Category: MLB

Buehler joins Phillies' fun in winning debut vs. Royals  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Walker Buehler stepped right into the Phillies’ winning ways Friday night. 

The 31-year-old righty made a victorious debut at Citizens Bank Park as the Phils became the first MLB team to rack up 50 home wins this season with an 8-2 decision over the Royals. They’ve lost just 23 times in Philadelphia. 

With their fifth straight win, the 88-60 Phillies surged closer to clinching the NL East. The Mets’ loss to the Rangers dropped the Phils’ magic number to three.

Buehler pitched five good innings, allowing five hits and one run. He walked one Royal and struck out three.

Kansas City did grab a lead in Buehler’s first inning as a Phillie. Bobby Witt Jr. singled up the middle, stole second base with two outs and scored on Maikel Garcia’s RBI knock. 

The Phillies bounced back with a run against Michael Lorenzen in the second inning. Otto Kemp lined a leadoff double and eventually came home on Rafael Marchan’s sacrifice fly. 

Buehler worked around a solid four-seam fastball that averaged 93.8 mph and threw strikes on 26 of his first 35 pitches. Even with that zone-attacking approach, the Royals didn’t hit many balls on the nose vs. Buehler. They had one ball in play with an exit velocity over 100 mph through four innings, which was five fewer than the Phillies.

The Phils went on top by teeing off against Lorenzen to begin the bottom of third. 

Bryce Harper laced an opposite-field two-run homer. Brandon Marsh then drove a high sinker to the same region as Harper’s dinger, raced to third base, slid in safely and pumped his fist in exultant celebration. Kemp singled to left through the Royals’ drawn-in infield.  

The fourth inning was even worse for Lorenzen. Marchan, Harrison Bader and Kyle Schwarber all doubled, the Phils stretched their advantage to 6-1 and Lorenzen exited. The Phillies reached double-digit hits for the fourth game in a row. 

The bullpen comfortably got the job done.

Tanner Banks, Tim Mayza, Orion Kerkering and Max Lazar combined to record the last 12 outs. Bryson Stott’s two-run long ball in the seventh inning made the Phils’ route to the finish line even a little less stressful.

Bohm moving through rehab process 

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said pregame that Alec Bohm will “hopefully” be able to return as soon as his 10-day injured list stint ends. The Phils placed Bohm on the IL on Monday with left shoulder inflammation. 

“He’s running,” Thomson said. “He’s going to do some glove work today. Hopefully, tomorrow he’ll start swinging the bat.”

Kemp started his fifth consecutive game at third base without Bohm and went 2 for 4. He’s had an excellent stretch since rejoining the Phillies, going 7 for 20 with two home runs and six RBIs. 

On deck 

The Phils’ Taijuan Walker (4-8, 4.03 ERA) and Kansas City’s Ryan Bergert (2-2, 3.48) will start Saturday night. Aaron Nola (4-8, 6.24 ERA) and Noah Cameron (3.00 ERA) are slated to pitch Sunday afternoon’s series finale.

Once the Royals leave town, the Phillies will embark on their final road trip of 2025, a six-gamer with series against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. 

Buehler joins Phillies' fun in winning debut vs. Royals  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Walker Buehler stepped right into the Phillies’ winning ways Friday night. 

The 31-year-old righty made a victorious debut at Citizens Bank Park as the Phils became the first MLB team to rack up 50 home wins this season with an 8-2 decision over the Royals. They’ve lost just 23 times in Philadelphia. 

With their fifth straight win, the 88-60 Phillies surged closer to clinching the NL East. The Mets’ loss to the Rangers dropped the Phils’ magic number to three.

Buehler pitched five good innings, allowing five hits and one run. He walked one Royal and struck out three.

“He fits right in,” Bryce Harper said. “He fits into that mold of a Philadelphia baseball player. It’s just a lot of fun to be around somebody that’s won in his career, has obviously pitched in big situations, big moments deep into the postseason. Getting a guy like that in our clubhouse is huge for us.”

Kansas City did grab a lead in Buehler’s first inning as a Phillie. Bobby Witt Jr. singled up the middle, stole second base with two outs and scored on Maikel Garcia’s RBI knock. 

The Phillies bounced back with a run against Michael Lorenzen in the second inning. Otto Kemp lined a leadoff double and eventually came home on Rafael Marchan’s sacrifice fly. 

Buehler worked around a solid four-seam fastball that averaged 93.8 mph and threw strikes on 26 of his first 35 pitches. Even with that zone-attacking approach, the Royals didn’t hit many balls on the nose vs. Buehler. They had one ball in play with an exit velocity over 100 mph through four innings, which was five fewer than the Phillies.

“Most of this year and even last year, I struggled a lot with the fastball command,” Buehler said. “I’ve thrown one way my whole life since I was 10 years old and I think the last two years, coming off of (Tommy John surgery) rehab, I just haven’t thrown that way. If I can get my arm to the slot, move the way I want and all this baseball mumbo-jumbo stuff, the feel of everything kind of comes back and makes sense to my hand and my brain.

