Posts

Posted on

Mets Prospect Roundup: Jett Williams homers, Carson Benge triples with Triple-A Syracuse

The regular season is winding down for Triple-A Syracuse, but two of the Mets' top prospects aren't squandering the few opportunities they have left to improve their standing within the organization.

There was no shortage of offense in Syracuse's 8-1 road win over Lehigh Valley on Friday night, and Jett Williams and Carson Benge inflicted the most damage. The pair of highly-touted youngsters delivered three combined extra-base hits, and drove in two runs apiece.

Benge broke the ice in the first inning with an RBI single to right, and then in the fourth, his triple to the right-center field gap bumped Syracuse's lead to 2-0. It was the 22-year-old outfielder's first Triple-A three-bagger, and seventh across three minor-league levels this season.

Williams then flaunted some pop in the sixth, crushing a two-out fastball to deep left field for a two-run shot -- his sixth homer with Syracuse. It also wasn't the only extra-base knock for the 21-year-old infielder, as he collected a triple of his own with one out in the eighth.

Call it welcomed production from Williams and Benge, who've both hit near the Mendoza Line since receiving the Triple-A promotion in mid-August. The Mets' expectations for them remain sky-high, of course -- Benge was recently named the franchise's Minor League Player of the Year.

In between Benge and Williams in Syracuse's lineup was outfielder Tyrone Taylor, recovering from an early September hamstring strain. He began his rehab assignment on a positive note, finishing 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth. He was subbed out in the bottom of the seventh.

Posted on

Todd McLellan Shares Impact of James van Riemsdyk’s Training Camp Absence

The Detroit Red Wings have nearly wrapped up Training Camp in preparation for the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season, but two key members of the team have been absent for the entirety of the proceedings. 

Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who is coming off his first full NHL season and has already made himself arguably Detroit's second most valuable blue liner, is dealing with an injury that's expected to sideline him potentially until the Oct. 9 home opener. 

Secondly, newly-signed forward James van Riemsdyk has also been unable to participate. Thankfully, the reason behind van Riemsdyk's absence appears to be a happy one. 

For now, head coach Todd McLellan continues to tinker with different line combinations, even trying Elmer Söderblom on the top line with Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin during scrimmage play. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

However, van Riemsdyk's absence from the ice in the early goings of Training Camp hasn't thrown a wrench into their plans. 

"It changes things for, maybe some line situations or something like that, but our lines are going to be all over the map here pretty soon," McLellan said. "We're just going to continue to try and experiment with different people in different places until we find things we like."

van Riemsdyk was the second overall pick in 2007 (Philadelphia Flyers) behind his now-current teammate Patrick Kane (Blackhawks). Ironically, they'd both battle one another just three years later in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.

He's already eclipsed the 1,000 game mark, appearing in 1,082 total regular season contests with 327 goals and 338 assists across stops with four different clubs (two separate stints with the Flyers). 

Getting a veteran like him back up to speed isn't going to be a problem for Detroit, according to McLellan. 

"When JVR gets back to camp, whether it's going to be here tomorrow, the Red & White game, or back in Detroit, we'll get him caught up on things," McLellan said. "He's a seasoned veteran, he's played multiple different systems in the League....he's a smart guy. We'll be able to catch him up to the pace of the team. I'll be his legs and his timing and all that type of stuff that'll have to come back, but it'll come." 

Todd McLellan: Red Wings' Carter Mazur Brings 'Hunt Menality' We NeedTodd McLellan: Red Wings' Carter Mazur Brings 'Hunt Menality' We NeedCarter Mazur’s long-awaited NHL debut on March 6 of last season had all the makings of a storybook night for the 2021 Detroit Red Wings draft pick.

As far as final line combinations as Opening Night approaches, McLellan cautioned fans not to read too much into them, as they're subject to change at a moment's notice. 

"We're moving people around. I think we have to give the younger players every opportunity to experience being on a line with some veterans, and see how that goes," he said. "But please don't read into the lines and good luck guessing, because I don't even know what we're doing tomorrow, yet."

Following the final day of Training Camp in Traverse City, the club will travel to Grand Rapids for the annual Red & White Game, which was moved to Van Andel Arena for the first time, on Sept. 22.

They'll follow this up with the opening pre-season game against the Chicago Blackhawks the following night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. 

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

Posted on

Juan Soto's home run caps six-run inning as Mets defeat Nationals, 12-6

Juan Soto set a new career high for homers in a season as the Mets took advantage of mistakes to defeat the Nationals, 12-6, at Citi Field on Friday night.

Soto went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two walks and a stolen base as the Mets have won four of their last five games.

Here are the takeaways...

-Brandon Sproat dominated the Nats over the first two innings, striking out three, but it started to unravel a bit in the third inning due to to bad fundies. After a leadoff walk, Jorge Alfaro hit a dribbler down the third base line that Sproat came off the mound to field, and the young right-hander probably should have held it, but tried to get the out at first and instead threw it into the outfield. Paul DeJong scampered all the way home as the Mets' fielders took a while to get the ball in. After a walk, Sproat got James Wood to hit into a much-needed double play to record the first two outs of the inning. Sproat was one strike away from getting out of the inning, but CJ Abrams' double put the Nats up 2-1. Josh Bell followed with a liner to left-center field that Jose Siri had a beat on, but the ball bounced out of his glove and Abrams came around to score on the double. Daylen Lile then hit it toward Siri in shallow center but he took a bad route on it and the ball skipped past him all the way to the wall as the fourth run of the inning for Washington scored on the triple.

Sproat bounced back, striking out two in a 1-2-3 fourth, but that was the end of the line for the youngster. Sproat tossed 71 pitches (42 strikes) in four innings, allowing four runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

-As for the Mets' offense, Pete Alonso was the catalyst for the team's first two runs. In the first, the slugger hit a bloop single down the right field line. Francisco Lindor, who hit a leadoff single, went first to third and came home on an error by right fielder Dylan Crews. In the third, Alonso hit a two-out single to drive in Lindor, who walked with two outs and advanced to third on a Soto single.

The Mets would get squared at 4-4 in the fourth thanks to back-to-back singles by Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte to lead off the inning, followed by a two-run double from Francisco Alvarez. After a Brett Baty HBP and Siri struck out, Lindor picked up his second hit of the game to drive in Alvarez as he and Baty moved up base on Woods' error in left field, allowing the ball to trickle under his glove. Soto capped off the six-run inning with a three-run shot to put the Mets up 8-4. The ball went out 107 mph off the bat, 419 feet to dead center for his 42nd blast of the year, a new career high. 

-Huascar Brazoban was the first arm out of the bullpen in relief of Sproat and he didn't have it. A leadoff single, then a one-out, two-run shot from Abrams cut the Mets' lead to 8-6 and Brazoban's night. After Brazoban, the Mets' bullpen was nails. The combination of Brooks Raley, Ryne Stanek, Ryan Helsley (yes, Helsley) and Tyler Rogers locked down the Nationals lineup before Chris Devenski, with a six-run lead, was asked to preserve the win. After allowing two one-out hits, Devenski struck out the last two batters he faced.

