Best games on Friday, September 4

Friday, September 4, 2026 · final

The Lineup Is ranked 63 games on Friday, September 4 and found 5 worth watching, led by Yankees at Padres at 93/100. Here's how that day's slate finished.

  1. #1 · MLBImportance 93/100
    9:40 PM ET·MLB.TV

    Yankees at Padres

    Yankees80-61
    Padres74-67

    Skip the records — the reason to look is on the mound: Max Fried against Walker Buehler. The Yankees have won six of their last 10.

  2. #2 · La LigaImportance 92/100
    Final·ESPN Deportes

    Real Madrid at Betis

    Real Madrid3-0-10
    Betis3-0-11

    Betis beat Real Madrid by one goal against the run of play, 8 shots on target to 5 the other way. Real Madrid lead the season series 2-1.

  3. #3 · MLBImportance 61/100
    Final·MLB.TV

    Red Sox at Orioles

    Red Sox77-651
    Orioles69-730

    The Red Sox beat the Orioles by a run in a game that produced one run in total. Suarez finished with seven innings and three strikeouts. The Red Sox had won four of their last 10 coming in.

  4. #4 · MLBImportance 59/100
    Final·MLB.TV

    Diamondbacks at Astros

    Diamondbacks74-681
    Astros73-693

    The Astros led from the third and won by two runs, the Diamondbacks never in front at any stage and finishing on one in the run column. Javier finished with five innings and eight strikeouts. The Astros won the last meeting 3-1 earlier today.

  5. #5 · MLBImportance 53/100
    Final·ESPN Unlmtd

    Braves at Phillies

    Braves84-575
    Phillies79-622

    The Braves scored first, in the second, and beat the Phillies by three runs without ever giving the lead back. Sale finished with six innings and seven strikeouts. The Braves are 3.5 games back with 21 games left.

How the ranking works

Every game gets an importance score, built from 11 factors — rankings, playoff stakes, rivalry, star power, elimination pressure, how close the game actually projects to be, and more. The score is explained, never a black box. Narratives are written from the real state of the season — not "tune in tonight."

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