Category: Baseball

Yankees pitchers Ryan Yarbrough and Fernando Cruz began rehab assignments with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday night, and it was a mixed bag for the two.

Yarbrough started the RailRiders' game against Indianapolis and got off to a good start. After stranding a runner in the first inning, Yarbrough made his one mistake in the second. He got the first two batters out -- one on a pop out and the other called out on strikes -- before Alika Williams smashed a 1-1 fastball over the plate for a solo shot. Williams' blast went 419 feet with an exit velocity of 101.6 mph.

That would be the only run Yarbrough would give up, and he finished his night with a 1-2-3 third inning, all on ground outs.

Yarbrough allowed one run on three hits and no walks across three innings (37 pitches/25 strikes) while striking out three batters.

When Yarbrough went down with an oblique strain in mid-June, the southpaw was a part of the team's rotation, but his spot may not be there when he returns. The Yankees' rotation is currently comprised of Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Will Warren, the recently-returned Luis Gil and promising rookie Cam Schlittler. The team could conceivably option Schlittler back to the minors to limit his innings down the stretch to get Yarbrough back in the rotation, or use him in the bullpen like they did the first month of the season.

In 16 games (eight starts), Yarbrough has pitched to a 3.90 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP.

Cruz relieved Yarbrough to start the fourth inning and was in immediate trouble. After giving up a leadoff single, Cruz got a fly out before walking the third batter he faced. A stolen base followed by a single from Williams gave Indianapolis its second run of the game. 

After just four batters, Cruz's night was over. Sean Boyle allowed a single in relief of Cruz as the second run charged to the Yankees reliever crossed home plate.

Cruz tossed just 21 pitches (10 strikes) in his 0.1 inning of work, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk.

The Yanks placed Cruz on the IL back in late-June with an oblique strain, and the right-hander was finally in game action for the first time in over a month. Despite his bad outing, the Yankees need Cruz back in the bullpen as he was one of their best before the injury.

In 32 appearances, Cruz pitched to a 3.00 ERA with 54 strikeouts across 33 innings pitched in his first season in pinstripes. He also closed two games.

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees hit the road to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game series starting on Friday...

---

Preview

Will Giancarlo Stanton play right field on the road?

Stanton has been the Yankees' hottest hitter for weeks now, and it's helped New York's offense while Aaron Judge was on the IL and relegated to DH duties when he returned. 

A big part of that is Stanton's ability to play right field. Of course, it's not too much to ask of Stanton to man right in Yankee Stadium, but now that the team is on the road, how will the Yankees utilize their slugger?  The Yankees are much better when Stanton and Judge are in the lineup but if Judge isn't ready, will Aaron Boone risk having Stanton play in the outfield?

The Aaron Judge of it all

Judge continues to scuffle since returning from the IL. In eight games since getting back in the lineup, Judge is 5-for-25 with eight strikeouts and just one extra-base hit. Granted that one hit was a home run back on Aug. 12, so perhaps the issues with the flexor strain haven't completely sapped his power.  It's something to monitor as the Yankees hit the road, but even more pressing is whether he can get back on the field.

The Yankees need Judge to play right field because he's a good fielder and, as previously stated, allows Stanton to play DH and give them that dual-threat. Boone said there's a possibility Judge can play in the outfield in St. Louis, but we'll see if that's the case when the series starts on Friday.

Can Max Fried find his mojo again?

Fried has not been the same since the blister on his throwing hand popped up before the All-Star break. The left-hander has made four starts since the Midsummer Classic and he has been inconsistent, pitching to a 1-2 record while allowing 14 runs across 22 innings. 

In his last start, Fried allowed four runs on eight hits over just five innings against the Astros in what would be a series-clinching win for Houston last Sunday. The start before that, he allowed four runs over five innings, again, to the Rangers. 

If the Yankees are going to make the postseason, they'll need their best pitcher to pitch at his best and he'll need to be when he takes the mound on Saturday. Fried is scheduled to pitch against Sonny Gray (11-5, 4.06 ERA), so runs could be hard to come by, especially if the Yankees lineup is going to remain inconsistent.

