Saturday's game between the Mets and the Tampa Bay Rays is in a rain delay and will not start on time.
The team announced a 5 p.m. start time nearly 45 minutes after the initial announcement. First pitch was originally scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
The Mets are looking to bounce back after the Rays used a six-run inning to defeat New York, 7-5, in Friday's series opener. The loss snapped the Mets' six-game winning streak and dropped their home record to 27-8.
Tylor Megill (5-4, 3.76 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Mets, while the Rays will send out RHP Drew Rasmussen (5-4, 2.22 ERA).
Megill allowed two runs on three hits over five innings last time out on June 8 against the Rockies, lowering his ERA to 3.76 on the season.
Max Kepler blasted the Phillies to a series victory Saturday over the Blue Jays.
Kepler clubbed a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Phils picked up a 3-2 win at Citizens Bank Park.
They sit at 41-29 on the season and will look for a three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon. Zack Wheeler (6-2, 2.85 ERA) is set to face Jose Berrios (2-2, 3.38 ERA).
The Phillies’ pitching was stellar on a day their offense didn’t produce much. Cristopher Sanchez went seven innings and allowed two runs and five hits. He had zero walks, one hit by pitch and five strikeouts.
Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm threw scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Blue Jays leadoff man Bo Bichette struck out on Sanchez’s ninth pitch of the day, waving at a slider. Sanchez increased his season strikeout total to 88 Saturday over 79 and 2/3 innings. The Phillies have three pitchers in the National League’s top 10 for strikeouts per nine innings with Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo and Sanchez.
The Blue Jays opened the scoring vs. Sanchez in the second inning. Nick Castellanos’ leaping attempt to catch Ernie Clement’s fly ball to the right-field fence was unsuccessful. Myles Straw drove Clement in with a two-out line drive that glanced off the tip of Alec Bohm’s glove on its way to left field.
Despite a couple of long fly balls in the early innings, the Phillies failed to reach base against Toronto starter Bowden Francis until nine-hitter Brandon Marsh knocked an opposite-field single. Francis found a groove, locating well and mixing in his off-speed pitches effectively.
The righty’s command dramatically deserted him in the fourth inning.
The Phillies rallied with two outs through simple patience; Francis walked three batters and hit two. Otto Kemp’s HBP put the Phils up 2-1, Francis exited, and Brendon Little jogged in from the bullpen.
Little threw a 1-2 breaking ball to Marsh in the dirt and J.T. Realmuto made the aggressive decision to sprint home. The gamble didn’t pay off. Jays catcher Tyler Heineman recovered the ball in time to tag Realmuto out at the plate.
Sanchez and the Phillies narrowly missed a shutdown inning. The Phils couldn’t quite turn an inning-ending double play on Bichette — the Blue Jays won their challenge to overturn the initial out call — and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then ripped an RBI double to deep right-center.
The Phillies were unable to cash in on Marsh’s leadoff single in the fifth. Kemp lined out to right field with two outs and runners on the corners in the sixth.
Outside of Kepler’s dinger, the Phillies’ top six batters had zero hits in the game.
Kepler rendered those struggles irrelevant with one powerful swing, lacing a Chad Green fastball into the seats.
Phillies’ plans at first
Kemp has played the Phillies’ past three games at first base. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said pregame that he thinks the rookie’s looked “very comfortable” there.
With Bryce Harper sidelined by a right wrist injury, Kyle Schwarber is also in the Phils’ current first-base picture.
“He’s still working out there,” Thomson said. “But now that we have Otto, I’d like to give him some reps. I’d like to get (Edmundo) Sosa back into a game as well at some point. You might see Schwarber in the outfield here a little bit, just to get (Castellanos) off his feet, let him DH for a bit.”
Schwarber’s started four games in left field so far this season. He’s only made nine MLB starts at first, all with the 2021 Red Sox.
Max Kepler blasted the Phillies to a series victory Saturday over the Blue Jays.
Kepler clubbed a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Phils picked up a 3-2 win at Citizens Bank Park.
They sit at 41-29 on the season and will look for a three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon. Zack Wheeler (6-2, 2.85 ERA) is set to face Jose Berrios (2-2, 3.38 ERA).
The Phillies’ pitching was stellar on a day their offense didn’t produce much. Cristopher Sanchez went seven innings and allowed two runs and five hits. He had zero walks, one hit by pitch and five strikeouts. Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm threw scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Sanchez didn’t mind facing Toronto’s lefty-less lineup at all.
“The first thing I did when I got here was laugh a little because I saw the lineup, all righties,” he said. “I like when they challenge me. Even more than that, we have a game plan and we stick to it. Whether it’s a righty hitter or a lefty hitter, we just have a plan and we have to execute it.”
