Latest news with #Hoch
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers left puzzled by high-altitude clouds forming on young planet
Should humans ever venture to a particular planet that circles a sun-like star in the constellation of the fly, they would do well to keep an eye on the weather. The thick slabs of cloud that blot the planet's skies are mostly made from mineral dust, but astronomers suspect there may be iron in them, too, which would rain down on the world below when the clouds break. Astronomers spotted the high-altitude clouds when they trained the James Webb space telescope (JWST) on the young star system, which lies 307 light years away in the deep southern sky. The star, YSES-1, is a newbie by cosmic standards, a mere 1m years old compared with the 4.6bn-year-old sun. The star is circled by two gas giants, both still forming and both larger than Jupiter, the biggest planet in the solar system. Related: Astronomers find signal that gives 'unexpected' insight into early universe Dr Kielan Hoch, an astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, said the planetary system's youth made it a prime target for astronomers to learn more about the early evolution of planets around faraway stars. 'There's a small handful of multiplanet systems that have been directly imaged,' Hoch said. 'And they are a unique laboratory to test planet formation theories as they formed in the same environment.' 'Both planets are still forming, which is why they are still bright enough for us to detect,' she added. 'The light we are seeing is from their formation as they begin to shrink and condense.' When the team began their observations they were surprised to find both planets in the telescope's field of view, giving them information on two worlds for the price of one. The outer planet, YSES-1c, is the smaller of the two worlds, and about six times the mass of Jupiter. The telescope revealed high-altitude clouds in the planet's atmosphere, but instead of being made from water vapour as on Earth, the clouds consist of magnesium silicate dust grains and perhaps some iron. 'The iron would indeed precipitate out,' Hoch said. The astronomers described the observations as the first direct detection of such clouds on a planet circling a sun-like star. Further data revealed a disc of material made up of trillions of tonnes of dust particles around the larger inner world, YSES-1b, about 14 times the mass of Jupiter. The findings were published in Nature. Hoch said the disc around the inner planet was a 'puzzle for formation theories' since both planets must have formed in the same environment. 'Why did YSES-1b hold on to material around it while YSES-1c did not?' she said. An added mystery is why a 16m-year-old planet still has a disk of material swirling around it. Astronomers' theories of planet formation suggest that any encircling dust should have settled after the first 5m years. 'We wouldn't expect the planets to look so different from one another if they formed in the same protoplanetary disk,' Hoch said. 'JWST is providing an immense amount of data to continue to refine models and improve our understanding.' The $10bn telescope has transformed astronomy since it launched in December 2021 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The flagship mission has peered back to the first galaxies that lit up the cosmos, spied strange new worlds, and witnessed black holes colliding. It has even spotted tantalising, if controversial, hints of life beyond Earth.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Stunning Direct Images of Alien Worlds Are Detailed Enough to Reveal Clouds
New images from the JWST are about as close as we've ever come to seeing the sky of an alien world outside the Solar System. Direct images of a gas giant exoplanet orbiting a star called YSES-1 have revealed clouds of fine sand drifting high up in its atmosphere. What's more, similar observations of a neighboring world suggest it is surrounded by a large, swirling disk rich with olivine, a mineral that can form the gemstone peridot here on Earth. "Everything is exciting about these two results," astrophysicist and lead author Kielan Hoch of the Space Telescope Science Institute told ScienceAlert. "The observations were novel as we could observe 'two for the price of one' with JWST NIRSpec, and discovering two major planetary features on each object." Planets outside our Solar System are elusive beasts. They are extremely difficult to see directly; they are very far away, and small and dim, obscured by the blazing light of the stars they orbit. Of the nearly 6,000 confirmed to date, the vast, vast majority have only been detected and measured indirectly – that is, based on changes their presence evokes in the light