“There’s room for an uptick, hopefully. To be able to execute and make some pitches is I think a great first step.”

The Phils went on top by teeing off against Lorenzen to begin the bottom of third. 

Harper laced an opposite-field two-run homer. Brandon Marsh then drove a high sinker to the same region as Harper’s dinger, raced to third base, slid in safely and pumped his fist in exultant celebration. Kemp singled to left through the Royals’ drawn-in infield.  

The fourth inning was even worse for Lorenzen. Marchan, Harrison Bader and Kyle Schwarber all doubled, the Phils stretched their advantage to 6-1 and Lorenzen exited. The Phillies reached double-digit hits for the fourth game in a row. 

The bullpen comfortably got the job done.

Tanner Banks, Tim Mayza, Orion Kerkering and Max Lazar combined to record the last 12 outs. Bryson Stott’s two-run long ball in the seventh inning made the Phils’ route to the finish line even a little less stressful.

The one late-inning negative for the Phillies was Edmundo Sosa’s exit in the seventh with right groin tightness, which manager Rob Thomson said he’d been dealing with “a little bit” recently.

“He’ll be day-to-day,” Thomson said. “We’ll check him out tomorrow. I just saw him favor it a little bit while he was on defense, so I checked him out. He said, ‘Yeah, it’s a little sore.’ Precautionary for now. We got him out of there.”

Bohm moving through rehab process 

Thomson said pregame that Alec Bohm will “hopefully” be able to return as soon as his 10-day injured list stint ends. The Phils placed Bohm on the IL on Monday with left shoulder inflammation. 

“He’s running,” Thomson said. “He’s going to do some glove work today. Hopefully, tomorrow he’ll start swinging the bat.”

Kemp started his fifth consecutive game at third base without Bohm and went 2 for 4. He’s had an excellent stretch since rejoining the Phillies, going 7 for 20 with two home runs and six RBIs. 

On deck 

The Phils’ Taijuan Walker (4-8, 4.03 ERA) and Kansas City’s Ryan Bergert (2-2, 3.48) will start Saturday night. Aaron Nola (4-8, 6.24 ERA) and Noah Cameron (3.00 ERA) are slated to pitch Sunday afternoon’s series finale.

Once the Royals leave town, the Phillies will embark on their final road trip of 2025, a six-gamer with series against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. 

To Andrew Friedman, something like this was a virtual impossibility.

“If you had said that we would have a six-week stretch where our offense would rank 30th in baseball, I would have said there was a zero percent chance,” the Dodgers president of baseball operations said last month.

“I would have been wrong,” he quickly added.

Over a five-week stretch from July 4 to Aug. 4, the Dodgers inexplicably ranked 30th (out of 30 clubs) in scoring. And though they’ve been slightly better in the five weeks since, questions about their supposed juggernaut lineup still abound.

Read more:Dodgers sweep Rockies to keep growing NL West lead, but Will Smith is a late scratch

In the first half of the season, the Dodgers boasted the best offense in the majors, leading the majors in scoring (5.61 runs per game), batting average (.262), OPS (.796) and hitting with runners in scoring position (.300) and went 56-32 over their first 88 games.

Since then, however, everything has flipped.

It started with a July slump that was as stunning as it was unforeseen, with the Dodgers averaging just 3.36 runs in a 25-game stretch commencing with Independence Day. Since then, there have been only marginal improvements, with the Dodgers entering Friday ranked 24th in scoring (4.21 runs per game), 25th in batting average (.237), 18th in OPS (.718) and 22nd in hitting with runners in scoring position (.245) over their last 58 games — a stretch in which they've gone 26-32.

“Not scoring runs,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said last week, “it's just not who we are.”

On the surface, the root causes seemed rather obvious. Much of their lineup was either on the injured list or scuffling in the wake of previous, nagging injuries. Healthy superstars were grinding through flaws with their swings. What little depth they had failed to compensate.

To that end, the team is hopeful it has turned the page.

Shohei Ohtani, after a midseason lull, is back to his MVP-caliber norms. Mookie Betts is back to looking like himself at the end of an otherwise career-worst season. Max Muncy and Tommy Edman have returned from injuries, providing the batting order with much-needed length. Significant playing time is no longer going to the likes of Buddy Kennedy, Alex Freeland, Estuery Ruiz or any of the other anonymous faces that populated the clubhouse during the campaign’s darkest days.

“Our lineup, our team, looks more whole,” manager Dave Roberts said this week. "I think that we've all been waiting for our guys to come back to health, and see what we look like as the ballclub that we had all envisioned.”

Still, when asked whether the Dodgers’ second-half slump could just be pinned on personnel issues, Roberts and his players said it wasn’t that simple.

The Dodgers might not have been whole. But they weren’t doing fundamental things — like stressing opposing pitchers, driving up pitch counts, or executing in leverage situations — either.

“We'd lost sight of playing the game the way we're capable of playing,” Roberts acknowledged.

