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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Not an off day nor a change in time zones could cool off the Yankees’ offense.

And while playing in a minor league park did not necessarily hurt, it also was not the main factor behind another big night.

The Yankees beat up on old friend Luis Severino in the first inning before he got hurt, then continued to add on the rest of the way while cruising to their fifth straight win, 8-2 over the Athletics on Friday night in front of a sell-out crowd of 12,254 at Sutter Health Park.

Paul Goldschmidt, Ryan McMahon and Ben Rice all homered — Goldschmidt a three-run shot off Severino that keyed the first-inning attack — as the Yankees (35-22) stayed hot after outscoring the Royals 26-4 during their sweep in Kansas City earlier this week.

“This is the type of offense we have,” said Aaron Judge, who went 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs in a homecoming of sorts, having grown up an hour away. “You’re going to have the ebbs and flows of the season, where you’re going to have some down weeks, some down months, but when this offense is rolling like that and staying aggressive, we’re at our best. That’s what I feel like we did today.”

Carlos Rodón, pitching for the first time in over a week, grinded through six innings but allowed just one run — a solo homer to Nick Kurtz in the bottom of the first — while navigating some early traffic from the Athletics (27-30).

The left-hander finished strong, retiring the final seven batters he faced, while becoming the eighth straight Yankees starter to allow two runs or fewer.

After a 16-game stretch in which the Yankees scored just seven runs in a game one time, they have now scored seven or more in three straight games, once again getting contributions from all parts of the lineup.

“It’s fun to watch when we’re clicking like that,” said Rice, who went 3-for-5 and fell a triple short of the cycle.

The Yankees had clobbered Severino here last year before he kept them in check in The Bronx in April. But back in the Triple-A stadium that Severino has expressed his frustrations about pitching in, the Yankees got to him again in his first and only inning before leaving the game with what the A’s called “right arm soreness.”

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The rally got started when Rice reached on an error, which Judge and Cody Bellinger followed with back-to-back singles. Then with two outs, Goldschmidt crushed a 1-2 sweeper over the left field wall for a three-run homer.

The veteran first baseman, starting for the eighth straight game to help give the Yankees some better balance in their lineup, has just kept hitting with the increased playing time.

He had largely been relegated to starting against lefties earlier this season, but is now facing righties too and finding success.

Over his last 23 games, Goldschmidt is hitting .304 (24-for-79) with a .952 OPS. He is also batting 7-for-20 (.350) with 14 RBIs with runners in scoring position this season.

“He’s been huge, and has given us a little bit of balance,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s held his own against righties, continues to do what he does against lefties. He’s hit for power, he’s gotten some important hits for us. Obviously plays great defense over there at first. When [Giancarlo Stanton] goes down, you’re looking for someone to step up and Goldy’s certainly done that.”

The Yankees added on with a single run in each of the next three innings — including McMahon’s 150th career homer, and second in as many games — before Rice drilled his 17th home run of the season in the seventh, tying Judge for the team lead.

The A’s threatened to stage a rally after Rodón exited, loading the bases off Brent Headrick with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Fernando Cruz came in to get an inning-ending double play.

Cruz has now stranded 20 of his 24 inherited runners this season.

“That’s the game right there,” Boone said. “That’s their chance to get back in it, and he executes strike one right away and then executes a really good pitch.”

The Philadelphia Phillies (29-28) played their first game in Chavez Ravine since they were eliminated in the National League Divisional Series last October and fell 4-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers (37-20) on Friday night.

Four of the five hits allowed by Zack Wheeler (4-1) were solo home runs to Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith, which accounted for the entirety of the Dodgers’ runs on the night.

Dodgers’ lefty, Justin Wrobleski (7-2), hurled nine of the Dodgers’ 11 K’s and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, though the Phillies did get a runner on in the fourth when a fly ball hit by Trea Turner was fumbled by Kyle Tucker for a two-base error. With two outs in the top of the sixth, Kyle Schwarber denied the no-hitter and the shutout with his major league-leading 22nd home run.

In the top of the eighth, the Phillies did muster two hits and a run off Dodgers’ reliever, Edgardo Henriquez, via a Brandon Marsh double and a first-as-a-Phillie RBI single by Steward Berroa, who was promoted to the big league club in favor of Otto Kemp earlier in the day.

