Latest news with #Pressly
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Column: Do the Chicago Cubs have a closer? 4 takeaways from an NL-best team as they start a tough road trip
The Chicago Cubs woke up Monday tied with the New York Mets for the best record in the National League. They begin a nine-game road trip Tuesday in Washington before two extremely difficult challenges against the Detroit Tigers, who have MLB's best record, and the Philadelphia Phillies. Advertisement Here are four takeaways from their 5-1 homestand. Daniel Palencia has moved into the closer's role without actually being named the closer. Manager Craig Counsell used him in that spot on May 19 in Miami, and Palencia blew his first opportunity in a 7-6 loss. But since then, he's ripped off five straight saves, allowing one hit and no walks over five scoreless innings. Ryan Pressly was moved out of the closer's role after his historically bad outing against the San Francisco Giants on May 6 at Wrigley Field, when he allowed nine runs while facing only eight batters (the other was an automatic runner). Pressly quietly has regained Counsell's trust with nine straight scoreless outings, including three strikeouts Sunday in the 7-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Counsell didn't say whether Pressly could regain his old role, sticking to his timeless mantra suggesting all pitchers are simply 'out-getters' and don't need to be labeled. Advertisement 'Just get big outs,' Counsell said. 'We've got to get outs in the seventh, got to get outs in the eighth. They're all big outs. The ninth inning is more difficult because the other teams empty the tank in terms of strategy and players. I like how we've been pitching down there and the guys have been doing a heck of a job for each other, covering each other's outs, and that's an important part of this. 'Daniel is a great example. It didn't go great for him last year, but there's every reason to be excited about what he can provide. A lot of times, that's how you have to look at those guys. You just want to have as many of them as you can. Our job is to get them to a place he's in right now and keep them there as long as you can.' Left-hander Génesis Cabrera, signed last week from the New York Mets scrap heap, also provides Counsell with another late-inning option. Cabrera feels confident he can help in those situations after being dumped by the Mets. 'They haven't given me the role that I deserve yet, but I need to wait to win that role,' he said upon arriving in the Cubs clubhouse. Cabrera struck out three of the four Reds batters he faced in his Cubs debut. Pete Crow-Armstrong walked on four pitches in the fourth inning Saturday, the first time he had drawn a walk in 69 plate appearances. He then walked again on four pitches in his next at-bat, leading off the seventh, the first two-walk game of his major-league career. Advertisement But the Cubs don't expect him to change his stripes, and there are many examples of bad ball hitters throughout baseball history, including Kirby Puckett and Vladimir Guerrero. 'I think that's what makes Pete pretty fascinating right now,' Counsell said. 'I do think he's going to continue to get better at this, though. What's rare is the damage being done outside the strike zone. It's one thing to get hits outside the strike zone and to put the bat on the ball outside the strike zone. I think the damage outside the strike zone is pretty unique.' Photos: Chicago Cubs take the series with a 7-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds Ben Brown might be the first Cubs pitcher since LaTroy Hawkins to provide suggestions on how they should craft their articles, though he did so in a winking manner. Advertisement After his six-inning relief outing Saturday, Brown said of his changeup: 'That's 6 percent usage, so if you guys want to write that down. Eventually there's going to be no more (stories saying) 'I'm not sure about the whole two-pitch (arsenal), I don't think that's going to work.' You guys are going to have to figure out something new.' Brown was referring to the media narrative that he might be better off in the bullpen until he adds a third pitch to go along with his effective four-seam fastball and knuckle-curve. He was happy to announce that his changeup is progressing. 'There was one I just kind of pooped up there up in the zone and it wasn't effective,' he said. 'The rest were pretty good rips, so I'm really happy, with how it's progressing, and just keep on it.' Hawkins famously called a press conference in 2004 to announce he was not talking to the media. He later complained to the Tribune that the remark was 'the only 15 seconds that was played over and over again' on TV and radio. Advertisement Dansby Swanson's wig day giveaway Saturday was a big hit with Cubs fans. So, how did it feel to look around the stands and see fans with his 'flow' on top of their heads? 'Not as good as the real thing,' Swanson said. 'Nah, it was cool, and really creative as a fun giveaway.' If the Cubs really want to be creative they'll recreate Crow-Armstrong's bleached blonde hair with the blue stars dyed in, which was his spring training look.
