Kodai Senga, after missing almost the entire regular season due to injuries, is a candidate to make the New York Mets' roster for the National League Division Series, the New York Post and The Athletic reported Thursday night. The Mets will open the NLDS on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday after rallying to win Game 3 of their wild-card series against the host Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 on Thursday. Senga, 31, was an All-Star and the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2023, when he went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts. This year, however, he sustained a shoulder injury in spring training, landing him on the injured list for the start of the season. Senga came back to make four minor league rehab appearances in July before rejoining the Mets for a July 26 start against the Braves. The right-hander limited Atlanta to two runs on two hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings, striking out nine. Senga was the winning pitcher as New York prevailed 8-4, but he sustained a calf strain in the outing and went back on the IL. Senga made a rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on Sept. 21 but exited after one inning due to tightness in his right triceps. On Monday, Senga threw live batting practice, making 25 pitches. The session prompted Mets manager Carlos Mendoza to say, "We'll see," when asked if Senga could be an option in the postseason. Should Senga be added to the Mets' roster, he almost certainly would be a short-inning reliever due to his lack of work. Rosters for the best-of-five NLDS don't need to be announced until the morning of Game 1. --Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday switched their first two starters for the National League Division Series, deciding to start Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 1 on Saturday against the San Diego Padres and going with fellow right-hander Jack Flaherty in Game 2 on Sunday. On Wednesday, the Dodgers said Flaherty would start Game 1 and Yamamoto would follow in the best-of-five series. Los Angeles president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the decision to flip the starters wasn't performance-based. He said pitching the opener would make Yamamoto available for Game 5, if necessary. "Yoshi hasn't pitched on a regular (basis)," Friedman said. "Jack's more accustomed to it. Depending on 'pen usage throughout, it allows us that flexibility in Game 5, if there is one. So it's just about having more options." Friedman said Yamamoto was fine with the switch. "He was like, 'I was going to throw a 'pen either way today or tomorrow. I'm doing it today. I'm great. I'm ready for whatever you guys want.'" Friedman said. "He was excited." San Diego is starting Dylan Cease in the opener at Los Angeles with fellow right-hander Yu Darvish pitching Game 2. The Padres are also bracing for the return of medical tests performed on right-hander Joe Musgrove. He exited San Diego's 5-4 clinching victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday in the wild-card series due to right elbow tightness. Musgrove, 31, departed after 3 2/3 innings. He twice was sidelined by elbow issues in the regular season. Yamamoto missed nearly three months with a shoulder issue in his first season in the majors. The 26-year-old from Japan went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts. Flaherty, who turns 29 on Oct. 15, was acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline and went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts with Los Angeles. Cease, 28, threw the second no-hitter in Padres history in his first season with the club. Musgrove tossed the first in 2021. Cease was 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA in 33 starts. Darvish, 38, went 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 16 starts. Right-hander Michael King is expected to start Game 3 on Tuesday when the series moves to San Diego. King struck out 12 in seven innings in the Padres' 4-0 win over the Braves in Game 1 of the wild-card series Tuesday. The 29-year-old went 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA in 30 regular-season starts and one relief appearance. --Field Level Media

MILWAUKEE -- Pete Alonso lined a three-run homer to key a four-run ninth-inning rally and lift the New York Mets to a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday in the decisive third game of a National League wild-card series. The sixth-seeded Mets will open the NL Division Series on Saturday in Philadelphia. The second-seeded Phillies won the NL East, finishing six games ahead of New York and the Atlanta Braves. The NL Central champion Brewers lost their sixth consecutive playoff series since a sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the 2018 NLDS. Francisco Lindor, who had the Mets' only two hits through eight innings, walked to open the ninth against Brewers closer Devin Williams, who converted 14 of 15 save opportunities during the season and finished Milwaukee's 5-3 win in Game 2. Brandon Nimmo singled with one out, and Alonso then sent a 3-1 pitch 367 feet to right-center. "I was just looking for something out over the plate," Alonso said. "Yeah, I just really wanted to hit something hard through the big part of the field. I'm really happy that I capitalized. "I know Devin has great stuff. I've seen him pitch a ton. We were teammates in the (World Baseball Classic). He's a tough AB. So, I'm just really happy I was able to capitalize on something out over the plate." Brewers manager Pat Murphy said, "You've got three players that are upper-echelon players in Lindor, Nimmo and Alonso, and they did what they do -- a walk, a base hit, and an opposite-field homer. They did what they do." The Mets added a run when Jesse Winker was hit by a pitch with two outs, stole second, and scored on Starling Marte's single to right. David Peterson tossed a scoreless bottom of the ninth, inducing a game-ending double play from Brice Turang for the first save of his career, regular season or postseason. Edwin Diaz (1-0) got the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Williams (0-1) gave up four runs on three hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. "It was a great script for us," Murphy said. "Devin has been as good a closer as there is in baseball for the 2 1/2 years that he's played. He was injured most of this year. He's been unbelievable. I'd give him the ballgame tomorrow in the same situation." Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick opened the seventh inning with back-to-back homers to snap a scoreless tie and put Milwaukee up 2-0. After New York starter Jose Quintana blanked the Brewers on four hits through six innings, Jose Butto came on to start the seventh. Bauers, who hit .199 with 12 homers during the regular season, pinch-hit for Rhys Hoskins and sent a 3-2 pitch 405 feet to right. Frelick, who had just two homers in the regular season, then jumped on the next pitch for a 408-foot shot to right. "I keep saying it, man. We continue to believe," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "As a team, we've been punched and knocked down, and we continue to find ways to get back up. We got punched yesterday. We got punched again today in the seventh inning, and we found a way." Brewers right-hander Tobias Myers tossed five scoreless innings of two-hit ball. Trevor Megill, Nick Mears, and Game 1 starter Freddy Peralta each followed with a hitless inning before the Mets broke through against Williams. Milwaukee stranded a runner in scoring position in four of the first five innings against Quintana, who struck out five and walked one in a 94-pitch outing. Lindor doubled to open the first and singled in the third, the only Mets baserunner through the first four innings against Myers, who was a combined 1-15 with a 7.82 ERA at Triple-A with three different teams in 2022. --Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media

