Category: MLB

It’s hard not to count as the strikeouts go by.

Clayton Kershaw’s first strikeout Friday night came on his "Cooperstown curveball" — a pitch that’s dazzled since its first appearance at Dodger Stadium on May 25, 2008. Two strikeouts on sliders that dove into the dirt like paper airplanes curtailing in the wind brought his chase to single digits.

The milestone is inevitable. Kershaw will all but certainly reach the 3,000-strikeout mark, etching his name on a list that features just 19 other pitchers. But he'll have to wait a little while longer.

“There's a few pitches tonight where it clicked,” Kershaw said, moving his earned-run average to 2.49 in June. “It’s just not every one. So hopefully it’ll get there.”

Kershaw struck out four batters against the Nationals, tossing five innings and giving up two solo home runs as the Dodgers took the series opener 6-5.

“It's really special knowing that he's approaching 3,000,” said infielder Miguel Rojas, who played third base Friday like he did for Kershaw’s no-hitter in 2014. “Every pitch... every strikeout counts. But for him, I feel like it's more important to win games, and for him to be 3-0 and with really good numbers overall, I'm happy for him — that he's healthy, happy and able to contribute."

Kershaw brought his career strikeout total to 2,992, just eight away from 3,000. Strikeout 3,000 could come Thursday in Colorado or Friday in Kansas City when he’s next expected to toe the mound.

“It’s hard not to appreciate how close he is to the 3,000 mark,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “My guess is that he just wants to get this thing over with as soon as possible, right? … He wants it over as quick as possible, I'm sure."

Kershaw still doesn’t feel his sharpest in his seventh start of the season. He walked two and 33 of his 78 pitches were balls. His fastball was more than a tick down from his season average as he flailed with his command early.

And yet, Kershaw battled through five innings.

“I can still get people out,” Kershaw said. “I just want to do it a little bit better."

If the Dodgers’ previous four-game series against the Padres had the energy and animosity of postseason baseball, then the Nationals coming to town felt like a true mid-June game. Coming off an 11-game losing streak — broken Thursday in Colorado — the Nationals (31-45) fell out of an early lead because of self-inflicted gaffes.

After the Dodgers knotted the score 1-1 when bench coach Danny Lehmann’s first successful challenge (stepping in at manager for the suspended Roberts) brought home a run after Mookie Betts was deemed safe at first on a fielder’s choice, Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams made what looked to be an inning-ending force play.

Abrams dove to his right on an infield single from Andy Pages, stabbed the ball and used his glove to flip to Amed Rosario at second base. The ball never reached Rosario, and Betts hustled home from second base without a throw.

Read more:Dodgers commit $1 million for assistance for families of immigrants affected by ICE raids

Rojas extended the Dodgers' lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth when he hit his third home run of the season, a two-run shot, to score Kiké Hernández (two for three, two doubles). When the Nationals threatened in the top of the seventh — with runners on second and third, down by two — Michael Conforto came to the Dodgers’ rescue by making a diving catch to keep his team ahead.

“It's a long season, and you're going to receive more opportunities to contribute, and it's nice to finally get one game like this where you feel part of it,” Rojas said, adding that he was glad to showcase his hitting against a left-hander such as Washington ace MacKenzie Gore.

Abrams homered in the ninth, but Dodgers closer Tanner Scott buckled down to secure his 15th save.

The Dodgers (47-30) will turn to right-hander Dustin May against the Nationals on Saturday as they attempt to clinch their fourth consecutive series. Neither Roberts nor Lehmann was made available to reporters after the game.

Etc.

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (shoulder inflammation) is set to throw two innings in a rehabilitation assignment with triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, while left-hander Blake Snell (shoulder inflammation) is set to throw a bullpen in the next few days, Roberts said.

Roki Sasaki (right shoulder impingement), who stopped throwing after a recent flare up stymied his progression, threw in the outfield Friday afternoon.

“I don't know if it was 60, 90 feet, with the baseball,” Roberts said of Sasaki, who was moved to the 60-day injured list Friday. “That was a bonus. That was a plus. Chatted with him briefly afterward. He was excited about it."

On how Sasaki was feeling, Roberts said: "I would say pain-free. Now it's just getting the build-up. But most important, he's pain-free."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

It's been an ugly week for the Mets, who are in the depths of a seven-game losing streak following their 10-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

The timing couldn't be worse for New York, which is in the middle of playing 10 straight games against its two biggest National League East Division threats, the Phillies and Atlanta Braves. And so far, the nosedive has already resulted in the Mets getting dethroned from their perch atop the standings.

