Category: Baseball

Judging by his final statline alone, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Nolan McLean was his typical, dominant self on the mound today in the Mets' 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres, the team's fourth straight victory.

However, in the first two innings, McLean allowed five hits and two walks across the 11 batters he faced, striking none of them out.

Thankfully, two tremendous back-to-back outfield assists from right fielder (and other half of the Oklahoma State 'Power Gingers') Carson Benge and another from left fielder A.J. Ewing limited the damage to the lone earned run on a sacrifice fly.

"Some unlucky hits early," McLean said about a string of bloop singles. "But overall, stuff felt pretty good. Had a hard time getting a grip on the ball early in the game, but I was able to find it a little bit later, which helped me get through it."

"Little lucky at the outset," Mets' interim manager Andy Green said. "Clearly was not settled today. But the competitor that he is, he didn't let his first two innings dictate his next four. He was really good from then on out."

Green thought he was going to have to get McLean in the fifth when he issued back-to-back two-out walks on 10 pitches, but the 25-year-old got JacksonMerrill to fly out to right-center.

"He [then] did a great job in the sixth going out there; we needed those three outs," the skipper said.  

McLean ended up completing six full innings and throwing 103 pitches, lowering his ERA to 3.34 for the year.

From there, the Mets bullpen made quick work of a Padres team that has been scorching hot as of late, having won seven of their last eight games entering tonight. San Diego is also playing for their lives right now, clinging to the final National League Wild Card spot with a 0.5-game lead over their divisional rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Following a leadoff single by Luis Rengifo in the seventh inning, the Padres offense failed to reach base the rest of the way. 

Jonathan Pintaro handled the seventh plus the leadoff man in the eighth before southpaw Nate Lavender got the next two on just two pitches, and Daniel Duarte shut the door in the ninth with two strikeouts to retire nine batters in a row in the process.

Lavender earned his fourth hold in his first five appearances as a big-leaguer, having been promoted to the active roster on Aug. 4, while Duarte earned his second save of the season.

Duarte's 0.89 ERA and 0.64 WHIP across 20.1 innings pitched exemplify the best form of the 29-year-old journeyman's career.

"The 'strong side' of our bullpen that we've identified was a little thinner today, but Pintaro was great, and Lav was great, and Duarte, as well," Green stated. "Really good."

The Mets chose not to turn to Kodai Senga tonight, who has converted all three of his save opportunities since joining the bullpen as a replacement closer for the injured Devin Williams.

"As he builds up volume, three out of four didn't make a ton of sense for [Monday to be] his first back-to-back," Green explained. "Certainly think he's going to be able to do that. And I think he could have done that; he was up for doing that today. Just kinda restrained ourselves from doing that."

Ketel Marte is back on the restricted list for the second time in his career, this time after he didn’t show up to Monday’s road game against the Red Sox.

The Diamondbacks didn’t post their lineup until 15 minutes before first pitch, when they announced the roster move. Jose Fernandez was recalled from Triple-A Reno, which was on an off-day between series in Tacoma, Washington, and Sacramento, California.

Arizona reportedly waited until the last possible second to announce the move, as they hoped the All-Star second baseman would arrive in time for the game.

The Diamondbacks didn’t give a reason why Marte missed the game, how long he will be out, or whether he made it to Boston at all after Sunday’s game in Atlanta. Marte is attending to a personal matter, according to Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com

Marte’s first stint on the restricted list, a designation for players away from the team without a reason and without pay, came in 2025 after his home in Arizona was burglarized and he lost $400,000.

That three-game break soon after the All-Star Game — and right after he’d requested off the Sunday prior — irked his teammates.

Those grumblings started anew earlier this season, after Marte cited lower back tightness to skip a game against the Dodgers with Shohei Ohtani on the mound. Manager Torey Lovullo refuted the reports and insisted there’s no love lost in the D-backs’ clubhouse.

Marte, an MVP finalist in 2024, has long been at the center of trade rumors, especially with Arizona’s position as a seller in 2025. The three-time is hitting .249 with 21 homers, 67 RBIs and a .760 OPS for an Arizona team in the thick of the NL West race.

He is currently in Year 2 of a six-year, $105 million deal.

After a sweep against the Minnesota Twins where they scored a combined 23 runs over three games, they pull out a solid win as the Marlins try to cling to the wildcard race.

It was all of the makings of a good team win. It started on the first ball in play of the night, Trea Turner made a classic Derek Jeter-like jump throw to nail Esteury Ruiz. Cristopher Sánchez did not have his normal velocity tonight but it didn’t matter too much. He still got six strikeouts and made plenty of Marlins hitters look silly on the changeup but there were breaks. The Marlins offense recorded eight hits, including three straight innings with at least one leadoff baserunner.

It was not always pretty but he gutted it out. Sánchez did catch a nice break in the fifth. After back-to-back singles to start the inning, Heriberto Hernández squibbled a a grounder right to Bryson Stott on the third base bag, who fired a rocket to second base for a double play. Xavier Edwards then hit a weak ground ball to Alec Bohm to end the threat.

