Category: MLB

They shouldn’t book their trips to Cancun for the All-Star break just yet.

At the same time, the many overqualified ballplayers who failed to earn selections to the American or National League All-Star teams when rosters were announced Saturday, July 4 shouldn’t have to play the waiting game.

But that’s life in the big leagues, where limited roster spaces and occasional mess-ups by fan or player voting can leave deserving players frozen out of the Midsummer Classic, played this year on July 14 in Philadelphia. Many players, of course, will be named as injury or starting-pitcher replacements.

For now, though, they are the legion of the snubbed, deserving but for now losers in the numbers game. Let’s explore eight players who should be Philly-bound one week from now:

Fans of round numbers enjoyed Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s masterful performance to lead a second straight low-scoring win for the Dodgers against the Padres, this one finishing 3-0. It was with his 100th pitch that Yamamoto secured a 10th strikeout to wrap up seven scoreless innings—Yamamoto tied a career-high in punchouts and delivered his best outing against the Padres, a team that prior to this season had caused him problems.

While runs were at a premium on both sides, the Dodgers didn’t need much to feel good about their chances in this one. Just three runs were more than enough to hold off an offense that had no response for Yamamoto, and it could’ve been more if not for the Padres’ defense. The Dodgers squandered a chance to open the scoring in the first inning when Mookie Betts hit what could’ve been a two-out RBI double, but Freddie Freeman got gunned down at the plate. Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts combined for a nice play to preserve the 0-0 on the board at least until the third inning.

It’s pitching 101 that a starter is leaving room for the disastrous if he doesn’t open up an inning against the bottom of an order with dominance, particularly if you’re facing an offense as strong as the Dodgers. Griffin Canning replaced opener Wandy Peralta after the first, and with hitters number eight and nine reaching base in the third inning—in this case, Dalton Rushing and Alex Freeland—it felt like a given that Los Angeles would get on the board. That’s exactly what the Dodgers did with an Andy Pages RBI knock, filling in as the designated hitter with Shohei Ohtani on the bench.

You wouldn’t know it from his performance tonight—as he ended up holding the Dodgers to just one run in four innings as the bulk man, but it’s been a disastrous campaign for Canning. The Padres’ right-hander lowered his ERA to 6.71 and took a sixth loss in his seventh decision.

However great Yamamoto was from start to finish, creating this feel of an insurmountable lead as soon as the Dodgers got on the board, they still felt pressed to add to it. That only came in the sixth inning when Freddie Freeman made up for faltering with a runner in scoring position earlier in the game by hitting a solo shot, only his 15th on the season and third at home since the beginning of June.

Still, any night that Freeman doesn’t deliver with a runner in scoring position doesn’t feel complete, and so he did in the eighth. The Dodgers first baseman drove in Tommy Edman on one of his patented line drives to center field for a single.

Back to Yamamoto, though, despite allowing five base runners with three hits and five walks, the Dodgers starter only had one at-bat against him with a runner in scoring position, responding well to any setback, no matter how rare—speaking of, that final pitch to secure the seven scoreless had a bit of it, considering Yamamoto was facing a full count against Merrill because of a pitch-clock violation at 2-2.

The only dicey moment in the two innings of relief following Yamamoto came in the eighth when Dave Roberts called on Alex Vesia to face Jake Cronenworth with a runner on and a 2-0 lead. Vesia got the strikeout and didn’t even come back for the ninth, leaving the save to Will Klein.

Game particulars

• Home run: Freddie Freeman (15)
• WP— Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-5): 7 IP, 3 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
• LP— Griffin Canning (1-6): 4 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
• SV – Will Klein (2): 1 IP, 2 strikeouts

Up next

The possibility for a four-game sweep awaits on a late start on Sunday afternoon on the West Coast, as the Dodgers and Padres play with first pitch scheduled for 4:20 P.M. (PT). Emmett Sheehan will start for the home side and be opposed by J.P. Sears, making only his third start in 2026.

Struggles with clutch hitting haunt the Milwaukee Brewers yet again, as they strand nine runners on base on their way to a 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Entering tonight’s game, the Brewers’ main focus was to get a deep outing from their starting pitching and clean up the runners in scoring position. Unfortunately, neither issue was solved, despite one of them being out of the team’s control.

Hopes were high for a deep outing, as Brandon Woodruff was making his third start since coming off the injured list. But after getting the first two batters of the bottom of the first inning out, Woodruff allowed a walk and a single to set things up for Adrian Del Castillo. He then hit his fifth home run of the season to give the Diamondbacks a 3-0 lead.

Things quickly turned for the worse for the Brewers after Woodruff’s velocity dropped drastically in the fourth inning. Curt Hogg reported that his changeups were sitting at 75 mph, seven ticks below his average speed on that pitch. Following that realization from the coaching staff, Woodruff was quickly pulled from the game. It’s the second time this season that Woodruff has left the game due to injury against the Diamondbacks.

