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Noah Cameron didn’t have his best stuff tonight, but he held things together and the offense just kept chipping away. Jac Caglianone had his first two hits since injuring his arm/elbow and Nick Loftin had his second career four-hit game. In the end, though, the three players acquired from the Rays during the offseason played key roles as the Pirates defeated KC 6-5.

Noah Cameron finished the night allowing 4 runs in 6 innings while striking out 6 and walking 2. Those are very mediocre numbers and represent one of his worst starts since late July. If you had told Royals fans that was how you interpreted this outing sometime any time in June or July they’d have tried to have you committed. But that’s the world we’re living in now. The damage was done primarily on two hits, a pair of two-run homers. The first was by Ronny Simon in the bottom of the second, a switch-hitter who hadn’t hit a dinger in his first 121 at-bats. But Cameron left him a changeup in the middle, and Ronny didn’t miss. Ronny, by the way, was originally signed by the Rays out of the Dominican Republic.

The second home run was hit by tonight’s center fielder, Jake Mangum. Mangum came over in a trade alongside Brandon Lowe and Mason Montgomery from the Rays during the offseason. This pitch was a little better, a backfoot slider that didn’t quite get to the back foot.

The final blow was, what else, a two-run home run by a former Ray. This time it was the aforementioned Lowe banging one to right center off of Steven Cruz. It was the final blow.

The Royals offense was churning for most of the night, despite facing one of the nastiest pitchers in baseball this season. They got one run back quickly in the top of the third when Carter Jensen broke the Royals’ rookie record for home runs in a season.

Carter now takes aim at the record for home runs by a rookie catcher set by Mike Piazza and Rudy York. He’ll only need… 11 more to surpass their total of 35 each. Still, Carter could become the first rookie catcher to lead his team in RBIs since Piazza led the Dodgers in 1993. His 76 leads Salvador Perez by 4 with 7 games left, and the latter only playing part-time.

The Royals answered the Pirates’ home in the fourth by scoring two more of their own in the fifth. Bobby Witt Jr. led off with a single and Jac Caglianone, in his first game back following a one-game suspension for injuring his hand after a bad at-bat Thursday, took a walk to bring the tying run to the plate. The Royals successfully performed a double steal to put runners at second and third with no outs for Vinnie Pasquantino. Vinnie, unfortunately, could only manage a routine grounder to first to score Bobby and advance Jac. That brought up Michael Massey.

Ryan O’Hearn’s acrobatic play cost the Royals a baserunner and who knows what else. Nick Loftin followed that with a single of his own, and John Rave flied out to center to end the inning. If Massey had been on first, it doesn’t take much imagination to see him going to third on Loftin’s single and scoring on a Rave sacrifice fly to tie the game then and there.

Still, by this point, as you can tell from the clip above, the Royals had gotten into the Pirates’ bullpen. That would become important when they turned to Camilo Doval in the seventh inning. Bobby led off again; this time he hit a single off of Doval, but Doval chose to sling it in the general direction of first anyway. That allowed Bobby to go to third. Jac Caglianone added his second single of the night, this one to the opposite field, to score Bob and tie the game. Pasquantino singled, and Jac went all the way to third. Massey struck out, but Loftin came through again with his fourth hit of the night to give the Royals the lead. Unfortunately, Vinnie was stranded at third as Rave and Kyle Isbel each made outs to end the inning.

After Lowe’s home run in the bottom of the eighth, the final piece of that Rays trade from the previous offseason made his appearance. Mason Montgomery is the Pirates closer, and close he was planning to do. For a moment, it seemed like the never-say-die Royals had one last trick up their sleeves. Jac Caglianone took a tough walk – he reached base four times on the night. Tyler Tolbert ran for Jac and stole second, still with no outs. Salvador Perez was batting for Vinnie because Montgomery is a lefty, Salvy battled but struck out. Maikel Garcia pinch-hit for Massey and flew out softly to right. Up came Nick Loftin, looking to re-tie the game and mark his first career five-hit affair. Sadly, he popped out in foul territory on a terrific sliding grab by Pirates catcher Henry Davis.

The Royals fell to 67-88 on the season. They still haven’t won a series in September and have only two chances left. No matter the outcome of tomorrow’s game, they will have had a losing road trip. It’s been a resounding thud of a final month after those sweet couple of weeks at the end of August. Tomorrow’s game is in danger of rain, and with both teams officially eliminated from the playoffs, it’s possible the game is canceled and never made up. However, if it is played, Michael Wacha (3.34 ERA, 4.32 SIERA) will pitch for the Royals. As of this writing, the Pirates have not yet announced their starter. The game will start at 12:35 PM Central Time.

