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Masataka Yoshida Heating Up In Miami

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MIAMI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Three weeks since returning from injury, Boston Red Sox designated hitter Masataka Yoshida is starting to get back into a groove.

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Yoshida is 5-for-9 with three RBIs through the first two games of Boston’s series against the Miami Marlins. On Wednesday, his groundout drove in the eventual winning run in a 7-2 victory.

Boston eyes the sweep in the finale today, on a 4th of July soiree.

“Overall, I’ve been able to see the ball well and identify (location) and swing at pitches I can hit,” Yoshida said via a translator. “Obviously take one game at a time. I want to be part of a team that keeps winning. It’s all about keeping it simple. If it’s an outside pitch, go the opposite way, just stay with it. That’s the approach.”

The 30-year-old is 11-for-25 since June 24, which has boosted his OPS from .617 to .691. Though he’s hit only seven home runs since the 2023 All-Star break, the Red Sox are pleased with the progress.

“We like the hitter; we like the at-bat,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “I think people get caught up in the (slugging percentage) and not hitting the ball in the air. But this guy is a quote-unquote professional hitter, right? We know that he can hit. I think he’s getting his rhythm back and that’s very important.”

Boston has received quality starts in the first two games of the series and will be hoping for more when righty Nick Pivetta (4-5, 4.52 ERA) takes to the mound Thursday. Pivetta is 2-5 with a 5.23 ERA in 13 career appearances (nine starts) against the Marlins.

The Marlins, meanwhile, will be looking to snap a three-game slide in which they’ve been outscored 22-11. They’ve allowed 434 runs, third most in the majors. Only the Colorado Rockies (506) and Chicago White Sox (438) have given up more.

Jesus Sanchez has been Miami’s most effective hitter through the two games, going 4-for-8 while driving in two of the team’s five runs.

After turning to the bullpen only twice in the series opener, the Marlins used five relievers on Wednesday after starter Trevor Rogers went only three innings. Despite a short effort, manager Skip Schumaker wasn’t putting the loss on Rogers.

“I actually thought it was maybe his best stuff of the year,” Schumaker said. “Unfortunately, the line definitely doesn’t show that. But there’s a lot to like about what’s been going on with Trevor the last few weeks.”

Miami will turn to righty Kyle Tyler (0-1, 3.38 ERA) as they try to salvage the series finale. With an injury-depleted rotation, Tyler, who will be facing the Red Sox for the first time in his career, moved into a starting role late last month. He’s tossed 146 pitches over 8 2/3 innings in two outings as a starter, allowing three runs on seven hits, walking five and striking out six.

Tyler knows he needs to tighten up on the mound.

“Just being more efficient, limiting the long at-bats,” he said last weekend. “If I can limit that, it’ll give me a much better opportunity to go deeper.”

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Bring The Heat in Miami

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MIAMI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox’s bats are bringing the heat.

The Red Sox are 12-5 since June 12, and they have at least seven runs in nine of those wins. The latest instance came in an 8-3 victory against the host Miami Marlins on Tuesday, and Boston will look to keep it going in the middle contest of the three-game set this evening.

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Every Boston batter connected for at least one hit in Tuesday’s win. The Red Sox got a three-run homer from Ceddanne Rafaela in the fourth inning and a solo shot from Jarren Duran in the eighth.

Duran’s homer was his 10th of the season and fifth in the past 10 games. With that and a stolen base in the game, he became the first American League player ever with 10 home runs, 10 triples, 20 stolen bases and 100 hits before the All-Star break.

“He’s a very dangerous hitter right now,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

That applies to several of Duran’s teammates, too. While Connor Wong went only 1-for-5 in the series opener Tuesday, the lone hit brought in a run and extended the catcher’s hitting streak to a career-high 16 games. It is the longest active streak in the majors.

Masataka Yoshida went 3-for-5 with an RBI and has hit safely in five of his past six games.

