The Mets created a bit of baseball trivia with this wild baseball riddle in the first two innings of Monday's 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Citi Field.

First, the riddle: How can the Padres get five hits, walk twice, add a hit-by-pitch, and go 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position, but score only one run on a sacrifice fly?

The answer is the bit of trivia from a pair of rookies, as right fielder Carson Benge became the first Mets player to record two outfield assists at home plate in the same inning, doing it on back-to-back plays to close the first inning, before left fielder A.J. Ewinggunned down a runner at home to end the second.

Since at least 1920, there had been no other team that recorded three outfield assists at home plate in the first two innings of a big league game. 

Tack on Nolan McLean getting a 1-2 putout in there and three rookies recorded four of the first six outs at the plate, and that proved to be crucial as the Mets grabbed a fourth straight win and another win in a one-run ballgame.

“Without those kids on the corners, we don’t win that game,” interim manager Andy Green said. "Nolan doesn't get to settle in and pitch six strong innings for us. That game coulda spun wildly different without them playing the outfield so well."

McLean's night got off to an unlucky start with consecutive one-out bloop singles to put runners on first and second. A third straight bloop to right started the history, as Jake Cronenworth got an ever-so-subtle wave from San Diego third base coach Bob Henley that proved to be most ill-advised as Benge got the Padres runner by at least a dozen feet thanks to a throw he uncorked at 99.9 mph. (h/t Sarah Langs)

"Haven't they gotten the scouting report?"

Carson Benge with his 8th outfield assist of the season! pic.twitter.com/VpXgrx73iu

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 17, 2026

Four pitches later, Jackson Merrill rocketed a ball (105 mph off the bat) for a base hit to right, and Manny Machado looked primed to score the first run of the ballgame until Benge's throw was perfect and Francisco Alvarez tagged the runner out to end the inning. 

After the game, Benge said he wasn't too surprised the Padres decided to test him. "Not really," he said. "I just looked up and threw the ball. I'm not worried about if they're running or not; I'm just trying to throw it as hard as I can to make him stop or get him out."

He is now the fourth player in the last 30 years to have outfield assists at home plate on consecutive batters, according to Langs.

And this throw from Benge was even faster than his first: 103.9 mph, the third-fastest throw on an outfield assist since Statcast tracking began in 2015 and the fastest of the 2026 season, per Langs. The rookie also became the first outfielder with two assists thrown at greater than 99 mph in an inning in the Statcast era.

The arm strength isn't too surprising as the one-time two-way player was "throwing 95, 97 [mph] off the bump," the interim skipper said.

“Special athlete, really confident,” Green said, relaying that Benge once said, “When you don’t have to strike a batter out, it's actually really easy to throw it over the plate.”

Benge, with his 98th percentile arm strength, per Statcast, now has nine assists in his first 119 career games, good for fourth most among MLB outfielders. But it isn't just about arm strength, as Green credited Benge's work with the club's developmental staff to speed up his release time, which has “turned him into a different kind of elite.”

“It’s been ridiculous, honestly,” Green said. “It just doesn’t happen at this rate; you don’t get these opportunities, and then you don’t execute perfectly every time the way he has.”

Which throw did Benge like better? "Probably the second one, even though they both took a run off the board," he said.

So despite the Padres grabbing four straight hits in the top of the first, they scored zero runs as they made two outs on the bases.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME, STOP RUNNING ON HIM!"

Carson Benge nails back-to-back runners at the plate! pic.twitter.com/E0BTOphs2Y

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 17, 2026

All of the Mets' reactions to Carson Benge's back-to-back outfield assists in the first inning pic.twitter.com/QCkbBPUwXD

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 18, 2026

McLean, who threw just two balls in the first inning, lost his command to start the second, issuing two walks that sandwiched a hit batter to load the bases. After Fernando Tatis Jr. just missed a grand slam, getting under the ball for a 359-foot warning-track sac fly, Cronenworth grounded a sharp single to left that Ewing was charging all the way, and he got Xander Bogaerts by just a touch at the plate.

