Sir Alex Ferguson was a guest at Rangers' training centre on Friday [Getty Images]
Russell Martin says the support he has had from Sir Alex Ferguson since taking over as Rangers head coach has been "incredible".
The former Manchester United manager paid his first visit to the club's Auchenhowie training centre on Friday, in the company of Rangers great John Greig.
Ferguson, 83, played for two seasons at Rangers from 1967-69, while Greig, 82, spent his entire career at Ibrox before a five-year spell as manager.
"Any team talk or message I give is done when those two speak about this club and what it means to them," Martin told RangersTV.
"They are both really behind us and what we are doing. They are desperate for this team to do well.
"They feel the same way as the fans. They want to see a team that fights and works for everything and has a way about them on the pitch that exemplifies what they believe this club to be about."
Martin played under Sir Alex's son Darren Ferguson at Peterborough United who made him captain when he was just 21.
"He reached out and said his dad wanted to give me a call," Martin added.
"I said 'of course' and since then Sir Alex has been in tough regularly. He's been great. He's been so supportive of me personally, which is incredible.
"It's the first time he's been here and it was just brilliant for everyone to see him."
Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Trevor Megill, left, and catcher William Contreras celebrate after a 2-0 win over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
If you’re a Dodgers fan, of course, you would love to see the Dodgers win the World Series again. If you’re a baseball fan above all, though, you ought to be pulling for the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Dodgers served as a convenient bogeyman for owners of many other major league teams last winter. To fans pointing a collective finger at the owner of their local team, all too many of those owners pointed a finger in our direction: It’s not us. It’s them.
“The Dodgers are the greatest poster children we could’ve had for how something has to change,” Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort told the Denver Gazette last March.
How, those owners shrugged, can we compete against a team playing in a major market and spending half a billion dollars on a star-studded roster?
The Brewers play in the smallest market in the major leagues — Sacramento included, Denver definitely included.
The Brewers are 57-40.
This is not about a sprinkling of fairy dust. The Brewers have made the playoffs six times in the past seven years, prospering even beyond the financially motivated departures of star shortstop Willy Adames, Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and two-time National League reliever of the year Devin Williams, and even after manager Craig Counsell and president of baseball operations David Stearns left for teams in major markets.
“It’s not really an abnormal year,” said designated hitter Christian Yelich, the Brewers’ franchise anchor. “Each year, we’re picked to finish last or second-to-last in our division, regardless of what happened the year before.”
The Brewers cannot pay the going rate for power, so they do not try. Of the free agents signed by Milwaukee last winter, the most expensive one in the lineup for Friday’s victory at Dodger Stadium: outfielder Jake Bauers, signed for $1.4 million. Shortstop Joey Ortiz was obtained in the trade of Burnes; third baseman Caleb Durbin was acquired in the trade of Williams.
The Brewers rank in the bottom 10 in the majors in home runs, but they rank in the top 10 in walks, stolen bases, sacrifice bunts and fewest strikeouts.
Milwaukee's Caleb Durbin celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning of a 2-0 win over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
“We know what we are,” Yelich said. “We know we’re not going to have a lineup full of guys that hit 30 homers. You’ve got to force stuff to happen sometimes and try to put pressure on the other team and try to manufacture runs any way you can.”
They are one of two teams — the Detroit Tigers are the other — to rank among the top 10 in runs scored and in earned-run average. No NL team has given up fewer runs than the Brewers.
The Dodgers lead the majors in runs scored. In four games against Milwaukee, the Dodgers have scored a total of four runs.
“They can really pitch,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “The ’pen is lights out. They catch it. They play good defense. In totality, they do a good job of preventing runs.”
Whether they can do a good job of deterring a lockout, well, that might be a whole other ballgame.
The collective bargaining agreement expires after next season. The owners have not explicitly stated a salary cap is their goal but, at least the way the players’ union sees it, why else would commissioner Rob Manfred already be talking about a lockout as a means to an end?
At the All-Star Game, union chief Tony Clark blasted the concept of a salary cap.
“This is not about competitive balance,” Clark said. “This is institutionalized collusion.”
A salary cap would provide owners with cost certainty and potential increases in franchise values, not that fans would care much about either. So, to the extent that owners might settle on a talking point in negotiations, what Manfred said at the All-Star Game would be it: “There are fans in a lot of our markets who feel like we have a competitive balance problem.”
