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Kyle Schwarber has 21st 4-homer game in MLB, drives in Phillies-record 9 runs

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia slugger Kyle Schwarber hit four home runs Thursday night against Atlanta to become the 21st major leaguer and fourth Phillies player to accomplish the feat.

Schwarber was 4 for 6 with a Phillies-record nine RBIs in the 19-4 victory. He took the outright National League homer lead with a career-high 49 and moved within one of Seattle’s Cal Raleigh for the major league lead. Schwarber leads the majors with a career-high 119 RBIs.

“It’s pretty cool,” Schwarber said. “It was a fun night, great atmosphere. Wouldn’t want to do it with a better group of guys than we have here.”

Mike Schmidt was the last Philadelphia player to hit four homers in a game, doing at the Chicago Cubs in April 1976. Schwarber had the third four-homer game of the season, following Eugenio Suárez and Nick Kurtz.

“It just cooperated,” Schwarber said. “You can do everything right and get out, and you can do everything wrong and get a hit. Got some pitches and put some good swings on it.”

The Philadelphia star started the power surge with a solo shot in the first off Cal Quantrill, sending a 2-1, curveball into the seats in right field. Schwarber hit a flyout to center in the second.

After Quantrill was lifted with one out and two runners on base in the fourth, Schwarber greeted lefty Austin Cox by sending a 3-2 curveball over the wall in right for his fourth multi-homer game of the season.

With “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants ringing down from Phillies fans in the fifth, Schwarber launched a three-run, opposite-field drive off Cox to put Philadelphia ahead 15-3. In the seventh, Schwarber hit a three-run shot to right off Wander Suero to make it 18-4.

Schwarber popped out in the eighth.

“I stink against position players,” Schwarber joked. “All you’re trying to do is get a good pitch. I got the pitch. Just popped it up.”

The 32-year-old Schwarber has 333 homers in 11 seasons in the majors with the Cubs and the Phillies. His previous career high was 47 in 2023 for Philadelphia.

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Yankees' Anthony Volpe snaps career-worst slump with multi-hit game vs. White Sox

Anthony Volpe was mired in the worst slump of his career and one of the worst in Yankees history.

The young shortstop entered Thursday's series opener against the White Sox 1 for his last 37. That .027 OBP (one hit, no walks) over his last 11 games was the lowest by a Yankee non-pitcher ever (minimum 30 plate appearances). That stretch led to him being benched in consecutive games for the first time in his career, but the Yankees are trying to get Volpe right, and starting him seems to be their solution.

And for at least one game, it worked.

Volpe went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in the Yankees' 10-4 win in Chicago. 

"Hopefully, it’s something that will get him going," manager Aaron Boone said after the game.

But Thursday's performance wasn't always pretty for Volpe. His first at-bat saw him reach on a fielding error, but he stole second -- his first stolen base since Aug. 6 --  and scored on a Ben Rice single. He then finally got a knock, lacing a double down the left-field line in his second at-bat before singling through the right side in his third AB. Thursday was Volpe's first multi-hit game since Aug. 1.

Boone was asked if Volpe had changed anything at the plate and the Yankees skipper said he didn't because he noticed there were good at-bats being had during his slump.

"Going back the last four games, there’s been an at-bat in each game where he hasn’t got rewarded where he squared it up," Boone said. "But in and around that, he’s had some at-bats that haven’t gone well. Little more consistent, little more disciplined tonight and good to see him get results."

"Nothing [has changed]," Volpe said of his approach at the plate. "Sticking to my approach and staying on the pitches."

Volpe said mentally, he's kept his perspective during his recent rough stretch. He's felt the frustrations of his performance but felt that he was close to breaking through.

"It’s a balance. It’s obviously frustrating. At the end of the day, you want to get results and help the team. When you’re not doing that, it’s frustrating," he said. "At the same time, I felt like I was close and taking good swings, putting together some good at-bats. Just a balance." 

He added, "I was barreling up the ball and getting pitches I can drive. There’s some bad at-bats in there, but I felt good."

