Red Sox start 3-game series with the Royals
Boston; Monday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Bailey Falter (7-5, 3.73 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 70 strikeouts); Red Sox: Brayan Bello (7-5, 3.19 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 83 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Red Sox -160, Royals +135; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Red Sox open a three-game series at home against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.
Boston has a 37-21 record at home and a 62-51 record overall. Red Sox hitters have a collective .323 on-base percentage, the third-ranked percentage in the AL.
Kansas City is 28-28 on the road and 56-56 overall. The Royals are 38-12 in games when they out-hit their opponents.
Monday's game is the fourth time these teams meet this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Wilyer Abreu leads the Red Sox with 20 home runs while slugging .481. Roman Anthony is 13 for 34 with four doubles, a triple and five RBIs over the last 10 games.
Maikel Garcia has 28 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs and 48 RBIs while hitting .297 for the Royals. Salvador Perez is 11 for 38 with a double and three home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Red Sox: 8-2, .257 batting average, 3.03 ERA, outscored opponents by 25 runs
Royals: 7-3, .229 batting average, 3.82 ERA, outscored opponents by 15 runs
INJURIES: Red Sox: Luis Guerrero: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tanner Houck: 60-Day IL (flexor), Hunter Dobbins: 60-Day IL (acl), Marcelo Mayer: 10-Day IL (wrist), Liam Hendriks: 60-Day IL (hip), Justin Slaten: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Josh Winckowski: 60-Day IL (elbow), Triston Casas: 60-Day IL (knee), Kutter Crawford: 60-Day IL (knee), Patrick Sandoval: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Royals: Steven Cruz: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Kris Bubic: 60-Day IL (rotator cuff), Jac Caglianone: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Michael Lorenzen: 15-Day IL (oblique), Cole Ragans: 60-Day IL (rotator cuff), Mark Canha: 10-Day IL (elbow), Michael Massey: 10-Day IL (ankle), Alec Marsh: 60-Day IL (shoulder), James McArthur: 60-Day IL (elbow)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
2 minutes ago
- CNET
Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for Aug. 7 #318
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. Can you identify pro athletes from just a headshot? If not, today's Connections: Sports Edition might be tough. Personally, I'm no fan of the photo clues, but there were only two today. Read on for hints and the answers. Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn't show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic's own app. Or you can continue to play it free online. Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group. Yellow group hint: Let's work out. Green group hint: Goal! Blue group hint: Signal-callers from a certain team. Purple group hint: Promising football players, 7 years ago. Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Yellow group: Exercise classes. Green group: MLS teams. Blue group: Baltimore Ravens QBs, past and present. Purple group: First-round QBs in 2018. Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers? The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 7, 2025, #318. NYT/Screenshot by CNET The yellow words in today's Connections The theme is exercise classes. The four answers are Pilates, spin, yoga and Zumba. The green words in today's Connections The theme is MLS teams. The four answers are Crew, Rapids, Revolution and Whitecaps. The blue words in today's Connections The theme is Baltimore Ravens QBs, past and present. The four answers are Dilfer, Flacco, Jackson and McNair. The purple words in today's Connections The theme is first-round QBs in 2018. The four answers are Allen, Darnold, Mayfield and Rosen.
