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

How Giants' win streak amid turnaround has impacted their MLB postseason odds originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s been a thrilling stretch for the Giants, but they actually are not atop the leaderboard in terms of the greatest shift in playoff odds over the past week. That honor belongs to a franchise legend.

From last Thursday through this Thursday, Bruce Bochy’s Texas Rangers saw their postseason odds improve by about 12 percent, per Baseball-Reference’s formula. The Rangers won six straight before dropping a couple to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, but they also got plenty of help. The Seattle Mariners currently hold the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League and they dropped two of three in Cleveland last weekend before getting swept by the Rays this week.

In the National League, the Giants are hoping for a similar collapse from the pack in front of them, and they have put themselves in a position to capitalize if it happens. 

Winners of 10 of 11, the Giants are suddenly very much alive in the NL postseason race. Baseball-Reference gives them an 11.1 percent chance and FanGraphs has them at 4.3 percent. 

While that latter number is still extremely low, it’s a heck of a lot better than it was a couple of weeks ago. When they left San Diego last month after dropping three of four, they sat at 0.7 percent. The next night, a blown lead in Milwaukee cost them another game and dropped their FanGraphs’ odds to 0.4 percent.

The season was effectively over — and then the lineup decided to simply flip a switch. 

The Giants have scored 7.8 runs per game over the past 11 games, batting a combined .311 with a .908 OPS and more than two homers per game. Led by Rafael Devers and Willy Adames, the Giants have homered in 17 consecutive games, a San Francisco-era franchise record. During their 2-13 stretch at home in late July and early August, they never homered in even three consecutive games, and did it back-to-back games just once. 

“Seventeen is a lot, especially when you play in our park,” manager Bob Melvin told reporters in Denver on Wednesday. “It’s been a huge part of the resurgence at this point and it’s been mostly those guys in the middle of the order that we signed here long-term to do exactly that: Drive in runs, hit homers and hit for power.”

Everything has changed overnight, allowing the Giants to actually pursue October baseball, but they still need plenty of help. 

Aside from the obvious point that they have to continue to take every series and possibly pile up sweeps, the Giants need a team ahead of them to fall apart. The positive after the series at Coors Field is that they at least have multiple options now. 

The New York Mets hold the third Wild Card spot and sit four games ahead of the Giants, but they have the tiebreaker thanks to a sweep at Oracle in late July that helped push Buster Posey to sell at the deadline. The San Diego Padres have lost eight of 10 and sit five games ahead of the Giants, but again, they hold the tiebreaker. 

The Giants are essentially five back of the Mets and six back of the Padres, while sitting a game up on the Cincinnati Reds and 1 1/2 ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks. The latter two teams in the race will play a huge part in the Giants’ hopes down the stretch.

They visit Busch Stadium this weekend and then host the Cardinals on the final homestand of the year. They’ll also visit the Diamondbacks and host them, and do the same with the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, who have plenty of issues of their own but lead the Padres by two games in the NL West. The final three games of the year will be against a Colorado Rockies club that the Giants have gone 8-2 against this year. 

The schedule isn’t difficult, although with the exception of the Rockies, the Giants won’t face any team that has packed it in. In St. Louis and Phoenix, they’re also hoping for a miracle. Those four series figure to be hard-fought, and any series against the Dodgers is a difficult one. 

The math says the Giants are a long shot to play in October, but stranger things have happened, and it’s where we come back to the Rangers. Their manager, Bochy, was in San Francisco in 2010 when the Giants overcame a six-game deficit with 32 to play. 

Until playoff odds hit 0.0 percent, teams will always hope for the best, and the Giants have at least put themselves in position to make things interesting. They’ll aim to make up a bit more ground over the next week while the Mets face the Reds and Phillies. 

“Better late than never, I guess, right?” Chapman said Wednesday. “It’s been a lot of fun. We obviously hit a rough patch, but I feel like we’re really coming into our own right now and playing good baseball. We’re really just trying to keep it rolling.”

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The Yankees didn't allow frustrations from Wednesday's meltdown to fester, as they outlasted the rival Astros, 8-4, on a chaotic Thursday night at Daikin Park.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Astros starter Christian Javier entered Friday with a stellar 1.99 ERA in six career appearances against the Yankees, but it didn't take long for that mark to rise a tad. With two on and two outs in the second inning, Ryan McMahon drew first blood with an RBI single to shallow right that gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead. The two-out rally began with a walk to Austin Wells and a single from Anthony Volpe. Solid production by the bottom-third of the lineup.

