Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

Flores joins elite Giants company as hot start continues originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Wilmer Flores continued his hot start to the 2025 MLB season Monday night, and he joined some elite Giants company along the way.

With his seventh homer of the season in San Francisco’s 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Oracle Park, Flores joined an elite list of company as the only Giants players to record at least seven home runs and at least 24 RBI within the first 23 games (h/t Sarah Langs).

Flores joins Moises Alou (2006), Matt Williams (1995), Barry Bonds (1993), Willie Mays (1964), Willie McCovey (1960), Bill Terry (1932) and George Kelly (1921). Talk about good company.

Flores’ seventh home run, which is fifth-best in MLB, came at a clutch time for the Giants on Monday, as his solo bomb gave San Francisco a 3-2 lead that ultimately helped the Giants secure a big win and improve to 15-8 on the season.

WILMER FOR THE LEAD 💥 pic.twitter.com/Wb2EMaQEmL

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 22, 2025

Flores finished the game 2-for-3 with a walk. He now is batting .220 with a .749 OPS so far in 2025.

Through 71 games last season, Flores hit just four home runs.

He’s now not only nearly doubled that number just 23 games into the season, but he’s making Giants history as his hot start continues.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

The Mets continue a three-game series with the Phillies at Citi Field on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

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Mets Notes

• The Mets' team ERA of 2.43 is the lowest in baseball
• Francisco Lindor has nine hits in his last 21 at-bats, including four home runs. His OPS is up to .840
• Pete Alonso has a .695 slugging percentage and is on pace to finish the season with 42 home runs
• Luisangel Acuña has 12 hits in his last 31 at-bats

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What channel is SNY?

Check your TV or streaming provider's website or channel finder to find your local listings.

How can I stream the game?

The new way to stream SNY games is via the MLB App or MLB.tv. Streaming on the SNY App has been discontinued.

In order to stream games in SNY’s regional territory, you will need to have SNY as part of your TV package (cable or streaming), or you can now purchase an in-market SNY subscription package. Both ways will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone. 

How can I watch the game on my computer via MLB? 

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How can I watch the game on the MLB App? 

MLB App access is included for FREE with SNY. To access SNY on your favorite supported Apple or Android mobile device, please follow the steps below.  

• Download the free MLB App.

• Open “MLB” and tap on “Subscriber Login” for Apple Devices or “Sign in with MLB.com” for Android Devices. 

• Type in your MLB.com credentials and tap “Log In.”  

• To access live or on-demand content, tap on the "Watch" tab from the bottom navigation bar. Select the "Games" sub-tab to see a listing of available games. You can scroll to previous dates using the left and right arrows. Tap on a game to select from the game feeds available.  

For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here. 

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Monday, in case you missed it...

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• Francisco Lindorhad two home runs and four RBI as the Mets beat the Phillies, 5-4, at Citi Field
• Tylor Megill had another strong start, holding Philadelphia scoreless over 5.1 innings
• WithFrancisco Alvarez and Jeff McNeil nearing returns, David Stearns discussed their expected playing time, saying "difficult decisions are a good thing."
• Stearns also talked about the center field plan
• The Mets are leaning on one another during their winning streak
• WATCH: Highlights from Monday's win
• WATCH:Carlos Mendoza and Megill speak postgame

A month ago Dodgers gear festooned with colorful flowers in the unmistakable designs of acclaimed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami sold out in minutes at a pop-up on Fairfax Ave. A couple hundred Angelenos lined up overnight to purchase gear, generating $40 million.

The pop-up, called the MLB Tokyo Series collection, preceded the two-game, season-opening series in Japan between the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, and items soon hit the secondary market for four times the purchase price.

The merchandise was so popular that Murakami and the Dodgers responded by approximating the famous words of Hall of Fame Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks: "Let's play two!"

A new collection will be available April 28 during Japanese Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium and the Dodger Clubhouse store, then can be purchased only online. Murakami, 63, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch as he did before an exhibition between the Dodgers and Yomiuri Giants at the Tokyo Dome on March 15.

