Category: Sports News

Pete Crow-Armstrong had no idea that the Mets once attempted to get him back -- and for Pete Alonso, no less.

“I did not know that,” Crow-Armstrong said on Friday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, chuckling at the revelation. “That’s awesome.”

It also happens to be true. Although it was never close -- or even close to close -- to becoming a reality, the Pete-for-Pete discussion is a fun one to chat about. The magnitude of both players, who will be National League teammates at next week’s All-Star Game, is what makes it so.

Let’s first rewind to 2020. That year the Mets made Crow-Armstrong their first-round pick (19th overall). The following May he underwent shoulder surgery, ending his first season in pro ball.

Meanwhile, the Mets were under new ownership, had just acquired and then extended a franchise cornerstone in Francisco Lindor, and were in contention at the trade deadline. The front office, wanting to convey to fans and players alike that they believed in the team, traded Crow-Armstrong to the Chicago Cubs for Javier Baez.

Even in retrospect, it’s easy to understand the impulse. Baez played well for the Mets, posting an .899 OPS in 47 games. But he and Lindor also flashed an infamous thumbs down sign at fans, and he left as a free agent for Detroit. The Mets fell out of contention in August.

Over the next few years, Crow-Armstrong solidified his status as a top prospect. He debuted with the Cubs in 2023, and has broken out this season as a superstar.

It was in 2023 that the Mets and Cubs had their brief chat about him. That was the trade deadline in which then-GM Billy Eppler executed an impressive selloff, aided by Steve Cohen’s willingness to absorb salary as a way to turn veterans into prospects.

Eppler and his front office were serious about trading Max Scherzer (to Texas for Luisangel Acuña), Justin Verlander (to Houston for Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford), along with David Robertson and Tommy Pham for intriguing lower-level prospects.

The Mets were not particularly serious about trading Alonso, who would become a free agent after the following season. But they owed it to themselves to answer calls about him, just to see what other clubs would offer.

That openness led to conversations with several clubs about Alonso. The Milwaukee Brewers called, but did not get close to a deal.

During this time, the Mets front office hatched a brief, outside-the-box idea. What about calling the Cubs to feel them out about Pete for Pete? The Cubs were known to have liked Alonso, and rumored to be weighing a pursuit of him.

According to league sources with direct knowledge of the situation, the call was made. The conversation was brief. The answer was no.

It’s no knock on Alonso that the Cubs passed. It was about the specific concept. Good luck finding any team willing to trade a rookie centerfielder with star potential for less than two seasons of a slugging first baseman.

Flash forward to today. Alonso re-signed with the Mets for another year, chasing Darryl Strawberry’s franchise home run record. Crow-Armstrong is the face of the new Cubs. After a few lean years in Detroit, Baez will also be at the All-Star Game.

The only dangling thread lingers in center field for the Mets. The team is still looking to fill that position.

But maybe everything worked out the way it needed to?

“It was not a disappointment at all,” Crow-Armstrong said about the trade from the Mets to the Cubs. “I was looking for anything good to happen. I was still relatively early on in the rehab process when I got traded. The change of scenery ended up being important.”

It’s been a long road back for Mets starter Sean Manaea. 

Manaea was supposed to headline this retooled rotation following a breakout 2024 campaign, but he was quickly forced to the injured list after suffering an oblique strain during his ramp up in spring training. 

The initial expectation was that he’d be able to return to the club in mid-to-late April, but that timeline continued to be pushed further and further back as he endured some minor setbacks along the way.

The first one came in mid-March when he first resumed throwing, and then he was recently forced to receive a cortisone injection after a loose body was discovered in his left elbow following a rehab start. 

Manaea was able to work his way through his final two rehab outings without experiencing any further discomfort, though, and now he’s officially set to make his season debut this weekend in Kansas City. 

He’ll piggyback Clay Holmes during Sunday afternoon’s first-half finale. 

“Talking to both they said whatever you guys want to do,” Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re just trying to keep things simple for Clay and then we’ll give Sean the proper time to make sure he's ready before we put him in.”

Manaea allowed 15 runs over his six rehab appearances, but he did show some positives.