At that point in the ballgame, we saw a masterclass from the rookie right-hander Craig Yoho, who threw 2.2 innings of perfect baseball, striking out just one batter. It was his longest appearance out of the bullpen in two years, when he did it with Triple-A Nashville.

Following the departure of Woodruff, Christian Yelich broke out of his struggles at the plate with his first home run since June 17, as he smoked a two-run home run to right-center field. His home run snapped an 0-for-12 stretch at the plate.

After Yoho was pulled from the game, Jared Koenig came in for a relief appearance, as he was the lone pitcher to not appear out of the bullpen in last nights 8.1 inning work load. Getting the final two outs of the seventh inning, Koenig allowed the Diamondbacks to pick up an insurance run to extend their lead to 4-2.

Yelich’s two-run home run was the lone offensive production on the night until Jackson Chourio sent a ball over the left field wall with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to bring the Brewers within one run. Unfortunately, that was it for the Brewers offense, as it was another night of kicking themselves in the foot. The Brewers bats combined for 12 hits on the night, but once again, it was the struggles with runners in scoring position that were the kicker. Tonight, the Crew stranded nine runners in scoring position, finishing the night 1-for-10.

On top of it all, the Diamondbacks collected just four hits as a team, riding the three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning throughout the entirety of the game. Merrill Kelly continued to dominate the Brewers as he went five innings, allowing two runs, two walks, eight hits, and struck out six batters. It was Kelly’s best outing on the mound since June 11 against the Miami Marlins when he didn’t allow any runs through six innings.

The Brewers will go for the rubber match and season series tomorrow at 3:00 p.m., as they play in their third primetime game of the season, as they make their season debut on Peacock.

Recap

In the first inning, with two baserunners due to walks, Willson Contreras whaled a no-doubter to left and the Sox never looked back.

The Sox had steady traffic on the bases, working some long at-bats and drawing six walks, three of which led to runs. They also benefitted from being hit by pitches (twice – Anthony Seigler’s contortions in the sixth made me worry for his back) and a fielding error. The four-run fifth inning really broke it open, with a long, two-run double by Abreu and Romy González’s first homer of the year. The Sox offense proved it had staying power in the eighth, as three Sox players (Andruw Monasterio, Connor Wong, and Ceddanne Rafaela) notched their first hits of the evening. That left only Caleb Durbin without a hit.

In the early innings, Gray didn’t appear to be his usual rock-solid self. There was an early mound visit from Andrew Bailey and a sinker that didn’t sink in the third that buzzed the batter’s helmet and knocked him down. However, Gray needed only six pitches that inning and settled down. Ultimately, he allowed only four hits. That’s how a veteran grinds it out.

The Sox continue their recent trend of early offense, and have a chance at a sweep tomorrow.

Studs

Power

Contreras started things off with a three-run homer and Romy González showed the Sox what they’ve been missing with a two-run homer. There were also three doubles, two of which drove in runs.

Smart At-Bats

The Sox did a good job, with almost everyone contributing in some way: working long at-bats, taking walks, and getting on base through two HBP and an error. Special mention to Anthony Seigler and Wilyer Abreu, who both scored twice. Between them: 3 BB, 4R, two doubles, 1 HBP.

Jarren Duran

Defensively, he had an impressive diving grab in the first inning. Offensively, he found different ways to get on base via a couple of walks and a hit-by-pitch, and once he was on, he stole two bases. 2 BB, 1HBP, 2 SB.

Sonny Gray

It looked like it was going to be a battle but he settled down and showed how’s it done. Final line: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 SO.

Duds

Caleb Durbin

He was the only Sox player without a hit tonight, but most of his contact was in the air and he successfully challenged a strikeout in the ninth. Not his night, but we’re a far cry from his early struggles.

Play of the Game

Easy. Contreras’s first-inning home run.

Well the All-Star game selections were announced Saturday night and while these haven’t exactly been meritocratic, there were some funny ones (Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with a 97 wRC+, for example). It’s a shame that Dylan Lee didn’t make the team, though there may be time yet as a replacement. Dylan is 6th in all of baseball in relief pitcher fWAR at a whopping 1.5 over 38.1 innings. While he’s received some favorable HR/FB luck, he has been absolutely outstanding this season as one of very few high end relievers the Braves have developed out of their farm system in the last decade.

Braves News

The Braves had two starters and five players total selected to the NL All-Star team, but its a shame that Dylan Lee and Michael Harris weren’t one of them…yet.

Ha-Seong Kim hit the IL with a finger injury, as JR Ritchie rejoins the team.

The Braves finally won a Chris Sale start again, taking the weekend series and the Independence Day matchup against the Mets.

MLB News

Rangers’ Jalen Beeks will not pitch again this season, requiring flexor tendon surgery.

The Phillies traded for some additional international free agency bonus money, which they used to sign a 17-year-old pitcher out of Taiwan.

Reds’ star Hunter Greene returned from injury to make his season debut in Cincinnati.

