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Dodgers have one major area of concern despite win over Nationals
Money can buy a lot of things, but apparently not reliable starting pitching.
On Wednesday, the Dodgers' worrying early-season problem persisted in a 6-5 win over the Nationals (5-7).
Los Angeles used its MLB-high seventh starting pitcher, Landon Knack, in just its 14th game, and he didn't last long.
Knack was pulled in the bottom of the third after going 2.1 innings, ending his outing with a 10.38 earned run average (ERA). He faced 15 batters and allowed eight to reach base (four walks, four hits) with two strikeouts.
It was the latest in a growing list of poor starting pitching performances from the Dodgers, who have one of the MLB’s highest payrolls.
Los Angeles has spent big bucks on its starting rotation, including signing Blake Snell during the offseason to a five-year, $182 million contract. He joined a staff with 2024 free-agent additions Tyler Glasnow (five years, $136.6 million) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12 years, $325 million).
The financial investment hasn’t paid off this season. While the Dodgers are 10-4, they’ve been lifted by an explosive offense, averaging 4.9 runs per game.
Snell, placed on the injured list (shoulder) on Monday, has a solid 2.00 ERA, but his underlying numbers are troubling. In two starts, he’s pitched nine innings, allowing 18 total base runners (.270 on-base average), with 10 hits, eight walks and four strikeouts
Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki has been shaky, walking an MLB-high 11 batters and allowing seven hits in 8.2 innings over three starts.
Per FanGraphs, Dodgers starters entered Wednesday allowing the league’s most walks per nine innings (6.7).
As the staff struggles, there might be more urgency in getting two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani back on the mound. He’s slowly working his way back from September 2023 elbow surgery, recently throwing a bullpen session.
Considering the resources they’ve spent, the Dodgers’ rotation woes are surprising. Los Angeles has been good enough for the difficulties to be nothing more than a slight speed bump, but they are noticeable. Probably more than the Dodgers would like.
More must-reads:
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Aaron Judge Assigns Blame As Yankees Continue to Sprial
Aaron Judge didn’t ease into his return. After missing over two weeks with a strain in his right elbow, the Yankees’ captain was activated Tuesday and inserted as the designated hitter. But his presence wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding or the finger-pointing. As the Yankees dropped their fifth straight game, falling 2-0 to the Rangers, the calls for a change in leadership were growing louder. Yankees fans were howling for Aaron Boone’s job and wanted Brian Cashman to be sent packing with him. But, Judge made it clear who bears the blame. “About us in this room, we’ve got to step up, look ourselves in the mirror and do our job,” he said. That was the message from a captain who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his first game back. Judge didn’t shift the focus to his own timing at the plate or the limitations of his injury. He kept the spotlight squarely on the team’s performance and their accountability. New York has now lost 19 of its last 27 games and watched a once-secure playoff position slip into a Wild Card race that’s tightening by the day. The loss dropped them behind Boston and just a half-game ahead of Texas for the final AL Wild Card spot. Mistakes continue to mount. On Tuesday, it was another bullpen collapse, another critical misplay in the field, and another night where the offense failed to deliver in key spots. For Judge, the diagnosis was simple. Do your job. With the standings getting tighter, Judge’s words carry weight. The Yankees have time to turn this around, but not if they keep looking elsewhere for answers or excuses. The answers, as Judge reminded everyone Tuesday night, have to come from within.
Green Bay Packers: 2 Notable Former Wide Receivers Labeled as Surprise Cut Candidates
As the Green Bay Packers deal with their own crowded wide receiver room, multiple former Packers pass-catchers are also embroiled in position battles across the league. Notably, two veterans that turned in many successful seasons in Green Bay now find themselves battling to make rosters and have been labeled as big names that could become surprise cuts when rosters are trimmed down. New York Jets May Soon Be Done With Former Green Bay Packers Receiver Allen Lazard Former Packers receiver Allen Lazard was always a favorite of Aaron Rodgers during their time together in Green Bay. When Rodgers left the franchise, Lazard ended up following the quarterback to the New York Jets. While the Rodgers era for Gang Green has gone up in flames, Lazard remains on the roster – for now. Lazard entered camp as the presumed second receiver behind Garrett Wilson, but so far, fellow veteran Josh Reynolds has seemingly beaten out Lazard for the second spot. A former Detroit Lion, Reynolds has reportedly been building a good rapport with new signal-caller Justin Fields, leaving Lazard potentially relegated to slot duties. Although the Jets have receiver depth problems, some experts don’t believe that Lazard will survive cuts. The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt has stated that he does not expect Lazard to be on the 53-man roster. Some names behind Lazard on the current depth chart include veteran Tyler Johnson and rookie Arian Smith, both of whom have had flashes of ability in camp so far. Several of the younger players also offer one thing that Lazard notably doesn’t – the ability to play on special teams. If Lazard is cut by the team, it would mean the team would have moved on from another former Packer after dumping both Rodgers and Davante Adams this summer. Can Former Green Bay Packers Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling Stick in Seattle? Marquez Valdes-Scantling was a member of the Green Bay Packers from 2018 to 2021, playing out his rookie contract with the team while being a big part of the offense. He had over 2,000 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns for the green and gold before leaving for Kansas City in free agency. In 2025, Valdes-Scantling was with the New Orleans Saints until he signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks worth around $4 million. Despite the 29-year-old being a proven veteran and solid deep threat, Valdes-Scantling currently finds himself near the edge of the Seahawks roster. Rookie receiver Tory Horton has already surpassed Valdes-Scantling on the depth chart and has been the fourth receiver in the team’s first-team rotation so far. Valdes-Scantling has been relegated to the second unit in training camp practices as of early August. Respected NFL writer Brady Henderson has said that Valdes-Scantling has “barely made any” plays throughout camp so far, whereas Horton has continued to catch eyes and has been nicknamed “Jerry Rice Jr.” by teammate Tariq Woolen. Like Lazard, Valdes-Scantling does not offer much on special teams either, and although the Seahawks would love to have a deep threat to compliment Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, if Valdes-Scantling does not show up in camp, the team could move on from the former Green Bay Packer with little financial consequence.