This all started a day after Kodai Senga injured his hamstring covering first base against the Washington Nationals in a game that the Mets ultimately won for their sixth straight victory despite an unnerving ninth inning. But after the week that followed, that all seems like a lifetime ago for the spiraling Mets.

Even though Senga's injury isn't considered serious, it'll still be a while before he returns to the team which is a serious blow for New York who is now without its ace for a period of time. Plus, the domino effect that Senga's absence has caused the Mets has left them reeling and searching for answers -- and not just for starting pitching.

In fact, manager Carlos Mendoza listed what's been going wrong for his team at the moment.

"We’re going through it right now," he said. "I think it’s a little bit of everything. Whether it’s a starting pitcher not going deep in games, we got a couple of games where the bullpen [gives up] an inning like (Friday), an inning like the first game in Atlanta, offensively we’re having a hard time scoring -- so I think right now every area we’re fighting through it. It’s hard, but we gotta continue to fight, continue to grind and get through it and find a way."

Also without Tylor Megill for the immediate future due to his elbow sprain, New York was forced to replace his spot in the rotation on Friday with Blade Tidwell, who made his second MLB start. And although the right-hander only lasted 3.2 innings, he allowed just two earned runs and held the Phillies scoreless for the first three innings, matching Zack Wheeler.

Still, the short outing has become a theme for the Mets lately and started to wear on the bullpen. On Friday, it was Reed Garrett and Justin Garza who were touched up in a six-run seventh inning that blew the game open.

Before that, the game was tied 2-2 as New York's offense continues to struggle to score consistently, ending the night with just those two runs (off back-to-back solo shots by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil) and seven hits.

"I wouldn’t be able to lay my finger on one thing," Alonso said about the team's struggles. "I just think collectively as a group, whether it’s defensively, offensively, we’re not necessarily in sync on either side of the ball right now.

"... As a group, we’re not playing clean baseball, we’re not playing up to our potential. It’s not our standard. How we’ve been playing doesn’t match the talent or the standards that we set for ourselves. ... It’s been a poor showing the past seven games."

So what can the Mets do about it?

"You just have to strap it on and get ready to go and do whatever you can (Saturday)," Alonso said. "Thankfully, we don’t have an off day -- we can go out and have a chance and opportunity to learn from our mistakes (Friday) and go and execute (Saturday). I think that’s the beautiful thing where you can either keep the momentum going or you have a chance to stop the bleeding and play better baseball (Saturday)."

Of course, that's easier said than done, especially when nothing seems to be going New York's way currently.

"I think everything is happening at the same time," Mendoza said.

When a guy hasn’t pitched in 18 days, you usually try to find them a relatively soft return.

That certainly would’ve been the ideal scenario for Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Friday night, but the game had other plans. 

With things knotted up at three apiece, the skipper turned to right-hander Luke Weaver to make his highly-anticipated return from a two-week stint on the injured list, and things didn’t quite go as planned.

Baltimore’s offense welcomed the All-Star closer back rudely, as third baseman Ramon Urias cracked a go-ahead solo homer over a leaping Aaron Judge into the short porch leading off the top of the eighth.

“It was a good at-bat,” Weaver said postgame. “I threw a solid pitch, he just put a pretty good swing on it and I was pretty devastated to see it go over -- obviously not the start that I was looking forward to, felt like I let the team down in that moment.”

The Orioles would knock him around a bit more from there -- picking up two more hard-hit singles before ultimately chasing him from the game with just two outs recorded. 

Sidearming left-hander Tim Hill entered and allowed another run to score on a Gunnar Henderson single, but was able to avoid further damage thanks to some shoddy base running. 

Still, the damage was done and the Yanks ended up dropping another frustrating one.

“The whole outing was just about two strikes,” Weaver said. “It was just about trying to put them away and it’s hard sometimes to find that just line where that swing-and-miss is and they’re putting together good at-bats and having good takes. 

“When you’re not quite where you want to be it gets hard, you feel like you’re pitching defensive and it gets hard to get that swing-and-miss from there.”

While the results weren’t there, the most important thing was that the 31-year-old felt healthy. 

Weaver is expected to jump back into the mix in the later innings alongside Devin Williams -- who stepped up tremendously with four saves and a 1.35 ERA in his absence.

“The only thing that hurts is my head and my heart,” Weaver said following the loss. “At the end of the day my leg feels great, the velocity is there, all of my pitchers were there -- I had everything I needed to be successful, it’s just a game that didn’t happen.”

In need of a spot start with the rotation banged up, the Mets decided to call upon Blade Tidwell to make his second big-league start. 

The young righty played a similar role earlier this season but things didn’t quite go as planned, as he allowed six runs on nine hits over just 3.2 innings while slotting in for a doubleheader against the Cardinals for his debut. 