"It’s been two months since I started practicing for the first pitch in Tokyo, but given my age, it's not so easy to pick up new skills," Murakami said playfully in an interview with The Times. "Still, compared to the first day when I couldn't throw the ball at all, I've improved significantly.

"My hope this time is to throw the ball without it bouncing."

Read more:'Beautiful, happy, dopamine-injected.' Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami's frenzied comeback

Murakami is unquestionably adept with a brush, a pen or a computer, creating iconic art that features manga, anime, cartoons and brightly colored anthropomorphic cherry blossoms, mushrooms and assorted flowers. He began delivering commissioned projects for luxury brands and celebrities 20 years ago, and a financial pinnacle came in 2008 when his provocative life-size figure "My Lonesome Cowboy" sold for $15.1 million at auction.

Since then Murakami has integrated his art on Louis Vuitton handbags, a Kanye West album cover, and the Kid Cudi collaboration Kids See Ghosts. He also had a solo exhibition in 2022 at The Broad titled Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow that included sculpture, painting, wallpaper and immersive installations.

Now his attention has turned to baseball. The MLB Tokyo Series collection had his familiar colorful flora sprinkled across jerseys, bats, balls, hoodies, flip-flops and a Shohei Ohtani bobblehead. The surprise medium might have been collaborating with Topps on baseball cards.

"Since 2023, I have been creating trading cards and trading card games with my team, so I felt I approached this project with a good understanding of the context," Murakami said. "But when we filmed the unboxing event for the Topps Complex Series and Tokyo Series on YouTube, I recognized anew how profound the world of American sports trading cards is, which shook me with excitement."

Read more:Review: Takashi Murakami captivates at Blum & Poe

The overall success of the Tokyo Series collection delighted Murakami, who said he remembers playing catch with his father as a child.

"Honestly, I had thought baseball wasn't as major a sport in Japan these days, so I was surprised by the overwhelming response," he said. "I received messages from childhood friends and was approached by neighbors afterwards, which made me realize that baseball remains the beloved sport among the Japanese public."

The addition of Japanese megastars Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki made collaborating with the Dodgers a natural. The team's popularity in Japan has never been greater.

"The Dodgers are the team Hideo Nomo joined when he first played Major League Baseball, overcoming various obstacles," Murakami said. "His success had a significant impact on Japanese players entering the majors, and his achievements are vivid in my memory.

"Shohei Ohtani joining the Dodgers feels like a fateful story for Japanese baseball, and I'm deeply moved by it. In that sense, I consider myself a Dodgers fan."

Read more:All eyes are on Ohtani in Tokyo | Dodgers Debate

Murakami added that he has felt comfortable in L.A. since his exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2007-2008.

"I believe my career as an artist in the contemporary art world took off in Los Angeles," he said. "The [MOCA] exhibition, curated by Paul Schimmel, was pivotal in establishing my career in America. Whenever I visit Los Angeles, I feel a strong connection, as if it's my second hometown, with fans saying hello to me around the city. So I'm especially grateful for this new relationship with the Dodgers in Los Angeles."

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Why an Alcantara trade with Marlins should be on Red Sox' radar originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox made significant investments in their starting rotation last offseason, acquiring Garrett Crochet in a blockbuster trade while signing Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval in free agency.

But you could argue more investments are needed.

Crochet has been lights-out (1.13 ERA through five starts), but the rest of the staff has been average at best; 2024 All-Star Tanner Houck has allowed 21 runs in 24.2 innings (7.66 ERA), while Buehler needed a Patriots’ Day gem against the lowly Chicago White Sox to lower his ERA to 5.63.

Sean Newcomb, Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins have had some success in spot starts but are stopgaps for injured starters Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello, who both struggled with inconsistency in 2024. (Bello will make his 2025 debut Tuesday.) Entering Tuesday, Boston’s starters ranked 20th in MLB in WHIP (1.30) and 22nd in batting average against (.251).

That’s all to say the Red Sox would benefit from another quality starter. And while the MLB trade deadline is still three months away, Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara is a name worth watching.