With the way Carlos Rodon and Will Warren have been pitching of late, Fried returning to peak form for the stretch run could be exactly what the Yankees need to clinch a wild card spot or better. 

Will Paul Goldschmidt land on IL?

Following the Yankees' loss to the Twins on Wednesday, it was revealed that Goldschmidt is dealing with a knee sprain and could be placed on the IL. Now, the veteran first baseman believes he avoided the worst and some time off is all he'll need to avoid being placed on the IL but the Yankees still have a decision to make.

If Goldschmidt is unable to at least be a pinch-hitter like he wasn't on Wednesday, the options for first base are limited. Ben Rice has become Goldschmidt's backup, and while Cody Bellinger is also capable, the bench is down too many bodies who hit right-handed, including Austin Slater and Amed Rosario. Rosario could be activated this weekend, and could be Goldschmidt's replacement if the Yankees decide to put him on the IL but that still leaves the Yankees without a viable right-handed bat. 

It's a situation to monitor when the series starts on Friday.

Lineup/Bullpen changes

As the race to make a postseason spot continues, Boone has begun to favor certain hitters over others. Trent Grisham is having a career year and that has taken playing time away from Jasson Dominguez. Austin Wells' slump that has lasted all summer has made Rice the No. 1 catcher at the moment. There's no reason that Boone will revert to using Wells and Dominguez in the starting lineup this weekend but if Rice or Grisham start to slump, it could happen.

And then there's the bullpen. Ryan Yarbrough and Fernando Cruz had rehab outings with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday evening, and if both come out of it feeling healthy, they could be in play to return to the team soon. 

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Aaron Judge 

This will be the series Judge finally awakens offensively. He needed to get his first home run out of the way, and now that he has, he can get back to what he does best.

Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?

Max Fried

It's hard to bet against Fried, it's even tougher to bet that Fried will have three consecutive bad starts.

Which Cardinals player will be a thorn in the Yankees' side?

Willson Contreras

The veteran right-hander seems to hit home runs in bunches and after missing a game due to being hit in the foot by a pitch, he should be fully rested.

Phillies' night sours in 7th inning of series-opening loss to Nationals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — For the first time since being swept in late June by the Astros, the Phillies have a true losing streak.

They fell to a third consecutive defeat Thursday night at Nationals Park, dropping a 3-2 game to Washington in the opener of a four-game series. 

The 69-52 Phillies have totaled three runs during the three-game streak. The team is now 4-3 on its 10-game road trip. 

Starter Jesus Luzardo dipped to 11-6 on the season. He went six-plus innings and allowed four hits and three runs. Luzardo struck out seven and walked three. 

Luzardo’s sweeper was especially sharp in the early going. He notched five strikeouts over the first two innings, four on sweepers.

The sweeper is a new pitch for Luzardo this season and it’s been elite. Entering Thursday, batters had a .189 average and 43.8 percent whiff rate against it, according to Baseball Savant.

The Phillies didn’t need any loud contact against Nationals righty Brad Lord to take the lead in the third inning. Bryson Stott led off by squibbing a double over the third-base bag and Trea Turner followed with an infield single. After Kyle Schwarber struck out, Bryce Harper tapped an RBI ground ball to shortstop. 

Washington tied it up an inning later. Paul DeJong cracked a first-pitch Luzardo fastball just over the left-field wall. 

The Phils bounced right back with two outs in the fifth. 

Turner picked up another infield hit, and this one came with a shattered bat. Schwarber then clubbed a 3-1 heater off the right-center wall and Turner scored the go-ahead run. He added a third infield knock in the seventh inning. 

Luzardo’s seventh was not smooth at all.

DeJong walked, Riley Adams doubled and Daylen Lile walked. Luzardo exited and Orion Kerkering entered with no outs and the bases loaded.

