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Kodai Senga's struggles continue in first start on regular rest since 2023

On a night the Mets needed him to be at his best, Kodai Senga struggled again.

The right-hander was picked up nicely by his offense and bullpen, but he had to battle through traffic in each of his four innings of work during Monday’s 13-3 win over the division-leading Phillies at Citi Field.

New York found themselves trailing almost immediately, as Trea Turner led off the game with a triple after a missed strike three, and he scored a few pitches later on an RBI groundout.

Senga stranded a pair in the second, but Philly was able to strike again in the top of the third, as Alec Bohm dropped a two out two-run single just in front of Juan Soto in right to make it a three-run ballgame.

The first two batters reached against him in the fourth, but he did a nice job retiring Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper in order to escape without further damage.

Senga returned to the mound with a clean slate after the Mets’ offense rallied to even things up, but he was quickly pulled after hitting the leadoff man.

Newly recalled left-hander Jose Castillo entered and rolled a double play ball to close his final line with the three runs allowed on six hits and three walks while striking out four over four innings of work.

“It was a struggle for him,” Carlos Mendoza said. “A lot of noncompetitive pitches, a lot of balls coming out of the hand -- just not being able to get ahead, and when you’re falling behind hitters especially against a lineup like that it’s going to be hard to find success.”

This is just latest in a string of shaky showings from Senga since returning from the injured list.

The 32-year-old is still yet to earn in a victory over his eight starts since then.

Senga also hasn’t been able to complete six innings over that span, and he’s pitched to an ugly 5.40 ERA.

He explained the biggest difference in his eyes over the past few outings.

“The sensation of delivering power to the ball,” Senga said through a translator. “I’ve been lacking in that aspect a little bit of late -- whether it's power or movement or anything along those lines near home plate where the batter sees it it's lacking just a little bit.

“That's why I'm getting the hitters off balance, but it's landing for a hit instead of going foul, those are the minor differences that I feel might be relating to the results on the field -- despite that I’m still out there everyday trying to make it a winnable game for the team.”

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Mets' Mark Vientos continues hot stretch with two more clutch hits: ‘We’ve been missing that bat’

Mark Vientos?

Oh, yeah, he’s definitely back.

It wasn’t too long ago that the youngster was losing out on playing time to Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio. Of late, he’s been delivering big hits when the Mets have needed it the most.

On Monday, he got the offense going against Phillies ace lefty Cristopher Sanchez.

After Pete Alonso singled and advanced his way into scoring position on a balk, the righty was sure to make Sanchez pay, as he laced an opposite-field RBI double down the left-field line.

He scored just one pitch later on Brandon Nimmo’s RBI single.

Vientos came through again one inning later with things knotted up at three, this time making the Phillies pay for an error, lining a go-ahead two out RBI double into the right-field corner.

He was hit by a pitch in the seventh before being lifted for a pinch-runner, finishing the night 2-for-3 with his first career two double game.

“[Sanchez] is a phenomenal pitcher,” Vientos said. “I was just trying to be as simple as possible. His stuff moves a lot, he has a good changeup, good slider, good fastball so it’s really was just trying to stay as simple as possible up there.”

The Mets' offense tacked on in each of the final six innings to secure the 13-3 victory.

With another big day, Vientos is now hitting a whopping .342 with a 1.223 OPS over his past 10 games.

He’s riding an eight-game hitting streak and has extra-base hits in three straight games.

His OPS has quickly risen past the .700 mark (.709) for the first time since the middle of May.

“My hard work is paying off right now and I’m just thankful,” Vientos said. “It definitely feels pretty good. Whatever I can do to help the team, especially contributing with the bat it just feels good.”

For the Mets to make any noise down the stretch, they’ll need Vientos to continue swinging it this way.

“We’ve been missing that bat,” Carlos Mendoza said. “We saw it last year how important he is and when you add that type of bat to the middle of our lineup, we’re gonna be dangerous -- it’s just good to see him having that confidence in himself.

“It was a struggle for him, but when you watch him here the past two weeks, the at-bat quality using the whole fields and driving the ball, if we get that version of Vientos, we’re going to be in a good place.”

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Mets' offense explodes for 13 unanswered runs in series-opening win over Phillies

In one of their most impressive wins of the season, the Mets rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 13-3 at Citi Field on Monday night, taking the first game of this three-game series.

In doing so, they cut the Phillies’ lead in the NL East to six games.

The comeback was led mostly the lower part of the Mets’ lineup, as Mark Vientos, Tyrone Taylor, Jeff McNeil, and Luis Torrens combined for 10 hits and 11 RBI.

Torrens had the biggest night, going 3-for-5 with a three-run home run and a career-high five RBI.

Here are some takeaways...

- The Mets bucked the odds by coming back from a 3-0 deficit against lefty Cristopher Sanchez and his 2.46 ERA -- the second best in National League. In fact, in games the Phillies scored two or more runs for Sanchez, they had been 17-2. Yet, the Mets responded in a big way, taking a 6-3 lead and knocking him out in the sixth inning. It was only the third time all season that Sanchez has allowed more than three earned runs in a start.

- Vientos had the key hits, a run scoring double in the fourth in the middle of a three-run rally, and an opposite-field double to right in the fifth to put the Mets ahead 4-3.

- Torrens blew the game open in the seventh with a three-run home run, only his third home run of the season.

- Kodai Senga made a rare start on four days rest (he usually gets an extra day) and it didn’t go well, as he pitched four-plus innings, allowing 10 baserunners on six hits, three walks, and a hit batsman. He was down 3-0 early but it could have been worse.

He left runners at second and third in the third inning, and struck out Bryce Harper to end the fourth, leaving two more runners on base. When he hit JT Realmuto with a 3-2 pitch leading off the fifth, Senga was at 93 pitches and Carlos Mendoza quickly pulled him.