Easily his most encouraging showing came prior to his latest setback, when he gave up just one of those runs on a pair of hits while striking out seven over 5.1 stellar innings of work while with Triple-A Syracuse.  

He was a little rusty his next two times out, but still feels ready to return to a Mets rotation that desperately needs a spark heading into the second-half.

“It feels good,” Manaea said. “It sucks to be on the IL, you want to be out there helping this team win and it’s frustrating when you can’t do that -- everyone has been doing an incredible job, so it feels good to be back.” 

Willy Adames' patience is rewarded as he leads Giants to big win over Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — A few minutes before the first pitch Friday night, Willy Adames sprinted to the edge of the outfield grass and put his hands on his hips. A sellout crowd was settling in and the “Beat L.A.” chants had already started. Outside, thousands still waited in long lines, not far from parking lots that were charging $100 to pass through their gates. 

It wasn’t hard to look around and see signals that the biggest game of the year was about to start, but Adames had something to handle first. He stared at counterpart Mookie Betts, who was getting his arm loose in shallow right field. Finally, Betts realized Adames was waiting for him and jogged toward second base. The two shortstops hugged and chatted briefly. 

That has been a daily routine for Adames, who is seemingly as connected and conversational as any player in the league. He was like that throughout April, when his OPS started with a five. He had the same personality in May, when at times it looked like progress was being made but his batting average ultimately dropped back near .200 by the end of the month. 

In June, as things started to turn, Adames was the same person every day. There were friends to chat with before games and handshakes to give. During games, there were helmets that needed to be lifted when teammates went deep. After wins, the Powerade jug needed to be emptied on someone’s jersey. 

The consistency has been remarkable, and finally, Adames is being rewarded for it. He homered early in Friday’s 8-7 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and then added a big two-run triple. By the time Adames joined Mike Yastrzemski for their post-game leap, his OPS was a season-high .694. 

That’s far from where he wants to be, but also far from where he was earlier this year. He finally feels right at the plate, and he’s being rewarded for keeping the faith, positivity and energy through some serious lows. 

“Obviously when you’re not performing well it’s tough to keep yourself together, but that’s the one thing I can control,” he said Friday night. “I told Buster [Posey], that’s the only thing that’s never going to change: My attitude and my work ethic and my willingness to try to be better. My energy is going to be the same every day, no matter if I’m doing good or bad.

“In the beginning when we were winning a lot of games, that helped. And then when we were struggling, it was tough for me to keep myself together because we weren’t winning and I had to step up and do my thing. We have a really good group in here that was like, ‘You’re going to be all right, you’re going to be all right.’ Everybody had my back and I feel like that’s what makes teams great.”

Two weeks ago, the Giants couldn’t even associate themselves with “good.” But with the win Friday, they crept within four of the Dodgers — who have lost seven straight — in the National League West. The division looked long gone after their first two days in Arizona, but their recent run and this shocking Dodgers skid have brought it back into play.

The last time the Giants seriously chased the NL West title, the two teams ended up facing off in the playoffs. On Friday, the wild back-and-forth affair gave off October energy. 

“It was amazing,” Adames said. “I’m not going to lie, I felt like we had too many Dodgers fans here. Maybe tomorrow we’ll get more San Francisco fans, but the energy was intense. I loved it. It felt like a playoff game, to be honest.”

The stars who come through in October are the ones who aren’t bothered by the moment. The Giants always have felt confident that Adames is in that mold, but the long-term commitment got off to an ugly start. There was nothing to do but be patient, and over the last month, Adames has looked like his old self. 

He is hitting .304 with a .952 OPS since June 10, and the homer Friday was his third of July and seventh in his last 29 games. It went to right-center, surprising even Adames with how well it carried. With the triple, which was part of a five-run fifth, he got to 22 RBI over his last 29 games. 

“A few weeks ago I started feeling better at the plate, taking better at-bats and putting myself in hitter’s counts and taking advantage of that,” he said. “I feel like since then I’ve been feeling really good at the plate and trying to execute on my plan. I think that’s the most important thing when we go to the plate, is just trusting the plan that you have and staying with it and giving it a shot.”

The offensive outburst was needed, because Logan Webb’s night shockingly fell apart in the sixth. He gave up four runs and was charged with a season-high six earned overall, but for once, the lineup rewarded him. 