With the threat of rain in the forecast for the Mets' home finale against the Phillies, legendary radio broadcaster Howie Rose may have signed off for the final time on Saturday night.

Amid the uncertainty, Rose wrapped up Saturday's 10-3 win over the Phillies in a way only he could.

"Here's the pitch. Swing and a bouncing ball wide to first, backhanded by [Brett] Baty, throws off balance in time to Myers. Put it in the books!" Rose punctuated with his signature call. "The New York Mets have made it two out of three against the Philadelphia Phillies this weekend, with one more on the schedule, which we hope will be played tomorrow. As Tobias Myers finishes the Phillies off in the ninth inning."

And then with SNY play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen standing behind him, Rose signed off from the game to throw to the postgame show.

PUT IT IN THE BOOKS! The @Mets celebrate Carlos Beltrán the right way with a huge 10-3 victory over the Phillies to take the series!@HowieRose@KeithRaad@PatMcCarthy_@MetsBooth#LGM

Lots to listen to postgame and make sure to tune in live here: https://t.co/TmVvIFMPbxpic.twitter.com/3OXPkd8GQu

— Mets Radio 880 (@metsradio880) September 19, 2026

As the Mets Radio 880 crew continued their postgame show, they played a recording of Mets broadcasters and players, both past and present, including Steve Gelbs, Kevin Burkhardt, John Franco and David Wright, to thank Rose for his 20-plus-year career of calling Mets games.

Rose, of course, joked about the scenario in which Sunday's game would be played and asked whether they'll have to play the recording once again before he thanked his colleagues and the fans.

"Anybody who knows me knows how much The Beatles mean to me. I'm going to say now before anything else, to quote a Beatles song, it's all too much," Rose said.

Rose later added, "I don't want to think this was it, even though in my mind I treated today as though it very well might be. And whether we play tomorrow or they play tomorrow or not, I preemptively want to say how much you all mean to me. And when I'm saying 'you all' right now, it's not only covering my friends here in the booth and my colleagues, but I want to speak solely to you, the Met fan. I've used the term forever, 'kindred spirits,' and I think that you understand that any one of you could be where I'm sitting here, in this booth. We have very similar backgrounds... The point is that I feel like I know you. And more importantly, I feel like you know me. We've been together for the entirety of my time in this booth. And if I ever doubted that, or thought that was an exaggeration, believe me, it's hit home over these last couple of weeks this retirement announcement has somewhat gotten.

"When I really reflect on it, I have to quote the best to ever do it, Vince Scully. When Vin retired, just about a decade ago. He spoke to the fans and said, 'you know, I needed you more than you ever needed me.' And I didn't really understand that. But reading the comments on everything that has been written...to hear the love that you sent to my family and me, I think I know what Vin meant now."

Rose said he won't be a stranger to Citi Field. He'll likely still be the MC for Opening Day, number retirements and other ceremonies at the stadium. He'll even visit the booth from time to time. But a choked-up Rose wanted to say one last thing to his friends, colleagues and listeners.

"Just know that I love you all."

"Just know that I love you all."@HowieRose signs off from tonight's broadcast, which could be his final one in the Mets radio booth 🫶 pic.twitter.com/yYLTEHLjE6

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 20, 2026

Back in August, the Mets planned a pregame ceremony for Rose before the team's final home game. But as Mets world awaits to see if the weather cooperates, Rose said the organization will hold the ceremony next season if they cannot do it Sunday. 

So whether it's this Sunday or 2027, Rose will be properly acknowledged. 

Tarik Skubal faces Yunior Marte as the Dodgers take on the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.

SATURDAY GAME INFO

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Giants
• Stadium: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 6:10 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 (Spanish)

PHOENIX — In case the Yankees weren’t dealing with enough injury headaches for a 6-foot-7 slugger, Spencer Jones was out of the lineup Saturday with a sore left foot/heel.

The rookie outfielder claimed it was “no big deal” and chalked it up to the wear and tear of playing on Chase Field’s turf Friday night after jamming his heel in Minnesota earlier this week.

