Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.
The race for the top spot in the NL between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies pits the teams with the most wins and the best run differentials against each other. Those stakes feel less intense than the scrum between teams hovering above or around .500 at the bottom of the NL wild card standings. There’s excitement in fighting for limited postseason lottery tickets, but it takes some of the spotlight off the best in the sport. I don’t think the league or baseball fans would accept calling the team that finishes with the best regular season record the National League champions. That hasn’t been done since 1968. Still, a greater incentive than byes and home-field advantage could brighten the spotlight on the best teams at the end of a long campaign
Don’t forget to watch every game with the Pitcher List community on Playback!
Today’s Headlines
Brewers Reach 90 Wins
The Brewers won their 90th game of the season 8-2 over the St. Louis Cardinals. Quinn Priester pitched 5.1 innings and won his 12th start in a row (13-2 overall). He gave up two runs, and the bullpen kept the Cardinals scoreless the rest of the way. Milwaukee scored on a walk, a sacrifice fly, a fielder’s choice, a single, a double, and Christian Yelich’s 28th home run. They’re 32 games over .500 and six wins from matching the franchise record of 96. They could nail down one of the six NL playoff berths today.
Bailey Walks Off Dodgers
Patrick Bailey made a missed strikeout call a moot point, held off Milwaukee’s postseason certainty, and crept the San Francisco Giants closer to the final wild card spot. The Los Angeles Dodgers lost another Yoshinobu Yamamoto gem — seven innings, one run, one hit, one walk, 10 strikeouts — and got walked off for the fifth time in their past 15 road games. Bailey stepped into the box in the bottom of the 10th with the bases loaded because Jung Hoo Lee earned a free pass on a 3-2 pitch despite what should have been a foul-tip strikeout on the previous 3-2 offering. One out or two, bases loaded or two on, Bailey’s no-doubter ended the game. The Giants, who were bullpen sellers at the trade deadline, are back in the wild-card race. The Dodgers will be thanking the Colorado Rockies for winning 4-2 in San Diego.
deGrom Wins in New York Return
Jacob deGrom helped extend the Texas Rangers‘ win streak to five and stretch the New York Mets‘ losing skid to seven with a successful return to Citi Field. The Mets gave deGrom a video tribute, and the Rangers gave him a six-run head start in the top of the first. New York starter Jonah Tong recorded two outs but couldn’t close the door on the Texas lineup in the first. Three singles, a walk, and a rally-capping double by Michael Helman gave deGrom plenty of run support. deGrom gave half that lead back in the third on a Francisco Alvarez homer and a pair of sacrifice flies, but he finished the inning and cruised through the seventh. The Mets’ grasp of a wild-card spot continues to loosen. The Rangers are closing the gap on the AL wild card contenders.
Skubal, Baez Leave Detroit Loss
The Detroit Tigers lost 8-2 to the Miami Marlins and may have lost a pair of stars in the process. American League Cy Young hopeful Tarik Skubal gave up four runs, reached for his left side after his 45th pitch, and left the game in the fourth inning. Two innings earlier, shortstop Javier Báez fouled a pitch that StatCast placed in the right-handed batter’s box off his own forehead and left the game. Detroit, still 20 games over .500, 7.5 games ahead in the AL Central, and in the race for a playoff bye, waits for further news on their ace.
The resurgent Sandy Alcantara pitched seven innings and struck out eight. He allowed two runs on four hits and no walks. Alcantara has thrown seven frames and allowed two or fewer runs in four of his last five starts, the kind of run that would look great for a deadline acquisition on a contender. He got his ninth win of the season and 50th of his career.
Judge Powers Past DiMaggio
Aaron Judge passed Joe DiMaggio on the New York Yankees‘ career home run list in the first inning (362), and New York snatched a half-game edge on the Boston Red Sox in the opener for their important AL East series. The drive over the Green Monster opened the scoring and set a new record for the most first-inning home runs in a season (19). After the 4-1 victory, Judge answered a question about his health by saying he always feels great after a win. The Yankees moved into the top wild card spot and sit three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. Win No. 82 means the Yankees organization will finish with a winning record for the 33rd straight season.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Nine for Tanner
Tanner Bibee’s 103rd pitch finished off his first career shutout. He struck out 10, walked no one, and allowed just two singles. The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 4-0 and stayed within striking distance of the AL wild card chase at 3.5 games behind Texas.
Clemens Aids Twins Win
Kody Clemens tied the game 1-1 with his first home run in the third inning. He extended the Minnesota Twins‘ lead to 4-1 with his second home run, a two-run shot in the fourth. After the Arizona Diamondbacks took the lead with a four-run ninth inning rally, Clemens started the Minnesota response with his third home run of the night to lead off the bottom of the final frame. The only out of the inning came when Luke Keaschall hit a sacrifice fly after a single, a HBP, and two walks tied it up and left them loaded.
Rizzo’s Retirement Plan
Anthony Rizzo posted his attire for the retirement celebration in Chicago today: a jersey covered in signatures of pediatric cancer patients from Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
The jersey I’ll be retiring in… signed by all the patients we have visited over the years who were battling cancer. @Cubs @LurieChildrens pic.twitter.com/MHf7ttz2au
— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) September 12, 2025
Cole in One
Houston Astros left fielder Zach Cole ambushed the major leagues by cranking the first pitch of his first at-bat into the right field bleachers. He followed that up with two RBI singles before striking out in his final at-bat to drop his career average to .750.
1 pitch, 1 home run!
Zach Cole just homered on the first MLB pitch he saw 😱 pic.twitter.com/Ot4dsScs9O
— MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2025
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Giants third baseman Matt Chapman won his appeal of a one-game suspension for shoving Colorado Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland. Instead, Chapman will pay an undisclosed fine for the September 2 incident.
⚾ Walker Buehler got the win in his debut with the Phillies. Philadelphia called up the left-hander from Triple-A, and he allowed one run in five innings. Left-hander José Alvarado went on the 15-day IL, and right-hander Matt Manning was designated for assignment to make room for Buehler. How he fits into the Philly postseason plan remains to be settled. He helped them win 8-2 and reduce their magic number to three.
⚾ Infielder Max Muncy left the Dodgers game after being hit on the wrist in the eighth.
Articles You Should Read
Mind the WAR Gap — Davy Andrews, FanGraphs
Mookie Betts May Salvage His Season Yet — Jay Jaffe, FanGraphs
How Blue Jays found ‘unicorn’ in Kirk while scouting another catcher in Mexico — Keegan Matheson, MLB.com
As Jacob deGrom faces the Mets for the first time, examining the two-time Cy Young winner’s Hall of Fame case — Matt Snyder, CBS Sports
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