If you’re the union, you’ll say MLB has not had a repeat champion in 25 years. If you’re an owner, you’ll say no small-market team has won the World Series in 10 years.
If you’re the union, you’ll say expanded playoffs offer every team the chance to win a wild-card spot and get hot in October, as the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks did two years ago. But, should the Brewers win the World Series this year, owners certainly would call it the exception that proves the rule.
Over the past seven years, the Brewers have made the playoffs as many times as the Yankees have. Yet, for all their success in the regular season, the Brewers have not won a postseason series since 2018.
Baseball has not lost a regular season game to a work stoppage since 1995, the last time the owners pushed hard for a salary cap. They might do so again next year, which would jeopardize the 2027 season, but to argue small markets need a salary cap to win after the team in the smallest market won the World Series might ring hollow.
If the Brewers’ success could derail the potential disaster that would be a work stoppage, America ought to be rooting on The Miz.
ATLANTA — Ronald Acuña Jr. caught the New York Yankees off-guard with a spectacular throw to end the third inning in the Atlanta Braves' series-opening 7-3 victory Friday night.
The All-Star right fielder threw out Jorbit Vivas at third base when Vivas was trying to tag up on a deep fly to the corner in right.
“His accuracy is stupid,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He's a weapon in right field. His arm is so strong and accurate, and the ball carries, release is good. He's special out there.”
Acuña caught the ball just in front of the warning track with his back to the infield. He spun and fired a throw that reached third base in the air just in time Nacho Alvarez to tag a slowing Vivas, who ignored third-base coach Luis Rojas' signal to slide.
“I just always try to anticipate those plays,” Acuña said through an interpreter. “That's really what I always try to focus on, anticipating the play before it happens. I really wasn't trying to do anything besides that. Thankfully, I have a good arm.”
Alvarez was casual as the throw approached in an attempt to fool Vivas, who would likely have been safe if he had run hard all the way and slid.
“(Vivas) got deked,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “That just can't happen. I did that all my career at third base. Just kind of play dumb, play dead. And that's what (Vivas) read. The body language of Alvarez there, just deked him. He knew it was a deep fly ball, so it caught up to him. ... It's a lesson that that can't happen on a baseball field, especially in that situation.”
When hockey players aren't spending time on vacation or in the gym during the summer, they are almost certain to find themselves on the golf course. William Nylander and a pair of former Leafs recently hit the links, and it looks like William’s brother Alex took to his Instagram account to celebrate draining an albatross. For those golf-illiterate, an albatross is when you score three shots under par on a single hole.
Following the shot, Alex Nylander posed with William and Washington Capitals defenseman and former Leaf Rasmus Sandin. It’s not the first time the Nylander brothers have found success on the links this offseason. Both won the inaugural NHLPA Golf Tournament, held during the RBC Canadian Open weekend on May 29.
While Alex is making headlines on the golf course, his professional hockey career remains at a crossroads as the upcoming season approaches. Alex recorded no points in five games with the Maple Leafs. However, he did score 23 goals and added 21 assists in 64 games with the Marlies. His 44 points were second on the team behind Alex Steeves, who recently signed a deal with the Boston Bruins.
It was this month last year that the Toronto Marlies signed Alex to an AHL contract, which was later converted to an NHL deal as the Leafs dealt with injuries. However, with the Leafs loading up on depth forwards this season like Nicolas Roy, Mattias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua, it’s hard to see where a player like Alex would fit in Toronto’s plans.
He has nothing left to prove in the AHL, and as a first-round pick (8th overall) from the 2016 NHL Draft, he would probably be best served with a professional tryout with another club if he has ambitions of returning to the NHL next season
We’ve spent a good amount of time talking about the Stanley Cup lately, and rightly so.
Last month, the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row. In the time since, they’ve celebrated with it all over South Florida, and it’s already been to Canada and back after having all the Panthers’ names engraved right next to last year’s winners.
But the Stanely Cup isn’t the only historic trophy that has had the names of Panthers players added to it this summer.
In fact, a pair of Panthers were honored with awards and had their names added to trophies.
They are Florida centers Sasha Barkov and Sam Bennett.
In a photo posted on X by Phil Pritchard, the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Keeper of the Cup, Bennett’s name was in the process of being added to the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is given annually to the player voted most valuable to his team during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Bennett led all skaters with 15 postseason goals, closing out the playoffs with tallies in each of Florida’s final six road games, scoring eight times during those six contests.