Terry Francona is coming out of retirement to take over as manager of the Cincinnati Reds, MLB Network and ESPN reported Thursday night. The Reds plan to hire Francona, who stepped down from the same post with the in-state rival Cleveland Guardians after the 2023 season. Francona, who battled health problems late in his Cleveland tenure, said at that time, "I need to go home and get healthy and see what I miss about the game. I don't foresee managing again." He has dealt with stomach, hip and shoulder ailments as well as blood clots and a staph infection. A heart procedure kept him from managing at the 2017 All-Star Game, and health problems subsequently sidelined him for parts of the 2020, 2021 and 2023 seasons. Still, the 65-year-old is set to take on his fourth major league managerial job. He will try to turn around a Reds club that missed the playoffs this year at 77-85 but has promising young talent in the form of Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene. The Reds fired manager David Bell entering the final week of the regular season. Francona is best known for guiding the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles (2004, 2007), the first of which ended the club's 86-year championship drought. As the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies (1997-2000), Boston (2004-11) and Cleveland (2013-23), Francona is 1,950-1,672 all-time with three pennants. His 2016 Cleveland team lost to the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. Francona played outfield and first base in the majors for the Montreal Expos (1981-85), Chicago Cubs (1986), Cincinnati (1987), Cleveland (1988) and Milwaukee Brewers (1989-90). hitting .274 with a .300 on-base percentage, a .351 slugging percentage, 16 homers and 143 RBIs in 707 games. --Field Level Media

The Arizona Diamondbacks fired veteran pitching coach Brent Strom on Thursday, according to multiple reports. Strom confirmed his exit to The Athletic. "Appreciated the opportunity," Strom said. "Pitching held this team back this year. Did my best. End of story." The Diamondbacks have yet to announce Strom's departure. Published reports indicate that assistant pitching coach Dan Carlson and bullpen coach Mike Fetters also won't return in their current roles. Arizona (89-73) missed the postseason this year, formally being eliminated Monday when the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets split a doubleheader to claim the final two National League wild-card berths. The Diamondbacks ranked 27th in the majors this season in both ERA (4.62) and WHIP (1.35). Part of the bloated figures could be pinned on the Arizona front office giving out big contracts to left-handers Jordan Montgomery and Eduardo Rodriguez. Both players missed time with injuries and struggled. Montgomery, 31, signed a two-year, $47.5 million deal on the eve of the season -- he holds a $22.5 million option for 2025 -- and was a major disappointment. Montgomery went 8-7 with a 6.23 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 25 appearances (21 starts). Rodriguez, 31, signed a four-year, $80 million. He went 3-4 with a 5.04 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 10 starts and didn't make his season debut until Aug. 7. Right-hander Merrill Kelly, who stood out in the 2023 postseason when the Diamondbacks reached the World Series, was limited to 13 starts due to injury. He went 5-1 with a 4.03 ERA. Strom, who turns 76 on Oct. 14, was viewed as one of top pitching coaches in the majors when he agreed to join the Diamondbacks in November 2021 just weeks after saying he was retiring. Strom was the pitching coach of the Houston Astros from 2014-21 -- helping the Astros win the World Series in 2017 -- before deciding to retire after Houston lost to the Atlanta Braves in the 2021 World Series. Strom spent parts of five seasons as a major league pitcher, compiling a 22-39 record and 3.95 ERA in 100 appearances (75 starts) with the New York Mets (1972), Cleveland Indians (1973) and his hometown San Diego Padres (1975-77). Carlson, 54, spent the past three seasons as the assistant pitching coach and was part of the Diamondbacks' organization for 23 seasons. Fetters, 59, spent the past eight seasons as Arizona's bullpen coach and was also a quality control coach from 2013-16. --Field Level Media

