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Seventh inning homers from Ronny Mauricio, Juan Soto help Mets secure sweep of Giants

The Mets secured the series sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 5-3 win on Sunday night at Oracle Park.

New York extended it's winning streak to seven games.

Here are some takeaways...

- The bottom of the order did a great job creating the Mets' first three runs of the game. Francisco Alvarez and Ronny Mauricio led off the third with back-to-back singles, and two batters later Alvarez scored on a Francisco Lindor RBI groundout.

Two innings later the young duo would strike again, as back-to-back doubles leading off the fifth put the Mets back in front. Mauricio advanced to third on a Brandon Nimmo groundout, but he was gunned down trying to score on a Lindor roller to short.

Alvarez had another big opportunity with two on and two out in the top of the sixth, but right-hander Randy Rodriguez struck him out -- Mauricio picked him up an inning later, though, smacking a game-tying leadoff homer into McCovey Cove against one of the top relievers in the game.

Mauricio doubled again leading off the ninth, giving him the first four-hit game of his career.

- Juan Soto looked a little lost during his first three at-bats, but he delivered his fourth time up, lifting an 0-1 fastball the other way for a go-ahead solo homer. The Mets are the first time since April to put up multiple runs against Rodriguez.

That snapped an eight-game homerless streak for Soto, who now has 25 on the season.

- Kodai Senga was chased after just three innings in his last outing, but he got off to a better start in this one. The right-hander struck out back-to-back batters in the bottom of the second to work his way out of a first and third jam with one out.

After the Mets handed him the lead in the third, Senga was helped out by a Heliot Ramos base-running miscue to work around another man in scoring position. The Giants were able to strike against him an inning later, though, as Matt Chapman led off the fourth with a solo shot to left-center.

San Fran pushed two into scoring position, but Senga got Jung Hoo Lee to pop out to avoid further damage. He retired the first two batters after the Mets retook the lead in the fifth, but Chapman would get him again, this time with a two-run homer to center.

Senga finished the night with a final line of three runs allowed on four hits and five walks.

- The Mets' bullpen threw well behind Senga. José Buttó put together a scoreless sixth, Gregory Soto worked a 1-2-3 seventh in his Mets debut, Reed Garrett got the first two outs in the eighth, then Brooks Raley one before Edwin Diaz locked down the save.

The Giants loaded the bases against Diaz, but he struck out Willy Adames and Chapman to win the game.

- It didn't take long for Starling Marte to extend his five-game hitting streak -- the veteran righty picked up the Mets' first hit of the night with a two out opposite-field single in the top of the second. Marte blooped another single to center in the eighth, giving him another multi-hit game.

Game MVP(s): Francisco Alvarez & Ronny Mauricio

The young duo was square in the middle of things all night for the Mets -- finishing a combined 6-for-8.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets head to San Diego to start a three-game set with the Padres.

Frankie Montas takes the ball against potential Mets trade target Dylan Cease at 9:40 p.m.

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Mets prospects Ryan Clifford, Carson Benge stay red hot in Double-A

Binghamton’s offense put up 17 runs in Sunday’s win over the Fightin Phils.

The Mets' dynamic prospect duo of Ryan Clifford and Carson Benge were right in the middle of things. 

They got the scoring started early, going back-to-back in the top of the first. 

Benge would strike two more times over the next two innings, lifting another solo shot in the second and then lining an RBI single in the third. 

He was walked on four pitches in the fourth and then lined another single, but was finally retired in his final at-bats of the day -- finishing 4-for-6 with three RBI and four runs scored.

The former first-round pick is now hitting .350 with four doubles, five home runs, 15 RBI, and a 1.046 OPS in 21 games since being promoted to Double-A. 

Clifford finished a triple shy of the cycle and was retired just once -- going 3-for-4 with a solo shot, single, double, three walks, and five runs scored. 

He’s up to a minor league leading 21 homers on the season, with eight of them coming in July.  

Jett Williams also enjoyed a big day, reaching base four times with two walks and two hits. 

Binghamton improved to an incredible 64-30 on the season.

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Mets Notes: Jose Siri update, Starling Marte’s production at the plate

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided some updates prior to Sunday night’s series finale in San Francisco…

Jose Siri expected to return this season

Siri hasn’t resumed baseball activities after his setback from a fractured tibia. 

Despite that, Mendoza is still expecting him to return this season. 

“He’s still not doing much,” he said. “It’s been quite a bit here, but he’s pushing for it and I’m expecting him to be back here at some point, that’s the goal.”

Siri has been sidelined since fouling a ball off his shin on April 12.

He had just one hit in 20 at-bats prior to the injury, but was providing a spark with his speed and defense.

Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil have been splitting time in center in his absence, but the Mets are in the market for an upgrade ahead of the deadline. 

Starling Marte’s production 

Marte continues to get the job done offensively. 

He was on-base three more times on Saturday night, pushing his hitting streak to five games. 

He’s put together a multi-hit showing in four of those. 

