Category: MLB

The Mets were cruising in Sacramento when the Athletics made a furious comeback late, but Pete Alonso's eight-inning home run gave New York enough juice to pull out the 7-6 victory on Friday night.

Alonso's fourth home run of the season followed three unanswered runs from the Athletics, and his three RBI were the difference in Friday's game. The Mets bullpen also collected 2.2 scoreless innings before Edwin Diaz allowed two runs in the ninth before finally closing it out.

Here are the takeaways...

-Entering Friday, there have already been 18 home runs in Sutter Health Park, and the Mets added to that total. Brandon Nimmo demolished a 92 mph fastball from lefty JP Sears that went 400 feet to give the Mets a 1-0 lead in the second.

The Mets would add on in the inning with back-to-back one-out doubles from Luisangel Acuña and Luis Torrens. Alonso added another run in the fifth with a booming double that scored Juan Soto from first. Alonso's extra-base hit chased Sears who threw 101 pitches in just 4.2 innings -- he did pick up seven strikeouts though.

-After the Mets' offense squandered some opportunities to score runs, they would finally break things open in the sixth. Jose Siri (walk), Francisco Lindor (reached on error) and Soto (walk) loaded the bases with one out before Alonso hit a sac fly to increase the Mets' lead to 4-1. Starling Marte, starting at DH, blasted a two-run double to give the road team a nice five-run cushion, one Griffin Canning would not be able to hold.

-After a 1-2-3 first inning, the Athletics would square up Griffin Canning in the second. A leadoff walk was followed by a single but Jacob Wilson swung at the first pitch and grounded into a double play. Miguel Andujar hit a sharp single into right field to score the Athletics' first run, and Gio Urshela followed with a single of his own. Max Muncy -- unrelated to the Dodgers' Max Muncy -- then hit a sharp liner toward Nimmo in left and the outfielder lept up to snag the ball before falling backward, averting potential disaster for the third out.

Brent Rooker smashed a one-out triple that missed being a home run by just a few feet in the third. Rooker was running on contact when Tyler Soderstrom hit a hard grounder to first base but Alonso quickly threw it home to get Rooker out by a large margin.

There have only been four games where a Mets starter recorded an out in the sixth inning, and Friday was the fifth but it unraveled quickly for Canning. He entered the sixth with a 6-1 lead, but the Athletics began to hit him. Shea Langeliers led off with a double before Wilson's one-out single drove in the Athletics catcher. Andujar then followed with a laster down the left-field line for a two-run homer that cut the Mets' lead to two runs.

Canning's night was done after that. He threw 86 pitches (53 strikes) across 5.1 innings allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out three batters.

-Reed Garrett was first out of the bullpen and he had trouble in the sixth. After getting a strikeout, he allowed a double and two walks to load the bases for Soderstrom. The big lefty lined a bullet (109.3 mph off the bat) on a 3-2 pitch into right field, but right at a waiting Soto to end the threat.

The rest of the Mets bullpen would steady the ship. Ryne Stanek dominated in a 1-2-3 seventh and A.J. Minter did the same for the eighth.

After a disastrous last outing, Edwin Diaz came out for the save in the ninth. The closer allowed a leadoff walk, but after Diaz got a strikeout he walked Soderstrom. Langeliers lined a double into left field to cut the Mets' lead to 7-5. A sac fly pushes across another run but got Wilson to ground out and complete the save.

-With Jeff McNeil rehabbing, Acuña's time with the Mets could be coming to an end. The young infielder did get the start against the left-handed starter and had a solid day at the dish. He finished 2-for-4 with a walk (on nine pitches) and a stolen base.

Torrens made his first appearance in a few games after being down with a strained forearm. The catcher had the big RBI double but went hitless (1-5) the rest of the way.

Mark Vientos, in an early-season slump, finished 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout. He was robbed of a potential hit when Soderstrom dove to smother a groundball that would have likely gone into the outfield.

Game MVP: Pete Alonso

The Mets bullpen was great, but when the momentum seemed to be shifting, Alonso's home run felt like the nail New York needed. Alonso also drove in three of the team's seven runs.

