Worldwide Sports News

On the latest episode of The Mets Pod presented by Tri-State Cadillac, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo look back on a week of winning without much hitting, and also chat with pitching prospect Matt Allan about his long road back to the mound.

First up, the guys cover the dramatic series win over the Dodgers, the continued struggles of Juan Soto, the emergence of Brett Baty, and the balancing act between playing both Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens behind the plate.

Then, Joe catches up with prospect Matt Allan, who shares his story of a road back from multiple surgeries, and also talks about the changes he’s seen in the Mets organization, and what he’s now seeing from himself in Brooklyn and what could still be ahead for him in 2025.

Later, Connor and Joe answer mailbag questions about Jett Williams, Ryan Clifford, narratives around Juan Soto, and the overall issues of the offense.

Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Suarez shuts down Braves, Phils win series opener after Harper's early exit originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies got right back to winning ways Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. 

Two days after having their nine-game winning streak snapped by the Athletics, the Phils opened a six-game homestand with a 2-0 victory over the Braves. 

The 35-19 Phillies will go for a series win over the 25-28 Braves on Wednesday night. 

Ranger Suarez shut down Atlanta and gave the Phillies a second consecutive scoreless start. He tossed six innings and allowed four hits and three walks. The 29-year-old lefty notched a season-high eight strikeouts. 

After beginning last season 9-0, Suarez is 4-0 in 2025 with a 2.97 ERA. 

The Phillies had a concerning bottom of the first. 

Braves starter Spencer Strider hit Bryce Harper with a 95.3 mph fastball and the Phillies’ first baseman exited in clear pain. The team later announced that Harper was diagnosed with a right elbow contusion and X-rays on him were negative. 

The Phils jumped in front in the second inning. Max Kepler lined a double to right-center and Alec Bohm sprinted in from first.

From there, both Suarez and Strider were very effective. The Phillies didn’t manage a second hit until Nick Castellanos’ opposite-field knock against Enyel De Los Santos in the sixth inning. 

Michael Harris II led off the fifth with a bloop single to shallow center and the Braves eventually loaded the bases. Suarez worked gutsily around the trouble, getting Matt Olson to whiff on a 2-2 high heater. He shrugged off a leadoff hit in the sixth, too. 

Out of the bullpen, the Phillies turned to Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm and Jordan Romano. All three did their jobs well.

The Phillies summoned a two-out rally in the eighth inning, capitalizing on Daysbel Hernandez’s erratic control and providing Romano an insurance run. Bohm scored his (and the Phillies’) second run when J.T. Realmuto walked with the bases loaded.

Nola talks lingering injury 

A few hours before first pitch, Aaron Nola stopped just short of the Phillies’ dugout steps and discussed his right ankle sprain with reporters. 

Nola threw what Phillies manager Rob Thomson called a “touch and feel” bullpen session Tuesday — lower intensity and lower volume than a usual bullpen, but Nola’s first time on the mound since being placed on the 15-day injured list. 

Nola said he continued to feel “a little bit” of discomfort with “certain movements.” Though he hopes to ramp up further Thursday, Nola said he thinks he’ll “probably” need a rehab assignment before returning. 

“Just taking it day by day right now and then hopefully, Thursday I feel good when I get on the mound,” he said. 

Realmuto’s ‘got to play through it’ 

Thomson dropped Realmuto to eighth in the Phillies’ lineup and bumped Bohm up to fifth. 

“J.T.’s trying a bunch of different stuff,” Thomson said pregame. “He’s working hard to maybe limit his leg kick a little bit … just get the timing better. So I just want to take a little pressure off him, move him down a little bit.” 

With an 0-for-3 game, Realmuto’s season average is at .228. He went 2 for 14 and struck out six times in the Phillies’ series against the A’s. 

Thomson indicated he doesn’t plan to increase Realmuto’s rest days. 

“He’s got to play through it because he’s so important behind the plate to us and to our pitching staff,” he said. “(Rafael) Marchan does a great job as well, but J.T., he’s the captain out there. … I want him out there as much as we can.”

Suarez shuts down Braves, Phils win series opener after Harper's early exit originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies got right back to winning ways Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. 

Two days after having their nine-game winning streak snapped by the Athletics, the Phils opened a six-game homestand with a 2-0 victory over the Braves. 

The 35-19 Phillies will go for a series win over the 25-28 Braves on Wednesday night. 

Ranger Suarez shut down Atlanta and gave the Phillies a second consecutive scoreless start. He tossed six innings and allowed four hits and three walks. The 29-year-old lefty notched a season-high eight strikeouts. 

After beginning last season 9-0, Suarez is 4-0 in 2025 with a 2.97 ERA. 

The Phillies had a concerning bottom of the first. 

Braves starter Spencer Strider hit Bryce Harper with a 95.3 mph fastball and the Phillies’ first baseman exited in clear pain. The team later announced that Harper was diagnosed with a right elbow contusion and X-rays on him were negative.

“One of the trainers came down and told me about it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “I was anxious but happy there was no break for sure.”

The Phils jumped in front in the second inning. Max Kepler lined a double to right-center and Alec Bohm sprinted in from first.

From there, both Suarez and Strider were very effective. The Phillies didn’t manage a second hit until Nick Castellanos’ opposite-field knock against Enyel De Los Santos in the sixth inning. 

Michael Harris II led off the fifth with a bloop single to shallow center and the Braves eventually loaded the bases. Suarez worked gutsily around the trouble, getting Matt Olson to whiff on a 2-2 high heater. He shrugged off a leadoff hit in the sixth, too. 

