Category: Sports News

It’s always nice to beat the Mets.

It’s even nicer to beat them in back to back games.

It’s even nicer to beat them by hitting home runs and pitching well like they did Sunday night. Playing the game on Sunday Night Baseball for a national audience, the offense clicked into gear yet again, riding the wave of home runs from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper to take the series from New York.

The scoring started in the first when Mets starter David Peterson walked the first two hitters in the lineup, struck out Harper, then allowed an infield single to Alec Bohm. On that single, Brett Baty threw the ball away, allowing Trea Turner to score the opening run. Edmundo Sosa followed that with an infield single to score Schwarber and the Phillies had a 2-0 lead by hitting the ball a total of about 120 feet.

Zack Wheeler settled in nicely, even if he was a bit off with his command. He had a jam in the second when he allowed singles to lead off the inning by Jared Young and A.J. Ewing, but retired the next three batters in order. That allowed the Phillies to tack on in their half of the inning when Bryson Stott and Turner singled with one out for Schwarber.

A second night in a row with a monster shot and the lead was at five. Wheeler would give one back in the third when emerging pest Carson Benge homered on an opposite field shot to cut the score to 5-1. The Mets might have started a rally later when Juan Soto hit a ball that he believed was a perfect opportunity to stretch into a double, but Derek Hill gunned him down with relative ease.

Ok then.

In the fourth, Bryce Harper hit his 17th home run of the year to push the lead back to five.

New York threatened yet again in the sixth when Wheeler walked the bases loaded with one out before a visit from Don Mattingly. The ace was left in the game to try and get a double play, but only managed to get one out on a force out, giving the Mets another run, but keeping runners on the corners for Marcus Semien. Jonathan Bowlan was summoned from the bullpen to put the fire out and did so with ease, striking Semien out and ending the threat.

From there, the Phillies’ bullpen trio of Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering and Jhoan Duran doused any other flames and gave the Phillies a win to send them seven games over .500. They’ll head to Washington for an interesting showdown with one of the top offenses in the game.

New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: Austin Wells made his return yesterday after a two-week stint on the IL due to cervical headaches. Wells went 0-for-2 and was lifted in the sixth inning, but said he felt good about his first day back. “I felt solid,” Wells said afterward. “I saw the ball well, so I feel good.” The Yankees are relying on better health getting Wells back to his prior standards. Though he’s never been a great hitter in the majors, Wells combined fringe-average offense with quality defense at catcher over his first few seasons, before cratering to a 50 OPS+ in his first 47 games this year.

In some good injury news (also in the Sblendorio article), Trent Grisham appears to be progressing well in his recovery from a hamstring injury. The center fielder performed agility drills on the field yesterday ahead of the Yankees’ 4-1 loss to the Reds. “We’re really encouraged by how well he’s doing,” Aaron Boone said. Grisham missing minimal time would be a boon to a Yankee offense that, though it’s done well on the whole since Aaron Judge went down, could use a little more depth.

New York Post | Dan Martin: The Yankees have been deploying Jasson Domínguez in right field in light of Aaron Judge’s injury, and the Martian is still a work in progress out there. He’s made a couple nice plays, but also had some adventures, overrunning a ball on Friday night, while also having trouble with a fly ball down the line yesterday. The Yankees have high hopes for Domínguez, who they hope will adapt to the new position. “I’m very confident in him feeling very comfortable quickly,’’ outfield instructor Luis Rojas said. “Obviously, you want more experience for him there. Our right field [at Yankee Stadium] plays a lot different than a lot of other places in the big leagues, but with his tools… I think it’s gonna work well for him.”

Bryan Hoch via X/Twitter: For the second time this month, J.C. Escarra will likely see a quick return to the majors following a demotion. The Yankees optioned him when Wells was activated from the IL, choosing to keep Ali Sánchez as the backup catcher. However, Sánchez will soon go on the paternity list, opening the door for Escarra to report back to the team — though there will again be a clock ticking on how long that will last. Escarra was optioned with a .188/.239/.271 triple slashand a a 42 OPS+ in 32 games.

