WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 22: Rainiel Rodriguez #88 of the St. Louis Cardinals at bat during a spring training game against the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on February 22, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Who’s rising? Who’s falling so far in the minor leagues for the Cardinals? We had on Kyle Reis to speak about that and worked in conversations about who the next man up might be for various spots on the big league roster. As usual when you involved Kyle, it was an entertaining and thought provoking conversation.
We covered a lot of ground: Rainiel Rodriguez gets multiple crazy comps, are they teaching Tai Peete to bunt with runners in scoring position to be the future centerfielder (we jest!), Liam Doyle’s rocky start and much, much more.
We think you enjoy the convo and always love to hear from the community. You’ll have thoughts about the next man up conversation – we guarantee it!
All the links are below. It would be fantastic if you could subscribe while you listen (you know how the internet works!). As always, thanks for listening!
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 12: Randy Arozarena #56 of the Seattle Mariners reacts with Josh Naylor #12 after his slide home to score during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park on April 12, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners are trying to avoid being swept by the Padres for the season, having failed to win a single game against them so far while losing possession of the prized Vedder Cup guitar. Thoughts and prayers to Pete Woodworth. George Kirby will take the mound for the Mariners as Seattle’s last hope for a single win against the Padres this season.
Lineups:
Not to spoil the “news” section here, but there’s no shiny lineup graphic because we had a last minute change. See if you can spot the difference!
News:
In an earlier iteration of today’s lineup, Brendan Donovan was out but Leo Rivas was playing third base. Earlier today, Dan Wilson was asked about Donovan being out of the lineup again today and said the team is managing him day to day, but wouldn’t rule out the possibility Donovan could be available as a pinch hitter. That possibility evaporated shortly pregame, when Donovan was placed on the 10-day IL with a groin strain, and the Mariners announced they are summoning their top prospect, infielder Colt Emerson, from Tacoma. Read more here.
In other injury news, Gabe Speier threw a bullpen today and it appeared to go well. Matt Brash is in Tacoma today making a rehab outing.
Game Information:
Game time: 4:20 PT
Television: NBC or Peacock, or as Alex Mayer called it, “Big NBC,” with the Sunday Night Baseball crew: Jason Benetti and Jake Peavy, joined by Ryan Rowland-Smith
Radio: ESPN Radio with Roxy Bernstein and Doug Glanville, and Seattle Sports 710 AM with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.
It was the first time as a major leaguer that the 24-year-old phenom pitched past the sixth inning. “I was able to listen to the English version of ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ on the mound for the first time,” he joked in Japanese afterward.
He also set an MLB career high by striking out eight batters and didn’t issue a walk for his first time in a big-league start.
“It was just great to see him be efficient and continue to do what he’s telling everyone that he needs to do better,” manager Dave Roberts said postgame. “I think that he’s understanding what is needed to get major-league hitters out, what’s needed to go deeper in a game.”
Granted, dominating the lowly Angels (16-31) these days is like beating your little brother in a driveway basketball game. Dunking on them — or shoving like Sasaki did Sunday — is no grand achievement against their slumping offense.
The way Sasaki did it, however, offered the most encouraging signs yet of the slow progress he has been making.
He consistently got ahead in the count (69 of his 91 pitches were strikes). He limited hard contact (snapping a six-start streak of allowing a home run). And when he had the chance to put hitters away, his reworked pitch mix allowed him to do so with ease.
“My delivery is gradually getting better,” Sasaki said. “I know that if I throw a certain way, the ball will more or less go to a certain place.”
The Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker slides into home plate to score on a sacrifice fly by Miguel Rojas during the second inning. AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh
It helped that Sasaki spent most of the day nursing a big lead, after the Dodgers (29-18) scored two runs in the top of the second and exploded for a five-run rally two innings later.
But for a team battling a wave of pitching injuries and looking for length out of its starters to protect a bullpen that has taken on a bigger recent workload, the strides Sasaki took were nonetheless important.
“There weren’t any bad walks [or] deep counts that didn’t need to be deep … Just losing a ball and hitting a batter accidentally didn’t happen [either],” Roberts said.
“I think he’s got clarity on what he needs to do,” the manager later added. “And you can see it in every throw.”
What it means
For perhaps the first time since he arrived from Japan last year, Sasaki looked exactly the way a reliable big-league starter should.
And given the star pitchers the Dodgers have on the injured list, not a moment too soon, either.
It wasn’t long ago, remember, Sasaki’s place in the Dodgers’ rotation was starting to look tenuous. But with Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell going down in the last couple weeks, he should now have a runway to build off Sunday’s success.
His most critical task moving forward will be replicating the efficiency he finally found against the Angels. He didn’t have an inning that required 20 pitches. He was 19-for-24 on first-pitch strikes. And after allowing his lone run on a Yoán Moncada RBI single in the fourth, he faced the minimum number of batters over his final three frames.
“I want a little more strength behind my fastball,” Sasaki said, still finding a flaw with his performance after averaging only 96.6 mph with his heater. “But I think it was good that I was able to hold their hitters today. My breaking balls were better than they were last time.”
Sasaki struck out eight and walked no one Sunday in Anaheim. Getty Images
Who’s hot
Much of Sasaki’s recent turnaround — he at least pitched into the sixth inning in each of his previous three outings — has come as a result of two key factors.
The first: He is locating his fastball in the zone consistently, throwing it over the plate more than 80% of the time Sunday.
The other: His new pitch mix has made him less predictable, with the addition of a new splitter, to go along with his trademark forkball and newly added slider, giving his game a different dynamic.
Against the Angels, it led to more swings-and-misses (18) than he had ever before generated as an MLB pitcher. He also got batters to chase out of the zone 40% of the time.
“He attacked the strike zone. He attacked it with all three pitches, too,” catcher Dalton Rushing said. “And then from there, you can kind of play the chase card with him a little bit and get outside of hitters’ comfort zone. And obviously with the stuff that he has, it’s easy to miss barrels.”
Again, time will tell how much that was due to Sasaki himself, or the fact that he was facing such a miserable Angels lineup; which has averaged fewer than three runs per game during their current 5-21 free fall.
Then again, Sasaki became the first Dodgers pitcher other than Shohei Ohtani to go seven innings with two runs or fewer since Glasnow tossed eight scoreless April 23.
“Today,” Rushing said, “was obviously a big step.”
A fan holds up a sign for the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani before the game. AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh
Who’s not
The Angels were betting on Grayson Rodriguez’s upside when they acquired him in a trade for outfielder Taylor Ward this offseason.
But in his injury-delayed team debut Sunday, he looked helpless against the Dodgers’ resurgent offense.
