The New York Mets early-season renaissance on Monday, as they beat the Washington Nationals 19-5, with left fielder Brandon Nimmo driving in nine of the runs. The 32-year-old hit a grand slam, a three-run homer, and a two-run double to tie a franchise record for RBI in game.
Meanwhile, pitcher Griffin Canning (4-1) continued his strong campaign, tossing five scoreless innings to earn the win and bring his ERA to 2.61. The Mets' (20-9) entire pitching staff now has a MLB-best 2.53 ERA, but the starting rotation has been uniquely strong.
New York clinched a National League record after Canning's performance on Monday, via OptaStats.
"The Mets' starting pitchers have now allowed 4 or fewer runs in each of their first 29 games to begin the season," the company said. "It’s the longest streak by a National League team to begin a season in the modern era (since 1901)."
Ace Kodai Senga (3-1) leads the rotation with a 1.26 ERA, but all five starters have been strong. Right-handers Tylor Megill (3-2, 1.74 ERA) and Clay Holmes (3-1, 2.64 ERA) along with southpaw David Peterson (1-1, 3.29 ERA) round out the group.
The @Mets starting pitchers have now allowed 4 or fewer runs in each of their first 29 games to begin the season.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) April 28, 2025
It’s the longest streak by a National League team to begin a season in the modern era (since 1901).
The Mets own baseball's best record and are 4.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East. After splitting their four-game set with the Nationals (13-16), they'll now host the Arizona Diamondbacks for three games before facing the St. Louis Cardinals and rematching the Diamondbacks on the road. They'll then return home to host the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates.
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The St. Louis Cardinals are going to look a little different when they take the field on Friday night. St. Louis had a busy trade deadline and traded Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton away. Now, in response, the Cardinals made a handful of moves on Friday. First and foremost, the Cardinals are placing Nolan Arenado and recalling Nolan Gorman, per The Athletic's Katie Woo. "The St. Louis Cardinals will place third baseman Nolan Arenado on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder injury before Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres, team sources told The Athletic," Woo said. "Arenado’s shoulder issues date to early July. He missed a handful of games trying to avoid the IL and hoped resting over the All-Star break would alleviate the discomfort... "Nolan Gorman (back spasms) will come off the 10-day IL as the corresponding move and will see the bulk of starts at third base. Gorman began a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Tuesday and homered in Wednesday’s game." Also, the Cardinals are bringing up Ryan Fernandez, Roddery Muñoz, and Andre Granillo to help out in the bullpen, per Woo. "The Cardinals are also recalling Ryan Fernandez, Roddery Muñoz and Andre Granillo from Triple-A Memphis. St. Louis needs to replenish its bullpen after trading away its top three relievers in Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz at the trade deadline. Fernandez struggled with the big league club in April, posting an 11.42 ERA over 11 appearances before being demoted to Memphis. However, he’s been much more effective since, with a 3.12 ERA in 29 appearances and a 12.72 K/9 ratio." What a week for St. Louis.
Khan has openly said he will never pass up the chance to explore opportunities that could improve the team. On Friday, news broke that Parsons requested a trade out of Dallas. While the possibility of landing Parsons remains a long shot, this request provides Khan with a rare window to investigate whether there’s a way to bring one of the league’s most dominant pass rushers to Pittsburgh. Earlier in February 2025, Parsons spoke with former Steelers cornerback turned analyst Bryant McFadden about the Steelers. During the conversation, McFadden joked that the Steelers logo would look good on Parsons. Parsons responded playfully, saying he would love to play for Mike Tomlin, adding fuel to the speculation that a move to Pittsburgh might not be completely out of the question. "Nah, I rock with the Steelers," Parsons said. "I said if I ever return home it was going to be Pittsburgh. I mess with Mike Tomlin the long way." It’s no secret that Tomlin is one of the most popular head coaches in the NFL. Many players have expressed a strong desire to play for him, and that reputation has sometimes helped the Steelers attract top talent. A prime example of this is when the Steelers convinced four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers to join the team, a move that energized the fanbase and boosted expectations. The idea of Parsons lining up alongside TJ Watt and the rest of Pittsburgh’s elite defense is both thrilling and intimidating. While it remains a very far-fetched possibility, Parsons’ recent comments about wanting to play for the Steelers have sparked excitement among fans. These remarks, made in 2025, add fuel to the speculation that a trade could be in the cards, even if the odds are slim. Parsons, who grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, shared a message on social media Friday explaining what really led to his trade request. If Parsons has any influence over his next destination, and if Khan can work his magic, the Steelers might just have a slim but real chance to pull off a trade. Landing Parsons would instantly make Pittsburgh’s defense one of the most fearsome in NFL history, though it remains an ambitious long shot. Steelers Chances Of Trading For Micah Parsons Are Low While the thought of Parsons playing in the black and gold for the 2025 season is certainly exciting, the logistics would be very complex, though not impossible. Parsons is clearly unhappy with the Cowboys, and Jerry Jones has not helped their chances of keeping him satisfied. He officially wants out, and now is the time for Khan to see if there’s any logical way to pull off a crazy trade.