Meanwhile, the Phillies’ offense hit Janson Junk around for five innings but struggled to deliver the final blow. They were able to capitalize in the bottom of the third, with an excuse-me groundball that dribbled down the third base line for a Justin Crawford leadoff double. After a Kyle Schwarber strikeout, Trea Turner slapped a single to put the Phillies on the board.

After a Bryce Harper walk, Luis Arraez then punched a single into right field to double the Phillies lead to two.

It become more about the battle of the bullpens as the game went on. After Junk exited the game after five innings, John King struggled to keep the game close.

After a Bryson Stott walk, sacrifice bunt by Brandon Marsh, and a JT Realmuto walk, Don Mattingly went to his bench for Derek Hill.

Like he has all season, Derek Hill was bound to come up clutch, taking a sinker right past Otto Lopez into center field to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead. After a sacrifice flyout by Schwarber, the Phillies went to their bullpen with a three-run lead.

Jonathan Bowlan, the Phillies most-trusted setup man was tasked with the seventh and it looked as comfortable as it’s been after his first two hitters, getting Jakob Marsee to strikeout and a flyout from Heriberto Hernández.

But with two outs, the Marlins recorded back-to-back singles from Xavier Edwards and Agustín Ramírez to bring the tying run to the plate with two outs. Otto Lopez worked a five pitch walk to load the bases to give Javier Sanoja a chance to get the Marlins back in the game.

After Bowlan got a head 0-2, he hung a slider that Sanoja punched down the first base line but was called foul. All three Marlins runners did the smart thing and kept running and would’ve scored if the umpire didn’t initially call the ball foul. But instead of trying to correct an understandable missed call, the umpires just made a second mistake instead, awarding only two runs for the Marlins and putting Lopez at third with Sanoja at second base with two outs. Leo Jiménez then struck out.

After Derek Hill worked a bases loaded walk to give the Phillies a two run lead again, it was time for Mattingly to go back to the bullpen.

Brooks Raley did part of his job in getting two left handed hitters to record outs before being lifted but in between, he surrendered a solo home run to Brian Navarreto on a cutter that didn’t cut.

The Phillies once again got to the Marlins bullpen, with Alec Bohm slapping a Cade Gibson slider that scored Bryce Harper and then the game turned to Jhoan Duran for the final three outs.

After throwing 33 pitches against the Twins on Sunday, Duran returned tonight on a back-to-back because he is the glue that is sort of keeping the bullpen, and maybe the entire team, from unraveling. He wasn’t perfect, far from his world class standards. Xavier Edwards hit a Baltimore chopper for an infield knock and later took second base because closers as good as Duran forget runners are on base. After a groundout, Otto Lopez punched a splinker into center field to make it a one-run game.

But that was the last of the Marlins magic for the night. Sanoja and Jiménez were no match for Duran and the Phillies escaped with a narrow win to keep them in a wildcard spot.

It was not the prettiest win and it is not one that should allow you to ignore their flaws but the Phillies are 11-5 in the month of August with a completely new offensive approach and identity this month. It might not last, the last time things felt this good, they did not last but with a month and a half to go, there is a chance this team is hitting it’s stride.

Tonight could’ve been categorized as lucky, the Phillies probably shouldn’t have won this game. Some would say this is a game good teams win, grabbing insurance runs when needed to help a struggling pitching staff. Who knows. Eat Arby’s.

Maria Menounos is a cancer survivor. The Medford native was the third or fourth scheduled Jimmy Fund-supported appearance on tonight’s broadcast/telethon, the scheduling of which was impeccable. The Sox pulled ahead and away early and never let up, and the appearance of Menounos and other affected families was more conspicuous on the broadcast than ever, due to the team kicking a lot of butt. It was inspiring and a reminder that the time will be passed, goshdarnit, and it will occasionally force you to think about things you didn’t anticipate, and you learn something.

Then it all comes back to beisbol, and when the Sox go up 9-1 in the 6th, and Maria sez “God is blessing this game,” it’s hard to disagree. By that point, every Sox starter had an RBI. That’s *really* hard to do. And while it should probably be noted that AZ star Ketel Marte simply didn’t show up to the game (which is wild), he wouldn’t have helped. Among the bountiful Sox highlights: Adley Rutschman broke out of his slump with an RBI double one at-bat after reaching on a stupid error; Ceddy Rafaela hit 3 doubles; Willson Contreras went yard and Brayan Bello went hard, 4.2 IP while allowing 1R with 3Ks. It was 11-1 by the time it was done. The details are over there. The feeling is right here. Drink it in.

Carson Benge’s right arm might be the most exciting tool on the Mets roster this season.

That arm unloaded twice in the first inning Monday, setting the tone for the night: Two Padres were thrown out at the plate. Run prevention was also in full force an inning later when A.J. Ewing nailed a runner at the plate.

The defensive push led to a 2-1 victory, the Mets’ 10th in their past 13 games.

Before his third straight impressive performance defensively in right field, Benge was asked by The Post if he thought base runners might stop testing him.

“I hope not,” Benge said. “That is one of the parts of my game that I am prouder about is being able to show off whenever I can. It’s real fun.”

