ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 17: Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Sunday, May 17, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Dodgers did not forget how they fared against the Angels last year. This year, the Dodgers are returning the favor as they completed the sweep of the Angels on Sunday behind Roki Sasaki’s finest start at the big league level, taking the finale 10-1.
The Dodgers once again took the first lead, as after loading the bases against Grayson Rodriguez with one out in the top of the second, Miguel Rojas drove home Kyle Tucker on a sacrifice fly for the game’s first run. Hyeseong Kim followed up Rojas with an RBI single to drive home Max Muncy and take a 2-0 lead.
Rodriguez faced the minimum in the third inning, but the Dodgers wouldn’t make life easy for him in the fourth. Following a leadoff walk to Teoscar Hernández, Rodriguez got two quick outs, but Rojas kept the inning alive with a base hit to left. Kim followed with another single to load the bases, and Shohei Ohtani continued to torment his former team by smacking a two-run single up the middle, giving him seven RBI in the series and making it a four-run lead.
Freddie Freeman continued the two-out rally with a walk, and Andy Pages registered the second two-out, two-run single, knocking Rodriguez out of the game and giving the Dodgers a 6-0 lead. Pages’s 41 RBI on the year surpassed Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks for the most in all of baseball. The Dodgers ended the rally with an RBI single from Tucker against José Fermin to make it another five-run inning in the series.
Had the Dodgers just scored two runs, it would have been enough for Roki Sasaki. In what was the greatest start of his young big league career, Sasaki tossed his second quality start of the season. After allowing a one-out double to Mike Trout in the bottom of the first, Sasaki went on to retire the next nine hitters in a row, with the only blemish on his outing being an RBI single from Yoan Moncada in the bottom of the fourth.
Sasaki tossed 91 pitches with a career-high 69 strikes on Sunday, logging a career-high in innings and strikeouts with seven and eight respectively while not allowing a single walk for the first time in a big league start. A noticeable difference in the way Sasaki pitched was the increased reliance on his slider, which he struck out five hitters with and tossed at a 27 percent clip. His 18 whiffs on the day were the most he’s generated in any start throughout his big league career.
Although the overall numbers on the season still reflect a poor start for Sasaki, he continues to show improvements on the mound as he has a 3.50 ERA over his lsat three starts with 17 strikeouts to just three walks over 18 innings.
The Dodgers added three more runs in the ninth inning with a two-run double from Tucker and an RBI single from Hernández to give the Dodgers two consecutive 10-run outbursts against the Angels. Right-hander Chayse McDermott made his Dodger debut on Sunday, coming in for the ninth and helping secure the sweep.
It is the first time that the Dodgers have outscored their opponent by at least 25 runs in a series this year, as the Dodgers combined for 31 runs compared to just three for the Angels. It is their first series win since taking two of three against the Houston Astros and their first sweep since their three-game sweep of the New York Mets at home. It is the first time that the Dodgers have swept the Angels at Angel Stadium since May 2021.
The Dodgers’ road trip stays in Southern California, as the Dodgers open a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Monday (6:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Yoshinobu Yamamoto goes for the Dodgers, while San Diego has yet to announce Monday’s starter.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: Daylen Lile #4, Jacob Young #30 and James Wood #29 of the Washington Nationals celebrate after winning a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park on May 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After today’s loss to the Orioles, I could focus on the negatives, but I do not think that is the story of this weekend. Even though the Nats could not pull off the sweep, it was still a very successful weekend in the nation’s capital. The Nats did something they have not done in a long time, show their fanbase a good time.
The games on Friday and Saturday were so fun to attend. It has been a long time since Nationals Park has been buzzing like this for a game that was not the home opener. On the rare occasions where Nats Park does have energy, the team often let the fans down. However, this weekend felt different. They were able to send the fans home happy.
After yesterday’s win, manager Blake Butera thanked the fans for their support. It was clear that it meant a lot to this group to play in front of a packed house. The fact they were able to perform made it mean even more. There are young kids out there that have never seen a good Nats team. While this group is not there yet, they are showing signs of life, which I love to see.
In game one of the series, the Nats showed their grit. Zack Littell and Andrew Alvarez kept the O’s off the board for the first 8 innings. Daylen Lile carried the load offensively with a double and a decisive two-run homer. While the 9th inning got very dicey, the boys were able to lock it down in the end. Getting that game was so big for the group, especially now that we know the Nats dropped the last game of the series.
The Nats showed their offensive firepower in game two of the series. They lead the league in runs, and showed why with an offensive explosion. After going ahead 4-0 early in the game, they wasted some opportunities. It looked like that would come back to bite them when the O’s made it a 4-3 game in the top of the 7th.
However, the Nats went on a rampage in the bottom of the 7th, scoring 7 runs and blowing the game open. They showed a new found depth in the lineup. Keibert Ruiz and Jacob Young have had their struggles offensively this year, but both are red hot at the moment. Those two were the biggest sparks in that 7 run inning.
This whole series was massive for Keibert Ruiz in particular. Ruiz had 3 hits and 5 RBI’s yesterday, and got a double and a walk today. It must have felt so good for Keibert to hear the roar of the crowd when he hit that 3-run home run yesterday. It has been far from smooth sailing for Ruiz, but he is showing real signs of life.
The whole offense is just operating at a very high level as a collective. Sure, there are times where they leave too many runners in scoring position, but it is baseball, that stuff happens. However, they come through more often than not. Matt Borgschulte has this offense operating at a level I did not believe was possible.
Another thing I loved about this series was how much emotion this team showed. That has been a theme in recent weeks, with players like Richard Lovelady and Daylen Lile really expressing themselves. Lovelady showed his signature emotion when he struck out Adley Rutschman to end game one of the series.
Sure, this team is probably not going to make the playoffs, but they are making fans feel something. After last year’s disastrous squad, that is fun to say. At times last season, it just did not seem like the group was having any fun. You can accuse this Nats team of a lot of things, but you cannot say they aren’t playing the game with joy.
It is a team that you can connect with and enjoy. Sure, they can infuriate you with bad pitching and sloppy mistakes in the field. However, the ride is pretty fun most of the time. The Nats finally seem to be building towards something. They still have a long way to go, but they are heading in the right direction.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 15: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the San Diego Padres high fives Jackson Merrill #3 of the San Diego Padres after beating the Seattle Mariners 2-0 at T-Mobile Park on May 15, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (27-18) at Seattle Mariners (22-25), May 17, 2026, 4:20 p.m. PST
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Trailing by three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and down to their last out on Sunday afternoon against the Yankees, it looked like the Mets were going to drop another series at home.
Instead, they snapped a 91-game streak of losing when trailing after the eighth inning when Tyrone Taylor came through with a game-tying, three-run home run in the ninth and Carson Bengewalked it off in the 10th inning for a 7-6 win.
