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Mets Notes
Juan Soto is hitting .316/.460/.709 with 14 home runs, 32 RBI, 34 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases in 150 plate appearances over his last 32 games dating back to Aug. 6
The Mets are averaging 2.2 runs per game during their current five-game losing streak
David Peterson is coming off an uneven start, where he allowed four runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings against the Reds in Cincinnati on Sept. 5
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With 16 games remaining in the regular season, the Mets are looking to hold off a handful of teams for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of play on Sept. 11..
Mets: 76-70, 2.0 games up on Giants and Reds for third Wild Card
Next up: @ Phillies, Thursday at 7:15 p.m. (David Peterson vs. Jesus Luzardo) Latest result: 11-3 loss to Phillies on Wednesday Remaining schedule: 1 @ PHI, 3 vs. TEX, 3 vs. SD, 3 vs. WSH, 3 @ CHC, 3 @ MIA Odds to make playoffs: 83.7 percent *Mets hold tiebreaker over Giants by virtue of winning the season series, while Reds hold tiebreaker over Mets
Reds: 74-72, 2.0 games back of Mets
Next up: @ Athletics, Friday at 10:05 p.m. (Brady Singer vs. J.T. Ginn) Latest result: 2-1 win over Padres on Wednesday Remaining schedule: 3 @ ATH, 3 @ STL, 4 vs. CHC, 3 vs. PIT, 3 @ MIL Odds to make playoffs: 10.1 percent
Giants: 74-72, 2.0 games back of Mets
Next up: vs. Dodgers, Friday at 10:15 p.m. (Justin Verlander vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto) Latest result: 5-3 loss to D-backs on Wednesday Remaining schedule: 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ ARI, 4 @ LAD, 3 vs. STL, 3 vs. COL Odds to make playoffs: 6.5 percent
Diamondbacks: 73-74, 3.5 games back of Mets
Next up: @ Twins, Friday at 8:10 p.m. (Brandon Pfaadt vs. Pablo Lopez) Latest result: 5-3 win over Giants on Wednesday Remaining schedule: 3 @ MIN, 3 vs. SF, 3 vs. PHI, 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ SD Odds to make playoffs: 1.5 percent
Cardinals: 72-75, 4.5 games back of Mets
Next up: @ Brewers, Friday at 8:10 p.m. (Andre Pallante vs. Quinn Priester) Latest result: 4-2 loss to Mariners on Wednesday Remaining schedule: 3 @ MIL, 3 vs. CIN, 3 vs. MIL, 3 @ SF, 3 @ CHC Odds to make playoffs: 0.6 percent
SAN DIEGO – Last year at this time, Terry Francona didn’t have a care in the world. He was one year into his retirement after 23 years of managing in Major League Baseball and loving it.
“It was wonderful,” the man, who’s nicknamed Tito after his ballplaying father of the same name, said this week during several interviews at Petco Park. “I had no intention of coming back. I was thinking about what I wanted to do, because I was doing nothing. But I was not thinking about managing.”
Then, the Cincinnati Reds came calling, and that all changed.
“They flew out to talk to me in my rocking chair,” Francona, 66, said. “It just seemed right.”
A year ago, the Reds lost 85 games, and incumbent manager David Bell was fired before the season was over. With less than three weeks to go in this regular season, the team’s current 74-72 record is a significant improvement. They’d have to go 3-13 in their final 16 games to match last season’s record. It could happen but probably not.
Same goes for making the playoffs—the team is two games behind the New York Mets, who hold the National League’s last wild-card spot, tied with the San Francisco Giants. It could happen but maybe not.
It wouldn’t surprise San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt, though, if they do it with Tito managing the team.
“Winners win,” Shildt said Wednesday night after the Reds came from behind for a 2-1 victory to take the last two of the three games in the series here.
This season, Francona has done what he does best: take a low-payroll team and exceed expectations. The Reds have a luxury-tax payroll of $140.8 million, 22nd in the league and fourth in their own NL Central. In 11 seasons managing Cleveland, he dwelled in baseball’s bargain basement and still made the postseason six times, a stark departure from the Boston Red Sox, which spared no expense when building the Francona teams that won the World Series in 2004 and 2007. His Indians lost to the Chicago Cubs in a thrilling seven-game 2016 Fall Classic.
Francona said he doesn’t mind dealing with the low payroll as long as he has some autonomy over decisions on the field.
“I’m at an age where doing it in a place I prefer is probably more meaningful than having a high payroll,” he said. “I mean, I’ve been treated great. Nobody ever tells me what lineup to make out or things like that. I don’t mind input, but I’m probably too old for that.”
The Reds are generally a faceless team save for Elly De La Cruz, one of MLB’s best young players, but finishing his third season earning a scant $770,000, just $10,000 above the league minimum. He has 19 home runs and 34 stolen bases, but hasn’t hit a homer since July 31. He had the game-tying eighth inning single Wednesday night.
The Reds don’t have a player on the team with more homers than De La Cruz, which makes what they’re doing more remarkable. But they claim to be having a having a great time playing for Francona.
Earlier in the season, the team celebrated Francona’s 2,000th win as a manager. At 2,024 he’s 12th on the all-time list. There are only 13 managers above 2,000, and Francona is second among active managers behind Bruce Bochy (2,248), who has the Texas Rangers in the playoff hunt.
