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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
'Disciplined' Twins seek series victory vs. Dodgers
The Minnesota Twins have delivered an impressive impersonation of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. 'Disciplined' Twins seek series victory vs. Dodgers The Twins worked seven walks and took complete advantage of a shaky defense in a 10-7 win on Tuesday in Los Angeles. They head into Wednesday's game against the Dodgers with a chance at a series victory. Tuesday's win was just the third in 15 games for the Twins against the Dodgers since 2017. Minnesota's relentless attack Tuesday included two hits and two walks from both Carlos Correa and Ty France. Correa scored four runs and France, a native of nearby West Covina, Calif., added three. Christian Vazquez had two hits with three RBIs, while Royce Lewis also drove in a run in three different innings and none of them from a base hit. Royce, who hails from nearby Orange County, brought home runs with a fielder's choice, a bases-loaded walk and a comebacker with the bases loaded. "We stayed very disciplined," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "We tried to just force them into the zone. I think our guys were watching the game, paying attention to other guys' at-bats, and then taking those thoughts to the plate themselves. And when we did get some pitches, we hit good pitches too. ... There was a lot of nodding and approval in the dugout." After losing two of three at Colorado, the Twins can head home with a break- even road trip when they send right-hander Chris Paddack to the mound on Wednesday. Paddack, who played three seasons with the San Diego Padres, is 1-4 with a 6.63 ERA in eight career starts against the Dodgers. He is 0-3 with 7.77 ERA in five starts at Dodger Stadium. After giving up six runs in five innings against the Chicago Cubs in a loss before the All-Star break to the Chicago Cubs, Paddack returned Friday to give up five runs over five innings in another loss, this one to the Rockies. Four of those runs came in the first inning. The Dodgers will turn to right-hander Tyler Glasnow , who made five starts before he went on the injured list in late April with shoulder inflammation. He has allowed two runs, and just one earned, over the first two starts of his comeback. Glasnow is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in three career outings against the Twins. "He's in a really good spot," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I think that he's really focused. Certainly very helpful having him back, and there's a lot of clarity going on right now with Tyler." There is less clarity with a defense that committed two errors on Tuesday and was sloppy at best The bullpen took another hit when right-hander Ben Casparius exited with a calf injury, one game after lefty Tanner Scott departed with elbow inflammation. There are no concerns with two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who has a home run in four consecutive games for the first time in his career. One of those games included a three-inning pitching performance against the Twins in a 5-2 victory Monday. "Seems like every night he's doing his part," Roberts said of Ohtani. "He's not letting the scoreboard dictate his effort. He's in there every night. He's taking good at-bats. ... I think the offense is starting to show some life." Field Level Media This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Behind Matt Shaw, Cubs chase series win vs. Royals
July 23 - The All-Star break provided a welcome respite for Chicago Cubs rookie third baseman Matt Shaw, who is eager to leave his first-half struggles behind. Shaw looks to maintain his recent surge when the Cubs face the visiting Kansas City Royals on Wednesday afternoon in the rubber match of a three-game series. The Cubs are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers atop the National League Central, while the Royals are 4 1/2 games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League. Kansas City recorded a season-high run total in Monday's 12-4 win before being shut out for the 11th time on Tuesday. The Royals were stymied by Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, who pitched seven scoreless innings in the Cubs' 6-0 victory. Chicago center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong returned after missing one game with a bruised right knee and went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Shaw contributed two hits and an RBI and has hit safely in all five games since the All-Star break, batting .533 (8-for-15) with two home runs and five RBIs during the stretch. Despite Shaw's encouraging play over the past week, his disappointing batting average (.221) has led many to believe that Chicago could be shopping for a third baseman ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. For his part, Shaw said he is bringing a fresh perspective to the game following the All-Star break. "I think getting some time off was really important," Shaw said. "That was nice. Just kind of reassessing the first half and kind of realizing some of my motivations in the game allowed me to feel a little more comfortable in the box." Chicago will send right-hander Colin Rea (8-3, 3.80 ERA) to the mound in the series finale. He won his fourth straight start last Friday in a 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Rea, 35, gave up one run over five frames in the outing and has allowed a total of five runs across 23 2/3 innings over his last four starts. Jonathan India is 2-for-10 (.200) with a home run against Rea, who has a 7.71 ERA in three career games (two starts) versus Kansas City. The