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LOS ANGELES -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched five shutout innings, Enrique Hernandez and Teoscar Hernandez hit home runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the National League Championship Series with a 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday.
By claiming Game 5 of the best-of-five NL Division Series, the Dodgers will play host to Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the New York Mets on Sunday.
Yamamoto (1-0), who was not named the Dodgers' official starter until late Thursday, gave up two hits and one walk. He struck out two while throwing 63 pitches.
Los Angeles relievers Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen combined to set down every batter over the final four innings. Treinen pitched the ninth and earned his second save of the postseason.
Los Angeles exacted revenge on its NL West rival that won the season series 8-5 and came out on top in the 2022 NLDS between the same teams. The Dodgers advanced to their sixth NLCS in the past nine seasons and a league-best 16th NLCS in franchise history.
Padres right-hander Yu Darvish (1-1) gave up two runs on three hits over 6 2/3 innings after winning Game 2 of the series, also at Los Angeles. It was the first-ever playoff matchup between pitchers born in Japan.
The Padres had a 2-1 series lead but did not score a run over the last 24 innings.
Enrique Hernandez gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a towering home run deep into the left field seats. He hit 12 home runs in 126 regular-season games this year, and he now has 14 home runs in 75 career playoff games.
Yamamoto made just four starts at the end of the regular season after returning from a three-month absence caused by a shoulder injury. With a fastball that reached 98.2 mph, after he averaged 95.5 in the regular season, Yamamoto gave up just a pair of singles, although Manny Machado hit a pair of fly balls against him to the right field warning track.
Teoscar Hernandez made it 2-0 in the seventh inning with a home run to left off Darvish, his second of the series.
Vesia struck out the lone batter he faced, Jackson Merrill, to end the top of the seventh and was set to pitch the eighth but departed with an undisclosed injury without facing a batter. Kopech needed just nine pitches to get through a perfect eighth.
--Doug Padilla, Field Level Media
More must-reads:
- MLB sends message by suspending Victor Robles for bat-throwing incident
- Aaron Judge seemed annoyed with Aaron Boone over troubling health update
- The 'Most multi-HR games by MLB team' quiz
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MLB sends message by suspending Victor Robles for bat-throwing incident
Major League Baseball announced that Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles has received a 10-game suspension and an undisclosed fine from the league. The suspension will begin as soon as Robles is reinstated from the injured list, though Robles has filed an appeal and the suspension is being held in abeyance until the appeals process is complete. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reported these details prior to the official announcement. Divish notes that the M’s would have to play a man short during the suspension. Robles has been on the injured list for most of the year. Back in early April, he made a sensational catch in San Francisco but crashed into the sideline netting and dislocated his left shoulder, causing a small fracture in the humeral head of said shoulder. A week ago, he was finally able to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma. During that week, he was hit by pitches multiple times, as shown in this video breakdown from Jomboy Media. Although he was hit five times, only three of them were technically counted as hit-by-pitches, with the other two counting as swings. Regardless, the final incident saw Robles hit by Joey Estes of the Las Vegas Aviators. Of the five times Robles was hit, three of them were out of the hand of Estes, though the final two were counted as swinging strikes. Regardless of how it was scored, Robles was clearly upset and threw his bat toward the pitcher’s mound. It doesn’t appear as though it hit Estes or anyone else, but MLB is understandably taking a firm stance against a player using his bat in this dangerous manner and sending Robles a message. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto spoke to members of the media, including Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, noting that the club tentatively planned to reinstate Robles from the IL next week but those plans may change with the suspension. Divish suggests that perhaps the best plan is to reinstate Robles on Sept. 1, so that the M’s can at least play with a 27-man roster, though that would push his reinstatement into the middle of September. Reinstating him earlier would mean playing with a 25-man roster for a while, though that would also mean Robles would be able to be reinstated for more games. It’s also unclear how long the appeals process will take. Sometimes, players appealing a suspension will hang in limbo until their team goes to New York, where the MLB head offices are located. The M’s don’t play in New York again this year, so it’s not clear when the appeal would be scheduled for. Robles being in the minors could also complicate factors. The M’s would surely love for the appeal to drag out into the winter and for Robles to serve his suspension next year, since they are currently in a playoff race, though MLB presumably wouldn’t let it play out like that.
Green Bay Packers: Slo-Mo Video of Malik Willis’ TD Bomb to Matthew Golden Unleashes Wild Reactions
Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden just keeps on turning heads in the offseason. On Monday, Golden grabbed attention again after making a sensational grab for a touchdown off a pass from quarterback Malik Willis. Matched up against defensive back Keisean Nixon, the former Texas Longhorns star wideout secured a deep throw from Willis and took the ball to the house for a 46-yard touchdown. Nixon couldn’t help but joke about Golden while praising the first-year downfield weapon. “He sometimes acts like he’s a vet but I try to remind him that he’s a rookie,” Nixon said (h/t Mike Spofford of the Packers’ official website). “Other than that, M.G., helluva player. You can tell why he went first round. Strong at the catch point, strong hands, strong upper body. I think he’ll have a really good year.” Green Bay Packers fans react to Golden’s touchdown score in practice The Packers shared a slo-mo video of that connection between Willias and Golden, leaving fans with all sorts of excited reactions to it. “malik is the guy ️ no one wants to admit it,” said a fan on X. Another one said: “Malik for starting QB” From a commenter: “IVE SEEN ENOUGH MALIK WILLIS 4X MVP” “Finally we might have a 1000+ yard receiver,” a social media user posted. Via a different commenter: “@eamaddennfl He ran 4.2 how tf is he a 91 speed on madden boost his speed.” Said another: “Hey 2 throwing it to 22 might be the answer.” Willis and Golden could have more magic in store for the Packers, as there’s a chance they could see action this coming Saturday’s NFL preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks at home.
