The stage was set for Aaron Judge to be the hero in the 10th inning of Thursday's matchup between the Yankees and Mariners.
After being no-hit for seven innings, the Yankees came back from five runs down to force extra innings and they were 90 feet away from taking the game and sweeping Seattle.
With the bases loaded and one out, Judge drove a hanging slider into shallow center field. Julio Rodriguez caught it and launched the ball to catcher Cal Raleigh at home. Anthony Volpe, who was on third, scampered home, but the throw beat him home. However, the Yankee shortstop dove headfirst and did a swim move to avoid the tag and get his hand onto home plate to seal the 6-5 win.
"That was sick. Totally went around him, got his hand in there," Austin Wells, whose two-run single tied the game in the ninth, said after the game. "That was a great slide."
"Rodriguez made a great throw but what a great slide by Volpe," manager Aaron Boone said of the play. "I had the best seat in the house for it. I saw his hand go right in there. I saw the throw was on target, I’m like, ‘oh no,’ but I saw his hand in there and Volpe jumped up safe. It was a good call by [homeplate umpire Nic Lentz]."
With how shallow Judge's fly ball was, Boone was asked if Volpe's speed and ability to make slides like that are in the thought process to send him. Boone pointed to the situation as the deciding factor for the send of Volpe.
"With that being the second out there, you gotta force them to make the perfect throw," Boone explained. "Rodriguez, as good as he is, still has to make a perfect throw, which he actually did. But it’s absolutely have to go there."
Volpe's slide not only extended the Yankees' winning streak to four, but it gave Judge his first career walk-off sac fly. It also capped the Yankees' biggest comeback win since May 2023, when they trailed by six runs. It was especially impressive considering they were down by five runs after being no-hit by Mariners starter Bryan Woo for seven innings.
More impressive is that the Yankees are only the second team in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to win a game after going hitless and trailing by at least five runs through seven innings, according to Elias. The other team, the 1977 Pirates.
“I knew who was at third. My whole thought going into [that at-bat] was get the ball somewhere in the air and let 11 take care of the rest," Judge said. "Impressive. What a great slide. Nobody else I want at third in a situation like that besides Volpe."
Volpe finished 0-for-4 in Thursday's game, including flying out with an opportunity to walk-off the Mariners in the ninth inning. He's now only slashing .215/.290/.387 on the season. But the Yankees are happy to see their shortstop still find ways to impact and win them games.
NEW YORK — New York Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt will undergo a second Tommy John surgery that will sideline him for the rest of this season and much of next season, manager Aaron Boone said Thursday.
Schmidt will have the surgery Friday, and the procedure will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas. The 29-year-old right-hander will join Gerrit Cole as the second Yankee to undergo the surgery. Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, was operated on in March.
Boone said before Saturday’s loss to the Mets that Schmidt was likely going to undergo the surgery after acknowledging he had an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Schmidt had an MRI last Friday was placed on the 15-day injured list because of right forearm soreness, one day after his start in Toronto was cut short following three innings.
Schmidt was 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts this season before getting hurt. He missed New York’s first 17 games recovering from right rotator cuff tendinitis.
“He’s become a really, really good starting pitcher in this league,” Boone said last week. “So it’s a tough blow. Every team has their share of these things that happen, and we’ve got to be able to absorb it and hopefully get some guys back in the mix soon and create another opportunity for somebody else to hopefully step in and pick up the slack.”
Schmidt had Tommy John surgery in May 2017, a month before the Yankees selected him with the 16th overall pick in the amateur draft out of South Carolina.
Now in his sixth major league season, Schmidt said he was dealing with soreness in his arm since a June 4 outing against Cleveland.
Schmidt left a June 21 start versus Baltimore after a career-high 103 pitches in seven hitless innings, part of a streak of 28 1/3 scoreless innings.
Cam Schlitter started for Schmidt on Wednesday, struck out major league home run leader Cal Raleigh twice on fastballs and will get another start after the All-Star break. Schlitter’ has pitched 5 1/3 innings with an average fastball velocity of 97.9 mph, and he threw New York’s seven fastest pitches this season.
The Yankees were no-hit for seven innings, but a late rally forced extras and Aaron Judge's walk-off sac fly lifted New York to an improbable 6-5 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night in the Bronx.
Mariners starter Bryan Woo was excellent but the Yankees bats would get to the Seattle bullpen with three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth off of All-Star reliever Andres Munoz to get the game to the 10th inning. Devin Williams shut down the Mariners, allowing the Yankees to bring home the winning run in the bottom half of the 10th.
