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Plaschke: Sweep Diego! Dodgers dominate stumbling Padres and prove they're better

Los Angeles, CA - August 17: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia (51) celebrates.
Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia celebrates after the final out of the Dodgers' 5-4 series-sweeping win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Slammed Diego.

Those pesky rivals from down south staggered away from their weekend stay at Dodger Stadium Sunday with spirits bruised, egos bloodied and Manny Machado flattened.

Canned Diego.

Arriving here shortly after stealing first place, little brother spent the next three days giving it back to a Dodger team that met the moment while the Padres recoiled from it.

Fanned Diego.

It was a sweeping sweep of a sweep, the Dodgers winning their third consecutive game from the Padres Sunday by a 5-4 margin that does not begin to elucidate the difference between these two teams.

The Dodgers now lead the National League West by two games, but it feels like 20. Both teams have 38 games remaining in the season, including three next weekend in San Diego, but any sort of real challenge by the Padres feels fabricated.

The Dodgers are the deeper team. The Dodgers are the more focused team. The Dodgers are the better team.

Read more:Amid a season of struggle, Mookie Betts delivers in Dodgers' sweep of Padres

The final weekend blow was an eighth-inning, game-winning drive into the left-field pavilion by Mookie Betts, but this series wasn’t nearly that close.

The Dodgers did everything right, and the Padres did everything dumb.

The Dodgers charged, and the Padres choked.

“Didn't play as well as we'd like to have, and the series didn't go like we wanted it to,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “But ... this team is more than in a great place.”

That would nonetheless currently be second place, which, after this weekend, seems like an appropriate spot.

Meanwhile, for one of the few stretches in this curious summer, the Dodgers behaved like the first-place tenants they are.

“I don’t think anyone in that clubhouse doubted our abilities and how good we can be,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Honestly, it was just good to play a really good series, start to finish.”

Truly, from start to finish. The injury-prone Dodgers starters allowed just three runs in 17 innings, the much-maligned Dodger bullpen finished with just three allowed runs in 10 innings, and the Padres were bad enough that nothing else mattered.

Read more:Plaschke: The 'legend' Clayton Kershaw is legendary again for Dodgers

On Friday, Machado gave the Dodgers a run when he botched a bunt, and later hastily popped out on the first pitch in the eighth inning with two out and the tying and go-ahead runs on base.

On Saturday, the Padres were thrown out attempting to steal three times in the first two innings while center fielder Jackson Merrill added to the madness by dropping a fly ball that cost them two runs.

Then on Sunday, the Padres outhit the Dodgers 10-6 but couldn’t get out of their own way long enough to ever pose a real threat.

In the third inning, Freddy Fermín ran into an out on a single to right-center, Andy Pages nailing him by a mile. Then, with a runner on third and two out, Machado swung at the second pitch and grounded out to first.

Two innings later, Machado stranded two more runners with a groundout, but his humiliation was just beginning. In the seventh, Machado threw his bat and walked toward first on a strike call. After sheepishly returning to home plate amid a taunting roar from the hostile Dodger Stadium crowd, he flied out with a runner on second.

San Diego's Manny Machado reacts to a called strike in the seventh inning Sunday against the Dodgers.
San Diego's Manny Machado reacts to a called strike in the seventh inning Sunday against the Dodgers. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Machado wasn’t done yet. Appropriately, he was the final out of the game, swinging wildly at an Alex Vesia fastball for a strikeout on a foul tip that left the former Dodger one for 12 for the weekend.

“We can blink, and I'm pretty confident within a week or so, we'll be talking and be like, 'Man, Manny's got eight RBIs in the last five days,' so we're not concerned about it,” said Shildt, who claimed his star was stung by bad calls by home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak. “Unfortunately, some pitches that are outside the strike zone got called on him. Which, again, is unfortunate when they're not trying to throw strikes all the time to him. They're taking their chances and to get rewarded on balls that are outside the zone is a little frustrating.”

Before the series, in the wake of four consecutive dispiriting losses, Roberts called on his team to show more focus and urgency. Their final answer, on a day they could have easily shrugged off after winning the first two games of the series, came quickly and dramatically.

Tyler Glasnow, pitching in his biggest game as a Dodger, struck out three in the top of the first en route to eight strikeouts in five innings.

Freddie Freeman, right, celebrates with Shohei Ohtani after hitting a three-run home run.
Freddie Freeman, right, celebrates with Shohei Ohtani after hitting a three-run home run in the first inning Sunday against the Padres. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Then, in the bottom of the first against the Padres’ Yu Darvish, Shohei Ohtani singled, Betts walked and Freddie Freeman blasted a home run over the right-center field fence. One out later, Pages homered to left and the tone had been set.

