Latest news with #Vázquez
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Real Madrid star drawing summer interest from Espanyol
A departing member of the defensive ranks at Real Madrid is drawing interest by way of La Liga rivals Espanyol ahead of the summer. That's according to Marca, citing Diario Sport, who point towards Lucas Vázquez as the player in question. Advertisement Versatile right-back Vázquez is of course set to bring his career-long stint on the books of Real Madrid to a definitive close over the coming weeks. The 33-year-old will see his terms in Spain's capital come to a close on June 30th, with the Blancos brass having long made the call not to offer Vázquez a renewal. If the latest word stemming from the media early this week is anything to go by, though, then the Spanish international will not have a hard time finding a new club. As per Marca, joining clubs from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and MLS in the Vázquez sweepstakes are La Liga outfit Espanyol. Advertisement The experienced campaigner spent the 2014/15 season on loan at the RCDE Stadium, with the Espanyol brass taking into serious consideration a reunion bid this summer. It now remains to be seen if Vázquez himself is interested in such a move. Conor Laird – GSFN
Boston Globe
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Hunter Dobbins, bullpen help Red Sox defeat Mets
The game didn't cooperate, but Vázquez and the Red Sox bullpen aptly navigated the final 13 outs of the contest to claim a 3-1 victory over the Mets on a wind-swept night at Fenway Park. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, Vázquez made pitching changes with a two-run lead, two outs, and the Mets threatening with the tying runner either on base or at the plate. Each time, a Sox reliever responded, with Justin Wilson, Greg Weissert, and Justin Slaten each stranding runners before Aroldis Chapman closed out the contest with a scoreless ninth. Advertisement That late-innings excellence allowed the Sox to get a win in a contest when their offense scraped together three runs in the first two innings and then could add no more. Jarren Duran continued his resurgence by leading off the first inning with a double to right against Mets starter Kodai Senga. After Rafael Devers walked and a wild pitch put runners on second and third, the Red Sox claimed the game's first run on an Alex Bregman RBI groundout. A two-out, two-strike single to left by Trevor Story made it 2-0. Advertisement The Sox then tacked on another run in the second inning when Carlos Narváez walked and scored on a two-out triple by Duran — the leadoff hitter's MLB-leading sixth three-bagger of the year. The 3-0 advantage represented an impressive achievement, marking the first time that Senga had allowed three or more earned runs in a start since Aug.19, 2023, ending a 16-start run that is the longest in Mets history. The Sox could do no more against Senga, who overcame his early difficulties to limit the Sox to the three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five in six innings. The Mets clawed back for a run against Sox starter Hunter Dobbins in the third inning to make it 3-1, and threatened to erase the home team's lead in the fifth when back-to-back, one-out singles by the Nos. 7 and 8 hitters in New York's lineup put runners on the corners. Dobbins had been struggling to miss bats all night, striking out just one hitter and getting only two swings and misses to that point. But on a full-count sweeper to Tyrone Taylor, Dobbins benefited from an expansive interpretation of the strike zone by home plate ump Brian O'Nora. A pitch that appeared a ball's width below the zone was ruled a third strike. Vázquez tempted fate no further. Entering Monday, Dobbins had pitched well early in contests but struggled as he worked deeper into games, with opposing hitters posting a .354/.400/.564 line after his 50th pitch. Advertisement Mindful of that pattern, Vázquez removed Dobbins after 4⅔ innings and 18 batters — a decision that had the added benefit of making switch-hitter Francisco Lindor (.227/.255/.318 against lefties entering Monday) hit righthanded. Wilson