“He’s been huge,” Mendoza said. “Continues to give us good at-bats against lefties and righties. He goes down and misses a few days, then he comes back and it seems like he didn’t even miss a day. The experience, the veteran presence, his ability to work at-bats and put the ball in play, there’s a lot to like there.”

Marte’s now hitting .282 with a .364 on-base percentage through 60 games. 

Teams were reportedly checking in on his availability over the past few days, but with him being such a big piece for this lineup probably makes a trade seem less likely.

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Yankees legends CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

CC’s day has come. 

Yankees legend CC Sabathia was officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon. 

The left-hander was the definition of a workhorse over his 18-year big-league career. 

Sabathia spent his first seven seasons pitching in Cleveland, he was traded to the Brewers ahead of the 2008 deadline, and then decided to sign in the Bronx as he hit free agency for the first time in his career. 

He called joining the Yanks the best decision him and his wife ever made during his speech. 

“I loved playing in Cleveland and Milwaukee, but when it was time to go somewhere new I thought I wanted to go to LA and play for the Dodgers, close to home -- I definitely didn’t want to go to New York to play for the Yankees, the furthest team away,” he said.
“Winning mattered and money made a difference, but my free agent decision was really about where we were going to spend the rest of our lives -- we said to ourselves, we’ll play anywhere on the planet as long as our family is together. 

“When Amber and I were kids, things in our family were inconsistent. Now we have three kids of our own and we wanted to plant roots, that’s what we talked about -- that’s how we made the best decision we’ve ever made.”

Sabathia finished with 251 wins and a 3.74 ERA across 3,577.1 innings of work.

He made three All-Star appearances over his 11 years with the Yankees, finished in the top-five in MVP voting three times, and won his lone World Series title (2009).

Ichiro enters the Hall

CC wasn’t the only Yankee to be enshrined on Sunday, Ichiro Suzuki also entered the Hall. 

Ichiro spent the first 11 years of his career with the Mariners before being traded to the Bronx. 

At 40 years old, he played two and a half seasons with the Yanks. 

“Thank you to the New York Yankees,” he said during his speech. “I know you guys are here today for CC, but that’s okay he deserves it a lot -- I enjoyed my two and a half years in pinstripes, thank you for giving me the experience.”

Ichiro was a lifetime .311 hitter, who accumulated 4,367 hits in his professional career between NPB and MLB and also holds the MLB single-season hit record (262, set in 2004).

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Royals put Kris Bubic, Jac Caglianone on IL; newly acquired Randal Grichuk into starting lineup

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals placed All-Star left-hander Kris Bubic on the 15-day injured list with a rotator cuff strain and outfielder Jac Caglianone on the 10-day IL with a strained left hamstring amid a series of moves before their series finale against Cleveland on Sunday.

The Royals also welcomed outfielder Randal Grichuk, who was acquired on Saturday night in a deal that shipped reliever Andrew Hoffmann to Arizona, and recalled right-handed reliever Jonathan Bowlan from Triple-A Omaha to help the bullpen.

Bubic walked the first four batters he faced and only managed to last 2 2/3 innings against the Guardians on Saturday, when he started the second game of a split doubleheader. He needed 42 pitches to get through the first inning, and he wound up allowing four runs and three hits in his shortest start since Sept. 18, 2022, at Boston.

“He’s getting some further testing and then we’ll talk to the doc here and see what we got,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

Bubic said he’s experienced some shoulder soreness for much of the season, but he’s been able to pitch through it at a break-through level. Even with the rocky start Saturday, he has a 2.55 ERA — the fifth-best mark in the American League.

“I mean, you see how he’s performed,” Quatraro said. “Most pitchers when they go out there, they feel something almost every time. The severity of it and his ability to continue to deal with it has been manageable, by his own admission. ... And it’s gotten to the point where, you know, he doesn’t, and we don’t feel like it’s best for him to keep fighting through it.”

The Royals rotation has suddenly thinned considerably. Left-hander Cole Ragans remains on the IL with a strained rotator cuff and is not expected back until late August, and right-hander Michael Lorenzen is progressing from his strained left oblique but may need to make a rehab start before he returns to the Royals sometime in August.

The Royals already have had to plug one spot with 45-year-old Rich Hill, who pitched well in his debut for them this past week.

Caglianone, the Royals’ 22-year-old power-hitter, felt tightness in his hamstring while running down a double into the gap in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Then he felt the twinge again while running to first on a groundout later the inning.

The timing of the injury could have been worse: The Royals had been working on a deal to land Grichuk, who nearly signed with them in the offseason but will now help them primarily against left-handed hitting for the rest of the season.

“You’ve seen our outfield had gotten very heavily left-handed. Something we thought we needed to add was a right-handed bat,” said Quatraro, whose team began the day 51-54 and 4 1/2 games back in the AL wild-card race.

Grichuk was 0 for 2 on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, flying out in the second inning and the fourth, when he was told by the Diamondbacks that he had been traded. He hugged several teammates in the dugout and then headed out, catching a flight first thing Sunday so that he could be in Kansas City in time for the series finale against the Guardians.

He was put in the starting lineup right away, batting sixth and playing right field.