Blue Jays leadoff man Bo Bichette struck out on Sanchez’s ninth pitch of the day, waving at a slider. Sanchez increased his season strikeout total to 88 Saturday over 79 and 2/3 innings. The Phillies have three pitchers in the National League’s top 10 for strikeouts per nine innings with Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo and Sanchez.
The Blue Jays opened the scoring vs. Sanchez in the second inning. Nick Castellanos’ leaping attempt to catch Ernie Clement’s fly ball to the right-field fence was unsuccessful. Myles Straw drove Clement in with a two-out line drive that glanced off the tip of Alec Bohm’s glove on its way to left field.
Despite a couple of long fly balls in the early innings, the Phillies failed to reach base against Toronto starter Bowden Francis until nine-hitter Brandon Marsh knocked an opposite-field single. Francis found a groove, locating well and mixing in his off-speed pitches effectively.
The righty’s command dramatically deserted him in the fourth inning.
The Phillies rallied with two outs through basic patience; Francis walked three batters and hit two. Otto Kemp’s HBP put the Phils up 2-1, Francis exited, and Brendon Little jogged in from the bullpen.
Little threw a 1-2 breaking ball to Marsh in the dirt and J.T. Realmuto made the aggressive decision to sprint home. The gamble didn’t pay off. Jays catcher Tyler Heineman recovered the ball in time to tag Realmuto out at the plate.
Sanchez and the Phillies narrowly missed a shutdown inning. The Phils couldn’t quite turn an inning-ending double play on Bichette — the Blue Jays won their challenge to overturn the initial out call — and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then ripped an RBI double to deep right-center.
The Phillies were unable to cash in on Marsh’s leadoff single in the fifth. Kemp lined out to right field with two outs and runners on the corners in the sixth.
Outside of Kepler’s dinger, the Phillies’ top six batters had zero hits in the game. Kepler rendered those struggles irrelevant with one powerful swing, lacing a Chad Green fastball into the seats.
After starting June 1 for 18, he’s shown some pop lately. Kepler is 4 for 13 with two doubles and two homers over the last four games.
“I think I’m starting to see the ball better,” he said. “Just be patient and continue to believe in my swing. And not worry if it’s going to fool me, make me look way out in front. Just commit to my swing and get it off.”
He acknowledged that’s not always as simple as it sounds.
“Baseball comes with a lot of doubt,” Kepler said. “It’s a mental game. You fail the majority of the time. So if you tend to overthink like me, it can sometimes spiral a little bit and you can find a dark place. But as of right now, I’m leaning on my guys on this team that really uplift me. … I’m just looking forward and believing in my work off the field, and believing in myself.”
Phillies’ plans at first
Kemp has played the Phillies’ past three games at first base. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said pregame that he thinks the rookie’s looked “very comfortable” there.
With Bryce Harper sidelined by a right wrist injury, Kyle Schwarber is also in the Phils’ current first-base picture.
“He’s still working out there,” Thomson said. “But now that we have Otto, I’d like to give him some reps. I’d like to get (Edmundo) Sosa back into a game as well at some point. You might see Schwarber in the outfield here a little bit, just to get (Castellanos) off his feet, let him DH for a bit.”
Schwarber’s started four games in left field so far this season. He’s only made nine MLB starts at first, all with the 2021 Red Sox.
Max Kepler blasted the Phillies to a series victory Saturday over the Blue Jays.
Kepler clubbed a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Phils picked up a 3-2 win at Citizens Bank Park.
They sit at 41-29 on the season and will look for a three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon. Zack Wheeler (6-2, 2.85 ERA) is set to face Jose Berrios (2-2, 3.38 ERA).
The Phillies’ pitching was stellar on a day their offense didn’t produce much. Cristopher Sanchez went seven innings and allowed two runs and five hits. He had zero walks, one hit by pitch and five strikeouts. Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm threw scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Sanchez didn’t mind facing Toronto’s lefty-less lineup at all.
“The first thing I did when I got here was laugh a little because I saw the lineup, all righties,” he said. “I like when they challenge me. Even more than that, we have a game plan and we stick to it. Whether it’s a righty hitter or a lefty hitter, we just have a plan and we have to execute it.”
Blue Jays leadoff man Bo Bichette struck out on Sanchez’s ninth pitch of the day, waving at a slider. Sanchez increased his season strikeout total to 88 Saturday over 79 and 2/3 innings. The Phillies have three pitchers in the National League’s top 10 for strikeouts per nine innings with Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo and Sanchez.