“It’s been special playing for Tito,” Reds starter Hunter Greene said in an interview. “His reputation speaks for itself. He’s deeply entrenched in the baseball world and its history. To be as young as I am and to have his leadership is pretty special to me.”
Baseball needs the old, crusty managers like Francona, Bochy and Ron Washington. They offer expertise and experience, having made decades of in-game decisions under myriad circumstances. Though they’ve adapted to changes like the three-batter minimum rule for a relief pitcher—“I was told the reason that put that in was because of me,” Francona said—they tend to emphasis basics like defense and proper base-running.
To that point, Francona had first base coach Colin Cowgill going over some drills on the right way to run bases, relayed outfielder Austin Hays.
And then there’s Francona’s self-deprecating sense of humor. Cowgill finished up by presenting a video saying, “Tito wanted me to put this on here showing what not to do.”
The video showed Tito as a player going from first to third stumbling around the bases. “He wound up eating it about 15 feet before getting to the [third base] bag,” Hays said. “We all got a good laugh out of it.” Francona had a promising career as an outfielder derailed because of injuries to both knees, which have since been replaced. In 1984 for the old Montreal Expos, he batted .346 with a 136 OPS+. He later joked that he probably couldn’t have played for the Red Sox team he managed because of his low .300 career on-base percentage, a staple of modern day analytics.
Francona said that’s the key to getting the most out of a young team like the Reds. Keep it light, but make your point.
“It’s my responsibility to take the parameters and see how good we can get,” he said. “That’s why I never bitch about what our payroll is. That’s not my responsibility. It’s my responsibility to see how much I can get from our players. Sometimes we do better than others.”
In this week's Closer Report, the Cubs lost breakout closer Daniel Palencia to the injured list with a shoulder injury. And the Tigers will once again lean on Will Vest in the ninth inning with Kyle Finnegan sidelined. That and more as we run down the last week in saves around the league.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1
Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Chapman struck out four batters in one inning against the Diamondbacks on Sunday for his 29th save of the season. He then surrendered a run on two hits on Wednesday against the Athletics, the first hits he's allowed over 17 appearances since July 23. What the 37-year-old left-hander is doing in his 16th season is incredible, posting a 1.14 ERA, a 0.67 WHIP, and an 81/14 K/BB ratio across 55 1/3 innings.
Muñoz converted back-to-back saves against the Cardinals on Monday and Tuesday with a pair of scoreless innings. The 26-year-old right-hander is up to 34 saves with a 1.63 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a 71/25 K/BB ratio across 55 1/3 innings. Setup man Matt Brash has posted nearly identical numbers behind Muñoz, recording 21 holds with a 1.73 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 52/16 K/BB rate over 41 2/3 frames.
Tier 2
Jhoan Duran - Philadelphia Phillies Edwin Díaz - New York Mets Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres
Duran recorded three more saves for the Phillies this week, giving him a career-high 28 to go with a 1.86 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 70/18 K/BB ratio across 63 innings. Meanwhile, Díaz made one appearance this week, locking down a save against the Reds on Friday as he worked around two walks and a hit with two strikeouts.
Suarez surrendered a run against the Rockies in Colorado on Saturday but was able to hold on for his 36th save. After making a scoreless appearance in a non-save situation on Monday, he gave up a go-ahead, two-run homer against the Reds on Tuesday, pitching for the third time in four days. Behind Suarez, Mason Miller made three scoreless appearances. He's now posted a 1.17 ERA with a 29/6 K/BB ratio across 15 1/3 innings since joining the Padres on August 1.
Tier 3
David Bednar - New York Yankees Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals Ryan Walker - San Francisco Giants Abner Uribe - Milwaukee Brewers Emilio Pagán - Cincinnati Reds Cade Smith - Cleveland Guardians Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers Bryan Abreu - Houston Astros Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays Will Vest - Detroit Tigers Dennis Santana - Pittsburgh Pirates
Bednar surrendered a run in a non-save situation against the Astros last Thursday, then bounced back with back-to-back saves against the Blue Jays, including three strikeouts in a four-out save on Saturday. He's up to 22 saves, five with the Yankees, with a 2.47 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 76/16 K/BB ratio over 54 2/3 innings.
Fairbanks had a rough series at home against the Guardians, giving up two runs on Thursday before giving up a run to take the loss on Saturday. He bounced back in Chicago on Tuesday, tossing a scoreless inning for his 25th save of the season. Meanwhile, Jansen pitched two clean outings to convert two saves. And in Kansas City, Estévez locked down three saves, giving him 39 with a 2.45 ERA across 62 1/3 innings.
Walker had a rough outing on Saturday against the Cardinals, giving up three runs to blow a save chance and take a loss without recording an out. He recovered with a scoreless outing on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks to convert his 15th save. Rookie right-hander Joel Peguero has stepped up in a big way as the Giants have had to overcome some injuries in the bullpen. Peguero has tossed 12 1/3 scoreless innings with an 11/1 K/BB ratio while working his way into high-leverage situations.
With Trevor Megill still on the 15-day injured list, Uribe continues to operate as the Brewers' closer. He picked up a save with a clean inning against the Pirates on Friday. Megill threw a live batting practice session on Tuesday and is aiming to return next week.
