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Yankees' Aaron Boone: Aaron Judge is 'clear-cut MVP'

One of the hottest races in MLB this season is not between teams fighting for a playoff spot but between Aaron Judge and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh for the AL MVP award.

Both players have had masterful seasons, but the Yankees' win over the Orioles on Friday showed why Judge could win his second consecutive MVP award. The slugger went 1-for-3 with a walk, but his go-ahead two-run shot led to the Yankees' 8-4 win over the Orioles on Friday night. It was a pivotal moment for New York, which is trying to catch the Blue Jays for the AL East crown, after starter Will Warren gave up the team's early lead, Judge gave the lead right back.

Judge's night puts his batting average at an AL-high .330, and he is en route to winning his first batting title. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked after Friday's win if the feat would surprise him. But in the midst of answering, the longtime skipper made a proclamation about the AL MVP race.

"Nothing Aaron Judge does surprises me; to me, he's the clear-cut MVP," Boone said. "Batting title, feel like he's been on base seven times a day the last week. Whether they don't pitch to him, pitch to him, hitting it out of the ballpark. Made a really good play in right field to open the game, you see his athleticism out there. I don't put anything past 99. He's playing like an all-time great."

While Judge's overall season numbers are extraordinary, he's doing it down the stretch as the team gets ready for a postseason run. He's hitting .374/.543/.802 (34-for-91) with 33 runs, three doubles, 12 home runs (eight in his last 15 games), 18 RBI, 33 walks (seven intentional) and four stolen bases over his last 28 games. 

Overall, Judge has reached base safely in 134 of his 150 games this year, while batting .330/.458/.687 with 135 runs, 30 doubles, two triples, 52 home runs, 111 RBI, 124 walks (36 intentional, a new AL record) and 12 stolen bases.

In comparison, Raleigh has set records for what a catcher can accomplish as a hitter. His 60 home runs are a record for catchers and switch-hitters and are threatening Judge's AL home run record (62). He's also leading a Mariners pitching staff that is one of the best in the league, while captaining the AL West champs.

All while playing good defense and staying available for his team. 

Perhaps, the race will come down to the final two games as the Yankees and Mariners fight for seeding and positioning, and Raleigh and Judge look to pad their stats before the writers make their decision.

The MVP award will be announced sometime in October.

 

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Red Wings' Pre-Season Winning Streak Snapped After Penguins' Comeback

For the first time in pre-season play, the Detroit Red Wings didn't come away victorious. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins responded from what was a 2-0 first period deficit with three unanswered goals, including a pair of third period tallies, to earn a comeback 3-2 win at PPG Paints Arena in downtown Pittsburgh. 

Former Red Wings forward Robby Fabbri, who agreed to a professional tryout agreement with the Penguins, knotted the score with an early third period goal, followed by a power-play tally from Philip Tomasino that ultimately stood up as the game-winner. 

As they did during their first pre-season contest earlier this week against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Red Wings iced a lineup mostly comprised of young players, most of whom will be playing in the minors this season. 

One player who will likely spend time with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but doesn’t quite fit the “young prospect” label at 27 years old, is John Leonard, a former San Jose Sharks draft pick signed to a one-year, $775K contract this offseason. 

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Leonard scored twice for the Red Wings during the opening 20 minutes of play, which included skating in down the right wing on a partial breakaway and sniping a shot blocker side past goaltender Tristan Jarry for the night's opening goal.

Leonard knows how to score goals, as he did 36 times last season while playing in 72 games for the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers. 

His second tally was a floater from just inside the blue line that somehow eluded Jarry, who may have been partially screened. 

Red Wings goaltender John Gibson, who was born in Pittsburgh, was given the start and stopped 13 of the 14 shots that he faced before giving way to Michal Postava midway through the contest. 

"Hell Of A Shooter": Todd McLellan Praises Michael Brandsegg-Nygård Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygård may be more known for his hard-nosed approach to the game, but he gave Red Wings fans a demonstration of his offensive abilities as well on Thursday night. 

Postava, making his second appearance in 24 hours for the Red Wings, was beaten twice on the six shots he faced. 

The Red Wings will now move on to play the Buffalo Sabres as they did on Thursday night, but this time at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday afternoon (3:00 p.m. ET).

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Mets' mistakes, missed opportunities continue to cost them games as playoff chances dwindle

It's getting late early for the Mets.

