Category: Baseball

The Mets take on the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday at 2:10 p.m. on PIX11. 

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

---

Mets Notes

• Pete Alonso crushed the 252nd homer of his career on Saturday, officially tying Darryl Strawberry's all-time franchise record
• Alonso is hitting .286 with three home runs and nine RBI over his last seven games
• Juan Soto has left the yard in three consecutive games, bringing his total to 28 on the season
• Sean Manaea is looking to bounceback after allowing five runs earlier this week against the Guardians
• The southpaw has a 3.52 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over his first five outings of the season

---

---

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

---

• The Mets hit three homers, but were hurt by defensive miscues and a leaky bullpen late in a 7-4 loss to the red-hot Brewers
• One of those home runs came off the bat of Pete Alonso, it was the 252nd of his career, officially tying Darryl Strawberry's franchise record
• The miscues ultimately proved to be too much in the end, though, in New York's sixth straight loss
• One of those came from Francisco Lindor, who botched a routine grounder with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the second
• That was costly for Frankie Montas, as he struggled to provided bulk relief working behind an opener
• At Old Timers' Day in the Bronx, Doc Gooden gave his thoughts on the struggling club
• WATCH: Lindor owns his costly error in the second inning
• WATCH: Alonso's record tying solo blast

Francisco Lindor is going through it right now. 

The Mets’ All-Star has been struck in a brutal slump at the plate for about two months now, and on Saturday night those struggles spilled over to the field. 

With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the second, Frankie Montas was able to get Brewers infielder Joey Ortiz to ground into what appeared to be an inning ender. 

However, Lindor was unable to come up with the high-hopping chopper up the middle and it bounced past him into center for a two-run knock.

Montas luckily escaped without further damage on his ledger, but it was a bad break for a starter who has been struggling mightily since making his season debut. 

“I wasn’t able to help Montas that inning,” Lindor said. “He executed, got us the pitch we needed to get out of that inning without damage against -- it’s a routine groundball and should have been made. Montas is a guy going through it and I wanted to be there for him in that moment.”

Frustration finally boiled over for the usually calm and collected Lindor, as cameras caught him slamming his glove after making his way back to the dugout in between innings. 

“I take a lot of pride in my defense,” the usually sure-handed shortstop said. “The pitchers work as hard as they can, they execute the pitch and if there’s a groundball to me it’s up to me to be able to finish the play for them.

“I think that’s the frustrating part of this -- every year there’s a moment where I vent out like that, just this time it was right there in the dugout. I have to be better. I have to pick up my teammates and be there for them, I just have to be better.”

The Mets certainly do need Lindor to be better as they look to claw out of this brutally tough stretch. 

Even after dropping the first two games in Milwaukee, New York still holds the third NL Wild Card spot, but they have one of the worst records in all of baseball since the beginning of June. 

With three straight hitless showings, Lindor is hitting just .208 with a .641 OPS over that span. 

If they want to turn things around down the stretch, they'll need their star shortstop to  get himself going again.

Who knows how many playoff teams in baseball history endured multiple six-game losing streaks in a season, but the Mets are now hellbent on joining that particular club.

Any feelings of a turnaround after Pete Alonso's franchise record-tying home run on Saturday night were completely wiped out by the seventh inning, as self-inflicted wounds doomed the Mets in a frustrating 7-4 loss to the red-hot Brewers at American Family Field.

The latest letdown can be attributed to poor defense and bullpen hiccups, and a handful of players were deserving of blame for the untimely miscues.

"We continue to make mistakes. We’re not playing good baseball, especially when you are playing against teams like this," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said afterward. "You give them extra outs, extra bases, they are going to make you pay and that happened today. Not good enough."

Francisco Lindor was responsible for the first blunder in the second inning, as he misplayed a high chopper up the middle with two outs and the bases loaded that allowed a pair of runs to score. He ultimately finished 0-for-5 in the leadoff spot with three strikeouts.

