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The New York Yankees were cruising on Monday.
After dropping their last two series, getting off to a good start in a high-profile showdown against the San Diego Padres was a much-needed way for them to begin the week.
Unfortunately, a late collapse now has the Yankees sitting as losers of three games in a row.
The culprit once again was Devin Williams, the formerly elite closer who was acquired this past winter with the expectation that he would be the dominant shutdown man he has been throughout his career.
New York is not getting that version, though.
After being inserted at the top of the eighth inning with a three-run lead, Williams got off to a good start by striking out the first batter he faced, but he then walked Tyler Wade and gave up a single that put a runner in scoring position.
In a high-leverage spot, Williams struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. for the massive second out, but then he walked another batter to load up the bases and end his night.
Aaron Boone called upon Luke Weaver to get out of this jam, but Weaver gave up a two-run double to Manny Machado and later a two-run single from Xander Bogaerts that gave the Padres a 4-3 lead.
What was the reasoning behind Williams' struggles this time?
According to him, it was the soggy mound.
"It was the landing spot, to be honest with you. I couldn't figure it out with the release point on my fastball. It was getting away from me," Williams said after the game, per Greg Joyce of The New York Post. "It's one of those nights where you're not only battling the hitter. I was battling the mound. But we're all given the same set of circumstances, and I couldn't pull through tonight."
The honesty is certainly noble, but that's likely not a reason fans want to hear.
The Yankees have lost five games when leading in the eighth inning or later this season, the most in Major League Baseball.
Williams has been on the mound for three of them.
He is starting to become unplayable at this stage whenever it's a tight game, and that does not bode well for New York moving forward if he can't figure things out.
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Mets interested in acquiring veteran outfielder
With the trade deadline fast approaching, the Mets have already been linked to some big bats, namely Eugenio Suárez and Brandon Lowe, and a handful of outfielders, including Harrison Bader, Luis Robert Jr., and Cedric Mullins. Now, you can add Ramón Laureano to both lists. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Tuesday afternoon that the Mets have “considered” trading for Laureano, as well as noting their continued interest in Robert and Mullins. In his eighth big league season, Laureano is on pace for a career year at the plate. Entering play today, his strikeout rate (25.1%) had never been lower, his isolated power (.247) had never been higher, and his .866 OPS, 139 wRC+, and .369 xwOBA were all career-bests. As for the other half of his game, he’s certainly not going to win a Gold Glove, but his elite throwing arm helps him make up for poor range, and he can more than hold his own in a corner spot. He is no longer well-suited for center field, but he has enough experience out there that he can play the position in a pinch. Indeed, that could be one reason why the Mets are interested. With Jose Siri out since April and Tyrone Taylor struggling badly at the plate, the club has been asking Jeff McNeil to play more center field lately. McNeil is well known for versatility, but he had only played three career games in center prior to this season. What’s more, every inning that McNeil plays in center is an inning that either Brett Baty or Luisangel Acuña plays at second base, and neither Baty nor Acuña is having a strong year at the plate. It’s hard to know whether Laureano would be a better defensive center fielder than McNeil, but there is little doubt that New York’s offense would be stronger with Laureano in center field and McNeil at second base. Ultimately, neither McNeil nor Laureano (nor Taylor nor Brandon Nimmo) is a great option in center field, but without a good solution, at least it helps to have depth. Starling Marte and Mark Vientos have both come up in trade rumors recently, and if either one is dealt, that could also allow the Mets to slot in Laureano as their designated hitter as needed. Prior to this year, it would have been strange to suggest Laureano play DH; from 2020-24, he produced a perfectly mediocre .709 OPS and 101 wRC+. However, it’s impossible to argue with his production so far in 2025. He ranks 11th among AL batters (min. 200 PA) in OPS and 12th in wRC+. His hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and xwOBA all place him within the top quartile of Statcast qualified hitters. Perhaps most impressive, the righty-batting Laureano has done most of his damage against same-handed pitching. He has a 111 wRC+ against southpaws this year compared to a remarkable 154 wRC+ against right-handers. He’s likely due for some regression against righties, but that wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Mets, considering they already rank fifth in MLB with a 115 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. Conversely, they rank 17th with a 91 wRC+ against lefties. Laureano, who has a career 122 wRC+ with the platoon advantage, could help boost that number. While payroll is obviously not a huge concern for the Mets, they are third-time luxury tax payers in the top tier of penalties, which means there is a 110% tax on all salary they take on. So, they surely like the fact that Laureano’s $4M contract is significantly cheaper than those of other impact bats like Suárez and Lowe. His deal also includes a $6.5M team option for 2026, which would be an absolute bargain if he keeps hitting like he has been for the rest of the year. Laureano is not a perfect fit for the Mets’ roster. He is primarily a corner outfielder, and the team already has fixtures in both corner spots: Nimmo in left and Juan Soto in right. Still, he’s enjoying a tremendous season, and there is little doubt that the 2025 Mets would be a better team with Laureano in their lineup than they would be without.