“I think we all know who we are in here, in this team and how good we can be,” said Freeman. “We just gotta play good baseball like we did this weekend ... we know who we are inside. And gotta keep it going.”

Roberts was as good as any of them, doing a masterful job all weekend handling his outmanned bullpen, succeeding again Sunday by listening to his most reliable reliever.

After finishing up an eighth inning during which the Padres tied the game on a Jose Iglesias grounder, Vesia was promptly told he was done for the day, as Justin Wrobleski was scheduled to pitch the ninth.

Read more:Dodgers capitalize on Padres' sloppiness to retake sole possession of first place

But Vesia had a better idea. He told Roberts he wanted the ball if the Dodgers took the lead in the eighth, and when Betts homered, Vesia was ready.

“So I told Doc, I walked up to him and said, 'Hey, like, if we're up, I want it.'" Vesia recalled. “He was like, 'OK, you got it.' Sure enough, Mook, bang, homers. Sweet, let's go.”

Sweet indeed. Vesia’s hitless ninth was symbolic of a bullpen that spent the weekend making every big pitch ... while the Padres missed every big pitch.

“It's the dawg, right?” said Vesia. “We still have that. That doesn't just go away. Every single one of us, we're leaning on each other. And we know as a group how good we are.”

So, too, do the Padres.

Done Diego.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Red Sox to sign first baseman Nathaniel Lowe after Nationals DFA: Report

Red Sox to sign first baseman Nathaniel Lowe after Nationals DFA: Report originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

A late-season reinforcement is coming to Fenway Park.

The Boston Red Sox reportedly will sign first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for the remainder of 2025, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported late Sunday night.

Lowe, 30, was designated for assignment by the Washington Nationals earlier this month and went unclaimed on waivers.

The Red Sox have been searching for first base help since losing Triston Casas to a season-ending knee injury in May. Abraham Toro and Romy González have mostly split the role — Toro facing right-handers and González facing left-handers. Lowe could conceivably fill Toro’s spot with his recent struggles at the plate (.163 batting average in August).

The lefty-hitting Lowe has the credentials to make him an appealing flyer — Silver Slugger in 2022, Gold Glove and World Series champion with the Texas Rangers in 2023. But he showed serious regression in D.C. this season, posting career lows in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Lowe hit .216 with 16 home runs and 68 RBIs in 119 games.

Before 2025, Lowe played for the Tampa Bay Rays (2019-2020) and Rangers (2021-2024). He was traded to Washington last December.

The Nationals will pay Lowe most of the remainder of his $10.3-million salary this season, with the Red Sox picking up the prorated portion of the league minimum. Lowe is arbitration-eligible this winter, so Boston can either bring him back in 2026 for more than his 2025 salary or non-tender him to free agency.

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Reds end Brewers’ franchise-record, 14-game winning streak on Hays’ bases-loaded hit in 10th

CINCINNATI — Austin Hays’ single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning gave the Cincinnati Reds a 3-2 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday, ending the Brewers’ franchise-record winning streak at 14 games.

Milwaukee had barely pulled out the previous two games in Cincinnati for its longest streak ever within one season and the longest in the majors since the St. Louis Cardinals won 17 straight from Sept. 11 to Sept. 28, 2021.

This time, Spencer Steer’s sacrifice bunt in the 10th advanced designated runner TJ Friedl to third. After intentional walks to Elly De La Cruz and Will Benson loaded the bases, Hays laced a single to down the third-base line for his second career walk-off hit.

Milwaukee, which overcame a seven-run deficit on Friday and rallied to win in 14 innings Saturday, nearly came back for another win.

William Contreras hit his 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot off Reds closer Emilio Pagan, to put Milwaukee ahead 2-1 in the ninth. But the Reds tied it when Benson reached on a fielding error by shortstop Joey Ortiz and later scored on Jose Trevino’s single.

The first-place Brewers fell to 53-17 in their last 70 games.

The game was scoreless through six innings with Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott and Brewers lefty Jose Quintana allowing a combined six hits with 11 strikeouts.

Cincinnati scored the game’s first run when Hays led off the seventh with a double and scored on Trevino’s sacrifice fly to the wall in center.

Graham Ashcraft (7-4) earned the win for Cincinnati. Grant Anderson (2-4) took the loss.

Key moment

In the top of the 10th inning, designated runner Andrew Vaughn was thrown out at third base trying to advance on Blake Perkins’ bunt.

Key stat

The Reds are the only team that has not been swept in a series this season. Their 40 series without a sweep is the longest in franchise history, eclipsing the 1970 team which went 32 straight series. It’s the seventh time the Reds have won the final game of a series to avoid being swept.

