New on Sports Illustrated: Surprising Padres visit hot Rockies in Coors opener

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246070"> <p>The Colorado Rockies struggled in their season opener at Texas last week, but after that 1-0 shutout they have been unbeatable. The Rockies took the last two games against the Rangers and then swept the A's at Oakland in a quick two-game series.</p> <p>Now Colorado (4-1) returns to Denver for its home opener against the San Diego Padres on Friday night.</p> <p>Rockies starter Jon Gray has plenty of experience against the division rivals while San Diego starter Garrett Richards will face Colorado for the first time.</p> <p>The Rockies had an off day Thursday while the Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 12-7 in 10 innings to improve to 5-2. San Diego has also won its first two series of the season.</p> <p>Richards is making his second start of the season. He had a no-decision in his first outing Sunday when the Padres 4-3 lost to Arizona, though he was stellar: five scoreless innings, one hit, three walks, six strikeouts.</p> <p>Richards spent his first eight seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. San Diego signed him to a two-year deal before the 2019 season, a risk for the Padres after Richards' 2018 season was cut short due to Tommy John surgery. He didn't pitch until late in 2019, making three starts.</p> <p>"It's just fun. I'm having fun playing baseball again," Richards told Fox Sports San Diego. "It's not rehab anymore. It feels good to be back out there and pitching pain-free. After having Tommy John and being able to start over with my mechanics ... it's really become very comfortable to pitch for me."</p> <p>Comfortable isn't the how most pitchers would describe working at Coors Field, but Gray is one of the few who thrives in the thin air of Colorado. He was 6-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 13 home games (12 starts) last season.</p> <p>"I'm ready for that real competition there, and I feel like I always have an edge (at Coors Field), so I'm excited," he said this week. "(At home I pitch) knowing that I'm going to out-do the other guy and knowing that our lineup is going to hit the ball. It's a good combination, and it makes you feel confident."</p> <p>Gray has faced the Padres 20 times (19 starts) in his career and has fared well against them. He is 10-4 with a 2.97 ERA with an average of 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Gray had one of his most memorable games against them in 2016 when he fanned a career-high 16 batters in a four-hit shutout.</p> <p>Gray got a no-decision in Colorado's first win of the season on Saturday, when he gave up one run in 4 2/3 innings against the Rangers. Manager Bud Black said Gray tired in the fifth inning of that 3-2 victory but thinks he can throw 90-plus pitches on Friday night.</p> <p>"We saw in spring training the continued growth of Jon, and more than anything, from a couple years ago, now there's a poise and a confidence there that's showing pretty consistently," Black said. "He's to the point now where he's getting confidence in all his pitches, and not just the fastball/slider combination."</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Surprising Padres visit hot Rockies in Coors opener

The Colorado Rockies struggled in their season opener at Texas last week, but after that 1-0 shutout they have been unbeatable. The Rockies took the last two games against the Rangers and then swept …

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New on Sports Illustrated: Giants, Rangers square off; both eye return to .500

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246548"> <p>Left-hander Mike Minor will be searching for his first win of the season when the Texas Rangers visit the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a three-game interleague series Friday night.</p> <p>Both teams are attempting to get back to .500. The Rangers improved to 2-3 with a 7-4 win over Arizona to close out a season-opening homestand on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Giants fell to 3-4 after losing two of three at home to the San Diego Padres, including a 12-7, 10-inning decision Thursday night.</p> <p>Minor (0-1, 1.80 ERA), a 14-game winner last season, pitched well enough to deserve a better fate in his season debut, but was the victim of an unearned run in a 3-2 loss to Colorado on Saturday. He limited the Rockies to two runs (one earned) and three hits in five innings.</p> <p>The 32-year-old has never lost in San Francisco, where he's compiled a 2-0 lifetime mark in three appearances, including two starts. He's fashioned a fine 1.88 ERA in those games.</p> <p>Overall, Minor is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA against the Giants in seven head-to-heads, six of which have been starts.</p> <p>One problem the Rangers hope they don't encounter in the series is what to do late in the game against a Giants team that rallied from big deficits in each of their last two games against the Padres. San Francisco beat San Diego 7-6 with eighth- and ninth-inning rallies on Wednesday before dropping the extra-inning game Thursday.</p> <p>The Rangers lost closer Jose Leclerc to a strained teres major muscle during the season-opening homestand.</p> <p>"You can't just replace guys like that who have that kind of ability," said Texas general manager Jon Daniels.</p> <p>Pitching has been the least of the Rangers' problems early on. They've hit a cumulative .181, with just four home runs in five games.</p> <p>The worst of the slumps belong to Shin-Soo Choo and Danny Santana, who have gone a combined 2-for-30 (.067) with one extra-base hit -- a double by Santana.</p> <p>The Rangers are unlikely to find out which starting pitcher they'll be facing until they arrive at the ballpark. Such has been the tactic, more often than not, by new Giants manager Gabe Kapler.</p> <p>The likely candidates are left-hander Drew Smyly (0-0, 2.08) and righty Logan Webb (0-0, 2.25).</p> <p>The Giants got a decent performance under similar circumstances from right-hander Kevin Gausman on Thursday. He limited the Padres to three runs in 4 1/3 innings, striking out eight.</p> <p>However, the oft-used Giants bullpen allowed the Padres to build a 6-1 lead in the middle innings before, for the second night in a row, San Francisco came roaring back.</p> <p>With Mike Yastrzemski and Donovan Solano again playing leading roles, the Giants drew even 6-6 in the eighth inning -- just as they did on Wednesday -- only this time to fall in extra innings.</p> <p>The Giants' offense figures to be even more potent in the Texas series, with Brandon Belt and Evan Longoria both having returned from injuries to make season debuts in Thursday's loss. They combined to go just 1-for-6, but Longoria drove in a run and Belt walked three times.</p> <p>"Our excitement about Brandon getting back in the lineup is two-fold," Kapler explained to the media before the game. "One, it's nice to have somebody in the middle of our lineup in the four-hole who can walk and do damage. No. 2, it's nice to have somebody at first base who can play great defense."</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Giants, Rangers square off; both eye return to .500

Left-hander Mike Minor will be searching for his first win of the season when the Texas Rangers visit the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a three-game interleague series Friday night. Both team…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Clevinger next up for strong-pitching Indians vs. Twins

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246383"> <p>Right-hander Mike Clevinger will try to extend Cleveland's franchise-record, starting-pitching streak on Friday night when the Indians face the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis.</p> <p>Cleveland's rotation has compiled a 5-0 record with a 1.53 ERA in the first seven games of the season. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that Indians starters have gone six or more innings in each of those contests while allowing two or fewer runs, a franchise record.</p> <p>Clevinger (0-0, 2.57 ERA) gave up first-inning solo home runs to the Kansas City Royals' Jorge Soler and Salvador Perez in his first start on Saturday, a game the Indians lost 3-2 in 10 innings. He allowed four hits and two runs over seven innings while striking out six.</p> <p>Clevinger is 4-3 with a 2.79 ERA in 14 appearances (11 starts) against the Twins and has pitched well at Target Field, compiling a 2-1 record and 3.60 ERA in six games (five starts).</p> <p>Minnesota will counter with right-hander Randy Dobnak (0-1, 2.25 ERA), who will make his second start in place of injured Jake Odorizzi (upper back soreness). Dobnak, who had an 0-1 record and 2.45 ERA in three games, two starts, against Cleveland last season, took the loss in a 10-3 setback to the White Sox in Chicago on Saturday but pitched well, allowing just one run on three hits over four innings. He walked two and struck out three.</p> <p>Cleveland won the first game of the four-game series on Thursday night, 2-0, behind another record-setting performance by Shane Bieber.</p> <p>Bieber, who set an Opening Day franchise record with 14 strikeouts while tossing six shutout innings in a 2-0 victory over Kansas City on July 24, followed that up by holding the Twins to just three singles over eight innings while striking out 13. The 27 strikeouts in his first two starts of the season tied the modern day (since 1901) major league record set by Karl Spooner of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954.</p> <p>"All of them," catcher Sandy Leon said, according to Cleveland.com, when asked what was Bieber's best pitch. "He was throwing all four pitches for strikes whenever he wanted. That was fun."</p> <p>Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "He was definitely on top of his game. I think anyone paying attention can see that. He was very sharp. He's one of the best young pitchers in the game."</p> <p>Bieber said he felt Thursday night's victory was crucial against the defending American League Central champion Twins.</p> <p>"We know how important this series is," Bieber said. "Coming out there and doing what we did tonight set the tone for the series. I feel like the clubhouse is definitely hopping, as much it can with all the protocols. We're enjoying it."</p> <p>Cleveland got all the runs it would need in the third inning when Francisco Lindor blasted a 409-foot, two-run homer into the right field bleachers off Minnesota ace Jose Berrios. It was the second home run in the past three games for Lindor.</p> <p>"I got a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it," Lindor said. "I'm happy it went out. Berrios has struck me out a lot of times."</p> <p>Berrios said, "They got me on one pitch. Lindor hit a homer. But other than that, I tried to control the damage."</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Clevinger next up for strong-pitching Indians vs. Twins

Right-hander Mike Clevinger will try to extend Cleveland's franchise-record, starting-pitching streak on Friday night when the Indians face the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis. Cleveland's rotation ha…

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New on Sports Illustrated: LeBron's Lakers Win an Eerily Subdued Battle for Los Angeles in Orlando to Restart the NBA

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/07/31/lakers-beat-clippers-battle-los-angeles-nba-restart"> <p class="subtitle">After coming together to protest for Black lives, the Lakers and Clippers played a thrilling game to welcome back the NBA. But the bizarre environment will take some getting used to.</p> <p>LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Virtual fans and piped in crowd noise. A head-to-head between two ex-Finals MVPs played in front of a smattering of real faces. A battle for Los Angeles some 3,000 miles from Staples Center.</p> </a><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/lakers/news/lebron-james-leads-the-lakers-to-a-thrilling-win-over-the-clippers">Lakers</a> 103, <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/la-clippers-los-angeles-lakers-final-seconds">Clippers</a> 101. <p>The NBA is back.</p> <p>Opening night in the NBA’s resumed season was finally upon us Thursday, and what a strange experience. A late-season Lakers-Clippers game would be a near impossible ticket in Los Angeles. Fans would pack LA Live hours before tipoff. Scalpers would have a field day. In the bubble, witnesses to this marquee matchup were a dozen or so media members, a few more NBA staffers and a handful of players who bussed over to watch from socially distanced seats.</p> <p>Lawrence Tanter, the Lakers legendary public address announcer, provided the introductions, pre-recorded.</p> <p>During timeouts, the Lakers' usual in-game entertainment played on a courtside screen.</p> <p>For <em>who</em>, exactly, is a little unclear.</p> <p>The social justice movement sweeping America has been emphasized during the NBA’s restart, and continued on Thursday. Players took to the floor in black T-shirts, with BLACK LIVES MATTER imprinted on the front. Social justice messages replaced names on the backs of jerseys. A two-minute video highlighting the movement played after warmups. Hours earlier, in a gym a football field away, the <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/07/30/pelicans-jazz-kneel-protest-black-lives-matter-national-anthem-nba">Pelicans and Jazz kneeled for the national anthem</a>. The Lakers and Clippers <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/kawhi-leonard-says-clippers-and-lakers-discussed-kneeling-together">did the same</a>, linking arms while a pre-taped rendition by the Compton Kid’s Club boomed through speakers hanging from the rafters.</p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/gifdsports/status/1289007577628581898"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>As he kneeled, his 58-year old knee aching, Clippers coach Doc Rivers mind drifted to George Floyd, whose death at the knee of a Minnesota police officer ignited the movement.</p> <p>“The hardest thing that happened to me in the game today was kneeling for two minutes,” Rivers said. “My knee would hurt. In the middle of it, I’m thinking in two minutes my knee is hurting, yet there was a guy who had a knee to someone’s neck for eight minutes. There were guys that needed towels and things to get onto their knee. And someone kneeled on another human being's neck for eight minutes. That’s nuts when you think about it.”</p> <p>The game, predictably, wasn’t pretty. No one expected a three-week training camp and three scrimmages to wipe away the corrosive effects of a four-month hiatus. And it didn’t. The first quarter was abysmal. The two teams combined for 21 fouls. The Lakers made two of eight three-point attempts. That’s sharp shooting compared to the Clippers, who missed all seven. Anthony Davis scored 14 points in the first quarter. The Lakers ended it with a 12-point lead.</p> <p>The Clippers could have folded. It has been a tough month for L.A.’s other team. The roster has been ravaged by illness and outside issues. Two of the NBA’s top sixth men—Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell—didn’t play. Marcus Morris was a late arrival. Ivica Zubac, diagnosed with COVID-19 in late June, just returned to practice this week. Patrick Beverley is still working his way back into game shape.</p> <p>The Clippers didn’t quit. They sliced ten points off the Lakers lead in the second quarter. They built an 11-point lead in the third quarter. They held a lead entering the fourth. Paul George (30 points) and Kawhi Leonard (28) took over, raining threes, nine of them, over Lakers defenders.</p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1289034487813332992"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>A George triple evened the game with 28 seconds left, and that’s when, again, you felt the bizarreness of the moment. Tie game, two of the Western Conference elite, and in normal times a crowd of 20,000-plus would be roaring. Instead, the hoarse voice of Rivers could be heard over the music. Beverley barked out defensive instructions. When James tipped in his own miss with 13 seconds left, the only sound came from the Lakers bench.</p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1289050831808061441"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>James wasn’t done, either. On the Clippers' final possession, James glued himself to Leonard. Bottled up, Leonard flipped the ball to George. James switched out on him. With James on his hip, George attempted an off-balance three-pointer that rimmed off.</p> <p>One defensive possession, two elite defensive plays.</p> <p>Not bad for a 35-year-old in his 17th season.</p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1289051972998508544"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>“Rhythm, as far as offensively, making shots, those things are going to take a little bit longer to get back,” James said. “But the one thing you can do is defend. You can always communicate … you can have teammates who back you up when you make a mistake. Communication on the defensive side is something that should always be on point.”</p> <p>One game down, seven to go before the playoffs and both teams know there is work to do. “To me, we have a long way to go to reach the habits and discipline we were playing with when we entered the hiatus,” said Frank Vogel. Conditioning remains a factor. Three-point shooting percentages will rise. The in-game experience will continue to be an adjustment—some 300 Lakers fans video conferenced in to watch the game—as will playing without the energy of a crowd.</p> <p>“When we’re out there playing, we don’t really notice there are no fans at the game,” Davis said. “We just go out there and compete and just try to get the win. They do a good job with the crowd noise … but when we’re out there competing, it’s just the five of us … the more we use this arena, the easier it will be.”</p> <p>The games won’t be pretty. The environment will be strange. But four-plus months after a global pandemic halted its season, the NBA is back. For the players, for the league, that’s all that matters. </p>

