DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 25: Javier Báez #28 of the Detroit Tigers slides safely in for a seventh inning triple past the tag by Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park on August 25, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Rays had their chance to take control of this one in the fourth inning with the bases loaded and just one out. Jackson Jobe, the Tigers’ starter, was floundering having allowed three hits, a walk and a run in the first five batters. Nonetheless, the Rays were able to muster just the one run as Richie Palacios was unable to put the ball in play, instead striking out looking, and Taylor Walls grounded to first to officially end the threat. Jobe escaped allowing just the one run; the first and only run the Rays would score the entire game.
And that is pretty much the storyline for this one. The pitching was fine. Not great, but certainly serviceable. If nothing else, Legumina and Seymour combining for all eight innings gives Kevin Cash a lot of options for the series finale on Wednesday. The bats were quiet. Four of their five hits came in the first four innings and their last hit came in the eighth. They tallied four singles and a double.
Legumina opened this one and tossed 2.1 solid innings of work allowing just one hit while punching out a pair. Seymour followed and threw the final 5.2 innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He punched out five and walked none.
After the Rays failed to break this one open in the fourth, the Tigers jumped out to a three-run lead in the fifth and never looked back. Torkelson singled to start the inning and later scored on a two-run shot off the bat of rookie Max Clark. The final run scored on a 2-out error.
Then, in the seventh inning the Tigers tacked on another run to make it a 4-1 lead. After allowing a leadoff triple to Javier Baez, Seymour was a pitch away from escaping the threat, but allowed a 2-out RBI-single to Hao-Yu Lee.
Opposite the Rays duo on the mount, the Tigers pieced this one together with five arms after Jobe couldn’t escape the fifth. Jansen earned the save, his 17th of the year.
For those of you scoreboard watching, the Yankees lost a back-and-forth affair with Houston. With the loss, the Rays maintained their 3.5 game advantage in the East. Freddy Peralta will take the mound tomorrow afternoon opposite Troy Melton.
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle slugger Cal Raleigh homered in his first at-bat against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night and tied a Mariners’ record with homers in four consecutive at-bats.
Raleigh led off the second inning against Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola with a 362-foot shot to right field for his 18th homer of the season.
The four-homer streak matched the Seattle record set by Mike Cameron on May 2, 2002.
The homer came in Raleigh’s first at-bat after the switch-hitting catcher hit three homers in a 9-2 win against the Phillies on Monday night. Raleigh walked in his next plate appearance in the fourth inning, and the streak ended in the sixth with a strikeout against Nola.
Raleigh had struggled all season after finishing as the runner-up for the AL MVP last year with 60 home runs. He entered the series against Philadelphia with a .159 batting average and 14 homers. On Monday, he was 3 for 3 with a walk between the first and second homers.
The Mariners’ team record for homers in a two-game span is five, set by Edgar Martinez on May 17-18, 1999. The last Seattle player to hit four home runs over two consecutive games was Kenji Johjima on June 24-27, 2006.
Though his start might be lost in what ultimately was a thrilling 3-2 win against the Brewers on Tuesday night, Zac Thornton continued to show his maturation and ability to pitch in the big leagues, going against the team with the best record in baseball.
The Mets' young left-hander allowed just one run on seven hits while striking out four batters, and was in line for the win before the Brewers scratched across the tying run in the ninth.
But interim manager Andy Green was proud of Thornton's outing that allowed the Mets to match up against the Brewers.
"I know he wants one curveball back…that’s a really good lineup," Green said. "They were set up with a bunch of righties to attack him well. He handled it beautifully. You really can’t look for more than six strong innings from him."
That one curveball was to Luis Lara in the fourth. In a scoreless tie and a runner on second, Thornton dropped an 0-2 curveball to the Brewers youngster, but Lara stayed back and hit a single to left field, scoring the first run of the game.
Milwaukee is sixth in MLB in hits, so Thornton had his work cut out for him, but the southpaw worked around any troubles.
"Thought I did a fine job of limiting them and changing speeds on them," Thornton said of his outing. "One through nine, used all my pitches."
Thornton said the key to going up against a team like the Brewers is to throw strikes, something he says he excels at -- 69 of his 89 pitches were strikes -- but he also enjoyed seeing his velocity tick up in this one. He credited the extra rest and his weekly routine.
"I'm definitely seeing those 95s up there," Thornton said with a smile. "Felt good today, probably helped that I was on a seven-day this entire week. Just doing my best to get in the weight room between starts and keep my body moving through the year."
Tuesday marked Thornton's 10th start of his career. After allowing just one run in six innings, Thornton's ERA is 2.88. That's the 17th-best mark in franchise history for a pitcher in their first 10 career starts, and the fourth-most by a left-hander.
He's allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his last nine starts.
After his 10th start, Thornton was asked what he's learned in that time and the 24-year-old honed in on one aspect.
"Every pitch matters," he answered. "Last week, [Fernando Tatis Jr.] took me deep first pitch of the game. Every pitch matters, from pitch one to pitch 90."
Green was glowing when asked to assess what he's seen from his young left-hander.
"He is who we thought he was. A fearless competitor who doesn’t care who gets in the batter’s box," Green said. "Who might give up a home run on the first pitch of the game and the rest of the game, he’s going to do what he does. You want guys who are unfazed, guys who are unaffected by tough circumstances, and that’s who he’s been."
Another Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony has just come and gone. While that means we’re still several months away from when next year’s class will be announced, we are a few steps closer to it, when several Nets could have a shot being immortalized forever in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The Newbies
Neither Mike D’Antoni nor Amar’e Stoudemire will be remembered for their brief stints as Nets assistant coaches, but they did contribute to some of the most exciting basketball we’ve seen from the organization in recent years.
D’Antoni operated as an assistant coach under Steve Nash during the 2020-21 season, where Brooklyn was a toenail away from the Eastern Conference finals, and likely more. Stoudemire also served under Nash that season and for the 2021-22 campaign. Congrats to the both of them.
Guys with Fair Cases
With the aforementioned inductions now completed, there are 247 players currently eligible to go into the hall next summer. Of that group, there are 11 former Nets ranking in the top 50 for total win shares. There’s no bonafide, correct metric to judge a player’s Hall of Fame candidacy on, but we’re going to roll with that to narrow things down.
Second in win shares is Buck Williams (1981-1998), who has as good of a case as anyone, and his jersey hanging in the rafters at the Barclays Center. He played for the Nets from 1981-1989, making three All-Star teams, four All-Defensive teams, and one All-NBA team. He also won rookie of the year in 1981.
