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

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."

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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.

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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).

In their first meeting since last season's ALCS, the Yankees fell to the Cleveland Guardians, 6-4, on Monday night at Progressive Field.

Here are the takeaways...

-- In his second start of the season, Clarke Schmidt was inefficient. He overcame command issues in the first two innings and left the mound unscathed, but trouble arrived in the third when he served up back-to-back homers to Jose Ramirez and Kyle Manzardo, giving the Guardians a 4-0 lead. Schmidt managed to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, but gave up his fifth run on a broken-bat single.

-- A steady dose of cutters from Schmidt was expected against a lefty-heavy lineup, but the overall attack plan failed. He didn't come back out for the fifth, after allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks across 80 pitches. He did strike out seven, however. Lined up to make his next start at home against the Blue Jays this coming weekend, his ERA now sits at 7.45 through 9.2 total innings.

-- Guardians starter Gavin Williams also had to work around some early troubles with command, but the Yankees struggled to make solid contact against his high-90s fastball with movement and sharp breaking balls. Rallies with two runners on in the first and fifth innings were squandered by double-play grounders, and it wasn't until the seventh that New York's offense finally woke up.

-- Following a leadoff single by Anthony Volpe in the seventh, Jasson Dominguez took a curveball off Williams deep into the center-field seats for a two-run shot, cutting the Yankees' deficit to 6-2. They weren't able to inflict more damage against Williams, though -- the tall right-hander completed 6.1 innings with a season-high eight strikeouts.

-- In desperate need of a clutch hit -- or any kind of hit, actually -- Jazz Chisholm Jr. finally produced one in the eighth. With a runner on first and two out, he demolished a Paul Sewald fastball for a two-run homer to right, trimming the deficit to 6-4. The blast couldn't have arrived a better time for the Yankees' second baseman, who was in the midst of a 2-for-23 slump.

-- Cleveland didn't turn to struggling closer Emmanuel Clase in the ninth -- instead, set-up man Cade Smith took on the save opportunity. New York had a chance to tie the game, as a one-out single from Oswaldo Cabrera allowed Austin Wells and Aaron Judge to come up as the tying run. But the rally was short-lived -- Smith struck out the Nos. 1 and 2 hitters to end the game. The Yankees went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base.

-- Ben Rice grounded out to second as a pinch-hitter for Pablo Reyes in the ninth. The rookie first baseman missed Sunday's win over the Rays after suffering a left elbow contunsion on Saturday. Yankees manager Aaron Boone expects Rice to return to the starting lineup on Tuesday.

Game MVP: Jose Ramirez

Cleveland's most dangerous hitter lived up to his billing, delivering a three-run shot off Schmidt in the third and an RBI single off Yoendrys Gomez in the sixth. Ramirez entered Monday with a .333 lifetime average against the Yankees (61 games).

Highlights

Jasson Dominguez hits a 2-run homer! 😤 pic.twitter.com/a8FL9jBq1k

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 22, 2025

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

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 22, 2025

What's next

The Yankees (14-9) will play the middle game of their three-game set in Cleveland on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m.

Will Warren (1-0, 5.17 ERA) is slated to make his fifth start of the season, opposite Tanner Bibee (1-2, 5.85 ERA).

‘It's pretty brutal' — Nola addresses his velocity dip and 0-5 start originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK — The season is less than a month old but Monday night was emblematic of how it’s been for Aaron Nola in 2025.

Loud contact early. Lots of baserunners. High-wire acts. A settling-in period.

And then more frustration.

Nola would have had a six-inning, two-run quality start but manager Rob Thomson sent him out for the seventh at 89 pitches because the Phillies trailed by two runs and had a short bullpen.

Nola’s fastball velocity, already down, was even lower in that seventh inning to the 88-89 mph range.

“I think it’s probably an early-season thing,” he said. “Feel like I do start out with lower velocity when it’s cold and then it starts to tick up when it gets a little bit hotter. Hope that’s the case but just got to keep competing out there. Commanding the ball is the most important thing for me.”

Nola’s four-seam fastball and sinker are both down 2 mph this season, to 91 and 90, respectively. It’s not the first or second time this has happened. Just last April, Nola’s velocity was in this same range before averaging 92.8 mph after May 1.

He and the Phillies are hoping that’s the case again. But what if it isn’t? What if the 198 innings he’s averaged over the last six non-shortened seasons are beginning to catch up?

“Gotta keep competing, man,” Nola said. “I’ve gotta throw a lot of innings, try to limit the runs and compete. I know I haven’t done that so far this year but I’ve gotta command all my other pitches and go out and try to win the game. I can’t control the results but I can control the walks and getting ahead of guys.

“I’m not getting the results. When I do get a groundball, it’s going through holes. My fastball’s not where I need it to be right now and I hope the velocity starts to kick up here soon. Curveball, changeup felt pretty good tonight. But when the ball’s over the plate, they’re not missing it right now.”

Nola missed with a low-and-in curveball to leadoff man Francisco Lindor in the bottom of the first. It was tattooed 376 feet to give the Mets an early lead.

Nola missed right down the middle on a 2-0 count to Jesse Winker to begin the second. It was hit even harder for a solo homer.