“When they called they said, ‘If you’re willing to be here to play, you know, we want you in the starting lineup,’” Grichuk said, “and yeah, I want to play. That’s kind of my M.O. And so I said, ‘Let’s do it. We’ll make it happen, even if it’s crazy travel.’”

The one hang-up was Grichuk’s number: He’s always worn 15 and that number was taken by backup catcher Luke Maile. But it turns out the two knew each other from their days together in Toronto, so a quick text message smoothed things out. Maile took No. 17 and gave his old buddy No. 15 — “We’ll work something out,” Grichuk said of potential compensation.

“It’s pretty cool that he was able to give it to me,” Grichuk said.

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Seattle’s Cal Raleigh calls his 40th homer ‘a cool milestone’ during the catcher’s historic season

Cal Raleigh reached another landmark in his incredible season Saturday night when he drilled his 40th home run deep into the right field bleachers at Angel Stadium.

Becoming the seventh catcher in major league history to hit 40 homers has been all but inevitable for Raleigh ever since the Seattle Mariners slugger got to the All-Star break with 38 — and then won the Home Run Derby.

Raleigh still felt the 40th was special, mostly because it broke a tie and propelled the Mariners to a valuable 7-2 victory in their playoff chase.

“It’s a cool milestone to hit, and I’m very thankful for it, and it’s a cool moment for sure,” Raleigh said. “I look back to 20 or 30, and that was cool, and 40 is definitely very cool as well. I’m not trying to downplay it, but I’m glad we got the win tonight, and I’ll look back one day and it will be cool.”

Raleigh is the first player in the majors to hit 40 this season, doing it before the calendar even turns to August.

He crushed a 2-0 fastball from struggling Angels reliever José Fermin, driving it 416 feet with a 113.5-mph exit velocity. The shot put the Mariners up 3-2, and they added three more runs in the inning to take control of their second win in three games in Anaheim.

“I’m sure it feels great to get to 40,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said. “I’m sure he wants to get to 41 as soon as possible, because he knows it helps us win ballgames, and at this point, that’s what he’s looking for. Knowing Cal, he wants us to win. But a big milestone for sure. The season, the numbers that he’s put up is pretty staggering. This is just another one of those notches on the belt.”

Although he was the Mariners’ designated hitter Saturday, Raleigh joined an elite club of hitters who primarily played catcher during their 40-homer seasons.

Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza did it twice, while Roy Campanella, Todd Hundley and Javy Lopez were joined in 2021 by Kansas City’s Salvador Perez, who set the single-season record for catchers with 48.

Perez’s mark is eminently reachable for Raleigh, who would need to average just one homer a week for the rest of the regular season to top it.

Raleigh is only the fifth player in Mariners history to hit 40 homers, and he joins elite Pacific Northwest company: Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Nelson Cruz and Jay Buhner.

“They’re really good players,” Raleigh said. “They’re some of the best that’s ever come through here, so very honored to be a part of that group. It’s a cool thing. Just try to keep going and see how far we can take it.”

Raleigh also tied Griffey (1998) for the most homers in Seattle history through 105 games of a season while becoming only the eighth player in major league history to hit 40 in his team’s first 105 games — just the second to do it in the 21st century, joining Aaron Judge (2022).

Raleigh even reached his latest landmark on a day when his AL MVP candidacy indirectly got a boost: Judge, the obvious front-runner for his third award in four seasons, went on the 10-day injured list with a flexor strain in his right elbow — although the Yankees superstar’s absence isn’t currently expected to be lengthy.

Raleigh’s production has actually slowed in July. He came into Saturday night’s game batting .162 with just 11 hits in 18 games this month, although six of those hits were homers.

Raleigh had two hits and struck out three times Saturday night, but Wilson has seen progress in Raleigh’s approach at the plate in recent days.

“I think for the most part, it’s an adjustment period,” Wilson said. “Teams start to pitch around you a little bit, and I think you become aware of that and start making the adjustments there. But I think he’s just been very consistent pretty much all this season, and I think that’s what’s been so great for me to see, and for all of us to benefit from. He’s just been so consistent, and to do this while raising his batting average at the same time, pretty incredible.”

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Ichiro Suzuki adds humorous touches to Hall of Fame induction ceremonies

Ichiro Suzuki adds humorous touches to Hall of Fame induction ceremonies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

If you want someone for your next celebrity roast, Ichiro Suzuki could be your guy.

Mixing sneaky humor with heartfelt messages, the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame stole the show Sunday in Cooperstown.

Morning showers and gloomy skies delayed the ceremonies by an hour, but the moisture gave way to bright skies and warm temperatures. The sun seemed its brightest during Suzuki’s acceptance speech.

The outfielder was joined by pitcher CC Sabathia, also elected in his first year of eligibility, and closer Billy Wagner, who made it in his final try on the writers’ ballot. Suzuki fell one vote shy of being a unanimous selection and he took a jab at the unidentified sports writer who didn’t vote for him.

