Game one of four with the Godless Texas Rangers.
Lineups:
Rangers @ Jays Game Thread
Craig Counsell says Cubs' defense can benefit David Peterson as southpaw looks to turn season around
The Cubs needed to make a move for a starting pitcher after losing two in the last week, and when Mets southpaw David Peterson became available, the deal was done.
Cubs president Jed Hoyer said Peterson's name was someone they've been talking about as a potential trade target for "quite a while," and his manager echoed those sentiments when talking about the team's newest acquisition.
"This is something we’ve been talking about for a while. And from a timing perspective, we have some needs," Craig Counsell said ahead of Thursday's series finale. "But we’re hopeful we can get a starting pitcher that can solidify some things in a time of need for us and hopefully give him a fresh start and get back to some of the success he’s had."
A fresh start is something Peterson and the Mets needed. After struggling earlier this season, Peterson found himself yo-yoing between the rotation and bullpen as the Mets tried to cobble together viable starters. Through 16 games (eight starts), Peterson is 3-6 with a 6.09 ERA after being an All-Star a season ago. With Peterson set to take the mound for Chicago this weekend in Milwaukee, Counsell and the Cubs are hopeful they can unlock that All-Star caliber pitcher.
When asked how the Cubs' infield defense can help, Counsell boasted his team's skill in that department.
"This is a pitcher among the league leaders of getting the ball on the ground. The ball is going to be in play and that’s something we’re good at," Counsell said. "This is the strength of our team, is playing defense and converting balls into outs. He’s the type of pitcher who benefits most from defense."
This season, Peterson has a 53 percent groundball percentage, which is in the 89th percentile in MLB, according to Baseball Savant. The Cubs are an MLB-best 37 OAA -- the Mets are 20th with -8. The Cubs have committed 31 errors, tied for the fifth-fewest in MLB, while the Mets have committed 51, tied for the fourth-most in baseball.
Those numbers were inflated after the Mets' six-error game in the second of their doubleheader on Wednesday night.
"There’s always going to be some tweaks that you try to make," Counsell said when asked how the Cubs can help Peterson. "Baseball is a team game. One of the ways that we think we can help him is to provide something that is important to him that we do pretty well."
The Cubs entered Thursday with a 0.5-game lead over the Padres for the third and final Wild Card spot.
New York Yankees @ Boston Red Sox: Cam Schlittler vs. Connelly Early
Fresh off a win over the back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner to clinch the series in Detroit, the Yankees head to Boston with Cam Schlittler set to take the ball in the opener of a four-game series at Fenway. We are almost to the midway point of the season, and through five meetings the first-place Yankees hold a 4-1 edge in the season series over the Red Sox. Do not forget, one game was rained out a few weeks ago and will be made up in August.
Boston counters tonight with the Robin, thus far, in Schlittler’s Batman story: Connelly Early. The last time these two faced off was Schlittler’s breakout performance back in October. We all remember how that went! But just so we can all see that final line one more time, Schlittler went eight scoreless frames while striking out 12 batters on 107 beautiful pitches. Early went 3.2 innings and struck out six but gave up four runs (three earned), the defense behind him offering no favors in a sloppy fourth.
Early has been good this season, entering tonight at 6-5 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. However, the month of June has not been as kind to the young lefty. During the month, opponents have hit .293 against him, and he has surrendered five home runs in 20.2 innings, leading to a 5.66 ERA.
On the flip side, June has also been Schlittler’s least dominant month of the season. When you are a Cy Young frontrunner, though, those numbers still look pretty good. This month Schlittler is 1-1 over four starts with a 2.35 ERA. Most of the damage came against Cleveland, and over his last three starts he has tossed 15.2 innings while allowing only two runs. In two starts against Boston this season, Schlittler has allowed just two runs in 13.2 innings.
In the batter’s box, the Yankees have held their own as injuries have tested the organization’s depth. Since Aaron Judge landed on the injured list, the Yankees have gone 11-9, a pace that would translate to roughly 90 wins over a full season. Though the offense has been volatile, including being shut out four times this month, it is still averaging 4.65 runs per game, a mark that would rank inside the top 10 in baseball this season.
