Category: MLB

What we learned as Giants go down without a fight in series finale vs. Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — There was some good news for the Giants this weekend. They did get the help they needed.

The Cincinnati Reds got swept up the road in Sacramento, and the New York Mets lost two of three to Bruce Bochy’s Texas Rangers. The National League wild-card race is still wide open, but the Giants weren’t able to capitalize as others struggled. 

They got blown out Sunday, losing 10-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers and dropping the series after a thrilling win Friday night. With 13 games remaining, the Giants are 1.5 games back of the Mets, who hold the tiebreaker. 

After walking it off Friday, the Giants had Logan Webb and Robbie Ray going for a series win. But both had disappointing outings. 

Ray and Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow both struggled with their command early on, but Glasnow found a way to settle in. Ray didn’t make it out of the fifth. 

The left-hander walked four, and when the final one was followed by a single and a double, the Dodgers were off and running. For a second straight day, they exploded in the fifth inning. This time it was a Michael Conforto single that was the big hit, and a fourth run scored in the inning on a balk by Joel Peguero, who appeared to be having issues with his PitchCom.

The Giants now will travel to Phoenix for a big three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks before visiting Dodger Stadium. Here are three things to know from the final day of a 3-3 homestand. 

Well, That Didn’t Work

The Giants took advantage of the off day on Thursday to slide Webb and Ray up a day and have them both face the Dodgers. That could pay off ultimately, as it will allow Webb to pitch Game 162 on short rest if the Giants need a win that day, but it certainly didn’t help in this series. 

A day after Webb left with the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth, Ray was knocked out after allowing the first three Dodgers to reach in the fifth. Combined, the co-aces gave up 11 runs and pitched just eight innings in the two games. Ray was charged with five earned on Sunday and walked four, and it could have been worse early on. He walked three in the second inning and loaded the bases for Shohei Ohtani, but he blew a fastball past him to temporarily get back on track.

Ray had good velocity, hitting 96 mph a couple of times in the first, but he sprayed the ball most of the afternoon. He threw just 58 of 98 pitches for strikes. 

Starting Off

If the Giants want to get to the MLB playoffs, they’re going to have to have a solid series at Dodger Stadium next week. If they do make it, they might end up going right back to Los Angeles for the wild-card round. At some point, they’ll need to figure out the Dodgers’ starting pitching, which is no easy task. 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 and allowed just one hit on Friday, and Glasnow gave up just one run on three hits on Sunday. In between, the Giants did get to Clayton Kershaw.

If the Dodgers stick to their current rotation plans, the Giants will see all three again next weekend, along with young right-hander Emmet Sheehan, who has allowed just two hits in 15 career innings against the Giants. 

#RevengeSeason

Conforto entered the day with a .194 average and .632 OPS. His first season in Dodger blue has been a rough one, but man, he loves facing the Giants. 

Conforto homered on Friday night and came off the bench Sunday for a back-breaking single through a drawn-in infield. In six games at Oracle Park this season, he went 9-for 18 with two homers and seven RBI. Last season as a Giant, Conforto hit .216 at Oracle Park with two homers and 15 RBI in 58 appearances. He has driven in more runs against the Giants (seven) this year than anyone else. 

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With the Mets having an off day on Monday, the team has a chance to get a little creative with their starting pitching plans heading into the upcoming three-game series with the San Diego Padres.

According to manager Carlos Mendoza, the Mets will start Clay Holmes on Tuesday in what would normally be Sean Manaea’s turn in the rotation.

Depending on how Sunday’s series finale against the Texas Rangers goes, the Mets could then “potentially” use Manaea in a piggybacking tandem situation, bringing the lefty out of the bullpen behind Holmes.

"We still need to get through today, but Clay is going to start on Tuesday," said Mendoza. "That’s all we know there."

After stepping up to become the Mets’ ace down the stretch and in the playoffs in 2024, this season has been one to forget for the veteran Manaea, who re-signed with the club on a three-year, $75 million contract in the offseason.

After an oblique injury in spring training and then a setback involving loose bodies in his left pitching elbow, Manaea’s regular season didn’t begin until mid July, and he hasn’t looked like the same pitcher the Mets saw last season.

