The 2026 MLB postseason is only one day old, and the pressure has already hit full throttle. Four teams are staring at elimination in Game 2, with the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies the only matchup to bring real late-inning drama on Tuesday, Sept.
- The Braves rallied in the eighth to take that one, while the rest of the opening-day action settled in without much suspense.
NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports Network are carrying the entire quadruple-header again on the second day of the Wild Card Series.
Philadelphia is the team in the most immediate spot, handing the ball to two-time All-Star Cristopher Sanchez with its season on the line. The Phillies are 1-3 in Sanchez’s postseason starts over the last three years.
In the other Game 2s, the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros meet after the White Sox grabbed an early lead in Game 1 and cruised from there. The Astros did put the tying run on deck in the eighth, but Yainer Diaz struck out to end the inning.
That matchup features Sean Burke (11-7) against Hunter Brown (6-4) and is set for 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN/Peacock.
The Boston Red Sox were overwhelmed by the Yankees’ power display in their opener. Ben Rice delivered a double and two homers, Cam Schlittler worked 6 1/3 innings with 10 strikeouts and just two hits allowed, and Boston wound up using a bullpen game while New York held the Red Sox to three baserunners all night.
The Chicago Cubs also have a quick turnaround after the San Diego Padres jumped them early in Game 1. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado each went deep in the first inning, Michael King followed with seven innings of one-hit ball, and Pete Crow-Armstrong was left sorting out check swings with the umpiring crew.
In Other News...
Brewers Have The Edge But One Padres Threat Feels Very Real
The Padres arrive in the Division Series with some real momentum after getting past the Cubs in the wild-card round, and that matters when a team is lining up against a Brewers club built around pitching. Milwaukee has the edge on paper, especially with Jacob Misiorowski set to start Game 1 and Logan Henderson expected to follow, but San Diego has shown enough lately to make this more than a routine matchup.
What makes this series interesting is that the Brewers are leaning on a staff that can smother an opponent, while the Padres are coming in with the kind of recent form that can travel in October. Milwaukees arms are the obvious headline, but San Diegos offense has already shown it can get hot at the right time, which is exactly the sort of threat that can complicate a series that looks straightforward until the first few innings unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Could Help Decide A Wild Card Mess MLB Created
The postseason schedule has already turned into a bit of a maze, and the Padres are right in the middle of it. Atlanta and Philadelphia are lined up for a decisive Game 3 in the NL Wild Card Series, but MLB still has not locked in the first pitch because the league is waiting on results elsewhere, including games involving Boston, New York, Chicago and San Diego.
For a Padres team with its own October path still in view, the ripple effects are hard to miss. MLB has floated two possible start times for Braves-Phillies, 2:15 p.m. ET or 8:15 p.m. ET, and the winner will move on to face the Dodgers in the NL Division Round beginning Oct. 3. Until the other playoff results settle the schedule, the league has left one of the most important games on the board hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Owners Already Face A Harsh Test In San Diego
Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones arrived with the kind of ambition Padres fans want to hear, making clear that their goal is a World Series title. The timing is encouraging, too, with San Diego fresh off a wild-card sweep of the Cubs and carrying one of the more energized home crowds in the sport after topping 3 million fans in the 2023 regular season.
Still, the job in front of the new ownership group is not only about sustaining momentum on the field. An anonymous general manager has already raised concerns about the financial strain created by the clubs big payroll commitments to key players, which adds an immediate layer of pressure to the transition. Feliciano has framed those obligations as opportunities, but how the Padres balance that view against the realities of the market may become one of the first defining tests of the new era. [Read more 🡒]