The St. Louis Cardinals entered Wrigley Field with their bats warmed up and ready for action again as they jumped on the Chicago Cubs early again in a nationally-broadcast game Saturday night. Kyle Leahy was also solid in his effort to keep the Cubs at bay. JJ Wetherholt was one of the bats that carried St. Louis over Chicago on a foggy 4th of July night.

After a one hour rain delay, JJ Wetherholt showed why he should have been an All-Star when he torched the first pitch from Shota Imanaga 364 feet into the left field fencing at Wrigley giving the Cardinals an immediate 1-0 lead.

The Cardinals defense was also showing off Saturday night as the most irritating Cub of them all named Pete drew a leadoff walk and then tried to steal second, but (spoiler alert) he was unsuccessful thanks to the arm of Pedro Pagés.

The St. Louis Cardinals offense kept adding to their lead in the top of the 3rd inning when Nathan Church and JJ Wetherholt drew walks to start the inning and then Iván Herrera singled up the middle to score Church and make it 2-0 Cardinals.

Congratulations to Jordan Walker on being selected to his first All-Star game. Well deserved, but he was responsible for a big missed opportunity in the top of the 5th inning when JJ Wetherholt slammed a two-out double to the left field wall and Iván Herrera was hit by a pitch (of course). Jordan came up with a chance to add to the Cardinals lead including fouling off a hanging 84 mph sweeper that should have ended up on Waveland Avenue outside of Wrigley Field. Walker would strike out two pitches later and that was a shame.

If told just about any Cardinals fan prior to the game they’d see Kyle Leahy get through 5 full innings without allowing any runs, pretty sure they’d be psyched. That’s what Kyle gave St. Louis Saturday night as he pitched out of a few jams including two on in the bottom of the 5th. He only allowed 3 hits, no runs while striking out 6 and walking 2. We’ll take it. I’d also like to give Leahy some bonus points for making sure PCA’s right foot is a little sore for a couple of days. The hit-by-pitch-in-the-foot probably wasn’t intentional, but I’m not the only Cardinals fan that enjoyed it since it didn’t result in a run or an injury. Couldn’t have happened to a better fella.

The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen took over in the bottom of the 6th inning starting with George Soriano. This was also the part of the game where fog became a major factor where multiple Cardinals infielders including Wetherholt and Winn were motioning that they couldn’t see the ball. The good news is the Cubs batters couldn’t either as Busch and Suzuki struck out and Happ only managed a weak groundout to short where Winn fortunately could see the ball and threw him out.

The Cardinals had another missed opportunity in the top of the 7th inning when Nathan Church drew a one-out walk followed by JJ Wetherholt’s 3rd hit of the game. Iván Herrera hit the ball hard, but unfortunately directly at Dansby Swanson at short who then turned an easy double play to end the inning. The St. Louis lead would remain a razor-thin 2-0 going into the bottom of the 7th.

Ryne Stanek was the Cardinals answer for the bottom of the 7th. He started his relief outing by allowing a leadoff single to Nico Hoerner, but he was able to strike out Michael Conforto and then get a popup into the fog from Amaya into Alec Burleson’s glove for the second out. Dansby Swanson caused all of us to swallow our gum as he hit a drive to very deep left-center, but the wind and fog knocked it down enough that Lars Nootbaar caught the ball while leaning into the Wrigley Field ivy. Whew, that was close.

St. Louis would fortunately add to their small lead in the top of the 8th inning when Jordan Walker crushed a double to left and then scored on a single by Alec Burleson upping the Cardinals lead to 3-0. Alec Burleson then stole second base which stunned Masyn Winn so much that he watched a strike three pitch go right down the middle. I’m told he did that for the sake of not messing up speedster Burleson’s steal. If so, that’s a selfless play, but I’d prefer a hit-and-run instead, but I’m old school that way. The end result would be St. Louis only adding one run.

JoJo Romero was assigned the bottom of the 8th inning where he gave up a leadoff hit to PCA before walking Alex Bregman bringing up the tying run in the form of Michael Busch. He grounded out to JJ Wetherholt as it was not likely going to be a double play, but both runners moved up into scoring position with just one out. Romero then struck out Suzuki for the second out. Next up was the former Cardinals killer Ian Happ. I say “former” because Happ watched a third strike go right past him as the Cubs squandered their best scoring opportunity of the night and I write this with a big smile on my face.

After failing to add any runs in the top of the 9th inning, it was Riley O’Brien’s turn to make sure Chicago didn’t break St. Louis hearts int he bottom of the inning. He started strong with a strikeout of Nico Hoerner. Michael Conforto drew a full-count walk as the Cubs sent up pinch-hitter Pedro Ramirez and he politely grounded into a game-ending double play to Masyn Winn.

The St. Louis Cardinals will go for a Windy City sweep with a Sunday afternoon clash against the tiny bears aka Chicago Cubs. St. Louis will send Matthew Liberatore to the mound while the Chicago Cubs will pin the blame on Javier Assad. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30pm central time and the TV broadcast will be handled by Peacock so now’s the time to find a free 7-day trial.

Of the many ugly performances on the Fourth of July in The Bronx, Camilo Doval’s may have been the most telling.

