Nationals news: How CJ Abrams, James Wood just made MLB history appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Washington Nationals may not reach the postseason this year, but James Wood and CJ Abrams have still performed well. In fact, Wood and Abrams became the second pair of teammates who are 25 years old or younger to record 30 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in a season, according to Sarah Langs. Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor first accomplished the feat with Cleveland in 2018.
Wood stole his 20th (and 21st) base of the season during Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. He now has 30 home runs and 21 stolen bases this season. Abrams, meanwhile, has 30 home runs and 28 steals.
The Nationals lead the Angels 4-0 as of this story's writing. The game is not currently over, however.
Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)

#nationals #james #clutchpoints #first

This one started bowling shoe ugly and ended up Sam the Chinese Crested Dog ugly, with Bradley Hanner proving why he is the definition of the 26th man on a Major League roster. Gerrit Cole gave up more home runs, three of em while not making it out of the fifth inning, but Hanner wasn't any better, allowing two dingers while five men crossed the plate against him. All this is to say the Yankees were kicked around Saturday afternoon, losing 12-2 to the Mets
I don't know what it is about Gerrit Cole. He's always been a little bit homer ***** e, especially since coming to Yankee Stadium. Fastballs in the zone lead to some kinds of nasty contact, but the thing that's really been different about him since returning from Tommy John is how many pitches he's keeping in the zone. He's got the lowest walk rate of his career, and indeed he didn't walk a single batter today. He also has the highest Zone%, or, throws more pitches in the strike zone than any other season of his career.
In his last two starts he's allowed seven home runs. Only three today, though they still counted for four runs like last weekend against the Padres.
Part of this is just random variance, enough monkeys at enough typewriters for long enough. Any time you talk about two games' worth of data, you have to throw up your hands at the universe. He's also been stung by Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth, Francisco Lindor…guys that have been around the block. Lindor especially looked keyed up to swing in the game's first AB, the first dinger Cole allowed today. Former Baby Bomber Luis Torrens and rookie Carson Benge also homered off Cole to build a 4-0 lead.
View Link

#today #enough #lindor

Francisco Lindor – SS
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – 3B
Mark Vientos – DH
Carson Benge – RF

#francisco #juan #vientos #benge

Francisco Lindor – SS
Juan Soto – LF
Bo Bichette – DH
Carson Benge – RF
Jared Young – 1B

#lindor #juan #benge #young

Zac Thornton entered today's game with a 2.93 ERA in 11 starts. It's been quite the surprising season for the rookie lefty, who has managed those impressive topline numbers despite boasting less than flashy stuff and underlying peripherals. Alas, those topline numbers look a little bit worse after today's game, as Thornton underwent his worst start as a major leaguer, and the Mets were not able to work themselves out of the hole he put them in, resulting in a 9-5 loss to the Giants.
San Francisco struck within minutes of the game's start, as Rafael Devers socked Thornton's fourth pitch of the afternoon over the right field wall for a one-out solo homer. The Mets answered back in the bottom of the second when A.J. Ewing—who has been struggling mightily in the second-half—socked a two-out, two-run homer off Giants starter Anthony Molina. That gave the Amazins a 2-1 lead, but unfortunately they would not hold it for long. Thornton surrendered a lead-off single in the third inning, followed by a two-run blast to Christian Koss to put the Giants back in front.
Thornton went on to retire his next eight batters, right up until Koss—who entered today's game with just one homer this season—came to the plate again in the top of the fifth, and he hit his second home run of the afternoon. Not to be outdone, Devers came up two batters later following a single and socked his second home run of the day. Thornton surrendered one hit—a double from Bryce Eldridge, the fourth straight two-out hit of the inning—before finally retiring the Giants, but it was now a 6-2 ballgame.
Meanwhile, the Mets's bats did little against Molina after Ewing's homer (that hit in fact remained the only one surrendered by the Giants through six innings). Both teams went to their bullpens in the sixth inning—albeit with Molina's final line looking a lot better than Thornton's ugly one (5 innings, 7 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, 6 runs). Chris Devenski was the first reliever up for the Mets, and he did his job by tossing two scoreless innings. The bats finally got something going in the bottom of the seventh, when two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Francisco Alvarez struck out swinging for the second out, but the Mets then finally got another run on the board when Brett Baty walked to bring in a run and make it 6-3. Alas, the potential tying run was stranded, as Francisco Lindor grounded out to first to end the threat.
And the Giants quickly acted to make sure the Mets would not continue to claw their way back into the game. Jefry Yan took the mound in the top of the eighth and issued a one-out walk to Eldridge, followed by a two-run homer from Osleivis Basabe. That made it 8-3, but San Francisco still wasn't quite done. Justin Hagenman pitched the ninth, and just like every non-Devenski Mets pitcher of the day, he surrendered a homer—this one a one-out solo shot for Grant McCray. That made it six dingers for the Giants, in case you weren't keeping count.

