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Nick Lodolo SP | CIN
Reds' Nick Lodolo: No-decision at Rogers Centre
Lodolo did not factor into the decision Friday against the Blue Jays, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three across five innings.
Lodolo gave up separate RBI doubles to Alejandro Kirk and Kazuma Okamoto in the first inning to put the Reds in an early deficit. Lodolo rebounded to keep the Blue Jays off the board over the next four frames, and he was in line for his fourth win of the season (and first since July 5 against the Orioles) before the Reds gave up four runs in the seventh inning. With the Reds eliminated from playoff contention, Lodolo will end the 2026 regular season with a 4.97 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 83:46 K:BB over 108.2 innings.
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Elly De La Cruz SS | CIN
Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Reaches 30-30 milestone Friday
De La Cruz went 1-for-4 with a two-run double and a steal during the Reds' 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday.
De La Cruz smacked his 30th home run of the season in a 7-6 win over Atlanta on Thursday, and he swiped his 30th bag of the season one day later in Toronto. In doing so, he became the fourth player in franchise history to record 30 homers and 30 steals in a season, with the last being Brandon Phillips in 2007. De La Cruz ranks in the top-10 in the majors this season in both slugging percentage (.521) and OPS (.888) across 627 plate appearances.
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Will Warren SP | NYY
Yankees' Will Warren: Earns win in bulk relief
Warren (11-6) earned the win against the Orioles in Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out seven over 3.2 scoreless innings.
Warren appeared out of the bullpen for the second time in September and dominated, throwing 39 of 54 pitches for strikes with 13 whiffs. It concluded a strong month for the 27-year-old, who went 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA and 25:8 K over five appearances (three starts). He'll finish the regular season with a 3.92 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 158:54 K across 156 innings and may work in a similar capacity to Friday for the Yankees in the postseason.
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Nick Fortes C | TB
Rays' Nick Fortes: Smacks solo homer
Fortes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday in a 2-0 win over the Phillies.
Fortes made a rare start versus southpaw Cristopher Sanchez, taking the left-hander yard in the second inning. Liam Hicks has taken over as Tampa Bay's primary backstop since the trade deadline, likely leaving Fortes with scant playing time in the playoffs. Through 294 at-bats, Fortes is hitting .262 with six homers, 35 RBI, 12 walks and 33 runs scored.
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Kazuma Okamoto 3B | TOR
Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Drives in three runs Friday
Okamoto went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI during the Blue Jays' 6-5 win over the Reds on Friday.
Okamoto helped the Blue Jays jump out to an early 2-0 lead with an RBI double in the first inning before contributing two more runs in the seventh to tie the game up at 5-5. It was the 10th time this season (and second time in September) that Okamoto drove in at least three runs in a game. His 33 home runs and 92 RBI are both second-most in the majors among rookies this season behind Munetaka Murakami (35 home runs) and Sal Stewart (111 RBI).
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Pete Alonso 1B | BAL
Orioles' Pete Alonso: Two more homers in twin bill
Alonso went 4-for-8 with two home runs, two walks, three RBI and four runs scored across both games of Friday's doubleheader against the Yankees.
Alonso took sole possession of the American League lead in home runs with two long balls in Game 1 before reaching base three times in Game 2. Prior to his single in the fourth inning of the first game, the slugger's previous seven hits had left the yard. He's gone deep 11 times overall in 23 September contests and is slashing .267/.363/.522 with 43 homers, 113 RBI, 100 runs scored and five steals across 700 plate appearances with one game to go this season.
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Dylan Beavers LF | BAL
Orioles' Dylan Beavers: Homers twice across twin bill
Beavers went 2-for-9 with two home runs, five RBI and two runs scored across both games of Friday's doubleheader against the Yankees.
Beavers launched his first career grand slam in Game 1 before adding a solo shot in the ninth inning of Game 2. The 25-year-old is trying to put an exclamation point on what has been a forgettable September, as he entered Friday hitting just .162 over 19 games in the month. Overall, he's slashing .228/.307/.373 with nine homers, 44 RBI, 41 runs scored and five steals across 363 plate appearances in his first full major-league campaign.
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Jose Soriano SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Jose Soriano: Poor end to 2026 season
Soriano did not factor into the decision Friday against the Reds, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out two across three innings. He did not issue a walk.
Soriano was handed an early 2-0 lead, but he proceeded to give up a solo homer to Eugenio Suarez in the second inning before yielding four more runs in the third. Soriano did not come back out for the fourth inning, with his night ending with only 48 pitches (36 strikes), but he escaped with the no-decision after his Blue Jays teammates tacked on four runs in the seventh. He's given up at least four earned runs in each of his last three outings, and Soriano will end the 2026 regular season with a 12-8 record across 32 starts, along with a 3.91 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 169:73 K:BB over 177.1 innings. He was acquired by the Blue Jays from the Angels in early August and is under arbitration for both 2027 and 2028.
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Louie Varland RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Louis Varland: Fans two for 35th save
Varland earned the save in Friday's 6-5 win over the Reds, striking out two batters in a scoreless ninth inning.
The Blue Jays grabbed the lead thanks to a four-run seventh inning, and Varland shut the door on the Reds in the ninth, striking out the first and last batter he faced in the frame. He's fanned two batters in five of his last six outings, and his 35 saves on the season are tied with David Bednar and Aroldis Chapman for fifth-most in the majors. Varland also sports a 1.27 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 78 innings.
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Cristopher Sanchez SP | PHI
Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Fans 10 but takes loss
Sanchez (18-7) took the loss against the Rays on Friday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out 10 across seven innings.
Sanchez gave up a run in each of the first two innings of Friday's start before settling in to keep the Rays off the board over the next five frames. He finished his start strongly with seven consecutive strikeouts from the fifth through seventh innings, but he did not get enough run support from his Phillies to avoid the loss. It was the sixth time this season that Sanchez recorded 10-plus strikeouts, but Friday was the first time he took the loss in the process. He's tied with Sonny Gray for most wins in the majors, with Sanchez finishing the regular season with a 2.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 149:46 K:BB over 169 innings. Sanchez figures to be the Phillies' top rotation option for the playoffs, assuming the team qualifies.