Pagán has a busy week on the mound, making four appearances in five days. Only one was in a save situation. He converted his 27th save of the season with a clean inning against the Padres on Tuesday. In Cleveland, Smith also pitched four of five days, picking up three saves to give him 12 on the season with a 3.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 90/19 K/BB ratio across 64 2/3 innings.
Scott took the loss against the Orioles on Friday, giving up a walk-off homer in the ninth inning. He was then charged with a blown save on Saturday before bouncing back with a save against the Rockies on Monday. Abreu also hasn't been at his best, giving up eight runs over his last five outings. He surrendered two against the Blue Jays on Tuesday to blow the save before recovering with a save on Wednesday.
Iglesias continued his strong second half with two scoreless outings, picking up a pair of saves to give him 25 with a 3.62 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 64/12 K/BB ratio across 59 2/3 innings. And Hoffman made two scoreless appearances this week, picking up a win against the Astros in the tenth inning on Tuesday.
Vest should take the primary share of all the save chances in Detroit after Kyle Finnegan landed on the 15-day injured list with a right adductor strain. Vest saw no save chances this week. He tossed a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the White Sox on Sunday. Santana also didn't see a save chance, instead pitching two scoreless innings in a pair of non-save situations.
Tier 4
Andrew Kittredge/Brad Keller - Chicago Cubs Shawn Armstrong - Texas Rangers Jose Ferrer - Washington Nationals JoJo Romero/Riley O'Brien - St. Louis Cardinals Calvin Faucher/Ronny Henriquez/Tyler Phillips - Miami Marlins
In a tough blow to the Cubs' bullpen, Daniel Palencia's breakout season may have been cut short as he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. The 25-year-old right-hander had converted 22 saves with a 3.00 ERA over 51 innings. Brad Keller and Andrew Kittredge should be in the mix for saves to fill in for Palencia. Kittredge got the save chance on Wednesday against the Braves, tossing a clean inning with one strikeout, while Keller picked up a hold with a scoreless eighth inning.
In Texas, Armstrong is up to eight saves after converting two this week. Meanwhile, Ferrer made three scoreless appearances this week, picking up two saves to bring him to eight on the year with a 3.89 ERA over 69 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals continue the matchups game in the late innings, with O'Brien picking up a save this week. Romero still leads the team with seven. It's even messier in Miami, where Lake Bachar converted the team's only save this week.
Tier 5
Keegan Akin - Baltimore Orioles Justin Topa/Cole Sands - Minnesota Twins Sean Newcomb - Athletics Andrew Saalfrank/Jake Woodford - Arizona Diamondbacks Jordan Leasure/Mike Vasil - Chicago White Sox Victor Vodnik - Colorado Rockies
Mookie Betts celebrates after hitting a grand slam in the eighth inning Wednesday. (Eric Thayer / For The Times)
At some point, the Dodgers hope, they will be able to field a fully healthy lineup.
A late scratch on Wednesday to catcher Will Smith, however, meant it would have to wait at least a couple more days.
Despite activating Tommy Edman from the injured list pregame, and proceeding to sweep the Colorado Rockies with a 9-0 win that stretched their National League West lead to three games, the Dodgers were left dealing with another injury headache Wednesday, removing Smith from the starting lineup just 15 minutes before first pitch after swelling developed around the bone bruise he has been dealing with in his right hand.
“Not overly concerned,” manager Dave Roberts said of Smith’s status, “but we’ve got to get that swelling under wraps.”
Smith’s absence hardly hampered the Dodgers in their fourth straight win.
Their lineup exploded for four runs in the second inning and five in the eighth behind a huge night from Mookie Betts, who continued his recent tear with a four-for-five, five-RBI performance that included a run-scoring double early and a grand slam to put things away late. Betts is now on a 16-game on-base streak, has multiple RBIs in five-straight contests, and is batting .352 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs over his last 32 games.
Behind the plate, Ben Rortvedt filled in to catch Blake Snell’s scoreless six-inning, 11-strikeout start, which continued a dominant run from a Dodgers’ rotation that now has a 1.18 ERA over the last six games.
And thanks to a loss earlier in the day by the San Diego Padres, the team grew its lead atop the division for a second day in a row, effectively taking a 3-½ game NL West lead (when accounting for its head-to-head tiebreaker over San Diego) with 16 games to play.
“That was a big home series sweep, to get us going … get us moving in the right direction,” Snell said. “All of us have been looking forward to getting it going. This was a really good step.”
Yet, after activating Max Muncy off the injured list Monday, and welcoming Edman back into the fold Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers were finally on the verge of having a full-strength squad for the first time since early July.
Instead, they were reminded of the tenuous reality of their oft-injured roster — and the difficulty of trying to manage Smith’s hand in particular.
It had only been a week since Smith first got hurt, when a foul ball in Pittsburgh ricocheted off his dangling throwing hand behind the plate and left him with a bone bruise that sidelined him until Tuesday — though didn’t require an injured list stint. Smith had looked OK in his return to action that night, lining a double in his first at-bat while helping Emmet Sheehan carry a no-hitter into the sixth. He was back in the original lineup the Dodgers posted Wednesday, as they sought a series sweep over the 106-loss Rockies.
The issue, it appeared, might be behind him.
