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Ben Rice drives in seven as Yankees win slugfest over Cardinals, 12-8

Ben Rice homered and drove in seven and Aaron Judge added a home run and two RBI as the Yankees topped the Cardinals, 12-8, in a Saturday night slugfest in St. Louis.

Add in Trent Grisham’s four-hit game, the first three batters in the Yanks order went a combined 9-for-13 with nine RBI, seven runs scored, two home runs, two doubles, four walks, and three strikeouts. 

With the win, New York (66-57) has now won six of nine after snapping a five-game losing skid. The Yankees are 2.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians, who lost on Saturday, for the final AL wild card spot.

Here are the key takeaways...

- The Yanks quickly jumped on Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray’s slow start to the game with Grisham leading off with a single to right, Rice taking a four-pitch walk, and Judge yanking a first-pitch cutter up in the zone for an RBI double. Jasson Dominguez added an RBI single to left, but Gray limited the damage by striking out Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe swinging and Ryan McMahon looking to end the first.m

- Leading off the top of the third, Judge hammered the first-pitch he saw for a 396-foot home run that hit off the top of the wall in right-center, just over the glove of St. Louis centerfielder Victor Scott. In two at-bats against Gray, Judge saw two offerings and hit them 101.9 mph in the first and 101.4 mph in the third, tallying his 25th double, 39th home run, and 91st and 92nd RBI of the season in the process. 

- New York got something cooking with one down in the fourth when Jose Caballero dropped a perfect bunt down to third and Grisham muscled a single off his hands into right for a first and third chance. And after falling behind 0-2, Rice got a sinker that hung right over the heart of the plate for a no-doubt three-run shot to right center. The 429-foot blast, smacked 108.3 mph off the bat, put the Yanks up 6-5.

- Austin Wells singled to right to start the sixth inning off Cardinals reliever Kyle Leahy, snapping a run of just eight hits in 65 at-bats (.123) over his last 20 games entering the game. Caballero and Grisham followed with singles to load the bases and Rice got a hanging curveball and rocketed into the gap for a three-run double off the base of the wall in right-center.

Rice got another chance with men on base in the seventh and singled to right for his seventh RBI of the game, tying a career high. 

- Max Fried threw his first pitch with a lead, but allowed a run three batters in after Dominguez misplayed a single into a one-out triple and a single to right plated the Cards’ first run. The left-hander, who has been struggling of late, surrendered the lead in the second with a leadoff walk and back-to-back one-out singles to tie the game. Fried’s 1-1 cutter to Masyn Winn leaked over the inner third and found the left field seats for a 375-foot three-run home run.

After the homer, Fried retired 11 of the next 12 batters with five strikeouts, allowing just an infield single to second. Jordan Walker put an end to that with a double off the wall in right center on a cutter down and over the plate that was just tattooed (111.9 mph off the bat) to start the home half of the sixth. Two pitches later, Fried’s curveball off the inside corner was yanked just inside the right field foul pole for a Nolan Gorman two-run home run, and that ended the starter's night after 94 pitches (56 strikes).

That ended the lefty-hander's night: 5.0 innings, seven runs on eight hits and one walk with six strikeouts.

Going back to his final start before the All-Star break, in which Fried developed a blister on his left index finger, he has now pitched to a 7.20 ERA over his last six starts, allowing 29 runs (24 earned) on 40 hits and 13 walks with 30 strikeouts in 30 innings (1.767 WHIP). Since the end of June, his ERA has jumped from 1.92 to 3.26.

- Out of the bullpen, Devin Williams came in and looked very impressive, striking out the side in the sixth on just 19 pitches (13 strikes) with three whiffs and four called strikes. Yerry De Los Santos added two strikeouts while allowing just an infield hit over two innings of work. 

In the ninth, Mark Leiter Jr. got stung for Pedro Pagés' 429-foot dinger on a sinker on the inside corner with one out before allowing back-to-back two-out infield singles. That was enough for Aaron Boone to summon David Bednar, who promptly ended the game on three pitches with a pop-up behind home plate for the save.

- McMahon, with 14 hits in his first 58 at-bats with the Yanks, cranked a solo home run to right on a ball that just kept carrying to start the seventh, his first with the club. He finished the day 1-for-5.

- Volpe made a couple of nice plays at shortstop, but his struggles at the plate continued as he went hitless in five at-bats with three strikeouts. He has just seven hits in his last 47 at-bats (.149) and is now batting .215 with a .696 OPS on the season.