But after the Yankees just lost Aaron Judge to the injured list again with a right calf strain, the last thing they needed was Jones nursing an injury of his own.

“Just a little banged up,” Jones said before Saturday’s game against the Diamondbacks. “Playing on turf is different, hard on the feet.”

Aaron Boone also downplayed it, adding that he still almost kept Jones in the lineup before sitting him in favor of José Caballero, who started in center field for the second time this season.

“Just felt like especially being on the turf here, he kind of jammed that heel in Minnesota and being on the turf [Friday], so I think it’s just a day-to-day kind of thing,” Boone said. “I even view him as available tonight.”

Boone said he preferred to keep Cody Bellinger in left field instead of shifting him to center.

“I considered moving him to center, but Belli’s grinding too and the turf here kind of beats you up,” he said. “There’s some scenarios where I would move him to center. Tonight, just being on the turf and as much as he’s been through this year, I didn’t want to move him.”

When the Yankees officially placed Judge on the 10-day injured list Saturday, they opted for defensive versatility over offensive upside in his replacement.

That meant calling up Max Schuemann instead of Jasson Domínguez, giving the former another shot in the big leagues for at least a few days beginning this weekend against the Diamondbacks.

“Adding his versatility to our bench makes some sense,” Boone said. “And then obviously some different roster complications moving forward with the playoffs around the corner.”

Schuemann’s stay may be brief, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. potentially returning from the IL as soon as the upcoming series against the Rays at Yankee Stadium that begins Tuesday.

If Schuemann goes back to Triple-A to make room, he would not be available to be recalled for 10 days (unless he was replacing an injured player again), essentially ruling him out as an option for the AL wild-card series.

That may have played a part in Domínguez not getting the call this time, in case the Yankees wanted to use him as a pinch-running threat on their playoff roster.

The 23-year-old also offers value as a switch-hitter, but he has proven to be a defensive liability in the outfield.

The Yankees’ trip to Chase Field gave them a chance to reunite with former teammate Jonathan Loáisiga, who has finally stayed healthy for a full season in the Diamondbacks bullpen.

The right-hander often flashed his talent during his eight-year tenure with the Yankees, but injuries too often got in the way.

This season, though, after signing a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks, Loáisiga has avoided the IL and pitched in a career-high 64 games with a 2.32 ERA entering Saturday.

“Been through a lot of battles over the years with Jonny,” Boone said. “It’ll be great to see him. Hopefully we can ding him a little bit here. I know he’s had a really strong year, which I’m excited about for him. He’s such a talented guy that for him, it’s always been about just being healthy. So the fact that he’s gone out there and had a largely healthy season, I’m not surprised at the success he’s had.”

The Diamondbacks held a 25th-anniversary celebration Saturday of their 2001 World Series team that beat the Yankees in seven games.

After failing on Friday, the San Francisco Giants will try once again to Beat LA, as they visit the Los Angeles Dodgers for the sandwich filling of a three-game series.

Rookie Yunior Marté takes the mound for the Giants, as the 23-year old right-hander makes the fourth appearance and second start of his debut MLB season. Marté, who was called up directly from AA, has yet to get a decision, but has a 2.45 ERA, a 4.87 FIP, and nine strikeouts to six walks in 14.2 innings. His last outing was his best, as he threw five scoreless innings against the San Diego Padres in relief.

For the Dodgers, it’s their newest superstar toy, lefty Tarik Skubal. Acquired at the trade deadline, Skubal, who is a reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner, has made 24 starts for the Dodgers and Detroit Tigers this year. He’s 10-7 on the season, with a 2.70 ERA, a 2.50 FIP, and 173 strikeouts to 25 walks in 146.2 innings. In his last outing, Skubal threw seven scoreless frames against the Cincinnati Reds.

Enjoy the game, everyone. Beat LA!

