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Red Sox Close Road Trip vs Lodolo

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CINCINNATI – (Staff an d Wire Service Report) – The Cincinnati Reds will send one of the National League’s hottest pitchers to the mound Sunday afternoon when they try to win the rubber match of a three-game series against the visiting Boston Red Sox.

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Left-hander Nick Lodolo (8-2, 2.76 ERA) is listed as Cincinnati’s starter for Sunday’s matchup. Lodolo won his fifth consecutive start Tuesday when he pitched seven innings in a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh. He recorded eight strikeouts, gave up four hits and didn’t walk a batter. Lodolo has limited opponents to seven runs in 30 1/3 innings over his past five outings.

“I thought, overall, I just felt in control,” Lodolo said following Tuesday’s victory. “I just want to go out there and give us a good chance to win. … The goal is for me to go out there and get myself in position to win.

“I’m really just five days at a time. I feel like you start looking ahead, you never know. I just have to stay present and do it again in five days.”

The only run Lodolo allowed against Pittsburgh was a solo home run to Ke’Bryan Hayes with one out in the seventh inning. He retired 11 in a row before giving up the home run.

Lodolo is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in his career against the Red Sox. He’s made one appearance against Boston and allowed three runs on three hits — including two homers — in five innings of a 5-3 setback on Sept. 20, 2022.

Cincinnati opened the three-game series against Boston with a 5-2 victory on Friday. The Reds, however, squandered a three-run lead in a 4-3 loss on Saturday and fell to 2-5 in their past seven games.

Boston has won six of its past seven. Saturday’s win improved the Red Sox to 4-1 on their current road trip.

“Secures a good week, right,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “That’s four (wins) this week. We get a chance tomorrow against a good lefty. He’s really good, so we’ll see what we do. It feels good winning this one.”

“A good team win,” Boston’s Rob Refsnyder said. “Just looking back at it, it feels like everyone contributed.”

The Red Sox are expected to employ a bullpen game Sunday after sending right-handed starting pitcher Cooper Criswell to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. Criswell made 11 starts for the Red Sox after being recalled from Worcester.

Right-hander Zack Kelly (2-1, 1.75) is expected to get the start. Kelly is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two career appearances (1 1/3 innings) against Cincinnati.

The Red Sox didn’t play Thursday and have three days off during a 12-day stretch that begins June 27. That could allow Boston to use its top four starters — Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta — until at least early July.

The Reds have hit five home runs in the first two games of the series but had two players thrown out at the plate and another picked off second base Saturday.

“We’re going to be an aggressive baserunning team,” Cincinnati manager David Bell said. “We have to continue to learn from each thing and get every edge on the bases. It’s going to be a part of our game.”

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | June 23

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While We’re Young (Ideas) with a Hodgepodge of Notes

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

CROMWELL – Summer was ushered into New England with a Rolling Rally for the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics, a “Signature” PGA Tour event in the Greater Hartford area, high 90s heat wave temperatures throughout the region and – off in the distance – a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers.

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In case you haven’t been paying attention as the NHL skaters have been navigating their way from South Florida (USA) to the Province of Alberta (Canada) via the 2996.25 mile trip that would equate to a 44 hour drive. The Oilers were down 0-3 in the series and have now battled their way back to force a Game 7 in Sunrise, Florida on Monday night.

Closer to home (as in Boston, Massachusetts to Cromwell, Connecticut), we have The Travelers Championship – the 28th of 36 PGA Tour events on the regular season schedule – aka the road to the FedEx Cup Playoffs. If you put aside the dodging of T-Storms and start of summer heat wave, tucked in the ‘burbs of the insurance capital of the world is the best run, player-friendly, birdie festival known as The Travelers ☔️ (pretend the umbrella is red, please).

Although the golf tournament comes a short week after the U.S. Open and is sometimes in a difficult travel situation (Pinehurst, NC to Hartford, CT), the lone New England based golf tournament has endeared itself to the players with basic hospitality second to none, as well as the TPC River Highlands course that brings reward over risk, as long as you keep your golfball in the fairways. The decision-makers for the TOUR did their part as well, elevating The Travelers to Signature level, meaning there’s $20m in the purse and a cool $3.8m and 700 FedEx Cup points awaiting the winner. Aside from the obvious No. 1 in the world lock, Scottie Scheffler, FedEx Cup points will determine who makes the cut for the Top 70 players on Tour and eventually strokes at hand for the top players competing in the TOUR Championship (at East Lake GC in Atlanta) come August 29-September 1st. The current Top 10 (before points are awarded from The Travelers).