Benge nailed Jake Cronenworth at the plate on Ty France’s one-out single in the first. The ensuing batter, Jackson Merrill, singled in front of Benge, who unleashed another gem and threw out Manny Machado at the plate. It marked the first time in franchise history an outfielder threw out two runners at the plate in the same inning.

The display gave Benge four outfield assists over the past three games and nine this season (which ranks first among National League right fielders).

“The first one was pretty cool, but the inning wasn’t over yet,” Benge said. “So being able to nail him for the third out was pretty special.”

Such throws have likely placed the 23-year-old Benge in the Gold Glove conversation in right field. Benge also figures to receive consideration in NL Rookie of the Year balloting, bolstered by a .750 OPS.

Benge’s 2.4 bWAR entering Monday ranked third among NL rookies, behind JJ Wetherholt and TJ Rumfield. On the defensive level, Benge rates as average in range (at zero outs above average, according to Statcast). But his arm value and arm strength rank in MLB’s 95th and 98th percentiles, respectively.

“I think he’s put himself at the forefront of the Gold Glove conversation and the Rookie of the Year,” said Mets bench coach Kai Correa, who oversees the team’s defense. “If he’s not in either of those, I am not sure what we are doing.”

Benge’s defensive highlights over the weekend included racing down Dylan Crews’ shot to right field Sunday — he collided with the fence after the catch. Benge had a sliding catch on Daylen Lile’s fly to right later in the game. On Saturday, he nailed Crews attempting to score from third on a fly to right. A day later, Brady House got thrown out by Benge attempting to race from first to third.

Correa noted that that Benge, who progressed through the minors mostly in center field, has moved around the outfield this season to accommodate other players, but it hasn’t appeared to stunt his growth in right.

“The second thing is, everyone can say it and talk about arm strength,” Correa said. “But to have the consistency and quick release and be accurate — he is making 98 mph throws on the bag, on the plate, long hops on the fly. So, the consistency of accuracy at that arm strength is a pretty special weapon, and then the athleticism to complete plays: dive, slide and jump. He is really the total package out there.”

Benge admitted to receiving a thrill watching the replays of his best throws.

“Some of them, they get up there that I throw pretty hard and they are one-hop strikes and they are pretty fun to watch,” Benge said. “I feel like I have always had it. I feel like I have always been pretty accurate, know when to hit the cutoff man for the most part and know whenever it’s OK to let it fly a little bit.”

Benge’s assessment of his outfield play overall?

“I have felt like I’ve gotten better,” he said. “I have felt like there’s easy plays that I haven’t made, and I know I can still get better on reads and different things like that. But overall, I am pretty satisfied with how it’s continued to grow throughout the year.”

The Mets haven’t had a Gold Glove winner since Juan Lagares won one in 2014. Their best chance to end that drought this season might rest with Benge, especially if runners continue to test his arm.

“Any kind of recognition in this league for any award would be amazing, no matter what award it might be,” Benge said. “But Gold Glove or Rookie of the Year, it’s pretty cool to be in those talks.”

The Mets started a three game series against the Padres on Monday night. The Padres were sitting in a playoff spot, just a game ahead of the Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot. Walker Buehler was getting the start for the Padres, while Nolan McLean was taking the mound for the Mets, hoping to add another entry to what was shaping up to be a fantastic first full season for the rookie pitcher.

The first inning was a challenge for McLean. It looked like it might be an easy inning after Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a line out right into McLean’s glove for a first out on the first pitch of the game. But back-to-back singles put two runners on with one out. Two more singles followed immediately after, but each one was hit to Carson Benge, and each resulted on an out at the plate with Benge throwing both Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado out at the plate on consecutive plays.

The Mets led off the bottom of the first with an A.J. Ewing single and a Francisco Lindor walk, putting two runners on for the Mets with no outs. Bo Bichette then hit a single to drive in Ewing as the first run of the game on his bobblehead night. Luis Robert Jr. drove in the Mets second run of the game two batters later, hitting a sacrifice fly to bring Lindor in to score.

The second was another difficult endeavor for McLean. Two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases with no outs, spelling trouble for New York. Luis Rengifo hit a comebacker to McLean, who threw home for a force out to keep the Padres scoreless, but also kept the bases loaded with just one out. The Padres finally cashed in when Tatis, up for the second time in the game, hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Gavin Sheets and cut the Mets lead down to one run. Conenworth hit a single, but this time Ewing came through for McLean, throwing Xander Bogaerts out at the plate to end the inning. 

McLean and Buehler traded scoreless innings for the next few frames. McLean came out of the game after six innings, having allowed just the one run. Keeping it to one run was impressive given that he gave up six hits and four walks while only striking out three, which helped illustrate the full team effort on defense alongside McLean.

The Mets bullpen kept the Padres locked down, with Jonathan Pintaro, Nate Lavender, and Daniel Duarte combining for three scoreless innings, with Pintaro allowing the only hit of the final three innings. Daniel Duarte got the save with two strikeouts in the ninth inning.

Nolan McLean got the win, thanks to the spectacular defense (particularly that of his fellow rookies Benge and Ewing). The Mets play two more games against the Padres at home, with Tuesday’s game featuring Zac Thornton going against Padres’ deadline acquisition Robbie Ray.

