Griffin struggles in first start for Guardians, who lose 13-6 to Mets and fall out of wild-card spot

CLEVELAND (AP) — All-Star Foster Griffin struggled in his first start for the free-falling Cleveland Guardians, allowing five runs in four innings of a 13-6 loss to the Mets that gave last-place New York a three-game sweep.

Cleveland (57-59) has lost 11 of 14 and fell one-half game behind Texas in the race for the final AL wild card.

Acquired from Washington at the trade deadline, Griffin (12-4) allowed homers to Marcus Semien and Luis Torrens in the second inning, the latter a two-run shot that put the Mets ahead 3-2.

The left-hander gave up two more runs in the third, including an RBI triple by Carson Benge, and was lifted after working out of trouble in the fourth.

Francisco Lindor also homered for New York, a three-run shot in the seventh off Craig Yoho. Benge, Semien and Luis Robert Jr. each had three hits, and Torrens drove in three runs.

The Guardians got within 6-5 in the fifth on Nathaniel Lowe's three-run homer off Nolan McLean (8-7), who stranded two runners to get out of the inning and qualify for the win.

It was the third series sweep for the Mets this season and first on the road.

Guardians reliever Slade Cecconi faced five batters in the eighth and did not record an out as New York added four more runs for a 13-5 advantage.

Mets: Begin a three-game series at Pittsburgh on Friday with LHP Zac Thornton (2-2, 2.88 ERA) on the mound.

Guardians: Visit the Chicago White Sox starting Friday with a chance to make up some ground on the AL Central leaders. LHP Parker Messick (8-6, 2.57) starts for Cleveland against Chicago LHP Noah Schultz (3-8, 5.92).

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New York Mets' Francisco Lindor is congratulated by his teammates after hitting a three-run home run off Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Craig Yoho during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

New York Mets' A.J. Ewing hits the deck after dodging an inside pitch from Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Slade Cecconi as catcher Patrick Bailey and umpire umpire John Bacon look on during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

New York Mets' Francisco Lindor watches his three-run home run off Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Craig Yoho as catcher Patrick Bailey looks down during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

New York Mets' Marcus Semien is congratulated by his teammates after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Foster Griffin during the second inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Foster Griffin delivers against the New York Mets during the first inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

NEW YORK (AP) — Stock in Elon Musk's space company rose Thursday even after many SpaceX insiders were freed up to sell for the first time.

Investors in SpaceX have pushed the shares down sharply in recent days in anticipation of insiders possibly selling in the first of several so-called lockup expirations that free them up to trade. More than 900 million shares became newly available to buy or sell with Thursday's release, doubling what was available previously.

SpaceX shares rose 6.1% to close at $114.92. A day earlier they had one of their biggest routs in SpaceX's short history as a public company, dropping nearly 14%.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said the expiration of lockup provisions that bar employees and others from selling was an opportunity for others to get into the stock cheaply. He believes the stock could rise to $300 by the middle of next year, nearly triple its current level.

Morgan Stanley was one of the investment banks that earned big fees helping take SpaceX public last month.

Earlier this week, SpaceX reported it had lost $541 million, or 9 cents per share, in the three months through June, less than half what financial analysts had forecast. Revenue jumped to $7.8 billion, up more than 90% from the year-earlier period.

The company also posted a massive increase in spending on R&D and infrastructure, particularly involving artificial intelligence, and other major projects. Investors are growing increasingly nervous with big capital spending figures in technology companies, triggering sell-offs.

In June, Musk sold SpaceX shares to the public for the first time in the biggest initial public offering ever. Shares jumped as high as $225 a share, briefly making Musk a trillionaire.

The plunge in the stock since has wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars in market value, leaving the shares trading at even less than its initial $135 offering price.

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lifts off for a test flight from Starbase, Texas, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)