Category: Baseball

Phillies waste early lead, fall 4-3 to Diamondbacks originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PHOENIX  – Rob Thomson has said in the past that he is a constant scoreboard watcher for out-of-town games.

He probably didn’t like what he saw Saturday. Not only did his Phillies drop a 4-3 decision to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, the Milwaukee Brewers won their game with the St. Louis Cardinals and pulled three games ahead of the Phillies for the top seed in the National League.

The Phillies pulled out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Harrison Bader walked on four pitches to start off the game and sprinted home on a double by Kyle Schwarber off Arizona starter Zac Gallen. Schwarber moved to third on a groundout by Bryce Harper then score on J.T. Realmuto’s sacrifice fly to deep center.

Arizona tied the game 2-2 with solo runs in the first and third off Nola, but he was given the lead back in the fourth when Alec Bohm homered to center for a 3-2 lead.

“I think I’m just getting through the ball better, not cutting my swing off and just kind of the way I feel. Just feels getting through the ball better,” said Bohm. “For a little while there I was just kind of stuck. Just keep building on the consistency of it. Today when I swung I put the ball in play which is more on par for what I do. When I’m good, when I decide to swing at a pitch, and make the right decision, the ball is getting put in play.”

As the manager said, a lot of good things despite a loss that dropped them to 92-63.

“It was nice to see Schwarber get a couple of hits, the double to left-center was a good sign,” said Thomson. “Bohm is swinging the bat well, Stott had a couple base hits, great at-bat in the ninth. Lot of good things today.”

But the Diamondbacks got to Nola in the sixth when, with one out, Blaze Alexander doubled off the wall in centerfield and scored a batter later when James McCann doubled to right-center. Tanner Banks relieved Nola and struck out pinch-hitter Tim Tawa, but Ildemaro Vargas blooped a single just over the head of shortstop Bryson Stott and Arizona grabbed a 4-3 lead.

An error by third baseman Alexander on a ball hit by Otto Kemp and a walk to Bryson Stott by Gallen gave the Phillies two men on with two out in the seventh, but Harrison Bader grounded into a fielder’s choice to end that threat.

The Phillies got a pair of runners on again in the eighth when Kyle Schwarber led off with a single but was forced at second on a great play by Geraldo Perdomo who dove and snagged a Bryce Harper grounder to force Schwarber at second. Harper advanced to third on a single to right by Realmuto, but Brandon Marsh struck out looking and Bohm flew out softly to center.

Should the Phillies need a fourth starter in the playoffs Nola helped himself on Saturday, if there is indeed a competition for that spot between him and Walker Buehler. Nola went 5 1/3 innings and gave up seven hits, four earned runs, a pair of walks and struck out 4 while throwing 55 of his 84 pitches for strikes.

“I could have been a little more aggressive, a lot better than last outing,” said Nola. “Body feels good. I’m 100 percent finally. I feel great. My arm feels good, so overall I feel really good. They’ve got a pretty good lineup. They’re scrappy, hit the ball both ways.”

“I thought he was pretty good,” said Thomson. “Encouraging. I thought his fastball command was good, 93, 94. Landed his curveball early in counts and behind in counts, so that was a good sign. Yeah, 65 percent strikes, got some whiffs. It was good.

“Today was really encouraging to me just because his fastball command, velocity was up and he held it for most of the game. I’m not sure if there’s not some fatigue setting in, just because he hasn’t had a full season. Sometimes that’s good. Really, with the amount of starts he’s had he’s still kind of building back. I don’t know whether there’s some fatigue setting in but I liked where he was at today.”

Gallen, the Bishop Eustace product, kept his hot pitching streak alive by picking up the win as he improved to 13-14 on the season. In his last 10 starts, he is 6-2 with a 2.82 ERA after giving up three earned runs in seven innings to the Phillies.

“His secondary pitch was really good,” said Thomson. “The changeup to lefties, the curveball to righties and lefties. Really good.”

Bryce Eldridge's first MLB hit highlights unforgettable night for his family originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LOS ANGELES — On Saturday night, Bryce Eldridge picked up his first MLB hit by smoking a fastball from former All-Star Tyler Glasnow off the wall in left field. The milestone came at Dodger Stadium in front of a sellout crowd, and it cleared the bases. 

Bryce Eldridge's first MLB hit 🙌 pic.twitter.com/wLprJqHUER

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 21, 2025

It was a big moment. It was not, however, enough to make him the star of the family group chat. 

Eldridge’s mom, Beth, was at Dodger Stadium with her twin sister and other son to watch as the 20-year-old made his fourth start in the big leagues. In the top of the fifth, with Eldridge on deck, Beth caught a foul ball that Matt Chapman hit behind the first base dugout.

“She said someone was trying to wrestle her for it and she kind of whacked their hand out of the way,” the rookie first baseman said, smiling. “She’s feisty. She gets what she wants.”

Eldridge’s family members stood and cheered wildly after his three-run double in the first, which got him on the board in the big leagues. They did it again after Beth wrestled away that foul ball. 

On the rest of this night, there wasn’t much for anyone affiliated with the Giants to celebrate. 

The lineup let Glasnow off the hook after the Eldridge double, scoring once more in the inning but failing to take advantage of his rising pitch count. He ended up going five, and the Dodgers clawed their way back and then took the lead with four homers, ultimately winning 7-5.  

This has become the norm for the Giants, who never imagined their bullpen looking like this. They can’t hold late leads. They also can’t hold big early leads. For the third time in eight days, the lineup scored four early runs but then shut it down. The Giants have lost all three games. 

This defeat was their seventh in eight games since they briefly moved into a tie for the National League’s third Wild Card spot. They can be eliminated from the postseason as soon as Monday, which would make the final week at Oracle Park 100 percent about looking toward the future. 

Eldridge will be a huge part of it, and he should make his debut at first base in the coming days. As a DH, he has shown the power that made him one of the game’s top prospects shortly after the Giants took him in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. 

While Michael Conforto bungled his route in left, the ball was hit hard enough the other way that it would have been a homer in eight ballparks. At Chase Field earlier this week, Eldridge hit two similar balls. He also lined out to deep right on Thursday. 

That first homer is only a matter of time, and Eldridge is hopeful he gets it Sunday at Dodger Stadium. 

“This is one of the places I grew up dreaming of playing in,” he said. “In this environment and this time of year. It’s pretty cool.”

