Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Aug 3

by

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The Wyndham Championship being contested in Greensboro, North Carolina this weekend is the final tournament of the 2025 PGA Tour regular season. Next week starts the three tournament FedEx Cup Playoffs when the best golfers in the world must qualify amongst the Top 70 for the FedEx St. Jude Championship (August 7-10), then the Top 50 for the BMW Championship (August 14-17) and then the Top 30 to compete in the final tournament of the season, the TOUR Championship (August 21-24) at East Lake in Atlanta.

Over the many years of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the PGA Tour and its players have constantly defended the ever-changing format. While the gradual cut-down (elimination of 20 golfers per tourney to send the best 30 golfers to the TOUR Championship), the various proposals to allow the top golfer to begin the final leg at (-10), counting down (-9), etc for the start.

It just didn’t work.

This year, the TOUR Championship will be played as a 72-hole stroke-play event, with all players starting the tournament at even par. The best performer over the course of four rounds at the TOUR Championship will win the FedEx Cup and the FedEx Cup bonus distribution total of cash is $100 million, with the FedEx Cup champion earning $10 million.

Not bad.

But, the tour still seeks a way to reward the players who score the most FedEx Cup points leading into East Lake and that brings us to No. 2 in the world, Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy decided to forego participation in the the FedEx St. Jude next week, the lone golfer among the 69 others who have qualified to take a week off.

You see, McIlroy is guaranteed to make the Tour Championship at East Lake regardless of his results in Memphis or the following week’s BMW Championship in Owings Mills, Maryland. McIlroy is second in the standings after three wins this season, including the Masters, and he’s some 850 points ahead of Sepp Straka who stands in third place leading into this week in Carolina.

Coming off the two or three week stint in Europe (Scottish Open and The Open), McIlroy will rest and practice for a big push in the grand finale, and that’s completely within the current rules.

After years of wrestling with the format which – at times – forced the players to participate each week, the PGA Tour seems to have thrown up its hands in surrender on the issue.

This column thought and thought of ways to correct the un-correctable, and then decided to consult with column contributor and avid PGA Tour fan, Chris Gallivan. The maven of mulligans thought long and hard and came up with the idea of a “Tiered System” to revert back to the gifted strokes method of operation and allow the No. 1 player top billing, but then to group players (maybe in fours) to trail the No. 1 by only a stroke, then another four to trail by only two, and so on.

The increase in the number of players in the hunt puts much more pressure on the No. 1 while it also forces players (No. 2 through 20+) to play each week of the Playoffs or else slip downward in the placings. A worthy idea for consideration, and an idea that will require more study by WWYI in crunching numbers from previous years’ play and playoffs.

Meanwhile, it’s Happy Trails for Rory McIlroy this week and we’ll see you in Atlanta where he’ll surely have plenty of practice rounds while the others are toiling away in the heat of Maryland.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The Boston Red Sox organization received significant blowback when they chose not to make any major trades before this past Thursday’s MLB trading deadline. The Sox made two smaller, less impressive deals, acquiring pitchers Steve Matz and Dustin May, both contributors but not the No. 2 starter Red Sox management was striving to obtain in a last minute deal. Matz pitched one inning of relief (the sixth inning) of Saturday’s 7-3 Boston win over the Houston Astros. May has yet to pitch for Boston.

The “inactivity” was widely criticized by media and fans, and even some MLB GM-types accused Boston’s head of baseball ops and GM Craig Breslow of being “difficult to deal with,” fueling the firestorm of more criticism on sports talk radio city-wide.

Digital Sports Desk believes the best trade made was the trade that wasn’t made, as Minnesota ace Joe Ryan was reportedly on the block, but at a high cost. Surely, the Twins were asking for the moon of Boston rookies and prospects and there was no long-term contract in sight if Breslow pulled the trigger on a deal.

Additionally, Boston OF Jarren Duran has been long rumored to be the fodder in place for a major deal, but slow down Trader Joes. Duran has proven to be the key piece of a Boston clubhouse that has evolved as the year progressed. Time after time, Red Sox players have spoken of the closeness that developed as the team struggled but then reeled off a 10-game winning streak before the MLB All-Star break and now have won six of their last seven games, including two over the LA Dodgers, two over the Minnesota Twins and two vs. the Astros – with a series finale scheduled for Sunday.

