(9/18 - 9/21) Weekend Recap
Welcome to the penultimate recap of the 2025 season. We’ve made it through another wild weekend in Major League Baseball as the season is coming to a close. We had some shifting within the playoff picture as two new contenders have entered the playing field.
Per normal, I’ve recapped every game below. However, there are some series that involve teams that are so far out of it, they don’t need as much detail. So, for the Athletics/Pirates, Marlins/Rangers, and Angels/Rockies, they have been admittedly…lazily summarized. Let’s knock one out right away:
Athletics @ Pirates - Pirates take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (ATH 4 - PIT 3): Nick Kurtz and Lawrence Butler homered. Luis Severino got the W and Mitch Keller got the L.
Game 2 (ATH 0 - PIT 2): Nick Yorke and Bryan Reynolds hit solo HRs. Bubba Chandler threw 5 innings of 1 hit ball. He had 6 Ks.
Game 3 (ATH 0 - PIT 11): Jared Triolo and Joey Bart each had a HR and 3 RBIs. Burrows, Mlodzinksi, Ramirez, and Moreta combined to shut out the Athletics on 8 hits.
Summary: There were some good pitching performances by the Pirates. This series doesn’t mean anything with a week to go. The Pirates will host the Reds and the Braves to close out the season.
Yankees @ Orioles - Yankees take 3 out of 4
Game 1 (NYY 7 - BAL 0): The Yankees got it done without hitting a home run. Max Fried stomped on the Orioles, striking out 13 through 7 innings, while only allowing 3 hits and a walk. He also got his 18th W on the season. Amed Rosario and Giancarlo Stanton had two-RBI doubles, and Paul Goldschmidt and Austin Wells bookended the lineup with a couple multi-hit performances, plus an RBI apiece.
Game 2 (NYY 2 - BAL 4): Trevor Rogers continued his phenomenal season with 6 innings of 1-hit baseball, shutting out the Yankees at home. He struck out 7. The O’s tagged Will Warren for 3 runs, Ryan Mountcastle driving in 2 of them with a sac fly and a solo HR. Baltimore evens up the series.
Game 3 (NYY 6 - BAL 1): Big G and Aaron Judge homered, which is a recipe for success for the Yanks. They jumped all over Sugano, and Carlos Rodon pitched 7 solid innings. He struck out 8 batters and only surrendered 1 run on a Coby Mayo double.
Game 4 (NYY 7 - BAL 1): Cam Schlittler and Kyle Bradish both had great starts and each bullpen held firm. It was 1-1 going into the top of the 10th, when a Ben Rice grand slam and a Jazz Chisholm Jr solo HR gave the Yankees more than enough juice to close it out.
Summary: The Yankees took care of business. They remain 2 games behind the Blue Jays and are sitting pretty in the wild card. They will host the White Sox and the Orioles again to finish the season.
Nationals @ Mets - Nationals take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (WAS 6 - NYM 12): The Nationals got to Brandon Sproat early, going up 4-1 in the top of the 3rd. The Mets came back with 7 unanswered runs, going up 8-4 through 4 innings (Juan Soto 3-run HR). The Mets tagged a couple more on, but the story was their bullpen (aside from Brazoban), who combined for 4.2 innings of shutout ball on 2 hits (Raley, Stanek, Helsley, Rogers, Devenski).
Game 2 (WAS 5 - NYM 3): It took 11 innings, but the Nationals evened up the series. Nolan McLean threw another gem for New York, but was let down by the Mets’ defense, as his 5 innings were marred by 2 unearned runs. The Nationals’ pitching staff was stout, as they held the Mets scoreless through 7. But the Mets got to Jose Ferrer in the bottom of the 8th for 2, and then in the bottom of the 9th for 1, as they tied it up to force extras. The difference-maker was a Daylen Lile inside-the-park home run in the top of the 11th that drove in two.
