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MLB News & Moments: Yankees dominate the Mets

Juan Soto may have made a huge mistake.

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 2 Minutes Ago

Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

It seems that every major sports league can’t resist the temptation of adding a gimmick to their lineup, as evidenced by the recent hype around the NFL schedule release, where every team now has to compete for creativity points. While we could say that MLB has organically captured the attention of millions with smart rule changes, marquee players, and memorable playoff games, the league office could not drift away from adding some unnecessary publicity, giving us “Rivalry Weekend”.

Some of the logic behind this effort makes sense, as the league opened most of the games for free streaming on their platform, and some of the rivalries are natural on their own, like Mets-Yankees or Dodgers-Angels. But when you start hearing about the “Vedder Cup” or giving a Rivalry Weekend tag to a Rockies-Dbacks game, something seems off. Rant over, now let’s get to the action on the field!

 

Today’s Headlines

 

King of New York

Both New York teams have gone in completely different directions in 2026, with the Yankees becoming the class of the AL, while the Mets have been a major disappointment. As their paths collided to start the Subway Series, things continued their natural course, as the Bombers won handily, taking down the Mets with a 5-2 score. With Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jr. delivering RBI doubles in the third, the Yankes jumped to a 3-0 lead that would be enough run support for Cam Schlittler, who continues to make his case for AL Cy Young. The righty tossed 6.2 innings of one-run ball, allowing only two hits and two walks versus nine strikeouts, leaving his ERA at a minuscule 1.35 and earning his sixth win of the season. While the Mets countered with a Juan Soto homer and mounted a rally against closer David Bednar in the ninth, it was all for naught. Adding injury to insult, starter Clay Holmes had to be removed after taking a comebacker to his leg, which produced a fractured fibula, which will keep him out of action for a long time.

Got That Dog With Them

The Nationals have been a pleasant surprise in 2026, as they have played competitively most of the time as they try to overcome their lousy pitching with a high-octane offense. The good vibes around them increased tenfold as last night included the dugout debut of Natty, a future service dog that will improve his socialization skills by being around the team. The name was picked by a fan vote, while his inclusion has been heavily publicized by the team. Natty’s initial impression was a positive for the Nationals, as they opened their series against Baltimore with a 3-2 win, headlined by a Daylen Lile two-run homer that became the difference. Projected to be a disaster, Washington is now only one game below .500, while Natty serves as a reminder of everything that’s good about this sport we love.

Be Like Mike

As a Giants fan, I can attest that it is easy to root for Mike Yastrzemski. While he could have easily become a nepo baby, he has taken the long road towards a solid major league career, which has led to now playing for the best team in baseball. His rough start to the season relegated him to a part-time role, especially as he started May zero extra-base hits or RBIs through nine games. In the past week, though, he has been a key performer for Atlanta. After hitting a game-winning homer against the Cubs, Yaz added to his clutch stretch by delivering a walk-off double last night versus Boston, securing a 3-2 win. Coming on as a pinch-hitter only after Atlanta had squandered a 2-0 lead, the lefty outfielder became the hero of the day for Atlanta, who remains the only MLB team with 30+ wins.

Spencer’s Gift 

Astros-Rangers has not been exactly a heated rivalry, as these teams have only recently shared a division. But with bragging rights at least for the Lone Star state on the balance, Houston delivered the first punch in emphatic fashion. Spencer Arrighetti was simply spectacular from the mound, carrying a no-hitter into the eighth before a Justin Foscue single broke up the spell. Arrighetti would only allow that hit and four walks, while striking out five and reducing his ERA to a sparkly 1.50. Houston opened the scoring with an Isaac Paredes solo homer and added an insurance run with a Braden Shewmake RBI in the eighth. Houston’s 2-0 victory and Arrighetti’s Cy Young push can at least provide some solace in this dreadful season, so far.

Miller Lite

Disregarding the “Vedder Cup” moniker, which San Diego already secured after winning the first four games in the matchup, San Diego-Seattle is a nice meeting of playoff hopefuls. Last night, they delivered a close contest full of drama, as Emerson Hancock and Randy Vásquez were stingy all game long. Both starters combined for only one run allowed over 12 innings, but Hancock would allow a single run to become the tough-luck loser. The game came into a crescendo in the bottom of the eighth, as Jason Adam allowed both tying runs to reach base. Mason Miller entered the game vying for a four-out save and promptly a single to Randy Arozarena, loading the bases. With a full count to Connor Joe, Miller delivered a nasty slider to end the threat. In the ninth, he would show he is human by allowing another hit and a walk, but he would also show he is superhuman, striking out the side. With the 2-0 victory, the Padres again showed they are almost guaranteed a win if they have a late-game lead.

