No one is quite sure what to expect out of Jasper Johnson‘s freshman season at Kentucky, but if there’s one thing we do know, it’s that he can put the ball in the net.
The 6-foot-4 lefty has been well-regarded as one of the best scoring prospects from the 2025 recruiting class. His ability to put up points from all over the floor, particularly from well beyond the three-point line, is what helped make him a top 25 recruit in high school for multiple years. Johnson averaged 20.3 points per game in his final season at Overtime Elite. Suiting up for Team USA earlier this summer, he posted eight points per game on over 40 percent shooting from distance. The Lexington native has learned how to fill an efficient scoring role.
That scoring prowess has shown up during Kentucky’s summer practices, too. In his intel article from last week, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim reported that he’s hearing Johnson is likely the best pure scorer on the roster. Kentucky head coach Mark Pope might just agree with that idea.
“Jasper Johnson, one of the best kids ever,” Pope said last week on the Eye on College Basketball with Matt Norlander. “Soft spoken, but on the court, he takes on a totally different persona. He is a dangerous, dangerous, dangerous scorer. He could easily put up 12 or 15 points in two and a half minutes. He’s going to be really fun to coach, and he’s hungry to grow.”
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) August 7, 2025
Johnson’s microwave scoring tendencies might unearth memories for the Big Blue Nation of Rob Dillingham‘s lone season at Kentucky. The two share similarities as skinny, slithering guards who can get to their spots and hit tough shots both inside and outside the perimeter. Dillingham was labeled “shifty” for a reason — Johnson has some of that shift to his game, as well.
As a true freshman in 2025-26, Johnson is expected to come off the bench for the Wildcats. How soon he comes off the pine will be the storyline we follow once the season-opener hits. His scoring skills will earn him opportunities, but it’s excelling at other areas of the game that will keep him on the floor for extended periods.
The 2025 college football season is less than two weeks away. It will kick off next Saturday with a series of Week 0 games.
As the season quickly approaches, analysts are sharing their predictions. Among them is ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who is known as the “Voice of the SEC.” He hosts a show on the SEC Network called “The Paul Finebaum Show.”
In a recent episode, Finebaum was asked about the Georgia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs have won two national championships since 2020 and have made three College Football Playoffs during that span. He stated he believes Georgia has the potential to be a great team this season, but he has doubts.
“I still think Georgia is a very good team,” Finebaum said. “Potentially a great team. It’s just a matter of whether they can get things generated and if that defense is a little bit better.”
Paul Finebaum Questions Georgia’s Offense This Season
Finebaum has been voicing his concerns about Georgia this offseason. Those concerns have focused on the Bulldogs’ offense and its quarterback, Gunner Stockton.
“Georgia, to me, has a manageable schedule,” Finebaum previously said. Can they produce offensively?”
Stockton begins the 2025 season with limited playing experience, having appeared in only five games during the previous season. In those games, he threw for 440 yards and one touchdown. Most of his contributions came during the SEC championship game and the College Football Playoff loss that followed Beck’s season-ending injury.
Stockton played a crucial role in leading the Bulldogs to an overtime victory against the Texas Longhorns, clinching the SEC title after stepping in for Beck, who was injured in the first half.
The Bulldogs won 22-19, with Stockton’s 8-yard run on second-and-8 from the 12-yard line during overtime. On the next play, Trevor Etienne scored the decisive touchdown with a 4-yard rush.
Georgia struggled offensively in a tough playoff quarterfinal against Notre Dame, losing 23-10. Stockton completed 20-of-32 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown.
Paul Finebaum Gives His Record Prediction for Georgia
Despite Finebaum’s concerns about Stockton and Georgia’s offense, he is confident the Bulldogs will have a successful season.
“They’re still as talented as probably almost every team in the country,” Finebaum previously said. “They have the best coach. Overall, the best program, but I see two losses.”
Finebaum mentioned that having two losses in a season isn’t necessarily a disaster; however, he questions the significance and timing of those losses. Last year, Georgia lost two regular-season games to the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Ole Miss Rebels. Despite that, he still predicts the Bulldogs will make the College Football Playoff.
Georgia will kick off the season against the Marshall Thundering Herd at 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 30.
No one is quite sure what to expect out of Jasper Johnson‘s freshman season at Kentucky, but if there’s one thing we do know, it’s that he can put the ball in the net.