“It was a very long inning,” Suarez said of the fifth. “I was just thinking about trying to get out of it as quickly as I possibly could. It got complicated for a second there, but we were able to fight through.”

Out of the bullpen, the Phillies turned to Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm and Jordan Romano. All three did their job well.

The Phillies summoned a two-out rally in the eighth inning, capitalizing on Daysbel Hernandez’s erratic control and providing Romano an insurance run. Bohm scored his (and the Phillies’) second run when J.T. Realmuto walked with the bases loaded.

Nola talks lingering injury 

A few hours before first pitch, Aaron Nola stopped just short of the Phillies’ dugout steps and discussed his right ankle sprain with reporters. 

Nola threw what Thomson called a “touch and feel” bullpen session Tuesday — lower intensity and lower volume than a usual bullpen, but Nola’s first time on the mound since being placed on the 15-day injured list. 

Nola said he continued to feel “a little bit” of discomfort with “certain movements.” Though he hopes to ramp up further Thursday, Nola said he thinks he’ll “probably” need a rehab assignment before returning. 

“Just taking it day by day right now and then hopefully, Thursday I feel good when I get on the mound,” he said. 

Realmuto’s ‘got to play through it’ 

Thomson dropped Realmuto to eighth in the Phillies’ lineup and bumped Bohm up to fifth. 

“J.T.’s trying a bunch of different stuff,” Thomson said pregame. “He’s working hard to maybe limit his leg kick a little bit … just get the timing better. So I just want to take a little pressure off him, move him down a little bit.” 

With an 0-for-3 game, Realmuto’s season average is at .228. He went 2 for 14 and struck out six times in the Phillies’ series against the A’s. 

Thomson indicated he doesn’t plan to increase Realmuto’s rest days. 

“He’s got to play through it because he’s so important behind the plate to us and to our pitching staff,” he said. “(Rafael) Marchan does a great job as well, but J.T., he’s the captain out there. … I want him out there as much as we can.”

Wednesday's series finale between the Mets and White Sox has been bumped up due to weather.

First pitch at Citi Field was originally scheduled for 7:10 p.m. but with showers expected in the area throughout the night, they game will now begin at 1:10 p.m. instead.

Gates will open at 12:10 p.m. now and parking lots will open at 11:40 a.m.

Griffin Canning (5-1, 2.88 ERA) is lined up to take the ball against right-hander Shane Smith (1-3, 2.36 ERA), a Rule 5 pick who has been spectacular thus far this season.

New York took the opening game of the set on Monday afternoon, rallying to score two runs in the eighth and ninth, walking it off on a Francisco Lindor sacrifice fly.

Tylor Megill faces off with Jonathan Cannon in the middle game on Tuesday night on SNY.

The Mets are officially at the one-third mark of the 2025 season, and Tuesday night’s matchup with the Chicago White Sox will be the official start of the “middle” of the team’s regular season.

Prior to Tuesday’s first pitch, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza discussed some of his recent lineup decisions, as well as what makes Luisangel Acuña so valuable even on days when he’s not part of the starting nine.

Here’s what Mendoza had to say…

OnJared Young starting again at DH

Called up from Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday, Young will be making his fourth start as the Mets’ designated hitter on Tuesday night, hitting sixth against Chicago righty Jonathan Cannon.

Asked about Young, Mendoza cited the 29-year-old’s ability to put himself in good hitter’s counts, with the Mets hoping to see him capitalize on those opportunities as he gets more chances.

“We’ve seen it these past couple of days,” Mendoza said. “He’s got the ability to put himself in a good hitter’s count and that’s his calling card. He hit a 107 (MPH) to dead center the other day and I feel like he’s usually 2-0, 3-1. Now he’s just got to get into the rhythm and do some damage on some pitches.”

Young is 0-for-5 with a hit-by-pitch and a run scored in three games since his call-up.

Acuña’s veteran mindset paying dividends

Acuña is not in Tuesday’s lineup, as Brett Baty gets the start at second with Mark Vientos at third.

But the youngster has proven that he doesn’t need to start a game to have an impact, as evidenced by his last three games, entering the game in the seventh inning or later each time while stealing a bag on Sunday and scoring the tying run on Monday as a pinch-runner.

“This is a guy that doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low,” Mendoza said. “Pretty mature for his age and he has a really good understanding of his role right now and the impact that he brings to the team. He knows that even though he’s not in the lineup, there’s going to be an opportunity for him to come in and impact it in a good game, whether it’s by making a defensive play, by stealing a base, by scoring from first base on a ball in the gap, or by giving us a good at-bat, putting the ball in play. I think he obviously continues to develop. There’s a lot of tools there, but I like how he’s handled it so far mentally.”

On giving Mark Vientos more opportunities at third base

It’s undoubtedly been a rough start to the season for Vientos, who is hitting just .234 and has also struggled defensively, committing seven errors in 39 games at the hot corner, including four errors since the calendar flipped to May.

Since being called back up, Brett Baty has gotten the majority of the playing time at third base, with Vientos serving as the DH in eight of his last 14 appearances.

But Vientos will be at third on Tuesday night, and according to Mendoza, giving the 25-year-old more reps there is the only way to help him out of his defensive funk.

“For me, he’s just going through it right now,” Mendoza said. “It was really good to see him yesterday continue to put in the work. That’s how you’re going to get out of it. It’s like when you’re going through struggles offensively. You go out there and continue to work until you get the feeling back. Same thing.

“This is a guy that in the offseason worked really, really hard [on] his first step. And now he’s going through a stretch where it happens. But continue to work, continue to believe in yourself. We’re going to continue to give him chances. Here he is playing third base again. He’ll get through it, he’ll be fine, he’s a really good third baseman.”