Lineups

Giants

1. Jonah Cox — CF
2. Turner Hill — LF
3. Victor Bericoto — DH
4. Jung Hoo Lee — RF
5. Brett Harris — 1B
6. Shay Whitcomb — 3B
7. Andrew Knizner — C
8. Osleivis Basabe — 2B
9. Christian Koss — SS

RHP. Yunior Marté

Dodgers

1. Mookie Betts — SS
2. Freddie Freeman — 1B
3. Will Smith — C
4. Max Muncy — 3B
5. Teoscar Hernández — LF
6. Kyle Tucker — RF
7. Josue De Paula — DH
8. Tommy Edman — CF
9. Alex Freeland — 2B

LHP. Tarik Skubal

Game #155

Who: San Francisco Giants (64-90) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (94-60)

Where:Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California

When: 6:10 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

First Pitch: 8:38 pm CDT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy

The kids have been showing out a bit in Anaheim, providing one of the only remaining reasons to watch 2026 Twins baseball as this underwhelming season has normalized itself to fall back in line with preseason projections. Now, it’s our pleasure to watch Walker Jenkins hit the first groove of his big-league career, and Emmanuel Rodriguez show off his skills on both sides of the ball; and as we do that, veteran Joe Ryan heads back to the mount as he continues to give us a glimpse of what we might expect from the right-hander in 2027.

27-year-old Reid Detmers sits on 199 strikeouts heading into tonight’s contest, which the Central timezone eyeballs might hope doesn’t dip back into extra innings, but a subsection of Angels nerds might, because did you know that Joe Mauer has a more recent walk-off hit than Mike Trout does?

The Twins officially have a losing record, but every win down the stretch here gives us a more respectable record to look back upon; additionally, the Detroit Tigers are just a game ahead of Minnesota, meaning a third-place finish remains on the table. That said, the Twins are the next American League team on the chopping block, tied with the Seattle Mariners as the closest teams to outright elimination.

(The Mariners, however, have the AL West in play, as a miraculous final week could technically catch them up to a division-leading pair of teams who do not yet have winning records.)

GO TWINS GO!

The Dodgers conclude their penultimate home series of the regular season, taking on the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. After dropping four of their first five games to the Giants this season, the Dodgers have beaten their longtime rivals three games in a row through Friday night, all in Los Angeles.

It’ll be a bullpen game for the Dodgers on Sunday.

Sunday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Giants
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 1:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Shohei Ohtani has taken another step forward in his recovery from right arm and left knee injuries.

On Saturday afternoon, the two-way star did base-running drills on the field during Dodgers batting practice — and began taking simulated at-bats against the team’s Trajekt Arc pitching machine behind the scenes in the clubhouse batting cages.

The former was the more visible development, marking the first time Ohtani had been seen on the field performing physical activities since he went on the injured list at the end of last week’s homestand.

His work in the hitting cages, however, was a more telling sign of how quickly he might be able to return to action, representing a significant step in what has thus far been a setback-free ramp-up process.

At the start of the week, Ohtani resumed hitting activities with incremental steps. First, he hit off a tee. Then, he took soft tosses from coaches. In recent days, he had begun swinging off a pitching machine, too.

But the Trajekt machine is different; offering players augmented reality at-bats in which a video screen displays a specific pitcher’s windup before firing a ball out of a slot from their hand.

In recent years, the technology has become ubiquitous around MLB clubhouses.

And in lieu of a minor-league rehab stint — impossible now with the minor-league season ending — it will be Ohtani’s best way to hone a game-ready swing again.

“You hope it bridges the gap a little bit,” hitting coach Aaron Bates said. “So between machine, live pitching, Trajekt, somewhere in between that, that’s the best you can do.”

Bates has been part of the group overseeing Ohtani’s recent cage work. He said the slugger has looked “great” and shown no signs of his injuries while returning to full-intensity reps.

“In the cage, in a controlled setting, he’s been really good. It’s 100% intensity,” Bates said. “Once he gets out to the field, if he does a live BP or something like that, and the intensity ramps up, it’ll be a good test to see what happens. But in the cage, in the controlled setting, he’s been really good.”

Before Ohtani went on the injured list, it was evident to the Dodgers’ hitting staff that the two-way star “looked extremely compromised,” as Bates acknowledged.

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One key sign: Ohtani was following through on more of his swings with a one-handed finish, something Bates noted is “always kind of a tell for Shohei, whether he’s going through something or not, just because he is disconnected a bit from his back side.”

Lately, however, Ohtani’s two-handed finish has returned in his swing — as has the Dodgers’ optimism that he will be able to provide production in their lineup, despite the 6-for-52 slump he was mired in previously.

“I think everything’s been good so far,” Bates said.

When Ohtani will be activated remains unclear, with his 15-day stint not up until next Wednesday. But manager Dave Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman have said they expect him to be back before the end of the regular season.

Bates echoed that sentiment Saturday, saying Ohtani appears to be “on schedule” while deferring any more specific timeline to the training staff.

