The joint practice calendar for the Detroit Lions now appears full for the training camp of 2025. While neither opponent is confirmed for joint practices, the Lions are widely expected to host the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans for sessions ahead of the preseason matchups with each team.
The Dolphins confirmed their joint practice schedule earlier this week. On Wednesday, Texans head coach Demeco Ryans indicated that Houston plans to have joint practices ahead of the preseason finale for both teams, which takes place in Detroit on August 23rd.
“We know what the Lions are about,” Ryans told the Houston media. “Coach Campbell and his energy, his spirit as a head coach, it’s just second to none.”
NFL rules limit the number of joint practices to four per team per offseason. There is no confirmation yet on the exact scheduling from the Lions, but both sets of practices would be in Allen Park ahead of the home exhibition games.
DALTON — Within a second or two of ball hitting bat, they knew.
Elise Strahan’s walk-off, three-run homer hit like thunder, clearing the center-field wall in the blink of an eye to give Perry a 6-4 Division IV regional semifinal win over Field.
Senior Tia Ulrich, who made so many Gold Glove-caliber plays at shortstop to keep the Falcons (22-8) in the game, dropped to the infield dirt in an instant.
Three outs from the regional finals, Field’s season came to a jarring end on three great at-bats from Perry, as Sophie Sivon lashed a leadoff single, Madeline Infalvi worked a seven-pitch walk and Strahan ended her six-pitch at-bat with the game-winning homer.
“I think it was more of the, ‘Wow, we were right there this whole game,’ and it was a one-run game basically the whole game, two-run game, and I think it was just the feeling of going in from the dugout and being so excited, like just three outs away, and then having that happen,” Ulrich said. “Obviously, starting on varsity as a freshman for four years, this was my last chance, along with three other players, and I just found that, like, ‘Oh, it’s over now.'”
As Ulrich noted, it’s the end of an era for the Falcons, who started eight seniors against the Pirates, including four four-year starters.
Their legacy is immense.
They left a legacy of winning, racking up three league titles and two district championships in the last four years.
”I told them at the end, I said, when you look back on it, what a hell of a ride,” Field coach Beth Dyer said. “You’ve got three league championships, two district titles. You competed in a district championship the two other years. I feel like they left their mark and they set a new standard and expectation. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Field responds, rallies against Perry
The Pirates punched first, as Arianna Rogers, Rosalyn Tharp, Morgan Winters and Sydney Collins had four straight two-out singles in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead. They punched last as well with Strahan’s game-winning homer.
In between, the Falcons did what they do best — fight.
The same team that battled back from a pair of two-run deficits against West Branch worked its way back into the game, and even the lead, against Perry. And the same hitter who delivered the winner against the Warriors came up clutch against the Pirates: Sutkowy.
After a deflating first in which Field went down 1-2-3 and Perry strung together four straight two-out hits, Sutkowy turned the tide with a double to start the second. Senior Delilah Rahe followed with a well-placed bunt that she beat out and Ulrich plated Sutkowy with an RBI groundout.
Down 3-1 in the sixth, Sutkowy and the Falcons struck again as Abby Harlin singled up the middle and Sutkowy delivered a staggering opposite-field blast to tie the score.
“Lilli’s, no doubt, a fantastic hitter, if not the best hitter around, and she came up big for us today,” Dyer said. “You’re pretty happy to see Lilli come to the plate in those situations.”
Under a gentle yet unrelenting rain, Field thus offered a glimpse of the future amidst the end of an era. That future shone bright in Sutkowy and catcher Averi Weis, another junior who gunned down a runner at second to end the second.
And yet the end of an era was impossible to ignore as an irreplaceable Class of 2025 went to work one last time. Senior ace Maddie Burge battled back from that tough first to hold Perry scoreless in four of five innings before Strahan went yard in the seventh.
Burge was backed by stellar defense, including Ulrich turning a soft flare into a challenging 6-4-3 double play, as fellow senior Mckayla Miller made the turn and yet another senior, Olivia Dyer, made the catch at first.
Field’s stellar senior class almost extended its season.
Tied at three, Miller sent the first pitch of the seventh inning up the middle, Dyer sacrificed her to second, fellow senior Jessica Pollard ripped a single up the middle to put runners on the corners and Burge hit a sacrifice fly to bring Miller home.
Those seniors brought the Falcons within three outs of a regional final.
They brought endless trophies down State Route 43.
How do these seniors want to be remembered?
“The love that we shared as a team, being so close with all these girls,” Ulrich said. “I’ve played with all of them since I was 10 years old, travel ball, and there was such a momentum boost when we were coming into high school, making varsity and then being on a team that went to a regional semifinal my freshman year. We just want to leave the happiness, the love of the team, and obviously we want to win every game, but it takes love to win a game.”
Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, is following closely in his father’s footsteps — already mirroring his early success on the golf course.
The 16-year-old clinched his first American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) victory with a three-shot win at the Team TaylorMade Invitational in Bowling Green, Florida.
He came from one shot behind in the final round of his fifth AJGA event — echoing Woods’ own junior golf rise, which included eight AJGA wins between 1991 and 1993.