For Ewing, whose arm is not nearly as strong as his counterpart across the outfield – he's just in the 92nd percentile for arm strength – the run-saving play was his fifth assist in his 84th big league game.

It was a bang-bang play where the Mets got the call, and there was no challenge by the visitors.

This is the 13th time the Mets have recorded three outfield assists in the same game, a feat most recently accomplished by Mark Canha when he recorded all three (including two at home plate) in a game on July 23, 2023, while playing in front of the Green Monster at Fenway Park. 

A.J. EWING'S TURN!

The Mets have thrown out three Padres at the plate in the first two innings! pic.twitter.com/XmKj8ZlDgS

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 17, 2026

It’s time for both my favorite and least favorite series of the year — the Crosstown Classic! The White Sox will head a few miles north to face the Cubs at Wrigley Field. With both teams doing well this season and the White Sox winning the first-half series, the rivalry feels more competitive this time around than it has in the last few years. The Cubs have lost three of their last four games, barely escaping a sweep by the Cardinals, and just lost Dansby Swanson to injury. The White Sox, on the other hand, are coming off a sweep of the Tigers in Detroit.

Luis Castillo gets his first taste of the rivalry tonight as he takes the mound for the White Sox. Chase Meidroth, who has been the hottest hitter on the team, leads off. Randal Grichuk will DH tonight against the lefty pitcher, and Jake Rogers will catch and bat last.

Shōta Imanaga (8-9) will pitch for the Cubs, who will be without Swanson, with Pete Crow-Armstrong leading off.

First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. CT. You can watch on CHSN or Marquee Sports Network, depending on what you have, or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.

Buster Posey affirmed his belief in first-year Giants manager Tony Vitello on Sunday by announcing he will return to the team next season.

With so many questions surrounding Vitello’s ability to manage in the big leagues, legendary Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow said he wasn’t surprised by Posey’s comments.

“He deserves to come back,” Krukow said while appearing as a guest on “The Sports Leader.” “You put a guy in that situation, he deserves to learn, and now let’s see what he does with what he’s learned next year.”

Krukow has been an defender of Vitello, who became the first college coach to make the direct jump to MLB manager.

Krukow said he believes Vitello has some growing to do as a manager and will need to focus on improving his relationships with older players.

“There’s such a thing of just giving those guys too much respect,” Krukow said. “… I don’t care how many years you’ve been there, you have to earn the respect of your manager and your coaching staff.”

Vitello has had his hands full this season. The Giants have been decimated by injuries, and he’s been without top free agent Harrison Bader, who is currently suspended without pay after allegedly aggravating a foot injury in a scooter crash.

In June, the Giants were at the center of controversy after Landen Roupp wrote a bible verse on the team’s Pride Night hat.

The Giants are fourth in the National League West with a 51-73 record.

They have one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball statistically, ranking fifth for most walks allowed (467) and ninth for highest ERA (4.36).

The team ranks in the bottom ten for runs scored (509) and just outside the bottom 10 for home runs (137).

The Dodgers and Rockies continue their series on Tuesday night at Coors Field in Denver.

Eric Lauer is coming off his longest start as a Dodger, throwing 112 pitches in 6 1/3 innings last Wednesday in a win over the Kansas City Royals. The veteran left-hander has struggled in his career at Coors Field, 1-6 with a 10.43 ERA in eight starts and 29 1/3 innings. But last year with Toronto he allowed only one run in six innings for his only win in Denver.

Right-hander Ryan Feltner starts for the Rockies. He allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Dodgers at Coors Field on April 18 in a no-decision in a game Colorado won. Since the All-Star break, Feltner has allowed 22 runs in 23 2/3 innings over his last five starts, with nearly as many walks (12) as strikeouts (14).

Tuesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Rockies
• Ballpark: Coors Field, Denver
• Start time: 5:40 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Yankees' rotation was set to get back to full strength this week, but will now be without Max Fried, who was placed on the 15-day injured list for the second time with a left elbow bone bruise, the team announced on Monday.