Here's how the Mets bullpen fared on Friday:

  • Brazoban: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 K
  • Raley: 1.0 IP
  • Stanek: 0.2 IP, 1 K
  • Helsley: 1.0 IP, 1 K
  • Rogers: 1.0 IP
  • Devenski: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 K

-With the Mets only up 8-6, the team scratched across a crucial insurance run in the seventh. Jeff McNeil hit a leadoff single (pinch-hitting for Mark Vientos) before Luisangel Acuña pinch-ran and stole second. Nimmo moved Acuña to third on a groundball and Marte tacked on the run with a groundout of his own.

Acuña then walked on four pitches with the bases loaded in the eighth with two outs to push across the 10th run of the evening for the Mets. Nimmo followed with a two-run single to put the game out of hand.

-Siri, getting the start at CF against the southpaw with Tyrone Taylor on a rehab assignment, not only made two misplays in the outfield but also went hitless (0-3, 2K). His strikeout in the fourth as the Mets were making their comeback had Citi Field booing. 

Game MVP: Francisco Lindor

Lindor went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored. His aggressiveness on the basepaths got the scoring going for the Mets and he was in the mix for all of the Mets' rallies. 

Highlights

What's next

The Mets and Nationals continue their weekend series with a Saturday afternoon game. First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m.

Nolan McLean (4-1, 1.19 ERA) looks to continue his dominance since being called up, while the Nationals will send Cade Cavalli (3-1, 4.76 ERA) to the mound.

 

Posted on

Yankees struggle to muster enough offense in 4-2 loss to Orioles

The Yankees were unable to narrow the gap in the AL East standings on Friday night, as they fell to the last place Orioles, 4-2, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Orioles starter Trevor Rogers entered Friday with a stellar 1.43 ERA through 16 starts this season, and it didn't take long to realize that the Yankees weren't picking up his stuff with ease. The left-hander retired the first eight batters faced, and while the Yankees managed to reach base three times on two walks and one hit-by-pitch through five innings, they failed to register a hit or orchestrate a rally. Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpe came close to inflicting damage, but their 400-foot flyouts landed just short of the wall. Rogers logged seven strikeouts during this five-inning stretch.

-- All that the Yankees could ask from Will Warren was some quality length, and much to their delight, the rookie right-hander delivered it. He lowered a bloated first-inning ERA by retiring the Orioles in order with a pair of strikeouts, and while he served up a leadoff solo home run to Ryan Mountcastle in the second inning, he limited mistakes from there and sent down 12 of the next 15 batters with four punchouts. After five, the Yankees trailed, 1-0.

-- The Yankees' luck against Rogers slightly turned in the sixth, as Austin Wells broke up the no-hitter with a single to center. But the leadoff knock was all for naught, as Orioles outfielder Dylan Beavers crushed any chance of a momentum shift by robbing Paul Goldschmidt of a two-run homer (or extra bases) and Aaron Judge of a single. The first web gem required a decent leap at the left-center field wall, while the latter demanded a head-first slide and snowcone catch. Rogers then induced a groundout of Cody Bellinger to complete the inning at 106 total pitches. 

-- The Yankees' missed opportunities at the plate came back to bite Warren shortly thereafter. He allowed the leadoff man, Jordan Westburg, to reach first on a fielding error, and then one pitch later, Jazz Chisholm Jr. botched a shovel throw to first on a grounder that went past Goldschmidt and put a pair of Orioles in scoring position. Warren's night didn't last much longer -- a sac fly extended Baltimore's lead to 2-0, and he then walked Beavers on four pitches. Fernando Cruz took over with one out, allowing a walk and an RBI groundout before escaping the jam. Still, a decent outing from Warren.

-- Chisholm made up for his defensive blunder in the seventh. With two outs and a runner on first, he cut the Yankees' deficit back to one with a timely two-run homer to right. The 388-foot blast was also memorable, as Chisholm became just the third player in franchise history to produce a campaign with 30 homers and 30 stolen bases. The other two members of the exclusive club? Bobby Bonds (1975) and Alfonso Soriano (2002, 2003).

-- Cruz returned for the seventh, striking out the leadoff hitter, but further work wasn't requested. Tim Hill entered with one out, and the lefty-on-lefty strategy backfired. While the veteran southpaw induced a grounder for the second out, he gave up a single to Westburg and then a double to Gunnar Henderson that bumped the Orioles' lead to 4-2. Camilo Doval was tasked with logging the third out, and he did just that by getting Mountcastle to fly out. 

-- The Yankees were given a crack at a late-inning rally, as a one-out, pinch-hit walk from Ben Rice, a bloop single from Judge, and a soft groundout from Bellinger set Stanton up with the tying run at second. But the moment didn't overwhelm Orioles reliever Rico Garcia, who managed to induce an inning-ending groundout to third. The ninth inning belonged to Keegan Akin, who needed only nine pitches to record his eighth save this season.

Game MVP: Trevor Rogers

Rogers kept the Yankees off balance for much of the night, and while he needed a season-high 106 pitches to complete six innings, he gave the home crowd a shutout performance worthy of cheers.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees (86-68) will continue their four-game set in Baltimore on Saturday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

LHP Carlos Rodón (16-9, 3.11 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (10-8, 4.39 ERA).

Posted on

Flyers Training Camp: Healthy Jett Luchanko Focused on the Present

(Photo: Perry Nelson, Imagn Images)

With an uncertain future ahead, top Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko is keeping everything in perspective in front of him during training camp.

Luchanko, 19, will be forced to either make the NHL outright this season, as he did on John Tortorella's iteration of the Flyers last year, or return to the OHL with the lowly Guelph Storm.

But, having gone through it all already, and knowing what to expect in regards to his future one way or another, the 2024 first-round pick isn't spending all that much time considering what's ahead of him.

"Just a lot of the same as last year. Just come to the rink everyday and work hard," Luchanko said of his current approach Friday. "No matter what, it's never going to be easy to make a team like this, so, kind of just take it day by day."

Flyers Training Camp 2025: Top 3 Roster Battles to WatchFlyers Training Camp 2025: Top 3 Roster Battles to WatchThe Philadelphia Flyers are looking to ratchet up the competition for NHL roster spots this year, and that starts with the beginning of training camp on Thursday.

The 19-year-old had an interesting 2024-25 campaign, playing games for the Flyers, Canada U20s at the World Junior Championships, the Storm as their captain, and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, including seven Calder Cup playoff games.

Then, heading into development camp and even the recent rookie camp, Luchanko spent time nursing a nagging groin injury.

And, unfortunately for Luchanko and the Flyers, he won't be back in the AHL until the spring, just as last year, due to league rules.

Suffice to say, a lot can and will change during life as a top NHL prospect.

But, Luchanko's ability to keep perspective and stay grounded is impressive and says a lot about his mentality as a player and as a person. That's undoubtedly part of the reason why the Flyers believe in him as much as they do.

