Category: Sports News

Of all David Stearns’ misfires last winter, probably none resonates louder than at first base. 

The all-time Mets home run leader is playing at a typical Pete Alonso level for the Orioles. He began Monday with an .812 OPS and 22 homers; not surprisingly, he had appeared in all 106 games for his new team. 

Stearns, the Mets president of baseball operations, signed Jorge Polanco to play first base. Polanco has played only two games at the position. Mark Vientos was miscast at first base before hitting the injured list with a broken hand. Jared Young has at least brought a level of respectability to the position, but it’s hard to view a decent stretch by Plan C as organizational success. 

Also, Alonso has excelled defensively. This comes after Stearns’ main talking point heading into the offseason seemed directed at Alonso: the need to improve run prevention. Alonso is three outs above average defensively, placing him in MLB’s 85th percentile. 

Francisco Lindor was asked before Monday’s game if the Mets front office miscalculated by not bringing back Alonso. 

“We do all miss Pete,” Lindor said. “We love him and he’s a great player and he’s going to be one of the greatest Mets to ever play. I think they made an effort [to keep him]. All I know is they thought they were going to improve the team. At the end of the day, we love Pete. We miss Pete.” 

Whether the Mets tried to keep Alonso depends on how you view the seven-year, $158 million offer extended to him two years before he hit free agency. Last November, Alonso was realistically a goner after the Orioles offered him $155 million over five years. The Mets never countered. Within days they signed Polanco to a two-year deal worth $40 million. 

Stearns had a brutal offseason, importing Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien and Luis Robert Jr. as core position players, along with Polanco. Bichette needed two months to get going offensively (by which time the Mets were buried in the standings) while Robert and Polanco have spent much more time on the injured list than active. Semien has simply been one of MLB’s least productive players. 

Polanco began the day with 101 plate appearances for the Mets and a .431 OPS. 

“We certainly signed him with the anticipation of him being a force in our lineup,” interim manager Andy Green said. “His health hasn’t allowed that to happen for us this year … it’s hurt us. I talked to him [Sunday] for a little bit and just said what I truly believe: by the time he’s done in a Mets uniform he’s going to help us win big games that matter a ton. I don’t think anybody has given up that expectation with him.” 

Now the Mets are headed to Monday’s trade deadline as sellers, something that should never happen to a team with MLB’s second-highest payroll. And yet it’s the second time in four seasons the Mets are selling at the deadline after constructing an underperforming roster. 

This is not to suggest the Mets would be a first-place team or even in the postseason hunt if they had simply re-signed Alonso. That’s unless Alonso magically could have gotten Freddy Peralta to pitch beyond the fourth inning or Kodai Senga to revert to his 2023 level. 

But the Mets would at least have a watchability factor heading into the dog days of summer. The sense of bleakness is only underscored by Juan Soto’s calf injury that will keep him sidelined into September if not the remainder of the season. 

And, of course, if Alonso had returned there would be less uncertainty about first base heading into next season. 

It’s understandable Stearns didn’t want to “run it back” with the same group after last season’s second-half collapse that left the Mets absent from the postseason. 

But there have been few more popular players in Mets history than Alonso, and the franchise record 264 homers he hit over seven seasons are a testament to his ability. 

By the way, the 22 homers he’s hit this season would lead the Mets. 

“He’s one of the greatest teammates I’ve ever had,” Lindor said. 

The Mets’ purge last winter included trading Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil and letting Edwin Díaz escape through free agency to the Dodgers. 

None have left the kind of glaring hole created by Alonso’s absence.

The St. Louis Cardinals begin a crucial 4-game series versus their arch rivals the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium Monday night. According to MLB.com, the Cubs will start LHP David Peterson. The Cardinals starter is Matthew Liberatore according to MLB.com. First pitch set for 6:45pm Monday night at Busch Stadium with the TV broadcast available through Cardinals.tv.

It’s a new week and a new series, this time with the Bronx Bombers in town. With similar records, the White Sox will see a mostly dominant Yankees team for the second time this year.