Paul Goldschmidt has shown everyone he is not ready for the rocking chair on the front porch just yet. He has surged to a 1.050 OPS in June with eight home runs. Including two yesterday off of Tarik Skubal. On the season, Goldy is hitting .408 against left-handed pitching, and 8 of his 14 home runs have come against southpaws. When the Yankees have needed him most, the veteran has not only stepped up but has performed at an MVP-caliber level since the Captain went down.
Boston’s offense owns a .244 team batting average, ranking 15th in the majors. Its .312 on-base percentage ranks 23rd, and its 64 home runs rank second-to-last. The Red Sox looked better toward the end of May but have stumbled to a 7-12 record in June.
Boston’s hottest hitter this month has been erstwhile Baby Bomber Caleb Durbin, who is slashing .317/.343/.587. Another previous Yankee, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, has also contributed. IKF had an uninspiring April, a solid May, and has been about what you would expect in June: slightly below league average, which is pretty typical IKF (though he’s now injured). Just to finish the note, Boston will start three consecutive former Yankee farmhands tonight in Durbin, Anthony Seigler, and Carlos Narváez at 6-7-8.
The southpaw Early means a lofty spot for lefty killer Amed Rosario, who bats third. Partner-in-crime Goldschmidt will lead off, and while Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger are also in the top four, they can handle lefties, too. The lineup is fairly straightforward from there. Austin Wells gets the nod behind the plate over J.C. Escarra, batting ninth.
Every Schlittler start feels like a gift. Every chance to watch him face a last-place Red Sox club is just the bow on top. Bombers in Beantown, let the showdown begin!
How to watch
Location: Fenway Park — Boston, MA
First pitch: 7:10 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, NESN, MLB Network
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280, WEEI 93.7
Online stream: MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
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GameThread: Detroit Tigers vs. Houston Astros, 6:40 p.m.
Detroit Tigers (34-45) vs. Houston Astros (39-43)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site: The Crawfish Boxes
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Troy Melton (4-0, 2.56 ERA) vs. RHP Tatsuya Imai (4-3, 6.15 ERA)
| Player | G | IP | K% | BB% | GB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melton | 5 | 31.2 | 15.2 | 7.2 | 43.2 | 5.41 | 0.0 |
| Imai | 10 | 41.0 | 26.5 | 13.3 | 45.6 | 4.71 | 0.3 |
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MLB All-Star Game starters: Full finalists list revealed after voting phase 1
Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is about three weeks away and Phase 1 of voting is over. While fans will still have time to vote for their favorite players, only finalists will be available for voting to start in this year's game from now on.
Two players at each infield position, plus a designated hitter and six outfielders, are now the only players capable of starting this year's All-Star Game, with the leading vote-getters in each league from Phase 1 earning automatic bids into the All-Star Game.
So who earned those automatic bids, and which players are still in the voting pool ahead of the Midsummer Classic? Here are the finalists at each position.
2026 MLB All-Star Finalists
*- indicates leading vote-getter from Phase 1 (guaranteed starter for All-Star Game)
American League
Catcher:
- ATH Shea Langeliers
- TOR Alejandro Kirk
First base:
- TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
- NYY Ben Rice
Second base:
- TOR Ernie Clement*
Third base:
- TOR Kazuma Okamoto
- TBR Junior Caminero
Shortstop:
- KCR Bobby Witt Jr.
- TOR Andres Gimenez
Outfield:
- NYY Aaron Judge
- LAA Mike Trout
- MIN Byron Buxton
- NYY Cody Bellinger
- TOR Jesús Sanchez
- TOR Daulton Varsho
Designated hitter:
- HOU Yordan Alvarez
- TOR George Springer
National League
Catcher:
- ATL Drake Baldwin
- LAD Will Smith
First base:
- LAD Freddie Freeman
- ATL Matt Olson
Second base:
- ATL Ozzie Albies
- PHI Bryson Stott
Third base:
- LAD Max Muncy
- PHI Alec Bohm
Shortstop:
- WSH CJ Abrams
- LAD Mookie Betts
Outfield:
- LAD Andy Pages
- PHI Brandon Marsh
- ATL Ronald Acuña Jr.
- LAD Teoscar Hernández
- NYM Juan Soto
- ATL Michael Harris II
Designated hitter:
- LAD Shohei Ohtani*
When does Phase 2 of voting begin?
Phase 2 of voting begins on Monday, June 29 at noon ET. Fans will have just three days to cast their votes from the group of finalists before starters are determined. Votes from Phase 1 do not carry over into Phase 2, so everyone gets a fresh slate.