Senga’s ERA rose to 2.73 from 1.47 before he gave up 21 earned runs in his last seven starts, all since coming back from his hamstring injury.

- The Mets’ bullpen had an outstanding night, as five relievers held the Phillies in check the rest of the way, getting 15 outs without allowing a hit. It started with lefty Jose Castillo, called up from the minors on Monday to replace Reed Garrett, who went on the IL with an elbow injury. In relief of Senga, he got a double play ball against Alec Bohm, the first hitter he faced, and pitched a hitless fifth.

Tyler Rogers and Brooks Raley did likewise, getting the game to the eighth inning with the score at 6-3.

Mendoza had Ryan Helsley up for the eighth, which would have been a bit of a gamble in a close game, considering how he’s been struggling, but the Mets scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the pressure off and Helsley responded with a 1-2-3 inning, including one strikeout.

Finally, another struggling reliever, Ryne Stanek, pitched a clean ninth to close out the game.

- The hot-hitting Vientos had another big night, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. Over his last eight games Vientos has five home runs, four doubles, and 13 RBI. In doing so, Vientos has his OPS up to .709 for the season, the first time it has been over .700 since May 16th.

Game MVP: Luis Torrens

Now the regular catcher again with Francisco Alvarez on the IL, Torrens responded with perhaps the biggest offensive night of his career.

He went 3-for-5 with a three-run HR and a career-high five RBI. His double in the sixth delivered an important run, putting the Mets up 6-3, and his home run in the seventh broke the game open, making it 10-3.

Highlights

What's next

Sean Manaea (1-2, 5.15 ERA) takes the mound against Jesus Luzardo (12-6, 4.10 ERA) as the Mets and Phillies continue this crucial three-game set on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

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Cam Schlittler shows top-of-rotation potential in Yankees' series-opening win over Nationals

The Yankees opened their three-game series against the Washington Nationals with a 10-5 win Monday as they started a soft spot of the schedule by handling business.

Takeaways

  1. Cam Schlittler is for real. The 24-year-old rookie, in his eighth start, followed this past Wednesday's career-best outing with a close second. Behind Schlittler (2-2, 2.76 ERA), who struck out eight and walked three while scattering four hits on 96 pitches (63 strikes) over six scoreless innings, the Yankees (71-60) handled the Nationals (53-78). On an inconsistent team, Schlittler has developed into a rock for the rotation and serious candidate to be in the mix this postseason as he progressively shows his top-of-the-line potential.
  2. The Yankees continue to lead MLB in home runs with 219 afterBen Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez mashed three more across the second, fifth and seventh innings. Among them, Chisholm's 25th of the season -- a two-run shot that followed Sunday's two-homer game -- is his new single-season career high. Chisholm has had his ups and downs, but he is showing glimpses of why Brian Cashman traded for him at last year's deadline while slashing .240/.335/.492 with 64 RBI through 99 games.
  3. Rice, meanwhile, launched his 21st of the year with a second-inning solo shot that doubled the Yankees' 1-0 lead to 2-0. He started at catcher and batted second. Especially as Austin Wells struggles, Rice -- whose caught-stealing throw to second base for Josh Bell ended the fourth inning with runners at the corners -- is flashing his ability at the plate and behind the dish. He is slashing .241/.339/.488 with 21 home runs and 48 RBI in 111 games.
  4. After losing three of their four games against the Boston Red Sox this past weekend, the Yankees need to pounce on a soft spot in the schedule. They get the Nationals at home through Wednesday before heading to the Chicago White Sox for a four-game series Thursday. New York has its questions about contending with teams above .500, but it can keep afloat by beating the lower-end opponents over this seven-game stretch -- and should.

Who's the MVP?

Schlittler, whose six scoreless innings set the tone while the Yankees built an eventual 10-run cushion before the Nationals' five-run ninth inning.

Highlights

Whats next

Tuesday's 7:05 p.m. game at Yankee Stadium. New York RHP Luis Gil (1-1, 4.26 ERA) and Washington LHP MacKenzie Gore (5-12, 4.11 ERA) are set to start.

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Phillies' struggles at Citi Field continue with eighth straight loss

Phillies' struggles at Citi Field continue with eighth straight loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK – A turned parabolic microphone in center field disrupted Alec Bohm’s view of the pitcher’s release in the fifth inning Monday at Citi Field, causing a delay of about 10 minutes in the Phillies-Mets game.

If they had known what was to come, the Phillies wouldn’t have minded calling it a night right then and there.

As it was, play eventually continued and it went quite well for the Mets, as they scored 13 unanswered runs for a 13-3 victory on a beautiful August night. With the win, New York cut Philadelphia’s lead to six games in the National League East.

At the time of the delay, the score was tied 3-3 after the Phillies had given up an early 3-0 lead.

Cristopher Sánchez looked like his Cy Young-contending self in the first three innings, as he didn’t give up a hit on just 38 pitches. But his next 2 1/3 innings were disastrous and it got even worse as the game went on. The Phillies fell to 76-55 on the season.

Things were going well for the Phillies early as they got a triple from Trea Turner to lead off the game and he scored on a Kyle Schwarber groundout. They added two more in the third when Schwarber walked and went to third on a Bryce Harper single. Harper moved to second on the throw and both scored when Alec Bohm singled to right-center.

That was the good. The only good. The Phillies last hit was a leadoff, infield single by Harrison Bader in the fourth inning.

“I think for the whole season this was my worst outing when it comes to the changeup,” said Sánchez, now 11-5. “We could all see that out there. I missed a lot of pitches, too, throughout the start. They didn’t get me at the beginning but they made the adjustments and got me. I missed a lot of pitches early on. I felt regular at the beginning, a little bit more normal. But in the end they adjusted and I have to give them credit for that.”