Up next

Brewers RHP Freddy Peralta (14-5, 2.90) will start Monday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. RHP Brady Singer (10-9, 4.31) will start Monday for the Reds against the Angels in Anaheim.

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Amid ‘ups and downs,’ Mets hope big home run sees Mark Vientos ‘take off’

Mark Vientos came into the year looking to solidify himself as an everyday player for the Mets after having a breakout season, smacking 27 home runs in 111 games before posting a .998 OPS in 13 postseason games.

“It hasn’t been easy for him,” manager Calos Mendoza said of the young slugger’ struggles during the 2025 campaign, which saw him post just a .633 OPS amid on-again-off-again playing time entering Sunday night's Little League Classic.

“Lotta ups and downs,” Mendoza said. “Started the year not the way he wanted it or anticipated it or the way we anticipated it, and it hasn’t been easy for him the past couple of weeks with inconsistent playing time. He plays one game and then maybe sits for a few of them. And it’s not an easy role."

But Vientos was in the lineup at third base and delivered two hits in three at-bats and provided the blow that blew the game wide open with a three-run home run off Seattle starter George Kirby in the fifth inning.

“I was just trying to see a fastball up in the zone, middle-middle,” Vientos said after the 7-3 win. “I know he had good two-seam action on his fastball, so I was just trying to see him middle-middle and not try to do too much.”

Vientos got the 97 mph heater at the top of the zone and muscled it 385 feet the other way to give the Mets a five-run cushion. The long ball, Vientos' eighth of the season, gave him four RBI on the night (after a sacrifice fly his first time up) to raise his total to 36 on the season and saw his slashline rise to .232/.276/.372.

For the skipper, it was a sign of how things are supposed to work.

“That’s kinda the messaging with him and some of the other younger players: they gotta stay ready,” Mendoza said. “And to [Vientos’] credit, proud of him, because to have a game like that against a really good arm. It’s pretty impressive.”

Vientos said he has been preparing every day like he is starting and reading himself to come into the game at every opportunity. 

"Whenever the opportunity presents itself – and honestly, whenever I'm out there – I try my best and do what I can, and if not, I'm just cheering on my team for us to win," he said.

For the Mets, who won for the second-straight time and the fourth time in their last 18 games, they'll need everyone, including Vientos, to start clicking. 

“We need him, we need all of those guys,” Mendoza said. “[Vientos] was a big part of this team last year, and he's going to be a big part here moving forward. We saw it tonight, he’s too good of a player. And hopefully he can just take off from today.”

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Mark Vientos homers, drives in four as Mets beat Mariners 7-3 in 2025 MLB Little League Classic

Mark Vientos homered and drove in four runs, and Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez notched three hits each as the Mets beat the Seattle Mariners 7-3 on Sunday night in the 2025 MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Penn.

Clay Holmes pitched around trouble to give the Mets five innings of one-run ball and the bullpen was effective to shut the door behind him as the Mets grabbed a series win, their first in the month of August.

New York improved to 66-58 on the year and is now 3.0 games behind the San Diego Padres for the second Wild Card spot.

Here are the takeaways...

- The Mets got the game’s first chance when Pete Alonso led off the home half of the second with a single through the left side of the infield and Jeff McNeil chunked a base hit down the line in left. Alvarez, on the fifth straight George Kirby slider, lined one into the left-center gap that just eluded Julio Rodriguez's glove for an RBI double. Brett Baty, against a drawn-in infield with two in scoring position, laced a 3-2 sinker up the middle for a run-scoring single before Vientos plated the Mets’ third run with a sacrifice fly to center.

Kriby gave New York a chance in the third, issuing a leadoff walk to Juan Soto and a one-out free pass to Alonso. But McNeil flied out to right and Alvarez grounded out to short to end the chance. The Mets created another opportunity off Kirby in the fourth as Vientos’ one-out single was followed by a Lindor single and Soto walk (featuring a Soto Shuffle much to the little leaguers' delight) to give Brandon Nimmo a two-out chance with the bases loaded. But he got jammed on a first-pitch 98 mph fastball to line out softly. 

- With two down in the fifth, Vientos came to the plate with runners on first and second thanks to sharply hit one-out singles from McNeil and Alvarez, and Kirby left a 1-1 heater over the heart of the plate and the third baseman didn't miss it, driving it 385 feet the opposite way (103.5 mph off the bat) for a much-needed three-run shot to put the Mets up 6-1.

Cedric Mullins, who was 0-for-2 to that point with two strikeouts, roped a double into the corner in right and Lindor, on the sixth-straight Kirby curveball, golfed a drive into the right-center gap that the Mariners misplayed as Rodriguez called off right fielder Dominic Canzone and the ball fell in for an RBI double, his third hit of the night.