Starters will be announced on Saturday, July 4, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Who made the cut after phase 1 of MLB 2026 All-Star Game voting?
Rays Reacts Results: How should the Rays improve?
Another week, another reminder that being a Rays fan means constantly screaming into the void about depth (I assume you saw Matz goes back to the IL) while the front office continues to do its best impression of a magician pulling rabbits out of hats.
We threw up the latest Rays Reacts survey asking the community the big question of adding to the depth (or a the starting lineup!), and as we sit at 45-33 and in the thick of the AL East & wild card picture, let’s see the results.
A majority — 52% — want the team to get aggressive in the trade market on both sides of the ball. That tracks with what we’ve been seeing on the field and in the comments.
Despite all but three bats in the lineup going ice cold lately…
…the Rays are still sitting pretty (+7 GB) in the wild card mix, and using the season long view the window feels open.
Will the Rays make the playoffs? You can wager on that opinion with our friends at FanDuel, who sponsored this post!
Go Rays
Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies
The Nats have lost in truly heartbreaking fashion back to back nights. However, they still have a chance to salvage a split tonight. It will be a tall task though. Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez is on the mound, and he is having a truly special season.
The big news for the Nats is that CJ Abrams is out again with his side injury. Blake Butera did say he was available off the bench though. That means Nasim Nunez will play shortstop, Jorbit Vivas will be at second and Curtis Mead is at third. With a lefty on the mound, Andres Chaparro will play first. James Wood will DH and Daylen Lile, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews will be in the outfield. Cade Cavalli looks to bounce back from a rough outing in Tampa.
Kyle Schwarber is back in the lineup for the Phillies at DH. Bryce Harper will move to first and Alec Bohm is back at third base. There is no Edmundo Sosa in the lineup today with the righty on the mound. As mentioned up top, the Phillies will have their ace Cristopher Sanchez on the bump
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Game Info:
Stadium: Nationals Park
Time: 6:45 PM EST
TV: Nationals.TV
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
The Nats should be looking to finish the sweep, but unfortunately that is not the case because the bullpen is a flaming pile of garbage. A split would help bring some of the good vibes back though. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats.
Atlanta Braves off day chat and discussion: June 25
Hoo boy, it has suddenly gotten tense in Braves Country. The Atlanta Braves are on a serious skid and it doesn’t help that their once-massive lead in the division has already been cut significantly as well. A spark (and maybe some major acquisitions ahead of the trade deadline) is needed at the moment so that hopefully this thing can get back rocking and rolling for our Braves.
In the meantime, we’ve got an off day here so now it’s time to relax and enjoy things before things get tense again for tomorrow’s action.
What am I watching?
USA! USA! USA! USA! The United States Men’s National Team (or USMNT for short) is in action tonight in their final match of the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They’ll be kicking off against Türkiye at the same time as Paraguay faces Australia and the good news is that since the USMNT has already won the group, the pressure is off a little bit and they can use this as a bit of a tune-up for the knockout rounds. As long as nobody gets hurt, any result is okay but I think we all want to see the US go ahead and make it three wins in a row, right? Kickoff is at 10:00 p.m. ET on the nose.
If nothing in the above paragraph appealed to you at all, there’s still good ol’ fashioned baseball on. The hate-watch is obviously taking place in Washington as the Phillies face the Nationals but with the way things are going now, all that’s going to do is make you upset as the Phillies continue to play at a scorching-hot pace. That game starts at 6:45 p.m. ET.
The other hate-watch is taking place in New York, where the Mets will be taking on the Cubs. Old friend Dansby Swanson essentially torched the Mets yesterday as he racked up a whopping 11 RBI across two games yesterday. You can take a guy out of Atlanta but you can’t take the Atlanta (aka taking great joy in beating up on the Mets) out of the guy, eh? First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET.
So yeah, there’s the guide for tonight. You can choose your own journey, I’m not your boss. Let us know what you’re doing or how you’re feeling or if we should just let the Earth swallow us up into a bottomless pit so we can just navigate the abyss. Have a good evening, y’all!
Astros at Tigers Game Discussion: 6/25/2026
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Houston Astros (39-43) begin a 4-game series vs. the Detroit Tigers (34-46) at Comerica Park tonight.