“For a little while,” Betts added, “we were having just some bad at-bats.”

This is the dynamic the Dodgers have honed in on fixing, hoping to turn their summer-long frustrations into a valuable learning experience as October nears.

Read more:Emmet Sheehan, Teoscar Hernández help Dodgers increase division lead by beating Rockies

In recent days, a renewed and deliberate emphasis has been placed on the importance of competitiveness at the plate. Daily hitters’ meetings have included film sessions reviewing situational at-bats from the previous night. In-game dugout conversations have centered on a more basic message.

“It’s more about your approach, your plan,” Freeman said. “That’s been the focus.”

This week, the team took what it hopes are important first steps, ambushing the Rockies with seven- and nine-run performances in which they advanced baserunners, capitalized on scoring opportunities and built the kind of big innings that been missing over the two months beforehand.

“We said a few games ago, ‘This needs to be like how we focus for the playoffs,’” Freeman said. “Focus on the little things that help win games.”

The Dodgers, of course, have seen what a broken offense looks like before.

And they know what happens when it doesn’t get rectified before the playoffs.

Late in 2022, as co-hitting coach Aaron Bates recalled this week, the team slipped into bad habits while nursing a massive National League West lead: “It felt like that whole month of September was swing camp, or spring training,” he said, “in the sense of guys working on their swings individually too much, as opposed to playing the game in front of them.”

The results then were costly: A four-game NL Division Series elimination to the San Diego Padres in which the Dodgers repeatedly failed with runners in scoring position.

The next year was more of the same: The team losing its identity while coasting down the stretch, before being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in three listless games.

Last season, the Dodgers finally avoided such pitfalls. They batted .278 with runners in scoring position during their postseason run to the World Series. Their tying and go-ahead runs in the Fall Classic clincher came on a pair of productive at-bats in the form of sacrifice flies.

But this summer, after a first-half outburst that met every lofty expectation of their $400-million roster, more troubling patterns began to resurface again.

Betts’ slow start devolved into a career-worst slump, bottoming out with a .205 average during July. Freeman began to fade right alongside him, with his .374 season average at the end of May plummeting to .292 less than two months later. Edman and Teoscar Hernández struggled after returning from first-half injuries. Michael Conforto never found his footing while Andy Pages endured an extended sophomore slide.

When coupled with Muncy’s prolonged absence — he missed 48 of 56 games because of a knee injury and oblique strain — the Dodgers suddenly had a lineup of players either grinding to rediscover their swing, or struggling to make up for the firepower they were missing.

And as easy scoring dried up, their inability to work consistent “team at-bats” quickly became magnified.

“It happened incrementally, every day, little by little,” Bates said. “Where it’s like, you’re a little off, you want to see what’s wrong with your swing, and you don’t realize that it snowballs. Before you know it, you’re thinking so much about your swing, you’re off of the situations out there.”

It was a problem, Bates insisted, borne of good intentions. Most of the roster was battling swing flaws. Too much daily energy was spent on players trying to individually get their mechanics right.

It led to mindless swings that were wasted on bad pitches. It caused scoring opportunities to carelessly, and repeatedly, go frustratingly by the wayside.

“Guys just got so internal with their mechanics,” Bates said, “they weren’t able to shift their focus once the game starts to just competing in the box.”

Bates started sensing the trend while watching the team from afar, gaining a different perspective during a two-week medical absence in early August to address blood clots in his leg.

In the clubhouse, players began voicing similar observations after particularly puzzling offensive performances in recent weeks.

“I feel like a lot of swings that we took today weren't really good swings to get on base,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas said after the Dodgers managed only one hit in six innings against Padres left-hander Nestor Cortes on Aug. 23. “We know we're more than capable of putting up better at-bats and more hits together to create some traffic.”

“We individually are trying to find ways on our own to make sure that we’re just hitting better than we are,” Ohtani echoed, through an interpreter, after the Dodgers’ one-run performance in a series opener in Baltimore last weekend. “But I think the side effect of that is, we’re a little too eager, and putting too much pressure on ourselves.”

Thus, this week, the team endeavored to make changes.

In their daily pregame hitters’ meetings, the club has started holding what fellow co-hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc described to SportsNet LA as “NFL-style” film sessions; in which players were asked to review situational at-bats from the night before, and analyze their ability to execute their plan of attack.

“The game rewards you for having those ‘team at-bats,’ ” Bates said. “So you just preach to them by holding each other accountable, talking about them after the fact, not shying away from it.”

Freeman added that, in the dugout, players have also made an effort to emphasize that message among themselves.

“Don’t get upset because your swing didn’t feel good,” he said. “Like, if you go 0-for-four but move a runner over four times, that’s a great game for us. It might not be for your stats. But you gotta throw that out the window. That’s what we’ve been trying to clean up.”

The hope is that this renewed focus will naturally help hitters sync up their swings.

On Monday night, for example, Betts moved a runner to third base with a fly ball in the sixth inning, before coming back to the plate and roping a tie-breaking two-run single with two outs in the eighth.