About a week later, Bennett signed an eight-year, $64 million extension that will keep him with a growing, championship core that’s built to continue succeeding in South Florida.
Another big part of that core is Barkov.
Last season, Florida’s captain was voted the winner of a pair of pieces of hardware.
He won his second consecutive Selke Trophy, given each season to the NHL’s top voted defensive forward.
Overall, it’s Barkov’s third Selke Trophy win, and probably not his last.
He wasn’t done there, though.
Barkov was also voted the winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities both on and off the ice.
It was fitting that when Barkov was told about his double victories, he was informed by a group of children from Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Barkov’s longtime charitable partner.
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, when Barkov committed to donate $1,600 for every goal he scores and $800 for each of his assists, he has contributed over $400,000 to the hospital.
Pritchard also shared photos of Barkov’s name being added to both trophies.
Photo caption: Mar 31, 2022; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks with center Sam Bennett (9) during the third period at FLA Live Arena. (Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images)
Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber celebrates with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, left, after winning the MLB baseball All-Star Game tiebreaker for the National League on Wednesday. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
As an old baseball traditionalist please give me home runs, RBIs and batting average; save me the slash line, WHIP instead of ERA and give me an extra innings game without a runner at second, or for heaven’s sake, a Home Run Derby to settle a tie game.
It left me to wonder if being a baseball traditionalist makes me the equivalent of a Supreme Court Justice originalist, or just old and cranky?
Ron Yukelson San Luis Obispo
So, after going 4-19 in the All-Star Game since 2000, the National League finally gets the American League monkey off their backs and “wins” the 2025 event.
Of course, they still can’t do it in the traditional sense and must pull out the victory in some newly concocted home run swing-off. Not to discredit Kyle Schwarber’s heroics. But, he went O for 2 with a walk against “real” pitching and then is awarded the MVP? Something is very wrong here!
Rick Solomon Lake Balboa
I’m probably in the minority, but the swing-off following the All-Star Game … really?
What a joke! Is this the best solution MLB could come up with to break a tie? These best-of-the-best players are making millions of dollars and they can’t go into extra innings to break a tied game?
Robert Parra Rowland Heights
Fair share
Bill Shaikin's column on the upcoming Major League Baseball player-owner negotiations was an eye opener. Salary caps have helped the NFL, NBA, and NHL maintain good levels of competition and give the fans of the smallest market franchises hope that their teams can compete regularly. Baseball owners should make it clear to the players' union that they will not consider sharing income outside of direct baseball operations without an agreement from the players to a salary cap.
Bill Francis Pasadena
Flip on out of here
Was Bill Shaikin serious when he suggested bat flips as a way to get the attention of fans? I can only imagine what would have happened had a batter flipped his bat after hitting a home run off Bob Gibson. Probably the same reaction that Vince Lombardi would have had if his players had dumped Gatorade on him. Now that would attract fans.
Evan Puziss Mar Vista
Don't call it baseball
Concerning the Home Run Derby, I like Dylan Hernández’s own words: “barely-watchable made-for-television event.” I might change “barely” to “not!” It just doesn’t come close to all the hype. It’s more like a county fair arm-wrestling contest. It’s not baseball and it’s not going to save baseball, whatever the changes. Baseball’s problem is a seemingly interminable, almost inconsequential, 162-game season, followed by an anyone-can-win postseason tournament. That’s not a formula for year-long excitement. Perhaps they could cut the season into halves or quarters and add some more tournaments. Whatever they do, keep it baseball, not “derbies”!
Bill Weber La Cañada Flintridge
Flashbacks
It looks like Tanner Scott is the new Pedro Baéz. I shudder when I remember those days when we saw him walking in from the bullpen.
I hope the poor guy finds his mojo.
Richard McCurdy Burbank
Don't forget
Bill Plaschke goes out of his way in his column about LeBron James and Kobe Bryant to depict the latter as truly beloved by all. He seems to forget Bryant's regrettable experience in Denver in which he was accused of a serious crime. The case was ultimately dropped after he settled with his accuser in a civil case. He was far from perfect so why depict him as such?
Bert Bergen La Cañada
Too much Bronny
Seemingly all Times Lakers' coverage is Bronny this and Bronny that. If the younger James did not have a famous father, there would be a minimum mention of this player, who has never proven himself as anything better than average at best in college and in the pros. End of story!