Before LaMarcus Aldridge (2007-2022) played the last two years of his career in Brooklyn, he made seven All-Star and five All-NBA teams. He’s fourth in win shares among the aforementioned 247-man crowd of candidates. Jason Terry (2000-2018) is 15th, and another player who spent the latter years of his career in the borough. He’s got an NBA title and the 2008-09 Sixth Man of the Year award to his name.
Further down the list we have Paul Milsap (2006-2022), who appeared in just 24 games for the Nets during his final NBA season. He also made one All-Defensive and four All-NBA teams. P.J. Brown (1994-2008) ranks 26th in win shares. He played his first three years in the NBA with the Nets before moving on to make three All-Defensive teams and win a title with the 2007-08 Boston Celtics. The late Clifford Robinson (1990-2007) is only two slots behind him. He played the last two years of his career in New Jersey, but snatched a Sixth Man of the Year award, one All-Star, and two All-Defensive team nods before that.
Things round out with Anthony Mason (1988-2003), who played his rookie season with the Nets before later making an All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive team, along with the 1994-95 Sixth Man of the Year award. Sam Cassell (1993-2008) made an All-Star, an All-NBA team and won three rings, all after the Nets traded him in 1999 following one and half seasons with the franchise.
You all know Richard Jefferson (2001-2018), who has the 42nd most win shares on this list after spending the first seven years of his career with the Nets. He made an All-Rookie team and was a valued role player when the Cleveland Cavaliers won it all in 2016. Joe Johnson (2002-2022) is right behind him, having made seven All-Star teams and an All-NBA one. He was a Net from 2012-2016. Then, we have Blake Griffin (2011-2023), who’s a six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA player, and the 2010-11 Rookie of the Year. He played two seasons in Brooklyn from 2021-2022.
Newer and Noteworthy, but Weaker Cases
There are also a few other notable players who’ve recently attained eligibility and at one point or another donned Brooklyn’s black and white. Neither of these two players broke the top-50 in win shares, but they do have cases to be argued if you position them right.
Goran Dragic (2008-2023) is widely regarded as one of the greatest Slovenian basketball players of all-time. He also made one All-Star and one All-NBA team. He earned the 2013-14 Most Improved Player of the Year award, nine years before he’d join Brooklyn for 16 games to close out their 2021-22 season. Jamal Crawford (2001-2020) has as interesting of a case as you’ll find. He never made an All-Star or All-NBA team, but did win three Sixth Man of the Year awards, tied for the most with Lou Williams.
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame candidates are often announced in stages starting in December. Final inductees are typically unveiled in early April.
An interesting long shot
Kyle Hines works for the Nets organization as assistant player development coach in Brooklyn and assistant GM in Long Island. He never played in the NBA, but the Naismith Hall of Fame honors not just those with league credentials, but those who are among the best to ever play the game. Hines, who turns 40 next week, played 16 seasons in Europe, dominating the continent until he retired in 2024.
Here’s a compendium of his accomplishments while playing in Italy, Germany, Greece and Russia: four-time Euroleague champion, six-time Russian League (VTB) champion, three-time Italian League champion as well as rings in the Greece and German leagues. Individually, he was named to the Euroleague All-Decade team and the Euroleague 25th Anniversary team as well as the Russian League Hall of Fame. Three times, he was named the best defender in Europe, etc. etc.
A native of Sicklerville, N.J., outside Camden where he founded the Team Hines 42 Foundation, he played college ball at UNC-Greensboro. In other words, he checks all the boxes.
The one-run lead they entered the ninth with was already gone. And the 13th pitch from the frame’s second reliever, Jefry Yan, looked to be one that was the most unlucky from Tuesday’s game, as the Milwaukee Brewers’ light-hitting infielder David Hamilton appeared to come through with a back-breaking two-out, two-run tie-breaking single.
"I already saw that ball down,” Mets’ interim manager Andy Green said of the liner that carried a .510 expected batting average, per Statcast. “It's that deflating feeling when you know the ball's about to land.”
But Francisco Lindor, who homered earlier in the game to level the score in the fifth, broke hard to his right and made a diving, backhanded grab just onto the outfield grass to keep the game tied.
“Came out of nowhere. Really, really special," Green added. “That absolutely saved the game for us."
And then in the 10th, it was Lindor scoring the game-winning run as Hamilton’s throwing error from third gave the Mets a 3-2 walk-off win.
While the interim skipper was deflated, of course, Lindor knew he had a chance to make the play as soon as the ball came off the bat.
“Felt like I got a good read on it, and I just felt like it was going to tail away from me, and make a play,” the shortstop said. "I'd much rather do that than hit, to be quite honest. I loved it.”
Lindor called making that play “the best feeling in the world."
“I love playing defense,” he told SNY’s Steve Gelbs on the field after the win. “I love taking hits away and helping my pitchers out."
The reaction from Lindor was emphatic, nearly matching that from the ever-excited Yan, who dropped to his knees and pounded the turf before standing and pounding his chest.
“Everything he has is put on the field to win a baseball game today,” Green said of Lindor. “And if everything you have is on the field and you do something like that it, [the emotion] is just natural to come out of you.
“... You just enjoy those moments. It’s one of the reasons you play the game.”
For some of the great defenders, the cliché is that the first step is in their head and they’re already into the right spot even before they have to make a move. The two-time Gold Glove winner credited bench coach Kai Correa, infield coach Tim Leiper, and the team’s analytics department for positioning him against Hamilton.
“And then after that, it’s just a matter of run as fast as you can, and hopefully my legs get me there,” Lindor said.
And while the shortstop is the first to admit this year hasn’t been one of his best in the field – entering Tuesday’s game with a minus-4 defensive runs saved, minus-3 outs above average and nine errors – he came up with the goods when they needed it most.
"The team has picked me up more times than I've picked them up this year," Lindor said. "To be there for the guys, it meant a lot. I've been wanting to do that."
Green acknowledged the tough season Lindor has gone through, with multiple injuries costing him game time and any hope of establishing rhythm in the field and at the plate, but he's again showing his skill with seven home runs and 16 RBI, while batting .267 with an .887 OPS in his last 26 games.
“It was a really tough season to get on-track for him and get the ball rolling in the right direction,” he said. “Just had so many stops and starts with different injuries, starting in spring training, kinda all the way through the season for a bit.