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has the support of his manager and teammates, but the impending free agent doesn't know if he will be back next season. "I hope so," Bregman said Wednesday after the Astros were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in a two-game sweep in the American League wild-card series in Houston. "We'll see what happens. I'm going to let Scott (Boras, his agent) and the team handle that. Obviously, it's free agency, and I've never really experienced that before." A career Astro since Houston selected him second overall in the 2015 MLB Draft out of LSU, tBregman earned $30.5 million in each of the past two seasons. He's expected to be one of the top hitters on the free-agent market, with the Astros having a five-day window to exclusively negotiate with him and any of their other free-agent players following the end of the World Series. Manager Joe Espada said Thursday at the team's end-of-season news conference that he hopes Bregman makes a deal to remain an Astro. "I think what makes this team really good is the character of the people that we have in that clubhouse, and he's one of the best I've ever been around," Espada said. "So I would love to have Alex Bregman playing third base for us next year." Bregman's fellow All-Star infielder, second baseman Jose Altuve, said Wednesday that he would be "heartbroken" if Bregman left the organization. "I don't want to think about my last game with Breggy," he said. "I'm pretty confident he's going to be our third baseman next year. We have to. We're not going to be the same organization without him. In my mind, there's not a chance this is the last game." General manager Dana Brown, who will be part of the negotiations, said the organization will have conversations with Bregman about coming back, but on Thursday he didn't provide a timeline. "He's been a really good player and he's been outstanding in terms of helping this team play a lot of postseason games and he's posted each and every year," Brown said. "So that weighs heavily. We will have some discussions with Boras and also Bregman. We've had some small talk, but ultimately, we'll have some discussions. We know what he means to this organization." Bregman, who turns 31 at the start of the 2025 season (March 30), started slowly in 2024. He finished with a .260 batting average, 26 home runs and 75 RBIs in 145 games while dealing with a right elbow ailment late in the season. His .315 on-base percentage was close to a career low. He had a .453 slugging percentage, and his .768 OPS was a career low. He is a career .272 hitter with 191 homers and 663 RBIs in 1,111 regular-season games (2016-24). He was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019 and the Silver Slugger award winner for American League third basemen in 2019. Bregman also has hit .238 in the postseason with 19 homers and 54 RBIs in 99 games from 2017-24 as Houston won the World Series in 2017 and 2022. "Bregman is a special, special human and a special baseball player," Brown said. "I hope I see him back here, that's all I've got to say." After the Astros' season ended on Wednesday, Bregman talked to his teammates in the clubhouse about how proud he was of them and their improvement over the past six months. He said it was "one of the funnest seasons I've had." Later, he told reporters that he hadn't thought about free agency. "I haven't really had a chance to process this," Bregman said. "I was planning on being here tomorrow." Later Wednesday, he posted on his X account: "Thank you Houston." --Field Level Media

More than six months since the San Diego Padres opened the season with a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in South Korea, the National League West rivals are taking their rivalry back to the postseason. The Padres dispatched the Atlanta Braves 2-0 to advance from the NL wild-card round to the NL Division Series, which starts Saturday at Dodger Stadium. "Clearly going to respect them. They've got a really nice club," Padres manager Mike Shildt said of the Dodgers. "We fought tooth and nail to get to the end of the season, for the division. But now we're in the part of the season where winner moves on and we wouldn't want it any other way. It's going to be a wonderful series. We're super excited about it. Can't wait." The third postseason series ever between the teams is a follow-up to San Diego's 3-1 NLDS win in 2022. The Dodgers swept the Padres in the NLDS in Arlington, Texas, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Dodgers won the division by five games in 2024 and took two of three from San Diego Sept. 24-26, but the Padres were 8-5 against the Dodgers in the regular season. "Wished we played tomorrow. But we'll be ready to show up and get after it Saturday," Shildt said. "It's going to be two wonderful venues and high-stakes baseball, and that's what we play for." Shildt said he wasn't in position to discuss pitching plans or the health of right-hander Joe Musgrove. Musgrove (6-5, 3.88 ERA) left Wednesday's game at Petco Park in the fourth inning with tightness in his elbow. He went 6 1/3 innings and allowed two runs in a no-decision at Los Angeles in a 7-2 loss by the Padres. "We've got pitching depth. We've got (Dylan) Cease ready to go and (Yu) Darvish right there," Shildt said. "And Martin (Perez has) done nothing but good stuff for us. By the time he rolls back around (Michael) King will be ready again." --Field Level Media