The AJGA later celebrated the milestone in post on X on Wednesday, writing, “Welcome to the winners circle, Charlie.”
Though Woods is a golf legend to the world, to his children, he’s simply “Dad.”
In addition to Charlie, Woods shares a daughter, Sam, with ex-wife Elin Nordegren. The former couple was married from 2004 to 2010.
Woods took to social media on March 23 to publicly confirm he is now in a relationship with Vanessa Trump, the former daughter-in-law of President Donald Trump.
“Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side!” Woods captioned two photos of himself with Vanessa Trump. “We look forward to our journey through life together. At this time we would appreciate privacy for all those close to our hearts.”
On Saturday, March 1, Woods was spotted cheering as his daughter Sam’s soccer team, the Buccaneers, won the FHSAA Class 2A state final at Spec Martin Municipal Stadium in DeLand, Florida. In a footage shared by the Palm Beach Post, the golfing legend was seen in the bleachers wearing a white baseball cap and an FHSAA girls’ soccer state championships T-shirt, celebrating alongside other proud parents.
Just weeks prior, Woods spoke about the importance of being a good parent in a heartfelt tribute to his mother, Kultida Woods, whose death he announced on social media on Feb. 4.
“My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable. She was quick with the needle and a laugh,” Woods wrote, in part. “She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter, without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible,” he continued. “She was loved by so many, but especially by her two grandchildren, Sam and Charlie. Thank you all for your support, prayers and privacy at this difficult time for me and my family. Love you Mom.”
Woods’ son Charlie was by his dad’s side on Jan. 14, when Woods made his debut in TGL, a new indoor golf league, with his Jupiter Links Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
And when Charlie, a high school student, shot his first hole-in-one at the PNC Championship in December, Woods, a 15-time major winner, was there celebrating alongside him, describing the moment as “the thrill of a lifetime.”
The tournament was a family affair, with Sam hitting the course alongside her dad and brother as caddie.
In March, Woods joined Charlie as he and his high school teammates received their championship rings after winning the 2023 state championship in Florida.
And in June, when Woods accepted the 2024 Bob Jones Award from the United States Golf Association, both of his children were there to support him.
Woods has previously said that as a dad, he aims to both guide and protect his kids as they grow into their own.
“Being a parent, you always want to be the protector and guider of them and teach them skills that they will need in life when you’re not around,” Woods told Golf Digest in 2022. “And so that’s the most important thing about being a parent.”
Get to know more about the golf legend’s two kids.
Charlie Woods
Charlie Axel Woods was born on Feb. 8, 2009.
Now a teenager, he has been competing on the junior golf circuit.
Charlie has competed alongside his father previously and made his debut Feb. 22 as an individual competitor in a pre-qualifier event for The Cognizant Classic, a PGA Tour event.
When Charlie competed in a golf tournament in Florida in September 2023, Woods served as his caddie.
“We just stay in our own little world and we just take it one shot at a time,” he said of having his dad as his caddie.
The father-son duo have also competed together at multiple PNC Championships, most recently in December 2024, where Charlie shot his first hole-in-one.
“He just watches me do it, and then he kind of does it,” he said of Charlie in 2021.
Sam Woods
Sam Alexis Woods was born on June 18, 2007.
Sam honored her father by introducing him when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in March 2022, calling him a “fighter.”
“You’ve defied the odds every time,” she said.
In a 2021 interview, Woods shared what he has learned from his daughter, saying, “She has taught me how to be more patient … I don’t ever want her to leave home.”
In 2023 and 2024, Sam joined her dad on the golf course at the PNC Championship, where she served as his caddie.
The PGA Tour posted a photo on Instagram showing the family together at the tournament.
Along with the photo, the Instagram post featured a quote from Woods, who said, “This is a thrill of a lifetime for us to be able to experience this all together.”
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians welcomed the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games at Progressive Field, a midweek clash between two franchises that have achieved success via drastically different means over the past decade. The series offered a contrast between the star-powered juggernaut Dodgers and a Guardians team that has become remarkably good at following less predictable paths to victory.
Los Angeles arrived in northeast Ohio after dropping a series in New York to a fellow financial behemoth in the Mets, but quickly recaptured momentum with a couple of commanding victories over Cleveland on Monday (7-2) and Tuesday (9-5). The Guardians were coming off an impressive series victory over the divisional rival Tigers in Detroit, albeit one that concluded with a complete offensive outage against ace Tarik Skubal on Sunday.
Cleveland’s series against L.A. was sequenced much differently, with a quiet first couple of games before exploding late in the series finale for a rousing 7-4 comeback victory to avoid the sweep.
Here are four major takeaways from this week’s three-game set:
Shohei Ohtani’s power surge is impressive, even by his sensational standards
Ohtani homered in the first two games of the series, becoming the first MLB hitter to reach 20 home runs this season. Seeing Ohtani atop the dinger leaderboard is nothing new, but let’s not gloss over his homer heroics too quickly — he has actually leveled up his power stroke relative to recent seasons.
