PHILADELPHIA — Cam Schlittler took the mound Friday night coming off one of the more frustrating starts of his season.
By the end of the night, he had successfully transferred that frustration into the helpless hands of the Phillies lineup, and dissipated whatever his own struggling offense might have been feeling if he had not.
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On yet another night when the Yankees pitching staff had a razor-thin margin for error because of a lack of run support, Schlittler dominated the Phillies, tossing 7 ¹/₃ shutout innings and striking out 12 on the way to a 1-0 win at a sold-out Citizens Bank Park.
Brent Headrick retired Kyle Schwarber to escape a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning before David Bednar slammed the door shut in the ninth with his 19th straight scoreless appearance.
“That’s about as well-pitched a game as you’re going to see, both sides,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Cam, obviously he’s been massive for us. [Headrick] gets a couple big outs with some good defense behind him and we’re able to hang on.”
New York Yankees’ Cam Schlittler pitches during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, July 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Paul Goldschmidt swatted a solo home run against Jesús Luzardo in the fourth inning, the only run the Yankees (58-45) mustered in seven innings against the Phillies lefty, who scattered three hits and one walk while striking out nine.
Thanks to Schlittler and Co., it was enough to lift the Yankees to their eighth win in the last 11 games.
“Especially these last few weeks when we haven’t been scoring, we’ve had to win some low-scoring games and there’s a lot of pressure on the starting pitcher and the bullpen guys,” Goldschmidt said. “It’s not what we want, but they’ve done a great job picking us up as an offense. Hopefully we can play better offensively, but most importantly, just finding ways to win.”
His last time out Sunday against the Dodgers, Schlittler didn’t make it out of the fifth inning as a tough lineup drove his pitch count up to 98 across 4 ¹/₃ innings.
But on Friday, he threw one more pitch and recorded nine more outs, finding put-away pitches earlier in counts to allow him to pitch deep into the game.
This was much more like the Schlittler the Yankees have become accustomed to seeing all season, as the budding ace recorded his sixth scoreless outing in 22 starts while lowering his ERA to 2.07.
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“They got a great lineup,” said Schlittler, who recorded double-digit strikeouts for the third time in his career (including playoffs), all of which have come with no walks. “They’re going to make you battle and you’ve got to make the right pitches. When you don’t, you’re going to get tagged for that. Just trying to stay locked in and make sure I’m executing.”
Schlittler cruised into the eighth inning and struck out the first batter before giving up a single to J.T. Realmuto through the left side.
His next pitch was a cutter that just barely grazed the back knee of Gabriel Rincones Jr., at which point Boone pulled him for Headrick.
The lefty reliever, in the midst of a breakout year, allowed a single to pinch hitter Edmundo Sosa, but Realmuto was held at third base as right fielder Jasson Domínguez got off a strong one-hop throw to the plate.
New York Yankees’ Paul Goldschmidt hits a home run against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo during the fourth inning. AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Headrick then got Treat Turner to line out to left field, too shallow for the Phillies (56-48) to test Cody Bellinger’s strong arm, before Schwarber grounded out in a full count.
The normally reserved Headrick was fired up as he came off the mound, quieting the crowd of 43,165 that was on its feet.
“Cam threw a hell of a game and my job is to come in and keep it at zero,” said Headrick, who has not allowed a run in a major league-leading 44 of his 52 appearances this season. “When you do that and come in and pick up a guy like that who had an incredible day, I think it’s really good for us and the team. Being able to get that win was big.”
Jul 24, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
I mean, what else can you say?
The Phillies had an outstanding pitching performance by Jesus Luzardo go for naught since they came up against a buzzsaw in Cam Schlittler. Luzardo did all he could, going seven innings and allowing a single run in the form of a solo home run on a great piece of hitting by Paul Goldschmidt.
There wasn’t much else the lefty could do as Schlittler handcuffed the Phillies lineup all night long. Said lineup did not help much, swinging at pitches like they were being chased by bees, but that’s what a great pitcher like Schlittler will do. He’ll see that he can get the hitters to chase and he’ll keep going to the same well over and over.
As the lineup got more and more looks at him though, they started to actually hit him a little harder. They couldn’t do much with it until the eighth when they actually had their threat to score. With one out, J.T. Realmuto got his second hit on the night, then went to second when Gabriel Rincones was hit by a pitch. That sent Schlittler to the bench in favor of Brent Headrick, a move countered by Edmundo Sosa coming into the game. Sosa singled to right, which brings the biggest “What if?” moment into play.
Should Realmuto have been waved home?
Worst case is that he’s thrown out and they still have a fast runner in Derek Hill in scoring position with Trea Turner coming up and two outs. Anthony Morales, the third base coach, opted to hold Realmuto to load the bases and, well, we know what happened next. Turner hit a soft fly ball not deep enough to score Realmuto, then was followed by Kyle Schwarber grounding out to second to end the threat.
Pitcher’s duels are great when they go your way, but tonight did not for the Phillies. They’ll try again tomorrow night.
Tarik Skubal's next start at Comerica Park could be his last as a Detroit Tiger. Yet the way he's been pitching and the Tigers keep winning, the chances keep increasing that he'll stick around the Motor City a couple more months.
Skubal made quick work of the Kansas City Royals Friday, July 24, striking out a season-high 12 and mowing through 7⅓ innings on 91 pitches as the Tigers defeated the Royals 2-1 for their 12th win in 16 games.
The victory moved Detroit to 50-54, the closest they've been to the .500 mark since they were 19-23 on May 12. They remained within six games of first place in the American League Central, and four games of the final wild card berth.
And that could be bad news for the rest of Major League Baseball's contenders.
