Category: Sports News

It's no secret that Mets 3B/DH Mark Vientos has been having a tough second full season in the majors, but the young slugger reminded people of his abilities during Monday night's loss to the San Diego Padres.

After blasting what would have been a two-run homer, but got robbed at the wall by RF Fernando Tatis Jr., Vientos took advantage of the second chance the following inning. The 25-year-old crushed his first career grand slam in the regular season over the head of Tatis into the stands, putting the Mets up 5-1 in the top of the fifth inning.

New York wound up blowing the four-run lead and losing on a walk-off in the ninth inning, but that shouldn't entirely take away from Vientos' big hit. He told reporters after the 7-6 loss that he's been feeling much better at the plate and is sticking with his approach. Over the last seven games, Vientos is batting .333 with eight hits and seven RBI.

"Felt good at the plate today, felt good at the plate," Vientos said. "Got two pitches to hit in the location I was looking for and put a good swing on it. Felt better at the plate for sure."

He added: "I said it last time, just doubling down on my approach and what I want at the plate and I'm staying convicted to it."

When asked about the near-HR that Tatis robbed, Vientos couldn't help but tip his cap to the three-time All-Star.

"I thought I had it, I put a good swing on it," Vientos said. "Obviously, he caught it and made a heck of a play. I was like, 'Damn, nice play.' Yeah, it was an amazing play."

MARK VIENTOS GRAND SLAM!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/LEb4yx6tSR

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 29, 2025

What may have been the secret to his revenge home run was that San Diego starter Dylan Cease intentionally walked Jeff McNeil to load the bases and face Vientos. New York fans will remember a similar situation when the Los Angeles Dodgers intentionally walked Francisco Lindor during the Game 2 of the 2024 NLCS and Vientos made them pay, becoming the youngest player to hit a grand slam in a LCS.

"I'm happy I get put in those situations," Vientos said. "I like those situations because I tend to lock in more, I don't know why. I'm happy to be in that situation and just come through for the team."

Vientos added that it was simply "good timing" on his grand slam and called the "back and forth" game a battle.

"I thought it was a great game, both teams battled," Vientos said. "You're talking about two playoff teams. I thought it was a great game, it was a pretty long game too, think we were going back and forth. They just came out on top today."

His big homer comes at an interesting time with the MLB trade deadline fast approaching on July 31, and earlier Monday, SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino reported that the Mets are discussing Vientos in trade talks. Vientos then spoke to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo prior to the game about the trade rumors and said he can't view it as a negative.

"I see it as it’s a good thing,” Vientos said. “It’s a good thing that I’m being talked about. You can see it as like, ‘Damn, it’s bad.’ But I see it as, ‘Man, I’m that important in the league that I’m being talked about in trade rumors.’

"Obviously, it sucks because I don’t want to get traded. But this is a business, at the end of the day. I feel like it is what it is. What can I do?"

He added: "I feel like I’m swinging a lot better and I’m playing a lot less now. It is what it is. What can I do? The only thing I can control is keep getting better, and whenever I get the opportunity, try to help the team.”

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was ejected in the third inning of Monday's game vs. the San Diego Padres after arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Emil Jimenez.

Jimenez called Juan Soto out looking on a curve that got the outside part of the plate, and Soto immediately expressed his frustration with the call after his second strikeout of the day.

Mendoza then came out to defend Soto and was tossed. After the game, Mendoza made it clear that it's his responsibility to stand up for the players and he'll always do that for them.

"I got to be the one getting thrown out," Mendoza said. "I can't afford to [have players ejected], whether it's Soto or any of our players. I knew from the very beginning after a couple of calls early in the game that I needed to be on top of it.

"Whether it's Soto or anybody on our roster, I've got to go out there and protect them."

It's the third time Mendoza has been ejected from a game this season. Bench coach John Gibbons took over in his place for the rest of the game.

The pitch chart showed the second strike on Soto (fourth pitch of at-bat) was a bit outside, but the third strike did hit the outside edge of the zone. Later in the seventh inning, Soto struck out again on a high slider that was called a strike and stared back at Jimenez for a couple of seconds. Gibbons came out to say a few things to Jimenez, but there were no more ejections.

When asked about his thoughts on Jimenez behind the plate, Mendoza was to the point.