PHILADELPHIA — Francisco Lindor’s next stop could be Citi Field but perhaps not to rejoin the Mets roster just yet.

After the shortstop played in a rehab game for Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday, manager Carlos Mendoza indicated there is a possibility Lindor will play in a simulated game before the Mets open their series against the Cubs on Monday — serving the purpose of giving Lindor back-to-back “games” given the minor league schedule is dark.

The earliest Lindor would likely play for the Mets is Wednesday — he would receive a day off after the back-to-back outings.

Mendoza was encouraged that Lindor, who is rehabbing a right calf strain that has kept him sidelined since April 22, played a full game for Syracuse. Lindor played a rehab game for Double-A Binghamton on Friday before receiving a day off Saturday.

“He’s getting close,” Mendoza said before the Mets lost 6-2 to the Phillies on Sunday night.

Mendoza gave Luis Torrens a second straight start at catcher with Francisco Alvarez as the DH, allowing the Mets to play their best defensive option behind the plate while keeping Alvarez’s higher-upside bat in play. Torrens went 1-for-3 with a strikeout while Alvarez was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Luke Weaver has a 20-inning scoreless streak over his previous 18 appearances. Over that stretch, he allowed 10 hits with four walks and 25 strikeouts.

Knicks broadcaster Mike Breen will throw out a ceremonial first pitch before Monday’s game at Citi Field. The Yonkers native and Fordham alum — a longtime Mets fan — has been the voice of the NBA Finals for the past two decades.

Sunday was the 62nd anniversary of Jim Bunning’s Father’s Day perfect game for the Phillies against the Mets at Shea Stadium.

Austin Wells was behind the plate for the Yankees for the first time Sunday since hitting the injured list with cervical headaches.

The catcher went 0-for-2 with a strikeout, but both Wells and manager Aaron Boone are confident that his ability to work on his approach at the plate while on a rehab stint with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will be beneficial.

The Yankees hoped the time in the minors might serve as something of a “reset” for Wells, according to Boone.

Wells has continued to wear a one-piece face mask, which resembles a hockey goaltender’s mask, instead of the more traditional two-piece mask he’d worn throughout his career.

He made the switch shortly before being sidelined and used it in the minors.

While rehabbing, Wells said he took “one or two” foul balls off the helmet and noticed an improvement from his previous headgear.

He also hasn’t experienced any more headaches, which he hopes are behind him.

The Yankees certainly could use more offense from the catcher position, since Wells, J.C. Escarra and Ali Sánchez have mostly struggled.

Escarra was optioned to SWB after Saturday’s game, as the Yankees preferred to keep the righty-hitting Sánchez around with several left-handed pitchers lined up to face them in the coming week — including Framber Valdez and Tarik Skubal in Detroit.

Boone added that Sánchez and his wife are expecting, which could lead to Sánchez landing on the paternity list and a return of Escarra.

“Ali has earned some opportunities,’’ said Boone, who’s been impressed with Sánchez’s work on defense, as well.

Gerrit Cole, originally scheduled to start Sunday, was pushed back to Monday in Detroit, as the Yankees looked to give their rotation a break in the middle of a 16-day stretch without an off day.

Cole has made five starts since returning from Tommy John surgery and said he feels good and the extra day was the team’s suggestion.

“It’s not that big a deal,” Cole said, adding it didn’t impact his preparation between starts.

The Yankees felt that with Cole, along with Carlos Rodón, coming back from elbow surgeries, and young pitchers like Cam Schlittler and Will Warren in the rotation, a break was beneficial.

The transition of Carlos Lagrange to the bullpen — at least for now — continued Sunday, with the right-hander tossing a scoreless inning for SWB. He hit 100 mph twice in the outing as the Yankees prepare him to pitch as a reliever for the rest of this season.

