Category: MLB

The last time the Mets and Phillies met it was Game 4 of the NLDS. 

Francisco Lindor demolished a grand slam off Carlos Estevez in the bottom of the sixth -- and the Mets never looked back as they sent their division rival packing and secured the first playoff series clincher in Citi Field history. 

Fast forward a few months later, and the two teams are set to meet again. 

The Mets are riding high as they currently sit in first place in the NL East and are tied with the San Diego Padres for the second-most wins in the NL after securing a commanding four-game series sweep of the Cardinals.

Philadelphia is coming off a rough series finale loss to the scrappy Miami Marlins in which their bullpen blew another late-inning lead, but they are playing good baseball as well -- sitting just 2.0 games back of the Mets. 

While it’s still early in the year, the expectation is more fireworks when the rivals meet again, starting Monday. 

“We know the Phillies have a fantastic team,” Francisco Lindor said. 

“It’s early, but every game counts,” added Brandon Nimmo. “They obviously don’t like the way things ended last year and I’m sure they’d like to make a statement right away -- it’s a big series, I expect it to be high energy. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

This three-game set is indeed shaping up to be a ton of fun. 

This will be the Mets’ biggest test to this point in the season and it seems to have come at a perfect time -- as their stars finally started finding their groove at the plate during the four games against the Cardinals. 

Lindor homered twice during the series and is back doing his thing setting the table atop the order. Juan Soto is looking more and more like himself after driving in runs in three of the four games. Pete Alonso has continued his early-season tear with an NL-leading 24 RBI. 

The Mets have also began receiving more contributions from the rest of the lineup.

Brandon Nimmo came up with a RBI single to retake the lead in Sunday's game. Luisangel Acuña and Brett Baty have turned things around after a brutal start to the season. Mark Vientos was showing signs of life before suffering his groin injury -- luckily for the Mets, he was said to be feeling better pregame.

Luis Torrens also continues showing out with the bat and behind the dish while Francisco Alvarez is working his way back and Tyrone Taylor has come through with some big knocks since taking on the bulk of the playing time in center with Jose Siri sidelined.

With the pitching doing their thing and the offense now settling into a groove, everything seems to be clicking for New York -- and they’ll look to keep that rolling against Aaron Nola in Monday's series opener. 

“We know we have to go out there and play the game the right way,” Lindor said. “They have a really good lineup, they have some really good pitchers -- we just have to stay the course. At the end of the day, we have to give everything we got no matter who is on the other side.”

San Diego’s Luis Arraez returned to the stadium postgame after he was taken to hospital following a collision with Houston’s Mauricio Dubón in the Padres’ 3-2 win over the Astros on Sunday night.

“Obviously, very scary,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said after the game. “We think he’s for the most part out of the woods. More time will tell, but the initial testing is very favorable. No fractures of any sort. I mean, he got a little bit of a laceration on his jawline, so we are worried about his jaw. We are worried about his cervical region. Everything was clear, stable on the initial testing.”

However, Shildt was cautious about the initial results of testing.

“We’ve been burned before on testing, so we will be cautiously optimistic,” he said. “He did have a period where he wasn’t aware of where he was, so that’s clearly concerning. Everything is coming back to him now, and his initial testing from a concussion standpoint was favorable, but clearly, we are not out of the woods. All things considered, that’s a blessing.”

Related: It’s a girl! Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani of the LA Dodgers is now a father

Arraez hit a drag bunt in the first inning, grounding it down the first-base line to Christian Walker, who flipped it to second baseman Dubón, who ran over to cover first. As Dubón covered the base, he appeared to accidentally hit Arraez in the face with his elbow. Both players fell to the ground, but Arraez took the worst of it, laying motionless as staff from both teams came out to tend to him.

“It was scary,” Dubón said. “I mean, just watching him not move. It was scary. Especially people know the type of player I am. I’m not a dirty player or anything. So it sucks. Worst part about it is you get death threats from stuff like this and everything. So it’s going to be a fun ride home.”

