Category: Sports News

More frustration for the offense and Romano as Phillies lose 7th of 8 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PITTSBURGH — The Phillies were already going through a cold spell before learning Friday afternoon that they’d again be without Bryce Harper, who is day-to-day with right wrist soreness after missing five games last week with right elbow swelling.

They haven’t hit much lately, they haven’t had Harper much lately, they’re experiencing perhaps Kyle Schwarber’s first cold spell of the season and the Phillies have lost seven of their last eight games, falling Friday night to the Pirates, 5-4, on a walk-off sacrifice fly.

“It’s weird, we either go really hot or really cold,” Trea Turner said. “I feel like especially veteran players and some of our young guys getting older, that consistency is kind of what we pride ourselves on and it hasn’t really been there. It feels like we can do everything a little bit better, need to find ways to win, moving guys, hitting them in, playing better defense, we can all contribute a little bit more.”

It has been another season of peaks and valleys for the Phillies, who have done this basically every year since 2022. They caught fire late in ’22 and rode the momentum all the way to a World Series advantage before the offense went silent. They completely dominated their opponents in the first eight games of the 2023 postseason until everything turned midway through the NLCS. They were on pace for 110 wins last July but struggled in the second half and were thoroughly outplayed by the Mets in October. Every team goes through streaks but the Phillies’ have been more pronounced in both ways.

It’s a good team, a veteran team, one that should win 90-plus games again in 2025, but the last six weeks have been up and down, up and down. The Phillies’ last 42 games have been five straight losses followed by 23 wins in 29 games, then seven losses out of eight.

“We’re in a little bit of a funk right now, we’ve just got to fight through it,” manager Rob Thomson said.

Turner did his part Friday, scoring the Phillies’ first two runs and driving in their next two as part of a three-hit night. The rest of the lineup was 4-for-29 and the Phils made 11 straight outs to end the game.

They’re receiving little production from all four members of the left and center field platoons — Max Kepler, Weston Wilson, Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas — and Bryson Stott has a .263 on-base percentage in his last 95 plate appearances.

It’s exacerbated by not having Harper or the locked-in version of Schwarber, who is 3-for-20 with 10 strikeouts since Sunday.

“That plays into it, there’s no doubt about it,” Thomson said, “but other people have got to pick it up because those guys can’t stay hot all year.”

The Phillies and Pirates traded single runs in the first and third innings and each scored twice in the fourth. The game remained tied until the Pirates loaded the bases on Jordan Romano with no outs in the bottom of the ninth and walked the Phillies off with a Nick Gonzales sac fly to deep left field.

It was Romano’s third straight appearance allowing a run and second straight loss. He is 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA. There was some bad luck involved Friday night but he was uninterested in using it as an excuse. The Pirates started the inning with two softly-hit bloop singles and the biggest play was Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s bunt. He executed a perfect sacrifice down the third-base line and Romano let it roll because it appeared to be moving toward foul ground. At the last second, it took a sudden right turn on the lip of the infield and remained fair.

“For sure,” Romano said of the misfortune, “but bottom line, I’ve just got to be better. I’ve got to pitch better. I got a little bad luck but that’s baseball, other guys are getting through it. I’m not. Team’s scuffling a little bit and I need to step up. It didn’t happen.

“That bunt, it was like almost all the way foul and kinda just came right back. I’ve never had a bunt like that, not like that.”

His voice trailed off. It’s been a frustrating two months for Romano and a frustrating week for the 37-26 Phillies. The scuffling lineup draws Paul Skenes on Sunday so a win in the middle game would go a long way.

Mets left-hander Sean Manaea pitched in his first rehab start on Friday, and it was tough sledding for the southpaw.

Pitching in game action for the first time since March, Manaea got off to an inauspicious start with High-A Brooklyn. After striking out the leadoff hitter on four pitches, Manaea allowed back-to-back singles. After hitting the next batter to load the bases, he got a fly out to secure the second out. T.J. White, the sixth batter in the inning, grounded to shortstop Marco Vargas, but the Brooklyn infielder threw the ball away. They ruled the play a hit, and had the runners advancing on the throwing error.