-- Carlos Rodón kept batted balls in the park last month, allowing just one home run across six August outings (34.1 innings). But his streak of five starts without a long ball was snapped by Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who smacked a game-tying solo shot to right-center in the third. Injury was then added to insult moments later, when Jazz Chisholm Jr.appeared to hurt his left knee after tagging out a sliding Jose Altuve at second base. Chisholm hobbled off the field and completed his fourth-inning at-bat (a strikeout), but Jose Caballero entered shortly thereafter as his defensive replacement. The Yankees announced that Chisholm exited with knee contusions.

-- McMahon's second battle with Javier was more impressive than his first. With the score still knotted in the fifth, the Yankees' third baseman jumped on a first-pitch curveball that landed over the left-center field wall for a go-ahead solo blast. Javier then fell into further trouble, loading the bases on singles to Trent Grisham and Ben Rice and a walk to Aaron Judge, and from there, Cody Bellinger increased the lead to 3-1 with a one-out RBI single to right. Javier's night ended on that note -- it was naturally his shortest start against the Yankees thus far.

-- The Astros turned to Enyel De Los Santos to clean up Javier's mess, and he didn't improve the situation. He was issued a pitch clock violation before even throwing to Giancarlo Stanton, and while he ultimately won that at-bat via strikeout, his full-count bout with Caballero was lost due to yet another clock violation. The mental error resulted in a costly walk and pushed the Astros' deficit to three. The Yankees sent all nine batters to the plate in the fifth inning.

-- The groove Rodón settled into was disrupted by some chaos in the sixth. After allowing a leadoff double to Alvarez, a line drive from Altuve that was clearly caught by McMahon at third was ruled a drop and error by umpire Brian Walsh. The Yankees argued that his bobble occurred on the transfer, and while TV replays showed this to be the case, there was no official review and umpires stunningly upheld the ruling. Rodón overcame the mess by inducing a routine double-play grounder, but a poor scoop attempt from Rice at first allowed Alvarez to score and cut the Yankees' lead to 4-2.

-- Rodón recovered from Rice's error after a mound visit, striking out Christian Walker and inducing a flyout of Yainer Diaz. It wasn't a pretty effort from the veteran southpaw, but he still delivered six quality innings that the Yankees sorely needed. Overall, Rodón gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He also threw 109 pitches, tying his season high. His season ERA now sits at 3.12.

-- Luke Weaver took over in the seventh, but he failed to complete the inning. He served up a pinch-hit leadoff homer to Jesús Sánchez that trimmed the Yankees' lead to 4-3, and despite logging a pair of strikeouts, he proceeded to allow back-to-back singles that forced Aaron Boone to pull the plug. The jam was then handed to Fernando Cruz, who survived a full-count fight against Altuve by striking him out.

-- Any tension the Yankees felt after the seventh waned during the eighth. With two on and two out, McMahon once again came up clutch with an RBI single up the middle that deflected off the shortstop's glove and trickled into right field. Then, two pitches later, Grisham gave the Yankees an even greater sigh of relief by crushing a three-run blast down the line in right to extend their lead to a more comfortable 8-3. Grisham became the seventh center fielder in Yankees history to produce a 30-homer season -- suffice to say, nobody could've predicted him achieving this feat.

-- Cruz returned to the mound for the eighth, and while the inning began with a single to Correa, the veteran right-hander needed only 11 pitches to retire Walker (strikeouts), Diaz (strikeout), and Sanchez (flyout) and eliminate any chance of a rally. The ninth inning belonged to David Bednar, in a non-save situation, and once again, disorder only baseball can create arrived. After a double from Taylor Trammell that set the Astros up with two runners in scoring position with no outs, the Yankees questioned whether Trammell's bat met league rules. The umpires looked at the bat, which had a patch of white/tan on the barrel, but it wasn't deemed illegal. Perhaps black paint had chipped off. A league official seized the bat for review.

-- The pair of early hits and the confusing delay hampered Bednar, who proceeded to give up an RBI single to Alvarez and a walk to Altuve. But the bases-loaded jam with the tying run at the plate didn't escalate -- the veteran righty regrouped and induced two clutch strikeouts of Correa and Walker to seal a much-needed rubber game victory.

Game MVP: Ryan McMahon

McMahon's first three-hit game as a Yankee couldn't have come at a better time. He set the tone and finished 3-for-4 with a homer, two singles, and two runs scored. But credit goes to Grisham, who reached a career milestone with his valuable three-run blast.

Highlights

Ryan McMahon with an RBI single to get the Yankees on the board first in Houston pic.twitter.com/gZpupBm62s

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has left tonight’s game in the 4th inning after he appeared to get injured on this play in the 3rd inning.