Arraez was placed on a backboard and carted out of the stadium. As he was being placed on the cart, Arraez put his arm around Shildt.

“It was a sad moment, especially getting close to him and seeing him on the ground like that, you definitely get scared,” said San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr, who hit the tiebreaking home run in the game. “You almost go into tears but holding up. You sit down right next to him and start praying for him right away. Happy he is back with us already. Just happy, he’s standing up. It’s a sad part of the game, but stuff happens sometimes. Just happy he’s alright.”

Tatis, who was running to second on the play, said he heard the collision. “As soon as they called timeout, I went to see my boy and see what was going on,” he said.

Dubón said he knows Arraez. “It sucks just having that play on him and everything,” he said. “Like I said before, there’s nothing I could have done. I braced myself and I thought I was going to get the worst out of it. I mean, I’m not a big guy.”

Play resumed after a 10-minute delay. Arraez entered hitting .287 on the season with three home runs and seven RBIs.

Clay Holmes, the starting pitcher, is settling into a groove. 

The right-hander had a bit of an up-and-down beginning in his transition to the rotation, but he’s been spectacular for the Mets over his past two starts -- the last of which came in Sunday’s series finale victory over the Cardinals. 

Holmes pitched well enough to qualify for a win, but he settled for the no decision. 

He had to work around traffic right away -- as a leadoff walk and a Willson Contreras single put two on with two outs in the top of the first, but he was able to get lefty Alec Burleson swinging to end the inning. 

He retired the next six batters in order before facing more trouble in the fourth, as the Cardinals put two runners on with just one out this time, but he used a punch out and fly out to again dance out of danger. 

St. Louis was finally able to get to Holmes in the sixth, as the red-hot Brendan Donovan led off the inning with a double and came in to score a few batters later after advancing to third on a wild pitch. 

It looked like his day was going to come to a tough ending two batters later as Jordan Walker crushed a high fly to left, but Brandon Nimmo made a terrific leaping catch in front of the fence -- helping Holmes get through six innings for the first time as a Met.

He allowed just the one run on four hits while walking two and striking out six.  

“On a day it was windy and the two-seam was moving, he had to use all his weapons,” Carlos Mendoza said. “The changeup, the four-seam, the cutter, the sweep and slider, and did not shy away from the two-seam when he needed to -- that’s what you call pitching.

“For a guy who is starting to make that transition and when you see it this early, that’s pretty impressive. Just to have the feel for it and his ability to trust the pitches that are kind of new for him -- now that he’s going out there and giving us depth, it’s pretty impressive.”

With each turn through the rotation, Holmes just continues improving. 

The former Yankees closer has now struck out six or more batters in four of his five outings to begin the season -- and he's allowed just one earned run in each of his past two starts, bringing his ERA down to 3.16 on the year.

He’s starting to look more and more like the pitcher the Mets saw during his terrific spring training -- but he also knows there’s still more work to be done. 

“There’s been a lot of growth and a lot of learning on the fly,” Holmes said. “I still feel like I’m hitting my stride a little bit -- you can feel the improvements. I’m starting to get a feel for my stuff and how to use it in this role. 

“I’m starting to bounce back better in between starts, and I just feel like with each time out I’m getting better -- it’s nice to see the work paying off a little bit, but still feel like there’s room to grow here.”

Struggling a bit to start his career with the Mets after signing the highest-paid contract in MLB history over the offseason, Juan Soto received a standing ovation from the fans at Citi Field on Friday night in an attempt to show their support for the outfielder and help lift him from the doldrums.

Since then, Soto is 5-for-10 with five RBI, including a big 2-for-3 day in Sunday's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. The recent hot streak has raised Soto's batting average to .256 and he's shown no signs of slowing down.

"It’s a great feeling when you have the fanbase supporting you when you’re doing bad, when you’re doing good -- it’s just great," Soto said after the game. "I really appreciate what they did. I feel like they don't know how meaningful that is. It means a lot to the players when they do that. It’s really special."

