Category: Sports News

Young Angels fans who lined the infield for autographs as the team jogged onto the field Sunday, may not know the thrilling, heart-racing suspense of the postseason — nor the captivating, religious-like fervor the Rally Monkey could bring.

Neither did the Angels who took their places in the field, combining for zero postseason appearances — a group that hadn’t even made their major-league debuts when Mike Trout last led the Angels to the playoffs.

2014 represents the longest postseason drought in MLB. Meanwhile, the 2002 World Series title may read more as a story told by parents to the kids who ran back up into the shaded seats away from the blistering sun after receiving signed baseballs from a group featuring some present-day Angels — Nolan Schanuel, Christian Moore and Logan O’Hoppe.

Does the pressure of holding a postseason spot, potentially hitting a benchmark goal before the All-Star break, change the short-term focus of the franchise? When asked about the expectations before Sunday’s game, interim manager Ray Montgomery said he’s just focused on the now, a message he’s been trying to instill in the clubhouse since spring training.

“If we worry about ourselves and playing the day that we're scheduled to play, and not worry about the other stuff, we'll continue to be fine,” Montgomery said.

On Sunday, however, focus collapsed in the late innings, a winning record remaining just past arm's length in the Angels' 11-inning, 7-4 defeat to the Nationals (35-49). Closer Kenley Jansen blew his first save of the season in the ninth while up one run. The Nationals' rally was started by a leadoff double that could have been deemed an error by Schanuel on a bouncing ground ball that got past him at first.

“I think it's a ball you should probably come in on and come after right away, instead of kind of laying back,” Montgomery said of Schanuel, who also made a defensive mishap in the sixth that caused the Nationals to take a 2-1 lead, “because you're going to get a tough hop on that one after that. And we saw that.”

And despite a scoreless 10th from Connor Brogdon, he gave up three runs (two earned) in the 11th after a CJ Abrams triple broke the game open.

The sun, in the seventh, also made it hard for shortstop Kevin Newman. A two-out pop fly, ruled a double for Abrams, dropped in left when Newman couldn't find the ball. The play knotted the game at three.

“Really frustrating,” Newman said. “Especially just being a pop-up, really not a difficult play by any means, and it just found its way right into the middle of the sun.”

The Angels (41-42) still had plenty of opportunity to hold on to secure their first winning record since April 20. Outfielder Taylor Ward had a career-high three doubles, the first of which scored Schanuel — who reached on a walk — in the first to give the Angels a 1-0 lead. In the sixth, down 2-1, Ward led off the bottom half with a double, on a ground ball deflected by a diving attempt by Nationals third baseman Brady House.

Read more:Angels' Ron Washington will remain on medical leave for rest of season

The eighth-year Angels veteran scored on a single from Jo Adell — extending his hit streak to a career-high 11 games — in the next at bat. Moore, who got his first taste of stardom Saturday with a fan meet-and-greet in Tustin, treated the home crowd to a go-ahead single scoring Adell later in the inning.

Quickly becoming a fan favorite for the Angels faithful, Moore capped his introductory homestand with another clutch at-bat — in a week that started with a bang thanks to his two home run spectacle Tuesday against the Red Sox. The rookie second baseman collected five tying or go-ahead hits across the homestand.

Ward had a chance to end the game in the 10th with runners on first and second with one out but struck out on three pitches. He looked at two fastballs up in the zone, and froze on a Kyle Finnegan splitter for strike three.

“It can’t happen,” Ward said. “I don’t know why I didn’t pull the trigger on the first two pitches. Something I’m going to be kicking myself over.”

The Angels ended the afternoon two-for-13 with runners in scoring position, failing to score in the ninth, 10th and 11th with at least one runner on in each inning.

Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz was drilled in the left leg with a comebacker in the first inning, but pitched into the fifth until Montgomery pulled the sinkerballer after a walk and double. He gave up two runs and five hits and two walks, while striking out two.