After Friday's 6-2 loss to the Marlins and the Reds' 3-1 win over the Brewers, the Mets are no longer in control of their own destiny for the final NL Wild Card spot. But the team could have given itself a better shot if they didn't implode in the fifth inning of Friday's loss.

Leading 2-0 in the fifth, the Marlins began to get to young starter Brandon Sproat. While the pesky Marlins hit into some luck, dumping balls just inside the foul line and tying the game, the Mets' pitching and defense did not do themselves any favors and let the inning get out of hand. Pete Alonso, after making a nifty stab at a grounder to him, looked back the runner at third for the first out. Jakob Marsee followed by essentially doing the same thing on the drawn-in Alonso, but the first baseman could not pick the ball cleanly, allowing the go-ahead run to score. 

Now, with Gregory Soto in for Sproat and a runner at first with two outs, the southpaw did not account for Agustin Ramirez, who promptly stole second without a throw. Inexplicably, Ramirez stole third, but not because Soto didn't check, but Ronny Mauricio -- a defensive replacement for the injured Brett Baty -- did not cover the bag. Instead of getting out of the inning down just one, Ramirez would score on an Xavier Edwards single, then Connor Norby hit the two-run blast to cap off the six-run inning.

"We continue to make those mistakes and it’s costing us games," Mendoza said after the loss. When he was asked why they haven't been cleaned up, considering they are in September, the second-year skipper didn't have an answer.

"That’s a good question," he said. "It’s on me, it’s on all of us. We continue to make the same mistakes and it’s costing us games." 

Mendoza called the steal of third base an "inning-changer," while Alonso wished he had fielded the liner to him cleanly to try and get the runner out at home. 

"If I fielded it cleanly, I would have thrown it home, but I’m happy to get an out there," Alonso said of his misplay. "If you don’t get an out, things could have gone way worse. I wish I could have got the out at home."

But the fifth inning wasn't the only reason the Mets fell to the Marlins. After scoring two first-inning runs off of Sandy Alcantara, the Mets could get nothing on the Marlins' starter or the bullpen. But they had their opportunities.

New York finished 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base. The biggest opportunity they had was in the second, when Francisco Lindor hit a liner with two runners on that looked destined for a double over the head of Troy Johnston, but the Marlins' first baseman snatched it out of the air and stepped on first base to complete the inning-ending double play.

"When you’re facing elite pitching there, whenever you get chances, you have to be able to punch," Mendoza said of the lack of offense. "We had good at-bats in those first four innings, we had our opportunities."

"Sandy’s an ace. And he did what aces do and bunker down and made adjustments," Alonso said. "It’s unfortunate because he did bunker down and we gave up six runs. As a squad, we just have to stay hungry and do whatever we can and lock in. We did a good job early, but we have to find a way to get Sandy out of the game." 

With two games remaining, the Mets will need some help. They are tied for the final spot with the Reds, but Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker. The Mets will need to win one more game than the Reds over these final two games to make it back to the postseason.

"We put ourselves in this position," Mendoza said. "Here we are, we got to come back tomorrow and the next day. We have to win the next two and see what happens. We did it to ourselves." 

Alonso said the team is playing with a "high sense of urgency," and while it's unfortunate they lost on Friday, he knows they have to put it in the past and think about winning on Saturday. When asked if the reality of potentially missing the postseason has sunk in yet, the Mets' slugger dismissed the notion.

"Good thing it’s not over yet," he said. "We’ll figure that out later on. Hopefully, we can win tomorrow and not face that reality. For now, we just got to do what we can to win tomorrow."

The Mets will look to Clay Holmes to keep the Marlins down and their season alive when they play on Saturday afternoon.

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Brandon Sproat learns hard lessons at worst time as Mets' playoff odds drop

There was no way of knowing how Brandon Sproat would handle high-stakes pressure and responsibility with the Mets' postseason hopes hanging in the balance. But what the rookie right-hander offered in the opener of a season-altering series didn't lower the panic meter.

With sole possession of the NL's third wild-card spot on the line, Sproat found himself in the midst of growing frustrations on Friday night, as he couldn't complete his second turn through the Marlins' lineup in the Mets' lifeless 6-2 loss at LoanDepot Park. The letdown dropped them to 82-78 and into a tie with the Reds, who own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

"We've put ourselves in this position," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "Here we are, we've got to come back tomorrow and the next day now. We've got to win the next two now and see what happens. But we did it to ourselves."

