Latest news with #KiyoshiMio-Imagn
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mets could eventually execute pre-season rotation plan
Oct 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea (59) pitches during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Oct 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea (59) pitches during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images For too long, New York Mets fans have endured a narrative that felt like a jab to the ribs: 'Your pitching can't hang.' While opposing fanbases sang the praises of offensive fireworks, Mets faithful were left defending a rotation written off as middling. Advertisement But baseball, like life, has a way of flipping scripts—and right now, the Mets are the ones holding the pen. This isn't some mirage in April fog. It's mid-May, and the Mets lead MLB with a glittering 2.74 ERA from their starting rotation. They've done it without three key pieces: Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, and Paul Blackburn. That alone should raise eyebrows across the league. Instead, it's been a cast of names flying under the radar who've carried the torch: Clay Holmes, Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning, David Peterson, and Kodai Senga. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images It's like watching a jazz band where everyone unexpectedly learned to solo—each arm contributing rhythm, groove, and just enough heat. Blackburn, Montas, Manaea: reinforcements are nearly ready The scary part? Reinforcements are almost here. The cavalry isn't just coming—it's stretching, warming, and heading into the bullpen tunnel. Advertisement Paul Blackburn is the closest of the trio, poised to throw 75 pitches in a Double-A game this Friday. His return could come before the calendar flips to June. Frankie Montas is flirting with a rehab assignment as well, and Sean Manaea is already back on the mound, feeling things out. That means by the time summer's heat settles in, the Mets might have eight capable, healthy starters. And that's when the real puzzle begins. It's a good problem—like having too many gifts to wrap. But it will force some tough conversations and strategic recalibration. A six-man rotation could be the key to balancing depth When the full group is ready, the Mets face a crucial question: how do you juggle eight worthy arms without disrupting chemistry? Advertisement The obvious answer, and one already floating within the organization, is a shift to a six-man rotation. Not only would that reduce wear and tear over a grueling season, it would preserve arms like Senga and Peterson for when it matters most. Anthony DiComo nailed it in his recent piece, saying injuries often sort these things out. But if everyone stays healthy, choices must be made. Sending anyone to Triple-A? Unlikely. Not a single starter has pitched poorly enough to deserve that fate. And moving someone to the bullpen might be a temporary fix, but it's not a long-term solution for proven arms. The six-man idea offers breathing room and stability. It would allow the Mets to carry this momentum without burning out by August. Why this depth feels different—and more dangerous There's something uniquely powerful about this version of Mets depth. It's not top-heavy—it's balanced, diverse, and confident. Advertisement Each starter brings a different flavor: Senga's ghost fork, Megill's newfound stuff, Holmes' edge, Canning's precision, Peterson's consistency. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports And now you add the power of Montas, the savvy of Manaea, and the stability of Blackburn? That's a recipe that travels deep into October. Think of it like a Swiss Army knife—whatever situation arises, there's a solution tucked inside the roster. That kind of flexibility is what separates pretenders from real postseason threats. If this is what the Mets look like running on five cylinders, imagine them with a full engine. Buckle up, baseball. Popular reading Mets' former top prospect is surging back from the dead Advertisement Related Headlines
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
LA Kings Get Blindsided by Seattle Kraken in 2-1 Loss
© Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Los Angeles, CA — The Los Angeles Kings (44-24-9) were defeated and shocked by the Seattle Kraken (34-38-6) in a close 2-1 match at Arena on Monday, April 7. This loss will impact the chances of the Kings playing to win the Pacific Division, but may affect the seeding for Los Angeles as the Stanley Cup playoffs near the corner, with the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers vying to clinch the division. Advertisement Going into this game, the Kings had a 29-4-4 home record, treading new waters as the new franchise record. Notably, though, Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was kept on the bench tonight with an ankle injury in order to heal and maintain him with playoffs around the corner. In the first period, Kings center Quinton Byfield struck first blood early for his team by hitting a backshot into the Seattle net with help from defenseman Kyle Burroughs to score, 1-0. Byfield's goal also cements him in Kings history as one of the players able to score 20+ goals in consecutive seasons. The last time that happened was way back in 1991-1992 and 1993-1994, both times by Luc Robitaille during the Forum days. Advertisement Though the Kings committed the first penalty of the night — defenseman Brandon Clarke tripping one of the Kraken players —, Seattle gave up a hooking and high sticking penalty to give the Kings two power plays. Neither were taken advantage of. Near the end of the first period, Seattle's offense began rolling with a tipped wrist shot from Kraken center Matty Beniers to even the scoreboard, 1-0. Less than a minute later, there was a roughing play between Kings' Brandt Clarke and Kraken's Jared McCann, stopped just in time by the referees before they were gunning to fight each other. Right after that moment, the Kraken took the lead away from Los Angeles when Seattle defenseman Brandon Montour scored with a wrist shot, making it a 2-1 score going into the second period. The Kings began