Following the Mets' 6-4 win over the Phillies on Thursday night, manager Carlos Mendoza and certain players spoke about the happenings during the game...
Key to go-ahead seventh inning
With the score tied 3-3 heading into the seventh inning, it looked as though the frame would end without much doing after Bo Bichette and Juan Soto couldn't capitalize on a Carson Benge leadoff single.
But then came Mark Vientos. The young slugger came up as a pinch-hitter to take on lefty Jose Alvarado. Vientos got behind 1-2 before Alvarado threw three straight balls to extend the inning.
From there, Eric Wagaman hit a pinch-hit single to put the Mets in front and Marcus Semien broke it open with a two-run triple. But while there was a lot going on in that inning, Mendoza pointed to Vientos as the key.
"I thought Vientos’ at-bat there was the key of that whole inning," Mendoza said. "For him to go up there, control the strikezone and end up walking. And then Waggy there and Marcus to break it open. I’m going to back to that inning to the Vientos at-bat."
Back to Semien's at-bat, the veteran second baseman almost struck out before his game-changing triple. On a 2-2 count, Semien swung through Alvarado's cutter in the dirt. The Phillies thought it was a strikeout, but home plate umpire Brian Walsh ruled it a foul tip, which gave Semien a second chance.
One pitch later, and Semien rocketed a triple 99.6 mph off the left-center field wall.
"I saw it right away," Mendoza said of the foul tip. "Glad they were able to see it right away."
“I’m glad that ball hit the dirt because I would have been walking back to the dugout and no runs would have scored," Semien said. "[Alvarado] has a really good cutter, down in the zone. I got him up in the zone, but I was short to the ball, got it into the wind and good things happened.”
Wagaman comes up big
Speaking of Wagaman, Mendoza was asked about pinch-hitting for rookie A.J. Ewing in that spot. The Mets skipper simply played the matchup game, trying to get the right-handed Wagaman a more favorable matchup.
"Tough left-on-left matchup…you got a bullet understanding that’s a pretty good bullpen there and that might be the only chance," Mendoza said of the move. "Glad it worked out for us today."
Entering Thursday's game, Wagaman had just two hits in seven games with the big league club. So it was a risky move, but one Mendoza embraces. When asked how he felt when the move worked out, Mendoza couldn't help but joke.
"I look like a genius," Mendoza said of the move with a smile. "When it doesn’t work out, I’m the worst. That’s part of managing. My job is to put guys in position to have success and it’s baseball."
A pinch-hit single for Eric Wagaman off of Jose Alvarado to give the Mets the lead! pic.twitter.com/oP3Sdad7Je
After being away from the team since April 22 with a calf strain, Lindor's teammates are looking forward to getting their shortstop back soon.
"His defense and his bat is elite," Juan Soto said of getting Lindor back. "He has one of the defensive players in the game and it’s going to help a lot."
"It’s huge. It’s Francisco Lindor," Sean Manaea added. "He’s an integral part of this team. I can’t wait for him to be back and just have his presence again."
“He’s one of the best in the game. We’ll take one of the best in the game in this lineup every time," Semien said. "Hopefully he’s being smart, getting ready and we’ll see how he’s feeling when he gets back. I know things will take time to get back into rhythm, but everyone is excited."
The Mets are hopeful Lindor could be back before the end of June.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 18: Juan Soto #22 of the New York Mets hits a solo home run in the first inning during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 18, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mets took the first game of their first series of the season against the Phillies, winning 6-4 on a windy evening in Philadelphia in part due to two home runs from Juan Soto and another solid performance from Sean Manaea.
After Soto got things going for the Mets with a two-out home run in the first inning, Jared Young followed up by hitting a ball that Aaron Nola could not keep in his glove for the tag. Young reached first base on the error, and A.J. Ewing bashed an RBI double into right field, allowing Young to score. Unfortunately, Manaea started his outing by plunking Trea Turner on the back of the calf and followed up by allowing a single to Kyle Schwarber that moved Turner to second base. Bryce Harper grounded into a force out that allowed Turner to move to third, and Alec Bohm tapped an RBI single into right field to score the Phillies’ first run. However, the inning ended on a strikeout double play when Brandon Marsh struck out swinging, and Harper was caught stealing third base on a throw from Francisco Alvarez to Brett Baty, allowing the Mets to keep a 2-1 lead.
In the second inning, Alvarez and Carson Benge both hit two-out singles but were ultimately stranded when Bo Bichette grounded out. Manaea allowed a leadoff triple to Edmundo Sosa, who was also stranded after Manaea successfully induced outs from the next three hitters in succession. At the top of the third inning, Soto hit a second home run, this one carried by the wind to unexpected heights. Marcus Semien knocked a single into center field but was stranded when Baty popped out. At the bottom of the third, Schwarber struck out, but because of a passed ball and a subsequent throwing error to first base by Alvarez, he reached second base. After Soto made a great catch in left field on a fly ball from Harper, Benge could not duplicate it in right field on a fly ball from Bohm. Bohm came up with his second RBI of the night, a double that allowed Schwarber to trot in. Marsh grounded out to end the third inning with a score of Mets 3, Phillies 2.
At the bottom of the fourth inning, Bryson Stott tapped an infield hit to Bichette, who could not get it to first base in time. Stott then stole second base and scored when Derek Hill smacked a single to Ewing in center field. Ewing’s throw to home hit the mound and bounced hard, preventing any chance of getting Stott out, in part because Manaea was not backing up home plate. The inning ended on a ground out from Justin Crawford, but the score was now tied 3-3.