Royals will counter with right-hander Seth Lugo (6-5, 2.94), who allowed a season-high five runs in six innings and received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Friday. Lugo, 35, has posted a 3.93 ERA in three outings this month after going 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA in five outings in June. Dansby Swanson is 2-for-18 (.111) against Lugo, who is 0-4 with a 5.91 ERA in 14 career games (four starts) versus the Cubs. The Royals are hoping to bounce back after being held to six singles in Tuesday's loss, including one by catcher Salvador Perez. Perez, 35, is batting .359 with eight home runs and 17 RBIs in his last 17 games. "It's a long season, just trying to make adjustments," Perez said. "My first half was a little slow, and I just kept working, talking to my hitting coach. I try to do my best every time I step out to home plate and help my team to win." --Field Level Media
New York Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
How are the Brewers doing this? Lessons from a win streak that could matter in October
The Milwaukee Brewers have come a long way since March 31. That day, they woke up winless after their first four games, visions of torpedo bats keeping them up at night, and on the receiving end of the worst opening series ever in terms of run differential. Thirty-two runs in the hole, projections said they had a 20 percent chance of making the playoffs and were likely to be an under .500 team. Advertisement On Tuesday night, their 11-game win streak was snapped in a 1-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners, leaving them tied for MLB's best record at 60-41 next to the Chicago Cubs. Still, what a difference a couple of months can make. Writ large, this is a prototypical Brewers team that excels at run prevention and struggles to slug. That stuff is still true of this team. Look at their ranks in key offensive stats and you'll see an old-school spray the ball and run team — they put balls in play, yes, but not with authority. Going into play last night, the Brewers' lineup ranked: Their patron saint might as well be second baseman Brice Turang, who has 18 steals, a mid-.300s OBP and will barely hit more than 10 homers this year. He's a true Brewer, not only because of what he does at the plate and the base paths, but also because he's an excellent defender — no teammate of his has played 500 innings in the field and put up a negative defensive value, according to Statcast. That's part of why Milwaukee has been so good at preventing runs, but it's not the whole reason. This staff has a top-five ERA and has some newly (and usually cheaply) acquired pitchers who are out-performing their career numbers. It's remarkable when you take a look: Pitching coach Chris Hook deserves a lot of credit, but this has to be seen as a sign of organizational good health — it takes good analysts, scouts and executives to pull this off at scale. The Brewers do this all the time — in the last five years, they've beaten their projected runs allowed … four times. And the other year, they pretty much performed exactly as projected. They consistently have above-average stuff and also locate well — 'throw good stuff in the zone,' as Tobias Myers said in the spring — and do so with pitchers who didn't cost a lot to acquire. Advertisement Of course, regression could be coming for a staff like this, especially when you consider that over the last two weeks, they've produced an ERA under three as a team. You can say that of any team during a glorious streak. Any win streak takes a certain amount of luck to go with the talent to pull it off. But is there something happening during this streak that could be more important for the Brewers? On the pitching side, this was a team that was scrambling for starters at one point. Ten pitchers took the ball in the first inning in March and April, and three of them are no longer with the organization, with another three in the minor leagues. The emergence of Jacob Misiorowski and the return of Brandon Woodruff (who hasn't walked anyone since his return) have been huge for the pitching staff. The streak is, to a large extent, the result of the staff returning to form. On the hitting side, there might be a glimpse of something a little different, something that might help them overcome their difficulties in October so far. Teams that slug tend to win in the postseason, and while this team hasn't slugged all that well on the season as a whole, July is a different story. Their slugging is up to 16th, their Hard Hit rate is 14th and it's instructive to see who is hitting the ball harder in particular. The key names that stick out are William Contreras, Isaac Collins and Andrew Vaughn, for different reasons. Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich are the key power contributors on this team, and they've had some fluctuation, but they've also mostly produced. A healthy Rhys Hoskins will add pop, of course. But a lineup like this needs to field 'surprising pop' across the lineup if it wants to slug enough to win in October, and that's where Contreras, Collins and Vaughn could come in. Advertisement Only three players have lost more pop since last year than Contreras. He's been playing with a fractured finger that sounds pretty painful, but this could be a good sign. While the top-line results haven't shown him coming out of the slump just yet, this improvement in hard hit rate shows that he could still return to being the 20-homer hitter he's been the last three seasons. Collins is 28 years old and may not have a ton of ceiling left — he also showed little power at different stops in the minors — but he's also shown clear progression in his