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BOSTON — Ben Rice has spent most of the season looking like an MVP candidate. 

But the past six games have been much more pedestrian, magnified by the rest of the Yankees offense going through a cold stretch with him. 

Coming off a breather Friday, the slugging first baseman went 0-for-4 in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Red Sox.

He is batting just 2-for-23 with a .174 OPS over his past six games, of which the Yankees have lost four. 

“No doubt he’s grinding a little bit right now,” manager Aaron Boone said. “But that’s part of it, man. Even the guys that are going to the All-Star Game and are in the MVP conversations, there’s going to be weeks where it’s not easy, where you go through it a little bit. 

“He’ll be fine, he’ll get through that. Hopefully start getting it going [Sunday].” 

To be clear, Rice is far from alone in having a rough week. But it is noticeable because of how impactful he has been for most of the season — he finished Saturday batting .276 with a .940 OPS — with this marking the quietest stretch of his season so far. 

It comes during a week in which the Yankees have faced a heavy dose of lefty starters — including each of the past four games, with Red Sox southpaw Jake Bennett holding him down Saturday. 

“I think [Bennett] executed pretty well against him to give him some problems,” Boone said. 

In a bit of an oddity, Rice grounded out in eight straight plate appearances before striking out in his final at-bat Saturday. 

There’s still no timetable for the Yankees to get their two biggest bats back from the injured list in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, but two others should be back within the next week. 

Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon are expected to come off the injured list during the club’s upcoming homestand that begins on Monday. 

Grisham, coming back from a right hamstring strain, is set to play in at least one rehab game, likely on Tuesday (the minor leagues are off Mondays), before potentially returning.

He was one of the Yankees’ hottest hitters before he got hurt, but his return should also help defensively, as his presence in center field allows Boone to put other players where they are best defensively. 

“I think he settles things a lot,” Boone said. 

“You know he’s there, now Belli’s where’s he needs [to be], then other guys are where they’re supposed [to be]. So yeah, we certainly miss him.” 

McMahon, meanwhile, is first eligible to be activated Thursday, an off-day, meaning he should be back for Friday’s series opener against the Twins. After being diagnosed with a peritonsillar abscess Wednesday, he was prescribed a few days of rest, but returned to New York on Friday to begin baseball activities again this weekend. 

“When he was leaving [Friday] morning from the hotel, he was feeling again another day better, good night’s sleep,” Boone said. “He should be doing baseball activities now all week and would expect him when the 10 days is up.” 

Max Schuemann crushed his first home run as a Yankee in the fifth inning, a 412-foot blast off Bennett that represented the team’s only run of the day.

Schuemann was starting in center field. for the second time this season.

Mets infielder/designated hitter Jorge Polanco appeared in his first rehab game in nearly a month on Saturday night for Triple-A Syracuse and finished 0-for-3 while batting second and DHing.

In his first at-bat, Polanco, a switch-hitter batting right-handed against the lefty Kolby Allard, swung at the first pitch he saw and popped out to second base. Leading off the fourth inning, the 32-year-old struck out looking against Allard on a 2-2 curveball that appeared to be a bit outside. Polanco did not challenge the call.

An inning later, with the game tied 1-1 and a runner on first base with two outs, Polanco, facing Allard for a third time, once again popped out to second base to end the inning. He was replaced by a pinch-hitter with two outs and nobody on in the seventh inning.

It's been a tough first season in New York for Polanco, who continues to recover from Achilles bursitis that has plagued him all season. In fact, the veteran had to shut down his previous rehab assignment at the beginning of June after six games due to left ankle soreness. 

Last night, the Athletics got off to a winning start in their three-game weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels, riding a seven-run fifth inning to a 9-3 victory. Tonight, the “Green and Gold” look to clinch the series, while extending their winning streak to three games with a second straight win over their division rivals.

Taking the ball for the road team this evening will be right-hander Jack Perkins. The 26-year-old enters his 22nd appearance and fifth start with a 2-3 record, a 6.26 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP and 57 strikeouts over 46 innings.

After being tagged with the loss in his first start of the season earlier this month, Perkins has steadily settled in, improving with each outing. He has gone without a decision in each of his last three starts, a streak he hopes to end in his second consecutive start against these Angels.

Last Sunday, Perkins allowed four runs on four hits over five innings while recording a season-high eight strikeouts. He exited with the Athletics holding a three-run lead and in line for the win, but the A’s bullpen surrendered the lead as the Angels rallied for a comeback victory. Still searching for his first win since joining the starting rotation, Perkins will look to change that, though he will need his teammates to hold the lead this time around.

Speaking of the A’s beleaguered bullpen, the team made a trade today to address that weakness.

