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Embattled Salford players out to avoid tag of Super League’s worst ever team

The Red Devils are showing spirit and improving on the field, but they may still finish the season on zero points

By No Helmets Required

For much of last Friday’s game at Leeds, no one could possibly think they were watching one of the worst teams in rugby league history. Salford eventually sank to a 40-6 defeat, a harsh scoreline given they were the better side in the first half and conceded 18 points in the 10 minutes they had a man sin-binned. Despite a week of huge upheaval – players threatening a strike, crisis meetings with the Rugby Football League and a squad stripped by injuries of another three senior players – Salford competed heroically.

It was another spirited display after their victory over Castleford – just their second win of the season – but coach Paul Rowley is not expecting things to keep getting better over the remaining eight rounds of the season. Wages are due next week, with some players extremely concerned that, once they play the final game of the campaign at home to Wakefield on 19 September, they may not receive the final two paychecks of their contracts. Threats of a strike were quashed after a meeting with the RFL, but the players know they face an uncertain future.

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Lainn Wilson ready to lead Santa Cruz Warriors after ‘surreal' NBA Summer League

Lainn Wilson ready to lead Santa Cruz Warriors after ‘surreal' NBA Summer League originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Attendance was estimated at just under 8,400 fans. The feeling more closely resembled a packed house at Chase Center, especially for the man leading the Warriors on the sidelines to open the California Classic. 

After spending the last four seasons as the Warriors’ head video coordinator, Steve Kerr, Mike Dunleavy and others felt the best next move for Lainn Wilson was leading their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. NBA Summer League served as the perfect slate of exhibitions for the first-time head coach, as was earning a comeback win against the Los Angeles Lakers in his first game. Warriors players doused Wilson with water in the locker room to celebrate the win, and he still was taking in all his emotions at the podium. 

“Pretty surreal,” Wilson admitted. “It doesn’t really hit you until you’re out there. The crowd out there was much larger than I expected it to be. To collectively feel that energy in the building, there’s nothing more fun. 

“There’s a lot of work that goes into it, but to me, this is why we play the games. This is why we compete. When you’re out there, there’s a lot of life and energy.” 

His path is nothing like Kerr, Jason Kidd, Tyronn Lue, so on and so forth. The majority of NBA head coaches had professional playing careers. Not Wilson. The 33-year-old never even played past high school in Augusta, Ga. 

Wilson had a dream that could have been torched by numerous road blocks and barriers. Instead, he has done everything in the coaching world the past 15 years that has led to patrolling the sidelines of Chase Center, UNLV’s campus for summer league and now Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz.

The young coach on the rise began his ascension at the University of Georgia, where Wilson spent four seasons as a student manager for the men’s basketball team and then two more as a graduate assistant. Wilson then did all the dirty work, literally, for the Grand Rapids Drive, the former D League team of the Detroit Pistons. He has been a D League video intern and assistant coach in the NBA’s minor leagues, and was an assistant video coordinator for the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Warriors ahead of their 2021-22 championship season. 

Each role prepared him for the next. Roaming the sidelines as the main person in charge this summer gave Wilson a new appreciation, and has him ready to fill Nicholas Kerr’s shoes in Santa Cruz. 

“At least for me, I’d say a lot,” Wilson said to NBC Sports Bay Area. “I basically got a little bit of a runway into running a team. It’s a lot of the logistics stuff that I haven’t been in charge of before, like planning out practices. Now it gives me something to work off of where I can now say, ‘I liked this, I didn’t like that.’ And then obviously getting feedback from players and the staff as far as what they thought worked and didn’t.

“It just kind of gives me a strong framework to go off of for the Santa Cruz season.” 

The Warriors under Wilson went 5-3 this summer, 2-1 at the California Classic and 3-2 in Las Vegas. He’s happy with how they understood concepts better each day, gelling more as a team while trying to keep things as simple as possible. Like his players, Wilson felt more comfortable with each practice and game. 

Adjustments and lessons were made in real time. Wilson and the Warriors were hit with a delay of game when his players took too long to be back on the court after halftime of the California Classic finale. Full timeouts are shorter in summer league, and he even received his first technical foul out of frustration during the first game in Las Vegas. 

