MLB Rumors: Red Sox starter James Paxton's injury doesn't sound any alarms
The Boston Red Sox's starting pitching woes are not getting any better. Pitcher James Paxton was yanked from Saturday's game against the White Sox after four innings due to right knee soreness.
Paxton allowed one run and two hits and recorded three strikeouts; so far this season, he's compiled a 3.19 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in eight total appearances with the Red Sox.
The 34-year-old told reporters that he doesn't believe his injury setback will prohibit him from making his next start, causing Red Sox fans to breathe a small sigh of relief.
Boston's already depleted pitching rotation has seen Tanner Houck and Chris Sale land on the injured list, and as this rate, the Red Sox will be very desperate buyers at the trade deadline.
Paxton does have a somewhat troubling injury record, though the club and the player himself don't seem too frazzled by today's events.
MLB Rumors: Reds' 12-game winning streak snapped by Braves
In front of a sold-out crowd at the Great American Ball Park, the Cincinnati Reds came up tantalizingly short.
On Saturday, the Reds lost 7-6 against the Atlanta Braves in an exciting slugfest that featured some dominant batters step up to the plate. One day after Elly De La Cruz became the first Reds player to hit for the cycle since 1989, the Braves came out swinging in the second game of the series unloading their offensive firepower: Matt Olson, Travis d'Arnaud, Ozzie Albies, and Marcell Ozuna all slammed balls out of the park.
Despite Cincy's late frantic push in the ninth, the club failed to extend their streak to 13 games, which would've been a modern-era record.
Darn.
However, the Reds' latest loss does nothing to detract from the club's lineup of up-and-coming talent like rookie De La Cruz, and Cincy fans are clearly riding off of the energy. Friday's and Saturday's game marked the Great American Ball Park's first consecutive sold-out crowds since 2016 when Pete Rose's No. 14 was retired.
It's been a long time coming for Reds fans to see their team play good baseball. Expect more of the same in the final game of the series on Sunday.
Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees speaks with David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox prior to the last game of the season at Fenway Park on September 28, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
MLB Rumors: Derek Jeter gets pranked on his first day of the job
It happens to everyone in the workforce: you walk into the office, sit down at your cubicle, open a file drawer, and discover a stapler encased in yellow Jell-O.
Pranking your coworkers is almost like an initiation, so when New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter made his first appearance as an analyst for Fox on Saturday, he must have known something was coming.
Jeter was introduced on the network ahead of the Cardinals-Cubs London Series, joining Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodriguez, and David Ortiz on Fox's pregame show. Whew, what a lineup. A lot of rivalries at one table, a lot of melodrama, and as Big Papi promised with his welcome gift to Jeter, a lot of good-natured fun.
During the telecast, Ortiz gifted Jeter with a Red Sox jersey embroidered with Jeter's name and number. The Yankees all-time great responded as any former Yankees player would: by throwing the jersey on the ground.
Ew, David.
Afterward, Jeter joked that this would be his last day at Fox while Ortiz claimed he gave him a thoughtful present.
Seeing Jeter's name on the back of a Red Sox jersey just feels plain wrong, but rest assured The Captain isn't donning those sinful colors anytime soon. It would be pure mutiny.
