March 2025

There were 1,679 posts published in March 2025 (this is page 49 of 168).

Mets ‘close’ to naming rest of starters following Tylor Megill’s ‘really good’ outing

With nothing official just yet despite two days left of spring training, the Mets are “close” to announcing their complete starting rotation after injuries to some key players early on led to a rotation battle in camp, manager Carlos Mendoza said after Saturday’s tie against the Washington Nationals.

Mainly between Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning and Paul Blackburn, New York’s decision will come after all three have pitched one final time in camp as Megill and Blackburn both pitched on Saturday and Canning scheduled to pitch on Sunday against the Miami Marlins.

All three pitchers have shown sparks at times with Mendoza calling Megill’s latest outing “really good.”

“Another guy that came into camp ready to go and kind of show everyone the things that he needed to work on which was attacking the strike zone,” Mendoza said about Megill. “And he did that every time he took the baseball. We saw it today, using all of his pitches, but not only getting ahead, but staying on the attack. That’s what we want to see out of him.”

In his fourth and final start of the spring, Megill went 5.1 innings and allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five. The right-hander’s final tallies in camp: 4.24 ERA (1.18 WHIP), 17 IP, 18 strikeouts and four walks.

Overall, Megill was pleased with how his spring went.

“Thought it went great,” he said. “I’ve been throwing all my pitches for strikes, walk count has been low. I think that’s probably the biggest part. Throwing offspeed [pitches] for strikes and getting ahead of hitters. [That’s] kind of been my main goal – attack the strike zone and get ahead.”

For the time being, the 29-year-old has done everything he could’ve done to persuade the Mets to give him a roster spot on Opening Day. Now it’s about “just waiting around to see what happens.”

Meanwhile, on the backfields during New York’s matchup against Washington, Blackburn also pitched. The right-hander threw five innings and 82 pitches, per Mendoza who didn’t divulge any other information about the 31-year-old’s outing.

However, in five Grapefruit League starts, Blackburn had a 5.68 ERA (1.34 WHIP) and nine strikeouts to six walks in 12.2 IP. Was it enough to earn him a spot?

“We’ll see tomorrow how they come in, but we’re close,” Mendoza said. “We should be ready to announce this pretty soon.”

(For what it’s worth, the Mets have thrown out the idea of putting Blackburn in the bullpen to start the season, as well.)

Speaking of the bullpen

After the game, Mendoza also discussed his plans with some of his relievers who got off to late starts in spring due to injuries.

Regarding A.J. Minter, who pitched a clean inning on Saturday, the skipper said, “as of right now the goal is for Minter to be pitching on Monday. Whether that’s our game or the backfield, but that’ll be two out of three for him.”

He added that if Minter is in a good spot tomorrow and again after his next appearance, “that’ll do it for us” in terms of adding him to the Opening Day roster.

As for Dedniel Nuñez, he’s also scheduled to go on Monday.

“We’ll go from there after that,” Mendoza said.

LeBron James nearing return to Lakers, will be a game-time decision vs. Bulls on Saturday: Report

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is a game-time decision ahead of Saturday night’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. James has been out since March 8 with a groin strain. 

Per McMenamin, James is listed as questionable, but will warm up and be a game-time decision. James began on-court workouts last Sunday, and ESPN’s Shams Charania said the team would be cautious with his return.

It has been an up-and-down experience for the Lakers since losing James — starting power forward Rui Hachimura is also still out with a knee injury — and the direction has mostly depended on Luka Dončić. They are 3-1 in games since James’ injury when Dončić plays, with the lone loss being against the Milwaukee Bucks in which their entire starting frontcourt was out. They are 0-2 in the games Dončić has missed.

The Lakers are coming off a blowout loss Thursday in which Austin Reaves was out in addition to James, Dončić and Hachimura. That group represents the Lakers’ top four scorers. Not coincidentally, James’ son Bronny posted a career high in points with 17 in that game.

With only 13 games left on their regular-season schedule, Los Angeles needs its players to get healthy soon if it wants a chance to play together before the NBA playoffs begin.

In 58 games this season, James is averaging 25 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists while shooting 52% from the floor (and 38% on 3-pointers). He’d scored 25 or more points in eight of his past 10 games while the Lakers had won eight consecutive contests before their March 8 loss to Boston.

The Lakers are 43-26 and sit in third place in the Western Conference.

LeBron James nearing return to Lakers, will be a game-time decision vs. Bulls on Saturday: Report

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is a game-time decision ahead of Saturday night’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. James has been out since March 8 with a groin strain. 

Per McMenamin, James is listed as questionable, but will warm up and be a game-time decision. James began on-court workouts last Sunday, and ESPN’s Shams Charania said the team would be cautious with his return.

It has been an up-and-down experience for the Lakers since losing James — starting power forward Rui Hachimura is also still out with a knee injury — and the direction has mostly depended on Luka Dončić. They are 3-1 in games since James’ injury when Dončić plays, with the lone loss being against the Milwaukee Bucks in which their entire starting frontcourt was out. They are 0-2 in the games Dončić has missed.

