Rooker, Kurtz homer off Schmidt to back Sears, lead Athletics over Yankees 7-0
NEW YORK (AP) — Brent Rooker ended Clarke Schmidt's scoreless streak at 28 1/3 innings with a solo homer in the fourth inning, Nick Kurtz added a three-run drive in the sixth and the Athletics beat the New York Yankees 7-0 Saturday.
Former Yankee JP Sears (6-7) allowed two hits over 5 2/3 innings for the A's, who had lost five of six and entered a major league-worst 11-31 since May 13.
Jack Perkins, a 25-year-old right-hander who debuted last weekend, finished the three-hitter for his first big save and extended his scoreless streak to 6 1/3 innings. New York was shut out for the sixth time, two shy of its 2024 total.
Schmidt (4-4) had an extra day of rest after he threw a career-high 103 pitches over seven no-hit innings against Baltimore on June 21. He gave up four runs and four hits in six innings.
Rooker's fourth-inning homer on a hanging slider ended the longest scoreless streak by a Yankees starter since Don Larsen's 29 innings over 1957-58 and the longest within a season since Allie Reynolds' 30 in 1951, according to STATS.
Kurtz's homer, on a cutter, followed a pair of four-pitch walks and landed behind the right field short porch. Yankees pitchers walked five and four of those runners scored.
Yankees reliever Ian Hamilton appeared to take issue with Jacob Wilson after an inning-ending comebacker in the seventh, staring at the rookie. The reason was not clear.
Paul Goldschmidt's sixth-inning single ended an 0-for-20 slide. Aaron Judge twice flied to the warning track with men on.
Key moment
Catcher Austin Wells picked up Max Muncy's popped bunt in the eighth, rather than letting the ball roll foul, leading to a three-run inning that included Tyler Soderstrom's sacrifice fly and Austin Wynns' RBI single.
Key stat
Kurtz has 12 homers this season, including 11 in the rookie's past 22 games.
Up next
Yankees RHP Marcus Stroman (0-1, 11.57), makes his first start since April 11 in Sunday's series finale after being sidelined by left knee inflammation. Former Yankee RHP Luis Severino (2-8, 4.83) starts for the A's.
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New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
Red Wings NHL Draft thoughts: John Gibson trade, Carter Bear's fit, what's next
DETROIT — The biggest Detroit Red Wings news on Day 2 of the 2025 NHL Draft was not any of the seven selections they made on Saturday. It was a trade that broke just before the Red Wings' first pick of the day — with Detroit acquiring veteran goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks in the first big move of Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman's offseason. Fans hope it won't be the last. But already, there's a lot to unpack from draft weekend, so let's dive right in. 1. Saturday's Gibson deal was not out of nowhere. Gibson, famously, has had his name floating in trade rumors for years now, and Yzerman revealed on the draft broadcast he's been talking to Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek about Gibson since the trade deadline. But Gibson had been dealing with injuries around the deadline, Yzerman said, which meant the timing didn't work. The two sides circled back leading up to the draft, though, and finally came to a deal, which landed Gibson in Detroit at the cost of a 2027 second-round pick, a 2026 fourth-round pick and veteran goaltender Petr Mrázek. That looks like a good price, for a couple of reasons. First, by moving Mrázek out, the deal adds only $2.15 million to Detroit's cap sheet this year. Second, the main asset (the second-round pick) is delayed until 2027 — two drafts away. If the Red Wings improve, that could be a later second-rounder. If not, and they feel they need to recoup a pick there, they'll have plenty of time to do so. Advertisement 2. Gibson looks like an upgrade for Detroit on paper, particularly if Gibson can build on a bounce-back season in 2024-25, when he put up a .911 save percentage in 29 games. Detroit will want him to play more than 29 games, of course — and so will Gibson, after being supplanted by youngster Lukáš Dostál in Anaheim. But Gibson has played 40 or more games in every other full season for the last decade, so durability should not be a significant concern. He'll be 32 later this month, so he's not necessarily prime-aged anymore, but if Gibson can tap into his talent in a legit starter role, he'll elevate Detroit in a real way. From 2014-2019, Gibson was a stud in goal for the Ducks, turning in a .921 save percentage over 236 games. Of course, 2019 was a long time ago, and last year was the first time he's finished a season above .904 since then. But those rebuilding Ducks teams were rough, and his environment in Detroit this year should be comparable to what he had this past season in Anaheim. 'We're counting on him, obviously, to give us quality starts and upgrade our team in net,' Yzerman said. It'll be interesting to see the exact division of workload between Gibson and Talbot (who played 47 games and put up a .900 save percentage last year), but again, on paper, this raises the ceiling in goal. 3. Yzerman said he has remained in contact with goaltender Alex Lyon's agent and plans to circle back with that camp. He said both sides expressed interest earlier in the offseason in Lyon coming back, and that the team will consider a third goaltender. He did say he thinks top prospect Sebastian Cossa 'needs more time in the American League, and we're counting on him to play well.' He also praised 23-year-old offseason signing Michal Postava, whom Yzerman said 'played extremely well in the Czech league.' Yzerman thinks it's realistic for Postava to play in the AHL next season. Advertisement Yzerman said the team is still in process of hiring a goaltender coach — 'the last position we intend to fill,' Yzerman said, indicating they won't seek to replace assistant coach Jay Varady — and that Phil Osaer, the team's head of goaltending scouting and development, will leave the organization 'to go into an opportunity in the business sector.' 'In all (likelihood) we'll make some tweaks to how we handle scouting the goaltenders and work in development with our prospects that aren't in Grand Rapids or Toledo,' he said. 4. Yzerman said he still expects to get a deal done with pending UFA winger Patrick Kane as free agency's opening looms on Tuesday. He said he has had conversations with Kane and his agent, Pat Brisson. 'I'm hopeful that we can get something done soon, and that's my intention,' Yzerman said. 'So, we'll see if we can't get that done shortly.' Kane has become an important piece for the Red Wings, both as a top-six winger and a key fixture of the power play, which was arguably the team's biggest strength last season. He'd be a hard player to replace, and the fit has been so good for both sides, it feels like all parties should have some incentive to get it done. 5. Yzerman was candid about the shortage of potential impact players on the free-agent market this year but said the team will look at the blue line, and will look to add a winger as well — neither of which is surprising. Asked if there was a viable trade market for defensemen, he opened his answer by saying: 'I'm not sure if viable is the right word. I'm going to look into it.' Part of the issue, it sounds like, is the state of what teams are looking for. 'When I'm talking to teams right now, everybody wants — the teams I'm talking to — they want players,' Yzerman said. 'Much like we want players. What do we have to offer? Like, I don't want to trade our core players. You trade, whatever, a young centerman for a young centerman — I'm looking to add to our team, and use our future assets for that, and right now, teams are all looking to add players to their team, kind of do the same thing (that) we're trying to do.' Advertisement He did acknowledge 'there's a couple of somewhat interesting options' but added he thinks all the teams will now turn their attention to free agency, then see what shakes out and who can accomplish what they want, who might be left still looking, and who might need to move bodies out. 6. Yzerman's appraisal of the market is revealing, though. It doesn't sound like this is an issue of Detroit cautiously hoarding prospects. Rather, it sounds like the opposite: a market that also wants to improve and isn't as interested in futures. 'When I talk to teams, you know the players they want,' Yzerman said. 'And I'm like, 'That doesn't make me better.' I want to keep these players. I want to add to it. Am I willing to trade a core player? Maybe, but it doesn't make, necessarily, sense to take any position and trade that, to create a hole at that position to fill in another one.' From the sounds of it, the scenarios to watch are either a needle-moving free agent or a trade with a team that is successful in free agency and needs to move a player off the roster for cap reasons, becoming more amenable to taking back futures. Along those lines, I continue to wonder about K'Andre Miller in New York, especially if the Rangers land top free-agent defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. If that happens, the Rangers could have a hard time affording Miller (who plays Gavrikov's same position), especially once they pay fellow RFA Will Cuylle. I'm sure there are more similar situations out there (Vegas?), but Miller's name has stuck in my head as a potential fit for a while now. 7. Gibson looks like a good addition that will help Detroit, but … obviously, making at least one more splash move would go a long way toward the Red Wings' pursuit of the playoffs next season. Within their own division, Montreal went out and added star defenseman Noah Dobson over the weekend. Ottawa made a minor addition, picking up smaller puck-mover Jordan Spence from Los Angeles. And we'll see what Toronto is able to do in the coming days. But if Detroit isn't able to make another major addition, Yzerman acknowledged one other possibility. Advertisement 'If we can't do anything, maybe we get better simply by: Marco (Kasper) takes another step, Simon (Edvinsson) takes another step, Albert (Johansson) takes another step,' Yzerman said. 'Maybe one of these young guys that played in GR last year, whoever it is, takes another step and goes on our team. … I'm going to keep trying. We will keep trying. But the worst thing I can do is make a move out of desperation or panic, and move our young players out here (in a deal) that doesn't make us any better.' 8. Yzerman said he does not expect to use a buyout at this time, though that probably could have been inferred from the fact he hasn't done so yet, with less than two days until the window closes. Perhaps that could change if the Red Wings suddenly have a pressing need for cap space, but as of now, that isn't an issue. 9. OK, onto the draft class. Detroit's first-round pick, Everett (WHL) Carter Bear, really stands out as a great fit for this pipeline. As much as the Red Wings have prioritized this profile for several years now, players like Bear show up consistently on winning rosters. He's a very skilled, smart player who can create plenty of offense. But he also doesn't need it to just be pretty offense. He will give second efforts around the net, hound pucks on the forecheck and do the little things. A future top-six that includes Bear, Kasper and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård should make Detroit much harder to play against — which they need. Add in the pure creativity and skill of Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat (legit competitors in their own rights, albeit in smaller bodies), and the two-way play of Dylan Larkin and Nate Danielson, and the future forward lineup starts to look pretty balanced. You saw how well Kasper complemented Larkin, Raymond, DeBrincat and Kane in the second half of this past season. Bear isn't quite that fast or quite as big (he's 6 feet to Kasper's 6-1), but he has more pure skill, and that same tenacity could make him a natural fit opposite Raymond or DeBrincat. Or, it could allow Detroit to form a positively menacing line of Bear, Kasper and Brandsegg-Nygård one day. His versatility is a real asset. Advertisement I'd probably rank him between Danielson and Brandsegg-Nygård among Detroit's forward prospects, with Danielson ahead because of the positional value at center, but I could see Bear having the highest NHL point totals of the three. 10. Speaking of being hard to play against, Detroit's second-round pick, Eddie Genborg, has that down. He's a 6-2 winger who moves well and profiles as a classic bottom-six banger who's very willing to get physical and play around the net. At the NHL Draft Combine, the Red Wings like to ask players which of their teammates they'd want to take to the NHL with them. 'Most of the guys on the Swedish team were saying they wanted to play with Eddie,' Draper said. 'He's a big, strong kid. He can really skate. He's physical on the forecheck. A guy that is really tough to play against, and we just really liked the intensity that he's able to bring.' Yes, this is a familiar refrain from Detroit. But it's for a reason. 'You look at the teams that were able to be successful and go on a run, obviously had guys that could skate, they had guys that were hard to play against, they had responsible hockey players,' Draper said. 'And we think that's what Eddie's going to bring for us.' 11. One of the more interesting picks of the day was one of Detroit's two fourth-rounders, Michael Svrcek. Svrcek was part of a Slovak team that put a scare into Team USA in the bronze-medal game at the Under-18 World Championship, with Svrcek scoring twice late in the second period to take a lead on the Americans before ultimately falling in overtime. Unsurprisingly, Detroit liked his skating, his competitiveness and his puck skills. 'He plays a lot bigger than he is,' Draper said of the 5-10 forward who plays for Brynäs in Sweden, where he put up a point-per-game in the J20 league and got into 27 SHL games between the regular season and playoffs. That's impressive for a young player drafted in the fourth round. Advertisement 12. Another member of that Slovak U18 team was goaltender Michal Pradel, whom the Red Wings also picked in the third round. Pradel stands 6-4 and played last year in the USHL with Tri-City, where he had an .899 save percentage in his first season, but he posted a .914 at the U18 Worlds, second only to Canada's Jack Ivankovic among goalies who played more than two games at the event. 13. Detroit also took two players out of the prep ranks in this class, using a fourth-round pick on Minnesota high-school player Brent Solomon and a sixth-rounder on Grayden Robertson-Palmer from Massachusetts. Taking prep players can be a challenge because it's a different level of competition compared to major junior leagues, college or Europe, but Draper talked about the need to focus on projection in doing so. It will likely be a longer path for both, but with Robertson-Palmer, Detroit is pleased that he's going to play for Gardner MacDougall at QMJHL Moncton (which went to the Memorial Cup last year). And for Solomon, who did get some run in the USHL as well, Draper emphasized his shot. 'The one thing that certainly stood out for us right away is the release,' he said. 'The way he shoots the puck. He's got very good offensive zone instincts and just kind of a knack for scoring. The way he shoots the puck at the level he plays, you know, it's natural. And that's something that we were excited about to add. 14. Detroit's sixth-rounder, Will Murphy, is a 6-4 LHD out of the QMJHL whom Draper described as a 'big, stay-at-home defenseman.' 'The physicality and toughness, it's something that we felt, at the time, with where we were at, we wanted to bring it into the organization,' Draper said. 'Our Quebec scout, Ross (Yates) and Corey (Crocker) in the Maritimes, really knew this player. He's a character kid, he's the type of teammate that will do everything he can to stick up for his teammates.' Advertisement 15. And finally, fifth-round pick Nikita Tyurin is a smaller left-shot defenseman out of Russia who had a KHL appearance this season at age 17. Draper said Detroit's Russia scout Nikolai Vakourov emphasized Tyurin's playoff performance and was excited about him as a prospect. 'Good skater, good hockey sense, good with the puck, good first-pass defenseman,' Draper said. 'And when you're sitting there … in the later rounds, and you have one of the area scouts that is excited about a player, that's what I want to hear.'
Washington Post
26 minutes ago
- Washington Post
McCutchen and Reynolds hit game-breaking doubles as Pirates pull away for 9-2 win over Mets
PITTSBURGH — Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds hit consecutive two-run doubles during a six-run eighth inning Saturday as the Pittsburgh Pirates pulled away for a 9-2 victory over the New York Mets. The Pirates led 3-2 when Ke'Bryan Hayes singled in a run before McCutchen and Reynols broke open the game. Hayes also had an RBI single in a three-run second that put Pittsburgh ahead 3-1.
New York Times
41 minutes ago
- New York Times
Blue Jackets delight in their fortune, add four more on NHL draft's second day
COLUMBUS, Ohio — NHL general managers and scouts have been known to make grandiose comments when draft weekend is complete and a new batch of prospects has landed in their pool. That sixth-round draft pick? He was way higher on their board. That seventh-round pick? Yeah, he reminds them of (insert generational talent here) … yeah, Patrice Bergeron! Advertisement That's why Don Waddell's comments on Saturday afternoon demanded confirmation. Did the Blue Jackets GM just say that? Yes. Yes, he did. The Blue Jackets drafted highly touted defenseman Jackson Smith with the No. 14 pick on Friday, surprising exactly nobody. They selected goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov at No. 20, surprising many, as Andreyanov was predicted to go late in the second round or early in the third. On Saturday, the Blue Jackets traded back into the third round to select Swedish defenseman Malte Vass with the No. 76 overall pick. And then Waddell said … 'We drafted right, identically, as our list was laid out,' he said. 'The first three guys (Smith, Andreyanov, and Vass) were all in the top 14 on our list.' Come again? 'Correct. That is correct,' Waddell said. 'I can say, probably, it's never happened in my history (in hockey). It's our board, so we'll see in a few years if we're right or not. Our guys put a lot of work into it. We had mid-season meetings, end-of-season meetings, and meetings this week, and the list was unanimous. When you're sitting there at 76 and you're able to get a guy who is still on your top 15 list, there's only one decision to make and that's what we did.' We got exactly who we wanted! Don Waddell says we were able to get 3 of our top 14 players. Hear more from him after selecting 6 new players in this year's draft! 