A player who's already made an NHL team out of camp and played regular season games, Luchanko anticipates having to earn every minute of ice time, even as he's paired with Owen Tippett and Alexis Gendron in the early goings of training camp.

Flyers Training Camp Day 1: Big Opportunities AplentyFlyers Training Camp Day 1: Big Opportunities AplentyThe vibes are high as the Philadelphia Flyers kicked off their 2025 training camp Thursday, and for good reason. The atmosphere seems to be totally different.

The Flyers are committed to giving all their young guys a fair chance in beneficial circumstances, which, of course, extends beyond Luchanko, but he's only worried about himself and his game.

Not about competition, not about roster spots, and not about doing a repeat of last year.

Those all exist in the grand scheme of things, but the mature head on Luchanko's shoulders will take him to where he needs to go, starting with training camp this week.

Posted on

“Everyone Wants To Play In The NHL And That’s What I Want”: Canucks Defenceman Elias Pettersson Discusses Goals For 2025–26 Season

The 2024-25 season was a rough one for the Vancouver Canucks, but there were still a few bright spots by the end of it. One of these was the remarkable rookie effort from defenceman Elias Pettersson. 

The 21-year-old, who started his first North American season last year with the Abbotsford Canucks, made his NHL debut on January 25 against the Washington Capitals and stuck in Vancouver’s lineup virtually since then. Calm, cool, and collected, the defender demonstrated a confident tenacity not often seen in players his age. Because of this, he’s the current favourite to make Vancouver’s third-pairing on opening night. 

“Everyone wants to play in the NHL, and that’s what I want,” he told The Hockey News after the second day of the Canucks’ Training Camp on Friday. “I think it's just great for the competition, for the practices, for the games.”

Last season was full of memorable moments for the younger Pettersson, who was also named to the AHL All-Star Challenge as a rookie, though he didn’t end up playing due to already being in Vancouver’s lineup for another game. He also scored his first NHL goal on April 5 against the Anaheim Ducks, and got in his first NHL fight on April 11 against Logan O’Connor of the Colorado Avalanche. Still, the defenceman insists that the biggest moments of that season were the first he’d ever experienced — his debuts. 

“Always the debuts,” he said. “Debut in Abbotsford, debut up in Vancouver. A debut, you never forget those moments.” 

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Vancouver Canucks 2025 Training Camp Takeaways: Day 2

Vancouver Canucks Alumni Will Participate In 2026 Shoresy Classic

"I Want To Keep Improving Every Day To Be Ready For Game One.": Jake DeBrusk Discusses Building Chemistry, Adam Foote & More At Canucks Training Camp

Vancouver’s off-season lasted a bit longer than the team would have wanted it to, with their final game being played on April 16. During the summer, Pettersson took the opportunity to learn from current NHLers such as Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund. 

“He helped me, battling with him on one-on-ones — so hard — but I think it’s so good for me to play against such great players during the off-season.” 

Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 Player Preview: Elias Pettersson (D) Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 Player Preview: Elias Pettersson (D) Welcome to The Hockey News - Vancouver Canucks site’s player preview series for the 2025–26 season. In these articles, we’ll preview the players who are expected to play for the Canucks in the 2025–26 season. Today, we’ll be looking at how rookie defenceman Elias Pettersson could perform in 2025–26. 

The 2025-26 season will be quite different from last year, with one main change in the team being their coaching staff. Former assistant Adam Foote is now the head coach, and appears to be approaching things differently than former bench boss Rick Tocchet. The team appears more aggressive under he and new assistant coaches Kevin Dean, Brett McLean, and Scott Young. Pettersson worked with Foote last season, and will continue to learn under him now despite the coach having a different role. 

“I learned so much. I’m still learning,” he explained. “Always some advice every practice, every game. Just really good for myself and for the team.”

Pettersson has learned lots, and will continue to learn even more, as he prepares to embark on what could possibly his first full NHL season. 

Mar 11, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson (25) skates against the Montreal Canadiens in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

The Hockey News
Posted on

Phillies execute piggyback plan to defeat Diamondbacks 8-2

Phillies execute piggyback plan to defeat Diamondbacks 8-2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PHOENIX – The big picture for the Phillies as they wind down this regular season is to make sure a first-round bye is secured by either being the first or second seed in the National League.

The smaller one is for manager Rob Thomson to tweak and shuffle and have his players in just the right frame of mind heading into the postseason.

Friday night at Chase Field, the Phillies checked both those boxes with an 8-2 thumping of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

With the Milwaukee Brewers losing to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Phillies are now two games back in their quest for that No. 1 seed. The Phillies have now won 12 of their past 16 games and improved to 92-62 on the season.

Thomson designed for Friday to be a pitchers’ piggyback game with Taijuan Walker getting the start and Walker Buehler scheduled to replace him during a clean inning. If he could have gotten eight innings or so out of the duo, the manager deemed before the game that it would be ideal. He pretty much got it.

After giving up two runs in the first, Walker didn’t allow another during his four innings before giving way to Buehler, who was nothing short of terrific in his 3 2/3 innings of work.

Buehler, whose fastball got as high as 96 MPH and hovered around 94 during his stint, was in complete control during most of his 60-pitch outing. He did load the bases in the eighth on a single and two walks, but Tanner Banks came in and got pinch-hitter Jordan Lawlor to pop out to short to end the threat. For the night, Buehler allowed two hits, two walks and struck out three.

The Phillies got their first run on the board in the second when Brandon Marsh got a one-out single and scored on a double to right-center by Alec Bohm, who was making his first start since September 7th after coming off the IL earlier in the day.

A two-out home run to left by Harrison Bader in the fifth tied the game before the Phillies took the lead in the sixth inning.

Marsh led off with a single and stole second with two outs. Weston Wilson then brought him home with a single to left for a 3-2 lead.

Marsh had a chance to do more damage in the seventh when he came up with the bases loaded and two outs. But lefthander Philip Abner, making his major league debut, got Marsh looking with a fastball. It really didn’t matter, though, as the Phillies combined to score five more times in the eighth and ninth.

Nick Castellanos, who put on a home run hitting show in batting practice before the game, drilled a two-run shot to left off Jake Woodford in the eighth for a 5-2 lead. Castellanos entered the game in the sixth when he pinch-hit for Max Kepler against lefthander Jalen Beeks. He stayed in the game and provided those huge insurance runs for the Phillies.

It was a positive return for Bohm, who saw eight pitches before delivering his RBI double the opposite way to open the scoring for Philadelphia. He also made a spectacular play at third in the fourth, diving towards the line to get a ground ball by Tim Tawa. He reached base in the eighth on an error by third baseman Blaze Alexander and scored ahead of Castellanos on his homer and drove in a pair in the ninth with a bases-loaded single to center. Castellanos then drove in his third run of the game with a single to center to drive in Marsh and the route was complete.

