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

The Yankees didn't extend an Opening Day roster spot to Trent Grisham because of his reputation with a bat. The veteran outfielder has established big league residency due to strong defensive traits, and even a slew of spring training injuries didn't propel him into a starting role once the team broke camp.

But he's taken advantage of early playing time that wasn't exactly planned. As the stand-in for newbie Cody Bellinger, who's dealing with back tightness, Grisham has conveniently provided similar power, which was on full display on Saturday when he belted a pair of home runs in the Yankees' 10-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

From top to bottom, the Yankees' lineup is driving in runs at a laudable rate, and their home run total (25) through eight games this season is already in a record-breaking class of its own. Right now, they can find even more comfort in knowing that their fourth outfielder is part of the equation too.

"Just been doing a really good job mentally to stay in the present," Grisham told the YES Network after the game. "The swing's been here and there throughout, but I've stayed really locked in mentally. It feels good, because when you don't feel like your best and you still lock in mentally and still compete and go through the game, it means a lot going forward."

The first of Grisham's blasts -- a solo shot that landed just beyond the right-center field scoreboard to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead -- came in the third inning against Pirates starter Bailey Falter. He then inflicted more damage in the fifth, with a three-run shot down the left-field line that contributed to a six-run rally and broke the game wide open.

All sample sizes are small at this point in the season, but Grisham's red-hot start can't be ignored. The 28-year-old lefty is hitting .471 with three homers and a double in 21 plate appearances. His first jack of the season came in Wednesday's home win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, and in 2024, he didn't collect his 21st trip to the plate until April 28.

With a little help from innovative torpedo bats and below-average opposing pitching, the Yankees currently rank atop major hitting categories. The torrid pace may not continue with Grisham -- Bellinger is expected to play in Sunday's series finale after missing the last two games -- but his production reaffirms that availability remains the best ability.

"We just haven't quit as an offense this year," Grisham said. "That's what's allowed us to blow these games open and make it a little less stressful on the back-end. It's been nice to see out of an offense."

TRENT GRISHAM'S SECOND HOME RUN OF THE DAY GIVES THE YANKEES THE LEAD!

(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/ZZqjP2y7Xn

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025

Saturday marked the first City Connect day for the Mets, and this season, they unveiled a new combination to go with their gray jerseys: purple sleeves.

Watching the Mets take on the Toronto Blue Jays on a chilly night at Citi Field, you'll notice the vibrant purple sleeves underneath the jersey and running up the arms of players.

The Mets debuted the City Connects on the field on April 27, 2024. That deep into spring, there weren't many days that the Mets needed to use undersleeves, and at that time, they were black/dark grey -- some players still wear these colors. So this is a nice change that accentuates their alternate jersey and hat. You can learn all about the design, here.

And check out the purple sleeves on the Mets City Connect uniform below.

The Mets are wearing purple undershirts with their City Connect jerseys pic.twitter.com/j44VATB1ir

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 5, 2025

Griffin Canning strikes out Alejandro Kirk to get out of a first-inning jam! pic.twitter.com/UihWUI0NL3

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 5, 2025

The Yankees' power came from an unlikely source on Saturday afternoon, as backup outfielder Trent Grisham delivered two home runs in a 10-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Cody Bellinger was left out of the lineup for a second straight game due to back tightness, but the veteran outfielder took swings in the cage before Saturday's game and downplayed the issue overall. In his place, the Yankees once again turned to Grisham off the bench, and he made the most of his opportunity by delivering a solo homer over the right-field scoreboard in the third inning.

-- New York drew first blood in the second, however, when Austin Wells drove in Jazz Chisholm Jr. with a one-out single through the middle infield. The second-year catcher earned the base knock, too, as he fouled off four straight two-strike pitches from Pirates starter Bailey Falter before reaching base. Wells nearly punished Falter again in the fourth inning with a deep fly to left that landed just short of the wall. It would've been a homer in 16 other ballparks, per Baseball Savant.

-- In his second start of the season, Marcus Stroman struggled to clip the edges and watched his pitch count rise. While he allowed just one baserunner through three innings, mistakes mounted in the fourth when a pair of walks snowballed into a four-run Pirates rally. The veteran right-hander was replaced by Tim Hill in the fifth, after allowing three hits and three walks with three strikeouts (74 pitches).

-- Pittsburgh's time with the lead didn't long at all. A leadoff double from Jasson Dominguez and a single from Oswald Peraza was followed by another homer from Grisham, this time to left. The Yankees' outburst didn't end there, either. Anthony Volpe eventually joined in on the fun with a three-run double to deep center that bumped their lead to 8-4. The six-run fifth brought 10 batters to the plate and knocked Falter out midway through.

-- The Yankees' decision to pull Stroman after only four innings and rely on the bullpen for 15 outs certainly paid off. After a scoreless fifth from Hill, relievers Mark Leiter Jr., Fernando Cruz, and Ryan Yarbrough combined for five sharp shutout innings with seven strikeouts.

-- The top half of the Yankees' lineup didn't inflict much damage, but Paul Goldschmidt enjoyed a three-hit afternoon that included an RBI single in the eighth. Peraza also collected two hits in four at-bats, while Ben Rice went 1-for-5 in the two-spot as their designated hitter. The last player to join the hit party was ironically Aaron Judge (1-for-4, two runs), playing in his 1,001st career game.

Game MVP: Trent Grisham

Opportunity has knocked for the backup outfielder thus far, and he's lived up to the challenge. He's hitting a crisp .471 through 21 plate appearances, and Saturday marked the second multi-homer game of his career. He first achieved the feat in 2020, belting three with the San Diego Padres.

Austin Wells with an RBI single to get the Yankees on the board!

(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/VvKKZEqkPv

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025

Trent Grisham's second home run of the season 🔥

(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/lrvS0Ecyz7

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025

TRENT GRISHAM'S SECOND HOME RUN OF THE DAY GIVES THE YANKEES THE LEAD!

