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Four stars of the night in MLB: Pitchers dominate
Another day full of Major League Baseball has wrapped up, and much like Tuesday's action, excellent pitching was the theme of the night.
With the games came star performances, so here are four from Wednesday's action.
Reese Olson, SP, Detroit Tigers
Olson turned in his best outing of the season on Wednesday, going 7 1/3 shutout innings against a high-powered San Diego Padres offense.
Olson allowed just two hits and struck out seven in his start and lowered his season ERA down to a 3.29 for the season. His emergence has given Detroit one of the best rotations in all of baseball.
Reese Olson, more Wicked Changeups.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 23, 2025
7Ks thru 7 pic.twitter.com/U5515dzezg
Carlos Rodon, SP, New York Yankees
Much like Olson, Rodon turned in his best outing of the season on Wednesday when he went seven innings and allowed just one run while striking out eight.
It is the first time all season that Rodon has gone seven innings in a start, and the Yankees will consistently need outings like the one he turned in on Wednesday to repeat as AL East champions.
The Dón in 8K.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 23, 2025
Presented by @Delta pic.twitter.com/KQFCC2Qn9l
Andrew Heaney, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
After a rocky past couple of seasons, it appears that Heaney has figured out a way to become one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2025.
Wednesday against the Angels, Heaney went six shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out nine. He lowered his season ERA to 1.72, and he is headed toward being one of the top pitching targets at this season's trade deadline.
Andrew Heaney has struck out the first six batters of the game pic.twitter.com/hGFF574drQ
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 24, 2025
Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Carroll was responsible for the only multi-home run game across baseball on Wednesday, and Arizona needed both of them in a major way.
He went deep twice in Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, and it is the second time this season that Carroll has homered twice in a game. The first time came April 4 in a win against the Washington Nationals.
CORBIN FRANKLIN CARROLL pic.twitter.com/9pcdel4PBI
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 24, 2025
More must-reads:
- Watch: A's top prospect collects first MLB hit and RBI
- Watch: Mets stay hot with thrilling home win vs. Phillies
- The 'MLB playoff home run leaders' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Tigers explode for best offensive performance in weeks, snap losing skid
The Detroit Tigers won on Sunday. Something that was such a common occurrence throughout most of the season happened again, but this time it snapped the Tigers' recent losing skid. After dropping three straight to Toronto and six in a row overall, the Tigers took the fourth game of their series, 10-4. The win, Detroit's 61st of the season, came with relative ease thanks to multiple big innings, most notably a seven-run eighth. Detroit also managed to put together its most productive offensive showing since the beginning of the month despite only hitting one home run as a team. The last time the Tigers scored 10 or more runs was when they hung 11 on the lowly Nationals on July 2. Speaking of only Detroit's lone home run, that's how the Tigers got on the board for the first time on Sunday. Gleyber Torres sent a pitch into the stands in right field with two runners already on base in the third. Torres' home run was his 10th in his debut season with Detroit after spending the first seven years of his career in New York with the Yankees. Then came the Tigers' big seventh inning, scoring a touchdown worth of runs for good measure. Torres drove in one more, giving him four RBI in the game. Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Javier Baez and Dillon Dingler, who sent two runners home, drove in the rest. Starter Jack Flaherty held the Blue Jays' potent lineup scoreless through his six innings of work. He gave up only six baserunners and struck out seven, earning only his second win of the month and first since July 8. Toronto did threaten, coming alive with a four-run ninth inning. But the Blue Jays' best efforts came too late, and Detroit was able to hang on for a much-needed victory. And while one single win won't be enough to calm the nerves of any Tigers fan concerned about their recent struggles — Detroit is 2-8 in its last 10 games — it needed to get one before worrying about stacking more. The Tigers will now start the new week, looking to start a new streak with a back-to-back series against National League competition. Arizona will come to Comerica Park for three before Detroit travels to Philadelphia to battle the Phillies.
Celtics' moves suggest new guard will be traded — eventually
The Boston Celtics got under the second luxury-tax apron by trading Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz Tuesday. The move also gives them a huge incentive to deal their most expensive new player. The Celtics have dramatically reduced their payroll in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury. With their superstar unlikely to play in 2025-26, the Celtics traded away starters Jrue Holiday ($94.4M for three years, plus a $37.2M player option in 2027-28) and Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7M next season). They also let Luke Kornet ($2.8M) leave as a free agent, and Al Horford ($9.5M) is almost certainly gone as well. They received Georges Niang ($8.2M) in the Porzingis deal, but traded him Tuesday for undrafted R.J. Luis Jr., a rookie on a two-way deal. That effectively takes Niang's full salary of their books and gets them under the second luxury-tax apron, freeing them from the penalties and restrictions that go along with second-apron status. According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics have saved a whopping $286M in salary and taxes with their moves. Still, the team can reap a larger long-term reward by dropping below the luxury tax entirely, which requires reducing their payroll by just over $12M more. The Celtics don't seem inclined to trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard, wanting to keep some core members of their 2024 title team together for Tatum's return. Sam Hauser is on an affordable four-year, $45M deal, but losing his $10M salary wouldn't get them under the tax line. That's why Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, is likely not long for Boston. The 26-year-old guard makes $27.7M in the last year of his contract, making him the perfect trade piece to get Boston under the luxury tax. Not only would getting under the tax line free the Celtics of their tax obligations and save them as much as $40M, but it would make them eligible to share in the money from tax-paying teams. The Celtics would also be able to avoid the dreaded repeater tax penalties, which make every dollar over the luxury-tax number progressively more expensive every year a team stays over the tax line. This doesn't mean Simons is going to be traded this summer. Boston has until the Feb. 5 trade deadline to move Simons, since luxury tax is calculated on the team's total payroll the last day of the season. But given the massive savings they'd get back from losing Simons' salary, it seems inevitable. The Celtics have lost a lot of talent this summer, but they've saved a tremendous amount of money in the process. They might have to attach draft capital to get off Simons' deal, but if he plays well in Boston, he might even bring back something in a trade next season. Tatum's injury threw a huge wrench in the Celtics' plans. If they can use this season to get under the luxury tax, they'll have the flexibility to reload and contend again when their star is back in a year.