Eldridge felt some nerves last Monday at Chase Field. In the three starts since, there has been nothing but a drive to contribute. He excelled with runners in scoring position in the minors and picked up his first three RBI on Saturday. 

“I think I hit my best when there’s people in scoring position,” he said. “I was just confident in that moment that I was going to score a run and I’m just glad I got the job done. That’s what we’re here to do.”

The milestone came on his mom and aunt Alison’s birthday. It was a night the family will never forget, for a lot of reasons. 

“I wouldn’t want it any other way than in a big spot here off a guy who has had a lot of success in this league, on my mom and my aunt’s birthday,” Eldridge said. “It was pretty cool.”

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What we learned as Giants blow another early lead in deflating loss vs. Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

LOS ANGELES — There are few things better for a lineup than striking gold right away. You give your pitcher a nice early lead, you put the other starter in a hole, you get the other bullpen going right away, etc. etc. It’s what teams talk about every day when they have their hitters’ meetings. Be aggressive and get a big early lead. It’s the dream. 

Unless you’re the San Francisco Giants. 

For the third time in eight games, the lineup scored four runs in the first inning. The Giants have somehow lost all three games. 

This time, it was Bryce Eldridge who came up big. The organization’s top prospect in a decade cleared the bases with a three-run double in the top of the first and picked up his first MLB hit. But the Giants let Tyler Glasnow off the hook in the 43-pitch inning, and by the time the offense got back on the board, they trailed. 

Since moving into a tie for a Wild Card spot, the Giants have dropped seven of eight. They’re 1-4 on this road trip and will attempt to avoid a four-game sweep on Sunday behind rookie Trevor McDonald. They can’t be eliminated on the final day of an awful trip, but that could come as soon as Monday. 

First Of Many

Eldridge scorched a couple of balls in Phoenix and hit a liner to right on Thursday night, but he still was looking for a batting average when he walked to the plate with the bases loaded in the first inning. 

On a 2-1 count, he extended his arms and smoked a fastball the other way and off the base of the wall in left. It was the third ball that Eldridge has hit this week that would have been a homer in at least a half-dozen big league parks but the one he was playing in. He later struck out, grounded out to second and drew a walk. 

Bryce Eldridge's first MLB hit 🙌 pic.twitter.com/wLprJqHUER

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 21, 2025

The Roller Coaster

It’s hard to know what to make of Kai-Wei Teng’s audition for a big league job. The right-hander entered the night with a 6.41 ERA, but he has been elite when it comes to hard-hit percentage, expected statistics and strikeout rate. Saturday’s start at Dodger Stadium was another head scratcher. 

Teng allowed just one hit and struck out six. He was also so wild, particularly in the third inning, that manager Bob Melvin pulled him after 74 pitches. In the third, Teng struck out Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, walked Mookie Betts, and hit Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez. On his final pitch of the night, he got a popup from Tommy Edman, leaving the bases loaded. 

Teng left his eighth appearance of the year with a 6.37 ERA but also a 3.82 FIP. In 29 2/3 innings, he has 39 strikeouts but also 17 walks and seven hit batters. There seems to be a good big leaguer in there somewhere if the Giants can just figure out why some of the misses are so big.

The Shohei Problem

About 21 months ago, the Giants hosted Ohtani at Oracle Park and agreed to his ask of a heavily-deferred $700 million contract. He instead chose the Dodgers, and he has spent the last two seasons absolutely demolishing the team that hoped to build a future around him.

Ohtani went deep in the sixth, giving the Dodgers a fourth homer and extending their lead. It was his sixth homer against the Giants this season and 10th in 25 rivalry games since signing with the Dodgers.

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The Mets overcame early defensive miscues to send the game to extra innings, but allowed a two-run inside-the-park homer in the 11th to drop the middle of their three-game set to the Nationals, 5-3, on Saturday evening.

After New York scored twice in the ninth, Tyler Rogers could not keep the Nationals down in the 11th. After CJ Abrams made a bone-headed play to get called out at third base with no outs, Daylen Lile did the unthinkable. He launched the ball to Cedric Mullins in center, who got a bad break on the ball that kept carrying and ricocheted off the wall and trickled away from him. The speedy Lile came all the way around to score the home run and give the Nationals the two-run lead, and the eventual win after Mullins, Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto went down 1-2-3. 

It's the first inside-the-park home run at Citi Field in eight years. The Mets are now 0-66 when trailing after eight innings this season.

Here are the takeaways...

-Nolan McLean walked James Wood to lead off the game and it came back to bite him after Josh Bell hit a one-out excuse-me single down the left field line that moved Wood to third. Lile's speed prevented the Mets from turning two to allow Wood to score.

Similar to Brandon Sproat's start in Friday's series opener, the Mets' defense betrayed McLean. After an infield single by Dylan Crews, Riley Adams hit a bloop single to left field thatSoto tried to play on a bounce, but it skipped over his glove and rolled to the wall, allowing Crews to score. Brady House then hit a grounder to Pete Alonso, but his toss to McLean at first was high, allowing House to reach safely on the second Mets error of the inning. McLean, however, bounced back, striking out Nasim Nunez and Wood. McLean was one strike away from gettingAbrams, but he threw a wild pitch to allow Adams to scamper home, before the inning mercifully ended on a groundout.

Sloppy fielding behind him aside, McLean gave the Mets five solid innings but left on the long side of the ledger. He tossed 92 pitches (59 strikes), allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out six. He now has a 1.27 ERA in his first seven big league starts.

-The defensive miscues weren't just for the Mets. In the third, the Nationals made two errors, one on a poor throw to first and one on a catcher's interference. But the Mets couldn't take advantage thanks to a nice play by Nunez, who made an over-the-shoulder catch sliding into shallow left field. Lindor and Soto read the ball was going to drop in, but Nunez rushed the throw to first base, trying to double up Soto and threw it away, but neither could advance because of how far both players were. Brandon Nimmo grounded out to end the Mets' threat.

The Mets had trouble getting any runs on starter Cade Cavalli, but they had their chances. Aside from the missed opportunity in the third, they had runners on first and second in the fifth for Alonso, but the slugger flew out.

Even getting to the much-maligned Nationals bullpen was a chore early on. After getting just one baserunner in the sixth and seventh, the Mets finally got on the board against the Nats' closer, Jose Ferrer, in the eighth. Alonso reached after getting plunked with one out, and Starling Marte's double put runners on second and third with two outs. Carlos Mendoza had Mark Vientos pinch-hit for Jeff McNeil, and Vientos rewarded his manager by fighting back from an 0-2 count and lacing a two-run double down the left field line. Francisco Alvarez struck out swinging to end the threat.