(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/ZZqjP2y7Xn

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025

ANTHONY VOLPE CLEARS THE BASES! pic.twitter.com/EUD5LYBw0U

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025

Paul Goldschmidt brings home Oswald Peraza!

(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/giczkhsf7n

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 5, 2025

What's next

The Yankees (6-2) will look for their second sweep (weather permitting) over an NL Central team on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch in Pittsburgh scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Will Warren is slated to make his second start, opposite veteran lefty Andrew Heaney.

The Dodgers, as manager Dave Roberts had said repeatedly when asked about Roki Sasaki over the season’s first few weeks, knew what they signed up for.

When they signed the 23-year-old Japanese phenom this offseason, the Dodgers were mesmerized with Sasaki’s stuff; from his upper-90s mph fastball to a forkball-grip splitter that their evaluators (like much the rest of the baseball industry) graded as an elite-level pitch.

But they also knew that Sasaki was not a finished product; the kind of developing talent who, with lesser stuff, would almost certainly be in the minors polishing his craft.

Read more:Letters: Sports and politics collide with Dodgers' planned White House visit

As a result, the challenge for this season, at least, was how Sasaki could keep improving the finer details of his game while acclimating to an immediate transition from Japan to the big leagues.

And in what was easily the best of his three rookie-season starts so far on Saturday, Sasaki finally laid the foundation that could allow for future growth.

Unlike in his first two outings, when Sasaki wildly sprayed his fastball and worked from behind in what felt like every at-bat, the right-hander finally showed some consistent command in the Dodgers’ 3-1 win against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

For the first time, his shotgun fastball actually hit the right locations.

For the first time, he got to go on the attack — as Roberts had hoped he would pregame — and use his wicked splitter as the putaway weapon it’s intended to be.

Over four-plus innings, Sasaki allowed just one run on three hits, all of them singles. After walking nine batters in his first two outings, which lasted a combined 4 ⅔ innings, he issued just two free passes Saturday.

Most of all, with the help of first-pitch strikes to 13 of his 17 batters, and balls on only 27 of his 68 total pitches, Sasaki worked a pitcher’s count to almost everyone he faced. And seemingly every time he got ahead, catcher Austin Barnes quickly dialed up a splitter, using his signature pitch for all four of his strikeouts in the game.

It was the kind of performance the Dodgers envisioned from Sasaki during his early transition to the majors. The kind of effective, if not flawless, execution that should quiet any questions about whether Sasaki needs time in the minors to improve — for now, at least.

Sasaki’s only real trouble came in the first inning, when the Phillies led the game off with back-to-back singles from Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, leading to a quick run.

After that, Sasaki retired his next nine in a row, and 12 of 13 overall, before a borderline walk call and bloop single to right ended his day with no outs in the fifth — an intentionally early hook on a day the Dodgers had a rested bullpen.

Read more:Hernández: Roki Sasaki isn't an instant star. But the Dodgers don't need him to be one

With virtually non-existent command in his first two MLB starts, Sasaki was largely in survival mode then, doing all he could to simply get the ball over the plate on most of his throws.

Saturday was different. With his fastball, Sasaki hit the zone on 25 of 35 throws. And as a result, he threw just one of his 28 splitters from behind in the count — when hitters are more likely to take the late-breaking, knuckleball-esque offering for a ball.

The Phillies still spit on plenty of splitters, swinging at the pitch only 10 times. But when they did try to attack it, they could do nothing with it, whiffing on the pitch five times and recording outs on the only two that were put in play.

The Dodgers’ bats, meanwhile, provided Sasaki with just enough support. Kiké Hernández flipped the early one-run deficit in the second inning, hitting a two-run, go-ahead blast for his third home run of the year (which represent all three of his hits through the first 10 games). Michael Conforto added insurance in the sixth with a solo home run, continuing his strong start to his debut Dodgers season (.308 batting average, 1.111 OPS, five RBIs).

The Dodgers bullpen was also excellent once again, lowering their early-season ERA as a unit to 1.94 with five scoreless innings. The defense chipped in, too, with Teoscar Hernández saving a run on a potential sacrifice fly in the fifth by doubling off Bryson Stott at first base with a strong throw.

Nonetheless, Saturday was all about Sasaki’s improved performance — one that could serve as an auspicious blueprint for the rest of his rookie season.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Lee shows no hesitation while leading Giants to sixth straight win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — The ball hit the warning track and quickly bounced over the wall in center field, but Jung Hoo Lee didn’t see it, or he just didn’t care. He knows only one way to play the game, and when he hit a laser into the gap in the sixth inning of a one-run game Saturday, he put his head down and dug deep. 

Lee’s helmet flew off as he rounded first, and he made the turn at second and kept flying for third. As some Seattle Mariners fielders looked around in confusion, Lee for a moment looked like he might round all of the bases. Finally, he saw the stop sign from Matt Williams, indicating it was a ground rule double. 

Lee’s all-out style made him a popular player in South Korea, and a high-priority target for the Giants before last season. But just 37 games into his big league career, he crashed into the center field wall at Oracle Park, suffering the second major shoulder injury of his career. Many players might show some hesitation after that kind of injury, but this spring, Lee insisted he wouldn’t change the way he plays the game. Through two games back home, it’s clear he was telling the truth.

Lee had two doubles, a single, a stolen base and two runs in a 4-1 win over the Mariners, the sixth straight for the Giants. He also backed into the center field wall in the second inning, giving him three close encounters in his first 13 innings back at Oracle Park. 

All three times, Lee got a tremendous jump. All three times, he made the play at the track with no concern for what might happen if he hit the wall again.

“There’s no fear going back there,” he said through interpreter Justin Han. “The warning track is wide and we have padding. I’ll go [all-out] there at the moment.”

The Giants always figured that style would make Lee a fan favorite and a very productive outfielder, and this season that’s happening quickly. They created the Jung Hoo Crew in the outfield, a fan section devoted to their center fielder, but when he came to the plate Saturday, the entire stadium joined in with the rhythmic chanting of “Jung Hoo Lee.” It got louder with every base hit for a player who is batting .321 early on.

