It was an embarrassing loss on Wednesday as the D-Backs lost by a score of 10-1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Paul Skenes was dealing on Wednesday as he pitched 6.2 scoreless innings while only allowing four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. The Pirates were about to have a shutout over the D-Backs until Tim Tawa’s pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Zac Gallen has his moments where he showed he can still at times handle the pressure on Wednesday, although it’s more about longevity in his outings as he hit a wall again in the fifth and sixth innings. Juan Morillo entered after Gallen became unglued and didn’t have any better luck as they gave up a combined seven earned runs to a Pirates team who isn’t exactly known for their offense.
Head Coach Torey Lovullo spoke on the team’s struggles recently: (Credit – Arizona Sports)
“I think I’m a very patient person, but I have a breaking point and I know you guys can sense that I’m there. They’re responsible, they’re accountable and they all know internally what they’re supposed to do to help this get better. … I think the clubhouse is in a good spot. I think they’re really, really frustrated and wanting good things to happen immediately. But it’s not gonna get better until we make it get better.”
It feels like a broken record at this point for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Whether it is inconsistent hitting at the plate and leaving runners on base, or the bullpen being in complete disarray without showing any signs of life in the future, the issues are glaring and are on full display.
Final. pic.twitter.com/CDdtkOHpLm
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) May 28, 2025
The D-Backs are now two games under .500 with their record sitting at 27-29 and have now lost three straight series in a row. They will have an off day before welcoming the Washington Nationals to Chase field for a three-game weekend series.
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The Chicago Cubs have clinched a spot in the playoffs and, despite some poor play recently, seem pretty much set to clinch the top NL Wild Card seed, guaranteeing them home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. With the postseason in sight, focus obviously turns to fielding a winning team that will produce a deep run in the playoffs and, hopefully, a shot at a World Series appearance. There are some major questions and concerns, though. There are doubts about the bullpen and the state of the starting rotation. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s extended slump at the plate is also extremely troubling. But, arguably, the biggest concern the Cubs face as the regular comes to an end is Kyle Tucker and whether he’ll be healthy and ready for the playoffs. Kyle Tucker goes down and stays down The four-time All-Star right fielder has been out of commission since September 2 with a strained left calf. The Cubs initially thought that it would be a relatively simple injury to walk through and decided to hold off on an IL stint. However, as time passed and Tucker’s injury didn’t seem to be responding, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and put their multi-tool star on the 10-day IL. Those ten days came and went, though, without any improvement to Tucker’s condition. It’s now almost a week past the point where he was eligible to return, but he remains inactive, opting to return to Tampa to work with his personal physical therapy team. He’s due to return to Chicago this Tuesday to confer with Cubs staff on his progress or lack thereof. According to reports, he hasn’t begun running yet. Counsell offers somewhat of an update At the moment, Cubs manager Craig Counsell seems just as befuddled and low-key frustrated as the fans (and likely Tucker, himself). “He’s hitting, yes,” Counsell told reporters prior to the Cubs’ 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on Sunday. “We’ve got to figure out when, and if, he’s going to be available. We’ve got six games left.” The clock is most definitely ticking on Tucker and the Cubs with now just over a week left before the Wild Card series begins. It only stands to reason that the team would want Tucker back before the playoffs for at least a couple games to get back his rhythm at the plate. Can Tucker come back for Chicago Cubs playoff run? Having Tucker back in time for some regular season tune-up at bats has been a topic of conversation as the right fielder’s recovery has dragged on. Some feel that, with his relaxed approach to hitting, Tucker won’t be in dire need of live at bats before the playoffs. Others feel that coming back cold, playing in high-stakes playoff games, could be a recipe for failure. “Nobody knows the right answer to that question,” Counsell said, regarding an absolute need for tune-up at bats before the postseason. “We have history on both sides of it. We have examples on both sides of it… “The beautiful part about it, for him, is I really don’t think it’s going to help him. I don’t think he’s wired that way…He had a tremendous September last year coming off a similar [extended injury] situation.” On Tuesday, everyone will be one step closer to knowing what’s what when it comes to Tucker and his readiness to play. As of right now, though, things don’t look good.
