The Daily Diamond Buzz Show

Nothing is in progress yet, and no game has gone final today, so the entire Tuesday schedule is still in front of us. The headliner has the Los Angeles Dodgers visiting the Atlanta Braves, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto matched against Chris Sale. That’s a terrific contrast, and Sale is never background noise when he takes the mound. Yamamoto brings his own ability to control a game, so this is the matchup I’m circling first. Out West, the Milwaukee Brewers visit the San Diego Padres, with Dustin May facing Nick Pivetta. That one could turn on which starter establishes the strike zone early and keeps traffic under control. Those are the only two games on today’s board. As for yesterday, Chicago White Sox 4, Cleveland Guardians 3 was one final, while Tampa Bay Rays 5, New York Yankees 2 was the other. Today, though, the slate resets around four starters and two games with nowhere else for the spotlight to go.

Did You Know? Stan Musial finished his 22-season Major League career with 3,630 hits, divided perfectly into 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 on the road.

Dean's Take: Managers should use their best reliever in the highest-leverage moment, not automatically save him for the ninth inning

Everything Baseball. Every Day. Every Era. — Baseball Nation Network

The Monday board is compact, with both games still to come and nothing in progress or final yet today. The Chicago White Sox visit the Cleveland Guardians, where Anthony Kay is scheduled to face Gavin Williams. That matchup gives Cleveland the home stage, but the pitching is the story I’ll be watching from the first inning. The other game sends the New York Yankees to Tampa Bay, with Cam Schlittler lined up against Freddy Peralta. That’s the matchup carrying the most juice for me tonight. Yesterday gave us two one-run finals. Milwaukee Brewers 4, San Diego Padres 3. The Brewers found the edge in a game that offered no breathing room. Atlanta Braves 3, Los Angeles Dodgers 2. Same kind of tension there, with Atlanta finishing on the right side of another close one. Now the slate resets, and with only two games scheduled, every pitch gets a little more room to breathe.

Did You Know? On June 25, 1976, Texas Rangers shortstop Toby Harrah played all 18 innings of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox without recording a single fielding chance.

Dean's Take: World Series home-field advantage should remain based on regular-season record

Everything Baseball. Every Day. Every Era. — Baseball Nation Network

We’ve got two games still to come today, and both are rematches from Saturday. San Diego visits Milwaukee with Michael King scheduled against Logan Henderson. The Brewers took yesterday’s game, Milwaukee Brewers 3, San Diego Padres 2, so the Padres need their lineup to find another gear against Henderson. King gives San Diego the kind of arm you trust when the pressure rises, but Milwaukee has already shown it can win a close one.

Later, Atlanta faces Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. Blake Snell is listed for the Dodgers, while Atlanta’s starter remains to be determined. Los Angeles comes in after winning yesterday, Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Atlanta Braves 3. Snell can take over a game with swing-and-miss stuff, but his command will be the key. Atlanta cannot afford to spend the early innings chasing from behind again. There are no games in progress and no finals yet today, so all the drama is sitting right in front of us.

Did You Know? On June 28, 2009, Mariano Rivera earned his 500th career save after drawing a bases-loaded walk for the first and only RBI of his Major League career.

Dean's Take: MLB should impose a firm 60-second limit on replay reviews

Everything Baseball. Every Day. Every Era. — Baseball Nation Network

All four games are still to come today, with nothing underway and nothing final yet. My first stop is Tampa Bay, where Gerrit Cole goes for the Yankees against Drew Rasmussen and the Rays. That’s the kind of pitching matchup that immediately earns your attention, especially on an October Saturday. Out west, Atlanta visits the Dodgers in a game with an unusual contrast on the pitching line. The Braves have yet to name their starter, while Los Angeles is set to hand the ball to Tarik Skubal. That uncertainty on one side makes the opening innings especially interesting. I’m also watching San Diego at Milwaukee, where Robbie Ray matches up with Jacob Misiorowski. You’ve got the established left-hander against a power arm on the other side. No scores to report yet, so today’s board is all anticipation. Now we get to see which of these arms takes control first.

Did You Know? On June 17, 1915, Chicago Cubs pitcher George “Zip” Zabel worked 18⅓ innings in relief against the Brooklyn Robins, the longest relief appearance in Major League history, and earned the victory in a 4-3, 19-inning game.

Dean's Take: End live on-field player interviews during postseason games

Everything Baseball. Every Day. Every Era. — Baseball Nation Network

There are no MLB games on the schedule today, so the scoreboard gets a rare chance to breathe. The one result we’re carrying from yesterday is Atlanta Braves 6, Philadelphia Phillies 2. Atlanta walked away with the win, while Philadelphia was left with a loss to consider during today’s break. Beyond that, I’m not going to manufacture drama where the schedule gives us none. No mystery matchups, no invented pitching plans, no pretending there’s a live game when there isn’t. This is a reset day around the majors, and those can be valuable when the calendar reaches October. Players get a physical breather, clubs get time to evaluate where they stand, and fans get a moment to look at the bigger picture. On The Daily Diamond Show, we’ll take the quiet scoreboard for what it is. Yesterday belonged to Atlanta, and today belongs to preparation, reflection, and anticipation for whatever comes next.

Did You Know? On July 4, 1976, Philadelphia Phillies catcher Tim McCarver hit a ball over the right-field fence with the bases loaded, but he passed teammate Garry Maddox on the basepaths and was called out, leaving him with a three-run single instead of a grand slam.