The right-hander, acquired at last year’s trade deadline, was knocked around again Saturday in a mind-numbing 11-4 loss to the Twins.

For a second straight outing, the former Giants closer allowed four runs.

He was again not helped by his defense, as Jazz Chisholm Jr. booted a fairly routine grounder by Luke Keaschall to lead off the top of the eighth.

Doval took care of the rest of the damage himself — all against lefty hitters, who have tormented him all season.

With one out, he gave up a hit to leadoff hitter Trevor Larnach.

Byron Buxton followed with a sacrifice fly, Kody Clemens an RBI single and Josh Bell a two-run homer.

Aaron Boone noted the issue after the game, as Doval entered having allowed a .951 OPS versus lefties, compared to .728 for his career.

And Doval has actually been more effective against right-handed hitters than he has been in previous seasons.

“His execution against lefties is critical,’’ the manager said. “That part’s been a struggle. He’s been unlucky at times, but he’s made his mistakes against lefties — sometimes it’s been for slug. … Against righties, he continues to throw the ball well.”

Unlike in his previous outing, when he uncharacteristically walked three batters, Doval was done in this time by the three base hits.

On the season — his first he started in The Bronx — Doval has already given up a career-high six homers, all of them in his last 27 ²/₃ innings.

So when the Yankees are on the hunt for more bullpen help at this year’s trade deadline, they’ll be looking to avoid similar mistakes to the ones they made a year ago, as both Doval and Jake Bird have been ineffective since joining the Yankees.

The Yankees have stuck with Doval — who has a minor league option remaining and could be sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre without having to clear waivers — because he has better command than most of the relievers the Yankees have in the minors.

That includes hard-throwing right-hander Yovanny Cruz, who has impressed in his brief opportunities in the majors, particularly in his Tuesday outing against the Tigers, when the right-hander threw two shutout innings.

Still, the organization remains mesmerized by Doval’s velocity and ability to strike batters out.

His strikeout rate is down a bit this season, but so is his walk rate.

But for a pitcher who was acquired to pitch in high-leverage spots, Doval has been unimpressive, and with less than a month left before this year’s trade deadline, he is likely running out of opportunities to prove he can pitch in The Bronx.

Hopefully, you were celebrating Independence Day with family and friends by enjoying a cookout, watching fireworks, or doing just about anything but watching the New York Mets.

The Atlanta Braves throttled the Mets 14-3 Saturday night in Atlanta, outplaying them in all facets in another ugly loss. New York’s lineup was its normal sleepy self against starter Chris Sale and the Braves bullpen. The Mets’ pitching staff was uncompetitive, as all four pitchers who made an appearance gave up at least one home run. The Braves bashed five total home runs to fully embarrass the Mets.

New York has lost 12 of their last 14 games and fallen to 17 games below .500 as the 2026 campaign continues to worsen.

The Braves scored four runs in the third inning thanks to a meltdown from starting pitcher Sean Manaea and the Mets’ defense. Manaea gave up a walk, a single, and a hit batsman to load the bases for Michael Harris II, who singled to score Drake Baldwin. Eli White, who homered off Manaea in the second inning, doubled to clear the bases and bury the Mets 5-0 early. White’s double was a pop-up that landed between Fransico Lindor and Tyrone Taylor in a hideous play. Surprisingly ruled a hit, Taylor got leather on the ball but couldn’t secure the catch while Lindor dove to the ground to avoid a collision. White has been a huge pain in Manaea’s side, hitting two home runs and two doubles in his last four at-bats against the right-hander.

Taylor’s drop put a spotlight on interim manager Andy Green’s decision to bench AJ Ewing against Sale in an effort to shield him from tough left-handed pitching. Ewing’s defense has been a strength for the Mets since being called up, with +3 defensive runs saved, which is the 10th-best mark among MLB centerfielders.

Taylor somewhat redeemed himself when he hit a solo home run off Sale in the fifth inning. Sale returned for the sixth inning but gave up a two-run home run to Mark Vientos as the Mets briefly showed signs of life. Sale gave up a single to Eric Wagaman and then hit Francisco Alvarez with a pitch before being pulled. Dylan Lee entered and struck out Carson Benge, Taylor, and Brett Baty on 11 pitches.

Lee and JR Ritchie combined to shut out the Mets offense for the final four innings. Meanwhile, the Mets fed Austin Warren to the wolves in relief of Manaea. Warren gave up four runs across his two innings on 44 pitches. Joey Gerber relieved Warren and gave up a three-run home run to Austin Riley, putting the Braves up 13-3. Backup catcher Luis Torrens relieved Gerber and gave up a home run to Harris before getting the final out of the eighth. Waving the white flag with a position player on the mound was the cherry on top for a Fourth of July performance that no Mets fan will want to remember.

The Mets stayed on brand by stranding 11 base runners and going a combined 1-for-9 with RISP. Lindor had two singles against Sale but struck out with the bases loaded against Ritchie in the eighth inning. Seven other Mets batters had a hit, but the team struck out 10 times and grounded into two double plays. Benge singled off Ritchie in the eighth to extend his hit-streak to nine games and his on-base streak to 16.

