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Aaron Boone defends Yankees not bunting during wasted rally in loss to Mets: 'I considered it'

The Yankees left nine runners on base in their frustrating 3-2 loss to the rival Mets on Saturady afternoon at Yankee Stadium, and the number could've been lower with a sharper plate approach midway through the game.

With the Mets ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth, the Yankees quickly developed a rally against starter Griffin Canning. It began with a leadoff walk from J.C. Escarra, and four pitches later, DJ LeMahieu singled to center to set up No. 9 hitter Jorbit Vivas with two on and no outs.

While the sold-out crowd expected Vivas to bunt and advance the runners, the Yankees stunningly allowed the rookie infielder to swing away. The plan backfired, as Canning struck out Vivas and then escaped the jam by getting Ben Rice to line out to left and Aaron Judge to ground out to third.

After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked why he didn't call for Vivas to bunt with the top of the order waiting and hoping to inflict some damage. The skipper said he pondered the move, but the Mets' infield alignment utlimately made him reluctant.

"They're just playing it aggressively," Boone explained. "Not a lot of speed on the bases for us, and I've got top of the order coming up. But yeah, definitely some consideration there... I'm in the middle of the game too, and I know they're going to play it aggresively."

The Yankees managed to knot the score at 2-2 in the sixth on a leadoff homer from Cody Bellinger, and after back-to-back one-out singles from Jasson Dominguez and Anthony Volpe, the stage was set for Escarra to drive in the go-ahead run against Mets reliever Huascar Brazoban.

Escarra couldn't take advantage with the go-ahead run at third. He chopped a grounder to first baseman Pete Alonso, who then threw the ball home to catcher Luis Torrens to get Dominguez trying to score.

That wasn't the end of the Yankees' bad luck in the inning. After the fielder's choice out, LeMahieu nearly had two in scoring position on a double steal from Volpe and Escarra. But both players were sent back to their original bases due to interference by the home plate umpire, who made contact with Torrens behind the dish.

"I don't know if [the interference] was consequential or not. We had two outs and still didn't drive him in there," Boone said. "Obviously don't want that to happen. I feel like we had the bases stolen regardless... It doesn't happen very often. I can remember it being called before. So I have seen it, but it's pretty rare."

The Yankees had one more shot with the bases loaded in the eighth, but LeMahieu lined out sharply to right, keeping the score tied. The missed chance came back to haunt them, as the Mets produced a rally of their own in the ninth and scored the game-winning run. The Yankees finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

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What we learned as Roupp impresses in Giants' win over Athletics

What we learned as Roupp impresses in Giants' win over Athletics originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Wilmer Flores had the best night of his career on Friday night. The Athletics apparently forgot it happened. 

With two on and two outs in the 10th inning Saturday, the A’s intentionally walked Mike Yastrzemski to face Flores, who hit three homers and drove in eight runs just a few hours earlier. The Giants’ best clutch hitter fouled off a couple of 103 mph fastballs from A’s closer Mason Miller before drawing a walk that pushed across the only run in a fabulously pitched game on both sides. 

With the walk, Flores moved one ahead of Aaron Judge for the MLB lead in RBI. With the 1-0 win, the Giants got back to eight games above .500 and clinched the series on a night when their bullpen was about as efficient as it gets. 

Landen Roupp took the shutout through six and Randy Rodriguez, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Walker cruised through the next three innings. The three relievers needed just 20 pitches to get their nine consecutive outs, and 19 of them were strikes. 

On the other side, right-hander Luis Severino matched Roupp, but the Giants looked like they might get something going against reliever Justin Sterner in the bottom of the eighth. 

Speedy No. 9 hitter Tyler Fitzgerald reached with a leadoff single and took off on a 3-2 pitch to Mike Yastrzemski. It was strike three, and A’s catcher Shea Langeliers made a perfect throw down to second to nail Fitzgerald. 

Camilo Doval came on for the top of the 10th and stranded the automatic runner. When he struck out Brent Rooker, he took a huge hop off the mound before strutting back to the dugout with his 17th consecutive scoreless appearance. 

More Like R00PP

For the first time in his career, Roupp went at least six innings without allowing a run. In fact, this was just the third scoreless start out of his 13 in the big leagues, and his first this season. 