But then, when the Dodgers emerged from the dugout Wednesday night, it was Rortvedt who went to squat behind home plate.
“Literally 15 minutes before the game, as he’s getting ready, his hand started to swell up,” Roberts said. “After [his pregame] hitting, getting dressed, getting ready for the game, that’s when it started to show itself. He tried to get out there and throw. It just didn’t respond well.”
After Smith first got hurt, Roberts cautioned his injury could linger for the rest of the season. After Wednesday, he said the team would monitor Smith on Thursday’s off day –– and potentially send him for an MRI –– then decide on Friday whether he’ll play in this weekend’s series-opener in San Francisco.
“We’ve got to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Roberts said.
Miguel Rojas slides home to score a run in the second inning. (Eric Thayer / For The Times)
Smith’s hand won’t be the only injury the Dodgers (82-64) will have to manage down the stretch.
While Edman returned from an ankle injury that had plagued him all year, and sidelined him since its own flare-up on Aug. 3, Roberts said pregame he was still curious to see how the utilityman looked.
Edman slotted in center field on Wednesday — where he tracked down a fly ball on the game’s first pitch — and will likely see most of his playing time there for at least the foreseeable future. Roberts noted that, unlike earlier this year when Edman was mainly limited to infield duties, the quick reactions required at second base might be tougher on his ankle now.
“Getting off the ball is something I'm going to be really mindful of watching,” Roberts said of Edman. “Once he gets to full speed, it's a lot easier [to decide what he can handle].”
With Edman in center, the Dodgers also ran out a new outfield alignment, with Andy Pages moving to left field and Michael Conforto dropping to the bench.
Roberts said Conforto will still see playing time against right-handed pitchers (the Rockies started left-hander Kyle Freeland on Wednesday). He also didn’t close the door on eventually flipping Pages (who had three hits Wednesday, including an RBI double in the second to open the scoring) and Teoscar Hernández (who went deep in the eighth for his third home run in the last two nights) in the corners, though noted he is keeping Hernández in right for now thanks to his improved defensive play in recent weeks.
“Teo played the season last year in left field, so we've shown that we can win a championship with him in left field,” Roberts said. “Not quite there yet, but thinking about it.”
Despite the moving pieces, it all brought the Dodgers closer to the lineup they envisioned having at the start of this season, the one they’ve floundered with offensively (entering the night ranked just 26th in the majors in scoring since July 4) while playing without.
"I think that we've all been waiting for our guys to come back to health and see what we look like,” Roberts said.
Still, they won’t be at full strength again until Smith is. Wednesday was a reminder that his health remains in doubt.
Roberts said that could include finding the rookie right-hander, who finally rediscovered his 100-mph fastball Tuesday after lacking velocity and battling a shoulder injury previously this year, an opportunity to start a big-league game for the first time since April. Or, potentially pitching out of the bullpen, which is how the 23-year-old would likely be used if he were to be included on the postseason roster.
Before that latter scenario could become reality, of course, the Dodgers will need to see Sasaki have some sort of success back in the majors, where he had a 4.72 ERA in eight starts at the beginning of the season before going on the IL.
Nonetheless, Roberts described Sasaki’s rehab outing on Tuesday as “great for the Dodgers, great for Roki's confidence, great for the organization.
“Mostly it was great for Roki,” Roberts added. “Just to really let it eat, let it fly, have some success and know that he can be the guy that he's known to be."
Here’s the reaction from the Mets’ locker room as their losing streak stretched to five after falling to the Phillies 11-3 on Wednesday night…
Why these skids seem to pile up
Carlos Mendoza: “I think some guys from the rotation are having a tough stretch. When you’re playing a lot of games in a row and you’re not getting decent length or decent outings it has a trickle down effect. That’s on the pitching staff, the at-bats, the game is obviously different. The there was times when where we get some starting pitching and the offense seems to cool down, we just haven’t been able to consistently put it together, the whole package.”
Francisco Lindor: “We haven’t been consistent. It's just one of those years that things haven’t clicked for a long time — in baseball you have ups and downs, those are guarantees, but you try to limit the downs and ride the highs as long as you can and for some reason it’s been a very wavy season. We are still in a position that we can make the year look completely different and everyone here is pushing towards that, fighting to try to get on that wave and ride it as long as we can. Baseball is a game of momentum and we haven’t been able to capitalize on the time we’ve had the momentum.”
What it’s going to take to get out of this stretch
Mendoza: “26 guys pulling for each other. It’s not easy, I don’t know how many times we’ve gotten into streaks like this where nothing seems to be working for us, but again you have to stay positive, we’re still in control of the situation here. It’s not ideal where we’re at compared to the whole year, but like I said we just have to take it one game at a time, it starts on the mound obviously and then we’ll go from there.”
Lindor:“We just have to stay optimistic, fight for each other, and just play better. I have to play better, I haven’t gotten a hit in this series, and at this point in the year I have to get on-base and I have to help the team. Pete is having good at-bats, Nimmo is having good at-bats, Soto is having good at-bats. I have to be better for this team because like I said, at the end of the year it comes down to playing baseball the right way."
Another short outing from Holmes
After seemingly turning a corner, Clay Holmes' struggles have resurfaced over his past two outings.
