Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Thanks for being here. Tonight's Rangers-Mets game will be a homecoming of sorts for Jacob deGrom, though it's a safe bet that the crowd will be less than happy to see him on the mound at Citi Field. Not because Mets fans don't like him, but because his return comes at a less-than-ideal time for the Amazin's, whose postseason outlook has become much less stable of late. deGrom will be pitching against his former mates for the first time since he left New York after the 2022 season to sign with the Rangers. Not just that, but he's finally healthy again, having already pitched more this season than he has since 2019 and looking a lot like the pitcher who delighted Mets fans for nine seasons, won the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year, made four All-Star appearances and won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 2018-19. deGrom enters this game with a 2.78 ERA, which is fourth-best in the AL. Meanwhile, his 0.93 WHIP is second only to Detroit's Tarik Skubal and his .195 average against is tied with Skubal for the second-best mark in the league. He's been a big reason why the Rangers are still in the AL Wild Card hunt, just two games back in the race for the final spot. It all makes his Citi Field homecoming especially fraught for Mets fans. New York has lost six straight, trails the Phillies by 11 games in the NL East and holds a slim 1 1/2-game lead over the Reds and Giants for the final NL Wild Card spot. The Mets have a .368 winning percentage since Aug. 1, the third-lowest mark in the Majors. There's time to right the ship, however, and it could start tonight. Pitching for the Mets is rookie right-hander Jonah Tong, their No. 4 prospect and No. 43 overall per MLB Pipeline. They see him as a potential future ace who could build a resume similar to deGrom's. It's a future vs. past matchup that only adds more spice to the night. If the Mets can make hay against deGrom, it could serve as a spark that gets them back in the right direction. Either way, the stage is set for a dramatic night in Queens. -- Jason Foster |
OFFSEASON MOVES PAYING OFF |
Who doesn’t love the Hot Stove? Not only does it keep us thinking warm summer thoughts through the cold and dark days of winter, but as we’ve seen this season, the moves made in December and January can have a huge impact in September and October.
Take the Red Sox and Yankees, for instance. The two teams trying to chase down the Blue Jays for the AL East title will begin a massive three-game series tonight at Fenway Park at 7:10 ET on Apple TV+. New York trails Toronto by three games, with Boston just a half-game behind, and both clubs are atop the AL Wild Card chase. But where would these teams be without the moves they made when snow still filled the streets of both cities?
Of the top 10 offseason additions across MLB, as compiled recently by our Thomas Harrigan, half joined either the Yankees (Max Fried and Cody Bellinger) or Red Sox (Garrett Crochet, Alex Bregman and Aroldis Chapman). Who will have the biggest impact this weekend? -- Ed Eagle |
- Royals at Phillies (6:45 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): The Phillies’ rotation delivered a masterful performance in the four-game sweep of the Mets. Tonight, they'll trot out Walker Buehler for his Phils debut, and the righty is hoping for better results after he struggled to a 5.45 ERA in 23 outings with Boston. A World Series champion last year with the Dodgers, Buehler is looking to recapture his previous form and claim a spot on Philly’s postseason staff.
- Angels at Mariners (10:10 p.m. ET, Apple TV+): After walking off last night for their sixth victory in a row, the Mariners are tied with the Astros atop the AL West. With a win tonight and a Houston loss, Seattle can take sole possession of first for the first time since June 1. The M’s are looking for consistency and innings out of starter Luis Castillo, who will try to prevent Mike Trout from hitting his 400th career homer.
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Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have formed one of MLB’s most imposing tandems since they joined forces with the Yankees in 2018, and they’re starting to carve out a place alongside some of baseball’s other storied slugging duos. When Judge and Stanton both homered on Thursday against the Tigers at Yankee Stadium, it marked the 56th time (postseason included) that the duo went yard in the same game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that means Judge and Stanton are now tied for 10th all-time in that regard. Unsurprisingly, the list is topped by Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews (76 times), with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig right behind them (75). You can see the entire top 10, courtesy of our own Sarah Langs, here. But that wasn’t the only milestone Judge reached on Thursday. With two homers in the game, the two-time MVP now has 361 dingers in his career, tying the legendary Joe DiMaggio for fourth place in Yankees history -- just days after he passed Yogi Berra (358) for sole possession of fifth. Before Judge joined the group, the top five had been comprised of the same five names -- Ruth (659), Mickey Mantle (536), Gehrig (493), DiMaggio and Berra -- since Aug. 7, 1957. -- Thomas Harrigan |
No award currently exists for Slide of the Year, but if one did, Mickey Moniak would have to be a top contender after bending time and space during the Rockies’ 2-0 loss to the Padres on Thursday.
Following his single in the sixth inning, Moniak broke for second base looking for a steal. San Diego catcher Freddy Fermin’s throw beat Moniak to the bag, but the outfielder channeled Neo from “The Matrix” as he twisted and looped himself around Luis Arraez’s tag, somehow keeping his right foot on the bag while tumbling to the ground. Moniak was at first ruled to be out, but he gave a Dikembe Mutombo-esque finger wag and the call was correctly reversed after a challenge. “It’s funny -- I’m not flexible at all,” Moniak told Rockies beat reporter Thomas Harding. “I know I did a little gymnastics as a kid, but that was mostly just my mom wanting to get us out of the house. Nothing serious. It was just one of those plays where the ball beat me there and you just let your instincts take over.” Moniak, the first overall Draft pick in 2016 by the Phillies, has had a solid season at the plate in his first campaign for the Rockies, batting .262 in 123 games while setting career highs in homers (19), RBIs (57) and triples (8). And clearly, he adds plenty of extra value with his wizardry on the basepaths. -- Bryan Horowitz |
The best we could say about Charlie Brown as a baseball player is that he was arguably an even worse manager. We haven’t done a deep dive on this -- though this person did -- but it’s clear that in nearly a half-century at the helm, the Peanuts protagonist did not find much tangible success. You can’t blame Snoopy; he was somehow a stud at shortstop. That said, Charlie Brown unquestionably loved the national pastime, and he would have gotten a kick out of Saturday’s Peanuts Day at Rogers Centre, which features special activities and photo opportunities before the Blue Jays take on the Orioles at 3:07 p.m. ET. The first 15,000 through the turnstiles also receive the terrific Charlie Brown Bobblehead you see above. Plus, rumor has it Toronto might finally call up the legendary Joe Shlabotnik as its secret weapon … |
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