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Mets continue to ease Sean Manaea back with planned pitch count: 'That’s where we’re at right now'

It was a great sight to see. Sean Manaea was making his Citi Field debut on Friday night and it was a great start for the Mets' southpaw. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

Manaea threw just 69 pitches (42 strikes) across four innings in the Mets' 8-4 loss to the Reds. It didn't look as if Manaea, who has missed most of the season due to oblique and elbow issues, was laboring and he had allowed just one run on one hit and two walks while striking out six batters in his first start since last October.

So, what was the deal?

Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza explained that he simply didn't want to push Manaea, making only his second appearance of the season.

"It’s like pitchers coming out of spring training. It’s that buildup, you’re not going from 60 to 85 (pitches) right away," Mendoza said after the game. "Especially for a guy that’s been through a lot, not only with the oblique, with the elbow issues and his setback. That’s where we’re at right now. Hopefully next time out, we can increase his pitch count a little bit more, but that was the plan today."

Manaea made his season debut on July 13 against the Royals. In that relief appearance, he threw 65 pitches (44 strikes) across 3.1 innings. In his final rehab start, Manaea tossed 73 pitches in 3.2 innings with Triple-A Syracuse back on July 8.

Clearly, the Mets are taking it easy with Manaea as he works his way back to a bigger pitch count. But the lack of length hurt the Mets on Friday as the bullpen could not hold the lead, a trend that has become a near-season-long one.

"I want to be out there as long as possible, but I understand the situation we’re in," Manaea said after the game. "It’s just not taking it too crazy, but just giving what I can with the pitches allotted."

Manaea admitted that he felt like he could throw more pitches but is not surprised by the pitch count. He said that while he knew the plan going into his start, there hadn't been an in-depth conversation on the team's progression for him. He goes out there and pitches as long as he can or is allowed. One way to combat that is being more pitch-efficient, which he wishes he was, so he could go at least five innings on Friday.

"That’s the most frustrating about today," Manaea said of his inefficiency. "Threw some good sliders but not some real competitive ones at all. Combination of that and the fastball location was kinda iffy. Those two pitches I definitely need."

Despite the outcome of Friday's game, Mendoza remains confident that Manaea can be stretched out for the rest of the season, it just may take some time.

"It’s outing by outing how he responds," he said. "I’m pretty comfortable and confident that if everything continues to progress and the way he continues to bounce back, we’ll get to a point where he’s 85-90 pitches. As of right now, that’s where we’re at with him."

Manaea's health will likely be a concern the rest of the year after a loose body was found in Manaea's elbow when he was rehabbing his oblique. That set him back weeks but the issue doesn't require immediate surgery. It'll be something to monitor, as Mendoza put it, outing to outing with the southpaw but Mets fans should feel encouraged that so far, Manaea is feeling good, even if Friday's loss stings.

"[I feel] great," Manaea said. "Arm feels good. Body feels good. At the end of the day, that’s all I can ask for."

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Mets begin second half with 8-4 loss to Reds

The Mets began the second half of the season with a disappointing 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.

Here are the takeaways...

-Things couldn't have started better for New York following the break. Sean Manaea was making his first start after looking impressive in his season debut against the Kansas City Royals in the final game of the first half and he struck out the side in the first inning in his return to Citi Field.

-Juan Soto kept the energy inside the ballpark going with a solo shot in the bottom half of the frame that gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. The home run was Soto's 24th of the season and he's now hit a league-leading 16 home runs since May 31.

-New York kept the pressure high on the Reds and Nick Lodolo in the second inning. Brandon Nimmo led off with a walk, stole second and came around to score on Jeff McNeil's RBI single.

-Holding Cincinnati to without a hit over the first three innings, Manaea allowed a home run to Austin Hays to lead off the fourth inning -- the lefty's only blemish of the night. Still not fully stretched out, Manaea was done after four terrific innings in which he allowed a run on a hit and two walks with six strikeouts while throwing 69 pitches (42 strikes). He's struck out 13 batters so far in 7.1 innings since coming off the IL.