Roupp dealt with plenty of traffic, allowing five hits and walking two, but he always had an answer with his back against the wall. With two on and no outs in the second, he got a liner to center, strikeout and grounder to second. With a runner on in the first, he struck out a pair to end the threat. A pop-up and strikeout stranded runners in the fourth, and he struck out Luis Urias to end the sixth — and his night — with a runner on first.

Roupp entered the night with a 1.53 difference between his ERA and xERA. Like Jordan Hicks, who was removed from the rotation, he has pitched a bit better than the raw numbers, and on Saturday the results were there, too. 

Typical Randy

Speaking of xERA, Rodriguez is ninth in the majors, sandwiched between dominant American League closers Jhoan Duran and Andres Muñoz. His actual ERA after a 1-2-3 seventh inning is down to 0.96, and nothing about it feels flukey. 

Rodriguez breezed through the seventh, putting up a scoreless outing for the 17th time in 18 appearances. When he was coming through the minors, Rodriguez’s issue was command, but at some point last April that locked into place and he became a trusted reliever.

On Saturday he threw nine pitches and all were strikes, including six sliders. His fastball sat at 98 mph. The Giants bullpen has been excellent all year long, and the middle-inning guys are a big part of the reason. 

More Relief

Rodriguez can’t crack the eighth because Tyler Rogers is having his best season as a big leaguer, and Saturday’s eighth was his easiest yet. 

Rogers needed just four pitches to get through the inning, inducing three groundball outs. The submariner has his highest strikeout rate since 2020, but when he’s out there he’s looking for groundballs, and this was as good as it gets given that he faced the heart of the A’s lineup.  Rooker bounced the first pitch of the inning back to the mound and Rogers got an easy first out.

Tyler Soderstrom also bounced a sinker back to the mound but it was just over Rogers’ glove; Willy Adames was right there for the second out. After taking a pitch, Shea Langeliers hit a hard shot to first that LaMonte Wade Jr. stopped with a dive. With that, Rogers lowered his ERA to 1.27. 

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Wheeler looks like he's on a mission, Phillies win another series

Wheeler looks like he's on a mission, Phillies win another series originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Rob Thomson began describing what made Zack Wheeler so effective Saturday night against the Pirates then stopped himself.

“I mean, it’s the same quotes. You can take the same quotes from the last 20 starts and fill it in,” the Phillies’ manager said.

Wheeler is on another one of his dominant runs. It was 84 degrees at first pitch Saturday night and he barely broke a sweat, mowing down the Pirates over six scoreless innings and riding an early lead to a 5-2 win, one of the Phillies’ most comfortable of the season.

Wheeler allowed just three hits and a walk, improving to 5-1 with a 2.67 ERA. The Phillies have won his last four starts and seven of 10 for the season. He’s cruised his last six times out, putting just 31 men on base over 39⅔ innings with a 1.82 ERA and .177 opponents’ batting average.

All of Wheeler’s stuff was up Saturday — velocity, spin and command. He hit 99 mph with his four-seam fastball and 98 with his sinker. The sinker was his best of the season, 96.2 compared to a season average of 94.5.

“Sometimes they just explode out of his hand and you know he’s got his A-plus-plus stuff instead of his A-plus stuff,” said Bryson Stott, who drove in three runs.

“A guy with that many pitches, that many strike pitches, he may save one or two the first time through the order and you think you’ve got him, and then he busts out the splitter, cutter or slider. That’s what the great ones do, they keep a pitch in their arsenal and start using it the second or third time through.”

Wheeler’s sinker has been a plus pitch for years but hadn’t been as sharp early this season. Last week, he attributed it to facing so many left-handed hitters. The sinker is more of a weapon vs. righties and he just doesn’t see many. On Saturday, though, the Pirates started five of them.

“The pitch was good, but obviously when you throw it more in a game, it’ll be better,” Wheeler said. “Everybody’s been stacking lefties against me so you can’t throw it as much and it won’t be as crisp or as good.”

The Phillies (27-18) scored in the bottom of the first with one-out singles by Trea Turner and Bryce Harper and an RBI double from Kyle Schwarber. The Pirates are 2-19 this season when falling behind and have scored the fewest runs in baseball, so jumping on them early almost always means a win. Their only runs came on a Bryan Reynolds homer with one out in the ninth.

Stott added to the Phillies’ early lead with a solo home run in the third inning and they scored three more times in the fourth on Stott’s two-run single and Bryce Harper’s RBI double.