Some strange happenings in the bottom of the fourth allowed the Mets to tie the game 3-3. With two outs, Sánchez allowed a single to Pete Alonso. He then balked him to second when he appeared to lose his balance on his follow-through and never let go of the ball. A wild pitch then sent Alonso to third. Sánchez then allowed consecutive hits, a walk and another hit for the tie game 3-3.

In the fifth, Sánchez walked Juan Soto with one out and then appeared to have him picked off. Soto got caught between first and second when Sánchez threw to Harper at first. Harper chased Soto towards second, but his lob throw was bobbled by Bryson Stott and Soto was safe.

Sánchez then walked Starling Marte before giving up a run-scoring double to Mark Vientos for a 4-3 Mets lead. After Sánchez gave up two doubles in the sixth, it was an end to his unusually rocky start.

Manager Rob Thomson thought that Sánchez’ slip on the mound may have led to his downfall.

“It was really strange because the next pitch was to the backstop and then from that point on he was kind of behind in the count and had to get in the middle of the plate,” he said. “I’m not sure if that affected him or not but it kind of looked like it did.”

David Robertson replaced Sánchez to finish off the sixth inning, but Jordan Romano got rocked hard in the seventh. He hit Vientos to begin the inning, walked Brandon Nimmo, and gave up a single to Tyrone Taylor to load the bases. Jeff McNeil hit a sacrifice fly before catcher Luis Torrens hit a three-run homer to right.

Not a good way to begin a series. A series that not long ago seemed so big … until the Phillies had a huge lead in the division.

Now, it might have a little more bite to it.

It was the eighth consecutive loss to the Mets at Citi Field, and their 22nd in last 28 games when you include playoffs.

“We’re just getting beat and obviously that’s a good team, they play us well,” said Bryce Harper. “We have to come in tomorrow and see what we can do.”

As Thomson likes to point out, games like this happen during the course of the long season. Which is so true. But after New York eliminated the Phillies from the playoffs last season and the two have been battling for the top spot in the East all season long, a series-opening clunker like this one surely doesn’t get forgotten about too quickly.

Or maybe it will. That will fall in the hands of lefty Jesús Luzardo on Tuesday in Game Two.

“I thought we did a good job on (starting pitcher Kodai) Senga,” said Thomson. “We got him out, put some pitches on him early and we hit some balls, but right at people. I thought the offense was fine, we had some opportunities. It really comes down to we just couldn’t hold them down. We got another one tomorrow. You just got to strap it on. You got to turn the page on this one. This was not what we were looking for coming in here.”

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MLB Power Rankings: Brewers still No. 1, Padres rise as serious threat to Dodgers

Special thanks to David Shovein for handling this column last week while I was away. He did a great job setting the stage for what should be an entertaining stretch run. I'm certainly reinvigorated for some chaos.

Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, the division races in the NL West and AL West come into focus, Vinnie Pasquantino turns it on at the right time for the Royals, being a Bob is cool again, and Paul Skenes continues to do things pretty much nobody has ever done.

(Please note these power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook)

MLB: Houston Astros at Baltimore Orioles
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Samuel Basallo earns a starting role, Bubba Chandler is here
Eric Samulski breaks down some of the top waiver wire adds for the upcoming week of fantasy baseball

Let’s get started!

Note: Rankings are from the morning of Monday, August 25.

1) Milwaukee Brewers

Last week: 1

The Brewers are 3-6 since their 14-game winning streak, but they still own the game’s best record. Kudos to the franchise for their celebration of Bob Uecker on Sunday, including customized jerseys for the players.

2) Detroit Tigers

Last week: 2

The Tigers nearly pulled off a perfect homestand as Tarik Skubal reached the 200-strikeout plateau for the second straight season. The defending AL Cy Young Award winner and Garrett Crochet are going back-and-forth for the MLB lead at the moment.

3) Philadelphia Phillies ⬆️

Last week: 5

The Phillies will bring a season-high seven-game lead in the NL East into a series against the second place Mets at Citi Field. It’s an opportunity to bury them for good, even though missing Zack Wheeler for the long-term is a tough blow.

4) Toronto Blue Jays

Last week: 4

The Blue Jays got exactly what they were hoping for in Shane Bieber’s first start back from Tommy John surgery last Friday against the Marlins.

Talk about a potential difference-maker down the stretch and into the postseason.

5) Chicago Cubs ⬆️

Last week: 6

The Cubs are on the upswing again, and so is Kyle Tucker. It was revealed last week that he was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his right hand back in June, which explains his sustained struggles. However, after going 25 games without a homer, he hit three in the span of two games during the team’s weekend sweep over the Angels.

6) San Diego Padres ⬆️

Last week: 11

31 games to go and the Padres and Dodgers are deadlocked in the standings. Oh baby. Nestor Cortes exacted a bit of revenge from last year’s World Series in Saturday’s start against the Dodgers, allowing just one hit and no walks over six scoreless frames. Speaking of trade deadline acquisitions, how great has Ramón Laureano been?

7) Los Angeles Dodgers ⬇️

Last week: 3

It’s safe to say that Shohei Ohtani is feeling this Dodgers/Padres rivalry.

Ohtani is up to 45 homers this year and boasts a 1.171 OPS for the month of August.

8) Boston Red Sox ⬆️

Last week: 12

Speaking of embracing a rivalry, Red Sox phenom Roman Anthony homered in the first inning in his first game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday. The bat flip wasn’t overly flashy, but still authoritative.

9) Houston Astros

Last week: 9

The Astros recovered from the sweep at the hands of the Tigers by taking three out of four against the Orioles over the weekend. They’ll bring a two-game lead over the Mariners into the week, and they might finally get Yordan Alvarez back from the IL on Tuesday.

10) New York Yankees ⬇️

Last week: 8

The Yankees finally got the best of the Red Sox on Sunday after losing their previous eight games against the club. Up next is a big opportunity, as they’ll get the Nationals at home for three before hitting the road for a four-game series against the White Sox.

