Category: Sports News

Giants' winless six-game homestand amplified by stunning 19th-century MLB stat originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants continue burrowing beyond rock bottom, but that’s not the only excavating being done.

You’d have to dig deep into the annals of 19th century MLB history to find the last time San Francisco had a worse homestand than the one that concluded with the Giants’ 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wedensday.

San Francisco went 0-6 against the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates, marking only the second time in franchise history the Giants have gone winless on a homestand of at least six games.

The only other time it happened was in April 1896.

Giants finish an 0-6 homestand after getting swept by the last-place Pirates. The only other time the Giants went winless on a homestand of 6+ games came in April 1896 when they lost 3 to the Phillies and 3 to the Boston Beaneaters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau

— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) July 30, 2025

Over the course of the last 129 years of baseball, the Giants never managed to stoop to this level of dispair, but San Francisco’s recent woes snowballed into two-series disaster that now forever lives on in infamy.

The Giants have been in a freefall over the last six weeks, posting MLB’s worst record (13-24) since June 17 — the day San Francisco acquired star slugger Rafael Devers.

Horrendous offensive production has been the common denominator during the Giants’ pitiful slide in recent weeks and the team’s latest homestand followed suit as San Francisco only has mustered 12 total runs during its six-game losing streak.

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José Butto emotionally exits Mets bullpen after hearing news of Giants trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The MLB trade deadline can be tough on players who are dealt, and new Giants reliever José Butto showcased that perfectly after the New York Mets sent him to San Francisco during Wednesday’s game at Petco Park.

Butto was traded to the Giants, along with top-12 prospects Blade Tidwell and Drew Gilbert, in exchange for Tyler Rogers in the middle of New York’s game against the San Diego Padres. The emotions of his forthcoming departure were written all over his face, as the reliever took some time away from the dugout before returning later in the inning.

Butto signed with the Mets as an international free agent in 2017 and made his MLB debut with the team in 2022. Since then, the right-hander has posted an 11-9 record and 3.45 ERA with 163 strikeouts in 74 appearances.

In 2025, Butto has a 3.64 ERA with 41 strikeouts. He now goes from the second-place Mets, who are 62-47 and currently hold the second NL wild-card spot, to the Giants, who dropped below .500 for the first time this season after Wednesday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates and are six games out of the wild-card race.

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A closer look at the Hall of Fame chances for 8 current, former Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

This year’s class for the National Baseball Hall of Fame was a fulfilling one for Phillies fans. Beloved slugger Dick Allen, one of the best hitters in the Era of the Pitcher, was finally voted in posthumously, and Billy Wagner became one of the few closers to make it to the Hall.

There haven’t been many players who played a majority of their careers in Philadelphia in Cooperstown. In fact, before Allen, you have to go all the way back to Richie Ashburn’s induction in 1995. Such is the existence for the losingest franchise ever.

However, in the more recent history of the Phillies, and the current roster, there are several players who have Hall of Fame possibilities. And in the wake of Hall of Fame weekend, and as he head toward Phillies Wall of Fame and Alumni festivities this weekend, it’s a fine time to examine eight current and former Phils and Hall of Fame chances.

Bobby Abreu

Abreu definitely produced offensively during his career. Seven seasons with 40-plus doubles, nearly 2,500 hits, 400 stolen bases, 1,453 runs scored, and a lifetime OPS of .870. His problem is that he was never among the best for multiple seasons running. The Hall is reserved for the best of the best. Abreu played 18 seasons, but he was named to just two All-Star teams. One Silver Slugger, one Gold Glove, zero top-10 finishes in MVP voting. The cumulative numbers look good, but when you put them up against fellow players, they just don’t measure up. He appeared on 19.5% of Hall of Fame ballots in 2025, his 6^th year of eligibility.

Hall Watch (out of 5 stars): 1.5 stars

Cole Hamels

Hamels has an interesting argument. 163 career wins doesn’t sound like a Hall of Fame number, but from the start of his career in 2006 to 2018, he has 156 wins, which ranks 7^th in baseball, just behind Max Scherzer (159) and Felix Hernandez (164), and third in Ks behind Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

He was named to four All-Star teams, finished in the top-10 in Cy Young Voting four times, and we all remember how unhittable he was during the 2008 playoffs. Coming up big in the postseason carries some extra weight. But in the end, I’m not sure he separated himself enough. 2026 is his first year on the ballot, the returns should be interesting.

