Mets make statement with Subway Series s

Happy Thursday, all. Let's get right to it.Good morning to everyone but especially to... THE NEW YORK METS...For the first time ever, the Subway Series between the and the featured both teams leading their respective divisions outright, giving both teams a chance to deliver a statement. The Mets were the ones who took advantage.Behind a sterling start by ace on his 38th birthday and a walk-off hit from , the Mets to sweep the Bronx NFL San Francisco 49ers Jersey Bombers in Queens.Scherzer pitched seven scorele s innings to lower his career ERA on his birthday to 0.82, best in history (min. five starts). He departed with his team up 2-0.The Yankees took immediate advantage when the Mets went to their bullpen, with walking andthen rocking a two-run home run in the eighth inning.The Yankees' momentum was short-lived. led off the bottom of the ninth with a double, and Marte singled him home shortly thereafter. It's Marte's 11th career walkoff hit. Since Marte entered the league in 2012, only has more., notes our MLB scribe Mike Axisa.Axisa: ... AND ALSO A GOOD MORNING TO The bright side for the Yankees is that they wasted no time improving their team following the sweep.Andrew Benintendi to provide a boost to what's already the league's highest-scoring offense. This season, Benintendi has...111 hits (second in AL)A .320 batting average (third in AL)A .387 OBP (sixth in AL)Appeared in his first All-Star GameThe Yankees are sending minor-league pitchers Beck Way, Chandler Champlain and to thein exchange for Benintendi. Despite their league-leading 66 wins, the Yankees needed to make a move like this. Their left-handed batters are hitting just .214 Jalen Hurd Jersey -- 26th in the majors. Benintendi is hitting a scorching-hot .340 off righties and a very respectable .274 off lefties, making him a guy you won't need to take out of games for matchup purposes. He's also a terrific defender, having won a Gold Glove last year.One more thing: The Yankees had a few weeks ago when it was revealed he was unvaccinated against COVID-19 and therefore not eligible to play in Toronto. Benintendi has since indicated he will get vaccinated, per reports. The Yankees have just one more series at the in the regular season but could potentially face them in the postseason. Honorable mentionsMore good news for the Mets: Ace is next week.Caleb Downs -- the top safety in the 2023 cla s -- is .Congrats on , K.J. Wright.LIV Golf is next season.Germany England in the 2022 Women's Euro final. And not such a good morning for... AND THE Mike Trout hasn't played baseball in over two weeks, and it might be a while until we see him again. The Angels superstar, originally diagnosed with back spasms and then Tom Rathman Jersey placed on the IL July 18 due to rib cage inflammation, with a rare condition called "costovertebral dysfunction at T5." Trout received a cortisone shot last week, and the Angels are evaluating how he responds. Angels head trainer Mike Frostad said that it's a condition that will likely have to bemonitored for the rest of his career.Trout downplayed the diagnosis, saying that his career is not in doubt and that he even plans to return this season.The Angels have not shut Trout down for the season.Trout, who turns 31 next month, has played in just 79 contests this season after just 36 appearances last year due to a calf injury. Factor in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and he hasn't reached 100 games since 2019, the year he signed a record .It's just one more tough blow for the Angels, who are enduring another season going nowhere despite Trout's presence and having another potential MVP season. After a strong start, the Angels are just 15-33 since June 1, worst in MLB, and they've fallen well out of playoff contention. They have made the postseason just once during Trout's career.Not so honorable mentionThe Pac-12 could be in danger of losing more teams: The Big Ten is . wide receiver Marquise Brown went on the with a hamstring injury.U.S. government offering prisoner swap for Brittney Griner According to reports, the United States hasViktor Bout, a convicted Ru sian arms trafficker, with Ru sia forPhoenix MercurystarBrittney Grinerand corporate security directorPaul Whelan. Griner on drug charges after the Ru sian Federal Customs Service claimed to have found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in Griner's luggage. She pleaded guilty in early July even though she said she had "no intent" of breaking the law. Her guilty plea was simply seen as a key step toward a potential prisoner Kwon Alexander Jersey swap.Grineryesterday.Whelan was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a Ru sian prison for espionage in 2020.Bout is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, acquiring and exporting anti-aircraft mi siles, and providing material support to a terrorist organization.Though the Department of Justice is generally against prisoner swaps, President Joe Biden supports it in this instance, per reports. While the WNBA, this represents the most significant development toward ending her detainment yet.You can read all the details of Griner's situation.Mayfield, Darnold to split first-team reps for Panthers; Mariota named Falcons' starter We entered training camp with five true starting quarterback battles. One already has a winner after the first day of practice, while another looks like it will go on for a while.Marcus Mariota yesterday, "beating out" second-round rookie Desmond Ridder. The No. 2 overall pick in 2015, Mariota spent the last two seasons with the Raiders San Francisco 49ers Jersey without registering a start. He's thrown 30 pa ses in the last two seasons combined.The expectations in Atlanta aren't particularly high -- Caesars Sportsbook has set its over/under for wins this season at 5.0, ahead of only the Texans -- but it's a nice development for Mariota to get another chance. The other quarterback battle in the NFC South won't be nearly as straightforward. Sam Darnold got first-team reps yesterday as the Panthers opened training camp, but he and Baker Mayfield .Head coach Matt Rhule implied the battle