New on Sports Illustrated: LeBron's Lakers Win an Eerily Subdued Battle for Los Angeles in Orlando to Restart the NBA

After coming together to protest for Black lives, the Lakers and Clippers played a thrilling game to welcome back the NBA. But the bizarre environment will take some getting used to. LAKE BUENA VISTA…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Angels' Goodwin ready for shot vs. Astros with Trout out

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246247"> <p>Brian Goodwin has big shoes to fill.</p> <p>With teammate Mike Trout, a three-time American League MVP, on the paternity list, Goodwin will likely be patrolling center field when the Angels open a three-game series against the three-time defending American League West champion Houston Astros on Friday night in Anaheim, Calif.</p> <p>Goodwin, coming off a career year in which he hit .262 with 17 home runs and 47 RBIs, had a home run and three RBIs Wednesday and added two hits Thursday in losses to Seattle to raise his season average to .412.</p> <p>"I've been sticking with my training regimen. I got to see a lot of stuff work last year, didn't forget what I did to get into that position," Goodwin told MLB.com. "Took it into the offseason, and the second offseason. I had more time to nitpick and get to the finer details of what I could do better and what would have the best production to come from it."</p> <p>Goodwin has also been active off the field. He told reporters he participated in protests last month in Washington, D.C., after the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis in May.</p> <p>"It's an important issue and is something that needs to be addressed," Goodwin said. "And when you have the stage to address it, I feel like that you need to use it. And as of right now, I have the stage, I'm in a position and I'll have the support from the Angels, so it will be a detriment to people who know me and my fans, and people back home, for me to not take advantage of it."</p> <p>As for those shoes?</p> <p>Wednesday, Goodwin wore custom cleats, one blue and one yellow, to pay tribute to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and rapper Nipsey Hussle, both of whom died in the past 16 months.</p> <p>"It just felt right to give them some honor and pay homage to them and what they meant to L.A., and me playing in L.A. right now, I thought it was just the right thing to do," said Goodwin, who went back to his regular red cleats Thursday.</p> <p>Right-hander Matt Andriese (0-0, 0.00 ERA) is scheduled to make his first start for the Angels after pitching 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief Sunday at Oakland. It will be Andriese's first start since Sept. 18, 2018 while with Arizona. He's 1-1 with a 6.14 in four career appearances against the Astros, including two starts.</p> <p>Right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (1-0, 3.00) is set to start for the Astros, who will be making their first road trip of the season. McCullers is 3-3 with a 2.45 ERA in 11 career starts against the Angels.</p> <p>McCullers said the team recently held a meeting to discuss the importance of following health protocols to avoid contracting COVID-19 on the road.</p> <p>It came after an outbreak among Miami Marlins players and staff forced several teams to postpone games.</p> <p>"It's on us," McCullers said. "I'm not sure what the story is with Miami and how the virus was contracted and how it kind of spread. I see guys here being very good and diligent about the guidelines and making sure they do the right things. We're confident we can continue to have good testing and stay on the right track."</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Angels' Goodwin ready for shot vs. Astros with Trout out

Brian Goodwin has big shoes to fill. With teammate Mike Trout, a three-time American League MVP, on the paternity list, Goodwin will likely be patrolling center field when the Angels open a three-gam…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Pham, Padres use big six-run 10th for 12-7 win over Giants

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246545"> <p>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Tommy Pham hit a go-ahead single in the 10th inning after Trent Grisham began at second base under baseball's new extra-innings rule, and the San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 12-7 on Thursday night.</p> <p>Pinch-hitter Greg Garcia added a key two-run single against Tyler Rogers (1-2) in the big six-run 10th.</p> <p>''It's definitely differernt. Right now we feel good about it because of course we won,'' Pham said. ''Before the season started I wasn't a fan of it just because I'm more traditional but like anything in life you have to adapt.''</p> <p>Padres manager Jayce Tingler is slowly becoming more fond of the extra-innings rule, too.</p> <p>''Yeah, you can call me a fan of that,'' Tingler said. ''I've obviously seen it a lot on the minor league side and I think I said before I didn't initially like it. The more I see it, totally good with it. It doesn't really matter what we think, we've got it.''</p> <p>Mike Yastrzemski hit an RBI triple and Donovan Solano delivered a tying sacrifice fly two batters later as the Padres' bullpen couldn't hold a late lead for the second straight game. Yastrzemski's walkoff splash homer into McCovey Cove sent San Francisco to a 7-6 victory Wednesday night.</p> <p>Pierce Johnson (1-0) recorded four outs for the win.</p> <p>Tingler said before the game watching the bullpen give it up Wednesday ''was a rough one and it's maybe the first time we've been punched in the face so in a sick way I'm kind of excited to see how we will respond.''</p> <p>Jurickson Profar hit a two-run homer and RBI single for San Diego, which wasted a solid day from starter Dinelson Lamet. He struck out seven in five innings to give the San Diego right-hander 15 Ks over his first two outings.</p> <p>San Diego has won seven of its last 11 series in San Francisco and two in a row dating to late last season.</p> <p>The Giants had their first try at the new rule after the ninth.</p> <p>''I think it's an interesting twist,'' manager Gabe Kapler said.</p> <p>WELCOME BACK</p> <p>The Giants welcomed back two key members of their infield with first baseman Brandon Belt and third baseman Evan Longoria being activated from the 10-day injured list to make their season debuts and bat fourth and fifth, respectively.</p> <p>The players didn't face live hitting before coming off the injured list.</p> <p>''Nothing about this year's all that normal,'' Longoria said with a grin when asked about no rehab assignment.</p> <p>PENCE'S STRUGGLES</p> <p>Hunter Pence is 0 for 17 with four strikeouts over five games making four starts. He wasn't in the lineup Thursday night but entered to pinch run in the ninth.</p> <p>TRAINER'S ROOM</p> <p>Padres: 1B Eric Hosmer missed his second straight game and fourth overall with a stomach illness that the team said isn't coronavirus-related. ''We were hoping he would feel better,'' Tingler said. ''His stomach, he's still struggling. Our medical team is still checking him out, hoping he starts to turn for the better. It's been kind of off and on, feeling much better and unfortunately he's not right now.''</p> <p>Giants: Longoria said he's confident the worst of his right oblique strain is behind him and he feels he can play freely while likely dealing with some soreness. ''It's always tough to be out and not have an opportunity to play,'' Longoria said. ''I feel great, as healthy as I'm going to get at this point. I don't feel like I rushed back.''</p> <p>ROSTER MOVES</p> <p>To clear room for Belt (right Achilles tendinitis) and Longoria to return, the Giants optioned OFs Jaylin Davis and Joe McCarthy to their alternate site in San Jose and designated RHP Dany Jimenez for assignment. Kapler said in his meeting with Davis on Wednesday night, he told the outfielder: ''We believe in you. We support you. We're never going to stop communicating with you.'' Kapler added, ''he's a step away from the major leagues at any given time and we still believe he's going to make an important impact on this club.'' ... OF Steven Duggar was recalled from San Jose and started in right field.</p> <p>UP NEXT</p> <p>RHP Garrett Richards (0-0, 0.00 ERA) pitches for San Diego to start a series Friday night at Coors Field in Denver as the Rockies host their home opener. Richards worked five scoreless innings allowing one hit Sunday against Arizona. The Giants hadn't listed a starter for their series opener Friday at home facing the Texas Rangers, who lost to San Francisco in the 2010 World Series. The Giants last hosted the Rangers from Aug. 24-26, 2018.</p> <p>---</p> <p>More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Pham, Padres use big six-run 10th for 12-7 win over Giants

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Tommy Pham hit a go-ahead single in the 10th inning after Trent Grisham began at second base under baseball's new extra-innings rule, and the San Diego Padres beat the San Francisc…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Yankees finally get to play home, face rival Sox

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246094"> <p>Two days late, the New York Yankees will finally play their home opener -- a home opener like never before and one they hope never happens again.</p> <p>After coronavirus concerns pushed the Yankees' scheduled home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies back and created an in-season schedule change, the Yankees finally play at home Friday night when they begin a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.</p> <p>The Yankees were originally slated to face the Phillies as the second part of a four-game, home-and-home series but none of those games were played due to numerous members of the Miami Marlins testing positive for coronavirus after they spent last weekend in Philadelphia. It is possible those games could get played next week, but as of Thursday night it has not been officially announced.</p> <p>The Yankees did not play Monday and Tuesday in Philadelphia and when the games in New York were postponed, they pivoted to a two-game series in Baltimore as the Orioles were slated to play four games against Miami (whose games were also postponed for this week). After earning a 9-3 win Wednesday, the Yankees withstood a lengthy rain delay and posted an 8-6 win Thursday on a three-run homer by Aaron Judge in the ninth inning.</p> <p>"Definitely unique, but to go home with four wins, 4-1 to start the season, obviously you take that," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of his team's odyssey. "So, a good start for us in not real great conditions where guys had to make some adjustments and had to adapt on the fly. I feel like our guys have a great frame of mind moving forward."</p> <p>Judge's homer came long after Gleyber Torres exited the game with an elbow injury after being hit by a pitch in the first inning. Boone said Torres -- diagnosed with an elbow contusion -- is day-to-day while the shortstop said he thought he would be able to play Friday.</p> <p>The Red Sox opened the season with a 13-2 win over Baltimore but then allowed 29 runs during a four-game losing streak. Boston heads to Yankee Stadium after sweeping two games from the New York Mets at Citi Field, following up a 6-5 win on Wednesday with a 4-2 win Thursday.</p> <p>Boston's Christian Vazquez hit two homers Thursday and is 8-for-19 with four homers and eight RBIs so far.</p> <p>"We'll keep him out there," Boston manager Ron Roenicke said of his catcher. "As long as he's catching like this and feeling strong, we'll keep putting him out there.</p> <p>Jordan Montgomery was originally going to get the pitching start in the home opener before the postponements and will still get the nod after Gerrit Cole and J.A. Happ started in Baltimore. Montgomery made two appearances last September in Toronto after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2018 and the Yankees are hoping to see the pitcher who went 9-7 with a 3.88 ERA in 2017.</p> <p>"I'm just ready to get out there again and kind of roll with the momentum," Montgomery said Thursday. "I'm throwing the ball well. I feel like I'm as ready as I've ever been."</p> <p>In 2017, he led AL rookies in starts (29), strikeouts (144) and innings (155 1/3).</p> <p>Montgomery was 2-0 with a 3.62 ERA in six starts in 2018 before getting hurt and made his final exhibition start July 19 against the Mets when he allowed two hits in five innings while throwing 59 pitches.</p> <p>Ryan Weber will start for Boston after allowing six runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings in Sunday's 7-4 loss to Baltimore when his sinkerball was not resulting in ground balls.</p> <p>"I was getting more fly balls than normal," he said. "I wasn't really able to rely on getting that groundball."</p> <p>Weber is 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA in three career appearances against the Yankees and those were all last season.</p> <p>Weber is 1-6 with a 6.55 ERA in 12 career appearances as a starter.</p> <p>The Yankees won the season series 14-5 and outscored the Red Sox 53-27 in going 8-1 at home last season.</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Yankees finally get to play home, face rival Sox