While the Mets held a one-run lead entering the bottom of the seventh, it didn't take long for the Brewers to take full advantage of some back-breaking gaffes. 

With two outs and a runner on third in a 4-4 tie, Ronny Mauricio botched a two-out grounder at third that allowed the Brewers' go-ahead run to cross home. Then, after reliever Ryan Helsley believed he induced an inning-ending flyout of William Contreras, the umpire ruled a pitch clock violation that kept the at-bat alive. 

On the very next pitch, Contreras crushed a fastball into the left field bullpen for a two-run homer. The bizarre sequence ultimately placed the Brewers ahead by three, and the Mets just weren't equipped to orchestrate a late-inning rally.

"It is what it is when it comes to the field. I should've made my play," Lindor said. "I take all the pride in defense... I have to do better. I have to pick up my teammates and be there for my teammates, and finish the plays. Bottom-line, I have to be better. They're a really good team. They do things right."

Of course, the Mets remain in control of their postseason destiny. In spite of the vexing losing skid, they still hold a 2.5-game lead for the third NL wild-card spot. They're aiming much higher, though, and the rival Phillies now own a 4.5-game lead for first place in the NL East.

The Mets have lost seven straight games before -- that downward spiral came in mid-June, when the sense of urgency to turn things around wasn't nearly as dire. But a sweep at the hands of the Brewers would place them back at that unlucky seven mark and further raise panic meters.

"They know we're better... right now, we're not getting the job done," Mendoza said. "We’re not playing well... We have a lot of talent and we will turn it around. I know I sound like a broken record, but there’s too much talent there. Going to continue to push those guys and support them. Keep pushing them."

It took until August, but the sparkling starting rotation the Dodgers envisioned in spring training is coming into focus an outing at a time, by five — even six — different pitchers.

Vowing not to revisit the predicament they endured last postseason, when only two true starters and a stacked bullpen somehow patched together enough innings to win a World Series, the Dodgers added two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell to a rotation that already boasted four potential aces and several other candidates coming off injuries or ascending from the minor leagues.

Snell complained of shoulder inflammation April 2 after his second start and took his sweet time recovering — four months, to be precise. But if his performance against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium is a fair indication, the wait was worthwhile.

Read more:‘Straight grinder.’ How new Dodger Alex Call became one of MLB’s toughest at-bats

Snell struck out 10 in five scoreless innings of a 9-1 Dodgers victory, living up to the "Snellzilla" nickname he stole from his older brother as a brash 11-year-old and still uses as his Instagram handle.

In two starts since coming off the injured list, the left-hander in the first year of a five-year, $182 million contract has 18 strikeouts in 10 innings. And he believes the best is yet to come.

"There are some things I want to do in my next start that I’m excited about," Snell said. "I still [have] a lot of work to do. I can be better. I'm trying to find a rhythm, trying to figure it out. It was only my second start."

He got support from the Dodgers' offense, which was fueled by the long ball early. Max Muncy belted a two-run, opposite-field home run in the fourth inning and Shohei Ohtani absolutely crushed his 40th long ball of the season 417 feet to dead center in the fifth. It marked the fourth time in the last five seasons that Ohtani has hit at least 40 homers.

A six-run rally an inning later put the game away. Two hit batters and two walks set the table, and Dalton Rushing and Mookie Betts each delivered two-run singles with none out. Andy Pages drove in the last two with a two-out double, his second hit of the inning.

The win was the second in a row against Toronto (68-50), which remains in first place in the American League East. The series concludes Sunday with another formidable starter — Tyler Glasnow — taking the mound for the Dodgers (68-49).

Glasnow took a similar if less pronounced path than Snell this season, going on the injured list before the end of April and not returning until July 9. He has given up only one run in four of his five starts since returning and most recently went seven strong innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It's clear that Snell and Glasnow are healthy, their arms as fresh and live as would be expected coming out of spring training. The same is true of Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw, two future Hall of Famers whose recoveries from injuries also were methodical and unhurried. Both are pitching well.