-With Manaea out of the game, the Reds took full advantage of the Mets' bullpen, which continues to struggle. Alex Carillo was the first arm out of the pen and after getting two quick outs, the right-hander hit TJ Friedl before giving up a two-run shot to Matt McLain, which gave Cincy the lead.

-Carillo went back out for the sixth and the Reds continued to feast. First up was Hays, who hit his second solo homer of the game to lead off an inning and doubled the Mets' deficit. After a walk and a wild pitch, Tyler Stephenson smacked a two-run blast to bust things open and give his team a 6-2 advantage.

-Carillo was only able to record four outs and his final line was not pretty: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 3 HR.

-The bullpen wasn't all to blame, though, as the Mets' offense was completely stifled after their encouraging start. Lodolo settled in and found his groove, going seven innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits, a walk and seven strikeouts. Entering the ninth, the only baserunners for New York after McNeil's RBI single in the second inning came from Luis Torrens (single in the fifth) and Nimmo (infield single in the seventh).

-Both players did their part in trying to stage an unlikely comeback via a two-out rally in the final frame. With two outs, Nimmo doubled before Ronny Mauricio reached on an error, which scored a run. McNeil walked, pinch-hitter Brett Baty hit an infield single and Torrens made it 8-4 with another single.

-As the tying run at the plate, Francisco Lindor popped out to second base to finish an 0-for-5 night.

-Brandon Waddell mopped up the final 3.2 innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits and three walks.

Game MVP: Austin Hays

Hays finished 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and two walks out of the cleanup spot.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets and Reds continue their three-game series on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. on SNY. Before the game, David Wright will have his number retirement ceremony.

RHP Clay Holmes (8-4, 3.31 ERA) goes for New York. He will be opposed by RHP Nick Martinez (7-9, 4.78 ERA).

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Yankees go with opener, plan backfires in 7-3 loss to Braves

The Yankees opened the second half of the season with an opener and it didn't work out in their 7-3 loss to the Braves in Atlanta on Friday night.

Here are the takeaways...

-With Max Fried and Cam Schlittler dealing with injuries, the Yankees went with Ian Hamilton as an opener and it was tough sledding for the reliever and the rest of the bullpen.

The Braves picked up three straight hits (two doubles, one single) to go up 2-0. Hamilton would allow a sacrifice fly before the first inning ended. The Braves put up three runs on three hits and one walk to give themselves the early lead.

Atlanta would add on in the third inning with an Ozzie Albies three-run shot off of former Mets reliever Rico Garcia.

The Yankees used four relievers to get through the game. Here's how it broke down:

  • Hamilton: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
  • Garcia: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
  • Scott Effross: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
  • JT Brubaker: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

-On the other side, Spencer Strider dominated the Yankees. After allowing a Trent Grisham single to lead off the game, Strider settled in, striking out four straight batters at one point. The Yankees would make Strider work in the third inning, working back-to-back one-out walks for Cody Bellinger. The Yankees outfielder hit a long fly ball to right field and Ronald Acuña Jr. gunned down Jorbit Vivas at third base for the double play. Vivas didn't slide into third base and was tagged out with Aaron Judge on the on-deck circle.

Despite walking three batters, Strider kept the Yankees off balance. He struck out eight batters and scattered three hits across six scoreless innings.

-The Yankees wouldn't actually score until the seventh inning against the Braves bullpen. Ben Rice hit a one-out double before Austin Wells singled. Giancarlo Stanton then ripped a pinch-hit double to drive in two before Bellinger singled to cut Atlanta's lead to 7-3. Judge struck out to end the inning and strand two runners.

The Yankees mustered eight hits but were 3-for-8 with RISP and left seven runners on base. Rice had the best offensive day for the Yankees, going 2-for-4 with two doubles. The worst game came from Jasson Dominguez, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Judge went 1-for-4 but also struck out three times.