New York has now won two straight series and five out of their last six games as they look to get their season back on track. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the vibes have been different since Clay Holmes got injured on Friday night as everyone in the clubhouse is stepping up and continuing to fight.
"I'm gonna go back to that day that Clay went down and just being able to come back yesterday and win a really good baseball game," Mendoza said. "Then today, when we didn't play our best, and you get down. For us to just continue to fight. And for Tyrone to come through there, it's just special. Lot of people contributing.
"But again, it was just good to see the guys fight back and staying on the fight. It's just a good feeling right now."
Mendoza added that it was great to see Taylor step up despite his struggles this season, noting that Mets teammates told him to "keep going" after two tough at-bats earlier in the game.
"The previous two at-bats, he hit two rockets and it didn't go his way. It's been hard for him and it's been a tough stretch for him. I saw a lot of the guys go up to him after the second one like, 'Keep going, keep going.' That's a really good sign of teammates picking up their guy. Sure enough, he goes out there and puts together a really good at-bat against a tough right-handed pitcher, so good to see that. We're going to need all of those guys."
The last time New York won a game when trailing after the eighth inning in the regular season was on Sept. 30, 2024 against the Atlanta Braves (thanks to Francisco Lindor's go-ahead HR). It was also the largest ninth-inning deficit the Mets have overcome to win a game in Subway Series history, per Sarah Langs.
Mendoza went on to say that Sunday's win was "the perfect example" of the team's resilience that they've been showing more of the past week.
"Baseball's hard to explain at times," Mendoza said. "Now, we continue to come back in games. We get down early, we showed the whole homestand. We get down, we get punched in the face, we get back up. And today was the perfect example. When, like I said, we didn't play our best game and we are still able to shake hands at the end.
"I mean, whether it's get that off your shoulders or not, I think the most important part is we're winning games and we're winning series. I think it was a good homestand."
Acknowledging that the team needs to play better if they want to flip their season around, Mendoza said they have to approach each day with the "mentality of winning series." He hopes winning two straight, especially at home, will be the jumping point they need.
"We know we got to start playing better, period. It's been rough," Mendoza said. "But that's in the past. Now, all we know, all we can control is every game, every series. The mentality of winning series. We did that this homestand, and we got to continue to do it. There's long ways to go, but it's important for us to just continue to carry that momentum and just take it one day at a time. The mentality to win series moving forward."
And the manager knows that it's going to take everyone contributing to get over the hump, noting that Taylor, and even Sean Manaea, battled through adversity to help beat the Yanks.
"Not only we're winning games, but we're getting contribution from guys that have been struggling," Mendoza said. "And that's what it's going to take. Guys doing their job and helping the team win baseball games."
The Mets will look to keep up the momentum this week in Washington when they face the Nationals for a four-game set.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 15: Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk off double in the tenth inning during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Truist Park on May 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The quick six-game homestand for the Atlanta Braves is now over and like everything they’ve done so far during this season, they passed the test with flying colors. They proved their point against a very good Cubs team in order to build upon a huge series win at Dodger Stadium and then the Braves had a shot to take care of business against a Red Sox team that was coming into town spinning their wheels at best.
As such, there was the potential for the Braves to find themselves in a trap against a Red Sox pitching staff that could keep anybody quiet on their best day. With that being said, Atlanta’s pitching staff is good enough to be put up against any challenge and stand up to it, so all certainly wouldn’t be lost if runs ended up being at a premium. This series would come down to which lineup could potentially break out in a big way and as you’ll see below, we got some pretty good news in that regard.
It’s always nice to start the weekend with a (victorious) thriller, now isn’t it? Indeed, we got a dramatic ballgame that saw the Braves take control of things early, the Red Sox get back into it in the middle innings before it eventually went to extras for an exciting finish. Spencer Strider got the ball to start things off and while he was out there, the Braves had the slight edge thanks to a first-inning dinger from Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II depositing one into the bullpen in right-center. Both were solo shots and Strider did a solid job of making sure those two runs stood up.
Unfortunately, a leadoff double from Carlos Narváez in the sixth inning ended up getting cashed in for the only run that went on Strider’s record, as Dylan Lee gave up an RBI knock to Mickey Gasper that put the Red Sox on the board. The next inning saw the game get brought back to square footing after Tyler Kinley gave up a game-tying solo homer to Marcelo Mayer. From that point forward, good defense and strong pitching meant that this one went into extras.
Didier Fuentes got the ball for the tenth inning and while he did hit Jarren Duran with a pitch, he was able to retire the other three Red Sox batters in order to make sure that all the Braves needed in their half of the tenth was a solid base hit. Mike Yastrzemski led off the tenth and attempted to bunt the runner over twice. After two failures (which he actually lamented in the post-game press conference), he squared up to hit against Tyler Samaniego and instead shot it out into left field for a walk-off double that gave the Braves another series-opening win.
Boston’s pitching staff continued to do everything they could to keep the Red Sox afloat in this series. Payton Tolle did give up two runs but that minimal damage was spread out over the course of eight effective innings from the mustachioed hurler. The two runs came from Tolle becoming the latest member of the “I gave up a first-inning home run to Drake Baldwin” club and then Baldwin cashed in a two-out double from José Azócar in the fifth inning to break what was a 1-1 deadlock at the time.
Tolle wasn’t the only one to go eight innings in this one, though. Bryce Elder also went eight innings as we got ourselves a real throwback of a pitchers’ duel. The results from both starting pitchers were startlingly similar but in the end, it was Tolle who left the game with the edge after Bryce Elder got unlucky in the top of the eighth inning. With two outs and two strikes on the board against Willson Contreras, William’s brother got a hold of a slider that was low and out of the zone but drove it into the seats in right field for a go-ahead two-run homer. It was a crying shame that that’s how things ended in this one for Bryce Elder, who delivered another good start in what’s increasingly looking like a bounce-back season for him.
The Braves did have a chance in the ninth to keep the game going as they got something going with two outs against Aroldis Chapman. The error that kept the game going wasn’t Chapman’s fault but the stolen base and the two walks that followed to load the bases sure were his fault, which set the stage for Ha-Seong Kim to potentially make it two fantastic finishes in a row for the Braves. Sadly, Chapman somehow managed to field a batted ball that deflected off of himself and he eventually got the baseball into Contreras’ mitt at first to allow the Red Sox to escape with the win.
The theme of pitchers’ duels in this series came to an end and fortunately, it was an ending that shook out in favor of the Braves. Brayan Bello has had his fair of struggles this season (though he did get through his past two starts with just one run in both outings) and the Braves added to those struggles with what they did to him on Sunday. Bello did get through five innings and his efforts combined with Ryan Watson taking the baton for the rest of the game meant that Boston didn’t have to exert their bullpen too much in this one.