New York Times
3 minutes ago
- New York Times
Phillies takeaways: Pitching roles in flux with Wheeler's sore shoulder, Romano's struggles
PHILADELPHIA — Zack Wheeler played catch for a few minutes Wednesday morning and did not want to talk about it afterward. He's pitched through some soreness for the better part of three weeks, according to team sources, but none of it had escalated above the normal wear-and-tear of a six-month season. Advertisement Then, in the days following a 10-strikeout, no-walk performance in which Wheeler lobbied for an extra inning, the ace reported more shoulder soreness than usual. The Phillies sent him for an MRI. 'It's clean,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. There was enough concern to bump Wheeler's start back two days, but not enough to skip him in the rotation or give him a two-week break on the injured list. At least not yet. Is there an inclination to protect Wheeler even further — either through a six-man rotation or a pause on his season? 'No, because he's fine,' Thomson said. But there is concern whenever a pitcher, especially one of Wheeler's stature, has a shoulder issue. Wheeler was scheduled to pitch Friday; he'll now go Sunday. And Thomson opened the door to Wheeler getting even more time if he needs it. The Phillies can push him another two days without disrupting anyone else. There is a larger question about how the Phillies handle the rotation over the season's final seven weeks. They would love a few chances to provide Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez some extra rest. In previous summers, this would be the time of year when the club considers a six-man rotation. Aaron Nola made another rehab start Wednesday at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He's scheduled to pitch again next Tuesday in Buffalo, N.Y., with the IronPigs. He will then join the Phillies in Washington. It puts him on track to return either Aug. 17 or 18. Taijuan Walker authored one of his better starts in two years with six scoreless innings in a win over the Baltimore Orioles. He's been a fine fifth starter. The Phillies have enough fungible relievers to reserve one bullpen spot for constant churn if they were to go to a seven-man bullpen with the six-man rotation. And, come September, they are permitted 14 pitchers. Advertisement Wheeler's health is paramount. He threw a 108-pitch complete game on July 6; soon after, he made a decision not to attend the All-Star Game. Thomson said the complete game affected Wheeler. He has a 4.94 ERA in his last four starts with 34 strikeouts and four walks. His control has been fine. His command has wavered some. He hasn't had the typical zip on his fastball. There will be extra attention on Wheeler whenever he pitches again. Before appearing Wednesday afternoon to inherit a four-run deficit, Jordan Romano had thrown 13 pitches in 11 days. His infrequent usage has raised doubt about where the club's biggest offseason bullpen addition fits. Romano's roster spot could be in jeopardy later this month as the Phillies anticipate adding Nola, David Robertson and José Alvarado to the pitching staff. What is Romano's current role? 'I see him as, you know, sixth inning,' Thomson said. 'I see him as coming in and shutting down an inning with runners on base. He's done a pretty good job getting guys out of the zone.' That sounds much like the role expected of Robertson, who pitched Wednesday in his fifth game at Triple A. Robertson signed a pro-rated contract that will pay him about $5.5 million. He expects to join the Phillies next week. He's thrown harder in recent outings, closer to his typical 93-mph fastball average. 'I physically feel pretty good,' Robertson said this week. 'My results have not been great. … It's just a matter of easing back into it. It feels like spring training for me. I don't really take too much of what happens in the game. Just trying to get better.' He added: 'I'm as close as I can get to being ready.' Alvarado is eligible to return from his suspension Aug. 19, and Thomson expects to use his hard-throwing lefty in lower-leverage situations to begin. But Alvarado should slot at some point with the setup men, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm. Jhoan Duran has the ninth inning. Tanner Banks is a trusted lefty for middle relief; Robertson figures to be the first righty for the middle innings. Advertisement That's six 'leverage' relievers, leaving two spots for Romano, Max Lazar, Joe Ross and Walker, if he's moved to a long reliever role. The Phillies have demonstrated more trust in Lazar than Romano over the last two weeks. Whether the Phillies retain Romano or not, his signing was a miss. Results aside, his stuff never came close to bouncing back like the Phillies expected. Romano's 95.5 mph average fastball velocity is his lowest since 2019 — and a full 1 mph lower than last season when he pitched with arm trouble. When possible, in recent games, Thomson has turned to Edmundo Sosa over Otto Kemp at third base. The manager said it's to prioritize defense. On the infield, that has grown into a team strength this season. 'I don't want to jinx it,' Bryson Stott said. 