American wins by TKO after Australian agrees to seventh-round stoppage
Third loss in past four bouts leaves 30-year-old’s boxing future up in air
Tim Tszyu has suffered another devastating setback, losing once again to American Sebastian Fundora in the pair’s much-hyped world title rematch in Las Vegas.
Tszyu had been hunting redemption after losing a split-decision bloodbath to Fundora 16 months ago.
Continue reading...It goes without saying that Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond's exclusion from NHL.com's recent list of the best 10 players aged 25 or younger was at best a bizarre oversight, and at worst, a blatant snub.
It was especially ironic since Raymond literally outscored all 10 players who made the list.
Nevertheless, the Red Wings know that they have a budding star in the making with Raymond, who was their Round 1 selection in the 2020 NHL Draft after they somehow fell back multiple spots despite having posted the NHL's worst record by a wide margin in the difficult 2019-20 season.
Not only did Raymond amass a new career-high in points with 80 this past season, but he's also very close to joining a select list of his own in Red Wings lore.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Raymond, who is only two goals away from 100 in his career, will soon become the 10th player in Red Wings history to reach the century mark in goals scored before turning 24 years of age.
Lucas Raymond has led the @DetroitRedWings in points throughout each of the past two seasons, which included a career-high 80 points in 2024-25. #NHLYoungStarsWeek highlights the 23-year-old who sits within striking distance of 100 career goals this season. #NHLStatspic.twitter.com/eqPGysN7vL
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) July 19, 2025
The most recent player in this current era of Red Wings hockey to achieve the feat is Dylan Larkin, who did so during the aforementioned 2019-20 campaign.
Other names on the list include Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Gordie Howe, Marcel Dionne, Ted Lindsay, Dale McCourt, John Ogrodnick, and Petr Klima.
Talk about some pretty incredible company in Red Wings history that Raymond will soon join, including five who are forever enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and in the case of Howe, Lindsay, Klima, in the hearts of Detroit fans everywhere as they are no longer with us.
Raymond is preparing to play the second year of his eight-year contract that he inked with Detroit last September, a nearly identical pact to that of teammate Moritz Seider, who was also a rookie that entered the NHL in the 2021-22 campaign.
If he continues trending upward, 80 points may soon only seem like child's play for Raymond.
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The Yankees were once down by five runs, but Trent Grisham's ninth-inning grand slam completed the team's come-from-behind win over the Braves, 12-9, in Atlanta on Saturday night.
New York was down 5-0 in the fifth before the team chipped away and tied the game at 8-8 entering the ninth. Paul Goldschmidt led off with a double before Aaron Judge was intentionally walked with one out. Giancarlo Stanton worked a walk to load the bases before Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a rocket at third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr. for the second out. That set up Grisham, who took a 1-1 slider over the middle of the plate from Raisel Iglesias over the right field wall for the lead.
The Yankees (54-44) with the win, remain 3.0 games behind the Blue Jays -- who won earlier in the day -- for first place in the AL East.
-After the bullpen game went wrong on Friday, Will Warren was called upon to give the Yankees a quality start. The young right-hander was solid in his first start out of the All-Star break, but the third-inning homer to Michael Harris III allowed the Braves to take a 1-0 lead. Harris entered the game with the second-worst wRC+ (48) and fourth-worst SLG (.316) among qualified hitters this year.
Despite the solo shot, Warren was really good for 3.2 innings but it would unravel quickly in the fourth. Six straight Braves reached base with two outs, which included a three-run shot from Ozzie Albies -- the second straight game he's hit a three-run bomb off the Yankees. Warren just couldn't get the final out as the Braves worked walks and ended the youngster's night with an infield single that was a result of Warren not covering first base, allowing another run to score.
Warren threw 41 pitches in the fourth and his night was done after throwing 78 pitches (47 strikes) through 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five batters.
-Albies wasn't done, though. In the fifth, Albies hit a two-run single with two outs. The hit was set up by a wild pitch from Scott Effross, and a curious decision to pitch to the left-handed Albies with a base open.
Unfortunately, the Yankees' bullpen just couldn't keep the Braves from scoring. Jonathan Loaisiga, after giving up one run in his first inning of work, allowed the Braves to load the bases with one out in his second frame. Luke Weaver came on and got out of the inning without allowing another run to score and keeping the score 8-7.
Weaver was clutch, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings to get the ball to Devin Williams in the ninth with the lead. Williams, however, wasn't dominant, allowing the Braves to score a run on a hit and a walk, but he eventually locked down the win.