Any major leaguer can explain that the last thing a struggling hitter can do is take their offensive woes to the field with them. Volpe has often done that season, and it happened in Thursday's game. In the second inning, Volpe booted a grounder right at him, and it resulted in four unearned runs. It's Volpe's 18th error of the season, tied for the MLB lead.

To Volpe's credit, he didn't let it affect his defense for the rest of the game or at the plate. He picked up his two hits and even produced a sac fly to tack on a run in the later innings. 

"After the error there in the second inning, I thought he made three stellar plays. Good to see him bounce back from that," Boone said. "We need to get him going. He’s such an important part of what we do. Hopefully, this is something he can build on."

Boone says that it's hard for a young player to push past making an error in the majors but knows Volpe has that makeup, which is what helps him stand out.

"Wiring-wise, he’s made for it. Gotta keep playing. I feel like he’s always kinda done that," he said. "I think it’s an important trait to have in our business. You better be able to get past some failures or mistakes, or this game will sink ya." 

"Just part of the game. There’s no other alternative," Volpe said of burying a mistake.

It's been a tough season for Volpe. Although his numbers this year are close to what he did in his rookie campaign, three seasons in and the team, fans and Volpe himself expect more out of him. In 132 games, he's slashing .207/.271/.397 with an OPS of .668 to go along with 18 homers and 66 RBI. And that includes his defensive errors and miscues that have cost the Yankees games this year. 

But as the team gets ready for a postseason push, perhaps Thursday's game can unlock something in Volpe for the stretch run. 

Cody Bellinger, who had three hits, including a homer on Thursday, can attest to what a little confidence boost can do for a player.

"Confidence is huge," he told YES Network's Meredit Marakovits on the field after the win. "A lot of balls right at people lately. That’s tough when things aren’t going your way. Credit to him, honestly. He stays locked in, stays positive. He’s a great baseball player. It’s exciting for him, especially today."

With three more games in Chicago, the Yankees and their fans will see if Volpe can indeed build off of this.

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Under-The-Radar Penguins To Watch In 2025-26

The Pittsburgh Penguins enter the 2025-26 season having gone three straight seasons without qualifying for the playoffs, and it appears likely to become four unless they exceed expectations. 

They are still super talented up front, led by captain Sidney Crosby. He's still one of the best players in the NHL and is coming off three-straight 90+ point seasons. He may be 38, but he still has quite a bit left in the tank. 

Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell are coming off career-best seasons and look poised to start the season with the Penguins after being involved in trade rumors over the summer. They also still have 39-year-old Evgeni Malkin, who can still make some things happen and will likely have better linemates for this season. The other two spots in the top six will be up for grabs during training camp and the preseason.

There are other good players on this roster going into the season who have already had big seasons for the Penguins, but let's take a look at a few under-the-radar players who could break out this year. 

Tommy Novak

Novak was acquired by the Penguins in the Michael Bunting trade before the 2025 NHL trade deadline and played only two games for the Penguins before suffering a season-ending injury. He finished the season with 13 goals and 22 points in 54 games.

He's now back to full health and has the makings of a player who can do it all. He can play third-line center, but he can also slide into the top six if necessary. There's a good chance that he and Malkin get some minutes together this season since Novak is an excellent distributor and an underrated finisher. Both elements work really well for Malkin's line. 

Before this season, Novak finished the 2023-24 season with 18 goals and 45 points in 71 games. Six of those goals came on the power play, so expect him also to receive PP time this season, whether it's on the first or second unit. 

Novak is someone who Penguins fans should be excited about for this season. 

Mar 15, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs (31) handles the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Arturs Silovs

Silovs was acquired by the Penguins on July 13 from the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and forward Chase Stillman. Silovs wasn't going to get much playing time with the Canucks next season due to their goaltending duo of Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen, so they found a new home for him. 

Silovs will have the opportunity to compete for Tristan Jarry's backup spot and is coming off an outstanding run in the Calder Cup Playoffs, winning the MVP and leading the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup title. He finished the playoffs with 16 wins, a 2.01 goals-against average, and a .931 save percentage. 

