June 2025

There were 1,837 posts published in June 2025 (this is page 48 of 184).

Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitcher Rankings: This Brewers starter appears to be only quality option this week

This week’s list of two-start streamers for fantasy baseball is one of the shallowest groups of the year. Milwaukee Brewers’ Chad Patrick stands out as the best option by a wide margin, as the pitchers who trail him either have difficult matchups or have earned little trust from fantasy managers this year. 

The hitting streamers are shallow as well. Every team who plays four games over the next four days is set to face a quality pitching staff. And the team with the most favorable schedule (Dodgers) has eight hitters who are rostered in at least 75% of leagues. This is truly a week where only the early birds will catch the worms.

[Smarter waivers, better trades, optimized lineups — Yahoo Fantasy Plus unlocks it all]

Patrick is the best streamer by a wide margin this week. Not only has he pitched well this year (3.50 ERA, 76:26 K:BB ratio), but is scheduled to make home starts against the Pirates (30th in runs scored on the road) and Rockies (27th in runs scored on the road). Patrick will be a one-week asset in the shallowest leagues, and then can return to waivers in 10-team formats.

Eduardo Rodríguez, D-backs, 26% (@ CWS, vs. MIA)

Rodríguez has started to recover from a miserable start to the season by posting a 2.81 ERA across three starts in June. The lefty was far from dominant in those three outings (12:4 K:BB, 3 HR), and normally I would say that managers should wait until he strings together additional effective starts. However, his matchups are stellar this week. The Marlins sit 23rd in runs scored, the White Sox rank 28th, and the two teams have combined for a 56-98 record this season. That’s enough of a reason to grab Rodríguez in 12-team leagues.

Justin Verlander, Giants, 20% (vs. MIA, @ CWS)

In his return from a one-month stint on the injured list, Verlander did some good things (6:1 K:BB ratio) during an otherwise unimpressive start (4.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 H). The veteran with a 4.45 ERA and 1.43 WHIP would normally rank much lower on this list if not for a pair of stellar matchups against two of the worst offenses in baseball.

Eric Lauer, Blue Jays, 6% (@ CLE, @ BOS)

After spending last season in the KBO, Lauer is having his best professional season (2.29 ERA, 0.93 WHIP). He has benefited from good fortune (.212 BABIP) but also deserves credit for posting a 36:11 K:BB ratio across 35.1 innings. There is no doubt that the left-hander is pitching over his head right now and is due for an eventual decline. Still, his ERA estimators average out to the mid-3.00’s, which makes him worthy of a temporary gamble against one team that has struggled against lefties (Cleveland) and one that has been excellent in those matchups (Boston).

Luis Severino, Athletics, 23% (@ DET, @ NYY)

Severino has the most dramatic home/road splits of any full-time starter, logging a 6.79 ERA at home and a 0.93 mark when working away from his hitter-friendly home park. His K:BB ratio is similar at home or on the road, with homer suppression and BABIP being the biggest causes for the large discrepancy. The right-hander will be fortunate to make two road starts this week, although he could struggle against a Yankees team that has been excellent at home and against righties.

Chris Paddack, Twins, 14% (vs. SEA, @ DET)

The clock seems to have struck midnight on Paddack, who had a 3.53 ERA on June 12 before allowing 12 earned runs over nine innings in two starts. He has struck out just six batters in his past three outings, and his 6.3 K/9 rate this season is a strong indicator that he was pitching over his head for a couple months. The Mariners and Tigers have both been average against right-handers, but an average offense might be good enough to give Paddack a hard time.

Smith faltered in his last start (4.1 IP, 5 ER, 2 SO) but still has solid fantasy stats (2.85 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) thanks to his outstanding ability to keep the ball in the yard (four home runs allowed this season). The right-hander should be able to handle an average Giants lineup, but his start against a D-backs offense that ranks second the Majors in OPS vs. righties (.803) is enough of a reason to keep him on the waiver wire in most leagues.

Walker Buehler, Red Sox, 35% (@ LAA, vs. TOR)

A disappointing season for Buehler reached a new low point when he was tagged for eight runs across 3.1 innings in Seattle last time out. The right-hander has logged just one quality start in his past six tries, and his lone redeeming quality this week is he could collect several strikeouts against an Angels offense that leads the AL in that category.