Boston is now (61-51), ten games over the .500 mark and in second place in the tough as nails American League East. The Red Sox are also in the driver’s seat for the two AL Wild Card slots, 1.5 games ahead of the floundering New York Yankees, losers of their last two games and 4-6 over the last 10 games. Consider this: New York was 9.5 games ahead of Boston on June 12th.

The key issue for Breslow and the Sox so-called inactivity was not even considering a trade involving any of Boston’s “Class of ‘25, in OF Roman Anthony, and INF Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell, nevermind Duran or utility man Ceddanne Rafaela – all serious commodities as the trade winds of hope blew hard for other clubs.

The trading deadline passed, and yes, the Red Sox must now rely on starters Walker Buehler (6-6) and Lucas Giolito (7-2) who go No. 2 & 3 behind All-Star Garrett Crochet(12-4).

The Red Sox are 19-7 since July 1, tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in the majors during that timespan. That said, the Red Sox are in the midst of the toughest portion of their 2025 schedule, with the next 10 games against clubs with .500 records or better. Another key factor since the beginning of July for Boston is the fact they are 11-5 in games decided by three runs or fewer and that includes eight one-run games.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Cooper Flagg or Cooper Criswell? Take your pick. Interesting note on Boston Red Sox pitcher Cooper Criswell. On Friday night, Criswell went (7.0 IP, seven hits, a run, two walks, four strikeouts) allowed a solo HR in the second inning but did not allow a run in the other 6.0 innings pitched. Criswell tied the longest start of his career and also recording his second career quality start (also 7.0 IP and 0 ER on 7/23/24 at Colorado). … The key factor: In his last seven starts, beginning 7/23/24, Criswell is 2-0 with a 1.49 ERA (6 ER/36.1 IP) and he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in 17 of his last 19 starts, including two earned runs or fewer in 15 starts.

THE DISTRICT: Looks like the Washington Commanders will be based in The District, not Maryland, for many years to come. The D.C. Council voted to approve development of the RFK Stadium site in DC, which is the first step toward the Commanders building a new $3.7 billion stadium in the city. A second reading of the proposal to redevelop RFK and its campus and the subsequent vote on the project will occur on Sept. 17. If the plan passes that second vote, it would then go to D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser for approval. The plans call for a domed stadium and development of the entire area. More to come as the votes near.

THIS JEST IN: Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca did not get his NBA team when the Grousbeck family put the majority of the legendary C’s franchise up for sale. In multiple reports on Saturday, Pagliuca changed gears and investment strategy as he reportedly reached a deal to buy the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun for a record $325 million and move the team to Boston in 2027.

The news of the Pagliuca bid came on the same day Sportico reported that billionaire Marc Lasry is considering a bid to buy the Sun.

The WNBA league office issued a terse statement in reaction to the leak of the sale, noting, “Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams.”

The statement reviewed its history of expansion – past and present day – The league has announced five expansion teams that will begin play over the next five seasons with Portland (2026), Toronto (2026), Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) joining the WNBA. Each paid a then-record $250 million expansion fee. The most recent expansion team is the Golden State Valkyries, a team founded this season and currently playing in the Chase Center in San Francisco, home of the Warriors.

In the process of expanding, nine other cities bid for start-up teams, including Houston, which the league singled out as getting a team in the future when it announced Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia in June. Boston did not bid, but continuous talk of Boston becoming a WNBA host city surfaced each of the past two years when the Sun played single regular season games at TD Boston Garden.

The WNBA continued, “Those other cities remain under consideration based on the extensive work they did as part of the expansion process and currently have priority over Boston. Soon-to-be Celtics team owner Bill Chisholm has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time.”

With the relocation reports and the WNBA statement at odds, one must remember the fact the W’s big brother had a number of clubs move over the years, including a very unpopular relocation from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008-09. The Sonics/Thunder were the third team in a string of relocat (Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis-2001) and a (Charlotte to New Orleans-2002) dance that resulted in Charlotte receiving a new expansion franchise. That doesn’t count the mysterious San Diego Clippers to Los Angeles move in 1984, a relocation without league permission, and the New Jersey Nets slide from East Rutherford, NJ to Brooklyn in 2012).

In 2021, the Atlanta Dream sold for $10 million and in 2020, the Las Vegas Aces went for $2m.

It seems the WNBA will have some accounting to do between the $250m and $350m now on the table.

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: “Paging Joey Chestnut. Paging Joey Chestnut,” as the Associated Press reported from Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania that a truckload of raw hot dogs spilled across a Pennsylvania interstate Friday after a crash that briefly clogged heavily traveled arteries in both directions. They caused a traffic jam, too.