The Yankees' sweep of Seattle extended the team's winning streak to four games and they will enter the final series before the All-Star break two games behind the AL East-leading Blue Jays, who were off on Thursday.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Yankees lineup had a tall order on Thursday, taking on All-Star Woo. However, the Yanks led off the game with back-to-back walks to put Woo in trouble early.Judge struck out swinging before Cody Bellinger grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The most walks Woo had allowed in a game this season was two. He tied that in the first inning but that's all the Yankees could do against the young right-hander. Woo would retire 20 in a row, working a no-hitter into the eighth inning.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. -- who declared for the Home Run Derby on Thursday -- led off the eighth with a groundball single off of Woo to end the no-hit bid. Ben Rice followed with a single of his own. Austin Wells drove in the Yankees' first run with a sac fly, which knocked Woo out of the game. Manager Aaron Boone had Giancarlo Stanton pinch-hit against reliever Matt Brash and he launched a two-run shot to pull the Yankees to 5-3. It's the first pinch-hit homer in Stanton's career.
Woo was excellent, though, and threw 103 pitches (67 strikes) across 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, two walks while striking out five batters.
-Against Munoz, Trent Grisham led off the ninth with a single. Judge flew out on the first pitch he saw before Bellinger singled to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. Chisholm flew out and Rice walked to load the bases for Wells. The Yankees backstop singled home two to tie the game at 5-5 before Volpe flew out.
In the 10th, with Volpe on second as the ghost-runner, pinch-hitter Oswald Peraza failed to get the bunt down against left-hander Gabe Speier before the pinch-hitting Paul Goldschmidt was intentionally walked. Speier walkedGrisham, setting up Judge with the bases loaded. The Yankee Captain lofted a hanging slider to shallow center and Julio Rodriguez came home with a strong throw, but Volpe slid around Cal Raleigh's tag for the win.
-Marcus Stroman had a tough task to try and match Woo and did a solid job. After a scoreless first, he allowed one run on two hits and a walk, but worked out of trouble. He worked a one-run game into the fourth inning when he winced in pain covering first on a groundout. Stroman was checked on by trainers but the veteran right-hander said he was fine to continue. He allowed a ground-rule double to the next batter that Grisham couldn't get to -- it had a 60 percent catch rate -- a groundout and then an RBI single to Miles Mastrobuoni. Another single, and a mound visit later, Stroman got Rodriguez to ground out to stop further damage.
Stroman would grind through five innings (90 pitches/55 strikes), allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three. He also lowered his ERA to 6.66 on the season.
-The Yankees bullpen also did well to keep the Mariners off the board until the seventh inning. Clayton Beeter had pitched 1.2 scoreless innings before he got into trouble. Two walks brought up Jorge Polanco, who deposited a three-run shot over the right field wall to put the Mariners up 5-0.
JT Brubaker picked up three key outs and Ian Hamilton got through the ninth inning without allowing a run to give the Yankees offense a chance.
-Jasson Dominguez led off for the Yankees for the third game in a row but finished 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Judge went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and his average has dipped to .356 on the season but his first career walk-off sac fly made up for it.
Bellinger went 1-for-4, extending his hitting streak to 15 games. It's the second 15-game hitting streak this season for Bellinger, the first time that's happened since Derek Jeter in 2012.
Game MVP: Austin Wells
Judge's sac fly was great, but the Yankees don't get there unless Wells ties the game in the ninth.
Mets pitching prospect Brandon Sproat has been on a tear recently and is in the middle of a scoreless inning streak after another stellar performance on Thursday for Triple-A Syracuse.
After seven more scoreless innings against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the 24-year-old has gone 18 straight innings without allowing a run, which spans three starts. During this stretch, Sproat has allowed just seven hits and has struck out 18 batters. It's also lowered his season ERA from 5.95 to 4.61.
Sproat's seven innings on Thursday night were his longest outing both this season and during his time in Triple-A. It matches his career-high, which he set last season with Double-A Binghamton. In that stretch, he went seven innings in three consecutive starts.
The right-hander was in complete control on Thursday, retiring the first seven batters and facing the minimum after three innings. He also got help from his battery-mate Francisco Alvarez, who threw out two base stealers to help Sproat limit the men on base.
Overall, Sproat went seven innings and allowed three hits, a walk and a hit by pitch while striking out four on 87 pitches (62 strikes). He left in a scoreless tie and had to settle for a no-decision.
After a rough start to the season in Syracuse, Sproat has turned things around and is looking more like the pitcher the Mets saw all of last season when he began turning heads after being selected in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Senga will get the start on Friday night, meaning it took him just under a month to make it back from the hamstring injury he suffered on June 12 at Citi Field.
The right-hander needed only one rehab start before being ready, with him tossing 3.2 innings for Double-A Binghamton on July 5.