The turning point in his 3 ⅔-inning, seven-run start came with two on and two outs in the fourth, when he was slow to cover first base on a two-out grounder from Hyeseong Kim that allowed the inning to continue.
The four at-bats that followed: a two-run single from Ohtani (who went 3-for-5), a walk from Freddie Freeman (which loaded the bases again), a two-run single from Andy Pages (putting him back in the MLB lead for RBIs with 41 this season) and then, after Rodriguez was removed from the game, another RBI single from Kyle Tucker (who ultimately finished the day with three hits and three runs driven in).
Just like that, the Dodgers led 7-0.
The way Sasaki was pitching, it would be more than enough.
“I think the games unfolded close to perfectly,” Ohtani said, after the Dodgers outscored the Angels 31-3 in the series.
“To break out like that,” Roberts added, “is good for the confidence of the offense.”
Up next
The Dodgers renew their recently heated rivalry with the Padres on Monday in San Diego, opening the series with Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-3, 3.60 ERA) on the mound and a one-game lead in the NL West standings (pending the outcome of the Padres’ Sunday game against the Mariners).
Edgar Quero finally got to play hero, with the key homer in Sunday’s win.
It’s a good thing Miguel Vargas is currently playing like he wants to wear an All-Star jersey in a couple of months, because something tells me the White Sox won’t be getting anything else in return for Erick Fedde when he departs the rotation this time around.
Despite what wound up being a cathartic, 9-8 victory in 10 innings, it appears likely that said departure will come sooner rather than later, given the glut of minor league pitching that needs a chance at some big league action. He just didn’t have particularly astute command today, and his stuff simply doesn’t have the juice to get much done when his command isn’t astute. It’s not surprising that the Cubs put three runs on him before we even had a chance to blink, when you take a look at the pitches they were swinging at in the first inning.
Those are a lot of fat locations for pitches that are pretty easy to make contact with, and it’s not particularly surprising that Michael Busch managed to extend his hands on one of those outside cutters and yank a two-run homer out to right field against the breeze. Two singles and a wild pitch later, it was a 3-0 game, and any hope at a repeat of yesterday’s home side thwacking was swiftly thwarted.
Fortunately, opposite Fedde, Colin Rea wasn’t exactly a portrait of intimidation, and it took just one additional inning for the Sox to string a few hits together, as singles from Colson Montgomery, Andrew Benintendi and Edgar Quero scratched their first run across.
Unfortunately, things didn’t get a whole lot better for Fedde, who still walked two Cubs in the second inning despite bouncing back to hold them scoreless. He then appeared to be dealing with some sort of cut or blister on his throwing hand, receiving brief medical treatment between innings before allowing another walk and double in a shaky third. Finally, it all fell apart entirely in the fourth inning, as Fedde failed to record an out and was removed from the game after allowing Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner to reach via a single and walk.
Taking the ball from Fedde 12 years after being taken three picks ahead of him in the 2014 draft, Sean Newcomb has been generally excellent this year in taking on whatever role has been asked of him, from garbage time to LOOGY work to traditional long relief. He couldn’t quite clutch up all the way this time, letting in a run by way of a deflected ground ball back up the middle and pushing the Cubs run total to four. But he was excellent the rest of his time in the game, keeping the Cubs off the board in the rest of the fourth and fifth and giving his club a chance to chip away.
That chipping began with Newcomb still pitching, as Miguel Vargas got plunked to open the fourth and circled the bags on a double into the gap off of Benintendi’s bat, his second hit of the day.
The ability to meaningfully chip away at a deficit is not a skill that Sox offenses have possessed very much in recent years, but evidence mounts that this might finally be changing. The whipping wind was as important as any individual player in this one — according to Statcast, it robbed a would-be Ian Happ home run to right of an absurd 124 feet of distance in the third inning.
And for a minute in the fifth inning, it felt as though the White Sox were putting this one in the category of games that would be more reasonable to expect them to win next season. A would-be game-tying home run from Derek Hill, smoked off the bat at 100.4 mph at a nearly-ideal 24° launch angle, was kept in the park just enough for Pete Crow-Armstrong to get his glove on it. Munetaka Murakami’s hustle kept the inning alive with a legged-out fielder’s choice that could have been an inning-ending double play, and though it looked like Vargas was on the precipice of being a wind victim for the second time, his 103 mph line drive evaded Crow-Armstrong’s leather to tie the game at four:
Grant Taylor was nails in relief of Newcomb, facing the minimum six hitters and using just 25 pitches over two perfect innings against the top of the Cubs lineup. It was the 55th appearance of his career, which moved him into a tie with a couple of the dead ball era’s most infamous names — Carl Mays and Ed Cicotte — for the most games to start a career without allowing a home run. Bryan Hudson avoided disaster for the second time in three days, narrowly escaping a bases-loaded jam to keep things scoreless headed to the Sox half of the eighth.
Much to his credit, Benintendi came to play ball today, working a two-out walk to get Phil Maton on his toes before moving into scoring position on an Quero single and, finally, gloriously streaking home on Tristan Peters’ first big league bomb:
Then Seranthony Domínguez came on and had an easy 1-2-3 inning to secure the 8-5 win, right?
Reader, you know the answer to that question. Domínguez walking Alex Bregman to start the inning was predictable, as might have been his subsequent strikeout of Ian Happ. It also probably wouldn’t have been hard to predict that he’d be unable to bear down and stop the fire when Vargas threw away the second out of the inning and made Michael Conforto the tying run at the plate.
You know why I called Conforto the tying run at the plate, right?
Murakami gave the Sox some hope for keeping things out of extra innings with a slightly bizarre double that dropped between a tumbling Seiya Suzuki and Crow-Armstrong in the outfield, but Vargas and Chase Meidroth couldn’t bring Mune around to score. Crow-Armstrong himself started the 10th inning on second base for the North Siders, and instantly stole third with freshman righty Tyler Davis taking over for Domínguez. Crow-Armstrong eventually was thrown out trying for home on an infield-in ground ball, but it nonetheless set the table for Alex Bregman to step to the plate with the bases loaded.
Davis did his job, drawing a slowly-chopped ground ball, but it was just a hair too slow for Montgomery to have a play at the plate. Even though Davis nutted up and punched out Suzuki to end the threat, the Cubs still took a 8-7 lead to the bottom of the 10th.
It’s worth repeating, Benintendi had a hell of a game, capping off his afternoon with a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt to move the tying run to third — perfectly executed enough that it rather irritated me when he couldn’t beat it out and make himself the winning run.