Dean's Take: Pitcher wins should carry very little weight in Cy Young voting

Everything Baseball. Every Day. Every Era. — Baseball Nation Network

There’s one game on today’s major league board, and it’s Philadelphia at Atlanta. No games are in progress, and nothing has gone final yet, so all eyes are on the Phillies and Braves. These two clubs just played a tight one yesterday, with Philadelphia Phillies 4, Atlanta Braves 3. Now Atlanta gets the immediate chance to answer at home, while Philadelphia looks to carry that momentum right back into the next meeting. Elsewhere yesterday, the New York Yankees 9, Boston Red Sox 2 gave New York a decisive win in one of baseball’s defining rivalries. And out west, San Diego Padres 4, Chicago Cubs 1 put a strong finishing touch on the Padres’ day. But today is much simpler. One matchup, two familiar division rivals, and no need to bounce around the dial. Phillies and Braves own the stage, and sometimes a focused baseball day is exactly what the schedule needs.

Did You Know? John Miller hit only two home runs in his Major League career: one in his first career at-bat for the New York Yankees in 1966 and one in his final career at-bat for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1969.

Dean's Take: Keep the Wild Card Series best-of-three

Everything Baseball. Every Day. Every Era. — Baseball Nation Network

Nobody has started yet today, so the spotlight is on what’s coming tonight. I’m starting in the Bronx, where Boston sends Sonny Gray against Max Fried. The Yankees took yesterday’s meeting, New York Yankees 9, Boston Red Sox 0, so the Red Sox arrive looking for a much sharper response. This rivalry never needs extra decoration, especially this late in the calendar.

In Atlanta, Cristopher Sánchez gets the ball for Philadelphia against Tyler Mahle. The Braves won yesterday, Atlanta Braves 5, Philadelphia Phillies 3, and now the Phillies get an immediate chance to answer. That’s the beauty of these late-season series. There’s no waiting around to settle the argument.

Out West, Kevin Gausman and Nick Pivetta match up when the Cubs visit San Diego. The Padres controlled the opener, San Diego Padres 8, Chicago Cubs 0. Chicago needs to turn the page fast against a veteran starter. The other game tonight has Sean Burke going for the White Sox against Hunter Brown and the Astros.

Did You Know? On July 20, 1973, Chicago White Sox knuckleballer Wilbur Wood started both games of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees and was charged with both losses as Chicago fell 12-2 and 7-0.

Dean's Take: MLB should allow deferred money in player contracts with full transparency

Everything Baseball. Every Day. Every Era. — Baseball Nation Network

There are no games underway and no finals on the board yet, so the best of today’s action is still in front of us. I’m starting in Atlanta, where the Philadelphia Phillies visit the Atlanta Braves with Jesús Luzardo matched against Chris Sale. That’s the kind of left-on-left pitching matchup that grabs my attention immediately, especially this late in September. In New York, the Boston Red Sox meet the New York Yankees, and the young arms get the stage: Payton Tolle against Cam Schlittler. No matter where those clubs sit, Boston and New York never feels ordinary. Every pitch carries a little extra noise. Out west, the Chicago Cubs visit the San Diego Padres with Matthew Boyd facing Michael King. Boyd brings the left-handed look, while King can make life miserable when his command and movement are working together. Four games are scheduled today, but those three matchups give us plenty to watch as the evening unfolds.

Did You Know? On May 13, 1942, Boston Braves pitcher Jim Tobin hit three home runs against the Chicago Cubs, becoming the only pitcher in modern Major League history to homer three times in one game.

Dean's Take: MLB should eliminate unnecessary postseason off days

Everything Baseball. Every Day. Every Era. — Baseball Nation Network

There are no major league games on the schedule today, so this is baseball’s deep breath after a busy Sunday. The loudest result came from Houston, where the Houston Astros 9, Athletics 0 final gave the Astros a convincing way to close the day. Out west, the Los Angeles Dodgers 5, San Francisco Giants 1 final added one more decisive chapter to that rivalry. And San Diego brought the offense, with the San Diego Padres 9, Arizona Diamondbacks 4 final. Those are three wins with real punctuation, and that matters at this time of year. You want to finish playing clean, forceful baseball, not stumble toward the next phase. Today gives every club a chance to reset, evaluate where it stands, and prepare for what comes next. No games does not mean no tension. At the end of September, sometimes the quiet day is when the pressure feels loudest.

Did You Know? On July 25, 1956, Roberto Clemente hit the only walk-off, inside-the-park grand slam in Major League history, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 9-8 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Dean's Take: Make every major regular-season award ballot public

Everything Baseball. Every Day. Every Era. — Baseball Nation Network

Nothing has started and nothing is final yet, so the Sunday board is all anticipation. I’m starting in Philadelphia, where Nick Martinez and the Rays face Zack Wheeler and the Phillies. Tampa Bay Rays 12, Philadelphia Phillies 1 was yesterday’s result, so Wheeler gets the ball with Philadelphia looking for a very different afternoon. In Toronto, Brandon Williamson goes for Cincinnati against Max Scherzer. Cincinnati Reds 5, Toronto Blue Jays 1 was the final yesterday, and now the Blue Jays turn to one of the most accomplished pitchers of his generation. Out west, the Dodgers and Giants renew their rivalry after Los Angeles Dodgers 4, San Francisco Giants 3 yesterday. Carson Seymour is listed for San Francisco, while the Dodgers’ starter remains to be determined. That uncertainty adds another wrinkle to a matchup that rarely needs extra seasoning. Those are my three circles on a full fifteen-game Sunday schedule.

Did You Know? On July 17, 1990, the Minnesota Twins became the only team in Major League history to turn two triple plays in one game, but the Boston Red Sox still won 1-0.

Dean's Take: Cap every active MLB roster at thirteen pitchers, including in September

Everything Baseball. Every Day. Every Era. — Baseball Nation Network