The self-confident, stay-as-they-are Dodgers did right by not panicking at the trade deadline and keeping the roster pretty much intact. This is still the same group of guys picked by most baseball experts to win a second straight championship.

The slumps will pass. The injuries will go away. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani and the gang will be there at the end when it counts most.

Marty Zweben
Palos Verdes Estates

Though I don’t agree with his breathless, sky-is-falling sense of urgency, I do think Bill Plaschke is right that the Dodgers should have been more aggressive at the trade deadline. It’s a reasonable gamble to believe that their pitchers will stay healthy enough, their hitters will get untracked and Max Muncy will return and pick up where he left off. But it’s a gamble nonetheless. And if you’ve already sunk $400 million into your payroll, what’s another $10 million to $20 million for a playoff insurance policy: a proven closer and a better outfielder?

John Merryman
Redondo Beach

On Wednesday against the Reds, James Outman attempted to do his best Denzel Clarke-Cedric Mullins imitation by attempting to rob a homer. Unfortunately this last great effort typified Outman’s career with the Dodgers, as it was another case of “so close, but yet so far,” as the ball landed off the heel of Outman’s glove for a two-run triple.

The NL rookie of the month in April 2023 is a great athlete, but it was understandable why the Dodgers traded him.

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

A few hours before baseball's trade deadline Thursday, MLB Network dived into how well top minor league prospects across baseball have succeeded in the major leagues over the years, and it's a pretty dismal percentage. Very few go on to successful big league careers, most just pop back and forth between the minors and majors, move from team to team, while many just fizzle out. They concluded that given the opportunity to garner a quality major league player, let alone an All-Star by just using your draft capital is a no-brainer. The Padres are one team that firmly believes in this while the Dodgers always seem hesitant to do so.

They pointed to the Dodgers with an aging Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and a 31-year-old, currently healthy Shohei Ohtani that the time to win is now and that holding onto all their draft capital when it could be used to immediately bolster the roster doesn't historically or statistically make much sense.

Jerry Leibowitz
Culver City

Well the trade deadline passed without much movement from the Dodgers. With their deep pockets, I thought they might have become the first organization in MLB history to trade for an entire team.

Joe Kevany
Mount Washington

Halo hope

When Arte Moreno sells the Angels this offseason, please bring in A.J. Preller, the architect behind the Padres, as the GM.

Dean Connor
Fontana

Life of Riley

So Lincoln Riley gets $80 million if USC lets him go before his contract is up. For that amount of money, I presume he’s also curing cancer at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Marty Cooper
Encino

Redemption road

As a Trojan fan searching for imminent signs of a return to football glory, it's oddly encouraging to see a certain columnist declare USC nationally irrelevant because if history has taught us anything, it's this: when Bill Plaschke buries you, resurrection tends to follow.

Steve Ross
Carmel

Bruins longshot

I don't believe DeShaun Foster was "going full Joe Namath" when he guaranteed a packed Rose Bowl this coming football season. A critical college football playoff game will surely pack the place New Year's Day.

As for his certainty of a jam-packed venue during the regular season — I wouldn't bet the house.

David Griffin
Los Angeles

Role models

What a great article Eric Sondheimer wrote on City section coaches uniting in challenging times. Reading about these new coaches, as well as some new stadiums, it has me quite excited about the upcoming season. They appear ready to lead their young men the right way in developing as players and students first and put the cheating at one unnamed City high school in the rearview mirror. These coaches are to be admired as they take on this arduous task with a lot less resources and financial compensation than many of their brethren at other CIF schools.

Mark Kaiserman
Santa Monica

Clip job

What’s older — a California Giant Redwood or the Clippers’ starting lineup?

Barry Smith
Thousand Oaks

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.

Email: sports@latimes.com

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

While Ryan Helsley was electric Friday night in his debut inning as a Met and David Peterson offered his usual terrific stuff in six good innings, the bitter aftertaste from Giants 4, Mets 3 at Citi Field was a pre-deadline woe that the Mets must work out.

Their offense.

Yes, the Mets made a nice comeback, scoring once in the seventh and twice in the eighth to erase a 3-0 deficit. The Fab Four did all of that work, too, driving in or scoring every run. And Pete Alonso moved closer to the franchise home run record by swatting his 249th career longball, three shy of Darryl Strawberry.

But the Mets, who entered the game with a below-average offense in terms of runs per game, were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. They struggled against Giants lefty Robbie Ray, who allowed one run in seven innings. The Mets loaded the bases in the 10th inning, thanks in part to the automatic runner, but were 0-for-3 with RISP in that frame alone. The game ended when Ronny Mauricio struck out with the potential tying run on third and the potential winning run on second.

The result was their fourth straight loss, one that perhaps muted some of the warm feelings percolating after what appeared to be a terrific trade deadline. The Mets netted three big relief arms, including Helsley, and solidified their bullpen, which had loomed as a danger zone.

Now the big bats must fix the attack. The top of the order – the Fab Four – did the heavy lifting Friday, but Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Alonso still combined to go just 3-for-15. Alonso had been 0-for-19 before his homer and had been stuck in a 5-for-60 funk entering the night. Lindor’s numbers are plummeting and Soto was coming off a 3-for-19 road trip.

