The White Sox are turning 2026 into a full-blown statement season. Chicago moved to 71-63 on Friday with a 7-4 win over the Twins, and that number comes with a strange slice of history: as MLB.com’s Sarah Langs noted, those 71 victories are the most ever by a team coming off at least three straight 100-loss seasons. Add in the Guardians’ 3-0 loss to the Royals, and the Sox now sit 3.5 games up in the AL Central.
Tarik Skubal’s first trip back to Comerica Park as a Dodger brought a little bit of everything. He was greeted with cheers in Detroit less than a month after the blockbuster deal that sent him to Los Angeles, and he backed that moment up with another strong outing.
Skubal gave up one run on four hits, struck out seven, and finished six innings for his fourth quality start in five appearances with the Dodgers. It still went down as a no-decision, because Los Angeles didn’t grab the lead until Freddie Freeman’s RBI single in the eighth became the difference in a 2-1 win.
The Dodgers are now nine games ahead of the Padres in the NL West, while the Tigers keep sliding at 2-11 over their last 13 and sit 5.5 games out of the final AL wild card spot.
Philadelphia found another way to win late, and this one had a little extra flair. Wade Meckler, recently activated from the seven-day concussion IL, made a huge ninth-inning catch to take a three-run homer away from Bryson Stott in the Angels-Phillies game.
That looked like a near-miss for Los Angeles, especially with Stott as the second out of the inning. Then Edmundo Sosa stepped in two batters later and launched a pinch-hit grand slam that flipped the game in Philadelphia’s favor for good in a 5-3 win.
The Phillies have made a habit of these finishes, and The Athletic’s Jayson Stark pointed out that this was the fourth time this season they’ve hit a go-ahead home run with two outs in the ninth. They’re 11-2 in their last 13 and firmly in a wild card spot, though they still trail the Braves by five games after Atlanta won its fifth straight.
And yes, there are two doubleheaders on the board today. The Red Sox and Yankees will play twice, and the Diamondbacks and Giants are also set for a pair.
The Bronx nightcap is expected to bring Max Fried back from the 15-day injured list after he missed the minimum with a bone bruise in his left elbow. Boston and New York are both in wild card position, with the Yankees holding a three-game edge after Friday’s 1-0 win.
In San Francisco, Arizona beat the Giants 10-6 on Friday to improve to 9-2 against them this season, and the Diamondbacks enter the twin bill just a half-game behind the Padres for the final NL wild card spot.
In Other News...
Max Anderson Is Giving The Tigers An Infield Problem To Solve
Max Anderson has kept forcing his way into the conversation, and for the Tigers that is a good kind of headache. The organizations No. 11 prospect has hit well in the minors and carried that success into the Arizona Fall League, staying above a .300 average since late June even after a month-long injury stint slowed him down. With his bat continuing to travel, Anderson has gone from promising name to someone who could be in line for a September call-up if Detroit decides to give him a look.
The bigger question now is where he fits after that. The Tigers are already starting to think about the 2027 infield picture, and Andersons continued rise could complicate those plans if he keeps performing and the offseason unfolds a certain way. For now, his path is still being shaped by what happens next in the minors and how the roster settles around him, but he has clearly made himself more than just a depth option to track. [Read more 🡒]
Drew Sommers Just Entered A Tigers Bullpen Debate That Really Matters
Drew Sommers turned August into a very different month from July, and for a Tigers bullpen that already has enough questions, that matters. After a rough stretch in midseason, the left-hander settled in and sharpened his performance, cutting his ERA significantly while striking out 19 batters in 11 innings. For a club trying to sort out relief depth heading into next season, that kind of rebound is hard to ignore.
The bigger issue is what comes next in Detroits bullpen mix. Injuries and possible roster changes have left the relief group in flux, and the Tigers are still weighing their options at closer, including a closer-by-committee path. In that kind of uncertainty, a left-handed arm who suddenly looks trustworthy can change the conversation quickly, and Sommers has put himself in that lane at exactly the right time. [Read more 🡒]
A.J. Hinchs Astros Connection Just Created New Tigers Noise
The Astros front office search has put an unexpected name back into the conversation in Houston, and it happens to be one Tigers fans know well. According to USA TODAY Sports, Houston has interest in Detroit manager A.J. Hinch for its open general manager job, a jarring bit of overlap given his history with the organization. Hinch managed the Astros from 2015 through 2019, guided them to a World Series title in 2017, and then was fired in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal.
For Detroit, the louder point is probably the one that cuts the other way: Hinch has not shown interest in leaving the dugout for a front-office post, and he remains firmly in place as the Tigers manager after recently getting a contract extension. Still, the report is enough to create fresh noise around a coach who has become central to Detroits direction, especially with his past in Houston never far from the surface whenever the Astros come calling. [Read more 🡒]