The next batter singled to score the fourth run of the inning before Manaea got his second strikeout of the game to put an end to the first inning. It took 26 pitches to get through the opening frame, but the defense behind him did him no favors.

Manaea's second inning was much better. He got the leadoff man to fly out before another fielding error allowed a runner to reach first. Manaea got the next batter to ground out, and his night was done with two outs in the inning.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that they expected Manaea to get two "ups" and throw around 35 pitches, and that's exactly how far they went with the left-hander.

Manaea threw 36 pitches (26 strikes) in his 1.2 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits, no walks and striking out two.

Sean Manaea strikes out the first batter he faces in his rehab assignment! pic.twitter.com/20b7R8Pjbi

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 6, 2025

Sean Manaea's rehab outing for Brooklyn is complete.

Final line: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 36 pitches (26 strikes)

He also hit a batter and 2 fielding errors were made behind him pic.twitter.com/mkpYKavdFp

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 6, 2025

Giants players lament ‘dangerous' fan incident in win over Braves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – For years fans across the country in major league ballparks have relished the idea of throwing balls hit for home runs back onto the field, as if that would take the run off the board. It’s a tradition that gets played out every year at every ballpark, and home fans bask in glory when they do it.

As the saying goes, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. And that’s the type of situation that arose in the fourth inning of San Francisco’s 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night at Oracle Park, a moment in the game that Giants infielder Tyler Fitzgerald described as ‘dangerous.’

With the Braves batting in the fourth inning, Sean Murphy hit a sacrifice fly to right field. Mike Yastrzemski made the catch then fired a throw back into the infield as Matt Olson rounded third base.

When Olson got near home plate as Yastrzemski’s throw was coming in, a second ball was tossed out of the stands, went over the protective netting behind home plate and landed on the field.

Well that's a first 😬 pic.twitter.com/yHtdJ6T2Ft

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 7, 2025

Olson scored but there was understandable confusion on the field in the moments immediately following the play.

“That’s a first,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “I’ve never seen that before. I don’t know where it came from and I don’t know what the rule is. It didn’t affect the play but it was extremely odd to see another baseball come on the field.”

Umpires met to discuss the play, although it wasn’t clear what they were talking about or what they could do if they determined the second ball had an effect on the play.

Ultimately play resumed without any changes.

It’s unknown whether security or police caught the offender, but there was plenty of outcry on social media about the incident.

Hayden Birdsong, the Giants starting pitcher Friday, was near the mound when the play happened and acknowledged that it confused him momentarily.

“Honestly I didn’t see it (initially),” Birdsong said. “I thought it was the ball that was thrown home and I was like, ‘Why is the ball way out here?’ Then I realized (catcher Patrick Bailey) had the other one.”

On a night filled with strange and unique moments – two runners picked off base and a third caught stealing, for example – whoever threw the ball onto the field took the cake.

It’s certainly no laughing matter. As Fitzgerald pointed out, the second ball could have easily hit one of his teammates on the field. “Then I would have been (angry),” Fitz said.

In some ways the incident can be viewed light-hearted, a fan having fun. On the other hand, the potential for injury – let alone mass confusion on the field because play was ongoing – was serious. The person who threw the ball, if ever identified, should have their rights to any further games taken away and they should be permanently banned from Oracle Park.

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Let’s get this out of the way: Ben Rice is staying with the Yankees once Giancarlo Stanton returns from the injured list. Obviously.

Only four MLB players are hitting the ball harder than Rice this season, as measured by average exit velocity: Oneil Cruz, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso. Rice is closer to gracing the cover of “MLB: The Show” than he is to earning a trip to Scranton.

But the team will have a redundancy at designated hitter once it activates Stanton, which could come as soon as late next week. Stanton, out since spring training with tendinitis in both elbows, is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment early in the week. Barring physical setbacks, he shouldn’t need many games before he is ready for the big leagues.