Brian Snitker barely had time to digest the finality of the 2024 season when the Braves' manager was asked if he plans to be back with Atlanta in 2025. With a wild-card sweep at the hands of the San Diego Padres completed, Snitker confirmed he's ready to pack his bags -- for spring training. "Absolutely," Snitker said. "I wish spring training started tomorrow, quite honestly. I just told the guys that. I can't wait to get to camp and hopefully have our guys whole again. And I'm going to be excited to get there probably more than I ever have been next year, quite honestly. I said I'm exhausted but, honestly, I wish we could fast-forward and be there tomorrow. I'm serious, too. I can't wait to get there with our guys and do this again." After a 101-win season in 2021, Snitker signed a three-year contract extension that expires after the 2025 season. He turns 69 later this month. The Braves needed a win in one of the final two games of the regular season, which turned out to be a doubleheader on Monday, to secure a playoff spot. Before getting the job done in the second game of Monday's twinbill with the New York Mets, injuries hit Atlanta again, extending a theme of the season. All-Star left-hander Chris Sale was scratched from the scheduled start and left off the wild-card roster with a back injury. Coming off of another 104-win season in 2023, most of the Braves' top players had at least one visit to the injured list. Reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. (ACL) and ace Spencer Strider (UCL surgery) were relegated to rehabilitation from season-ending injuries and aren't guaranteed to be field-ready when Snitker gets to Florida for spring training. Acuna was lost for the season in May and had ACL surgery for the second time. Strider went 20-5 with 281 strikeouts, leading MLB in both categories, in 2023. He had surgery April 13 and it's unclear if he will start the 2025 season on the injured list. Even without them, the Braves managed to win 89 games and Snitker said he's never been more proud of any team in the face of injuries and adversity. "Not an excuse," Snitker said. "Like I said before, everybody goes through stuff getting here. It's hard to navigate seven months for every team, all 30 of us. "Just the tenacity, the drive, the consistency, the work ethic, how they never -- everything that these guys went through, nobody was ever, woe is me, and they weren't griping about anything. They just kept playing. They kept playing. They kept working. The energy never waned. Their attitude's never waned." --Field Level Media

Manager Skip Schumaker isn't the only member of the Miami Marlins staff not returning next season. The Marlins are in the midst of letting go of more than 70 staff members, with more possible after contracts expire at the end of the month, The Athletic reported Thursday. Some of the staff could return if newly hired bosses want to bring them back. Schumaker, who led the Marlins to the playoffs and was the National League Manager of the Year in 2023, left the team last week. It already was expected he wouldn't return. Peter Bendix, the president of baseball operations, declined comment to The Athletic, but a club official said the moves weren't designed to cut costs but rather as a restructuring. The Marlins began cutting employees in August and already have released several members of the scouting and player development staffs. This week, per The Athletic, 23 people were informed they wouldn't be back, including Schumaker's staff, the home clubhouse manager and traveling secretary. The Marlins finished 62-100 this season. --Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Dodgers will start Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first two games of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, but they have no plans for Shohei Ohtani to make his franchise pitching debut in the series. The best-of-five matchup with the Padres, who swept the Atlanta Braves in a wild-card series that ended Wednesday, begins Saturday in Los Angeles. Ohtani, the two-way star in his first season with the Dodgers, has been throwing in his recovery from Tommy John surgery he underwent 12-plus months ago. But the NL MVP front-runner hasn't faced live hitters and the club still doesn't expect to have him pitch until 2025. "I think it's no different than before," Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes told reporters Wednesday. "We don't anticipate him pitching in the postseason." The possibility of Ohtani pitching was first floated by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in mid-September when he said it was an option. Still, Roberts felt it would be difficult for Ohtani to take the mound in October. Los Angeles had been besieged by injuries this season and 17 pitchers have started at least one game. Flaherty, who turns 29 on Oct. 15, was acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline and went 6-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 10 starts with Los Angeles. Yamamoto missed nearly three months with a shoulder issue in his first season in the majors. The 26-year-old from Japan went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts. Right-handers Walker Buehler (1-6, 5.38) and Landon Knack (3-5, 3.65) are among the options for Game 3 and a potential Game 4 in the five-game NLDS, according to Gomes. Among the pitchers the Dodgers have lost for the season are right-handers Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone. Left-hander Clayton Kershaw's status per pitching at any point in the postseason remains uncertain due to the big toe injury he sustained on Aug. 30. "It's extremely frustrating," Glasnow said last month. "I wanted to come here to win a World Series and pitch in the postseason." Also, Roberts believes star first baseman Freddie Freeman (ankle) will be available on Saturday. Shortstop Miguel Rojas (adductor) is expected to play through an injury that will require surgery after the season. --Field Level Media