Highlights

Brandon Nimmo blasts one to open the scoring! pic.twitter.com/CmMymL02hD

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 12, 2025

Back-to-back doubles from Luisangel Acuña and Luis Torrens makes it 2-0 Mets! pic.twitter.com/HAoLqqTXrH

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 12, 2025

Brandon Nimmo sticks with it and the Mets get out of the inning pic.twitter.com/cBWdt7HgeJ

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 12, 2025

Pete Alonso comes home to get the out at the plate pic.twitter.com/IAj8DCTe48

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 12, 2025

Starling Marte drives a 2-run double to bring in Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto to make it 6-1 Mets! pic.twitter.com/SJNmhwwUeC

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 12, 2025

Pete Alonso's third hit of the night is his fourth homer of the year! pic.twitter.com/eSU7kpFZbf

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 12, 2025

What's next

The Mets continue their weekend series with the Athletics on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

David Peterson will be on the mound for New York while the Athletics have yet to announce a starter.

Tommy Edman never hit more than 13 home runs in any of his six previous seasons.

After 15 games this year, he’s almost halfway there.

With an easy swing on a knee-high changeup in the sixth inning Friday night, Edman ended what had been a pitchers duel between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd. Edman turned a blank scoreline into a three-run Dodgers lead. And, in perhaps the most unexpected twist of the team’s blistering start, Edman joined a five-way tie for the major league lead in home runs, belting his sixth to lift the Dodgers to a 3-0 win at Dodger Stadium.

“He’s got a really good routine to keep his body strong. He does a good job of controlling the strike zone and finding pitches he can drive. And he’s taking good swings,” said manager Dave Roberts, who described himself as both “surprised” and “impressed” by Edman’s power display. 

“I don’t think he’d ever say he’s a power hitter,” Roberts added. “But he’s finding a way to backspin the baseball and hit some homers.”

Read more:Dodgers' Andy Pages trying to avoid sophomore slump and cement lineup spot

Home runs are not why the Dodgers long coveted Edman early in his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Power is not one of the primary traits they thought they were acquiring when the 29-year-old arrived in a three-way trade at the deadline last summer.

His positional versatility, switch-hitting abilities and Gold Glove-caliber defense across the diamond are what club executives treasured most. Plays like the one he made in the top of the sixth inning Friday, when he sprinted some 50 feet from a shifted position behind second base to reach a ground ball in the hole and make a spinning throw from the shallow outfield grass to first, are what they envisioned.

But moments later, on a night the Dodgers had struggled to apply any pressure on Boyd, Edman flipped the script with one timely swing.

After Teoscar Hernández singled and Freddie Freeman was hit by a pitch — the latter returning from the injured list after what he described as a hugely beneficial 10-day rest for his ailing right ankle — Edman jumped on a 1-and-0 changeup for a 423-foot blast halfway up the left-field pavilion.

“I’m really not trying to hit homers,” the 5-foot-9, 193-pound Edman said with a laugh. “More a side result of putting in some good work in the cage and having a better plan at the plate, doing my preparation and knowing how I’m trying to attack a pitcher.”

Suddenly, MLB’s home run leaderboard reads as follows:

T-1st: Mike Trout (who is closing in on 400 career home runs)

T-1st: Aaron Judge (the three-time American League home run king)

T-1st: Kyle Schwarber (the 2022 National League home run king)

T-1st: Tyler Soderstrom (a power-hitting Athletics prospect)

And, T-1st: Edman (who hit four home runs in his college career)

“It’s a lot of guys who kind of look the same,” Edman joked. “And then there’s me.”

The Dodgers (11-4) also were backed up by superb pitching in their first shutout of the season, one keyed by a nearly flawless six-inning effort from Yamamoto.

The right-hander was perfect through his first three innings. He gave up his only two hits in the fourth but managed to strand a runner at third. And he racked up nine strikeouts with a lethal combination of splitters, curveballs and precisely located mid-90s fastballs.

“He was just dotting tonight,” said Freeman, who aided Yamamoto’s cause on a relay play that caught Chicago's Seiya Suzuki in a rundown during the fourth inning. “Down and away. The splitter was down. Two-seamer running in on the righties' hands. He just had everything going tonight. He’s looked like that since spring training. Looks like he’s on a mission this year.” 

Yamamoto’s lone walk came to his penultimate batter, missing with a full-count curveball to Ian Happ with two outs in the sixth. But in another full count to star Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker in the next at-bat, Yamamoto snapped off a swing-and-miss cutter, getting a standing ovation from the crowd and a long hug from Roberts in the dugout after lowering his earned-run average to 1.23 through four starts (fourth best in the NL).

“Each time out you see his confidence growing,” said Roberts, who removed Yamamoto only because his pitch count climbed to 103 (the second-highest of his MLB career). 

“He holds his adrenaline. He makes pitches when he needs to. Right now, he’s in a place where he’s really unflappable.”

