Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.
[Posted Sunday p.m.]
Baseball Quiz: 1) For the decades of the 1970s and 80s, name the six teams to win multiple World Series. 2) Name the only manager to take five teams to the World Series from 1970-89. Answers below.
MLB
—Mets fans have been beyond despondent these days. They headed to Milwaukee having lost four straight, 8 of 9, the offense sputtering badly, and their starters, save for David Peterson, incapable of going six innings. Meanwhile, the Brewers entered play Friday night having won 20 of 24, 31 of 40…70-44, best record in baseball.
Friday, New York then got early home runs from Starling Marte and Juan Soto for a 2-0 lead but that was it…the Mets falling 3-2 as Milwaukee center fielder Blake Perkins, subbing for the injured Jackson Chourio, threw out Marte at the plate on a spectacular one-hop bee-bee following a Jeff McNeil hit for the final out in the top of the ninth. Crushing.
The Mets, having now lost 9 of 10, fell 3 ½ behind the first-place Phillies in the NL East, Philadelphia defeating the Rangers in Arlington, 9-1, behind Cristopher Sanchez’ six strong to go 11-3, 2.36 ERA…Kyle Schwarber with home run No. 41.
Going back to last Tuesday and Wednesday, the Mets had a stretch of 13 consecutive innings where they were no-hit, including 8 1/3 of no-hit ball by Gavin Williams of the Guardians on Wednesday before Juan Soto hit a solo homer. [Cleveland hasn’t had a no-hitter since Len Barker’s perfect game in 1981.]
After June 12, the Mets were 45-24. They have gone 18-29 since, a very lengthy sample size.
And get this…after Friday, the Mets had had just one starter go six innings (David Peterson) in their last 51 games…the worst stretch in not having at least two starters go six in baseball history (1901 to be exact).
Did it get any better Saturday? No. Mets had a 4-3 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh on the strength of home runs by Pete Alonso (franchise-record-tying No. 252), Soto and Marte, but the bullpen yielded four in the bottom of the frame, two of them coming on a William Contreras 2-run homer off reliever Ryan Helsley, after it appeared Helsley had retired Contreras on a fly for the final out. But plate umpire Ryan Additon ruled that the pitch clock had expired and the at-bat continued. Contreras launched the next pitch over the wall.
That’s what’s been happening to the Metsies in this dreadful stretch.
And the Mets are now 4 ½ back of the Phillies, who last night defeated the Rangers 3-2, Jesus Lozardo outdueling Jacob deGrom.
New York has lost 10 of 11, six straight, and after the game manager Carlos Mendoza looked he was about to cry.
It hardly helps when Francisco Lindor is 0-for-15, Brandon Nimmo 0-for-17; Lindor making a costly error last night as well and slamming his glove in frustration.
So Sunday, the Mets were aggressive, took a 5-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fourth, and then the Brew Crew began chipping away, Mets starter Sean Manaea coming up small (4 innings, 4 earned runs), the bullpen faltering, and it was 6-6 heading to the top of the ninth.
And in the bottom of the inning, Isaac Colins hit a walk-off homer off Edwin Diaz, 7-6. Unf’n real.
The Mets, 63-55, losers of 11 of 12, are just 1 ½ ahead of the Reds, 14-8 winners over the Pirates today, for the final wild card slot; 5 ½ back of the Phils, 4-2 winners this afternoon, trade deadline pickup Jhoan Duran 3-for-3 in save opportunities.
Milwaukee, 73-44, could be going all the way.
—Friday night the Yankees fell to the hated Astros 5-3 in ten innings at the Stadium, as closer Devin Williams’ horrific run continued.
Williams yielded a 2-run homer to Taylor Trammell in the top of the tenth, the fourth homer he has allowed in his last 8 appearances, and now 9 runs in the past five.
Williams has allowed 28 earned runs this season (3-5, 5.73 ERA), two more runs than he gave up 2022-24 combined! [Those seasons in Milwaukee he had ERAs of 1.93, 1.53, and 1.25.]
Williams said after Friday night’s disaster, “It’s pretty simple. I stink right now.”
Of course, manager Aaron Boone can be questioned for using Williams in a high-leverage situation Friday, but he really had no choice, having used David Bednar for a five-out save Wednesday.
And remember how New York at the trade deadline shored up their pen in getting Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird?
Bird was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse after just three appearances, having given up a 3-run walk-off homer Monday night in a brutal 10-inning loss to the Rangers.
Well, the Yankees took Saturday’s contest 5-4, Bednar getting the final five outs after Camilo Doval blew it in the top of the eighth. Trent Grisham saved the day by homering in the bottom of the inning.
[It was Old Timer’s Day, and in the little game they played, Mariano Rivera, playing the outfield, tore his Achilles.]