Fortunately, it didn’t matter, because as I was typing up my message of complaint into the South Side Sox slack, Quero made it all a moot point. Given the slight reported setback in Kyle Teel’s rehab assignment, Quero couldn’t have possibly picked a better time to escape from the malaise that’s plagued his bat all season. What started out as a sure game-tying sac fly kept carrying into the seats, for a game-winning home run:
Even with every game spent with a winning record this season being house money, failing to come back and win this game would have been tough to swallow. But the win wraps up Chicago’s longest homestand of the season, and one that undoubtedly brought some of the best vibes Rate Field has seen in years despite a couple of highly-avoidable losses.
Their schedule has them on a plane to the West Coast as I write, where they’re set to take on Seattle for a trio of nightcaps Monday through Wednesday. Tomorrow will be the most challenging start of Noah Schultz’s young career, as he’ll see a potentially potent Seattle lineup for the second time in 10 days opposite All-Star Bryan Woo. First pitch is at 8:40 p.m. CT, and I’ll be there to watch and recap it with you!
After the Mets got the first two men on against Yankees closer David Bednar in the bottom of the ninth inning down by three, their big boppers in Juan Soto and Mark Vientos weren’t able to get the job done. So, down to their last out, it was left to Tyrone Taylor, who didn’t even start the game but entered as a pinch-hitter for MJ Melendez in the fourth inning.
And after going 0-for-2 in his first two at-bats, despite hitting the ball hard both times just for an outfielder to make a great play on the ball, Taylor came through in the ninth, attacking the first pitch and hitting it where nobody could make a play on it.
“Awesome. That’s all I can say. It was awesome,” Taylor said of his game-tying, three-run home run.” I was just happy to contribute for the team and do my part.”
Actually, it had been a while since Taylor, now 6-for-37 in his last 15 games, had done something with the bat. In fact, his entire season had not been going as he would’ve liked, hitting just .177 before the home run with an OPS below .500.
That’s what makes the home run that much more stunning, or “special” as Sunday’s starter Freddy Peralta called it.
“It was one of the best moments that I’ve experienced before,” Peralta said.
Following the blast, Citi Field was sent into a full on frenzy as the Mets fans in attendance were finally able to give it to their Yankee counterparts with the Yanks leading since the third inning and the Mets playing poorly, particularly in an ugly sixth inning.
But Taylor, perhaps the unlikeliest of sources, was able to help the Mets finally win a game in which they trailed after the eighth inning, a well-documented distinction that they hadn’t accomplished since 2024.
Having it come against the Yankees, in the rubber match of the Subway Series during an intense weekend, made it all the more sweeter for Taylor and the Mets.
“It was pretty awesome, the atmosphere here was electric,” Taylor said. “Bednar is a really good pitcher so it felt good for sure.”
Already dramatic enough, the home run had an added level of spice to it with the ball hit towards the left-field foul pole and nobody, not even Taylor, knowing if it would be fair or foul until it finally landed in the seats.
“I didn’t know it was gonna stay fair,” Taylor said. “I kind of waited there to see if it would.”
But in a season where not a lot has gone the Mets, or Taylor’s, way, for one moment, it all did.
“The way that we came back was very special,” Peralta said. “And coming from [Taylor] as well too, it was really nice because he’s a great guy, great player and I feel great about him.”
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 17: Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in the first inning during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Sunday, May 17, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Dodgers did not forget how they fared against the Angels last year. This year, the Dodgers are returning the favor as they completed the sweep of the Angels on Sunday behind Roki Sasaki’s finest start at the big league level, taking the finale 10-1.
The Dodgers once again took the first lead, as after loading the bases against Grayson Rodriguez with one out in the top of the second, Miguel Rojas drove home Kyle Tucker on a sacrifice fly for the game’s first run. Hyeseong Kim followed up Rojas with an RBI single to drive home Max Muncy and take a 2-0 lead.
Rodriguez faced the minimum in the third inning, but the Dodgers wouldn’t make life easy for him in the fourth. Following a leadoff walk to Teoscar Hernández, Rodriguez got two quick outs, but Rojas kept the inning alive with a base hit to left. Kim followed with another single to load the bases, and Shohei Ohtani continued to torment his former team by smacking a two-run single up the middle, giving him seven RBI in the series and making it a four-run lead.
Freddie Freeman continued the two-out rally with a walk, and Andy Pages registered the second two-out, two-run single, knocking Rodriguez out of the game and giving the Dodgers a 6-0 lead. Pages’s 41 RBI on the year surpassed Miami Marlins catcher Liam Hicks for the most in all of baseball. The Dodgers ended the rally with an RBI single from Tucker against José Fermin to make it another five-run inning in the series.
Had the Dodgers just scored two runs, it would have been enough for Roki Sasaki. In what was the greatest start of his young big league career, Sasaki tossed his second quality start of the season. After allowing a one-out double to Mike Trout in the bottom of the first, Sasaki went on to retire the next nine hitters in a row, with the only blemish on his outing being an RBI single from Yoan Moncada in the bottom of the fourth.
Sasaki tossed 91 pitches with a career-high 69 strikes on Sunday, logging a career-high in innings and strikeouts with seven and eight respectively while not allowing a single walk for the first time in a big league start. A noticeable difference in the way Sasaki pitched was the increased reliance on his slider, which he struck out five hitters with and tossed at a 27 percent clip. His 18 whiffs on the day were the most he’s generated in any start throughout his big league career.
Although the overall numbers on the season still reflect a poor start for Sasaki, he continues to show improvements on the mound as he has a 3.50 ERA over his lsat three starts with 17 strikeouts to just three walks over 18 innings.
The Dodgers added three more runs in the ninth inning with a two-run double from Tucker and an RBI single from Hernández to give the Dodgers two consecutive 10-run outbursts against the Angels. Right-hander Chayse McDermott made his Dodger debut on Sunday, coming in for the ninth and helping secure the sweep.
It is the first time that the Dodgers have outscored their opponent by at least 25 runs in a series this year, as the Dodgers combined for 31 runs compared to just three for the Angels. It is their first series win since taking two of three against the Houston Astros and their first sweep since their three-game sweep of the New York Mets at home. It is the first time that the Dodgers have swept the Angels at Angel Stadium since May 2021.
The Dodgers’ road trip stays in Southern California, as the Dodgers open a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Monday (6:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Yoshinobu Yamamoto goes for the Dodgers, while San Diego has yet to announce Monday’s starter.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: Daylen Lile #4, Jacob Young #30 and James Wood #29 of the Washington Nationals celebrate after winning a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park on May 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After today’s loss to the Orioles, I could focus on the negatives, but I do not think that is the story of this weekend. Even though the Nats could not pull off the sweep, it was still a very successful weekend in the nation’s capital. The Nats did something they have not done in a long time, show their fanbase a good time.