A two-time All-Star, Alcantara is in the second-to-last year of his contract with the rebuilding Marlins, who lost 100 games in 2024. Miami desperately needs hitting, and Alcantara would be a natural trade chip to acquire a young, impact bat. In fact, ESPN’s David Schoenfeld listed Alcantara as one of his top trade candidates to monitor as the deadline nears.

And if the Marlins want young, impact bats, there are few better places to look than Boston.

Seven of the Red Sox’ top eight prospects are position players, and while the “Big Three” of Roman Anthony (outfielder), Kristian Campbell (infielder) and Marcelo Mayer (infielder) draw all the headlines, there’s also the likes of middle infielder Franklin Arias — Boston’s No. 4 prospect and MLB.com’s 72nd overall prospect — outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and middle infielder Yoelin Cespedes.

Arias and Cespedes are both 19 years old with tantalizing upside, while Garcia is a 22-year-old masher who hit 23 home runs with an .892 OPS over 107 games in the minors last season.

Could the Red Sox package some combination of those prospects in a trade for Alcantara? Or would they even consider trading Mayer, who was formerly Boston’s No. 1 prospect but has battled injuries and inconsistency in the minors to date?

At the very least, Boston should consider these scenarios when it comes to Alcantara, who is two seasons removed from winning the National League’s Cy Young award in 2022 with a 2.28 ERA over 32 starts. The 29-year-old missed the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery and has scuffled early in 2025, but the potential clearly is there, and an extra year of team control on his contract ($21 million team option in 2027) only increases his value.

A lot can happen between now and July 31. But if the Red Sox are serious about contending in 2025, they should at least have irons in the fire regarding starting pitchers ahead of the deadline, and Alcantara should be at the top of their list.

When Tarik El-Abour was in middle school, his teacher asked him and his classmates a simple question. What do you want to be when you grow up? When it was time for him to answer, El-Abour gave a reply that thousands of children have said before. He wanted to be abaseball player. But his teacher shot back with something less than encouraging: “You’d better have a Plan B.” El-Abour, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, remained undeterred. Rather than listening to his pessimistic instructor, he distanced himself from her.

He thought that if he continued to talk to her, she might convince him he was unable to achieve his goal. In the end, he was right, and the teacher was wrong. El-Abour grew up to become a baseball player after receiving a degree in business administration from Bristol University in California. He first played professionally in the Empire League, where he was named rookie of the year in 2016 and was an All-Star in 2017. Then, in 2018, he signed a deal with the Kansas City Royals, a franchise just three years removed from winning the World Series. He played outfield in the minor leagues during the 2018 season, flourishing under the mentorship of JD Nichols of World Wide Baseball Prospects and Reggie Sanders of the Royals, becoming the first recorded autistic player in MLB history.

Related: RFK’s statements prove autistic people and their families everywhere should fear Trump and his allies | John Harris

All of this will be news to the US health and human services secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who said earlier this month that: “Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children … These are kids who will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”

El-Abour chooses to let Kennedy’s comments slide off him.

“When it comes to politics,” the 32-year-old tells the Guardian, “I’m so used to crazy stuff being said by people. I’m just in a spot where it doesn’t really get to me. I get that’s just how some things are. The way I look at it, the only things I care about are the things I have control over – like baseball and those I care about most.”

El-Abour, who is now playing in the Zone 22 scouting league in Los Angeles and hoping for another shot at the majors, says he doesn’t know what it’s like not to be autistic. But he explains that the way his brain works helps him focus and embrace repetition – both valuable qualities for a ballplayer. “Baseball requires a lot of repetition to be good at it,” he says. “And people with autism tend to be repetitive. I guess that’s maybe where it benefits me.”

Kennedy, a fan of doing his own research, may want to note that El-Abour is not the only autistic professional athlete in the US. Tony Snell, who also has two autistic sons, was diagnosed with autism. And he had a nine-year NBA career, playing on several teams, including the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans. “Learning I have [autism] helped me understand my whole life,” said Snell in a recent interview. “This is why I am the way I am.” Joe Barksdale, who revealed in 2022 that he was diagnosed with autism, played eight years in the NFL. And Nascar driver Armani Williams also stated publicly he is autistic. Of course, there are more autistic athletes coming up in the ranks, too.

