Category: Baseball

Muncy states Giants, not Padres, are Dodgers' only true MLB rival originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

There are very few sports rivalries more iconic than the Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Perhaps New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, or Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers or Michigan vs. Ohio State or Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears, but the list is small.

However, there is one thing all of these rivalries have in common: Decades upon decades of history. In some cases, more than a century.

While the National League West has become one of MLB’s toughest and vitriolic divisions over the years, Dodgers slugger Max Muncy believes the Giants, not the Padres are, and forever will be, Los Angeles’ one true rival, despite San Diego squaring off against the Dodgers in numerous heated matchups and playoff series in recent years.

Max Muncy says the Giants will always be the Dodgers only rival.

"For me, your rival is just one team. You don't have multiple teams as your rival." pic.twitter.com/9az5E3QDmX

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 9, 2025

“The Padres bring everything that is in a rivalry, but you only have one rival,” Muncy said in an appearance on “Foul Territory.” “I don’t like when people say you have ‘rivals.’ I just think if you have a rival it’s your, you know, your counterpart and that’s always going to be the Giants. For the Dodgers, at least. It’s always going to be the Red Sox for the Yankees.

“People always make the argument that the Astros and Yankees had a good rivalry going and it’s like, that’s true, but you only have one rival. And so for me, like I said, the Padres bring everything that a rivalry brings. For me, your rival is just one team. You don’t have multiple teams as your rival.”

Muncy himself has a contentious history with the Giants, specifically former San Francisco pitcher Madison Bumgarner, who once told him ‘Don’t watch the ball, run’ after Muncy stood in the batter’s box and admired one of his home runs in 2019 at Oracle Park, to which Muncy responded: “If you don’t want me to watch the ball, you can go get it out of the ocean.”

The Dodgers star then wore a t-shirt referencing his quote as tensions continued to escalate, which ultimately led to multiple benches-clearing incidents between the two teams over the years.

Muncy found himself at the center of it all, and perhaps those experiences are why he feels so strongly about the Giants-Dodgers rivalry.

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Fernando Tatis Jr. sat in front of his locker late Monday night, assessing his San Diego Padres in the wake of an extra-inning loss to the Dodgers. He did not have much to say, but he did not have to say much.

“We can still play better,” he said. “It’s that simple.”

Tatis reached base three times Monday, but his OPS is 78 points below his career average. The Padres dropped the highly anticipated opener of the season series of baseball’s best rivalry by one run, but their most productive and healthy starting pitcher got hit hard, one of their relievers threw away a comebacker, one of their outfielders misread a line drive, and their shortstop lost a pop fly in the twilight.

Read more:Dodgers-Padres lives up to the rivalry hype as L.A. prevails in 10th inning

Yet, after all that, the Padres (37-28) awoke Tuesday nine games over .500 and two games out of first place in the National League West. At this point last season, the Padres were one game under .500 and eight games out of first place.

The Padres rallied to clinch a postseason spot and came within one game of eliminating the Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs. Then came winter, with the Padres going into hibernation as the Dodgers signed most of the free world.

The Padres did not win the winter, by choice. That did not endear them to their fans, particularly not after the Dodgers took home a championship trophy because no one could beat L.A. in October.

There was a preseason fan fest in San Diego. It was decidedly not festive.

“I don’t think we were ever bad,” Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove said. “People see the additions of big name players for a lot of money and think that directly correlates to the ability to win.”

That is true for fans, and truer still for major league owners operating in markets far smaller than San Diego, refusing to spend and then pointing fingers at the Dodgers. The Padres earned a playoff payoff last season, and they have sold out 27 of 31 home dates so far this season.

“I don’t think the fans are wrong for feeling how they felt,” Musgrove said. “That’s just a natural, knee-jerk reaction to seeing everyone move and you not move.”

The Padres lost Tanner Scott, Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim over the winter. They lost Juan Soto, Blake Snell and Josh Hader the previous winter.

That would frighten any fan base.

The Padres traded Soto and got two New York Yankees relievers — Michael King and Randy Vasquez — that now start in San Diego. The Padres replaced Soto in the outfield with a minor league shortstop, Jackson Merrill, who should have been the NL rookie of the year.