Soto's biggest hit during the four-game series was a two-run double in the eighth inning off reliever Ryan Fernandez that helped secure New York's 7-4 win against St. Louis. The double (which came with two strikes) split the gap in left-center field and had an exit velocity of 106.9 mph, showing off the 26-year-old's opposite field power.

"In the beginning I was trying to go yard, but when he put me in the [two-strike] hole I just tried to put the ball in play. He made a good pitch and I made a better swing," Soto said.

It's a swing that Soto has been working on since the start of the season and it's finally begun to pay off.

In fact, on Saturday manager Carlos Mendoza saw something in the outfielder's swing on a foul ball to left field that he really liked and thought "that's what it is right there."

After talking about it with Soto after the game, both agreed that "something clicked" during that at-bat which has resulted in his recent performance.

"When you see him driving the ball the other way with authority the way he did with that double in the gap, that’s a good sign," Mendoza said. "When he’s going good, that’s the A swing there."

The timing of the standing ovation and Soto's improved production at the plate could just be a coincidence. After all, he wasn't going to struggle all season long.

However, it's true that Mets fans packed Citi Field during the four games over the weekend and have been creating an incredible atmosphere for the players, especially with the calendar still saying April.

And with a 9-1 record at home, it must be working.

"It's been great, this crowd has been unbelievable day in and day out," Soto said. "I really love the support. They've been great since day one, so thank you."

The next challenge awaiting New York will be the Philadelphia Phillies who are set to begin a three-game series at Citi Field starting on Monday. It will be the first time the Mets' division rivals are back in New York since getting eliminated from the playoffs in the NLDS last season.

Even with the Phillies -- who will enter Monday two games back of the Mets in the NL East standings -- potentially extra motivated to avenge their season-ending loss this series, the Mets aren't getting caught up in any of the hoopla that might lie ahead.

"We just gotta focus on what we wanna do," Soto said. "We’re not looking at the standings or anything right now, it’s way too early. We’re just trying to win series. That’s the mindset."

Brandon Nimmo’s had a bit of a rough start this season -- but he played a key role in helping the Mets secure their four-game series sweep over the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. 

His first big moment came with the glove. 

With the Mets leading by two in the sixth, St. Louis outfielder Jordan Walker stepped to the plate and crushed a deep fly to left. Nimmo ranged back and made a leaping catch in front of the fence to rob him of a solo homer.

“I thought maybe I had a shot, I just needed to time it up right,” Nimmo said. 

“It was huge for us,” manager Carlos Mendoza added. “I think that ball was gonna be out, I didn’t see the replay but it’s just another good defensive play this year -- that’s what it’s going to take. Really, really huge play from him there.” 

Nimmo then came through again in the later innings -- this time with the bat. 

After the Cardinals rallied to even things up on a Thomas Saggese double in the top of the seventh, the Mets were threatening to answer right back as Francisco Lindor roped a single and Juan Soto drew a five-pitch walk. 

Pete Alonso was unable to come through for what felt like the first time all season, but Nimmo picked him up. 

The sweet-swinging left-hander has been aggressive early in the count to this point in the year -- but with Cardinals reliever Phil Maton pounding the zone with heat, he waited for a breaking ball to pounce. 

Nimmo took two cutters right down the middle before lining a 1-2 curveball back through the box and into center for a go-ahead run scoring single. 

BRANDON NIMMO COMES THROUGH!

THE METS TAKE THE LEAD BACK! pic.twitter.com/KSImUcI1ag

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 20, 2025

“He always has a good plan, more times than not he’s going to execute,” Mendoza said. 

“Those are big moments and you’re always playing a cat and mouse game,” Nimmo added. “He got ahead quickly and that was good for him, but you just try and never give up on an at-bat and know that you’re just one swing away and try and find the barrel.”

It certainly was a much-needed big hit for Nimmo, who has struggled with RISP to this point. 