Fortunately for him and the Mets, Friday’s outing in Philadelphia was a bit better. 

Tidwell did enough to keep New York in the ballgame, as he worked his way efficiently and effectively through the red-hot Phillies lineup before running into some trouble with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. 

A pair of singles from Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto, then a Bryson Stott walk loaded the bases with one out -- Tidwell then got Otto Lopez to roll into a fielder’s choice before his night came to an end. 

José Castillo entered and allowed another run scoring hit but was able to close the youngster’s line with just the two runs allowed on four hits while walking three and striking out four across 3.2 innings of work. 

While Tidwell didn’t provide the Mets with the length they were hoping for, and the bullpen ended up blowing things up behind him, he was still solid. 

“Compared to that last outing, a lot better,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The fastball had life, the cutter and slider to go with the sweeper a lot better as well -- obviously in the fourth he left a pitch up to Realmuto and then we knew we were going to keep him to that pitch count.”

This continues a stretch of strong pitching for the 24-year-old former second-round pick -- who had put together five consecutive outings with three earned runs or fewer prior to his rough last start before the unexpected call-up. 

While it’s an encouraging sign, he knows he just has to keep grinding when he returns to Syracuse. 

“I thought I executed the ball better tonight,” Tidwell said. “I had command of the fastball, but wish I had a couple of pitches back. Overall I thought it went better than the last, but there’s still more work to be done.”

The Mets played another dreadful game against a division rival, this time losing to the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2, on Friday night. New York is now one game behind the Phillies for the NL East lead.

Here are the takeaways...

-In just his second career start in the majors, Blade Tidwell faced off against two-time Cy Young award runner-up Zack Wheeler and did well -- matching the former Met by going the first three innings without allowing a run. During that stretch, the 24-year-old gave up just two hits and two walks while striking out three to keep it a scoreless game.

Things got messy for Tidwell to start the fourth after singles by Nick Castellanos and JT Realmuto sandwiched a strikeout to put runners on first and second with one out. Following a mound visit by pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, Tidwell lost Bryson Stott to a walk with all four balls not even close. With the bases loaded, New York kept the rookie in for one more batter and the righty got the ground ball he was looking for for a potential inning-ending double play, but the Mets couldn't turn two on the high chopper to third base which resulted in the game's first run.

Tidwell's night was done after that after throwing 74 pitches (43 strikes). Despite not being able to give New York more length, the youngster's second major league start went far better than his first back on May 4 when he allowed six earned runs on nine hits (also in 3.2 innings) against the St. Louis Cardinals.

After Tidwell's exit, the Phillies scored another run in the fourth on Brandon Marsh's RBI single. The run was charged to Tidwell whose final line looked like: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. His ERA went from 14.73 to 9.82 through 7.1 innings.

-On the other side, Wheeler wasn't at his sharpest over his five innings of work, but he kept runs off the board against his former club and struck out eight, including Juan Soto as the tying run with a runner on second base to end his outing.

-With Wheeler out of the game, the Mets went to work immediately on the Phillies' bullpen, namely another former Met in Taijuan Walker. Pete Alonso greeted his former teammate with a solo shot to dead center leading off the inning that cut New York's deficit in half. Jeff McNeil erased it entirely with a solo jack three pitches later as the Mets went back-to-back to tie the game.

-That's where the game stood until the bottom of the seventh inning. Reed Garrett entered to keep things where they were as he's done so well and so often this season, but it turned into a disaster for the reliever. The right-hander allowed back-to-back doubles that gave Philadelphia the lead, walked a batter and then served up a run-scoring single before exiting without recording an out.

Both of Garrett's baserunners came into score against Justin Garza who had a rough inning of his own which included a double, single and a walk. All told, the Phillies scored six runs in the inning -- four charged to Garrett and two to Garza -- as the Mets have made it a habit of allowing crooked innings lately. Garrett's season ERA almost doubled from 1.23 to 2.45 after his outing.

For good measure, Philadelphia tacked on two more in the eighth on Castellanos' two-run homer off Garza who was tasked to finish the game.

-Offensively, the Mets had seven hits and scored just the two runs. During their seven-game losing streak, the offense has gone ice cold, scoring 16 runs during that span and just seven runs over their last four games -- all against NL East opponents.

-Francisco Lindor went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and hasn't had a hit in his last 18 at-bats (five games) which has seen his average drop to .264.

Game MVP: Nick Castellanos

He finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored.

Highlights

After Carlos Mendoza came out to argue, umpires came together and overturned home plate umpire Jonathan Parra's call of a Francisco Lindor strikeout

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/uXgIasvbKI

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 20, 2025

Blade Tidwell strikes out Trea Turner in the midst of a 1-2-3 first!

