Rob Thomson has talked since spring training about managing his starting pitchers a bit differently in 2025.
With the long game in mind and the goal of keeping their workhorses as fresh as possible for October, the Phillies have dialed their starters back ever so slightly. Rather than extend them one more inning when their pitch count is nearing the upper limit, the Phils have played it safer. The fact that they trail only the Braves and Rays in innings per start speaks to the efficiency and overall productivity of one of baseball’s best rotations.
Thomson could have sent Cristopher Sanchez back out for the ninth inning of Thursday’s 2-1 win in Miami but went to Orion Kerkering instead for the save. Sanchez had retired 10 in a row and was at only 91 pitches, but the Phillies’ manager stayed true to his word.
While every starter wants to finish his own work when the opportunity presents itself, Sanchez didn’t seem too bothered by the decision in the dugout after his eighth and final inning. He was terrific, allowing one run on five hits with no walks and picking up 16 of his 24 outs on the ground.
The lefty is 6-2 with a 2.87 ERA through 15 starts and is on pace to exceed 180 innings.
The Marlins gave the Phillies a scare in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a one-out error by Alec Bohm, which extended the inning for Miami to later put runners on the corners. Dane Myers popped up to Bohm to end it as Kerkering picked up his second career save.
The Phillies (45-30) took three of four at loanDepot Park, the dullest venue in baseball. They’ll come home to substantially more energy this weekend against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, a battle for first place in the NL East. The teams are now tied thanks to six straight Mets losses.
Every bit of Sanchez’ mastery was required in the finale in Miami because the Phillies didn’t score until the seventh inning. They were gifted their first run on a bobble by Marlins third baseman Connor Norby, who still had a force-out at the plate but chose instead to race to third to unsuccessfully attempt a 5-3 double play on Bryson Stott.
Kyle Schwarber tattooed his 23rd home run of the season in the top of the eighth and Sanchez and Kerkering finished off the series win.
The Phillies have responded to a 2-10 stretch by winning six of their last seven. Their ace, Zack Wheeler, kicks off the weekend looking to maintain momentum. The Phils have played poorly against the Mets for a calendar year but have a chance to help themselves out in a big way. It’s an important head-to-head opportunity, one that won’t come up again until the final week of August.
Should the Warriors pair Steph Curry with his younger brother Seth? Longtime NBA coach Doc Rivers certainly believes so.
During an interview on “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Rivers stated that the pending free agent’s most ideal fit would be playing alongside his older brother in the Bay Area.
“I actually think the perfect place for him would be Golden State,” Rivers told Simmons. (h/t ClutchPoints)
Rivers then doubled down on his belief that the pair of sharpshooting brothers would excel playing on the same team together.
“I don’t know if it’s possible or not,” Rivers explained. “I don’t know if either one of them would want it actually, but I do think, forget that, it has nothing to do with that, it’s the way they play, he fits perfect. I’ve said that for two or three years and whenever you bring it up to the family they kind of uh that’s not… But I do think it’d be sensational. It would be great for him.”
While Steph widely is recognized as the greatest shooter of all time, Seth actually led the NBA with a 45.6 3-point percentage during the 2024-25 season.
Seth averaged 6.5 points in 15.6 minutes per game for the Charlotte Hornets in his latest campaign, but was highly efficient beyond the arc, which potentially could provide the Warriors with a huge boost to the perimeter shooting issues that plagued the Warriors for large stretches last season.
Seth is an 11-year NBA veteran who has had stints with the Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trailblazers, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies as well as his most recent NBA run with the Hornets.
While it remains to be seen if this reunion will come to fruition, it is fun to envision a world where “Splash Brother” takes on an entirely new meaning.
RHP Max Kranick (right elbow strain) was placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to June 16. He last pitched on June 15 against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing two hits over two innings with a strikeout and a walk. Over 24 games this season, Kranick owns a 3-2 record with a 3.65 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 37.1 IP.
"After the last outing, we had an off day, he complained about some soreness around the elbow area, forearm," Carlos Mendoza told reporters. "Kind of gave him a couple of extra days where we tried to stay away from him, got treatment. Yesterday he played catch, got on the mound, and he was still feeling something. Very similar to what [Tylor] Megill was experiencing on the secondary pitches.
