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Austin Wells drives in five to power Yankees' 10-2 win over Royals

The Yankees put up 10 runs, with Austin Wells providing half of them, on 16 hits as New York defeated the Royals, 10-2, in Kansas City on Tuesday night.

Here are the takeaways...

-Aaron Judge has done plenty of things not seen by baseball fans and he did so again. Ahead in the count 2-0 in the first inning, Judge took a Noah Cameron fastball over the middle of the plate and launched it 469 feet (117.9 mph exit velocity) for his 24th home run of the season. The ball landing was not caught on camera and seemingly reached the Royals Hall of Fame in deep left field.

Judge's smash wasn't the only one on Tuesday, as Austin Wells took Cameron deep in the fourth after fighting back from a 2-2 count. On the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Wells launched a changeup 381 feet over the right field wall to put the Yanks up 5-1.

-The Yankees would pour it on with a five-run sixth inning. Wells got the scoring started with a two-run double. Trent Grisham, Judge and Cody Bellinger followed with RBI singles.

-Max Fried pitched into an early jam in this one. In the second inning, he had runners at the corners with one out -- thanks to a botched double play attempt by DJ LeMahieu -- when rookie Jac Caglianone came to the plate as the Kauffman Stadium crowd rose to their feet for the top prospect. However, the slugging rookie grounded out, but it did drive in the Royals' first run.

After that, Fried would settle in, retiring 11 straight Royals before a two-out single in the fifth. The long wait in the dugout in the sixth inning probably got Fried off his game, as Jonathan India led off with a solo shot and the southpaw allowed two more singles before he got the final out of the frame.

Fried threw 91 pitches (61 strikes) in seven innings while allowing two runs on six hits, no walks and striking out four. Although his outing was strong, Fried's season ERA actually increased to 1.84.

-Yerry De los Santos got the next five outs but allowed the Royals to load the bases with two outs in the ninth. Aaron Boone made a pitching change, and Tim Hill got Tyler Tolbert to fly out to end the game.

-The Yankees picked up 16 hits on Tuesday, with every starter picking up at least one knock. Judge went 2-for-5 and his average is at .396, while Wells and Grisham went 2-for-4. LeMahieu went 2-for-3 with two walks and made a nice sliding catch in shallow right field.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 1-for-4 with a run scored and was replaced in the later innings by Oswald Peraza. The Yankees announced that Chisholm left the game with "neck tightness." He was hit in the helmet by a throw when he stole third base earlier, but remained in the game.

Game MVP: Austin Wells

Wells, his first game batting in the nine-hole, drove in five of the team's 10 runs

Highilights

What's next

The Yankees and Royals continue their three-game set on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m.

Clarke Schmidt (2-3, 4.04 ERA) takes the mound while young LHP Kris Bubic (5-3, 1.43 ERA) will be on the bump for Kansas City.

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Shohei Ohtani (and Glasnow and Snell) could be back on Dodgers' mound sooner than expected

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani winds up to throw a pitch from the mound during batting practice
Shohei Ohtani throws live batting practice before a game against the New York Mets on May 25. (Adam Hunger / Associated Press)

The most important pitches for the Dodgers on Tuesday came long before the start of their game that night.

In the second of a key three-game series against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers found themselves in an uncomfortably familiar position: Lacking an available starting pitcher amid a wave of early-season injuries, and turning instead to a collection of minor league arms thrust into big league duty; set to open the game with Lou Trivino, and then have Matt Sauer pitch bulk innings.

It’s not what the Dodgers envisioned entering the year, when they expected to have a rotation of potential All-Stars on the mound every day.

It was eerily similar to the circumstances they faced last October –– their Game 4, elimination-staving win against the Padres in last year’s National League Division Series, specifically.

Earlier Tuesday, however, the Dodgers had reasons for optimism: These current circumstances might not last much longer.

Hours before the game, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell took notable steps in their recovery from injuries.

For the first time in a while, they could start to see light at the end of the pitching tunnel.

On the Petco Park mound, Ohtani threw the third live batting practice in his continued recovery from a 2023 Tommy John surgery, hurling 44 pitches over three simulated innings while racking up six strikeouts against a pair of rookie league hitters from the organization.

Read more:Shaikin: Despite a quiet offseason, Padres are still making noise in competitive NL West

Back in Los Angeles, Glasnow threw the third bullpen session of his recovery from a shoulder inflammation injury, and could be getting close to facing live hitters himself in the near future.

And after Ohtani finished his session in San Diego, Snell threw 15 pitches in the bullpen, his first full bullpen session since suffering a setback in his recovery from shoulder inflammation back in April.