-On the other side, the Braves started their bulk pitcher out of the bullpen Joey Wentz. Wentz, making his first start since 2023, kept the Yankees at bay with just two hits and one walk allowed in four innings.
However, the Yankees would finally get on the board in the fifth against the Braves' bullpen. After a leadoff double fromGrisham, Anthony Volpe launched a two-run shot 420 feet over the left-field wall. It was his 11th homer of the season and his first home run since July 5. It wouldn't be his only one, though. Volpe launched a 411-foot solo shot to tie the game at 8-8 in the eighth.
Volpe finished 2-for-4 and had his first career multi-homer game.
The Yankees sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth and scored four runs to cut the Braves' lead to 7-6. The Yankees scratched runs across once they loaded the bases with no outs, thanks to the small ball, with the only hit coming from aChisholm single. The big moment came when Matt Olson had a fielding error that would have at least gotten one out.
Cody Bellinger would add another run with his solo shot in the seventh. The outfielder went 2-for-4.
Volpe was great, and Weaver is an unsung hero, but Grisham's grand slam kept the Yankees from falling four games back of the Jays. His 17 homers ties a career high.
Anthony Volpe with a two-run blast to get the Yankees on the board pic.twitter.com/hkphVMNv5B
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 20, 2025
Jazz Chisholm Jr. with an RBI single! pic.twitter.com/iyVOB6rrbv
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 20, 2025
ANTHONY VOLPE TIES THE GAME WITH HIS SECOND HOME RUN OF THE NIGHT! pic.twitter.com/SIxZnUGlby
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 20, 2025
TRENT GRISHAM HITS A GO-AHEAD GRAND SLAM IN THE 9TH!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/G9IrvNzwKF
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 20, 2025
The Yankees and Braves finish up their weekend series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m.
Marcus Stroman (1-1, 6.66 ERA) will go up against Grant Holmes (4-8, 3.77 ERA).
This might be the least surprising buyout of the offseason: Marcus Smart and the Washington Wizards have agreed to terms on a buyout, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and since confirmed by multiple other reports.
Once he clears waivers, Smart is expected to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-year, $10.5 million contract (for the bi-annual exemption), with the second year of that being a player option (the Lakers have to create a bit of cap space to make that signing, expect them to waive Shake Milton and Jordan Goodwin in the coming days).
Smart, 31, if he can stay healthy and find his rhythm from a couple of seasons ago, would bring much-needed on-ball perimeter defense to the Lakers, as well as some secondary shot creation for the bench when called upon. In 2022, Smart was named Defensive Player of the Year, and two seasons ago he averaged 14.5 points a game on close to league-average efficiency. However, last season, injuries limited him to 34 games, during which he averaged 9 points per game on 39.3% shooting. The Lakers are betting this is a one-off season, that his game hasn't slipped and he can return to form, likely coming off the bench behind Austin Reaves.
Luka Doncic recruited Smart personally, according to The Athletic.
With the buyout, the Wizards will save about $6.8 million this season. More importantly, it removes an impediment to more playing time for the Wizards' many young guards, including Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Cam Whitmore, and others. The Wizards are going to play their youth big minutes this season and be thinking long term (and about having a high lottery pick in 2026, which is considered a very good draft at the top).
If you’re searching for the sunny side of things out of Mets Land on Saturday, well, the David Wright ceremony was delightful, Brooks Raley pitched for the first time since April 2024 and was very sharp, and the Mets at least put a jolt into the ninth inning, though only of the “What if?” variety.
Beyond that, though, the 5-2 loss to the Reds was mostly filled with unpleasant reminders of Mets weaknesses, also known as fodder for David Stearns’ trade deadline to-do list.
Mets starter Clay Holmes got only 16 outs, which means their beleaguered bullpen had another long workday. The relievers excelled, throwing 3.2 scoreless innings, but the recurring theme of them having to get bushels of outs every day isn’t sustainable. The Mets need shutdown relief help. Perhaps some in the rotation, too.
And they were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base – it’s the 10th time they’ve left 11 or more on this season, the sixth-most in the majors. Maybe they need an offensive jolt, too.
Then there were sloppy moments – a bum pickoff throw by Luis Torrens that led to a Reds run, a poor relay to second by Ronny Mauricio that kept a Reds rally alive. Talk about bad fundies.
Brandon Nimmo, who played with Wright, admitted it was a bummer not to play crisply on a day Wright, whom he counts as one of his mentors, was honored.
“Definitely disappointing to lose on his day,” said Nimmo, who added that it didn’t make the ceremony any less special. Nimmo admitted to “trying to hold back tears” himself.