Before the game, the White Sox returned outfielder Everson Pereira from his injury rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Charlotte, reinstated him from the seven-day injured list and optioned outfielder Junior Pérez to the Knights.

Noah Schultz is on the bump tonight. Schultz (3-7) has had a tough transition back post-injury, with a 6.04 ERA, and the Yankees’ hitters will be tough. Former Yankee lefthander specialist Randal Grichuk and leads off tonight:

Max Fried (4-3) is starting for New York. The lefthander has an ERA of 2.97 but only 57 strikeouts this season. White Sox defense will also need to keep a close eye on Ben Rice, who is having quite the season.

You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. CT.

After the Yankees placed left fielder Cody Bellinger on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain Sunday, manager Aaron Boone shared the severity and return time frame.

"Grade 2 strain, so probably a 4-to-6-week situation," Boone said before Monday's game opened a three-game series at the Chicago White Sox. "The good thing is he's obviously able to move around right now, so we'll continue to do that and just allow this thing to heal and get him right."

Bellinger is slashing .259/.350/.420 with 11 home runs and 53 RBI in 102 games this season.

"Obviously we've had some tough, tough injuries to some really important people," Boone said. "But again, that is part of it. And as I said, the season waits for no one. It creates an opportunity, legitimately does, for one or more people to go plug that hole -- to develop, to grow -- and we feel very much that we have capable people out there, capable guys who are capable of going out there and performing at a high level. We've got to weather that storm, and confident we can do that."

With the MLB trade deadline set for next Monday at 6 p.m., does Boone expect Bellinger's status to impact the front office's approach?

"No," Boone said. "I get the sense that they have been working on this in different ways, shape and form for the last several weeks, getting ready for trade deadline stuff and I expect them to try and do all they can to improve our team. But again, you never know how that's going to shake out. We'll see. Again, you've got still teams out there defining who they are and what they're even going to do come a week from now or whenever it is. No, I think they're eager to improve our club if they can. But things got to line up, too."

"We'll see," Boone added. "You never know. You go in looking to try and improve certain areas. Sometimes it lines up. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you've got to pivot and go add to a strength or you never know how it's going to go. You've just got to be prepared that if something lines up and makes sense you're able to go do that. I know the front office is doing all their due diligence right now and we'll see how it shakes out over the next week."

Other injury updates

Boone was also asked about Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt.

There is no clarity of when Stanton (right calf strain) could return, Boone said.

"He's continuing with his running progression," Boone said of Stanton, who is with the Yankees as they continue their 10-game road trip. "The strength stuff, explosive stuff he's doing in the weight room has been very good. We've just got to get him up to a level, obviously, on the running side of things to be able to go out there."

Rodón (left elbow inflammation) and Schmidt (right forearm tightness) are set to throw live batting practices this week, Boone said.

"I think he's a live Wednesday, I believe, and Clarke is, I think, on Friday," Boone said. "Carlos will have a two-up live Wednesday -- I believe that's Somerset."

Curtis Mead leaves Red Sox debut after getting hit by pitch on wrist originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Curtis Mead’s debut with the Red Sox didn’t go the way he or the organization hoped.

Mead was forced to leave Monday night’s game early after getting hit by a pitch in the wrist from A’s starter Jack Perskin.

Mead, who struck out looking in the first inning, took a 95 mph fastball off the left wrist in the top of the fourth inning. He remained in the game, diving back to first base twice on pickoff attempts and playing the field in the bottom of the fourth.

Yet when the Red Sox took the field for the fifth, Anthony Seigler was in at second base.

The Red Sox acquired Mead over the weekend, trading left-handed pitcher Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals in a one-for-one swap.

Though Mead has primarily played third base in his career, he is expected to play second base for Boston, with Caleb Durbin manning third. Interim manager Chad Tracy also indicated that he likes Mead in the two-hole in the lineup, in part to give Ceddanne Rafaela more freedom to steal bases out of the fifth spot.

