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

Former Met Johan Santana is joining Team Venezuela's coaching staff as their pitching coach for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Santana, who pitched for the Mets from 2008-2012, is a two-time Cy Young award winner and four-time All-Star. He won both of his Cy Young awards with the Minnesota Twins where he began his career and spent eight seasons.

In his first season in New York, the left-hander led MLB with his 2.53 ERA and led the NL with 34 starts and 234.1 innings pitched. Santana went on to go 46-34 during his career with the Mets and pitched to a 3.18 ERA. He also threw the first no-hitter in franchise history on June 1, 2012 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Now 46 years old, this will be Santana's first opportunity as a coach for professional players. And although rosters have not been released yet, some possible pitchers that will play for manager Omar Lopez and Team Venezuela include starters Pablo Lopez, Ranger Suarez, Eduardo Rodriguez and Martin Perez, as well as relievers Jose Alvarado, Robert Suarez, Jose Buttó and Brusdar Graterol.

With a lineup that could feature players such as Ronald Acuña Jr., Jose Altuve, Salvador Perez, Eugenio Suarez and more like Francisco Alvarez and Luisangel Acuña, Team Venezuela will likely be a formidable team in the tournament.

Giants' offense once again lacks energy as team's Oracle Park skid continues originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — As Drew Gilbert’s floater to left field dropped softly onto the grass on Monday night, members of his family started to rise. They weren’t alone. 

The Giants prospect got a nice ovation after picking up his first big league hit in the third inning, but he didn’t let any big-picture thoughts creep into his head. Gilbert said afterward that he immediately went into baserunner mode. He didn’t spend much time soaking up the cheers or the applause coming from his dugout. 

“For maybe, like, a second,” he said.

Drew Gilbert records his first MLB hit 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kXxVRb9SXv

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 12, 2025

The ovation came a day after Giants fans showered Justin Verlander with love following his 3,500th strikeout. This is a fan base that is desperate for something to cheer for, and once again, the Giants gave them very few reasons to get on their feet. 

Rafael Devers brought some juice with a solo homer, but other than that and the Gilbert single, there was nothing. The Giants lost 4-1 to the San Diego Padres, striking out 10 times while losing for the 11th time in their last 12 games at Oracle Park. 

A team that had eight walk-off wins through June 7 all of a sudden is incapable of bringing life to a ballpark that has seen a notable attendance boost this season. The Giants have scored three total runs in their last three home games and 23 runs over the 1-11 stretch. 

“Giants fans are one of the best and they’ve been showing up for us and we just haven’t been doing a good job,” staff ace Logan Webb said. “We score a run today and tie the game and I go back out for the seventh and the momentum shift — it’s just bad. It’s kind of the way it’s going.”

Webb gave up three runs right after the Devers homer and took that hard, although he probably shouldn’t have. After throwing 219 pitches in his two previous starts, he was sent back out for the seventh with 88 on his line. The inning unraveled quickly, with a Freddy Fermin homer putting the game away.

The Giants always have pushed Webb, and perhaps they felt getting seven strong out of him on Monday was the only way. They certainly weren’t going to win a battle of the bullpens. 

That wasn’t the case in the first half, when they seemingly came back every time they fell behind at home. The deficits are the same, but the comebacks have dried up, and with Monday’s loss, they fell to .500 at Oracle Park this season. 

Manager Bob Melvin was asked about the home skid before the game and said it’s hard to figure out what’s going on. Players have said the same, but they need to put it together quickly. The first half built momentum and attendance surged, but Monday’s crowd of 30,018 was the smallest at Oracle Park since June 13. It was 5,000 less than what the Giants drew two weeks earlier on a Monday night against the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates. 

It was an energetic crowd early on, though. At least until the lack of offense sucked the life out of the ballpark. Even Gilbert, who should have been celebrating, found reasons for frustration.

“I know I’m a rookie, but I want to win,” he said. “Hits are awesome, but wins are better.”

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Phils make quick work of Reds to win fourth straight, climb 20 games over .500 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

CINCINNATI — While the collective musical preference of the Phillies and Cincinnati Reds isn’t known, the two teams played with a quickness Monday as if they were huge Snoop Dogg fans.

Fo shizzle.

The immensely popular entertainer performed following the game at Great American Ballpark, and you had to wonder if the players wanted to get to it as quick as possible. A quick game of two hours and 20 minutes and a concert are much better if a win is attached, and the Phillies got that with a 4-1 triumph over the Reds.

