Category: Sports News

Giants top prospect Bryce Eldridge records first Triple-A multi-home run game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

While the Giants’ offense continues struggling, their top prospect Bryce Eldridge continues to flaunt his power for San Francicso’s Triple-A affiliate.

Eldridge homered twice in the Sacramento River Cats’ 9-4 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes on Saturday night, his ninth in 30 games since being promoted to Triple-A and first multi-homer game there.

The first came in the game’s opening frame, with Eldridge crushing a ball to deep left-center off Isotopes starter Mason Albright.

BRYCE BOMBBBBBBB 💣💣

A 2 run homer from Bryce Eldridge extends the River Cats lead in the top of the 1st! pic.twitter.com/D48AlptT9v

— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) August 3, 2025

His second was an opposite-field shot in the eighth inning.

Bryce Eldridge’s second homer of the night 👀

pic.twitter.com/e1eiSXw6Sj

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 3, 2025

While Eldridge’s raw power is beyond enticing, don’t expect Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey to fast track MLB’s No. 17 overall prospect to the big leagues at the risk of hindering his development.

“We’re excited about Bryce. I think the key number that you mentioned is that he’s 20,” Posey said during a mid-game interview on “Sunday Night Baseball” last weekend. “He’s still got a lot of growth both offensively and defensively.” 

Posey cited his trust in the organization’s player development staff in determining when the right time for Eldridge to be called up will be.

“One of the luxuries now with having Rafael Devers is that we’re not as rushed with Bryce,” Posey explained. “Randy Wynn and Kyle Haines and player development I know feel strongly that it’s important for these guys to get their reps.” 

But Posey didn’t outright close the door on Eldridge expediting his path to MLB promotion.

“We want them to beat the door down,” Posey said. “We really want them to beat the door down to get here and be ready to make an impact when they get here.”

While “beat the door down” certainly is subjective, Eldridge plikely will be making his Giants debut sooner rather than later if he continues hitting home runs at the rate he has since being elevated to Triple-A.

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Russell Martin has managed just 270 minutes of football as Rangers head coach, and already he has left his players without a name.

After the Ibrox side's 1-1 draw at Motherwell in their opening Scottish Premiership fixture, Martin said his players were "lucky to get a point".

An "extremely disappointed and hurt" Ibrox head coach said the impressive Fir Park side were "braver" and "more aggressive" than his team.

He lambasted "two men on the pitch who want to do what they want to do" and said some of his players "have to drop their ego".

"The default is to revert to type," he added. "It's not really tactical, it's a mentality problem."

It is the third straight season in which Rangers have failed to win their opening league match. But the first time Martin has publicly unloaded on his players.

• Rangers drop opening-day points for third season in row
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• Latest Rangers news, analysis and fan views

What did Martin actually say?

On Wednesday in Athens, Martin acknowledged that performances could have been better across Rangers' two-legged Champions League qualifying win over Panathinaikos, but he said he was "so proud" of his players.

Three days later, the mood has shifted remarkably.

Across two post-match interviews with BBC Scotland and Sky Sports, Martin chose not to hold back after his third game in charge of Rangers.

Here are the key lines from his furious reaction:

• "I think we were lucky to get a point. We were nowhere near where we need to be. And I'm extremely disappointed and hurt by that. They were braver than us. They were more aggressive than us."
• "The thing I can't accept is, whatever the tactics are, we got outfought and they were braver than us to play in certain moments.
• "We pick and choose when we want to play properly and when we want to run hard. When the game's not going well, we have too many players that want to do their own thing and slip into self-preservation.
• "This is not me blaming the players at all; I think it's a problem the club has had over the last few years. When it's going well, it's fine, and when it's not, there's a problem. It's not together enough on the pitch.
• "I've said to the players, there is a default here at this football club to revert to type. When it's going really well, everyone's all in. When it's not going well, you protect yourself a little bit. You can't play for this club and just enjoy the really good moments. You have to be all in all the time."
• "We had two men on the pitch today that want to do what they want to do. When you want to just jog around and do what you want to do, there's a big problem. So some of them have to drop their ego."
• "There'll be people left behind if they don't want to come because they need to understand what playing for this football club will take and what it means."
• "The lethargy and all that stuff is not acceptable. So I'm surprised by that. But I'm more angry than surprised."
• "I will look at us tactically and accept my responsibility in it. But today, it's a mentality problem. And we got more than what we deserved, actually."

What did the pundits make of it?

Before Motherwell found their late equaliser, former Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson has expressed deep concern about his old side's approach.