Two days late, the New York Yankees will finally play their home opener -- a home opener like never before and one they hope never happens again. After coronavirus concerns pushed the Yankees' schedu…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Orioles try to regroup against Rays, Snell

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246426"> <p>The Tampa Bay Rays visit the Baltimore Orioles on Friday for the teams' first meeting of the season in a matchup of veteran starting pitchers.</p> <p>Rays left-hander Blake Snell (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will face off with Orioles right-hander Alex Cobb (1-0, 1.69 ERA).</p> <p>Snell will make his second start of the season after throwing two shutout innings in the Rays' 6-5 win over Toronto on Sunday. He is working his way back after elbow surgery last summer, and Tampa Bay hopes Snell will rediscover the form that helped him win the American League Cy Young Award two years ago.</p> <p>"I'm just making sure I'm not rushing into it too much," Snell said recently, according to the Tampa Bay Times. "I want to make sure that I'm doing the right things and that I'm very well prepared to finish this sprint of a season strong."</p> <p>Snell has a 2-2 career record and a 4.67 ERA versus the Orioles.</p> <p>Cobb threw a strong game last weekend as the Orioles beat the Red Sox in his season debut. Like Snell, surgery cut short his season in 2019. The hip operation limited him to three games in which he went 0-2 with a 10.95 ERA.</p> <p>Cobb has a 0-3 record with a 4.63 ERA versus his former team. He was with Tampa Bay from 2011-17 before coming to Baltimore.</p> <p>Both teams are coming off of tough losses. Atlanta handed the Rays a 2-1 defeat Thursday to wrap up a sweep of a two-game series in Georgia. Tampa Bay had beaten the visiting Braves in the first two games of the two-city series.</p> <p>The Rays have had good pitching the past few seasons and in the early games of 2020. Plus, they've gotten strong offense from several players, ranking as one of the top teams at the plate in the American League so far. But the Rays had issues with both facets as Atlanta won the last two games 7-4 and then 2-1.</p> <p>Baltimore is trying to bounce back from a stunning 8-6 home loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday. The Yankees now have topped the Orioles 18 consecutive times dating back to early 2019.</p> <p>The Orioles rallied from a 5-0, first-inning deficit Thursday to take a 6-5 lead when Pedro Severino hit a two-run homer in the eighth. However, Aaron Judge belted a three-run homer in the ninth to give New York the win.</p> <p>John Means, an All-Star last year, made his first start after missing the final days of summer camp due to arm fatigue. He was supposed to start Opening Night in Boston but landed on the 10-day injured list.</p> <p>Means didn't have great command in the first inning Thursday, giving up a grand slam to Luke Voit and five runs in that frame. He lasted just 2 1/3 innings overall.</p> <p>"Physically, I felt great," Means said. "I thought my stuff was good. I thought (it was that) one mistake."</p> <p>Orioles manager Brandon Hyde added about Means, "He felt great. He probably felt a little bit too good."</p> <p>Jose Iglesias (quad) was out of the Baltimore lineup after being pulled early on Wednesday.</p> <p>Baltimore slugger Chris Davis has been one of the bigger mysteries so far this season. He was not in the batting order in either of the past two games, and the Orioles have said little about it publicly. Hyde said before the game he didn't want to address the issue anymore.</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Orioles try to regroup against Rays, Snell

The Tampa Bay Rays visit the Baltimore Orioles on Friday for the teams' first meeting of the season in a matchup of veteran starting pitchers. Rays left-hander Blake Snell (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will face o…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Marmolejos' first homer powers Mariners over Angels 8-5

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246244"> <p>ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Jose Marmolejos and Shed Long Jr. homered, Marco Gonzales pitched into the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-5 on Thursday night.</p> <p>Marmolejos' first big league homer was a three-run shot in the first inning. J.P. Crawford led off the game with a single, Kyle Seager drew a two-out walk and Marmolejos, a rookie first baseman, sent a fastball from Dylan Bundy (1-1) into the elevated stands in right field.</p> <p>''I wanted to be aggressive with the runner in scoring position,'' said Marmolejos, who came into the game with only two hits in his first 18 at-bats. ''I was looking a little more middle and away, but I wanted to get a swing there.''</p> <p>Long Jr. had two hits. The Mariners led 3-2 when he opened a five-run ninth by hitting Hansel Robles' fastball over the wall in right. Crawford and Kyle Lewis each had two-run singles in the frame.</p> <p>Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer off Dan Altavilla in the Angels' ninth. Ohtani's 42nd home run in the majors tied him with Kosuke Fukudome for fifth-most by a Japanese-born player.</p> <p>Gonzales (1-1) provided a lift for a Mariners' pitching staff that had allowed seven runs or more in their first six games. The left-hander allowed only two unearned runs in 6 1/3 innings on six hits with six strikeouts and a walk.</p> <p>His only mistake came in the fifth inning, when he hung a curveball that Matt Stassi hit off the right-field foul pole for a two-run homer.</p> <p>''I was confident he would go deep into the game,'' Seattle manager Scott Servais said. ''He was laser focused on attacking the strike zone and got ahead in a lot of the counts.''</p> <p>Gonzales also continued his mastery of the the Angels in their home ballpark. He is 4-0 with a 2.63 ERA in seven starts at Angel Stadium.</p> <p>The Mariners dropped four of their first five to start the season but have won two straight.</p> <p>Brian Goodwin added two hits for Los Angeles, which has lost four of its last five after splitting its first two games. The Angels have allowed 18 runs the past two games, with 13 being surrendered by the bullpen.</p> <p>''We played relatively well enough to be in good position record wise. You really can't anywhere without a substantial bullpen,'' manager Joe Maddon said.</p> <p>TROUT OUT OF LINEUP</p> <p>Angels star outfielder Mike Trout was placed on the paternity list before the game. The reigning AL Most Valuable Player and his wife, Jessica, are expecting their first child.</p> <p>Maddon said after the game he didn't know if the baby was born yet. ''The manager is always the last to know,'' he said.</p> <p>BUNDY'S NIGHT</p> <p>Bundy settled down after Marmolejos' homer and allowed only two hits the rest of his night. He retired nine straight at one point.</p> <p>''It wasn't actually a bad one. You hit your spot and the guy guessed right,'' said Bundy of the home run he allowed. ''He was able to get to the heater and put three runs on the board pretty quickly and it was a battle from there.''</p> <p>The right-hander - who was acquired from Baltimore during the offseason - went six innings and allowed three runs on four hits with eight strikeouts. He is the first Angels' pitcher since Jered Weaver in 2012 to go at least six innings and have seven or more strikeouts in his first two season starts.</p> <p>STILL STREAKING</p> <p>Lewis extended his hitting streak to seven games to begin the season and has five straight multihit contests. He is batting .448 this year, including 11 for 22 with five RBIs in the last five games.</p> <p>TRAINER'S ROOM</p> <p>Mariners: C Austin Nola (knee soreness) went through some pregame workouts and could return to the lineup on Friday.</p> <p>Angels: SS Andrelton Simmons said he feels as if his sprained left ankle isn't as bad as last year's injury, which kept him out for five weeks. Simmons is on the injured list after he rolled the ankle off the back of the first-base bag during Monday's game at Oakland when he was trying to beat out a groundball.</p> <p>UP NEXT</p> <p>Mariners: Begin a 10-game homestand with Friday's night home opener against Oakland. Taijuan Walker (0-1, 13,50) makes his second start of the year.</p> <p>Angels: Open a three-game series against Houston on Friday. Right-hander Matt Andriese (0-0), who tossed 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball in relief at Oakland last Sunday, gets the start.</p> <p>---</p> <p>More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Marmolejos' first homer powers Mariners over Angels 8-5

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Jose Marmolejos and Shed Long Jr. homered, Marco Gonzales pitched into the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-5 on Thursday night. Marmolejos' …

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New on Sports Illustrated: Dodgers win third straight, cruise past D-backs 6-3

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246723"> <p>PHOENIX (AP) The Dodgers came into Chase Field on quite the high Thursday night, fresh off an emotional two-game sweep over the sign-stealing Houston Astros.</p> <p>Three homers and another solid Ross Stripling start later, Los Angeles kept right on rolling in the desert.</p> <p>A.J. Pollock hit a two-run homer, Corey Seager and Max Muncy added solo shots and the Dodgers rolled to their third straight win with a 6-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Even without the added motivation of facing the Astros - who beat Los Angeles in the 2017 World Series before the sign-stealing scandal was revealed - the Dodgers were impressively efficient.</p> <p>''We prepare every night to win a game,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ''The preparation never wavers.''</p> <p>Los Angeles took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, largely thanks to a two-run homer by Pollock that landed deep in the left field seats. They probably would have had an even bigger lead if not for Kole Calhoun's spectacular diving catch in right field that robbed Justin Turner of an extra-base hit.</p> <p>''All the stuff I had to go through to be able to play, now that we're playing, I'm having fun being here,'' said Pollock, who played for the D-backs earlier in his career.</p> <p>Los Angeles stretched its lead to 4-0 after Seager's homer to right field. Ketel Marte pulled the D-backs within a 4-1 margin in the third with his first homer of the season but the Dodgers responded with runs in the fifth and sixth inning to build a comfortable lead.</p> <p>Stripling (2-0) won his second game in two starts, pitching 5 1/3 innings while giving up three runs. Pedro Baez earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.</p> <p>''I don't feel like I hit that lull today,'' said Stripling, who has bounced between the rotation and bullpen during his five years with the Dodgers. ''I was able to keep my energy and strength throughout the outing.''</p> <p>It was another rough performance for the D-backs' rotation, which was supposed to be a strength coming into the season. Robbie Ray (0-2) needed 94 pitches to get through 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on six walks and five hits.</p> <p>''It's the fastball consistency,'' Ray said. ''My timing is just a little off.''</p> <p>The D-backs came into the game hitting just .202 during the season's first week and managed just five hits against the Dodgers. They started the season with playoff aspirations but a 2-5 start doesn't bode well.</p> <p>''Frustration is probably where I'm at right now,'' D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said.</p> <p>KELLY BACK, FOR NOW</p> <p>Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly was back on the mound for the first time since Tuesday, when he instigated a small fracas after throwing behind the heads of Astros players Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa.</p> <p>The hard-throwing Kelly was suspended eight games by Major League Baseball on Wednesday, but Kelly can still pitch while appealing the suspension. Bregman and Correa were on the 2017 Astros.</p> <p>Kelly pitched a scoreless seventh inning, retiring all three hitters he faced.</p> <p>BEAT THE HEAT</p> <p>It was a scorcher in the desert on Thursday, with temperatures topping out at 118 degrees at Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport. That's tied for the sixth-hottest day in the city's history. Luckily for the Dodgers and D-backs, Chase Field has a retractable roof and the temperature inside was much more comfortable.</p> <p>Back during the spring, Major League Baseball considered bringing all 30 teams to Arizona to create a bubble and play games at several different spring training sites in the Phoenix metro area. All of them besides Chase Field were outdoors.</p> <p>PERALTA'S BEARS</p> <p>The D-backs don't have cardboard cutouts of fans in the stands like several teams, but they do have a big group of teddy bears sitting in the left field corner.</p> <p>D-backs left fielder David Peralta requested the bears be put in the stands to remind him of his friends and family. Since players are unable to visit Phoenix Children's Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, smaller versions of the bears will be delivered to the hospital through the season through Peralta's foundation.</p> <p>TRAINER'S ROOM</p> <p>Dodgers: Los Angeles called up LHP Victor Gonzalez. The 24-year-old has been in the team's organization for seven years and his first appearance will be his big-league debut. The Dodgers made room on the roster by designating outfielder Terrance Gore for assignment. Gore appeared in two games this season and doesn't have an at-bat. He's spent parts of seven seasons in the majors. ... LHP Clayton Kershaw had a throwing session on Thursday. Roberts said he threw 30-32 pitches and looked good.</p> <p>Diamondbacks: Arizona called up C/OF Daulton Varsho. He's the son of former big leaguer Gary Varsho and is one of the D-backs top prospects. He's expected to provide depth at several different positions, especially catcher, left field and center field. Varsho made his MLB debut in the ninth, drawing a walk. The D-backs sent 1B/DH Kevin Cron back to the team's alternate training site.</p> <p>UP NEXT</p> <p>Dodgers: Los Angeles will start RHP Tony Gonsolin on Friday. LHP Julio Urias will start Saturday's game and RHP Walker Buehler is on the mound Sunday.</p> <p>Diamondbacks: Arizona sends second-year RHP Zac Gallen (0-0, 2.25) to the mound. The 24-year-old gave up one run over four innings in his first outing of the season vs. the Padres. He'd like to be more efficient on Friday after walking five batters and needing 88 pitches to get through four innings.</p> <p>---</p> <p>More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Dodgers win third straight, cruise past D-backs 6-3