The big early lead was whittled away, but Camilo Doval got a double play with two on and one out in the ninth, clinching a win on the first night of the biggest series of the year thus far. It was the 22nd one-run win of the year for the Giants, who seem to be fully comfortable with intensity. 

Nobody exemplifies that more than their shortstop, and that’s been the case all year, in good times and bad. The smile comes easily for Adames, but it’s a bit easier to let it linger when you’re the one contributing to the wins. 

“Willy has been great,” Webb said. “He’s one of the most positive guys in the clubhouse all the time. We brought him in for a reason, and I know he’s excited to get it going. It’s fun for us to watch.”  

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The start of Friday's series opener between the Mets and Royals in Kansas City has been delayed due to inclement weather.

First pitch was originally scheduled for 8:10 p.m. and a new start time has yet to be announced.

When the action does get underway, New York will be looking to bounce back after being swept by the Baltimore Orioles in a doubleheader on Thursday.

Kodai Senga takes the mound for the Mets, making his return from the injured list.

The right-hander was a bit shaky during his lone rehab appearance, but he had been pitching spectacularly prior to suffering the hamstring injury, posting a 1.47 ERA across 13 outings.

He'll be opposed by former Met Michael Wacha, who has pitched to a 3.83 ERA on the season.

Kansas City's pitching staff has been tremendous on the year, but Wacha has dropped his last three outings, allowing a total of 12 runs over that span.

The game can be seen on SNY.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided some updates prior to Friday’s series opener in Kansas City…

Good news on Marte

Starling Marte underwent an MRI on his knee Friday, which still showed some inflammation, but overall was “very encouraging.”

The team is planning on limiting his running for the time being, but they will start the process as soon as this weekend, which is certainly good news. 

They are still hopeful Marte will be available coming out of the All-Star break. 

The 36-year-old was placed on the injured list earlier this week after tweaking his right knee during his at-bat in the ninth inning of last weekend's Subway Series finale. 

Marte had been swinging a hot bat prior to that, picking up three more hits to raise his average to an impressive .324 since the beginning of June. 

Getting him back in the mix right away would certainly be a huge boost, especially with Jesse Winker hitting the IL as well. 

Winker’s prognosis 

Speaking of Winker, Mendy revealed that he’s dealing with lower back inflammation. 

He'll be on medicine for the next four-to-seven days, and then the team will see how he’s feeling before deciding on next steps -- potential options include receiving an injection, depending on how he responds.  

Though there’s been some speculation that Winker’s back injury is connected to the oblique strain he was just returning from, the skipper said trainers told him the two had nothing to do with each other. 

“That was my first question too,” Mendoza said. “This is something that just came up now, nothing related -- hopefully the medicine works here over the next four-to-seven days, and then we’ll see where we’re at from there.”

Winker was hitless in three at-bats before landing back on the IL. 

With him and Marte sidelined, the team will continue to mix and match at DH this weekend.

The left-handed hitting Jared Young was recalled from Triple-A, but it is Mark Vientos who will receive the first opportunity against veteran right-hander Michael Wacha in Friday's series opener.

Paul Blackburn on the mend

The right-hander threw a successful bullpen session on Friday in Kansas City. 

He is expected to throw another one on Sunday, and if all goes well there, he’ll head down to Port St. Lucie during the break to face hitters. 

Blackburn officially landed on the IL last week due to a right shoulder impingement. 

With Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga back healthy and in the rotation mix, he could potentially be looking at a bullpen role when he does eventually return. 

Prior to his injury, Blackburn had been struggling mightily -- pitching to a 7.71 ERA in six appearances. 

WATCH: Rafaela's walk-off HR gives Red Sox eighth straight win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Ceddanne Rafaela provided the heroics for the Boston Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox trailed the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 with one out and a runner on first base in the bottom of the ninth inning when Rafaela stepped to the plate against Pete Fairbanks. With a 1-2 count, Rafaela blasted one over the Green Monster to give Boston the 5-4 walk-off victory:

Rafaela has been one of the best players in baseball for the last month. In addition to playing elite defense in center field, the 24-year-old has slashed .314/.337/.674 with seven homers and 21 RBI over his last 25 games. His 3.5 fWAR on the season ranks fifth among position players in the American League.

