Category: MLB

The series finale between the Yankees and Blue Jays was one of the sloppiest of the season, as four New York errors led to an 8-4 loss on Wednesday and a series loss. Not to mention the Yankees have fallen even further behind Toronto in the AL East race because of it.

It was an odd game. The Yankees actually played great defense in the early innings, thanks to a running grab by Trent Grisham and a diving stop and throw from Jazz Chisholm Jr., but the book on the Yankees has been out since last year's World Series, and it hasn't changed much since. Put the ball in play, and teams can take advantage of Yankee errors, and that's exactly what the Blue Jays did.

And just like the ill-fated fifth inning in the 2024 World Series, the same happened on Wednesday.

Starter Max Fried walked Davis Schneider and George Springer with one out and the score tied 2-2 in the fifth. A wild pitch put runners at second and third for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to hit a chopper down the third base line. Fried, a Gold Glove pitcher, got a good jump off the mound and fielded the ball but spun around and made an inaccurate throw that got past catcher J.C. Escarra. Two runners would score on the Fried error.

"Went for it, thought I might have been closer to the plate," Fried said of the play. "I was getting close to the line and if I kept going, I’m going to throw at [the runner] and tried to throw it around him. Just not a good throw."

Fried was more frustrated with the walks in that inning and said that can't happen, especially with the game tied.

Luckily for the Yankees, Aaron Judge's two-run blast, which came after a Guerrero error, got the game even again in the sixth inning. But in the bottom of the inning, more errors and miscues occurred.

Ernie Clement hit a leadoff triple after Cody Bellinger lost the fly ball in the sky, setting up the go-ahead double from Myles Straw. Straw then scored with two outs when Will Wagner hit a grounder to first baseman Ben Rice, who booted what surely would have been the final out of the inning.

"Today was a little shaky," Bellinger said of the defense. "For me, the fly ball that I missed kinda started it all. We gotta play a little better. I got confidence in this group of guys. The team over there is a good team. They are playing good baseball. Ultimately, they are capitalizing on a lot of mistakes."

The Yankees would make two more errors that wouldn't come back to bite them, but it was an overall ugly game.

"Just not good enough [defensively]," manager Aaron Boone said after the game. "I feel we have a very good defensive club, but the seven games we played up here, whether it’s through error or not making a play we have to make, it’s cost us in these two series up here, where it’s really hurt. We have to tighten it up, confident we will. We have good defenders here, but tonight was obviously a rough night for us."

In seven games playing in Toronto, the Yankees are 1-6, but more alarming are the errors. The Yankees have committed 11 errors in seven games at Rogers Centre and the Blue Jays took full advantage.

When asked about why the defense has been so poor in Toronto, Boone didn't really have an answer. He briefly mentioned the turf but didn't want to use it as an excuse. He felt the team played well defensively in their series win in Atlanta this past weekend, so he chokes it up to "just two bad series." Judge also didn't have an answer about the Toronto factor when he was asked.

"It’s tough to say. We haven’t been playing that well on defense. We have a lot of things we have to clean up," he said. "We go into this off day, refocus and tighten up on defense. Pitchers are pitching well enough to keep us in games so the offense can do its thing. We give any good team extra outs; it’s not going to work out for us."

"Defense is about work, putting the work in. That’s what we’ll continue to do," Boone said of how the Yankees can improve the defense midseason. "We have good defenders. We have really good defenders. It’s just something that…defense is a game of under control and calm. The last thing I want to do is play tight and play to not make a mistake. Gotta keep working. Keep working on our fundamentals day in and day out and it’ll continue to get better. And a lot of the season, the defense has been very good. It’s these two series where it’s not been good. We lost games to them in big part because we’ve given them outs."

Judge was asked if he felt the team was playing "tight," and the captain disagreed with the notion, pointing to the team's experience, especially for those who were there for the World Series run.

"We’re battle-tested. We never feel like any guy in here is getting tight or nervous," he said. "You gotta play aggressive…make some plays. Hasn’t gone our way the last couple of nights, but that’s all stuff we have to clean up. It’s in our control. We’ll take care of it."

The Yankees won't have much time to "take care of it." After an off day on Thursday, they'll start a stretch of 13 games in 13 days beginning by hosting the Phillies this weekend.

