Major League Baseball

A 10-7 loss to San Diego on Saturday snapped Arizona's six-game winning streak. The D-backs need a win over the Padres today, plus a Phillies loss to Tampa Bay, to claim the final NL Wild Card spot; the result was not available as of this report.

Catcher Gabriel Moreno (hamstring) is probable for Sunday's finale. Corbin Burnes' shoulder inflammation is expected to keep him out until at least February, ending his season, and five other pitchers are also considered out for an extended period.

Top prospect Demetrio Crisantes, who hit .319 with 5 homers in 35 games at Double-A Amarillo, headlines four Diamondbacks farmhands assigned to the Arizona Fall League.

Houston's Jeremy Pena and Yordan Alvarez homered as Oakland's starter allowed six runs on three homers across five innings in a lopsided finish to the club's regular season.

Michael Harris II went 4-for-5 and Drake Baldwin hit his 25th home run as Atlanta closed the regular season 94-67, locking in the NL's No. 3 seed.

Sale finished with a 2.16 ERA -- his best since 2018 -- and a franchise-record 24 consecutive starts allowing three runs or fewer. He's slated to start Atlanta's Wild Card opener, his first Braves postseason start since joining the club in 2024.

Perez, a waiver pickup who posted a 3.04 ERA over 26 starts, was placed on the IL Sept. 24 with lower back inflammation and is expected to miss the Wild Card round. Elieser Hernandez takes his roster spot.

Suarez returned from a two-plus-month absence (forearm/elbow inflammation) after rehab outings at Triple-A, giving Atlanta a high-leverage arm back as the club locks in home-field advantage for its Wild Card Series opening Sept. 29.

Ronald Acuna Jr. left a Sept. 22 game after fouling a pitch off his shin; X-rays and CT scans came back negative and manager Walt Weiss described his return as day-to-day. No update on his status since has been found.

Baltimore fell 6-3 to the Yankees in Saturday's doubleheader nightcap, its 82nd loss and a second consecutive losing season after back-to-back 90-win years. Reliever miscues and a 1-for-13 mark with runners in scoring position (13 stranded) defined the loss.

Eliminated since Sept. 24, the Orioles are reshuffling baseball operations: Matt Blood becomes VP of player and staff development, Will Robertson VP of domestic scouting, and Brendan Fournie assistant GM. President of baseball ops Mike Elias said a general-manager hire is unlikely this offseason.

Trevor Rogers, Leody Taveras, Chris Bassitt and Andrew Kittredge may have made their last appearances in Baltimore this weekend, with Sunday's finale in doubt due to weather. The club is considered unlikely to exercise its 2027 option on an injured Ryan Mountcastle.

The Orioles' final home series drew an energized Eutaw Street crowd; Pete Alonso hit his 41st home run and led players in tipping caps to fans after the finale.

Boston's Wild Card Series opens Tuesday at Yankee Stadium in a rematch of last year's series. Sonny Gray, 3-3 with a 3.67 ERA in his career against New York, gets the ball for Game 1.

Crochet will miss the rest of the regular season, but manager Chad Tracy said an encouraging live batting-practice session raises the chance he's available out of the bullpen for the Wild Card round.

Arias, who hit .318 with 19 home runs in 75 games for Double-A Portland this season, is part of a 'stay-ready' group working out at the club's Fort Myers complex as Boston finalizes its postseason picture.

Crow-Armstrong stole his 40th base Sept. 24, becoming the seventh player in MLB history -- and the first Cub ever -- to reach 40 homers and 40 steals in a season. He entered the day with an MLB-leading 9.8 WAR.

MLB moved Chicago's season-ending game against Boston from Fenway Park to neutral-site Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg to avoid an incoming storm, shifting the Sunday finale to 3:05 p.m. ET. The Cubs, already in as a Wild Card team, are swept in a Friday doubleheader before the move.

Gausman reported soreness in his throwing shoulder after his most recent outing; his availability for next week is uncertain, though the club hopes he'll be ready for the NLDS if the Cubs advance.

The Cubs have not indicated plans to activate the left-hander from the IL this weekend, meaning his season will likely end without a major-league appearance.

Happ, a Cub for a decade, may not return next season as he nears free agency; separately, Marquee Sports Network broadcaster Taylor McGregor is departing for ESPN.