“Really encouraging,” manager Dave Roberts said. “You can start to see us get to the other side. It’s stuff to look forward to.”

Ohtani’s live session was the day’s biggest development. He made a significant jump in workload, going from the 29 pitches he threw two weekends ago at Dodger Stadium to a 44-pitch outing Tuesday that concluded with 23 throws in his third and final inning. But, after battling poor command in his previous live BP, he showed increased consistency and sharpness with all of his pitches, giving up just a ground-ball single and a lone walk while including 15 swings-and-misses with a variety of offerings.

“It wasn't just pure power and velocity,” pitching coach Mark Prior said of Ohtani, whose fastball averaged around 94-96 mph. “He got some swing-and-misses on his off-speed pitches. He's being able to keep guys off balance and mess up their timing. There's different types of misses. I think from that standpoint, those are good things.”

Roberts came away so encouraged, he even hinted at a more optimistic timeline for when Ohtani –– who hasn’t pitched in a big league game since August 2023 –– might be able to join the team’s active rotation, saying the chances are “north of zero” that the right-hander could return before the All-Star break.

In recent weeks, Roberts had said Ohtani wouldn’t be back until after the Midsummer Classic.

“It’s tempting,” Roberts said. “I’m sure Shohei feels tempted to just kind of rip the Band-Aid off and get into a big league game. But I think we’re doing a good job of being patient. And truth be told, I don’t think anyone knows the right time to get him in a big league game. We’re still being very careful, I guess.”

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

Another notable development from Roberts on Tuesday: Ohtani might not have to complete “a full build-up” before pitching in big league games.

“Anything he can give us is certainly additive,” Roberts said, an idea underscored by Ohtani’s two-way player status, which would effectively make him an extra arm on the Dodgers’ staff without counting against their 13-pitcher roster max.

“I still stand by him, and [head team physician] Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache and the training staff are going to drive this,” said Roberts, who wasn’t sure when Ohtani would throw his next live session. “I’m just anxious for the next one.”

Glasnow and Snell have more steps to complete in their comebacks, from their own live sessions to likely minor league rehab stints.

Prior also noted that those two will have to be more fully built up before they are activated, given the already overworked state of the Dodgers’ bullpen.

Still, Snell said after two months of lingering shoulder pain earlier this year, the breakthrough he has experienced in the last two weeks has renewed his confidence about how he’ll perform when he returns.

“I’m very excited,” he said after throwing at about 70% intensity level in his 15-pitch bullpen. “After this ‘pen, the ramp up is gonna start, and I can start pitching, and I know I’m gonna be a factor on the team again.”

Read more:Hernández: It's tempting to rush Shohei Ohtani back on the mound, but the Dodgers shouldn't do it

Prior offered similar encouragement with Glasnow’s recent work, noting his fastball is up to 95-96 mph.

“Everything looks good,” Prior said of Glasnow. “He really has been feeling good and the ball has been coming out really good.”

In the meantime, the Dodgers will have to continue to tread water. They currently have only four healthy starters in the rotation between Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May and Justin Wrobleski. And though Emmet Sheehan could be an option to return from his own Tommy John surgery after one more start in his minor league rehab next week, the recent loss of Tony Gonsolin –– and continued absence of Roki Sasaki, who has yet to progress past light catch play –– has only further limited the club’s pitching options.

That’s why, even on a day the Dodgers were patching together a pitching plan once again, they were finally feeling hopeful about the long-term state of their staff.

Ohtani, Snell and Glasnow are finally making strides toward returning.

The star-studded pitching staff the club had been planning for this season might soon become a reality once again.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Jeff McNeil walks off Nationals as Mets steal 5-4 win in extra innings

Jeff McNeil needed just one pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning to drive in the winning run as the Mets came from behind to beat the Washington Nationals, 5-4, on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

McNeil jumped on a 94 mph fastball from Washington rookie reliever Cole Henry and hit it off the end of his bat (just 68.7 mph exit velocity), but the ball found the grass in right field and Luisangel Acuña, in as a pinch-runner, easily scampered home to end the game, which New York once trailed 3-0.

The Mets are now 25-7 at home this season, the best home start in franchise history and have MLB’s best home winning percentage as they have won four straight in Flushing and eight of their last nine. New York improved to 43-24 on the year.

Here are the takeaways...

- With the Mets down two with two outs in the eighth, Jose A. Ferrer looked to be cruising to a clean inning and had Starling Marte down in the count 0-2. But Marte worked a seven-pitch walk. Juan Soto, down 0-2 to the Nats' lefty, hit a sharp liner to right that Robert Hassell III missed with a dive and had the ball bounce past him, to score Marte and put Soto at second.