Rafaela is batting .354 with an .859 on-base-plus-slugging percentage over his past 21 games. It’s a welcome turnaround after he was hitting .202 with a .597 OPS through June 5, and he credits the coaching staff for getting him on track.

“They’re my guys and they’re helping me out,” he told NESN. “They’re telling me what they’re seeing, and I trust them.”

After a solid outing from Kutter Crawford in the opening contest, the Red Sox will turn to Brayan Bello (7-5, 5.55 ERA) on Wednesday. The 25-year-old right-hander has faced Miami once in his career, when he allowed one run on two hits with five strikeouts and one walk in seven innings on June 29, 2023.

Unlike the Red Sox, offense has been much harder to come by for the Marlins, who have 296 runs, the second-lowest total in the majors, this season.

Struggles at the plate factored into Miami designating veteran Tim Anderson for assignment and calling up rookie shortstop Xavier Edwards from Triple-A Jacksonville ahead of Tuesday’s game. Anderson, the Marlins’ only major league free agent acquisition in the offseason, hit .214 with a .226 slugging percentage in 65 games this year.

Edwards, meanwhile, was batting .330 and slugging .450 in the minors this year. In 30 games at the major league level a year ago, he hit .295.

He got the start on Tuesday and went 1-for-4 with a run, giving him a .231 big-league average (3-for-13) in four games this year.

“Get on base, set the table whatever spot I’m in the lineup, a lot of contact, stealing bases and playing solid defense,” he said of his game plan. “Just making the plays. I think I bring in some energy. I don’t speak a whole lot, but I think through my play, I can bring some energy to the team. Hopefully that’ll start something.”

Trevor Rogers (1-8, 4.87 ERA) will be on the mound as Miami aims to level the series. The 26-year-old left-hander has gone at least six innings in each of his past three starts and in four of his past five. He is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Cash Out as Tatum Cashes In

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics and All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum are finalizing a five-year supermax extension worth $314 million, which would be the largest deal in NBA history, according to multiple media reports on Monday.

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The deal comes after Tatum helped guide the Celtics to the NBA title this summer, the 18th in franchise history. The report also coincides with the announcement the franchise will be placed up for sale in the near future.

Tatum, 26, averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in 74 regular-season starts before adding 25.0 points, 9.7 boards and 6.3 assists per game in Boston’s 19-game romp through the playoffs.

Tatum was an All-NBA first-team selection for the third straight year and has been named to five All-Star Games. He has spent his entire seven-year NBA career in Boston and has career averages of 23.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest over 513 games.

The Celtics also locked up starting guard Derrick White to a $126 million contract extension earlier Monday.

–Field Level Media

The Boston Celtics | For Sale

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report with Team News Release) – Investors with deep pockets willing to purchase a champion can line up for bidding on the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics.

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The franchise is available for purchase, according to a team issued news release.  The imminent sale comes on the heels of a record 18th NBA title secured last month, as the league’s most storied franchise defeated the Dallas Mavericks in a five-game NBA Finals.

No purchase price was reported. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated the franchise’s value at $4.7 billion.

The potential sale comes at a time when the Celtics could approach a record payroll — and payroll tax to the NBA — with All-Star and MVP candidate Jayson Tatum discussing a contract that would make him the league’s highest-paid player.

Boston Basketball Partners was formed in 2002 and it completed the purchase of the Celtics on New Year’s Eve of that year from previous owner Paul Gaston for $360 million. Reports at the time indicated the actual sale price was $310 million since $50 million of debt was not assumed by the new ownership group.

 

Bruins Hit Free Agent Market for $82.5m

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Boston Bruins Land Free Agents Lindholm, Zadorov

The Boston Bruins began their offseason by landing free agents Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov in deals totaling $82.5 million, according to multiple reports Monday.

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Lindholm’s deal is for seven years, $52.5 million and Zadorov for six years, $30 million, per news reports.

Both players finished out the 2023-24 season in Vancouver.

