-
Yordan Alvarez DH | HOU
Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Smashes 42nd homer
Alvarez went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, a double and a second run scored in Saturday's 13-2 win over the Athletics.
Alvarez's blast was his 42nd of the season, putting him one back of Pete Alonso for the American League lead. Over the last 11 games, Alvarez has gone 16-for-40 (.400) with four homers and nine RBI. The star slugger leads the majors in batting average (.316) and OPS (1.036) this year while adding 105 RBI, 104 runs scored, 34 doubles, one triple and one stolen base over 157 contests in the best season of his career by most metrics.
-
Jeremy Pena SS | HOU
Astros' Jeremy Pena: Monster game Saturday
Pena went 4-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored in Saturday's 13-2 win over the Athletics.
Pena went deep in the third and eighth innings. The shortstop had gone just 4-for-27 (.148) over his previous seven games, adding three stolen bases in that span. Despite playing in a career-low 111 games so far, Pena has matched his career-best homer total (22) from his rookie year in 2022. He's batting .276 with an .802 OPS, 55 RBI, 81 runs scored, 19 doubles, two triples and 12 stolen bases in 2026.
-
Hayden Wesneski SP | HOU
Astros' Hayden Wesneski: Rebounds with strong outing for win
Wesneski (6-2) allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out five over seven innings to earn the win Saturday over the Athletics.
Wesneski allowed 13 runs (eight earned) across 28.1 innings over five games in September. He had gone two games without a win prior to his strong regular-season finale. Over 11 starts following his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Wesneski delivered an excellent 3.25 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 46:20 K:BB across 61 innings. There will likely be a spot for him in the postseason rotation if the Astros are able to clinch a spot Sunday.
-
Jack Perkins RP | ATH
Athletics' Jack Perkins: Tagged for three homers in loss
Perkins (3-13) allowed six runs on five hits and three walks while striking out nine over five innings to take the loss versus the Astros on Saturday.
Perkins had largely put together a decent stretch run, but his season will end on a sour note. He gave up three home runs in this outing, accounting for all six of the runs on his line. Perkins ends 2026 with a 6.10 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 140:51 K:BB over 121 innings across 37 games (17 starts). He was a bit worse with a 6.75 ERA as a starter, though having a hitter-friendly home park certainly doesn't help.
-
Tim Tawa 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Tim Tawa: Delivers three hits in loss
Tawa went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Padres.
Tawa had gone just 6-for-42 (.143) over his previous 13 games, failing to log a multi-hit effort in that span. All three of his hits Saturday were singles. The utility man is now batting .239 with a .692 OPS, 11 home runs, 41 RBI, 40 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple and eight stolen bases over 103 contests. While his overall numbers aren't that great, he has displayed clear progress compared to 2025, when he hit .201 with a .621 OPS in 74 games.
-
James McCann C | ARI
Diamondbacks' James McCann: Blasts homer Saturday
McCann went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Padres.
McCann has hit three homers over eight games in September. The catcher is batting just .217 (5-for-23) in that span. He's mostly been limited to a reserve role down the stretch. On the season, McCann is batting .283 with a .774 OPS, seven homers, 28 RBI, 17 runs scored and six doubles over 162 plate appearances.
-
Taylor Clarke RP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Taylor Clarke: Can't complete one frame as opener
Clarke allowed one run on three hits and a hit batsman over two-thirds of an inning in a no-decision versus the Padres on Saturday. He didn't record a strikeout or a walk.
Clarke ended up struggling as an opener for the bullpen game, though he was far from alone in laboring on the mound. The Padres put up at least one run in five of the first six innings, and the back-and-forth nature of the game kept Clarke from being on the hook for the loss. While he has a strong 2.96 ERA over 73 innings this season, he's surrendered seven runs (six earned) over his last six innings to stumble to the finish line.
-
Jackson Merrill CF | SD
Padres' Jackson Merrill: Logs steal in win
Merrill went 2-for-4 with a walk, one RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Saturday's 10-7 win over the Diamondbacks.
Merrill ended a stretch of eight games without a multi-hit effort, a span in which he hit .200 with three extra-base hits. The outfielder hadn't stolen a base since Sept. 11 versus the Giants. Merrill has generally found success on the basepaths this season, going 27-for-31 on steal attempts. He's added 26 home runs, 87 RBI, 86 runs scored, 26 doubles and five triples while batting .254 with a .743 OPS across a career-high 158 games in his third campaign in the majors.
-
Xander Bogaerts SS | SD
Padres' Xander Bogaerts: Lifts homer in win
Bogaerts went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks in Saturday's 10-7 win over the Diamondbacks.
Bogaerts has displayed more consistency at the plate in September, going 23-for-73 (.315) over 22 games. However, he's supplied just six RBI and seven extra-base hits this month. Overall, Bogaerts is batting .231 with a .676 OPS, 13 homers, 57 RBI, 68 runs scored, 18 doubles, one triple and 22 stolen bases over 153 contests this season.
-
Manny Machado 3B | SD
Padres' Manny Machado: Gets to 30-homer mark
Machado went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 10-7 win over the Diamondbacks.
Machado reached the 30-homer mark for the first time since 2023 when he went deep in the fourth inning. The third baseman has gone deep six times and added 15 RBI over his last 20 contests despite batting just .195 (15-for-77) in that span. He's hitting .216 with a .710 OPS, 90 RBI, 82 runs scored, 22 doubles and five stolen bases over 157 contests this season.