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After losing Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco to season-ending elbow injuries, the Houston Astros could use some good news.
The Astros got some on Wednesday.
Per The Athletic, Houston manager Joe Espada said that a long-injured starting pitcher would throw a live batting practice at the team’s facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday.
It’s not Luis Garcia or Cristian Javier, both pitchers who are coming off elbow surgeries and are pitchers the Astros hope can help them at some point this year.
No, it’s the right-hander who suffered a shoulder injury last season — J.P. France.
J.P. France Continues Return to Astros Rotation
France had surgery on July 1 of last year to repair a torn right shoulder capsule. At the time, he was expected to need anywhere from 12 to 14 months to recover. He’s coming up on the 12-month mark in his recovery.
The batting practice session is likely the first time he’s faced live hitters since last season.
Before the injury, he was struggling. He went 0-3 in five starts with a 7.48 ERA. He struck out 22 and walked 12 in 25.1 innings. He also allowed 21 earned runs.
Before that, he was a surprise and welcome addition to the rotation as the Astros reached the American League Championship Series. He went 11-6 with a 3.83 ERA in 24 games (23 starts). He struck out 101 and walked 47 in 136.1 innings.
He took the long path to get to the Majors. He was Houston’s 14th round pick in the 2018 MLB draft out of Mississippi State.
Right now, the Astros could use healthy arms. It’s possible that France beats both Garcia and Javier back to the field. Espada said that both of those pitchers are still just throwing bullpens and are not ready for live batting practice.
That is why the return of Lance McCullers Jr. has been so welcome. It takes some of the sting out of losing Wesneski and Blanco, who will both need elbow surgeries.
Along with McCullers, the rotation includes Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez and Ryan Gusto, along with whatever Houston can find for a fifth starter. It’s possible that Houston could get Spencer Arrighetti back from injury soon.
With France’s recovery time, he likely wouldn’t be an option for Houston until after the All-Star break. But at least there is a chance he’ll be an option.
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Chicago Cubs get motivation ahead of do-or-die NLDS Game 3 versus Brewers
The Chicago Cubs’ season may be over on Wednesday afternoon. The North Siders are down 0-2 in the best-of-five NLDS against the division rival Milwaukee Brewers and will be taking the field at Wrigley facing the harsh reality that their season is over if they can’t come up with a win. Judging by how the first two games played out, the Cubs have an uphill battle ahead of them. In games one and two of the series, the Brewers out-played, out-fought, and out-executed Chicago in just about every area. At times, the Cubs simply looked overmatched. A rebound in this series will not only buck historical precedence (only 10 teams have come back from a 0-2 deficit to win a 5-game Division Series in 90 series since the revised playoff format in 1995), but also fly in the face of what everyone has seen of both teams so far this postseason. Chicago Cubs establishing the right mindset But the game will go ahead and the Cubs need to find the motivation and the strategy to stay alive. “Part of being great at this is responding to the bad stuff and running towards it, man,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said during Tuesday’s team workout at Wrigley Field. “That’s part of this. And you can’t be afraid of it. You got to look forward to it. “It happens sometimes. We put ourselves in a hole this series, no question about it. We get to decide how the story ends.” Taillon takes the mound Jameson Taillon will be taking the mound for this crucial game and will be looking to turn in the same kind of masterful performance he delivered last Thursday when the Cubs were also facing elimination in Game Three of the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres. In that do-or-die outing, the veteran right-hander delivered 4 scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Taillon understands the importance of this game, but is assuming the ‘let’s take this game-by-game’ mental approach of Counsell and the team as a whole. “Games 1 and 2 didn’t go the way we wanted,” Taillon told media on Tuesday. “That being said, all we can focus on is tomorrow. If we want to make a run at this thing and try to come back, we have to win tomorrow. You can’t look too far ahead…It starts tomorrow and obviously being a starting pitcher, hopefully I can do my job and set the tone. And see where that can take us.” Taillon is 11-7 with a 3.68 ERA in a season affected by two separate stints on the IL, although he’s been brilliant since his September return to the roster. Against the Brewers this season, he’s notched a 4.50 ERA in three starts, with two excellent performances and one disastrous outing. The Brewers’ Game Three starter, Quinn Priester, meanwhile, has a 6.28 ERA in three starts versus the Cubs, also boasting two excellent starts against one terrible showing. Taillon’s challenge will be one of several in Wednesday’s game as the team also looks to re-energize a stagnant offense and stave off general frustrations. Counsell counts on Wrigley Field energy Counsell is hoping that the raucous Wrigley atmosphere, bolstered by the emotion of rabid Cubs fans, will provide the right jolt. “Wrigley is a special place,” Counsell said. “Your moments here are remembered, and that’s the biggest thing. What I’ve learned is that this place — when you think it can’t provide more, it provides more. “I think it did it for us last week…But I think it’s just the place. The place has a wonderful way of doing it.” If Chicago does manage to win on Wednesday, the uphill battle of staying afloat will continue on Thursday as they face a huge issue regarding the game’s starter. A taxed and flat Matthew Boyd, who was battered in Saturday’s series opener and pulled after just two-thirds of an inning, will be the only option. But that’s a worry for another day. For the Cubs, right now, there’s only today.