Juenger, the Blue Jays’ sixth round draft pick in 2021, brings an MLB-ready arm to the A’s relief corps. The team has not yet announced whether he will join the major-league club or report to Triple-A Las Vegas.

In 21 appearances with Triple-A Buffalo, Juenger posted a 1-2 record with a 2.59 ERA. His strong minor league performance to start the season led to his first MLB promotion. The right-hander allowed three earned runs over two innings in his brief time with the big-league club before the Blue Jays designated him for assignment earlier this week.

The other player in this trade, Carapellotti signed with the A’s as an undrafted free agent following four years at Georgetown. He was off to a good start with Single-A Stockton, hitting eight home runs in 20 games.

Lastly, corner infielder Brett Harris’ time with this franchise could be coming to an end. The 28-year-old has been up and down between the A’s and the minors over the past three seasons, yet failed to make much of an impact and has now been overtaken by younger, higher-ceiling players.

Back to the game, here’s the A’s Saturday night lineup:

The A’s starting nine is nearly identical to last night’s lineup. The lone change comes in right field, where right-handed hitter Colby Thomas gets the start in place of Lawrence Butler, who started there in the series-opener. Both catchers also remain in the lineup for a third straight game, though their roles are reversed. Jonah Heim moves behind the plate, while Shea Langeliers shifts to designated hitter.

The bottom three hitters, who sparked the Athletics seven-run fifth inning, will look to deliver again. Alika Williams, one of the team’s most unexpected contributors this season, gets another start at shortstop as Jacob Wilson continues to recover from a re-aggravated left shoulder injury.

That lineup will be facing Angels left-hander Reid Detmers, who has pitched well as a starter after spending all of last season in relief. The 26-year-old enters his 17th start with a 3-5 record, a 3.93 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP and 104 strikeouts across 94 innings.

This game features the same pitching matchup as last weekend’s series finale between these two teams, when the A’s tagged Detmers for five runs on six hits over six innings.

The Athletics potent offense will look to have a similar level of success against the southpaw tonight at Angel Stadium.

And the Angels’ lineup, brought to you by old friend Kurt Suzuki:

The Angels are still without Mike Trout, yet their lineup still features several dangerous bats, including shortstop Zach Neto, right fielder Jo Adell and designated hitter Jorge Soler. Following a blowout loss yesterday, the “Halos” will look to bounce back and even the series. Can Perkins limit mistake pitches and work deep into the contest, or will the Athletics need to dig deeper into their bullpen ahead of tomorrow’s series and road trip finale?

Tune in to find out whether the squad can make it three in a row. Let’s go A’s!

Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA

Listen:
Talk 650 KSTE, A’s Cast

It’s time for Game 2 in the series between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves. And it’s a doozy of a pitching matchup!

For the Giants, it’s their ace, right-hander Logan Webb. The two-time All-Star is 4-5 in 13 starts this year, with a 3.35 ERA, a 3.07 FIP, and 70 strikeouts against 20 walks in 83.1 innings. Webb has been lights out lately, having pitched eight innings in each of his last three games, while allowing just three earned runs in that span.

For the Braves, it’s fellow righty and fellow All-Star Bryce Elder, a 27-year old. Elder has made 16 starts this year, and is 5-5 with a 3.71 ERA, a 3.79 FIP, and 79 strikeouts to 29 walks in 94.2 innings. He’s been struggling lately though, as he’s allowed 14 earned runs in 10 innings over his last two starts.

Enjoy the game, everyone.

Game #82

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 6:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

In removing Carlos Mendoza and inserting Andy Green, the Mets hoped to breathe some life — any life — into a team that was perishing.

For much of Saturday, Citi Field felt funereal. But a spark — and a few hits and runs — demonstrated a pulse that had not been evident earlier.

It is just that — a pulse, rather than a steady heartbeat — but the Mets discovered a bit of fight, enough offense and finally a victory.

A sixth-inning eruption that featured big swings from Francisco Lindor and A.J. Ewing carried the Mets from two down to two ahead in what became a 6-2 win over the Phillies in Queens, where the announced crowd of 37,338 sat through a 70-minute rain delay to see the club snap a seven-game skid and see Green record his first victory as interim Mets manager.

It is far too soon to declare that banishing Mendoza and installing Green will change much around the Mets, who seem destined to sell at the trade deadline, but any trace of vitality would be welcome to a clubhouse and crowd that wants August and September games to matter.

“We know we got a mountain to climb,” said Christian Scott (4 ¹/₃ innings, two runs, six strikeouts). “But we can only climb the mountain one step at a time.”

