August 2025

There were 1,614 posts published in August 2025 (this is page 12 of 162).

Walker Buehler released after struggle-filled season with the Red Sox

Walker Buehler has been released by the Boston Red Sox, the team announced Friday.

The 31-year-old right-hander, who signed a one-year, $21.05 million contract in the offseason, struggled in his first season in Boston, so much so that Red Sox manager Alex Cora decided to move Buehler to the bullpen last week.

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In 23 appearances this season, Buehler compiled a 5.45 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 112 1/3 innings. That strikeout rate of 6.7 per nine innings is the lowest of his eight MLB seasons. Buehler has also allowed 120 hits, an average of 9.6 per nine frames, and 55 walks for a 4.4 per nine average that’s the highest of his career.

Buehler missed the entire 2023 season after undergoing the second Tommy John surgery of his career and returned last year to register a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He showed improvement during the Dodgers’ postseason run to a World Series championship, striking out 13 and allowing six hits in 15 playoff innings.

The hope was that he could show even more improvement with the Red Sox and re-enter the free-agent market seeking more than a one-year, “prove it” contract. Yet he allowed nine earned runs in 9 1/3 innings in his first two starts of the season and eventually went on the injured list due to right shoulder bursitis. After allowing seven runs in two innings on June 6 versus the Yankees, Buehler said he was “f***ing embarrassing.”

Prior to undergoing surgery, Buehler earned All-Star honors in 2019 and 2021, when he went a combined 30-8 with a 2.87 ERA.

Buehler’s release corresponds with the promotion of top pitching prospect Payton Tolle, who will start Friday’s game against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Red Sox are currently 3.5 games out of first place in the AL East and sitting in the first AL wild-card spot with 27 games to play in the regular season.

Schwarber showcases golf skills following historic night

Schwarber showcases golf skills following historic night originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Kyle Schwarber’s performance on Thursday night will be discussed for years to come.

So it’s understandable that Schwarber’s four-home run outburst a 19-4 win over the Braves was still the talk of the Phillies clubhouse on Friday afternoon.

“Incredible,” Jesús Luzardo said of Schwarber becoming the 21st player in MLB history to hit four home runs in one game. “I’ve never seen that. It was one of a kind. He’s such a good dude that I think everyone was on the top step rooting for him.”

Schwarber missed the opportunity to hit a fifth home run in the eighth inning, flying out to shallow left field with Braves infielder Vidal Brujan on the mound.

“Even when he got out he handled it so well,” Luzardo said. “He was able to laugh about it. He’s such a good sport so it’s easy to root for him when things are going good like that. Last night was one for the history books.”

Schwarber will take aim at more history on Friday.

The Phillies’ record for most home runs in a two-game span is five, set by Mike Schmidt in 1976. Schmidt hit four home runs against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 17th of that season then added another homer the following day.

Schwarber Stays Hot

One day after clubbing four home runs, Schwarber added a golf championship to his resume.

The Phillies held a closest to the pin competition before batting practice on Friday to determine the draft order for their fantasy football league.

A group of players that included Schwarber, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, Jesus Luzardo and Harrison Bader hit pitching wedges from home plate to a makeshift flag in center field.

The winner?

‘Who do you think?” Bader asked afterwards.

That would be Schwarber, who put his wedge within 10 feet of the flag.

“He had to do it after his big night,” Bader said with a smile.

“I’m going to ask him to buy me a lottery ticket,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson joked. “He’s hot.”

The expectation in the clubhouse is that Schwarber – a Bengals fan who grew up in the Cincinnati suburbs – will take wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase with the first pick.

Outfield Shuffle

Deciding the Phillies’ starting outfield on a daily basis is a delicate balance.

“The challenge is really trying to figure it out,” Thomson said before Friday’s game. “Just really trying to figure out what the rotation is, matchup history, how hot a guy is at the time, (batting) splits, putting all those things together and trying to figure out who the three guys are in the lineup that day. It’s difficult.”

So far the Phillies manager is pressing all the right buttons.

Thomson gave Max Kepler the start in right field on Thursday and Kepler responded with a two-run home run in the first inning. Kepler is hitting .342 with two home runs, six RBI and a .912 OPS in his last 10 games.

Nick Castellanos will be in right field Friday while Kepler moves to left field and Brandon Marsh starts in center field. Castellanos is 4-for-8 with four home runs in his career against Braves starter Bryce Elder.

