Don't be surprised if your Blueshirts find a diamond on their training camp ice. Granted, it's a longshot, but Vinnie Vegas will tell you that longshots do come in.
My personal favorite as the 14-carat gold find happens to be 22-year-old Scott Morrow from – coincidence-coincidence – Chris Drury's state, Connecticut. But The Maven will get to Morrow in a moment.
First I must tell you a quick story about how I – personally – discovered Hall of Famer Brad Park. Well, sort of "discovered" him.
This was Park's first training camp in September 1968 and he was so far from making the big club I'd say it was about 99-1 against him. I mean nobody knew this kid.
Rangers GM Emile (The Cat) Francis had his heart set on a tall defenseman Al Hamilon who seemingly had a job locked up.
Meanwhile, I was sitting in the stands with a husband and wife with their son who was wearing a light blue sweater. It happened to be Mr and Mrs. Park of Toronto and their son Douglas Bradford. That's how I "discovered" Brad Park -- sitting in the stands.
We three schmoozed a little and then Brad excused himself to suit up for the workout. An hour
of watching left me shaking my head; Mr. and Mrs. Park's son was the best darn D-man on the ice. (And I don't mean maybe either!) Much better – I might add – than that big Hamilton guy.
When camp finally ended, Cat was so set on Hamilton making the team, he foolishly dispatched Park to Buffalo and kept Big Al except that – after a while – Francis realized that he was in error and promoted Douglas Bradford Park to the big club, alias the Rangers.
You know the rest. Brad emerged as the best Rangers defenseman since Harry Howell and better for sure on offense. Hamilton bounced around but never came near All-Star calibre as Francis had hoped.
If Sir Park could excuse himself from his parents to begin a Hall of Fame career, who's to say Scott Morrow of Darien, Conncticut won't fool everyone – especially the Carolina Hurricanes who dumped Morrow on Chris Drury's lap – and become a latter-day Park.
Hey, it could happen. And if you don't believe The Maven, the estimable, worthy and personable Brad Park will gladly underline my point.
With Holmes -- who is well past his previous high for innings in a season -- having pitched more than 5.0 innings just once in his last nine starts, using him as an opener of sorts makes all the sense in the world.
As far as Manaea, having him be the pitcher who comes on in relief is sensible since he has experience pitching out of the bullpen and has fared well his first time through the order this season -- holding the opposition to a .703 OPS (that OPS rises to .811 the second time through and 1.071 the third time through).
With Holmes and Manaea pitching on the same day, the Mets could either go to a five-man rotation of sorts (with David Peterson, Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and Nolan McLean following) or possibly insert Kodai Senga back in the next time through. Senga was strong in his first start for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday.
The offense is still searching for it
While the Mets won on Sunday, snapping their losing streak in the process, the offense was still largely absent.
But there were some good signs over the weekend, including Francisco Alvarez's big series (four hits, including a homer), Francisco Lindor reaching base five times, and Brandon Nimmo smacking a homer on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Juan Soto continued to mash, crushing his 40th homer of the season.
New York will not have an easy assignment against the Padres' starting pitching, with San Diego sending out Michael King on Tuesday, Nick Pivetta on Wednesday, and Randy Vasquez on Thursday.
It was a start to forget for Tong this past Friday, when he allowed six runs on four hits and three walks while failing to escape the first inning.
While Tong had serious issues with his control on Friday, he was also very unfortunate with the balls that were put in play.
That included the soft single that kept the inning going with two outs when he was one strike away from escaping unscathed.
New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) takes starting pitcher Jonah Tong (21) out of the game against the Texas Rangers during a pitching change during the first inning at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Unlike his first and second starts, things snowballed for Tong on Friday. And for the first time, he looked a bit out of sorts.
He is expected to get the ball in Thursday's series finale.
New York is 2.0 games up on the Diamondbacks, and 2.5 games ahead of the Reds.
The Mets hold the tiebreaker over the Giants by virtue of winning the season series, while the Reds hold the tiebreaker over the Mets. The tiebreaker between the Mets and Diamondbacks is TBD, and will likely be based on intradivision record since the two clubs split the season series.
As the Mets face the Padres this week, the Giants and D-backs play eachother in Arizona while the Reds travel to St. Louis to play the Cardinals.
Padres are in a comfortable spot
San Diego enters this series trailing the Dodgers by 2.5 games (three in the loss column) for first place in the NL West, while holding the second Wild Card spot.
The Padres are 5.0 games ahead of the Mets for the third Wild Card, and 3.5 games (four losses) behind the Cubs for the first Wild Card.
So the very likely scenario is that they stay right where they are, which would mean getting the No. 5 seed in the playoffs and traveling to Chicago for the three-game Wild Card series.
How that motivates them for the remainder of the regular season remains to be seen.
