Category: Baseball

The Mets have a change in their pitching plans for Friday's series opener in Philly.

New York originally expected to have Justin Hagenman either start or work as a bulk reliever in a bullpen game, but he ended up throwing the final 2.2 innings during Thursday’s series finale against the Braves. 

Instead, they'll turn to young right-hander Blade Tidwell.

Carlos Mendoza indicated postgame Thursday that the team was planning on utilizing a traditional starter due to the recent heavy bullpen usage and Tidwell was among the arms in the mix.

Now the 23-year-old will make his second big-league outing to open a massive three-game set against the Phillies.

Tidwell made his debut with the club earlier this season -- allowing six runs on nine hits while walking three over just 3.2 innings in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. 

He was roughed up during his last outing down in Syracuse but had put together a strong stretch prior to that -- allowing three or less earned runs over each of his last five starts. 

Fellow prospect Nolan McLean was a potential option as well, but Tidwell was a better fit at the moment since he is currently on the 40 Man roster and the Mets are only looking for a spot starter. 

The Mets recent struggles continued on Thursday night in Atlanta, losing to the Braves, 7-1.

Their losing streak is now at a season-high six games.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Clay Holmes started off strong with three scoreless innings, including avoiding damage in the third after a double and a walk by striking out Austin Riley. But the trouble caught up to him in the fourth when he walked Matt Olson, let up a single to Marcell Ozuna, and gave up a one-out RBI-single to Ozzie Albies that tied the game at 1-1. Holmes escaped the jam by getting a forceout and a strikeout.

The right-hander found himself in a tough spot again in the fifth after walking Ronald Acuña Jr., giving up a one-out single to Riley, and walking Matt Olson to load the bases. Holmes caught Ozuna looking on a low sinker for the second out, but after a PitchCom issue, walked Drake Baldwin on a full-count to give the Braves a 2-1 lead.

Holmes then exited after a career-high 104 pitches (61 strikes). His final line: three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and six walks over only 4.2 innings.

-- Huascar Brazobán replaced Holmes and threw four straight balls to Albies, walking in another run to make it a 3-1 game. He then got Michael Harris II to ground out and finally end the fifth inning.

The pitching struggles continued for the Mets in the sixth as Brazobán loaded the bases in the sixth and gave up a bases-clearing double to Olson, making it a 6-1 game. Brazobán was pulled after 0.2 IP, allowing four runs on two hits with three walks.

-- Juan Sotopicked up his 1,000th career hit (game No. 1,010) with a two-out single to right field against the Braves' Spencer Strider for NY's first of the day. Pete Alonso followed with a single of his own, but the two were left stranded as Starling Marte grounded out.

-- Tyrone Taylor singled with one away in the top of the second inning and stole second to give the Mets a runner in scoring position. The move payed off as Ronny Mauricio came through with a two-out line drive up the middle to put the Mets ahead, 1-0.

-- RHP Justin Hagenman, who was called up earlier in the day and was considered to potentially start Friday's game, came in for Brazobán in the sixth with Olson on second base and one out. He got Ozuna to groundout, but let up a single to Baldwin that pushed the Braves' lead to 7-1. Hagenman stayed in to finish the rest of the game, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with two hits and a strikeout.

-- New York totaled just six hits in the loss: Soto, Alonso, Taylor, and Mauricio all singled; Brandon Nimmo and Marte doubled. The Mets went 1-for-8 with RISP and left six on base.

Game MVP: Matt Olson

Olson delivered the game-breaking, three-run double and collected two of the nine walks given up by Holmes and Brazobán. He doubled again in the bottom of the eighth against Hagenman, pushing his season total to 18 doubles.

Highlights

Juan Soto's 1,000th MLB hit! 👏 pic.twitter.com/e1ge4uvLnn

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 19, 2025

Ronny Mauricio singles home Tyrone Taylor and the Mets are on the board first! pic.twitter.com/KD5K8SZfEZ

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 19, 2025

Clay Holmes strikes out Austin Riley to escape a jam in the third! pic.twitter.com/U4GJKVmd7g

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 20, 2025

What's next

The Mets head to Philadelphia for a three-game series with the Phillies. First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. on Apple TV+.

Carlos Mendoza said postgame that Blade Tidwell will start for New York. Former Met Zack Wheeler (7-2, 2.76) starts for the Phillies.

The Yankees officially lost a piece of their veteran infield depth on Thursday.

