Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.
With all the hype surrounding the kickoff of the NFL season happening Thursday, it got me to thinking: which sport does its opener the best? Hands down, it is baseball. Opening Day is full of pageantry, nostalgia and hope. While that last part, hope, can be applied to the other sports, there is a different feeling about baseball’s Opening Day that makes it special. The NFL is a hype machine, so Week 1 doesn’t seem all that different from Week 9 for most teams. The NBA and NHL have a little more sizzle for their openers, but MLB sets itself apart.
Today’s Headlines
Atlanta’s Loss Pulls Mets Into Wild-Card Tie
The New York Mets were Thursday’s big winner, which is a bit of a surprise considering they had the day off. While the Mets basked in the glow of a seven-game winning streak before taking on the Cincinnati Reds this weekend, they got a little help in their pursuit of a playoff spot. Or maybe a lot of help. All three teams ahead of the Mets in the National League wild-card standings lost. Most importantly, Atlanta fell to the lowly Colorado Rockies 3-1, allowing the Mets to pull into a tie for the third and final wild-card position with identical 76-64 records. Atlanta split the season series with the Rockies, the NL’s worst team, 3-3. Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber shut down Atlanta, allowing five hits in eight innings of one-run ball while walking none and striking out six. Michael Toglia and Ezequiel Tovar homered for the Rockies.
H-O-T-T-O-Glia pic.twitter.com/CsImbmltNf
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 5, 2024
Padres, D’backs Also Stumble
As mentioned, all three teams currently holding an NL wild-card spot took an L. Unlike Atlanta, which went down without much of a fight, the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks‘ setbacks were much more dramatic. The Padres, who lead the wild-card field, were cruising along with a 3-0 lead over the Detroit Tigers entering the top of the ninth. But closer Robert Suarez couldn’t close the deal. He gave up a leadoff single and walked two of the next three batters to load the bases. Suarez was close to escaping the jam when he notched a strikeout, but Parker Meadows, down to his last strike, crushed a 3-2 grand slam. Tyler Holton notched the save in the Tigers’ 4-3 win. The D’backs, meanwhile, were tied with the San Francisco Giants 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth. Giants rookie Tyler Fitzgerald hit a leadoff single and stole second. Patrick Bailey, who tied the game with a two-run bloop single in the fourth inning, then walked off the D’backs as he laced a ground-rule double to left-center and a 3-2 triumph. When the day was done, the Padres retained a half-game lead over the D’backs. Atlanta and the Mets are 2½ games behind the D’backs.
PARKER MEADOWS ARE YOU SERIOUS?! pic.twitter.com/EZR3Yzofeh
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 6, 2024
Sending the fans home happy 🏡 pic.twitter.com/jhAryIBiX1
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 5, 2024
Dipoto Reportedly Staying Put
The Seattle Mariners gave manager Scott Servais his walking papers in order to jolt the team out of its season-long offensive funk. Ever since then, Mariners fans had been speculating on the future of Jerry Dipoto, the president of baseball operations and the architect of the team. Apparently, Dipoto will get another chance to fix what went wrong this season, according to the Seattle Times. The Mariners are 71-70 and five games out of the final American League wild-card spot. In June, the M’s had a 10-game lead in the AL West, but an extremely poor offense was to blame for them falling 4½ games behind the Houston Astros.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Debut Gone To The Dog(s)
Yeah, dogs fetching bats has been a cool trend. But Bruce’s debut with the Rochester Red Wings seemed a little more special when the team put out this then and now post following this good boy’s first game as bat dog.
Then ➡️ now pic.twitter.com/vLReOVYYf8
— Rochester Red Wings (@RocRedWings) September 6, 2024
The first of many!! 😍 pic.twitter.com/6Hh2PXsNxX
— Rochester Red Wings (@RocRedWings) September 5, 2024
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Minnesota Twins right fielder Max Kepler (left patellar tendinitis) was placed on the 10-day injured list. Outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was called up from Triple-A and made his MLB debut as a defensive replacement against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Articles You Should Read
Chapman’s new deal begins Boras revenge tour — Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic
The closer you stand, the scarier Rangers’ Smith becomes — Davy Andrews, FanGraphs
Pirates’ Cruz is the ultimate player development puzzle — Travis Sawchik, The Score
Is Mays underrated by baseball card collectors? — Michael Salfino, The Athletic
Fantasy Baseball Coverage