He took his at-bat in the top of the 4th, but struck out on 3 pitches. pic.twitter.com/FgJJh7VBUq

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025

Ryan McMahon with a shot to left! pic.twitter.com/DW7n1XioA5

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025

Cody Bellinger knocks in another! pic.twitter.com/E3v2OR7W6t

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025

A pitch clock violation on Enyel De Los Santos and Jose Caballero draws a bases loaded walk! pic.twitter.com/Oaqm7Y6psL

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025

FERNANDO CRUZ STRIKES OUT ALTUVE pic.twitter.com/JfLaYvmqIj

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025

Ryan McMahon’s 3rd hit of the night brings home another! pic.twitter.com/88CdRr0NW1

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025

TRENT GRISHAM. 30 HOMERS! pic.twitter.com/G34Jh05GnI

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025

What's next

The Yankees (78-62) will fly back home and begin a critical three-game weekend series with the division-rival Blue Jays on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

RHP Cam Schlittler (2-2, 2.61 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Kevin Gausman (8-10, 3.75). New York currently trails Toronto by three games for first place in the AL East.

The Mets are getting a reinforcement for a big series with the Reds this weekend.

New York activated C Francisco Alvarez from the IL ahead of Friday's series opener in Cincinnati.

Alvarez had been sidelined since Aug. 18 with a right thumb UCL sprain. He's also playing through a broken left pinky he suffered when he was hit by a pitch during his rehab assignment.

The 23-year-old completed five rehab games with Triple-A Syracuse. In that span, Alvarez went 4-for-19 with the backstop launching a grand slam in his final rehab start on Wednesday. He was also playing catcher, including all nine innings in his last few games.

"I feel really good catching and throwing with the thumb," Alvarez. "When I did rehabs, I didn't feel almost anything."

He added: "I'm very excited. I always feel excited when I go to play baseball, it can be anywhere. I feel really excited to play baseball again."

Before the injury, Alvarez was finding his groove at the plate. In his last 15 games in the big leagues, Alvarez was slashing .326/.383/.628 with three home runs and 11 RBI. All three of those long balls came in his last six contests.

With Alvarez's return, Hayden Senger has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. 

Over three nights in Pittsburgh this week, the Dodgers didn’t win a game, despite playing a last-place Pirates club.

They didn’t grow their division lead, despite the second-place San Diego Padres suffering their own three-game sweep. 

And, as veteran infielder Miguel Rojas stressed Thursday night, they simply didn’t look like a team capable of sharing in any joy, despite their constant insistence that better play will materialize.

“I feel like ever since we started playing poorly a couple months ago, the pressure and frustration has been building up on the team,” Rojas said. 

“We know what we’re capable of. We’re playing under the threshold, the goal that we have. But at the end of the day, we gotta put all that aside ... and we have to find some joy and some motivation to come to the ballpark. Not just, ‘I gotta do my job.’ We have to come here and enjoy ourselves around the clubhouse, regardless of the situation.”

The situation, of course, looks bleak, with Thursday’s 5-3 loss to the Pirates sealing a confounding three-game sweep.

Read more:'We need to start playing better.' Slumping Dodgers lose again to the lowly Pirates

“It’s frustrating. It’s embarrassing,” Rojas said. “But we have to be able to turn the page and come tomorrow with a better attitude. ... We have to find a way to enjoy the game a little bit more.”

This loss, granted, was the easiest to explain.

In six scoreless innings, Cy Young frontrunner Paul Skenes was his typically dominant self. Already the major-league ERA leader, the second-year right-hander stuck out eight batters, gave up just two hits, escaped his only real threat by stranding a pair of two-out baserunners in the third inning, and otherwise overpowered the Dodgers with a seven-pitch repertoire headlined by his upper-90s mph sidearm fastball.

His counterpart, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, was nowhere near top form, giving up five runs in five innings despite largely limiting much hard contact.

The Dodgers (78-62) did finally show some life offensively in the top of the ninth, scoring three times (their first runs since the eighth inning of Tuesday's game) and putting the tying run on base. But by then, it was too little, too late — with the game ending on a three-pitch strikeout by newly called-up catcher Ben Rortvedt, the latest hair-pulling moment in a season of deflation.

“We’re just not playing good baseball, that’s really it,” Snell said. “We’ve got to figure that out. That’s on us to do that. We’ve got to get it going. It’s crunch time right now. Can’t really have excuses.”

Indeed, the Dodgers lead the NL West by only two games — having missed a chance to create distance in the standings after the Padres unexpectedly dropped three straight against the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the week.

