather the storm.
During that time, they have also withstood injuries to Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham (twice), Austin Wells, Ryan McMahon, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Ryan Weathers and more, plus multiple setbacks for Giancarlo Stanton that have kept him out since late April.
With their 5-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Monday, Sept. 7, the Los Angeles Angels are now officially the first American League team eliminated from postseason contention.
The 18 remaining games on their schedule are now rendered meaningless. Even if they were to win out, they would only be able to reach 72 wins, a game shy of the Cleveland Guardians, who currently hold the third spot in the AL Wild Card race at 73-72.
But while this marks the 12th consecutive year that October baseball won't be played in Anaheim, Halos fans finally have reason to look towards the offseason with some sense of hope. Through several of their 44 losses at Angel Stadium this season, fans in the outfield bleachers took the "tarps off" trend to another level and vigorously chanted for owner Arte Moreno to sell the team. He's done just that.
It's a good time for a reset within the franchise, too, possible pending lockout aside.
Manager Kurt Suzuki is on a one-year contract; there's a good chance he'll be gone in 2027. Former St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak was brought in as the Angels' interim general manager after Perry Minasian was fired in June and quickly began making moves towards laying a foundation for the team's long-term future by trading away seven players ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The return of prospects in those deals, headlined by shortstop Arjun Nimmala, shot the Angels organization up from 28th to 17th in MLB Pipeline's farm system rankings.
More recently, Mozeliak promoted Matt Swanson and Michael Lord to assistant GMs as part of a restructuring of the scouting department. Mozeliak has yet to decide if he'll return next year, but the moves he's making now will help whoever is in charge, regardless of whether it's him or a new hire.
Here are the three biggest questions facing the Angels this offseason:
Where will the Angels be drafting?
If this was four years ago, the Angels' future would've looked even brighter as they would've held the first overall pick in next year's MLB Draft as the team with the worst record in baseball (54-90). Since 2023, however, MLB has used a draft lottery to determine the order of the first six picks. The teams with the three worst records this season will have identical odds at No. 1 overall, meaning the Angels right now share even lottery odds at 19.25% with the Colorado Rockies (55-88) and the Athletics (57-87).
What will be the Angels free agency strategy?
Stan Kroenke has shown that he will not insert himself in day-to-day operations nearly as much as Arte Moreno did. Within each of the teams he owns, he's leaned on the expertise of the personnel he hires and lets them do their jobs. He does however, seem to be a bit more selective when it comes to payroll. He's shown to spare no expense when it comes to the Rams – where GM Les Snead has once again built a superteam in the hard-capped NFL by swinging massive trades for Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett – and Arsenal, who signed midfielder Declan Rice for a club-record $133 million transfer fee in 2023. But with the Nuggets, Kroenke's notably avoided the second apron of the NBA's luxury tax even after winning the 2023 NBA Finals.
Kroenke won't get the keys to the building until January at the earliest, and that's the best-case scenario considering a lockout going into 2027 seems likelier by the day.
Who will be running the Angels front office in 2027?
John Mozeliak has made some long-overdue changes since arriving on an interim basis in June. He has the track record from his 18 years as the top executive in St. Louis: 10 playoff appearances, two NL pennants, a World Series title in 2011 and 15 consecutive winning seasons from 2008-2022, a franchise record.
When he stepped away from the Cardinals last October, the 57-year-old told reporters he didn't envision himself running another team in the near future. But in an interview with The Athletic's Katie Woo, Mozeliak said the challenge of bringing the Angels back to prominence made him feel "really energized about going back."
His contract ends in December, and he's told reporters that the plan is still to hire a GM, though he's enjoyed living in Orange County more than he originally expected. Even if he doesn't return in an official capacity, there's still a chance he could stay on an advisor. But, there's also a chance that Korenke would want to start fresh.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 3: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on September 3, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Melina Pizano/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers and Reds continue their series, and Tarik Skubal makes his second start of the homestand. Because these two teams play again next week in Cincinnati, Skubal will likely start twice against the Reds.
Left-hander Nick Lodolo starts Tuesday for Cincinnati.