San Diego is 6-4 over its last 10 games, which has all but cemented their playoff spot.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Juan Soto
Soto has been carrying the Mets for over a month
Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?
David Peterson
Peterson was solid his last time out, limiting the Phillies to three runs in 5.0 innings while striking out eight
Which Padres player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?
Luis Arraez
The pesky Arraez has six hits in his last 13 at-bats
SAN FRANCISCO — Before Sunday’s game, Giants manager Bob Melvin said they’re “TBA” for Tuesday’s matchup at Chase Field. During the ensuing blowout loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Melvin tried to make sure he will at least have a few more options.
Spencer Bivens, one of several long reliever types in the bullpen, was limited to one inning Sunday and JT Brubaker was pulled after two. On Saturday, Tristan Beck was pulled after two innings in a lopsided game. Melvin said the staff tried to save some arms so they can possibly come back to help out Monday or Tuesday, but they also don’t know what kind of length they’ll receive from rookie Kai-Wei Teng in the opener at Chase Field.
“It all depends on how much we get out of Teng tomorrow,” Melvin said of the plan for the next couple of days.
It’s not a comfortable place to be this time of year, but reinforcements might be on the way. Lefty Carson Whisenhunt will make a rehab start for the Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday and could return from his back strain after that. Whisenhunt could be an option next Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
If the Giants can survive that series and sneak into the playoffs, they could at some point get another big boost. Landen Roupp, their No. 3 starter for most of the year, threw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Friday and has not been ruled out if the team makes the postseason.
When Roupp hurt his knee in San Diego last month, it looked like the Giants would be eliminated long before he could face hitters. But Roupp’s rehab has gone well and the team climbed back in the race, giving him a chance to return in October. Melvin said the plan all along was for Roupp to at least throw a bullpen session before the end of the season.
“We wanted him to get on the mound and feel good about himself going forward,” Melvin said. “If there’s more time (in October), we’ll see where it goes … first and foremost (this was about) him getting on the mound and feeling good after what he has been through.”
If Roupp does return, it likely would be as a reliever. But right now, the Giants will take anything they can get. The pitching staff gave up 23 runs over the final two games against the Dodgers, and the next week won’t be any easier. They have three at Chase Field before four more against the Dodgers, who seem to have finally flipped the switch offensively.
Help For The ‘Pen, Too?
Lefty Erik Miller threw a fastball-only bullpen session over the weekend and came out of it well. The plan is to throw a couple more bullpen sessions this week and then see where he’s at. A lot of this will also depend on where the Giants stand as he continues to rehab.
The hope is that the lefty can be back on the field at the very end of the season or in October, but given how much time he has missed with an elbow sprain, the Giants won’t push it if Miller isn’t needed. Miller hasn’t pitched in a big league game since July 2 but had a 1.50 ERA before going down.
More Bad Luck
Under Farhan Zaidi, the Giants took two-way players in back-to-back drafts. While Bryce Eldridge will make his MLB debut this week, the other one continues to struggle with bad injury luck in his own bid to reach the big leagues.
Left-hander Reggie Crawford had a second shoulder surgery recently, per team sources, pushing his return to the mound back to next summer. Crawford had labrum surgery last September and had been doing well in his rehab, but another issue popped up after he started throwing off a bullpen mound.
The Giants took Crawford with the 30th overall pick in the 2022 draft and initially let him compete both ways. They ultimately settled on pitching and he made 14 appearances in Double-A and Triple-A last season before undergoing the first shoulder procedure.
There was a playoff atmosphere at Fenway Park this weekend as the Boston Red Sox hosted the rival New York Yankees in a three-game series with significant standings implications.
But the chances of that atmosphere being recreated in October have decreased significantly.
After dropping two of three to their American League East nemesis, the Red Sox (82-68) are now 1.5 games behind the Yankees (83-66), who currently own the top AL Wild Card spot and thus home-field advantage in a playoff series with the No. 2 Wild Card team — which is currently the Red Sox.
So, if the season ended Monday, the Red Sox would have to travel to Yankee Stadium for a three-game Wild Card series, while the No. 3 Wild Card team (the Houston Astros) would face the AL division winner with the worst record (the Seattle Mariners).
Here’s a look at the current Wild Card standings:
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And here’s a more in-depth look at what’s at stake for the Red Sox entering their final 12 games:
AL East crown (essentially) out of reach
The Toronto Blue Jays have the AL East virtually locked up with a 5.5-game lead over Boston and a four-game lead over New York. Toronto has a 95 percent chance of winning the division, per Baseball Reference, while the Red Sox’ chances of winning the East are 1 percent.
The Red Sox do play a three-game series against Toronto from Sept. 23-25, but there’s a very good chance the Blue Jays have locked up their first division pennant since 2015 by then.