#METS #h

NEW YORK - Eight pitches in, Ethan Pecko appeared on the edge of calamity. Francisco Lindor crushed a full-count fastball into the second deck at Citi Field. Juan Soto sent a first-pitch curveball over the wall in left-center. Bo Bichette punched a single through the right side of the Houston Astros' infield.
Houston pitching coach Josh Miller hustled to the mound for a visit. AJ Blubaugh began to throw in the visitors' bullpen. Turning there so early might have torpedoed an already tenuous staff. Pecko, still, was making his third major-league start, and a series against the Mets hung in the balance Sunday.
Miller's message?
"To be honest, I don't even know," Pecko said afterward. "I was pretty comfortable with where I was at. Obviously, you don't want to give up two home runs back-to-back. But even the single, like, I knew the stuff was good. And I kind of just knew I could shake it off and keep going."
Instead of an early exit, Pecko engineered a recovery. The 24-year-old right-hander stabilized his outing enough to work five innings that kept the Astros position to stage a comeback, preserved their pitching structure and offered perhaps the most encouraging step yet in his big-league introduction.

#astros

NEW YORK (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Dustin May left his start against the New York Mets after one pitch Wednesday night when he was hit in the upper back by A.J. Ewing's line drive.
Ewing's 106 mph liner ricocheted off May as he whirled in an attempt to get out of the way. The ball caromed on one hop right to third baseman David Hamilton, who threw out the speedy Mets rookie at first.
May grimaced as he bent forward, favoring the area around his right shoulder blade and armpit. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy and an athletic trainer went to the mound to check on May, who was surrounded by Brewers infielders.
After a long consultation, May threw a handful of warmup pitches, raising his arm and shaking his right hand between tosses. Murphy then motioned to the dugout and May followed him off the mound.
Left-hander Robert Gasser, who began warming up in the bullpen after May was struck, entered and retired Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette on four pitchers to end the first inning.

#right #york #left #first

The Mets triumphed over the Brewers 4-3 in the tenth inning. The winning run scored when a throwing error by Brewers third baseman David Hamilton allowed Francisco Lindor to reach home safely.
Choose your recap: Amazin' Avenue, MLB.com, Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Post
There's been a lot of discussion around Carson Benge as a serious Rookie of the Year contender, but it'd be unwise to sleep on Nolan McLean's candidacy.
Laura Albanese examined the state of the Mets farm system after the roller coaster of a year it's had.
Kodai Senga just might have what it takes to succeed as the new Mets closer.

