Anthony (wrist) not making “substantive progress”

The Orioles unloaded on Mets’ starter Xzavion Curry here for four homers and a double. Encarnacion-Strand was responsible for one of those long balls and the double as he continues his late season renaissance since joining Baltimore. In 51 games, he has 10 home runs, 12 doubles, and an .846 OPS. Still just 26 years old, this could be the breakout many thought was in front of Encarnacion-Strand a few years ago.

As all the eyes this series were on the Mets’ former first baseman, their current one had a solid game. He scored their only run and was practically the only member of their lineup to put together consistently solid at-bats against Orioles’ starter Chris Bassitt with a trio of hard-hit balls in total. On the season, he has a respectable .763 OPS while working as a strong-side platoon option.

This looked more like batting practice than a competitive game. Pete Alonso took Curry deep in the first inning in what’s been an eventful homecoming for the slugger. Then, Jeremiah Jackson did the same in the second before Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Samuel Basallo socked back-to-back homers in the third. Thrust into action after the scheduled starter Robert Stock was placed on the injured list Wednesday afternoon, Curry did not rise to the occasion as an emergency option. He may get another start next week in Texas against the Rangers to close out the season.

It was as if Wheeler didn’t break a sweat during this start. He only needed 91 pitches to get through these seven shutout innings and just one runner reached scoring position. Of the four hits he let up, only two left the infield as he commanded his entire repertoire beautifully. His fastball was regularly at the letters or elevated above the zone, his cutter consistently bearing down on the hands of the Nationals’ left-handed batters, and his splitter diving low and below the zone practically every single time he threw it. This was the exact type of start the reeling Phillies needed and Wheeler is scheduled for a potentially marquee matchup with the Brewers next time out. He could wind up with a second start if the end of the regular season gets hairy, but it’s difficult to predict that.

Completely overpowering, 10 of Duran’s 21 pitches in this ninth inning were at least 100 mph and 16 came in at least 98 mph. He hasn’t blown a save since late July and it was nice to see him look dominant after letting up a run and taking a loss in two of his last three appearances.

The Nationals literally could not get Bohm out here. The three walks he drew were three of 13 total by Washington pitchers in this game and the first time Bohm walked thrice since June of the 2021 season. He had a catastrophic first half of the season, but has been red-hot since the All-Star break with a .314/.383/.461 slash line as the Phillies push towards the postseason.

In a game where the Nationals were shut out by Zack Wheeler and the Phillies’ bullpen, Lile accounted for exactly half of their four total hits. Similar to last season, it’s been a strong half for the left-handed hitting outfielder with an .823 OPS, 11 home runs, and six stolen bases since the All-Star break.

Intending to work behind an opener, Cornelio had to come on and relieve Jared Simpson in the first inning after he walked four of the first six batters he faced with one single between them. That immediately forced Cornelio into a pressure-packed situation with the bases loaded, one out, and two runs home already. He got out of that jam though and was able to keep the Phillies off the board for a few more frames. Will Dion came on after him and struck out two also without allowing a run in 2 2/3 innings. The Nationals continue to deploy these two in bulk outings and each are likely to get one or two more before the season’s over, the next probably coming against the Tigers on the road next week.

De La Cruz took Dodgers reliever Seth Halvorsen deep with a 391-foot blast to right field in the third inning. It was his 28th round-tripper of the season. The electrifying 24-year-old superstar has delivered when it matters most for fantasy managers, blasting seven home runs in 14 games since the start of September.

Betts reached base safely in four of his five plate appearances, but the Dodgers wound up going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position in a narrow loss to Cincinnati. It’s become a bizarre recurring trend for Betts to finish the year on a high note, and he’s once again heating up in September, hitting .317 (19-for-60) with four homers and 15 RBI over his last 15 games.