PHOENIX (AP) The Dodgers came into Chase Field on quite the high Thursday night, fresh off an emotional two-game sweep over the sign-stealing Houston Astros. Three homers and another solid Ross Strip…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Rosenthal earns 1st save since 2017, Royals beat Tigers 5-3

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246613"> <p>DETROIT (AP) Trevor Rosenthal couldn't remember the last time he'd earned a save - nearly three years ago.</p> <p>''It's been a while,'' he said.</p> <p>That drought is finally over after Rosenthal pitched a scoreless ninth inning Thursday night in Kansas City's 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The Royals overcame Miguel Cabrera's first multihomer game since 2016.</p> <p>Once a standout closer for St. Louis, Rosenthal has struggled with his health and his effectiveness in recent years, finishing 2019 with a 13.50 ERA in 22 appearances with the Nationals and Tigers. When he retired JaCoby Jones on a grounder to end the game, he gave his glove a little celebratory tap.</p> <p>''I've just always focused on putting in the work,'' Rosenthal said. ''I've been fortunate that a lot of people have given me opportunities even when I've been struggling.''</p> <p>It was his first save since Aug. 12, 2017, when he was with St. Louis.</p> <p>The Royals have scored 25 of their 31 runs this year in the first five innings, but this time their offense came through late. Whit Merrifield scored on Salvador Perez's grounder to break a 2-all tie in the seventh. Bubba Starling added a double the following inning that gave Kansas City two insurance runs.</p> <p>''Great jump by Whit on the contact play,'' manager Mike Matheny said. ''Then Bubba gets a chance to put an exclamation point on it right there. We needed those runs, obviously.''</p> <p>Cabrera hit solo homers in the first and eighth, and Jonathan Schoop added one for Detroit in the fourth. It was Cabrera's first multihomer game since Sept. 30, 2016 at Atlanta, and he's gone deep three times in the first seven games this year after hitting only 12 home runs in all of 2019. He now has 480 for his career.</p> <p>''He's the smartest hitter in the game, no question about it,'' said Ivan Nova, Detroit's starting pitcher. ''He has the timing, the intelligence and everything. He's still getting a little bit older, but he's still smart.''</p> <p>Greg Holland (1-0) won in relief for the Royals, and Jose Cisnero (1-1) took the loss.</p> <p>Brady Singer allowed two runs and five hits in five innings for Kansas City in his second career start. Nova went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and eight hits.</p> <p>Ryan O'Hearn opened the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI single, and Franchy Cordero hit a run-scoring single in the second to put the Royals up 2-1.</p> <p>After six hits in the first three games of the series, Merrifield didn't have any Thursday, but he still made an impact. He was hit by a pitch with one out in the seventh, then went to third on Jorge Soler's double.</p> <p>Perez hit a bouncer up the middle that was fielded by Schoop, the second baseman. Merrifield scored, although Schoop threw to third to retire Soler.</p> <p>Starling's double down the line in left field made it 5-2.</p> <p>IN CONTROL</p> <p>The Tigers went a third straight game without walking anybody - the first time they've done that since April 13-15, 2015.</p> <p>TRAINER'S ROOM</p> <p>Tigers: OF Cameron Maybin left after beating out an infield hit in the ninth. Manager Ron Gardenhire said Maybin had a strained quad and would go on the injured list.</p> <p>UP NEXT</p> <p>LHP Kris Bubic makes his big league debut for the Royals when he starts their home opener Friday night against Chicago. LHP Dallas Keuchel takes the ball for the White Sox.</p> <p>Detroit starts a home series against Cincinnati, with RHP Spencer Turnbull (0-0) facing RHP Luis Castillo (0-0) of the Reds.</p> <p>---</p> <p>Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister</p> <p>---</p> <p>More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Rosenthal earns 1st save since 2017, Royals beat Tigers 5-3

DETROIT (AP) Trevor Rosenthal couldn't remember the last time he'd earned a save - nearly three years ago. ''It's been a while,'' he said. That drought is finally over after Rosenthal pitched a score…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Vázquez homers twice to lead Pérez and Red Sox past Mets 4-2

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246898"> <p>NEW YORK (AP) Christian Vazquez is giving the Boston Red Sox everything they could ever hope for behind the plate.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the New York Mets are still waiting for Edwin Diaz to figure it out in the Big Apple.</p> <p>Vazquez hit two more home runs and Martin Perez gave Boston's patchwork rotation a much-needed lift Thursday night, leading the Red Sox to a 4-2 victory over the Mets.</p> <p>''My work in the offseason is paying off. It paid last year and this year,'' Vazquez said. ''I need to continue to be consistent in my hitting and my catching.''</p> <p>Perez (1-1) overcame four walks and some shaky defense behind him, allowing only two hits while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings for his first win with Boston.</p> <p>The left-hander signed a $6.5 million, one-year contract as a free agent in December.</p> <p>''Great job from Martin to get us that far and really commanded his pitches well from the first inning on,'' Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said. ''That's huge for us to have him do that.''</p> <p>Vazquez had three RBIs for the second consecutive night. He connected twice off Steven Matz (0-1), including a two-run shot on an 0-2 pitch in the fourth that followed Xander Bogaerts' soft infield single.</p> <p>''Smart hitter,'' Mets manager Luis Rojas said.</p> <p>The drive put Boston ahead 3-2 and left Matz shaking his head.</p> <p>''I put the pitch where I wanted it,'' he said. ''I got 0-2 on him really fast and then he got me. So I was definitely frustrated right there.''</p> <p>Boston loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth and added an insurance run when an erratic Diaz hit Jose Peraza with a pitch. Diaz also walked two batters in a 35-pitch outing, his latest meltdown since the All-Star reliever was acquired from Seattle in a splashy trade before last season.</p> <p>The right-hander had such a horrendous first year with the Mets that he lost his job as closer. He earned a save in his initial 2020 appearance but then blew a chance last weekend when he allowed a tying homer against Atlanta.</p> <p>''We need to talk. We need to work, and that's something that we're going to do,'' Rojas said. ''He's got to control his emotions. That's (one) of the things that we're definitely going to talk about.''</p> <p>Heath Hembree escaped trouble in the seventh for Boston, and Matt Barnes did the same in the eighth. Brandon Workman, on the mound for the third straight day after throwing 30 pitches Wednesday, got three outs for his second save - both in the last two nights.</p> <p>Workman whiffed slugger Pete Alonso with a runner on second to end a game that took 3 hours, 49 minutes.</p> <p>''I woke up feeling pretty good, not too much soreness, so I told (Roenicke) I was good for an inning,'' Workman said.</p> <p>The Red Sox have won two in a row following a four-game skid. They split four consecutive games against the Mets, with the road team winning each one.</p> <p>Vazquez hit a leadoff shot to left field in the second and threw out a runner trying to steal. His only other multi-homer game in the majors came last September at Philadelphia. He joined Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk (1973) as the lone Red Sox catchers to hit four home runs in the first seven games of a season.</p> <p>''Doing both things. Called a nice game, blocked well, made the throw from his knees to throw out the baserunner, and obviously the offense,'' Roenicke said. ''As long as he's catching like this and strong, we'll keep putting him out there.''</p> <p>Vazquez hit a tying homer in the seventh inning Wednesday night and a two-run single in the eighth that helped Boston rally for a 6-5 victory.</p> <p>''Obviously, Vasqy has always been a good defensive catcher, one of the best in the game. Over the last couple years watching him come into himself offensively, it's been awesome to watch,'' Workman said. ''He's gone from being a defensive catcher to the complete package. He can drive the ball out of the ballpark, hit for average, and he's still elite behind the plate.''</p> <p>Jeff McNeil laced a two-run single off Perez in the third to give the Mets a 2-1 lead.</p> <p>DUCKS ON THE POND</p> <p>Michael Conforto and the Mets stranded nine, falling to 4 for 24 with runners in scoring position over their last two games.</p> <p>''We're just getting a little anxious in those situations,'' Rojas said.</p> <p>TRAINER'S ROOM</p> <p>Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez still isn't close to being able to return from a heart condition he developed as a symptom of COVID-19. Roenicke said Rodriguez hasn't been cleared to start pitching again, and when he does it will take him time to get back into game shape.</p> <p>Mets: RHP Marcus Stroman (torn calf muscle) is scheduled to face hitters Friday. ... INF Jed Lowrie got a second opinion on his troublesome left knee. He has looseness in a ligament, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said.</p> <p>UP NEXT</p> <p>Red Sox: After winning twice at Citi Field in Queens, the Red Sox remain in New York City but head up to the Bronx for the opener of a three-game series Friday night at Yankee Stadium. It will be the first meeting between the longtime rivals during this tenuous season shortened by the coronavirus. Ryan Weber (0-1) pitches for Boston against left-hander Jordan Montgomery.</p> <p>Mets: RHP Rick Porcello (0-1) seeks his 150th career win and tries to rebound from an ugly Mets debut against the Braves when New York begins a four-game series in Atlanta. Porcello is 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA in two career starts at Atlanta. LHP Sean Newcomb goes for the Braves.</p> <p>---</p> <p>More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Vázquez homers twice to lead Pérez and Red Sox past Mets 4-2

NEW YORK (AP) Christian Vazquez is giving the Boston Red Sox everything they could ever hope for behind the plate. Meanwhile, the New York Mets are still waiting for Edwin Diaz to figure it out in th…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Judge HR rallies Yankees to another win over Orioles 8-6