Mainly batting in the cleanup spot behind Lindor, Soto and Alonso, he’s driven in just 10 runs thus far with four homers and three doubles -- but, he’s been here before and knows he’s just one swing away.

“It’s no secret I’ve been struggling, but that’s baseball,” Nimmo said. “I saw some video from April of last year against the Cardinals and I was hitting like .200 with two homers and 15 ribeyes at the end of April -- it’s not the first or the last time that I’ll be struggling. 

“You’re just trying to find ways that you can try and help. You never give up, you always go up there with confidence knowing that this next at-bat things can change for you -- you go up there with that mentality and just try and help the team win however you can.”

The New York Rangers will have to make changes both with the roster and internally in terms of their culture. 

After winning the Presidents’ Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference Final just one year ago, the Rangers failed to make the playoffs in what was a disaster of a season. 

Not only did the Rangers miss the playoffs, but the team dealt with issues of tension and dysfunction within the organization that spiraled out of control. 

It started in the summer when the Rangers waived Barclay Goodrow without giving the player much notice as he was claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks.

Goodrow was an important leader in the Blueshirts’ locker room and the manner in which he was released didn’t boil over too well with Goodrow. 

During the offseason, the Rangers’ desire to trade Jacob Trouba became public and that situation carried into training camp when Trouba remained on the roster. 

After some struggles to start the season, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury sent out a league-wide memo indicating his willingness to shake up the team’s core while specifically mentioning Chris Kreider and Trouba’s name. That also ultimately became public, which only plummeted the Rangers’ level of play even further.

Things quickly escalated and Trouba was shipped off to Anaheim after the Rangers threatened to place him on waivers if he did not waive his no-trade clause.

Now, the Rangers need to improve the roster and also do some damage control on their reputation which one NHL insider believes was badly hurt due to everything that transpired. 

“I do think reputation wise, the Rangers have taken a hit this year,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said. “Players notice how things like that happen. For them it is easier to bounce back because of who they are and where they play. You can recover quickly from that.”

The Rangers fired Peter Laviolette on Saturday, but it will take far more than just a coaching change to fix the damage that has already been done. 

Tyler Glasnow stood on the back of the mound, flexed his right leg to test how it felt, then threw his first pitch of the fifth inning on Sunday afternoon.

In the Dodgers’ 1-0 win against the Texas Rangers, it proved to be the right-hander’s last one of the day.

Though the Dodgers salvaged a series win at Globe Life Field, riding a stout bullpen and eighth-inning sacrifice fly from Freddie Freeman to victory in the series rubber match, they first had to overcome yet another injury concern from Glasnow, who left the game after just four innings with what he later said was cramping in both his legs.

“Ankles, calves, feet. Both sides,” Glasnow said. “After a while, it just gets to the point where it’s fully locked up. I’m not sure why.”

Read more:After offseason changes, Tyler Glasnow has familiar goal with Dodgers: ‘To stay healthy’

The good news for the Dodgers: Glasnow’s issue is not believed to be serious.

Among the many injury problems that have plagued his big-league career, occasional bouts of cramping have been among the most benign.

“We expect him to make his next start on Sunday at home,” manager Dave Roberts said. “So hopefully this is a one-time occurrence.”

Glasnow’s early exit didn’t derail the Dodgers (16-7) either. Instead, a sturdy bullpen came to the rescue once again.

Luis García and Anthony Banda each got two outs after Glasnow’s departure. Rookie standout Ben Casparius collected five more after them, marking his sixth-straight outing of more than one inning.

Another rookie surprise, left-hander Jack Dreyer, recovered from a leadoff walk in the eighth by retiring his next two batters. Evan Phillips then finished off that inning, before Tanner Scott got his eighth save of the season in the ninth — the game ending when Rangers baserunner Wyatt Langford was tagged out by second baseman Miguel Rojas after popping off the bag on a bang-bang play while trying to steal a base.

