Mercedes’s George Russell shares front row with Red Bull rival
‘It is really pissing me off,’ Verstappen says of media scrutiny
A furious Max Verstappen lashed out at criticism of his driving, saying it was “childish, annoying and pissing me off” after his nemesis George Russell beat him to pole position for Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Russell snatched top spot with a brilliant final lap at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to leave Verstappen trailing by 0.160sec, with the McLaren pair Oscar Piastri third and Lando Norris a disappointing seventh. It means Mercedes’s Russell and defending champion Verstappen will line up on the front row together, a fortnight after their collision in Spain.
The goal was Marchand’s fifth of the series. As a result, he has now scored five or more goals in two different Stanley Cup Final series (he also scored five with the Boston Bruins in 2011).
The only other player since 1967-68 to score five-plus goals in multiple Cup Final series is Mario Lemieux, who achieved the feat with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 and 1992.
Here's a stat: Marchand has a series-leading five goals, the second time he has scored five goals in the Cup Final (2011). The only other player in the expansion era (since 1967-68) with five-plus goals in a Final more than once is Mario Lemieux (5 G in 1991 and 1992 w/ PIT).
UPDATE (Saturday, June 14 at 10:45 p.m. ET): Marchand scored another fantastic goal in the third period, giving him six goals for the series. He’s the first player to score six or more goals in a Cup Final since Esa Tikkanen scored six for the Oilers in 1988.
The Panthers won 5-2 to take a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 is Tuesday in Florida.
Marchand’s 13 career goals in the Stanley Cup Final are the most of any active player.
Marchand has tallied 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 22 games during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His career high for points in one postseason is 23 (2019 w/Bruins).
The Panthers acquired Marchand from the Bruins right before the trade deadline on March 7. If the Panthers win this series and secure back-to-back championships, that trade will go down as one of the best mid-season upgrades in league history.
There has been one surprising name that has been the subject of trade rumors for the New York Rangers and that is none other than Alexis Lafrenière.
During the 2023-24 campaign, Lafrenière had a career year, recording 28 goals, 29 assists, and 57 points in 82 games.
This breakout season resulted in the Rangers giving Lafrenière a 7-year, $52.15 million contract extension.
All seemed right for Lafrenière as signs pointed toward him finally becoming the star player that he was expected to be when he was drafted with the first overall pick in 2020.
However, the 23-year-old’s play regressed during the 2024-25 season, and now everything appears to be on the table regarding Lafrenière’s future in New York.
According to Larry Brooks of The New York Post, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury has discussed Lafrenière in trade talks with multiple teams at the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo.
A conflicting report came out from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman indicating how desirable Lafrenière’s contract is and that’s not exactly clear if he’s on the trade market as of right now.
“That contract, if he even comes close to the level where he’s capable of performing at, that’s going to be a really good contract…”If Lafreniere is available it’s not widely known... “Lafreniere, I’ll tell you, I get pushback on it,” Friedman said.
The Rangers have already traded Chris Kreider while other players including K’Andre Miller and even Mika Zibanejad to a certain extent have been mentioned in trade rumors.
San Jose Sharks fans haven't had much to cheer about over the last little while, but one positive note recently is that one of their top prospects, Sam Dickinson, won defenceman of the year in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
Dickinson, who is 19 years old, was drafted 11th overall by the Sharks in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. With the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this past season, he scored 29 goals and added 62 assists for 91 points through 55 games, which comes out to an impressive 1.65 points-per-game average.
While Dickinson may not make the Sharks next season, he is showing his potential as a future star when he gets his shot. Sharks fans should be excited for what Dickinson can, and will, eventually bring to their blue line.
Oilers and Panthers head for must-win Game 5 Saturday with McDavid due for a big game
The 2025 Stanley Cup Final shifts back to Edmonton with the series tied 2-2 after the Oilers evened things up in Florida. What once looked like a commanding Panthers lead has now turned into a best-of-three showdown, with the Oilers regaining momentum on home ice at Rogers Place heading into a pivotal Game 5.
Game 5 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final arrives with the series tied 2-2, and history tells us just how crucial this night could be. The Edmonton Oilers return home to Rogers Place after splitting two games in Florida, reclaiming momentum and setting the stage for what could be the most defining game of the series.