And so is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the only starter whose health hasn't cost him time off. He's made 22 starts, going 10-7 with a 2.51 earned-run average and leads National League starters with eight scoreless outings.

"This is how we hoped it would play out as far as every night, you see the probable [starting pitchers] and have a chance to prevent runs," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts aid. "And you look at the lineup and see you have an opportunity to score runs. Then you go play the game."

The Dodgers employ a sixth starter to give Ohtani and Yamamoto five to seven days off between starts. The job belonged to Dustin May until he was traded to the Red Sox at the deadline, creating an opportunity for Emmet Sheehan, who was impressive over 60 innings as a rookie in 2023, but had Tommy John surgery in May 2024.

Sheehan has pitched well, posting a 3.00 ERA over 30 innings, giving the Dodgers a luxury they haven't enjoyed in recent memory: trotting out a starting pitcher every night that can prevent runs through the middle innings.

"I’m pretty pleased," Roberts said. "You look at the starters and the next guy is going to try to outdo the next guy and that’s how you build momentum."

That leaves the bullpen to finish the job, and injuries and inconsistency continue to riddle the relief corps. Roberts said help is on the way, with several key relievers on the mend. If they return as effective as the starters, pitching could be a Dodgers strength entering the postseason.

“Honestly, right now, watching everybody, it’s a lot better than I thought we were going to be,” Snell said. “This staff’s stacked.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Mets weren't comfortable trusting Frankie Montas to solve his season-long first-inning struggles against a formidable Brewers lineup on Saturday night. So, they delayed the veteran right-hander's entrance by one inning, and appointed Reed Garrett as their opener.

But the expectation was for Montas to still provide sufficient length during the middle frames, and much to the Mets' chagrin, the plan backfired. While he wasn't solely responsible for the Mets' frustrating 7-4 loss at American Family Field, he allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in just three innings of work. The effort required 72 pitches, too.

"I thought I threw the ball pretty good today," Montas said after the Mets' sixth straight loss. "I was making more pitches today, attacking the zone, to be honest. Besides that homer, I thought I threw the ball pretty well today... [The plan] was pretty much as it goes, was going to go after Reed and go as long as they needed me to."

Montas didn't have to face the Brewers' first three hitters, but the heart of their order made him sweat almost immediately in the second inning. After a one-out strikeout, Montas gave up back-to-back singles and then a two-out walk, and a fielding error from Francisco Lindor on a grounder with the bases loaded allowed two runs to score.

The third inning was much quieter for Montas, but he still walked one and threw a wild pitch. Then, in the fourth, he served up a game-tying solo homer to Brice Turang before completing the frame. It was by no means a meltdown performance, but Montas made the Mets burn through their high-leverage relievers early.

"We were just watching it, but three innings, 70 something pitches? It was a grind for him," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "I figured where we were in the game, up one with the lefties second time through, decided to go to the bullpen there."
It's unclear how long Montas' leash is as a rotation-type fixture, but the Mets' patience with him must be waning. The 32-year-old now owns a 6.38 ERA across eight appearances (seven starts) this season, and while his first-inning demons weren't a concern in this game -- he wasn't even allowed to face them -- the change to his routine didn't make things smoother.

Soon enough, the Mets will need to rely on someone else to complete the task at hand, and the incessant chatter about top prospects Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat as replacement options isn't going away. David Stearns said on Friday that both youngsters are progressing toward a big-league promotion, but the timeline remains vague.

"At the end of the day, I have to go out there and keep competing, keep trying to get people out," Montas said. "Don’t matter if it’s front, starting again or pitching out of the pen. Whatever I can do to help, I’m willing to do."

Montas wasn't bothered by Saturday's arrangement -- he's taking the team-first approach and wants to contribute in any way possible. But in this case, availability shouldn't outweigh reliability with the Mets in the midst of another disconcerting, dog-days losing skid.