The Lakers are coming off a blowout loss Thursday in which Austin Reaves was out in addition to James, Dončić and Hachimura. That group represents the Lakers’ top four scorers. Not coincidentally, James’ son Bronny posted a career high in points with 17 in that game.

With only 13 games left on their regular-season schedule, Los Angeles needs its players to get healthy soon if it wants a chance to play together before the NBA playoffs begin.

In 58 games this season, James is averaging 25 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists while shooting 52% from the floor (and 38% on 3-pointers). He’d scored 25 or more points in eight of his past 10 games while the Lakers had won eight consecutive contests before their March 8 loss to Boston.

The Lakers are 43-26 and sit in third place in the Western Conference.

Anthony Davis reportedly to return to Mavericks during upcoming East Coast road trip

Anthony Davis is “very eager” to get back on the court for the Dallas Mavericks, which could happen next week.

Davis has been sidelined since straining his adductor on Feb. 8 — his one game as a Maverick since the shocking trade that sent him to Dallas for Luka Doncic — and has been working to get back on the court. However, with Davis out and Kyrie Irving since tearing his ACL, the Mavericks have slid down the Western Conference standings. Davis is still pushing to return, he has had two 5-on-5 practices with the Texas Legends of the G-League, the most recent one with fellow injured centers Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford.

Davis hopes to return to the Mavericks’ lineup during Dallas’ upcoming Eastern road trip starting Monday, reports NBA insider Marc Stein. No timetable for Davis to play has been set, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said (the same is true of the other centers). This road trip starts Monday in Brooklyn and then heads to New York (Tuesday), Orlando (Thursday), and Chicago (Saturday).

There is disagreement within the Mavericks organization about whether Davis should return, Stein has reported. The Mavericks are tied with the suddenly surging Phoenix Suns for the No. 10 seed and final play-in spot in the West. The question the Mavericks should be asking: “Is the risk of another injury Davis worth the reward of maybe making the No. 10 seed, then having to win two play-in games on the road to make the playoffs, where No. 1 seed Oklahoma City will be waiting? Many people would look at that scenario and suggest Dallas is better off focusing on improving this year’s draft position and bringing everyone back healthy next season.

Davis, however, wants to return, and all the noise about how Dallas blew the Doncic trade likely plays into that. (To be fair, those complaints were less about Davis and more about trading a fan favorite about to enter his prime for a player six years older, and for not a large enough return. The anger wasn’t aimed at Davis but at management.) It appears Davis will get his way this week, but whether that is enough to get Dallas into the postseason remains to be seen.

Aaron Judge’s first spring training HR overshadowed by ninth-inning implosion in Yankees’ 8-7 loss to Phillies

The Yankees blew a seven-run lead going into the top of the ninth inning and lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-7, on Saturday afternoon.

Here are the takeaways…

-Still fighting for a roster spot and having made it this far, RHP Cam Schlittler took the ball for New York in his fifth and final appearance of the spring and left on a high note after going four scoreless innings while giving up just three hits, a walk and striking out two on 57 pitches (36 strikes). He relied on a lot of ground balls and induced two double plays to help him get through his outing.

Aside from one rough start, the 24-year-old pitched great for the Yanks during camp as a non-roster invitee following a solid minor league season in 2024 in which he pitched for all three levels, tallying a 3.36 ERA over 120.2 innings.

While Schlittler will likely begin the season in the minors to continue to improve upon his breakout year that included a 2.60 ERA in 17 Single-A starts, New York has got to be pleased with how its right-hander performed in his first taste of big league camp. And with so many injuries to the pitching staff already, Schlittler could just be a phone call away from making his MLB debut at some point this season.

-Without a ton of hits, the Yankees’ offense was able to push across seven runs, spearheaded by a four-run fourth inning. Before that, though, Aaron Judge smashed a two-run home run in the third inning for his first spring training homer this season. The three-time MVP hasn’t had his best camp, hitting .138 (4-for-29), so it was good to see him connect with one and leave the yard before the start of the regular season. Judge finished 1-for-3 with three RBI and a strikeout as the DH.

-New York’s crooked number in the fourth was mostly due to poor pitching by Philadelphia who walked three in the inning and hit another. However, Jasson Dominguez had an RBI single in the frame to keep up his solid spring at the plate and J.C. Escarra, who after the game was informed that he officially made the Opening Day roster, also had a run-scoring hit.

Escarra really impressed in camp, hitting .333 with three home runs, eight RBI, seven runs scored to go along with a .936 OPS. All of this after the 29-year-old slashed .302/.403/.527 in 52 games in Triple-A in 2024 — his first season back in the minors since 2021. He’ll now make his MLB debut this season.