11) New York Mets ⬇️

Last week: 10

Two starts in and top prospect right-hander Nolan McLean has been a game-changer for the Mets’ starting rotation.

With Frankie Montas done for the year and potentially headed for Tommy John surgery, it’s possible that fellow prospect Jonah Tong could be next. The 22-year-old has been lights out through his first two starts in Triple-A.

12) Seattle Mariners ⬇️

Last week: 7

It’s not even September yet and Cal Raleigh is out here setting records for a catcher.

The “Big Dumper” will understandably say that the focus is on winning games in a tight AL West race with the Astros, but he has a real chance to win the AL MVP Award.

13) Kansas City Royals ⬆️

Last week: 14

No surprise here: Vinnie Pasquantino was named the American League Player of the Week after homering in five straight games to tie a franchise record.

Pasquantino’s streak got snapped on Saturday, but he got right back into the act in Sunday’s win over the Tigers.

14) Cincinnati Reds ⬇️

Last week: 13

In salvaging Sunday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks, the Reds remain the only team in MLB who hasn’t been swept this season. Nipping at the heels of the Mets in the NL Wild Card race, the Reds will play three against the Dodgers on the road to begin the week.

15) Texas Rangers ⬆️

Last week: 16

Just when you think the Rangers are out, they pull you right back in. It’s been that kind of year for the Rangers, who swept the Guardians over the weekend. Now all eyes on are on Jacob deGrom, who will make his first start in 10 days after dealing with some shoulder fatigue.

16) Cleveland Guardians ⬇️

Last week: 15

The Guardians have hit just .178 as a team while losing eight out of their last nine games, including five straight.

17) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬆️

Last week: 18

The Diamondbacks remain on the fringes of the NL Wild Card race, but it’s going to be a challenge to catch up. Arizona has the most difficult schedule in the majors the rest of the way, with the Brewers and the Dodgers coming up this week.

18) St. Louis Cardinals ⬆️

Last week: 19

We’ve seen a recent wave of interesting prospects get the call, but could JJ Wetherholt be next? The 2024 No. 7 overall pick has done nothing but hit since his promotion to Triple-A, delivering a .328/.413/.648 batting line with nine homers, 20 RBI, and five steals across 31 games. He put together back-to-back three-hit games over the weekend as the clamoring continues.

19) Tampa Bay Rays ⬇️

Last week: 17

This home run by recent call-up Bob Seymour was a special one.

Believe it or not, Bob Seymour is the first "Bob" to hit a home run in the majors since Bob Smith (of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays) on April 19, 2002. Move over, Liams and Ashers of the world, we need more Bobs.

20) San Francisco Giants

Last week: 20

This hasn’t been the season Willy Adames and the Giants envisioned, but the shortstop’s return to Milwaukee on Friday was pretty cool.

21) Los Angeles Angels

Last week: 21

Rookie Bryce Teodosio is doing his best to make sure he’s part of the conversation for center field with the Angels next season.

Teodosio is already up to five defensive runs saved despite appearing in just 19 games.

22) Atlanta Braves

Last week: 22

Austin Riley is done for the year after undergoing core muscle surgery, but ace left-hander Chris Sale is close to making his return. The southpaw, who fractured a rib in June, allowed just one run over 4 2/3 innings in a rehab start on Saturday and could be activated as soon as this weekend.

23) Miami Marlins

Last week: 23

Jakob Marsee just keeps humming along. He’s hit safely in seven straight games and owns a .346/.416/.705 batting line with four homers, 23 RBI, and seven steals through his first 23 games in the majors.

24) Baltimore Orioles

Last week: 24

Samuel Basallo is up in the big leagues. That’s exciting. He signed an eight-year extension with the club. That’s exactly what the Orioles should be doing. The bigger question from here is if they can also reach long-term agreements with the likes of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Jordan Westburg.

25) Athletics

Last week: 25

Jacob Wilson doesn’t believe in the idea of rust. He’s hit safely in all three games since returning from a forearm fracture. The 23-year-old has been surpassed by teammate Nick Kurtz in the AL Rookie of the Year race, but it’s fun to see him back in action as part of this young core.

26) Pittsburgh Pirates ⬆️

Last week: 27

Fun stuff for Pirates fans: Bubba Chandler is finally up in the majors and Paul Skenes continues to be synonymous with history.

With Zack Wheeler going down, Skenes should cruise to his first (of many?) Cy Young Awards.

27) Minnesota Twins ⬇️

Last week: 26

The Twins turned to a pair of pitchers they acquired at the deadline over the weekend against the White Sox…and it didn't go great. Mick Abel (from the Jhoan Duran deal) gave up six runs in three innings on Saturday while Taj Bradley (from the Griffin Jax deal) was knocked around for seven runs in five innings on Sunday.

28) Washington Nationals

Last week: 28

This has largely been a lost year for Dylan Crews, who was a preseason favorite of mine. He missed nearly three months with an oblique strain, but here’s hoping he finishes the season strong. The vibes just feel different with him in the lineup.

29) Chicago White Sox

Last week: 29

After a rough stretch at the plate, rookie Colson Montgomery is back to hitting dingers again.

30) Colorado Rockies

Last week: 30

The Rockies were officially eliminated from postseason contention on Sunday, just in case you were holding out hope.

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Angels manager Ron Washington recovering from quadruple bypass heart surgery

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington said Monday he is recovering from quadruple bypass heart surgery. It's the first time he has publicly addressed the health issues that have sidelined him since late June.

He made the announcement while visiting the Angels for the first time since the operation eight weeks ago in California, calling it a day he had been looking forward to while recovering at his home in New Orleans. He is not returning to manage this season, but hopes to have that opportunity next year. He said he should be fully recovered by December.

