Category: Baseball

Celtic and Rangers' paths to the Champions League league phase have been determined at a draw in in Nyon on Monday.

As reigning league winners, Celtic were placed in the champions path of the draw and will face just one play-off round.

There, they will face either Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan or Slovan Bratislava, who they defeated 5-1 in the league phase last season.

Should Rangers overcome Viktoria Plzen, they will take on either Salzburg or Club Brugge in the league path for a place in the revamped competition.

Both teams are set to play the first legs at home.

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📸 FABRICE COFFRINI

Where Giants stand on surging prospect Bryce Eldridge after trade deadline sale originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants traded three of their five longest-tenured players at last week’s deadline, but they didn’t necessarily view it as fully raising the white flag. 

They remain on the fringes of the playoff race — FanGraphs gives them about an eight percent chance of making it — and they have two series left against a San Diego Padres team they’re trying to chase down. If they can keep playing the way they did over the weekend in New York, they can certainly remain in the mix. 

Another brief slip, though, would make the climb too steep and lead to real conversations about how best to handle September. And even if the Giants stay within range of the final Wild Card spot, at some point, they’ll have to take a different approach. 

“We’ll probably get some different looks at some different players over the next couple of months,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said after dealing away Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval and Mike Yastrzemski last week.

There’s one name at the top of that list, and Posey knows he’ll be asked about Bryce Eldridge every time he speaks publicly until the end of the season. Eldridge, the organization’s top prospect, certainly is doing his part to force the issue. 

The 20-year-old homered twice on Saturday and again on Sunday, giving him seven in just 56 at-bats since returning from the IL. Overall, Eldridge is hitting .237 with a .802 OPS and nine homers in Triple-A, but he has a .999 OPS over his last 15 games. Since returning from a hamstring strain, he has a .338 on-base percentage and has raised his average to .268.

Asked about Eldridge and other young players right after the deadline, Posey said he would “probably downplay the Eldridge piece a little bit” because he missed time with injury. On Thursday’s “Giants Talk” podcast, he explained why the Giants will continue to be cautious. 

“I think he’s making progress,” Posey said. “Bryce, I think what’s exciting about him is he wants to not only be a great hitter — he wants to be a great defender, as well. He knows there’s work to do and he was hurt a little bit this year with the hamstring and missed some time. For him, it’s repetition, getting the reps, being in situations in games that can only be provided by being in that game.

“You can do as much as you want in your pregame work, which he is doing that. We’re in a good spot, I feel like with him. We’re really happy with the way he’s progressing, but we want him to keep getting reps.”

Giants officials who have been to Sacramento recently say Eldridge continues to make strides at first base. He remains susceptible down in the strike zone — he has a 30 percent strikeout rate — but is absolutely punishing mistakes, showing the kind of raw power that should be on display at Oracle Park for years to come. 

It has not been hard for the front office to preach patience, though, in part because there’s no great need at the big league level at the moment. Rafael Devers also is learning first base and Dominic Smith continues to contribute when he gets opportunities. 

Wilmer Flores had a rough July, but he is as respected as anyone in the clubhouse, and Posey held him at the deadline despite the fact that he’s coming up on free agency. The Giants will continue to get him opportunities while they view themselves as being in the race. 

If that changes in a few weeks, Eldridge will be a short drive away, and his promotion certainly would bring a jolt to a fan base that has packed Oracle Park this summer. Posey once was in that situation himself, although his initial cup of coffee wasn’t notable. 

The Giants called Posey up for the first time in September 2009, but he got just 17 at-bats, picking up a pair of singles. He doesn’t anticipate calling up Eldridge and adding him to the 40-man roster later this year if the playing time isn’t there. 

“I think if it’s a guy you see as part of the future, you want them to be able to play, too, and you want to feel good about (the fact that) they’re going to get some steady playing time,” Posey said on Giants Talk. “We’ll have these discussions, but again, I think it’s important for Bryce to keep growing, keep getting the reps. He’s still just 20 years old, so we’ve got time.”

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Mets prospect Carson Benge continued his hot stretch for Double-A Binghamton on Sunday, showing off his power swing.