Game MVP: Spencer Strider

Strider's six scoreless innings held down the Yankees long enough for the Braves batters to build a big enough lead.

What's next

The Yankees and Braves continue their three-game set on Saturday evening. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m.

Will Warren (6-5, 4.63 ERA) will take the mound while the Braves will send Joey Wentz (2-1, 6.32 ERA) to the bump.

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Mets top pitching prospect Jonah Tong shines once again in Double-A Binghamton

After dazzling at the Futures Game, Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong took the ball to kick things off out of the break for the Rumble Ponies and delivered yet another outstanding performance.

Tong went 5.1 innings and allowed a run on two hits while walking two and striking out seven. He threw 73 pitches (43 strikes).

Binghamton handed the 22-year-old the lead by scoring a run in the top of the first, but Tong gave up his only run of the night in the bottom half of the inning, which included a leadoff walk and a throwing error on a pickoff attempt (Tong's second error of the season). A single and a groundout scored the tying run.

The right-hander settled down from there in a big way.

After a one-out walk in the second, Tong retired 11 straight batters before allowing his second hit of the night, a leadoff single in the sixth. Tong ended his outing with a flyout before getting pulled, though he left with a 2-1 lead after the Rumble Ponies scored a run in the top half of the inning.

Tong lowered his ERA to 1.71 across 16 starts and 84 innings pitched.

In Triple-A, things didn't go as well for Nolan McLean.

Entering the game in the second inning after Jose Buttó pitched a scoreless first inning while on rehab assignment, McLean's outing began oddly. He struck out the first batter he faced, but a passed ball by Francisco Alvarez allowed the runner to reach base safely. From there, it was a struggle for the right-hander.

McLean managed to get out of the second inning unscathed thanks to a double play, but he allowed a run in the third, three in the fourth and two in the fifth. In 3.2 innings -- his shortest outing with Syracuse -- the 23-year-old allowed six runs on four hits, including a three-run homer, and three walks. He struck out six and threw 84 pitches (45 strikes).

It was the worst start for McLean this season as he allowed the most runs he's given up this season, raising his ERA to 3.22. It also broke a streak of nine straight outings in which he allowed two earned runs or fewer.

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SEE IT: Mets' Francisco Alvarez blasts 427-foot home run with Triple-A

Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez hit his ninth home run with Triple-A Syracuse on Friday night and it may have been his most impressive one yet.

With a runner on second and one out in the top of the first inning of a scoreless game, Alvarez blasted an 0-1 sweeper by RHP Thaddeus Ward 427 feet to left field that gave Syracuse a quick 2-0 lead. The ball left his bat at 111.8 mph and had a 23 degree launch angle -- a no doubter.

Alvarez went into the All-Star break hitting four homers in three games and picked up right where he left off with another bomb on Friday night after a few days off.

Now batting .258 with a 1.050 OPS (after a strikeout in the third), the 23-year-old is making a great case to be recalled to the major leagues after a disappointing start to the season, offensively and defensively.

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Angels slugger Mike Trout closing in on 400 homers, 1,000 RBIs with aim on postseason

PHILADELPHIA — Mike Trout arrived in Philadelphia in time to catch the unveiling of a new target in the deepest part of the ballpark -- the 2026 All-Star game logo, complete with the Liberty Bell in the center of the design.

The Angels slugger has something to aim for in Philly.

As a home run target? No, the oversized symbol that celebrates next year’s All-Star game is raised well beyond the centerfield wall and out of reach to even Schwarbombs in Ashburn Alley, closer to the retired numbers on the bricks at Citizens Bank Park.

As a potential destination for next season? Making the All-Star game is more on the nose for Trout, an 11-time selection who hasn’t been picked to play for the American League since 2023.

Yet each time Trout plays in Philadelphia, just over 40 miles from the slugger’s New Jersey hometown, talk tends to drift from All-Star games, his injuries, his upcoming career milestones -- he’s closing in on 400 homers and 1,000 RBIs -- or a rare Angels’ push at the postseason, and lands right on the possibility he’ll one day suit up for the Phillies.