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/NAo6nLlS8t

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 20, 2025

Francisco Lindor with the barehand

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/WtmBRrYavg

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 21, 2025

Pete Alonso gets the Mets on the board with a homer to start the 6th!

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/lHdUDyG5NN

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 21, 2025

Jeff McNeil goes back-to-back with Pete Alonso and the game is tied!

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/fvyQsC6lgW

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 21, 2025

What's next

The Mets and Phillies play the second game of a three-game series on Saturday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on FOX.

RHP Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80 ERA) will face RHP Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21 ERA).

The Yankees were defeated by the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3, on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

Here are some takeaways...

- Both offenses have been up-and-down of late, but they came out flying in this one. The Orioles loaded the bases and struck for two thanks to a Gary Sanchez single in the first, but the Yankees answered right back and evened things up on a Jazz ChisholmJr. RBI knock and Jasson Dominguez sac fly in the bottom half.

Both Chisholm and Dominguez were able to reach base twice on the night.

- New York jumped in front a few innings later on an Aaron Judge solo homer on his bobblehead night -- it was his 27th long ball of the season and the 48th of his career against Baltimore, which is the most by any player against any opponent since 2017.

Judge was on-base four times on the night with a homer, single, and a pair of walks.

- Max Fried found a feel for his pitches and settled in nicely after his rocky first inning. The ace southpaw went into cruise control as he picked up five punchouts and settled the next nine hitters in order before allowing a two-out double to Coby Mayo in the fourth -- he struck out the next batter to strand him there.

But the Orioles pushed men into scoring position again in back-to-back innings. Fried stranded Jackson Holiday after he walked and then stole second in the fifth, but Baltimore broke through in the sixth as three straight softly hit singles evened things back up at three.

After the lefty talked his way into staying in the game, he retired the next two Orioles to escape further damage and end his night with a final line of three runs allowed on seven hits and seven punchouts over six innings -- his ERA is now at 2.05 on the year.

- After Jonathan Loáisiga put together a scoreless top of the seventh, Luke Weaver entered and was greeted rudely in his return from the injured list. Ramón Urias lifted a solo homer just over a leaping Judge into the short porch, putting Baltimore back in front for the first time since the first inning.

Weaver would allow two more singles and was pulled with two on and two outs in the inning -- Tim Hill allowed another run to score before ending the inning.

- The Yanks offense had numerous opportunities, but they weren't able to scratch anything across against the Baltimore bullpen. Hard-throwing right-hander Felix Bautista put the finishing touches on, recording his ninth consecutive scoreless appearance.

- Anthony Volpe's recent struggles at the plate continued -- he went 0-for-4 with a pair of ugly looking strikeouts, pushing his hitless streak to 24 at-bats dating back to last Saturday's loss against the Red Sox.

- New York has now lost seven of their last eight, and their lead in the AL East is down to 1.5 games.

- They are now 8-12 against their divisional opponents thus far this season, and 35-20 against everyone else.

Game MVP: Ramón Urias

He went just 1-for-5 on the night, but his one knock was the big one against Weaver in the eighth.

Highlights

Jazz Chisholm Jr. gets the Yankees on the board! pic.twitter.com/MtCFc3a0hb

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 20, 2025

A long sac fly from Jasson Domínguez ties the game in the first! pic.twitter.com/uRO53RXbIT

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 20, 2025

ALL RISE.

27 HOME RUNS FOR AARON JUDGE! pic.twitter.com/Ed9hSwURBq

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 21, 2025

What's next

The Yanks and O's continue this three-game set in the Bronx on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

Clarke Schmidt (3-3, 3.16 ERA) takes the ball against right-hander Zach Eflin (6-3, 4.81 ERA).

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will serve a one-game suspension Friday night against the Nationals after Thursday’s benches-clearing altercation against the San Diego Padres.

In addition to the suspension, Major League Baseball announced Roberts was fined an undisclosed amount. Padres manager Mike Shildt also was suspended one game and fined, and Padres right-handed pitcher Robert Suarez was suspended three games and fined for “intentionally hitting” Shohei Ohtani with a pitch in the ninth inning.

Read more:Contentious Dodgers-Padres series ends with benches clearing and managers ejected

“I support it. I think that obviously, I never want to make the game about the managers, it shouldn’t be,” Roberts said Friday. “It should be about the players and winning.”

He continued: “It unfortunately came to a point where we became the focus and that’s not the way it should be.”

Bench coach Danny Lehmann will manage the Dodgers against the Nationals.

