Worldwide Sports News

Another nightmare start for Luzardo as Phils get blown out by Blue Jays originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Jesus Luzardo was many miles away from the bounce-back start he wanted Thursday. 

Following a nightmare day last time out vs. the Brewers, Luzardo seriously struggled again in the Phillies’ 9-1 series finale loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. He’s conceded 20 runs over his last two starts. 

Luzardo’s afternoon was even shorter than his 3 and 1/3 innings against Milwaukee. He logged 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing nine hits and eight runs. Luzardo walked two hitters and struck out two. 

Over his past two outings, Luzardo’s season ERA has jumped from 2.15 to 4.46. 

Chris Bassitt fared much better than Luzardo, throwing seven strong innings. He was charged with five hits, one run and two walks.

Toronto went ahead in the second inning when Myles Straw’s two-bagger to the right-center gap scored Davis Schneider from first. Luzardo couldn’t contain the inning. The Blue Jays added three more in the second, including a two-run Bo Bichette homer on a meaty first-pitch Luzardo sweeper. 

In the third inning, Luzardo’s day fully unraveled. 

An Alejandro Kirk single, Ernie Clement double and Schneider walk loaded the bases, prompting Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham to visit the mound. Straw then lined a two-RBI single to right field.

While the Blue Jays certainly hit Luzardo hard, his outing ended on a Tyler Heineman pop-up to shallow left field. Trea Turner failed to make an over-the-shoulder basket catch, two more Jays scored and Luzardo exited with an 8-0 deficit. 

Luzardo’s velocity was right around his season norm — 96.5 mph average on the lefty’s four-seam fastball, 96.1 mph average on his sinker — but Toronto’s hitters looked very comfortable and confident at the plate. The Blue Jays had four hits on Luzardo changeups and also picked up knocks against his sinker, four-seamer and sweeper. 

On the other side of the ball, the Phillies managed just two hits across the first five innings. Kyle Schwarber’s sixth-inning single brought in Turner for the Phils’ lone run. Nick Castellanos (3 for 3) did well against Bassitt, but the 36-year-old righty cruised with a large lead.

The Phillies used Max Lazar, Taijuan Walker and Seth Johnson to eat innings out of the bullpen. Weston Wilson handled a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Tossing eephus-style pitches, Wilson’s up to four career innings and has yet to allow a run.

Realmuto sidelined 

J.T. Realmuto sat after taking a foul ball Wednesday to a sensitive area below the belt. 

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Lochlahn March, Realmuto said he won’t be out for long and hopes to only miss one day.

Rafael Marchan started behind the dish and had an 0-for-3 day. 

On deck 

The 37-25 Phillies will travel to Pittsburgh for a three-game weekend series. 

With Zack Wheeler on paternity leave, the Phillies will do a bullpen game Friday, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters postgame that Joe Ross will serve as the opener.

Ranger Saurez and Cristopher Sanchez are the scheduled starters for the final two games of the series. 

New Giants additions providing immediate spark after roster shake-up originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Nowadays, there are two different meanings to the term “Giants Legend.”

First, in reference to a player who, unequivocally, is a ‘legend’ in every sense of the word, a la Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Buster Posey, Will Clark, etc. You get the idea. The second, is the tongue-in-cheek version of the term that players like Daniel Johnson and Dominic Smith earned this week.

Think of it as an earning-your-pinstripes-esque term of endearment. But not to be taken literally.

If you’re new to the Giants and you do something impactful right away, especially when the team is struggling, you’re an instant folk hero for 48 hours or so.

On Wednesday, it was Johnson, a Bay Area native, who introduced himself to Giants fans with a two-hit game and a run-saving catch in San Francisco’s 6-5 win over the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park. On Thursday, it was Smith, who collected three hits, including a go-ahead two-run double in the Giants’ 3-2 win over San Diego in the series finale.

The signing of Smith and the promotion of Johnson from Triple-A Sacramento came in a series of roster moves before Wednesday’s game, where longtime first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and backup catcher Sam Huff were designed for assignment. It was a bittersweet day on Wednesday, but it didn’t take long for both to provide a spark for a team that desperately needed one.

“These guys that we’ve brought in have been impactful,” Melvin said of Johnson and Smith postgame. “[Andrew] Knizner too caught the entire game, guys he didn’t know. I know he caught [Camilo Doval] in winter ball. He spent the entire game with Robbie [Ray] last night talking about the game plan. So it’s pretty cool to see these guys come in and contribute right away, it makes them feel like part of the team that much quicker.”

Knizner, the 30-year-old catcher and six-year MLB veteran, was 0-for-3 at the plate on Thursday, but caught all nine innings behind the dish and was in sync with Ray, who he met for the first time approximately 12 hours before the game.

“Nothing,” Ray said postgame when asked what he does to adjust to a new catcher. “Shake his hand, say ‘Let’s have some fun today.’ That’s kind of what I told him going into the game. I feel like we had a really good game plan going into today, I felt like he stuck with it really well. We had some moments where he called a pitch and it was exactly what I wanted to throw, so it was almost like he had been here the whole time.

“I felt overall it was a great performance by him today.”

Baseball is a business, and while Wednesday’s roster shake-up might have been difficult for many in the Giants’ clubhouse, Smith and the other newcomers have had no trouble fitting in.

“It’s a professional group,” Smith said of his early impression of the Giants’ locker room. “Bob has been around for a while and he knows how to conduct a locker room and keep the guys together and they’re pretty straightforward and honest. I think when you understand the message as a player from the organization, it’s easier to go out and play and I think this team just wants to win.”

