Outside The Confines: Lost glory

Happy Labor Day to all of you and my sympathies to all of you who still had to get up and go to work today.

• You probably already know this, but White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning on Saturday.
• A list of pitchers who have lost no-hitters with two out in the ninth. It’s not a complete list as it omits Chuck Rainey’s memorable lost no-no.
• James Fegan writes that even though Cease lost the no-hitter, he’s already made a major transformation into an ace this season. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Mike Axisa has the top ten storylines in MLB as we head into September.
• One of those storylines is Albert Pujols’ quest for 700 home runs before he retires. Matt Snyder looks to see if any other active players who have a shot at finishing their career with over 700 home runs.
• Jayson Stark looks at Pujols’ terrific month of August and other weird and wacky tidbits from the previous month. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Another storyline to watch is Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge’s quest for an American League record 62 home runs. Judge hit number 53 on Sunday and is “on pace” for a 64 home run season.
• Despite that, Lindsey Adler looks at how the Yankees season has collapsed in the second half. (The Athletic sub. req.) The Boys from the Bronx still have a five-game lead in the AL East, but back in May and June we were wondering if they’d break the Mariners record for most wins in a season. Now it’s unlikely the Yanks even win 100 games.

• Jay Jaffe looks at how really good the Dodgers are and that despite that, they have a few weaknesses going into October.
• Zach Crizer looks at Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt’s chase of a Triple Crown and just how amazing his 2022 season has been.
• Andrew Simon looks at the ten best stat races to follow this September.
• Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen tied a major league record with his sixth-straight scoreless start.
• Of course, Gallen hasn’t gone more than 7 ¹⁄₃ innings in any of those starts, so his consecutive scoreless innings streak stands at “just” 41 ¹⁄₃ innings, still 17 ²⁄₃ shy of Orel Hershiser’s record of 59. Andrew Simon has the ten longest scoreless streaks in history.
• Thomas Harrigan has ten potential free agents this winter who have a lot riding on how they play in September.
• Bradford Doolittle looks back at all the trades made at the deadline and assesses which ones have paid off for the teams and which ones have been busts? (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• The Nationals trading Juan Soto to the Padres ranks as one of the biggest midseason trades of all time. But although Washington misses Soto, his replacement on the roster, 30-year-old rookie first baseman Joey Meneses, has actually outperformed Soto since his call-up. Ben Lindbergh gives an introduction to Meneses and says his success is just more proof of baseball’s wild unpredictability.
• Giants ace Carlos Rodón is potentially a free agent this winter, but he may have given a hint that he wants to stay when he said “Giants fans are probably the best fans in the game.” Or he’s just sucking up to the locals.
• Tigers outfielder Austin Meadows said he will miss the rest of the season to deal with mental health issues. Meadows will continue to travel with the team, but he won’t be activated off the injured list. Meadows said he went public with this because he wants encourage people who need help to not be afraid to ask for help.
• Yankees outfielder Andrew Benintendi will need surgery for a broken hamate bone. It’s not clear yet whether he will miss the rest of the season.
• Mets ace Max Scherzer took himself out of his start on Saturday after only five innings after feeling “fatigue” in his left side. Scherzer said he intends to make his next start and “Better to be safe than sorry in this scenario.”
• Orioles rookie Adley Rutschman is taking the league by storm with a 3.6 WAR in just 84 games. Gabe Lacques has a profile of Rutschman and quotes his manager Brandon Hyde as saying “It’s scary how good he’s going to be.”
• Rutschman could be a hero in September for the Orioles. Here’s each team’s all-time greatest hero in September. I’ve got no argument with the choice for the Cubs.
• Hannah Keyser looks at the influence shortstop Carlos Correa has had on the Twins and how he’s helped to build a winning mentality in the clubhouse.
• Of course, I hope that Correa wouldn’t have taught the Twins this:

• The Rangers have designated former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel for assignment after just two starts with the team.
• And finally, Paul Lukas has a thoughtful essay on booing at the ballpark and why he just won’t do it anymore.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. All of you who have today off, I hope you have a good time. Me, I’m still working.