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Do the Chicago Cubs have a closer? 4 takeaways from an NL-best team as they start a tough road trip
The Chicago Cubs woke up Monday tied with the New York Mets for the best record in the National League. They begin a nine-game road trip Tuesday in Washington before two extremely difficult challenges against the Detroit Tigers, who have MLB's best record, and the Philadelphia Phillies. Here are four takeaways from their 5-1 homestand. Daniel Palencia has moved into the closer's role without actually being named the closer. Manager Craig Counsell used him in that spot on May 19 in Miami, and Palencia blew his first opportunity in a 7-6 loss. But since then, he's ripped off five straight saves, allowing one hit and no walks over five scoreless innings. Ryan Pressly was moved out of the closer's role after his historically bad outing against the San Francisco Giants on May 6 at Wrigley Field, when he allowed nine runs while facing only eight batters (the other was an automatic runner). Pressly quietly has regained Counsell's trust with nine straight scoreless outings, including three strikeouts Sunday in the 7-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Counsell didn't say whether Pressly could regain his old role, sticking to his timeless mantra suggesting all pitchers are simply 'out-getters' and don't need to be labeled. 'Just get big outs,' Counsell said. 'We've got to get outs in the seventh, got to get outs in the eighth. They're all big outs. The ninth inning is more difficult because the other teams empty the tank in terms of strategy and players. I like how we've been pitching down there and the guys have been doing a heck of a job for each other, covering each other's outs, and that's an important part of this. 'Daniel is a great example. It didn't go great for him last year, but there's every reason to be excited about what he can provide. A lot of times, that's how you have to look at those guys. You just want to have as many of them as you can. Our job is to get them to a place he's in right now and keep them there as long as you can.' Left-hander Génesis Cabrera, signed last week from the New York Mets scrap heap, also provides Counsell with another late-inning option. Cabrera feels confident he can help in those situations after being dumped by the Mets. 'They haven't given me the role that I deserve yet, but I need to wait to win that role,' he said upon arriving in the Cubs clubhouse. Cabrera struck out three of the four Reds batters he faced in his Cubs debut. Pete Crow-Armstrong walked on four pitches in the fourth inning Saturday, the first time he had drawn a walk in 69 plate appearances. He then walked again on four pitches in his next at-bat, leading off the seventh, the first two-walk game of his major-league career. But the Cubs don't expect him to change his stripes, and there are many examples of bad ball hitters throughout baseball history, including Kirby Puckett and Vladimir Guerrero. 'I think that's what makes Pete pretty fascinating right now,' Counsell said. 'I do think he's going to continue to get better at this, though. What's rare is the damage being done outside the strike zone. It's one thing to get hits outside the strike zone and to put the bat on the ball outside the strike zone. I think the damage outside the strike zone is pretty unique.' Photos: Chicago Cubs take the series with a 7-3 win over the Cincinnati RedsBen Brown might be the first Cubs pitcher since LaTroy Hawkins to provide suggestions on how they should craft their articles, though he did so in a winking manner. After his six-inning relief outing Saturday, Brown said of his changeup: 'That's 6 percent usage, so if you guys want to write that down. Eventually there's going to be no more (stories saying) 'I'm not sure about the whole two-pitch (arsenal), I don't think that's going to work.' You guys are going to have to figure out something new.' Brown was referring to the media narrative that he might be better off in the bullpen until he adds a third pitch to go along with his effective four-seam fastball and knuckle-curve. He was happy to announce that his changeup is progressing. 'There was one I just kind of pooped up there up in the zone and it wasn't effective,' he said. 'The rest were pretty good rips, so I'm really happy, with how it's progressing, and just keep on it.' Hawkins famously called a press conference in 2004 to announce he was not talking to the media. He later complained to the Tribune that the remark was 'the only 15 seconds that was played over and over again' on TV and radio. Dansby Swanson's wig day giveaway Saturday was a big hit with Cubs fans. So, how did it feel to look around the stands and see fans with his 'flow' on top of their heads? 'Not as good as the real thing,' Swanson said. 'Nah, it was cool, and really creative as a fun giveaway.' If the Cubs really want to be creative they'll recreate Crow-Armstrong's bleached blonde hair with the blue stars dyed in, which was his spring training look.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB Insider Says Cubs Should Consider Replacing Ryan Pressly
The Chicago Cubs pulled off the best offseason MLB trade, acquiring outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros, who is at the forefront of a potent Cubs' offense. An additional trade the Cubs made with the Astros during the winter has not had the same positive results. Advertisement The Cubs acquired two-time All-Star Ryan Pressly from the Astros in January, and believed he would take complete control of the ninth inning. The righty recorded a career high 33 saves in 50 games in 2022. In 2025, Pressly has struck out just five batters in his first 13 innings in a Cubs uniform and has a 7.62 ERA. Devin Williams of the New York Yankees is the only closer who changed teams this past offseason and can be considered off to a worse start. Closers are supposed to be strikeout pitchers, but Pressly's 8.1 strikeout rate is the second lowest among pitchers who have thrown 10 or more innings this season, per Daniel Fox of The Sporting News. Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Pressly (55) and catcher Miguel Amaya (9) after the game against the Texas Rangers at Wrigley Marton-Imagn Images ESPN's David Schoenfield believes the Cubs could soon remove Pressly from the closer role if his numbers don't improve. Advertisement "Still, the lack of strikeouts and swing-and-misses is alarming," Schoenfield wrote about Pressly Friday. "The rest of the Chicago bullpen hasn't exactly been locking it down either, as it ranks 28th in win probability -- but, at this point, it's hard to envision Pressly remaining the closer unless he can improve his strikeout rate." Manager Craig Counsell has other bullpen options if he's seen enough of Pressly in the ninth inning: Porter Hodge, who had nine saves with the Cubs in 2024, and/or lefty Caleb Thielbar. The Cubs could also re-enter the trade market, with names like the Los Angeles Angels' Kenley Jansen and the Baltimore Orioles' Gregory Soto, free agents at season's end. Related: Is New Chicago-Born Pope Leo XIV a Cubs or White Sox Fan?