Read more:Hernández: Can starting pitching carry the Dodgers in October? Dave Roberts may not have a choice

“He said it in the hitter’s meeting [the next day],” Freeman relayed, “how that little positive thing of moving [a runner] over helped him build confidence going into his next at-bat.”

Little moments like that, the Dodgers hope, will help kick-start their offense as they come up on the playoffs. They might not have been able to envision the struggles of the last two months. But now, between better health and improving at-bat quality, they finally see a way to fix their ailing offense.

“Now, we're at least having good at-bats, getting a walk, extending innings, finding ways to manufacture runs,” Betts said.

“I do think that presently, the guys are engaged,” Roberts added. “Guys are playing as one right now."

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Giants star Matt Chapman avoids one-game suspension after successful appeal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Giants third baseman Matt Chapman, in fact, will play against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night at Oracle Park.

Chapman’s status was in doubt as he awaited a ruling on his appeal of a one-game suspension handed down by MLB for his involvement in a benches-clearing incident against the Colorado Rockies.

The 32-year-old’s appeal was successful, the team announced Friday.

“Matt Chapman’s one-game suspension was dropped as part of a settlement agreement with the Commissioner’s Office that will require him to pay a fine,” the team posted on X.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser first reported news of Chapman’s successful appeal on Friday.

If the appeal had been rejected, Chapman would have served the one-game suspension Friday night.

So, Chapman’s only punishment for shoving Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland during the Sept. 2 altercation is an undisclosed fine from the league.

Chapman, Freeland and Giants shortstop Willy Adames all were ejected from the Sept. 2 game after the Rockies’ starter took exception to San Francisco star Rafael Devers admiring a home run.

Chapman, this season, is slashing .243/.352/.458 with 19 doubles, 21 home runs and 56 RBI.

As the Giants fight for an NL Wild Card spot, they need Chapman in the lineup, especially with three important games against the Dodgers this weekend. A couple of losses against their arch-rival could be devastating to their playoff hopes.

The Giants (74-72) enter Friday’s series opener 1.5 games behind the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot. The Cincinnati Reds are tied with San Francisco.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

The Mets open a three-game series against the Rangers at Citi Field on Friday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

Mets Notes

• Juan Soto is hitting .314/.455/.694 with 14 home runs, 32 RBI, 35 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases in 154 plate appearances over his last 33 games dating back to Aug. 6
• The Mets enter play with a 1.5 game lead over the Giants and Reds for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League
• Jonah Tong gave up just three hits in his last start, but they were all home runs, as he allowed four runs in 6.0 innings while walking four and striking out six

• Jacob deGrom, in 109 starts at Citi Field, held opponents to a .191 average and a .536 OPS with 899 strikeouts to 162 walks with a 2.12 ERA over 696.2 innings. Friday will be his first start in Queens since Game 2 of the 2022 NLDS, 1,070 days ago, and first as a visiting player

What channel is SNY?

Check your TV or streaming provider's website or channel finder to find your local listings.

How can I stream the game?

The new way to stream SNY games is via the MLB App or MLB.tv. Streaming on the SNY App has been discontinued.

In order to stream games in SNY’s regional territory, you will need to have SNY as part of your TV package (cable or streaming), or you can now purchase an in-market SNY subscription package. Both ways will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone. 

How can I watch the game on my computer via MLB? 

To get started on your computer, click here and then follow these steps: 

• Log in using your provider credentials. If you are unsure of your provider credentials, please contact your provider. 

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• Log in using your MLB.com credentials to watch Mets games on SNY. 

• Select the SNY Mets game you wish to view from the Multimedia Center. 

How can I watch the game on the MLB App? 

MLB App access is included for FREE with SNY. To access SNY on your favorite supported Apple or Android mobile device, please follow the steps below.  

• Download the free MLB App.

• Open “MLB” and tap on “Subscriber Login” for Apple Devices or “Sign in with MLB.com” for Android Devices. 

• Type in your MLB.com credentials and tap “Log In.”  

• To access live or on-demand content, tap on the "Watch" tab from the bottom navigation bar. Select the "Games" sub-tab to see a listing of available games. You can scroll to previous dates using the left and right arrows. Tap on a game to select from the game feeds available.  

For more information on how to stream Mets games on SNY, please click here.

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Rangers play a three-game series at Citi Field starting on Friday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

5 things to watch

Jacob deGrom's return

For the first time since leaving via free agency after the 2022 season, deGrom will face the Mets.

The 37-year-old, who had Tommy John surgery during the 2023 campaign, has been terrific this year -- but he's not quite at the same heights he was at in New York.

In 27 starts over 155.2 innings this season, deGrom has a 2.78 ERA (3.54 FIP) and 0.93 WHIP with 169 strikeouts (a rate of 9.8 per nine).

Before leaving via free agency, deGrom was coming off a pair of injury-riddled seasons, and the Mets seemingly didn't make much of an effort to bring him back. That decision felt prudent when deGrom threw just 41.0 innings combined during his first two years in Texas.