The Mets launched three home runs, but their bullpen and defense betrayed them late in their 7-4 loss to the Brewers on Saturday evening in Milwaukee.

New York has now lost six in a row and 10 of their last 11 games. The Brewers have won eight straight games.

The Reds won earlier in the day, and are now 2.5 games behind the Mets for the final wild card spot.

Here are the takeaways....

-The Mets decided to go with an opener on Saturday and Reed Garrett got the start. The right-hander struck out two in a 1-2-3 first inning and then gave way to Frankie Montas, who struggled in his first inning of work. 

Two singles and a walk allowed the Brewers to load the bases with two outs. Montas got what he wanted, though, as Joey Ortiz hit a chopper toward Francisco Lindor, but he whiffed, allowing two runs to score on the error. Montas would be unable to give the Mets length, as he only went three innings.

The veteran right-hander tossed 72 pitches (44 strikes), allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits (one home run) and two walks while striking out three. 

-Alonso, meet the Straw. After going hitless in the series opener, Alonso greeted the booing Milwaukee crowd with a towering 413-foot blast on a 94 mph fastball up in the zone off of Tobias Myers in the second inning. It was Alonso's 26th homer of the season and the 252nd of his career. The blast tied Darryl Strawberry's all-time record. Alonso finished 1-for-4.

The Mets threatened some more in that frame, loading the bases with two outs thanks to hits by Mark Vientos, Francisco Alvarez and a walk by Cedric Mullins. However, Lindor struck out looking as Myers and the Brewers escaped further damage.

Lindor would swing into some more bad luck in the fourth. With runners on the corners and one out, he smashed a grounder to third baseman Anthony Seigler, who knocked the ball down with his body, threw to Brice Turang at second and he made a nice turn to barely get Lindor at first to complete the inning-ending double play. Lindor finished 0-for-5 with three strikeouts.

-Starling Marte, who has been swinging a hot bat for weeks now, got the Mets back even at 2-2 with an opposite-field solo shot in the third inning. It was the second consecutive game he went yard. Prior to this series, Marte hadn't hit a home run since the first week of June. Over his last 30 games, Marte is slashing .320/.358/.490. He finished 1-for-4. 

Juan Soto joined in on the fun with a solo shot in the fifth. It was the third straight game the slugger has hit a homer and he now has 28 on the season. He went 1-for-4 with a walk.

Mullins has been struggling since arriving to the Mets at the trade deadline, but he blooped an RBI single in the fourth to give the Mets the lead. The veteran outfielder went 2-for-3 with a walk. 

-With the lead, Carlos Mendoza went to recently-acquired relievers to try and get the final 15 outs. Gregory Soto got the Brewers in order in the fifth and Tyler Rogers did the same in the sixth before Ryne Stanek took the mound in the seventh. Stanek pitched into trouble after a leadoff single and a ground-rule double put runners on second and third with one out. 

Sal Frelick hit a slow chopper to the right of Stanek and Lindor's only play was to first to get the second out, but the tying run scored. Ryan Helsley came in to try and get out of the inning, but Isaac Collins hit a scorcher the opposite way to Ronny Mauricio at third base and the young infielder muffed it, allowing the Brewers to score the go-ahead run. 

Even weirder, Helsley looked to get William Contreras to fly out on the first pitch he saw but was called for a pitch-clock violation. Helsley climbed the mound again after heading toward the dugout when he thought the inning was over. The next pitch Helsley threw, Contreras deposited the 100 mph fastball over the left-center field wall to put Milwaukee ahead, 7-4.

-That was all the Brewers needed, as they shut out the Mets in the final two innings, striking out five times in that span. The team struck out 12 times as a whole.

Game MVP: William Contreras

The young catcher's homer was a back-breaker, and with how cold the Mets' offense has been, those three runs were more than enough.

Highlights

Back-to-back strikeouts for Reed Garrett to end the first! pic.twitter.com/oWv1bmejEQ

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 9, 2025

"Darryl Strawberry, you've got some company!"

