Mets prospect Drew Gilbert had himself a nice day at the plate on Saturday as part of the Syracuse Mets' doubleheader against the Rochester Red Wings in Triple-A.
In the second game of the twin bill, Gilbert launched two home runs to help lead Syracuse to an 8-2 win. He finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored in the No. 2 hole.
The 24-year-old has now hit six homers over 60 games in Triple-A and is hitting .225 with a .707 OPS.
Gilbert's first home run came in the fifth inning, a solo shot that happened right after Gilberto Celestino hit a homer of his own to give Syracuse back-to-back jacks to tie the game at 2-2. Both dingers came with two outs.
The second one came in the eighth inning which was actually extra innings after the game stayed tied through seven (minor leagues play seven innings for doubleheaders). The Mets pounded eight runs in the frame and Gilbert had the exclamation point with a two-run blast that made it 10-2.
Earlier in the day, Gilbert went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Game 1 of the doubleheader, giving him three hits, three RBI and four runs scored in what was a successful day for the outfielder.
Following another disappointing loss on Saturday -- their 12th in their last 15 games -- the Mets called a player's-only team meeting in hopes to revive what started off as such an impressive season.
What was said in the meeting is being held close to the chest, however, Pete Alonso described it as "a productive gathering."
Brandon Nimmo mentioned that while he didn't speak, about six or seven guys spoke, including Alonso and Francisco Lindor.
"I mean, we're not playing well,"Nimmo said after the 9-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. "We’ve won a couple games, but we haven't been able to put it together. So, you know, just put things out there, talk about it as a team and move on. But it just felt like, you know, we weren't really putting it together. So we ended up calling a team meeting."
Lindor told reporters that it wasn't one person's idea or anything like that. Instead, after the game, players just sat around and started talking "organically."
"It just happened," he said. "You know, collectively as a group we decided to start talking to each other and that's what good teams do. We all rely on each other, we all bounce ideas from each other and yeah this is a big team thing."
Last year, New York notably called a team meeting at the beginning of June after falling 11 games below .500 which kickstarted the team's complete reversal. Although this meeting came at the end of June (and with the Mets 12 games over .500 and only 0.5 GB of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the division), both were similar in tone and messaging.
"It was similar because I feel like that meeting last year was an open floor, too," Nimmo said. "So I feel like it's similar. And it's similar to other meetings I've had as well. I mean, this is not the first season that I've I've gone through a time like this.
"In fact, I think I've been here long enough to have seen a June like this, maybe even worse. So, it definitely felt, you know, good, productive and I think we'll look to build on that one step at a time. It's not going to be fixed overnight. I'd love it if it was, but it's not going to be fixed overnight."
Even though the players wouldn't go into specifics, Lindor did mention that "everybody is pulling for each other" and that "there is a sense of urgency."
"Everybody's on the same page," he said.
While that's all nice to hear, it won't mean much unless New York starts to turn things around. It has a chance to do that on Sunday in the series finale against the Pirates, a team that has outscored the Mets, 18-3, in the first two contests.
Step one of turning things around is starting with a clean slate, wiping away what's gone wrong in recent weeks. However, there's a fine line between starting fresh and ignoring what the problems have been.
"I think it's obvious we're not playing our best baseball," Alonso said. "Just collectively as a group, whether offensively, defensively, base running -- we're not playing our cleanest baseball. We're not playing to our maximum potential right now and it shows with the record.
"Yeah, we're definitely not playing consistent. We’re playing good games or staying in games, but I think we need to do a better job finishing, for sure. Playing a complete nine innings. And overall, just like playing our most clean baseball on a consistent basis. I mean, that was our identity. We did a great job. That was our identity the first while there when things were excellent. But yeah, we've gotten away from playing our cleanest baseball for sure."
Of course, part of the struggles lately have been injuries to key players at a rather inopportune time like playing 10 straight games against division rivals. But perhaps another part of the problem is players putting too much pressure on themselves to pull the team out of it.
"It's natural, you know," Lindor said. "We’re all professionals here, but we're human as well. Everybody wants to get it done. We all want it just as bad. It's just we go through ups and downs in the season. This is adversity and we got to deal with it and try to come out and try to win us many games as we can."
Whether this team meeting sparks a change remains to be seen and even if change does come about, it'll be hard to say that the team meeting was the cause. But sometimes it's just good to talk about how you're feeling or what you're thinking, especially when things aren't going your way.