The disheartening outing from Sproat didn't start on a sour note. He cruised through the first four innings with a 2-0 lead, and while he plunked two and walked one before giving up his first hit in the fourth, there weren't any warning signs of a meltdown. But the Mets' fears were soon realized.

Sproat fell apart in the fifth, allowing back-to-back singles and then a disastrous game-tying triple. He shook off the brutal sequence by inducing a pair of groundouts, but a two-out single knocked him out of the game, and then Gregory Soto threw gasoline onto the fire by allowing an additional three runs.

"The fastball had been working all night. That inning, they just found a couple barrels," Sproat said. "It's kind of something you learn from... You've got to be present every single inning. I was still present there. They put a couple of hits together, and it didn't go my way. That's baseball, that's the game."

In a critical game, Sproat fell short of a quality appearance. He struck out a season-low two across 4.2 innings (61 pitches), and with four runs charged to his ledger, he wrapped up his first September in the majors with a 4.79 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over four appearances (20.2 innings).

Sproat fell victim to some hard contact, and shoddy defense from his teammates contributed to the fifth-inning implosion. But the Mets needed length and efficiency from the youngster -- even if the request seemed unfair to someone with little big league experience.

The Mets will enter Saturday in must-win mode -- another loss and a Reds win would seal fates and knock them out of playoff contention.

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Pre-Season: Penguins Overcome 2-0 Deficit, Defeat Red Wings, 3-2

The Pittsburgh Penguins did not have the best start to their Friday evening pre-season tilt against the Detroit Red Wings.

But they were able to storm back in convincing fashion.

The Penguins erased a 2-0 deficit and came back to beat the Red Wings, 3-2. Connor Dewar, Robby Fabbri, and Philip Tomasino notched three unanswered goals for the Penguins en route to the victory, and goaltender Arturs Silovs entered the game midway through the second period and stopped the seven shots he faced - including a few nice saves late in the game.

Tristan Jarry started in net for the Penguins and stopped 11 of 13 shots. 

"[Silovs] stood on his head there with some big saves," Fabbri said. "We didn't help 'Jars' out as much as we would have liked, but he played well as well. We can't win without those two."

Here are some thoughts and observations from this one:

- There are a handful of young forwards and defensemen on this training camp roster who probably deserve to, at least, have a shot at supplanting some veterans from NHL roster spots by the end of the pre-season.

But I don't think the goaltending battle is being talked about enough.

Obviously, the injury to Joel Blomqvist - who is out for "at least four weeks" with a lower-body injury - opens up some of the logjam for the AHL and NHL spots. But Taylor Gauthier is also injured, which means the Penguins have open season on two of their affiliate goaltending slots.

As for the two NHL jobs? Again, GM and POHO Kyle Dubas said that the two best goaltenders will win the NHL roster spots. As of now, the two best goaltenders in this camp have been Silovs and Sergei Murashov.

'I'm Happy It All Worked Out': Fleury, Teammates Relish Chance To Share Ice One Last Time'I'm Happy It All Worked Out': Fleury, Teammates Relish Chance To Share Ice One Last TimeNormally, NHL training camp is an all-business kind of affair, and that's exactly how it's been at Pittsburgh Penguins' camp this year.

While I strongly believe Jarry will begin the season at the NHL level by default - and Murashov will begin in the AHL both for developmental purposes and because of Blomqvist going down - I'm not so sure he is going to end up getting the bulk of the starts. Silovs has shown his capability so far in camp, and - while it is only fair to give Jarry a bit more time and runway to show in camp, as this was his first pre-season appearance - he has a track record of performing well in big games.

Keep a watchful eye on those two as camp progresses. They are, likely, the two NHL goaltenders to start the season. But the battle between the two will be fun to watch. 

- When Dewar was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a last-minute deal before the 2025 trade deadline, I didn't really think much of it. Defenseman Conor Timmins - who was traded on draft day to the Buffalo Sabres along with defensive prospect Isaac Belliveau for a second-round pick - was the bigger piece of that initial deal, and I assumed he would have a higher impact.