The Red Sox trailed 4-1 after an early injury to starter Hunter Dobbins and a sloppy third inning in which they allowed three unearned runs. Marcelo Mayer (RBI double) and Abraham Toro (RBI groundout) narrowed the deficit in the fourth before Rafaela finished the job with his two-run blast. Roman Anthony pinch-hit in the ninth inning and drew a walk to set up Rafaela’s dramatic moment.

With ace Garrett Crochet on the mound, the Red Sox (51-45) will take an eight-game win streak into Saturday’s game against the Rays. They’re currently 4.5 games back in the American League East standings and in possession of the second Wild Card spot.

What we learned as Giants hang on to hand Dodgers seventh consecutive loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — This weekend’s series between the Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers features some of the best pitchers in the National League, but on the first night Friday at Oracle Park, the longtime rivals engaged in the type of shootout that normally is found elsewhere in the division. 

A five-run fifth from the Giants immediately was countered by a four-run frame from the first-place Dodgers, who got within one in the seventh after trailing by six at one point. The Giants kept it there, winning 8-7 and handing the Dodgers their seventh consecutive loss, a skid that seemed inconceivable a couple weeks ago as they threatened to run away with the division. 

Camilo Doval faced the top of the Dodgers lineup and retired Shohei Ohtani before a Mookie Betts single. Pinch-runner Esteury Ruiz stole second and Freddie Freeman drew a walk, but Doval got catcher Will Smith to bounce into a game-ending double play. 

The Giants scored first on a Willy Adames solo blast, but Ohtani put one into the cove to give the Dodgers the lead in the third. Jung Hoo Lee countered with a go-ahead triple, and Adames matched him in the fifth as the Giants jumped out to an 8-2 lead. 

It usually would be all downhill from there for Logan Webb, but he got knocked out in the sixth by a lineup he dominated at Dodger Stadium in June. 

Not What He Expected

Webb was sharp early, striking out the side in the second and carrying a big lead into the late innings. The only damage through five was a two-run homer by Ohtani, but the Dodgers hit the staff ace hard in the sixth inning and knocked him out after just one out. 

Webb started the frame by drilling Betts and then gave up two doubles and a two-run homer to former Giant Michael Conforto. All three base hits were at least 104 mph, and on the other end, Webb’s velocity dropped a couple of ticks. His final pitch was a 91 mph sinker that Conforto hit out to dead center. 

The six earned runs were a season-high for Webb, who had allowed just 10 earned in nine previous starts at Oracle Park this season. He finished the first half with a 2.94 ERA in 20 starts. Webb will head into the MLB All-Star break leading the NL in innings and he’s ranked second in strikeouts.

Jung Hoo Three

It’s been a rough couple months for Lee, but he was all over the field Friday night. That was both positive and negative. 

With two on and no outs in the fourth, Lee smoked a line drive to Triples Alley that was just out of the reach of Teoscar Hernandez. Rafael Devers and Matt Chapman raced home as Lee cruised into third with his eighth triple, which ranks second in the National League. 

Casey Schmitt followed with a fly ball to left and Conforto made a perfect throw, getting Lee at the plate. The Giants challenged it and it appeared they might have had a case, but after a lengthy review, it was confirmed by the umpires in New York that Lee was out. 

Lee later added a pair of singles and notched his second three-hit game in his last eight, but he also made an error in center and had a couple of other slight misplays. 

The All-Star

Rodriguez threw just 14 pitches while recording the final two outs of the sixth, so Giants manager Bob Melvin sent him back out to face the top of the Dodgers lineup in the seventh. 

After a groundout from Ohtani, Betts hit a double that was bobbled by Lee, allowing him to reach third. He scored on Smith’s two-out single up the middle. The earned run was just the fourth allowed by Rodriguez, who has a 0.89 ERA. 

The outing was a preview of how the Giants hope to use Rodriguez in big games down the stretch and possibly into October. They have been careful with his arm thus far and he rarely goes back-to-back days, but they know they can stretch him out at some point. 

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