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Andrew McCutchen drove in two runs with his lone hit to help the Pittsburgh Pirates snap a three-game slide with a 4-3 win against the visiting Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.
With Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Bryan Reynolds on base with two outs in the seventh, McCutchen delivered a double into center field to drive in the tying and game-winning runs.
Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four in four innings. Reliever Caleb Ferguson (1-0) was perfect in 1 1/3 innings to earn the win and closer David Bednar gave up one hit and fanned one for the save.
Cubs reliever Caleb Thielbar (1-1) allowed McCutchen's go-ahead double, which bounced through the infield and caromed off shortstop Dansby Swanson's glove. Chicago starter Matthew Boyd gave up two runs on six hits, walked three and fanned six in five innings. Swanson went 3-for-4.
Down by two after four innings, the Cubs rallied to go ahead 3-2 in the fifth.
Swanson opened with a fly-ball single to right and Jon Berti drew a walk, leading Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton to replace Mlodzinski with lefty Ryan Borucki.
Ian Happ greeted Borucki with a single to center that drove in Swanson, cutting it to 2-1. Berti and Happ advanced to third and second, respectively, on a wild pitch, and Berti scored on Kyle Tucker's groundout to tie it 2-2. Happ made it 3-2 on another Borucki wild pitch.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Oneil Cruz lined a leadoff double off the right-field wall and moved to third on a passed ball. After Joey Bart drew a walk, Ke'Bryan Hayes singled to right to bring in Cruz.
They doubled it in the fourth. Bart led off with a double, then Hayes and Matt Gorski followed with singles to load the bases with nobody out. Tommy Pham struck out and Jared Triolo appeared to hit into an inning-ending double play as center fielder Pete Crow-Amstrong caught a fly ball and quickly fired home to get Bart. Pittsburgh challenged the ruling at the plate and it was overturned to make it 2-0.
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Yankees Trade Hours Before Rays Game Draws Attention
The New York Yankees have been busy making moves as the trade deadline looms, and it doesn’t look like they’re slowing down anytime soon. Fresh off the addition of Ryan McMahon to bolster their lineup, the Yankees are shaking things up once again. This time, it’s not about who they’ve brought in, but rather who they’ve decided to part ways with, and it involves a familiar name who spent just a single season in pinstripes. Jack Curry reported on the trade on X saying, “The Yankees have traded Carlos Carrasco to the Braves for a PTBNL [player to be named later] or cash.” Given that the trade took place a few days before the deadline and just hours before a series opener at home against the division rival Tampa Bay Rays, fans had a lot to say. One fan said, "HAL WASNT LYING! THEYRE EXTREMELY ACTIVE." Another fan added, "CASH CONSIDERATIONS IS ON FIRE THIS TRADE DEADLINE!!!!" "CASHMAN YOU BEAST," said a fan. Another fan commented, "Gonna be the new Jessie Chavez" "Weird trade," said a fan not convinced with the move. Another fan said, "what does this look like? a NURSING HOME?! bffr." The Yankees picked up Carrasco on a minor-league deal back in February, and thanks to early injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, he found himself in the Opening Day rotation. Unfortunately, things didn’t go smoothly. Carrasco struggled in his eight appearances (six starts) with New York, posting a 5.91 ERA and recording 25 strikeouts over 32 innings. He was designated for assignment on May 6 and sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre two days later. He got a brief recall on June 1 but was quickly designated again on June 3, staying in the organization since then. In Triple-A, though, he turned things around, putting up a solid 3.27 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts) over 52 1/3 innings. While the Yankees are still in the hunt for veteran pitching, Carrasco wasn’t viewed as a big-league option for them. Instead, he now heads to Atlanta, where he’ll have a real shot at earning a rotation spot. Across his MLB career with the Cleveland Guardians, New York Mets and Yankees, Carrasco has a 4.18 ERA in 332 games (283 starts).
Green Bay Packers: 2x Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins Reveals True Feelings on Position Change, Contract Rumors
One of the biggest stories surrounding the Green Bay Packers this offseason has been the position change, and following absences, of two-time Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins. Early in the spring, it was quite clear that Green Bay had no intention of bringing back 2021 second round pick Josh Myers, who had been the Packers’ starting center since he was drafted. He ended up signing a one-year prove-it deal with the New York Jets. With Myers no longer in the fold, many wondered who the Packers would have play center. Zach Tom has long mentioned as a potential option there, as has second-year lineman Jacob Monk. But, to the shock of many, Green Bay opted to move Jenkins, who (as mentioned) is a two-time Pro Bowl left guard, to the position. They also signed Aaron Banks to a four-year $77 million contract to fill the hole left at left guard with Jenkins moving to center. It Was Reported that Green Bay Packers Star Elgton Jenkins Was Holding Out for a Revised Contract After the Packers announced that Jenkins was going to be moving to center while Banks would be entrenched at left guard, there were a series of reports that came out the two-time Pro Bowler was not happy. It was not that he minded the position switch. After all, he played center in college and filled in at the position in 2021 when Myers was out with an injury. Instead, these reports stated that Jenkins was concerned that the position switch would affect his earning capabilities in the NFL after his contract in Green Bay comes to an end. Centers do not make as much money as guards, and it was believed that Jenkins wanted some extra guarantees from the Packers in exchange for making the switch. And when Jenkins did not report to Green Bay for OTA’s and mandatory mini camp, fans began to worry that they had a real contract holdout on their hands. This was assumed to be the case, too, when Jenkins started training camp on the non-football injury list. Green Bay Packers Center Elgton Jenkins Shoots Down Contract Rumors As it turns out, though, none of these reports and rumors were true. Jenkins returned to practice on Tuesday, participating in individual drills only as he ramps up his activity. He had injured his back lifting weights during the offseason, which is why he started camp on the NFI. As for OTA’s, well, he had some family matters to attend to: As Ryan Wood notes, Jenkins spoke the Packers twice this offseason. The first time when they asked him about switching positions, and the second when he told them he would. What is more, per Wood, Jenkins has been planning a move to center for some time now: This is great news for Green Bay, who will be relying on Jenkins as their longest-tenured lineman, again, to lead the group tasked with protecting Jordan Love and opening holes for the run game.
Kirk Cousins makes notable leadership move after Falcons practice
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
Red Sox Aren't Getting Standout Back Anytime Soon
The Boston Red Sox got some bad news in the infield. Rookie infielder Marcelo Mayer has gotten a lot of time at second base and third base. Since Alex Bregman returned, Mayer has gotten most of his action at second base while also filling in as the Red Sox worked Bregman back slowly. Unfortunately, he's on the Injured List, though, due to a wrist sprain. MassLive.com's Christopher Smith shared the lastest update on Mayer from Red Sox manager Alex Cora on Saturday noted that he's "not gonna play soon." "No new updates on Marcelo Mayer's wrist sprain, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said," Smith shared. "'Just waiting for results and see specialists and all that stuff,' Cora added. 'He's not gonna play soon. So have to make sure where we're at and what the course of action is going to be.'" Losing Mayer is tough. Defense has been a question mark for Boston once again this season but Mayer has helped in that area. With Mayer out, Ceddanne Rafaela is expected to get a lot of action at second base. That helps to alleviate the logjam in the outfield, but also removes arguably the best defensive center fielder in the game. Boston isn't at full strength and Cora noting he's "not gonna play soon" certainly doesn't sound positive. Before going down, Mayer was slashing .228/.272/.402 with four homers, 10 RBIs, and eight doubles. Will the Red Sox add another piece ahead of the trade deadline? It absolutely makes sense at this point.
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