“I think the guys could tell I was a little more comfortable and a little more at ease as it went on, just because I was starting to understand the flow of things and how I wanted to do it,” Wilson said. “By the end of it I thought I was in a pretty comfortable spot of what to expect, staying locked in on the game.” 

Length of games are shorter in summer league. Players have 10 fouls until their day is over. Everything feels rushed from a coaching and practice standpoint. The part Wilson found to be the hardest might come as a surprise. 

“To me, it’s the messaging,” Wilson said.

The Warriors had 19 players on their summer league team, with 18 healthy enough to play. An NBA roster holds 15 players, and a good chunk stay in their warmup gear all game long. All but four players were rookies without any NBA game experience. Each tried to make a big impression, either on the Warriors or the rest of the league. 

Not everybody received an equal opportunity. That’s life, that’s basketball. Those decisions didn’t always come from Wilson either. 

Many of them came from the front office regarding who is in the game plan for a particular summer league game. 

“It’s different to be in a spot where you’re telling a group of guys going into every game, ‘Hey, you’re not playing.’ As an assistant, you’re not really having those kinds of talks,” Wilson continued. “It’s just the consistency of everything. You’re just always having to constantly think of the dynamic of being consistent and keeping guys in the fold so there’s no major surprises. Even though they’re being told they’re not playing, I do think they appreciate the fact that you’re at least straight up without leaving stuff to the imagination.” 

Wilson’s way of thinking there sounds like a direct correlation of learning from Kerr. The four-time NBA champion as a head coach is a master communicator and delegator. Kerr is quick to give credit to others, oftentimes praising Wilson’s help the past few seasons in player development, video preparation and especially his use of analytics. 

His usage and importance went beyond his Golden State title. Kerr wants his players and staff to feel empowered, and Wilson gives him ample credit in getting him to where he is today.

“Steve has always been great, especially after I first started out here,” Wilson said. “My role always expanded, even within the video part of it. He let me do scouts, walkthroughs with the team, player development stuff. So I was kind of just doing a little bit of everything, and just getting a lot of tremendous experience. 

“I never would have thought just even speaking in front of the team about something would be in the works, especially being in a video role. But this team’s always been great about giving these opportunities.” 

A drive that spanned about 100 miles from his Augusta home to the Georgia campus started Wilson’s coaching journey 15 years ago. Off campus, his basketball classroom has only grown, with summer league on the sidelines having Wilson ready for Santa Cruz and getting him one step closer to being the next video room standout to hold the title of NBA head coach.

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Raducanu’s US Open buildup gathers pace with Washington win over Kostyuk

  • Briton pulls through gruelling encounter to advance

  • Norrie reaches men’s last 16 after seeing off Musetti

Emma Raducanu began her buildup towards next month’s US Open with an impressive straight-sets win over seventh seed Marta Kostyuk at the DC Open in Washington.

Playing her first singles match since stretching world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Wimbledon, Raducanu held off the Ukrainian world No 27 to pull through a gruelling encounter 7-6 (4), 6-4.

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Warriors practicing patience in offseason as rest of Western Conference reloads

Warriors practicing patience in offseason as rest of Western Conference reloads originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga’s representation are sharing a cell in Restricted Free Agent jail. Conversation is sparse, according to league sources. No knowing when they can begin the remodel they hope will allow them to compete in the NBA’s wicked Western Conference.

Golden State’s priority targets, center Al Horford and guard De’Anthony Melton, remain available and that’s unlikely to change. There is internal belief that the Kuminga impasse, once resolved, will result in a satisfying conclusion. Three weeks in, though, nothing.

Meanwhile, most of the West has been furiously re-arming for the war that begins in October. Here is how the West, in order of 2024-25 seeding, looks as of the morning of July 22:

Oklahoma City Thunder

They began last season with the youngest roster in the league, achieved the No. 1 overall seed and finished with an NBA championship. With no significant additions necessary, general manager Sam Presti secured the future with contract extensions for core players Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Status quo in OKC, which is plenty good.