Packers starter hits back at Matt LaFleur, calls for 'bus fine'
Matt LaFleur is earning the ire of several of his Green Bay Packers players early in training camp. On Tuesday, LaFleur punished offensive tackle Rasheed Walker for his altercation with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. However, the most interesting interaction of the day came between LaFleur and tight end Tucker Kraft. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur called out Kraft for two questionable fumbles during the first week of practice. Both "fumbles" came after the play was over or when the ball fell out of bounds. "Certainly, we all know what kind of player Tucker Kraft is and can be," LaFleur said. "He can’t allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better.” The third-year tight end took issue with LaFleur calling him out in front of the media and blamed the coaching staff for implementing practice rules that made it easy for offensive players to fumble. "I’d say a lot of the times — there’s certain rules you play with in practice, like just letting the defense punch repeatedly," Kraft said. "You’re not allowed to stiff-arm. I guess all I have are excuses. Yes, I am working on not fumbling the ball in practice." Schneidman said Kraft answered the question with a tone of sarcasm. Kraft was frustrated that he couldn't defend the ball by stiff-arming a defender trying to poke the ball from his undefended arm. Kraft acknowledged that during practice, he has to "play by the rules" LaFleur makes and is trying to work on having a "yes sir, no sir" attitude with his head coach. He then made a vague reference about a "bus fine" and accused LaFleur of throwing him under the bus in front of the media. Schneidman believes the tight end might actually be calling for Green Bay to fine LaFleur after his discouraging quote Tuesday morning. "So yes, the Packers’ third-year tight end might be calling for his head coach to be fined — not by the league, of course, but by the team — for what he perceived as throwing him under the bus," Schneidman wrote. "Is Kraft being serious about fining LaFleur? "Probably not. Is he peeved LaFleur called him out? It sure seems like it." LaFleur might do better to have a conversation with Kraft before dragging his name into news conferences with reporters. It's clear Tucker doesn't see eye-to-eye with LaFleur about fumbles. This is a good reminder to those getting overly excited or nervous reading practice reports that what happens at practice should be taken with a grain of salt. Most likely, Tucker is going to be fine.
Shedeur Sanders Trade Speculation Ramps Up After 'Perfect Practice'
During Monday's training camp practice, Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders reportedly completed 9-of-9 passes with two touchdowns. While there has been plenty of buzz about what that can do for his standing in the team's quarterback battle, former NFL offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger is convinced that the Browns may be building Sanders up for another reason. Ohrnberger suggested that not only could the defense be limited on purpose in terms of the plays that were being called in order to see how Sanders reacts, and also suggested the Browns want to show Sanders succeeding to increase his trade value. Would the Cleveland Browns Trade Shedeur Sanders? Although it'd be a bit surprising for a team to move on from a quarterback before seeing what he can do against real competition, the Browns' quarterback room is crowded. They have a veteran journeyman and Super Bowl champion in Joe Flacco, a former first-round pick in Kenny Pickett who they traded for and rookie Dillon Gabriel, who they drafted before Sanders in this year's draft. The demand for Sanders NFL if someone else goes down around the NFL. Cleveland's Front Office Must Decide How They Feel About Shedeur Sanders While the Browns risked virtually nothing by selecting Sanders with pick No. 144, owner Jimmy Haslam made it clear on Tuesday that drafting the son of Deion Sanders was general manager Andrew Berry's call. "If you'd told me...Let's see, we picked him on Saturday right," Haslam said. "Friday night, driving home y'all are gonna pick Shedeur. I would say 'That's not happening.' But we had a conversation early that morning and we had a conversation early that day. I think we had the right people involved in the conversation. At the end of the day that's Andrew Berry's call. Andrew made the call to pick Shedeur." If a consensus is reached that Sanders isn't bringing what they had hoped to the table, it only makes sense to trade him. However, if they feel as if he can finally end their search for a franchise quarterback or can be a viable backup, trading him doesn't seem like a smart move. What Shedeur Sanders Brings to the Table Although Sanders fell to the fifth round, he was widely viewed as a first-round talent throughout the entire draft process. While he doesn't have a massive arm or tremendous athleticism, he is extremely cerebral and efficient. He left Colorado having broken over 100 school records, setting the FBS record for completion percentage in a career (71.8%) and is also easily the most marketable rookie in his class. In April, sports business insider Darren Rovell reported that Sanders had the "No. 1 selling jersey among all 2025 draft picks." So, if the Browns can't find a role for Sanders, chances are another team gladly will.
Lakers' Bronny James Looks Like Completely Different Player for LA
Second-year Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James entered the NBA offseason as a completely new player, with significantly more confidence on the court. James was drafted in the second round last summer by the Lakers, though he only made spot cameos with Los Angeles. Instead, he spent most of his time with the G League team, getting repetitions among other NBA-caliber talent. He faced intense scrutiny as the son of LeBron James, arguably the greatest player of all time, and was criticized by the national media for allegedly being a product of nepotism. More news: Lakers' Luka Doncic Makes Major Offseason Announcement In Las Vegas this summer, Bronny James proved his critics wrong and showed a ton of growth on the court, which was noticed by Lakers' Summer League coach Lindsey Harding. “He’s been great,” Harding told the media, per Mike Trudell of Lakers.com “Having his time in the G League, getting more and more confidence and then coming here and taking more minutes and responsibility on his shoulders." During the showcase games, James averaged 14.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.5 rebounds over his 24.3 minutes per outing. "Handling the ball much more than he has in the past and making those decisions and reads for us, he’s taken that role on as a leader, that was also part of his growth," Harding said. "And then on the defensive end, where he had those moments where he can really pressure (the ball), pick up full court, be disruptive," Harding added. "That’s something where he can really have an immediate impact for our team this season.” More news: Lakers’ Luka Doncic Reveals Shocking New Fitness Regimen, Diet He shot an impressive 35.3% from three and guarded the opposing team's best player with energy and intensity. With a Lakers team lacking defensive guards, James could break into the rotation and eat into Gabe Vincent's minutes. Amid all of the scrutiny, he is proving his long list of doubters wrong and showing his true potential on the basketball court. More news: Former Lakers Center Nearing Deal With Surprise Team For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.
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