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Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Nolan McLean, +26% WPA
Big Mets loser: Carson Benge, -7% WPA
Mets pitchers: +63% WPA
Mets hitters: -13% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Fernando Tatis Jr. double play in the seventh inning, +14.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Xander Bogaerts’ walk in the second, -8.7% WPA

The St. Louis Cardinals have momentum, but would that translate into a sweep of the day/night doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds Monday night? The ball was in the hands of Andre Pallante who’s turned into one of the Cardinals most reliable starters this season. The question was if the Cardinals bats would give him the run support he needed. The answer would come from the bat of Herrera and the hits and hustle of Jordan Walker, but the outcome would eventually fall into the hands of the Cardinals bullpen. They would also become victims of their own missed opportunities and mistakes.

The Cincinnati Reds were the first to score Monday night in the bottom of the 1st inning when Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart and JJ Bleday hit back-to-back-to-back singles to open their half of the inning loading the bases. Eugenio Suarez lifted a sacrifice fly to center to give the Reds a 1-0 lead, but that’s all they would get in the 1st after Pallante was able to nurse a double play out of Toglia.

In the top of the 4th inning, the Cardinals would begin their own rally when Iván Herrera (who had just remarkably thrown out Elly De La Cruz) blasted a 93 mph sinker into the right-centerfield seats to tie the game 1-1.

Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker hit back-to-back singles before Joshua Báez grounded into a fielder’s choice advancing Burleson to third. Alec would then score when Masyn Winn slapped a single into right field giving St. Louis a 2-1 advantage.

The Reds would squander a great scoring chance in the bottom of the 4th inning when Bleday and Suarez hit back-to-back singles leading off the inning giving Cincinnati runners at 1st and 3rd with no outs. However, they would get nothing when Pallante struck out Toglia and McLain before getting Rodriguez to weakly ground out to Burleson at first to end the inning. No soup for you!

The St. Louis Cardinals did something in the top of the 6th inning that I wish they did more often. They added to a lead. Jordan Walker got it started with a hustle double to left field. He was singled in by Nathan Church to up the Cardinals lead to 3-1.

St. Louis would score another run two batters later when Blaze Jordan singled to left scoring Church, but Bryan Torres who was walked was thrown out trying to advance to third. The good news is that the Cardinals now had a 4-1 lead.

The Reds would try to claw their way back into the game in the bottom of the 6th inning when Bleday and Suarez would hit back-to-back one out singles. Bleday then scored when Toglia stroked a double to left cutting the Cardinals lead down to 4-2. The Reds could have had another run when McLain flied out to left and then Bryan Torres threw the ball over home plate seemingly to Toledo, but Cincinnati did not send the runner at third and Pallante backed up the play so the Cardinals lead remained 4-2. It would end up not mattering as Rodriguez connected on a two-run single to tie the game 4-4.

Andre Pallante did not have his A game, but he did give the Cardinals 6 innings while allowing 10 hits and 4 earned runs while striking out 5 and walking 1. Peter Strzelecki (Scrabble 3.0) took over in the bottom of the 7th inning with the mission of keeping the game tied until the Cardinals offense could wake from its mid-inning slumber and retake the lead. He was successful in the bottom of the 7th.

The Cardinals mounted a threat in the top of the 8th inning when Jordan Walker led off with a single and stood at first base while Baez and Fermin failed to move him forward. He did advance to second when Masyn Winn walked. Jordan Walker’s hustle helped give the Cardinals the lead when he stole third base and then scored on a smart at-bat by Bryan Torres who guided a seeing-eye single into left-center to give the Cardinals a 5-4 lead. If only Winn had taken Walker’s cue and stole second when Walker took third, the Cardinals lead would be bigger. Unfortunately, Blaze Jordan struck out to end the Cardinals 8th so Winn and Torres were stranded.

Peter Strzelecki was the Cardinals bullpen answer for the bottom of the 8th inning, too. The only drama he allowed wasn’t his fault at all as Suarez hit a ball that hit the third base bag and ricocheted into left field for a double. The Reds would strand the pinch-runner for Suarez when Strzelecki got Toglia to fly out to short center to end the Cincinnati 8th.

I could sense that the Cardinals fanbase was collectively trying to will the bats into giving us insurance runs in the top of the 9th inning when JJ Wetherholt beat out an infield single to deep short. Unfortunately, it would all be for naught after Herrera struck out, Alec Burleson grounded into a force and Jordan Walker struck out. That meant the Cardinals makeshift game 2 bullpen would have to hold onto a 1-run lead in the bottom of the 9th.

That huge responsibility fell onto the shoulders of Peter Strzelecki who tried to toss a third inning of relief. He struck out McLain to start the Reds 9th then did the same to Rodriguez for the second out. Unfortunately, the final out would be elusive as pinch-hitter Dane Myers would tie the game 5-5 with a home run into the left field seats. At least pinch-hitter Stephenson flied out to center to send the game into extra innings.