Game MVP: Ben Rice

Three hits in five at-bats with seven RBI and a walk. He's now batting .240 on the year with an .804 OPS.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

The Yanks go for the sweep of the three-game series over the Cards with Sunday afternoon's 2:15 p.m. first pitch.

Will Warren (4.34 ERA, 1.365 WHIP in 122.1 innings over 25 starts) climbs the hill for New York. Right-hander Miles Mikolas (4.97 ERA, 1.283 WHIP in 117.2 innings over 23 starts) will get the ball for the home team.

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Nolan McLean's special debut provided the energy Mets needed with his poise and compete

The spin rates were eye-opening. The results spoke for themselves. Yet everyone around the Mets seemed most impressed by the poise that Nolan McLean demonstrated in his outstanding major league debut on Saturday at Citi Field.

“It’s everything we’ve been hearing about him,” Carlos Mendoza said after the Mets’ 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. “The mound presence, the demeanor, the attack. You feel it. There’s something special there.”

It’s what I’ve been hearing as well from Mets people since they drafted him out of Oklahoma State in 2023, where he played infield and hit at the top of the lineup in addition to pitching.

“He has the weapons to succeed in the big leagues,” one Mets person told me earlier this week, “but a lot of guys have that. The poise and the compete factor will separate him. The It Factor, whatever you want to call it. Spend time around him and you feel it.”

It’s one of the reasons the Mets chose McLean over Brandon Sproat when they finally decided to bounce Frankie Montas from the rotation. Sproat had been the hotter pitcher in recent weeks, but he had also struggled badly last year and for a couple of months this year after being promoted to Triple A, where the transition was seamless this year for McLean.

For that matter, it’s also the reason I heard from scouts for several weeks who were surprised the Mets were waiting so long to call up McLean, given the injuries to their rotation and some of the lesser-talented major leaguers they were running out there.

As one scout put it, "If they were worried about a bad start up there hurting his confidence or setting him back, he’d be the last guy I’d be worried about. The Mets people I know say he thrives on competition like very few guys that come along.”

In recent weeks, David Stearns explained his resistance to calling up either McLean or Sproat as a matter of wanting to have the spot in the rotation to keep them there, rather than shuttling them back and forth.

They did that with Blade Tidwell, though nobody seemed to think he had the ceiling of either Sproat or McLean. And Tidwell didn’t pitch particularly well, leading the Mets to trade him in the deadline deal for Tyler Rogers.

So now, after McLean’s debut, you have to wonder if indeed Stearns should have made the call to McLean earlier. Maybe he could have helped make the Mets’ starting rotation more competitive in recent weeks and kept the ballclub from going into a free-fall.

To be fair, however, it’s possible that Mclean needed this much time in the minors to sharpen his game so he could major league hitters out as well, especially left-handed hitters. After his debut Saturday, the right-hander said he’s made significant improvements against lefties in the last several weeks, learning to pitch inside to them with both his fastball and his breaking stuff.

“I’ve really worked at that,” McLean said.

So who knows for sure? The good news for the Mets is, as bad as they’ve played, losing 12 of 14 games going into Saturday, it’s not too late for McLean to have an impact. They’re still in the third wild card spot, and suddenly the five-game deficit to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East didn’t seem quite as imposing with the news that Phillies’ ace Zack Wheeler went on the IL with a blood clot in his pitching arm.

It doesn’t mean McLean is guaranteed to pitch with dominance in the weeks ahead, but his debut certainly gave Mets fans hope and brought a much-needed fresh vibe to a ballclub that had forgotten how to win.

“We definitely felt the energy from the minute he took the mound,” Mendoza said. “It’s maybe something we were missing, with how hard a stretch this has been.”

McLean showed no nerves, striking out leadoff hitter Randy Arozarena looking at an 86-mph sweeper, his most dominant pitch in the minors. Afterward, McLean seemed surprised when a reporter asked if that first strikeout helped settle the nerves.

Nerves? What nerves?

“I felt pretty good, actually,” he said. “Once the batter steps in the box, it’s just competition.”

He said it matter-of-factly, in a way that sounded genuine. Again, Mets people say there’s no fake tough guy in him.

“That’s him,” one person said. “He’s still got some football in him.’’

Yes, McLean was a star football player in high school, good enough that he was recruited to play both football and baseball at Oklahoma State, and did so for a year before deciding to concentrate on baseball. And then he was drafted by the Mets as both a hitter and a pitcher, before giving up hitting at some point last year.

