MLB Player News

Rather than send down Blaine Boyer when they go back to 12 pitches, the Braves should release Paronto, who has allowed 25 hits and walked 10 in 17 2/3 innings. Not only is Boyer a better bet, but the club also has Joey Devine worthy of another opportunity.

McNeil will start his second straight game after being an afterthought over the first four games of the series. His absence means Jose Iglesias begins the must-win game on the bench for the Mets. The full lineup for the Mets: SS Francisco Lindor, LF Brandon Nimmo, 3B Mark Vientos, 1B Pete Alonso, DH Jesse Winker, RF Starling Marte, CF Tyrone Taylor, 2B McNeil and C Francisco Alvarez with Sean Manaea on the mound.

It’s Kopech’s first start of the year and first career postseason start. He’s yet to pitch more than an inning in any of his five scoreless outings this October, but perhaps he could go two today; he’s worked just once to date in the NLCS and that was four days ago.

We’re assuming Freeman was ready to give it a go, but since he’s not nearly 100 percent with his ankle troubling him, the smart play is sitting him with a tough lefty on the mound for the Mets in Sean Manaea. The lineup: DH Shohei Ohtani, RF Mookie Betts, LF Teoscar Hernández, SS Tommy Edman, 1B Max Muncy, 3B Enrique Hernández, CF Andy Pages, C Will Smith, 2B Chris Taylor.

He’s allowed one run in 9 2/3 innings thus far in Arizona. Stephan went unselected in the five-round 2020 draft, but he’s a solid prospect with a couple of very good secondary pitches in his slider and changeup helping to make up for the lack of velocity on his low-90s fastball. It’s possible he’ll make his major league debut sometime next year.

McLain went 4-for-6 with a homer in his first two games for Phoenix before the layoff, which hasn’t really been explained. McLain did tell MLB.com that he was still “ramping up” to playing shape after missing the 2024 season due to shoulder surgery and a stress reaction in his ribcage suffered during his rehab.

The single that produced the run was hit weakly, but his other two balls in play both left his bat at 106 mph. Montgomery is thus far 8-for-20 with a homer and a 1/9 K/BB ratio for Phoenix. He’s not facing great pitching, but it’s still tremendous that a guy who struck out 164 times in Triple-A this year has done so just once in 31 plate appearances in the AFL.

Svanson was the player the Cardinals got from the Blue Jays in the Paul DeJong deal at the 2023 trade deadline. The 25-year-old spent this season in Double-A, recording 27 saves with a 2.69 ERA and a 59/25 K/BB in 63 2/3 innings. A sinker-slider guy, he’ll probably be a middle reliever if he makes it to the majors.

Weaver fired scoreless frames in the ninth and the 10th, and it helps the Yankees reach a World Series for the 41st time. The 31-year-old will remain the stopper for New York in the World Series against the Dodgers or Mets beginning Friday.

Rodón was outstanding over the first four innings, with the only mistake coming on an RBI double on a terrific at-bat from Bo Naylor that drove in big brother Josh. The swing-and-miss stuff was readily apparent, but he did give up a second run in the fifth on a sharp single up the middle by Steven Kwan. He should be ready to start Game 2 of the World Series.

With the Yankees trailing 2-0, Stanton hit a two-run homer into left-center that traveled an estimated 446 feet and was measured slightly above 117 mph in exit velocity. To say he’s hot is an understatement. Stanton has homered five times in nine games, and he’ll be hitting in the middle of the order for the World Series beginning Friday either against the Dodgers or Mets.