Skubal, 29 and a free agent after this season, is by far the most anticipated potential trade chip this year. After the Tigers sank 16 games below .500 on May 31 as Skubal worked his way back from elbow surgery, it was widely assumed Skubal, if healthy, would certainly be available by the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Skubal is plenty healthy and starting to approach his two-time Cy Young Award-winning form. Trouble is, the Tigers are playing far better ball, too.
They are 28-16 since June 1, and with each win they put on the board, must ponder the impact dealing their ace would have on their fan base.
For now, Detroit is enjoying Skubal's greatness, as 40,638 turned out on a 77-degree night at Comerica Park to watch him work, and saluted him with a long standing ovation when Tigers manager A.J. Hinch came to take him out with one out in the eighth, sitting on 999 strikeouts.
"You don’t take these things for granted," Skubal told reporters of the standing ovation. "I think they just appreciate me and that’s special, and nothing I take for granted."
Skubal allowed just six baserunners, giving up four hits and two walks, and his 12 strikeouts were his most since punching out a dozen Athletics in an 8-3 loss on Aug. 25, 2025. In seven starts since returning from May elbow surgery, Skubal has a 2.70 ERA and a 65-7 strikeout-walk ratio.
And he's only picking up steam.
Skubal was coming off a seven-inning shutout effort against the Los Angeles Angels, and another dominant start like his last two, and it'd be hard to dispute he's returned to his Cy Young-winning form.
"Tarik was pretty locked in tonight," Hinch said. "I look down at my card, and he’s just rolling through innings. Excellent performance, and well-deserved ovation.
"The bar for him is so high, and he continues to reach it. It’s not surprising in the least, but it’s always rewarding when he does."
Tarik Skubal leaves to a standing ovation in what could have been his final home start at Comerica Park.
On one hand, that greatly enhances his trade value. On the other? Well, the Tigers compete in the notoriously weak AL Central, in one of the worst seasons the AL overall has experienced perhaps this century. Holding on to Skubal gives them a far better shot at a third consecutive playoff berth.
"He’s really good. I keep saying it over and over again,' Hinch said. "Who wouldn’t value his impact on our team or any team? I want Tarik Skubal, as many of those guys as we can get, and we’ll see him on Wednesday."
That's when Skubal will make potentially his final home start at Comerica, against the Baltimore Orioles. After that, the Tigers hit the road and Skubal's next start will come shortly after the deadline. And every time he takes the ball, it seems to enhance the chances he'll be suiting up in a Tigers uniform Aug. 4.
Why? Well, the Tigers seem to believe that these guys − the crisp, second-half, Skubal-led contingent − are the real Tigers, not the bumbling, injury-addled boys of April and May.
"This is who we are, the team we had in spring," says Skubal. "We were just a little dinged up and didn’t play well. I hate to use health as an excuse because even with the guys we had, we should’ve played better baseball.
"But this is the team we are. We were so close to a CS. Look at how that ended, we were so close to a World Series. This is the team we knew we had in spring."
When asked if this outing might have convinced the Tigers to keep the gang together, Skubal replied, "You'll have to ask Scott Harris," referring to the club's GM.
All he and his mates can do is keep making their case. He'll have at least one more shot to do so.
"Every win matters right now," says Skubal, "and hopefully the decisionmakers see the type of club we have."
The Yankees (58-45) beat the Philadelphia Phillies (56-48) in their road series opener on Friday night, 1-0, the final score.
Here are the takeaways....
-- Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt opened the scoring with an opposite-field line drive solo homer, recording the team's first hit of the game in the fourth inning against Phillies southpaw Jesús Luzardo.
-- Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler also allowed his first hit in the fourth inning, a double by Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber with one out. Schlittler battled back to retire the next two batters and strand the runner in scoring position.
-- Goldschmidt came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth, but he softly grounded out and the score remained 1-0 Yanks.
-- Luzardo tossed seven innings, holding the Yankees to just one run, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out nine batters.
-- Not to be outdone by his counterpart, Schlittler was utterly dominant on the hill. He struck out every member of the Phillies batting order apart from Schwarber, racking up 12 strikeouts in the process. He finally slipped up with one man out in the eighth inning, allowing a single to J.T. Realmuto before promptly hitting Gabriel Rincones Jr. with a pitch. Schlittler was pulled having completed 7.1 innings, allowing three hits, walking zero batters, and throwing 99 pitches. Stalwart lefty Brent Headrick emerged from the bullpen to relieve the Yankee starter.
-- Edmundo Sosa roped a single into right field to load the bases on Headrick. After a lengthy battle, Trea Turner lined out to left field, but not deep enough to score Realmuto on a sacrifice. With two outs, Schwarber worked the count to 3-2, but Headrick got out of the jam with a groundout and held New York's one-run lead entering the ninth inning.
-- Lefty reliever José Alvarado plunked Ryan McMahon (who was pinch-hitting for Amed Rosario), but recovered by forcing Cody Bellinger into a groundout double play, holding the Yankees scoreless in the top half of the final frame.
-- David Bednar entered the 1-0 ballgame to face the heart of Philadelphia's order. Bednar struck out Bryce Harper swinging, got some assistance from Bellinger's leaping catch near the left-field wall for the second out, and got Alec Bohm to ground out to end the game. Bednar earned his 19th save of the season, and Schlittler earned his 10th win.
Game MVP: Cam Schlittler
Among all American League pitchers who have accumulated at least 75 IP, Schlittler's 2026 ERA (2.07) is tops, and he's second-best in WHIP (0.93) behind Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.
Juan Soto of the New York Mets looks on prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday, July 24, 2026
The Mets may have another Juan Soto injury concern on their hands.