RHP Tatsuya Imai (4-3, 6.15 ERA) will start for the Astros vs. Tigers RHP Troy Melton (4-0, 2.56 ERA). Tonight will be Imai’s 1st career appearance vs. the Tigers.
ROAD TRIPPIN: Tonight is the 4th game (2-1 thus far) of a 7-game road trip for the Astros. They were 2-1 at TOR on the 1st stop of the trip.
Road Recovery: The Astros are 12-7 in their last 3 road trips combined. They have have posted an 18-13 record on the road since going 1-9 on their 1st road trip of the 2026 season.
Road Bats: The Astros are T-1st in the AL in road batting avg. at .251. They also rank 2nd in road HR (56), SLG (.417) and OPS (.740) and 3rd in OBP (.326).
ASTROS-TIGERS: The Astros took 2 of 3 games from the Tigers last week at Daikin Park (June 15-17). The 2 clubs will play all 7 of their scheduled games between June 15-28. In 2025, the Astros and Tigers finished with identical 87-75 records, with the Tigers earning the final AL Wild Card spot due to winning the season series vs. HOU.
Recent Success: Since 2022, the Astros are 18-10 vs. DET with a 7-4 record at Comerica Park.
ABOUT IMAI: RHP Tatsuya Imai will make his 11th start of the season tonight and the 1st of his career vs. DET.
In his last start on June 19, Imai tallied a career-high 11 K’s en route to a 9-3 win vs. CLE (6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER).
Solid Stretch: Since May 25, Imai is 3-1 in his 5 starts with a 4.56 ERA (12 ER/23.2IP) with 27 K’s in 23.2 IP.
The No-No: Imai was the starting pitcher in the Astros combined no-hitter on May 25 at TEX, hurling 6.0 hitless innings on that historic night. In January, the Astros signed Imai to a three-year deal. In 2025, he was an All-Star for the Seibu Lions in the NPB in Japan, where he went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA (35ER/163.2IP) in 24 games.
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Astros have now won 4 cons. series for the 1st time in 2026, posting an 8-4 record in that span. The last time that the Astros won that many series in a row was when they won 5 straight, from June 20-July 6 of last season (went 12-3 in that stretch). Adding to that note from last season, the Astros did not lose a series between May 22-July 6, going 13 consecutive series without losing one (11-0-2 in series during that stretch).
CLOSE CALLS: The Astros are now 16-10 in 2-run games, 8-4 in 1-run games and 4-4 in extra innings.
ROSTER MOVE: Effective today, the Astros reinstated RHP Bryan Abreu from the Restricted List. LHP Colton Gordon was optioned to Triple A Sugar Land following last night’s game.
THE SLOW TURNAROUND: After a slow start to the season, over the last month or so (May 21-June 24), the Astros are 19-12 (.613), which is the 2nd-best record in the AL in that span.
Top Records since May 21 (AL)
1. NYY: 18-11 (.621)
2. HOU: 19-12 (.613)
RECENT STROS: The Astros have won 3 of 4, 6 of 8 and 8 of their last 12 games.
MVP-CALIBER: Yordan Alvarez has had a torrid 1st half to his season, currently leading all of baseball with a 1.069 OPS. Additionally, he leads the AL in SLG (.634), OBP (.435), TB (185), is T-1st in HR (25), 2nd in batting avg. (.322) and T-2nd in RBI (56).
Alvarez, who was the AL Player of the Month for May, is hitting .382 (29×76) in June with 5 HR and 17 RBI with a 1.121 OPS (.489 OBP/.632 SLG).
ALL-STAR VOTING: Yordan Alvarez leads all AL DH’s in All-Star voting, per MLB’s update on Monday. His 1,974,459 votes rank 2nd in the AL and 3rd overall in the Majors.
PEN PALS: Since May 15, the Astros bullpen has been one of the best in the AL, posting a 2.75 clip (41ER/134IP) in that span. The Astros are 22-15 since May 15.
OKERT’S 0’s: LHP Steven Okert has not allowed a run in his last 17.0 innings, which is the longest scoreless streak by an Astros hurler this season and the 3rd-longest by a reliever in the Majors this season. In his current streak, which spans 14 appearances, and began on May 23 at CHC, Okert has allowed just 8 hits in those 17.0 innings pitched.