Stott’s homer came on a low-and-in slider to end a six-pitch plate appearance, the same number he saw before lining out in the first inning. Stott leads MLB this season with 4.59 pitches seen per plate appearance, a valuable attribute for a leadoff hitter. All four of Stott’s home runs this season have been pulled to right field on pitches on the inside corner at the belt or below.

“Yeah,” Stott said when asked if his eyes light up when he gets a pitch in that zone. “Kinda big, sometimes too big, like my last at-bat, the one in the dirt. I like it there and do damage there. Sometimes you’ll get a game where you’ll see every pitch outside and then you get one in. You don’t want to miss it.”

Harper sure seems to be finding his swing. He went 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI in Friday’s win then reached base three more times Saturday. His double was the kind of swing Harper puts on a ball when he’s going well, laced to the opposite field with fading action away from the left fielder. He’s slumped for about a month yet still has an .816 OPS.

The Phillies have gone 10-4-1 in their 15 series. Only the Tigers (10-4) have a better series winning percentage. The back-to-back victories guarantee the Phils at least a .500 homestand and they can make it a winning week on Sunday, but it will be a challenge facing Pirates ace Paul Skenes for the first time. Mick Abel makes his big-league debut.

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Francisco Lindor's ninth-inning sac-fly gives Mets 3-2 win over Yankees

The Mets defeated the Yankees 3-2 on Saturday at Yankee Stadium to even this version of the Subway Series at 1-1.

They scored a run in the top of the ninth, on a Francisco Lindor sacrifice fly, to break a 2-2 tie, and Edwin Diaz closed it out for the save.

Here are the top takeaways...

-- There was plenty of late drama, especially in the bottom of the ninth as Diaz had to get Aaron Judge for the final out of the game.

Diaz got ahead 0-2 and then, after Judge worked the count to 3-2, struck out the Yankees’ superstar swinging at a high fastball.

-- The Mets put together the winning rally in the ninth against Fernando Cruz, loading the bases with one out on a walk to Luis Torrens, and infield single by Brett Baty, and a hit-by-pitch to Tyrone Taylor.

Lindor, on a 3-1 count, delivered his sacrifice fly to right-center, just deep enough for pinch-runner Luisangel Acuña to score ahead of Cody Bellinger’s throw to the plate.

-- Reed Garrett pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the eighth for the Mets to keep the game tied 2-2.

Garrett was fortunate, as he allowed three walks and a hard-hit double to right by Anthony Volpe. But he also got a 6-4-3 double play for the first two outs, and ended the inning when DJ LeMahieu line a hard-hit ball to Juan Soto in right.

-- A questionable send of Brett Baty in the seventh inning didn’t wind up costing the Mets. On the play, Baty was thrown out at the plate in the top of the seventh on Taylor’s one-out double to left-center, leaving the game tied 2-2.

Watching the play live, it looked like an overly aggressive send of Baty by third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh, as Volpe took the relay throw in shallow left in time to nail the runner.

Still, Baty might well have been safe with a better slide. The throw was up the line just enough that Baty needed to slide more to the inside of the field, away from the tag. Also, Lindor could have given Baty more directional help, as he saw the throw veering up the line as the on-deck hitter.

Had Baty been held, the Mets would have had runners at second and third with one out and Lindor and Soto coming up.

-- Griffin Canning delivered a solid start, allowing two runs over 5.1 innings with an assist from Huascar Brazoban, who got the final two outs of the sixth, stranding two inherited runners.

The Yankees clipped Canning for solo home runs by DJ Lemahieu and Bellinger for their two runs against him -- a wall-scraper to right by Lemahieu and a 432-bomb to right-center by Bellinger.

Canning pitched exceptionally well against Judge in three at-bats, getting him on a routine fly to right, a strikeout swinging on a slider, and a soft ground ball to third by jamming him inside with a fastball.

-- Clarke Schmidt gave the Yankees a solid start as well, though he was fortunate that five walks didn’t cost him more as he allowed two runs over six innings.

Three of the walks came in the fourth inning, when the Mets scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead. But Schmidt pitched out of a bases-loaded jam, getting Brett Baty to fly to right to end the inning.

Soto stole third in the inning to set up the second run of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Mark Vientos. For Soto it was his second steal in two games against the Yankees, both times getting an early jump and stealing without a throw.

-- Judge had a rare rough day at the plate, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts as the Mets pitched him tough. The 0-fer dropped Judge’s average to .402.