Work crews were stuck with a job they did not relish — rolling up the scattered tube steaks for disposal. “Once those frankfurters leave the truck and hit the road, that’s all garbage, and it’s still pretty warm,” Shrewsbury Fire Company Chief Brad Daubermansaid, suffering in 85-95-degree temps which engulfed the East Coast.

State police said the tractor trailer had an unspecified mechanical problem on Interstate 83 a few miles north of the Maryland line as morning rush hour was wrapping up, causing the truck to push into a passenger vehicle. When the truck scraped along a concrete divider, its trailer was ripped open and the contents scattered all over the roads.

Four people required medical attention, Dauberman said, for injuries that police said were not life-threatening. Dauberman added, that emergency crews couldn’t help but see the humor in the situation, and his daughter texted him a photo of a hot dog-themed T-shirt.

“I can tell you personally, hot dogs are very slippery,” the fire chief said. “I did not know that.”

Obviously, no one thought of the one, guaranteed solution, as a call to five or 10 local dog pounds and turning a few dozen furry friends loose would’ve scooped up the raw dogs in a matter of minutes. Of course, the next morning might’ve been a bigger issue.

White Named to NFL Players’ Post

by

NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – Less than three weeks after NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned amid numerous allegations of impropriety, the union elected David White as it interim executive director.

Embed from Getty Images

White is the chief executive officer of consulting firm 3CG Ventures and the former national executive director and chief negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA). He was a finalist for the NFLPA post when a the board of 32 player representatives elected Howell in June 2023, according to multiple media reports.

NFLPA president Jalen Reeves-Maybin said in a statement regarding the move by the Board of Player Representatives to appoint White, “This decision is the result of a comprehensive, player-led process. We understood the urgency to fill this role and did our due diligence to identify the right person to lead our union in this moment.

“We have full faith in David to take the union forward and operate in the best interests of our membership. David has spent much of his career fighting for collectively bargained rights in the labor movement and is committed to putting players first in all the union does. We are confident that he will inspire solidarity and provide the necessary stability during this period of transition.”

White added in a statement, “I am grateful to the NFLPA’s player leadership for entrusting me with the privilege and responsibility to guide their union as interim executive director. It’s a duty I do not take lightly, and I’m committed to reestablishing trust and ensuring the union is serving its members best. I look forward to working with the entire NFLPA team to protect players’ health and safety, secure their financial well-being, and further strengthen their voice to shape their futures.”

Howell stepped down on July 17 to no longer be a “distraction” for the NFLPA. During his tenure, he allegedly reached a confidentiality agreement with the NFL over a collusion case, worked for a private equity firm approved to pursue NFL minority ownership stakes and made inappropriate charges to the union, include a strip club visit.

Red Sox on a Home Run Roll

by

BOSTON – Boston’s Romy Gonzalez, Trevor Story and Abraham Toro each homered to propel the hometown Red Sox to a 7-3 victory over the visiting Houston Astros on Saturday.

Embed from Getty Images

Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the first inning, Story gave the Red Sox a 4-2 lead when he hit a two-run homer in the third and Toro extended the lead to 6-2 with a two-run home run in the fourth. All three home runs came against Houston starter Colton Gordon.

Gonzalez, Story, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rob Refsnyder each had two hits for the Red Sox, who had 10 hits in the win. Victor Caratini collected four of Houston’s 14 hits.

Reliever Justin Wilson (3-1) earned the win for recording the final two outs in the fifth. Boston starter Walker Buehler wasn’t sharp. He gave up three runs on nine hits and walked three with no strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Gordon (4-4) gave up six runs on seven hits in four innings. He struck out six and walked one.

Boston won the first two games in the three-game series, and extended its winning streak to four games.

Shortstop Jeremy Pena was not in Houston’s lineup after cramping up in the 10th inning of Boston’s 2-1 victory on Friday. Pena came off the 10-day injured list (ribs) earlier Friday. Carlos Correa, reacquired from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, played shortstop after agreeing to move to third as part of the trade.

Walker’s home run handed the Astros a 2-0 lead in the first, but the home runs by Gonzalez, Story and Toro helped Boston take a four-run lead. Houston made it 6-3 when Yainer Diaz drove in Carlos Correa with a single in the fifth, but Story’s RBI double in the seventh scored Refsnyder and pushed Boston’s lead to four.

Jordan Hicks struck out Correa with the bases loaded for the final out of the eighth inning.