“(Doctors) told me by the time I reach eight weeks I could start doing some light work, but my light work was to come up to Texas and be with the team,” said Washington, at 73 the oldest manager in the majors. "I feel great, I really do. ... I didn't come here to work, I came here to be around my guys and have fun with them."

Washington last managed a game in a 7-3 loss to the New York Yankees on June 19. The following day, the team said Washington was out indefinitely because of health issues after experiencing shortness of breath and appearing fatigued toward the end of that four-game series in New York.

After being cleared by Yankees doctors to fly home with his team, even though they initially wanted to keep him in New York, Washington underwent a series of tests in California. He said an angiogram there showed blockage in his valves that couldn’t be fixed by stents.

“This happened fast,” said Washington, who was hospitalized June 23, had surgery June 30 and was discharged July 7.

The Angels, without elaborating then, announced June 27 that he was on medical leave for the rest of the season.

“What happened to me saved my life,” said Washington, who added that he has quit smoking, changed his eating habits and is sleeping better. At one point, he raised the Angels hoodie he was wearing to reveal the scars from the surgery.

Washington wasn't so sure he had made it in the immediate aftermath of the procedure, when isolated and connected to medical monitors.

“Actually I thought I was dead because I was laying someplace where they had put me for a few days, and I said I didn’t make it," he said. "So I started pulling stuff off, and the guy saw me doing it, and he came running in and he grabbed my hand. He said, ‘What’s going on?’ I said, ‘Am I dead?’ He said, ‘No, you’re here.' Really.”

The well-liked Washington made the revelations before the Angels opened a three-game series in Texas, where he still has a residence. He plans to continue on to Houston with the Angels before skipping the final stop of the road trip in Kansas City. Washington hopes to be with the team the rest of the season after the Angels return home.

Washington is the Rangers’ winningest manager with a 664-611 record from 2007-14. He led them to their first two World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.

After initially returning to the A's organization for two seasons, Washington was on the Atlanta Braves’ staff from 2017-23 and part of their 2021 World Series championship.

With a young roster after Shohei Ohtani’s departure in free agency and with three-time AL MVP Mike Trout limited to 29 games because of injuries, the Angels went 63-99 last year to set a franchise record for losses in Washington’s first season as their manager. They were 36-38 before Washington left the dugout this year, and went into Monday night’s game 25-31 with Ray Montgomery filling in for him.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, who led them to their first World Series title two years ago, is the next oldest manager in the majors. The four-time World Series champion, who turned 70 in April, came into the interview room and went onto the podium to give Washington a hug while telling him it was great to see him.

---

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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Cal Raleigh hits his 48th, 49th homers to set MLB season mark for catchers, passing Salvador Perez

SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh had so much adrenaline pumping, he couldn’t even hear a crowd of 37,550 chanting “MVP!” following his record-breaking feat.

The Seattle Mariners slugger hit his major league-leading 48th and 49th home runs on Sunday against the Athletics, setting a single-season record for catchers and passing Salvador Perez's total with the Kansas City Royals in 2021. After hitting his second home run, which set the watermark for backstops, Raleigh exited the Mariners dugout to doff his helmet.

“With everybody on their feet cheering, I didn’t even notice,” Raleigh said. “It was just a really cool moment to tip the cap. That’s not something you get to do every day.”

Manager Dan Wilson, who has been beyond complimentary of Raleigh all season, had only one complaint about the catcher’s curtain call: That perhaps he didn’t stay out on the field long enough.

“What an incredible feat,” Wilson said after the Mariners beat the Athletics 11-4. “I don’t know that you can fathom how big that is when you look at some of the people he’s passed and just what the magnitude of that record is.”

Raleigh’s record-breaking home run also marked his ninth multi-home run game of the season, passing Mickey Mantle (eight for the 1961 New York Yankees) for most multi-home run games by a switch-hitter in a season in major league history. The overall record is 11 multi-home run games in a season.

The switch-hitting Raleigh, batting from the right side, homered off Athletics left-handed starter Jacob Lopez in the first inning to make it 2-0 and tie Perez. Raleigh got a fastball down the middle from Lopez and sent it an estimated 448 feet, according to Statcast. It was measured as the longest home run of Raleigh's career as a right-handed hitter.

In the second inning, Raleigh drilled a changeup from Lopez 412 feet. Both blasts prompted “MVP” chants from the hometown crowd.

“Obviously to do it anywhere would be really special,” Raleigh said. “But, to do it here in front of the fans and to give them that and see the appreciation was a really cool moment.”

The longballs were Nos. 39 and 40 on the season for Raleigh while catching this year. He has nine while serving as a designated hitter. Perez hit 15 home runs as a DH in 2021, and 33 at catcher.

Only four other players in big league history have hit at least 40 homers in a season while primarily playing catcher: Johnny Bench (twice), Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Mike Piazza (twice). Bench, Campanella and Piazza are Hall of Famers.

“I think we’re seeing that he’s starting to set a bar to nobody else that’s done this,” Wilson said. “And, that’s the newsworthy part of this thing is it’s getting to a point where you can’t compare him to anybody. He just keeps pushing that bar higher.”

Raleigh launched 27 homers in 2022, then 30 in 2023 and 34 last season. Should he continue at his powerful pace, Raleigh could become the first American League catcher to lead the major leagues outright in home runs.

A first-time All-Star at age 28, Raleigh burst onto the national scene when he won the All-Star Home Run Derby in July, just four months removed from signing a six-year, $105 million contract extension. He became the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title. He’s the second Mariners player to take the crown, after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr.

With 31 games to go in the regular season, Raleigh also has an excellent chance of passing Griffey's franchise record of 56 home runs in a season.

