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The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially reinstated left-handed starting pitcher Martín Pérez from the 15-day injured list. He will face the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
The 33-year-old was placed on the injured list on May 28 with a left groin strain. Pérez made one rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he allowed a pair of runs — one earned — across five innings pitched.
Prior to his injury, the veteran made 11 starts with the Pirates this season. He went 1-3 with a 4.71 ERA, 70 hits allowed, 19 walks and 46 strikeouts in 57.1 innings.
Pérez had been off to a terrific start on the season but faded during May. In six starts through the end of April, he owned a 2.86 ERA but went 0-2 with a 7.54 ERA in May.
To get Pérez back on the roster, the Pirates optioned left-handed relief pitcher Justin Bruihl to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Bruihl, who the Pirates signed to a major-league free agent contract earlier this month, has made seven appearances with Pittsburgh and has posted a 9.53 ERA. He’s been tagged for six runs on nine hits, one walk and five strikeouts in 9.2 innings pitched.
The Pirates are now left with a pair of lefty relievers in their bullpen — Josh Fleming and Aroldis Chapman.
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Cubs Manager Craig Counsell Threw Player Under the Bus
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell looked stressed in his postgame press conference on Monday night. The Cubs are in danger of losing the NLDS after dropping Game 2 following a 7-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in front of 42,787 fans at American Family Field. Starting pitcher Shota Imanaga was rocked by the Brewers, giving up four earned runs, three of which came off a home run by former Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn. The Brewers earned their first lead of the game when Imanaga gave up a one-run homer in the third inning to catcher William Contreras. Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell on the loss During his postgame news conference, Counsell told the media he voiced his frustration with the pitching staff giving up multiple home runs. A three-run home run by Jackson Chourio off of relief pitcher Daniel Palencia in the fourth inning added insurance for the Brewers. “I mean, look, we made a couple of mistakes with multiple runners on base and, after, after getting off to a great start,” Counsell said of blowing a 3-0 lead in the first inning, via Marquee Sports Network. “Those mistakes were two, three on homers… You’re not going to win playoff games giving up to three homers. That was just too much to overcome.” Counsell didn’t like how Imanaga pitched on Monday Counsell was frustrated that Imanaga allowed multiple players on base before giving up home runs. “I think giving up home runs, and Shota has succeeded because he’s kept runners off base, and maybe the solo home run doesn’t hurt you as much,” Counsell said.” Again, I’m going to reiterate, the three-run homer is going to kill you, and you can survive some solo home runs, homers with men on base like that, you’re going to have a tough time surviving them. “And you know, he did get off to a good start. There was some swing and miss first two innings, for sure. That was, was good to see. But you know, the long ball… With runners on base, like, that’s going to be hard to overcome.” Imanaga wasn’t happy with himself after the loss, claiming he “ruined” the Cubs chances of tying up the series. “I ruined the game,” Imanaga said. “So there’s a lot of frustration within myself.” The Cubs now trail the Brewers 0-2. They will play in an elimination game on Wednesday at 4:08 p.m. CDT on TBS.
Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel Issues Serious Warning to Tua Tagovailoa
Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins are stuck in a rut, and the pressure is mounting fast. After messing up a 17-0 lead last Sunday, the team sits at 1-4, its worst start since 2021. The defense looks shaky, and Tua Tagovailoa’s performance has become an overanalyzed topic in Miami. The team’s future and McDaniel’s job security now hang in the balance as the clock ticks toward their Week 6 showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers. And the head coach didn’t sugarcoat things during his media session ahead of the game. When asked how quarterback Tua has absorbed the high expectations amidst growing frustration, McDaniel was blunt. “A bottom line, black and white, you’re held accountable for the results while you’re trying to get better, that’s difficult.” He knows Tua faces constant noise, from praise to criticism, and how a player handles that separates the winners from the rest. “It’s not easy, but that’s something that no quarterback in the National Football League is not exposed to…They tell you you’re awesome or that you suck. What is that? How does that relate to what you’re doing to influence your next performance?” That’s as close to a warning from a head coach as you get without flat out saying ‘shape up or ship out.’ McDaniel is emphasizing accountability to a player who’s been under the microscope since Day 1. Tagovailoa, who threw three touchdowns on Sunday but watched his team collapse after a strong start, knows the sting of losing better than most. “No one wants to start the season 1-4…We’ve got to figure this out now. This feeling sucks,” Tua admitted. The Dolphins’ offense sputtered after their early lead, rushing for a mere 19 yards, their lowest since McDaniel took over in 2022. The defense gave up 239 rushing yards, with rookie Rico Dowdle running for a career high of 206 yards. This loss was a wake-up call. Miami’s meltdown was the first time under McDaniel that the Dolphins lost after holding a 17-point lead. And with a turnover differential advantage, no less. McDaniel called the loss “unacceptable,” taking full responsibility and promising immediate fixes. Despite that, the head coach’s job security remains in question. Mike McDaniel is on the hot seat The pressure on McDaniel isn’t just coming from the scoreboard. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler put it plainly on The Rich Eisen Show: “(McDaniel’s seat) is moderately hot.” Ownership likes the guy, but patience is wearing thin. “This is not something where they are looking for an excuse to move on from him right now,” Fowler said. “They want to give him a little bit of time…[But] if they have some home games that are pretty ugly, if the fans turn on the team. That’s when Stephen Ross could make a move.” That’s a polite way of saying the Dolphins’ season is hanging by a thread. The team’s defense, retooled and weaker than before, hasn’t gelled. Key players on that side were let go for locker room culture reasons, but their replacements haven’t measured up. It’s a rebuilding year with a thin margin for error. Fowler points out Miami’s transition, saying “they’re not working with a team that is ready-made to win right now, at least on that side of the ball.” With just two home games in October and intense fan scrutiny looming, McDaniel’s future depends heavily on fixing what’s broken now. The Dolphins will have to find their identity fast. And McDaniel will need to prove he’s the right man to lead them through these rough waters.
