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  • Associated Press

Aug 21, 2025, 08:27 PM ET

WASHINGTON — Juan Soto believes the Mets are “100 percent” a playoff team, but a postseason run looks iffy at best for the most expensive roster in the major leagues.

Poor starting pitching and nagging injuries have sent New York into a tailspin, with the latest indignity coming Thursday, when the Mets blew an early 3-0 lead and lost 9-3 to drop a series against the last-place Washington Nationals.

“Since day one, we believe in each other and we believe we can make it to the playoffs,” Soto said. “We’ve just got to play better. We’ve got to play better as a team and try to win more games.”

Wins have been scarce since late July. Even with a three-game win streak that began on Saturday, the Mets have lost 16 of 21 to fall seven games behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East. They lead Cincinnati by one-half game for the final NL wild-card spot.

Soto was no help as the Mets lost the final two games against the franchise that signed him as a 16-year-old in 2015, going 0-for-8 with five strikeouts after he hit his 31st homer in Tuesday’s 8-1 win. In the first year of a record $765 million, 15-year contract, Soto is batting .247.

At least he’s healthy, which is more than can be said for several other Mets regulars. The trip to Washington began with the news that slugging catcher Francisco Alvarez has a sprained ligament in his right thumb that will require surgery, although Alvarez will try to play through the pain after a stint on the injured list.

Left fielder Brandon Nimmo was pulled from Wednesday’s game with a stiff neck and sat out Thursday, and second baseman Jeff McNeil was out of Thursday’s lineup with a sore right shoulder — until manager Carlos Mendoza, lacking better options, sent McNeil out to pinch-hit in the eighth inning with New York trailing 5-3.

McNeil struck out looking on three pitches and played the ninth in left field, even though the injury is most painful when he throws.

“I’m trying to stay away from him,” Mendoza said. “I’m trying to limit [him] on the field as well, but where we were at, I just needed to shoot him there.”

Nimmo’s neck showed no improvement Thursday, Mendoza said.

Meanwhile, with the exception of David Peterson, the Mets’ starting rotation can’t get through the middle innings.

Kodai Senga, who lost Wednesday night, has a 6.00 ERA in his last six starts while averaging fewer than five innings per appearance. Sean Manaea cruised through three innings Thursday but couldn’t get out of the fifth and hasn’t completed six innings in eight starts this season.

“It starts with our starters, starting pitching. They set the tone. When they go, the whole team pretty much goes,” Mendoza said. “At this point, everybody pretty much healthy, we need to be better.”

The Mets travel to Atlanta for a weekend series before returning to Citi Field to host the Phillies. New York has seven games left against the division leaders, but shoring up a wild-card spot is the more realistic path to the playoffs.

“We don’t have much time left,” Mendoza said. “So, we’ve got to play better.”

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Mariners vs. Blue Jays (Oct 13, 2025) Live Score – ESPN

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October 14, 2025

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Mariners vs. Blue Jays (Oct 13, 2025) Live Score - ESPN

1st Rodríguez homered to left (370 feet), Arozarena scored and Raleigh scored. 3 0 1st Lukes reached on infield single to first, Springer scored on throwing error by first baseman Naylor, Lukes to second. 3 1 1st Kirk singled to center, Lukes scored. 3 2 2nd Lukes singled to right, Clement scored, Springer to third. 3 3 5th Polanco homered to center (400 feet), Arozarena scored and Raleigh scored. 6 3 6th Crawford singled to left, Rivas scored. 7 3 7th Naylor homered to right (359 feet), Polanco scored. 9 3 7th Crawford hit sacrifice fly to center, Suárez scored. 10 3

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Julio Rodriguez’s three-run HR gives Mariners early ALCS Game 2 lead

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October 14, 2025

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Julio Rodriguez's three-run HR gives Mariners early ALCS Game 2 lead

The Seattle Mariners got off to a strong start in Game 2 of the American Champions League Series on Monday courtesy of Julio Rodriguez.

The center fielder smashed an 84 mph splitter off Trey Yesavage for a three-run homer in the top of the first inning. The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander had never allowed an extra-base hit on the splitter before, according to ESPN Research.

It marked Rodriguez’s second home run of the postseason as Seattle looks to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

The blast was Yesavage’s first career home run allowed in his fifth career start (regular season and playoffs). Entering Monday, he had allowed only two extra-base hits in 19⅓ innings pitched.

Seattle trailed 1-0 in the first inning in Game 1 before bouncing back to win 3-1 on Sunday. The series shifts to Seattle on Wednesday.

ESPN Research contributed to this report.

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Padres’ Shildt retires, cites ‘severe toll’ of job

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October 13, 2025

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Padres' Shildt retires, cites 'severe toll' of job

  • ESPN News Services

Oct 13, 2025, 12:30 PM ET

Mike Shildt is retiring as San Diego Padres manager with two years remaining on his contract, saying “the grind of the baseball season has taken a severe toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally.”

The 57-year-old Shildt on Saturday informed the team he would retire, nine days after the Padres were eliminated by the Chicago Cubs in a tense three-game wild-card series. He said he made the decision on his own accord.

Shildt led the Padres to the postseason in each of the two seasons he managed the franchise. The club confirmed Shildt’s decision Monday.

“While it has always been about serving others, it’s time I take care of myself and exit on my terms,” Shildt said in a statement given to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “I gave every fiber of my being to help achieve Peter Seidler’s vision of bringing a World Series Championship to San Diego.

“We fell short of the ultimate goal, but I am proud of what the players, staff and organization were able to accomplish the last two seasons.”

Shildt went 183-141 as manager in San Diego. The Padres won 90 games this season and finished second in the NL West before being eliminated by the Cubs.

“I am most grateful for our players,” Shildt said in his statement. “San Diego is rightfully proud of the Padres players. It is a group that conducts themselves with class, is dedicated to each other and the common goal of winning a World Series. I love our players and will miss them dearly!!

“After 34 years of dedicating myself to the rigors of coaching and managing, I can with great enjoyment look back on achieving my two primary goals: To help players get the most out of their God given ability and become better men. Also, to win games.”

Before joining the Padres organization in early 2022 as a player development coach, Shildt was the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals from 2018 to 2021, posting a winning record in each of his three full seasons. He was the NL Manager of the Year in 2019 after leading the Cards to 91 wins and the NL Central title.

“We would like to congratulate Mike on a successful career and thank him for his significant contributions to the Padres and the San Diego community over the last four years,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller wrote as part of a statement.

Preller added that the search for a new Padres manager “will begin immediately with the goal of winning a World Series championship in 2026.”

The Padres’ new manager will be the eighth person to lead the dugout since Preller fired Bud Black in June 2015. Their chief rival, the Dodgers, has been managed by San Diego County product Dave Roberts since November 2015.

San Diego becomes the eighth MLB team with a managerial opening and the ninth to change managers in this offseason. Texas has already hired Skip Schumaker, but there are openings with the Padres, Angels, Braves, Orioles, Twins, Giants, Nationals and Rockies.

Information from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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