Latest news with #wildcardrace
Reuters
3 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Yankees' Max Fried looks for reset against Cardinals
August 16 - As the New York Yankees try to persist in the crowded American League wild-card race, they would love to see pitcher Max Fried regain his form from earlier in the season. Fried (12-5, 2.94 ERA) allowed eight runs on 16 hits in 10 innings in his past two starts, both New York losses. On Saturday night, he will start as the Yankees visit the St. Louis Cardinals in the middle game of a three-game series. The Yankees won 4-3 on Friday for their third victory in four games. New York is in the third AL wild-card slot, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians. Fried had a 1.92 ERA in his first 17 starts this season, then allowed 29 runs (24 earned) in his past 36 innings over seven starts. "I do think his stuff is good," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Fried's most recent appearance, a 7-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday. "He is throwing hard. His cutter looks good to me. The breaks on his pitches are good. ... It comes down to command throughout. I feel like he has been a little bit scattered throughout." Fried is 5-0 with a 1.10 ERA in six career appearances against the Cardinals, including five starts. The Yankees might get former Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt back in the starting lineup for Saturday's game. Goldschmidt, who is recovering from a mild knee strain, came off the bench as a defensive replacement Friday. "I knew we were coming here, and I would love to play," Goldschmidt said. "But if that wasn't going to be possible, or it was going to be an injury risk, I understand the big picture. I was not going to try to push it any more than I would against anyone else." The Cardinals have dropped three consecutive games while losing ground in the National League wild-card race. They are 3 1/2 games out of the third and final wild card. They will start right-hander Sonny Gray (11-5, 4.06 ERA), who allowed just three runs (two earned) on six hits in 14 innings in his past two starts. He struck out 15 batters and walked only two. Gray had that success against the Dodgers in Los Angeles and against the Chicago Cubs at home, both 3-2 Cardinals wins. He said the big-game atmosphere against those contenders brought the best out of him. "I do just think these games are more fun," Gray said. "You play the Dodgers in Dodger Stadium, I enjoy and I appreciate the challenge. It's kind of like, 'OK, let's see where I'm at, let's see where I stack up.' I appreciate that challenge. "It's a Sunday Night Baseball game on national TV against the Cubs, in a rivalry. It's just a little bit more fun. It's another thing of, let's see where I stack up. I've got all my friends watching; I'm not trying to look like an idiot out there." The game with the Yankees is another nationally televised contest against a marquee opponent. Gray, who was with the Yankees in 2017-18 seasons, is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in seven career starts against them. Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (bruised foot) and utility player Brendan Donovan (left foot soreness, left groin strain) are questionable for Saturday's game after sitting out Friday. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees announce lineup vs St. Louis Cardinals for Friday game
In St. Louis on Friday night, the Yankees begin a three-game interleague series versus the .500 (61-61) St. Louis Cardinals, who were sellers at the MLB trade deadline. And yet, the Cardinals begin the weekend on the fringe of an interesting NL wild card race, 3.5 games behind the Mets for the last NL wild card spot (the Cincinnati Reds are a half-game back). Meanwhile, the Yankees (64-57) are clinging to the last AL wild card spot, a half-game ahead of the surprisingly surging Cleveland Guardians. Yankees' right-hander Luis Gil is scheduled to make his third start this season, following a lengthy injury rehab for a lat strain. Gil is coming off a 5.1-inning no-decision against Houston (2 ER, 7 K, 1 BB), an improvement over his initial outing at Miami, charged with five runs in 3.1 innings. St. Louis will send right-hander Andrew Pallante (6-9, 4.95 ERA) to the mound, and he's 1-5 with a 6.19 ERA over his last seven starts. On Wednesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone suggested that Giancarlo Stanton might start two games in the outfield during this series, with Aaron Judge still limited to DH duty, due to his recovery from a flexor strain. However, Stanton is not in the Yanks' starting