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MLB News & Moments: Aaron Judge is Back on the IL

The Ewing Theory Committee is about to meet in the Bronx

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News An Hour Ago

Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

The Yankees pulled a game closer to the Rays by steamrolling the Diamondbacks with a 9-2 score. However, the biggest news came hours before the game started, as the team announced that Aaron Judge would be placed on the 10-day IL with a right calf strain. While the injury is not related to the rib ailment that kept him on the IL for several months, it is still an alarming sign for New York’s star. While he could be eligible to return for the regular season finale, manager Aaron Boone indicated that this is not guaranteed, while the Yankees are set to play in the wild card round unless they overcome Tampa and earn a first-round bye. While New York’s pitching is set to carry this team in October, the potential absence of Judge would loom large in the team’s championship aspirations.

Today’s Headlines

 

And So There Were Five

Atlanta opened the day with a chance to secure their eighth playoff spot in nine seasons, as a win over Houston was the only thing needed to ensure October baseball in Cobb County. Pitching dominated the early portion of the game, as it all remained scoreless through three. Atlanta would then rely on the long ball to clinch their postseason spot, using a trio of two-run homers. Michael Harris II opened the party, followed by Ronald Acuña, Jr. and Matt Olson, while the Astros could only counter with a couple of runs in this 6-2 final. In the background of this power display, Tyler Mahle was again masterful for Atlanta, as he has quietly become one of the most important mid-season trades of 2026. Mahle had been terrible with the Giants, with nine losses and a 5.13 ERA. Since joining Atlanta, he now has a 1.28 ERA, four wins, and a 0.89 WHIP, as he has suddenly become a serious candidate to be the team’s #2 starter in October. Atlanta is now the fifth team to officially secure a playoff spot, virtually locked as the 3-seed in the NL.

Restoring Order

In one of the weirdest developments of the 2026 season, the Giants entered this weekend’s series with a lead in the season matchup against the Dodgers, having won four of their first seven meetings. However, their last game had come in May, back when San Francisco was at least trying to field a major league roster. Now facing a huge mismatch in September, the Dodgers had the chance to stay in the battle for MLB’s best record, while also getting some payback on their rivals. The Giants stayed surprisingly competitive through the early game, taking a 2-1 lead over Tyler Glasnow while starter Cesar Perdomo kept LA at bay. However, this would reach their predictable outcome by the sixth, when the Dodgers took the lead, and emphatically so in the eighth, when LA rode four homers to turn a contested game into a laugher. Reliever Philip Abner allowed Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Kyle Tucker, and Will Smith to go deep, giving us a better sense of where both teams stand in 2026.

Texas-Sized Hope

Following Thursday’s devastating home loss to the Red Sox, it would have made sense for the Rangers to come out a big sluggish to open a series against the desperate Blue Jays. However, the roles were reversed quickly, as Texas took advantage of a poor performance from Dylan Cease and lousy defense from Toronto to open a 4-0 lead in the second. The shock would not wear off Toronto, as their offense sputtered against Kumar Rocker, notching only five hits and two walks through the game. The Rangers would extend their lead eventually, finishing with a commanding 7-1 win that takes them back to .500 and even with the Astros atop the AL West. Houston owns the tiebreaker, but the race will be on until the end, as both teams remain alive in the wild card race, as well.

An Untimely Collapse

Entering the day tied with the Guardians at the top of the Central, the White Sox looked ready to keep the pace and inch closer to the playoffs. Instead, they suffered one of the worst collapses seen by any team in 2026. Chicago opened the game with a six-run frame that produced a commanding 6-1 lead, as six batters reached with two outs, including a defensive disaster-class by the Tigers that featured two errors. Tigers starter Andrew Sears had the rare six-run line with no earned runs allowed, but the Sox were not content, adding a two-run third via a Miguel Vargas homer that opened the scored to 8-2. From there, though, the script would be completely flipped. Chicago would not score from that point on, while the Tigers scored nine unanswered, punctuated by a five-run eighth that stunned the home crowd. A Kevin McGonigle three-run triple and two-run homers from Hao-Yu Lee and Riley Greene were the highlights for a Tigers team essentially playing spoiler. Toronto’s loss keeps the White Sox with a three-game lead against them, due to the tiebreaker. However, they are now only one game above the Rangers/Astros in the final wild card chase.