- In the seventh, Alvarez cracked his third hit of the game with a double off the wall in right, just beating the throw with a head-first slide. But the Mets catcher appeared to jam his right thumb into the bag on the slide. He immediately called for time and was examined by the Mets’ training staff. Alvarez remained in the game to run the bases and was eventually stranded at third, but was replaced in the top of the eighth behind the plate by Luis Torrens.

- The Mets got another chance with one out in the eighth when Soto worked his third walk of the night, stole second, and Nimmo singled to cover the corners. But Alonso went down swinging and McNeil tapped out to first.

New York finished the night 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position with 10 runners left on base.

- Holmes’ night got off to an auspicious start: He beaned Randy Arozarena near the head with a 92 mph sinker on the game’s first pitch. But the veteran got Cal Raleigh swinging on a slider below the zone and Rodriguez to ground into a 5-4-3 inning-ender. Holmes worked around a one-out infield single in the second and a leadoff single in the third to keep Seattle off the board through nine outs, needing 46 pitches. 

Rodriguez smacked a 0-2 curveball of the outside corner for a double into the gap in right to start the fourth. Holmes got Josh Naylor looking at a changeup and Eugenio Suarez to ground out to short, but Jorge Polanco’s soft liner up the middle slipped past a leaping Lindor to score the Mariners’ first run. 

It was a play that the shortstop should have made, and Holmes suffered as Canzone singled to right and J.P. Crawford worked a walk to load the bases. After the starter fell behind 3-0 to nine-hole hitter Cole Young, Holmes got an inning-ending pop out to short, but had to throw 16 extra pitches after the missed liner, which likely kept him from going deeper in the game.

After an 11-pitch 1-2-3 fifth inning, Holmes exited having allowed just one run on five hits, one walk, and one HBP with four strikeouts on 88 pitches (58 strikes).

- Needing 12 outs and protecting a six-run lead, Brooks Raley was the first man out of the Mets bullpen and worked around a two-on and two-out jam for a clean frame.

In the seventh, Reed Garrett retired the first man he faced before Arozarena singled to right and Raleigh took a splitter virtually off the ground and just snuck it over the wall down the line in left for a 338-foot two-run shot.

The struggling Ryan Helsley worked around a two-out walk in a clean eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts, sporing an effective cutter that got three whiffs (on five swings) and two called strikes.

Tyler Rogers worked around a pair of two-out singles in the ninth to close the door, stranding runners on the corners. The Mets staff limited their foes to 1-for-6 with RISP and left 10 men on base.

- The miscue in the field wasn’t Lindor’s only mistake of the day. After cracking a single to right to lead off the home half of the first, he was caught dancing off first base as the Mariners put a pickoff play on. It went down as a caught stealing, snapping the Mets’ streak of 39 successful steals.

Game MVP: Mark Vientos

Vientos, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, had the big hit of the game as his home run helped burst the game open. Honorable mention to Alvarez for going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and Lindor, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a strikeout.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets have Monday off and will head to Washington for a three-game series against the Nationals before heading to Atlanta for a weekend series with the Braves.

Left-hander David Peterson (3.30 ERA, 1.276 WHIP in 136.1 innings over 24 starts) gets the ball for Tuesday night's series opener against right-hander Jake Irvin (5.14 ERA, 1.379 WHIP in 140 innings over 25 starts). First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m. in D.C.

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Mets' Francisco Alvarez placed on IL with thumb sprain, will eventually need surgery

Francisco Alvarez was having a fantastic game in the Little League Classic on Sunday night in Williamsport, but a right thumb injury forced him out after the seventh inning.

Following an MRI, the Mets announced on Tuesday that Alvarez has been placed on the 10-day IL with a right thumb UCL sprain.

According to the Mets, Alvarez will be re-evaluated in 10-14 days for return to play.

The Mets have called up catcher Hayden Senger to take Alvarez's spot on the roster.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, manager Carlos Mendoza said that Alvarez will need to have surgery on his thumb, but whether that surgery happens in the near future or the offseason will be determined in the next two weeks or so.

"He needs surgery, obviously, but right now, talking to multiple doctors, the plan is to give him 10-14 days to calm down the inflammation and see where he’s at after that as far as gripping the bat, if he’s going to be able to swing," Mendoza said. "There are players in the past who [have] played through this, and that’s why we’re giving it a chance. If he goes and has surgery right now, he’s going to be done for the season anyway. 

"So, he wants to give it a try. We’re hopeful that he can play through this, but we’ll just have to wait and see."

SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino notes that if Alvarez is able to hold off on surgery until the offseason, it should not impact the start of his 2026 season, as this kind of surgery typically has a 6-7 week recovery period.