Here’s how many homers Ohtani had through his team’s first 56 games since his first MVP year in 2021:
2021: 15
2022: 11
2023: 13
2024: 13
2025: 20
After hitting a career-high 54 home runs last year, Ohtani is currently on pace to approach 60 — all while working his way back toward his highly anticipated return to pitching.
Both of Ohtani’s home runs this week came on the first pitch of the at-bat. On Monday, Guardians starter Gavin Williams failed to execute the outside fastball catcher Bo Naylor set up for on the first offering of the game, letting the pitch float into what manager Dave Roberts described as Ohtani’s “nitro zone” and predictably paying the price. Ohtani torched the ball 115.5 mph to right field, clearing the wall in a blink. On Tuesday, after striking out looking against Tanner Bibee in his first at-bat and getting intentionally walked in his second plate appearance, Ohtani jumped on a first-pitch cutter in the fourth inning, sending a soaring fly ball to left that barely cleared the 19-foot wall for a two-run homer to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead. It wasn’t quite the screaming line drive no-doubter he hit Monday, but Ohtani’s otherworldly strength enabled just enough distance for the ball to collect his 20th homer of the season.
“He basically mis-hits a fly ball … and it still goes out,” Max Muncy said in marvel afterward. “He does stuff that no normal human being can do, and it’s really fun to watch.”
While Ohtani’s six first-pitch homers are tied with Seattle’s Cal Raleigh for second-most in MLB behind only Aaron Judge (7), these early hacks are actually a departure from how he has treated first pitches this season. Ohtani has swung at just 28.7% of first pitches, a tick below the league-average mark of 30%. This is also a notable change from how aggressive Ohtani has been in recent years: He swung at 39.1% of first pitches in 2024, tied for 23rd-highest rate among 131 qualified batters and his first-pitch swing percentage has hovered around 40% in every season since 2021 until this year. Let’s keep an eye on how this number trends over the course of the season; perhaps his first-pitch-swinging success in Cleveland portends more ambushing in the near future. Pitchers, beware.
José Ramírez is raking right-handed
Ramírez continues to cruise along as one of the sport’s best all-around players, and is firmly on track for another strong finish in the AL MVP balloting, where he has placed in the top-6 six different times during his career. The switch-hitting Ramírez collected six more hits against the Dodgers, moving him into sole possession of seventh place on the franchise’s all-time hits list with 1,564.
Three of Ramírez’s hits against the Dodgers came against left-handers, a continuation of a spectacular run of excellence from that side for Ramírez dating back to last season when he hit a career-best .348/.385/.695 in 179 plate appearances batting righty. This year, Ramírez is hitting a ridiculous .426 batting right-handed in 54 plate appearances.
“Hosey is one of the best hitters in the world,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said about the face of the franchise. “Righty Hosey is the best hitter in the world. So it’s not surprising.”
No franchise has prioritized the acquisition and development of switch-hitters as much as Cleveland in recent years, with Ramírez the most prominent success story among many. The return of Carlos Santana to the organization gives the Guardians two of the most accomplished switch-hitters of this generation, both of whom hail from the Dominican Republic. It’s no surprise then that 23-year-old Angel Martínez, another switch-hitting Dominican in the earliest stages of his career, has benefitted greatly from sharing a clubhouse with Ramírez and Santana.
“I feel it’s a privilege to be able to see them on a daily basis,” said Martínez through interpreter Agustin Rivero after Wednesday’s game in which he hit the go-ahead three-run home run off Dodgers lefty reliever Alex Vesia in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was Martínez’s first home run batting right-handed in the big leagues. “The right side is a little difficult for me because I don’t see as many pitches as I would like to, so I always have to keep my swing a little bit simple and not look for power. I just try to put the ball in play, so [it was] very lucky that today we got the result we got.”
As Martínez continues to develop as a versatile piece within Cleveland’s position player group, he’s eager to keep learning from two of the best possible mentors that he gets to call teammates.
“Not only seeing how they play the game, but also how they prepare, how they go about their routines and most importantly that they allow me to be close to them and ask them questions,” Martínez said. “At the same time, they motivate me. They help me when they see things during the game. That has helped me a lot, especially hitting from both sides.”
Will Smith is looking like his best self
It feels strange to call the outstanding campaign currently in progress for the Dodgers backstop a “breakout” considering what he has already accomplished in his career, but Smith’s offensive production through the first two months should not go overlooked. For years, Smith’s performance at the plate has impressed particularly in relation to his position, as it’s rare for catchers to hit at an above-average level on a yearly basis due to the grueling physical demands of playing behind the plate in the big leagues. But right now, Smith’s bat doesn’t just stand out relative to his positional peers — he’s been one of the best hitters in the league, full stop.
With a home run and two walks Monday plus two more hits Wednesday, Smith’s wRC+ soared to a career-best 177, which ranks sixth in MLB and not far behind his MVP teammates Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
“He’s swinging the bat great,” Roberts said. “He’s all around playing good baseball. He controls the hitting zone. He’s sound mechanically, and he’s strong and fresh … When he’s not going well, the bat is a little slower and isn’t able to pull the ball in the air. I think right now, he’s hitting to all fields. And I just think he’s physically in a good place.”
