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Behind newcomer Foster Griffin, Guardians aim to salvage finale vs. Mets

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Aug 5, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Jorge Polanco (11) celebrates his solo home run in the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn ImagesAug 5, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Jorge Polanco (11) celebrates his solo home run in the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

Almost nothing has gone right for Jorge Polanco in his first season since signing as a free agent with the New York Mets. His approach and attitude, however, haven’t changed.

The 33-year-old designated hitter finally reaped some rewards from his hard work in New York’s ongoing series against the Guardians. The Mets will attempt to sweep the three-game set on Thursday in Cleveland.

Polanco snapped an 0-for-26 slump with a solo homer in the third inning on Wednesday. He later doubled off All-Star closer Cade Smith with two outs in the ninth as the Mets rallied for a 6-5, 10-inning win over the struggling Guardians.

“I’m happy for him, he’s worked hard,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said. “He had a good day, and that at-bat in the ninth was unbelievable. That’s as live of a fastball as you’ll ever see (from Smith), and he managed to recover from a tough first swing.

“The homer was great. He had good at-bats all day. Happy for him.”

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Polanco went deep against Tanner Bibee, sending the ball 380 feet over the fence in right. It was his first hit since July 20, a slump that saw his average drop to .131. The clutch double off Smith upped the mark to .144.

Green predicted the breakout performance before the first pitch, noting to reporters that Polanco had taken 300 swings upon arriving at the ballpark.

“I took a lot of swings and we got a good result today,” Polanco said. “I was working on my timing, trying to work on being simple. Don’t try to be too quick. All that stuff that we’ve been working on.”

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Polanco will look to build on that performance Thursday afternoon when Mets right-hander Nolan McLean (7-7, 3.29 ERA) takes on Guardians left-hander Foster Griffin (12-3, 3.06).

McLean continues to come into his own in his second major league season, posting a 1.49 ERA with 42 strikeouts and a 3-2 record over his past six starts. He has yet to face Cleveland.

The Guardians are deep in a two-month swoon that has seen them match their low mark of one game under .500, but they remain tied for the final American League wild-card position with the Texas Rangers. Cleveland is 21-31 since June 4.

Elite Guardians prospect Angel Genao became the first player in franchise history — and the 22nd in the majors’ modern era — to collect four hits in his major league debut, also driving in a run Wednesday just hours after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus.

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“It was more than I could ever imagine,” said the 22-year-old, who had four singles and a flyout in five plate appearances. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to have this. I just tried to enjoy the game and enjoy every at-bat.”

Symbolic of the team’s luck of late, Genao made a double error on the first ball hit to him at third base. Cleveland committed three miscues in the crushing loss, including shortstop Brayan Rocchio’s fumble on what should have been a game-ending grounder in the ninth.

National League All-Star Griffin also is new to the Guardians, coming over from the Washington Nationals as part of a busy trade deadline for the two-time defending AL Central champions.

“We were aggressive in the starting pitcher market, and Foster has been one of the best in baseball this year,” Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “He’s been really consistent and productive since the start of this season.”

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Griffin won eight straight decisions for Washington before being rocked for six runs in 5 1/3 innings during a road loss to the Atlanta Braves on July 31. His lone career game against the Mets was a road win on May 19, 2026, when he gave up five runs in five innings.

–Field Level Media

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Anna Iwanaga leads 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur, Asterisk Talley trails by 3

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2026 Wyndham Championship Thursday TV coverage: Round 1

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McLaughlin: Arizona State Football Underrated in 2026?

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Primary Big 12 logo smallThe 2026 Coaches’ Poll is out with Ohio State and Oregon ranked as the top two teams in the country by the nation’s coaches.

The top 10 isn’t the issue—the SEC bias shows on the back end of the Top 25.

On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, Spencer McLaughlin and ‘Locked On Longhorns’ host Brad Kellner discuss Texas’ 2026 schedule.

Will Steve Sarkisian reach double-digit wins?

ASU Sun Devis logoArizona State enters 2026 with a 6.5-win total according to FanDuel.

‘Locked On Sun Devils’ host Philip Mulford discusses why they’re an easy “over” bet this year under Kenny Dillingham.

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03:52 Criticizing preseason college football polls
07:35 Discussion on Missouri’s football ranking
16:00 Big game against Ohio State
16:59 Early games helping team gel
20:20 Predicting Texas Longhorns’ season outcomes
25:11 ASU – Locked on Sun Devils – Philip Mulfod
28:53 ASU London and game dynamics
29:32 Underrated college football rivalries

/ @lockedoncollegefootball  

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Jimin: “Lovely and angelic” – Fans melt over BTS’ Jimin as he personally hands water to members during the ARIRANG World Tour in Foxborough Day 1

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On August 5, 2026, BTS’ Jimin caught fans’ attention with his gesture during the group’s show at Gillette Stadium. The moment occurred during the ending ment portion, where Jimin personally handed water bottles to each of them in turn. Jimin carried the water and approached them one by one to distribute it before continuing with the segment. This took place on Day 1 of the two-night stop in Foxborough for the BTS’ ARIRANG World Tour.

Videos of the water distribution moment from the concert circulated online shortly after the show. The clip received significant engagement as it spread across the social media platform X.

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Soon, fans started praising Jimin and sharing their comments on X.

One fan commented:

“Translated from Korean: Lovely and angelic Jimin ✨🫶 WE LOVE YOU JIMIN”

Translated from KoreanLovely and angelic Jimin ✨🫶WE LOVE YOU JIMIN

Several fans chimed in and commented on Jimin’s gesture.

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It’s the little things like this that show how thoughtful Jimin is 🥹

Jimin is such an angel. He didn’t even get a water, gave them all to the other members. 🥹

Such a beautiful heart u have jimin 😻💜

jimin is truly an angel always taking care of the members

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More fans shared their thoughts on X.

Jimin taking care of the members on stage is the sweetest thing ever. He truly is an absolute angel who always looks out for everyone around him.

Jimin always takes care of everyone.

Jimin’s caring nature always shines, he looks after his members so naturally.

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the sweetest park jimin 🥹🫶🏼


BTS at Gillette Stadium

During the surprise song portion of the encore, BTS performed Paradise and No More Dream. Now several fans are debating whether Love Maze is next on the list.

In his ending ment, Jimin spoke about his middle school days. He recalled thinking that ranking first in his school would lead him to Harvard, then noted that he had not actually achieved that ranking. He went on to express regret that the group had taken so long to reach the Boston area.

He also said that if the members had known the audience would welcome them with such strong support, sing along to the songs, and offer such warm smiles, they would have visited much earlier. He thanked the crowd, said the night had been a happy one for the group because of everyone present, and expressed hope the evening would remain memorable for those who attended. He closed by asking everyone to return home safely.

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Separately, at the preceding MetLife Stadium shows in East Rutherford, camera operators captured extended close footage of Jimin during moments when he appeared affected by the heat and humidity on the outdoor stage. He repeatedly directed the camera away. This incident has caused fury among fans.