In 11 starts, Manaea has pitched to a 5.76 ERA and has allowed 52 hits, including 10 home runs, in 50.0 innings. Since the start of August, Manea has an ERA of 7.71.

The Mets enter play on Sunday a half-game ahead of the San Francisco Giants for the final NL Wild Card spot.

With 13 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. 14...

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Mets: 76-73, 0.5 games up on Giants for third Wild Card

Next up: vs. Rangers, Sunday at 1:40 p.m. (Nolan McLean vs. Jacob Latz)
Latest result: 3-2 loss to Rangers on Saturday
Remaining schedule: 1 vs. TEX, 3 vs. SD, 3 vs. WSH, 3 @ CHC, 3 @ MIA
Odds to make playoffs: 69.5 percent
*Mets hold tiebreaker over Giants by virtue of winning the season series, while Reds hold tiebreaker over Mets

Giants: 75-73, 0.5 games back of Mets 

Next up: vs. Dodgers, Sunday at 4:05 p.m.(Robbie Ray vs. Tyler Glasnow)
Latest result: 13-7 loss to Dodgers on Saturday
Remaining schedule: 1 vs. LAD, 3 @ ARI, 4 @ LAD, 3 vs. STL, 3 vs. COL
Odds to make playoffs: 16.9 percent

Reds: 74-74, 1.5 games back of Mets

Next up: @ Athletics, Saturday at 4:05 p.m. (Nick Lodolo vs. Luis Morales)
Latest result: 11-5 loss to Athletics on Saturday
Remaining schedule: 1 @ ATH, 3 @ STL, 4 vs. CHC, 3 vs. PIT, 3 @ MIL
Odds to make playoffs: 9.4 percent

Diamondbacks: 74-75, 2.0 games back of Mets

Next up: @ Twins, Saturday at 1:10 p.m. (Nabil Crismatt vs. Bailey Ober)
Latest result: 5-2 win over Twins on Saturday
Remaining schedule: 1 @ MIN, 3 vs. SF, 3 vs. PHI, 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ SD
Odds to make playoffs: 4.1 percent

Cardinals: 72-77, 4.0 games back of Mets

Next up: @ Brewers, Saturday at 2:10 p.m. (Miles Mikolas vs. Jose Quintana)
Latest result: 9-8 loss to Brewers on Saturday
Remaining schedule: 1 @ MIL, 3 vs. CIN, 3 vs. MIL, 3 @ SF, 3 @ CHC
Odds to make playoffs: 0.5 percent

The Mets (76-73) look to end their eight-game losing streak as they take on the Texas Rangers (79-70) on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. on PIX11. 

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

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Mets Notes

• Nolan McLean has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his five major league starts, posting a 1.42 ERA
• Juan Soto is just the third player ever to have a season with 40 homers, 30 stolen bases, and 100 walks, joining Barry Bonds and Jeff Bagwell
• Francisco Lindor is just 3-for-his-last-28 (.107/.138/.143) over his last seven games

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How can I watch the game online?

To watch Mets games online via PIX11, you will need a subscription to a TV service provider and live in the New York City metro area. This will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone browser.

To get started on your computer, go to the PIX11 live stream website and follow the site's steps. For more FAQs, you can go here.

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Saturday, in case you missed it...

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• A handful of mistakes, including a very costly catcher's interference, saw Brandon Sproat's Citi Field excellent debut go for naught, as the Met fell to the Texas Rangers for their eighth straight loss
• After the game, manager Carlos Mendoza acknowledged that the Mets are "fundamentally not playing good baseball"
• John Harper writes that the Mets' mistakes have been adding up, and there's not a ton of evidence that this team can turn things around
• Prior to the game, members of the 2007 Mets explained what the current Mets need to do to avoid a similar fate
• Mendoza announced that Kodai Senga will make one more minor league start, while Jonah Tong remains in the rotation for now

BBC's chief sportswriter Tom English on BBC Sportsound: Rangers are in a desperate, desperate state. We keep saying Russell Martin can't survive this but we don't know what's in the minds of the Rangers owners. On the face of it, this team is going nowhere under Russell Martin.