Boyd, a veteran left-hander who entered the night having not given up a run in two starts for the Cubs (9-7), wasn’t so lucky in the sixth.

Hernández battled back from an 0-and-2 count to poke a full-count changeup to center for a single. Freeman — who said before the game that the ankle he had surgically repaired this offseason, then reaggravated this month by slipping in the shower, was “the best [it has] felt” since he sprained it late last season — then took a wide sinker off the side of his hip.

That brought up Edman, the undersized utility man who began showing signs of power last season by hitting six home runs in 37 games following his trade, earning the nickname “Tommy Tanks.”

In less than half that time this season he’s matched that total. And now, a player who never topped 13 long balls in a season is on pace for more than 60.

“I got the under on the 60,” Roberts joked. “But he just takes good at-bats. ... He just has the knack for getting the big hit.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Giants jumped all over Marcus Stroman in the first inning and the Yankees could not recover in their 9-1 loss during a rain-shortened game on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

The game started after a 30-minute delay, but the rain continued throughout. Couple that with strong winds, and it was a bear to deal with for both sides. The game would be delayed again in the sixth inning before it was finally called after another 26 minutes.

Here are the takeaways...

- Stroman probably wishes the game was rained out. He allowed the first five batters to reach base, as the Giants started the game with a double, walk and then a three-run shot by Jung Hoo Lee. Back-to-back walks forced the Yankees to get their bullpen up before Lamonte Wade Jr. drove a double down the line to score two more.

Stroman would get the next two batters out but Tyler Fitzgerald's single chased the veteran right-hander out of the game after getting just two outs.

Manager Aaron Boone called on Ryan Yarbrough to try and give the team length. The southpaw would get Mike Yastrzemski -- in his second at-bat of the inning -- to strike out and end the first.

Stroman's night was done after recording just two outs on 46 pitches (23 strikes), allowing five runs on four hits and three walks and striking out just one batter. The right-hander's ERA on this young season is now 11.57.

- Yarbrough did his job, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk and striking out three batters. However, the Giants broke the game open in the fifth.

Ian Hamilton walked the first two batters before striking out Heliot Ramos. Boone brought Tim Hill in to get out of the jam, but the sidearmer just couldn't find the zone. After walking the bases loaded, Hill took the out at first base after a Wilmer Flores chopper back to the mound. He then thew a wild pitch on the first pitch of the next at-bat that scored a run before giving up a run-scoring double to Patrick Bailey.

- Things went off the rails in the sixth with the Giants already up 8-1. Yoendrys Gomez could not grip the baseball and walked three straight batters to start the inning. Twelve of his first 13 pitches were balls.

The umpires all walked up to Gomez after the third walk to discuss with him before calling Boone and the groundskeeper to the mound. After a conversation, the officials let Gomez continue. To Gomez's credit, the right-hander struck out the next two batters but walked in the Giants' ninth run of the game.

Boone walked to the mound again and after some discussion, the umpires brought in the tarp.

- The Yankees' first and only run came in the second off the bat of Austin Wells. The left-handed catcher launched a pitch from LHP Robbie Ray that was projected to go 408 feet -- according to the YES Network broadcast -- but the wind, which was gusting in from right to left, had it go just 358 feet and off the top of the right-center field wall for a double that scored Anthony Volpe from second.

New York had chances to slowly cut into the Giants' lead but just couldn't get the hit. They were 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.

The Yankees had just two hits: the Wells double and Volpe's infield single. Aaron Judge went 0-for-1 but walked twice.

- The Yankees' bullpen was taxed on Friday but the Giants were on the verge of being in the same boat after starter Robbie Ray could only get through four innings. San Francisco used just one reliever to get one more inning to make it an official game.

Game MVP: Lamonte Wade Jr.

The first baseman went 1-for-2 with two walks but drove in three runs. He was on base for all of the Giants' big innings.

Highlights

Austin Wells hits an RBI double off the top of the wall pic.twitter.com/DQlcaMVOVb

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 12, 2025

What's next

The Yankees and Giants continue their three-game set on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

Will Warren will take the mound for the third time this season and will be opposed by Jordan Hicks.

(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)

The start of the 2025 MLB season has been a roller coaster for many teams, but few have begun their campaign quite like the Los Angeles Angels. In the latest episode of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast," hosts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman dive in to how the Angels have managed to capture the baseball world's attention. 

The Angels are the only team yet to lose a series this season.