Posted on

Giants fail in bid to spoil Kershaw Night as postseason hopes continue dwindling

Giants fail in bid to spoil Kershaw Night as postseason hopes continue dwindling originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

LOS ANGELES — At 9:53 p.m. last Friday, Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off grand slam off Tanner Scott to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park. The Giants crept closer in the NL Wild Card race that night, and given how ridiculous the moment was, it wasn’t hard to picture them rolling all the way through September. 

At 9:57 p.m. exactly a week later, Matt Chapman popped up a slider from Scott, clinching a 6-3 loss on a night that started with some promise. The Giants lost for the sixth time in seven games since the Bailey slam, and while they’re trying to avoid the math, the situation is bleak.

The late July/early August Giants returned at the worst possible time. Their dreams of an unlikely postseason run could be officially extinguished as early as Sunday afternoon, and the final week might be spent simply trying to finish above .500. Even that might be a stretch, given that they’re 76-78 and have two more games left at Dodger Stadium this weekend.

After the Bailey slam, manager Bob Melvin noted it has been a season of extremes. He smiled and said he hoped the Giants would ride the positive vibes as long as possible. Instead, they have found themselves on the other side. 

The 2025 Giants might finish right around .500, but they don’t necessarily embrace the middle. When they win, they do so with walk-offs and offensive explosions. When they lose, well, the lows are pretty low. 

The latest loss came when Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts went back-to-back, erasing a deficit and knocking Robbie Ray out of the game after a strong start to his night. Ray had outdueled Clayton Kershaw in the other lefty’s final start at Dodger Stadium, but the Dodgers quickly caught up after Kershaw was pulled in the fifth and showered with multiple standing ovations. 

Ray has had some success against Ohtani, and his fastball has been firm in September even as he has struggled overall. He threw five of them at Ohtani in the fifth, the final one coming in at 95.5 mph and sticking to the corner. Ohtani casually flipped it into the seats. 

“It was almost like he was trying to foul it off, and he hit it out to left several rows deep,” Melvin said. 

Ray said he thought it was a good pitch. Ohtani just put a good swing on it. 

“If it’s not down the line, it’s probably not a homer,” Ray said. “But he caught it deep enough to where he was able to get it over the wall.”

This is what the Giants will be up against for the rest of the decade, but the last time they were at Dodger Stadium, they tried to cut into the deficit. At the end of a trip in June, Buster Posey acquired Rafael Devers, who helped the team get back in the race in early September. 

Devers, however, is still looking for a signature moment in orange and black, and he has struggled when the Giants needed him most. Since the win last Friday, Devers is 2-for-27 with 11 strikeouts. Four of them came Friday night, including one with two runners on in the ninth. 

The stars have slumped over the past week, and given their lack of pitching depth, that has left the Giants with little hope. They weren’t even able to spoil Kershaw’s goodbye outing, despite a strong start. 

Heliot Ramos was intent on being aggressive, and he nearly homered on Kershaw’s first pitch. Later in the at-bat, he smoked a ball 431 feet into the seats in left-center. 

“The plan was to be aggressive and try to attack,” Ramos said. “We know the position we’re in. I was trying to attack.”

It was the right mentality, but the rest of the lineup would manage just one more run off Kershaw, who soaked in every moment. Long after the final out, which clinched a postseason spot for the Dodgers, he came back out to the mound to wave at fans and take pictures with his large family. 

A couple hundred feet away, the Giants got dressed in a quiet clubhouse. Ramos said the goal was still to pile up as many wins as possible over the next week and see what happens. Ray said the team is still taking things one day at a time. 

They are running out of days, though. That’s what happens when you waste an entire week in September. 

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Posted on

Jonathan Toews Making Immediate Mark On Winnipeg Jets

When longtime Chicago Blackhawks star center and captain Jonathan Toews chose to sign with the Winnipeg Jets this summer as part of his NHL comeback, the questions began about how quickly he would make his mark on his new team.

The answer to that question is “immediately.”

“The biggest thing you see is the level of enthusiasm,” Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said of Toews in his comments to media on Thursday. “I have talked to his agent a few times, and he was like, ‘I haven’t seen him like this in years. I haven’t seen him like this since he was breaking into the league, as far as the excitement levels.’ ”

When Toews pressed pause on his NHL career in 2023, there were no guarantees about a return to hockey’s top league whenever the 37-year-old had addressed and overcome serious health concerns. But now that he’s back and active with the Jets, Toews’ leadership skills and instincts are readily apparent to the Winnipeg organization.

“I was fortunate enough to watch him when he was coming into his prime (in Chicago) and becoming ‘Captain Serious’, and it was the little things that he did, the things that he did to make linemates better,” Cheveldayoff said Thursday. “Those aren’t things you lose because of age or not playing. Those are intangibles, and that is what he has. We will see how things progress and everything like that, but I think the true measure of what he is going to bring to the team is how he elevates people around him.”

To be sure, Toews’ 15 NHL seasons of experience – in which he’s played 1,067 regular-season games, while generating 511 assists and 883 points and winning three Stanley Cups – can only be a good thing for the Jets. He’ll not only be motivated to earn up to $5 million in performance bonuses on top of his $2 million of base salary, but he'll be hungry to win.

This coming season, they’re going to try to push further than the second round of the playoffs, where they were beaten last year by the Dallas Stars. So Toews has a golden opportunity to add to his terrific resume and be one of the catalysts in Winnipeg having its best year in the franchise’s history.

Five Burning Questions Heading Into NHL Training CampsFive Burning Questions Heading Into NHL Training CampsAs NHL training camps open across the NHL, there are unfinished contract business, lineup projections, rookies looking to earn a spot and pending signings and trades. 

Toews’ talents on offense may have been diminished by Father Time – in his most recent season, he produced only 15 goals and 31 points in 53 games – but the Jets don’t need Toews to be a front-runner for the NHL’s Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top point-getter. That said, they need him to not only produce on offense but also play savvy defense, be a calm voice in their dressing room and help the team weather any storm that might come its way. 

If he can do those things, the Jets and Toews will be soaring this season.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

Posted on

What we learned as Clayton Kershaw gets last laugh in Giants' loss to Dodgers

What we learned as Clayton Kershaw gets last laugh in Giants' loss to Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

LOS ANGELES — In the fifth inning Friday night, about two hours after the first pitch, Dodger Stadium started shaking. But it had nothing to do with the game being Clayton Kershaw’s final regular season start in Los Angeles. 

Shortly after Kershaw departed, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts went back-to-back off Giants starter Robbie Ray. That flipped a close game and led to another NL West loss for the Giants, who are getting closer and closer to being officially eliminated from the MLB postseason race. 

The 6-3 loss was the fourth in five games on this road trip through Phoenix and Los Angeles and sixth in seven games since the Giants briefly climbed into a tie for a postseason spot. They got a leadoff homer from Heliot Ramos, but after that it was another quiet night for a group that has seen its stars slump with the season on the line. 

The night started with a standing ovation for Kershaw, who took the field alone and then signaled his teammates to join him as he warmed up. Before many of the 53,000 could sit down, Ramos blasted a 431-foot homer to left-center, but the Giants weren’t able to spoil Kershaw’s big night. 