of their host stars. Only around 80 exoplanets have been seen directly. There's a lot you can tell about a planet from the way it tugs on its surrounds or eclipses its star. But direct observations of the light it emits can reveal far more. Even so, it takes a powerful instrument to extract a signal from the faint light of even the closest exoplanets. The YSES-1 system is only 306 light-years away and contains two known planets; YSES-1b, which is closer to the star at a distance of 160 astronomical units, and YSES-1c, at 320 astronomical units. YSES-1c is around six times the mass of Jupiter, while YSES-1b is the larger of the two at around 14 times Jupiter's mass, putting it right on the mass boundary between planets and brown dwarfs. Prior direct observations of this system suggested that the world may have interesting atmospheric properties, but the instruments involved lacked the power to detect them. Cue JWST. "With the NIRSpec instrument on JWST we are able to get images of the planets at thousands of wavelengths at once. The images can be reduced to produce spectra, which is thermal light coming from the planet itself," Hoch explained. "As the light passes through the atmosphere of the exoplanet, some of the light will get absorbed by molecules and cause dips in brightness of the planet. This is how we are able to tell what the atmospheres are made of!" The results? The most detailed spectral dataset of a multi-planet system compiled to date. Both exoplanets, the researchers found, showed evidence of water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane in their atmospheres – all of which are relatively common atmospheric components. It's where they diverge that things start to get interesting. "For YSES-1c, we see lots of molecular features from water, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, and methane. At longer wavelengths, we see absorption caused by silicate particles, which has a different spectral shape," Hoch said. "We use laboratory data of different particles and structures to model which silicates fit the data best and determine other properties of those particles. Our models show that there could be small silicate particles high up in the atmosphere that can contain small amounts of iron that rains out of the clouds. However, our models also show that a mixture of only silicates can also fit the data." No such spectra feature was observed for YSES-1b, but something else emerged: the signature of small grains of olivine in a disk around the exoplanet. Olivine is a mineral that forms in volcanic conditions here on Earth; particularly fine gemstone-quality examples form peridot. Olivine is also found in meteorites, so it seems the mineral can form easily in molten rock situations. However, it shouldn't be seen in dust form around YSES-1b. Dust settling is an efficient process expected to take a maximum of about 5 million years, Hoch explained. The YSES-1 system is estimated to be around 16.7 million years old. It's possible that the olivine-rich dust is debris from a collision between objects orbiting near YSES-1b – which means the observations came at a very lucky point in cosmic time. Both sets of results are spectacular. "We hoped to detect clouds in YSES-1c's atmosphere as its spectral type is theorized to have a cloudy atmosphere. But, when we saw the feature, it was wildly different from other silicate features seen in brown dwarfs," Hoch said. "We did NOT expect to see evidence for a disk around the inner planet YSES-1b. That was certainly a surprise." All the best astrophysical observations raise at least as many questions as they answer. YSES-1 is no exception. The disk around YSES-1b is one big one. We also don't know enough about exoplanetary atmospheres, or how long these objects take to form. Ongoing work to directly study the atmospheres of other exoplanets will help fill in some of these gaps in our knowledge. "I also am excited about the result as this research was led by early career scientists. I was a graduate student when I proposed to use JWST to image this planetary system, and JWST had not launched yet and was not designed for looking at exoplanets," Hoch said. "The first five authors of the manuscript range from first year graduate student to postdoctoral fellow. I believe this highlights the need to support early career scientists, and that is a result most exciting for me." The research has been published in Nature. Stunning 'Solar Curtains' Phenomenon Revealed on The Sun in New Images The Sun's Fury Is Making SpaceX Satellites Plummet From The Sky Astronomers Just Discovered The Biggest Explosions Since The Big Bang
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Podcasts Want Their Own Version of the Oscars. Could It Be Any of These?