 

By The Numbers

 

250 With a solo blast against the Yankees, Juan Soto reached 250 homers for his career. He is only the 16th player in MLB history to achieve that number before turning 28 years old.

7 Merrill Kelly pitched a complete game at Coors Field, which is an oddity on its own. At the same time, he became the only visiting pitcher in history to achieve seven straight quality starts at that hitters’ paradise.

8 Most of MLB’s individual leaderboards make sense, with star players leading the way. The biggest exception comes in pitcher wins, as Milwaukee’s reliever Aaron Ashby just earned his 8th win of the season, while no other pitcher has even reached seven.

9 With a 9-game lead over the second-place Phillies and Nationals, Atlanta has the largest division gap in baseball. It is larger than the combined difference between first and second place of all other divisions, which adds up to eight games.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Pennsylvania Comeback

With the Phillies close to completing their painful climb back to .500, the Pirates appeared eager to spoil the party, opening the game with a six-run fthird frame that featured two-run homers from Brandon Lower and Marcell Ozuna. As starter Aaron Nola exited with a rough line of six runs allowed, Philly’s offense was undeterred and got to work, chipping away at the lead even as the Pirates continued to score sparingly. Even as Kyle Schwarber contributed two homers, making him the first batter to reach 20 in 2026, Pittsburgh still led by three runs entering the ninth. As closer Gregory Soto entered the action, a furious Phillies rally would be crowned by a two-out two-run double from Bryce Harper. As the game went into extras, the demoralized Pirates could not hold Phillys’ momentum, as a Brandon Marsh double began a streak of four hits that led to three runs, giving the Phils a spirited 11-9 win in the end. Just a week ago, a similar comeback was spoiled by the Rockies in extras, but last night, the Phillies completed the job.

Friendly Mid-Air Collision

Collisions are usually not a good idea in baseball. Outfielders crashing into each other at full speed, or runners trying to avoid a double play with a hard slide… even those cases of players running into walls can end badly. However, last night gave us a much safer kind of collision, caught on camera by happenstance. In a mid-inning throwing drill by the Marlins, two separate throws, from the catcher to second and from the shortstop to first, found each other in the air, causing both balls to divert their paths in spectacular fashion. The moment was probably a funny reprieve in the middle of a bad day for Miami, who fell by a 7-2 score to the Rays.

Send Me An Angel

As the Angels cooled off and reverted to their bad baseball ways, it seems like the only constant positive in their highlights is awesome defense. Last night, as they were already being battered by the superior Dodgers, the Halos at least were able to deliver two spectacular plays that kept the score 4-0 at the time. As Vaughn Grissom and Jo Adell flashed the leather to draw cheers from the crowd, the Dodgers were mostly unbothered, deploying eight relievers in a bullpen game as they cruised to an easy 6-0 win.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ The Yankees have placed lefty starter Max Fried on the 15-day IL with a bone bruise on his pitching elbow. While Fried had initially hoped for a quick recovery, the timetable for his return is uncertain, as New York will evaluate his status in a few weeks to make sure there is no structural damage. While the upcoming return of Gerrit Cole to the rotation should soften the blow, this will represent a major absence for a Yankees team that has dominated in 2026. 

⚾ The Dodgers have placed Blake Snell back on the IL, with what has been described as an extended absence due to loose bodies on his pitching elbow. Snell had started the season on the shelf and only made one major league start, in which he was hammered by Atlanta. Much like it happened in 2025, LA will rely on its depth to cover its rotation absences. 

⚾ The Padres have placed right-handed starter Matt Waldron on the 15-day IL with an unspecified injury. With San Diego scuffling all year to maintain a steady rotation, it makes sense that the team would place Waldron on the IL instead of demoting him to the minors, especially as Lucas Giolito appears ready to join the staff.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Wild, Wild Stats of the Week — Sarah Langs, MLB.com

Bryce Harper Talks Hitting — David Laurila, Fangraphs

 

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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