Sports

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports First base protection is sophisticated. It isn’t one of the crucial troublesome positions, however that doesn’t imply it doesn’t have its personal challenges. Players within the latter half of their careers who've misplaced athleticism generally undertake the place as their new dwelling, which is attention-grabbing as a result of it's rather more troublesome to study a brand new place if you’re previous your athletic prime. But as a result of first base doesn’t require prime tier athleticism, it’s not unusual for that to occur. Bryce Harper’s case is an ideal instance of this. Between Philadelphia’s crowded outfield and its curiosity in holding its star wholesome as he ages by way of his 30s, first base grew to become a viable possibility for the previou...

Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley banter about Meg’s sudden expertise on the bee-delayed Diamondbacks sport, Shota Imanaga’s scorching begin, Reed Garrett and the phenomenon of pop-up relievers, Steven Kwan appreciation, how Mike Trout’s and Bryce Harper’s careers will likely be remembered, José Abreu being optioned to the minors, and a declined penalty in baseball, plus follow-ups about convoluted enjoyable details, promotion/relegation, and alternate options to “group Maddux.” Audio intro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”Audio outro: El Warren, “Effectively Wild Theme” Link to Chase health membership informationLink to Bee Guy article 1Link to Bee Guy article 2Link to Bee Guy article 3Link to bee delay announcementLink to Bee Guy ovationLink to Bee Guy on scoreboardLink to Bee Gu...

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports If you’re going to spend large on a free agent nearer, you need to most likely store on the prime of the market. That’s what the Astros did this previous offseason, shelling out $95 million over 5 years to deliver Josh Hader residence. Last season, Hader was unhittable, with a 1.28 ERA in 61 appearances and 33 saves in 38 alternatives. This 12 months, not a lot. His ERA is 6.39, and was over 9.00 on Tax Day. He’s solely had two saves, which is partially his teammates’ fault, however Hader has additionally blown a save and brought a loss. The Astros, in the meantime, have struggled to seek out spots to make use of him. He’s had just one save alternative for the reason that first week of April, together with a weeklong stretch during which he didn’t pitch ...

2:00 Jay Jaffe: Good afternoon, of us, and welcome to a different version of my Tuesday chat! 2:02 Jay Jaffe: I’m a bit late in setting this up right now as I used to be scrambling to file a bit on Padres knuckleballer Matt Waldron that can truly run tomorrow. 2:02 Jay Jaffe: We’ll give this a couple of minutes for the queue to refill and for me to complete this structurally unsound turkey sandwich. 2:06 the one that asks the lunch query: What’s for lunch? 2:09 Jay Jaffe: My common go-to after I make a sandwich at dwelling: Boar’s Head cracked pepper smoked turkey on Arnold Country White bread with mayo, mustard (eye-watering stuff from Philippe The Original, dwelling of the French dip), sliced cucumber, and Potbe...

Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports With 5 hits in a three-game span in opposition to the Diamondbacks and Mets, Paul Goldschmidt lastly obtained off the interstate — to make use of former All-Star-turned-broadcaster Ken Singleton’s memorable time period for hitters with a batting common under .200 — however as the top of April approaches, the 36-year-old first baseman has nonetheless produced at a sub-replacement stage up to now. It’s early, however he’s obtained some firm in that division amongst former All-Stars, in addition to some high-profile free brokers each previous and future. Goldschmidt received the National League MVP award in 2022, hitting a sturdy .317/.404/.578 with 35 homers; he led the league in each slugging proportion and wRC+ (176) whereas totaling 6.9 WAR. His worth s...