“I hear it all the time,” Trout said with a laugh outside the Angels’ clubhouse on Friday. “Right now, I’m enjoying myself with this team in here. These guys come to the ballpark every day and play hard. It’s hard not for me to see it, because I see it and hear it all the time.”

He’ll settle at least a crack at the 2026 All-Star Game.

“It would definitely mean a lot,” Trout said.

Trout entered the start of a three-game series against the Phillies having the kind of season that has defined most of his last five seasons in California. When he’s healthy, he’s on. He has a .283 batting average, .433 on-base percentage and .478 slugging percentage with eight home runs and 23 RBIs in 41 games since he came off the injured list on May 30. Otherwise, it’s more stints on the IL. This season, he was hampered by a bone bruise on his left knee that cost him time.

Trout was the designated hitter on Friday night against the NL East champion Phillies, who could certainly use a right-handed bat with pop in the outfield as they make their own playoff run. He did some light pregame work in the outfield (“get my feet under me”) and hoped he’d return to right field in the near future. Trout said his knee did feel “a lot better” after four days off and off his feet over the All-Star break.

“I’m just happy to be in the lineup, contributing,” he said. “Years past, it’s just come to the ballpark, not be able to at least hit. That’s been frustrating, that’s been tough.”

He again expected a full house of fans from his hometown of Millville, New Jersey, on hand to root him on as the three-time AL MVP started the game with 395 career home runs and 995 career RBIs.

“To think about it, it’s just how fast it’s going,” Trout said. “Just trying to enjoy every minute of it. The milestones are awesome. I’m looking forward to hopefully getting them.”

Trout would have blown by those numbers years ago had it not been for his injuries that have allowed him play more than 82 games only once since 2019.

“Things happen,” he said.

There are no guarantees he’ll chip away at those numbers over the weekend -- Trout has never gone deep at Citizens Bank Park.

The New Jersey native has kept his ties to the area as he blossomed into one of baseball’s great sluggers; his family still lives in the area, he collaborated with Tiger Woods on a new golf course, and yes, the Eagles season-ticket holder still bleeds Kelly green.

The Angels were 47-49 headed into Friday, but only four games out of a wild-card spot. Trout played in three career playoff games in 2014. Los Angeles’ 47 wins are the most for the franchise at the All-Star break since it had 49 in 2018.

“The team in there right now, we’ve got a great mindset,” he said. “We’ve got a great group in there. We pass the baton at the plate. We’re tough outs.”

None tougher at his best than Trout. He’s trying to become the 20th player in baseball history to hit his first 400 home runs with one franchise.

“This guy is a superstar,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “I saw him when he first came up and he hit the ball as far as you could think. He runs down the first base line, it sounds like a horse, just big and strong and fast.”

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Phillies remain committed to keeping slugger Kyle Schwarber beyond 2025

PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber’s deep shots — from Philadelphia to the All-Star Game - often end up going, going, gone.

The Phillies aren’t ready to say goodbye to their star slugger quite yet as Schwarber’s four-year, $79-million contract expires at the end of the season.

Fresh off winning All-Star Game MVP honors after he hit three homers in the game’s first-ever swing-off, Schwarber’s status for 2026 — when Philadelphia will host the game — remained a pressing need for the Phillies.

“We love him. We want to keep him,” Phillies manager partner John Middleton said ahead of Friday’s series-opening game against the Los Angeles Angels.

In the All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday night, he homered on all three of his swings, going down to his left knee on the final one, to give the National League a 4-3, swing-off win after a 6-6 tie through nine innings.

Schwarber enters the second half of the season with 30 homers and 69 RBIs for NL East-leading Philadelphia.

Schwarber led the NL with 46 homers in his first season with the Phillies and followed with 47 in 2023 and 38 a year ago. Often hitting from the leadoff spot until this season, Schwarber drove in 104 runs each of the last two season.

