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The Blue Jays crushed the Mariners: they’re back in the series

Tonight, the Blue Jays were in Seattle to take on the Mariners in Game #3 of the American League Championship Series. They were trailing 2-0 going into the game.

And those who’ve seen the games know they weren’t in the game.

But it didn’t start well for the Blue Jays, who didn’t really have the luxury of a bad start. Julio Rodriguez, in the first inning, hit a two-run home run off Shane Bieber.

It was a slap in the face.

But in the third inning, the Toronto forwards got up. Andres “automatic strikeout” Gimenez stepped up and, in turn, found a way to slam a two-run home run.

This brought everyone back to square one.

Nathan Lukes then got on base and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stepped up with a double (his second hit of the game), putting two players in scoring position for the Blue Jays.

And it paid off.

With the bases loaded, a nasty throw allowed Lukes to score on a passed ball. Then, Daulton Varsho hit a big two-run double to make it 5-2 for his team.

The five-run inning really did the trick.

It even prompted Bryan Woo to take to the bullpen… even though the excellent starting pitcher didn’t need to show up on the field during the game.

George Springer, in the fourth, also took advantage of the fact that George Kirby wasn’t having his best game tonight. He hit his second home run of the series to make it 6-2… and his 22nd in his playoff career. He now ranks fourth all-time.

This made Vladimir Guerrero Jr. want to stand up. He hit his third home run of the game – and of the series, as he was 0-for-7 after the first two games.

And it was a solo home run. One batter later, Kirby left the mound.

Reliever or not, it didn’t stop the Blue Jays from scoring. Ernie Clement put the ball in the safe and made it 8-2 in the game in the fifth inning.

The club added four runs in the sixth inning to make it 12-2 – via, among other things, a three-run home run by Captain Kirk – and the game was out of reach for Seattle. But even so, Shane Bieber pitched only six innings.

Yariel Rodriguez, in the eighth, gave back-to-back home runs to Randy Arozarena and Cal “Fat Ass” Raleigh. The pitcher is coming off some big playoff moments, as TVA Sports descriptors pointed out…

Addison Barger hit his first home run of the series to make it 13-4. The Blue Jays won (on the road) their first game of the series and the series is 2-1 in Seattle’s favor. Tomorrow, Max Scherzer and Luis Castillo cross swords at 8:33pm.

PMLB
  • For the first time this season, Shohei Ohtani took batting practice on the field.

  • Yankees: end-of-season press conference tomorrow.

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Trading Hunter Greene: the idea is circulating

Although the 2025 campaign is not yet officially over, it is for 26 of the 30 Manfred Circuit teams. The Cincinnati Reds are one of them, and have been ever since they were eliminated from the playoffs by the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Reds’ main target this off-season would be to acquire a decent hitter. Since Cincinnati is not a popular destination for free agents, the best way for the Ohio club to improve, aside from through the draft, is via the transaction market.

As you know, to receive, you must give! As a bargaining chip, the name of ace pitcher Hunter Greene is the subject of speculation. Mark Sheldon, who covers the Reds, asked about it.

Injuries haunt him

When healthy, Hunter Greene is quite a pitcher. It’s not for nothing that manager Terry Francona trusted him with the ball for his team’s first playoff game in Los Angeles.

However, Greene’s name is more often than not on the injured list. In his young career, he never pitched more than 150.1 innings, and never exceeded 26 regular-season starts.

This could dampen the ardor of some teams. However, what works to Cincinnati’s advantage in this case is that the 26-year-old right-hander is under reasonable contract until 2028. By April 2023, all parties had agreed toa six-year, $53 million contract. The team that owns his services even holds an option year for 2029 at $21 million.

If the Reds really do decide to go ahead and trade their No. 1 starter, they’ll undeniably receive some good assets to earn in the immediate future. That’s exactly what they’re looking for – MLB players, not prospects. Winning is now for them, and we can understand them with their somewhat surprising participation in the playoffs.

An air of déjà vu

Last year, it was on the mound that the Reds wanted to improve. They traded outfielder Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for the services of pitcher Brady Singer. Singer was coming off an outstanding campaign with the Royals, and his name was being bandied around the league. Singer did far from poorly in 2025, posting 14 wins in 32 starts and a WAR of 3.1.

This year, it’s the other way around. They’re willing to trade an all-star pitcher for hitting power. It’s like everything in professional sports starts all over again.

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Albert Pujols as manager: Orioles interested

In recent weeks, it’s become clear that the Angels are interested in Albert Pujols as manager.

Arte Moreno likes stars, and clearly, the power hitter is a big name. He spent ten years in Anaheim wearing the Angels’ colors.