Raleigh’s homer gave him 104 RBIs on the season. He’s the first catcher with consecutive 100-RBI seasons since Piazza (1996-2000), and the first American League backstop to accomplish the feat since Thurman Munson (1975-77).

But on Sunday, Raleigh stood alone when it came to major league catching royalty with one counting stat.

“We had a chance to see all-time history today, which is really cool,” Wilson said. “Forty-nine homers this season for a catcher, unbelievable.”

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Aaron Boone issues vote of confidence in Anthony Volpe as Yankees’ regular shortstop despite benching

Anthony Volpe is out of the Yankees’ lineup for two straight games for the first time in his career. 

He was benched in favor of utility infielder José Caballero in Sunday’s must-win series finale against the rival Boston Red Sox and again for Monday’s series opener with the Washington Nationals. 

Volpe will be available off the bench again in the Bronx, and Aaron Boone confirmed that he is expected to jump back into the starting lineup for Tuesday’s middle game. 

From there, the skipper says the team will lean on the youngster regularly down the stretch. 

"I view Anthony as our shortstop," Boone said. "I plan on having him back in there tomorrow and probably in some way shape or form tonight at some point, but just wanted to give him a couple here at the start."

The hope is that the 24-year-old will be able to use this two-game benching as sort of a reset to help get him back into a groove over the final few weeks of the regular season. 

Overall, it's been an extremely rough year for Volpe on both sides of the ball.

The former Gold Glover has taken tremendous steps backwards defensively, currently leading the American League with 17 errors while also sitting in the fourth percentile with -7 Outs Above Average. 

He is on pace for a new career-high with 18 homers, but has been struck in a brutal 1-for-28 stretch at the plate over the team's last three series. 

Volpe is now down to an ugly .208 average and .274 OBP with 122 strikeouts on the season. 

"He’s shown all the signs that he can be a really good offensive player," Boone said. "A little more consistency is that next wave and that’s what he’s working really hard to do, I’m confident he’ll be able to get there."

For the Yankees to make some noise in the American League, they'll certainly need Volpe to get there. 

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Mets’ Jose Siri set to take big step towards potential late-season return

Jose Siri is set to take a big step towards a potential late-season return to the Mets.

The speedy outfielder will officially begin a rehab assignment with the Low-A squad down in Port St. Lucie later this week. 

Siri has been sidelined since April 12 due to a fractured left tibia.

He appeared to be closing in on a return late last month, but hit a bit of a setback in his recovery when imaging showed the bone hadn't healed to the Mets' liking.

Instead, he ended up being shut down from all baseball activities until he was finally able to ramp things back up over the past couple of weeks.

Having missed so much time, though, Carlos Mendoza expects Siri to still be a couple weeks away.

“This is a guy who has been out pretty much the whole year,” the skipper said. “He’ll start playing every other day and then the next week we’ll start moving him up, but we have to see the full nine innings, back-to-backs, we gotta get the volume up.”

The team still hasn’t discussed Siri's exact role when he is eventually ready to return.

The most logical fit would seemingly be as an extra outfielder and speedster off the bench with them being able to add two players when roster expand in September. 

Siri was expected to split time with Tyrone Taylor in center after being acquired in an offseason deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, but the early injury quickly forced him to the sidelines. 

Taylor filled in tremendously over the first few weeks, but after he ultimately struggled the team turned to Jeff McNeil out there and then acquired Cedric Mullins in a deadline deal with the Orioles.

Mullins has picked things up with the bat after a bit of a slow start with the new club, but his defense has left much to be desired.

Siri's return could provide a much-needed boost with his dynamic speed and outfield defense in the latter innings.

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Francisco Alvarez takes batting practice, could begin rehab assignment in next few days

Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez took batting practice on Monday at Citi Field as he works toward a potential return from a UCL sprain in his right thumb.

Alvarez was placed on the 10-day IL last Tuesday, with the plan at the time being for him to be reevaluated in 10-to-14 days.

The catch, then and now, is that Alvarez will eventually need surgery to repair his injury. But the hope is that he'll be able to play through it upon his hopeful return and through the remainder of the season.

Carlos Mendoza said ahead of Monday's game against the Phillies that Alvarez also took batting practice at Citi Field on Sunday.

Mendoza added that if all goes well with Alvarez over the next few days, he'll begin a rehab assignment on either Wednesday or Thursday.

If Alvarez is able to begin his rehab assignment as planned and can play through the pain at a satisfactory level, it's fair to believe his rehab assignment will not be long. 

Alvarez's injury occurred eight days ago against the Mariners on a head-first slide into second base.

The 23-year-old, who missed the start of the season with a hamate fracture in his left hand and spent a chunk of the year working on things at Triple-A, appeared to have found his stroke at the plate before the injury.

Since returning from the demotion in late July, Alvarez is slashing .323/.408/.645 with four homers, six doubles, one triple, 13 RBI, and 14 runs scored in 71 plate appearances over 21 games.

In Alvarez's absence, Luis Torrens has been getting most of the starts behind the plate while Hayden Senger serves as his backup.

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Mets place reliever Reed Garrett on IL with right elbow inflammation

The Mets announced a series of roster moves ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, highlighted by right-hander Reed Garrett landing on the 15-day IL (retroactive to Aug. 23) with right elbow inflammation.

According to manager Carlos Mendoza, Garrett has had a hard time recovering after his appearances over the last couple of weeks, and after playing catch on Sunday, he decided it was time to get things checked out.

And while an IL stint for an important reliever is never something a team wants to see happen, the good news is that it sounds as if Garrett will be ramped back up and ready to pitch by the end of the 15-day IL period.

"He got an MRI this morning, and we got relatively good news," Mendoza said. "The ligament is perfect. It just showed the inflammation, so he’s going to get a cortisone shot, shut down for a couple of days, and then we’ll get him going again."

Garrett last pitched on Friday night against Atlanta, allowing two earned runs on three hits in 1.0 inning.