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2252613"> <p>BALTIMORE (AP) Down by a run and held scoreless since the first inning, the New York Yankees appeared to be in trouble with three outs to go against the Baltimore Orioles.</p> <p>Manager Aaron Boone didn't see it that way.</p> <p>''Absolutely not,'' Boone said after the Yankees rallied to an 8-6 victory Thursday night. ''Guys can hurt you up and down the lineup, obviously. That was the case tonight.''</p> <p>Aaron Judge hit a three-run homer in the ninth after New York blew an early five-run lead, giving the Yankees a sweep of this impromptu two-game series.</p> <p>Luke Voit hit his first career grand slam for the Yankees, who stretched their winning streak against Baltimore to 18 games and notched their 17th consecutive victory at Camden Yards. New York has swept six straight series from the Orioles dating to early last year.</p> <p>Judge's second homer in two games - a no-doubt shot to left off Cole Sulser (0-1) - came after Pedro Severino put Baltimore in front with a two-run drive in the eighth against Jonathan Loaisiga (1-0).</p> <p>Sulser earned his first big league save in Boston over the weekend, but was ineffective against New York.</p> <p>''I'm going to give a lot of guys opportunities just because we don't have a lot of experience down there,'' said manager Brandon Hyde, who's still looking for an effective closer.</p> <p>Zack Britton worked the ninth for his second save, securing a 4-1 start for the Yankees before their home opener against Boston on Friday night.</p> <p>''I feel like our guys have a great frame of mind going forward,'' Boone said.</p> <p>After Voit connected in a five-run first inning against John Means, Hanser Alberto hit a two-run drive in the bottom half off J.A. Happ. Rio Ruiz homered for the third time in five games with a man on in the second to cut the deficit to 5-4.</p> <p>But that wasn't enough to end Baltimore's misery against New York in a game delayed by rain in the middle of the sixth for 1 hour, 34 minutes.</p> <p>The Orioles were supposed to host Miami on Wednesday and Thursday, but the Marlins had their season suspended after several players and coaches tested positive for the coronavirus. New York was scheduled to play at Philadelphia this week, but the Phillies were ordered to temporarily stop playing because they were coming off a weekend series against Miami.</p> <p>So the Yankees and Orioles got together in a series made from convenience, and the switch worked quite well for New York.</p> <p>Means was named Baltimore's opening day starter on July 10, but arm fatigue delayed his season debut until this game. He got off to a miserable start, hitting two straight batters before allowing an RBI single and a walk to load the bases for Voit, who sent a 1-2 pitch over the center-field wall.</p> <p>''Physically I felt great,'' Means said. ''My stuff was better than it ever has been, just got in a situation in the first.''</p> <p>STILL HITLESS</p> <p>Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez went 0 for 3 and is 0 for 15 with 10 strikeouts to start the season.</p> <p>ORIOLES MOVE</p> <p>Baltimore sent reliever Cody Carroll to the team's alternate site to make room for Means, who was brought off the 10-day injured list.</p> <p>TRAINER'S ROOM</p> <p>Yankees: SS Gleyber Torres got plunked in the right elbow by a first-inning pitch from Means. He was ultimately removed in the bottom of the fourth. X-rays were negative. Boone said it's possible Torres could play on Friday night.</p> <p>Orioles: 1B Chris Davis missed a second straight game and was not at the ballpark. Hyde would not explain the absence, saying only that the slugger was ''unavailable.'' The Orioles do not release results of COVID-19 tests. ... SS Jose Iglesias sat out the game with a left quad strain and is day to day, according to Hyde. The injury occurred while Iglesias was running out a double on Wednesday.</p> <p>UP NEXT</p> <p>Yankees: LHP Jordan Montgomery makes his season debut when New York opens the home portion of its schedule against the Red Sox. Montgomery pitched in only two games last year after returning from elbow surgery.</p> <p>Orioles: Alex Cobb (1-0, 1.69 ERA) faces the Tampa Bay Rays at Camden Yards on Friday night. Cobb was drafted by Tampa Bay and pitched there for six years before signing with Baltimore as a free agent in 2018.</p> <p>---</p> <p>More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Judge HR rallies Yankees to another win over Orioles 8-6

BALTIMORE (AP) Down by a run and held scoreless since the first inning, the New York Yankees appeared to be in trouble with three outs to go against the Baltimore Orioles. Manager Aaron Boone didn't …

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New on Sports Illustrated: Bieber strikes out 13, ties record as Indians top Twins 2-0

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246381"> <p>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Cleveland's Shane Bieber tied the major league record for strikeouts in a pitcher's first two starts of the season, punching out 13 Minnesota Twins over eight innings in the Indians' 2-0 victory on Thursday night.</p> <p>Bieber (2-0) fanned 14 over six scoreless innings on Friday against Kansas City. His 27 strikeouts in the two games matched the record set by Karl Spooner of the Brooklyn Dodgers in September 1954 during the first two starts of his short career.</p> <p>''I've never been that much of a punch-out pitcher, especially coming up through the minors. The book on me was pitch to contact, this and that. I've made some adjustments the past couple years and started to see some swings and misses,'' Bieber said.</p> <p>Facing a Twins team that came in with the second-best run differential in baseball, Bieber allowed three singles in his eight innings.</p> <p>Cleveland's staff has been striking out hitters in bunches, part of a trend early in this pandemic-shortened season in which hitters are striking out more than ever and batting averages are plummeting. The Indians (5-2) have had four starts with 10 or more strikeouts. Their pitchers have also gone six-plus innings in every game - a solid formula for any season, but especially in a 60-game sprint.</p> <p>''Obviously we're trying to put up zeroes and get the `W' first and foremost,'' Bieber said. ''But if you get some strikeouts while you're at it, that's always fun too.''</p> <p>Francisco Lindor supplied all the offense Cleveland needed with a two-run homer in the third inning off Jose Berrios (0-1). After Jose Ramirez singled with two outs, Berrios left an 0-2 pitch up over the plate, and Lindor drove it over the fence in right for his second homer of the season.</p> <p>''He got me,'' Berrios said.</p> <p>Bieber got swinging strikeouts of Miguel Sano and Buxton to end his 102-pitch night. James Karinchak retired the side on six pitches in the ninth for his first career save.</p> <p>Minnesota's biggest threat against Bieber came in the sixth when Byron Buxton and Max Kepler hit one-out singles. But Bieber struck out Josh Donaldson for the third time in the game and Jorge Polanco flied out to the warning track.</p> <p>''He's had two starts so far this season,'' Donaldson said. ''I'm not trying to give him the Cy Young (Award) just now. But in those two starts he's had elite command.''</p> <p>Bieber did not walk a batter. He walked one in his first start.</p> <p>''It was very fun to catch,'' Sandy Leon said. ''Any pitch, any count. When you have a guy like that on the mound, it's really fun to have a game plan.''</p> <p>The major league record for strikeouts in two consecutive games is 33 by the Cubs' Kerry Wood in 1998. Bieber surpassed Nolan Ryan's AL record (25) for the most in a pitcher's first two starts of a season.</p> <p>''That's amazing company to be even in the same sentence with,'' Bieber said.</p> <p>The 25-year-old Bieber was a first-time All-Star last year, his second season, when he finished 15-8 with a 3.28 ERA and 259 strikeouts in 214 1/3 innings.</p> <p>Spooner, the man whose record Bieber tied, never matched the promise of his 1954 debut, when he threw two shutouts in the final week of the season. He returned in 1955 but was plagued by arm troubles and retired at the end of the year with a career record of 10-6.</p> <p>FINALLY, A MISCUE</p> <p>Minnesota committed its first error of the season on a wild throw by first baseman Sano in the sixth inning. The Twins came into the game as the only team in the majors without an error.</p> <p>TRAINER'S ROOM</p> <p>Indians: RF Domingo Santana was hit on the hand by a pitch in the second inning and was briefly looked at by a trainer but remained in the game. Santana was replaced by pinch-runner Greg Allen in the sixth.</p> <p>Twins: RHP Jake Odorizzi, currently on the injured list with a right intercostal strain, threw a bullpen Thursday. Odorizzi said he is pain-free and has been for ''a couple days.'' He'll face live batters on Monday.</p> <p>UP NEXT</p> <p>Indians: RHP Mike Clevinger (0-0, 2.57 ERA) takes the mound Friday in the second game of the four-game series. He struck out six and gave up two runs in a no-decision in his first start of the season against Kansas City.</p> <p>Twins: RHP Randy Dobnak (0-1, 2.25 ERA) will make his seventh career start after debuting last season. Dobnak was tagged with a loss in his season debut after allowing one run in four innings against the White Sox.</p> <p>---</p> <p>More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Bieber strikes out 13, ties record as Indians top Twins 2-0

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Cleveland's Shane Bieber tied the major league record for strikeouts in a pitcher's first two starts of the season, punching out 13 Minnesota Twins over eight innings in the Indians'…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Fried dominates, retires first 14, as Braves edge Rays 2-1

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246608"> <p>ATLANTA (AP) Max Fried retired Tampa Bay's first 14 batters and then insisted it didn't feel like a special start.</p> <p>Braves manager Brian Snitker had a different opinion.</p> <p>Fried took a perfect game into the fifth inning and combined with three relievers on a four-hitter as Atlanta beat the Rays 2-1 on Thursday night.</p> <p>Dansby Swanson had a run-scoring single in Atlanta's two-run second inning.</p> <p>Fried (1-0) struck out seven and walked one while allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings. The left-hander improved to 4-0 in four interleague starts.</p> <p>''I wouldn't say it was anything out of the ordinary that felt like anything extra special,'' Fried said after lowering his ERA to 2.31 in two starts.</p> <p>It looked special to Snitker.</p> <p>''He's just growing as a pitcher,'' Snitker said. ''He was efficient. You could tell he was locked in too. He was really focused. It was fun to sit and watch him.''</p> <p>Luke Jackson, and Shane Greene combined for four outs before Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his second save.</p> <p>Left fielder Adam Duvall made a diving catch on the warning track of Jose Martinez's drive off Melancon to open the ninth.</p> <p>Following the catch, Brandon Lowe singled before pinch-runner Kevin Kiermaier was caught stealing without a slide on Tyler Flowers' throw to second base. Melancon struck out Hunter Renfroe to end it.</p> <p>The 26-year-old Fried struck out the side in the first to set the pace for his dominant start.</p> <p>Ryan Yarbrough (0-1) allowed two runs on only two hits with three walks in 6 1/3 innings.</p> <p>The Braves won two home games over the Rays after losing two in St. Petersburg, Florida.</p> <p>Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said he remains confident his offense will come around.</p> <p>''We've gone a time through the order and not put any pressure on the pitcher or the defense,'' Cash said. ''Our offense is going to be fine. We're going to come around and be fine.''</p> <p>Fried was perfect before Mike Brosseau hit a single up the middle with two outs in the fifth. Fried picked Brosseau off first base to end the inning.</p> <p>Following Willy Adames' two-out double off Fried in the seventh, pinch-hitter Ji-Man Choi hit Jackson's first pitch to right field for a run-scoring single.</p> <p>Swanson's second-inning single drove in Marcell Ozuna, who singled and moved to second when Duvall was hit by a pitch. Ozuna scored with a head-first slide as he avoided Mike Zunino's tag at the plate by reaching his hand to the plate.</p> <p>Austin Riley's sacrifice fly drove in Duvall.</p> <p>TRAILING AGAIN</p> <p>The Braves' two early runs placed Tampa Bay in a familiar position. The Rays have trailed in five straight games and six of their first seven.</p> <p>NO SLIDE</p> <p>Kiermaier said his baserunning mistake in the ninth ''can't happen.''</p> <p>''Simple answer, I did what you can't do. I thought a foul ball was hit. I thought I heard the crack of the bat and it was his glove.</p> <p>''You can't do that. They put me in to steal a base and get in scoring position. I made a terrible mistake and it totally fooled me.''</p> <p>TRAINER'S ROOM</p> <p>Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz, who cleared waivers after being designated for assignment on Tuesday, will work on regaining his strength at the team's alternate site at Triple-A Gwinnett. Foltynewicz showed a disturbing drop in velocity this season. ''I hope if he's not hurting or whatever he can get his stuff back,'' said manager Brian Snitker. No team claimed Foltynewicz, whose 2020 contract for $6,425,000 included $2,379,630 for the remainder of the season.</p> <p>Rays: Choi said through a translator ''I feel great'' before the game as he missed his second straight start after leaving Tuesday night's game with a sore right shoulder. ... LHP Colin Poche had his second Tommy John surgery on his left elbow on Wednesday. The procedure was performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas.</p> <p>UP NEXT</p> <p>Rays: LHP Blake Snell is expected to be limited to no more than four innings as he makes his first start of the season in Friday night's opening game of a three-game series at Baltimore. Meadows joined the team's alternate site at Port Charlotte group on Saturday after a three-week absence following a positive test for the coronavirus. Snell said Thursday he expects to pitch ''three-plus (innings) for sure.''</p> <p>Braves: LHP Sean Newcomb will try again for his first win when Atlanta opens a four-game home series against the New York Mets.</p> <p>---</p> <p>More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Fried dominates, retires first 14, as Braves edge Rays 2-1