Game 3 (WAS 3 - NYM 2): Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes combined for 6.2 innings, giving up 8 hits and 3 ERs. The runs were given up by Manaea in the top of the 2nd with a Jorge Alfaro double and a Nasim Nunez 2-run HR. The Mets could only muster up offense from a Cedric Mullins single and a Francisco Lindor HR. Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker combined to take the series against the Mets. The Reds’ game hasn’t ended yet, so the Mets are only .5 games up on them in the wild card standings.
Summary: The Mets have fallen out of a playoff spot as the Reds swept the Cubs in 4 games and tied New York for the final wild card spot. The Reds hold the tiebreaker. The Mets will go to Chicago to face the Cubs and then to Miami to face the Marlins for a chance to regain their spot.
Braves @ Tigers - Braves sweep 3
Game 1 (ATL 10 - DET 1): Uh-oh, Charlie Morton. He could only go 1.1 innings as he gave up 6 earned runs. Bryce Elder shut down the Tigers for 7 innings and the Braves have now won 6 in a row. The Tigers are looking at Cleveland in their rearview mirror quickly approaching.
Game 2 (ATL 6 - DET 5): The Tigers looked like they were going to stop the bleeding, but Nacho Alvarez Jr. had something to say. The Tigers led 5-3 going into the top of the 8th, with HRs by Torkelson and McKinstry, when Nacho brought the Braves within 1 with a solo shot. In the top of the 9th, Will Vest came in to close it out for Detroit, but gave up 2 singles and allowed both runners to advance into scoring position with a wild pitch. Nacho came up again and drove in the game-tying run on a base hit, and Jurickson Profar followed that up with a single, driving in the go-ahead run. Raisel Iglesias closed it out and the Braves won their 7th straight game, while Detroit lost their 5th straight, and 8th out of 9. Cleveland is now 1 game back of Detroit for the AL Central.
Game 3 (ATL 6 - DET 2): The Braves won their 8th game in a row by jumping on Casey Mize for 3 runs through 5.2 innings. They took a 3-0 lead into the top of the 9th and extended it to 6-0 off Tanner Rainey. The Tigers did get 2 back in the bottom half, but it wasn’t nearly enough to avoid the sweep.
Summary: The Tigers are in a bad place. They still hold a 1 game lead over Cleveland for the AL Central, but the Guardians will host the Tigers for a 3-game series. The Tigers will then close out the season in Boston. The Braves have now won 8 games in a row and will wrap up the season hosting the Nationals and the Pirates.
Cubs @ Reds - Reds sweep 4
Game 1 (CHC 0 - CIN 1): A pitching showdown between Colin Rea and Hunter Greene put both lineups in a tailspin. Colin Rea went 7 innings, with the only run being surrendered on a Will Benson double. He struck out 11 and didn’t walk anyone. Hunter Greene, on the other hand, took a no-hitter into the 6th, threw a complete game shutout, and struck out 9 while walking 1. His fastball was unhittable, as he challenged every Cubs’ hitter to catch up to his 100+mph cheddar.
Game 2 (CHC 4 - CIN 7): Porter Hodge took the L here. Shota gave up 4 runs through 5, but the Reds took advantage of Hodge to take the lead with a Spencer Steer 2-run HR, his second of the game. Elly De La Cruz went back-to-back with him to hit his 1st home run in months, and Emilio Pagan shut the door.
Game 3 (CHC 3 - CIN 6): The Reds scored a run off each Cubs pitcher that entered the game. Despite Michael Busch and Reese McGuire solo HRs, Zack Littell was able to stifle the Cubs’ offense. Spencer Steer homered again and Tyler Stephensen hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th to extend the lead. The Reds have now won 4 in a row and sit 1 game back of the Mets for the final wild card spot.
Game 4 (CHC 0 - CIN 1): Jameson Taillon went 7 strong with the only run of the game given up on a Gavin Lux double in the 3rd. The Reds’ pitching staff once again held the Cubs scoreless, with Abbott, Martinez, Ashcraft, and Santillan shutting out the Chicago offense and securing the sweep.