–Field Level Media

Extra Beginnings

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston rookie Roman Anthony’s single in the bottom of the 10th inning drove in Wilyer Abreu with the game-winning run as the Red Sox extended their winning streak to three games by beating the visiting Houston Astros, 2-1, on Friday night.

Embed from Getty Images

Abreu starting the inning at second base as the automatic runner and moved to third on a fielder’s choice before Anthony singled against Bennett Sousa (5-1).

Christian Walker hit his 14th home run of the season for Houston. Walker’s home run came against Boston starter Cooper Criswell with two outs in the second inning.

After Walker’s home run put Houston up 1-0, Boston tied the game, 1-1, when Trevor Story scored from third on a sacrifice fly by Abreu in the seventh.

Criswell made his first start of the season for the Red Sox and limited Houston to one run on seven hits in seven innings. He entered Friday’s game with a 5.06 ERA in six relief appearances with Boston this year, and is 4-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) with Triple-A Worcester.

Greg Weissert (4-3) pitched a scoreless 10th to earn the win.

Houston starter Hunter Brown also allowed one run in seven innings. He gave up four hits, struck out six and walked one.

Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena collected three hits – all singles – after being activated from the 10-day injured list (ribs) Friday. He was in the lineup for the first time since June 27.

Pena was joined on the left side of the infield by former Houston All-Star Carlos Correa, who was acquired in a trade with Minnesota on Thursday and played third base. Correa was 0-for-4 in his first game back with the Astros, who drafted him first overall in the 2012 MLB Draft.

Jesus Sanchez added two hits for Houston. Sanchez was one of three players the Astros landed at Thursday’s trade deadline.

The Red Sox received two hits from both Anthony and Alex Bregman, who was playing against his former team for the first time since signing with Boston in the offseason.

-Field Level Media

Commanders Get Their New Home

by

WASH DC – (Wire Service Report) – After nearly three decades of playing in Maryland, the Washington Commanders have the green light to build a new $3.7 billion stadium in D.C. that should bring them back to the nation’s capital by 2030.

Embed from Getty Images

The D.C. Council voted 9-3 on Friday to ratify the deal between the city and the NFL team. The site of the new 174-acre complex will be the same as RFK Stadium, which remains in place even though the team moved out prior to the 1997 season.

“This is a historic moment,” Commanders managing partner Josh Harris said in a statement. “This project is about more than delivering a world-class stadium worthy of our players, fans and the region. It’s about revitalizing a critical part of our city, creating thousands of jobs and unlocking long-term economic benefits for the District. We look forward to working with our fans, residents, community leaders and elected officials to deliver on this vision.”

The franchise enjoyed its finest years at the RFK site, which opened in 1961 as District of Columbia Stadium. During the team’s 36 seasons at RFK, it won Super Bowls VII, XXII and XXVI while appearing in two more and earning eight other playoff appearances.

Since former owner Dan Snyder moved the team to now-Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., in 1997, Washington has amassed just seven playoff appearances in 28 years. Last season’s run to the NFC title game was the Commanders’ first push past the divisional round since 1991.

Snyder’s decision to sell his team in 2022 – a move encouraged by the NFL – helped pave the way for the franchise’s return to D.C. In addition, Harris indicated his willingness to foot more of the bill than most owners.

According to details of the deal, the Commanders are expected to handle $2.7 billion of the stadium’s cost along with any overruns. The District of Columbia will pay $1 billion, but much of that is expected to be recouped over the long haul in taxes and other revenue streams.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Clash with Astros

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Astros will kick off a nine-game road trip when they face the Boston Red Sox on Friday, and few American League hitters are coming off a better month than Houston’s Jose Altuve.

Embed from Getty Images

Altuve collected four hits, including a three-run home run, to help Houston defeat Washington 9-1 on Wednesday. He hit .363 (33 for 91) during July with seven doubles, five homers and 21 RBIs in 24 games.

“Basically, I’m getting good pitches to hit,” Altuve said. “Early in the season, I was swinging at pretty much everything. I didn’t really focus on the pitch I can handle and I think that was what was different this last month.”

The Astros were held to eight runs during a five-game losing streak that ended Tuesday. They responded by putting up 16 runs over their last two outings.

“We were going through a stretch there where things were not going our way, but our guys are going to push and we figured out a way to score runs,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “The quality of at-bats were there back-to-back days.”