Pablo Reyes elected free agency after going unclaimed off of waivers.

Reyes, of course, was DFA'd earlier this week to make room for Giancarlo Stanton on the active roster.

The 31-year-old landed with the Bombers on a minor league deal this offseason, and he ended up cracking one of the last roster spots out of camp as the team dealt with a plethora of injuries.

Now that New York is back healthy it came down to Reyes or Oswald Peraza to be let go, and they ultimately decided to hold onto the former highly-regarded prospect.

Reyes appeared in just 24 games as a Yankee -- picking up one RBI and six hits.

SNY's Andy Martino is responding to and breaking down answers to Mets questions from readers. Here's the latest...

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At what point do the Mets seriously consider sending Francisco Alvarez down to AAA for a reset? - @steven_d_fisher

The Mets want Francisco Alvarez to figure it out at the MLB level. They are still hoping that happens, because the roster is best with a productive Alvarez as the primary catcher and Luis Torrens as a high-end second catcher.

Having said that, the Mets are in the business of winning games, and if Alvarez can’t figure it out with the big club the organization will consider sending him to Triple-A.

A demotion is not imminent. And for what it’s worth, Alvarez still has the potential to be a top catcher in the league.

Do you think the Mets need to have a conversation regarding their hitting coach? He seems to be a big factor on why a lot of guys are not producing at the plate. - @reidsgarcia_

If this were a conversation, I would answer with, what do you mean he seems like a big factor in why a lot of guys are not producing at the plate?

We got a bunch of questions on the Mets hitting coaches, to which I answer, it’s almost never the hitting coach’s fault.

It seems like none of the Mets young position players have stepped up and established themselves as a major league regular. I'm talking about Vientos, Baty, Mauricio, Acuña, and Alvarez. Is the Mets FO concerned? Should they be? - @noahgittell

Interesting question. It’s hard to generalize, but I would say that, industry-wide, hype for prospects usually outpaces reality. These guys get so much coverage before they even arrive in the big leagues, inflating expectations to an unrealistic level.

You listed five players. If one or two of them stick in the big leagues long enough to reach free agency, that would be a huge win for the organization.

Now let’s go through your list.

Vientos is a talented hitter who has regressed defensively this season, though not irreversibly. Plus he might be the first baseman next year.

Baty has made tremendous strides defensively but can’t yet break through as an MLB hitter.

Acuña looks like a useful role player who can start at any infield position if needed -- and who is trying to produce while playing intermittently for the first time in his life. No easy task.

Alvarez? That’s a troubling one at the moment, but there remains star potential. See the above answer.

Again, when it all shakes out, some will stick, some won’t. From where I sit the hype machine is the real problem.

I don’t detect structural issues with player development of coaching that could provide a blanket answer.

Have you heard the Mets connected to Eugenio Suarez, Jarren Duran, or Cedric Mullins? Or is it just relievers? - @Evanobrien5250

It’s too early in the trade deadline season to hone in on certain players, but I can definitely see them seeking a center fielder in addition to the obvious pitching needs. Keep an eye on whoever becomes available at that position.

SNY's Andy Martino is responding to and breaking down answers to Yankees questions from readers. Here's the latest...

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What positions do you think the Yankees will be looking to upgrade at trade deadline? - @nick5875

The Yankees continue to look for a righty bat, likely an infielder. It’s too early to do anything but speculate on specific names but Isiah Kiner-Falefa could fit the bill. They could also trade for a third baseman like the lefty-hitting Ryan McMahon and move Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base.

By shifting Chisholm to third earlier in the season, the Yanks now have the option to use him at either of those positions, depending on who they acquire. They gained that flexibility by getting him those reps sooner than later.

Some in the organization see a need for an additional starting pitcher. One could also make a case for another power arm for the back end of the bullpen, although they’re in solid shape with Luke Weaver (expected to return Friday) and Devin Williams. Again, it’s early.

Do you think Ben Rice will be taught 3B? Goldy is having a good year and can see an extension to be our premier 1B. - @zanna_zt

No, Ben Rice won’t play third base for the Yankees. Aaron Boone has a plan for Rice that involves days at first base, days at DH, days on the bench here and there, and the occasional day at catcher (though not as the second catcher; that’s J.C. Escarra’s job and it is not in jeopardy). The Yankees do not plan to introduce Rice to any additional positions.