Summary: The Reds are now in the playoff picture. They hold the tiebreaker over the Mets so they are sitting as the 6th seed. They will look to continue their winning streak at home against the Pirates and on the road against the Brewers. The Cubs are basically locked into the 4th spot and will close out the season with two home series against the Mets and the Cardinals.
Padres @ White Sox - Padres take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (SDP 3 - CWS 4): Miguel Vargas took Dylan Cease deep for a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 1st. Cease gave up two more in the 4th and took the L. The San Diego offense remained quiet and they continue to play .500 ball.
Game 2 (SDP 7 - CWS 3): The Padres’ offense came out to play in the top of the 6th with a 4-run inning, tacking onto the solo HR from Jackson Merrill in the 2nd. Manny Machado’s single and Ryan O’Hearn’s bases-clearing, 3-RBI double proved to be the difference-maker. Lenyn Sosa hit a solo shot in the bottom of the 9th off Robert Suarez, but this game was already over.
Game 3 (SDP 3 - CWS 2): Michael King had a nice bounce back start. Although he walked 4, he still struck out 4 and didn’t give up a run through 5 innings. Fernando Tatis Jr hit a HR in the 3rd to give the Padres the 3-0 lead, which they were able to hold onto, despite Mason Miller coming in with the bases loaded and walking in two runs.
Summary: The Padres are all but confirmed to be going to Chicago to face the Cubs for the wild card series. They’re 3 games back of the Dodgers in the division and 5 games up on the Reds/Mets for the 5th seed. They will finish off the season at home against both the Brewers and the Diamondbacks. The White Sox will go on the road to face the Yankees and the Nationals.
Blue Jays @ Royals - Royals take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (TOR 1 - KCR 20): A 20-piece! The Royals didn’t let Max Scherzer finish the 1st inning as they put 7 runs on him, with homers from Salvador Perez and Michael Massey. Unfortunately Tyler Heineman won’t be winning the ERA crown as he gave up 10 runs on 13 hits in 1.1 innings of position player pitching. Jac Caglianone had a nice game with a HR and 4 RBIs. Massey and Vinnie Pasquantino each had 4-hit games as the Royals exploded.
Game 2 (TOR 1 - KCR 2): Noah Cameron outdueled Shane Bieber as both offenses went quiet. The Royals rode the solo HRs of Bobby Witt Jr and Vinnie Pasquantino in the bottom of the 4th to victory, as the only Blue Jays’ offense came at the hands of a Daulton Varsho solo HR. Toronto is only 2 games up on the Yankees for the AL East
Game 3 (TOR 8 - KCR 5): Trey Yesavage had a tougher go of it this time around. He went 4 innings, gave up 4 runs on 5 hits and walked 3. Luckily, the Blue Jays hit around Michael Wacha better, as he gave up 6 runs on 8 hits through 5. Guerrero Jr., Gimenez, Clement, and Springer combined for 8 hits and 6 RBIs.
Summary: It wasn’t easy, but the Blue Jays clinched a playoff berth with their Sunday win. They still hold a 2 game lead in the AL East over the Yankees. They will host the Red Sox and the Rays to finish out the season. The Royals are still 6+ games back of the wild card and will be eliminated shortly. They’ll close out the season going to the Angels and the Athletics.
Guardians @ Twins - Guardians take 3 of 4
Game 1 (CLE 6 - MIN 2): The Guardians jumped out early to a 2-0 lead, but lost it in the bottom of the 6th, as the Twins tied it up off Parker Messick. Bo Naylor drove in the go-ahead runs in the top of the 8th with a 2-RBI single, and the Guards tacked on two more in the top of the 9th to secure the win.
Game 2 (CLE 6 - MIN 0): The first game of the double header was all Cleveland as 5 of their 6 runs came off solo home runs (Ramirez, Naylor x2, Valera, Schneeman). Slade Cecconi was nails as he went 7 innings, striking out 8 and only giving up 2 hits.