During his time in New York, deGrom wasn't just the best pitcher in baseball. He was an almost unbelievable force. From 2018 to 2021, he went on a run of excellence that was almost impossible to believe. In 91 starts over 581.0 innings, deGrom had a 1.94 ERA and 0.88 WHIP while striking out 774 batters. He won a pair of Cy Youngs (in 2018 and 2019) and was coasting toward a third in 2021 (1.08 ERA in his first 92.0 innings) before injuries derailed his year.

Where is the offense?

During their six-game losing streak, the Mets have scored just 15 runs -- an average of 2.5 per game.

As they were swept out of Philadelphia on Thursday, the Mets plated four runs in the first inning and then proceeded to do literally nothing for the rest of the game.

In the process, the Mets became the first team in the modern era to score four or more runs in the first inning, have no one reach base for the remainder of the game, and lose.

The only consistent presence in the lineup during this skid has been Juan Soto, who has remained hot. Otherwise, it's been lots of weak contact and strikeouts. 

It's all on the kids in the rotation

One of the main culprits of the Mets' swoon since June has been inconsistent starting pitching.

Specifically, their veteran starters have been largely ineffective in terms of both run prevention and the ability to provide length.

A breath of fresh air has been provided by rookies Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat, and it's those three youngsters who will be leaned on to help the Mets rise from the doldrums against Texas.

Tong gets the start on Friday, followed by Sproat on Saturday and McLean on Sunday.

McLean has been especially impressive since making his debut, with a 1.42 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 31.2 innings. 

The out of town scoreboard

When the Mets won the first game of their series against the Reds last weekend, it seemed that they were on their way to coasting to the playoffs.

But their six-game skid has made things murky.

Entering play on Friday, the Mets are just 1.5 games up on the Giants and Reds for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League.

The Mets hold the tiebreaker over the Giants, but it's the Reds who hold the tiebreaker over the Mets.

As New York battles Texas, Cincinnati faces the Athletics in Sacramento, while San Francisco hosts the Dodgers.

Rangers are hot amid late playoff push

While they're on the outside looking in when it comes to the AL West and the Wild Card race, the Rangers are making things interesting. 

By going 7-3 over their last 10 games and reeling off four straight wins, the Rangers are in position to pounce.

They trail both the Mariners and Astros by 2.0 games for the division lead.

In the Wild Card chase, the Rangers are 2.0 games back of the third and final spot.

The Rangers are undermanned offensively right now, though, without Corey Seager (appendectomy) and Marcus Semien (foot).

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Francisco Lindor

Lindor, like most of his teammates, has been in a cold snap. But he has a knack for stepping up in big spots. 

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Nolan McLean

It's McLean until proven otherwise. His stuff and mettle have been a sight to see. 

Which Rangers player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Jake Burger

Burger is having a solid season and blasted two homers against the Brewers on Wednesday.

Why Red Sox should do whatever it takes to keep Alex Bregman in Boston originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

For the first time since 2021, the Boston Red Sox are playing meaningful baseball past Labor Day. And Alex Bregman’s role in that development can’t be overstated.

The on-field stats are impressive enough. At 31 years old, Bregman is enjoying his best season since 2019, with a .279 batting average, 16 home runs and 57 RBI through 101 games. He leads all Red Sox regulars (minimum 90 games played) in on-base percentage (.362) and OPS (.862) while playing a Gold Glove-caliber third base.

But Bregman might be making a bigger impact off the field, where he’s served as an instrumental veteran leader for a young team that traded away its best player (Rafael Devers) in June and has thrust several recently-promoted prospects into key roles.

Not only has the two-time World Series champion served as a de facto hitting coach for younger players in the clubhouse, he’s also been feeding a steady stream of intel to Red Sox pitchers, which The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey highlighted in an excellent story Thursday.

“Bregman has a habit, according to teammates, of reaching out at all hours with some idea or tidbit geared toward Sox excellence,” Healey wrote. “Whereas almost all hitters are content to remain in their realm, Bregman finds time to — and takes pride in — pitching in with the pitchers.

“He studies opposing teams’ lineups to offer game-planning tips, converses one-on-one with hurlers about their repertoire and a hitter’s perspective on to maximize it, and serves as a ringleader encouraging hitter/pitcher cross-communication that, around the sport, is not common.”

That’s all to say chief baseball officer Craig Breslow deserves his flowers for signing Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract this offseason. But Breslow’s work with Bregman isn’t done.

Bregman’s contract includes opt-outs after each season, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported last week that the veteran third baseman is likely to opt out this winter to seek a more lucrative deal in free agency. While the Red Sox could prevent that scenario by agreeing to an extension with Bregman before the season ends, his agent, Scott Boras, shot down that idea this week.

“We’re at the point now where you wait until the offseason and see what transpires,” Boras told Audacy’s Rob Bradford. “Obviously, I think he’s very open about it. He has enjoyed it there. The team has more defined promise than it did a year ago. With free agency, you have to see how things go.”