Former Rangers forward Rory Loy on BBC Sportsound: Big changes need to happen, I'm not alluding to the manager necessarily but they need clear the air talks with Nico Raskin and to get him back in the team and get it put to bed.

They maybe don't win this game with him in the side but they're certainly much better.

The two weeks Russell Martin has had on the training pitch, they look like they've got worse. That loss is on the manager, there's been excuses before but I don't think there's any today [Saturday].

Derek McInnes described under-pressure Rangers counterpart Russell Martin as "a fine man, a fine manager" as his Hearts side ended an 11-year wait for a win at Ibrox amid chants from the stands for the home head coach to be sacked.

Martin insisted afterwards that he had no intention of quitting despite becoming the first Rangers team boss since 1978 to fail to win any of his first five league matches in charge.

Asked by BBC Scotland whether he had any sympathy for the former Rangers defender, McInnes said: "More than a bit, a huge lot. I didn't like that today. It's so unfair on a manager, I don't like it at all.

"He is a fine man, he's a fine manager and, when results don't always come at clubs, especially clubs this size, it's more than just the manager for me. That is tough on him.

"It's early on in the season. He's a new manager and, likewise with myself, I am just in at Hearts and, if we were still sitting towards the bottom end of the table and integrating loads of players and trying to kind of implement what we want to do, you'd be asking for that understanding. And, as managers, that's all we ask for."

While Rangers sit third bottom of the Scottish Premiership after the 2-0 defeat, Hearts are three points clear at the top before reigning champions Celtic face Kilmarnock on Sunday after taking 13 points from a possible 15.

"I enjoyed my team, but it was hard to ignore that and it was hard not to have empathy of course," former Rangers midfielder McInnes, who has been previously linked with a return to Ibrox as manager, added after a chorus of boos greeted Martin's exit up the Ibrox tunnel.

Teoscar Hernández pumped his fist. Ben Rortvedt let out a scream. Mookie Betts put some oomph on the end of the Dodgers’ arm-waving, hip-shaking, hit celebration.

After struggling for so long in high-leverage situations, the team’s offense finally had reason to celebrate.

For weeks now, the Dodgers have technically been in a tight division race.

The real battle, however, has often been with themselves.

At a time of the year typically dedicated to scoreboard watching and monitoring the standings, the team had instead been preoccupied by its own inconsistent play. Chief among their recent problems: Capitalizing on scoring opportunities.

In a 13-7 defeat of the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, they finally vanquished those demons.

Read more:Shaikin: Why Andrew Friedman's October test is looming with Dodgers

After trailing by three runs early, and reaching rock bottom again after coming up empty with the bases loaded and no outs in the second inning, the Dodgers mounted the kind of rally that had so often been missing during their lackluster second half of the season, scoring six runs in the top of the fifth inning to key what felt like a statement win.

“A lot of guys put together really good at-bats,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “We found a way to keep the ball moving forward, keep moving to the next guy. It was really impressive.”

Early in Saturday’s game, the Dodgers (83-65) had honed a sound approach. They stressed Giants ace Logan Webb. They stayed alive in two-strike counts. They worked long at-bats and put runners on base.

The missing ingredient, as usual, had been the big hits needed to build a big inning. Then, in the top of the fifth, it all so suddenly — and refreshingly — flipped.

That’s what happened in the second, when Webb wiggled out of trouble by getting Miguel Rojas to hit an infield pop-up and Rortvedt to roll into a double-play, preserving the 4-1 lead the Giants had taken against Clayton Kershaw in a 36-pitch first inning.

“It’s real easy, if you don’t get any runs in that inning, to sit there and start pouting and start letting the emotion take over,” Muncy said. “It’s tough to dig out of that hole."

This time, however, the Dodgers came back from the dead.

The turnaround started in the third, when Shohei Ohtani bat-flipped a leadoff home run that traveled 454 feet (the longest of his 49 long balls this season) and Hernández belted an RBI double off the wall with two outs.