-- Lemahieu, making his second start of the season after injury delay, had a big day with two hits and a very good defensive play at second, as he slid to backhand Lindor’s ground ball toward the middle and threw him out to end the top of the seventh.  

Lemahieu’s homer was a Yankee Stadium Special, breaking a scoreless tie in the third inning. It was tracked at 333 feet, just clearing the fence toward the right field corner. According to Baseball Savant, it would have been a home run in four of the 30 major league ballparks.

Game MVP: Francisco Lindor

It wasn’t the most heroic of MVP games, but Lindor came through with a sac fly in the ninth. No small matter for a team that has struggled with runners in scoring position at times this season, and especially lately.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets wrap up their Subway Series against the Yankees on Sunday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

David Peterson (2-2, 3.05 ERA) will take the mound, opposite Max Fried (6-0, 1.11 ERA).

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Yankees reliever Jake Cousins has injury setback, this time a pec issue

NEW YORK — Yankees reliever Jake Cousins felt pectoral discomfort after throwing a pair of batting practice sessions, another setback in his bid to return to the mound for the first time since last fall.

Cousins won’t throw again for four or five days, manager Aaron Boone said Saturday.

Boone said ahead of spring training’s opening workout that Cousins had a strained right forearm and was uncertain for the March 27 opener.

A 30-year-old right-hander, Cousins threw batting practice to injured slugger Giancarlo Stanton on May 6. Boone said Cousins pitched an additional session before the pec issue caused a shutdown.

“We don’t think it’s anything serious, but enough to hold him back a few days,” Boone said.

Boone said Cousins had tests and they didn’t show any shoulder issues.

Cousins had a 2.37 ERA in 37 relief appearances last year, striking out 53 and walking 20 in 38 innings.

Boone said a date has not been set for Stanton to start a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment. The five-time All-Star has been sidelined since spring training with pain in the tendons of both elbows.

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Abel didn't expect the call but pitched well enough to earn it

Abel didn't expect the call but pitched well enough to earn it originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Players nearing the major leagues can sometimes see the writing on the wall before their first call-up, but Mick Abel did not. 

He had no reason to. The Phillies had five starters plus Taijuan Walker in the bullpen. Aaron Nola had struggled mightily but hadn’t missed time with an injury in over eight years. 

“We were in Syracuse playing the Mets’ Triple A. I had no idea it was coming,” Abel said Saturday afternoon from the Phillies’ dugout during batting practice. 

“Our manager, Anthony Contreras, called a meeting and was talking about the team’s success, how we’re not riding the highs too much, and at the end he was like, ‘We’ve got a lot to celebrate today,’ and he said it. I was pretty surprised. 

“I was a little star stuck at first, like, he said my name? I put my head down and didn’t know how to feel, I was pretty overwhelmed. Once I stood up, emotions started flowing, I started dapping guys up. It was fun.”

Abel is up for one start and one start only. He will make his big-league debut Sunday opposite Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes in an exciting pitching matchup to end the Phillies’ six-game homestand.

Abel is up because Nola was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right ankle sprain. Nola suffered the injury last Thursday in Tampa and pitched through it for two starts, allowing four runs in five innings in Cleveland, then nine runs on 12 hits to the Cardinals at home. 

The ankle felt a little bit better after the Cleveland start, Nola said Friday, but it lingered into the outing against the Cardinals, which was the worst of his career.

Nola had to adjust his mechanics in that one, he said, because he couldn’t rotate his foot properly. His back then tightened up. The Phillies want to sit him down for a few weeks so he doesn’t adjust anything else to compensate and injure a different body part. 

The Phillies do not expect Nola (1-7, 6.16 ERA) to miss much time beyond the 15-day minimum, manager Rob Thomson said Friday. But Abel will make just this start, regardless. Walker will slot into the rotation spot on Wednesday at Coors Field. Thomson made this clear to Abel. 

Maybe it puts a little less pressure on the 23-year-old former first-round pick. 

“I think so,” Thomson said. “We did it with Sanchy a couple years ago. I FaceTimed him and said you’re coming up here and it’s just one start and you’re going right back, so just come up here and be yourself, pitch like you are right now, you’re gonna have success. Just relax and have fun, enjoy the moment. And he did, he pitched really well.”