Hall Watch: 2 stars

Bryce Harper

Where do you start when listing the accolades for Harper? Two MVP awards, 8 All-Star games, four Silver Sluggers, 351 home runs… and he’s three months shy of 33 years old! He has hit 767 extra-base hits in his career to date. That ranks 24^th of all players prior to their 33^rd birthday. More than Barry Bonds, more than Ted Williams, more than Mike Trout.

34 players have won two or more MVPs; 23 of the other 28 eligible players are in the Hall of Fame. The outliers? Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Roger Maris, and Dale Murphy. Harper already has more career home runs than Maris, and is 47 shy of Murphy. I shouldn’t have to explain the other three.

Harper has been in the harsh media spotlight since well before his MLB career began, and he has excelled throughout. All that’s really missing from his career to this point is a World Series ring.

Hall Watch: 4.5 stars

Ryan Howard

From 2006-to-2011, Howard was a player you could describe as an SWYD All-Star: when he’s up to bat, Stop What You’re Doing. Homework, dinner, taking out the trash, it can wait. Howard’s up. And often, he rewarded your patience. He was the most feared power hitter in the game during that span, averaging – averaging! – 43.7 homers and 132.7 RBI over that 6-year romp. For context, in the last 105 seasons, only seven players aside from Howard had THREE seasons with 43 HR and 132 RBI. Ruth, Sosa, Gehrig, Griffey, A-Rod, Manny Ramirez, and Jimmy Foxx.

Howard won the 2006 NL MVP, then finished fifth, second, third, tenth, and tenth again in MVP voting. The issue with Howard’s unreal run is that, frankly, that was it. He tore his Achilles to end the 2011 NLDS against the Cardinals, and never fully got back to super status. Many players have shooting-star careers like Howard, very few of them shine so brightly during their meteoric flight to alert Hall voters.

Sandy Koufax’s best seasons were the final five of his career, and in those five seasons, he was untouchable. 3 Cy Youngs, an MVP, and two World Series titles. The best pitcher in the game, during the Era of the Pitcher. Outside of those seasons, however, he was a below-average pitcher for eight seasons. But what he did at his best superseded all of that mediocrity.

While Howard’s best was great, it wasn’t great for long enough.

Hall Watch: 2.5 stars

Jimmy Rollins

On to another cornerstone from the 2008 roster, and the player that ignited the team whenever it seemed they needed it. The Phillies hit king (2,306 of his 2,455 career knocks) has 500+ doubles and 400+ stolen bases, one of 12 players all-time to reach those milestones. Nine of them are in Cooperstown. Four Gold Gloves, and the 2007 NL MVP, a season he put the team on his back down the stretch.

But J-Roll made just three All-Star teams. One Silver Slugger. For his career, his OPS+ was 95, which is below league average for his position. Rollins’ career, while made up for several great Moments, didn’t have many great seasons.

Hall Watch: 2 stars

Kyle Schwarber

Before signing with the Phillies prior to the 2022 season, Schwarber wasn’t a player you’d consider as anything approaching a Hall-of-Famer. But the last three-plus seasons have been a reinvention for the slugger. To count how many players with more homers than Schwarber’s had as a Phillie (168) since the start  of 2022, you’d need just two fingers: Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. He has nearly reached SWYD status.

This blistering run has more than doubled his career home run total to 321 and counting. At the age of 32, his next 4-5 seasons will go a long way toward determining his candidacy for the Hall. Currently with just three All-Star nods and a Silver Slugger, a career home run figure would likely need to be in the high 400s for Cooperstown to come calling.

Hall Watch: 3 stars (with a bullet)

Chase Utley

Utley was arm-in-arm with Howard during the Phillies’ Golden Era of 2007-2011, and, you could argue, was more valuable overall than The Big Piece. His bWAR in that span (34.7) was second only to Albert Pujols. He always gave it his all, and was a fan favorite as a result.

But he was sorely lacking in one area during those years, and several others in his career: availability. Utley’s hair-on-fire playing style took a severe toll on him, and just as an example, he missed 145 games from 2007-2011. That’s nearly an entire season sitting out.

Also similar to Howard, his injuries caused his late-career production to suffer greatly. From 2009 until his final season of 2018, he topped 140 games in a season just once. Had his knees not betrayed him, who knows? So far, the Hall of voters have given him some love (39.8% in 2025), but he has a ways to go.