“Will is an incredible hitter,” Freeman added. “He’s been doing that for the last few years — it’s been back-to-back All-Star [appearances]. Now it’s more of, ‘how can we keep him fresh?’ Being a catcher in this game is hard, it really is. And it takes a toll on you later on in the season.”
Load management for catcher Will Smith will be a priority for the Dodgers this season. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
It’s not an accident that the Dodgers are stressing the importance of finding ways to keep Smith at his best over the course of 162 games and beyond. A frustrating theme in recent years has been Smith’s production peaking in the early months but waning dramatically down the stretch and into October. In 2023, Smith had a .957 OPS through the end of May but a .729 OPS the rest of the way. Last season, Smith was terrific in April (.946 OPS) but faded again as the season progressed, with Smith notably struggling in October (.568 OPS) amid the team’s World Series run.
The challenge this year is to avoid a similar trajectory. Early returns have been encouraging, but there’s a lot of baseball ahead.
“He’s hitting balls in the zone considerably better than he did in the second half of last year,” Roberts said. “I know he’s healthy. I think we’re doing a good job of managing his workload.”
The recent decision to promote top prospect Dalton Rushing and release longtime catching cog Austin Barnes should help in the Smith conservation efforts. Rushing provides a much more potent offensive option than Barnes at the position 1-2 times a week while also getting vital reps as a defender that can help him develop into a more reliable regular option in the years ahead. Most teams can’t afford to take a bat of Smith’s caliber out of the lineup so frequently, but the Dodgers have plenty of other firepower to turn to on Smith’s off days. That was on display in Tuesday’s victory, as L.A. scored nine runs on 13 hits with Rushing in the lineup instead of Smith.
“Hopefully we can keep him a little bit more fresh because this is who Will Smith is,” Freeman said. “He’s a great hitter and obviously a great catcher. So if we can keep him fresh, we can keep this going all season.”
Nolan Jones’ unexpected breakthrough
With left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the mound, lefty-swinging Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones wasn’t expecting to get into the game until the later innings Wednesday. Jones, who has struggled immensely in his return to the organization that drafted him after being re-acquired from the Rockies in March, had received just 18 plate appearances against southpaws this season. With that lack of production in mind, Jones did not anticipate being called upon until a possible pinch-hit situation against a right-hander later in the game. But when All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan exited after three innings due to right wrist inflammation (Vogt said postgame the injury is not considered serious), Jones was pressed into action — and responded remarkably well.
Having entered Wednesday without a single hit against a lefty all season, Jones collected a hit against Kershaw in the fifth inning and then later added another knock against a formidable lefty in reliever Tanner Scott, a game-tying, two-run single to left field to sustain Cleveland’s exciting five-run eighth inning to seize the lead.
“It kind of turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me today that I was not in the lineup and got thrown in there because I was prepared, but not as prepared as I would’ve been had my name been in the lineup,” Jones said, suggesting that the sudden nature of his entrance into the game simplified his approach into just competing rather than overloading on information and preparation. “I felt like it just slowed things down for me a little bit.”
It’s unlikely Jones’ success Wednesday is going to immediately translate to more opportunities against lefties. But for a Guardians offense starving for more production from the non-Ramírez and Kwan hitters, Jones finding his footing and re-accessing the talent that made him one of baseball’s best rookies in 2023 would be a massive development for Cleveland in its efforts to keep up in the AL Central race.
“I think the hardest thing is to believe you belong in the big leagues,” Jones said. “And I’ve been really good in the big leagues, and so I’m able to put my trust in that and continue working. And these coaches have done a really great job of giving me the confidence that they believe in me and working with me through the really, really tough start that I’ve had. And I think that goes a long way.”
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians welcomed the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games at Progressive Field, a midweek clash between two franchises that have achieved success via drastically different means over the past decade. The series offered a contrast between the star-powered juggernaut Dodgers and a Guardians team that has become remarkably good at following less predictable paths to victory.
Los Angeles arrived in northeast Ohio after dropping a series in New York to a fellow financial behemoth in the Mets, but quickly recaptured momentum with a couple of commanding victories over Cleveland on Monday (7-2) and Tuesday (9-5). The Guardians were coming off an impressive series victory over the divisional rival Tigers in Detroit, albeit one that concluded with a complete offensive outage against ace Tarik Skubal on Sunday.
Cleveland’s series against L.A. was sequenced much differently, with a quiet first couple of games before exploding late in the series finale for a rousing 7-4 comeback victory to avoid the sweep.
Here are four major takeaways from this week’s three-game set:
Shohei Ohtani’s power surge is impressive, even by his sensational standards
Ohtani homered in the first two games of the series, becoming the first MLB hitter to reach 20 home runs this season. Seeing Ohtani atop the dinger leaderboard is nothing new, but let’s not gloss over his homer heroics too quickly — he has actually leveled up his power stroke relative to recent seasons.
Here’s how many homers Ohtani had through his team’s first 56 games since his first MVP year in 2021:
2021: 15
2022: 11
2023: 13
2024: 13
2025: 20
After hitting a career-high 54 home runs last year, Ohtani is currently on pace to approach 60 — all while working his way back toward his highly anticipated return to pitching.
