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Well, folks, this is it. We have two weeks left of the MLB regular season. 14 days, even fewer games. Then we say good night to 18 clubs until the coming of spring. Maybe. The CBA… It’s a long, as-of-yet-unwritten story. The 12 teams yet to go to bed, though, are still up for debate. Mostly. Without further ado, let’s talk about some of those contenders.
Today’s Headlines
Mets Make Cole Look Kaput
If game one of this weekend’s Subway Series was all Yankees, game two was all Mets. The Queens-centered club won 12-2 in the Bronx. Star shortstop Francisco Lindor all but ended things early. The former All-Star hit a lead-off home run against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. The swing set the tone. Backup catcher Luis Torrens tore into Cole next with a three-run homer in the second. Rookie outfielder Carson Benge then took a bite with a solo shot in the fourth and an RBI single in the fifth. Cole exited with nine hits and five runs surrendered in 4.1 innings pitched. The Mets were all over the former Cy Young winner. Lindor was also all over Yankees reliever Bradley Hanner, hitting a grand slam to seal what he’d started.
Across from Cole was Mets rookie pitcher Zac Thornton. Thornton, like the Mets to the Yankees, was Cole’s opposite. He pitched seven innings, allowed two runs and one walk, and struck out four. If there was trouble, he got out of it. Thornton’s only blights were to Cody Bellinger, who tallied an RBI single and a home run.
Atlanta Eviscerates Philly
What might’ve been a contest between Philadelphia and Atlanta became a 12-2 conquering in Atlanta’s favor. Almost all of it came in the fourth, and almost all with two outs. Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.’s solo home run was the only Atlanta run scored in the frame with fewer than two outs. A strikeout of Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson followed, and then came the terror: walk, single, single, single, error, and so on. By its end, Atlanta was up 8-1. Philly, relying on its bullpen sans starter Jesús Luzardo, had no choice but to take the catapulting. Atlanta is now up six games on Philadelphia in the NL East. The crown is in sight.
Grichuk’s Great Moment
Who would you want at bat with one strike left? Who? For the Chicago White Sox, the answer by necessity became Randal Grichuk. To their luck, Grichuk embodied the spirit of all the other athletes one might answer to that question. Down 5-4 with one strike to give, the 35-year-old fired a slider from St. Louis’ All-Star closer Riley O’Brien to right. The ball carried and carried. It cratered 358 feet deep and into the stands. As if dropped there by the Almighty. Chicago, somehow, impossibly led and then won 6-5. Chicago is one-and-a-half games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians atop the AL Central. Between this and the Pope being on their side, are we sure this isn’t the team of destiny?
Soto Stumbles, Chicago Soars
Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Gregory Soto had one job: Hold the line. He failed. Spectacularly. With Pittsburgh ahead of the Chicago Cubs 3-2, Soto allowed a leadoff double. And just when he seemed set, with two straight outs, he faltered. A hit-by-pitch and walk loaded the bases for Cubs utility man Matt Shaw. Shaw walked on five pitches to tie the game. Soto, somehow still in the affair, immediately plunked Nico Hoerner, the next batter he faced. Chicago now led 4-3. Cubs relievers Ryan Rolison and Ryan Zeferjahn – the Ryans – then did what Soto couldn’t: sit their opponents down. In conclusion, Soto is no Toto, and Chicago is closer to clinching one of the two top wild card spots.
Rangers Rally
The Texas Rangers need all the help they can get. Thankfully, for their sake, they helped themselves in their 6-2 defeat of the Arizona Diamondbacks. A night after next-to-nothing offensively, the Rangers brought it on Saturday. Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford extended the first helping hand. The slugger hit his 17th homer of the season to tie things up. Inspired by his example, the rest of the Rangers got to work. Two singles put Texas ahead. Another tripled its lead, a double quadrupled it, and a single sextupled it to 6-1. Texas is two games out of the third wild card spot. Arizona is also on the outside looking in, trailing the San Diego Padres by one-and-a-half-games.
Rocky Mountain Low
The Colorado Rockies might be more normal than before, but, well, they’re still the Rockies. Case in point: Their 7-11 loss to the Detroit Tigers. Colorado once led this game 3-0 and 7-4. The latter was the score in the eighth. Colorado needed just six outs and was up three. Here’s how the bottom of the eighth went instead: double, double, single, single, walk, walk, walk. All that came before the first out. Speaking of which, Detroit hit sacrifice flies for its first and second outs, giving them an 8-7, then a 9-7 advantage. Hao-Yu Lee, who started the barrage with that first double, then hit a two-run double. It’s just the Rockies doing Rockies things.