Washington then went to closer Kyle Finnegan to face Pete Alonso, who was 0-for-3 to that point. But the Mets' slugger got an 0-1 splitter that hung just enough, and he smashed it off the wall in the left field corner to tie the game. Alonso beat the throw to second, but came off the bag and was tagged out to end the inning, but the damage was done.

- The Mets were only in a position to erase the two-run deficit late because the bullpen got out of some tight spots. Jose Butto was the first man out of the Mets’ bullpen and stranded an inherited runner with a strikeout and groundout to short before getting the first out of the seventh. Lefty José Castillo entered and promptly walked and hit the first two batters he faced. Against James Wood, a third straight lefty, Castillo induced an inning-ending 6-3 twin killing.

Castillo stayed on for the eighth and got a strikeout but allowed a double to the right-center gap to pinch-hitter Andrés Chaparro, in his first at-bat of the season, and walked Luis Garcia Jr. The lefty allowed three of the five lefties he faced to reach. But Justin Garza entered with runners on first and second for his Mets’ debut and got Alex Call looking at some 98 mph heat and Hassell III swinging at a cutter.

Edwin Diaz got the top half of the ninth in the tie game and struck out two on some nasty offerings, needing just 12 pitches to get the job done. Reed Garrett, pitching on four days' rest, got a grounder to first to push the ghost runner to third to start the tenth. But ge stuck out Nathaniel Lowe swinging at a splitter in the dirt and got Chaparro on a soft fly to left to strand the runner.

- Griffin Canning got in trouble with hangers in the first inning: CJ Abrams rocketed a knee-high changeup off the wall in right for a double before Lowe uncorked a hanging slider for a 415-foot home run to right to put the Mets behind early.

Canning allowed the leadoff man to reach in the second with a single to center off his hands and a two-out, 0-2 single to center off the end of the bat to give Washington another scoring chance. Abrams stung the Mets’ starter again this time with an RBI double on a bouncer just over the first-base bag, but the Nationals ran themselves out of the inning. After the ball bounced off the half wall, Soto reached the ball with José Tena still two steps short of third base. Third base coach Ricky Gutierrez waved Tena home, but Soto’s one-bounce throw from shallow right got him at the plate by 10 feet.

The Mets' starter allowed another leadoff single to start the third, but he retired the next seven batters he faced, including an eight-pitch 1-2-3 fourth. But Abrams ended that streak when he snuck an opposite-field homer over the left-field wall on a down-and-away fastball.

Canning ended the fifth with his 12th career pickoff and first with the Mets, nailing Wood at first. But his night came to an end with a one-out walk in the sixth. His final line: 5.1 innings, four runs on seven hits, two walks, and four strikeouts, throwing 87 pitches (53 strikes). Canning did keep a streak alive: Mets starters have now allowed four or fewer runs in 66 of 67 starts.

- Brandon Nimmo singled through the right side of the infield to start the bottom of the second and, with two outs, stole second base to give McNeil a RBI chance off MacKenzie Gore, a pitcher he likes hitting against. McNeil made it eight hits in 11 at-bats (all singles) with a bloop to right that just found the outfield grass to score Nimmo from second.

The rest of the Mets weren’t so successful against Gore, who entered the game leading the NL with 108 strikeouts, as Soto, Luis Torrens, Tyrone Taylor, Ronny Mauricio, and Marte were all strikeout victims early. 

But Soto got revenge on Gore and his former team, driving a 2-2 slider up in the zone 373 feet the opposite way for a solo homer, his 12th on the season. Taylor also got some revenge, lacing a high fastball down the left-field line for a two-out double in the fourth, but this time McNeil flied out to left to strand the runner.

After six innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts, the Nats lifted Gore, who had thrown just 89 pitches, and the Mets were glad to see the back of him.

- In Aug. 2022, the Nationals traded Soto to the Padres. In Tuesday’s game, six of the eight players in the deal appeared in the game as Washington started four of the five players they received (Abrams, Wood, Gore, and Hassell III) and had Josh Bell, who went to San Diego in the deal, but is back with Washington. The only players not to appear were one-time Met Luke Voit and Jarlin Susana, the No. 2 prospect in the Nats’ organization.

Game MVP: Jeff McNeil

McNeil has now reached base safely in each of the last 13 games and is batting .319 (15-for-47) with six runs, four doubles, four home runs, nine RBI, four walks, and a steal.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets and Nats renew their hostilities on Wednesday night with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. on SNY.

Left-hander David Peterson (2.80 ERA, 1.259 WHIP in 70.2 innings) makes his 13th start of the season. He will look to outduel Washington right-hander Jake Irvin (4.02 ERA, 1.226 WHIP in 78.1 innings), making his 14th start of the campaign.

