Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has been the odds-on favorite to win his fourth National League MVP award since before the season even began. He tightened his stranglehold on the race through the end of June, leading the NL in homers, OPS, and extra-base hits.
As for Kyle Schwarber, he has largely toiled in obscurity, a distant third on the list behind Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs as recently as last week. Some books didn’t even have odds for him a month ago.
However, Schwarber’s annual June hot streak began a bit later than usual. But it’s here, and it has been a game-changer in the MVP race.
Tuesday night’s performance against the Orioles was the latest haymaker thrown by Schwarber, two resounding left hooks that laid waste to errant pitches. A two-run smash that tied the game at 3-3, then a TKO grand slam in the team’s eight-run sixth inning.
Since July 1, Schwarber leads the NL in homers (15) and RBIs (37), and he’s second in OPS (1.140). Ohtani’s insurmountable lead in the MVP race has been decimated. At FanDuel, for example, he is still a -650 favorite, but Schwarber is on the radar, second-best at +550. PCA is now third at +1300.
Surely, Ohtani adds value to his team with his pitching ability. But looking purely at the offensive numbers, it’s nearly a dead heat:
Ohtani
Schwarber
512
PA
498
102
RUNS
79
38
HR
40
73
RBI
94
.274
BAT AVG
.258
.378
OBP
.382
.600
SLG
.593
.978
OPS
.974
59
XBH
58
These two titans have put on quite a show. The final eight weeks of the regular season should be electric. It’s a shame there can only be one winner.
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani has been the odds-on favorite to win his fourth National League MVP award since before the season even began. He tightened his stranglehold on the race through the end of June, leading the NL in homers, OPS, and extra-base hits.
As for Kyle Schwarber, he has largely toiled in obscurity, a distant third on the list behind Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs as recently as last week. Some books didn’t even have odds for him a month ago.
However, Schwarber’s annual June hot streak began a bit later than usual. But it’s here, and it has been a game-changer in the MVP race.
Tuesday night’s performance against the Orioles was the latest haymaker thrown by Schwarber, two resounding left hooks that laid waste to errant pitches. A two-run smash that tied the game at 3-3, then a TKO grand slam in the team’s eight-run sixth inning.
Since July 1, Schwarber leads the NL in homers (15) and RBIs (37), and he’s second in OPS (1.140). Ohtani’s insurmountable lead in the MVP race has been decimated. At FanDuel, for example, he is still a -650 favorite, but Schwarber is on the radar, second-best at +550. PCA is now third at +1300.
Surely, Ohtani adds value to his team with his pitching ability. But looking purely at the offensive numbers, it’s nearly a dead heat:
Ohtani
Schwarber
512
PA
498
102
RUNS
79
38
HR
40
73
RBI
94
.274
BAT AVG
.258
.378
OBP
.382
.600
SLG
.593
.978
OPS
.974
59
XBH
58
These two titans have put on quite a show. The final eight weeks of the regular season should be electric. It’s a shame there can only be one winner.
SAN FRANCISCO — The trade deadline often is about what you get back, but because of the specific pieces the Giants traded away last week, that wasn’t really the case initially.
In Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers, Buster Posey and Zack Minasian traded away not just their eighth- and ninth-inning guys, but also the two longest-tenured pitchers in the bullpen. Outfielder Mike Yastrzemski was the longest-tenured position player and was very popular with the fans who have filled Oracle Park all summer.
It was a somber stretch for the organization, and the initial reaction was to say goodbye to three players who had become big parts of the franchise. But over the next two months and beyond, the focus will be on what came back.
The Giants got eight players in the three trades, including seven who still are in the minor leagues. The reaction from around the league was that they did very well in the Rogers deal, in particular, but Posey felt like the entire haul will help future Giants teams. There definitely was an emphasis on adding some players who are close to the big leagues, and that should help the 2026 group try to reach the postseason.
“You want to feel pretty good about what you’re getting back,” he said last week. “We feel like we added to the system, and yeah, it’s a huge plus to get players like (Blade) Tidwell and (Drew) Gilbert, who we think are very close to major league ready.”
Both could be options later this month or in September, and some of the others aren’t far behind. Here’s a look at what the Giants got back at the deadline, beginning with the one player they already have used:
José Buttó, right-handed reliever
The only acquired player to go right onto the big league roster, Buttó pulled a reverse Tyler Rogers. He was a Met who became a Giant, and over the weekend he pitched well against his former teammates. Like Rogers, he even joined his previous team on the flight back to New York on Wednesday.
Buttó has three strikeouts in two scoreless appearances for the Giants. For the season, he has a 3.47 ERA and 3.31 FIP, and those numbers are 3.40 and 3.84 over parts of four seasons. While Rogers will be a free agent at the end of the year, Buttó is under team control through 2030, so if he sticks, he could give the Giants a nice cost-controlled bullpen weapon for a few years.
The slider is the pitch Buttó used often against his former teammates over the weekend, and it has been his best pitch. Opponents are hitting just .182 off it this season.
Blade Tidwell, right-handed pitcher
Tidwell joined Buttó in going right on the 40-man roster, which was necessary after he made four appearances for the Mets earlier this season. They didn’t go well, as he allowed 15 earned runs in 15 innings, with 10 walks to 10 strikeouts and four homers allowed.
Tidwell’s first two appearances came as a starter and the second two as a long reliever, and the question moving forward is whether he will stick as a rotation option or move to the ‘pen.