Colorado beat Chicago 9-6 as Cleveland clinched the AL Central with an 11-5 win over Kansas City, eliminating the White Sox from the division race. Chicago finishes 83-78 as the AL's third Wild Card team and will face the Rangers-Astros survivor. Manager Will Venable: "There is disappointment, obviously."

Rhett Lowder allowed no runs over six innings for his seventh win, and rookie Hector Rodriguez had a two-hit game including a two-run triple -- his third straight multi-hit game -- as Cincinnati closed in on the finish of a rebuilding season.

De La Cruz stole his 30th base Sept. 25, becoming the fourth Red ever to reach 30 home runs and 30 steals in a season.

Cincinnati claimed infielder Oswaldo Cabrera off waivers from the Yankees for roster depth; Spencer Steer (wrist) and Tony Santillan (hip) are both scheduled for surgery this week.

Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio each homered twice as Cleveland claimed its third consecutive division crown, the AL's No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. Tanner Bibee worked six innings for the win. Chase DeLauter returned from a wrist sprain and also went deep.

Cleveland celebrated a playoff berth and then a division title within two days; club president Chris Antonetti doused owner Paul Dolan in champagne. Manager Stephen Vogt: "We need to celebrate this."

Reliever Colin Holderman (wrist) threw a bullpen session and first baseman Rhys Hoskins (back) is taking batting practice at Cleveland's Columbus 'stay ready' camp as the Guardians finalize their ALDS roster.

Goodman hit his 40th and 41st home runs of the season, including a three-run shot in the ninth, in Colorado's penultimate game.

Colorado is on pace for its fourth consecutive 100-loss season, but the club says executives Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes have helped produce a double-digit win improvement; the piece cites over 2 million fans attending Coors Field games this year. "They're very passionate. They're loyal, and they know our record," infielder Connor Norby said.

Tovar's seven-year, $63.5 million extension, signed in March 2024, has become a financial question after a 2026 season in which he posted MLB's lowest wRC+ and negative fWAR, a steep drop from his 2024 breakout.

Justin Verlander struck out six in his final MLB pitching appearance Saturday, and Eduardo Valencia's walk-off homer moments after his exit sent Detroit to a win in his last start.

The Tigers held a pregame farewell ceremony before Verlander's Saturday start, with fan giveaways both days of the weekend. Verlander thanked Jim Leyland, manager A.J. Hinch, Al Kaline and his family in emotional remarks.

Fans reflected on Verlander's Rookie of the Year, multiple Cy Youngs and MVP award, with several describing generational attachment to his 19-year career as he closes it out in Detroit.

Jeremy Pena went 4-for-6 with two homers and four RBIs and Yordan Alvarez added a three-run shot as Houston routed Oakland to enter the regular-season finale tied with Texas, holding the tiebreaker. Today's decisive result was not yet available as of this report.

Kansas City fell 11-5 to Cleveland on the Guardians' clinching night, closing an 8-game stretch of consecutive series losses -- its longest such run since 2023 -- to finish 68-93.

General manager J.J. Picollo said the bullpen is the club's biggest unresolved need heading into the winter and that Kansas City wants to move quickly in November. Manager Matt Quatraro pointed to Vinnie Pasquantino's late-season surge as a building block.

The 2022 first-round pick took a step forward in his first Triple-A season, ranking among Kansas City's minor-league leaders in average and slugging with a 19-game hit streak.

A win tonight at Seattle would close the year 63-99; a loss would make it 62-100, which multiple outlets note would be the first 100-loss season in franchise history.

Los Angeles locked up a first-round bye behind Milwaukee, and will host NLDS Game 1 on Oct. 3. Manager Dave Roberts and Freddie Freeman spoke on record about using the extra rest for a team managing several injuries, including Freeman's patellar tendinitis.

Beat outlets project a locked four-man rotation (Yamamoto, Snell, Skubal, Glasnow) and bullpen core, with roughly 16 players competing for remaining bullpen and bench spots as the club also monitors health questions for Ohtani, Snell and others.

De Paula, who hit .323 in 11 MLB games this year, was sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sept. 23 in a move that keeps him eligible for an October recall depending on catcher Dalton Rushing's health.

Left-hander Jackson Ferris struck out 13 over 7 2/3 innings in his final minor-league start of the year, while Double-A Tulsa's franchise-record 88-win season ended in a quick postseason exit.