The injury occurred in the home half of the seventh inning when Alvarez cracked his third hit of the game with a double off the wall in right, just beating the throw with a head-first slide.

But on the slide, he appeared to jam his right thumb into the bag. Alvarez immediately called for time and was examined by the Mets’ training staff, but stayed in the game to run the bases. He advanced as far as third base before he was stranded there. When it came time for the top of the eighth inning, Luis Torrens was behind the plate.

Mendoza said that Alvarez's grip had "some strength" when he was examined on the field, but it was the manager who decided to lift the catcher before he came in to play defense.

"He was like, 'I'm good, I'm good, I'm good,'" the skipper said. "Then [after the inning] he's like, 'Let me play catch.' At that point, I was like, if you're still... let's not mess around with it and let's go inside. I basically took it away from him. I didn't want to even let him play catch."

Alvarez was seen exiting the Mets' dugout during the inning change and showed his right thumb to a few teammates as he headed back toward the clubhouse with a member of the training staff.

The 23-year-old, who missed the start of the season with a hamate fracture in his left hand and spent a chunk of the year working on things at Triple-A Syracuse, appeared to have found his stroke at the plate.

Since returning from the demotion in late July, Alvarez is slashing .323/.408/.645 with four homers, six doubles, one triple, 13 RBI, and 14 runs scored in 71 plate appearances over 21 games.

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SEE IT: Mets' Juan Soto shuffle delights crowd at 2025 MLB Little League Classic

The kids at the 2025 MLB Little League Classic wanted to see it. That much was obvious when they finally did see it in the bottom half of the fourth inning on Sunday night in Williamsport, Penn.

Juan Soto delivered in his third time up when he took a 1-0 offering from Mariners starter George Kirby low and dropped the Soto Shuffle.

The reaction was immediate: delight.

The Mets' outfielder worked a walk a few pitches later.

Earlier in the game, Soto was having a bit of fun at second base as he was teasing Seattle centerfielder Julio Rodriguez, showing the big leaguers were keen on having just as much fun in Williamsport as the Little Leaguers.

Soto went hitless in two at-bats but walked three times on the night, bringing his league-leading tally to 96 on the year, in the Mets' 7-3 win over the Mariners. He also added a steal in the eighth inning, giving him 20 for his first campaign in Queens.

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Mookie Betts' late home run lifts Dodgers to series sweep of the Padres

Los Angeles, CA - August 17: Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) celebrates his go-ahead home run in the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Mookie Betts celebrates his go-ahead home run in the eighth inning of a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

For so much of this year, the Dodgers have been picking Mookie Betts up amid a career-worst season at the plate.

On Sunday afternoon, with a rivalry game and division lead hanging in the balance, he returned the favor with his biggest swing in ages.

After once leading by four, then watching the Padres claw all the way back to tie the score, the Dodgers completed a weekend series sweep on Betts’ go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth — his no-doubt, 394-foot, stadium-shaking blast sending the Dodgers to a 5-4 win and two-game lead in the National League West.

As Betts came to the plate in the eighth inning, Dodger Stadium was silent and tense.

In the first inning, the team had ambushed Padres starter Yu Darvish for four runs on long balls from Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages.

From there, a crowd of 49,189 watched the Padres slowly storm back.

Tyler Glasnow fizzled after two electric opening innings, leaving the game at the end of the fifth after giving up two runs.

A patchwork Dodgers bullpen couldn’t hold the Padres off, giving up runs in the top of the sixth and eighth that transformed the score into a 4-4 tie.

At that point, San Diego had the advantage. Their league-leading bullpen was fresh. Their closer, Robert Suarez, was on the mound. And the Dodgers were almost completely out of pitching options, having burned five relievers to get the previous nine outs.

But then, Betts delivered. In a 2-and-0 count against Suarez, he launched a center-cut fastball deep into the left-field stands.

It was the kind of moment that has eluded the former MVP so often this year. The kind of heroic act the Dodgers (71-53) had been waiting for despite his career-worst .241 batting average.

Mookie Betts runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning for the Dodgers against the Padres on Sunday.
Mookie Betts runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning for the Dodgers against the Padres on Sunday. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Just like that, the Dodgers completed their sweep against the Padres (69-55). They went from second place at the start of Friday to all alone back in first three days later.

Long before the dramatic ending, Sunday had started like the previous two nights. The Dodgers were getting good pitching, with Glasnow striking out four of his first five batters while pumping increased fastball velocity and generating foolish swings with his slider. The Padres were making mistakes; most notably, Freddy Fermín getting gunned down by Pages from center while trying to leg out a double in the top of the third, turning what could have been a crooked-number inning into only a one-run rally.

