Category: Baseball

The Mets open a three-game series against the Nationals in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. on SNY.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

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Mets Notes

• Francisco Lindoris heating up, slashing .560/.607/1.040 with three homers and three doubles over his last six games
• Juan Soto has reached base safely in all 15 games this month, smacking five homers and posting a .951 OPS during that span
• Pete Alonso is slashing .328/.358/.705 with six homers and five doubles in 15 games this month

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Padres manager sounds off on controversial fan interference call vs. Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Padres were on the wrong end of a controversial call that impacted their one-run 4-3 loss to the Giants on Monday at Petco Park.

San Francisco led 4-0 with no outs in the bottom of the second inning when San Diego shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit what initially was ruled a solo home run that bounced off the outstretched glove of Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos in left field, before the call eventually was overturned and ruled an out.

Padres manager Mike Shildt, after a lengthy review, expressed his frustration with the call and was ejected from the game.

Xander Bogaerts was ruled out on what initially was called a home run after review showed there was fan interference on this play pic.twitter.com/ddBghYrc9W

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 19, 2025

Padres manager Mike Shildt was ejected for coming out to argue the fan interference call pic.twitter.com/3Gf7JOhZbG

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 19, 2025

Shildt, speaking to reporters after the game, expressed his displeasure with the review process, and he believes that if the play took that long to review, the call was not clear enough to overturn and should have remained a home run.

“If it’s so clear, how come it takes two minutes and 40 seconds to figure out, if it’s that clear?” Shildt questioned postgame. “Why are we sitting there for two minutes and 40 seconds? We have 15 seconds to review a call in the first place. We have two minutes and 40 seconds to sit there, what are you looking for? If it’s that clear, then overturn it early. If it’s not, then it’s a home run.

“So we call our reply guys and are like, ‘How are you feeling about it?’ [And they said] ‘zero chance.’ But, listen, that’s just really disappointing that we go that long and have to come up with a conclusion that’s not conclusive to overturn a home run that ends up costing us an opportunity to win a baseball game.”

The Padres went on to score three runs after the controversial play, and ended up losing to the Giants by one.

San Francisco, which has had no shortage of bad luck in recent weeks, will take it.

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It’s a quirk of the schedule that has the Dodgers playing four games with the last-place Rockies in between two crucial series with the archrival Padres.

Colorado has the worst record in baseball and will finish last in the division for a fourth straight year. The Padres are the last team standing between the Dodgers and their 12th division title in 13 seasons. The Dodgers swept them last weekend at home and will play them again next weekend in San Diego.

Yet Dodgers manager Dave Roberts insisted there would be no overlooking the lowly Rockies and no looking ahead to the Padres’ series.

“Where we're at, mid-to-late August, all these games matter,” he said before Monday’s game. “So I don't expect a letdown.”

“We've got work to do here,” he continued. “We are in control of things, but we've got to focus on right now.”

Read more:Doing away with traditional leagues could be in MLB's not-too-distant future, Rob Manfred says

That focus was at best a little fuzzy in the series opener, with the Dodgers twice blowing leads in a 4-3 loss at Coors Field. The winning run scored with one out in the ninth inning when Warming Bernabel singled off reliever Justin Wrobleski (4-5) to drive in Ezequiel Tovar.

Tovar was on second after a gift double dropped between second baseman Alex Freeland and right fielder Teoscar Hernández with one out in the ninth. Three pitches later Bernabel bounced a single up the middle and Tovar bounced home with the winning run.

The victory was the Rockies’ first in seven games against the Dodgers this season and first in 11 games dating to last year, which came as a disappointment to the hundreds of fans who came out in crisp white Dodgers jerseys to see Shohei Ohtani play. And Ohtani, who came into the series hitting .391 with six homers, 17 RBIs and 17 runs in 17 games at Coors Field, didn’t disappoint, singling on the second pitch of the game from left-hander Kyle Freeland.

He knocked in his team’s second run on another single in the second inning, spinning Freeland around with a wicked shot back through the box. The Dodgers’ first run had scored two pitches earlier on a Dalton Rushing sacrifice fly that Mickey Moniak caught with a leap at the wall in right-center.

The Rockies got both runs back off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the third. After retiring the first six batters, Yamamoto, pitching a day after his 27th birthday, walked third baseman Kyle Karros, the son of former Dodger star Eric Karros. Brenton Doyle followed with a single and continued to second on a throw to third that was too late to get Karros. Ryan Ritter then drove in both runners with a soft liner to right.