These are the Phillies’ probable starters for the week ahead:

Sunday vs. Pit: Mick Abel

Monday at Col: Cristopher Sanchez

Tuesday at Col: Jesus Luzardo

Wednesday at Col: Taijuan Walker

Thursday at Col: Ranger Suarez

Friday at Sac: Zack Wheeler

Saturday at Sac: Cristopher Sanchez

Sunday at Sac: Jesus Luzardo

Abel was the Phillies’ top pick in the 2020 draft, the first high school pitcher selected. He’s made 92 starts in the Phils’ system since 2021 and has put together the best run of his mjnor-league career this year, going 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA in eight starts. He’s 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA in the last four. 

“Any time a guy makes his debut whether it’s a position player or pitchers, it’s always exciting. And he’s had a lot of focus on him since he signed because he’s a high draft pick,” Thomson said. 

“He’s had some struggles in the past but he’s really put together a nice season this year. I told him today just come in here, one start, be yourself and have fun. Enjoy the moment.”

Abel has always missed bats but control has been a consistent issue. He walked 143 batters in 222 innings in 2023 and 2024. He’s down from 5.8 walks per nine innings to 3.7 this season. Sometimes, it’s been nibbling. Sometimes, he’s admitted over the years, it’s been thinking too much. 

Right now, he’s trusting his stuff, pitching with confidence and intent. 

“I’m expecting all the nerves in the world,” he said, “but at the end of the day, it’s the same game, just a different place.”

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Mets Notes: What LHP Jose Castillo brings to NY, next steps for Paul Blackburn and Frankie Montas

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to reporters ahead of Saturday's Subway Series matchup against the Yankees, and gave some updates on the team...

Dedniel Núñez still "going to be a big part of this team"

New York optioned the relief pitcher to Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday, SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino reported, as Mendoza said he needs to see more consistent strike-throwing from him.

"Feel like even though the past two outings he's been better, we just need to see consistency with the strike-throwing," Mendoza said. "That's what made this guy elite last year and became who he was last year for us. First couple of outings, we saw the inconsistencies with the strike-throwing.

"But it was good to see him yesterday, 98 (mph), and he was a lot better. He's just got to go down there and find that consistency, and just continue to throw strikes."

Mendoza was asked how Núñez received the message and made it clear he's still in the team's plans going forward.

"Nobody's happy when you tell them they're going back to the minor leagues, but he's a professional, he understood, he gets it," Mendoza said. "He was fine, he was professional. He just got to keep working. He's going to be a big part of this team and he'll be back."

What LHP Jose Castillo brings to NY

The Mets acquired Castillo from the Diamondbacks on Thursday, adding a second left-hander to their bullpen.

Mendoza discussed how the 29-year-old can help the team against lineups like the Yankees and Dodgers.

"It definitely helps, especially when you're going against a lineup like this (Yankees), or Boston, or the Dodgers coming up," Mendoza said. "We know the stuff is there. He's a lefty that throws hard, he's got a breaking ball, a slider. We saw him not too long ago.

"This is a guy that when he's healthy, he's got the talent. He's dealt a lot with injuries in the past, but he was a big-time prospect coming up with the Padres. We feel like there's more in the tank there and hopefully he can be a player for us out of the bullpen."

Castillo had struggled in five games for the Diamondbacks this season with a 11.37 ERA across 6.1 innings. Although he had a strong 2018 season in San Diego with a 3.29 ERA over 37 games with 52 strikeouts before injuries started to derail his career, including an ACL tear, causing him to miss all of 2024. Castillo pitched just three times from 2019 through 2024.

Latest on Paul Blackburn and Frankie Montas

Blackburn made another rehab start on Friday night for Double-A Binghamton, allowing five runs (three earned) on one hit (a home run) over 4.1 IP. He struck out seven and walked one.

Mendoza was asked what the next steps are for Blackburn before returning to the bigs, saying he'll get at least another rehab start.

"He was good. Five ups, up to 73, 74 pitches. He's going one more, at least, in the minor leagues and then we'll have a decision there," Mendoza said. "As of right now, came out fine. We'll give him one more in the minor leagues."

Over five minor league starts during his rehab assignment, Blackburn owns a 0-2 record with a 5.63 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 16.0 IP.

As for Montas (lat), who threw a live bullpen session on Friday in Brooklyn, the starter is getting closer to a rehab assignment of his own.

"Good. So he's got another one Tuesday, I think it is and then we'll go from there," Mendoza said Saturday,

The 32-year-old has yet to make his Mets debut, but pitched to a 4.84 ERA last season with the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.