Soto walked at the top of the fifth inning, and Ewing smacked an infield hit for a single, but both were stranded again when Semien grounded into a force out. Manaea walked Harper, but then Bohm grounded into a double play to end the fifth inning and keep things tied. After striking out Marsh in the sixth inning, Manaea was replaced by Huascar Brazobán, who finished the sixth efficiently.
At the top of the seventh, Carson Benge hit a single on a line drive into center field off of José Alvarado. Benge stole second base and moved to third base on a wild pitch from Alvarado, and Mark Vientos walked while pinch-hitting for Young. Eric Wagaman pinch-hit for Ewing and came up with an opposite-field RBI single, scoring Benge. With two outs, Semien had a second chance at his at-bat when the umpire determined he had fouled instead of foul-tipping a pitch, and he made the most of it with a two-RBI triple that scored Wagaman and Vientos. Brazobán walked J.T. Realmuto to start the bottom of the seventh, but struck out Hill before A.J. Minter took over to dispatch the next two batters in the Phillies lineup and end the seventh inning, Mets 6, Phillies 3.
M.J. Melendez led off with a walk at the top of the eighth inning, but was the victim when Alvarez grounded into a force out in the next at-bat. Benge smacked his third hit of the night, a single into left field, but then Bichette grounded into a double play that ended the top of the inning. Luke Weaver came in for the bottom of the eighth to work a 1-2-3 inning, and Devin Williams took over for the ninth.
Williams allowed Stott to walk, and then Realmuto grounded into a force out. Realmuto advanced to second base on defensive indifference, and Gabriel Rincones, Jr, hit a single that allowed Realmuto to move to third when Bichette’s throw to Vientos was wide. Justin Crawford followed up with an RBI single that also moved Rincones to second and brought up Schwarber. After an injury delay for an unfortunate foul off of Alvarez, Schwarber lined out to Baty to end the game with a Mets win: Mets 6, Phillies 4.
Freddy Peralta will face off against Christopher Sánchez when the series picks up on Saturday after a break tomorrow for a World Cup match in Philadelphia.
Sep 26, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels second baseman Christian Moore (4) runs after hitting a double against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Former Tennessee Volunteers slugger Christian Moore is back in the show.
Per The Athletic MLB writer Sam Blum, Moore was the beneficiary of Los Angeles Angels star outfielder Mike Trout heading to the injured list with a hamstring injury. As a result, Moore got the call up from the Angels’ Pacific Coast League affiliate.
NEWS with @Ken_Rosenthal: Mike Trout is headed to the IL with a hamstring injury, sources tell @TheAthletic.
Brutal news for Trout with ASG upcoming and a comeback season in the works.
Moore has been having a tremendous season with the Salt Lake Bees, so beyond Trout’s injury, he’d pushed hard for a return to the Angels. So far this season at Triple-A, Moore has been knocking the cover off the ball. He is batting .333 with 9 home runs and 45 RBIs. He has a ridiculous 1.053 OPS with a .468 on base percentage.
The ex-Vol logged 53 games with Los Angeles last season, and there were certainly some growing pains. He hit just .198 last year, but he did hit 7 home runs in those 53 games (184 at bats), which is a fair clip.
This time, he’ll be coming up knowing what to expect and with MLB experience. He’s also coming up on a hot streak, with two multi-home run games in the last week.
Hopefully this becomes one of the last few times that Moore has to go from the minor league level to the big club. In any event, there should be a few more interested eyes in East Tennessee as far as what’s going on out in Anaheim late at night.
Jun 18, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
With 17 hits, including 11 for extra-bases, the Royals more than doubled up the Cardinals in the series opener, winning 14-6 to improve to 31-45 on the season.
The Royals found themselves in a hole early as Bobby Witt Jr. committed an error on a seemingly easy double-play ball that allowed one run to score. Starting pitcher Noah Cameron struggled in the first with two walks, but managed to get out of it only allowing two runs. Witt, to his credit, halved the Cardinals’ lead with a home run in the bottom of the first.
Salvador Perez, who went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, started off Kansas City’s six-run second inning with a ball that nearly left the yard. Carter Jensen followed with a double of his own. After a Nick Loftin sacrifice fly, Isaac Collins added yet another double. After an error, Lane Thomas came up to bat, and then he doubled. Doubles for everyone! Witt, the bum, singled before Jac Caglianone grounded out. Starling Marte, batting cleanup, followed with the team’s fifth double of the inning, driving in Witt to make the score 7-2 and running Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore from the game.
1 minute and 34 seconds of 2nd inning offense for your viewing pleasure.
The Cardinals never truly threatened again. For the game, the Cardinals offense put up 13 hits, including four doubles, but burned through a total of four pitchers, all of whom allowed at least one earned run.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Royals added another four runs, this time off a laser of a home run by Cags, his ninth of the season, and off a two-run double from Loftin that made the score 11-3.
Two innings later, Salvy nailed his 10th home run of the season, becoming the all-time leader in home runs at Kauffman Stadium with 137, passing George Brett. He received a nice ovation his next time up, which he followed with a single, finishing a triple shy of the cycle.
But it wasn’t all peaches and roses for the Royals. In the top of the fourth, Witt dove to stop a Jordan Walker grounder from reaching the outfield. It looked like one of those marquee Bobby Witt Jr. web gems (are those still a thing?), but then Witt didn’t make the throw. Worse, he grabbed his right knee. Thankfully, he got up and finished the inning before the Royals smartly removed him from the game, inserting Tyler Tolbert.
As of this writing, I have not seen any further word on the seriousness of the injury.
In the end, Cameron picked up the victory, improving to 4-4 on the year with a 4.20 ERA. He didn’t exactly pitch a gem, but managed to get through five before turning it over to the bullpen. He gave up four hits, three walks, and hit a batter while striking out six. He was charged with three earned runs.