The left fielder blasted a go-ahead, two run home run in the sixth inning off of Harrisburg's Hyun-il Choi to put the Rumble Ponies up 2-0. 

He finished the game 1-for-4 as Binghamton would hold on for the win despite getting outhit, 8-4. Right-hander Jack Wenninger tossed tossed six scoreless innings to earn his ninth victory of the year.

Benge has now hit five home runs in his last six games and is already up to eight homers at the Double-A level after getting promoted at the end of June. 

Over 26 games with Binghamton, Benge is slashing .370/.462/.670 with an impressive 1.132 OPS. The 22-year-old also has four doubles, a triple, and 20 RBI. He hit .302 with 37 RBI over 60 games in High-A and had only four homers, but that was likely due to Brooklyn's tough hitting stadium.

Across 86 games combined at both levels, Benge is hitting .323 with a .968 OPS, 12 home runs, 57 RBI, and 19 stolen bases this season.

While Benge was the only player to drive in runs on Sunday, fellow top prospect Jett Williams went 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored in the win. He's hitting .278 over 91 games in Double-A with 10 home runs, 28 doubles, five triples, and 36 RBI. He's also got 58 walks and 29 stolen bases on the season.

Carson Benge DEMOLISHES another home run for Double-A Binghamton!

He's hit five home runs in his last six games 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ty3KvXJMJA

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 3, 2025

The Yankees lost again Sunday as they were swept by the Miami Marlins for the first time in franchise history and now find themselves in third place in the AL East standings with a 60-52 record.

New York has gone 4-6 over their last 10 games and 25-32 since May 29. They're currently 1.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox for second place in the division and 4.5 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for first place. With Aaron Judge's return from the IL expected to happen this week, it's time for the Yanks to snap out of their funk, and manager Aaron Boone knows it.

"Yeah I mean we're going into another tough opponent that's playing well. We got to do it, we got to find a way," Boone told YES Network's Meredith Marakovits after the loss. "Again, we swing the bats really, really good. Obviously the first night. Again, I thought today was better in the at-bat quality, getting shut down by a good pitcher. But we got to put it together more than anything.

"It's getting to be real gut-check time. It's getting late. It's certainly not too late for us. And I am confident that we're going to get it together. But that's all it is right now, it's empty until we start doing it."

Boone still believes this Yankees team can turn things around, but they have to find some consistency. 

"I think we got a really good team out there and that gives me confidence," Boone said. "But it's on me, it's on us, it's on all of us to pull it out and pull it out together. I think we have the makings of a very good club, but obviously we haven't shown it consistently enough."

After Saturday's 2-0 loss, Jazz Chisholm Jr.discussed his baserunning mistake and mentioned he felt the team has been "pressing a little bit." Boone said Sunday he agrees they've been pressing at times and that it needs to end if they are going to get hot.

"Maybe at times, different stretches in here," Boone said. "I thought we went through a week defensively where we were pressing a little bit. The thing I'm still excited about, even though this weekend is, we've sured up the area in the pen that was a struggle there for a while. And I feel like that's going to reveal itself here. 

"So yeah, when you have a lot of expectations and you feel like you're a good club and you're capable of doing a lot of things, that comes into play sometimes a little bit. But you go to get over that. That's part of being a good team, that's part of being a big leaguer is you got to deal with those kind of things. We have at times I feel like, but we got to go."

The manager said the mood in the locker room post-sweep was as you'd imagine, but they have to "dig out of it" and start finding ways to string wins together. Although, New York's schedule won't get easier as they start a three-game series on the road against the Texas Rangers on Monday before returning home to face the Houston Astros over the weekend.

"Definitely that's not a good feeling," Boone said. "You get beat up, you're coming out to try and salvage and you're behind the eight ball pretty quick. That's part of it. You got to pick yourself up, you got to dig out of it and be able to handle it. It's getting time where we need to start doing it and doing it in a consistent manner. Hopefully we start that tomorrow."

Sanchez and defense shine as Phillies take series from Tigers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Turns out the pitching dual that was supposed to take place on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park was pushed back to Sunday.