Soto left Friday’s 4-2 loss to the Dodgers midway through the sixth inning due to what the Mets described as “left calf soreness.” It’s just the latest injury scare for Soto, who has been sidelined in each of the past three months for at least some period of time.
“He just had a recurrence of symptoms in the left calf,” interim manager Andy Green said after Kyle Tucker’s two-run homer in the eighth inning helped close the game out for Los Angeles. “Certainly hoped we were behind it, done talking about this, but he felt it pushing off on second base there when he was on the bases. At this point, we’ll likely get an image [Saturday] and try to see where he’s at.
New York Mets designated hitter Juan Soto challenges a call during the third inning on July 24, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“This is nagging him for a week now, so I know it’s frustrating for him, frustrating for us.”
Before leaving in the middle of a 1-1 game at Citi Field, Soto had walked twice. Jorge Polanco ultimately replaced him in the lineup and struck out twice.
The Mets’ $765 million dollar man has not been able to catch a break this season on the injury front.
In April, Soto missed 15 games after he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf issue.
He later experienced back soreness in June that forced him to exit a game against the Cubs and kept him out of the subsequent one. At the time, Soto’s back locked up on him and he was classified as day to day.
The 27-year-old also left a game against the Phillies earlier this month due to mild left calf cramping/soreness.
The Mets have had to manage their star player’s workload for a majority of this lost 2026 season. Prior to this season, however, Soto had not been on the injured list since 2021.
Juan Soto of the New York Mets looks on prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday, July 24, 2026 MLB Photos via Getty Images
As recently as earlier this week in the series finale against the Brewers, Soto sat out to rest a minor lingering issue with his left calf.
Green said he wanted to give Soto 48 hours “to get the calf thing completely behind him.”
Evidently, the calf injury is still nagging Soto. The Mets will have to wait and see just how serious it is.
“I think any time you get an image, you’re concerned,” Green said. “Concerned enough to go do it. We’ll wait until [Saturday] and figure out what we’re dealing with.”
Anthony Volpe isn't concerned about the Yankees' uncertainty at shortstop.
PHILADELPHIA — Anthony Volpe was back in the lineup at shortstop for the Yankees on Friday against the Phillies, but there’s just as much interest in the starting shortstop at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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And with the Yankees without an everyday starting shortstop, questions will continue about the spot.
Asked Friday about the uncertainty surrounding the position — both with battling for time with José Caballero and knowing Lombard is on the team’s radar — Volpe said, “It’s not my job to be concerned with that. I’m here to help the team win. I’m ready to go every day to help the team.”
That includes, Volpe said, staying in touch with Lombard, who he played with at SWB while Volpe was rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery and again when he was optioned to Triple-A once it ended.
Anthony Volpe fields a ground ball during the Yankees’ July 24 game against the Phillies. AP Photo/Matt Slocum
“He’s doing well,” Volpe said. “I’ve talked to him a little bit, like I would with anyone else.”
Lombard, though, is not just somebody else.
Since coming back from an IL stint because of sprained fingers, Lombard has played well.
Entering Friday, in four games with SWB since his injury, Lombard was 9-for-17 with four extra-base hits.
Interestingly, Aaron Boone has not shied away from addressing Lombard in recent weeks as the 21-year-old plays his way into the conversation for a spot on the major league roster.
Before the Yankees opened a series against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, the manager noted that in addition to the superb defense Lombard has displayed since being drafted by the organization, he’s more recently developed physically and at the plate.
Anthony Volpe is pictured during the Yankees’ July 24 game against the Phillies. AP Photo
“He’s improved a lot offensively,’’ Boone said.
After pointing out how Lombard controls the strike zone and has “some power,” Boone spoke twice about his “hit-abilty.”
A National League scout who’s seen Lombard since his return from the IL agreed.
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“He’s smarter up there and knows his strengths,’’ the scout said. “It’s what you want to see from a player with that much skill and that good of a work ethic.”
“He’s playing really well now,” Boone said. “Especially coming off the injury… He’s come back and it seems like he hasn’t missed a beat. His performance has been excellent. He brings a lot of things to the table.’’
The next question, which only the Yankees can answer, is if he’s ready to contribute to their playoff push this season.
He began this year at Double-A Somerset, having played two full minor league seasons out of high school.
George Lombard Jr. swings during a Double-A Somerset game April 17. Charles Wenzelberg
And Lombard has played just 48 games at the Triple-A level.
As Boone said, he’s put “himself in the conversation.”
Asked what else the organization would need to see before calling him up, Boone said, “I don’t know. He’s done a great job. We’ll see.”
Jul 24, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
After Thursday night’s thrilling come-from-behind win to open the four-game series against the Royals, the tension was high all night as the Tigers, behind terrific pitching and just enough offence, squeaked-out a 2-1 victory on Friday night to ensure at least a series tie.
Tarik Skubal made his fifteenth start of the season; his previous one was a sensational, seven-inning spanking of the Angels in which he scattered five harmless hits, struck out nine and walked nary a soul. Now, there have been plenty of contrasting rumours about the future of Skubal with the Tigers, but can we please, please just focus on the actual baseball game in which he pitched? Thank you in advance.
Righty Beck Way — no relation to Beck, as far as I can tell — opened for Noah Cameron, a sturdy lefty who’s in his second season in the Major Leagues. Last year went well for him: 24 starts, an ERA a hair below 3, a WHIP right around 1.1, and fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting. This year’s been more of a struggle: his ERA coming into tonight’s game was over 5, his WHIP is north of 1.4, and a few of his recent starts have been drastically shortened by a plethora of walks. Perhaps the Royals’ brass thought an opener might just be what Cameron needed, and they may be onto something.