He couldn’t escape the inherited trouble. Jose Tena ripped a one-out hit to left-center through the Phillies’ drawn-in infield and Washington went on top.

The Phillies threatened to even the game in the top of the ninth but couldn’t manage it. 

Max Kepler singled and Edmundo Sosa got him to second base with a sacrifice bunt. Bryson Stott then grounded out to first and the game ended with Turner waving at a Cole Henry sinker in on his hands. 

Bohm’s rehab stint 

Alec Bohm went 2 for 5 in Triple-A Lehigh Valley’s Thursday night game. That puts him at 3 for 17 overall with a homer and a triple in four rehab outings as he works his way back from a fractured left rib. 

How much longer will Bohm’s rehab assignment last? 

“Through tomorrow for sure, and then we’ll see,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said pregame. 

Pitching plans 

The scheduled starters Friday night are the Phils’ Zack Wheeler (10-5, 2.68 ERA) and the Nats’ MacKenzie Gore (5-12, 4.09 ERA). 

With the Phillies moving to a six-man rotation for the time being, Taijuan Walker will start Saturday and Aaron Nola will return Sunday. Ranger Suarez is set to pitch Monday in Philadelphia against the Mariners. 

Phillies' night sours in 7th inning of series-opening loss to Nationals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — For the first time since being swept in late June by the Astros, the Phillies have a true losing streak.

They fell to a third consecutive defeat Thursday night at Nationals Park, dropping a 3-2 game to Washington in the opener of a four-game series. 

The 69-52 Phillies have totaled three runs during the three-game streak. The team is now 4-3 on its 10-game road trip. 

“Just probably trying to do a little bit too much,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of his club’s recent struggles pushing across runs. “We’ve got to get back to using the entire field, doing the little things. Big things will happen.

“It’s not like they’re not working at it. You can hear a bunch of hitters in the cages right now. We’ve just got to fight through it.”

Starter Jesus Luzardo dipped to 11-6 on the season. He went six-plus innings and allowed four hits and three runs. Luzardo struck out seven and walked three. 

Luzardo’s sweeper was especially sharp in the early going. He notched five strikeouts over the first two innings, four on sweepers.

The sweeper is a new pitch for Luzardo this season and it’s been elite. Entering Thursday, batters had a .189 average and 43.8 percent whiff rate against it, according to Baseball Savant.

“Being able to land that thing has been big all year,” Luzardo said. “Just being able to throw it for strikes, throw it for chase, throw it in big counts, leverage counts — maybe 3-2 or 2-2 counts where most guys are looking for the fastball. … I think I went through a rough stretch where I didn’t have a really good feel for it, but lately it’s been a good weapon for me again.”

The Phillies didn’t need any loud contact against Nationals righty Brad Lord to take the lead in the third inning. Bryson Stott led off by squibbing a double over the third-base bag and Trea Turner followed with an infield single. After Kyle Schwarber struck out, Bryce Harper tapped an RBI ground ball to shortstop. 

Washington tied it up an inning later. Paul DeJong cracked a first-pitch Luzardo fastball just over the left-field wall. 

The Phils bounced right back with two outs in the fifth. 

Turner picked up another infield hit, and this one came with a shattered bat. Schwarber then clubbed a 3-1 heater off the right-center wall and Turner scored the go-ahead run. He added a third infield knock in the seventh inning. 

Luzardo’s seventh was not smooth at all.

DeJong walked, Riley Adams doubled and Daylen Lile walked. Luzardo exited and Orion Kerkering entered with no outs and the bases loaded.

“I thought I threw the ball well, felt really good going into the seventh,” Luzardo said. “Just frustrated with the way it ended, obviously, walking two guys. … The hit happens, but the walks are kind of what rubs me the wrong way about the outing.

“But besides that, I think the first six were great. We got through a good lineup, just kind of mixed and matched, kept them off balance.”

Kerkering couldn’t escape the inherited trouble. Jose Tena ripped a one-out hit to left-center through the Phillies’ drawn-in infield and the Nationals went on top.