Mason Black and Beck Way both pitched two innings to close out the game. Black labored, allowing three hits, walking two and allowing two earned runs. Way allowed zero runs despite allowing two hits and two walks. He also struck out two.
The second game of the series is tomorrow evening before a rare open Saturday due to a World Cup game across the parking lot.
Andrew Benintendi blasted a first-pitch grand slam in the eighth to break the 1-1 tie. | (Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)
Behind an incredible 7 1/3-inning outing from Sean Burke and a grand slam Benny bomb, the White Sox (39-34) evaded the sweep in the Bronx, defeating the Yankees (45-28), 5-1. Both pitchers put on an excellent performance as each allowed a solo home run and struck out eight, but Burke outlasted Ryan Weathers with the help of Bryan Hudson, and the South Siders remain in first place.
The White Sox offense initially got off to a cold start (again), as Ryan Weathers struck out the side, bringing a sort of “here we go again” type of vibe to the night. Thankfully, Colson Montgomery kept his hot streak rolling to lead off the second inning, blasting his third home run of the series for the South Siders to take an early lead, 1-0. That was the 20th homer of the season for Colson, folks, and it’s only June.
Lefthander Bryan Hudson was the opener for the Good Guys ahead of Sean Burke, and he was rock solid in the first. Hudson rang up two of the three batters he faced, including Ben Rice to lead off the game and Cody Bellinger to close out the inning. The lefty returned for the second and quickly snagged two outs before giving up a double to Spencer Jones — his only hit allowed on the day. On a shorter leash as the opener, Will Venable turned to the bullpen for Burke to begin his outing, starting off on a high note by striking out José Caballero to end the inning.
Unfortunately, the lead didn’t last long, as Ryan McMahon took Burke deep to tie the game at one in the bottom of the third. With the tough segment of the New York lineup coming up to bat, Burke was able to buckle down and retire the next three batters in order, working through both Rice and Paul Goldschmidt to squash the momentum. Outside of the homer, Burke cruised through the rest of the game, continuously shutting the Yankees down anytime someone reached base, even picking off Caballero at second base in the sixth.
Back in the fourth, Burke had Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a 2-2 count, but he had to exit the game mid-at-bat after fouling a ball off a very sensitive area. Jazz wasn’t able to recover, so Anthony Volpe stepped in to take his place, and actually worked the 2-2 count to a walk to get on base. Volpe was subsequently thrown out at second base after attempting to steal, and despite a high throw from Quero, Luisangel Acuña placed a nice tag, jumping to catch the ball and get the tag down in one motion. The kicker is that the White Sox essentially did the exact same thing the next inning, as Acuña reached base but was caught stealing to end the inning on Junior Perez’s strikeout, which was overturned to an out after originally being called safe. It was quite a close play, so it was a little surprising that it was changed to an out, but it was fair enough. And with that, the game remained tied at one.
The Yankees’ bats were also relatively quiet until Volpe mashed a deep drive to left in the bottom of the seventh, but he made an interesting decision to stretch the double into a three-bagger, allowing Perez to throw him out at third and prevent the scoring threat. It was a great throw by the rookie for his first MLB putout, beating Volpe by a few steps after the ball first went over his head and off the wall. Burke remained in control for the final out and rang up Spencer Jones for his sixth K of the night. Through seven, the Yanks still had only mustered five hits and didn’t have many opportunities to score, having left only two on base to that point.
Weathers was also dominant for New York outside of the Colson home run, only allowing three hits against the South Siders while striking out eight in his 6 1/3 frames. Fernando Cruz was solid for the few batters he faced in relief of Weathers, but the eighth inning turned into a bit of a mess for New York. As Venable started subbing in some batters, Aaron Boone was also playing the matchup game, needing three arms to get through the inning.
Pinch-hitting for Luisangel Acuña, Sam Antonacci got a rally going for the Good Guys with a leadoff double, finally giving some life to the bats after several dead innings. Venable decided to pinch-hit Jacob Gonzalez for Perez, but Boone countered the White Sox’s move to put a lefty bat up at the plate by turning to our old pal, lefthander Tim Hill, out of the bullpen. Hill instantly made things worse for the Yankees by hitting both Gonzalez and Tristan Peters back-to-back to load the bases up for Meidroth, who sadly ended up striking out. Since we were already having a pinch-hit party, Andrew Benintendi came in for Randal Grichuk as the Yanks swapped in the third pitcher of the inning. On the very first pitch from Camilo Doval, Benintendi smashed a grand slam. A Bronx Benny bomb for the ages: a no-doubter to give the White Sox a four-run lead, 5-1.
Now with a bit of a cushion, Burke returned for the eighth and was the most efficient he had been all night. Using just eight pitches, Sean struck out Caballero for his seventh of the night and got two more quick outs, allowing him to go for the win and close out the game. Burke was nothing short of phenomenal tonight against the Bronx Bombers, limiting them to five hits and a walk while striking out eight and earning his fourth win of the season. While facing a series sweep, Burke kept the Sox in the game and gave the offense a chance to win, doing exactly what was needed to stave off the sweep. Sean was calm, cool, and collected throughout his entire outing, and he reduced his ERA from 4.15 to 3.89.
This was a much-needed W to close out the series and head to Detroit with some positive momentum. It also helped keep the Sox in first place, as the Guardians avoided a sweep in Milwaukee. The Sox are 3-0 against the Tigers so far this season, and if they can come back from the road trip with three or four wins, that would be a huge redemption after the first two games of this series.
With the Mets rotation in flux, they need Sean Manaea to be a stabilizing force.
And although he wasn't at his sharpest against the Phillies on Thursday night, the southpaw gave his team all he could, and it was enough in the Mets' 6-4 victory.