"At the moment there's nothing coming from Rangers; it's quite worrying," he said on BBC Sportsound. "I've not got a clue what their tactic is. I don't see it."

After Motherwell netted the leveller their play more than merited, Ferguson added: "I've got a real worry after watching that second half. They players still have a lot to prove to that Rangers support."

Speaking on Sky Sports, irate former Rangers striker Kris Boyd said: "It's the same things that keep happening time after time after time.

"It's early in the season. We know there are going to be players arriving. We know there are going to be players going out. But the alarming thing for is he's calling them out so early on."

Despite agreeing with Martin, former Celtic forward Chris Sutton was also taken aback by the Rangers boss' comments, saying the remarks "were extreme".

"For him to for him to do that first game of the season, he sees him every day in training, he must think they're rank rotten," he said on Sky Sports.

"Because why wouldn't there be a bit more balance there? When have you ever seen a manager do that first game of the season? That was extreme as extreme."

What do the stats tell us?

Former Motherwell forward James McFadden said "a draw was a good result for Rangers based on that performance".

The comment was perhaps made with tongue in cheek, but the stats back up it up.

Motherwell's expected goals tally by the end of the match was 2.21 to Rangers' 0.7.

Jens Berthel Askou's brave and expansive side finished the game with five big chances, according to stats provider Opta. Rangers had one.

The 17 shots Martin's side faced at Fir Park means his team have faced 51 efforts across just three games this season.

Over those three matches, Rangers have conceded only twice, but their opponents have amassed a total expected goals tally of 5.58.

That is simply unsustainable, and Martin will know that more than anyone.

What do the fans think?

Bill: It's very early, but I would be surprised if this Rangers team put in a challenge for the league title. Very poor.

Stevie: Anyone got paint on a wall drying? Better watch than Russell Martin's boring tactics.

George: Brutal. [Martin] does not have a clue. No style, no direction, no quality.

Graeme: Different manager, different team, same guff from Rangers.

Sarah: Same old Rangers, can't close a game out.

Pete Alonso is one step closer to Darryl Strawberry’s Mets home run record. 

The big man opened the scoring on Saturday afternoon by crushing a 1-2 fastball from Giants right-hander Kai-Wei Teng to deep left-center for a no-doubt three-run shot. 

The first inning blast left the bat at a whopping 109.4 mph and carried 428 feet. 

Alonso seems to be finding his way into a groove after a brutally cold stretch at the plate. 

He has now gone deep in back-to-back days to open August, giving him 24 on the season.

He’s also up to 250 for his career, leaving him just two away from tying Strawberry’s record. 

Alonso is the fifth player in MLB history with 250+ homers over their first seven big-league seasons. 

He joins Ralph Kiner, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, and Eddie Matthews.

250 CAREER HOME RUNS FOR PETE ALONSO! 🐻‍❄️ pic.twitter.com/imDEloTElT

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 2, 2025

Marcus Stroman had a one word message after being cut loose by the Yankees. 

The right-hander posted an Instagram story flashing his watch on his plane Saturday afternoon with a very brief caption: “Adios.”

Stroman, of course, was released Friday after two disappointing years with the club.

He pitched to a 4.31 ERA and 1.46 WHIP across 30 appearances last season, and ultimately found himself left off of the Bombers’ 26-man ALDS roster. 

He was added back on for the ALCS and World Series, but didn't make an appearance. 

Stroman missed time at the beginning of this season with left knee inflammation, and he hadn't quite been able to find his footing since making his return from the IL. 

He allowed four earned runs on six hits over five innings of work in his last outing Thursday against the Rays, bringing his ERA to 6.23 for the year. 

Luis Gil will rejoin the rotation on Sunday, so it was between Stroman, Will Warren, and Cam Schlittler for the final two spots, and the team decided to move forward with their young arms in the mix. 

“Obviously, that was a tough decision we made today,” Aaron Boone said Friday. “The perception around Stro, for us, did not meet the guy we got to be around the last couple years -- he’s just an awesome competitor.

“It’s a case of we think Warren and Schlittler are ready to be in the rotation full-time. Just felt like with some more roster moves probably coming over the next few days at least, the timing was right.”

Stroman finishes his time with the Yankees with a 4.69 ERA over 39 appearances.

Blake Snell nearly had a flawless return from the injured list on Saturday afternoon.

If only the Tampa Bay Rays didn’t have slugger Yandy Díaz, or a quirky short right-field wall at their temporary home at Steinbrenner Field.