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Last-place Orioles fire manager Brandon Hyde after falling 13 games under .500

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde on Saturday after a dismal start to the season by a team coming off two consecutive playoff appearances.

The Orioles are 15-28 and in last place in the AL East following a loss to Washington on Friday night. Hyde guided the team through an extensive rebuild and won manager of the year honors in 2023, but Baltimore’s performance slipped noticeably during the second half of last year, and the Orioles have put themselves in a significant hole so far in 2025.

“As the head of baseball operations, the poor start to our season is ultimately my responsibility,” Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said in a statement. “Part of that responsibility is pursuing difficult changes in order to set a different course for the future. I want to thank Brandon for his hard work, dedication and passion all these years, and for returning the team to the playoffs and winning an AL East championship.”

Third base coach Tony Mansolino will serve as interim manager. The Orioles also fired major league field coordinator/catching instructor Tim Cossins.

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Giants move Hicks back to bullpen, Birdsong to rotation

Giants move Hicks back to bullpen, Birdsong to rotation originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — It wasn’t hard to miss Jordan Hicks when the Giants took the field Saturday afternoon. The right-hander was wearing a bright orange long-sleeved shirt and surrounded by pitchers wearing black hoodies. The guys around him were all relievers, and Hicks now is, too. 

Manager Bob Melvin said young right-hander Hayden Birdsong will start Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals instead of Hicks, a longtime big league reliever who will move back to that role after struggling in his second season as a starting pitcher. 

“We’re just trying to get it right at a particular time,” Melvin said. “Jordan came in last year and signed here as a starter and came in here this year expecting to be a starter, and he was, but we’re just making adjustments a couple months into the season that we think are potentially going to make us better.”

Hicks has a 6.55 ERA through nine starts and Melvin was noncommittal when asked about his status on Wednesday, after Hicks got knocked out in the third inning. It seemed like an easy move to make, but the Giants were also well aware that some bad luck had been involved in those nine starts. Hicks has a 3.48 FIP and 3.75 xERA; he has mostly been undone by groundballs that have found holes, and his combination of throwing in the upper 90s and being among the league leaders in groundball rate is an intriguing one. But the results simply weren’t there. 

“He was great about it,” Melvin said of their conversation. “He just said, ‘Look, I want our team to win. I want to do whatever I can to help the team win.’ He thought the way he has pitched was better than the numbers and I agreed with him, but again, we have a lot of quality, we have a lot of good young arms, we have a lot of starters, and we’re just trying to get it right.”

Hicks had always been a reliever before signing a four-year, $44 million deal with the Giants before last season. He pitched well in the first half before running up against an innings limit, and he bulked up in the offseason to handle a greater workload this season.

Now, he’s back to a familiar role, although Melvin said it’s too soon to know exactly how Hicks might be used the rest of this season. He is stretched out and can provide length for the bullpen in the coming weeks, although ultimately he could be back in a late-inning role, similar to what he did in St. Louis. That’s to be decided, but Hicks certainly has shown the velocity this season to think he can be a big piece for what might be the league’s best bullpen.

“You look at our bullpen arms now … It’s a good problem to have that many plus arms and guys that have pitched late in games,” Melvin said. 

That mix includes Kyle Harrison, who was not in the conversation to take the rotation spot, Melvin said. Birdsong was always next in line after just missing out on Landen Roupp’s rotation spot this spring. He pitched well when the Giants asked him to become a reliever, and he’ll take a 2.31 ERA back to the rotation. 

“Hayden hasn’t been getting the type of regular work he was earlier in the season when the starters weren’t going as long,” Melvin said. “I don’t think Jordan’s numbers are as bad as they look. If you look at a lot of the internal numbers and FIP and so forth, he has pitched a lot better than his ERA and some numbers would suggest, but at this point in time that’s what we’re going to do, starting on Tuesday.”

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Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. returns to mound after online threats that followed his previous start

ARLINGTON, Texas — Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. allowed two unearned runs over four innings against the Texas Rangers on Friday, six nights after the right-hander failed to get out of the first inning in a game that he said was followed by online threats.

“Honestly, a lot, a lot of prayer. And a lot of faith,” McCullers said when asked how he handled everything between those starts. “And my teammates were so supportive of me. I hope one day I’m able to repay the favor of what these guys in here have meant to me over the last couple years, and over the this last week.”

The 31-year-old right-hander made only his third start for the Astros since the 2022 World Series. He got a no-decision in their 6-3 win over the Rangers, who led 2-0 when he threw his last pitch.