Both doubles were followed by Matt Chapman doubles, providing enough offense a day after the highest-scoring opener in Oracle Park history. When Bob Melvin moved Lee to the three-hole this spring, this is exactly what he envisioned. Chapman was among MLB leaders in doubles last year, and Lee, if he is on base, should score easily.

“It’s really fun hitting behind him,” Chapman said, smiling. “He gets on base a lot.”

Chapman added that what is most impressive is the fact that this is all still new to Lee. He was able to soak in a fair amount of knowledge by watching games after the injury last year, but he is still learning big league pitching. He was on the IL when the Giants played the Mariners last season. 

“It just goes to show how well he is able to prepare and how good of a player he is,” Chapman said. 

The Giants have always viewed Lee as a potential batting champion, and this year they’re eager to see the other tools. His stolen base was his third of the 2025 MLB season, surpassing last year’s total of two in five attempts. The Giants have stolen 11 as a team and been caught just once. 

“It seems like all of them have been really impactful,” Melvin said. “When we steal a base, we end up scoring a run.”

Melvin told Lee this spring that he should avoid diving, but the restraints came off when Opening Day arrived. Lee had a good trip, but he has taken it to another level at the start of this homestand. On Saturday, he made an impact at the plate, on the bases and in center field, doing exactly what the Giants envisioned when they gave him a long-term deal.

“It feels like he never missed a beat,” Melvin said. “Every game it seems like his timing is that much better. He’s pulling balls, hitting balls up the middle, hitting it to the left-center-field gap, he’s always balanced. There’s a reason we got him and a reason he’s hitting in the three-hole.”

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Historic stat shows Giants face tough fight in stacked NL West originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After the Giants’ 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday at Oracle Park, San Francisco is off to its best start since the 2003 MLB season at 7-1.

But, unfortunately for the Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres also are red-hot. All three NL West teams are so hot, in fact, their season-opening records are historic.

The Dodgers (9-1), Padres (7-2) and Giants are the first trio of teams since the start of the divisional era in 1969 to start 7-1 or better through eight games, per MLB’s Sarah Langs. Additionally, Langs noted, it’s just the second time in MLB history that three teams in the same league started 7-1 through eight games, joining the American League’s New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals and then-Oakland Athletics in 2003.

The NL West!!

With the Dodgers, Padres & Giants, this is the 1st time 3+ teams in the same division started 7-1 or better thru 8 games (divs since 1969)

It’s the 2nd time in MLB history 3 teams in the same LEAGUE started 7-1 or better thru 8g, joining 2003 AL (NYY, KC, OAK) pic.twitter.com/xvO3PWCMki

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 6, 2025

With the Dodgers’ lineup full of superstars and MLB’s No. 2 payroll ($321.3M), Los Angeles’ 9-1 record comes as no surprise. And the Padres, who cracked the league’s top-10 payrolls this season at $209M (No. 9) and made the MLB playoffs as a wild-card team last season with a 93-69 record, are impressing again early on.

But after a subpar 80-82 finish in 2024, new Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey brought a revived culture — and a couple of key free-agent additions — to San Francisco, and the early returns are promising. The Giants won their sixth consecutive game Saturday, instilling hope in fans eager for a return to the team’s past championship glory.

It’s clear a path to the postseason won’t be easy. But if the Giants can keep stacking wins across their 162-game campaign, there could be magic inside Oracle Park once again.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Before Saturday's game between the Mets and the Toronto Blue Jays, manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to the media and gave some updates on a few injured players.

The skipper said that Jeff McNeil (oblique) and Francisco Alvarez (hand) were scheduled to take batting practice outside at Citi Field before the game, but because of the inclement weather that plan was scrapped.

"We gotta see a few days of him taking BP on the field and maybe facing some velo machine on the field before we can decide when he can start playing some games," Mendoza said about McNeil specifically. "So far [he’s] feeling good and we’ll see how it goes."

McNeil suffered a low-grade oblique strain on March 13 and recently began swinging a bat as he begins his comeback.

Alvarez required surgery on his left hand because of a fractured hamate bone on March 9 and was expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, which means the catcher could still rejoin the team before the end of April.

Ronny Mauricio is further behind in his recovery process -- however, Mendoza did provide a positive update on the youngster.

"He continues to do his progression in Florida, he continues with his recovery," Mendoza said. "Within a few days we’ll see the next steps of him playing in simulated games in extended spring training. So he’s reaching the point where we’ll push him to start his season. For the time being, he’s progressing how we want him to."

The infielder hasn't played since suffering a torn ACL in winter ball before the start of last season, but New York expects him to be ready at some point this season and potentially be an option at second base and/or third base.

In limited time in the big leagues, Mauricio slashed .248/.296/.347 with two home runs and seven steals after debuting in 2023.

As for Saturday's second baseman, Brett Baty, who has gotten off to a slow start after a stellar spring training won him a spot on the Opening Day roster, Mendoza believes it's still early in the season and isn't overly concerned about the 25-year-old's lack of success.

"Not getting results early, but I feel like he hit a couple of balls hard in Houston," the skipper said. "In general, the conviction when he’s getting pitches to hit, like putting his A swing on it, not chasing as much which I feel like at times he’s gone out of the strike zone. But it’s early, few at bats, he’s just gotta get going here and he will."

Baty, 1-for-14 so far this season, will bat seventh in the lineup when the team faces former Met and right-hander Chris Bassitt.

What we learned as Chapman, Lee power Giants' sixth straight win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — Even if Robbie Ray just went out there every five days and kept it competitive for five innings, the Giants easily would win that trade with the Seattle Mariners, one of many that Farhan Zaidi and Jerry Dipoto made with each other.

Ray was acquired before last season for fellow veterans Anthony DeSclafani and Mitch Haniger. The Mariners sent DeSclafani to the Minnesota Twins a few weeks later, but he needed elbow surgery and it seems likely that his last appearance for the Giants in 2023 will be his last in the big leagues. Haniger had a rough 2024 in Seattle and was let go this spring.