He's still only 24 and has also already played in some big games for Team Latvia at the World Championships and for the NHL's Canucks in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He helped his country win Bronze at the 2023 World Championships and has a knack for playing well in big games. 

If that play in big games can translate to the NHL for a full season, he'll have a good chance of earning a new contract with the Penguins since he's a restricted free agent after the season.

Penguins Name New Roving Coach To Organizational StaffPenguins Name New Roving Coach To Organizational StaffThe Pittsburgh Penguins have made yet another new hire on their organizational coaching staff.

Filip Hallander

I've said this before, but fans shouldn't sleep on Hallander going into the season, considering his performance over the last two years in the SHL (Swedish Hockey League). He looked like a different player in Sweden, finishing this past season with 26 goals and 53 points in 51 games. His 53 points ranked second in the league, and his goals also ranked second. 

His all-around game significantly improved during the last couple of years in Sweden, following two seasons in North America with the Penguins' organization. The Penguins picked him in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft, but he didn't get to North America until the 2021-22 season. 

After this past season, Hallander signed a contract with the Penguins at the end of April and is ready to fight for a full-time spot in the lineup. If he can bring over what he did in Sweden to the Penguins, they may find themselves with a solid depth contributor for pennies on the dollar. 

Join the THN - Pittsburgh Penguins Community to follow and chime in on the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!   

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'It's Special For All Of Us': Crosby's Presence Looms Large For Team Canada. And He's Not Finished.

Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Sidney Crosby (87) lifts the 4 Nations Face-Off trophy after winning against Team USA in overtime during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Even though there were three players sitting through a press conference ahead of Team Canada's Olympic Orientation Camp, a lot of the questions and answers seemed to center on one of them. 

And he also happens to be the eldest of the group.

Yes. More than a decade since the NHL's last Olympic appearance at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the man who captained that squad just so happens to remain the talk of the town - and the talk of the country.

Sidney Crosby may be 38 years old now - and his famous and fateful "Golden Goal" at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics is now the stuff of history books - but the shine still hasn't worn off for those around him. 

"It’s not lost on our generation," Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart remarked during the presser. "I think the biggest motivation there for us is that it doesn’t look like the window is closing for him any time soon. He’s a day-by-day guy focused on the now. That’s motivating for us, so we’re excited about that opportunity.”

Unlike Reinhart and Edmonton Oilers' superstar Connor McDavid - the third leg at the press conference - Crosby has been here before. He is familiar with the Olympic stage, and he knows not to take any of these experiences for granted.

Crosby had an opportunity as an 18-year-old to crack the 2006 Olympic roster for the Turin games, but he was cut. He went on to score the Golden Goal in 2010 and captained Canada to gold in 2014, and - given the circumstances around the past two Winter Olympic games in 2018 and 2022 - many were worried that they may never see Crosby don the Olympic maple leaf jersey again, let alone get to share that Olympic ice with stars like McDavid and Reinhart.

Celebrini's 'Earned The Right To Be In The Conversation' For The Olympics, But Whose Spot Does He Take?Celebrini's 'Earned The Right To Be In The Conversation' For The Olympics, But Whose Spot Does He Take?Is Macklin Celebrini better than Connor Bedard?

The rest of the hockey world may have been worried, but Crosby wasn't. Part of him always knew that he'd be back on this stage.

"With the way things went and so many things out of our control in the two prior times leading up to that, I try not to think too far ahead and just try to let it play out," Crosby said. "I was pretty confident that we’d find a way to get back, and I wanted to be a part of that, obviously. I guess I kept the belief.

"But, I think it wasn’t something that I gave a whole lot of thought as far as missing out on the opportunity. I just tried to be optimistic and positive about it.”

And after the success of the 4 Nations Face-off back in February, there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic and positive about international hockey coming back to the forefront. Folks are talking about hockey who wouldn't normally do so. Many realize that there is more talent in the league than, arguably, there ever has been, and 4 Nations was the first time many of them got a taste of what international competition entails. 

Guys like Crosby, though, know what to expect. But that doesn't mean there won't be some surprises and differences in style of play, especially since the game is much faster than it was the last time Crosby stepped onto an Olympic stage.