Lindholm, 29, tallied 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 75 games last season with Calgary and Vancouver. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2013 draft by Carolina, Lindholm has 557 career points (218 goals, 339 assists) in 818 games with the Hurricanes, Flames and Canucks.

The Canucks traded their 2024 first-round pick, Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo and a 2024 fourth rounder to Calgary for Lindholm in January.

Zadorov, 29, had 20 points (6 goals, 14 assists), 125 penalty minutes and 68 blocks in 75 games last season with the Flames and Canucks.

Zadorov has 146 career points (47 goals, 99 assists) and 701 penalty minutes in 642 games with Buffalo, Colorado, Calgary, Chicago and the Canucks. The Sabres selected him No. 16 overall in the 2013 draft.

Among 2023-24 playoff teams, the Bruins are third in the NHL with $21.6 million in cap space entering free agency.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Salvage Series Finale

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Rafael Devers collected two hits, including a two-run home run, to help the Red Sox avoid a three-game sweep by beating the visiting San Diego Padres 4-1 Sunday.

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Devers hit his 18th home run of the season in the bottom of the first against Matt Waldron. Wilyer Abreu, who reached on a walk, also scored on the home run. The two-run homer gave Devers 600 career RBIs.

Devers has hit four home runs in his last five games. Abreu and Masataka Yoshida also had two hits for the Red Sox.

Jarren Duran added a solo home run for the Red Sox, who ended a three-game losing streak. It was his ninth home run of the season.

San Diego scored in the seventh on back-to-back doubles by Jackson Merrill and Ha-Seong Kim. Merrill had three hits in the loss, which ended San Diego’s five-game winning streak.

Josh Winckowski (2-1) earned the win for tossing five scoreless innings in his second appearance since being recalled from Triple-A. Winckowski allowed four hits, struck out one and didn’t walk a batter.

Waldron (5-7) gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.

Boston was outscored 20-3 in the first two games of the series. San Diego prevailed 9-2 Friday night and 11-1 Saturday. The Padres entered Sunday’s game with a 9-1 record in their last 10 games and had outscored their opponents by 29 runs during that stretch.

After Devers gave Boston a 2-0 advantage, the Red Sox extended their lead to 3-0 in the third. Abreu singled, took third on a Devers single and scored on a passed ball.

Duran’s home run stretched the lead to 4-0 in the fifth, before the Padres got on the scoreboard in the seventh.

–Field Level Media

Surging Padres Rock Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The visiting San Diego Padres will attempt to extend their winning streak to six games Sunday afternoon when they wrap up a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox. San Diego outscored Boston 20-3 in the first two games of the series. The Padres won 9-2 Friday night and 11-1 Saturday.

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The Padres hit six home runs in their two victories against the Red Sox. Jackson Merrill has homered in each game, and Manny Machado homered twice in Saturday’s win. San Diego is 9-1 in its last 10 games, with 20 home runs.

The 16 hits the Padres collected in Saturday’s win were the most the Red Sox have given up in a game this season. The victory pushed the Padres five games over the .500 mark (46-41) for the first time this season.

“We’re just looking for continual improvement,” San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. “You get continual improvement, then you get all areas firing together and you get guys working together, communicating together and clearly playing together. A lot of quality at-bats. Manny and some other guys put some big swings on the baseball.

“When you have confidence in your whole roster and guys in the lineup, you don’t feel like you have to carry the proverbial mantle. It’s just a matter of taking your good at-bat, knowing the guy behind you is going to take a good at-bat, and you’re going to do it over and over again.”

The Padres scored nine runs in the fifth inning Friday night, and struck for six runs in the fifth inning Saturday.

Right-hander Matt Waldron (5-6, 3.43 ERA) is San Diego’s scheduled starting pitcher Sunday. Waldron, a knuckleballer, has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last nine starts. He has a 1.95 ERA during that stretch.

Sunday will be Waldron’s first career appearance against the Red Sox. Kyle Higashioka typically catches when Waldron is on the mound.