rewarded the move by striking out Lindor on a nasty slider in the dirt. One inning later, the Sox bullpen quelled another two-on, no-out rally when Alex Bregman and Trevor Story combined to turn an unusual 5-6-3 double play — the 12th double play turned by the Red Sox on a grounder to third this year, tied for most in the big leagues — and righthander Weissert replaced Wilson and elicited an inning-ending fly out from Mark Vientos. Weissert then punched out the first two batters of the seventh before faltering, allowing a two-out walk and single to again put the tying run on base with two outs. And again, Vázquez pushed the right button when he summoned Slaten to face Lindor. Slaten needed just one pitch – a 94 m.p.h. cutter — to get the Mets star to tap weakly to second base to end the inning. Slaten returned for a scoreless eighth, setting the stage for Chapman to record a final zero with a strikeout of Vientos on a 102 m.p.h. sinker and, after a single, a game-ending double play from Francisco Alvarez. Thus concluded a quartet of Sox relievers who recorded 4⅓ scoreless innings, limiting the Mets to three hits while striking out five. Alex Speier can be reached at
Hamilton Spectator
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Latin jazz ensemble brightens up Glenhyrst Coach House
The Latin Jazz Ensemble of the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) performed an array of tunes during an intimate concert at the Glenhyrst Art Gallery Coach House on Saturday, May 3, 2025. Bandleader Rubén Vázquez, an accomplished piano player who currently sits on the faculty at the Oscar Peterson School of Music and Humber College, was performing with eight of his students from the RCM. 'These are my students; I've had this class for about 20 or 25 years at the RCM now, and I would like to introduce the amazing people who are playing with me here this evening,' said Vázquez. 'On guitar, Greg Papinko; on bass, Colin Flint; on drums, David Grad; Aldo de Jong on clarinet; Lyanne Schlichter on flute; Adam Aucoin on trumpet; and our great percussionists, Julian Alvarado on the bongos, and Joyce Humbert on the congas.' Throughout the evening, the nine-piece ensemble delivered a dynamic mix of cha-cha-cha, bossa nova, Latin funk, and Latin jazz standards. With pieces like Wayne Shorter's 'Footprints,' Consuelo Velázquez' 'Bésame Mucho,' Tito Puente's 'Oye Como Va,' Pablo B. Ruiz' 'Sway,' Victor Daniel's 'La Vida es un Carnaval,' and Chuck Rio's 'Tequila,' the set had plenty of upbeat numbers for the audience to enjoy and move along to. As well, the repertoire featured an original composition by Aucoin called, 'Arabian Skies.' He also arranged Clifford Brown's 'Sandu' with a twist of funk. During intermission, Derek Bond, one of the 20 or so people in attendance for the evening, said he was enjoying the performance. 'It's wonderful because traditional Latin jazz music is not performed a whole lot, and it's very, very difficult to do well. The rhythms are very complex; you've got all kinds of calling rhythms and cross rhythms, and you have to consider what the bass will be doing and what the piano will be doing against what's happening with the other instrumentalists as well,' he said. 'They really have a nice variety of repertoire; they did some standards that many people who listen to jazz would know, and some newer stuff as well. It was also nice to see that the trumpet player had an original composition in there too.' Later, as the ensemble wrapped up with Herbie Hancock's 'Watermelon Man,' it was Brantford resident Maria LeBlanc, who was first to call for an encore. Afterwards, she said the performance was 'fabulous.' 'My favourite was of course, 'Tequila,' she said, with a laugh. 'We didn't know all of the pieces but they were just terrific. I've been to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto to see a couple of different things, but to get a taste of that here in Brantford was really wonderful. Where else would you get nine people playing live music in a tiny venue like this? I'm surprised they weren't sold out.' Kimberly De Jong's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at .