However, Bello got rocked for seven runs while he was out there as the Braves hit him early and often. Austin Riley cracked a three-run dinger in the first to get things going and then they added on a couple more runs in the very next frame. Drake Baldwin coaxed a bases-loaded walk out of Bello and then a productive out from Matt Olson made it 5-0 Braves.
Mike Yastrzemski capped off a lovely week with a solo homer in the fourth inning and then Dominic Smith brought in Riley on an RBI single (after Riley had doubled in the at-bat before this one) that made it 7-0, Braves. The icing on the cake was a sacrifice fly from Drake Baldwin in the eighth inning that eventually brought us to the final score of 8-0.
It also has to be mentioned that Grant Holmes did a great job over the six innings of work he put in and he maybe could’ve gotten a bit deeper in the game had a hail storm not hit Truist Park. Instead, Holmes eventually passed the baton to Reynaldo López and Tyler Kinley. López pitched two scoreless innings while Kinley got through the ninth while giving up a run (and quite frankly Kinley’s performance has been a bit concerning so far). Still, that failed to put a damper on what was a dominating way to cap off the series win for the Braves.
For the first two games at least, Boston’s pitching staff was as advertised. The Red Sox have had such an aneic offense so far this season that their pitching staff is the only thing that’s really keeping them afloat. As such, they were totally comfortable in the scenarios that played out in the first two games where they had just enough offense to compete while keeping the Braves quiet.
Fortunately for the Braves, their pitching is just as good and they’re also way more likely to come up with some timely hitting (like they did in the first game) or to just break out the boom stick and dominate a game (like they did in the rubber game). Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes each delivered solid starts which made suer that the Braves were going to be competitive in each game and it paid off in spades in the first game and nearly allowed them to take advantage of a rare spot of vulnerability from Aroldis Chapman in the second game. This offense was bound to break out at some point and that’s exactly what happened in the third game.
In short, this was a case of the Braves taking care of business against a team that they are clearly better than at this point. A series loss certainly would’ve been disappointing but when you consider that it took so much going right for the Red Sox in the second game just for them to take a single win, it’s further proof of just how good the Braves are at the moment and what it takes to take a game off of them right now. It was encouraging to see the Braves continue to come up with big hits in big moments (from nearly everybody on the roster, no less) and it was also nice to see them pull off the series win in such convincing fashion.
Basically, this is what you wanted to see from the Braves after two big series against two of the best teams in the National League right now. Instead of falling victim to a letdown against a somewhat easier opponent, the Braves kept the pedal to the metal and pushed ahead to win another series. It’s exactly what you want to see from a team that’ll hopefully be playing serious baseball once we get into September and the Postseason in October. The Braves are rolling right now and it’s exciting to see just how long they can keep this run of form going.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 10: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees up to bat on Mothers Day against the New York Yankees at American Family Field on May 10, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! The last time we met for this series, we honored the legendary John Sterling, sharing more than 30 posts from throughout the league celebrating the life and legacy of the broadcaster. As such, in addition to looking back at this past week, we catch up on some things that went by the wayside — oh, and celebrate the women in our lives, as last weekend was Mother’s Day! With so much to do, let’s get started!
Happy Mother’s Day
We begin, of course, with Mother’s Day. Several members of the Yankees extended universe took to Instagram to celebrate their own mothers, as well as the mothers of their children.
As happens when the Yankees win some ballgames, they passed the Game Belt around quite a bit this week. It really is fun to see the exchange progress from player to player, with the previous winner in the new photo, bestowing the honor on his teammate. Because we didn’t do this last week, we’ve got two weeks’ worth to catch up.
Over the past two weeks, several members of the Yankees organization have either made their Major League debuts or returned to the big leagues after several years in the minors — and while many did not spend a ton of time in the Bronx, they still made it.
May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich (22) takes an at-bat against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
The Brewers came back to tie today’s game twice, but couldn’t do it a third time as they dropped the series finale against the Twins.
Brewers starting pitcher Robert Gasser.started the bottom of the first inning with a four-pitch walk before quickly inducing two pop-ups, but Kody Clemens hit an RBI double to give Minnesota an early 1-0 lead.
Gasser managed to get out of the inning without allowing further damage, but it was a rough start for the Brewers’ No. 15 prospect. He issued two walks, hit a batter, and ended up throwing 40 pitches before he made it back to the dugout. The second inning went a bit smoother despite the left-hander struggling to locate his pitches — including his sweeper, which is his best pitch by a good margin.
Meanwhile, the Brewers got a run of their own in the top of the second inning off of Twins starter Bailey Ober, who wasn’t exactly dominating either. Ober walked Jake Bauers to start the inning before Sal Frelick doubled on a line drive that tied the game at 1-1.
Things unraveled further for Gasser in the third after allowing a leadoff single to Ryan Jeffers. Kody Clemens followed with a deep fly ball to left that sent Jackson Chourio sprinting back toward the wall. Chourio jumped but couldn’t make the catch, and the ball bounced off the wall, off his shoe, and into the corner.
Chourio recovered and relayed it to cutoff man Joey Ortiz, who had no real chance to get Jeffers at the plate but threw home anyway. For some reason, Gasser was crossing the third-base line in front of Ortiz instead of backing up the plate. The throw skipped wide of William Contreras and bounced into the dugout, and because the ball went out of play, Clemens — already standing on second — was awarded two bases to bring the score to Minnesota 3, Milwaukee 1. The play was ruled a double and a throwing error on Ortiz:
Robert Gasser was in a strange position as Joey Ortiz fired this throw home. Two-base error charged to Ortiz makes it a two-run play for the Twins and a 3-1 lead over the Brewers. pic.twitter.com/eEPXyY5VQS
However, the Brewers kept chipping away at Ober, as they got a run back in the fourth on a home run from Garrett Mitchell. This one left the bat at 115.5 mph, making it the hardest-hit ball by a Brewer this season.
Gasser’s day was done after a 1-2-3 fourth inning that brought him to 79 pitches. He left having allowed only three hits, but walked two batters, hit three more, and gave up three runs — two of them earned. Grant Anderson came in for the fifth and immediately gave up a home run to Jeffers to put the Twins ahead by a run once again.
Minnesota got one final run in the eighth off of Jake Woodford, whose second pitch of the night was sent deep into left-center field by Luke Keaschall. Chourio slid to try and make the catch, but the ball popped out of his glove, and Keaschall ended up on third with a triple. The next batter up was Victor Caratini, who hit a sacrifice fly to bring him home.