Freeland lasted just four innings, leaving with what appeared to be a blister on his left hand after giving up six hits and a walk but stranding four runners. Two innings later the Dodgers went ahead against reliever Jaden Hill, with Freddie Freeman opening the sixth with a walk, stealing second and scoring on a two-out double from pinch-hitter Alex Freeland.

Read more:Plaschke: Sweep Diego! Dodgers dominate stumbling Padres and prove they're better

Yamamoto, who matched a season high with seven innings pitched, failed to hold the lead again when Tovar evened the score with a solo homer one out into his last inning of work.

Roberts then turned the game over to his bullpen, which has rarely proved a wise decision. After Edgardo Henriquez worked a perfect eighth, the Rockies walked it off after just three batters.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Rob Manfred normally does what many fans consider an annoyingly effective job of keeping Major League Baseball's strategic plans out of the public square.

So maybe the MLB commissioner was caught in an unguarded moment, staring down at a diamond from the ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball" booth in the cozy confines of Williamsport, Pa., and the Little League World Series.

Or maybe his comments were calculated. Either way, he spoke freely about how expanding from the current 30 teams could create an ideal chance to reset the way teams are aligned in divisions and leagues.

Manfred was asked on air for a window into the future. Expansion, realignment, both?

"The first two topics are related, in my mind," he replied. "I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign. I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN, because you'd be playing out of the East and out of the West."

Read more:Rays stadium drama and potential relocation could upend MLB's expansion plans

Taking that thinking to an extreme would put the Dodgers and Angels in a division with, say, the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Las Vegas Athletics and Seattle Mariners.

Would that collection — let's call it the Pacific Division — be part of the American or National League? Maybe neither. Instead, geographic realignment could result in Eastern and Western Conferences similar to the NBA.

Pushback from traditionalists might be vigorous. Call them leagues, call them conferences, geographical realignment would make for some strange bedfellows.

Former MLB player and current MLB Network analyst Cameron Maybin posted on X that making sure the divisions are balanced is more important than geography.

"Manfred's realignment talk isn't just about moving teams around, it tilts playoff balance," Maybin said on X. "Some divisions get watered down others overloaded and rivalries that drive October story lines we love, vanish. Baseball needs competitive integrity not manufactured shakeups."

Manfreds realignment talk isnt just about moving teams around it tilts playoff balance. Some divisions get watered down others overloaded and rivalries that drive October storylines we love, vanish. Baseball needs competitive integrity not manufactured shakeups.

— Cameron Maybin (@CameronMaybin) August 18, 2025

Yet Manfred makes a persuasive argument that grouping teams by geographic location would have its benefits.

"That 10 o'clock time slot where we sometimes get lost in Anaheim would be two West Coast teams," he said. "Then that 10 o'clock spot that's a problem for us becomes an opportunity for our West Coast audience. I think the owners realize there is a demand for Major League Baseball in a lot of great cities, and we have an opportunity to do something good around that expansion process."

Manfred said in February that he'd like expansion to be approved by 2029, his last year as commissioner. MLB hasn't expanded since the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays were added in 1998.

Expansion teams "won't be playing by the time I'm done, but I would like the process along and [locations] selected," Manfred said.

Several cities are courting MLB for a franchise, and the league is reported to be leaning toward Nashville and Salt Lake City as favorites. Portland, Orlando, San Antonio and Charlotte are other possibilities.

Read more:It's too late for buyer's remorse. Why L.A. can't back out of hosting 2028 Olympics

The Times' Bill Shaikin has pointed out that geographical realignment would be tied to schedule reform that could help kindle rivalries and encourage fans to visit opposing ballparks that are within driving distance.

The future home of the Rays is in flux, and that decision likely will precede MLB choosing expansion cities, even after the recent news that Florida developer Patrick Zalupski has agreed to pay $1.7 billion for the team.

Zalupski’s team of investors reportedly prefers to keep the Rays near Tampa. If that becomes gospel, MLB can turn its attention to choosing where new teams would call home.

And soon afterward, if Manfred's vision comes to fruition, geographical realignment would follow, and the Southern California Freeway Series could become just another series between divisional rivals.

Read more:Two arrests made after violent brawl between Angels and Dodgers fans at Angel Stadium

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Heliot Ramos' roller-coaster day ends with big homer, Giants win vs. Padres originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN DIEGO — When Heliot Ramos walked up to the plate in the top of the fourth inning on Monday night, San Diego Padres fans showered him with boos. When he struck out, the cheers had a little extra juice behind them. 