The only real delay in the game came in the top of the eighth when the Reds decided to challenge whether Kyle Schwarber’s monster two-run homer was fair or foul. The call stood as fair and Schwarber’s 42nd home run of the season gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead.

Phillies starter Taijuan Walker struggled in the first inning as he allowed a run on three hits while throwing 27 pitches. The big right-hander found a groove, however, and didn’t allow another run during his six innings of work in which he allowed six hits, just that run, a walk and struck out two while throwing a manageable 93 pitches in his duel with Reds starter Andrew Abbott.

“I started getting quick outs, a lot of ground ball outs today, which was key,” Walker, who now sports a 3.39 ERA this season, said. “The biggest thing is just keeping the team in the game. That first inning could have got away but only let up the one run and after that just kind of got into a little groove and started being aggressive and just started pounding the zone.

“I said before, I busted my butt in the offseason. I wanted to come back this year and show them that I worked hard and I was ready to get back into the rotation. I think I proved that and especially going back and forth staying calm and under control and within myself and going out to do whatever they want me to do. I’m comfortable as a starter and I’ve done it for a long time, so hopefully keep going.”

Abbott was lights out against the Phillies for seven innings and began the eighth by striking out Harrison Bader and Otto Kemp. As has been the norm for the Phillies on this road trip, the offense did what it needed to do to secure the team’s eighth win in the past 10 games. The Phillies are now 69-49, their first time to 20 games over .500 this season. They lead the idle New York Mets by six games in the National League East.

Edmundo Sosa got a two-out single in the eighth and then Weston Wilson, one of the plethora of platoon outfielders manager Rob Thomson has at his disposal, lined a double down the left-field line that bounced around for a bit, allowing Sosa to score from first and tie the game at one. Sosa then scored on a single by Trea Turner and then Schwarber hit that monster shot to right, just inside the foul pole.

It was the second game in a row that Wilson came up big at the plate. His single in the fifth Sunday gave the Phillies a 3-2 lead in an eventual 4-2 win over the Rangers. Monday, he did it again.

“It’s something I’ve been accustomed to the last couple of years,” Wilson said of platooning. “That’s my role, playing against lefties and just doing the same thing that I’ve been doing, getting prepared in the cage. Trying to simulate reaction time with heaters and everything. I think when game time rolls around you kind of just go compete.

“It’s huge. I have confidence in myself and I think everybody has confidence in each other. Just being able to come up big in those moments has been awesome. Being able to take some pressure off the top of the lineup and the bottom is doing it as well now.”

With the luxury of his bullpen pitching so well of late, the game seems to get shorter and shorter for Thomson. Although closing sensation Jhoan Duran was unavailable Monday after having had saves the previous two games against the Rangers, the trio of Jordan Romano, David Robertson and Orion Kerkering brought it home as they combined to allow just one hit, walked one and struck out three in their three innings. The bullpen has now allowed just one earned run over the last 23 2/3 innings.

“Romano hasn’t had a full inning in a long time. He came in and threw strikes,” Thomson said. “His stuff was really good, sharp slider. D-Rob getting his feet wet in pretty high-leverage, I guess. Walked the leadoff hitter on four pitches but then he settled in and pitched great and Kerkering was fantastic. Sometimes you’re forced into it (putting in pitchers in high-leverage situations) and you can’t do anything about it. I would have liked to put [Robertson] into a little easier spot.”

Before his collapse in the eighth, Abbott had allowed just three hits to the Phillies. Oddly, all three hits, including doubles by J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper, led off innings, but the left-hander worked out of trouble each time.

“His pitch count was getting up there so maybe he wasn’t quite as sharp,” Thomson said of Abbott. “I think this club is so resilient, they never believe they are out of a game, they just keep fighting and that’s what I love about them.”

Thomson ended the postgame talk yelling “Snoop.” Asked if he was going to watch the concert, the manager said, “No, I’m going home and watching TV.”

There was plenty of time for that, too.

What we learned as Logan Webb runs out of gas late in Giants' loss to Padres originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — Two months ago, when Logan Webb and Yoshinobu Yamamoto faced off at Dodger Stadium, the game ended with two teams atop the NL West standings. 

Webb and Yamamoto were back in action Monday night, one in San Francisco and one in Anaheim, and once again, the Dodgers are looking at potentially having a partner atop the division. But the Giants now are nowhere near that race. 