The Blue Jays opened the scoring vs. Sanchez in the second inning. Nick Castellanos’ leaping attempt to catch Ernie Clement’s fly ball to the right-field fence was unsuccessful. Myles Straw drove Clement in with a two-out line drive that glanced off the tip of Alec Bohm’s glove on its way to left field.
Despite a couple of long fly balls in the early innings, the Phillies failed to reach base against Toronto starter Bowden Francis until nine-hitter Brandon Marsh knocked an opposite-field single. Francis found a groove, locating well and mixing in his off-speed pitches effectively.
The righty’s command dramatically deserted him in the fourth inning.
The Phillies rallied with two outs through basic patience; Francis walked three batters and hit two. Otto Kemp’s HBP put the Phils up 2-1, Francis exited, and Brendon Little jogged in from the bullpen.
Little threw a 1-2 breaking ball to Marsh in the dirt and J.T. Realmuto made the aggressive decision to sprint home. The gamble didn’t pay off. Jays catcher Tyler Heineman recovered the ball in time to tag Realmuto out at the plate.
Sanchez and the Phillies narrowly missed a shutdown inning. The Phils couldn’t quite turn an inning-ending double play on Bichette — the Blue Jays won their challenge to overturn the initial out call — and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then ripped an RBI double to deep right-center.
The Phillies were unable to cash in on Marsh’s leadoff single in the fifth. Kemp lined out to right field with two outs and runners on the corners in the sixth.
Outside of Kepler’s dinger, the Phillies’ top six batters had zero hits in the game. Kepler rendered those struggles irrelevant with one powerful swing, lacing a Chad Green fastball into the seats.
After starting June 1 for 18, he’s shown some pop lately. Kepler is 4 for 13 with two doubles and two homers over the last four games.
“I think I’m starting to see the ball better,” he said. “Just be patient and continue to believe in my swing. And not worry if it’s going to fool me, make me look way out in front. Just commit to my swing and get it off.”
He acknowledged that’s not always as simple as it sounds.
“Baseball comes with a lot of doubt,” Kepler said. “It’s a mental game. You fail the majority of the time. So if you tend to overthink like me, it can sometimes spiral a little bit and you can find a dark place. But as of right now, I’m leaning on my guys on this team that really uplift me. … I’m just looking forward and believing in my work off the field, and believing in myself.”
Phillies’ plans at first
Kemp has played the Phillies’ past three games at first base. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said pregame that he thinks the rookie’s looked “very comfortable” there.
With Bryce Harper sidelined by a right wrist injury, Kyle Schwarber is also in the Phils’ current first-base picture.
“He’s still working out there,” Thomson said. “But now that we have Otto, I’d like to give him some reps. I’d like to get (Edmundo) Sosa back into a game as well at some point. You might see Schwarber in the outfield here a little bit, just to get (Castellanos) off his feet, let him DH for a bit.”
Schwarber’s started four games in left field so far this season. He’s only made nine MLB starts at first, all with the 2021 Red Sox.
Vientos has missed 10 straight games after a right hamstring strain he suffered earlier this month, but the slugging infielder is nearing a return and the Mets skipper had a positive update on where he is in the rehab process.
Mendoza said that Vientos will have his first rehab assignment next week. The team isn't sure if it'll be Tuesday or Wednesday. They want Vientos to have two more days of batting practice and baseball activity -- with the poor weather, Vientos will be hitting in the cage below the dugout on Saturday -- before he goes on assignment with Syracuse.
"He ran yesterday up to 90 percent, he's full go as far as hitting, taking ground balls," Mendoza said. "The goal is for him to start playing some games in Triple-A next week."
Vientos has struggled in his first season as an everyday player. When he was injured, he was slashing .230/.298/.438 with an. 735 OPS with six home runs, eight doubles and 21 RBI.
What to look for in Sean Manaea's next rehab start
The Mets southpaw is set to make his third rehab start on Sunday and after two starts, Mendoza was asked what he and the organization are looking to see from Manaea.
"Just to go out there and be himself," Mendoza said. "Where he's at in his rehab process, it's more how he's feeling afterwards... At this point, it's more as he's increasing that pitch count, how is he going to feel the next few days."
Mendoza said Manaea (oblique) is still early in the rehab process, so results are not what they are necessarily looking for -- unlike what's going on with Frankie Montas -- but that doesn't mean the left-hander hasn't done well with the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Manaea's first start saw him give up four runs (three earned) in 1.2 innings, but the second saw progress. He struck out four while allowing one hit, one walk, and one hit-by-pitch across 2.2 scoreless innings (46 pitches, 31 strikes).