Darvish, meanwhile, made a pair of two-strike mistakes, leaving a fastball up to Freeman for a three-run homer before failing to bury a splitter to Pages for a solo shot.

Read more:Dodgers capitalize on Padres' sloppiness to retake sole possession of first place

Things began to shift, however, in the fifth. Ramón Laureano lifted a solo drive just over the wall in right. And though Glasnow got out of a jam later in the inning, his fading command and rising pitch count forced him from the game after 91 throws.

That meant, with the Padres turning to their shutdown (and, after two defeats to start the series, well-rested) bullpen, the Dodgers’ shaky relief corps was asked to protect a narrow lead.

Once again, they couldn’t.

In the sixth, Anthony Banda gave up one run on a pair of doubles (the second one, a floating fly ball into the right field corner from Ryan O’Hearn that slow-footed Teoscar Hernández couldn’t track down).

And though Blake Treinen stranded a runner at third in the seventh — thanks in no small part to a generous strike call against Manny Machado that negated a walk — more trouble arose in the eighth.

Alexis Díaz started the inning by hitting a batter, then gave up a double to Laureano on a line drive to center. Alex Vesia took over from there and retired both batters he faced. But the first one was a ground ball from Jose Iglesias, just enough to get a runner home from third for the tying run.

Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia, right, celebrates with catcher Will Smith after beating the Padres.
Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia, right, celebrates with catcher Will Smith after the Dodgers' 5-4 win over the Padres at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

For a fleeting moment, all the momentum the Dodgers had built this past week seemed to be fading.

Instead of retaking control of the division lead, they risked finishing this weekend tied atop the standings.

With one swing, Betts changed all that.

In a year of so much frustration, his moment of salvation finally arrived.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Start of Sunday's Mets-Mariners MLB Little League Classic delayed due to rain

The start of Sunday's MLB Little League Classic between the Mets and Mariners in Williamsport, PA., has been delayed due to rain.

The rain began to come down in buckets at around 5:45 p.m., and the tarp was placed over the field at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.

The game, the finale of the three-game set which began at Citi Field, will now begin at 7:45 p.m. 

Fortunately, the Mets players had plenty of chances to soak in some of the fun with the Little League World Series players before the rain.

When things get underway, right-hander Clay Holmes will climb the hill for the Mets, serving as the home team in the game, for his 25th start of the year. He has pitched to a 3.71 ERA and 1.349 WHIP over 126 innings with 101 strikeouts and 52 walks.

Holmes has struggled of late; in five starts since the All-Star break, he has pitched to a 5.56 ERA (3.95 FIP) and a 1.765 WHIP in 22.2 innings. He has just 18 strikeouts to 11 walks.

Seattle is sending out righty GeorgeKirby for his 16th start of the year. He has a 3.71 ERA and 1.071 WHIP over 85 innings with 90 strikeouts to 20 walks. After struggling to start the year (6.16 ERA over his first six outings), he has been solid since the break, with a 2.32 ERA (2.21 FIP) and 0.935 WHIP in 31.0 innings over his past five starts with 34 strikeouts to eight walks.

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Paul Goldschmidt's three hits, sloppy St. Louis defense lead to Yankees' three-game sweep of Cardinals

The Yankees secured a three-game sweep, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 8-4 on Sunday afternoon.

Here are the key takeaways…

-- For the first time in 46 games, Anthony Volpe was not the starting shortstop for the Yankees. Volpe is just 3-for-his-last-26 at the plate, and if you zoom out further, he’s 11-for-his-last-55 with 13 strikeouts.

Jose Caballero got the start at short, and he ended up playing a huge role in the victory. Leading off the top of the ninth in a 4-4 game, Caballero hit a high-chopper to second, and while Thomas Saggese had plenty of time to make the play, he ended up throwing it away, putting Caballero on second.

The Yankees would go on to load the bases, and Cody Bellinger found a hole between first and second, with the ball getting past Saggese for his second error of the inning, scoring two New York runs. The Yankees would add another on a Jazz Chisholm Jr. groundout, going up 7-4. 

Caballero went 1-for-4 with an RBI, but his speed was what put things in motion in the ninth.

-- Welcome back, Paul Goldschmidt!

After playing 836 regular-season games as a Cardinal, including winning an NL MVP in 2022, Goldschmidt got his first start as a visitor in St. Louis.

The crowd gave Goldschmidt a standing ovation in the second inning, and he ended up having a really nice day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with an RBI double in the ninth and a run scored earlier in the game.