ATLANTA (AP) Max Fried retired Tampa Bay's first 14 batters and then insisted it didn't feel like a special start. Braves manager Brian Snitker had a different opinion. Fried took a perfect game into…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Taylor, Suzuki lift Nats past Jays 6-4 before 4-day break

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246742"> <p>WASHINGTON (AP) Starlin Castro is coming off a four-hit game. His Washington Nationals finally have their first consecutive wins of the season. So much for momentum, though.</p> <p>That's because now the Nationals - and their opponents Thursday, the Toronto Blue Jays - need to take four days off, a coronavirus-caused ''mini All-Star break,'' as Washington manager Dave Martinez called it.</p> <p>Castro scored twice, rookie Carter Kieboom reached base four times and Michael A. Taylor homered as the ''visiting'' Nationals knocked around struggling Toronto starter Hyun-Jin Ryu to beat the home-away-from-home Blue Jays 6-4 Thursday.</p> <p>''I've been feeling good. I've been hitting the ball hard,'' said Castro, batting .360 through seven games in his first year with the Nationals. ''The bad thing is, tomorrow we're not going to play. And the next day, we're not going to play. It's tough.''</p> <p>Kurt Suzuki delivered a two-run double and Asdrubal Cabrera added an RBI double off Ryu (0-1), who gave up Taylor's two-run shot to straightaway center that he celebrated with a socially distanced dugout dance in the fourth. Taylor is 2 for 14 this season, a .143 average, but both hits cleared the fences.</p> <p>Ryu's ERA is 8.00 after he allowed five runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings, his second start under an $80 million, four-year deal Toronto gave him after he was second in NL Cy Young Award voting for the Dodgers in 2019.</p> <p>''I tried to replicate what I'd done in the past against the team,'' Ryu, who had a 1.37 ERA against Washington last season, said through an interpreter, ''but it just didn't work out like I wanted.''</p> <p>Erick Fedde, making his second start in place of a sidelined Stephen Strasburg, gave up two runs in 3 1/3 innings. Ryne Harper (1-0) followed and got five outs for the win. Daniel Hudson earned his first save.</p> <p>And now they'll get to relax Friday, then be back at Nationals Park to practice Saturday and Sunday - when the Blue Jays plan to do the same thing in the same place.</p> <p>''Tomorrow, I want these guys just to take off. Don't do anything. Basically, sit at home. Just rest,'' Martinez said. ''Saturday, we're going to get after it again.''</p> <p>Teoscar Hernandez homered twice, giving him four during this four-game series at Washington, and Cavan Biggio hit a solo shot for Toronto.</p> <p>Hernandez said he's been trying ''to stay with the same plan I had at the end of last year: Have more patience. That's the key to the good start.''</p> <p>Technically, the Blue Jays were the ''home'' team for the past two games in D.C.; they are barred from their Toronto stadium in 2020 and waiting for a Triple-A ballpark in Buffalo to be readied for major league action.</p> <p>So Washington will be the Blue Jays' home for a bit longer. Neither they nor the Nationals will play again until Tuesday, a four-day gap that is normally unheard of in baseball, where clubs can go weeks at a time without any respite.</p> <p>In a season already delayed and cut to 60 games - at least - by the pandemic, odd scheduling is the norm now. Washington was supposed to be at Miami on Friday through Sunday, but the Marlins had more than half-a-roster's worth of players test positive for the coronavirus and so aren't allowed to play until next week at the earliest.</p> <p>The Blue Jays were supposed to be in Philadelphia this weekend, but that series was postponed because the Phillies just hosted the Marlins.</p> <p>Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said his squad would travel to Atlanta after a workout Sunday.</p> <p>''This has never happened before, so we're kind of doing things on the fly,'' Montoyo said. ''The main thing is to go day-to-day and make sure we try and keep guys sharp.''</p> <p>UMPIRE HURT</p> <p>Home plate umpire Joe West was bloodied when he was hit in the head by Bo Bichette's flying bat in the first inning. The 67-year-old West left but returned in the third. Vic Carapazza took over as plate umpire; West shifted to third base.</p> <p>TRAINER'S ROOM</p> <p>Nationals: RHP Will Harris has ''a little bit of a groin thing going on,'' Martinez said. ''We're hoping to nip it in the bud and get him ready by Tuesday.'' ... 1B-DH Howie Kendrick missed a second game in a row because of upper back stiffness. Josh Harrison made his debut for Washington, going 0 for 4 as the DH.</p> <p>Blue Jays: RF Derek Fisher left after the third inning with a tight left quad. ... Bichette doubled twice in his return after missing three games with a tight left hamstring.</p> <p>UP NEXT</p> <p>A lot of waiting around until the next game for both the Nationals and Blue Jays.</p> <p>---</p> <p>More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Taylor, Suzuki lift Nats past Jays 6-4 before 4-day break

WASHINGTON (AP) Starlin Castro is coming off a four-hit game. His Washington Nationals finally have their first consecutive wins of the season. So much for momentum, though. That's because now the Na…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Mets' Porcello looks to bounce back vs. Braves

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246614"> <p>The Atlanta Braves look to continue building momentum while the visiting New York Mets will try to stop a brief slide when the division rivals meet again Friday.</p> <p>The four-game series will mark the second time the National League East foes have played this season and will be their only series in Atlanta. The clubs met in a three-game set to open the season, with the Braves winning the last two games at Citi Field.</p> <p>Atlanta opened the home portion of its schedule with a two-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday and Thursday. The Mets dropped two straight to the visiting Boston Red Sox before starting their current six-game road trip.</p> <p>The series opener features New York right-hander Rick Porcello (0-1, 27.00 ERA) against Atlanta lefty Sean Newcomb (0-0, 2.70) in a rematch of the third game of the season, which Atlanta won 14-1.</p> <p>Porcello only lasted two innings in that contest, his debut with the Mets, and it resulted in his shortest start since retiring only one man against the New York Yankees on June 29, 2019. Porcello allowed seven runs, six earned, on seven hits and three walks with one strikeout. It was the ninth time he allowed at least six runs in a start since the beginning of last season.</p> <p>"It was a terrible performance," Porcello said. "Two innings and seven runs does not do anything for our team or for anybody."</p> <p>A win would be the 150th for Porcello and would make him the 10th active pitcher to reach that milestone. It would move him into a tie for ninth with David Price among active pitchers.</p> <p>In five career starts against Atlanta, Porcello is 3-2 with a 4.85 ERA. He is 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA in two previous starts in Atlanta.</p> <p>Newcomb worked primarily out of the bullpen for the Braves last year, but he won a spot in the youthful rotation with a solid summer camp. He worked only 3 1/3 innings in his first start against New York but allowed one run on three hits, two walks and one strikeout.</p> <p>His command wasn't great -- Newcomb threw only 42 of 82 pitches for strikes -- but it was good enough to warrant another start.</p> <p>"We need to keep running our young guys out there and let them figure it out," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.</p> <p>Newcomb has appeared in 14 career games, eight of them starts, against New York, going 3-3 with a 3.25 ERA.</p> <p>Former Atlanta All-Star Mike Foltynewicz, who was designated for assignment on Monday, cleared waivers and was outrighted to the alternate training site. The Braves were alarmed at his loss of velocity, which dropped from the mid-90s to the high 80s.</p> <p>"With everybody needing pitching, I didn't know if somebody would come in and take a chance," Snitker said. "Remembering how he had thrown in the past, I thought somebody would come in and take a crack at him."</p> <p>Atlanta shortstop Dansby Swanson has hit safely in the first seven games and is batting .370. Swanson added an RBI single in Thursday's win and has a team-leading nine RBIs.</p> <p>New York right fielder Michael Conforto had his five-game hitting streak end on Thursday, but third baseman Jeff McNeil went 2-for-4 and is batting .438 (7-for-16) over the past four games.</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Mets' Porcello looks to bounce back vs. Braves

The Atlanta Braves look to continue building momentum while the visiting New York Mets will try to stop a brief slide when the division rivals meet again Friday. The four-game series will mark the se…

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New on Sports Illustrated: White Sox, Royals seek spark in weekend series

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246499"> <p>With a shortened major league schedule and expanded playoffs this year, division matchups matter more than ever. For the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals, who have each only played American League Central opponents thus far, the pressure is on early.</p> <p>Thus, there may be an extra sense of urgency as the two teams meet for a three-game series in Kansas City beginning Friday. The White Sox enter at 2-4, while the Royals are 3-4.</p> <p>"We can only control today," said Royals manager Mike Matheny, who is keeping a level head despite the added stakes. "Every single team has the potential of taking off on a really good run, and every team has the potential, if they let their guard down, to go on a really bad run.</p> <p>"We're not going to over-think anything."</p> <p>The White Sox had high aspirations for 2020. Chicago entered the season with a young, talented nucleus and the added several veterans, including pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez, catcher Yasmani Grandal and designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion. So far, they're hitting a respectable .255 as a team, but their ERA is 6.23 in six games.</p> <p>Keuchel's White Sox debut was a strong one, allowing two runs in 5 1/3 innings in a win over the Minnesota Twins. He'll get the start on Friday for Chicago. He's 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in his career at Kauffman Stadium.</p> <p>"He can work to both sides of the plate," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said after Keuchel signed with the club in the offseason. "He keeps the ball down. His cutter can be very effective against righties, he'll backdoor you. We're going to take advantage of that, and thankfully he's with us."</p> <p>The Royals were not expected to contend this season, and injuries and illness have contributed to a lot of their struggles so far. Expected Opening Day starter Brad Keller has not pitched yet as he still tries to build up his strength after being diagnosed with COVID-19 during summer camp. The same is true of Jakob Junis, who was supposed to fill one of the other starting spots.</p> <p>Mike Montgomery, who earned a starting spot in summer training, had one outing before being placed on the injured list.</p> <p>The Royals have already had one starting pitcher make his major league debut in right-hander Brady Singer, who took his second no-decision in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Tigers. Left-hander Kris Bubic will make his debut Friday night.</p> <p>"I watched his maturity and mound presence (last season) and got to spend more time with him this spring," Matheny said of Bubic, who never pitched above Class A in the minor leagues. "Everything we saw from his first bullpen was pointing in the direction of 'wow, this kid is advanced.'</p> <p>"I thought he responded very well to every situation. You can see that this guy is on top of his game."</p> <p>Two-time defending major league hits leader Whit Merrifield has carried Kansas City's offense so far. He's hitting .333 through seven games. At the other end of the spectrum is Adalberto Mondesi, who started 2-of-21 in his first five games. He's improved to 4-of-8 in the last two games.</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: White Sox, Royals seek spark in weekend series

With a shortened major league schedule and expanded playoffs this year, division matchups matter more than ever. For the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals, who have each only played Americ…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Reds, Tigers bringing gas to opener in Detroit