Aaron Judge is primed to return to the Yankees as early as Tuesday against the Rockies in The Bronx — Aaron Boone did not rule it out — though it could be Wednesday or Thursday if they choose to give him a few more days of ramping up with facing live pitching and the Trajekt machine. Neither of those was available to him over the last week as he joined the team on its West Coast road trip to check some of the final boxes in his rehab.
But the long-awaited day is nearly here.
“Best player in the world,” manager Aaron Boone said over the weekend, summing up the potential impact of his captain’s imminent return.
The back-to-back AL MVP will jump right back into a playoff race. The Yankees trail the Rays by four games for the division — and are two games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card — and survived his absence, entering Tuesday 45-39 since he last played despite dealing with other injuries during that span.
“We’re still in it,” Max Fried said Sunday. “Obviously we’d love to be playing better, [and] we’re motivated to keep going and fight to try to win the division. But anytime you get your best player back, it’s obviously a huge boost.”
Yankees Aaron Judge (99) watches play during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
On Monday’s off-day, Judge was set to face live pitching for the first time in his ramp-up, after spending the last week taking on-field batting practice, hitting off high-velocity pitching machines and standing in on bullpen sessions to track pitches.
All of that, plus having the Trajekt machine at his disposal back at Yankee Stadium, is likely to allow Judge to skip a rehab assignment in favor of being activated sooner, despite the lengthy absence. Because of that, the Yankees may ease him in over the next few days as he finishes off his buildup. That could mean a day off after his first game, playing five to seven innings in the field and/or serving as the DH.
Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge works out before a baseball game against the San Diego Padres. AP Photo/Gregory Bull
But the Yankees will welcome him back in any form with open arms, after their lineup spent a large chunk of his IL stint struggling before finally starting to break out of it over the last few weeks.
“He’s our captain, best player in baseball,” Fried said. “To have him back in the lineup is obviously a huge boost. We’re definitely a better team when he’s in the lineup.”
The Yankees opened a spot on the active roster Sunday night, when they optioned Elmer Rodríguez to Triple-A, though it was unclear if it was for Judge. They will still need to open a spot on the 40-man roster to activate Judge off the 60-day IL (plus Clarke Schmidt at some point in the next week or two), which would make it surprising if they replaced Rodríguez with a pitcher who is not currently on the 40-man roster (i.e. Eli Morgan). But of their healthy 40-man pitchers in the minors, only Brendan Beck is eligible to be recalled Tuesday, which added to the Judge intrigue.
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The last game Judge played was May 31, when the Yankees beat the Athletics to improve to 36-23. They started 10-5 without him before sputtering during a 4-14 stretch into July. But they began to break out of the malaise from there, even as they were still not scoring much, as they leaned on the strength of their pitching staff to weather the storm.
During that time, they have also withstood injuries to Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham (twice), Austin Wells, Ryan McMahon, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Ryan Weathers and more, plus multiple setbacks for Giancarlo Stanton that have kept him out since late April.
From June 1 through Sunday, the Yankees lineup ranked 26th in runs per game (4.06, compared to the 5.17 they were scoring with him); 29th in batting average (.227, compared to .243 with him); 27th in OPS (.681, compared to .770 with him); and 29th in WRC+ (90, compared to 116 with him).
But now, they are on the verge of reintegrating one of the game’s most fearsome hitters at a critical time.
“I feel like we’ve played pretty well here over the last several weeks,” Boone said. “Certainly we’ve had long stretches where the offense has struggled, and I think a big part of that is not having your guy. But I also feel like that’s ticked up here in the last couple weeks where we’ve really started to play better offensively. Certainly look forward to getting our guy back.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 01: Leo Bernal #13 and Michael McGreevy #36 of the St. Louis Cardinals leave the field after the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up their west coast swing with a 3-game series vs the San Francisco Giants starting Monday night. Michael McGreevy is the starter for the Cardinals while the San Francisco Giants will give the ball to RHP Logan Webb. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm central time and the game broadcast will be available via NBC/Peacock.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani will play against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday after missing four games because of soreness in his right biceps and left knee. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went over the weekend plan with Shohei Ohtani, he circled Monday as a potential date for him to return to the lineup after four days off to address lingering aches and pains, including a recurring biceps problem.