“It was a surprise when the [Kennedy] news came out last week,” El-Abour’s mother, Nadia, tells the Guardian. “I wanted to post something then Tarik said, ‘No, the [media] will take care of it.’ Tarik started laughing. He goes, ‘Oh, wow, why did he [Kennedy] choose baseball?’”

She says that, unlike some politicians today, her son is very logical. Many autistic people, she explains, don’t attach emotion to the truth. Something simply either is true or it isn’t. “They can’t understand why we don’t accept the truth,” Nadia says. It’s the same reasoning El-Abour employed when flouting his middle school teacher’s “Plan B” idea. In fact, he bristled at it so much that he didn’t even want to be around the energy of the school building, often crossing the street rather than walk near it.

“He doesn’t see obstacles,” Nadia says of her son. “He doesn’t think of ‘I can’t.’ He just thinks, ‘How … how can I do that?’”

El-Abour, who was non-verbal until he was about six years old, started playing baseball later in life, around 10 years old. At first, he was unsure if he liked the game, which his father signed him up for. But when he got into the batter’s box, something happened. He even gave up his spot as pitcher on the team because he was told pitchers don’t bat in the pros. From then on, he arranged his whole life around things that would make him be a better player. He painted an X on the garage to practice his throwing accuracy. He took fly balls into the night with his coaches. Rather than, as Kennedy would have us believe, baseball was something unattainable for El-Abour, it helped him blossom.

Indeed, El-Abour’s life is a far cry from the picture Kennedy Jr and others have tried to paint. But despite any number of ignorant comments, El-Abour says he’s grateful for who he is and proud of what he’s achieved so far in his life. He says “it’s an honor” that people ask him about his autism and he’s glad he can add to the conversation. “It’s very humbling,” El-Abour says, “to be possibly making an impact. Baseball really gave me something that I enjoy and love doing. It always gives me something to be motivated for and to be better at each day throughout my life. And that’s really good.”

In a game that featured Francisco Lindor hitting two home runs to help the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4, on Monday night, it was a play that happened right before Lindor's second home run that had manager Carlos Mendoza and the rest of the team impressed.

With runners on first and second and one out in the seventh with New York up 2-0, No. 9 hitter Tyrone Taylor chopped a ball to third base that could've resulted in an inning-ending double play.

However, the speedy center fielder busted down the line and was able to beat the throw to first base which extended the inning. Two pitches later, Lindor parked his second home run of the game to center field to extend the Mets' lead to 5-0.

Those extra runs turned out to be quite important as the Phillies scored four in the ninth to make things interesting and put a scare in the 35,430 in attendance at Citi Field.

Taylor's hustle is the type of play that winning ball clubs make a habit of and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Everybody’s kind of passing the baton," Lindor said. "At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about. My at-bat today doesn’t really come without Tyrone running the bases as hard as he could to try and beat [out the double play].”

"Lindor doesn’t get that at-bat if Tyrone Taylor doesn’t bust down the line and beat the double play," Mendoza added. "So it’s a team effort there."

It's been a team effort all season for the Mets who have won five in a row and are now 16-7 which ties the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres for the best record in MLB.

When one area was underperforming for New York, another would step up while "everybody is supporting each other and pulling for each other."

"At the beginning of the year I struggled and guys picked me up," Lindor said. "There have been other times where other guys have struggled and we have picked them up... To win we’re gonna need everybody"

Lindor even included the fans in that as the crowds at Citi Field continue to be off the charts to begin the season, even on a Monday in April -- "a school night" as Jesse Winker put it.

With the help of the fans, the Mets are 10-1 at home this season, outscoring opponents by 20 runs thanks to incredible pitching and timely hitting.

In fact, New York is the first team in the modern era (since 1901) to have its starting pitchers allow fewer than 15 runs and no home funs in its first 11 home games of a season, per OptaSTATS.

"The crowd has helped a lot [with] that," Lindor said. "This is home, you know? Just stay the course, keep climbing."

Off to one of their best starts in recent memory, the Mets aren't putting too much pressure on themselves to keep things going. Instead, they're just trying to live in the present and continue to lean on and play hard for one another.