It’s the San Diego Padres — 4-1 winners on Monday night — who are closing in on the Dodgers, with just 1 1/2 games separating them. The Giants once hoped to catch the Padres in the wild-card race, but they now sit eight games back. 

Webb cruised through the first five innings, getting 11 outs on the ground and striking out a pair. The Padres pushed a run across in the sixth, but Rafael Devers immediately countered with a rocket to left-center, his third homer in four games on this homestand. 

Rafi ties it up 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PgiLXaXses

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 12, 2025

The blast brought some juice back to the ballpark, but it didn’t last long. A double and RBI single gave the Padres the lead a few pitches into the seventh, and Freddy Fermin blasted a two-run shot down the left field line, handing a healthy lead to the league’s best bullpen. 

The Ferminator 🦾 pic.twitter.com/nzDOnigGQD

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 12, 2025

On The Board

The old “it’ll be a line drive in the box score” joke probably doesn’t apply in 2025, but Drew Gilbert at least can try it out. His first big league hit left the bat at just 65 mph and dropped softly between three Padres in shallow left, but a hit is a hit, and Gilbert officially has an MLB batting average.

Drew Gilbert records his first MLB hit 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kXxVRb9SXv

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 12, 2025

Gilbert had been hitless in 10 at-bats through his first four starts, but the Giants are going to take a long look at the recently acquired prospect, and he showed off some tools Monday. After the single, he stole second, although he was thrown out at third as he tried to advance on a poor throw. Gilbert became the first Giant since Jason Vosler in 2021 to pick up his first hit and stolen base in the same game, and at the very least, he’s bringing some energy to a team that needs it. 

The longest hitless streak to start a Giants career, by the way, belongs to Edwards Guzman. He went 21 hitless at-bats between stints in 1999 and 2001.

Those Guys Again

The Padres have given Webb a lot of trouble in recent years, although he dominated them at Oracle on June 2. Early on Monday, this looked like another gem, and Webb needed just 66 pitches to get through five scoreless innings. The only hit through the first four was a single that came on a slow roller that took a weird bounce when it hit first base. 

But the Fermin homer left Webb with four runs on his line in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed eight hits, walked one and struck out three. Webb has now given up at least four earned in three of his last four home starts. 

Dominating

On the ninth pitch of his first at-bat, Dominic Smith redirected a Yu Darvish splitter up the middle, getting the first hit of the night for the Giants. The single extended Smith’s hitting streak to 14 games, the longest active one in the big leagues and longest of his career. 

Smith is the first Giant to reach 14 games since another left-handed first baseman, Brandon Belt. The longtime Giant did it during a 2021 MLB season that was his best as a big leaguer. 

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Gerrit Cole took a big step on his road to recovery on Monday, throwing 20 pitches off of flat ground.

Manager Aaron Boone confirmed the news, which was first reported by YES Network's Meredith Marakovits.

"He’s done a good job with rehab," Boone said. "This is one of those cool markers along that way that’s significant to hit, so excited for him."

The Yankees ace underwent Tommy John surgery on March 11, opting for the internal brace procedure that could potentially shorten his recovery time.

The 34-year-old appeared in two spring training games for the Yankees this year, and it was clear something wasn’t right, as the former Cy Young winner allowed seven earned runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings of work. Cole ended up having season-ending surgery just five days after his final spring start.

"It’s a big one, first day throwing," Cole told reporters on Monday. "Been building up to it for a few weeks so it’s nice to get outside and get it accomplished and have it go well."

The right-hander also mentioned that it "felt really good" to be out there and that he was "fairly accurate."

While it's great to see Cole throwing again, he still has a long way to go before pitching for New York once again. Nevertheless, he'll continue his throwing program through the rest of the season before shutting it down again entering the offseason phase.

"This initial progression should take at least a few months so we’re right at the beginning of it," Cole said.

With Cole missing the entire season, free agent addition Max Fried has stepped into the ace role nicely, pitching to a 2.94 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP. It’s clear, however, that the Yankees have missed Cole, who has pitched to a 3.12 ERA and made three All-Star Games in a Yankees uniform.

The Yankees currently find themselves in third place in the AL East, and hold just a half-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final Wild Card spot.

There’s one player who’s beginning to gain momentum for the New York Rangers' captaincy. 

Since the Rangers traded Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks in December, the team has been without a captain, but that could change at the start of the 2025-26 campaign. 