A day after he announced that he is retiring after the season, Kershaw allowed two runs in 4 1/3 innings. He was on the hook for a loss when he departed, but Ohtani quickly changed that with a three-run blast. 

Closing The Book

For years, a decade even, the Ramos homer alone would have qualified as a good day for the Giants against Kershaw. Nobody has ever been more of a Giants-killer than the future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, who made his 63rd career appearance against them on Friday night. 

With his second of six strikeouts, Kershaw passed Warren Spahn for the most career strikeouts against the Giants. He finished with 421 of them in 411 2/3 innings and posted a 2.10 ERA. That’s the lowest for any pitcher in history who threw at least 150 innings against the organization.

Kershaw finished his night — and possibly his career at Dodger Stadium — by striking out Rafael Devers for a second straight time. He froze Devers with an 89 mph fastball at the knees and then hugged teammates as Dodger Stadium roared and Dave Roberts came out to get the baseball.

The Night’s Other Lefty

Ray has gotten to know Kershaw over the years, a friendship that began when they played catch together at an All-Star Game. On Thursday, shortly after Kershaw’s announcement, Ray said he was excited about pitching in what would feel like a playoff atmosphere. 

For four innings, Ray looked ready to ruin the night. But he got heater-happy against Ohtani and paid for it. Ray has had good velo the last two times out and he pumped fastballs at Ohtani, who hit the fifth one into the seats in left for his 52nd homer of the year. 

Ray was charged with five earned runs. He has allowed 16 earned over four starts in September. 

Postseason Picture

If you are, uhh, still holding out hope … it’s not pretty.

The New York Mets used a six-run inning to blow out the Washington Nationals on Friday afternoon and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs in a homer-filled game at Great American Small Park. It shouldn’t be long now before the Giants are mathematically eliminated. 

Counting the tiebreaker, they are five games behind the Mets with eight to go. The Reds are two games ahead of the Giants, so even if New York collapsed and the Giants finished strong, they would still need plenty of help. With a rough weekend, they could be eliminated as soon as Sunday. 

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Posted on

Nate Schmidt Brought Big Energy and Bigger Expectations When Playing for the Jets

The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features.

Subscribe now to view the full THN Archives here

Also, go to thn.com/free to subscribe. 

Talk The Talk, Walk The Walk - Oct. 19 2021 - Vol. 75 Issue 5 - Jared Clinton

Image

(SERGEI BELSKI-USA TODAY SPORTS)

NATE SCHMIDT HAS AN industry secret to share, a trick of the trade he’s picked up over the past few months.

You see, beyond balancing that patrolling-the-blueline-in-the-best-league-in-the-world thing, Schmidt picked up a side gig as a salesman during the off-season, buying into ShortSide Hockey Co., a hockey tape and apparel company started by a few friends from Minnesota.

Schmidt stumbled across a surefire sales tactic through his work with ShortSide. It goes a little something like this: find a potential customer and use the gift of gab. Sure, it’s not for everyone. There are those without a penchant for prattle, those who feel no need for chitchat. But the good news is Schmidt likes to talk. Like, a lot.

“Usually I get on the phone and just start chatting and rambling and talking, and I think usually by the end of it people are saying, ‘Yeah, I’ll buy it from you just so you shut up,’” Schmidt laughed.

Early Takeaways From Jets Training Camp: Groups, Players To Watch, Position BattlesEarly Takeaways From Jets Training Camp: Groups, Players To Watch, Position BattlesBreaking down the early takeaways of Winnipeg Jets Training Camp including storylines from each group, position battles to watch and prospects to keep an eye on.

He’s kidding, of course. Truthfully, it’s hard to fathom anyone telling Schmidt to pipe down and not at all because of his big-league bonafides. Rather, it’s Schmidt’s gregariousness. He has a magnetism and all-too-rare earnestness to him. A conversation about hockey tape shouldn’t be engaging, yet Schmidt can manage to talk about the process of testing batches, cold-calling coaches and persuading teammates to use the stuff without the conversation falling flat.

He brings that same sincerity and thoughtfulness to everything he does, not the least of which is his NHL day job. That much is evident when Schmidt discusses his summer trade to the Winnipeg Jets and reports he considered using his no-trade clause to veto the move. In his first meeting with the Winnipeg media, he took pains to clarify any thought given to nixing the deal was no slight to the city, team or its fans.

It was simply his desire to step back and think – about moving halfway across the country to a new team, about life in a new city and about how his fiancee would feel about the move. “When guys go through and look at free agency and such, things happen really quickly and some guys always say, ‘You wish you could slow it down because it happens so quickly,’” Schmidt said. “When I was taking a look at (the trade) and looking at all the things, the possibilities, it was, for me, my way of slowing it down, to be able to walk away and just reflect on all the things that were about to change.”

It’s difficult to argue with that justification, and even more difficult when considering the veritable whirlwind that has been the past few seasons of the 30-year-old’s career.

Image

CHANGE OF SCENERY

Schmidt hopes the move to Winnipeg will spur a return to his prior form as a reliable offensive contributor.

(GARY A. VASQUEZ-USA TODAY SPORTS)

Shrinking NHL Pre-Season Could Present Opportunity For AHLShrinking NHL Pre-Season Could Present Opportunity For AHLThe NHL's recent CBA changes could lead to a longer AHL pre-season, following the NHL cutting down on exhibition games. 

Ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, with one year remaining on a two-year pact he had signed with the Vegas Golden Knights, Schmidt inked his first legitimate big-money, career-making contract, a six-year, $35.7-million deal that he believed would keep him in Sin City for the bulk of what was left of his career.

Included in that deal was the aforementioned no-trade clause, which seemed to further insinuate Vegas saw him as a long-term fixture on its blueline. That wasn’t quite the case. One season into his new agreement, the Golden Knights sent Schmidt packing, dealing him to Vancouver for a third-round pick. Less than 10 months later, Schmidt was headed to Winnipeg. “The first time it was pretty devastating to go through, because you think, ‘I signed this deal, I am going to be a part of this team, we’re the Misfits and we’re going to keep it together,’” Schmidt said. “It was a hard thing to figure out at first. I think as you go through and realize that this is part of hockey, it doesn’t really diminish the fact it is hard.”

MY EXPECTATIONS FOR MYSELF ARE EVEN HIGHER THAN WHAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE FOR ME– Nate Schmidt

And while he’s not about to make excuses, he admitted the wrinkle that COVID-19 added to matters – from the shutdown to the bubble and off-ice restrictions – made that first transition especially challenging, which bore out in Schmidt’s numbers. Across the three seasons preceding his campaign in Vancouver, Schmidt had established himself as a regular offensive contributor, with his 97 points in 196 games, a hair shy of half-point-per-game production during his time with Vegas.