-The Yankees bullpen, including Mark Leiter Jr. (1 IP, 3 Ks), Geoff Hartlieb (1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks), Colten Brewer (1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K) and Rob Zastryzny (1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K), was lights out. That’s before Eric Reyzelman came in for the ninth inning looking to slam the door of a 7-0 lead. Instead, the right-hander allowed five earned runs on four hits and a walk before getting pulled for Leonardo Pestana.

With New York’s lead shaved to two runs, Pestana couldn’t seal the deal either, giving up a three-run bomb that pulled the Phillies all the way back and in front for the first time all day.

-The Yanks had the tying and winning runners on base in the bottom half of the inning, but came up empty.

Highlights

What’s next

The Yankees play a Sunday matinee against the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05 p.m. at George M. Steinbrenner Field. It will be their final home game of the spring before handing the keys to the Rays for the regular season.

Tylor Megill strikes out five, Hayden Senger blasts HR in Mets’ tie with Nationals

The Mets scored three runs early and added two more in the seventh inning to tie the Washington Nationals, 5-5, in their third-to-last spring training game on Saturday afternoon.

Here are the takeaways…

– Tylor Megill took the mound for the fourth and final time this spring, continuing to fight for a spot in the starting rotation. The right-hander made quick work of the Nationals, opening the game with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings. Megill let up a leadoff single in the top of the third inning, but got some help from Luisangel Acuña and Francisco Lindor on a double play, and closed the frame with a strikeout.

– Megill got into a little trouble in the fourth inning with runners on second and third base, but escaped the jam by striking out Alex Call for the third out. Megill found himself in a similar situation in the fifth inning after a walk, fielding error by Mark Vientos, and sac bunt gave the Nats runners on second and third. James Wood took advantage of the opportunity and drove in a run on a single, cutting the Mets’ lead to 3-1. Megill struck out Amed Rosario for the second out and then chaos ensued, as the Mets executed a 2-6-3-2 putout to end the inning.

He allowed another leadoff single in the top of the sixth inning, and after his fifth strikeout, let up an RBI single to Keibert Ruiz, making it a 3-2 game. That would be the last batter Megill faced, as he finished the day after 5.1 IP, allowing three earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts, and two walks over 88 pitches.

– The Mets got to LHP MacKenzie Gore early, as Juan Soto walked, Pete Alonso singled, and Brandon Nimmo drove in a run on a ground-rule double. Vientos tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly and Jesse Winker made it a 3-0 game with an RBI single.

– RHP TJ Shook replaced Megill in the top of the sixth and got the second out quickly before more trouble ensued. A wild pitch, single, walk, and double from Jacob Young gave Washington a 5-3 lead. Shook got Wood to ground out to stop the bleeding after 22 pitches.

– A.J. Minter entered the game in the seventh and tossed a quick 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout, needing only 10 pitches.

– Hayden Senger, who looks to secure the backup catching job behind Luis Torrens, hit his first home run of spring training in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Mets trailed, 5-4. Lindor stayed in the game after some of the starters were pulled and delivered an RBI single to tie the game up at 5-5.

Who was the game MVP?

Nimmo, who finished the day 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. He’s hitting .250 over 20 ABs this spring.

Highlights

What’s next

The Mets play their penultimate spring training game on Sunday against the Miami Marlins at 1:10 p.m.

Griffin Canning is expected to take the mound at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie.

Anthony Davis could return to Mavericks’ lineup during upcoming Eastern road trip: Report

Anthony Davis could return to the Mavericks‘ lineup during Dallas’ upcoming Eastern road trip, which begins Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein reports. 

Last week, Davis was assigned to practice with the Mavs’ G League team. He was recalled to the NBA club after one workout. 

Dallas begins its four-game trip with back-to-back games with the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks starting Monday. The trip concludes with matchups versus the Orlando Magic on Thursday and Chicago Bulls on Saturday. 

Davis, 32, has been sidelined with a left adductor strain since Feb. 8, his first game with the Mavericks after being included in a blockbuster trade package for Luka Dončić. Dallas had discussed shutting Davis down for the rest of the season, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. But the veteran forward has pushed for a return with the team still in the playoff race. 

The Mavericks have 11 games remaining on their regular-season schedule and are battling the Phoenix Suns for the 10th seed in the Western Conference, which would get them in the play-in tournament. Dallas is tied with Phoenix at 34-37, but the Suns would win a tiebreaker with a 3-1 record versus the Mavs in their regular-season matchups. 

Davis is one of three big men currently out with injuries, but appears to be ready to return ahead of Dereck Lively II (fractured foot) and Daniel Gafford (sprained knee).  

The Mavs have not targeted a specific game for Davis to return, but reportedly feel optimistic enough about his progress to believe he’ll rejoin the active roster during the next week after he was able to practice in five-on-five play with the G League Texas Legends, according to Stein. Lively and Gafford have participated in three-on-three activities. 

Davis has averaged 25.7 points, 12 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.2 blocks this season, but has been limited to 43 games. (Meanwhile, Dončić is scoring 26.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.9 steals for the Lakers, fueling Mavericks fans’ anger over the controversial trade.)