Tipsheet: Helsley, New York Mets reverse course after brutal stretch

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The New York Mets finally pulled out of their stunning free fall over the weekend -- and former Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley finally got to catch his breath.

After losing 14 of 16 games to put the final National League wild card slot into play, the Metropolitans won their last two games over the Seattle Mariners. During Sunday night's Little League Classic, the Mets won 7-3 with Helsley chipping in with a scoreless inning of relief.

Whew!

During a stretch of four appearances, Helsley allowed seven runs (five earned) while recording just seven outs. He allowed seven hits during that span and walked two batters.

"For everybody else to do their job and you not to do yours, it sucks," Helsley told reporters during that stretch. "You never want to be that guy and be the reason the team loses."

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Helsley brought his usual fastball heat to the Mets, but his slider betrayed him.

"The fastball is getting hit and [it's] a plus-plus fastball, but he is leaving that slider up in the strike zone," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "That's the big difference for me.

"They are going to get ready for 100 mph and then that slider staying right there in the middle of the zone, good hitters are going to make you pay for it.

"We have to continue to finish those pitches, especially the breaking ball -- the slider in this case -- so the fastball can be used effectively. This guy is elite, man. We just gotta get him back on track."

Helsley agreed with Mendoza's assessment. "Leaving the slider up," he said. "It feels good. The shape is there. I just have to get it in a better location."

He took a positive step Sunday with an outing more reminiscent of how he looked for the Cardinals this season. He walked one batter but struck out two while needing 24 pitches to get his three outs in the eighth inning.

Filling the set-up role has taken some getting used to.

"I'm trying to figure out that role, that routine and be ready when my name is called," Helsley said last week. "I haven't been good."

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while wondering how history will remember the Luken (Home Run) Baker Era:

How much longer can the Busch Stadium bleachers sustain human life in this heat and humidity? What's the big deal about "stealing" college football sideline signals that 100,000 people in a stadium can clearly see?So how would you like to be the poor guy pairing with Scottie Scheffler on Sunday this summer?

TALKIN' BASEBALL

Here is what folks have been writing about Our National Pastime:

Bob Nightengale, USA Today: "The Cubs, who had been running away with the NL Central, believed they would be just fine with a couple of minor moves, with GM Carter Hawkins saying they have to be just as concerned about the 2032 Cubs team as the current team. So, how's that working out with the Cubs scoring the third-fewest runs in baseball over the last month? Let's see, Seiya Suzuki, who had an MLB-leading 77 RBIs at the All-Star break, has since produced only nine. Pete Crow Armstrong was hitting .073 (3-for-41) in August before producing three hits Friday. Kyle Tucker is hitting .190 with one homer and four extra-base hits since July 1. Their offense has been so putrid that until Saturday, they had gone a franchise-record 35 games without a comeback victory. And the Cubs desperately needed a starter, but instead of grabbing one of the big fish like Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins or Mitch Keller of the Pirates, they chose Soroka, who lasted all of two innings before going back on the IL. Remember, when former Cubs boss Theo Epstein uttered the phrase in 2016 after acquiring closer Aroldis Chapman at the trade deadline, 'If not now, when?' Well, apparently the answer is 2032."

Russell Dorsey, Yahoo! Sports: "What's gone wrong in Queens? The biggest culprit is within the Mets' starting pitching. When the season began, there were concerns about what New York's rotation would look like because, despite the additions of Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas Jr, the starter situation wasn't perfect. Yet throughout the first half, the Mets had one of the best starter ERAs in the game as Holmes, left-hander David Peterson, breakout starter Griffin Canning and Kodai Senga thrived. However, things have changed rapidly. The All-Star level production New York was getting has disappeared. Since the All-Star break, Peterson and Sean Manaea have ERAs over 4, Holmes and Senga have ERAs over 5 and Montas is over 7. Not to mention that Canning was lost for the year after suffering a torn Achilles.

Charlotte Varnes, The Athletic: "Every week (Zack) Wheeler misses (with a blood clot) would require another week of recovery time. The Phillies' strong rotation, among the best in MLB, has been its calling card. Wheeler, 35, is its ace. He is 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA and 195 strikeouts over 149 2/3 innings. He made the All-Star team for the third time this season and finished second in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2024. Beyond Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez, there have been recent concerns. Jesús Luzardo has pitched through a rollercoaster season. Ranger Suárez has a 6.59 ERA in five outings since the All-Star Break. Aaron Nola, who struggled at the start of 2025, is a question mark as he returns from injury. Taijuan Walker, though steady in recent outings, would likely not be a postseason starter. The Phillies were planning to move to a six-man rotation upon reinstating Aaron Nola on Sunday. Now, they are back to five."

Dan Szymborski, FanGraphs: "For the Atlanta Braves, the 2025 season is a disasterpiece. Last season had its share of disappointments, but the long stretches of middling play still left the Braves in a playoff spot by the tiniest of margins. After 2024, it was reasonable to stay the course; no need to smash the red panic button like an unsupervised child in an elevator. This time around, however, the Braves are likely to finish the season with somewhere around 90 losses, making simply battening down the hatches and waiting for sunnier weather a lot riskier of a strategy."

Alden Gonzalez, ESPN.com: "The Giants haven't had a winning month since April. At this point, they're clearly playing for next year. With that in mind, though, perhaps Rafael Devers, the mid-June acquisition that was supposed to catapult them to the top of the NL West, is finally starting to figure out Oracle Park and get back to who he is. After slashing just .230/.337/.368 in July, Devers is slashing .267/.389/.556 in his first 12 games of August. Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters Devers is 'taking more balanced swings, a little more fluid,' a result, Melvin thinks, of no longer trying to do too much."

MEGAPHONE

"I think we all know who we are in here, in this team and how good we can be. We just got to play good baseball like we did this weekend. Now it's a little bit of a sprint, 38 games left. I think that's outside. We know who we are inside. And got to keep it going."

Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman, after his team swept the San Diego Padres to stabilize.

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