Nolan McLean is scheduled to take the mound Sunday for the Mets at 12:30 PM ET against Braves starter Martín Pérez. McLean pitched six shutout innings in his last appearance, so maybe he can at least be respectable following this Independence Day clunker.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Eric Wagaman, +4% WPA
Big Mets loser: Sean Manaea, -27% WPA
Mets pitchers: -34% WPA
Mets hitters: -16% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Mark Vientos home run in the sixth, +7% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Eli White double in third, +15.0% WPA

Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. went hitless with an 0-for-4 line in the third game of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse.

He flew out twice and grounded out twice while batting second for Syracuse in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Worcester Red Sox.

Robert is hitless in his past nine at-bats, including an 0-for-4 game in Thursday's 7-5 loss to Worcester.

He singled in the first at-bat of his rehab assignment, a leadoff knock to start Tuesday's 15-5 loss to Worcester.

Robert's Thursday performance was an 0-for-4 effort from the leadoff spot with two strikeouts.

Interim manager Andy Greensaid before Saturday's 14-3 loss at the Atlanta Braves that Robert (lumbar spine disc herniation) was "doing well."

"Both those guys still have more minor league games in front of them," Green said of Robert and Jorge Polanco.

Robert, 28, has not played for the Mets since April 26.

In 24 games this season, his first with New York, he has a .224/.327/.329 slash line with two home runs and eight RBI.

ATLANTA — Two-fifty: America’s age or the Mets’ winning percentage over the past 2 ½ weeks?

Both answers can be correct.

An awful stretch of baseball has turned into a downright race to the bottom of the National League, and the Mets appear well-equipped to win that half-marathon.

Saturday night’s scheduled fireworks at Truist Park were preceded by the stink bombs the Mets lobbed onto the field for three hours in a 14-3 loss to the Braves.

The Mets lost for the 12th time in 16 games (there’s your .250 winning percentage), but more condensed, they are 2-12 since June 20. Just how low can they go?

“Losing is not enjoyable at all; nobody wants to be a part of it,” interim manager Andy Green said.

Only Colorado stood behind them (a half-game worse) in the NL when the day started.

This one was marred by a “run prevention” fiasco: Usually reliable defensively, Tyrone Taylor misplayed a pop-up in the third inning, allowing three gift runs to Atlanta, from which the Mets never recovered.

All the runs were earned, turning Sean Manaea’s final line into something of an eyesore: five innings, six runs, six hits one walk and four strikeouts.

“It was definitely a grind of an outing,” Manaea said.

It was Manaea’s first time allowing more than three earned runs in an appearance since April 29.

If the Mets are going to win a game in this four-game series, their best chance might be Sunday, when Nolan McLean is scheduled to start.

The road trip won’t conclude until Monday, with Freddy Peralta on the mound.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

Eli White’s homer in the second produced the game’s first run.

Manaea recorded two quick outs in the inning before White homered on the eighth pitch of his at-bat, blasting a sweeper over the left field fence.

Manaea’s night unraveled in the third, after he plunked Austin Riley to load the bases with two outs.

Michael Harris II delivered an RBI single before White hit a pop-up that should have been the third out.

Francisco Lindor initially called for the ball as he backpedaled, but ceded to Taylor.

As Lindor scurried out of the way, the ball hit off Taylor’s glove and dropped (for a generously ruled three-run double), giving the Braves a 5-0 lead.

“The easiest thing to say is I just blew it; can’t happen,” Taylor said. “Sean is out there working hard, gets a pop-up and I make a bad play. It can’t happen.”

Taylor started as the center fielder to give the Mets an extra right-handed bat against Chris Sale, leaving A.J. Ewing on the bench.

Mauricio Dubón homered in the fourth to extend the Mets deficit to 6-0. It marked the first time this season that Manaea allowed multiple homers in an outing.

Taylor homered in the fifth — the first blast allowed by Sale in 46 innings (which was the longest active streak by an MLB starting pitcher).

Mark Vientos smashed a two-run homer in the sixth that pulled the Mets to within 6-3.

But the Braves reclaimed the runs in the bottom of the inning against Austin Warren, who surrendered an RBI double to Joey Bart before the Braves extended their lead to 8-3 on Dubón’s groundout.

Mike Yastrzemski launched a two-run homer in the seventh against Warren that placed the Mets in a 10-3 hole.

The Mets scored three runs or fewer for a fifth straight game. On this night, they were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Joey Gerber allowed a two-run homer in the eighth to Austin Riley, continuing the Braves onslaught.

Luis Torrens replaced Gerber on the mound and allowed a homer to Harris and a single before recording the final out.

“It’s frustrating,” Manaea said. “I don’t think there is any other word than that. We know we are better.”

Shelby Miller threw live batting practice in Mesa.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs got all dirty against the Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers), 7-6.