Houston Rockets

It was quite a feat to earn the No. 2 seed in the West with a starting lineup that includes Dillon “All Fury, No Fire” Brooks, and the Rockets knew it. So, they replaced him with legendary scorer Kevin Durant. They re-signed Steven Adams and signed free agents Clint Capela and Dorian Finney-Smith. This team has nine players with wingspans of at least 7 feet. They’re better.

Los Angeles Lakers

Despite a seismic midseason shift, swapping Anthony Davis for Luka Dončić, the Lakers snagged the No. 3 seed without legitimate perimeter defense or a productive center. They addressed those needs by signing Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton off the buyout market. Luka will be much more settled. If LeBron’s body holds up at age 41, they could be slightly better.

Denver Nuggets

They entered the playoffs with interim coach David Adelman, with three games on his resumé. With Nikola Jokić getting scant help, they gave OKC a seven-game war in the conference semifinals. Swapping Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson is a win. Adding depth in Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas are wins. They should be better.

Los Angeles Clippers

After folding in the postseason, the response is to retool with a roster built to win it all five or six years ago. Seriously, though, they’ve added outside shooting (Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal for Norm Powell), general production (John Collins) and, in Chris Paul, an assistant coach who can provide quality bench minutes in the postseason. Yeah, they’re better.

Minnesota Timberwolves

After reaching the conference finals (aided by Stephen Curry’s hamstring misfortune), the Wolves whimpered against OKC. Julius Randle and Naz Reid return with new contracts, but there are no free agents or no trades. Having lost Nickeil Alexander-Walker, they’re going to need bumps from Terrence Shannon and Rob Dillingham. Status quo, top-four potential.

Golden State Warriors

With their intraconference foes circling like a hyperactive shiver of sharks, they’ve lost Kevon Looney and are staying patient on the deck of a boat they hope to remodel into a yacht. Forecast TBD.

Memphis Grizzlies

They re-signed Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama. Ja Morant still is on board. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ty Jerome are solid pickups, but they’re going to miss the elite shooting of Desmond Bane and Luke Kennard. They’re asking a lot of youngsters Jalen Wells and Cedric Coward. Cast changes don’t always mean improvement. Expect a dip.

Sacramento Kings

Ahh, the Kangz. Picked up options on Keon Ellis and Isaac Jones. New faces in the front office are bobbing about the league for help, and adding Dennis Schröder at the point is an adventure. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan can score. Domantas Sabonis rebounds and generates offense. They’re going to miss Trey Lyles. Fighting for a play-in berth.

Dallas Mavericks

Here comes Cooper Flagg, all of 18 but primed to make an impact for the Mavs. Out goes Spencer Dinwiddie, in comes D’Angelo Russell, now reduced to a floor spacer. Kyrie Irving is re-signed but expected to continue rehab deep into the season. They’ll be interesting if Davis stays healthy (roll of the dice), they’ll be a strong play-in candidate.

Phoenix Suns

Devin Booker picked up a phat extension, but Durant and Beal were replaced by Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, the only benefit being youth and enough financial flexibility for upstart governor Mat Ishbia and his new front office to recover. Last season was a disaster, an unexpected gap year, but this season’s gap year is fully anticipated.

Portland Trail Blazers

After a 13-28 first half, they rode a top-five defense to a 23-18 mark in the second half. Adding elite defender Jrue Holiday should push that momentum into next season. First-round pick Yang Hansen, at 7-foot-1, looks more playable than anticipated. With even a middling offense, opponents will have to sweat to earn what once was an easy W. They’re better.

San Antonio Spurs

Rookie Dylan Harper is nice, and Luke Kornet is a productive backup big man. But the return of Victor Wembanyama, second-year Stephon Castle and a full season with De’Aaron Fox lifts the Spurs from popular nightly upset pick to a squad ready to take your lunch. With good health, the play-in tournament is this team’s floor.