On Sunday, that plan was finalized. And Ohtani did indeed grace the top of the Dodgers’ lineup Monday as they opened a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Roberts will, however, keep a close eye on Ohtani.
“I don’t want to say it’s day to day, but I am very curious to see how he comes out of tonight to then make the decision for tomorrow and ensuing days,” Roberts said. “We’ve put a pin in throwing and just having him focus on the hitting, the running, keeping his legs good and doing whatever it takes to help us win.”
By “put a pin in” it, Roberts meant that the Dodgers didn’t have a timetable for when Ohtani might throw again, making it likely that he won’t pitch again this year. But the Dodgers aren’t ready to fully rule it out.
Roberts said he hoped tabling throwing, at least for now, could help Ohtani’s offensive production.
“That’s one part of the thought, to sort of take the pitching off of his plate and really try to let him lock in on being a hitter and get on track,” Roberts said. “Because the last couple of weeks he just hasn’t been himself in the box.”
Ohtani wasn’t available before the game to give his own explanation about his recent slump, and he hasn’t addressed reporters in three weeks, despite repeated requests. He tallied only two hits in the six games before Roberts sat him.
“A lot of it was overall body break, which was needed,” Roberts said. “I think that what happens is, when a player gets taxed physically, the mentally is affected as well.
“I think we got to a point where it all sort of came to a head, where I do think these last four days, giving his body a reset, giving his mind a reset — anything can happen [Monday] as far as performance, but I’m hoping that he’s just in a better state body and mind tonight.”
How will Roberts be able to tell if that’s the case?
“Just the swing, the barrel accuracy, how his mechanics look,” Roberts said. “Hopefully we don’t see that wincing we saw [last Wednesday]. And just quality of at-bat in the end.”
New York Mets' A.J. Ewing (9) holds up his arms after hitting a double to score Juan Soto and Carson Benge during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Miami.
MIAMI — A.J. Ewing’s late-summer siesta at the plate might finally be behind him.
A day after collecting only his second multihit game over the past month, the rookie went a step further with a 3-for-5 performance that included three RBIs in the Mets’ 9-4 victory over the Marlins on Monday.
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Did Ewing change his approach following an August in which he produced a .463 OPS?
“A little bit,” Ewing said. “I would just say that I am not chasing results and kind of sticking to an approach and a plan and just being pitch to pitch.”
Ewing’s two-run double in the fifth inning extended the Mets lead to 7-4 and was among the big hits of the 16 the Mets collected. Ewing also delivered an RBI single later in the game.
“The at-bats are outstanding,” interim manager Andy Green said. “He’s hitting the ball all over the field. He’s hitting with authority.”
Ewing’s only blemish on this day was getting picked off first base in the third inning.
“He got a little far off the base,” Green said. “But he can apply so much pressure with his speed, so getting him back on the bases really causes our offense to churn.”
New York Mets’ A.J. Ewing (9) holds up his arms after hitting a double to score Juan Soto and Carson Benge during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Miami. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
Robert Stock will start Wednesday’s series finale, according to Green. The right-hander pitched in relief Friday — facing two batters — after his best career start four days earlier, when he pitched 5 ¹/₃ scoreless innings against the Rays.
Reed Garrett, who is rehabbing from internal brace elbow surgery, will throw from a mound Tuesday in front of team officials. The right-hander has spent most of this season rehabbing in Port St. Lucie.
Jared Young was on the bench for a second straight game after fouling a ball off his foot Saturday. Brett Baty started at first base.
Justin Hagenman was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to create roster space for Jonah Tong.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 26: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the third inning at Oracle Park on August 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s time for a new series, and it’s time for holiday baseball, as the San Francisco Giants host the St. Louis Cardinals.
Logan Webb is scheduled to take the mound for the Giants, with the three-time All-Star right-hander making his 26th start of the season. Webb is 8-8 on the year, with a 4.21 ERA, a 3.44 FIP, and 119 strikeouts to 38 walks in 149.2 innings. Webb is looking to bounce back after his last outing, when he gave up nine runs in two innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For the Cardinals, it’s righty Michael McGreevy, who makes his 28th start. The 26-year old is 6-9 on the year, with a 3.97 ERA, a 4.31 FIP, and 102 strikeouts to 40 walks in 147.1 innings. McGreevy gave up four runs in five innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last start.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo threw the first complete game of his career Monday, Sept. 7, a two-hit, 12-strikeout shutout that beat the Atlanta Braves1-0 and pushed his record to 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA.