CURRENT FEDEX CUP POINTS LEADERS

  1. Scottie Scheffler – 5,068
  2. Xander Schauffele – 3,117
  3. Rory McIlroy – 2,445
  4. Collin Morikawa – 2,101
  5. Ludvig Åberg – 1,935
  6. Wyndham Clark – 1,915
  7. Sahith Theegala – 1,833
  8. Hideki Matsuyama – 1,815
  9. Byeong Hun An – 1,620
  10. Patrick Cantlay – 1,455

An withdrew from the Travelers on Thursday, citing illness. McIlroy withdrew earlier in the week after a disastrous U.S. Open outing where he blew two putts inside five feet and lost out to eventual champion Bryson DeChambeau.

The sports seasons are ‘a changin’ as we adjust from the winter sports calendar of ice hockey and basketball to the summer sport of baseball which is accompanied by WNBA basketball, soccer and tennis. The last time there wasn’t a scheduled game on the weekly calendar for the NHL, NBA or college basketball was Thursday, September 21, 2023. That’s 278 days on the annual sports calendar.

Monday will mark the 198th Game 7 in Stanley Cup Playoffs history and 18th in the Stanley Cup Final. It’s the first since the visiting St. Louis Blues defeated the hometown Boston Bruins when the Blues took their first and only NHL championship in 2019.

Of course, this summer we’ll all have the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Games of the XXXIII Olympiad which will take place from July 26 to August 11.

For the full weekly column of sports notes, please consider subscribing to While We’re Young (Ideas) via Substack – (link)

Tom Kim Holds Lead at Travelers

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CROMWELL – Tom Kim (62-65) at (-13) leads a group of players on the star-studded leaderboard by two strokes at the 2024 Travelers Championship in the suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut. The event is the last of the PGA Tour’s elevated “Signature” tournaments and pays out a purse of $20 million with $3.6m going to the winner. It is the 28th of 36 tournaments of the FedEx Cup regular season.

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Kim celebrated his 22nd birthday by posting his career low 36-hole score on the PGA TOUR (127) and holds his second 36-hole lead/colead on TOUR. He is 1-for-1 to date converting the halfway-point lead to victory (2022 Wyndham Championship).

Kim is seeking his fourth PGA TOUR win in his 63rd start (2022 Wyndham Championship, 2022 Shriners Children’s Open, 2023 Shriners Children’s Open) and owns two Asian Tour wins (2019 Panasonic Open India, 2022 Singapore International).

He finished T38 in 2023 in his one prior appearance at the Travelers Championship.

World No. 1 and FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler (T2/-11) pulled within two strokes of the lead following a 6-under (64). Scheffler has improved in each of his four prior starts at the Travelers Championship (MC/2020; T47/2021; T13/2022; T4/2023) and is in search of his sixth win of the season and fourth in a Signature Event (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, RBC Heritage, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday). Of course, wins at The Masters and PLAYERS were his “other” two wins this year.

Collin Morikawa (T2/-11) cards 36-hole total of (129), which is second only to the 125 he posted at the 2023 TOUR Championship when he went on to finish T6 (FedExCup Starting Strokes). He is making fourth appearance at this event (T36/2019; MC/2020; MC/2023).

In his tournament debut, Akshay Bhatia (T2/-11) posted a career-best 36-hole score on the PGA TOUR (129). His previous best: (131) 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship/T20).

The Travelers | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

1 Tom Kim 62 65 127 (-13)

T2 Collin Morikawa 66 63 129 (-11)

T2 Akshay Bhatia 64 65 129 (-11)

T2 Scottie Scheffler 65 64 129 (-11)

5 Xander Schauffele 65 65 130 (-10)

Tom Kim Leads Travelers After 18

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CROMWELL – Tom Kim carded his lowest 18-hole score this season and holds his first 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR. Kim is celebrating his 22nd birthday today, June 21.

At his one prior appearance at the Travelers Championship last year, Kim shot rounds of 69-64-72-65 and finished T38.

