Good Morning! Today is Thursday, September 11. Here’s what happened so far this week in the world of sports.

MLB

Normally I take this space to recap the action that’s taken place since I last wrote, but there hasn’t been a whole lot (outside of Kyle Schwarber home runs and the Cardinals losing again) to report. However, we’ve got a few series with massive playoff implications this weekend. So let’s take a minute to look ahead:

Mets @ Phillies- Today

The Phillies have stormed out to a 10 game lead in the NL East. A win tonight would cap a four-game sweep of New York and all but clinch the division. That’s due in large part to the aforementioned Kyle Schwarber home runs. But the Mets haven’t just fallen behind their division rival– all of a sudden, New York has dropped to the last NL Wild Card spot, with both San Francisco (more on them in a moment) and Cincinnati hot on their heels.

Yankees @ Red Sox- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

As if this rivalry wasn’t intense enough? The two leaders in the AL Wild Card Race are tied in the standings and trail the Toronto Blue Jays in the East by only three games.

Dodgers @ Giants- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

As if this rivalry wasn’t intense enough? The Dodgers lead in the NL West over the Padres is only three games. San Francisco trails the Mets in the Wild Card race by only two. A lot is on the line at Oracle Park.

Rangers @ Mets- Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

That’s right, New York gets another highlight. This is not a classic rivalry, but you could argue no other teams in baseball need to win the weekend more than the Rangers and the Mets. We’ve already been over New York’s situation, but Texas’ playoff spot is even more precarious. The Rangers are 1.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the last AL Wild Card spot. Lucky for Texas, ace Jacob DeGrom takes the mound tomorrow to face his former team.

WNBA

This playoff race, however, is officially over. The WNBA regular season concludes tonight and all postseason spots have been claimed. While the seeds could still change (teams that play tonight in italics), here are the eight teams that will compete for a title:

1. Minnesota Lynx (33-10)

2. Atlanta Dream (30-14)

3. Las Vegas Aces (29-14)

4. Phoenix Mercury (27-16)

5. New York Liberty (26-17)

6. Indiana Fever (24-20)

7. Golden State Valkyries (23-20)

8. Seattle Storm (23-21)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

JJ McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings mounted a fourth quarter comeback to beat the Bears on Monday night football.

Team USA rebounded after a loss to South Korea by beating Japan in their latest international friendly. They’ll get together for another set of friendlies in October as the pressure builds towards next summer’s World Cup.

ON THE MOVE

The Eagles have acquired running back Tank Bigsby from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Besides having an all-time great name, Bigsby will provide some experienced depth in Philly behind Saquan Barkley.

Kicker Jake Moody has been cut by the San Francisco 49ers. A third round pick out of Michigan in 2023, Moody struggled mightily in the pro game. San Francisco’s offense is in flux– quarterback Brock Purdy is expected to miss multiple weeks with a shoulder injury, joining a laundry list of other 49ers on the injured list.

Former Chicago Cub Anthony Rizzo announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. A key member of the 2016 World Series team, the first baseman played 14 years in the big leagues.

THIS WEEKEND’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

THURSDAY:

• Mets @ Phillies, 7:15 PM on Fox

• NC State @ Wake Forest, 7:30 PM on ESPN

• Commanders @ Packers, 8:15 PM on Prime

FRIDAY:

• Yankees @ Red Sox, 7:10 PM on AppleTV

• Dodgers @ Giants, 10:15 PM on MLB Network

SATURDAY:

• Wisconsin @ (19) Alabama, Noon on ABC

• (6) Georgia @ (15) Tennessee, 3:30 PM on ABC

• (18) South Florida @ (5) Miami, 4:40 PM on The CW

• (16) Texas A&M @ (8) Notre Dame, 7:30 PM on NBC

SUNDAY:

• Manchester United @ Manchester City, 11:30 AM on Peacock

• Bears @ Lions, 1 PM on Fox

• Browns @ Ravens, 1 PM on CBS

• Broncos @ Colts, 4:05 PM on CBS

• Eagles @ Chiefs, 4:25 PM on Fox

• Falcons @ Vikings, 8:20 PM on NBC

“I think the goal of a full investigation is to find out if there really was impropriety. In a public-facing sport, the public at times reaches conclusions that later turn out to be completely false. I would want anyone else in situations Mr. Ballmer is in now — and Kawhi, for that matter — to be treated the same way I would want to be treated if people were making allegations against me. We’re not a court of law at the end of the day, either… I’ve been around the league long enough; there have been permutations and allegations and accusations. I’m a big believer in due process and fairness, and you need to let the investigation run its course.” –NBA commissioner Adam Silver, speaking on the reports about Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers possibly circumventing the salary cap. An investigation is ongoing

Have a wonderful weekend! See you on Monday