“You could see how much the fans appreciate everything he did,” Nimmo said.
Trouble was, once the game started and the Mets squandered an early 2-0 lead, those fans, a sellout crowd of 42,605, turned their attention to the Mets' shortcomings. They got restless as the Mets left runners on. They booed occasionally, too.
The Mets are now 55-44, but back on June 12, their record stood at 45-24. Their under-the-radar pitching finds were being widely celebrated and they were counted as one of the best teams in baseball. They are 10-20 since, the lower rungs of the bullpen are a revolving door and they still haven’t fixed the hitting with RISP – they ranked 27th in MLB at .230 following the loss.
Nimmo said there’s daily urgency, along with the knowledge that losses like Saturday have to be let go, too.
“The guys that were here last year know that we made the playoffs by one game, so one game can decide whether we get into the playoffs or whether we don’t,” Nimmo said. “Every day there’s an urgency to try and win and try and come through.”
And, to be fair, the Mets looked like there was urgency in the ninth. They put the first two runners on and Juan Soto hit a deep drive to right that had fans buzzing. It looked like enough to be a huge highlight on a big Mets day – SNY cameras caught Wright with a huge grin, leaning out to watch the ball’s flight. But Soto’s shot curved foul. He then struck out on a check swing and their attempt at a rally ultimately fizzled.
“Obviously, Juan came within feet of tying the game,” Nimmo said. “Thought he had a really quality at-bat. If we keep putting pressure on, it’ll come. It’ll happen. We just have to keep putting pressure on and believing in ourselves.”
And getting more length from their starters. Holmes acknowledged, “If I could finish the sixth, that would put the team in a much better position to win that game.” Carlos Mendoza said Holmes had given the Mets a chance, but the Reds had made him work very hard on a day his sweeper was not effective.
Raley was terrific – he struck out Elly De La Cruz and TJ Friedl in his spotless inning. “Pretty good,” Mendoza said. “Typical Brooks Raley. It was good to see him back out there.”
Raley should help the pen. The Mets need more than just his return, though.
And, even on a nice day in Mets history, there were plenty of reminders of that.
It was another disappointing game out of the Mets' offense, even on David Wright's number retirement ceremony, on Saturday afternoon, as New York lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 5-2.
Just as they did on Friday night, the Mets got the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, but for the second straight game, they were unable to get the big hit, with Juan Soto striking out and Pete Alonso flying out to end the game.
Overall, New York went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and after getting out to a 2-0 lead, the offense went dark just as it did on Friday night.
But despite the lack of production, the Mets still have confidence that they can turn things around.
"Obviously, we’d like to put up a few more runs on the board," Brandon Nimmo said. "We’ve had streaks in both games where we put a lot of pressure on, just not able to get the big hit right now, but we’ve had a few guys come through… but there’s some really, really quality at-bats."
Nimmo himself went 1-for-4 in the leadoff spot -- one of seven hits on the night. The big boppers in the lineup? Brett Baty and Luis Torrens, who each had two hits out of the No. 8 and 9 spots in the order.
Nevertheless, New York made it interesting in the ninth inning, especially after Soto hit a ball five feet foul that would've been a game-tying home run had it stayed fair. Soto ended up striking out, his third of the game, and Alonso flew out to deep left field to give the Mets their second loss out of the All-Star break.
"If we keep putting pressure on, it’ll come, it’ll happen," Nimmo said. "We just have to keep putting the pressure on and keep believing in ourselves."
Saturday's loss hurts even more with the festivities of Wright's number retirement coming right before.
It was a special moment as the organization honored its former captain, who enjoyed a wonderful career in the orange and blue.
"Special day, obviously," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "I was a fan right there, I had tears in my eyes. It’s just incredible, you know, the whole thing. And then just watching David enjoying it with his family and his teammates, coaches, managers, the fanbase, yeah, it was just special there."
Nimmo, one of the few current members of the team who played with Wright before his retirement, was particularly saddened that they couldn't come away with a win on the former third baseman's day, and spoke about what Wright meant to him as a teammate and a mentor.
"(I) was always trying to be like him, coming up and, so, definitely disappointing to lose on his day, but it made it no less special," Nimmo said. "That ceremony beforehand, I think, was amazing – not just for him, but for the fanbase to share it with him. I was over there trying to hold back tears because it just was such a special moment and you could see how much the fans appreciate everything that he did and leaving his heart out onto the field.
"To be able to have that relationship in this game with the fans is something special and should definitely be treasured and celebrated. (The loss) did not take away from his day at all."