The Mets also selected the contract of lefty Jose Castillo to add him to the major league roster, and moved right-hander Frankie Montas to the 60-day IL in what’s simply a paper move, as Montas has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a UCL injury.

Garrett, 32, has had an up-and-down season for the Mets while serving as a high-leverage reliever as part of the bridge to Edwin Diaz. Overall, Garrett has pitched to a 3.61 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 52.1 innings, though he has struggled a bit as of late, recording a 10.80 ERA over his last seven appearances.

The 29-year-old Castillo was originally acquired by the Mets in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks in May, and has been up and down between Triple-A Syracuse and the majors. 

In 14 appearances as a Met, Castillo has pitched to a 2.19 ERA over 12.1 innings of work.

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Aaron Nola happy to feel ‘back to normal'

Aaron Nola happy to feel ‘back to normal' originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK – As he sat at his locker at Citi Field, his practice jersey soaked with sweat and the moisture dripping down his face, Aaron Nola could only smile. That’s how good life is for him right now as he has finally made it back from two injuries that took away almost three months of his season.

His first start back, on August 17th didn’t go quite as planned for the veteran right-hander, as he allowed seven hits and six earned runs in just 2 1/3 inning of work in Washington. Facing the same Nationals team six days later, Nola was more himself as he held the Nationals to five hits and two earned runs in his six innings of a 6-4 Phillies win. He’ll be back on the mound Thursday at Citizens Bank Park when the Phillies host the Atlanta Braves.

“I feel good. Normal soreness,” Nola said. “It’s good to get to the routine or throwing and running and working out a little bit. Throwing bullpens again, normally. Overall, it went pretty smooth. It took a little while, but, yeah, back to normal.

“Being on the injured list is obviously tough. It was longer than I thought it was going to be. The ankle started feeling good then the rib came up so it was kind of a 2-on-1 bang right there. Something I’ve never had with the rib. Never had anything in that section, rib or lat or anything right there. It was new and different. It took me a little bit to get loose once I started throwing. I had to learn to throw soft out in the outfield when I started throwing. That’s something that I hadn’t done in a while cause usually, I feel pretty good and I can just fire it right off the bat and get into throwing pretty easily. But it was tough sitting around and watching. But the guys played awesome. I loved watching. They were playing really good baseball. Pitchers were dominating. It was fun watching our starting rotation go out and dominate.”

The emotions of being back to normal are one thing. But the emotions Nola went through rose even more when the news of teammate Zack Wheeler’s season-ending venous thoracic outlet syndrome was released.

“It’s good to be back, man. It really is,” Nola said. “I’m blessed to be able to get on that mound again. I just took in the stadium when I was walking into the dugout from center field. I never had that long off during the season and I want to cherish every moment as I can as a Phillie.

“Not to bring up Wheeler, but that’s a tough loss for us. You never know what can pop up. He’s having one of the best seasons he’s ever had. Something crazy pops up and it knocks him out for the year. After that I kind of sat back and told myself to cherish every single moment because you never know if your season will end. It was a blessing that my injury wasn’t one that knocked me out for a real long period of time so I’m grateful for that. It’s just good to be back and be healthy and be able to pitch again.”

Nick Castellanos sits in series opener vs. Mets

The outfield for the Phillies on Monday will consist of Brandon Marsh in left, Harrison Bader in center and Max Kepler in right against right-handed pitcher Kodai Senga. Sunday, Rob Thomson had said Nick Castellanos paid him a visit to find out the game-plan for the series. It didn’t include him in Game 1.

“He just wanted to know what the plan was moving forward,” Thomson said. “I laid it out for him and he was good. He just wanted to know, that’s all.”

Bader has been hitting well of late, as he’s gone four for his last six with a couple of walks.

“That’s why I’m trying to mix and match and keep a rhythm and keep them going,” Thomson said of the outfield platooning. “It’s difficult. It’s difficult to match people up. But so far, so good. I think Bades is doing great. I really like him. I like the presence about him, a little bit of swagger. And (defensively) he gets great jumps. I mean great jumps. It’s really impressive. He may not have the speed of Rojas but I would say the jumps are as good.”

The same but different

Just like last season, the Phillies are 76-54 after 130 games. The offensive numbers across the board are almost identical. But that’s really where the likeness stops, according to Thomson.

“For the most part we’ve been pretty consistent,” he said. “There’s times where we haven’t hit or haven’t pitched well. The Houston series (back in late June) where we just didn’t hit and that’s good pitching. I think overall we’ve played really well.

“We got off to such a hot start last year, it was just kind of ridiculous, and you can’t really maintain that hot streak over 162. So, consequently after the All-Star break we went into a slide. I think overall this team this year has been more consistent than last year. Last year we were hot in the beginning and then we cooled off. I think we sort of leveled out the peaks and valleys this year a little bit better.”

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MLB relief pitcher of the year award to honor an essential role — just ask the Dodgers

Dodgers closer Eric Gagne pumps his fist during a 7-6 win, Sunday, April 18, 2004, in San Francisco.
Dodgers closer Eric Gagne pumps his fist after striking out the San Francisco Giants' Marquis Grissom to end a game in 2004. (Dino Vournas/Associated Press)

No role in baseball has undergone more of a transformation than that of a relief pitcher. What once was something a hurler became because he wasn't good enough to be a starter is now a vital role manned by a succession of the hardest throwers.

Anyone who doubts the importance of a quality bullpen hasn't been paying attention to the Dodgers lately.

Over the weekend the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America announced it has established a relief pitcher of the year award — one in each league — beginning in 2026. It will become the fifth honor doled out by the BBWAA each year, joining the most valuable player, Cy Young, rookie of the year and manager of the year awards.