"So he flew back to New York this morning. He got an MRI early this afternoon. We're waiting for the results now."
Mendoza added that Kranick "didn't think this was something too serious," but they'll wait to see what the imaging shows.
With Kranick hitting the IL, New York recalled relievers Dedniel Nuñez and Justin Hagenman from Triple-A Syracuse, while optioning RHP Ty Adcock to Triple-A.
Nuñez had a late start to his season while recovering from an elbow injury, making his season debut on May 5. However, the righty struggled and walked six batters in 3.2 innings of work across five games. He was then optioned down to Triple-A on May 17.
Over 19 games in the minors, Nuñez has gone 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA, 21 strikeouts, and 11 walks in 19.0 IP.
Hagenman is expected to start Friday's game as the opener against the Phillies in Philadelphia. He allowed one run on three hits over 3.1 IP with four strikeouts on April 16 against the Minnesota Twins in his lone major league appearance and owns a 6.21 ERA over 33.1 innings with Triple-A Syracuse.
Adcock let up one run on one hit in Wednesday's loss to the Braves and has pitched to a 3.00 ERA over three games with the Mets this season.
After a week of historically dormant offense, the Yankees mercifully snapped their season-long, six-game losing streak with a 7-3 win over the Angels on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
By salvaging the final game of the series, the Yankees also prevented the Angels from pulling off their first-ever four-game road sweep in the Bronx.
Here are the takeaways...
-- The Angels wasted no time drawing first blood for a fourth straight game. With two outs in the first inning, Carlos Rodón grooved a fastball to Mike Trout that landed deep in the left-center field bullpen for a home run, the 390th of his esteemed career. But the Yankees quickly responded in the bottom half with a somewhat refreshing rally against Tyler Anderson. A leadoff double from Paul Goldschmidt, an infield single from Cody Bellinger, and an RBI groundout from Giancarlo Stanton knotted the score at one apiece after one.
-- Rodón couldn't keep the game tied for long, however. In the second inning with one out, he served up another solo homer -- this time to Jo Adell -- that landed in the right-field seats and gave the Angels a 2-1 lead. There haven't been many players hotter than Adell, who has smacked nine homers over his last 18 games. Shortly after Rodón completed the frame, a heavy thunderstorm forced a rollout of the tarp. But before the tarp was even laid out entirely, the grounds crew stunningly picked it up and proceeded to fold it -- one of the strangest rain delays in recent memory.
-- Perhaps the brief rain shower washed away the Yankees' week-long stench at the plate. After a two-out single from DJ LeMahieu in the second, Trent Grisham crushed a fastball into the right-field bleachers for a two-run homer, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Then, two pitches later, Goldschmidt ripped a fastball down the line in left for a solo blast, making the score 4-2. It was the sixth time the Yankees have smacked back-to-back homers this season.
-- The two-run cushion helped Rodón settle in a bit, as he retired six of seven batters during the fourth and fifth innings. But the homer bug nipped him yet again with one out in the sixth, when Taylor Ward took a fastball deep to right-center for a solo shot. The three homers allowed by Rodón bumped his season total to 13, and it was the first time that he gave up three jacks in a game since June 21, 2024. Despite the longballs, the veteran southpaw still earned a quality start -- he struck out seven and walked one across six innings and now owns a 3.10 ERA.
-- In the seventh, the Yankees pushed their lead back to two. After a one-out Grisham double and a LeMahieu strikeout, Bellinger delivered an RBI single to right. But the scoring play also ended the inning, as Bellinger was tagged out trying to stretch his hit into a double. It was the Yankees' second baserunning gaffe of the game -- Anthony Volpe made the final out at third in the sixth due to miscommunication on a steal attempt by Austin Wells at first.