The Phillies threatened to even the game in the top of the ninth but couldn’t manage it. 

Max Kepler singled and Edmundo Sosa got him to second base with a sacrifice bunt on a 3-1 count.

“Just the fact that we wanted to tie it up, because I felt like we had more bullpen than they did,” Thomson said of the bunt decision. “And win it in extra innings if we didn’t score two in the ninth.”

Bryson Stott grounded out to first and the game ended with Turner waving at a Cole Henry sinker in on his hands. 

Bohm’s rehab stint 

Alec Bohm went 2 for 5 in Triple-A Lehigh Valley’s Thursday night game. That puts him at 3 for 17 overall with a homer and a triple in four rehab outings as he works his way back from a fractured left rib. 

How much longer will Bohm’s rehab assignment last? 

“Through tomorrow for sure, and then we’ll see,” Thomson said pregame. 

Pitching plans 

The scheduled starters Friday night are the Phils’ Zack Wheeler (10-5, 2.68 ERA) and the Nats’ MacKenzie Gore (5-12, 4.09 ERA). 

With the Phillies moving to a six-man rotation for the time being, Taijuan Walker will start Saturday and Aaron Nola will return Sunday. Ranger Suarez is set to pitch Monday in Philadelphia against the Mariners. 

Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza met with reporters ahead of Thursday's rubber game with the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field.

Here's what the second-year manager had to say...

Frankie Montas available out of the bullpen

Mendoza confirmed that Thursday night's game will mark the first time that starter-turned-reliever Frankie Montas will be available to pitch out of the bullpen, given the fact that he would be pitching on his standard four days rest. 

And while the club anticipates using him in a Paul Blackburn-esque role as a long man, Mendoza made it clear that life in the bullpen isn't always that straightforward. 

"That’s the one thing when we were talking to him, we’ll do our best to give him more time to get loose, but life in the bullpen, things happen fast," Mendoza said. "Right now, his spot is in the bullpen and whenever we call his name, we’re counting on him. So, he’s going to play a big role for us up there, and he’ll step out."

"He’s on regular rest," Mendoza said later. "…Probably a multi-inning guy, like the long man out of the bullpen, but you never know. Things happen, and who knows if we play extra innings and he’s pitching because of where we’re at. As of right now, I see him more in the Blackburn role, length, but there are going to be days that, depending on where we’re at bullpen-wise, he might be asked to pitch multiple innings."

Nothing changing with Clay Holmes' role

With Clay Holmes' season innings count now at 126.0, the righty is closing in on doubling his previous career best of 70.0 innings in 2021. And while there was never a doubt that Holmes would blow past his previous innings numbers, given that this is his first full season as a starter, some signs of fatigue are beginning to show. 

Holmes has pitched to a 5.79 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP over his last seven starts, and he has not made it past the sixth inning since June 7. 

Still, Mendoza believes that Holmes is in a good place physically, noting that he checks in with he training staff after every outing, as does every other starter.

"He continues to check those boxes, and in talking to him, he keeps saying he’s fine," Mendoza said. "The numbers and everything keep saying that he’s in a good place. We will continue to monitor it, but nothing differently."

So Holmes will remain in the starting rotation?

"Yeah," Mendoza said. "I mean, he’s going to keep getting opportunities."

Nola to return for series finale in D.C., Phils to use 6-man rotation (for now)  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — Aaron Nola has joined the Phillies at the final stop of their 10-game road trip. 

He’ll take the ball for their series finale against the Nationals, too. 

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said ahead of Thursday’s series opener that Nola will start Sunday. The Phils will slide Ranger Suarez back to Monday night vs. the Mariners and — at least for now — expand their rotation to six starters. 

Nola hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since May 14. He was first sidelined by an ankle sprain, then a right rib stress fracture. Before that, Nola had a rough start to his 2025 season, posting a 6.16 ERA in nine starts. 

He fared well in three rehab appearances for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, allowing three runs over 12 and 1/3 innings. Nola racked up 11 strikeouts in his final start.