“Three thousand hits or 262 hits in one season are two achievements recognized by the writers. Well, all but one,” Suzuki said to roaring laughter.

“By the way, the offer for the writer to have dinner at my home has now expired,” he added, with emphasis on “expired” for good measure.

A pair of Era Committee selections rounded out the Class of 2025: Dave Parker, who earned the nickname Cobra during 20 big league seasons, and slugger Dick Allen. Parker died June 28, just a month before he was to be inducted.

An estimated 30,000 fans crowded onto the field adjacent to the Clark Sports Center, sun umbrellas and Japanese flags sprinkled around. Suzuki’s No. 51 was seemingly everywhere as fans, thousands of them Seattle Mariners boosters who made the trek from the Pacific Northwest, chanted “Ichiro” several times throughout the day. A sign that read “Thank You Ichiro! Forever a Legend” in English and Japanese summed up the admiration for Suzuki on his special day.

With 52 returning Hall of Famers on hand, Suzuki paid homage to his new baseball home in Cooperstown and his adoring fans by delivering his 18-minute speech in English. His humor, a surprise to many, delighted the crowd.

He threw shade at the Miami Marlins, the last stop of his professional career.

“Honestly, when you guys offered me a contract in 2015, I had never heard of your team,” Suzuki joked.

He kidded that he showed up at spring training every year with his arm “already in shape” just to hear Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs scream, “`Holy smokes! Another laser-beam throw from Ichiro!’”

He even took a moment for some tongue-in-cheek modesty.

“People often measure me by my records. Three thousand hits. Ten Gold Gloves. Ten seasons of 200 hits.

“Not bad, huh?” Suzuki said to more laughs.

He thanked his late agent Tony Anastasio for “getting me to America and for teaching me to love wine.”

But he also took time to get to the root of what made him extraordinary.

“Baseball is much more than just hitting, throwing and running. Baseball taught me to make valued decisions about what is important. It helped shape my view of life and the world. … The older I got, I realized the only way I could get to play the game I loved to the age of 45 at the highest level was to dedicate myself to it completely,” he said. “When fans use their precious time to see you play, you have a responsibility to perform for them whether you are winning by 10 or losing by 10.

“Baseball taught me what it means to be a professional and I believe that is the main reason I am here today. I could not have achieved the numbers without paying attention to the small details every single day consistently for all 19 seasons.”

Now he’s reached the pinnacle, overcoming doubters, one of whom said to him: “`Don’t embarrass the nation.’” He’s made his homeland proud.

“Going into America’s Baseball Hall of Fame was never my goal. I didn’t even know there was one. I visited Cooperstown for the first time in 2001, but being here today sure feels like a fantastic dream.”

Sabathia thanked “the great players sitting behind me, even Ichiro, who stole my Rookie of the Year award (in 2001).” He paid homage to Parker and spoke about Black culture in today’s game.

“It’s an extra honor to be a part of Dave’s Hall of Fame class. He was a father figure for a generation of Black stars. In the ’80s and early ‘90s when I first started watching baseball and Dave Parker was crushing homers, the number of Black players in the major leagues was at its highest, about 18%. Me and my friends played the game because we saw those guys on TV and there was always somebody who looked like me in a baseball uniform.

“Baseball has always been a great game for Black athletes, but baseball culture has not always been great to Black people. I hope we’re starting to turn that around. I don’t want to be the final member of the Black aces, a Black pitcher to win 20 games. And I don’t want to be the final Black pitcher giving a Hall of Fame speech.”

Wagner urged young players to treat obstacles not as “roadblocks, but steppingstones.”

“I wasn’t the biggest player. I wasn’t supposed to be here. There were only seven full-time relievers in the Hall of Fame. Now, there are eight because I refused to give up or give in,” he said.

Suzuki received 393 of 394 votes (99.7%) from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Sabathia was picked on 342 ballots (86.8%) and Wagner on 325 (82.5%), which was 29 votes more than the 296 needed for the required 75%.

After arriving in the majors in 2001, Suzuki joined Fred Lynn (1975) as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.

Suzuki was a two-time AL batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, hitting .311 with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Miami.

He is perhaps the best contact hitter ever, with 1,278 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball and 3,089 in MLB, including a season-record 262 in 2004. His combined total of 4,367 exceeds Pete Rose’s major league record of 4,256.

Sabathia, second to Suzuki in 2001 AL Rookie of the Year voting, was a six-time All-Star who won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award and a World Series title in 2009. He went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton, during 19 seasons with Cleveland, Milwaukee and the New York Yankees.

A seven-time All-Star, Wagner was 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and 422 saves for Houston, Philadelphia, the New York Mets, Boston and Atlanta.

Tom Hamilton and Tom Boswell were also honored during Hall of Fame weekend. Hamilton has been the primary radio broadcaster for the Cleveland Guardians franchise for 35 seasons and received the Ford C. Frick Award. Boswell, a retired sports columnist who spent his entire career with The Washington Post, was honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award.