To beat significant odds and accomplish as much, the Mets (35-48) would need more games like Saturday’s, in which they looked listless and lifeless for five innings — as did the crowd, which appeared apathetic rather than angry at the lineup’s strikeouts — before they rattled off all six of their runs in the sixth and seventh innings. During their seven-game losing streak, they scored as many as six runs in a game one time.

Through five innings against opener Tim Mayza and Alan Rangel, the Mets totaled three base runners. In the sixth, six straight Mets batters reached base.

A Juan Soto single began the rally. Bo Bichette’s knock put runners on the corners. And Lindor — in his third game back after missing two months while his team spiraled — snuck a triple under Bryce Harper’s diving glove at first base, tying the game and providing hope for just about the first time in a week.

After a pair of walks from Jared Young and Mark Vientos, it was Ewing grounding a two-run single through the middle that allowed an exhale. The Mets would add to the lead an inning later, when Soto came through with his own RBI triple and Bichette followed with a sacrifice fly.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS

Lindor and Soto contributed in just the 11th game they have played together this season — “I think that’s what everybody was hoping to see repetitively all summer long,” Green said — reminding of their potential following injuries that debilitated the Mets lineup.

That injury misfortune — and not David Stearns’ trades and signings that have been largely unfortunate — is where Lindor pointed to explain the Mets’ predicament.

“I felt like Stearns did a good job putting the team together. We just haven’t been together. We just haven’t played together,” Lindor said after his 27th game and Soto’s 64th. “And now that we’re slowly getting healthy, little by little, hopefully this next however many games we can play together and make something special out of it.”

The Mets survived, for the day, because their offense awoke, Scott was solid in allowing just a two-run homer to Harper and their bullpen was shutdown.

After an abbreviated, 82-pitch outing from Scott in his first start off the injured list, Green turned to four relievers (A.J. Minter, Huascar Brazobán, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams) to cover 4 ²/₃ scoreless innings in which they walked one and let up two hits — one of which belonged to Harper, who was thrown out trying to stretch a bloop single into a double.

Minter was particularly impressive in 1 ²/₃ innings, his longest outing since Oct. 2, 2021. The 32-year-old lefty entered with a runner on in the fifth, retired Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, then returned and got through a Harper-Brandon Marsh-Bryson Stott sixth.

“What Minter did was pretty special today,” Green said of a pitcher who has not allowed an earned run since April 4, 2025.

Speaking of streaks, Weaver took down the eighth to push his run to 23 scoreless innings.

“I think a lot of guys did a lot of really good things today,” Green said.

Join us and discuss tonight’s game in the comments below!

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Saturday, June 27, 9:05 p.m. EDT

Location: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA

TV: BravesVision

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s June concludes with his fourth consecutive Saturday start.

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers at Padres
• Ballpark: Petco Park, San Diego
• Time: 5:40 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Full disclosure I started writing this recap in the fifth inning when the team was down 2-0 and they couldn’t get any runs home against Alan Rangel, but as Shakespeare wrote I got hoisted on my own petard and the Mets surprisingly won 6-2.

Speaking of Shakespeare, in Henry VI, in Part II, Act III word of an Irish uprising gets sent to the king saying:

Before the wound do grow uncurable;
For, being green, there is great hope of help.

Meaning there is still hope to end the skirmishes since they have only just begun. The Mets are now in their own Green era with new manager Andy Green, are there is some hope of help with both Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto together again in the lineup, and the return of Christian Scott to the rotation.

Lindor got the first big hit of the day when he tripled home two runs to tie the game in the sixth inning. After the next two batters walked, A.J. Ewing singled home two more runs with the infield drawn in to give the Mets their first lead of the day. One inning later it was Juan Soto’s turn to triple home a run to extend the lead 5-2. Bo Bichette followed with a sacrifice fly and the Mets held a 6-2 lead. It’s a shame Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Carson Benge, and A.J. Ewing haven’t played much together because when they are all on they have the potential to be electric.

As for the pitching, Christian Scott was solid in his return from the injured list. He gave up a home run to Bryce Harper but otherwise kept Philadelphia in check. He could not complete the fifth inning but his final line was 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2, BB, and 6 K. A.J. Minter, Huascar Brazobán, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams were all stellar to finish off the game and snap a seven-game losing streak.

Did you know many common phrases in our vernacular have been borrowed from Shakespeare? Some include good riddance, a piece of work, a sorry sight, set your teeth on edge, what’s done is done, seen better days, dead as a doornail, come what may, for goodness’s sake, and laughingstock. I mention these for no particular reason but for whatever it’s worth the Mets are now 1-1 under manager Andy Green.