"I don't believe in this franchise," Mintz said. "And yet, so far this season, this team, at the very least, has provided reasons for optimism."

"Let us recall that this season began for the Angels with Nicky Lopez pitching on Opening Day against the White Sox," Shusterman noted. "And we were like, all right, here we go again. We're on our way to 100 losses. This is the most embarrassing franchise in baseball." 

And yet, through two weeks, the Angels stand out with their surprising achievement: They've won all four series they've played, albeit without sweeping any of them. Despite their success, the 8-4 Angels find themselves trailing the 9-4 Texas Rangers by a half-game in the AL West.

A standout story for the Angels is the unforeseen rise of Kyren Paris, who boasts an impressive 1.485 OPS, a 1.000 slugging percentage, five home runs and four steals so far. Paris, 23, was drafted by the Angels out of high school in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

As Mintz noted, "None of this is sustainable for even the godliest of men, but there does seem to be something interesting brewing here with Kyren Paris."

Paris' journey through the minors was fast-tracked, as the Angels like to do, and then he struggled massively upon arriving in the big leagues in 2023. 

"And then last year, it's even worse," Shusterman explained. "He hit .167 in 60 minor-league games. He had some injuries. They were still putting him in the big leagues for some of it. He hit .118 in 21 big-league games.

"He was 22, so it's not like you were dooming him forever. But this seemed like a case of, 'Oh, the Angels. They got too aggressive with one of their players that seemed to be on a decent track, and now he's paying the price.'"

But starting this spring, Paris has looked like a different player. As the hosts noted, Paris worked in the offseason with Aaron Judge's personal hitting coach, Richard Schenck, and has made some apparent adjustments to his stance in the batter's box, which are clearly paying off.

"Which is most compelling because Kyren Paris is not a big dude, you know?" Shusterman said. "To see kind of applying some of the same methodology, the same physical moves that have helped Aaron Judge — it's not a perfect replica, but it is maximizing and making the most of athleticism that Kyren Paris has always had."

Will Paris slug 1.000 for the rest of the season? Almost definitely not, but as the hosts pointed out, he also brings defensive versatility that will continue to benefit the Angels.

What else is going right in Anaheim? The hosts took a look at the rest of the lineup, highlighted by new right fielder Mike Trout, who has also hit five home runs. And the Angels have seen some improvements in their starting pitching, thanks to Kyle Hendricks and Jose Soriano stepping up early in the season. Lastly, the Angels have Kenley Jansen anchoring the bullpen and closing out games.

Shusterman summed it up well: "We're talking about 12 games, and when you have a couple good starting pitchers and an offense that's hitting a bunch of homers, you're going to win a decent number of games."

It's important to note that the Angels have played the Rays, White Sox, Guardians and Cardinals — not exactly the most daunting slate of opponents. Also, the Angels have started strong through April a few times in the past few years, yet they've always fallen off before the second half. 

As such, the hosts aren't buying this Angels team quite yet.

"I'm glad they're playing well right now," Shusterman said. "I am loving the Kyren Paris breakout. I'm loving Mike Trout. But they would just need to be doing it for so much longer and so many other ways for me to believe."

To listen to the full episode and more, tune in to "Baseball-Bar-B-Cast" on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.

Jeff McNeil got into an actual game on Friday evening with Port St. Lucie, and the Mets infielder had a successful rehab start.

Starting at second base, and leading off, McNeil went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run. He played the field for five innings before being subbed out.

The former NL batting champion is hoping to continue his form from the second half of last season, which allowed him to salvage his 2024 campaign. After a dreadful start, McNeil finished the year with a .238 batting average after hitting .216 in the first half of the season. His second half saw him hit a respectable .289.

"It’s a tricky injury with the oblique but the fact he’s already playing in-game, that’s a good sign," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday. "He’ll play today, then he’ll play Sunday, play Tuesday and then we have to get him to play back-to-back games. How he’s going to respond to that and then we’ll check with him if he needs more at-bats or not. He got more at-bats than Alvarez did in spring training so that’s good there but we’re going to play it by ear."

The Mets skipper said McNeil's next rehab game will be with St. Lucie on Sunday before eventually going to Triple-A Syracuse to continue getting at-bats.

Jeff McNeil gets a single, Francisco Alvarez battles from down 0-2 to work a walk, and Drew Gilbert brings them all home with a 3-run homer for St. Lucie! pic.twitter.com/YfD3qsFLuX

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 11, 2025

Latest on Francisco Alvarez 

As for Alvarez, he started at catcher hitting behind McNeil in Friday's game at Port St. Lucie.