New Orleans Pelicans

Big makeover the last six months, with Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum departing for the likes of Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney and Saddiq Bey. The new front office has tasked coach Willie Green with turning a variety pack into a winner. If Zion Williamson stays healthy (roll of the dice) and Dejounte Murray returns (more dice) … nah, the play-in tournament will be a triumph.

Utah Jazz

Remember when Danny Ainge lived to rob fellow general managers? Well, as CEO, he’s playing a befuddling game of “What’s My Vision?” Good luck, Ace Bailey. Represent well at the 2026 draft lottery.

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Bullpen sinks slumping Dodgers again in loss to Twins

Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton watches his single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Byron Buxton watches his single during the second inning Tuesday. (Eric Thayer / Associated Press)

They missed high, wide and, in one of the most confounding plays you’ll see on a major league diamond, even on a relatively routine throw to first base.

The Dodgers know this isn’t the bullpen they expected to have at the moment. They have been resigned to playing the long game, trying to weather key injuries and extended absences with a revolving door of minor-league call-ups.

But in a 10-7 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night, even they couldn’t have foreseen the shockingly sloppy pitching that doomed them late.

In the sixth and seventh innings at Dodger Stadium, the Twins scored six runs without hardly even needing to swing. Over the two innings, Minnesota managed only two hits. But on a night that one Dodger reliever after the next struggled to find the strike zone, a parade of walks kept them circling around the bases, turning what had been a tie score into one of the Dodgers’ most dismal defeats of the season.

The nightmare started with Ben Casparius, who replaced Yoshinobu Yamamoto after a laborious five-inning, three-run (one earned) start.

Right away, Casparius’ command looked off. He walked one batter on five pitches, then another after a Ty France double to load the bases. Up next came Royce Lewis, who took a first-pitch cutter inside before watching each of Casparius’ next three throws sail well above the zone. It was a four-pitch walk that forced in a go-ahead run. And as Lewis trotted to first, Casparius grabbed at his right leg and called for a trainer.

That would be the end of his outing — the team later said he had a calf cramp — but only the start of the Dodgers’ bullpen meltdown.

Read more:Dodgers put Tanner Scott on IL, but hopeful he returns this season

Alexis Diaz, the former All-Star Cincinnati Reds closer who was making his first appearance for the Dodgers since being acquired in a minor-league trade earlier this season, couldn’t escape the jam he inherited unscathed. Harrison Bader drove in a run on a swinging bunt up the third base line. Christian Vázquez added another with an RBI single to left.

And though the Dodgers answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, trimming the deficit to 6-5 on a two-run Hyeseong Kim single, the pitching staff made sure the momentum didn’t last.

In the seventh, hard-throwing right-hander Will Klein took over, but succumbed to the same fate as Casparius. After striking out Willi Castro, he walked each of his next three batters on pitches that drifted progressively farther from the plate.

The final indignity belonged to Edgardo Henriquez, who marked his return to the majors with a comical bit of pitchers' fielding practice.

After starting Lewis, his first batter, with a wild cutter that sent catcher Will Smith sprawling behind the plate, Henriquez executed a better one on the outside corner to induce an excuse-me swing.

The only problem: The ball went trickling back toward Henriquez in front of the mound, where he first bobbled it, then made an ill-advised decision to try and compensate with a rocket of a throw to first base.

It missed — horrendously — zipping past Freddie Freeman and rolling all the way to the wall in right field while all three baserunners came around to score.

Most of the crowd groaned. Others, surely, couldn’t help but quietly laugh in pitiful misery.

Read more:Hernández: 'Still a threat.' Why Shohei Ohtani needs to remain a two-player for Dodgers

In what is shaping up to be one of the Dodgers’ worst single-month performances in years (they are now 6-11 in July, and have dropped four of five since the All-Star break), this was a new nadir.

Granted, the Dodgers (59-43) disappointed in myriad other ways Tuesday.

There was the three-run rally they gifted the Twins (49-52) in the second inning, when Miguel Rojas misplayed a grounder at third base and Yamamoto hung a two-strike splitter that Vázquez belted for a two-run double.

