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Red Sox enter matchup with the Blue Jays on losing streak

Red Sox enter matchup with the Blue Jays on losing streak

Yahoo4 hours ago

Toronto Blue Jays (44-37, third in the AL East) vs. Boston Red Sox (40-43, fourth in the AL East)
Boston; Saturday, 4:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Blue Jays: Chris Bassitt (7-3, 3.61 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 90 strikeouts); Red Sox: Lucas Giolito (3-1, 4.53 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 46 strikeouts)
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Blue Jays -128, Red Sox +108; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Red Sox aim to end a six-game losing streak when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays.
Boston is 22-18 at home and 40-43 overall. The Red Sox are 29-11 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.
Toronto has gone 19-21 on the road and 44-37 overall. The Blue Jays have the second-ranked team on-base percentage in the AL at .328.
The teams meet Saturday for the ninth time this season. The Blue Jays lead the season series 6-2.
TOP PERFORMERS: Wilyer Abreu is fourth on the Red Sox with 22 extra base hits (nine doubles and 13 home runs). Ceddanne Rafaela is 8 for 34 with two doubles, two home runs and four RBIs over the last 10 games.
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George Springer has 15 doubles, a triple and 11 home runs for the Blue Jays. Bo Bichette is 15 for 49 with two doubles and three home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Red Sox: 3-7, .184 batting average, 4.55 ERA, outscored by 24 runs
Blue Jays: 6-4, .281 batting average, 3.20 ERA, outscored opponents by 20 runs
INJURIES: Red Sox: Hunter Dobbins: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jordan Hicks: 15-Day IL (toe), Josh Winckowski: 60-Day IL (elbow), Nick Burdi: 15-Day IL (knee), Justin Slaten: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Liam Hendriks: 15-Day IL (hip), Alex Bregman: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Triston Casas: 60-Day IL (knee), Masataka Yoshida: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Kutter Crawford: 60-Day IL (knee), Tanner Houck: 15-Day IL (flexor), Chris Murphy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Patrick Sandoval: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: day-to-day (forerm), Bowden Francis: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Daulton Varsho: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Anthony Santander: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Yimi Garcia: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Ryan Burr: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alek Manoah: 60-Day IL (elbow), Angel Bastardo: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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MLB's first half is done. Time for Regression Court. Plus, a busy NHL day
MLB's first half is done. Time for Regression Court. Plus, a busy NHL day