In the ninth, Mendoza pinch-hit Luis Torrens for Brett Baty against the lefty Ferrer to lead off and the backup catcher hit a single. Mullins bunted Jose Siri -- pinch-running for Torrens -- to second before Ferrer hit Lindor in the foot to put two runners on for Soto. Soto dunked a single into shallow center to tie the game at 3-3. After Lindor and Soto pulled off the double steal, the Nats walked Alonso intentionally to load the bases and play for the double play. Nimmo struck out swinging, leaving it up to Marte. The veteran slugger struck out swinging also, sending the game into extras.

-The Mets' bullpen was great for the second straight game. In relief of McLean, three relievers got the final 12 outs before extra innings. Here's how it broke down:

• Huascar Brazoban: 1.2 IP, 1 K (a nice bounceback after allowing two runs in Friday's game)
• Richard Lovelady: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 K (Lovelady was called up before Saturday's game)
• Ryan Helsley: 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 2 K (Helsley walked the leadoff hitter, but struck out the next two batters before Alvarez got Crews trying to steal second)

In the 10th, Edwin Diaz got Nunez to pop up on a bunt attempt before getting Wood to ground out and striking out Abrams, setting up the Mets in the bottom half of the inning. Luisangel Acuña led off with a bunt attempt that popped up in front of the catcher, but Adams could not come up with the catch, allowing Acuña to reach safely. The Nats argued Acuña interfered with Adams, but the umps did not agree. Alvarez could not come through, hitting a double play as Ronny Mauricio came up with two outs and Marte -- the free runner -- on third. Mauricio hit a liner to left field but right at Wood for the third out.

Game MVP: Daylen Lile

After so many baserunning blunders in this one, Lile's speed and aggressiveness was the difference in this one.

Highlights

1.2 perfect innings out of the Mets' bullpen for Huascar Brazobán pic.twitter.com/E7ddHntDJ8

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 20, 2025

HE'S HERE. HE'S THERE. HE'S EVERYWHERE.

What a play by Francisco Lindor! pic.twitter.com/Yl5MsEaHUQ

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 20, 2025

MARK VIENTOS GETS THE METS WITHIN ONE! pic.twitter.com/f4dcb4UD9C

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 20, 2025

Francisco Alvarez and Francisco Lindor combine to catch Dylan Crews stealing 💪 pic.twitter.com/kih1iLYEtk

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 20, 2025

JUAN SOTO TIES THE GAME IN THE 9TH! pic.twitter.com/P067wu5MVc

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 20, 2025

What's next

The Mets play their final home game of the regular season in a Sunday matinee. First pitch is set for 1:40 p.m.

Sean Manaea (2-3, 5.40 ERA) will start the game with Clay Holmes relieving him, while the Nationals will send Jake Irvin (8-13, 5.76 ERA) to the mound.

Thomson, Castellanos have ‘productive' meeting following commentary originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PHOENIX – After his two-hit, three RBI night in which he didn’t enter the game until the sixth inning, Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos explained his struggles with learning how to accept and prepare for his new role as a backup outfielder.

He also alluded to a communication problem between him and manager Rob Thomson, basically saying that the two rarely talk and expressed that it’s been that way for some time.

Saturday, the two met at Chase Field before the Phillies took on the Arizona Diamondbacks. The meeting didn’t change the fact that Castellanos will still be a spot starter for the time being, but there was communication.

“I met with him today and I thought it was really productive,” said Thomson. “I’m not going to get into specifics of what we talked about, but I thought it was good.”

Like Friday, Castellanos can still provide some offensive pop when called upon and he is hitting .323 (10-for-34) with eight RBIs in the month of September.

Thomson was asked if he believes Castellanos can still help the team in this new role. “Absolutely,” he said. “And like I said yesterday, at some point there’s a really good chance that he’s going to get hot. I think right now, if you look at the last month with all four of those outfielders, they were really productive. The job is to try and put them in the best spot to succeed and so far it’s been pretty good, as of late.

“I think he is getting more comfortable. As I’ve said all along, it’s a tough thing for a guy that’s played every day throughout the minor leagues, every day in his big-league career, to take this type of role. So, your routines change, your mindset changes a little bit. It takes a while. He’ll play tomorrow and Tuesday.”

Thomson is generally regarded as a player’s manager, one who is easy to communicate with. But with Castellanos’ comments on Friday, he feels he may have to make sure of it.

“As far as the communication part of it, not only Nick, if anybody else in that clubhouse doesn’t think that I’m communicating enough with them, I’m probably not and I’ve got to do a better job at it,” the manager said. “That’s just being accountable. But there’s two ways of communicating and that door is always open. I’m not a mind reader; I can’t tell the future and I’m not a mind reader. I urge players, I want players to come in here and tell me what’s on their mind. Obviously, I have to do a better job. If a guy’s frustrated, I want him to come in here.”

Trea Turner updates, final stretch coming up

All good on the rehabbing front when it comes to shortstop Trea Turner. He has amped up his workouts, Thomson said, to include running and cutting and change of directions stuff as he works to come back from a hamstring strain.

The lineup will change again when Turner returns to his leadoff spot. Thomson wouldn’t say exactly who will hit where, but he’s got some fun options with a team that is hitting so well of late.

The team finishes their road schedule for the season on Sunday against the Diamondbacks. They will have off Monday before finishing out the series with three games against the Miami Marlins and three more against the Minnesota Twins.

Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge records first MLB hit against Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After years of anticipation, top Giants prospect Bryce Eldridge recorded his first MLB hit on Saturday night. And who better to do it against than San Francisco’s most bitter rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

With the bases loaded in the first inning, Eldridge ripped a 2-1 fastball to the opposite field off Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow, driving in three runs and making a memory that will last a lifetime.

Bryce Eldridge's first MLB hit 🙌 pic.twitter.com/wLprJqHUER

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 21, 2025

Eldridge went hitless in his first nine MLB at-bats, but had come close to breaking the seal on a few occasions earlier this week.

This Eldridge flyout would have been a homer in 23 other ballparks 😫 pic.twitter.com/6B5DVKq4gU

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) September 16, 2025

No. 10 turned out to be the magic number for Eldridge, who etched his name into one of baseball’s most storied rivalries for the first time on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

The 6-foot-7 slugger was called up for San Francisco’s final late-season push after impressing at all levels of the minor leagues during the 2025 campaign.