#METS #york #david

The Milwaukee Brewers are set to face the Mets in New York this week, as the Crew looks to continue their winning ways. The Brewers, at 81-50 this season, sit firmly atop the NL Central after winning each of their last three series against the Dodgers, Mariners, and Braves. The Mets, at 59-72, sit at the bottom of the NL East with the sixth-worst record in baseball. They've actually been a bit better the last couple of weeks, with a 6-3 record against the Nationals, Padres, and White Sox.
Milwaukee's lone position player on the IL is outfielder Sal Frelick, who is expected to return for this road trip. However, the team suffered a pair of injuries in Sunday's Little League Classic, as outfielder Garrett Mitchell exited after being hit by a pitch with what was categorized as a right forearm contusion, and first baseman Jake Bauers, who has been playing with a toe fracture this season, fouled a ball off his leg/foot, though he remained in the game. It's unclear if either player will miss more time, but overall, not the worst news on that front. On the mound, the Brewers are without Brandon Woodruff (potentially back before the end of the year after not needing surgery), JoJo Romero (late August), Abner Uribe (could be activated on Wednesday), Rob Zastryzny (TBD), Joel Kuhnel (late August), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), Quinn Priester (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season).
The Mets are without first baseman Mark Vientos (on rehab ******* ignment), outfielder Juan Soto (September), and infielder Jorge Polanco (out for season). Old friend Devin Williams is on the injured list with a shoulder strain that will keep him out until at least September. Fellow pitchers Cionel Pérez (September), Justin Hagenman (TBD), Tylor Megill (out for season), and Reed Garrett (out for season) are also out.
Jake Bauers leads the Brewer offense with 23 homers, 19 doubles, and 75 RBIs this season, as he's slashing .273/.382/.503 in the best season of his career. Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, William Contreras, Joey Ortiz, and Andrew Vaughn are among the other key contributors in recent weeks, while veteran Christian Yelich continues to suffer from the bad-luck bug. Gary Sánchez, Garrett Mitchell, David Hamilton, Cooper Pratt, and Luis Lara are also in the regular mix, with Jonathan Ornelas serving as some infield depth. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .254/.337/.396 (.733 OPS ranks seventh), with 120 homers (last), 650 runs scored (fifth), and 129 steals (third).
With Soto out, Carson Benge, Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Francisco Lindor, and Francisco Alvarez lead New York's offense. Benge has 16 homers, 17 doubles, 53 RBIs, and 19 steals in what has been a solid season overall, while Bichette, Semien, and Lindor are all have down years by their standards. Jared Young, A.J. Ewing, Luis Robert Jr., and Brett Baty are also in the regular mix, with Christopher Morel, Luis Torrens, Eric Wagaman, and Cristian Pache rounding things out. As a team, the M

NEW YORK -- When you think of extraordinary characters from Queens, most people gravitate toward the ultra-popular crime-fighting, web-slinging superhero.
But on Tuesday night, San Diego had a superhero of its own — and it wasn't Peter Parker. For Mets fans, he was more like a supervillain. Fernando Tatis Jr. put on a performance worthy of the big screen, blasting two home runs and robbing a grand slam as the Padres defeated the New York Mets 5-2 at Citi Field.
The superstar right fielder wasted no time putting his superhero act on display, crushing the first pitch of the game from left-hander Zac Thornton 452 feet with an exit velocity of 113 mph for his 14th home run of the season. The 452-foot homer was Tatis Jr.'s fourth home run of at least 450 feet this season, leading the majors.
Following his no-doubt blast to put San Diego in front, Tatis Jr. saved Padres starter Robbie Ray from a disastrous second inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Ray fired a 1-0 sinker that Francisco Lindor skied toward the right-field corner. Tatis Jr. chased it down, timed his leap perfectly at the wall and used his superhuman athleticism to take a grand slam away from the five-time All-Star shortstop.
Ray could only watch in disbelief.

#tatis #superhero #METS #grand

The Mets didn't have enough offense to keep up on Tuesday night, falling to the San Diego Padres, 5-2.
New York's four-game winning streak came to an end with the loss.
-- It didn't take long for New York to go down 1-0 as Fernando Tatis Jr. launched a no-doubt, first-pitch home run off rookie Zac Thornton. Tatis then showed his defensive skills in the second inning, robbing Francisco Lindor of a grand slam for the third out.
The star's big night continued in the top of the fifth inning, blasting a two-run homer off Thornton to make it a 3-0 game.
-- Besides the two home runs, Thornton had a solid outing over 5.0 IP and a career-high 99 pitches (69 strikes). Interim manager Andy Green kept Thornton in the game after the second homer and he powered through to strike out three straight Padres. Overall, Thornton struck out seven and allowed the three runs on six hits and a walk.