'I'm just going to say there's been a lot of cool-looking plays recently.' The second baseman has struggled at the plate, but he's probably been the club's best and most consistent defender all season. Trea Turner has made real strides in his fielding; he would grade as one of the better shortstops in the National League by advanced and traditional measurements. Alec Bohm, who will begin a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend for a cracked rib, has made himself into a close-to-average defender. Bryce Harper has been steady at first base. The play from the entire infield has been crisp, especially in the last month. It is needed because Phillies starters have the second-highest groundball rate in baseball. 'It's really improved,' Thomson said. 'And it's improved every year for the last three years, really. And that's (infield coach) Bobby (Dickerson). And it's the work ethic of the players. They really pay attention. Bobby is very detailed in what he does. And they work hard at it.' During the homestand, Stott made a few ranging plays that required bounce throws. He made a key one in the eighth inning Sunday night's win to protect a one-run lead. Another, in Tuesday's win, Thomson called 'unbelievable' just because of the way Stott made the throw. Stott's .654 OPS ranked 144th among 155 qualified hitters entering Wednesday's games. It's been a major disappointment. He will not hide from that. He said it's easier to prevent those struggles from seeping into his defense when he thinks about in a certain way. 'I can control every part of defense,' Stott said. 'Hitting is all luck, I think. I'll get angry now and again, but you take your best swing, you hit it on the barrel, and then once you decide to swing at said pitch, it's luck. Advertisement 'But on defense, I have control over pretty much everything, unless it hits the base. Just knowing that I can control it, it makes it a lot easier to separate the two and make sure that you don't take one side into the other side.' — The Athletic's Charlotte Varnes contributed to this story. (Photo of Wheeler: Al Bello / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Newsweek
3 minutes ago
- Newsweek
FanDuel Promo Code: Get $150 MLB, WNBA, NFL Betting Bonus
Thanks to the FanDuel promo code, new users can create a new account and get a chance to win $150 in bonus bets for tonight's MLB games. Thanks to the FanDuel promo code, new users can create a new account and get a chance to win $150 in bonus bets for tonight's MLB games. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Redeem the latest FanDuel promo code offer to get a $150 bonus bet offer for tonight's MLB games and more. Place a winning $5 bet on any game happening tonight to get your bonus bets credited to your account. Click here to sign up and secure this offer. You can place your initial $5 bet on any market available across FanDuel Sportsbook. Tonight's MLB games feature matchups like Royals-Red Sox and Padres-Diamondbacks. The WNBA brings one betting option with the Aces-Valkyries game. Now is a good time to start your account with FanDuel Sportsbook. If you are able to secure the $150 in bonus bets, you will be able to use them to bet on more MLB and WNBA games this weekend along with the NFL Preseason games. After last week's Chargers-Lions Hall of Fame Game, every other team will play their first preseason game in the coming days. This week's games start with Colts-Ravens, Bengals-Eagles and Raiders-Seahawks on Thursday. Sign up now to maximize your chances at the $150 in bonus bets and take advantage of in-app promos. Activate FanDuel Promo Code Offer As noted above, you must win your initial $5 bet to get the $150 in bonus bets. With this in mind, you should place your $5 bet on something that you believe has a good chance of settling as a win. If you to bet on one of the MLB games, you might want to bet on a prop market. Predicting the winner of a single MLB game is hard, so a moneyline bet might not be the right way to go. You could bet on someone like Roman Anthony or Ketel Marte to record a hit tonight. For tonight's Aces-Valkyries game, you could use the same strategy. Betting on someone like A'ja Wilson to score a certain number of points might be a good bet to target. Once you find a bet you are comfortable, place it and wait for it to settle to see if you win the $150 in bonus bets. How To Sign Up With FanDuel Promo Code Click here to secure this offer from FanDuel Sportsbook. You will be asked to provide basic personal information, like your name, date of birth, mailing address, etc. to create your account. Use a secure payment method, like a credit card, to make an initial deposit to your new account. This will cover your $5 bet. If you win the $150 in bonus bets, you will have seven days to use them before they expire. FanDuel Parlay Hub Opportunities One of the best ways to use the FanDuel Sportsbook app is to click the "parlay hub" icon at the top of the home page. You will find popular parlay markets sorted by the specific sport. Let's take a look at a few examples for MLB games, tonight's Aces-Valkyries game and the NFL Preseason games: Phillies, Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Mariners all win (+596) Aces -1.5 4th quarter, Aces -0.5 3rd quarter, Aces -0.5 2nd quarter, Aces -1.5 1st quarter (+1397) Over points + rebounds + assists: A'ja Wilson 34.5, Jackie Young 24.5, Chelsea Gray over 17.5, Tiffany Hayes 19.5, Veronica Burton 20.5, Jewell Loyd 16.5 (+3958) Ravens, Eagles, Lions, Seahawks all win (+4290) Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
