Category: Baseball

All-Star voting resumes Monday at 9 a.m. PDT for 48 hours with the Dodgers entertaining the possibility of fielding an unprecedented eight position players.

The top two vote-getters at each position through Phase 1 of voting are finalists and moved on to Phase 2, which ends Wednesday at 9 a.m. PDT. The defending World Series champion Dodgers boast a finalist at each infield position and two among six outfielders.

Even though only three Dodgers led National League Phase 1 voting at their position, all eight have an equal chance of starting because votes don't carry over to Phase 2. The player at each position to accumulate the most votes in the two-day window will start the July 15 game at Truist Park in Atlanta.

"Very proud. It's great," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Obviously we're playing well. As it stands now, we're the best team in the National League, so we should have the most All-Star voting for the team."

Read more:Justin Wrobleski gives Dodgers a surprising boost during win over Royals

Shohei Ohtani locked in an automatic spot as starting designated hitter because he led all National League players with 3,967,668 votes in Phase 1. Catcher Will Smith and first baseman Freddie Freeman are the other Dodgers to lead voting, while second baseman Tommy Edman, shortstop Mookie Betts and third baseman Max Muncy finished second. Among outfielders, Teoscar Hernández and Andy Pages finished second and fifth, respectively.

In American League voting, the Angels' Mike Trout is one of four finalists to secure one of two openings in the outfield. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees already earned a starting spot by leading all players with 4,012,983 votes in Phase 1.

Trout, who has 13 home runs in 56 games, is competing against Riley Green and Javier Báez of the Detroit Tigers and Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians.

Voting can be done online at MLB.com/vote, all 30 team websites, the MLB app and the MLB ballpark app. The winners will be announced on ESPN at 1 p.m.

Read more:The Sports Report: Clayton Kershaw closes in on milestone

The most position players voted to start an All-Star Game from a single team is five — accomplished by the 1976 Cincinnati Reds ,the 1956 and 1957 Cincinnati Redlegs and the 1939 New York Yankees.

"I hope we get five, six, seven Dodgers," Roberts said. "That'd be great."

MLB All-Star finalists

AL guaranteed spot: Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees — 4,012,983 votes
NL guaranteed spot: Shohei Ohtani, DH, Dodgers — 3,967,668 votes

National League finalists
Catcher: Will Smith (Dodgers), Carson Kelly (Cubs)
First base: Freddie Freeman (Dodgers), Pete Alonso (Mets)
Second base: Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks), Tommy Edman (Dodgers)
Shortstop: Francisco Lindor (Mets), Mookie Betts (Dodgers)
Third base: Manny Machado (Padres), Max Muncy (Dodgers)
Outfield: Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs), Teoscar Hernández (Dodgers), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves), Kyle Tucker (Cubs), Andy Pages (Dodgers), Juan Soto (Mets)

American League finalists
Catcher: Cal Raleigh (Mariners), Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays)
First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Paul Goldschmidt (Yankees)
Second base: Gleyber Torres (Tigers), Jackson Holliday (Orioles)
Shortstop: Jacob Wilson (Athletics), Bobby Witt Jr., (Royals)
Third base: José Ramírez (Guardians), Alex Bregman (Red Sox)
Outfield: Riley Greene (Tigers), Javier Báez (Tigers), Mike Trout (Angels), Steven Kwan (Guardians)

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

In truth, there was very little notable action on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.

Which, in effect, is exactly how Justin Wrobleski liked it.

In the Dodgers’ 5-1 win over the Kansas City Royals — a victory that clinched the weekend series and gave the club a 5-1 record on this past week’s road trip — Wrobleski continued to quietly impress as a depth pitching option for the Dodgers, pitching six scoreless innings that were short on flash but long on substance; serving as the latest productive outing in his suddenly auspicious sophomore season.

“Justin's confidence is at an all-time high,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And he's a confident young man already.”

Entering the game behind opener Lou Trivino at the start of the second, Wrobleski made easy work of a struggling Kansas City offense, giving up just three hits and one walk in a six-strikeout showing as the Dodgers (53-32) pulled away at the plate.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani hits 102 mph in another sharp pitching start, but Dodgers fall to Royals

Kiké Hernández hit a two-run homer in the second. Will Smith added a solo shot in the sixth. And by the time the team tacked on two more runs in the seventh, such extra insurance was already looking unneeded.