Ohtani has not asked to get a specific number of simulated at-bats before being activated, Bates added.

“He just kind of goes how he feels,” he said. “And the rehab guys will have kind of the exact quantity kind of laid out for them in that sense.”

Time will still tell, of course, whether Ohtani will actually look like himself when he returns, or if he the months he spent playing through his injuries have left him too diminished to make his typical impact with the bat.

As Bates noted, it’s possible Ohtani could get a live batting practice session against a pitcher before returning (although the organization is short on arms at the moment capable of doing that, Roberts said Saturday). But beyond that, his Trajekt at-bats will likely account for the bulk of his hitting preparation before returning to game action.

“You kind of fire them out there and see what happens,” Bates said. “Just like spring training, it kind of takes guys a little bit of time to get their footing. But it depends on the person. Every guy is a little bit different with how much time they need. Some guys don’t need a lot.”

Ohtani, Bates said, is in that latter category.

And so far, at least, his hitting progression is going about as well as they could have hoped.

Everyone gets their moment in a baseball season. Andruw Monasterio has had his moments. Tony Seagulls, too. Nick Sogard. Mickey Gasper has had so many moments that they ceased to be moments and just became what Mickey Gasper does. It’s one of the things that makes the sport great, that no season concludes without special contributions from everyone.

Brayan Bello was hunting for his moment tonight.

The man who, as a young pitcher was all too often and all to unfairly compared to Pedro, has had one of the strangest seasons I can ever remember a starting pitcher having. He started the season as one of the longest-tenured Red Sox players. He quickly became a starting pitcher who forgot how to start baseball games. He then transformed into one of the best relievers in the game, albeit in a highly specialized role that barely made him a reliever at all.

Tonight he was dominant. He needed just 55 pitches to cruise through 5 innings. He struck out 11. He took the Sox into the 9th inning having allowed a single run, this one via the only homer he’s allowed since July 12. But Brayan Bello did not get his moment. Three 9th inning singles off Garrett Whitlock cost the Sox the game and the chance to clinch a playoff spot.

Brayan Bello will be on the postseason roster in some capacity, but this was probably the last meaningful start he’ll make in 2026 and his postseason role is unclear at this stage. Baseball is great and baseball is cruel like that. But hopefully his moment will be waiting for him in October.

Three Studs

Brayan Bello: 8 IP, 11 K, 5 H, 0 BB, 1 HR, 1 ER. Love you, Brayan.

Roman Anthony: After leading off yesterday’s game with a homer, he once again got the Sox on the board with an RBI double. He’s not exactly tearing things up, but he’s productive after a long layoff.

Caleb Durbin: It was Durbin who Anthony drove in, and Durbin was one of only two hitters in the Sox lineup to collect multiple hits.

One Dud

Garrett Whitlock: The bullpen is in a weird spot right now, and Whitlock was called on to make the save in lieu of the injured Aroldis Chapman. He… did not make the save. Hopefully he’s getting this out of his system before the playoffs.

Carson Benge is in a league of his own.

The Mets rookie outfielder recorded three hits, including a solo home run, breaking Pete Alonso’s Mets rookie record for hits in a season (156) in the process Saturday in New York. The Mets beat the Phillies 10-3 as the Philadelphia bullpen suffered another meltdown while they continue to struggle down the home stretch of the season.

Benge’s record-breaking hit came on a check-swing dribbler in the eighth inning that scored a run and gave the Mets their final 10-3 advantage. The Mets trailed 3-1 early in the game before Francscico Alvarez hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the fifth inning. The Mets added six more runs against the Phillies bullpen to put the game out of reach.

Christian Scott got the start for the Mets and sailed through the first three innings before running into trouble in the fourth. Bryce Harper led the inning off with a ground-rule double before advancing to third base on a groundout from Luis Arraez. Alec Bohm then knocked an RBI single up the middle. With two on and two outs, J.T. Realmuto hit a liner to the left-center field gap that Juan Soto was able to chase down to end the inning and keep the game tied 1-1.

Harper was back up in the bottom of the fifth against Scott and hit a sacrifice fly to score Kyle Schwarber as Philadelphia took a 2-1 lead. Jefry Yan relieved Christian Scott and gave up a run on another RBI single from Bohm.