In any case, for 5.1 innings on Saturday, McLean showcased all of his weapons, mixing his pitches with a variety of speed and spin, from his 78-mph curveball to his 97-mph four-seamer. His spin rates on sweeper and curve ball, in particular, were among the highest in the majors this season, but he also wasn’t afraid to challenge hitters with his fastball when he had to.

For the day, he racked up eight strikeouts before Mendoza took him out with his pitch count at 91 pitches. No surprise, the move was met with loud booing for the manager, as much because of the bullpen meltdowns or recent days as the desire to see more of McLean.

“Oh, I heard them loud and clear,” Mendoza said with a laugh afterward. “If I was sitting in the stands, I would have been booing myself. But I have responsibility here to him and the ballclub.”

Fortunately for Mendoza, Gregory Soto, the one trade-deadline acquisition who has been superb, got through the sixth and seventh, and from there the manager went right to Edwin Diaz for a six-out save, which told you all you needed to know about the state of the bullpen and how much the Mets needed this win.

“It’s getting to a point where it’s go time,” was the way Mendoza explained it.

If they’re going to get back to playing like a playoff team, it already feels as if McLean will be a big part of it. His debut was that notable.

Even beyond the strikeouts and the dominance, it was one play that stood out most, when he escaped a bases-loaded situation into an inning-ending double play in the third, making a spectacular behind-the-back grab of the ball and then a textbook turn and fire to Brett Baty for a 1-4-3 DP.

“That said a lot about who he is,” one scout told me Saturday night. “First, he didn’t flinch when he got in trouble. He made a good pitch to get in on Julio (Rodriguez), then had the awareness not only to make the grab but to spin and throw a strike to second. Most guys making their first start would have gone home and probably hurried the throw.

“He reacted more like a seasoned infielder than a young pitcher. It doesn’t mean he’s going to set the world on fire right away. But I wouldn’t bet against it.”

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Mets prospect Jonah Tong strikes out nine in first Triple-A start

Jonah Tong has dominated every level of minor league baseball in 2025, and for at least one start, he did so in his first Triple-A game.

The Mets' young right-hander took the mound for Syracuse for the first time in his career and lived up to the hype. Tong tossed 90 pitches (59 strikes) across 5.2 scoreless innings while allowing three hits and two walks, and striking out nine batters against Rochester on Saturday night.

Tong generated 18 swing and misses and his fastball topped out at 98 mph. All three hits came in different innings, and had a runner reach scoring position just twice in his outing. 

This latest start is another notch on what's been an incredible season for the 22-year-old. Tong, Joe DeMayo's No. 2 Mets prospect, took the baseball world by storm by demolishing Double-A hitting. Across 20 starts with Binghamton, Tong went 8-5 with a 1.59 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP while striking out 162 batters across 102.0 innings pitched.

New York promoted Tong, along with Jett Williams, Carson Benge and Ryan Clifford, to Triple-A earlier this month. 

Tong is one of three top pitching prospects that the Mets have in Triple-A. Brandon Sproat has impressed with Syracuse this year, while Nolan McLean made his MLB debut on Saturday for the Mets. 

McLean tossed 5.1 scoreless innings in the Mets' 3-1 win over the Mariners.

With how fast Sproat and Tong are developing, it's only a matter of time until they are slotted in the Mets' rotation.

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Nolan McLean's 'sick' behind-the-back double play impresses Mets as much as his pitching did

There was a lot to be impressed by Nolan McLean's MLB debut on Saturday with the Mets, but one moment stood out for many.

With the game still scoreless in the third inning, McLean pitched into some trouble. He walked the first two batters he faced and Cal Raleigh hit a one-out single to load the bases with Julio Rodriguez up to the plate. The rookie threw a sweeper that got in on Rodriguez's hands and he chopped the ball up the middle.

McLean, who was a two-way player and a multi-sport athlete in college, swung his glove behind his back and snagged the ball before throwing it to second to start the 1-4-3 double play to end the inning and the threat.

"The ball just kinda found me on that one," McLean said of the play after the game. "Got a little lucky, hit my glove. Wasn’t really something you draw up but it worked out."

While the ball may have found McLean, the nerves certainly didn't. Mets fans packed Citi Field on Saturday afternoon to see their top pitching prospect make his debut and he didn't disappoint.