Emilio Pagan was the Reds reliever for the top of the 10th inning. Jordan Walker was the Cardinals “free” runner starting the inning at second base. Joshua Baez was first up for the good guys. He was hit in the hand by a pitch, but it was ruled that he swung so it was a foul ball and not first base for him. Baez ended up whiffing on a 96 mph fastball high in the zone. Next up was José Fermín. He drew a walk thanks in part to a smart ABS challenge. It was then Masyn Winn’s turn. He fell behind 0-2, but managed to work the count full before he was called out on a check swing that did not look like a good call. Manager Oli Marmol’s righteous protest got him tossed from the game. After pinch-hitter Pereira grounded into a force to end the Cardinals 10th, that meant they would go into the bottom half needing to stop the Reds from scoring to extend the game.

That wishful thinking didn’t happen as Elly De La Cruz hit a ball through Blaze Jordan at third into the left field corner off of Cardinals reliever Justin Bruihl to spoil the St. Louis doubleheader sweep hopes giving (literally) the Reds a 6-5 victory. What can you say except that’s what happens in baseball sometimes.

It’s game 3 of the St. Louis Cardinals vs the Cincinnati Reds as they’ll clash again Tuesday night. Kyle Leahy will make the start for the Cardinals while Andrew Abbott is the scheduled starter for the Reds. First pitch at Great American Ball Park is set for 5:40pm central time.

DENVER –– Kyle Tucker was out of answers on Monday.

To why he has been historically poor at home during his debut Dodgers season: “I don’t really know. If I knew, I’d probably have figured it out by now.”

To why he hasn’t been able to maintain any semblance of consistency since signing a $240 million contract this offseason: “I feel like I’ve tried just about everything. And every time I feel like I’m turning a corner, I get hit with a roadblock.”

To why, in a year on track to see him set career lows in batting average (.232) and OPS (.700), he hasn’t been able to deliver on the weighty expectations that accompanied him to Los Angeles as a four-time All-Star and top-of-the-market free agent.

“First time in my life,” he said, when asked if he’s ever endured a season like this.

Indeed, just when it seemed like Tucker was making progress recently –– over a 15-game stretch from July 24 to Aug. 9, he hit .298 with four home runs and more walks (8) than strikeouts (6) –– the 29-year-old slugger came plummeting back to earth last week, when his season-long Dodger Stadium struggles cratered to a new low.

Tucker went 0-for-19 on the team’s seven-game homestand. He was sat (or, perhaps more accurately, benched) on Saturday in what manager Dave Roberts had hoped would serve as a mental reset amid his home hitting problems. And before the start of a three-game road series in Denver on Monday, he was unable to cite specific solutions to his mounting frustrations at the plate.

“If I knew, I’d obviously change something,” he reiterated. “But just gotta keep playing.”

“You can’t stop,” he later added.

Tucker has voiced that mindset on several occasions earlier this season. And whenever he’s gone on the road, things seemingly start to click.

Entering Monday, he was batting .275 in road games with nine home runs, 37 RBIs and an .840 OPS (numbers pretty much in line with his career-long norms).

Problem is, whenever he goes back to Dodger Stadium, his production completely dries up: .189 average, two home runs, 17 RBIs and a .558 OPS this year.

Among all qualified MLB hitters this year, only Washington Nationals infielder Nasim Nuñez has a worse OPS in home games.

According to Codify Baseball, Tucker is the only MLB hitter to have an 85-game home span with a batting average below .182, an on-base percentage below .288 and a slugging percentage below .266 (in at least 338 plate appearances) since the pitcher’s mound was lowered in 1969.

“It’s not like I’m trying harder on the road than I do at home,” Tucker said. “That’s not the case. That’s just kind of how it’s shaken out.”

After getting booed on several occasions during last week’s week-long 0-fer, Tucker was asked if there has been added frustration in struggling so mightily in front of a new fan base.

“Whether it’s my first year or 10th year with a team, I think it’d be frustrating regardless,” he said. “Whether it’s on the road or at home, it would be frustrating, just not helping the team win games.”

He also downplayed the significance of the day off Roberts gave him on Saturday, when the manager cited apparent “frustration” he saw amid Tucker’s home slump.

“He just told me he was gonna give me the day off,” Tucker countered. “Just to try to work through stuff swing-wise and whatnot throughout the day.”

Later, when asked about the difficulty of handling such a disappointing 2026, Tucker then tried to take an optimistic view of the rest of the year –– which could still be salvaged by a return to form in time for the postseason, but for now continues to be hampered by a simple inability to hit at home.

“You just got to keep going, try and at least pick out the positives, and just try and ride with that,” Tucker said. “Just keep on moving to the next day and hope for something to build on.”

The Mets beat the Padres, 2-1, in the opener of a three-game series on Monday night at Citi Field.

Here are the takeaways...

- The Mets immediately got to Padres starter Walker Buehler in the first inning. AfterA.J. Ewingstroked a single to left-center and Francisco Lindor walked, Bo Bichette found the hole between first and second to drive in Ewing and give New York a 1-0 lead. With one out and the infield in, Luis Robert Jr.fouled three pitches off after getting into a 1-2 hole before lining a sacrifice fly to center field to increase the Mets' advantage to 2-0.

