Timing of Mets rotation troubles come with plenty of worry
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Statistically, the Mets rotation remains atop the heap, No. 1 in all of baseball, with a 2.93 ERA. Realistically, it doesn't feel that way today.
According to those in the know, staff ace Kodai Senga, the National League ERA leader, is expected out a minimum five weeks after suffering a hamstring injury. That he only suffered a Grade 1 (low grade) strain is considered the positive news of the week that got away from them.
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On the day after starter Tylor Megill lost his way, Griffin Canning never found it Sunday. Two of the best surprises of the season turned in their worst outings to cap the roughest home weekend of an otherwise beautiful start to the season (not counting the weather, which continues to disappoint).
Before a sellout Father's Day of 42,804 crowd on yet another day that qualified on the drab-to-dreary atmosphere range, the Rays played Canning's daddy, setting the tone for his day filled with wildness by scoring three runs in a third inning in which only one ball left the infield.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
C. Notes: Wade Miley's impact goes beyond the mound
Almost exactly two years ago, the Cincinnati Reds called up a 21-year-old Elly De La Cruz, and it was like a jolt of lightning. After losing a series at home to the Milwaukee Brewers on June 5 and falling to 27-33 on the season, the Reds called up the top prospect in baseball for the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Advertisement From De La Cruz's debut on June 6 to the end of the month, the Reds went 17-5, climbing from third in the division and 5 1/2 games back of the Pittsburgh Pirates (really) to first, a game up on the Brewers. This June 4, left-hander Wade Miley, 17 years older, 4 inches shorter and 20 pounds heavier, was activated by the Reds. Both players held pregame news conferences before their first games, but only one talked about getting dominated in High-A. Miley pitched later that night in mop-up duty against his old team, the Brewers. The next game, the Reds began a five-game winning streak, and they have now won seven of their last nine. Since Miley joined the team, the Reds have notched their first walk-off and shutout of the season, their first Ohio Cup since 2014, and their first comeback win of the season when trailing after seven innings. They also won a series after dropping the opening game of the series for the first time since June 2023. After a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Miley made his first start last Monday in Cleveland. He threw five quality innings and earned the win, the team's fourth straight. 'Having him out there, it felt like he gave everyone a lift,' Reds manager Terry Francona said after the Reds' 7-4 victory that night. 'I mean, he's energetic. And I know he's old, but he's energetic, and he competes, and I just think there was a good energy in the dugout.' At 38, Miley has made not just a career in baseball but friendships everywhere, including Cincinnati, having played two years with the Reds and throwing a no-hitter in a Reds uniform. After undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, Miley nearly retired before former Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek convinced him to have the elbow surgery and give it one more shot in baseball. Even though Miley was a Red in 2021, the roster had almost completely turned over when he came into the clubhouse this spring after signing a minor-league deal. Advertisement It didn't take long for Miley to make his presence felt. Like his manager, Miley loves little more than a self-deprecating joke. Like Francona, Miley's aw-shucks facade belies an understanding of the game that borders on genius. The combination of knowledge, likability and laughter made him an immediate team leader in Goodyear. Most days in the clubhouse started and ended with Miley sitting at a table, holding court with players of all stripes. It's why when Miley opted out of his contract earlier this month, Reds closer Emilio Pagán immediately texted him: 'We've got to find a way to get you here.' Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall was ahead of Pagán. Because Miley had pitched the night before his opt-out, he wouldn't be able to start right away anyway. So Krall encouraged Miley to file for free agency and look around for a starting job, as there wasn't one at that point in Cincinnati. Miley, whose family was already in Cincinnati for the season, spent three days at home, waiting to hear if there was a better offer than staying with the Reds. He didn't expect any and didn't get any. Three days later, he was on the Reds' 40-man roster. That day, Opening Day starter Hunter Greene went on the injured list, opening a spot for Miley in the rotation just when the Reds needed him. Miley won his first game, then had another solid outing in Sunday's victory over the Detroit Tigers, owners of baseball's best record. Yet again, after the game, Francona talked about the 'extra energy' Miley has brought. Pagán said he felt the same thing. 