The right-hander was knocked around in the first and then couldn't work deep, allowing a total of four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five across 4+ innings.
Despite the struggles, Mendoza says the team will stick with him in the rotation...
Holmes: "They got a little traffic there in the first and then that put us behind early and we really had to be perfect from there on out. I made a bad two-strike pitch to Bader there and then to two back-foot sliders just created the traffic, then two balls got through the infield and at that point we're playing from behind. These games can mean a lot, so we can't really afford to have those mistakes there."
Carlos Mendoza: "I said it yesterday with Sean [Manaea] and it's the same thing with Clay, we need those guys."
The Yankees honored Charlie Kirk with a moment of silence on Wednesday. (Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters
The New York Yankees held a moment of silence ahead of their 11-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night to honor Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist who was shot and killed in Utah earlier in the day.
Before tonight's game we held a moment of silence in memoriam of Charlie Kirk.
Kirk founded the youth activist group “Turning Point USA” and had become a fixture on college campuses. Charlie Kirk, a husband and father of two children, was 31 years old. pic.twitter.com/Fz5xPlmdu0
Kirk, a right-wing talk show host and the founder of “Turning Point USA,” was speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday when he was shot in the neck. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. He was 31.
The shooting is still under investigation, and officials have not yet arrested the alleged assailant. Further specifics are not yet known.
Kirk is a Chicago-area native and a noted Cubs fan. It’s unclear if he has any connection to the Yankees. President Donald Trump, whom Kirk repeatedly campaigned for and supported, is set to attend the Yankees’ game against the Tigers at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, which is the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The Yankees mustered just one run while the bullpen allowed nine runs in New York's 11-1 loss to the Tigers at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.
New York has dropped the first two games of their series with Detroit after scoring a combined three runs. After the Blue Jays' loss to the Astros earlier in the evening, the Yankees remain 3.0 games behind Toronto in the AL East race.
Here are the takeaways...
-Carlos Rodon was on the mound, searching for his career-best 17th win of the season but he was in for a fight with fellow starter Jack Flaherty in this one. Rodon was pitch-efficient, allowing just two hits through the first four innings on just above 60 pitches. But the Tigers threatened after a one-out single and walk put two runners on. Rodon hit Javier Baez with a pitch to load the bases but struck out Jahmai Jones swinging to bring up Gleyber Torres. The former Yankee lined a 3-2 fastball in front of Trent Grisham in center to drive in two for Detroit. The Yankees' southpaw struck out Wenceel Perez swinging to get out of further trouble.
Rodon was very good, with just the one inning marring his line. The lefty allowed two runs in six innings (102 pitches/66 strikes), on five hits, one walk and six strikeouts.
-The Yankees bullpen, after allowing 10 runs in Tuesday's series opener, was not much better. Mark Leiter Jr, fresh off of allowing four runs without recording an out, gave up back-to-back singles to start the seventh. He then bounced a ball in the dirt that got stuck in catcher Austin Wells' chest protector, which was ruled a wild pitch. Leiter struck out Kerry Carpenter before being pulled for Camilo Doval. Doval got Torres to ground out, but the runner on third would score.
Doval would start the eighth, and after a leadoff single, Riley Greene took the right-hander deep to put the Tigers up 5-0. After picking up an out, Dillon Dingler doubled and advanced to third on a Cody Bellinger error in left field. Doval was lifted for Tim Hill, who allowed a single up the middle to allow the sixth run of the game. Two batters later, and Carpenter launched a two-out, two-run homer to put up a five-spot in the eighth.
Even Luke Weaver struggled, allowing three runs on three hits, capped off by a two-run homer from pinch-hitter Colt Keith. With the score ballooned to 11-1, outfielder Austin Slater came in to finish off the top half of the ninth. Slater allowed a hit but got the final two outs to mercifully get the game to the bottom of the ninth.
-On the other side, Flaherty kept the Yankees down through five innings, allowing just two hits and one walk. While not as efficient as Rodon, the Tigers' right-hander made pitches when needed to get outs, including seven strikeouts. Flaherty would pitch five shutout innings on 99 pitches (57 strikes).
-The Yankees offense was a no-show. Aaron Judge went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and grounded into two inning-ending double plays. Giancarlo Stanton, playing in right field, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
The only run came on a Wells solo shot in the eighth inning. The backstop went 1-for-4.
The Mets' offense stayed cold and their pitching struggles continued in an 11-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
New York (76-70) has now lost five games in a row, falling 10 games back in the NL East.
Here are some takeaways...
-- Clay Holmes struggled out of the gate, hitting Bryce Harper on the back of the foot to load the bases and giving up a RBI-single to J.T. Realmuto. After getting a strikeout, Holmes hit Max Kepler in nearly the exact same spot as Harper to walk in a run as the Phillies took a 2-0 lead.
The right-hander avoided damage in the second despite letting up a one-out double to Harrison Bader. Holmes got in a little groove through the third and fourth innings, allowing just a single and a walk. The fifth inning was a different story -- the righty let up a leadoff single followed by a double to Brandon Marsh as the Phillies went up 3-1, ending his night after 76 pitches.
Overall, Holmes allowed four runs on six hits over four-plus innings with five strikeouts and three walks.