The Giants did well in that trade, but it’s looking like it might end up being a heist. 

Ray allowed just one run in six innings against his former teammates Saturday, leading the Giants to a 4-1 win and a 7-1 start. It’s their best record to begin a season since 2003, when they won 13 of their first 14. 

The Giants have taken all three series this season and will go for a second straight sweep on Sunday behind Jordan Hicks. Here are three more things to know from another night of clean and clutch baseball:

Double Double

Part of the appeal of Jung Hoo Lee hitting third is the fact that he will often be on base for Matt Chapman, who was fourth in the NL last year in doubles. Lee can score from first on just about any double, but he made life easy for himself Saturday. 

Chappy drives in Lee for the first run of the game 💪 pic.twitter.com/rxHJiUHSEa

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 6, 2025

Lee doubled in the fourth and the sixth and Chapman twice followed with his own doubles. After his first one, Lee stole third, giving him three on the season. The Giants are 11 for 12 on the bases through eight games. 

The Chapman-Lee combo is LETHAL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/v4iLDtcMQM

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 6, 2025

Lee was 3-for-4 with two runs and strong defense in center field. Chapman’s big game coincided with his first bobblehead night as a Giant; before the game, he also received his Gold Glove Award.

Patrick Bailey and Matt Chapman receive their Gold Gloves 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KzVEq3lsiM

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 6, 2025

Ray Day

Facing his old team for the second time since the trade, Ray had some command issues, but worked his way in and out of traffic, in part because he picked two runners off. Ray allowed four hits and walked five — one coming on a 3-2 pitch clock violation, his second of the season — but the only run came on a solo homer from Dylan Moore.

Ray said no way 🙅‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/3QOf0CFH5g

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 6, 2025

The start was just the third time in nine appearances for the Giants that Ray went at least six innings, but San Francisco expects a lot more where that came from. Ray was as sharp as anyone on staff this spring and feels good about being a true four-pitch guy thanks to a new changeup.

Ray threw 10 changeups Saturday and got six strikes, including two swinging. He also threw his curveball and slider double-digit times, mixing it up against a lineup that knows him well. 

What A Relief

The Giants have had a hard time figuring out how to use rookie Hayden Birdsong, who broke camp as a reliever after Landen Roupp won the fifth spot in the rotation. Birdsong pitched just once in the first seven games, although he was warming up Friday afternoon and would have come in for the 12th inning if the game had continued.

Ideally, Birdsong can “piggyback” other starters, and he was sort of able to do that Saturday. Birdsong came on in the seventh and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out a pair and working around two hits and a walk. He threw 27 pitches three days after throwing 26 against the Houston Astros in relief of Roupp.

With a three-run lead, Bob Melvin turned the ball over to closer Ryan Walker in the ninth. He picked up his third save of the season.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Phillies' offense cold vs. Sasaki and Dodgers' bullpen to even weekend series originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies were prepared this winter to make a presentation to Roki Sasaki. They would have loved the opportunity but never got the sense they were in the mix and that was confirmed in January when the 23-year-old right-hander shortened his list to a handful of teams.

Sasaki ended up with the Dodgers, surprising nobody in the baseball world. While the Padres and Blue Jays were also involved in the pursuit, the Dodgers were viewed as the massive favorite all along given their winning ways, rich history with Japanese players and the recent additions of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

The Phillies, had they gotten the chance to meet with Sasaki, would have taken a different approach. They have a very short history with Japanese players and an even shorter one with Japanese pitchers. They weren’t going to pretend Philadelphia was the same as Los Angeles. They would have tried instead to show Sasaki that if he signed here, he wouldn’t just be a heralded acquisition, he’d be the first player like him signed in this major sports market, a potential standard bearer for future generations of Japanese players.

Perhaps someday the Phillies will be a major player in the market for a top guy coming over from NPB but that day hasn’t yet arrived. Their first look at Yamamoto came on Friday night and their first look at Sasaki came Saturday afternoon on an overcast, chilly day at Citizens Bank Park.

Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner opened the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles and Turner stole to quickly put runners on second and third with nobody out, but from there, Sasaki showed why all of MLB wanted him. He struck out Bryce Harper on a back-foot breaking ball that was never a strike and induced two groundballs to limit the Phillies to a run.

“I thought their guy was pretty good,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He threw more strikes than he did in the first two games he pitched and the splitter was good, he got us out of the zone a few times more often than we have up to this point.”

Harper’s strikeout began a stretch of Sasaki retiring 12 of 13 Phillies but the right-hander was pulled after four-plus innings when J.T. Realmuto walked and Bryson Stott singled to open the bottom of the fifth. The Phillies had a prime opportunity to tie the game or take the lead into the middle innings.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts turned to lefty reliever Anthony Banda, who popped up Brandon Marsh. With runners on the corners, Schwarber then roped a line drive to right field but had the misfortune of hitting it too hard. It was right at Teoscar Hernandez who was able to double Stott off of first base to end the inning. Stott was stealing on the play and was unable to race back to the bag in time. Had he not been doubled off, Realmuto would have scored the tying run via sacrifice fly.

The Phillies went 1-for-13 with a walk against the Dodgers’ bullpen and lost, 3-1. Roberts has four different lefties at his disposal — Banda, Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott and Jack Dreyer — and three of them pitched Saturday. Neither Harper nor Schwarber faced a right-handed reliever. The Dodgers challenge you in every way, including this one. It will make matching up difficult this weekend and six months from now.

“He’s got a funky splitter, good heater and that slider to go with it,” Turner said of Sasaki. “He seems super athletic and has an idea of what he’s doing. I think facing Yamamoto yesterday helped a little bit with the splitter but still very unique. Bright future ahead.

“When you face guys for the first time, you’ve got a little bit of an adjustment period. Need to do more offensively but they’ve got great arms and were making some pitches.”

Aaron Nola kept the Phillies in the game but took his second loss after being taken deep twice more. All eight runs Nola has allowed have come via four home runs. In fact, all 13 runs the Phillies’ rotation has allowed this season have come via home runs.