That momentum carried into the fifth, when the Dodgers’ recently unproductive offense suddenly — and refreshingly — flipped the bases-loaded script.

After a walk from Betts, a single from Freddie Freeman and a walk from Muncy chased Webb from the game, Hernández came to the plate against Giants reliever José Buttó.

Hernández quickly fell behind to newly inserted Giants reliever José Buttó, taking a first-pitch fastball before fanning on a slider out of the zone. But after laying off another slider in the dirt, Hernández got a mistake, with Buttó leaving a fastball up and over the plate. Hernández lined it to the gap, where center fielder Luis Matos struggled to get a bead. It dropped in under Matos’ diving attempt, rolling past him for a two-run double that gave the Dodgers a 5-4 lead.

“Getting closer to October, everybody is trying to do the little things, not trying to do too much and just getting on base for the next guy,” said Hernández, who was one of three Dodgers hitters to record three hits and lead the way with three RBIs.

"That was a big difference today. Everybody was into the game. It didn't happen in the second inning, but we came back and started fighting again, every at-bat and scored some runs."

Indeed, from that point on, the floodgates burst open. Michael Conforto lifted a sacrifice fly to right. Rortvedt lined another two-run double to left-center. Betts bounced a run-scoring single up the middle.

By the time the side was retired, 11 Dodgers had come to the plate. Eight had reached safely. Six had come around to score.

An exorcism, exhale and sigh of relief for the Dodgers’ long-scuffling offense.

“That was awesome,” said Kershaw, who exited after the third. “For them to grind out at-bats — especially after me putting them in a hole after the first inning — getting guys on base, not trying to do too much, taking what they’re giving you, walks, hits, all the things, it was really impressive.”

Over their 26-33 stretch since July 4, the Dodgers had lost so many games like this one, letting bad outings from starters or wasted opportunities early in games send them into spirals that lingered for days (and sometimes weeks) after.

But on this night, every moment of adversity was met with an answer.

After Kirby Yates gave back three runs in the bottom of the fifth, the Dodgers responded with another three-spot in the sixth punctuated by an RBI double from Rojas. When the bullpen needed someone to calm the waters, rookie left-hander Justin Wrobleski produced 2⅓ scoreless innings.

Even on a day that Will Smith was placed on the injured list (finally being shelved after battling a bone bruise on his hand for the last 10 days) and Muncy left the game after taking a pitch to the head (he passed postgame concussion protocols, and will have a scheduled day off Sunday), the Dodgers didn’t wilt.

Instead, their lineup finally produced as expected, going seven for 15 with runners in scoring position, producing 11 of their 23 combined hits and walks with two strikes, and fueling a win that keeps the team 2½ games up in the National League West standings — all while helping ease concerns about their recently inconsistent offense.

“I just don't see why we can't do that, as far as approach, on a nightly basis,” manager Dave Roberts said. “With two strikes, you got to give something up. And I think for me tonight, I saw us give up the pull side. And then you're starting to get hits to the big part of the field, hits the other way to the other gap, winning pitches. We did that all night long. Good stuff."

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

If ever there were a day that told you it’s just not happening for the Mets this season, it was Saturday at Citi Field. 

It wasn’t only that they blew a 2-0 lead after seven innings to lose 3-2 to the Texas Rangers. There have been plenty of bad losses lately, and indeed their losing streak is now eight and counting, leaving them three games over .500 with the third wild-card spot slipping away from them.

No, this was more about the way they lost, making so many dumb or inexplicable mistakes that manager Carlos Mendoza couldn’t deny the obvious.

“Fundamentally, we’re not playing good baseball,” he said at his postgame news conference.

They’re back to failing badly in the clutch as well, going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Maybe that was inevitable after their hot August with the bats, but it’s crunch time now and nobody’s getting it done. 

Worse, in some ways, were the glaring mistakes.

There was Brett Baty getting picked off second base with no outs in the sixth inning, the second time this week he’s been picked off a base in a close game. It just can’t happen.

There was Francisco Alvarez getting called for catcher’s interference to allow Josh Smith to reach base leading off the eighth inning -- a crucial blunder that led to the Rangers’ first run.