Veteran Frankie Montas has yet to pitch in a game for the Mets after suffering a lat injury during his first bullpen session of spring training, but as he gets closer to a return to the majors, the right-hander is looking forward to contributing to the team's early season success.
"I want to help man, I want to help," Montas said. "I think that's the biggest thing for me. That's what's killing me, not being able to help. Obviously the team is pretty good. I'm the type of guy, I like to do my part and I like to feel part of the win for sure."
The 32-year-old signed a two-year deal with New York in the offseason, but didn't play in any spring training games due to the lat injury. He has made five rehab starts in the minors, most recently lasting just 1.2 innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, as his ERA has ballooned to 15.43 over three Triple-A games.
Montas told reporters that he isn't too much concerned about the results of his rehab games and is feeling much stronger throwing the ball.
"I think for me it's how I feel," Montas said. "Like I said, this rehab process was actually pretty good. They did an amazing job on my lat. This is probably, I'll say the strongest my shoulder and arm has felt in a while."
He added: "Definitely would've liked to get more pitches in yesterday, that was the plan. I feel like the plan is just trying to get to the pitch count before coming back to the big leagues."
Manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed Saturday that Montas will have one more rehab outing before making a decision on his future.
"Talking to Hef [Jeremy Hefner], talking to Dickie Scott, obviously we haven't seen the results, but physically he continues to say he's fine," Mendoza said. "I haven't talked to him, I saw him from the distance today so I'll get back with him. But he's going to get one more in Triple-A and then we'll have a decision after that."
As for the role Montas returns to the Mets in following Kodai Senga's injury, either as a starter or a reliever, Mendoza said the team hasn't "made that decision yet." The manager then made it clear there isn't a concern about Montas' results during the minor league rehab games, adding that the goal is for him to reach the 75-80-pitch mark in his next start after throwing just 53 pitches on Friday.
"I wouldn't say concern, because physically he says he's fine," Mendoza said. "If there was something physically wrong, then you would say, 'OK, there's some concern there.' It's more mechanics and things like that. As he continues to get reps, we're hoping that we start seeing better results.
"As far as physically and all that, he's in a good place. We will continue to work with him and get him back on track."
ATLANTA — With Michael Harris II finding his power stroke, Ronald Acuña Jr. hitting .375 after missing almost a full season and Marcel Ozuna fighting his way through a hip issue, the Atlanta Braves are hoping their offensive recovery has not come too late.
Harris has hit homers in back-to-back games for the Braves, who have won three of their last four games at a crucial stretch of the season.
Harris hit a three-run homer to tie the game and Ozuna added another three-run shot to give the Braves the lead in their 12-4 win over Colorado on Friday night. It was Ozuna’s 11th homer, despite the sore hip.
The Braves trailed 4-1 before recovering to beat the lowly Rockies after winning two of three games at Milwaukee — their first series win since May 16-18.
The Braves (30-38) still have much ground to make up in the NL East. Scoring six or more runs in each of their most recent three wins has given manager Brian Snitker renewed reason for optimism.
The Braves, who won the 2021 World Series, need a dramatic recovery to extend their streak of seven consecutive postseason appearances.
“These are big games, all of them,” Snitker said after Friday night’s win before acknowledging it won’t be easy to save the season after falling 10 games below .500, most recently at 28-38. The Braves are 14 games behind the first-place New York Mets and tied for third in the East with Washington.
“As we know, we’ve done it before (but) not this far back,” Snitker said.
Acuña doubled on the first pitch from Germán Márquez. He added singles in the third and fifth innings for his third consecutive three-hit game.
When asked what Acuña brings to the lineup, Harris said “Energy. He’s an MVP. You know the talent is there. He brings a lot of energy at the (leadoff) spot.”
Acuña stole second base in the fifth on his first attempt since returning on May 23 after missing almost a full season following surgery on his left knee.
“I was wondering if he was on a restriction,” said Harris of Acuña’s wait for his first steal. “Obviously, the speed is still there.”
It was Acuña’s first stolen base since May 25, 2024 at Pittsburgh, a span of 385 days. It was an encouraging sign of confidence in the surgically repaired knee for Acuña, who was NL MVP in 2023 when he hit 41 homers and had 73 steals.
“He’s hit the ground running since he’s been back, that’s for sure,” Snitker said. “His at-bats have been not like he missed the significant amount of time he missed.”
Harris, hitting only .238, has driven in 41 runs. He has hit three of his six homers in the last six games.
“Obviously, I want my average to be up a good amount, but I feel I’ve been able to get some key RBIs through the season,” Harris said.
The Braves have been below .500 most of the season and their recent stretch of six straight series losses led to speculation they might be sellers instead of buyers at the trade deadline.