San Diego right-hander Joe Musgrove departed the Padres' National League wild-card series game against the visiting Atlanta Braves on Wednesday with what the team called right elbow tightness. He will undergo an MRI exam on Thursday. San Diego held a 5-1 advantage when Musgrove exited after 3 2/3 innings. He struck out four and gave up one run on one hit and no walks. The Padres held on to win the game 5-4 and eliminate Atlanta in two games. After the game, Musgrove sounded as if there were some concern about the injury. "I don't know what the future looks like for me right now, but I know I'm going to give it every chance I have and I'll do whatever I have to do to get back in here at some point," Musgrove said. Musgrove threw a curveball for a strike to Atlanta's Matt Olson on his 44th and final pitch of the night. As he prepared to throw his next pitch, Musgrove stretched his arm upwards and then later shook his right arm. When Musgrove again stretched his arms high, catcher Kyle Higashioka rushed to the mound. Pitching coach Ruben Niebla went to the mound, and a short while later, manager Mike Shildt and a trainer hurried out. After a short discussion, Musgrove departed the contest. Musgrove, 31, was on the injured list twice this season due to elbow issues. The second time, he was diagnosed with a bone spur in the elbow and missed 2 1/2 months, returning Aug. 12. Musgrove went 6-5 with a 3.88 ERA in 19 regular-season starts. --Field Level Media

Kyle Higashioka homered and Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill added two RBIs apiece during a five-run second inning to help the San Diego Padres clinch their National League wild-card series with a 5-4 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night. Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits and a walk for fourth-seeded San Diego, which wrapped up the best-of-three series in two games. Luis Arraez and Merrill had two hits apiece for the Padres. Michael Harris II had three hits, including a two-run homer, for the fifth-seeded Braves. "We gave it to them yesterday, and came out today and scored five on one of the best pitchers in the game," Machado said, referring to Atlanta starter Max Fried. "(The Braves) didn't stop the fight until the last out. "To my team here, we have never given up all year. We're going to continue fighting. It's a special day here." The Padres will open the NL Division Series on Saturday against the top-seeded Dodgers in Los Angeles. Atlanta moved within 5-4 in the eighth when Orlando Arcia led off with a single against Jason Adam and Harris homered to center on the next pitch. However, Adam got the next three batters out and Robert Suarez retired the Braves in order in the ninth for the save. Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove departed after 3 2/3 innings with right elbow tightness. He is headed for an MRI exam on Thursday. San Diego held a 5-1 advantage when Musgrove exited. He struck out four, walked none, and gave up one run and one hit. Bryan Hoeing (1-0) finished the at-bat against Matt Olson after Musgrove left to end the fourth inning and pitched 1 1/3 innings to get the victory. Hoeing gave up a homer to Jorge Soler in the fifth. Fried was torched for five runs and eight hits over two innings. He struck out two and walked none. Fried got hit in the hip by a liner in the first inning. Braves manager Brian Snitker said during an in-game interview that Fried was bothered by the injury. "It was a pretty good shot," Snitker said. "As the inning got prolonged, (the trainer) said it affected the sciatica or something. And I think -- I'm not going to take away anything from the Padres. They squared some balls up really good and got big hits." After being shut out in Game 1, the Braves scored in the first inning when Harris led off the game with a double, moved to third on Ozzie Albies' groundout and scored on Marcell Ozuna's sacrifice fly. With two outs in the second, the Padres strung together six straight hits while scoring five runs off Fried. Higashioka got the outburst started by slamming a 1-2 fastball over the wall in left-center. He also homered in San Diego's 4-0 victory on Tuesday. Arraez followed with a single and Tatis and Profar each reached on infield singles to load the bases. Machado was up next. He had fallen to 1-for-17 all-time against Fried after striking out with two on in the first inning. This time, however, he lined a two-run double to left to give the Padres a 3-1 lead. Merrill followed with a two-run triple that short-hopped the fence in center. "That was a huge inning for us," Machado said. "Higgy starting off there in that inning with two outs against one of the best pitchers in the game." Soler led off the fifth with a homer to center to cut Atlanta's deficit to 5-2. "They just kept playing," Snitker said of his players. "They kept playing. They kept working. The energy never waned. Their attitudes never waned. "I'm about as proud of a team as I've ever had, quite honestly, with how they've handled everything." --Field Level Media