-- The Yankees turned to relievers Mark Leiter Jr. and Jonathan Loaisiga for the seventh and eighth innings, and they kept the 5-3 lead intact by retiring six of seven combined batters. A second rain delay arrived in the eighth -- this one lasted 32 minutes -- after a leadoff double from Aaron Judge and a walk to Stanton. When play resumed, Jazz Chisholm Jr. reached first on a bunt single that tricked past the pitcher.
-- The no-out, bases-loaded rally produced two runs on sacrifice hits -- a groundout from Volpe and a flyout from Wells -- that pushed the Yankees' lead to a more-comfortable 7-3. Devin Williams was then called upon to close out the ninth in a non-save situation, and he completed the task by striking out three. In his last 15 games, Williams owns a sharp 1.88 ERA.
-- Of course, there was no guarantee of a breakout -- is that the correct word here? -- with Anderson on the mound. The veteran lefty entered Thursday with a 2.05 ERA in four career starts (22 innings) against the Yankees.
Game MVP: Trent Grisham
Grisham's regression at the plate over the last month was inevitable -- his surprising red-hot start to the season just wasn't sustainable. But he gave the Yankees a much-needed jolt with a 2-for-3 day that included a go-ahead homer and a double. He raised his OPS to .823.
The Yankees (43-31) will continue their week-long homestand on Friday night, when they begin a three-game set with the division-rival Orioles. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Max Fried (9-2, 1.89 ERA) is slated to take the mound, while the Orioles have yet to announce their starter.
With their backs against the wall at home, the Pacers crushed the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-91 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals Thursday, facing a winner-takes-all scenario in Game 7.
The game was close after one, but Indiana used a 36-17 differential in the second quarter to pull away, followed by a 26-18 advantage in the third. The Pacers led by as much as 31, but saw the final score get cut into by the Thunder in garbage time.
Tyrese Haliburton played through a calf strain that’s typically a multi-week injury and recorded 14 points and five assists in 23 minutes, while shooting 5 of 12 from the field and 3 of 7 from deep. The blowout score provided Haliburton some extra key minutes of rest.
Obi Toppin led Indiana in scoring with 20 points off the bench, mainly helping keep the cushion safe in the fourth quarter. Backup point guard T.J. McConnell played 24 minutes off the bench and added 12 points on 6 of 12 shooting.
Haliburton was aided in the starting lineup by Andrew Nembhard’s 17 points, as the shooting guard maximized his touches on 5 of 7 shooting overall, with a 3 of 5 clip from deep. Pascal Siakam shot 6 of 14 overall for 16 points and 13 rebounds. The only Indiana starter who did not reach double figures was center Myles Turner, who had three points on a 1 of 9 clip from the field.
Oklahoma City’s star duo of league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and possible Finals MVP candidate Jalen Williams were kept in check. Gilgeous-Alexander was held to 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting with 7 of 8 free throws, four rebounds and two assists, while turning the rock over eight times. Williams mustered 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting.
Chet Holmgren, the Thunder’s star big man, had it even worse with just four points on 2 of 9 shooting and six rebounds. Oklahoma City also shot just 8 of 30 from downtown, a clip of 26.7%. Indiana wasn’t explosive at 35.7%, but had the volume edge with 15 of 42 makes.
That’s also before mentioning Indiana’s 68% free-throw rate on 25 attempts, while the Thunder had 80.8% on 26 attempts. The Thunder also turned it over 10 more times than Indiana (21 to 11), with OKC conceding 19 points off mistakes to the Pacers’ 13.
The 26-year-old's agent, Murray Koontz of WD Sports & Entertainment, told The Hockey News that nothing has been finalized but that conversations between him and Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald are ongoing.
Glass was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins with Jonathan Gruden for Chase Stillman, Max Graham, and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft on Mar. 7, 2025.
The Winnipeg native is one of three restricted free agents (RFAs), along with Luke Hughes and Nolan Foote.
In 14 games with the Devils, Glass earned seven points (two goals, five assists). He is coming off a two-year, $5 million contract that he signed with the Nashville Predators in 2023.
"(He adds) size and speed," Fitzgerald said of Glass. "You know, he has played wing and center and gives us optionality. We want to be bigger. We want to be faster, and he gives us that."