McCullers, who is making a comeback after missing two full seasons with injuries, allowed seven runs while getting only one out in Houston’s 13-9 loss last Saturday, then said afterward that he had received online death threats directed at his children. The Astros said Houston police and Major League Baseball security were alerted to the threats.

“They’re on it,” McCullers said, adding that he was asked to not comment on any investigations. “These things aren’t taken lightly.”

Back on the mound, McCullers needed 83 pitches to get through his four innings and he threw 53 strikes. He struck out two, walked one and gave up four singles.

The only runs against McCullers came when Jonah Heim had a two-run single with two outs in the second inning. That was three batters after shortstop Jeremy Peña was charged with an error when he failed to catch a throw from McCullers, who was trying to get the lead runner at second base after fielding a comebacker.

“I’m sure if you ask Peña, he’s going to say he should have made the play. And I’m going to say I should have made a little bit of a better throw,” McCullers said. “I kind of joked with some of the guys, my best sinker all night was to Peña at second.”

Jake Burger, whose homer was the only run in the Rangers’ 1-0 win in the series opener Thursday night, then had an infield popout before Heim’s hit into the right field corner.

Astros manager Joe Espada said before Friday’s outing that McCullers was mentally in a good spot and fine physically, and he liked what he saw during the game.

“It was a really good bounce-back outing for him,” Espada said. “He came out throwing a ton of strikes. ... Where he was five or six starts ago, and where he’s at now is now, it’s a step in the right direction.”

McCullers had surgery in June 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur, and was rehabbing last June when he had a setback during a bullpen session that shut him down for the rest of the season. He made four starts in the minor leagues this year before rejoining the Astros’ rotation on May 4.

“We all have confidence he can do it. He just needs to go out there and do his thing,” Espada said. “It’s going to happen.”

McCullers is 49-33 with a 3.53 ERA in 133 games (130 starts) for the Astros since his big league debut with them in 2015.

An All-Star in 2017, McCullers went 10-6 with a 3.86 ERA in 25 games in 2018 before having Tommy John surgery. He was 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 28 starts in 2021, then signed a five-year, $85 million contract that goes through 2026.

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Bryce Harper reaches 1,000 RBIs in the Phillies’ 8-4 victory over the Pirates

PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper reached 1,000 RBIs and was part of a wild seventh inning rally in which the Philadelphia Phillies scored four runs on just one hit in an 8-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

Harper, who had three hits and reached base four times, picked up his milestone RBI with a bloop single to left field off Pirates starter Andrew Heaney. Harper is one of eight active players with 1,000 RBIs.

The Phillies scored four runs in the seventh inning when six consecutive batters — including Harper — reached base against three relievers. Only one — Trea Turner — had a hit. The others all reached base via a walk or a hit by pitch and three of the four runs scored without a ball being put in play.

Philadelphia tacked on three more runs in the eighth inning. Turner had an RBI triple, and Harper added No. 1,001 with a single.

Ranger Suarez (2-0) pitched seven innings and allowed three runs on six hits. Jose Alvarado retired the final two batters to clean up a bases loaded jam for his seventh save.

Alexander Canario provided most of the offense for Pittsburgh when he hit a three-run homer off Suarez.

Ryan Borucki (0-1) didn’t get an out and allowed two runs.

Key moment

Borucki hit Nick Castellanos with a pitch ahead in the count 0-2. It allowed the tying run to score in the middle of the Phillies’ rally.

Key stat

Pirates interim manager Don Kelly was ejected from the game by third base umpire John Libka after arguing Libka’s call of no swing on Harper that resulted in a walk to load the bases. Kelly has been Pittsburgh’s manager for seven games and has been tossed twice.

Up Next

Pittsburgh RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3, 5.20) was set to start Saturday against Philadelphia RHP Zack Wheeler (4-1, 2.95).

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Flores hits three home runs, drives in eight runs to back Webb as Giants thump A’s 9-1

SAN FRANCISCO — Wilmer Flores homered three times — including a grand slam — and drove in eight runs to back a strong start by Logan Webb, leading the San Francisco Giants past the Athletics 13-5 on Friday night.

Flores, who set single-game career highs for homers and RBIs, hit his seventh slam in the third inning off A’s starter JP Sears. He had a three-run shot against Michel Otañez in the sixth, then added a solo shot off Anthony Maldonado in the eighth.