North Carolina reportedly considering nuclear option with Bill Belichick, and that's justified
Cowboys list 18 players on their injury report but a couple of names steal the spotlight as their return appears very likely
The Dallas Cowboys just revealed their first injury report of Week 6 on Wednesday and it's a long one. The team listed 18 players on it ahead of their matchup against the Carolina Panthers, five of which were non-participants while 10 were limited. The remaining three players on the report were listed as full participants. Two of latter stole the spotlight amid the bitter updates as their "full" participation means they're close to making their 2025 debut very soon: Cornerback Caelen Carson and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo. Neither of the them are currently on the 53-man roster but the Cowboys activated their 21-day practice window last week. Carson and Mingo were limited participants in each of last week's practices. To be upgraded to full on the first practice of the week is a promising sign for their chances of playing against the Panthers. The coaching staff would need to open up roster spots to place them on the 53-man roster. Other notes on Cowboys' initial injury report for Week 6 CeeDee Lamb was a non-participant once again as his chances of playing Week 6 remain up in the air. KaVontae Turpin also missed practice and told reporters he wasn't expecting to play. Right guard Tyler Booker also missed practice. The new additions to the non-participants were LB Jack Sanborn (concussion) and S Donovan Wilson (elbow/knee). Safety is starting to look like a serious concern. Malik Hooker was placed on Injured Reserve last weekend and now Wilson missed practice while Juanyeh Thomas popped up on the injury report as a limited participant. Other starters that were limited participants: CB Trevon Diggs, CB DaRon Bland, OT Tyler Guyton, LG Tyler Smith. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer suggested Guyton will start at left tackle if cleared. Thursday's full Cowboys' injury report window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');
Bengals QB Jake Browning angry about being benched for Joe Flacco, but team had no choice
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning has officially been benched, and he is not taking it lightly. Browning has started the last three games for the Bengals in the wake of a toe injury that Joe Burrow suffered in Week 2. After going 0-3 in those games, the Bengals decided to acquire Joe Flacco in a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced on Wednesday that Flacco will start in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. That means the new guy is taking Browning's job right away, which is hardly a surprise. Jake Browning is not happy about losing his job Browning spoke with reporters shortly after Taylor revealed that Flacco will start in Green Bay. The 29-year-old quarterback said the situation "sucks" but that he understands how the business of the NFL works. "I think it sucks but, like I said, everyone's in the middle of a season. I think, 'Welcome to pro football,'" Browning said. "If you don't play well, you're gonna get replaced, and that's what I'm going through." Browning also admitted he is angry over being benched. Though, he said he is not willing to shoulder the blame for everything that has gone wrong for Cincinnati since Burrow went down. "For me, I'm trying to respond the right way. Obviously, I'm pi--ed. If I wasn't pi--ed, then I shouldn't be in this locker room," Browning added. "I'm aware of the role I played in the offensive struggles over the last few weeks, but I'm also not shouldering the entire situation. I went through yesterday, watched my throws, tried to come up with some stuff I want to work on, and just doing that." Zac Taylor had no choice but to make a switch Browning threw three interceptions in Cincinnati's 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns as well, but anything positive that the veteran did came when the game was essentially out of hand. In his two starts prior to the Lions loss, Browning threw for a total of 265 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Bengals scored 13 points in the two games combined. Ja'Marr Chase looked extremely frustrated at times and even had a heated exchange with Taylor on the sideline. Taylor had been facing tremendous pressure from fans to make a quarterback change. It would not be a surprise if Cincinnati's front office and some players expressed a desire for Browning to be benched, as well.
