# MLB September 2026
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786
**Category:** The Game Room
**Tags:** baseball-mlb
**Created:** [September 3, 2026, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786 "2026-09-03T03:17:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2026, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/1 "2026-09-03T03:17:22Z")
The Brewers and Cubs have been playing a four-game series this week at Wrigley, which will go a long way towards determining the outcome of the NL Central race.
The Cubs won in a rout on Monday (hitting nine home runs), and the Brewers won last night; tonight, Milwaukee had ace pitcher Jacob Misiorowski on the mound. Miz had probably his worst outing of the season with 5 earned runs on 5 hits and 4 walks in just 4 innings. But, the Brewers bats and bullpen came through, and the Cubs only got one hit the rest of the way, as Milwaukee won, 9-5.
The Brewers now have a nine-game lead over the Cubs in the NL Central; the best that Chicago can now hope for, if they can get a win tomorrow, is to finish the series having not lost any ground in the division race.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2026, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/2 "2026-09-03T03:38:32Z")
With 3 1/2 weeks left in the regular season, here’s how the races are shaping up.
**National League**
- East: The Braves have a 4 game lead over the Phillies
- Central: The Brewers have a 9 game lead over the Cubs, and the best record in baseball (87-53)
- West: The Dodgers have a 9.5 game lead over the Diamondbacks, and a 10-game lead over the Padres
- Wild Cards: Phillies, Cubs, and Diamondbacks have the slots today, with the Padres and Marlins close behind Arizona
**American League**
- East: The Rays have a 4 game lead over the Yankees, and the best record in the AL
- Central: The White Sox continue to surprise, with a 3 game lead over the Guardians
- West: The Astros have a 2 game lead over the Rangers
- Wild Cards: Yankees, Red Sox, and Guardians, with the Rangers, Orioles, and Blue Jays all 1.5 games behind Cleveland for the last spot
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### Author:  [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2026, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/3 "2026-09-03T03:39:42Z")
But the Cubs _do_ go to Milwaukee for a series against the Brewers next week, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they can make up some ground there.
It more than likely won’t happen, because the Brewers are the best team in baseball right now. But a diehard fan can dream.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2026, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/4 "2026-09-03T03:43:29Z")
> [@Superdude](#):
>
> But the Cubs _do_ go to Milwaukee for a series against the Brewers next week, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they can make up some ground there.
Truth. If the Cubs can win tomorrow, and get a sweep in Milwaukee next week, they could shrink the lead down to 5 games or so (depending on the weekend series for both teams in between). But, at that point, they’d only have 15 total games remaining to make up the rest of that deficit.
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### Author:  [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2026, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/5 "2026-09-03T09:23:57Z")
Currently, all American League teams that are playing better than .500 ball hold playoff positions. Houston is the only team in the West that is above .500.
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### Author:  [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/6 "2026-09-03T23:04:17Z")
Well, shit. I figured it was coming, but it still hurts…
> **[Brown to miss rest of season after rehab setback](https://www.mlb.com/news/ben-brown-out-for-rest-of-2026-following-neck-injury-setback?partnerID=web_article-share)**
>
> CHICAGO – Ben Brown was trying to do everything in his power to make a comeback this season to help the Cubs’ pitching staff down the stretch and into October. After seeking a variety of medical opinions, the focus for the sidelined pitcher has...
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2026, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/7 "2026-09-08T16:40:08Z")
**Aaron Judge** is finally back. Can he lead the Yanks to a big rally to overtake Tampa?
Starting tonight: At home 3 vs Rockies then 3 vs Mets.