The Tigers put their first three batters on base with a pair of singles and a Dillon Dingler plunking. Riley Greene put one over the left-field fence but Isaac Collins stole the grand slam, reducing it to a simple sacrifice fly.
Hao-Yu Lee then poked a single up the middle to score Gleyber Torres to make it a 2-0 game. As it turns out, that’d be all the scoring they’d do… and it’d be enough.
In the top of the third the Royals got runners to second and third with a double and a walk, and a sacrifice bunt to skooch the runners up a base. Skubal said, “Relax, everyone, I’ve got this,” and struck out the next two batters to keep the Royals off the board… until the next inning, in which Salvador Perez led off with a double, riding home on Nick Loftin’s double to narrow the gap to 2-1.
Both pitchers settled in for a while, with Skubal being particularly efficient; after six innings Skubal had thrown a meagre 68 pitches, so if AJ Hinch was to try to take him out of the game at that point, fists might’ve gone flying in the dugout. Cameron was no slouch either, only allowing a handful of baserunners on a couple of hits and a couple of walks.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lee punched a double off the right-centrefield wall with two out. Alas, Zack McKinstry lined out to left for the third out to keep the score at 2-1.
Indeed, Skubal came back out for the seventh, in which he notched his season-high 12th strikeout, giving him 999 for his major league career. The Royals then put runners on second and third with two out, but Skubal induced a short, harmless fly ball to centre for the third out. After that he got a fist-bump from Hinch, so it looked like Skubal would start the eighth…
…which he did! He got the first out quickly, which was all Hinch wanted out of him, and his final line was sensational: 7 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 12 K, 68 strikes out of 91 pitches (74.7%), 25 swings-and-misses. (That’s great.) Brenan Hanifee took over, got a pair of groundouts, and that was as deliciously uneventful as you’d ever want a relief appearance.
In the bottom of the eighth Gleyber Torres walked to lead off, and after a Dingler strikeout Greene hit a ground ball that was turned into an inning-ending double play. So, with a one-run lead, to whom would the Tigers turn for the final three outs?
As you might have expected it was Kenley Jansen, whose previous outing was an escape-job that would’ve made Houdini jealous. On the other hand, Jensen hasn’t allowed a run in July and has seemed a bit more in command of the cutter. How’d it go? Jac Caglianone flew out meekly to centre, Vinnie Pasquantino struck out swinging, and Nick Lotin popped up to Lee at second. Never a doubt.
But, alright, if you want to go ahead and speculate if this was Skubal’s final start in Detroit wearing a home uniform, I guess I can’t stop you. I’ve always found those endeavours were mere “micturation into the wind,” myself.
Before his three-run home run on Thursday night, James Outman wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire with his bat. Coming into that game, he was 10-for-78 with an OPS of exactly .500.
However, consider this: of his previous three home runs for the Tigers, two of them had been three-run homers. What did he hit on Thursday night? A three-run dinger, natch.
The run in the top of the fourth by the Royals was the first they’d scored in 20 2/3 innings against Tarik Skubal.
Pretty interesting visual essay/mini-documentary on The Foul Ball Epidemic. The more you think about it, the more sense it makes about why it’s such a big deal.
On this day in 1983, George Brett hit a home run for the Kansas City Royals. That wasn’t terribly unusual — he hit 317 in his career, all with KC — but this one featured pine tar on his bat farther up than the allowed 18 inches from the end. Opposing manager Billy Martin of the Yankees was well aware of this, but waited for the most opportune time to call this to the umpires’ attention. The reaction of an enraged Brett tearing out of the dugout, looking to do great bodily harm to the collection of umpires, is priceless.
Jul 24, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron (65) pitches in the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
The Royals dropped yet another one-run game to the Tigers, their fifth in a row. But at least they didn’t give fans any real hope in this one as the Tigers won 2-1.
Here are two things that, had I said them two days ago, would not have made sense. The Tigers scored both of their runs in the first inning and Noah Cameron pitched seven scoreless innings. The Royals chose to use Beck Way as an opener in this one, but he loaded the bases before recording his first out. He almost gave up a grand slam to Riley Greene, but Isaac Collins managed to bring it back for a sacrifice fly. After a ground out, he allowed an RBI single to Hao-Yu Lee.
Noah Cameron looked as good as he ever has as the bulk reliever. He struck out 8 while allowing 2 hits and 3 walks in seven innings. I don’t know if using an opener for him will become the new norm or why it would have such a huge effect on him, but boy it worked tonight. One thing that stands out when looking at his pitch usage and stuff rates is that he really dialed back the four-seam fastball use in this one. For the season he has used it the most of any pitch at 27.2% despite it not being a particularly good pitch. Tonight he only used it 16.5% of the time, less than his cutter and changeup. He usually won’t use his cutter against lefties, but he was all too happy to do so tonight. That’s actually one of the changes I recommended on Royals Rundown earlier this week, so that was pretty gratifying.
Unfortunately, he was in a hole before he took the mound, and Tarik Skubal was on the other side.
In what may have been Skubal’s last start as a Tiger, he struck out 12 Royals – giving him 999 for his career. He also allowed four hits, all doubles. The Royals’ run came in the top of the fourth when Salvador Perez led off with a double and Nick Loftin came through with his own after two outs. The Royals’ other best opportunity came in the third inning when Isaac Collins led off with a double and Michael Massey walked. Tyler Tolbert put down a sacrifice bunt – in the third inning! And the Royals got what they deserved for such tactics when Carter Jensen and Lane Thomas struck out.