The 6-foot-4 lefty has been well-regarded as one of the best scoring prospects from the 2025 recruiting class. His ability to put up points from all over the floor, particularly from well beyond the three-point line, is what helped make him a top 25 recruit in high school for multiple years. Johnson averaged 20.3 points per game in his final season at Overtime Elite. Suiting up for Team USA earlier this summer, he posted eight points per game on over 40 percent shooting from distance. The Lexington native has learned how to fill an efficient scoring role.
That scoring prowess has shown up during Kentucky’s summer practices, too. In his intel article from last week, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim reported that he’s hearing Johnson is likely the best pure scorer on the roster. Kentucky head coach Mark Pope might just agree with that idea.
“Jasper Johnson, one of the best kids ever,” Pope said last week on the Eye on College Basketball with Matt Norlander. “Soft spoken, but on the court, he takes on a totally different persona. He is a dangerous, dangerous, dangerous scorer. He could easily put up 12 or 15 points in two and a half minutes. He’s going to be really fun to coach, and he’s hungry to grow.”
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) August 7, 2025
Johnson’s microwave scoring tendencies might unearth memories for the Big Blue Nation of Rob Dillingham‘s lone season at Kentucky. The two share similarities as skinny, slithering guards who can get to their spots and hit tough shots both inside and outside the perimeter. Dillingham was labeled “shifty” for a reason — Johnson has some of that shift to his game, as well.
As a true freshman in 2025-26, Johnson is expected to come off the bench for the Wildcats. How soon he comes off the pine will be the storyline we follow once the season-opener hits. His scoring skills will earn him opportunities, but it’s excelling at other areas of the game that will keep him on the floor for extended periods.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred talks about the “opportunity to geographically realign” professional baseball. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press)
Rob Manfred normally does what many fans consider an annoyingly effective job of keeping Major League Baseball’s strategic plans out of the public square.
So maybe the MLB commissioner was caught in an unguarded moment, staring down at a diamond from the ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” booth in the cozy confines of Williamsport, Pa., and the Little League World Series.
Or maybe his comments were calculated. Either way, he spoke freely about how expanding from the current 30 teams could create an ideal chance to reset the way teams are aligned in divisions and leagues.
Manfred was asked on air for a window into the future. Expansion, realignment, both?
“The first two topics are related, in my mind,” he replied. “I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign. I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel. And I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN, because you’d be playing out of the East and out of the West.”
Taking that thinking to an extreme would put the Dodgers and Angels in a division with, say, the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Las Vegas Athletics and Seattle Mariners.
Would that collection — let’s call it the Pacific Division — be part of the American or National League? Maybe neither. Instead, geographic realignment could result in Eastern and Western Conferences similar to the NBA.
Pushback from traditionalists might be vigorous. Call them leagues, call them conferences, geographical realignment would make for some strange bedfellows.
Former MLB player and current MLB Network analyst Cameron Maybin posted on X that making sure the divisions are balanced is more important than geography.
“Manfred’s realignment talk isn’t just about moving teams around, it tilts playoff balance,” Maybin said on X. “Some divisions get watered down others overloaded and rivalries that drive October story lines we love, vanish. Baseball needs competitive integrity not manufactured shakeups.”
Manfreds realignment talk isnt just about moving teams around it tilts playoff balance. Some divisions get watered down others overloaded and rivalries that drive October storylines we love, vanish. Baseball needs competitive integrity not manufactured shakeups.
Yet Manfred makes a persuasive argument that grouping teams by geographic location would have its benefits.
“That 10 o’clock time slot where we sometimes get lost in Anaheim would be two West Coast teams,” he said. “Then that 10 o’clock spot that’s a problem for us becomes an opportunity for our West Coast audience. I think the owners realize there is a demand for Major League Baseball in a lot of great cities, and we have an opportunity to do something good around that expansion process.”
Manfred said in February that he’d like expansion to be approved by 2029, his last year as commissioner. MLB hasn’t expanded since the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays were added in 1998.
Expansion teams “won’t be playing by the time I’m done, but I would like the process along and [locations] selected,” Manfred said.
Several cities are courting MLB for a franchise, and the league is reported to be leaning toward Nashville and Salt Lake City as favorites. Portland, Orlando, San Antonio and Charlotte are other possibilities.
The Times’ Bill Shaikin has pointed out that geographical realignment would be tied to schedule reform that could help kindle rivalries and encourage fans to visit opposing ballparks that are within driving distance.
The future home of the Rays is in flux, and that decision likely will precede MLB choosing expansion cities, even after the recent news that Florida developer Patrick Zalupski has agreed to pay $1.7 billion for the team.