Jason Hoch, a podcast producer and entrepreneur, looked on while the 'True Blood' actor Joe Manganiello compared his colleagues to dog treats. Manganiello was on a stage at the sleek Moody Theater in downtown Austin last month, presenting the award for best ensemble at the iHeartPodcast Awards. For reasons that never became clear, he was carrying an apprehensive-looking Chihuahua named Bubbles, who, according to Manganiello, has a taste for blueberries and focaccia. 'Whether we're talking about treats or podcast hosts, one or two is fine,' Manganiello said. 'But when a group works well together, results can multiply into something inspiring.' As tributes go, it wasn't exactly Sonnet 18. But Hoch was feeling the love. One of his shows, a true-crime investigation called 'Three,' was nominated in two categories: best crime and podcast of the year. Hoch, who lives in Atlanta, had paid out of pocket to be in town for the awards, which the owner, iHeartMedia, calls a celebration of 'the most innovative and influential voices and creators in podcasting.' For a sole proprietor like him, it was a rare chance to be toasted in front of his peers, and to shake hands with potential business partners. The iHearts were just one competition on Hoch's calendar. Over the past year, he and his producing partners had submitted work to seven different awards juries. Hoch estimates his annual budget for awards, each of which charges per category entered, to be between $2,000 and $3,000 before any travel and lodging expenses (the Austin trip alone was about $1,200 in cash and travel points). That sum is roughly enough to pay for up to 15 hours at a podcast recording studio, or to hire a designer to make the cover art for a new series. As the number of new podcasts created each year continues to skyrocket, with competition for listeners, sponsorships and in-app promotion growing ever more fierce, many podcasters see winning awards as a way to stand out. A new crop of competitions — including the iHearts, the Ambie Awards and the Signal Awards — is catering specifically to the industry, with some rolling out red carpets and dispensing gold statues for a price. But how much should it cost to compete for bragging rights in the podcast world? And, for independent creators, is the potential payoff worth the expense? 'If you want to grow your brand, you've got to do these things and participate,' Hoch said. 'But it's tricky. Are we all here celebrating? Or are they trying to make money?' The iHeart Podcast Awards, first produced in 2019, the Ambie Awards (2021) and the Signal Awards (2023) are attempting to be to podcasting what the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards are to film and music. Until recently, many in the industry sought to raise their profile through competitions known for honoring work in other media, including the Peabody Awards, the Pulitzer Prizes, the Edward R. Murrow Awards, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards, the Webby Awards and the National Magazine awards. Audrey Mardavich, executive director of the nonprofit podcast network Radiotopia, said those sorts of accolades have helped attract interest from financial backers. In 2023, the Radiotopia show 'Ear Hustle,' a prison documentary series that had won a duPont-Columbia award and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020, received a $600,000 Mellon Foundation grant. 'When we are talking to funders, when we are taking to major donors, when we're talking with our board, those kinds of awards can be really meaningful,' she said. 'Every deck that I send out has a list of our awards on it.' But the halo of an award can come at a high price. In addition to submission fees, which can run up to $500 per category, many groups sell tickets to the ceremony — as much as $1,500 each. And while winners are usually granted a trophy (one per category; additional statues can cost anywhere from $250 to $1,350 each), some organizations charge for the hardware too. Add in travel costs, and creators or publishers can easily find themselves down several thousand dollars. After his podcast, 'The Big Dig,' won a Peabody award last year, Ian Coss led a crowdfunding campaign to help one of his producers buy a $1,500 ticket to the gala in Beverly Hills. 'Awards are a business,' said Coss, who felt it was worth the expense to share a memorable experience with his team. 'As long as there is a desire for recognition, there will be a market that supplies that recognition.' Hoch sees awards as a way to feed new business development. His company, Wavland Media, founded in 2023, has cultivated a reputation for highly produced, gripping narrative series. One of Hoch's shows, 'Noble,' about a scandal at a crematory, was named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by The New Yorker. Another, 'Boomtown,' became the basis of the hit Paramount+ show 'Landman,' starring Billy Bob Thornton. 'When you're known for quality work, you get to work with quality people,' Hoch said. 