And while there's still more than two months to go, with a trade deadline upcoming, the Yankees are confident they can get on a hot streak and set themselves up for a playoff berth and run.

"It’s coming. We haven’t had our hot streak yet," Judge said with a smile. "We’re going to and when it does, watch out."

Here's the latest Yankees news and buzz ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline...

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July 31, 1:40 a.m.

The Yankees and Pirates are continuing to work on a trade that would bring closer David Bednar to the Bronx, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Per Rosenthal, an official from one team involved in the chase for Bednar believes the Yankees are the frontrunner.

After a down 2024, Bednar has returned to form as one of the best closers in the National League.

In 42 appearances, he's pitched to a 2.37 ERA while converting 17 saves.

Bednar would join Luke Weaver and Devin Williams in the bullpen as the Yankees look to shore up their pen for a postseason run.

This trade also wouldn't be a rental, since Bednar is arbitration-eligible for the 2026 season.

July 25, 11:32 a.m.

While Eugenio Suarez and Ryan McMahon have been names to keep an eye on for the Yankees ahead of the trade deadline, there's another infielder who could fill that role.

New York would have interest in St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan, if he's made available, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

Heyman notes that many teams, including the Houston Astros, would also be in on Donovan if the Cardinals decide to sell. St. Louis is currently 53-51, nine games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and 2.5 games back of the San Diego Padres for the third Wild Card spot.

Donovan, 28, was named to his first All-Star team this season and is hitting .296 with nine home runs and 42 RBI over 96 games. He won a Gold Glove in 2022, the first year utility players had their own category, when he played all four infield positions, LF, RF, and DH.

This season, Donovan has logged 78 games at second base, six at SS, 18 in LF, and two as the DH. Overall, he's played 2B (203 games) and LF (163 games) the most in his career, followed by third base with 46 games.

July 23, 11:45 p.m.

As the Yankees continue to search for a potential new third baseman, the team's ranking of preferred candidates has reportedly been determined.

According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Yankees are interested in Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon. However, the team sees McMahon as a backup plan to trying to trade for Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez.

Suarez is the hottest hitter this trade deadline and the Yankees are just one of many teams inquiring about him, so the price tag may be too high for New York.

YES Network's Jack Curry spoke about the Yankees' thoughts on the third base market and poured some cold water on the names the team has been attached to.

"The vibe I’m getting from the Yankees, they do not have a lot of exuberance for some of the names that have been attached to them: Suarez, [Pirates 3B Ke'Bryan] Hayes, McMahon," Curry said. "They are a very detail-oriented organization when they make these kinds of decisions."

Curry criticized Suarez's defense and his fit on the team while also pointing out the contracts and lack of offense from Hayes and McMahon as potential reasons the Yankees don't acquire them.

Hayes' contract still has five years of control at $30 million while McMahon is under contract through 2027 with $32 million remaining after this season.

July 19, 8:27 p.m.

The Yankees are in the market for a third baseman and have reportedly shown interest in the top target at this trade deadline.

According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, the Yankees are among the teams that have inquired about Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Other teams include the Mariners and Cubs, among "many others."

The blister issue that forced Yankees ace Max Fried to miss a reunion start with the Braves last weekend seemed like old news. With an effective fastball-cutter combo, the veteran southpaw retired the first 10 batters faced against the division-rival Blue Jays on Wednesday night, resembling a Cy Young candidate in familiar rhythm.

But before exiting with one out in the fifth and a one-run deficit, cameras caught Fried repeatedly rubbing his fingers on his undershirt. There was also some blood on his pinkie. So, it was safe to assume that a flare-up of his recent blister -- plus a comedy of fielding errors -- contributed to New York's hideous 8-4 loss to Toronto at Rogers Centre.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing the strike zone, denied any trouble with Fried's blister when asked after the game. Fried then said as much, contending that he cut his finger late and it was unrelated to the blister.

"Coming in, first start off the break for me, I just wanted to make sure I put us in a good position," Fried said after the loss. "Let the lead up early and frankly, just didn't do my job tonight. Walking guys definitely isn't going to help. And throwing the ball away and having two more come in -- especially battling and letting it go -- is frustrating. For me, that can't happen."