4 concerning Vikings statistics that must improve after the bye
The Minnesota Vikings are a 3-2 football team heading into their bye week. They've done some good things through the first five weeks of the season, but they also have a lot of areas they need to improve. Frankly, the Vikings are a bit fortunate to have three wins, considering the comebacks they had to mount to beat the Bears and Browns. They've trailed going into the fourth quarter in four of their five games, including three games where they didn't score a touchdown in the first 45 minutes of action. That level of play isn't going to be nearly good enough for the rest of this season. The Vikings have had one of the easier schedules in the league so far, but they have one of the toughest schedules for the remainder of the campaign. Improvement must start with cleaning up these four unsightly statistics, which are all areas where the Vikings rank at or near the bottom of the league. Sack percentage (offense): 11.7 percent NFL rank: 32nd Through five weeks, no team has taken more sacks than the Vikings, whose quarterbacks have gone down 21 times on 180 dropbacks. That 11.7 percentage leads the league; the Ravens are the only other team with at least a 10 percent sack rate on offense. J.J. McCarthy was the worst offender, taking nine sacks on just 55 dropbacks over the first two weeks (16.4 percent). But Carson Wentz was sack-prone too, with 12 of them on 120 dropbacks. It's something McCarthy will have to show that he can improve in order to regain the starting role. Sacks fall on the play-caller, the quarterback, and the offensive line to varying degrees. All three have to find a way to fix this drive-killing issue for the Vikings after the bye week, starting against an Eagles defense that is surprisingly towards the bottom of the league in sacks so far. Third down conversion percentage (offense): 31 percent NFL rank: 31st This one, to some extent, goes hand in hand with the previous stat. The Vikings are converting third downs less than a third of the time, which is not where you want to be. Only the Titans and rookie QB Cam Ward have been less effective on third down this season (29 percent). Kevin O'Connell's team was up near 40 percent last year. Part of this stat has to do with the average third-down distances teams face. But despite their sack woes, the Vikings are actually near the middle of the pack in terms of yards needed on third down. One reason for that is that third down is where a big chunk of those sacks have occurred. Third and longs are tough for everyone, so a big key to being successful on third down is avoiding those situations by staying on schedule on early downs. With that said, the Vikings are also well below the league average with a 47 percent conversion rate on third downs of three yards or fewer remaining, so they also need to improve in short-yardage situations. Percentage of first downs gained via rush (defense): 47.1 percent NFL rank: 32nd Most of the statistics for the Vikings' defense are pretty positive. They've been good so far, even if it's fair to admit that their advanced numbers are skewed a bit by a dominant performance against the Bengals in Week 3. The one area why the Vikings could use some real improvement is in their run defense. The raw numbers for the Vikings' rushing defense (yards per game, yards per carry, etc.) aren't great. But this stat we found was particularly interesting. 47 percent of Vikings opponents' first downs are coming on the ground, which is the highest rate in the league. Teams aren't having a ton of success against the Vikings through the air, but why throw the ball when you're confident you can move the chains with the run game? That stat would be notable by itself, but it's even more interesting when you look at the 2024 numbers and see that the Vikings had the second-lowest rate in this category last season, with just 25.5 percent of opponent first downs being acquired via the run. Accepted penalties per game: 8.8 NFL rank: 1st (in a bad way) Simply put, the Vikings have to find a way to stop generating so many flags against them. They lead the league in both total accepted penalties (44) and penalties committed on a per-game basis. They've had procedural issues on offense, they've committed fouls on defense, and they've been flagged in the kickoff and punt phases on special teams. Across the board, they have to clean up their execution and avoid the negatives that put them in more difficult siutations.
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