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246616"> <p>Luis Castillo and Spencer Turnbull piled up strikeouts in their initial outings in Cincinnati last weekend. They'll be matched up this time when the Reds begin a three-game weekend series in Detroit on Friday.</p> <p>Castillo gave up just one run and struck out 11 Tigers in six innings on Saturday. He walked just one in a dominating performance, but the Tigers rallied for a 6-4 victory.</p> <p>Castillo notched strikes on 64 of 91 pitches, and his fastball reached 99 mph. He also effectively mixed in a slider and changeup.</p> <p>"He really impressed me," Reds catcher Curt Casali said to MLB.com. "He hopped right back on the wagon. He did what an All-Star does. He controlled the zone, he threw a lot of strikes, he had his changeup going. I thought his slider was the best I've seen it in quite some time."</p> <p>Castillo was scheduled to make his second start on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs. The game was postponed by rain, however.</p> <p>After losing two of three to the Tigers, the Reds lost twice to the Cubs before responding with a 12-7 win Wednesday.</p> <p>Former Tigers Nick Castellanos and Eugenio Suarez played big roles in the streak-busting victory. Castellanos hit a grand slam, while Suarez supplied two RBIs and two runs scored.</p> <p>Suarez has two hits in 21 at-bats but reached base six times in the series against Chicago.</p> <p>"That's what I try. I don't try to swing at a bad pitch," Suarez said to the Cincinnati Inquirer. "My swing is not right right now, and like I said, the barrel is not on the ball. But my mind, I see the ball very good. I see the ball so good. I don't want to swing at a bad pitch. I take my walks. That helps my team."</p> <p>Turnbull gave up one run on three hits and struck out eight in five innings Sunday. The right-hander had some command issues -- he walked four -- but buckled down with runners on base.</p> <p>"I think he's growing up as a pitcher," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He knows he's got great stuff. I don't know how to say it, but we all know he's a little nuts, you have to be as a baseball player. When he's out there he's quirky and all those good things. But it's fun to watch him with the stuff that he has. Now he's figuring out how to use his stuff."</p> <p>The Tigers are in the midst of a nine-game homestand. They split a four-game series with the Kansas City Royals the past four nights, including a 5-3 loss Thursday.</p> <p>One positive development was the power display by veteran designated hitter Miguel Cabrera. He slugged two solo homers Thursday, increasing his season total to three long balls.</p> <p>"He's been hitting the ball right at people and all those things," Gardenhire said. "He's been working on it. He was out hitting off the curveball machine today. That got him to keep his hands back a little bit."</p> <p>Second baseman Jonathan Schoop has also been on a power binge. He has homered in three consecutive games. Schoop hit 23 homers in 121 games with Minnesota last season.</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Reds, Tigers bringing gas to opener in Detroit

Luis Castillo and Spencer Turnbull piled up strikeouts in their initial outings in Cincinnati last weekend. They'll be matched up this time when the Reds begin a three-game weekend series in Detroit …

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New on Sports Illustrated: Harden, Rockets ready to restart vs. hungry Mavs

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/game/2244919"> <p>Before the NBA abruptly suspended the regular season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Houston Rockets were in the throes of a grand experiment, intriguingly embracing a small-ball lineup while eyeballing another potentially extended postseason run.</p> <p>Four-plus months later, the Rockets (40-24) will pick up where they left off, facing the Dallas Mavericks (40-27) on Friday in a seeding game at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando.</p> <p>The Rockets enter the restart in sixth place in the Western Conference standings. With the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs set to be contested in Central Florida, the concept of home-court advantage has been devalued, rendering seeding an exercise in securing favorable first-round matchups. For teams that fancy themselves as title contenders, that work is beginning.</p> <p>"These three preseason games and our practices, we've used those as opportunities to work on our offense and defense and make sure we're in shape to give ourselves the best chance," said Rockets guard James Harden, who leads the NBA in scoring at 34.4 points per game. "It's going to be a journey, and everybody is going to compete for a certain goal."</p> <p>The Rockets will be hamstrung from the onset after losing reserve guard Eric Gordon to a left ankle sprain that will sideline him for a minimum of two weeks. Houston has ample depth to offset the loss, with Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni identifying Ben McLemore, Jeff Green and Austin Rivers as leading candidates to fill the void. Still, Gordon is a key cog who will be missed.</p> <p>That injury development has done little to stall Houston's momentum or enthusiasm. It was difficult to grasp precisely who the Rockets were once they went small, but now they will have an opportunity to cement their identity and set a tone of expectations with the playoffs looming.</p> <p>"I think guys are looking forward to it, although I think they enjoyed the scrimmages also," D'Antoni said. "But they're looking forward to getting it on and seeing what happens as it obviously relates to the playoffs. That's what we're here for, and we'll use those eight games to try to round off in better shape and get some concepts down."</p> <p>The Mavericks are in a different space, having largely overachieved prior to the league shutting down. Dallas split a pair of earlier meetings with the Rockets and has proven a challenging matchup courtesy of an offense that ranks first in efficiency at 115.8 points per 100 possessions (just ahead of the second-ranked Rockets) with MVP candidate Luka Doncic at the controls.</p> <p>With the postseason all but assured, the seventh-place Mavericks are angling for a first-round matchup that provides the greatest opportunity to advance and gives their young core valuable playoff experience. Dallas isn't yet a title threat, but what the Mavericks accomplish during these seeding games and later in the playoffs could set the tone for their franchise resurgence.</p> <p>"We're a talented team," Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis told mavs.com, "... and now it's time for the real deal -- for the regular-season games and then the playoffs. So our excitement level is going to go a few levels up now. I think we're ready to go."</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Harden, Rockets ready to restart vs. hungry Mavs

Before the NBA abruptly suspended the regular season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Houston Rockets were in the throes of a grand experiment, intriguingly embracing a small-ball lineup while ey…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Spurs, Kings begin seeding games with clear goal

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/game/2244918"> <p>The Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs reboot their final run toward the NBA playoffs when they square off Friday at the Visa Athletic Center near Orlando, Fla., in the two teams' first official game since the stoppage for COVID-19 on March 11.</p> <p>Twenty-two teams (13 of them in the Western Conference) will return to play during the 2019-20 season restart. The teams consist of the 16 (eight per conference) already in playoff position and the six teams, five of them from the West, that are within six games of the eighth seed in their respective conferences.</p> <p>The teams will play an eight-game schedule at the NBA "bubble" in the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World.</p> <p>From these, the top seven teams in each conference will advance, with the final eighth seed in each conference being determined by a potential play-in tournament before the traditional 16-team playoffs.</p> <p>The Spurs hit the reboot with a record of 27-36, the second-worst record of the Western Conference teams here. San Antonio's initial goal is to win games and climb over Portland, New Orleans and Sacramento into ninth place and to within four games of Memphis to force a play-in for the eighth, and final, playoff spot.</p> <p>The Spurs will have a pretty good idea right away of their chances, with the first two "seeding" games against Sacramento, which is a half-game ahead of San Antonio, and Memphis.</p> <p>"We are not here for no reason," Spurs' leading scorer DeMar DeRozan told the San Antonio Express-News. "Despite whatever the odds, whatever the percentages may be, we can't feed into that. We just have to go out there and compete.</p> <p>"For us, it's exciting to be in this position to go out there and compete and give ourselves a second chance throughout this chaos that's been going on and see what we can do," DeRozan said.</p> <p>The Spurs are shorthanded in their attempt to secure a 23rd straight playoff spot. Center LaMarcus Aldridge, a seven-time All-Star, is not with the team after having shoulder surgery in April, and center Trey Lyles had an appendectomy two weeks ago and was sent home.</p> <p>Sacramento's goals are similar to the Spurs' - win and climb high enough in the standings to get into a play-in with the Grizzlies. The Kings begin play Friday at 28-36, and seek their first trip to the postseason in 14 seasons.</p> <p>The Kings are one of the deepest and most versatile teams in the bubble. With conditioning a league-wide issue heading into this unique stretch, Sacramento could have an advantage, especially if it can get off to a quick start.</p> <p>"It's a new season in the sense that we have eight games to try and get ourselves into that playoff spot," Kings coach Luke Walton said. "We're going to go (with) whoever is playing at the highest level."</p> <p>Sacramento will be without power forward Marvin Bagley III for the rest of the season after he sprained his right foot in practice on July 20.</p> <p>"We're getting right at the right time," Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox said. "This is probably the most guys we've had ready for a long time. We're confident and we're ready to go."</p> <p>The two teams have split the season series so far, but Sacramento is 4-1 against San Antonio over the last two seasons.</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Spurs, Kings begin seeding games with clear goal

The Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs reboot their final run toward the NBA playoffs when they square off Friday at the Visa Athletic Center near Orlando, Fla., in the two teams' first official …

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New on Sports Illustrated: Anderson set for Brewers' debut vs. Cards

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/game/2246391"> <p>Brett Anderson will make his pitching debut for the Milwaukee Brewers in their home opener Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.</p> <p>The veteran left-hander was 13-9 with a 3.89 ERA in 31 starts for the Oakland A's last season. He signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Brewers as a free agent.</p> <p>Anderson landed on the injured list after developing a blister on his left index finger during Summer Camp. He will come off the IL to start this game.</p> <p>"Arm feels good, body feels good," Anderson said. "For the first time out, I don't expect to throw a complete game by any stretch, and go out there and be (like Chicago Cubs starter) Kyle Hendricks, I don't think. But I can give our team a chance, keep us in the game and let the game dictate how long I go."</p> <p>He believes he can manage his blister issue going forward.</p> <p>"If I can get through this weather with the moisture and everything like that, then I should be good to go with the dome or nice weather going forward," Anderson said.</p> <p>The Cardinals will counter with staff ace Jack Flaherty (1-0, 2.57 ERA), who earned a 5-4 victory over Pittsburgh on Opening Day. He blanked the Pirates for six innings before allowing two runs in the seventh.</p> <p>Flaherty paced himself, which allowed him to work deep into his first game after the pandemic shutdown.</p> <p>"To come out and try to strike everybody out would have been stupid," Flaherty said. "We let strikeouts come where they come and take the outs when you can get them. And if they come quick, they come quick. Then you get into big spots ... and you've got plenty in the tank."</p> <p>Flaherty struggled against the Brewers last season, going 1-3 with a 6.48 ERA in five starts. Overall, he's 2-4 with a 4.56 ERA in 10 career starts against them.</p> <p>Ryan Braun (7-for-16, two doubles, three homers, five RBIs, 1.625 on-base-plus-slugging percentage), Lorenzo Cain (6-for-20, one homer), Omar Narvaez (1-for-3, homer, two RBIs) and Keston Hiura (1-for-3, homer, two RBIs) have caused Flaherty problems.</p> <p>After their 3-3 road trip, the Brewers hope to get outfielder Christian Yelich on track at Miller Park. He went 1-for-27 with 12 strikeouts at Chicago and Pittsburgh.</p> <p>Last season Yelich wore out the Cardinals, hitting .347 with eight homers, 19 RBIs, 18 walks and a 1.400 OPS.</p> <p>Anderson lost his two previous career starts against the Cardinals despite allowing just four runs in 13 2/3 innings. Paul Goldschmidt (8-for-15, two homers, five RBIs) and Kolten Wong (2-for-4, one RBI) have had success against him.</p> <p>The Cardinals arrived in Milwaukee with a three-game losing streak. Opponents outscored the Cardinals 14-4 during that span and limited the bottom third of their batting order to three hits in 24 at-bats.</p> <p>Outfielders Harrison Bader and Lane Thomas have combined to go 1-for-14 this season. Left fielder Tyler O'Neill (3-for-15, two homers) and Dexter Fowler (4-for-16, one homer) haven't been consistent.</p> <p>This early offensive struggles have drawn more attention to outfielder Dylan Carlson, the top Cardinals hitting prospect who started the season at the team's minor league camp.</p> <p>"The thing about it is you don't want to overreact," Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. "This is an offense that, a couple of games (ago), this group was touting as being a really explosive, dynamic offense. It's a very capable group. Clearly, the last couple of days, we're not as consistent as we would like. A lot of confidence in this group. I don't expect any wholesale changes."</p> <p>--Field Level Media</p> </a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Anderson set for Brewers' debut vs. Cards

Brett Anderson will make his pitching debut for the Milwaukee Brewers in their home opener Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The veteran left-hander was 13-9 with a 3.89 ERA in 31 starts for th…

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New on Sports Illustrated: Inside the SEC's Conference-Only Schedule for 2020