Whether or not Fried was truly hampered by a blister in his later innings, the results of his outing showed a pitcher working with a weaker arsenal. Of the 102 total pitches thrown, he used his fastballs at a season-high 79.4 percent clip. The average mark for his fastball-cutter-sinker mix was at 59.7 percent entering Wednesday.

Fried didn't rely much on his secondary off-speed pitches. Consequently, he threw his sweeper just four times. He didn't throw a curveball until his 45th pitch, and his first changeup arrived 18 pitches later. He didn't even bother trying his slider, as rare as it is.

The pitches that require an uncomfortable grip on the seams and can cause blisters were the ones Fried avoided against the Blue Jays. While he didn't make excuses for the poor performance, the assumption of a reaggravated blister remains.

Of course, Fried struggled to rediscover his early groove for other reasons. The Yankees committed a whopping four errors, and Fried was responsible for two of them.

After a wild pitch in the fifth that allowed a pair of runners to advance into scoring position, Fried was trapped on a weak comebacker along the third-base line that produced an awkward toss home. The play at the plate couldn't be made by catcher J.C. Escarra, who lost the ball behind him and watched both runners score.

"Went for it, thought I might've been a little closer to the plate," Fried said. "I was running across the line. If I keep going, I'm going to throw it at him, so I just tried to throw around him. A tough angle and just not a good throw... We've put together some really good games defensively this year, and haven't shown it so far. But we believe that."

The nightmare resumed in the sixth. With the score once again tied -- thanks to an Aaron Judge two-run home run -- Fried surrendered a leadoff triple to Ernie Clement after his fly ball to right was surprisingly lost in the sky by Cody Bellinger. Moments later, Myles Straw ripped a double down the left-field line, giving the Blue Jays a lead they didn't relinquish again.

At the moment, there's no reason to believe that Fried won't make his next start, which is scheduled for next Tuesday against the Rays at Yankee Stadium.

Fried now owns a 2.62 ERA across 127.1 innings (21 games) this season, and his 116 total strikeouts rank 13th among qualified AL starters.

The momentum built from a thrilling win on Tuesday didn't inspire clean play from the Yankees on Wednesday, as they committed a whopping four errors in a humiliating 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Jasson Domínguez entered Wednesday in an 0-for-18 rut at the plate, but he didn't allow the skid to reach 19 at-bats. The rookie outfielder took advantage of his first matchup with Chris Bassitt in the second inning, ripping a solo home run into the right-center field bullpen to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. It was Domínguez's ninth blast of the season -- the ball traveled 380 feet with an exit velocity of 111 mph -- and the first one he hit since July 11.

-- Max Fried didn't seem bothered by a blister that forced him to miss a reunion start against the Braves last weekend. The Yankees' ace looked sharp early on, retiring the first 10 batters faced with effective use of his fastball-cutter combo. Fried also received defensive help, as Trent Grisham robbed Davis Schneider of a leadoff double in the first with a terrific running catch in left-center. Two innings later, Jazz Chisholm Jr. took an infield single away from Myles Straw with a slick backhanded grab up the middle and jump-throw to first.

-- The Blue Jays disrupted Fried's rhythm with one out in the fourth, however, as a single to center from George Springer and an RBI double to left from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knotted the score at 1-1. Then, after Fried gave up a walk and an infield single that loaded the bases, Ernie Clement put the Blue Jays ahead, 2-1, with an RBI single to center. The 24-pitch inning could've been far worse for Fried -- he got the third out on a grounder that deflected off his leg and fortunately bounced to a charging Oswald Peraza at third.

-- Anthony Volpe nearly cost the Yankees a win on Tuesday with a costly throwing error, but he made up for that gaffe with his bat in the fifth inning. With one out, he took a cutter from Bassitt deep to left-center for a game-tying solo homer. But the game didn't remain tied for long. Fried stumbled again in the fifth, allowing a pair of walks and a stolen base that preceded defensive mishaps. He allowed both baserunners to advance into scoring position on a wild pitch, and then a tricky throw home on a tough comebacker got past catcher J.C. Escarra and placed the Blue Jays ahead, 4-2.