New York's offense went cold after its quick start, with just one batter reaching base from the second through the sixth inning (a third-inning walk by Lindor) as Buehler settled in. 

Up 2-1 in the eighth inning, the Mets had a chance to tack on after back-to-back singles from Marcus Semien and Polanco to start the frame. But Francisco Alvarez and Ewing struck out before Lindor grounded out to third base. 

- It was a bizarre first inning for Nolan McLean, who allowed four hits (with three of them flared at around 75 mph off the bat) but zero runs. That's because Carson Benge, who entered play Monday with one of the best outfield arms in baseball (in terms of both value and strength) nailed runners at the plate on back-to-back plays.

On the first play, Ty France singled, with Jake Cronenworth thrown out trying to score as Benge nabbed the second out. The next batter, Jackson Merrill, lined a single to right, but Benge came up firing again and nailed Manny Machado at the plate. Benge's throw that got Machado was the third-fastest of the Statcast Era, coming it at 103.9 mph (h/t Sarah Langs).

McLean's second inning was also adventurous. He loaded the bases on a pair of walks sandwiched around a hit-by-pitch, and followed that by getting a grounder back to the mound (and the putout at the plate), limiting Fernando Tatis Jr. to a sacrifice fly that went to the warning track in left field, and getting more help from his outfield defense. This time it was Ewing, who threw out Xander Bogaerts at home after Cronenworth singled to left.  

With the Mets' outfielders throwing out three runners at the plate over the first two innings, they became the first team since at least 1906 to accomplish that feat. 

As far as McLean, his first strikeout didn't come until there was one out in the fourth inning, and he dealt with traffic on the bases for most of the night.

But McLean allowed just one hit after the second inning (on a soft liner that bounced out of Semien's glove) and retired nine of 10 hitters at one point. 

Overall, McLean allowed one run on six hits while walking four and striking out three as he lowered his ERA for the season to 3.34. He threw 103 pitches (68 strikes), which was one pitch shy of his season-high.

- Jonathan Pintaro worked around a leadoff bloop single (the runner was immediately erased on a double play) and a two-out walk to toss a scoreless seventh inning. He then got the first out of the eighth before being replaced by Nate Lavender, who retired the next two batters on two pitches.

-  Daniel Duarte struck out a pair in a perfect ninth to notch the save.

Highlights

Nolan McLean snags the liner for the first out of the game! pic.twitter.com/CCxdKOG6hp

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 17, 2026

"Haven't they gotten the scouting report?"

Carson Benge with his 8th outfield assist of the season! pic.twitter.com/VpXgrx73iu

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 17, 2026

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME, STOP RUNNING ON HIM!"

Carson Benge nails back-to-back runners at the plate! pic.twitter.com/E0BTOphs2Y

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 17, 2026

A.J. EWING'S TURN!

The Mets have thrown out three Padres at the plate in the first two innings! pic.twitter.com/XmKj8ZlDgS

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 17, 2026

Nolan McLean was pumped out after A.J. Ewing's outfield assist pic.twitter.com/nqp7RnMO2d

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 17, 2026

Marcus Semien turns the double play on Fernando Tatis Jr. pic.twitter.com/17TyzKrvxo

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 18, 2026

Jonathan Pintaro and Nate Lavender retire the Padres in the 8th inning on 3 pitches pic.twitter.com/5wf4TWwz6H

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 18, 2026

Daniel Duarte locks down the save and the Mets have won four straight! pic.twitter.com/hZShfm88XV

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 18, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Padres continue their series on Tuesday night at 7:10 on SNY.

Zac Thornton gets the start for New York, opposed by Robbie Ray for San Diego.

The Orioles took the field tonight in pursuit of a four-game sweep against the first-place Rays. The offense put the team in a position to pull it off, but the bullpen failed to hold the advantage. Yennier Cano allowed three runs in the seventh, and the Rays got the last laugh with a 7-6 win.

Coby Mayo got the Orioles on the board with the fourth longest home run of the season. Mayo has salivated at the sight of lefties this season, and he took Rays starter Shane McClanahan to task. Mayo got ahead in the count before receiving a fastball down the middle. The 24-year-old barreled the ball and sent it 468 feet to an area of Tropicana Field that does not see many baseballs.

Brandon Young got through the first two innings unscathed but gave one back in the third. Young caught too much of the plate with a 2-2 fastball, and Yandy Díaz evened the score at one with a solo shot.

The Orioles offense did not waste any time reclaiming the lead. Jackson Holliday led off the fifth with a single to right, and Mayo responded with another extra-base hit against a southpaw. Mayo ripped a ball down the left field line to put two runners in scoring position with nobody out. Gunnar Henderson struck out swinging, but Christian Encarnacion-Strand came up with the big hit. With the infield playing in, CES smoked a ball up the middle to provide Baltimore a 3-1 advantage.

Unfortunately, Young failed to deliver a shutdown inning. Ryan Vilade trimmed the lead in half with a solo homer, and Richie Palacios reached base with a two-out single. Young came within one strike of escaping the inning with the lead, but former Oriole Jorge Mateo smoked an 0-2 slider for a go-ahead, two-run homer.