As a Canuck, his output dropped precipitously, to the tune of just five goals and 15 points in 54 games. “I knew I wasn’t at my best last year,” he said. “A lot of different things go into that with a weird year and frustration sometimes. You put a lot of pressure on yourself to go in there and play really well, and there really isn’t a whole lot of time to get used to a new system, new team and real time to actually get going.”

Having gone through this before has Schmidt feeling more settled this time around. It doesn’t hurt he’s relatively close to home – St. Cloud, Minn., is roughly a six-hour drive south – and was able to settle into former teammate Cody Eakin’s Winnipeg home upon arriving with his new team. He’s getting a feel for the city, for the team facilities, and he’s starting to form all-important bonds with his teammates, which has been made that much easier by the relaxing of some of pandemic-related restrictions.

Schmidt acclimating to his new surroundings is no small thing, particularly given the Jets are anticipating he’ll be a major piece of a rejuvenated blueline to which Brenden Dillon has likewise been added. Not since the halcyon, Western Conference-finalist days of 2017-18, when Winnipeg iced a top four of Josh Morrissey, Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers, has there been this much promise in the Jets’ defense corps, at least on paper. If Schmidt returns to the same form that saw him munch minutes for the Vegas group that ended that 2017-18 Winnipeg team’s post-season run, it’d be no surprise to see the Jets carving a playoff path this season.

Trust he’s aware of what Winnipeg is hoping for, too. “A lot of the time, honestly, the expectations people make, my expectations for myself are even higher than what other people have for me,” Schmidt said. “I expect the best out of myself. I do feel good. I feel like my confidence is back playing with this group, we have a good group and it’s going to make for an exciting year.”

Divisional Focus: Jets Look to Snap Losing Skid versus Last-Place PredatorsDivisional Focus: Jets Look to Snap Losing Skid versus Last-Place PredatorsThe Winnipeg Jets aim to win three crucial divisional games over the Nashville Predators next season after losing four of their last seven matchups. 
Posted on

Blackhawks Coach Provides Matt Grzelcyk Update

Matt Grzelcyk (© David Gonzales-Imagn Images)

Matt Grzelcyk is currently on a professional tryout (PTO) with the Chicago Blackhawks. With this, the 31-year-old defenseman is certainly aiming to impress in hopes of landing a contract from the Central Division club for the 2025-26 season.

While speaking to reporters, including the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope, Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill shared that the team will sign Grzelcyk if their young defensemen do not appear to be ready for the NHL. However, Blashill also added that the team will likely not sign Grzelcyk if their youngsters earn NHL spots. 

It is understandable that the Blackhawks are waiting to see if some of their young blueliners are ready for the NHL before potentially signing Grzelcyk. The Blackhawks are in a rebuild, after all, so it makes sense that they want to see if some of their prospect defensemen can make the team. 

However, if the Blackhawks decide to start some of their young defensemen at the AHL level, bringing in Grzelcyk could benefit them. He would give them another veteran blueliner to work with to help mentor their young players.

Nevetheless, we will now need to wait and see what the Blackhawks decide to do with Grzelcyk from here.

Blackhawks Rumors: 4 Other Teams Still in Running for Matt GrzelcykBlackhawks Rumors: 4 Other Teams Still in Running for Matt GrzelcykIt is shocking that Matt Grzelcyk went so long without actually being signed after the 31-year-old put up 40 points on the Pittsburgh Penguins. But recently, the Chicago Blackhawks signed him to a PTO. I will continue to argue that it was the decision to do so even though there is one veteran on the back-end.
Posted on

Two-start pitchers: Chris Sale headlines a group of stellar options for the final week of the 2025 season

Hello and welcome to the final installment of our weekly two-start pitcher article for the 2025 MLB season.

I have been here every Friday to highlight some of the best two-start pitcher options in fantasy baseball leagues for the upcoming week and I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you that has come along for the ride with me.

It's the final week of the year. The decisions that you make now could wind up making or breaking your entire season. Now is the time to really dig in and make sure we're optimizing our rosters as well as possible.

This is a living document, so we'll update the options below as the weekend moves along.

Before we get into it, we'll start with a couple of notes on situations that may be unresolved or teams that may not have a two-start pitcher lined up for the upcoming week:

The Orioles continue to roll with a six-man rotation, so as long as no one suffers an injury over the weekend, it appears as though no one will line up for two starts in the final week of the regular season with only six games on tap. The only possibility would be Dean Kremer (vs. Rays, @ Yankees) should anything get moved around or if someone in their rotation gets shut down prematurely.

As things currently stand, the Guardians are using a six-man rotation and don’t have anyone lined up to make two starts next week. That could change though if they’re still in the playoff picture on Sunday. If that’s the case, Gavin Williams could start on regular rest over Joey Cantillo, in which case he would draw the two-start week (vs. Tigers, vs. Rangers) and would make for a strong option.

As things currently stand, Jack Flaherty is in line to make two starts for the Tigers next week (@ Guardians, @ Red Sox). There are a couple of ways in which that could change though. If the Tigers have a rough weekend and their spot on the playoffs starts to get challenged, we could see Tarik Skubal on regular rest take the ball on Tuesday against the Guardians, in which case he would get the two-start week instead. If the Tigers have a good weekend and play well against the Guardians to start next week, you could see them lock up the American League Central, in which case they may just use some sort of bullpen day on Sunday instead of giving Flaherty his full workload. Just things to keep in mind. We’ll update through the weekend if we gain any additional clarity.

No word yet on what the Angels plan to do with their rotation to fill the void left by Jose Soriano (forearm) landing on the injured list. It’s possible that Yusei Kikuchi moves up and starts on regular rest on Tuesday, in which case he would start twice next week (vs. Royals, vs. Astros). It’s also possible that they promote someone from Triple-A or go with a bullpen day, in which case we’re unlikely to have interest.

The Dodgers will roll with a six-man rotation once again for the final week of the regular season, meaning that none of their starters will line up for two starts. At least they’re consistent.

The Twins are another team that have been rolling with a six-man rotation and there’s no reason to expect them to go away from that in the final week of the season, so none of their starters will get the honor of toeing the slab twice.

The Pirates are utilizing a six-man rotation for the final week of the season as well so that means none of their starters will take the mound twice. With Monday being an off-day, they could choose to move Paul Skenes up to Tuesday and give him the option to make two starts next week (@ Reds, @ Braves), but that doesn’t seem particularly likely. It also wouldn’t impact any decisions for fantasy managers as he’s locked into lineups regardless.

The Rangers are moving to a six-man rotation to accommodate the return of Tyler Mahle on Friday, making it so that none of their starters will double next week. If Mahle doesn’t make it through his start healthy or if anyone else gets skipped, it would be Jack Leiter getting the two-start week (vs. Twins, @ Guardians)

The Nationals are going with a six-man rotation as well and with each team only playing six games over the final week that’s another team that will be without a two-start pitcher. If you’re looking for volume, this is a tough week to add it to your team.

Without further ado, let's dig into the options for the week of September 22.

Going Twice…

Note: Probable pitchers as of September 19 and are subject to change.