'I'm not sure if we're fully aware right now the impact he's going to have,' Pagán said after picking up his 16th save of the season in Miley's start against the Guardians. 'Obviously, he's a tremendous pitcher, but he's going to impact us way beyond just what he gives us on the mound.' Advertisement Pagán, who's in his second season with the team, credited Krall and general manager Brad Meador for building around the young talent with veterans like Miley, catcher Jose Trevino, infielder Santiago Espinal, infielder/outfielder Gavin Lux and outfielder Austin Hays. 'It's already impacted us so far this year,' Pagán said. 'Even though our record's probably not where we wanted it to be, just adding another guy like Wade, when you go into those slumps or whatever and you're not getting the results you want, it means a bit more when somebody like Wade can come by and say you're going about your business the right way.' Even this week, after The Athletic reported that Wiley had been named in a lawsuit related to the death of former teammate Tyler Skaggs, he handled it like a professional. He was at his locker, ready to take questions as soon as it opened Friday in Detroit. It's the type of action that gains respect in the clubhouse, the manager's office, the front office and the press box, a rare feat in itself. Jake Fraley's game-saving catch in Tuesday's victory over the Guardians finished second on ESPN's 'Web Gems' of the week, behind the home run robbery by the Athletics' Denzel Clarke a day before. It was a tough week to take the top spot, with Clarke's catch already being mentioned among some of the great catches in baseball history, but Fraley said his catch this week was probably second on his list. JAKE FRALEY, FULL EXTENSION 😱 — MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2025 Fraley made the diving, backhanded catch for the first out of the seventh inning on what would've been a triple by José Ramírez, helping preserve Andrew Abbott's shutout. 'It kind of had that feel of a no-hitter or perfect game — like, every pitch matters,' Fraley said. 'Going through a game like that, you've got to stay locked in above and beyond.' Fraley was asked where the catch ranked in his career, and he surprisingly said it was second to a game-saving home run robbery he made in 2021 while with the Seattle Mariners. Advertisement On June 9, 2021, Fraley robbed the Tigers' Isaac Paredes of a walk-off home run. Not only did Fraley go over the wall to pull the homer back, but he also got the ball in quickly to the infield, where second baseman Shed Long threw on to first to double up the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera for an inning-ending double play. The Mariners went on to win in 11 innings. UNREAL 🤯 — Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 10, 2021 'It was like full-extension, jump up all the way back — way up — and it kept us in the game because it would've been a walk-off, and we eventually ended up winning,' Fraley said. Saturday, the Reds traded for right-hander Brian Van Belle from the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations. Van Belle had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. The same day, the Reds claimed infielder/outfielder Ryan Vilade off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. Both players were optioned to Triple-A Louisville. To make room for Vilade on the 40-man roster, outfielder Jacob Hurtubise was designated for assignment. Van Belle, 28, was 5-1 with a 2.29 ERA in 12 games and eight starts for the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate in Worcester. Over 51 innings with Worcester, Van Belle had 41 strikeouts and seven walks. Vilade, 26, has appeared in 27 big-league games over three seasons with the Colorado Rockies, Tigers and Cardinals. At Triple-A Memphis, Vilade hit .280/.375/.476 with five home runs over 48 games. Not only did the Reds take the Ohio Cup for the first time since 2014 by winning two of three in Cleveland this week, to go with the sweep in Cincinnati last month, but the team also went to Detroit and took a series from one of the best teams in baseball. It was the first time they had won a series when dropping the opener since June 26-28, 2023, a stretch of 39 series. Sunday's win was also the first time this season the Reds won a game when trailing after the seventh inning. They came into Sunday 0-29 in such games. The win, coupled with a Cardinals loss, put the Reds in a tie for third in the National League Central with the Cardinals, 1 1/2 games behind the Brewers and 6 1/2 behind the Chicago Cubs. Advertisement After a day off Monday, the Reds welcome the 36-35 Minnesota Twins for three games and then head to St. Louis for a weekend series with