​The Red Sox faced a rough travel schedule on their way to New York for yesterday’s game, but the results told a different story. Boston managed two unearned runs off Nolan McLean in the first inning to grab the early lead, and the Mets stayed in pursuit all night, finally dropping the game 6-2.
Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, NY Post, Newsday, Daily News, MLB.com. In the hours before first pitch, the Mets announced a series of roster moves, including placing Mark Vientos on the injured list and reinstating Tobias Myers to the active roster. Vientos is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a hand injury, while Clay Holmes continues his recovery toward a return. With Holmes inching closer, fans wonder whether an extension could be in the offing.
Meanwhile, the Braves endured a long rain delay before falling to the Cardinals 2-1. The Phillies’ bullpen struggled, yielding eight runs in three innings as Philadelphia was defeated by Detroit 10-2.
Two Phillies will be in the Home Run Derby on Monday, as Kyle Schwarber confirmed he’ll join Bryce Harper in the event. Sandy Alcántara delivered seven solid innings for the Marlins, but the offense stalled, and they lost to the Guardians 3-2. Despite ongoing trade chatter for several years, Alcántara is unlikely to be moved at the deadline.
The Nationals led 4-3 going into the ninth, but two homers surrendered by the bullpen doomed Washington to a 5-3 loss to the Yankees. Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled start last night and will miss the All-Star Game due to knee irritation.
The Cardinals finalized a major deal, agreeing to an eight-year, $112.5 million contract with rookie JJ Wetherholt. In other news, Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami will be the final contestant in this year’s Home Run Derby. Jacob deGrom will miss his final start of the first half because of a glute and hip strain, though the Rangers are hopeful he can avoid the injured list. The Athletics placed two players on the injured list, including All-Star first baseman Nick Kurtz.
The Pirates completed a trade with the White Sox that sent Chicago the 34th overall pick in the MLB Draft.
Vasilis Drimalitis previewed the last series of the first half of this grim season. It’s draft day, and Steve Sypa and Lukas Vlahos shared their wish lists for the occasion. Sypa also examined Gavyn Jones, a draft-eligible college player the Mets drafted (and did not sign) out of high school three years ago. Brian Salvatore and Chris McShane reflected on the past week of Mets baseball, delivered in the latest episode of Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World Series. A franchise-record six Mets players started the All-Star game on this date in 2006.