Game 3 (CLE 8 - MIN 0): The second game of the double header was also, all Cleveland. They rode a 6-run top of the 5th off Bailey Ober to another shutout victory. Logan Allen threw 8 innings as the Guardians only used 4 pitchers total in their two games on Saturday to hold the Twins scoreless for 18 innings. Cleveland is now only 1 game back of the Tigers for the division. They also sit ahead of the Astros for the final wild card spot due to the tiebreaker.
Game 4 (CLE 2 - MIN 6): The Guardians had this game going into the bottom of the 6th as they led 2-1. Brooks Lee then hit a go-ahead 2-run HR. The next inning, Royce Lewis hit a 3-run HR to secure the lead and salvage the last game of the series for the Twins and stop the Guardians’ winning streak at 10.
Summary: The Guardians got 3 of 4, but are coming up quickly on the Tigers. They sit behind them by only a game and will host them for a 3-game series starting Tuesday. They will host Texas after that, likely with an idea of where they stand in the playoff picture.
Brewers @ Cardinals - Cardinals take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (MIL 1 - STL 7): Jacob Misiorowski continues to be a weak spot in the Brewers’ rotation as he loves to give up free passes. The Cardinals took advantage of him, Rob Zastryzny, and Grant Anderson for all 7 runs through 5 innings. Sonny Gray only allowed 1 run, despite giving up 9 hits through 6. Sal Frelick hit a solo HR.
Game 2 (MIL 3 - STL 2): This was a quiet game. Brice Turang drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th. The Brewers turned a phenomenal double play in the bottom of the 10th to eliminate the Manfred runner and even up the series. The Brewers are now a win or a Cubs’ loss away from clinching the division and a first-round bye.
Game 3 (MIL 1 - STL 5): Robert Gasser returned to make his first start since June 2024 and got pegged with the loss after going 3 innings and giving up 2 runs. Erick Fedde came in and gave up 3 runs of his own. The Brewers could only get 1 run off Matthew Liberatore, as the Cardinals closed out the series with a dominant pitching performance.
Summary: I’m sure the Brewers wanted it to be done with a win, but they ultimately have clinched the NL Central and a top 2 seed/bye for the playoffs with the Cubs’ loss. They will go to San Diego and then host the Reds for a chance to spoil their division rival’s playoff hopes.
Marlins @ Rangers - Marlins sweep 3
Game 1 (MIA 6 - TEX 4): This game happened. Javier Sanoja homered. It was 1-1 going into extras. Rowdy Tellez hit a huge game-tying HR in the bottom of the 10th, but it wasn’t enough as the Marlins rode a 3-run top of the 12th to victory.
Game 2 (MIA 4 - TEX 3): Connor Norby and Troy Johnston hit solo HRs in the top of the 6th to take the lead and never looked back.
Game 3 (MIA 4 - TEX 2): Eury Perez had 9 Ks through 4. Otto Lopez was 3 for 4 with an RBI double. Wyatt Langford homered for the Rangers.
Summary: Well the Rangers tried. Losers of 7 in a row after going crazy a week ago, they are now 5+ games out of a wild card position and ready to pack it in. They will host the Twins and visit the Guardians to finish the season. The Marlins will visit the Phillies and host the Mets.
Angels @ Rockies - Rockies take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (LAA 6 - COL 7): This game was back and forth through 5, with the Rockies coming out on top. Christian Moore and Denzer Guzman had HRs for the Angels. Tyler Freeman had a 3-hit day for the Rockies. Neither starting pitcher was impressive.
Game 2 (LAA 3 - COL 0): Kyle Hendricks pitched 7 innings of 3-hit, shutout baseball, as the Angels rode solo HRs from Taylor Ward, Nolan Schanuel, and Mike Trout (his 400th career HR) to victory.
Game 3 (LAA 1 - COL 3): Kyle Freeland was the winner here. 6 innings, 1 ER, 7 Ks. Blaine Crim with a solo HR and an RBI fielder’s choice. That’s about it.
Summary: The Rockies will not go down as the worst team in MLB history, but it will be close. They go to Seattle and San Francisco to close out the season. The Angels already knew they would miss the playoffs, but they will host the Royals and the Astros for the final two series of the season.