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/07/31/sec-conference-only-schedule-2020"> <p class="subtitle">The SEC’s decision to play a 10-game conference-only model in 2020 eliminated some of college football's biggest rivalry games.</p> <p>If 2020 wasn’t already bad enough, it will not include the following:</p> <p>Florida-Florida State.</p> <p>Georgia-Georgia Tech.</p> <p>South Carolina-Clemson.</p> <p>Texas-LSU.</p> <p>Tennessee-Oklahoma.</p> <p>Arkansas-Notre Dame.</p> <p>The SEC’s decision Thursday to adopt a</p> </a><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/07/30/college-football-sec-schedule-2020">10-game conference-only model</a> came at a price. Some of college football’s biggest marquee matchups are eliminated. This feels weird. It doesn’t feel right. In fact, it feels terrible. <p>So, it feels very 2020.</p> <p>Administrators from some of those schools fought to preserve those games—South Carolina’s president even <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshTheAthletic/status/1288960870798819328">voted against</a> the scheduling model—but alas, it couldn’t be done. This is 2020—the Year of the Terrible—and we’ll all need to come to grips with a season, if played at all, that is beyond the bizarre.</p> <p>We’ll try to answer two questions in this column: 1) Why did the SEC chose <em>that</em> schedule model? 2) How might they choose the two additional SEC opponents for each one of its teams?</p> <p>The SEC’s decision followed the ACC’s announcement Wednesday of an <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/07/29/acc-shrewd-schedule-announcement-conference-only-football">11-game scheduling model</a>: 10 conference games and one non-conference option that must be played in the home state of the ACC team, leaving the door open to at least play those four, in-state rivalry bouts with the SEC.</p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/ByPatForde/status/1288932596731334671"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>So why did the SEC punt on them? The reasons are a plenty. But there is one overarching feeling: The SEC put the value of completing a conference season over the value of non-conference, rivalry games.</p> <p>You can agree or disagree with that, but that’s what happened. It’s not a bad move. In fact, by the end of all of this, we may see every single conference in America do the same: inner-league play only. Why try to squeeze in out-of-conference affairs during a pandemic? It puts even more risk on your teams—injuries, viral outbreaks, etc. The goal is to complete a conference season and crown a conference champion. It’s easier to do that without intertwining these non-conference games.</p> <p>Also, the league basically ran out of Saturdays, as Florida AD Scott Stricklin aptly put it Thursday during a news conference. The SEC is kicking off its new season on Sept. 26, three weeks later than previously scheduled. It has built in a mid-season bye week for each team (spread over a three-week stretch, according to commissioner Greg Sankey), and there is a shared off week of Dec. 12 for any games interrupted by virus outbreaks (there almost certainly will be some). They’ve also pushed the championship game back to Dec. 19.</p> <p>Let’s start with that delayed start. It was, according to those within the conference, the most hotly debated item among officials. Several administrators supported an earlier start. The Sept. 26 date is later than all other conferences are expected to begin their seasons. During an interview on <em>The Paul Finebaum Show</em>, Sankey suggested that the surge of students returning to campus next month was a big reason why. “Over the last two weeks of August, we are going to have tens of thousands of people back on our campuses. We need to make sure that happens and happens well,” he said.</p> <p>The league’s medical experts advised officials to delay the season to (1) monitor what happens in the professional leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, etc.) and (2) account for spikes when students arrive on campus and football camp begins. The latter is a big deal. College sports cannot operate in a bubble like many professional leagues, as detailed in <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/07/27/college-football-bubble-obstacles-covid">this story</a> published Monday. As football camps rev up, the injection of so many people onto a college campus—a petri dish for contagious diseases in a normal year—is a serious concern for administrators and team doctors. To put it mildly, too many August campus outbreaks could be the end of any hope of completing a college football season.</p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/RossDellenger/status/1288947369816588289"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>The bottomline: There are still plenty of hurdles to cross, especially for the SEC, its 11-state footprint featuring high virus case numbers. “This doesn’t mean we’re definitely playing a season,” one SEC administrator told <em>SI</em> on Thursday after the league’s announcement.</p> <p>Now that we’ve covered the delayed start, let’s move on to the conference-only schedule, which three weeks ago wasn’t necessarily the most preferred option. In an in-person meeting in Birmingham, ADs were hoping to salvage those Power 5 non-conference games with a model that called for eight conference games and one or two non-conference meetings.</p> <p>That plan quickly folded for a variety of reasons, the top one being nation-wide COVID-19 spikes, especially, as mentioned above, the numbers within the conference’s footprint. A conference-only schedule allows for flexibility to potentially move games postponed because of virus outbreaks and frees up leagues to start the season, as the SEC is doing, deeper into September.</p> <p>A conference-only slate accomplishes two other things that people haven’t discussed enough, both involving money. It provides television partners with juicy marquee conference collisions on a weekly basis and it supplies colleges with a potential way out of their “buy game” contracts. At least two SEC ADs tell <em>SI</em> that their contracts feature a clause allowing them to void the deal if the league office changes the scheduling format. This is significant, as these "buy games" can cost schools upwards of $3 million in a single season. That’s not to say these games against Group of 5 and FCS teams won’t be rescheduled for later in the decade. It’s to say these teams (barring a court battle, which is possible) won’t immediately get their money.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the SEC is faced with one of its toughest tasks in a while: choosing two additional opponents for each one of its teams in a league that’s rife with venom, jealousy and, at times, hate. We spitballed on social media this week that the league could use each team’s next two rotational cross-division opponents as its two additional opponents this year. That was met with some backlash, and it doesn’t appear the SEC will take such a route. That model would create inequality, for one, and could also throw a wrench into 2021 and 2022 schedules.</p> <p>So how then to decide the schedules? The league is expected to craft a scheduling model that potentially is weighted on strength of schedule. Basically, they’ll attempt to be as fair as possible.</p> <p>Meanwhile, their teams next week will begin preseason camp, despite the delayed start. The NCAA is allowing teams to begin camp four weeks out from their previously scheduled season opener. That means a seven-week preseason for the SEC.</p> <div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/RossDellenger/status/1288968611982454784"></a></blockquote> <script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> <p>It’s just another wrinkle on what is shaping up to be one of the most bizarre seasons in college football history—one that, in 2020 fashion, will not include those marquee matchups we all hoped for.</p>

New on Sports Illustrated: Inside the SEC's Conference-Only Schedule for 2020

The SEC’s decision to play a 10-game conference-only model in 2020 eliminated some of college football's biggest rivalry games. If 2020 wasn’t already bad enough, it will not include the following: F…

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New on Sports Illustrated: NHL Qualifying Round Playoff Preview: Canucks vs. Wild

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/2020/07/29/canucks-wild-series-preview-predictions"> <p class="subtitle">The speedy Canucks clash with the stingy underdog Wild. Who will prevail: the youth or the wily vets?</p> <p><strong>VANCOUVER CANUCKS – By Brian Costello</strong></p> <p>Go back to season previews for 2019-20 and virtually every prognosticator tabbed the Canucks as needing another rebuilding season and surely out of the playoffs. Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll see some of those soothsayers also added the footnote that Vancouver could be that one team that stuns the field and makes an enormous stride forward.</p> <p>Trades by GM Jim Benning the past couple years brought in top-six forwards J.T. Miller, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. Their pace of scoring is at the top of the charts in Vancouver. Add this cast to homegrown stars Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat, plus the fast-improving Adam Gaudette and Jake Virtanen, and the Canucks have one of the deepest and most balanced lineups in the West.</p> <p>The Canucks can get you in a variety of ways. Try to shut down the speed and puck movement of Pettersson and Boeser and the second and third wave will hit you. Seven Vancouver forwards had at least three power-play goals this season, while Toffoli surely would have gotten there with more runway.</p> <p>The offensive dimension Quinn Hughes provided from the blueline was surprising only in the fact it came right away, as a 20-year-old rookie. He averaged almost 22 minutes of ice time per game, and his 3:48 of power-play time per outing ranked third among NHL defensemen.</p> <p>Defensively, the Canucks bled shots, allowing 33.3 per game, fourth most in the NHL. Add that to the fact they were also second in blocked shots and you get the picture: the puck spends a lot of time in the Canucks’ zone. Vancouver was a bottom-10 team in Corsi percentage.</p> <p>With Micheal Ferland sidelined most of the season, the Canucks didn’t have much of a physical deterrent. They’re a team that can be neutralized by pushing them around.</p> <p><strong>X-factor:</strong> Just when some Vancouver fans were anointing Thatcher Demko as the team’s new No. 1 goalie, this was the coming-out season for Jacob Markstrom. Always a plucky battler with more good games than bad games over the years, the 30-year-old took it to a new level this season. He was even a fringe name in the Vezina Trophy conversation when he went down with an injury Feb. 22, three weeks before the league shut down. The Canucks were fifth in the West and comfortably in the playoffs when Markstrom was sidelined. With him gone, they slid to eighth. With him healthy, the Canucks can roll with the best teams.</p> <figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc0MzE2NzY1NjY3NDAzMjYw/wild-canucks-series-preview.jpg" width="620" /></figure> <p><strong>MINNESOTA WILD – By Jared Clinton</strong></p> <p>Two weeks before the trade deadline, GM Bill Guerin dealt Jason Zucker to the Pittsburgh Penguins. One week later, coach Bruce Boudreau was fired and replaced by Dean Evason. And on deadline day, the Wild reportedly flirted with a trade that would have sent top-line winger Zach Parise to the New York Islanders. However, despite all signs pointing to a teardown and rebuild, Guerin held firm that his intention was for the Wild to compete for a post-season spot. Against seemingly all odds, Minnesota managed to do exactly that.</p> <p>The perception that the Wild are nothing more than a hanger-on is somewhat misguided, though. While it’s true they lack top-end firepower, the attack is greater than the sum of its parts. Driving the offense is a slew of veterans, including Parise, Eric Staal and Mats Zuccarello, but most impressive, particularly throughout the back half of the campaign, was Kevin Fiala. The 23-year-old bordered on unstoppable through February and into March, scoring at more than a point-per-game pace.</p> <p>And with Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon guiding the defense, Minnesota has been far more unyielding defensively than its goals-against average suggests. No team allowed fewer scoring chances or high-danger chances against, and the Wild boasted the lowest expected goals-against rate in the NHL.</p> <p>Unfortunately, the shell that had been provided to Minnesota’s goalies hasn’t been reflected in their play. Alex Stalock and Devan Dubnyk had a combined .902 save percentage, and the Wild’s overall SP (.897) was 29th in the NHL. Stalock was beginning to round into form down the stretch, however. He unseated Dubnyk following the all-star break and didn’t look back. Stalock is largely untested in post-season action with four career playoff games on his resume, but he has performed well when called upon, as his .931 SP can attest.</p> <p><strong>X-factor:</strong> Which version of Eric Staal shows up? Though he’s had a career resurgence in Minnesota, his last three trips to the post-season were fruitless. Dating back to the 2016 playoffs, during which he was a member of the New York Rangers, Staal has a single goal and three points in 15 games. That level of production is a far cry from his past as a playoff warrior. During the Hurricanes’ run to the 2006 title, Staal led players with 19 assists and 28 points. He followed that with a team-best 10 goals and 15 points in 18 games during Carolina’s 2009 conference final run. Rediscovering that old spark will increase the potential for a Wild upset.</p> <p><strong>Season series</strong></p> <p>Jan. 12, 2020: Canucks 4, Wild 1<br /> Feb. 6, 2020: Wild 4, Canucks 2<br /> Feb. 19, 2020: Wild 4, Canucks 3 (SO)</p> <p><strong>Schedule</strong></p> <p>Sunday, Aug. 2, 10:30 p.m.: Wild at Canucks<br /> Tuesday, Aug. 4, 10:45 p.m.: Wild at Canucks<br /> Thursday, Aug. 6, TBD: Canucks at Wild<br /> Friday, Aug. 7, TBD: Canucks at Wild *<br /> Sunday, Aug. 9, TBD: Wild at Canucks *</p> <p>(All games listed in eastern time)</p> <p><strong>THE HOCKEY NEWS’ SERIES PICK:</strong> Canucks in four games</p> <p><em>Get everything you need to know about this year’s post-season in THN’s Playoff Preview magazine! Read the issue on our Apple App (</em></p> </a><a href="https://apple.co/32vUMnA">https://apple.co/32vUMnA</a>), Android App (<a href="https://l.messenger.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2DV2ltN&h=AT3FARzqNOMlrUK6caXjGEtTCuYU8XQ0cgil58ZltWFUhcm20r6Px2hOdUne7MLRCcCXWtcmgXLLdwgieyPyMjtrU_JpXPvLzoHukrklO0nwIgsNl-rtQWhzWiSUAMF43Li7ru8">https://bit.ly/2DV2ltN</a>) or on Zinio (<a href="https://bit.ly/3jbPbsu">https://bit.ly/3jbPbsu</a>).

New on Sports Illustrated: NHL Qualifying Round Playoff Preview: Canucks vs. Wild

The speedy Canucks clash with the stingy underdog Wild. Who will prevail: the youth or the wily vets? VANCOUVER CANUCKS – By Brian Costello Go back to season previews for 2019-20 and virtually every …

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