Taken 14 picks ahead of Carson Whisenhunt in the 2022 draft and signed to an over-slot deal, the Tennessee product thus far has been developed purely as a starter. Of his 73 minor league appearances, 66 have been starts, and he has a 4.13 ERA with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Tidwell has had command issues, but his walk rate this year is his lowest as a professional.
Minasian said the Giants liked Tidwell’s “plus breaking ball” and Baseball America has his slider as his best pitch. If he ends up in the bullpen, his velocity and a good slider would be a nice combo; he hit 99 mph in one of his big league appearances and averaged 96 mph with his four-seamer across those 15 innings.
Drew Gilbert, outfielder
Tidwell entered the Giants’ MLB Pipeline top 30 list at No. 12 and Gilbert came in at No. 13. The two were teammates at Tennessee and Gilbert went 28th overall to the Houston Astros in the 2022 draft, ahead of Tidwell and Whisenhunt and two picks ahead of Giants first-rounder Reggie Crawford.
Gilbert played in the 2023 Futures Game, but he wasn’t an Astro for long. He was a big piece in the deal that brought Justin Verlander back to Houston from New York at the deadline in 2023. Before the next season, Gilbert was a consensus top-100 prospect.
Gilbert has a .261/.361./453 slash line in the minors with 44 homers, 14 of which have come this season. He had some hamstring issues after getting drafted and hasn’t run much, but he is considered a good defensive center fielder with a plus arm that should allow him to play right at Oracle Park. Given that he already has more than 600 plate appearances in Triple-A, it shouldn’t be long before his MLB debut.
Minasian said the Giants like that Gilbert “plays with an edge.” He also watches Tidwell’s dog occasionally, which should be on his scouting report:
Blade Tidwell says he left his dog, Bentley, with Drew Gilbert in Syracuse.
The 23-year-old has been the DH for Sacramento in his first two games, but at some point the Giants will throw him behind the plate, and that might determine how the entire Doval trade is graded.
Rodriguez was the biggest piece in that deal, which brought back four players, and Posey spoke passionately about his talent after the deadline.
“I know (he) is not ranked very high (but) the guy, all he has done is hit,” he said. “I think he has been a player that, listening to our pro scouting department talk about him, that has kind of come on the scene a little bit later. He has never really been a famous guy (but) you’re a .308 career hitter in the minor leagues, you watch his swing and he sprays the ball all over the field. We’re happy and excited about him.”
Rodriguez has hit at least .296 in every professional season and has a .395 OBP in six minor league years. He only has reached double-digit homers once, but the Giants are buying into the hit tool and low strikeout rate — and the idea that he can catch.
Rodriguez has caught and played both corner infield spots, but he has a strong arm and Minasian said he thinks he “can be a quality defensive catcher.” If that’s the case, he should be Patrick Bailey’s backup next season, and as a right-handed hitter, he’s an ideal partner. That’s something the Giants haven’t had the last couple of years.
Trystan Vrieling, right-handed pitcher
Born in Idaho and raised in Washington State, Vrieling grew up a Giants fan. He told Trey Wilson of the Richmond Flying Squirrels that he was “shocked” to be in a trade for Doval.
“Man, I had watched Doval throw for a long time,” he said on Wilson’s podcast.
Vrieling was drafted out of Gonzaga in 2022 but missed all of the next season with an elbow fracture. He has a 4.36 ERA in the minor leagues while featuring a deep pitch mix.
Minasian noted that Vrieling’s velocity is trending up, and the Giants saw him at 95 mph consistently just before the deadline. Vrieling also throws a cutter, two sliders, a curve and changeup. If he can find a reliable mix, he could be a back-end starter down the line.
Parks Harber, corner infielder
Undrafted out of UNC, Harber had a .914 OPS in A-ball this year, but there’s a caveat. He turns 24 next month, so he’s pretty old for that level and the Giants probably will want to test him against better competition whenever he returns from the IL, which he was on at the time of the deal.
Harber is 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and he hit 20 homers as a college junior. He has played first base and third base this year, and batted .326 after a promotion to High-A.
Carlos De La Rosa, left-handed pitcher
If you would like to feel old as you read this, note that De La Rosa was born in 2007. He’s exactly the type of player you want thrown into a deal like this one.
The lefty is 17 years old and has just 22 professional innings in the Dominican Summer League, with a promising 36 strikeouts. He has a low 90s fastball that has hit 96 mph, and Minasian referred to him as a prospect with “upside.” Baseball America notes that De La Rosa has the “highest ceiling” of the four players that got traded for Doval.
It’s possible that De La Rosa finds more velo as he gets older and stronger and turns into a really good prospect. It’s also possible this is the last we hear of him. It’s a lottery ticket, the type that front offices love.
Yunior Marte, right-handed pitcher
You don’t get much for trading rentals like Yastrzemski, but the Giants seem to have done pretty well here. The 21-year-old Marte — not to be confused with the other Yunior Marte, who once was a Giant and got traded for Erik Miller — was slowed by a meniscus injury earlier in his career, but he’s having a very good year.
In 19 starts in A-ball before the deal, Marte had a 2.74 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. He has 79 strikeouts in 82 innings, and he has limited walks and homers as a professional.