Perhaps new outfielder Cedric Mullins, who popped up as a pinch-hitter, can jolt things with his power and speed.

Maybe Friday is a sign Alonso is getting untracked. In addition to his 23rd homer, a 414-foot shot to right-center, he had a sacrifice fly and his 10th-inning walk against closer Randy Rodriguez seemed to impress Carlos Mendoza, who praised Alonso for laying off a tough 3-2 breaking pitch to work a walk in the 10th.

“There were some good signs from Pete,” the manager said.

And if you want to feel good about something else, Helsley, the newcomer who had the most impact on the game, was impressive. He came into the game to AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells,” which the crowd loved, and threw a scoreless ninth inning, though he allowed two hits. He struck out the other three batters he faced, though, and coaxed several weak swings from Giants’ hitters with his slider. He also hit 101 miles per hour on the radar gun.

“That’s a really, really good fastball,” Mendoza said. “But then you look at the breaking ball, the slider. He keeps hitters guessing – you’ve got to get ready for 100 and then, before you know it, he’s dropping that breaking ball right there. For strikes. For chase.

“It’s a pretty tough at-bat.”

So is Peterson, the only Met starter who delivers innings in bushels. He’s now at his single-season high of 127 innings pitched and he’s the only Met pitcher who has completed six innings in a game since June 7, when Clay Holmes did it.

Peterson, as MLB managers love to put it, gave the Mets a chance to win Friday night.

Time for their offense to start doing the same with a little more regularity.

Move over Edwin Diaz! 

Ryan Helsley made his Mets debut on Friday night and premiered his signature walk-out from the bullpen to the Citi Field crowd.

Similar to Diaz's "Narcos" walk-out, the lights in the stadium go dark as the bell tolls throughout the stadium as AC/DC's "Hells Bells" begins to play as Helsley makes his way to the mound.

ALEXA, PLAY HELLS BELLS.

Ryan Helsley is on for his Mets debut in the 9th 🔥 pic.twitter.com/R1ApTt1gGv

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 2, 2025

Of course, this is the song made famous by Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman but Helsley has made it his own over the years and has now brought it to Flushing.

But a killer walk-out entrance is nothing without the performance to back it up, and Helsley did. Pitching in a tied game in the ninth, Helsley allowed two hits but struck out three batters to get out of trouble. He became just the sixth Mets pitcher ever to strike out three batters in his debut inning. That performance gave his new team a chance to walk off the Giants. Unfortunately for the Mets, San Francisco would push across the ghost-runner in the 10th to take the 4-3 win.

Despite the result, Helsley's new manager and teammates were impressed with the right-hander.

"He was pretty good. 100 first pitch," Carlos Mendoza said with a smirk after the game. "Around the strikezone, it’s a really, really good fastball then you look at the breaking ball, the slider and some of those pitches, you keep the hitters guessing…. He’s a pretty tough at-bat. He’s a pretty elite arm right there."

Helsley was one of three relievers the Mets acquired before the trade deadline, along with the Giants' Tyler Rogers and the Orioles' Gregory Soto, days prior. All three hope to give the Mets a boost in the bullpen and depth for a deep postseason run.

"Lights out. He was all over it," David Peterson said of Helsley after the game. "We’re all excited for all the guys we brought over. Now that we’re passed [the trade deadline], this is our group and we’re ready to continue all the way to the end of the year."

The Yankees' group of trade acquisitions made a dreadful first impression on Friday night, as multiple leads were blown in a stunning and inexplicable 13-12 loss to the Marlins at LoanDepot Park.

Here are the takeaways...

-- There couldn't have been any legitimate complaints about the early pace of play, as both starting pitchers worked efficiently and held everyone hitless through the first three innings. Janson Junk, the former Yankees farmhand, induced four groundouts and three flyouts in his three perfect frames, while Carlos Rodón struck out four and allowed a walk during the same stretch. But the blemish-free outing didn't last long enough for Junk.

-- The Yankees' bats woke up in the fourth, as back-to-back singles from Trent Grisham and Jasson Dominguez disrupted Junk's rhythm. A flyout to right from Cody Bellinger allowed Grisham to advance to third, and after a steal of second from Dominguez with one out, Giancarlo Stanton ripped a three-run homer to left that broke the ice. The veteran slugger's ninth blast of the season had a scorching 116 mph exit velocity, and it was his first homer at LoanDepot Park since Sept. 28, 2017. At that time, Stanton was playing his final games with the Marlins.

-- While the no-hit bid remained alive for Rodón through four innings, the veteran southpaw had to circumvent a jam due to free passes. He allowed a leadoff walk to Agustin Ramirez, who ultimately reached third with stolen bases that followed strikeouts. With two outs and Ramirez just 90 feet away from home, Rodón walked another to set up runners on the corners, but he craftily left the mound unscathed by fanning Kyle Stowers.

