Harper and Schwarber spark the Phillies to a 9-4 win over the reeling Yankees, who await Judge news
NEW YORK (AP) — Bryce Harper homered deep into the right-field bleachers and Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run double after New York's 10th error in five games, sparking the Philadelphia Phillies to a 9-4 win Saturday as the reeling Yankees awaited test rests on the right elbow of captain Aaron Judge.
Trea Turner drove in two runs and Edmundo Sosa also homered for the Phillies, who opened a 9-1 lead. Philadelphia started the day a half-game behind the NL East-leading New York Mets.
Schwarber had six RBIs and Turner was 6 for 11 as Philadelphia outscored New York 21-9 in the first two games of the three-game series.
Ranger Suarez (8-4) allowed one run and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts and one walk, throwing a season-high 108 pitches.
Judge was out of the Yankees' starting lineup for just the second time this season. His elbow has been bothering him since a throw Tuesday at Toronto, and manager Aaron Boone said the two-time AL MVP was sent for a scan Saturday morning.
New York began the day a season-high 5 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Toronto and dropped to 3-5 since the All-Star break.
Schwarber doubled after second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. bobbled Turner's potential inning-ending, double-play grounder in the seventh, Chisholm's 12th error this season.
Ryan McMahon went 1 for 3 with a walk in his Yankees debut, a day after the third baseman was acquired from Colorado for a pair of pitching prospects.
Marcus Stroman (2-2) allowed four runs, five hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings.
Sosa hit a two-run homer in the seventh off Allan Winans and Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run drive against Daniel Robert in the bottom half. Key plays
Sosa left with a bruised back after the third baseman was elbowed by left fielder Brandon Marsh in a collision while catching Chisholm's seventh-inning popup. Key stat
New York is 21-28 following a 35-20 start. Up next
New York LHP Carlos Rodon (10-7, 3.10) and Philadelphia RHP Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.39) start Sunday's series finale.
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Though if there was one quote from Beane that could have foreshadowed where things currently stand, it was when he spoke to the media on July 23. 'It is a business. We have to fit it in, not only cash, but cap, and sometimes, you can look at it and say, 'Well, you know, you go to this website or whatever, they could fit him in if they did this and this.' But we also have to look at '26, '27 and beyond, because you can walk yourself into one of those years where you're like, 'Oh man, there's not a lot of guys, we can take them out here.' We would have to trade or cut someone that we wouldn't want to lose. … So all those things have to make sense for us to fit him in.' The Bills have a lot of new contract extensions that would follow a similar cap hit path as the one Cook would potentially sign, and they're already over the projected 2026 salary cap. It's quite the predicament to marry what the Bills could offer and what would get Cook to sign on the dotted line on a long-term deal. Beane alluding to all of this could be a sign of where things stand. As Cook began his hold-in on Sunday, Beane had a previously scheduled radio interview on Monday morning that turned timely due to Cook's new approach. 'We tried to get something done with Jimbo, and unfortunately, you know, it's got — it takes two,' Beane said on WGR-AM on Monday. 'And both sides have to agree on what that number is, and obviously, that hasn't gotten there. But, I'm not sitting here saying 'You don't pay running backs.' I think you just have to find what the sweet spot is.' The 'it takes two' and 'find what the sweet spot is' lines are what stand out. What is clear is that the Bills and Cook's representatives have a relatively different assessment of Cook's long-term valuation, and Cook's side felt strongly enough about their stance to have him begin the hold-in. Advertisement Although the term 'impasse' may be a bit strong, it's certainly not out of the question to describe the current state of things. The apparent legitimate difference in valuations is the likeliest culprit for the situation. Cook is one of their top offensive players coming off the best season of his young career. He just watched the Bills pay several other young players, and also watched some of the running back numbers get heightened this offseason with new deals. For something to get done long term, something has to give. The Rams gave a three-year extension with an average of $11 million per year to running back Kyren Williams this week. Cook is likely closer to the Williams tier than the Saquon Barkley ($20.4 million APY), Christian McCaffrey ($19 million) and Derrick Henry ($15 million) tier atop the running back APY landscape. Cook and Williams are both proven commodities in the NFL, with Cook giving the Bills something at the running back position they haven't had since Beane and McDermott arrived in Buffalo. With Cook and Williams being a part of the same draft class, and being close in several statistical senses, too, that could be a natural link to put those valuations on par. However, it's an imperfect comparison. For one, Williams is