Washington’s Unsexy Walk-Off
The Washington Nationals couldn’t buy a walk-off. Now they’ve got two. Ahead of the Los Angeles Angels and then behind, the Nats needed extras to win 6-5. Reliever Jack Sinclair completed the first part of the parlay. The hurler held the Halos with a clean top of the tenth. Catcher Henry Ford then completed the second leg, albeit in undramatic fashion. Thanks to a steal of third from shortstop CJ Abrams, the Nats needed just a nudge. Ford provided such a push, nibbling a José Fermín pitch to short. LA shortstop Zach Neto couldn’t field the ball. Abrams crossed home plate without even a challenge thanks to the fielder’s choice. It’s not about how you win; it’s that you win.
By The Numbers
⚾ 40. Bobby Witt Jr. completed his second-career 40-steal season yesterday.
⚾ 40. Tampa Bay Rays closer Bryan Baker is the first in the Show to 40 saves.
⚾ 33. Over the last 18 innings of baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers have scored 33 runs: 20 on Friday, 13 on Saturday.
⚾ 20.86. From a happy Brewers stat to a bad one: pitcher Kyle Harrison has a 20.86 ERA over his last three outings. He’s walked six and allowed six home runs.
⚾ 19. The Seattle Mariners smoked the Athletics 19-1 on Sunday. It’s likely too little, too late. Seattle is five games back in the AL wild card race.
⚾ 8.49. Gerrit Cole has pitched in five games against the Mets as a Yankee. He has an 8.49 ERA.
⚾ 7. Juan Soto scorched his 25th home run of the season yesterday. He now has seven seasons with 25 or more home runs. The only seasons in which Soto didn’t reach the milestone were his 2018 rookie season and the 2020 shortened season.
⚾ 7. Rafael Devers socked his seventh home run of September yesterday. Just a reminder, today is September 13.
⚾ 6. With a homer yesterday, Pete Alonso is up to 299 home runs. He’s also officially hit 35 or more dingers in a season six times. The only campaigns where Alonso fell short of the 35+ mark were 2020 and 2024, when he hit 34 long balls.
Best Moments From Yesterday
St. Louis Send-Off
Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina are right where they belong.
Right where they belong. pic.twitter.com/hFjomZFSkR
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 12, 2026
E-Rod Sure Looks Ready
Welcome to the Show, Emmanuel Rodriguez.
Emmanuel Rodriguez leaves the yard in his FIRST big league at-bat 👏 pic.twitter.com/4924nXjtmK
— MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2026
McCarthyism
Call Jake McCarthy the Purple Scare.
Jake McCarthy leaps UP to take a home run away 😲 pic.twitter.com/7Ioa6vi7Bi
— MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2026
Benge’s Beauteous Catch
Not quite pulchritudinous, but close.
OH MY BENGE! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/6xIRiOtnzO
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 12, 2026
Fernando’s Firing
After not hitting zero home runs in his first 55 games, Fernando Tatis Jr. now has 21 over his last 91 games.
Fernando Tatis Jr. belts this baseball WAY OUT of the yard 😳 pic.twitter.com/q3Ge1Tm0Wj
— MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2026
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ The Philadelphia Phillies have a new cross to bear: a potential injury to starter Jesús Luzardo. The club scratched Luzardo from his scheduled start on Saturday due to stiffness in his throwing shoulder. Losing Luzardo for any time would be a blow. In 29 starts, the southpaw has a career-best 2.87 ERA. Thankfully, the Phils are optimistic it won’t come down to that.
⚾ He’s back! The Athletics officially activated All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers on Saturday. Langaliers missed the last six weeks due to a meniscectomy. Infielder Darell Hernaiz was sent down for Langeliers.
⚾ Pitching news for the Chicago Cubs? And it’s not nightmarish? The Cubs activated starter Edward Cabrera from the 15-day IL after a bout with a blister. In exchange, Chicago placed pitcher Trent Thornton on the 15-day IL due to left ankle soreness.
⚾ The Minnesota Twins officially promoted top prospect outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez yesterday. Rodriguez hit .262 with a .914 OPS in 49 games with Triple-A St. Paul. Rodriguez’s promotion comes at the cost of infielder Ben Ross’s demotion.
⚾ Weezer and the city of Pittsburgh are both singing “say it ain’t so,” but sadly it is. Pirates rookie outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez landed on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain. Valdez suffered the injury Friday running to first. Swiss-army-man Ronny Simon will come up from Triple-A.
⚾ Pavin Smith is back in Arizona. The club re-added Smith to the roster on Sunday. Catcher Adrian Del Castillo will go to Triple-A, while first baseman Tyler Locklear heads to the 60-day IL.
⚾ The Tampa Bay Rays are shaking up their bullpen. The team selected Brody Hopkins‘ contract from Triple-A. Hopkins, a consensus top-1o0 prospect, will make his debut at the cost of pitchers Alex Cook and Michael Grove. The Rays demoted the former and DFA’d the latter.
Articles You Should Read
6 teams that have defied projections – for better or worse — Brent Maguire, MLB.com
Schlittler for AL MVP? It’s not as crazy as you may think — Brian Murphy, MLB.com
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