'A bunch of our shows last year made some kind of 'Best Of' list, and I'm getting pitched the best material of my life.' Although the pedigree of a Pulitzer or a Peabody is well established, the reputational value of the newer awards is less clear. Some contestants wonder if they're getting a fair deal. After his show, 'Weight For It,' received positive write-ups in The New York Times and Vogue, Ronald Young Jr., an independent podcaster based in Virginia, allocated $2,000 for an awards budget last year. He submitted in three categories for the Signal Awards — which says it honors 'the most potent, meaningful and unprecedented audio projects being made today' — at a total cost of $885. 'I thought it might be good to have another stamp of approval on the show,' said Young Jr., noting that the press reviews had helped him secure a presenting sponsor for the second season. 'It seemed like an opportunity.' 'Weight For It' ultimately won prizes in all of its categories. But Young Jr. was disappointed to learn that there would be no formal ceremony — only a reception in New York for winners. Additionally, if he wanted any of the trophies he would have to pay for them — at $250 each. 'Actually winning felt like a penalty for us,' said Young Jr., who declined to attend the reception or buy his trophies. 'It felt like a money grab. I do not understand why I have to pay for an award that I won.' Jemma Brown, the general manager of the Signal Awards, declined to answer questions about why the organization charges winners for trophies, or how it spends the money it collects from their sale or submission fees. Given 2,000 total entries (roughly the number that were submitted in 2023, according to the Hollywood Reporter) and the standard fee of $265 per entry, submission revenue alone would be $530,000. A search on LinkedIn showed only two full-time employees at Signal: Brown and a customer service lead. Judges work on a volunteer basis. Last year, the winners reception was held in the atrium at Public Records in Brooklyn, a venue that charges between $10,000 and $44,000 for comparable events. In an email, Brown said that the Signal Awards served as 'a motivator for podcast creators and their teams,' among other functions. 'It's a marker of a podcast's merit, and that ultimately often results in helping them grow,' she wrote. One source of skepticism toward the new awards organizations is a lack of clarity about their judging processes. The Signal Awards are voted on by a 'judges academy' of hundreds of professionals selected from across the industry. All judges are allowed to vote in any of nearly 200 categories, but it is unclear how many actually participate in the process. Winners are ranked using an unorthodox, three-tiered system. Entrants can be declared either 'Gold,' 'Silver' or 'Bronze.' But the colors don't correspond to traditional first, second and third rankings. Instead, they are more like grades, indicating a level of achievement. Last year, for example, there were a total of nine winners in a 'Best Host' category: four gold, three silver and two bronze. Brown declined to discuss the Signal's ranking system. But the high volume of awards it produces — there were more than 360 winners last year — creates many potential customers for Signal trophies. 'It's lovely to win,' said Mardavich, who represents several podcasts that have received Signal Awards. 'But I think the ones that are more selective might be more meaningful to people.' Selection for the Ambie Awards, which are produced by the nonprofit Podcast Academy, a professional membership organization, is relatively straightforward. A 'Blue Ribbon Panel' of about 140 academy members selects up to 10 nominees in each of 28 categories (this year, there were more than 1,500 applicants). Voting then opens to the entire academy (fewer than 1,000 members) to determine the winners — one per category. Submission fees for the Ambies range from $150 to $250 per category. Christy Mirabal, the chair of the Podcast Academy, said the vast majority of that revenue goes to the production of the annual awards show, which took place late last month in Chicago during an industry conference and was hosted by the comedian and podcaster Tig Notaro. The iHeartPodcast Awards competition doesn't accept submissions, sell tickets or charge winners for trophies. But its judging process is the most opaque. The official website credits only 'a panel of blue-ribbon podcast industry leaders, creatives and visionaries.' It does not specify the size of the panel, indicate how nominees are selected or evaluated, or explain eligibility requirements. There are also questions about iHeartMedia's ability to serve as an impartial arbiter, as it either produces or distributes hundreds of its own podcasts. A spokeswoman for the company declined to answer a list of detailed questions about its rules. But in each of the past six ceremonies, at least one and as many as three iHeartMedia-affiliated podcasts have been nominated in the podcast of the year category. (This year, one such podcast, 'Las Culturistas,' took home the prize.) At the ceremony in Austin, Hoch ultimately left empty-handed. But he said he had no regrets. On Instagram the next morning, he posted a photo of himself looking unbothered on the red carpet. 'It's really about being here,' he said, before catching a flight back to Atlanta. 'I'm just grateful to have been nominated.'
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Podcasts Want Their Own Oscars. Could Any of These Contests Win?