Instead, Wrobleski further raised his stock in what has been a surprise midseason rejuvenation, turning in his best career performance at the big-league level.

Over his 83-pitch outing, the Royals (39-45) only once managed to even put a runner in scoring position. They squandered all three leadoff hitters who reached base. And during their best opportunity to rally in the third, Wrobleski mowed through the heart of their order, sandwiching one strikeout of Jonathan India and fielder’s choice grounder from Vinnie Pasquantino with a statement-sending punchout of Royals star Bobby Witt Jr., getting him to whiff on a 96-mph fastball and putaway two-strike slider.

“Bobby Witt is one of the best hitters in the game,” Roberts said. “And for him to beat him with the fastball, he wasn't doing that last year.”

Indeed, few saw Wrobleski’s surge coming this season.

After a choppy eight-game debut last year, when he had a 5.70 ERA, the 24-year-old left-hander’s first opportunity in the majors this season was a total disaster, giving up eight runs in five innings to the Washington Nationals back on April 8.

Wrobleski was optioned back to the minor leagues after that, and made only one MLB appearance over the next two months: a four-inning outing in mop-up relief duty during a May 15 blowout of the Athletics.

Read more:Why Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have struggled at the plate lately for the Dodgers

At the start of June, however, he was called back up to make a spot start in St. Louis, turning in a decent six-inning, four-run effort. And since then, he has continued to get better each time out. In his last 20 innings — all of them coming in bulk relief — he has conceded just four earned runs while striking out 21 batters. His overall ERA in five June appearances was 2.73.

“Having that bad one in Washington, honestly, set me back in a good way,” Wrobleski said. “I had to go back down, make a few adjustments.”

And now, he joked, that D.C. start “feels like it was three years ago.”

The biggest difference with Wrobleski of late has been his fastball. In that April start against the Nationals, it averaged just 93 mph. In every outing since, it has sat around 96-97 mph, and topped out above 99 mph.

Wrobleski credited the improvement with some small mechanical tweaks, having adopted a wider base in his pre-pitch stance and incorporated a rocking motion in his delivery to help him direct his momentum toward the plate.

But also, he said he has simply found a way to throw with maximum effort more consistently — coupling it with an increased reliance on his sinker to attack the zone and induce quick outs.

“I think it just goes back to me being me,” said Wrobleski, an 11th round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2021. "That’s how I got here was doing that. I got away from it a little bit, tried to quote-unquote ‘throw strikes,’ and when you do that, it leads to results that are not desirable. But at the end of the day, [I just want to] throw my best stuff for as long as I can until they take the ball. I think that’s been a major key.”

Read more:Clayton Kershaw moves three strikeouts away from 3,000 as Dodgers finish sweep of Rockies

As a result, Wrobleski’s name is quickly rising among the hierarchy of young Dodgers pitching.

The fact that he was even on this road trip was a sign of the organization’s growing confidence in his abilities.

During the team’s last homestand, fellow young talent Emmet Sheehan returned from Tommy John surgery with four sharp innings, and seemed primed to occupy an open spot in the Dodgers’ rotation moving forward. However, with Sheehan not yet fully built up, the club elected to option him back to triple A and have Wrobleski pitch twice in a six-day span this week, with a five-inning, two-run outing in Colorado on Tuesday preceding Sunday’s gem in Kansas City.

Sheehan should be back in the majors soon, having pitched six perfect innings with 13 strikeouts in a start with Oklahoma City on Wednesday (manager Dave Roberts said Sheehan’s next outing will also be with OKC, though he could still rejoin the Dodgers before the end of their upcoming homestand).

But now, he’s not the only former prospect showing flashes of being an impact option in the majors.

“He’s changed a lot,” Roberts said of the team’s evaluation of Wrobleski. “We’ve always valued him and thought a lot of him as far as the talent. But right now, he’s getting major league hitters out … And in the spirit of getting opportunities while earning them, he’s doing that.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The New York Rangers have one clear option regarding how to handle K’Andre Miller’s future. 

Whether Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury likes it or not, he has to keep Miller, at least for now. 

Since the 2024-25 season ended, Miller has been the subject of trade rumors as the team has been attempting to shop him. 

Now though, the draft has come and gone and Miller remains a Ranger and that’s no coincidence. 

Answers about what the future holds for Miller have not been answered and chatter about the situation has been quiet over the past few days. There are two reasons for that. 