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Dodgers 2-way star Shohei Ohtani to start on mound Wednesday. Team goes to 6-man rotation

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers at Boston Red Sox

Jul 25, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) runs for third base during the fifth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is expected to start on the mound Wednesday as he continues his buildup from elbow surgery that kept him from pitching all last season.

Manager Dave Roberts said Sunday before the Dodgers faced the Boston Red Sox in the finale of their three-game series that the plan is for Ohtani to work four innings at Cincinnati, with an off day to recover before hitting in a game.

With the Japanese superstar working his way back along with left-hander Blake Snell, who pitched 4 2/3 innings on Saturday in his fourth rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City, the Dodgers will be using a six-man rotation.

They currently have Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Emmet Sheehan in the rotation.

“Shohei is going to go on Wednesday and then he’ll probably pitch the following Wednesday, so that probably lends itself to the six-man,” Roberts said.

In Ohtani’s last start, he allowed one run and four hits in three innings against Minnesota on July 22. He struck out three and walked one, throwing 46 pitches, 30 for strikes.

Roberts feels like this season is sort of a rehab year in the big leagues and doesn’t foresee the team extending Ohtani's workload deep into games for a while.

“I think this whole year on the pitching side is sort of rehab, maintenance,” he said. “We’re not going to have the reins off where we’re going to say: ‘Hey you can go 110 pitches.’ I don’t see that happening for quite some time. I think that staying at four (innings) for a bit, then build up to five and we’ll see where we can go from there.”

Also Sunday, the club activated right-handed reliever Blake Treinen from the injured list and recalled left-hander Justin Wrobleski.

The 37-year-old Treinen was a big part of last season’s run to the World Series title, picking up two victories in the Series against the New York Yankees.

He has been sidelined since April 19 because of forearm tightness.

“I think the only thing I’m going to be mindful of is the up-down,” Roberts said on Treinen’s usage. “To come into an inning of leverage, I have no problem.”

Wrobleski, 25, is with the Dodgers for the fourth time this season. He’s a starter now, but Roberts said he’ll work out of the bullpen.

“Just trying to get a quality arm, get some length, potentially using him in two-inning stints, three-inning stints is going to be helpful for our 'pen," Roberts said. “The goal is to get the best pitchers on your roster in whatever role.”

To make room on the roster, LA optioned right-handers Will Klein and Edgardo Henriquez.

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Mets’ Paul Blackburn puts together second consecutive strong rehab outing

Taking the mound for Syracuse on Sunday, Paul Blackburn was strong again.

The Mets’ starter worked into the seventh inning this time around, allowing just one run on five hits and a walk while striking out six batters. 

Blackburn retired the first nine batters he faced, but Omaha was able to strike against him in the fourth, as back-to-back singles and a two out double brought in the first run of the game. 

He worked around another double in the fifth, and a one out single in the sixth. 

The righty came back out for the seventh but was pulled after issuing a walk -- Alex Carrillo entered and gave up back-to-back singles, but was able to escape the threat without further damage on his line. 

Blackburn has now allowed just three runs over his three rehab outings.

Carlos Mendoza said the team still isn't sure what his next step will be. 

“I just saw the line score, it was pretty good,” the skipper said. “We’ll wait tomorrow and call down to the guys in Triple-A, check in with him and the trainers and see what’s next with him, but it was good to see him throw the ball that way.” 

Blackburn has been on the IL for about three weeks with a shoulder injury.

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Trade Dustin May? Dodgers pitcher struggles in loss to Red Sox as deadline rumors swirl

BOSTON, MA - JULY 27: Dustin May #85 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches.
Dodgers pitcher Dustin May delivers during the second inning of a 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday. (Winslow Townson / Getty Images)

On a day the Dodgers were facing one of their former longtime starters, Dustin May faced the prospect of potentially soon having the same distinction.

In the last week, trade rumors have started to swirl around May, the oft-injured right-hander who is finally healthy this season — but also having an up-and-down campaign in his final year before free agency.

It’s an idea that, on several levels, makes sense to explore: The Dodgers will soon have to demote someone from the rotation (likely May or Emmet Sheehan) to make room for Blake Snell’s return next weekend. And there are few foreseeable scenarios in which May would pitch big innings in the postseason, given his 4.85 earned-run average and the fact that, in his return from a 2023 elbow surgery this year, he is already past his previous career-high for innings pitched.

Read more:Clayton Kershaw can't match Garrett Crochet's consistency in Dodgers' loss to Red Sox

May hardly seemed surprised to see his name mentioned as possible trade bait in multiple reports this week; having long ago grown accustomed to such speculation during his rise as a top pitching prospect.

“Shocker,” he quipped earlier this weekend. “It’s there every year. It’s not anything new.”

While it’s doubtful he alone would net much of a significant return as a rental player who has posted below-league-average production, potential Dodgers trade partners have dedicated scouting attention to him recently, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.

And given the number of teams still in relative no-man’s-land in the standings (looking to offload some pieces, but still within an arm’s length of a potential wild card spot) the Dodgers could find some interest in him ahead of the Thursday 3 p.m. PDT deadline.