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Kim is seeking his fourth PGA TOUR win in his 63rd start. Wins came at: (2022 Wyndham Championship, 2022 Shriners Children’s Open, 2023 Shriners Children’s Open). He owns two Asian Tour victories (2019 Panasonic Open India, 2022 Singapore International).

Making his tournament debut, Akshay Bhatia (T2/-6) posted his fourth round of (64) or better this season. In prior Travelers tournaments, two lefthanders have won the event in the last 25 years: Phil Mickelson (2001, 2002), Bubba Watson (2010, 2015, 2018). Both are on the LIV circuit now.

Rickie Fowler (T2/-6) carded his lowest opening round on TOUR since the 2023 U.S. Open (62). It marked his second opening round in the 60s in 17 starts this season (67/AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am). In six prior appearances at this event he owns three T13 finishes (2010, 2013, 2023) and three missed cuts (2009, 2021, 2022).

Kurt Kitayama (T2/-6) seeks his second Top-10 result this season (T8/WM Phoenix Open); makes second appearance at this event (MC/2023). Kitayama leads in Stokes Gained: Around The Green (2.580).

Making his tournament debut, Will Zalatoris (T2/-6) leads the field in Strokes Gained: Tee To Green (3.905). He recorded eight birdies, including seven in a nine-hole stretch on hole Nos. 7-15.

World No. 1 and FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler (T6/-5) hits 17 of 18 greens in regulation en route to a 5-under (65) to snap his streak of five consecutive over-par rounds. Scheffler is celebrating his 28th birthday.

The Travelers | Leaderboard After 18 Holes

1 Tom Kim 62

T2 Akshay Bhatia 64

T2 Rickie Fowler 64

T2 Kurt Kitayama 64

T2 Will Zalatoris 64

Stevenson to Extend Pact with Patriots

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FOXBOROUGH – New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson and the Patriots have agreed to extend his contract for four years and $36 million, including $17 million guaranteed, according to multiple media reports.

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Stevenson, 26, is slated to earn a base salary of $3.116 million in the final year on his rookie contract, which he signed after the Patriots selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. His extension takes him through the 2028 season.

He told reporters earlier this month that the sides were “pretty close” to getting a deal done.

“It’s not frustrating, but it’s just a long process,” he said on June 10. “This is my first time going through it, but just hearing from all the other guys, this is how it goes. It’s a negotiation process, and I’m respecting the process.”

Last season, Stevenson suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 13 and sat out the rest of a 4-13 campaign. In 12 games, he rushed for 619 yards and four touchdowns and caught 38 passes for 238 yards.

In 41 games (21 starts) over three seasons, the 6-foot, 227-pound Oklahoma product has 2,265 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns along with 121 catches for 782 yards and one receiving score.

Stevenson shared the backfield with veteran Ezekiel Elliott last season, but Elliott rejoined the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. This spring, former Washington Commanders running back Antonio Gibson is in the fold after signing a three-year, $11.25 million deal, but Stevenson remains the starter.

“I think he’s one of the better backs in the league, no doubt about it,” first-year Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said of Stevenson at the Patriots’ mandatory minicamp two weeks ago. “I’m excited to see what he does this season, and look, he’s earned everything that he gets. He is our starting running back and, hopefully, we do get something done.”

–Field Level Media

Home Sweet Home for Bradley

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CROMWELL – Back close to home, Keegan Bradley looks to defend his Travelers Championship title when he tees off this week at TPC River Highlands in the suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut.

The Woodstock, Vermont and Hopkinson, Massachusetts native carded an event-record 23-under finish to earn his sixth and most recent PGA Tour win here in 2023.

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“I have great memories of here throughout my whole entire life, so it’s fun to come back as a winner of the tournament,” said Bradley, returning to his favorite golf course.

“I can think of when I was a 12-, 13-year-old kid coming here to watch David Duval play. And then now getting to come as defending champion is pretty cool.”

Bradley has had an up-and-down 2024.

He missed the cut at three of four events across February and March, but he has posted a pair of T2 finishes, including last month’s Charles Schwab Challenge.

“It’s been a weird season,” Bradley said, adding that he has felt “really strong” over the last few months.

Bradley, though, has shot over par in each of his last two events. He followed his season-worst 9-over-par finish at the Memorial by shooting 7-over at last week’s U.S. Open.