Both teams now stand just two wins away from a championship, but based on decades of Stanley Cup history, Game 5 tends to separate contenders from champions.
Since the NHL moved to the best-of-seven format in 1939, the team that wins Game 5 of a tied Final has gone on to win the Stanley Cup over 70% of the time, according to NHL Stats and ESPN research.
According to Hockey Reference, in the modern salary cap era (2006 to present), teams winning Game 5 of a tied Final on home ice have gone 6-1 in those series. That stat leans heavily in Edmonton’s favor as they prepare for Tuesday night’s clash in front of what will be another electric crowd at Rogers Place.
All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers Game 5 Best Bets:
Oilers Moneyline (-110)
Over 6.5 Total Goals (-112)
Connor McDavid to Record 2+ Points (-128)
After scoring just one goal through the first two games, Edmonton’s offense has exploded for eight goals over Games 3 and 4, finding rhythm against a Florida defense that suddenly looks overwhelmed.
Connor McDavid leads the postseason in scoring and seems to have fully taken over the series, generating chances nearly every shift and elevating the entire top six.
Back at Rogers Place—where the Oilers are 7-3 this postseason and average over four goals per game—Edmonton holds a decisive edge. Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has shown cracks, posting an .857 save percentage in Game 4 and looking less sharp under increased pressure. That opens the door for another high-scoring night.
The total is set at 6.5 goals (-112), a number that’s already hit in back-to-back games. With both teams’ star power now fully engaged, special teams factoring in, and defensive fatigue showing, the conditions are perfect for the Over to cash again.
McDavid, meanwhile, has recorded six points in his last two games and has 10 multi-point outings this postseason. With the series tied and stakes at their peak, backing him to register 2+ points is one of the strongest player props on the board.
Expect a fast-paced Game 5 dominated by Edmonton’s top-end talent, fueled by a raucous home crowd and a wide-open style that favors the Over.
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries were left reeling as England’s hopes of retaining the World Cup of Darts were torn apart by Germany. The world’s top two players slipped to an 8-4 second round defeat at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, where Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko made the most of the backing of a partisan home crowd to seal a comprehensive victory.
Littler and Humphries, who both received MBEs in King Charles’s birthday honours, were made to pay for missed doubles, with the 18-year-old in particular turning in an off-colour display in a country where he has endured previous disappointments.
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros placed rookie outfielder Jacob Melton on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a sprained right ankle.
Melton was injured playing defense in Friday night’s win over Minnesota. The 24-year-old Melton hit .241 with a triple and six RBIs in 11 games this season.
The Astros also optioned utility player Shay Whitcomb to Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday.
Houston selected the contracts of outfielder Cooper Hummel and infielder Luis Guillorme from Sugar Land to take their spots on the roster.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Astros transferred right-hander Spencer Arrighetti to the 60-day injured list. Arrighetti is recovering from fracturing his right thumb in a batting practice mishap on April 7.
Back-to-back birdies for Sam Stevens. The 28-year-old from Wichita picks up shots at 3 and 4 to move to +1 overall. All together now: ♫♪ I know I need a small vacation, but it don’t look like rain ♪♫ … except … “Those clouds are not looking friendly,” notes Rich Beem on Sky, snapping us out of our Campbell-Webb reverie. Indeed they do look dark and menacing in the middle distance. A fair chance we could have an enforced weather break sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed it doesn’t happen, but it doesn’t look promising.
This is Matt Wallace’s first appearance at a US Open for four years. The 35-year-old Londoner is grabbing the opportunity with both hands: decent opening rounds of 72 and 74, and he’s on the move today, with birdies at 4, 11 and now 13, the latter the reward for a glorious tee shot sent over the flag to six feet. He’s +3 overall.
Brad Marchand scored twice, Sam Bennett had his NHL playoff-leading 15th goal and the Florida Panthers moved to the verge of a second consecutive Stanley Cup title by beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 in Game 5 on Saturday night.
The Panthers improved to 10-3 on the road this playoffs. They can hoist the Cup again as soon as Tuesday night if they win Game 6 on home ice in Sunrise.
Florida this time built a multigoal lead and built on it, unlike a couple of previous games in the final. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced, making some important saves when needed, and was aided by lockdown defense that took ice away from the Oilers.