-- Sloppiness in the fifth was erased with one swing by the Yankees' captain in the sixth. After a fielding error on Guerrero that allowed the leadoff man Grisham to reach second, Aaron Judge drilled a two-run shot to right-center off Bassitt that wiped the two-run deficit. It was career homer No. 352 for Judge, who now owns sole possession of sixth place on the franchise's all-time list. He's also tied for 99th on MLB's all-time list.

-- Once again, shoddy defense from the Yankees helped the Blue Jays retake the lead swiftly. In the bottom of the sixth, Clement wound up with a leadoff triple after his fly to right was surprisingly lost in the sky by Cody Bellinger. Fried then gave up a go-ahead double to Straw, which ended his frustrating night. It's possible Fried's blister flared up late, as TV cameras caught him rubbing his fingers on his undershirt in the sixth.

-- The Yankees added insult to potential injury shortly after Fried's exit. With reliever Jonathan Loáisiga on the mound, Ben Rice botched a grounder at first that brought another Blue Jays runner home, making the score 6-4. In the seventh, frustrations with the strike zone resulted in ejections for manager Aaron Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake, and after a fielding error from Dominguez, Bo Bichette smacked a two-run shot to left off Scott Effross that put the Blue Jays ahead by four.

-- Bassitt returned for the eighth inning, and managed to record the first out before exiting at 94 pitches. The pitching change to reliever Justin Bruihl sparked a brief rally, as Grisham and Bellinger produced back-to-back singles, but Judge ended the threat by grounding into an inning-ending double play that required replay review. In the ninth, the Yankees went down in order against Yariel Rodriguez. They once again trail the Blue Jays by four games for first place in the AL East.

Game MVP: Chris Bassitt

While a handful of Blue Jays capitalized at the plate and took advantage of the Yankees' blunders, Bassitt provided ace-level length by striking out eight across 7.1 innings. It wasn't a clean effort -- he gave up four runs on three homers -- but still a strong showing from the veteran right-hander.

Highlights

Trent Grisham makes the running catch! pic.twitter.com/pgb3EEDV3d

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 23, 2025

Jasson Domínguez homers to open the scoring 👽 pic.twitter.com/A7KVApM7gc

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 23, 2025

Jazz Chisholm Jr. makes the smooth play ♨️ pic.twitter.com/iRS4JeNmc0

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 23, 2025

Anthony Volpe ties the game! 💣 pic.twitter.com/89N0bETZ6y

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 24, 2025

AARON JUDGE TIES THE GAME WITH A TWO-RUN HOMER! pic.twitter.com/5Yz38SkCm1

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 24, 2025

What's next

The Yankees (56-46) will have Thursday off and begin a seven-game homestand on Friday with a weekend series against the Phillies. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

RHP Will Warren (6-5, 4.91 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Taijuan Walker (3-3, 3.75 ERA).

Mets outfield prospect Drew Gilbert had himself a day for Triple-A Syracuse.

In Syracuse's 8-4 win over Omaha on Wednesday night, Gilbert picked up four hits, including a double, in his stellar 4-for-5 night at the plate. It's the first four-hit game of Gilbert's professional career. His big hit came in Syracuse's four-run second inning, when his single drove in a run to put the Mets up 6-0 at the time.

Gilbert increased his batting average to .246 with the four-hit game. In 75 games with Triple-A, he has 12 home runs with 47 RBI and an OPS of .786.

Pitching prospect Blade Tidwell started Wednesday's game and was solid. The right-hander tossed 74 pitches (45 strikes) in 3.1 innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four. It was the third consecutive start in which he allowed two or fewer runs, but he could not follow up his 5.1-shutout innings outing in his last start.

In 15 games (12 starts) this season, Tidwell has a 6-4 record with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.

Drew Gilbert singles home a run!

Catch the @SyracuseMets NOW on SNY! pic.twitter.com/MM0RMQIXcB

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 23, 2025

Benge and Clifford go deep in Double-A

Down with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, a pair of hitting prospects went deep on Wednesday.

Carson Benge, the Mets' No. 5 prospect according to SNY's Joe DeMayo, went 1-for-5, but his lone hit was a solo shot. It's the third longball for Benge since being promoted to Double-A.

Ryan Clifford went deep twice for the Rumble Ponies in his 3-for-4 night. Clifford, DeMayo's No. 4 Mets prospect, now has 19 homers this season to go along with his slashline of .235/.351/.476 and an OPS of .827.