There were squandered opportunities from what remains an out-of-sync offense, which got an early three-run home run from Andy Pages and a garbage-time two-run home run from Shohei Ohtani (his fourth-straight game going deep), but also hit into three rally-killing double plays.

Still, nothing stood out more than the woeful relief pitching, where a unit currently without half a dozen important pieces (including, most recently, Tanner Scott, who went on the injured list pregame with what the Dodgers hope isn’t a season-ending elbow injury) came unraveled trying to lean on unreliable replacements.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Sam Docherty exits the game with respect that transcends allegiances

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When North Melbourne’s Ben Cunnington retired a couple of years ago, he said he has lost the will to compete. After missing a season with a back injury, he then endured nine weeks of chemotherapy. His farewell speech was one of the few times he spoke to the media. He said life had thrown too much at him to obsess over footy any more.

But the more life and football threw at Sam Docherty, the more desperate he was to get back. Only now could he properly recognise it for was it was – a kind of stubbornness, a mad optimism bordering on recklessness. Like Cunnington, he eventually realised that there was nothing more to give, and nothing more to prove. “I’m tired and I’m exhausted,” he said yesterday.

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Venus Williams, 45, becomes oldest WTA match winner since Navratilova

  • Williams, 45, earns first singles win since 2023

  • Oldest WTA winner since Navratilova in 2004

  • Beatsworld No 35 Stearns after 16-month layoff

Venus Williams wanted to send a message – to herself and to others – about coming back from a long layoff, about competing in a sport at age 45, about never giving up. Yes, there was something special about just being back on a tennis court Tuesday night.

There also was this: She really, really wanted to win.

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Mets' Carlos Mendoza not sensing any frustration from Francisco Lindor amid career-worst slump

Francisco Lindor continues to fight through it offensively. 

After taking another 0-for during Tuesday's comeback win over the Angels, the Mets' shortstop is now hitless over his last 30 at-bats, which is a career-worst slump.

Mets fans even tried to will him to a big knock as they did when he struggled during the early part of last season, but it was to no avail this time around. 

Despite the rough stretch, Carlos Mendoza isn’t sensing another frustration from his superstar talent. 

“The one thing with him is he’s always so steady,” the second-year manager said. “It doesn’t matter whether he’s going 4-for-4 and hitting walk-off homers, he’s going to be the same guy no matter what -- it’s all about winning for him. 

“It’s how he engages on defense with teammates, the conversations in the dugout and helping the younger guys too -- whether it’s approach, what he’s seeing from the pitchers. He’s pretty steady and we haven’t seen any signs of frustration or anything like that.”

The Mets have now won three straight despite receiving nothing from their everyday No. 2 hitter.

Mendoza indicated pregame that he feels Lindor has been chasing at times and he’s been a little long with his swing from the left-side of the plate, but he’s also hit into some tough luck over the past few games.

“That’s just part of it,” he added. “But the one thing with him it he’s too smart -- this is a guy who is watching film all the time, he’s talking with the hitting coaches constantly, he was out there hitting early yesterday and again today. It’s not the first time, it’s not going to be the last time, he’ll get through it.”

But how exactly does the skipper think he’ll get through it? 

“He’s aggressive, he’s going to go out there and he’s going to swing,” he said. “The 0-for-3 with a walk is an 0-for-4 because he’s going to go out there and he’s going hack -- that’s just the type of player he is and the player he’s always been.

“We’re talking about a future Hall of Famer, his way to get out of slumps is by swinging, that’s just who he is.”

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Josh Inglis and Cameron Green blast Australia to eight-wicket T20 win over West Indies

  • Pair put on unbroken partnership of 131 off 64 balls in Jamaica

  • Adam Zampa claims 3-29 from four overs to halt host’s brisk start

Josh Inglis and Cameron Green have smashed half-centuries to power Australia to an eight-wicket win over West Indies in their second T20 clash in Jamaica.

The hosts posted 172-8 before Inglis (78 not out from 33 balls) and Cameron Green (56no from 32) led Australia to 173-2, and victory with 28 balls to spare.