Despite not having scored since the Yelich home run in the fifth, the Brewers refused to go down quietly in the ninth. Brice Turang worked a one-out walk against Luis García, and William Contreras singled to put runners on first and second. García was able to strike out Yelich (on a foul tip) for the second out, but Bauers came through in the clutch with a single that scored Turang and advanced Contreras to third. With the tying run just 90 feet away, Frelick popped out behind the plate to end the game.
This was a winnable game. Milwaukee only scored four runs on 10 hits, mostly due to hitting an abysmal 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Still, despite the loss, the Brewers took two of three games from the Twins and have won three straight series as they head to Chicago to face the NL Central-leading Cubs. Brandon Sproat is scheduled to start opposite lefty Shota Imanaga. First pitch for tomorrow’s series opener is 6:40 p.m.
Apr 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Tyrone Taylor (28) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
For the first eight innings, this game that felt very much like a microcosm of the Mets’ season thus far, with every potential good turn being erased by poor performance and bad luck. Then, the ninth inning happened. And then the tenth. The Mets won the game 7-6, taking the Queens half of the Subway Series and sending lots of Yankee fans home unhappy.
Oh well.
Freddy Peralta got two easy ground balls to Marcus Semien to start off the game. Walks to Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger put two on, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck out to end the top of the frame. Elmer Rodríguez had a similar start to his game, with the first two batters grounding out to shortstop Anthony Volpe. Judge’s counterpoint on the Mets’ in the ‘generational player’ department, Juan Soto, singled for the first hit of the game, but Mark Vientos flew out to right to end the inning.
After Peralta retired the first two hitters, Anthony Volpe collected his first hit of the season, lining a double up the middle. However, J.C. Escarra lined out to center, stranding Volpe on second. However, in the top of the third, Ben Rice put the Yankees on the board with a one-out solo home run to center. Judge flew out for the second out, but back to back walks to Bellinger and Chisholm put two on for Ryan McMahon. McMahon grounded out to second, limiting the damage to just one run.
A.J. Ewing added the second Mets’ hit of the afternoon, leading off the third with a single up the middle. Hayden Senger attempted to bunt him over, but he popped it straight up for the first out. Ewing stole second, but neither Carson Benge nor Bo Bichette could knock him in.
In the fourth, Vientos and Baty both singled ahead of Semien, who drove a double down the right field line, scoring Vientos and tying the game. Ewing took a walk from Rodríguez to bring up Senger with the bases loaded. A weak dribbler to short ended the inning, and the Mets stranded three on base.
Peralta had a shut down inning in the fifth, getting the top of the Yankees’ lineup to all fly or pop out, while keeping his pitch count at 86, allowing a potential sixth inning appearance. In the bottom of the frame, Rodríguez hit Benge and got Bichette to fly out before being pulled in favor of lefty Ryan Yarbrough to face Soto. A swinging bunt on the first pitch from Yarbrough pushed Benge to second. Vientos jumped on a fastball for a single, putting men on the corners with two outs. Tyrone Taylor pinch hit for MJ Melendez for the handedness advantage. Taylor hit it on the screws, but Trent Grisham dove for the ball and caught it for the third out.
Bellinger walked to lead off the sixth, and was moved to second on a wild pitch from Peralta. Chisholm walked, and that would do it for Peralta. The six walks on the afternoon overshadowed a two hit, four strikeout performance. Sean Manaea was first out of the bullpen, and a McMahon bunt pushed the runners into scoring position. Pinch hitter Paul Goldschmidt worked a full count before getting hit on the foot to load the bases, still with just one out. Anthony Volped lined the first pitch he saw into left for a two-run single. Taylor lollipopped the throw, missing the cutoff man, and allowed the runners to advance to second and third. Old friend Amed Rosario hit a sac fly to make it 4-1. A lazy fly ball was dropped by Bichette, allowing yet another run to score and things just kept unraveling. Why Taylor didn’t call him off is beyond me.
When the dust settled on the inning, the Mets gave up four runs on one hit. Read that again. Le sigh.
Yarbrough remained in the game to start the sixth, an quickly got Baty to fly out for the first out. A Semien single and another Ewing walk put two on, and that was enough for Aaron Boone, who pulled Yarbough in favor of Jake Bird. With that, the Mets also pulled Senger in favor of Luis Torrens. The move paid off, as Torrens doubled into the right-field corner, scoring both Semien and Ewing and making it 5-3.
Benge was up next, and worked a full count in a great at-bat before striking out on the 11th pitch of the at-bat. Next up was Bichette, hoping to atone for the dropped ball in the prior inning. Two for his last 37, Bichette looked due for some redemption and an RBI. It wasn’t to be; he floated a fly ball out to right-center for the third out of the inning.
The parade of baserunners for Manaea continued, with singles to Bellinger and Chisholm and a four pitch walk to Max Schuemann. Volpe came up with the bases loaded, and Manaea ran the count full before an errant fastball walked in a run. Austin Wells tapped a ball back to Manea to end the inning, but the Mets found themselves another run in the hole.
Camilo Doval pitched the seventh for the Yankees, retiring Soto, Vientos, and Taylor without a baserunner.
Because the Mets ran through most of their bullpen yesterday, Manaea pitched the eighth and looked easily the best he had all day, striking out both Grisham and Judge. In the bottom half of the inning, Ewing walked for the third time to give the Mets their only baserunner against Fernando Cruz. Manaea got a double play to retire the Yankees in order in the ninth, and the Mets had one final shot with the top of the order to come back.
Benge led off the inning against closer David Bednar by muscling a ball up in the zone for a soft liner base hit. Bichette [checks notes] hit a single up the middle, snapping an 0-15 stretch? That can’t be right, can it?
Soto strode to the plate as the tying run. He pounded one into the ground down to first, pushing Benge to third, erasing Bichette at second, and allowing Soto to reach on a fielder’s choice. Vientos was up next, and flailed at two curve balls before striking out on a high fastball, and the Mets were down to their last out. Soto stole second on the strikeout, which was odd as his run didn’t mean anything.
Who’s run did mean something? Tyrone Taylor. He of missed defensive cues and two hard hit outs took Bednar deep to left field, turning on a ball and absolutely crushing it to tie the game. The ball hugged the line, but it no doubt had the distance. The stadium exploded, and the game was brand new again.
Baty would walk and Semien fouled out to send the game to extras, but the Mets were given a chance.
The Mets brought in Devin Williams to attempt to keep the game tied with McMahon as the Manfred Man on second base. Schuemann was first up, and after failing to bunt the ball, struck out on a fantastic Airbender. With the Mets paying him no attention, McMahon stole third without a throw to put the go-ahead run on third with less than two outs. Volpe was up next and he walked, which led to a meeting at the mound with manager Carlos Mendoza. On the first pitch, Wells grounded into a 3-6-3 double play to end the threat.