Celtics' moves suggest new guard will be traded — eventually
The Boston Celtics got under the second luxury-tax apron by trading Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz Tuesday. The move also gives them a huge incentive to deal their most expensive new player. The Celtics have dramatically reduced their payroll in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury. With their superstar unlikely to play in 2025-26, the Celtics traded away starters Jrue Holiday ($94.4M for three years, plus a $37.2M player option in 2027-28) and Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7M next season). They also let Luke Kornet ($2.8M) leave as a free agent, and Al Horford ($9.5M) is almost certainly gone as well. They received Georges Niang ($8.2M) in the Porzingis deal, but traded him Tuesday for undrafted R.J. Luis Jr., a rookie on a two-way deal. That effectively takes Niang's full salary of their books and gets them under the second luxury-tax apron, freeing them from the penalties and restrictions that go along with second-apron status. According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics have saved a whopping $286M in salary and taxes with their moves. Still, the team can reap a larger long-term reward by dropping below the luxury tax entirely, which requires reducing their payroll by just over $12M more. The Celtics don't seem inclined to trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard, wanting to keep some core members of their 2024 title team together for Tatum's return. Sam Hauser is on an affordable four-year, $45M deal, but losing his $10M salary wouldn't get them under the tax line. That's why Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, is likely not long for Boston. The 26-year-old guard makes $27.7M in the last year of his contract, making him the perfect trade piece to get Boston under the luxury tax. Not only would getting under the tax line free the Celtics of their tax obligations and save them as much as $40M, but it would make them eligible to share in the money from tax-paying teams. The Celtics would also be able to avoid the dreaded repeater tax penalties, which make every dollar over the luxury-tax number progressively more expensive every year a team stays over the tax line. This doesn't mean Simons is going to be traded this summer. Boston has until the Feb. 5 trade deadline to move Simons, since luxury tax is calculated on the team's total payroll the last day of the season. But given the massive savings they'd get back from losing Simons' salary, it seems inevitable. The Celtics have lost a lot of talent this summer, but they've saved a tremendous amount of money in the process. They might have to attach draft capital to get off Simons' deal, but if he plays well in Boston, he might even bring back something in a trade next season. Tatum's injury threw a huge wrench in the Celtics' plans. If they can use this season to get under the luxury tax, they'll have the flexibility to reload and contend again when their star is back in a year.
Will Joel Embiid be forced into an early retirement?
The Philadelphia 76ers might be preparing for the unfortunate inevitability of Joel Embiid retiring from the sport prematurely. According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, Embiid is unlikely to be ready for training camp as he recovers from his second meniscus surgery in less than 18 months, raising concerns about his future in the league. "Embiid has struggled getting back on the court this offseason, and there is a growing concern that he will not be ready for the start of training camp, league sources told ClutchPoints....The common word associated with Embiid and his health this offseason is that things are 'bad.'" The report added that while the 76ers expect Embiid to "return to MVP form," others around the NBA do not share the same optimism due to the setbacks in his recovery. Furthermore, an anonymous medical expert is unsure whether Embiid's knee problems are "actually repairable" following multiple surgeries to the same area. Embiid himself sounded the alarm bells in a recent interview with ESPN's Dotun Akintoye, when he spoke candidly about reevaluating his life choices and dealing with pain every single day of his career. Subsequently, 76ers insider Keith Pompey suggested that Embiid may be coming to terms with the possibility of early retirement. "I think Joel may know that the end is near, and this is just me saying, and it's kind of like explaining to people what he's been going through," Pompey told Sirius XM NBA Radio. "Because rarely do you have a guy tell you how much pain [they're in] and how much they're going through." If Embiid, 31, does retire prematurely, he'll join a host of former All-Stars who were forced to quit the sport because of injuries, including Brandon Roy (28), Andrew Bynum (26), Yao Ming (30) and Chris Bosh (33). Even the late, great Bill Walton was unable to regain his MVP form after undergoing various foot surgeries in his 20s.
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