Catching Yankees will be a tall task
A 1.5-game deficit certainly isn’t insurmountable, but the schedule doesn’t do the Red Sox any favors. According to Tankathon, Boston has the seventh-most difficult schedule in MLB down the stretch, while New York has the easiest. Here are each team’s final series:
Red Sox: vs. Athletics, at Tampa Bay Rays, at Blue Jays, vs. Detroit Tigers
Yankees: at Minnesota Twins, at Baltimore Orioles, vs. Chicago White Sox, at Orioles
Even if the Red Sox take care of business against the A’s and Rays (who both have losing records), they finish with back-to-back series against the AL’s two best teams in the Blue Jays and Tigers.
The Yankees, meanwhile, will face three of the AL’s four worst teams in the 69-win Twins, the 65-win Orioles (twice) and 57-win White Sox.
So, unless New York stumbles against the AL’s cellar dwellers, Aaron Boone’s club should have the inside track on the No. 1 Wild Card spot.
Keep an eye on the AL West
While the Astros are in the third Wild Card spot, they’re just one game behind the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners, who have the same record as Boston entering Monday.
If Houston overtakes Seattle, the Mariners would be back in the Wild Card mix, and both teams don’t have particularly challenging schedules down the stretch. (The Astros rank 15th in strength of schedule, while the Mariners have the fifth-easiest schedule based on opponent win percentage.)
If Boston drops to the third Wild Card spot, it would have to travel to either Houston or Seattle for that series.
One thing we do know? The Wild Card round is set for Sep. 30 through Oct. 2. It’s up to the Red Sox to determine where they play it.
With 12 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. 15...
Mets: 77-73, 1.5 games up on Giants for third Wild Card
Next up: vs. Padres, Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY (Clay Holmes vs. Michael King) Latest result: 5-2 win over Rangers on Sunday Remaining schedule: 3 vs. SD, 3 vs. WSH, 3 @ CHC, 3 @ MIA Odds to make playoffs: 80.4 percent *Mets hold tiebreaker over Giants by virtue of winning the season series, while Reds hold tiebreaker over Mets. The tiebreaker between the Mets and Diamondbacks is TBD, and will likely be based on intradivision record since the two clubs split the season series
Giants: 75-74, 1.5 games back of Mets
Next up: @ Diamondbacks, Monday at 9:40 p.m.(Kai-Wei Teng vs. Zac Gallen) Latest result: 10-2 loss to Dodgers on Sunday Remaining schedule: 3 @ ARI, 4 @ LAD, 3 vs. STL, 3 vs. COL Odds to make playoffs: 9.6 percent
Diamondbacks: 75-75, 2.0 games back of Mets
Next up: vs. Giants, Monday at 9:40 p.m. (Zac Gallen vs. Kai-Wei Teng) Latest result: 6-4 win over Twins on Sunday Remaining schedule: 3 vs. SF, 3 vs. PHI, 3 vs. LAD, 3 @ SD Odds to make playoffs: 4.9 percent
Reds: 74-75, 2.5 games back of Mets
Next up: @ Cardinals, Monday at 7:45 p.m. (Zack Littell vs. Matthew Liberatore) Latest result: 7-4 loss to Athletics on Sunday Remaining schedule: 3 @ STL, 4 vs. CHC, 3 vs. PIT, 3 @ MIL Odds to make playoffs: 4.9 percent
Sophomores Ethan Miller, left, and Ethan Lebreton were among three freshmen who started last season for Corona Centennial's baseball team. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
On the same day Corona Centennial was playing Mater Dei in football, the sounds of baseballs coming off aluminum bats could be heard from the Centennial batting cage. Only in sunny Southern California does baseball keep going month after month. On this occasion, the Huskies are trying to keep up in the talent-laden Big VIII League that includes powerhouses Corona and Norco.
Centennial, which finished in third place last season, has three sophomores who started and performed well as freshmen: Infielder Ethan Miller (.298 batting average), infelder Ethan Lebreton (.304) and outfielder Jesse Mendoza (.314).
It was an Ethan-to-Ethan double play combination at shortstop and second base for much of the year. All that experience hitting against the likes of Seth Hernandez and facing a Corona team that had three first-round draft picks should pay off in the spring.
One baseball player absent was the starting center fielder, Jaden Walk-Green, who was busy on the football field getting two interceptions and kicking two field goals in a 43-36 upset of Mater Dei.
"I'm everything. I'm the utility player," Walk-Green said.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh tied Mickey Mantle’s season record for most home runs by a switch hitter with his 54th, and the Seattle Mariners extended their winning streak to nine by routing the Los Angeles Angels 11-2 Sunday to take sole possession of the AL West lead for the first time since June.