The Giants left fielder understood, to an extent, why he suddenly had become Public Enemy No. 1 at Petco Park. But he also thought it was a bit silly. 

“It was not my fault,” a smiling Ramos said after San Francisco’s 4-3 win.

Ramos was getting booed because of an overturned call in the second inning. He had reached up for a Xander Bogaerts fly ball to the wall, but it trickled out of his glove and into the seats. A long review determined that Ramos had been interfered with. Bogaerts was called out, and in a game the Padres lost by one run, that certainly mattered.

Xander Bogaerts was ruled out on what initially was called a home run after review showed there was fan interference on this play pic.twitter.com/ddBghYrc9W

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 19, 2025

Ramos wasn’t at all surprised that the call was overturned. He said the fan who reached directly over his head blocked his vision, and replay officials in New York ruled that the fan “clearly prevented the fielder from making the catch.” But for the fans at Petco Park, no explanation would have been deemed acceptable. The boos were there for Ramos the rest of the night. 

“What am I supposed to do?” he said. “I didn’t overturn the call. Be mad at the umpire and mad at the fan that actually put the hand out there, you know? It’s not my fault.”

In an odd twist, Padres fans might not have actually been the most upset fan base on Monday. Earlier in the day, Ramos found himself in the kind of fast-moving storm that seems to be the main reason social media exists in 2025.

His comments to the San Francisco Chronicle were blown out of proportion, and Ramos, who thought he was just showing support for manager Bob Melvin, was shocked to find that some Giants fans had decided he took shots at the fan base. It didn’t help that a couple of local news outlets fanned the flames without realizing that the original story quietly had been edited to clarify Ramos’ meaning.

After batting practice, Ramos stood in the dugout and said over and over again that he loves Giants fans and the city of San Francisco. He also stands firmly behind his manager, who has come under some fire because of all of the recent losses. 

“I love the fans and they always show me love in the field,” he said. “I have nothing against them. Every time I’m walking on the streets with my family, they love me and I love them back. All I’m trying to say is in the inner circle — obviously not even you guys that are reporters know what’s going on in the clubhouse — all I want to say is that Bob is a great manager … I’m just trying to have Bob’s back. I’m just trying to support [him].”

It was an odd controversy for a number of reasons, including the fact that nobody should really be surprised that Giants players are supporting their manager when they still have 37 games left to play. Ramos, especially, has good reasons to be back Melvin. The previous staff had seemed to give up on him, but he turned into an MLB All-Star last year under Melvin, and the manager has had his back through some difficult times this season.

Ramos probably would not have taken as much heat had he been duplicating last season’s results lately, but entering Monday, he had gone 34 games without a homer. That changed in the first, when he smoked a Nestor Cortes pitch into the seats.

Heliot Ramos leads it off with a BANG 💣 pic.twitter.com/LO9BtSQXpu

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 19, 2025

Ramos was still celebrating in the visiting dugout when Rafael Devers went deep. They became the first set of Giants to go back-to-back to kick off a road game since 1964, and Wilmer Flores made it 4-0 with a two-run shot later in the frame. 

“I feel like we haven’t done that for a minute,” Ramos said. 

It was the kind of explosion that has been missing lately, particularly at home, and it held up. Robbie Ray threw 6 2/3 strong innings and Ryan Walker got four outs to take the lead to closer Randy Rodriguez, who clinched a second straight win. 

Ramos was in the middle of all of it, for better or worse. An inning after his homer, he was caught up in the play at the wall. An inning after that, he chased down a long Bryce Johnson fly ball to prevent a leadoff double. There was only one way for this game to end: With the tying run on first in the bottom of the ninth, Ryan O’Hearn flew out to Ramos. 

Ramos said the leadoff homer was a relief after everything that happened beforehand. It hasn’t been the easiest 48 hours for the left fielder, but for the team, the two wins have allowed everyone to take a deep breath.

“We know what we have going on here, we know that we want to win games and just stay in the present,” he said. “At the end of the day I just want to stay present with the guys and play good baseball and try to win for the fans and everybody and for ourselves. I don’t think anybody wants it more than us. That’s all I care about.”

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Suárez deals, Phillies rack up 21 hits to best Mariners originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

If there was ever a time the Phillies needed Ranger Suárez, it was Monday night.