They also trail the Philadelphia Phillies by three games for a top-two seed in the NL playoff picture, placing themselves in danger of facing a three-game wild-card series rather than a first-round bye.

With 22 games remaining, the Dodgers would have to be perfect the rest of the way to reach the 100-win mark. At this point, even 90 victories feels far from a certainty, given the team’s 4-12 record in their last 16 against teams with losing records. 

“I want to say it's uncharacteristic, but I think we've done that a lot,” manager Dave Roberts acknowledged afterward. 

And when facing the current best pitcher in the sport, they certainly never seemed poised to change that trend.

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: The 10 best starting pitchers in Dodger history

Skenes set the tone immediately on what had been a rainy evening in Pittsburgh. Shohei Ohtani struck out on a 99-mph heater in the game’s first at-bat. The next seven Dodgers who came to the plate all recorded outs, flailing at Skenes’ mix of four-seamers, sweepers, curveballs and changeups to allow him to quickly find a comfortable rhythm.

It wasn’t until Dalton Rushing — who started in place of an injured Will Smith, as the team’s starting catcher awaited results on a CT scan for a bruised hand he suffered the night before — hit a third-inning fastball high off the center-field wall for a double that gave the Dodgers their first baserunner. But, after an Ohtani walk, Mookie Betts grounded out to retire that threat.

From there, the only other damage Skenes allowed was a fifth-inning single from Rojas. And though the Dodgers’ ability to at least foul off two-strike pitches — they fought off 15 in all — at least got him out of the game after six innings, it was already too late to mount a comeback.

That’s because, unlike the Dodgers, the last-place Pirates (64-77) actually managed to build rallies against another of the game’s other top pitchers.

Snell’s outing was a grind from the start, with Rushing misfiring to first base for an error in the first inning and Betts reacting slowly to a ground ball at shortstop to extend the second.

Snell worked around those jams. In the third, however, he followed a leadoff single by Bryan Reynolds with a pair of wild pitches that got by Rushing. With Reynolds suddenly on third, and the Dodgers’ infield forced to play in, Tommy Pham slapped a single through the dirt for the night’s opening run.

Two innings later, the Pirates broke it open.

In the fifth, Snell gave up three consecutive singles that doubled Pittsburgh's lead. Then, after an intentional one-out walk to Andrew McCutchen, Nick Yorke went after a first-pitch curveball for a two-run double down the line. McCutchen later scored from third on a grounder. 

“It just seemed like today there was some seeing-eye single, balls finding the outfield grass,” Roberts said. “I thought he was good, not great. But again, a little bit unlucky. When you're facing Paul Skenes, you just can't afford to give up runs."

If all that wasn’t enough, the game ended with another regrettable sequence in the ninth. Betts broke up the shutout with a leadoff home run. Singles from Teoscar Hernández, Michael Conforto, Andy Pages and Rojas brought around two more runs with the Dodgers down to their last out.

Then, however, Rortvedt came up as their ill-fated final hope. 

A career minor-leaguer whom the Dodgers acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline, then called up Thursday after Smith took a foul ball off his hand the night before, Rortvedt struck out after having replaced Rushing an inning earlier. 

Read more:‘Want to see that edge.’ How Dodgers hope Teoscar Hernández turns around difficult season

As Roberts explained postgame, he was trying to get Rushing (a rookie who has been a backup this season, but will likely start the next three games as Smith recovers from his bruised hand) off his feet. Given the way the game had gone, he wasn’t expecting Rushing’s spot in the order (which was due up eighth in the ninth inning) to come back up again.

“Obviously, in a separate world, I would've loved to have had Dalton up there,” Roberts said. “But when you have three hits through eight [innings] and you're down 5-0, just kind of trying to figure out how to preserve him for the next few days, too."

So it goes for the Dodgers right now. Their inconsistent lineup continues to scuffle. Their supposed strength of a rotation hasn’t been able to dominate. And, with their record an incomprehensible 22-30 since July 4, there remains no end in sight to their second-half slide — nor visible signs of anything other than frustration.

“I feel like, as an offense, we’re putting a little bit too much pressure on ourselves, because we feel the necessity of winning. And we’re really forgetting about the most important part, which is playing for each other and having some joy when we play this game,” Rojas said. 

“We all know, when you’re losing baseball games it’s not that fun. But I feel like we have to find a way to put everything in perspective. We’re still in first place. We’re still two games ahead of the Padres. We should be able to have some fun while we’re playing the game, and kind of relax a little bit more. Because I think when this team is together like that, we’re really hard to beat.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. exited Thursday's game against the Astros with an apparent knee injury.