Alvarez flipped the game in a big way with his three-run home run in the fifth inning against Phillies starter Andrew Painter. Marcus Semien reached on a lead-off walk, and Brett Baty extended his on-base streak to 13 straight games with a single, before Alvarez blasted his homer. He entered the game on a 0-for-10 streak but went 2-for-4 with a walk.

Despite Painter striking out four straight batters after giving up the home run to Alvarez, Phillies manager Don Mattingly replaced him with former Mets reliever Brooks Raley. The Mets ripped four straight hits against Raley, including an RBI single from Baty. In his first Major-League action since July 6, Ronny Mauricio drew a bases-loaded walk against Chase Shugart to put the Mets up 6-3. Francisco Lindor had a chance for a grand slam, but flied out to deep center to end the inning.

The Mets left no doubt with four more runs in the eighth inning. Lindor earned a bases-loaded walk before Juan Soto, Bo Bichette, and Benge added RBI singles against Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering.

This was Benge’s 11th game with at least three hits in his record-setting rookie campaign. But it wasn’t just Benge that made Saturday a historic day for the Mets. The club retired Carlos Beltran’s number in an emotional pregame ceremony. Meanwhile, longtime voice of the Mets Howie Rose gave a farewell speech on the radio broadcast. His final game behind the microphone is supposed to be Sunday’s, but the chance of rain muddies the outlook for Sunday’s 1:10 PM EDT game. Weather permitting, Jonah Tong is scheduled to start for the Mets in the final game of the Phillies series.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Francisco Alvarez, +24% WPA
Big Mets loser: Francisco Lindor, -8% WPA
Mets pitchers: +3% WPA
Mets hitters: +47% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Francisco Alvarez’s three-run home run, +25.3% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Alex Bohm’s RBI single, -11.5% WPA

Francisco Alvarez’s defensive metrics have ticked up during the second half, which the Mets credit to a more upright stance in his crouch that cuts down on head movement. As a catcher, he is taking steps that are hard for the average fan (or diehard, for that matter) to notice.

What the fans have noticed is a deep slump and far too many swings that only hit air. In his previous 25 games entering play, Alvarez’s OPS had tanked 90 points because of an 11-for-85 (.129) slide in which he struck out 41 times, walked just six and owned a .410 OPS, a span in which he has been subject to some boos after strikeouts.

In terms of fan frustration, Alvarez was not helped by Luis Torrens — among the best defensive catchers in the sport — getting hot, lifting his own OPS above .700 and making an early argument that next season he should get at least as many reps, if not more, than Alvarez.

Which probably made Alvarez’s fifth-inning at-bat Saturday, in which the former No. 1 prospect in all of baseball got a fastball on the outside edge, went with it and muscled out an opposite-field home run that not many hitters can do, especially encouraging for the Mets and their ostensibly starting catcher.

The turning point in a 10-3 Mets win over the Phillies at Citi Field was the swing from Alvarez, who sent an Andrew Painter four-seamer atop the Cadillac Club in right for a go-ahead shot that reminded of the kind of power he has always possessed.

It was No. 16 for Alvarez in his 108th game, which is a 24-homer pace.

For a catcher who the Mets believe is better than most defensively, this kind of season demonstrates that even a lesser form of Alvarez is still a valuable player.

But the Mets and Alvarez will tell you that they believe there is more in a bat that now is hitting .229 with a .708 OPS and has been prone to sizzling streaks and long chills.

He was excellent offensively in June and July and mostly been ineffective since.

“For Alvy, the biggest thing is I think that he has understood [this season] how important it is for him to defend,” catching coach J.P. Arencibia said recently of a player he believes can be among the best defensively in the game. “And then whatever you get offensively is a plus — and he has a lot of offensive upside.”

When he shot his way through the minor league system, the offensive upside was his calling card. He had (and has) massive power, which he announced by drilling 25 home runs in his year-21 season in 2023.

But three years later, Alvarez is finishing up his year-24 season without noticeable offensive improvement and with noticeable fan frustration.

Even in a game in which he smacked a three-run home run, Alvarez heard a few jeers after he was punched out with two runners on base in the eighth inning because it will take more than one swing for the fans to start believing again. 

We have reached the point in the season where each win is critical. With as well as the Cubs and Padres are playing right now, the Phillies need to win as many games as they possibly can, playing with some kind of verve in order to make the playoffs.

What we’re getting is another embarrassing performance like we saw today.

It wasn’t all bad. Andrew Painter made two bad pitches in this game, one to Carson Benge in the second inning.