Starter Grant Kipp lasted four innings and gave up five runs on five hits. Three of those five hits were home runs, which accounted for all five runs. Kipp walked two and struck out seven.

Colin Snider, Aaron Bummer and Liam Hendriks each threw a scoreless inning after that. Doug Nikhazy did likewise in the bottom of the eighth and was in line for the win when the I-Cubs took the lead in the top of the ninth. Unfortunately, Nikhazy came out to pitch the ninth, faced five batters and all five batters reached on four hits and an intentional walk. So instead, Nikhazy got the loss after giving up two runs on five hits over 1+ innings. Nikhazy struck out one and had that one intentional walk.

Center fielder Brett Bateman hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, his second on the season. Bateman went 2 for 4 with a double, the home run, a walk and two runs scored.

Jonathon Long drove home both Bateman and himself in the the seventh inning with a two-run home run, his ninth on the year. Long went 2 for 4 with a walk.

DH James Triantos went 3 for 5 with a game-tying single in the seventh.

Owen Miller was 2 for 5 with an RBI triple. He scored twice.

Shortstop Ben Cowles was 2 for 4.

Bateman’s home run.

Good defense by Long saves a single.

And then Long hits a home run.

Miller’s triple.

Knoxville Smokies

The Knoxville Smokies were pulped by the Columbus Clingstones (Braves), 4-3.

Jace Beck gave the Smokies a solid start, allowing just one run on four hits over four innings. Beck did walk four, but he also struck out eight.

Tyler Schlaffer took over for Beck in the fifth and got the loss. Schlaffer surrendered three runs on five hits over 2.2 innings. He struck out four, walked two and hit one batter.

Left fielder Carter Trice hit a two-run double in the top of the first inning. He was 1 for 4.

The Smokies only managed five hits.

Trice’s double.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs grounded the Beloit Sky Carp (Marlins), 7-3 in the completion of a game started yesterday. The regularly scheduled game was postponed. They’ll try to play a doubleheader tomorrow.

Jaxon Wiggins started yesterday’s game on a rehab assignment. He gave up one run on two hits in one inning before the rains came. One of those hits was a home run. Wiggins did not have a strikeout or a walk.

Ethan Flanagan took the mound to start today’s game and got the win. Flanagan pitched 4.2 innings and allowed two runs on three hits—although both runs came on a home run in the third inning. Flanagan struck out five and walked no one.

Brayden Spears tossed the final 3.1 innings and got his second save. Spears allowed no runs on two hits. He struck out three and walked no one.

Center fielder Kane Kepley hit a three-run home run in the second inning, It was his fifth on the season. Kepley went 1 for 5.

Left fielder Jose Escobar has been on fire lately, and he threw fuel onto that fire tonight as he went 4 for 5 with a triple and a walk. He also stole a base. Escobar scored twice. In 28 games since his promotion from Myrtle Beach, Escobar is hitting .340/.417/.590.

Shortstop Angel Cepeda was 3 for 4 with a stolen base. He scored one run.

Right fielder Miguel Olivio went 2 for 3 with two walks. He scored one run and drove home two.

Kepley’s home run.

A two-run single for Olivo.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were pinched by the Hickory Crawdads (Rangers), 7-4.

It was a great start for Brody McCullough on a rehab assignment. McCullough allowed just one run on two hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked no one, although he did hit a batter.

Henry Cone pitched next and got the loss. Cone got rocked for four runs on one hit over 1.2 innings. Three of the four runs were unearned, however. Cone walked four and hit one batter while striking out no one.

Centerfielder Alexy Lumpuy hit a solo home run in the third inning, his sixth on the season. Lumpuy went 4 for 5 with two runs batted in.

DH Jose Silva went 2 for 4 with two RBI.

Lumpuy provides some defense as well.

And then he hits a home run.

Full highlights.

ACL Cubs

Lost to the Rockies, 13-8.

Last year’s first round pick Ethan Conrad played left field for the first time as a professional. He also hit his first home run as a pro. Conrad was 1 for 3.

With Chris Sale on the mound, the Braves were going for a much-needed win against the Mets with Chris Sale on the mound. Sale pitching is always comforting, but the Braves were unable to win a Chris Sale start in the month of June.

Both Sale and Sean Manaea worked around a base hit in the first to keep things scoreless. Eli White broke the deadlock with a two out solo homer in the second over the left field wall. It was an incredibly unimpressive batted ball for a homer, hit 93.5 MPH off the bat with a .130 xBA, but it counts as a run nonetheless.

After another clean inning from Sale, the Braves loaded the bases with two outs on a Baldwin walk, an Olson single, and Austin Riley being hit by a pitch ahead of Michael Harris. Mike delivered with an RBI single and then the Mets absolutely botched an easy pop-up off the bat of Eli White in a bases-clearing calamity with Eli ending up on second base.