The games on Friday and Saturday were so fun to attend. It has been a long time since Nationals Park has been buzzing like this for a game that was not the home opener. On the rare occasions where Nats Park does have energy, the team often let the fans down. However, this weekend felt different. They were able to send the fans home happy.
After yesterday’s win, manager Blake Butera thanked the fans for their support. It was clear that it meant a lot to this group to play in front of a packed house. The fact they were able to perform made it mean even more. There are young kids out there that have never seen a good Nats team. While this group is not there yet, they are showing signs of life, which I love to see.
In game one of the series, the Nats showed their grit. Zack Littell and Andrew Alvarez kept the O’s off the board for the first 8 innings. Daylen Lile carried the load offensively with a double and a decisive two-run homer. While the 9th inning got very dicey, the boys were able to lock it down in the end. Getting that game was so big for the group, especially now that we know the Nats dropped the last game of the series.
The Nats showed their offensive firepower in game two of the series. They lead the league in runs, and showed why with an offensive explosion. After going ahead 4-0 early in the game, they wasted some opportunities. It looked like that would come back to bite them when the O’s made it a 4-3 game in the top of the 7th.
However, the Nats went on a rampage in the bottom of the 7th, scoring 7 runs and blowing the game open. They showed a new found depth in the lineup. Keibert Ruiz and Jacob Young have had their struggles offensively this year, but both are red hot at the moment. Those two were the biggest sparks in that 7 run inning.
This whole series was massive for Keibert Ruiz in particular. Ruiz had 3 hits and 5 RBI’s yesterday, and got a double and a walk today. It must have felt so good for Keibert to hear the roar of the crowd when he hit that 3-run home run yesterday. It has been far from smooth sailing for Ruiz, but he is showing real signs of life.
The whole offense is just operating at a very high level as a collective. Sure, there are times where they leave too many runners in scoring position, but it is baseball, that stuff happens. However, they come through more often than not. Matt Borgschulte has this offense operating at a level I did not believe was possible.
Another thing I loved about this series was how much emotion this team showed. That has been a theme in recent weeks, with players like Richard Lovelady and Daylen Lile really expressing themselves. Lovelady showed his signature emotion when he struck out Adley Rutschman to end game one of the series.
Sure, this team is probably not going to make the playoffs, but they are making fans feel something. After last year’s disastrous squad, that is fun to say. At times last season, it just did not seem like the group was having any fun. You can accuse this Nats team of a lot of things, but you cannot say they aren’t playing the game with joy.
It is a team that you can connect with and enjoy. Sure, they can infuriate you with bad pitching and sloppy mistakes in the field. However, the ride is pretty fun most of the time. The Nats finally seem to be building towards something. They still have a long way to go, but they are heading in the right direction.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 15: Xander Bogaerts #2 of the San Diego Padres high fives Jackson Merrill #3 of the San Diego Padres after beating the Seattle Mariners 2-0 at T-Mobile Park on May 15, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres (27-18) at Seattle Mariners (22-25), May 17, 2026, 4:20 p.m. PST
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Trailing by three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and down to their last out on Sunday afternoon against the Yankees, it looked like the Mets were going to drop another series at home.
Instead, they snapped a 91-game streak of losing when trailing after the eighth inning when Tyrone Taylor came through with a game-tying, three-run home run in the ninth and Carson Bengewalked it off in the 10th inning for a 7-6 win.
New York has now won two straight series and five out of their last six games as they look to get their season back on track. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the vibes have been different since Clay Holmes got injured on Friday night as everyone in the clubhouse is stepping up and continuing to fight.
"I'm gonna go back to that day that Clay went down and just being able to come back yesterday and win a really good baseball game," Mendoza said. "Then today, when we didn't play our best, and you get down. For us to just continue to fight. And for Tyrone to come through there, it's just special. Lot of people contributing.
"But again, it was just good to see the guys fight back and staying on the fight. It's just a good feeling right now."
Mendoza added that it was great to see Taylor step up despite his struggles this season, noting that Mets teammates told him to "keep going" after two tough at-bats earlier in the game.
"The previous two at-bats, he hit two rockets and it didn't go his way. It's been hard for him and it's been a tough stretch for him. I saw a lot of the guys go up to him after the second one like, 'Keep going, keep going.' That's a really good sign of teammates picking up their guy. Sure enough, he goes out there and puts together a really good at-bat against a tough right-handed pitcher, so good to see that. We're going to need all of those guys."
The last time New York won a game when trailing after the eighth inning in the regular season was on Sept. 30, 2024 against the Atlanta Braves (thanks to Francisco Lindor's go-ahead HR). It was also the largest ninth-inning deficit the Mets have overcome to win a game in Subway Series history, per Sarah Langs.
Mendoza went on to say that Sunday's win was "the perfect example" of the team's resilience that they've been showing more of the past week.
"Baseball's hard to explain at times," Mendoza said. "Now, we continue to come back in games. We get down early, we showed the whole homestand. We get down, we get punched in the face, we get back up. And today was the perfect example. When, like I said, we didn't play our best game and we are still able to shake hands at the end.
"I mean, whether it's get that off your shoulders or not, I think the most important part is we're winning games and we're winning series. I think it was a good homestand."
Acknowledging that the team needs to play better if they want to flip their season around, Mendoza said they have to approach each day with the "mentality of winning series." He hopes winning two straight, especially at home, will be the jumping point they need.
"We know we got to start playing better, period. It's been rough," Mendoza said. "But that's in the past. Now, all we know, all we can control is every game, every series. The mentality of winning series. We did that this homestand, and we got to continue to do it. There's long ways to go, but it's important for us to just continue to carry that momentum and just take it one day at a time. The mentality to win series moving forward."
And the manager knows that it's going to take everyone contributing to get over the hump, noting that Taylor, and even Sean Manaea, battled through adversity to help beat the Yanks.
"Not only we're winning games, but we're getting contribution from guys that have been struggling," Mendoza said. "And that's what it's going to take. Guys doing their job and helping the team win baseball games."
The Mets will look to keep up the momentum this week in Washington when they face the Nationals for a four-game set.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 15: Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk off double in the tenth inning during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Truist Park on May 15, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The quick six-game homestand for the Atlanta Braves is now over and like everything they’ve done so far during this season, they passed the test with flying colors. They proved their point against a very good Cubs team in order to build upon a huge series win at Dodger Stadium and then the Braves had a shot to take care of business against a Red Sox team that was coming into town spinning their wheels at best.
As such, there was the potential for the Braves to find themselves in a trap against a Red Sox pitching staff that could keep anybody quiet on their best day. With that being said, Atlanta’s pitching staff is good enough to be put up against any challenge and stand up to it, so all certainly wouldn’t be lost if runs ended up being at a premium. This series would come down to which lineup could potentially break out in a big way and as you’ll see below, we got some pretty good news in that regard.