In the bottom of the third inning, Jose Altuve tried to advance to second base after a passed ball. Catcher Austin Wells recovered the baseball and threw to second, where Chisholm slapped down his tag on Altuve, who slid into the infielder's left knee.

Chisholm would take his at-bat in the top of the fourth inning, but after he struck out, he gingerly walked back to the dugout. The YES broadcast caught Chisholm in the dugout signaling to the coaching staff that he needed to come out of the game.

The Yankees announced that Chisholm was pulled with knee contusions in both knees. They happened on different plays. The team replaced Chisholm with Jose Caballero in the bottom of the fourth.

Chisholm was 0-for-2 with a strikeout before he left the game.

After the game, manager Aaron Boone gave a short update on Chisholm. 

"I don’t think it’s anything major, that’s the sense right now," he said. "We’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow."

Boone clarified that the first incident happened when Chisholm went down on his right knee for a groundball hit his way. The Yankees skipper believes Chisholm slammed his knee into the ground too hard. 

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has left tonight’s game in the 4th inning after he appeared to get injured on this play in the 3rd inning.

He took his at-bat in the top of the 4th, but struck out on 3 pitches. pic.twitter.com/FgJJh7VBUq

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 5, 2025

The Mets are hoping to fortify their bullpen before the start of the postseason, and Reed Garrett is hoping to be part of the team's plans when he returns from his rehab assignment.

Garrett began his first step toward returning to the club when he took the mound for Double-A Binghamton on Thursday.

Starting the game against the Akron RubberDucks, the right-hander started off hot, striking out the first hitter he faced on three pitches. After a five-pitch lineout, Garrett allowed a single before striking out his final batter on four pitches.

It was a dominant performance for Garrett, who allowed one hit and struck out two batters in his one inning of work. He was also very efficient, tossing just 15 pitches, 11 for strikes.

Garrett was placed on the IL back on Aug. 25 with right elbow inflammation. To make sure Garrett is healthy enough to return, Thursday's outing is the first of likely a few starts in the minor leagues. The minor league regular season does end in September, so there's not too much time for the 32-year-old to get in his reps.

This season, Garrett has produced up-and-down results. He pitched to a 0.73 ERA through May but has since seen his effectiveness wane as the months have gone on. In 54 appearances, Garrett owns a 3.61 ERA with three saves and a 1.22 WHIP.

A couple of strikeouts tonight for Reed Garrett in his first rehab appearance for Binghamton pic.twitter.com/fy8TAkdNnS

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 4, 2025

Phillies shutout Brewers to take series in Milwaukee originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

MILWAUKEE – The pace of play in Thursday’s game made some think the Phillies and Brewers wanted to be done quick enough to get settled in to watch the Eagles-Cowboys game.

In reality, the quickness in the early part was due to two outstanding starts by Ranger Suarez and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta.

Once the Brewers’ ace was out, the Phillies finally broke a scoreless game in the seventh when Alec Bohm drilled a one-out triple to rightfield and scored on Trea Turner’s two-out single to give the Phillies the only run they needed in what became a 2-0 win over the Brewers. The Phillies took two-of-three from the Brewers and improved to 81-59. Milwaukee fell to 86-55.

The Phillies chased Peralta after just five innings, not because they were hitting him around, but because he had thrown 92 pitches, which included eight strikeouts and three walks. The National League pitcher of the month for August has not allowed an earned run in 29 innings. In his last six starts encompassing 33 innings, Peralta has given up just 13 hits, one earned run, 15 walks and 42 strikeouts.

Suarez was pitch-for-pitch with Peralta, as he once again had terrific command and masterfully worked himself out of tough situations. He allowed a runner in each of his six innings and appeared to be tiring a bit in the sixth.

“He was fantastic,” said Rob Thomson of Suarez. “Strikes, command, kept them off balance, curve ball was really good. I thought he was outstanding, I really did. And the bullpen was great, too. Our offense on their starter was really good. We got his pitch count up, we had 84 pitches after four which is really good even though we didn’t have anything to show for it. Really good defense. All around great team win.”

William Contreras led off that sixth inning with a walk and moved to third on a double by Andrew Vaughn. That’s when Suarez zoned in. With the infield drawn in, he got Caleb Durbin to ground out to Bryson Stott at second, then coaxed Danny Jansen into a shallow fly out to Harrison Bader in center. He got out of the inning when Andruw Monasterio grounded out to Alec Bohm at third.

Suarez finished the day giving up six hits and struck out four in his six innings and 60 of his 89 pitches were strikes.