“This team, since I came in, they’ve welcomed me with open arms and they’re making it fun to go out there.”

Smith might have further cemented his temporary “Giants Legend” status by changing his walk-up song to Mac Dre’s “Feelin’ Myself,” a decision he made to pay respect to the Bay Area.

“Come on, I have to pay my respects,” Smith said. “I’m an LA kid, but I have a ton of respect for the Bay, for the culture out here. Like I said, I’ve been a fan from a far. It’s been a surreal last few days being here and I just want to be a part of this organization not just for now, but for a while.”

This guy knows what he’s doing.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Mets prospect Jonah Tong has been one of the best pitchers in minor league baseball this season, and he was just recognized for his elite performance in May.

Tong has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month after he posted a 1.35 ERA over five starts spanning 26.2 innings.

His other numbers were dominant as well, including:

A batting average against of .122
A 0.90 WHIP
42 strikeouts

Tong began June right where he left off last month, firing 5.0 hitless innings while walking three and striking out 11.

For the season, the 21-year-old has a 2.02 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 49.0 innings over 10 starts. He has allowed just 23 hits, only two home runs, and has fanned 83 batters -- a rate of 15.2 per nine.

Speaking with SNY last week, Tong discussed his ascension and highlighted what he's working on -- including his new slider.

The 21-year-old right-hander is also mindful of the need to limit his walks.

"The most obvious one for me is the walks right now," he said. "They’re definitely there. I do think – and I’m really confident -- that they’re not always gonna be there. It’s just more getting my feet wet and getting into the season. Last year happened for me right out of the gate, and this year it’s just a little bit slower when it comes to that.

"It’s just being more consistent, and knowing that when I’m in the zone we’re gonna have a lot of success. And just feeling confident in that. So I think just being in the zone early and often, and having the ability to put away hitters is something I’ve shown I can do – I just need to do it a little more consistently."

Why Red Sox should send Kristian Campbell back down to Worcester originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Red Sox top prospect Kristian Campbell has experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows through the first two months of his rookie season.

Campbell cracked Boston’s Opening Day roster as the club’s starting second baseman. He picked up where he left off in the minors, slashing .301/.407/.495 with four home runs and 12 RBI over March and April to earn the American League Rookie of the Month honor.

May wasn’t as kind to the 22-year-old. Since May 1, Campbell has hit just .137 (13-for-95) with one homer and a .383 OPS in 26 games.

We’ve reached the point where it may be wise to give Campbell a reset in Triple-A Worcester. Red Sox manager Alex Cora, however, wants to see Campbell figure it out with the big-league club.

“We want him to get it here. That’s the most important thing,” Cora told reporters on Tuesday. “We don’t rule anything out. But right now, he’s going to play here, and he’s going to get at-bats here, and we’re going to keep pushing him to be better.”

Letting Campbell play through his struggles would make sense if Boston were winning games, but Cora’s club must operate with urgency. The Red Sox entered Thursday with a 30-34 record after losing two out of three at home to the Los Angeles Angels. It won’t get any easier for them in their upcoming series in the Bronx against the first-place New York Yankees, whom they trail by nine games in the American League East standings.

More time in Worcester could be just what the doctor ordered for Campbell. The 2023 fourth-round draft pick skyrocketed through the minor league ranks last season, starting in High-A and finishing with only 19 games in Triple-A. He likely would have begun the 2025 campaign in Worcester had another starting-caliber second baseman been on Boston’s active roster.

Sending Campbell down would also clear a path for the Red Sox to promote the No. 1 prospect in baseball, Roman Anthony. Ceddanne Rafaela could move from center field to second base, fixing the outfield logjam that has contributed to Anthony’s extended stay in the minors. Or, Rafaela could move to shortstop with Marcelo Mayer or Trevor Story taking over at second.

While demoting Campbell won’t fix all of the Red Sox’ issues, now is the time to make changes before the season slips away.

Here are the players Rangers fans immediately want dumped sooner rather than later:

Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Breadman Panarin. K'Andre Miller and Alexis Lafrenière.

Mind you, there's good reason to eschew each one of these gentlemen,  but they can't be deleted from the roster, if they can be cast away  at all. 

Once Over The Rangers Lightly But Not Politely1. The Maven is waiting for some shrink to explain how and why – when Alexis Lafrenière was on the stairway to stardom – he wound up on the escalator to oblivion.

The Maven's Vice-President In Charge of Contract Knowledge, Jess Rubenstein herewith has the bad news and reasons why:

PANARIN: "Only Artemi can decide whether he wants out thanks to that 'No-Movement' clause which he was granted when he signed with the Rangers."

ZIBANEJAD: "Same as Breadman – the dreaded 'No Movement' clause."

KREIDER: "He's going to be the one Blueshirt that Drury might be able to move but the odds are really good that the Rangers will most likely have to retain at least 33% of his salary."

MILLER: "K'Andre will be hard to trade mainly because he has a qualifying offer of $4.64 million. Teams are going to think Drury will decline said offer. That would make Miller a UFA."

LAFRENIERE: "Big Al will also require Drury to retain a chunk of his salary if he tries to move him before next season."

DUMB AND DUMBER: "The mistake made over and over and over again is paying these Rangers some of the highest salaries and then giving them 'No Movement' clauses. Yet they never learn from these mistakes."

And, please, don't ask me why!