The Dodgers’ offense only produced three hits against the Rangers (13-9), but got their lone run in the top of the eighth inning. Will Smith led off with a pinch-hit single, moved to second on a walk from Shohei Ohtani — who was returning to the lineup after missing the previous two games for the birth of his daughter — then advanced all the way home on back-to-back fly balls from Mookie Betts and Freeman.

“It was just a great manufactured inning,” Roberts said.

In the end, the only real question was the severity of Glasnow’s cramping issue — and whether it signaled any reason for future concern given his lengthy history of injuries in the big leagues.

Read more:The Dodgers didn't just help Tyler Glasnow get healthy, they helped him get better

Glasnow said his legs started bothering him in the third inning. In the fourth, he initially stayed in the game after being checked on the mound by a trainer once. But when the problem persisted into the fifth — his lone pitch that inning was a 93.7 mph fastball, one of his slowest this season — signs of his discomfort were visible again, prompting Roberts and the training staff to remove him from the game.

“I’ve done all the hydration stuff. I do all the supplements,” Glasnow said. “I think we’ll try and figure some stuff out soon. And just hopefully it doesn’t happen again.”

Glasnow had a similar cramping episode last April in Toronto. Though he bounced back from that to complete a strong first half to the season, earning him his first career All-Star selection, he ultimately succumbed to an elbow injury in August that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Roberts wasn’t concerned about Glasnow’s long-term health after Sunday’s game, but did acknowledge a sense of frustration from the 31-year-old veteran — who has a 3.71 ERA in four starts this year, but only 17 total innings pitched.

“I’m sure no one’s more frustrated than he is, especially when you’re pitching well,” Roberts said of Glasnow, who had another short start two weeks ago in Philadelphia when he failed to complete the third inning amid a light rain shower.

“But the bullpen has picked him up. And hopefully this one and some other things are behind us and he can give us some length [next] Sunday.”

Given the currently shorthanded state of the Dodgers’ rotation (which is still awaiting the return of Blake Snell and Tony Gonsolin from the injured list) and the heavy early-season workload that has fallen on the bullpen (which leads the majors with 96 ⅔ combined innings this season), the Dodgers will need it.

“It’s not a good feeling, just to have the bullpen throw so many innings this year,” Glasnow said. “But like I said, they’ve done an amazing job, and they helped me out today a lot.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Jeff McNeil did it all for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies on Sunday as the Mets infielder/outfielder continued his rehab from a right oblique strain sustained during spring training.

A day after going yard in his first game for Double-A, McNeil unloaded on the first pitch of the game against Moises Chase for his second home run in as many days to give the Rumble Ponies an instant 1-0 advantage.

Jeff McNeil smacks a leadoff home run for Double-A Binghamton! pic.twitter.com/cKRCfkBn1y

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 20, 2025

The 33-year-old playing second base followed that up with a long double in the third inning, scoring the game's second run on Nick Morabito's sacrifice fly later in the frame.

McNeil finished the game 4-for-4 and was a triple away from hitting for the cycle. He swung at the first pitch on three of his four hits, wasting no time to make his mark and prove he's ready to re-join the big-league club as soon as possible.

Another injured player itching to return to the majors is Francisco Alvarez, who played in back-to-back games for the second time during his rehab. After catching nine innings on Saturday, the 23-year-old was the designated hitter on Sunday and finished 1-for-5 in the No. 2 hole.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said before New York's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals that it's "most likely [both players] will continue to get at-bats," but it'll be interesting to see if either McNeil or Alvarez has made enough of a case to get the call before the Mets begin a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.

The Mets finished off a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals with a 7-3 win on Easter Sunday at Citi Field.

Here are the takeaways...

-After ending Friday night's game with a solo shot, Francisco Lindor started this one off with a leadoff home run against Sonny Gray -- Lindor's third career homer against Gray, who has allowed five dingers already this season.

Lindor is now 9-for-20 when leading off the game and appears to have put his bad start to the year in the rearview mirror. He finished 3-for-5 and bumped his average up to .271.

