The first-ever Monday Mound Visit is live! The Mound Visit is a baseball newsletter with Monday's edition recapping some weekend baseball trends, series, and more! At the bottom of the newsletter, there is an update on the current AL and NL standings, as well as a list of all the matchups this week.
Mets and Phillies take on London
Major League Baseball's international series returned this weekend as the Phillies and Mets traveled to London for a two-game series at West Ham's stadium. It was the first time either team had played in London and the unique stadium.
In the series opener on Saturday, the Phillies erupted for a six-run fourth inning to run away with the victory. Bryce Harper and Whit Merrifield went deep, leading the offensive charge. On the mound, Ranger Suarez picked up his league-leading 10th win, continuing his stellar breakout season. The game also saw Sean Manaea make history by becoming the first pitcher to play in four different countries (England, US, Canada, Mexico).
Sunday's game was a thriller. The Mets staged a dramatic three-run rally in the ninth inning to snatch a 6-4 lead. Catcher Luis Torrens then provided some exceptional defense, converting an athletic 2-3 double play with the bases loaded to secure the series split
Dodgers take down the Yankees
Two of baseball's marquee (and most hated) franchises put their talent on display over the weekend as the Yankees and Dodgers met in a nationally televised three-game series. The clash featured no fewer than five locks for the Hall of Fame as Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani, took on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto (though Soto missed the series with a forearm injury).
The Dodgers took 2 out of 3 in this one behind some elite pitching and timely hitting. The Yankees were able to salvage the series on Sunday Night Baseball, as the offense finally woke up and scored 5 runs off Cy Young candidate Tyler Glasnow.
Offensively, Teoscar Hernandez and Aaron Judge stole the spotlight. Judge was unconscious, going 7-for-11 with two doubles, three homers, and five RBIs. Hernandez was equally impressive at 6-for-12 with two doubles, three homers, and nine RBIs, including a huge two-run double in the 11th inning of Game 1 to break a deadlock.
Historic $325m Japanese rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who spurned the Yankees to sign with the Dodgers, made the Yankees think "what if", firing off seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out seven to help the Dodgers win game 1.
NL Wild Card Race Wide Open
In a remarkable statistical anomaly, only four National League teams currently have winning records: the Phillies (45-20), Braves (35-28 despite missing superstars Ronald Acuña and Spencer Strider), Brewers (38-27), and Dodgers (41-26). In contrast, the American League currently has seven teams above .500.
What makes the NL even more peculiar is that seven teams are within four games of the .500 mark, keeping the Wild Card race wide open. The 28-36 Mets, for example, are only three games out of the last playoff spot despite their struggles. With so many teams still in the thick of the hunt, this makes for an extremely interesting 4-week stretch as teams have to decide whether to buy or sell at the July trade deadline
Current Standings
Upcoming Series
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