"This is a good group and the reason why we have those discussions is because A) we expect a lot, and then also we care for each other. We want to win not just individually, but collectively for each other as a group," Alonso said.
The Mets' woes continued on Saturday as they dropped another game to the Pittsburgh Pirates in blowout fashion, losing 9-2. New York has now lost 12 of their last 15 games.
Here are the takeaways...
-A day after getting embarrassed offensively and scoring just one run in a lopsided loss, New York returned with a vengeance and got straight to work in the first inning against Pirates starter Bailey Falter. The Mets hit some ropes against the lefty, starting off with Francisco Lindor's leadoff double. Funny enough, the softest hit ball of the inning, a Juan Soto single that snuck through the drawn-in infield, was the one to drive in a run.
-The Mets had a chance to tack on in the inning with runners on second and third, but Starling Marte struck out to end the inning. Still, the second inning saw some more traffic after Luis Torrens singled and Lindor walked with two outs. Suddenly, New York had another opportunity to do damage, but the momentum gained was cut short as the game was paused for a rain delay.
-Following an 89-minute delay, the Mets' offense went back out there but, now facing RHP Braxton Ashcraft, they couldn't re-capture the energy they had before the rain came and the inning ended without a run.
-Meanwhile, New York's starter, Paul Blackburn (who pitched a scoreless first inning with two strikeouts on 17 pitches) surprisingly came back out to start the second inning, highlighting the Mets' need for length from their starting pitchers right now. The decision backfired, though, as the right-hander allowed five straight singles before exiting the game with the bases loaded and his team down 2-1.
-Jose Buttó came in to clean up Blackburn's mess and did well by allowing just one run to score on a sac fly. Buttó was put in even more danger in the inning after a catcher's interference loaded the bases yet again. But the right-hander escaped untouched with a strikeout and groundout.
-As for Blackburn, perhaps he got unlucky with the rain and the decision to send him back out to the mound, but his final line was not pretty: 1+ IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 K. It raised his ERA to 7.71.
-New York's bullpen, particularly Brandon Waddell, stepped up in a big way after Blackburn's departure. After Buttó ended up going two scoreless innings,Waddell pitched the bulk of the game with his three innings of work. The left-hander struck out three and gave up one hit on 38 pitches (25 strikes) to keep his team in the game as he continues to impress every chance he gets. He now has a 2.45 ERA (0.95 WHIP) in 14.2 innings.
-Offensively, the rain delay took the wind out of the Mets' sails and their struggles with RISP are still prevalent. They were able to get closer in the fifth on Brandon Nimmo's RBI single that drove in Pete Alonso who doubled right before to cut the deficit to 3-2. Alonso and Nimmo each finished with two hits. Overall, though, New York went 2-for-8 with RISP and left nine runners on base.
-After Reed Garrett pitched a perfect seventh, Huascar Brazoban entered the eighth to try and keep it a one-run game and give New York a chance. But Brazoban's recent struggles continued after he gave up two hits and walked two more in 0.1 innings -- he's now walked 10 batters in his last 4.0 IP.
-Brazoban left with the bases loaded and Colin Poche, called up on Friday and making his season debut for the Mets, couldn't help him out, allowing all three inherited runners to score. Brazoban's ERA has ballooned to 3.83 after spending so much of the season below 1.00.
-Pittsburgh scored six runs in the nightmare eighth inning and has outscored New York, 18-3, in two games so far. The Mets will hope to salvage the series finale on Sunday.
-Manager Carlos Mendoza was ejected in the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz. The ejection wasn't enough to spark his team.
Game MVP: Ke'Bryan Hayes
Hayes finished 2-for-4 and both of his hits came in key spots for his team, producing the go-ahead run in the second inning and pulling them ahead with another run-scoring hit in the eighth which started the avalanche.
Mets managerCarlos Mendoza was ejected from Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz.
With one out and New York down 3-1, Brandon Waddell threw a ball inside and off the plate to Adam Frazier for ball one. The pitch was close, but clearly a ball. However, Mendoza's gripe with Ortiz was an inning prior, Ortiz called the exact same pitch a strike against Mark Vientos on a 3-0 count.
With a runner on first, a walk would've put two runners on for Juan Soto. Instead, Vientos ended up lining out to end the inning.
After the game, the skipper recounted what happened.
"Especially after that 3-0 call on Mark, you know, I thought it was ball four," Mendoza said. "You got one of the best hitters in the league coming up with two on and that changed, completely, the whole inning there. I just thought it was time for me to go out there and protect the players as well."