In Wright's speech before the game, Nimmo was shouted out as a player that Wright would want his son to play like. Nimmo called that moment "surreal" and continued his praise for the former captain.
"(Wright) was the guy that you wanted to be like. He would probably laugh at this, but the MLB game that I played when I was younger had him on the cover. He was it and to be able to, when I got in this organization, to even talk with him and pick his brain.
"And then he was so kind to me and had dinners with me and set things up for my family and I and passed wisdom onto me, and I just was so thankful for him. So for him to express that he’d like his son to play like me, that’s surreal to me. It’s full-circle and it’s the biggest compliment I could receive."
As for the loss, which puts New York just 11 games over .500 and 1.5 GB of the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL East lead, the Mets know they can't afford to keep giving away games as they look to make the playoffs for the second straight season.
"There is a sense of being able to flush today and move on to tomorrow that you have to have in baseball in order to succeed for a long time and I think we got a lot of guys that are very good at that here," Nimmo said. "But there’s a sense of urgency every day because the guys that have been here and the guys that were here last year know we made the playoffs by one game. So one game can decide whether we get into the playoffs or whether we don’t."
WASHINGTON — Eli Willits didn’t want to waste time before signing his first pro contract. The 17-year-old shortstop is on a tight schedule.
Willits agreed to terms with the Washington Nationals on Saturday, only six days after the club selected him No. 1 overall in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft.
“I’ve set a goal to be in the big leagues by the time I’m 20, and that’s something I’m really excited to do,” Willits said during an introductory news conference at Nationals Park. “Hopefully, I get out there and start playing well and that can be something I can accomplish in the next few years.”
A switch-hitter from Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma, Willits is the son of Reggie Willits, who played six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and also coached with the New York Yankees.
Willits, the youngest player picked No. 1 overall since Seattle chose Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987, will fly to Washington’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday and begin to get workouts with the team’s player development staff.
Nationals interim general manager Mike DeBartolo, who was elevated to his current role when Washington fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez on July 6, said the club will see how things unfold in the next couple weeks before making any further decisions.
“One of the things that attracted us to Eli was how motivated he is, his work ethic, how focused he is,” DeBartolo said. “I love that about him. Certainly, I’m not going to put any timelines on anybody. He hasn’t stepped on a pro field yet, but I love that that’s his outlook and we’re certainly going to do everything we can to make that possible.”
Willits recalled how he would make sure he was in the stands whenever Aaron Judge took batting practice during his father’s stint with the Yankees. Another member of the New York organization at the time was Miguel Cairo, who is now the Nationals interim manager and was familiar with the new No. 1 pick almost a decade ago.
“That made me feel really old,” Cairo said.
Willits joined Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010) as the only players selected No. 1 overall by the Nationals.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity that the Nationals gave me,” Willits said. “Not many people get to come up here and be the No. 1 overall pick.”
Trade deadline season is here and the Yankees have reportedly already begun putting out feelers to teams, including the Arizona Diamondbacks.
According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, the Yankees are among the teams that have inquired about third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Other teams reaching out to the Diamondbacks include the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs, among "many others."
A Suarez deal makes sense for the Yankees. New York needs an everyday third baseman, especially one with power and hits from the right side.
Entering Saturday, Suarez is hitting .251 with 31 homers, 78 RBI and a .888 OPS. Through four innings of Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Suarez already has two bombs, bringing his season total to 33, which leads the National League.
The Yankees need more than a third baseman. They have needs in the bullpen and starting rotation thanks to a litany of injuries that have befallen their pitchers. That's why the Yankees are preparing for the deadline by sending out pro scouts to different teams over the last few weeks.
According to Newsday's Erik Boland, the Yankees currently have, or recently had, scouts visit a list of teams this month. Those teams include the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, and the Diamondbacks.
The 2025 MLB trade deadline is set for July 31.
Jun 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of the Athletics logo on a bag, before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
Peter Aiken/Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jeff Bittiger, a pitcher who played four seasons in the major leagues and spent the last 22 years as a scout in the Athletics organization, died Saturday morning, the A’s announced. He was 63.
The team did not disclose a cause of death.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Bittiger made his major league debut for Philadelphia on Sept. 2, 1986. The 5-foot-10 right-hander went 4-6 with a 4.77 ERA in 33 appearances for the Phillies, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox.
He pitched his last major league game in 1989 for Chicago, and the A’s said he continued to play independent ball until age 40.
As an area scout for the A’s, Bittiger signed right-hander Andrew Bailey, the AL Rookie of the Year in 2009, and he was part of the team’s professional scouting staff for the past decade.