Before getting injured, Senga had the best ERA in baseball and was on track to perhaps start for the National League in the All-Star Game.
Overall, he had a 1.47 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 70 strikeouts in 73.2 innings over 13 starts.
While Senga's season was temporarily derailed, the fact that his injury had nothing to do with his arm should bode well for him quickly regaining the form he was displaying before he was out.
In addition to Senga, the Mets will also get Manaea back this weekend, with him pitching on Sunday in what will be his first appearance of the regular season.
The Mets are planning to use both Manaea and Clay Holmes on Sunday in what is the final game before the All-Star break. That's because they don't want Holmes' layoff between appearances to be too long. It is not yet known which pitcher will start the game, and which one will piggyback.
With the returns of Manaea and Senga, New York's rotation is at full strength for the first time this year.
The injury that cost Manaea the first three months of the season was to his oblique, but his rehab was delayed a bit due to a loose body in his throwing elbow that required a cortisone shot.
Manaea is expected to be able to pitch through the issue for the remainder of the season, but it's something to monitor.
Entering play on Thursday, Mauricio was starting to settle in very nicely as a regular presence in the lineup.
Jun 24, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets second baseman Ronny Mauricio (10) follows through on an RBI double against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
In 10 games from June 24 to July 8, Mauricio slashed .344/.417/.594 with two home runs, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs scored, and four walks.
There has still been a bit too much chase in his game, but Mauricio is starting to control the strike zone a bit better.
He's also been really smooth defensively while getting the most time at third base.
Kansas City's offense has been among the worst in baseball...
The Royals' season has been a disappointing one. They enter this series with a record of 46-48, and are 3.0 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the American League.
The main reason for those struggles? The offense.
Kansas City entered play on Thursday having scored the second-fewest runs in the AL (321) and third-fewest in baseball -- ahead of only the White Sox (318) and Pirates (319).
Aside from Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, and Maikel Garcia, Kansas City hasn't gotten a lot from its regulars.
Slugging rookie Jac Caglianone could help, but he's struggled in his first taste of the bigs -- with a .490 OPS over his first 32 games.
... Kansas City's pitching has been among the best in baseball
While the Royals' offense has been a detriment, their pitching has been elite.
They have allowed only 343 runs this season, which was the second-lowest in baseball entering play on Thursday.
A lot of that is due to the starting rotation led by Kris Bubic (2.48 ERA), Seth Lugo (2.67 ERA), Noah Cameron (2.56 ERA) and Michael Wacha (3.83 ERA), though the loss of Cole Ragans due to a shoulder injury will hurt.
With Bubic having pitched on Wednesday, the Mets won't face him in this series. They're also not scheduled to face Lugo.
The Mets are set to go against Wacha on Friday, Michael Lorenzen on Saturday, and the rookie Cameron on Sunday.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Pete Alonso
The Polar Bear will end the first half with a bang.
Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?
Kodai Senga
The right-hander will pick up where he left off.
Which Royals player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?
Salvador Perez
Perez went 3-for-4 with two homers on Wednesday against the Pirates.
The Mets lost Game 2 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles, 7-3, to get swept on the day and lose the series.
Here are the takeaways...
-Two batters into Game 2, the Mets started things off the same way they started Game 1 -- with runners on second and third and nobody out. Unlike in the first game, though, New York didn't waste this golden opportunity to score and pushed across two runs on two productive outs by Juan Soto (RBI groundout) and Pete Alonso (sacrifice fly) to make it 2-0 early.
-After a scoreless first inning that required 32 pitches and ended with a lineout with the bases loaded, spot starter Brandon Waddell went back out for the second and wasn't so lucky. Back-to-back doubles by Cedric Mullins and Alex Jackson gave the Orioles their first run of the game, cutting New York's lead in half. Then, with two outs, Jordan Westburg homered to put Baltimore on top, 3-2.
Waddell pitched a 1-2-3 third to end his outing. He allowed three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two.
-Brett Baty tied the game with a two-out single after Soto began the inning with a walk and a stolen base. The Mets were dangerously close to wasting that opportunity against Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano after an Alonso lineout and Mark Vientos strikeout sandwiched a Jeff McNeil walk before Baty came through. Unfortunately, it was the only hit with runners in scoring position that New York would have all game.
-Like Waddell, Justin Hagenman had a scoreless frame in his first inning of action, but things took a turn in the following frame. With runners on first and second and two outs, Colton Cowser broke the tie with a single and Ramon Urias brought home another run on Baty's fielding error at third base to give the O's a 5-3 advantage.
