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AS THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS began a recent meeting signaling the start of a new series, one of the few veterans in a clubhouse filled with young players came forward to address his teammates getting their first taste of playoff race baseball.

“Don’t take this for granted,” third baseman Evan Longoria told the team. “Playing in September, with something to play for, is why you show up in February and March.”

The Diamondbacks team that is taking the field this September has a far different feel than the one that showed up at spring training with hopes that the future would soon be brighter coming out of a three-year rebuild, but questions about whether they were ready to compete in a loaded National League West.

“When I chose to come here, that was part of the reason,” Longoria told ESPN recently. “I wanted to be around a youthful group that had the ability to do what we’re doing right now.”

What the Diamondbacks do best right now is tailor-made for the style of play that MLB’s new rules have fostered in 2023. They run, they field, they cause havoc all over the diamond. That athleticism — along with two aces at the top of their rotation — has propelled Arizona into the wild-card race, where it currently owns the third spot in a crowded National League postseason picture.

“We play fast. We play with a sense of creating chaos on the bases,” closer Paul Sewald said. “We just go, go, go.

“It brings me back to the 2021 Mariners team [that I was on]. The industry didn’t think we’d be great. Then we made a run. Maybe it’s a year early, but we don’t care, we’re going to make a playoff run.”


THE DIAMONDBACKS DIDN’T so much emerge as contenders ahead of schedule as they emerged as contenders when Corbin Carroll arrived.

After keeping pace with the Los Angeles Dodgers in April, Arizona caught fire in May and June, taking control of the NL West race with its 23-year-old Rookie of the Year favorite leading the way at the plate, in the field and on the basepaths.

“I enjoy it,” Carroll said of the Diamondbacks’ style. “I’d say that’s part of our game. There’s a bunch of different ways to beat teams. That’s how we win. It’s well balanced.”

Over the past weekend in Chicago, the D-backs showed that the style of play that fueled them early in the season can still be dangerous this month — and perhaps next. As the weather changed to fall at Wrigley Field, Arizona turned the series into a small-ball showcase. Carroll swiped six bases while he and his teammates forced bad throws, wild pitches and general chaos in taking three of four games against a fellow NL wild-card contender.

“He’s so fast,” Cubs starter Jameson Taillon said of Carroll. “We’re so aware of how he is on the bases. We try to make the perfect play and the ball ends up in CF. He gets to third twice.”

Carroll is on pace to become the first rookie ever to hit 25 home runs and steal 50 bases and has immediately become the face of a franchise that took a chance by signing him to an eight-year, $111 million deal just 32 games into his major league career.

“When an organization rewards him and shows faith in a guy with a contract extension like they did that early, I figured he would be a pretty tough out,” Taillon said.

While Carroll’s game garners the most headlines, he is joined by fellow recent top prospects Gabriel Moreno, Alek Thomas and Geraldo Perdomo, who have all turned into key performers for a team that got even younger when it called up 21-year-old Jordan Lawler last week. The front office believes its young players are ready for prime time and the numbers bear it out as Arizona ranks second in the NL in stolen bases and leads the majors in outs above average.

“You appreciate teams that play the hard 90,” veteran Tommy Pham said. “It reiterates certain things as a player. It makes me play better.”


THE FORMULA THAT carried the Diamondbacks to the top of the NL West stopped working for a bit midway through the season as the team went just 8-16 in July and lost their first nine August games.

As the losses piled up, the veterans in the clubhouse knew it was their time to come to the forefront to help steady a group experiencing its first growing pains in a season that now had the pressure of expectations.

“There wasn’t any real panic,” starter Merrill Kelly said. “Some of the young guys were pressing just because of the nature of the beast. Everybody was trying to be that guy to push us back on track. That might be why that skid lasted longer than maybe it should have.”

While Kelly helped stabilize the rotation, Longoria leaned into his 16 years of big league experience to guide the lineup through the struggles.

“It’s very hard if you haven’t been through it, not to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Longoria said. “‘Man, is this ever going to end?’ Same with hitting. It can seem like you’re never going to get a hit again. But once you go through it, and come out the other side, it’s just part of the game.