Listed at 6-foot-5, Marte has a low 90s fastball that has touched 97. MLB Pipeline views him as a potential No. 4 starter, with the possibility of being a good bullpen fit down the line, too.
Just before the start of Monday night’s Boston Red Sox-Kansas City Royals game, Sox manager Alex Cora made a last-minute lineup switch that had fans scrolling their social feeds for updates.
Roman Anthony, the Sox rookie star who has helped propel the team to first place in the Wild Card race, was scratched from the lineup, but it wasn’t immediately clear why. Was he ill? Did he suffer an injury? Was the future of the season in jeopardy?
As it turns out, Anthony wasn’t seriously injured, but experienced some mid-back tightness, and the team chose to replace him in right field with Wilyer Abreu as a precaution.
“Came out to the line, everything felt normal all day, and I felt something as I was standign on the line. Just figured we’d be cautious with it,” Anthony said after the game. “It just was super uncomfortable, and I relayed that quickly and we just decided we were going to shut it down.”
Anthony is expected to sit out Tuesday’s game as well, but could be back in the lineup as soon as Wednesday.
“Yeah, obviously, I’ll get with the training staff and figure that out, but already definitely trending in the right direction and feeling better than it was earlier,” Anthony said.
As it turned out, the Sox didn’t need Anthony on Monday anyway, as they beat the Royals 8-5 behind strong pitching from starter Brayan Bello and strong offensive performances from Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder.
Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers during a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
Brock Stewart slumped in front of a mostly empty locker in the middle of the Dodgers clubhouse Monday afternoon, a stall that used to belong to pitcher Dustin May, as clubhouse attendants rushed over with boxes of brand new size 13 cleats.
A week ago Stewart was pitching for the Minnesota Twins, who wear red cleats. The Dodgers don’t, so Stewart needed a makeover.
“I got blue gloves coming too,” he said.
Getting dressed properly isn’t the only thing players have to worry about when they change teams in the middle of the season. Stewart had a home and family in Minnesota to pack up and move when he learned Thursday that he had been traded from a team with a losing record to one chasing a second straight World Series title.
By late Monday evening, Stewart found himself in the middle of that pennant race when he took the mound in the ninth inning of a tie game. It didn’t end well, with Stewart (2-2) surrendering a run on three hits while getting just two outs in a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
It was a rude homecoming for the right-hander, who was drafted by the Dodgers in 2014 but waived five years later after pitching 36 times over parts of four seasons. After he remade himself during a six-year sojourn in which dropped down to independent ball, Stewart was brought back to Los Angeles to stabilize an overworked, injury-plagued bullpen that has struggled.
In his first appearance at Dodger Stadium in the home uniform since 2019, he added to those struggles, giving up hits to the first two batters he faced, then falling behind 2-0 to pinch-hitter Yohel Pozo, who flared a single over the infield to drive in the go-ahead run.
For manager Dave Roberts, one bad outing won’t change Stewart’s role.
“That’s baseball,” he said.
“He's a high-leverage guy,” Roberts added. “He was certainly needed for our ballclub and I will use him as such.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts watches from the dugout during a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals on Monday. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
Stewart certainly wasn’t the only reliever who struggled, with both bullpens wasting excellent efforts by starters Tyler Glasnow and Sonny Gray.
Glasnow gave the Dodgers (65-48) seven strong innings for the second time in three starts, conceding a run on three hits — none after the second inning — while striking out seven. Gray was even better in his seven innings, giving up just a fourth-inning solo home run to Freddie Freeman and a second-inning walk to Max Muncy before leaving with the score tied 1-1.
Anthony Banda was the first man out of a Dodger bullpen that has pitched more innings than any in baseball. Three batters later the Cardinals (57-57) went ahead on Iván Herrera’s home run to center.
Cardinals reliever Riley O’Brien gave the run right back in the bottom of the inning on a double to Teoscar Hernández.
So with the score even again, Roberts called on Stewart, who has had a whirlwind week. Five days ago he was on his way to Cleveland with the Twins when he got a call to fly to Tampa, Fla., to join the Dodgers instead. That left his wife Christina to pack up the couple’s house, their sons, 3-year-old Jett and 16-month-old Cal, and their hound-mix puppy and move to Los Angeles.
“My wife is just wearing the brunt of it,” he said. “That's maybe what people don't understand.”
Roberts, who played in five cities in his career, said the challenge of changing teams can go beyond finding the right color glove and cleats. But the transition was easier for Stewart since he broke in with the Dodgers.
“He's familiar with some of the players, most of the coaching staff, the city itself, the ballpark,” he said. “Things like that are part of his past routine.”
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman hits a solo home in the fourth inning of a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals on Monday. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
Stewart, arguably the biggest acquisition the Dodgers made at the trade deadline, had been in Los Angeles less than a day when he got to the ballpark Monday. He agreed he didn’t have much time to get acclimated, though he said he may need some time to find his way around the clubhouse, which underwent a $100-million renovation last winter.
As for his job, he said the Dodgers had made that clear.
“Andrew [Friedman] and [Brandon] Gomes just told me don't try to change anything. Just do what you've been doing and that'll be good enough,” he said, referencing the team’s president of baseball operations and general manager, respectively.
It wasn’t good enough Monday. But, Roberts said afterward, there’s still a lot more games to be played.
Right-hander Roki Sasaki is expected to throw the equivalent of three innings to hitters Friday and if that goes well, he could begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week. He has not pitched in nearly three months after going on the IL with a shoulder impingement.