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Former Penguins' Prospect Signs With Oilers' Affiliate

One of the biggest blockbuster trades in recent memory happened on Aug. 6, 2023, when the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson from the San Jose Sharks in a three-team deal that involved 12 players.

Fast forward two years later, and one of the players acquired by the Penguins in that trade has signed with a different organization.

On Tuesday, forward Dillon Hamaliuk signed with the Fort Wayne Komets, which is the ECHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. During the 2024-25 season, the 24-year-old Hamaliuk suited up for both Nove Zamky Mikron HC in Slovakia and the Florida Everblades of the ECHL - affiliate of the St. Louis Blues - totaling eight goals, 17 points, and 44 penalty minutes in 42 total games. 

Drafted 55th overall by the Sharks in 2019, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound forward spent the 2023-24 season in the Penguins' organization. In 35 games with the Wheeling Nailers - Pittsburgh's ECHL affiliate - he registered 15 goals and 39 points, and he put up one point in eight AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Hamaliuk won a WHL championship with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2017.

Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!       

Feature Image Credit: Jonah Hinebaugh/The News-Press/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Former Ottawa Senator Returns To NHL After Three-Year KHL Stint

Things move fast in the NHL. A few years ago, it looked like Christian Jaros might carve out a long-term role on the Ottawa Senators’ blue line. The 6-foot-3, 224-pound defenseman had the size and mobility, and he was a coveted right shot to boot.

Back in 2015, when Ottawa selected him in the fifth round (139th overall), there was optimism that he might grow into a reliable NHL contributor. That same draft, the Senators had picked Thomas Chabot 18th overall.

At their first development camp together, they had chemistry right away. From this vantage point, the two looked for all the world like a natural pairing for the future. Jaros seemed like he might be the future Marc Methot to Chabot's Erik Karlsson.

While Chabot returned to Quebec Junior for a couple of years, Jaros took the development path through Sweden before joining the Belleville Senators. By the 2018–19 season, right after Karlsson was shipped to San Jose, Jaros looked like he was turning the corner, suiting up for 61 games with Ottawa and putting up 10 points.

But things quickly went off track. The following year, the arrival of Ron Hainsey, Nikita Zaitsev, and new head coach D.J. Smith altered the Sens' defensive landscape. Suddenly, Jaros was back in Belleville to start the 2019-20 season. Injuries didn’t help either, and Jaros struggled to find traction. He played only 47 total games that year, splitting time between Belleville and Ottawa. The year after, despite Hainsey's retirement, Jaros was blocked again with the arrival of Artem Zub and Erik Gudbranson.

Jaros was eventually dealt to the San Jose Sharks for the 2020-21 season but trying to stay in the lineup remained a challenge. Jaros managed just 18 games split between the Sharks and their AHL affiliate. Another trade sent him to New Jersey, where he dressed for only 11 games during the 2021–22 season.

Jaros finally decided to try his luck in the KHL in 2022-23. Over three seasons in Russia, he rediscovered some NHL desire. Last year, he appeared in 51 games with CSKA Moscow, recording 12 points and staying relatively healthy.

Now 29, Jaros returns to North America this fall, signing a one-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this month.

His odds of cracking the Jackets’ NHL lineup might be slim, but big, mobile right-shot defensemen like Jaros are tough to find, and maybe he found some of his old swagger in the KHL.

After years of setbacks and reinvention, it’s easy to pull for an ex-Senator product who's still out there battling, looking to prove he belongs in the world’s best league.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Image Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

More Sens Headlines:
Sens Captain Brady Tkachuk Celebrates Hard at Brother Matthew's Wedding
Can The Senators Count On Dylan Cozens To Consistently Produce?
Senators Re-Sign 2021 First-Round Pick To One-Year Deal
An Early Glance At The Senators’ 2026 Free Agent Class
Why Mason McTavish Isn’t Coming Home To The Senators

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Francisco Alvarez back looking like the player Mets know he’s capable of

Francisco Alvarez just might be back. 

The youngster delivered for the second straight game since returning to the Mets.

Alvarez missed his first Citi Field home run of the season by a matter of inches on Monday night against the Angels, instead settling for a rally-starting double high and deep off the right-center fence in the bottom of the seventh. 