"He competed. He had to work; they made him work," manager Carlos Mendoza said of his starter's game. "And on a day where maybe he’ll tell you that he wasn't at his best with how crisp he was with his pitches, he found a way, for the first time, going back out for the sixth innings, over 90 pitches and he got the job done."
Thursday was just Manaea's second start of the season after beginning the 2026 campaign in the bullpen as a long man. It's the second time he pitched into the sixth inning -- he went six in his previous start -- but it was the first time the southpaw eclipsed 90 pitches in a game. And Manaea was quick to be critical of his evening, as Mendoza alluded to.
Manaea said only one pitch worked for him on Thursday, but he had to make do.
"Sweeper was really good. I would say that," Manaea said semi-sarcastically. "Couldn’t get my fastball glove side, that was pretty annoying. And couldn’t get the cutter for a strike that was also annoying. But I thought the sweeper was really good today."
Manaea said that while he couldn't execute his pitches the way he wanted, they were effective enough to induce contact and get him through 5.1 innings. And he would need every out as the vaunted Phillies lineup had traffic on the bases early on. But Manaea would find ways to get out of it, allowing just two earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five.
"Gave us a chance, limited damage when he needed to," Mendoza said. "A couple of plays that didn’t go our way that could have helped him. But overall, he did a pretty good job for us."
“Sean’s been great. He’s made some adjustments. His velo’s up," Marcus Semien said of Manaea. "I’ve played behind him for a lot of years in Oakland and he’s looking more like that guy.”
Now that Manaea has started games twice in a row, he's getting into a routine that works for him. And he hopes that he can continue to be an effective starter as the Mets try and claw their way back to .500.
With Thursday's win, they have now won two in a row and, despite their record (34-41), are playing better of late. Manaea feels that the team is in an upswing and he hopes to contribute to this run.
"We’re starting to play really good baseball," Manaea said. "I’m just really happy to help the boys who have responded this season."
Oct 14, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) reacts after hitting a home run with second baseman Brice Turang (2) against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game two of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
In this week’s Reacts survey, we asked fans which Brewer you’d most like to see join ace Jacob Misiorowski in the All-Star Game in Philadelphia come July. The results were pretty split:
Among the five options — Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio, Jake Bauers, William Contreras, and Kyle Harrison — only Contreras has an All-Star selection to his name. Turang and Chourio, perhaps unsurprisingly, combined to garner more than half the vote, with Turang coming in at 36% and Chourio at 27%.
Turang, 26, is hitting .262/.378/.465 with 11 homers, 44 RBIs, 54 runs, and 12 steals this season, while Chourio is hitting .307/.360/.558 with 10 homers, 28 RBIs, 28 runs, and five steals (in just 38 games).
Bauers, 30, is having the best year of his veteran career, while Harrison’s stuff seems to be clicking this season. Lastly, Contreras remains a veteran presence on a young Brewer squad as a reliable everyday backstop, which has been especially valuable with Milwaukee’s very young rotation.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JUNE 18: Matthew Liberatore #32 of the St. Louis Cardinals wipes his face as he waits to be taken out of the game against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning at Kauffman Stadium on June 18, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If only the first half-inning counted, Thursday night’s game would have gone well for the St. Louis Cardinals. Unfortunately, the other 8 1/2 innings were terrible as Matthew Liberatore had one of his worst starts of the year and the Kansas City Royals took advantage of that easily beating the Cardinals in the first game of this weekend’s awkwardly-scheduled I-70 series renewal.
If you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan, Thursday night’s game wasn’t without his highlights, but they are far outnumbered by the disappointments. Let’s start with the very limited positives. In the top of the 1st inning, St. Louis got off to a fast start. JJ Wetherholt led off the game with a single to left followed Iván Herrera being walked (don’t worry, he’d predictably be hit by a pitch later). Jordan Walker then grounded a ball under Bobby Witt Jr’s glove allowing JJ Wetherholt to score giving the Cardinals a quick 1-0 lead.
Jordan Walker would advance to second on a wild pitch by Royals starter Matt Cameron and then former Royal Nelson Velázquez walked loading the bases for Alec Burleson. He would muscle a sacrifice fly to center scoring Herrera upping the St. Louis lead to 2-0. That’s it for most of the happy thoughts.
Matthew Liberatore’s bottom of the 1st inning wasn’t awful with the exception of a 419 foot home run from Bobby Witt Jr. St. Louis still maintained a 2-1 lead with one inning complete. The same can’t be said about the 2nd inning.
It’s hard to fully explain how bad the bottom of the 2nd inning was for Matthew Liberatore and the St. Louis Cardinals. He would not finish it which gives you some idea of how fast this game went downhill. The Royals would hit 5 doubles in the bottom of the 2nd inning alone. FIVE DOUBLES. Here’s the chronological order of events. Salvador Perez doubled. Carter Jensen doubled scoring Perez tying the game 2-2 which would be the last time the Cardinals weren’t losing Thursday night. The next batter, Loftin, flied out to center advancing Jensen to third. Isaac Collins would join the doubles party scoring Jensen and giving the Royals a 3-2 lead they wouldn’t lose. Massey would reach on an error by Nelson Velázquez scoring Collins upping the Royals lead to 4-2, but they weren’t even close to done. Lane Thomas would double scoring Massey followed by a single by Bobby Witt Jr. scoring Thomas. After a groundout by Caglianone, Starling Marte would (you guessed it) double scoring Witt Jr. By the time the 2nd inning was done, Matthew Liberatore would be removed from the game by manager Oli Marmol and replaced by Gordon Graceffo and the Royals would lead 7-2. Matthew Liberatore’s stat line was not pretty. 1 2/3 innings allowing 7 runs (5 of them earned) on 7 hits with 2 strikeouts and no walks.
