J.T. Realmuto belted a three-run home run and Ranger Suarez pitched six strong innings as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the host Washington Nationals 5-2 on Saturday.
Jeff Hoffman, Gregory Soto and Jose Alvarado completed the four-hitter out of the Phillies' bullpen.
Joey Gallo hit a two-run homer for the Nationals, who were blanked a night earlier in the series opener. Lane Thomas had two of Washington's hits with a pair of singles, but the team dropped its third consecutive game.
Philadelphia's Trea Turner also had two hits, including a double, against his former team. Realmuto also had two hits for the Phillies, who have won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Washington starter Jake Irvin (0-1) allowed four runs on five hits across six innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Neither team threatened often. Both teams stranded five runners on base.
Suarez (1-0) went only five innings in his season debut, so he took this one a bit deeper. He never encountered much trouble against a Washington lineup that hasn't produced much offense in its first eight games.
Suarez won only four games in 22 starts last season, so this is an encouraging result in early April.
Realmuto's second home run of the season came in the third inning on the first batter following an intentional walk to Bryce Harper, boosting the Phillies' edge to 4-0.
Realmuto also scored the game's first run, reaching on a second-inning single and racing home on Alec Bohm's triple.
Gallo's second homer of the season came with two outs in the bottom of the third. He's in his first season with the Nationals.
Brandon Marsh's one-out, ninth-inning single drove in an insurance run off Washington reliever Dylan Floro.
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The Boston Red Sox appear to have no interest in trading outfielder Jarren Duran, at least not in the near future. Trade rumors have swirled around Duran for most of the season, especially after designated hitter Rafael Devers was traded to the Giants. However, Sean McAdam from MassLive reported that the Red Sox may wait until the offseason before moving on from the former All-Star. The decision to wait on Duran is not due to a lack of offers. McAdam also reported that the Padres made a significant offer for Duran involving pitcher Dylan Cease, catching prospect Ethan Salas and another unnamed prospect. That offer was quickly rejected. The Padres have long coveted Duran. McAdam had previously reported that the Padres have been "relentless" in their pursuit of the Red Sox outfielder. The reported trade offer including Salas, the Padres second-best prospect and the 21st-best prospect in baseball per MLB.com, illustrates how serious they are about acquiring Duran. Likewise, the Red Sox's refusal to entertain such an offer, even as a starting point for negotiations, speaks volumes about their interest in moving Duran. The Padres' offer would help solve several problems for the Red Sox in both the present and future. Moving Duran would help clear up the logjam in the outfield, while Cease and Salas would respectively improve the back of their rotation and provide a possible cornerstone behind the plate going forward. Duran is a valuable trade chip as he is under team control through 2028. He has also taken a step back in production from his stellar showing in 2024, posting a respectable .254/.321/.428 batting line in 459 plate appearances entering Friday, with nine homers and 25 doubles while stealing 16 bases. That production would be an upgrade for several teams looking to improve their outfield going forward. The question is whether or not the Red Sox will be realistic in their asking price for Duran. Considering how quickly the Padres' offer was reportedly rejected, that may not be the case.
The Cincinnati Bengals have finally reached an agreement with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, putting an end to what became the story of the offseason for the team. Stewart, drafted 17th overall in this year's draft, has finally agreed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $18.97 million deal that includes a $10.4 million signing bonus, according to his agent Zac Hiller of LAA. Now with this deal done, every first-round pick is signed. The road to this deal was a bumpy ride. For months, negotiations between Stewart’s camp and the Bengals front office stalled due to disagreements over contract language, particularly around guarantees. The team pushed to include contract language that could void the deal under certain off-field circumstances, but since other Bengals first-round picks did not face similar terms, Stewart stood firm and refused to sign. Both sides remained firm throughout the offseason, leading to a long standoff and a lot of reports of frustration from both sides. Despite the frustration and disagreement, the Bengals and Stewart’s group continued to engage in conversations, trying to find a resolution to the issue. And finally, after weeks of back and forth and weeks of controversy surrounding what Stewart may be forced to do, both parties appear to have met in the middle and found common ground. For the Bengals, getting Stewart signed and ready for training camp is a major win. Stewart was viewed as a developmental prospect who needed plenty of on-field reps to reach his full potential. Stewart's absence from earlier camps had slowed a lot of his progress. With the contract dispute resolved, he can now focus entirely on gaining important reps and continuing his development over the coming weeks. Now with this contract done and over with, the team can put their full focus on Trey Hendrickson, who is also seeking a long term deal. If the Bengals can get a deal done with Trey before the season kicks off, they would secure their edge-rushing room for not only 2025, but for years beyond. For a team looking to go all in on making the playoffs, signing Stewart was long overdue. Now it will be vital for the team to get Stewart up to speed with the rest of the roster, and allow him to get as many reps as possible before the 2025 season begins.