“We all know how great of a team they are,” said Suarez, who improved to 11-6. “Today I just focused on being myself on the mound and just throwing the pitches that I wanted and the counts that I wanted, too. I think just be myself and how I am naturally, calm. I think that helped me and locating my pitches. The curveball helped me a lot. I threw it a lot in that last inning.”

The Phillies got an insurance run in the eighth when Bader doubled down the leftfield line to lead off the inning and scored on a double by Stott.

After Suarez’s terrific outing, the bullpen was perfect in closing out the Phillies’ fifth win in their last seven games. David Robertson, Matt Strahm and Jhoan Duran each pitched scoreless innings and Duran picked up his 26th save of the season and 10th as a Phillie. He was aided on a leaping catch near the fence in center by Bader off the bat of Monasterio.

“I think our attitude is just keep pushing and keep competing and good things will happen,” said Turner. “We were making (Peralta) work and our pitching staff did a great job today. Ranger was really good and the bullpen was great. Getting that lead and holding onto it was big because you’ve got to win games like that.”

The Mets added some bullpen depth on Thursday, claiming right-hander Wander Suero off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.

Suero, 33, appeared in five games with the Braves this season, pitching to an 11.37 ERA with four walks and seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings. 

Breaking into the majors with the Washington Nationals in 2018, Suero pitched four seasons with the Nats, posting a 4.61 ERA with a 3.80 FIP. 

The righty has also pitched in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers (five games), Houston Astros (one game), and the Braves (five games).

While Suero may not be a high-leverage reliever for the Mets, he does give them another experienced arm in a bullpen that has been heavily taxed due to the starting rotation not providing enough length on a consistent basis.

Castellanos now a part of the Phillies' outfield platoon originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

MILWAUKEE — Since the Phillies acquired outfielder Harrison Bader at the trade deadline, the question of platooning Bader, Brandon Marsh, Max Kepler and Weston Wilson has been a popular talking point.

Well, now it appears Nick Castellanos can be added to the list.

Manager Rob Thomson created his own deadline for deciding on an “everyday” outfield when Bader was gotten, saying he was going to go six days of platooning before any decision was made. That was back at the end of July and now, the rotation seems as unknown as ever.

Castellanos was out of the lineup again Thursday against the Brewers, despite getting two hits and scoring two runs in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss. Thomson’s outfield Thursday consisted of Marsh in left, Bader in center and Kepler in right. It’s the sixth time Castellanos has not started in the past 18 games.

“Yeah, well, I mean the other three are so hot right now,” Thomson said. “So I was staying with that, to tell you the truth.”

When asked about the platoon back at the trade deadline, Thomson called Castellanos an everyday player. He’s also said that matching up players against opposing pitchers is a big factor in deciding who plays. For his career, Castellanos is 7 for 19 (.368) with four doubles and five RBI against Thursday’s starter Freddy Peralta. For comparison, Bader is 4 for 19 (.211) with a homer, three RBI and eight strikeouts and Marsh 0 for 4.

“Well, it looks that way,” Thomson said on if Castellanos is now part of the platoon. “I mean, you can call it whatever you want, but at this point in the year, I’m going to put out what I think is the best lineup on any given day to win a ballgame. Yeah, there’s still a bit of a rotation, if you want to call it that. If you want to call it a platoon, doesn’t matter to me.”

Since joining the team, Bader has hit .310 with nine extra base hits, nine RBI and 13 runs in the 27 games. Kepler has hit .288 with six extra base hits, nine RBI and 11 runs over his last 14 games and Marsh is hitting .303 over his last 97 games, including 10 for his last 19.

Asked how Castellanos, who is hitting .253 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI, is handling the situation, Thomson said, “Yeah, he hasn’t said a word. He’s been good. I think he’s being a pro and understands that he’s ready to help the club whenever it’s needed.”

Painter update

Top prospect Andrew Painter struggled in his Wednesday outing for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, as he gave up 10 hits, six earned runs, three walks and two home runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. He now has a 5.62 ERA.

“Basically, the same kind of stuff,” Thomson said. “But he did get 17 whiffs, so that was good. The velocity was good. I didn’t see it this time, but just from the report, two walks in the first inning, a walk later on, kind of cruised for a bit. But, you know, it’s just a little bit of inconsistency with fastball command and I think that’s normal.”

Thomson said he hasn’t heard anything about shutting Painter down for the season, his first back from Tommy John surgery.

“There was a time earlier in the year that he was getting frustrated,” Thomson said. “And I’m sure there’s still some frustration there, because he’s always had a lot of success. But I think, overall, he’s handled it well. I know that it’s always good to end a season on a good note, especially in his case.”