Boras and Bregman will have plenty of leverage. According to Passan, Bregman likely will seek “the five-year-plus deal at an average annual value of $35 million-plus that eluded him last winter.” And the league’s big spenders — the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies — could be willing to open up their checkbooks after Bregman’s strong 2025 campaign.

So, should the Red Sox, who haven’t acted like a big-market team since Dave Dombrowski’s departure six years ago, really enter a bidding war for a third baseman who will turn 32 next March?

The short answer is yes.

Boston does have some leverage in that Bregman seems to be enjoying his experience at Fenway. The 10-year veteran recently told USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale that the 2025 Red Sox remind him of his “earlier years in Houston” — when the Astros were building a multi-time World Series champion — and added, “It’s a lot of fun to be in this environment.”

Even if Boras is hell-bent on taking the highest bid, however, the Red Sox still should be willing to pony up.

From young superstar Roman Anthony to recently-promoted hurlers Payton Tolle and Connelly Early, the Sox have a serious collection of young talent. And if Trevor Story doesn’t opt out of his contract this offseason, they’ll return essentially every core member of this year’s roster in 2026.

In short, these Red Sox are worth investing in — even if that means “overpaying” for the veteran leader who eventually could put them over the top.

With 15 games remaining in the regular season, the Mets are looking to hold off a handful of teams for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of play on Sept. 12.

Mets: 76-71, 1.5 games up on Giants and Reds for third Wild Card

Next up: vs. Rangers, Friday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY (Jonah Tong vs. Jacob deGrom)
Latest result: 6-4 loss to Phillies on Thursday
Remaining schedule: 3 vs. TEX, 3 vs. SD, 3 vs. WSH, 3 @ CHC, 3 @ MIA
Odds to make playoffs: 77.9 percent
*Mets hold tiebreaker over Giants by virtue of winning the season series, while Reds hold tiebreaker over Mets

Reds: 74-72, 1.5 games back of Mets

Next up: @ Athletics, Friday at 10:05 p.m. (Brady Singer vs. J.T. Ginn)
Latest result: 2-1 win over Padres on Wednesday
Remaining schedule: 3 @ ATH, 3 @ STL, 4 vs. CHC, 3 vs. PIT, 3 @ MIL
Odds to make playoffs: 12.6 percent

Giants: 74-72, 1.5 games back of Mets 

Next up: vs. Dodgers, Friday at 10:15 p.m. (Justin Verlander vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto)
Latest result: 5-3 loss to D-backs on Wednesday
Remaining schedule: 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ ARI, 4 @ LAD, 3 vs. STL, 3 vs. COL
Odds to make playoffs: 8.2 percent

Diamondbacks: 73-74, 3.0 games back of Mets

Next up: @ Twins, Friday at 8:10 p.m. (Brandon Pfaadt vs. Pablo Lopez)
Latest result: 5-3 win over Giants on Wednesday
Remaining schedule: 3 @ MIN, 3 vs. SF, 3 vs. PHI, 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ SD
Odds to make playoffs: 1.9 percent

Cardinals: 72-75, 4.0 games back of Mets

Next up: @ Brewers, Friday at 8:10 p.m. (Andre Pallante vs. Quinn Priester)
Latest result: 4-2 loss to Mariners on Wednesday
Remaining schedule: 3 @ MIL, 3 vs. CIN, 3 vs. MIL, 3 @ SF, 3 @ CHC
Odds to make playoffs: 0.8 percent

Giants announce historic matchup vs. Mexican League team before 2026 MLB season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants announced an exciting new exhibition matchup that will take place just before the start of the 2026 MLB season.

San Francisco will host the Sultanes de Monterrey, a Mexican League baseball team, for two games on Monday, March 23 and Tuesday, March 24 at Oracle Park. The Giants, as part of their ongoing commitment to celebrate and uplift the Latino community, per a press release from the team, also will debut a new Gigantes uniform during the series.

“We are honored to welcome the Sultanes de Monterrey to Oracle Park,” Giants chief marketing officer Rachel Heit said. “Baseball connects cultures and communities, and this series embodies the importance of honoring our diverse fanbase and the Latino community in San Francisco and beyond.

“Together with the Sultanes, we look forward to creating an unforgettable experience for fans of both teams.”