It’s always nice to start the weekend with a (victorious) thriller, now isn’t it? Indeed, we got a dramatic ballgame that saw the Braves take control of things early, the Red Sox get back into it in the middle innings before it eventually went to extras for an exciting finish. Spencer Strider got the ball to start things off and while he was out there, the Braves had the slight edge thanks to a first-inning dinger from Drake Baldwin and Michael Harris II depositing one into the bullpen in right-center. Both were solo shots and Strider did a solid job of making sure those two runs stood up.
Unfortunately, a leadoff double from Carlos Narváez in the sixth inning ended up getting cashed in for the only run that went on Strider’s record, as Dylan Lee gave up an RBI knock to Mickey Gasper that put the Red Sox on the board. The next inning saw the game get brought back to square footing after Tyler Kinley gave up a game-tying solo homer to Marcelo Mayer. From that point forward, good defense and strong pitching meant that this one went into extras.
Didier Fuentes got the ball for the tenth inning and while he did hit Jarren Duran with a pitch, he was able to retire the other three Red Sox batters in order to make sure that all the Braves needed in their half of the tenth was a solid base hit. Mike Yastrzemski led off the tenth and attempted to bunt the runner over twice. After two failures (which he actually lamented in the post-game press conference), he squared up to hit against Tyler Samaniego and instead shot it out into left field for a walk-off double that gave the Braves another series-opening win.
Boston’s pitching staff continued to do everything they could to keep the Red Sox afloat in this series. Payton Tolle did give up two runs but that minimal damage was spread out over the course of eight effective innings from the mustachioed hurler. The two runs came from Tolle becoming the latest member of the “I gave up a first-inning home run to Drake Baldwin” club and then Baldwin cashed in a two-out double from José Azócar in the fifth inning to break what was a 1-1 deadlock at the time.
Tolle wasn’t the only one to go eight innings in this one, though. Bryce Elder also went eight innings as we got ourselves a real throwback of a pitchers’ duel. The results from both starting pitchers were startlingly similar but in the end, it was Tolle who left the game with the edge after Bryce Elder got unlucky in the top of the eighth inning. With two outs and two strikes on the board against Willson Contreras, William’s brother got a hold of a slider that was low and out of the zone but drove it into the seats in right field for a go-ahead two-run homer. It was a crying shame that that’s how things ended in this one for Bryce Elder, who delivered another good start in what’s increasingly looking like a bounce-back season for him.
The Braves did have a chance in the ninth to keep the game going as they got something going with two outs against Aroldis Chapman. The error that kept the game going wasn’t Chapman’s fault but the stolen base and the two walks that followed to load the bases sure were his fault, which set the stage for Ha-Seong Kim to potentially make it two fantastic finishes in a row for the Braves. Sadly, Chapman somehow managed to field a batted ball that deflected off of himself and he eventually got the baseball into Contreras’ mitt at first to allow the Red Sox to escape with the win.
The theme of pitchers’ duels in this series came to an end and fortunately, it was an ending that shook out in favor of the Braves. Brayan Bello has had his fair of struggles this season (though he did get through his past two starts with just one run in both outings) and the Braves added to those struggles with what they did to him on Sunday. Bello did get through five innings and his efforts combined with Ryan Watson taking the baton for the rest of the game meant that Boston didn’t have to exert their bullpen too much in this one.
However, Bello got rocked for seven runs while he was out there as the Braves hit him early and often. Austin Riley cracked a three-run dinger in the first to get things going and then they added on a couple more runs in the very next frame. Drake Baldwin coaxed a bases-loaded walk out of Bello and then a productive out from Matt Olson made it 5-0 Braves.
Mike Yastrzemski capped off a lovely week with a solo homer in the fourth inning and then Dominic Smith brought in Riley on an RBI single (after Riley had doubled in the at-bat before this one) that made it 7-0, Braves. The icing on the cake was a sacrifice fly from Drake Baldwin in the eighth inning that eventually brought us to the final score of 8-0.
It also has to be mentioned that Grant Holmes did a great job over the six innings of work he put in and he maybe could’ve gotten a bit deeper in the game had a hail storm not hit Truist Park. Instead, Holmes eventually passed the baton to Reynaldo López and Tyler Kinley. López pitched two scoreless innings while Kinley got through the ninth while giving up a run (and quite frankly Kinley’s performance has been a bit concerning so far). Still, that failed to put a damper on what was a dominating way to cap off the series win for the Braves.
For the first two games at least, Boston’s pitching staff was as advertised. The Red Sox have had such an aneic offense so far this season that their pitching staff is the only thing that’s really keeping them afloat. As such, they were totally comfortable in the scenarios that played out in the first two games where they had just enough offense to compete while keeping the Braves quiet.
Fortunately for the Braves, their pitching is just as good and they’re also way more likely to come up with some timely hitting (like they did in the first game) or to just break out the boom stick and dominate a game (like they did in the rubber game). Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes each delivered solid starts which made suer that the Braves were going to be competitive in each game and it paid off in spades in the first game and nearly allowed them to take advantage of a rare spot of vulnerability from Aroldis Chapman in the second game. This offense was bound to break out at some point and that’s exactly what happened in the third game.
In short, this was a case of the Braves taking care of business against a team that they are clearly better than at this point. A series loss certainly would’ve been disappointing but when you consider that it took so much going right for the Red Sox in the second game just for them to take a single win, it’s further proof of just how good the Braves are at the moment and what it takes to take a game off of them right now. It was encouraging to see the Braves continue to come up with big hits in big moments (from nearly everybody on the roster, no less) and it was also nice to see them pull off the series win in such convincing fashion.
Basically, this is what you wanted to see from the Braves after two big series against two of the best teams in the National League right now. Instead of falling victim to a letdown against a somewhat easier opponent, the Braves kept the pedal to the metal and pushed ahead to win another series. It’s exactly what you want to see from a team that’ll hopefully be playing serious baseball once we get into September and the Postseason in October. The Braves are rolling right now and it’s exciting to see just how long they can keep this run of form going.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 10: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees up to bat on Mothers Day against the New York Yankees at American Family Field on May 10, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s Sunday once more, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! The last time we met for this series, we honored the legendary John Sterling, sharing more than 30 posts from throughout the league celebrating the life and legacy of the broadcaster. As such, in addition to looking back at this past week, we catch up on some things that went by the wayside — oh, and celebrate the women in our lives, as last weekend was Mother’s Day! With so much to do, let’s get started!