Shedeur Sanders getting golden opportunity, but ultimate pressure as the starter
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders an incredible opportunity just weeks after he was throwing passes to the equipment staff as the No. 4 quarterback. Despite being QB4 on the depth chart released this week, Sanders was named the starting quarterback for the Browns' preseason opener on the road against the Carolina Panthers, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "Sanders, the Browns fourth-team quarterback who has yet to take a snap with the first-team offense, is expected to start the game, a league source tells cleveland.com," Cabot wrote. "He’ll get the nod because Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel are both nursing hamstring injuries, and the Browns don’t want Joe Flacco, 40, playing in the preseason opener." With the addition of Tyler Huntley on Monday, Cleveland now has six quarterbacks on the preseason roster, as Deshaun Watson sits on the physically unable to perform list. Sanders has wanted an opportunity to prove to the Browns that he can be a full-time starter in the league after an embarrassing spring. The projected first-round pick fell to Cleveland in the fifth round, two rounds after the team chose Dillon Gabriel from Oregon. The Browns are now giving Sanders a chance to show the coaching staff what he can do as the starter on Friday. The Colorado Buffaloes product will face the ultimate pressure to play well against Carolina, or he may not receive another golden opportunity with the first team on a roster that has a CVS receipt full of quarterbacks. Sanders faces an uphill battle to perform well after receiving a lack of reps during OTAs and the beginning of training camp. But Sanders knew he wasn't going to have an easy path to move up the depth chart. Friday is Sanders' best shot.
Steelers News: Scotty Miller Explains Why 'You Must Stay On Your Toes' with Aaron Rodgers
Training camp is a happy time during an NFL fan’s otherwise lengthy, dreary summer. Seeing your team’s stars in action is gratifying. It brings hope that roughly six months from now, you’ll be celebrating a championship. For Pittsburgh Steelers supporters, that aspiration hinges on the right arm of Aaron Rodgers. The 41-year-old signal-caller isn’t necessarily who Terrible Towel wavers wanted as their QB1, but he does offer Mike Tomlin’s roster its best chance at competing for the Lombardi Trophy this year. While Pittsburgh’s fanbase isn’t thrilled about Rodgers’ presence — or the direction of the franchise — their wideouts are enjoying it. Scotty Miller spoke on the offense’s crisp nature with DK Pittsburgh Sports on Tuesday, saying Rodgers’ operation is effective and efficient. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed with him, from playing with a bunch of different other quarterbacks, just the timing. You got to be ready. As soon as your foot goes in the ground, as soon as your head turns around, that ball is going to be on you. He can fit the ball into any tight window… you got to stay on your toes.” – Scotty Miller Rodgers has always developed incredible chemistry with his receivers. His connection with Davante Adams was so good, it felt innate. While that level of understanding is almost impossible to build in one offseason, it’s notable that Rodgers is making headway on that quest with multiple receivers. Rodgers, Steelers face tough road to NFL playoffs Mike Tomlin has never posted a losing record during his 18-year tenure in Pittsburgh. Because of that consistency, the Steelers are always in the playoff hunt. They didn’t sign Rodgers with the intention of repeating last season’s disheartening finish. They did it seeking an appearance and victory in Super Bowl LX. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh’s path to such prominence is a difficult one. As legendary as Rodgers is, nobody is choosing him over the AFC’s quartet of superstar passers — Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow — in a playoff matchup. The Steelers would likely have to beat two of them on any potential postseason run, and already must go through Jackson and Burrow just to win the AFC North. DraftKings gives Pittsburgh the eighth-best playoff odds (+115) among AFC teams. That line implies that Rodgers and Co. have a 46.5% chance to earn a postseason berth. The Steelers’ bigger issue, though, is their Super Bowl odds (+3500). Those implied odds (appx. 2.8%) are not in their favor. If any coach could overcome such market belief, it’s Tomlin. He has demonstrated as much by taking Pittsburgh to the playoffs year after year. A Super Bowl triumph, though, is a much taller task. His and Rodgers’ journey for glory begins against the New York Jets on Sept. 7.
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