If you’re keeping track at home, that’s 7 scoreless for Cameron and 7.1 innings allowing 1 run for Skubal. I say Cameron outdueled him, but honestly it was just terrific pitching by both teams once Beck Way got past his first three batters. But those three counted, and the Royals lost.
In what might be considered a second bright spot, Jac Caglianone was feeling well enough to pinch hit for Starling Marte in the ninth and didn’t show any discomfort while flying out to shallow center.
The Royals will need to win tomorrow afternoon to have a shot at a series split. Michael Wacha (3.66 ERA, 4.37 SIERA) will face off against Casey Mize (2.79, 3.62). The game will be played at 12:10 PM Central.
Clay Holmes is on the cusp of returning to the mound, but the chances of it being for the Mets seem slim.
That fact is not lost on Holmes, who addressed the looming Aug. 3 trade deadline on Friday after his first minor league rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse.
“It’s different, for sure,” he said before the Mets opened a 10-game homestand against the Dodgers. “It’s just a unique scenario. I think the timing of just this injury, just the unforeseen kind of circumstances are with the team. I think all that together has just put together a very unique, weird scenario here. Sometimes it’s easy to let your mind wander, and there’s a lot of things out there that you can’t really control. You do know that there’ll be some impact on your future, but I think just as an athlete, especially me right now, I want to be pitching my best, whether that’s here or somewhere else these last two months.
“I just need to really be locked in on just the things I can do, things I can do on the mound, and hopefully the other things take care of themselves.”
Clay Holmes has been recovering from a fractured fibula. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Asked if extension talks between the Mets and his agent ever went anywhere, Holmes said he didn’t think “there was a ton there.”
The 33-year-old has a $12 million player option for 2027 and is widely expected to decline in order to enter free agency this upcoming winter. Considering Holmes is one of the few bright spots on the team, the Mets certainly recognize him as one of their top trade chips.
Holmes posted a 2.39 ERA over nine starts and 52 ²/₃ innings before getting struck by a comebacker on May 15.
“I don’t know. We’ll see how this week goes,” Holmes said when asked what the next steps in his rehab are. “We haven’t really had a ton of discussion about it yet, but there’s always that part of you that is like, ‘Man, I can pitch in a game. And feel like I can pitch in the big leagues.’ I think some of that’s just kind of how you’re wired as an athlete. So we’ll just see where we’re at, seek everybody’s opinion. Feel good, feel ready to compete, feel like I can compete anywhere. We just see how this week goes to see what’s next.”
Clay Holmes was one of the few positives for the Mets this season before his injury. Robert Sabo for NY Post
In his rehab start on Thursday against the RailRiders, Holmes gave up two runs on three hits, walked two batters and struck out two over 2 ¹/₃ innings.
He threw 28 strikes over his 51 total pitches.
According to Holmes, the recovery process was pretty seamless.
He said he met all the timelines that were set before him and felt like there were “no huge roadblocks” at any point.
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“I think in this timeline of being back, around or before August 1, was definitely ambitious,” Holmes said. “And you know, here we are looking at it. I think just the plan that the training staff has put in place has been great. We’ve executed it really well, and the ankle’s responded really well. It can be a tricky thing when you deal with a non-throwing arm injury because there’s just a balance of being able to keep the arm ready and keeping, in my case, the ankle in a good place and making sure you just don’t really … ankle may be good, but you still can’t over-push the rest of the body.
“I think just the balance we’ve kept with that has been really good. So I’m really happy where I’m at and how I feel. Very thankful for that.”
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) July 24, 2026
New York Mets left fielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after he flies out in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field, Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
His reaction the last few days to the league tweaking its pitch clock rules (or interpretations) in response to his season-long routine in the batter’s box would suggest otherwise, but even after an off day Thursday, the Yankees utilityman said he was still lacking clarity on what he could and could not do.
“I’m not mad at anyone,” Caballero said Friday before going 0-for-3 in the Yankees’ 1-0 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. “I just want to be a baseball player.”
Pitch clock rules state that a batter must be in the box and alert to the pitcher by the time there are eight seconds left on the clock. Caballero did that Wednesday (he was actually alert at nine seconds) but was still hit with a pitch-clock violation because, as he has done all season, he spent the seconds before the eight-second mark in the box but looking down until the last possible second.
Unbeknownst to Caballero and the Yankees, MLB decided to crack down on his tactics beginning Wednesday, restricting hitters from attempting “to deceive a pitcher into beginning their windup or coming to the set position.”
José Caballero is pictured arguing with an umpire during the Yankees’ July 22 game. Robert Sabo for the NY Post
Caballero, though, does not see it as deception but rather his routine, which meant entering Friday’s game against the Phillies — he did not play the nightcap of Wednesday’s doubleheader — he was still trying to figure out a new routine in the batter’s box.
“I have to see from when I get in the box,” Caballero said. “We’ll see.”
On Friday, Caballero seemed to be a mix of despondent and still ticked off as he discussed his new reality. His first four answers to questions on the subject were all one word. He had a brief conversation with the league between Wednesday’s games — he said Mike Hill, MLB’s senior vice president of on-field operations, was on the phone and then passed it to “someone else” — but it only lasted a few minutes and clearly was not satisfactory, in his view.
Caballero indicated again that he felt like he is getting picked on, but that he would not continue trying to push the issue.
“They [the league] are above and they control everything,” Caballero said. “We ain’t figuring this out. They say what they had to say. They’re the league, they control [things]. I just have to obey.”
Aaron Boone said he has also had multiple conversations with Hill about the issue — as he has all season — and indicated they “have to be” OK with where things stood as of Friday.
Asked if it was worth Caballero continuing to push the issue, Boone pushed back.