They didn’t use Scott as a closer when they traded for him; Robert Suarez closed then and closes now. Gavin Sheets, signed to a minor league contract, has 11 home runs, more than anyone on the team besides Tatis.

The top four batters in the San Diego lineup — Tatis, Luis Arraez, Manny Machado and Merrill — can hold their own against the Dodgers’ quartet of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández.

Utilityman Tyler Wade scoffed at the winter notion that the Padres might not fare as well this season.

“Look around our room, man,” Wade said. “We’ve got a super-talented bunch. We basically have the same team as last year — minus a couple of key pieces, obviously.”

The Padres’ catchers have a negative WAR. So do their left fielders, and their .248 on-base percentage is the lowest among any team’s left fielders.

The Angels’ Taylor Ward would be a nice fit here. A.J. Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations, is the rare executive who trades actual prospects. He’ll make the Padres better in the seven weeks between now and the trading deadline.

Said Musgrove: “The people in this room felt extremely confident in the staff, and in the belief that we have in A.J. to put a good product on the field and make adjustments as necessary throughout the year.”

What might distinguish the Padres from the Dodgers this season — and vice versa — is how many starting pitchers return from the injured list, and how effective they can be.

The Dodgers have Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow and Tony Gonsolin on the injured list. The Padres have King, Musgrove and Yu Darvish on the injured list.

Darvish has yet to pitch this season but has resumed throwing bullpen sessions. King is expected to miss several weeks because of a pinched nerve. Musgrove, who had Tommy John surgery last October, is not expected to rejoin the rotation this season but is hopeful he can pitch in relief in the postseason, if the Padres get there.

The Dodgers’ relievers have thrown the most innings in the league. Both the Dodgers and Padres’ starters rank among the top five in innings pitched. The relievers for both teams are pitching very well, but too often.

Ultimately, lest the bullpen arms become injured and/or ineffective, the manager said, “We’re going to need some depth out of some starters.” (The manager was the Padres’ Mike Shildt, but it could just as easily have been the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts.)

And, amid all the hype and analysis surrounding the Dodgers and Padres, there is one little wrinkle: The Dodgers lead the NL West, but the team in second place is not the Padres. It’s the San Francisco Giants. Did someone say rivalry?

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

We asked for your views on whether Tottenham need to act urgently in the transfer market, as the first of the two deadline days this summer comes to a close on Tuesday.

Here are some of your comments:

Tristen: We don't have a manger to make any decisions with signing players so probably not, however, Daniel Levy loves a cheap club signing regardless what any manager says so he will probably sign someone who will be another sub-par player.

Hardcastle: Would rather we waited until our new manager is appointed before we delve into the transfer market.

David: I hope there will be no moves in or out until a new manager is in place. This needs to happen before the window re-opens.

Brian: We won't be making any additions in this brief window. No-one is going to join Spurs without a manager in place. The only news I could imagine would be a double deal for a player and manager from the same club, with one from our current squad going in the other direction. But really, I think the corporate leadership would desperately like to see the end of this mini-window, which has only dispirited the fan base.

Mike: No business will be done because, thanks to the chairman, we have no manager! He wastes yet another opportunity to really build a winning team!

Clare: Thanks to Levy and his board we don't even have a manager to make any decisions. We're already now so far behind others completing early transfers. In order to compete in the Premier League and Champions league this season, the incoming manager (whoever he is and whenever he comes) has a lot of work to do. We have quite a young squad and so Levy has to dig deep into his pocket and at least spend the Europa League money on experienced and proven players.

Rivalries in baseball can sometimes be difficult to define.

There are the obvious ones. Like the Yankees and Red Sox. The Cardinals and Cubs. And for the Dodgers, going back to their founding in New York, a generations-old hatred for the Giants.

“By definition, you can’t just decide to choose your rivalry because one team gets good,” veteran third baseman Max Muncy said. “And for the Dodgers, that’ll always be the Giants.”

But periodically, there are other emotionally charged, highly competitive, and simmering clashes; often taking root between simultaneous contenders, bad-blooded division foes or closely situated fan bases sharing a mutual dislike.

Over the last half-decade, that’s what has slowly been built between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

And in their first renewal of the season on Monday night at Petco Park, an 8-7 extra-innings win for the Dodgers, the two clubs lived up to the matchup’s ever-growing hype.