Phillies @ Diamondbacks - Diamondbacks take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (PHI 8 - ARI 2): The Diamondbacks got 2 runs off Taijuan Walker in the first inning, but got shutout the rest of the way. Walker Buehler got the W as Harrison Bader and Nick Castellanos hit HRs, with Alec Bohm contributing off the IL with a 3-RBI day. The Dbacks bullpen is an issue with Jake Woodford giving up another 4 runs late.
Game 2 (PHI 3 - ARI 4): Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto contributed 2 runs to the Phillies’ half of the scoreboard in the first inning. The Diamondbacks answered back by the 3rd, but Alec Bohm hit a go-ahead HR in the 4th. Arizona got to Aaron Nola late with 2 runs in the 6th, that proved to be the winning runs. Zac Gallen had to go 7, but the Arizona bullpen held the Phillies scoreless.
Game 3 (PHI 2 - ARI 9): The Diamondbacks mashed Ranger Suarez for 6 runs and 8 hits in 4 innings. Corbin Carroll hit a HR to go 30-30 for the season and even Jorge Barrosa hit a HR. Tim Tawa added a solo shot of his own. Eduardo Rodriguez shut the Phillies out through 6, but Taylor Rashi gave up 2 runs in the 8th (as the Dbacks bullpen does).
Summary: The Diamondbacks end the weekend only 1 game back of the Reds and the Mets for the final wild card spot. They will host the Dodgers and go to San Diego to finish out the season. The Phillies are still looking to clinch a bye and will host the Marlins and the Twins to see if they can get that done early this week.
Giants @ Dodgers - Dodgers take 3 out of 4
Game 1 (SFG 1 - LAD 2): Listen, I know Yoshinobu Yamamoto went 5.1 innings and shut out the Giants on 1 hit while striking out 7. That’s the good part, and he should have factored in the decision. But he also walked 6 (!) batters. He had thrown 108 pitches by the time he was pulled in the 6th. I cannot stand pitchers that walk so many batters, although Yamamoto has been clean recently. Logan Webb was more impressive as he went 7 innings, only giving up 1 ER on 4 hits. The Dodgers got their runs via a Mookie Betts fielder’s choice and a Freddie Freeman single in the bottom of the 6th. Fittingly, the Giants got their only run after Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen walked the bases loaded, and then walked Rafael Devers to score the run. I don’t know how many teams have won a game while walking their opponent 10 times, but the Dodgers just did it.
Game 2 (SFG 3 - LAD 6): Clayton Kershaw struck out 6 in his final home start of his career. The offense took care of the rest as Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Miguel Rojas hit HRs to clinch a playoff spot for the Dodgers.
Game 3 (SFG 5 - LAD 7): Bryce Eldridge got his first major league hit with a bases-clearing, 3-RBI double in the top of the first, which contributed to the 4 first inning runs the Giants got off Tyler Glasnow. But that’s where it stopped, as the Dodgers put up 7 runs through the 6th, with HRs from Ohtani, Conforto, Muncy, and Edman. Rafael Devers hit a solo shot in the 7th, but it was too late as the Dodgers’ bullpen held firm.
Game 4 (SFG 3 - LAD 1): Trevor McDonald and Emmet Sheehan had the pitching duel you wouldn’t expect. McDonald went 6 innings, giving up 1 run on 6 hits. Sheehan went 7 innings, shutting out the Giants on 1 hit and struck out 10. In the top of the 8th, the Dodgers swapped out Sheehan for Blake Treinen who gave up two singles, an RBI double, an IBB, an RBI BB, and an RBI ground out before getting pulled for Alex Vesia. That was enough to give the Giants the 3-1 victory to salvage the final game.
Summary: The Dodgers have clinched a playoff berth already and hold a 3 game lead on the Padres for the NL West. They have to figure out what’s going on with Blake Treinen if they’re going to use him at all in the playoffs. They have two more series on the road to finish the season, against the Diamondbacks and the Mariners. The Giants are still 2 games under .500 and basically out of contention. They will host the Cardinals and the Rockies for the final series.