Harrison Bader is the odd man out Friday despite collecting four hits on Thursday night. Bader is hitting .538 with five extra base hits in his last seven games.

“It was just basically the numbers Nick (Castellanos) has against their starter,” Thomson said when asked why Bader isn’t in Friday’s lineup. “It was a tough call, to tell you the truth. Bader has played the last six in a row and we have a long stretch (of games) ahead. He could probably use the day off.”   

On the Hill

Reigning NL Player of the Week Ranger Suarez takes the mound for the second game of this four-game set against the Braves.

Suarez is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his last two starts with 21 strikeouts and zero walks. He’s had success against Atlanta, allowing just one earned run in 13 innings (0.69 ERA) in two starts against the Braves this season.

Meanwhile Elder has struggled throughout the 2025 season. His 6.12 ERA ranks 107th out of 109 MLB pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched this year.

Elder allowed nine earned runs in just two innings against the Phillies on June 27th. He surrendered three home runs in that game, a 13-0 Phillies win.

Mets activate Jonah Tong ahead of big-league debut, option Kevin Herget

The Mets have officially added Jonah Tong to the active roster ahead of his big-league debut Friday night against the Marlins on SNY. 

Tong dominated across two levels of the minors before receiving the highly-anticipated call. 

The 22-year-old top prospect pitched to a 1.43 ERA and 0.92 WHIP while striking out a whopping 179 batters over 22 starts between Double-A and Triple-A.

He’ll now look to carry that success to the Big Apple down the stretch.

In a corresponding roster move, right-hander Kevin Herget has been optioned to Syracuse. 

Herget threw well in his lone appearance back in the majors, striking out two over 2.2 scoreless innings at the backend of Thursday’s loss to Miami. 

He’s now pitched to a strong 1.13 ERA in just four games with the Mets this year. 

New York cleared a spot on the 40 Man Friday by sending Ty Adcock outright to Syracuse. 

Malcolm Brogdon reportedly draws interest from Warriors, Knicks, Timberwolves

Malcolm Brogdon’s landing spot for next season remains on hold because of situations out of his control.

Brogdon remains one of the best free agent guards still on the market — he was the Sixth Man of the Year just two seasons ago. His stock has slipped due to injuries, which limited him to just 63 combined games over the last two seasons (in Portland and Washington). However, when healthy last season, he averaged 12.7 points and 4.1 assists per game. This is a low-risk opportunity for teams, a healthy Brogdon could provide quality depth to a team that sees itself as a contender.

The Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves have expressed some interest in Brogdon, reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line. However, in all three cases, the teams are waiting on other situations to play out before signing Brogdon (or any guard). With the Warriors, that is the Jonathan Kuminga free agency drama.

“In Brogdon’s case, Golden State’s long-running stalemate with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga has contributed to the uncomfortable wait. We won’t know if the Warriors emerge with more serious interest in Brogdon until the state of their roster and luxury tax bill becomes clear in the wake of a resolution to Kuminga’s fate and the subsequent signings that have been long anticipated.”

Once the Kuminga situation is resolved, the Warriors will know how much money they have to spend on expected signings such as Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, and Will Richard (a second-round pick). Brogdon may or may not be one of the players signed.

With the Knicks and Timberwolves, the situation keeping Brogdon in limbo is the federal gambling investigation tied to Malik Beasley. He is no longer a “target” in that investigation — meaning a principal at the heart of the case — but remains a “subject” tied to the investigation and potentially could be charged with a crime. Both New York and Minnesota have been in touch with Beasley, who was second in Sixth Man of the Year voting for the Pistons last season. With there still being a month to go before the start of training camp, the Knicks and Timberwolves (and Pistons, and other teams with interest in Beasley) can wait to see how things play out, then make their move later. Brogdon could be a fallback for those teams.

That leaves a quality guard waiting for his opportunity. He’s going to end up signing for the veteran minimum wherever he lands, a step down from the two-year, $45 million deal (from the Pacers) that he just completed.

Jose Alvarado stretchered off floor of FIBA AmeriCup Game, after game says, ‘your boy good’

Jose Alvarado had to be stretchered off the court from an AmeriCup game Thursday night in a scary moment for himself and the Pelicans.

Alvarado had led Puerto Rico to overtime against Argentina by scoring 25 points (7-of-12 from 3). In that extra time, Alvarado was battling for a rebound, pulled it free and fell to the floor in the process, landing flat on his back and instantly started grabbing at his lower back in pain.