Five months ago, his ERA sat at 5.50.
Since then, he has won the National League Pitcher of the Month for August, going 3-0, with a 1.31 ERA, 46 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. Over his last 22 starts, his ERA is 2.39.
He's not the only team member pitching well at the right time.
Cristopher Sanchez is 16-14 with a 2.52 ERA and the major's best pitching WAR, running second in the Cy Young race behind Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski. Earlier this year he put together a 50 2/3-inning scoreless streak, the longest by a left-hander in major league history.
Zack Wheeler had a miserable August, a 6.26 ERA that had people writing him off, and has answered it with back-to-back starts of six innings with one run apiece. Aaron Nola's season line still looks rough at 4.76, but that number isn't the whole story. Since late June, Nola has a 3.43 ERA over his last 11 starts, including going seven innings and holding the Braves to a run in his last start.
After a rough start, Philadelphia's rotation is leading the majors in strikeouts.
The Phillies are 99% likely to make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season, according to postseason odds models. They were four games back of the Braves after beating them Monday and hold the first NL wild card spot. So, they are not only pitching well for that push for the division, but are going to have good decisions to make for October.
The playoff rotation of Luzardo, Wheeler and Sanchez is as formidable as any in the majors.
Game 1 is a real argument for interim Phillies manager Don Mattingly. Luzardo has a 1.76 ERA on the road this season and a 4.52 at home. Sanchez is the mirror image, a 1.68 at Citizens Bank Park and a 3.68 on the road. Whoever the Phillies face and wherever that series opens will likely be the deciding factor.
Wheeler slots in behind them. He posted a 2.16 ERA through his first 16 starts, then a 7.12 over his next seven. The staff traced it to his glove. He was holding it two inches lower than usual in his windup. He has had two strong starts since the fix.
Nola and Painter will be fighting for a potential fourth spot. Whichever one it is, the more likely job in October is relief, giving the Phillies another arm to go with Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado and Jhoan Duran.
Monday was a flash of what the Phillies pitching is capable of doing. Luzardo scattered two hits, walked one and struck out a dozen Braves hitters. It was the first 1-0 complete game shutout by a Phillies pitcher since Roy Halladay did it against Houston on Sept. 14, 2011. That was a masterpiece that clinched the Phillies' playoff spot that year.
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts on the floor during the first quarter of a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Monday, March 10, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Luka Dončić’s and Austin Reaves’ friendship has blossomed over the past few seasons, as the two are now quite close. And this closeness was shown in a hilarious way when Dončić was asked to describe Reaves with one word in a recent interview.
“Annoying,” Dončić said while staring dead at the camera, per the Lakers’ X account.
Luka Doncic calling his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Austin Reaves “annoying” in an interview. (X/@Lakers).
Dončić is just joking around, of course. At least, joking in the way that two friends who love to jab and tease each other constantly do.
Of course, this chemistry doesn’t guarantee that the Lakers will win games when the upcoming season starts. But if the team struggles, it doesn’t look like a fractured locker room will be the root cause.
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers hold hands during a timeout in the second half of a game against the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena on March 12, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
When Joe Sakic tells Avalanche fans not to worry, history suggests they should probably listen.
Sakic delivered that message again Monday while discussing head coach Jared Bednar on Altitude Sports Radio. With Bednar entering the final year of his three-year contract, questions about his future in Colorado are beginning to surface.
Sakic, however, doesn't appear concerned.
“No, we’re continuing. We’re gonna talk about it and see if we can get to an agreement here. ... We’ll try and get to an extension, and hopefully we can work something out, but there’s no urgency either.”
It’s a similar message to the one Sakic gave regarding Cale Makar earlier this summer. While there was plenty of speculation about whether the Avalanche would be able to reach a long-term agreement with their star defenseman, Sakic remained confident.
That confidence proved justified when Makar signed an eight-year, $163.2 million extension, keeping him in Colorado through the 2034-35 season.
Now, the focus shifts to Bednar.