Both of Ohtani’s home runs this week came on the first pitch of the at-bat. On Monday, Guardians starter Gavin Williams failed to execute the outside fastball catcher Bo Naylor set up for on the first offering of the game, letting the pitch float into what manager Dave Roberts described as Ohtani’s “nitro zone” and predictably paying the price. Ohtani torched the ball 115.5 mph to right field, clearing the wall in a blink. On Tuesday, after striking out looking against Tanner Bibee in his first at-bat and getting intentionally walked in his second plate appearance, Ohtani jumped on a first-pitch cutter in the fourth inning, sending a soaring fly ball to left that barely cleared the 19-foot wall for a two-run homer to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead. It wasn’t quite the screaming line drive no-doubter he hit Monday, but Ohtani’s otherworldly strength enabled just enough distance for the ball to collect his 20th homer of the season.
“He basically mis-hits a fly ball … and it still goes out,” Max Muncy said in marvel afterward. “He does stuff that no normal human being can do, and it’s really fun to watch.”
While Ohtani’s six first-pitch homers are tied with Seattle’s Cal Raleigh for second-most in MLB behind only Aaron Judge (7), these early hacks are actually a departure from how he has treated first pitches this season. Ohtani has swung at just 28.7% of first pitches, a tick below the league-average mark of 30%. This is also a notable change from how aggressive Ohtani has been in recent years: He swung at 39.1% of first pitches in 2024, tied for 23rd-highest rate among 131 qualified batters and his first-pitch swing percentage has hovered around 40% in every season since 2021 until this year. Let’s keep an eye on how this number trends over the course of the season; perhaps his first-pitch-swinging success in Cleveland portends more ambushing in the near future. Pitchers, beware.
José Ramírez is raking right-handed
Ramírez continues to cruise along as one of the sport’s best all-around players, and is firmly on track for another strong finish in the AL MVP balloting, where he has placed in the top-6 six different times during his career. The switch-hitting Ramírez collected six more hits against the Dodgers, moving him into sole possession of seventh place on the franchise’s all-time hits list with 1,564.
Three of Ramírez’s hits against the Dodgers came against left-handers, a continuation of a spectacular run of excellence from that side for Ramírez dating back to last season when he hit a career-best .348/.385/.695 in 179 plate appearances batting righty. This year, Ramírez is hitting a ridiculous .426 batting right-handed in 54 plate appearances.
“Hosey is one of the best hitters in the world,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said about the face of the franchise. “Righty Hosey is the best hitter in the world. So it’s not surprising.”
No franchise has prioritized the acquisition and development of switch-hitters as much as Cleveland in recent years, with Ramírez the most prominent success story among many. The return of Carlos Santana to the organization gives the Guardians two of the most accomplished switch-hitters of this generation, both of whom hail from the Dominican Republic. It’s no surprise then that 23-year-old Angel Martínez, another switch-hitting Dominican in the earliest stages of his career, has benefitted greatly from sharing a clubhouse with Ramírez and Santana.
“I feel it’s a privilege to be able to see them on a daily basis,” said Martínez through interpreter Agustin Rivero after Wednesday’s game in which he hit the go-ahead three-run home run off Dodgers lefty reliever Alex Vesia in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was Martínez’s first home run batting right-handed in the big leagues. “The right side is a little difficult for me because I don’t see as many pitches as I would like to, so I always have to keep my swing a little bit simple and not look for power. I just try to put the ball in play, so [it was] very lucky that today we got the result we got.”
As Martínez continues to develop as a versatile piece within Cleveland’s position player group, he’s eager to keep learning from two of the best possible mentors that he gets to call teammates.
“Not only seeing how they play the game, but also how they prepare, how they go about their routines and most importantly that they allow me to be close to them and ask them questions,” Martínez said. “At the same time, they motivate me. They help me when they see things during the game. That has helped me a lot, especially hitting from both sides.”
Will Smith is looking like his best self
It feels strange to call the outstanding campaign currently in progress for the Dodgers backstop a “breakout” considering what he has already accomplished in his career, but Smith’s offensive production through the first two months should not go overlooked. For years, Smith’s performance at the plate has impressed particularly in relation to his position, as it’s rare for catchers to hit at an above-average level on a yearly basis due to the grueling physical demands of playing behind the plate in the big leagues. But right now, Smith’s bat doesn’t just stand out relative to his positional peers — he’s been one of the best hitters in the league, full stop.
With a home run and two walks Monday plus two more hits Wednesday, Smith’s wRC+ soared to a career-best 177, which ranks sixth in MLB and not far behind his MVP teammates Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
“He’s swinging the bat great,” Roberts said. “He’s all around playing good baseball. He controls the hitting zone. He’s sound mechanically, and he’s strong and fresh … When he’s not going well, the bat is a little slower and isn’t able to pull the ball in the air. I think right now, he’s hitting to all fields. And I just think he’s physically in a good place.”
“Will is an incredible hitter,” Freeman added. “He’s been doing that for the last few years — it’s been back-to-back All-Star [appearances]. Now it’s more of, ‘how can we keep him fresh?’ Being a catcher in this game is hard, it really is. And it takes a toll on you later on in the season.”