George Kirby matched his career high with 14 strikeouts as the Mariners completed a four-game sweep and won for the 20th time in their last 23 home games.
Jorge Polanco had three doubles and has doubles in seven straight games, tying the Mariners record.
Seattle (82-68) moved one game ahead of Houston (81-69) at the top of the division, winning nine in a row for the first time since a 14-game streak from July 2-17, 2022, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Mariners had not been alone in first place since before play on June 3.
Kirby (9-7) allowed two runs and three hits in 6 1/3 innings, walking none and leaving after 101 pitches. He also struck out 14 Angels on June 8 in Los Angeles.
Batting left-handed in the first inning, Raleigh had a first-pitch homer to left-center off Kyle Hendricks for a 2-0 lead. Mantle hit his 54 homers for the 1961 New York Yankees. Raleigh’s homer was his record-setting 43rd homer this season as a catcher, one more than Atlanta’s Javy López in 2003.
Hendricks (7-10) gave up nine runs and 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Mariners third baseman Yoán Moncada left in the middle of the fifth inning because of a sore left ankle.
Christian Moore and Oswald Peraza hit solo homers for the Angels. Denzer Guzmán got his first two big league hits.
Raleigh's homer.
Kirby had his 36th outing of no walks in six or more innings.
Angels: RHP Caden Dana (4-2, 6.32 ERA) starts Tuesday at Milwaukee, which sends RHP Freddy Peralta (16-6, 2.69) to the mound.
Mariners: RHP Logan Gilbert (4-6, 3.54) starts Tuesday at Kansas City, which goes with RHP Michael Wacha (9-11, 3.45).
Cal Raleigh waves to the crowd after hitting his 54th home run of the season. Photograph: Lindsey Wasson/AP
Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 54th home run of the season, tying Mickey Mantle’s record for a switch hitter set in 1961, as the Seattle Mariners took sole possession of first place in the American League West with an 11-2 victory against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon.
Jorge Polanco tied a franchise record with three doubles and Julio Rodriguez added two more with two runs and two RBIs as the Mariners (82-68) won their ninth game in a row.
Randy Arozarena led off the bottom of the first with a single and Raleigh hit the next pitch from Kyle Hendricks, a sinker on the outside corner, 409ft into the Seattle bullpen in left-center field.
Raleigh said he had talked about the record with his father. “I remember him talking about [Mantle] like he was a god. Which he was,” Raleigh said of visiting Yankee Stadium with his father when he was younger. “It’s kind of cool to think about that.”
Mariners manager Dan Wilson paid tribute to Raleigh’s attitude. “To do what he has done offensively, to do what he does defensively, to do what he does with our pitching staff, you just marvel at all the things that he’s accomplishing,” Wilson said. “On top of that, making history, and just in a very humble way, that’s the kind of guy he is. He just wants to win, and that’s where it all comes from. That’s the driver.”
The Mariners’ last division title came in 2001, when they won 116 games. Raleigh said he is concentrating on helping his team end their drought.
“You know, in today’s age it’s hard not to go on your phone and people are talking about it, texting you about it,” Raleigh said. “I’m trying to do my best to block that out. I’m glad that we have something bigger to work towards.”
Will Warren allowed five straight hits to begin the game in a six-run first inning, putting the Yankees in a hole they couldn’t climb out of in a 6-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night at Fenway Park.
New York smacked three home runs and had a chance with the tying run at the plate with nobody out in the eighth, but couldn't complete the three-game sweep. The Yanks leave Beantown with an 83-66 record. Boston improved to 82-68, to move to 1.5 games behind for the top AL Wild Card spot. With Toronto completing a three-game sweep of Baltimore on Sunday, the Yankees are now 4.0 games behind the Jays for first in the AL East.
Here are the takeaways...
- Giancarlo Stanton made his second start of the series in left field and made a hash of things immediately, overrunning a flyball as it fell short of the Green Monster, resulting in a leadoff triple for Jarren Duran in the home half of the first.
Boston made Warren pay for Stanton’s blunder: Alex Bregman took a fastball on the inside corner up the middle for an RBI single, Trevor Story sharply slapped single through the right side of the infield, Nathaniel Lowe got jammed but muscled a soft liner through the right side to plate another run, and Romy Gonzalez drove an RBI double to right to put two in scoring position and pitching coach Matt Blake was out for a visit after five straight hits on the first 14 pitches of the night.
Masataka Yoshida notched a sacrifice fly to center (one pitch after the Yanks failed to come up with a pop fly in foul territory down the right field line) and a Rob Refsnyder grounder to second, trading two more runs for the first two outs. But Warren fell behind 2-1 to Carlos Narvaez, who demolished a high, 95 mph fastball to centerfield for a 403-foot home run to round out the six-run first.