Jason Hoch, a podcast producer and entrepreneur, looked on while the 'True Blood' actor Joe Manganiello compared his colleagues to dog treats. Manganiello was on a stage at the sleek Moody Theater in downtown Austin last month, presenting the award for best ensemble at the iHeartPodcast Awards. For reasons that never became clear, he was carrying an apprehensive-looking Chihuahua named Bubbles, who, according to Manganiello, has a taste for blueberries and focaccia. 'Whether we're talking about treats or podcast hosts, one or two is fine,' Manganiello said. 'But when a group works well together, results can multiply into something inspiring.' As tributes go, it wasn't exactly Sonnet 18. But Hoch was feeling the love. One of his shows, a true-crime investigation called 'Three,' was nominated in two categories: best crime and podcast of the year. Hoch, who lives in Atlanta, had paid out of pocket to be in town for the awards, which the owner, iHeartMedia, calls a celebration of 'the most innovative and influential voices and creators in podcasting.' For a sole proprietor like him, it was a rare chance to be toasted in front of his peers, and to shake hands with potential business partners. The iHearts were just one competition on Hoch's calendar. Over the past year, he and his producing partners had submitted work to seven different awards juries. Hoch estimates his annual budget for awards, each of which charges per category entered, to be between $2,000 and $3,000 before any travel and lodging expenses (the Austin trip alone was about $1,200 in cash and travel points). That sum is roughly enough to pay for up to 15 hours at a podcast recording studio, or to hire a designer to make the cover art for a new series. As the number of new podcasts created each year continues to skyrocket, with competition for listeners, sponsorships and in-app promotion growing ever more fierce, many podcasters see winning awards as a way to stand out. A new crop of competitions — including the iHearts, the Ambie Awards and the Signal Awards — is catering specifically to the industry, with some rolling out red carpets and dispensing gold statues for a price. But how much should it cost to compete for bragging rights in the podcast world? And, for independent creators, is the potential payoff worth the expense? 'If you want to grow your brand, you've got to do these things and participate,' Hoch said. 'But it's tricky. Are we all here celebrating? Or are they trying to make money?' The iHeart Podcast Awards, first produced in 2019, the Ambie Awards (2021) and the Signal Awards (2023) are attempting to be to podcasting what the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards are to film and music. Until recently, many in the industry sought to raise their profile through competitions known for honoring work in other media, including the Peabody Awards, the Pulitzer Prizes, the Edward R. Murrow Awards, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards, the Webby Awards and the National Magazine awards. Audrey Mardavich, executive director of the nonprofit podcast network Radiotopia, said those sorts of accolades have helped attract interest from financial backers. In 2023, the Radiotopia show 'Ear Hustle,' a prison documentary series that had won a duPont-Columbia award and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2020, received a $600,000 Mellon Foundation grant. 'When we are talking to funders, when we are taking to major donors, when we're talking with our board, those kinds of awards can be really meaningful,' she said. 'Every deck that I send out has a list of our awards on it.' But the halo of an award can come at a high price. In addition to submission fees, which can run up to $500 per category, many groups sell tickets to the ceremony — as much as $1,500 each. And while winners are usually granted a trophy (one per category; additional statues can cost anywhere from $250 to $1,350 each), some organizations charge for the hardware too. Add in travel costs, and creators or publishers can easily find themselves down several thousand dollars. After his podcast, 'The Big Dig,' won a Peabody award last year, Ian Coss led a crowdfunding campaign to help one of his producers buy a $1,500 ticket to the gala in Beverly Hills. 'Awards are a business,' said Coss, who felt it was worth the expense to share a memorable experience with his team. 'As long as there is a desire for recognition, there will be a market that supplies that recognition.' Hoch sees awards as a way to feed new business development. His company, Wavland Media, founded in 2023, has cultivated a reputation for highly produced, gripping narrative series. One of Hoch's shows, 'Noble,' about a scandal at a crematory, was named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by The New Yorker. Another, 'Boomtown,' became the basis of the hit Paramount+ show 'Landman,' starring Billy Bob Thornton. 'When you're known for quality work, you get to work with quality people,' Hoch said. 'A bunch of our shows last year made some kind of 'Best Of' list, and I'm getting pitched the best material of my life.' Although the pedigree of a Pulitzer or a Peabody is well established, the reputational value of the newer awards is less clear. Some contestants wonder if they're getting a fair deal. After his show, 'Weight For It,' received positive write-ups in The New York Times and Vogue, Ronald Young Jr., an independent podcaster based in Virginia, allocated $2,000 for an awards budget last year. He submitted in three categories for the Signal Awards — which says it honors 'the most potent, meaningful and unprecedented audio projects being made today' — at a total cost of $885. 'I thought it might be good to have another stamp of approval on the show,' said Young Jr., noting that the press reviews had helped him secure a presenting sponsor for the second season. 