Pete Alonso officially ties the Mets' all-time home run record and puts the Mets on the board first!🔥 pic.twitter.com/DnZMzUY6sn

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 9, 2025

Starling Marte ties it!

Back-to-back nights with a home run 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TNsZDOhFTh

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 10, 2025

Cedric Mullins' RBI single gives the Mets the lead back!

His first RBI as a Met 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZSBYhQLSzk

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 10, 2025

SOTO! 💣

Three straight games with a home run for Juan Soto 😤 pic.twitter.com/9E9oWBlnj2

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 10, 2025

What's next

The Mets and Brewers complete their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 2:10 p.m.

Sean Manaea (1-1, 3.52 ERA) will take the mound against Quinn Priester (11-2, 3.15 ERA).

Outfielders take center stage as Phillies top Rangers, win series originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ARLINGTON, TX – While none of them would ever admit they’re in competition against each other, that is just what the Phillies outfielders are right now.

Rob Thomson has recently said he’s basing his decision for consistent starters in the outfield on who has the hotter hand. But that’s just a side story to the lead one, and that is to win baseball games as the Phillies try to hold on to their lead in the National League East over the New York Mets.

Saturday’s outfield consisted of Brandon Marsh, Harrison Bader and Max Kepler, as Nick Castellanos was given a rare day off. Two of the starter’s against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field will join Castellanos as regulars in the outfield at some point it seems, so Saturday it was fitting that the three teamed up to spark the Phillies to a 3-2 win.

Rangers starter and future Hall of Famer Jacob deGrom was cruising through six innings in a fun pitching duel with Jesús Luzardo. With deGrom clinging to a 1-0 lead since the first inning, he got J.T. Realmuto to hit a weak fly to left to start the seventh. Then left fielder Marsh singled, center fielder Bader walked and right fielder Kepler drove them both in with a double down the right field line. Kepler scored on a single by Bryson Stott for a 3-1 lead.

“It felt good, somewhat relieving, too,” said Kepler. “I’m just happy we got the W. (Hitting the ball hard but not getting hits) are always salty, they sting. The best you can do is put them behind you, but if they come in bunches then eventually I feel like they’ll get to me. They always hurt if you hit a ball over 100 and it’s right at a guy, it’s upsetting but the best you can do is get over it ASAP.”

It was a typical outing for the right-hander deGrom, now in his 12th season. Through six he gave up no runs and just four hits and struck out eight. It didn’t seem like a good day for the Phillies, as in his 21 career starts against them, deGrom was 9-1 with a 2.47 ERA. Furthermore, he was 7-0 in 10 starts following a Rangers loss, which this was.

”I don’t know that it’s much different, it’s all been really electric stuff,” said Thomson of seeing deGrom through the years. “It’s like (Zack) Wheeler, the combination of command and control. He’s really good and he has been for a long time and still is.”

And he was Saturday, until the dueling outfielders came to bat in that seventh. Marsh, who had previously struck out twice against deGrom, hit a 1-2 curveball on the ground between first and second to get on. Then Bader worked a five pitch walk, followed by Kepler who hit a shot to deep center in the third and singled in the fifth. He also got the go-ahead 2-RBI double with a liner to right.

“Marsh base hit,” said Thomson. “Bader, who has good at-bats against deGrom in the past, draws a walk and then Kepler, whose hit him in the past, bit double that was huge. And then Stott with a huge base hit. It was a really good game. We played some really good defense. I’m happy for (Kepler). There’s been a lot of talk, a lot of noise, he’s had good at bats for a bit and he showed it tonight, he came through. He hit three balls hard off deGrom. He can hit velocity.”

After giving up a run in the first on three singles, Luzardo settled in nicely for the rest of the game and got some real help from his defense, which has been the norm for Phillies pitchers of late. Catcher J.T. Realmuto gunned down to attempted base stealers, one at third, another at second, to prevent Ranger rallies.