Marchand, Bennett and Sam Reinhart provided the offense. Marchand joined Mario Lemieux as the only players in the past half-century to score five-plus goals in a final multiple times, and his 13 career goals in the final are the most among active players.
Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the series after the Oilers fell behind 3-0. Reinhart’s came 46 seconds later to restore the Panthers’ three-goal lead, and by the time Corey Perry scored with 3:13 left, it was too late.
Eetu Luostarinen sealed it with an empty-netter with 1:19 left, silencing the once fired-up crowd for a final time.
Edmonton’s power play went 0 for 3, a product of the Panthers’ aggressive penalty kill knocking McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the rest of the top unit out of their usual rhythm.
Calvin Pickard lost for the first time in eight starts this spring, allowing four goals on 18 shots. He got the nod over Stuart Skinner after entering in relief and winning Game 4 to improve to 7-0, a record that is now 7-1.
Skinner could be back in for Game 6, with the Panthers aiming to close things out following another cross-continental trip back to the other corner of North America. They are in this spot after bouncing back from blowing a three-goal lead and falling in overtime in Game 4, taking advantage of their depth to send the Oilers to the brink again.
WASHINGTON — The dog days of summer arrived Saturday at Nationals Park.
Bruce, a 21-month-old Golden Retriever, fetched a bat during a ceremony before the Washington Nationals’ game against the Miami Marlins as part of a Pups in the Park promotion. He retrieved bats the last two seasons with the Rochester Red Wings, Washington’s Triple-A affiliate.
Bruce, wearing a bandana with an “MLB debut” patch he received when he arrived at the stadium, was presented a commemorative bat. He then took a circuitous route from the dugout toward first base after Nationals reliever Zach Brzykcy dropped the bat in foul territory before the bat dog collected his quarry to the delight of a crowd wowed by his work and enthusiasm.
“Look at this dog and try not to smile,” said Josh Snyder, Bruce’s owner. “He’s great. He’s goofy. I think he’s the perfect candidate for Rochester, the Red Wings and now the Nationals.”
Snyder, who wore a No. 25 Nationals jersey with “Bruce” on the nameplate, said he drove through the night with Bruce and arrived in Washington around 3 a.m. Saturday. But it was anything but a rough morning and early afternoon for Bruce, who casually lapped up attention as he walked through the tunnel in the stadium.
Bruce spent about 50 minutes on the field before the ceremony, where he was hounded by well-wishers. He also did a couple practice bat retrievals with Snyder’s assistance before Nationals catcher Riley Adams stopped to pet him on his way out for pregame work.
He won’t work during the actual game, however, and will return to Triple-A duties afterward.
Bruce is Snyder’s second dog work to with the Red Wings, following the late Milo, and both participated in campaigns to raise money for Rochester’s Veterans Outreach Center and Honor Flight of Rochester.
This week — which included an announcement from the Nationals on Tuesday that Bruce had worked his tail off to earn a promotion — generated plenty of buzz even before Saturday’s debut.
“Social media, everything like that seems like it’s seriously blown up, and we love it,” Snyder said. “Really good publicity with our goal and our mission of bringing people together. It shows it’s just doing that.”
The NHL is a traditional business, and change is rare. It takes a long time to be implemented. Still, following the release of the voting for the various trophies by Professional Hockey Writers Association members, I believe it has become glaringly evident that the NHL needs to add a new trophy, that of the best defensive defenseman.
Every season, when the James Norris Trophy is awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman, it becomes more and more evident that it is granted not necessarily to the best defenseman as a whole, but to the best offensive defenseman. Don’t get me wrong, Cale Makar is a fantastic defenseman, but when you think about the Colorado Avalanche’s blueliner, blocked shots and defensive coverage are not what comes to mind. What comes to mind is his number of points and how well he quarterbacks the Avs’ power play.
And the same goes for his fellow Norris finalists. Makar finished the regular season with 92 points, Colombus Blue Jackets’ defenseman Zach Werenski was second with 82 points and Vancouver Canucks’ blueliner Quinn Hughes was third with 76 points. That’s precisely the order in which they finished for the Norris. Makar received 1861 voting points, Werenski received 1266, and Hughes received 918.