To the Cardinals credit, they didn’t give up. St. Louis would rally in the top of the 4th inning. Blaze Jordan reached on an infield single followed by a single by Jose Fermin. Pedro Pages struck out and JJ Wetherholt lined out, but Ivan Herrera would get hit by a pitch again to load the bases. Jordan Walker then grounded deep to short, but Bobby Witt Jr. landed awkwardly and was unable to throw to any base allowing Blaze Jordan to score cutting the Royals lead down to 7-3. Bobby Witt Jr. would end up leaving the game with right knee discomfort, but no word on the extend of any injury yet.
The Royals would put the game out of reach in the bottom of the 4th inning when Gordon Graceffo walked Tolbert before Caglianone crushed an opposite field home run nearly hitting a camera in left field increasing the Royals lead to 9-4. Kansas City wasn’t done. Marte singled to left and then two batters later, Jensen doubled to right as Marte was held at third. This would lead to the Major League debut for Maxwel Rajcic who would give up a double to Loftin scoring Jensen and Marte giving Kansas City an 11-4 lead. Rajcic would get the final two outs of the bottom of the 4th, though.
In the top of the 5th inning, St. Louis would nick away at the huge Kansas City lead as Masyn Winn doubled and later scored when Jose Fermin singled making it 11-4 Royals. Maxwel Rajcic would impress in the bottom of the 5th inning setting the Royals down in order 1-2-3 which is the only inning that would happen tonight. Rajcic would pitch into the bottom of the 6th inning with the only other blemish being a 385 foot home run by Salvador Perez giving Kansas City a dozen runs. Congrats to Salvador as his dinger set the home run record for Kauffman Stadium. Well done, sir.
The Cardinals would threaten to make it an interesting game in the top of the 7th inning as Masyn Winn reached on an infield single and Blaze Jordan would double. Masyn Winn would score on a ground out by Fermin giving St. Louis its 5th run. Pedro Pagés managed a sacrifice fly to right scoring Blaze Jordan from third making it 12-6 Royals.
I wish I could say that the Cardinals bullpen kept the Royals from scoring anymore, but that wouldn’t be accurate. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Justin Bruihl would give up a single to Collins would steal second and then score on a single by Lane Thomas piling on the Kansas City lead to 13-6.
It’s been said often in the game discussion comments that the St. Louis Cardinals are fun to watch even when they lose and that can be said about Thursday night’s game, too. The Cardinals would load the bases in the top of the 8th inning again threatening to make it a competitive baseball game, but would get no runs after right fielder Marte would make a nice sliding catch.
Kansas City would add a somewhat humiliating 14th run in the bottom of the 8th inning as Marte and Perez both singled. Marte would eventually score on a passed ball charged against catcher Jimmy Crooks as Oli Marmol put a load of replacements into the game. 14-6 Royals win. Stuff happens.
There were several positives to take out of Thursday’s game. JJ Wetherholt and Masyn Winn each had 3 hits. JJ reached base 5 times which is a high in his still-young career. Blaze Jordan, Jordan Walker and Jose Fermin had a couple hits apiece. Maxwel Rajcic made his Major League debut. The Cardinals offense did its job by scoring 6 runs and hammering 13 hits. We won’t talk about the runners-in-scoring position, though.
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to pretend Thursday’s game against the Kansas City Royals never happened as they’ll send Michael McGreevy to the mound for a hopefully different result Friday night. The Royals have Seth Lugo ready to go for Friday night’s game which will be watchable only on Apple TV+. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm central time.
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. left Thursday night's game with right knee discomfort, the latest scare for a team that least afford to lose a franchise player.
Witt appeared to tweak the knee fielding an infield single in the fourth inning on July 18, landing awkwardly on his right leg. He stayed in for a few outs before exiting. It is the same knee that forced Witt out of a June 7 win over the Minnesota Twins with soreness, though he returned two days later and manager Matt Quatraro said there was nothing structurally hurt.
Depth behind Witt is thin
Maikel Garcia slid to shortstop when Witt exited in early June, but he left Tuesday night's game and is now on the IL with lumbrical muscle strain on the top of his left hand. Utility man Tyler Tolbert is the only other Royal to play the spot with any regularity, though Josh Rojas has recently joined the Royals roster and can cover short. Neither approaches Witt's production.
Witt is the Royals leader
Witt is the engine of the Royals' lineup and an American League MVP candidate. The 25-year-old is a two-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and the 2024 batting champion. He again leads the AL in stolen bases this season with 28 while hitting .294 with 10 home runs. Witt is signed long term on a deal that can keep him in Kansas City into the next decade.
The timing stings for a club already buried. Kansas City entered Thursday at 30-45, last in the AL Central and 9.5 games out of first. They already have Vinnie Pasquantino, Jonathan India, James McArthur, Alec Marsh, Seth Lugo, Kyle Isbel, Carlos Estevez, Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic on the injured list.
NEW YORK (AP) — Andrew Benintendi launched a pinch-hit grand slam off Camilo Doval in the eighth inning Thursday night and the Chicago White Sox ended a nine-game losing streak at Yankee Stadium with a 5-1 victory over New York.
Benintendi batted for Randal Grichuk and was Chicago’s third pinch hitter of the inning. He snapped a 1-all tie by driving Doval’s first pitch, a 100 mph sinker, into the right-center seats.
It was the fourth career slam for Benintendi, who played 33 games for the Yankees in 2022, and his second pinch-hit homer.
Benintendi went deep after pinch-hitter Sam Antonacci doubled off Fernando Cruz (4-2). Tim Hill plunked pinch-hitter Jacob Gonzalez and Tristan Peters with pitches before getting an out.