The 23-year-old right-hander struck out eight in a complete-game one-hitter, becoming the first Marlin other than Sandy Alcantara to throw a shutout since May 2024. Joe Mack and Heriberto Hernandez also drove in runs in the win.

Lopez is hitting .310, six points behind Philadelphia's Luis Arraez for the NL lead, after slashing .520 over his last seven games.

Outfielder Cam Cannarella and right-hander Eliazar Dishmey were named the organization's Player and Pitcher of the Year, headlining a full slate of affiliate award winners across the system.

Brice Turang's go-ahead two-run homer in the 5th completed a comeback from an early 2-0 deficit as Milwaukee closed in on a 102-win season entering the finale.

With the division, bye and No. 1 seed already clinched, Milwaukee used its final games to set October rotation order. Dustin May started against his former club, St. Louis, to solidify his spot as the postseason No. 3 starter, while Jacob Misiorowski made his final regular-season start with a chance to further lower his MLB-leading 1.62 ERA.

Manager Pat Murphy confirmed the rookie left-hander, who posted a 1.55 ERA in relief, will make Milwaukee's 12-pitcher NLDS staff, squeezing out Kyle Harrison's roster bid.

A Fan Appreciation Night during the season's final homestand drew an enthusiastic crowd celebrating the franchise's first 100-win season.

Bailey Ober allowed six runs over five innings in his roughest outing of the year as Minnesota dropped to 76-85 with one game left.

Hoffman, who split 2026 between Toronto and Minnesota as a bullpen piece with a career-high 22 holds, was placed on the 15-day IL, ending his season. Kaelen Culpepper was activated to fill his roster spot.

Culpepper, the 2024 first-round shortstop, returned from a mild hamstring strain to close the season on the field; manager Derek Shelton said the club wanted to "see if the last two games are available" to him.

Ronny Mauricio hit two home runs and Jonah Tong struck out a career-high nine over five innings as the Mets beat Washington 7-1, improving to 74-87 heading into Sunday's finale.

Benge is hitting .277 with 20 home runs and 20-plus steals -- the first Mets rookie to reach 20/20 -- and sits around 3.7 WAR entering the final week.

The Mets president of baseball operations will give the front office's first on-the-record accounting of the season Monday at 2 p.m. ET.

On the regular season's final weekend, the Yankees retired CC Sabathia's number, the franchise's first such honor since Paul O'Neill in 2022. Sabathia went 134-88 with a 3.81 ERA for New York from 2009-2019, won the 2009 World Series and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2025.

Philadelphia leads Arizona by one game entering the finale against Tampa Bay, but the Diamondbacks hold the tiebreaker. The Phillies clinch with a win; a loss requires an Arizona loss to San Diego to still get in. The club enters on a four-game losing streak after leading by as many as 6.5 games on Sept. 1. Zack Wheeler starts on regular rest.

Nola lasted just one inning in his first short-rest start in a 12-year career, allowing three runs on four extra-base hits; the bullpen also faltered in a loss that extended Philadelphia's skid to four games and its 12th shutout-adjacent defeat of the season.

Jesus Luzardo is expected to be available in relief for Sunday's finale, while Luis Arraez remains sidelined with a sprained left ankle with no return timeline given.

A walk-off homer allowed by closer Mason Montgomery snapped Pittsburgh's scoreless and save streaks in a 4-3 loss at Detroit, leaving the Pirates at 81-80 with today's finale deciding whether the club finishes above .500 for the first time in eight years.

Pittsburgh's Sept. 24 win over St. Louis, in which Paul Skenes recorded his 200th strikeout of the season, mathematically secured a non-losing season and a better final record than the Cardinals.

Cruz left Saturday's loss at Detroit after sliding for a catch; the team called the exit precautionary. With no postseason implications, he may sit out the finale regardless of the MRI result.

Following his final start of the season, Skenes acknowledged the standard the club has set and pointed to areas to improve over the offseason.

Manny Machado's three-run homer -- his 30th of the year and 399th career -- highlighted a 10-7 win that locked in the NL's No. 4 seed and home-field advantage for San Diego's Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs, opening Tuesday at Petco Park.

Mize, who posted a 7.36 ERA over 10 starts since his trade-deadline acquisition while playing through a right ankle sprain, was placed on the 15-day IL, ruling him out for the Wild Card round. Gavin Sheets was reinstated to add a left-handed bat.