“Worth what?” Boone said. “Worth having a routine and getting in there and being alert at nine seconds? I mean, I’ve heard the thing of, ‘He’s the only one that does it.’ Every hitter is the only one that does something. At the end of the day, they decide the rules. We have to try to comply with them, which we certainly have done, but obviously there needs to be some kind of adjustment, so we’ll do that.
Aaron Boone argues with an umpire July 22. Robert Sabo for the NY Post
“At the end of the day, it’s about going out there and playing and being productive. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
To that end, aside from all the back-and-forth with his routine in the box, Caballero has not been productive consistently enough with the bat. Over his last 25 games entering Friday, he was hitting just .193 with a .549 OPS, part of the reason (along with struggles from fellow shortstop Anthony Volpe) why the calls for top prospect George Lombard Jr. have only grown louder in recent days.
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“Kind of up and down,” Boone said of Caballero’s at-bats over the past month. “He’s had some big at-bats. … I think as a group, we’ve all gone through it a little bit where everyone’s probably capable of a little bit more. We’ve kind of all gone through it a little bit together. As a result, as a team over the last month, we haven’t been as good as we expect offensively. We all need to get going a little bit more.”
But Boone did not sound worried about Caballero losing his edge — annoying pitchers by playing the game within the game — because of the new rule interpretation.
“He’s a killer,” Boone said. “He knows how to play and he’ll do what he needs to do to adjust.”
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MAY 15: Dustin May #3 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Kansas City Royals at Busch Stadium on May 15, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals begin a crucial 3-game series against their NL Central rivals Cincinnati Reds Friday night. Dustin May will take the mound for the Cardinals while the villains Reds will start RHP Rhett Lowder. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm central time and the TV broadcast will be handled by Cardinals.tv.
This wasn’t a guarantee that Francisco Lindor will remain a Met past the Aug. 3 trade deadline, but David Stearns didn’t suggest the shortstop will be elsewhere, either.
The team’s president of baseball operations met the media ahead of a 10-game homestand that kicked off with a 4-2 loss to the Dodgers on Friday, and in his 18-minute briefing was peppered with questions about his plans to sell off assets.
“I’m not going to rule out or in any specific player on anything,” Stearns said. “I don’t think that’s wise for me to do. What I will say is, we’ve got a group of young players and we’ve got some potential Hall of Famers, future Hall of Famers, that we view as our core. We expect them to be our core.”
It has been reported that the Mets are willing to listen on Lindor, although actually dealing him is another matter. He is in the fifth year of a 10-year, $341 million contract. Owner Steve Cohen admitted recently during an appearance on “The Show,” The Post’s podcast with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, that Lindor and Juan Soto didn’t get along a year ago in their first season as teammates, but that relationship has improved.
Perhaps the biggest thing standing in the way of a Lindor trade is that the Mets, according to both Cohen and Stearns, are trying to win next year. This isn’t a complete teardown. They wouldn’t be better without him, barring an incredible return. Lindor also has no-trade rights as a 10-and-5 player.
David Stearns speaks to Mets reporters on July 24, 2026. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Lindor — who was 0-for-4 on Friday — recently broached the subject.
“It doesn’t bother me when it’s coming from outside sources. When it’s more inside, that would bother me. But that’s not happening,” he said. “I try to stay away from it. I try not to read it or really talk about it. It’s just an unnecessary distraction. But I am human. I have a family and they all talk and they all hear it. But since it’s not happening in here, it’s OK.”
It has been a difficult season for Lindor. He has been shaky defensively and was slashing an underwhelming .233/.315/.398 with a .712 OPS entering play Friday. He also has dealt with an assortment of injuries. He has appeared in 47 of the Mets’ 104 games.
Stearns was asked if he considers Lindor part of the core he mentioned and declined to say, though it seems clear that the two future Hall of Famers he referred to are Soto and Lindor.
“What I said was we have a group of young players who we’re really excited about,” he said. “We have a core of guys who are likely headed to Cooperstown one day, and we would consider that group of players our core. I’m not going to get into specifics of who exactly they are, who we’re not going to trade right now.”
Stearns didn’t offer much substance in this press conference, other than to say he’s extremely disappointed the Mets find themselves in this position as sellers and while he has to do what is the best for the franchise, the hope is this deadline will put them in a better spot for next year.
“We have to be open-minded,” he said. “I’ve been very clear, Steve’s been very clear, that we expect to compete in 2027. We have to keep that in mind.
Francisco Lindor could be moved ahead of the trade deadline. Robert Sabo for NY Post
“We also have to make moves that we believe are right for the organization. And, so, we’re sitting here nine, 10 days out from the deadline, and we’re not going to close any paths down right now.”
Sen. Alex Padilla speaks while joined by (from left) Miguel Rojas, Dodgers president Stan Kasten, manager Dave Roberts and Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Capitol Hill on Thursday. (Finn Gomez / Getty Images)
“Other than going to the White House, there were a lot of people from California, senators from California that are not just people who work for the government, but they’re Dodgers fans as well,” Rojas said Friday before the Dodgers’ series opener against the Mets. “So it’s pretty cool to give people that watch games and support us throughout the year [an opportunity] to get to see us.”
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) posted on X, “Think we can do this every year, @Dodgers?” with three photos — one of himself with their back-to-back World Series trophies, another posing with a World Series ring on his finger, and a group shot that included Rojas, Roberts, Klein and Dodgers president Stan Kasten.
Rep. Luz Rivas (D-North Hollywood), whose district includes several San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, posted on social media that she thanked Rojas for hitting his tying home run in Game 7of the World Series.