McLean tossed 5.1 scoreless innings against a playoff team in the Mariners, and earned his first win after a 3-1 victory. The moment never seemed too big for him and that's what impressed manager Carlos Mendoza and his new teammates the most about the outing.

"He made an incredible play there, but at the same time, I was confident he was going to attack the zone and do the job that he was able to do in that moment," Francisco Alvarez, who caught McLean in Syracuse, said. "Maybe he would have given up one run or no runs in that situation, but I knew he was in a good spot and I had all the confidence in the world in him."

"Pretty impressive. Unbelievable. Everything we’ve heard from him. Stays on the attack," Mendoza said of McLean's performance. "The way he uses all of his pitches. For me, his ability to throw the secondary pitches when he’s behind in counts, to get back in counts, to get swing and misses, to get chases, the sinker, the velo. 

"The way he fields his position. And sure enough, he gets a comebacker, we don’t teach that way, but not only to make the play, but to play catch in that moment. Bases loaded, one out, got Rodriguez at the plate, pretty much how he handled everything. Unbelievable."

Francisco Lindor was asked if he was more impressed by McLean's fielding or pitching. The Gold Glove shortstop paused for a second before saying with a smile, "That was kinda sick."

But like his teammates, McLean's demeanor was what stood out the most. "His conviction. He went out there, he was poised. Since yesterday, he was at ease and he executed from pitch one."

After his first successful MLB start, McLean has likely earned himself another start. We'll see if there are more web gems for the rookie to make.

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Mets' Carlos Mendoza all but confirms Nolan McLean will make another start

After Nolan McLean grabbed the win in his major league debut, manager Carlos Mendoza all but confirmed the right-hander will get another start in the Mets' rotation.

Mendoza was a bit noncommittal about the 24-year-old's chances to stay in the rotation after his debut. The skipper didn't seem to have any cold feet when asked about it after Saturday's 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. 

"I think so," Mendoza said with a laugh when asked if it was safe to say McLean earned another start. "Don't you think?"

"We needed that. We needed that as a team, the organization, given where we are at and how hard it's been for us," the manager continued. "You start thinking about what it's gonna look like here pretty soon, and I feel good about our chances."

McLean delivered 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just two hits and four walks while striking out eight on 91 pitches (55 strikes). 

Mendoza called the start "pretty impressive" and "unbelievable," adding that all of the best of McLean from mound presence to demeanor to staying on the attack and using all of his pitches was on display in Saturday's start.

"Just the way he handled pretty much everything... unbelievable," he said.

As expected, McLean leaned heavily on his off-speed pitches, throwing his sweeper 36 percent of the time and his curveball 21 percent. Overall, he tallied 11 whiffs on 38 swings and added 17 called strikes. The sweeper led the way with a 36 percent called strike-whiff rate. The sinker, which averaged 94.9 mph for the afternoon, was his second most-used pitch at 26 percent.

"For me, his ability to throw his secondary pitches when he's behind in counts to get back in counts to get swing and misses, to get chases, Mendoza said. 

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Francisco Lindor stays hot, Mets support Nolan McLean's scoreless debut in 3-1 win over Mariners

The Mets defeated the Seattle Mariners 3-1 at Citi Field on Saturday, riding an impressive major league debut by Nolan McLean, to win a game they needed badly after losing 14 of their previous 16.

The Mets scored two runs in the seventh inning and then Carlos Mendoza went to Edwin Diaz for a close it out with a six-out save.

Here are the takeaways...

-After an especially rough week for the Mets, McLean gave fans some hope with an outstanding major league debut, throwing 5 1/3 scoreless innings. The righthander gave up two hits, both singles, and four walks while striking out eight Mariners’ hitters. He threw 91 pitches.

McLean showed an impressive six-pitch arsenal, living up to his reputation for great breaking stuff as he kept the hitters off-balance with a mix of spin and speed. His four-seam fastball was clocked as high as 97 mph while he threw his slow curve, which got some key swings-and-misses, between 78-81 mph.

Along the way, Mclean made a dazzling play to escape a bases-loaded situation in the third inning. With one out, he jammed Julio Rodriguez, inducing a fairly hard comebacker, and from his follow-throw, McLean reached behind his back to stab the ball, then quickly turned and fired to Brett Baty at second to start a 1-4-3 double play as the Citi Field crowd roared.