It all made Sunday’s start, against former Dodgers rotation-mate and current Boston Red Sox right-hander Walker Buehler, a pivotal one for the 27-year-old May — providing him one last chance to try and stay in the rotation, and the Dodgers’ front office one more data point to evaluate in the coming week.

The result: An at-times impressive, but ultimately disappointing, effort in which May yielded four runs over five innings in the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss against the Red Sox, largely cruising through the first four innings before getting ambushed in a three-run fifth.

Dodgers starting pitcher Dustin May reacts after retiring the final Boston batter of the fourth inning Sunday.
Dodgers starting pitcher Dustin May reacts after retiring the final Boston batter of the fourth inning Sunday. (Jim Davis / Associated Press)

“It’s been like that for a lot of my outings,” May said afterward. “I feel like I get to a good spot then I can’t get through one inning. One-inning blowup. It’s not a fun feeling.”

What comes next remains wholly unclear.

Before the game, manager Dave Roberts said the team would “push” its decision on who to remove from the rotation “down the line a little bit.”

“In all honesty,” Roberts added, “things seem to change a lot each week. So I think that right now I don't want to put anyone into a corner. We'll just kind of read and react after this start."

When May was asked after the game if he felt like he was pitching for his spot in the rotation, he responded, simply, “no.”

“I think in totality he threw the baseball well,” Roberts said. “The line score doesn't show that.”

For a while on a gloomy Sunday afternoon that started with a 40-minute rain delay, May out-pitched Buehler in the latter’s first start against his old team.

Buehler issued three walks in the third, including one to Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded to score a run. He gave up a home run to Michael Conforto (who also had two doubles, but two misplays in left field) to lead off the fourth, before later walking Miguel Rojas (who reached base all four times he came up) and giving up an RBI single to Mookie Betts (making his first start of the weekend at his old home stadium).

Read more:Facing Dodgers for first time gives Walker Buehler chance to reflect on his time in L.A.

May, meanwhile, settled down after giving up a quick run in the first, retiring nine in a row — including five on strikeouts — between the second and fifth innings.

“I felt good in the middle part [of the game],” May said. “Mechanics were in a good spot.”

But with one out in the fifth, Abraham Toro singled, Roman Anthony hit an RBI triple on a shallow fly ball that ricocheted off the Green Monster, and Alex Bregman flipped the game with a two-run homer on a hanging sweeper down the middle, turning the Red Sox’s 3-1 deficit to the Dodgers into a sudden 4-3 lead.

“I know that there’s good stuff is in there,” May said. “It’s just a matter of eliminating the one bad inning.”

From there, the Dodgers (61-45) squandered every chance they had to answer back against Boston (57-50). Rojas and Conforto (twice) were stranded after doubles in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. They saw a two-on, one-out threat in the eighth extinguish when Teoscar Hernández lined into an inning-ending double-play at second base, where Ceddanne Rafaela stretched to make the catch before beating pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim to the bag with a dive. They again had a runner at second in the ninth, only to again come up empty on a day they finished one-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base.

Read more:Shaikin: Home again? Why Kenley Jansen could be a good trade match for Dodgers

“We created opportunities, which was good,” Roberts said. “But we just couldn't finish off innings today."

As a result, May was left on the hook for the loss, dropping him to 6-7.

Whether or not it will be his last start in the rotation, or final outing of any kind in a Dodger uniform, will remain in question in the days ahead.

Blake Treinen returns

More than three months after sustaining a forearm injury, key reliever Blake Treinen rejoined the Dodgers on Sunday after recently completing a minor-league rehab assignment. The Dodgers also called up Justin Wrobleski in an effort to freshen their bullpen, and optioned Will Klein and Edgardo Henriquez to the minors.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Former Mets closer Billy Wagner inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

Billy Wagner is a Hall of Famer. 

The former Mets closer had to wait until his 10th and final year on the ballot, but he was officially inducted into Cooperstown on Sunday afternoon. 

One of the most dominant relievers of all time, Wagner pitched for the Mets from 2006 to 2009 during a career that also included stints with the Astros, Phillies, Red Sox, and Braves.

A seven-time All-Star who twice finished in the top 10 of Cy Young voting, Wagner had a 2.31 ERA and 0.99 WHIP while striking out 1,196 batters in 903.0 innings over 853 appearances during his 16-year career.

Now, he becomes the eighth full-time reliever to enter the Hall.

After thanking countless individuals including his family, teammates, coaches, and fans during his speech Wagner shared a heartfelt message. 

“Obstacles are not a roadblock, obstacles are stepping stones, they build you and shape you,” he said. “I wasn’t the biggest, I wasn’t left-handed, I wasn’t supposed to be here. There were only seven full-time relievers in the Hall of Fame, now there are eight.

“Because I refused to give up or give in, I refused to listen to the outside critics, and I never stopped working. That’s what this game does for you -- it teaches you about life, it teaches you how to preserver. Don’t fear failure, embrace it because perseverance isn’t just a trait, it’s the path to greatness.” 

Along with Wagner, former Yankees Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia were elected.