“The knuckleball is definitely an outlier pitch, because even if you know it’s coming, there’s no guarantee that you’re going to get one that’s good to hit,” Higashioka told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It’s dancing out there like crazy. So regardless of whether you’re looking for it or not, if he throws the good one, it’s very unlikely that somebody’s going to really square it up.”

The Red Sox will go with right-hander Josh Winckowski (1-1, 3.26 ERA) on Sunday. Winckowski has a 1.69 ERA in three starts this season and a 4.12 ERA in 10 relief appearances. He pitched the final three innings to earn the save in a 6-1 victory over San Diego last season. That is his only appearance against the Padres.

The Red Sox have lost their last three games.

“It’s a good lineup, and they’re swinging the bats really, really well — putting up big numbers,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Hitting the ball out of the ballpark. That’s something they’ve been doing the last 10, 15 days. Hopefully tomorrow with (Winckowski), we can hold them down and we can get going offensively.”

Red Sox catcher Connor Wong carries a 15-game hitting streak into Sunday’s matchup.

–Field Level Media

 

Red Sox Drop Opener to Padres

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox will have right-hander Tanner Houck on the mound today when they attempt to end the visiting San Diego Padres’ four-game winning streak.

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Houck (7-5, 2.18 ERA) began the season battling to win the fifth spot in Boston’s rotation but has quickly become the team’s ace. He leads the American League in ERA and has 101 strikeouts and 18 walks in 103 1/3 innings this season.

Houck credited much of his 2024 success to Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who suggested he overhaul his split-finger fastball.

“He came over and kind of gave me a few different grip ideas before camp,” Houck said on a recent NESN game telecast. “I took it and kind of ran with it. I feel incredibly comfortable with that pitch now. It’s something that I’ve known for years I’ve needed to develop and get better with, but ultimately I feel like that’s kind of been my biggest weapon this year that’s taken the most steps forward.”

Houck has pitched at least 5 2/3 innings in each of his 16 starts. Saturday — his 28th birthday — will be the first time he faces the Padres in his career.

Right-hander Michael King (5-5, 3.75 ERA) is San Diego’s scheduled starter. King, who was with the New York Yankees the previous five seasons, is 2-4 with a 5.20 ERA in 12 career appearances (two starts) against the Red Sox. He is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in five outings (one start) in Boston.

The Padres opened the three-game series with a 9-2 victory on Friday. San Diego did all of its scoring in the fifth inning, which included a two-run home run from Kyle Higashioka and a three-run home run from Jackson Merrill, who grew up rooting for the Red Sox.

“I don’t usually like to talk about something I do,” Merrill said. “I like talking about the wins and stuff. But that was probably the dopest moment of my baseball career.

“A nine-run inning. You can’t ask for anything better than that.”

Higashioka has three home runs in his past two games and eight home runs in June.

The victory was the eighth in nine games for the Padres, moving them four games above .500 for the first time this season.

X-rays were negative on Padres starting pitcher Randy Vasquez, who took a line drive off his right forearm in the fifth inning.

“A little bit of swelling right now, but hopefully I’ll be able to be out there for my next start,” Vasquez said.

The Red Sox have lost two straight for the first time since dropping the middle two games of a four-game series against the White Sox on June 7-8.

“We have a good baseball team that can do a lot of good things,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “There’s other stuff that we have to get better (at), but at the same time very pleased with the way we went about our business in the first part of the season and the way some guys progressed.

“We’re going to keep working hard to make them better, and we’re going to keep playing good baseball. I truly believe there’s going to be meaningful games here in September.”

–Field Level Media

Porzingis Surgery Update

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Team News Release) – The Boston Celtics said center Kristaps Porzingis underwent successful surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon. Porzingis is expected to return to play in 5-6 months.

Further medical updates will be provided as necessary, said the team in a brief statement.

Hawks On Clock for ’24 NBA Draft

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BROOKLYN – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atlanta holds the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and even the Hawks were not clear how that card might be played tonight.