Other notable Double-A Mets include Jett Williams, who went 1-for-5.

Ryan Clifford hit two home runs tonight for Double-A Binghamton 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FoSSiY61GA

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 24, 2025

Luis Gil made a good next step toward a Yankees return, completing his first rehab start with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Yankees transferred Gil's rehab from Double-A to Triple-A and the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year was roughed up a bit on Wednesday. Going up against the Rochester Red Wings, Gil pitched into the fourth inning, but it could have been better if not for one inning.

After allowing a solo shot to lead off his night, Gil would cruise until the third inning. He allowed three runs on two walks and three hits. The big knock came off the bat of Nick Schnell, who doubled in two runs with runners on first and second and two outs. Gil would complete the inning and get one out in the fourth before he was pulled after 67 pitches (44 strikes).

Gil allowed five runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four batters in what is expected to be a lengthy rehab assignment.

Prior to Wednesday, Gil made two starts with Somerset. In those two appearances, he allowed three runs in 6.2 innings while striking out 13 batters.

It's unclear whether this will be Gil's final rehab start, but manager Aaron Boone said there was no intention of rushing the young right-hander back from his right lat strain.

Remember when the Dodgers' injury-riddled rotation was the problem? That’s so last month.

The issue now is the bullpen. Over the last four weeks, the team’s bullpen ERA has ballooned to 4.44. Only six teams in the majors entered Wednesday with a higher mark.

Freddie Freeman saved the Dodgers from another painful bullpen implosion Wednesday, lining a two-out, two-run single to left field in the ninth inning, giving the team a 4-3 walk-off win over the Minnesota Twins in a getaway day matinee at Dodger Stadium.

An inning earlier Kirby Yates had given up two runs and an eighth-inning lead without recording an out. That wasted a season-best effort from right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who held the Twins to a run on three hits, striking out 12 batters, over seven innings. In each of his three starts since coming of the injured list, Glasnow has gone at least five innings and allowed fewer than two runs. His ERA in that span is 1.00.

Read more:'It just wasn't pretty.' Bullpen sinks slumping Dodgers again in loss to Twins

Glasnow left with a 2-1 lead but that was gone four batters later, with Yates walking the bases loaded, missing the plate on 12 of his 18 pitches. Alex Vesia came on to get Willi Castro to hit into a double play, but that allowed the tying run to score.

Pinch-hitter Harrison Bader then untied it with a poorly hit ball that got over the leaping Vesia before landing on the infield grass as Brooks Lee raced home from third.

The Dodgers were down to their last out in the ninth when Mookie Betts beat out an infield single. Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked and Esteury Ruiz followed with a walk of his own, bringing up Freeman, who had two called strikes before slicing a line drive just in front of diving Bader in left to give the Dodgers their second win in six games since the All-Star break.

Freeman’s heroics do nothing to heal the Dodgers where they are hurting most though, and that’s pitching. After losing three of his projected five starters in the season’s first two months, manager Dave Roberts has had to use everything short of masking tape to keep a rotation together. As a result, the Dodgers have used 16 starters this season and 37 pitchers overall.

And that makeshift rotation may be to blame for the bullpen troubles. Dodger starters have thrown a big-league low 467 2/3 innings this season, averaging less than five innings a start, while their exhausted relievers have pitched a major-league-leading 452 2/3 innings.

The rotation is getting healthier now that Glasnow, who has missed most of the season with an inflamed shoulder, could soon be rejoined in the rotation by two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, The left-hander, out since April 2 with shoulder inflammation, is scheduled to make his final minor-league rehab start Saturday.

Ohtani gave Glasnow an early lead Wednesday with a solo home run in the first inning. It was his fifth straight game with a home run, a career high that equaled the franchise record, and it gave 37 for the season. The run was his 96th of the year, best in the majors.

Royce Lewis got that run back for the Twins in the third, leading off with his fifth home run of the season just inside the left-field foul pole. It stayed that way until the seventh, when Tommy Edman looped a single over a drawn-in infield, putting the Dodgers back in front.

Roberts isn’t ready to blame the bullpen’s recent struggles entirely on the heavy workload. But he’s not excusing it either.

