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The Cleveland Guardians continue to thrive at home. Most recently, that good fortune has come at the expense of the reeling Minnesota Twins.
Looking to maintain that home success, the Guardians can complete a three-game series sweep by handing the Twins their sixth straight loss Sunday afternoon.
The American League Central-leading Guardians have lost just six times in 20 home games this season and have won six of the seven series they've played in Cleveland.
Tyler Freeman had a career-high four hits with three RBIs, and Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer for one of his three hits during Saturday's 11-4 rout of the Twins.
"We were just on go the whole time (Saturday)," Freeman told Bally Sports Cleveland.
Batting leadoff with Steven Kwan injured, Freeman is 8-for-17 with six runs scored in the past five games.
"He's found a really good stride, and this is all a credit to him," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said of Freeman.
Meanwhile, Ramirez, whose eighth-inning, tiebreaking homer was the difference during Cleveland's 3-2 victory in Friday's series opener, is batting .340 with six home runs and 16 RBIs in his past 13 games.
Cleveland's scheduled Sunday starter, Tanner Bibee (2-1, 4.34 ERA), allowed three hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings of Monday's 7-0 win at Texas to drop his ERA to 1.69 in five 2024 road starts. However, the right-hander owns an 8.05 ERA while going 1-1 in four home starts this season.
But Bibee is 1-0 with a 3.54 ERA in four career starts against the Twins. On April 4 at Minnesota, he yielded a solo homer to Edouard Julien, four other hits, and struck out nine without a walk in 5 1/3 innings of the Guardians' 4-2 victory.
"These games inherently mean the most," Bibee said of facing a Central opponent such as the Twins. "The division can decide whether we go to the playoffs or not, so it's important to win these games."
This season, Cleveland is 4-0 against Minnesota, which has been outscored 28-7 during its five-game slide that followed a 17-3 stretch. The Twins have batted .181 and struck out 48 times in those four 2024 games vs. Cleveland.
"It's one of those stretches, show up tomorrow and keep doing more of the same and hopefully we end up with a win," star Carlos Correa, who is 5-for-12 against Cleveland this season, told the Twins' official website.
Scheduled Minnesota starter Chris Paddack (4-2, 4.89 ERA) won four straight starts before he gave up five runs, 12 hits and two walks in five innings of Tuesday's 5-1 home loss to the New York Yankees.
The right-hander continues to toy with the balance of his pitch arsenal, notably regaining confidence in his changeup. However, even with his most recent outing, Paddack said he's close to feeling comfortable with everything being thrown.
"(My teammates) were like, ‘Man, your stuff's biting. Your curveball's there. It's sharp. Your fastballs at the top are great. Changeups below,'" Paddack said.
"There's a lot of positives to take away."
Though Paddack has never faced the Guardians, Cleveland's Ramon Laureano is 3-for-8 with a double against him.
More must-reads:
- Yankees manager provides major update on Aaron Judge's injury
- Tigers' needs even more apparent after loss to Blue Jays
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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Mariners' Cal Raleigh makes history with 40th home run
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh clubbed his 40th home run of the season on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels, not only extending his major league lead but also making him the first player in baseball to reach the 40-home run mark this season. It also helped him make some history. With his 40th home run, Raleigh became both the first catcher and the first switch-hitter in baseball history to reach the 40 home run mark before the end of July. Here is a look at his 40th home run. He is already in the process of having one of the best seasons ever for a Mariners player, and also one of the best seasons ever for a catcher, for any team. Especially when you add in his defense, where he is one of the best defensive catchers in the league. His only serious competition for the American League MVP Award remains New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. But with Judge sidelined for a period of time now due to an elbow injury, it might open the door for Raleigh to really put himself in the lead for that award.
