Sports Today Sunday, September 6
← Back to today’s slate MLB matchup · September 6, 2026
New York Yankees
81-61 · 2nd in AL East, 4 GB
Steady at the plate
RHP Gerrit Cole · High-strikeout arm · plus control
@
San Diego Padres
74-68 · 3rd in NL West, 11 GB
Offense cooling lately
RHP Michael King · Balanced starter
MLB · Petco Park, hits run 6% below average here · 1:10 PM PT

Team Identity

New York Yankees
Season-to-date, 142 games, 5,524 PA.
A power-hitting, patient offense that does damage on extra-base hits, though it can be strikeout-prone.
Power
Above Avg76
Contact
Well Below11
Plate Discipline
Above Avg74
Speed
Average65
RISP
Below Avg28
Recent Form
Holding Steady
Recent underlying offense is roughly in line with its season baseline.
San Diego Padres
Season-to-date, 142 games, 5,504 PA.
An aggressive offense that runs and pressures defenses on the bases, though it can be light on power. The offense has cooled off recently.
Power
Well Below24
Contact
Below Avg31
Plate Discipline
Average57
Speed
Above Avg77
RISP
Average51
Recent Form
Trending Down
Total bases per PA is down 17% over the team's last 10 games versus its season baseline.

What This Game Is About

Biggest Advantage

Padres bring the more aggressive profile, while Yankees lean on being power-hitting.

Swing Factor

Gerrit Cole strikes hitters out at a 25.3% clip (78th percentile); Padres carry a 20.9% strikeout rate.

Momentum

Yankees are holding steady and Padres are trending down over their last 10 games.

Key Matchups

Can Gerrit Cole miss enough bats?
Gerrit Cole strikes hitters out at a 25.3% clip (78th percentile); Padres carry a 20.9% strikeout rate.
Edge · Gerrit ColeGerrit Cole: 25.3% K ratePadres: 20.9% K rateHigh confidence
Can Michael King miss enough bats?
Michael King strikes hitters out at a 20.6% clip (44th percentile); Yankees carry a 23.6% strikeout rate.
Edge · YankeesMichael King: 20.6% K rateYankees: 23.6% K rateHigh confidence
Can Michael King command the strike zone?
Yankees walk in 9.2% of trips; Michael King allows walks at a fairly typical rate (9.3%).
Edge · YankeesYankees: 9.2% walk rateMichael King: 9.3% walks allowedHigh confidence
Can Gerrit Cole limit Padres' power?
Padres rank in the 24th percentile in extra-base production, while Gerrit Cole sits in the 38th percentile at suppressing total bases.
Edge · Gerrit ColePadres: 0.328 TB/PAGerrit Cole: 0.359 TB/PA allowed (434 PA)High confidence
Can Gerrit Cole command the strike zone?
Padres walk in 8.9% of trips; Gerrit Cole allows walks sparingly (5.1%).
Edge · Gerrit ColePadres: 8.9% walk rateGerrit Cole: 5.1% walks allowedHigh confidence

Pitcher Trends

Gerrit Cole
Gerrit Cole
New York Yankees · 8 starts
SP
Strikeouts6.9/start
Hits allowed5.1/start
5+ Strikeouts — 6 of last 66 or fewer Hits Allowed — 5 of last 6
25% K rate
Per-start form only — opponent lineup, park, and pitch count aren't modeled.
Michael King
Michael King
San Diego Padres · 8 starts
SP
Strikeouts5.6/start
Hits allowed5.0/start
4+ Strikeouts — 6 of last 65 or fewer Hits Allowed — 5 of last 6
21% K rate
Per-start form only — opponent lineup, park, and pitch count aren't modeled.