lineup Friday night, and Jasson Dominguez - who did not start any of the three recent games against Minnesota - is starting in left field. Jose Caballero is making a rare start in right field, with Cody Bellinger starting at first base. Paul Goldschmidt is dealing with mild grade right knee strain, suffered during Tuesday's game. It's possible that Judge might cleared to play the outfield as early as Tuesday, when the Yankees continue this road trip at Tampa against the Rays. Yankees lineup vs Cardinals on Friday Trent Grisham, CF Ben Rice, C Aaron Judge, DH Cody Bellinger, 1B Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B Anthony Volpe, SS Jasson Dominguez, LF Ryan McMahon, 3B Jose Caballero, RF This article originally appeared on Yankees lineup vs St. Louis Cardinals for Friday game
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cardinals Make Brendan Donovan Decision After Rockies Game
Cardinals Make Brendan Donovan Decision After Rockies Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The St. Louis Cardinals have unexpectedly surged recently by taking crucial series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, two of the National League's top teams. St. Louis inserted itself back into the NL wild-card race. It is three games out of a playoff spot despite playing without veteran team leaders Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. Notably, Donovan played during both series but not every day. He has been held out of the starting lineup for the last three games while dealing with a left groin issue. The 28-year-old utility man has been a bright spot this year due to his offensive production at the top of the Cardinals' lineup. Over 108 games, Donovan is batting .280 with a .756 OPS, nine home runs, and 45 RBIs. Brendan Donovan Returns to Cardinals Lineup Despite not starting Monday's series opener against the Colorado Rockies, Donovan came off the bench in the bottom of the eighth inning and delivered a clutch two-run double that gave St. Louis the lead and, ultimately, a 3–2 win. Manager Oli Marmol decided to put Donovan back into the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies. He was batting leadoff and playing second base. Brendan Donovan's All-Star Season Anchoring Cardinals' Wild Card Push This comes as timely news for St. Louis, who would capture their third straight series win and third straight win overall if they can take down Colorado again on Tuesday. Donovan earned his first All-Star selection this year after an excellent first half and was the Cardinals' lone representative. With St. Louis committing to a youth movement, Donovan's name appeared in trade rumors, but the organization chose to hold on to him for at least the remainder of the season. He remains under team control for two more seasons and is not eligible for unrestricted free agency until 2028. Donovan made his MLB debut for St. Louis in 2022. He finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting and earned his first Gold Glove award that season. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Surging D-backs shoot for another victory over Rockies
August 15 - The Arizona Diamondbacks appeared to concede the season at the trade deadline, but they have made a surprising surge into the National League wild-card race. Arizona has won six of its past seven games to move closer to .500 and will aim for a fourth straight victory when it faces the Colorado Rockies on Friday in Denver. The D-backs will send Brandon Pfaadt (12-7, 5.03 ERA) to the mound against Colorado's Tanner Gordon (2-5, 8.37), the rematch of a Sunday meeting in Phoenix. Arizona won the opener of the current four-game series 8-2 on Thursday. Pfaadt is 3-2 with a 5.26 ERA in five career starts against the Rockies, including a 1-1 mark with a 6.30 ERA in two outings this year. Pfaadt earned a win on Sunday after allowing three runs on 11 hits over five innings. He got plenty of run support in that 13-6 victory, and one of the offensive heroes was Ketel Marte, who had three RBIs. Marte has been on a tear since the beginning of August, including hitting ninth-inning go-ahead home runs in consecutive wins at Texas this week. He has reached base in all 12 games he has played this month, producing a .354 (17-for-48) average with three homers and 14 RBIs. He has raised his average nine points to .296 and has 23 homers on the season. "My body is good, I'm healthy," Marte said after his three-run homer on Wednesday gave Arizona a 6-4 win over the Rangers. "I've just got to believe it. That's the kind of player I am." The D-backs' offense has been strong overall of late. Arizona has scored at least one