New York Times

time25 minutes ago

  • New York Times

MLB's first half is done. Time for Regression Court. Plus, a busy NHL day

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic's daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Remember, half a season is 81 games, not the All-Star break. With the MLB season hitting its halfway mark this week, due to teams having actually played 81 games each (ignore any references to the 'first half' ending at the All-Star break), it's a great time to take stock. Instead of issuing obvious superlatives and telling you that Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are the MVPs, it's trial time at Regression Court. In this courtroom, The Pulse names a handful of players who had surprising first halves (for good or for ill) and asks MLB newsletter author Levi Weaver to issue a verdict on this question: Will the player regress to his mean, will he remain under duress or will he have continued success? We begin with Jeremy Peña, the Astros shortstop who's having a career year at the plate, playing slick defense and just hired Scott Boras to make sure he gets paid for all of it: 💬 I think the breakout is legit. His BABIP is .365, so he should regress a bit, but his hard-hit and line-drive percentages are career highs, and his K-rate is a career low. So are his chase rates and first-pitch swing rates. Verdict: Success. Julio Rodríguez, the Mariners center fielder in his third straight season of offensive slippage: 💬 It has been a year and a half since we saw the breakout-superstar version of Julio Rodriguez. I think this is a fair question not just for this year, but for his career. He's still just 24, so I'm not too concerned long-term, but I haven't seen any reason to believe a rebound is imminent. Verdict: Duress. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs center fielder and defensive whiz who's ridden a powerful season at the plate to a legit MVP candidacy so far: 💬 I'm trying not to nitpick about an OBP in the low .300s, so instead, let's focus on the fact this is a 23-year-old kid who has gone 20/20 more than a month before the All-Star break. Speed doesn't slump (and defense barely does), so I don't know if he has more in the tank, but I do think this season is real. Verdict: Success. Jarren Duran, the Red Sox center fielder who's had a lousy year after defense and offense made him one of the best players in baseball in 2024: 💬 I just (finally) started watching the Red Sox series on Netflix this week, and Duran's story is relatable for me. Perfectionism can drive you to work hard, sure. But ironically, once you get where you're going, it's poison. Did you know Duran was worth 8.7 bWAR last year? Fifth-best in the league. More than Juan Soto or Francisco Lindor. He's extremely talented, but I find myself wondering if he's still insulting himself after every mistake. If he can find some peace, a positive regression is inevitable. Hopeful verdict: Regress. I also asked Levi about a few teams that had odd first halves. He thinks the Braves should consider selling at the trade deadline and that the Rockies are breaking the losses record. Asked to explain the excellent Rays, he only says, 'That's left to God and mystery.' Thanks to Levi, whom you can read all the time in The Windup. Court adjourned. Raptors part ways with Ujiri Masai Ujiri is out as president and vice chairman of the Toronto Raptors after 12 years. The decision to split with the executive who brought the team a championship in 2019 came just one day after the conclusion of the NBA Draft. Ujiri's rocky relationship with Edward Rodgers, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment's executive chairman of the board, likely doomed his future in Toronto. 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Yankees first-half awards: Aaron Judge for MVP, but who's LVP?
Yankees first-half awards: Aaron Judge for MVP, but who's LVP?

New York Times

timean hour ago

  • New York Times

Yankees first-half awards: Aaron Judge for MVP, but who's LVP?

NEW YORK — Will Warren didn't seem worried at all. The bases were loaded. The count was full. Gio Urshela was at the plate, and it was the first inning. Warren reached back and ripped a 94 mph sinker that dotted the outside corner. Urshela didn't swing, the umpire called strike three, and it set the New York Yankees' starting pitcher on a path to yet another big night. Advertisement Warren threw five scoreless innings, striking out seven while walking four, in a 3-0 win over the Athletics at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. The game represented the halfway mark of the regular season for the Yankees, who at 47-34 hold a 1 1/2-game lead in the American League East. And Warren's showing was another example of why he's been the Yankees' rookie of the year for the first half of the 2025 season. Warren has a 5-4 record and a 4.37 ERA, giving the Yankees at least the chance to win just about every day, though he usually offers even more. Over his last four starts, he has a 1.96 ERA. He's allowed three or fewer runs in 13 starts. Warren leads MLB rookies in starts (17) and strikeouts (103). Will Warren, Disgusting Sweeper. 🤮 — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 28, 2025 Manager Aaron Boone said he wasn't losing faith in the 26-year-old as he walked three of the first five batters he faced Friday, though he did tell the bullpen to have Allan Winans warm up in case Warren couldn't right the ship. 'Honestly a lot of confidence that we don't have to trick 'em,' Boone said. 'He's got the stuff to go right after them.' The biggest difference for Warren this season? 'I feel like he's really starting to use his sinker and his four-seamer really well with a lot of faith in it and in the strike zone,' Boone said. 'He knows he can go in the strike zone with both of those pitches if he executes. He doesn't have to run from contact. Those two pitches really play for him.' Warren has shown that he deserves to remain in the rotation when Luis Gil returns from the injured list sometime after the All-Star break. Here are our other first-half awards for the Yankees. Who else? Judge is in the midst of one of his best seasons, and that's saying something. The 33-year-old is leading MLB in the following categories: batting average (.358), on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.712), OPS (1.170) and fWAR (6.1). Judge's 28 homers are the third-most in baseball. And he hasn't missed a full game. When he was announced as the biggest vote-getter for this year's American League All-Star team, he became the fourth player since fan balloting returned in 1970 to lead the majors in voting at least three times (Ken Griffey Jr., 5; Rod Carew, 4; Ichiro Suzuki, 3). The best player in the game, of course, is the most valuable player on the team. Advertisement LeMahieu brings leadership to the Yankees' clubhouse. He sets an example of how to prepare every day. He has also been the Yankees' least productive everyday player. He didn't debut until May 13 after missing the beginning of the season with a left calf strain. When he first returned, he appeared to be moving better than he had at any point over his last two injury-plagued years. But he's struggled significantly of late. Over 13 games entering Friday, he had posted just a .384 OPS with only one extra-base hit. His season marks of a 92.5 mph average exit velocity and 50 percent hard-hit rate are encouraging. His expected weighted on-base percentage of .304 is not. Fried might start for the AL All-Star team. When the Yankees signed Fried to an eight-year, $217 million deal, the move was almost universally applauded, though some eyebrows were raised at the length. Nobody's questioning it now. The lefty leads MLB in wins with 10, and his 1.92 ERA is second among starting pitchers. He's top 10 in WHIP (0.94) and batting average against (.204). Fried has also become a clubhouse leader in a mold similar to Gerrit Cole. 'Ten wins in half a season is not easy to do, in any era, especially now,' Boone told reporters in Cincinnati this week. 'It's just a testament to how good he's been and how efficient he's been. Needless to say, he's been enormous for us, whether it's coming off a loss or extending a streak. His consistency's been great.' Carrasco's stay was brief but impactful, in the wrong way. The 38-year-old was 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA in eight games (six starts), and it seemed like he just didn't have it anymore in the 16th season of an otherwise impressive career. He made his last Yankees appearance on May 4. Then the team designated him for assignment. He's since hung around Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but he hasn't been good there either, with a 4.95 ERA in six games. Carrasco was a positive force inside the Yankees' clubhouse during spring training and at the beginning of the season, but he didn't get it done on the field.