-Hagenman went back out for the sixth but was pulled after a leadoff double. LHP Richard Lovelady entered from there and got the lefty Jackson Holliday to ground out before getting a similar result from the righty Westburg who hit it on the ground to shortstop on the drawn-in infield. Francisco Lindor snared it on the backhand and threw home to try and nab the runner, but it was a second late as Baltimore scored once again.
Lovelady allowed a single and a walk to load the bases, which forced manager Carlos Mendoza to use a third reliever of the inning in Rico Garcia. Garcia got the groundball he needed to escape the jam, but the Mets couldn't turn the double play and another run scored.
-After stalling out for a run on five hits in the first game and going 1-for-11 with RISP, New York's offense couldn't make it up in the second game of the twinbill. Despite back-to-back hits to start the game, the Mets finished with five total hits. They also went 1-for-8 with RISP to go a staggering 2-for-19 with RISP in the doubleheader sweep.
-Brandon Nimmo was the only bright spot in the lineup, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base out of the leadoff spot.
Game MVP: Tomoyuki Sugano
Entering Thursday's game with a .276 batting average against, Sugano was able to keep the Mets' hitters at bay through six innings to earn his seventh win of the season.
The Mets play their final series before the All-Star break as they take on the Kansas City Royals for three games starting on Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. on SNY.
RHP Kodai Senga (7-3, 1.47 ERA) makes his return to the mound after a hamstring strain cost him a month on the IL. He will be opposed by former Met RHP Michael Wacha (4-9, 3.83 ERA).
There's going to be some jazz at this year's Home Run Derby.
Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. declared for the 2025 Home Run Derby in Atlanta on Thursday and is looking to bring the same "70 percent" mentality that has served him well since he returned from the IL on June 3. Of course, Chisholm made headlines when he said that he's stopped going all out when he plays, and that 70 percent allows him to stay balanced.
Speaking with the media before Friday's series opener against the Cubs, Chisholm said he's not thinking too much about his preparation for the contest.
"I ain't trying to think that hard about it. I'm not even gonna really practice it for it, Chisholm said. "The only person that really needs to practice is my stepdad. But for me, I'm just gonna go out there, have fun.
"Seventy percent, don't do too much. Just hit a couple homers. Hopefully, I win it by doing that. I'm just gonna enjoy the time out there."
Chisholm will have his stepfather, Geronsands, toss to him. He's already traveled to New York from the Bahamas to be with the Yankees infielder.
"He thows to me all the time. When I was a kid, he's been throwing to me," Chisholm said of his stepfather's credentials. "He throws to me all the time in the Bahamas Derby. So, ain't nothing new to us."
Chisholm is confident in his ability to do well in Atlanta, even at 70 percent, because he's done well in the aforementioned Bahamas Derby using a similar mentality. That derby is in the middle of the offseason when he's not swinging like he would in spring training, and he's going to tap into those memories next week, while also enjoying the festivities and hitting as many homers as he can.
"I don't really try to go out there and try and hurt myself. Just go out there having fun," Chisholm said of his confidence competing at 70 percent. "Hit a couple. Might catch a couple that will go further than the others, but just try to be accurate and consistent, more than trying to hit the ball further than [Pirates outfielder] Oneil Cruz."
When asked who he felt the biggest threats are in this year's Home Run Derby, Chisholm said it's Cruz and the Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr.
But he'll have to worry about more than those two. Chisholm will also be competing against the Athletics' Brent Rooker, the Mariners' Cal Raleigh, the Rays' Junior Caminero, the Nationals' James Wood, and the Twins' Byron Buxton.
Chisholm is the seventh different Yankee to participate in the Derby. He joins Tino Martinez (1997), Jason Giambi (2002-03), Nick Swisher (2010), Robinson Cano (2011-13), Aaron Judge (2017) and Gary Sanchez (2017).
We'll see next week if Chisholm's 70 percent is good enough to make him the fifth Yankee to win the Home Run Derby (Martinez, Giambi, Cano and Judge).
It's been an up-and-down season for the second-year Yankee. After a hot start to the year, Chisholm went through a cold spell before missing time with an oblique injury. But since he's been back, Chisholm has been one of the best home run hitters in the American League. His 10 long balls since his return from the IL on June 3 are only eclipsed by Judge and Raleigh, who both have 13.
Entering Friday's game, Chisholm has 17 home runs.
Kobe Bryant was in a great mood as the Lakers assembled in El Segundo for their 2009 media day.
And for good reason. The Lakers had just won their 15th NBA title a few months earlier and were favored to win No. 16 at the conclusion of the upcoming season (spoiler alert: they did).
The Times' article covering that preseason kickoff event described Bryant as "beaming" as he posed for photos and filmed various promotional videos, including one intended for use at Dodger Stadium.