“Jeff spent his whole life around the game: playing, coaching, and scouting. He was as good a person as he was a scout, and he was a hell of a scout,” Billy Beane, a senior adviser to Athletics owner John Fisher who previously served as the club’s general manager, said in a statement. “He knew pitchers inside and out and you could tell how much he loved baseball just by being around him.”
After taking a big step in the right direction last season, the Montreal Canadiens have been very busy this off-season. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has undoubtedly been aggressive this off-season, as he made several notable roster moves.
The Canadiens' upgraded the right side of their defense in a big way, as they acquired star defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders in exchange for forward Emil Heineman and picks Nos. 16 and 17 of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The Canadiens then immediately signed Dobson to an eight-year, $76 million contract, cementing him as a long-term part of their core.
This was not the only exciting trade the Canadiens made this off-season, though. They also brought in promising young forward Zack Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for prospect defenseman Logan Mailloux. Bolduc should be a nice pickup, as he has shown very good promise early on his career. In 72 games last season, he set new career highs with 19 goals, 17 assists, 36 points.
The Canadiens also improved their depth by bringing in players like Joe Veleno, Kaapo Kahkonen, and Sammy Blais. They also re-signed young goaltender Jakub Dobes to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $965,000.
Overall, it is hard not to be happy with the moves the Canadiens have made so far this off-season. Due to their strong moves, they have now received some serious praise.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Dom Luszczyszyn listed the Canadiens as the second-most improved this off-season. The only team ahead of the Canadiens on The Athletic's list are the San Jose Sharks.
When looking at the additions the Canadiens have made this off-season, it is understandable that they are viewed as a club that has significantly improved. They added a legitimate top-pairing defenseman in Dobson, a skilled forward on the rise in Bolduc, and some experienced depth players. Thus, it is hard not to feel optimistic about the Canadiens heading into 2025-26.
It will be intriguing to see how the Canadiens perform next season after their strong off-season, but it is fair to say that their roster looks better than it was last year.
Canadiens Have The Most Expensive Goaltending This Season (On Paper)According to Puckpedia’s numbers, the Montreal Canadiens have the most expensive goaltending in the NHL this season. They devote $14.8 million in salary to masked men, which accounts for the three goaltenders they have on NHL contracts and who aren’t waivers exempt: Carey Price, Samuel Montembeault, Kaapo Kahkonen, and Jakub Dobes. That works out to 15,5% of their cap.
Photo Credit: © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
It took just one game coming out of the All-Star break for Dave Roberts to know Mookie Betts still wasn’t right.
A week ago, Roberts was hopeful that Betts — coming off his first missed All-Star Game in a decade — would return from the break refocused and rejuvenated; ready to snap out of a career-worst start to his season and rediscover a swing that has eluded him for much of the campaign.
Instead, in the Dodgers’ second-half opener Friday night, Betts went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. His batting average dipped to .241 (more than 20 points worse than he has ever posted in a full season) while his OPS fell to .688 (the worst it has been all year). And, as has been the case for most of the summer, his signs of frustration were abundantly clear, with the 32-year-old looking lost at the plate.
Read more:Dodgers are shut out by Brewers, but Tyler Glasnow shows signs of growth
Thus, when Roberts set his team’s lineup for Saturday, the manager made a surprise decision to leave Betts out of it, giving his superstar shortstop an unplanned day off after calling Betts on Saturday morning to discuss the state of his game.
“Talking to him, seeing where his head is at, seeing where he’s at mechanically, I just thought tonight was a night where I felt he needed to be down,” Roberts said hours later, ahead of the Dodgers’ game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
“He was more than willing and wanted to be out there. But for me, I wanted to take it out of his hands [so he could] have a day. I’ve talked about this before, just having players watch a baseball game. And I understand we just had four days off at the break. But still showing up at the ballpark, and not participating, watching, that’s a different mindset, psyche than being at home. So for him to come here, show up, not play, know he’s not going to play, I feel good about the work he’s going to put in today. Also, I think, for the mind it will be beneficial.”
Betts did not talk to reporters Saturday, but did go through his normal set of pregame infield drills at shortstop — further confirming that, indeed, his absence from the lineup had nothing to do with any sort of injury-related issue.
While Roberts said his "expectation" is that Betts will be back in action Sunday, he left the door open to giving Betts another day off for the series finale.
“It’s going to be a day-to-day thing,” Roberts said. “It’s going to be my decision on how I feel he is mentally to take on that night’s starter.”
There was no specific moment from Friday’s game that convinced Roberts such a break was warranted. Instead, it was the fact that so little had seemingly changed from where Betts was before the All-Star break, when he reached the midway mark in a three-for-24 slump and batting just .185 over his previous 31 games.