--Goldschmidt was part of a three-run fourth inning for the Yankees against Miles Mikolas. After a Chisholmwalk and a Goldschmidt double, the bottom of the Yankees’ order delivered with three-straight RBI hits by Jasson Dominguez, Ryan McMahon, and Caballero, as the Yankees jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

-- It wasn’t a great afternoon for Yankees starter Will Warren, though the defense behind him didn’t give him a ton of help. After three scoreless innings to get things started, Warren ran into trouble in the fourth, allowing a pair of two-out runs after the inning began with a McMahon error.

Warren’s fifth inning started with a Chisholm throwing error, and after the Cardinals scored their third run of the game on an Alec Burleson RBI single, Warren’s afternoon ended shortly thereafter.

Warren went 4.2 innings, allowing one earned run (three runs total) on six hits to go along with three strikeouts and one walk.

-- The Yanks evened the game in the seventh thanks to some small ball. After Trent Grisham walked to get things started, an Aaron Judge soft hit to right moved Grisham to third, and the speedy outfielder came around to score on a Bellinger sac fly to center.

-- Both benches had some problems with home plate umpire Nick Lentz. In the fourth, after Aaron Boone was chirping at Lentz about the strike zone, it was major league field coordinator and director of catching Tanner Swanson who got tossed after the inning was over. Then, in the top of the seventh, Cards skipper Oli Marmol got the hook after being dissatisfied with the strike zone.

-- Camilo Doval allowed a game-tying solo home run to Cards catcher Yohel Pozo in the sixth inning, and has now allowed at least one earned run in four of his eight appearances with the Yankees. Doval owns a 6.43 ERA since being traded to the Yanks from the San Francisco Giants.

Game MVP

Goldschmidt, who had three hits in his first start as a visitor in St. Louis since his days as a Cardinal.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

The Yankees have a day off on Monday before starting a quick two-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night at 7:35 p.m.

Carlos Rodon is scheduled to face righty Shane Baz.

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Mets' Tylor Megill strikes out nine in second rehab start at Double-A Binghamton

Tylor Megill had another impressive rehab outing as he looks to get back to bolster the Mets' pitching ranks.

In his second start with Double-A Binghamton as he works his way back from an elbow strain, the right-hander allowed one hit over 3.1 innings while striking out nine and walking none on 55 pitches (39 strikes, with 12 whiffs).

Megill had to settle in as he allowed a leadoff single on an 0-2 pitch before needing five pitches to get the next two outs. With two down in the home half of the first, Megill uncorked a pair of wild pitches to allow the runner to reach third before getting a swinging strikeout, his second of the inning, on a 3-2 pitch.

After that, Megill retired the next seven straight batters with six going down on strikes. With one out in the third, the righty recorded his ninth strikeout of the day, but a passed ball saw the batter reach to end his day with a runner on first base.

In his first outing at Double-A earlier this week, Megill allowed three hits and a walk while striking out four over 1.2 innings, throwing 41 pitches (27 strikes).

In 14 starts with the Mets this year, the 30-year-old has pitched to a 3.95 ERA and 1.361 WHIP in 68.1 innings with 89 strikeouts to 33 walks. He made his last appearance on June 14 before landing on the IL.

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Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer to have season-ending right wrist surgery

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer said Sunday that he’ll have season-ending surgery on his right wrist.

The 22-year-old Mayer injured the wrist in late July, got an injection to try and come back, but decided to have surgery. He said he has a tear that hadn’t improved with the anti-inflammatory injection.

“I knew definitely that it was going to be on the table,” he said, sitting in the Red Sox dugout at Fenway Park before they faced Miami in the series finale.

“As an athlete and somebody that loves this game so much, all I want to do is play and be out there every single day, especially when you’re in the big leagues and the playoffs are so important,” he said. “The way that my wrist is right now, there’s just no way to come back and play. It made the decision pretty easy to have the surgery.”

Drafted fourth overall in 2021, Mayer was called up in late May. A natural shortstop, he played mostly third base, batting .228 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 44 games.

“The shot wasn’t working. It’s a three-month recovery, He should be fine if everything goes well for spring training,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He’s a big part of the future of this organization, just get him right, get him ready and see what happens in the future.”

Cora said he knew things weren’t going well after Mayer played catch on Thursday’s day off.

“He didn’t sound too positive about it. ‘My swing is not right,’’’ Cora said Mayer told him.

Mayer also knew that surgery was the best option.

“Yeah, gave it my all. Obviously with options given, I could have had surgery when I first injured it or get the shot,” he said. “I tried everything I could with the slight chance to come back and play.”

He also missed the final two months in the minors last season with a shoulder injury and didn’t play after July 31.

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Orioles promote top prospect Samuel Basallo for MLB debut

HOUSTON (AP) — Baltimore’s top prospect Samuel Basallo will make his MLB debut Sunday after the Orioles selected his contract from Triple-A Norfolk.