#tatis #home #second #homer

Fernando Tatis Jr. added to his career highlights during the San Diego Padres' game against the New York Mets on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Tatis denied Francisco Lindor a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning while the Padres had a 1-0 lead.
Tatis jumped up and caught the ball just before it could go over the fence in right field. He stared down toward the infield after making the catch while Padres pitcher Robbie Ray celebrated from the mound with a look of shock as the inning came to an end.
The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. robs grand slam from Mets' Francisco Lindor

#sports #grand

San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. pulled double duty on Tuesday night against the New York Mets.
New York's starting pitcher Zac Thornton threw only one pitch to Tatis Jr. in the top of the first inning to begin the game. The Padres outfielder launched it 452 ft. to left center, giving San Diego the early 1-0 lead.
Tatis Jr. wasn't done.
In the bottom of the second, the Mets had loaded the bases. Francisco Alvarez, Christopher Morel, and A.J. Ewing drew walks while Luis Torrens grounded into a fielder's choice, which saw Alvarez thrown out at home, but kept the bases loaded.
New York's star shortstop Francisco Lindor came to the plate. He launched a 91 mph sinker to right field, a hit that looked destined for the outfield seats.

#alvarez

The Mets started a three game series against the Padres on Monday night. The Padres were sitting in a playoff spot, just a game ahead of the Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot. Walker Buehler was getting the start for the Padres, while Nolan McLean was taking the mound for the Mets, hoping to add another entry to what was shaping up to be a fantastic first full season for the rookie pitcher.
The first inning was a challenge for McLean. It looked like it might be an easy inning after Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a line out right into McLean's glove for a first out on the first pitch of the game. But back-to-back singles put two runners on with one out. Two more singles followed immediately after, but each one was hit to Carson Benge, and each resulted on an out at the plate with Benge throwing both Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado out at the plate on consecutive plays.
The Mets led off the bottom of the first with an A.J. Ewing single and a Francisco Lindor walk, putting two runners on for the Mets with no outs. Bo Bichette then hit a single to drive in Ewing as the first run of the game on his bobblehead night. Luis Robert Jr. drove in the Mets second run of the game two batters later, hitting a sacrifice fly to bring Lindor in to score.
The second was another difficult endeavor for McLean. Two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases with no outs, spelling trouble for New York. Luis Rengifo hit a comebacker to McLean, who threw home for a force out to keep the Padres scoreless, but also kept the bases loaded with just one out. The Padres finally cashed in when Tatis, up for the second time in the game, hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Gavin Sheets and cut the Mets lead down to one run. Conenworth hit a single, but this time Ewing came through for McLean, throwing Xander Bogaerts out at the plate to end the inning.
McLean and Buehler traded scoreless innings for the next few frames. McLean came out of the game after six innings, having allowed just the one run. Keeping it to one run was impressive given that he gave up six hits and four walks while only striking out three, which helped illustrate the full team effort on defense alongside McLean.

#first #inning #plate

In the past two weeks, the Mets have swept two series and only lost one series. They were shut out in two of their three losses in the past 12 games, but other than that, the offense has ironically produced considerably better since losing Juan Soto. Francisco Lindor has been raking, Bo Bichette earned what I think is his first fireball of the year, Luis Torrens has gone on a power surge, and several guys who had been performing poorly are trending upwards.
Player
Last week
This week
Francisco Alvarez, C

#week

The Mets came from behind to walk off the Nationals in a thrilling 5-4 victory. Sean Manaea provided desperately needed length, the bullpen held firm, and the Mets mounted a ninth inning rally that culminated in a Francisco Alvarez game-tying double and a Francisco Lindor walk-off knock to win it.
Choose your recap: Amazin' Avenue, MLB.com, Newsday, New York Daily News, New York Post
Given the disaster the Dodgers are dealing with right now, it is increasingly looking like the Mets made the right decision when it comes to Edwin Díaz.
The Mets are evaluating their infield options for 2027, writes Will Sammon of The Athletic.
In rock bottom, perhaps the 2026 Mets have found some fun, writes Laura Albanese of Newsday.