The top-10 in voting was completed by: Josh Morrissey (eight in regular season scoring amongst defensemen), Victor Hedman (seventh in scoring), Rasmus Dahlin (fourth in scoring), Thomas Harley (15th in scoring), Jacob Slavin (the exception to the rule, 70th in scoring), Lane Hutson (sixth in scoring) and Jake Sanderson (11th in scoring).
The only purely defensive defenseman of the lot is Slavin, who received only 60 voting points. The Carolina Hurricanes’ top-pairing defenseman doesn’t play on the man-advantage; he’s the Canes’ penalty kill anchor, leading them in blocked shots with 136 (38 more than second-place Brent Burns) and in average time on ice with 21:34.
The Hurricanes were 10th in the league in goals against and ninth in goals for. The defensive side of their game is just as important as the offensive side, and Slavin is the most significant cog in their defense. Without him, their result in their zone would be nowhere near as good.
If there’s a trophy for the best defensive forward (the Frank J. Selke), why shouldn’t there be a trophy for the best defensive defenseman? It makes sense, especially since people put more focus on the offensive side of the game nowadays. Fans and pundits all want to see goals, which is why the offensive juggernauts' defensemen gather as many votes for the Norris Trophy. No matter how many goals you score, though, you’re not going to win if there’s no one to ensure that your opponent scores less than you do.
After the 1998-99 season, the NHL introduced the Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy, which is awarded annually to the league’s best sniper. It was named to honour the Montreal Canadiens’ legend, who was the first player ever to score 50 goals in a season and 50 goals in the first 50 games of his team (a feat only achieved by four other players since then: Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemieux, and Brett Hull). It should be noted that other players scored 50 goals in their first 50 games or fewer, but not in their team’s first 50 games (Jari Kurri, Alexander Mogilny, Lemieux, Cam Neely, and, more recently, Auston Matthews).
Maurice "The Rocket" Richard of the Montreal Canadiens scoring his 500th goal in 1957. pic.twitter.com/C8Y291pV98
Richard led the league in goals five times throughout his 18-season career and was the first player to reach the 500-goal mark. To this day, 48 players have achieved the feat. When the Rocket hung up his skates in 1960, he was the top goal scorer in league history with 544 goals. Today, his 544 goals are the 33rd highest total in league history. Alexander Ovechkin became the top goal scorer this season, overtaking Wayne Gretzky, who finished his career with 894. The Russian sniper now has 897 and will play for at least one more season.
Given how vital a good defensive defenseman can be to his team, it’s high time the league introduced a new trophy to honour the best of the best in that field. If the league needs inspiration to name it, the rich Canadiens’ history could once again be dug into. Montreal has had its fair share of defensive masterminds at the blueline, and Doug Harvey’s name comes to mind.
Harvey spent the first 14 seasons of his career with the Canadiens, winning six Stanley Cups. In 1113 games, he gathered 540 points and 1216 penalty minutes, winning seven Norris Trophies. He possessed a keen hockey mind, and when he was acquired by the New York Rangers, he became the last player-coach in league history, leading them to their first postseason appearance in four years. The defenseman liked being one of the guys, and when he resigned as coach, he said, “As the coach, I couldn’t go out for beers with the boys”. Harvey was also offensively gifted and was one of the first defenseman to carry the puck as much as he wanted and slow down the pace of the play, he was the complete package.
Should the league want to take a more modern approach, both Boston Bruins’ Raymond Bourque and Detroit Red Wings’ Nicklas Lidstrom would be excellent choices. Bourque was incredibly sound defensively, and every NHL fan rooted for him to win a Stanley Cup before retiring when he was traded to the Avalanche. As for Lidstrom, he was very gifted at shutting down opponents and marked the league’s history when he became the first European-born and trained player to raise the Stanley Cup and win the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP.
Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
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Saturday's game between the Mets and the Tampa Bay Rays is in a rain delay and will not start on time.
The team announced a 5 p.m. start time nearly 45 minutes after the initial announcement. First pitch was originally scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
The Mets are looking to bounce back after the Rays used a six-run inning to defeat New York, 7-5, in Friday's series opener. The loss snapped the Mets' six-game winning streak and dropped their home record to 27-8.