Tim Hill came up to start the bottom of the tenth. Semien was the free runner at second, and Ewing led off the 10th, laying down a perfect bunt—the first of his professional career!—and pushed the winning run 90 feet away. Torrens was next up, and the Yankees brought a fifth outfielder in, leaving left field totally vacated. Torrens got nicked by the ball on the elbow pad, moving him to first base and bringing up Benge. The five man infield continued, with right field now wide open. Benge hit a weak ball over the mound and two Yankees collided, not able to make the play and allowing Semien to score the winning run.
The Mets had not won a game they trailed after eight inning in nearly two years, going 0-91 when trailing that late. They did it this afternoont, taking the home half of the Subway Series. This team has looked like a totally different club as of late, fighting back and not giving up.
Is this…is this hope?
The Mets travel to DC to face the Nationals for a four game series. Christian Scott will face Jake Irvin tomorrow evening.
Big Mets winner: A.J. Ewing, +32.0% WPA Big Mets loser: Sean Manaea, -32.0%WPA Mets pitchers: -19.0% WPA Mets hitters: 69% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Tyrone Taylor’s three run dinger, +48.5% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Anthony Volpe’s two-run single, -19.9% WPA
May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Taylor Rogers (55) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Two weeks ago, Minnesota Twins RP Andrew Morris gave an inspired performance out of the bullpen in relief of an injured Joe Ryan. One week ago, a bullpen game brought home a victory. For a third consecutive Sunday, the Twins ‘pen turned in an inspired performance to salvage the final game with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Despite another Buxton-less lineup that didn’t inspire a ton of confidence, the Twins got on the board right away in the bottom of the first inning when an Austin Martin leadoff BB was pushed home on a clutch Kody Clemens double into the RF corner. The rally would continue off Milwaukee opener Robert Gasser to load the bases—but a Royce Lewis K would prevent further payoff.
The early MN lead lasted all of about 15 minutes. In T2, a Jake Bauers leadoff BB off Twins SP Bailey Ober was immediately brought around by a Sal Frelick double to knot things at 1-1.
The Twins snatched the lead back in B3 with a wild sequence: after a Ryan Jeffers single, Clemens again cracked a double—this time off the LF wall—after which he was so aggressive on the base paths and the throw from MIL LF Jackson Chourio was so wild (and out of play) that Kody was awarded the final 90 feet for a Little League HR!
The Brew Crew’s Garrett Mitchell would strike back in T4 to cut the MN lead to 3-2—then Christian Yelich would similarly put one in the paying customers to again even the score at 3-3.
This time the Milwaukee momentum would only last moments, with Jeffers pounding one into the seats in B5!
Remarkably, the bullpen quartet of Anthony Banda, Morris, Taylor Rogers, & Justin Topa kept the border battle visitors off the scoreboard heading into the ninth!
An insurance run came in B8 when a Luke Keaschall leadoff triple was brought home on a Victor Caratini sac fly.
The insurance was needed. Luis Garcia entered in T9 and allowed a run after a furious Brewers rally. But just when it looked like I was going to have to burn this entire recap, Garcia induced a game-ending pop-out directly behind home plate!
Your Final: Minnesota Twins 5, Milwaukee Brewers 4
Can LaTroy Hawkins somehow convince his charges that it’s Sunday every day?!
Zach’s Zealot
Audra Martin: Today was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles day at Target Field and Twins.TV’s intrepid field reporter showed up in a TMNT onesie! As a 90s kid, I grew up on that series—had all the turtle action figures and the sewer playset.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Tyrone Taylor #28 of the New York Mets reacts after his ninth inning game-tying three-run home run against the New York Yankees at Citi Field on May 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Elmer Rodríguez has faced some seriously fierce competition in his first three MLB starts, squaring off against Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom, and today Freddy Peralta. He authored the best start of his young MLB career, holding the Mets to a run while pitching into the fifth to match the way Peralta was repeatedly silencing each Yankees threat that appeared on the bases. It took until the sixth and an Anthony Volpe two-run single to spark an eventual four-run frame. However, all of that hard work was undone in an instant when David Bednar surrendered the game-tying three-run homer to Tyrone Taylor with two outs in the ninth, the Mets eventually succeeding in plating the automatic runner an inning later to walk off the Yankees, 7-6, and win the series from their crosstown rivals. The Bombers remain winless in Citi Field series since 2018, finishing up this road trip through Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Queens at an appalling 2-7.
ERC is widely regarded to possess the most advanced command of his arsenal of any of the Yankees’ pitching prospects. He might not possess the top-end stuff of some of the other members of his cohort, but he was always able to overcome that with his strike throwing abilities and command of the edges of the zone. That was why it was so alarming to see him pitch so wildly in much of his first two career big league starts against the Rangers, walking eight batters in 8.2 innings. However, he appeared to find something after a three-run first inning threatened to derail his most recent start against Texas, and went on to pitch a further 3.2 scoreless innings.
Whatever adjustment he discovered, it looks like he was able to carry that momentum into today’s start against the Mets. Most of his misses with the fastball in his first two starts were high to the glove side, which you wondered whether it was a natural side effect of his crossfire delivery, but it was clear from the jump this afternoon that he found a good line for the delivery of his four-seamer and sinker. Because he fell behind in so many counts against Texas, he was never able to take advantage of the deadly secondaries in his arsenal, but getting ahead in counts today allowed him to hunt chases on his slider, changeup, and curveball out of the zone. The Mets fired off a fair bit of hard contact, but ERC putting himself in a position to use his secondaries allowed him to largely keep the ball just above or just below the barrel of the bat.
It’s a good thing ERC brought his A-game to the park, because his offense repeatedly wasted the opportunities they created for themselves. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger drew a pair of two-out walks in the first but were stranded by a Jazz Chisholm Jr. strikeout. Volpe tallied his first base hit of his season with a two-out double in the second, but J.C. Escarra stranded him at second with a fly out. Ben Rice finally broke through in the third, crushing a 2-1 changeup that stayed up to right for a 409-foot solo blast, moving into a tie for the fourth-most home runs in MLB at 15.
Unfortunately, Ryan McMahon would strand Bellinger and Jazz with a groundout after they drew a pair of two-out walks following the Rice home run. That volume of missed chances was always liable to come back to haunt them, and indeed they surrendered the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Mark Vientos bounced a one-out single through the right side and Brett Baty followed with a two-out bloop single. This allowed the struggling Marcus Semien to ambush a mistake first-pitch sinker middle-middle from ERC, slicing it down the line in right for the game-tying RBI double. A.J. Ewing then worked a walk to load the bases, but ERC executed a good four-seamer down and in to Hayden Senger for the inning-ending ground out to leave all three ducks on the pond.