The back-and-forth animosity on the field came to a peak Thursday when Dodgers relief pitcher Jack Little hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch in the ninth inning.

Shildt exited the dugout and pointed at Roberts, causing the Dodgers manager to charge toward home plate. Roberts bumped Shildt, causing the benches to clear and bullpens to empty. Both managers were ejected.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Two of the injured Mets showed some positive signs in Syracuse on Friday. 

Sean Manaea took the next step in his rehab assignment -- making the jump up to Triple-A after putting together three up-and-down outings with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones. 

The southpaw was very sharp this time out -- allowing one run on two hits while issuing zero free passes and striking out seven over 5.1 innings in the first game of a double-dip with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. 

The lone run came in on an RBI groundout in his first inning of work, but then he cruised from there -- setting down the next 15 hitters he faced, including a stretch of four consecutive strikeouts.

Manaea finished his day with an efficient 62 pitches and 45 strikes to bring his ERA down to 1.69 in four outings.

He'll likely have one or two more appearances before returning, as, according to Mike Puma of the NY Post, the tentative plan is for the lefty to slot back into the Mets' rotation during the first week of July.

Sean Manaea was dominant in his rehab outing with Triple-A Syracuse today 🔥

His final line: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (62 pitches/45 strikes)

He retired the final 15 batters he faced 💪 pic.twitter.com/onH3okPYzM

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 20, 2025

Mark Vientos also enjoyed a nice day in what was his second appearance with Syracuse. 

The young power hitter struck out and then flew out in each of his first two at-bats, but then stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth and was finally able to do some damage. 

Vientos worked the count to 2-2 before lining a low changeup into the right-center field gap to clear the bases and make it a tie ballgame -- he ended up being stranded a batter later when Drew Gilbert lined out. 

He flew out and then grounded out during his final two at-bats, but it was still very encouraging to see him battle and then deliver the big two-out, game-tying hit.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said pregame Friday that the current plan is for Vientos to remain with Syracuse through this weekend, and if all goes well he could potentially be an option as soon as Monday.

Mark Vientos hits a bases-clearing double for Triple-A Syracuse! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CIMTxaSHxd

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 20, 2025

Other Notes

- Prior to the game being suspended, top pitching prospect Brandon Sproat was on the hill for Syracuse and he allowed three runs to score on a long Matt Mervis homer during his lone inning of work.

- Power-hitting utility man Luke Ritter has been on fire thus far in June and he also continued that on Friday -- picking up three hits, including a solo homer in the bottom of the second.

- Travis Jankowski has gotten off to a bit of a slow start since returning to the organization, but he had his hands all over this one -- picking up three knocks of his own, including a grand slam in the seventh.

- Recently signed right-hander Julian Merryweather worked around a leadoff double and two-out walk in the ninth to put the finishing touches on the victory -- he now has a pair of scoreless appearances thus far.

GRAND SLAM. TRAVIS JANKOWSKI. pic.twitter.com/xG5167ERw2

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) June 20, 2025

What we learned as Giants' offense fails to deliver big hit in loss to Red Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – A day that began with questions swirling about how Rafael Devers would handle facing his former team five days after being traded away ended with more questions. Not about Devers so much as the state of the entire team following the Giants’ 7-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Oracle Park.

Specifically, the pitching.

Manager Bob Melvin had to reach deep into San Francisco’s bullpen after starter Hayden Birdsong got knocked out of the game in the fifth inning. Birdsong wasn’t nearly as sharp as he has been, allowing five runs in 4 1/3 innings.

There wasn’t a whole lot of relief from the bullpen, either.

Sean Hjelle allowed two hits and one run in his one inning of work. Erik Miller retired two batters before giving way to Joey Lucchesi, who gave up a run and got one out.

Things weren’t that much better for the offense.

Two of the Giants runs came on double plays, earning Christian Koss a place in history. Koss grounded into both and became the third player in major league baseball over the last 50 years to ground into two bases-loaded double plays that scored a run in the same game.

Heliot Ramos and Casey Schmitt had two hits apiece. Willy Adames reached base three times and scored a pair of runs, and Patrick Bailey walked three times

In spite of everything the Giants had a chance to make things a lot more interesting with two outs in the eighth before Mike Yatsrzemski struck out swinging with the bases loaded.

The Giants scored off Boston starter Hunter Dobbins early and led 3-0 after two innings before Boston’s bats woke up.

The Red Sox got a two-run home run by David Hamilton in the third, tied the game on Cedanne Rafaela’s single in the fourth then scored twice in the fifth to lead for good.

Here are the takeaways from Friday:

DEVERS FACES FORMER TEAM

The newest Giant star has been treated like royalty since arriving in town, and Friday’s game against his former team wasn’t much different.