the Cardinals. The Reds' next six series are against teams with winning records: the Twins, Cardinals, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. • RHP Hunter Greene (right groin sprain) saw specialists in Los Angeles last week for his groin and back and received an epidural for his back. He is expected to report to the team's complex in Goodyear, Ariz. • OF Austin Hays (left foot contusion) had an MRI on Wednesday in Cleveland that confirmed the bone bruise. Hays said he didn't feel right when he went through pregame work Tuesday. He was shut down to see if rest would help. • RHP Carson Spiers (right shoulder impingement) is throwing bullpens in Goodyear. • RHP Rhett Lowder (right forearm strain/left oblique strain) went to Arizona to continue his rehab. • 3B Noelvi Marte (left oblique strain) will need another MRI before beginning a rehab assignment, but Francona said Marte has been feeling better and the team was shooting for a rehab assignment beginning Friday. • IF Jeimer Candelario (lumbar spine strain) is hitting .194/.326/.250 in 10 games on his rehab assignment at Louisville. • Triple-A Louisville (29-40): In 13 games this month, OF Rece Hinds is 18-for-47 (.383) with a home run and nine doubles. He has struck out nine times and walked five times in 53 plate appearances. • Double-A Chattanooga (31-28): OF Austin Hendrick, the team's first-round pick in 2020, is hitting .248/.333/.426 with six home runs for the Lookouts this season. He has three homers and is hitting .294 in 10 games this month. • High-A Dayton (20-43): IF Cam Collier, on a rehab assignment with the Dragons, hit his first home run in Dayton on Saturday. Since his first game with the Dragons this year on June 4, he's hitting .293/.370/.415. • Class-A Daytona (27-36): C/1B Ryan McCrystal had two more hits Sunday; he has multiple hits in five of his last eight games. He's now hitting .283/.364/.455 on the season and .440/.481/.640 this month.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
This Week in Mets: The pitching staff hits a speed bump
'The weight of this sad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.' 'King Lear,' William Shakespeare The New York Mets' worst weekend of the season pivoted in Friday's sixth inning. New York had just extended its lead over the Tampa Bay Rays to 5-1 and appeared poised for its seventh consecutive victory. With Clay Holmes working on a tight pitch count, the Mets turned to Paul Blackburn out of the bullpen. It was the perfect script for the club, which wanted Blackburn to pitch multiple innings to stay fresh for his start this week in Atlanta. Advertisement Blackburn's outing lasted five batters, with four of them scoring. By the end of the inning, Tampa Bay had the lead, and the Mets have held it for all of about 10 minutes since. The decision to go with Blackburn in that spot highlighted the delicate balance the Mets are attempting to walk with their pitching staff. Specifically, they're trying to keep an eye on long-term health while still piling up wins in the here and now. Beyond anything else, the Mets' pitching staff has been the prime mover of their success this season. The starting rotation has been outstanding all year, the last two days notwithstanding, and the bullpen has received important contributions from a wide range of arms. The best chance of preserving that staff-wide success is not leaning too heavily on anyone. So it's pulling Holmes after just 79 pitches because he felt elevated soreness after pitching at the Colorado Rockies. It's trying to stay away from the most important relievers when the game permits it. It's occasionally thinking less about today than down the line — always a difficult tightrope to walk in New York. To that end, the club has internally discussed regularly piggybacking starters in the second half of the season. It would capitalize on the enviable starting depth the Mets have compiled while also keeping their core relievers fresher through the rest of the season. The upside is what happened in the series finale in Colorado last week, when Blackburn took the ball from Tylor Megill and carried it through the finish line in a blowout win. Without a game Monday, New York's relievers received two straight days off. (It's perhaps not coincidental that the unit delivered 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing a single hit, in Tuesday's extra-innings win over the Washington Nationals.) The downside is what you saw Friday. If a starter doesn't have it in the unusual role of relief, it can get ugly fast. And you end up needing to use other relievers anyway. Advertisement The last four days on the whole were a quick comedown for the staff after David Peterson's brilliant shutout Wednesday. Kodai Senga hit the injured list, his replacement was lit up as a longman, and Megill and Griffin Canning combined to allow 12 runs in eight innings Saturday and Sunday. It's the first real adversity to hit the staff since the