So, when Waddell's pitch wasn't also called a strike, Mendoza voiced his displeasure from the dugout and got rung up. After that, he came firing out from the dugout and gave Ortiz an earful for his inconsistency. It was the first time this season that Mendoza had been tossed from a game.
Bench coach John Gibbons took over the managerial duties after that in what was ultimately a 9-2 loss.
Mendoza was asked if his ejection was meant to rally up his team whose offense has struggled during the two games in Pittsburgh.
"No, I mean, look at that time, all I was doing is just protecting the players," the skipper said. "I thought it was ball four, again, it was probably a different inning there with Soto at the plate, and two runners on. But also understanding that they're human. They’re not going to be perfect, but I just thought at that time, I needed to express my frustrations."
Shohei Ohtani delivered the fastest pitch of his career — 101.7 mph — during the second inning against the Royals on Saturday in Kansas City. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
Three batters into his third start of the year on Saturday, Shohei Ohtani showed some brief frustration.
With one out in the first inning — on a day he was trying to pitch into the second for the first time this year — Ohtani gave up a line drive single to Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. Then, he walked Maikel Garcia on five pitches in the next at-bat, pulling four straight throws low and to the glove side to put two aboard.
As Ohtani received the ball back from catcher Dalton Rushing, he wore a stoic look, seemingly displeased with his lack of execution.
But he climbed back atop the mound, stared down the plate as Vinnie Pasquantino dug in, and absolutely bullied the Royals' first baseman with three straight pitches.
A 99.2-mph fastball on the inside corner for strike one.
A 100.2-mph fastball on the inside black for strike two.
And then, a blistering 101.7-mph fastball — the hardest-thrown pitch of Ohtani’s MLB career — that Pasquantino took a helpless hack at, grounding into a tailor-made, inning-ending double-play.
“Overall, I was happy with the fact that I was able to attack the zone,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “There’s some little things that I still need to work on. But overall, pretty happy.”
Though the Dodgers lost 9-5 to the Royals on Saturday, Ohtani turned in his best pitching performance yet this season. After escaping the first-inning jam, he retired the side in the second. Over 27 pitches, he threw 20 strikes and got three swings-and-misses, including on a 100-mph fastball and late-biting slider to strike out Jac Caglianone in the second.
Even over another small sample size, with Ohtani’s workload still limited as he works his way back from a second career Tommy John surgery, the right-hander flashed the dominant potential of his stuff, able to bully hitters with his triple-digit heat and keep them off balance with a flurry of unhittable off-speed offerings.
And that 101.7-mph fastball was Ohtani’s hardest pitch ever in an MLB game.
“It’s nice to be able to hit that velo and see how my body reacts,” he said.
The only harder pitch Ohtani has thrown since coming to the majors in 2018: A 102-mph heater he fired in the 2023 World Baseball Classic — coincidentally, also against Pasquantino.
Things did not go well for the Dodgers (52-32) after Ohtani left the mound. Bulk man Ben Casparius who was battling an illness while pitching through the muggy Midwestern summer heat, gave up six runs in four innings after replacing Ohtani. He now has a 7.82 ERA in his three outings piggybacking with Ohtani over the last three weeks.
“I haven’t been as sharp and executing what I want to do,” Casparius said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with the [piggyback] situation.”
The Dodgers’ defense didn’t offer much help, either. In the third inning, Teoscar Hernández failed to get to a flare down the right-field line with two outs, extending the inning ahead of a two-run double from Garcia in the next at-bat. Andy Pages also booted a ball in center field during a four-run rally from the Royals (39-44) in the fifth, an inning that was punctuated by a three-run, two-out homer from Pasquantino to center.
“I think that if you look at our outfield construction, we're not fleet of foot,” Roberts said. “We knew that as we built the roster. And so there's going to be some cost.”
The Dodgers’ offense, meanwhile, never figured out crafty right-hander Seth Lugo, stranding all nine hitters who reached base against him (four hits and five walks) while striking out eight times.
Even a big day from slumping first baseman Freddie Freeman, who went three for three with two walks and a solo home run in the seventh, couldn’t drag the Dodgers back into the game late, costing them a five-game winning streak and setting up a series rubber match on Sunday.
All of that, however, paled in comparison to the impressiveness of Ohtani’s outing on the mound.
In his four innings so far this year, the 30-year-old has given up just one run and three hits. His fastball has routinely eclipsed 100 mph while his array of breaking stuff has kept opponents off balance.