Making his first start since the second week of the season, when he went down with a shoulder injury that shelved him, Snell largely looked like the ace the Dodgers thought they were getting when they signed him to a $182-million contract this offseason.

Over a five-inning start that included eight strikeouts, no walks and a whole bunch of flailing swings by the Rays, the veteran left-hander flashed his two-time Cy Young Award-winning stuff and tantalizing late-season potential.

However, in the Dodgers’ 4-0 loss to the Rays, Snell gave up three runs on a pair of long balls to Díaz –– who twice took advantage of the ballpark’s short porch in right field.

After the Rays’ permanent home, Tropicana Field in nearby St. Petersburg, had its canvas roof shredded during Hurricane Milton this winter, the club relocated to Steinbrenner Field for this season; using the New York Yankees’ open-air, Tampa-based spring training park for its home schedule.

Read more:Dodgers welcome deadline additions, hopeful arrival ‘raises the floor for our ballclub’

Since the 10,000-seat venue was modeled after Yankee Stadium in New York, its defining feature is a short right-field wall (similar to the one in the Bronx) that measures at just 314 feet down the line — eight feet shorter than the dimensions at Tropicana Field.

In the bottom of the first inning, Díaz took full advantage, golfing a 3-1 fastball the other way for a solo home run. According to MLB’s Statcast system, the ball traveled only 326 feet, and would have stayed in play at each of the league’s other 29 stadiums. But not here, and especially not on a sweltering summer afternoon with a first-pitch temperature of 91 degrees.

The first-row drive opened the scoring and it wouldn’t be the last souvenir Díaz sent that direction on the day.

Two innings later, Díaz came back to the plate with Snell seemingly in a groove, having retired seven of the next eight batters, including five on strikeouts.

However, on a 1-1 fastball that was up in the zone, Díaz launched one to the opposite field again, hitting a two-run blast on a 341-foot fly ball that would’ve been a homer in only two other parks (Yankee Stadium itself, and Daikin Park in Houston).

Frustrating results that overshadowed an otherwise auspicious day.

In the big picture, after all, the Dodgers’ main priorities for Snell are: 1) Stay healthy; 2) Pitch better than he did at the start of the season, when his bothersome shoulder contributed to two underwhelming outings that marred the start of his Dodgers career.

Down the stretch this season, the Dodgers’ biggest strength might be their rotation. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is in the Cy Young Award conversation. Tyler Glasnow has looked improved since returning from his own shoulder injury. Shohei Ohtani has showcased tantalizing talent in his return from a Tommy John procedure. And even Clayton Kershaw has been productive in his 18th season.

The biggest linchpin, though, likely remains Snell — whom the Dodgers targeted this offseason in hopes of avoiding the tightrope they walked last October, when their injury-ravaged rotation was almost completely depleted by the start of the postseason.

While the Dodgers had managed in Snell’s absence, maintaining a narrow lead in the National League West despite another prolonged stretch of patchwork pitching, manager Dave Roberts acknowledged they had missed his “presence” over the first two-thirds of the season.

Having guys like him and Glasnow back, Roberts added, could mean “everything” to the team’s chances entering the stretch run of the campaign.

“Last year, we found a way to do it, not having that [rotation depth],” Roberts said. “But having the starters healthy, pitching the way they're capable of, makes it a better quality of life for everyone.”

Outside of the Díaz home run, Snell offered plenty of promise in his return to action.

First and foremost, he filled up the strike zone, eliminating his habit of nibbling around the plate by throwing 57 strikes in 86 pitches. And, in another positive development, many of those strikes were of the swing-and-miss variety.

Snell racked up 19 whiffs on Saturday, tied for third-most by a Dodgers pitcher in a game this season. Seven came on 12 total swings against his changeup, a key offspeed pitch that showed no signs of rust even after his long layoff. Five others were courtesy of his slider, with the Rays coming up empty on all five swing attempts against it.

It wasn’t enough to help the Dodgers win on Saturday — when their lineup managed only six hits and squandered its best opportunity to rally on Teoscar Hernández’s bases-loaded, inning-ending double-play grounder in the top of the sixth.

But it did raise the hopes about the potential of the team’s late-season rotation, offering a glimpse of the dominance the Dodgers will need out of Snell the rest of the year.

“I think this is sort of what we envisioned,” Roberts said, with his pitching staff finally looking closer to its original design. “It hasn’t been linear, like it ever is, as far as how you get to a place. But … signs are kind of looking like the roster we all intended.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.