Once that happens, Yankees brass will face two challenges. The front office will have to figure out how to get Stanton back on the roster without optioning Rice, and Aaron Boone and his staff will have to find playing time for both.

The first problem is the easier of the two: assuming that everyone currently healthy remains so when Stanton returns, the Yankees can simply designate either Pablo Reyes or Oswald Peraza for assignment.

Peraza could have an edge to stay because he has more experience at shortstop, and every team needs a backup at that position (Jazz Chisholm Jr. has played 47 MLB games at shortstop and could slide over in an emergency).

It does not seem that the Yankees are seriously considering splashier roster moves, like designating DJ LeMahieu for assignment or optioning J.C. Escarra to make Rice one of the team’s two catchers. Jasson Dominguez has options, but his spot is not at risk, either.

Once Stanton arrives, Boone will have to find a way to play Stanton, Rice and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt regularly -- say, at least two out of every three games.

He can begin by easing Stanton in and using Rice against right-handed pitching. Beyond that, he can move Rice between first base and DH. Rice, a catcher by trade, had continued to work at that position before games with catching coordinator Tanner Swanson. He could start at catcher occasionally, but Escarra is Austin Wells' backup and shouldn’t see his playing time significantly reduced.

Rice recently took ground balls at third base, but he is not a candidate to play there. The Yankees do not plan to use Rice at any defensive position other than first base and catcher.

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was left out of Friday's lineup against the Rockies as he continues to nurse a fractured pinky toe.

It's the second consecutive game Lindor will not start, and manager Carlos Mendoza provided an update on his superstar's condition prior to the series opener in Colorado.

"A little bit better," he said of Lindor's condition. "Did some running, feeling his fracture. He’s going to continue to feel it. Was doing some cage drills and all that. Maybe we have some type of availability today."

Lindor was seen on the field doing some running and speaking with Mendoza and the Mets' training staff in warmups. While the shortstop wasn't penciled in on Friday, the talk left Mendoza encouraged about his player's availability this weekend. 

"I feel a little bit better today than how I felt yesterday," he said. "Watching him today, talking to him, I wouldn’t be surprised he’s in the lineup tomorrow or the next day."

In Lindor's place, Mendoza put rookie Ronny Mauricio at shortstop. The Mets prospect has started two games since being called up this week, both at third base. The Mets skipper explained that while they have put the work to teach Mauricio third base, his ability to hit from both sides gave him the leg up over Luisangel Acuna.

"Wanted to get a switch-hitter there," Mendoza explained. "This is his natural position. When he started playing his rehab games this year we put him at short. Adding another switch-hitter to the lineup and give him an opportunity."

In two games, Mauricio has yet to get a hit (0-8).

The Yankees' series opener against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night will not start on time due to rain.

The team later announced the delay would be relatively short, with a new start time of 7:30 p.m.

Right-hander Will Warren (5.19 ERA, 1.423 WHIP in 52 innings) was set to make his 13th start of the season as he looks to bounce back from his worst outing of the season, when he allowed seven runs on six hits and four walks in just 1.1 innings Saturday at the Dodgers.

“He’s a confident kid and in a good spot," Yanks manager Aaron Boone said ahead of the series opener. "[Warren] is in the middle of what I think is a very good year and a year of growth for him. He’s had his bumps in the road along the way, a lot of those early. And since then, has been very good until his last one. But I expect him to go out and get after it, and certainly has the stuff to be successful.”

The visitors are set to start righty Walker Buehler (4.44 ERA, 1.307 WHIP in 46.2 innings) to make his 10th start in his debut season with Boston.

“A lot of really good young players, a lot of team speed, and we’re gonna see some good pitching this weekend, starting with Buehler tonight," Boone said of the Red Sox.

On the starter, who got the final three outs in Game 5 as Los Angeles clinched the World Series in The Bronx last October, the skipper said he expected him to show off his big arsenal and really mix in his pitches.

