Royals aim to avoid series sweep against the Mets
Kansas City, Missouri; Sunday, 2:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Mets: Clay Holmes (8-4, 3.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 81 strikeouts); Royals: Noah Cameron (3-4, 2.56 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 50 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Mets -135, Royals +113; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals play in the last game of a three-game series. The Mets will sweep the series with a win.
Kansas City has a 46-50 record overall and a 23-26 record at home. The Royals are 18-2 in games when they scored at least five runs.
New York has a 22-27 record on the road and a 55-41 record overall. Mets hitters have a collective .323 on-base percentage, the 10th-best percentage in the majors.
The matchup Sunday is the third time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bobby Witt Jr. has 32 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs for the Royals. Vinnie Pasquantino is 13 for 40 with four doubles and three home runs over the last 10 games.
Pete Alonso leads the Mets with a .281 batting average, and has 26 doubles, a triple, 21 home runs, 43 walks and 77 RBIs. Francisco Lindor is 13 for 39 with three home runs and 11 RBIs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 6-4, .246 batting average, 3.58 ERA, outscored opponents by five runs
Mets: 7-3, .247 batting average, 4.04 ERA, outscored opponents by 12 runs
INJURIES: Royals: Michael Lorenzen: day-to-day (illness), Cole Ragans: 60-Day IL (rotator cuff), Mark Canha: 10-Day IL (elbow), Daniel Lynch: 15-Day IL (elbow), Michael Massey: 10-Day IL (ankle), Hunter Harvey: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alec Marsh: 60-Day IL (shoulder), James McArthur: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Mets: Jesse Winker: 10-Day IL (back), Starling Marte: 10-Day IL (knee), Tylor Megill: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jose Butto: 15-Day IL (illness), Dedniel Nunez: 15-Day IL (elbow), Paul Blackburn: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Griffin Canning: 60-Day IL (achilles), Jose Siri: 60-Day IL (shin), Max Kranick: 15-Day IL (elbow), Brooks Raley: 60-Day IL (elbow), Danny Young: 60-Day IL (elbow), A.J. Minter: 60-Day IL (lat), Sean Manaea: 60-Day IL (oblique), Nick Madrigal: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Drew Smith: 60-Day IL (elbow), Christian Scott: 60-Day IL (elbow)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A rare first for Ohtani: Dodgers superstar strikes out in his first 4 plate appearances
CINCINNATI (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani had another first in his MLB career. Ohtani struck out in his first four plate appearances Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds, the first time he has done that in his eight seasons in the majors. It is the sixth time the Japanese superstar and reigning NL MVP has struck out four times in a game. It is the second time this season, with the other coming against San Diego on June 17. Against the Seattle Mariners on July 17, 2021, while playing for the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani popped up to the shortstop in his first at-bat and then struck out in his next four times at the plate. Cincinnati's Nick Lodolo became the 13th pitcher to strike out Ohtani three times in a game. The Reds left-hander got Ohtani to chase a curveball out of the strike zone in the first and fifth innings, and got him looking on a 94.6 mph fastball in the third. Graham Ashcraft then whiffed Ohtani on an inside slider in the seventh. Ohtani was one strike away from his first five strikeout game before he flew out to right field on a 2-2 count in the ninth inning of a 4-4 game. Ohtani came into the game on a nine-game hitting streak along with leading the majors with 100 runs scored. He is atop the NL in slugging (.620), total bases (254), OPS (1.001) and 38 home runs. ___ AP MLB: Joe Reedy, The Associated Press
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Astros fan favorite manager returning for 2026 World Baseball Classic
Dusty Baker is back. Not in Houston, but back in the game of baseball. The charismatic 76-year-old manager that managed the Astros past the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2022 World Series was announced as the manager for the Nicaragua national baseball team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, the MLB announced Monday in an official post on their X platform. Baker, a two-time All-Star who also won the 1981 World Series as a player with the Los Angeles Dodgers, started his managing career in 1993, seven years after retiring from his playing days. He would manage the San Francisco Giants, winning NL Manager of the Year three times in 1993, 1997, and 2000, and led the team to the 2002 World Series, where they would fall to the Anaheim Angels in a full seven-game series. After his time in The Bay was up, he would manage the Chicago Cubs from 2003 to 2006, before sitting out the 2007 season and then managing the Cincinnati Reds from 2008 to 2013. After another short sabbatical, Baker would manage the Washington Nationals in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, both of which saw the team clinch the divisional title, before coming on as the Astros manager in 2020, leading them to the World Series in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, victorious in the latter. After retiring following the 2023 season when the Astros were eliminated in the American League Championship Series by the eventual World Series champions, the Texas Rangers, Baker would go on to join the Giants' front office as a Special Advisor to Baseball Operations. Baker's 2,183 managerial wins rank seventh-most in MLB history, and the most all-time by an African American manager.