#right

NEW YORK — The sense of anticipation crackled through the Citi Field crowd as No. 84 trotted out of the bullpen in the eighth inning on Saturday afternoon.
Jefry Yan has only pitched in five major-league games, but a little less than two weeks since his debut, Mets fans know who the left-handed reliever is and the boisterous celebration that he brings with him to the mound.
Yan's big arm and his unique leaping celebration was on full display for the first time in Flushing, and it momentarily lifted the home crowd out of the team's reality in the standings.
He picked up five straight outs, including four celebrations — three warranted with strikeouts and another miscalculation on a ball call — and exited with his first career win after Francisco Lindor delivered a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning of the Mets' 5-4 triumph over the Nationals in front of 34,737 fans at Citi Field.
"I was just trying to go out there and do my best because the last couple outings that I've had, I've battled a little bit," Yan said through an interpreter. "When I got to the mound, first and foremost, try to do my job and then once I did my job, it was time to have fub with the fans. We really enjoyed that part."

#field #five #little

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor's RBI single capped a ninth-inning rally, lifting the New York Mets to a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.
With the Mets trailing 4-3, Brett Baty worked a leadoff walk against Yovanny Cruz (0-1). Jorge Polanco, who was in a 7-for-71 slump since coming off the injured list July 7, singled before Baty scored on Francisco Alvarez's double.
After A.J. Ewing struck out, Lindor singled over drawn-in right fielder Dylan Crews to complete the Mets' sixth walk-off win of the season. The winning hit provided redemption for Lindor, who was thrown out at second trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt in the eighth.
Jefry Yan (1-0) threw 1 2/3 perfect innings for the win. He punctuated all three strikeouts with his high-flying leap celebration.
Jared Young had a two-run double in the first off Nationals starter Brad Lord, who walked four and threw 44 pitches while getting just two outs. Carson Benge homered in the sixth and also threw out Andrew Pinckney trying to score from third on Crews' fly out an inning later.

#threw #york #nationals

Last night the bats just could not get going and the bullpen faltered. That led to a disappointing 4-1 loss. Now the boys will have to regroup and try to even the series. Hopefully the league's highest scoring offense can figure out the Mets makeshift pitching staff.
With a lefty on the mound, there will be plenty of changes to the lineup. Dylan Crews will lead off and play right. CJ Abrams is at short again despite the announcement of his move to second base. Andrew Pinckney and Harry Ford are also back in the lineup. Brad Lord will start as his reintegration into the rotation continues.
The Mets have a couple new faces at the bottom of their lineup. Brett Baty will play left field and Jorge Polanco will DH. Otherwise it is the same group as last night. Francisco Lindor will lead the way without Juan Soto. Sean Manaea has been throwing the ball much better lately and will be on the mound today.
Sign up for a user account and get:
Fewer ads

#lead #play

A.J. Ewing – CF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Jared Young – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Brett Baty – LF
Jorge Polanco – DH
Francisco Alvarez – C
SP: Sean Manaea – LHP
Dylan Crews – RF
Andres Chaparro – 1B
Brady House – 3B
CJ Abrams – SS
Harry Ford – C
Jacob Young – CF
Daylen Lile – DH
Nasim Nunez – 2B
Andrew Pinckney – LF
SP: Brad Lord – RHP
First pitch: 4:10 PM EDT
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

#ewing #carson

NEW YORK — Despite a slow start to their return home on Friday night, the Mets offense found a rhythm late.
The Mets used home runs from Francisco Lindor and Jared Young, along with a productive finish from their bullpen to grab a 4-1 win over the Nationals.
Now, the Mets will go for the series victory at 4:10 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field.
Sean Manaea will be looking to record a fifth straight quality start on Saturday.
The veteran left-hander struck out a season-high 11 batters across seven innings while allowing one earned run on three hits in his last start against the Pirates.