Right-handed pitching prospect Brandon Sproat is coming up to make his major league debut against the Reds this weekend.

SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino was first to report earlier Thursday that Sproat was in "strong consideration" for a start this weekend.

The belief is that Sproat will start on Sunday.

Sproat, 24, is coming off one of his best starts of the season for Triple-A Syracuse, where he fired 7.0 shutout innings while allowing three hits, walking two, and striking out nine.

Since making a change ahead of his start on June 28 -- basically deciding to be more aggressive and let it fly -- Sproat has a 2.44 ERA in 59.0 innings.

He's also been missing bats at a higher clip, racking up eight or more strikeouts on five occasions since then after not doing so at all over his first 15 games of the season.

While he relies heavily on a four-seam fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and touches 100 mph, Sproat also has a sinker, sweeper, gyro slider, and changeup.

The Mets' rotation is in a bit of flux, with the team waiting to see if Kodai Senga will accept a temporary assignment to the minors -- where he would be able to work on his mechanics and other things that have ailed him during his recent rough stretch.

David Peterson will start Friday's series-opener against the Reds in Cincinnati, while Jonah Tong gets the ball on Saturday in what will be his second big league start.

After facing the Reds over the weekend, the Mets head to Philadelphia for a four-game series against the Phillies before returning home to open a three-game series against the Rangers on Friday, Sept. 12.

If the Mets reach the playoffs, Sproat can easily be added to the roster if he's deemed to be a fit despite not being on the 40-man roster by Sept. 1.

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Reds play a three-game series in Cincinnati starting on Friday at 6:40 p.m. on SNY.

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5 things to watch

The return of Francisco Alvarez

Alvarez, who last played on Aug. 17 -- when he sprained the UCL in his right thumb while sliding into second base -- is expected to be activated from the IL ahead of Friday's series-opener.

The backstop, who will need surgery after the season for his thumb injury, is also playing with a broken left pinky that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch last week during his rehab assignment.

Alvarez not only played through the pain during his rehab stint but excelled, blasting a grand slam for Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday night.

Manager Carlos Mendoza recently said that Alvarez's throwing from behind the plate since hurting his thumb has been fine, but it will certainly be something to keep an eye on after he returns -- especially if opposing teams attempt to take advantage of Alvarez's injury by running wild.

Before getting injured, Alvarez had been a force at the plate following his brief stint in the minor leagues. In 71 plate appearances over 21 games from July 21 to Aug. 17, he slashed .323/.408/.645 with four homers, six doubles, one triple, 13 RBI, and 14 runs scored. If Alvarez can pick up where he left off, he'll add even more punch to a lineup that has been running on all cylinders over the last month or so. 

Brandon Sproat's big league debut

As the Mets wait to see if the struggling Kodai Senga will accept a minor league assignment, the rotation is in flux.

David Peterson will start on Friday, with Jonah Tong getting the ball on Saturday, but the club hasn't yet named a starter for Sunday.

That's because Sproat is getting called up from Triple-A Syracuse, with the expectation being that he'll make that start.

Sproat, 24, is coming off one of his best starts of the season for Triple-A Syracuse, where he fired 7.0 shutout innings while allowing three hits, walking two, and striking out nine.

Since making a change ahead of his start on June 28 -- basically deciding to be more aggressive and let it fly -- Sproat has a 2.44 ERA in 59.0 innings.

Jonah Tong's second big league start

Tong was strong in his major league debut last Friday at Citi Field, limiting the Marlins to one earned run over 5.0 innings while allowing six hits, walking none, and striking out six. 

But it was a bit of a weird outing since there were two instances where Tong had to sit in the dugout for roughly a half hour while the Mets put a hurting on Miami. That led to a game that was a blowout in the Mets' favor early, which took a bit of the starch out of the excitement of Tong's debut.

And while he pitched well as his fastball topped out at 97.7 mph, Tong generated only seven swings and misses.

Tong relied mostly on his fastball (which he threw 59 times) and changeup (24 times), while also mixing in his curve 13 times. He threw his slider -- the newest pitch in his arsenal -- just once.

It will be interesting to see how Tong looks his second time out and how he deploys his pitches, especially if the game remains close.

The Reds are reeling while the Giants are surging

The belief about a week ago was that this series would be a huge one when it comes to who nabs one of the last two Wild Card spots in the National League.

And while the Reds could still stake their claim if they play well, they'll enter Friday's tilt trailing the Mets by 5.0 games for the third Wild Card spot. That's because Cincinnati went 3-7 over its last 10 games as the Mets went 6-4, creating some serious separation while also pulling to within 1.0 game of the Padres for the second Wild Card spot.