"We’ll probably go over some stuff here in the next couple of days, so we’ll probably get a better feel for that," Crosby said. "It’s NHL ice surface, so I would think that, as far as structures and things like that, it would be pretty similar. But, obviously, you look at the skill level, the speed… it’s a whole other level. If it’s anything like 4 Nations, it’s going to be fast.”

Even if the game is fast, though, that doesn't mean Crosby can't keep up. He tied McDavid for the 4 Nations lead in points with five, and he continued his dominance as a point-per-game player with his 20th consecutive NHL season at that mark in 2024-25, which set a new NHL record. 

The game may be faster, but Crosby continuously finds ways to adapt. He takes that energy into both the NHL season and international play, and it doesn't go unnoticed by his peers - many of whom idolized Crosby as kids watching him score the most famous goal in their nation's history.

Canada's Sidney Crosby scores in overtime against USA goalie Ryan Miller to win the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. © H. Darr Beiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

And they are grateful for the opportunity to finally share the ice with him on the world's biggest stage.

“There’s no shortage of what Sid means to me, I think that’s been well-documented," McDavid said. "Obviously, growing up watching Sid and idolizing him, and seeing him score that goal... You know, he’s cut from the ‘06 team, then in ‘10, he scores that goal, and then you see him captain the ‘14 team. So, for our generation, for him to still be here and being the captain and still playing a massive role… it’s special. It’s special for all of us."

Some of the talk surrounding Team Canada and Crosby this time around feels too eerily like a farewell tour. But, as McDavid pointed out, Crosby is still playing a "massive role" for Team Canada, so - perhaps - ruling him out for future Olympic games may not be the best bet. 

After all, this is Captain Canada we're talking about. This is a top-five player of all time. This is Sidney Crosby. 

Penguins' Sidney Crosby Lands High Rating In NHL 26Penguins' Sidney Crosby Lands High Rating In NHL 26Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby simply won't slow down. During his 20th career NHL season in 2024-25, he was once again one of the league's most dominant players. In 80 games on the year, the 2005 first-overall pick recorded 33 goals, 58 assists, and 91 points. With this, he set an NHL record by having his 20th NHL season producing at over a point-per-game pace.

Regardless of what happens in the future, though, Crosby is focused on the present. And he is eager and thankful to, once again, be representing his country at the peak of his sport's competition.

“[I'm] just grateful for the chance to still be competing and having the opportunity to do this," Crosby said. "You never know. It’s a tough sport, and it’s competitive. To be part of this, I think I'm just grateful, but I also know how special the opportunity is and what it means. So, in knowing that, it’s motivating. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of. You can feel the energy coming off of 4 Nations. That was huge, and I think everyone got a taste of international hockey and, obviously, what the Olympics are going to look like.

"A lot of different emotions, but just excited, motivated, and grateful for the opportunity to be at it again.”

Join the THN - Pittsburgh Penguins Community to follow and chime in on the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!   

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Defensive miscues cost Mets against Marlins: 'They capitalized on every opportunity we gave them'

The Mets, riding high after a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies, had the chance to capitalize with the lowly, youthful Miami Marlins in town. But on Thursday night at Citi Field, the team pushing for the postseason played like the team that played nine rookies.

“We didn’t execute, we didn’t play a clean game, and they made us pay for it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the 7-4 defeat. “Didn’t do the little things, fundamentally, some routine plays there gave them some extra outs, some extra bases, and cost us a game.”

The tale of the tape: three Mets errors resulting in five unearned runs, including three unearned in the seventh to put the visitors ahead for good.

“Game got away from us there,” said Pete Alonso, who committed the first error of the seventh and was involved in another. “We gave the Marlins an opportunity, and they capitalized on every opportunity we gave them."

Mendoza dismissed the notion that this game was a bit of a hangover effort following the three-game sweep of the Phillies.

“I thought today the guys were in a good spot, prepared, just didn’t execute,” the skipper said. “Take the lead, we put pressure right away that first inning, and then it kinda gets away from us. We give up three runs in that third inning; we didn’t make routine plays.”