The Yankees have said they want him to be able to pitch on back-to-back days before bringing him to The Bronx, which he still hasn’t done, but it’s becoming clearer that Lagrange will likely be part of a new-look bullpen with the Yankees fairly soon.

Trent Grisham has been doing on-field agility drills, and Boone said he’s “encouraged” by how the center fielder is recovering from a right hamstring strain.

“Maybe a little surprised he’s moving as well as he is,” Boone said.

Without Grisham, they used José Caballero in center after some pinch-hitting moves in the bottom of the sixth, and he was slow to get to Spencer Steer’s grounder up the middle and then threw wildly, which allowed Steer to get to third.

David Peterson struggled again during the Mets' loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, and manager Carlos Mendoza acknowledged they'll need to have conversations about the starting rotation.

New York lost the rubber match of its three-game road set Sunday, 6-2, with the left-hander allowing four earned runs in four innings.

"Right out of the gate, there were a couple of walks that ended up hurting him," Mendoza lamented, referring to Peterson issuing free passes to Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber in the bottom of the first. 

Both Turner and Schwarber came around to score in the inning thanks to two infield singles.

The skipper also felt that Peterson "was inconsistent with the two-seamer execution, and [the Phillies] got him."

Philadelphia's 2-0 lead ballooned to 5-0 the very next inning, when Schwarber tomahawked a slider which hung up and inside for a three-run homer.

"[Peterson] tried to go inside, but didn't get inside enough," Mendoza said of the game's most impactful moment.

Peterson reflected on that at-bat, stating "I made a good pitch to Schwarber, it was where I wanted it to go, but gotta tip the cap."

The southpaw did battle back after digging the early hole, at one point retiring eight straight Phillies batters.

"I felt like myself, pounding the zone, getting the ball on the ground, getting some strikeouts and whiffs," Peterson explained postgame.

When asked whether he expects to get the starting nod for his next turn in the rotation, Peterson replied, "My job, regardless of the role, is to put good work in and be ready when I'm given the ball."

"I'll get back home, talk to [Mendoza] about the plan going forward and go from there," he concluded.

From Mendoza's perspective, especially with Christian Scott and Clay Holmes still out injured, the Mets have no other choice but to band together and find ways to win, regardless of what the starting rotation looks like.

"There's no other way to look around it. These are the guys that we're counting on, and we need to help them."

However, the manager did concede that the current results on the mound aren't cutting it, and a shakeup could be in the works.

"We have no off-days, so people need to step up. We'll have conversations. We expect more out of them."

The Yankees stole six bases Sunday, the most they’d swiped in a game since 2013.

But it was one they didn’t get that bothered Anthony Volpe most in a 4-1 loss to the Reds at the Stadium.

After walking to open the bottom of the third, Volpe was picked off first by right-hander Chase Burns.

Volpe was originally called safe on the play, but Cincinnati challenged the call and it was overturned.

Even before the ruling, Volpe argued with first base umpire Brian O’Nora that first baseman Sal Stewart blocked his path back to the base with his foot.

“I had nowhere to go,” Volpe said of the play. “In spring training, at shortstop receiving throws [to second base], we try to be spot on with that rule. It’s not from us. The league tells us.”

Volpe’s argument fell on deaf ears.

“He told me he didn’t want to watch [the replay] on the screen,” Volpe said. “He said the throw took him there. It’s up to him.”

To make matters worse, Ben Rice followed with a home run to give the Yankees a one-run lead.

“It’s a huge play in the game,” Volpe said. “It took a run off the board.”

The rule, Volpe added, also exists to help prevent injuries.

“You don’t want to mess up your shoulder sliding back into first,” the shortstop said.

Boone sympathized with Volpe but was not surprised by the outcome.

“By the letter of the law, he’s blocking the base,” Boone said. “Are you really gonna get that call very often? Probably not.”