Hall Watch: 3.5 Stars

Zack Wheeler

The final candidate here could reap the benefits of voters changing their calculus on what determines Cooperstown worthiness for career starting pitchers.

Wheeler, 35, stands at 112 career wins. But in this era of starters going just 5-6 innings, bullpens notoriously blow what could have been several sure wins for the starter. The 3-time All-Star, like Schwarber, is another player whose career has undergone a resurgent second act in his Phillies Era.

Here are his ranks among Starters (min. 125 GS) since the start of the 2021 season:

• 2.89 ERA (1^st)
• WHIP (1^st)
• 64 wins (T-2^nd)
• 1,018 strikeouts (2^nd)
• .601 opponents’ OPS (2^nd)
• .211 opponents’ average (3^rd)

The one thing noticeably lacking from his resume is a Cy Young, and he has been mind-numbingly close, finishing second to Corbin Burnes in 2021 and Chris Sale last season. (Can someone kidnap Paul Skenes for a couple weeks?)

Wheeler has said on the record that he will play until his current Phillies contract expires, at the end of the ’27 season. If healthy, he could earn another 25-30 wins. Could 150 career wins be a magic number? 140? We shall see.

Hall Watch: 3.5 Stars

A closer look at the Hall of Fame chances for 8 current, former Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

This year’s class for the National Baseball Hall of Fame was a fulfilling one for Phillies fans. Beloved slugger Dick Allen, one of the best hitters in the Era of the Pitcher, was finally voted in posthumously, and Billy Wagner became one of the few closers to make it to the Hall.

There haven’t been many players who played a majority of their careers in Philadelphia in Cooperstown. In fact, before Allen, you have to go all the way back to Richie Ashburn’s induction in 1995. Such is the existence for the losingest franchise ever.

However, in the more recent history of the Phillies, and the current roster, there are several players who have Hall of Fame possibilities. And in the wake of Hall of Fame weekend, and as he head toward Phillies Wall of Fame and Alumni festivities this weekend, it’s a fine time to examine eight current and former Phils and Hall of Fame chances.

Bobby Abreu

Abreu definitely produced offensively during his career. Seven seasons with 40-plus doubles, nearly 2,500 hits, 400 stolen bases, 1,453 runs scored, and a lifetime OPS of .870. His problem is that he was never among the best for multiple seasons running. The Hall is reserved for the best of the best. Abreu played 18 seasons, but he was named to just two All-Star teams. One Silver Slugger, one Gold Glove, zero top-10 finishes in MVP voting. The cumulative numbers look good, but when you put them up against fellow players, they just don’t measure up. He appeared on 19.5% of Hall of Fame ballots in 2025, his 6^th year of eligibility.

Hall Watch (out of 5 stars): 1.5 stars

Cole Hamels

Hamels has an interesting argument. 163 career wins doesn’t sound like a Hall of Fame number, but from the start of his career in 2006 to 2018, he has 156 wins, which ranks 7^th in baseball, just behind Max Scherzer (159) and Felix Hernandez (164), and third in Ks behind Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

He was named to four All-Star teams, finished in the top-10 in Cy Young Voting four times, and we all remember how unhittable he was during the 2008 playoffs. Coming up big in the postseason carries some extra weight. But in the end, I’m not sure he separated himself enough. 2026 is his first year on the ballot, the returns should be interesting.

Hall Watch: 2 stars

Bryce Harper

Where do you start when listing the accolades for Harper? Two MVP awards, 8 All-Star games, four Silver Sluggers, 351 home runs… and he’s three months shy of 33 years old! He has hit 767 extra-base hits in his career to date. That ranks 24^th of all players prior to their 33^rd birthday. More than Barry Bonds, more than Ted Williams, more than Mike Trout.

34 players have won two or more MVPs; 23 of the other 28 eligible players are in the Hall of Fame. The outliers? Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Roger Maris, and Dale Murphy. Harper already has more career home runs than Maris, and is 47 shy of Murphy. I shouldn’t have to explain the other three.

Harper has been in the harsh media spotlight since well before his MLB career began, and he has excelled throughout. All that’s really missing from his career to this point is a World Series ring.

Hall Watch: 4.5 stars

Ryan Howard

From 2006-to-2011, Howard was a player you could describe as an SWYD All-Star: when he’s up to bat, Stop What You’re Doing. Homework, dinner, taking out the trash, it can wait. Howard’s up. And often, he rewarded your patience. He was the most feared power hitter in the game during that span, averaging – averaging! – 43.7 homers and 132.7 RBI over that 6-year romp. For context, in the last 105 seasons, only seven players aside from Howard had THREE seasons with 43 HR and 132 RBI. Ruth, Sosa, Gehrig, Griffey, A-Rod, Manny Ramirez, and Jimmy Foxx.