Fried previously landed on the IL with the same ailment in mid-May, and the injury kept the lefty out of action for two months before he returned on July 22. He made five starts, covering 24.2 innings before returning to the IL. (The move is retroactive to Aug. 14.)

Since returning, Fried has pitched effectively, but not been totally as sharp at times. Of course, he still pitched to a 1.82 ERA while striking out 29 with eight walks.  

Over 15 starts on the season, the lefty has pitched to a 2.81 ERA and 0.996 WHIP in 86.1 innings over 15 outings. He has 79 strikeouts to 27 walks.

After initially landing on the IL, Fried said he was overall happy that it didn't look to be "anything serious" and the "long-term outlook still looks good."

Fried added that the ligament "looks good," and they are going to let the elbow "calm down," with manager Aaron Boone adding that the initial imaging results were "in some ways good news." 

The injury came after Fried exited an outing in Baltimore due to elbow soreness after allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while throwing just 61 pitches (34 strikes) across 3.0 innings of work. He also wasn’t exactly sharp in his last time before that start against the Orioles, either, giving up five runs on six hits and three walks over six innings in a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. 

The good news is that the Yanks are set to get left-hander Carlos Rodon back in the rotation to start on Tuesday in the series opener in Baltimore.

Having notched 50 wins on Sunday against the Giants, the Colorado Rockies will now take on the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers in search of more with a three-game series at Coors Field starting tonight.

The roster will look a bit different as the Rockies made some moves earlier on Monday, notably designating starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen for assignment and recalling TJ Shook.

Colorado (50-74) will send its winningest pitcher to the mound to face L.A. (74-51). Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智, 12-5, 4.43) has the most wins in a Rockies uniform since Germán Márquez posted 12 in 2021. Like many, Sugano has struggled vs. the Dodgers this season. In two starts, he’s gone 0-2 with an 8.31 ERA, surrendering three homers with six strikeouts in 8.2 innings.

LHP Blake Snell (0-1, 5.00) will be on the mound for the Dodgers, making only his third start of the season. Snell made one start in May before going on the 60-day IL with loose bodies in his left elbow. In his first game back, Snell was outstanding, giving up one run on three hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk in six innings on Aug. 11 against Kansas City. 

The Dodgers enter the season having played 10 games in the last 10 days, going 5-5 over the stretch. The Rockies have also gone 5-5 in their last 10 games, having won two series on the road against Arizona and San Francisco. 

Los Angeles leads the season series against the Rockies 7-3, but Colorado took the series at Coors Field in April 2-1.

Originally, Colorado’s All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman was in the lineup, but he was a late scratch with ongoing shoulder inflammation. He’s still day-to-day as the Rockies are hoping he can avoid the IL. Goodman last played Aug. 12 in Arizona. Brett Sullivan, who hit two homers in three games in San Francisco, will be behind the plate.

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM KOA Rockies Radio Network; KNRV 1150 AM (Spanish)

Dodgers SB Nation Site:TrueBlueLA

Lineups:

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So much for a healthy Yankees rotation.

After announcing that Carlos Rodón would return from the IL and start Tuesday’s series opener against the Orioles in Baltimore, the Yankees placed fellow lefty Max Fried on the 15-day IL with a bone bruise in his left elbow.

It’s the same injury that sidelined Fried for more than two months earlier this year, meaning the 32-year-old’s season is in jeopardy.

Fried last pitched Thursday, when he held Seattle to one run over five innings in a 1-0 loss.

He pitched very well in four of his five outings since his return from the IL, adding another top-tier arm to a rotation that had gotten Gerrit Cole back and seen the emergence of Cy Young candidate Cam Schlittler.

The hope had been that Rodón, who had been out since late June with left elbow inflammation, would come back and join a fearsome rotation that had kept the Yankees in comfortable playoff position despite the offense providing little since Aaron Judge went down with a fractured rib at the end of May.