"He had a rough night, there's no way to sugarcoat it there," Mendoza said. "Especially when you're talking about a couple of at-bats there from Soto, some key at-bats. You're taking about one of the best hitters in the game, you're taking the bat away from him.

"I felt like that first at-bat, [Brandon] Nimmo struck out on three pitches that, you know, they weren't close. He just had a bad night."

The Mets snapped their seven-game winning streak, losing a back-and-forth battle to the San Diego Padres, 7-6.

New York let up five runs in the fifth inning, blowing a 5-1 lead, and look lost until Ronny Mauricio homered with one out in the ninth inning to tie the game at 6-6. However, new Met Gregory Soto struggled in the bottom of the ninth, including a throwing error to extend the frame, and let up a walk-off single to Elias Díaz.

The Mets (61-44) remain 1.5 games ahead of the Phillies for first place in the NL East after Philadelphia lost to the Chicago White Sox.

Here are the takeaways...

-- New York got on the board in the second inning thanks to some heads-up baserunning by Jeff McNeil. He walked and then went from first to third on Mark Vientos' single, keeping an eye on CF Jackson Merrill fielding the ball while continuing to run. Brett Baty then delivered with a sacrifice fly to left field, putting the Mets up 1-0.

-- There was a scary moment in the top of the third inning as Francisco Lindor hit a hard ground ball that bounced and hit pitcher Dylan Cease in the back of the head. The ball ricocheted into foul territory around third base, allowing Lindor to advance to second. Cease stayed in the game and struck out Juan Soto after some questionable calls by home plate umpire Emil Jimenez.

Soto then got visibly upset with the strike three call, but Carlos Mendozacame out to defend him and was soon ejected.

-- Vientos nearly had a home run in the top of the fourth inning, but Fernando Tatis Jr. leaped at the wall and made the catch to rob the big hit. Tatis did drop the ball out of his glove after landing, but the call on the field remained. Vientos made the most of his redemption opportunity in fifth inning after Cease intentionally walked McNeil to get to him -- launching his first career grand slam over the head of Tatis into the right field stands to put the Mets up 5-1.

-- Frankie Montas tossed a quick first inning with a inning-ending 6-4-3 double play, and avoided damage from a bases-loaded jam in the second by striking out Díaz. After a hit-by-pitch and walk in the third inning, Montas let up a RBI-single to Xander Bogaerts that tied the game up at 1-1. Montas then bounced back to retire the next four batters to get through the fourth inning.

Montas let up a leadoff double to Tatis that was deflected by Baty and then a rare HR to Luis Arraez, making it a 5-3 game. Montas then gave up a single to Manny Machado and a double to Bogaerts, ending his night after 4.1 IP. He wound up allowing five earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks.

-- Despite a great play by Pete Alonso at first base with runners on second and third, Jake Cronenworth beat out Huascar Brazobán to the bag, allowing the run to score. Brazobán's two-out mistake to not cover the base in time caused a complete meltdown -- he let up a game-tying RBI-single to Bryce Johnson and go-ahead RBI-single to Díaz as the Mets all of a sudden trailed, 6-5. The nightmare continued with a wild pitch and walk to Tatis, loading the bases. Francisco Alvarez thankfully saved a bouncing ball from getting by and Brazobán got Arraez to fly out.

-- Rico Garcia kept it a one-run game by tossing two scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit and one walk with four strikeouts. Ryne Stanek followed up with a scoreless eighth inning.

-- After Vientos' grand slam in the fifth inning, Baty lined out to end the inning and the next 10 Mets were retired through the ninth before Mauricio's game-tying home run.

Game MVP: Elias Díaz

Díaz was a thorn in all of the Mets' pitchers' sides on Monday night, hitting the walk-off and going 2-for-5 with two RBI.

Highlights

Sac fly for Brett Baty gets the Mets on the board first! pic.twitter.com/fbNOnxQryN

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 29, 2025

Frankie Montas gets out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout to end the second inning! pic.twitter.com/r3bMQIx0gu

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 29, 2025

Carlos Mendoza has been ejected after Juan Soto was called out on a questionable strike three. pic.twitter.com/hd22gE906m

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 29, 2025

MARK VIENTOS GRAND SLAM!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/LEb4yx6tSR

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 29, 2025

RONNY MAURICIO TIES IT!! pic.twitter.com/LnXLwE83R1

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 29, 2025

What's next

The Mets and Padres continue their three-game series on Tuesday at 9:40 p.m. on SNY.