SB Nation GameThreads

Amazin’ Avenue
The Good Phight

Box scores

MLB.com
ESPN

Win Probability Added

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Francisco Lindor, +30% WPA
Big Mets loser: Brett Baty, -7% WPA
Mets pitchers: +12% WPA
Mets hitters: +38% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Francisco Lindor’s RBI triple in sixth, +34.9% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Bryce Harpers’s home run in the third, -22.3% WPA

The Mets' offense exploded for six unanswered runs as they defeated the Phillies, 6-2, on Saturday evening at Citi Field.

The win snapped the team's seven-game losing streak. It's Andy Green's first win as interim manager.

Here are the takeaways...

-Christian Scott, making his first start since coming off the IL, was solid, getting out of trouble in the first and pitching two scoreless innings. But Bryce Harper took Scott the other way for a two-run shot, the slugger's 43rd career blast against the Mets, in the third inning to put Philadelphia ahead.

That would be the only mistake the young right-hander made as he pitched into the fifth, but after a one-out walk, Green decided to pull Scott at 82 pitches. Scott allowed just the two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out six.

-The Mets offense was mired in futility for the first five innings, but they awoke in the sixth. Back-to-back one-out singles from Juan Soto and Bo Bichette set it up for Francisco Lindor. The shortstop lined a triple down the first base line to tie the game at 2-2. After Jared Young and Mark Vientos walked to load the bases, A.J. Ewing jumped on the first pitch and hit a single through the drawn-in infield to push across two more runs.

Soto added on in the seventh with a triple that scored Carson Benge. Bichette brought in Soto with a sac fly. 

Soto, Bichette and Lindor -- the Mets' No. 2-4 hitters -- went 4-for-9 with four RBI. 

-In relief of Scott, the Mets bullpen did its job. The Mets used four relievers to get the final 14 outs. Here's how it broke down... 

• A.J. Minter: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K
• Huascar Brazoban: 1.0 IP, 1 H
• Luke Weaver: 1.0 IP, 2 K
• Devin Williams: 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K

Weaver extended his scoreless innings streak to 23 straight. 

Game MVP: A.J. Ewing

The youngster's two-run single broke the tie and set the Mets up for the win.

Highlights

Three punch-outs in two innings for Christian Scott 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IVMqKrcWBb

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 27, 2026

FRANCISCO LINDOR TIES THE GAME WITH A TWO-RUN TRIPLE! pic.twitter.com/hlsTOVDaRt

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 27, 2026

A.J. EWING DELIVERS!

The Mets take the lead! pic.twitter.com/nlYaf4lXlv

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 27, 2026

TRIPLES MAKES IT SAFE. TRIPLES IS BEST.

Juan Soto brings in Carson Benge! pic.twitter.com/rJ24yWYiuc

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 27, 2026

23 consecutive scoreless innings for Luke Weaver 💪 pic.twitter.com/b5ZPq99G2O

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 27, 2026

What's next

The Mets and Phillies complete their three-game set on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:40 p.m.

The Mets have yet to announce a starter, while Philadelphia will have Jesus Luzardo (6-4, 4.39 ERA) take the mound. 

The Cincinnati Reds rode a roller coaster all day against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.

The game was delayed early by rain and got soggy again late. Chase Burns, who started for the Reds on the day, struck out 10 Pirates in 6.0 IP…but also yielded 9 hits and 5 runs. The team took an early 2-0 lead, gave it back on a 3-run homer by Brandon Lowe, later held a 6-4 lead, and eventually found themselves trailing 7-6.

That, fortunately, was when Eugenio Suárez stepped to the plate with a pair of runners on.

With lefty fireballer Gregory Soto on the mound trying to close out the Reds in the Top of the 9th – and with 2-outs, to boot – Geno lifted a ball through the fog into the seats in right field, his 3-run homer flipping the scoreboard again and this time giving Cincinnati a lead it would not relinquish.

It’s been an emotional few days for Geno, a pround native of Venezuela who has watched his country suffer so much in the aftermath of two gigantic earthquakes earlier in the week. He’s been wearing ‘VZ’ on the side of his hat in each game of this series as a way to honor his country, and this was pretty clearly a very emotional moment for him.

Chase Petty picked up his first career save in what’s becoming an increasingly effective role for him in the bullpen, and a 9-7 final goes on the Reds ledger.

Thanks to this (and last night’s victory), the Reds have won a series against an NL Central opponent again for the first time since Maurice of Nassau defeeated Jean de Rie of Varas at the Battle of Turnhout.