As for Paul Goldschmidt, he has been an excellent upgrade at first base, both on the field and for the team’s culture. But at 37 years old, he’s not an extension candidate. Another year? Maybe. But not an extension.

Is there a real chance Ben Rice starts playing catcher 2-3 times a week? - @NYsportSufferer

Not really. They will likely continue to carry three catchers, if you classify Rice as a catcher. This relates to the previous answer. Escarra is the backup and needs to play at least once or twice a week to stay fresh.

Andy, did you get good questions? - @SirRonaldFritz

Eh.

It didn't take long for Juan Soto to make history on Thursday night.

The star outfielder lined a two out single off Braves right-hander Spencer Strider in the top of the first -- giving him 1,000 hits in his big-league career.

Soto is one of just 84 players to reach the feat at age 26 or younger.

He joins Mickey Mantle and Mel Ott as the only three players in MLB history with at least 1,000 hits, 200 homers, and 700 walks before the age of 27.

The first 564 knocks of Soto's career came with the Nationals -- he picked up 199 more while with Padres, added 166 with the Yankees, and now has 66 during the first year of his historic deal with the Mets.

Juan Soto's 1,000th MLB hit! 👏 pic.twitter.com/e1ge4uvLnn

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 19, 2025

All the Yankees needed to snap a season-long losing skid and break out at the plate was a scorching hot afternoon featuring a pair of bookended rain delays. Just the usual remedy for an alarming cold streak.

While their performance wasn't exactly pretty, the Yankees couldn't have cared less about style points on Thursday in the Bronx. What mattered most was securing a long-craved win, and they did just that by outmuscling the Angels, 7-3, in their four-game series finale. They also prevented their old playoff nemesis from pulling off their first-ever four-game road sweep at Yankee Stadium.

The six-game slide, which saw the Yankees hit a measly .155 with 59 strikeouts and go a confounding 30 straight innings without scoring, didn't encapsulate their entire season by any means. They entered Thursday with the highest OPS in the AL, and ranked third across the majors in runs scored.

So, the awakening was inevitable, even though it took a week for the bats to connect. The Yankees' winning formula consisted of 12 hits -- two of which were home runs from Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt -- all nine starters reaching base, and four runs driven in with two outs. Call it welcomed pop and production, from top to bottom.

"Obviously, these last few games haven't gone our way. Today was good, but we've got to keep going," Goldschmidt said after the win. "It's a long season. A long season when you're playing well, a long season when you're losing a few games in a row. We understand that. So, we've done a good job just taking it day by day. Today was a good example of that."

The "no style points" mentality can apply to the performance from Carlos Rodón. While the southpaw served up a season-high three home runs to the Angels, they were all of the solo variety, and the early run support allowed him to complete six innings and earn the quality start. He stuck out seven and walked one across 92 pitches, and his ERA now sits at 3.10.

"Three solo shots, obviously I want to be in a better place with those pitches," Rodón said. "So there's stuff to work on this week and be better at. But all in all, we won the game, so that's the big part... I thought they swung it great, I thought we played some great baseball. Props to the bullpen for shutting it down when I came out."

The Yankees' week-long stench was one for the books. They were shut out in three straight games for just the seventh time in franchise history. For the first time since 1908 -- yes, 1908 -- they scored seven runs or fewer with six-plus losses across a seven-game span (h/t Katie Sharp).

But the Yankees finally showed signs of life on Thursday, and with the last-place Orioles arriving in town for a three-game set this weekend, hopes of a winning streak can re-enter the brains of players and fans.

"It definitely feels good hearing the music again and coming out with a W," said Cody Bellinger, who collected a team-high three hits. "Carlos and the bullpen did a great job of minimizing them. For us, we got to come do our job and score some runs."

The Mets have come to a decision with Frankie Montas. 

With his 30-day minor league rehab assignment officially coming to an end, New York has decided that the veteran right-hander will jump into the big-league rotation on Tuesday night against the Braves.

Montas, of course, has been sidelined since spring training with a right lat strain. 

After a long recovery process, he was finally able to get back into game action. But things didn't quite go as planned, as he was roughed up over six outings between Triple-A Syracuse and High-A Brooklyn.

His latest appearance came on Wednesday with Syracuse -- he started well but ultimately faltered off, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out two over five innings. 

That brought his ERA up to an ugly 13.17 over just 13.2 innings of work. 

But with no time left on his rehab assignment and a need for healthy arms in the rotation, the Mets have decided to insert him into the mix for his team debut.