"We’re not focused on the future, we’re not in the past," Lindor said. "We just gotta stay the course and continue to climb, continue to play day in and day out as hard as we can. Try to win as many games while we’re having a good stretch."

Mets starter Tylor Megill is no stranger to a good start to a season.

After all, this is the player who got the Opening Day assignment in 2022 after just 18 career starts and went on his way to a 4-0 record in April with a 1.93 ERA, looking like New York's next great starting pitcher.

It hasn't quite worked out that way for the right-hander in his still-early career and his time with the Mets entering this season was potentially on the line if he didn't produce like he and the team know he's capable of -- especially after starters Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas went down during camp, which opened up a spot for Megill in the rotation.

Given another opportunity to prove his value, Megill has taken full advantage of the moment which was none more evident in his outing against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night at Citi Field, where he struck out 10 in 5.1 scoreless innings.

"He knows his stuff is good," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "Especially when he’s in the strike zone. We saw it today, every time he was in the strike zone he got swing and misses, especially with the fastball today. The fastball, the sinker -- that combo today, it had life. I just feel like now he knows that when he’s in the strike zone, his stuff plays."

Like most starts Megill has gotten off to, the 29-year-old has shined so far in April and owns a 1.09 ERA through five starts -- the fourth-lowest in MLB.

However, this time feels different as the right-hander appears to have finally heeded the advice of his manager and "just attack hitters" with his stuff.

"I’m definitely more confident in my stuff," Megill said. "Mendy preaches, ‘Your stuff is good, just attack hitters,’ and obviously it’s been showing."

Another big reason why Megill has looked so good on the mound is his addition of a sinker to his repertoire. It's a pitch he called a "game changer" for him after Monday's win.

"It was good to see him going right after [hitters]. That’s what you want to see. Challenge guys, attack them," Mendoza said.

This great start that Megill is off to didn't happen overnight, though.

After getting hurt at the beginning of last season, Megill returned in May and briefly pitched well before things fell apart for him in June which landed him back in Triple-A.

Because of injuries, Megill returned to the club a month later and ended the season on a high-note, pitching well for the Mets down the stretch and in a playoff hunt. As it turns out, that experience had a profound impact on Megill.

"Last year, I had some good momentum towards the end of the year and finishing the season and then obviously trying to be a guy that sticks and is around," he said. "Like I said before, it’s a great time to be a Met right now and I don’t want to end up leaving somewhere … I want to be around for these guys and help them win every time I go out there."

Right now, Megill is doing that and looks to finally be headed in the right direction to be a mainstay in New York's starting rotation, four years after his MLB debut.

Even not at full strength, the Mets are still clicking on all cylinders and have won five straight games, opening up a three-game lead on the Phillies in the NL East standings.

While it's still early, New York has to be pleased with the product on the field to start the season.

"Overall we’ve been playing really well, everyone’s pulling for each other, bullpen’s killing it, starting pitching is killing it so I’d say we’re in a good spot right now," Megill said.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. doesn't know exactly when MLB intends to review the case of his one-game suspension, but it appears that the Yankees' second baseman has some more time to break out of a prolonged slump before the appeal hearing occurs.

Perhaps he showed the first sign of a much-needed turnaround on Monday at Progressive Field. While the Yankees' efforts of a comeback against the Guardians fell short in a series-opening 6-4 loss, Chisholm demolished a fastball for a two-run homer in the eighth inning that cut their deficit to two.

The clutch hit couldn't have come at a better time for Chisholm, who'd been mired in a troubling 2-for-23 skid. It was his seventh homer of the season and first since April 14, and while a breakout at the plate isn't guaranteed, the moment undoubtedly boosted his confidence.

"It's just been unlucky," Chisholm told YES Network after the game. "[The homer] was very validating, finally getting out there and still hitting the ball hard. But finally getting it to fall somewhere, even though it's not in the park. Trying to get the base hits as well, not only home runs. It was very relieving, but at the same time, still got to keep on working and grind through it."