“He’s gonna throw a little bit of everything at you," Boone said. "He’s gonna work the edges a little bit, so get him on the plate and hit our pitches. That’s gonna be key."

First pitch was originally scheduled for 7:05 p.m., but the tarp covered the field ten minutes before 6 p.m. as thunder and rain descended upon The Bronx.

The Yankees (38-23) hold a 5.0 game lead in the AL East and are 9.5 games ahead of the fourth-placed Red Sox (30-34).

What we learned as Giants outlast Braves in thrilling extra-inning win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – Talk about a crazy way to get a walk-off win.

Tyler Fitzgerald scored on a two-out wild pitch in the bottom of the 10^th inning, giving the Giants a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park on Friday night.

WALK-OFF WILD PITCH 🚨 pic.twitter.com/GpFEOElsfE

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 7, 2025

It was a wacky but fitting end to a game during which the Giants flipped the tables on just about everything they had been doing this season.

San Francisco’s pitching, which has shouldered the bulk of the load this season, suffered through a tough evening as starter Hayden Birdsong struggled with his command and normally reliable reliever Ryan Walker was tagged for a momentum-changing home run by Braves slugger Matt Olson in the seventh inning.

Conversely, Camilo Doval shook off a month’s worth of ups and downs and struck out the side in the ninth inning.

Things were a little more encouraging at the plate, too.

With a history of failing to generate much offense this season, San Francisco opened with three runs in the first inning against Atlanta, the second-most runs put up in the opening frame by the Giants this season.

The G Men strike first 💪 pic.twitter.com/XVUsj07vwJ

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 7, 2025

Leadoff hitter Heliot Ramos had three hits and scored a run. Wilmer Flores also had two hits and scored twice. Fan favorite Jung Hoo Lee reached base three times (single, two walks) and Dominic Smith drove in two runs.

Birdsong’s fourth start since being taken out of the bullpen didn’t go very far, primarily due to a heavy pitch count. The Braves were patient at the plate, forcing Birdsong deep into counts which quickly depleted him on the mound.

Birdsong allowed just two hits and two runs to go with five strikeouts before his night ended in the middle of the fifth inning.

Tristan Beck followed Birdsong and retired four batters before Ryan Walker took over.

Walker got Ronald Acuna Jr. to strike out swinging to end the sixth then ran into immediate trouble in the seventh. Austin Riley singled leading off the inning before Olson crushed an 0-1 slider over the brick wall in right field to tie the game at 4-4.

The game was paused briefly in the fourth inning when someone in the stands threw a baseball onto the field at the same time the Braves scored a run on Michael Harris II’s RBI single.

Here are the takeaways from Friday’s game:

Let’s Get It Started

The Giants’ offensive struggles over the past month have been well-documented, which made their first inning against the Braves impressive.

San Francisco began the inning with three consecutive singles, with Wilmer Flores’ bloop hit to right driving in Heliot Ramos. Dominic Smith added a sacrifice fly and Flores later scored on a wild pitch.

It’s the third time this season that the Giants have put up three runs or more in the first inning. Their season-high for runs in the first inning is five, which they put up against the New York Yankees in a six-inning rain-shortened game on April 11.

Hayden’s Control Issues

For most of the season Birdsong has done a fine job of not giving up free passes but the right-hander wasn’t able to sustain that against the Braves, which wound up being a big reason for his early exit after 4 1/3 innings.

Birdsong missed his target much of the night, throwing only 52 of 93 pitches for strikes, while matching his career-high of five walks.

To put that in perspective, Birdsong had given up 12 walks all season and just four in his previous five starts.

Baserunning Blunders

The Giants did a solid job of getting men on base. Keeping them there was another matter altogether and a big reason that the Orange and Black went quiet over the final half of the game.

Heliot Ramos singled leading off the eight but was thrown out trying to steal second base. The following batter, Lee, drew a walk but was promptly erased after being picked off by Braves reliever Craig Kimbrel. In the eighth, Fitzgerald reached on a two-out single but was picked off by Braves pitcher Pierce Johnson.