Edmundo Sosa had an outstanding play in the third to save a run. With two outs and Sam Haggerty on second, Sosa slid on his knees towards short and snared and one-hopper off the bat of Wyatt Langford. He made the throw to first to end the inning.

Luzardo mixed in working out of jams and keeping innings clean as he finished the game with six innings under his belt. He gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out four while giving up just that one earned run.

“There was a lot of traffic on the bases and obviously we handled it pretty well,” said Luzardo, who improved to 11-5. “Obviously with J.T. and the defense, which was great. Just kind of understanding their game plan a little bit and just kind of making the adjustments that we needed to keep them off balance a little bit better.

“The plan is always to try and go scoreless but understanding who you’re up against and understanding that he’s a great pitcher, you know you’re not going to score many runs. It adds a little bit to it and you just want to show you can go toe-to-toe with anyone.”

Before the game, Thomson spoke of something he had to do during the game, and that was to get newly acquired sensation Jhoan Duran some work, as he hadn’t pitched since Sunday. After Matt Strahm gave up a solo home run in the eighth to Corey Seager, it couldn’t have played out at a better time for Duran to get work in.

“Bullpen was good,” Thomson said. “(Duran) was up in the eighth. We would have gone for a four-out save if we had to, but Strahmy did a nice job getting out of that inning.”

Pitching, defense and timely hitting are certainly a pretty good recipe for winning baseball … no matter who may be manning the outfield spots.

Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker fuel one another as Athletics clobber Orioles originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Athletics’ starting pitching has been a primary storyline for their recent success.

Much like J.T. Ginn in Friday’s loss, starter Jack Perkins rebounded from a three-run first inning to deliver a solid start the following night.

But Saturday night’s 11-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards was all about the A’s offense, which found hard contact early and often to give Perkins his first MLB win.

Shea Langeliers homered yet again — his AL-leading 11th since the MLB All-Star break — before Brent Rooker smashed his 24th round-tripper of the season. The two sluggers combined to drive in seven of the 11 runs scored by the Green and Gold.

Shea gives the A's an early lead 💪 pic.twitter.com/usPPkibRU9

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) August 9, 2025

LET ROOK COOK 🧑‍🍳 pic.twitter.com/TdF4nt6uBE

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) August 9, 2025

All nine A’s starters scored a run and eight recorded a hit, which pleased manager Mark Kotsay.

“I think offensively, when we get going, there’s some momentum behind it and they feed off one another, which you saw tonight,” Kotsay told reporters postgame. “The at-bats just continue to be put together in a way that was really productive.”

Langeliers started that momentum quickly on Saturday with his first-inning shot, and he capped it off with a fifth-inning ground-rule double. He parroted Kotsay’s words about the Athletics’ ability to feed off each other’s success at the plate.

“We’re just building confidence, and the momentum is going from one guy to the next,” Langeliers said. “It’s a lot of fun when you stack a night like this — one through nine through the lineup and everybody’s producing and building momentum going into tomorrow.”

Bangeliers is a triple away from the cycle and the Athletics are pouring it on 💪 pic.twitter.com/TvkQK3985Z

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) August 10, 2025

Amazingly, the A’s catcher now has six games this season — and three this month — in which he has finished just a triple shy of the cycle. That’s two more instances than any other MLB player in 2025, per Stathead.

But Langeliers hasn’t thought about those near misses too much. After all, it’s hard to complain about a three-hit night with a home run.

“When you say it, it’s kind of funny,” Langeliers explained with a smile. “I mean, I’ll take a night like this any time.”

Perhaps Langeliers finally can complete all four legs of the cycle in Sunday’s series finale against the Orioles, as the A’s chase a series win.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke on a variety of topics before Saturday night's meeting with the Brewers. Here's what he said...

---

Frank change for Montas

While the Mets are entrusting Frankie Montas to deliver a starter's workload on Saturday night, the veteran right-hander won't face the Brewers' top hitters immediately. Reed Garrett has been assigned as the opener, with Montas slated to follow in bulk relief duty.