Sean Manaea (1-1, 2.19 ERA) makes his third start since returning from injury, while San Diego has yet to decide on a starting pitcher.

The Dodgers are dealing with more injuries to their lineup.

As a result, one of their top prospects will get his first big-league opportunity this week.

Alex Freeland, the top-ranked infielder in the Dodgers’ farm system, was called up on Tuesday after Hyeseong Kim was placed on the injured list with left shoulder bursitis.

Freeland’s arrival also comes after Tommy Edman had his lingering ankle injury flare up on him Sunday while rounding the bases. 

On Monday night, manager Dave Roberts confirmed Freeland was scheduled to join the Dodgers in Cincinnati while they decided which, if either, of Kim or Edman would go on the IL.

Read more:Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers a pitching master class in Dodgers' win over Reds

“He's going to come and we'll see what direction we go, with who,” Roberts said after the Dodgers’ series-opening win against the Cincinnati Reds. “We're just kind of trying to figure out ... if we do need to make a move for one of those guys."

The official news came down on Tuesday afternoon. Kim was placed on the IL. Edman, while remaining on the active roster, went through pregame drills on the field with a Dodgers trainer.

Freeland, a third-round pick in 2022 out of the University of Central Florida, is the team’s No. 3 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline and the 35th-ranked prospect in baseball.

The 23-year-old switch-hitter has spent all season with triple-A Oklahoma City, where he has batted .253 with 12 home runs, 71 RBIs and .799 OPS in 94 games.

Now, he’ll get his first crack at the big-league roster, trying to help alleviate the Dodgers’ latest injury headache.

In the short term, Kim’s shoulder injury was the more pressing issue.

The South Korean rookie has struggled mightily at the plate lately, with an 0-for-3 performance Monday leaving him just three for 24 since July 19.

“You can just see offensively with the bat, he's just not himself right now,” Roberts said.

Edman, however, represents another long-term concern for the Dodgers to manage, with his ankle injury lingering since early May.

“It’s something that’s kind of always there,” Edman said. “But I would say it’s been pretty normal.”

At least it was until Sunday, when Edman said he “had a little tweak of it” while running the bases at Fenway Park.

While Edman was not available for Monday’s game, he maintained optimism he could avoid what would be a second injured list this season and be back in the lineup Tuesday.

“I don’t feel like this is that big a deal,” he said. “I was just at a point where I didn’t feel like I could run full speed today. I got some good treatment today so hopefully I’ll be back available tomorrow.”

Still, the Dodgers could decide that an extended break for the utilityman is warranted — especially since he has been unable to play outfield while trying to manage his injury.

“Obviously, if I couldn't hit him tonight, for him to not to be able to play three innings of defense, isn't a great feeling,” Roberts said.

Freeland’s arrival will at least give the Dodgers a different look for the time being.

Read more:As Dodgers look to upgrade outfield, Harrison Bader could be a trade deadline fit

A native of Louisville, Ken., he made a major jump up the Dodgers’ farm system last year, when he progressed from high A to triple A while batting .260 across three minor-league levels.

A disciplined hitter with 228 career walks in 345 career minor-league games, Freeland has received high marks for his defense at shortstop and third base. He also has 81 steals over his four minor-league seasons.

In addition to Kim and Edman, the Dodgers have spent the last month without Max Muncy (who is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment in his recovery from a knee injury this week) and Kiké Hernández (who remains shut down from baseball activity after recently having a couple non-surgical “little procedures,” as Roberts called them, on an elbow injury that has bothered him since late May).

How have the Dodgers toed the line between managing injuries and trying to keep their best players on the field?

“That’s the thing that, it is a blurred line,” Roberts said. “The players obviously feel that they’re not hurt, where they can play and post, which is great. But the line of, are you still hurting the team, hurting yourself, that’s the thing that the organization, the training staff, we’ve got to make that decision.”

On Tuesday, they did, shelving Kim and calling up Freeland as they try to navigate another injury-plagued chapter of their season.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Yankees aren’t selling. They just don’t do that around here, especially not when they’re in playoff position.

Right?

Right. Almost certainly.

But Monday’s 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay did nothing to restore the front office’s faith in the team. It was further reinforcement of their likely approach, first reported by SNY on Saturday, to be what you might call “soft buyers,” making moves that improve the current roster without risking the future.