The White Sox won in the Bronx for the first time since June 8, 2023. Chicago was outscored 22-7 in the first two games of the three-game series and 58-18 during its skid in the Bronx.
Colson Montgomery also homered and made a key defensive play in the seventh before Chicago went ahead.
Montgomery tagged out Anthony Volpe trying to stretch a double. Volpe hit a ball over the head of left fielder Junior Perez, but he recovered to make a strong one-hop throw to Montgomery at third base and Volpe was out by several feet.
Ryan McMahon hit a tying homer in the third off bulk reliever Sean Burke (4-4), but the Yankees had their four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 9-5 since losing captain Aaron Judge to a fractured right rib.
New York also lost Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fourth when the second baseman fouled a pitch off the area near his groin.
Yankees starter Ryan Weathers allowed one run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings. The left-hander struck out eight and walked one.
Burke followed Chicago opener Bryan Hudson and permitted one run and five hits while striking out eight over the final 7 1/3 innings.
The White Sox won for the fifth time in their last 17 road games and finished 6-5 in an 11-game stretch against the Phillies, Braves, Dodgers and Yankees.
Up next
White Sox: RHP Erick Fedde (2-5, 4.50 ERA) opposes LHP Tarik Skubal (3-3, 2.81) in the opener of a three-game series Friday at Detroit.
Yankees: RHP Cam Schlittler (7-3, 1.82 ERA) faces RHP Rhett Lowder (3-3, 4.60) in the opener of a three-game series against visiting Cincinnati on Friday.
Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tate Southisene is drafted by the Atlanta Braves with the 22nd pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
As part of the current collective bargaining agreement talks, Major League Baseball has proposed a radical overhaul of the MLB Draft. The changes include not only the introduction of an international draft (which MLB has been advocating for a while) but the end of draft eligibility for high school players and the ability to trade picks. The proposal would also reduce the number of rounds in the draft from 20 to 12 and come with major restrictions on the amount of money teams could give out in amateur bonuses.
Let’s go through the changes one by one to see what MLB is proposing.
Reducing the number of rounds in the draft
MLB has been slowly chipping away at the number of rounds in the draft for years. Up until 1986, there were two separate drafts, one in June and one in January. Then for years the draft in June would continue as long as teams still wanted to make picks. Then it became a 50-round draft, which was reduced to a 40-round draft that was once again reduced to the current 20 rounds in 2021.
MLB is now proposing that the draft be reduced to 12 rounds. They are also proposing that any undrafted player be limited to a $10,000 signing bonus. Currently, MLB teams are allowed to give up to $125,000 to any undrafted amateur without it counting against their bonus pool. They can even give a player more if they have leftover bonus pool money.
The obvious impact of this is that it would disincentivize marginal prospects from starting a professional career. While most baseball players don’t get the kinds of NIL money in college that football and basketball players get and sometimes they don’t even get full scholarships, ten thousand dollars is not much of an incentive to give up the chance to play in college.
I think it’s a fair question as to how many rounds the draft should last, but the hard cap of $10,000 on amateur free agents is clearly punitive. You can argue that players not taken in the first 12 rounds don’t have much of a chance at making the majors anyway, but Cubs catching prospect Owen Ayers was a 19th-round pick in 2024 and signed for $50,000. He’s now listed on several Top 100 prospect lists. Would Ayers have signed if he hadn’t been drafted and only offered 10k? Who knows? But this system would certainly save the owners a lot of money, even if it might cost MLB some talented players.
International Draft
This one is the least surprising because MLB has been proposing it for a long time. The last CBA had an agreement that the owners and the players would discuss adopting an international draft, but they were unable to come to an agreement. To be fair, everyone agrees that the current system of talent acquisition in (mostly) Latin America is broken. Teams are coming to “handshake” agreements for millions of dollars with 12- and 13-year-old kids from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. No one thinks that’s a good thing. The question has always been whether an international draft is a cure worse than the disease.
So MLB is proposing two 12-round drafts, one for players from the US and Canada and one for international players. There would be an equal bonus pool for both the international and domestic draft.
The argument in favor of the international draft is that everyone realizes that it’s insane to offer 12-year-olds a million dollars (to be paid, maybe, in four years) under the table. The argument against it is that under the current system, the buscones who identify and train Latin American players and the teams that offer them money under the table have a real incentive to develop those players into the best players they can be. Those incentives would go away (or at least greatly lessen) under a draft, where any team could scoop up another team’s hard work with an earlier pick.
Bonus pool money
With this draft, the owners are proposing a massive reduction in the amount of money that could be offered in amateur bonuses. Currently, the 30 MLB teams spend around a collective $600 million a year on player signing bonuses. Under this proposal, there would be $200 million (split 30 ways) for domestic bonuses and $200 million (again split) for international bonuses. This money would also count against any salary cap that would be agreed to in the collective bargaining talks.
Hard draft slot
No longer would teams negotiate with players over what their signing bonus would be. Players would be required to accept the MLB mandates slot bonus for their pick. This would end some players holding out for more money and teams drafting several players who agree to sign for cheap in the later rounds to even things out. Since most players who want overslot bonuses are high school players, this might not have a big impact because of the next proposal.
Age restrictions
Here’s the big one. Currently, there are several points where players become eligible to sign with a major league team. International players become eligible at 16. An American player becomes eligible when they graduate from high school, which is usually at age 18 but sometimes as young as 17. If they don’t sign out of high school and enroll in a four-year college, they they have to wait until after their junior year until they are eligible to be drafted again. Which is usually at age 21. There are a few draft-eligible sophomores, which we don’t need to go into here.
However, if they sign with a junior college out of high school, they become eligible for the draft after every season. So a player can be eligible to be signed at 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21 years old, depending on their circumstances.