Devers received a standing ovation from the Oracle Park crowd when he strolled to the plate for his first at-bat that ended in a groundout to first.

Rafael Devers receives a big ovation before his first at-bat against his former team 👏 pic.twitter.com/07crQEj2zm

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 21, 2025

There wasn’t as much fanfare for Devers’ second AB but he gave the fans a jolt with a deep drive to left-center that Rafaela caught before bouncing into the wall in center field.

In the fifth inning Devers grounded into a fielder’s choice that got Ramos into scoring position before Wilmer Flores’ RBI single. Devers came up as the tying run in the seventh and flew out to center, then struck out swinging against Aroldis Chapman in the ninth.

An O-for night is never good but the energy at Oracle Park is definitely different with Devers in the lineup.

NO DEFENDING BAD DEFENSE

The fifth inning looked more like something out of a Bad News Bears movie rather than a professional baseball game due to the wacky defense the Giants put on display.

Center fielder Jung Hoo Lee fielded Roman Anthony’s single and tried to throw home to get Jalen Duran but the throw was short and off target. Catcher Patrick Bailey grabbed the ball and went to throw to second as Anthony neared the bag but Bailey’s throw sailed into center field.

Boston’s next batter, Abraham Toro, hit a grounder to right that went underneath the glove of second baseman Christian Koss for a run-scoring error.

BIRDSONG BLUES

Birdsong has had varying levels of success since being promoted to the rotation, and that was the case when he toed the rubber against the Red Sox Friday.

The right-hander gave up seven hits and five runs (four earned) before he was chased from the game with one out in the fifth inning after three of the four batters he faced reached safely.

The ending was in stark contrast to how Birdsong’s day began. The right-hander’s fastball was clocking in at the mid-90s in the early-going and helped the starter retire the first seven Red Sox batters before Rafaela’s double broke up the no-hit bid.

Part of the problem was Birdsong’s control. Although he walked only one, Birdsong threw 85 pitches (34 for balls) while getting only 13 outs. That continued a trend of high pitch counts and shortened outings that have plagued the pitcher over his last five starts.

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Behind Wheeler and massive 7th inning, Phils beat Mets and grab sole NL East lead  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies poured on the runs in the seventh inning and extended a miserable run for the Mets on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Behind Zack Wheeler and a six-run seventh, the Phils earned a 10-2 victory over the Mets in the series opener. They grabbed sole first possession of first place in the NL East and moved to 46-30 this season. New York dipped to 45-31 with a seventh consecutive loss. 

Wheeler tossed five scoreless innings, scattering four hits, walking three and striking out eight. 

The Mets loaded the bases in the top of the first inning through a Brandon Nimmo single and walks by Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. Wheeler prevented any immediate damage by inducing a Jeff McNeil double-play ball. 

While Wheeler’s command remained a bit worse than his excellent norm — he needed 61 pitches to complete three innings — the Phils’ ace otherwise mowed down the Mets. Over the third and fourth innings, Wheeler racked up five strikeouts. 

Mets righty Blade Tidwell fared well in the early stages of his second big-league start. He retired the first five Phillies hitters and threw strikes on 15 of his first 19 pitches.

Tidwell didn’t finish the fourth inning and the Phils pulled in front. 

Nick Castellanos and J.T Realmuto singled, Bryson Stott walked, and Otto Kemp got a bases-loaded opportunity with one out. He just about cashed in, hitting a chopper to third base, hustling to first and avoiding a double play. Tidwell exited and lefty Jose Castillo entered to face Brandon Marsh, who built the Phillies’ lead to 2-0 with an opposite-field RBI single. 

Wheeler wiped out a two-out Mets threat in the fifth inning. With Nimmo on second base, he appeared to have struck Soto out. However, Soto received a generous-looking check swing call to stay alive in the at-bat. Wheeler made sure it didn’t matter, throwing a sharp 3-2 sweeper that Soto whiffed at. 

After turning to their bullpen, the Phils’ advantage disappeared.

Alonso crushed a leadoff solo shot to center field off of Taijuan Walker and McNeil followed by smashing a middle-of-the-plate splitter over the right-field wall. Not Walker’s finest hour in a middle-relief role. 

Tanner Banks replaced Walker and provided some stability with 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings. Kemp chipped in a couple of nice defensive plays at first base, leaping to catch a Tyrone Taylor jam shot in foul territory and snagging a Soto one-hopper to his backhand side. 

Marsh kicked off the bottom of the seventh by lining a double down the left-field line. Trea Turner dinked a two-bagger to right, Alec Bohm and Castellanos kept the Phils’ rally rolling with base hits, and the game was suddenly much less tense.