American League

Strong Plays

Cole Ragans, Royals, LHP (@ Angels, @ Athletics)

Ragans has been a major disappointment throughout the 2025 season, posting a 2-3 record, 5.16 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and an 80/18 K/BB ratio over 52 1/3 innings over 11 starts. This is his chance to finish the season on a high note though before coming back fresh in 2026. He gets a pair of road starts against weak divisional opponents that he should be able to feast on. Even if the ratios aren’t quite where we would want them to be, he should be able to pile up strikeouts in these two starts and will be in a good position to earn a victory as well. I understand that fantasy managers are bitter over his performance this season, but that doesn’t mean he should be on the bench for the final week of the season. Roll with him in all leagues.

Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays, RHP (vs. Red Sox, vs. Rays)

Kevin Gausman is tentatively lined up to make two starts next week – both of them at home against familiar divisional foes. He’s an excellent option whether he makes one start or two, but there’s a chance that he gets moved from that second start or has it shortened depending on how the Jays want to align their rotation for the postseason. Gausman has been terrific this season, registering a 3.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and a 177/47 K/BB ratio over 183 2/3 innings. Studly.

Lucas Giolito, Red Sox, RHP (@ Blue Jays, vs. Tigers)

Giolito has had a terrific bounce-back season for the Red Sox, posting a 10-6 record, 3.46 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and a 118/52 K/BB ratio over 140 1/3 innings after missing the entire 2024 season due to injury. The matchups aren’t ideal for the upcoming week, but there’s a very strong chance that he does make both of the starts with the Red Sox desperately fighting for a postseason berth. I’d feel comfortable starting him in leagues of all sizes.

AJ Blubaugh, Astros, RHP (@ Athletics, @ Angels)

Blubagh has impressed through his first nine outings (two starts) with the Astros this season, registering a 2.16 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and a 32/7 K/BB ratio across 25 innings of work. The only concern is the workload, as he threw only 50 pitches and went just three innings his last time out. The matchups are great and he’s a solid bet to help fantasy managers in ratios and in strikeouts. If he can make it through five innings, he’ll have a shot at helping out in wins as well. He makes for an excellent streaming option for the final week of the regular season.

Decent Plays

Ian Seymour, Rays, RHP (@ Orioles, @ Blue Jays)

So far, so good for Seymour as he transitions to the Rays’ starting rotation. He’s coming off of a brilliant outing in which he didn’t allow an earned run over seven innings against the Blue Jays while striking out three. For the season, he holds a minuscule 2.54 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and a 55/15 K/BB ratio across 49 2/3 frames. Now he’ll do battle against the Orioles in Baltimore before finishing up with a Blue Jays’ squad that is likely to be sitting most of their regulars on the final day of the season. He makes for an excellent streaming option wherever he may be available.

Shane Smith, White Sox, RHP (@ Yankees, @ Nationals)

While Smith’s rookie campaign with the White Sox has been a rousing success, he is limping his way to the finish line and may be getting a bit fatigued. He was lit up for six runs on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings against the Orioles his last time out and now he’ll face a tough assignment against the Yankees to start the week. The matchup against the Nationals on Sunday is better – assuming that he actually makes that start. If you’re hunting for strikeouts, he’s still in play, but if you’re concerned about protecting ratios, you may want to look in a different direction.

Luis Gil, Yankees, RHP (vs. White Sox, vs. Orioles)

Luis Gil has allowed a lot of traffic on the basepaths through his first nine starts, leading to a cringe-inducing 1.50 WHIP, but he has able to limit the overall damage (3.33 ERA) despite a troublesome 36/29 K/BB ratio. He has picked up four victories in nine starts and is a threat to earn a win every time he takes the mound with the Yankees’ offense backing him. He looks like a solid option for his upcoming two-start week and should be started in all leagues.

Bryce Miller, Mariners, RHP (vs. Rockies, vs. Dodgers)

After a terrific season for the Mariners in 2024, Miller has come crashing back to earth this year, posting a miserable 5.58 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and a 68/31 K/BB ratio over 80 2/3 innings. What he has in his favor this week though are the matchups. He’ll do battle against the Rockies at home in a spot where he should be a favorite to earn a victory and then he’ll finish the season with a Dodgers’ squad that will probably be resting many of its starters. If there’s any week to trust Miller after a disappointing season, this would be it.

At Your Own Risk

Mason Barnett, Athletics, RHP (vs. Astros, vs. Royals)

The 24-year-old right-hander has struggled through his first four starts in the big leagues, registering a 7.56 ERA, 1.92 WHIP and a 15/9 K/BB ratio across 16 2/3 innings of work. He has also lasted five innings in just one of his first four outings. The matchups aren’t the greatest either. It’s the final week of the season, so if all you’re concerned with is volume and trying to pile up strikeouts, he could be worth a look. It’s very likely that he hurts your ratios though and is unlikely to earn a victory in either of these starts.

National League

Strong Plays

Chris Sale, Braves, LHP (vs. Nationals, vs. Pirates)

The schedule couldn’t line up much better for Sale entering the final week of the 2025 season, getting to do battle against the Nationals and Pirates with both starts coming at home. He hasn’t missed a beat since returning from the injured list, posting a 1.75 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and a ridiculous 36/2 K/BB ratio over 25 2/3 innings in four starts since being activated. He may be the top overall play on the board for the final week of the season.

Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies, LHP (vs. Marlins, vs. Twins)

For now at least, the Phillies’ star southpaw is lined up to make two starts next week, though he could get pushed from that Sunday start as the Phillies line up their playoff rotation as the desire. He has been a revelation on the hill this season, registering a 2.66 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 198/43 K/BB ratio over 189 1/3 innings. He should be started in all leagues regardless of whether he makes one start or two.

Brady Singer, Reds, RHP (vs. Pirates, @ Brewers)

Singer has done a nice job in his first season with the Reds, compiling a 14-10 record, 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 155/59 K/BB ratio over 161 innings through his first 30 starts. He has been rolling as of late, allowing two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts and just three runs in the other. He’ll get a premium matchup against the Pirates to start the week before finishing the season against a Brewers’ squad that could be resting many of it’s regulars. Singer looks like a very strong option in all leagues for the final week of the season.

Brandon Woodruff, Brewers, RHP (@ Padres, vs. Reds)

Woodruff has been exceptional in his return to the Brewers’ rotation this season, going 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and an 83/14 K/BB ratio over 64 2/3 innings through his first 12 starts. There’s no reason to expect any sort of drop off this week. The only concern is that with the top seed in the National League already locked up, it’s possible that Woodruff doesn’t start or doesn’t see a full workload on Sunday against the Reds. It’s a minor quibble though and he should still be locked into all fantasy lineups for the final week of the regular season.