Mauricio Dubon gave Eli White’s soft homer a run for its money with one out in the fourth, as he hooked a 95.0 MPH exit velocity ball just inside the left-field pole for a solo homer to make it 6-0 Braves. Tyrone Taylor pulled a run back in the fifth with a solo homer off of Sale. Sale allowed another single and a homer in the sixth, making it a 6-3 ballgame. Sale gave up another single and hit Francisco Alvarez after a long at-bat and was ultimately pulled from the game without recording an out in the sixth. The All-Star lefty really labored in those last couple innings uncharacteristically. All-Star snub Dylan Lee came in to attempt to escape the jam and needed just 11 pitches to strike out the next three Mets, thoroughly extinguishing the threat, emphasizing his All-Star snub. That preserved Chris Sale’s line at 5.0 innings pitched, 3 runs allowed, but only 3 strikeouts.

Manaea’s night was over as the sixth inning started, and the Braves took advantage of the bullpen, as Mike Yastremski worked a leadoff walk and Joey Bart scalded an RBI double off the base of the wall. Jorge Mateo tried to move Bart to third on a bunt, but the Mets struggled to field it properly and he reached first, still with no outs. Dubon brought Bart home and moved Mateo to second on a groundout to the right side, giving the second baseman only one play. Two more groundouts ended the inning, but the score was a much more comfortable 8-3 going into the seventh inning.

JR Ritchie entered the game with the additional insurance runs and grazed Francisco Lindor’s jersey to give the Mets a baserunner, but worked his way out of the inning on two strikeouts and a soft groundout. A Michael Harris single and Mike Yastrzemski homer gave the Braves another two runs in the seventh, making it a 10-3 ballgame.

Ritchie got himself into some trouble in the eighth with a single, walk, and single, all with two outs. He got out of it with a strikeout to keep the score at 10-3. Walks from Albies and Dubon preceded an Austin Riley homer to cement the blowout, making it a 13-3 game, his first homer since May 20th. Hopefully that is the beginning of a hot-hitting July for Austin. At this point the Mets went the position-player-pitching route and Michael Harris capitalized with a solo homer to the Chop House. With the massive cushion, Ritchie got the ninth and worked around a single to close out the game, covering 3.0 innings to give the bullpen a nice rest.

Join us tomorrow as the Braves go for a four-game series win at 12:30 PM ET.

The Mets are on a three-game skid after dropping Saturday's 14-3 game at the Atlanta Braves.

Takeaways

1. Left-handed starting pitcher Sean Manaea allowed six earned runs for the first time since April 29, a 14-2 loss to the Washington Nationals, but was on the unfortunate end of a three-run double that bloated his 5.16 ERA. He threw a 1-0 cutter at 86 mph with two outs and the bases loaded in the third inning against Eli White, whose  to shallow center field sawshortstopFrancisco Lindor and center fielder Tyrone Taylor seemingly miscommunicate before the ball dropped and buried the Mets (36-53). The play was ruled a double instead of an error, leaving Manaea (1-4) on the hook. He subsequently surrendered Mauricio Dubón's one-out solo shot in the fourth inning to put New York down 6-0 before bouncing back with a perfect fifth, ending the night with six hits while striking out four and walking one on 108 pitches (72 strikes). Manaea gave the Mets some length despite his mixed outing, which included White's second-inning solo shot and Michael Harris II's third-inning single that scored Drake Baldwin to put the Braves (52-35) ahead by two runs early, but the damage was done.
2. Taylor, in his fifth game back from a rehab assignment for a right hip flexor strain, homered. He went yard for the first time since May 17, taking Chris Sale deep with two outs in the fifth inning on a 1-2 fastball at 96 mph and giving the Mets -- trailing 6-1 -- a pulse.
3. Taylor's fourth home run of the season set the stage for first baseman Mark Vientos, whose two-run homer on Sale's 2-2 fastball at 98 mph in the sixth inning had the Mets down 6-3 and within striking distance. Vientos 11th long ball of the year pumped more life into New York, but Atlanta's subsequent two-run innings in the sixth and seventh against right-handed relief pitcher Austin Warren -- he allowed four runs on four hits over his two frames while throwing 44 pitches (28 strikes) -- pushed the game back out of reach.
4. The Mets are 0-3 to start July, losing three straight after they dropped Wednesday's 9-3 series finale at the Toronto Blue Jays and opened their four-game set in Atlanta with Friday's 5-3 defeat. New York has lost 12 of its past 14 games as it looks to salvage a split of the holiday weekend at Truist Park. Since last Friday's firing of Carlos Mendoza after two-plus years as the Mets' manager and move to Andy Green in the interim, New York is 2-6. Not much has changed for the Mets in a week, and questions linger about how many more moves should be made with eight more games until the 2026 MLB All-Star break -- and, soon enough, the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Who's the MVP?

White, who ultimately drove home four of the Braves' first five runs to fuel a fuel a 5-0 lead through three innings that put Atlanta in command against New York.