Dodgers’ lefty, Alex Vesia, came in with Schwarber at the plate as the tying run and struck him out to end the inning.

This is only the second time in his career that Wheeler has surrendered four homers in a start, the first also coming as a Phillies in June of 2024 against the Orioles. He has never surrendered more than two in any other game.

Andrew Painter (1-5) faces a tall task against Roki Sasaki (3-3) in the middle game of the series tomorrow night.

Munetaka Murakami left the Chicago White Sox’s 4-3 victory against the Detroit Tigers in the third inning on Friday, May 29, with hamstring tightness.

He hit the ball to center field and ran through first base before he was seen reaching for his hamstring. White Sox manager Will Venable, the team’s medical staff and Murakami’s interpreter, Kenzo Yagi, all ran onto the field after the play.  

After the game, Venable called Murakami's injury a "little hamstring strain on the initial evaluation” and said the first baseman will likely miss time. "Probably a couple weeks," Venable said.

Murakami is expected to get more imaging done Saturday.

Murakami left game after this play.pic.twitter.com/ikbq8Z5Yizhttps://t.co/r7KvgjUNtP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) May 30, 2026

Venable wouldn’t commit to an official decision when asked whether Murakami would be placed on the injured list.

The Japanese star declined to talk with the media after the game, but a White Sox spokesperson stated that he would be available to talk before Saturday’s game.

The White Sox entered Friday’s game with the fourth-best record in the American League. Chicago now has a 30-27 overall record after its walk-off win in 10 innings.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Munetaka Murakami injury update: Latest news on White Sox star

The Yankees mashed three home runs and Carlos Rodon pitched his best game since coming off the IL as New York defeated the Athletics, 8-2, on Friday night in West Sacramento.

Here are the takeaways...

-The Yankees bats got to old friend Luis Severino early as an Aaron Judge single knocked home Ben Rice, who reached on an error and advanced to second on a balk, to give them the lead. With two outs and two on, Paul Goldschmidt capped off the big first inning with a three-run blast (380 feet, 99.5 mph exit velocity) on a sweeper that the veteran got around on.  

Severino would leave the game warming up for the top of the second with what the team called right arm soreness, but the Yankees would get to the A's bullpen, too. Rice drove in a run in the second with a single and Ryan McMahon launched his 150th career home run in the third to give New York a 6-1 lead. 

Rice wasn't done. He hit his team-tying 17th bomb of the year in the seventh and finished 3-for-5, a triple short of the cycle.

-Judge went 1-for-4 with the RBI single and an RBI groundout, while Jose Caballero, starting at shortstop instead of Anthony Volpe, finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. 

The Yankees had 11 hits and the only starters to not get a hit were Jazz Chisholm Jr. (0-5) and J.C. Escarra (0-4). 

-Rodon was on the mound, making his fourth start since returning from the IL and had to grind it out at first. He allowed a solo shot to Nick Kurtz in the first, and the A's had runners on second and first with no outs in the second, but the southpaw worked out of the jam without allowing a run. 

Rodon would scatter baserunners but got stronger as the game went along. He finished up pitching six innings (93 pitches) while allowing just one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out three batters. 

-The Yankees bullpen was up and down, as per usual. Brent Headrick allowed the A's to load the bases with one out in the seventh, before Fernando Cruz bailed Headrick out, getting an inning-ending double play to end the threat. 

Paul Blackburn pitched a clean eighth inning but got into trouble in the ninth, allowing a run on two hits and a walk, but got the final out to start the weekend series on a winning note.

Game MVP: Carlos Rodon

While the offense continued to give plenty of run support, the A's lineup threatened early on and Rodon kept them at bay to make this a laugher. 

Highlights

Aaron Judge opens the scoring! pic.twitter.com/7MEHmAYYnq

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) May 30, 2026

GOLDY BOMB.

Paul Goldschmidt makes it a four-run first inning! 💪 pic.twitter.com/J6rSxb2L5m

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) May 30, 2026

Ben Rice brings home a run! pic.twitter.com/ZyuuJKoTkK

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) May 30, 2026

Ryan McMahon's 150th career home run! pic.twitter.com/Vg0awseDJC

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) May 30, 2026

BEN RICE'S 17TH HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/aStnVA5ChK

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) May 30, 2026

What's next

The Yankees continue their three-game series in Sacramento on Saturday. First pitch is set for 10:05 p.m.