For a team that has struggled to score this season, the Giants have no reason to let up in situations like that. Rhose mistakes were magnified in a game this close.

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What we learned as Giants outlast Braves in thrilling extra-inning win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – Talk about a crazy way to get a walk-off win.

Tyler Fitzgerald scored on a two-out wild pitch in the bottom of the 10^th inning, giving the Giants a 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park on Friday night.

WALK-OFF WILD PITCH 🚨 pic.twitter.com/GpFEOElsfE

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 7, 2025

It was a wacky but fitting end to a game during which the Giants flipped the tables on just about everything they had been doing this season.

San Francisco’s pitching, which has shouldered the bulk of the load this season, suffered through a tough evening as starter Hayden Birdsong struggled with his command and normally reliable reliever Ryan Walker was tagged for a momentum-changing home run by Braves slugger Matt Olson in the seventh inning.

Conversely, Camilo Doval shook off a month’s worth of ups and downs and struck out the side in the ninth inning.

Things were a little more encouraging at the plate, too.

With a history of failing to generate much offense this season, San Francisco opened with three runs in the first inning against Atlanta, the second-most runs put up in the opening frame by the Giants this season.

The G Men strike first 💪 pic.twitter.com/XVUsj07vwJ

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 7, 2025

Leadoff hitter Heliot Ramos had three hits and scored a run. Wilmer Flores also had two hits and scored twice. Fan favorite Jung Hoo Lee reached base three times (single, two walks) and Dominic Smith drove in two runs.

Birdsong’s fourth start since being taken out of the bullpen didn’t go very far, primarily due to a heavy pitch count. The Braves were patient at the plate, forcing Birdsong deep into counts which quickly depleted him on the mound.

Birdsong allowed just two hits and two runs to go with five strikeouts before his night ended in the middle of the fifth inning.

Tristan Beck followed Birdsong and retired four batters before Ryan Walker took over.

Walker got Ronald Acuna Jr. to strike out swinging to end the sixth then ran into immediate trouble in the seventh. Austin Riley singled leading off the inning before Olson crushed an 0-1 slider over the brick wall in right field to tie the game at 4-4.

The game was paused briefly in the fourth inning when someone in the stands threw a baseball onto the field at the same time the Braves scored a run on Michael Harris II’s RBI single.

Here are the takeaways from Friday’s game:

Let’s Get It Started

The Giants’ offensive struggles over the past month have been well-documented, which made their first inning against the Braves impressive.

San Francisco began the inning with three consecutive singles, with Wilmer Flores’ bloop hit to right driving in Heliot Ramos. Dominic Smith added a sacrifice fly and Flores later scored on a wild pitch.

It’s the third time this season that the Giants have put up three runs or more in the first inning. Their season-high for runs in the first inning is five, which they put up against the New York Yankees in a six-inning rain-shortened game on April 11.

Hayden’s Control Issues

For most of the season Birdsong has done a fine job of not giving up free passes but the right-hander wasn’t able to sustain that against the Braves, which wound up being a big reason for his early exit after 4 1/3 innings.

Birdsong missed his target much of the night, throwing only 52 of 93 pitches for strikes, while matching his career-high of five walks.

To put that in perspective, Birdsong had given up 12 walks all season and just four in his previous five starts.

Baserunning Blunders

The Giants did a solid job of getting men on base. Keeping them there was another matter altogether and a big reason that the Orange and Black went quiet over the final half of the game.

Heliot Ramos singled leading off the eight but was thrown out trying to steal second base. The following batter, Lee, drew a walk but was promptly erased after being picked off by Braves reliever Craig Kimbrel. In the eighth, Fitzgerald reached on a two-out single but was picked off by Braves pitcher Pierce Johnson.

For a team that has struggled to score this season, the Giants have no reason to let up in situations like that. Rhose mistakes were magnified in a game this close.

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