The Angels bullpen was solid after Kochanowicz removal, combining for five strikeouts, three walks, three hits and two runs before extra innings began. Reid Detmers highlighted the combined effort, striking out three across 1 ⅓ innings, and helping Ryan Zeferjahn escape the seventh with just one run to his name (when Newman couldn’t find the ball in the sun). The southpaw was in line for the victory before Jansen's blown save sent the game to extra innings.

Jumping for Jo(y)

Adell has strung together a potential AL Player of the Month-level campaign in June, socking 11 home runs — best in the AL — as well as .284 batting average and 18 RBIs.

So far, Adell is already on pace for a career-high in wins above replacement rating with 1.0 entering the game, according to Baseball Reference, and is on track for career-best marks in on-base percentage and slugging percentage as well.

“I'm rooting for him,” Montgomery said. “The home runs are nice, and it's a byproduct of being on the field every day, the work he's doing. But everything defensively, base running, he's contributing every way possible.”

Etc.

Zach Neto pinch-hit in the seventh inning for Newman and then played the remainder of the game — his first time back fielding since jamming his shoulder Tuesday.

Montgomery said before the game that conversations with Neto and the medical staff leaned to giving him a full off day, along with having the Monday off day, rather than just being in the lineup as the designated hitter.

But when push came to shove in a then-tied game, Neto (0-for-2) and Mike Trout — who began the game on the bench — had an at-bat.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Mets have heard nothing but good things about Brooks Raley as he continues working his way back from Tommy John surgery.

That certainly doesn’t come as a surprise -- as the lefty put together another strong outing Saturday night in Double-A. 

Raley stretched out to a second up for the first time since returning -- and he allowed just one baserunner while punching out a pair across 1.2 innings of work. 

He needed just 17 pitches to get through the outing, 12 of which were strikes. 

“Everything is good,” Carlos Mendoza said. “He went two ups, obviously he continues to feel well and that’s important for him to just get that out of the way when he has to go two ups and throw strikes. The ball is coming out fine right now, so far we’ve gotten good reports.”

Raley has now allowed just four hits while striking out eight batters over his first four outings.

The veteran southpaw still has a ways to go as he continues building his workload up in the minors, but eventually getting him back in the mix will provide a huge boost to the Mets’ struggling pitching staff. 

Raley was a key contributor when he was last healthy, posting a 2.80 ERA over 66 appearances.

Brooks Raley had a strong outing in his first Double-A rehab appearance

1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K pic.twitter.com/PwiawZh2D7

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 28, 2025

The Yankees needed a big outing from Marcus Stroman on Sunday, and he delivered. 

The right-hander was shaky at times during his minor league rehab stint, but taking the big-league mound for the first time since April 11 he looked strong as he limited the Athletics to just one run over a season-high five innings of work. 

“I thought he was terrific today,” Aaron Boone said. “He was a little bit of an unknown going out there coming off his buildup out -- I know he’s coming off a tough one down there in Triple-A, but I thought he got after it really good today.

“He got pitches where he needed to, I thought he had a presence on both sides of the plate, was a little unpredictable using his sinker, his cutter and the different breaking balls -- but he got after it in the zone when he needed to and gave us everything we needed.”

Stroman cruised through the first but then had a bit of a scare in the second, as he was struck by a Max Muncy liner right back through the box, but after a brief discussion with trainers he was able to stay in the game. 

The Athletics pushed a man into scoring position with a leadoff walk and single in the third, but he got star rookie Jacob Wilson to roll into an inning-ending double play. 

Stroman then worked around a two out walk in the fourth, but his lone blemish came in the fifth as he allowed the A’s to get on the board with Willie MacIver’s second home run of the season to deep left.

He ended his afternoon on a high note by retiring the next two, and with the Yankees’ offense providing more than enough support, he was able to pick up his first win since August of 2024. 

“I feel like this was a good building block,” Stroman said. “It’s not the same being on the side, you feel like you’re left out. So it’s definitely good to be back with the boys, it's an incredible team that we’re a part of we can truly do some special things. I’m just looking to do my part and contribute as much as I can.”

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)

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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.