Green Bay Packers 3rd Year Receiver Turning Heads At Training Camp
The Green Bay Packers have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. A big reason for this is their wide receiver room. For the past three seasons, they have relied on rookies and second-year players to carry the load on offense from a pass-catching perspective. However, that has led to some inconsistent play. Last year, drops were a huge issue, especially for former fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks. He was able to get open but would drop the ball in key moments. Wicks is determined to change the narrative and is already turning heads in training camp. Green Bay Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks Looking Good Wicks was the star of the 2-minute drill during Friday’s training camp practice. He found a hole in the zone and ran the post route. Quarterback Jordan Love saw him immediately and unloaded a long ball. The former Virginia receiver was all alone and caught a 49-yard touchdown pass to end the drill. This was one of the many great plays Wicks made throughout the practice. He was asked about the play after the practice. “I knew I had the post,” Wicks said. “I had a man on me. I released, ran full speed. I knew X was over the top. So I stemmed out a little bit and broke flat across. It was a runaway, and J-Love gave me the ball and I ran under it, and that was all from there.” This is great news for the Green Bay Packers. Drops can often be attributed to a lack of confidence. They can snowball. Once a player drops one pass, it can snowball into more drops. The same can be said about catches. Once a player gets confidence, it can be hard to stop. If Dontayvion Wicks has gotten his confidence, the league should watch out. No Problems Getting Open Wicks had no problems getting open last year. According to ESPN Analytics, he was open on 84% of his routes, thanks to a quick burst off the snap and his ability to find gaps in the zone. However, getting open doesn’t matter if a player can’t bring in the ball. The Green Bay Packers hope this is the start of a new player in 2025. Matthew Golden has also looked good in training camp, and Jayden Reed has vowed to drop fewer passes as well in 2025. If that trio can haul in passes, this offense could be one of the best in the league. Final Thoughts We always have to be cautious about training camp news. It can sometimes point to what will happen in the season, but not always. However, this seems like a step in the right direction for the Green Bay Packers. If Wicks gains confidence now, that should carry over into the season.
Deal Close: Saudi arrive with shock offer to help Chelsea sell player they were set to make a loss on
Saudi have arrived to help Chelsea with a shock offer to sell a player they were dead set to make a loss on at one point. Plenty of things have gone on this week involving Chelsea in the transfer market as they’ve looked to get deals going. It was only earlier in the day yesterday when we were hearing that a deal for Joao Felix to join Benfica on a permanent transfer was close and likely, but Chelsea were only set to make about half of what they paid to sign him, which would not have been great at all. Even Fabrizio Romano has been speaking on updated news on Felix to Benfica this weekend, but it doesn’t look like he is heading there at all now and Chelsea are about to get a very decent fee for him. Felix to Saudi! It looks like Saudi are coming to rescue Chelsea again with the Blues having sold a lot of their players to clubs over there in recent seasons, as have many other clubs too mind. Fabrizio Romano put out on his X account late last night: “Al Nassr are in advanced talks to sign João Félix and hijack Benfica’s move! “Understand Al Nassr have sent permanent deal proposal to Chelsea and contract proposal to João. “The agreement is close as final details are set to be discussed in the next 24/48h.” Chelsea will be applauded Journalist Ben Jacobs is reporting that Chelsea are set to receive over £40m for Felix, which is around what they paid to sign him. If this goes through then Chelsea must be applauded for managing to get this fee back for Felix after a poor loan last season and him not being in good form at all in recent years!
Aaron Boone Makes Feelings Clear After Yankees’ Big Trade
The New York Yankees didn't come into the season with the strongest third base situation, and it only got worse over time. They converted traditional second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the hot corner after getting him at the Trade Deadline last season and installed a timeshare with him, DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, and Oswaldo Cabrera there in 2025. However, the latter player broke his ankle on May 12, and the Yankees released the now 37-year-old LeMahieu on July 10. Chisholm was primarily back at second at that point, so this left Peraza and Jorbit Vivas as their only true remaining third basemen. With Peraza hitting .147 and Vivas hitting .164, it was clear what the team's biggest need was. That's why it acquired veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday. New York manager Aaron Boone gave his thoughts about the 30-year-old before Friday's bout with the Philadelphia Phillies, via SNY. "I know there's real offensive potential there. I know he's had real offensive success, as well as some struggles there over the last calendar year or two," he said. "It seems like over the last month he's really started swinging the bat like he's capable of. He can impact the ball, he can control the strike zone, he's had some swing-and-misses that have probably hurt him a little bit." "But then he can really defend over there," he continued. "The handful of times that we've played against them that I watch him, you're like, 'That's what it should look like over there.' He moves really well and has that prototypical good third base thing." McMahon is slashing .217/.314/.403 with 16 homers and 35 RBI over 100 games this season. He also has a .978 fielding percentage and six errors. Right-handed pitcher Will Warren (6-5, 4.91 ERA) will start for the Yankees against Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.75 ERA) on Friday.
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