First off, the Rangers don’t like what they’ve been offered so far for Miller, which has held up a potential trade. 

On the other side of things, the Rangers don’t want to give Miller a long-term contract extension, slowing down negotiations between the two sides. 

The Rangers and Miller are essentially at a stalemate right now. Both signing a long-term contract extension and finding a feasible trade that the Rangers could be content with continue to seem more and more difficult. 

It’s critical the Rangers don’t panic though and trade Miller for an underwhelming return because the 25-year-old defenseman still has a ton of potential and it would be foolish to give up on him for nothing. 

A Bridge Deal For K'Andre Miller With The Rangers Is A Possibility With The Clock Ticking The New York Rangers’ situation with K’Andre Miller may end up being resolved in the short term but not necessarily in the long term. 

At this point, the wisest move for the Rangers would be to give Miller a one-year bridge contract and let the 2025-26 season play out with him on the roster and determine later if he’s worthy of a long-term extension. 

So for now, the Rangers should keep Miller and avoid a potential disaster where they don’t maximize his full value.

Francisco Alvarez appears to be finding his groove down in Triple-A. 

The Mets' young backstop lifted a 434-foot three-run shot on Saturday night, and he followed that up with another strong showing on Sunday. 

After failing to reach in each of his first two plate appearances, Alvarez stepped to the plate with Syracuse trailing by a run in the fifth, and he ripped a double over center fielder Robert Hassell III’s head. 

It left the bat at an impressive 109.6 mph and one-hopped the fence. 

He would score the game-tying run just three pitches later, as the red hot Pablo Reyes tripled down the left-field line as part of a three-hot effort. 

Alvarez was called out on strikes with a man in scoring position in the seventh, but he was able to do more damage two innings later, as he crushed a go-ahead two-run homer to deep left-center. 

This one left the bat at 107.2 mph and traveled 412 feet. 

The 23-year-old has now gone deep on back-to-back days after going hitless in each of his first three games following his demotion from the big-league level. 

Luisangel Acuña reached base for the sixth time in seven games since he was sent back down -- lining a one out single in the top of the seventh, and he picked up his third stolen base of the season at the level. 

On the pitching side of things Syracuse’s bullpen was pretty impressive -- youngster Dom Hamel tossed two scoreless innings, Rico Garcia put up a zero of his own, Austin Warren struck out the side in the eighth, and Justin Garza locked down the save.

Following a tough 13-game stretch that saw the Mets get swept at home by the Tampa Bay Rays and then win just three out of 10 straight games against NL East opponents, the team came into Pittsburgh this weekend with a chance to right the ship against one of the worst teams, record-wise, in the National League.

But hopes of turning things around quickly dissipated, and what could have been a bounce-back weekend became another nightmarish series for the Mets, as the Pirates swept the three-game set in dominant fashion, outscoring New York 30-4.

“It’s frustrating, and we are all frustrated, obviously. Not gonna lie, we’re better than that, and they know that,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after Sunday’s 12-1 defeat. “It’s a tough stretch, but we’ve got to be better.  It starts with me. We believe in those guys. Off day tomorrow, and then we’ve got another good team coming into town in the Brewers. They’re playing well, so we’ve got to bring our best game.

“[We’ll] continue to support the guys, but obviously we’re not happy about it.”

The Mets found themselves in an early hole on Sunday that proved to be too much for the club to dig out of, as starter Frankie Montas allowed five two-out runs in the first inning, including back-to-back home runs from Oneil Cruz and Tommy Pham.

Montas stuck around for 4.0 innings, allowing six earned runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking one, but his poor first inning was too much for the Mets to overcome.

“To be honest, just in that first inning I felt like I was missing my spots a little bit,” Montas said. “I thought I threw some pretty good pitches after that.

“I feel like I wasn’t really commanding my fastball the way I wanted to, and that’s the thing. If you’re not hitting your spots, they’re going to hit you pretty good.”

The Mets, who are now just 19-25 on the road this season and currently sit 1.5 games behind Philadelphia in the NL East standings, have an off day on Monday before welcoming the Milwaukee Brewers (winners of eight of their last 10) to Citi Field, starting on Tuesday night.

The Mets know they were outplayed by the Pirates in every facet during this weekend’s set, but Francisco Lindor explained that the hope is the off day allows them to reset before facing a hot Brewers club.