Ryan Weathers (2-2, 3.14 ERA) will take the mound against J.T. Ginn (2-3, 3.19 ERA). 

The Dodgers (37-20) launched four solo home runs in a 4-2 win over the Phillies (29-278) ace Zack Wheeler Friday night at Dodger Stadium in the opener of a three-game weekend series. 

Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski earned the win by pitching one of the best starts of his career. He struck out nine and allowed just one earned run.

The Dodgers flexed their power with home runs from Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Will Smith. Wheeler took his first loss of the season after giving up all four runs over six innings, while Kyle Schwarber provided a solo home run for the Phils in the loss.

Wheeler had been absolutely dominant this season, carrying a microscopic 1.67 ERA and allowed only one home run going into Friday’s game. The Dodgers hit four solo home runs against the Philly ace, serving him up his first loss of the season.

Wrobleski struck out the side in the first inning for the first time in his career. He struck both Schwarber and Trea Turner looking to open the game, and Bryce Harper went down swinging. His fastball velocity was quite a bit faster than his career average in the frame.

Wheeler struck out Ohtani to open his night. Freeman continued to find success in his career against Wheeler and blasted a solo home run against him to the left field corner. That was Freeman’s third career homer off Wheeler.

Muncy also took Wheeler deep with one out in the bottom of the second to make it 2-0 Dodgers.

Ohtani crushed his 10th home run of the season in the third against Wheeler, a solo blast to right field.

The Dodgers had already collected three home runs in the game before the Phillies could even muster a base runner against Wrobleski through four innings.

The Phillies did catch a break with one out in the top of the fourth after a defensive miscue in the outfield allowed Turner to reach second base. Kyle Tucker was tagged with the error when the ball dropped between himself and Andy Pages. The Phillies failed to cash in on the mistake.

Wrobleski continued to cruise through the order working quickly. He picked up a career-high eighth strikeout when he whiffed Brandon Marsh to cap off five hitless innings.

Will Smith took a Wheeler sinker for a ride over the right center wall for the fourth solo home run of the night for the Dodgers.

The usual culprit, Schwarber, was the one who broke up Wrobleski’s no-hit bid with a two-out solo home run in the sixth.

The Dodgers bullpen allowed a rare run in the top of the eighth after Wrobleski ended his night. Edgardo Henriquez allowed two hits and a run before Dave Roberts went to Alex Vesia to face Schwarber who represented the tying run at the plate.

Channeling that Bobblehead Night energy, Vesia reared back and struck out Schwarber swinging on a full count to keep it a two-run game into the ninth.

Tanner Scott got the ball in the ninth and sent the Phillies down in order. He struck out Harper who fanned three times on the night and secured his fifth save of the year.

Friday particulars

HRs — Freddie Freeman (8), Max Muncy (13), Shohei Ohtani (10), Will Smith (6), Kyle Schwarber (22)

WP— Justin Wrobleski (7-2): 7 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, no walks, 9 strikeouts (88 pitches)

LP— Zack Wheeler (4-1): 6 IP, 5 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts (90 pitches)

SV— Tanner Scott (5): 1 IP, 1 strikeout

Up next

Roki Sasaki (3-3, 4.93 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) starts the second game of the series against the Phillies at (7:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Lefty Jesús Luzardo (4-4, 4.38 ERA 1.28 WHIP) counters for Philly.

The Rockies came home trying to end a losing streak against a reeling division opponent. They did it by turning a frustrating offensive night into their first walk-off win of the season.

Colorado beat San Francisco 8-6 on Friday at Coors Field, improving to 21-37 while dropping the Giants to 22-35. The Rockies trailed 4-1 in the eighth and 6-3 in the ninth before Hunter Goodman tied the game with a three-run homer and Ezequiel Tovar ended it with a two-run shot.

Tovar drove in four runs with homers in the eighth and ninth. Goodman drove in three on the game-tying blast. Juan Mejia, despite allowing two runs in the top of the ninth, got the win. Caleb Kilian took the loss after allowing five runs in the ninth.

Lorenzen bends in the middle innings

Michael Lorenzen’s first two innings were clean enough. He struck out Casey Schmitt in the first, worked a clean second, and helped himself with a good play on Matt Chapman’s soft comebacker.

