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CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Mets blast 3 home runs in win over lowly Rockies, take over 1st place in NL East
Francisco Lindor once again homered in a victory and Clay Holmes threw a career-high seven innings Sunday as the New York Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 5-3 win. Pete Alonso hit a three-run shot and Juan Soto also went deep as the Mets won for the seventh time in eight games to finish a 7-2 homestand. They regained sole possession of first place in the NL East, moving a game ahead of Philadelphia. The Rockies lost their eighth straight and fell to 9-50, the worst record through 59 games of any major league team in the modern era (since 1901). They have been swept 10 times in 20 series -- tied for the most sweeps through 20 series with the 1962 Mets, the 1970 Milwaukee Brewers and the 1994 Oakland Athletics. Alonso homered in the fourth before Lindor snapped a 3-all tie an inning later. The Mets have won the last 26 games in which Lindor has homered, the second-longest streak in big league history behind the 29-game run authored by Carl Furillo and the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1951-53. Soto connected in the eighth to make it 5-3. Holmes (5-3) gave up three hits, including Orlando Arcia's first-inning solo homer and Tyler Freeman's two-run shot in the fifth. He struck out three and walked none. The right-hander, who entered this season with 300 consecutive relief appearances dating to 2019, has lasted at least six innings in six of his last eight starts. Reed Garrett and Edwin Díaz tossed a scoreless inning apiece, with Díaz earning his 13th save. Rockies rookie Carson Palmquist (0-3) gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings but struck out eight -- two more than he'd fanned in his first three starts combined. KEY MOMENT Lindor's homer came just after Freeman's tying shot in the fifth. KEY STAT The Rockies haven't held a lead at the end of consecutive innings since they led for the final four innings of their most recent win, a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees on May 23. UP NEXT Rockies RHP Germán Márquez (1-7, 7.13 ERA) starts Monday in Miami against RHP Max Meyer (3-4, 4.53). Mets RHP Paul Blackburn is scheduled to make his season debut Monday night at Dodger Stadium in the opener of a four-game series. Blackburn has been rehabbing from right knee inflammation.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Mets get homers from Alonso, Lindor and Soto to finish 3-game sweep with 5-3 win over Rockies
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor once again homered in a victory and Clay Holmes threw a career-high seven innings Sunday as the New York Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies with a 5-3 win. Pete Alonso hit a three-run shot and Juan Soto also went deep as the Mets won for the seventh time in eight games to finish a 7-2 homestand. They regained sole possession of first place in the NL East, moving a game ahead of Philadelphia. The Rockies lost their eighth straight and fell to 9-50, the worst record through 59 games of any major league team in the modern era (since 1901). They have been swept 10 times in 20 series — tied for the most sweeps through 20 series with the 1962 Mets, the 1970 Milwaukee Brewers and the 1994 Oakland Athletics. Alonso homered in the fourth before Lindor snapped a 3-all tie an inning later. The Mets have won the last 26 games in which Lindor has homered, the second-longest streak in big league history behind the 29-game run authored by Carl Furillo and the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1951-53. Soto connected in the eighth to make it 5-3. Holmes (5-3) gave up three hits — including Orlando Arcia's first-inning solo homer and Tyler Freeman's two-run shot in the fifth. He struck out three and walked none. The right-hander, who entered this season with 300 consecutive relief appearances dating to 2019, has lasted at least six innings in six of his last eight starts. Reed Garrett and Edwin Díaz tossed a scoreless inning apiece, with Díaz earning his 13th save. Rockies rookie Carson Palmquist (0-3) gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings but struck out eight — two more than he'd fanned in his first three starts combined. Key moment Lindor's homer came just after Freeman's tying shot in the fifth. Key stat The Rockies haven't held a lead at the end of consecutive innings since they led for the final four innings of their most recent win, a 3-2 victory over the New York Yankees on May 23. Up next Rockies RHP Germán Márquez (1-7, 7.13 ERA) starts Monday in Miami against RHP Max Meyer (3-4, 4.53). Mets RHP Paul Blackburn is scheduled to make his season debut Monday night at Dodger Stadium in the opener of a four-game series. Blackburn has been rehabbing from right knee inflammation. ___ AP MLB:
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rockies take road losing streak into matchup with the Mets
Colorado Rockies (9-49, fifth in the NL West) vs. New York Mets (36-22, first in the NL East) New York; Sunday, 1:40 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Rockies: Carson Palmquist (0-3, 8.78 ERA, 2.02 WHIP, six strikeouts); Mets: Clay Holmes (5-3, 2.98 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 56 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Mets -402, Rockies +314; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Rockies will look to stop a six-game road skid when they play the New York Mets. New York is 36-22 overall and 23-7 at home. The Mets have a 14-4 record in games when they hit two or more home runs. Colorado has a 9-49 record overall and a 3-27 record on the road. The Rockies have gone 6-18 in games when they record eight or more hits. Sunday's game is the third time these teams match up this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Francisco Lindor is second on the Mets with 22 extra base hits (10 doubles and 12 home runs). Pete Alonso is 9 for 39 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBIs over the past 10 games. Hunter Goodman has a .267 batting average to lead the Rockies, and has 11 doubles, a triple and seven home runs. Jordan Beck is 11 for 41 over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Mets: 7-3, .248 batting average, 2.71 ERA, outscored opponents by 11 runs Rockies: 1-9, .210 batting average, 4.24 ERA, outscored by 30 runs INJURIES: Mets: Brandon Nimmo: day-to-day (calf), Jesse Winker: 10-Day IL (side), Danny Young: 60-Day IL (elbow), A.J. Minter: 60-Day IL (lat), Frankie Montas: 60-Day IL (lat), Brooks Raley: 60-Day IL (elbow), Sean Manaea: 60-Day IL (oblique), Jose Siri: 10-Day IL (shin), Paul Blackburn: 15-Day IL (knee), Nick Madrigal: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Drew Smith: 60-Day IL (elbow), Christian Scott: 60-Day IL (elbow) Rockies: Chase Dollander: 15-Day IL (forearm), Kris Bryant: 60-Day IL (lumbar), Ryan Feltner: 15-Day IL (back), Austin Gomber: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jeff Criswell: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
New York Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
How the Mets became the best in baseball at limiting extra-base hits
NEW YORK — The ball was headed down the right-field line when Juan Soto scooted over, reached down just in time to cut it off, and after a brief stumble fired a throw to second — all swiftly enough to persuade Chase Meidroth to stay at first base for a single. It was a small play, a way to save 90 feet in the third inning of a game against a last-place team. But it helped in a tight 6-4 victory over the White Sox on Tuesday night, and it reiterated something the Mets do better than any team in baseball. Advertisement It's not that long ago that 'You don't get beat by solo home runs' was prevailing wisdom for a starting pitcher. The way baseball has evolved over the last decade or so, though, the ultimate battle is now between hitters looking for extra-base power — damage or slug, depending on who you ask — and pitchers hell-bent on preventing exactly that. And through two months of the 2025 season, New York's pitching staff is the best in the majors at preventing extra-base hits. 'That's kind of where hitting has gone. They're hunting out areas where they can do damage and get their best swings off. It's just really to combat that,' Mets starter Clay Holmes said. 'If you have the pitches to be in zone with and limit slug, that's ultimately where you want to be as a pitcher.' To understand this, let's use the stat 'isolated power,' or 'ISO,' which is just slugging percentage minus batting average. The league-average ISO is .150. An even 140 pitchers entered Tuesday having thrown at least 35 innings this season. Here's where New York's starters rank in that list in ISO — all well ahead of the league average. (Megill's ISO increased to .093 after Tuesday's start. That would rank 12th.) How have the Mets done this so comprehensively? 'If it was a thing you could just do, everyone would be doing it,' Griffin Canning said. But the Mets are doing it, and with enough consistency across their entire staff to encourage closer examination. How do the Mets prevent extra-base hits? They point to their personnel, game planning, team defense and home ballpark. 'Obviously, personnel and stuff is one,' said Holmes. What Holmes means isn't just that the Mets have good pitchers who throw good pitches; it's the type of pitches they throw — specifically, ones designed to protect against extra-base power. Advertisement The Mets throw more sinkers and fewer four-seam fastballs than the average team; sinkers are harder to hit for extra bases than four-seamers. The Mets throw more offspeed pitches — changeups and Kodai Senga's forkball — than the average team; those are also pitches rarely hit for extra bases. All those pitches work best low in the zone, and the Mets are consequently second in baseball in ground-ball rate entering Tuesday, one-tenth of a percent behind the San Francisco Giants. Second, Mets pitchers consistently pointed to their game-planning process. 