Happy Mother’s Day
We begin, of course, with Mother’s Day. Several members of the Yankees extended universe took to Instagram to celebrate their own mothers, as well as the mothers of their children.
As happens when the Yankees win some ballgames, they passed the Game Belt around quite a bit this week. It really is fun to see the exchange progress from player to player, with the previous winner in the new photo, bestowing the honor on his teammate. Because we didn’t do this last week, we’ve got two weeks’ worth to catch up.
Over the past two weeks, several members of the Yankees organization have either made their Major League debuts or returned to the big leagues after several years in the minors — and while many did not spend a ton of time in the Bronx, they still made it.
May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich (22) takes an at-bat against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
The Brewers came back to tie today’s game twice, but couldn’t do it a third time as they dropped the series finale against the Twins.
Brewers starting pitcher Robert Gasser.started the bottom of the first inning with a four-pitch walk before quickly inducing two pop-ups, but Kody Clemens hit an RBI double to give Minnesota an early 1-0 lead.
Gasser managed to get out of the inning without allowing further damage, but it was a rough start for the Brewers’ No. 15 prospect. He issued two walks, hit a batter, and ended up throwing 40 pitches before he made it back to the dugout. The second inning went a bit smoother despite the left-hander struggling to locate his pitches — including his sweeper, which is his best pitch by a good margin.
Meanwhile, the Brewers got a run of their own in the top of the second inning off of Twins starter Bailey Ober, who wasn’t exactly dominating either. Ober walked Jake Bauers to start the inning before Sal Frelick doubled on a line drive that tied the game at 1-1.
Things unraveled further for Gasser in the third after allowing a leadoff single to Ryan Jeffers. Kody Clemens followed with a deep fly ball to left that sent Jackson Chourio sprinting back toward the wall. Chourio jumped but couldn’t make the catch, and the ball bounced off the wall, off his shoe, and into the corner.
Chourio recovered and relayed it to cutoff man Joey Ortiz, who had no real chance to get Jeffers at the plate but threw home anyway. For some reason, Gasser was crossing the third-base line in front of Ortiz instead of backing up the plate. The throw skipped wide of William Contreras and bounced into the dugout, and because the ball went out of play, Clemens — already standing on second — was awarded two bases to bring the score to Minnesota 3, Milwaukee 1. The play was ruled a double and a throwing error on Ortiz:
Robert Gasser was in a strange position as Joey Ortiz fired this throw home. Two-base error charged to Ortiz makes it a two-run play for the Twins and a 3-1 lead over the Brewers. pic.twitter.com/eEPXyY5VQS
However, the Brewers kept chipping away at Ober, as they got a run back in the fourth on a home run from Garrett Mitchell. This one left the bat at 115.5 mph, making it the hardest-hit ball by a Brewer this season.
Gasser’s day was done after a 1-2-3 fourth inning that brought him to 79 pitches. He left having allowed only three hits, but walked two batters, hit three more, and gave up three runs — two of them earned. Grant Anderson came in for the fifth and immediately gave up a home run to Jeffers to put the Twins ahead by a run once again.
Minnesota got one final run in the eighth off of Jake Woodford, whose second pitch of the night was sent deep into left-center field by Luke Keaschall. Chourio slid to try and make the catch, but the ball popped out of his glove, and Keaschall ended up on third with a triple. The next batter up was Victor Caratini, who hit a sacrifice fly to bring him home.
Despite not having scored since the Yelich home run in the fifth, the Brewers refused to go down quietly in the ninth. Brice Turang worked a one-out walk against Luis García, and William Contreras singled to put runners on first and second. García was able to strike out Yelich (on a foul tip) for the second out, but Bauers came through in the clutch with a single that scored Turang and advanced Contreras to third. With the tying run just 90 feet away, Frelick popped out behind the plate to end the game.
This was a winnable game. Milwaukee only scored four runs on 10 hits, mostly due to hitting an abysmal 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Still, despite the loss, the Brewers took two of three games from the Twins and have won three straight series as they head to Chicago to face the NL Central-leading Cubs. Brandon Sproat is scheduled to start opposite lefty Shota Imanaga. First pitch for tomorrow’s series opener is 6:40 p.m.
Apr 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Tyrone Taylor (28) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
For the first eight innings, this game that felt very much like a microcosm of the Mets’ season thus far, with every potential good turn being erased by poor performance and bad luck. Then, the ninth inning happened. And then the tenth. The Mets won the game 7-6, taking the Queens half of the Subway Series and sending lots of Yankee fans home unhappy.
Oh well.
Freddy Peralta got two easy ground balls to Marcus Semien to start off the game. Walks to Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger put two on, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck out to end the top of the frame. Elmer Rodríguez had a similar start to his game, with the first two batters grounding out to shortstop Anthony Volpe. Judge’s counterpoint on the Mets’ in the ‘generational player’ department, Juan Soto, singled for the first hit of the game, but Mark Vientos flew out to right to end the inning.
After Peralta retired the first two hitters, Anthony Volpe collected his first hit of the season, lining a double up the middle. However, J.C. Escarra lined out to center, stranding Volpe on second. However, in the top of the third, Ben Rice put the Yankees on the board with a one-out solo home run to center. Judge flew out for the second out, but back to back walks to Bellinger and Chisholm put two on for Ryan McMahon. McMahon grounded out to second, limiting the damage to just one run.
A.J. Ewing added the second Mets’ hit of the afternoon, leading off the third with a single up the middle. Hayden Senger attempted to bunt him over, but he popped it straight up for the first out. Ewing stole second, but neither Carson Benge nor Bo Bichette could knock him in.
In the fourth, Vientos and Baty both singled ahead of Semien, who drove a double down the right field line, scoring Vientos and tying the game. Ewing took a walk from Rodríguez to bring up Senger with the bases loaded. A weak dribbler to short ended the inning, and the Mets stranded three on base.
Peralta had a shut down inning in the fifth, getting the top of the Yankees’ lineup to all fly or pop out, while keeping his pitch count at 86, allowing a potential sixth inning appearance. In the bottom of the frame, Rodríguez hit Benge and got Bichette to fly out before being pulled in favor of lefty Ryan Yarbrough to face Soto. A swinging bunt on the first pitch from Yarbrough pushed Benge to second. Vientos jumped on a fastball for a single, putting men on the corners with two outs. Tyrone Taylor pinch hit for MJ Melendez for the handedness advantage. Taylor hit it on the screws, but Trent Grisham dove for the ball and caught it for the third out.