That was more than enough support for Webb (5-3), who carried a shutout into the eighth inning. The 2024 All-Star allowed one run and five hits in eight innings with four strikeouts and two walks. The Giants ace has allowed two runs over his last four home starts covering 28 1/3 innings for a 0.64 ERA.

Camilo Doval struck out the side in the ninth to wrap up the win in the Giants’ first game against the A’s this season in the former Bay Bridge Series.

Sears (4-3), who gave up one run in 14 2/3 innings covering his previous two starts, allowed four runs and six hits in four innings.

It was the A’s first visit to the Bay Area since leaving Oakland for Sacramento while a new stadium in Las Vegas is built.

Key moment

The A’s had two on with one out in the eighth when Webb got A’s slugger Brent Rooker to ground into a 1-4-3 double play.

Key stat

The A’s got two runners to third base twice in the first three innings, but failed to score.

Up next

A’s RHP Luis Severino (1-4, 4.70 ERA) makes his league-leading 10th start against Giants RHP Landen Roupp (2-3, 4.95) on Saturday.

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Mets reinstate Ronny Mauricio from 10-day IL, option him to Triple-A

The Mets reinstated infielder Ronny Mauricio from the 10-day IL and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday after he completed a rehab assignment, the team announced.

Mauricio, who missed all of the 2024 season due to a torn ACL suffered during winter ball in December 2023, played 10 games with Single-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton during his rehab stint.

The 24-year-old recorded four hits over 32 at-bats, including two doubles. Defensively, he's seen action at 3B (three games), SS (two games), and 2B (two games), in addition to three games as DH.

President of baseball operations David Stearns spoke about the plan for Mauricio on Wednesday, noting that he will stay in the minors "until we have a need."

“Ronny continues to progress. He’s still in Double-A. We’ll get him up to Triple-A here pretty soon, and then it’s just play all three [positions] on the infield, continue to build up volume,” Stearns said. “He’s still got, I think, a little ways to go to get – he’s a healthy player, but to get back into that true baseball shape, ready to compete art a high level at the big leagues, I think we’ve still got a little bit of a ways to go. So, it’s continue to get him at-bats, continue to get him reps in the minor leagues.

“He’s a player who has options, so he’s going to stay in the minor leagues until we have a need.”

Over 26 major league games during the 2023 season, Mauricio hit .248 with two home runs and four doubles for nine RBI. He also stolen seven bases.

Manager Carlos Mendoza also spoke about expectations for Mauricio on Saturday ahead of the team's game against the Yankees, saying that he needs to get reps at multiple positions across the infield.

"I think it's that, become a normal baseball player," Mendoza said. "Getting used to playing every day without the restrictions, 'Hey, you're only playing five innings, you're only playing seven.' Just continue to play full games, continue to play back-to-back, three, four games in a row. And he's not there yet, so we got to get him there.

"I think it's more getting every day at-bats, every day reps. And then we'll go from there."

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Mets at Yankees: How to watch on SNY on May 17, 2025

The Mets and Yankees continue their three-game Subway Series on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. on SNY.

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

Mets Notes

  • Juan Soto walked three times in Friday's loss, giving him 36 walks on the season -- second in the majors behind Braves DH Marcell Ozuna (37)
  • Francisco Lindor is slashing .333/.375/.567 over his last seven games with two homers and three RBI
  • Griffin Canning (2.36 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) makes his ninth start of the season, trying to build on his impressive 5-1 record
  • Brandon Nimmo looks to extend his eight-game hitting streak after picking up two base knocks on Friday at Yankee Stadium
METS
YANKEES

Francisco Lindor, SS

Ben Rice, DH

Juan Soto, RF

Aaron Judge, RF

Pete Alonso, 1B

Cody Bellinger, CF

Brandon Nimmo, LF

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B

Mark Vientos, DH

Jasson Dominguez, LF

Jeff McNeil, 2B

Anthony Volpe, SS

Luis Torrens, C

J.C. Escarra, C

Brett Baty, 3B

DJ LeMahieu, 2B

Tyrone Taylor, CF

Jorbit Vivas, 3B

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. 
  • Link your provider credentials with a new or existing MLB.com account. 
  • Log in using your MLB.com credentials to watch Mets games on SNY. 

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.  

  • 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. 

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ICYMI in Mets Land: Juan Soto's return to the Bronx; injured starting pitchers progressing

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