ANDY AND TOMMY CLUTCH! pic.twitter.com/FoJOUjrxK2

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 10, 2025

“Both teams are good. The fan bases are very adamant. Both environments have been hostile over the last several years,” Muncy said. “It brings everything that a rivalry should bring.”

A traditional rivalry, it’s still not quite. The Dodgers have as many World Series titles as the Padres do playoff appearances (eight each). Since the Padres last won the National League West in 2006, the Dodgers have done it 13 times.

But after three playoff meetings in the last five years, and a seemingly tight division race on tap this season, Dodgers-Padres is now a full-blown, certifiably legitimate rivalry — at least in the eyes of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Read more:Clayton Kershaw delivers exactly what the Dodgers need in win over Cardinals

“I think it’s become a rivalry,” Roberts said, “because the stakes have been higher.”

That was certainly the case last October, when the Dodgers outlasted the Padres in a memorable five-game National League Division Series.

But even entering Monday, the importance of this week’s three-game series at Petco Park — plus a four-game rematch between the teams next week at Dodger Stadium — had been magnified, the Dodgers leading the Padres by just one game in the National League West standings in their pursuit to defend last year’s World Series title.

“It’s going to be an intense series,” Roberts said. “It probably will feel like a playoff game tonight.”

It certainly played out that way.

Both teams scored twice in the first inning. The lead then changed hands three times between the second, when the Padres scored on a Will Smith throwing error; and the third, when Smith answered with a two-run homer to punctuate a three-run rally, only for the Padres to score three on a bases-loaded triple from Tyler Wade that got past a diving Teoscar Hernández in right center.

The Dodgers (40-27) got the game tied again in the fifth, with Hyeseong Kim doubling home Muncy in a rare opportunity against a left-handed pitcher (he is three-for-three in such situations this season).

Read more:Andy Pages is used to beating the odds, and he's doing it again with the Dodgers

The Padres (37-28) skirted even more trouble along the way. In the fourth, the Dodgers couldn’t take advantage of an infield pop-up that dropped between three Padres fielders. In the eighth, San Diego reliever Adrian Morejon misfired on the most routine of throws to first base with two outs, letting Shohei Ohtani reach second, but then struck out Freddie Freeman to escape unscathed.

But once the game reached the 10th, the Dodgers surged ahead. Andy Pages led off with a line-drive RBI double that outfielder Brandon Lockridge badly misread in left. Tommy Edman followed with an RBI single that ricocheted off the second base bag. And though closer Tanner Scott gave up an RBI double to Jackson Merrill — one at-bat after Manny Machado was rung up on a controversial called third strike — the former Padres left-hander limited the damage there.

Round 1 of Dodgers-Padres this year went to the defending champions. More heavyweight fights figure to follow.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Here are some notes from Mets manager Carlos Mendoza following this weekend's three-game sweep in Colorado…

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Mauricio strong on both sides of ball

We knew what Ronny Mauricio was capable of offensively.

The young slugger had been tearing the cover off the ball since making his return to Triple-A -- hitting an incredible .515 with a double, three homers, four stolen bases, eight RBI, and a 1.382 OPS in just nine games. 

After a bit of a slow start at the plate, he’s carried that success over to the big-league level -- reaching base seven times with a homer and a double during the three-game weekend series in Colorado. 

But the skipper has also been impressed with what he’s seen defensively, as Mauricio has made three appearances at the hot corner and one at second base (and the most recent at DH) over his first five big-league appearances this season. 

“He’s been really good,” Mendoza said. “A guy that came up as a shortstop, you know the actions and the hands are going to be there -- but the arm has been pretty impressive too. He made a throw yesterday that I was like wow, looking at Sarbaugh it was like that kid’s special.

“There’s a lot of tools there and we’ve seen that overall. And it’s not easy because he missed a whole year last year and here we are asking him to play short, third, second -- but the guys in the minors prepared him and he’s going a good job.”

Jeff McNeil on a tear

McNeil was square in the middle of Sunday's commanding victory as well, lifting two of the team's six homers on the afternoon to continue his red-hot stretch at the plate.

He also ripped a leadoff double in the top of the seventh, giving him a three-hit day.