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Mets prospect Jonah Tong strikes out eight, Ryan Clifford hits another home run for Double-A Binghamton

Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong continues his domination of Double-A ball on Tuesday, striking out eight batters to pick up his fifth win of the season.

Tong made his 11th start with Binghamton and went through 5.1 innings relatively unscathed. His one blemish came in the fourth inning when he gave up a leadoff triple to Turner Hill and a one-out single to Adrian Sugastey to allow his one and only run of the game. Tong finished throwing 92 pitches (62 strikes) of one-run ball on four hits and two walks. He lowered his ERA to 1.99 on the season.

Along with his sub-2.00 ERA, Tong improved his record to 5-3 and now has 91 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched this season. His eight-strikeout performance followed his 11-K outing last week and now has seven starts with at least eight strikeouts in a game.

It was a fitting start for the reigning Eastern League Pitcher of the Month.

In support of Tong, Ryan Clifford got the Binghamton offense going. With two outs in the first, Clifford launched a solo shot to give Binghamton a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The left-handed slugger finished 2-for-3 and has now homered in three of his last four games.

Clifford bumped his average to .234 and now has 11 home runs to go with his 34 RBI.

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Mets' Sean Manaea strikes out four in second rehab start with High-A Brooklyn

Mets left-hander Sean Manaea had a solid second rehab start Tuesday night in Coney Island as he works his way back from an oblique injury.

After allowing four runs (three earned) in 1.2 innings on Friday, Manaea bounced back to deal 2.2 scoreless innings.

Of course, his outing got off to an auspicious start, as he plunked left-handed batting Joseph Sullivan on the second pitch he threw. Manaea allowed a steal of second on his third pitch before getting a flyout to right, but an infield single to first put runners on the corners with one out. A ball in the dirt put two in scoring position, but the Mets' lefty got a strikeout swinging and a pop-up to right to end the threat.

Manaea got to pitch with a lead after the Cyclones plated two runs in the home half of the first inning, and after retiring the first two of the frame, adding a second strikeout swinging, he issued his first walk of his rehab before recording another strikeout swinging on a nasty breaking pitch.

In his final inning of the night, the lefty sandwiched an infield single to short around another swinging strikeout on a breaking pitch and a pop out to third base.

Manaea threw 46 pitches (31 strikes) to get 10 outs, allowing one hit, one walk, a hit-by-pitch, and striking out four.

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Adames uses ‘reset' to spur resurgence in Giants' improbable comeback

Adames uses ‘reset' to spur resurgence in Giants' improbable comeback originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Entering the ninth inning Tuesday, even as the Giants trailed the lowly Colorado Rockies 5-2, Willy Adames already had to feel better about himself.

Adames came into the game without a hit in 18 at-bats since June 1 and without a home run since May 13, but he ended both streaks with a blast to center after driving in another run earlier.

Then the star shortstop grinded out an important walk to continue San Francisco’s game-winning rally in the final frame for a 6-5 comeback win at Coors Field. That took his night up another notch, which could mark the start of an impending turnaround.

“Obviously, it’s a good day for me personally, but it’s even better when you get a win like that,” Adames told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Bonta Hill and Ron Wotus on “Giants Postgame Live.” “I think that’s going to get us going.”

After signing with San Francisco as a free agent last December, Adames has underwhelmed so far in the first season of his seven-year, $182 million contract. Before Tuesday, he was hitting just .193 with a .584 OPS.

But on a night when Adames recorded both his 500th career run and 500th RBI, he displayed why the Giants gave him the largest contract in franchise history.

It all started Sunday, when manager Bob Melvin gave the shortstop a rare rest day ahead of Monday’s off day, allowing Adames a full 48 hours to get his mind right.

“It’s always great when you’re not having your best time out there, just to have a day or two days just to reset and go back to who you are,” Adames told Hill and Wotus. “I think those two days were really good for me just to relax mentally and let it go and try to be here for the team and just do whatever I can to help the guys to win.”

He delivered immediately upon his return. After Jung Hoo Lee‘s leadoff triple to open the game, Adames got to a 3-2 count before hitting a sacrifice fly to put San Francisco ahead early.

He remained patient again in the fifth, earning a 3-1 count advantage before smashing a 439-foot, game-tying homer.

“Today, it was just for me to try to be calm on the play and just try to swing at my pitch, to battle the at-bats and put a good swing on it,” Adames explained. “I feel like I got away from that the last week or so. … That homer obviously felt really good.”

But his ninth-inning at-bat arguably was the most impressive. As the go-ahead run at the plate with one out, Adames quickly fell behind 0-2. He then battled back to a full count and fouled off a pair of tough cutters in the zone. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Adames didn’t swing at a high cutter to draw a walk that loaded the bases.