With Rodón healthy again, the Yankees appeared set to move either another left-hander, Ryan Weathers, or Will Warren to the bullpen.

Now, Rodón instead takes Fried’s spot.

Rodón underwent elbow surgery in the offseason and didn’t make his season debut until May. He was inconsistent in nine starts before hitting the IL again in early July with what was termed “heavy elbow inflammation.”

Rodón is expected to be on a limited pitch count Tuesday, with Warren potentially pushed back to Wednesday against the Orioles, followed by Cole.

The loss of Fried again puts more pressure on the rest of the rotation, which has already been asked to do more than its fair share, as the offense has put up some of the worst numbers in the majors in the wake of injuries to not only Judge, but Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton.

While Fried has been effective when healthy this season — including a career-low WHIP through 15 starts — he has posted his lowest strikeout ratio since 2020.

Fried has also thrown just 86 ⅓ innings this season, a year after posting a career-best 195 ⅓ innings, plus another 9 ⅓ in the playoffs.

Prior to last season — which was interrupted by a blister on Fried’s throwing hand — he’d never thrown 185 ⅓ innings in a regular season.

That 2022 regular season was followed by just one postseason start.

Fried is in the second season of an eight-year, $218 million contract, the richest deal ever signed by a left-handed pitcher.

When he suffered the bone bruise earlier in the season, the Yankees said Fried’s ulnar collateral ligament was undamaged.

He still didn’t return for over 10 weeks. A similar timeline would keep Fried out at least until the start of the World Series.

Craig Stammen, first-year manager of the San Diego Padres, is not sitting on the hottest seat in baseball.

But that also doesn’t rule out the possibility Stammen could lose his job, reports Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports. Nightengale, noting Stammen signed a three-year deal in November, wrote, “Yet, if the Padres miss the playoffs, someone needs to be the fall guy, and Stammen is A.J. Preller’s seventh manager in 12 years since becoming GM and president of baseball operations.’’

Through games on Sunday, Aug. 16, the Padres (67-58) were tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the third wild card berth. The Arizona Diamondbacks (66-59) are a game behind and the Miami Marlins (64-61) and the St. Louis Cardinals (64-61) are both three games back.

The Padres have never won the World Series, and it’s unlikely this team will end the drought.

This season, San Diego ranks 21^st in runs with 535, 19th in on-base percentage (.314) and 23^rd in batting average (.238). The Padres’ pitching has fared better, with San Diego ranking 13^th in ERA (.408) and 18^th in WHIP (1.31).

More: MLB power rankings: Cardinals back in race as Joshua Báez arrives with bang

This is a very generically solid lineup for Martin Perez to deal with. No one below .310 xwOBA-wise until the seventh spot.

The vagabond Athletics will make their annual journey to Kansas City for the home series this week. They stand at 49-75. Heading into July, FanGraphs playoff odds had them about equal to the Astros for making the playoffs. They have had some truly unfortunate injury issues, with Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers both on the injured list right now.

It’s not like the Royals are much better at 51-74, but tonight Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia are returning to the squad and will start.

Hopefully those guys are healthy and rested and can show us what they can do the rest of the season.

The Royals will put Michael Wacha on the hill. Once again, I seem to get him a lot for my Monday games. He’s had a run of pretty good starts over the past few weeks, and with two of the Athletics stars out, no reason to believe that won’t continue.

Mason Barnett starts for the Athletics. The Athletics got him from the Royals in the Lucas Erceg trade in 2024. This year, he’s been stretched into a starter only in the past few weeks and has generally been shelled.

Given the context, it’s *really hard* for the Royals to have a better situation for a win tonight. Of course that probably means I’ll get to witness another bullpen blowup.

Lineups:

Detroit Tigers (60-64) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (61-55)

Time/Place: 7:05 p.m., PNC Park
SB Nation Site:Bucs Dugout
Media: ESPN, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Framber Valdez (7-8, 4.26 ERA) vs. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (6-5, 3.79 ERA)