Monday, September 21

View Online

Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.

The playoff picture is rounding into shape after a busy weekend. But getting to the postseason is only half the battle. You also have to get through the postseason. 

And even the teams that are solidly in playoff position have questions they’ll have to answer in October. And a lot of those teams have pitching questions. Here’s a rundown of some of the biggest… 

Dodgers: There’s Edwin Díaz, first of all. Is he even going to make the postseason roster — and if he does, will the Dodgers trust him to pitch the important innings? If Díaz can’t, will Roki Sasaki do it again? And then, in the rotation, Blake Snell’s health is also a question mark.

Brewers: The Brewers have an MLB-best 98 wins and are rolling toward a first-round bye. But once the playoffs start, it’s Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson … and then who? Kyle Harrison has fallen off a cliff. Dustin May isn’t getting results. Is Robert Gasser going to pitch? An opener? 

Red Sox: Is Garrett Crochet coming back? The Red Sox ace won’t be built up to be a starter in the playoffs, but Crochet might be able to come out of the bullpen. How would Boston deploy the left-hander in a postseason series? And we could ask the same question about Tanner Houck.

Rays: The Rays also have a rehabbing ace lefty in Shane McClanahan, who’s attempting to return from his forearm injury. Will he be able to contribute in the postseason at all? 

Braves: We still don’t know what to expect from Robert Suarez the rest of the way. He could be a difference-maker if he’s ready to pitch in the Wild Card Series, and the Braves bullpen would look fearsome with Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Didier Fuentes and Dylan Lee.

Cubs: The Cubs’ starting rotation has been a big question mark for most of the season. Now it’s crunch time, and while Chicago now has four options to start in Clay Holmes, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga and Kevin Gausman, the Cubs will still have to decide who gets the ball when, especially in a short Wild Card Series. And then, can any of those four step up in October?

Phillies: The Phillies looked locked and loaded for the playoffs with Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo. Now Luzardo is hurt, and that throws the postseason rotation into question. Luzardo insists he’ll be ready for the playoffs, but will he pitch like himself? 

 

THE PLAYOFF PICTURE FOR THE FINAL WEEK

There was plenty of action in the playoff race over the weekend. Here’s a recap of where things stand — and what’s on the line — entering the final week of the regular season: 

• The Braves clinched a playoff spot on Friday and then the National League East titleyesterday thanks to a sweep of the Astros.

• The Red Sox completed their improbable run to the postseason by clinching a Wild Card spot yesterday. Boston is the sixth team to clinch a spot in the 2026 postseason field, joining the Rays, Brewers, Dodgers, Yankees and Braves.

• The Guardians hold a one-game lead over the White Sox in the AL Central after sweeping the A’s over the weekend. They’re on a five-game winning streak. If they keep winning, they’ll get in.

• Though the White Sox have fallen behind the Guardians, they’re still three games ahead of the Blue Jays and Astros for the final AL Wild Card spot, and they play their final six gamesagainst the last-place Royals and Rockies. Chicago also holds the tiebreaker over Cleveland.

• The Padres are storming toward a third straight playoff berth as they enter this week having won five straight and 13 of their last 14. They’re now tied with the Cubs for the top NL Wild Card spot, one game ahead of the Phillies.

• The Rangers hold a one-game lead over the Astros in the AL West after taking two of three games from the Blue Jays this weekend. Houston being swept by the Braves hurts, but the ‘Stros just have to out-win the Rangersover their final six games to win the division, because they own the tiebreaker.

• The D-backs are still alive in the NL playoff race after Nolan Arenado’s clutch grand slam, but they’re four games back of the Phillies for the last Wild Card spot with six games to play. At least the last three of those games are against one of the teams ahead of them, the Padres. 

POLL RESULTS: SCHLITTLER FOR MVP?

Last week we asked you whether Yankees ace Cam Schlittler deserved to win the AL MVP this season over the top hitter candidates, Astros Triple Crown candidate Yordan Alvarez and Rays electric young slugger Junior Caminero. 

Your answer … a resounding “No.”  

• 69% of you said Schlittler should NOT win the MVP. 
• Only 31% of you said Schlittler SHOULD win the MVP. 

Here are all three of their stat lines entering the final week of the season, by the way: 

• Alvarez: .313 AVG, 40 HR, 99 RBIs, 1.027 OPS, 6.4 WAR
• Caminero: .277 AVG, 41 HR, 97 RBIs, .892 OPS, 5.2 WAR
• Schlittler: 14-6, 1.94 ERA, 234 K’s, 190 2/3 IP, 6.1 WAR

 

GAMES OF THE NIGHT

We only have three games on tonight, but here are a couple of things worth watching: 

Blue Jays at Orioles (6:35 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)  

Postseason phenom Trey Yesavage is making his return tonight for the Blue Jays, but will it be too little, too late for the reigning AL pennant winners? Toronto is three games back of the White Sox in the Wild Card race with six games to play.

Nationals at Tigers (6:40 p.m. ET, MLB.TV) 

River Ryan makes his Tigers debut, and his first MLB appearance since 2024, in tonight’s series opener in Detroit. One of the key pieces acquired in the Tarik Skubal trade, the 28-year-old right-hander is rated MLB Pipeline’s No. 63 overall prospect. 

TAMPA BAY GOES GRAY

We’re going to end today’s newsletter with a little Uni Watch. 

The Rays are bringing back their road grays, but with a twist: They’re putting “Tampa Bay” front and center on their road uniforms for the first time in nearly two decades.

The Rays last wore “Tampa Bay” on a primary jersey in 2007. But now it’s back, with its classic phosphorescent letters and the manta ray swimming underneath.

The new Tampa Bay threads will make their debut in Game 2 of tomorrow’s doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, where the Rays have a chance to clinch their first AL East title since 2021 with just one win against New York. 

 

© 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (peterhovis@icloud.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com.

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe  or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.