"It's a tough stretch for sure. Hopefully getting the day off, the mental day off, and getting away from the field, we can come back and get back on the horse,” Lindor said.

“There’s a big league team on the other side,” he added later about the three-game sweep. “We’ve got to tip our cap to them, they outplayed us. They pitched better than us, they hit better than us, they got on base better than us, they played better defense. It’s a big league team on the other side. With that being said, there’s a sense of, yeah, we’re frustrated that we’re not winning, but at the end of the day it’s just part of the adversity that we’re dealing with right now.

“We’ve got to stick together and play as hard as we can to come out of it. Hopefully once we’re out of it, we don’t go back to something like this.”

The Yankees closed their weekend set with a 12-5 win over the Athletics on Sunday afternoon.

Here are some takeaways...

- Jazz Chisholm Jr. got the scoring started with a solo shot in the bottom of the second off Luis Severino. Jazz was smooth again just one inning later, as he ripped a three-run triple into the right-center gap, blowing the game wide open at 4-0.

Chisholm was on base three times on the day with the pair of extra-base knocks and a walk.

- The Yanks would add on again against their former teammate in the bottom of the fourth, as Aaron Judge crushed a two-run shot deep into left field seats. Judge struck again later in the contest, launching another two-run shot in the seventh, this time off of right-hander Tyler Ferguson.

Judge now has five straight seasons with 30+ homers and he's the second player to reach that mark this year.

- Cody Bellinger got in on the fun as well, cracking a three-run shot to right-center in the fifth as part of a three-hit afternoon. The sweet-swinging lefty now has knocks in nine of his last 10 games and he has two homers and six RBI over that span.
- It was a rough go for Severino against his former team, as he allowed six earned runs (seven total) on five hits, three strikeouts and three walks over just 3.2 innings of work. The veteran right-hander now has a 5.18 ERA during his first season with the A's.

- Marcus Stroman was hit by a line drive off Max Muncy’s bat in the top of the second, but he was able to stay in the game after talking to the training staff. Making his first start since April 11 (knee inflammation), the right-hander held the A's offense to just one run on three hits and two walks in five innings.

- JT Brubaker struggled in just his fourth outing of the season, as he was unable to work through the sixth inning and allowed the A's to creep their way back in. He recorded just one out before being pulled -- allowing four runs on two hits and three walks.

- The rest of the Yankees' bullpen was able to get the job done behind him -- Jonathan Loaisiga, Tim Hill, Ian Hamilton, and Luke Weaver combined to allow just one baserunner to reach via walk while striking out four over the final 3.2 innings of work.

- New York pushed their lead over the Rays in the AL East back up to 1.5 games.

Game MVP: Aaron Judge

The captain reached base three times, including his 29th and 30th homers of the season.

Highlights

Jazz opens the scoring! pic.twitter.com/lPAv8JX1YF

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 29, 2025

TURN UP THAT JAZZ! pic.twitter.com/Aw8eCnKGJX

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 29, 2025

ALL RISE 👨‍⚖️ pic.twitter.com/Kq6IqCYHy1

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 29, 2025

Cody Bellinger blows the game wide open with a three-run shot! pic.twitter.com/wqtNrIfYEl

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 29, 2025

AARON JUDGE 30 HOMERS! pic.twitter.com/3WlU47b13c

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 29, 2025

What's next

The Yanks go to Toronto to start a four-game set with the Blue Jays on Monday night.

Carlos Rodon (9-5, 2.92 ERA) takes the ball for New York with a 7:07 p.m. first pitch.

Mets outfielder/DH Jesse Winker took a big step in his recovery on Sunday afternoon. 

After completing his ramp up from an oblique injury, the slugger was finally able to get back into game action with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones, and he showed no signs of rust. 

Winker drew a six-pitch walk during his first at-bat -- he then went first-to-third on a Eli Serrano III double into the right-center gap, but was caught trying to score on a wild pitch. 

An inning later he stepped to the plate with a man on second and two outs, and he missed an opposite-field homer by a matter of inches, but instead settled for an RBI double high off the left-field fence.

He was hit-by-pitch in his third at-bat of the day, then was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the sixth.

Overall, Winker finished the day a perfect 1-for-1 with an RBI double, walk, and hit-by-pitch.