#start #Friday

The Mets continue a three-game series against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY.
Following a win on Friday night, New York continues to own the Nationals at home, winning 15 of the last 20 games played at Citi Field
The Mets are 7-3 in their L10 games and 19-21 against the NL East this season
Sean Manaea is back on the mound for New York and while he's been pitching excellent as of late, the lefty has struggled against Washington in his career with a 5.45 ERA in eight games (six starts)
After a big home run in the series opener, Francisco Lindor stayed hot at the plate and is slashing .333/.467/.625 in his last seven games

#washington

I know what you're thinking. Fridays against the Nationals at Citi Field. Isn't that a bit of a narrow category for a "best of" list? That's a tremendously fair point, but for whatever reason, it seems a disproportionate number of the most memorable games in recent Mets history have come on Fridays against the Nats — whether jumpstarting hot streaks, announcing the arrival of new stars, or simply providing a moment of joy in otherwise bleak times.
There are a variety of good options to choose from, as the Mets have won six of their last eight and 14 of their last 22 Friday contests at home against Washington. I've selected a quartet that I believe stand above the rest as true classics. With another weekend series with the Nats upon us in 2026, it felt fitting to revisit the unique circumstances that led to these games, the actual on-field events that went down, and the legacy they've left behind. So without further ado, here are the top Friday nights at Citi Field vs. the Nats (so far):
4. deGame – April 23, 2021
Setting the scene: After over 18 months of covid-induced absence (not counting cardboard cutouts), fans were finally back in the stands at Citi Field — but things weren't exactly back to normal. Seating was **** ed out, tickets were limited, and the sport was settling into a transitional season before the expanded playoffs and universal DH, after the automatic extra-inning runner, with seven-inning doubleheaders and mounting concern about "sticky stuff." But the Mets had promise, fresh off the acquisition and long-term extension of Francisco Lindor, out to a respectable 8-7 start, and featuring a two-time Cy Young Award winner who only seemed to get better with age. Thus far in 2021, Jacob deGrom held a 0.45 ERA with 35 strikeouts and three walks over three starts. As he warmed up in the bullpen before this Friday night start against the Nationals (only the seventh home game and third home night game since fans returned to the stadium), he felt so good that it made him "a little nervous." So we have a small but remarkably hungry crowd of 8,130 fans starved for something good to cheer, and a one-of-one ace nervous about just how good he might be. Sounds like a pretty good recipe.
Play ball: deGrom set the tone with a three-pitch strikeout of leadoff hitter Andrew Stevenson, each offering coming in at over 99 mph. One would think it could only get better for the Nats from that point on, but…not exactly. After five innings, they had struck out nine times and reached base only twice (on a well-placed grounder and a misplayed fly ball). The game was still scoreless, but that changed in the bottom of the frame when deGrom himself came to bat against Erick Fedde, slashing an RBI double to left and later scoring on a single by Brandon Nimmo.

#nats #only

Despite losing the series to the Cubs, the Nats ended things on a high note thanks to a Cade Cavalli masterclass. He helped secure a winning home stand and the bats continued to thrive. Now the Nats head to New York to face a last place Mets team. However, the Mets have been playing a bit better lately.
The Nats have quite the interesting lineup today. Jose Tena has played the outfield late in games, but today he will be in left field to start. Jacob Young will be in center and Daylen Lile will move over to right. Brady House will be the DH, while Jorbit Vivas plays third and Nasim Nunez is at second. Andrew Alvarez looks to build off of back to back impressive outings.
Juan Soto is out of the lineup for the Mets, but we will be seeing Francisco Lindor. The Mets shortstop missed a couple months this season. In a disappointing season, the young duo of Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing has been a bright spot for this team. Journeyman Robert Stock will be on the mound tonight.
Sign up for a user account and get:
Fewer ads

#young #back

AJ Ewing – LF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Luis Robert – CF
Carson Benge – RF

#ewing

Red Sox Named Suitor for $341M Star, but They Shouldn't Be for Franklin Arias Reason originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox's interest in a shortstop over the past year or so has been rather interesting for many reasons. Not only do the Red Sox already have a veteran at shortstop in Trevor Story, but they have one of the best prospects in Major League Baseball in Franklin Arias.
Arias, who many figure will be one of the better players in baseball once he gets settled into the league, has absolutely torn up the minor leagues. There's even a scenario in which he could be called up this year if the Red Sox need him.
However, the interest in shortstops has already been well reported, as Boston has shown interest in Elly De La Cruz and others over the past few months. A recent suggestion also had them in the mix for another superstar shortstop, Francisco Lindor.
Lindor, who is still an elite player, would be a huge addition to any contending team this winter.