And soon afterward, if Manfred’s vision comes to fruition, geographical realignment would follow, and the Southern California Freeway Series could become just another series between divisional rivals.
PHILADELPHIA — Phillies ace Zack Wheeler had surgery Monday to remove a blood clot in his upper right arm, and the team says a timeline for his recovery remains unknown.
Manager Rob Thomson acknowledged the uncertainty, saying, “We don’t know,” when asked whether Wheeler would pitch again this season, or if the situation was career-threatening.
The Phillies said Wheeler underwent a thrombolysis procedure by Dr. Paul DiMuzio at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Wheeler, 35, a three-time All-Star currently leading the majors with 195 strikeouts, was placed on the injured list Saturday after experiencing worsening shoulder “heaviness” following his start in Washington the previous night.
His condition fell under the realm of thoracic outlet syndrome, a known risk for overhead-throwing athletes, where compressed blood vessels or nerves near the neck can lead to clot formation.
Treatment options vary depending on the root cause. In addition to clot-dissolving procedures, athletes often undergo extended blood thinner therapy – spanning months – or even rib resection surgery to prevent recurrence, with high return-to-play rates in cases where such interventions are successful.
Meanwhile, the Phillies are left without the anchor of their rotation with six weeks to go in the regular season. The NL East leaders are leaning on a group of arms, including Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker and Jesús Luzardo, to fill the void. Aaron Nola, who missed three months with ankle and rib injuries, returned to the rotation on Sunday.
“You could always rely on (Wheeler) every fifth day, but at the same time, I have confidence in our entire rotation,” Thomson said. “As tough as it is to lose Zack, I feel really good about our staff. I really do.”
In 24 starts this season, Wheeler is 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA. He has thrown at least 192 innings in three of the previous four seasons.
Beyond the immediate baseball implications, teammates have rallied around Wheeler.
“He’s the heart of this team, the heart of the staff … you never want to see it,” reliever Matt Strahm said, emphasizing that Wheeler’s health is everyone’s priority.
During his pregame availability with the media Monday afternoon, Phillies manager Rob Thomson was asked whether he thought Wheeler, indisputably one of the game’s best pitchers, would pitch again this season.
“We don’t know,” Thomson said. “We don’t know until we get further information.”
The serious nature of Wheeler’s condition means that Thomson and the Phillies have, understandably, been most concerned with the hurler’s general well-being. Blood clots, left untreated, can be life-threatening, particularly for those who travel often. Monday’s announcement of a successful surgery appears to be positive news on that front.
“A lot of people ask me about the pitching staff and the team, right now my thoughts are just about him. I said the other day, this isn’t like a hamstring or a calf,” Thomson said. “This is real, this is life. So my thoughts are constantly on him and his family. Hopefully everything works out, so far so good.”
Zack Wheeler is “the heart of this team, the heart of this staff,” Matt Strahm told MLB.com. “You never want to see it.” The timetable for Wheeler’s return from a blood clot removal is unknown. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Sean M. Haffey via Getty Images
Wheeler first reported discomfort after his most recent start, a five-inning outing against the Nationals on Friday night. According to the team, Wheeler felt a heaviness in his shoulder that was abnormal for him. Evaluations the following day uncovered the blood clot.
Though the specifics of his situation are not publicly known, it is very likely that Wheeler will need to go on blood thinners after his surgery Monday. That would almost certainly prohibit him from retaking the mound anytime soon. Playing sports on blood thinners, even a non-contact sport like baseball, is incredibly dangerous due to the increased risk of bleeding.
There is a track record, albeit small, of blood clots and vascular issues affecting MLB pitchers. Most often, that manifests in the form of thoracic outlet syndrome, or TOS, a condition where blood vessels and nerves get pinched just below the collarbone. Though Wheeler has not, to this point, been diagnosed with TOS, the procedure he underwent, according to Will Carroll of Under The Knife, is similar and often precedes a similar rehab process.
In August of 2020, current Rangers pitcher Merrill Kelly had TOS surgery to remove a blood clot in his shoulder. The then Arizona Diamondback missed the remainder of that season, but returned the following year and continued to pitch well. Kelly’s experience with TOS varies wildly from, say, that of former Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg, whose career was derailed by the condition. It is worth noting that the type of TOS that afflicted Strasburg, called neurogenic TOS, tends to be much more debilitating than the vascular TOS that Kelly suffered from.
How this all relates to Wheeler remains to be seen.