“He’s not used to struggling like this,” Roberts said of Betts, who also has only 11 home runs and a .377 slugging percentage. “There’s a part of it where you feel like you’re letting people down, letting the team down. That weight that is just natural for him to carry is there. That’s a little bit from last night, just seeing him.”
Betts has struggled to identify the cause of his decline — one so stark, he has a below-league-average mark of 95 in the all-encompassing OPS+ metric (effectively meaning he has been 5% less productive than a league average hitter).
In an interview before Friday’s game, he said he has cycled through various “feels” with his swing in hopes of getting his mechanics realigned. Hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc pointed to inefficiencies in the way Betts “loads” his arms and hands, which he believes have impacted the slugger’s bat path and swing sequence.
“There’s no exact [fix], where you can do this, this and this,” Van Scoyoc said, “because he has to find something for him that works organically that gets him lined up.”
Read more:‘As lucky as we could be.’ Dodgers’ Max Muncy already recovering better than expected
To that end, Roberts’ hope is that Saturday’s day off will help.
That it comes just two days into the second half signals how urgent Betts’ struggles have become.
“He understood,” Roberts said. “He’s a guy that wants to be out there every single day. But I think he understood that it was my decision and I think it’s best for him, I think it’s best for our ball club. He’ll be ready when called upon.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The actual Mets game on David Wright’s number retirement day certainly didn’t go as they would have hoped. The Mets lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 5-2, at Citi Field after a mostly lackluster performance from their offense.
Until the final inning, anyway. With one out and two on, Juan Soto hit a long drive down the right-field line that would have tied the score had it been fair. But the potential three-run homer was foul, even after an umpire review. Soto struck out and then Pete Alonso followed with a long fly out to right that was exciting for a moment, too, but was ultimately the final out.
The Mets, who have now lost three straight dating back to the final game before the All-Star break, heard some boos from the sellout crowd of 42,605 after several early lineup failures.
The Mets, who entered the day batting just .232 with runners in scoring position, a season-long issue, were 1-for-10 in such situations Saturday. They left 11 runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded twice. They had two on and no out in the ninth but did not score.
Over the past four games, the Mets have scored 11 runs.
Clay Holmes was the starter and loser for the Mets, allowing five runs (four earned) in 5.1 innings. He is now 8-5 this season with a 3.48 ERA.
-The Mets opened the scoring in the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead, but left the bases loaded. Mark Vientos hit a two-out RBI single to drive in Brandon Nimmo, who had led off with a single. Alonso went to second on Vientos’ single and Jeff McNeil walked to put a Met on every base. But Ronny Mauricio grounded out and the Mets couldn’t cash in.
-In the second inning, Brett Baty extended the Mets' lead to 2-0 with a solo homer that traveled 393 feet to right and had an exit velocity of 110.2 mph off the bat. Baty, who also had a single in the fourth inning, came into the game batting .333 in his previous nine games and .296 over his previous 20.
-Holmes allowed two runs in the third inning, but only one of them was earned, thanks to Luis Torrens’ throwing error. Jake Fraley led off with a double and Noelvi Marte was hit by a pitch. Torrens threw away a pickoff attempt and Fraley raced home while Marte went to third. One out later, Matt McLain hit an RBI single to knot the score at two. It was the fourth error of the season in 60 games behind the plate for Torrens.
-Holmes walked the leadoff hitter in the fourth inning and that hurt. He got the next two batters out, but gave up a single to Tyler Stephenson and then an RBI single to Fraley, which gave the Reds a 3-2 lead.
-Holmes pitched into the sixth inning, but found trouble. This part was his fault: he walked Austin Hays leading off. This part wasn’t: One out later, Spencer Steer swung at a Holmes sweeper and hit it off the end of his bat, a 55.5 mph bouncer down the third-base line. It went for an infield hit and turned out to be Holmes’ final pitch. Reed Garrett came in and gave up an RBI fielder’s choice that could’ve been a double play, but Mauricio’s throw pulled Baty off the second base bag. Fraley followed with an RBI double and the Reds had a 5-2 lead.
-Holmes threw 92 pitches and worked 5.1 innings, but it’s another game in which the Mets did not get terrific length from their starting pitcher, an ongoing problem that will continue to be a topic swirling around the team, especially with the trade deadline looming at the end of July.