Those plans though, may be on hold for the near future, depending on how severe the injury suffered on Monday night might be.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Welcome back to another edition of our Reacts Survey! In this week’s survey, we’re asking about Brewers’ ace Jacob Misiorowski, specifically how you think the Brewers should manage his workload down the stretch.

Misiorowski, 24, pitched 66 innings in the majors (plus another 12 in the playoffs) last season after 63 1/3 innings at Triple-A in the first half of the year, totaling 141 1/3 innings to set a career-high mark.

This year, Misiorowski has already spanned 120 innings with two months left in the regular season, not to mention the postseason. While there’s no question Misiorowski is as dominant as they come — he struck out 12 in just five innings on Sunday, including the first seven batters of the game — the Brewers have already shown signs of cutting back on his workload.

He’s made just two starts since July 7 (with the All-Star break in there), and those two appearances have totaled just nine innings on 148 pitches. So, that leaves the question: How would you like the Brewers to handle Miz’s workload over the next two months? Keep pitching him as usual to keep him fresh? Set strict pitch/innings limits? Spread his starts out more? Weigh in below (or directly on The Feed), and we’ll share the results later this week!

The MLB trade deadline is about a week away, and several playoff contenders are in dire need of an extra kick to push them into World Series contention.

Whether it's a great starting pitcher, a platoon role hitter, or just some depth in the bullpen, there is a myriad of players available across the league who could help bolster your favorite team's roster.

While superstars like Tarik Skubal, Byron Buxton and Mason Miller will certainly steal the headlines if they swap teams, it's the smaller, more subtle moves that could shape the upcoming MLB postseason above all else. Here is one player every team in playoff position should target as the trade deadline approaches.

The Yankees got walloped last night, but overall their road trip is off to a strong start having taken two out of three from the Phillies. Now they’ll have the rare chance to get comfortable in a city other than New York, as they’ll be in the Windy City for the next week starting with a four-game set against the Chicago White Sox. The surprise division leaders in the AL Central have managed to jump ahead a few games of the pack thanks to a decent post-break start as well as the Guardians sliding down, and they’ll look to get revenge for a series victory that New York took in the Bronx back in June.

Max Fried is set to make his second start since returning from the IL, and his previous outing was about as good as you could ask for. Limited to 60 pitches, Fried was hyper efficient going five innings and striking out seven with just one hit and one walk allowed, and though the organization has not said there’s an official pitch limit in place for tonight you’d have to imagine he’ll be lifted somewhere in the 80-85 pitch range this time out as he builds back up from his bone bruise. Overall Fried’s been solid this year, pitching to a 2.97 ERA in 66.2 innings with 57 strikeouts to his name.

Noah Schultz will go for Chicago, and the 22-year-old rookie has been welcomed to the league rather roughly. He’s the owner of a 6.04 ERA in 12 starts, and he got rocked in his most recent start for five runs and 11 hits in 3.2 innings. Schultz hasn’t made it past the fifth inning in any of his July starts, and has given up three or more runs in seven of his last eight, so the onus is on the Yankee offense to wake up and make it a comfortable game for Fried. Schultz carries a wide pitch repertoire, consisting of a mid-90s four-seam, a cutter, a sinker, and a slider that he utilizes around 20 percent of the time each. He’s also got a changeup that he mixes in around 10 percent and a curveball that’s for show occasionally.

The Yankee lineup gets shaken up despite facing another lefty, with Max Schuemann leading off with Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt swapping order as they bat second and third respectively. Jasson Domínguez shifts over to right field as Spencer Jones enters the starting lineup and will play in center batting eighth, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. returns to second base batting sixth while José Caballero will move across the diamond and play third base.

Chicago’s answer to Fried starts with former Yankee Randal Grichuk leading off, the outfielder hitting for a 132 wRC+ in 53 games after getting DFA’d earlier in the year by New York. Home Run Derby participant Munetaka Murakami will bat behind him and Miguel Vargas rounds out the top of the order, both hitters having clubbed 22 home runs thus far. Montgomeries Colson and Braden cover the middle of their lineup, the former having hit 24 home runs while the other is a bench bat, and former Yankee Everson Pereira has been activated off the IL and will hit seventh manning center field.