The most memorable play of the inning was Stott’s one-out, bases-clearing double off the left-center wall. Realmuto was close to clipping Castellanos’ heels, but both slid in safely — simultaneously, almost — and the Phils went up 8-2. 

When he nailed a two-run dinger in the eighth, Castellanos had the luxury of jogging around the bases.

The Phillies will try to lock down a series win Saturday night. Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21 ERA) is set to face the Mets’ Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80 ERA).

Harper swinging again 

Bryce Harper took a step forward Friday in his rehab from the right wrist injury that’s kept him out since June 5. 

“I felt good today,” Harper told reporters pregame. “I threw and that felt good, and then I took 20 dry swings and 20 off the tee. Felt better than I thought it was, so I’m happy about that.”

Harper is unsure why his wrist pain returned, though he noted “there’s no structural issues” and he “won’t need surgery or anything like that.”

“We haven’t really gotten too many answers about it,” Harper said. “It’s been pretty sporadic I guess, trying to get some answers on stuff. Obviously, there’s a lot of inflammation in there. Just try to calm that down as best we can and do the best we can with that.”

He’s hopeful that the rest and rehab enables him to come back without pain. 

As for a return timeline, Harper doesn’t have anything firm yet. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s the first day swinging a bat, so I’ve just got to see how it feels tomorrow, see if we can progress. Once we do, then I’ll ramp up and see where I am.”

Behind Wheeler and massive 7th inning, Phils beat Mets and grab sole NL East lead  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies poured on the runs in the seventh inning and extended a miserable run for the Mets on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Behind Zack Wheeler and a six-run seventh, the Phils earned a 10-2 victory over the Mets in the series opener. They grabbed sole possession of first place in the NL East and moved to 46-30 this season. New York dipped to 45-31 with a seventh consecutive loss. 

Wheeler tossed five scoreless innings, scattering four hits, walking three and striking out eight. 

The Mets loaded the bases in the top of the first inning through a Brandon Nimmo single and walks by Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. Wheeler prevented any immediate damage by inducing a Jeff McNeil double-play ball. 

While Wheeler’s command remained a bit worse than his excellent norm — he needed 61 pitches to complete three innings — the Phils’ ace otherwise mowed down the Mets. Over the third and fourth innings, Wheeler racked up five strikeouts. 

Mets righty Blade Tidwell fared well in the early stages of his second big-league start. He retired the first five Phillies hitters and threw strikes on 15 of his first 19 pitches.

Tidwell didn’t finish the fourth inning and the Phils pulled in front. 

Nick Castellanos and J.T Realmuto singled, Bryson Stott walked, and Otto Kemp got a bases-loaded opportunity with one out. He just about cashed in, hitting a chopper to third base, hustling to first and avoiding a double play. Tidwell exited and lefty Jose Castillo entered to face Brandon Marsh, who built the Phillies’ lead to 2-0 with an opposite-field RBI single. 

Wheeler wiped out a two-out Mets threat in the fifth inning. With Nimmo on second base, he appeared to have struck Soto out. However, Soto received a generous-looking check swing call to stay alive in the at-bat. Wheeler made sure it didn’t matter, throwing a sharp 3-2 sweeper that Soto whiffed at. 

After turning to their bullpen, the Phils’ advantage disappeared.

Alonso crushed a leadoff solo shot to center field off of Taijuan Walker and McNeil followed by smashing a middle-of-the-plate splitter over the right-field wall. Not Walker’s finest hour in a middle-relief role. 

Tanner Banks replaced Walker and provided some stability with 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings. Kemp chipped in a couple of nice defensive plays at first base, leaping to catch a Tyrone Taylor jam shot in foul territory and snagging a Soto one-hopper to his backhand side. 

Marsh kicked off the bottom of the seventh by lining a double down the left-field line. Trea Turner dinked a two-bagger to right, Alec Bohm and Castellanos kept the Phils’ rally rolling with base hits, and the game was suddenly much less tense.

The most memorable play of the inning was Stott’s one-out, bases-clearing double off the left-center wall. Realmuto was close to clipping Castellanos’ heels, but both slid in safely — simultaneously, almost — and the Phils went up 8-2. 

“I basically made a decision rounding third base,” Realmuto said. “In my head, I was like, ‘We’re either going to both be out or both be safe.’ Luckily, we both snuck in there.” 

Realmuto couldn’t recall ever being part of a similar play as a catcher.

“It kind of felt like playing a Little League game,” he said. “Even getting back into the dugout, everyone was laughing and having fun with it. Just a different scenario than you usually see in a game. To be able to have that fun … it was a special moment.” 