Eldridge smacked 18 home runs in 66 games for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate Sacramento River Cats, and has flashed that immense power grade on a handful of occasions in his first week at the game’s highest level.

While the Giants’ postseason hopes are fading fast, Eldridge represents hope for the future, and a strong performance to end the 2025 MLB season could force San Francisco’s hand in making the 20-year-old a fixture on the big-league roster next spring.]

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Prior to the Mets game on Saturday against the Washington Nationals, manager Carlos Mendoza gave a handful of updates on the team...

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Sunday's pitching plan

Sean Manaea will return from the paternity list and start New York's final home game of the regular season on Sunday against the Nats with Clay Holmes available out of the bullpen.

New York flipped things around compared to last time both players pitched, as Holmes started and threw four innings with Manaea coming in to finish the final five innings of the game.

In Manaea's last start on Sept. 9 against the Philadelphia Phillies, he gave up two home runs and allowed four runs on five hits over 5.0 IP. The lefty bounced back with his bullpen performance, allowing one run on a solo HR over 5.0 IP.

"It helps when we're making these decisions, the fact that they've done it in the past," Mendoza said. "But again, they want to start and we consider them starters. But given where we're at, they're all on board, they understand. When it comes down for us making those decisions, they know what it takes to come out of the bullpen. It's a completely different routine, but they've done it before, so that helps."

UCL surgery on the table for Megill

Tylor Megill, who felt tightness when throwing his secondary pitches in his rehab start, will go to Los Angeles for an in-person visit and it's "most likely" he'll get UCL surgery.

Megill has been out since June 14 and started his rehab in the minor leagues on Aug. 12. He went 1-1 with a 4.95 ERA over six starts in Double-A and Triple-A, having last allowed five runs over 2.0 IP on Sept. 7.

The 30-year-old would likely miss the entire 2026 season if he gets UCL surgery. He has two more years of arbitration on his contract before becoming a free agent ahead of the 2028 season. 

Megill finished the 2024 season with a 5-5 record, 3.95 ERA, and 89 strikeouts over 68.1 IP across 14 starts. The righty owns a career 26-26 record with a 4.46 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 435 strikeouts.

No update on Garrett

Reed Garrett was placed on the 15-day IL on Thursday with a "concerning" elbow injury and the team is still determining the next steps for him.

"Reed Garrett, we haven't heard anything," Mendoza said. "We know he's got a ligament strain there, but there's a couple of options that are being recommended. We're still waiting for a couple of other doctors to review it and give us more information there."

The reliever landed back on the IL after just being activated on Sept. 7 while dealing with right elbow inflammation.

Mendoza said Thursday that Garrett is experiencing similar issues as he did with his last IL stint and "continues to have a hard time recovering after every time he pitched."

Senga to throw live BP

Mendoza spoke Friday about the next steps for Kodai Senga, saying he will face hitters again, but they weren't sure in what environment that would take place.

The team made a decision Saturday and will have Senga throw a live BP next week.

Mendoza said Thursday that Senga is not a lock to make the potential postseason roster and the righty didn't help his case, having a rough second outing in Triple-A.

"Stuff-wise was down. Whether it was the velo, execution, the secondary pitches weren't sharp," Mendoza said Friday. "That's the report I got, and watching film, you could see it. That's probably one of the reasons why he's asking for one more time to face hitters, to continue to work through those issues."

Taylor getting close to returning

Tyrone Taylor (hamstring strain) played in a rehab game with Triple-A Syracuse on Friday night and will do so again Sunday.

He was seen taking batting practice at Citi Field on Saturday and told reporters that he's feeling "100 percent."

Taylor went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth inning and was subbed out in the bottom of the seventh.

"He's playing tomorrow again in Triple-A," Mendoza said. "We just got to build up volume, making sure that he continues to play. Like he told you guys, he feels good physically. Now it's more getting him to be able to play nine innings back-to-back."

The Mets continue a three-game series against the Nationals at Citi Field on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY.

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

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Mets Notes

• Juan Soto is slashing .368/.462/.829 with 10 home runs, three doubles, one triple, 24 RBI and 20 runs over his last 20 games since Aug. 29. During that span, leads the majors in home runs, RBI, SLG, total bases (63) and OPS (1.291, min. 50 plate appearances).
• Francisco Lindor extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single in the first inning and finished 3-for-4. His 20 games with three or more hits this season are tied with Trea Turner for the most in the majors.
• Nolan McLean looks to stay hot, having tossed six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 14
• Prior to the game, the Mets selected LHP Richard Lovelady to the major league roster and designated RHP Wander Suero for assignment.

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With October nearing, Castellanos' comments, Phillies' reality are not that complex originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PHOENIX — As the sun rises and the heat builds to uncomfortable levels here in the desert, eight more regular-season games await the Phillies before their playoff march in what they hope will result in the organization winning its third World Series.

And it is a good time for the team. It has won 16 of its last 21 games. A first-round playoff bye is almost a certainty as the No. 2 seed, with the possibility of catching the Brewers for the top seed. Injuries are healing in a timely fashion, starting pitching has been more than solid, the bullpen is good and deep and possesses one of, if not the, best closers in the game. The hitting has been productive, particularly the outfield. Since the trade deadline, that group is hitting .282 with 55 extra-base hits, which is third most in all of baseball.

That outfield group, which has been shuffled endlessly since the deadline by manager Rob Thomson, has been stabilized with the addition of Harrison Bader in center. Since early May, Brandon Marsh is hitting .306 and has belted eight hits in 16 at-bats as a pinch-hitter this season. Max Kepler has hit .289 over his last 25 games with 10 extra-base hits, 17 RBI and 17 runs scored. And Nick Castellanos had two hits, a home run (the 250th of his career) and three RBI in Friday’s win over the Diamondbacks.

Castellanos didn’t start the game, coming in as a pinch-hitter for Kepler in the sixth inning. He has been held out of the lineup numerous times by Thomson over the past month, even though the manager did say around the trade deadline that Castellanos is an “everyday player.”

But things have changed. And, not surprisingly, Castellanos is not happy.

After Friday’s game, Castellanos was made available to the media. Much has been made of the questioning, his answers and everything in between. I’m here to say it’s all OK. Reporters weren’t trying to ruin what should be good times, as many have stated on social media, and Castellanos wasn’t being anything but honest with his feelings.