6 Away to Twins & D-Backs.
Yanks then face **Tampa for 4 games at home** on the 22-24th and finsih with 3 vs Os.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/8 "2026-09-08T22:08:09Z")
Yeah, the Yanks are tantalizingly close to full strength. Every team’s fans suffer the frustration of key players getting injured, and it’s worse when they have a pretty good shot at the post season if only…
Cross your fingers, but having Cole, Schlittler, Fried and Rodon in the rotation, and Judge and Bellinger in the lineup, is pretty exciting. And who knows? Stanton and Clarke Schmidt might appear before the end of the season.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/9 "2026-09-08T22:21:21Z")
Stanton seems less likely.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2026, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/10 "2026-09-08T22:46:00Z")
If Stanton is hurt next year, and he almost certainly will be, it’ll be time to let him go. Hell, maybe they should do it now. More baseball frustration: seeing guys like Stanton and Byron Buxton and Stephen Strasburg…players who had a legitimate shot at the Hall of Fame derailed by injuries.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/11 "2026-09-08T22:54:21Z")
The Angels and Rockies have been eliminated, the Giants have a tragic number of 1.
No team has clinched a playoff spot, the lowest magic number is Tampa at 5.
> **[MLB Magic Numbers & Playoff Race Standings](https://sportsmagicnumbers.com/mlb)**
>
> Live MLB standings with playoff magic numbers and elimination numbers for all 30 teams. Division and wild card races, updated daily through the season.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2026, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/12 "2026-09-09T05:19:21Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#):
>
> Truth. If the Cubs can win tomorrow, and get a sweep in Milwaukee next week, they could shrink the lead down to 5 games or so (depending on the weekend series for both teams in between). But, at that point, they’d only have 15 total games remaining to make up the rest of that deficit.
Revisiting this:
The Cubs and Brewers split the four-game series last week; the Cubs trimmed a game off of Milwaukee’s lead over the weekend, but the Brewers have now won the first two of the three-game series against the Cubs this week (both with late-inning comebacks), and Chicago is now back to being nine games behind Milwaukee.
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### Author:  [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2026, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/13 "2026-09-09T05:27:58Z")
Chicago’s bullpen is an absolute disaster right now. I completely expected Caleb Thielbar to have been released by now, but they keep throwing him out there in high-leverage situations, and he consistently shits the bed. They’re getting good starting pitching, but no ability to close games out.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2026, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/14 "2026-09-09T11:57:57Z")
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> the Giants have a tragic number of 1
And they gone.
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### Author:  [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2026, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/15 "2026-09-09T12:24:46Z")
The Nats set a record by blowing their 38th save of the season. I can’t even imagine how frustrating that must be for the fans. The starting rotation is solid if unspectacular. The offense has scored more run than the other teams in the division and yet they’re in last place. Only the Cubs have scored more runs in the NL. But the bullpen is where dreams go to die.
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### Author:  [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2026, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/16 "2026-09-09T21:21:47Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#):
>
> The Nats set a record by blowing their 38th save of the season. I can’t even imagine how frustrating that must be for the fans.
Yes it’s frustrating. It’s also frustrating that they traded away three of their best players at the deadline because, you know, good players cost money. Before the trade they were 3 games over .500. Now they’re 11 under.
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2026, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/17 "2026-09-10T00:54:06Z")
Lombard gets the first Yankee grand slam of 2026!
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/18 "2026-09-10T01:18:38Z")
Damn, it took to September.
Bonus, Judge went 2 for 4 tonight.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2026, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/19 "2026-09-10T04:39:27Z")
Milwaukee finishes the sweep of the Cubs tonight, but made it interesting, with the bullpen giving up five runs in the top of the 9th, to turn an 8-1 blowout into an 8-6 nailbiter.
The Brewers now have a 10-game lead over the Cubs in the NL Central, with 15 games to go for both teams, giving them a “magic number” of five. They have a three-game lead over the Dodgers for the #1 seed in the NL.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2026, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-2026/1032786/20 "2026-09-10T06:14:43Z")
The Dodgers are calling up one of their top prospects, outfielder Josue De Paula, while placing Shohei Ohtani on the 15-day IL, with soreness in his right arm and left knee.
The Dodgers have won seven straight, despite Ohtani having missed most of the past week, but the move to IL means that he will effectively miss the rest of the regular season.
> **[Ohtani heads to IL; Dodgers calling up top prospect De Paula, sources say](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49888435/ohtani-heads-il-dodgers-calling-top-prospect-de-paula)**
>
> The Dodgers are placing Shohei Ohtani on the 15-day injured list, and sources told ESPN that top prospect Josue De Paula is expected to join the team on Friday.
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