Rangers acquire José Ruiz and cash from the Braves for Dane Dunning in swap of right-handers
ARLINGTON, Texax (AP) — The Texas Rangers acquired right-hander Jose Ruiz and cash considerations from the Atlanta Braves on Thursday for right-hander Dane Dunning.
The 30-year-old Ruiz has split the season between Philadelphia and Atlanta and both teams' Triple-A affiliates. He will report to Triple-A Round Rock.
Ruiz made 16 relief appearances for Philadelphia before being designated for assignment June 1 and claimed off waivers by the Braves on June 7. He pitched in two games for Atlanta, and is 1-0 with an 8.82 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings in the 18 combined games.
The Venezuelan is 11-9 with a save and a 4.62 ERA in 282 career games in nine seasons with San Diego, the Chicago White Sox, Arizona, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
The 30-year-old Dunning had a 3.38 ERA in 10 2/3 innings without a decision in five games this season for Texas. After being acquired from the White Sox in December 2020, he was 26-32 with a 4.36 ERA in 122 games for Texas.
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New York Times
7 minutes ago
- New York Times
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'I try to make myself look like that picture and remember where I've come from. How far I've come.' Thirteen months to the day Sánchez signed a contract extension that might be one of the club's most consequential transactions in recent years, he tossed his third complete game in a 4-1 Phillies win. He struck out 12 Red Sox hitters. He induced 13 groundouts. He did not walk a batter. He lowered his ERA to 2.40 in 124 innings. Sanchie Day — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 22, 2025 His evolution is now well-documented, but with every start, Sánchez is proving something greater. He is no longer some novelty. He is edging closer and closer to acehood, a status bestowed upon a certain few in Major League Baseball. His contract, one of the most team-friendly deals in the sport, will guarantee that Sánchez pitches his prime years at a discounted rate. The lefty was once on the fringes of a big-league roster; he secured generational wealth with the four-year extension. The financial security, Sánchez has said, freed his mind. He could relax. There was a runner on second base with two outs in the eighth inning Tuesday night. Rob Refsnyder, Boston's leadoff hitter and a lefty masher, came to bat. He had cracked a solo homer in the fourth inning, then struck out in the sixth. He took three balls from Sánchez to start the at-bat in the eighth. Advertisement Sánchez took a deep breath and fired a fastball for a called strike. He caught the edge of the zone with a changeup for strike two. Refsnyder fouled off another changeup. Then, Sánchez countered with yet another changeup, almost right down the middle. Refsnyder whiffed. Sánchez showed as much emotion on the mound as ever, followed by a standing ovation from the announced crowd of 43,409 packed into the ballpark. 'I mean, he got me,' Sánchez said. 'But I got him twice. So that's why I showed so much emotion.' He wasn't done. Manager Rob Thomson checked on Sánchez, who had thrown 96 pitches in eight innings. He was good to go. The fans greeted him with another ovation. 'Goosebumps,' Sánchez said. He needed 10 pitches for the final three outs. J.T. Realmuto flipped the ball to Sánchez, who snared it with his bare left hand. That ball sat atop his locker afterward. 'Electric,' Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. 'Electric. He's one of the best pitchers in the big leagues. His fastball is unique. His changeup is too. Today, he was on point. … That was one of the best I've seen in a while.' What. A. Night. — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 23, 2025 The Phillies, like every team, have flaws. But no other team has Zack Wheeler and Sánchez atop its rotation. It is what separates the Phillies. It is why the front office feels compelled to trade top prospects by the end of this month. Sánchez, 28, has changed the calculus in every way. 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The franchise could benefit from it in a massive way. 'Obviously, it's not the best contract in the world; it's not the worst one, either,' Sánchez told The Athletic last month. 'But I'm much calmer. I'm focusing more on baseball right now, so it's allowed me to stay focused on my career and give my best here.' There is something to the calmness Sánchez exudes on the mound. 'Nasty,' Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa said. 'He's worked so hard. That's why.' Hitters have a difficult time discerning Sánchez's changeup, one of the best pitches in baseball, from his fastball. He has an unusual arm slot. He keeps consistent mechanics when throwing both pitches; his added strength over the last two years has allowed him to repeat his delivery more often. He is throwing harder; he topped at 97 mph in Tuesday's start. His slider has improved some in 2025. But there is no fooling anyone: Sánchez will lean on his changeup. He threw it 45 times against Boston. It was the best it felt all year. 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New York Times
37 minutes ago
- New York Times
How Nick Sirianni will oversee the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles: ‘Run that s— back.'