The Mets backstop caught seven innings going 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. It's Alvarez's second rehab start after catching five innings on Wednesday.

Mendoza said the plan for Alvarez is to play one more game at St. Lucie on Sunday before heading back to Citi Field on Monday to check in with the doctors. And then he'll head up to Syracuse for a game on Tuesday.

Update on Paul Blackburn

Mendoza also detailed what the next steps for Blackburn are.

"He threw a live BP today, one inning," he said. "Depending on how he feels the next couple of days, the next step will be another live BP on Tuesday, two ups live BP and then we’ll go from there. He threw in Brooklyn today."

Luis Severino was hoping to return to the Mets this offseason. 

The hard-throwing right-hander was coming off a bounce-back campaign in which he stayed healthy for the first time in a long time and returned to the dominant form he showed during his early days with the Yankees. 

The two sides had discussions on a potential reunion during the winter -- and Severino told the Mets that he’d be willing to accept a two-year deal worth $40 million to stay, but as things played out they had other plans.

The 31-year-old told reporters Friday that New York was only willing to offer him the two-year, $34 million pact that they signed Frankie Montas to this offseason, which ultimately led to them going their separate ways. 

“I was told I had a chance,” Severino said. “I was trying to stay with the Mets. I asked for less money to stay there but, like I said, I wasn’t in their plans. At the beginning I was shocked but at the end, I knew it was business, and they need to take care of themselves.”

While things didn’t quite go as planned, all worked out well for Severino -- as he ended up signing with the Athletics on a three-year, $67 million deal, the largest guarantee in franchise history.

“I’m proud of him,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He was really good for us. I had a really good relationship with him even when we were both with the Yankees. I’m proud that he got a nice contract, the work paid off.”

Severino received interest from numerous clubs before he signed with the A’s -- and while they aren’t exactly in the most ideal of circumstances at the moment -- he felt they were a perfect landing spot.

“The last two offseasons I’ve had a meeting with my agent and discussed what I’m looking for. At the end, [the Athletics] was the closest to what I was looking for. Having a young team that has talent and wants to go out there and play baseball.

“Last year nobody thought we were going to the playoffs and we made it. I’ve played for a lot of teams that had something to show and I feel this is one of those teams.”

The Mets will get their first look at that young and hungry team this weekend. 

Severino, who has thrown six or more innings in each of his first three starts, is lined up to face Kodai Senga in the series finale on Sunday -- a tough matchup that he certainly is looking forward to. 

“I'm really happy to see those guys, they were like family to me," he said. "Even though it was one year I feel like I was there for a long time -- so yeah, it's going to be fun. I’m going to bring my best, best of luck to them.”

Phillies' reconfigured lineup gets shut out but Thomson not pulling the cord yet originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ST. LOUIS — Coming off a marathon rain delay in Thursday’s extra-inning loss in Atlanta, the Phillies arrived at their hotel in St. Louis at quarter to 4 a.m. Friday and the fatigue showed in their weakest offensive performance of the young season, a 2-0 loss to the Cardinals.

The Phils were held completely in check by right-hander Andre Pallante, reaching base just four times in his seven innings with two singles and two walks.

Pallante had faced the Phillies six times before but was never this effective. His fastball cut in to lefties and Kyle Schwarber said it was difficult to lift.

The Phillies’ only real scoring chance was in the first inning when Bryce Harper walked, Kyle Schwarber singled and the new-look 3-4 hitters executed a double steal. “Thought we had something going,” Thomson said. Nick Castellanos flied out to medium-deep right field and that was that.

The Phils put another runner in scoring position with one out in the fifth inning of a tie game, only for Rafael Marchan to ground out on a 3-1 count and Bryson Stott to strike out swinging.

One last opportunity arose in the ninth inning when Trea Turner led off with a single against Cardinals closer Ryan Helsey, but Harper, Schwarber and Castellanos were retired in order.

The lineup change didn’t work, at least on this night. Manager Rob Thomson moved Stott (0-for-4) up to the leadoff spot and hit Schwarber cleanup, behind Harper, in an attempt to better protect the Phillies’ first baseman. Harper was intentionally walked twice in Thursday’s loss and both times, Castellanos followed with a strikeout. Entering Friday night, the player directly after Harper in the lineup was batting .120 for the season.

The Phillies face another righty on Saturday in Miles Mikolas so the same lineup structure could be used even though the first game resulted in a shutout loss.