Longtime Rangers reporter and columnist Larry Brooks strongly believes that the Rangers brass should choose J.T. Miller to be the team’s next captain.

“The captain’s sweater is not just another piece of laundry,” Brooks wrote. “It represents the organization’s ethos. The Rangers acquired J.T. Miller to change the team culture. The 32-year-old is hard-edged and can be abrasive. That is the identity the Blueshirts should adopt.”

The Rangers acquired Miller from the Vancouver Canucks this past season, partly due to his immense talent and also because of the energy he brings on a daily basis. 

Miller is known for his competitive and fiery nature, and the goal of bringing him in was to help start a culture shift within the organization that was desperately needed. 

Rangers Rank 10th In The Hockey News’ Exclusive Summer Splash SeriesThe Hockey News’ exclusive summer splash series evaluating the off-seasons of every NHL team is into the final stretch. To put these rankings together, we’ve focused the spotlight on every franchise’s off-season additions, departures, hirings and firings. And we’ve labelled each team as belonging to one of three categories – teams that have improved, teams that essentially stayed the same, and teams that have regressed. 

Making him the captain would demonstrate that the Rangers are fully committed to a change in their overall identity.

It’s unclear when or even if the Rangers plan on naming a captain, but Miller is certainly a candidate to watch out for.

Giants have three players on Baseball America's top-100 prospects list originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants’ farm system is well represented in Baseball America’s 2025 Top 100 Prospects list released Monday, with three of San Francisco’s top up-and-comers making the cut.

First baseman Bryce Eldridge came in at No. 20, shortstop Josuar Gonzalez at No. 85 and outfielder Bo Davidson at No. 88.

Not too shabby.

Eldridge is expected to be a franchise cornerstone in San Francisco and currently is looking the part for the Giants’ Triple-A Sacramento.

Over 37 games with the River Cats during the 2025 season, the left-handed slugger is slashing .252/.318/.540 with 35 hits, 43 RBI, 12 home runs, 15 walks and a .858 OPS. Eldridge hit his fifth homer of August on Sunday and has a 1.165 OPS over 34 at-bats this month.

Meanwhile in Sacramento 👀

pic.twitter.com/3Mn09MzuDO

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 10, 2025

First-year Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey is excited for Eldridge’s future in San Francisco as a 6-foot-7, 240-pound slugger.

Gonzalez, a switch-hitting 17-year-old, is the Giants’ No. 2 prospect, according to MLB.com. 

He is slashing .284/.398/.438 through 45 games of rookie ball with 48 hits, 21 RBI, 32 walks and a .836 OPS. At 6 feet and a light 167 pounds, Gonzalez is quick on his feet, currently with 25 stolen bases.

It only is a matter of time until the baseball world truly discovers what Gonzalez — and his sneaky power — can bring to the Bay.

17 year old hit a ball 109 lololol

how long until Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez is a consensus top-30 guy? pic.twitter.com/VU986iCnqU

— alex (@bantheshift) July 11, 2025

Davidson, 23, is the Giants’ No. 5 prospect according to the league pipeline.

He has played just 17 games with San Francisco’s Double-A Richmond, but he is slashing a promising .258/.324/.355 with 16 hits and six walks. 

The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder was promoted to Double-A Richmond on July 17 after slashing a dominant .309/.412/.507 with 87 hits, 56 RBI, 10 homers and 12 stolen bases over 72 games for High-A Eugene.

Davidson also has a pretty glove.

Ladies and gentlemen, Bo Davidson 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/2fmLTcT6Oc

— Richmond Flying Squirrels (@GoSquirrels) August 9, 2025

San Francisco has high hopes for the left-handed bat, as Davidson was one of four new faces to make Baseball America’s top-100 list.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees and Minnesota Twins play a three-game series at Yankee Stadium starting on Monday night...

---

Preview

Who has the ninth?

Even after their deadline additions, the late innings remain an adventure for the Yanks. 

Devin Williams has been brutal during his first season in the Big Apple, and his struggles continued into this weekend as he blew a save opportunity against the Astros. 

"I'm not making pitches, it's pretty simple, I stink right now," Williams said following the loss.

Williams is 17-for-20 in save opportunities on the year, but he has an ugly 5.73 ERA. 

And one day later it was David Bednar who was handed the ball in the late innings -- he blew a save chance of his own, but the offense picked him up and he ended up taking home the victory. 

