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The Philadelphia Phillies will play the final two games of their series against the St. Louis Cardinals today after rain postponed the middle game. Philadelphia is 7-4 in May, averaging five runs per game while allowing 3.5 runs per game. Jesus Luzardo gets the ball in game one for Philadelphia, and he will face Erick Fedde for the Cardinals. In game two, Aaron Nola gets the ball for the Phillies, and he faces Sonny Gray for St. Louis.

The rosters will expand to 27 for today’s doubleheader. The Phillies are recalling right-handed pitcher Daniel Robert from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phillies acquired Robert in a trade from the Texas Rangers for Enrique Segura. In three games at Lehigh Valley, Robert has yet to allow a run on two hits. He hasn’t walked anyone and struck out three. In ten games for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, he posted a 1.54 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.

Daniel Robert

Robert made his big league debut last season, appearing in four games, going 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA, a 1.41 WHIP, and six strikeouts in 5.2 innings. In 149 career minor league games with two of those coming as starts, he’s 11-10. Robert posts a 3.35 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and 263 strikeouts in 199 innings.

This article first appeared on Inside The Diamonds and was syndicated with permission.

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Why Red Sox may regret extending rookie Roman Anthony
MLB

Why Red Sox may regret extending rookie Roman Anthony

To say that the Boston Red Sox are keeping MLB fans and analysts on their toes this season is an understatement. Almost two months after trading the face of their franchise, Boston signed MLB’s No. 1 prospect, Roman Anthony, to an eight-year, $130 million extension. Between trading Rafael Devers and locking Anthony up through 2034, the Red Sox have been the boldest MLB team this season by far. But will this move pay off? Fans expected Sox owner John Henry to spend money on the team during the offseason, but no one anticipated a massive mid-year pact with a rookie would occur. Anthony has only played 46 MLB games, during which he has slashed .283/.400/.428 with 19 RBIs and two home runs. While his rapid ascent through the minor league and hot start to his professional baseball career are beyond what fans could’ve asked for, Anthony’s extension is still premature from a financial perspective. With a $16.25 million AAV on his contract, the Sox have piled high expectations onto a player who recently turned 21 years old. For Anthony’s sizable and long-term commitment to be worth the investment, he should produce an annual 2.0 WAR at least and earn at least three or four All-Star, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger Awards by the end of his contract. For reference, Marcell Ozuna and Kyle Tucker received contracts within $250,000 AAV of Anthony’s contract AAV, according to Spotrac. All three achieved this criterion before they were rewarded with lucrative agreements. Weighing these standards against Anthony’s newness to MLB, it’s nearly impossible to say Boston’s decision-making was backed by more than just impulse. Somehow, Anthony isn’t the first rookie the Red Sox extended this year. With five games of baseball under his belt, Boston closed an eight-year, $60 million deal with Kristian Campbell, who was MLB’s No. 6 prospect at the time. While Campbell’s $7.5 million AAV is drastically different from Anthony’s, the Sox’s strategy to hoard young players before they’ve had enough time to prove themselves isn’t logical. Keeping Anthony off the free-agent market for the next decade may be the best risk the Sox have ever taken, or it may be one of the most expensive decisions made. Anthony must deliver the high-performance projections his contract sets for his early extension to pay off, but odds are, Boston is putting the cart before the horse.

Jerry Jones takes another jab at Micah Parsons over contract stalemate
NFL

Jerry Jones takes another jab at Micah Parsons over contract stalemate

The Dallas Cowboys have a big problem on their hands right now. Micah Parsons has formally requested to be traded, and he took to social media to vent his concerns and frustration with his contract extension situation. However, team owner Jerry Jones isn't ready to budge. If anything, the controversial business mogul doesn't sound too worried about that. Talking to the media, he implied that he had already shaken hands on an extension with Parsons, so he just has to wait now: "I bought the Dallas Cowboys with a handshake," Jones said, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "It took about 30 seconds. I gave the number, shook hands, the details we worked out later." Jones, one of the most successful businessmen of his generation, pretty much stated that he wouldn't change the way he does business. "Just so you understand the way that I communicate with people that I negotiate with. Let's leave it at that," Jones continued. "There's is no question that in the case of a player contract, you have to have it in writing. All parties do. We have a contract in writing, yet we're still talking about renegotiating, so so much for that." Parsons has every right to feel frustrated. He's one of the best pass-rushers in the game, and he's the youngest in the short list of superstars at the position. The Cowboys have a long history of dragging out negotiations for as long as they can, and that's usually rubbed their players the wrong way. Parsons is still under contract, and the Cowboys can technically wait to give him an extension because the market isn't likely to go any higher after T.J. Watt already got a deal done. But sometimes, it's not just about money, and these power struggles are terrible for team morale.

