All articles tagged with #pitching
Chicago Cubs President Jed Hoyer confirmed that upgrading the pitching staff is the primary focus for the 2026 offseason following a two-game Wild Card Series sweep by San Diego. The team, which featured elite offense and defense but the worst pitching in baseball, faces significant roster turnover and a complex free-agent market.
The Atlanta Braves placed left-hander Martín Pérez on the 15-day injured list on September 24, 2026, due to lower back inflammation. The move, reported by Jesús Cano of The Athletic and confirmed by manager Walt Weiss, prevents Pérez from participating in the Wild Card round and likely the NLDS. Pérez had just completed a 4 1/3-inning start against Houston without visible signs of distress. The Braves called up Elieser Hernández as the corresponding move. While the regular season is effectively over, the injury complicates the team's pitching depth for the postseason, forcing them to rely on Grant Holmes, JR Ritchie, and AJ Smith-Shawver if they advance beyond the Wild Card series.
Burke delivered six solid innings (his first six-inning start in 27 games) and the White Sox scratched across three runs on four hits to beat Detroit 3-1. Miguel Vargas started the scoring with a leadoff walk that chased in a run on Munetaka Murakami’s first-pitch RBI single in the first, Braden Montgomery doubled and Sam Antonacci followed with a sac fly in the fifth to regain the lead after a Tiger sac fly tied it, and Murakami added a solo homer in the sixth for insurance. The bullpen, highlighted by Noah Schultz and Grant Taylor, locked it down the rest of the way. The win improved the Sox to 79-76.
The Yankees clinched a playoff berth for the third straight season, with Aaron Judge returning to bolster a lineup that thrives on power. They may ride a promising trio of aces—Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole and Max Fried—and the league-leading team ERA to a deep run, even as they chase the Rays in the AL East. The wider AL field appears weaker, potentially easing their path to the World Series drought-ending run.
With a postseason berth in sight, the article lays out Milwaukee's likely pitching plan: Misiorowski and Henderson are locks in the rotation, with Gasser and May filling the 3-4 spots though Harrison's late-season form clouds that role; Drohan could shift to a multi-inning bullpen role, while a deep bullpen features Megill, Uribe, Ashby, Hall, Senzatela, JoJo Romero and Chad Patrick, plus potential Nashville call-ups if needed. Rosters will be 26 and can include injury replacements, so expect quick hooks for the back end and some late-season tinkering before October begins.
The Braves, after taking two of four from the Phillies to preserve a four-game NL East lead, open a three-game series at home versus the Rays, with AJ Smith-Shawver seeking improved form since returning from Tommy John surgery. Tampa Bay, despite a modest $107.3M payroll, sits a half-game ahead in the standings and will start Freddy Peralta, who has steadied his numbers in six Rays starts and owns a solid history against Atlanta. The Rays also lead MLB with a .260 team batting average as their rotation remains a strength.
With a seven-game division gap, the Cubs head to Milwaukee for a pivotal Labor Day three-game series against the Brewers, still clinging to the NL's top Wild Card slot and home-field in the WC round. The piece outlines key pitching matchups (Boyd vs. Gasser in Game 1, Misiorowski vs. Peterson in Game 2, Gausman vs. Henderson in Game 3) and notes on Ian Happ’s status and the injury reports for both clubs as they chase crucial wins with 18 games left, while contenders like the Phillies and Braves loom.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts signaled Shohei Ohtani is unlikely to return to the mound in 2026 after a late-August bullpen session was cut short by right knee discomfort and a sore biceps; the team plans to keep him at designated hitter for now, relying on a deep postseason rotation while his hitting has also cooled (.200/.303/.400 over his last 109 plate appearances).
Cubs lineup revealed for the opener in Miami, with Shota Imanaga facing Janson Junk; the piece analyzes lefty splits, notes Imanaga’s home-run issues, and provides broadcast info and key injuries ahead of a potential weekend sweep.
Pirates beat the Angels 1-0 at PNC Park as Jared Jones delivers six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts, backed by a combined Pirates bullpen (Dotel and Montgomery) to complete the shutout; the Pirates' only run came in the second on Griffin scoring from Mangum's double.
The Cubs head to Miami for a three-game set versus the Marlins after a split with Milwaukee, with Shota Imanaga facing a homer-prone stretch and the Marlins’ lineup catching fire behind players like Kyle Stowers; both teams juggle pitching probables and injuries as September chaos looms.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the team hasn’t decided whether Shohei Ohtani will continue pitching this season, with lingering knee and biceps issues keeping him off the mound since July. The decision hinges on balancing his critical offensive value against the risk of further injury as the Dodgers navigate the postseason, with ongoing bullpen work and potential bullpen/opening strategies discussed but no firm plan yet.
The Cubs and Brewers square off in a pivotal four‑game set at Wrigley that could influence Wild Card home‑field status, as both sides rely on a quartet of top starters (Holmes vs Harrison, Boyd vs Gasser, Misiorowski vs Peterson, Gausman vs Henderson) and surge offensively behind Pete Crow-Armstrong and other contributors. With Milwaukee holding the division lead and Chicago chasing a playoff path, every game matters even if a dramatic division sweep is unlikely; injuries on both squads add further uncertainty to the chase for October.
Dodgers say Shohei Ohtani will not pitch Sunday due to knee and biceps soreness after a limited 20-pitch bullpen, so Tyler Glasnow will start in his place; the team will monitor Ohtani next week and consider whether he’ll pitch again this year, relying on a deep rotation (Skubal, Glasnow, Yamamoto, Snell, Lauer) while he remains a premier hitter.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s mound return remains uncertain after his final bullpen session was shortened to 20 pitches; manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani elected to cut it short, and the team has a contingency plan with Tyler Glasnow handling Sunday’s workload if Ohtani isn’t ready to start, aiming to ramp him up gradually as the Dodgers wait on a final pitching plan ahead of the late-August Detroit trip.