Taj Bradley, Rays, 46% (@ KC, @ BAL)

At the beginning of June, I would have enthusiastically recommended Bradley for a two-start week with favorable matchups. But I can’t take the plunge right now, as the right-hander has allowed 19 runs (13 earned) over 9.1 innings in his past three starts. His K:BB ratio in those three games was 9:7, and he surrendered three home runs. Using him this week is too great of a risk.

In order, here are the best streamers for the week, with their start date and Yahoo roster rate in brackets.

  • Michael Wacha vs. TB (Wednesday, 46%)

  • Hayden Birdsong vs. MIA (Thursday, 32%)

  • Quinn Priester vs. COL (Saturday, 43%)

  • José Quintana vs. COL (Friday, 20%)

  • Chase Burns vs. NYY (Tuesday, 43%)

  • José Soriano vs. WSH (Friday, 40%)

  • Landen Roupp @ CWS (Friday, 24%)

  • Jake Irvin @ LAA (Friday, 22%)

  • Ryne Nelson @ CWS (Tuesday, 10%)

  • Brandon Walter vs. CHC (Friday, 21%)

  • Tomoyuki Sugano vs. TEX (Wednesday, 24%)

  • Charlie Morton vs. TEX (Tuesday, 25%)

  • Gavin Williams vs. TOR (Wednesday, 47%)

  • Mick Abel @ ATL (Friday, 35%)

  • Max Scherzer @ CLE (Wednesday, 40%)

  • Mitch Keller vs. NYM (Saturday, 36%)

  • Andrew Heaney @ MIL (Tuesday, 21%)

  • Slade Cecconi vs. STL (Saturday, 14%)

  • Lucas Giolito vs. TOR (Saturday, 38%)

  • Cade Horton @ HOU (Friday, 25%)

Braves @ Mets: Although the Mets will deploy some solid starters, hitters on the Braves are still good volume plays for four games against righties. There are a pair of widely available Atlanta hitters who bat from the left side and should have a productive series — outfielder Alex Verdugo (1%) and catcher Drake Baldwin (15%).

Giants vs. Marlins: San Francisco should score often against three mediocre right-handed starters and a relief corps with a 4.50 ERA. Mike Yastrzemski (7%) is widely available and bats leadoff against righties.

Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: How to watch Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals tonight

The Oklahoma City Thunder are facing the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals. The odds heavily favored the Thunder over the Pacers headed into this series, which is no surprise considering the Thunder were 68-14 in the regular season and the No. 1 overall seed in the Western Conference. However, the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers managed to hold their own, and have forced the series to Game 7 which will take place in OKC on Sunday night.

Game 7 tips off on Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the Pacers vs. Thunder NBA Finals.

Date: Sunday, June 22

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV channel: ABC

Streaming: DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and more

All games in the NBA Finals will air on ABC — sweet and simple! 

The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals.

All times Eastern.

Sunday, June 22

Game 7 – Indiana at Oklahoma City: 8 p.m. (ABC)

USMNT completes perfect Gold Cup group stage with win over Haiti — and opportunities missed or seized

ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 22: United States midfielder Malik Tillman (17) gets a hug from United States defender Alex Freeman (16) after scoring a goal during the Concacaf Gold Cup Group stage match between United States and Haiti on June 22, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

For the U.S. men’s national team, the buzzword of the month was “opportunity.” Opportunity for newcomers and reserves to displace absent regulars. Opportunity for the likes of Malik Tillman and Matt Freese to state their case for permanent starting spots. There were opportunities in friendlies, then in the Gold Cup, and on Sunday night, a 2-1 win over Haiti magnified which have been seized and which have been squandered.

Tillman, a 23-year-old attacking midfielder, has clearly taken his. He headed home his third goal in three games to give the USMNT an early lead.

Freese, on the other hand, a 26-year-old goalkeeper starting his third consecutive game, made his first costly error. He side-footed a pass straight to Haiti’s Louicius Don Deedson, who then beat Freese from a tough angle.

The equalizer gave Haiti belief. The rest of the first half was surprisingly even. It has been five decades since the Haitians beat the USMNT. At times, it seemed like they were capable of doing so on Sunday.

