David Lennon columns

Ryan McMahon is a guy who can play solid defense — something that's been in very short supply for the Yankees lately.

With 59 games left, the team doesn't have the luxury of inconsistency anymore. It's go-time.

If only moves team makes at trade deadline is bullpen help, that ignores holes at third and center.

Struggling offense will get a jolt with the return of Francisco Alvarez.

Nothing we've witnessed so far in the Bronx or Queens this season has given us any reason to believe the World Series isn't within reach for either team.

For all the unmatched entertainment value that homer-hitting contest supplied, it still feels like a bridge too far for the regular season.

The Polar Bear would have been the NL anchor in the tiebreaker, but he wasn't needed.

It just so happens that Judge was the guy who spearheaded the movement back to the regular jerseys, so Yankees could truly look like Yankees again on MLB's brightest July stage.

Two-time winner of the event saving his best swings for Mets' playoff run.

As always, for transparency's sake, I've included my preseason picks as well, and some of those don't look so hot at the moment.

Carlos Mendoza & Co. just wrapped up a pretty good first half, and knowing who's in charge of upgrading this roster by July 31, we expect even better in the months ahead.

Brian Cashman & Co. sound as if they recognize that the roster has issues — and are prepared to upgrade it.

The Mets seemingly have turned their June woes around, but the need for upgrades is still pretty evident. The Yankees have a host of problems that need to be addressed...and soon.

David Lennon gives his updated power rankings as we begin the start of July.

Terrific catch, throw to first help Yankees avoid Subway Series sweep.

After the first 11 pitches, what followed during the next two-plus hours was a master class in perseverance, guts and flat-out good baseball by the Mets.

May's opening edition was a high-octane battle at the top of the sport. Now the question is: who's worse?

The upcoming six games, against the Brewers and Yankees, feature starting pitchers with a combined 2.83 ERA — not exactly welcome news for the Mets' misfiring lineup.

Some have a better chance than others, but as the Rafael Devers deal reminded us, never say never.

Canning will now be their sixth starter to land on the IL since spring training, but none of the others had the tragic finality of a successful half-season season crashing so abruptly.

Mauricio's fit depends on how comfortable the Mets are giving him more on-the-job training while they're in a dogfight with the Phillies for NL East supremacy.

Six months after signing baseball's biggest contract, the slugger has made himself right at home.

"There's a reason for everything," Alonso said. "And I want to be able to turn the page in a positive way, in a more directive way, the next day."

David Stearns' clever rotation-building blueprint went sideways this month, due to both sudden injury and shoddy performance.

None of the recent symptoms should be considered terminal, but a few of the troubling trends need to be reversed.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Paul Goldschmidt star in memorable eighth-inning rally against Orioles.

After Francisco Alvarez's struggles deepened this past week in Atlanta, the New York catcher he's most compared to returned to the Bronx as a visiting player for the Orioles.

Best antidote for a pressing team during a six-game losing streak was to rely on the guy who's seemingly immune to the stress.

The script doesn't seem to change all that much, and neither does their reliance on the long ball — or leaning on Aaron Judge's outsized presence in the lineup.

Giancarlo Stanton, despite a lethal bat, limits the team's lineup flexibility when he's active.

Probably trying to do too much, Aaron Judge went 1-for-12 with nine strikeouts in three games against the Red Sox.

Nimmo, Soto and the Mets have been knocking it out of the park since the calendar turned to June and the weather warmed up.

It's a dynamic that can replenish the culture, one that continues to flourish, and Carlos Mendoza — a baseball lifer in his first managerial gig — respects the role that plays.

The Mets' two biggest sluggers are finally hot at the same time, and as Tuesday night showed, that will be hard for opponents to overcome.

Back in Flushing for the first time since tearing his ACL in 2023, the powerful prospect is showing signs of the form that wowed during his first stint.

The Mets' Juan Soto and Yankees' Max Fried head a list of 16.

Led by Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, they haven't missed a beat minus multiple starters. 

The Yankees own a 10 1/2-game lead over Boston.

After playing his first 29 games this season at second base, his best position, then being sidelined for over a month, Chisholm did it all in Tuesday's return as a third baseman.

Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Juan Soto went deep to cap sweep; up next: Dodgers

Kim Ng became the Marlins' general manager in 2020, the first woman to hold that position for any of the 30 MLB teams — or the NFL, NBA or NHL, for that matter.

The slugger's signature move made a brief appearance Wednesday. The hitter, however, still looks lost in Queens.  

When Francisco Alvarez stepped to the plate Monday in the eighth inning, you couldn’t blame...

Come October, maybe we'll get the head-to-head showdown between the Japanese stars, and Sunday was enough to leave us wanting more.

All told, for this season alone, those injured 14 pitchers account for roughly $102 million in salary -- more than the entire payrolls of six teams.

Before his two-out, two-run double, Juan Soto was batting .119 (5-for-42) with runners in scoring position, the fifth-worst average in the majors.

There is a conviction to Carlos Rodon now, and he has been giving the Yankees exactly what they need after Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil went down with injuries. 

The same merciless, high-velo attack that made him nearly untouchable for a decade was too costly for a late-30s deGrom, so he's adopted a more energy-conserving approach.

Fueled by Yankees fans' very vocal displeasure with Juan Soto, we have an idea of what it could feel like if that showdown does come to fruition.

What Rob Manfred did Tuesday by reinstating Pete Rose from the permanently ineligible list removed a decades-long obstacle for potential induction, but that was hardly a rubber stamp for Hall enshrinement.