“I don’t think you pull the cord on that yet,” Thomson said of Schwarber hitting behind Harper.

There are obvious benefits to batting Harper and Schwarber consecutively. It will put immense stress on pitchers in leverage spots, it will make opposing managers think twice about pitching around Harper, and the duo has the chance to hit back-to-back homers any cycle through the lineup. They also both walk a ton, meaning it will be crucial that the five-hole hitter does damage behind Schwarber.

“That’s very challenging,” said Aaron Nola, who’s glad he doesn’t have to face them. “They’re two different guys that can do a lot of different things. They can hit the longball, they don’t miss the ball in their hot zone too much. Especially those guys back-to-back, if you have guys on base for them late in the game, you’ve always got a good chance. We’ve got a great lineup overall, wherever those guys hit.”

Castellanos batted fifth on Friday and Alec Bohm was seventh for the second straight game. Bohm’s 0-for-3 night made him 4-for-his-last-43. He’s been through a lot in his time as a Phillie but this is probably as trying a period as he’s experienced given all the offseason noise.

Nola did not have sharp command for a third straight start to begin his season. He put the leadoff man on base and in scoring position in four of his five innings, and though he stranded three of them, the Cardinals scored twice in the fifth. The first run came across on a double by nine-hole hitter Yahel Pozo, who entered as an injury replacement in the second inning and ended up with three hits. The second scored on a rare bases-loaded walk by Nola, just the second of his career.

Nola did not allow a home run but walked four after issuing only one free pass in his first 11⅓ innings. He’s 0-3 with a 5.51 ERA and said his priority next time out is strike one and out one. Things are so much more difficult when you’re pitching out of the stretch with nobody out.

“He doesn’t have his good fastball yet with the finish to it,” Thomson said. “I’ve seen that before early in the year and he’ll get that as it warms up, I believe.”

The Phillies are 8-5 and have lost three of their last four. They’ve had eight consecutive games decided by one or two runs.

If there was any silver lining to Friday night, it’s that they finally avoided having to use any of their late-game relievers. Jose Ruiz pitched the sixth inning, Carlos Hernandez had the seventh and Tanner Banks the eighth. All three of Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering should be well-rested and ready to go the rest of the weekend.

Cristopher Sanchez is on the bump for the Phillies Saturday afternoon. Mikolas goes for the Cardinals, who lost all four times he faced the Phils in 2023 and 2024.

Painter throws 37 pitches, a handful at 100 mph, in first start since injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ST. LOUIS — Just over 1,000 miles southeast of the Phillies’ series opener against the Cardinals Friday night, their top pitching prospect made his long-awaited return to the mound in a minor-league game.

Andrew Painter threw 37 pitches over 1⅔ innings for Single A Clearwater, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Both scored when he was removed for a reliever after reaching Friday’s limit, which was the 35-pitch range.

Painter hit 100 mph five times, maxing out at 100.2, and sat 97-99.

Both hits he allowed were soft bloops to shallow center field. He faced seven batters and four of them went to a full count.

But the most important part of Painter’s return to game action from the Phillies’ perspective won’t be whether he had pinpoint command in his first two innings back, it’s that tomorrow morning he shows up to the ballpark feeling healthy.

It was 25 months ago that Painter injured his elbow in spring training while competing for a rotation job at 19 years old. He faced the Twins in a Grapefruit League game, showcased his upper-90s/triple-digit fastball and looked the part. But he quickly developed elbow pain that didn’t go away on its own and eventually required Tommy John surgery in July 2023.

The Phillies have taken things slowly with Painter, rightfully so given his high ceiling and importance to their next decade of run prevention. They plan to pitch him once a week in the minor leagues for a little while, likely capping him close to this same two-inning, 35-pitch threshold. It’s by design. The Phillies want to keep him healthy and they also want to preserve innings toward his limit so they can utilize them in the major leagues later in the season. Three innings of Painter in September against the Mets are more meaningful than three innings in April against the Daytona Tortugas.

Weston Wilson also started for Clearwater. He began a rehab assignment on Tuesday, six weeks after straining his oblique. He played left field on Tuesday and Wednesday and started at third base on Friday. The Phillies plan to play him in Clearwater again on Saturday then send him up to Triple A Lehigh Valley, where he could be in Tuesday’s lineup.

Once his timing is right at the plate, Wilson could be promoted to the majors. He was highly likely to make the Opening Day roster if healthy because of his positional versatility and right-handed bat. There have been multiple spots already this season when it would have been nice for the Phillies to have Wilson available as a pinch-hitter for Brandon Marsh or Bryson Stott.