Mariners @ Astros - Mariners sweep 3
Game 1 (SEA 4 - HOU 0): Bryan Woo, although leaving the game early with pec soreness, was the better pitcher, as he outperformed Hunter Brown. The Mariners hit 4 solo HRs to give them the victory (Rodriguez, Suarez, Robles, and Naylor). Bazardo, Brash, and Munoz closed out the Astros as the Mariners pulled ahead of them in the AL West.
Game 2 (SEA 6 - HOU 4): George Kirby was lights out. He threw 6 innings and struck out 7, while not allowing a run on 5 hits. Framber Valdez left the game before completing 5 innings, as he gave up 5 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. Cal Raleigh hit a HR, setting the Mariners’ single season record. Jeremy Pena hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 7th as the Mariners were up 6-0 to make it a game. Munoz almost gave it up in the bottom of the 9th, but Victor Robles made an incredible diving catch and doubled off Jake Myers (who was going on contact?) to end the game and put the Mariners up 2 games in the division, and secure the tiebreaker over the Astros.
Game 3 (SEA 7 - HOU 3): A 7-run 2nd inning was all the Mariners needed. Jason Alexander walked in a run, and J.P. Crawford followed it up with a grand slam to give the Mariners a 5-run lead. Cal Raleigh then hit a 2-run HR to get it to 7. Logan Gilbert threw 6 strong innings, only giving up 3 hits and one run via a Zach Cole HR. Isaac Paredes hit a solo homer and Jose Altuve singled home a run, but it wasn’t enough as the Mariners completed the sweep.
Summary: Wow, what a statement by Seattle. They finish the weekend with a 3-game lead in the AL West, while also securing the tiebreaker with the Astros. They will host the Rockies and the Dodgers to finish the season, and hope to clinch the division early. The Astros now find themselves out of the playoffs, as Cleveland holds the tiebreaker over them. They will go on the road to face both the Athletics and the Angels to see if they can beat up on a couple of already-eliminated teams to get back in the top 6.
Red Sox @ Rays - Red Sox take 2 out of 3
Game 1 (BOS 11 - TBR 7): Garrett Crochet did give up 3 runs, but he struck out 9 through 6. The Red Sox were up 4-3, but rode a 7-run top of the 8th to victory. Everson Pereira hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th to make it somewhat close, but the Red Sox took care of business on the road.
Game 2 (BOS 6 - TBR 3): Kyle Harrison threw a solid 6 innings, only giving up 1 run on 4 hits. The Red Sox took advantage of a Junior Caminero error to break the 3-3 tie in the top of the 9th, getting 3 runs off a couple singles and a sac fly. Aroldis Chapman got the save and the Red Sox held pace ahead of Cleveland and Houston.
Game 3 (BOS 3 - TBR 7): Connelly Early had a bit of a rockier start as he could only complete 4 innings. He gave up 3 runs on 3 hits and 67 pitches as he was pulled to keep his pitch count in check. The Rays held the lead all game as the Red Sox got it as close as 4-3 in the top of the 7th, but they took advantage of the Red Sox bullpen to get 3 more runs in the bottom of the 8th. Pete Fairbanks closed out the game for the Rays to take the final game of the series.
Summary: The Red Sox would have loved to sweep here, but 2 out of 3 is good enough to stay afloat. They sit 1 game up on Cleveland/Houston in the second wild card spot. They just got Wilyer Abreu back and Roman Anthony’s return is up in the air. They have two huge series this week as they head to Toronto for 3 and host Detroit for 3 to wrap up the season. That’s a tough draw as the Blue Jays are fighting for the division and a bye, and the Tigers will be looking to secure their division and a playoff spot, as they’ve been disintegrating before our eyes. The Rays will go to Baltimore and Toronto.
Cheers to another great weekend and we’ll see you for the final 2025 regular season recap next week.