In that column, we relayed that the Yankees were floating some of their free-agent-to-be relievers in preliminary trade talks. We have since learned through league sources that last week the Yanks brought up Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt in talks with at least one other club.

Wait, what?

That does not mean that the Yankees will trade Bellinger and/or Goldschmidt. In fact, we’d still be very surprised.

But the nugget is telling in its timing: this conversation happened last week, when the Yanks were concerned that Aaron Judge would need season-ending elbow surgery. If that had happened, GM Brian Cashman might have gone into sell mode. They were probably laying groundwork, just in case. This alone gives us another data point on how the front office might feel about its team.

Judge did not need surgery, meaning that the season is still on. Technically. There are voices encouraging Cashman to go all-in before Thursday’s trade deadline. In a weak American League, they really could still find themselves in the World Series.

The way to get there is to add a few relievers to acquisitions Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario without sacrificing top prospects -- the major league team has not earned the right to an addition that would cost Spencer Jones and Cam Schlittler. 

Once Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. return from the injured list, the bullpen will be deeper. The Yankees do not have a particularly difficult schedule down the stretch, either, with plenty of games against the Twins, Orioles and White Sox.

There is, then, a path out of this morass. But Cashman and his seasoned lieutenants have seen many seasons to be fooled into feeling inspired by this year’s team. Sometimes even the best organizations have a down year.

The Yankees lost the opener of their four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-2, on Monday night.

Here are the takeaways...

-Most of the scoring in this one happened in the first inning as fans were still piling into the stadium and getting to their seats. It started with the Rays who got two early runs off Cam Schlittler after Home Run Derby runner-up Junior Caminero got a hold of one and sent it 397 feet to left center field for his 27th homer of the season.

The two-run shot happened after Schlittler retired the first two batters of the inning but then walked Jonathan Aranda following a tough nine-pitch battle that kept the inning going. After the home run, Schlittler walked two more in the inning. He got the final out on a 110 mph line drive off the bat of Tristan Gray that was caught by Cody Bellinger in right field.

-Staked to a 2-0 lead, Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen hoped to continue his dominant ways against the Yankees. Entering Monday, the right-hander owned a 0.34 ERA against New York (one earned run in 26.2 innings) and hadn't allowed a single run at Yankee Stadium through two starts and 13 innings.

However, with Rays catcher Danny Jansen a late scratch from the lineup after getting traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, Matt Thaiss was inserted behind the plate last-minute. Perhaps the late switch messed with Rasmussen as his scoreless streak against New York in the Bronx was quickly broken after the Yanks responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first.

-Three straight singles by Jasson Dominguez, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton loaded the bases before Rasmussen walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. to force in a run. After striking out Paul Goldschmidt whose offensive struggles continue, Rasmussen walked in another run, this time losing Ryan McMahon on a full-count to tie the game. With the bases still loaded, Austin Wells popped out to end an eventful first inning.

-From there, things quieted down despite constant traffic on the bases for Schlittler. The rookie was able to get out of the next three innings without allowing another run, but he couldn't do it in the fifth. A walk and two singles produced the Rays' third run of the game and gave them a 3-2 lead. It was also the end of the road for Schlittler who left after 4.1 innings where he allowed three earned runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out five.

-In relief of Schlittler, Brent Headrick made his first appearance for New York since June 8 and struck out both batters he faced to strand runners at the corners and keep it a one-run game. He added a scoreless sixth, as well.

-Meanwhile, Rasmussen settled into a groove after his difficult first inning and went five innings, retiring 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.

-Tampa Bay scored an insurance run in the eighth on a sac fly to double its lead. It wouldn't need it, though, as the Yankees offense couldn't score again. McMahon had a two-out single in the ninth and with Wells as the tying run he gave it a ride but lined out to center field for the final out of the game.

Game MVP: Drew Rasmussen

After a hiccup in the first inning, the Yankee killer was back and limited New York's floundering offense through five innings.

Highlights

Ryan McMahon draws a walk and the game is tied! pic.twitter.com/21a0R734H8

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 28, 2025

What's next

The Yankees continue their four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

LHP Max Fried (11-4, 2.62 ERA) matches up against RHP Joe Boyle (1-0, 1.42 ERA).