But Dewar has been a nice surprise for the Penguins, and he showed out Friday. He scored a Sidney Crosby-esque backhand in the first period to give the Penguins life, and he fought Detroit's Carson Bantle at the beginning of the third to give the team a spark.

Even head coach Dan Muse said he's seen a little bit of everything from the 5-foot-10, 187-pound forward.

"Him and [Blake] Lizotte have gotten a lot of time on the penalty kill in the last couple of games, and they've done a really good job," Muse said. "He's a guy that gets in on the forecheck... a big goal there. That was a time in the game, too, you talk about two big momentum swing we had, and he had his fingerprints all over it. Big goal there to get us going a little bit more offensively, and then a fight there to follow it up. And he had some other big moments there I thought late in the game as well.

"Those types of things... he's showing his ability to impact the game and swing the momentum, and he's showing it in different ways."

I'm not saying Dewar has been some kind of huge revelation for the Penguins, but he has been more than solid since his acquisition. He's fiesty, he drives the net, he's put the puck in the back of the net semi-regularly for a fourth-liner, and he's sound defensively. 

I think he's been a really solid bottom-sixer for the Penguins.

Penguins Fall To Blue Jackets In Second Pre-Season TiltPenguins Fall To Blue Jackets In Second Pre-Season TiltAfter a hard-fought 2-1 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens in their pre-season opener on Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins looked to carry some of that momentum into their tilt against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

- Another couple of forwards who stood out against Detroit? Tomasino and Fabbri.

While it's easy to point to the three goal-scorers as the standouts of the game, they truly were the best players in this one.

Tomasino is someone who really needs to have a strong camp for the Penguins. This was his second game of the pre-season, and he has looked better and better. He was making an impact from the jump on Friday, creating scoring chances and hovering around the slot and net-front areas - and he also led the team in shots on goal with five.

Those are the kinds of things - as well as honing in the details - that Tomasino needs to continue doing in order to solidify his spot on the NHL roster.

I feel that Fabbri has had a pretty good camp so far, and his middle-drive to the net leading up to his goal was refreshing to watch. He's almost always one of the hardest-working players on the ice, and he is a relentless forechecker with a little bit of bite - as well as a scoring touch. 

The former first-round pick (21st overall in 2014 by the St. Louis Blues) was signed to a paid tryout (PTO) contract prior to training camp. Yes, there are a lot of young forwards in the mix for roster spots, and there are a few injuries to veterans at the moment as well. Making the NHL roster out of camp is probably an uphill climb for Fabbri.

But, so far, I think he's earned it. He will have to come out strong for the rest of the pre-season, though, to really make a strong case for himself.

- Saturday is Fleury day. Everyone in the city of Pittsburgh - including Fleury's longtime teammates and good friends in Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang - is looking forward to it, and PPG Paints Arena is expected to be a packed house.

Get there early, folks. There is more construction around the arena than there was last season, and it's going to be nuts down on Fifth Avenue tomorrow in celebration of an all-time great.

Ticket Prices For Fleury's Final Game Keep RisingTicket Prices For Fleury's Final Game Keep RisingWhen the Pittsburgh Penguins signed goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a paid tryout (PTO) contract on Friday, along with that came the announcement that he'd be appearing in one final pre-season game in Pittsburgh on Sept. 27 against the Columbus Blue Jackets before officially retiring from the NHL. 

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Giancarlo Stanton smacks two homers in Yankees' 8-4 win over Orioles

The Yankees extended their winning streak to six games on Friday night, as timely power from their superstar sluggers lifted them to an 8-4 win over the last-place Orioles at Yankee Stadium.

However, for a third straight night, they were unable to claim sole possession of first place in the AL East. The division-rival Blue Jays still own the head-to-head tiebreaker, and they wrapped up Friday with a 4-2 home win over the Rays.

The worst-case scenario for the Yankees hasn't changed. If they fail to leap ahead of the Blue Jays before the regular season ends on Sunday, they'll host a best-of-three Wild Card series next week. Their opponent could be the Red Sox, Guardians, Tigers, or Astros. These four teams are vying for two spots.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Last weekend at Camden Yards, the Yankees struggled mightily against Orioles lefty Trevor Rogers, who struck out seven across six scoreless innings to lower his ERA to a stellar 1.35. But history didn't repeat itself in The Bronx, as a quick first-inning swing from Giancarlo Stanton with two outs and one runner on produced a clutch two-run shot to right-center. The veteran slugger's 22nd homer of the season traveled 397 feet with an exit velocity of 109 mph. Stanton appears wide-awake from a long September slumber -- he entered Thursday hitting a measly .175 this month and then delivered a game-altering three-run double to help the Yankees sweep the White Sox.