Houston made a big splash Thursday when it acquired infielder Carlos Correa from Minnesota. Correa played his first seven MLB seasons in Houston before he signed with the Twins as a free agent.

“We were waiting for a shortstop to come in (with the Twins) and now that I get to play third base, it will be great for me at this stage of my career,” Correa told MLB.com.

The Astros also landed infielder Ramon Urias in a trade with Baltimore on Wednesday and acquired outfielder Jesus Sanchez in a deal with Miami on Thursday.

The Red Sox added two pitchers before the trade deadline. Boston acquired right-hander Dustin May from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, one day after it picked up left-handed pitcher Steven Matz in a deal with St. Louis.

Although his numbers aren’t as good as Altuve’s, Boston’s Jarren Duran is coming off a productive month at the plate as well. He batted .317 with five home runs, three triples, nine doubles and 21 RBIs in 23 games in July.

Duran homered and had three hits during Boston’s 13-1 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday. Duran, who has three homers in his last eight games, had five extra-base hits in the three-game series against the Twins.

“Excellent,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “He’s been good the whole month. You look at his numbers, the walks, driving the ball, playing good defense in center and left field, running the bases. He’s one of the most dynamic players in the big leagues and I’m glad he’s playing for us.”

Right-hander Hunter Brown (9-5, 2.54 ERA) is listed as Houston’s probable pitcher for Friday’s game. Brown allowed two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings during his only career appearance against the Red Sox, which came in August 2024.

The Astros went 12-13 in July — their first losing month of the season — but are hoping All-Star shortstop Jeremy Pena (ribs) returns from the injured list in time to play Friday.

Friday’s game will be the first time third baseman Alex Bregman has faced his former team since he signed with the Red Sox in the offseason. Bregman, who was given Wednesday off, helped the Astros win the World Series in 2017 and 2022.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Dahmen Leads After R-1

by

GREENSBORO – First round leader Joel Dahmen (1st/-9) in his 232nd start on TOUR, bidding for his second career PGA TOUR title (2021 Corales Puntacana Championship).

Embed from Getty Images

Dahmen totaled 10 birdies, including three consecutive on Nos. 7-9 to finish his round, against one bogey (par-4 14th). His (61) tied his career low round on TOUR (R2/2020 RSM Classic/finished T50).

It was Dahmen’s best finish in six prior starts at the Wyndham Championship is T42 (2017). It marked his sixth career 18-hole lead/co-lead in individual stroke play (0-for-5 to date) and his second outright 18-hole lead this season (Corales Puntacana Championship/finished T2).

Notes:
  • Following the Wyndham Championship, the Top 70 players in the FedExCup standings will qualify for next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship (the first of three events in the FedExCup Playoffs):
  • FedEx St. Jude Championship (Top 70 players following Wyndham Championship)
  • BMW Championship (Top 50 players following FedEx St. Jude Championship)
  • TOUR Championship (Top 30 players following BMW Championship)
  • Leaderboard (link)

Kaito Onishi (neck) and Nate Lashley (foot) WD after the first round of the Wyndham Championship

Please check PGATourCom for updated info.

Wyndham | Leaderboard After 18 Holes

1 Joel Dahmen 61 (-9)

2 Alex Noren 62 (-8)

T3 Cameron Young 63 (-7)

T3 Aaron Rai 63 (-7)

T3 Nico Echavarria 63 (-7)

T3 Mark Hubbard 63 (-7)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

PGA Tour: Wyndham Preview

by

Embed from Getty Images

GREENSBORO – The 2025 Wyndham Championship is the 36th and last event of the 36 scheduled events in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup regular season. Since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007, the Wyndham Championship has played host to the FedEx Cup regular season finale (since 2008 at Sedgefield Country Club).

Following the Wyndham Championship, the Top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings will advance to the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Every player ranked from Nos. 60-80 in the FedExCup standings are in the field: Tony Finau (No. 60), Rickie Fowler (No. 61), Davis Riley (No. 62), Kevin Yu (No. 63), Erik van Rooyen (No. 64), Nico Echavarria (No. 65), Emiliano Grillo (No. 66), Cam Davis (No. 67), Patrick Rodgers(No. 68), Byeong Hun An (No. 69), Matti Schmid (No. 70), Nicolai Højgaard (No. 71), Keith Mitchell (No. 72), Chris Kirk (No. 73), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (No. 74), Gary Woodland (No. 75), Kevin Roy (No. 76), Alex Smalley (No. 77), Davis Thompson (No. 78), Eric Cole (No. 79), William Mouw (No. 80).