While Phillies’ Zack Wheeler and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal combined for 13 innings, no walks and split 20 strikeouts, there were the six earned runs.

Instead, the real mound battle took place Sunday, and Cristopher Sanchez stole the show. A weekend that had a playoff feel in the three games against a Tigers team that is tied for the most wins in the American League, tilted the Phillies way as they took the tiebreaking third game with a 2-0 win.

This type of game was a baseball purists dream with outstanding pitching, phenomenal defense by both teams and timely hitting. All of those factors leaned a little more towards the Phillies as they improved to 63-48 on the year and now own a half-game lead on the Mets for first place in the National League East.

Sanchez rarely found himself in trouble during his eight innings of only 84 pitches. And the rare time that he did, his defense was there to erase it. It was the 10th shoutout win on the season for the Phillies and Sanchez improved to 10-3 while lowering his ERA to 2.40.

“It felt great,” Sanchez said. “I’m coming off a four earned start (at Chicago White Sox). I had months without that happening to me so I needed to change that and did it.”

He did it emphatically. It was obvious very early that Sanchez had his stuff as he threw just 10 pitches in the first inning, nine for strikes and struck out two. In the fourth, after giving up consecutive singles to start the inning, Sanchez struck out Spencer Torkelson before fielding a double play ball.

“It’s just control,” said Rob Thomson of Sanchez’ night.  “Command of his fastball, changeup is just a swing and miss pitch. He can throw it at anytime and he throws it for strikes. Because of the velocity people have to gear up for that then all of the sudden this changeup with great arm action and a lot of depth gets him out front and they swing and miss. He’s really come on.

“I’m awfully proud of the work he’s done. He made a couple of really nice defensive plays, too. A couple of years ago that 1-6 throw that he made, might not be accurate. He’s worked on it. He’s the full package now.”

The game was really a full package game for the entire team. They got a run in the second on a Nick Castellanos single, a double by Brandon Marsh then a ground out RBI by Max Kepler. When things got a little dicey in the seventh with a pair of singles to open the seventh, Sanchez coaxed a ground out then was helped by the play of the night from Edmundo Sosa, who fielded a grounder and threw a strike to home to cut down Jahmai Jones for the second out. After a walk loaded the bases, Sanchez forced another groundout to end the inning.

“It was tough because the runner did a really good job getting up the line and blocking my view,” said catcher J.T. Realmuto. “Sosa made a great throw because usually he would want to throw that on the inside, but with where the runner was so far that he couldn’t make a throw inside the line so he threw it on the other side, which briefly I got blocked out of the ball but he put it in the perfect spot. It’s just instinctual on his part because it happened so fast. His instincts were really good on that play.”

Holding that 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, all thoughts were on an insurance run and Kyle Schwarber provided it by hitting a bomb into Ashburn Ally for his 38th of the season and the final margin of victory.

“Coming in there, going against (Tyler) Holton, a good left handed pitcher,” Schwarber said. “I took the first pitch as a strike, swing and miss at the second one and it’s just trying to put the ball in play, really. Trying to extend it to get to (Bryce Harper). Harp’s been swinging it great and I was just able to stick it out there and got enough of it and it went out. Obviously, insurance is great when you can add any sort of runs there, especially in a close game and you can kind of pad it.”

It’s more than great when you now have the luxury of getting to Jhoan Duran to close things out. He did just that, but not without a terrific play from Harper who leaped to get a high throw from Sosa and got down on the bag for the second out of the inning. Duran closed it out with a 103 MPH fastball on Riley Greene.

“Pretty good,” said Thomson of his closer’s outing. “Not sure I’ve witnessed 103. He was really strong tonight.”

The whole team was. In all areas.

Mets starting pitcher Frankie Montas struggled for the second straight outing on Sunday, allowing seven runs over four-plus innings to the San Francisco Giants in what became a 12-4 loss.