While Sunday's strong outing was certainly an encouraging start, he is expected to require a lengthy rehab assignment since he has been sidelined since the first week of May due to an oblique strain.

Monday is a scheduled day off for the minor leagues, but he is expected to be right back in the Cyclones' lineup as the designated hitter for Tuesday's contest with the Hudson Valley Renegades.

Jesse Winker just barely misses an opposite field home run in Brooklyn

He'll settle for an RBI double in his first rehab appearance pic.twitter.com/aMlbtGIezE

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 29, 2025

The Mets' nightmarish series in Pittsburgh concluded with a 12-1 loss on Sunday to the Pirates, who completed the three-game sweep.

Here are the key takeaways...

-Frankie Montas nearly escaped a first-inning jam thanks to a tremendous catch by Brett Baty on a line drive to third, but he couldn’t finagle out it, and it snowballed into a big inning. After Ke’Bryan Hayes served one off the end of the bat into center for a two-run single, Oneil Cruz and Tommy Pham hit back-to-back home runs to right field, and just like that, the Pirates had a 5-0 lead, with all the runs scoring with two outs.

On a day when the Mets needed length from Montas, he threw 38 pitches and allowed five runs in the first inning. He was able to settle in a bit and battle through 4.0 innings, but it was a rough go for the veteran, who allowed six earned runs on seven hits, striking out five and walking one. He threw 86 pitches, 60 of which were strikes.

-The Mets' bats were stymied by starter Mike Burrows through the first four innings, but Luis Torrens put New York on the board with a solo home run to right field, cutting the lead to five.

Torrens' second homer of the season chased Burrows, who allowed just one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk over 4.1 innings. Torrens, meanwhile, finished the day with a pair of hits, giving the Mets some desperately needed production from the catcher position.

-Richard Lovelady, back with the Mets on a new major league deal, took over in the fifth and immediately allowed a solo home run to Bryan Reynolds. The Mets needed Lovelady to give them some outs, and he ended up going 2.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with one strikeout.

Dedniel Núñez was also hit hard upon coming into the game in the seventh, as Cruz demolished another two-run homer, putting the Pirates into double-digits in the run column.

-With the game out of hand and the Mets' bullpen taxed, it was Travis Jankowski who came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning. Throwing about 45 MPH, Jankowski quickly loaded the bases but ended up allowing just two runs, as the Mets turned a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

-The Mets' "Big Four" hitters -- Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso -- combined to go 2-for-15 with four strikeouts. Lindor went just 1-or-12 in the series, walking once.

Game MVP

Cruz, who homered twice and drove in four runs.

Highlights

Snagged at the hot corner by Brett Baty! pic.twitter.com/49TLsJUJQp

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 29, 2025

Luis Torrens hits a solo shot to get the Mets on the board pic.twitter.com/FmL3MylkL7

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 29, 2025

Upcoming schedule

The Mets have an off day on Monday before starting a six-game homestand at Citi Field, which begins against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night at 7:15 p.m. on SNY.

Clay Holmes is scheduled to face fellow righty Freddy Peralta.

There’s one upcoming restricted free agent on the New York Rangers that’s flying under the radar, but still needs to be signed. 

That is none other than Will Cuylle. 

Cuylle is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1 and he still hasn’t been signed despite being one of the Rangers’ most talented young players. 

What is the hold-up in these contract negotiations, and is there actually a chance that we can see Cuylle leave New York?

According to The Athletic’s Peter Baugh, the Rangers have already been in talks with Cuylle about a potential contract extension. 

However, it’s unclear how far these talks have gone thus far and what is exactly holding the two sides up from agreeing on a deal.

If Cuylle and the Rangers do not come to terms on a contract extension by July 1 and he hits the restricted free agency market, Larry Brooks of The New York Post is reporting that the 23-year-old forward will be the most attractive impending offer-sheet targets around the league, alongside Matty Knies.

This doesn't necessarily mean Cuylle will depart from the Rangers if he’s offer-sheeted as the Blueshirts will have an opportunity to match any contract he’s offered. 

Michael Peca Opens Up About The Rangers' Dyfunctional Environment One by one, insiders close to the Rangers are opening up with revelations about the dissension-riddled team's dismal 2024-25 season. To say the least, the negative comments are disheartening.

There is a sense of urgency to get a contract finalized before it does get to that point though, especially with the concept of offer sheets becoming more and more common in the NHL.