The 35-year-old right-hander had been in the midst of another superb season. Wheeler currently leads the National League in strikeouts with 195 and slots in fifth in ERA with a 2.71. He was firmly in the mix, alongside Pirates flamethrower Paul Skenes, to win the first Cy Young of his already sensational career.
From a baseball perspective, Wheeler’s absence will undoubtedly inconvenience a Phillies team currently five games up on the New York Mets in the National League East. Wheeler would have been the best pitcher on the NL side of the playoff bracket and surely would have started Game 1 of the team’s first series.
But while Wheeler’s consistent dominance is irreplaceable, the Phillies are relatively well-suited to weather his absence.
Southpaw Cristopher Sánchez looks slated to finish in the top three of NL Cy Young voting as well. He has a sparkling 2.45 ERA across 24 starts. Behind Sánchez, the Phillies have a quartet of dependable options. Ranger Suárez (3.28 in 18 starts) has struggled of late, but had a 10-start stretch over the summer where he was the best arm in MLB. Jesús Luzardo (4.21 in 25 starts) has rolled through ups and downs in his first year with the Phillies, but looks like a frontline arm when he’s on.
Taijuan Walker (3.34 in 15 starts) entered the year as an afterthought, but has delivered a very impressive bounce-back campaign. Aaron Nola (6.92 ERA) returned from the IL on Sunday after missing three months with a foot issue. He was not sharp in his first start back and was underperforming before the injury, but Nola has a long enough résumé to inspire some level of confidence.
Top prospect Andrew Painter (5.15 in 21 MiLB starts) was expected to join the big-league club this summer, but the heralded 22-year-old has underwhelmed in Triple-A. He remains something of a wild card.
None of those characters, obviously, will match the reliability and the impact Wheeler would have provided. Since joining the Phillies in 2020, the bald Georgian leads all qualified MLB pitchers in innings and fWAR. He has established himself as a generational talent, one undeniably worthy of the record-breaking three-year, $126 million contract he received last spring. That $42 million annual average value is the highest in MLB history.
Wheeler has also endeared himself to a fan base, a franchise and the entire Phillies community. He is understated, but wry. Unrelentingly fierce, but kind. Appreciated in his own clubhouse and immensely respected in the 29 others.
During his pregame availability with the media Monday afternoon, Phillies manager Rob Thomson was asked whether he thought Wheeler, indisputably one of the game’s best pitchers, would pitch again this season.
“We don’t know,” Thomson said. “We don’t know until we get further information.”
The serious nature of Wheeler’s condition means that Thomson and the Phillies have, understandably, been most concerned with the hurler’s general well-being. Blood clots, left untreated, can be life-threatening, particularly for those who travel often. Monday’s announcement of a successful surgery appears to be positive news on that front.
“A lot of people ask me about the pitching staff and the team, right now my thoughts are just about him. I said the other day, this isn’t like a hamstring or a calf,” Thomson said. “This is real, this is life. So my thoughts are constantly on him and his family. Hopefully everything works out, so far so good.”
Zack Wheeler is “the heart of this team, the heart of this staff,” Matt Strahm told MLB.com. “You never want to see it.” The timetable for Wheeler’s return from a blood clot removal is unknown. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Sean M. Haffey via Getty Images
Wheeler first reported discomfort after his most recent start, a five-inning outing against the Nationals on Friday night. According to the team, Wheeler felt a heaviness in his shoulder that was abnormal for him. Evaluations the following day uncovered the blood clot.
Though the specifics of his situation are not publicly known, it is very likely that Wheeler will need to go on blood thinners after his surgery Monday. That would almost certainly prohibit him from retaking the mound anytime soon. Playing sports on blood thinners, even a non-contact sport like baseball, is incredibly dangerous due to the increased risk of bleeding.
There is a track record, albeit small, of blood clots and vascular issues affecting MLB pitchers. Most often, that manifests in the form of thoracic outlet syndrome, or TOS, a condition where blood vessels and nerves get pinched just below the collarbone. Though Wheeler has not, to this point, been diagnosed with TOS, the procedure he underwent, according to Will Carroll of Under The Knife, is similar and often precedes a similar rehab process.
In August of 2020, current Rangers pitcher Merrill Kelly had TOS surgery to remove a blood clot in his shoulder. The then Arizona Diamondback missed the remainder of that season, but returned the following year and continued to pitch well. Kelly’s experience with TOS varies wildly from, say, that of former Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg, whose career was derailed by the condition. It is worth noting that the type of TOS that afflicted Strasburg, called neurogenic TOS, tends to be much more debilitating than the vascular TOS that Kelly suffered from.