MILWAUKEE -- After rallying to halt their streak of postseason futility, the Milwaukee Brewers will be looking to secure their first playoff series win in six years when they face the New York Mets on Thursday in the deciding game of the National League wild-card series. The NL Central champion Brewers, who had lost their last 20 playoff games when trailing entering the seventh inning, rallied for a 5-3 victory Wednesday night to even the best-of-three series at a game apiece. Garrett Mitchell lined a two-run homer in the eighth inning for the go-ahead runs and rookie Jackson Chourio homered twice as Milwaukee snapped a six-game playoff losing streak. Rookie right-hander Tobias Myers (9-6, 3.00 ERA) starts for third-seeded Milwaukee. He will be opposed by left-hander Jose Quintana (10-10, 3.75). The Brewers, in the postseason for the sixth time in seven seasons, has lost five consecutive playoff series since sweeping Colorado in the National League Division Series in 2018. The Brewers then lost the NL Championship Series in seven games to the Dodgers. The Mets' postseason series drought is even longer than the Brewers. New York has not won a playoff series since a four-game sweep of the Cubs in the 2015 NLCS. The Brewers were 5-1 against the Mets during the regular season, including winning two of three in the teams' final series last weekend in Milwaukee. Chourio, 20, is the second-youngest player in major league history to homer twice in a postseason game, behind only Atlanta's Andruw Jones (19 years, 190 days in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series). "I think I still feel the adrenaline there," Chourio said postgame through an interpreter. "It was a very special moment for me, and it's one I'm going to look back on and remember for the rest of my life." Mitchell, who missed the first 84 games of the season after fracturing a finger, entered the game as pinch runner in the sixth and was thrown out trying to steal. He remained in the game as the designated hitter and homered on the first pitch he saw from Phil Maton in the eighth. "I just show up every day ready to compete and do whatever I've got to do and help the team in whatever ways are possible," Mitchell said. "I mean, I don't even know what else to say. I'm just happy to be here. I'm grateful, thankful. Come back out here and do it again tomorrow." While the Brewers rallied behind the long ball, the Mets have not homered in the series' first two games. "When you're facing an elite pitching staff, it's not going to be easy to hit balls out of the ballpark," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "We've done a good job of going the other way, take what the game is giving us, putting the ball in play. Today we didn't do that." Myers will look to continue a solid stretch to end the regular season, when he went 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA in his last six appearances, including five starts. In his final outing, he came out of the bullpen after one inning and tossed four innings of one-hit ball in a 6-0 win over the Mets on Saturday. That was his first career matchup with New York. Quintana started that game for the Mets, allowing two runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings, the only runs he yielded in four September starts. He fanned nine Brewers and walked two. The former All-Star went 4-1 with a 0.74 ERA in his last six regular-season starts. He is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in five career postseason appearances, including four starts. Quintana is 9-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 23 career games vs. Milwaukee, including 22 starts, but has not beaten the Brewers in six appearances over the past five seasons. --Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media

Andy Ibanez produced a pinch-hit, two-out, three-run double in the eighth inning and the Detroit Tigers capped a stunning sweep of their American League wild-card series with a 5-2 comeback victory over the host Houston Astros in Game 2 on Wednesday. The Tigers advance to the AL Division Series to face the Guardians, with Game 1 set for Saturday in Cleveland. Six pitchers followed Tigers opener Tyler Horton, with the first three -- Brenan Hanifee, Brant Hurter and Beau Brieske -- combining with Horton to keep the Astros scoreless through six. Sean Guenther (1-0) and Will Vest worked the final 2 2/3 innings, with Vest tossing a perfect ninth for the save. Houston starter Hunter Brown struck out nine while allowing one run on two hits in 5 2/3 innings. Ryan Pressly (0-1) took the loss after Josh Hader served up Ibanez's three-run hit. Royals 2, Orioles 1 Bobby Witt Jr. delivered the go-ahead RBI for the second straight day and the Kansas City bullpen protected the lead to secure a win at Baltimore, completing a two-game sweep of an American League Division Series. Angel Zerpa (1-0) and four other Kansas City relievers combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings. Lucas Erceg pitched the ninth for his second save in a row. The Royals now face the top-seeded New York Yankees in the ALDS. Baltimore's Cedric Mullins homered to tie the game 1-1 in the fifth before the Royals went back ahead on Witt's hit in the sixth. Cionel Perez (0-1) took the loss. Padres 5, Braves 4 Kyle Higashioka homered and Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill added two RBIs apiece during a five-run second inning to help San Diego clinch its National League wild-card series with a victory over visiting Atlanta. Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits and a walk for the Padres, who wrapped up the best-of-three series in two games. Luis Arraez and Merrill had two hits apiece for San Diego, which saw starter Joe Musgrove leave in the fourth inning due to elbow tightness. Bryan Hoeing (1-0) got the win, and Robert Suarez earned a save. Michael Harris II had three hits, including a two-run homer, and Jorge Soler also went deep for the Braves. Max Fried (0-1) was tagged for five runs in two innings. Brewers 5, Mets 3 Garrett Mitchell lined a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning and rookie Jackson Chourio homered twice as Milwaukee rallied for a victory over New York to even their NL wild-card series at one win apiece. The Brewers will host the deciding game of the best-of-three series on Thursday. Chourio, who went deep in the first inning, opened the eighth with a 398-foot solo homer to right-center off Phil Maton (0-1) to tie it 3-3. Willy Adames singled with two outs, and Mitchell then lined the next pitch over the wall in center. Joe Ross (1-0) got the victory with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, and Devin Williams preserved the win with a perfect ninth. Mets starter Sean Manaea allowed two runs on six hits in five innings. --Field Level Media