The pressure now shifts to Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury to ensure Cuylle is in The Big Apple long into the future.

Phillies don't make same mistake twice on trip, find run support for Suarez in win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

If there’s one thing you can count on when tuning in to watch the 2025 Phillies — it’s that you never know what you’re going to get.

The club constantly keeps you on your toes and Sunday’s series finale in Atlanta was no different.

A narrow 2-1 win (and series win) against the Braves partially salvaged an otherwise brutal 2-4 road trip.

A road trip that saw the Phillies being shutout three times, a 13-run offensive explosion, dominant bullpen game and four of the strongest outings from the starting rotation all season (with not much to show for it). It’s a coin toss every day.

Luckily for the Phillies, they didn’t make one glaring mistake on the road twice — waste a gem of a performance from Ranger Suarez.

Outside of his first start of the season, Suarez has been nothing short of spectacular.

Sunday marked his 10th straight quality start and in that stretch he has a 1.19 ERA.

His one bad pitch came in the second inning when Sean Murphy smashed a sinker 451 ft. over Brandon Marsh’s head. Other than that? Lights out.

Suarez allowed the one run, four hits and a walk on his way to pitching seven solid innings with eight strikeouts.

His seven wins on the season ties him with Zack Wheeler for the most in the rotation.

“I’ve felt better after every start and the command has been improving after every start,” Suarez said postgame through interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “I think that this is as close to, if not the best, that I’ve felt pitching.”

The Phillies went 16 consecutive innings without scoring a run with Ranger Suarez on the mound. The run support finally came in the fifth inning courtesy of some ABC ball.

Bryson Stott opened the inning with a leadoff single and flew around the bases when the next man up, Otto Kemp, doubled on a sharp line drive to left field. Kemp has continued to make himself at home since being called up June 7, collecting his 10th RBI in the majors.

The small ball continued with Marsh laying down a perfect bunt to advance the runner and on the next pitch, a Trea Turner sacrifice fly gave the Phillies the lead.

It didn’t seem like it’d be another quiet day of offense — especially when the Phillies had the bases loaded in the first inning against Spencer Strider. They worked him for 21 pitches but couldn’t manage anything to get an early jump on the Braves.

When you’re able to scrape across a pair of runs when your pitcher is dealing the way Suarez has … sometimes it’s all you need to get the job done.

Harper on the horizon?

Bryce Harper hasn’t played since June 5, spending time on the IL due to inflammation in his right wrist. While there is no set date for his return, the upcoming targeted homestand seems well within reason.

“I’m very happy with where I am,” Harper said Friday. “I’m way farther ahead than I felt like I would be. Definitely healthier than I was a couple weeks ago. … I don’t want to solidify which day [to return] or anything like that but I’m happy with where I’m at.”

Rob Thomson noted Sunday was a scheduled rest and recovery day for Harper. The manager also didn’t rule out a return as early as Monday.

The Phillies have 12 more games before the All-Star break, seeing the Padres twice and a west coast swing that also pays a visit to the Giants. It’d be a big boost to have Harper in the lineup for as many of those as possible.

They’ve gone 12-10 in the stretch without him.

Justin Verlander laments ‘frustrating' Giants stretch, wasted golden opportunity originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Justin Verlander didn’t have much to say after the Giants’ loss to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, and why would he.

The veteran pitcher was in line for his first win in the Orange and Black when he left the game with a 2-1 lead after six innings, only to watch Chicago rally for four runs in the seventh and walk away with a 5-2 win and series victory at Rate Field.

The loss put the Giants at 1-5 in their last six games after the White Sox took two of three and the Miami Marlins swept them at Oracle Park — not at all how San Francisco hoped things would go against a pair of very beatable teams.

“Yeah, it sure is,” a somber Verlander told reporters after the game when asked if the Giants’ poor start to their road trip has been frustrating. “You know, I think, uh … Yeah, that is frustrating. Yes.”

Verlander struck out three and walked two while allowing one earned run on five hits in his 12th start of the 2025 MLB season. He began this year with 262 career wins, and that’s where he remains after the Giants went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base in Sunday’s loss.

Patrick Bailey, who has bumped his average up nine points since June 7, got the Giants on the board in the second with an RBI double, then Willy Adames drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth to put the Giants up 2-1. And that was it for San Francisco’s slumping bats.