What MLB is proposing is that international players become eligible for the draft at 18 and US/Canada players become eligible at 20. So high school players would no longer be eligible to be drafted and almost all college players could be drafted after their sophomore seasons.
This move would be a major boon for college baseball. Instead of Pete Crow-Armstrong being drafted by the Mets in the first round, he would have gone to Vanderbilt for two years. Current Cubs top prospect Josiah Hartshorn would have just finished up his freshman season at Texas A&M.
For MLB, this would push a lot of the costs of development onto the NCAA. It would also mean an end to elite players making their major-league debut at 19 and 20 and then becoming free agents at 26 or 27, when they get the massive contracts. The Pirates’ Konnor Griffith, rather than being a Rookie-of-the-Year candidate, would have just finished up his sophomore year at LSU and would be a likely candidate for the first pick in the draft this July.
But the goal of NCAA programs isn’t to develop players. It’s to win ballgames. As one unnamed scouting director was quoted as saying in Nightengale’s article, most college freshmen don’t even play. Sure, they get training and coaching outside of games, but for all but the most elite prospects, such a proposal would mean players missing at least a year of development. MLB probably doesn’t have a problem with the elite players being drafted at 20, the solid prospects drafted at 21 and the rest at 22. The union likely does.
It’s also been noted that it seems unfair that international players can sign at 18 and US/Canada players have to wait until they’re 20. International players could still make the majors at 20 and 21 while American players could not.
Trading draft picks
Currently, only competitive balance picks are eligible to be traded. MLB is proposing that all draft picks are eligible to be dealt with some limitations.
A pick could not be traded more than a year in advance. So a team could not trade a 2027 draft pick until after the 2026 draft was concluded.
Teams could “trade up” or “down” during the first round, and first round only, of the draft as it is underway. It wouldn’t have to be only first-round picks involved in deals, but the ability to trade picks would end after the first round ended.
No team could trade away their first-round pick two years in a row, and no team could acquire more than three extra picks in the first three rounds of any draft.
Competitive balance picks would be eliminated.
The draft lottery, established in the last CBA, would be reduced from the first six picks to the first four picks.
No team could get a lottery (top four) pick three years in a row. Other current restrictions would be eliminated.
Medical evaluations at the MLB Draft combines would go from optional to mandatory for all draft-eligible players. Currently a player can opt out of a physical, but then the team that drafts him is not required to make them a minimum bonus offer.
There’s also a weird rule designed to increased the watchability of the MLB Draft on television. Ten players designated by MLB would be required to attend the draft in person. They would be paid $50,000 for their troubles.
These rules aren’t really pro or anti-player. They seem mostly designed to increase interest in the draft. Should interest in college baseball increase because of MLB’s new age limits, that could have a positive impact on public interest in the draft as well.
The Minor Leagues?
With the draft dropping back to 12 rounds and severe restrictions on the non-drafted players that often fill out every minor league roster, there is some suspicion that MLB would like to eliminate yet another level of minor league baseball in this provision. They insist that they will keep the number of teams in affiliated baseball at 120, at least through 2040. MLB feels confident that they can fill out their 165 minor league roster spots under this new system.
There’s a lot to digest here. Pretty much all of it is, other than trading draft picks, beneficial to the owners and against the players’ interests. There is no way the union accepts this proposal as offered and the owners likely know that. It’s an opening bid. But it is a sign that the owners want to radically restructure the way baseball talent is identified, signed and developed in the years to come.
The Lakers sent shockwaves through the NBA when the organization traded Anthony Davis for Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
The move signaled the Lakers’ desire to find their next generational star as the organization shifted its focus to the future of the franchise.
A rumored blockbuster trade could bring current Wizards player Anthony Davis back to the Lakers, reuniting him with LeBron James. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Over a year later, there have been rumblings about a potential reunion between the Lakers and Davis. The team has a clear need for an A-list big man, and the 33-year-old fits the bill.
It would be costly for the Lakers to acquire Davis, but NBA reporter Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson proposed a wild three-team mega deal that would get the 10-time All-Star back in the purple and gold.
Lakers could acquire Anthony Davis in wild 3-team mega deal
Robinson’s trade idea involves the Lakers, Jazz and Wizards.
The Lakers would receive Davis, Utah’s young star Ace Bailey, two Jazz second-round picks (2027) and two Wizards second-round picks (2026).
Washington would acquire the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft along with Lauri Markkanen, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, a Lakers unprotected 2030 first-round pick, a Lakers unprotected 2032 pick and a portion of LA’s future pick swaps and additional draft assets.
Will LeBron James (above) get to team again with Anthony Davis? Getty Images
As for the Jazz, the team would receive the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Trae Young, Jake LaRavia, the Lakers’ No. 25 overall pick in this year’s draft, a portion of the Lakers’ future pick swaps and a Lakers 2033 second-round pick.
The trade would have to be executed prior to Tuesday’s NBA draft, but the massive deal would immediately launch the Lakers into title contention.
There have also been rumors about Davis’ activity on social media, which includes the big man liking multiple posts about when he was initially traded to the Lakers in 2019.
The Lakers are in desperate need of a reliable lob threat big man this summer…
Imagine if the Lakers try and bring back AD from Washington to coincide with Luka while resigning LeBron to a team-friendly deal.
However, the trade is unrealistic for a number of reasons.
It is highly unlikely the Jazz would give Bailey to the Lakers. Danny Ainge, CEO of the Jazz, would be reluctant to aid LA in any shape or form. Giving up Utah’s brightest young star seems all the more far-fetched for the Jazz.
Additionally, the odds of Davis getting traded are actually higher nearer the trade deadline because the Wizards would be able to increase his value throughout the first half of the season.