He put five men on base over the next four innings but stranded them all before two early baserunners ended his night in the seventh. Both scored when Jose Ruiz gave up a three-run shot to Lindor. The Phillies scored four runs in the ninth inning but lost, 5-4.

“It’s frustrating for sure,” Nola said. “I’m 0-5 with a six-and-a-half (ERA), it’s pretty brutal. But I’m gonna keep working and trying to have good weeks leading up to my next start, preparing as best as I can and trying to stay healthy. Keep believing that things will turn around soon.”

Thomson says he isn’t worried about Nola because he’s seen him pitch through diminished velocity in the past. It’s not as if Nola’s arsenal is based around throwing 96. But he needs more life on the heater. Two of his many weapons are the four-seam fastball just above the zone and the two-seamer that freezes lefties. But both can be easier to time and lay off when they’re 89-91 as opposed to 92-94.

“It’s just a little bit more jump at the end, I think that’s the biggest thing for me, especially with my four-seam,” Nola said. “I need that late jump. I’m not gonna go out and sit 94-95, that’s just never been me, so I need the late jump before it gets to the plate. But command is always number one for me.”

It doesn’t help that the Phillies have scored five runs for Nola in his five starts. Aside from feeling like his location must be perfect, he’s had no room for error.

He’ll be back in the lab this week, working on command and trying to find that “little bit more jump” that can make a world of difference. He grunted more than ever before on Monday night trying to add a little oomph to the fastball.

Nola’s next start will be Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. It would be fortuitous if the wind is blowing in.

“I’m not worried about him,” Trea Turner said. “He’s been such a good pitcher for such a long time. People are gonna go through their ups and downs. It’s been a tough start but not worried about him.”

Birdsong shines on night Giants' bullpen needed the help originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Hayden Birdsong’s last outing left a bad taste in his mouth. Last Tuesday, his name went in Bryce Harper’s book, and all he could think about for the rest of the Giants’ series at Citizens Bank Park was how much he needed to get back on the mound. 

“I wanted Philly again,” Birdsong said Monday night. “I was itching, telling [bullpen coach Garvin Alston]: ‘Hey, I’m ready.'”

The benefit of being a reliever now is that Birdsong will occasionally get a second crack at a team. But he’s also such a big part of this organization’s future that he might not always get that shot when he wants it. The Giants had no intention of throwing him back out there against the Philadelphia Phillies after he pitched twice in three days, and Birdsong had to wait nearly a full week to touch the mound again.

This is his new reality now, and he couldn’t possibly be handling it better. 

After five days off, Birdsong threw three shutout innings in a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday at Oracle Park, saving the bullpen on a night when both Tyler Rogers and Ryan Walker were unavailable because of recent workloads. He took over in the sixth inning of a 2-2 game and struck out four, earning his first win of the 2025 MLB season and first big league win as a reliever. 

“We’re looking for spots like that for him,” manager Bob Melvin said. “It worked out really well today.”

The Bullpen Birdsong experiment could have been awkward. When the Giants chose Landen Roupp as their fifth starter a month ago, there seemed to be a good chance that Birdsong would be back in Triple-A by this point of the season, waiting for an opening in the rotation. 

Nobody has pulled that door all the way open yet, but it hasn’t mattered. Birdsong has been so valuable as a reliever that there’s no need to send him down. He’ll be back in the rotation at some point this season, and possibly for good, but for now he’s a needed weapon for a team that hasn’t made a roster move with the pitching staff through 23 games. 

Birdsong has thrown 13 relief innings over six outings and given up just the two runs, both on the Harper homer. He has 13 strikeouts, three of which came in the eighth inning Monday with the Giants nursing a two-run lead. 

Melvin had Camilo Doval ready for the ninth and Erik Miller available if Birdsong really ran into trouble, but he let the 23-year-old face Sal Frelick with two on and two outs. Birdsong threw his new changeup to get out of the jam. 

Grab some pine, meat 🤫 pic.twitter.com/oBeP0cOe5g

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

“I don’t think anything bothers him too much,” Melvin said. “With baserunners out there, he has the weapons to strike someone out and also the weapons to get a double play.”

It didn’t take long for Birdsong to adjust to life as a reliever, but all of this is still new. There’s a different kind of adrenaline that comes with protecting a two-run lead in the eighth inning in front of 30,000 screaming fans, but Birdsong didn’t seem to feel it. As the changeup settled into Patrick Bailey’s glove, Birdsong turned and strolled off the mound without a hint of emotion on his face. 

“I think if I were to come in in the eighth then it would be a lot more adrenaline going through me, but I was already out there for two [innings],” Birdsong said. “It was like the same thing. Just keep pitching.”

That mentality is part of the reason the Giants went with this plan in the first place. Birdsong always has seemed unflappable, and the Giants had no doubts this spring that he could handle a role change and all that would come with having to keep games close in the late innings. 

As he talked about his new job on Monday night, Birdsong said everything has gone pretty smoothly. His body is bouncing back well, and while he expects to be sore Tuesday after throwing 49 pitches, he also expects to be ready by Wednesday if the Giants need him. There’s no revenge to get this time, but he still can’t wait to get back out there. 

“It’s still baseball regardless of what I’m doing,” he said. “I’m starting to get used to it. I’m starting to like it. It’s fun.”

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