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Ceddanne Rafaela and Rafael Devers each hit two-run home runs, and the Boston Red Sox pulled away for a 9-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Vaughn Grissom and Dominic Smith added two-run doubles for Boston, which avoided a three-game sweep in the series finale. Rob Refsnyder added an RBI double.
Ryan Jeffers hit a solo home run for Minnesota, whose 12-game winning streak ended. Trevor Larnach went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
The Twins lost for the first time since April 21 at home against the Detroit Tigers. The 12-game winning streak was Minnesota's longest since a franchise-best 15-game streak in 1991.
Red Sox left-hander Brennan Bernardino (1-1) earned the win out of the bullpen after recording the final two outs of the fifth inning. Bernardino followed starter Cooper Criswell, who allowed one run on five hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (1-2) gave up three runs on four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Minnesota opened the scoring in the bottom of the third. Jeffers hit a solo shot to left-center field for his sixth homer of the season.
The Red Sox evened the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth. Jarren Duran hit a leadoff double, advanced to third base on a groundout and scored moments later on a double by Refsnyder.
In the fifth, Boston pulled ahead 3-1. Rafaela hit a 398-foot shot to left-center field for his third homer.
The Red Sox broke the game open with four runs in the eighth.
Grissom notched his first hit with Boston when he ripped a double to center field to drive in Devers and Tyler O'Neill. The Red Sox acquired Grissom from the Atlanta Braves during the offseason but he started the season on the injured list and did not make his team debut until Saturday.
Moments after Grissom's first hit, Smith belted a two-run double to left field. Smith's hit scored Wilyer Abreu and Grissom.
Larnach hit a run-scoring single for the Twins in the bottom of the eighth.
Devers finished the scoring with a two-run shot in the top of the ninth.
More must-reads:
- Unlikely Tigers OF has historic game as team's offensive outburst continues
- Braves to place star player on 10-day IL
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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Seattle Mariners Set to Promote Triple-A Standout to Big-League Roster
According to multiple reports, the Seattle Mariners are set to promote minor league first baseman Tyler Locklear from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday. Locklear was removed from the Rainiers game in the fifth inning on Tuesday night, leading to speculation that he was being traded. It no longer appears that that's the case. There's been no indication as to what the corresponding move will be at this time, but there's certainly a few different things potentially in play. Is Luke Raley being traded? After the Mariners acquired Josh Naylor, Raley is no longer needed at first base. That pushes him to the outfield, where the team has clearly favored Dominic Canzone. Raley hasn't started a game since Naylor arrived. He's hitting just .220 this season with four homers, and he also missed more than a month with injury. However, he's under team control through 2028, so he would certainly have appeal to other teams. The Mariners are in the market for relief help and help at third base, so this is possible. Is Raley injured? Some internet sleuths noticed Raley wearing a back brace while the team was in Anaheim over the weekend, leading to speculation that he's hurt. The future of Donovan Solano? With Naylor in the fold, Solano's right-handed hitting first base ability hasn't really been needed. He's only hitting .243 with an 83 OPS+ this season. Is the team prepared to move on from him in order to give Locklear his chance at the backup first base job? And how about Dylan Moore? Keeping Solano and Locklear would seem redundant, but Moore is in a 2-for-56 slump (entering play on Wednesday), leading to speculation about how long he'll be around for. Locklear, 24, made his major league debut last season and hit .156 in 45 at-bats. He's hitting .316 at Tacoma this season with 19 homers and 18 stolen bases. He was just named the PCL's Hitter of the Week.
NFL analyst says teams should be 'extremely scared' of this franchise in 2025
While the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have garnered a lot of attention lately, there is one NFC team that has quietly been flying under the radar. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a one-score game to the Lions in the divisional round in 2023 and followed that up with another one-score loss to QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders last season, proving how close they have been to the ultimate prize in the two seasons with Baker Mayfield under center. In an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" Tuesday morning, analyst and former player Ryan Clark offered high praise for Mayfield and what the Buccaneers are capable of. "Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback in this league," Clark said. "Baker Mayfield is a football player. And when I say that, I know people at home are gonna be like, 'Duh, he gets paid to play football.' No, not all quarterbacks are seen as football players. Not all quarterbacks are embraced in the locker room as one of us." Clark sees the Buccaneers as a team the rest of the league should be paying attention to because of who they have returning and the close calls in the playoffs the last two seasons. "This is a team that's been on the cusp the last two years," Clark said. "Now you think about some of the pieces they've added, the confidence in their quarterback and the way that he plays, and Todd Bowles with another year to understand winning at a high level at the head coach position. This is a team you better be extremely scared of because they're stacked and they're confident." Mayfield has been sensational during his time with the Buccaneers. Although he did throw 16 interceptions, Mayfield accounted for the third-most passing yards (4,500) in the league last season and has thrown the most TD passes (69) in the last two seasons, per StatMuse. To add even more incentive for Mayfield, the team restructured his contract, which is set to expire after the 2026 season, to include $30M in guaranteed salary for that season. The Buccaneers return a lot of production on both sides of the ball, in addition to bringing in first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, who topped 1,000 receiving yards twice at Ohio State and accounted for 26 total TDs. While Tampa Bay allowed the 17th-most points per game (22.7) last season, it returns the majority of its defensive production. On top of that, the offseason acquisition of veteran LB and two-time Pro-Bowler Haason Reddick, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal, should be a welcomed addition for a franchise that had some question marks on defense last season. The Buccaneers are projected to have the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season and have the best chance to win the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season, according to ESPN Analytics. If Mayfield can cut back on his turnovers and the defense can create more pressure on opposing QBs, the Buccaneers could be a threat in the NFC once again as they look to put their recent nail-biting losses in the postseason behind them.