New York Post
5 minutes ago
- New York Post
Anthony Volpe's roller coaster night at the center of Yankees' wild win over Rays
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free As they continue what they hope is just 10 days without Aaron Judge, the Yankees are going to have to find different ways to score without their MVP. On Tuesday, that meant using their athleticism to force the issue on the bases and make the Rays look like … the Yankees. The Yankees got active on the basepaths and in the process took advantage of the Rays' sloppiness, turning it into a three-run rally that was just enough to make up for their own errors in a 7-5 win on a stiflingly hot night in The Bronx. Anthony Volpe, whose error in the first inning led to a pair of unearned runs against Max Fried, rebounded to go 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs, plus a key stolen base as part of the game-changing fourth inning. But he committed another throwing error in the ninth inning — his MLB-leading 15th of the season — that put the tying run on base before Devin Williams picked him up with a strikeout of Jonathan Aranda. With the Blue Jays getting swept in a doubleheader against the Orioles on Tuesday, the Yankees (58-49) picked up a game and a half in the division standings to pull back within four games of first place. Cody Bellinger had provided a big swing for a three-run shot that tied the game in the third inning before the Yankees made things happen on the bases in the fourth. Jasson Domínguez led off with a single, stole second and then tagged up to third on a fly ball to left field. 5 Anthony Volpe runs home on an errant throw by catcher Nick Fortes after he stole third base in the fourth inning of the Yankees' 7-5 win over the Rays on July 29, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS He came in to score on Volpe's bloop single for the 4-3 lead. After Austin Wells reached on a low liner to second base that José Caballero could not field cleanly, he and Volpe took off for a double steal with Trent Grisham at the plate. But Rays catcher Nick Fortes' throw to third sailed into left field, allowing Volpe to score. 5 Jasson Domínguez dives back into third base safely after going past the bag after tagging up on a fly ball to left field during the fourth inning of the Yankees' win over the Rays. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post One out later, Paul Goldschmidt roped an RBI single off lefty reliever Mason Montgomery to make it 6-3. On a night when their beat-up bullpen was short, Fried delivered what the Yankees needed, going 6 ²/₃ innings while giving up four runs, though only two were earned. After allowing a leadoff home run to Aranda in the third inning, Fried retired 14 straight before running out of gas in the seventh, with the Rays (54-54) pulling within 6-4. 5 Cody Bellinger belts a three-run homer in the third inning of the Yankees' win over the Rays. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post The scuffling Jonathan Loáisiga relieved Fried and tossed 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings, helped by a key double play started by Volpe in the top of the eighth after the first two batters had singled. Volpe then provided some insurance in the bottom of the eighth, drilling his 15th home run of the year 452 feet off righty Kevin Kelly to make it 7-4. That proved key as the Rays scratched a run across off Williams in the top of the ninth before Williams eventually locked down the save after Volpe's throwing error extended the inning. 5 Max Fried picked up his 12th win of the season in the Yankees' win over the Rays. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post The night started off in all-too-familiar fashion, with an error costing the Yankees a pair of runs. This was another from Volpe, as he ranged up the middle to field a ball but then made an errant flip beyond Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s reach at second to wipe out a potential double play. Fried retired the next two batters, but then fell behind 3-0 to Jonny DeLuca before the Rays center fielder drilled a 3-1 pitch into the gap to score both runs. 5 Anthony Volpe belts a solo home run in the eighth inning of the Yankees' win over the Rays. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Aranda led off the third inning with a home run on the first pitch Fried threw, putting the Rays ahead 3-0. The Yankees started the night 0-for-7 with runners on base before Bellinger gave them life by crushing a three-run home run off righty Joe Boyle that tied the game in the bottom of the third.
