Pros, cons of MLB Tokyo Series timing for players
Dan Patrick dives into the Dodgers-Cubs series in Japan, sharing why he believes the games disrupt the timeline of MLB player preparation for the season and calls into question when the true Opening Day is.
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CBS News
13 minutes ago
- CBS News
Rookie Marcelo Mayer homers twice to help Red Sox hold off Rays 4-3
By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer Rookie Marcelo Mayer hit two of Boston's four solo home runs and the Red Sox outlasted the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Wednesday night. Abraham Toro added a go-ahead homer in the fifth inning, and Jarren Duran also hit one to help Boston earn its second series win over the Rays this season. Walker Buehler (5-4) allowed three runs off six hits over seven innings and struck out seven to earn his fifth victory since coming off the injured list on May 20. Aroldis Chapman pitched a scorelless ninth to get his 12th save. Yandy Díaz had a two-run homer for Tampa Bay. Zack Littell (6-6) lasted six innings, yielding eight hits and striking out six. It was just the third time in 19 games that a Rays starter has allowed more than three earned runs in 19 games. The Red Sox needed their bullpen to get out of a late jam. With Boston leading 4-3 with one out in the eighth, Tampa Bay loaded the bases. But Greg Wiessert struck out Matt Thaiss to end the threat. Key moment After Duran opened the game with a first-pitch homer, Mayer added his own in the second inning, hooking Littell's slider 418 feet over the wall in the right field corner. Two innings later, Marcelo hit his second of the day, this time roping a 410-foot fastball from Littell that landed in nearly the same spot as his first. Key stats At 22 years and 181 days old Mayer is the youngest Red Sox player to have a multi-homer game since Rafael Devers in 2018. Up next LHP Garrett Crochet (6-4, 2.35 ERA) gets the ball when the Red Sox open a three-game series with the visiting New York Yankees on Friday. RHP Taj Bradley (4-5, 3.95) opens the Rays' three-game series in New York on Friday against the Mets.
USA Today
18 minutes ago
- USA Today
Dodgers win battle vs. Padres in MLB's hottest rivalry: 'Playoff atmosphere'
Dodgers win battle vs. Padres in MLB's hottest rivalry: 'Playoff atmosphere' Show Caption Hide Caption Seattle Mariners' newest player shares promotion with family Cole Young announces his move to the big leagues playing for Seattle Mariners during an emotional phone call with his family. SAN DIEGO — Everyone in Southern California has driven on the dreadful Interstate 5 with its consistent traffic and it isn't just the highway that connects the West Coast from America's northern and southern borders: it's where baseball's hottest rivalry resides. Dodger Stadium and Petco Park are connected by the highway, and to the south is where one of the top series in MLB commenced this week. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres met for the first time since their thrilling 2024 National League Division Series matchup, and renewed the rivalry in their growing battle not just for Southern California supremacy – but for the top of the sport. In the season-long heavyweight battle, Round 1 went to the Dodgers, taking two of three in San Diego. 'The atmosphere is great,' said Dodgers outfielder Michael Conforto, in his first season with the club. 'It definitely felt different in this series. So, that's a good start to my career with this rivalry.' There's plenty of historical rivalries in MLB. There's the Red Sox-Yankees, Dodgers-Giants and Cardinals-Cubs to name a few. While bitterness will always be present in those big-time rivalries, it's fair to say none are generating more heat in 2025 than the Dodgers and Padres. San Diego was one win away from eliminating the Dodgers in last year's postseason before Los Angeles won two do-or-die games to advance en route to the World Series. With a loaded roster of veterans and young stars, San Diego will take another shot at slaying the dragon, while the MVPs of Los Angeles try to quell a Padres club that has a legitimate shot to win its first World Series. Now, whenever these two teams are in opposite dugouts, the stadium is filled and the atmosphere feels like it's October – even if it's a Wednesday afternoon game in June. 'This being a playoff atmosphere – against this team – awesome series to be a part of,' said Dodgers pitcher Ben Casparius. The series started very similar to what transpired in October 2024. The first game was a back-and-forth affair with 11 runs scored in the first three innings before the Dodgers won it at the end 8-7 – this time in extra innings. In game No. 2, the Padres blitzed Los Angeles and Dylan Cease mowed down the lineup for a 11-1 rout. In the rubber-match, in front of a sold-out crowd of 45,481, the injury-plagued Dodgers pitching staff limited San Diego to four hits and Teoscar Hernandez woke up from his slump with a game-changing three-run home run to push the defending champions to a 5-2 victory. Before the series started, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts tried to downplay its significance. But it's easy to see how badly each side wants the upper hand. Roberts said it was 'really important' to win the series opener, and find a way to at least split the last two games. Believe the Padres know how significant this first matchup was. Even though they have proved they are more than formidable, the series loss is a reminder they still are trying to prove they aren't the little brother to Los Angeles – especially after how last season ended. "This year, we're going out there to try and take them down,' said Padres third baseman Manny Machado. 'We've been trying to do it for a couple years now, and we are going to continue to try to do it until we reach our goal." NL West is the gauntlet of MLB While San Diego and Los Angeles are separated by the 124-mile stretch on the highway, go up to the Bay Area and and you'll find one team seeking to throw a wrench into the SoCal showdown: the San Francisco Giants. Considered an enigma to begin the season, the Giants have found some of the magic that propelled their 107-win 2021 season. They entered Wednesday winners of six straight, and thanks to San Diego's loss, they sit in second place in the NL West, one game behind the Dodgers and one game ahead of the Padres. And you can't forget the Arizona Diamondbacks 6 ½ games behind. San Francisco will head to Los Angeles to face their longtime rival in a three-game weekend series at Dodger Stadium this weekend. After dueling the Giants for first place in the division, the Dodgers welcome these Padres for a four-game set. This comes in the middle of the Dodgers' 26 straight games against teams with winning records. 'It's the gauntlet,' Roberts said. While there's a bigger spotlight when San Diego and Los Angeles face off, you can't write off the Giants from causing havoc. Should San Francisco continue rolling, it could leave its NL West counterparts fighting for wild-card positioning instead of a division title. But for now, the Dodgers and Padres remain among the favorites to contend for a World Series, and it makes for a blockbuster, star-studded affair in all 13 meetings this season. For as much as either side wants to win the regular season series, it historically doesn't mean much should they meet in October for the fourth time in six postseasons. In 2022, the Dodgers dominated the regular season meetings at 14-5, only for the team with the best record in baseball to lose the NLDS in four games. Last season, the Padres won the regular season series 8-5, the first time they've done so since 2010. The reward? Losing to the eventual World Series champions in the divisional series after jumping to a 2-1 series lead. 'It's fun playing these guys. I think they know they're talented, we know we're talented,' Roberts said. 'It's a fun series. It's a big series, but it's not the end all be all – certainly in June.'
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hernández: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is always the calm center during the storm
Dave Roberts wasn't pretending to be calm. He was calm. None of this was new to him, the depleted starting rotation, the fatigued bullpen, the division rivals within striking distance. Under similar circumstances in past seasons, Roberts pointed out, 'We've gotten to the other side.' Advertisement The Dodgers won a World Series like this last year. They have won the National League West in 12 of the last 13 seasons. They usually reach 'the other side.' So rather than panic, Roberts waits. He waits for the end of a particularly difficult 26-game stretch, and when Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell can pitch again. Roberts won't say this publicly, but the Dodgers just have to tread water until they are whole. They claimed a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday to win for the second time in their three-game series at Petco Park, preserving their lead in the NL West. The Dodgers host the second-place San Francisco Giants in a three-game series that starts Friday and the third-place Padres in a four-game series that opens Monday, after which their schedule will become noticeably softer. Advertisement Read more: Teoscar Hernández's home run helps lift Dodgers to series win over Padres Their remaining opponents before the All-Star break: the Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers. The post-All-Star Game schedule is extremely manageable as well. Provided a couple of their starting pitchers return as anticipated, the Dodgers should be able to not just win their division but also secure a top-two seed in the NL, which would give them a first-round bye in the playoffs. As it is, the Dodgers are 41-27, only ½ game behind the Chicago Cubs, the league's current No. 2 team. Dodgers players have taken on Roberts' understated confidence and make-do-with-what-you-have approach, which explains how the team has survived a 19-game stretch in which every opponent had a winning record. The Dodgers were 10-9 in those games. Advertisement 'Character,' Roberts said. Roberts specifically pointed to Teoscar Hernández, who broke out of a slump Wednesday to hit a key three-run home run; to Freddie Freeman, who he revealed is now dealing with a quadriceps injury in addition to his ankle problems; to Mookie Betts, who has continued to play high-level shortstop while playing with a broken toe. 'Guys are not running from the middle part of the season, the stretch we're going through,' Roberts said. 'We're just finding ways to win.' Teoscar Hernández circles the bases after his three-run homer. (Derrick Tuskan / Associated Press) The series win against the Padres was also a credit to Roberts' ability, and willingness, to play the long game. Advertisement With Tony Gonsolin put on the injured list last week, the Dodgers were forced to schedule two bullpen games in San Diego. By punting on the first and refraining from using any of his go-to relievers in a loss, Roberts ensured his team would be positioned to win the series finale. Again, this was nothing new, as Roberts basically forfeited games in both the NL Championship Series and World Series last year with the remainder of the series in mind. Roberts elected to send opener Ben Casparius back to the mound to pitch a fourth inning on Wednesday rather than replace him with Jack Dreyer, whom Roberts has grown to trust. The extra inning made a difference. Lou Trivino pitched to the bottom of the Padres' lineup in the fifth inning, allowing Roberts to deploy Dreyer against the heart of the order in the sixth. When Michael Kopech walked the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Roberts responded with the necessary degree of urgency rather than allow the recently activated Kopech to try to pitch his way out of trouble. Roberts summoned Anthony Banda, who retired Luis Arráez and Manny Machado to maintain the Dodgers' 4-2 advantage. Advertisement 'The bullpen has certainly been used and pushed,' Roberts said. 'I just think it speaks to the character.' And it says something about the manager as well. Roberts is now in his 10th season as the manager of the Dodgers. He has managed 1,426 games for them in the regular season and another 100 in the postseason. At this point, there's not much he hasn't seen, including what the team is dealing with now. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