“Winning is a skill as much as anything that we do.”

Then, at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, Arizona added another veteran hitter in Tommy Pham, who has already emerged as a go-to voice in the clubhouse during his brief time with the Diamondbacks.

“Guys ask me questions and I tell them my thoughts,” Pham said. “As an older guy, I reiterate why we do certain things every day. We’re all excited to be in the race. Guys know this team hasn’t played meaningful baseball in a minute.”

As the games become even more meaningful over the final weeks of the regular season, even just watching a 10-year veteran’s approach to key moments provides a valuable learning experience for his teammates going through their first postseason race.

“He’s the guy we lean on for a lot of different reasons.” Lovullo said. “It’s the stability of the at-bat. It’s the stability of the conversation. It’s the professionalism he walks around with every single day.”


LIKE JUST ABOUT every team in baseball, the Diamondbacks have their own ways to celebrate home runs and wins. First, they broke out the Homer Snake then added the Victory Vest, courtesy of another veteran, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. But Longoria didn’t think it was enough. For a team not used to winning, he thought they needed more.

“We weren’t really doing anything in the clubhouse afterwards to celebrate wins,” he said. “Now we’re doing that in here. I think that’s a big part of coming closer as a group. Celebrating the big moments. We’ve had a lot of guys have firsts because we’re so young. You become closer and learn something about them.”

The latest celebration came after Lawler’s first hit last week in the first of three straight wins at Wrigley Field. The volume in the clubhouse after each victory seemingly increased.

“We’re starting to enjoy wins around here,” Sewald said. “This team was used to losing games in August and September and we’re starting to win games now. It’s a reminder that wins matter.

“When you’re rebuilding, you take them for granted, because it’s not that important. You’re not going to make the playoffs. But in a postseason run, every win matters. Guys are starting to get excited about that possibility.”

The combination of young and old has meshed as well as any team could hope, with the youthful energy even rubbing off on the team’s more seasoned veterans.

“It’s like a bunch of Labrador retrievers chasing frisbees around the beach,” Lovullo said with a smile.

Led by an emerging core riding its youthful exuberance into new territory and a small group of veterans becoming adept at picking the right moments to take charge, the Diamondbacks are focused on playing meaningful baseball deep into the fall.

“If you have a chance, you go for it,” Pham said. “You just have to get in. We saw that last year with Philadelphia.”

“Winning baseball is fun baseball.” Carroll added. “That’s all I care about. That was goal No. 1 coming into this year. Nothing else matters.”

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Sovereignty rallies to win Jim Dandy at Saratoga

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Sovereignty rallies to win Jim Dandy at Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes champion Sovereignty rallied after losing position heading into the final turn to win the $500,000 Jim Dandy by a length at Saratoga on Saturday.

Ridden by Junior Alvarado, Sovereignty ran nine furlongs in 1:49.52 and paid $3 to win as the 1-2 favorite against four rivals, the smallest field of his career.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said Sovereignty would be pointed toward the $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 23 at the upstate New York track.

Approaching the turn, there were a few tense moments as it appeared Sovereignty was retreating when losing position to the advancing Baeza and deep closers Sandman and Hill Road, leaving Sovereignty in last for a few strides.

Alvarado said he never had a doubt that Sovereignty would come up with his expected run.

“It was everybody else moving and at that time I was just like, ‘Alright let me now kind of start picking it up,'” Alvarado said. “I had 100% confidence. I knew what I had underneath me.”

Baeza, third to Sovereignty in both the Derby and Belmont, finished second. Hill Road was another 9¼ lengths back in third. Mo Plex was fourth and Sandman fifth.

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Briscoe wins Brickyard 400 pole, his 5th of season

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Briscoe wins Brickyard 400 pole, his 5th of season

INDIANAPOLIS — Chase Briscoe became the first driver to win poles at NASCAR’s first three crown jewel races in one season Saturday, taking the Brickyard 400 pole with a fast lap of 183.165 mph.

His late run bumped Bubba Wallace out of the top starting spot.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has won nine career poles, five coming this season including those at the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and now the only race held in Briscoe’s home state. He’ll have a chance to complete a crown jewel sweep at the Southern 500 in late August.