-New York may have stolen its second run in the third inning, taking advantage of the scouting report on the Cardinals' outfield defense.

After Tyrone Taylor and Lindor singles put runners on the corners to bring up Juan Soto in another opportunity with runners in scoring position -- one in which Soto has struggled this season after excelling mightily in that spot last year with the Yankees -- the outfielder hit a shallow fly ball to Lars Nootbaar in left field. Without skipping a beat, Taylor raced home after the catch and beat Nootbaar's throw home to double the Mets' lead.

-Pitching with an early lead, Clay Holmes had his best outing for New York and was able to complete six innings for the first time as a member of the Mets. The right-hander allowed just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six and throwing 91 pitches (58 strikes).

The only run Holmes allowed came in the sixth inning, but it could've been more if not for Brandon Nimmo's leaping catch at the wall to rob Jordan Walker of a home run and end the inning.

-After being unable to get deeper into games as a whole, New York's pitching staff has now gone at least six innings in four of its past nine games after doing so only once in its first 13 games.

-Pete Alonso stayed hot with an RBI single in the fifth inning as the first baseman now leads the NL with 24 RBI.

-The Mets saw their lead disappear in the seventh inning after reliever Danny Young entered. The lefty allowed a hit and a walk and left after striking out Nootbaar for the second out of the inning. Looking for the final out of the frame, Jose Butto got jumped on by Thomas Saggese, who doubled his first pitch to drive in two runs and tie the game.

-New York got the lead right back in the bottom half of the inning as Nimmo, facing former Met Phil Maton, got his first hit of the day to drive in Lindor before the Mets piled on in the eighth.

On the strength of three doubles, the Mets scored three insurance runs to make it 7-3. Luisangel Acuña, who had another positive day at the plate by going 2-for-4, started things off with a chopper to the left side of the infield that was deflected by third baseman Nolan Gorman. It allowed Acuña to get to second base for a hustle double.

Taylor followed with his second hit of the day, a conventional double to right field, that scored a run before Soto brought in two with a slicing double to center field and cashing in on another RISP opportunity.

-Ryne Stanek pitched the ninth and allowed his first run of the season.

Game MVP: Juan Soto

Soto was in the middle of all the action, and his two-run double in the eighth put the icing on the cake.

Highlights

FRANCISCO LINDOR LEADOFF SHOT! pic.twitter.com/kej6NkMSYz

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 20, 2025

A sac fly from Juan Soto gives the Mets a 2-0 lead!

The speed from Tyrone Taylor ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/e2Nfr8zWLZ

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 20, 2025

A sparkler from Francisco Lindor to end the inning! pic.twitter.com/GiMmzCdQVc

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 20, 2025

Another RBI for Pete Alonso gives the Mets a 3-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/YfNBURW7pa

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 20, 2025

BRANDON NIMMO ROBBERY! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/deWH4YyT6L

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 20, 2025

What's next

The Mets begin a three-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies at home starting on Monday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

RHP Tylor Megill (2-2, 1.40 ERA) goes for New York and will be opposed by RHP Aaron Nola (0-4, 6.65 ERA).

Max Fried lived up to his eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees and delivered his best start yet for AL East-leading New York (14-8) in Sunday's 4-0, series-clinching win at the Tampa Bay Rays.

Takeaways

-Without Gerrit Cole, Fried has been invaluable as the ace of the Yankees' 2025 starting rotation. He took a no-hit bid deep into his remarkable outing, giving the bullpen a breather after Saturday's extra-inning loss and stifled the Rays (9-13). Fried (4-0, 1.42 ERA) allowed two hits while striking out two and walking two in 7.2 IP. The 64-strike, 102-pitch outing saw Fried embrace the role of the ace with New York coming off a collapse in Saturday's 10-8 defeat.