-- New York failed to capitalize after Juan Soto's one-out single against Cristopher Sánchez in the top of the first inning, as Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso both struck out. Sánchez kept it going and retired the next six Mets to breeze through the second and third innings.
-- In the fourth inning, Soto blasted what looked like would be a home run, but due to fan interference, resulted in a double. He moved to third on Alonso's single and scored on Starling Marte's single to left field as the Mets trailed, 2-1. That's all the Mets would get on the board with Brandon Nimmo grounding into the double play.
-- Gregory Soto replaced Holmes with a runner on second and gave up a RBI-single to Kepler. The run was tacked on Holmes' line and made it a 4-1 game. Soto dialed in a retired the next three Phils, including back-to-back strikeouts. The left-hander couldn't stop the bleeding in the sixth inning, hitting two batters and letting two straight singles to Marsh and Kepler as the Phillies went up 7-1.
Ryne Stanek gave up a sac-fly and walk before ending the inning on a strikeout. Stanek surrendered another run in the seventh, a solo homer to Harper to make it a 9-1 game.
-- Soto got his homer in the eighth with a 410-foot shot, his 39th of the season, as the Mets trailed 9-2. Soto finished the night 3-for-4, combining with Marte (2-for-4) for five of the team's six hits prior to the ninth inning. New York recorded three straight hits against Lou Trivino with Brett Baty driving in a run to make it 11-3.
-- Ryan Helsley's struggles continued in the eighth, allowing two runs on three hits, including a homer to Kepler.
Game MVP: Max Kepler
Kepler finished his monster night 3-for-4 with five RBI.
Honorable mention: Sánchez, who gave up six runs against the Mets on Aug. 25, bounced back and dominated over six strong innings. He allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts, lowering his season ERA to 2.57.
Pedro Martinez wasn’t expected to be in attendance at the Mets’ Alumni Classic this weekend at Citi Field.
However, after changing some things around in his schedule, the three-time Cy Young award winner will now be on hand on Saturday afternoon.
“I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see my Mets family again,” Martinez told Jay Horwitz. “It will be great to see the fans, they were always wonderful to me during my time there and I can’t wait to say hello again.”
Martinez spent four years at the backend of his career in the Big Apple, locking up his final two All-Star appearances.
His former teammates Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, John Maine, Jose Reyes, Endy Chavez, Paul Lo Duca, and Mike Pelfrey will also participate on Team Shea Stadium in the three-inning exhibition.
The action is set to get underway prior to the 4:10 first pitch between the Mets and Rangers.
Jacob deGrom already made his return to New York earlier this season.
He took the mound when the Rangers visited the Yankees in the Bronx for a three-game set back in May, but Friday night will mark the talented right-hander’s first time pitching at Citi Field as a visitor.
DeGrom is set to face-off with young Mets top prospect Jonah Tong in the opener of a three-game set.
“I’m excited to go and pitch at Citi Field,” he told reporters including Kennedy Landry of MLB.com. “That’s where I started my career, so it holds a special place in my heart -- their alumni game is going on there too so some guys I came up with will be there as well, it’ll be an all-around cool experience.”
DeGrom spent the first nine years of his big-league career in orange and blue.
Despite being a ninth-round draft pick he went on to solidify himself as one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history -- logging a Rookie of the Year, two Cy Young awards, and four All-Star appearances.
He seemed like a lock to have his No. 48 sent up into the Citi Field rafters, but when he hit free agency following the 2022 season, he opted to leave to the Rangers on a big money five-year deal.
DeGrom made just nine starts his first two years in Texas after battling through injuries, but has finally been able to stay healthy thus far this season and he’s returned to his once dominant form atop their rotation.
He logged his fifth-career All-Star appearance earlier this year in Atlanta and has recorded a 2.78 ERA and 196 strikeouts across 155.2 innings of work, his most since 2019.
The 37-year-old is expecting some nerves when he finally toes the Citi Field rubber once again, but he’s looking forward to what he thinks will feel like a playoff atmosphere.
“I’ve pitched a lot there, Mets fans were always good to me,” he said. “Pitching in front of that crowd was always a fun experience, now I’m on the other side doing it, it’ll be interesting to see how it goes -- all these games are important for us, same for them with the spot they’re in, so it’s going to be fun."
Juan Soto, Cedric Mullins, and Starling Marte are the only three Mets with experience against deGrom.
The latter two don't have much success, but Soto has a homer and a .909 OPS across 18 career at-bats.
After unexpectedly losing the opening two games of their series in Arizona over the weekend, the Red Sox were in some trouble on Sunday.
Facing a 3-1 deficit through six innings, the Red Sox were facing the very real possibility of getting swept by a sub-.500 Diamondbacks team, a setback that could have suddenly put the team in peril of potentially flirting with the possibility of missing the playoffs.
Yet with a three-run seventh inning and a three-run ninth, the Red Sox salvaged a win in that series finale before winning their first two games in West Sacramento against the A’s. The Red Sox came up short of sweeping the A’s — with Aroldis Chapman’s historic streak of dominance ending — but finished the road trip at 3-3.
The Red Sox now have just five three-game series remaining in their regular season, and they have a rather significant one coming up this weekend at Fenway Park.
The Yankees will be coming to Boston for the second and final time this year. They’ll be coming off a home series loss after dropping the first two games of their series against the Tigers in rather ugly fashion.
