A.J. Ewing homers, drives in two vs. Yankees

Not good. The hope for the Dodgers is that Snell’s early departure was for precautionary reasons since he has a history of groin issues in previous seasons. Any sort of extended absence would be a significant hit to Los Angeles’ postseason rotation. The 33-year-old southpaw exited after throwing just 19 pitches in a scoreless opening frame in Cincinnati. The lone positive takeaway here is that he isn’t dealing with anything arm-related. He’ll presumably head for further evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the issue and his next steps. There should be some additional clarity on his outlook following the contest.

It’s pretty much the last thing the Dodgers want to see with less than two weeks remaining until the postseason. Snell headed back to the clubhouse after throwing just 19 pitches in a scoreless opening frame. There should be an additional update on his status. Any sort of absence would put his postseason availability in serious jeopardy.

Matthews allowed just two hits on the afternoon. He was in line for the win before Yoendrys Gómez blew the save in the ninth, though the Twins went on to win 5-4 in 13 innings. The 26-year-old righty was hit hard last time out against Detroit, but this was his fourth gem over his past six starts. Inconsistency has been one of the themes of his year, but he’ll look to finish strong on the road against the Giants in his next scheduled start.

Rodón struck out five and walked three in the 102-pitch outing. His velocity was notably down early on before he seemed to find it in the fourth inning. This was Rodón’s 25th straight start without allowing more than three earned runs, a franchise record. Despite the performance, he was in line for the loss before the game went to extra innings, and the Yankees still lost 5-4 in 13 innings. The left-hander lines up for a big divisional showdown against the Rays next time out.

Gómez entered the ninth with a 2-0 lead but allowed a couple of baserunners before Anthony Volpe smacked a game-tying, two-run double. The game then went to extras, and Minnesota won 5-4 in 13 innings. Gómez leads the club with 20 saves this season and has held onto the role despite the team trading for Jeff Hoffman at the deadline. His track record doesn’t guarantee he’ll enter 2027 as the preferred ninth-inning option, however.

Keaschall’s RBI was a game-tying hit in the bottom of the tenth. The stolen base was his 18th of the season, though he has been caught seven times. He’s finishing the year with a very strong second half, which fantasy managers needed after such a slow start. Keaschall entered Wednesday with the 14th-highest wRC+ among qualified hitters since the All-Star break. He has also hit leadoff in every game for the Twins dating back to August 17.

Volpe came up in the top of the ninth with two on, two out, and the Yankees trailing by two. He delivered a two-run double off Minnesota closer Yoendrys Gómez, continuing his hot hitting since being recalled from Triple-A. Volpe has now started six of the team’s past seven games at second base with Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the IL.

Falter has the option to elect free agency, but he figures to stick around as organizational depth for Atlanta heading into the postseason after clearing waivers. The 29-year-old southpaw tossed 3 1/3 scoreless frames during his brief stint with the club.

Barrero returns to the majors with Jackson Holliday (wrist) heading to the injured list. The versatile 28-year-old spent the last few months in the minors, hitting .202/.305/.400 with 23 homers and 13 steals in 499 plate appearances. He last appeared in the big leagues when he got into 22 games for the Cardinals last year.

Holliday is probably done for the rest of the season. The 22-year-old infielder winds up requiring a trip to the injured list after hitting just .202 (25-for-124) with one homer, nine RBI and two steals over his last 30 games.