Briscoe has the most pole wins this season, his latest coming on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval. It also came on the same weekend his sister was married in Indiana. Briscoe has never won the Brickyard.

Wallace starts next to Briscoe on the front row after posting a lap of 183.117 mph. Those two also led a pack of five Toyotas to the front of the field — marking the first time the engine manufacturer has swept the top five spots.

Qualifying was held after a brief, rescheduled practice session. Friday’s practice was rained out.

Briscoe’s teammate, Ty Gibbs, has the early edge in the championship round of NASCAR’s first In-Season Challenge. He qualified fifth at 182.445. Ty Dillon starts 26th. The winner will be crowned champion and walk away with $1 million.

Last week’s race winner Denny Hamlin faces a major hurdle in winning his first Brickyard title. He crashed hard during qualifying and will start from the back of the field, 39th, as he tries to become the fifth driver to complete a career sweep of the Cup’s crown jewel races. The 44-year-old Hamlin signed a two-year contract extension with JGR on Friday.

Defending race winner Kyle Larson starts 13th.

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Building the perfect trade deadline for the Mets and Phillies

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Building the perfect trade deadline for the Mets and Phillies

There’s plenty of history in the rivalry between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. It’s about 116 miles from Citi Field to Citizens Bank Park. The two teams been competing for the NL East since 1969. Star players from Tug McGraw to Jerry Koosman to Lenny Dykstra to Pedro Martinez to Zack Wheeler have played for both franchises. Mets fans loathe the Phanatic, and Phillies fans laugh derisively at Mr. Met.

Despite this longevity, the two teams have rarely battled for a division title in the same season. The only years they finished No. 1 and 2 or were battling for a division lead late in the season:

  • 1986: Mets finished 21.5 games ahead

  • 2001: Both finished within six games of the Braves

  • 2006: Mets finished 12 games ahead

  • 2007: Phillies finished one game ahead

  • 2008: Phillies finished three games ahead

  • 2024: Phillies finished six games ahead of Mets and Braves

So it’s a rare treat to see the Mets and Phillies battling for the NL East lead in as New York faces the San Francisco Giants on “Sunday Night Baseball” this week. This season has also been a bit of bumpy ride for both teams, so there is pressure on both front offices to make trade deadline additions in hopes of winning the World Series that has eluded both franchises in recent years despite high payrolls and star-laden rosters. Let’s dig into what both teams need to do before Thursday.

The perfect trade deadline for the Mets

1. Bullpen help

The Mets already acquired hard-throwing lefty Gregory Soto from the Orioles, but David Stearns will likely look for another reliever, given that the Mets’ bullpen has struggled since the beginning of June with a 5.02 ERA. In my grade of the trade, I pointed out the importance for the Mets to add left-handed relief. Think of potential playoff opponents and all the key left-handed batters: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper on the Phillies; Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy on the Dodgers; Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong on the Cubs.

Soto has held lefties to a .138 average this season, and it does help that the Mets have two lefty starters in David Peterson and Sean Manaea. They also just activated Brooks Raley after he had been out since early 2024. If he is back to his 2022-23 form, when he had a 2.74 ERA and held lefties to a .209 average, maybe the Mets will feel good enough about their southpaw relief.

They could still use another dependable righty reliever. Mets starters were hot early on, but they weren’t going deep into games, and outside of Peterson, the lack of longer outings is a big reason the bullpen ERA has skyrocketed. Carlos Mendoza has overworked his setup guys, including Huascar Brazoban and Reed Garrett. Brazoban has never been much of a strike thrower anyway, and Garrett similarly faded in the second half last season. Adding a high-leverage righty to set up Edwin Diaz makes sense. Candidates there include David Bednar of the Pirates, Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals, Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran of the Twins, or maybe a longer shot such as Emmanuel Clase or Cade Smith of the Guardians.

2. Think big, as in Eugenio Suarez

Mark Vientos was a huge key to last season’s playoff appearance and trip to the NLCS, hitting .266/.322/.516 with 27 home runs after beginning the season in Triple-A. He hasn’t been able to replicate that performance, though, hitting .224/.279/.354. That has led to a revolving door at third base, with Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio starting games there in July. Overall, Mets third basemen ranked 24th in the majors in OPS entering Friday.