New York Times
17-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Twins roster projection 2.0: After late moves, where things stand as spring training begins
FORT MYERS, Fla. — After a late flurry of acquisitions, the Minnesota Twins' Opening Day roster is starting to round into form with spring training underway and the team's first full-squad workout set for Monday morning. Although the Twins did little to improve their roster early on this winter, they signed three free agents to major-league contracts in February: Danny Coulombe, Harrison Bader and Ty France. Advertisement The Twins will open the season on March 27 in St. Louis. With more players in camp, The Athletic's Dan Hayes and Aaron Gleeman projected the team's Opening Day roster. In: Ryan Jeffers, Christian Vázquez Others on the 40-man roster: Jair Camargo, Diego Cartaya Gleeman: Vázquez wasn't traded this offseason, so the Twins' catching outlook figures to be largely unchanged from the previous two seasons, which included splitting starts right down the middle, 81 to 81, last year. (Jeffers also started 25 games at designated hitter.) That said, I assume Jeffers will have a larger slice of the playing time pie this year. He out-hit Vázquez by 150 points of OPS and Twins pitchers had a better ERA with him behind the plate. Also, Vázquez is 34 and an impending free agent, whereas Jeffers is 26 and under team control through 2026. But the Twins have made it clear they prefer not to lean too heavily on one catcher and like having a job-sharing duo. I'm skeptical the Twins will make it to Opening Day carrying four catchers — or 4 1/2, if you count Mickey Gasper — on the 40-man roster, so it's possible Camargo and Cartaya could be competing for No. 3 catcher status. FanGraphs projects Twins catchers to rank 17th out of 30 in WAR, which makes sense after the same duo finished 15th in WAR last season. Hayes: From the early looks in camp, Vázquez looks to be in the best shape — don't say it, Dan, don't you dare say it — of his time with the Twins. He played three games in the Puerto Rican winter league, which has him ready for his walk year or whatever else comes his way. The Twins looked into trading Vázquez this winter simply because reallocating some of his $10 million salary toward another player's contract would have made sense. But the Twins and San Diego could not align on the dollars and the Padres moved on. The Twins were in a tough spot: If they traded Vázquez, they still would have wanted to replace him, and based on what free-agent catchers were getting this winter, the club's savings wouldn't have amounted to much. Advertisement Although they looked for a trade, under Derek Falvey this team has always been comfortable carrying two experienced catchers. The Twins won't mind doing their best to keep Vázquez and Jeffers physically fresh and ready to perform. In: Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, Jose Miranda, Ty France, Brooks Lee, Edouard Julien Others on the 40-man roster: Mickey Gasper Gleeman: Correa and Lewis are locked in on the left side. Miranda was atop the first-base depth chart by default until France's signing last week, but the truth is the DH spot creates plenty of room for both as lineup regulars. Julien could also enter the first base/DH mix as a left-handed alternative and/or platoon partner for the two righties. Second base seems like the least settled starting job as camp begins, though not for a lack of choices. The Twins would probably love it if Lee forced his way onto the team with a great spring, but they could also make Willi Castro the early starter (he started at second 31 times in 2024) or turn back to Julien if he looks improved in camp. (We've listed Castro among the outfielders for this projection, but that's mostly just to balance the positional scales. He's going to play plenty of infield and outfield.) Group including Ty France, Willi Castro, Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien did some first base work on the half field. #MNTwins — DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) February 15, 2025 Hayes: Now that France is in line to be the first baseman, what the Twins see from Lee and Julien are two of the biggest questions on the position side to be answered in camp. Lee was on top of the world for his first two weeks in the majors last year but then struggled to hit the fastball for the first time in his career. 'It was not as enjoyable as I would have thought it would have been,' he said of a rookie season in which he finished with a .585 OPS in 185 plate appearances. Advertisement Early on last season, Julien looked like his encore would be equal to his debut. He posted a .890 OPS through April 27 but then fell off, producing only a .484 OPS in his final 202 plate appearances as the league adjusted to him. Can Julien adjust back this season? That will likely determine whether he sticks in the majors. GO DEEPER Ty France heeds college coach Tony Gwynn's advice to simplify his approach In: Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Harrison Bader, Willi Castro Others on the 40-man roster: Austin Martin, Emmanuel Rodriguez, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. Hayes: The outfield puzzle fits together much better if Bader performs closer to his career norms versus left-handers rather than what he did in 2024. Bader's lifetime .776 OPS versus southpaws is 107 points