After Wednesday night’s action, the Red Sox and Yankees are in a virtual tie for second place in the AL East, with the Red Sox having played two more games. And with the Blue Jays losing on Wednesday as well, the division crown remains a possible — if unlikely — goal for both the Red Sox and Yankees, who are both three games back of Toronto.
What’s more attainable for the Red Sox and Yankees this weekend is some control in the wild-card standings. They’re both three games clear of the Mariners, who currently hold the final wild-card spot, and they’re four games clear of the Rangers, who are the top team outside of the playoff bubble.
A sweep either way would obviously shift the picture dramatically, as the winner would maybe be a game out of first place while the loser could be stuck fighting just to make the playoffs.
Yet for the Red Sox, what’s really at stake this weekend is the opportunity to really assert dominance over the Yankees one last time before a potential meeting in October. Regardless of Thursday’s outcome, the Yankees will be headed to Boston feeling wounded, after getting outscored 23-3 in their first two games against the Tigers this week.
For the Yankees to deal with that beatdown from a playoff team before taking on the Red Sox, against whom they’re just 2-8 this season? That will surely test the confidence and belief inside Aaron Boone’s clubhouse.
A sweep for the Red Sox would be far too high of an expectation. Yet with the state of the Yankees, with Boston having an off day on Thursday, and with the Red Sox having Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello and Garret Crochet lined up for the weekend, Boston is certainly in the driver’s seat to at least take two out of three.
At the same time, the Red Sox have lost numerous series they were supposed to win in recent weeks — notably against Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Arizona — so the Yankees can’t be expected to simply roll over.
Whichever way it goes, this series represents a major opportunity for either side to deliver one final haymaker to either knock the opponent off cruise control in the playoff race or send a message for a potential wild-card series that could take place in just a few short weeks.
There seems to be a simple set of directions for the Phillies when pitcher Cristopher Sánchez starts a game. That is to score early, settle in and watch the master go to work, score some more runs and pretty much call it a game.
They followed that guideline Wednesday night against the Mets and it led to an 11-3 victory, their 10th win in their last 13 games. The Phillies sent eight batters to the plate twice. They got three hits and five RBI from Max Kepler and three hits and two RBI from Brandon Marsh in their 14-hit barrage that led to the lopsided win.
The Phillies are now 86-60 on the season, leading the Mets in the National League East by 10 games. They also lowered their magic number to clinch the division to seven.
The Phillies have now taken the first three games of this four-game series and have clinched their 31st series win on the season, sixth best in club history. With five series left, they have a chance to beat the club record – which is 34 – set in 2011.
After Thursday’s game against the Mets, the Phillies close out the season with a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins and Minnesota Twins.
In their last 151 games at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies have posted 102 wins, have won 11 of their last 12 series and have victories in 29 of their last 40 games at home.
The outfield du-jour of Marsh, Kepler and Harrison Bader combined to go eight for 14 with five runs and seven RBIs.
“I think everyone’s on board with the same goal and everyone’s moving at the same pace,” said Kepler of the outfielders. “Even if you’re not playing and on the bench, people are contributing and they’re contributing as a teammate, by cheering the guy in the box or whoever is in the field. There’s a feeling of everyone has each other’s backs, if you’re playing or not.”
Phillies offense wasted no time in getting a lead for Sánchez, as they sent two to the plate in the first inning and six more by the seventh.
The Mets scored their lone run off Sánchez in the fourth when Juan Soto led off the inning with a fan-interference-helped double to deep left-center. He moved to third on a Pete Alonso single and scored on an RBI single by Starling Marte.
The Phillies and Sánchez got out of the inning when the newly formed double play duo of shortstop Bryson Stott and second baseman Donovan Walton turned it to end the inning.
It was Stott’s first appearance at short this season but may not be the last, with a hamstring injury sidelining Trea Turner.
“I just kept my focus on pitching and we’re at home so we have to take advantage of that,” said Sanchez, who let up six runs and eight hits in five one/third innings against the Mets a couple weeks ago. “Attacking with the plan that we had and just staying calm and keeping composure as well. That’s what you call adjustment. I think that we made the right adjustments, and we got the results to show that.
“There’s not many games left and we’ve got to keep going. This isn’t over until it’s over. We always have to keep going, winning games and step up, our defense, our pitching, everything. We just have to keep trying to win every game.”
The Phillies added two more in the fifth as J.T. Realmuto got an infield hit to third and scored on a double by Brandon Marsh. The Mets removed starter Clay Holmes and on the first pitch from reliever Gregory Soto, Kepler hit a broken-bat single to center to score Marsh.
They again had eight hitters go to the plate in scoring four runs in the sixth, which included two hit batters, a walk and three singles. Marsh drove in one with a single, Kepler two with a single and Otto Kemp had a sacrifice fly.
“I’m really proud of the ball club,” said manager Rob Thomson. “That’s the way it’s been here for a while. We’ve lost guys and other guys just step in and take hold of the situation. That’s what we’re going through right now. Everybody understands where we’re at and what we need to do to get this thing done. Things change in a heartbeat. I’m not counting my chickens right now. We’ve just got to keep moving.”
Bryce Harper hit his 25th home run of the season to right in the seventh for a run and Kepler blasted a solo shot to right in a two-run eighth inning. Juan Soto hit a solo homer off Jose Alvarado in the eighth for the Mets’ other run.