career. He hit fewer ground balls and hit the ball harder once he had an offseason with the Brewers between 2023 and 2024. Players with his current Hard Hit and Barrel rates last year hit an average of 15 homers — that's not nothing! Vaughn may be a role player, stepping in due to injuries, but he's always hit the ball hard — often on the ground and to the opposite field, where they haven't turned into slugging. With the Brewers, he's moved a couple inches closer to the plate and is getting the ball out in front just a bit more. If they can unlock the link between his good exit velos and better in-game power, he could improve the bottom of this lineup. The key to Brewers baseball has always been run prevention, achieved often through the intersection of good defense, a great bullpen and strong pitching coaching. If Milwaukee is going to extend this streak into postseason success, it'll still depend on Freddy Peralta, the resurgent Woodruff, the returning Nestor Cortes and, of course, the wunderkind Misiorowski, along with stud relievers Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe out of the pen. The infield will pick it, and the outfield will snag it. But in October, getting over the hump may require some thump. Chourio and Yelich need some help, and maybe somewhere between Collins, Vaughn, and — most likely, perhaps — Contreras, the hard hits that have been fueling this good run will presage the power production that separates the title contenders from the playoff hopefuls. (Top photo of Joey Ortiz: Alika Jenner / Getty Images)
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cubs and Royals play to determine series winner
Kansas City Royals (49-53, fourth in the AL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (60-41, first in the NL Central) Chicago; Wednesday, 2:20 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Seth Lugo (6-5, 2.94 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 93 strikeouts); Cubs: Colin Rea (8-3, 3.80 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 70 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -147, Royals +123; over/under is 10 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals play on Wednesday with the winner claiming the three-game series. Chicago has a 60-41 record overall and a 33-18 record at home. The Cubs have the sixth-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.83. Kansas City has a 25-27 record in road games and a 49-53 record overall. The Royals are 36-11 in games when they out-hit their opponents. Wednesday's game is the third time these teams match up this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has 19 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 57 RBIs for the Cubs. Carson Kelly is 12 for 35 with three doubles, three home runs and five RBIs over the past 10 games. Maikel Garcia has a .291 batting average to lead the Royals, and has 26 doubles, three triples and eight home runs. Salvador Perez is 14 for 36 with six home runs and eight RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 6-4, .248 batting average, 3.78 ERA, outscored opponents by two runs Royals: 5-5, .252 batting average, 3.78 ERA, outscored by two runs INJURIES: Cubs: Porter Hodge: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (oblique), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow) Royals: Michael Lorenzen: 15-Day IL (oblique), Cole Ragans: 60-Day IL (rotator cuff), Mark Canha: 10-Day IL (elbow), Daniel Lynch: 15-Day IL (elbow), Michael Massey: 10-Day IL (ankle), Hunter Harvey: 60-Day IL (shoulder), 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.
Fox Sports
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Cubs and Royals play to determine series winner
Associated Press Kansas City Royals (49-53, fourth in the AL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (60-41, first in the NL Central) Chicago; Wednesday, 2:20 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Seth Lugo (6-5, 2.94 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 93 strikeouts); Cubs: Colin Rea (8-3, 3.80 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 70 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -147, Royals +123; over/under is 10 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals play on Wednesday with the winner claiming the three-game series. Chicago has a 60-41 record overall and a 33-18 record at home. The Cubs have the sixth-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.83. Kansas City has a 25-27 record in road games and a 49-53 record overall. The Royals are 36-11 in games when they out-hit their opponents. Wednesday's game is the third time these teams match up this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has 19 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 57 RBIs for the Cubs. Carson Kelly is 12 for 35 with three doubles, three home runs and five RBIs over the past 10 games. Maikel Garcia has a .291 batting average to lead the Royals, and has 26 doubles, three triples and eight home runs. Salvador Perez is 14 for 36 with six home runs and eight RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 6-4, .248 batting average, 3.78 ERA, outscored opponents by two runs Royals: 5-5, .252 batting average, 3.78 ERA, outscored by two runs INJURIES: Cubs: Porter Hodge: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (oblique), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow) Royals: Michael Lorenzen: 15-Day IL (oblique), Cole Ragans: 60-Day IL (rotator cuff), Mark Canha: 10-Day IL (elbow), Daniel Lynch: 15-Day IL (elbow), Michael Massey: 10-Day IL (ankle), Hunter Harvey: 60-Day IL (shoulder), 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. recommended Item 1 of 2