Longest 2026 Scoreless Streaks – Relievers
1. Luke Weaver: 21.1 IP (active)
2. Chad Patrick: 18.1 IP
3. Steve Okert: 17.0 IP (active)*
*Okert’s streak is the longest by a LH reliever in ‘26.
HADERADE: In his 10 appearances since coming of the IL on June 3, opponents are just 2×32 off LHP Josh Hader. Hader has posted a 0.90 ERA (1ER/10IP) and is 6-for-6 in save opportunities (.063 opp. avg., .040 WHIP).
TODAY IN ASTROS HISTORY: 2022 – In the Bronx, 3 Astros hitters combine for a masterful, 3-0 no-hitter over the Yankees. RHP Cristian Javier is the main cog, punching out 13 batters with just 1 walk in 7.0 innings of work. RHP Hector Neris hurls a hitless 8th inning and RHP Ryan Pressly hurls a hitless 9th to preserve the no-hitter. Jose Altuve and J.J. Matijevic each hit solo HRs to provide the offense.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Thursday, June 25, 5:40 p.m. CT
Location: Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
TV: SCHN
Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Mets vs Cubs, 6/25/26: Peralta vs Boyd
Mets lineup
Carson Benge – RF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Juan Soto – DH
Mark Vientos – 1B
Francisco Alvarez – C
A.J. Ewing – CF
Ronny Mauricio – SS
MJ Melendez – LF
Brett Baty – 2B
SP: Freddy Peralta – RHP
Cubs lineup
Pete Crow-Armstrong – CF
Michael Conforto – RF
Michael Busch – 1B
Alex Bregman – 3B
Ian Happ – LF
Nico Hoerner – 2B
Pedro Ramirez – DH
Miguel Amaya – C
Dansby Swanson – SS
SP: Matthew Boyd – LHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:10 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
Game 81 Game Day Thread – Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays
Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays
Thursday, June 25, 2026, 6:07 PM CDT (105.3 The Fan / Rangers Sports Network)
Rogers Centre
LHP MacKenzie Gore vs. RHP Kevin Gausman
Go Rangers!
What we learned as Harper caps Phillies' comeback trilogy, nostalgic first half
What we learned as Harper caps Phillies' comeback trilogy, nostalgic first half originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
WASHINGTON — The Phillies reached the season’s halfway point Thursday with a familiar feel.
Four years ago, another Phillies club ended its first half against Washington after climbing out of an early hole, undergoing a managerial change and beginning a run that carried it to a National League pennant.
That 2022 team concluded the first 81 games at 43-38.
This one left Nationals Park at 45-36.
The similarities only grew after the Phillies erased a five-run deficit to beat Washington, 10-5, completing a three-game comeback trilogy that kept topping itself.
They scored two runs in the sixth, three in the seventh and four in the ninth. Bryce Harper, channeling his inner “Showman,” hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth to cap their third straight comeback win and a wild series against the Nationals.
They became the first team in MLB history to hit go-ahead homers in three consecutive games, and scored the most ninth-inning runs in a three game span of any Phillies team ever.
Absurd.
The Phillies were 9-19 less than two months ago. They have gone 36-17 since, moving within four games of first place in the National League East as Atlanta has lost 10 of its last 13.
Thursday did not look like it would extend the run.
Cristopher Sánchez, of all pitchers, allowed five runs over the first three innings. The Phillies had struggled to get anything going against Nationals starter Cade Cavalli.
Then Brandon Marsh got a pitch to drive.
CHIP AWAY, CHIP AWAY
It felt fitting that Marsh broke the Phillies’ scoreless seal.
After Harper singled with one out in the sixth, Marsh jumped on a low-and-in changeup from Cavalli and drove it into the right-field seats for a two-run homer.
It was Marsh’s eighth hit of the series, fourth extra-base hit and third homer.
Earlier Thursday, Marsh was named a National League All-Star finalist after Phase 1 voting ended. This series offered another reminder of what has fueled his breakout season.
“I got some pitches to do some damage with and take advantage of in this series,” Marsh said. “It’s not gonna always be like that, so you definitely got to take it when you get it.”
The Phillies were still down three entering the seventh.
Justin Crawford began the inning with his second hit of the day, only his sixth hit this season against a left-hander. Trea Turner followed with a single, extending his streak to three straight multihit games.
Then the Phillies changed the inning without putting a ball in play.