Let’s take a look at it from a 10,000-foot view.

The shuffling of the outfield has been going on since the Phillies were swept by the Mets in New York back in late August. Thomson, who is made available to the media before and after each game, has been asked endlessly about it and his reasonings have been reported. The manager has basically said that he’s riding the hot bats, and Castellanos hit .180 in the month of August with two home runs and three RBI in 89 at-bats.

There is also the defensive factor. Simply stated, the outfield of Marsh in left, Bader in center and Kepler in right is a solid one. Better hitting and better fielding is probably the way Thomson looks at it and that’s why Castellanos’ at-bats have been limited of late.

From a pure baseball standpoint, that seems pretty logical.

Now to the reaction by Castellanos to the questions posed on Friday.

It was the first time since he’s been platooned that reporters have spoken to Castellanos after a game as a group, so, naturally, the questions about his feelings on not being the everyday outfielder were posed. It probably is the biggest subject surrounding the team and getting answers to it is our job.

“I don’t know, man. It’s still brand new,” Castellanos said. “I’m just making stuff up as I go along. I hit batting practice today, maybe I’ll hit it again tomorrow. I think anything that I do more often, I’ll get better at it, for sure. I’m here to do whatever I can to make sure that Philadelphia wins a World Series ring. So whatever role that looks like, just do the best I can with that. Any time that I step into the box, there’s a chance that something good can happen.”

Pressed further about it and how it has all been handled, Castellanos continued:

“I don’t really talk to Rob all that often. I play whenever he tells me to play, and then I sit whenever he tells me to sit. Communication over the years has been questionable, at least in my experience. But also, I grew up communicating with somebody like my father which was really blunt and consistent.

“There’s been times when things have been said and then over the course of years I’ll have expectations because I’ll latch to what’s being said and then actions will be different. And then I’m kind of left, just thinking and whatnot. It is what it is. I have to do what I can. At the end of the day, we’re here to win the World Series. I have a good relationship with the guys in this clubhouse. I’m here to win. John Middleton is paying me money so that I can help the Philadelphia Phillies win the World Series.”

So, here’s a person who has been an everyday player for almost all of his 13-plus seasons in the league, trying to deal with not being that right now. Should we be surprised that he’s disappointed? Wouldn’t you be?

Castellanos did say the right things about wanting to win, about how he gets along with his teammates, about how he’ll do what’s told. His tone and irritability with reporters may have told a bit of a different story, but so what? The man wants to play the game he loves to play. That’s been taken away from him. It’d be a real problem if he didn’t care.

The communication thing probably isn’t ideal. When asked about it before, Thomson said, “Nick hasn’t said a word.” That could be interpreted as the two don’t talk or there has been no complaining from Castellanos. Whatever the case is behind closed doors, again, it doesn’t seem ideal.

But if we look at this with a longer lens, the breakdown really comes down to this: the manager of the team is fielding what he thinks is the lineup that gives his club the best chance to win the game on that day. It has worked well enough to produce the second-best record in baseball and a real chance to grab that coveted World Series ring.

In doing that, a player is disappointed that he isn’t a part of that lineup as much as he would like to be or believes he deserves to be. It’s a tough time for Castellanos, who has one more year remaining on his contract and will be 34 at the beginning of next season. But his part-time status hasn’t appeared to affect his play at all.

The coldness of sports is that winning is the main thing and keeping everyone happy in trying to do so is a rarity. That’s just normal. Just like the reaction of Nick Castellanos on Friday.

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

Here's everything you need to know ahead of play on Sept. 20...

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Mets: 80-74, 2.0 games up on Reds for third Wild Card

Next up: vs. Nationals, Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY (Nolan McLean vs. Cade Cavalli)
Latest result: 12-6 win over Nationals on Friday
Remaining schedule: 2 vs. WSH, 3 @ CHC, 3 @ MIA
Odds to make playoffs: 89.8 percent
*Mets hold tiebreaker over Giants by virtue of winning the season series, while Reds hold tiebreaker over Mets. The tiebreaker between the Mets and Diamondbacks is TBD, and will likely be based on intradivision record since the two clubs split the season series

Reds: 78-76, 2.0 games back of Mets

Next up: vs. Cubs, Saturday at 6:40 p.m. (Zack Littell vs. Javier Assad)
Latest result: 7-4 win over Cubs on Friday
Remaining schedule: 2 vs. CHC, 3 vs. PIT, 3 @ MIL
Odds to make playoffs: 8.8 percent

Diamondbacks: 77-77, 3.0 games back of Mets

Next up: vs. Phillies, Saturday at 8:10 p.m. (Zac Gallenvs. Aaron Nola)
Latest result: 8-2 loss to Phillies on Friday
Remaining schedule: 2 vs. PHI, 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ SD
Odds to make playoffs: 1.4 percent

Giants: 76-78, 4.0 games back of Mets 

Next up: @ Dodgers, Saturday at 9:10 p.m.(Kai-Wei Teng vs. Tyler Glasnow)
Latest result: 6-3 loss to Dodgers on Friday
Remaining schedule: 2 @ LAD, 3 vs. STL, 3 vs. COL
Odds to make playoffs: 0.2 percent

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

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• Juan Soto's home run caps six-run inning as Mets defeat Nationals, 12-6
• Carlos Mendozaexplains why he pulled Brandon Sproat after four innings vs. Nats
• Soto sets new career-high with 42nd home run this season: "It’s pretty unbelievable what he’s doing"
• Kodai Sengato face live hitters next week; status for potential playoff roster spot even murkier
• Mets Notes: Jose Siri has tough day in CF, Ryan Helsley's "huge" performance vs. Washington
• Mets Prospect Roundup: Jett Williams homers, Carson Benge triples with Triple-A Syracuse
• WATCH: With the Mets finally turning the corner, will they be able to keep this momentum going?
• WATCH: Studying the poise and maturity of young Mets pitcher Sproat

Congratulations to class act Clayton Kershaw on a great career now that he's decided to retire. Hopefully Kersh goes out on top the way John Elway did in his final season — leading the team to a championship.

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

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I have been a know-it-all Dodger fan since the late 1950s and after last season I thought, and hoped, Clayton Kershaw would retire. I was wrong.

Paul Burns
Granada Hills

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I am so happy with Clayton Kershaw's decision to finally retire. Now I hope the Dodgers make the right decision and make him an offer he can't refuse by making him the highest-paid pitching coach of all time, Whom better?