“I don’t think we really think about that much,” Harris said. “... It’s just worrying about who’s here now.”
The Mets continue a three-game series against the Rays at Citi Field on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY.
Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...
Mets Notes
Despite Friday's loss, the Mets' 27-8 (.771) record at home is their best in franchise history through the first 35 home games of a season
Pete Alonso extended his season-high 21-game on-base streak with a double on Friday -- it was his 22nd double of the season, tied with Lawrence Butler and Bobby Witt Jr. for the most in the majors
Juan Soto owns a 1.219 OPS over his last 15 games, hitting .346 with five home runs, 11 RBI, and 16 walks
Tylor Megill let up two runs on three hits over 5.0 IP last time out on June 8 against the Rockies, lowering his ERA to 3.76 on the season after a shaky May
RAYS
METS
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Francisco Lindor, SS
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Brandon Nimmo, LF
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Juan Soto, RF
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Pete Alonso, 1B
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Jeff McNeil, CF
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Starling Marte, DH
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Brett Baty, 2B
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Luis Torrens, C
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Ronny Mauricio, 3B
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BOSTON — The Red Sox have had a chance in games whenever Garrett Crochet has been on the mound this season.
And with the exception of one pitch in Friday’s 2-1, extra-inning win over the Yankees, he again proved to be the antidote to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
Crochet held New York scoreless over a career-high 8 1/3 innings, striking out the Yankees slugger three times while holding the rest of New York’s lineup to four hits with seven total Ks.
But with Boston clinging to a 1-0 lead and Crochet back on the hill to try to finish the game in the ninth, his fourth time facing Judge proved costly. Crochet took him to a full count, but let his 99 mph fastball dip down in the strike zone — Judge’s sweet spot. He jumped on it, blasting it 443 feet over the Green Monster and out of Fenway Park to tie the game.
“I’m going to live and die with my best pitch,” Crochet said afterward. “Whether it be pitch selection or execution, tough way to end it. But overall, I felt really good tonight.”
It helped that Crochet’s partner throughout the night — catcher and former Yankee Carlos Narváez — helped put a happy face on the night, when he ended the game with a walk-off single in the 10th. Crochet didn’t get the victory, but Narváez said it didn’t diminish his masterful night on the mound.
For the season, Judge is just 1 for 7 with six strikeouts against Crochet.
“Crochet was awesome,” Narváez said. “He made a mistake a little bit. But that was a 100 mph fastball. That was impressive. ... Probably the best pitcher now against the best hitter in baseball.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he has no regrets leaving Crochet in the game.
“That wasn’t fun. But our guy was throwing great,” Cora said. “He was efficient toward the end. We gave him a shot. It didn’t work out. That’s why (Judge) is who he is. One of the best in world, and he got one pitch down and he hit it out of the ballpark. You tip your hat.”
Though he acknowledged he’d probably lose sleep over Judge’s last at-bat, Crochet was proud of his overall outing.
“It was a special feeling jogging back out there. Standing (ovation). I could tell the fans wanted me out there,” Crochet said. “I already wanted to be out there pretty bad. But it made it mean a little bit more. It made me grab a little bit more in that inning. I wish I could have finished it out. ... If my night had to end there from a home run I’m at least glad that it was on a fastball.”
Dodgers fans celebrate after Kiké Hernández hit a home run during Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
As part of their Pride Night celebration, a Dodgers official received a commemorative scroll from Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath before the team opened its three-game series against the San Francisco Giants.
“It is truly my pleasure to be celebrating Pride with the Dodgers,” Horvath said. “Especially a time like this to have the Dodgers look at our community and see all of us, and celebrate everyone, especially our LGBTQ community, it is just so incredibly special.”
In almost any other time, Horvath’s presentation would have inspired, well, pride — specifically, pride in how the Dodgers started celebrating Pride Nights when they weren’t commonplace in sports.
On Friday night, however, with many parts of Los Angeles terrorized by large-scale immigration sweeps, the county supervisor’s words evoked an entirely different range of emotions.
Demonstrations against the federal raids have been staged in downtown for more than a week, but the Dodgers have remained silent. Angel City FC and LAFC released statements sympathizing with the residents experiencing “fear and uncertainty,” but the Dodgers have remained silent.
If the Dodgers really see everyone, as Horvath suggested, they’re ignoring what’s happening right in front of them.
Literally.
The Dodgers boast that more than 40% of their fan base is Latino, but they can’t even be bothered to offer the shaken community any words of comfort.
A protestor wearing a Dodgers cap is detained and carried by law enforcement after helping close the 101 Freeway on June. 8. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
How ungrateful. How disrespectful. How cowardly.