“But once he got to playing baseball consistently, he’s been great. One of the best players in the game.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 25: Shortstop Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets throws the ball to second baseman Marcus Semien #10 of the New York Mets who gets third baseman David Hamilton #6 of the Milwaukee Brewers out in the fourth inning at Citi Field on August 25, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Benjamin B. Braun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mets edged the Brewers tonight, 3-2 in 10 innings, in a game that featured a lot of hits, not a lot of runs, and plenty of weirdness.
Kyle Harrison ran into some trouble in the first, retiring leadoff man Francisco Lindor but allowing singles to the next three batters — Bo Bichette, Carson Benge, and Luis Robert Jr. — to load the bases. Harrison, however, was able to escape without allowing any actual damage. He blew a fastball past Eric Wagaman for out number two, then got Jared Young to ground out to Joey Ortiz at third to end the inning. As we’ve come to expect from Ortiz, it was an impressive play that he made look routine, throwing the ball from almost behind second base and still getting the runner by a step and a half.
¡Joey Ortiz apagó el peligro! 👨🏻🚒⚾ Joey completó la jugada para salir de una casa llena y terminar con la amenaza. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xsz7MYqVCW
Neither offense had managed to score through three innings, but neither pitcher was exactly dominating. Harrison allowed five hits through three scoreless innings, while Mets starter Zac Thornton allowed three. Thornton gave up two more in the top of the fourth, and those two hits — a double by William Contreras and a single by Luis Lara that brought him home — gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead.
Harrison kept the Mets scoreless in the bottom of the fourth but finally cracked in the fifth, giving up a solo homer to Francisco Lindor that tied the game at one run apiece.
The fifth was also where this game started to get weird. In the top half of the inning, shortstop Cooper Pratt singled on a pop fly that the Mets let drop in shallow right field. Pratt wasn’t exactly hustling and failed to make it to second, staying at first instead. Brewers manager Pat Murphy wasted no time pulling the rookie, immediately bringing utility infielder David Hamilton in to run for him. Take a look for yourself:
Cooper Pratt was removed from the game after the Mets misplayed his pop-up. Here are two views. pic.twitter.com/a3LTb3ja3U
“I love the kid and I believe in the kid immensely, but he’s got to be a player that (hustles). It’s not tolerated by anybody, and it sends a message to everybody else, too: ‘You better run!’”
New York would score again just one inning later, taking the lead when Luis Robert Jr. hit another solo shot to start the sixth against Chad Patrick. Patrick’s been great this year for Milwaukee, and he rarely melts down, but this was one of his shakiest outings of the season. After the homer, Patrick gave up two more hits, including a double to Brett Baty, threw a wild pitch, and ultimately needed both a play at the plate and some help from Antonio Senzatela to escape with only one run allowed. Senzatela came in with runners on first and second and struck out AJ Ewing to end the inning.
Senzatela came back out for the seventh and kept the Mets scoreless, while Ashby got three straight groundouts in the eighth, but going into the top of the ninth, the Brewers still hadn’t scored again. Austin Warren came in to try and slam the door with no drama, but he couldn’t do it — allowing a double to Contreras, then walking Jake Bauers, who came in to pinch-hit for Andrew Vaughn.
Murphy then elected to go with another pinch-hitter, choosing Christian Yelich instead of Gary Sánchez against the right-handed Warren. Yeli delivered, lining a double of his own down the left-field line to tie the game at two.
Mets manager Andy Green left Warren in for one more batter, and Warren managed to slightly redeem himself by striking out Luis Lara for the first out. Green then opted for Jefry Yan (yes, this guy), who struck out Garrett Mitchell on a slider that was originally ruled a ball but successfully challenged by catcher Luis Torrens. Yan couldn’t put away Joey Ortiz, however, walking him to load the bases.
Hamilton then hit a liner that looked like it would have enough to make it over the infield and safely into the outfield grass for an RBI single, but Lindor had other ideas:
With the game now tied at 2-2. Brewers closer Trevor Megill came in to try and send the game to extra innings. With two down, Lindor beat out an infield single, but Megill caught him sleeping at first to end the inning.
Chourio started the 10th inning by striking out on three pitches, all of which were out of the strike zone. Turang also struck out, and while Contreras kept the inning alive with a walk, Bauers flew out to right for the third out.
Megill came back out for the 10th and got Bo Bichette for the first out, but intentionally walked Benge, then lost the handle and walked Robert Jr. unintentionally. With the bases loaded, Cristopher Morel hit a grounder to Hamilton that should have resulted in a force out at the plate, but Hamilton threw it away, allowing the winning run to score.
There was some irony in Hamilton making the error that ended the game, considering he was only on the field because Murphy had pulled Pratt. And while the error obviously doesn’t retroactively make Murphy’s decision right or wrong, I didn’t fully understand the decision in the first place, especially considering that a) Pratt started the month on the injured list with a hamstring injury and b) Benge, the Mets’ right fielder, has one of the best arms in baseball. It’s not a given Pratt would have made it to second even if he had hustled.
With that being said, when asked where the line is — when to pull someone to “send a message” and when not to — Murphy said you “have to listen and use your judgment and have the pulse of your team” in mind. For what it’s worth, he does seem to be pretty good at doing those things. He’ll certainly catch some backlash for pulling Pratt, but the players seem to buy in. He’s benched players like Ortiz and Sal Frelick for similar reasons before, and neither of those guys seem unhappy to be a Brewer.
Milwaukee will get another chance to bounce back tomorrow in the second game of this week’s three-game showdown with the Mets. First pitch is once again set for 6:10 p.m.
Aug 25, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) celebrates with second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) after hitting a three run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Orioles kicked off a crucial nine-game road trip with a blowout 13-1 win over the hosting Cardinals on Tuesday night. Pete Alonso paced the lineup before he left the game with a flare up of his calf injury. O’s starter Chris Bassitt turned in a solid 6.2 innings before Anthony Nunez over-powered the opposing hitters in the late innings.
This was the Orioles most dominant win of the season by run differential, besting a 12-1 win over the Dodgers on June 21. It also tied their season high in runs scored, which they originally achieved back on June 5 in a 13-3 victory against the Blue Jays.
The Orioles scored all of those runs between the third and sixth innings of this game. Power got things started, and then the rest of the lineup just peppered the ball all over the park for the remainder of the runs.
Alonso put the O’s up 3-0 in the fourth inning with his 31st home run of the season, a 435-foot bomb to left center field that scored Leody Taveras and Jackson Holliday, who had singled ahead of him. A few batters later Christian Encarnacion-Strand went even deeper, launching a 450-foot solo shot to make it 4-0.