McLean was pulled in the sixth after giving up a leadoff walk to the M’s slugging catcher Cal Raleigh, and then striking out Rodriguez. Mendoza wanted lefty Gregory Soto for the lefty-hitting Josh Naylor, and though the manager was booed by the crowd for taking out McLean, Soto got out of the inning.

The switch-hitting Raleigh was the only Mariner that McLean didn’t get out, walking him twice and giving up a rocket of a single in the third inning.

-Hot-hitting Francisco Lindor got the Mets on the board, delivering a line double into the right-field corner in the third inning, scoring Brett Baty from first base to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Baty had singled to lead off the inning.

Lindor went 2-for-4 on the day and is now 11-for-20 (.550)  in his last five games, with three home runs, two doubles, six RBI, and seven runs scored.

-The Mets pulled away with a two-run rally in the seventh. Baty and Lindor each singled and stole a base, and Juan Soto, who has struggled badly with runners in scoring position, delivered a run with a sacrifice fly to fairly deep left-center.

After Lindor was thrown out at the plate on Brandon Nimmo’s single to left (a bad decision to send Lindor, after he had hesitated to make sure the ball fell for a hit), Pete Alonso doubled down the third-base line to score Nimmo and make it 3-0.

-With all of the problems the Mets’ bullpen has had this week, Mendoza wasn’t messing around with a 3-0 lead, going to a well-rested Diaz to start the eighth.

Diaz pitched a scoreless eighth, getting two strikeouts, while allowing a single to Raleigh. In the ninth, he gave up a one-out home run to Eugenio Suarez but closed out the win without any drama.

-Baty and Lindor each stole second base during the seventh inning, as the Mets extended their streak without being caught to 39 straight steals.

It ties the longest such single-season streak in MLB history since caught stealings were first tracked in 1951. The Red Sox had 39 straight in 2013. They have the all-time record of 40 straight, including one in the 2014 season.

Game MVP: Nolan McLean

The Mets desperately needed a boost and McLean delivered, living up to his status as a high-ceiling prospect in Triple-A.

McLean has dominated in the minors since being drafted out of Oklahoma State in 2023, rising to No. 37 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets and Mariners wrap up their three-game set on Sunday night. First pitch for the Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA, is set for 7:10 p.m.

Clay Holmes (9-6, 3.71 ERA) will take the mound for New York, while George Kirby (8-5, 3.71 ERA) will be on the bump for Seattle.

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Astros’ All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña out of lineup for 2nd straight game due to illness

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña is out of the lineup for the second straight game against the Baltimore Orioles due to illness.

Astros manager Joe Espada said Saturday that Peña was feeling better and at the ballpark.

“He’s here. He’s going to do some baseball activities and sweat some of that stuff off,” Espada said.

Peña was sent to the doctor on Friday after reporting to Daikin Park feeling ill. He was not seen in the Astros dugout during their 7-0 loss to the Orioles.

In 93 games, Peña is batting a team-leading .318 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs. Mauricio Dubón has started at shortstop for the Astros in his absence.

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Astros' Hader hopes to pitch in 2025, likely in postseason, after going on IL with shoulder issue

HOUSTON (AP) Houston Astros All-Star closer Josh Hader said he hopes to pitch again in 2025, even if it means in the postseason, after being shut down because of a left shoulder issue.

Hader will not throw for three weeks after being diagnosed with a left capsule shoulder strain on Friday. He will fill that time with rest and strengthening exercises and be re-evaluated to see if he can resume a throwing program.

“We’ll see how my body recovers and how it’s taking on rehab,” Hader said. “Right now for me, I’m trying to get as strong as I can for these next three weeks and see where I go from there.”

Hader said he would need a ramp-up period of about three weeks in order to pitch in games, which would likely rule him out the remainder of the regular. But, the six-time All-Star hopes to return in the postseason for the Astros, who entered Saturday leading the American League West by a half-game over Seattle.

“Obviously, I would love to be part of a playoff push, but realistically, I’m thinking about longevity,” Hader said. "If I can get these three weeks, get healthy and start moving into a direction where I can start throwing, yeah I would be definitely optimistic.”

Hader was placed on the injured list for the first time in his nine-year career on Monday after he felt something in his shoulder he hadn’t felt before while throwing in training.

“That’s when I kind of threw up the caution signs and wanted to kind of look in deeper and kind of see what was really going on,” Hader said.

In his second year with the Astros, Hader is 6-2 with a 2.05 ERA and is fifth with 28 saves in 48 appearances this season.