We know he wants to manage, and right now, he looks like the favorite for the Anaheim job.

But now, for the first time, the name of another team is being bandied about. According to ESPN reporters Jeff Passan and Alden Gonzalez, the Baltimore Orioles are expected to interview Pujols.

Remember that the Orioles have no pitchers, but have a much better team than the Angels. Pujols, however, has no ties to Baltimore City per se.

In 2025, the club has collapsed, but the base is solid in Maryland. Expectations in 2026 will be to return to the playoffs.

Should he ever receive an offer from the Orioles, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him accept… although I think he’d benefit from learning the ropes in Anaheim, where expectations will be lower.

But it’s still early days.

Remember that Matt Holliday’s son, Jackson, plays with the Orioles. Matt is a former teammate of Albert’s and the two have a good relationship following their time in Missouri.

Mike Elias, the head of baseball operations in Baltimore, was a scout for the Cardinals when Pujols arrived in the Majors.

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Match #3: Anthony Santander strikes fourth

Tonight, the Blue Jays travel to Seattle for Game #3 of the American League Championship Series. Trailing 0-2 in the series, John Schneider’s men will need to win tonight if they don’t want to face elimination tomorrow.

The club will need a big outing from Shane Bieber, today’s starter.

But above all, the Jays will need their forwards to wake up. After having broken everything in the series against the Yankees, it’s much harder against the Mariners, when the club has scored just four runs in 18 innings.

And obviously, John Schneider wanted to stir his soup: Anthony Santander, who missed the last game, will bat fourth tonight.

Addison Barger, meanwhile, drops to seventh. Ernie Clement drops to eighth, while Davis Schneider is not in the starting line-up.

Santander isn’t having a great series (he’s got a .462 OPS so far), but we know he’s a guy with power to spare. Schneider’s objective is clear: he wants to give Santander the chance to hit long, paying balls.

Because even if the numbers aren’t reassuring, Santander has some good batting presences these days. He seems to be on the verge of breaking through.

The Jays’ manager makes no secret of it: he wants his club to find a way to unlock and score a lot of runs. He wants to see more uppercuts and fewer jabs, in his words.

We’ll also have to keep an eye on whether Santander will be able to hold his own defensively, as he’ll be in right field (while George Springer will be the designated hitter).

But in the event that the Jays’ offense turns neutral, Schneider stirs his soup and uses his wild card in Santander. Let’s see if that turns the tide in the series, now.

PMLB
  • Mariners line-up.

  • Cubs need to spend.

  • A few candidates to manage the Twins.

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MLB in brief: Anthony Volpe undergoes shoulder surgery | Rocco Baldelli wants to manage again

Anthony Volpe undergoes shoulder surgery

He should be ready for next season, but nothing is certain. And at least he’ll be healthy.

Two good friends

Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto get along well.

That’s why they’re here

Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer have a lot to give today and tomorrow.

In his last three outings against Seattle, Shane Bieber is having success.

What will Kyle Tucker do?

That’s the question on the table.

Rocco Baldelli wants to manage again

Will it happen?

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Tarik Skubal: don’t rule out the idea of him being traded this winter

Over the past two years, Tarik Skubal has clearly established himself as one of the best starting pitchers in the Majors. The Tigers’ ace pitcher, who is expected to win a second Cy Young trophy in two years, has been an essential part of his club’s comeback.

And when you look at his performances in the current series, you can see just how dominant he is.

That said, Skubal is in a special position right now. In 2026, the starter will be in his last year before reaching full autonomy… and that means the Tigers, who don’t usually pay top dollar to sign their players, will have a big decision to make.

The club will have to decide whether it wants to keep Skubal in 2026… or trade him this summer to avoid losing him on the autonomy market a year from now.

It’s not unlike the case of Corbin Burnes in Milwaukee two years ago. Back then, the Brewers knew they wouldn’t be able to pay him… so they traded Burnes to Baltimore instead of keeping him for another year.

And the club made a similar decision last year, this time with a reliever in Devin Williams. All this despite the club’s desire to remain competitive (which worked).

We know that Skubal, because of his track record, will be in a position to break the bank a year from now. And when you consider that Scott Boras is his agent, the chances of him agreeing to a contract extension before hitting the market are very, very slim.

So the Tigers will have to decide… and you really have to wonder if Skubal last wore the club’s uniform. And if so, he’ll be a very, very coveted name on the trade market.

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Golden Gloves in Toronto: a two-position finalist and two first-goal finalists

The finalists for Major League Baseball’s Golden Gloves have just been announced. And in Toronto, the Blue Jays were keeping an eye on everything. After all, the club is renowned for its defense.