With the Phils playing their 11th straight game and Zack Wheeler’s 2025 status in question, Suárez delivered a dazzling performance against the Mariners – exactly what they needed, en route to a 12-7 victory.

The lefty entered off two of his worst starts of the season, allowing 11 runs over his last 11 2/3 innings, but you wouldn’t have known it from the jump.

The weather may have felt Washington-state like, but Seattle looked far away from home. For M’s starter Logan Gilbert, he carried a 2.22 ERA in 10 home starts but a 4.86 ERA away, and the Phillies wasted little time exposing that split.

After back-to-back hard-hit singles by Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the first didn’t cash in a run, the offense broke out in the second. 

Brandon Marsh opened with a 105.5 mph single, Nick Castellanos followed with an opposite-field knock, and Max Kepler blooped one to score Marsh for a 1-0 lead.

Bryson Stott — who hit .296 on the road trip (8-for-27) — then laced an RBI double to bring up Trea Turner.

With runners on the corners and no outs, Turner — sitting on 1,499 career hits — crushed a three-run homer for No. 1,500, his 13th of the season and first at Citizens Bank Park.

The party didn’t stop there. J.T. Realmuto, who had worked a nine-pitch at-bat in the first, battled through 10 more before unloading on a solo homer to left. Randy Arozarena barely moved in pursuit.

The Phillies led 6-0 through two innings for a second straight game — this being the first time in franchise history that they have been able to do so.

Logan Gilbert hit the showers after 65 pitches through two frames.

“Gilbert’s a really good pitcher,” Bryce Harper said. “I thought we jumped on him pretty quickly right there.”

But if Sunday in Washington taught the Phils anything, it’s that no lead is safe. After using five relievers to hold off the Nationals a day earlier, Rob Thomson badly needed length from Suárez — and he got it.

After the Julio Rodríguez double in the first, Suárez retired 17 of his next 19 batters, before Mitch Garver stroked a solo home run to open the scoring for Seattle with two-outs in the seventh.

Suárez finished 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out 10. It was his third career game with double-digit strikeouts, tying his career-high.

“His command was impeccable,” manager Rob Thomson said of his starter. “He had his curveball tonight … he was really good.”

In the sixth, Harper added insurance. Seattle reliever Casey Legumina hung a sweeper and Harper demolished his 20th homer of the season, a 440-foot shot to right.

If you thought the Phillies’ lead was safe, Cole Young proved otherwise. After Thomson pulled Suárez in the seventh, he turned to Jordan Romano with a six-run cushion and a man on. A two-out single followed by Young’s three-run homer made it 7-4 and pushed Romano’s ERA to 7.56.

Romano has allowed six earned runs over his last 1 1/3 innings, adding to what has been a rough first season with the Phils.

The Phillies responded immediately in the eighth. With two outs, Trea Turner lined an RBI double, Schwarber added an RBI single and Harper kept rolling through his power-filled August.

Seattle stuck with Legumina against Harper and paid the price. Harper launched a 448-foot three-run shot — his second homer of the night and the 30th multi-homer game of his career — to make it 11-4. This month, Harper has six homers and a .565 slugging percentage.

It was also the first time in the Statcast era (since 2015) that a Phillies hitter crushed two home runs of 440-plus feet in the same game. Ironically, Harper also accomplished this back on May 6, 2015 with the Nationals.

The Phillies added insurance in the eighth when Turner lined an RBI single, marking his 16th three-hit game of the season.

“He’s having a great year,” Harper said. “He’s doing what Trea Turner does.”

The Mariners scratched across three runs in the ninth against Nolan Hoffman — making his Major League debut — but the rookie settled in to record the final outs and lock up Philadelphia’s 72nd win, extending its NL East lead to 5 1/2 games over the Mets.

Despite the uncertainty of Wheeler’s status, the Phils are optimistic with their current group.

“It’s definitely going to hurt,” Trea Turner said. “It’s a good clubhouse where we don’t have to rely on one person … I think if we all pick up a little bit of slack, I think we can get the job done.”

Looking for another series victory

The Phillies will send Cristopher Sánchez (11-4, 2.45 ERA) to the mound Tuesday night as he continues a dominant 2025 campaign. Seattle counters with veteran right-hander Luis Castillo (8-6, 3.48 ERA).

Schwarber has had the most success against Castillo, going 6-for-20 with four homers. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m. ET.