He was allowed to come back out for the fifth, but following a leadoff HBP of Carson Benge and with Juan Soto coming to the plate, Aaron Boone called on Ryan Yarbrough out of the bullpen. The crafty lefty allowed a two-out single to Vientos to put runners on the corners, but Trent Grisham bailed out his pitcher with a diving catch on a sinking line drive from Taylor to save two runs. That put a cap on ERC’s final line, the rookie allowing a run on five hits and a walk with one strikeout in 4.1 innings.
Peralta was showing clear signs of fatigue by the sixth, his fastball losing four mph off it’s peak as he walked Bellinger and Jazz to open the frame. That was enough to draw Carlos Mendoza out of the dugout to hand the ball to Sean Manaea, who gave up a McMahon sac bunt and hit pinch-hitter Paul Goldschmidt on the front foot to load the bases with one out. Volpe was the one to finally provide the timely hit with runners on, pulling a first pitch hanging sweeper to left to plate a pair and put runners on the corners. Pinch-hitter Amed Rosario lifted a fly deep enough to left to plate pinch-runner Max Schuemann, Volpe shrewdly tagging up and taking second on the play. That proved to be an important moment, as the ghost of Luis Castillo paid a visit to Citi Field for the second time this series, Bo Bichette dropping a pop up from Grisham to allow Volpe to score the fourth run of the inning.
Despite now pitching with the lead, Yarbrough felt like a ticking time bomb, and Boone apparently agreed because he hooked the southpaw after a Semien single and Ewing walk in the sixth. The move immediately backfired as Jake Bird coughed up a two-run double to Luis Torrens on a 1-1 sweeper right down Broadway, though he did manage to record the final two outs to send this game to the seventh with the Yankees still leading, 5-3.
Patience from the bottom of the Yankees order earned them an insurance run in the seventh. Bellinger and Jazz reached on consecutive one-out singles and Schuemann drew a walk to load the bases. Up stepped the man of the hour, Volpe grinding back from 0-2 to draw the free pass that plated Bellinger as the Yankees’ sixth run. Just when it looked like the Yankees had the win in the bag, Camilo Doval pitching a scoreless seventh and Fernando Cruz a scoreless eighth, David Bednar undid all the hard work of his teammates. He allowed a pair of leadoff singles to Benge and Bichette, and though he was able to record the next two outs, he hung a first pitch curveball to Taylor, who demolished it to left to level the scores, 6-6.
The Yankees put runners on the corners with one out in the tenth, but that brought the slumbering Austin Wells to the plate and you know how that was always going to end: the inning-ending double play. Failing to score in the top of the tenth typically leads to walk-off losses. Tim Hill had the unenviable task of trying to pitch a scoreless half-inning, but a Ewing sac bunt, Torrens HBP, and Benge walk-off fielder’s choice—one in which Volpe and Schuemann ran into each other—condemned the Yankees to a 7-6 loss and their second straight series loss against a last-place team.
The Yankees will hope they can bounce back starting tomorrow against the Blue Jays. Ryan Weathers faces off against Patrick Corbin in the series-opening battle of southpaws. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm EDT with the broadcast remaining on YES.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 20, 2026: Colt Emerson #85 of the Seattle Mariners bats during the fifth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix on March 20, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Seattle Mariners are calling up top prospect SS/3B Colt Emerson, per multiple reports led by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. The move came as somewhat of an unexpected move, as Emerson was initially listed in the Tacoma Rainiers lineup in Triple-A. Instead, Seattle is bringing up their 20 year old quite literally from the South Sound. The corresponding move is another stint on the injured list for Brendan Donovan, this time with a left groin muscle strain. Per Mariners GM Justin Hollander, Donovan re-aggravated his groin injury in the last game in Houston when he was on base three times with a near-cycle.
Apparently, core surgery, such as the one Donovan had this off-season, can make one more susceptible to groin strains and core muscle strains in the months following recovery. Hollander said that while the team was aware Donovan would need to have his workload managed carefully in the first half of the season, the re-aggravation is a clear sign that they need to take a step back.
“It’s inflamed, it’s irritated, and it’s back to where it was when he went on the IL for the first time, so we need to get it right,” said Hollander.
Donovan will have two separate injections: a PRP injection for the groin strain and a separate one in his adductor muscle “to try to keep both things working together and get them right.” The team will evaluate further after the inflammation calms, but Hollander anticipates Donovan to be down for at least two to three weeks.
Emerson is one of the most well-regarded prospects in all of baseball, with national outlets ranking him near the top of all major prospect lists to start the year (Baseball America – 7th, Baseball Prospectus – 15th, FanGraphs – 11th, MLB Pipeline – 9th).
“This is not a 15 at-bat or 20 at-bat tryout to see if he’s capable of taking the job and running with it for the rest of the year,” said Hollander, who said Emerson’s response to the news that he was officially going to be a big-leaguer was great I’m gonna go pack my bag and I’ll head right up, like he was picking up a friend at the airport instead of achieving a lifelong dream. “I have zero concerns that he’s emotionally ready to handle it, that he’smature enough to handle the day-to-day of the major league life. He certainly has the tools and skills to go compete at this level.”
The move makes Emerson the youngest player in the American League, and the youngest Mariners player since Félix Hernández debuted as a 19 year old in August of 2005. In fact, Emerson was born just 15 days before the King’s big league debut, h/t Connor Donovan. After scorching the minors a season ago, Emerson signed a contract extension for eight years, $95 million, with club options for 2034 this spring. It seemed like the sort of move that would come in concert with an immediate call-up, but Seattle left the youngster in Tacoma to continue working. Healing from a few minor injuries—most notably a wrist injury that sidetracked his progress towards the end of last month—Emerson has played regularly for the Rainiers while working between shortstop and third base.
The Mariners have seemed intent to work in Emerson at third base when he debuts, where he’s looked smooth as a defender, as opposed to shifting veteran SS J.P. Crawford in the de facto captain’s final year under contract. It’s a bit of rhyme with Crawford’s own debut, as the then-22-year-old took primary work at third in deference to Freddy Galvis. But Emerson came up as a shortstop, and is the heir apparent to the position in the future, and will get reps in there, as well, said Hollander, which will also serve to give J.P. Crawford some much-needed days off.
“I think he sees the ball really well,” said Hollander. “In our view, he’s always handled that transition [between third and short] seamlessly. Bouncing back and forth has never really bothered him. I think he naturally has sort of arm angle adaptability, so he can throw from a bunch of different stops. He’s always made it look very easy at third base, too. So I wouldn’t anticipate any growing pains.”
Emerson’s defensive capabilities should be a boon for Seattle in either location, so it’s most pertinent to see how the 2023 first round pick handles himself at the plate. He’d run a respectable .255/.347/.469 line in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but striking out at an elevated 27.2% clip had suggested he might receive a bit more seasoning before the call.