Tylor Megill (5-4, 3.76 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Mets, while the Rays will send out RHP Drew Rasmussen (5-4, 2.22 ERA).
Megill allowed two runs on three hits over five innings last time out on June 8 against the Rockies, lowering his ERA to 3.76 on the season.
In the 2024 offseason, the Seattle Kraken signed Chandler Stephenson to a seven-year, $6.25M contract and after one season, the long-term implications don't seem very positive.
In his first season with the organization, the 31-year-old struggled at 5-on-5 despite scoring 13 goals and 51 points in 78 games. Stephenson recorded a career-high 18 power play points and provided value on the penalty kill, but for a $6.25M cap hit, the Kraken were hoping for more than a third-line producer.
As the years will go by, the expectation is that Shane Wright and Matty Beniers will continue to improve and blossom into top-six centers, leaving Stephenson in a lesser role. When they factor in Berkly Catton, who is nearing an NHL role, it puts the Kraken in an increasingly peculiar spot.
Throughout his junior career, Catton has played exclusively as a center, and his skill set best suits a modern NHL center. He's a fantastic playmaker who loves to have the puck on his stick. He's a transition nightmare for his opponents, using his speed, edges and hands to create space for himself and his teammates. The unfortunate situation for Catton and the Kraken is that he is ineligible to play in the AHL next season if he is not ready to play in the NHL. He'd have to return to the WHL, where he's proven to be far too good for.
This season, the 19-year-old scored 38 goals and 109 points in 57 games, while adding another 11 goals and 42 points in 20 playoff games. If Catton does show he's ready to play in the NHL, the Kraken will be forced to play him as either a fourth-line center or a winger, both positions where Catton would likely not thrive during his rookie campaign, which is why the decision to sign Stephenson to a long-term deal at the time was puzzling, and it'll continue to be.
While he could be hampering the development of young forwards like Catton, he was also misprofiled by the Kraken front office. With the Vegas Golden Knights, Stephenson was so effective because Jack Eichel and William Karlsson took on the tough matchups, allowing Stephenson to play a type of roaming role to take advantage of lesser matchups. If Wright and Beniers continue their trajectory, they could create that role for Stephenson, but the Saskatoon, SK native's cap hit is still far too high for that role.
"I think a lot of similarities there. It's crazy thinking that I'm one of the older guys now, it goes so quick. I mean, even this year, how quick it went by," said Stepheson during the Kraken's exit interviews. "My youngest daughter just turned one, and it feels like she's a couple months old. So, yeah, it was kind of a blur this year. But as far as playing and everything went, from that standpoint, it was fairly similar. I would say it’s just a different situation, different kind of everything as well. But I think it's just it's going to be good to just kind of reflect and know what to expect coming into next year, and just have that comfortability and experience, I guess. Yeah, I think it'll be a good season next year, for sure."
The Kraken want to find ways to incorporate youth and veterans, but strapping themselves to long-term contracts could be more detrimental than beneficial.
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The best evidence of how much Steven Adams came to mean to the Houston Rockets came in the fourth quarter of Game 4 in their playoff series against the Warriors: Steve Kerr employed the hack-an-Adams strategy, in part to get him off the court. Golden State didn't have an answer for him on the glass and kept trying the strategy the next few games (with not much success).
This is a good deal for the Rockets, the $13 million a season average price tag is below the mid-level exception for next season. With a few teams looking for a quality center, larger offers may have been available to Adams on the open market. Also, it's not yet known if the third year of this contract is fully guaranteed. This contract could ultimately set the market for other veteran backup centers, such as Al Horford.
Rockets GM Rafael Stone traded for Adams during the 2023-24 season, knowing he would be out for the remainder of the season but seeing him as a fit as a backup center this season. Adams had to be brought along slowly, but as his minutes ramped up his value to this team — particularly on the offensive glass and setting strong picks — became evident. By the end of the season, coach Ime Udoka was playing a double-big lineup with Adams and Alperen Sengun for stretches.
Adams didn't put up big counting stats — after the All-Star break he averaged 4.3 points and 6.3 assists a game in almost 16 minutes a night — but his value to the team was clear. Now the Rockets have locked up their guy for the coming years.