Luka Doncic has expressed a desire for the Lakers to acquire a premier big man this offseason. Corey Sipkin for NY Post
Doncic and Davis in LA? It seems too good to be true, but the organization has a storied history of star-studded teams. If the blockbuster trade transpires, it would be a deal that gives the Lakers a strong chance of winning their first championship since 2020.
PHILADELPHIA – Mets slugger Juan Soto muttered and looked away in disgust when he hit a fly ball to right field in the third inning of Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. He had just missed Aaron Nola’s middle-middle sinker, or so he thought. When a hearty wind nudged the ball over the right field fence, he could not help but smile. Somehow, he had hit it just enough.
As lucky as that gust might have been, Soto does not leave much to chance when it comes to his swings. He is as attuned with his swing as he is with the strike zone, which is why, when he wanted to feel a little quicker to the ball with two strikes in late May, he started experimenting with a small change to his bat.
Against the Marlins in Miami last month, Soto tested a bat with a thicker, more prominent nob that pushed his bottom hand up from the bottom more than a traditional one. The result is a more evenly weighted bat with the mass spread more from top to bottom, as opposed to the end-weighted one Soto used early in the season.
“I feel like I can be quicker, especially on two strikes,” Soto said, punching his left hand in the air to an imagined inside pitch, pitch up the middle, then pitch away.
Even though he feels he can swing it more quickly, Soto said this new bat is actually “a tick heavier” than his previous model; though somewhat counterintuitive, players sometimes find end-weighted bats actually drag more than more evenly weighted bats, in which more of the mass is closer to their hands.
When he first started using the bat regularly on May 22, Soto was hitting .301 with a .965 OPS. At the end of Thursday’s two-homer night, he is hitting .300 with a .980 OPS and has seven home runs in those 22 games after hitting 10 in his first 36.
Who knows whether an end-weighted bat would have given Soto’s windswept homer a few more feet of wiggle room Thursday. With the fourth-highest OPS in baseball, after his two-homer performance, Soto seems to be calibrated just fine.
Jun 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets second baseman Marcus Semien (10) watches his two RBI triple against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher José Alvarado (46) during the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
As Bichette stepped into the right-handed batter’s box at Citizens Bank Park, the fans rained boos for each of his five hitless at-bats.
For the Mets offense, who entered Thursday night’s game ranked third worst in wRC+ at 89 and have the third worst on-base percentage in the sport at .298. Like the Phillies, they have not been able to score consistent runs but haven’t had the pitching health and results to go on a run.
None of that mattered when Juan Soto took a down-the-middle cutter to the right-field seats to give the Mets an early lead.
Two out damage followed when Jared Young hit a dribbler that Nola could not handle. AJ Ewing, one of the Mets best prospects heading into the season, then followed by taking a fastball to the right-center field gap to them a two-nothing lead.
Kyle Schwarber singled then Bryce Harper grounded into a forceout that put runners on first and third with one out. Alec Bohm then lined a sharp single into center field to cut the Mets lead in half.
In the third, Nola had to face Soto again and threw another fastball down the middle. And once again, the same result happened, a solo home run to give the Mets a three-one lead.
In the bottom of the third, every fan was reminded that this is a Phillies-Mets series and the weirdest was yet to come. Schwarber struck out on a sweeper but landed on first because Francisco Alvarez couldn’t handle the pitch. He threw the ball right through Jared Young at first base that went into foul territory in right field, allowing Schwarber to take second base.
Bohm then crushed a line-drive down the right field line that Carson Benge could not handle, once again cutting the Mets lead down to one.
In the fourth, the Phillies once again got to Manaea with a Bryson Stott single and stole second base before a JT Realmuto lineout. Derek Hill then slapped a single into center field and Ewing’s throw hit the mound and the game was tied.
Fast forward to the seventh inning, José Alvarado entered to face the top of the Mets order. Carson Benge, another one of the Mets top outfield prospects, lined a sinker into center field for a leadoff single. After a Bichette lineout and Soto pop out, Carlos Mendoza went to his bench to bring out Mark Vientos. After a Vientos walk, Mendoza then hit for Ewing with Eric Wagaman, who smacked a hard single into right field to drive in a run and give the Mets the lead.
Marcus Semien stepped in with two outs and two runners on against the hard-throwing Alvarado. He initially looked overmatched on Alvarado’s fastball but then finally got one he liked on the eighth pitch of the at bat, crushing a ball to Monty’s Angle that brought two more runs home to give the Mets a three-run lead.
The Phillies and Mets offenses slogged into Devin Williams entered for New York. The shaky closer was in to protect a three run ninth inning lead but nearly blew it.
After an Edmundo Sosa strikeout, Stott worked a walk and then Realmuto hit into a forceout. Gabriel Rincones jr stepped up to the plate and looked overmatched on the first two Williams fastballs but was able to poke an infield hit to put the tying run on base.
Justin Crawford had looked overmatched all night against tough left-handed pitching but against a right hander, was able to poke a changeup into center field that he probably shouldn’t be swinging at consistently.
Kyle Schwarber then stepped into the left-handed batters box with the game on the line. Williams got ahead nothing-and-two on fastball but couldn’t put him away. Schwarber didn’t offer at the down-and-away changeup and Williams threw an uncompetitive fastball for ball two.
Not looking to make the count full, Williams gives Schwarber a fastball he’s looking for and Schwarber crushed it, 104.6 mph off the bat but the line drive ended in the glove of Carson Benge in right field and the game was over.
There is an off-day Friday because of some little thing called the World Cup and apparently there is a game in Philadelphia. No one said anything until now!
So, Cristopher Sánchez will get the ball Saturday night against Freddy Peralta when the two teams resume their three-game series. Weird to have an off-day on Friday. Really weird.