Mendoza seemed especially upset about that one, noting that with Tyler Rogers pitching, hitters are going to let the ball get deep, not fearing the velocity. 

“We don’t have the awareness there,” he said, speaking of Alvarez, “and it cost us.”

Then, with the game tied 2-2, there was Francisco Lindor’s failure to catch Cody Freeman's relatively routine line drive that started the Rangers’ winning rally. Lindor had to jump, which was why the play was ruled a hit, but even Lindor afterward said, “I should have caught it, 100 percent.”

Finally, there was Edwin Diaz making costly mistake pitches, a hanging slider to Rowdy Tellez in the eighth that was roped for a game-tying double, and a fastball in the middle of the plate that Wyatt Langford lined to right-center for what turned out to be the game-winning hit. 

Add it all up and this was one of the most deflating losses of all, even in this sea of deflating losses. 

It had been such a feel-good day at Citi Field, too, with a big crowd seeming to thoroughly enjoy the Alumni Classic, and then young Brandon Sproat adding to the festivities by throwing a gem in his second major league start, going six shutout innings on only 70 pitches. 

It’s a great sign for the future, but it only made Saturday’s loss feel like another lost opportunity. 

Sproat surely could have gone another inning, but Mendoza took him out, saying that his velocity dropped significantly in the sixth inning, as he gave up a few hard-hit balls. However, Sproat only threw two fastballs in the inning, a four-seamer and a sinker, both at 93 mph, and otherwise relied on his off-speed stuff. 

By comparison, Sproat had thrown a 93 mph sinker as early as the fourth inning, though his four-seamer was as high as 97 mph earlier in the game. 

In any case, Sproat said he had no issues with his arm, and didn’t really have an answer for any drop in velocity, saying “I just go out there and compete.”

Bottom line, you can’t blame Mendoza for being cautious with a 24-year-old who seems to have a big future with the Mets, and as it turned out, the bullpen was okay on this day. Brooks Raley worked a clean inning and Rogers’ inning was compromised by the catcher’s interference. 

In the end, the Mets got the ball to Diaz with a lead, but his was the rare day when he didn’t have it. 

The timing couldn’t have been worse, obviously, and still another head-shaking loss left the Mets’ players continuing to say they believe they’ll turn this thing around, even as their words sound more hollow by the day.

On this day, Juan Soto, whose eighth-inning home run gave the Mets a 2-0 lead and made him the first 40/30 man in team history, was particularly emphatic in saying the ball simply isn’t bouncing the Mets’ way at the moment.

“It’s crazy how the games have been going,’’ he said. “But we’ve gotta keep grinding. I still 100 percent believe this is a playoff team. We’re going to turn this thing around. Just look around at the talent. We have everything we need to go all the way.”

Soto even downplayed his personal achievement and said, “We’ve got bigger things in front of us. We’ve gotta go out and get it.”

Soto certainly sounded like he believed his words; it’s just tough for anyone who has been watching this team, especially on Saturday, to believe them. 

It’s not as if this is merely some flukey stretch of losing at this point. These Mets are 18 games under .500 since June 13, so even when you factor in the occasional sparks, the seven-game winning streak in late July, or the three-game sweep of the Phillies in late August, the body of work offers little evidence that this team can suddenly go on a tear to lock down the wild card berth, never mind fulfill Soto’s promise of sorts that they can still go “all the way.”

As it is, this late-season collapse is becoming more defining of their season by the day. That reality never felt quite as inevitable as it did on Saturday.

With 13 games left in the regular season, the Mets are playing their worst baseball.

Stuck in an eight-game losing streak after Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers, New York finds itself on the outside looking in of the postseason, 0.5 GB of the San Francisco Giants who are just getting underway against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with no answers to fix it.

Following some duds on the mound lately, the Mets wasted an excellent performance out of Brandon Sproat in his Citi Field debut. The rookie right-hander pitched six scoreless innings and left (after only 70 pitches thrown) with a lead. 