'A lot of it goes into homework,' David Peterson said. Homework here is knowing both yourself and your strengths as a pitcher, and knowing where the hitter's weaknesses reside. Holmes called it your 'zones for favorable contact.' Take Aaron Judge, for example. While Judge can mash just about any pitch, he isn't as proficient at slugging up and away in the strike zone. If you want to limit his damage in the zone, that's where you have to work. Source: Baseball Savant Here's how the Mets worked him during their three-game series against the Yankees earlier this month. Doing their best to stay up and away, they held Judge to three hits in 12 at-bats with one double. 'It's part of our advance process and how we think about attacking hitters — what pitches they don't hit for extra bases and what our pitchers tend to not give up, and trying to marry those two together,' pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said. 'That's purposeful.' 'You always want to err on the side of trusting your best pitches,' said Holmes, 'but there are times when you can go to your second or third pitch in those areas. Just not staying one-dimensional.' Third, there's the Mets' team defense, especially in the outfield. Great catches in the outfield obviously stymie extra-base hits, but don't overlook how New York's outfielders cut off balls in the gap or down the line to hold runners to singles, as Soto did Tuesday night. (One batter later, Meidroth was thrown out attempting to steal.) Advertisement 'There's a sense of urgency out there when the ball comes to them,' Peterson said. 'Getting it in quick and being in the right spot shuts some guys down when they get to first.' Finally, there's the ballpark. Playing their home games at Citi Field undoubtedly helps. The ballpark is a difficult one to hit in, especially in the early months of the season. And yes, the Mets' league-leading ISO is driven by their performance in Queens. Entering Tuesday, opponents have hit just 14 homers at Citi Field in nearly 1,000 plate appearances — about the same rate that Mookie Wilson homered as a Met. New York's pitchers have held those hitters to an ISO of .086, or closing in on half the league average. At the same time, the Mets' ISO on the road is .118 — still better than the overall number for any other team. Holmes chuckled at pitching to the park's specific challenges. 'If you go up there trying to give up fly balls to the warning track, I don't know that that works,' he said. 'It's more so that you might get away with a mistake every now and then and it stays in the park.' Hefner pointed out that the Mets' expected numbers aren't that different from their actual ones, suggesting that even though regression is likely as the weather warms, New York should still be positioned well. 'We're limiting hard contact,' he said, 'which is a good thing.' (Top photo of Tylor Megill: Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images)
Associated Press
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Mets rally past White Sox 2-1 on late sac flies by Soto and Lindor
NEW YORK (AP) — Tyrone Taylor hit a leadoff double in the ninth inning and scored on Francisco Lindor's sacrifice fly as the New York Mets mounted a late comeback to edge the Chicago White Sox 2-1 on Monday in the opener of a three-game series. New York managed just two baserunners through the first six innings against Adrian Houser and left the bases loaded in the seventh before Juan Soto delivered a tying sacrifice fly in the eighth. Steven Wilson (1-1) gave up Taylor's double to start the ninth. Jeff McNeil was intentionally walked and Luis Torrens singled to load the bases before Taylor trotted home on Lindor's fly to deep right field. Edwin Díaz (2-0) tossed a hitless inning for the win as the Mets won their third straight game since dropping six of eight. Mets starter Clay Holmes gave up one run and four hits while throwing a career-high 102 pitches over 5 2/3 innings. Andrew Benintendi had a sacrifice fly in the fourth for the White Sox, who fell to 17-37. Chicago finished 41-121 last season — the most losses by a big league team since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134. Houser gave up three hits and walked one while striking out six in six-plus innings against his former team. He went 1-5 with a 5.84 ERA for the Mets last season before being released on July 31. The right-hander allowed two hits over six innings in a 1-0 win against Seattle in his White Sox debut last Tuesday — his first major league appearance since his Mets finale on July 24. He is the first White Sox pitcher to throw at least six scoreless innings while permitting three hits or fewer in consecutive starts since Michael Kopech in May 2023. ___ AP MLB:
