Category: Sports News

All the Yankees needed to snap a season-long losing skid and break out at the plate was a scorching hot afternoon featuring a pair of bookended rain delays. Just the usual remedy for an alarming cold streak.

While their performance wasn't exactly pretty, the Yankees couldn't have cared less about style points on Thursday in the Bronx. What mattered most was securing a long-craved win, and they did just that by outmuscling the Angels, 7-3, in their four-game series finale. They also prevented their old playoff nemesis from pulling off their first-ever four-game road sweep at Yankee Stadium.

The six-game slide, which saw the Yankees hit a measly .155 with 59 strikeouts and go a confounding 30 straight innings without scoring, didn't encapsulate their entire season by any means. They entered Thursday with the highest OPS in the AL, and ranked third across the majors in runs scored.

So, the awakening was inevitable, even though it took a week for the bats to connect. The Yankees' winning formula consisted of 12 hits -- two of which were home runs from Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt -- all nine starters reaching base, and four runs driven in with two outs. Call it welcomed pop and production, from top to bottom.

"Obviously, these last few games haven't gone our way. Today was good, but we've got to keep going," Goldschmidt said after the win. "It's a long season. A long season when you're playing well, a long season when you're losing a few games in a row. We understand that. So, we've done a good job just taking it day by day. Today was a good example of that."

The "no style points" mentality can apply to the performance from Carlos Rodón. While the southpaw served up a season-high three home runs to the Angels, they were all of the solo variety, and the early run support allowed him to complete six innings and earn the quality start. He stuck out seven and walked one across 92 pitches, and his ERA now sits at 3.10.

"Three solo shots, obviously I want to be in a better place with those pitches," Rodón said. "So there's stuff to work on this week and be better at. But all in all, we won the game, so that's the big part... I thought they swung it great, I thought we played some great baseball. Props to the bullpen for shutting it down when I came out."

The Yankees' week-long stench was one for the books. They were shut out in three straight games for just the seventh time in franchise history. For the first time since 1908 -- yes, 1908 -- they scored seven runs or fewer with six-plus losses across a seven-game span (h/t Katie Sharp).

But the Yankees finally showed signs of life on Thursday, and with the last-place Orioles arriving in town for a three-game set this weekend, hopes of a winning streak can re-enter the brains of players and fans.

"It definitely feels good hearing the music again and coming out with a W," said Cody Bellinger, who collected a team-high three hits. "Carlos and the bullpen did a great job of minimizing them. For us, we got to come do our job and score some runs."

The Mets have come to a decision with Frankie Montas. 

With his 30-day minor league rehab assignment officially coming to an end, New York has decided that the veteran right-hander will jump into the big-league rotation on Tuesday night against the Braves.

Montas, of course, has been sidelined since spring training with a right lat strain. 

After a long recovery process, he was finally able to get back into game action. But things didn't quite go as planned, as he was roughed up over six outings between Triple-A Syracuse and High-A Brooklyn.

His latest appearance came on Wednesday with Syracuse -- he started well but ultimately faltered off, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out two over five innings. 

That brought his ERA up to an ugly 13.17 over just 13.2 innings of work. 

But with no time left on his rehab assignment and a need for healthy arms in the rotation, the Mets have decided to insert him into the mix for his team debut.

"I'm not gonna lie, he got hit around," Carlos Mendoza said. "Look we've seen it before where guys in spring training struggle and get hit around, then once you put them in a big-league game under the lights with a gameplan and making adjustments, they flip the switch.

"He's had success so far at this level, so hopefully that's the case here with a guy who basically treated this rehab process as spring training and he got hit around. But again, we believe in the player and we're going to give him a chance."

Sanchez dominates, Phillies pull into tie with Mets just before they come to town originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Rob Thomson has talked since spring training about managing his starting pitchers a bit differently in 2025.

With the long game in mind and the goal of keeping their workhorses as fresh as possible for October, the Phillies have dialed their starters back ever so slightly. Rather than extend them one more inning when their pitch count is nearing the upper limit, the Phils have played it safer. The fact that they trail only the Braves and Rays in innings per start speaks to the efficiency and overall productivity of one of baseball’s best rotations.

Thomson could have sent Cristopher Sanchez back out for the ninth inning of Thursday’s 2-1 win in Miami but went to Orion Kerkering instead for the save. Sanchez had retired 10 in a row and was at only 91 pitches, but the Phillies’ manager stayed true to his word.

While every starter wants to finish his own work when the opportunity presents itself, Sanchez didn’t seem too bothered by the decision in the dugout after his eighth and final inning. He was terrific, allowing one run on five hits with no walks and picking up 16 of his 24 outs on the ground.

The lefty is 6-2 with a 2.87 ERA through 15 starts and is on pace to exceed 180 innings.

The Marlins gave the Phillies a scare in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a one-out error by Alec Bohm, which extended the inning for Miami to later put runners on the corners. Dane Myers popped up to Bohm to end it as Kerkering picked up his second career save.

The Phillies (45-30) took three of four at loanDepot Park, the dullest venue in baseball. They’ll come home to substantially more energy this weekend against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, a battle for first place in the NL East. The teams are now tied thanks to six straight Mets losses.

Every bit of Sanchez’ mastery was required in the finale in Miami because the Phillies didn’t score until the seventh inning. They were gifted their first run on a bobble by Marlins third baseman Connor Norby, who still had a force-out at the plate but chose instead to race to third to unsuccessfully attempt a 5-3 double play on Bryson Stott.

Kyle Schwarber tattooed his 23rd home run of the season in the top of the eighth and Sanchez and Kerkering finished off the series win.

The Phillies have responded to a 2-10 stretch by winning six of their last seven. Their ace, Zack Wheeler, kicks off the weekend looking to maintain momentum. The Phils have played poorly against the Mets for a calendar year but have a chance to help themselves out in a big way. It’s an important head-to-head opportunity, one that won’t come up again until the final week of August.

The Mets made a handful of roster moves to adjust the bullpen ahead of Thursday's series finale with the Atlanta Braves.

RHP Max Kranick (right elbow strain) was placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to June 16. He last pitched on June 15 against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing two hits over two innings with a strikeout and a walk. Over 24 games this season, Kranick owns a 3-2 record with a 3.65 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 37.1 IP.

"After the last outing, we had an off day, he complained about some soreness around the elbow area, forearm," Carlos Mendoza told reporters. "Kind of gave him a couple of extra days where we tried to stay away from him, got treatment. Yesterday he played catch, got on the mound, and he was still feeling something. Very similar to what [Tylor] Megill was experiencing on the secondary pitches.

"So he flew back to New York this morning. He got an MRI early this afternoon. We're waiting for the results now."

Mendoza added that Kranick "didn't think this was something too serious," but they'll wait to see what the imaging shows.

With Kranick hitting the IL, New York recalled relievers Dedniel Nuñez and Justin Hagenman from Triple-A Syracuse, while optioning RHP Ty Adcock to Triple-A.

Nuñez had a late start to his season while recovering from an elbow injury, making his season debut on May 5. However, the righty struggled and walked six batters in 3.2 innings of work across five games. He was then optioned down to Triple-A on May 17.

Over 19 games in the minors, Nuñez has gone 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA, 21 strikeouts, and 11 walks in 19.0 IP.

Hagenman is expected to start Friday's game as the opener against the Phillies in Philadelphia. He allowed one run on three hits over 3.1 IP with four strikeouts on April 16 against the Minnesota Twins in his lone major league appearance and owns a 6.21 ERA over 33.1 innings with Triple-A Syracuse.

Adcock let up one run on one hit in Wednesday's loss to the Braves and has pitched to a 3.00 ERA over three games with the Mets this season.