Three batters later, Adames scored the game-winning run on a Mike Yastrzemski single to cap off yet another wild Giants comeback — their franchise-record sixth one-run win in a row.

“It feels like we never give up. It feels like we always have an opportunity to come back,” Adames told Hill and Wotus. “That’s how the guys feel in the dugout. It’s like, OK, we can be down by three, four, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to go out there until the last out and grind every at-bat, and I think today was a very good example of how good this team is. Everybody went out there in the top of the ninth and battled, took great at-bats, took great swings, just did the fundamental stuff, and it paid off. We got the win.”

Tuesday was the Giants’ eighth comeback of at least three runs in just 67 games this season, which leads MLB. Even Adames isn’t sure how San Francisco keeps pulling out these bizarre wins.

“It’s been so fun. I don’t even know how to explain it,” Adames told Hill and Wotus. “We’re just having fun, and just knowing that we can come back, it doesn’t matter [what] the score is.”

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Giolito gives Red Sox much-needed quality start in win vs. Rays

Giolito gives Red Sox much-needed quality start in win vs. Rays originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox needed a bounce-back outing from Lucas Giolito on Tuesday, and the veteran right-hander delivered.

Giolito, who entered his Tuesday start with a lackluster 6.42 ERA, limited the Tampa Bay Rays to only one run (none earned) on three hits and three walks through six innings. He struck out four Rays hitters en route to a 3-1 Red Sox victory at Fenway Park.

The performance was a breath of fresh air for a Red Sox rotation that has been abysmal with the exception of ace Garrett Crochet. All season, Boston’s starters have struggled and strained the bullpen with their inability to pitch deep into games.

“We needed that,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the win. “We were very thin in the bullpen. It was good to see him. Velo’s up, location was better, the mix of pitches, really good. And one run over six, that’s more than enough.”

Giolito’s dip in fastball velocity was a concern over his last few starts, but it was back in the mid-to-upper 90s on Tuesday. After allowing seven earned runs in only 1.2 innings during his previous start against the Los Angeles Angels, he went back to the drawing board with pitching coach Andrew Bailey.

“After the last outing, we really broke down a lot of my mechanics and made some big-time adjustments,” Giolito said. “Which is still a work in progress, but we found something to get that life back on my heater. … and then let everything play off of that.”

Tuesday’s win marked the Red Sox’ second straight game with a starter making it at least six innings. Right-hander Brayan Bello pitched 6.1 innings in a losing effort on Monday, his second consecutive six-inning start after failing to make it through five innings in his previous five outings.

“We’re two for two in this series, and hopefully we can do it again tomorrow,” Cora said. “To get the lead is important at this level. You can use the bullpen after that however you want. And it’s tough to comeback. Like, 65 percent of the games we’ve been behind.”

Walker Buehler will look to complete the trifecta when he takes the mound for Wednesday’s rubber match. Like Giolito, the veteran righty is looking for a bounce-back performance after lasting only two innings in Friday’s loss to the New York Yankees.

First pitch for Wednesday’s series finale against the Rays at Fenway Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.

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Yankees Injury Notes: Jake Cousins undergoing elbow testing, Marcus Stroman's first rehab start set

Prior to Tuesday's series opener against the Royals in Kansas City, Yankees manager Aaron Boone gave updates on a few players...

Jake Cousins pulled from rehab assignment

Cousins was on rehab assignment, recovering from a forearm/pectoral injury, when he was suddenly removed by the Yankees due to an elbow issue.

Boone said the assignment was paused because Cousins spoke up after the reliever said he "felt some stuff in his elbow." The right-hander has undergone an MRI and has met with doctors on Tuesday to get to the bottom of the issue.

Cousins, 30, has yet to pitch for the Yankees this season but was a good bullpen piece a season ago. In 37 appearances in 2024, he pitched to a 2.37 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He also had eight holds and one save in one opportunity.

Marcus Stroman's first rehab start set

On a positive note, the Yankees have set the date for Stroman's first rehab start. The veteran right-hander will take the mound for Double-A Somerset on Wednesday.

Stroman (knee) has been trying to work his way back to the Yankees rotation after making three starts earlier this season. He's allowed 12 earned runs in 9.1 innings across those three starts.

Stroman will join teammate Giancarlo Stanton in Somerset. The slugger started his rehab assignment on Tuesday and will likely be in the lineup for Stroman when he takes the mound on Wednesday.

With a crowded rotation, the Yankees will have to make a decision on what to do with Stroman. The logical move would be to move Ryan Yarbrough back into the bullpen and slide Stroman in the rotation with Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Will Warren.