Instead, he is here. The club announced the move just after 2 PM on Sunday.
“You never really know with a young player until they get out there and show us what they can do, but we do have all the confidence in the world that he can go take the job and run with it,” said Hollander. “And it that’s how it works, that’ll be great. We’d be thrilled for him and thrilled for us.”
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JUNE 30: Salvador Perez #13 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium on June 30, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sunday’s game started out with an encouraging first inning. Maikel Garcia singled up the middle and then two batters later Vinnie Pasquantino also singled to center where Victor Scott II fumbled the ball and allowed Garcia to advance to third. Salvador Perez then picked up his first RBI of the night by hitting a sac fly to left. Stephen Kolek took the mound for the bottom half of the inning and induced three groundball outs, which would be foreshadowing for how his day was going to go. One inning down and Kansas City had a 1-0 lead.
Most of the rest of the afternoon turned into a pitchers’ duel. Andre Pallante needed 21 pitches in that first frame, but then went two outs into the 7th and only needed 99 total to get there. He did have one more little hiccup along the way when Salvy deposited his first pitch of the 4th into the seats to double the Royal lead and put The Captain just 7 HR behind George Brett for the Royals career home run mark.
The Royals did scatter some hits throughout, but Perez was the main offensive force for the team, which could mean he is starting to heat up finally. In fact, the Cardinals never got him out after the sac fly. He hit the homer, then singled in the 6th, and had a nine pitch walk in the 8th. If Salvy can be patient like he was in the 8th, it would greatly benefit this offense.
Stephen Kolek was more dominant than Pallante. His final line was a solid 6.1IP, 4H, BB, 3K, but it felt even better than that somehow. He is typically a groundball pitcher, over 50% of balls put in play by him are on the ground so far in his career, which would have put him in the top 10 for qualified starters last year in groundball rate. Today almost everything was on the ground. He had 13 of those ground balls turn into 14 outs thanks to one of them being this pretty double play.
That was a very nice outing that was turned over to Daniel Lynch IV in the 7th. Lynch quickly took care of the last 2 outs in the seventh and then went ahead and took care of the 8th as well. It looked like this would be a save situation for Lucas Erceg, thought the offense tried to create some insurance in the top of the 9th.
Justin Bruihl had come on to finish the Royals off in the 8th and continued on into the 9th. Isaac Collins lead off the inning with a single and was followed by a Lane Thomas walk. Bruihl was pulled for Matt Pushard who then beaned Nick Loftin in the hand while he was trying to bunt. Loaded bases with no outs is generally a pretty good situation for an offense to be in. Unfortunately, Kyle Isbel struck out and then Garcia grounded to third for a double play, so it was time for the save attempt.
Erceg, sans lights out due to the road day game, got the job done. He did allow a walk to Nolan Gorman and a loud line drive out to Cesar Prieto, but no runners got past first base. Four batters, three outs, one save. That puts an end to the Royal’s six game losing streak and sends them back to KC after a disappointing 1-5 road trip.
At home, the Royals will have 9 games against the Red Sox, Mariners, and Yankees. With Boston and Seattle off to slow starts on the season, like almost the entire AL, that is not as daunting as it might have looked going into the year. So far, the home cooking has been good, the Royals need to right the ship by taking care of business in Kauffman.
The Mets, with their season on life support after a horrendous start and a roster filled with injuries, sure appeared to be on their way to another series loss — this time at home to the Yankees in the Subway Series.
Instead, they came away with a stunning 7-6, 10-inning win at Citi Field on Sunday.
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Down to their final out, Tyrone Taylor tied the game for the Mets with a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth off closer David Bednar.
And in the 10th, after Devin Williams got Austin Wells to hit into an inning-ending double play with runners on the corners to keep the game knotted, Carson Benge won it with a chopper up the middle that scored Marcus Semien from third.
The Mets have won five of their past six games — and four of their past five series — while the Yankees have dropped three straight series and seven of their past nine games.
“Baseball is hard to explain at times,’’ Carlos Mendoza said after the Mets won a game they trailed heading into the ninth inning for the first time since Pete Alonso homered against Williams in Game 3 of the 2024 wild-card series in Milwaukee.
Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor reacts after hitting a game-tying, three-run home run in the ninth inning against the Yankees on May 17, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
They had lost 91 straight games when behind entering the ninth.
“We continue to come back in games,” the manager said. “We showed it the whole homestand. We get punched in the face [and] we get back up.”
That was rarely more true than Sunday, as Freddy Peralta struggled with his command and Sean Manaea replaced him in the sixth and the two combined to allow four runs in a tie game.
And one of those runs scored when Bo Bichette dropped what Mendoza called a “routine” pop-up.
But then the Mets, who dropped the first game of the series before beating the Yankees on Saturday, scored twice in the bottom of the sixth.
Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor (28) is doused with Gatorade after the game when the New York Mets played the New York Yankees Sunday, May 17, 2026 at Citi Field Robert Sabo for NY Post
Still, down by three runs in the bottom of the ninth, a comeback didn’t seem close.
Benge and Bichette, though, led off with singles before Juan Soto grounded into a forceout and Mark Vientos whiffed.
Taylor followed with a homer down the left field line off a Bednar curveball.
With Tim Hill on the mound for the Yankees in the bottom of the 10th, A.J. Ewing bunted automatic runner Semien to third and with the infield in — including Max Schuemann in from left field as the fifth infielder — Luis Torrens was hit by a pitch.
Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor (28) is greeted by New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) after he scores on his three-run homer to tie the game in the ninth inning at Citi Field, Sunday, May 17, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
That brought up Benge, who hit a chopper over the mound. Schuemann and shortstop Anthony Volpe collided and Semien scored without a throw.
“It’s always good to show some fight and come back,’’ said the lefty-swinging Benge after he delivered against the left-hander Hill.
The Yankees, meanwhile, will head back to The Bronx after a tough road trip that included a series sweep at the hands of the Brewers, as well as four losses in six games to the Orioles and Mets.
Ben Rice (22) celebrates his home run with Yankees teammate Aaron Judge during a game against the Mets on May 17, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“Guys are playing tough and making the plays they need to, but just coming up a little bit short,’’ Aaron Judge said of the team’s struggles. “We’ve got to have a short memory and move on and get ready for the [homestand] because we’ve got a big division opponent [Toronto] coming in.”
They were set up to beat the Mets after Volpe’s two-run single in the sixth gave them a 5-1 lead and his bases-loaded walk an inning later put them ahead by three runs.
But Bednar faltered and the slumping Wells couldn’t come through in the 10th.
“I think they’re all capable of getting big outs and they have throughout this year,’’ Aaron Boone said of the bullpen. “We just had a terrible road trip where we certainly had some tough ones.’’