The Yankee righty settled in the second before a swinging bunt and walk put two on with two outs. It took Austin Slater making a diving catch after a long run on a ball to shallow right to keep Boston off the board in the second. He got six of the next seven Sox batters, allowing only a leadoff single in the third.
Warren was in a spot of bother with one out in the fifth after back-to-back singles, but he froze Refsnyder with a sweeper and got Narvaez to ground out to short. After the first, Warren stranded five runners and held Boston to 0-for-3 with RISP. His final line: 5.0 innings, six runs on 10 hits and a walk with two strikeouts on 89 pitches (59 strikes).
- Aaron Judge swung through a pair of fastballs before chasing a breaking pitch low and away to go down swinging in his first at-bat against Boston ace Garrett Crochet. Judge swung through a two fastball his second time up to again fall behind 1-2 with two outs and a runner on second base in the third, this time he worked the count full, but again went down swinging on a breaking pitch in the dirt.
With two outs in the fifth, the reigning AL MVP won the third matchup, smacking a first-pitch fastball up and away 400 feet into Boston’s bullpen in right for a solo home run. It was Judge’s 48th long ball of the year (112.7 mph off the bat) for his 102nd RBI to cut the deficit to three runs.
He rocketed a single in the eighth (113.5 mph) to finish the day 2-for-4.
- The Yanks first got to Crochet in the fourth as Stanton smashed a 110.9 mph single with one out and Amed Rosario got a sweeper down and clocked it just over the Monster for a two-run shot. Paul Goldschmidt, who walked his first time up, singled, but the three straight hits were all the Bombers could muster. Goldschmidt finished the day 1-for-3 with a walk.
- The Yanks were glad to see Crochet exit in the sixth and Jose Caballero, who struck out twice off the starter, got a 1-0 sinker right over the plate from reliver Steven Matz and hit it out of the stadium over the Monster in left, 423 feet (108.1 mph). The one-out homer made it four unanswered for the visitors after they fell behind by a half dozen in the first.
- Out of the bullpen, Camilo Doval picked up two strikeouts in a clean sixth, Mark Leiter Jr. worked around a one-out single with a double play in a scoreless seventh, and Paul Blackburn got around a one-out single in eighth, thanks to a really fine play by Caballero up the middle for the final out.
- After Judge’s leadoff single in the eighth off reliever Garrett Whitlock, the Yanks had the tying run at the plate, but Cody Bellinger went down looking, Stanton looking, and pinch-hitter Trent Grisham swinging.
Bellinger finished hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts. Stanton finished the day 1-for-4 with three strikeouts.
Arroldis Chapman made no mistakes in the ninth, throwing 10 strikes on 11 pitches with a couple of groundouts and a strikeout swinging on a 101.5 mph fastball past Caballero to end it.
Game MVP: Garrett Crochet
Crochet, who is tough against everybody, was tough on the Yanks. Aside from the two dingers, the left-hander racked up 12 strikeouts, getting Slater three times, Judge, Stanton, and Caballero twice each, as well as Rosario, Bellinger, and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
The Sox southpaw got 23 whiffs on 52 swings (44 percent) and another 14 called strikes, en route to needing 99 pitches to get 18 outs.
The Yankees head to Minnesota for a three-game series against the Twins, starting on Monday night with a 7:40 p.m. first pitch as MLB celebrates Roberto Clemente Day.
The pitching matchups for the series: Carlos Rodon vs. Simeon Woods Richardson, Cam Schlittler vs. Zebby Matthews, and Luis Gil vs. Taj Bradley.
The Dodgers' Mookie Betts rounds third base to score on an RBI double from Freddie Freeman against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. (Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
This is the time to bring on the rivals. The Dodgers are used to taking on challengers down the pennant stretch: the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres — and, in a previous version of the National League West, the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds.
The final two weeks of the regular season are upon us. The Dodgers have one remaining head-to-head matchup that really matters — and that series starts Monday at Dodger Stadium, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies?
The Phillies have not been realigned into the NL West. However, although the three division champions automatically qualify for the playoffs, the two with the best records earn a bye into the division series. The division champion with the third-best record — right now, that would be the Dodgers — must play in the first round.
The Milwaukee Brewers, the presumed champions of the NL Central, boast the best record in baseball. The Phillies, the presumed champions of the NL East, lead the Dodgers by 4 ½ games. The Dodgers have 13 games to play.
The Dodgers got a bye and lost in the division series in 2022. They got a bye and lost in the division series in 2023. They got a bye and came within one game of elimination in the division series in 2024. Would they be better off not getting a bye and playing in the first round?
“There is not a question in my mind that that does not make sense,” Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, told me last week. “It is better for your World Series odds to not play those three games.”