How to watch

Location: Rate Field, Chicago IL

First pitch: 7:40 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES Network, Chicago Sports Network

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM, 107.9 La Ley (CWS)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

The shocking Red Sox resurgence has happened nearly entirely on or near the East Coast; that changes tonight, in Sacramento, where the Sox will face the A’s behind Payton Tolle. I’m not being hyperbolic to say that this trip is the Sox’s everything; while this year will always be known for The Streak, the ability to hit the road in the dog days and come back stronger is what powered the 2004 team (for example). It’s time for the Sox to win the games they’re supposed to win. I gotta good feeling, folks. Curtis Mead is batting second. Let’s get this.

I suppose thinking I’d find the A’s lineup on BlueSky was a bad idea. It’s okay, I’ve got plenty of those.

Things I did instead of starting this recap, a woeful 7-3 Mariners loss to the Rangers:

• Made a cup of coffee. Just one cup to get me going!
  
• Decided I deserved some chocolate syrup in the coffee. A treat for the recapper.
  
• Checked Slack, Bluesky, Twitter. Maybe someone else has some fresh insight on this team that will spark something that isn’t just baseball sucks dressed up in nicer language.
  
• Made a second cup of coffee because chocolate-laced coffee disappears quickly, it turns out.
  
• Thought about how the Rangers hitters seemed to have the Mariners’ pitchers figured out all weekend long, pouncing early and often and doing damage.
  
• Thought about how that approach really didn’t matter when George Kirby was grooving sweepers and sliders middle-middle, putting the Mariners in first a 1-0 hole, then a 4-1 hole, then a 7-2 hole, effectively wiping out any chance at a comeback despite some early signs of life from the offense, which shut down after that against Kumar Rocker, who demolished Mariners hitters with his slider and looked unhittable over his last four innings.
  
• Thought about how George Kirby, who gave up four (4) homers today to Rangers hitters, once looked unhittable against Texas.
  
• Checked to make sure the chart posted properly. Read the comments. Felt bad.
  
• Debated a third cup of coffee. Filled water bottle instead.
  
• DM’d a bit with Sam, the site manager for Purple Row. Sympathized about how tough it is to run a site when the team sucks. Got and gave pointers on dealing with “doomers” in the comments because that is the level we are at, needing advice from people who have to deal with the literal Rockies on a daily basis.
  
• Thought about the Dodgers series looming and the real chance the Mariners will go 1-6 on this roadtrip.
  
• Checked chart comments again. Felt worse.
  
• Forced self to think about a positive thing about this series. Positive thing: Colt Emerson with five hits against just three strikeouts this series against a tough slate of Texas pitching.
  
• Considered if trading a lost 2026 season is worth it if Cole Young – who had six hits this series, didn’t strike out once, had the hardest-hit ball in today’s game at 111 mph, and looks locked in as the leadoff man – becomes the Mariners version of Jose Altuve.
  
• Entertained self by imagining Astros fans hating Nice Young Man Cole Young with the white-hot passion Mariners fans have hated Altuve.
  
• DM’d some more with Sam from Purple Row. The Rockies have just called up a young Cole of their own, Cole Carrigg, who plays at 150% at all times and the other day the Rockies broadcaster described him as “emotional.” Debated if “emotional” is pejorative or not, when “emotional” turns into “fiery competitor,” and how that term gets applied differently depending on a player’s age or national origin.
  
• Watched some Cole Carrigg highlights. Decided I much prefer having Cole Young.
  
• Wondered if the Mariners might give Michael Arroyo, who plays a pretty high-emotion brand of baseball himself, a shot since firing the hitting coach didn’t seem to spark anything.
  
• Made a third cup of coffee. Ignored water.
  
• Decided I already put more effort into this recap than the Mariners did this game. Tough recap today.