MLB Daily Edition for September 4, 2026 Featuring Games from Yesterday September 3, 2026
Player of the Day
Adley Rutschman, Boston Red Sox
Rutschman made his return to Baltimore unforgettable, homering twice and scoring three runs in Boston’s 6-5 victory. His solo shots in the second and sixth innings kept the Red Sox within striking distance, then he singled and scored when Nick Sogard hit the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth. The former Orioles catcher was Boston’s only player with multiple hits, and his performance powered a needed divisional win. Game report.
Top Stories
- Rutschman owns his return: Two homers and three runs lead Boston past his former team.
- Teoscar walks it off: Hernández’s two-run double in the ninth rescues the Dodgers.
- Quantrill quiets Tampa Bay: Seven shutout innings pull Texas closer in the Wild Card race.
- Toronto closes in: A four-run fifth puts the Blue Jays half a game behind Cleveland.
- PCA supplies the difference: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-run homer carries the Cubs.
- Pittsburgh manufactures five: Six pitchers combine on a two-hitter without an RBI hit.
Last Night’s Scoreboard
Pirates 5, Giants 2 — Six Pittsburgh pitchers combine on a two-hitter.
Blue Jays 6, Guardians 3 — Nathan Lukes delivers a two-run double in a four-run fifth.
Astros 6, White Sox 2 — Jose Altuve homers and Daulton Varsho triples.
Cubs 2, Brewers 1 — Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two-run homer holds up.
Red Sox 6, Orioles 5 — Adley Rutschman homers twice in his Baltimore return.
Royals 7, Marlins 3 — Carter Jensen finishes a single short of the cycle.
Rangers 6, Rays 0 — Cal Quantrill throws seven shutout innings.
Athletics 7, Mariners 4 — The Athletics’ staff records 18 strikeouts.
Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2 — Teoscar Hernández hits a walk-off two-run double.
Final scores and game details: MLB roundup; individual reports are linked throughout this edition.
Game of the Day
Dodgers 3, Cardinals 2. St. Louis carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth and stood three outs from a sweep. Tommy Edman opened the inning with his fourth hit and stole second, Mookie Betts walked, and Hernández lined a two-run double that ended it. The Dodgers managed only one run before their final swing but found enough offense to stop the Cardinals’ sweep bid. Quinn Mathews allowed one run in five innings for St. Louis, while Tarik Skubal limited the Cardinals to two runs over 5 2/3. Game report.
Big Bats
- Adley Rutschman, Red Sox: Two homers, three hits and three runs.
- Tommy Edman, Dodgers: Four hits, a stolen base and the tying run in the ninth.
- Carter Jensen, Royals: A homer, triple, double and three RBI.
- Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers: A two-run walk-off double.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs: His 39th homer supplied both Chicago runs.
- Jose Altuve, Astros: A two-run homer set the tone in the first.
- Corey Seager, Rangers: A two-run homer helped Texas pull away.
Performance reports: Jensen; Crow-Armstrong; Altuve.
Dealing
- Cal Quantrill, Rangers: Seven scoreless innings, two hits and five strikeouts.
- Kevin Gausman, Cubs: Seven innings, one run and nine strikeouts.
- Pittsburgh’s staff: Six pitchers combine to allow only two hits.
- Hunter Brown, Astros: Six innings, two runs and seven strikeouts.
- Logan Henderson, Brewers: Retired his final 14 batters in a tough loss.
- Michael Wacha, Royals: Six innings and seven strikeouts for his fourth straight win.
- Quinn Mathews, Cardinals: One run allowed across five innings.
Pitching sources: Quantrill; Pittsburgh; game reports linked above.
Who’s Hot
- Astros: Six wins in eight games.
- Rangers: Four wins in five games.
- Pirates: Four wins in five games and six in nine.
- Michael Wacha: Four consecutive winning decisions.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong: Fresh off NL Player of the Month honors, he hits homer No. 39.
Who’s Not
- White Sox: Four losses in five games.
- Rays: Three losses in four games.
- Marlins: Five straight losses in Sandy Alcantara starts.
- Giants offense: Two hits in the series finale.
- St. Louis bullpen: One strike from a sweep before the walk-off double.
Team Trends
- Blue Jays: Take two of three in Cleveland to tighten the AL Wild Card race.
- Cubs: Split four games with Milwaukee but remain eight back in the division.
- Astros: Win three of four from Chicago and five of seven in the season series.
- Red Sox: Begin a four-game Baltimore series with a comeback victory.
- Dodgers: Avoid a sweep after scoring 11 runs across the three-game series.
- Athletics: Record 18 strikeouts while winning their second straight game.