Fans described heavy foot traffic at a downtown San Diego souvenir shop as the club prepares for its Wild Card Series.

Josh Naylor stole his 30th base, becoming the first first baseman since George Sisler (1920-1922) with consecutive 30-steal seasons, and J.P. Crawford's go-ahead homer in the 7th completed a comeback win.

Anderson left Saturday's game after being struck on the throwing-side forearm; the injury adds to a lengthy Mariners injury list that includes Andres Munoz (knee, expected back in 2027), Emerson Hancock (done for the year) and Brendan Donovan (concussion, not cleared to return this season).

The club held a farewell weekend for the retiring broadcaster, including a ceremonial first pitch and a custom chest protector from Cal Raleigh. Rizzs will join the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2027.

After Seattle's first losing season since 2019 one year removed from a near-World Series run, national reporting frames a managerial change as the likely offseason move while GM Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander are expected to be retained.

Rodriguez said he could have done more this year, citing timing issues at the plate, but expressed confidence heading into 2027: "I believe in my talent."

Rookie Matt Wilkinson struck out Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez in a strong final start, and waiver pickup Camilo Doval touched 99.5 mph in a scoreless relief inning, but Kike Hernandez's go-ahead ninth-inning homer sent San Francisco to a loss that guarantees a finish at least 30 games under .500.

Doval, projected for a $7-8 million arbitration salary, is viewed by the front office as a potential setup man next to Randy Rodriguez while the club plans to pursue an established closer this offseason. "I just want to do what I'm capable of," Doval said.

Triple-A Sacramento's Carson Seymour earned Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year honors, Double-A Richmond fell in the playoffs despite a franchise attendance record, and Single-A San Jose remained alive in its title chase.

Alec Burleson's 26th home run staked St. Louis to an early lead, but Brice Turang's go-ahead two-run shot in the 5th sent the Cardinals to their third straight loss heading into today's finale at Milwaukee.

St. Louis's top affiliate fell to Rochester 3-2 in Game 3 of the International League Championship Series, closing out the organization's deepest farm postseason push of the year.

Junior Caminero hit his 42nd home run and drove in his 101st RBI as Tampa Bay closed the regular season 98-63. Setup man Griffin Jax left after being struck in the back by a 104-mph line drive but described himself as fine afterward; no further update was available.

Manager Kevin Cash said the two-time All-Star is unlikely to be ready for the Division Series but could return in relief in later rounds if healthy. Without him, the ALDS rotation projects as Rasmussen, Martinez, Peralta, Jax and Seymour.

As the AL's No. 1 seed, Tampa Bay opens the Division Series at home against the winner of the Yankees-Red Sox Wild Card Series and holds home-field advantage through the Championship Series.

The club will hold free 'Rep the Rays' events Sept. 29 at Tropicana Field and Oct. 1 at Midtown Tampa ahead of the franchise's 10th postseason appearance and first since 2023.

Texas beat Minnesota 6-2 Saturday behind homers from Danny Jansen and Jake Burger, but Houston holds the season tiebreaker -- the Rangers need a win over Minnesota and a Houston loss to Oakland today to take the division outright.

Jung was placed on the 10-day IL after being hit by a pitch Friday; infielder Nicky Lopez left Saturday's game in the fourth inning with a left ankle and heel injury with no further update reported.

Cincinnati's Rhett Lowder shut Toronto down over six innings; JJ Bleday's 24th home run was the lone offensive highlight as the Jays close out an eliminated season.

After being described as day-to-day with lower-back tightness, Guerrero drove in a run in Toronto's 6-5 comeback win over Cincinnati on Sept. 25; no shutdown has been announced since.

Yesavage made his final 2026 appearance in a deliberately limited outing after a season disrupted by a shoulder impingement and knee meniscus surgery; he finished at a 3.69 ERA and is projected into Toronto's 2027 rotation.

Washington managed just one run against New York as its bullpen allowed six runs in a decisive 7th inning, closing out the home portion of a lost season.

The trade-deadline pickup, activated off the 60-day IL, allowed just one hit and struck out one in his first Nationals appearance.

The 18-year-old, the No. 1 overall pick in 2025, hit .265 with 14 homers and 63 stolen bases across three levels this season and is now Washington's top prospect and MLB's No. 4 overall.

Nasim Nunez led the club with 32 steals and CJ Abrams added 14 as team speed proved a bright spot down the stretch.