And though the team remains careful with his buildup — uncertain of when, or if, he will be fully stretched out for normal-length starts — the few innings he has contributed have been promising, quickly erasing any doubts about how his arm would respond from the second reconstructive elbow surgery of his career.
“I felt pretty good about being able to come back and pitch well — especially considering, [compared to] when I first had the surgery, the second time through it was a lot better in terms of recovery,” Ohtani said. “Talking to the doctor, he was very confident that I would be able to come back in full form.”
That much, he has, looking once on Saturday like someone capable of being an impact option on the mound for the second half of the season.
“I do still feel like I have to work on little things on the pitching side in terms of mechanically,” he said. “So in terms of that, it’s still a work in progress.”
But, Roberts countered, ever encouraged by Ohtani’s latest pitching start, “Throwing the baseball the way he did [was] certainly a positive … I thought he was still in control, and it was still good to see triple digits.”
Pitching injury updates
It’ll be a little while longer before the Dodgers get more pitching reinforcements from triple-A Oklahoma City.
On Friday night, Tyler Glasnow gave up five runs on seven hits in his second rehab outing, but more consequentially managed only 2 ⅓ innings, well short of the four-inning goal the Dodgers had targeted for his start. Because of that, Roberts said Glasnow will likely need at least two more rehab starts before returning to the majors. He has been out since April because of a shoulder problem.
Emmet Sheehan’s next start will come in triple A, Roberts said, even after the right-hander pitched six perfect innings with 13 strikeouts earlier this week. Sheehan returned from Tommy John surgery earlier this month with a solid four-inning start for the Dodgers, but was optioned ahead of this road trip to continue building up in Oklahoma City. Sheehan will be a candidate to return to the majors after his next outing, perhaps near the end of the Dodgers’ upcoming homestand.
Back in Los Angeles, Blake Snell (shoulder) and Blake Treinen (forearm) continued their progression of bullpen sessions on Saturday, and are getting closer to throwing live sessions against hitters. Roki Sasaki (shoulder) has also continued to play catch and, according to Roberts, is finally “feeling really good” almost two months into his IL stint.
Since his return to Triple-A Syracuse, Francisco Alvarez had been hitless in his first seven at-bats. The Mets catcher broke out of that slump, though, in a big way on Saturday by crushing a three-run homer in the second inning en route to an 8-0 win.
Francisco Alvarez LAUNCHES a three-run shot for Triple-A Syracuse!
Alvarez's home run traveled 434 feet to center field and had an exit velocity of 107.8 mph -- an absolute bomb. It was his only hit of the game (1-for-4), but the raw power that seemed to be missing from the youngster's bat in the majors this season is good to see.
The 23-year-old also threw out a base stealer behind the plate, but allowed one as well.
Meanwhile, top prospect Brandon Sproat got the start on Saturday and turned in a strong performance. The right-hander pitched six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out six. He earned his fourth win of the season and lowered his ERA to 5.43.
Brandon Sproat was excellent today for Triple-A Syracuse
Elsewhere in the lineup, prospects Luisangel Acuña and Drew Gilbert eachwent 1-for-4 with a run scored. Pablo Reyes, recently signed to a minor league contract, also had a home run and finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and a stolen base. Every hitter in the lineup had at least one hit except for David Villar.
Spencer Schwellenbach cruised through the Phillies’ lineup and set a new career high in strikeouts Saturday night in Atlanta.
The Braves righty dominated in a 6-1 Atlanta victory at Truist Park. He logged seven innings, notched 12 strikeouts, and allowed one run, three hits and one walk.
Jesus Luzardo started for the Phillies and fell to 7-4 this season. He went five innings, conceded two runs and seven hits, struck out seven and walked three.
The Phillies dropped to 48-35 with their fourth defeat in the past five games. They’ve totaled two runs in the losses and scored 13 runs in the lone win Friday night.
Atlanta jumped out to a first-inning lead. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson’s singles put runners on the corners. After Luzardo struck out Marcell Ozuna looking, Austin Riley’s nubber to second base wound up becoming an RBI infield hit.
The bottom of the Braves’ order worked deep counts in the second inning. With one out, Eli White walked and Stuart Fairchild lined an opposite-field double. Nick Allen’s single to left field drove in White, but Max Kepler threw out Fairchild by a wide margin at home plate and the Phils kept their deficit at 2-0.
Schwellenbach was very sharp all night, piling up the whiffs and troubling the Phillies with well-located off-speed pitches.