As for the shift to a six-man rotation, Thomson wouldn’t commit to anything long term. 

“Once for sure, and then we’ve got some other ideas about how to attack this thing as we move forward,” he said. 

Zack Wheeler has recently dealt with shoulder soreness and his velocity was down last time out. Ranger Suarez’s season ERA has jumped from 2.15 to 3.28 over his past five starts.

The rotation has been a major strength for the Phils, whose starters have a National League-best 3.42 ERA. Thomson wants to be cautious about health and freshness. 

“Just getting some of these guys some extra rest, because we’ve been grinding on them pretty hard all year,” he said. “The one downside to it is you’ve got to take somebody out of your bullpen, so you’re a little bit short there, but we’ll just have to figure it out.”

Alvarado on track 

Barring any unexpected developments, the Phillies still plan to have Jose Alvarado back in their bullpen mix next Tuesday.

That’s the day the 30-year-old lefty is able to return from the 80-game suspension he received for testing positive for exogenous testosterone. He’s ineligible to pitch in this year’s postseason. 

Alvarado has not had a rusty rehab stint. In three Triple-A innings, he’s conceded zero runs. 

“It’s like he didn’t even leave,” Thomson said. “He looks like he’s in midseason form. 

“Sometimes guys, when they’ve had time off and come back, they go through kind of a dead arm period. Hopefully, he doesn’t do that. But so far it’s been really, really good.”

Red Sox getting some schedule relief for playoff push after daunting stretch originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox are through the gauntlet.

They survived.

Mostly.

After entering the All-Star break on a season-high 10-game winning streak, the Red Sox were welcomed back to action with a brutal schedule, with seven of their first eight series in the unofficial second half coming against teams with a .500 record or better at the start of those series. That included some teams that significantly cleared the .500 hurdle, like the Cubs (57-39), Dodgers (60-43), and Astros (62-47 at the start of one series, 66-52 at the start of the next).

And though they certainly hit their struggles with a 1-4 stretch to start and more recently a three-game losing streak, the Red Sox posted a respectable 13-11 record over that span. They’re 66-56 on the year, and they’re firmly in the second wild-card position with a 1.5-game lead over New York and a 2.5-game lead over the Guardians, who are on the outside looking in at the moment. Through that daunting stretch of the schedule, the Red Sox largely did their job.

Now, like a cold front moving in at the end of a heat wave, here comes the relief.

After catching their breath with a day off on Thursday following a series loss in Houston, the Red Sox will begin a stretch with eight of 11 series coming against teams with a losing record.

That includes some middling teams like Miami (four games under .500 entering Thursday), Cleveland (five games under), Arizona (four games under), and Tampa Bay (four games under). Yet it also includes some of the league’s basement dwellers, like two series against the A’s (15 games under .500), a three-game home series against the Pirates (20 games under), and six games against the Orioles (12 games under .500).

And even two of their series against an over-.500 team come with a caveat, as they’ll play seven games against the Yankees. New York sits at 64-57, but they’ve arguably been baseball’s biggest mess this month. The Yankees are 4-8 in August, after starting the month with a five-game losing streak. A series win this week over the Twins may work to stabilize the team, but the Red Sox have to hope those struggles continue for the Yankees through their series in New York (Aug. 21-24) and perhaps even through the series in Boston (Sept. 12-14).

All told, between now and Sept. 21, the Red Sox will face eight opponents who entered Thursday with a combined record of 461-508, a .476 winning percentage.

After that, they’ll close the season against the teams that are currently the two best in the American League: the Blue Jays and Tigers. But the Red Sox have done their job against sub-.500 teams this season, currently owning a 33-21 record against them thus far. If you want to play the theoretical game, they can go 15-9 against the sub-.500 teams down the stretch, which would get them to 81 wins. And if they can tread water in their 16 games against teams over .500, they’ll get themselves to 89. And 89 wins has been enough to earn an AL wild-card spot every year since MLB added the third wild card in 2022.