When he nailed a two-run dinger in the eighth, Castellanos had the luxury of jogging around the bases.

“Hitting’s contagious and when you’ve got the momentum going like that and everyone’s rolling, it’s a lot of fun,” he said.

The Phillies will try to lock down a series win Saturday night. Mick Abel (2-0, 2.21 ERA) is set to face the Mets’ Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80 ERA).

Harper swinging again 

Bryce Harper took a step forward Friday in his rehab from the right wrist injury that’s kept him out since June 5. 

“I felt good today,” Harper told reporters pregame. “I threw and that felt good, and then I took 20 dry swings and 20 off the tee. Felt better than I thought it was, so I’m happy about that.”

Harper is unsure why his wrist pain returned, though he noted “there’s no structural issues” and he “won’t need surgery or anything like that.”

“We haven’t really gotten too many answers about it,” Harper said. “It’s been pretty sporadic I guess, trying to get some answers on stuff. Obviously, there’s a lot of inflammation in there. Just try to calm that down as best we can and do the best we can with that.”

He’s hopeful that the rest and rehab enables him to come back without pain. 

As for a return timeline, Harper doesn’t have anything firm yet. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s the first day swinging a bat, so I’ve just got to see how it feels tomorrow, see if we can progress. Once we do, then I’ll ramp up and see where I am.”

Giants insider explains why Kyle Harrison should excite Red Sox fans originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The drama around Rafael Devers’ departure from the Boston Red Sox has overshadowed the trade that sent him to the San Francisco Giants. What about the players Boston received in the blockbuster deal?

The Red Sox acquired left-hander Kyle Harrison, right-hander Jordan Hicks, minor-league outfielder James Tibbs III, and minor-league righty Jose Bello in exchange for their homegrown slugger. While Harrison and Hicks should be able to help the big-league club this season, Red Sox fans can’t help but wonder if they could have gotten more for a player of Devers’ caliber.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Giants insider Alex Pavlovic shared his thoughts on the Red Sox’ return during Friday’s Early Edition.

“I was a little surprised by the overall return,” Pavlovic said. “I think just from what I know about this team and their system, I think it was a little bit light, probably.

“Having said that, I am a huge fan of Kyle Harrison, and I know the Giants are as well. He’s about a year and three months removed from being the best left-handed pitching prospect in baseball.”

Indeed, Harrison was MLB’s No. 1 ranked left-handed pitching prospect heading into the 2024 season. The 22-year-old posted an underwhelming 4.56 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 24 starts, but those numbers were partially tainted by nagging injuries.

“Just some context on his career here: He looked really, really good when he came up in 2023. He looked like a future star here,” Pavlovic added. “Last year, he tried to pitch through an ankle injury and tried to help these guys because they needed the rotation help, and that led to some shoulder inflammation and really just set him back the second half of last year and put him in a tough spot in the offseason.

“But he did come back last month. He was throwing 96, 97 (mph), looked like the Kyle we saw two years ago. I will say, I mean, he is as mature a young man as I’ve ever covered here. So I think he’s gonna be a good one, I think the Red Sox did very well there. The rest of the package, they probably could have done a little bit better.”

Harrison’s boasts an outstanding high-90s fastball, but the Red Sox optioned him to Triple-A Worcester to work on the rest of his pitching repertoire. A reliable third pitch would help him immensely as he aims to work his way into Boston’s starting rotation.

As for the rest of the return, the hard-throwing Hicks spent his first seven MLB seasons as a reliever before joining the Giants starting rotation in 2024. He hasn’t fared well as a starter, compiling a 4.83 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 42 appearances (29 starts) over his one-and-a-half seasons in San Francisco. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Hicks will come out of Boston’s bullpen when he returns from the injured list.

Tibbs was the 13th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, one pick after the Red Sox’ selection of fellow outfielder Braden Montgomery, who was traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of the offseason Garrett Crochet trade. The 22-year-old was San Francisco’s No. 3 prospect and hit .246 with 12 homers, 32 RBI, 42 walks and 45 strikeouts in 57 games for High-A Eugene this season.

Bello, 20, was signed by the Giants as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2023. He recorded a 2.00 ERA across eight rookie-ball appearances (18 innings) this season, striking out 28 batters and walking three.

Trading an elite hitter like Devers typically would bring a bigger haul, but the Red Sox managed to dump all of the $254 million remaining on Devers’ contract. Rather than focusing on the best possible return, Breslow and Co. jumped at the opportunity to get Devers’ money off the books.

Devers will play his first game against his former team Friday night when the Red Sox and Giants begin a three-game series at Oracle Park.