-- Junk's woes continued in the fifth, as the Yankees posted another three-spot to increase their lead to a comfortable 6-0. The rally began with a one-out single from Anthony Volpe, who then stole second with two outs and reached home on an RBI single from Dominguez. A walk from Grisham and another stolen bag from Dominguez set up two in scoring position for Bellinger, who wound up driving in the pair with a single to right. It marked the Yankees' second lead of six-plus runs in as many games.

-- Rodón experienced hiccups of his own after the Yankees padded their cushion. He lost the no-hit bid by allowing a leadoff single to Eric Wagaman, and in the ensuing at-bat, he served up a two-run homer to Javier Sanoja that cleared the wall in right. Rodón recovered with a sweat-drenched uniform, striking out two with another walk sandwiched in between. But he couldn't complete the inning, as his fifth walk of the outing prompted manager Aaron Boone to leave the dugout and take the ball. Rodón threw 107 total pitches (61 for strikes) and punched out nine.

-- Despite using Jonathan Loaisiga as the closer in Thursday's win, the Yankees turned to the right-hander as Rodón's replacement with two outs in the fifth. The strategy quickly backfired, as Loaisiga plunked Otto Lopez to load the bases and then allowed a two-run bloop single to Liam Hicks that cut the Yankees' lead to 6-4. But the inning could've been far worse, as Ryan McMahon stopped the bleeding with a slick snag at third that robbed Stowers of a knock and the Marlins of more runs. In the end, Rodón was charged with four earned runs -- his season ERA is now 3.34.

-- The Yankees didn't take kindly to the Marlins' round of punches. After a quiet sixth inning against reliever Valente Bellozo, they rapidly produced another three runs in the seventh, as singles from Volpe and Austin Wells preceded a towering three-run homer to right from Grisham. It was a milestone dinger off the foul pole for Grisham, who now has a career-high 19 homers on the year.

-- The seventh inning was a nightmare for the Yankees' newly acquired relievers. Jake Bird made his debut first, and after loading the bases via a single, double, and walk, he served up a one-out grand slam to Stowers that suddenly cut the Yankees' lead to 9-8. David Bednar then took the mound,  and after recording the second out, he allowed a game-tying blast to Sanoja that sent the crowd into a frenzy. In the blink of an eye, Bednar gave up three more hits, and the stunning six-run rally from the Marlins put them ahead, 10-9.

-- Somehow, the Yankees' seventh-inning stench wasn't as strong as the game's drunken breath. Just four pitches into the eighth, Volpe knotted the score at 10-10 with a mammoth solo homer to left off Lake Bachar. In spite of his incessant defensive blunders at shortstop, Volpe now has 17 homers this season, and he's hit .438 (7-for-16) over his last four games. Bednar returned for a second inning of work and kept the game tied by retiring the Marlins in order with two strikeouts. 

-- While the Yankees' newest relievers failed to impress, their newest third baseman and utilityman stepped up when it mattered most. After a two-out single from Ben Rice off reliever Anthony Bender, speedster Jose Caballero entered as a pinch-runner and managed to steal second. The hustle from Caballero paid off, as McMahon stepped up to the plate and delivered a go-ahead RBI single to center. Then, six pitches later, Volpe delivered an insurance run, crushing a double to deep center that increased the Yankees' lead to 12-10.

-- Camilo Doval was tasked with closing out the ninth, and his Yankees debut also brought misery. He blew the save in brutal fashion, as Sonoja and Jakob Marsee scored the game-tying runs with one out when a single to right from Xavier Edwards trickled past Caballero's glove. Then, moments later, Ramirez nubbed a ball in front of the plate that forced Wells chasing and allowed Edwards to slide in head-first for the winning run. A stunning collapse for the Yankees, and their worst loss in recent memory.

Game MVP: Javier Sanoja

The second-year infielder found himself in the middle of several Marlins rallies, and finished the night 3-for-5 with a home run and three runs scored.

Highlights

A 116-MPH 3-RUN BLAST FOR GIANCARLO STANTON 🚀 pic.twitter.com/c7nRf4Yg86

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 2, 2025

Jasson Domínguez makes it 4-0 Yankees! pic.twitter.com/8dnRvoCkZ3

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 2, 2025

Cody Bellinger plates two more 💪 pic.twitter.com/2MtLbpxBR0

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 2, 2025

ANTHONY VOLPE TIES THE GAME AT 10! pic.twitter.com/iZBJul9xEv

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 2, 2025

RYAN McMAHON COMES UP CLUTCH AGAIN.

THE YANKEES LEAD IN THE 9TH! pic.twitter.com/S9MyCYSwEa

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 2, 2025

ANTHONY VOLPE'S FOURTH HIT OF THE NIGHT MAKES IT 12-10! pic.twitter.com/awW6i7U0Qd

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 2, 2025

The ball gets past Jose Caballero in right field and the Marlins have tied it at 12 in the 9th pic.twitter.com/oYj72YYFyb

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 2, 2025

What's next

The Yankees (60-50) will continue their three-game weekend set in Miami on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m.

RHP Cam Schlittler (1-1, 4.91 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Eury Pérez (3-3, 3.07 ERA).