“That's how the season goes,” he said. “It's easy to look at that in totality. I do know that, we're what we're dealing with, we have to kind of weather it.”

In the last two days, the Dodgers have seen left-hander reliever Tanner Scott go on the injured list with elbow inflammation and watched right-hander Ben Casparius limp off the mound with a right calf cramp, joining 11 pitchers already on the sidelines.

Casparius underwent an MRI exam, which was negative, and he is expected to be available during the team’s nine-game road trip, which begins Friday in Boston. But Casparius acknowledged Wednesday that the bullpen’s recent struggles led him to try to pitch through the soreness, likely making the injury worse.

“Going through the back of my mind [was] kind of gutting it out,” he said. “I think you can look at it a bunch of different ways, but I'm not necessarily sure I put the team the best spot.”

Read more:Dodgers put Tanner Scott on IL, but hopeful he returns this season

Casparius said the pitchers in the Dodger bullpen, who haven’t had a scoreless game since July 3, have struggled collectively and will have to work collectively to get back on track.

“Momentum is everything,” he said. “We're kind of going through our tough patch right now and hopefully it's the worst it's going to be. We’ve got some guys coming back. Maybe getting on the road and being uncomfortable might help us out a little bit in a weird way too.

“It's a tough part of the year. Everybody around the league is going through this type of stuff. I think we're going to turn a corner.”

Notes: Reliever Blake Treinen was scheduled to make back-to-back appearances for Triple A Oklahoma City on Wednesday and Thursday and if things go well, he could rejoin the Dodgers on the road trip. Treinen went on the injured list April 19 with forearm tightness. ... Third baseman Max Muncy is scheduled to face live pitching at the Dodgers’ Arizona complex on Thursday and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, far sooner than expected. Muncy was the Dodgers’ hottest hitter when he sustained a bone bruise in his left knee three weeks ago. It was anticipated he would miss a month and half.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Phillies can't overcome 5th-inning disaster, fail to sweep Red Sox  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies couldn’t overcome a nightmarish fifth inning Wednesday night.

The Red Sox scored six runs in the fifth and avoided a three-game series sweep at Citizens Bank Park, taking a 9-8 win in 11 innings.  

The Phils dropped to 58-44 and Boston improved to 55-49.

“The offense was good tonight,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “The bullpen was good. That fifth inning was just a killer, that’s all.”

Jesus Luzardo started for the Phillies and was stellar until the fifth. He wound up conceding six runs in five innings of work. Luzardo allowed two hits, walked five and struck out seven. 

The Phils never let Red Sox righty Lucas Giolito even think about settling in. 

Trea Turner knocked a first-pitch single to left field and Kyle Schwarber slugged him home three pitches later, nailing a high changeup over the right-center field wall for his 34th dinger of the season. Bryce Harper then stepped up and promptly cracked a milestone shot, hammering his 350th career homer. He crushed Giolito’s center-cut fastball 439 feet.

Though Nick Castellanos couldn’t make it back-to-back-to-back jacks, he got in on the power-hitting fun next time up. Castellanos built the Phils’ lead to 4-0 in the third inning with a deep fly over the left-field wall. Bryson Stott added a solo long ball in the fourth. 

Just like Cristopher Sanchez the night prior, Luzardo was flawless his first time through Boston’s order. He struck out five batters over the first three innings and the Red Sox whiffed at his first seven sweepers. 

Boston had no baserunners until Rob Refsnyder started the fourth inning with a walk. Masataka Yoshida picked up the team’s first hit on a fifth-inning leadoff double. 

The fifth descended into disaster with two outs. 

Refsnyder popped up a 2-0 pitch behind home plate with the the bases loaded and it appeared Luzardo had escaped any damage despite shaky control. However, J.T. Realmuto couldn’t locate the ball and it plopped in the grass. 

Realmuto “lost it in the sky,” Thomson said. “It was close to me and I had trouble seeing it.”

Luzardo walked in a run … and then another run. The boos intensified and the inning grew much worse. Romy Gonzalez delivered a go-ahead grand slam. 

Luzardo is still trying to understand and solve his issues pitching from the stretch. 

“It’s not physical,” he said. “My stuff is the best it’s been my whole career, so it’s not a stuff problem. It’s more command, making the right pitches at the right times, executing the pitches. … There’s no excuse. It needs to happen now.”