What we learned as Robbie Ray deals after Giants' early outburst to beat Padres originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SAN DIEGO — On paper, this is a week that should end the Giants’ very, very slim playoff hopes. They’ve got four games against a San Diego Padres club that dominated them at Oracle Park last week, followed by three against the Milwaukee Brewers, who seemingly don’t know how to lose.

But there’s still belief in the clubhouse that a run is possible, and on Monday, the group got a daunting road trip off to a strong start. The Giants hit three homers in the first inning at Petco Park and held on from there, winning 4-3 to take a second straight game for the first time in 10 days. 

The lineup has struggled against lefties all season long and didn’t do much against Nestor Cortes last week at Oracle Park, but they hit him so hard in the first that he probably went back to the dugout and tried to figure out if he was tipping. 

Heliot Ramos kicked things off with a solo homer to left, and before the visiting dugout could even finish celebrating, Rafael Devers smoked a solo shot to right-center. They became the first Giants to go back-to-back to start a road game since Chuck Hiller and Duke Snider did it to St. Louis Cardinals legend Bob Gibson in 1964. 

Heliot Ramos leads it off with a BANG 💣 pic.twitter.com/LO9BtSQXpu

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 19, 2025

After a Casey Schmitt double, Wilmer Flores lofted a two-run shot into the seats in left, which were busy Monday night. 

WILMAAAAAAAAAAAAH 💪 pic.twitter.com/jze0cCrBxT

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 19, 2025

The four-run lead held up, as lefty Robbie Ray took a shutout into the seventh. Here are three things to know from a tense night in San Diego …

Road Rallies

At some point in time — either over the next five weeks or at the start of the 2026 MLB season — this group of hitters is going to have to figure out how to more consistently do damage at Oracle Park. But right now, the Giants at least look like a normal offense on the road. 

The four-run first included blasts to left from Ramos and Flores, who took advantage of a relatively short porch. Devers’ homer was smoked, leaving the yard at 110.4 mph, although in a funny twist it would not have been a homer at Oracle Park, according to Statcast.

BACK-TO-BACK JACKS IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES 😤 pic.twitter.com/dLqsmvR1tQ

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 19, 2025

All three of the first-inning blasts would not have gone out at Oracle, which is a good example of the conundrum facing the front office this offseason. They probably need to have a more athletic and bat-control-heavy lineup at home. At the same time, this is a group of players who have hit for power in the past and should do well on the road. 

Digging Deep

Manager Bob Melvin said before the game that he didn’t intend to take Ray past 100 pitches since the lefty threw 113 last week, but when Ray finished six scoreless innings at 89 pitches, it was a pretty easy call to let him start the seventh. 

Ray ended up allowing three runs in the inning, but they were all unearned after a play that included two errors from Schmitt. He lowered his ERA to 2.85, which ranks seventh in the National League. 

Ray allowed just one hit through his first six innings, although he probably should have been charged with a solo homer. Xander Bogaerts hit a fly ball that plopped out of Ramos’ glove and dropped over the left field wall, but a long review overturned the call because of fan interference. It was a charitable interpretation, but the Giants certainly won’t complain about any breaks right now.

Xander Bogaerts was ruled out on what initially was called a home run after review showed there was fan interference on this play pic.twitter.com/ddBghYrc9W

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 19, 2025

The Path To 27 Outs

Aside from the lineup, the biggest problem Melvin has every night is how to get from his starter to closer Randy Rodriguez. On Monday, he leaned heavily on right-hander Ryan Walker, who was fresh after missing the weekend series for the birth of his second daughter. 

Walker got Fernando Tatis Jr. to ground out to end the chaotic seventh and then breezed through the top of the order in the eighth. After a Luis Arraez single, he struck out Manny Machado and got Ramon Laureano to bounce into a double play. 

Walker by far is the best candidate to fill the void left by the Tyler Rogers trade, and long term, he’s also the player most likely to be able to set up for Rodriguez next season. The other top candidate, Erik Miller, has been shut down after feeling more discomfort in his elbow. 

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Giants catch break with controversial fan interference on Xander Bogaerts homer originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Replay review worked in the Giants’ favor during their game against the San Diego Padres on Monday at Petco Park.

What initially appeared to be an Xander Bogaerts home run that went in and out of Heliot Ramos’ glove in the second inning was called back and ruled a fly out, after umpires determined a fan reached over the left-field wall and interfered with the play.