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How Giants made franchise history in gritty comeback win vs. Rockies

How Giants made franchise history in gritty comeback win vs. Rockies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants are back to their tortuous ways after another nail-biting victory on Tuesday night at Coors Field.

In fact, San Francisco’s 6-5 win over the Colorado Rockies — which came after a wild four-run ninth inning — put the 2025 Giants in the franchise history books with six consecutive one-run victories. It’s the longest such streak in Giants history.

Additionally, the Giants are the first MLB team in 36 years to win six games in a row by one run, per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. It hadn’t been done since the then-California Angels accomplished the feat in 1989.

The Giants entered the final inning of Tuesday’s game trailing 5-2, but a Casey Schmitt homer closed the gap and a trio of walks set Heliot Ramos up for a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded. Then, Wilmer Flores beat out an infield single to tie the game before Mike Yastrzemski delivered the go-ahead run with an RBI single to right field.

The Giants’ one-run marathon also coincides with their six-game winning streak, which began after president of baseball operations Buster Posey put his first big roster shakeup into place — a series of moves headlined by designating first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment.

Fans in San Francisco know their way around torture very well, but even the dynastic Giants teams of the 2010s never did it like this.

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Cubs' enviable offense beats up on Abel and Phillies' bullpen in loss

Cubs' enviable offense beats up on Abel and Phillies' bullpen in loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Mick Abel has faced a tougher lineup each time out as a big-leaguer and his third start on Tuesday wasn’t nearly as effective as the first two.

He left three balls up against the Cubs and paid for all three mistakes with homers by Dansby Swanson in the second inning, Ian Happ in the third and Michael Busch in the fourth of an 8-4 Phillies loss.

Abel was able to strike out the dangerous Kyle Tucker on his 30th pitch of the fourth inning to end a bases-loaded jam but it also ended his night. He walked three after pitching 11⅓ innings without one in his first two starts against the Pirates and Blue Jays.

”The Busch one was kind of a flat fastball left over the plate,” Abel said. “The one to Dansby, I’ll give him all the credit in the world, he just smashed it, top-rope.”

The Phillies came back to take the lead in the middle innings on a two-run single to left-center by Alec Bohm, one of their only hot hitters. Earlier, Max Kepler hit a Citizens Bank Park cheapie to the first row in right-center for the Phils’ first two runs.

But Happ, who has hurt the Phillies badly in the two games of this series, answered with a two-out, two-run homer off a middle-in Taijuan Walker cutter in the sixth to put the Cubs ahead. They broke it open with three more in the top of the eighth off Joe Ross and Carlos Hernandez.

The Cubs are second in MLB to the Dodgers in runs per game and rank in the top five in homers, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging and steals. They’ve been a complete offense in 2025, much more dynamic than the Phillies, and leads haven’t felt safe this week.

The Phils are 38-29 heading into the final meeting of the season between the two teams Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. A win would clinch them the series and the season series, with all of these games potentially mattering for seeding come playoff time.

Before any of that matters, though, the Phillies need to find some semblance of offensive consistency. They’ve scored more than four runs twice in their last 12 games, going 2-10. They don’t have much of an offensive identity, especially without Bryce Harper. At many times during the four years with this core, the Phillies have been a powerful offense, a selective offense, one capable of taxing and beating even elite setup men and closers. But they’re none of those things right now, at least not consistently. They’re more of a station-to-station, singles-based offense that doesn’t have great speed and isn’t picking enough big blows with runners in scoring position.

“The last couple weeks, wins, losses, guys getting hurt, it feels like anything that can go wrong has gone wrong,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. 

“I know we say it all the time but that’s part of the game, it happens every season. We went through a stretch just like this last year. We’ve just got to do our best to press forward. We know we’re a good team, there’s a lot of talent in this clubhouse. We’ve got to get through this stretch as fast as we can and move on.”

The National League is tougher this year. A playoff berth can’t be assumed. The Phillies began the night four games behind the Mets in the NL East and tied with the Giants for the top wild-card spot but only 1½ games ahead of the Cardinals, the first team out. The Brewers, Reds and D-backs aren’t too far behind. There’s a ton of baseball left, 95 games, but there will be no cruising to October this year.

There was no update Tuesday on Harper’s inflamed right wrist. He continues to receive treatment and won’t swing for a little while. It is unclear when he will return but it doesn’t seem like it will be next Monday when Harper is first eligible.

The update on Aaron Nola was worse. Nola has a stress reaction in his right rib on top of the sprained right ankle that initially landed him on the injured list on May 15. It is highly unlikely Nola will return before the All-Star break in mid-July. When he does rejoin the Phillies’ rotation, he’ll have missed more than two months.