almost a year younger than Cook, which is something teams consider with contracts. Perhaps the bigger consideration is that Williams' overall workload in the Rams offense is far and away heavier than what the Bills have asked of Cook, and what they're trending toward asking of Cook again in his fourth season, should he get back on the field for the Bills. Over the last two seasons, Williams has taken 82 and 87 percent of the Rams' offensive snaps in his active games. He has been their true-to-form three-down back, is trending toward continuing that way, and is now the seventh-highest-paid running back annually. On the flip side, Cook's snap rates in active games have been 55 and 48 percent in 2023 and 2024, and for most of 2024, Cook usually was replaced on third downs in favor of committee back Ty Johnson. Based on their practice usage, and with both Johnson and Ray Davis signed for the 2026 season, there's no indication that this is going to change anytime soon. It's not to say that Cook can't be that player. He has shown flashes of doing it when asked. The Bills believe he can do it if needed, and Cook said he wants to prove he can do it on a consistent basis. But that hasn't happened yet. Advertisement Cook's role, at its core, might be where the valuations aren't lining up between the two sides. The Bills haven't used, and don't project to use Cook in a three-down role over the next two seasons based on their roster setup, barring injuries. That could cause them to have Cook's value land closer to 10th, or outside of the top 10 of running back APY in the NFL. So now, the Bills and Cook's representation are seemingly in a staring contest. The line of communication remains open, but this is a different beast than what the Bills have dealt with previously in extension talks. A hold-in provides pressure on a team looking to reach the Super Bowl this season by removing one of their most trusted assets on offense in key preparations for the year. And from Cook's perspective, you can understand where they're coming from, wanting to maximize his value coming off a career year and wanting to be compensated closer to his worth. It's something most would want. There is also a matter of precedent from a team perspective. Beane has always held to his values on players, and there have been times (Tremaine Edmunds, Harrison Phillips, etc.) when their value of the player didn't align with the player's ultimate value on the open market, and they declined to match those offers and let them walk. If Beane is the one who blinks on a long-term deal solely because of the desire to win this year, that sends a message that if a player puts enough pressure on the franchise, the Bills will eventually fold. Especially with all the cap gymnastics the Bills are already having to do while paying Allen what they are, it's a somewhat treacherous precedent to set. It's a tricky and delicate balancing act for both sides, and the result is each side playing a bit of hardball at the current moment. And ultimately, one side may have to give in more than they'd want to make this a long-term pact. Both sides have stayed consistent in that they want Cook to stay with the Bills past 2025. The team loves him as a player and person, which is why they have been open to paying a running back a lucrative new deal for the first time since Beane took over as GM. Advertisement The most likely outcome is that Cook returns to practice at some point this summer, though it's tough to tell when that will happen and under what terms. The two sides appear dug in as it stands, and still, with a month to go before the regular season begins, there is time for this to drag on, depending on how far into the preseason Cook is comfortable with continuing to hold in. There's always the option to return to practice without a new deal if it's cutting it too close to the regular season. If the Bills and Cook can't meet in the middle on a long-term deal, there's always the option of doing what the Bills did with safety Jordan Poyer in 2022. It was essentially a bandage deal that reworked the one year with enhanced bonus incentives to potentially earn more in a single season, rather than committing to a long-term deal. At the very least, that could be enough to get Cook back on the field in 2025, and then they can try to figure things out again in the upcoming offseason. There's also the option of signing a long-term deal closer to where the Bills' APY value is on him over the initial seasons, while backloading the contract to bring the APY up closer to where Cook's camp is comfortable to help get the deal over the line. Most guaranteed money is usually on the first two seasons of new contracts, anyway. For those wondering about a potential trade of Cook before the season, there is no indication that it is anywhere in the conversation, at least not at this point. The two sides have been very firm in wanting to make it work in Buffalo. If a trade or trade request were to happen, it would mean a complete breakdown in communication between the two sides and a continued hold-in from Cook that potentially threatens to extend into the regular season. Cook doesn't want that, and the Bills don't want that. For now, the staring contest remains, and given both the short-term and long-term ramifications from both sides, it remains a complex conundrum without an easy answer. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