Russell Morgan
Carson

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Clayton Kershaw’s retirement is bad timing for the Dodgers and manager Dave Roberts. Obviously, they will need three or four starters in the playoffs and Kershaw is now fifth or sixth in the rotation. If Roberts does not use Kershaw, the manager will be called a heel, and if he does start Kershaw and he’s bombed, then Roberts will be considered a bad manager.

Fred Wallin
Westlake Village

Pitching debate

Isn't it time to allow starters to finish their games, especially when they have a no-hitter going?

Utilizing the pitch count as a preventative measure may or may not work. After all, three lights-out pitching prodigies in Walker Buehler, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin were on restricted pitch counts. They were lights-out prospects, now they're just out.

It's impossible to predict when an injury will occur. And there may be something to the theory that more pitches will make for stronger arms, provided they have adequate rest between starts.

Ron Brumel
West Los Angeles

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If the Dodgers manage to get to the World Series this year, it will be in spite of Dave Roberts' obvious incompetence that was fully on display in Tuesday night's game against the Phillies.

Not only won't he let Ohtani pitch more than five innings, despite a low pitch count, but, as he has done on eight other occasions, completely ignores the fact his pitcher was pitching a no-hitter. With his bullpen in shambles, why does he pull his starter so early?

Ken Blake
Brea

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Finally, Dave Roberts showed confidence in a pitcher and Blake Snell responded. Roberts has spent his whole managerial career pulling pitchers every time they throw high. Pitchers build arm strength by pitching, not by growing splinters on their collective butts.

Steve Trocino
Simi Valley

No relief needed

The first two games of the recent series against the Phillies said it all. The Dodger bullpen is a five-alarm fire, an unmitigated disaster, a total catastrophe. I side with the recent letter writer who offered a solution to this mess: a two-starter approach. Please instigate a “no call zone” that covers the Dodger bullpen. For two starters to work the playoffs in a three-game rotation, the team needs six quality arms. We have them: Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Craig Rosen
Los Angeles

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Most of the time only a four-man pitching rotation is necessary for the MLB playoffs. If the Dodgers make the playoffs, I have a suggestion for their rotation: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and the combination of Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw. You would still have Emmet Sheehan for long relief and spot starting for injuries.

Neal Rakov
Santa Fe, N.M.

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Bill Plaschke’s column on the bullpen brought to light in my mind, a notable quote by the late Howard Cosell. Although I never met the man, “Plaschke tells it like it is.” I’m amazed by the way Bill summarized Dodgers weaknesses.

Patrick Kelley
Los Angeles

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A fond farewell

There is an obituary in Sunday's sports section. It is about Mike Kupper, written by Mike Kupper.

A few additional things need to be said, because Kupper wouldn’t say them himself.

He was hired because the massive Times sports section during the 1984 Olympics needed a master word editor. Once he arrived, you dared not use “that” when “which” was correct. Restrictive and unrestrictive clauses were mostly interchangeable for the rest of us. Not for Kupper.

His title was senior assistant sports editor. It could have easily been Staff Conscience Editor. We were not allowed shortcuts, lazy phrases, vague sources and insufficient attribution. He made all of us better in a quiet, firm way. When he fixed a story, we remembered how and why and dared not repeat the mistake.

He knew sports, loved its stories, loved writing many of them himself. He covered and wrote about everything. Each story was to the point, accurate, entertaining and without a whiff of the current “look at me” approach of so many writers. His specialty was auto racing. When he arrived at The Times, that specialty was already being handled by Hall-of-Fame auto writer Shav Glick. Without a hint of jealousy, Kupper walked side by side with Glick in the best one-two punch racing journalism has ever seen.

In retirement, he wrote dozens of obituaries, each entertaining and meticulously reported. Today, the one about himself, is the same. Those of us who worked with him would have expected no less.

Bill Dwyre
Baltimore, Md.

Conflicted much

It’s amazing that it took a shot of Tom Brady in the coaches booth at the recent Raiders game for most to understand that the NFL and Fox have a serious conflict of interest on their hands. This seemed glaringly apparent from the get-go, but now that it’s finally come to the forefront, it should allow Fox to rectify a wrong when they demoted Greg Olsen in favor of Brady.

Dump Tom and his mediocre broadcasting abilities and bring back Greg and his superb in-game analysis.

Axel Hubert
Santa Monica

Lock him up

Dear Chargers,

Can we please lock up defensive coordinator Jesse Minter with a lucrative contract and keep him paired with coach Jim Harbaugh for the long run? Do not let this man out of the building.

Sincerely, all Charger fanatics everywhere.

Felipe Varela
Whittier

Next move?

A lot of your letter writers got their wish with the firing of DeShaun Foster. Now what?

Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood

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Chip Kelly left UCLA in a bad position in February 2024. The coaching carousel had already stopped. DeShaun Foster, who had a nice gig as running backs coach for the Raiders, fell on the grenade that was UCLA football. He probably won’t be remembered for that sacrifice, but he should be.

Hans Ghaffari
Encino

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The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.

Email: sports@latimes.com

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

On the scoreboard in right field, it was 7:08 p.m. in the City of the Angels: Los Angeles, California. And a crowd of 53,037 was just sitting in Friday to see the greatest pitcher of his generation take the mound at Dodger Stadium, perhaps for the final time.

Tonight

We are young

So let’s set the world on fire

We can burn brighter than the sun

The band Fun. released what would become Clayton Kershaw’s signature song on Sept. 20, 2011. That night, he beat Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants 2-1 to become a 20-game winner for the first time, in the year Kershaw would become a Cy Young Award winner for the first time.

If success means leaving someplace better than you found it, Kershaw triumphed spectacularly.

On Friday, the day after Kershaw announced he would retire at season’s end, the Dodgers beat the Giants again. For good measure, the Dodgers clinched a postseason berth for the 13th consecutive season, and with it the chance for Kershaw and Co. to win a third championship in six years.

Fun. broke up 10 years ago. Kershaw played 18 years, all in Dodger blue.

“Eighteen years of memories you can’t just put into words in one night,” Kershaw said, “or feel all the feels that you can possibly feel.”

What distinguishes Kershaw in the pantheon of Dodgers greats is that he was the guiding light through the darkest of times.

“The Dodger culture has been established long before me, and it will be established long after I’m gone,” he said. “That’s the cruel thing about baseball: your career will be gone in an instant, and the game keeps going. But that’s also the beautiful thing about it too.