The Yankees were still able to capitalize on Burns being slow to home plate to steal six bases — despite Burns having a good pickoff move. But their lack of hitting with runners in scoring position meant that none of those swipes led to a run.

The six stolen bases came from just three players, as Cody Bellinger, Jasson Domínguez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. each swiped a pair.

Only José Caballero was thrown out — and that’s because he overslid second base in the second inning and shortstop Edwin Arroyo kept the tag on him.

The Yankees have stolen 80 bases this year, their most through 76 games since 2002.

But it wasn’t enough Sunday.

“As an infielder, you’ve got to be locked in on that rule,” Volpe said.

PHILADELPHIA — David Peterson barely gave his team a chance Sunday night, becoming the latest Mets starting pitcher to bury the team early.

Over the past week it’s a list that also included Kodai Senga and Freddy Peralta, both of whom also got knocked around early, creating a significant deficit. It’s getting too repetitive for the Mets.

On this night, Peterson surrendered five runs over the first two innings, sending the Mets to a 6-2 loss to the Phillies. The loss was their second straight, completing a 2-4 road trip.

“It’s very tough to give up the lead right away,” Juan Soto said of the team’s starting pitching woes. “But it’s part of the game. We have just got to be better. We have got to play better baseball and go out there and execute.”

There isn’t much to like about the team, save for a bullpen that consistently gives the Mets a chance in close games. The Mets (34-43) just aren’t playing enough of them.

“The record is the record,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “For us, [starting pitching] is where it starts. Our job as a coaching staff is to help these guys get through it.”

In just his latest clunker, Peterson lasted only four innings and allowed five runs (one unearned) on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts over four innings. In three appearances this month the lefty owns a 12.15 ERA. His ERA for the season is 6.09.

Peterson walked Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber to begin his night before striking out Bryce Harper on a full-count pitch at his ankles. But Peterson still paid for the walks: Alec Bohm hit a grounder that went for an infield single, with Brett Baty’s errant throw bringing in the first run. Edmundo Sosa’s ensuing slow grounder to Bo Bichette went for an infield single, extending the Phillies lead to 2-0.

“I wasn’t too pleased with walking the two guys, but after that I felt I made an adjustment, challenged them in the zone, got some ground balls and weak contact,” Peterson said. “Kind of the way I finished, I felt like myself.”

Bryson Stott and Turner singled in succession to start the second before Schwarber launched a three-run homer that buried the Mets in a 5-0 hole. It was the fourth homer of the series for Schwaber, who blasted three in the Phillies’ 15-3 victory a night earlier. Schwarber has 29 homers only 77 games into the Phillies’ schedule.

“We obviously have not put ourselves in a situation we want to be in, but it’s not for lack of effort or lack of commitment,” Peterson said. “I think it’s just 1-26 getting the job done. At the end of the day, do we come away with the win or loss, and that is something that we all need to focus on, whether it’s pretty or not.”

Carson Benge’s homer against Zack Wheeler in the third cut the Phillies lead to 5-1. The homer was the rookie Benge’s ninth this season. The inning concluded with Soto thrown out at second base by plenty attempting to stretch a single into a double.

Harper hit a line drive into the right field seats leading off the fifth against Austin Warren to give the Phillies a 6-1 lead. A night earlier, Harper hit for the cycle for the first time in his career.

A.J. Ewing’s RBI fielder’s choice in the sixth cut the Mets deficit to 6-2. Ewing was the final batter faced by Wheeler, who left to a standing ovation. Wheeler loaded the bases on walks to Benge, Soto and Jared Young. The inning concluded with Marcus Semien striking out against Jonathan Bowlen.

“[Wheeler] is a really good pitcher, and the reason he’s really good is he’s able to limit damage,” Mendoza said. “In order to beat guys like that, not only do you have to create traffic, but you have got to hit. Against arms like that, they get the lead, and it’s going to be hard.”