Don’t expect this to change.
“We’re not going to comment,” Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen said.
“We’re not going to comment on anything,” Rosen said.
When the Dodgers announced they accepted Trump’s White House invitation, team president Stan Kasten claimed the decision had “nothing to do with politics.” Kasten sounded as if he was counting on the fans to give the team a pass for visiting an aspiring tyrant, either because their love of the Dodgers overwhelmed their disgust for Trump or because they lacked the intellectual faculties to connect Trump’s racist rhetoric to real-life consequences.
But what were once abstract concepts proposed by Trump and other right-wing extremists are now realities, and these realities have struck Los Angeles particularly hard.
The detention of working immigrants outside of Home Depots. The breaking up of families. The racial profiling that has resulted in law enforcement harassing American citizens. The propaganda campaign to portray the largely-peaceful demonstrations as an insurrection. The invasion of federal troops. The general feeling of unease that has swept over the city.
The team had said nothing about any of this. Manager Dave Roberts, the franchise’s designated public-relations meat shield, was the only person to acknowledge the situation.
“I just hope that we can be a positive distraction for what people are going through in Los Angeles right now,” Roberts said on Monday in San Diego.
The Dodgers are once again asking a significant portion of their fans to look the other way, but how can they look the other way when these developments affect many of them directly?
Dodgers fans honor Fernando Valenzuela at a memorial outside Dodger Stadium on Oct. 24, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
All because the Dodgers are afraid of offending the 32% of Los Angeles County voters who cast their ballots for Trump in the most recent presidential election, many of whom don’t expect ICE agents to ever show up at their workplace.
The Dodgers have abdicated their social responsibilities, and in doing so, they have once again let down many of their most loyal fans — the fans who made the Dodgers a part of their family because of Fernando Valenzuela, the fans who passed down the love of the team to their children and grandchildren, the fans who wear their merchandise around town.
That won’t stop the likes of Kasten and Rosen from reaching into their pockets, of course. A couple of hours before their team’s 6-2 loss to the Giants on Friday night, a commercial featuring an upcoming promotion was shown on the Dodger Stadium video scoreboard.
Baseball is a game of inches, and in the Giants’ 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night, it was centimeters at times.
Aces Logan Webb and Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched around a tight strike zone all game with umpire Adam Beck behind home plate at Dodger Stadium — particularly Yamamoto, who walked the bases loaded in the third inning before Casey Schmitt’s go-ahead grand slam.
Beck called 92 percent of Friday’s pitches accurately with 13 missed calls, per Umpire Scorecards, resulting in a plus-1.36 run favor for the Giants. Nine balls called by Beck were true strikes, with the most impactful coming during a full count to Mike Yastrzemski in the second inning.
Yamamoto walked five batters on the night and struck out four across 4 2/3 innings pitched, while Webb walked three and punched out four as he kept Los Angeles’ star-studded lineup off balance over seven innings with a mix of pitches — including a cutter he worked on all spring.
Changes to how balls and strikes are called could be coming to MLB soon, however, as commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters last week he plans to introduce a proposal the league’s competition committee that would implement the automated ball-strike system in 2026.
LOS ANGELES — A year ago, with Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy on the other side one night, Logan Webb mixed it up. The Giants ace started throwing a cutter in a start at Oracle Park, and he got more and more comfortable with it as the season went on.
Webb kept working on the pitch this spring, hoping to provide a different look for the game’s best left-handed hitters, who had started to dive out over the plate and hunt his sinker and changeup. He threw 13 of them at the Cincinnati Reds on Opening Day and 14 a few weeks later at Yankee Stadium.
“They’ve got some guys with 30 and 40 at-bats against him,” manager Bob Melvin said of Webb and the Los Angeles Dodgers. “Guys that know him really well, know how they want to attack him, have had some success off of him. And now all of a sudden, you’re seeing two completely different pitches and the ability to pitch inside more. There were different swings from them today, and that’s just how you get better as you go along — you come up with some new wrinkles.
“Within the division, we have so many guys, including Webby and Tyler [Rogers], that have faced these guys a lot, and teams know how to game plan. To be able to do things differently like that is a credit to a guy trying to get better.”
Webb did the same thing earlier this month against the San Diego Padres, throwing 41 sliders, his most since 2022, to give them a different look. In the two games against division rivals this month, he has allowed just eight hits and two runs over 14 innings.
“I wish I could just throw four-seamers and get it by guys, but I can’t do that,” Webb said. “I’m just trying to find new ways to get very good hitters out. That was kind of the game plan today.”