New report sheds light on how Cowboys view Micah Parsons situation
It is no secret that the relationship between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys is not on solid ground, but that does not necessarily mean it is tarnished beyond repair. On the latest episode of his podcast, which was released on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter predicted that Parsons and the Cowboys are "headed towards divorce." Schefter said the two sides have not spoken since April and that it seems like a matter of when — not if — they part ways. Longtime NFL reporter Josina Anderson was told the situation is not quite that grim, at least from the Cowboys' perspective. Anderson reported on Tuesday evening that the relationship between Parsons and Dallas "has not deteriorated to the point of an imminent divorce." "I did not detect any obvious tones of concern in my sourced conversation when I recently asked about ESPN's Adam Schefter's report stating he sees 'these two sides headed towards a divorce, in time.' ... I just feel Dallas has so much history with protracted (and) sensitive negotiations, thus my current impression is the club remains unrattled, at this time," Anderson wrote in a post on X. Parsons is earning just over $24M in the final year of his rookie contract this season. The 26-year-old had 12 sacks in 13 games last season and has 52.5 sacks in 63 career games. Parsons is arguably the best pass-rusher in the NFL when healthy. Although Parsons has formally requested a trade, the Cowboys maintain that they have no intention of dealing their four-time Pro Bowl defensive end. The only real leverage Parsons has is creating a headache in Dallas. He remains under contract, and the Cowboys also have the ability to use the franchise tag on him in each of the next two seasons. If Parsons were to sit out regular-season games, his contract would eventually toll. Even with Jerry Jones publicly taking shots at Parsons, one massive contract offer could change everything.
Changing of the guard: Power ranking 2025's NFL Week 1 QB changes
The Indianapolis Colts announced Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback on Tuesday, making them the 12th team to have a different starting QB from Week 1 last season. Who's better off, and who will regret making a switch? Below, we rank the 12 quarterbacks from worst to best, plus reveal whether each team upgraded or downgraded this offseason. 12. New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough 2024 Week 1 starter: Derek Carr The Saints are the league's only team without a named Week 1 starter. Both candidates have experienced some highs and lows in August, with little separating the two before an informative preseason Week 3 game on Saturday against the Denver Broncos. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 11. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones 2024 Week 1 starter: Anthony Richardson Sr. Richardson's benching signals a massive failure on the part of the Colts front office, led by general manager Chris Ballard, and head coach Shane Steichen, who was tasked with developing the raw prospect into an NFL starter. Over Jones' last 16 starts with the New York Giants from 2023-24, he averaged 186.2 passing yards per game and threw 10 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 10. Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco 2024 Week 1 starter: Deshaun Watson After a successful five-game stint with the Browns in 2023, Flacco, 40, is back for another run. While undoubtedly an improvement over Watson, the 18-year veteran has an alarming 15 interceptions in 13 games (11 starts) over the past two seasons. Verdict: UPGRADE 9. Tennessee Titans quarterback Cameron Ward 2024 Week 1 starter: Will Levis The Titans should expect the natural rookie up-and-downs from Ward, 2025's No. 1 overall pick. Over his first two preseason starts, Ward is 7-of-15 for 109 yards. Still, he's a vast improvement over Levis, who provided more comedic gold than wins last season. Verdict: UPGRADE 8. New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson 2024 Week 1 starter: Daniel Jones Wilson is in the twilight of his career, but the 10-time Pro Bowler, who has 42 touchdowns and 13 interceptions since 2023, has a much higher floor than Jones. Verdict: UPGRADE 7. New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields 2024 Week 1 starter: Aaron Rodgers Fields is a dynamic runner and showed improvement as a passer in six starts with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. But after signing a short two-year deal in free agency, it's clear there remains doubt over whether he can be a long-term starter in the league. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 6. Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy 2024 Week 1 starter: Sam Darnold McCarthy could be better in the long run than Darnold, but we'd expect the 2024 first-rounder, who missed all of last season with a torn meniscus, to offer fewer rewards than his predecessor early in his career. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 5. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold 2024 Week 1 starter: Geno Smith Darnold was one of the best stories in 2024, ending the year with 4,315 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season. However, his disappointing end to the season and struggles against pressure make it harder to see him as any better than the quarterback he replaces. Verdict: DOWNGRADE 4. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 2024 Week 1 starter: Kirk Cousins Penix was promising in a three-game sample size at the end of 2024, quickly forming a connection with wideout Drake London, who had 22 receptions on 39 targets, 352 yards and two touchdowns during the span. Verdict: UPGRADE 3. New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye 2024 Week 1 starter: Jacoby Brissett The plan was always for Brissett to keep the seat warm for Maye, who looked like a potential star in 12 starts last season, ending the year with 2,276 passing yards and 421 rushing yards. Verdict: UPGRADE 2. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers 2024 Week 1 starter: Justin Fields While far from his peak, Rodgers can still sling the football. Per NFL Pro data, he finished last season No. 5 in expected points added per dropback on deep pass attempts (balls that travel at least 20 air yards). Verdict: UPGRADE 1. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith 2024 Week 1 starter: Gardner Minshew Smith completed 70.4 percent of his pass attempts in 2024, two seasons after leading the NFL in completion percentage (69.8 percent). He's proved himself time and time again over the past three seasons and will likely do it again in 2025. Verdict: UPGRADE
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