Edman goes on injured list
Utilityman Hyeseong Kim, out since July 29 with a shoulder issue, is swinging a bat and taking grounders. Roberts is optimistic Kim will be able to return soon. But another utility player, Tommy Edman, went on the IL with an ankle injury. With Kim, Edman and Kiké Hernández, another utility player, all out with injuries, Roberts has not had the usual versatility he has enjoyed in fielding a lineup.
The Yankees led after three pitches, but on the final pitch of the night, surrendered a walk-off three-run home run to fall 8-5 to the Texas Rangers in extra innings Monday in Arlington.
In the home half of the 10th frame, Jake Bird, the fifth Yankee out of the bullpen, made Marcus Semien look foolish going down swinging on the sweeper before getting Adolis García to tap out to third. Manager Aaron Boone came out of the dugout to call for Wyatt Langford to be intentionally walked, and Josh Jung made that move look foolish: taking a sinker off the inside corner and driving a three-run homer 401 feet to left center to walk-off the Yanks.
The fourth straight loss doomed the struggling New York club to a 60-53 on the season (26-31 on the road) and lifted Texas to 59-55 (35-20 at home). The Yankees are now 5.5 games out of first place in the AL East and tied with the Seattle Mariners for the second Wild Card spot, with just a 1.5 game cushion ahead of the Rangers.
Here are the key takeaways...
- After Max Fried gutted through five innings, the bullpen trio of Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval, and David Bednar combined to retire the next nine batters with a strikeout each on 34 total pitches to preserve a one-run lead.
Devin Williams got the first batter of the ninth, but his 2-1 offering to pinch-hitter Joc Pederson was demolished 408 feet to right. The changeup hung right over the middle of the plate, and Pederson – 18-for-143 (.126) with a .473 OPS on the year – smoked it 101.6 mph off the bat to tie the game.
Williams got the game to extra innings, with a strikeout in the process, but it was his third blown save of the season as his ERA hit 5.10.
- In the top half of the tenth, Jasson Dominguez moved to third on a groundout and Anthony Volpe walked to put runners on the corners, but Austin Wells tapped into the 1-6-3 double play.
New York was 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position with six left on base through two frames while scoring three runs. They finished the night 3-for-15 with 10 left on base.
- The Yankees wasted no time jumping on left-hander Patrick Corbin as Paul Goldschmidt cranked a 92 mph sinker 419 feet to left field on the third pitch of the game. The homer, off the facing of the second deck, was his ninth of the season and first since June 19.
Amed Rosario followed by smacking a 92 mph sinker the other way into the right center gap for a double. Corbin got a pair of loud outs in between a pair of walks, which meantVolpe had a bases-loaded chance with two outs, but the shortstop went down swinging on a slider just off the outside corner.
The Yanks jumped on Corbin again in the second:Wells singled, Goldschmidt roped a double to the gap in left, Rosario singled up the middle to score one, and Cody Bellinger singled to left to plate another run. A wild pitch put the runners in scoring position and Giancarlo Stanton was walked intentionally, but again, the Yanks left the bases loaded asDominguez went down swinging and Jazz Chisholm Jr. flied out to left.
- After Goldschmidt singled to start the fourth, leaving him a triple shy of the cycle, against Rangers reliever Jon Gray, Stanton hit his classic line-drive homer, annihilating a ball 427 feet to center (115 mph off the bat) to put New York back ahead, 5-4.
In what could be his final start of the series, as Aaron Judge is expected to come off the IL on Tuesday and take the DH role, Stanton slugged his 10th homer in his 36th game of the season and sixth in his last 12 games
- Fried retired the first four batters he faced with two strikeouts before he allowed the next six batters to reach: Langford roped a double to the corner in left field, Jung worked a walk, Josh Smith went right back up the middle to plate the Rangers' first run, JonahHeim’s infield hit loaded the bases, Ezequiel Duran's single to left tied the game by driving in two, and Sam Haggerty singled to center to load them again.
Fried was responsible for the fourth run of the inning when he made a wild throw to second on a pickoff attempt. The lefty finally got out of the 35-pitch frame by retiring the next two.
After allowing a walk and a single in a scoreless third, the left-hander opened the fourth with a four-pitch walk and a Duran single to left. After a swinging bunt put two in scoring position, Fried froze Corey Seager with a sweeper and Volpe made a good stop on a smashed grounder, and his throw bounced the perfect height for Goldschmidt to field and end the inning.
Fried allowed a hit to start the fifth, but struck out the side to give him seven on the night. The lefty allowed eight hits and three walks (both matching his season high marks) but just four runs in five innings of work on 105 pitches (64 strikes).
- After Stanton's homer with two outs in the fourth, the Yanks managed just two hits – a Chisholm double and Bellinger single – as Gray kept it a one-run game to the middle of the eighth.
- The Yanks’ infield defense lacked a bit of crispness in the second inning. On the base hit up the middle that scored the first run, Chisholm and Volpe appeared to exchange glances as the ball went up the middle without either making much of an attempt at it. Later, Chisholm should have started an inning-ending double play, but his throw to second forced the shortstop to stretch and meant he couldn’t even attempt a throw to first.
- Dominguez entered the game in the top of the first inning after Austin Slater, making just his second start after coming over at the trade deadline, exited the game with left hamstring tightness. Slater sustained the injury running to first after grounding into a fielder’s choice to short.