Webb got 22 strikes with the 29 cutters. He threw all five of his pitches at least 10 percent of the time, including the four-seamer that he adores. That pitch hit 95 mph, as did his sinker, which has become a theme this month. Webb had one pitch at 95-plus going into June but has thrown six against the Atlanta Braves and Dodgers in his past two starts.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “I feel like the mechanics are good right now. I’m not really going out there and trying to do too much. Weirdly, I feel like every season I feel like I start to throw a little harder as the season goes on.”
Webb said he has a competition going with some other Giants pitchers about who can throw the hardest pitch. Of course, Hayden Birdsong and Justin Verlander aren’t allowed in it.
“I am in the lead with these certain guys,” he said, smiling.
On The Board
Webb credited catcher Andrew Knizner with helping to formulate the game plan and get through the lineup three times. They had never worked together before — not even in a bullpen session — but it looked natural.
Knizner also picked up his first Giants hit and homer on the same odd play. He homered to center in the eighth, but initially there was confusion about whether the ball had gone out or hit the top of the center field wall. It was Knizner’s first hit in 15 at-bats in orange and black, and it came an inning after Webb got tagged by Teoscar Hernandez.
“I told him he waited too long and he said that because I gave up the homer, he had to get the run back,” Webb said.
The Real Willy?
Willy Adames hit two homers at Coors Field, including his longest blast since 2019. Before Friday’s game, Melvin insisted it wasn’t just a thin-air thing. Adames then went out and hit a solo shot in the top of the first.
Adames has five hits, six runs and six RBI in four games since Matt Chapman went on the IL. Obviously, it would have been ideal for the two to form a one-two punch. But right now, the offensive jolt is desperately needed, and the Giants will need him to keep it going since Chapman might not return until the middle of July.
“The swing looks a lot smoother,” Melvin said. “He’s not trying to force anything. He hit the ball the other way out of the ballpark here at night; we saw him go to center field a couple of times in Colorado. It just looks like there’s way less tension in his swing and we’re seeing the results.”
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto reacts after giving up a grand slam to San Francisco's Casey Schmitt in the third inning of the Dodgers' 6-2 loss Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The billing couldn’t have been bigger. Dodgers vs. Giants. Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Logan Webb. One of the game’s oldest rivalries, pitting what were supposed to be two of the game’s top pitchers.
On Friday night at Dodger Stadium, however, only one right-handed ace showed up.
In the first meeting of the season between the Dodgers and Giants, Webb did his thing, giving up just two runs on two hits over seven spectacular innings.
Opposite him, Yamamoto was no match, floundering in a five-run, 4 ⅔-inning start that sent the Dodgers to a 6-2 defeat — leaving the teams tied atop the National League West with identical 41-29 records at the 70-game mark.
The evening was a study in pitching excellence (or, in Yamamoto’s case, a lack thereof); serving as a reminder that, for as good as Yamamoto has become in his second major league season, there are tiers to his talent he has still yet to reach.
Where Webb got soft contact and quick outs, needing just 98 pitches to complete his seventh seven-inning outing of the season, Yamamoto labored through hitters’ counts and long at-bats, issuing a career-high five walks while finding the strike zone on just 56 of his 102 pitches.
San Francisco's Casey Schmitt, right, celebrates with Wilmer Flores, center, and Mike Yastrzemski after hitting a grand slam in the third inning Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Where Webb limited traffic and escaped rare damage, giving up just two hits while walking only three batters, Yamamoto toiled through self-inflicted trouble; none worse than when he walked the bases loaded in the third, before giving up a tie-breaking grand slam to Casey Schmitt.
Most of all, where Webb played the part of a contending team’s staff ace, lowering his earned-run average to 2.58 (fifth-best in the National League), Yamamoto faltered in a way that’s become uncomfortably familiar of late, his ERA rising to 2.64 despite an almost flawless opening month.
In his first seven starts, Yamamoto was 4-2 with a 0.90 ERA, a 0.925 WHIP and only one game in which he gave up even two earned runs.
“Right now, he’s pitching like the best pitcher in the world,” catcher Will Smith said on May 2, after Yamamoto pitched six shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves.
Since then, Yamamoto has been on a different planet — and not a good one.
Over his last seven outings, the 26-year-old Japanese star is 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA. In that span, he has more starts of less than five innings (two) than of seven full innings (one). He has given up three or more runs four times. And Friday was the second in which he was scored on five times, tying his MLB career-high.
The most consistent problem during that slump: Poor command.
Yamamoto has walked 17 batters in his last 38 ⅓ innings. And when he isn’t issuing free passes, he is putting himself in bad counts, like when Willy Adames opened the scoring Friday by getting ahead 2-and-0 and hitting a down-the-middle fastball to right for a solo home run.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith scores past Giants catcher Andrew Knizner during the second inning Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Another potential factor in Yamamoto’s recent struggles: He has been forced to pitch on less rest between starts.