Cowboys coach makes it sound like personnel change some were expecting won't happen ahead of Week 6
Bengals' Zac Taylor explains shocking Joe Flacco move for Packers game
Roughly 24 hours after outsiders learned that the Cincinnati Bengals were acquiring veteran quarterback Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor confirmed that Flacco will start over Jake Browning when 2-3 Cincinnati plays at the Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) this coming Sunday. While speaking with media members, Taylor explained that somewhat surprising decision. Why Zac Taylor believes he can get Joe Flacco "up to speed quickly" "He's already spent a lot of time meeting with us, getting up to speed, so I feel really good about where he's at," Taylor said about Flacco, per Dave Clark of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "You just know him. ...Very comfortable with his style, concepts he's good at, things that we do. All of the terminology, there's a carryover, more so than I would have anticipated. So I feel like we can get him up to speed quickly." Flacco lost three of four September starts with the Browns before the Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player was benched in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel. According to Pro Football Reference stats, Flacco began Wednesday ranked last in the NFL among qualified players with a 60.3 passer rating for the ongoing season. Additionally, he's 28th out of 32 signal-callers with a 36.7 adjusted QBR. That said, Flacco is a 40-year-old who has seen every defensive concept an opposing coordinator could and will throw his way. Back on Sept. 21, he helped the Browns earn a 13-10 win over the Packers in downtown Cleveland. Zac Taylor likes that Joe Flacco faced this Packers defense in September "It's different than a young quarterback coming in, trying to learn the system and understand what a defense is trying to do to try to challenge you," Taylor added about his decision to start Flacco versus the Packers. "Not only that, but he's played Green Bay this year, so he's already gone through a week of prep. ...Now the communication and the weekly rhythm is maybe different and unique, but he's already prepared for this opponent. So he gets a chance to refresh himself on that, while at the same time just learning our system and our terminology...and how we operate." Shortly after Taylor made his comments, ESPN BET had the Bengals listed as massive 14.5-point underdogs against Green Bay. Perhaps that line and the fact that he was discarded by Cleveland will give Flacco some extra motivation heading into the showdown that will take place at Lambeau Field.
Why HC Andy Reid is to blame for Chiefs' collapse vs. Jaguars
The Kansas City Chiefs seemed to be in total control on "Monday Night Football." They jumped to an early 14-0 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars and were dominating on both sides of the ball before it all went downhill. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was 29-of-41 with a touchdown and an interception, while Jaguars signal-caller Trevor Lawrence was 18-of-25, also with a TD and an interception. Despite similar stat lines, it was Lawrence who rallied his squad to a 31-28 win. The difference? The Chiefs drew a whopping 13 penalties, making it incredibly difficult for them to pull out a win as they constantly went backwards and gave up yards. That said, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid didn't seem to agree with some of the calls: "We had 13 penalties, to their 4," Reid said, per Harold R. Kuntz. "Whether I agree with them or don't agree w/ them, it doesn't matter. They called them. So, you have that many penalties, you give up field position, you can out stat them to death, but that doesn't matter. It's the score that matters." Andy Reid must be held accountable Reid is entitled to his opinion, but Monday night's game wasn't an outlier. The Chiefs have become one of the most undisciplined teams in the league, and that ultimately falls on the coach. Reid has also stuck with Jawaan Taylor at right tackle, even though he's leading the league in penalties for yet another season. As pointed out by Josh Dubow of Associated Press, the Chiefs are currently tied sixth for the most enforced penalties per game (8.4), fifth in enforced penalty yards per game (70), tied for the second-worst penalty differential (-13) and the third-worst team in penalty yard differential (-90). It's too early to sound the alarms, but undisciplined teams rarely go the distance. Reid is one of the greatest NFL head coaches of all time, but he needs to be held accountable and, more importantly, get to work to fix these issues.
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