The Wyndham Championship winner will receive 500 FedExCup points, a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR and $1,476,000; the winner will also be exempt for The Sentry, THE PLAYERS Championship, Masters Tournament and PGA Championship in 2026.

  • This year marks the 86th annual Wyndham Championship, having been included on the PGA TOUR schedule since 1938 (the seventh-longest running TOUR event excluding the majors).

Following the Wyndham Championship, the Top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings will advance to the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Every player ranked from Nos. 60-80 in the FedExCup standings are in the field: Tony Finau (No. 60), Rickie Fowler (No. 61), Davis Riley (No. 62), Kevin Yu (No. 63), Erik van Rooyen (No. 64), Nico Echavarria (No. 65), Emiliano Grillo (No. 66), Cam Davis (No. 67), Patrick Rodgers(No. 68), Byeong Hun An (No. 69), Matti Schmid (No. 70), Nicolai Højgaard (No. 71), Keith Mitchell (No. 72), Chris Kirk (No. 73), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (No. 74), Gary Woodland (No. 75), Kevin Roy (No. 76), Alex Smalley (No. 77), Davis Thompson (No. 78), Eric Cole (No. 79), William Mouw (No. 80).

The Wyndham Championship winner will receive 500 FedExCup points, a two-year exemption on the PGA TOUR and $1,476,000; the winner will also be exempt for The Sentry, THE PLAYERS Championship, Masters Tournament and PGA Championship in 2026.

Red Sox: Meet the Matz

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox beefed up their pitching staff Wednesday night by acquiring left-hander Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals acquired minor league infielder Blaze Jordan in exchange for Matz, a 34-year-old veteran who has experience both as a starter and a reliever.

Embed from Getty Images

In 2025, Matz has made 30 of his 32 appearances out of the bullpen, and he has posted a 5-2 record with a 3.44 ERA across 55 innings.

Matz was selected in the second round of the 2009 draft by the Mets and spent the first six seasons of his major league career in New York. After one season with the Toronto Blue Jays, Matz signed with the Cardinals ahead of the 2022 season and has played the past four seasons in St. Louis. In 225 career games (172 starts), Matz owns a 60-62 mark with a 4.24 ERA.

Jordan, 22, was a third-round pick of the Red Sox in 2020. He batted .304/.377/.495 with 12 homers and 62 RBIs in 88 games with Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester this season.

–Field Level Media

Poker Face? Gilbert Arraign-as

by

LOS. ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former NBA All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas and five other defendants were arrested Wednesday on a federal indictment alleging they operated an illegal gambling business running high-stakes poker games at Arenas’ mansion in Encino, Calif., according to the United States Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California.

Embed from Getty Images

He is scheduled to make his initial appearance and be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. If convicted, he would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.

Also charged on Wednesday in the indictment were Yevgeni “Giora” Gershman, 49, of Woodland Hills; Allan “Elica” Austria, 52, of West Hills,Calif.; and Evgenni “Eugne” Tourevski, 48, Yarin “YC” Cohen, 27 and Ievgen Krachun, 43, all of Tarzana, California.

Gershman is a suspected high-level organized crime figure from Israel, according to the news release from the U.S. attorney’s office.

Arenas and the other defendants operated an illegal gambling business from September 2021 to July 2022, according to the indictment that was unsealed on Wednesday. Arenas rented out the Encino mansion for the co-conspirators to host the illegal “Pot Limit Omaha” poker games, among other illegal games, with a fee charged from each pot either as a percentage or a fixed amount per hand.

Gershman hired women who were paid in tips and served drinks, provided massages and offered companionship to the poker players — with the women charged a percentage of their earnings by the business operators, per the indictment. Chefs, valets and armed security guards also were hired to staff the games.

Arenas was a three-time All-Star, and All-NBA second-team selection in 2006-07 and third team in 2004-05 and 2005-06.

He averaged 20.7 points, 5.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 552 regular-season games (455 starts) for the Golden State Warriors (2001-03), Washington Wizards (2003-10), Orlando Magic (2010-11) and Memphis Grizzlies (2012).

His NBA career was overshadowed by a locker-run incident in December 2009 in which he and Washington teammate Javaris Crittenden brought guns into the locker room two days after having a dispute on a flight during a card game. Arenas was suspended for the remainder of the 2009-10 season.

The Warriors selected Arenas in the second round (31st overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft out of Arizona.