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Seiya Suzuki hits a tiebreaking single as the Cubs edge the Pirates 3-1

CHICAGO (AP) Seiya Suzuki hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 on Saturday for a sorely needed victory.

Kyle Tucker hit a leadoff single against Evan Sisk (0-1) and stole second before coming home on Suzuki's grounder into center field. Nico Hoerner tacked on a two-out RBI double following an intentional walk to Ian Happ.

Chicago (69-53) had dropped four of five, including a 3-2 loss in the series opener on Friday.

Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga pitched seven innings of three-hit ball. Andrew Kittredge (3-3) got three outs before Brad Keller handled the ninth for his first save.

Tommy Pham homered for Pittsburgh (52-72), which lost for the sixth time in seven games. Rookie Mike Burrows permitted one run and five hits in five innings.

Imanaga retired his first 10 batters before Pham connected for his sixth homer in the fourth, a 428-foot drive to left. The Cubs got the run back in the bottom half when Tucker scored on Carson Kelly's two-out single.

Imanaga struck out six and walked two. About the only thing that seemed to ruffle the lefty were the sonic booms from military jets flying nearby during the Chicago Air and Water Show. He had to pause several times to let the planes pass, including the fifth, where he waited momentarily before freezing Liover Peguero for an inning-ending strikeout.

Nick Gonzales hit a leadoff single for Pittsburgh in the ninth. But Keller responded with three straight strikeouts against Andrew McCutchen, Joey Bart and pinch-hitter Spencer Horwitz.

The Cubs have scored three or fewer runs in 10 of their 14 games this month.

Cubs right-hander Javier Assad (0-1, 9.00 ERA) makes his second start of the season in Sunday’s series finale. The Pirates will use right-handed reliever Carmen Mlodzinski (2-7, 4.20 ERA) as an opener.

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What we learned as Giants waste Justin Verlander's strong outing in loss to Rays

What we learned as Giants waste Justin Verlander's strong outing in loss to Rays originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — It feels like every night there’s a new stunning stat about how dire things have gotten for the Giants. Here was Saturday’s: For the first time since 2008, they’ve lost six straight series at Oracle Park.

This series loss was clinched when the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for two runs in the eighth and held on for a 2-1 win. The Giants have lost seven straight games and 15 of their last 16 at home. This is just the second time in Oracle Park history that they’ve dropped six consecutive home series, although for seven innings Saturday, things were trending up. 

Justin Verlander has had truly unbelievable luck in his attempt to get closer to 300 career wins. He had some rough times in the first half, but he generally has pitched well in recent weeks, and he wasn’t rewarded Saturday for his best start as a Giant. 

Verlander threw seven shutout innings and left with a 1-0 lead, but three straight two-out hits off José Buttó and Brandon Lowe put the Rays on top in the top of the eighth. It was the sixth time that the bullpen blew a lead for Verlander, who also has received the second-worst run support in baseball. 

Climbing the Charts

Walter Johnson began his career in 1907, so perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that there’s some confusion about his stats. MLB.com has Johhnson at 3,508 career strikeouts, Baseball-Reference has him at 3,509 and Elias Sports Bureau has him at 3,515.

That meant Verlander either passed or approached Johnson on Saturday, depending on which statistical group you trust most. On the scoreboard the Giants went with Baseball-Reference, and Verlander got a nice ovation when he reached 3,510 in the fifth inning. 

Verlander finished with eight strikeouts, getting to 3,511 for his career. Next up after Johnson is Giants Hall-of-Famer Gaylord Perry, who is eighth all-time with 3,534. Verlander also isn’t far from No. 7 Don Sutton (3,574). 

Hall Of Fame Company

For a moment, it looked like Verlander would join another impressive list. There have been just six 42-year-olds in MLB history to reach double-digit strikeouts in a game and it’s a group of legends: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Gaylord Perry, Rich Hill and Steve Carlton. Verlander’s season-high is nine and he came up just short Saturday.

He did, however, join some of those Hall-of-Famers on another list. Verlander allowed just two hits in his seven scoreless innings and struck out eight, something that has only been done 11 times in MLB history by a pitcher who is 42 or older. Ryan did it five times, Clemens did it three times and Johnson did it twice. 

Third Guy At Third

The Giants put Matt Chapman on the IL on Friday and then watched backup third baseman Casey Schmitt get drilled. Schmitt’s X-rays came back negative and he could be back as soon as Sunday, but the sequence forced Koss to move across the diamond on Saturday. 