Xander Bogaerts was ruled out on what initially was called a home run after review showed there was fan interference on this play pic.twitter.com/ddBghYrc9W

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 19, 2025

While the fan didn’t appear to touch the ball, MLB defines spectator interference as an instance where “a spectator clearly prevents a fielder from catching a fly ball by reaching onto the field of play.”

Since the fan’s arms went into the field of play and presumably into Ramos’ line of sight as he attempted to rob the homer, it can be assumed this play fell into that category in the eyes of umpires at the replay command center in New York.

Padres manager Mike Shildt wasn’t happy with the call and was ejected after exiting San Diego’s dugout to argue with home plate umpire James Hoye.

Padres manager Mike Shildt was ejected for coming out to argue the fan interference call pic.twitter.com/3Gf7JOhZbG

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 19, 2025

The overturned call kept Giants pitcher Robbie Ray’s scoreless outing intact, and was a much-needed boost for a struggling Giants team looking for some morale and their second consecutive win.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

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As the Yankees continue their push for the postseason, the club is getting healthier.

According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, the Yankees are expected to activate infielder/outfielder Amed Rosario off of the injured list ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against the Rays in Tampa, the first contest of a quick two-game series.

Rosario, acquired from the Washington Nationals ahead of the trade deadline, appeared in four games with the Yanks before suffering a shoulder injury on Aug. 8 while trying to track down a ball in right field and crashing into the Yankee Stadium wall.

In those four games, the versatile Rosario had three hits in seven at-bats, including a double and one RBI.

It’s been a solid season overall for the former Mets top prospect, who has slashed .277/.315/.432 with five home runs and 19 RBI in 50 combined games between the Nats and Yankees.

While the Yankees have not yet officially activated Rosario, the club did announce that catcher J.C. Escarra has been optioned to Triple-A, which opens up the roster spot for Rosario.

Escarra, 30, has played in 40 games with the Yankees, posting a .629 OPS with two home runs and 11 RBI.

It's impossible to sugarcoat the stretch the Mets are starting to come out of.

After a seven-game winning streak gave them a 62-44 record at the end of play on July 27, New York had a 2-14 stretch, dropping them from first place in the NL East to a spot where they'll need a very hot finish to overtake the Phillies and win the division.

During the aforementioned stretch, the Mets were nearly no-hit, saw lead after lead evaporate, watched their starting pitching struggle badly, and lost all seven of the one-run games they played.

The Mets dealt with a combination of very poor performance with a dash of some really unfortunate events and bad luck mixed in (losing seven one-run games in a row is bonkers). It was the kind of bad run that is hard to believe while it's happening.

Despite all that went wrong over the last few weeks, though, the Mets are still very much in the driver's seat when it comes to reaching the postseason -- up two losses on the Reds for the third Wild Card spot, within striking distance of the Padres for the second spot, and one hot streak from being right back in it for the NL East title.

They started to right the ship this past weekend against the Mariners, taking two of three games from a very hot team as New York rode strong pitching and a revitalized lineup that is starting to click again.

Let's assess how things are going for the 2025 Mets and what's to come...

The good

The Mets are oozing with talent and are relatively healthy as they enter the stretch run. And no one will care about what they did in the first few weeks of August if they wind up back in the postseason, where they would be incredibly dangerous.

As has been the case all year, the success of the offense will likely rise and fall with the performances ofFrancisco Lindor,Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo -- and all four of them started to heat up as the Mets came out of their malaise over the last week.

That's not a coincidence.

The bottom of the lineup has been better lately, especially with Francisco Alvarez (the Mets are holding their breath about his thumb) being a different hitter since he returned from a stint in the minors. But this team will likely go as far as the top of their lineup will take them.

The starting pitching is also beginning to stabilize after failing to provide much length or effectiveness for most of New York's 2-14 spiral.

Kodai Senga was sharp his last time out, Clay Holmes looked very good on Sunday night against Seattle, and Nolan McLean gave the team a real jolt when he fired 5.1 shutout innings during his big league debut on Saturday at Citi Field -- looking not only like a pitcher with the stuff to succeed at this level, but like someone who has the temperament for it as well.

Then there's Edwin Diaz, who is in the midst of a lights-out campaign. In 48.0 innings over 47 appearances, Diaz has a 1.69 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 70 strikeouts -- a rate of 13.1 per nine. He has been nearly untouchable in 22.2 innings since June 6, with a 0.79 ERA.