-The Mets staged a huge threat in the sixth inning, but left the bases loaded again. McNeil and Baty sandwiched walks around an out and then Torrens had a 12-pitch battle with reliever Scott Barlow, which ended in a walk to stuff the bases. Overall in the at-bat, Torrens hit seven foul balls. But Barlow struck out Nimmo and broke Francisco Lindor’s bat on an easy grounder to first.
-Lefty Brooks Raley entered the game in the seventh inning, making his season debut and first appearance since April 19, 2024. Raley, who was out after having Tommy John surgery, threw a 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts. After he caught Elly De La Cruz looking at a third strike, Raley walked off the mound, clapping his glove. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner hugged him in the dugout afterward. Raley, who had terrific seasons in 2022-23 for the Rays and then the Mets, could give the current Mets bullpen a real boost.
David Wright, for his engaging pregame speech and evident joy in reminiscing about his terrific Mets career and his bond with fans. What, you thought we’d pick someone from this game?
Mark Vientos brings home Brandon Nimmo! pic.twitter.com/wnUz6Mybjt
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 19, 2025
BRETT BATY LAUNCHES A HOME RUN!
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 19, 2025
David Wright approves! pic.twitter.com/EEopm2cRYs
Two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning for Brooks Raley in his return pic.twitter.com/RHjCTIsXaB
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 19, 2025
The Mets and Reds complete their weekend series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:40 p.m. on PIX.
David Peterson (6-4, 3.06 ERA) will take the mound while Andrew Abbott (8-1, 2.07 ERA) will climb the hill for Cincinnati.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm has a fractured left rib and was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday.
Bohm was injured a week ago when San Diego’s Yu Darvish hit him with a pitch. He sat out Sunday against the Padres before the All-Star break, then played Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels.
Bohm is hitting .278 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs in 92 games this season.
Utility player Weston Wilson was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley prior to the Phillies’ game Saturday night game against the Angels to take Bohm’s spot on the roster.
Welcome to another The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks site article series. In this set of features, we’ll be taking a look at the 2025–26 Canucks coaching staff and their careers as players in the NHL. To start this series off, we’ll be looking at newly-appointed Vancouver head coach Adam Foote.
Before Foote joined the Canucks organization in January of 2023 as an assistant coach to former head coach Rick Tocchet, he spent 20 years in the NHL as a tough, hard-nosed defenceman. He spent the bulk of his time in the NHL with the Québec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, as well as a handful of seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Had it not been for his brief stint with the Blue Jackets, Foote would have been a career Nordique/Avalanche, as he was drafted 22nd overall by the organization in 1989.
Prior to joining the NHL, Foote played for the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL for three seasons. The defenceman piled points upon points onto his OHL career with each year that he played in the league for. In his first season, 1988–89, he scored seven goals and 31 assists in 66 games played. Both his goals and assists outputs increased the season after, as he put up 12 goals and 43 assists in 61 games. In his final season with the Greyhounds in 1990–91, during which he served as an assistant captain, Foote scored 18 goals and 51 assists in only 59 games.
Despite his point totals in the OHL, throughout his NHL career, Foote was known for his defensively-sound qualities as a stay-at-home blueliner. He played in 46 games during his first season with the Nordiques, scoring two goals and five assists. He made his NHL debut in October of 1991, registered his first NHL point in November of the same year, and scored his first NHL goal in January of 1992 against the Calgary Flames.
In the 1992–93 season, Foote registered 168 penalty minutes in 81 games and added 16 points to his stats. He also got his first taste of NHL playoff action with the Nordiques, skating in all six of the team’s postseason games in their loss to the Montréal Canadiens in the first round. By the time Québec made it back to the playoffs, Foote had played in nearly four NHL seasons. This run ended in the same result as Foote’s first — a six-game first round loss, this time to the New York Rangers. It was after this season, 1994–95, that the Nordiques were relocated to Colorado.
The move to Colorado seemed to mark a turning point in the franchise’s playoff performances, as the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in their first season after their relocation. From their first season in Colorado, 1995–96, to 2006–07, the Avalanche did not miss the playoffs. This dynasty included two Stanley Cup wins, four Conference Final losses, and two Semi-Final defeats.
During his first regular season in Colorado, Foote scored five goals and 11 assists in 73 games played. He also contributed during the playoffs with a goal and three assists in 22 games. Ironically enough, after facing first-round demons in the two playoff series he’d played in before, Foote and the Avalanche took down none other than the Canucks in order to make it to the second round of the postseason. To make matters even more ironic, they also swept Vancouver during the first round of their second Stanley Cup win in 2001. Both Western Conference teams were considered powerhouses around this time, with the West Coast Express line of Markus Näslund, Todd Bertuzzi, and Brendan Morrison leading the way for the Canucks.