The veteran right-hander gave up four runs in the third inning, three coming on a HR from Rafael Devers, and then let up another three runs in the fourth inning. Carlos Mendoza kept Montas in to pitch the fifth, but he walked the leadoff man and that would end his day. Montas has now allowed 12 runs over his last two starts (8.1 IP combined) and his spot in the rotation moving forward is a bit up in the air.

"I mean we just got done with the game here. He's got to be better and he knows that," Mendoza told reporters when asked if Montas' role is up for discussion.

The manager's response doesn't indicate a change is coming immediately, but it's possible the Mets could mix up the rotation if Montas' poor performance continues. 

Montas threw 92 pitches over the four-plus innings Sunday, as he was already at 60 pitches through the third inning. He only walked two Giants, but continued to leave balls over the plate and struggled to get anything by them. His ERA is now up to 6.68 on the season and he's allowed four earned runs or more in four of his seven starts.

"He just couldn't get swing-and-misses," Mendoza said. "Pitch selection, location. I mean that pitch to Devers was right down the middle... When you do that to good hitters, they're going to make you pay... Overall, just not getting swing-and-misses, location, and he got hit."

Mendoza added: "Comes down to execution, pitch selection, using his pitches effectively. Whether it's the cutter up and in vs. lefties, the slider, the sinker against righties. The sequencing is got to be better. He's got to be able to execute and he's not doing that right now."

Montas acknowledged it was "a tough day" for him on the mound, but showed confidence in his ability and desire to turn it around.

"Just keep on working to be honest with you," Montas said. "Season's not over. There's a lot of room to improve, definitely working to get better. Something that I was going to say is, they're going to have to kill me out there. I'm a kid trying, I'm a kid trying to make pitches. Just try to keep making people out."

Mendoza went on to say the Mets will "continue to help him with his pitching ability and being able to get through a lineup a few times." Although, it's not clear how much longer the leash will be for Montas, especially after the team opted to improve the bullpen at the trade deadline instead of acquiring a new starting pitcher. If they do decide to move on from Montas, New York could call up top prospects Brandon Sproat or Nolan McLean to take his spot, as both have been having strong seasons in Triple-A.

Frankie Montas allowed seven runs over four-plus innings and the Mets dropped the rubber match to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, 12-4.

It's the most runs New York has allowed in a game this season.

Here are some takeaways...

-- Staying hot after his four-RBI Saturday, Francisco Lindor hit a solo home run off LHP Carson Whisenhunt with one out in the bottom of the first inning to put the Mets up 1-0. But then the offense went ice cold.

-- Montas retired the first six Giants he faced, but things fell apart in the third inning. He gave up a leadoff single to Jung Hoo Lee, who stole second and advanced to third on an error (later switched from Francisco Alvarez toLindor). Montas then let up an RBI single to Patrick Bailey, and after a strikeout and walk, allowed a three-run homer to Rafael Devers as the Giants took a 4-1 lead. The right-hander got the next two outs to escape the frame, but was already at 60 pitches through three innings.

He's allowed four earned runs or more in four of his seven starts this season.

-- Montas' struggles continued in the fourth, finding himself with runners on the corners and one out. Bailey reached first on a fielder's choice as Pete Alonso's throw home wasn't in time, allowing the run to score. A sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third, and then Heliot Ramos drove in another run on an infield single to make it 6-1. Montas was unable to stop the bleeding as Devers' single to right field put San Fran up 7-1.

The right-hander walked the leadoff man in the fifth inning and was then pulled from the game. Overall, Montas threw 92 pitches over four-plus innings, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. His season ERA is up to 6.68.

-- New York didn't get their second hit until Jeff McNeil smacked a leadoff single in the fifth inning. It looked like he'd be stranded, but Alvarez came through with a double to the wall in right field and Grant McCay's throw was misplayed by the infielders, allowing McNeil to keep running home and score. Brandon Nimmo grounded out to second as the Mets trailed, 7-2.

Lindor walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning, but former Met and new Giant José Buttó came in with one out and got Alonso to ground into the inning-ending double play on his first pitch. Buttó recorded three strikeouts in the seventh inning, allowing just a single to McNeil.

-- In the top of the seventh, Nimmo made a great throw off the wall in left field to get Devers out at second trying for a double. It's his fourth outfield assist of the year.