Load management for catcher Will Smith will be a priority for the Dodgers this season. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
It’s not an accident that the Dodgers are stressing the importance of finding ways to keep Smith at his best over the course of 162 games and beyond. A frustrating theme in recent years has been Smith’s production peaking in the early months but waning dramatically down the stretch and into October. In 2023, Smith had a .957 OPS through the end of May but a .729 OPS the rest of the way. Last season, Smith was terrific in April (.946 OPS) but faded again as the season progressed, with Smith notably struggling in October (.568 OPS) amid the team’s World Series run.
The challenge this year is to avoid a similar trajectory. Early returns have been encouraging, but there’s a lot of baseball ahead.
“He’s hitting balls in the zone considerably better than he did in the second half of last year,” Roberts said. “I know he’s healthy. I think we’re doing a good job of managing his workload.”
The recent decision to promote top prospect Dalton Rushing and release longtime catching cog Austin Barnes should help in the Smith conservation efforts. Rushing provides a much more potent offensive option than Barnes at the position 1-2 times a week while also getting vital reps as a defender that can help him develop into a more reliable regular option in the years ahead. Most teams can’t afford to take a bat of Smith’s caliber out of the lineup so frequently, but the Dodgers have plenty of other firepower to turn to on Smith’s off days. That was on display in Tuesday’s victory, as L.A. scored nine runs on 13 hits with Rushing in the lineup instead of Smith.
“Hopefully we can keep him a little bit more fresh because this is who Will Smith is,” Freeman said. “He’s a great hitter and obviously a great catcher. So if we can keep him fresh, we can keep this going all season.”
Nolan Jones’ unexpected breakthrough
With left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the mound, lefty-swinging Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones wasn’t expecting to get into the game until the later innings Wednesday. Jones, who has struggled immensely in his return to the organization that drafted him after being re-acquired from the Rockies in March, had received just 18 plate appearances against southpaws this season. With that lack of production in mind, Jones did not anticipate being called upon until a possible pinch-hit situation against a right-hander later in the game. But when All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan exited after three innings due to right wrist inflammation (Vogt said postgame the injury is not considered serious), Jones was pressed into action — and responded remarkably well.
Having entered Wednesday without a single hit against a lefty all season, Jones collected a hit against Kershaw in the fifth inning and then later added another knock against a formidable lefty in reliever Tanner Scott, a game-tying, two-run single to left field to sustain Cleveland’s exciting five-run eighth inning to seize the lead.
“It kind of turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me today that I was not in the lineup and got thrown in there because I was prepared, but not as prepared as I would’ve been had my name been in the lineup,” Jones said, suggesting that the sudden nature of his entrance into the game simplified his approach into just competing rather than overloading on information and preparation. “I felt like it just slowed things down for me a little bit.”
It’s unlikely Jones’ success Wednesday is going to immediately translate to more opportunities against lefties. But for a Guardians offense starving for more production from the non-Ramírez and Kwan hitters, Jones finding his footing and re-accessing the talent that made him one of baseball’s best rookies in 2023 would be a massive development for Cleveland in its efforts to keep up in the AL Central race.
“I think the hardest thing is to believe you belong in the big leagues,” Jones said. “And I’ve been really good in the big leagues, and so I’m able to put my trust in that and continue working. And these coaches have done a really great job of giving me the confidence that they believe in me and working with me through the really, really tough start that I’ve had. And I think that goes a long way.”
As the Eastern Conference Finals shift back to Madison Square Garden, Knicks fans are wondering if Karl-Anthony Towns will be 100 percent after suffering a knee injury during Game 4’s loss to the Pacers.
The team listing Towns as questionable for Game 5 won’t alleviate any worries. But that’s what the Knicks did as their official injury report put the big man as questionable for Thursday with a knee.
With a little more than two minutes remaining in Game 4 and the Knicks down seven points, Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith drove to the basket and Towns came over to defend. Nesmith went up and both players’ knees collided, causing the Knicks’ big man to writhe in pain on the court. The Knicks medical staff looked after Towns as he stayed down in visible pain.
Towns would eventually get up and play the rest of the game with a visible limp.
Coach Tom Thibodeau and Towns didn’t offer much about the knee after the game.
“He was able to go back in, so that’s a good sign,” Thibodeau said. “We’ll see where he is after he gets evaluated.”
“I’m only thinking about the loss, I’m not thinking about that right now,” Towns said. “It’s disappointing when you don’t get a win. We just didn’t do enough to get the job done tonight.”
With the Knicks down 3-1 and on the brink of elimination, it’s unlikely Towns will miss Game 5, but how effective he’ll be is still to be determined.
Poor defense and turnovers were the main culprits in the Knicks’ Game 4 loss. Towns, whose 20-point fourth quarter led the comeback in Game 3, had 14 points in 14 minutes in the first half — largely due to foul trouble — but just 10 points in 23 minutes in the second half. He played 12 minutes in the final quarter but scored just two points on three shots.