"I'm not gonna lie, he got hit around," Carlos Mendoza said. "Look we've seen it before where guys in spring training struggle and get hit around, then once you put them in a big-league game under the lights with a gameplan and making adjustments, they flip the switch.

"He's had success so far at this level, so hopefully that's the case here with a guy who basically treated this rehab process as spring training and he got hit around. But again, we believe in the player and we're going to give him a chance."

Sanchez dominates, Phillies pull into tie with Mets just before they come to town originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Rob Thomson has talked since spring training about managing his starting pitchers a bit differently in 2025.

With the long game in mind and the goal of keeping their workhorses as fresh as possible for October, the Phillies have dialed their starters back ever so slightly. Rather than extend them one more inning when their pitch count is nearing the upper limit, the Phils have played it safer. The fact that they trail only the Braves and Rays in innings per start speaks to the efficiency and overall productivity of one of baseball’s best rotations.

Thomson could have sent Cristopher Sanchez back out for the ninth inning of Thursday’s 2-1 win in Miami but went to Orion Kerkering instead for the save. Sanchez had retired 10 in a row and was at only 91 pitches, but the Phillies’ manager stayed true to his word.

While every starter wants to finish his own work when the opportunity presents itself, Sanchez didn’t seem too bothered by the decision in the dugout after his eighth and final inning. He was terrific, allowing one run on five hits with no walks and picking up 16 of his 24 outs on the ground.

The lefty is 6-2 with a 2.87 ERA through 15 starts and is on pace to exceed 180 innings.

The Marlins gave the Phillies a scare in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a one-out error by Alec Bohm, which extended the inning for Miami to later put runners on the corners. Dane Myers popped up to Bohm to end it as Kerkering picked up his second career save.

The Phillies (45-30) took three of four at loanDepot Park, the dullest venue in baseball. They’ll come home to substantially more energy this weekend against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, a battle for first place in the NL East. The teams are now tied thanks to six straight Mets losses.

Every bit of Sanchez’ mastery was required in the finale in Miami because the Phillies didn’t score until the seventh inning. They were gifted their first run on a bobble by Marlins third baseman Connor Norby, who still had a force-out at the plate but chose instead to race to third to unsuccessfully attempt a 5-3 double play on Bryson Stott.

Kyle Schwarber tattooed his 23rd home run of the season in the top of the eighth and Sanchez and Kerkering finished off the series win.

The Phillies have responded to a 2-10 stretch by winning six of their last seven. Their ace, Zack Wheeler, kicks off the weekend looking to maintain momentum. The Phils have played poorly against the Mets for a calendar year but have a chance to help themselves out in a big way. It’s an important head-to-head opportunity, one that won’t come up again until the final week of August.

The Mets made a handful of roster moves to adjust the bullpen ahead of Thursday's series finale with the Atlanta Braves.

RHP Max Kranick (right elbow strain) was placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to June 16. He last pitched on June 15 against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing two hits over two innings with a strikeout and a walk. Over 24 games this season, Kranick owns a 3-2 record with a 3.65 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 37.1 IP.

"After the last outing, we had an off day, he complained about some soreness around the elbow area, forearm," Carlos Mendoza told reporters. "Kind of gave him a couple of extra days where we tried to stay away from him, got treatment. Yesterday he played catch, got on the mound, and he was still feeling something. Very similar to what [Tylor] Megill was experiencing on the secondary pitches.

"So he flew back to New York this morning. He got an MRI early this afternoon. We're waiting for the results now."

Mendoza added that Kranick "didn't think this was something too serious," but they'll wait to see what the imaging shows.

With Kranick hitting the IL, New York recalled relievers Dedniel Nuñez and Justin Hagenman from Triple-A Syracuse, while optioning RHP Ty Adcock to Triple-A.

Nuñez had a late start to his season while recovering from an elbow injury, making his season debut on May 5. However, the righty struggled and walked six batters in 3.2 innings of work across five games. He was then optioned down to Triple-A on May 17.

Over 19 games in the minors, Nuñez has gone 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA, 21 strikeouts, and 11 walks in 19.0 IP.

Hagenman is expected to start Friday's game as the opener against the Phillies in Philadelphia. He allowed one run on three hits over 3.1 IP with four strikeouts on April 16 against the Minnesota Twins in his lone major league appearance and owns a 6.21 ERA over 33.1 innings with Triple-A Syracuse.