Playing with a 2-1 lead in the third, the Marlins had a runner on third and one out, and Jeff McNeil fielded a slow roller, and rather than taking the sure out at first, he fired home even though he had no chance to get the runner at the plate. The extra out came back to haunt them, as with two outs in the inning, Alonso fielded a grounder and threw to Clay Holmes covering first, but the starter had the ball pop out of his glove to score another run.

“I felt like I was in position to make the catch. It just kinda hit the part of my glove where it just jumped out of it,” Holmes said. “Goes in the pocket, it's probably an out, an easy catch. Kinda just stabbed at it, hit a part of the glove that was a little stiffer, and it just hopped out. 

“A routine play that I should make 10 out of 10 times, but I didn’t make it there.”

Holmes, who allowed a third run to score in the inning with a single to put Miami ahead 4-2, said he wasn’t expecting it to be an underhanded toss from Alonso, who threw the ball overhand and on a line.

“We didn’t make plays behind him,” Mendoza said of the starter’s five-inning outing. “He’s a ground ball pitcher, he’s gonna rely on the defense, and today we didn’t execute.”

In the seventh, after Alonso tied the game with a two-run home run, his 30th of the year, the sloppiness returned. After a leadoff single, Alonso fielded a grounder cleanly, but lost the ball as he went to transfer it to start a double play. A single to left should have loaded the bases, but Brandon Nimmo bobbled the ball, allowing the go-ahead run to score. 

A passed ball from catcher Hayden Senger put two runners in scoring position, setting up a one-out grounder to McNeil, and again with the infield in, another run scored as Liam Hicks' head-first dive just beat the tag. A sac fly plated the third run of the inning.

With 28 games left to play, dwelling on the loss isn’t in the plan ahead of three more against the Marlins over the weekend. 

“Good thing is we got another game tomorrow,” Alonso, who went 2-for-4 at the plate, said. “Learn from it, flush it, and full speed ahead.”

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Yankees extend winning streak to five games after 10-4 defeat of White Sox

The Yankees hit three more home runs as they defeated the lowly White Sox, 10-4, on Thursday night in Chicago.

New York now has 33 home runs in their last 10 games. The Yanks have 21 games with 10-plus runs this season, the most in MLB. Thursday's victory extended their winning streak to five games, and they are now 4.0 games behind the idle Blue Jays for first place in the AL East.

Here are the takeaways...

-A day after smashing six longballs in the series finale against the Nationals, the Yankees got the scoring started early with a two-run shot from Cody Bellinger in the second inning. It's the 41st first-inning homer this season for the Yankees, which leads MLB. Jazz Chisholm Jr. would lead off the second with a solo shot to give the Yankees an early 3-0 lead. Ben Rice would tack on with an RBI single after Anthony Volpe reached on an error and stole second base.

-Will Warren worked into trouble in the first two innings. He escaped back-to-back two-out singles in the first inning, but the same wouldn't be said for the second. After Volpe booted a grounder, Warren walked and hit a batter to load the bases with one out. Warren struck out Mike Tauchman, but fell behind Miguel Vargas 2-0 before missing badly on a sinker, and the first baseman deposited the pitch over the wall for a grand slam to tie the game at 4-4.

Warren would get into trouble one more time in the fifth, allowing two runners on with one out, but got two flyouts to end the White Sox threat.

The young right-hander did not have his best stuff, but if it weren't for the Volpe error, the ledger would have looked a lot different. He tossed 93 pitches (51 strikes) over five innings, allowing four runs (none earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out three batters.

-Vargas would not get a chance to build on his grand slam as he would be injured in the fifth inning when a throw from third base was up the line and Judge ran through Vargas' glove hand. The ball would trickle into foul territory, allowing Riceto score from first base to give the Yankees a lead. Vargas would be removed with a wrist injury. After a Bellinger double that was almost caught at the wall, Giancarlo Stanton grounded into a fielder's choice, but Chisholm came through to score Judge from third on a sac fly.