Lack of production at third is one reason the Mets’ offense has been mediocre rather than very good — they’re averaging 4.38 runs per game, just below the NL average of 4.43. They could use another premium bat, given the lack of production they’ve received from center field and catcher (not to mention Francisco Lindor‘s slump since the middle of June). Maybe Francisco Alvarez‘s short stint back in Triple-A will get his bat going now that he’s back in the majors, but going after Suarez to hit behind Juan Soto and Pete Alonso would lengthen the lineup.

3. Reacquire Harrison Bader to play CF

Tyrone Taylor is a plus defender in center and has made several incredible catches, but he’s hitting .209/.264/.306 for a lowly OPS+ of 65. Old friend Bader is having a nice season with the Twins, hitting .251/.330/.435. Maybe that’s a little over his head, given that he had a .657 OPS with the Mets last season, but he would still be an offensive upgrade over Taylor without losing anything on defense — and he wouldn’t cost a top-tier prospect. The Mets could still mix in Jeff McNeil against the really tough righties, but adding Suarez and Bader would give this lineup more of a championship feel.

The perfect deadline for the Phillies

1. Acquire Jhoan Duran

Like the Mets, the Phillies already made a move here, signing free agent David Robertson, who had a 3.00 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 72 innings last season with the Rangers. On paper, he should help, but he’s also 40 and will need a few games in the minors to get ready. Even with Robertson, the Phillies could use some more help here. They’ll eventually get Jose Alvarado back from his 60-game PED suspension, but Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason. At least the Mets have an elite closer in Edwin Diaz. Jordan Romano leads the Phillies with eight saves and has a 6.69 ERA. Matt Strahm is solid, but more useful as a lefty setup guy than a closer (think of all those left-handed batters we listed for the Mets, then sub out Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo for Harper and Schwarber).

And the Phillies’ bullpen has consistently come up short in big games. Think back to last year’s NLDS, when Jeff Hoffman lost twice to the Mets. Or 2023, when Craig Kimbrel lost two games in the NLCS against the Diamondbacks. Or the 2022 World Series, when Yordan Alvarez hit the huge home run off Alvarado in the clinching Game 6.

So, yes, a shutdown closer is a must. Maybe that’s Bednar, maybe Clase if he’s available (although he struggled in last year’s postseason), maybe Helsley. But the guy Dave Dombrowski should go all-in to get: Duran. The window for the Phillies is slowly closing as the core players get older. Duran is under control through 2027, so he’s a fit for now and the immediate future. The trade cost might be painful, but with his 100 mph fastball and splitter, he has the elite stuff you need in October.

2. Add Ryan O’Hearn

The Phillies have received below-average production from both left field (mostly Max Kepler) and center field (Brandon Marsh/Johan Rojas platoon). The center-field market is pretty thin except for Bader or maybe a gamble on Luis Robert Jr. I’d pass on Robert, stick with the Marsh/Rojas platoon and upgrade left field with O’Hearn, who is hitting .281/.375/.452 for the Orioles. He isn’t the perfect fit since, like Kepler, he hits left-handed and struggles against lefties, but he’s a patient hitter with a much better OBP, and he’s passable in the outfield.

3. Acquire Willi Castro

Here’s the bottom line: The Phillies have to admit that some of their long-term position players aren’t getting the job done — such as second baseman Bryson Stott, who has a 77 OPS+. Third baseman Alec Bohm has been better but also has a below-average OPS.

That makes Castro a nice fit. He’s not a star, but he’s an above-average hitter, a switch-hitter who plays all over the field for the Twins, having started games at five different positions. He could play second or third or start in left field against a lefty. Philadelphia could even start him in center instead of Rojas, although that would be a defensive hit. Bottom line: Castro would give the Phillies a lot more versatility — or a significant offensive upgrade over Stott if they start him every day at second.

Note as well: Stott has hit .188 in 33 career postseason games. Bohm has hit .214 with two home runs in 34 postseason games. The Phillies need a different offensive look for October.

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