Sánchez left after six innings of work, allowing four hits, the one run and striking out six. He improved to 13-5 and lowered his ERA to 2.57.
“His changeup was really good tonight, better than last time (against the Mets),” said Thomson. “He had 11 whiffs, a little trouble in the fourth inning and worked out of it, only giving up one run. That shows his poise and character. He had a good night.”
As did Kepler. The Phillies are not 15-1 in games in which he homers. He also uncharacteristically broke his splintered bat over his knee after he singled in a run in the fifth.
“It’s a good feeling to smash one over your leg from time to time,” said Kepler. “That’s definitely not me. I’m not a hardo. That’s just in the moment I wanted to let that out and smash my bat. I’ve done that once before, also on a hit. I don’t know what got into me there. That’s a hardo moment, for sure.”
Call it hardo or maybe just relief that he and his outfield teammates are playing so well at just the right time of the season.
The Phillies close out the series on Thursday with a national broadcast on FOX. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. ET.
It didn't come as too much of a surprise to see Jose Caballero penciled into the Yankees' starting lineup instead of Anthony Volpe.
The third-year shortstop has struggled in 2025 and Tuesday's loss to the Tigers seemed like a tipping point. Volpe went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a failed bunt attempt that had the Yankee Stadium crowd booing the youngster as he walked back to the dugout.
"I just feel like [Caballero] deserves to play some," manager Aaron Boone said of the lineup decision before Wednesday's game. "Obviously, it’s been a tough stretch for Volpe offensively here and it's just that time of year, all hands on deck. It just felt like that was the best move for us today."
When asked how many starts Caballero would get with only 18 games remaining, the Yankees skipper said the decision is "day-to-day" and that they'll reassess after the game and heading into Thursday's series finale. Boone did say that Wednesday's decision was a combination of Volpe's struggles and trying to give Caballero some run before the end of the year and potentially into the postseason.
Since being acquired from the Rays on July 31, Caballero has shown flashes as a member of the Yankees. In 26 games, Caballero is 10-for-43 (.233) with an OBP of .346. While he doesn't have the pop of Volpe, Caballero is getting on base more and stealing bases.
Caballero has stolen nine bases with the Yankees to add to his MLB-leading 43, which includes nine games of multiple stolen bases.
"Obviously, Cabby's been a really good player for us since coming over. He brings a lot of value in so many different ways," Boone said. "Have a lot of confidence when he's in there, when he's in the lineup. Love also having the bench versatility, and the things that he brings at different points in the game. Hopefully, he can go in there and be a little spark for us tonight and continue his good play."
"He's a really talented, impactful player when he's going well. Hopefully, we can still get him to that point."
After going hitless Tuesday, Volpe is now hitting .206 for the season and is 2-for-17 with 10 strikeouts and no walks over his last five games.
Boone pointed to the peaks and valleys of Volpe's season and career so far. But despite that, they believe there's a good hitter in there.
"I think offensively, for the better part of the last six-eight weeks. It's been a struggle," Boone said. "He's had some pockets in there, where he's done well. There's a lot of the underlying stuff this year, offensively speaking, that has been better than ever in a lot of ways. He hasn't got to that point that we all wanted him to get to offensively...that real consistency.
"I still think it's very possible even this year, and hopefully in October too [where] he's playing his best baseball. We saw some of his best baseball last October when he was at his best. As much as we want to get down on people in certain spots and write them off and stuff, this game can flip like that, and all of a sudden, you get it rolling and get it working a little bit. And he's a really talented, impactful player when he's going well. So hopefully, we can still get him to that point."
In 14 games in the postseason last year, Volpe excelled, slashing .286/.407/.408 with an OPS of .815 to go along with one home run and six RBI. His grand slam in Game 4 of the 2024 World Series gave the Yankees a lead they wouldn't relinquish as the team staved off elimination.
Volpe has fallen quite a bit since last October, but Boone and the Yankees continue to see him as their starting shortstop, even with Caballero's start, but they are in "day-to-day mode" and are playing for a lot right now.
Going into Wednesday's game, the Yankees are three games back of Toronto for the AL East, and are in a virtual tie with the Red Sox for the top Wild Card spot.
"I have the decision to make every day with the lineup and I'll make whatever tough decision," Boone said. "My hope, is that, [Volpe] can kind of get it going here to a point where he is that guy because I think when we're at our best, he's out there, impacting us on both sides of the ball, and it frees up Cabby to play a different role, too."
Carlos Mendoza confirmed prior to Wednesday's game that the Mets will officially be without Jesse Winker for the remainder of the season.
Winker has been on the injured list since mid-July due to back inflammation.
The veteran hadn't made much progress before beginning a rehab assignment out of the blue two weeks ago, but he was quickly shut back down from all activities after suffering a setback.
He is still going through the process of visiting doctors and receiving multiple opinions, but the skipper has officially ruled him out the rest of the way.
Winker was acquired ahead of last year's deadline, and he was brought back on a one-year deal this offseason after providing the spark they were looking for.
He was limited to 26 games due to the back issue and an oblique injury suffered earlier in the year.
The impending free agent hit .229 prior to the injury, but had eight XBHs and 10 RBI.