📺 | #CBJ — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) June 28, 2025 The Blue Jackets bolstered their forward corps with a trade with Colorado on Friday for Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood, but so far this offseason their defense and goaltending have not been improved. On Friday, the Blue Jackets were deep in trade talks with the New York Islanders for defenseman Noah Dobson, but they backed out when the asking price, in Waddell's opinion, got too steep. On Saturday, the Anaheim Ducks traded goaltender John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings for goaltender Peter Mrazek and two draft picks. The Blue Jackets, according to sources, were not involved in trade talks with Anaheim for Gibson. Advertisement The Blue Jackets did make two trades: a fourth-round pick this year (No. 109) and a fourth-round pick next year to the Red Wings to move up to No. 76 and draft Vass, and two seventh-round picks (Nos. 205, 218) to the Seattle Kraken to move up higher in the round (No. 198). They had other trade offers, too, Waddell said, but they were only pick-for-pick trades, not offers involving players that could boost a roster immediately. By now, you should probably realize Waddell is going to follow his scouts' advice and his own eyes — he saw his share of these amateur players — without caring if that matches 'conventional' wisdom or a wide array of mock drafts. Vass, a highly physical defensive defenseman, was projected by most to be a third-round pick, which is exactly where the Blue Jackets drafted him. But Waddell confirmed he would have taken Vass with the 20th pick in the first round if all other players on the Jackets' master list were taken. 'In Vass' case, when he starts to fall, you say, 'OK, let's think about teams we could make a deal with,'' Waddell said. 'We had already started down that road and made a deal (to get back into the third round). 'I read a lot of stuff — and heard a lot of stuff — about 'Oh, we took a goalie early.' But we wanted to take a goalie and we thought (Andreyanov) was the best goalie. We just felt that, instead of taking a chance — yeah, maybe I could have moved back a few spots — but the worst case scenario is somebody takes him in front of you and you're saying, 'What kind of strategy was that?' I'm a huge believer that if you really like a guy and your number is up, just take the player.' Malte Vass delar ut en tackling #HlinkaGretzkyCup #fbkse — SwehockeyGIFs (@swehockeygifs) August 9, 2024 Vass (6-foot-2, 194 pounds) is headed to Boston University next season. He spent most of last season (40 games) playing for Färjestad in Sweden's second league, but did draw in for five games with the top club. Fifth round, No. 160: C Owen Griffin — A smallish center (5-foot-10, 160 pounds), Griffin played his way into greater prominence in the second half of his season, especially in the playoffs. He had 22-29-51 in 62 games for Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League, but led the entire OHL in playoff goals (16) and was sixth in points (29). The Blue Jackets saw him play extensively this season, in part because they were checking in defenseman Luca Marrelli, a third-rounder from last year's draft. Advertisement Sixth round, No. 173: LHD Victor Hedin Raftheim — He doesn't turn 18 until August, so Raftheim (already 6-foot-3, 181 pounds) has some filling out to do. In 34 games with Brynäs in Sweden's under-20 league, he had 1-3-4 and 22 penalty minutes. Seventh round, No. 198: C Jeremy Loranger — The Blue Jackets like Loranger enough to trade two later seventh-round picks to move up the board and grab him. He's a small center — 5-foot-9, 161 pounds — but he lit up the British Columbia Hockey League for Sherwood Park with 40-65-105 in only 54 games. He's committed to play at the University of Nebraska-Omaha next season. The Blue Jackets expect all six players drafted this weekend, among others including last year's No. 4 overall pick Cayden Lindstrom, to attend their summer development camp, which runs July 2-5 in the practice rink attached to Nationwide Arena. 'We're happy with the haul we had here,' Blue Jackets assistant director of amateur scouting Trevor Timmins said. 'Now, these are prospects. I mean, we hand them over now to our development team, our development coaches, to help them develop. 'They're young men. They're prospects. Hopefully, they become NHL players for the Blue Jackets.' (Photo of Malte Vass: Leila Devlin / Getty Images)