-- Austin Warren stepped up and tossed four scoreless innings of relief through the eighth inning, allowing just two hits with five strikeouts. Ryne Stanek allowed a two-run single to Dom Smith and a three-run homer to Casey Schmitt, making it a 12-2 game. Luis Torrens came in to pitch and got the third out of the inning after allowing a double to Lee.

-- Mark Vientos extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games with a double in the bottom of the ninth inning. Alvarez drove in two more runs with a single, making it a 12-4 game.

Game MVP: Jung Hoo Lee

The center fielder went 4-for-4 with a double and a walk in the win. It's his second three-hit game against the Mets this season (July 26) as he has a total of 12 hits against the club (12-for-23) on the year.

Highlights

Juan Soto runs in to make the basket catch! pic.twitter.com/snlTuK0GYE

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 3, 2025

Francisco Lindor's 21st home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/va7xh0OnsZ

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 3, 2025

Francisco Alvarez hits a double in the gap and Jeff McNeil comes home after the ball gets loose on the infield pic.twitter.com/4yR0Doa4RG

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 3, 2025

What's next

The Mets stay home and will begin a three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians on Monday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

Sean Manaea (1-1, 2.08 ERA) will take the mound, opposed by right-hander Slade Cecconi (5-4, 3.77 ERA).

Brandon Nimmo throws out Rafael Devers at second base pic.twitter.com/FQaw17ci7f

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 3, 2025

The Yankees fell to the Miami Marlins by a score of 7-3 on Sunday afternoon, with Miami sweeping the three-game series.

Here are the key takeaways...

-- Luis Gil, the 2024 AL Rookie the Year winner, made his long-awaited season debut, but it did not go to plan. Gil looked rusty from the jump, constantly falling behind hitters and working with traffic on the bases. He allowed three runs in the second, thanks in part to a pair of walks, and then left the game in the fourth with a couple of runners on, both of whom would come around to score on a Kyle Stowers three-run homer off Brent Headrick that broke the game open at 6-1.

Gil was charged with five earned runs on five hits, walking four and striking out three over his 3.1 innings of work. Gil threw 77 pitches, with 44 of them good for strikes.

-- Trent Grisham gave the Yankees a quick, early lead, pummeling an Edward Cabrera pitch for a leadoff home run. Grisham, who hit just .190 with nine home runs last season, has provided some much-needed offense for the Yankees this season.

-- Jazz Chisholm Jr. was a huge topic of conversation after Saturday’s 2-0 loss after inexplicably getting doubled off first base on a pop-up to the second baseman. On Sunday, Chisholm let his bat do the talking, launching a two-run homer to left-center in the seventh inning.

Chisholm’s 19^th home run of the season got the Yankees back into it at 6-3.

-- Cabrera was fantastic on the mound for the Marlins. After allowing Grisham's leadoff homer and then walking Grisham in the third, the only other base-runner allowed by Cabrera came on a Jasson Dominguez single in the fifth. Cabrera, a key name who ultimately didn't change teams ahead of the trade deadline, went 6.0 innings allowing one earned run on two hits while striking out seven and walking one.

-- The heart of the order continues to struggle without Aaron Judge. The Yankee’s two-through-four hitters on Sunday – Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton – went a combined 1-for-11, with the only hit being a slow-dribbler single from Stanton that hit the third base bag.

Game MVP

Stowers, whose three-run homer changed the tenor of the game in the top for the fourth inning.

Highlights

Trent Grisham leadoff home run! 💣 pic.twitter.com/KyDMz116Nm

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 3, 2025

Back-to-back strikeouts for Gil as we head into the fourth inning pic.twitter.com/nFxDMXWycM

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 3, 2025

Jazz Chisholm Jr. homers in his return to Miami! pic.twitter.com/ilt1saUSet

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 3, 2025

Upcoming schedule

The Yankees stay on the road for a three-game series in Texas against the Rangers, starting on Monday night at 8:05 p.m.

Max Fried will look to end the Yanks' losing streak, while the Rangers have not announced their starter.