Howard won the 2006 NL MVP, then finished fifth, second, third, tenth, and tenth again in MVP voting. The issue with Howard’s unreal run is that, frankly, that was it. He tore his Achilles to end the 2011 NLDS against the Cardinals, and never fully got back to super status. Many players have shooting-star careers like Howard, very few of them shine so brightly during their meteoric flight to alert Hall voters.

Sandy Koufax’s best seasons were the final five of his career, and in those five seasons, he was untouchable. 3 Cy Youngs, an MVP, and two World Series titles. The best pitcher in the game, during the Era of the Pitcher. Outside of those seasons, however, he was a below-average pitcher for eight seasons. But what he did at his best superseded all of that mediocrity.

While Howard’s best was great, it wasn’t great for long enough.

Hall Watch: 2.5 stars

Jimmy Rollins

On to another cornerstone from the 2008 roster, and the player that ignited the team whenever it seemed they needed it. The Phillies hit king (2,306 of his 2,455 career knocks) has 500+ doubles and 400+ stolen bases, one of 12 players all-time to reach those milestones. Nine of them are in Cooperstown. Four Gold Gloves, and the 2007 NL MVP, a season he put the team on his back down the stretch.

But J-Roll made just three All-Star teams. One Silver Slugger. For his career, his OPS+ was 95, which is below league average for his position. Rollins’ career, while made up for several great Moments, didn’t have many great seasons.

Hall Watch: 2 stars

Kyle Schwarber

Before signing with the Phillies prior to the 2022 season, Schwarber wasn’t a player you’d consider as anything approaching a Hall-of-Famer. But the last three-plus seasons have been a reinvention for the slugger. To count how many players with more homers than Schwarber’s had as a Phillie (168) since the start  of 2022, you’d need just two fingers: Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. He has nearly reached SWYD status.

This blistering run has more than doubled his career home run total to 321 and counting. At the age of 32, his next 4-5 seasons will go a long way toward determining his candidacy for the Hall. Currently with just three All-Star nods and a Silver Slugger, a career home run figure would likely need to be in the high 400s for Cooperstown to come calling.

Hall Watch: 3 stars (with a bullet)

Chase Utley

Utley was arm-in-arm with Howard during the Phillies’ Golden Era of 2007-2011, and, you could argue, was more valuable overall than The Big Piece. His bWAR in that span (34.7) was second only to Albert Pujols. He always gave it his all, and was a fan favorite as a result.

But he was sorely lacking in one area during those years, and several others in his career: availability. Utley’s hair-on-fire playing style took a severe toll on him, and just as an example, he missed 145 games from 2007-2011. That’s nearly an entire season sitting out.

Also similar to Howard, his injuries caused his late-career production to suffer greatly. From 2009 until his final season of 2018, he topped 140 games in a season just once. Had his knees not betrayed him, who knows? So far, the Hall of voters have given him some love (39.8% in 2025), but he has a ways to go.

Hall Watch: 3.5 Stars

Zack Wheeler

The final candidate here could reap the benefits of voters changing their calculus on what determines Cooperstown worthiness for career starting pitchers.

Wheeler, 35, stands at 112 career wins. But in this era of starters going just 5-6 innings, bullpens notoriously blow what could have been several sure wins for the starter. The 3-time All-Star, like Schwarber, is another player whose career has undergone a resurgent second act in his Phillies Era.

Here are his ranks among Starters (min. 125 GS) since the start of the 2021 season:

• 2.89 ERA (1^st)
• WHIP (1^st)
• 64 wins (T-2^nd)
• 1,018 strikeouts (2^nd)
• .601 opponents’ OPS (2^nd)
• .211 opponents’ average (3^rd)

The one thing noticeably lacking from his resume is a Cy Young, and he has been mind-numbingly close, finishing second to Corbin Burnes in 2021 and Chris Sale last season. (Can someone kidnap Paul Skenes for a couple weeks?)

Wheeler has said on the record that he will play until his current Phillies contract expires, at the end of the ’27 season. If healthy, he could earn another 25-30 wins. Could 150 career wins be a magic number? 140? We shall see.

Hall Watch: 3.5 Stars