Nick Castellanos waved at a high-quality slider to wrap up a 1-2-3 top of the fourth. Schwellenbach needed just seven pitches to retire the Phillies in order in the fifth inning. The Phils swung at 14 of his sliders and missed nine times.
Luzardo’s third and fourth innings were smoother than his first two. He then escaped damage in the fifth by recording two groundouts and a strikeout with a pair of Braves in scoring position.
The Phils got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning. Brandon Marsh singled with one out, Kyle Schwarber reached on a two-walk, and Alec Bohm delivered an RBI single up the middle.
The Braves broke the game open against Jordan Romano.
Sean Murphy demolished a first-pitch slider for a seventh-inning grand slam, extending Atlanta’s advantage to five runs. The exit velocity on Murphy’s blast was 114.4 mph.
The series decider will be Saturday at 1:35 p.m ET. Ranger Suarez (6-2, 2.08 ERA) is slated to face Spencer Strider (3-5, 4.07 ERA).
Saturday's game between the Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates was stopped in the top of the second inning due to a rain delay.
Before the pause, New York had runners on first and second with two outs and Mark Vientos about to step up to the plate, already up 1-0 after scoring a run off Bailey Falter in the first inning.
The Yankees will lose their share of games during a long baseball season, but the way they lose games can magnify some of the struggles a team can have.
Entering Saturday's game, the Athletics had the second-worst ERA in all of baseball (5.42) in addition to the second-highest batting average against (.267). Those numbers didn't matter as the Yankees could only muster three hits (all singles) and through the first two games of this weekend series, have only put up three runs.
After the game, the prevailing question raised to the players and manager Aaron Boone was, what's going on with the offense?
"Yeah, just little inconsistent, going through it a little bit right now," DJ LeMahieu, who had the team's final hit, said. "But, obviously, we have all the confidence in the world in our lineup. Just haven't gotten hot at the same time... a couple guys doing their thing, but collectively, I don’t think it's enough."
"It's just baseball. We just haven't performed our best the last couple weeks, but there's going to be ups and downs, and I think the point is just to keep going," Paul Goldschmidt, who had one of the Yankees' three hits, said after the game. "Keep making the adjustments that are needed individually and as a group and have good at-bats, that we're a very capable team. Just take it every day out there. Try to win as many games as possible."
Boone said the team was "held down" by Athletics starter JP Sears, who historically hasn't pitched well against the Yankees but has shut them down this season. In two starts against New York this year, Sears has allowed just one run across 10.2 innings pitched.
What made him effective on Saturday was the change of speeds and executing his spots to both lefties and righties. But going back to his lineup, Boone understands they've been inconsistent, but he believes there've been more good games than bad of late.
However, he feels the offense has gone away from taxing the pitchers like when they are hitting well but Boone thinks it's only a matter of time.
"Last two days, been shut down a little bit more than we'd like, but you got to get a couple guys going, and in times like this, it always comes down to getting a big hit with runners out there," Boone said. "We're doing an okay job of creating some traffic, even though we haven't gotten a lot of hits the last two days. But I feel like, over the last week, 10 days, we've had our opportunities. We got to cash them in...It comes down to you gotta cash in when you get opportunities when you're going through a little bit."
On Saturday, the Yankees went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left six runners on base. Aaron Judge was the main culprit in that stat, stranding two runners in the third inning and another in the sixth. Over his last 15 games, Judge is hitting .182 with three homers and striking out 24 times.
Boone attributes this rough patch for Judge to baseball, but was encouraged by two hard-hit balls that were outs -- including a 406-foot flyball that would have been a home run in 20 parks.
But the Yankee captain isn't the only one struggling. Goldschmidt has tapered off from his hot start to the season. Over his last 30 games, the former NL MVP is slashing just .198/.267/.321 and the Yankee first baseman acknowledged he isn't helping the team as they go through this tough month of June.
"I feel good. I feel fine, but you know, I haven't played well for the last few weeks, maybe even this whole month," he said. "So, again, that's part of the game and working to see if there's, you know, adjustments to be made and trying to show up every day and perform.
"But that's hurt our team, the way I've played this month, and, again, just show up and be ready to go tomorrow and every day. Just try to help us win."
In June, the Yankees are 12-14, but they remain confident their offense will come alive again because, as LeMahieu said, they've shown who they can be already this season.
"I just saw it the first two months. And it's a long season," he said. "I hate saying that, but you want to win every game, but I know we'll be fine. We just gotta keep going, keep getting better."