Kyle Schwarber walked. Harper and Marsh each drew bases-loaded walks after Clayton Beeter entered.
Suddenly, it was 5-4.
Alec Bohm tied the game by beating out a potential inning-ending double play. Bryson Stott worked another walk. J.T. Realmuto grounded out to end the inning despite Curtis Mead hesitating on his throw after the Phillies’ catcher stumbled on his way down the line.
Mattingly said the inning started with an effort to get traffic on the bases before Schwarber and Harper came up.
“We were very patient there in the seventh,” Mattingly said. “We wanted to get some action before Schwarber and Harp got up. Crawford gets a hit, Trea gets a hit, then you’re in the zone. Schwarber walks, Harper walks and it kind of snowballed.”
The Phillies entered the inning with little momentum. They left it with another chance.
A RARE ROUGH DAY FOR SÁNCHEZ
Sánchez’s scoreless streak reached 50 2/3 innings earlier this season. Since it ended, he has posted a 4.98 ERA over four starts and allowed at least four runs twice.
His command was not as sharp as usual Thursday.
Curtis Mead opened the scoring with a first-inning homer off a sinker that leaked back over the plate. Sánchez then hit Andrés Chaparro before allowing consecutive singles to Dylan Crews and Daylen Lile. Jacob Young brought home another run with a soft chopper, and Nasim Nuñez added a two-out RBI single.
Sánchez relied on his slider 28 percent of the time, his second-highest usage of the pitch this season. He allowed five earned runs in five innings with one walk and six strikeouts, raising his ERA to 2.13.
He stayed in long enough to cover five innings after the rough start.
“He hangs in there and gets us through five,” Mattingly said. “He kind of got better as the game went along. His pitch count just got a little deep for us.”
Sánchez did not view the outing as a physical issue.
“I missed a couple pitches and they got me,” Sánchez said. “Outside of that, I felt great today. Everything was good.”
His teammates gave him a different ending than the one he expected after the third inning.
“It motivates us a lot,” Sánchez said. “After a rough start like today, them picking me up like that, that’s motivating.”
THE STAGE WAS SET FOR BRYCE
The Phillies had already climbed back from five-plus runs Tuesday.
They had been down to their final strike Wednesday before Derek Hill’s go-ahead homer.
On Thursday, after the seventh-inning rally tied the game, Harper came to the plate in the ninth with a chance to finish it.
The right-field upper deck had spent much of the night chanting at the former National.
Harper heard it. With “eff you” chants raining down from the ‘tarps-off’ group, he sat on a 1-0 changeup and drove it the other way for a go-ahead two-run homer.
He gestured toward the crowd as he rounded the bases, later clarifying it was his ring finger. He knows this place quite well.
“It’s a fan base I sweated for, for seven years,” Harper said. “There’s a lot of people over there within that organization I respect, a lot of workers around the ballpark, and I still love them.
“But it’s all part of it. It’s all fun.”
The crowd noise has never kept Harper from leaning into a moment.
“I love it,” Harper said.
Mattingly sees those environments as a natural fit for Harper.
“He’s not afraid of the stage,” Mattingly said. “He’s been in it his whole life. I don’t think the stage bothers him. I think it probably motivates him when people get on him and stuff like that. I think it’s probably something he feeds off of a little bit.”
Harper’s homer gave the Phillies their first lead of the afternoon. Realmuto followed with a double off the wall, then Hill added another home run, giving the Phillies breathing room and allowing Mattingly to stay away from Jhoan Duran.
Harper placed the game-winning swing within the full rally that came before it.
“Once you get down 5-0, it’s definitely tough,” Harper said. “But we just got to keep fighting and going back, and we’ve done that.
Three nights. Three comeback wins. Three different players delivering go-ahead homers.
THE ’22 FEEL
The 2022 comparison remains imperfect. Harper said this group is different from the one that went to the World Series.
But the setting, record and timing are hard to ignore.
Bohm was part of that 2022 turnaround. Thursday left him looking at a club in a far better place from the early stages of the season.
“We’re definitely in a lot better spot than we could be, given how we started,” Bohm said. “This is what we knew we were capable of.”
The three games in Washington reflected the larger turnaround, with contributions coming from everywhere.