The sweet-swinging lefty now has knocks in nine of his last 10 games and he's batting an impressive .324 with three doubles, four home runs, seven RBI, and a 1.096 OPS over that span. 

He’s quickly lifted his OPS to a strong .888 over 33 games since returning from the IL.

"It's really good when he's driving the ball the ball like that," Mendoza said. "There's a lot of different versions of Jeff, but this version is the one that we're looking for and it's the one that he wants to be."

Acuña’s decreasing role 

With the Mets receiving that type of production from McNeil, Brett Baty's hot stretch in May, and now Mauricio's arrival it's led to Luisangel Acuña seeing less and less playing time.

The 23-year-old also hasn't helped himself -- hitting just .190 with one extra base-hit and a .235 on-base percentage in 63 at-bats since taking home NL Rookie of the Month honors in April.

Eight of those at-bats have come since the calendar flipped to June, and he has just one hit to show for it.

Still, the skipper says the team will continue to find ways to utilize his skillset and he expects he’ll be back in the lineup for Tuesday's series opener against Washington southpaw Mackenzie Gore. 

“There’s a good chance we’ll see him against the lefty,” Mendoza said. “And we’ll continue to work the balance. What’s best for the team, what’s best for the player, his development -- he continues to help us win baseball games, and we’ll continue putting him in positions.”

It'll be interesting to see how the Mets handle things moving forward with their infield/DH mix.

Otto Kemp finally experiences Citizens Bank Park, enjoys a flood of firsts  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Otto Kemp wanted a flood of firsts at Citizens Bank Park.

He got everything he envisioned and then some Monday night. 

Kemp, the undrafted 25-year-old in the middle of the Phillies’ 4-3, 11-inning victory over the Cubs, had never before to the stadium before. 

“I just tried to keep it special,” he said. “I just tried to keep it something that I get to do on the first day I get to the big leagues. It was kind of a little bit of motivation to keep me pushing and get to this point.”

Kemp traveled a very improbable route to the major-league spotlight. He played college baseball for Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California, signed with the Phillies three years ago as an undrafted free agent, and became impossible to ignore in the minor leagues. Kemp hit .313 this season in 58 games with Triple A Lehigh Valley and had a 1.010 OPS. 

He then went 0 for 5 over two weekend losses to the Pirates. 

Phillies manager Rob Thomson often opts for straightforward, brief responses to reporter’s questions, but he offered substantial pregame praise for Kemp. 

“He’s great; he’s a pro,” Thomson said. “He’s got some swagger to him. He’s played good defense. And I liked his at-bats against (Paul) Skenes yesterday. … I’ve liked watching him since last year in the Arizona Fall League. I just like his demeanor and his presence.”

Kemp didn’t exactly have a fairytale start to his Monday night.

For one, he needed to navigate to the clubhouse. 

“Luckily, I got in and J.T. (Realmuto) was walking in,” he said. “I kind of just walked with him and let him take me. But I was wandering around for the first probably 20 minutes. People were a little bit (questioning), ‘What is this guy doing?’ 

“Just trying to enjoy it and get a lay of the land; every clubhouse is different. Enjoy the day, enjoy the moment.”

Kemp committed an error in the top of the second inning. He missed a chopper to third base … because he lost the ball in the lights. 

“The third level is a little sneaky, a little bit different with the vision, but got to make that play,” Kemp said.

Eventually, his fortunes shifted. Kemp lined his first MLB hit to left-center field in the fifth and, with assistance from an errant Matthew Boyd pickoff attempt, came around to score his first run. 

Kemp’s second hit was a ninth-inning swinging bunt. The third was a proper, perfectly executed bunt in the 11th that did not betray his complete lack of recent bunting credentials.

The last time Kemp bunted in a game?

 “I think summer ball in St. Cloud, Minnesota in 2021,” he said. “I popped it up straight to the catcher.”

With college coach Justin James on hand, Kemp did a lot better in much higher stakes.

“I had my dad, my wife, three baseball buddies,” he said. “And my college baseball coach and his daughter, and one of his friends. It was cool to execute that bunt, get it down and thank him for raising me in a West Coast baseball program.”

Two pitches later, Brandon Marsh drove a walk-off hit to deep left-center and cemented Kemp’s first win. Minutes later, he soaked in a surprise Gatorade shower. 