The Phillies’ bullpen prevented the game from spiraling away. Jordan Romano, Daniel Robert, Tanner Banks, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm combined to throw four scoreless innings.

Boston’s bullpen also handled business through the seventh inning, but Aroldis Chapman was unable to polish off a 1-2-3 eighth. Realmuto evened the contest with one swing, lacing a Chapman sinker over the center-field fence.

The Phillies caused no problems for Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock in the ninth inning and Boston went back on top in the 10th. Trevor Story’s one-out double down the left-field line drove in ghost runner Jarren Duran.

Two pitches into the bottom of the 10th, the game was tied again. Turner’s fly out to right field advanced Stott to third base. Schwarber’s single off of Greg Weissert leveled it up at 7-all.

Carlos Narvaez landed the decisive blow in the 11th vs. Seth Johnson. He lined a two-run homer just over the left-field wall, a result that stood after a review for potential fan interference. 

The Phillies trimmed their deficit to one with a two-out Johan Rojas base hit, but Max Kepler struck out looking against Brennan Bernardino to wrap up a sour series finale.

Next up for the Phillies is a weekend series with the Yankees. Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.75 ERA) and Will Warren (6-5, 4.91 ERA) are the scheduled starters for Friday night’s series opener. 

Bohm to join Phils’ road trip 

After their stay in New York, the Phillies will head to Chicago for a three-game series against the White Sox. 

The plan is for Alec Bohm to be there and begin his rehab from a fractured rib.

“Feels better,” Thomson said pregame. “He’ll stay here until Sunday. And then Sunday he’ll travel to New York, catch up with us and go to Chicago with us. I think by that time he’ll start doing some functional work. Probably not swinging the bat yet, but at least play catch and take some ground balls or something like that.”

Phillies can't overcome 5th-inning disaster, fail to sweep Red Sox  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies couldn’t overcome a nightmarish fifth inning Wednesday night.

The Red Sox scored six runs in the fifth and avoided a three-game series sweep at Citizens Bank Park, taking a 9-8 win in 11 innings.  

The Phils dropped to 58-44 and Boston improved to 55-49.

Jesus Luzardo started for the Phillies and was stellar until the fifth. He wound up conceding six runs in five innings of work. Luzardo allowed two hits, walked five and struck out seven. 

The Phils never let Red Sox righty Lucas Giolito even think about settling in. 

Trea Turner knocked a first-pitch single to left field and Kyle Schwarber slugged him home three pitches later, nailing a high changeup over the right-center field wall for his 34th dinger of the season. Bryce Harper then stepped up and promptly cracked a milestone shot, hammering his 350th career homer. He crushed Giolito’s center-cut fastball 439 feet.

Though Nick Castellanos couldn’t make it back-to-back-to-back jacks, he got in on the power-hitting fun next time up. Castellanos built the Phils’ lead to 4-0 in the third inning with a deep fly over the left-field wall. Bryson Stott added a solo long ball in the fourth. 

Just like Cristopher Sanchez the night prior, Luzardo was flawless his first time through Boston’s order. He struck out five batters over the first three innings and the Red Sox whiffed at his first seven sweepers. 

Boston had no baserunners until Rob Refsnyder started the fourth inning with a walk. Masataka Yoshida picked up the team’s first hit on a fifth-inning leadoff double. 

The fifth descended into disaster with two outs. 

Refsnyder popped a 2-0 pitch behind home plate with the the bases loaded and it appeared Luzardo had escaped any damage despite shaky control. However, J.T. Realmuto couldn’t locate the ball and it plopped in the grass. 

Luzardo walked in a run … and then another run. The boos intensified and the inning grew much worse. Romy Gonzalez delivered a go-ahead grand slam. 

The Phillies’ bullpen prevented the game from spiraling away. Jordan Romano, Daniel Robert, Tanner Banks, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm combined to throw four scoreless innings.

Boston’s bullpen also handled business through the seventh inning, but Aroldis Chapman was unable to polish off a 1-2-3 eighth. Realmuto evened the contest with one swing, lacing a Chapman sinker over the center-field fence.