Celtics trade Jrue Holiday to Portland. Who will they get in return?
Celtics trade Jrue Holiday to Portland. Who will they get in return?

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Celtics trade Jrue Holiday to Portland. Who will they get in return?

The Portland Trail Blazers are reacquiring two-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday from the Celtics, sending guard Anfernee Simons and two future second-round draft picks to Boston in return, ESPN reported on Monday night. Holiday, 35, who will earn $32.4 million next season, is owed a total of approximately $72 million in 2026-27 and 2027-28, after which his four-year, $134.4 million contract that he signed with the Celtics in April 2024 expires. Advertisement Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Simons joins the Celtics on an expiring contract. Per ESPN, the deal saves Boston $40 million in luxury tax payments next season. Mar 24, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) dribbles the ball against the Sacramento Kings in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson/Imagn Images In 2023, Portland landed Holiday in a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks for Damian Lillard, then sent the 16-year veteran to Boston and acquired a pair of first-round picks. Holiday never played a game for the Blazers. Per the report, the Celtics are actively involved in trade talks involving multiple players on their roster following Jayson Tatum's Achilles tear in the second round of the playoffs. In his first season with the Celtics, Holiday played an instrumental role in the team's run to the NBA title, shooting a career-high 42.9 percent from 3-point range in 2023-24 and earning All-Defensive team honors. Advertisement Holiday was a first-round pick (No. 17 overall) of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2009. He has career averages of 15.8 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals with the 76ers (2009-13), New Orleans Pelicans (2013-20), Bucks (2020-23) and Celtics in 1,037 games (956 starts). He won his first NBA title with Milwaukee in 2021 and is a six-time All-Defensive selection. Simons, 26, was also a first-round selection, picked at No. 24 by the Blazers in 2018. In seven seasons with Portland he posted 15.0 points, 3.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds over 389 games (213 starts). He should fit in with the Celtics' offensive approach, as he has averaged nearly nine 3-point attempts per game the last three seasons and is a career 38.1 percent shooter from distance. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Boston Celtics trade Jrue Holiday to Portland for Anfernee Simons

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