As first impressions go, not too shabby. 

“It’s unbelievable,” Kemp said of Citizens Bank Park. “The energy that I felt today — the support from all these fans and the buzz — is crazy. 

“That was another reason why I didn’t want to experience it before my first big-league game. It was awesome. I’m excited to be a Phillie.”

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees and Royals play a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium starting on Tuesday at 7:40 p.m.

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5 things to watch

NY’s early season sweep

Even with Carlos Carrasco starting the opener and a rusty Clarke Schmidt making his season debut, the Yanks rolled through Kansas City earlier this season. 

New York put up four runs in all three games, and they held the Royals to only five runs total as they easily secured the three-game series sweep. 

Carrasco provided five strong innings to kick off the series, Jasson Dominguez delivered a three-run knock in the middle game, and then Aaron Judge came through with a go-ahead homer late in the finale.  

They’ll look for much of the same, this time on the road. 

The Yanks, of course, are coming off a disappointing three-game home series loss to the Red Sox but they still hold a 4.5 game lead on the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

Kansas City has the unfortunate fate of being stuck in the same division of the surging Detroit Tigers -- they currently sit in fourth and are 1.5 games back of the Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot. 

Max is back. 

Max Fried suffered his first rough outing of the season against the Dodgers, allowing six runs on eight hits across five innings of work in a series opening loss.

It didn’t take the left-hander long to return to his dominant form, though.  

Fried bounced back tremendously his last time out -- allowing just three baserunners as he cruised through six shutout innings in a win over the Guardians during Thursday’s series finale.

He's now won eight of his first 13 contests in pinstripes, pitching to a stellar 1.78 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. 

The southpaw has stepped in masterfully for the Bombers with ace Gerrit Cole sidelined, and continues making a strong case to potentially be the All-Star Game starter for the AL.

He’ll look to keep that rolling against rookie Noah Cameron in the opening match of this three-game set.

AL Player of the Month vs. AL Pitcher of the Month

The middle game of this set brings an intriguing matchup of two of baseball’s best to this point. 

With Kris Bubic taking the mound in the middle game for the Royals, the American League Pitcher of the Month will have his opportunity to face-off with the AL Player of the Month, Aaron Judge.

Bubic has been one of the most unexpected risers this season and he was spectacular last month -- allowing just two earned runs while striking out 33 batters in 32.1 innings of work over five outings. 

He carried that success over to his first June start, giving up just one run on four hits and two walks while striking out nine in a tough-luck loss to the Tigers.

And we know what Judge has done during his historic start to the season.

With a pair of opposite-field homers during Sunday's series finale loss to the Red Sox, the star outfielder is now hitting an incredible .396 with a .493 on-base percentage and 1.264 OPS on the year.

In a relatively small sample size, Judge has gotten the best of the matchup of the two thus far -- hitting .571 with a two-run homer over seven career at-bats against the 27-year-old southpaw.

First look at baseball’s next young star

The Royals added another huge big to their lineup last week, calling up top prospect Jac Caglianone. 

Caglianone was selected out of Florida with the sixth overall pick in last years draft and he quickly established himself as one of the top young talents in the minor leagues. 

The sweet-swinging lefty produced nine doubles, 15 homers, 56 RBI, and a .982 OPS in just 50 games between Double-A and Triple-A before receiving the call. 

He had gotten off to a bit of a slow start at the plate but has been hitting the ball with authority and finally saw the results on Sunday -- recording four knocks during the series finale victory over the White Sox. 

He became the first Royal since Bo Jackson (Sept. 1986) to put together a four-hit showing within their first six MLB contests -- some seriously strong company. 

Caglianone will certainly be looking to do more damage in his first games at Kauffman Stadium.  

Watch out for the Pasquatch 

Royals slugger Vinnie Pasquantino was off to a bit of a slow start the last time the Yanks saw him -- but he's on an absolute tear right now.

The 27-year-old was handed AL Player of the Week honors on Monday evening.

He hit an even .500 (13-for-26) with two homers, seven RBI, a double, a walk, four runs scored, a .769 slugging percentage and a .536 on-base percentage in six games against the Cardinals and White Sox.