Cade Horton, Cubs, RHP (vs. Mets, vs. Cardinals)

Tentatively, Horton is lined up to make two starts next week, but with a Wild Card spot already locked up and the Cubs looking to set their rotation for the postseason, it wouldn’t be surprising in the least to see Javier Assad make that start on Sunday instead, allowing them to deploy Horton in whichever game they want in the Wild Card round. He’ll still start against the Mets and is worth using in all leagues, just don’t go in expecting him to make two starts next week. Treat it as a bonus if he does actually get the ball on Sunday.

Nick Pivetta, Padres, RHP (vs. Brewers, vs. Diamondbacks)

Like many teams heading to the postseason, it’s unclear whether we’ll actually get two starts from Pivetta next week, or if they’ll choose to optimize their rotation for the postseason and roll with an extra starter or some sort of bullpen game instead. The Padres’ right-hander has been awesome this season and still makes for a strong option on the week, even if he does only get one start, so this shouldn’t impact decisions.

Ryan Weathers, Marlins, LHP (@ Phillies, vs. Mets)

Sandwiched around stints on the injured list, Weathers has actually done a very nice job through his first seven starts for the Marlins this season – posting a 3.21 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 29/10 K/BB ratio across 33 2/3 innings. He’ll draw a pair of tough divisional foes for his upcoming two-start week, but as long as he’s taking the mound we want to be using him for fantasy purposes. The limited strikeout rate is offset by the added volume of a two-start week, making Weathers a nice streaming option in all leagues.

Decent Plays

Brandon Pfaadt, Diamondbacks, RHP (vs. Dodgers, @ Padres)

Pfaadt has struggled to find consistency this season, as evidenced by his 13-8 record with a 5.02 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. He’s coming off perhaps the best start of his career though – striking out seven batters over nine innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball against the Giants. The opponents are both tough for the upcoming week, and there’s always a chance with final week shenanigans that he doesn’t end up making the Sunday start, but it we’re chasing volume and looking to make up ground in wins and strikeouts, he makes for a solid option in both 15- and 12-team formats.

Justin Verlander, Giants, RHP (vs. Cardinals, vs. Rockies)

The 42-year-old hurler gets two strong matchups at home to finish out the 2025 season and they may serve as an audition for interested teams as he’s heading into free agency and has already expressed his desire to continue pitching in 2026. While the overall line on the season is underwhelming, Verlander has actually been dominant over his last five starts, registering a 0.87 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a 28/12 K/BB ratio over 31 innings. If he’s hanging around on the waiver wire, he makes for an excellent streaming option for the final week of the regular season.

Michael McGreevy, Cardinals, RHP (@ Giants, @ Cubs)

McGreevy hasn’t quite hit the ground running in the Cardinals’ rotation the way that most fantasy managers had hoped, but he still sports a solid 4.08 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 53/15 K/BB ratio over 86 innings in his first 15 outings. He was a difference maker in fantasy leagues during the final week of the 2024 season and I anticipate that being the case once again in 2025. Look for him to finish his year on a high note with a pair of stellar road starts. He should be utilized in all formats.

At Your Own Risk

McCade Brown, Rockies, RHP (@ Mariners, @ Giants)

Never Rockies. Never. Just don’t do it. Even when it’s two starts on the road. Nothing that we have seen from McCade Brown through his first five starts gives any indication that he can be useful for fantasy purposes. He’s 0-4 with a sky-high 9.17 ERA, 2.09 WHIP and an 11/13 K/BB ratio over 17 2/3 innings. Could he defy logic and dominate in one of those starts to earn his first MLB victory? Sure. The odds are stacked against it though. More likely, you’d wind up with eight innings of horrific ratios and a handful of strikeouts. Just say no.

David Peterson, Mets, LHP (@ Cubs, @ Marlins)

While Peterson has had a solid season overall for the Mets, he has really struggled down the stretch, posting a 7.59 ERA and 1.66 WHIP over 40 1/3 innings in his last eight starts. While it’s possible that he reverts to his early-season form here, if you’re trying to protect your ratios at this point of the season there’s really no reason to chance it. If all you’re looking for is wins and strikeouts, you can roll him out there and hope for the best. It’s also possible he loses that second start as the Mets look to set their rotation for the Wild Card round.

Posted on

Alec Bohm returns from IL with time to regroup before postseason

Alec Bohm returns from IL with time to regroup before postseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PHOENIX – Since getting hit with a pitch just before the All-Star break that resulted in a fractured rib and then developing inflammation in his left shoulder, Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm has played in just 20 of the team’s last 58 games.

Friday, before playing the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team announced that it had reinstated Bohm from the injured list. Manager Rob Thomson penciled him in to play third base and hit sixth as the Phillies opened their final road series of the regular season against a Diamondbacks team that is fighting for a playoff spot.

Bohm is hitting .293 with 22 extra base hits and 42 RBI over his last 81 games and did have an 11-game hitting streak from mid to late August during which time he hit .349. That is the Bohm the team hopes they are getting back.

“Just see what the swing looks like with a healthy shoulder,” said Rob Thomson of what he’s looking for from his third baseman. I think that had a lot to do with a lot of the stuff that was going on. I think we’re all encouraged. Watching his BP over in Dodger Stadium was pretty good, pretty impressive. He showed some raw power in BP, anyway. Hopefully it transfers into the game.

Not that injuries ever come at a good time but these came when Bohm was really rounding into form before the rib injury sat him down.

“The power was coming, he was using the field and putting the ball in play hard,” said Thomson. “Sometimes time off helps. So, hopefully it helps him and get him back to where he was.”

The other player out with injury on the left side of the infield, Trea Turner, continues to rehab back in Philadelphia with the hope still being he returns for games before the playoffs begin.

“He couldn’t get on the field today because it was covered,” said Thomson. “So, he did a lot of stuff inside. But he went through his whole routine offensively inside, so we’ll get him back on the field tomorrow. He’s probably 60 percent (running), that’s from Trea. I want to see him run 100 percent.”

Painter is dry

Top prospect Andrew Painter threw four innings and gave up seven hits, three earned runs, two walks and struck out six on Wednesday for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and, according to Thomson, that’s all she wrote for the season for Painter.

“No. He’s done. He’s tired,” Thomson said. “To me he’s had a really good year, has come through healthy and it’s always the second year when you see the stuff really play up and a guy gets back to normal after Tommy John. So, I think, all in all, it was a very successful year for him.”

This was a work year for Painter, to just try and build up the innings and make sure that arm got through things well. He made 22 starts and threw just over 106 innings. While word was swirling earlier in the season about him coming up to the Phillies, the scenario still played out well.

What’s left?

The goal for the Phillies is still to try and win every game, get the top seed and a first-round bye. But there are still some things that Thomson wants to see his team work on while still trying to achieve those goals.

“Yeah, some reliever stuff. Get a one-plus out of certain guys,” he said. “But at the same time not put them in harm’s way. Just little things like that. Pickoff plays at second. Bunt plays. Doing some little things that we haven’t done a whole lot of.”

Might that include using closer Jhoan Duran for more than inning? Maybe face a fourth or fifth hitter in a save opportunity?

“He’s done that before, so I’m not really concerned about him,” said Thomson.