It was in the fifth inning where the Orioles put the game completely out of reach. The Cardinals had to use three different pitchers in that inning alone while the O’s sent 13 batters to the plate and scored the eight runs on seven hits, two walks, and a hit by pitch. Six of those seven hits were singles.
Holliday and Alonso opened the inning with consecutive singles. Gunnar Henderson then walked to load the bases. Coby Mayo knocked in Holliday with a single into left field. That forced Cardinals manager Oli Marmol to yank starter Matthew Liberatore in favor of Pete Strzelecki, an unwise choice since he would fail to fool just baout anyone with his offerings. Encarnacion-Strand welcomed the new pitcher with a two-run single to score Alonso and Henderson. After a Samuel Basallo strikeout, Christian Franklin was hit by a pitch to re-load the bases. Then, Dylan Beavers walked in a run before Taveras singled in two more. Holliday poked one up the middle for another RBI, and then Alonso drove in one more with a double to cap off the inning.
That eight-run effort in the fifth inning was the most productive frame of the 2026 Orioles season, and they managed it without even hitting a home run. It was station to station baseball at its finest.
The Orioles added one more run in the sixth inning when Franklin and Beavers doubled in back-to-back at-bats, inching the scoreline up to a 13-1 advantage.
That was the end of the scoring for the day. The Orioles collected 16 hits and two walks to score those 13 runs in what was a pretty efficient night, all things considered. They went 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base, which was perfectly fine in context. Complaining about the lineup on this night would be nit-picking.
But…
Basallo and Henderson combined to go 0-for-9. Basallo is the bigger concern since he also struck out four times and looked lost against pitchers that the rest of his teammates were teeing off on. The rookie is clearly still knocking the rust off after his recent IL stint.
The thing to truly worry about for the lineup is Alonso’s health. He was, yet again, fantastic in this game, going 4-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. But he also reportedly asked to be removed once it was out of the reach in the fifth inning. His calf was still bothering him. Perhaps it was just a precaution, and the veteran knows he needs to take some innings off where possible. The Orioles offense cannot afford to lose him.
On the pitching side of things, the Orioles were just as impressive. Craig Albernaz used three pitchers to get through these nine innings, and he has to be pleased with all of them.
Chris Bassitt delivered his best start since coming off the IL, and tied for his longest outing of the season. Over 6.2 innings he allowed just one run (a solo homer) on six hits, no walks, and five strikeouts. The effort brought his season ERA to 4.74, it’s lowest point all year and the first time it has been under five as an Oriole.
Bassitt had some of his best velocity of the season. He was averaging 1-2 miles per hour faster on just about every offering, though his whiff rate stayed about where it has been (~19%). He paired that with a pounding of the strike zone and avoiding free passes.
Yennier Cano was brought on for the final out of the seventh inning, perhaps an effort by Albernaz to get one of his most important relievers a little bit of confidence after a recent rough patch. Hopefully it worked. He threw five pitches and got the one batter he faced to fly out.
It was Anthony Nunez that could be the pitcher that we end up talking about the most after this game. He threw two shutout innings, struck out five, and had a whiff rate of 70% (!!!). The young righty used four different pitches and got whiffs on all of them. He’s a pitcher that the Orioles clearly have high hopes for. As we have seen this year, his growth won’t always be linear, but the ceiling for him is sky high. We should expect to see plenty of him down the stretch.
This was a fun night of baseball! As long as Alonso is not any more hurt than he was coming into the game, it was basically a perfect night for the Orioles. They scored a bunch of runs, got great efforts from their pitching staff, and saw some of those around them in the wild card standings lose. More days like this are needed for the O’s playoff dreams to come true.
These two teams are back at it on Wednesday night in St. Louis. Kyle Bradish (7-12, 3.70 ERA) will face off with Michael McGreevy (5-9, 3,54 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:45.
Most Birdland Player, August 25, 2026
Who do you think was the Most Birdland Player in this Orioles win? Here are some nominees for your consideration, but feel free to name your own in the comments.
Pete Alonso (4-for-4, four RBI, home run, double)
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (2-for-5, massive homer, three RBI)
Chris Bassitt (win, 6.2 innings, one run, five strikeouts)
Anthony Nunez (two innings, no runs, five strikeouts)
Knoxville Smokies outfielder Kane Kepley (2) returns to the dugout following an inning against the Rocket City Trash Pandas during a Minor League Baseball game on Aug. 11, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The Cubs signed free agent catcher Austin Wynns today and assigned him to Triple-A Iowa. Wynns had been designated for assignment by the Rangers last week.
Iowa right-hander Tyler Santana, catcher Ethan Hearn and shortstop Ed Howard were all moved to the Development List.
Right-hander Cristopher Aranguren was promoted to Low-A Myrtle Beach from Mesa.
I don’t normally report on injuries, but South Bend outfielder Ethan Conrad went on the 7-day injured list. South Bend’s Reginald Preciado was activated off the 60-day IL.
Javier Assad got the loss after pitching the first 3.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out two.
Hoby Milner pitched the sixth inning in a rehab assignment. He retired the side in order on nine pitches. No strikeouts.
First baseman BJ Murray came a home run shy of the cycle, going 3 for 5 with a double and a triple. Murray drove in four runs tonight and had one run scored.
Second baseman Ben Cowles was 2 for 4.
Matt Shaw played the entire game in left field in a rehab appearance and went 1 for 5 with a run scored.
James Triantos with a diving catch in center. He was o for 4 with a walk.
Kevin Valdez allowed three runs on five hits over his four inning start. Valdez walked three and struck out one.
Yenrri Rojas threw the next two innings and collected the win. Rojas gave up one run on one hit and one walk. He did not strike anyone out.
Tyler Ras retired the next six batters and Vince Reilly retired the side in order in the ninth to close out the win. Ras struck out two and Reilly fanned one.
Center fielder Kane Kepley hit a two-run home run in the third inning. It was his third Knoxville home run and tenth overall. Kepley reached base five times, going 1 for 2 with two walks and a hit by pitch. He also stole a base and scored twice.
DH Miguel Useche was 3 for 6 with a steal.. He scored one run and drove in one.
Right fielder Andy Garriola was 3 for 6 with one RBI.
Left fielder Carter Trice went 2 for 4 with a walk. He had one run batted in.
Kepley’s home run snuck past the right field foul pole.