Basallo, rated Baltimore’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 8 prospect in baseball by MLB.com, is a catcher and first baseman, but was batting sixth and serving as the team’s designated hitter Sunday in the series finale against the Astros.

“This is the first big Latin American signing that we’ve had that shows up and it’s a really good one,” Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “So we’re excited about him. We expect him to be competitive and do well.”

His promotion comes a day after the team brought up No. 3 prospect outfielder Dylan Beavers.

Basallo, a 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic, hit .270 with 23 homers and 67 RBIs in 76 games for Norfolk this season. He will be the team’s backup catcher behind star Adley Rutschman and get work at first base.

“Adley will function as our No. 1 catcher because that’s what he is,” Mansolino said. “He’s a really good catcher. Basollo will function as the No. 2 catcher, catch day games, Adley won’t catch four in a row, things like that.”

Mansolino added that Basollo would start at catcher Monday night at Boston and that he’d get him in the lineup at first base during the team’s next homestand.

Also on Sunday, the Orioles reinstated OF Colton Cowser from the 7-day concussion list and optioned OF Daniel Johnson and 1B/OF Ryan Noda to Norfolk. They also transferred right-hander Zach Eflin (low back discomfort) to the 60-day injured list.

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Astros' Yordan Alvarez to start rehab assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday

HOUSTON (AP) Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez will begin a rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday, moving him closer to a return after sitting out for more than three months.

“It’s really good news,” manager Joe Espada said. “The fact that he’s feeling better and we’re getting to a point where we can see him back is awesome.”

Alvarez has been out since May 3 with a small fracture in his right hand that was initially diagnosed as a muscle strain.

Alvarez was in Houston on Sunday before the team’s series finale against Baltimore after returning from the Astros’ spring training facility in Florida, giving Espada a chance to talk with him.

“He is feeling better,” Espada said. “Good enough to start a rehabilitation assignment.”

Espada said Alvarez would need “a few games before joining our club” but when pressed about exactly how many games or at-bats the left-hander would need, he declined to give further details.

“We’re going to start with Tuesday and then we’ll go from there,” he said.

Espada said Alvarez would serve as the team’s designated hitter Tuesday.

The return of Alvarez would be a major boost to the Astros as the postseason approaches after he led the team in batting average (.308), home runs (35) and RBIs (86) last season. Houston entered Sunday leading the AL West with a 1 1/2-game lead over the Mariners.

The 28-year-old Alvarez hit .210 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 29 games this season before his injury.

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‘Catch of the decade': Watch Giants outfielder make wild play — with his knees

‘Catch of the decade': Watch Giants outfielder make wild play — with his knees originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Star Giants centerfielder Jung Hoo Lee might have made the catch of the 2025 MLB season — and decade — during San Francisco’s 7-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday at Oracle Park.

In the top of the fourth inning, Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz sent an 83-mph sweeper from Giants ace Logan Webb into Triples Alley, and Lee wildly caught the deep fly between his legs.

Yes, you read that right.

The catch kept the fans in San Francisco entertained during the 0-0 tie at the time, and it certainly will be remembered for the rest of the year and for generations to come. 

Lee explained postgame just how he pulled off the grab.

“The wind was pretty heavy and the ball was reaching out a lot, so I went for the slide,” Lee said. “I did catch it, but it felt like it was dropping down, going under my body starting from the chest. It was a funny catch for sure.

“As soon as I felt the ball dropping down my body, I felt like I had to squeeze, and in the end, I squeezed it with my calves.”

All Giants right fielder Drew Gilbert, who was next to Lee as he held up proof of the grab, could do was smile. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Duane Kuiper said it best during the game’s broadcast.

“I don’t care what anybody says,” Kuiper said. “That’s the catch of the decade. Not of the year, not of the day, not of the week, not of the homestand. The decade.”

Kuiper has been around the majors since his rookie 1974 season with Cleveland. He would know what “the catch of the decade” looks like.

As reflected by their 60-64 record, the Giants have historically struggled in recent weeks and entered Sunday’s game with one home win in their last 15 tries. 

But perhaps Lee’s play provided the spark San Francisco needed to beat the Rays, and maybe it can help the Giants eventually survive the dog days of summer and claw back into the MLB playoff race.

Regardless, San Francisco will take the win and the ridiculous highlight. And Bob Melvin, doing his job as a manager, was just glad his center fielder wasn’t hurt.

“I was worried that he may have hurt something, like his ankle,” Melvin said postgame. “I wasn’t really sure because he was down for a while. When the replay took a while, our people were talking about it and realized he caught it between his knees.

“Haven’t seen that one before.”