Steelers reporter shares big claim about how Aaron Rodgers has looked in training camp
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent the bulk of the spring as an unsigned free agent and, thus, only began officially practicing with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates during the team's three-day mandatory minicamp in June. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed how Rodgers looked during his first few training camp practices with the club. "His release is just astonishing to watch," Dulac said about Rodgers, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "Everybody knows about it, and when you see it in person, you see it every day in practice, you just marvel at it. To me, he's the greatest thrower of the football I have ever seen, even at 41 (years old). That flick of that wrist and that ball comes out, it's moving and it is something to see." Rodgers was with the New York Jets when he suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the 2023 regular-season opener. He was then slowed by a nagging hip issue, injuries to both his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem as the 2024 Jets went 5-12. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers finished last season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 48.0 adjusted QBR and 26th with a 43.9 percent passing success rate. That said, he was also eighth with 3,897 passing yards and tied for seventh with 28 passing touchdowns. Rodgers and Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson endured some struggles during training camp sessions last summer before the two allegedly "never saw eye-to-eye" during the season. It sounds like Pittsburgh fans should be encouraged by how Rodgers performed in recent practices. "That guy can get rid of the ball as quick as anybody," Dulac added. "He made three throws in seven-on-seven (drills) the other day that the cumulative total I bet couldn't have exceeded 2.1 seconds. And two of those were for touchdowns." Rodgers wants to finish his career "the right way" and help the Steelers notch at least their first playoff win since January 2017. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Pittsburgh at -150 betting odds to miss the playoffs for the upcoming season.
Jonathan Kuminga Ignores Warriors’ Latest Offer Amid Free Agency Standoff
Jonathan Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors have been in a contract standoff for quite some time now, and things aren’t getting any prettier. The former 7th overall pick is ghosting the team, according to sources. Leaving his future with the Dubs in question, while also making us wonder where he could land next. The situation between Kuminga and the Warriors seems almost irreparable at this point. He wants a more consistent starting role on the team, as well as the freedom to take more important shots and grow his game. But with Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry, it doesn’t seem like the team is in a hurry to give Kuminga more touches. That’s why it’s not really too surprising to hear that the forward has been ignoring the Warriors’ contract offers recently. “No response, no counteroffer—just silence. And it’s escalating tensions,” wrote League Alerts on the situation. It’s hard to ignore that Kuminga seems completely focused on a move away from Golden State. The team still hasn’t been able to find any sort of middle ground with him. He’s also reportedly demanding a long-term deal worth $30 million annually. But sources say that the Warriors’ best offer to him so far has been two years, $40 million. Now the question becomes, where will Kuminga play next season? The Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns are the only teams that have expressed significant interest so far. However, being in the same division, the Warriors will surely try to do everything possible to make sure that move doesn’t happen. So, let’s look into the Eastern Conference. Maybe the Milwaukee Bucks or the Chicago Bulls? Both have also expressed varying levels of interest in Kuminga recently, and he would be a nice addition to each roster. Additionally, the Washington Wizards could always use some young talent. In the end, though, it’s a matter of who is willing to give up enough assets to acquire Kuminga. They will also need to be willing to pay him. A sign and trade is certainly on the table, but given his ghosting of the Warriors during negotiations, some might just wait it out and try to offer him a bag after beating his restricted free agency. Of course, Golden State will have the opportunity to match the offer. But if the Kings come in and offer Kuminga $30 million, the Warriors would be hard-pressed to match it. After all, they’ve already shown an unwillingness to go above $20 million. All in all, it’s an interesting standoff that is continuously changing by the day. Stay tuned because the shoe could drop on Kuminga at any moment.
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