The U.S., though, asserted itself gradually, especially in the second half. And in the 75th minute, Patrick Agyemang, another attacker with opportunity, won the game for the USMNT.

Agyemang is curious case. Physically, he is a handful. Technically, he is clearly not ready for the international level. Sunday’s game, for 70-plus minutes, was another one of missed opportunities for the late-blooming 24-year-old. But in each of his three USMNT camps, just when fans have begun to concluded that he’s in over his head, Agyemang has scored.

Elsewhere on the field, Quinn Sullivan, in his first Gold Cup start, was occasionally lively. So was Brenden Aaronson. But neither did enough to snatch a starting spot with two hands. Tillman was, and is, the only player who has truly elevated his standing.

With the win, the U.S. clinched first place in Group D. In the quarterfinals next weekend, it will face either Mexico or Costa Rica.

Brooklyn Nets jersey history No. 20 – Ollie Taylor (1970-71)

The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.

Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.

To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. The 21st of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 20, which has has had a total of 28 players wear the number in the history of the team.

The fifth of those players wearing No. 20 played in the (then) New York (now, Brooklyn) Nets era, guard alum Ollie Taylor. After ending his college career at Houston, Taylor was picked up with the 189th overall selection (there were many more rounds in that era of the draft) of the 1970 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The New Yorker would play the first two seasons of his pro career with New York, however, electing to play in the ABA instead. That ended when he was drafted by the (defunct) San Diego Conquistadors in the 1972 ABA expansion draft. He would return to New York in 1973 for eight more games after being cut by San Diego, and was cut again after.

During his time suiting up for the Nets, Taylor wore only jersey Nos. 20 and 22 and put up 9.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets jersey history No. 20 – Ollie Taylor (1970-71)

Tyrese Haliburton’s dad looked devastated by son’s Game 7 injury

Entering an epic NBA Finals Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tyrese Haliburton was an absolute warrior for trying to play through a right calf strain for the second straight game. Early on, though, the young Indiana Pacers star unfortunately appeared to suffer the worst possible outcome of playing through a tricky soft tissue injury like that.

About halfway through the first quarter, Haliburton tried driving on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander late in the shot clock. But when Haliburton pushed off his injured calf, it gave out, and the Pacers’ talisman collapsed to the floor, clearly in a lot of pain. Given the scary nature of the injury, I will only link the injury here, but it sure looked like Haliburton’s injured calf rippled when he made his move. Later on in the second quarter, ESPN’s Lisa Salters shared that Haliburton’s injury was officially to his “right lower leg” and that he would not return. The Pacers would later share a similar update.

And given Haliburton’s reaction after the fact, it’s hard not to assume the worst before we know even more:

For now, Haliburton’s dad, John, told the story of a deflating scene.

As Tyrese was helped off into the tunnel, ESPN showed John absolutely devastated by his son’s injury while standing in the crowd. Watching a parent experience their worst nightmare in real time made the whole moment even more heartbreaking:

Let’s not mince words: sports are firmly secondary in a difficult and scary situation like this. Full stop. Here’s hoping for the best for Haliburton and his family. That’s all we should be concerned about.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Tyrese Haliburton’s dad looked heartbroken by son’s awful Game 7 injury

LeBron James: ‘(expletive): NBA reacts to Tyrese Haliburton’s injury in NBA Finals

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton needed help leaving the court in the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. His right leg buckled as he tried to drive to the basket, and he immediately shouted in pain. The Pacers announced he would not return.

he NBA world reacted immediately, with LeBron James, Stephen A. Smith and more posting frustration and their best wishes for Haliburton on social media. James’ tweet is NSFW but you can read his one-word response here.

“Heartbreak, man,” Myles Turner told ABC after the first quarter. “We got his back.”

Before the injury, Haliburton scored 9 points on 3-of-4 3-point shooting.

Live updates: NBA Finals Game 7, Pacers vs Thunder

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tyrese Haliburton injury: NBA reacts to Pacers star’s injury in NBA Finals

NBA Finals Game 7: LeBron James, others react after Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton’s early leg injury

Tyrese Haliburton’s right leg gave out just minutes into Game 7 on Sunday night, and he had to be helped off the floor. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Justin Ford via Getty Images

The NBA world was thrilled to get a rare Game 7 in the NBA Finals. 