“This game doesn’t need anybody. I’m so grateful I got to be a small part of Dodger history for as long as I’ve been here.”

Read more:Clayton Kershaw delivers another 'perfect' L.A. moment as Dodgers clinch playoff berth

In the 1960s, the Dodgers had Koufax, Drysdale and Wills. In the 1970s: Garvey, Lopes, Russell and Cey. In the 1980s: Valenzuela, Hershiser and Gibson. In this run of success: Seager, Bellinger and Turner; and now Ohtani, Freeman and Betts.

In between: Kershaw, a metronome of excellence every fifth day, and not nearly enough else. When he made his major league debut on May 25, 2008, the Dodgers had not won a postseason series in 20 years.

The Dodgers! Twenty years!

That is what can happen when you trade away Pedro Martinez and Mike Piazza, and when Rupert Murdoch buys your team for television content, not championships.

That is what can happen when Frank McCourt buys your team and returns the Dodgers to the league championship series but pays for advice from a Russian physicist who knew next to nothing about baseball but claimed he had “diagnosed the disconnects” in the organization while watching on television and channeling his energy toward improving the team.

That is what can happen when McCourt takes the Dodgers into bankruptcy court to take on Major League Baseball and — three days after Kershaw beat Lincecum for that 20th win — the commissioner’s office threatens to kick the team out of the league.

Those 2011 Dodgers had no chance, outspent by the Minnesota Twins and outdrawn by the Milwaukee Brewers. Kershaw pitched well enough to endure, and Mark Walter and the Dodgers’ current ownership group made sure he did not have to endure Octobers in which he pitched on short rest because the team had little choice.

“It is great that he has been a stalwart,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He has seen the organization where it was, and there were some lean times 18 years ago.

“To see where we’re at the last 10, 12 years and where we’ve been, he’s been right there in the middle of it.”

It is easy to glance at the back of Kershaw’s baseball card, or at his Baseball Reference page, and pick whatever statistic you like to illustrate his greatness. He led the league in earned run average four years running. He won the Cy Young award three times and finished in the top five for seven consecutive years.

He was so dominant that, when he no-hit the Colorado Rockies in 2014, the Times headline read “Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw throws first no-hitter,” because of course he would throw another.

That might have been the only thing he did not do. His career 2.54 earned-run average is the lower than the career ERA of Cy Young himself. No pitcher in the last 100 years has thrown as many innings with a better ERA.

In his final season, when a 90 mph fastball was a rarity, Kershaw (10-2) still led the Dodgers’ starters in winning percentage. He did not win on Friday, but the Dodgers did.

Read more:Plaschke: Clayton Kershaw retiring with legacy as the greatest Dodger ever

These Dodgers, unlike the Dodgers of his early years, had superstars to pick him up. After Kershaw left the game in the top of the fifth, with the Dodgers trailing by one run, Ohtani and Betts homered in the bottom of the inning to put the Dodgers ahead to stay.

When a reliever enters the game, Dodger Stadium public address announcer Todd Leitz simply introduces the new pitcher. On Friday, before introducing Edgardo Henriquez, Leitz delivered a proper preface and farewell all in one.

“On in relief,” he said, “of the great Clayton Kershaw.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Clayton Kershaw blew a kiss to his family, pounded a fist in his glove, then made the familiar trot from the Dodgers’ dugout to the Chavez Ravine mound.

This time, however, he did it alone.

In what was his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium, coming one day after he announced that he would retire at the end of this year, Kershaw took the field while the rest of his teammates stayed back and applauded.

On a night of appreciation for his 18-year career, the moment belonged to him — and an adoring fan base that has watched his every step.

The first time Kershaw ever pitched at Dodger Stadium, he was a much-hyped and highly anticipated 20-year-old prospect. His talent immense. His Hall of Fame future in front of him.

When he did it for potentially the last time on Friday night, he was a much-beloved and long-admired 37-year-old veteran. Hardened by the failures that once defined his baseball mortality. Celebrated for the way he had learned to overcome.

Few athletes in modern sport play for one team, for so long. Fewer still experience the emotional extremes Kershaw was put through, or manage still to weather the storm.

When Kershaw was asked about Dodgers fans during his retirement news conference Thursday, that’s the dynamic he quickly pointed to.

“It hasn’t been a smooth ride,” he said. “We’ve had our ups and downs for sure.”

Between boundless cheers and intermittent boos, historic milestones and horrifying heartbreaks, triumphant summers and torturous falls.

In regular-season play, baseball has maybe never seen a more accomplished pitcher. Kershaw’s 2.54 ERA is the lowest in the live-ball era among those with 100 starts. He is one of the 20 members of MLB’s 3,000 strikeout club. He is one of four pitchers to win three Cy Youngs and an MVP award.

In October, however, no one’s history has been more checkered. There were implosions against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013 and 2014. The infamous fifth game of the 2017 World Series against the sign-stealing Houston Astros. The nightmare relief appearance in 2019 against the Washington Nationals. Nine trips to the playoffs in his first 11 seasons, without winning a championship.

In those days, it made Kershaw’s relationship complicated with Dodger Nation. He was heroic until he wasn’t. Clutch until the autumn. It didn’t matter that he was often pitching on short rest, or through injuries and strenuous workloads, or in situations no other pitcher would have ever been tasked. He was the embodiment of the Dodgers’ repeated postseason failings. The face of a franchise that could never clear the final hurdle.

In Kershaw’s case, though, that’s how such an enduring bond was built.

By persevering through such struggles. By coming back every season. By finally getting over the hump with World Series titles in 2020 and 2024. By never shying away and never backing down.

“With that responsibility as the ace, you've got to take on a lot of scrutiny or potential failures,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Everything wasn't optimal for him. But he never complained about it. Never made an excuse for it.

“I think the fans, certainly at his highest moments, have shown their love for him and support. In those other times, I think it's just, the fans have been hurting along with him. Wanting so much for a guy that's been such a stalwart and a great citizen and person for this city and organization.”

"I think the respect, the universal respect, is certainly warranted 10 times over.”

Over a 6-3 win against the San Francisco Giants that ended just minutes after the Dodgers clinched their 13th consecutive postseason berth, that’s what was celebrated from Kershaw’s first pitch to his last.

The left-hander pitched 4 ⅓ innings of two-run ball, striking out six batters on four hits and four walks, but it wasn’t his stats that mattered. He struggled with his command, averaged only 89 mph with his fastball, and left the mound with the Dodgers trailing, but the memories from this night will go far beyond that.