Volpe would tack on in the eighth with a sac fly to put the Yankees up 7-4. Trent Grisham hit the knockout blow with a two-run shot, his 27th of the season, as the outfielder's career year continues. Paul Goldschmidt's sac fly in the ninth capped off the Yankees' scoring.

-In relief of Warren, Fernando Cruz made his second appearance since returning from the IL. He was much better this time through as he pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning and struck out one batter. Luke Weaver struck out two in a 1-2-3 seventh, Devin Williams struck out the side in the eighth before giving way to Mark Leiter Jr. in the ninth, with the right-hander handling it on just 13 pitches with a strikeout.

-Volpe started at shortstop and batted ninth in the order in the midst of a 1-for-37 slump. In his first at-bat, he tried to bunt his way on but had to settle for reaching on an error. He would finally get off the schneid with a two-out double in his second at-bat. He would single in his third at-bat. Volpe finished 2-for-3, with an RBI, run scored and a stolen base. It's his first multi-hit game since Aug. 1 and his first stolen base since Aug. 6. 

-After a day off in the series finale with the Nationals, Stanton got the start in right field on Thursday. The slugger went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He and Goldschmidt (0-4, RBI, run scored) were the only starters to go hitless.

Game MVP: Yankees bullpen

After the Vargas grand slam, Yankees pitching allowed just two hits, with the bullpen giving up none. Cruz, Weaver, Williams and Leiter Jr. combined to pitch four scoreless innings and strike out seven batters.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees and White Sox continue their four-game set on Friday night. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m.

Carlos Rodon (14-7, 3.24 ERA) will take the mound for New York, while Chicago will oppose him with Yoendrys Gomez (3-1, 4.73 ERA).

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Sloppy defense, bullpen woes sink Mets in 7-4 loss to Marlins

The Mets committed three errors and allowed five unearned runs as they failed to play a clean game in a 7-4 loss to the Miami Marlins on Thursday night at Citi Field. 

New York fell to 72-62 on the season.

Here are the key takeaways...

- After Francisco Lindor singled to start the first, Pete Alonso smashed a double to the right-center gap on a ball that centerfielder Jakob Marsee nearly came up with for a sensational running grab, but it kicked off his glove. Marsee’s effort meant Lindor could only advance to third as he started to go back to tag up. But Brandon Nimmo capitalized by bouncing a two-RBI double down the first base line against a drawn-in infield off Marlins starter Adam Mazur.

- In the fifth, Alonso, with Juan Soto on first after his 108th walk of the season, got a 1-2 fastball up in the zone from reliever Lake Bachar and clobbered it to just left of center for a 425-foot two-run blast to level the score at four in the fifth. The no-doubter was the slugger's 30th of the season and gave him 108 RBI on the year.

- The bullpen got to work with the score tied and kept letting trouble find them. It started when Ryne Stanek walked the first two batters he faced, leading to a visit from pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. After Dane Myers failed to get the bunt down, Stanek got him to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play before a flyout to right ended the threat.

Gregory Soto wasn’t so lucky in the seventh as he immediately had runners on first and second after a leadoff single up the middle and an error from Alonso when the ball popped out of his glove as he started the transfer to throw to second on a slow roller.

Agustin Ramirez then laced a Gregory Soto slider off Lindor's glove for a single, with a run coming around to score when Nimmo bobbled the ball for the second error of the inning. After a passed ball put both runners in scoring position, the lefty got a strikeout, but a broken-bat grounder to the left of Jeff McNeil plated another run as Liam Hicks just got his hand in ahead of Hayden Senger's tag. 

Kevin Herget, recently recalled from Triple-A, entered with one out and runners on first and second, and allowed a sac fly to center and pop out to left to end the three-run Miami inning wth none earned. 

Hergert needed just 11 pitches for a 1-2-3 eighth with a strikeout and pitched around a leadoff infield single for a scoreless ninth with a strikeout. 

- Calvin Faucher came on to close the game in the ninth, getting pinch-hitter Starling Marte to fly out to center, Lindor swinging at a ball in the dirt, and Soto to ground out to second.