It just wasn’t a good game all around for the Knicks, who would be the first ones to tell you. But despite the somber mood after the loss, Towns feels this team has what it takes to come back and win this series, but understands it starts with one game.
“We’ve been a team that has kind of found a way to do the impossible when it always seemed impossible,” Towns said of his team’s resilience in the playoffs. “We just keep fighting. It’s gonna be a testament to our whole playoff run. Now we have to be in one of the biggest fights of our lives and of our season. And that starts with the next game.
“Taking it game by game. Don’t look ahead. Worry about the first quarter of the next game and we’ll deal with the rest later.”
Making his fourth start since getting promoted to Triple-A this season, Mets prospect Nolan McLean had another good outing, logging 5.1 innings while giving up two earned runs.
The right-hander got the win as Syracuse beat the Iowa Cubs, 4-2, in Game 2 of Wednesday’s doubleheader. McLean (5-3) struck out five, walked two and threw 76 pitches (50 strikes). His ERA in Triple-A rose slightly to 2.31 while his overall ERA is 1.81 through nine starts and 49.2 innings.
The 23-year-old began his day in immediate danger after Christian Franklin hit a ground-rule double on the first pitch of the inning. McLean got out of trouble with a strikeout, groundout and flyout.
Things got messy for the righty again in the third after a single and back-to-back walks loaded the bases with one out. McLean was able to retire the next hitter on a popup to give him a chance to escape the inning unscathed, but a single by Ben Cowles on the first pitch brought home two to give Iowa a 2-0 lead. A groundout ended the inning.
It didn’t take long for Syracuse to respond, though, as it tied the game in the top of the fourth. Joey Meneses had a run-scoring double before Luis De Los Santos‘ RBI groundout made it 2-2.
From there, McLean set down the last seven hitters he faced before getting pulled with one out in the sixth. He left with a lead thanks to Donovan Walton‘s two-run homer in the top half of the frame.
RHPs Chris Devenski and Tyler Zuber and LHP Felipe De La Cruz pitched the final 1.2 innings of relief and didn’t allow a run. Both games of the doubleheader were seven innings as the minor leagues continue to use the system briefly used in MLB.
Syracuse swept the doubleheader, winning Game 1 by a score of 3-2.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The Thunder were 2-0 in the series heading into Game 3, but the Timberwolves managed to pull off a huge comeback in Game 3 winning 143-101. Game 4 saw the Thunder back on top though, bringing the Western Conference Finals series to 3-1. Game 5 tips off tonight at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the Timberwolves vs. Thunder series.
How to watch the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder:
Dates: May 28, 2025
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET (Game 5)
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: DirecTV, Sling, Fubo and more
NBA Western Conference Finals channel:
All games in the NBA Western Conference finals between the Timberwolves and Thunder will air on ESPN, with the exception of Game 3, which aired on ABC.
How to watch the NBA Western Conference Finals without cable:
Who is playing in the NBA Western Conference Finals?
This year, the Minnesota Timberwolves will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals.
2025 NBA Western Conference Finals TV schedule:
All times Eastern. Winners in bold.
Game 1: Timberwolves vs. Thunder; Tuesday, May 20 (8:30 ET, ESPN)
Game 2: Timberwolves vs. Thunder; Thursday, May 22 (8:30 ET, ESPN)
Game 3: Thunder vs. Timberwolves; Saturday, May 24 (8:30 ET, ABC)
Game 4: Thunder vs. Timberwolves; Monday, May 26 (8:30 ET, ESPN)
Game 5: Timberwolves vs. Thunder; Wednesday, May 28 (8:30 ET, ESPN)*
Game 6: Thunder vs. Timberwolves; Friday, May 30 (8:30 ET, ESPN)*
Game 7: Timberwolves vs. Thunder; Sunday, June 1 (8 ET, ESPN)*
The Minnesota Timberwolves are facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The Thunder were 2-0 in the series heading into Game 3, but the Timberwolves managed to pull off a huge comeback in Game 3 winning 143-101. Game 4 saw the Thunder back on top though, bringing the Western Conference Finals series to 3-1. Game 5 tips off tonight at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the Timberwolves vs. Thunder series.
How to watch the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder:
Dates: May 28, 2025
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET (Game 5)
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: DirecTV, Sling, Fubo and more
NBA Western Conference Finals channel:
All games in the NBA Western Conference finals between the Timberwolves and Thunder will air on ESPN, with the exception of Game 3, which aired on ABC.
How to watch the NBA Western Conference Finals without cable:
Who is playing in the NBA Western Conference Finals?
This year, the Minnesota Timberwolves will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals.
2025 NBA Western Conference Finals TV schedule:
All times Eastern. Winners in bold.