-- Will Warren couldn't have looked any sharper through two innings, as he faced the minimum by inducing three strikeouts and three flyouts on 26 total pitches. But the rookie right-hander lost that groove in the third, and his mess frustratingly started against the No. 9 hitter with two outs already recorded. After giving up an infield single and a walk, Warren served up a three-run homer to Jordan Westburg that placed the Orioles ahead. Before completing the frame, Warren allowed one more single and received a visit from pitching coach Matt Blake. He needed 30 pitches to escape the jam.

-- Much to the Yankees' delight, the Orioles couldn't even hold the one-run lead for an inning. With one out and a runner on first in the third, Aaron Judge clobbered a Rogers sinker that narrowly cleared the center-field wall for a two-run blast. It was homer No. 52 on the season for the Yankees' captain, and his 110-mph liner traveled 423 feet with a low 23-degree launch angle. Then, seven pitches later, Judge's behemoth teammate inflicted more damage off Rogers, as Stanton demolished a two-run shot to left-center that flew over the Orioles' bullpen. A homer in all 30 ballparks -- it traveled a whopping 451 feet.

-- The Yankees' power surge couldn't have been predicted with confidence. Rogers entered Friday's outing with just three homers allowed across 106.2 innings this season, and he'd logged 15 straight appearances with two or fewer runs on his ledger. With a few swings from Stanton and Judge, his homer total doubled. The Orioles didn't ask for a fourth inning of work from Rogers, who threw 52 pitches -- they turned to the bullpen instead. 

-- The three-run cushion helped Warren settle back in. While he allowed a two-out double in the fourth, he induced two strikeouts in that inning and then completed a scoreless fifth with another punchout. The fifth-inning strikeout pushed his season total to 171, the second-most from a rookie in franchise history. Warren couldn't register an out in the sixth, however -- a leadoff homer to Tyler O'Neill cut the Yankees' lead to 6-4 and forced a call to the bullpen. He left the mound with seven strikeouts and a 4.44 season ERA (four runs on six hits and one walk, 81 total pitches).

-- The Yankees were wise to pull Warren after the solo homer, but the reliever they turned to first made everyone sweat. Mark Leiter Jr. quickly found himself in a bases-loaded jam after seeing Paul Goldschmidt botch a chopper at first and walking a pair. With two outs and the tying run at second, Tim Hill was called upon to clean up the mess, and he did just that by getting Jackson Holliday to ground out. The Yankees placed pressure on Orioles reliever Yennier Cano in the bottom of the sixth, and after a pair of singles from Trent Grisham and Anthony Volpe, their lead was bumped to 7-4 on an RBI single from Austin Wells. The seventh inning belonged to Fernando Cruz -- he walked a pair but kept the Orioles from scoring.

--  An insurance run arrived for the Yankees in the seventh. A single from Goldschmidt, a walk from Judge, and another single from Cody Bellinger set the bases loaded for -- guess who? -- Stanton with no outs. The wish for a three-homer game didn't come true, though -- he had to settle for an RBI groundout that pushed the lead to 8-4. The Orioles had a chance to turn two on the chopper to third, but Westburg opted not to throw home. The rally could've been greater, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. grounded out and Volpe popped out to end the threat.

-- Camilo Doval pitched with confidence for a sixth straight appearance, striking out the side in a scoreless eighth and lowering his ERA from 3.64 to 3.58. With a four-run lead, the ninth inning didn't present a save situation for David Bednar, but the Yankees wanted their closer on the mound with the stakes still high. Due to a walk and an infield single, he found himself in a jam with runners on the corners and one out. Bednar didn't waver, though -- he struck a pair to seal the deal.

Game MVP: Giancarlo Stanton

For a second straight night, Stanton lifted the Yankees to victory. He's driven in eight runs over the last two games. 

Highlights:

What's next

The Yankees (92-68) will continue their weekend series with the Orioles on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

RHP Cam Schlittler (3-3, 3.27 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (10-9, 4.54 ERA).