How this all relates to Wheeler remains to be seen.
The 35-year-old right-hander had been in the midst of another superb season. Wheeler currently leads the National League in strikeouts with 195 and slots in fifth in ERA with a 2.71. He was firmly in the mix, alongside Pirates flamethrower Paul Skenes, to win the first Cy Young of his already sensational career.
From a baseball perspective, Wheeler’s absence will undoubtedly inconvenience a Phillies team currently five games up on the New York Mets in the National League East. Wheeler would have been the best pitcher on the NL side of the playoff bracket and surely would have started Game 1 of the team’s first series.
But while Wheeler’s consistent dominance is irreplaceable, the Phillies are relatively well-suited to weather his absence.
Southpaw Cristopher Sánchez looks slated to finish in the top three of NL Cy Young voting as well. He has a sparkling 2.45 ERA across 24 starts. Behind Sánchez, the Phillies have a quartet of dependable options. Ranger Suárez (3.28 in 18 starts) has struggled of late, but had a 10-start stretch over the summer where he was the best arm in MLB. Jesús Luzardo (4.21 in 25 starts) has rolled through ups and downs in his first year with the Phillies, but looks like a frontline arm when he’s on.
Taijuan Walker (3.34 in 15 starts) entered the year as an afterthought, but has delivered a very impressive bounce-back campaign. Aaron Nola (6.92 ERA) returned from the IL on Sunday after missing three months with a foot issue. He was not sharp in his first start back and was underperforming before the injury, but Nola has a long enough résumé to inspire some level of confidence.
Top prospect Andrew Painter (5.15 in 21 MiLB starts) was expected to join the big-league club this summer, but the heralded 22-year-old has underwhelmed in Triple-A. He remains something of a wild card.
None of those characters, obviously, will match the reliability and the impact Wheeler would have provided. Since joining the Phillies in 2020, the bald Georgian leads all qualified MLB pitchers in innings and fWAR. He has established himself as a generational talent, one undeniably worthy of the record-breaking three-year, $126 million contract he received last spring. That $42 million annual average value is the highest in MLB history.
Wheeler has also endeared himself to a fan base, a franchise and the entire Phillies community. He is understated, but wry. Unrelentingly fierce, but kind. Appreciated in his own clubhouse and immensely respected in the 29 others.
After going 0 for 4 in the Chicago Cubs‘ 7-0 defeat in the first game of their Monday doubleheader versus the Milwaukee Brewers, Kyle Tucker will not play in the nightcap. And according to manager Craig Counsell, it could be the first of several days off for the struggling right fielder.
Tucker has slogged through a 2-for-25 (.080) stretch over his past seven games, which has extended a significant slump for him since the All-Star break. During the second half of the season, he is hitting .182/.333/.239 with one home run and six RBI in 110 plate appearances. He hasn’t hit a home run since July 19.
That’s nearly a 180-degree turn from the .280/.384/.499 slash average, 19 doubles, 17 homers, 56 RBI and 22 stolen bases that earned Tucker a spot on the National League All-Star team.
Cubs fans voiced their disapproval of Tucker’s recent performance, booing him during Monday afternoon’s game.
“The fans are frustrated and Kyle is frustrated,” Counsell said after the game. “When you make outs, it doesn’t look good. He’s trying. It’s just not clicking.”
“We’re going to have to take a step back here, just give him some days off to reset him, hopefully,” he added.
“The fans are frustrated, Kyle’s frustrated, it’s unfortunate” – Craig Counsell
Kyle Tucker will not be in the lineup tonight for the second game of the doubleheader vs. the Brewers
Though Tucker has denied it, injuring his right ring finger on June 1 while running the bases may be a major factor in his struggles.
“It’s fine,” Tucker told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian on Aug. 7. “I’ve got to go out and do my job regardless of how I feel. I’m just trying to continue that the best I can.”
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 1, 2025
Yet Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer believes the injury is affecting Tucker more than he’ll admit, whether it’s in how he grips the bat or the mechanics of his swing.
“I don’t know whether it still bothers him, whether it created some bad habits along the way with compensating and things like that,” Hoyer said. “There’s no question that when you look at his numbers, it’s had an impact on him, for sure. That’s the nature sometimes of these small injuries — they can do that.”
Tucker wasn’t the only Cubs batter who struggled in Monday afternoon’s loss. The team managed only two hits against four Brewers pitchers, one of which was rookie Owen Caissie‘s first in the major leagues.