While Chisholm's power has been a welcome sight -- his seven homers rank tied for fifth-most in the majors -- the Yankees must be slightly concerned about his strikeout rate thus far. He's gone down on strikes in 31 of his 98 total plate appearances (32 percent), and the excessive whiffs have lowered his slash line to an uninspiring .161/.255/.425.

Yankees pull within two after a Jazz Chisholm HR! 👏 pic.twitter.com/zSL3n8MXzg

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 22, 2025

Schmidt happens

In his first road start of the season, Clarke Schmidt couldn't find much command. While he recovered from some control issues in the first two innings, trouble arrived in the third when he allowed back-to-back homers to Jose Ramirez and Kyle Manzardo for four runs.

Schmidt struggled to find a rhythm in his fourth inning of work, as he gave up an additonal run on two doubles, a single, and a walk. While he managed to strike out seven overall, he gave up seven hits and three walks and didn't return for a fifth frame. His ERA now sits at 7.45 through two starts (9.2 innings) this season.

“Obviously it’s game situations and we’re out there trying to win ballgames, but I’m also trying to refine myself and sharpen up and just get better each time I go out there,” said Schmidt, who logged 80 pitches. “I felt healthy. I thought the stuff was really good, velocity was good. Got a lot of swing-and-miss, a lot of strikeouts. That’s obviously a positive, but the walks are frustrating.”

Dominguez shows some pop

New York struggled to generate offense against Guardians starter Gavin Williams, who completed six innings without allowing a run. But signs of life arrived in the seventh, when Jasson Dominguez took the tall right-hander deep for a two-run blast to center, cutting the deficit to 6-2. Williams exited shortly thereafter.

The mammoth homer from Dominguez traveled a career-best 445 feet, and reaffirmed the power he posseses from the left side of the plate. While the 22-year-old's pop hasn't been consistent -- he has seven extra-base hits through 69 at-bats -- it clearly hasn't disappeared, either.

"He had some tough at-bats against Williams there his first couple times," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Dominguez. "He chewed him up pretty good and then he hammered it. That's a really good swing on a breaking ball that turns into a no-doubter to right-center and gave us a little bit of life."

After being shut out last week and losing its No. 1 ranking, Corona baseball responded Monday by hitting eight home runs in a 23-3 Big VIII League win over Corona Centennial.

Anthony Murphy hit three home runs and finished with four hits and six RBIs. Gavin Flores hit two home runs and had seven RBIs. Seth Hernandez, Ethin Bingaman and Jesiah Andrade also hit home runs. Corona had 24 hits against eight Centennial pitchers.

Corona is 20-2 and 9-1 in league.

La Mirada 2, Bellflower 1: Kevin Jeon went three for three for La Mirada.

Sylmar 11, Verdugo Hills 0: Alex Martinez threw a five-inning no-hitter. Rickee Luevano hit a three-run home run.

Kennedy 6, San Fernando 5: The Golden Cougars won the Valley Mission League game despite three hits from Ramon Amezcua.

Bell 3, Roosevelt 0: Adolfo Esquivel threw a three-hitter with six strikeouts.

Laguna Beach 3, Laguna Hills 2: Thomas Gonzales struck out 11 in six innings for Laguna Beach.

San Clemente 3, Mission Viejo 0: The Tritons won their seventh consecutive game. Mike Erspamer struck out 12 and gave up three hits in 6 2/3 innings.

St. Francis 1, Cathedral 0: Noah Aguilar-Tanphanich struck out seven in five scoreless innings for St. Francis.

Summit 10, Grand Terrace 0: Kody Smathers threw five scoreless innings and Isaac Castanon had three RBIs during Summit's 16th consecutive victory.

Los Osos 2, Upland 1: Reagan Samples struck out five in five innings for Los Osos.

Damien 7, Chino Hills 3: Elius Kelly and Bobby Logue hit home runs for Damien.

Etiwanda 8, Rancho Cucamonga 2: Jack Holquin and Noah Frias pitched the Eagles to a Baseline League upset.

Vista Murrieta 10, Murrieta Valley 0: Vaughn Neckar struck out eight and threw a no-hitter.

Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Mets held on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4, on Monday night to notch their fifth consecutive win.