Face of the Franchise

Despite their overall terrible season, the A’s have developed a recent penchant for ruining other team’s days. They looked ready to disturb Cleveland’s playoff run thanks to a three-run first, as a Zack Gelof homer shocked the home crowd. Things would still look dire as the Guardians wasted bases-loaded opportunities in the first and second, including a strikeout to José Ramírez when he had the chance to cut the deficit. However, Cleveland persevered and made the most of its future opportunities, including some sweet redemption for Ramirez. A three-run fourth tied the score, while a Travis Bazzana solo blast gave the Guardians their first lead of the contest in the fifth. An inning later, the beloved Ramirez added an exclamation point, blasting a solo homer that provided the 5-3 final score and also served as the 1,000th RBI of his career. He becomes only the 12th active player to join that club, keeping Cleveland atop the AL Central and closer to clinching a spot in October.

 

By The Numbers

 

85-69 With eight games to go, the three NL wild card hopefuls have the same record at 85-69, as the Cubs and Phillies lost, while the Padres continued their dominant September with a win. Two of them are set to face each other, while the odd team out is set to play Atlanta in the wild card round, as every tiebreaker could come into play if they keep this pace.

162  Taking the W in the Yankees’ big win in Arizona, Gerrit Cole became the winningest #1 overall pick as a pitcher, with win #162 for his career. He broke a tie with Mike Moore and his final career tally will likely become one of baseball’s unbreakable records.

30/30 With a first-inning steal, Washington’s CJ Abrams reached 30 for the season, and officially became part of the 30/30 club. He is only the third player in Montreal/Washington franchise history to reach that mark, joining Alfonso Soriano and Vladimir Guerrero, Sr.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Bring it Back

On a completely meaningless game between the Twins and Angels, Minnesota starter Connor Prielipp had arguably his best outing as a major leaguer, tossing seven scoreless frames with eight strikeouts. However, he got some help in the way, as left fielder Emmanuel Rodriguez was instrumental in keeping the Angels off the board. In the sixth, with the Twins already leading 2-0, Zack Neto hit a deep fly ball that looked like a certain homer, but Rodriguez tracked it down and took advantage of the short wall, leaping towards an acrobatic catch that saved the shutout. The bullpen would keep its end of the bargain as well, leading the Twins to a 3-0 win that can at least make their final record more respectable.

Walk-Off Pitchout (!!!)

Among all the old-fashioned baseball plays that have been gradually spaced out of the game, the pitchout is definitely a lost art. Most pitchers would rather speed up their delivery than gift a ball, even when you can assume that a runner is going to attempt a steal. As a veteran who has seen the decline of pitchouts firsthand, Cincinnati’s Jose Treviño was feeling confident that he could call for one and try to close out a tight game against the Cubs. The back-and-forth affair yielded a 6-4 late lead for Cincinnati, as Ian Happ stood at the plate with Michael Busch at first base with two outs. Happ had already homered in this game, but Busch probably thought that he would be allowed to take second base unchallenged. Instead, Treviño called for the pitchout and made a perfect throw to nab Busch. While he was originally called safe, a quick replay review confirmed that he had been tagged before reaching second, giving Treviño the rare double winning contribution, as he ended the game on defense after driving in the two winning runs with a single in the sixth, giving Cincinnati a 6-4 victory.

Joshing Around

The Mariners are closing their season at least trying to end it with a positive note, and a 5-4 win to open their series in Colorado was a good sign, as a massive Lazaro Montes homer proved to be the edge. Way before that, Josh Naylor also added a moment of levity, using a ballerina-like move to complete an out at first base. As a JP Crawford errant throw pulled him off the bag, Naylor relied on his instincts and athleticism to slap the tag on the bag and avoid the error. In a year where almost nothing has gone right for the M’s, at least they can have some fun playing baseball.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ As the final nail in the coffin for their dreaful 2026, the Giants are shutting down Logan Webb and sending him to the IL due to a blister on his middle finger. Webb has endured his worst season with San Francisco, and will end with a 4.31 ERA and a losing record following three straight top-6 Cy Young finishes. 

⚾ Miami announced that closer Pete Fairbanks will undergo thoracic outlet surgery, although no further details were shared. This puts an end to Fairbanks’ tough debut season for the Marlins, after signing a lucrative one-year, $13 million contract. Recovery from this kind of injury is extremely difficult, as evidenced by recent examples like Stephen Strasburg.

⚾ The Nationals announced that they have extended starting pitcher Cade Cavalli with a four-year extension that includes a team option for 2031. The guarantee totals $47 million, while the option would include an additional $23 million. This buys out two free agent years from Cavalli, but also provides plenty of stability for a pitcher that has battled with several injuries during his career. In a year that has featured dreadful pitching for Washington, Cavalli has been a bright spot, becoming a top-10 hurler in the NL. With 2026 becoming a relative success for the franchise in their long rebuild, locking up Cavalli makes a ton of sense.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Blue Jays Rookies Ready for Texas — Max Ralph, MLB.com

The Math Behind Outs at Third Base — Ben Clemens, Fangraphs

 

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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