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Louisiana ponders IVF protections that anti-abortion groups oppose
A lab tech uses equipment employed for in vitro fertilization. (Getty Images) A Louisiana lawmaker says he wants to avoid the scenario that unfolded last year in Alabama, where clinics offering in vitro fertilization closed their doors rather than risk legal liability based on a new interpretation of a 19th century law. The matter has pitted some conservative Republicans, who normally take the same side on reproductive health issues, against one another. It also provides a glimpse into the national debate over IVF, which proponents fear could be threatened under Trump administration policy. Sen. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, received committee approval Tuesday for Senate Bill 156, which he said 'is essential for IVF to continue in Louisiana.' But the proposal's language had to be massaged to get the backing of one staunch anti-abortion lawmaker. Even then, the measure is still opposed by the state's top two anti-abortion groups. Senate Health and Welfare Committee member Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, stood firm on making a change to the definition of embryo in Pressly's proposal. As a state representative, he authored a 2016 law to prohibit abortions for genetic abnormalities. Originally, Pressly's bill referred to an 'in vitro fertilized human embryo' as one that 'has certain rights granted by law … and organized that it may develop in utero into an unborn child.' Edmonds amended the proposal to define an embryo as 'biologically human,' removing any reference to whether it actually develops into a child. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX These seemingly subtle differences in language could become critical if its final version creates a situation similar to what happened last year in Alabama. Its state Supreme Court ruled in February that frozen embryos outside the womb are considered children under the law, citing an 1872 statute that allows lawsuits for the wrongful death of a child. Fearing potential legal consequences from embryos that become nonviable – even through no fault of their own – IVF clinics in Alabama shut down. The Alabama Legislature then scrambled to approve civil and criminal protections for IVF providers, leading clinics to reopen. There remain concerns, however, over whether long-term access will remain available. The Trump administration's cuts to federal health care programs have served to reinforce such worries about the future of IVF. Staff reductions at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will curtail research into IVF and other fertility treatments, experts say. The changes have unfolded rapidly, even though Trump referred to himself as the 'fertilization president' after signing an executive order last month to expand fertility treatment access. A separate order from Trump in February sought policy direction on IVF, yet Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency went ahead with the CDC attrition plans. Louisiana Right to Life and Louisiana Family Forum oppose Pressly's bill. Both groups were at the forefront of creating one of the nation's strictest abortion bans three years ago after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The landmark 1973 opinion declared women have a constitutional right to an abortion, but it also said states could regulate when the procedure is allowed. With the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision in June 2022, justices removed the federal right to an abortion and opened doors to outright state bans. During Tuesday's committee hearing, Pressly insisted his proposal was essential to ensure IVF remains available to 1 in 6 families that struggle with infertility, citing numbers the World Health Organization has used. It has been nearly 40 years since Louisiana has updated its IVF statute, and health technology improvements in the interim need to be reflected in the law, the senator said. Kathleen Benfield, legislative director with Louisiana Family Forum, told the committee the Pressly proposal is unnecessary because the state's IVF law has never been challenged. 'Not one example has been given where the practice of in vitro fertilization or any other artificial reproduction technology has been threatened (in Louisiana), and I don't think it will be threatened,' Benfield said. Even with Edmonds' amendment, the bill's language was still problematic for Benfield. She took issue with describing a 'viable in vitro fertilized embryo' as a 'juridical person,' or an entity that has the same rights in law as a person but is not a human being. Put another way, Pressly's bill doesn't go nearly far enough to treat embryos as children, according to Benfield. A juridical person is 'not the same thing as a natural person,' she said. Last year, anti-abortion forces pushed to change to an IVF protection bill Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, sponsored. She shelved her bill when rather than include the term 'biological human beings' in it, fearing it could lead to criminal consequences for reproductive care providers. Davis has authored another version of her bill this year, but it has yet to be scheduled for a House committee hearing in the lawmaking session that ends June 12. Erica Inzina, policy director for Louisiana Right to Life, said the state's current IVF law has room for improvement, but it still offers the most protection for human embryos of any state. Pressly's bill would weaken those safeguards, she said. 