The 6-foot-3, 201-pound forward earned a single-season career-high 35 points in 72 games with the Predators in 2022-23. One area of his game that has improved over the past couple of seasons is his face-off win percentage, which reached 51.2% in the 2024-25 campaign.
The Devils parted ways with depth center Erik Haula on Wednesday in a trade with the Predators. Another depth center, Justin Dowling, will likely not return, per his agent. New Jersey needs to solidify its center depth to take some of the pressure off of captain Nico Hischier, who took the second-most draws in the NHL at 1,777.
It is still early, as the Stanley Cup was awarded just a few days ago. The Devils have multiple decisions to make in addition to their RFAs, as Curtis Lazar, Nathan Bastian, Daniel Sprong, Brian Dumoulin, and Jake Allen are unrestricted free agents.
The Chicago Blackhawks finished in 31st place in 2024-25. Whenever a season ends like that, whether by design or not, changes to the roster are on the horizon.
A handful of veterans will be retained in Chicago, and some talent may be brought in over the summer. For the most part, however, this will be a team mostly built on youth.
There is the possibility that player buy-outs are there to escape Chicago from any player that they want to remove from their books. It comes at a price, but teams do it all the time to make room. Sometimes, it is money-driven. In other cases, it is because the player no longer fits in from a hockey perspective.
The buyout window opens on Friday, June 20th. Plenty of teams are going to shed some salary from their overall cap.
Chicago is leading the way with TJ Brodie. He is the face of the buyout window this year, as many expect him to be bought out right away. The Blackhawks have plenty of cap room, and they are going to have even more following this move.
If Brodie were bought out, the Blackhawks would have two years of buyout penalty. The first year would be $3.23 million, and the second would be $258K. If they kept him, they'd have him for one more year at $3.75 million
It is also clear that there is not a hockey need for Brodie anymore. On defense, young talents like Artyom Levshunov, Louis Crevier, Alex Vlasic, Ethan Del Mastro, Nolan Allan, Sam Rinzel, and Kevin Korchinski all played at different points during the season.
They also have a veteran like Connor Murphy still there, and more youth on the way. It's a good problem to have for an NHL team, but they may even need to trade a young asset to make room.
Despite the tough season in Chicago, Brodie should be able to find work if he does get bought out. There will be teams looking for defensemen all across the league. At worst, he will get a two-way contract or a PTO during training camp.
The only other Blackhawks player that may make sense to buy out is Joe Veleno. His buyout wouldn't be as harsh because of his age/salary, which makes it possible, but they do need players to have in the lineup come opening night.
The buyout penalty for Veleno would be for two years. Year one would be $796K, and the second year would be $296K. Whether or not a move like this should happen is debatable, but only Kyle Davidson knows exactly how he wants the team to line up in 2025-26.
When the window opens, a handful of teams will make moves. Will the Blackhawks consider any of the players let go? That will depend on the player, his position, and the philosophy of the organization going into the summer.
Brodie, as mentioned before, became unplayable by the end of the season. Letting him go is worth it for that reason alone, which is why he is the top 2025 buyout candidate in the NHL.
Coming out of the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month, the Buffalo Sabres got the lowdown on a number of prospects that could be their with the ninth selection at the 2025 Draft in Los Angeles later this month, but barring a trade up they will have to rely on the player they want slipping through the cracks.
The NY Islanders are likely to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the top overall pick, but there is no accurate read on how the remaining seven picks will break. That seems to be reflected in various mock drafts that have emerged since the combine. After Schaefer, names like Michael Misa, Caleb Desnoyers, and rising star Anton Frondell are likely to go in the top five, but at that point, any of a number of players could be there for the Sabres at #9.
Swedish forward Victor Eklund is listed on most mock drafts as a top-10 pick at the 2025 NHL Draft later this month after scoring 19 goals for Djurgardens in the second-level Allsvenskan last season and six points at the 2025 IIHF World Junior last January. The Sabres have been quite willing to select players out of the SHL the last few seasons, as they have chosen Isak Rosen and Noah Ostlund in the first round of the 2021 and 2022 Drafts and Anton Wahlberg in the second round of the 2023 Draft.