But right back in the lineup on Tuesday, Alvarez made sure to leave the park. 

After Brett Baty lined a two-out double into the right-center gap, the slugger dug in and demolished a seventh-pitch 87 mph fastball from veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks 374 feet for a no-doubt, game-tying blast. 

Hendricks held the Mets to just one single over 4.2 innings before the roof caved in. 

“I was patient,” Alvarez said through a translator after the win. “I went to go look for my pitch that I could hit, I didn’t want to go and swing-and-miss, that was my approach and I was able to execute my swing on that specific pitch.”

The 23-year-old former No. 1 prospect has now gone deep 12 times over his last 20 games between Triple-A and the majors after struggling to find his power stroke during a disappointing first half of the season.

He did strike out with a man on third and two outs in the bottom of the eighth on Tuesday, but has still reached base a total of five times over his first two games back.

Alvarez is now hitting an impressive .333 with 10 of those blasts, 21 RBI, and a 1.335 OPS this month.

“I’m so happy for him,” Brandon Nimmo said. “I see how hard he works, he puts everything into this. For good people you want to see good things happen, and for him to take going down to Triple-A and go work and to be able to have the results right away is amazing.

“I know he has all the makings of an All-Star catcher, it’s just putting it all together. I know it’s easier said than done, but for him to have this impact right away is amazing.”

While the sample size is still extremely small, getting Alvarez back to his run producing ways would be a ginormous boost to the bottom of this lineup moving forward in the second half of the season.

“You have to give this kid a ton of credit,” Carlos Mendoza said. “From the moment he got back down there he just kept working. He could’ve pouted and felt sorry for himself but that wasn’t the case -- and here he is now, looking like the Alvy we know he’s capable of.”

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Mets' Frankie Montas confident with progress, pitch movement after longest outing of season

Frankie Montas fell just short of becoming the second Mets starter to complete an outing of six-plus innings over the last month, but that's neither here nor there. His job was to keep the game close, and that task was accomplished.

While the veteran right-hander's performance didn't include style points, it was still a winning effort, as his 5.2 frames of two-run ball with a season-best six strikeouts helped the Mets rally to a 3-2 win over the Angels on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

"I threw some good splitters, good sweepers, good sliders. I thought I had a nice amount of pitches working tonight," Montas said after the game. "I feel pretty good. I would've loved to finish the sixth inning, though. But step by step, I definitely feel better and better every time I step on the mound. I feel like my pitches are moving better.

"I'm getting more movement, more strikes. I keep making progress every start... The first two innings, I thought I was missing my location. I tried to throw my pitches in a better spot after that. Things were working better after that."

Montas flirted with trouble from the jump, allowing a first-inning double and then a single to Mike Trout that fortunately resulted in Nolan Schanuel being tagged out on a bang-bang play at the plate.

In the second, he surrendered a two-out, no-doubt solo homer to Jorge Soler that broke the ice, and Schanuel managed to get some revenge with an RBI double in the fifth that bumped the Angels' lead to 2-0.

But Montas retired eight straight batters at one point, and although he left the mound trailing with eight hits allowed, he ultimately earned his third win of the campaign with a boost from the Mets' bats.

"I thought he was good. I thought the secondary pitches were good," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Montas. "He used all of them in the strike zone, expanded when he needed to. He's got to be able to compete in the strike zone with the secondaries -- whether it's the split, the slider, the sweeper. The cutter elevated against a couple of lefties.

"The other good sign for me was, he was able to reach 97 [mph] in that sixth inning to get Soler for strike three in the top of the zone. That's a good sign. For him to reach there at 90 pitches, it was really good to see. So, a very good outing and very good step for him."

Montas, who threw 58 of a season-high 91 pitches for strikes, now owns a 4.62 ERA and 1.30 WHIP (five starts) since coming off the injured list in late June. He also has a strikeout-walk ratio of 23-to-6 across 25.1 innings, and his reliability will be put to the test next week in a scheduled road matchup with the Padres.