-Trent Grisham stepped up in the leadoff spot for Ben Rice (left elbow), whom the Yankees kept out of the lineup Sunday after a hit-by-pitch during Saturday's game. Grisham turned on a 2-0 fastball down the middle at 94 mph and sent Ryan Pepiot's offering over the right-field wall for an important solo shot to start the game. Three strikeouts followed for Grisham, who has six home runs through 20 games, but he ultimately gave the Yankees a pivotal run in a big spot as the pitchers' duel between Fried and Pepiot ensued.

-After Grisham drew first blood and while Fried battled,Cody Bellinger's two RBI created separation in the third and sixth innings. His second home run of the early season, a solo shot to right-center field off Pepiot's 95-mph fastball on a 1-2 count, was the last blow in what was an otherwise strong start by the opposing pitcher. Without Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees need Bellinger (12 RBI through 19 games) to be a run-driving supporter behind Aaron Judge and that was the case Sunday.

-Austin Wells' fourth home run through 19 games was the last nail in the Yankees' shutout, sending the first pitch of a one-out, ninth-inning at-bat into opposite field for a solo shot off Garrett Cleavinger. Wells, whose 1-for-3 afternoon included a fourth-inning walk, is up to 10 RBI on the early season.

Who's the MVP?

Fried, who dominated the Rays in a game where New York got just enough offense to end the victorious series with a bounce-back win.

Highlights

Trent Grisham leadoff homer! pic.twitter.com/6HjhrhaVYh

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 20, 2025

A great move by Max Fried to end the inning pic.twitter.com/zd3ezOHM6U

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 20, 2025

Cody Bellinger solo shot! pic.twitter.com/qHM09LmQKJ

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 20, 2025

WHAT A PLAY BY JAZZ! pic.twitter.com/5CiGGyc1UR

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 20, 2025

Aaron Boone is ejected after this strike three call on Aaron Judge

A possible home run ball down the line hit by Judge was called foul earlier in the at-batpic.twitter.com/JShVbXL5sP

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 20, 2025

Max Fried is no longer working a no-hitter after the official scorer changed this Paul Goldschmidt play from an error to a hitpic.twitter.com/xZYNySJmFC

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 20, 2025

What's next

The Yankees' three-game series at the Cleveland Guardians starts with Monday's 6:10 p.m. opener. RHP Clarke Schmidt is set to make his second start this season after he scattered three runs on four hits in 5.2 IP of last Wednesday's 4-3 New York win over the Kansas City Royals. The Guardians are projected to start RHP Gavin Williams (1-1, 4.58 ERA).

Yankees RHP Clayton Beeter began his rehab assignment Sunday with the Low-A Tampa Tarpons and struck out all of his opposing batters.

He entered Sunday's game at the St. Lucie Mets in the fifth inning and struck out the side. He fanned Vincent Perozo to start the sixth inning and ended the day with 14 strikes on 20 pitches.

Beeter's fastball sat at 97 mph, according to the Daily News.

"Reports have been good with how he's throwing the ball," Yankees manager Aaron Boonesaid, via the Daily News, before Sunday's series finale at the Tampa Bay Rays. "Velocity's in a good spot. He could definitely be a guy that could play a big role for us this year."

New York placed Beeter, 26, on the 15-day IL in late March due to right shoulder impingement syndrome.

He made his MLB debut last March and logged three games with the Yankees in 2024, striking out five and walking one while allowing two runs on four hits over 3.2 IP.

Spending most of 2024 at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Beeter was 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 36 IP over 10 games (seven starts).

New York landed Beeter -- the 2020 MLB Draft's No. 66 overall pick -- in the Aug. 2, 2022 trade that sent Joey Gallo to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Kerkering struggles as Phillies blow early lead, fail to sweep Marlins originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The sun was shining, birthday festivities for the Phanatic were ongoing all afternoon, the offense was flowing early, Jesús Luzardo allowed one earned run in seven innings and it looked like the Phillies were on their way to their second series sweep of the season.

It was all going well … until it wasn’t.

Orion Kerkering entered the game with a two-run lead in the eighth inning and gave up singles to the first two batters he faced. He settled, collected a pair of outs, and then gave up a three-run home run to Javier Sanoja.