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Giants top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt set for MLB debut vs. Pirates

Giants top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt set for MLB debut vs. Pirates originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — When Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour and Carson Ragsdale were all in the same Triple-A rotation, they invented a little game. The three often would walk around the ballpark together, and if a fan yelled out “Carson” the first one to turn around would have to go and sign autographs. 

“Usually it’s Whis,” Seymour explained. “They want his signature.”

Whisenhunt, the organization’s top pitching prospect, will now be hearing those fans at Oracle Park. 

Manager Bob Melvin announced Sunday that Whisenhunt will start Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’ll be the MLB debut for the 2022 second-round pick, and it’ll come in place of Landen Roupp, who went on the IL on Friday. 

“We’ve been waiting for this for a little bit now,” Melvin said. “We thought maybe he would be here last year, too. He’s our top pitching prospect, I believe. With what’s gone on here with the injury and (Hayden Birdsong) going down (to Triple-A), there’s a need for it. It’ll be exciting to see him pitch.”

Whisenhunt, 23, has a 4.42 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His strikeout rate is down, but he has done a better job of staying in the strike zone and has limited homers. He’ll attack the Pirates on Monday with a changeup that is one of the best in the minor leagues and has long been ready for big league hitters. 

“It’s a legit changeup, for sure,” Seymour said. “The fastball is good. The sequencing is great.”

Seymour was the first of the three Carsons to reach the big leagues, and he hoped to face the New York Mets this weekend since they traded him away a few years ago. Instead, he is likely to back up Whisenhunt on Monday, and he said he’s eager to get that shot. 

Whisenhunt threw seven innings in four consecutive starts earlier this season, but he has not completed six innings in about six weeks. He threw 3 2/3 innings last Sunday, allowing only one run and striking out four. 

The Giants used seven relievers on Sunday, but they currently are carrying 10. To add Whisenhunt, who will wear No. 88, they’ll need to make moves to the active and 40-man rosters, but they should still have plenty of depth behind their young lefty on Monday. They’re currently carrying four pitchers who can qualify as long relief types. 

“It just depends on how efficient he is,” Melvin said of Whisenhunt. “We’d like him to be able to get maybe a little bit deeper into the game than he (did) last time. We do still have some length arms down there to be able to help out, but it just depends on how efficient he is.”

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Giants top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt set for MLB debut vs. Pirates

Giants top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt set for MLB debut vs. Pirates originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — When Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour and Carson Ragsdale were all in the same Triple-A rotation, they invented a little game. The three often would walk around the ballpark together, and if a fan yelled out “Carson” the first one to turn around would have to go and sign autographs. 

“Usually it’s Whis,” Seymour explained. “They want his signature.”

Whisenhunt, the organization’s top pitching prospect, will now be hearing those fans at Oracle Park. 

Manager Bob Melvin announced Sunday that Whisenhunt will start Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’ll be the MLB debut for the 2022 second-round pick, and it’ll come in place of Landen Roupp, who went on the IL on Friday. 

“We’ve been waiting for this for a little bit now,” Melvin said. “We thought maybe he would be here last year, too. He’s our top pitching prospect, I believe. With what’s gone on here with the injury and (Hayden Birdsong) going down (to Triple-A), there’s a need for it. It’ll be exciting to see him pitch.”

Whisenhunt, 23, has a 4.42 ERA in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His strikeout rate is down, but he has done a better job of staying in the strike zone and has limited homers. He’ll attack the Pirates on Monday with a changeup that is one of the best in the minor leagues and has long been ready for big league hitters. 

“It’s a legit changeup, for sure,” Seymour said. “The fastball is good. The sequencing is great.”

Seymour was the first of the three Carsons to reach the big leagues, and he hoped to face the New York Mets this weekend since they traded him away a few years ago. Instead, he is likely to back up Whisenhunt on Monday, and he said he’s eager to get that shot. 

Whisenhunt threw seven innings in four consecutive starts earlier this season, but he has not completed six innings in about six weeks. He threw 3 2/3 innings last Sunday, allowing only one run and striking out four. 

The Giants used seven relievers on Sunday, but they currently are carrying 10. To add Whisenhunt, who will wear No. 88, they’ll need to make moves to the active and 40-man rosters, but they should still have plenty of depth behind their young lefty on Monday. They’re currently carrying four pitchers who can qualify as long relief types. 

“It just depends on how efficient he is,” Melvin said of Whisenhunt. “We’d like him to be able to get maybe a little bit deeper into the game than he (did) last time. We do still have some length arms down there to be able to help out, but it just depends on how efficient he is.”

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Carlos Rodon allows three home runs, but Yankees get to Zack Wheeler in 4-3 win over Phillies

The Yankees were able to salvage the final game of their three-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies, winning 4-3 on Sunday afternoon and snapping a three-game losing streak.

Here are the key takeaways...

-It was a bit of a strange afternoon for Carlos Rodon. On one hand, he limited the Phillies to four hits and racked up eight strikeouts over his 5.1 innings, but on the other hand, three of those hits were solo home runs.