“We need no motivation whatsoever when it comes to Kyle Schwarber,” Middleton said. “He’s great. We thought he was great when we signed him years ago. We thought he was great consistently through the years. There’s nothing Kyle does that surprises us. No matter how great he is, we expect that from Kyle. He’s a great person in the dugout. He’s a great person in the clubhouse.”

The 32-year-old Schwarber should command well beyond the $79 million he signed for ahead of the 2022 season. Schwarber won a World Series with the Cubs in 2016. He also played in Washington and Boston, but has seemed to find a home in Philadelphia where his mammoth homers — dubbed Schwarbombs — have made him arguably the most popular Phillies star.

Schwarber said during the All-Star break that he wanted to keep the focus on helping the Phillies win their first World Series since 2008.

“We had conversations in the spring and obviously they didn’t progress,” he said. “We just kind of tabled them aside and wanted to focus on the season. Obviously, there’s interest on my side. I know there’s going to be interest on their side there coming up at the end of the year. We’re going to see where that takes us. If that’s us striking up a deal, that’s us striking up a deal.”

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Marlins’ Connor Norby to miss 6-to-8 weeks after left wrist surgery

MIAMI — Miami Marlins third baseman Connor Norby will be sidelined for several weeks after having surgery on his wrist.

The procedure on Wednesday was to repair a broke hamate bone in his left wrist and was done by hand specialist Dr. Don Sheridan in Phoenix, the team said Friday. The recovery timeline is six to eight weeks.

Norby felt wrist soreness during Miami’s road series at Baltimore last week and was initially listed with wrist inflammation.

The Marlins acquired Norby from Baltimore last summer in the trade that also landed first-time All Star Kyle Stowers in Miami.

While Norby’s tenure with the Marlins started strong — he hit .247 with a .315 on-base percentage while hitting seven homers in 36 games — his performance had been uneven this year, with a .241 average and .289 on-base percentage, six home runs and 26 RBI in 72 games. He was sidelined the first two months of the season with an oblique injury.

“Speaking with Connor in Baltimore, he felt like things were starting to come around,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “He felt better about himself in the box. He felt like he was making some real strides defensively, and then not knowing at the time what the length of it was going to be and what it was. But he was sore. I think he was just more disappointed, if he was going to have to miss some time, he felt right now he was trending.”

The Marlins will turn to Graham Pauley and Javier Sanoja in Norby’s absence. Pauley has played 23 games at third base this season. Sanoja has played nine.

Pauley got the start at third on Friday against Kansas City as Miami began the second half of the season with a six-game homestand.

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Mets first-round pick Mitch Voit talks next steps in development after signing deal: 'It's time to work'

Mets 2025 first-round pick Mitch Voit made his way to Citi Field on Friday evening to check out the stadium and the facilities a day after signing his new contract with the big league club.

Voit, a standout at the University of Michigan, was selected 38th overall by the Mets and the team has high hopes for the young infielder. Speaking with the media after a round of batting practice, Voit talked about his feelings.

"I’ve just been filled with excitement since Sunday night," Voit said. "I was extremely happy [to sign my contract], but I also understood it’s time to work."

Voit, 20, signed a reported $1.75 million deal with the Mets and detailed the next steps for himself... or as much information as he knows.

"I'm going to head down to Port St. Lucie and then take a deep dive into everything," Voit said. "I don’t necessarily know the next steps heading forward. I know, get down to Port St. Lucie, go through this player development plan we have in place. From then on, I guess we’ll find out."

Voit was asked if he'll play for one of the Mets' affiliates this summer and the second baseman said he wasn't sure, but he'll learn what the organization has planned for him soon enough.

During his Citi Field visit, Voit was introduced to a number of players but one in particular stood out to him. Juan Soto.

"I got to see the beginning of Soto’s routine. It’s very surgical, you would say," Voit described. "Great guy, really friendly to me. Everyone’s been great to me."

Voit played 56 games for the Wolverines this season after undergoing internal brace surgery on his throwing arm last summer. In that time, Voit hit 17 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, and 60 RBI with a .346/.471/.668 slash line for a 1.140 OPS while walking 40 times to 34 strikeouts.