In the meantime, the Giants went on a 10-1 clip, pulling ahead of the Reds in the standings and clawing to within 4.0 games of the Mets. 

What could be important if San Francisco continues to surge is that the Mets own the tiebreaker over them after winning four of six games during this year's season series. 

Hunter Greene has been elite

Greene, who gets the start on Sunday, has a 2.70 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 101 strikeouts in 83.1 innings over 15 starts this season.

The right-hander is coming off a strong start against the Blue Jays, where he limited Toronto to one run on five hits in 6.1 innings while walking one and striking out seven.

Since returning from a groin strain on Aug. 13, Greene has a 2.66 ERA in 23.2 innings over four starts. 

Cincinnati's rotation schedule is a bit fluid due to Nick Lodolo missing his last start due to illness. Andrew Abbott and Brady Singer are currently listed as the starters for Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Juan Soto

Soto has been on an absolute heater, hitting .301/.463/.710 with 12 homers, 28 RBI, 30 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases in 26 games since Aug. 6.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

David Peterson

Expect Peterson to have a strong bounce back outing after his season-worst performance against the Marlins on Aug. 30.

Which Reds player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Noelvi Marte

The 23-year-old is having a breakout campaign, slashing .292/.332/.512 with 12 homers and 17 doubles in 70 games. 

It was a frustrating night for the Yankees after they blew a late three-run lead in their 8-7 loss to the Astros on Wednesday night.

But while both teams traded blows in what felt like a playoff preview, the game will be remembered by the meltdown eighth inning by the Yankees, which was pushed to Houston's favor by what the team called an "inconsistent" strike zone from homeplate umpire Brian Walsh.

With the score tied at 4-4, Devin Williams was called upon to keep Houston down when he allowed a leadoff double to Carlos Correa. But a walk to Jesus Sanchez, with two questionable ball calls in the at-bat, put Williams in a bind. The right-hander then bounced back by striking out Yainer Diaz before walking Christian Walker to load the bases. Ramon Urias struck out swinging, bringing Taylor Trammell to the plate as the game-defining at-bat. 

Trammell worked the count to 2-0, but Williams seemingly dotted the inside corner for a strike that Walsh called a ball, setting up a 3-0 count. Trammell would eventually walk on five pitches, pushing across the go-ahead run.

Manager Aaron Boone pulled Williams afterward and the reliever said a few words to Walsh as he walked back to the dugout. What Williams said prompted the first ejection of Williams' career.

"I already looked at [the replays]," Williams said after the game. "[Walsh] definitely missed four [pitches] and I told him, and he threw me out for it." 

Boone would also be ejected after the skipper chirped at Walsh while walking back to the dugout.

Aaron Boone gets ejected from tonight’s game. pic.twitter.com/HJD6Fr4ezk

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 4, 2025

Camilo Doval relieved Williams, and he allowed a single before balking in a run and throwing a wild pitch that plated another as the inning got out of hand.

Boone called the eighth "tough" and said there were some close pitches but gave credit to the Astros for putting together good at-bats against starter Will Warren and the bullpen in the second half of the game as the reason the game got away from the Yankees.

When asked about Walsh's strike zone, the Yankees skipper agreed that it was inconsistent but again credited Houston for the comeback.

"I thought it was maybe a little inconsistent. This is more we had a lead, had a couple of chances to add on and the Astros put some good at-bats together," he said. "They were squaring up good pitches against us in the second half of the game. Outslasted us." 

Austin Wells was asked after the game whether the strike zone changed as the game went on, and the Yankees backstop took a beat but was candid.

"Yes. I would say yes," he said.

That wasn't more evident than in the ninth inning. After Cody Bellinger's three-run shot cut the Astros' lead to 8-7, Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck out looking on a pitch that seemed to be a bit outside to end the game. Chisholm had some words with Walsh after the game was over.

Williams understands that missed calls are a part of the game and pitchers are supposed to push past it, but admitted that it's difficult to accept when it "changes outcomes."

"When you’re making good pitches, which I was, not getting those calls really changes the course of an at-bat," Williams said. "Correa hit the double, so I had my back against the wall right away. made some really good pitches to Sanchez, which he missed two in that at-bat. I competed but…I don’t know. 

"It’s just ridiculous to have the inning that I had and then Jazz got the bat taken out of his hands on a pitch that was a lot further from the zone than pitches I was making.”

"He had the right to be frustrated. Felt like there was definitely some calls that we would have loved to go our way," Wells said of Williams. "The game, mistakes, is what it is. We go back, watch video, try to get better. I hope that those guys are going to do the same."