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Foote was named an assistant captain for the Avalanche in the 1996–97 season, serving in this role until the end of the 2003–04 season. Offensively speaking, he had some of his best years towards the end of his first stint with the Avalanche (more on that later). In the 2001–02 season, Foote scored five goals and 22 assists in 55 games played, adding a goal and six assists to this total as well in Colorado’s 21-game Conference Final loss. In this same season, he joined Team Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, winning his first international gold medal. He hit his career-high in points the season after with 11 goals and 20 assists in 78 games, and followed that up with eight goals and 22 assists in 73 games in 2003–04.
With the lockout keeping players from playing during the 2004–05 season, Foote joined Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey and put up three assists in six games. He was joined by Canuck at the time Ed Jovanovski and soon-to-be Canuck Roberto Luongo. In Canada’s undefeated tournament win, capped off by a 3–2 victory against Team Finland, Foote was named to the All-Tournament Team alongside Martin Brodeur (Canada), Kimmo Timonen (Finland), Fredrik Modin (Sweden), Vincent Lecavailer (Canada), and Saku Koivu (Finland).
By the time the NHL resumed play, Foote had moved on from the Avalanche, signing a three-year deal with the Blue Jackets. He was named captain in his first season with the team and scored six goals and 16 assists in 65 games with Columbus. In the following years, he scored nine goals and 25 assists in 124 games before the Blue Jackets ultimately decided to trade him back to Colorado in exchange for a first-round and fourth-round pick.
After reuniting with the Avalanche, Foote spent the better half of three more seasons with Colorado, during two of which he acted as the team’s captain. The 2010–11 season was his final one as a player, as Foote made the decision to retire at the end of the year. However, it didn’t take him long to find his way back to the NHL, as he became a team consultant for the Avalanche in the 2013–14 season — two years after his retirement as a player.
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NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets inducted David Wright into their Hall of Fame and retired his No. 5 on Saturday — nearly 21 years after his big league debut.
“I went straight from the airport to the ballpark and I couldn’t wait to see what number I was going to be,” Wright said at a press conference Saturday. “That spring I was 72, and I would have been perfectly happy with 72. “But later on I found out that Charlie Samuels, the old equipment guy, gave me 5 because of Brooks Robinson and George Brett.”
Wright, who debuted against the Montreal Expos on July 21, 2004, appeared to be on track to join Robinson and Brett as a Hall of Fame third baseman when he hit .301 with 222 homers, 876 RBIs and an .888 OPS through his first 10 seasons.
But Wright played just 211 more games while battling chronic back, shoulder and neck injuries as well as a diagnosis of spinal stenosis. He went more than two years between big league appearances before concluding his career with a pair of cameos in September 2018.
“There was nothing that I could do to do the thing anymore,” Wright said. “It took a while for my brain and my heart to kind of match up with that. But I think that very, very few athletes get the ending that they want — that storybook ending. I certainly wouldn’t call mine a storybook ending, but it’s better than 99% of what athletes get and I’ll forever be thankful for getting that opportunity.”
Wright, the Mets’ most recent captain and the only player in team history to have his number retired after spending his entire career with the club, expressed his gratitude throughout a speech that capped a half-hour ceremony emceed by broadcaster Howie Rose.
Wright, emerging from the third base side of Citi Field, walked to a gold-plated third base, stood atop the bag and blew kisses to the sellout crowd. In an appropriate Mets touch, a plane taking off from nearby LaGuardia ascended into view moments after his No. 5 was unveiled high above the left field seats.
The 42-year-old married father of three, praised throughout his career for his ability to connect with stars and everyday people alike as well as his appreciation of Mets history, mentioned late media relations executive Shannon Dalton Forde and late team photographer Marc Levine during his press conference.
Near the end of his speech, he also thanked the Wilpon family, who owned the team his entire career.
“If you would have told a young David Wright to close his eyes and imagine this day, I would have said you’re crazy, no way, impossible,” said Wright, a Virginia native who grew up rooting for the Mets while attending their Triple-A games in Tidewater. “And then I would have went out in my backyard in Virginia and hit off a homemade tee with balls that were falling apart at the seams until it got dark outside to prove you right.
“Thank you so much for allowing me to live out my dream in front of you each night. I love you so much. Let’s go Mets.”
Wright is the 35th member of the Mets’ Hall of Fame and the 11th individual to have his number retired, joining managers Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges as well as Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Jerry Koosman, Keith Hernandez, Willie Mays, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden as well as Jackie Robinson, whose No. 42 is retired throughout Major League Baseball.