Putting has been a struggle, Bradley said, but he feels like his short game is coming along as of late and returning to TPC River Highlands may give Bradley’s putter another boost.

“Sometimes coming to a course like this that you’ve had some success at is just what you need to maybe hopefully contend,” he said.

Asked if he had re-watched his victory from last year, Bradley said he was selective about it.

“I can watch up until about 13 or 14, and then I started whacking balls in the water and making bogeys, so we fast forwarded through that part,” he said.

Bradley said he’s proud to have the Travelers Championship represent his “home event” and relishes the nostalgia it delivers aside from last year’s win.

“This tournament really, it means a lot to me before I had won. I mean, like I say every week, this is a very important tournament to the Northeast and New England golfers,” Bradley said. “And a kid like me, this is the only chance I would get to come up here and watch professional golfers play. So this is an important week for the game of golf in this area.”

–Field Level Media

Birmingham Game a Tribute to Mays

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BIRMINGHAM – The death of baseball legend Willie Mays heightens the emotions for the special game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Alabama tonight. Major League Baseball is staging the game as tribute to Negro Leagues stars such as Mays, who played for the Birmingham Black Barons at Rickwood in 1948 before signing with the Giants.

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Mays died Tuesday at the age of 93.

“Obviously, we wish he was here with us to see it, but he’ll be watching over the game,” Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski said to MLB.com. “It’s definitely one of those times to reflect on the important things in life. He had such an impact on this game and on so many people. To be able to be involved in a celebration for him is an incredibly humbling experience.”

The event gives today’s players an opportunity to reflect on the sport’s history.

“It means the world to me, and to my stepdad, who came into my life early on and taught me about the history of Black baseball players and their significance in our community,” rookie Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn told MLB.com. “He told me about what it means to represent the African-American community. So playing in this game, it’s going to be amazing.”

The Giants petitioned MLB to activate LaMonte Wade Jr. from the injured list for just one game so he could play in Birmingham, but the request was denied.

San Francisco has lost four of its past six games, including each of the past two after the death of Mays, a franchise legend.

The Cardinals won five of six games through Monday to climb over .500 for the first time since early April, but they also have lost their past two.

The Giants will start Keaton Winn (3-7, 6.66 ERA), who had a no-decision in a loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday in his latest start. The right-hander allowed three runs on five hits, including two homers, in six innings while striking out six and walking two.

In his previous four starts, Winn gave up 24 runs on 23 hits in 12 2/3 innings. He rebounded by mixing an effective splitter with a high-90s fastball.

“Honestly, it was just becoming more synced with myself,” Winn said. “I threw a lot of slide-steps (vs. the Angels), and I think that really helped sync everything up.”

[Read more…] about Birmingham Game a Tribute to Mays

Red Sox Take the Fifth

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Enmanuel Valdez and Jarren Duran hit solo home runs and visiting Boston defeated the Blue Jays, 7-3. Duran also had an RBI single to help the Red Sox sweep the three-game series and extend their winning streak to five games.

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Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (5-6) allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out four in 5 2/3 innings.

Red Sox Keep On Rollin’

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Ceddanne Rafaela had three hits, including the go-ahead, two-out single in the eighth inning, and the visiting Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Tuesday.

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Tyler O’Neill’s home run to center leading off the eighth tied the game for the Red Sox, who have won the first two games of the three-game series and four straight overall.

Toronto right-hander Chris Bassitt allowed two runs, seven hits and two walks while striking out six in six innings.

Boston right-hander Tanner Houck gave up three runs (two earned), six hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. He fanned five.

The Red Sox opened the scoring in the second inning. O’Neill led off with a double to left and scored on Dominic Smith’s two-out bloop single to center.

Toronto took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning. Justin Turner and Addison Barger began the frame with singles, and both scored on Ernie Clement’s two-out double.

Boston tied the game in the sixth. Rafael Devers doubled to left-center with one out and scored on a two-out single to center by Masataka Yoshida.

Toronto regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Daulton Varsho reached first on an error and stole second. Turner walked. Alejandro Kirk’s one-out grounder to third forced Varsho before Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a soft RBI single past first base. Zack Kelly (1-0) replaced Houck, escaped the jam and pitched 1 1/3 innings.

Nate Pearson took over from Bassitt and allowed a double and a single in the seventh before being replaced with two outs by Brendon Little (0-1), who struck out Devers to end the threat.