Pasquantino is now riding a nine-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 24 straight -- the longest stretch by a Royal since Nicky Lopez in 2021.

It'll be up to Fried, Clarke Schmidt, and Will Warren to keep him in check.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Aaron Judge.

The Captain has 14 homers and a 1.066 OPS in 40 career games against the Royals.

Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?

Max Fried.

Coming off back-to-back losses, the Yanks need Fried to pitch like the ace he's been.

Which Royals player will be a thorn in the Yanks' side?

Bobby Witt Jr.

The star SS loves to see the pinstripes coming, and he's hitting .345 over his last seven games.

Watch A's rookie Denzel Clarke make jaw-dropping catch to rob Angels homer originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Athletics rookie Denzel Clarke has done it again.

The 25-year-old outfielder added to his already dazzling highlight reel in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, leaping over the center-field wall at Angel Stadium to rob Nolan Schanuel of a home run.

DENZEL CLARKE WITH AN UNBELIEVABLE ROBBERY 😱 pic.twitter.com/Gm4GJOOfZH

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 10, 2025

It’s a catch that had to be seen to be believed, and A’s starting pitcher Grant Holman certainly was thankful for the effort.

Clarke made his big league debut with the A’s on May 23 just a few years after the team drafted him in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He has flashed the leather countless times during his two weeks in The Show, so, somehow, Monday’s catch wasn’t too surprising.

DENZEL CLARKE, YOU ARE NOT HUMAN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/QrXkk45Mz3

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) June 7, 2025

Clarke also robbed Alejandro Kirk of a home run in the A’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 30.

DENZEL CLARKE, ARE YOU KIDDING? 😱 pic.twitter.com/iSCPOSzwpv

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 31, 2025

The A’s have to like what they have seen so far from their young center fielder, and he’s sure to provide even more jaw-dropping highlights in the years to come.

Wheeler makes strong return and Phillies end slide with 11-inning win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Zack Wheeler’s strong return from paternity leave helped the Phillies snap a five-game losing skid Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. 

Wheeler didn’t pick up a win, but he was excellent in the Phillies’ 4-3, 11-inning win to open their series vs. the Cubs. 

Brandon Marsh delivered the walk-off hit, an 11th-inning knock to the base of the left-center wall off of Daniel Palencia. 

The last of Wheeler’s seven strikeouts was his 1,000th as a Phillie. He pitched six innings in his first start since May 29 and allowed three hits, one walk and one run. 

Cubs starter Matthew Boyd went six innings and conceded eight hits and two runs. The southpaw struck out no Phillies and walked two. 

Kyle Tucker spoiled Wheeler’s first inning by smashing a 1-2 fastball into the right-field seats. 

In the velocity department, Wheeler appeared well-rested out of the gates. He threw 13 four-seamers in the first and averaged 97.5 mph with his heater. Wheeler’s final four-seam average was 96.6 mph, which is 0.8 mph above his season average. 

Several long Cubs at-bats prevented Wheeler from a truly deep outing. The righty’s pitch count rose considerably in the top of the fifth. After a two-out Matt Shaw single, Ian Happ took nine pitches to strike out. 

Boyd pounded the strike zone and kept the Phillies scoreless through three innings. 

The Phils didn’t boost their cause on the bases. Edmundo Sosa wanted a double on his second-inning jam shot down the right-field line, but Tucker rifled him out at second base. Boyd picked Trea Turner off first base to finish the third. 

The Phillies evened the game up in the fourth.

Kyle Schwarber came back from an 0-2 count to begin the frame with a walk. Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos each followed by lacing first-pitch singles to left field. 

J.T. Realmuto’s grounder to third drove in Schwarber and put runners on the corners with one out. A pitch later, the inning was over. Sosa rolled a routine double-play ball to Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. 

The bottom of the fifth was all about Otto Kemp. The 25-year-old notched his first MLB hit on a leadoff knock to left-center. He then sprinted to third base after a wayward Boyd pickoff attempt and scored his first big-league run on an opposite-field Weston Wilson single, giving the Phillies a 2-1 edge. 

Despite leadoff hits in the sixth and seventh innings, the Phillies couldn’t add to their lead. A single swing tied the contest in the eighth. Ian Happ ripped a 3-2 Matt Strahm sinker 424 feet to left field.