He was down for some time and eventually had to be stretchered off the court back to the locker room. The Pelicans’ guard then posted this on his Instagram story.

Hopefully this does turn out to be nothing, the Pelicans have had enough bad injury luck in recent years and don’t need their reserve guard and fan favorite out with a back issue.

Argentina went on to beat Puerto Rico to advance to the AmeriCup semifinals against Canada. In the other semifinal, a USA team led by Javonte Smart, Zachary Auguste and Langston Galloway will face Brazil.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Run — don’t walk — to add Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong for MLB debut

After focusing primarily on hitters in recent weeks, this article is full of exciting, young starters who could make a big difference down the stretch in fantasy baseball. It is unlikely that we will see an influx of pitching help in September, which means that wise managers will invest heavily in the hurlers listed below. There are also a few hitters who can provide immediate assistance. 

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Jonah Tong, SP, New York Mets, 40%: Tong is set to debut on Friday, which is a big deal considering that some analysts view him as the most talented starter who has yet to make his major league debut. The 22-year-old spent most of the season in Double-A but recently made a pair of Triple-A starts. Across 113.2 innings, his remarkable stat line includes a 1.43 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 179 strikeouts. Yes, you read that strikeout total correctly. Tong should have enough innings remaining in his projected workload to take a regular return in the Mets rotation down the stretch. And this is a team that needs a spark with a 17-20 record since the All-Star break. Tong should be rostered in virtually every league by the end of the day.

Parker Messick, SP, Cleveland Guardians, 19%: The list of young starters who are impressing down the stretch needs to include Messick, who has logged a 0.66 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 12:1 K:BB ratio across his initial two starts. In fact, the lefty is just the second pitcher ever to allow one or fewer walks and one or fewer runs while throwing at least six innings each of his initial two MLB starts. And if his memorable debut isn’t enough of a reason to add Messick right away, he is also expected to be a two-start pitcher this week. The combination of immediate help and long-term upside is too great to ignore.

Ian Seymour, SP, Tampa Bay Rays, 5%: After 12 relief outings, Seymour was dazzling in his first career start when he struck out eight Guardians while allowing one hit across five scoreless innings. I’ll rank him behind Tong and Messick for a couple reasons. First, Seymour may struggle to get to five innings in future starts, as he has not had a 70-pitch appearance this summer. Second, he struggled in a pair of long relief outings on August 15 and 19. Still, those who can’t land Tong or Messick can be happy with Seymour as a consolation prize with plenty of upside.

Shane Smith, SP, Chicago White Sox, 11%: Smith got off to a terrific start this season with a 2.37 ERA on June 10. He started to run out of steam and scuffled in his next five starts before getting a two-week break on the injured list due to a sprained ankle. Since returning, Smith has looked much more like the early-season version, posting a 2.63 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. I don’t see Smith as having the same upside as the less-proven players who precede him in this article, but he is still worth consideration in deeper formats.

Abner Uribe, RP, Milwaukee Brewers, 42%: The Brewers placed closer Trevor Megill on the IL on Wednesday, which should open ninth-inning opportunities for Uribe. There is a chance that a few relievers will share save chances, but Uribe will be at the front of the line and could get all of the opportunities. After all, the right-hander leads the Majors with 35 holds and has logged eye-popping statistics that include a 1.71 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 78 strikeouts across 63.1 innings. If treated as the full-time closer, Uribe would be a top-five reliever for the rest of the season.

Matt Shaw, 2B/3B/SS, Chicago Cubs, 44%: The Cubs chose to live with the growing pains of using Shaw as their everyday third baseman when he hit .198 with a .556 OPS in the first half. The move has paid off handsomely in the second half, with the rookie hitting .288 with 9 homers and a .984 OPS in 37 games. Shaw also has a helpful speed component to his game, having collected 15 steals this year. This is a great time to boost his roster rate above 50%, as the Cubs are in Coors Field this weekend before facing two teams next week (Braves, Nats) who rank 28th and 29th, respectively, in second-half ERA.

Carson Williams, SS, Tampa Bay Rays, 11%: Williams has shown the full range of his skill set by hitting .316 with a homer and steal in his initial 19 at-bats. And as someone who was prone to strikeouts in the minors, he has done well to collect just six whiffs thus far. There remains a chance that Williams strikes out too often to remain a fantasy asset, but he has tantalizing upside after collecting 23 homers and 22 steals in 111 Triple-A games this year. This is a good time to give Williams a chance, as he will face a weak Nats’ pitching staff this weekend before enjoying a seven-game week.