“It’s kind of the same thing you see in these last three games,” Bohm said. “We’re down five, we’re down three, we’re down two, whatever it is late in the game, and we string something together. It’s the whole roster, guys coming off the bench, shoving down the lineup. It’s everybody chipping in.”
The Phillies did not coast into the second half.
They fought their way there, and now, they could be the most battle tested group in the sport.
“You can’t just flip the switch in this game,” Bohm said. “I think this group’s shown that we can do it. We’ve definitely fought back from a pretty good hole we dug ourselves into, and I think we can draw on that when it comes down to later in the year.”
Mets' Carlos Mendoza sad to see David Peterson's departure, talks reasons for struggles
Shortly after getting swept in a doubleheader by the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, the Mets traded David Peterson to the Cubs, sending the left-hander to the visitor’s locker room for minor league prospect Cole Mathis.
Manager Carlos Mendoza spoke about the trade before the series finale between the two teams on Thursday and was sad to see Peterson, who was in his seventh season playing for New York, go.
“It’s a tough one because obviously you understand this is a business, but, especially from my end, I had a really good relationship with Petey,” Mendoza said. “This is a guy that will come in the office and have coffee and just talk about life. We’ve been together since I took the job [in 2024] and we’ve been through the ups and downs.”
Mendoza’s introduction to Peterson in the skipper’s first year on the job happened while the left-hander was rehabbing from hip surgery which caused him to miss the beginning of the season.
When he recovered, though, Peterson became one of the best pitchers on the Mets and was instrumental in their surprise playoff berth and again during their run in the postseason that saw New York reach the NLCS.
In 21 starts that season, Peterson went 10-3 with a 2.90 ERA to go along with a 2.92 ERA and a save in five games (one start) during the playoffs.
The southpaw returned the following season and kept up his brilliant pitching in the first half. For his efforts, Peterson was named to his first All-Star selection and was on his way to becoming a front-line starter for the Mets.
Unfortunately, the 30-year-old’s second half was not nearly as good and played a part in New York’s collapse of not making the playoffs.
However, determined to revert back to his All-Star potential and the Mets believing he was capable of that, Peterson began his 2026 campaign with 5.1 scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But after that, things quickly went downhill for the lefty, who eventually lost his spot in the starting rotation and was used as the long man coming out of the bullpen.
Injuries to the staff and better results as a reliever helped get Peterson back in the rotation, but after his latest clunker against the Philadelphia Phillies rose his ERA as a starter this year to 7.71, it became clear to New York that he no longer had a role with the team, especially because fellow struggling starter Kodai Senga has already been moved to the bullpen.
“I’ve seen him have success, make the All-Star team,” Mendoza said. “I’ve seen him struggle a lot and how he handles it, but it got to a point where we needed the flexibility on the roster.
“Talking to David [Stearns], we already have Kodai on the pen and just continuing to have starters in the bullpen, it’s just not gonna be sustainable so there was an opportunity to make a deal and we’ll move forward.”
Despite the unsatisfactory results, Mendoza praised Peterson’s willingness to do whatever was asked of him this season with no complaints and said he represented the team “in a quality way” on and off the field.
“He’s a professional and he’s always willing to do whatever the team needed,” Mendoza said. “Whether it was as a bullpen guy, as a piggyback, as a starter, he’s done everything for us.”
The skipper was then asked why the Mets were unable to get Peterson back to the version of himself that became an All-Star and Mendoza said the failure is on him and that it’s something he’s always thinking about regarding any struggling player.
“It’s a question that we’re always asking ourselves when players are not performing at their best,” Mendoza said. “In Petey’s case he was an All-Star last year and then kinda everything went the other way. Credit to coaches that were here last year that put everything to continue to help him [and] this year’s coaching staff, but it just didn’t work for some reason.”
Five-year contract limit? MLB's drastic labor offer bashed by players
Major League Baseball continued its pattern of radical proposals in collective bargaining, proposing a five-year limit on free agent contracts and eliminating contract deferrals, an offer the MLB Players' Association quickly derided as "misleading" and would "eliminate the free market."
The proposals come within the context of a $245.3 million salary cap MLB laid out in a previous proposal, and the cap remains the most explosive point of contention between management and labor. MLB first sought a salary cap in CBA negotiations in 1994, a year that ended with the cancellation of the World Series as the work stoppage dragged into the following year.
The current CBA expires Dec. 1, and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has strongly suggested the league will lock out the players, as it did in December 2021 during the last major round of bargaining.