The New York Knicks aren't waiting for the offseason drama surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks to end before taking care of a key signing for their roster this summer. Per Shams Charania of ESPN, the Knicks signed Mikal Bridges to a four-year deal worth $150M on Thursday. "New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has agreed to a four-year, $150 million contract extension with the franchise, agents Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler of Excel Sports Management tell ESPN," Charania posted on X. "The new deal includes a player option for 2029-30 and a trade kicker." Bridges' extension might not have happened if the Knicks believed they had a serious shot to land an elite player in a trade this summer. Per Ashish Mathur of Hoops Wire, the Knicks made their decision to sign Bridges to a new deal after they learned Antetokounmpo plans to stay in Milwaukee. "The New York Knicks got intel that Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t request a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks before signing Mikal Bridges to an extension, an NBA source told Hoops Wire on Thursday," Mathur wrote. "...The Knicks would have pursued Giannis Antetokounmpo had the two-time MVP requested a trade from the Bucks. All signs point toward Antetokounmpo remaining in Milwaukee." Due to the player option Bridges has in his new deal, the guard cannot be traded for at least six months. Mathur's report signals the reality that New York wants to land another star to pair with Jalen Brunson. However, the Knicks might not make a big splash until the trade deadline next year. The Knicks need a big man who can score and play defense at a high level in the playoffs, something Karl-Anthony Towns was unable to do in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The cornerback position for the Minnesota Vikings has seen a lot of questions over the last few months. Arguably the biggest one is whether or not the Vikings added enough talent to really make the Super Bowl run. Through the first week and a half of training camp, it looks to be the right decision by the Vikings. Their depth at cornerback has been really impressive, leaving a lot more confidence in the cornerback group than we had previously. The biggest standout has been Jeff Okudah, which was a fascinating addition in real time. During his press conference on Friday, head coach Kevin O'Connell was asked about Okudah's performance in training camp, and he also raved about him. "You guys probably felt it. I mean, when he gets up and presses, you know, at that line of scrimmage and wins that early fight in the down, you don't see him lose very much, you know, when he gets his hands on people. I think I've been probably surprised. I actually got a chance to spend some time with him many years ago, at Ohio State, went for the pro day. A friend of mine, who happens to be the coordinator up in Green Bay now, was the coordinator there, and I got to spend some time with Jeff. And just remember thinking to myself, This guy is going to be a top-five pick. I mean, felt like he was as tall as I was, you know, big, strong, fast, and then he was and we're very fortunate to have him. I see a clear role for him. Not all corners in our defense play the same spots, play the same roles, so to think that we're going to have him in a role we feel pretty strongly about, it's great to see him take it and run with it early on, because I think he's had a phenomenal camp. And I hope you know that'd be a good question for Flo [Brian Flores]. You probably asked him already, but I know flow in my dialog about Jeff has been really positive early on." The line from O'Connell talking about how they see a clear role for him resonates hard here. The Vikings have done a good job in putting players in position to be successful. Okudah's role is likely going to be similar to what Shaquill Griffin's was last year. The biggest difference between Okudah and Griffin? The former can run with really fast wide receivers. Will Okudah end up being a quality starter for the Vikings? That remains to be seen, but it's certainly possible, especially with how well the coaching staff is talking about him.
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