Player Trends

Heliot Ramos
Heliot Ramos
New York Yankees · 0.174 hit rate · 0.348 TB/PA
Heating up
recent games · 1+ hit
L52 / 5L104 / 10L2510 / 25
Total bases per PA is up 123% over his prior baseline, with hits in 3 of his last 8 games. He has trimmed his strikeout rate to 22%.
Paul Goldschmidt
Paul Goldschmidt
New York Yankees · 0.292 hit rate · 0.542 TB/PA
Heating up
recent games · 1+ hit
L53 / 5L105 / 10L2512 / 25
Total bases per PA is up 38% over his prior baseline, with hits in 4 of his last 7 games. He has trimmed his strikeout rate to 17%.
Ben Rice
Ben Rice
New York Yankees · 0.366 hit rate · 0.488 TB/PA
Heating up
recent games · 1+ hit
L54 / 5L108 / 10L2515 / 254-game hit streak
Hit rate is up 73% over his prior baseline, with hits in 7 of his last 9 games. He has trimmed his strikeout rate to 20%.
Trent Grisham
Trent Grisham
New York Yankees · 0.059 hit rate · 0.059 TB/PA
Cooling off
recent games · 1+ hit
L52 / 5L103 / 10L2513 / 25
Total bases per PA is down 83% over his prior baseline, with hits in 2 of his last 9 games. His strikeout rate has climbed to 24%.
Freddy Fermin
Freddy Fermin
San Diego Padres · 0.059 hit rate · 0.059 TB/PA
Cooling off
recent games · 1+ hit
L51 / 5L105 / 10L2516 / 25
Total bases per PA is down 78% over his prior baseline, with hits in 1 of his last 5 games. His strikeout rate has climbed to 29%.
Luis Garcia Jr.
Luis Garcia Jr.
New York Yankees · 0.233 hit rate · 0.267 TB/PA
Cooling off
recent games · 1+ hit
L52 / 5L105 / 10L2514 / 25
Total bases per PA is down 47% over his prior baseline, with hits in 4 of his last 9 games. His strikeout rate has climbed to 27%.

Players Positioned to Succeed

82
Ben Rice
Ben Rice
1+ Hit
New York Yankees
Why it stands out
Recent contact results are improving
Main risk
Lineup not yet posted
72
Ty France
Ty France
1+ Hit
San Diego Padres
Why it stands out
Recent contact results are improving
Main risk
Lineup not yet posted
71
Cody Bellinger
Cody Bellinger
1+ Hit
New York Yankees
Why it stands out
Recent contact results are improving
Main risk
Lineup not yet posted
70
Manny Machado
Manny Machado
1+ Hit
San Diego Padres
Why it stands out
Recent contact results are improving
Main risk
Lineup not yet posted
69
Jackson Merrill
Jackson Merrill
1+ Hit
San Diego Padres
Why it stands out
Strong recent plate-appearance volume
Main risk
Lineup not yet posted
67
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
1+ Hit
New York Yankees
Why it stands out
Low recent strikeout rate
Main risk
Recent hit rate has cooled

Expected Game Shape

BalancedLow confidence

Competitive profile without a clear stylistic tilt. Yankees bring more power. Starting pitching is likely to set the tone.

Early edge Yankees Driver No single dominant factor Volatility Moderate
  • Both probable starters grade around the 60th percentile in combined suppression.
  • Yankees are trending steady; Padres are trending down.

Storylines to Watch

Does Yankees' power tilt the game?
Yankees bring a clearly stronger extra-base profile into this matchup.
Yankees power pct 76 vs Padres 24
Can Yankees handle Michael King's strikeout stuff?
Yankees have been a below-average contact team while Michael King misses bats at an above-average rate — a swing factor early.
Yankees contact percentile: 11
Is Heliot Ramos the one to watch?
Heliot Ramos enters as Yankees' hottest bat. Total bases per PA is up 123% over his prior baseline, with hits in 3 of his last 8 games. He has trimmed his strikeout rate to 22%.
0.174 hit rate · 0.348 TB/PA · 0.094 hit rate · 0.156 TB/PA
Based on plate appearances before 2026-09-06, with today's posted lineups when available. Injuries, weather, bullpen availability, and park factors are not yet included.