According to the Hockey News Draft Preview, Eklund is a high-energy forward who, along with linemate and 2025 first-round prospect Frondell, helped Djurgardens win elevation back to the SHL last season. His size (5’11”, 161 lb.) isn’t ideal, but the 18-year-old winger has NHL pedigree as the younger brother of San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund, which could make some teams overlook his lack of size.
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The Vegas Golden Knights currently head into the offseason with Adin Hill and Akira Schmid under contract as Ilya Samsonov prepares for his second offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
Samsonov was unimpressive in his first season with the Golden Knights, posting a .891 SP and a 2.82 GAA in 29 starts. He posted a positive record, going 16-9-4, but when he was in the crease, the Golden Knights lacked the security they grew accustomed to receiving from Logan Thompson.
Coincidentally, they felt that security when Schmid was in between the pipes. In five games, the 25-year-old posted a .944 SP and a 1.26 GAA, starting three of those five games and winning two. His success in the NHL came as a surprise. When the Golden Knights acquired Schmid and Alexander Holtz from the New Jersey Devils, they planned on playing him in the AHL. Schmid played most of the season with the Henderson Silver Knights, throwing up unenthusiastic numbers. His .886 SP and 3.58 GAA in 30 games were well off the numbers that top goaltending prospect Carl Lindbom registered.
It's difficult to draw conclusions about a goaltender after just one season, but Schmid, at times, has shown he can be a dependable goaltender. In the 2022-23 season, Schmid recorded a .922 SP in 18 games.
The Golden Knights are hoping to make a splash in the offseason and need to cut costs in several areas. One way to do so is to bank on players earning cost-efficient contracts like Schmid. He's under contract for the 2025-26 season at just $875,000 and will remain a restricted free agent when the contract expires.
With a 6'5 frame, Schmid has the physical tools for a modern-day NHL goaltender, but putting it all together consistently has been the issue, similar to what's been said about Samsonov throughout his career. Utilizing Schmid as a backup goaltender has its benefits. It allows the organization more freedom in free agency, and it grants Lindbom, as well as Cameron Whitehead, the freedom to serve as the goaltender tandem in the AHL.
It does come with its fair share of risks. If Schmid struggles and Hill suffers an injury, the Golden Knights will be left in an unfavorable situation. If the Golden Knights are serious about their pursuit of Mitch Marner, utilizing Schmid as the backup goaltender is well worth the risk.
A classic high-risk, high-reward situation.
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Newly crowned French Open champion Coco Gauff was stunned on her return to action Thursday, losing to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-3 at the Berlin Open.
The second-ranked Gauff, who won at Roland-Garros less than two weeks ago for her second Grand Slam title, amassed 25 unforced errors and seven double faults in her loss to Wang.
The Canadiens had drafted the 25-year-old in the second round of the 2018 draft with the 38th pick overall. He had two good seasons in Montreal but was traded in a deal with the New York Islanders at the 2022 draft, in which Kent Hughes acquired a first-round pick he needed to bring center Kirby Dach to Montreal.
Since then, Romanov has played three seasons with the Islanders, featuring in 221 games in which he scored 64 points, blocked 465 shots, and landed 502 hits. His past contract had a $2.5 million cap hit, and his performance has warranted a healthy raise. He will also be arbitration-eligible this summer, just like teammate and right-shot defenseman Noah Dobson.
According to RG.org, the Bruins could be working on a bigger trade involving the Islanders, with the names of Romanov, Dobson, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau all being mentioned. Should a deal occur between the two sides, the Canadiens could be facing Romanov and his gritty play, as well as Ottawa, Ontario native Pageau, who has been known as a “Habs Killer” in the past, more frequently.
After an awful year in which they missed the playoffs, the Bruins hold the seventh pick in the draft, an asset that could prove quite valuable on the market, much more valuable than Montreal’s 16th and 17th overall picks. With the core they’ve got locked up, Boston is not expected to go into a rebuild mode and would instead focus on roster players to right the ship.
Seeing their divisional rival improve with that kind of trade would be a disaster for the Canadiens, especially since Montreal could also use a defenseman like Noah Dobson, if he is indeed available.