Bednar has been behind Colorado's bench since 2016 and has accomplished just about everything possible during his tenure. He has won championships at the ECHL, AHL and NHL levels, including the 2022 Stanley Cup with the Avalanche. He is also the winningest coach in franchise history.
With that résumé, it makes sense that Colorado would want to keep him around.
Still, Sakic made it clear Monday that there is no rush to get a deal done.
The Avalanche will continue negotiating with Bednar and see if the two sides can reach an agreement. For now, though, both Sakic and Bednar appear comfortable letting the process play out.
And if Sakic's track record is any indication, Avalanche fans may want to take him at his word once again.
Bednar has taken plenty of heat over the past couple of seasons because of the team's playoff shortcomings, but the bottom line is that the organization wanted him back. Perhaps even more importantly, the players gave him their vote of confidence.
Now, we'll see if next season brings that magic spark back.
Kevin Pietersen has joined England’s white-ball coaching team as a “specialist mentor” in the build-up to next year’s World Cup, 12 years on from the controversial end to his international career.
He last played Sept. 2, when he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts against the St. Louis Cardinals and looked, for a few innings, like a hitter who could not catch up with the ball.
He returns as a designated hitter. Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 because of inflammation in his left knee, and manager Dave Roberts said over the weekend that a mound return this season is unlikely. Nobody has closed the door, but he has not started throwing.
The knee issue dates to June. The right biceps flared up after that Sept. 2 game against the Cardinals. He is also dealing with a sore neck. Ohtani, 32, did nothing for two days, then hit in an indoor cage Saturday, and his hitting coaches and the training staff all gave him the go-ahead.
Ohtani was cold before he sat. He has not hit a home run since Aug. 18. He had two hits in his last 23 at-bats with 11 strikeouts.
Overall, Ohtani is hitting .279 with a .381 on-base percentage, 30 home runs, 80 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a .906 OPS in 499 at-bats.
On the mound, Ohtani went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP and 95 strikouts in 95 2/3 innings over 14 starts.
The Dodgers went into Monday night's game 86-57 and 10 games up on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. Milwaukee, at 89-56, has the better record in the NL, but the top two finishers get a bye, which would give Ohtani more time to rest.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 07: Gleyber Torres #25 of the Detroit Tigers turns a double play around Josh Bell #56 of the Minnesota Twins in the seventh inning at Comerica Park on September 07, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a labor of a game on Labor Day. The Twins were resilient and had plenty of chances to score, but more bad luck with RISP, four double plays, and poor defensive execution led to another Twins loss. The same script as most of the second half.
The Twins once again struck first in the game. Luke Keaschall was hit by a pitch and Brooks Lee stroked a strong single to center. Keaschall and Lee then double stole to put two in scoring position for the heart of the lineup. Kody Clemens struck out and Ryan Jeffers hit into a fielders choice, scoring one and keeping runners at the corners with only one out, but Josh Bell hit into a double play to end the inning.
Joe Ryan made his grand return and was reasonably effective. After only one short rehab appearance, the Twins limited his workload to 65 pitches with rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp scheduled to follow. Ryan had a long first two innings, throwing 43 pitches and allowing three runs, but it genuinely could have been much worse.
Ryan K’d Colt Keith on three pitches to start the inning, but left a heater down the heart of the plate to AL ROY favorite Kevin McGonigle, giving Detroit their first run. In the second, he gave up a leadoff triple and struck out Spencer Torkelson, and then had perhaps the worst 4 pitch sequence of his life. Ryan walked rookie Max Clark after a long battle, then hit light-hitting rookie John Peck on the very next pitch to load the bases. On the next pitch he hit Keith to plate the go-ahead run, and then McGonigle reached on a soft grounder to first, but Royce Lewis’ throw home took Jeffers off the plate and allowed the Tigers to score another. Ryan buckled in and got the next two Tigers to end the threat, but the damage was done.
Ryan locked in from there, retiring the next six straight Tigers batters, including three strikeouts, to end his day at four innings and 66 pitches. It was a decent return for the Twins’ ace. His velocity looked strong and other than the McGongile homer (the only hard hit ball he allowed), he pitched reasonably well for someone effectively making his second rehab appearance. Some better defense behind him and he likely puts the Twins in a great position to win.