It will mean a substantially longer runway for Abel, who is currently occupying Nola’s rotation spot. He wasn’t at his best Tuesday and we’ll now see how Abel responds to his first bit of big-league adversity.

To add insult to injury, Brandon Marsh exited after the fifth inning Tuesday with left elbow soreness after finally heating up for the first time in 2025. He appeared to jam the arm on a slide when stealing second base. Marsh had been 5-for-7 during a season-best three-game hitting streak.

”He kind’ve hyperextended it so there’s some soreness,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He’ll be day-to-day.”

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What we learned as Adames fuels Giants' wild comeback win vs. Rockies

What we learned as Adames fuels Giants' wild comeback win vs. Rockies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — The first night without Matt Chapman looked a lot like the last three weeks, but in the top of the ninth, the Giants finally came alive. 

Helped along by three walks, the Giants scored four runs in the ninth at Coors Field to steal the first game of the series. After eight disappointing innings, they found another wild way to get a one-run win, extending their winning streak to six with a 6-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies, who showed why they’re 12-54. The sixth straight one-run win set a franchise record, which is saying something given how many close games the Giants have played in the last 15 years. 

The ninth-inning dramatics started when Casey Schmitt blasted the first pitch of the inning into the seats in left, cutting into what had been a three-run deficit. Tyler Fitzgerald and Andrew Knizner worked tough walks against right-hander Zach Agnos, and a wild pitch two batters later put the tying run on second. When Agnos walked Willy Adames to load the bases, the Rockies turned to fellow right-hander Viktor Vodnik. 

Heliot Ramos hit a liner to center, but right at Brenton Doyle. The sacrifice fly set the stage for Wilmer Flores, the team RBI leader, and he hit a 49 mph grounder that was perfectly placed. The ball rolled slowly toward third and the Rockies had no play as the tying run scored. 

Mike Yastrzemski followed with a single that gave the Giants the lead, and Camilo Doval got old friend Thairo Estrada to pop up with the tying run on third in the bottom of the inning, picking up his 10th save. 

That’s More Like It

There’s no way for the Giants to fully make up for the loss of Chapman. He was their best position player a year ago and pretty easily leads them in fWAR at the moment. Schmitt will try and make up for the defense, and he’s well-equipped to do so, but the offense might have to come from the other infielder on the left side. 

The easiest way for the Giants to survive the next fews weeks would be for Adames to finally look like the player who signed the largest deal in franchise history. On Tuesday, he was closer to his 2024 form. 

Adames hit a sacrifice fly to center in the first to bring Jung Hoo Lee home after a leadoff triple, and he hit a long homer in the fifth to tie the game. The 439-foot blast was his sixth of the season and longest by 40 feet. Coors Field helped with that, but it was still a bomb, and at 108.9 mph, it was his fourth-hardest batted ball of the season. The homer was the first time since May 25 that Adames hit a ball more than 105 mph. It seemed like the 48-hour reset helped. 

Kyle at Coors

Kyle Harrison’s best start of 2024 came against the Rockies, but his first matchup with them this season was a mixed bag. Harrison struck out six and showed good velocity after suffering an elbow contusion in his last start, but he also gave up three runs in five innings, two of them on solo homers. A 26-pitch first inning kept him from getting too deep on the first night of the road trip.

Harrison now has made four starts and allowed 10 runs over 18 1/3 innings. He seems likely to pitch on “Sunday Night Baseball” at Dodger Stadium later this week, since Justin Verlander isn’t quite ready. Verlander will throw his second simulated game on Wednesday, but that wouldn’t give him enough time to recover for the end of the Dodgers series. 

The New Look

Without Chapman in the heart of the order, the Giants made some big changes. Lee is back in the leadoff spot for the first time this year, with Ramos — who had been leading off against lefties — hitting third. Adames started the year in the two-hole but has been down in the bottom half of the lineup since the middle of May. He was moved back up to second after getting Sunday’s game off to physically and mentally reset. 

Early on, the changes worked. Lee led off with a 415-foot triple and scored the game’s first run when Adames drove one deep enough to center. 

Schmitt is back at his natural position, and the Giants believe he has a Gold Glove-caliber glove at third. He entered the night with a .180 average but had two hits, including a leadoff homer in the ninth that was his first of the year. In his first start at third, Schmitt raised his OPS about 90 points. 

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Giants third baseman Matt Chapman goes on 10-day injured list with hurt right hand

DENVER — San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with inflammation in his right hand after a weekend injury against Atlanta.

The move is retroactive to Monday.

Chapman hurt his hand in the eighth inning Sunday when he slid back into first base on a pickoff attempt.