Jack Wolf Westwood
And furthermore
As a follow-up to letters letting The Times know your readers are not desperate for your articles on Bronny James’ summer league performances, here’s another. I think no one is particularly interested in reports on the LIV tour results. Of the 50 or so players on that tour, there are about five who could still compete on the PGA Tour. The rest are has-beens or never-weres. They are all in it for the (blood) money. Who cares whether Dustin Johnson’s or Sergio Garcia’s team wins or not? No golf fan that I know.
Jack Nelson Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.
Moses Moody believes that’s the case for Kevon Looney, who left the Warriors in NBA free agency after 10 years with the organization.
“It’s going to be tough losing Loon in so many ways,” Moody said Friday on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs.” “He’s been here since I got here. The person he’s been for the team and for me is immeasurable. He definitely can’t be replaced in any way — including the yoga room.”
Not only were Moody and Looney teammates for the past four seasons, but they also bonded over non-basketball activities such as yoga and their faith.
“The way he looked out for me and brought [yoga] to my attention and made it accessible to me. He even paid for me to do it in my first year,” Moody said. “So just extending that out to guys coming in the way he did for me. And he didn’t put pressure on me to do it. Same thing with Chapel. Going to Chapel before the games. He told me he was going and it was up to me to go if I wanted to or not.
“The mindset now is to just keep that legacy going.”
Over the past decade, Looney has served as the Warriors’ Iron Man. He was dependable, reliable and always had a positive attitude.
Looney signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans worth a reported $16 million.
One is a former child soldier, the other lost 30% of his brain to a boxing injury, and together they’ve built the Briton into fighter who can challenge Usyk
‘We understand human psychology because of what we went through rather than going to university to study it,” Don Charles says as he sits alongside his assistant Kieran Farrell on an old church pew in his gym in Hertfordshire. The contrasting trainers explain how their extraordinary back stories have helped them unlock the reclusive and complex character of Daniel Dubois as he aims to beat Oleksandr Usyk and become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
“It’s true because I’ve found a second life after I had a bleed on the brain,” Farrell says as the 35-year-old from Manchester remembers the terrible injury he suffered in 2012 when he fought Anthony Crolla. “I lost 30% of my brain but it’s incredible to now be working with Don who knew me when I was boxer.”
Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers in the first inning of a 2-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday at Dodger Stadium. Glasnow gave up just four hits and one run over six innings. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Tyler Glasnow’s problems have been the same for years.
Spending too much time caught up in his own head, and not enough time actually pitching on the mound.
Ever since the Dodgers acquired the tall, lanky and Southern California-raised right-hander, those two issues have plagued the $136.5-million acquisition in ways that have frustrated him, the team and its fan base.
Glasnow made 22 starts last year (a career-high in his injury-plagued career) before a nagging elbow problem ended his season early. This term, he managed only five starts before his shoulder started barking, landing him on the injured list for another extended stint.
Through it all, Glasnow has talked repeatedly about the need to be more “external” on the mound — focused more on execution and compete-level than the aches and pains in his body and imperfections in his delivery.
Yet, with each new setback, the veteran pitcher was left scrambling for answers, constantly tinkering with his mechanics and toiling with his mindset in hopes of striking an equilibrium between both.
That's why, as Glasnow neared his latest return to action, he tried to simplify things. For real, this time.
No more worrying about spine angle and release point. No more mid-game thoughts about the many moving parts in his throwing sequence.
“I don't even know,” he said when asked last week how he changed his mechanics during his most recent absence, the kind of physical ignorance that might actually be a good thing in the 31-year-old’s case.
“I'm just going out and being athletic and not trying to look at it. And if there's something I need to fix, or something the coaches see, then I'll worry about it. But I'm just going out … [and] getting in that rhythm. Getting back into a starting routine.”
Two starts in, that new routine looks promising.
After pitching five solid innings of one-run ball in Milwaukee last week, Glasnow started the second half of the season with another step forward Friday, spinning a six-inning, one-run gem in the Dodgers’ 2-0 loss to the Brewers at Dodger Stadium.
“I’ve been feeling good since rehab, making changes and stuff,” Glasnow said. “Feel solid right now. So gotta keep going.”
As the Dodgers (58-40) came out of the All-Star break, few players seemed as pivotal to their long-term success as Glasnow.