But even after Juan Soto doubled his team's lead with a mammoth solo homer in the seventh, it still wasn't enough as the bullpen, this time Tyler Rogers and Edwin Diaz, allowed the game-tying and game-winning runs in the eighth and ninth innings.

New York had its chances to extend (and in the later innings tie or retake) the lead, but failed to do so as its ugly numbers with runners in scoring position showed up once again. 

The recurring losing seems to be getting to the Mets who were out of answers on why they continue to play so poorly, especially during such an important stretch of the season.

"I don't know. We’re definitely trying to figure out what’s going on," Soto said. "We’re playing our ass off every night it’s just not going in our way. It’s just crazy how the games have been going, but like I said we just gotta keep grinding and keep moving forward. There’s no excuses, we just gotta go out there and keep trying to beat them."

No matter what New York tries to do to get out of this funk, nothing is working.

And although the players say they believe they will win every time they step foot onto the field, it's getting to the point where the nightly expectation is something will go wrong for this team.

"We have the energy, we have the guys, we have everything we need to go all the way," Soto said. "The only thing is we keep losing games. I don’t know what else to do right now."

"It’s not easy right now, especially when you’re not able to finish the job in a game where you felt like you had it and then before you know it you’re behind," said manager Carlos Mendoza.

"Everybody has a sense of urgency but for some reason we haven’t been able to close out games," added Francisco Lindor.

Of course, the Mets are not out of the playoff picture and depending on what happens later tonight they could still be holding the final wild card spot. However, things need to drastically change, and quickly, for New York to have any shot of the playoffs.

Right now, losers of eight straight and a 31-49 record since being a season-high 21 games above .500, the Mets look finished.

"We gotta get going here, fast. That’s the bottom line. We gotta get the job done. Period. It’s been too long," Mendoza said.

While that's the message, it's hard to execute when the team continues to hurt itself on the field. On Saturday, it was Francisco Alvarez's catcher's interference that began the eighth-inning rally and Lindor's missed catch on a line drive that ended up coming around to score the go-ahead run. Brett Baty was also picked off in the sixth inning for the second time this week, deflating a potential rally.

"It’s just about the results now and when you’re going through stretches like this everybody has to do their part. We gotta find a way to get the job done here. Feels like fundamentally we’re not playing good baseball right now."

If New York wants to save its season from complete and utter disaster, it will need to come from everyone looking within, digging deep and simply playing better. The roster is talented enough to go on a run, but it's time the players start acting like it.

"We believe in every single guy here," Soto said. "We’re trying to do our best and trying to come through."

"We have to put it together. We haven’t put it together. Tomorrow is a new day," Diaz said.

"Everyone here is fighting for each other," Lindor said. "Everyone feels like we’re preparing the right way. Hopefully baseball turns on our side and once we grab the momentum hopefully we can maintain it."

"We still got an opportunity. You still gotta believe, right? But you got to get going," added Mendoza.

The Mets blew a 2-0 lead in the final two innings and lost 3-2 to the Texas Rangers on Saturday at Citi Field, extending their losing streak to eight straight games.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Mets let a 2-0 lead after seven innings get away, as the Rangers rallied for two runs in the eighth, started by a catcher’s interference call, and then scored the go-ahead run in the ninth.

Edwin Diaz, called upon with two outs in the eighth, gave up a game-tying double and then came back in the ninth to give up the lead.

The Rangers’ ninth-inning rally started with a line drive off Francisco Lindor’s glove. It was ruled a hit but looked like a ball Lindor should have caught. After a sacrifice bunt, Diaz gave up a two-out line drive single into right-center by Wyatt Langford to put Texas ahead.

-- Brandon Sproat was outstanding in his second major league start, throwing six shutout innings, attacking with such efficiency that he threw only 70 pitches.

He surely could have gone another inning but Carlos Mendoza was likely influenced by some hard contact Sproat gave up in the sixth inning, and went to his bullpen for Brooks Raley in the seventh.

Sproat pitched with great command, staying mostly on the corners with all of his pitches. He consistently got in on the hands of Rangers’ right-handed hitters with his running two-seamer, and kept hitters off balance with his sweeper and changeup as well.