Another was made to Francisco Alvarez in the fifth inning when the Phillies were in desperate need of a shutdown inning after taking a 3-1 lead.

Even after the Mets taking a 4-3 lead, the Phillies had a chance. Only down a run, the offense had just scored three whole runs the inning prior! They were capable of getting more.

Yet this supposedly invisible barrier that is three runs has apparently prevented them from scoring any more or any less than that. Having met their quota, they proceeded to enter a cocoon of swinging at pitches out of the zone and having rather useless at bats.

Then came the bullpen.

Brooks Raley? He can’t get guys out any more.

Chase Shugart? Fine I guess, but do you really have any faith in him.

Jose Alvarado? Hey – he didn’t give any runs!

Orion Kerkering? I’ll almost guarantee he has an “injury” which caused him to bad today. Nevermind all the weeks before where he continually gave up runs in key situations.

The lackadaisical way the team seems to be going about these games is grating on the nerves. The plate appearances they are having are some of the more inept ones we’ve seen from the team, even among the many games they have struggled. There is chase, confusion and quite honestly, the fewer pitches Brandon Marsh sees at the plate, the better. The bullpen outside of Jhoan Duran and maybe Alex McFarlane is just one giant gas can sent into fire after fire.

This is not a good team right now and they should be embarrassed by how they are playing.

It took one question during a news conference — ‘When you decided to enter the Hall of Fame as a Met, what stood out to you about the organization?’ — and less than one minute for Carlos Beltrán to hint at his often rocky relationship with the team’s fanbase. 

“I would say it was my best years in baseball,” Beltrán began, “even though, at times, it felt difficult and it felt different. 

“Meaning, my relationship and sometimes how things went down — I don’t know the message that was sent out about me as a person or me as a player. It’s hard to connect with a fanbase when the message out there is always negative.” 

The most memorable moment from his Mets career was among his worst, when he could not get a swing off against Adam Wainwright. He was booed at times. He was not “Captain America” David Wright. He fought with the team about a knee surgery. He spent 2005-11 as a Met, only about one-third of his 20-year MLB career.

He spent some of that time as a Yankee, too, which does not further endear him to Mets fans. 

And yet, there he was Saturday at Citi Field, slowly walking in from center field to the infield to give a speech to polite, if not overwhelming, cheers, as the franchise celebrated a remarkable and great Met but not quite a beloved one in Queens (even if he was and is in Puerto Rico, which was well-represented). 

Beltrán now is a forever Met, his No. 15 unveiled and hung in the rafters as the organization also formally inducted him into the team’s Hall of Fame. In doing so, he completed a remarkable journey in which he learned about himself and Mets fans and felt what he called “closure” in being immortalized in a city in which he was not always welcome. 

A small-market star with Kansas City from 1998-2004, Beltrán signed a seven-year, $119 million free agent contract with the Mets that some remember better for his rough beginning — a merely OK 2005 — than for some of the best seasons (notably 2006) in franchise history. 

“All of a sudden being in New York, there were things that I needed to learn,” said Beltrán, who became the ninth former Mets player with his number retired. “I didn’t have those tools in Kansas City — dealing with the media, dealing with the responsibilities, dealing with expectations, dealing with the ups and downs of baseball in a city like New York. 

“It’s the real deal.” 

Among those he thanked was his wife, Jessica, who is a life coach and would tell him that the boos he heard were not personal. 

“It feels personal,” Beltrán would respond before a soft chuckle. “They’re pointing at me.” 

But he said his skin grew thicker over the years. Becoming a father to three kids who joined him on the field Saturday has helped him better understand the disappointment that Mets fans displayed in him. 

“Sometimes, you were hard on me, and that’s OK,” Beltrán said in his speech. “Today as a father, I realize I am hard on my own children, too, not because I love them less but because they are capable of more. 

“Back then, I did not understand it. Today, I do.” 

Beltrán did not win a World Series with the Mets and is the face of their 2006 regret, striking out to end Game 7 against the Cardinals. But by the numbers, there have been very few Mets who have been better, ranking in the organization’s top 10 in home runs, RBIs, runs scored, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. 

He also has returned — actually, a few times — to the organization, currently serving as an adviser to president of baseball operations David Stearns and could have a path toward becoming the team’s next manager if he wants. 