spring injuries to Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea, and it rebounded then better than the Mets could imagine. How does the staff handle adversity now? The Mets were swept for the first time this season, losing all three to the Rays at Citi Field. New York is still in first in the National League East at 45-27. The Atlanta Braves have won consecutive series since dropping six in a row, though losing Sunday's series finale to the Rockies despite Grant Holmes' 15 strikeouts stung. At 31-39, they're 13 behind New York in the East. The Philadelphia Phillies picked up three games in three days by sweeping the previously hot Toronto Blue Jays, moving within 2 1/2 games of the Mets in the East. The Phillies play four at the Miami Marlins before rendezvousing with the Mets on Friday. at Atlanta LHP David Peterson (5-2, 2.49 ERA) vs. RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (5-4, 3.11 ERA) RHP Paul Blackburn (0-0, 6.75) vs. LHP Chris Sale (4-4, 2.79) RHP Clay Holmes (7-3, 2.87) vs. RHP Spencer Strider (1-5, 4.35) at Philadelphia RHP Tylor Megill (5-5, 3.95) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (7-2, 2.76) RHP Griffin Canning (6-3, 3.80) vs. RHP Mick Abel (1-0, 2.35) LHP David Peterson vs. LHP Jesús Luzardo (6-2, 4.23) Red = 60-day IL Orange = 15-day IL Blue = 10-day IL • Senga will be shut down through this week and into next week before being re-evaluated. The general rule is that a pitcher needs as much time to build back up as he was shut down, so if Senga is down two weeks total before throwing again, it would take about another two weeks for him to return. A timeline of just after the All-Star break is probably as good as the Mets can hope for. Advertisement • Mark Vientos will start a rehab assignment Tuesday with Syracuse. • Montas had his worst rehab start yet Friday. There's only time for one more minor-league start before his 30-day rehab clock expires June 22. Montas says he's healthy and progressing toward where he wants to be; if the Mets deem he hasn't made enough progress, his return could be in the bullpen. • Jose Siri had a setback, with reimaging of his fractured tibia revealing it had not healed as much as the Mets had hoped. Siri is backing off running and baseball activities for about two weeks and will be re-evaluated. President of baseball operations David Stearns said Siri is still 'a ways away.' • Jesse Winker is still 'multiple weeks away' from a rehab assignment, Stearns said. Triple A: Syracuse vs. Jacksonville (Miami) Double A: Binghamton at Harrisburg (Washington) High A: Brooklyn at Aberdeen (Baltimore) Low A: St. Lucie vs. Palm Beach (St. Louis) • The Mets will approach Senga's rehab differently this time • Jeff McNeil changed his mentality, and then he changed his mechanics to show his value • Storylines to watch in advance of the trade deadline • Why the Mets are likely to add to the bullpen in July • David Peterson delivered the best start of the season • TWIM: Which Mets deserve to be All-Stars? I found 'King Lear' a little too much. I prefer the Lancastrian Tetralogy, myself. This Week in Mets will be taking a brief hiatus over the next two weeks so that I can enjoy a vacation. Whom did Francisco Lindor hit his winning home run off last year in Game 161 in Atlanta? (I'll reply to the correct answer in the comments.) (Photo of Clay Holmes: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
This was not Adam Scott's U.S. Open. Will the wait for his second major ever end?
OAKMONT, Pa. — With the day finally over and the week finally done, Adam Scott got to the Oakmont Country Club parking lot and began the process of realization that comes when any long wait is prolonged. These are the moments when the quotation marks fall away, when you hear the hard stuff. Scott stopped walking and started talking. Advertisement 'You know, when I won that Masters,' he said, looking around like a man in an empty room, 'I really thought, 'Here we go, the floodgates are going to open.'' That Masters, played in the spring of 2013, when Scott was 32 and let out a winning roar as photo flashes lit the green and rain fell from above, was 12 years, one month and 20 days ago. At the time, Augusta was going to be the starting point of the story that would determine his place among the greats in golf, and, well, he was sort of right. Except, instead of a career defined by major wins, it's been resembling some cruel Sisyphean endeavor. There's a reason this was everyone's sentimental pick on Sunday at this U.S. Open. What a story it'd be. The old guy. The wise one. The guy who put in his time and traveled the long road and stuck with it. The guy whose résumé has never quite matched a swing so smooth that it somehow overshadows his looks. Adam Scott, in the final pairing of his 24th career U.S. Open, in his 96th consecutive major tournament start, would be a fitting winner for a cathedral like Oakmont. So, what happened? Seventy-nine shots. Seventy-nine