San Francisco started getting to him in the third. Bryce Eldridge doubled to left, moved to third on Harrison Bader’s flyout, and scored on Willy Adames’ sacrifice fly. Adames’ out was hit 416 feet at 101.4 mph, a sign the Giants were starting to square Lorenzen up.

The fourth brought the damage. Rafael Devers opened with a walk, but Lorenzen got Chapman to hit into a forceout. Jung Hoo Lee followed with a single to right, putting runners on the corners, and Daniel Susac gave San Francisco a 2-1 lead with a sacrifice fly to center.

Lorenzen then walked Eldridge, moving Lee into scoring position. Bader followed with a 98.6 mph two-out ground-ball single to right, scoring Lee and moving Eldridge to third. That made it 3-1 and ended Lorenzen’s night.

Lorenzen finished with three runs allowed on five hits, two walks, and two strikeouts over 3.2 innings. His ERA rose to 7.22. He threw 70 pitches and used six offerings, led by 22 cutters. His velocity ranged from 81.9 to 96.4 mph.

Webb keeps the Rockies from cashing in

Logan Webb was not efficient in his return from the injured list, but he kept the Rockies from turning traffic into runs.

Colorado’s first run came in the second. Tovar walked, and Edouard Julien followed with a sharp single to center. It was Julien’s first hit in 35 at-bats, snapping an 0-for-34 skid and keeping him one hitless at-bat shy of the Rockies’ record.

With runners on the corners, Julien broke for second but stopped short of the bag as Luis Arráez moved to cover. Arráez threw home, and Tovar slid in safely on the delayed steal. Julien still reached second, and the Rockies had a 1-0 lead.

They had chances after that but did not finish them.

Tyler Freeman singled in the third but was caught stealing. The Rockies rebuilt the inning with a TJ Rumfield single and a Goodman walk, but Troy Johnston flew out. In the fourth, Tovar reached on Webb’s throwing error and advanced to third, but Lee ran down Kyle Karros’ liner in right and crashed into the wall to end the inning. In the fifth, Freeman was hit by a pitch and Goodman doubled after Webb exited, putting two runners in scoring position. Colorado came away empty again.

Webb allowed one run on three hits and three walks over 4.1 innings, striking out five and lowering his ERA to 4.82. He threw 86 pitches, only 28 for strikes in the zone, but the Rockies still swung 38 times. Webb leaned on five pitches, led by 27 sinkers and 23 cutters. Colorado managed only three hard-hit balls against him and put six balls on the ground.

Hill and Halvorsen hold the line

Jaden Hill kept the game from getting away after Lorenzen exited.

Hill entered with two outs in the fourth and got Adames to fly out with two runners aboard. In the fifth, Schmitt hit a hard one-out double, but Hill answered with back-to-back swinging strikeouts of Devers and Chapman. Both came on fastballs, including a 97.9 mph fastball that Devers swung through.

Hill finished with 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. His ERA dropped to 2.61.

Welinton Herrera opened the sixth and ran into traffic. Lee singled, and after Susac flew out, Eldridge walked. Seth Halvorsen entered with two on and one out and gave the Rockies one of their best pitching sequences of the night — Back-to-back strikeouts of Bader and Adames to end the frame.

Halvorsen worked around a two-out Devers single in the seventh with help from his defense. Tovar made a leaping catch on Arraez’s liner, and Freeman made a diving catch in right on Schmitt. Halvorsen then got Chapman to fly out.

Herrera was charged with one hit and one walk while recording one out. Halvorsen followed with 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two.

The comeback arrives late

San Francisco added a run in the eighth against Keegan Thompson without much force. Lee led off with a soft double down the third-base line, Susac bunted him to third, and Eldridge brought him home with a sacrifice fly to center. Thompson struck out Bader to end the inning, but the Giants led 4-1.

Colorado answered against Keaton Winn, who entered with a 1.82 ERA and had been one of San Francisco’s better bullpen arms. Johnston opened the bottom of the eighth by swinging at the first pitch and dropping a soft single into center. Willi Castro flew out, but Tovar attacked a first-pitch 95.3 mph fastball and drove it 441 feet to dead center.

The two-run homer cut the deficit to 4-3.

The Giants pushed the lead back out in the ninth. Mejia got Adames to ground out, then hit Arraez with a 98.5 mph fastball. Schmitt lined out, but Devers tripled to right on a ball deflected by Jake McCarthy in center, scoring Arraez. Chapman followed with an RBI single to right, making it 6-3. Lee singled before Susac flew out to end the inning.