higher than his mark against right-handers. But last year, Bader slipped to a .612 OPS against lefties. In 2022, his OPS was .562 versus lefties, with a great .936 OPS off lefties sandwiched in between. Inconsistent. No matter how he hits, Bader's glove has always performed, which makes him a great complement for when Buxton is out of the lineup. In an ideal world, Bader is Michael Taylor 2.0. Castro could see outfield at-bats against lefties, but he's always been better batting left-handed. He showed improved hitting right-handed early in 2024 before fading in the second half. Gleeman: Buxton flanked by Wallner and Larnach is a good starting outfield, but I will make my now-annual statement that the Twins should have gotten a righty bat with some power (Austin Hayes or Randal Grichuk, for example) to platoon in the corners with the two lefties. For whatever reason, they've never seemed to value that role, leaving the relatively light bats of Bader, Castro and Martin to get those platoon starts versus lefty pitchers. Bader is a very good backup center fielder, and a decent enough bat to be passable in the corners, but there was the room and the need to add two right-handed-hitting outfielders to the mix. Maybe next year (he says for the eighth straight season). Hey Harrison!! — Minnesota Twins (@Twins) February 17, 2025 In: Pablo López, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack, Simeon Woods Richardson Others on the 40-man roster: David Festa, Zebby Matthews, Travis Adams, Marco Raya Gleeman: Much like in 2023, starting pitching could be the strength of the team. López-Ober-Ryan is one of the league's better front-line trios. I'm skeptical about Paddack staying healthy and effective, but Woods Richardson looked like he belonged as a rookie and, as things stand now, both Festa and Matthews are slated for Triple-A St. Paul. Advertisement I'm a particularly big believer in Festa. His rookie numbers were good, but digging a bit deeper convinced me the 24-year-old has front-line upside, perhaps right now. Festa leads an upcoming wave of starter prospects, including Matthews (who's entering his age-25 season), Raya (22), Andrew Morris (23), Cory Lewis (24) and C.J. Culpepper (23). Also, Woods Richardson (24) is still in that same age group. There will inevitably be some attrition due to injuries, but that's why depth is such a key factor and why the Twins' rotation looks well-positioned for the near future. Hayes: A year ago, the Twins used six starting pitchers in spring training. They were behind the 8-ball the minute Anthony DeSclafani was injured, in big trouble when Paddack got hurt, and dead on arrival when Ryan was lost for the season even if they wouldn't fully realize it until a month later. Though there were points this offseason when the Twins would have traded Paddack if an offer to improve themselves existed, they're not upset about entering the spring with a boatload of experienced arms and a number of prospects nearing major-league readiness. The idea that Festa could start at Triple A if the Twins' rotation is healthy and that Louis Varland could finally be freed up to pitch in relief, a role he could thrive in, seems absurd when looking back at last season's thin group. In: Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, Cole Sands, Danny Coulombe, Jorge Alcala, Justin Topa, Michael Tonkin Others on the 40-man roster: Louis Varland, Eiberson Castellano, Kody Funderburk, Matt Canterino Hayes: With so many live arms to pick from, one wonders if the Twins will take advantage of Varland's final minor-league option to stash him in Triple A to begin the season. His availability out of the bullpen depends on several factors, primarily the health of the rotation and his own development. If his offseason work leads to improvement, he could force the club's hand to keep him in the rotation at St. Paul to start. Advertisement But if the Twins determine now is the time to make the switch to the pen, they already have a sense of Varland's upside as a reliever, including his ability to throw two innings at a time. Another factor that could determine Varland's status is the health of Stewart. If 'Beef Stew' isn't ready for the start of the season after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery last August, the Twins could rely on Varland to pitch in key spots late in games. Gleeman: In theory, the Twins have all eight bullpen spots filled, but it's logical to assume someone from that group won't be ready for Opening Day, especially since Stewart and Topa enter camp with injury questions. If that's the case, I'd like to see them unleash Varland as a full-time reliever. He's been surpassed by younger arms on the long-term starter depth chart and he has late-inning stuff as a reliever. This is where I note that FanGraphs projects the Twins to have the best bullpen in baseball this year, with the potential for four high-end options in Duran, Jax, Sands and, if healthy, Stewart. But this is also where I note that FanGraphs projected the Twins to have the second-best bullpen in baseball last year, and instead it ended up 19th in both ERA and Win Probability Added. GO DEEPER Twins' Jhoan Duran already hitting 99, feeling fine after better offseason GO DEEPER Twins spring training guide: 26 thoughts on all 26 hitters in major-league camp GO DEEPER Twins spring training guide: 30 thoughts on all 30 pitchers in major-league camp