In addition to the games, festivities at Oracle Park will include the following:

• Promotional Giveaway: Willy Adames T-shirt, presented by Coors Light. First 15,000 fans.
• Performances in Willie Mays Plaza: Mariachi SF and La Explosiva Sonora MX
• Pregame Performances: Ballet Folklórico Netzahualcoyotl and Mexican dance group from the Bay Area
• Opening Remarks: Mayor of San Francisco Daniel Lurie
• Jersey Exchange: President and CEO of the Giants Larry Baer, Embajador Gigantes and Forever Giant Sergio Romo and Sultanes owners Francisco González Albuerne and José Maiz Domene
• Home Plate Ceremony: Recognition of the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award nominee
• Honorary Captains: Mayor of San Francisco Daniel Lurie and Consul General of Mexico in San Francisco Marco Mena
• National Anthem: Laura Bravo, Lima-born, Bay Area–based singer and vocal coach
• Honorary First Pitch: Embajador Gigantes and Forever Giant Sergio Romo, accompanied to the mound by Sultanes owners Francisco González Albuerne and José Maiz Domene
• Community Spotlight: Honoring organizations supporting the Latino community
• Food & Beverage Specials: Michelada Souvenir Cup, Chorizo “Fiesta” Nachos and Elote Fries
• In-Game DJ: DJ Baysik, Bay Area-based DJ
• 7th Inning Stretch: Edú Bega, Bay area-based Dominican singer, songwriter and producer

Former Giants pitcher Sergio Romo, who currently is an analyst on NBC Sports Bay Area’s Giants pregame and postgame coverage, explained the significance of this series for him.

“As a Mexican American, this series is especially meaningful to me,” Romo said. “The Giants and Sultanes sharing the field at Oracle Park will showcase the unifying power of baseball and shine a spotlight on the passion our communities share for the sport.”

The Sultanes de Monterrey are equally as excited.

“We are thrilled to play the Giants and for our fans to enjoy the game at the highest level,” Sultanes de Monterrey co-president Ing. Francisco González Albuerne said. “Baseball is a sport that unites families and communities, and the Sultanes are committed to sharing beyond borders that baseball is much more than a game, it’s a lifestyle full of passion and hope.”

“For Sultanes de Monterrey, it is an honor to face the San Francisco Giants — a privilege we embrace with great enthusiasm and commitment,” co-president of Sultanes de Monterrey Pepe Maiz added. “This game is an opportunity to share with their fans the passion and tradition of Mexican baseball, which we have proudly represented for decades.

“I am confident it will be a historic occasion that brings our communities together and leaves a lasting memory for both clubs.”

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Thursday saw a brutal loss by the Mets that capped off a brutal series.

Already in the midst of a five-game losing streak and dropping the first three games of their series to the Phillies, the Mets blew an early 4-0 lead and were ultimately swept by their division rivals. After putting up four first-inning runs on Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo, the southpaw shut down the offense over the next seven innings. Jhoan Duran struck out the side in the ninth to lock down the 6-4 win with Phillies pitchers retiring 25 straight batters.

"Whether you’re up four, down four, at the end of the day, you didn’t get the job done," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of the loss. "Frustrating, but nothing we can do about it now. We have to get back at it tomorrow, go back home and win some baseball games."

The Mets (76-71) are now losers of six straight games and hold a slim 1.5-game lead over the idle Giants and Reds for the final wild card spot. It wasn't too long ago that the Mets' spot in the postseason was inevitable, but going 5-10 over their last 15 games has hurt their chances of holding on. 

When Mendoza was asked if he's worried about their wild card spot, the second-year skipper said he's not, but acknowledged there aren't a lot of games remaining. 

"Teams are right behind us," he said. "The way you look at it is, we’re still in control of the situation, we’re still in control of the ultimate goal. We just have to go out and do it."

"Gotta play better. Simple as that," David Peterson said after his start on Thursday. "We’ve seen what this group can do. We got 15 [games] left, we have to take care of business. Past is the past, and we have to let it go and play better. It's as simple as that."

Peterson was solid, giving the Mets five innings while allowing three runs before the bullpen -- led by Reed Garrett -- gave up the lead in a three-run sixth. A part of that bullpen implosion was the misplay of Jeff McNeil in center field that led to the go-ahead run. The longtime Met didn't show concern about the team's standing in the playoff picture when asked after the game because of his teammates.

"Got a bunch of great guys in here. We’ve been through a lot this year. Right now, we’re still in a playoff spot," he said. "Could be worse. We’re going to come tomorrow, tough game tomorrow, and be ready."

After a 10-game road trip, where the Mets went 3-7, the team returns home for nine games.  The Mets are 45-27 at home this season, the fourth-most in the NL this year, so perhaps going back to Citi Field could cure what ails them. 

Mendoza said it's "always nice to go home," but repeated that it comes down to the Mets playing better and winning games. When asked how the Mets can "reset," he put the inenviable task on himself.

"I’m responsible. I’m the manager, it’s my job to get these guys going and I will," he said. "I have a lot of confidence in myself, my coaches and the players. It’s not easy right now. We are all frustrated, but we still got an opportunity here to achieve our goal."

He later added, "As bad as it looks right now, as bad as it’s been, we’re still in control. But we got to play better, that’s the bottom line."

Carlos Mendoza was asked if there's anything he could do to reset the Mets:

"I'm responsible. I'm the manager. It's my job to get these guys going and I will" pic.twitter.com/uk8XGuKTPD

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 12, 2025

Aaron Judge smacked two home runs and the Yankees knocked around the visiting Detroit Tigers for 14 hits in a 9-3 win Thursday night in The Bronx.