Game MVP
The Rangers' bullpen got the job done with Gray starting things off with 5.0 innings of two-run ball before Luis Curvelo and Danny Coulombe pitched scoreless frames.
These two sides face off on Wednesday with an 8:05 p.m. first pitch.
Right-hander Will Warren (4.64 ERA and 1.428 WHIP in 110.2 innings over 23 starts) gets the ball for the visitors and will have to be on his game as the hosts are going with Nathan Eovaldi (1.49 ERA and 0.893 WHIP in 103.0 innings over 18 starts).
Before the sixth inning, Sean Manaea was making quick work of the Cleveland Guardians as the Mets left-hander held them scoreless through five innings on Monday night at Citi Field.
In fact, it looked like Manaea was on his way to another superb outing with a pitch count low enough that would enable him to go deep into the game, which would not only allow New York's bullpen some more rest, but also check off an important step in the Mets' attempt at stretching him out following injury.
Yet, as quickly as Manaea was disposing of the Guardians earlier, that's how fast they got to him in the sixth. After three singles, a hit by pitch and a wild pitch, suddenly, Cleveland had a 2-0 lead.
"It happened fast," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "Solid through five -- like dominating. First couple of guys get on, then (flyout) to Jose Ramirez, and then we get down 2-0, and you still feel like, ‘alright he’s in a good position to get out of this.'"
But on the second pitch thrown to Gabriel Arias, a 1-0 changeup left up in the strike zone, Arias parked it 440 feet to center field for a massive three-run bomb that quickly destroyed Manaea's night and put the Mets in a 5-0 hole.
After the game, Manaea, keeping it brief, said all the things that a starting pitcher would say after giving up a five-run inning like "I didn’t execute" and "no way around it, that sucks."
Manaea ended up going a season-high 5.2 innings, but allowed five runs on seven hits while striking out three.
Nevertheless, after Manaea's outing, New York persevered and was able to fight back almost immediately. Pete Alonso's 251st career home run, one shy of tying Darryl Strawberry's franchise record, got three runs back in the bottom half of the sixth, and just like that, the Mets were back in it.
They would tie it in the eighth with Alonso in the middle of it again, singling home a run to make it 5-4 before a sac fly by Mark Vientos evened things up. Unfortunately, New York was never able to take the lead despite multiple chances, including loading the bases with one out in the ninth.
It was Alonso, already 4-for-4, who came up to the plate with the bases loaded. A hit (or sac fly) would've won the game; a home run would've tied the record and caused chaos at Citi Field. Instead, Alonso struck out before Jeff McNeil lined out, which sent the game to extra innings.
"We had really good at-bats throughout and then just couldn’t get that last one there to finish the game," Mendoza said.
In the 10th inning, Brett Baty made an error on a bunt attempt, getting to the ball quickly but then throwing it wide of Francisco Lindor at second base. Mendoza said it was the right decision to keep the double play in order, but Baty's errant throw brought home a run for the Guardians and led to their second run of the inning, which turned out to be the game-winning run.
"I just gotta make a better throw on that play," Baty said. "The bunt was kind of up in the air, so I knew the runners were gonna have a tough read on it just because it went straight up into the air, and then I got it on one hop, and I gotta make a better throw than that."
But even after losing a tough one, Alonso pointed to the fight he saw from his team.
When asked how discouraging a loss like that can be, the first baseman thought the opposite.
"I think to be honest, it’d be more frustrating if we didn’t do anything, if we just kind of laid down right there," Alonso said, looking on the bright side. "... It was a good team comeback... There was a lot of positives. I know we didn’t get the W, but there’s a lot of positives because I think it would be more concerning if we had just kinda got blown out. But for us to battle back and keep fighting that’s a lot of good signs."
MIAMI — Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes will rehab his right hamstring injury instead of undergoing surgery in hopes of returning before the season is over, general manager Dana Brown said Monday.
Paredes sustained what Brown described as a “severe” right hamstring strain in a loss to the Seattle Mariners on July 19. He’s had multiple rounds of imaging done since then and received a second opinion last week from a doctor, who told him his two choices were to rehab the injury or undergo season-ending surgery.
Paredes received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his hamstring and will begin his rehab stint, which will mostly take place in Houston around the team, Brown said. He added that the immediate course of action will be a “long period” of letting the hamstring rest before beginning any sort of exercise.
“His whole opinion on this is, he wants to work hard to try to get back this season,” Brown said before Houston’s series opener at Miami. “Of course, he’s going to dedicate himself to getting back.”
The Astros (62-50) currently lead the AL West with around 50 games remaining in the regular season. Surgery would have sidelined Paredes at least six months.
“He’s doing well and he’s working hard,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s in good spirits, and I know he would rather be on the field. We hope for the best.”
Paredes was injured running to first base on a single to left field during a 7-6, 11-inning loss to Seattle. He left the game and was replaced by Zack Short. The 26-year-old Paredes is hitting .259 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs this season.
Brown said that while it is too early to know if foregoing surgery could cause lingering issues in the long run, the team was informed of NFL players who have come back with no problems after rehabbing similar hamstring injuries.
“You can come back from this injury," he said. "Even though it was significant.”
PHILADELPHIA — Baltimore right-hander Grayson Rodriguez will have season-ending surgery on his pitching elbow next week.
Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino made the announcement before Monday’s game in Philadelphia.
Rodriguez started the season on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation that flared up in spring training. A rehab outing scheduled for April 17 was canceled because of a strained lat muscle.
The 2018 first-round draft pick, who missed three months of the minor league season in 2022 with a lat injury, hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 31, 2024. He finished last season on the IL with a strained lat.
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have signed right-hander Kenta Maeda to a minor league deal.
New York announced the move on Monday. The 37-year-old Maeda had been pitching for Triple-A Iowa, the top minor league affiliate for the Chicago Cubs, but he was released on Saturday.
The Yankees assigned Maeda to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Maeda had a 7.88 ERA in seven relief appearances for Detroit before he was designated for assignment on May 1. He went 3-7 with a 6.09 ERA in 17 starts and 12 relief appearances in his first year with the Tigers after agreeing to a two-year, $24 million contract in November 2023.
Maeda pitched well in his last two starts with Iowa, allowing one run and five hits in 12 innings. He went 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA in 12 starts with the Triple-A team overall.
Maeda made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, going 16-11 with a 3.48 ERA in 32 starts. He went 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts for Minnesota during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, finishing second in AL Cy Young Award balloting.
Maeda, who missed the 2022 season because of Tommy John surgery, is 68-56 with a 4.20 ERA in 226 major league games, including 172 starts.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers activated Max Muncy from the injured list and put fellow infielder Tommy Edman on the list Monday.
Muncy has been out since July 2, missing nearly five weeks with a bone bruise in his knee after a collision on a tag play during a game against the Chicago White Sox. The veteran slugger had been on a monthlong roll at the time of his injury, boosting his OPS to .832 with 13 homers and 55 RBIs.
Muncy returned more quickly than the initial six-week projection for his recovery. He was batting fifth and playing third base at Dodger Stadium on Monday night when Los Angeles opened a homestand against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“He’s put in a lot of work to get back with this timeline,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Getting him back lengthens and strengthens our lineup.”
But just when Muncy is healthy enough to return, the NL West-leading Dodgers are losing Edman after he aggravated his injured right ankle.
Edman left a game in Boston last week after apparently spraining his ankle while running the bases, and he came out of the Dodgers’ game against Tampa Bay on Sunday with pain from running the bases again.
“Don’t know how long it’s going to be, but I do think that he’ll be back at some point,” Roberts said. “The main thing is when he gets back, how we can make sure that this doesn’t happen again. It’s kind of a ligament strain, tendons, whatever it is.”
Edman also missed time in May with a sprained ankle. Last year’s NLCS MVP is batting .228 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs this season.
Edman joins the lengthy list of Dodgers hoping to return soon from injuries to bolster the defending World Series champions’ repeat bid. Los Angeles didn’t make a bold move at the trade deadline last week, deciding to roll with its current roster while aiming for full health in October.
Utilityman Kiké Hernández went out last month with a sprained left elbow, and he isn’t close to returning despite undergoing multiple procedures including platelet-rich plasma therapy and cortisone shots.
“We’re not there yet, as far as worrying the season is lost” for Hernández, Roberts said.
Other injury news is more encouraging: Second baseman Hyeseong Kim is swinging a bat and taking grounders in anticipation of returning from left shoulder bursitis as early as this weekend, while reliever Tanner Scott will throw another batting practice session soon in his recovery from left elbow inflammation.
Roki Sasaki is still on the injured list on his bobblehead night Monday. The rookie right-hander has been out since May 8 with a right shoulder injury, but he will throw three live innings Friday after hitting mid-90s velocity in his most recent mound session. If his arm continues to feel good, he will get a minor league rehab assignment next week, Roberts said.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Aaron Judge could be back in the New York Yankees’ lineup as early as Tuesday, when their captain is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list after being sidelined because of a flexor strain in his right elbow.
Judge hit off Yankees minor league pitchers at the team’s complex in Tampa for the second day in a row Monday before flying to Texas, where he was seen in the dugout during the opener of a three-game series. Manager Aaron Boone said the two-time AL MVP could be available Tuesday.
“I don’t want to say definitely because I haven’t seen him yet, but I think that’s the plan,” Boone said before the game.
Judge hasn’t played since July 25 because of the elbow strain. An MRI showed no acute damage to his ulnar collateral ligament and he had a platelet-rich injection July 27, when he was placed on the IL in a move retroactive to the previous day.
His .342 batting average was still the best in the majors going into Monday’s games. He was fourth with 37 homers and fifth with 85 RBIs.
If Judge does return while in Texas, Boone said he will be the designated hitter. But the slugging outfielder could also play catch while there, which will help determine when he could return to the outfield.
“I’m hoping that Judgie’s clean and is playing catch either (Tuesday) or the next day and we’ll start to get an idea about a timeline for that and then we’ll see when we get back home what happens there,” Boone said.
Giancarlo Stanton has been the Yankees’ starting DH for all of his 32 games this season, including the opener against the Rangers. He missed the first 70 games of the season with inflammation in the tendons of both elbows, and Boone said he wouldn’t play the outfield in Texas if Judge does DH during the series.
The first time Judge said he felt pain in the elbow was July 22 at Toronto, after he made a strong throw home when George Springer singled to right. An inning later, Judge winced after catching a fly in the right-field corner and throwing to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. Judge was caught by a YES Network camera clenching his right hand in a fist.