#interest #shortstop #league

A.J. Ewing – LF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Luis Robert – CF
Carson Benge – RF
Marcus Semien – 2B
Francisco Alvarez – C
Jorge Polanco – DH
Gabriel Arias – 1B
SP: Nolan McLean – RHP
Drake Baldwin – C
Ronald Acuna – DH
Matt Olson – 1B
Michael Harris – CF
Ozzie Albies – 2B
Mauricio Dubon – LF
Mike Yastrzemski – RF
Austin Riley – 3B
Jim Jarvis – SS
SP: Martin Perez – LHP
First pitch: 7:15 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

#luis #benge

This game had an eventful first inning that saw the Mets plate five on Bryce Elder and the Braves, and then a valiant-but-doomed comeback attempt over the rest of the game. The main things that stood out to me: Bryce Elder with poor command is a nightmare, and the Braves really needed some homers in this one but couldn't find 'em. Will the Phillies gain a game on the Braves by the time I finish this recap? Who knows.
Boy, that first inning, though. The game started with an A.J. Ewing double off Elder. The ball rolled under the padding in right field, and Ronald Acuña Jr. threw up his hands to signal a ground rule double. Ewing stopped running midway between second and third. For some reason, the Mets challenged the call, and this resulted in something absurd like an eight-minute delay of game… only for the umpires to rule that while the ball was not "lodged," Ewing would nonetheless be "awarded" second base. Pace of play, am I right?
Anyway, would that that was the only excitement in the first, but alas. A single later scored Ewing, and then a key play happened on a 3-2 Elder pitch to Carson Benge. The pitch was clearly a strike, but Sean Murphy came up throwing and had the runner dead to rights… except that it was ruled a ball and Murphy didn't challenge, turning a 1-0 deficit and a half-inning break into a 1-0 deficit, runners on first and second, and one out. After a short liner single to load the bases, Elder got a punchout… and then hung a first-pitch slider to Brett Baty, who slammed it for a grand… slam. The Mets actually collected two more hits before Elder finished the frame, but the score remained 5-0.
Then, the Braves mounted a rally of their own against Christian Scott. Unfortunately, their rally didn't have a homer, so it wasn't as productive. Drake Baldwin led off with a double, Matt Olson later singled, and Ozzie Albies had a crazy 11-pitch plate appearance that ended with a 3-2 pitch barely clipping his uniform to load the bases. Mauricio Dubon then came through with a seeing-eye bouncer that plated two. Austin Riley ended the rally by watching two of three pitches in the zone (and fouling off the second). Oops.
The Mets continued tearing into Elder and the Braves' defense. Francisco Lindor, whose small-sample lifetime stats against Elder are murderous, led off the second with a double, and then scored on a two-out bloop. Another single and a walk loaded the bases, but the frame ended at 6-2. Sean Murphy collected a one-out double in the bottom of the inning, but was left stranded. Lindor then tagged Elder for a two-out solo homer in the third, and yeah, that's kind of how this one was developing for a while.

#Braves #pitch

ATLANTA (AP) — Brett Baty hit the first grand slam of his career and the New York Mets held off the Atlanta Braves 8-5 on Monday night for their sixth win in seven games.
Francisco Lindor was 3 for 5 with a 420-foot home run, Jared Young had two hits and two RBIs, and Bo Bichette drove in a run and scored.
Daniel Duarte (1-0) earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief, and Kodai Senga pitched a scoreless ninth for his first career save. Regular closer Devin Williams was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier in the day.
Baty's grand slam came in the first inning off Bryce Elder (8-7), who was unable to follow up on his past three starts where he gave up just one run each game.
Elder nearly escaped the first inning after allowing just one run. With one out and Bichette on first, the Braves thought they had a double play. On a 3-2 count to Carson Benge, Bichette was caught stealing. The pitch was called a ball, wiping out the caught stealing, but replays showed the ball was a strike and Elder tapped his hat for an ABS challenge. The challenge was not granted, keeping the inning alive, and Baty homered three batters later to give the Mets a 5-0 lead.

#baty

A.J. Ewing – LF
Francisco Lindor – SS
Bo Bichette – 3B
Carson Benge – RF
Luis Robert – CF

#francisco