Nola always seems to pay for his mistakes. He’s surrendered 36 home runs in his last 36 starts, including playoffs. This has always been a theme for him but Nola’s four-seam fastball velocity the last four seasons has decreased from 93.1 mph to 92.9 to 92.6 to 91.7. Every little bit you lose hurts and reduces wiggle room. The hope is that it ticks up as the weather warms.

“It happens every year,” he said. “I don’t know when the last time was I came out throwing 94, 95 to begin a season. Hopefully, it does start to tick up a little bit when it gets warmer. That would be nice if I got a little more juice on my ball and can maybe sneak it by a couple hitters.”

Both home runs Nola allowed last Sunday at Nationals Park were on low-90s fastballs. Kiké Hernandez’ two-run shot Saturday was on a hanging curveball. Michael Conforto’s solo homer in the sixth inning was on a middle-middle cutter that barely moved.

“Three of ’em this year have been first pitch,” Nola said. “They jumped me first pitch. I just need to throw a little bit better pitches.”

Yet it still was not a disastrous outing, another example of Nola’s starts usually not being as bad as they seem. Home runs hurt and they stand out. But Nola also very infrequently allows three or four straight singles, which hurt equally and sometimes more. For about 95% of starting pitchers, allowing three runs over six innings to the Dodgers is a job well done.

Nola likely won’t look it at that way, though, and it can’t feel great being 0-2 on a team that is 6-2.

“I didn’t think his stuff was quite as good as it normally is,” Thomson said. “The velocity was down a little bit. Command was down a little bit. But he battled and got through six only giving up three runs. Normal day, we score more than three.

“I think this is Noles this time of year. Cooler weather, doesn’t have his real good fastball yet. That’ll come in time and as the weather warms up. Some guys are just like that. I trust him though, because he’s gonna battle.”

Both games have been tightly contested in a series that has lived up to the hype. The Phillies look to make it two out of three on Sunday afternoon as Cristopher Sanchez opposes right-hander Tyler Glasnow, another tough customer.

“Good baseball,” Turner said. “I think it’s a little early to say playoff baseball but it feels like two good teams going at it. The energy’s been great from our fans. Close games, well-played games. It seems like any time a team gets close to coming back, the other side kind of shuts it down. Just seems like good baseball and hopefully tomorrow we can get the series win.’

The Mets will continue their first homestand of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

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

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Mets notes

• Pete Alonso is off to a torrid start offensively, batting .292 with a team-leading three home home runs and 10 RBI in New York's first seven games
• Francisco Lindor had a good day at the plate in the home opener, scoring twice after a 1-for-2 performance. He also stole his second base of the year
• Following Tylor Megill's 5.1 scoreless innings on Friday, Griffin Canning will look to continue the Mets' stellar pitching to begin the season. In his first start for New York, Canning allowed two earned runs in 5.2 innings

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What channel is SNY?

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

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Dave Roberts was recognized wherever he went last winter: at a Chargers game, at a UCLA game, at a Palisades High baseball practice, even in Japan. He is the manager of the Dodgers, the reigning World Series champions. In three weeks, the Dodgers will distribute 40,000 Roberts bobbleheads.

Ron Washington, the manager of the Angels, went out to run some errands Thursday. As usual, he said, no one noticed.

“I have not had anyone recognize who I am out there,” he said Friday.

When might that change?

“When we show a consistent amount of success,” Washington said. “Right now, I’m just a regular Joe out there.”

This is the Dodgers’ world, and everyone else in baseball is just living in it.

Unfortunately for the Angels, they are living with the longest playoff drought in the major leagues, and with the Dodgers in their faces, in a stadium 30 miles up the Santa Ana Freeway.

And so it was that when the Angels threw their fans a party before the home opener Friday, I did not have to look far to find someone in a Dodgers jersey.

In fairness, the Dodgers fans I found were part of households with divided loyalties. Marie Hernandez of Los Angeles came with her son, who supported the Angels. Her gear for the day: a Dodgers World Series sweatshirt and cap.

“I’m representing the team that won,” she said. “I’m still very hopeful for the Angels.”

Read more:Shaikin: What's the future for aging Angel Stadium? It feels like an increasingly uncertain one

Manny Galvan of Pico Rivera did not much care about that. His son wore his Mike Trout jersey. Galvan wore a Dodgers jersey with Shohei Ohtani’s name.

“I always wear a Dodger jersey,” he said. “I wore Ohtani so I didn’t get booed today.”

Zuleyka Gonzalez of Riverside also wore a Dodgers jersey with Ohtani’s name. She attends Angels games regularly — sometimes in that Ohtani jersey, other times wearing Dodgers jerseys with the names of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman or Teoscar Hernández.

Her fiancé is an Angels fan. The couple agreed their child would be raised as a Dodgers fan if a boy and an Angels fan if a girl.

Congratulations, Halo Nation: You have a beautiful month-old girl supporting your team, even if she does not quite know that yet. Her name is Zule.

Jered Weaver, one of the greatest pitchers in Angels history, caught the ceremonial first pitch Friday. He played high school ball in Simi Valley, where he grew up a Dodgers fan. He now lives in Thousand Oaks.

“Everybody’s on the Dodgers bandwagon out there,” Weaver said.

Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers’ closer for a decade, is the Angels’ closer this season.

Read more:Shaikin: The Angels have the longest playoff drought in MLB. What exactly is the plan?

“Dodger fans have been great forever,” he said. “Every time I’m walking down the street in L.A., all these great Dodgers fans keep me giving me a fist bump. They show love, and how much they care.

“Now, I’m getting all the Angels fans too. I feel like I’m a complete package now. All the Angels fans are so excited that I’m wearing the Angels uniform. I’m a complete L.A. guy. I get to play for both teams now. It’s something special.”

Jansen lives in Palos Verdes, which he is said is more Dodgers territory than Angels territory. Travis d’Arnaud, the Angels’ new backup catcher, played at Lakewood High and lives in Los Alamitos, on the Orange County edge of the border with Los Angeles County.