Matt Wallner, OF, Minnesota Twins, 9%: Wallner has swung a hot bat of late, having ripped four round-trippers in his past four games. The hot streak is no surprise, as the Twins have recently faced many right-handed starters and Wallner has a lofty career OPS of .911 against righties. The favorable schedule will continue, as beginning Saturday the Twins will face righties eight times over nine days. Wallner is an obvious add for those who need help in the power categories.

Six Things You Need to Clean Yourself Before the Professional House Cleaners Arrive

You might think that if you hire a cleaning service to come and deal with your mess, you can promptly ignore the whole subject and let the housecleaners deal with everything—after all, that’s the whole point of paying someone to clean your house. But if you want your cleaning service to be as effective as possible—and your house to be as clean as possible—there’s some prep work you should do before the cleaners arrive.

Yes, you need to clean some things before your professional cleaners show up, because you want to maximize the benefit that pro cleaners bring to your house. Otherwise, they’ll waste time and energy (and your money) fighting an uphill battle. If you want to get the most out of your professional house cleaners, here are the pre-cleaning steps you need to take.

Declutter

The number one thing you should do to prepare for a professional cleaning service is to pick up your stuff and declutter. If your cleaners have to pick up and move stuff out of their way, they’ll spend less time actually cleaning, and they probably won’t put everything exactly where you want it. A few key areas to declutter include:

  • Floors. Clear the way for vacuums and mops.

  • Counters. Make it easy for your cleaners to dust and wipe down surfaces. This includes putting small appliances away and clearing all those primping tools off the bathroom sink or counter.

  • Valuables and private stuff. Don’t leave stuff sitting out that you wouldn’t want strangers seeing or interacting with.

Organize laundry

The line between house cleaners and housekeepers can be a fuzzy one, and laundry is one chore that not every cleaning service does. If your house cleaner is going to do the laundry as part of their usual visit, you should organize it before they arrive. That means gathering it all into a central place and (possibly) sorting it at least into whites and colors. You should also separate out anything intended for the dry cleaners, and any delicate items that require special handling. You can either do those yourself or leave specific instructions, but never assume the cleaning pros will automatically know what needs to be done.

You should also make sure you’re stocked with detergent, fabric softeners, and anything else you expect your cleaners to use while washing your clothes.

Do the dishes

Some house cleaners will do dishes if you leave them in the sink, but many won’t, and for some, it’s an add-on service you pay for. Obviously, if your cleaning service includes the dishes, you should let them handle it. But if your service isn’t going to handle the dishes for you, don’t leave a pile of dirty ones in the sink that will get in the way of your cleaners’ efforts to scrub the sink and the surrounding area. Plus, a pile of dirty dishes implies you’re trying to get the cleaners to wash them even though it’s not their job.

Fragile and personal stuff

Anything in your house that’s fragile or that requires special handling, you should clean yourself. If it requires a memo to explain the process to your cleaners, the chances that they will fail to do everything correctly (or even damage the items) will not be zero.

You should also make sure that anything intimate and personal, like financial documents or personal letters, isn’t left out. This should be part of your decluttering routine mentioned above, but it’s worth doing an extra sweep of the house. You don’t want your house cleaners to know your business, your house cleaners don’t want to know your business, and if you’d rather not have something touched or moved, you shouldn’t leave it out.

Clean out the fridge

Note I didn’t write clean the fridge—your house cleaners should handle the actual cleaning of your refrigerator. But if you want a truly sparkling refrigerator, don’t leave it packed full of old plastic storage bowls, takeout containers, and dubiously wrinkled produce. The more time your cleaners have to spend tossing all that stuff into the garbage for you, the less time they’ll have for actually cleaning your appliance, so take a few minutes and clean the fridge out as thoroughly as possible. If there’s an obvious spill in there, you should probably mop it up, but otherwise, you can leave the actual detail work to the professionals.

Clean the litterbox

If you have a cat as a pet, clean out the litterbox before your cleaners arrive. Check with the company’s policy—some house cleaners won’t touch a litterbox at all, while others are happy to move it in order to clean under and around it. But considering what a litterbox is typically full of, it’s a simple courtesy to make sure it’s clean before you expect someone to get down close to it and possibly handle it.