the second period with a much more aggressive push onto the Seattle Kraken. LA catches a break after the Kraken makes a slashing penalty, granting them a power play. The Kings make no use out of the power play. Despite a few great saves by Kuemper throughout the second period, the Kings were denied progress by the Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord. The third period reared its head around, and throughout the first half of the final period both teams went back and forth with missed shots into each respective net. Throughout the first half of the third period, both the Kraken and the Kings played clean hockey, with neither team giving up a goal nor a penalty. The rest of the period played out the same way, and at this point Los Angeles became desperate enough to leave their net empty in order to add another player to their scoring drive. Advertisement As the final minutes of the game reared their head around the corner, the Kings went out without any roar to lose the game 2-1 despite many good attempts by the offense. The Kings perhaps played too clean of a period, since they kept the scoreboard clean of any additional goals. If anything, despite Seattle being a relatively worse team in the Pacific Division, Daccord's superb goaltender play tonight proved to challenge the Kings' offense will make or break the LA Kings'and stand as their biggest challenge to prepare for and outmaneuver as the Stanley Cup playoffs inch ever closer. Their 30th home game win may have to be put on hold for now.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
📈 MLS Power Rankings: San Diego climb, Charlotte and LAFC slip
MLS is truly heating up, and after Matchday 6 we had plenty of movement in the top-10 power rankings. A few big-boys tasted defeat, while some unlikely winners climbed in our standings. Let's get right into it. 10. Orlando City (🆕) 📸 Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Advertisement It's about time Orlando City cracked the top-10. The Florida club have been rampant in attack this season, scoring 15 goals through their first six games — two more than any other team in MLS. After a last-gasp win away to the Galaxy over the weekend, Orlando have now picked up all three points in two straight matches. Should they clean things up defensively, they will be a force to reckon with in the east. 9. Austin FC (🆕) 📸 Jeff Le-Imagn Images After spending a pretty penny on attacking talent in the offseason, it was only matter of time before Austin broke into our standings, and they did so with a gutsy 1-0 in win St. Louis on Sunday. Advertisement Club-record signing Myrto Uzuni opened his MLS account in that match, and the win saw Austin add a W into the fixture column for the third straight week. Notably, the first two wins came over San Diego and LAFC. 8. Minnesota United (🆕) 📸 Nick Wosika-Imagn Images It may have been in the midst of horrid weather conditions in Saint Paul, but Minnesota United got the job done against Real Salt Lake in style on Matchday 6. It may have been slow going in the opening few weeks of the season, but with four goals and two assists now on the campaign from Tani Oluwaseyi, the Loons have found a deadly strike partnership with him and Kelvin Yeboah. 7. LAFC (👎) 📸 Julia Kapros-Imagn Images Advertisement The LAFC boys are our biggest losers in Matchweek 6. After suffering defeat in their first ever trip to San Diego, the US Open Cup champs now have as many defeats on the season as they do victories (three). It has been an inconsistent start to 2025, that's for sure. Though if any side can turn on the jets and go on a winning run out of nowhere, it is LAFC. 6. Charlotte FC (👎) 📸 Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images After going on a mini-winning run over recent weeks, Charlotte's success came to a screeching halt with a disappointing defeat in Colorado. Dean Smith's side remain a threat in the Eastern Conference this season, but consistency will be the name of the game. Advertisement To make matters worse, offseason signing Wilfried Zaha has been virtually anonymous since scoring on his debut. 5. Vancouver Whitecaps (👍) 📸 Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images You may be skeptical of Vancouver moving up one spot from sixth after drawing with struggling rivals Toronto over the weekend, but the Whitecaps' recent slump in MLS may be forgiven. With a massive Concacaf Champions Cup showdown with Pumas this week, their attention may be somewhere other than domestic duties. For now they still remain in first place in the Western Conference after their scorching start. 4. Philadelphia Union (no movement) 📸 Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Advertisement The Union had their 'Inter Miami and Lionel Messi free pass' this past weekend. With a narrow defeat in Fort Lauderdale, the Union saw first-hand what is required of them if their red-hot start to the season is to be more than a flash in the pan. For now however, they certainly remain in the conversation as one of the best teams in the league until proven otherwise. 3. Columbus Crew (👍) 📸 Amber Searls-Imagn Images There is just no counting the Crew out when Wilfried Nancy is at the helm, no matter how much talent they lost in the offseason. After easing past D.C. United over the weekend, Columbus are now unbeaten for the season in MLS. Whispers of their demise after a frustrating offseason were greatly exaggerated. 2. San Diego FC (👍) 📸 Julia Kapros-Imagn Images Advertisement This start to the season is fairytale stuff for San Diego. The SoCal side were picked by many experts as potential Wooden Spoon candidates, but after putting on a show against LAFC on Saturday, Mikey Varas' side find themselves just two points out of first in the conference. 1. Inter Miami (no movement) 📸 CHRIS ARJOON - AFP or licensors There is just no stopping this Inter Miami team, and it helps when you can bring a certain Lionel Messi off the bench to make the difference in a top-two clash over the weekend. Miami constantly prove one thing; elite talent wins you games. Javier Mascherano's side seem to consistently get outplayed in MLS, but they always find a way to win. 📸 Featured Image: Julia Kapros-Imagn Images