Jostin Florentino started and took the loss after the Rattlers got to him for three runs on five hits over 4.1 innings. Florentino struck out six, walked one and hit one batter.
Right fielder Alexey Lumpuy got South Bend on the board with a solo home run in the third inning. It was Lumpuy’s second home run in High-A and ninth overall. Lumpuy went 2 for 4.
In the eighth inning, first baseman Josiah Hartshorn hit a solo home run to get the Cubs to within a run. (And that’s where it would stay). It was Hartshorn’s 16th home run for South Bend and 21st overall. It was also his 100th RBI overall on the season. Hartshorn went 1 for 4.
Starter Jubrayker Salaya pitched four innings and allowed just one run on two hits. He struck out four and walked three.
Jordan Henriquez took care of the final 3.1 innings and got the win. Henriquez gave up one run on four hits. The one run came on a solo home run with two outs in the ninth. Henriquez struck out four and walked no one.
First baseman Jan Reyes hit a two-run single in the top of the ninth to break a 3-3 tie. Reyes went 1 for 4.
Earlier, left fielder Darlyn De Leon tied the game up 1-1 with a solo home run in the third. It was De Leon’s second home run this season. De Leon was 3 for 4 and also scored on Reyes’ single in the ninth. He also stole a base.
Third baseman Corey Nunez was 1 for 2 with two walks and a steal. He drove in one run and also sore on Reyes’ single in the ninth.
Aug 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) receives the ball in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Royals 5 Blue Jays 3
Well, that was a frustrating game.
As I said in the thread, we weren’t going to run the table. If they had to win every game left to get into the playoffs, it wasn’t going to happen. They need to win most of their games, but not all of them.
That ninth inning……After two outs, Daz Cameron singled. Brett Bateman followed with a single and went to second on defensive indifference. Nathan Lukes singled them both home.
And then…..Lukes ignored the first base coach’s stop sign and was thrown out trying to turn it into a double. This CAN NOT HAPPEN. His run didn’t matter. If he score from second on a single, we would still be behind. He had to stop at first and hope that Vlad has another good at bat. You can not get thrown out at second when you aren’t the tying run. I don’t know what he was thinking.
The eighth inning was pretty much the tale of the season:
Nathan Lukes took a one-out walk.
Vladimir Guerrero doubled to right.
An out later, Jesús Sanchez was hit by pitch. Bases loaded for
Ernie Clement who, ummmm, fouled a ball off a part of the male anatomy that you really don’t want to foul a ball off. He was down for a while. I was of the opinion they should take him out of the game. I know I wouldn’t be able to hit after that. But, he stayed in and popped one to medium center. In the top of the ninth he dived for a ball and stayed on the ground for a bit, you know he was still hurting. Hitting a baseball is tough, hitting a baseball after being hit in the nuts, is impossible.
We had those two runs in the ninth and one in the first. Bateman and Lukes started the game with singles. An out later, Kazuma Okamoto walked to load the bases. Jesús Sánchez hit a sac fly. Clements followed with a strikeout.
We had tons of chances:
Andrés Giménez hit a double to lead off the second, but we couldn’t get him past third.
In the fourth, Clement and Giménez had one-out singles and Brandon Valenuela hit into a double play.
In the fifth, Bateman had a one-out single and went to second on an error, but ground out (Lukes) and flyout (Vlad) ended that.
In the seventh, Andrés Giménez was hit by pitch to start the inning, but Kirk hit into a double play.
And, well, we talked about the eighth and ninth.
Max Scherzer had a rough first inning, loading the bases on two walks and single, before getting his first out, but even with another walk, he only allowed one run. And he gave up another in the fifth. A one-out walk and two two-out singles scored the run, but he got out of it from there.
Five innings, four hits, two earned, five walks and four strikeouts. Which, other than the walks, was about the best we could hope from Max.
Braydon Fisher also had a rough time of it in the sixth, giving up two hits and as it turned out, two runs. But they weren’t earned.
Mason Fluharty came in and Kyle Isbel put down a sac bunt, the runner from third wasn’t coming out. But Vlad picked up the ball half way down the first base line, turned and threw side arm, well wide of Clement at first. One run scored. Quick play, but you have to make a better throw. Preferably not side arm (sidearm throws tend to slide to the arm side). A sac fly scored the other run.
Paul Swwald gave up a hit and two walks, but no runs in the seventh.
Brandon Little walked one, but had three strikeouts, in the eighth.
Tyler Rogers went single, steal, strikeout, ground out (runner to third) and single, scoring the run. I often say that the trouble with ground ball pitchers is that sometimes the ground balls find holes (of course the trouble with fly ball pitchers is some fly balls clear the fence, safer to strikeout everyone out).
We had 10 hits. Bateman had 3. Lukes and Giménez two. Okamoto, Sánchez (with a hit batter and a sac fly), Valenzuela/Kirk and Straw all had 0 fors.
1 for 11 with RISP just isn’t going to cut it.
Jay of the Day: Gimenez (0.18 WPA).
Other Award: Well, Lukes for going for second and ending the game, gets one. And Valenzuale (-0.15, plus a poor challenge, he also had a good challenge), Clement (-0.12, and he’ll never have children again), Kirk (-0.10), and Straw (-0.10, but did make a great catch in left).
Tomorrow we have a bullpen day. As Jamie says, we’ve done very well in bullpen days. Of course, my objection to bullpen days isn’t the game itself, it is the strain on the bullpen arms. Randy Dobnak (2-1, 1.58 ERA, in 9 games, 7 starts).
MIAMI, FLORIDA - AUGUST 25: Jarren Duran of the Boston Red Sox hits a grand slam (18) to right center field. Willson Contreras scores. Jahmai Jones scores. Andruw Monasterio scores during the eleventh inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on August 25, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“It’s the magical summer of 2026.”
That’s how Dan Secatore began the game recap here at Over The Monster after Saturday’s heart-pounding win at Fenway. But you know what? That’s becoming an increasingly appropriate way to start off every game recap around here.
Make no mistake, the Red Sox should have lost this game. They should have lost it when they gave the Marlins 14 at bats with runners in scoring position. They should have lost it when Payton Tolle ran out of gas at the end of his outing and allowed five of the last eight men he faced to reach base (including a Heriberto Hernandez home run). And they especially should have lost it in the bottom of the tenth when Aroldis Chapman wasn’t available to close out a one run game and both Andruw Monasterio and Connor Wong made critical blunders that forced the bottom of the bullpen to get five outs in the inning.
Wong’s egregious effort was specifically problematic because it should have ended the game. Wyatt Olds pitched his butt off and nearly got the equivalent of a four out save (I’m counting Monasterio’s throwing error to lead off the inning as one of them), but because Wong couldn’t move his butt on what should have been the final pitch of the evening, the ball went to the backstop and the Red Sox needed another inning to win the game.
Very, very rarely does a team recover from a play like this:
But this is the summer of 2026, and like a law of the universe that doesn’t fully make sense, the Red Sox find inexplicable ways to win.
So of course, the Marlins go just 1-14 with the chances they had with men in scoring position. And of course, the leadoff double Payton Tolle gives up when he’s teetering gets thrown out at third on the next play. And of course the Red Sox still manage to escape the tenth inning with Alec Gamboa on the mound. And of course, they immediately follow that up with Jarren Duran grand slam in the 11th after he was hitless all night.
Here’s the shot from Duran that proved to be the knockout blow:
But that wasn’t even all of the magic, because before the game ever reached extras, the Sox were getting more improbable production from an unlikely source.
Normally when you’re looking for Mickey Magic in Florida, you go to Orlando; but tonight, the Red Sox got it in Miami. Mickey Gasper went deep twice, and neither were cheapies. Here’s the first bomb:
You know what’s crazy? Those Gasper home runs landed a little to each side of the exact spot where Roman Anthony’s home run in the World Baseball Classic that proved to be the game winner against the Dominican Republic landed.
And speaking of Roman Anthony home runs, he was doing this in Worcester while all that was going on in Miami (I think this ball would have landed in a similar spot to the other three if it occurred in the same ballpark):
But that wasn’t all that was going on in Worcester. While Andruw Monasterio was throwing the ball away in the tenth, Trevor Story was striking out on pitches like this:
I can’t ever remember a night where two games at the MLB and Triple-A level were working in tandem to make a gaggle of upcoming roster crunch decisions more and more complex. This is wild stuff.
What a night, what a team, what a summer!
Three Studs
Jarren Duran: Went straight from the dud pile (being 0-4 through ten innings) to the top of the stud mountain. A game winning grand slam will do that.
Mickey Gasper: This guy had zero career home runs in a Red Sox uniform eight days ago. He now has five.
Erik Miller: Looked outstanding again as he struck out the side in the ninth. He still hasn’t give up an earned run in the Red Sox uniform.
Bonus Stud:
Wyatt Olds: Very rarely do we hand out studs to the guy who gets tagged with a blown save, but Olds deserved better as he essentially got four outs and was kneecapped by Monasterio and Wong’s gaffes. (Over The Monster’s own Jacob Roy will have more on Olds’ inning tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that.)
Three Duds
Andruw Monasterio: 1-5 at the plate, and the nearly crippling error in the bottom of the tenth. He did recover and field the final out though, so at least there’s that. (Now we await roster decisions to see if this was his final game of the 2026 season at the major league level.)
Connor Wong: He has to get in front of that ball in the bottom of the tenth. That’s the type of play that makes me want Mickey Gasper as the backup catcher to Adley Rutschman with Wong in Worcester.
Wilyer Abreu: 0-5 with three strikeouts. That’s ten punch outs over 19 plate appearances in his last four games. It might be time to double up on rest and give him a day off ahead of the team’s scheduled off day on Thursday to reset things a bit.
Big Picture area of concern:
Payton Tolle: As great as he looked early on, he was coming unglued at the end of the outing, and this is concerning within the macro of the season. Tolle’s tendency to run out of gas both within starts and when he doesn’t get enough rest between them doesn’t exactly bode well for a guy who is already beyond his career high in innings pitched in a season, and the team needs to make a deep run into October. Navigating his usage will be incredibly tricky over the coming weeks, and could ultimately make or break their season somewhere down the line.
Play of the game:
Duran’s grand slam. So nice, it’s worth seeing twice. Also, take note of the crowd and how much it sounds like Fenway south.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 05: Julian Reese #15 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket against Josh Minott #00 of the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter at Barclays Center on April 05, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Pamela Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Everyone knows that the Brooklyn Nets tank was driven by a poor offense. There were nights when they couldn’t buy a bucket and other than Michael Porter Jr., there was no reliable scorer on the roster.
But as Brian Lewis writes Tuesday, the defense wasn’t any good either.
The Nets had the sixth-worst defensive rating in the league last season at 118.2. All of the bottom-eight squads ended up going 26-56 or worse besides they Bucks, and they had the advantage of riding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo for much of the season. Almost without exception, lousy defense means losing kjyrbasketball.
Now, following a number of off-season moves, particularly with the trade for Julius Randle and the signings of Keon Ellis, Moe Wagner and Josh Minott, the team appears to have improved in physicality and the ability to disrupt their opponents’ offense, two areas where the Nets were particularly wanting. To be sure, we’re not talking about any All-Defensive team candidates, but with so much of the Nets rebuild, it’s incremental.
“Being a disruptor, that’s what our team is going to be known for, that’s what we want to be known for,” Sean Marks recently told The Post. “That’s the style with which Jordi and the coaches want to play, whether you’re playing out of position, whether you’re helping your partner out there, you’re scrambling to make up for it.
“But I think a physical brand [of defense is needed], and we brought in players who are physical. So that’s what we want to see. That’s contagious. And our rookies will learn from them having — the sophomores, too — having to go through that every day in practice. And then you go out there and do it for 82 games.”
Lewis also cited some positive numbers put up by Minott and Ellis. After coming to Brooklyn, Minott’s steal percentage ranked in the 98th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. As for Ellis, his steal percentage ranked in the 94th percentile in 2024-25 and in the 96th percentile for the Kings last season before being traded to Cleveland, where it fell to just 83rd percentile.
The Post writer argues that defense was also critical to the Nets choice of promising defender Mikel Brown Jr. over the “defensively-challenged” Darius Acuff at No. 6 in the June Draft.
The Nets also have installed Day’Ron Sharpe at the starting center position replacing Nic Claxton sent to Chicago in the three-team deal that brought Randle to Brooklyn along with Joshua Jefferson, the No. 28 pick. Marks spoke about how Sharpe, who had the Nets top individual defensive rating last season deserves the chance … and a new contract that will pay him $20 million over the next two years.
“From [Sharpe’s] standpoint, it’s an opportunity, right? And Day’Ron deserves that opportunity,” Marks said. “He’s put a lot of work in over the last couple of years. You can see the physical changes, you can see the confidence with which he’s played with.
“He’s been in our gym really religiously all summer long already. So he knows what’s ahead of him. And he knows the expectations that he’s put on himself. So again, excited to see — not only for Day’Ron, but for a lot of guys: Do they seize this opportunity?”
The Nets did lose some rim protection in the switch but as Lewis also points out, Claxton finished the season at the opposite end of defensive spectrum from Sharpe with the worst individual defensive rating (other than the departed Cam Thomas who left at the trade deadline.) Might the Nets give Noah Clowney back-up minutes at the 5 to take advantage of his 7’2” wingspan and shot-blocking potential? He seemed to show that ability back in April 2024 when he had games of seven and four blocks within a week. But like a lot of his game, he’s failed to show consistency, his career average only 0.6 blocks per game. Of course, he’ll have an added incentive. He becomes a restricted free agent in July.
Physicality should also be an area of improvement with the addition of Randle and Wagner in particular. Both are known as tough guys.
As Lewis reports, there’s a lot of enthusiasm for Ellis, the rangy 6’4” 26-year-old who played for Jordi Fernandez in Sacramento … and who the Nets signed to a two-year, $18 million contract, a nearly 400% jump in salary over what he made last season.
“There’s definitely familiarity with Keon,” Marks said of the relationship between Ellis and Fernandez. “And I think what we saw from Keon a couple of years ago was a young man that came into the league and obviously surprised some people with just the pace at which he played with, the poise, but also being a disruptor out there on the defensive end of the court as well.
“So for us, adding somebody that there’s a familiarity with, a young guy that fits our timeline and he’s played in big games, big moments and so forth.”
Ellis appreciates the kind words, but notes defense is a team concept.
“I think it’s just about the effort,” Ellis said. “I go out there and I just try to make it tough on guys. At the end of the day, you’re playing against the best players in the world. They’re going to score, they’re gonna get to their spots. You’re gonna have bad defensive games, you’re going to have good defensive games. But I just think the mindset of every night just trying to do the right things, be in the right spots, and just attack the gameplan, I think that’ll help everyone accomplish the goal.
“I’m not the greatest defender ever, but with team defense, everyone’s on the same page, that kind of helps everyone a little bit better. I think just me coming in, I’m more of a lead-by-example kind of guy, so I think just me going in and playing hard, that’s what motivates the next guy to go just as hard.”
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 25: Jacob Degrom #48 of the Texas Rangers reacts as he is removed from the game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on August 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored seven runs but the Chicago White Sox scored eleven runs.
In the top of the first inning, Wyatt Langford popped a ball straight up for what should have been an easy third out but due to poor communication from the White Sox infield, the ball dropped and the Rangers had their first base runner.
You could argue that Langford had time to end up on second base had he been sprinting but he settled for a single on the mistake. One batter later, Brandon Nimmo roped a ball down the line for a double. You would assume that, with two outs, Langford would be chugging around the bases to attempt to score.
However, Langford seemed to think the ball was either fielded by the Chicago first baseman or deflected closer to the infield or something because he just stopped at second base with third base coach Corey Ragsdale screaming at him to get moving.
By the time Langford realized the ball had reached the outfield, the best he could do was stop at third base, ruining a shot at two-out RBI and an early lead. The Rangers had another crack at that with Ezequiel Duran up with two men in scoring position but he elected to bunt with two outs for some inexplicable reason.
Now, obviously Duran was trying to catch the White Sox by surprise with a bunt but in addition to that being asinine as essentially Texas’ most productive and dangerous hitter of the last few weeks or so was reduced to hoping for a surprise bunt hit, Duran’s execution on the bunt itself was also poor giving the White Sox an easy out to wiggle out of danger.
Despite being gifted some golden opportunities, the Rangers wasted them and as bad as all of that sounds, I regret to inform you that the top of the first inning was far and away the better of the two halves for Texas.
In the bottom of the inning, Rangers starter Jacob deGrom allowed six runs on five hits and two walks. None of the six hits featured an exit velo of above 80 MPH. The furthest of the hits went was a 230 ft single that left Miguel Vargas’ bat at 71.5 MPH. All were weakly hit. Some were obnoxious bloopers.
It wasn’t all tragic BABIP luck, though. The walks were killer and the frustrating sequence was compounded by Justin Foscue being unable to catch a throw and apply a tag that could have negated a leadoff double, and later Langford making one of the worst throws I’ve ever seen that turned into a throwing error that allowed Chicago to score their first run.
After that first inning, the Rangers outscored the White Sox 7-5 so I guess at least they battled and scored some runs. That will have to suffice for the silver lining for the evening. Unfortunately that first inning still counted and the Rangers are back below .500.
Lesson: Never bunt.
Player of the Game: Danny Jansen homered among his two hits and drove in a team-best three runs out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup.
Up Next: The Rangers will try to salvage a series win in tomorrow’s finale with LHP MacKenzie Gore expected to make the mound for Texas opposite RHP Sean Burke for Chicago.
The Wednesday evening first pitch from Rate Field is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — RJ Luis Jr., a former St. John’s standout who recently signed with LSU after spending time with two NBA clubs, was cleared by a court Monday evening to start practicing and potentially play for the Tigers this season.
Luis, who briefly was under contract with the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics but never played in an NBA game, hugged LSU coach Will Wade after the ruling by East Baton Rouge Parish District Court judge Ronald R. Johnson.
After a five-hour hearing, Johnson granted the player’s request for a preliminary injunction against the NCAA, which had argued Luis was unlikely to win reinstatement after leaving college to turn pro in 2025.
“This is precedent. It’s monumental,” said Baton Rouge-based attorney Tony Clayton, who represented Luis along with Elliot Abrams of Raleigh, North Carolina. “This allows him to go practice, go play and we’ll let the legal process work itself out.”
The timeline for that process was not immediately clear.
“I don’t know, but there’s a lot of discovery that Elliot and I have to obtain,” Clayton said. “We’ve got a lot of questions.”
Luis’ attorneys noted that the NCAA had granted exceptions allowing numerous players from overseas professional leagues to join college basketball programs, and argued that American players must be afforded the same opportunity.
They stressed that Luis not only had never played in an NBA game, but also had not played for the Celtics’ G League affiliate because of an injury, and had far less of a professional basketball resume than numerous college players who’d been recruited from abroad.