MILWAUKEE -- Garrett Mitchell lined a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning and rookie Jackson Chourio homered twice as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied for a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday to even their National League wild-card series at one win apiece. The Brewers will host the deciding game of the best-of-three series on Thursday. Chourio, who went deep in the first inning, opened the eighth with a 398-foot solo homer to right-center off Phil Maton (0-1) to tie it 3-3. Willy Adames singled with two outs, and Mitchell then lined the next pitch over the wall in center. Devin Williams, who converted 14 of 15 save chances during the regular season, preserved the win with a perfect ninth. Joe Ross (1-0) got the victory with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. "Again, you saw what our team's about, what they've been about all year," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "A lot of contributors, a lot of guys gave us what they had. They didn't quit." The sixth-seeded Mets, who did not secure a postseason berth until winning the first game of a makeup doubleheader at Atlanta on Monday, scored two unearned runs in the second to go up 3-1. Milwaukee pulled within 3-2 in the fifth. Milwaukee had lost six consecutive postseason games and was 1-10 in playoff games beginning with a defeat in Game 7 of the 2018 NL Championship Series to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. New York capitalized on a Brewers error in the second inning. Starling Marte reached on a one-out grounder when pitcher Frankie Montas dropped the routine toss from first baseman Rhys Hoskins while covering the bag. Tyrone Taylor and Francisco Alvarez followed with back-to-back singles to score Marte. Francisco Lindor added a sacrifice fly. Montas lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, one earned, on six hits. He struck out three and walked one. Mets starter Sean Manaea allowed two runs on six hits and no walks in five innings. He fanned four. The Brewers cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fifth when Brice Turang sliced an opposite-field double down the left field line, advanced on a groundout and scored on Blake Perkins' sacrifice fly. The Mets loaded the bases in the sixth on a walk, a single and a two-out intentional walk to Lindor, but Joel Payamps escaped by striking out Jose Iglesias. New York took a 1-0 lead in the first when Lindor walked, Iglesias reached on a fielder's choice and Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo followed with consecutive singles. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, looking ahead to Game 3, "We've shown it the whole year. We've been knocked down and we have the ability to get back up. And here we are. We got punched today, we'll get right back. They're a good ballclub, man, they're a good team. But, we'll be ready to go." --Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media

BALTIMORE -- The superstar of Kansas City's first playoff team since its 2015 World Series squad, Bobby Witt Jr. said this year's Royals entered the postseason aiming to create their own October legacy. After two games, they've taken the first step. Witt delivered the go-ahead RBI for the second straight day and the Kansas City bullpen protected the lead to secure a 2-1 win over the Orioles on Wednesday and send the Royals to the American League Division Series. Kansas City swept the best-of-three wild-card series after winning Tuesday's opener 1-0. The Royals now face the top-seeded New York Yankees in a best-of-five round. Game 1 is Saturday at New York. "I think it's the start of something special," Witt said. "Like I keep saying, we didn't come this far just to come this far, so we're going to keep getting after it." Witt plated Tuesday's winning run with a two-out single in the sixth inning. He delivered in the same fashion Wednesday. Kansas City put runners on the corners with two outs in the sixth and the game tied at 1. Yennier Cano relieved Cionel Perez (0-1) to face Witt, who legged out a run-scoring infield grounder toward the middle. The Royals' bullpen took it from there. After Angel Zerpa (1-0) came into the game in the fifth inning, he and John Schreiber pitched the bottom of the sixth before Schreiber and Sam Long worked through the seventh. Kris Bubic handled the eighth, and Lucas Erceg worked the ninth for his second save. Erceg fanned Gunnar Henderson for the final out. "It's incredible," Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. "You come here against that team and give up one run in 18 innings, sign me up." Witt's go-ahead hit came an inning after Baltimore scored its first run of the series but blew a chance to add on. Cedric Mullins led off the fifth with his first career playoff homer before the next three batters reached, with pitcher Seth Lugo's fielding error loading the bases with no outs. Lugo exited after getting Anthony Santander to pop out, and Zerpa struck out Colton Cowser swinging on a fastball that hit Cowser on the hand before retiring Adley Rutschman on a grounder to Witt at shortstop. Cowser exited the game in the seventh inning. The Orioles later announced Cowser fractured his left hand on the strikeout. That missed opportunity came after Baltimore left runners at second and third in the fourth inning. Michael Massey saved a run earlier in the inning with a diving stop at second to keep the game's potential first run at third base. The Orioles stranded 16 runners in the series and went 1-for-13 with men in scoring position. Baltimore was swept out of the playoffs for the second straight year and has lost its last 10 playoff games dating to the 2014 ALDS. "I think especially when you lose like this, there's frustration, there's anger, there's disappointment because you felt like there (were) opportunities there in those couple games to change the score, and it didn't happen," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. Lugo was charged with one run on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and fanned six. Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin allowed one run on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts over four frames. Baltimore was 57-33 after a win on July 7 but went just 34-38 the rest of the way. The Orioles scored 22 runs during their three-game sweep at Minnesota to finish the regular season before managing just one on 11 hits against the Royals. "I thought we battled as well as we possibly could," Hyde said. "We persevered. We got into the postseason. We hosted a wild card. We just had a tough time offensively these two games against a really good pitching staff and a scrappy team." Now that scrappy team is headed to New York. --Tanner Malinowski, Field Level Media