The club is counting on him and fellow nine-figure free-agent signee Blake Snell (who, like Glasnow, missed almost all of the first half with a shoulder injury but could be back in action by the end of the month) to bolster a rotation that has missed them dearly.
It is hopeful they can join Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and in some capacity Shohei Ohtani, at the forefront of a pitching staff seeking significant improvement as it tries to repeat as World Series champions.
Granted, the Dodgers — who would like to avoid adding a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, and might have a hard time finding an impact addition such as Jack Flaherty last summer even if they try — did have similar hopes for Glasnow last season.
Even when he first went down with his elbow injury in mid-August, the initial expectation was that he’d be back well in time for the playoff push.
Instead, Glasnow’s elbow never ceased to bother him. When he tried ramping up for a live batting practice session in mid-September, he effectively pulled the plug on his season when his arm still didn’t feel right.
Ever since, Glasnow has lived in a world of frustration, spending his winter trying to craft a healthier delivery only to run into more problems within the first month of this season.
“Certainly the talent is undeniable,” manager Dave Roberts said last week, ahead of Glasnow’s return. “But I think for me, for us, you want the dependability. That’s something that I’m looking for from Tyler from here on out. To know what you’re going to get when he takes that ball every fifth or sixth day.”
On Friday, Glasnow produced a template worth following in a four-hit, one-walk, six-strikeout showing.
Flashing increased fastball velocity for the second-straight outing — routinely hitting 98-99 mph on the gun — he filled up the strike zone early, going after hitters with his premium four-seamer and increasing reliance on a late-breaking sinker.
“It’s like the one pitch I can be late with, and it’s in the zone,” Glasnow said of his sinker, which he had thrown sparingly prior to getting hurt. “I don’t necessarily have to be perfectly timed up for it to have a lot of movement. I think if I’m late on it, it’s kind of my go-to.”
His big-bending curveball, meanwhile, proved to be a perfect complement, with Glasnow pulling the string for awkward swings and soft contact.
He retired the first five batters he faced, and didn’t let a ball out of the infield until Brice Turang’s two-out single in the third. He was late getting to the mound at the start of the fourth, resulting in an automatic ball to the leadoff batter, but remained unfazed, retiring the side in order.
Milwaukee's Caleb Durbin hits a run-scoring double in front of Dodgers catcher Will Smith in the fifth inning Friday. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Glasnow did wobble in the fifth against Milwaukee (57-40). Suddenly struggling to locate the ball, he walked leadoff hitter Isaac Collins on five pitches before giving up an RBI double to Caleb Durbin in a 2-and-0 count, when he left a sinker over the heart of the plate.
But then he settled down, escaped the inning without further damage, and worked around a high-hopping one-out single from Jackson Chourio in the sixth by striking out William Contreras and Christian Yelich.
“It’s not turn [my brain] off completely,” Glasnow said of his new, in-the-moment mentality. “But it’s not like, when I’m feeling bad, I resort more to, ‘How do we fix this?’ As opposed to like, ‘This is what I got today. Let’s just go get it.’ And I think a lot of that was due to the changes. I’m just in a better position right now to go out and be athletic.”
The outing marked Glasnow’s first time completing six innings since April 13 against the Chicago Cubs, and was his first such start yielding only one earned run since June of last year.
“He's been able to stay in his rhythm, stay in his delivery, just be in compete mode,” Roberts said. “I think he's in a really good spot. He's healthy, feeling confident. And we're better for it, for sure."
Unfortunately for Glasnow, he was the second-best pitcher on the bump Friday. Opposite him, young Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester dominated the Dodgers over six scoreless innings, recording the second-most strikeouts of his career by fanning 10. Struggling veteran Kirby Yates didn’t help in relief of Glasnow, either, giving up a home run to Durbin in the seventh that sent the Dodgers to a disappointing defeat.
“They're pitching us well,” Roberts said of the Brewers, who have won four straight games against the Dodgers over the last two weeks while giving up only four total runs. “We gave ourselves a chance, but we just couldn't muster anything together tonight."
Still, for a team with a comfortable division lead and the shortest World Series odds of any club in the majors, getting good starting pitching remains the most pressing big-picture concern for the Dodgers.
At the end of last year, and for much of the first half this season, Glasnow was unable to help. Now, he might finally be showing flashes he can.