The adjustment to Montas' routine was predictable, as he's struggled mightily during the first inning this season. In seven starts since coming off the injured list, he owns a bloated 6.43 ERA with three doubles and two home runs allowed in that first frame. Leadoff hitters are also hitting a collective .333 against him.

"It's not a secret, it's been a struggle for Frankie the past couple of outings," Mendoza said. "We're just trying to go with one of our bullpen arms to face the top of the lineup, and the goal is for Frankie to go through the middle innings and win us a ballgame. The stuff has been there. Now it comes down to executing, pitch selection. That's what we all need."

Montas' delayed entrance in this bulk-relief setup could be beneficial, but the Mets' patience with him must be wearing thin. The 32-year-old has been largely ineffective on the mound, as he's given up 12 earned runs across his last two outings (8.1 innings). Montas also hasn't logged a quality start.

It's unclear how long Montas' leash truly is, but the Mets have two budding prospects -- Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat -- who could assume rotation roles if called upon. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was asked about the future of both youngsters on Friday, and said they're "putting themselves in the position" for a big-league promotion.

Can Cedric entertain?

The Mets are still waiting to see the All-Star version of Cedric Mullins, who's hit a measly 1-for-17 (.059) since being acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Orioles less than two weeks ago.

But the veteran outfielder's early woes in his new uniform aren't discouraging to Mendoza. He believes Mullins' timing at the plate is a little off and the six-game slump can be erased soon with consistent at-bats and some adjustments.

"I feel like he's missing some good fastballs to hit. We know he's a good hitter," Mendoza said. "We've just got to get him back on track, especially against fastballs... This is a guy who's been in the league for a long time. As we continue to get to know him, we'll find out more. But in the meantime, we're counting on him... There's a lot he brings to the table."

It's been a strange 2025 campaign for Mullins, who's been the epitome of streaky. In spite of his meager .221 season average, he wrapped up July hitting a sharp .290 with 10 extra-base hits across a 23-game span. The warm weather doesn't guarantee results, though -- he hit just .156 in June.

Blackburn nearing closer

The plan for Paul Blackburn's potential return to the majors remains unclear, according to Mendoza, but the veteran right-hander took another step forward in his rehab assignment on Friday night.

In his fourth start with Triple-A Syracuse, the 31-year-old allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out three across 5.2 innings. Blackburn also improved to 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in eight Triple-A outings this season -- four have come in his rehab stint that began in mid-July.

"I know he pitched yesterday. I haven't heard anything from him today," Mendoza said. "We've just got to wait for the next couple of days to see what we've got... We're getting close to make that decision, and we'll make that decision when we have to. But he continues to feel good. Let's wait for the next couple of days to see what's the next step."

Mendoza also couldn't offer a clear update on Tylor Megill, who threw live batting practice on Thursday and remains on track ot begin a rehab assignment soon.

Yankees legends played in the once-annual Old Timers' Day game for the first time since 2019, but one of the franchise's most beloved players was injured on Saturday.

Mariano Rivera, 55, left the game with an Achilles injury, a Yankees spokesperson confirmed to the Daily News' Gary Phillips. The severity of the injury is not known, but he did meet with trainers. One of Rivera's teammates, Roger Clemens, broke the news to Suzyn Waldman during the team's radio broadcast on WFAN of Saturday's 5-4 win over the Houston Astros.

“It was a fun day until we heard about Mariano. Mariano hurt his Achilles," Clemens said. "I don’t know what was going on. We all thought it was a hamstring, but I think it’s a little worse than that. I think he’s at the hospital now. Unbelievable."

Later, Rivera's agent told The Athletic that Rivera tore his Achilles

It's unclear when Rivera was injured. He did lace a single against Andy Pettitte in his only at-bat. Waldman speculated Rivera may have injured his Achilles running to first base. 

However, The Athletic uncovered that in the bottom half of the inning after the single, Rivera was in center field when the Hall of Fame closer fell to the ground when he took a step during a Willie Randolph at-bat.