The five-year contract length - it would be six years for players returning to their current team - severely limits the earning power of players in the prime of their career. New York Mets slugger Juan Soto is the game's highest-paid player, signing a 15-year, $765 million contract after the 2024 season.
Another previous proposal barred players younger than 20 from the draft, and international players younger than 18 from signing with a club; they can currently sign at 16. Both proposals would significantly delay free agency for young players, especially elite talents such as Soto and Bryce Harper, who each debuted at 19.
MLB's most recent proposal did throw the union a pair of crumbs it has previously requested - the elimination of the qualifying offer for free agents and free agency for players 30 years and older once they reach five years service time; it's currently six years for all players.
Yet those concessions pale compared to the cap on both salaries and contract length, which would cost players billions of dollars over time.
"After making a series of proposals to reduce player compensation by billions of dollars, eliminate fundamental rights with a salary cap, and destroy the amateur entry process, Major League Baseball and team owners are now attempting to distract from the true impact their plan would have on baseball," the MLBPA said in a statement. "These misleading offers are designed to look like ‘improvements’ but are of little or no value, given they are expressly conditioned on agreement to the league’s cap system which eliminates the free market, and ensures gains for one player only come at the expense of another.
"The league also introduced a litany of additional restrictions on player rights – limiting salaries, contract length, performance, award, and signing bonuses. While MLB claims to be acting in the interest of fans, their proposals thus far are entirely consistent with owners’ long-held goals: suppressing player salaries and maximizing club profits."
MLB also offered to raise the minimum salary for players with at least two years of service time from $780,000 to $1 million, though many third-year players receive nominal raises after their rookie seasons. It also proposed raising the pre-arbitration salary pool - designed for Rookies of the Year and high achieving young players - by 30%.
"Today, in addition to proposing the largest ever increase in minimum salary, earned by over half of MLB players, we accepted two landmark changes to free agency that have been in place for 50 years," Glen Caplin, MLB's special assistant, baseball operations said in a statement. "We agreed to both the MLBPA's proposal to provide earlier access to free agency, and their proposal to eliminate the qualifying offer system, a provision players view as a drag on free agency.
"We also proposed to eliminate deferred compensation and create a new "Cornerstone Player" provision similar to the NBA's "Bird Rights" to give every team a fair shot at retaining their fans' favorite star players. We will continue working iwth the MLBPA during the bargaining process to improve the game for teams, players and fans."
The MLBPA's strength has long been built on a top-down assumption that the highest earners will drive salaries for all players. It intends to hew to that as negotiations continue.
The sides have one more bargaining session scheduled before the July All-Star break.
"Owners’ attempts to pit players against players are nothing new, but they've failed in the past and will fail again now, because PA members remain unified," said the MLBA. "We are committed to achieving a fair deal that protects the rights of all players, promotes competition, and leaves our game better for future generations."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB lockout likely as league makes another wild offer to MLBPA
Yankees vs Red Sox: Cam Schlittler vs Connelly Early
If you purchased a ticket to this game months ago, my condolences. Red Sox vs. Yankees is supposed to resemble a clash of titans, but instead, the Red Sox have been such an embarrassment they’ve fallen through the cellar floor and might as well be in a different hemisphere than New York (15.5 games back and the season’s not even halfway over yet).
You’ll get no Aaron Judge, no Roman Anthony, and probably no competitive game if it goes anything like the first few starts for Cam Schlittler against the Red Sox. It’s too bad too because normally a four game set between these two teams at this point in the calendar would be box office material and generate major fireworks. But now the biggest piece of drama is if the Red Sox will fail as badly as they did the last time the Yankees were here, which was such a disastrous, listless effort it got Alex Cora and most of the coaching staff fired a few days later in Baltimore.
If you’re looking for a shred of positivity (not that this team deserves any), Connelly Early will get a chance to back up his effectively wild outing last time on the bump in Seattle. It would also be a nice little revenge game personally for Early, who lost both the Game 3 Wild Card series to the Yankees last fall and his start at Fenway against them in April.
In any case, volcanos are much less interesting when they’re dormant; so please bring the rivalry back soon baseball gods. I miss it!
⚾️ First Pitch: 7:10pm — Fenway Park, Boston, MA
📺 TV: NESN
📻 Radio: WEEI