“Thank you to Miguel and the team for stopping by Capitol Hill,” she posted on X. “We can’t wait to welcome them back again next year (with a THIRD trophy, perhaps?...).”
The Dodgers’ visit to the White House on Thursday frustrated the portion of their fan base that wanted their team to stand up against the president’s anti-immigration policies.
Only two players on the active roster who were part of the 2025 World Series team did not attend: shortstop Mookie Betts, who told reporters he’d rather spend time with his family, and reliever Edgardo Henriquez, who declined to comment via Dodgers PR.
“This is something that I don’t really think about [being] political,” Rojas said of visiting Capitol Hill and the White House. “...I’m representing the Dodgers, and I’m going to these events just because I’m part of the Dodgers, and the Dodgers are deciding to go there. And I feel, as a professional, your job doesn’t just stop when the game is over. You have to do some things outside the field that sometimes are tied to success and to the things that you do on the field. So, for me, it’s a privilege to get the opportunity to go to a place where you will never be if you don’t have success in sports.”
Roberts, who has also talked about separating the visit from politics, kept his review brief.
“It was good,” he said. “It was an honor to be there.”
Ohtani update
Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Saturday, his second since receiving an injection in his left knee at the beginning of the All-Star break.
“That’s the beauty of where we’re at right now,” Roberts said. “We’re not going to push him. There’s constant conversation going on each day. But the main thing is with Shohei and this pitching thing is to remain nimble.”
Even if Ohtani’s bullpen goes well, Roberts said he probably won’t be ready to return to the rotation next week.
“That’s too early,” Roberts said. “I feel good that it won’t be next week.”
Jul 24, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
The Colorado Rockies played the Milwaukee Brewers’ kind of game better than the Brewers did Friday afternoon.
Colorado attacked Shane Drohan with hard contact, created pressure on the bases, and turned productive outs into runs. Tomoyuki Sugano used his seven-pitch mix to keep Milwaukee from settling into a comfortable look, while the bullpen covered the final 3.2 innings without allowing a run.
The Rockies built a 4-1 lead by scoring in the first, third, and fourth innings. Christian Yelich and Brice Turang supplied Milwaukee’s only damage against Sugano with solo home runs, but TJ Rumfield answered with a pinch-hit RBI double in the seventh to extend the advantage to 5-2.
Milwaukee made one final push in the ninth with back-to-back singles against Jordan Romano, bringing the tying run to the plate with nobody out. Romano recovered by retiring Joey Ortiz, Gary Sánchez and Yelich to secure the win.
The Brewers entered the afternoon 26-7 in series openers under two-time reigning NL Manager of the Year Pat Murphy. They also entered allowing fewer stolen bases than any team in baseball.
Colorado showed little concern for either fact.
With the win, the Rockies improved to 42-63, while the Brewers fell to 64-39. Sugano earned the victory, Drohan took the loss, and Romano recorded his eighth save on the season, his fourth with the Rockies.
Sugano keeps changing the picture
Tomoyuki Sugano made one sequencing mistake to begin the bottom of the first, and Christian Yelich punished it.
Sugano opened the game with consecutive 87.9 mph cutters. The first missed off the plate, but the second came back over the zone, and Yelich drove it 413 feet to center at 105.5 mph.
Sugano spent the next four innings doing the opposite.
He used seven pitches and refused to give Milwaukee a steady look. His 24 splitters led the mix, followed by 20 sinkers, 18 cutters, and 16 four-seam fastballs. He also worked in six sweepers, six sliders, and three curveballs.
The raw stuff was not unusually sharp. Sugano’s velocity was down slightly, his movement largely resembled his season norms and he delivered first-pitch strikes to only 48% of the hitters he faced. The variety still produced 12 whiffs on 44 swings, including five against the splitter and four against the four-seam fastball.
Milwaukee put two runners aboard with one out in the third, but Sugano retired Yelich and William Contreras to keep the lead at 3-1. He then settled into his best stretch of the afternoon.
Sugano retired the Brewers in order in the fourth, finishing the inning by getting Jake Bauers to chase a splitter below the zone. He carried that momentum into the fifth.
Joey Ortiz saw a sinker, cutter, and splitter in a five-pitch strikeout to begin the inning. Sugano then put the full mix on display against David Hamilton.
He opened with an 82.2 mph sweeper, followed it with a 93.1 mph four-seam fastball, changed speeds again with an 87.1 mph splitter and finished the at-bat with a 92.8 mph sinker.
Hamilton saw four pitches, four different movement profiles and nearly an 11 mph velocity spread.
That was Sugano’s afternoon in miniature. He did not overpower Milwaukee with one pitch; he kept changing the hitter’s picture until there was no comfortable guess left.
Sugano completed another clean inning and had retired eight straight hitters when Brice Turang came to the plate in the sixth. Turang drove a 93 mph four-seamer 434 feet to center at 108.6 mph, but Sugano had kept the bases empty and limited the damage to another solo home run.
Trouble found him as the workload began to show. William Contreras followed with a 103.9 mph line-drive single to center, and Sugano later walked Garrett Mitchell as his pitch count reached 93.
Warren Schaeffer turned to Victor Vodnik with two runners aboard and one out. Vodnik struck out pinch-hitter Andrew Vaughn, then covered first after Troy Johnston fielded Jake Bauers’ high chopper to end the inning without allowing either inherited runner to score.
Sugano came out of the dugout and hugged Vodnik as he walked off the field.
Sugano finished with two runs allowed on six hits across 5.1 innings. He walked one and struck out five. Both runs came on solo homers.
Ninety-three pitches through 5.1 innings was not ideal, but it was also a reflection of how Sugano gets outs. Without much strikeout margin, he had to earn nearly every one of them.