Adcock let up one run on one hit in Wednesday's loss to the Braves and has pitched to a 3.00 ERA over three games with the Mets this season.

After a week of historically dormant offense, the Yankees mercifully snapped their season-long, six-game losing streak with a 7-3 win over the Angels on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

By salvaging the final game of the series, the Yankees also prevented the Angels from pulling off their first-ever four-game road sweep in the Bronx.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Angels wasted no time drawing first blood for a fourth straight game. With two outs in the first inning, Carlos Rodón grooved a fastball to Mike Trout that landed deep in the left-center field bullpen for a home run, the 390th of his esteemed career. But the Yankees quickly responded in the bottom half with a somewhat refreshing rally against Tyler Anderson. A leadoff double from Paul Goldschmidt, an infield single from Cody Bellinger, and an RBI groundout from Giancarlo Stanton knotted the score at one apiece after one.

-- Rodón couldn't keep the game tied for long, however. In the second inning with one out, he served up another solo homer -- this time to Jo Adell -- that landed in the right-field seats and gave the Angels a 2-1 lead. There haven't been many players hotter than Adell, who has smacked nine homers over his last 18 games. Shortly after Rodón completed the frame, a heavy thunderstorm forced a rollout of the tarp. But before the tarp was even laid out entirely, the grounds crew stunningly picked it up and proceeded to fold it -- one of the strangest rain delays in recent memory.

-- Perhaps the brief rain shower washed away the Yankees' week-long stench at the plate. After a two-out single from DJ LeMahieu in the second, Trent Grisham crushed a fastball into the right-field bleachers for a two-run homer, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Then, two pitches later, Goldschmidt ripped a fastball down the line in left for a solo blast, making the score 4-2. It was the sixth time the Yankees have smacked back-to-back homers this season.

-- The two-run cushion helped Rodón settle in a bit, as he retired six of seven batters during the fourth and fifth innings. But the homer bug nipped him yet again with one out in the sixth, when Taylor Ward took a fastball deep to right-center for a solo shot. The three homers allowed by Rodón bumped his season total to 13, and it was the first time that he gave up three jacks in a game since June 21, 2024. Despite the longballs, the veteran southpaw still earned a quality start -- he struck out seven and walked one across six innings and now owns a 3.10 ERA.

-- In the seventh, the Yankees pushed their lead back to two. After a one-out Grisham double and a LeMahieu strikeout, Bellinger delivered an RBI single to right. But the scoring play also ended the inning, as Bellinger was tagged out trying to stretch his hit into a double. It was the Yankees' second baserunning gaffe of the game -- Anthony Volpe made the final out at third in the sixth due to miscommunication on a steal attempt by Austin Wells at first.

-- The Yankees turned to relievers Mark Leiter Jr. and Jonathan Loaisiga for the seventh and eighth innings, and they kept the 5-3 lead intact by retiring six of seven combined batters. A second rain delay arrived in the eighth -- this one lasted 32 minutes -- after a leadoff double from Aaron Judge and a walk to Stanton. When play resumed, Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached first on a bunt single that tricked past the pitcher.

-- The no-out, bases-loaded rally produced two runs on sacrifice hits -- a groundout from Volpe and a flyout from Wells -- that pushed the Yankees' lead to a more-comfortable 7-3. Devin Williams was then called upon to close out the ninth in a non-save situation, and he completed the task by striking out three. In his last 15 games, Williams owns a sharp 1.88 ERA.

-- Of course, there was no guarantee of a breakout -- is that the correct word here? -- with Anderson on the mound. The veteran lefty entered Thursday with a 2.05 ERA in four career starts (22 innings) against the Yankees.

Game MVP: Trent Grisham

Grisham's regression at the plate over the last month was inevitable -- his surprising red-hot start to the season just wasn't sustainable. But he gave the Yankees a much-needed jolt with a 2-for-3 day that included a go-ahead homer and a double. He raised his OPS to .823.

Highlights

Trent Grisham puts the Yankees on top! pic.twitter.com/wkaCKiOxGy

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 19, 2025

Goldy and Grish go back-to-back! pic.twitter.com/qjP3IxUnRY

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 19, 2025

What's next

The Yankees (43-31) will continue their week-long homestand on Friday night, when they begin a three-game set with the division-rival Orioles. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Max Fried (9-2, 1.89 ERA) is slated to take the mound, while the Orioles have yet to announce their starter.