But just minutes into that contest between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, everything shifted.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton went crashing down to the court during the first quarter, appearing to re-injure his strained right calf during a non-contact moment. He immediately started pounding the floor at the Paycom Center, too, and was extremely emotional as play went the other way.

The Pacers quickly ruled him out just a few minutes later with what they called a right “lower leg injury.” Further specifics are not known.

Almost immediately, players from across the league chimed in on social media. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James shared what most of basketball fans were feeling in a very not-safe-for-work way.

He was far from alone. 

Even Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes chimed in.

Haliburton first went down with the calf injury during Game 5 of the series, though he returned to the court for the Pacers’ Game 6 win on Thursday. He had 14 points and five assists in that 108-91 win, which forced Sunday’s Game 7. 

Haliburton was off to a great start on Sunday night, too. He had nine points and went 3-of-4 from the 3-point line before he went down to keep the Pacers in the mix early. 

The Pacers are playing in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. The franchise, though they have three ABA titles from before the merger, has never won a league title. 

While Haliburton’s injury doesn’t end that quest completely, it does make it that much harder. 

This post will be updated with more information.

NBA Finals Game 7: LeBron James, others react after Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton’s early leg injury

Tyrese Haliburton’s right leg gave out just minutes into Game 7 on Sunday night, and he had to be helped off the floor. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Justin Ford via Getty Images

The NBA world was thrilled to get a rare Game 7 in the NBA Finals. 

But just minutes into that contest between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, everything shifted.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton went crashing down to the court during the first quarter, appearing to re-injure his strained right calf during a non-contact moment. He immediately started pounding the floor at the Paycom Center, too, and was extremely emotional as play went the other way.

The Pacers quickly ruled him out just a few minutes later with what they called a right “lower leg injury.” Further specifics are not known.

Almost immediately, players from across the league chimed in on social media. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James shared what most of basketball fans were feeling in a very not-safe-for-work way.

He was far from alone. 

Even Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes chimed in.

Haliburton first went down with the calf injury during Game 5 of the series, though he returned to the court for the Pacers’ Game 6 win on Thursday. He had 14 points and five assists in that 108-91 win, which forced Sunday’s Game 7. 

Haliburton was off to a great start on Sunday night, too. He had nine points and went 3-of-4 from the 3-point line before he went down to keep the Pacers in the mix early. 

The Pacers are playing in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. The franchise, though they have three ABA titles from before the merger, has never won a league title. 

While Haliburton’s injury doesn’t end that quest completely, it does make it that much harder. 

This post will be updated with more information.

NBA Finals Game 7: LeBron James, others react after Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton’s early leg injury

Tyrese Haliburton’s right leg gave out just minutes into Game 7 on Sunday night, and he had to be helped off the floor. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Justin Ford via Getty Images

The NBA world was thrilled to get a rare Game 7 in the NBA Finals. 

But just minutes into that contest between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, everything shifted.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton went crashing down to the court during the first quarter, appearing to re-injure his strained right calf during a non-contact moment. He immediately started pounding the floor at the Paycom Center, too, and was extremely emotional as play went the other way.

The Pacers quickly ruled him out just a few minutes later with what they called a right “lower leg injury.” Further specifics are not known.

Almost immediately, players from across the league chimed in on social media. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James shared what most of basketball fans were feeling in a very not-safe-for-work way.

He was far from alone. 

Even Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes chimed in.

Haliburton first went down with the calf injury during Game 5 of the series, though he returned to the court for the Pacers’ Game 6 win on Thursday. He had 14 points and five assists in that 108-91 win, which forced Sunday’s Game 7. 

Haliburton was off to a great start on Sunday night, too. He had nine points and went 3-of-4 from the 3-point line before he went down to keep the Pacers in the mix early. 

The Pacers are playing in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. The franchise, though they have three ABA titles from before the merger, has never won a league title. 

While Haliburton’s injury doesn’t end that quest completely, it does make it that much harder. 

This post will be updated with more information.