run in the first three innings in each of the last 12 games and has scored a big-league-high 15 runs in the first inning since Aug. 1. Colorado has been victimized four times against the Diamondbacks, including a three-game sweep in Arizona last weekend. The Rockies bounced back to take two of three at St. Louis heading into the current series before their modest two-game winning streak ended on Thursday. Gordon has been knocked around by the D-backs in his short career, going 0-2 with a 21.94 ERA in two starts. He gave up 10 runs on 12 hits over 4 2/3 innings on Sunday. In his first start against the Diamondbacks, he got just two outs and yielded four runs (three earned) in a start at Arizona on Aug. 14, 2024. Colorado has lost eight of 10 meetings with the Diamondbacks this year. Arizona has outscored the Rockies 33-16 in the four matchups this month and is averaging 7.5 runs this season against Colorado. The Rockies need 10 wins in their final 41 games to avoid matching the 2024 Chicago White Sox (41-121) for the most single-season losses by a major league team in the modern era. Colorado was 22-74 at the All-Star break but began the second half 8-6 to put itself on pace to surpass 42 wins, but nine losses in the past 11 games have slowed that momentum. "The results haven't always been there for us, but there's not much quit in this team," catcher Hunter Goodman said. "I mean, we're showing up every day (and) we're trying to get better." --Field Level Media
Reuters
5 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Diamondbacks aim to continue ascent in opener vs. Rockies
August 14 - The Arizona Diamondbacks are trying to stay in the National League wild-card race while the Colorado Rockies are trying to avoid a season of infamy. The NL West rivals will meet on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series in Denver. Arizona will send left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (4-7, 5.68 ERA) to the mound against Rockies rookie right-hander Bradley Blalock (1-3, 7.89) on Thursday. The Diamondbacks, who reached the 2023 World Series -- losing to the Texas Rangers -- missed the playoffs in 2024 and have a tough road to get back to the postseason this year. They reside 5 1/2 games behind the New York Mets for the NL's final wild-card spot. Arizona was a seller at the trade deadline but has won eight of its last 11 games. Three wins came in a sweep of Colorado last weekend, including a comeback victory in the opener. Rodriguez and Blalock were the starters Saturday in the second game of that series. Rodriguez allowed five runs on six hits in his 5 1/3 innings but was saved from a loss when Arizona rallied from a 4-1 deficit to win 6-5. It was the fifth time he faced the Rockies in his career, and he is 2-0 with a 5.86 ERA in those outings. Blalock, who gave up five runs and seven hits over 4 2/3 innings in the Saturday game, has a 6.97 ERA without a decision in two career starts against Arizona. After winning two of three games against the Texas Rangers, the D-backs will look to make up ground in the wild-card standings. Another sweep of Colorado would put them back in the thick of the race. "We haven't played consistent baseball all year long," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "Whatever the reason is, we win three in a row, we lose two in a row. We've got to string together a really nice streak of games where we play like we did (last) weekend. It's too early to say we're climbing and we're changing gears." Getting swept at Arizona was part of an eight-game losing streak by the Rockies. Colorado halted that skid with a 3-0 win at St. Louis on Tuesday and followed with a 6-5 victory on Wednesday to capture the season series against the Cardinals for the first time since 2009. Colorado needs 10 wins in its final 42 games to avoid tying the 2024 Chicago White Sox for the most losses in a season in the modern era. The Rockies are in the midst of a youth movement, with the latest addition being infielder Kyle Karros, who will play his first game at Coors Field in this series. Karros became the 12th Colorado player to make his major league debut when he played last Friday in Arizona, and he has played in all six games since his debut. Karros scored three of his team's six runs in Wednesday's victory and is batting .333. "The first weekend was sick, just being up here with these guys, but then to throw some wins in the mix has been super satisfying," Karros told the Rockies' broadcast after Wednesday's win. "I'm loving it. It's so fun. The home debut is going to be super cool, and hopefully we can keep the winning streak going." --Field Level Media