Given how Dach has performed since the trade that brought him to Montreal, there is no doubt the Islanders have won the deal, and that would be even more obvious if they were to use Romanov in a deal to land the seventh overall pick.
Photo credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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According to multiple reports, the Philadelphia Flyers have reportedly hired former Washington Capitals head coach and one-time Stanley Cup champion Todd Reirden as an assistant coach, completing their coaching staff for the 2025-26 season.
Reirden, 53, last coached in the NHL in the 2023-24 season, serving as an associate coach on former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan's staff.
Reirden spent eight seasons coaching with the Penguins at the NHL level, which were abbreviated by a six-year stint with the Capitals.
In those six years, the former NHL defenseman spent two as an assistant coach, two as an associate coach, and two as the head coach of the Capitals.
Overall, in his lone two seasons as an NHL head coach, Reirden went 89-46-16 with the Capitals, including a 104-point finish in the 2018-19 season. However, the Capitals were just 5-10 in the postseason under Reirden's watch, leading to his dismissal on Aug. 20, 2020 ahead of the 2020-21 season.
The 14-year veteran coach won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals as an associate coach in the 2017-18 season.
With Reirden now reportedly in the fold, the Flyers have made all the necessary hires to complete their coaching staff for the 2025-26 season.
Rick Tocchet, now tasked with leading his old Flyers back to glory, will be joined by his former Vancouver Canucks assistant Yogi Svejkovsky, former Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Jay Varady, and now Reirden.
Svejkovsky will run the Flyers' power play, while Reirden will replace former interim head coach Brad Shaw and take charge of the defense and penalty kill.
The Buffalo Sabres are in the process of putting together their plan for what to do with their roster this summer. Various reports have indicated that the club is taking offers for restricted free agent defenseman Bowen Byram, and are at least listening to teams on RFA winger JJ Peterka, but there is not a clear picture of what the future may hold for winger Alex Tuch.
Following the NHL Scouting Combine earlier this month the name of Tuch began being mentioned as a potential trade option by James Mirtle of the Athletic, coming off a career-high 36-goal campaign last season, but according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, any possibility of a trade involving the 29-year-old winger is premature.
“There’s zero indication out there that Tuch has either told the Sabres he wants to be traded or (that) he won’t sign an extension if one is offered to him,” Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast on Wednesday.
The Syracuse, NY native was acquired as part of the Jack Eichel deal with Vegas in November 2021 and has 106 goals for the Sabres in 281 regular season games. Tuch has a year left on a seven-year, $33.25 million contract he signed with the Golden Knights in 2018 and becomes eligible for an extension on July 1.
Tuch is in a strong negotiating position with the Sabres, as he and Tage Thompson are consistent offensive producers. It is likely with the salary cap going up after making $4.75 million the last seven years that the winger would be looking for a long-term deal in the same neighborhood of Josh Norris ($7.95 million) or Thompson ($7.14 million), and their willingness to do that may depend on what they get in return for Byram and if they are forced to deal Peterka.
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Flying winger brushes off allegiance jibes and cannot wait for Australia after a testing Lions tour in 2021
Duhan van der Merwe does not want to shake hands. It is not that the hulking Scotland winger is being rude – he is polite to a fault – but after a gruelling gym session the British & Irish Lion has blisters as big as golf balls. A fist bump – a touch daunting given the size of his biceps – must suffice.
Van der Merwe’s war wounds are the first indication that public perception about him can be misleading and there are many to follow in the ensuing half-hour. From an impassioned response to accusations he is a “SpringJock”, to discussing why he runs roughshod over England once a year, Van der Merwe is illuminating company.
Around the fifth inning Thursday at Oracle Park, Wilmer Flores walked down the steps of the Giants’ dugout into the batting cage to go through his routine and get his swings in.
Nothing changes for Flores before a game, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench. But on a day like Thursday’s 2-1 win against the Cleveland Guardians when Flores watched the first six innings from the bench, the 33-year-old veteran knows exactly when it’s time to get himself ready for a moment where his number is called.
“I’m always thinking about the process, not the result,” Flores said. “I stay with my process. What do I have to do to have a good result? It’s see the ball early, and try to do that a lot.”
There have been a handful of times where Flores has taken his fair share of practice swings only to never get a real opportunity to make a difference. This wasn’t one of those cases. Giants manager Bob Melvin had a plan. So did Flores.
Each worked as well as the two hoped.
Trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the seventh inning after another dominant start from Logan Webb, Casey Schmitt took a sweeper low and away for a line-drive single to center field and Jung Hoo Lee walked on four pitches as the first two batters of the inning for the Giants. Melvin went old-school and had catcher Patrick Bailey square for a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt on the first pitch he saw, putting Schmitt and Lee in scoring position with one out.
Former Giants catcher Stephen Vogt, who’s in his second season as the Guardians’ manager, then turned to his bullpen again and brought in right-hander Nic Enright. Melvin had an even easier decision. Flores’ number was called to hit for second baseman Christian Koss, and more magic was created.
Flores was sitting on a fastball or slider middle-in. His at-bat began with a slider in the dirt he spit on before swinging through a fastball and taking one way too high. Flores then fouled off two fastballs to get himself in a 2-2 count.
With the infield in and Schmitt taking his lead down the third-base line, Flores needed a ball he could lift. Instead, Flores sat back on a slider in the zone and hammered a hard grounder down the third-base line and into left field, scoring Schmitt and Lee to give the Giants their first two runs of the game and an eventual win to snap a four-game losing streak, which also avoided a three-game home sweep against the Guardians.
“It’s just such a great feeling to have him up there,” Melvin said. “It’s so hard to do, and we expect so much out of him. We expect him to come through every time in those situations, and he does almost every time. But it’s really, really difficult to do.
“Sit on the bench the entire game, have the biggest at-bat of the game, gets behind in the count, again doesn’t try to do too much – put it in play with the infield in. That’s just what he does.”
Flores now has a league-leading 17 go-ahead RBI this season. His pinch-hit, two-run double snapped a stretch of the Giants going 0-for-22 with runners in scoring position. Flores has 66 at-bats with runners in scoring position this season and is batting .348 (23 of 66) with 44 RBI in 45 games.
There’s a calmness to Flores’ game. The moment he arrives at the ballpark, he already knows what he needs to get done for the day. There’s also an unseen special ingredient that Flores has just enough of that adds another sense of confidence throughout the Giants.
“He’s like maybe sick in the head a little bit,” Webb said. “Some guys are just built for that stuff, and I think Wilmer’s like that. He has done that his whole career, so it’s a pleasure to watch every time he gets to hit.”
For the second time in three games since the Giants pulled off their blockbuster trade of acquiring star slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox, Flores began the game on the bench. He played all of the Giants’ loss Wednesday, but had to put his first baseman’s mitt back on, something Melvin would like to avoid.
While Devers was adamant about not playing first base in Boston, he already has shown a willingness to play the new position for San Francisco. He’s extremely early in the process of learning a new position. The Giants are happy enough to have his bat in the lineup.
The real plan, though, is to have Devers and Flores in the lineup together as much as possible once the newest Giants is more comfortable with a foreign area on the field for him.
Webb still remembers the one time he had to face Flores, and Vogt, his catcher that day, warned him he’s someone you don’t want to make a mistake to. The staff ace calls Devers one of the 10 best hitters in baseball and is giddy at the thought of a full squad that should make any pitcher feel an extra boost when steps on the mound.
“Until we get Raffy up to speed it’s going to kind of be half-half,” Melvin said. “But to be able to come off the bench in those type of situations is really valuable.”
The Giants now have a MLB-leading nine wins this season when trailing going into the seventh inning. They’ve played 33 one-run games, which also leads the majors, and improved to 18-15 in such games. Flores is the closer with a bat in his hands, and the lineup will only become that much more complete when he and Devers are mainstays, as well as Matt Chapman being healthy enough to return from a right hand injury.
In the meantime, the Giants gladly will take another episode of late-game heroics from Flores.