The righty has struck out 10 batters in six innings since being acquired from Pittsburgh. 

It’ll be interesting to see who Aaron Boone decides to turn to if a save opportunity should arise during this three-game set in the Bronx. 

The AL playoff race

The Yanks appeared to be a lock for the playoffs earlier this season, but their recent struggles have made that future a bit murkier. 

They currently sit in third place in the AL East, behind the Blue Jays and Red Sox. 

The Bombers do remain in possession of the third Wild Card spot in the American League, but their lead has been trimmed all the way down to just 0.5 game over the Guardians.

Minnesota sold heavily prior to the deadline, but even they remain in the mix just 5.5 back. 

Losers in seven of their last 10, the Yanks have to get going again if they hope to make some noise this year.

"Obviously, we're feeling it right now and we know we have to be better," Boone said Sunday. "We know we have a much higher standard for ourselves and expectations -- at the same time, we're in control of this. 

"I wholeheartedly believe we are going to get rolling and turn this thing around. When it does, you start to really build that next layer of confidence where guys are kind of feeding off each other. It's all just talk right now, but that's how I feel about it. We've got to go do it."

Can Carlos Rodon tighten things up?

Rodon has been spectacular for the most part this season, but he’s hit a bit of a rough patch of late. 

The southpaw has struggled to get the ball over the plate consistently, issuing at least three free passes in five of his last seven outings. 

He’s pitched to a subpar 4.50 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over that span.

When the Yanks were rolling Rodon and Max Fried were leading the way atop the rotation. 

They’ll need the both of them to turn things around if they hope to make some noise down the stretch -- starting with Rodon’s outing in the middle game on Tuesday night. 

Minnesota's rookie is red hot

The Twins were big-time sellers ahead of the deadline, which has created opportunities for some of their young talent. 

One of those players receiving an extended look down the stretch is Luke Keaschall. 

The rookie slugger has been on an absolute heater since returning to the big leagues earlier this month, posting a .455 average and 10 RBI across just five games. 

He finished 3-for-5 on Sunday against the Royals, including a walk-off two-run homer. 

“The guy’s special, this guy's young,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told Patrick Donnelly of MLB.com on Sunday. “He’s going to play a long time in this game -- you’re getting a chance to see a young player who is really doing it before our eyes.”

With Byron Buxton sidelined, Minnesota’s offense isn’t exactly loaded with talent, but the red hot Keaschall is certainly one to keep an eye on during this three-game set. 

Buxton's expected back

Speaking of Buxton, the Yanks may have to contend with him in this one after all. 

The All-Star outfielder has been sidelined since July 29 with a rib injury, but Baldelli said that he is expected to return at some point during this series. 

Buxton resumed hitting early last week and appears to have bypassed a potential rehab assignment, completing all the tests put in place by the training staff.

Getting him back into the mix certainly is a huge boost for this Twins offense. 

Prior to the injury he was enjoying a tremendous campaign with 23 homers, 17 stolen bases, 59 RBI, and a .905 OPS through 85 games. 

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Aaron Judge

Judge has struggled a bit since returning from the IL, it's only a matter of time before he gets going.

Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?

Cam Schlittler 

Schlittler has held opponents to three runs or fewer in each of his five outings thus far.

Which Twins player will be a thorn in Yankees' side?

Royce Lewis

Lewis has struggled this year, but it's not too long ago he was one of the games rising young stars.

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Braves play a three-game series at Citi Field starting on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

---

5 things to watch

The quest for 253

Pete Alonso officially etched his name into the Mets record books on Saturday.

The big man lifted his 252nd career home run in the second inning against the Brewers, tying Darryl Strawberry’s all-time franchise mark. 

That leaves him just one away from standing alone as the Mets’ HR king. 

Alonso has been swinging a hot bat of late after a bit of a cold stretch, producing three of his 26 homers and 10 RBI over his last seven games. 

He’s gone deep 15 times in 95 career games against the Braves. 

He has one against Tuesday's starter Spencer Strider, and one against Thursday's starter Bryce Elder. 

Mets fans are certainly hoping Alonso can make some history back in the home ballpark. 

When will the losing streak end?

The Mets’ brutal stretch of baseball continues. 

New York led the Brewers by five runs after four innings on Sunday afternoon, but ended up being walked off on Isaac Collins’ solo shot leading off the bottom of the ninth. 

That sent the Mets packing with back-to-back series sweeps, their seventh consecutive loss, and their 11th loss in their last 12 games. 