The Yankees will host the Athletics for the rubber game of their series on Sunday.
The combination of poor offense and defense put the Yankees behind the eight ball as they fell to the Athletics, 7-0, on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
New York mustered just three hits and has now only scored three runs across the first two games of the series. The A's entered play with the second-worst ERA in all of baseball (5.42) along with the second-highest batting average against (.267).
With the series tied, the Yankees (47-35) will lean on the returning Marcus Stroman to avoid the series loss.
Here are the takeaways...
-After pitching seven no-hit innings in his last start, Clarke Schmidt picked up where he left off, getting the first three batters in order and pushing his scoreless innings streak to 26.1, the longest single-season scoreless streak by a Yankees starter in the Expansion Era (1961).
He would extend that streak to 28.2 innings, the most by a Yankee since Don Larson's 29 straight in 1958, but Brent Rooker put an end to the feat with his solo shot in the fourth to give the A's a 1-0 lead. Schmidt lost his command in the sixth, walking the first two batters on eight pitches. After a mound visit, Schmidt bounced back to strike out Rooker, but Nick Kurtz deposited a 1-2 cutter over the right field wall to give the Athletics a 4-0 lead.
Schmidt would finish the frame to give the Yanks six solid innings. He threw 85 pitches (55 strikes), allowing four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven batters.
-On the offensive side, the Yankees' offense just couldn't get the big hit against former Yankee prospect JP Sears. Sears allowed just one hit through the first five innings, but the Yankees made him work, walking three times and setting up Aaron Judge for a big inning with runners on first and second and two outs. However, Judge flew out to right field to end the Yankee threat.
After Cody Bellinger's first-inning single, the Yankees wouldn't get another hit until Paul Goldschmidt led off the sixth with a single of his own. Judge would have another chance to drive in runs, and just missed a two-run shot, launching a drive to the deepest part of Yankee Stadium for an out. The ball left his bat at 107 mph, had an xBA of .750 and went 406 feet, but it wasn't enough. It would have been a home run in 20 parks.
Judge finished 0-for-3 with a walk. His average has dipped to .354.
The offense as a whole had three hits, five walks, struck out seven times and grounded into two double plays. They were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left five runners on base.
-With the score still 4-0 in the eighth, the game got away from the Yanks. After Allan Winans walked the first two batters, Max Muncy laid down a bunt that popped in the air in front of homeplate but none of the Yankees played it aggressively and it dropped between Austin Wells and Winans. Worse than that, Wells picked it up -- when it potentially could have rolled foul -- and tried to throw to first for the force but almost threw it into the outfield.
A sac fly and a strikeout later, Austin Wynns hit a single to score another run. Bellinger threw to third to cut the runner down there but it skipped past Jazz Chisholm Jr. and no one backed him up, so another run scored as the Athletics' lead ballooned to 7-0.
Game MVP: Nick Kurtz
Kurtz's blast put the game away even before the defensive mishaps in the eighth inning.
What's next
The Yankees and A's complete their series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.
Marcus Stroman (0-1, 11.57 ERA) returns from the IL and will be opposed by former Yankee, Luis Severino (2-8, 4.83 ERA).
It only takes a split-second for a baseball game to turn on its head, which is exactly what happened during the Giants’ 1-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday afternoon at Rate Field.
With starting pitchers Robbie Ray and Adrian Houser locked in a scoreless pitchers duel, San Francisco appeared poised to break the deadlock after Brett Wisely and Christian Koss reached base to lead off the top of the sixth inning, putting runners on second and third with no outs and the heart of the Giants’ lineup coming to the plate.
Rafael Devers, the Giants’ star acquisition stepped into the batter’s box with a chance to deliver the kind of game-changing hit that made him such an appealing option for San Francisco.
That cricitcal momentum shift came, but not for the Giants. Devers struck out and White Sox catcher Edgar Quero threw a rocket to third base, catching Wisely off the bag for a strikeout-back pick combination that delivered a devastating blow to the Giants’ chances of scoring.
Heliot Ramos flew out to end the frame, giving the White Sox a critical jolt of energy that carried over into the bottom half of the inning when outfielfer Andrew Benintendi’s solo home run supplied the game’s only scoring.
While Ray dealt yet again (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 K) that blast proved decisive in a loss that has become all too familiar as the Giants’ anemic offense was to blame once more.