'It seemed like an opportunity.' 'Weight For It' ultimately won prizes in all of its categories. But Young Jr. was disappointed to learn that there would be no formal ceremony — only a reception in New York for winners. Additionally, if he wanted any of the trophies he would have to pay for them — at $250 each. 'Actually winning felt like a penalty for us,' said Young Jr., who declined to attend the reception or buy his trophies. 'It felt like a money grab. I do not understand why I have to pay for an award that I won.' Jemma Brown, the general manager of the Signal Awards, declined to answer questions about why the organization charges winners for trophies, or how it spends the money it collects from their sale or submission fees. Given 2,000 total entries (roughly the number that were submitted in 2023, according to the Hollywood Reporter) and the standard fee of $265 per entry, submission revenue alone would be $530,000. A search on LinkedIn showed only two full-time employees at Signal: Brown and a customer service lead. Judges work on a volunteer basis. Last year, the winners reception was held in the atrium at Public Records in Brooklyn, a venue that charges between $10,000 and $44,000 for comparable events. In an email, Brown said that the Signal Awards served as 'a motivator for podcast creators and their teams,' among other functions. 'It's a marker of a podcast's merit, and that ultimately often results in helping them grow,' she wrote. One source of skepticism toward the new awards organizations is a lack of clarity about their judging processes. The Signal Awards are voted on by a 'judges academy' of hundreds of professionals selected from across the industry. All judges are allowed to vote in any of nearly 200 categories, but it is unclear how many actually participate in the process. Winners are ranked using an unorthodox, three-tiered system. Entrants can be declared either 'Gold,' 'Silver' or 'Bronze.' But the colors don't correspond to traditional first, second and third rankings. Instead, they are more like grades, indicating a level of achievement. Last year, for example, there were a total of nine winners in a 'Best Host' category: four gold, three silver and two bronze. Brown declined to discuss the Signal's ranking system. But the high volume of awards it produces — there were more than 360 winners last year — creates many potential customers for Signal trophies. 'It's lovely to win,' said Mardavich, who represents several podcasts that have received Signal Awards. 'But I think the ones that are more selective might be more meaningful to people.' Selection for the Ambie Awards, which are produced by the nonprofit Podcast Academy, a professional membership organization, is relatively straightforward. A 'Blue Ribbon Panel' of about 140 academy members selects up to 10 nominees in each of 28 categories (this year, there were more than 1,500 applicants). Voting then opens to the entire academy (fewer than 1,000 members) to determine the winners — one per category. Submission fees for the Ambies range from $150 to $250 per category. Christy Mirabal, the chair of the Podcast Academy, said the vast majority of that revenue goes to the production of the annual awards show, which took place late last month in Chicago during an industry conference and was hosted by the comedian and podcaster Tig Notaro. The iHeartPodcast Awards competition doesn't accept submissions, sell tickets or charge winners for trophies. But its judging process is the most opaque. The official website credits only 'a panel of blue-ribbon podcast industry leaders, creatives and visionaries.' It does not specify the size of the panel, indicate how nominees are selected or evaluated, or explain eligibility requirements. There are also questions about iHeartMedia's ability to serve as an impartial arbiter, as it either produces or distributes hundreds of its own podcasts. A spokeswoman for the company declined to answer a list of detailed questions about its rules. But in each of the past six ceremonies, at least one and as many as three iHeartMedia-affiliated podcasts have been nominated in the podcast of the year category. (This year, one such podcast, 'Las Culturistas,' took home the prize.) At the ceremony in Austin, Hoch ultimately left empty-handed. But he said he had no regrets. On Instagram the next morning, he posted a photo of himself looking unbothered on the red carpet. 'It's really about being here,' he said, before catching a flight back to Atlanta. 'I'm just grateful to have been nominated.'
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees' Gerrit Cole 'concerned' about what MRI on elbow will show, seeking second opinions: report
Yankees star pitcher Gerrit Cole underwent tests on his right elbow Friday after experiencing some discomfort, and is "concerned" what the imaging will show, according to Bryan Hoch. Cole said he expects to know more about the MRI in the next couple of days, adding that the imaging of his right elbow have already been distributed and he is seeking second opinions, per Hoch. There is no travel booked at the time. 'I've still got some hope. I'm just waiting for the experts to weigh in," Cole said. The right-hander allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and two home runs over 2.2 innings on Thursday. He then reported soreness after the game. 'In the game there was a lot of good stuff happening the other day, but as I got home I just continued to get more and more sore. Something wasn't right," Cole told Hoch. Of course, Cole began the 2024 season on the 60-day injured list due to an elbow issue, causing him to not make his first start of the year until mid-June. He started 17 games, going 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts.