“There’s more Angel fans and Angel gear,” he said. “There’s still a lot of Dodgers gear, don’t get me wrong.”

I asked Jansen what message he had for Angels fans tired of hearing about the Dodgers.

“We can’t worry about that,” he said. “The Dodgers are going to be the Dodgers. We have to figure out how to be successful again. The focus of this group is to get this organization back to winning.”

I thought about that in light of the Angels' news of the morning: Anaheim mayor Ashleigh Aitken wants Angels owner Arte Moreno to restart negotiations on a deal to revitalize Angel Stadium and extend the team’s tenure there, and she wants Moreno to stop with the Los Angeles name and revert to calling his team the Anaheim Angels.

To be sure, the Angels’ fan party was overwhelmingly populated by Angels fans: many in Trout jerseys, very few in jerseys of anyone else on the roster, quite a few in jerseys of Angels greats that actually won postseason games in Anaheim, including Weaver and Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Howie Kendrick, Garret Anderson and Tim Salmon, Darin Erstad and Troy Glaus, Rod Carew and Reggie Jackson.

Trout is 33. The last year the Angels won a postseason game was the year he graduated from high school.

There is work to be done in Anaheim. Aitken can negotiate a deal on behalf of the city, if Moreno even wants to negotiate.

If you build a better ballpark, will they come? If you build a better ballclub, will they come?

The Dodgers have done both. Fans have come. Rings have come. For the Angels, success is defined 30 miles up the freeway.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Tylor Megill was just the opening act and a supporting player in the Mets' 5-0 win in their home opener on Friday at Citi Field. But the right-hander delivered a second-straight solid outing and set the table for the fireworks around him before exiting stage left.

“Just exciting. Full crowd today, electric, energy was great,” Megill said after delivering 5.1 innings of two-hit, three-walk ball with four strikeouts. “That’s what makes it super fun when all the fans show up, and they’re all chanting hard and we’re playing great, as well.”

Megill, who again went heavy on his fastball, slider, and sinker in his second start of the season, got fewer called strikes and whiffs than he did a week ago in Houston but was just as effective.

Carlos Mendoza liked the mix of pitches and the right-hander “keeping it simple” and “attacking hitters,” which was a key for him in his debut.

“I thought he used all of ‘em today in a good way,” the manager said of Megill’s arsenal. “But I think it comes down to throwing strikes and staying on the attack.”

After throwing two curveballs last week, Megill threw nine on Friday, getting two whiffs on four swings.

“It’s completely different from where it was last year. It’s a lot harder and sharper,” he said. “I used it a few times today for strikeouts today against the lefties. And then threw some good ones to righties.

“I think it’s just good for change of pace, change of eyes. I think it’s pretty important.”

After an 11-pitch first, Megill put himself into a spot of bother early and had to dig out of a hole after Pete Alonso gave him a 2-0 lead to work with.

With two down in the second, Megill surrendered a triple to George Springer and walked Will Wagner on a full count. That’s when pitching coach Jeremy Hefner came out to give the starter a moment, having already thrown 21 pitches in the frame.

“He slowed the game down and made pitches when he needed to,” Mendoza said, adding that Hefner’s visit helped “put him in a better position there, and he went out there and executed.”

Megill got Ernie Clement to pop out in foul territory on a 95 mph fastball above the zone to end the threat.

Could he have drawn the day up any better? “A little more efficient with the pitching,” the starter said with a smile. “Did the job.”’

He added: “Full bullpen killing it. Offense killing it. It was pretty perfect ball game today.”

Mets' 'pen spells relief

“We like the guys that we got there, and they keep doing their jobs,” Mendoza said of the Mets’ bullpen after his relievers delivered 3.2 scoreless innings allowing two hits and no walks while striking out six.

Of course, it is pretty simple for the first part of that sentence to be true when the second part is this apparent.

Through seven games, Mets relievers have posted a 1.40 ERA (second lowest in MLB), a 0.97 WHIP (sixth lowest), and are holding opponents to a .178 batting average (tied for fourth lowest) over 25.2 innings. The 'pen has a 24 to 9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

“There’s a lot of different looks, a lot of different pitch types, righty, lefties, and the biggest thing is coming into the game and attacking the strike zone,” the manager said. “They’re doing that.” 

The first man out of the bullpen on Friday was Reed Garrett, and he had no easy task as Megill departed following back-to-back one-out walks. But the right-hander needed just eight pitches to get Andrés Giménez and Alejandro Kirk swinging. 

“Reader comin' in and just dealing,” Megill said.

“He’s done it before, he keeps doing it,” the skipper added. “I like his pitches, obviously, his ability to slow the game down. Having the awareness of the situation, whether you’re trying to make a guy chase, you’re trying to get a ground ball.”

Garrett induced four whiffs, with the splitter working as the put-away pitch both times.

“This is a guy that can get righties, get lefties, get ground balls, can get swing and misses with a lot of his pitches, and he’s done that. He’s a big part of that bullpen, and he’ll continue to play a huge role.”

It was a big day for one of those relievers: childhood Mets fan Max Krannick, who again provided two innings to protect the rest of the arms.

“Krannick continues to do a helluva job on a day where we needed him to finish that game, he ended up doing that,” Mendoza said. “That goes a long way when you’re protecting the bullpen the way they’re doing. Whether it’s a [Huascar] Brazobán, whether it’s [José] Butto going multiple innings the other day, today Krannick.”

So far, that trio has provided 14.1 innings and allowed just four hits over eight scoreless outings.

“We’re gonna need all of them,” Mendoza continued. “And they’re all doing their job and their parts. And that’s good to see.”

Heading into the 2025 season, the Mets' offense was one to be reckoned with. The addition of Juan Soto and bringing back Pete Alonso made a formidable 1-2 punch that could rival any other team. Add in NL MVP runner-up Francisco Lindor and a cast of capable hitters and the 2025 Mets were poised to score a ton of runs.

Well, that hasn't proven true in the early going. Not until the home opener at Citi Field, at least.