Standings Watch
Toronto moved within half a game of Cleveland for the final AL Wild Card, while Texas sits another half-game behind after shutting out Tampa Bay. Boston holds the second Wild Card and is 7 1/2 games behind the Rays in the AL East. Houston leads the AL West by two games over Texas. Milwaukee’s NL Central lead remains eight games, and the Dodgers stay 9 1/2 ahead of San Diego in the NL West. St. Louis is four games behind Arizona for the last NL Wild Card. MLB standings; records are presented through September 3.
Injury & Transactions Report
- Shohei Ohtani: Sat out Thursday after experiencing right-arm discomfort and remained day to day. Dodgers update.
- Kyle Stowers: Left Miami’s loss with hamstring discomfort. Marlins report.
- Adley Rutschman: Returned to Baltimore as a Red Sox player and started at designated hitter. Boston report.
- Detroit–Cleveland: Friday includes a makeup game from the June 14 postponement, creating a split doubleheader. Guardians schedule.
Today’s Games
- Tigers at Guardians, Game 1 — 2:10 p.m. ET — Keider Montero vs. Logan Allen
- Brewers at Reds — 6:10 p.m. ET — Shane Drohan vs. Rhett Lowder
- Braves at Phillies — 6:40 p.m. ET — Chris Sale vs. Cristopher Sánchez
- Angels at Pirates — 6:45 p.m. ET — Ryan Johnson vs. Jared Jones
- Red Sox at Orioles — 7:05 p.m. ET — Ranger Suárez vs. Shane Baz
- Cubs at Marlins — 7:10 p.m. ET — Shota Imanaga vs. Janson Junk
- Giants at Mets — 7:10 p.m. ET — Matt Wilkinson vs. Nolan McLean
- Tigers at Guardians, Game 2 — 7:15 p.m. ET — Andrew Sears vs. Foster Griffin
- Twins at White Sox — 7:40 p.m. ET — Zebby Matthews vs. Erick Fedde
- Rays at Rangers — 8:05 p.m. ET — Nick Martinez vs. Trevor Williams
- Diamondbacks at Astros — 8:10 p.m. ET — Merrill Kelly vs. Cristian Javier
- Blue Jays at Royals — 8:10 p.m. ET — Jameson Taillon vs. Daniel Lynch IV
- Cardinals at Rockies — 8:40 p.m. ET — Andre Pallante vs. Ryan Feltner
- Yankees at Padres — 9:40 p.m. ET — Max Fried vs. Walker Buehler
- Athletics at Mariners — 10:10 p.m. ET — Kade Morris vs. Logan Gilbert
- Nationals at Dodgers — 10:10 p.m. ET — Jackson Kent vs. Blake Snell
All times Eastern. September 4 games are presented as a preview, without their results. Pitching listings are subject to change. Detroit–Cleveland Game 1 is a makeup of the June 14 postponement.
Schedule and probable pitchers: MLB’s September 4 listings.
Today’s Matchups to Watch
- Braves at Phillies: Chris Sale and Cristopher Sánchez bring frontline numbers to a major NL East series.
- Tigers at Guardians: A doubleheader gives Cleveland two chances to reshape the AL Wild Card picture.
- Yankees at Padres: New York tries to gain on Tampa Bay while San Diego fights for the final NL berth.
- Diamondbacks at Astros: Two postseason-positioned clubs open an interleague series in Houston.
- Blue Jays at Royals: Toronto can move into a Wild Card position after winning its series in Cleveland.
- Rays at Rangers: Texas sends Trevor Williams against a Tampa Bay club whose division lead is shrinking.
Stat of the Day
18 strikeouts. Athletics pitchers recorded 18 strikeouts in the 7-4 victory at Seattle, the highest staff total on Thursday’s slate. MLB roundup.
Quick Hitters
- Rutschman’s two homers were his second and third as a member of the Red Sox.
- Roman Anthony added a ninth-inning homer that became the deciding run.
- Quantrill retired 14 consecutive hitters during his seven shutout innings.
- Pittsburgh scored five runs without recording an RBI hit.
- The Cubs bullpen worked perfect eighth and ninth innings behind Gausman.
- Toronto rookie Brett Bateman collected three hits.
- AJ Blubaugh extended his scoreless-appearance streak to 10 games.
- Thursday’s nine games produced 70 runs.
Yesterday at a Glance
- Games completed: 9 of 9
- Total runs: 70
- Highest-scoring games: Red Sox 6, Orioles 5 and Athletics 7, Mariners 4 — 11 combined runs
- Extra-inning games: None
- One-run games: Three
- Shutouts: One
- Largest margin: Rangers 6, Rays 0 — six runs
- Best power performance: Adley Rutschman — two home runs
- Best overall performance: Adley Rutschman — three hits and three runs
- Best pitching performance: Cal Quantrill — seven scoreless innings and two hits allowed
Daily totals calculated from the final scoreboard. Performance selections are DatabaseBall editorial choices.