'It leaves the embryo looking a lot more like a thing rather than a person,' Inzina told the committee. The proposed changes are the product of a rather unusual partnership: Pressly, who gained approval for a first-of-its-kind abortion drug restriction; and Katie Bliss, an attorney whose firm specializes in in vitro fertilization contracts. Pressly, who joined the Senate last year after four years as a state representative, authored a law in 2024 that treats mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV controlled dangerous substances. Both medications are used in abortions but have other applications, including lifesaving ones. The Schedule IV status puts them on par with drugs that have addiction and abuse potential, meaning hospitals have to keep them under lock and key. Some health care providers have said the added layers of security for controlled dangerous substances put women's lives at risk when, for example, misoprostol is needed immediately to stop postpartum hemorrhaging. Bliss has two children conceived through IVF. She said the revisions to existing law are needed to protect patients and physicians while also ensuring care for embryos. Louisiana is the only state that's made the destruction of embryos illegal, and conservative lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully in the past to stop patients from shipping embryos out of state for disposal. Such measures are unconstitutional, Bliss said, because one state can't tell another state how to conduct business. Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, attempted last year to end embryo transports across state lines, but the amendment he tried to attach to another lawmaker's bill was ruled irrelevant to the original proposal and therefore was not allowed. Pressly said his bill covers this scenario because it would make any IVF contract null and void if it includes a provision for the intentional destruction of an embryo. Edmonds also objected to the removal of the terms 'married couple' and 'parental' from a section of existing IVF law that deals with embryo donations. Instead, 'person' is used to describe an embryo donor and recipient. Pressly told Edmonds keeping 'couple' in the law could create constitutional issues, implying it conveys bias against single people who want to start a family through IVF. 'It would be hypocritical for me to vote for a bill that would eliminate parental rights,' Edmonds said, though Pressly assured him his proposal doesn't pose that threat. Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, shared with other committee members that she personally had a 'horrible history of miscarriages' and feared her children would have the same difficulty. Through IVF, her son and daughter-in-law have given her three of her eight grandchildren. Mizell said she had 'a hard time finding obstacles' in a bill that gives more people the opportunity to start and grow families. 'I'm listening to pro-life people argue with pro-life people,' Mizell said, who then recounted efforts during her nine years in the Senate to put strict abortion laws in place. As a result, she said Louisiana has the strongest anti-abortion laws in the nation. '… We're there and we're quibbling' over language to protect IVF, she said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Start of Friday's Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field is delayed by inclement weather
Friday's Chicago Cubs game against the Philadelphia Phillies began in a weather delay at Wrigley Field with rain and lightning in the area. Colin Rea is scheduled to start for the Cubs, who are 4-1 on the homestand and sit in first place in the National League Central, three games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers. Advertisement Before the game, the Cubs announced that Javier Assad has been shut down at Triple-A Iowa with a Grade 2 left oblique strain. Assad potentially was working his way back to the Cubs as a replacement for Justin Steele, who is out for the season after undergoing left elbow surgery. Column: Are the Chicago Cubs an elite NL team? Early returns are promising despite some glaring issues. While there was no timeline for Assad's return, the Cubs can't count on him any time soon and could have to search for more help in the rotation. 'You're always looking for (starters),' manager Craig Counsell said. 'We're down another guy for a period of time, we have to recognize that. It's really going to be an opportunity for somebody else, that's how you've got to look at it.' Advertisement Closer Ryan Pressly was scheduled to throw before the game, though Counsell wouldn't say if he would be available to pitch. Pressly declined to talk with the media before the game. He had his right knee drained Wednesday and was unavailable in the 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Porter Hodge came in and notched the save for the Cubs. Counsell downplayed Pressly's injury. 'It's been kind of annoyance for a little while here and just got to the point that he doesn't want to have to deal with it, and if we can do something quickly to get rid of it, or just lessen it, it's just going to put him in a better spot on a day to day basis,' he said, adding: 'He's 37 (and) a relief pitcher. He's going to have to deal with some things. (He's) figuring out the best way to navigate through a season.'