Entering Friday's game against the Blue Jays, the Mets have scored 23 runs in their first six games, but only in two of them did they score more than three runs.

New York was motivated to be aggressive and push across as many runs as possible, and it started with Lindor.

Leading off, the unofficial Mets captain went the other way and deposited a hit into left-center and stretched it into a double -- originally called out but overturned after replay. After the game, Lindor said that coaches and other players have been talking to him about setting the tone by being aggressive.

"The guys behind me are really, really good. Let them do what they do," Lindor said. "My job as a leadoff is to set the tone."

It was a great start for Lindor, who entered the game mired in an all-too-familiar April slump. He was 2-for-20 on the team's road trip to start the season with six strikeouts and no walks.

"I didn’t do a good job on the road trip to give the team quality at-bats. My main goal today was to give quality at-bats, if I do that, hitting is very contagious," Lindor elaborated. "Hopefully, that passes on to Soto. Soto’s been having great at-bats, the he can pass it on to Pete, he’s been doing fantastic. Then to Nimmo, he’s been doing very good. By me setting the tone, hopefully, everyone else can pass it along and end up on top."

"Great to set the tone right away. Everything is calculated, what he does," Nimmo said of Lindor. "Push it for the double, obviously a great slide to get in there safely and to grab the momentum right away and never let go. That’s the way you want to play all the way through. Happy for Lindor. You’re not going to keep him down for long. We know big games are coming from him soon."

Alonso would drive in Lindor with his opposite-field homer that put the Mets up 2-0 after the first. Lindor would set the table for the Mets again in the sixth with a one-out walk. The Jays brought in a lefty to take on Soto, but the perennial All-Star lined a double down the right-field line, scoring Lindor all the way from first base.

After Alonso was intentionally walked, Nimmo would make Toronto pay with a double to increase the Mets' lead to 4-0. Starling Marte would push across the final run of the game with a sacrifice fly.

That sixth inning magnified how dangerous this lineup could be. No matter how the Blue Jays tried to play around with the matchups, it was a next-man-up mentality, with Nimmo's double that Alonso said "pushed us over the edge" for the win. Nimmo said after that he always wants to make a team pay for intentionally walking the batter in front of him and was glad to come through for the team.

He also echoed Lindor when asked about the offense as a whole.

"They say hitting is contagious and that’s a real thing. Just going up there and playing off the momentum," he said. "Soto getting that big double was huge to be able to get some more breathing room. Knowing that hitting is contagious and knowing you’re going up there with a good plan and try and execute it.

"It was a good feeling to come through and glad I can help the boys there and solidify that win in the end."

When the Mets signed Soto and re-signed Alonso, when talking about Nimmo's RBI double, Lindor pointed to it as proof that this offense is more than just a couple of players.

"It proves that it’s not about 1, 2, 3 hitters. Everyone in this lineup can do damage," Lindor said. "Nimmo’s been doing damage for a very long time. To walk Pete to go lefty on lefty, now they’re going to have to start rethinking their game plan because they know Nimmo is going to execute. I like the depth of the lineup.

"Today was a good day to be a New York Met, and we got to come back tomorrow and put on a better show."

To many around the sport, the Dodgers have become villains for the way they’ve outspent the rest of the league, loaded their roster with international talent, and stockpiled depth at seemingly every position.

To the Philadelphia Phillies, however, it makes them the standard; one with which their own big-money, star-studded roster is trying to compete.

“I don’t know if people will like this,” said the Phillies' biggest star, two-time MVP Bryce Harper, when asked Friday about the Dodgers' juggernaut status, “but I feel like only losers complain about what they’re doing. I think they’re a great team, they’re a great organization. That’s why guys want to go there and play.”

Read more:Mookie Betts will join teammates for Dodgers' White House visit: 'This is not about me'

In other words, Harper added, “they’re doing what the Dodgers do.”

That’s why, on Friday night, there was a distinct buzz around Citizens Bank Park when the Dodgers came to town. Why, for the first week of April, this series had a litmus-test kind of feel.

"I think that both teams like to use each other as a barometer, or a benchmark,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

But right now, no team sets the bar higher than the Dodgers.

And for one night, at least, the first-place Phillies were able to measure up.

In a 3-2 defeat, the Phillies handed the defending World Series champions their first loss of the season; dropping the Dodgers to 8-1 in a game that, yes, proved this year’s $400 million team is, in fact, beatable.

"Uncharted territory,” Roberts deadpanned of the team’s first loss. 

“We were bound to lose eventually,” added Tommy Edman. “But still a tough loss for sure."

Indeed, knocking off the Dodgers was no easy feat.

Over six innings against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Phillies had one unearned run. Yamamoto misfired on a pick-off throw to third that allowed Trea Turner to score.

“That was very regrettable,” Yamamoto, who was otherwise flawless in a three-hit, three-walk, five-strikeout start, said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “It was a very fundamental play.”

Philadelphia’s starter, burgeoning 27-year-old left-hander Jesús Luzardo, produced one of his best career starts, blanking the Dodgers over seven scoreless innings on two hits, two walks, eight strikeouts — and some help from a howling wind blowing in from center, which kept seemingly surefire home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández in the ballpark.

“I thought Shohei's ball, on any normal night, would've been a homer. I thought Teo's ball, any normal night, would've been a homer,” Roberts said. “But you can't take credit away from Luzardo. He pitched a heck of a ballgame."

And the few times the Dodgers did have opportunities to erase the deficit — which grew to 3-0 after the Phillies scored twice in the seventh off reliever Kirby Yates — they squandered them with either empty at-bats (such as Kiké Hernández’s inning-ending strikeout with two aboard in the seventh) or, more frustratingly, miscues on the bases.

Andy Pages was caught stealing to end the sixth inning, getting stuck in a rundown after a premature jump that triggered a pick-off throw from Luzardo.

“As a young player, you still got to play the game the right way,” Roberts said. “He was doubled off a couple games ago. And this one, you go and you stop — you just can't. ... Gotta eliminate those outs on the bases."