At one point, Bryant stood with a baseball bat ready to take a swing. At another, he placed an oversized, blue foam finger over his hand. Throughout the process, the reigning Finals MVP wore his full Lakers uniform.
On Thursday, the Dodgers unveiled a Bryant bobblehead that seems to have been inspired by that day nearly 16 years ago. The late Lakers legend is wearing his basketball uniform, holding a bat and standing in a batter's stance.
And he is beaming.
The second half promotional items are now live! Which ones are you most excited for?
The Dodgers will be giving away the bobblehead to the first 40,000 ticketed fans when they play the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 8 at Dodger Stadium.
Bryant and daughter Gianna were among the nine people who died in a Jan. 26, 2020, helicopter crash in Calabasas. During a pregame ceremony honoring Bryant on his birthday (Aug. 23) that year, every Dodgers player and coach took the foul line wearing a gold Lakers jersey featuring either No. 8 or No. 24, the two numbers he wore during his Hall of Fame career.
The team also honored Bryant by giving fans special Dodgers jerseys designed in his honor at one game each in 2023 and 2024.
When the Atlanta Braves intentionally walked Miguel Andujar to get to Athletics left-hander Tyler Soderstrom in the 11th inning on Thursday night, they got the matchup they wanted with southpaw Aaron Bummer on the mound.
And Soderstrom made them pay.
The 23-year-old collected his fourth RBI of the night on a walk-off single, scoring Brent Rooker from second base and sending the crowd at Sutter Health Park home happy with a 5-4 win and series victory over Atlanta.
The walk-off hit was the first of Soderstrom’s young MLB career — a surreal moment for the former first baseman-turned-left fielder who has made major strides at the plate this season. His hero moment in extras came after he hit his 16th homer of the 2025 MLB season in the first inning with a three-run shot to right center field, and the 2020 first-round draft pick is now slashing .370/.414/.704 over his last seven games.
As part of the A’s young-and-upcoming homegrown core, Soderstrom reflected on playing and growing alongside teammates like Lawrence Butler, whom he rose through the team’s farm system with.
“It’s super fun,” Soderstrom told Chris Townsend and Steve Sax on “A’s Cast” after the win. “I’ve played with some of these guys like [Butler] since Low-A, so it’s cool to be up here in the big leagues, sharing these experiences with them. Getting my first walk-off hit tonight was super special. Something I always dreamed of, for sure.”
After A’s starting pitcher Mitch Spence surrendered five home runs to the Braves and was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas following Wednesday night’s 9-2 loss, JP Sears took the mound for Thursday’s rubber match and allowed three earned runs across five innings while striking out six and walking none.
Another member of the A’s young core, first baseman Nick Kurtz, took the MLB rookie home run lead with his 15th blast of the season — a solo shot in the eighth that tied the game 4-4 and ultimately allowed the Green and Gold to go to extras with Atlanta.
It was just one of several clutch moments Kurtz has delivered for the A’s this season, and the team certainly hopes there’s more to come from the first baseman and the rest of the roster as the season’s halfway point nears.
“It’s a great feeling, especially with All-Star break coming up, to kind of grind through that one — come up early, then lose the lead and then be able to come back late was awesome,” Kurtz told Townsend and Sax. “Sodey had a great game, came up huge when we needed him. So it’s great team win. …
“[The front office] has done a great job drafting guys, and it’s kind of cool, because a lot of those guys who were drafted came up together, know each other really well and are best friends. Then me joining and coming into the fold made it really easy to just kind of go along with the group. And it’s been really fun.”
As the A’s approach their final series before the MLB All-Star break with the Toronto Blue Jays coming to town, the youthful group, now 39-56, will look to carry some momentum into the second half and continue building upon what they’ve accomplished so far together.
“We’re always trying to win these games, trying to stay hot and have some momentum going into the All-Star break and ready to roll for the second half,” Soderstrom told Townsend and Sax. “So just continue to learn and just get better. …
“We feel like one through nine, you see the lineup, all the young guys in there for the last couple of weeks. So we’re all really confident in each other. We’ve played together for a while now. So one through nine, we can get it done.”
When the Atlanta Braves intentionally walked Miguel Andujar to get to Athletics left-hander Tyler Soderstrom in the 11th inning on Thursday night, they got the matchup they wanted with southpaw Aaron Bummer on the mound.
And Soderstrom made them pay.
The 23-year-old collected his fourth RBI of the night on a walk-off single, scoring Brent Rooker from second base and sending the crowd at Sutter Health Park home happy with a 5-4 win and series victory over Atlanta.