The Seattle Storm are looking to make things right after Tuesday’s 87-63 blowout loss to Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. They get a chance to do so on Thursday when they return to action against the Chicago Sky in a road game at Wintrust Arena. The Storm got a big boost ahead of the Sky matchup, which comes in the form of seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins returning to action after a one-game absence. After registering the first triple-double in WNBA All-Star Game history on Saturday, Diggins was unable to suit up against Dallas on Tuesday due to personal reasons. The 5-foot-9 guard was not listed on Seattle’s injury report for the Sky game, though, which means that Diggins should be back in the starting lineup come Thursday. This is a crucial development for the Storm, who will be looking to improve on their 14-10 record. In 23 games played this season, Diggins has produced averages of 17.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 triples per game. Chicago Sky List Angel Reese as Questionable to Play Against the Seattle Storm While the Storm got some good news ahead of Thursday’s clash, the same cannot be said for the Sky. This is after two-time All-Star forward Angel Reese was added to the injury report with a back problem. The silver lining is that Reese, who missed Chicago’s last game before the All-Star break with a leg injury, is listed as questionable to play, which means that there’s still a chance that she’s able to suit up against Seattle. Reese looked fine on Tuesday as Chicago suffered a 91-68 blowout loss to the Minnesota Lynx, posting an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double. It is unclear exactly when Reese sustained the injury, but it has now placed her status against Seattle in jeopardy. It is worth noting that Michaela Onyenwere (knee) and Ariel Atkins (leg) have also been ruled out for the Storm game, as they continue to recover from respective injuries. This only means that Chicago will be significantly shorthanded on Thursday, especially if Reese also ends up sitting out.
The Washington Commanders already have a handful of players impressing at training camp before the pads come on and one of them can fix a major hole on the team. Commanders HC Dan Quinn was asked about a certain rookie on Friday and he had high praise for a late round gem. He spoke on what impressed him the most already and how he can standout even more in the next phase of training camp. Late round rookies like Jacory Croskey-Merritt usually take some time to see the field, but the opportunities are there for him and his traits set him apart. Making an early impression to Dan Quinn Training camp is vital for rookies to learn the new systems on offense and become acclimated with the pace of the NFL. Croskey-Merritt hasn't wasted any time with the coaching staff on showing what he brings to the table. The traits he showed on tape in college are translating to the field for the Commanders already. "It's the violence of the cuts," Quinn told the media. "You know that he can get his shoulders square and get downhill fast." Quinn also credited running back coach Anthony Lynn on how he's going to "absolutely get them right" in the running back room. The Commanders need fresh legs in the backfield after the running game fell on QB Jayden Daniels' shoulders in the second half of the season and Croskey-Merritt is like a Mustang with four fresh tires. He's got a unique blend of power and elusiveness that makes tacklers miss in the open field and more importantly shows the vision to make the right reads and cuts. That's what Quinn looks for in practice right now, making the right reads on a play. "Running backs are sometimes the hardest," Quinn mentioned. "But what you can evaluate is the explosion on the cut, the assignment, was the read correct?" The next steps at practice for Croskey-Merritt You can tell what traits a running back has in the early practices, but you start to see a clearer picture when the pads come on and things get more physical. "It's a hard one to evaluate in non pads," Quinn added. "Because you don't know if the person makes the tackle, did he break the tackle?" Quinn can't wait to see the offensive line and the running backs get the pads on and really tell where Croskey-Merritt gets tackled and what tackles he can fight through. If Croskey-Merritt can ramp up his progression in training camp and impress in the joint practices against the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens, he can quickly rise up the depth chart. The preseason is right around the corner as well and real live action has the biggest impact on your stock.
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