The Yankees arrived in Texas after being swept in a three-game series at Miami. That dropped them to third place in the AL East behind Toronto and Boston with 50 games left in the regular season, including Monday night. They go back home after the series in Texas.
Boone said having Judge back will be good for the team.
“Yeah, he’s Aaron Judge. We know what he means to our lineup and to the guys in the room,” Boone said. “So to get him back, we’re certainly excited about that and then hopefully shortly thereafter he’s back out in the field, too.”
The Mets erased a 5-0 deficit but suffered a heartbreaking 7-6 loss in extra innings to the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night at Citi Field.
Here are the takeaways...
-Locked in a scoreless pitchers' duel entering the sixth inning, things changed in a heartbeat for Sean Manaea.
With the top of the order due up, Steven Kwan started the ambush with a single. On Manaea's next pitch, he hit Angel Martinez. After a Jose Ramirez flyout advanced Kwan to third, Manaea unleashed a wild pitch that had a lucky bounce to catcher Francisco Alvarez that prevented Kwan from scoring, with Martinez able to reach second.
Things spiraled from there. First, David Fry singled home a run (Juan Soto did well to quickly get the ball in to prevent another). Soto's effort proved futile as Carlos Santana followed with a run-scoring single of his own on the next pitch. The big blow came off the bat of Gabriel Arias, who smashed a three-run homer 440 feet to left center to make it 5-0 as it all came crashing down on the left-hander, who left after 5.2 innings.
-There was something about that sixth inning, though, because after New York was stifled by Guardians starter Slade Cecconi for most of the night, the offense broke out thanks to a little bit of luck.
Francisco Lindor began the inning by striking out but ended up on first base on a wild pitch strike three. Soto also reached base fortuitously after hitting a ground ball right to the second baseman Brayan Rocchio, who just completely missed it. What was an easy double play turned into runners at the corners with nobody out.
Given a gift, Pete Alonso did not waste it, although he wasted no time by attacking the first pitch he saw and depositing it into center field for a three-run home run that sent Citi Field into a frenzy. The long ball was Alonso's 251st of his career, one shy of tying Darryl Strawberry's franchise record.
Alonso, already 3-for-3, came up to the plate in the eighth inning with another chance to do big damage after Lindor and Soto singled in front of him. With the crowd on their feet, hoping for the slugger to tie Strawberry, Alonso -- again attacking the first pitch -- ripped a run-scoring single that got the Mets closer at 5-4. Jeff McNeil's fourth straight single of the inning loaded the bases before Mark Vientos hit a sac fly that tied the game.
New York left two runners in scoring position following groundouts by Cedric Mullins and pinch-hitter Brett Baty.
-After scoreless outings by Brooks Raley, Tyler Rogers and Reed Garrett, Edwin Diaz kept the game tied in the top of the ninth with a scoreless inning of his own, stranding a runner on at third base and nobody out in the process by striking out two in between a popout.
-The Mets had a chance to win it in the last of the ninth. After Alvarez singled and was taken out for pinch-runner Tyrone Taylor, Lindor doubled down the right-field line. With the speedy Taylor running, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh could've sent him, but elected to hold him at third base. The Guardians intentionally walked Soto to bring up Alonso, who was 4-for-4 on the night and chasing history. But Alonso struck out and McNeil lined out to send the game to extra innings.
-Staying in the game for defense after pinch-hitting earlier, Baty made a costly error in the 10th when he threw wide of shortstop on a bunt attempt. The error brought home a run and put Ryan Helsley in a big mess with runners at second and third and nobody out. Helsley allowed a second run (neither of them earned), and New York entered the bottom of the 10th down 7-5.
-Baty did his best to make up for his error by singling home a run to cut the Mets' deficit to 7-6 with two outs, but Luis Torrens, in his first at-bat of the night, ended the game with a deep flyout to right field.
-Before that nightmare inning, Manaea was in total control of Cleveland's hitters and looked great in his fifth appearance and fourth start of the year. Efficient with his pitch count through the first five innings and just 57 pitches thrown, it looked like Manaea was well on his way to his longest outing of the season. And while he did pitch into the sixth inning for the first time as a starter this season, he failed to join David Peterson as the only other Mets starter to complete six innings since Clay Holmes did so on June 7.
His final line: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K on 85 pitches (62 strikes).
Game MVP: Gabriel Arias
His three-run bomb was the cap to the Guardians' five-run sixth inning, but his sacrifice fly in the 10th inning was the insurance run needed to come away with the win.
Yankees outfielder Austin Slater exited Monday's game against the Texas Rangers in the first inning with what the team called left hamstring tightness.
Slater, making just his second start since coming over at the MLB Trade Deadline in a deal with the White Sox, smashed a hard grounder to short in the top half of the first inning and appeared to experience some discomfort in the back of his left leg as he was running to first base.
With Slater at first after the fielder's choice and runners on the corners, Rangers starter Patrick Corbin was set to deliver the next pitch, but time was called, and Slater called for the trainer. He was hardly examined and began walking off the field toward New York's dugout on the third base side of the field under his own power, after grabbing at his hamstring.
Jasson Dominguez entered as his replacement.
Manager Aaron Boone confirmed the deadline acquisition is headed for the IL, which is a big loss for the Yankees in this regard: the right-handed batter came in to provide another weapon against left-handed pitchers. Entering the night, he had an .825 OPS in 72 at-bats against southpaws on the season.