The Wisconsin native said his attitude at the plate is to get the barrel to the ball and the Mets hope he can develop into a major league hitter. In fact, they see potential in Voit as just a position player. Voit was a two-way player at Michigan, amassing a 9-4 record with a 4.67 ERA across 29 games (11 starts) in two collegiate seasons -- he did not pitch in his final year with Michigan.

Despite that, the Mets and Voit agreed that they will develop him as a position player but the right-hander doesn't rule out the possibility of him climbing the mound in the future.

"Our plan will be to develop me as a position player," Voit said. "I’ve said this before. If it comes down to it, and the only opportunity is to be a big league pitcher for the New York Mets, then yeah. But our plan moving forward would be as a position player... All your experience as a pitcher doesn’t go away. It’ll always be there in my back pocket."
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Colorado Rockies minor league pitcher Eric Veras suspended 56 games following positive drug test

NEW YORK — Colorado Rockies minor league pitcher Eric Veras was suspended for 56 games Friday by Major League Baseball following a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenone.

Veras was disciplined under the drug program for minor league players assigned outside of the U.S. and Canada.

An 18-year-old left-hander, Veras was 2-0 with a 3.97 ERA in five starts this season. He signed for a $125,000 bonus in January 2024 and was 3-1 with 3.80 ERA in 10 starts last year.

Veras was the ninth player suspended this year for a positive test, the seventh under minor league programs. Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80 games on March 31 and Philadelphia Phillies closer José Alvarado for 80 games on May 25 under the major league program.

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Phillies fail to capitalize on Harper's big night in series-opening loss to Angels

Phillies fail to capitalize on Harper's big night in series-opening loss to Angels originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Before Friday’s game Trea Turner said there was ‘a lot of good and a lot of bad’ from the first half of the Phillies season prior to the All-Star break.

The same can be said of their first game after the break.

The Phillies squandered a 4-1 lead and lost 6-5 to the Angels. Their record dropped to 55-42 and they’ve now lost five of their last seven games.

Friday’s loss represented a squandered opportunity, an uneven performance by the home team on a beautiful night for baseball in South Philadelphia.

First, the bad.

Tanner Banks surrendered a two-run home run by Taylor Ward in the seventh inning that broke a 4-4 tie and put the Angels ahead to stay. It was Ward’s 22nd home run of the season, a towering shot to left center field.  

The bullpen was pressed into action early after Jesus Luzardo failed to make it out of the fifth inning. Luzardo allowed seven hits and four earned runs on 95 pitches. He served up a solo home run to Jorge Soler and a two-run homer to Jo Adell. Luzardo’s season ERA climbed to 4.29.

Luzardo’s June and July have been a struggle following a scorching first two months of the season during which he posted a 2.15 ERA in his first 11 starts.

Mike Trout, who entered Friday’s game with two hits in 20 career at-bats at Citizens Bank Park, got the best of Luzardo. Trout doubled and scored a run in the fourth inning before delivering a game-tying RBI single in the fifth.

Despite the result, this series opener against the Angels came with its share of bright spots.

Namely, Bryce Harper has officially heated up. Harper hit a three-run home run in the third inning and a solo shot in the eighth, accounting for his first multi-home run game of the season. Harper added a double in the fifth inning and has nine extra-base hits in his last five games. He’s hitting .500 during that span (10 hits in 20 at-bats).

Kyle Schwarber picked up where he left off at the All-Star game, belting a solo home run on his first swing of the game. Schwarber’s line drive into the right field seats in the first inning increased his season total to 31, tied for the fourth most in baseball.

J.T. Realmuto stayed hot at the plate as well, going 2-for-4 with a double. Realmuto has multiple hits in seven of his last 11 games.

But the contributions from some key bats weren’t enough. The Phillies now turn to Taijuan Walker on Saturday night in hopes of evening this three-game series.