Once again, the Orioles offense came to life for their starter. Facing former teammate Tyler Wells, the Orioles followed Tampa’s blueprint from the prior inning. Pete Alonso quickly evened the score at four with an opposite-field homer. Henderson came through with a two-out single, and Encarnacion-Strand delivered a big fly to secure a 6-4 advantage.

The Orioles did not provided Young another opportunity at a shutdown inning. Instead, Craig Albernaz handed the ball to Cam Sanders. Sanders continued his Cinderella start to his Baltimore career with two shutout innings. Sanders struck out three and did not allow a base runner in the fifth or sixth innings.

Baltimore had its bullpen setup after a blowout win yesterday, and Sanders bridged the gap with two strong innings. Regrettably, things did not go as planned.

Yennier Cano replaced Sanders in the seventh and failed to record an out. Cano allowed a leadoff single to Taylor Walls, plunked Díaz, and surrendered a run-scoring single to Jonathan Aranda. Junior Caminero followed with an infield single, and Albernaz summoned Josh Walker with the Birds clinging to a one-run advantage.

Jonny DeLuca flipped the one-run deficit into a one-run lead for Tampa Bay. With the infield playing in, DeLuca delivered a perfect Baltimore chop that skied over Encarnacion-Strand at third.

The inning could have continued to spiral, but Henderson helped stop the bleeding with a wonderful play at short. Chandler Simpson ripped a ball up the middle, but Henderson picked the ball, tagged second, spun and fired to first for a double play. The Orioles intentionally walked Vilade with two outs, and Walker got Cedric Mullins to fly out to left field.

Baltimore attempted to battle back in the eighth. Carlos Narváez worked a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and made it to third base with only one out. The Rays summoned All-Star closer (and former Oriole) Bryan Baker to face Pete Alonso. Alonso looked at multiple fastballs before striking out on a changeup, and Jackson Holliday grounded out with the tying-run still 90 feet away.

Rico Garcia kept it a one-run game with a scoreless eighth, but Baker returned for his first five-out save of the season. Coby Mayo popped a ball up, and Gunnar Henderson grounded out for the first two outs. Encarnacion-Strand punched a two-out single the other way, and Dylan Beavers entered as a pinch-runner. Albernaz sent out Leody Taveras to hit for Jeremiah Jackson, but Taveras went down swinging for the final out.

Baltimore won a pair of one-run games at the start of the series before smoking the Rays 10-2 last night. The offense showed plenty of life again tonight by out hitting the Rays 14-12. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay is a good team. It’s difficult to fault the Birds for only taking 3-of-4 on the road, but this team needs every win it can get if it hopes to secure that final playoff spot.

Nevertheless, Baltimore should return home feeling confident. They’ll start a three-game series against the Yankees with Shane Baz set to face Carols Rodón. The Orioles are 61-64.

The long and winding road trip for the Atlanta Braves will be getting off to a bit of a delayed start. Just a few minutes before Atlanta was set to do baseball battle with the Minnesota Twins, inclement weather hit the area surrounding Target Field in Minneapolis and now there’s a rain delay. Ivan was onto something when he posted the picture of that thunderstorm in today’s preview.

Anyways, keep it right here as we’ll have updates for you going forward. Hopefully we won’t be waiting for all that long!

UPDATE [7:42 p.m. ET]: CJ Nitkowski over on The Website Formerly Known as Twitter just posted that there’s an estimated start time of 8:30 p.m. ET, so you can go ahead and pencil that in.

UPDATE [8:30 p.m. ET]: Both teams are on the field and we’re ready to go. Come on and join us in the game thread!

Ketel Marte was placed on the restricted list by the Arizona Diamondbacks ahead of their matchup against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, Aug. 17.

The team shared the news on X that they were placing the three-time All-Star on the restricted list minutes before the game. They also announced that they recalled infielder José Fernández from Triple-A Reno. Fernández was listed as a third baseman and in seventh position on the batting lineup, which was posted shortly after the roster moves.

Nick Piecoro, the Diamondbacks beat reporter for The Arizona Republic, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, posted on X that Marte did not show up to Fenway Park for the game. He reported that the star infielder was in town with the team and was supposed to be the designated hitter for the series opener, noting that "Ketel Marte is doing OK physically, he just didn’t show up to the ballpark tonight."

Lars Nootbaar took Marte's place in the Diamondbacks' lineup as the designated hitter.

With Max Muncy in the cleanup hole, the Dodgers lineup faces the best the Rockies have to offer in Tomoyuki Sugano.

Monday’s game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Rockies
• Ballpark: Coors Field
• Start time: 5:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Mets created a bit of baseball trivia with this wild baseball riddle in the first two innings of Monday's 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Citi Field.

First, the riddle: How can the Padres get five hits, walk twice, add a hit-by-pitch, and go 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position, but score only one run on a sacrifice fly?

The answer is the bit of trivia from a pair of rookies, as right fielder Carson Benge became the first Mets player to record two outfield assists at home plate in the same inning, doing it on back-to-back plays to close the first inning, before left fielder A.J. Ewinggunned down a runner at home to end the second.