Game 1: Timberwolves vs. Thunder; Tuesday, May 20 (8:30 ET, ESPN)
Game 2: Timberwolves vs. Thunder; Thursday, May 22 (8:30 ET, ESPN)
Game 3: Thunder vs. Timberwolves; Saturday, May 24 (8:30 ET, ABC)
Game 4: Thunder vs. Timberwolves; Monday, May 26 (8:30 ET, ESPN)
Game 5: Timberwolves vs. Thunder; Wednesday, May 28 (8:30 ET, ESPN)*
Game 6: Thunder vs. Timberwolves; Friday, May 30 (8:30 ET, ESPN)*
Game 7: Timberwolves vs. Thunder; Sunday, June 1 (8 ET, ESPN)*
Purchasing a full set of individual dumbbell pairs between five and 60 pounds can cost well over $1,500, not to mention how much space you’d have to dedicate to storing them. That’s why I’m a huge fan of adjustable dumbbells like the REP QuickDraws or Nüobells, which I reviewed here and here, respectively.
If you know you want to be able to up to 60 pounds at five-pound increments, effectively combining 30 weights into one compact set, then adjustables like the REP QuickDraws are how you can save significant money and space in your home gym equipment setup.
But let’s say your strength progresses beyond your adjustable dumbbells’ capacity. First of all: Nice work. Secondly: What do you do now?
I’ve seen users on Reddit directly asking “what’s stopping me from adding more plates to keep going heavier?” Adding extra weight plates seems like a logical solution, as opposed to spending all that money on an entirely new set for just a few pounds beyond the recommended capacity.
So, let’s take a look at what is stopping you—and what’s not. Here’s what you should know about using add-on weights to your adjustable dumbbells, from what is officially considered unsafe to why it gets impractical even aside from that.
How to add weight to your adjustable dumbbells
First off, not all adjustable dumbbells allow for this type of modification. Selector pin systems (like PowerBlocks) generally don’t allow for unofficial weight additions due to their enclosed design. Dial systems (like my favorite, the Nüobells) have security features specifically preventing modifications outside the cradle. Then you have spin-lock dumbbells, like the QuickDraws, which allow for customization and additional weight outside the cradle. For this reason, I’ll be speaking to the REP QuickDraws specifically, as opposed to Nüobells or Powerblocks.
Still, adding weight beyond the manufacturer’s specifications will almost certainly void your warranty. REP Fitness designed these dumbbells for specific weight ranges and cannot guarantee safety beyond those limits. I spoke with a REP representative (REP-resentative?) who informed me, “internal testing was not conducted beyond the 60 pound maximum, so REP cannot guarantee the safety of additional weight beyond that.”
Outside of your warranty, there are safety concerns. The handles, locking mechanisms, and materials are engineered for specific maximum loads. Exceeding these limits risks equipment failure and potential injury. Even if the dumbbells can technically handle the additional plates, the result might be bulky and awkward, affecting your form and increasing injury risk.
All that being said, it still is entirely feasible to bend the rules and take your 60-pound dumbbells up to 70 pounds. Assuming you play it safe and only add a few plates to each side, here’s what you should know:
Only add compatible plates: The QuickDraw system uses standard plate dimensions that can be supplemented with additional compatible plates.
Manual addition required: You’ll need to add these plates manually outside the cradle system, as the selection mechanism only works within the advertised weight range. This pretty much negates the whole “quick draw” appeal.
Secure them properly: Ensure the additional plates are secured with the locking mechanism to prevent dangerous slippage during exercises.
Manual tracking required: The dial indicator becomes inaccurate once you exceed the designed range. You’ll need to manually calculate and track the added weight.
Canyou (and should you) add more weight to REP QuickDraw Dumbbells?
The short answer: Yes, technically you can add additional weight plates to REP QuickDraw dumbbells beyond their advertised maximum.
The long answer: Just because something is possible doesn’t mean you should make a habit of it. Sure, it’s fully above-board to order add-on weights in five-pound increments (which, side-note, I love so much more than a 10-pound jump). However, going beyond 60 pounds isn’t sanctioned by REP.
For this reason, I naturally had my boyfriend test my DIY super-QuickDraws creation. In the image below, you can see how I manually added weights outside of the cradle. With the spin-locks, you can keep adding weights outside the cradle without any resistance. Just slide the weights on and flip the lock switch.
I snapped a picture of it in its lopsided form, so you can see just how far outside the cradle the five-pound add-ons will go—and how precarious it starts to look right off the bat.
Behold, my DIY super-QuickDraws creation. Credit: Meredith Dietz
As we steadily increased the weight from 65, to 70, to 85 pounds, he noted growing concerns with how much the dumbbells could handle while still feeling safe. The all-steel design gives these guys a premium feel during standard use. But when you go beyond the sanctioned weight capacity, there’s a sense that the dumbbells wouldn’t bend or snag, but simply snap.
And again, you’ll need to manually keep track of how much weight you’re adding, since the individual plates are not labeled, and you’re exceeding the labels of the cradle. That mental math might not be a deterrent for you, but it’s something to note.
The bottom line
In most cases, the hassle and safety concerns outweigh the benefits. The primary advantage of the QuickDraws—quick, convenient weight changes—is totally undermined when manually adding plates.
Investing in a higher-capacity adjustable dumbbell set (like 80- to 90-pound models) or supplementing with specific heavier fixed dumbbells for certain exercises might be safer and more practical. For serious lifters approaching the upper limits of their adjustable dumbbells, I’d recommend supplementing with individual heavier dumbbells.