It was the first home run of Sanoja’s career and the first lead the Marlins saw in the weekend series at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies went on to lose 7-5 in extra innings in the series finale, wrapping up a 4-3 homestand.

Pro: The club has gone 11 straight series at home without a loss, dating back to late July of last season.

Con (and it’s glaring): Sunday was a very winnable game — one that should’ve ended in the opposite column. Instead, we saw a strong outing by the starting pitcher and an early offensive jump washed away from the bullpen.

“This one is gone,” Rob Thomson said after the loss. “It’s in the past. We can’t control what we did today, we just gotta move forward and control what we can control.”

The reality is, it’s one loss in April. The Phillies have a near identical record through 22 games this season as they had in the previous (2024: 14-8, 2025: 13-9).

It’s not the be-all and end-all — it was just a game they knowingly should’ve had.

There’s time to build off what works and adjust what doesn’t.

The offensive stretch during the seven-game homestand, for example, is something the Phillies can use as a launch pad. Especially when it comes to the top of the order.

Since Bryson Stott has moved to the leadoff spot, there’s been a different type of early aggression from the lineup. What was initially a change to protect Bryce Harper by moving Kyle Schwarber to cleanup, turned into a lethal trio to open games.

Stott, Trea Turner and Harper all had explosive weekends, combining for 15 hits, 11 RBI, seven walks and five stolen bases. They all crossed home plate safely before the Marlins could register two outs on the day.

You follow it up with Schwarber, who extended his on base streak to 28 games? And then Castellanos, who is averaging .302 this season?

It’s a lineup of consistency and power — and when it’s combined with a solid outing from the starting pitcher — that’s a recipe that’s going to bring success more times than not.

That just wasn’t the case Sunday.

Luzardo made his first start against his former club of three years and went seven innings, allowing eight hits and two runs, only one was earned. It was just “another start” for him.

He ended the day at 88 pitches but 21 of them came in his final inning.

If it wrapped up a little cleaner? Maybe Kerkering doesn’t come into the game and the end result would’ve been different.

So, chalk it up on the “what if” list for the season.

Maybe we should all just take a slice out of Thomson’s postgame press conference and “control what we can control.”

… And also a slice from the Phanatic’s birthday cake. After the roller-coaster in the final two innings, we’ve earned it.

Verlander's first Giants win spoiled in walk-off loss to Angels originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Justin Verlander nearly inched closer to the 300-win milestone he’s chasing in the twilight of his MLB career.

The 42-year-old was in line for his first Giants win on Sunday against the Angels before San Francisco closer Ryan Walker surrendered four earned runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, sealing Los Angeles’ 5-4 walk-off victory.

Verlander has a long way to go to reach the exclusive milestone and is trying to prove he still has Father Time on his side. Sunday’s impressive outing was a small piece of evidence that he just might.

The veteran righty tossed six innings of one-run ball with two walks and six strikeouts on 98 pitches. Outside of a 33-pitch bottom of the fourth inning, Verlander was excellent.

“I felt better about it,” Verlander told reporters after the game, which he left with a 3-1 lead. “I feel like I’ve been turning in the right direction, and it was nice to give us a better chance to win today.”

Sunday’s loss ended a 10-day, three-city road trip for the Giants, who posted a 5-5 record against the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and the Angels. Manager Bob Melvin lauded Verlander for pitching well Sunday but acknowledged Walker experienced a rare bad outing, spoiling what could have sent San Francisco home on a happy flight after Sam Huff’s two-run homer and Willy Adames’ two-RBI day.

“Just a little off from the very beginning,” Melvin told reporters of Walker’s performance. “He gets the punch-out and now you feel pretty good about him getting out of the inning, but I think that’s the first runs he’s given up all year, so you’re going to have some bad days.

“Unfortunately it happened today.”

San Francisco (14-8) now heads back to Oracle Park for a seven-game homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers (12-10) and Texas Rangers (13-9).

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