Here are the takeaways...

-Leadoff Lindor struck again for the second game in a row as Francisco Lindor took Phillies starter Aaron Nola deep in his first at-bat. The 376-foot blast to right field gave New York a 1-0 lead which it's been getting accustomed to lately as Lindor has hit three leadoff home runs already this season.

The shortstop continues to thrive leading off the game and is now 10-for-21 with six extra-base hits in that spot. More on him later.

-The Mets got to Nola once again in the second as Jesse Winker jumped all over a 2-0 fastball for his first home run of the season and New York's second leadoff homer in two innings.

-The two runs would be all Tylor Megill needed as the right-hander completely dominated Philadelphia's lineup over his 5.1 innings of work. Megill matched his career-high with 10 strikeouts on the night -- the first time he's reached double-digit strikeouts in four years -- and only allowed one hit (while walking four).

Megill lowered his season ERA to 1.09 through five starts and 24.2 innings as the 29-year-old has been a huge boost for the Mets who continue to lead MLB in ERA.

-With one out in the sixth and a runner on first base, manager Carlos Mendoza chose to pull Megill after 92 pitches in favor of Reed Garrett who had stranded eight out of eight inherited runners entering Monday's game. The reliever made it nine of nine after working around a hit and getting the final two outs of the inning and has yet to allow an earned run over 9.2 innings to start the year.

-Having already allowed two home runs in the first two innings, Nola almost gave up a third after Juan Soto cranked a 1-2 pitch down the right-field line that was initially ruled a three-run homer but was overturned and ruled a foul ball. After review, it appeared Soto just missed his first Citi Field home run as a Met.

-Able to pitch into the seventh inning after a bumpy start, Nola left with runners on first and second and one out. With those baserunners Nola's responsibility, reliever Jose Ruiz entered the game to try and help his starter and escape the jam. After getting one out, Ruiz had to get through Lindor, but the red-hot shortstop crushed his second home run of the game on the second pitch he saw to give New York a 5-0 lead.

Lindor finished 2-for-3 with a walk, four RBI and two runs scored.

-Bidding for a three-inning save after entering a 2-0 game in the seventh inning and getting the first six outs on 23 pitches, Max Kranick struggled to start the ninth and allowed a run on two hits. A third consecutive hit allowed by Kranick prompted Mendoza to opt for his closer Edwin Diaz, but that decision didn't come without some nerves as Diaz allowed a three-run homer to Bryson Stott that cut the Mets' lead to a skinny run.

Diaz rebounded quickly, though, and struck out Trea Turner and Bryce Harper to end the game.

Game MVP: Francisco Lindor

His two home runs proved to be the difference in the game as the Phillies made things interesting in the ninth inning.

Highlights

LEADOFF LINDOR!

ANOTHER LEADOFF BLAST FOR FRANCISCO LINDOR! pic.twitter.com/C92Qn48Tzc

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 21, 2025

Tylor Megill sets down Nick Castellanos, Max Kepler and J.T. Realmuto as he strikes out the side in the 2nd! 💪 pic.twitter.com/r8BwkOdnX0

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 21, 2025

HEY JESSE!

JESSE WINKER'S FIRST HOME RUN OF THE YEAR! pic.twitter.com/5gN3HNbqTc

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 21, 2025

Juan Soto *just* missed his first Citi Field home run as a Met pic.twitter.com/KL17ufnZgt

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2025

STRUCK HIM OUT.

10 Ks in 5 innings for Tylor Megill! pic.twitter.com/n28HimX5d6

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2025

FRANCISCO LINDOR STRIKES AGAIN!

HIS SECOND HOME RUN OF THE NIGHT! pic.twitter.com/oUAsBzVPCg

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2025

HEEEEEE STRUCK HIM OUT AND THE BALLGAME IS OVER!

METS WIN 5-4! pic.twitter.com/5cvppGx714

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 22, 2025

What's next

The Mets continue their three-game series against their division rivals on Tuesday with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

RHP Griffin Canning (2-1, 3.43 ERA) will pitch for New York while the Phillies counter with LHP Cristopher Sanchez (2-0, 2.96 ERA).