Highlights

Three runs come home for the Braves as the Mets are unable to make the play on the pop-up pic.twitter.com/c1QRCJrnO3

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2026

Tyrone Taylor homers to get the Mets on the board pic.twitter.com/hcMALqpz7e

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2026

Mark Vientos with a two-run blast for his 11th home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/olnYdnNDZ1

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2026

What's next

The Mets have a quick turnaround with Sunday's 12:30 p.m. game at the Braves.

Right-hander Nolan McLean (5-5, 3.78 ERA) is set to start for New York while Atlanta goes with southpaw Martín Pérez (6-5, 3.27 ERA).

Max Fried is set to throw another simulated game Sunday at the Stadium in his comeback from a left elbow bone bruise that’s sidelined him since mid-May.

It will be another step for the lefty who still figures to be about a month away from rejoining what’s been a shaky Yankees rotation.

Fried and the Yankees remain encouraged by his progress, with Fried saying Saturday that he’s made some mechanical adjustments that should prevent the injury from returning.

He said that after his previous live batting practice sessions he’s felt “completely normal. I feel healthy. … I would love to be able to snap my fingers and be back out there, but as a starting pitcher, it takes time to build up. I’ll get back hopefully soon.”

With Carlos Rodón now also out with left elbow inflammation, the Yankees are even more in need of Fried being back on the mound.

Fried is now at a stage where he’s mostly just building up his pitch count.

After throwing 28 pitches over two innings in his previous sim game, he’s expected to go about 35 over two innings Sunday.

If that goes well, a minor league rehab outing could be discussed and as Boone noted, the Yankees will have to decide how deep they need Fried to pitch into a game before welcoming him back to The Bronx.

“When do we take him?” Boone said. “Is it at 60 [or] 75, 80 pitches? Those will be conversations we have over the next couple weeks as he continues to build up. He looks and feels really good. He looks like Max Fried.”

Boone indicated it would likely be “a few weeks” before Fried could realistically be back.

“It’s one of those injuries you have to be really careful with,” Fried said. “If you push it too fast, you risk turning it into some sort of break or fracture.”

He added he’d “really felt off mechanically most of the year” and is now “more balanced [and] on time.”

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS

Fried will attempt to bring that into games whenever he does return, as the Yankees have been waiting all season for their full rotation to be healthy.

With Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon back from the IL, there was a question about how much Anthony Volpe would be in the lineup over José Caballero.

Volpe was in there instead of Caballero on Saturday, as Boone said, “Both guys deserve to play.”

The manager also noted that there was “strong debate” about keeping Spencer Jones in the majors before he was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday to open a spot for Saturday’s spot starter, Brendan Beck.

Boone said Jones would benefit from playing regularly in the minors and they prefer the defensive versatility and right-handed bat of Max Schuemann, who homered and reached base four times Saturday.

Grisham was in the lineup at DH after Boone said he initially had planned on him getting a day off. Boone noted the Twins had originally planned to start a left-hander, but switched to righty Zebby Matthews.

Grisham went 0-for-2 before being replaced by pinch hitter Paul Goldschmidt in the sixth.

Goldschmidt flied out to left with the bases loaded to extend his hitless streak to 0-for-21.

Yankees pitchers allowed a season-high six homers… Both teams wore Fourth of July-themed hats and jerseys. The red, white and blue numbers were virtually impossible to see on the back of the Yankees uniforms… Home plate umpire James Hoye had a rough day behind the plate. The first five calls challenged were all overturned via ABS.

Jesus Luzardo continued his good run of form with an Independence Day gem as the Philadelphia Phillies (50-39) cruised to a 6-1 victory in their series opener against the Kansas City Royals (35-54).

Luzardo retired the first eight batters of the game, which included striking out the side in the second inning, before allowing an infield single to the speedy Tyler Tolbert in the third, who had two hits and two steals on the night.

Luzardo struck out nine, the fifth time he’s done so this season and third time in his last four starts. It was his fifth straight start going 5+ innings with two or fewer earned runs and the eighth time in his last nine starts.

The Royals’ Michael Wacha held serve with Luzardo early but succumbed in the top of the fourth. After a one-out single by Bryson Stott, JT Realmuto and Gabriel Rincones, Jr. hit back-to-back homeruns to make it 3-0.

The Royals scored their only run in the bottom of the fourth after a one-out double by Lane Thomas and an RBI single by Nick Loftin.

Alec Bohm got that run back in the sixth inning with a leadoff homer, his 11th of the season.

The Phillies tacked on another run in the seventh thanks to some heads up baserunning by Trea Turner, who went third to home on a wild pitch by Royals’ reliever, Lucas Erceg.

Doubles by Rincones and Bohm added one more run to close the scoring in the eighth inning.

Jonathan Bowlan, Orion Kerkering and Tim Mayza each pitched a scoreless frame to shut the door for Luzardo and added to his nine K’s with six of their own.

On the night he was named as an All Star Game starter, Brandon Marsh was the only starter not to record a hit and extended his baseless streak to nine plate appearances. Kyle Schwarber had three hits, all singles.

Game two of their visit to Kansas City will take place tomorrow afternoon as Aaron Nola is scheduled to face off against young righthander, Luinder Avila.