Another real bright spot lately has been lefty reliever Gregory Soto, who hasn't allowed an earned run in 8.1 innings since being acquired from the Orioles.

The imperfect

The Mets were coming out of a 1-10 stretch when we did this exercise at the halfway point of the season, which illustrates how streaky they've been.

One cause for concern right now would be the combination of Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley not immediately becoming the dominant 1-2 punch the team hoped would be a bridge to Diaz.

Rogers has a 1.93 ERA in 9.1 appearances, but he has just one strikeout during that span and has been much more hittable with New York than he was for San Francisco. Rogers has given up 13 hits in those 9.1 innings after surrendering just 38 in 50.0 innings earlier this season for the Giants. Meanwhile, Helsley blew back-to-back late leads last Thursday and Friday and has a 7.11 ERA since being acquired from the Cardinals.

Both Rogers and Helsley have stuff that is too good for them to get hit this much, so the expectation should be that they'll stabilize -- and Helsley started to do so with a scoreless inning on Sunday night while striking out a pair.

Meanwhile, even with the rotation being better lately, it would still be very helpful if they were able to provide more length. No team can withstand its starters giving as little length as the Mets have, which has caused a serious ripple effect and put the bullpen in a really bad spot.

Holmes, who is miles past his previous innings total, might simply be a five-inning guy for the remainder of this season, and could possibly wind up in the bullpen before the year is over.

David Peterson had been giving 6.0 or more innings regularly until recently, so a bounce back there should be expected. But the Mets need more from Senga and especially Sean Manaea, who has a 4.78 ERA and has pitched past the fifth inning just once since returning from his injury on July 13.

Another big shot in the arm could be provided by Mark Vientos, who possesses game-changing power but has yet to put things together this year. Vientos catching fire and taking over the main designated hitter duties while getting some starts at third base would seriously lengthen the lineup.

What's to come

With the trade deadline in the past, McLean up, and impact position players like Jett Williams and Carson Benge almost certainly not debuting until 2026, the group that the Mets have now will closely resemble the one that will get them to the playoffs or not.

One big exception is the potential debut of Brandon Sproat, who could possibly join McLean in the rotation at some point if New York goes to a six-man staff or if Holmes is eventually shifted to the bullpen for the remainder of the year.

There's also a possibility the Mets use Sproat out of the bullpen if there's a need there.

While Jonah Tong has been the most dominant pitcher in minor league baseball this season, it's hard to envision him getting the call this year unless he's utterly dominant in Triple-A (where he shined in his first start over the weekend) and the Mets wind up dealing with multiple injuries.

As far as the schedule New York will have to navigate to reach the postseason, it isn't easy.

Following a six-game road trip this week against the Nationals and Braves, the Mets play 19 of their final 32 games against teams that are fighting for playoff spots -- including seven games against the Phillies, three against the Tigers in Detroit, three against the Reds in Cincinnati, three against the Cubs in Chicago, and three against the Padres at Citi Field.

The other games aren't cupcakes, either, including seven against the plucky Marlins and a three-game set against a Rangers team that isn't contending but remains dangerous.

The Mets, who made the playoffs in 2022 and 2024, have never had a four-year stretch where they made three postseason appearances. To change that, they'll have to lock in down the stretch and take it.

Following a rough July that included a career-worst 0-for-31 skid, Francisco Lindor has gotten things back on track during the month of August, and now the Mets shortstop has been named National League Player of the Week for his efforts.

In six games last week (Aug. 12-17), Lindor went 14-for-25 at the plate, slashing .560/.607/1.040 with three home runs, three doubles, seven RBI and seven runs scored.

Zooming out a bit further, Lindor’s numbers in the month of August are equally as impressive, as the Mets star has slashed .350/.435/.633 with four homers, 12 RBI and 14 runs scored over the course of 15 games. This comes after a month of July in which Lindor hit just .206.

It’s been an up-and-down offensive season for Lindor, who earned his first All-Star appearance as Met thanks to a strong first half in which he posted a .787 OPS with 19 home runs and 54 RBI.

But with Lindor now back in the leadoff spot after getting some chances to hit second and third in the order, it’s clear that he remains a key cog in the Mets’ offense. 

If Lindor continues to play as well as he has since the calendar flipped to August, it could go a long way towards the Mets making a push for the NL East crown, as they currently sit 5.0 games behind the Phillies with seven games remaining between the two clubs.