Kevin Love reportedly has preferred buyout destination
NBA

Kevin Love reportedly has preferred buyout destination

Kevin Love is eyeing a return to his roots. The five-time NBA All-Star big man Love has a preferred destination on the buyout market, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on Tuesday. Love would like to end up in Los Angeles. Now 36 years old, Love spent the last two-and-a-half seasons with the Miami Heat. He averaged just 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds over 10.9 minutes per game in 2024-25 but still managed to shoot 35.8 percent from three on the year. Earlier this summer however, the Heat traded Love to the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team blockbuster deal. Now Love, a 17-year NBA veteran, is pursuing a contract buyout from the rebuilding Jazz. Though he is a native of Lake Oswego, Oregon, Love played his college ball in Los Angeles at UCLA. He also has ties to both L.A. teams — he won an NBA championship with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and was also coached on that team by Tyronn Lue, who is now head coach of the L.A. Clippers. Both the Lakers and Clippers are currently sitting at 14 guaranteed contracts each. While they still have spots for two-way and Exhibit 10 players, that means the Lakers and Clippers are both down to their final open roster spot. The ex-rebounding leader Love still has some value, though probably more so as a jokester than as a contributing rotation piece. While Love clearly wants a homecoming to Los Angeles, he may have some convincing to do for either the Lakers or the Clippers to give him that final open roster spot.

What Cowboys' Dak Prescott said to Micah Parsons after trade request
NFL

What Cowboys' Dak Prescott said to Micah Parsons after trade request

As of Thursday morning, there was no indication that Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was close to either giving Micah Parsons a lucrative extension or trading Parsons after the pass-rusher in the final year of his rookie contract requested a trade on Aug. 1. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott recently spoke with Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports and revealed the message he sent to Parsons after the 26-year-old went public with his trade request. "(Expletive), man," Prescott said about what he told Parsons. "It wasn't '(Expletive) you, Micah,' or '(Expletive) them.' It's more of a '(Expletive), this is frustrating for everybody involved.'" Prescott previously voiced his frustrations over the fact that contract stalemates involving star Dallas players are seemingly "an each and every year conversation." Last summer, news about Prescott's four-year contract extension broke only hours before Dallas' regular-season opener got underway. Weeks earlier, Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb received a four-year, $136M deal after the club completed the preseason portion of its schedule. "Not many people, especially here, have been in that position," Prescott said about reaching out to Parsons. "So, I know what that means just to support him." It's assumed Parsons is looking to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL after T.J. Watt reset the market for edge-rushers when he agreed to a three-year, $123M extension that included $108M guaranteed in July. Parsons has attended training camp as a non-participant while he deals with a supposed back injury that probably has more to do with his contract situation than with how he's feeling this summer. Multiple Cowboys players made it known via social media that they feel Jones should pay Parsons before Dallas begins preparing for its Week 1 game at the Philadelphia Eagles. Prescott clearly agrees with his teammates. "Obviously, I believe he should get paid," Prescott added. "But I think he’s making the right approach by being at training camp because a lot of times [players] forget how much joy and love being around your teammates [brings] and how much of that is truly football when you’re focused on a contract and you’re just waiting for that to be done. ...He’s a guy that’s done a lot for this team and deserves to have his stance." Jones raised eyebrows when he admitted that he "absolutely" couldn't say for sure that Parsons will play against the Eagles on the first Thursday of September. As much as Prescott and others in the locker room may not like it, it sounds like the Parsons saga will continue to hover over the Cowboys through the preseason.

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