“Obviously, that’s a tough situation,” Ray told reporters postgame about Wisely getting picked off. “Getting the strikeout and then thrown out at third base, back pick like that is kind of tough because you got a great hitter in Ramos coming up, and he hits a fly ball to center field, that’s a sac fly normally. It did feel like kind of a momentum shift for sure.”
While it was unclear why Wisely was so far off the bag in that situation, Giants manager Bob Melvin clarified how the blunder occured.
“He was trying to get a good jump on a ground ball, but he has got to be able to get back,” Melvin said. “Once the ball crosses home plate, got to be able to get back. He’s trying to get out there and be aggressive and when the ball hits the ground take off and get your best chance to score a run, but have to be able to get back.”
“Robbie pitched so good, gives up one pitch for a homer and we can’t scratch a run across. It’s very frustrating.”
Melvin also alluded to Wisely’s mistake coming as a result of the Giants as a team being more aggressive on the basepaths in an effort to make up for the lack of clutch hits and runs as San Francisco’s offense has sputtered as of late.
“We’re trying to be aggressive and do some things to score some runs, and in this case it backfired,” Melvin said. “So, we got to keep working to take that kind of pressure off ourselves offensively. We got to be able to score more runs than we’ve been doing and put more pressure on the starting pitcher.
“Whether it’s early in the game, whether it’s in the middle of the game — granted [Houser] had really good stuff, he had a really good sinker, it was down in the zone, balls on the ground. But we have to be able to put more pressure on because every opportunity that comes and something goes wrong, it’s magnified, and it comes down to a lack of offense.”
The Giants still have a chance to get out of Chicago with a series win if they are victorious Sunday, but these kind of losses continue to be an issue for a team that boasts a dominant pitching staff that has more than held up its end of the deal this season.
Manaea, who has been on the injured list since late March with a right oblique strain, had a setback in his left elbow and played catch earlier this week.
He does not yet have a next rehab start in mind, Mendoza said.
"He's scheduled to throw a bullpen (Sunday) back in New York, and then we'll see where we're at after that," Mendoza said.
The Mets have to wait and see with how Manaea responds, Mendoza added.
"We've got to, especially with what he's dealing with now," Mendoza said. "Again, bullpen (Sunday) and we've got to wait (and see) how he responds and we'll make that next decision."
Raley, meanwhile, is set to pitch for Double-A Binghamton in Saturday's game against the Boston Red Sox-affiliated Portland Sea Dogs.
"We'll see what's next after that," Mendoza said. "Obviously, he's got to go to (Triple-A) Syracuse at some point.
"I think we're going to see one-plus (inning) out of him, so we started that process -- finishing an inning and then going back out for another one. I think that's happening (Saturday)."
Raley started his rehab assignment on June 17 with Low-A St. Lucie before Saturday's Binghamton transfer.
"I think it's more (likely) after the (All-Star) break," Mendoza said of when Raley, who underwent Tommy John surgery last May, could return to the Mets.
Prior to the middle of the three-game set between the Yankees and Athletics on Saturday, manager Aaron Boone spoke on a number of topics...
Giancarlo Stanton 'close to exploding'
Saturday will be Giancarlo Stanton's 10th game since returning from the IL. And while the slugger hasn't gone deep yet, his presence has provided the Yankees and Boone a formidable right-handed bat.
However, while numbers don't tell the whole story, Boone feels Stanton is close to breaking out in a big way.
"He hasn't hit the ball out the ballpark yet, but I feel like there's been half a dozen balls whether he's hit really hard in play or just missed," Boone said. "I feel like he's been on time really well. For the most part, I think his swing decisions have been good. He looks really good to me.
"He's really close to exploding. He's been getting his hits. He's hitting the ball hard. He's taking a couple walks here, which has been good. Overall, he's been pretty good."
In his first nine games, Stanton is 4-for-22 (.267) with a double, four walks and two RBI.
Latest on the closer situation
Before Luke Weaver landed on the IL, the young right-hander became the Yankees' closer, moving Devin Williams to the setup role. When Weaver got hurt, Williams resumed his closer duty and hasn't relinquished it.
Since Weaver's return, the closer situation has returned to what it was when the season began. Boone was asked if that's how it's going to be for now on.
"With Weave being a little cognizant of coming off the IL, we weren’t going to use him -- now, we probably would -- but we weren’t going to use them in that four-out situation. In his first couple [outings], we weren’t going to go back-to-back right away. Feel like we're off and running with that. Now, I feel like he's in a good spot.