"[I want to] just go out and be athletic,” Glasnow said last week. “Just go out and compete."
Winger secures switch from Bayern Munich to Watford
Move should delight Australia coach Tony Popovic ahead of 2026 World Cup
English soccer fans can brace themselves for plenty of dazzling backflips after the young Socceroos star Nestory Irankunda secured a five-year deal with the Championship outfit Watford.
The Hornets announced the signing on their website late Friday, with the club’s sporting director Gian Luca Nani taking great pride in welcoming Irankunda.
Fresh off the All-Star break with a fully rested set of arms, the Mets' bullpen still struggled on Friday night in their 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
Choosing to go with Sean Manaea, who is not yet totally stretched out after a lengthy rehab process, to start the second half meant New York would need to rely on its bullpen out of the gate to get late outs.
After Manaea went the first four innings, looking good in the process, manager Carlos Mendoza turned to Alex Carillo in the fifth inning as the first reliever out of the bullpen with the Mets leading, 2-1. That lead quickly turned into a deficit after Carillo surrendered a two-run homer to Matt McLain.
"I needed to cover five innings there," Mendoza said. "We’re giving these guys a look here and it just didn’t happen today with him."
Still a one-run game after getting through the fifth, Carillo was asked to go back out for the sixth, but things got worse for the right-hander. Carillo allowed two more home runs in the inning, a solo shot by Austin Hays (his second of the game) and a two-run blast by Tyler Stephenson that put the game to bed.
Making just his third career appearance and first at Citi Field, Carillo went 1.1 innings and allowed five earned runs on three hits (all homers) and two walks. The 28-year-old mentioned "trying to do too much" in his home debut as a reason why he didn't have it on Friday night.
"The fastball still did its thing and they just put the bat out there," he said. "They’re a good hitting team. These are big league hitters, they’re gonna hit home runs, but when it comes to walks, that’s not acceptable on my behalf. Yanking the slider a little bit, changeup just staying away and just not competing as I should be."
Down a run in the sixth inning with his entire bullpen at his disposal, Mendoza's decision to stick with Carillo, a rookie who made his major league debut on July 8, was a head-scratcher.
"I needed to get a couple out of him," the skipper said. "It just didn’t happen today."
Overall, even with Brooks Raley getting activated off the IL, which certainly helps, the Mets' bullpen is shaky. Brandon Waddell, another unproven arm that has helped out in certain situations this season, mopped up and allowed two earned runs in 3.2 innings while giving up four hits and three walks.
Jose Buttó pitched a scoreless inning with Triple-A Syracuse on Friday and his return will ease some of the burden, but for New York to be successful, it will need to get length out of its starters. Until then, Mendoza will have to continue to go with relievers who may lack the experience of pitching in high-leverage situations.
"Guys will step up," he said. "We feel comfortable with the guys that we have back there. Today was one of those nights where Carillo didn’t have it. But overall, we will continue to give opportunities to some of these guys… we’ll continue to evaluate the situation here as we’re trying to win baseball games, obviously."
It was a great sight to see. Sean Manaea was making his Citi Field debut on Friday night and it was a great start for the Mets' southpaw. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.
Manaea threw just 69 pitches (42 strikes) across four innings in the Mets' 8-4 loss to the Reds. It didn't look as if Manaea, who has missed most of the season due to oblique and elbow issues, was laboring and he had allowed just one run on one hit and two walks while striking out six batters in his first start since last October.
So, what was the deal?
Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza explained that he simply didn't want to push Manaea, making only his second appearance of the season.
"It’s like pitchers coming out of spring training. It’s that buildup, you’re not going from 60 to 85 (pitches) right away," Mendoza said after the game. "Especially for a guy that’s been through a lot, not only with the oblique, with the elbow issues and his setback. That’s where we’re at right now. Hopefully next time out, we can increase his pitch count a little bit more, but that was the plan today."
Manaea made his season debut on July 13 against the Royals. In that relief appearance, he threw 65 pitches (44 strikes) across 3.1 innings. In his final rehab start, Manaea tossed 73 pitches in 3.2 innings with Triple-A Syracuse back on July 8.
Clearly, the Mets are taking it easy with Manaea as he works his way back to a bigger pitch count. But the lack of length hurt the Mets on Friday as the bullpen could not hold the lead, a trend that has become a near-season-long one.