Rodon allowed a pair of homers to Nick Castellanos and Otto Kemp in the second inning, and Kemp would later get him again in the fifth, but it was an overall successful day on the bump for the left, whose season ERA now sits at 3.18.

-After Rodon gave up two runs in the top of the second, the momentum swung right back to the Yankees’ side as they tagged Zack Wheeler for four earned runs in the bottom half of the inning. After Wheeler uncharacteristically hit a pair of batters to load the bases with nobody out, Ryan McMahon drove in a pair with a double down the line, and the Bombes scratched across two more runs on an Austin Wells sac fly and a Trent Grisham single.

Wheeler, a Cy Young candidate once again, battled back and ended up going 5.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits. He struck out eight and walked two, while also hitting three batters.

-It was a nice afternoon for McMahon. Not only did he have a pair of hits, but also flashed the leather at third, including a sliding stop and strong throw to get Trea Turner in the fifth. With McMahon under contract through the 2027 season, the Yankees' third base position seems to finally be in good hands.

-Give the Yanks' bullpen a lot of credit. Following up Rodon's solid start, Jonathan Loaisiga (0.2 IP), Luke Weaver (1 IP), Tim Hill (1 IP), and Devin Williams (1 IP, SV) held the Phillies scoreless over the final 3.2 innings.

-The Yankees found enough offense despite not having Aaron Judge, as the club officially placed the slugger on the 10-day IL with a right flexor strain. According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Yankees expect Judge will only miss the minimum of 10 days, though he likely will DH when he first returns.

Who was the game MVP?

McMahon, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees stay in the Bronx for a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, beginning on Monday night at 7:05 p.m.

Cam Schlittler is scheduled to face Drew Rasmussen.

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What we learned as Matt Chapman's two-homer game wasted in Mets' sweep of Giants

What we learned as Matt Chapman's two-homer game wasted in Mets' sweep of Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants did something this weekend that they haven’t done in nearly 100 years. 

While losing 5-3 to the New York Mets on Sunday, the lineup went hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position. That followed a pair of 0-for-8 games, meaning they went 0-for-23 with runners in scoring position over three games. All three were losses for a team that now is just two games above .500 and became the first Giants group to go at least 0-for-20 with runners in scoring position in a series since 1931, when the New York Giants also went 0-for-23 against the Brooklyn Robins. 

In their first pre-planned bullpen game of the year, the Giants actually found themselves in a pretty good spot through five. A couple of Matt Chapman homers gave them a 3-2 lead, and up to that point, they had only used long reliever Spencer Bivens and lefties Matt Gage and Joey Lucchesi. 

The Mets stunned Randy Rodriguez in the seventh, though, getting a game-tying homer from Ronny Mauricio and then a go-ahead blast from Juan Soto. 

The Mets tacked on a run in the ninth but wasted an opportunity to add more. In the bottom of the inning, that immediately became a factor. 

All-Star closer Edwin Diaz walked Jung Hoo Lee with one out, grazed Heliot Ramos, and then walked Rafael Devers to load the bases. But Diaz bounced back quickly, blowing away Willy Adames and Chapman to end the game. 

Double Trouble

There was a lot of talk at the end of the first half about how Devers (groin and back tightness) needed the four days off. Chapman was right there with him after rushing back from a hand sprain.

Chapman had just one extra-base hit in eight games after he came back, but since the All-Star break, he has returned to his old ways. He homered twice on Sunday, giving him four in nine games since the four days off. Chapman also has a homer and triple during that span. 

Chapman’s first homer on Sunday was a 110 mph blast to left, and his second one went to dead center and gave the Giants a 3-2 lead. The multi-homer game was his 13th in the big leagues and first since last Sept. 21, and it put him at 16 for the season. That’s one ahead of Adames among Giants who have been here all year (Devers has 19).

The Bullpen Game

The Giants have used just two bullpen games this year, and both have come on Sunday Night Baseball. They also did it last month after trading Kyle Harrison just before the first pitch at Dodger Stadium.

This one started well, with Gage throwing a dominant first inning as The Opener. Bivens allowed two runs in three innings, and after that, Bob Melvin started searching for innings. That seemed to catch up with him in the seventh. 

Melvin tried to get multiple innings out of Lucchesi, but he was replaced by Rodriguez after giving up a double in the sixth. Rodriguez was brought back for the seventh and gave up two homers for the first time all year. 

Mauricio’s splashdown was the first homer off Rodriguez since April 29. Soto followed that by taking a fastball into the seats in left. 

Best Ballpark in Baseball

If you were on social media late Saturday night, you probably saw some discussion about changing the ballpark’s dimensions after Lee’s potential game-tying homer in the ninth hit the bricks and went for a double. It would have been a homer in 29 other ballparks, and that led to some foolishly calling for the fences to be brought in. 

A day later, the Giants benefited from basically the exact same play. With the Mets trailing by a run in the sixth, Jeff McNeil hit a 408-foot rocket to right-center. Like Lee, he was stuck with a double. And, you guessed it, the ball would have been a game-tying homer in 29 other ballparks. 

Never change, Oracle. 

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