The Reds control own the tie-breaker advantage in the race for the third NL Wild Card slot, but have not been able to stay in at least a tie for the slot. They will try again on Thursday as the Pirates send Braxton Ashcraft against Nick Lodolo. Ashcraft, a seasonal age 25 rookie, showed some promise in his first 25 appearances with a 2.62 ERA. He allowed just three home runs in 65 1/3 innings. Lodolo allowed 22 home runs in 149 1/3 innings, but limited the damage by only walking 28 batters.

The Diamondback are tied with the Reds, one game behind the Mets. In a two way tie, the Diamondbacks and Mets split six games, but Arizona has the better intra-division record. The Reds hold the head-to-head tie breaker against the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers send Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Jalen Beeks. Yamamoto improved on his rookie season with about a 0.4 run reduction in his ERA as he became more more difficult to hit. The BABIP against him dropped from .306 to .244. Beeks pitches as the opener for the second time this season. He did not allow a hit or a walk in his first start.

The Red Sox go for a sweep of the Blue Jays in Toronto with Brayan Bello facing Louis Varland. Brayan finishes up his best regular season, extending his innings on the mound from 2024 with fewer hits and home runs allowed. Varland makes his first stat of the season after 69 2/3 solid relief innings. He allowed just six home runs and 21 walks.

Finally, the Mets and Cubs play the rubber game of their series, and New York needs to stay ahead of both the Red s and the Diamondbacks to make the playoffs. Rookie Nolan McLean takes on Shota Imanaga. McLean showed the ability to go deep in starts for a rookie, averaging six innings. He allowed just one home run in his 42 2/3 innings. Imanaga held batters to a .213 BABIP this season, but did allow 29 homers in 139 innings.

Enjoy!