The five days off that come with a bye can disrupt the timing of hitters. They also can allow time for injured and weary players to recover — that could be critical for Dodgers catcher Will Smith, in particular — and for the Dodgers to arrange their starting rotation just the way they might like it. And, of course, you can’t be eliminated in the first round if you don’t play in it.
“We have made our life more difficult to this point,” Friedman said, “but I still think we have a really good run in us, and we’ll make it competitive. So obviously these three games against Philly are really important in that.”
What if the three games against the Phillies go poorly?
Even if they don’t, the Dodgers might not win the division. The Padres are closer to the Dodgers than the Dodgers are to the Phillies.
San Diego trails the Dodgers by 2½ games in the NL West.
If the Padres win the NL West, how much would that hurt the Dodgers’ chances of a lengthy postseason run?
Not much, if at all. Both teams almost certainly would end up in the wild-card round.
The NL West champion would play the last team into the NL field, most likely the Giants or New York Mets and maybe even the Reds or Arizona Diamondbacks, with the chance the opponent exhausted its pitching just to get into the playoffs. The other team would play the Chicago Cubs, and would avoid the possibility of facing the surging Phillies until the NLCS.
If the NL West comes down to the last day or two, the Dodgers would have to determine whether to use their best starters on that final weekend or line them up for the wild-card series.
In that scenario, what might be the decisive factor in the Dodgers’ calculus?
The NL West champion would play all three games of the wild-card round at home; the runner-up likely would play all three games on the road. The Dodgers are 48-26 at home, 36-39 on the road. (The Padres are 47-28 at home, 35-40 on the road.)
Would there be any precedent for the Dodgers not minding if the Padres won the NL West?
In 1996, the Dodgers and Padres were tied for the NL West lead heading into the final day of the regular season, with the two teams facing one another. Both teams were guaranteed a playoff spot.
The Padres won the game, and with it the division. The Dodgers started Martinez in their playoff opener three days later. They lost that game, and they were swept in the series by the Braves. The winning pitchers in that series, in order: John Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine.
In Friedman’s previous 10 seasons running the Dodgers, what is the fewest number of games they have won?
Ninety-one, in 2016.
How did the Dodgers do that October?
They earned a bye into the division series, in which they beat the Washington Nationals. They lost to the Chicago Cubs in the league championship series.
The Dodgers' Mookie Betts, center, celebrates with Kiké Hernández after scoring on Miguel Rojas' single during the sixth inning. (Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
The Dodgers have gotten back to the basics this week, preaching the importance of the little things in daily hitters’ meetings, in-game dugout conversations and even simulated drills in early batting practice sessions.
After a 2 ½ month slump over the second half of the season, they were searching for a more dependable style of offense. Like simplifying their approach at the plate. Shortening up swings and using the big part of the field with two strikes. Capitalizing on situational opportunities with runners on base. And making sure that, amid a resurgence from their rotation, they were finding ways to more consistently manufacture runs.
This weekend in San Francisco, they finally enjoyed the fruits of those labors, blowing out the Giants 10-2 on Sunday to win a three-game series and remain 2 ½ games up in the National League West standings.
“Quality of at-bat, winning pitches, using the whole field, not punching [out] — I think all those things, you know it’s in there,” manager Dave Roberts said, after the Dodgers racked up 18 hits, worked six walks and scored in six of their nine trips to the plate.
“We’ve seen it. Maybe not with the consistency we would’ve liked. But when you’re facing really good arms, to see us do what we did... it’s certainly encouraging.”
Indeed, coming off a 13-run outburst Saturday night, the Dodgers picked up right where they left off at Oracle Park on Sunday afternoon, slowly sucking the life out of a recently resurgent Giants team trying to sneak into the playoffs.
Teoscar Hernández continued a recent surge with a team-high four hits, making him 11 for his last 24. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Michael Conforto each had three knocks, with Conforto’s day getting his batting average back to .200. As a team, the Dodgers combined for a whopping 16 singles while forcing 207 pitches from the Giants’ staff of arms. And most amazing, they did it with Shohei Ohtani reaching base only once, and that didn’t even happen until his sixth at-bat in the top of the ninth.
“It's quality at-bats, quality outs, moving guys over, getting sac flies, bringing defenses in if you move them over,” Freeman said. “It creates more traffic, more things that are able to happen on the baseball field. Just think the quality of at-bats have been really good over the last week."
The onslaught started in the second inning, when two walks and a Freeman single loaded the bases, setting up Kiké Hernández for a sacrifice fly. It continued in the third, when a pair of productive outs (plus a bobbled ground ball from San Francisco third baseman Matt Chapman) turned singles from Betts and Teoscar Hernández into another hard-earned run.
Then, in the fifth, it all culminated in a four-run rally, one that knocked Giants starter Robbie Ray out of the game, and turned a low-scoring affair into a series rubber-match rout.