Max Kepler blasted the Phillies to a series victory Saturday over the Blue Jays.
Kepler clubbed a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Phils picked up a 3-2 win at Citizens Bank Park.
They sit at 41-29 on the season and will look for a three-game sweep on Sunday afternoon. Zack Wheeler (6-2, 2.85 ERA) is set to face Jose Berrios (2-2, 3.38 ERA).
The Phillies’ pitching was stellar on a day their offense didn’t produce much. Cristopher Sanchez went seven innings and allowed two runs and five hits. He had zero walks, one hit by pitch and five strikeouts. Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm threw scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Sanchez didn’t mind facing Toronto’s lefty-less lineup at all.
“The first thing I did when I got here was laugh a little because I saw the lineup, all righties,” he said. “I like when they challenge me. Even more than that, we have a game plan and we stick to it. Whether it’s a righty hitter or a lefty hitter, we just have a plan and we have to execute it.”
Blue Jays leadoff man Bo Bichette struck out on Sanchez’s ninth pitch of the day, waving at a slider. Sanchez increased his season strikeout total to 88 Saturday over 79 and 2/3 innings. The Phillies have three pitchers in the National League’s top 10 for strikeouts per nine innings with Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo and Sanchez.
The Blue Jays opened the scoring vs. Sanchez in the second inning. Nick Castellanos’ leaping attempt to catch Ernie Clement’s fly ball to the right-field fence was unsuccessful. Myles Straw drove Clement in with a two-out line drive that glanced off the tip of Alec Bohm’s glove on its way to left field.
Despite a couple of long fly balls in the early innings, the Phillies failed to reach base against Toronto starter Bowden Francis until nine-hitter Brandon Marsh knocked an opposite-field single. Francis found a groove, locating well and mixing in his off-speed pitches effectively.
The righty’s command dramatically deserted him in the fourth inning.
The Phillies rallied with two outs through basic patience; Francis walked three batters and hit two. Otto Kemp’s HBP put the Phils up 2-1, Francis exited, and Brendon Little jogged in from the bullpen.
Little threw a 1-2 breaking ball to Marsh in the dirt and J.T. Realmuto made the aggressive decision to sprint home. The gamble didn’t pay off. Jays catcher Tyler Heineman recovered the ball in time to tag Realmuto out at the plate.
Sanchez and the Phillies narrowly missed a shutdown inning. The Phils couldn’t quite turn an inning-ending double play on Bichette — the Blue Jays won their challenge to overturn the initial out call — and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. then ripped an RBI double to deep right-center.
The Phillies were unable to cash in on Marsh’s leadoff single in the fifth. Kemp lined out to right field with two outs and runners on the corners in the sixth.
Outside of Kepler’s dinger, the Phillies’ top six batters had zero hits in the game. Kepler rendered those struggles irrelevant with one powerful swing, lacing a Chad Green fastball into the seats.
After starting June 1 for 18, he’s shown some pop lately. Kepler is 4 for 13 with two doubles and two homers over the last four games.
“I think I’m starting to see the ball better,” he said. “Just be patient and continue to believe in my swing. And not worry if it’s going to fool me, make me look way out in front. Just commit to my swing and get it off.”
He acknowledged that’s not always as simple as it sounds.
“Baseball comes with a lot of doubt,” Kepler said. “It’s a mental game. You fail the majority of the time. So if you tend to overthink like me, it can sometimes spiral a little bit and you can find a dark place. But as of right now, I’m leaning on my guys on this team that really uplift me. … I’m just looking forward and believing in my work off the field, and believing in myself.”
Phillies’ plans at first
Kemp has played the Phillies’ past three games at first base. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said pregame that he thinks the rookie’s looked “very comfortable” there.
With Bryce Harper sidelined by a right wrist injury, Kyle Schwarber is also in the Phils’ current first-base picture.
“He’s still working out there,” Thomson said. “But now that we have Otto, I’d like to give him some reps. I’d like to get (Edmundo) Sosa back into a game as well at some point. You might see Schwarber in the outfield here a little bit, just to get (Castellanos) off his feet, let him DH for a bit.”
Schwarber’s started four games in left field so far this season. He’s only made nine MLB starts at first, all with the 2021 Red Sox.