“That’s just kind of what we’ve been doing here recently,” manager Bob Melvin told reporters after the game. “Whether the guys are trying too hard in certain spots, that’s probably the case … They’re working hard, doing the best they can with it.

“Obviously it’s not great right now. Just got to keep working and get through it.”

The Giants’ bullpen, typically elite and the best in MLB, couldn’t hold on to the lead in the seventh. Erik Miller allowed consecutive one-out singles before forcing Andrew Benintendi to ground out, then was replaced by Ryan Walker, who issued a walk then gave up a two-run double. Walker then surrendered another run on a balk before Lenyn Sosa made it 5-2 with an RBI single.

With the no-decision, Verlander became the seventh pitcher in the last 120 seasons to make 13-plus starts and earn zero wins before July 1 (h/t the Associated Press’ Josh Dubow).

“Just trying to keep putting myself in the position for wins,” Verlander told reporters. “That’s all you can do as a starter.”

The lifeless defeat came one day after Robbie Ray gave up one run across six innings and was stuck with the loss as San Francisco’s offense mustered just four hits in Chicago’s 1-0 win on Saturday. After missing out on their chance to win against two sub-.500 teams, the Giants now head to Arizona for a four-game series against the Diamondbacks and then to West Sacramento to face the Athletics.

“A lot of ‘how frustrating’ questions, and that’s kind of where we are,” Melvin told reporters. “We have to answer them. But I think when you’re not playing well, it’s tough to win regardless. So, we’ve beaten good teams. We’ve lost to teams that [their] records aren’t great, but every team in the big leagues has got a chance to beat you.

“So we just have to get on a winning track no matter who we play.”

All of the momentum that came with Rafael Devers’ arrival seems to have been sucked out of the Giants, and now they find themselves 7 1/2 games out of first place in the NL West. With the second half underway, San Francisco must figure out a fix — and fast.

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The Mets look to avoid a sweep when they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. on PIX11.

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

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Mets Notes

• Montas allowed just three hits in 5.0 scoreless innings of work against the Atlanta Braves in his season debut on Tuesday
• Juan Soto is slugging a ridiculous .818 over his last seven games, belting four home runs while driving in six and scoring seven runs
• Brandon Nimmo has also been a force for the Mets of late, slashing .316/.371/.456 with two home runs, six RBI, and four runs scored over his last 15 games
• Edwin Diaz, who is yet to pitch in this series, has a stingy 1.08 ERA in the month of June, striking out 12 hitters in 8.1 innings.

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How can I watch Mets at Pirates online?

To watch Mets games online via PIX11, you will need a subscription to a TV service provider and live in the New York City metro area. This will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet or mobile phone browser.

To get started on your computer, go to the PIX11 live stream website and follow the site's steps. For more FAQs, you can go here.

Richard Lovelady's time away from the Mets didn't last long.

After being designated for assignment earlier this week and then electing free agency over an outright assignment on Saturday, Lovelady signed a one-year major league deal with the Mets and will be active for Sunday's series finale in Pittsburgh.

Lovelady, 29, originally signed with the Mets on Monday after he was released by Minnesota. He appeared in one game, allowing two eared runs on one hit and two walks in Tuesday's loss to the Atlanta Braves.

The Mets clearly have a need for left-handed help in their bullpen, as Jose Castillo was DFA'd the same day as Lovelady, and Colin Poche has now been DFA'd in a corresponding move to re-add Lovelady. Poche allowed two earned runs on two hits and two walks while recording just two outs in Saturday's loss to the Pirates.

Lovelady and Brandon Waddell are currently the only two lefties in the Mets' bullpen, though Brooks Raley is on a rehab assignment and could be a factor at some point this season.

Here's what happened Saturday in Mets Land, in case you missed it...

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-A lengthy rain delay killed the momentum, and the Mets suffered another listless loss to the Pirates

-After the game, the Mets held a team meeting, with players like Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso among those who spoke

-Looking to spark his team,Carlos Mendoza was ejected for the first time this season after arguing balls and strikes

-Down on the farm, Francisco Alvarez launched his first home run since returning to Syracuse, while Brandon Sproat turned in six scoreless innings

-OutfielderDrew Gilbert smacked a pair of home runs in the second game of Syracuse's doubleheader with Rochester

-Mendoza provided updates on a pair of lefties -- Sean Manaea and Brooks Raley-- as they continue their way back to the bigs