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Yankees' Max Fried says blister is improving; remains 'hopeful' to pitch in Blue Jays series

When the Yankees announced their probables for their weekend series against the Braves in Atlanta, Max Fried was noticeably absent.

Fried last pitched on July 12 against the Cubs, where he allowed three earned runs in three innings but was removed due to a blister on the index finger of his throwing hand. The Yankees' southpaw had already pulled out of the All-Star Game to prepare himself for the second half of the season, so New York is skipping his spot in the rotation.

Speaking with the media before Friday's series opener in Atlanta, Fried said he's "hopeful" to pitch in the crucial series with the Blue Jays in Toronto starting Monday. Fried said that he and the Yankees wanted to give their ace more time to heal from the blister and that it is improving. He's been playing catch with no issue and the next step is to throw a bullpen, which he has yet to do.

It makes sense for the Yankees to skip Fried in the rotation for two reasons. The first, as previously mentioned, is to give Fried's finger time to heal. Fried has spent time on the IL four times in his career due to blisters, most recently in September 2023.

The second is that it lines up the Yankees' best starters for Toronto. If Fried is good to go, he, along with Carlos Rodon, will start two of the three games against the Blue Jays.

New York enters the weekend series 2.0 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East.

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Justin Verlander's lack of ‘putaway' pitch dooms Giants in loss to Blue Jays

Justin Verlander's lack of ‘putaway' pitch dooms Giants in loss to Blue Jays originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

For the twelfth time in sixteen games during the 2025 MLB season, the Giants lost a Justin Verlander start.

In what has become an unfortunately common occurence for the Giants this season, a familiar scene unfolded early in San Francisco’s 4-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night at Rogers Centre.

Verlander, the three-time Cy Young Award winner who has a spot in Cooperstown reserved for him, once again got rocked early.

Verlander escaped first-inning trouble after the Blue Jays had runners on first and second with one out, coaxing a double-play ball that allowed the Giants to return to the visiting dugout unscathed. The former MLB MVP wouldn’t be so fortunate in the second inning.

Six of the first seven batters Verlander faced in the second inning reached base, allowing Toronto to jump out to a 4-0 lead which would be more than enough with San Francisco’s anemic offense crumbling in every clutch situation they faced in Friday’s loss.

Coming off a few days to reset during the MLB All-Star break, Verlander took the mound with a chance to put a rough first half behind him and send a strong message that even at 42, he still has what it takes to dominate opposing hitters. Instead, it was much of the same in what has been an outlier season for a pitcher that will go down as one of the game’s greats when all is said and done.

Verlander didn’t record a single strikeout against the Blue Jays, the first time this season the nine-time All-Star failed to log at least one punch out during the 2025 season.

“Typically he has got something to get a swing-and-a-miss, didn’t get any strikeouts,” Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters after Friday’s loss. “Actually, he limited the damage for the amount of base runners he had in less than three innings, but a couple key hits off him and just really didn’t have a putaway pitch today.”

Verlander’s name is one that long has been synonmous with “putaway pitch,” ranking No.10 on MLB’s all-time strikeout leader list with an eye-popping 3,483 punchouts during his decorated career.

While the lack of a putaway pitch allowed the Blue Jays to string together the game’s decisive inning, Melvin noted that the Giants’ offense hasn’t done Verlander any favors with run support this season.

“The fact we haven’t given him much run support,” Melvin said when asked why he believes Verlander can turn things around. “I mean there have been some games where we’ve been behind early on, but it would be nice to give him a nice lead and let him do his thing. The overall numbers aren’t horrible at this point, it’s just we don’t give him much run support and it seems like there are a few games like tonight where we’ve gotten behind early.”

Verlander was blunt while assessing his own performance today, but remained optimistic the mechanical adjustments he has made recently are showing tangible results that should lead to positive regression back toward the player baseball fans have grown accustomed to seeing during his 20-year MLB career.