- Clay Holmes found himself in a spot of bother in the first with a one-out infield single followed by a single off the starter’s right foot that put runners on the corners. The righty limited the damage with a sac fly to the right-center gap and a 1-6-3 groundout on another ball that he deflected, this time off his glove.

After working around a two-out hit in the second, Holmes nicked the leadoff man on the foot with the first pitch of the third inning, Xavier Edwards quickly stole second, and moved to third on a groundout. Against the drawn-in infield, a slow tapper to second, Edwards scored to tie the game. On the play, McNeil should have thrown to first for the force, as he had no chance to get the speedy runner; his throw home was way late.

After a grounder to third put another man in scoring position, McNeil’s decision to throw home came around to hurt the Mets, as Alonso fielded a grounder, but his throw to first was a bit firm and surprised the covering Holmes, who dropped the ball, which rolled into foul territory, allowing another run to score and Troy Johnston to reach second. Otto Lopez took advantage with an RBI single to left to make it a three-run inning. Had McNeil simply flipped it to first and/or Holmes caught the ball, the damage would have just been one run.

Holmes issued a one-out walk in the fourth and a two-out single in the fifth, and with his pitch count at 88 (54 strikes), his night was done after just recording 15 outs. His final line: four runs (two earned), five hits, one walk, two strikeouts.

- It was not the night for some Mets who entered swinging hot bats: Mark Vientos, 15-for-38 with a 1.416 OPS his last 10 games, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts (0-for-1 RISP). Brett Baty, 18-for-50 with a 1.058 OPS in his last 15 games, struck out swinging twice as he went 1-for-4 (0-for-1 RISP). And Juan Soto, 13 RBI and a .915 OPS in his last 16 games, went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

Lindor finished the night 3-for-5 with three singles. Alonso went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Nimmo finished 1-for-4 with two RBI and a strikeout.

As a team, the Mets managed just seven hits while striking out 10 times with three walks (a HBP) and went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base.

- The bottom of the order didn't provide a punch, either: Cedric Mullins finished 0-for-3 with a walk, and had a bloop hit to center robbed from him with a runner on first and two down in the eighth when defensive replacement Derek Hill made a diving catch. McNeil went 0-for-2 with a walk and a hit by pitch. (0-for-1 RISP) and Senger went down looking in his first at-bat, but got a chance with runners on the corners and two down in the fourth, but he popped out to left field. He finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

The Mets and Marlins continue the four-game set on Friday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

Jonah Tong will make his highly anticipated MLB debut for the home team. He's pitched to a 1.43 ERA and 0.924 WHIP with 179 strikeouts across 113.2 innings in the minors this year. The visitors are sending up their 6-foot-8 right-hander Eury Perez (3.44 ERA, 0.976 WHIP in 70.2 innings) for his 15th start of the campaign.  

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Mets' Tylor Megill overcomes one bad inning to get through four with Triple-A

Tylor Megill completed an uneven start with Triple-A on Thursday night, but showed some resiliency by pitching four innings for Syracuse.

After a clean first inning, Megill came out for the second with a hefty 8-0 lead against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. However, the Mets right-hander was rudely welcomed by a solo shot from Jose Rojas. The big right-hander then walked three straight batters to load the bases with no outs. Megill almost got out of the jam when he struck out Andrew Velazaquez and Spencer Jones back-to-back, but a walk to J.C. Escarra and a single to Brennen Davis drove in two runs. But that would be all the runs allowed by Megill as he got T.J. Rumfield to fly out to end the inning.

Megill would allow just one more hit in his final two innings as he gutted through four innings. 

Tossing 70 pitches (42 strikes), Megill allowed three runs on four hits, four walks while striking out four hitters. 

Thursday was Megill's fourth rehab start, second with Syracuse, and this is the first time the right-hander has allowed a run. In his four outings, Megill has allowed three total runs across 14 innings pitched. He's struck out 21 batters in that span. In his last start with Triple-A, Megill allowed just one hit and walked one batter across five shutout innings. 

It's unclear what the next steps are for Megill after his latest rehab start, but with the rosters expanding on Sept. 1, Megill could be a candidate to rejoin the Mets in the starting rotation or bullpen.