Jose Trevino went 2 for 4 with a double, run scored, and a pair of ribbies, while Edwin Arroyo went 2 for 2 with 2 runs scored and a ribbie of his own – not bad from the butt-end of the batting order. Sal Stewart homered as part of a 2-hit, 2 ribbie day, and the Reds pounded out 10 total hits as a club in a well-rounded effort.

The Reds will send a resurgent Brady Singer to the mound on Sunday in search of the sweep, with first pitch in that one scheduled for 1:35 PM ET.

Los Angeles Dodgers (52-30) at San Diego Padres (43-37), June 27, 2026, 5:40 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Petco Park – San Diego, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Tristan Peters. Colson Montgomery. Miguel Vargas. Edgar Quero. Braden Montgomery. Sam Antonacci. What do they all have in common? They’ve recorded walk-off RBIs for the Chicago White Sox this season. And Jacob Gonzalez has added his name to this elusive list in today’s 2-1 win!

Naturally, after scoring 22 runs on Friday night, we were due for a pitcher’s duel. Our ace against their ace, with neither earning a decision.

Davis Martin found early trouble in the second inning, but it was only for mere moments. With runners on second and third with only one out, Martin notched a strikeout looking and a strikeout swinging to escape unscathed.

On the flip side, the Sox offense wasn’t making any more noise against K.C.’s Michael Wacha, either. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Vargas lined a single off Nick Loftin’s glove at third. Expecting a bigger deflection and a slower baseball entering left field, the always-hustling Vargas kept his wheels turning toward second base. Nick Collins provided an exceptional throw, and second baseman Michael Massey’s glove caught Vargas’ fingertips right before they reached the bag.

After giving up a one-out double to Bobby Witt Jr. in the sixth inning, Martin’s afternoon was over. At only 87 pitches, Martin tossed 5 1/3 innings, giving up four hits, striking out three and walking just one batter. Sean Newcomb relieved Martin, successfully stranding Bobby at second.

It took until the seventh inning for either offense to break through. Massey beat out an infield single that Gonzalez couldn’t corral from Chase Meidroth. Tyler Tolbert pinch-ran for Massey and immediately stole second and third base during Salvador Pérez’s at-bat, who fortunately struck out in the process for the first out of the inning. Newcomb then made a brilliant defensive play on a Loftin safety squeeze, gloving the dribbler and flipping it to Drew Romo to nab the speedy Tolbert at home:

Unfortunately, a walk from Newcomb loaded the bases, and the Royals found a way to scratch across a run with two outs. (Even that score was made better by poor execution from K.C.) Carter Jensen extended his MLB-leading hit streak to 18 games when he lasered a pitch to short right field to score Starling Marte from third, but Braden Montgomery fielded it quickly and threw home to Romo. Loftin, for some reason taking an aggressive turn toward home even with Witt on deck, was gunned down by Romo at third.

Fortunately, the Royals lead didn’t last long. In the home half of the seventh, Andrew Benintendi notched a leadoff single. Will Venable turned on the hit-and-run with Chase Meidroth at the plate, who lined one past a diving Massey and pinch-runner Luisangel Acuña made his way to third base. Immediately following, Braden Montgomery jumped on the first pitch he saw which resulted into a fielder’s choice at second and a run across the plate.

Facing the heart of the order in the eighth, Grant Taylor sat the best the Royals had to offer down 1-2-3 on only nine pitches.

Tying his season-high of 105 pitches, Michael Wacha was once again brilliant against the Sox. At 7 2/3 innings, Wacha struck out seven, gave up his only walk to Miguel Vargas in the eighth and gave up just the lone run. Daniel Lynch successfully stranded runners on first and second to maintain Wacha’s stat line and stamp out the White Sox rally.

Taylor stayed on for the ninth and needed just 10 pitches for a second consecutive 1-2-3 inning.

All roads led to the bottom of the ninth inning, with the game still knotted 1-1. Colson Montgomery, with an inside-out swing, grooved the baseball to shallow left-center field, and Chase Meidroth followed suit with a single of his own. Braden Montgomery laid down the most perfect bunt single to load the bases with nobody out in the ninth.

The Royals were forced to bring in the infield and go with five infielders. But Junior Perez, pinch-hitting for Tristan Peters, could not take advantage of any of that free green grass in the outfield and struck out looking. With the same defensive alignment in place for Gonzalez, he went oppo, past a diving Witt, for the Sox’s seventh walk-off of the season!

The Good Guys are 17-9 in one-run ballgames this season, have 21 comeback wins and have won 10 straight series at home! At the official halfway point to the season, the Sox sit atop the AL Central by 1 1/2 games, at 43-38.

The White Sox will end their six-game homestand and look for the series sweep tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. CT on CHSN and ESPN 1000.

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