“Stuff-wise, still fairly optimistic, but had a tough one today, obviously,” Verlander told reporters after Friday’s loss. “They found a way to put a lot of balls in play. Found a lot of holes and the ones they did hit hard found corners, it’s a tough one. But still optimistic thinking about how the mechanical adjustments have helped my stuff. The velocity is better, I think the breaking balls are sharper, all in all.”

Friday’s loss was the 10th time this season the Giants have been shutout, reflecting a season-long trend of San Francisco’s offense failing to give its robust pitching staff the support it so desperately needs in games like these.

Even with Verlander’s struggles, the Giants still boast arguably the league’s best pitching staff across the board. If San Francisco sneaks into the MLB playoffs, they have the kind of arms in their arsenal that have a long-standing track record of being the key recipe to making deep postseason runs.

The unfortunate reality? None of those hypotheticals will matter if Verlander and San Francisco’s offense can’t get on the same page down the stretch run over the next couple of months.

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Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz’s leave extended through Aug. 31 amid MLB gambling probe

CLEVELAND — Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz will remain on non-disciplinary leave through Aug. 31 while he is the subject of a Major League Baseball gambling investigation.

Ortiz’s paid leave began on July 3 and was supposed to end on Friday before MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to extend it.

The team can continue to have contact with Ortiz, but he can’t enter any of the Guardians’ facilities.

The Guardians said in a statement they have been informed of the extension and will continue to fully cooperate with the investigation.

The investigation is related to in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by Ortiz that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and his recent outing against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.

The 26-year-old Ortiz is in his first season with Cleveland after he was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh last December. The right-hander is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 16 starts this season.

In four big-league seasons, Ortiz is 16-22 with a 4.05 ERA and one save.

Cleveland hosts the Athletics in a weekend series. The Guardians have won six of seven after a 10-game losing streak.

The investigation into Ortiz comes a little more than a year after MLB suspended five players for gambling, including a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 with a legal sportsbook in 2022 and 2023.

Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and three minor leaguers — San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher Andrew Saalfrank and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez — received one-year suspensions.

Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Major League Baseball in February for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games, and for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the league’s investigation.

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Mets Injury Updates: Jesse Winker shut down after epidural, Starling Marte nearing return

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided injury updates on four players ahead of Friday night's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds to start the second half of the season.

On the designated hitter front, Starling Marte (knee) is nearing a return to action as he continues to do baseball activities, the manager said, adding that while he wasn't sure about timing, he suggested the veteran could be back in around three to five days.

"He's gonna run the bases at high intensity, sprinting, hitting velo machine," Mendoza said of Marte. "But he's definitely progressing."

Jesse Winker will need a bit more time as he received an epidural on Friday, as his back ailment had not been responding as the club had hoped, and they "decided to be a little more aggressive" with the injection, which will shut him down from any activities for another seven to 10 days.

Mendoza said that as far as he knows, there hasn't been any change in the injury, but "he's still a ways away."

Winker sustained the back injury last Thursday, just two games after he returned from an extended time on the IL with an oblique issue.

Injury issues have struck both DHs this year, limiting Marte to 58 games and Winker to just 26. Both have been decent at the plate, posting .739 and .709 OPS, respectively.

The news was not good for reliever Max Kranick,who will undergo Tommy John surgery for a second time in his career.

"You feel for the guy," Mendoza said. "You saw how important he was for us the first couple of months in a pretty important role out of the bullpen, and it just sucks for him and for us, too, honestly.

"Wish him the best, and obviously, we do our best to get him back on the field as quick as possible. It's not ideal."

The righty posted a 3.65 ERA in 37 innings over 24 games in his first big league action since the 2022 campaign.

Jose Siri has not resumed running or baseball activities as he continues to recover from a broken leg he sustained in his 10th game of the season in April before having a setback in his rehab in June. "He's feeling better, but as far as running and all that goes, nothing yet," the manager said, estimating that it could be another week or two before he could resume baseball activities.

Earlier on Friday, the Mets activated left-handed reliever Brooks Raley off the 60-day injured list as he makes his return from Tommy John surgery.