That gave the Rockies one more chance, and they did not waste it.

Kilian replaced Winn to start the bottom of the ninth, and Drew Gilbert entered in center field. McCarthy opened with a ground-ball single back to the mound. Freeman followed with a line-drive single to center, moving McCarthy to second. Rumfield flew out to right, allowing McCarthy to reach third.

Goodman came up as the tying run and drove a ball down the left-field line.

The umpires reviewed the home run call, and the ruling stood. Goodman’s 13th homer of the season tied the game at 6-6.

Johnston struck out for the second out, but Castro singled to right. Tovar followed with his second homer in as many innings, a two-run shot to left that gave the Rockies an 8-6 win.

It was the Rockies’ first walk-off win of the season.

Final thoughts

Tovar was the best player on the field tonight. He made several solid defensive plays, scored the Rockies’ first run on the delayed steal, hit the two-run homer in the eighth, and ended the game in the ninth. He finished 2-for-4 with two homers and four RBI.

Goodman had already doubled in the fifth before tying the game with his three-run homer in the ninth. Julien’s single snapped an 0-34 streak. Hill continued to pitch well, and Halvorsen’s two strikeouts in the sixth kept the Rockies close enough for the late comeback to matter.

The Rockies still left chances on the field. They went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. But they also finished with 13 hits, played clean defense, and finally got the late swings they had been missing.

Mejia earned the win despite allowing two runs in the ninth, moving to 1-4 with a 5.13 ERA. Kilian took the loss for San Francisco, falling to 1-3 with a 3.96 ERA.

Up next

The Rockies continue their series against the Giants on Saturday at Coors Field. Ryan Feltner is scheduled to start for Colorado against San Francisco right-hander Adrian Houser.

Feltner enters at 1-1 with a 6.30 ERA and 17 strikeouts, while Houser comes in at 2-4 with a 5.30 ERA and 31 strikeouts. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. MDT.

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Right-hander Tyler Beede went from Triple-A Iowa to the Development List.

South Bend right-hander Nate Williams also went to the Development List.

Knoxville first baseman Edgar Alvarez was placed on the Restricted List. No, I don’t know why.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs mauled Indianapolis (Pirates), 8-3.

Four Iowa pitcher combined to allowed just three hits. Starter Paul Campbell went four innings and gave up no runs on just one hit. Campbell struck out four and walked no one.

Luke Little pitched the fifth inning, retired the side in order and got teh win because Campbell didn’t go five innings. Little did not strike anyone out.

Shortstop Owen Miller was a perfect 4 for 4 with a triple and a walk. Miller scored two runs and drove home one.

Third baseman BJ Murray went 3 for 5 with a double and a triple. Murray scored three runs and had one RBI.

DH Christian Bethancourt was 2 for 5 with a two-run double in the fifth.

Left fielder Chas McCormick went 2 for 5 with two RBI, one on a first inning single and one on a single in the sixth. McCormick scored once.

Bethencourt’s two-run double.

An RBI double for Murray.

Knoxville Smokies

Rained out in Chattanooga. Doubleheader tomorrow.

South Bend Cubs

The South Bend Cubs were cooked by the Ft. Wayne TinCaps, 9-8. The loss snapped South Bend’s eight-game win streak.

Starter Jostin Florentino gave up a solo home run in the second inning and no other runs. Florentino’s final line was one run on two hits over three innings. Florentino did walk five batters while striking out two.

South Bend had an 8-5 lead going into the top of the ninth when Grayson Moore was summoned from the bullpen for the save. Unfortunately, Moore was only able to retire one batter while the other five batters he faced combined for a solo home run, a single and three doubles. Moore got the loss after allowing four runs on five hits over just one-third of an inning. Moore struck out one.

It looked like South Bend was going to cruise to an easy win when they scored seven runs in the first inning, six of them coming off the Padres’ number-two prospect (per Baseball America) Kash Mayfield.

First, center fielder Josiah Hartshorn hit a two-run bomb, his second South Bend home run and seventh overall. Hartshorn was 1 for 5 tonight.

Later on in the first, first baseman Drew Bowser hit a grand slam, his second home run of the year. Bowser was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Left fielder Miguel Useche went 3 for 4 with a walk. He drove in one run and scored on the grand slam.