"He’ll still get some save opportunities, but I like him in front of [Williams] as that fireman. You know, if I need an out in the seventh or something. We'll see. They'll both be in play."
Boone said that his decision to keep Williams to pitch the ninth has a little to do with the game situation but it's hard to put Weaver back in the closer's role with how effective Williams has been.
Williams hasn't allowed a run in eight consecutive outings (7.2 IP), only allowing three hits while striking out nine batters and locking down five saves.
New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones (78) celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark / Nathan Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Spencer Jones 'moving the needle' for Yankees
In Yankees prospect news, Spencer Jones was promoted to Triple-A on Friday. The high prospect has not shot through the minors as the organization may have first thought he would, but the promotion is a great sign for Jones and the Yankees.
Boone was asked about his assessment of Jones from, admittedly, afar.
"First of all, I thought he did a good job in spring training with us. He was there for a little while longer than the year prior. Got off to a pretty solid start [this year], had the injury, which just knocked him down for a couple weeks, but he's performed, which has been good. He's performed at a high level at Double-A. Definitely checked that box, and now it's on to Triple-A, where hopefully he continues to develop."
In his first game with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Jones homered in his first at-bat, and finished 1-for-5. And while there's still a way's to go in Jones' development, Boone feels there's a very high ceiling for the outfielder.
"The ceiling's real. The speed and power, and athleticism's real. So it's just about plugging some holes, continue to tighten up as a big guy, which could be challenging, but if you master it, it could be pretty awesome. He's moving the needle," he said.
In June, Jones is slashing .313, .387/.651 with eight home runs and 16 RBI.
The Giants’ offense rarely seems to catch a break these days amid a team-wide hitting slump.
But while trailing 1-0 to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday at Rate Field, San Francisco got quite lucky on a bizarre play in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Though he easily beat the throw from right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, Taylor’s left hand came up just short of the plate as he reached out mid-dive. With Taylor’s momentum carrying him past the plate, Kninzer made a heads-up play to go tag the runner before the home plate umpire correctly called him out.
Unfortunately for the Giants, they were unable to capitalize on the lucky break, going on to lose 1-0 — their fourth defeat by that score this season — to the struggling White Sox.
Left-handed starter JP Sears allowed just two hits over 5 2/3 innings to fuel the Athletics’ 7-0 win over All-Star slugger Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
“I thought I came with a good game plan today, winning behind the plate,” Sears told reporters postgame. “I felt I was able to execute my fastball in and away and execute the sweeper good away — keeping the hitters off balance.”
Sears earned four strikeouts to three walks and went to his four-seam fastball and sweeper for 71 of his 90 pitches (79 percent). Sears now holds a 6-7 record and 5.09 ERA on the 2025 MLB season, and the A’s improved to 34-51.
It was the 29-year-old Sears’ first-career win against the Yankees, the franchise where he started his major-league career before being traded to the A’s in 2022. He entered 0-4 over six games against the reigning AL champions.
“This was a big start for JP, to be able to bounce back, to hopefully get some momentum going,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said about Sears, who entered also having allowed 10 earned runs over three consecutive losses. “It was one that he needed.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Kotsay added when asked if Sears pitched with extra motivation. “He’s pitched against the Yankees before. This was a start where he knew he had to be good today, and he met that challenge.”
Earning his first-career save in his second-career outing, right-handed reliever Jack Perkins finished the job with a one-hit 3 1/3 frames, allowing Kotsay to use just two arms. Perkins allowed one hit in three innings against the Cleveland Guardians in his big-league debut last Sunday.
The A’s offense equally was in full force, as the entire lineup — except right-fielder Lawrence Butler — finished with exactly one hit.
Designated hitter Brent Rooker sent a centered sweeper from Yankees right-handed starter Clarke Schmidt 403 feet to left center to give the Green and Gold a 1-0 lead and all it needed to win in the fourth.
And A’s top prospect and rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz added three RBI with a 356-foot three-run shot off Schmidt in the sixth, and now is up to 18 hits and 16 RBI since returning from the 10-day injured list (strained left hip flexor) on June 9.
“Yeah, we’re hoping so,” Rooker said about using Saturday to build momentum on “A’s Cast” with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jenny Cavnar and Dallas Braden. “We know and we’re confident in the damage we can do one through nine. All it takes is one game like that to get things rolling and go on a little run here.”
The A’s still have a ways to go to climb back into the AL playoff race. But Saturday’s all-around dominance could serve as a blueprint for what the Green and Gold’s potential can be.