wicked, wet, woebegone shots. Each seemingly worse than the last. All over the course of a day seemingly as long as the wait that it took to get here. Scott arrived a little after noon on Sunday. He teed off alongside tournament leader Sam Burns at 2:15. He left the course at 4 amid a pounding rain, then went back to the practice range at 5, then to the eighth hole for a 5:40 restart. Before the delay, Scott liked where he stood. He opened with two bogeys in the opening three holes but got one back on the par-5 fourth before missing a 10-footer for par on No. 6. He was 2 over on the day but felt good about his form and was 1 under for the tournament and one shot out of the lead. He knew Oakmont would take its toll on everyone and believed he'd stay standing. 'I was absolutely feeling great,' he said afterward. 'No doubt.' He did until he didn't. After the stoppage of play, what had been a daring weeklong pas de deux between this U.S. Open's entrants and this wonderful old beast of a course devolved into a sopping-wet street fight of survival. Scott never found his way, pushing drive after drive down the right side. Every second shot he hit seemed to be played out of a bowl of soup. Bad shots combined with some bad breaks, and the Aussie came undone. He played the final 11 holes in 7 over par and finished in a six-way tie for 12th. His tournament essentially ended with back-to-back bogeys on holes 14 and 15, then a coffin-closing double on the 16th. Advertisement Coming up 18, Scott walked through the shockwave of J.J. Spaun's 64-foot winning putt, seeing it all play out a few hundred yards away. In the aftermath, he hit an approach, then set off on a long stroll that he undoubtedly imagined differently only a few hours earlier. A career coronation. A final validation. Instead, he was passed by volunteers running down the side of the hole to get in position for Spaun's trophy presentation. Scott wrapped up a final bogey, tipped his cap, shook hands with his group's standard-bearers and walked off into yet another void. The thoughts that came next are ones he's all too used to. 'I understand that winning another major would, you know, put me in some kind of different category,' he said in the parking lot. 'I've dreamed of winning lots of majors. I'm just trying to get that next one — always. But that's the way it is.' The hardest part about Scott's journey — from Masters winner to world No. 1 to years searching for a next major victory — is that it's never been for a lack of effort. If anything, it's the opposite. The longer he's gone on like this, the harder he's working. Trevor Immelman, CBS's lead analyst, is Scott's closest friend and his extra set of eyes. The two came up together, from junior golf to the PGA Tour to the Presidents Cup to Masters champions. Immelman's career was cut short by injuries; he openly acknowledges living vicariously through his friend. He has seen everything Scott has done and how he has done it. The endless equipment tweaks. All the work on approach shots and iron play. The fitness regimen. Speaking by phone Sunday from his home in Florida, Immelman, 45, pointed out what's missed in all the old-man tropes that line Scott's narrative. The most common perception — that his age and experience are his advantage — is wrong. Advertisement In truth, it's the fact that, even in his 40s, Scott maintains the swing speed and power of a top-20 player in the world because he works endlessly to sustain it. Just like Tiger Woods did. Just like Phil Mickelson did. Just like Ernie Els and Vijay Singh and Davis Love III. And that's the difference. 'An awesome weapon of speed and power — that's how he stays relevant,' Immelman said. 'Because if you don't have that, then you can't use your experience.' Now, still looking for that long-awaited second major, the question is: How much longer can Scott use what he has? There's what he sees on the course. Even with Sunday's disappointment, Scott left Oakmont knowing he was in a position to win, same as he was at Quail Hollow, when he was in second place with seven holes to go before again fading hard and finishing tied for 19th. He expects to contend at Portrush next month and is positioned to make the Tour Championship. And there's what he sees in the mirror. Scott turns 45 next month. His wife and three kids live year-round in Switzerland. He is, at last check, not getting younger. It's hard. Waiting is one thing. Not knowing what you're waiting for is another. Here, Scott acknowledges what he knows. He's on the clock. 'I feel like I can keep this up for another 18 months, for sure,' he said. 'Then, at that point, I'll be 46. I think I can push myself for the next year and a half and then reassess, you know? That's a reasonable goal. It's not so long, but it's like, 'Are you ever going to do it?' I need to give myself a bit of a deadline, a bit of urgency, right?' In truth, he's long had that. It just feels different when time keeps moving.