But the Yanks (62-56) fell to the Astros (66-52) 7-1 this afternoon, as Max Fried (12-5, 2.94) had his seventh consecutive outing without a quality start, 5 innings, 4 earned. Talk about concerning.
–The streaking Red Sox (65-52) defeated the Padres (64-52) in San Diego Friday night, 10-2, as Walker Buehler threw six scoreless; the Red Sox shockingly atop the wild-card standings.
Boston is 25-9 in its last 34 games.
They also struck a deal with rookie outfielder Roman Anthony, 21, he of the greatest name in the sport, to a long-term extension that could keep him with the team through 2023.
Anthony’s deal is for eight years and $130 million, with a club option for 2034.
It’s the third long-term deal chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has given a Red Sox player this year. Kristian Campbell signed an eight-year, $60 million deal in April the day after starter Garrett Crochet signed a six-year, $160 million deal.
Anthony is off to a solid start…batting .276, 15 doubles, 19 RBIs, an .809 OPS though his first 47 games.
The Campbell signing, though, is, for today, a head scratcher.
Crochet could win the Cy Young.
Saturday, the Red Sox fell in 10 to the Padres, 5-4.
–We had an historic matchup Friday night in Los Angeles, as Max Scherzer took on Clayton Kershaw…two future Hall of Famers squaring off in a rare contest between the most recent members of baseball’s 3,000-strikeout club.
Each has a World Series title and are three-time Cy Young Award winners [Justin Verlander is the only other active pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts.]
Well, Kershaw got the better of Scherzer, 5-1, going six innings, one earned, now 6-2, 3.14.
Scherzer was solid, six innings, two earned. It was just his ninth start of the season.
But a potential World Series matchup, both Toronto and L.A. at the top of their divisions, with 2 of the top 3 records in the sport thru Friday, Milwaukee first.
Last night, the Dodgers got an electric 5-inning stint from Blake Snell, no runs, 10 Ks, in just his second start after being out four months, L.A. winning 9-1, Shohei Ohtani with home run No. 40.
–The Mets suck these days, but Nationals fans have moved on to football. After Friday’s 5-0 loss in San Francisco, not only had they lost 8 of 9, falling to 45-70, but over a four-game span this week, they became the first team since 1932 to give up at least 80 hits. It was also the first time in franchise history Washington had allowed at least seven runs and 10 hits in six straight games.
–Going back to Thursday, I have to note Paul Skenes getting the win, throwing six scoreless as the Pirates beat the Reds 7-0, Skenes moving to 7-8, 1.94 ERA.
–Finally, congratulations to Jen Pawol for becoming the first female umpire to work a regular-season game in major-league, after paying her dues with more than 1,200 minor-league games worked in the past decade.
She was first-base umpire for the Braves-Marlins Saturday doubleheader and third-base ump for the nightcap, and Pawol was scheduled to be behind the plate calling balls and strikes in Sunday’s finale.
“This is one of the proudest moments I’ve been part of in all my career,” veteran umpire Chris Guccione, chief of the crew that Pawol joined this weekend, her first call-up as a rover umpire in Triple A.
“It gives me chills just even thinking about it,” he said. “And in the magnitude? I was just sitting here, and it just kind of hit me just now the magnitude of this whole thing and how hard she’s worked.
“I have a daughter, and she was so excited to meet Jen. This is just a great role model for girls and women out there, and I’m so proud of her.”
Classy statements from Guccione.
And kudos to the Atlanta crowd for giving her a huge ovation. You go, Girl!
[With all the retirements among umpires these days, I’m assuming Pawol gets a permanent spot on a crew next season.]
Golf Balls
–We had the first round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs this week, the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.
And after two rounds….
Tommy Fleetwood -13
Collin Morikawa -9
Akshay Bhatia -9…first round leader with a 62
Justin Rose -9
Scottie Scheffler -7
It’s all about being in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup points standings after Sunday and qualifying not just for next week’s BMW Championship, but also nabbing a slot in every Signature event in 2026…a huge incentive.
In round three, Scheffler made a move, while Fleetwood recovered after a poor start….
Fleetwood -14…still looking for that first PGA Tour win….
Rose -13
Scheffler -12
J.J. Spaun -11
Andrew Novak -11
Rickie Fowler -9…which moves him from No. 64 to 49 in the standings.
Chris Kirk -9…moving from 61 to 48.
But Jordan Spieth, -1, has fallen from 48 to 54. He needs a helluva final round today.
Yup, for some players a real tension convention.
And heading to the final two holes, Fleetwood and Spaun were tied at -16, Rose one back.
And Rose birdies 17 to get to -16…four straight birdies down the stretch.
Fleetwood, awful bogey, -15.
Spaun finishes -16. Scheffler -15.
Can Fleetwood gather himself for the final hole? Can 45-year-old Rose win the tournament with a fifth straight birdie?