Hartshorn’s and Bowser’s home runs.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans clipped the wings of the Wilson Warbirds (Brewers), 11-10.

Starter David Bracho pitched the first 3.2 innings and gave up four runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out two.

Hayden Frank allowed two runs in the seventh inning and was allowed to start the ninth inning with a four-run lead. However, he loaded the bases with only one out and was pulled for Aiden Moffett. Moffett then walked four of the next five batters to drive in all three inherited runners and one of his own. But then he got a strikeout to end the game and collect a very ugly save.

The final line on Frank, who was the winning pitcher, was five runs on five hits over 3.1 innings. Frank walked five and struck out three.

Moffett’s final line was one run on no hits and four walks. He struck out two in two-thirds of an inning.

Right fielder Eli Lovich hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning, his seventh of the year. Lovich went 3 for 4 with a double, the home run and four total RBI.

First baseman Edward Vargas was 3 for 5. He scored twice and had one RBI.

Catcher Jairo Díaz was 2 for 4 with a walk and a double. He scored one time.

Left fielder Darlyn De Leon went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored two runs and drove home one.

Everyone in the Pelicans lineup had at least one hit.

A great catch in center field by Alexey Lumpuy, who was 1 for 5 with an RBI double and one run scored.

The second home run in two days for Lovich.

ACL Cubs

Lost to the Guardians, 11-7.

Right fielder Jeury Ramírez hit two home runs.

One of the best stories of the 2026 baseball season will likely be put on pause.

White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami exited Friday’s 4-3 win over the Tigers early with a hamstring issue that the team later said was a strain. Manager Will Venable told reporters that the slugger is likely heading to the injured list.

The White Sox, in a corresponding move, are going to call up Jacob Gonzalez from Triple-A, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported, saying Murakami is likely to miss a few weeks of action.

Gonzalez, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 draft, is the team’s No. 23 prospect on MLB Pipeline.

 “Nothing official. Got to continue the evaluation, but it might be a couple weeks,” Venable told reporters, according to ESPN.

Murakami appeared to injure himself in the bottom of the third inning on Friday when he beat out a throw to first base to avoid a double play. He grabbed at his right hamstring as he walked back to the bag and was seen wincing in pain.

Murakami came over from Japan this season on a two-year, $34 million contract, as his market never fully materialized.

But if there were any concerns about how his game would play stateside, he has assuaged any of those fears by flashing the power he was well-known for in Nippon Professional Baseball.

His 20 home runs through 57 games are tied with the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez for most in the American League. He has a .240/.378/.560 slash line with 44 walks and 80 strikeouts across 200 at-bats.

If it is indeed Gonzalez coming up, the White Sox are getting a red-hot bat from the International League. Gonzalez has belted 19 homers with a .317 and 1.087 OPS this year, his fourth year in the minor leagues.

The Mets needed seven pitchers to get through 10 innings in their 9-7 win on Friday night against the Miami Marlins and a few guys stood out in particular.

With two outs in the fifth and the tying run at second base, A.J. Minter entered for Freddy Peralta in just his second appearance for New York since he returned from the injured list. Minter looked in mint form, striking out two over his inning of work to give him four strikeouts in two innings this season.

And although the Mets’ bullpen has been one of their saving graces this year, having Minter back in the fold after more than a year away from the team has already been a game-changer.

“Huge, especially when you’re facing a lineup like the Marlins where there’s a lot of left-handed hitters on a night where you’re probably trying to stay away from your other lefty, which is [Brooks] Raley,” manager Carlos Mendoza said about Minter’s role. “For me, to be able to continue to play the matchups in those middle innings without having to worry about what’s gonna happen when the next at-bat comes in. 

“Those guys, they’re in a good place and for us to have those guys every time they’re available, we’re gonna be pretty good back there.”

Minter was originally signed two offseasons ago to be New York’s left-handed setup man in front of Edwin Diaz. And while the lefty will certainly get some late-inning work at some point this season to help bridge the gap to closer Devin Williams, Mendoza is fine with getting Minter’s feet wet a little before throwing him into the deep end.

Plus, on a night where the Mets were trying not to use Raley, the perfect situation for Minter arose.