Ohtani gambled with runners on the corners and two outs in the eighth, getting thrown out by star Phillies catcher JT Realmuto at second to end the inning with Mookie Betts at the plate. 

“Realmuto is one of the best throwers in the game,” Roberts said, noting Ohtani had the green light to steal. “But when you're down three with Mookie at the plate, you got to make sure you're safe if you're going to go.”

Then, after a two-run, ninth-inning homer from Edman (who is tied for the early National League lead with five long balls) cut the three-run deficit to one, Chris Taylor was thrown out trying to steal second as a pinch-runner, ending the game on a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double-play that also saw Max Muncy go down swinging.

“Giving those guys three outs on the bases,” Roberts said, “that's something that we have to clean up.”

As a result, the Dodgers’ perfect start to the season fell two wins shy of the all-time franchise record of 10-0, set by the 1955 “Boys of Summer” World Series squad.

And they got their first reminder that, in this year’s National League pennant race, they will still be tested by fellow contenders, from divisional rivals like the San Francisco Giants (who are 6-1) and San Diego Padres (who also lost their perfect record Friday, dropping to 7-1), to perhaps the World Series-starved Phillies (also 6-1) most of all.

“It's hard to beat a good team,” Roberts said. “That's what happened tonight."

As for Harper’s “losers” comment about people who take issue with the Dodgers’ way of doing business?

“I guess that's probably why Bryce is one of my favorite players,” Roberts said with a laugh. “I agree."

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

In the interview room, Pete Alonso was searching for the right word to sum up what had to be the most heartwarming day of his career, for so many reasons.

After all, no matter what he says publicly, there were surely times last winter when the slugger believed he wasn’t coming back to the Mets, given the lack of traction in contract negotiations.

Yet here was Alonso at the home opener, soaking in all the love the Citi Field fans could heap upon him after his first-inning home run that set the tone for a 5-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, eventually taking a curtain call when the cheering wouldn’t end.

So what was the right word to describe such a memorable day?

Alonso went with “picturesque” a couple of times, speaking to the feel of a convincing win on a day the Mets dodged threatening skies and got temperatures warm enough for short sleeves.

Finally, when asked about his own personal feelings, Alonso tried again.

“It was very storybook-like,” he said with a smile.

Yep, that works.

Maybe there are other emotions Alonso would rather not speak to as well, of course. It’s only natural for him to have a chip on his shoulder and a determination to prove he deserved the long-term contract the Mets wouldn’t give him.

But to his credit, he hasn’t offered so much as a hint in that direction from the day in February that he re-signed for the two-year, $54 million deal that includes an opt-out after 2025.

Instead, he has shown up with a smile and gone to work, so far at least debunking any notion that he is in decline as a hitter after his numbers had fallen off the last two seasons.

“He’s locked in,” was the way Carlos Mendoza put it after Friday’s win. “When he’s not chasing, when he’s going to the opposite field, he’s really, really good.”

More than that, Alonso has been a difference-maker, something he wasn’t in 2024, at least until the postseason.

Already this season, he has hit three game-changing home runs, all of them to center or right-center, to the point Mendoza was making, which indicates he is not pressing and overswinging, which seemed to be the case last year.

All in all, after seven games, Alonso is hitting .292 with five extra-base hits, 10 RBI and a .750 slugging percentage. On Wednesday he hit three balls at 113 mph or higher off the bat, which is rarefied air for exit velocity.

Even more impressive, after his first two at-bats on Friday, including his home run and then a rocket ground ball to third, Alonso had hit the ball at 101 mph or harder in six straight at-bats over two games.

Yet, to fully appreciate how hot Alonso is at the moment, you had to see just how he hit that first-inning home run on Friday. Facing an elite starter in Kevin Gausman, whose nasty splitter puts hitters in protect mode with two strikes, Alonso fell behind 1-2, fouled off an inside fastball, and then flicked his bat at a 95-mph heater below the knees on the outside corner.

And it went 377 feet into the wind over the right-field fence.

According to Inside Edge, a statistical website, it was only the fourth time in his career that Alonso had hit a home run with two strikes on a pitch outside the strike zone.

That’s locked in, all right.

Yet long-time teammate Brandon Nimmo insisted he wasn’t surprised.

“That’s very much Pete,” Nimmo said. “He finds the barrel and it can leave any ballpark.”

However, scouts will tell you it wasn’t happening as much as usual last season. Heck, your own eyes told you that. He was hitting mistake pitches and not much else, rarely coming through in the clutch -- at least until sitting back on that fateful change-up from Devin Williams in Milwaukee last October.

But the point is, Alonso is capable of this. He hit some of his most impressive home runs to the opposite field early in his career, and he has talked about how he made some changes in his swing mechanics in the offseason to get more balanced again.

Maybe it’s as simple as that. More likely, Alonso learned something from playing for that mega-contract last year, maybe wanting it a little too much.

In any case, he looks like the best version of himself, which could mean 40-plus home runs and the type of protection for Juan Soto that could make the Mets’ offense a beast.

The sixth inning on Friday was an indication of the possibilities. With Francisco Lindor on base, the Blue Jays went to a lefthanded reliever, Mason Fluharty, and after Soto lined an RBI double to the right-field corner, the Jays had little choice but to intentionally walk Alonso.

That set the table for Brandon Nimmo, who has hit lefties better than right-handers the last few years, to deliver his own RBI double, before Starling Marte finished off the three-run rally with a hard sacrifice fly to center.

“That’s what this lineup can do,” said Nimmo, “especially with Pete swinging the bat like he is.”

That’s when Nimmo was asked about his own take on the Alonso contract saga.

“We were definitely worried [that Alonso wouldn’t be back],” he said. “But we don’t have to worry anymore.”

Finally, an NL scout texted me with an observation that added some notable perspective: “I thought Soto was a stone-cold lock to be the first Met intentionally walked this season. Not Alonso.”

There is a long way to go, of course. But on Friday, Alonso deserved to savor all the cheers and chants from the fans, all the hugs and handshakes from teammates that made this a day to remember. Storybook indeed.