Fleetwood misses his opportunity to birdie 18 to tie…Rose has a makeable birdie putt to win. And it slides right. We have a playoff….
And both hit poor drives on the first playoff hole, No. 18, but Rose barely over the water on the par-4.
Spaun’s approach is on…not close….Rose with a very tough stance for his second at the water’s edge…and he hits a terrific shot…far closer than Spaun’s….13 feet.
Spaun just misses! And Rose does as well. Back to No. 18 for a second try. And I need to move on….
I’ll cover it in my Add-on.
As for the Top 50…some of the bigger names who won’t be at the BMW…and all the Signature events, unless they qualify otherwise….
Tony Finau went from 66 to 60
Jake Knapp 55-47
Wyndham Clark 49-56
Jordan Spieth 48-54
Chris Kirk…61-51…out
But Rickie Fowler…he’s in! Moving this week from 64 to 48, with a gutty 1-under today. Good for him.
And J.T. Poston…51-50…he’s in….
–Lots of talk about the Ryder Cup and who will make the team for the U.S., captain Keegan Bradley getting six captain’s picks to fill out the 12-man squad.
The first five…Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley and Bryson DeChambeau are locks. The sixth automatic slot had Harris English entering this weekend’s play, just ahead of Justin Thomas, with Morikawa eighth.
But many are saying this will be the worst U.S. team in memory.
Team Europe, on the other hand, has Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka, for starters.
With additional likely picks Rasmus Hojgaard, Justin Rose, Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland.
NFL
–It’s all about staying healthy as preseason action started.
Detroit Lions safety Morice Norris, who was on the practice last season, was taken off the field in an ambulance Friday night after suffering a serious injury in the preseason game against the Falcons.
Norris’ injury occurred as he attempted to make a tackle on Falcons running back Nathan Carter. Norris appeared to hit his head on Carter’s right knee, which caused Norris’ head to snap back at an awkward angle.
Norris remained down for several minutes while medical personnel tended to him. Eventually, he was loaded onto a backboard and taken away by ambulance.
Both the Lions and Falcons agreed to let the remaining 13 minutes of game time run out.
Afterwards, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said he got some positive news.
“He’s breathing, he’s talking. He’s got some movement and now they’re running more tests,” Campbell told reports.
Saturday, Norris posted on social media, “I’m all good man don’t stress it.” Officially he was in stable condition.
—Shedeur Sanders took advantage of some injuries in the Browns’ QB room and the fourth-stringer threw two touchdown passes Friday night in Cleveland’s preseason win against the Panthers.
–Giants fans had to like what they saw from rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart in a win over the Bills, Dart throwing a 28-yard touchdown, err, dart and looking in control.
—Jacksonville kicker Cam Little kicked a 70-yard field goal against Pittsburgh Saturday night, but he had to be reminded it didn’t count as an NFL record, because it’s an exhibition game! He actually thought it broke the NFL mark, 66 yards, set by Justin Tucker in 2021. Eight kickers have attempted 70-yarders in the regular season, all failing.
Little did have an outstanding rookie season for the Jags, 27 of 29 on FGs, tying the franchise record with a 59-yarder.
—Jason La Canfora had a piece in the Washington Post focusing on the Miami Dolphins and Coach Mike McDaniel. The days of the “boy wonder offensive savant” are long gone.
“ ‘To me, he’s like where [former New York Jets coach Robert] Saleh was a year ago,’ said one NFL general manager who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid violating league tampering rules. “It’s kind of a dead man walking thing, isn’t it? They can’t win up front on offense or defense. You always have to wonder about [quarterback] Tua [Tagovailoa] getting through the season. People have adjusted to what they do offensively. What he’s selling doesn’t look like it’s playing in that locker room anymore. That thing looks like it’s falling apart to me.’
“Another GM said: ‘Miami feels like a ticking time bomb. The head coach was all fun and games for a while, and not enough tough love. They let [since-traded cornerback Jalen] Ramsey and [receiver] Tyreek Hill walk all over them, they can’t get them to conform. Now you’re trying to put new standards and norms in place after three years of doing it another way? I don’t know how that works. Now you’re trying to make the head coach into something he’s not? The guys in the locker room see through that, and that’s what got Saleh fired a year ago.”
College Football
It’s almost here…and the Texas Longhorns topped the preseason Coaches Poll, the first time the program has been ranked No. 1 in a major preseason (Coaches or AP) poll. They’ve been No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25 five times.
It’s the start of the Arch Manning era and the Longhorns have a loaded defense.
Archie Manning, however, made news this week when he sent a message to NFL teams who may consider tanking to improve the odds of drafting grandson Arch, who still has two years of college eligibility.
“Arch isn’t going to do that,” Archie said in alluding to his grandson declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. “He’ll be at Texas.”
But Arch still has a lot to prove. His first chance is a big one…Texas taking on defending national champion Ohio State in Columbus on Aug. 30.