The Phillies should’ve had a leadoff runner in the eighth, but Castellanos tried to stretch a single to left into a double and wasn’t close to successful in his high-risk venture.

Kemp reached to kick off the bottom of the ninth, hustling to first base after a squib just in front of home plate. Cubs manager Craig Counsell was ejected for arguing that Kemp should’ve been called for runner’s interference on the play. The inning then fizzled out; Brandon Marsh, Max Kepler and Turner all came up empty.

Jordan Romano pitched a 1-2-3 top of the 10th, but the Phillies again failed to find a timely hit in the bottom of the inning. Following Bohm’s double play, Castellanos’ ground out sent the game to the 11th.

The Cubs pulled ahead in the 11th on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s one-out RBI double off of Carlos Hernandez. The Phils bounced right back, though.

Realmuto lined a game-tying single to right. Bryson Stott and Kemp then both legged out bunt hits, loading the bases with no outs. Marsh handled the rest.

The scheduled starters Tuesday night are the Phils’ Mick Abel (1-0, 0.79 ERA) and the Cubs’ Colin Rea (4-2, 3.59 ERA). Wednesday’s pitching matchup is Jesus Luzardo (5-2, 4.46 ERA) vs. Ben Brown (3-4, 5.37 ERA). 

Thomson’s message for slumping Stott 

Turner led off against a lefty and Stott sat until pinch-hitting for Sosa in the eighth inning.

Asked whether Turner would stay at the top of the Phils’ lineup vs. righties, Phillies manager Rob Thomson didn’t reveal anything.

“We’ll see tomorrow,” he said. “I think we’ve got a righty tomorrow.”

Stott’s been in a major funk of late. Entering Monday, he’d been 2 for 26 (.083 average) in June with no extra-base hits and two walks. 

“Start controlling the strike zone again, try not to do too much, think left field — because that’s who he is,” Thomson said. “I don’t think he’s thinking about hitting home runs, but he’s certainly pressing to get hits and get on base. He’s got to relax and just be himself.”

Injury updates 

Aaron Nola (right side soreness, right ankle sprain) had a doctor’s appointment Monday.

“I talked to him and he said he’s feeling a little better, but he’s going to get checked out by a doctor,” Thomson said.

Bryce Harper (right wrist soreness) also had a Monday night doctor’s appointment. Thomson was unsure whether Harper’s absence will extend beyond his 10-day injured list stint. 

“He was tolerating it early in the year,” Thomson said. “It just kept going worse. That’s why we shut him down. Get him in with the trainers on a daily basis, get treatment every day and try to knock this thing out.”

Kemp and Bohm might swap soon 

Without Harper, Bohm has been manning first base. Thomson indicated there’s a decent chance that will change in the near future. 

“The plan really is to get Otto a little bit of work at first base, and then we’ll be flipping them,” he said. 

Kemp has 13 career starts in the minor leagues at first base, including seven this season for Triple A Lehigh Valley. While third base has been Kemp’s primary position, he also started Triple A games this year at second, first and left field.

“I would think in the next week … sometime in that area,” Thomson said of when Kemp could slide to first. “(Infield coach Bobby Dickerson) is going to get him some extra work and we’ll see how it goes. I’ll lean on Bobby for that, too.”

What a week for Pete Alonso.

Not only did the Mets’ slugger capture sole possession of second place on the franchise’s all-time home run list, but he’s now earned National League Player of the Week honors for his efforts.

Alonso was on a tear last week, slashing .400/.486/.967 with five home runs, 15 RBI, and nine runs scored, leading the Mets to a 5-2 record.

After a down year in 2024 by his own standards, Alonso has bounced back in a huge way in 2025, slashing .301/.396/.594 with 17 home runs, 61 RBI (leads the National League), and 20 doubles (tied for first in the National League).

In Sunday’s win over the Colorado Rockies, Alonso slammed career home runs No. 242 and 243, moving past David Wright for second on the Mets’ all-time list. Alonso is now just nine home runs behind Darryl Strawberry for the franchise’s all-time mark.

PETE ALONSO PASSES DAVID WRIGHT FOR SECOND ON THE METS' ALL-TIME HOME RUN LIST! pic.twitter.com/e3St8vxjbm

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 8, 2025