Over his first seven starts, Yamamoto pitched on at least six days of rest — mirroring the once-per-week schedule he had in Japan.
Since then, however, each of his outings have come on only five days’ rest.
Yamamoto has downplayed that factor in the past. And last year, he actually had slightly better numbers on five days of rest (2.97 ERA in 11 starts) than six (3.07 ERA in starts).
Still, for a Dodgers staff that has been shorthanded — leaving the club without the luxury of starting Yamamoto only once a week — it has been a marked drop-off, coming at a time when their once three-game lead in a competitive NL West has quickly evaporated amid a grueling stretch of the schedule.
The Dodgers’ lineup, of course, didn’t help Yamamoto much, either.
After scoring on an Andy Pages sacrifice fly in the second, when a throw home beat Smith but was dropped by Giants catcher Andrew Knizner while trying to apply a tag, the team’s only other production against Webb came via Teoscar Hernández, who lined the Dodgers’ first hit to right in the fourth before homering for a second-straight game on a solo blast in the seventh.
By then, however, Webb had already put the game on ice, becoming the latest starting pitcher this month to handle the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup (opposing starters have a 2.43 ERA against the Dodgers in June, and are averaging almost six innings per start).
It made Yamamoto’s clunker all the more costly, highlighting an extended slide in production that continues to plague the team’s only healthy ace.
Friday's series opener between the Yankees and the Red Sox was a heated one -- and not just because of the action on the field.
After Aaron Judge tied the game at 1-1 with his solo shot off of Garrett Crochet in the ninth, the Red Sox would pull out the victory in the 10th inning, thanks in part to some questionable umpire calls in the Yankees' half of the inning.
With Anthony Volpe on second as the ghost runner, the shortstop took off for third but was initially called safe. Boston challenged and it was overturned, eliminating the potential threat.
With two outs, DJ LeMahieu lined the ball over the first baseman's head that looked to clip the first base foul line -- first base umpire Jeremie Rehak called it foul, which LeMahieu could not believe.
Yankees skipper Aaron Boone challenged, and after a lengthy wait the call on the field stood.
That drew Boone's ire as he was ejected for arguing.
“It looked like Anthony on the slide, the ground caught his arm, so he couldn’t extend like he normally would’ve otherwise, he’s safe easily," Boone said of the 10th inning after the game. "And then fair ball down the line, and [they] don’t have the courage to overturn. That’s it."
"It looked to me the ball didn’t go foul until after it bounced," LeMahieu said. "They reviewed it, but obviously frustrating. We’re fighting for baserunners right there."
LeMahieu would ground out and make a comment to Rehak as he got to first base. Rehak would eject LeMahieu, the first time the veteran infielder has been ejected in his career.
When asked what he told Rehak to get him ejected, LeMahieu said he didn't curse or anything, and that he's definitely said worse things to umpires in the past without being ejected.
"I just said that was a brutal call. He was like, ‘What did you say?’ I said that was brutal. And that was it," he said.
"I want the courage to overturn the call," Boone later added. "A quarter of the ball is on the line. It takes a lot of something…a lot of imagination to say that’s fair. Whatever, it’s over with. Not saying we score there. In the end, they outlasted us tonight."
Boone said he already spoke to Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president of on-field operations, before the media arrived at his office in the visitors' clubhouse about the 10th inning, but kept the contents of the conversation to himself.
He also walked back his "courage" comment, saying he's still heated, but Boone is right, though. While the calls in the 10th did not go the Yankees' way, the Red Sox simply outlasted them, and it started with their ace.
Crochet shut down the Yankees for 8.1 innings before Judge's home run gave New York life, but in the end it wasn't enough as the Yankees dropped their record in extra innings to 1-4 (0-4 on the road). In those four road extra-inning games, the Yankees have played six innings in extras this season and have yet to score with the automatic runner.
The Volpe caught stealing eliminated that chance on Friday and Boone defends the decision, citing, again, how the ground did not allow his shortstop to extend further than usual. But the longtime Yankees skipper complimented his players for fighting back on a day where they weren't at their best.
"On a night we get in at four in the morning, they’re coming off an off day. We’re short down there. The compete from our guys tonight I thought was awesome," Boone said. "It was an awesome game to be in. The Red Sox played well. Obviously, Crochet was great. We did enough to hang around and almost pulled it off. Really loved the way the guys competed on a tough day."
The Yankees are now 1-3 against the Red Sox this season, but look to get back in the win column on Saturday at Fenway Park.