NCAA attorney Taylor Askew argued that Luis’ situation was not comparable to those who played for the developmental squads of pro organizations overseas because Luis chose to leave college for the NBA.
Askew noted that the only player in a similar situation to Luis was Alabama’s Charles Bediako, who won a temporary retraining order allowing him to play five games for Alabama last season before an Alabama judge ultimately sided with NCAA assertions that he was ineligible.
“I understand Mr. Luis is disappointed that he was not drafted and did not play in the NBA as much as he would have liked,” Askew said. “Actions have consequences. Decisions have outcomes and they’re not always the right ones or the ones that you want.”
As he made his ruling, Johnson said, “In the court’s mind, (Luis) did not actually play professional basketball,” and that whether Luis was properly advised of his options at the time he left college “lingers heavily before this court.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 12: Bronny James #9, Deandre Ayton #5 and Jake LaRavia #12 of the Los Angeles Lakers laugh court side during a 131-107 Lakers win at Crypto.com Arena on April 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As the countdown for the NBA season approaches, the predictions and projections will start to follow. And ESPN started things off with a bang.
They kicked off their week-long preview of the season with their prediction of each team’s record. In what should hardly be a shock, not only did they predict the Lakers to drop in the standings, but they also predicted a pretty significant drop in wins as well.
For those keeping track at home, that’s an eight-win drop. There’s a scenario where this would be understandable given the roster turnover. But the same logic doesn’t seem to have been applied across the board.
The Nuggets lost Peyton Watson, made no notable additions to a team that flamed out in the playoffs, but will win more than they did last season? The Wolves have massive questions about their roster after trading away their starting frontcourt and bringing in LaMelo Ball. They’re projected to win more this season.
The Blazers have more point guards on their roster than the Lakers have people vying for ownership of the franchise, but are projected to win seven more games this season. And none of this accounts for the fact that the Lakers saw both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves miss significant time.
You can pick and choose your discrepancies up and down these standings, but it feels like the Lakers were one of the only teams in the West punished in the standings. Again, a drop in wins could be argued given their own roster turnover, but it just feels like they took a chunk of wins out of the Lakers to account for so many other teams improving without applying the same logic.
ESPN’s preview will continue next with predictions of the major awards. I’m going to go on a limb, given the standings above, that Luka isn’t going to be viewed too favorably in that either.
At least they’re not projecting the Clippers above them anymore.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 25: Shortstop Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets celebrates scoring a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning at Citi Field on August 25, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Benjamin B. Braun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It was a back and forth night in Queens, but the Mets emerged on top, taking game one of this series with the Milwaukee Brewers, winning 3-2 in extras. After losing two of three in walkoff fashion to the White Sox, the Mets held on to win a game late and continued their post-deadline hot streak.
The Mets got yet another quality start of our their young pitching tonight, with Zac Thornton continuing his improbable run of success. Over six runs, Thornton didn’t walk a batter, allowed seven hits, induced two ground ball double plays, and struck out four. He worked himself out of trouble, he limited damage, and he continues to look like he absolutely belongs in the big leagues after being nowhere near anyone’s radar at season’s start.
His most impressive inning might’ve been the third, which started out with two straight base hits to the left side of the infield. A comebacker to the mound resulted in the first out coming at third base. A fly ball and a groundout got Thornton out of the inning and was another’s illustration of how he’s able to buckle down and not let game circumstances get the best of him.
The only blemish against him came in the fourth inning, when William Contreras led off the inning with a double and was driven in by a two-out single by Luis Lara.
The Mets got their offense off the long ball, with both Francisco Lindor and Luis Robert Jr. depositing balls over the left-field wall. Lindor’s dinger was the only run scored against starter Kyle Harrison, who is having a spectacular year, and looked quite good in his five innings of work as well. He struck out five, walked one, and gave up six hits. His slurve was especially effective early on and he, like Thornton, looked in control with just about every pitch he threw.
Robert’s home run came off of Chad Patrick, who was the first out of the bullpen for the Brewers. Robert let go of the bat with one hand and looked like he was swinging at maybe 50% intensity, and the ball still traveled over the Great Wall of Flushing. Antonio Senzatela was up next, and was good in his inning and a third of work. Aaron Ashby didn’t allow a baserunner in his one-inning of work.
On the Mets’ side, Nate Lavender relieved Thornton, and he was great in his two innings of work, not allowing a baserunner and keeping batters off-balance. Tonight’s six batters faced was officially the longest outing of Lavender’s career thus far.
Austin Warren got the save opportunity tonight for the Mets, and William Contreras greeted him rudely by doubling on the third pitch of the at-bat. Pinch hitter Jake Bauers was up next, and he drew a four-pitch walk. Christian Yelich pinch hit next, and lined a ball the other way to drive in Contreras with the tying run. After getting Lara to strike out for the first out, that was it for Warren.
Friday night’s goat Jefry Yan was brought in to try to close out the inning with the game tied to face lefty Garrett Mitchell, and he got the strikeout on a challenged call. Joey Ortiz then walked to load the bases, bringing up David Hamilton as the batter to either end the half-frame or drive in the winning run. Hamilton laced a ball to the left side, but a stretched-out Lindor snagged the ball out of the air to keep the game tied.
[Side note: it appears that the MLB.tv feed went out as the ball was in the air, sending a gasp across the tri-state area]
Trevor Megill, brother of the felled Tylor, pitched the ninth for the Milwaukee. After quickly dispatching Luis Torrens and A.J. Ewing, the hero of the last half inning—Lindor—came up, and hit a perfectly placed single down the third base line for an infield single. However, he was caught leaning off of first base, and was picked off to end the inning.
Jonathan Pintaro started the tenth, and struck out Jackson Chourio to start things off. Bruce Turang was next, same result, a swinging strikeout. Contreras was up next, and he worked the count full before taking his base. However, Pintaro got Bauers to fly out to end the frame without a run scoring.
Bo Bichette led off the bottom of the tenth against Megill with a fly ball to center. That would bring up Carson Benge, who already had three hits, and was intentionally walked to put two on for Robert. Robert showcased an eye at the plate that isn’t always there and drew a walk to load the bases.
Christopher Morel strode to the plate, just a few innings after Gary Cohen mentioned how positive of a clubhouse presence he is, and grounded into what looked to be a sure out to third base, However, David Hamilton made an errant to throw to home, allowing Lindor to score and the Mets to take game one of the series.
Robert Stock takes the ball tomorrow for the Mets, and will face Dustin May for the middle game of this series.