From the moment Kershaw emerged on the field at 6:23 p.m., fans rose to their feet. They cheered and chanted his pregame routine in the outfield and bullpen. They roared when his name was introduced shortly before first pitch.

They knew this could be his Dodger Stadium send-off, a sentimental opportunity to say thank you for all he accomplished and all he endured.

So, when he then emerged for the start of the first inning, they serenaded him with an extended ovation. Alone on the field, he smiled and waved from the top of the mound.

“This is one of those moments where Dodger fans, you all have seen him for 18 years and watched his career grow and everything that he's gone through,” Roberts said. “People are going to back and go, 'I was there for the last time he started a home game at Dodger Stadium.'”

From there, the night was surprisingly tense.

Kershaw gave up a home run on the third pitch of the game to Heliot Ramos. He spent the next four innings battling traffic, stranding two runners later in the first, another two in the second, and two more in the third after a Wilmer Flores RBI single.

Read more:Plaschke: Clayton Kershaw retiring with legacy as the greatest Dodger ever

By the fourth, it was clear Kershaw was not long for the evening. His pitch count was rising. The bullpen was active. And with two outs in the inning, Willy Adames was extending a two-strike at-bat.

On the ninth pitch of that battle, however, Kershaw finally got a whiff on a slider. For the first time since first pitch, Dodger Stadium erupted once again. When Kershaw returned to the dugout, he had enough left in the tank to face at least one more batter.

When he returned to the mound to begin the fifth, he struck out Rafael Devers with a knee-high fastball for a called third strike.

With that, Kershaw’s night was over. Roberts started to the mound. The infield swarmed him with a line of hugs.

In the stands, applause echoed through a sell-out crowd of 53,037 — which included former teammates Austin Barnes, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, Trayce Thompson and AJ Pollock; as well as other Los Angeles sports icons from Magic Johnson to Matthew Stafford (a childhood friend of Kershaw’s from Texas).

Then, after an embrace with a smiling Roberts, Kershaw made the slow walk back off the field.

He took a deep breath. He gave a hugging motion to his family sitting in the loge level. Then he donned his cap, and repeatedly said thank you as he looked around the stadium. After more hugs with coaches and teammates in the dugout, he reemerged into view for a raucous curtain call.

Read more:'I’m really at peace.' Why Clayton Kershaw decided to make resurgent 2025 season his last

“I’m super grateful to every single Dodger fan who’s come through the stalls here at Dodger Stadium, and everyone that I’ve gotten to meet along the way,” Kershaw had said the day before. “It’s been pretty special to have that fan base behind us all these years. There’s nothing better than having a full Dodger Stadium and getting to pitch in front of it.”

Now, one more October awaits — with the Dodgers (87-67) officially clinching a postseason berth Friday after roaring to the lead on back-to-back home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts in the bottom half of the fifth.

Kershaw’s role in this last title chase is uncertain. With a loaded rotation, but shaky bullpen, the Dodgers' best use for him could come in a relief role. Roberts said he envisions Kershaw fitting somewhere on the playoff roster, but has stopped short of any guarantees.

Either way, Kershaw has already left his mark this season, finishing Friday with a 10-2 record and 3.55 ERA. His legacy with the Dodgers, and its forever indebted fan base, has long been cemented.

“I think the only thing I can say right now is thank you so much,” Kershaw said in an on-field postgame interview amid one last stadium-wide ovation. “It hasn’t always been a smooth ride, but you guys have stuck with me. Thank you so much. We got another month to go.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Mets fans are excited to see their three young arms pitch for their team, especially at Citi Field. But Brandon Sproat's outing was short on Friday as the right-hander lasted just four innings against the Washington Nationals.

It started great, with Sproat striking out three of the first six batters he faced, but defensive miscues -- one of his own -- resulted in a four-run third inning for Washington. 

Despite that one hiccup, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was impressed with Sproat's start.

"The first two innings, he was pretty nasty, especially the way he was using the breaking ball," he explained. "The sweeper, the curveball, he used a lot of them for strikes to get chases, swing and misses, get back in counts, The sinker was playing up. The third inning, he lost it a little bit. It got away from him a little bit because he lost the strike zone there for a minute. One batter from getting out of that inning, then they hit some balls really hard there."

"First two innings were good. Leadoff walk, not a recipe for success," Sproat said of his outing. "Threw the ball away there. Frustrated with myself, make that play nine times out of 10…the second walk. Walks are never good."

Sproat allowed four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters across his four innings, but at just 71 pitches, it's curious that Mendoza decided to pull Sproat. The second-year skipper explained that with the Mets fighting to hold on to a playoff spot, he didn't want to risk the game getting away from them. 

"I like what I saw. Even though he only gave us four, I was aggressive with him," Mendoza continued. "I thought he could have kept going, but where we’re at every game, I’m going to be aggressive when we need to. It was a positive outing for him."

Entering Friday's series opener, the Mets (79-74) were 2.0 games ahead of the Diamondbacks and Reds with nine games remaining. Every game matters at this time of the year, but Mendoza also pointed out that the Nationals hitters, especially the lefties, were starting to get to Sproat. He wanted to avoid them facing Sproat a third time.

"Watching those lefties in that third inning. After [James] Wood, [CJ] Abrams, all the lefties, there was some hard contact from them," Mendoza explained. "Wasn’t going to take chances there, especially after we got back. Wanted to give [Huascar Brazoban] or whoever a clean inning. That was the reason there."

But both Mendoza and Sproat were happy with how the fourth inning went. After the Mets cut their deficit to 4-2, Spraout got a groundout and struck out Paul DeJong and Jorge Alfaro to end his night.

"Had a good bounceback in the fourth. I was pleased with it, control what I can," Sproat said. "If I dwell on [the third inning], it’s not going to do anything for me. Told myself it’s the past, put it in the past, it is what it is, gotta move forward for this team. And that’s what I was able to do."

Sproat said there was no conversation with Mendoza about being taken out and respected his manager's decision. But Sproat, now after his third big league start, is experiencing in real time that in the majors, pitchers need to go pitch by pitch.

"That’s the beauty of this game, you’re never really out of it," Sproat said. "Runners first and second, no one out and you’re one pitch from a doubleplay. Gotta take it pitch by pitch and you’re only as good as your next one."

In three starts since his debut, Sproat has pitched to a 3.94 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP while striking out 15 batters across 16.0 innings.