He does not have the reputation of the former players whose numbers his No. 15 now lives alongside — Wright, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Willie Mays, Keith Hernandez, Jerry Koosman, Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver — but the relationship has improved and is improving, which might have been best highlighted by Beltrán choosing a Mets cap on his Cooperstown bust. 

“I will always be proud to say I was, and I will always be, a New York Met,” Beltran told the crowd.

On the day of Carlos Beltran’s number retirement ceremony at Citi Field, a special and joyous occasion for the club and all those involved, Mets owner Steve Cohen made sure to also address the elephant in the room – what’s been bubbling up for many Mets fans this season, particularly this past week.

Speaking with the SNY booth in the fourth inning on Saturday, Cohen was asked about the recent shenanigans that happened at the ballpark during the team’s last series with the Baltimore Orioles.

In what was Pete Alonso’s first time back in Queens since he left the Mets in free agency over the offseason, fans came out in droves and gave the first baseman quite the reception. Not only did they give Alonso a standing ovation in his first at-bat, standard for a former beloved player coming back to his old ballpark, but fans were also actively cheering for Alonso’s success every time he went to the plate.

Things got murky when Alonso, who was chasing his 300th career home run, hit the milestone by hitting a game-tying home run against Kodai Senga in the top of the ninth inning, which caused the stadium to erupt in cheers – odd for a home ballpark. 

The Mets went on to lose that game in extra innings and during the postgame, players, including Sean Manaea, admitted to being surprised by the response of the home fans seemingly cheering against their team.

“You can’t make it up, it was just so crazy,” Cohen said on Saturday. “The fans, they’re passionate and when they feel something they’re gonna let you know and I’m okay with that. Pete hits his 300th home run and it was sort of poetic. It was sort of amazing that it all occurred at the same time.”

Cohen seemed to understand where the fans were coming from, letting their frustration out for a player they believed deserved to be a lifetime Met.

Of course, that’s not how things turned out, and in the midst of a disappointing season, it made it all the more painful.

“I’ll say it again, it didn’t surprise me,” Cohen said about the fan’s response to Alonso’s return. “I can remember being at a previous Mets event the previous year and the fans were vocal on Alonso and listen, it’s hard to say goodbye to a homegrown player. Obviously he’s well liked and a great Met and those decisions got made and unfortunately we gotta look forward and look forward to ‘27 and what we’re gonna do. 

“But it was weird because we got past the trade deadline and the team was playing well and you got a sense that fans were really getting excited and then Pete came in and we kinda reversed course for three days, but now I think we’re back on track again.”

It’s true, prior to Alonso’s homecoming, despite the lost season, fans seemed to be invested in the team because of the young talent that spurred hope for the future, as well as the team’s improved performance on the field, albeit too late.

Still, Cohen believed that what the Mets had been building was enough to garner enthusiasm for what’s to come, even if it came during a second consecutive season missing the playoffs.

“I think that’s what the fans like,” he said. “We’re playing young, we’re playing athletic. We’ve developed a lot of players in a very short period of time and so that’s something you can really look forward to. So it’s true, two things can be true: a lousy season, but still something to look forward to.”

Something else Mets fans can look forward to is help arriving for president of baseball operations David Stearns – both in terms of the front office as well as a manager.

Cohen talked about the search for somebody to lead the team and what he wants to see out of his next manager, a conversation that fittingly happened during Beltran’s number retirement ceremony.

“I see the manager’s role as mostly about culture and bringing the locker room together,” the owner said. ‘I think the actual managerial decisions are, I would say, 20-30 percent of what they do and the rest of it is trying to galvanize your ball club and trying to get them in the right frame of mind and I’m looking for someone that can bring out the best in their ball players.”

As for the front office, Cohen mentioned that he’s “identified some things that we can do better” and talked about bringing in extra voices to the mix to help out.

“We’re going to try to add certain voices into the front office that I think will be helpful and I know David supports that, and I’m looking forward to, when we make those decisions, to announce them,” he said.

Cohen continued: “It doesn’t have to be a GM, it could be other ways to support David and the front office and I think the whole point is to get more opinions in the front office and people who are either pretty good at evaluating talent or people who have been in those positions before in the front office – in high positions – and help David out and help the team out as far as getting a different point of view.”

Cohen was also asked how he deals with, as he described it, such passionate fans that are always eager to give their two cents in how to run the team.

“Everyone’s got an opinion, I'll tell you that,” he said. “…And frankly, there’s some good ideas out there, so my ears are open.”