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The wild and wacky of pennant-race baseball reared its beautiful head and inserted itself into the fortunes of contenders. With teams have 23 or fewer games left in the regular season, the final three-plus weeks of the season sure do feel like they will be entertaining.
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Today’s Headlines
Rays Topple Mariners, Win 6th Straight To Tighten AL
Don’t look now, but we have a team making a surprise move for a playoff spot. That would be the Tampa Bay Rays, who won their sixth straight by beating the Seattle Mariners 9-4, finishing off a three-game sweep of a team they are chasing down in the AL wild-card race. Yandy Díaz had his first career five-hit game and Hunter Feduccia drove in three runs as the Rays pulled within 2½ games of the Mariners, who currently hold the third and last AL wild-card spot. The Rays are tied with the Kansas City Royals and one game behind the Texas Rangers. The Mariners have lost 14 of their last 20 and have fallen four games behind the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West.
Astros Surge Past, Then Hold Off Yankees
Whether you want to call it an implosion or another team creating and taking advantage of opportunities, the final innings of the New York Yankees–Houston Astros game were off the rails. Yordan Alvarez went 4-for-5 and the Astros scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning off Devin Williams for an 8-7 win over the Yankees. Cody Bellinger made things interesting in the top of the ninth, hitting a three-run homer off Bryan Abreu with two outs. Williams walked Taylor Trammell to force in the go-ahead run in the eighth. Williams, as he was being removed from the game, and manager Aaron Boone were ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Jeremy Peña singled off Camilo Doval to make it 6-4. Doval then balked in a run and threw a wild pitch for the fourth run of the inning.
Collins Give Brewers Early Boost
Following a rare day off in the middle of a series, the Milwaukee Brewers came back refreshed after a stretch of 19 games in 18 days. MLB’s best team erupted for five runs in the first inning to back to pitching of left-hander Carlos Quintana for a 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in a battle between the NL’s top two teams. The win, combined with the Chicago Cubs‘ 5-1 loss to Atlanta, pushed the Brewers’ lead in the NL Central to six games over the second-place Cubs. It also gave the Brewers the season series over the Phillies should a tiebreaker come into play. The Phillies remained 5½ games ahead of the second-place New York Mets, who lost to the Detroit Tigers 6-2. The Brewers scored all five first-inning runs before Phillies starter Aaron Nola recorded an out. Sal Frelick got the scoring started by chiseling a two-run single to center, then rookie Isaac Collins blasted his three-run opposite-field homer to right. Quintana struck out six in 6⅓ innings, leaving after allowing a two-run homer to Weston Wilson in the seventh.
Tigers Take Finale From Mets
It is a good thing the Tigers don’t need a late surge this season to qualify for the postseason. Because their play has been just the opposite of a surge. But the Tigers show a little life once in a while. That came in the form of Kerry Carpenter hitting a three-run homer and right-hander Casey Mize allowing one run over five innings in a 6-2 win over the Mets to avoid a three-game sweep. The AL Central-leading Tigers were clinging to a 3-2 lead in the seventh inning when Carpenter hit his 23rd homer of the season, a three-run shot off Ryan Helsley. Mize allowed five hits, while striking out three and walking none.
3 Straight HRs Give Orioles Sweep Of Padres
Every so often, a game will back 10 pounds of stuff into a 5-pound sack. The Baltimore Orioles–San Diego Padres game was one of those. Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo and Jeremiah Jackson hit back-to-back-to-back homers to complete a three-game sweep of the Padres. It was the first time the Orioles have swept an NL West team on the road in franchise history. The Padres didn’t lose any ground in the NL West as the Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0. The Dodgers remain 2½ games up on the second-place Padres. In addition to the three consecutive homers by the Orioles — the second time they have done that this season — Padres right-handed reliever Mason Miller tossed an immaculate eighth inning, striking out the three batters he faced on nine pitches, all sliders. Miller’s immaculate inning was the third in MLB history done with the same type of pitch. The three-homer third inning, off Padres left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr., help stake the Orioles to a 7-0 advantage, but the Padres came back with a four-spot in the sixth inning, including Manny Machado’s two-run homer, and pulled within 7-5 in the seventh on a solo homer by Fernando Tatis Jr. Cowser nearly had a second homer, but Padres left fielder Ramón Laureano, dealt from Baltimore at the trade deadline, robbed his former teammate of an insurance shot in the top of the ninth.
By The Numbers
⚾ Nasim Nuñez hit the first two home runs of his career as the Washington Nationals completed a three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins with a 10-5 victory. Nunez became the fifth player in franchise history (which includes the Montreal Expos days) to hit his first two homers in the same game and the second this season. Brady House did it July 12.
⚾ Right-hander Braxton Ashcraft and four relievers combined on a five-hitter in the Pirates’ 3-0 victory over the Dodgers. It was the MLB-leading 17th shutout for the Pirates, who have also been blanked 15 times.
⚾ Matt Chapman went deep twice as the San Francisco Giants extended their homer streak to 17 games in a 10-8 win over the Colorado Rockies. The streak is the longest in the franchise’s San Francisco era and two shy of the overall record set in 1947.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Major League Brothers
Orioles reliever Albert Suarez and Padres closer Robert Suarez are on opposite coasts and in different leagues. So when they have the chance to get together, it is a special moment. They exchanged their teams’ lineup cards before the series finale.
Doggone Good
The Brewers went to extremes in the intimidation department as they held Bark at the Park Night. All the Phillies were represented by felines.
It’s Bark at the Park Night in Milwaukee.
— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) 2025-09-03T23:34:37.453Z
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Red Sox rookie right fielder Roman Anthony was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique. The recovery time is four to six weeks, meaning he is unlikely to play again unless the Red Sox make a deep playoff run.
⚾ Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his start as a pitcher due to an illness. Ohtani did remain in the lineup as the designated hitter. Ohtani is expected to start this weekend. Dodgers catcher Will Smith left the game with a bruised right hand after taking a foul ball off his throwing hand.
⚾ San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman was suspended one game stemming from a benches-clearing incident Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. Chapman appealed, meaning he can play until the appeal is resolved. Fines were levied against Giants shortstop Willy Adames and Giants first baseman Rafael Devers. Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland escaped punishment.
⚾ Brewers right-handed reliever Shelby Miller went on the 60-day IL due to a sprained UCL in his right elbow. Miller is facing a second Tommy John surgery.
⚾ Astros right-handed starter Spencer Arrighetti went on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. Arighetti had been off the IL for less than a month following a broken thumb when he was injured Saturday.
⚾ Infielder-outfielder Darren Baker, the son of Hall of Famer and former manager Dusty Baker, was designated for assignment by the Washington Nationals.
⚾ The Arizona Diamondbacks will remain at Chase Field for the next 30 years after the Arizona governor signed a bill appropriating $500 million for renovations.
Articles You Should Read
How process-based approach helping Rockies’ Holliday adjust to pro ball — Josh Norris, Baseball America
The Brewers of the most unlikely juggernaut MLB has ever seen — Jared Diamond, Wall Street Journal
Scouting reports on five recent MLB call-ups — Keith Law, The Athletic
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