Speaking of Raley, the veteran left-hander also checked into the game, striking out the final batter of the seventh inning for his only out of the night – exactly how Mendoza planned it.

“Today was a day like if he was in the game it was gonna be for a batter or two,” the skipper said. “I was trying to avoid that situation, but the game called for [it]. With two outs, tying run on second base, there was a lefty coming up and that was it right there.”

But perhaps the most important outing of them all was from Austin Warren who kept the game tied in the 10th inning with a 1-2-3 inning, including a strikeout. Warren’s appearance allowed New York to win it in the bottom half on MJ Melendez’s two-run homer.

In his second season with the Mets after a cup of coffee with the big league team in 2025, Warren has been dynamite. In fact, in 56 career appearances, the reliever has a 2.48 ERA and has been a godsend for New York after not cracking the Opening Day roster.

“Huge, and today [was] another example there,” Mendoza said about the job Warren has done. “Extra innings, runner at second base and the situation is not too big for him and he goes out there and just makes pitches and slows the game down, doesn’t try to do too much, sticks to what makes him who he is. 

“[He’s] not afraid to spin the baseball and then uses the fastball effectively when he needs to and he got a huge three outs for us.”

On the other side, Tobias Myers had a rough eighth inning after allowing a game-tying two-run homer to Owen Caissie. In a bit of a surprise move, Myers will reportedly be optioned to the minors after the game as the Mets need a fresh arm for Saturday’s game after using seven pitchers on Friday.

A corresponding move has yet to be made.

“At this level, whatever it takes day in and day out,” Mendoza said. “We’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow and I’m glad that the boys came through today.”

Heading into Friday night's game against the Miami Marlins, Mets outfielder MJ Melendez had been in a real rough stretch over the last month.

He had just one hit in his last 18 at-bats and was 5-for-45 at the plate in May.

But despite his recent struggles, Melendez found a way to come through when it mattered most. In the 10th inning, he delivered a walk-off two-run home run, lifting New York to a 9-7 win. 

"Special," manager Carlos Mendoza said of the moment. "Especially what he’s been going through the past couple of weeks, two, three weeks. Where he gets called up, he puts together some really good at-bats and he kind of gets going out of the gate, but then it’s been hard for him. But for him today, in that situation against a right-handed pitcher, to get to that fastball like that. Special."

"You got to give him credit, this guy continues to work. He was one of the ones today hitting early out there. And that’s what makes this group who they are, they’re not going to give up. They’re going to keep going and they’re gonna continue to find ways to get the job done. Which was nice to see MJ today coming through for us."

It will certainly be a moment Melendez will always remember, especially since it was his first career walk-off over his five seasons in the majors (470 career games played). 

"Honestly, pretty speechless, kind of a surreal feeling," Melendez said. "It’s something that I’d never done before at the major league level. Definitely not a walk-off home run, so it was a really crazy feeling."

Melendez added that he had been pulling the ball foul a lot recently, but was confident that he got enough on the fastball from Pete Fairbanks. The homer ended up having an exit velocity of 105 mph and traveled 373 feet into the second deck in right field.

"I knew I got it, I just didn’t know if it was going to stay fair. That was the question," Melendez said. "I had been hooking a lot of balls foul like the last few weeks, so that was always kind of in the back of my mind."

The home run also came on an 0-2 pitch, as Melendez said he was simply just trying to put the ball in play with a runner on second base.

“Honestly, when I got in the box, I knew I had to put the ball in play,” Melendez said. “Obviously, give yourself a chance. Any hit right there for the most part can possibly score him. So just try to shorten up in that situation and not try to do too much.”

Melendez was asked if not starting the game helped motivate him in the moment, saying that's part of the "ups and downs" of baseball, and credited his mindset to the message his father sent him prior to the game.

"Yeah, you know I feel like in baseball you’re gonna kind of go through those ups and downs, and the last few weeks have been kind of rough," Melendez said. "I just haven’t gotten the results I’ve wanted. 

"Talking to my dad today, he’s coached me my whole life, some of the best advice he gives me is just staying in my faith. And for me, him sending me  message today of a Bible verse, Galatians 6:9… And that was just something that really stuck to me today, especially, just not giving up and keep doing things the right way. Staying steadfast in my faith and knowing things will work out."

Melendez and the Mets will now look to stay afloat and extend their winning streak to three games on Saturday against the Marlins.