Connor Prielipp took over from there and was also pretty strong the rest of the way. He gave up a two-run shot to All-Star Riley Greene, but gave the Twins four strong and efficient innings and continues to show good stuff despite being 40 innings over his 2025 career high and flying past the combined 58 innings he threw from 2020-2024. The numbers won’t dazzle you, but he’s done more than enough to warrant a 2027 rotation look and stave off the bullpen concerns some evaluators thought he was destined for.
Back on the offensive side, the Twins did an excellent job getting back in the game after falling behind. Trevor Larnach, who has been hearing the call of the void, shrunk the gap to 1 with a laser wall-scraper in the fourth. Then, they finally managed to string some hits together with two outs in the sixth, trailing 5-2 at this point. Larnach got things started again with a single and Kaelen Culpepper scorched a single to left on the next pitch. Walker Jenkins then had his best at-bat as a Twin so far, working a full count before scorching a double into the right-center gap to plate two. If it wasn’t for Tigers centerfielder Max Clark’s speed, Jenkins might have had an inside-the-park home run in cavernous C0merica Park, but Clark made a nifty play, sliding to cut off the ball in the gap before it could get past him.
Twins legend Tyler Kinley came in to try to finish the game, but walked Keaschall and Lee to juice the bases for Clemens, who watched a fastball down the middle of the plate to end the threat with the Twins trailing 5-4. They had chances in every inning that followed, but hit into double plays in each of the final three frames to stop any momentum they had built.
Minnesota had one final chance to pull out a win in the ninth, but once again couldn’t come up with the final hit they needed. A leadoff walk to Clemens put the tying run on. Jeffers then hit a fly ball about 400 feet out to dead center that stayed in the park and Josh Bell bounced into a double play to end the game.
They “only” left 10 men on base this game, which doesn’t seem that bad, but that’s because double plays don’t count for that number. They had at least one runner reach base in every inning and two runners in five of them, yet only managed three total runs in those innings with multiple baserunners. Little things like that are what has the Twins well outside the playoff field with three weeks to go.
STUDS
Bottom of the lineup (Larnach/Kreidler, Culpepper, Jenkins): 5-10, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI
Luke Keaschall: 1-2, 2 BB, stole third base
DUDS
Rest of the lineup: 2-20, 3 BB, 3 GIDP, 0-6 with RISP
We’re back tomorrow for the stellar pitching matchup of Dean Kremer vs Drew Anderson, which we’ve all been waiting for. Here’s hoping Emmanuel Rodriguez and Alan Roden are with the team, too!
Baseball, perhaps more so than every other ball sport save golf, might be the one in which more happens to decide the outcome of a play, game, or season not on the field of play but in that one square foot of real estate nobody can see: What's going on inside the players’ minds?
During a 19-game stretch in August during his rookie year, Mets outfielder A.J. Ewing had just eight hits in 73 at-bats (.110) and saw his average (.269) and OPS (.743) fall by .033 and 0.089, respectively.
“He’s been really good,” Green said after the win. “The at-bats are outstanding; he’s hitting the ball all over the field, he’s hitting it with authority.”
Ewing said it comes down to feeling “really comfortable in the box right now” as he tries to stay true to his game. Does that mean there was a change of approach after the August slump?
“A little bit,” Ewing said. “I would say it’s not chasing results and just kinda sticking to an approach and a plan and just being pitch-to-pitch.”
And chasing results and letting the mental side of his game slip away is something Ewing indicated was happening during the bad run at the plate
“I’d say it’s impossible not to be up there and have those thoughts in your head,” Ewing said. “But staying away from that as much as you can is definitely the mental challenge of this game.”
For the season, Ewing has five games with three or more hits over his first 102 appearances and has his slash line back up to .247/.319/.365 for a .684 OPS.
With Ewing getting back on base, Green added that he is once again bringing an extra dimension to the Mets' offense with his speed.
“He can apply so much pressure with his speed,” the interim skipper said. “So getting him back on the bases really causes our offense to churn.”
Of course, the 22-year-old rookie will still have more to learn. “I just wasn’t expecting [it],” he said about getting picked off first in the third inning on Monday.