The walk-off hit was the first of Soderstrom’s young MLB career — a surreal moment for the former first baseman-turned-left fielder who has made major strides at the plate this season. His hero moment in extras came after he hit his 16th homer of the 2025 MLB season in the first inning with a three-run shot to right center field, and the 2020 first-round draft pick is now slashing .370/.414/.704 over his last seven games.
As part of the A’s young-and-upcoming homegrown core, Soderstrom reflected on playing and growing alongside teammates like Lawrence Butler, whom he rose through the team’s farm system with.
“It’s super fun,” Soderstrom told Chris Townsend and Steve Sax on “A’s Cast” after the win. “I’ve played with some of these guys like [Butler] since Low-A, so it’s cool to be up here in the big leagues, sharing these experiences with them. Getting my first walk-off hit tonight was super special. Something I always dreamed of, for sure.”
After A’s starting pitcher Mitch Spence surrendered five home runs to the Braves and was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas following Wednesday night’s 9-2 loss, JP Sears took the mound for Thursday’s rubber match and allowed three earned runs across five innings while striking out six and walking none.
Another member of the A’s young core, first baseman Nick Kurtz, took the MLB rookie home run lead with his 15th blast of the season — a solo shot in the eighth that tied the game 4-4 and ultimately allowed the Green and Gold to go to extras with Atlanta.
It was just one of several clutch moments Kurtz has delivered for the A’s this season, and the team certainly hopes there’s more to come from the first baseman and the rest of the roster as the season’s halfway point nears.
“It’s a great feeling, especially with All-Star break coming up, to kind of grind through that one — come up early, then lose the lead and then be able to come back late was awesome,” Kurtz told Townsend and Sax. “Sodey had a great game, came up huge when we needed him. So it’s great team win. …
“[The front office] has done a great job drafting guys, and it’s kind of cool, because a lot of those guys who were drafted came up together, know each other really well and are best friends. Then me joining and coming into the fold made it really easy to just kind of go along with the group. And it’s been really fun.”
As the A’s approach their final series before the MLB All-Star break with the Toronto Blue Jays coming to town, the youthful group, now 39-56, will look to carry some momentum into the second half and continue building upon what they’ve accomplished so far together.
“We’re always trying to win these games, trying to stay hot and have some momentum going into the All-Star break and ready to roll for the second half,” Soderstrom told Townsend and Sax. “So just continue to learn and just get better. …
“We feel like one through nine, you see the lineup, all the young guys in there for the last couple of weeks. So we’re all really confident in each other. We’ve played together for a while now. So one through nine, we can get it done.”
The Mets know that they need to upgrade the bridge to Edwin Diaz before the trade deadline, and that a returning Brooks Raleywon’t be able to do it alone.
In the first game of Thursday’s split doubleheader in Baltimore, the Orioles provided the latest reminder that Ryne Stanek is not the guy for the eighth inning during a pennant race or postseason game. Stanek allowed a two-run home run to Gunnar Henderson that undermined a David Peterson gem and decided the game.
But while the Orioles spoiled an afternoon for the Mets, they are positioned to help with that exact problem. According to league sources, Baltimore is close to being open for business with all available players.
The Orioles traded a reliever on Thursday, but that situation was unique -- righthander Bryan Baker went to Tampa Bay for a Competitive Balance round draft selection, the 37th overall pick. Baltimore, sources say, wanted that pick and was therefore motivated to make that particular deal before this weekend’s draft.
Having said that, the O’s are said to be ready or near ready to talk seriously about relievers like Andrew Kittredge -- he in particular could appeal to the Mets -- as well as righty Seranthony Dominguez and lefty Gregory Soto. Rivals do not believe that Baltimore will trade closer Felix Bautista.
All of these pitchers, along with starter Tomoyuki Sugano and the returning Zach Eflin, would help fill the Yankees' needs, too. But the Yanks have long been skeptical that Baltimore would ever give them a fair deal; it’s known around these parts as the “Yankee Tax.”
O’s center fielder Cedric Mullins is another rental player who fits the Mets. The team is looking to upgrade that position before the deadline.
The Mets will send four players to Atlanta for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game after all.
MLB announced Wednesday that Mets southpaw David Peterson will join the All-Star Game roster as a reserve pitcher, taking the place of Giants starter Robbie Ray.
It's the first time Peterson has been named to the All-Star Game but it's well-deserved in what is becoming a career year for the 29-year-old. Including Wednesday's performance against the Orioles, Peterson has pitched to a 6-4 record and a 3.06 ERA.
Peterson will join NL All-Star Game starter Francisco Lindor and reserves Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz in Atlanta next week. This will be the second season in four years that the Mets have had at least four participants in the All-Star Game. The other was the 2022 Mets team that sent Alonso, Diaz, Starling Marte and Jeff McNeil.
Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt will undergo Tommy John surgery on Friday, manager Aaron Boone told reporters Thursday.
Schmidt was dealing with right forearm tightness during his outing on July 3 and exited the game against Toronto after three innings and 55 pitches. He was then placed on the IL with what the team called right elbow tightness.
On Saturday, the initial MRI on his right elbow revealed that the pitcher is dealing with a torn UCL as the team was waiting for further testing to confirm the unfortunate news. Schmidt will now be out for the remainder of the season, as he's the second Yankee to need TJS this season, joining Gerrit Cole on the sidelines.
“Earlier on in the game it felt okay,” Schmidt told reporters after the start. “As the game progressed, it sort of tightened up a little bit on me. I felt like the whole night I was kind of guarding it a little bit on the breaking balls, really not ripping them or trying to get a lot behind them."
The 29-year-old has pitched to a 3.32 ERA across 14 starts this season, including a strong June with a 1.95 ERA across five outings. Overall, Schmidt went 4-4 and totaled 73 strikeouts over 78.2 IP on the year.
It'll be his second time having Tommy John surgery after getting the procedure in April of 2017 while at the University of South Carolina. That didn't stop New York from drafting the right-hander with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He owns a 23-24 record with two saves over 97 games and 67 starts to go along with a 3.82 ERA and 384 strikeouts over six seasons in the bigs.
The Yankees called up Cam Schlittler in place of Schmidt to start on Wednesday, and he looked "under control" in his MLB debut, allowing three runs on four hits over 5.1 strong innings.
This time last year, in a season that bore so many similarities to their current one, a first-place and highly touted Dodgers team temporarily lost its way.
Amid a deluge of pitching injuries (sound familiar?) and the absence of one of its hottest early-season hitters (Mookie Betts, who suffered a broken hand close to the same time Max Muncy went down with a knee injury this year), the club stumbled backward into the All-Star break, going 2-8 in its final 10 games of the first half and 1-5 in a Philadelphia/Detroit road trip that exposed undeniable flaws in its star-studded roster.
Twelve months later, another pre-All-Star-break tailspin has struck the now defending champions.
The Dodgers have lost six games in a row, swept in back-to-back series by the Houston Astros and the Milwaukee Brewers. Their romp through June and the first days of July (when they won 20 times in a 30-game stretch) has been stalled by sudden regression lately, with lackluster offense and a worn-down pitching staff contributing to the organization’s longest losing streak since April 2019.
“I think it is under the ‘it’s just baseball’ type thing,” Roberts said Wednesday after the Dodgers’ most deflating loss of their skid yet. “You never like to lose six in a row. It seems like we’re pitching OK. The defense at times has been really good. It’s just that right now we’re scuffling offensively, to have that big inning or to build an inning and get that big hit.”
But, also like back then, frustration is mounting as the Dodgers approach the trade deadline.
The Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim looks up while swinging a bat during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday in Milwaukee. (Aaron Gash / Associated Press)
“We can’t really feel sorry about ourselves, because there’s a lot of season left, and we know what we’re looking for,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said. “We’re looking to win another championship, and playing this kind of baseball is not gonna get us there.”
By “this kind of baseball,” Rojas means this kind of offense.
During the last week, a Dodgers lineup that leads the majors in scoring on the season has suddenly scored the second-fewest runs (10 total, and more than two in just one of their last six contests) of the league’s 30 teams. In that time, they are batting a paltry .190 with only four home runs, a whopping 61 strikeouts and an on-base percentage of .269.
The root causes of that malaise are easy to identify: The Dodgers have been without several key regulars (Muncy, Teoscar Hernández and, until Wednesday, Tommy Edman) in their starting lineup. Their three healthy superstars (Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman) are hitting a combined .194. Their depth options have offered little reprieve (Michael Conforto, Hyeseong Kim and James Outman have gone five for 38 while receiving increased playing time).
And, they’ve run into two talented pitching staffs, struggling against quality opposing starters such as Framber Valdez, Freddy Peralta and rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski, and two hard-throwing bullpens from the Astros and Brewers.
Granted, even $400-million payrolls like the Dodgers go through such dips in a season. And while the losses have piled up, the team has maintained the best record in the National League (56-38) and a five-game edge in their division.
“We’ve just got to put some at-bats together, keep playing good defense and it’ll turn,” Roberts promised. “When you’re mired in it, it’s frustrating. But we still have some pretty good players.”
The concern, however, is how quickly the offense has turned in the absence of a few key players.