The 32-year-old Chapman is batting .243 with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs in 65 games during his second season with the Giants, who last September received a six-year, $151 million contract through 2030.

He hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 3-2 win over the Braves on Saturday.

San Francisco recalled infielder Christian Koss from Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday ahead of the series opener at Colorado.

The Giants were riding a five-game winning streak — each of those victories by one run, and they have played seven consecutive one-run games overall.

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Mark Vientos resumes baseball activities as he works toward return from hamstring injury

Mets slugger Mark Vientosis already making serious progress as he works toward a return from a hamstring injury.

Vientos, who landed on the IL on June 3, has been hitting in the batting cage, doing light jogging, and taking ground balls, manager Carlos Mendoza said before Tuesday's game against the Nationals at Citi Field.

Shortly after injuring his hamstring, Vientos got the relatively good news that it was only a Grade 1 strain. And his return could come somewhat quickly.

He'll likely need a rehab assignment before being activated, Mendoza said.

With Vientos out, the Mets have been using a variety of players at DH, including Ronny Mauricio, Starling Marte, and Jared Young.

It was Mauricio who was called up to take Vientos' spot on the roster.

After a very cold first two-plus weeks of the regular season, Vientos had been hitting well.

In 137 plate appearances spanning 36 games from April 17 until June 2, Vientos hit .272/.321/.464 with six home runs, four doubles, 17 runs scored, and 17 RBI.

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Doctor explains Chapman's injury, outlines potential return timeline

Doctor explains Chapman's injury, outlines potential return timeline originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Giants third baseman Matt Chapman was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right hand sprain, dealing a devastating blow to San Francisco’s starting lineup.

With the Gold Glove infielder on the mend, NBC Sports Bay Area spoke with Stanford Medicine’s Amy Ladd, M.D., to get a better idea of what Chapman is dealing with.

“I was able to see some video footage, and it’s interesting because he first fell on his left hand and then his right hand outstretched,” said Ladd, who is an experienced specialist in hand and upper extremity surgery. “And it seemed like it was hyperextended … but it may have also had some torque to the side.

“So a hand sprain or finger sprain, and he complained of multiple fingers being injured, without a broken bone means it could be 10 days and that could be it — the swelling goes down and he gets his mobility back. Or, it could be a little bit longer and it wouldn’t be because of instability, it would be because of stiffness and pain.”

Chapman sustained the injury in the eighth inning of the Giants’ win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday at Oracle Park, as he dove head-first back to first base on a pick-off attempt.

Ladd’s comments align with what Chapman said to The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser and MLB.com’s Maria I. Guardado before Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies. Chapman told them that he will miss more than 10 games with his hand injury after an MRI showed ligament sprains.

The 10-game mark for Chapman would mean a return on June 21 against the Red Sox in Boston. But it sounds like he almost certainly will be out longer, but hopefully before the end of the first half on July 13 at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Based on her expertise, Ladd believes Chapman would have an easier time returning to the batter’s box after an injury like the sprain to his throwing hand than returning to the field.

“This [injury] is equivalent to what we call jamming your finger, which can be super painful, not much to do about them,” Ladd said. “So the main focus is mobility and pain. If it were his mitt hand, then he’d probably protect it. The main question would be the impact on recreating the injury effectively, so you’d want to minimize that.

“Throwing, it’s more the fact of can he get his hand around the ball with dexterity and focus? That it’s not hurting, that he has enough grasp and enough mobility to hang on to it and execute the way he wants to throw it.”

In 65 games played, Chapman is leading the Giants in home runs (12) and walks (40) while serving as an indispensable defender on the hot corner. While San Francisco could use him back sooner than later, Chapman returning to full health is most important as the team fights for a spot in the MLB playoffs.

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WATCH: Roman Anthony rips two-run double for first MLB hit

WATCH: Roman Anthony rips two-run double for first MLB hit originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON — After going 0-for-4 Monday in his much-anticipated MLB debut, Roman Anthony didn’t wait to record his first career hit in Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Anthony, again batting fifth in the Boston Red Sox lineup, stepped up to the plate in the first inning with runners on second and third base. MLB’s No. 1 prospect ripped an opposite-field two-run double to put his team up 2-0.

Anthony accomplished the feat with his family in attendance, making for an emotional moment at Fenway Park:

Anthony now has three RBI through his first two MLB games. His first career RBI came on a groundout during Monday’s 10-8 loss to Tampa Bay.

Later in the game, Anthony flashed the leather with an impressive sliding grab:

The 21-year-old’s two-run knock marks the first of what could be many hits in his promising big-league career. Anthony showcased elite potential in the minors, including this season at Triple-A Worcester with a .288/.423/.491 slash line, 10 homers, and 29 RBI through 58 games.