He allowed no walks while striking out three against this team of mostly contact hitters. In two starts Sproat has a 2.25 ERA.

-- Lindor almost single-handedly manufactured a run to get the Mets on the board in the fifth inning. A good throw from Patrick Corbin might have nailed Lindor, but the throw was wild, allowing the run to score.

The shortstop led off by dropping a perfect bunt single down the third base line, then made a great read on Pete Alonso’s bloop single — daring as it was — that fell just out of 2B Cody Freeeman’s reach, going to third base on the play. And when the throw caromed off 3B Josh Jung, Lindor gambled again and took off, even though Corbin was backing up the play.

-- Soto’s solo home run in the seventh inning was a bomb into the upper deck in right field, giving the Mets a 2-0 lead. In addition, he became only the third hitter in major league history, along with Barry Bonds and Jeff Bagwell, to hit 40 or more HRs, have 30 or more SBs and 100 or more walks.

With the long ball Soto became the first Met to ever record a 40/30 season, with 40 HRs and 30 stolen bases.

-- The Rangers rallied for two runs in the eighth inning to tie the game. With Tyler Rogers pitching, the rally started when Francisco Alvarez was called for catcher’s interference on a Josh Smith swing, and Langford followed with a double into the left-field corner, putting runners at second and third.

After a sacrifice fly made it 2-1, and then a strikeout, Mendoza went to Diaz for a potential four-out save. But Diaz walkedJung and gave up a double to the right field corner by Rowdy Tellez on a hanging slider, scoring Langford to tie the game 2-2.

-- The Mets knocked Corbin out in the fifth inning, but in scoring just one run against him they really missed an opportunity against a journeyman starter who has been especially vulnerable on the road this season. The Mets had him on the ropes early, but after loading the bases with two outs, Starling Marte took strike three on the inside corner to end the inning.

The left-hander has been mediocre for years: He hasn’t posted an ERA-plus number anywhere near league average since 2019. This season he’s been a serviceable back-end starter for Texas overall, going 7-9 with a 4.36 ERA, but in 14 road starts coming into Saturday he had a 5.63 ERA with a 1.472 WHIP.

-- Brett Baty made his second baserunning blunder this week, getting picked off second base with no outs in the sixth inning, short-circuiting a potential rally when the Mets were leading 1-0.

Baty was picked off first base in the late innings earlier this week in a close game in Philadelphia, with Soto at the plate.

For some reason, Baty didn’t slide going back into second on Saturday. It looked like he may have been safe with a slide.

Game MVP: Brandon Sproat

Even in a losing cause, Sproat’s six shutout innings in his second major league start was a huge lift for the Mets, coming off Jonah Tong’s disastrous start on Friday night.

If nothing else, it offered hope for the future for the Mets.

Highlights

Jeff McNeil steps on the bag and makes the throw for two!

Brandon Sproat loved it even after hitting the deck 👊 pic.twitter.com/tK5hV5mCA6

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 13, 2025

Mark Vientos makes a brilliant play 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6p8lEBIWul

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 13, 2025

Two strikeouts in the 4th for Brandon Sproat 💪

He was one pitch away from an immaculate inning pic.twitter.com/ktRtJMbdmV

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 13, 2025

Francisco Lindor drops a beautiful bunt for a hit! pic.twitter.com/Xp5UnuDQnD

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 13, 2025

WHAT BASERUNNING BY FRANCISCO LINDOR!

The Mets take the lead! pic.twitter.com/ZoxBpJ01M8

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 13, 2025

Six scoreless innings for Brandon Sproat 👏 pic.twitter.com/5lD7rI03Hv

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 13, 2025

FORGET THAT!

JUAN SOTO HAS A 40/30 SEASON! pic.twitter.com/oXY9txGUwg

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 13, 2025

What's next

The Mets and Rangers close out their three-game series with a Sunday matinee starting at 1:40 p.m. on PIX11.

RHP Nolan McLean (4-1, 1.42 ERA) looks to keep his great start to his career going and will match up against LHP Jacob Latz (2-0, 2.91 ERA).