I am partial to the AP Poll, which is coming out Monday, but the top ten in the Coaches poll has….
- Texas
2. Ohio State
3. Penn State
4. Georgia
5. Notre Dama
6. Clemson
7. Oregon
8. Alabama
9. LSU
10. Miami (FL)
Expectations are high at Clemson. They have an elite, experienced QB in Cade Klubnik and a dominant defensive line.
Coach Dabo Swinney is exuding confidence. “I’ve had one undefeated team,” he told ESPN this week. “In 2018, we were the first 15-0 team in the history of major college football – ever. And I think we’re going to be the first 16-0 team. It’s a race to do that.”
Clemson’s season opener is also a biggie, the Tigers hosting the other Tigers from Baton Rouge, LSU.
–In the ACC writers poll, Wake Forest is picked 16th out of 17. We’re gonna shock the world!
Stuff
—Son Heung-min, the Tottenham legend, wrapped up a deal to play with LAFC, the MLS side paying the Spurs a $26.5 million transfer fee, the highest in league history.
Son leaves as one of Tottenham’s best players in its history, and he’s still only 33. He’ll be a massive attraction in Los Angeles. I might actually watch an MLS game with him in it, if I remember.
The Premier League kicks off 2025-26 play next weekend. Good lord. [But the perfect thing to have on the tube here on the East Coast Saturday and Sunday mornings.]
–I’m going to talk about astronaut Jim Lovell in my next “Week in Review,” the column I sign, word of Lovell’s death at the age of 97 coming right before I posted that column Friday afternoon.
But for the record, Lovell was one of just 24 people to have flown to the moon, the first person to fly there twice, though he never landed on the surface.
He’s best known for captaining the Apollo 13 mission safely back to earth after a devastating onboard explosion, saving his own life, his crew and perhaps America’s space program.
Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said in an Aug. 8 statement that Lovell’s “character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success from which we learned an enormous amount.”
As part of the Gemini and Apollo programs, Lovell was the first astronaut to go to space four times.
According to his NASA biography, he held the record for time in space with a total of 715 hours and 5 minutes – just under a month – until surpassed by the Skylab flights in 1973 and 1974, where scientists performed experiments while circling the planet for months.
Lovell was a pilot on the record-breaking 14-day flight of Gemini 7 in 1965, which joined Gemini 6 for the first successful space rendezvous.
Lovell served as command module pilot for 1968’s Apollo 8 mission, which was the first to bring humans to the moon and back without landing on the lunar surface.
This mission I honor every Christmas, Lovell and his crew becoming the first people to leave Earth’s gravitational influence and orbit the moon…at Christmas time. It was so incredible.
But it was during the Apollo 13 mission when the explosion of an oxygen tank forced Lovell and crewmates Fred Haise and Jack Swigert to abort the mission and put their efforts toward returning to Earth safely as the command module vented oxygen into space.
During the chaos he uttered the phrase now often misquoted as, “Houston, we have a problem.”
According to NASA, what actually happened was that Swigert called Mission Control seconds after the explosion and said: “Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”
Capsule communicator astronaut Jack R. Lousma replied, “This is Houston. Say again, please.”
Lovell said: “Ah, Houston, we’ve had a problem here. We’ve had a Main B Bus Undervolt.”
Working closely with Houston ground controllers, the three men converted their lunar module “Aquarius” into a lifeboat and were able to activate and operate lunar module systems to safely return to Earth.
–We note the passing of Bobby Whitlock, who co-founded the blues rock band Derek and the Dominos. He was 77, passing away this morning.
The group only put out one album, but it was known for the title track, “Layla,” which featured Eric Clapton in what many call his best work.
“Layla” first charted in 1971 but only made it to No. 51 on the Billboard chart. Then it was re-released and hit No. 10 in 1972.
Top 3 songs for the week 8/12/72: #1 “Alone Again (Naturally)” (Gilbert O’Sullivan…incredibly depressing…) #2 “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” (Looking Glass) #3 “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right” (Luther Ingram)…and…#4 “Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast” (Wayne Newton) #5 “Where Is The Love” (Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway) #6 “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” (The Hollies) #7 “I’m Still In Love With You” (Al Green) #8 “Too Late To Turn Back Now” (Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose) #9 “How Do You Do?” (Mouth & MacNeal) #10 “School’s Out” (Alice Cooper…B+ week…)
Baseball Quiz Answers: 1) Six teams to win multiple titles in the 1970s and 80s….Baltimore (1970, 83), Oakland (1972-74, 89), Cincinnati (1975-76), Pittsburgh (1971, 79), Yankees (1977-78), Dodgers (1981, 1988). 2) Only manager to take five teams to the WS…Sparky Anderson (Cincinnati, 1970, 72, 75-76; Detroit, 1984).
Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday…the AP Football Poll…