The final two bench spots went to Johan Rojas and Kody Clemens, who has barely played, going 0-for-1 with a walk.

Ranger’s next step

Ranger Suarez (back) went three scoreless innings Thursday night for Clearwater, throwing 33 pitches, 24 strikes. His fastball was 92 mph, a good sign because it’s right in line with his career average.

It was Suarez’ first rehab start and the plan is to have him throw four innings in his next, then five innings. Ideally, Thomson wants Suarez built up to 100 pitches before joining the rotation.

What we learned as Jung Hoo Lee homers in Giants' rain-shortened win vs. Yankees originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants on Friday began a stretch of 17 games in 17 days, including 10 on this three-city trip against teams with winning records. It’s such a daunting trip that manager Bob Melvin joked Wednesday that he felt he was about to leave San Francisco for a month, but it couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. 

The Giants scored five runs before making an out at Yankee Stadium on Friday night and rolled to a 9-1 win in a game called in the sixth inning because of rain. They became the third team in the big leagues to reach double-digit wins, joining two in their division: The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

Given all the times he has talked about the Giants, and his grounder-heavy style, it’s a shock that Marcus Stroman hasn’t worn orange and black at some point. But his latest outing against them was one of the worst of his career. Stroman threw 46 pitches and didn’t get out of the first, leaving to some boos from a soaked crowd at Yankee Stadium.

The Giants kept pouring it on, drawing 11 walks and scoring seven of them. They would have done more damage, but the game — which was delayed at the start by rain — was delayed again in the top of the sixth with the bases loaded. After a short delay, it was called.

Jung Hoo Three

Jung Hoo Lee was injured last year when the Giants visited New York, but he didn’t waste any time once he entered the spotlight Friday. A leadoff double from Mike Yastrzemski and a walk by Willy Adames set the stage and Lee got the Giants on the board with a three-run blast to right, his first of the year.

The homer continued a barrage of extra-base hits from Lee, who bumped his OPS to an even 1.000. He leads the Majors with seven doubles and also had a triple on a big homestand. After slugging .331 as a rookie, he’s currently at .596. That’s what you want from your No. 3 hitter, even if Lee is getting there in a different way than most who hit in that spot. 

Helped By The Rain

Robbie Ray took the mound with a five-run lead and gave up just one run, but he seemingly couldn’t hang around long enough to qualify for a third win in three starts. Ray did end up getting the win, though, thanks to an obscure rule. 

As Jon Miller so brilliantly mentioned a couple of times on the broadcast, the scorekeeper can give the win to a starting pitcher who doesn’t go five if the game ends early. Because the game didn’t go six full innings, Ray ended up picking up his third win of the season despite pitching just four innings, one short of the usual requirement for starting pitchers. 

It certainly was a well-earned win. Ray allowed two hits and struck out seven, although he also walked four and went to a full count to eight of 18 batters, which led to an early exit. The Yankees made him throw 59 pitches in the second and third, and that got Spencer Bivens warming up. Bivens took over in the fifth with the Giants leading by seven.

Ray very nearly became just the fourth Giant to strike out at least seven and allow fewer than three hits and two runs, but not qualify for the win. Instead, he headed home with a 3-0 record and 2.93 ERA. 

A New Look

Melvin has tried to keep it consistent with his lineup, but he made a big change Friday. Yastrzemski, who entered the trip with a .462 on-base percentage, was moved to the top of the lineup. LaMonte Wade Jr., who was at .146, was moved down to the sixth spot. It worked out very well on the first night. 

Yastrzemski pulled the game’s first pitch into the gap for a double and scored the first run of the five-run first. Wade drove in the final two with a double into the right field corner that brought Matt Chapman and Heliot Ramos racing home. He drew a walk his third time up and then walked again with the bases loaded in the sixth.

Wade is just 5-for-40 to start the year, but all five hits have gone for extra bases. He has three doubles, a triple and a homer.

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With the New York Rangers on the verge of missing the playoffs, speculation on what changes the organization may make have already begun..

After a season of the likes that the Rangers are currently experiencing, it’s common for both the coach and general manager to be on the hot seat. 

However, it doesn't appear as if Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury is at any risk of losing his job, at least according to one NHL insider. 