Since at least 1920, there had been no other team that recorded three outfield assists at home plate in the first two innings of a big league game. 

Tack on Nolan McLean getting a 1-2 putout in there and three rookies recorded four of the first six outs at the plate, and that proved to be crucial as the Mets grabbed a fourth straight win and another win in a one-run ballgame.

“Without those kids on the corners, we don’t win that game,” interim manager Andy Green said. "Nolan doesn't get to settle in and pitch six strong innings for us. That game coulda spun wildly different without them playing the outfield so well."

McLean's night got off to an unlucky start with consecutive one-out bloop singles to put runners on first and second. A third straight bloop to right started the history, as Jake Cronenworth got an ever-so-subtle wave from San Diego third base coach Bob Henley that proved to be most ill-advised as Benge got the Padres runner by at least a dozen feet thanks to a throw he uncorked at 99.9 mph. (h/t Sarah Langs)

"Haven't they gotten the scouting report?"

Carson Benge with his 8th outfield assist of the season! pic.twitter.com/VpXgrx73iu

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 17, 2026

Four pitches later, Jackson Merrill rocketed a ball (105 mph off the bat) for a base hit to right, and Manny Machado looked primed to score the first run of the ballgame until Benge's throw was perfect and Francisco Alvarez tagged the runner out to end the inning. 

After the game, Benge said he wasn't too surprised the Padres decided to test him. "Not really," he said. "I just looked up and threw the ball. I'm not worried about if they're running or not; I'm just trying to throw it as hard as I can to make him stop or get him out."

He is now the fourth player in the last 30 years to have outfield assists at home plate on consecutive batters, according to Langs.

And this throw from Benge was even faster than his first: 103.9 mph, the third-fastest throw on an outfield assist since Statcast tracking began in 2015 and the fastest of the 2026 season, per Langs. The rookie also became the first outfielder with two assists thrown at greater than 99 mph in an inning in the Statcast era.

The arm strength isn't too surprising as the one-time two-way player was "throwing 95, 97 [mph] off the bump," the interim skipper said.

“Special athlete, really confident,” Green said, relaying that Benge once said, “When you don’t have to strike a batter out, it's actually really easy to throw it over the plate.”

Benge, with his 98th percentile arm strength, per Statcast, now has nine assists in his first 119 career games, good for fourth most among MLB outfielders. But it isn't just about arm strength, as Green credited Benge's work with the club's developmental staff to speed up his release time, which has “turned him into a different kind of elite.”

“It’s been ridiculous, honestly,” Green said. “It just doesn’t happen at this rate; you don’t get these opportunities, and then you don’t execute perfectly every time the way he has.”

Which throw did Benge like better? "Probably the second one, even though they both took a run off the board," he said.

So despite the Padres grabbing four straight hits in the top of the first, they scored zero runs as they made two outs on the bases.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME, STOP RUNNING ON HIM!"

Carson Benge nails back-to-back runners at the plate! pic.twitter.com/E0BTOphs2Y

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 17, 2026

All of the Mets' reactions to Carson Benge's back-to-back outfield assists in the first inning pic.twitter.com/QCkbBPUwXD

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 18, 2026

McLean, who threw just two balls in the first inning, lost his command to start the second, issuing two walks that sandwiched a hit batter to load the bases. After Fernando Tatis Jr. just missed a grand slam, getting under the ball for a 359-foot warning-track sac fly, Cronenworth grounded a sharp single to left that Ewing was charging all the way, and he got Xander Bogaerts by just a touch at the plate.

For Ewing, whose arm is not nearly as strong as his counterpart across the outfield – he's just in the 92nd percentile for arm strength – the run-saving play was his fifth assist in his 84th big league game.

It was a bang-bang play where the Mets got the call, and there was no challenge by the visitors.

This is the 13th time the Mets have recorded three outfield assists in the same game, a feat most recently accomplished by Mark Canha when he recorded all three (including two at home plate) in a game on July 23, 2023, while playing in front of the Green Monster at Fenway Park. 

A.J. EWING'S TURN!

The Mets have thrown out three Padres at the plate in the first two innings! pic.twitter.com/XmKj8ZlDgS

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 17, 2026

It’s time for both my favorite and least favorite series of the year — the Crosstown Classic! The White Sox will head a few miles north to face the Cubs at Wrigley Field. With both teams doing well this season and the White Sox winning the first-half series, the rivalry feels more competitive this time around than it has in the last few years. The Cubs have lost three of their last four games, barely escaping a sweep by the Cardinals, and just lost Dansby Swanson to injury. The White Sox, on the other hand, are coming off a sweep of the Tigers in Detroit.

Luis Castillo gets his first taste of the rivalry tonight as he takes the mound for the White Sox. Chase Meidroth, who has been the hottest hitter on the team, leads off. Randal Grichuk will DH tonight against the lefty pitcher, and Jake Rogers will catch and bat last.

Shōta Imanaga (8-9) will pitch for the Cubs, who will be without Swanson, with Pete Crow-Armstrong leading off.

First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. CT. You can watch on CHSN or Marquee Sports Network, depending on what you have, or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.