Koss made an early error, but the run didn’t score. He more than made up for it in the sixth. 

With two on and two outs, Koss pulled a low fastball under third baseman Junior Caminero’s glove to push the game’s first run across. It was a rare hit with a runner in scoring position for a struggling lineup, but right now Koss is as trustworthy as anyone. 

The rookie has back-to-back multi hit games and is 6-for-19 since coming off the IL. Koss is hitting .274 and quietly putting together a very solid first big league season. 

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

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Rangers INF Marcus Semien out of lineup Saturday because of sore left wrist

TORONTO (AP) — Texas Rangers infielder Marcus Semien was out of the starting lineup for Saturday’s game at Toronto because of a sore left wrist.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Semien was going for X-rays.

Semien was hit by a 91 mph fastball from Toronto’s Chris Bassitt in the second inning of Friday’s 6-5 loss. He remained in the game and hit a two-run homer off Louis Varland in the eighth.

Semien had played in 122 of Texas’ first 123 games. The three-time All-Star last sat April 13 at Seattle.

Ezequiel Duran started at second base for the Rangers on Saturday.

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SEE IT: Mets' Nolan McLean strikes out two in first inning of MLB debut

The time many Mets fans have waited for is here. Pitching prospect Nolan McLean made his MLB debut on Saturday afternoon against the Mariners and looked impressive.

Facing off against Randy Arozarena to start, McLean struck out the Seattle slugger swinging on four pitches. A sinker just outside started the at-bat before he got Arozarena to swing and miss and a called strike on the outside corner. The final pitch came on a cutter up and away to get Arozarena down on strikes.

After walking Cal Raleigh on five pitches, he got Julio Rodriguez to ground out and then had to face Josh Naylor with a runner on second.

After throwing a curveball in the dirt, a slider called a strike and a slider away had Naylor ahead 2-1. Naylor fouled off a cutter up in the zone before McLean got the left-handed slugger swinging on a curveball down to end the frame.

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Phillies closer Jhoan Duran fine a day after taking liner off right ankle

WASHINGTON (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran described himself as “100 percent” on Saturday, a day after he left a 6-2 victory over Washington after taking a line drive off his right ankle.

“I’m normal, like nothing happened,” Duran said.

The right-hander, who has four saves in five scoreless appearances since he was acquired in a trade with Minnesota last month, was hit by Paul DeJong’s leadoff shot in the ninth inning Friday. Duran limped off to foul territory and eventually was taken off the field by the Nationals’ bullpen cart.

Manager Rob Thomson said X-rays were negative Friday and declared Duran “good to go” Saturday.

“He actually walked out to the bus pretty good, and then he came in normal,” Thomson said.

Thomson also said the Phillies plan to activate third baseman Alec Bohm on Sunday. Bohm went on the injured list July 19 with a fractured left rib. He is hitting .278 with eight homers and 42 RBIs.

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Phillies place Wheeler on IL with blood clot, process jarring news

Phillies place Wheeler on IL with blood clot, process jarring news  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — Dave Dombrowski had troubling news to share early Saturday evening from the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park.

Minutes after the Phillies’ 2-0 loss to Washington, Dombrowski announced that Zack Wheeler is being placed on the 15-day injured list with a “right upper extremity blood clot.”

The Phillies’ president of baseball operations was joined by head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit. 

“There’s not a whole lot we can say on it at this time,” Dombrowski said, “but I commend Paul and the doctors for finding this because it could’ve been a much more trying situation than what it is.”

The 35-year-old Wheeler has been a bona fide ace since signing with the Phillies in December of 2019. He’s gone 69-37 with a 2.91 ERA and done stellar work in the playoffs. This season, Wheeler has a 10-5 mark and 2.71 ERA. 

Asked about the location of the clot, Buchheit confirmed it’s in the region of Wheeler’s right shoulder.

Wheeler had one August start pushed back because of shoulder soreness and then made two on-schedule appearances. His velocity was decreased against the Rangers and he threw five innings Friday in the Phillies’ win over the Nationals.

“Zack had been feeling better after his right shoulder soreness, but yesterday some symptoms had changed,” Buchheit said. “He felt a little heaviness. The doctors here were great in helping to diagnose and expediting that diagnosis this morning.”

Buchheit noted that there’s not yet a definitive prognosis or treatment plan for Wheeler. He did not believe the clot was related to Wheeler’s prior shoulder soreness. 