“My sense there is that he should be okay. I think there’s a lot of loyalty from Jim Dolan, the owner,” TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said. “Chris Drury was pretty busy out of the trade deadline, too, really kind of setting up his offseason with a lot of moves he made. I think Chris Drury plans to be aggressive in trying to retool the Rangers again here this summer.”

Dury’s decisions to waive Barclay Goodrow, force Jacob Trouba to waive his no-trade clause, and publicly shop Chris Kreider, created an uncomfortable environment around the Rangers organization. 

Some even blame Drury for the Rangers’ fall from grace this season, considering they won the Presidents’ Trophy just one year ago before all of this transpired. 

Unlike his boss, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette may not be so safe. 

“I can tell you that there’s absolutely no word out of the Rangers, themselves,” LeBrun said. “Very tight-lipped about what might transpire here over the next week, or so. But in talking to other people around the League, the low-hanging fruit, the expectations from a lot of people I’ve talked to is that Peter Laviolette could get fired.

“He’s got another year on his deal, so certainly not a sure thing. But when you look at the body language and the performance of the team over the last month, again, when I’ve talked to other people around the League, that’s probably the easiest conclusion, and so, we’ll see whether or not that happens.”

It’s unclear what changes will be made, but expect to see a hectic and busy Rangers offseason with drastic turnover.

Thomson explains the significant change to Phillies' lineup originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ST. LOUIS — The 8-4 Phillies made a significant change to their lineup to begin a weekend series with the Cardinals, moving Bryson Stott up to the leadoff spot and Kyle Schwarber to cleanup, behind Bryce Harper.

The primary reason behind the move is to give Harper more protection. Through 12 games, the Phillies led off Schwarber against right-handers and Trea Turner against lefties, but Schwarber has been their most productive hitter and his power bat is more meaningful right now behind Harper than a couple spots in front of him.

“Just trying to protect Harper as best as we can and not get into a situation where they’re intentionally walking him, where you’ve got to pitch to him,” manager Rob Thomson said pregame from the visiting dugout at Busch Stadium. “Stott’s on-base percentage against righties is .375, .380 so he’s getting on base against righties. That’s really what it’s all about.”

Harper was intentionally walked twice in Thursday’s extra-inning loss — in the fifth inning with two outs and runners on second and third, and in the 10th inning with two outs and Johan Rojas on third. Both times, the Phillies failed to score.

Alec Bohm had been hitting cleanup behind Harper against righties but he’s mired in a 4-for-40 slump without an extra-base hit or walk. Bohm was moved down to seventh in the order Thursday night in Atlanta and remained there Friday in St. Louis.

Nick Castellanos occupied the cleanup spot Thursday but had one of the roughest nights of his career, going 0-for-5 with five strikeouts.

This was Friday’s lineup against cutter-based Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante:

1. Bryson Stott, 2B (L)
2. Trea Turner, SS
3. Bryce Harper, 1B (L)
4. Kyle Schwarber, DH (L)
5. Nick Castellanos, RF
6. Max Kepler, LF (L)
7. Alec Bohm, 3B
8. Brandon Marsh, CF (L)
9. Rafael Marchan, C

It’s unusual for Thomson to bat three lefties in the top four spots given the Phillies’ preference to alternate sides but part of it is the ability of Harper and Schwarber to hit same-handed pitching.

Harper has hit .291 vs. lefties since 2023 with an OBP over .370.

Schwarber has been even better than that since the start of last season, hammering southpaws to the tune of .313/.422/.542.

The Cardinals will still likely attack that part of the lineup with a left-hander and have three in their bullpen in former Phillie JoJo Romero, Steven Matz and John King.

“We’ll see how it works out,” Thomson said when asked if he might continue to hit Harper and Schwarber back-to-back.

Bohm and Castellanos were a combined 0-for-10 in the series finale in Atlanta but Bohm did smash two balls. He lined out over 100 mph to second base in his first at-bat and lined out 380 feet to deep right-center late in the game. His slump has been a mixture of bad luck and a couple of poor nights. Combine them and the result is a fortnight of frustration.

“Played well defensively, hit two balls right on the screws,” Thomson said of Bohm’s game Thursday. “That’s all you can do. Once it leaves the bat, there’s not much you can do about it. But the swings were good. He’ll come out of it. You look at the back of their baseball card, that’s probably where they’re going to end up.”

As for Castellanos, Thomson isn’t worried about one brutal night affecting his confidence.

“I don’t think you have to worry about Nick spiraling,” he said. “He’s a veteran and today will be a brand new day for him. He’s probably forgotten all about last night.”