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Drafting in the top three for the first time since selecting Luka Doncic at No. 3 in 2018, the Hawks are hopeful they can turn their good fortune in the draft lottery order into something long-lasting. Atlanta finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and had only a 3 percent chance of winning the lottery and picking first. But now that general manager Landry Fields has the keys to the draft, he’s not planning to cede control or trade the pick.

“The more that we uncover, like we go, great, I’m glad we have No. 1. I keep joking around like I’m not giving it back,” said Fields, who was promoted to general manager in 2022. “So, I think we’re in a really good position here. I’m excited about it, frankly.”

Media pundits are not as excited about the crop of talent some have described as the worst in a decade or more.

Consensus from NBA evaluators place two French stars near the top of the draft board one year after the San Antonio Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama No. 1 overall.

Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher are narrowly ahead of Kentucky sharpshooter Reed Sheppard and UConn 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan, but at least six players are thought to be in the running for the No. 1 spot one day before the draft.

“We’re planning on picking No. 1,” Fields said of his constant contact with NBA trade suitors.

The NBA moved to a two-day draft format in the first change since adopting the current structure in 1989. The first round is Wednesday in Brooklyn with picks 1-30 announced before restarting the event Thursday night with the 31st selection. There are only 58 total picks in the 2024 draft because of the Nets and Suns being docked second-rounders for rules violations.

Washington won 21 fewer games than Atlanta but holds the No. 2 pick with needs at almost every position and draft lottery mainstay Houston sits third. The Wizards haven’t had a pick this high in the draft since 2010 when John Wall was the top pick out of Kentucky, two years before Washington added Bradley Beal with the No. 3 pick in 2012.

Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said he doesn’t “agree with the narrative” that the 2024 draft class lacks talent at the top. He said after 30 visits with prospects and private workouts, about 10 players remained in the conversation to be considered at No. 2.

The Rockets reportedly are higher on Clingan than most but also met privately with Sheppard and multiple other big men. Houston’s pick is part of the franchise’s return for trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.

A countryman to pair with Wembanyama could be an option for the Spurs, who select fourth and also have the No. 8 pick via trade from Toronto. Another 7-footer, Sarr spent last season in the Australian Basketball League after playing for Overtime Elite the two previous seasons. He has high-end mobility and athleticism for his size but isn’t on Wembanyama’s level as a shooter or creator on the offensive end.

Risacher is 6-9 and skilled in almost every facet of the game, earning high marks for his range and perimeter shooting with plus defensive ratings propped up by a 7-foot wingspan.

Sheppard has drawn comparisons to Steve Nash, but he was primarily a shooter in his only season at Kentucky, where his father helped the 1990s Wildcats achieve great success. Sheppard is a hair under 6-foot-4 but flashed a surprising 40-inch vertical and lateral agility at the draft combine to solidify his standing in the lottery.

Clingan’s UConn teammate Stephon Castle was praised for his versatility in his one season with the Huskies. At 6-6, he has point guard skills and dynamic traits as a defender.

Brian Wright has been GM of the Spurs since 2019 and said he’ll never deviate from the best-player-available strategy unless other means to improve the roster — such as packaging picks for a veteran — steers San Antonio away from its momentous youth movement.

Sarr’s older brother, Olivier, was one of 14 French-born players in the NBA last season and has played for the Thunder the past three seasons.

Wembanyama was never on the same team as Alexandre Sarr, but said his rapid improvement is a result of his “crazy talent.”

Behind the Spurs, the Detroit Pistons are set to draft fifth. New VP of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said he’s drawn to edgy and competitive athletes to complement 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham. This is the third consecutive draft in which Detroit enters with the No. 5 pick.

One year removed from picking No. 2 and 3, Charlotte is in the No. 6 spot and Portland at No. 7 plus the final selection of the lottery, No. 14.

Memphis (ninth), Utah (10th), Chicago (11th), Oklahoma City (12th via Houston) and Sacramento (13th) all hold picks as a result of the lottery or trades.

–Field Level Media