The Phillies caused no problems for Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock in the ninth inning and Boston went back on top in the 10th. Trevor Story’s one-out double down the left-field line drove in ghost runner Jarren Duran.

Two pitches into the bottom of the 10th, the game was tied again. Turner’s fly out to right field advanced Stott to third base. Schwarber’s single off of Greg Weissert leveled it up at 7-all.

Carlos Narvaez landed the decisive blow in the 11th vs. Seth Johnson. He lined a two-run homer just over the left-field wall, a result that stood after a review for potential fan interference. 

The Phillies trimmed their deficit to one with a two-out Johan Rojas base hit, but Max Kepler struck out looking against Brennan Bernardino to wrap up a sour series finale.

Next up for the Phillies is a weekend series with the Yankees. Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.75 ERA) and Will Warren (6-5, 4.91 ERA) are the scheduled starters for Friday night’s series opener. 

Bohm to join Phils’ road trip 

After their stay in New York, the Phillies will head to Chicago for a three-game series against the White Sox. 

The plan is for Alec Bohm to be there and begin his rehab from a fractured rib.

“Feels better,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said pregame. “He’ll stay here until Sunday. And then Sunday he’ll travel to New York, catch up with us and go to Chicago with us. I think by that time he’ll start doing some functional work. Probably not swinging the bat yet, but at least play catch and take some ground balls or something like that.”

It took longer than the Mets wanted, but Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso have appeared to give up the funk.

While the bottom half of the lineup was relied upon for offense in Tuesday night's win, the Mets' superstar tandem atop the order finally packed a punch on Wednesday afternoon, driving in a combined five runs on four hits in a sweep of the Angels at Citi Field.

The first chunk of damage was inflicted in the third inning. With two on and nobody out, Lindor mercifully snapped a career-worst 0-for-31 skid with an RBI single to left that gave the Mets a 2-1 lead.

Then, five pitches later, Alonso joined in on the fun, demolishing a fastball to left-center that struck the second deck for a 439-foot, three-run home run. It was the 248th blast of his career.

"I feel the love, it's definitely special," Lindor said of the fans' support after the win. "It makes you want to continue to go even harder, day in and day out. This city, this market makes you bring the best of yourself every day. And you can't take that for granted... Sorry I didn't put on a good show for them earlier.

"Stay the course, hopefully good things happen... I'm human. I don't want to go through [a slump], but I know I'm going to go through it. It sucks, put your head down and work. Try to get better... When you're good, you're good. When you suck, you suck. It is what it is."

Lindor collected his second hit of the game in the fourth, another RBI single to left that bumped the Mets' lead to 6-1. Alonso wrapped up his two-hit effort with a single to right in the seventh.

Some semblance of an awakening at the plate was inevitable for Lindor and Alonso, but their prolonged slumps naturally tested patience.

Lindor's first at-bat was a flyout to center, and with seven more hitless appearances, he would've surpassed Rey Ordóñez for the worst skid (0-for-37, set in 1997) in Mets history.

There was also a considerable power outage from Alonso. While he launched an emphatic three-run jack in the All-Star Game last week, his three-run bomb on Wednesday was his first regular-season homer since July 8.

It was the 22nd long ball of the year for Alonso, who's now four shy of tying Darryl Strawberry's record and five shy of becoming the Mets' all-time homers king.

Alonso entered July with a strong .291 average, but that marked dipped down to .270 before Wednesday's win due to a powerless 2-for-33 slide.

"That [homer] felt really good. I'm honestly more satisfied with the inside-out single in my last at-bat," Alonso said. "The homer obviously is super great, but personally, when I'm hitting the ball to the big part of the field, that's when I feel good... I just want to put my best foot forward every at-bat and give it my all."

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza stated the obvious on his invaluable infielders -- their MVP-caliber production will allow the team to achieve the long-term goals set well before the regular season began.

"We're going to need those guys," Mendoza said. "We know they're going through it, but they're too good of a hitter. They're too good of a player. I'm glad they were able to come through for us today."

Francisco Lindor offers up his appreciation to Mets fans for continuing to support him as he snapped his difficult 0-for-31 stretch:

"I feel the love, it's definitely special - it makes you want to continue to go even harder. Sorry I didn't put a good show on earlier." pic.twitter.com/3K4kXMj7H3

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 23, 2025