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It will be notable to monitor 1) whether the Eagles deviate from that approach under Patullo, and 2) what concepts will be introduced to keep the system fresh. Sparse media viewings in OTAs offered little insight into the offense's development. Hurts said at the time that the Eagles were 'far from what we're going to be' in terms of their offensive identity. Sirianni moved to infuse the 2025 system with new ideas by making outside hires with passing game coordinator Parks Frazier and quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler. Still, Sirianni insists Patullo is also inherently capable of adapting despite their lengthy partnership. 'Even though I've been with him for eight years, not every one of his ideas has gotten in,' Sirianni said. 'And now he's able to get those ideas going and flowing. And a lot of them look really good.' Opposite from the cyclical nature of their offensive coaching staff (Patullo will be Hurts' sixth play-caller in six years), Sirianni expects to enjoy consistency in the team's defensive philosophy. Vic Fangio returns for his second season as the defensive coordinator of his home state team. Such consistency shouldn't go understated. It can be argued that the defense's turnaround under Fangio in 2024 was the biggest factor in the team's return to league prominence. A top-rated Eagles defense that hounded Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX also went from surrendering the league's third-most passes of 15-plus yards in 2023 to the fewest in 2024, per TruMedia. General manager Howie Roseman began free agency by re-signing All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, but the Eagles must backfill critical vacancies at cornerback, safety, defensive tackle and edge rusher — and linebacker, considering Nakobe Dean's recovery timeline. Advertisement In training camp, Fangio will resume the experimentation in the secondary he began in OTAs. The seven-time defensive coordinator will have three preseason games (starting with the Bengals on Aug. 7) to test his plan to keep Cooper DeJean at nickel and field him at cornerback or safety in base packages. Meanwhile, the primary options at those latter positions — Sydney Brown, Tristin McCollum and Drew Mukuba at safety; Kelee Ringo, Adoree' Jackson and Mac McWilliams at cornerback — will be jockeying for starting jobs. The strength of the defense hinges on health and the development of its youth, embodied by first-round linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who's yet to return fully from offseason labrum surgery. The defense's youth underlines the importance of the player-based leadership Sirianni promotes. Brandon Graham's retirement signaled the departure of yet another team captain and franchise image-bearer. Defenders such as former first-round picks Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith are entering eras that require them to uphold the standards of their predecessors. How will Sirianni oversee their development? How will he encourage their individual motivations? Winning is the central unifier. Sirianni said a former NFL player — whom he did not name, but said did not play in Philadelphia — spoke to the team's leadership council during OTAs. The player had won a Super Bowl. After we won, the former player said, the next thing I wanted to do was win for all the new coaches and players there. That drove me, too. Sirianni said those words made him think of a coach like Frazier (whom he'd coached with in Indianapolis), of a player like Jackson. Neither has won a Super Bowl. Neither has experienced one at all. It's another reason why Sirianni avoids the word 'repeat.' For a sizable portion of the team and coaching staff, that word is completely useless. No, it's about that different mountain, Sirianni said. He said Christian Parker, the team's defensive passing game coordinator, suggested to him a book of 'daily wisdom.' In it, Sirianni said the book stressed how marathon runners 'run the mile they're in.' They don't think about the miles they've already run. They don't think about the miles that are coming up. Sirianni will draw motivation from those running with him. 'That's one thing that will always drive me,' Sirianni said, 'is trying to get the best for everybody on our football team and those guys that didn't experience that journey that we had last year, to have them be able to experience that.' (Top photo of Nick Sirianni: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Arkansas' Wood inks $3 million deal with Philadelphia Phillies
BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON FAYETTEVILLE – Former Batesville and Arkansas pitcher Gage Wood is now officially a Philadelphia Phillie. Philadelphia announced Tuesday that Wood, who pitched the first no-hitter in College World Series in 65 years in his last start, inked a contract with the Phillies for $3 million. He was the No. 26 overall pick in the 2025 draft – the first Razorback selected – and signed for less than his $3,492,200 million slot value, but it was still the fifth largest signing bonus for an Arkansas player. 'It's awesome,' Wood told Phillies Nation. 'Got to come up here to Philly for the first time. Worked my whole life for this, so this is a blessing and I'm ready to get going.' Wood was on hand Saturday at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park when Kyle Schwarber's go-ahead grand slam in a 9-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels. 'The stadium is awesome,' Wood said. 'The fans are awesome, and the environment is incredible.' His signing bonus is just behind Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy's $3.4 million dollar deal with the Baltimore Orioles after he was taken 31st overall. Wood's scintillating 19 strikeout game in a 3-0 win over Murray State was a banner conclusion to a season in which he battled a shoulder impingement and missed several starts. Wood went 4-1 with a 3.82 ERA in 37 2/3 innings. He struck out 69 and walked seven. Phillies manager Rob Thomson liked the look of Wood (6-0, 225), who threw 119 pitches in his CWS masterpiece. 'He looks like he's very strong,' Thomson said. 'He looks like he's been in the weight room…'An exciting time for a young man to start his professional career.' Wood, one of 11 Razorbacks drafted, will now head to Florida to play for for the Single-A Clearwater Threshers. 'I'm going to work as hard as I can to perform the best that I can,' Wood said, 'but we'll let the people in the front office make that decision.' While Wood worked out of the bullpen most of his first, Philadelphia sees him as a starter per general manager Preston Mattingly. 'He has those pitches, but we view him as a starter,' Mattingly said. 'Could he do things, hypothetically? Sure, but we view him as a starting pitcher. 'We like all four pitches. We think there's the ability to develop even more than he has. Obviously he has an elite fastball. He showed that in college, the curveball as well. We still think the slider has significant room for improvement, and the changeup as well.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