They now find their lead for the third National League Wild Card slot trimmed all the way down to just 1.5 games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds. 

In the NL East they are 5.5 games back of the Phillies, who have won seven of their last 10. 

Now the Mets have to contend with the rival Braves, who are coming off a commanding road series victory over the Miami Marlins.

Can Kodai Senga finally get into a groove?

Senga’s rough stretch since returning from the IL continued into this weekend.

The right-hander worked his way through four scoreless innings to start Friday’s series opener, but the Brewers were able to make him pay for a fielding error in the fifth. 

He allowed a game-tying homer to Brice Turang a few pitches later and never recovered, as he was pulled with a final line of three runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks over just 4.1 innings of work.

Even when he was in control he wasn’t particularly dominant, recording just two whiffs and a season-low of two strikeouts on the night. 

While the error hurt, Senga’s command issues are ultimately what plagued him again -- he’s now issued at least three free passes in each of his last four outings. 

The Mets are 3-1 over that span, but he's pitched to an ugly 6.61 ERA. 

If New York hopes to turn this thing around, they'll need him to get back on track.

Atlanta’s surging young star

Not much has gone right for the Braves this season, but they may've found themselves their next young star. 

Rookie catcher Drake Baldwin continues to produce for Atlanta’s up-and-down offense. 

Baldwin is coming off a tremendous weekend in which he torched the Marlins’ pitching staff, putting together three multi-hit showings while driving in a total of 10 runs. 

That’s the most RBIs produced by a Braves rookie in a single series since 1966. 

The 24-year-old has himself square in the middle of the NL Rookie of the Year conversation, hitting .289 with 13 homers and 51 RBI through 86 games. 

He has three RBI and a .850 OPS in six games against the Mets. 

Welcome back, Cookie!

With their rotation decimated by injuries, Atlanta added Carlos Carrasco in a deal with the Yankees ahead of the deadline. 

Carrasco had a bit of an up-and-down start to the season in New York’s rotation, and he ended up being DFA’d in early June. 

After clearing waivers accepted an assignment to the minors and pitched well, posting a 3.27 ERA across 11 Triple-A appearances. 

The 38-year-old has been subpar for the most part since landing in Atlanta, giving up nine earned runs in just 11.2 innings of work over his first two outings with the club. 

This will be his first Citi Field start since he finished his time with the club in 2023. 

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Juan Soto

Soto went deep twice this weekend, and is hitting .307 over his last seven games.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Kodai Senga

Senga's been shaky thus far, but it's time for him to step up.

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

Marcell Ozuna

Ozuna has been a Met killer, and is hitting a scorching .368 over his last seven games.

To put it mildly, the Mets are going through it right now. 

It feels like things have blown up in their faces no matter what button manager Carlos Mendoza pushes over the past couple of weeks. 

That was again the case on Sunday, as they opened a five-run advantage early against dominant Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester, but were unable to hang on in an ugly walk-off loss. 

New York has now been swept in back-to-back series by the Brewers and Guardians. 

The team's losing streak is at seven games and they’ve dropped 11 of their last 12.

The Mets have quickly found themselves fading away in the race for the NL East -- now sitting 5.5 games behind the Phillies, who have won seven of their last 10 after adding some big pieces at the deadline. 

They do still occupy the final NL Wild Card spot, but even that lead has slipped to just 0.5 game over the Cincinnati Reds, who will face off with the Phillies to open this week.

Things are not looking good for this squad right now, but one of their longest-tenured members has been down this path before, and he still believes they can turn things around heading down the stretch.

“We can go on a run, we’ve still got time here,” Brandon Nimmo said. “It just takes putting it all together and playing some better baseball over the next few weeks of the season, so no, I don’t think the division is slipping away from us, we’ve still got a shot. 

"This team specifically has been known for going on runs, so we can easily rattle off a winning streak with the people we’ve got here."

Luckily for the Mets, they will see the Phillies seven more times the rest of the way, with the first three coming later in August at Citi Field. 

But first they’ll have to get through the rival Braves, who still sit in fourth place in the division, but are coming off a series in which they took four out of five from the Marlins. 

“We just gotta go out and do it,” Carlos Mendoza said. “We have the talent, we have the players, but we have to start playing better baseball and just go out and get the job done. I know it’s frustrating, we’re all frustrated in here, but we just have to keep going because nobody said it was going to be easy.”