Rockies make Drohan work
Shane Drohan brought better velocity than his season averages, but the Rockies never let the extra life on his pitches become the story.
His four-seam fastball averaged 95.5 mph, while his curveball, cutter and changeup were also up from their normal velocity. Drohan used six pitches and generated 11 whiffs, but Colorado combined hard contact with aggressive baserunning and productive outs.
The Rockies began applying pressure in the first.
Kyle Karros lifted a high fly into no man’s land near the shallow right-field line. Luis Lara, Jake Bauers and Brice Turang converged, but Lara pulled up as the three fielders closed on one another. The ball fell fair, kicked off Lara and skipped back toward the infield, allowing Karros to reach second.
Cole Carrigg followed and was visibly unhappy when a first-pitch fastball above the zone was called a strike. He stepped away, reset and smoked Drohan’s next pitch, an 88.1 mph changeup, for an RBI double to left. The ball left Carrigg’s bat at 100.4 mph and traveled 371 feet.
Hunter Goodman followed with an RBI single, giving Colorado a 2-0 lead before Drohan could settle into the afternoon.
The Rockies struck again in the third. Jake McCarthy lined a triple to right, and Karros drove him home with a sharp single. Lara recovered the ball and threw Karros out trying to advance to second, but Colorado had restored its two-run lead.
The fourth inning showed another way to score.
Willi Castro opened the frame by ripping a 104.4 mph line drive into left field. He then stole second against a Milwaukee team that entered the day allowing an MLB-low 0.35 stolen bases per game.
That was the Rockies at their most complete. Hard contact put Castro aboard. His legs moved him into scoring position. Johnston traded an out for 90 feet, and Moniak finished the sequence.
The Rockies have too often watched that kind of opportunity dissolve somewhere between second base and home plate. This time, they moved the runner, put the ball in the air, and took the run.
Drohan still had stretches of control. He struck out six and completed two 1-2-3 innings, including a clean fifth and a scoreless sixth. Colorado was not creating constant traffic, but they scored in the first, third and fourth by repeatedly converting the chances it did create.
Drohan returned for the seventh and walked Moniak in a left-on-left matchup before Pat Murphy went to the bullpen. Schaeffer countered by sending the left-handed TJ Rumfield to pinch-hit for Tyler Freeman against right-hander Grant Anderson.
Rumfield made the move count immediately, lining a double down the right-field line. Moniak scored without a throw, and Rumfield cruised into second with his 22nd double and 53rd RBI.
Drohan’s velocity was up, and his arsenal had enough to miss bats. The Rockies still found several ways to beat him. They hit mistakes hard, stayed composed through difficult at-bats and manufactured a run when the game called for something simpler.
For much of the afternoon, they were playing Brewer ball better than the Brewers.
Bullpen finishes the job
Victor Vodnik inherited two runners from Tomoyuki Sugano in the sixth and kept both from scoring. He struck out pinch-hitter Andrew Vaughn, then covered first on Troy Johnston’s play to retire Jake Bauers and end the threat.
Vodnik followed with a scoreless seventh, and Antonio Senzatela worked around a two-out infield single in the eighth. Senzatela attacked the zone, threw first-pitch strikes to all four hitters he faced and struck out Brice Turang before handing a 5-2 lead to Jordan Romano.
Romano made the ninth uncomfortable.
Andrew Vaughn singled to center, and Bauers followed with a sharp single to right. Romano had thrown first-pitch strikes to only one of the first five hitters he faced, and Milwaukee suddenly had the tying run at the plate with nobody out.
Pitching coach Alon Leichman visited the mound, and Romano found another gear.
Joey Ortiz popped out under the infield-fly rule, Romano blew away pinch-hitter Gary Sánchez for the second out, and Christian Yelich lined out to Johnston in right to end the game.
Romano allowed two hits and was not especially sharp, but he retired three straight hitters once the inning reached its most dangerous point. The bullpen combined for 3.2 scoreless innings, and the Rockies held on for a 5-2 win.
Final thoughts
Tomoyuki Sugano earned his 10th win of the season, improving to 10-4 after allowing two runs across 5.1 innings. He is the first Rockies pitcher to reach double-digit wins since Germán Márquez won 12 games in 2021.
TJ Rumfield delivered the game’s final run with his pinch-hit RBI double in the seventh, then added a single in the ninth. His 22 doubles and 53 RBI both rank second among National League rookies.
Luis Lara wanted no part of the three-body collision that allowed Kyle Karros’ first-inning double, but he showed no hesitation at the wall in the sixth. Lara tracked Cole Carrigg’s drive to right and made a leaping catch at the top of the fence to take away extra bases.
Milwaukee entered the game ranked 30th in MLB in home runs, yet both Brewers runs came on solo shots from Christian Yelich and Brice Turang. The Rockies did not homer, instead scoring five runs through hard contact, baserunning and situational execution.
Colorado went 3-for-8 with runners in scoring position and produced two two-out RBI. Milwaukee finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and did not record a two-out RBI.
Willi Castro successfully challenged Milwaukee’s league-best stolen-base prevention in the fourth, swiping second before scoring on Mickey Moniak’s sacrifice fly. Ezequiel Tovar was caught stealing to end the ninth, capping a difficult all-around game in which the struggling shortstop went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
Up next
The series in Milwaukee continues Saturday evening, with the Rockies hoping for a better turn from Ryan Feltner. The right-hander enters at 3-4 with a 5.48 ERA across 14 starts and is coming off an especially rough outing his last time out.
The Brewers will counter with left-hander Robert Gasser, who is 2-4 with a 4.91 ERA in 10 starts. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. MT.