The Green Bay Packers are reeling after they blew a 10-0 lead at the start of the fourth quarter on Sunday. The Packers allowed the Cleveland Browns to score 13 unanswered points to win 13-10 in front of 65,470 fans at Huntington Bank Field. Following the game, defensive end Micah Parsons had a crude response to the comeback. "Sometimes, just like today, you s--- the bed," Parsons said via ESPN. "That's just the reality of it. It happens to the best teams. Even the best Super Bowl champs make mistakes, and they pay for it early. You go back to the history of the champions and who've they've played and games they should've won. It's just that competitive. "It's that hard to win. It's hard as hell to win football games. When you win football games, it's a celebration. But when you lose, it sucks." What went wrong for the Packers in loss to Browns Parsons and the Packers had a couple of major blunders in the final minute that they want back. Green Bay kicker Brandon McManus had a blocked field goal attempt that allowed the Browns a chance to get in range for a game-winning field goal. Parsons was called for a neutral zone infraction on the first play of the Browns' drive, allowing Cleveland to start the series from the Green Bay 48-yard line with 21 seconds remaining. Parsons apologized for the penalty, calling it "unacceptable." The All-Pro finished with two tackles. Parsons has extra motivation for avenging the loss against the Browns. The Packers are set to travel to play his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 4.
The Minnesota Vikings are fourth-worst in the NFL with 503 passing yards through three weeks, but they've been compromised. Wide receiver Jordan Addison was suspended for the first three games for violating the NFL's Substances of Abuse Policy. The 23-year-old was arrested on suspicion of DUI near Los Angeles International Airport in July 2024 and pleaded no contest to a "wet reckless" charge this past July, which is a misdemeanor offense. The Vikings drafted Addison No. 23 overall out of USC in 2023, and he was productive in his first two seasons. The 5-foot-11-inch, 175-pounder has career totals of 1,786 receiving yards on 133 catches with 19 touchdowns over 32 games. Addison is now done with his suspension, via NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "Suspensions are over for 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and Vikings WR Jordan Addison, who both served three games and are now back with their teams," he reported on Monday. Minnesota will now have its No. 2 receiver back moving forward. Superstar wideout Justin Jefferson leads the team with 12 catches and 200 yards, while the next receiving leader is fellow wideout Josh Nailor with 96 yards. Tight end T.J. Hockenson also has nine receptions for 76 yards. Addison has a better track record than Nailor, who has never topped 414 yards in a season since entering the league in 2022. On the other hand, Hockenson notched 95 catches, 960 yards, and five touchdowns in 2023, but he's a safety blanket underneath and over the middle. Addison can help take the top off of the defense alongside Jefferson, which should open up the Vikings' offense. Vikings Positioned for Success Against Steelers Not only is Minnesota getting Addison back for this Sunday's bout with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it'll face a defense that ranks 23rd in the NFL with 25.7 points allowed per game. The Steelers did hold the New England Patriots' offense to 14 points in last Sunday's win, but they coughed up 32 points to the New York Jets in Week 1 and 31 to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is out, but veteran backup Carson Wentz showed he can still play in Sunday's 48-10 trouncing of the Cincinnati Bengals, completing 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. They're now 2-1 ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, and could go 3-1 if Addison picks up where he left off.
The Green Bay Packers are coming off of a frustrating and humiliating loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Going into the game, many expected Green Bay to win easily, but they fell 13-10 in what was one of the worst games in Matt LaFleur‘s tenure as head coach. It was, by far, the offense’s worst game of the season, and the special teams was its usual disappointing self. The Packers defense, though, performed admirably once again, allowing 13 points on short fields. Rashan Gary had two sacks, giving him an NFL-leading 4.5 on the season. Micah Parsons, as has been his norm since arriving in Green Bay, was a wrecking ball, drawing double-teams and penalties while still generating pressure on the quarterback. And as the Packers look to get back to their winning ways, they look ahead to Week Four and a Sunday night showdown with Parsons’ former team, the Dallas Cowboys, who will be without multiple key offensive players. Micah Parsons the Green Bay Packers defense will face a depleted Dallas Cowboys offensive line It is yet to be seen what the Packers offensive line will look like when they play Dallas this upcoming Sunday night. Zach Tom only played one snap against Cleveland before leaving with his oblique injury and Aaron Banks left later in the game with a groin issue. Unfortunately, Green Bay’s depth on the offensive line was not good enough to overcome the formidable Browns defensive front, who made life miserable for Jordan Love all game long. But this Sunday, the Packers will not be the only team taking the field in Dallas with injuries on the offensive line. The Cowboys, too, will be without two of their own starters after rookie Tyler Booker was revealed to have suffered a high ankle sprain: Booker suffered a high ankle sprain to Dallas’ blowout loss to the Chicago Bears. While he finished the game, he is going to be out for the next 4-6 weeks. Additionally, the Packers will not have to worry about All-Pro Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who will also be out for multiple weeks with an ankle sprain. Much has been said lately of Parsons returning to Dallas for the first time since the trade. And, given how beleaguered the Cowboys offensive line is, he could be in for a big game.
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