Of course, this harkens back to 2012 when Rivera tore his ACL shagging fly balls during batting practice in Kansas City. 

The 2025 Old Timers' Day game not only brought back the fan-favorite exhibition between legends, but was also the 25th anniversary celebration of the 2000 World Series, in which Rivera recorded the final out.

Need the exit velo from this @MarianoRivera single 🔥#OldTimersDaypic.twitter.com/4d00ShrShD

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 9, 2025

The Yankees bullpen blew another lead but Trent Grisham's go-ahead homer in the eighth inning propelled New York to a 5-4 win over the Astros on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

After the bullpen allowed two runs on two walks, one hit and one big error in the eighth, Grisham smoked a fastball from left-hander Bryan King over the right field wall 408 feet. It's Grisham's 21st homer of the season, extending his career high. 

Here are the takeaways...

- Luis Gil had a rude start to his second start this season when Jeremy Pena took him deep to begin the game. Gil would settle in nicely, however, as he worked into the sixth inning. Gil had his command, unlike his first start when he allowed four walks against the Marlins down in Miami. That pointpoint command allowed him to clip corners and strike out seven batters, including the side in the third inning.

The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year tossed 91 pitches (60 strikes) across 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, one walk and striking out seven batters.

- The Yankees had another test in Framber Valdez, just a day after taking on Cy Young candidate Hunter Brown. Manager Aaron Boone sent out an unconventional lineup. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Dominguez were on the bench against the lefty, while Jose Caballero got the start at second and Giancarlo Stanton parked himself in right field.

The hitters would get to the southpaw early, loading the bases on two hits and one walk with no outs. A bases-loaded walk to Stanton pushed across the Yankees' first run and a Ben Rice sac fly gave New York the lead. Anthony Volpe could not push across more, as his inning-ending double play put a stop to the second. New York would get traffic on the bases against Valdez after the first but had trouble cashing in. Through three innings, they were 1-for-6 with RISPS and left four runners on base.

- After Houston tied the game, the Yankees would score a pair in the fifth. A walk by Judge followed by back-to-back singles from Cody Bellinger and Stanton gave New York the lead. Rice grounded into a double play but it allowed Bellinger to score from third.

- It was a bit of an adventure for Stanton in right field. He had not problem on balls hit at him, but when he had to drift back toward the wall, you could tell he can't bust it with his history of injuries. In the fourth, Jesus Sanchez lined a double off the wall that Stanton backed off to try and play it off the wall but let it skip past him. The play would cost the Yankees as Carlos Correa hit a single to right field to drive in Sanchez. To Stanton's credit, his throw home on the single was a seed but was a half second too late to get Sanchez.

Stanton finished 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBI.

- With the bullpen short on Friday, leading to another subpar Devin Williams appearance, it was well-rested on Saturday. Mark Leiter Jr. got an inning-ending double play to end the sixth, Luke Weaver got through the seventh in order on 11 pitches while Camilo Doval had the eighth. After allowing a leadoff walk, the new right-hander had an opportunity to end the inning when a chopper was hit right back to him, but his throw took Volpe off second base and everyone was safe. After Doval allowed a run-scoring single and walked the bases loaded, Boone went to David Bednar for the five-out save. Unfortuantely, Bednar walked in the tying run but struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.

Bednar would mow down the Astros in order in the ninth after getting the lead for his second consecutive five-out save with the Yanks.

Game MVP: Trent Grisham

The Yankees looked destined for another heart-breaking loss, but Grisham's three hits including that homer saved the day.

Highlights

G drives in Judge 👊 pic.twitter.com/Vy6MeNjH9n

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 9, 2025

Go-ahead solo home run from Trent Grisham in the 8th! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/K3aAqbY860

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 9, 2025

What's next

The Yankees and Astros finish off their three-game set on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.

The Yankees will send Max Fried (12-4, 2.78 ERA) to the mound while Houston has yet to announce a starter.