BALTIMORE -- Orioles rookie outfielder Colton Cowser exited Game 2 of Wednesday's American League wild-card series against the visiting Kansas City Royals with left hand pain. Cowser was hit on the hand as he struck out swinging on 97 mph fastball from Royals left-hander Angel Zerpa with the bases loaded for the second out of the fifth inning. Cowser stayed in left field for the top of the sixth inning but did not come out for the seventh. He was replaced by Heston Kjerstad. The favorite for AL Rookie of the Year, Cowser, 24, batted .242 with 24 home runs and 69 RBIs over 153 regular-season games for Baltimore. Cowser struck out in all three at-bats Wednesday and is 1-for-7 to start the postseason. --Tanner Malinowski, Field Level Media

HOUSTON -- Andy Ibanez produced a pinch-hit, two-out, three-run double in the top of the eighth inning and the Detroit Tigers capped a stunning sweep of their American League wild-card series with a 5-2 comeback victory over the Houston Astros in Game 2 on Wednesday. With their two-game sweep, the Tigers advanced to the AL Division Series to face the Cleveland Guardians, with Game 1 set for Saturday in Cleveland. Detroit finished 6-7 against the AL Central champions this season. After Houston scratched across a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to secure a 2-1 lead, the Tigers fashioned a response against Astros reliever Ryan Pressly. Kerry Carpenter and Matt Veirling delivered back-to-back, one-out singles before Pressly (0-1) uncorked a wild pitch that plated Carpenter with the tying run. Pressly departed following his two-out walk to Colt Keith. The Tigers kept the rally going against Astros closer Josh Hader, who walked Spencer Torkelson to load the bases. Ibanez, hitting for Zach McKinstry, lined a 1-2 sinker into the left field corner to score Vierling, Keith and Torkelson and supply Detroit with a three-run lead. Six pitchers followed Tigers opener Tyler Horton, with the first three -- Brenan Hanifee, Brant Hurter and Beau Brieske -- combining with Horton to keep the Astros scoreless through six. Sean Guenther (1-0) and Will Vest worked the final 2 2/3 innings, with Vest recording the save with a perfect ninth. "If you can switch the psyche and maybe take a tick of the pride and ego out of it, anything's possible," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of his players buying into playing flexible roles. "You can make decisions that put guys in a position to be successful. Who knows what we're going to do. "One of our things that we pride ourselves in is that we're unpredictable and our players buy into that leading to success. When you find some success, you win a couple series. You perform on the highest stage. That strengthens that belief that we're going to try to chase every strength we can." Astros right-hander Hunter Brown was exceptional in his first postseason start. He retired the first five batters he faced and was poised to complete two perfect frames before Jose Altuve threw wide of first base after a routine grounder by Torkelson. That error cost Brown seven additional pitches in the second and resulted in the first of his two hits allowed, with McKinstry pushing Torkelson to third with his double to left-center. Brown stranded both runners in scoring position to ignite a stretch of nine consecutive batters retired, four via strikeouts. Trey Sweeney ended that run with a two-out walk in the fifth. Brown responded with a strikeout of Jake Rogers. Brown had 83 pitches on his ledger through five scoreless frames, but his 85th pitch ended his shutout bid. Detroit center fielder Parker Meadows turned on an 0-1 fastball and drove it 358 feet off the right field foul pole. That blast spotted the Tigers a 1-0 lead, and three batters later, Brown departed following a two-out walk of Riley Greene. Brown worked 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run on two hits with two walks and nine strikeouts, the most by an Astros pitcher making his first postseason start since Mike Scott recorded 14 in Game 1 of the 1986 National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. The Astros had their streak of seven consecutive ALCS appearances snapped and dropped their seventh consecutive postseason game at Minute Maid Park. "Yeah, it's challenging," Astros manager Joe Espada said of facing an opponent employing a bullpen game. "We talked about it before the game started. So it creates challenges as a team because you're getting to see different arms, different angles, different stuff, different situations of the game. You could come up with men in scoring position, with bases empty. "You have to adjust. We were a hit away the last two days from taking the series. But baseball, you tip your hat to them and you move forward." --MK Bower, Field Level Media