The Yanks avoided the sweep and kept their hopes of winning the American League East alive as they improved to 81-65 on the season (44-31 at home) and are now 3.0 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays, who won earlier in the day to improve to 84-62.

Here are the takeaways...

- Judge put the Yanks ahead in the bottom of the first, crushing a 3-2 pitch into the visitor’s bullpen for a solo home run when a Tyler Holton cutter found the middle of the plate and it got smoked: 413 feet, 110.1 mph off the bat.

In his very next at-bat, Judge launched his second homer of the game to nearly the exact same spot, this time belting it 21 feet further, for a 434-foot solo shot to lead off the third. This one, off righty Sawyer Gipson-Long, was 114.9 mph off the bat and was the slugger’s 361st career home run, leveling him with Joe DiMaggio for fourth on the all-time Yankees home run list. He now has 46 home runs and 100 RBI for the season.

His hardest-hit ball (115.6 mph) came on a single up the middle to start the sixth. He finished 3-for-4 with a hit by pitch, but struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch to leave the bases loaded to end the seventh. 

- Yanks’ starter Cam Schlittler retired the first four batters with three strikeouts before allowing back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners with one out in the second. Schlittler jammed Dillon Dingler on the 11th pitch of the at-bat but was able to muscle it into right to level the score. After an early mound visit from Matt Blake, a strikeout and groundout got the righty out of the jam.

Again pitching with a lead, Schlittler allowed a leadoff double in the third, but a lineout doubleplay set up six straight retired to get the next seven outs. That came to an end with Parker Meadows’ single to right with one down in the fifth. After back-to-back two-out walks, the Tigers had the bases loaded, and Blake was out for another visit. But on a fifth straight fastball, Schlittler got Riley Greene swinging at a 98 mph heater at the top of the zone to leave ‘em full.

A quick sixth finished the day for the 24-year-old, his final line: 6.0 innings, one run, five hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts on 95 pitches (62 strikes). His ERA stands at 3.05 on the year. Schlittler tossed first-pitch strikes to 17 of 24 batters he faced.

- With one out in the third, Giancarlo Stanton got a 3-2 hanging breaking pitch and smacked it 429 feet into left field stands (108.9 mph off the bat). It was his 20th home run of the year, giving the Yanks seven players with 20 or more on the season, which ties a franchise record. Stanton now has 449 in his big league career. He finished 1-for-5 with three strikeouts and bounced into a 5-4-3 twin killing.

- Jazz Chisholm opened the home half of the second inning by cracking a two-strike single to right before stealing second with one out, his 28th steal of the season. Chisholm came around to score on Ben Rice’s double to the right field corner for his 55th RBI of the year.

Jose Caballero, playing short for the second straight game as Anthony Volpe had a cortisone shot on Wednesday, kept the line moving with an RBI single to left and immediately stole second for his 44th steal of the year, but was left stranded there.

- Rice cracked another double down the right field line to start the fourth and was moved to third on a single slapped into right by Caballero, who then stole second with one out. Austin Slater, batting leadoff and starting for the first time since August 4, was hitless his first two times up, but cracked a single against a drawn-in infield for an RBI. After Judge was hit on the elbow pad to load the bases, the Tigers brought in Bailey Horn, who promptly allowed an RBI single to Cody Bellinger. With two down, Chisholm muscled a broken-bat two RBI single to right to make it a 9-1 game. 

Chisholm finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a walk. Rice went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk.

- Ryan Yarbrough was the first man out of the bullpen and surrendered a homer to Dingler down the line in left on the third pitch he threw. He allowed a two-out walk in the seventh and a two-out walk and single in the eighth, but no further damage. Javier Báez drove a triple off the wall in center with one out in the ninth before scoring on a groundout before the Tigers' 27th out. But Yarbrough's three innings of work were enough to earn him the save. 

Game MVP: Judge

Judge entered the game batting .319, the lowest his average had been since he started 1-for-4 on Opening Day. He fixed that with his three hits, bringing it back up to .322, and raising his OPS to 1.112 for the year.

Highlights

Aaron Judge launches his 45th homer of the season to get the Yankees on the board first! pic.twitter.com/tO2KozW75O

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 11, 2025

RBI double for Ben Rice gives the Yankees the lead back 🍚 pic.twitter.com/EX8neWowv5

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 11, 2025

AARON JUDGE DOES IT AGAIN!

Judge is now tied with Joe DiMaggio for the 4th-most home runs in Yankees history (361) 🚀

pic.twitter.com/OBdFWt2yNL

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 12, 2025

Giancarlo Stanton blasts a solo shot to extend the Yankees lead! pic.twitter.com/0QVL4tgz3p

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) September 12, 2025

What's next

New York, with a half-game lead over the Red Sox for the top Wild Card spot, heads to Boston for a three-game set at Fenway Park, starting with Friday night's 7:10 p.m. first pitch.

New York has yet to name starting pitchers for the series. Boston is sending out right-hander Lucas Giolito for the first game, with RHP Brayan Bello and LHP Garrett Crochet following.