The result? There are six nominations… which doesn’t include Daulton Varsho, who has missed many games.

Alejandro Kirk is nominated behind the plate, which is no surprise. Same goes for what veteran Andres Gimenez is capable of accomplishing at second cushion – or shortstop, since Bo Bichette’s injury.

Then it gets more special.

At first cushion, the Blue Jays have two nominations: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ty France, who started the season in Minnesota and arrived at the trade deadline. He played little defensively in Toronto.

And Ernie Clement is nominated for two positions: third base and utility player.

That means he’s played enough third base and enough elsewhere to qualify for utility. It also means he’s been good at every position.

In my book, you shouldn’t be able to win at two positions. But hey.

Elsewhere in the league, there were other nominations too. In particular, I note (unsurprisingly) that Mookie Betts could win his seventh Golden Glove, but his first at shortstop. What an athlete, though.

The winners will be announced on November 2.

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Alex Bregman to test free agent market

Since their elimination at the hands of the New York Yankees in the Wild Card round, the biggest question facing the Boston Red Sox has been Alex Bregman’s future with the organization.

But barring a major change, it doesn’t seem like that’s an issue anymore. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Bregman will exercise the opt-out provision of his $120 million contract and head to the free agent market.

Alex Bregman will opt out of his current contract with the Red Sox, sources say, and after his good first year in Boston, there could be one or two more suitors, potentially including at least one surprise team, although Boston still seems a logical destination.

The Red Sox still have the $250+ million saved from the Rafael Devers deal and loved the veteran’s leadership, so we can expect a return to Massachusetts to be in the cards.

But Heyman also mentions other suitors, including a surprise team. The Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, the two teams still alive in the American League, as well as the Detroit Tigers, should be among them.

Bregman was offered $171.5 million over six years by the Tigers last off-season, which would have reunited him with A.J. Hinch, his former manager in Houston. Instead, Bregman opted for a three-year contract with the Low Reds that included several exit options.

The 31-year-old posted a .273 batting average with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs in his first and only season in Boston in 2025. The latter earned his first All-Star Game nomination since 2019, boasting an OPS of .821.

Bregman’s current market value is expected to be just over $100 million spread over four seasons. He left $80 million on the table by walking away from the last two years of his contract.

Who will take the gamble?

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto: first full playoff match since 2017

Last night, the Milwaukee Brewers visited the Los Angeles Dodgers on the heels of Game 2 of the 2025 National League Championship Series.

The Dodgers had pulled out the first duel and the Brewers were looking to tie the series. And it started well, as Jackson Chourio, who loves to play in the playoffs, hit a home run on his team’s first pitch of the game.

The problem for the Brewers is that Yoshinobu Yamamoto subsequently took a page from Blake Snell’s book by being dominant. More on that later.

The other problem for the Brewers was that the Dodgers’ forward got up. Teoscar Hernandez hit his fourth home run of the series to bring everyone back to square one in the second. And soon after, Kiké Hernandez scored on an Andy Pages double.

Max Muncy hit a solo home run in the sixth… Shohei Ohtani (yes, yes) produced a run in the seventh… Tommy Edman drove in Will Smith in the eighth inning….

In short, by the middle of the eighth, it was 5-1 to the visitors. That ended up being the final score as the Dodgers’ starter gave up nothing else.

https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1978296925020414401

I say starter because Yamamoto pitched a complete game. It was the first time that had happened in the playoffs since 2017, when Justin Verlander made his Texas debut.

Three sure hits, no runs allowed after the home run, just one walk and seven strikeouts: Yamamoto understood the importance of the moment. And after a few difficult months in L.A. in 2024, he has taken off and is now playing up to his $325 million contract.

PMLB
  • Good listening.

  • Quite a duo at the top of the rotation.

https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1978332773413797938

  • Can the Blue Jays bounce back?

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1978289717742633159

  • Austin Hedges stays in Cleveland.

  • Luis Rojas interviews for manager’s job in Baltimore.

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Passion MLB – The Podcast, Episode 85

Tonight, between games #2 and #3 of the Blue Jays and Mariners, Pascal Harvey joined Charles-Alexis Brisebois to analyze the two championship series to date.

Enjoy.

We remind you that people who want to listen to us live can do so every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Facebook, on X and on YouTube… but in the playoffs, the dates may vary depending on the schedule. We record live to answer everyone’s questions.

However, those who want to listen to us in a more traditional podcast format can also do so by visiting all the good podcast platforms at any time.

SpotifyYouTubeApple PodcastAmazon Music

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