Bellinger walked to lead off the sixth, and was moved to second on a wild pitch from Peralta. Chisholm walked, and that would do it for Peralta. The six walks on the afternoon overshadowed a two hit, four strikeout performance. Sean Manaea was first out of the bullpen, and a McMahon bunt pushed the runners into scoring position. Pinch hitter Paul Goldschmidt worked a full count before getting hit on the foot to load the bases, still with just one out. Anthony Volped lined the first pitch he saw into left for a two-run single. Taylor lollipopped the throw, missing the cutoff man, and allowed the runners to advance to second and third. Old friend Amed Rosario hit a sac fly to make it 4-1. A lazy fly ball was dropped by Bichette, allowing yet another run to score and things just kept unraveling. Why Taylor didn’t call him off is beyond me.
When the dust settled on the inning, the Mets gave up four runs on one hit. Read that again. Le sigh.
Yarbrough remained in the game to start the sixth, an quickly got Baty to fly out for the first out. A Semien single and another Ewing walk put two on, and that was enough for Aaron Boone, who pulled Yarbough in favor of Jake Bird. With that, the Mets also pulled Senger in favor of Luis Torrens. The move paid off, as Torrens doubled into the right-field corner, scoring both Semien and Ewing and making it 5-3.
Benge was up next, and worked a full count in a great at-bat before striking out on the 11th pitch of the at-bat. Next up was Bichette, hoping to atone for the dropped ball in the prior inning. Two for his last 37, Bichette looked due for some redemption and an RBI. It wasn’t to be; he floated a fly ball out to right-center for the third out of the inning.
The parade of baserunners for Manaea continued, with singles to Bellinger and Chisholm and a four pitch walk to Max Schuemann. Volpe came up with the bases loaded, and Manaea ran the count full before an errant fastball walked in a run. Austin Wells tapped a ball back to Manea to end the inning, but the Mets found themselves another run in the hole.
Camilo Doval pitched the seventh for the Yankees, retiring Soto, Vientos, and Taylor without a baserunner.
Because the Mets ran through most of their bullpen yesterday, Manaea pitched the eighth and looked easily the best he had all day, striking out both Grisham and Judge. In the bottom half of the inning, Ewing walked for the third time to give the Mets their only baserunner against Fernando Cruz. Manaea got a double play to retire the Yankees in order in the ninth, and the Mets had one final shot with the top of the order to come back.
Benge led off the inning against closer David Bednar by muscling a ball up in the zone for a soft liner base hit. Bichette [checks notes] hit a single up the middle, snapping an 0-15 stretch? That can’t be right, can it?
Soto strode to the plate as the tying run. He pounded one into the ground down to first, pushing Benge to third, erasing Bichette at second, and allowing Soto to reach on a fielder’s choice. Vientos was up next, and flailed at two curve balls before striking out on a high fastball, and the Mets were down to their last out. Soto stole second on the strikeout, which was odd as his run didn’t mean anything.
Who’s run did mean something? Tyrone Taylor. He of missed defensive cues and two hard hit outs took Bednar deep to left field, turning on a ball and absolutely crushing it to tie the game. The ball hugged the line, but it no doubt had the distance. The stadium exploded, and the game was brand new again.
Baty would walk and Semien fouled out to send the game to extras, but the Mets were given a chance.
The Mets brought in Devin Williams to attempt to keep the game tied with McMahon as the Manfred Man on second base. Schuemann was first up, and after failing to bunt the ball, struck out on a fantastic Airbender. With the Mets paying him no attention, McMahon stole third without a throw to put the go-ahead run on third with less than two outs. Volpe was up next and he walked, which led to a meeting at the mound with manager Carlos Mendoza. On the first pitch, Wells grounded into a 3-6-3 double play to end the threat.
Tim Hill came up to start the bottom of the tenth. Semien was the free runner at second, and Ewing led off the 10th, laying down a perfect bunt—the first of his professional career!—and pushed the winning run 90 feet away. Torrens was next up, and the Yankees brought a fifth outfielder in, leaving left field totally vacated. Torrens got nicked by the ball on the elbow pad, moving him to first base and bringing up Benge. The five man infield continued, with right field now wide open. Benge hit a weak ball over the mound and two Yankees collided, not able to make the play and allowing Semien to score the winning run.
The Mets had not won a game they trailed after eight inning in nearly two years, going 0-91 when trailing that late. They did it this afternoont, taking the home half of the Subway Series. This team has looked like a totally different club as of late, fighting back and not giving up.
Is this…is this hope?
The Mets travel to DC to face the Nationals for a four game series. Christian Scott will face Jake Irvin tomorrow evening.
Big Mets winner: A.J. Ewing, +32.0% WPA Big Mets loser: Sean Manaea, -32.0%WPA Mets pitchers: -19.0% WPA Mets hitters: 69% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: Tyrone Taylor’s three run dinger, +48.5% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Anthony Volpe’s two-run single, -19.9% WPA
May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Taylor Rogers (55) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Two weeks ago, Minnesota Twins RP Andrew Morris gave an inspired performance out of the bullpen in relief of an injured Joe Ryan. One week ago, a bullpen game brought home a victory. For a third consecutive Sunday, the Twins ‘pen turned in an inspired performance to salvage the final game with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Despite another Buxton-less lineup that didn’t inspire a ton of confidence, the Twins got on the board right away in the bottom of the first inning when an Austin Martin leadoff BB was pushed home on a clutch Kody Clemens double into the RF corner. The rally would continue off Milwaukee opener Robert Gasser to load the bases—but a Royce Lewis K would prevent further payoff.
The early MN lead lasted all of about 15 minutes. In T2, a Jake Bauers leadoff BB off Twins SP Bailey Ober was immediately brought around by a Sal Frelick double to knot things at 1-1.
The Twins snatched the lead back in B3 with a wild sequence: after a Ryan Jeffers single, Clemens again cracked a double—this time off the LF wall—after which he was so aggressive on the base paths and the throw from MIL LF Jackson Chourio was so wild (and out of play) that Kody was awarded the final 90 feet for a Little League HR!
The Brew Crew’s Garrett Mitchell would strike back in T4 to cut the MN lead to 3-2—then Christian Yelich would similarly put one in the paying customers to again even the score at 3-3.
This time the Milwaukee momentum would only last moments, with Jeffers pounding one into the seats in B5!
Remarkably, the bullpen quartet of Anthony Banda, Morris, Taylor Rogers, & Justin Topa kept the border battle visitors off the scoreboard heading into the ninth!
An insurance run came in B8 when a Luke Keaschall leadoff triple was brought home on a Victor Caratini sac fly.
The insurance was needed. Luis Garcia entered in T9 and allowed a run after a furious Brewers rally. But just when it looked like I was going to have to burn this entire recap, Garcia induced a game-ending pop-out directly behind home plate!