"Feel pretty devastated, to be honest," he said about the timing of the injury. "This was especially a night where I feel like I could have helped the team in a lot of different ways. Definitely not how I wanted to start off my tenure here. But the goal now is to get healthy quick, and get back on the field."
Slater said it was too early to tell the severity of the injury and hoped to get an MRI before the club left Texas to "reevaluate" the injury.
The Yanks are expecting to reinstate Aaron Judge from the injured list just on Tuesday, so they were expected to make a move this series. But with Judge only DHing in the first games he comes back, and Giancarlo Stanton not going to play the outfield in Texas, a second move could still happen to get an outfielder.
If the Phillies can take advantage of breaks like the one they caught Monday night, this might turn out to be a pretty special year.
A challenged two-out call to keep J.T. Realmuto on base in the sixth inning was the first of many cascading events that led the Phillies to a 13-3 win over the Orioles.
Much of the crowd may have been hoping for a close game, thus demanding the services of new closer Jhoan Duran. But it was his former and current teammate who provided much of the excitement as the Phillies rode a spectacular sixth inning into a dominant win.
With two outs in the sixth, J.T. Realmuto was called safe on a ground ball to third. Replay appeared to show the throw may have beaten him by the slightest of margins.
Put it this way. If it was watched 100 times, it’d probably split down the middle whether he was out or not. But the call on the field stood and Realmuto was at first with two outs in a 3-3 game.
Nick Castellanos then singled on a 3-1 pitch to bring up Harrison Bader, the newly acquired outfielder Dave Dombrowski plucked from the Minnesota Twins, just a day after pilfering closer Duran at the trade deadline.
Not to be outdone by the weekend of Duran thrills, Bader turned on a high, 97-mile-an-hour fastball from Orioles reliever Corbin Martin and buried one deep into the left field seats for a 6-3 lead.
That was his first big moment as a Phillie.
“New team, new situation, new fan base, new city. I’m here for a reason, one singular reason, and that’s to perform and help this team win,” said Bader. “It feels really good to come through in that situation. Good to get the first one out of the way.
“I’m very flattered and grateful for the opportunity. When I’m out there and so many fans are behind me and cheering for me and wanting me to succeed for this team, it makes me feel really good and I’m just extremely grateful. I’m just going to try to settle into that and play the best I can for my teammates and for this fan base.”
He may not have had that opportunity Monday night had it not been for the hustle of Realmuto, who just barely kept that miraculous inning alive.
“Just the hustle of J.T. down that line kept the inning going; we score eight runs after that,” said Rob Thomson. “You have to give a lot of credit to J.T.” Asked what he thought of the call, Thomson said with a bit of a smirk, “I thought they got it right.”
It was a home run hitting night at The Bank as a total of eight left the yard, six by the home team. And you know when you’re talking homers this season, Kyle Schwarber has to be involved.
Bryce Harper opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first inning. But the Orioles quickly answered in the second, as Tyler O’Neill launched a two-run shot off Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo to give Baltimore the lead.
The Orioles went up 3-1 in the third when Jordan Westburg went yard, but Schwarber answered in the bottom of the inning when his second-deck, 427-foot blast tied it at three.
Then came the two-out magic in the sixth for the Phils. After Bader’s heroics, the Phillies got three straight singles to score another run and then a walk to Trea Turner to load the bases.
As Schwarber strode to the plate, deafening chants of “MVP” greeted him. Schwarber blasted a second-pitch grand slam to the second deck to bring four more to the plate.
“You hear MVP chants, and I think they’re warranted,” said Luzardo. “He’s a stud and I couldn’t be happier for him. It couldn’t happen to a better guy.”
“It was incredible,” said Thomson. “He’s had a great year, he really has. The home runs, the RBI, the big hits he’s had for us, the on-base (percentage). He’s just had a great year.
“He’s one of those guys. He’s very humble. He’s a great person. He does a lot for the community, does a lot in his organization and he’s a great player, great hitter. I can understand why everybody loves him. I do, too.
For good measure, Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson each hit solo shots in the eight to close out the huge scoring night for the Phils.
Luzardo delivered six innings with three earned runs and a pair of homers allowed. He did not walk a batter and struck out seven. Most importantly, he had his command, as 64 of his 91 pitches were for strikes.
His last outing was a seven inning, two-hit, no run performance against the Chicago White Sox last week. With the win, Luzardo improved to 10-5 and the Phillies upped their record to 64-48. They not have a one and a half game lead on the New York Mets in the East as they lost, 7-6, to Cleveland Monday.
“They put up some runs in the first three innings and you have to find a way to keep the team in the game,” said Luzardo. “I thought me and J.T. did a good job of that. I was grateful we could make the adjustments and kind of change the game plan on them. Anytime you can get a quality start and a win, that’s a great night.”
A great night it was for many, and Schwarber won’t forget any time soon. “I think that we always feed off energy and when you get into a spot and the crowd’s up and chanting whatever it is, you feed off it. Those are the moments that you take in as a player. Those are special things that happen and those are things that kind of just go back in the memory and hold on to those things for a while. I appreciate it. I’m just here to help these guys win on a daily basis.”
He’s doing that. Asked later about how he’s capable of doing what he’s done this season, Schwarber said, “baseball is fun.”