“It’s hard to say, but I don’t think so,” Buchheit said. “Talking with our doctors, it’s maybe independent. Again, there weren’t these types of symptoms prior, so I do think they were independent.”

The Phillies plan to evaluate Wheeler further early next week in Philadelphia. 

For his teammates, it’s jarring news.

“It’s obviously scary. … Obviously, we’re praying for him, trying to keep in contact with him,” Taijuan Walker said. “But I know that he knows we’re all here for him.” 

As far as the starting pitching picture, Aaron Nola will return Sunday and Phillies manager Rob Thomson will scrap his short-term plan of a six-man rotation. 

“We don’t know the timeline,” Thomson said. “I’m thinking a lot about Zack and his family because it’s not a hamstring injury or something like that. But I feel good about the depth that we have. If we have to go to a (six-man rotation), it could be (Andrew) Painter, it could be somebody else. We’ve just got to carry on. People have to step up.”

Away from the field, the Phillies are hoping for the best.

“I shot him a text,” Kyle Schwarber said. “Sounded like everything was getting the tests done and things like that. It’s a scary situation, right? … Just want to get him back in here and hear from him. Hopefully, it’s not anything too serious. I don’t know what the prognosis is going to be or what they’re going to have to do. I don’t know if it’s surgery. I don’t think anyone knows right now. … But get him in here and get him healthy. I think that’s the biggest thing. 

“Baseball is baseball. When it comes to someone’s health like that, we need him healthy first. He’s got a family, so we want to get him feeling good for them and get him back to speed whenever we can.” 

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Mets Notes: Luisangel Acuña to be 27th man Sunday; Carlos Mendoza's philosophy for managing a pitcher in debut

Prior to Saturday's game against the Seattle Mariners, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gave some updates on the team...

Luisangel Acuña as 27th man

With New York playing in the MLB Little League Classic on Sunday in Williamsport, PA, the team is allowed to roster a 27th man and it will be Acuña.

"We get a 27th man for tomorrow's game and it's got to be a position player," Mendoza said. "So he's here for taxi squad and he'll be active tomorrow as the 27th."

Acuña last played in the majors on July 29 against the San Diego Padres, coming in as a defensive replacement for Starling Marte in the eighth inning. Over 78 games with the Mets this season, the 23-year-old is hitting just .239 with seven doubles, seven RBI, 11 walks, and 12 stolen bases.

Since being sent back down to Triple-A, Acuña has played nine games for Syracuse. He's hitting .263 (10-for-38) with two doubles, two RBI, and one walk.

Mendoza did not share if Acuña will start the special event or just be available off the bench as a substitute.

On managing a pitcher in his MLB debut

Nolan McLean will make his highly anticipated debut Saturday afternoon against the Mariners as New York DFA'd Paul Blackburn to make room for the 24-year-old. Mendoza discussed his philosophy for managing a pitcher in their debut, saying you need to be able to adjust in hopes they "finish on a positive note."

"You want him to finish on a positive note as much as possible, but at the same time, you're managing the game accordingly," Mendoza said. "You have an idea, but the game will tell you what to do. You got to be able to adjust.

"Yeah, you keep in mind that it's his first outing. Like I said, ideally you want to end it on a positive note, but the game will tell you."

McLean has been dominant in the minors this season, going 8-5 with a 2.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 127 strikeouts over 113.2 IP with Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. He said Friday how it's a "dream come true" to make his debut and hopes to give the Mets a much-needed boost to their pitching rotation.

Fighting through adversity

After Friday's tough 11-9 loss, Francisco Lindorsaid the team is "not clicking at the same time" and getting "outplayed" by other teams. With the loss, New York has dropped 14 of their last 16 games and fallen to 64-58 after starting the year 45-24.

Despite the downward trend, Lindor and others still expressed a belief that they can turn it around. Mendoza was asked about the team's struggles and discussed the challenge at hand, saying they need to "find a way" to "put it together." 

"Of course it's a challenge, but there's a lot of experience there and there's talent, right?" Mendoza said. "We've been through adversity before and we come on top of it. We've gotten through it before. It's taken a long time this time. 

"But again, nobody's going to feel sorry for you, nobody's going to feel sorry for us. We got to find a way, we got to find a way. That's the bottom line. Is it hard to describe? Yes, because of the talent that we got there. And it seems like one day it's this area, the next day it's the other area. We just got to put it together. We haven't been able to do that."