O’Neill tied the game when he opened the eighth against Little with his 15th homer of the season and his third of the series. Smith singled with two outs, prompting Toronto to replace Little with Chad Green. Pinch runner David Hamilton then stole second and scored on Rafaela’s single to left.

Kenley Jansen pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 13th save of the season and fourth in seven days.

Toronto put shortstop Bo Bichette (right calf strain) on the injured list Tuesday and recalled infielder Orelvis Martinez from Triple-A Buffalo. Boston reinstated right-hander Chris Martin (anxiety) from the IL and optioned right-hander Cooper Criswell to Triple-A Worcester.

–Field Level Media

Championship Window is Wide Open

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With a Game 5 win on Monday night the Celtics sealed the NBA title, but Boston had actually been waiting for this moment for over a decade. Just over five years after the Celtics claimed their 17th championship, Boston went into a complete rebuild on June 28, 2013, trading franchise centerpieces Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a package that included role players and draft picks.

What followed was a stretch of nearly 11 years that featured ups and downs, plenty of change and a constant belief that Banner 18 was always just one season away.

Two of the draft picks in the Brooklyn deal ended up turning into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, drafted third overall in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The Celtics decided to build around the duo, and it ended up being the right choice.

But before the arrival of Brown and Tatum, Boston went through the 25-57 2013-14 campaign that featured Jeff Green as the frontman. Then a 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas came to town and started to establish himself as “The Little Guy,” in the words of the late Tommy Heinsohn.

Those teams may not have realized it at the time, but they were laying the foundation for something special.

Once Brown’s rookie season rolled around, the Celtics were really starting to look like contenders. Thomas averaged 28.9 points per game during the 2016-17 season, leading Boston to its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since 2012.

The Celtics came up short but proceeded to load up the following offseason, trading for Kyrie Irving and signing Gordon Hayward. Even though Hayward fractured his left tibia just minutes into his Boston debut, the Celtics ended up returning to the East finals, where they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.

From there, Boston overcame a fallout with Irving and an underwhelming two seasons with Kemba Walker running the point to punch its ticket to the Finals in 2022. Heartbreak was again in the cards, though, as the Golden State Warriors raised the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy after beating the Celtics in six games.

After getting bounced in the Eastern Conference finals once more a year ago, Boston went all in.

The Celtics parted ways with fan favorite Marcus Smart, considered by many to be the heart and soul of the team, to acquire Kristaps Porzingis via trade, and they also made a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers to bring in point guard Jrue Holiday.

Those moves paid off, and now a league-record 18th banner will be raised this fall.

While this year’s team was the one that broke a 16-year title drought, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla is forever thankful for Green, Thomas, Smart and every other player that checked in for Boston over the past 11 seasons.

“I think the most important thing, something that’s really been going through my mind throughout this process, is you can’t lose sight of the people that came before us,” Mazzulla said. “And I want to make sure every person that’s worked for the Celtics, that’s played for the Celtics that didn’t win, knows that their work and what they have done has not gone unnoticed

“It can be so easy when you work for this organization and you don’t win that the work that people put in just gets brushed over or gets ignored. … So I think that’s one of the first things that came to mind, was just because we won this doesn’t mean what the people have done before us isn’t just as important.”

Through everything over the past seven years, Brown and Tatum have been the one constant.

“We’ve been through a lot, the losses, the expectations,” Brown said. “The media have said all different types of things: We can’t play together, we are never going to win.

“We heard it all. But we just blocked it out, and we just kept going. I trusted him. He trusted me. And we did it together.”

Brown was named Finals MVP. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the series, and Tatum quickly shot down any notions of him being jealous of his co-star.

“Extremely happy for him. This is a hell of an accomplishment,” Tatum said. “The main goal for us was to win a championship. We weren’t — we didn’t care who got Finals MVP.”

The Celtics traveled to Miami on Tuesday to celebrate for a bit before returning to Boston for their championship parade on Friday morning. And if all goes to plan, Celtics fans should get used to lining the streets and watching the city’s duck boats roll by.

“I think we definitely have a window,” Brown said. “We take it one day at a time. We definitely have to make sure we stay healthy. But, you know, we’ll enjoy the summer, enjoy the moment, and then we get right back to it next year.”

– Field Level Media