(Disclaimer: I am a BBWAA member of more than 20 years and voted for creating the relief pitcher of the year awards. However, The Times doesn't allow its reporters to vote for the yearly awards or Hall of Fame election to avoid potential conflicts of interest.)

Why did the BBWAA decide to create another award? Well, as Hall of Fame baseball writer and relief pitcher award advocate Jayson Stark wrote in the Athletic, "It's about time."

Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers' inability to improve bullpen at trade deadline haunts them again

Stark pointed out that since Oakland Athletics closer Dennis Eckersley won the American League Cy Young Award and MVP in 1992 when he notched 51 saves, only one reliever has won a Cy Young and no reliever has finished even in the top three in MVP voting.

That one Cy Young winner? Dodgers fans can only wish for a current closer as dominant as Eric Gagne was in 2003 when his performance — admittedly illegally enhanced — resulted in 55 saves and a 1.20 earned-run average.

Otherwise, Stark notes, "voters have decided the MVP is a position player’s award, the Cy Young is a starting pitcher’s award and 'None of the Above' is a relief pitcher’s award."

Relievers were never considered superstars, but for a brief period after saves were introduced as an official statistical category in 1969, closers were routinely honored.

The Dodgers' Mike Marshall became the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in 1974 when he made a staggering 106 appearances and went 15-12 with 21 saves. Three years later, Sparky Lyle of the New York Yankees became the first American League reliever to take home the honor.

Read more:Doing away with traditional leagues could be in MLB's not-too-distant future, Rob Manfred says

The recognition didn't end there. Bruce Sutter won the NL Cy Young Award in 1979 and Rollie Fingers became the first reliever to win the Cy Young and MVP awards in 1981. Three years later, Willie Hernández of the World Series champion Detroit Tigers became the second.

Steve Bedrosian and Mark Davis also won Cy Young Awards in the 1980s, but Eckersley taking home the Cy Young and MVP in '92 marked the abrupt end of relievers winning either award. Why? The save became regarded as a flawed statistic, and the workload of a closer paled in comparison to starters, who then still regularly exceeded 200 innings a year.

Relievers were honored for 50 years beginning in 1960 by the Sporting News with what became known as the Fireman of the Year award. It coincided with the introduction of a rudimentary version of the save, created by longtime Sporting News and Chicago baseball writer Jerome Holtzman.

Before then, relievers were especially anonymous. Occasionally one made headlines for an odd accomplishment, such as Roy Face of the Pittsburgh Pirates posting an 18-1 record in 57 relief appearances in 1959. Holtzman was particularly irked that baseball writers were sufficiently impressed to elevate Face to seventh in NL MVP voting.

Read more:Hernández: Repeat champions or October duds? Dodgers identity crisis keeps everyone guessing

Years later somebody went back and determined that 10 of those wins were credited in games Face had blown the lead, with the Pirates coming back while he was the pitcher of record. When it comes to stats, it turns out, saves might be less flawed than wins.

So it's been a love-hate relationship between relievers and writers for decades. Billy Wagner was voted into the Hall of Fame this year in his 10th and last year on the ballot, the eighth pure reliever to be inducted, joining Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith, Goose Gossage, Hoyt Wilhelm, Fingers and Sutter.

Eckersley was a starter for 12 seasons before moving to the bullpen and notching 390 saves, and John Smoltz started for 12 seasons then became an exceptional closer for four years before moving back to the rotation for the last five years of his Hall of Fame career.

Without an award from the BBWAA, MLB in 2005 created the Delivery Man of the Year Award, which honored one best reliever. Nine years later MLB created an award for each league named after Rivera and Hoffman, the only two pitchers to reach 600 career saves.

The winners every year have been closers, typically the league leaders in saves. With the increasing value of setup relievers in an era when starters average only 5.3 innings, perhaps the new relief pitcher of the year awards will reward more than ninth-inning specialists.

Stark, who chaired the BBWAA committee that studied the new awards before presenting it to membership for a vote, would like to think so, rattling off the following reasons the awards are needed.

"Because the evolution of the sport has led us to this moment. Because the debates should be so much fun. Because we have the chance to do something special — and not just count up the saves but to 'get this right.'"

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.

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Royals at White Sox Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, stats for August 25

It's Monday, August 25 and the Royals (67-64) are in Chicago to take on the White Sox (47-83). Noah Cameron is slated to take the mound for Kansas City against Shane Smith for Chicago.

Following Kansas City's five-game winning streak, the Royals have gone 2-3 since with six and 10 runs needed for the wins. The Royals are coming off a 10-8 win over the Tigers, while the White Sox have won back-to-back games despite being 3-7 in the last 10 games.

Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Royals at White Sox

  • Date: Monday, August 25, 2025
  • Time: 7:40PM EST
  • Site: Rate Field
  • City: Chicago, IL
  • Network/Streaming: FDSNKC, CHSN

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Royals at the White Sox

The latest odds as of Monday:

  • Moneyline: Royals (-138), White Sox (+116)
  • Spread:  Royals -1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Royals at White Sox

  • Pitching matchup for August 25, 2025: Noah Cameron vs. Shane Smith
    • Royals: Noah Cameron, (7-5, 2.53 ERA)
      Last outing: 3.86 ERA, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 3 Hits Allowed, 3 Walks, and 5 Strikeouts
    • White Sox: Shane Smith, (3-7, 4.12 ERA)
      Last outing: 6.00 ERA, 4 Earned Runs Allowed, 7 Hits Allowed, 2 Walks, and 4 Strikeouts

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Royals at White Sox

  • Kansas City is 8-2 versus Chicago this season
  • Chicago is 3-7 in the last 10 games and 0-2 in the last 2
  • Chicago is 5-14 in the last 19 games
  • Kansas City is 2-3 in the last 5 games

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Royals and the White Sox

Rotoworld Best Bet

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday’s game between the Royals and the White Sox:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago White Sox at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC.

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