As the Mets travel to Washington, they’ll look to build on their success and overcome their list of injury woes.
“We know we’ve got to start playing better,’’ Mendoza said. “It’s been rough. But that’s in the past. All we can control is every game, every series. We did that this homestand. We’ve got to continue to do it. We’ve got a long way to go.”
The Mets defeated the Yankees in dramatic fashion, coming back from four runs down to walk off with a 7-6 win in extra innings.
Here are the takeaways...
--In the ninth inning, with the Mets trailing 6-3,Carson Benge fought off a single to center, and Bo Bichette ripped a grounder up the middle, bringing Juan Soto to the plate as the tying run against David Bednar.
But Soto grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Mark Vientos went down swinging, leaving it up to Tyrone Taylor.
Taylor, who had a couple of defensive misplays earlier, went from goat to GOAT as he demolished a three-run homer just fair inside the left field foul pole. With the Mets down to their last out, Taylor knotted things up, sending it to extras.
-- In the top of the 10th, with runners on the corners and one out, Vientos started a 3-6-3 double play that fired up the team and fans alike. In the bottom half, A.J. Ewing bunted the free runner Marcus Semien to third. With the Yankees playing a five-man infield, Benge hit a chopper up the middle, and the Yankees' defenders bumped into each other while trying to make a play, allowing the game-winning run to score.
-- On the pitching side, it was a strange outing from Freddy Peralta. On one hand, he allowed just two hits and struck out four in 5.0+ innings. But he also walked six Yankees, including the final two he faced as he exited the game with two runners on and no outs in the top of the sixth. Of his 96 pitches thrown, 52 were out of the zone (54 percent).
Sean Manaea came in to try to clean things up, but after hitting Paul Goldschmidt with a pitch, he allowed a two-run single to Anthony Volpe, his second hit of the game after being hitless since his call-up. Former Met Amed Rosario added to the lead with a sac fly and then disaster struck. Trent Grisham lofted a lazy pop-up to shallow left, butTaylor didn't call Bichette off, and the backpedaling Bichette dropped the ball, giving the Yankees a 5-1 lead. The Yankees scored four runs in the inning on just one hit.
Taylor also missed the cutoff man earlier in the inning, which allowed the Yankees to take an extra base during the rally. Peralta was charged with three earned runs over his 5.0+ innings.
-- The Mets got two runs back in the bottom half of the inning, as Luis Torrens laced a two-run double to the right field corner, making it a 5-3 game. Bichette came up later in the inning as the potential tying run, but flew out to right-center to end the inning.
-- Manaea got into more trouble in the seventh, and walked Volpe with the bases loaded to force in the Yankees' sixth run of the afternoon. Manaea gave the Mets some needed length, going four innings while allowing two earned runs. He threw 57 pitches, which could help him get stretched out as a starter or a bulk reliever when Clay Holmes' turn comes up in the rotation.
-- Aaron Boone recently said that he believed Ben Rice was evolving into one of the best hitters in baseball. Rice proved his manager right by crushing a solo home run to right center in the third inning. Rice's 15th homer of the season put the Yankees up 1-0.
-- There was some two-out magic from the Mets in the fourth. With two down and a man on first, Brett Baty singled, and Semien doubled, tying the game at 1-1. They ended up loading the bases later in the inning, but Hayden Senger grounded out to short, keeping the game tied.
-- Yankees starter Elmer Rodriguez wasn't exactly efficient, but he was effective. While just 38 of his 64 pitches were strikes, he held the Mets to one earned run on five hits in 4.1 innings.
-- Ewingcontinues to look perfectly at home in the majors, reaching base four times with a hit and three walks, while perfectly executing a sac bunt in the 10th.
Game MVP
Taylor, who launched a three-run shot to save the series for the Mets.
Highlights
Freddy Peralta fans Jazz Chisholm Jr. to get out of trouble in the first
Opponents are now hitting 3-for-41 (.073) against Peralta with runners in scoring position this season pic.twitter.com/FHYztyfdyN
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 17: Michael Massey #19 of the Kansas City Royals attempts to turn a double lay over JJ Wetherholt #26 of the St. Louis Cardinals in the third inning at Busch Stadium on May 17, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Quiet Sundays can be a good thing, but not when it describes what happened to the St. Louis Cardinals bats as the Royals avoided a sweep winning 2-0.
Andre Pallante was not the Cardinals problem Sunday as he gave them 6 2/3 innings allowing 8 hits, 1 earned run striking out 7 with no walks. Unfortunately, Salvador Perez was his nemesis knocking in the first run on a sacrifice fly in the 1st inning scoring Garcia who singled then advanced on an error by Victor Scott II making it 1-0 Royals after 1. All was relatively quiet until the 4th inning when it was Salvador Perez who hit a towering 393 foot solo shot off off Pallante pitch upping the Royals lead to 2-0.
It could have been much worse as Nathan Church made a diving catch on a shot from Bobby Witt Jr. to wrap up the top of the 3rd inning with a runner aboard. Feel free to insert your favorite “Church on Sunday” phrase here.
Stephen Kolek pitched a gem for the Kansas City Royals. He tossed an extremely solid 6 1/3 innings. He last batter was Masyn Winn who grounded into a fielder’s choice after he hustled to avoid a double play. Unfortunately, Masyn was also taken out of the game because of a yet unnamed injury/discomfort. Cesar Prieto was the pinch-runner who was brought in for Masyn and also replaced him at shortstop. CBS Sports reporting that Masyn is dealing with knee discomfort and is listed as day-to-day, but further tests will be done on Monday.
Happy to report that both Matt Svanson was solid in relief of Andre Pallante Sunday. He did not allow any additional damage to keep the Cardinals within striking distance in the late innings. Justin Bruihl did get into a bit of a mess allowing the first two on-base in the top of the 9th inning. Matt Pushard added to the misery by nailing pinch-hitter Loftin in the hand to load the bases, but he was able to strikeout Isbel for the first out and then get a groundball double play from Garcia to send the game into the bottom of the 9th with St. Louis at least having a chance.
The Kansas City Royals brought in their closer Lucas Erceg to try and shut the Cardinals down. All Jordan Walker could manage was a groundout to third base. Nolan Gorman managed to draw a walk bringing up Cesar Prieto as the potential tying run. He barreled a ball that unfortunately was directed straight at right fielder Lane Thomas for the second out. Nathan Church was the Cardinals final hope. He battled for 10 pitches, but grounded out for the final out of the game.
The Cardinals have Monday off and will be back at Busch Stadium Tuesday night as they’ll begin a series against NL Central foe the Pittsburgh Pirates. Matthew Liberatore is scheduled to pitch for the Cardinals while the Pirates will send Mitch Keller to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm central time.