Your Final: Minnesota Twins 5, Milwaukee Brewers 4
Can LaTroy Hawkins somehow convince his charges that it’s Sunday every day?!
Zach’s Zealot
Audra Martin: Today was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles day at Target Field and Twins.TV’s intrepid field reporter showed up in a TMNT onesie! As a 90s kid, I grew up on that series—had all the turtle action figures and the sewer playset.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Tyrone Taylor #28 of the New York Mets reacts after his ninth inning game-tying three-run home run against the New York Yankees at Citi Field on May 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Elmer Rodríguez has faced some seriously fierce competition in his first three MLB starts, squaring off against Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob deGrom, and today Freddy Peralta. He authored the best start of his young MLB career, holding the Mets to a run while pitching into the fifth to match the way Peralta was repeatedly silencing each Yankees threat that appeared on the bases. It took until the sixth and an Anthony Volpe two-run single to spark an eventual four-run frame. However, all of that hard work was undone in an instant when David Bednar surrendered the game-tying three-run homer to Tyrone Taylor with two outs in the ninth, the Mets eventually succeeding in plating the automatic runner an inning later to walk off the Yankees, 7-6, and win the series from their crosstown rivals. The Bombers remain winless in Citi Field series since 2018, finishing up this road trip through Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Queens at an appalling 2-7.
ERC is widely regarded to possess the most advanced command of his arsenal of any of the Yankees’ pitching prospects. He might not possess the top-end stuff of some of the other members of his cohort, but he was always able to overcome that with his strike throwing abilities and command of the edges of the zone. That was why it was so alarming to see him pitch so wildly in much of his first two career big league starts against the Rangers, walking eight batters in 8.2 innings. However, he appeared to find something after a three-run first inning threatened to derail his most recent start against Texas, and went on to pitch a further 3.2 scoreless innings.
Whatever adjustment he discovered, it looks like he was able to carry that momentum into today’s start against the Mets. Most of his misses with the fastball in his first two starts were high to the glove side, which you wondered whether it was a natural side effect of his crossfire delivery, but it was clear from the jump this afternoon that he found a good line for the delivery of his four-seamer and sinker. Because he fell behind in so many counts against Texas, he was never able to take advantage of the deadly secondaries in his arsenal, but getting ahead in counts today allowed him to hunt chases on his slider, changeup, and curveball out of the zone. The Mets fired off a fair bit of hard contact, but ERC putting himself in a position to use his secondaries allowed him to largely keep the ball just above or just below the barrel of the bat.
It’s a good thing ERC brought his A-game to the park, because his offense repeatedly wasted the opportunities they created for themselves. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger drew a pair of two-out walks in the first but were stranded by a Jazz Chisholm Jr. strikeout. Volpe tallied his first base hit of his season with a two-out double in the second, but J.C. Escarra stranded him at second with a fly out. Ben Rice finally broke through in the third, crushing a 2-1 changeup that stayed up to right for a 409-foot solo blast, moving into a tie for the fourth-most home runs in MLB at 15.
Unfortunately, Ryan McMahon would strand Bellinger and Jazz with a groundout after they drew a pair of two-out walks following the Rice home run. That volume of missed chances was always liable to come back to haunt them, and indeed they surrendered the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Mark Vientos bounced a one-out single through the right side and Brett Baty followed with a two-out bloop single. This allowed the struggling Marcus Semien to ambush a mistake first-pitch sinker middle-middle from ERC, slicing it down the line in right for the game-tying RBI double. A.J. Ewing then worked a walk to load the bases, but ERC executed a good four-seamer down and in to Hayden Senger for the inning-ending ground out to leave all three ducks on the pond.
He was allowed to come back out for the fifth, but following a leadoff HBP of Carson Benge and with Juan Soto coming to the plate, Aaron Boone called on Ryan Yarbrough out of the bullpen. The crafty lefty allowed a two-out single to Vientos to put runners on the corners, but Trent Grisham bailed out his pitcher with a diving catch on a sinking line drive from Taylor to save two runs. That put a cap on ERC’s final line, the rookie allowing a run on five hits and a walk with one strikeout in 4.1 innings.
Peralta was showing clear signs of fatigue by the sixth, his fastball losing four mph off it’s peak as he walked Bellinger and Jazz to open the frame. That was enough to draw Carlos Mendoza out of the dugout to hand the ball to Sean Manaea, who gave up a McMahon sac bunt and hit pinch-hitter Paul Goldschmidt on the front foot to load the bases with one out. Volpe was the one to finally provide the timely hit with runners on, pulling a first pitch hanging sweeper to left to plate a pair and put runners on the corners. Pinch-hitter Amed Rosario lifted a fly deep enough to left to plate pinch-runner Max Schuemann, Volpe shrewdly tagging up and taking second on the play. That proved to be an important moment, as the ghost of Luis Castillo paid a visit to Citi Field for the second time this series, Bo Bichette dropping a pop up from Grisham to allow Volpe to score the fourth run of the inning.
Despite now pitching with the lead, Yarbrough felt like a ticking time bomb, and Boone apparently agreed because he hooked the southpaw after a Semien single and Ewing walk in the sixth. The move immediately backfired as Jake Bird coughed up a two-run double to Luis Torrens on a 1-1 sweeper right down Broadway, though he did manage to record the final two outs to send this game to the seventh with the Yankees still leading, 5-3.
Patience from the bottom of the Yankees order earned them an insurance run in the seventh. Bellinger and Jazz reached on consecutive one-out singles and Schuemann drew a walk to load the bases. Up stepped the man of the hour, Volpe grinding back from 0-2 to draw the free pass that plated Bellinger as the Yankees’ sixth run. Just when it looked like the Yankees had the win in the bag, Camilo Doval pitching a scoreless seventh and Fernando Cruz a scoreless eighth, David Bednar undid all the hard work of his teammates. He allowed a pair of leadoff singles to Benge and Bichette, and though he was able to record the next two outs, he hung a first pitch curveball to Taylor, who demolished it to left to level the scores, 6-6.
The Yankees put runners on the corners with one out in the tenth, but that brought the slumbering Austin Wells to the plate and you know how that was always going to end: the inning-ending double play. Failing to score in the top of the tenth typically leads to walk-off losses. Tim Hill had the unenviable task of trying to pitch a scoreless half-inning, but a Ewing sac bunt, Torrens HBP, and Benge walk-off fielder’s choice—one in which Volpe and Schuemann ran into each other—condemned the Yankees to a 7-6 loss and their second straight series loss against a last-place team.
The Yankees will hope they can bounce back starting tomorrow against the Blue Jays. Ryan Weathers faces off against Patrick Corbin in the series-opening battle of southpaws. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm EDT with the broadcast remaining on YES.