Freeman lined a double to right field, after Betts walked and Teoscar Hernández again singled. Conforto came off the bench for a two-run, pinch-hit, bases-loaded single that he managed to slap past a drawn-in infield. A run-scoring balk from reliever Joel Peguero added to the deluge, which included a pair of walks from Tommy Edman and Ben Rortvedt.
In the sixth, what was already a 6-1 lead was stretched a little further, with Miguel Rojas’ two-run single — with the bases loaded once more — putting the Dodgers’ sixth win in seven on ice. The Dodgers nonetheless added more runs in both the eighth and ninth, giving them their first back-to-back double-digit run totals since all the way back at the end of April.
The Dodgers' Tyler Glasnow pitched into the seventh inning on Sunday to pick up his second win in as many starts. (Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)
“It's definitely the kind of baseball we want to be playing down the stretch and for the rest of the season,” Conforto said. “I think we're doing a lot of the little things right. That's kind of been the theme as we finish up here.”
It all represented a new look from the Dodgers’ star-studded offense, with only one of their 23 runs the last two days requiring a ball to go over the fence.
For much of the year, the team has been overly reliant on home runs, scoring via the long ball at the fifth-highest percentage in the majors (45%) at the end of play Friday. During their second-half slide, that dynamic had prevented them from working around injuries and mechanical flaws from much of the lineup, or finding alternative ways to build big innings and hang crooked numbers.
Hence, their recent re-emphasis on more dependable fundamentals — allowing them to paper-cut an opposing pitching staff to death in a way that is typically for success in October.
“When you can be able to do it, and know you can do it, as we're leading up to that point [of the playoffs], it definitely is a big confidence booster,” Freeman said. “We don't have to rely on the two-run, three-run home run all the time. I think that was just big. The last week, [this is] what we've been trying to do. And we've been able to actually do it in the games."
On the mound, Tyler Glasnow was able to settle down after looking frustrated with his command early, when he walked four batters (and hit another) in his first three innings. At a point he has so often spiraled in his up-and-down Dodgers tenure, the right-hander instead found a rhythm by retiring 10 in a row, managing to pitch into the seventh in a 6 ⅔ inning, one-run outing.
“It’s encouraging,” said Glasnow, who has a 3.06 ERA on the season and a 2.66 mark since returning from a shoulder injury in July “Since I got back from the IL, it’s been easier to kind of put [those kind of struggles] out of my head and go compete. If my stuff sucks, it’s kind of whatever. Just compete, try to get in the zone, get some weak contact. It’s helpful."
It led to the kind of performance the Dodgers are banking on from their rotation in the playoffs. This is still a team that, at its core, will have to be carried by its pitching.
The only way that strength will matter, however, is if the lineup can find some long-awaited consistency. This weekend, signs of it finally arrived. Everything the Dodgers had been preaching at last came to fruition.
“As we come down to the end [of the season, we’re] just kind of recognizing what it is that really puts us in the right spot to win games,” Conforto said. “It's go time now, and we got to do all those things if we want to get to where we want to get to."
Nolan McLean just continues delivering quality innings for the Mets down the stretch in the playoff push.
With the team looking to end their dreadful eight-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon, the rookie stepped up and put together six shutout innings in what ended as a walk-off victory over the Texas Rangers.
McLean did endure some early command issues, falling behind in the count to each of the game’s first five hitters, but that proved to be no issue as he struck out four and limited Texas to one baserunner over the first three innings.
He then allowed singles to Joc Pederson and Rowdy Tellez in the top of the fourth, but used a double play ball and his fourth punchout of the afternoon to escape the threat.
The Rangers were able to put two more runners on with two outs in the fifth thanks to a double and walk, but the youngster set down Wyatt Langford for his third strikeout of the afternoon to again dance out of danger.
McLean faced another threat in the sixth after a hit by pitch and a bloop single, but he used his second clutch double play of the afternoon to end his outing on a huge note.
Overall, he allowed just five hits and two walks while striking out seven across six frames.
“Nolan was impressive again,” Carlos Mendoza said. “It looks like they had a good game plan against his sweeper where they took some pitches early in counts, and they were aggressive on that pitch, and he recognized that and he started using the sinker and changeup to lefties.
“That's what makes this guy who he is -- not only does he have the stuff, but his ability to recognize what hitters are trying to do against him, he has a lot of weapons that he can go to at different times and in different counts, man it’s just super impressive.”
McLean is now the first Mets pitcher to not allow a run in their first three Citi Field starts.
His 1.19 ERA is the lowest mark in franchise history through ones first six big-league outings.
He's also tied with Dwight Gooden for the third-most strikeouts through six career starts (40).
Certainly, some prestigious company and impressive addition to the resume, though, McLean isn't focused on that.