Freeman and Betts were both slumping in June, but the contributions of Muncy and All-Star catcher Will Smith (the only regular who has also stayed hot during this current losing spell) helped compensate. Ohtani’s numbers at the plate have declined since he returned to pitching, but balance at the bottom of the lineup from younger bats like Kim and Andy Pages made such struggles feel moot.
This week, conversely, has highlighted what can happen when the Dodgers face good pitching at anything less than full strength –– the kind of confluence of events that could quickly derail any postseason campaign if it were to happen again in October.
"You can't replace All-Stars. You can't replace guys that have won MVPs in the postseason. You can't replace those type of things,” Betts said this week. “The next man has to step up and do what he can do. But I mean, you can't replace those guys. You can only have someone come step up and do their best."
The good news is, Edman has already returned from a broken pinky toe. Hernández is expected back in the lineup Friday from a foot contusion. And, although Muncy’s knee injury is longer-term, he is expected to return this season.
“It’s one of those things,” Roberts said, “where we’ve got to find a way to weather it.”
Still, the questions this week has raised will loom even if the Dodgers start to heat up again (as they did last year, when they started the second half with a five-game winning streak and 26-13 run overall).
Already, the bullpen was an obvious area of need heading into the trade deadline (especially after Michael Kopech recently underwent a meniscus surgery on his right knee that forced him onto the 60-day IL). The rotation could be, too, although the Dodgers remain confident about having Tyler Glasnow (who returned to action with five solid innings Wednesday) and Blake Snell (who is beginning a minor-league rehab assignment this week) healthy for the second half.
Now, the club will have to decide whether it needs another impact bat as well, potentially adding to a shopping list that has grown much longer than the team had expected after another big offseason of lavish spending.
After all, Freeman and Betts have yet to show signs of life amid career-worst slumps. Ohtani’s workload won’t get any easier as he continues to ramp up on the mound. And there’s no guarantee how Muncy will look once he returns, with Roberts noting his bone bruise will probably linger into next year.
It all leaves the Dodgers in a familiar position: Hopeful its talented, but hardly infallible, roster possesses enough firepower to win another World Series, but knowing that — like last year, when the team acquired Edman, Kopech and starter Jack Flaherty at the deadline — more reinforcements might nonetheless be needed.
“We have to do better,” Rojas said, voicing a recognition that has reverberated throughout the clubhouse of late, as the front office evaluates its options ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. “We gotta find ways to be a complete team that we know we can be.”
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles traded right-handed reliever Bryan Baker to AL East rival Tampa Bay on Thursday in exchange for the 37th overall pick in the 2025 MLB amateur draft, a sign that one of baseball’s most disappointing clubs could be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline.
Orioles GM Mike Elias wouldn’t completely commit to that idea. Speaking to reporters before Thursday’s split doubleheader against the New York Mets, he cited the 2024 Detroit Tigers, who traded players off their major league roster but held on to ace Tarik Skubal and then surged into a playoff spot.
Elias did, however, acknowledge the possibility of selling on a day that began with last-place Baltimore (40-50) sitting 12 1/2 games behind division-leading Toronto and seven out of the final AL wild card spot.
“I think it’s a step in that direction,” said Elias three weeks before the July 31 deadline. “There’s no way around that. The timing of the draft, and when you have draft picks involved in the trades, kind of frontloads these decisions, and it’s earlier than my comfort level. But we thought it was a really good return and a good trade for everyone. So we did it.”
The draft begins Sunday. In a corresponding move, the Orioles selected the contract of catcher David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk.
After a dreadful start that brought the May dismissal of manager Brandon Hyde, the Orioles have steadied under interim skipper Tony Mansolino, playing to a 21-14 record since a loss to St. Louis on May 28.
Baker was a solid part of that, posting a 3.52 ERA, striking out 49 batters and posting a 1.096 WHIP in 38 1/3 innings as the setup man for closer Felix Bautista.
“This is a team that is moving in the right direction, and we still have a lot of time left before the deadline, but this was a trade with the draft coming up in a couple days that we had to make a decision on,” Elias said. “We didn’t want to pass up on the opportunity. Hopefully, we can use the pick wisely, bring a lot of value back, and Bryan’s going to a good place.”
Mansolino is also hoping his team will get replenishments in the form of players eventually returning from the injured list. That sizable group includes several possible starting pitchers: Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder), Albert Suarez (shoulder), Tyler Wells (elbow) and Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery).
Meanwhile, Baltimore will now have four of the first 37 and seven of the first 93 draft picks.
“All the drafts are important, but when you have this amount of picks, it becomes more important, there’s no question about it,” Elias said. “There’s just a much bigger opportunity ahead of us, and the draft is a lifeblood for our franchise.”