That, though, is the theoretical. In real life, it’s much simpler: After enduring a tough month-long stretch against some of baseball’s best teams, the Red Sox now face a much easier schedule for the next month. In their quest to make the postseason for the first time in four years, they’ll make life a whole lot easier on themselves if they can feast.

The announcement could not have been more unfortunately timed. On the morning after the Dodgers had been swept by the Angels and fallen out of first place in the National League West for the first time in 108 days, the email to media members started this way: "Ever wonder how a player like Mookie Betts gets in the zone for the MLB Postseason?"

This is not on Betts, not at all. He is simply the front man for a campaign in which Corona Beer and its advertising partners had pre-timed an otherwise harmless press release for 6 a.m. PT Thursday. The headline on the press release: "Corona Teams Up with Mookie Betts to Bring the Beach to the Ballpark Through a First-of-its-Kind Soundtrack for the MLB Postseason."

One of the keys to Betts' success: an even keel that sometimes frustrates fans who want every player on their team to be as visibly frustrated as they are. In the aftermath of the Angels' sweep, this is what Betts said Wednesday night: “It is what it is. Can’t change it right now.”

Read more:Hernández: Dodgers' failure to improve their bullpen spurred freefall with no end in sight

The promotional photo distributed with the press release shows Betts relaxing on a beach towel, next to home plate, headphones on. The soundtrack "fuses the iconic sounds of the ballpark with the relaxing vibe of the beach."

Betts helped to pick seven minutes and 54 seconds of "home run blasts, in-stadium crowd waves and announcer calls from his most memorable postseason moments ... combined with ambient ocean breezes and crashing waves."

You can hear the soundtrack here. From the press release: "The entire mix is tuned at 432hz — a frequency commonly associated with enhanced clarity."

“As a player, you need to be in the right head space to show up when the lights are brightest,” Betts said in the press release. “I worked with Corona to make sure this soundtrack accurately captures the energy of the postseason and channels that into something both the guys in the dugout and fans can use to prepare for the season’s biggest upcoming moments.”

In last year's postseason, Betts batted .290, hitting four home runs and scoring 14 runs in 16 games. After the World Series, on an episode of his podcast, he and several teammates broke down the Dodgers' championship run, including a discussion of the New York Yankees' fundamental flaws in the World Series.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Predicting how well the New York Rangers will play during the 2025-26 season is difficult. 

Just one year removed from winning the Presidents’ Trophy and making it to the Eastern Conference Final, the Rangers regressed and missed the playoffs, capping off a dreadful year for the organization. 

Since winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2024, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury has traded multiple members of the team’s core including, Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko, Ryan Lindgren, and Chris Kreider. 

The Rangers enter the 2025-26 campaign with lower expectations given last year’s poor play, but the Blueshirts have the potential to bounce back in a major way. 

What’s undeniable about this Rangers team is that they have multiple All-Star caliber players who can propel the franchise to great heights. 

A core of Igor Shesterkin, Artemi Panarin, J.T. Miller, Mika Zibanejad, and Adam Fox, on top of their supporting pieces, should not be overlooked. 

One NHL insider believes the Rangers will surprise a lot of people this upcoming season. 

“I don’t think the Rangers should sell off and acquire valuable prospects and draft picks. I think the Rangers are a playoff team. I think they’re bouncing right back into it,” Seravalli said on Tuesday’s Insider Notebook for Bleacher Report.

The hiring of Mike Sullivan also adds a whole new dimension to the Rangers that the franchise didn’t have before. 

Brett Berard Eying Perminant Role With Rangers Brett Berard will be competing for a spot on the New York Rangers’ opening night roster in training camp. 

“They’re going to have new blood with a new coach, new energy,” Seravalli said. “They have to defend better as a team, but maybe the coaching will help with some of that… I’m bullish on the Rangers. I think they’re in a prime spot to compete.”

The Rangers are not a slam-dunk pick to make the playoffs by any means, but the Blueshirts have the talent to blossom into a true contender in the Eastern Conference.