“I’m not a huge stat guy,” he admitted. “I just try to go out and give my team the best chance to win every time.”
SAN FRANCISCO — With an MLB playoff spot on the line, the Giants are hoping their top prospect can help get them over the finish line.
First baseman Bryce Eldridge will join the team in Phoenix, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area on Sunday night. It’s the final step in a meteoric rise for the 2023 first-round draft pick, who will debut a few weeks before his 21st birthday. The promotion first was reported by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser.
Eldridge has an .836 OPS in Triple-A this season, with 18 homers in 66 games. He has 25 homers in 100 games across two levels this season, consistently showing the kind of power that has made him one of the top prospects in the minor leagues.
The Giants had hoped all along that Eldridge could spend the entire season in Triple-A and then compete for a big league job next spring, but the math changed over the weekend when Dominic Smith strained his hamstring and went on the IL. They struggled offensively in back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers, failing to make up ground in the Wild Card race.
It’s unclear how the Giants will use Eldridge initially. Long term, they anticipate him splitting time at first base and DH with Rafael Devers, but for now, the lineup could use a boost.
The Giants likely will face five right-handed starters in seven days on this upcoming road trip, providing a nice landing spot for Eldridge, who has said since the spring that he wanted to debut in 2025.
SAN FRANCISCO — With an MLB playoff spot on the line, the Giants are hoping their top prospect can help get them over the finish line.
First baseman Bryce Eldridge officially has been called up by the Giants, the team announced Monday.
The 20-year-old Eldridge is batting fifth and will serve as the designated hitter in his MLB debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday at Chase Field.
A source confirmed the news of Eldridge’s promotion to NBC Sports Bay Area on Sunday night. It’s the final step in a meteoric rise for the 2023 first-round draft pick, who will debut a few weeks before his 21st birthday. The move first was reported by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser.
To make room for Eldridge on the roster, outfielder Luis Matos was optioned to Triple-A and infielder Brett Wiseley was designated for assignment.
Eldridge has an .836 OPS in Triple-A this season, with 18 homers in 66 games. He has 25 homers in 100 games across two levels this season, consistently showing the kind of power that has made him one of the top prospects in the minor leagues.
The Giants had hoped all along that Eldridge could spend the entire season in Triple-A and then compete for a big league job next spring, but the math changed over the weekend when Dominic Smith strained his hamstring and went on the IL. They struggled offensively in back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers, failing to make up ground in the Wild Card race.
It’s unclear how the Giants will use Eldridge initially. Long term, they anticipate him splitting time at first base and DH with Rafael Devers, but for now, the lineup could use a boost.
The Giants likely will face five right-handed starters in seven days on this upcoming road trip, providing a nice landing spot for Eldridge, who has said since the spring that he wanted to debut in 2025.
“I’m not gonna lie, we needed that one,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
That they certainly did.
Things were looking bleak once again for Mendoza's Mets on Sunday afternoon. After Nolan McLean delivered six shutout innings, for a second-straight day, hopes of bringing the brutal losing streak to an end appeared on the cards. But, for a second straight day, New York’s bullpen let a slim advantage over the Texas Rangers slip.
Brooks Raley entered and gave up a single and hit a batter while getting two outs in the seventh, before turning things over to Reed Garrett, who walked another to load the bases, before allowing a game-tying single to Joc Pederson.
Tyler Rogers then put together a scoreless eighth, and Edwin Diaz worked out of a jam in the ninth, thanks to a tremendous play from Francisco Lindor,snagging a liner before throwing to third for a double play, nabbing the would-be go-ahead runner.
Ryne Stanek followed that up with a strong inning of his own, striking out a pair to strand the ghost-runner in scoring position, then Pete Alonso delivered a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the tenth.
It was Alonso’s first long ball in 11 games, and the fifth game-winning shot of his career.
“Every walk-off homer is sick,” the slugger said. “There’s no way to rank that one, but awesome and a phenomenal feeling -- obviously, there was a lot of meaning to that one for where we are right now, so just super happy I was able to help the team.”
The losing skid now officially comes to an end at eight games.
That guarantees that New York will carry their slim advantage in the race for the third NL Wild Card spot heading into the second-to-last week of the regular season.
They’ll look to build off of this when they open a series Tuesday against the Padres.
“It was important, I’m not gonna lie, we needed that one,” Mendoza said.
“We need them all at this point,” Alonso added. “No matter if it’s today, tomorrow, or however many games we have left in the regular season, we need as many as we can -- just gotta do the best we can to stack them, I’m really glad that we got this one.”
Forgotten-Unsung Heroes From The Rangers PastThe Garden's diligent historians are working full-tilt to mark the Rangers' Centennial celebration by honoring those who've made the franchise the historic, living legend that it has become.