"I want to be out there as long as possible, but I understand the situation we’re in," Manaea said after the game. "It’s just not taking it too crazy, but just giving what I can with the pitches allotted."
Manaea admitted that he felt like he could throw more pitches but is not surprised by the pitch count. He said that while he knew the plan going into his start, there hadn't been an in-depth conversation on the team's progression for him. He goes out there and pitches as long as he can or is allowed. One way to combat that is being more pitch-efficient, which he wishes he was, so he could go at least five innings on Friday.
"That’s the most frustrating about today," Manaea said of his inefficiency. "Threw some good sliders but not some real competitive ones at all. Combination of that and the fastball location was kinda iffy. Those two pitches I definitely need."
Despite the outcome of Friday's game, Mendoza remains confident that Manaea can be stretched out for the rest of the season, it just may take some time.
"It’s outing by outing how he responds," he said. "I’m pretty comfortable and confident that if everything continues to progress and the way he continues to bounce back, we’ll get to a point where he’s 85-90 pitches. As of right now, that’s where we’re at with him."
Manaea's health will likely be a concern the rest of the year after a loose body was found in Manaea's elbow when he was rehabbing his oblique. That set him back weeks but the issue doesn't require immediate surgery. It'll be something to monitor, as Mendoza put it, outing to outing with the southpaw but Mets fans should feel encouraged that so far, Manaea is feeling good, even if Friday's loss stings.
"[I feel] great," Manaea said. "Arm feels good. Body feels good. At the end of the day, that’s all I can ask for."
The Mets began the second half of the season with a disappointing 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.
Here are the takeaways...
-Things couldn't have started better for New York following the break. Sean Manaea was making his first start after looking impressive in his season debut against the Kansas City Royals in the final game of the first half and he struck out the side in the first inning in his return to Citi Field.
-Juan Soto kept the energy inside the ballpark going with a solo shot in the bottom half of the frame that gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. The home run was Soto's 24th of the season and he's now hit a league-leading 16 home runs since May 31.
-New York kept the pressure high on the Reds and Nick Lodolo in the second inning. Brandon Nimmo led off with a walk, stole second and came around to score on Jeff McNeil's RBI single.
-Holding Cincinnati to without a hit over the first three innings, Manaea allowed a home run to Austin Hays to lead off the fourth inning -- the lefty's only blemish of the night. Still not fully stretched out, Manaea was done after four terrific innings in which he allowed a run on a hit and two walks with six strikeouts while throwing 69 pitches (42 strikes). He's struck out 13 batters so far in 7.1 innings since coming off the IL.
-With Manaea out of the game, the Reds took full advantage of the Mets' bullpen, which continues to struggle. Alex Carillo was the first arm out of the pen and after getting two quick outs, the right-hander hit TJ Friedl before giving up a two-run shot to Matt McLain, which gave Cincy the lead.
-Carillo went back out for the sixth and the Reds continued to feast. First up was Hays, who hit his second solo homer of the game to lead off an inning and doubled the Mets' deficit. After a walk and a wild pitch, Tyler Stephenson smacked a two-run blast to bust things open and give his team a 6-2 advantage.
-Carillo was only able to record four outs and his final line was not pretty: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 3 HR.
-The bullpen wasn't all to blame, though, as the Mets' offense was completely stifled after their encouraging start. Lodolo settled in and found his groove, going seven innings and allowing two earned runs on four hits, a walk and seven strikeouts. Entering the ninth, the only baserunners for New York after McNeil's RBI single in the second inning came from Luis Torrens (single in the fifth) and Nimmo (infield single in the seventh).
-Both players did their part in trying to stage an unlikely comeback via a two-out rally in the final frame. With two outs, Nimmo doubled before Ronny Mauricio reached on an error, which scored a run. McNeil walked, pinch-hitter Brett Baty hit an infield single and Torrens made it 8-4 with another single.
-As the tying run at the plate, Francisco Lindor popped out to second base to finish an 0-for-5 night.
-Brandon Waddell mopped up the final 3.2 innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits and three walks.
Game MVP: Austin Hays
Hays finished 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and two walks out of the cleanup spot.
The Mets and Reds continue their three-game series on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. on SNY. Before the game, David Wright will have his number retirement ceremony.
RHP Clay Holmes (8-4, 3.31 ERA) goes for New York. He will be opposed by RHP Nick Martinez (7-9, 4.78 ERA).