Starting pitcher Cade Horton also had to leave the game in the third inning due to a blister on his right middle finger. Four batters before leaving the game, Horton gave up a home run to Brice Turang, grooving a 97 mph fastball right down the middle of the strike zone for an early 1-0 Milwaukee lead.
Following Monday’s doubleheader, the Cubs (70-54) have three more games this week against the Brewers. They came into the series eight games behind Milwaukee (79-45) in the NL Central and could face a double-digit deficit by Thursday. The Cubs then go on a nine-game road trip out West against the Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies.
After going 0 for 4 in the Chicago Cubs‘ 7-0 defeat in the first game of their Monday doubleheader versus the Milwaukee Brewers, Kyle Tucker will not play in the nightcap. And according to manager Craig Counsell, it could be the first of several days off for the struggling right fielder.
Tucker has slogged through a 2-for-25 (.080) stretch over his past seven games, which has extended a significant slump for him since the All-Star break. During the second half of the season, he is hitting .182/.333/.239 with one home run and six RBI in 110 plate appearances. He hasn’t hit a home run since July 19.
That’s nearly a 180-degree turn from the .280/.384/.499 slash average, 19 doubles, 17 homers, 56 RBI and 22 stolen bases that earned Tucker a spot on the National League All-Star team.
Cubs fans voiced their disapproval of Tucker’s recent performance, booing him during Monday afternoon’s game.
“The fans are frustrated and Kyle is frustrated,” Counsell said after the game. “When you make outs, it doesn’t look good. He’s trying. It’s just not clicking.”
“We’re going to have to take a step back here, just give him some days off to reset him, hopefully,” he added.
“The fans are frustrated, Kyle’s frustrated, it’s unfortunate” – Craig Counsell
Kyle Tucker will not be in the lineup tonight for the second game of the doubleheader vs. the Brewers
Though Tucker has denied it, injuring his right ring finger on June 1 while running the bases may be a major factor in his struggles.
“It’s fine,” Tucker told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian on Aug. 7. “I’ve got to go out and do my job regardless of how I feel. I’m just trying to continue that the best I can.”
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 1, 2025
Yet Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer believes the injury is affecting Tucker more than he’ll admit, whether it’s in how he grips the bat or the mechanics of his swing.
“I don’t know whether it still bothers him, whether it created some bad habits along the way with compensating and things like that,” Hoyer said. “There’s no question that when you look at his numbers, it’s had an impact on him, for sure. That’s the nature sometimes of these small injuries — they can do that.”
Tucker wasn’t the only Cubs batter who struggled in Monday afternoon’s loss. The team managed only two hits against four Brewers pitchers, one of which was rookie Owen Caissie‘s first in the major leagues.
Starting pitcher Cade Horton also had to leave the game in the third inning due to a blister on his right middle finger. Four batters before leaving the game, Horton gave up a home run to Brice Turang, grooving a 97 mph fastball right down the middle of the strike zone for an early 1-0 Milwaukee lead.
Following Monday’s doubleheader, the Cubs (70-54) have three more games this week against the Brewers. They came into the series eight games behind Milwaukee (79-45) in the NL Central and could face a double-digit deficit by Thursday. The Cubs then go on a nine-game road trip out West against the Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies.
Despite its rapid integration in nearly every facet of daily life, AI technology is not perfect. While it might seem like generative AI knows everything, it can make mistakes, or make up information entirely. That’s why it’s concerning to tech reporters like myself that companies are adding AI tech to tool so many people rely on and take for granted.
Search is one of those tools. Since the late 90s, we’ve been conditioned to rely on search results to find the information we’re looking for. For many of us, that means loading up Google, entering a search, and accepting the first page of results, sometimes the first result or two alone. Now, with Google’s AI Overviews taking over the top of most search results, many of us simply glance at the AI-generated result and take it at face value.
There are many issues with this new approach, but there’s one key issue to focus on today: As reported by Digital Trends, when you search for a company’s phone number, Google’s AI Overviews and even AI Mode might recommend a scammer’s phone number instead.
Scammers are “hacking” Google’s AI
Digital Trends highlights four examples of this situation in action. First, there’s Alex Rivlin, who posted on Facebook about his experience of trying to contact Royal Caribbean’s customer experience. Rivlin wanted to book a shuttle through the service, but couldn’t find the company’s support number on their website. So, like many of us, Rivlin googled “royal caribbean customer service phone number 24 hours usa,” and called the number that appeared in the AI Overview.
When Rivlin called, the “customer service” experience seemed above board, and the “rep” was very knowledgeable. Rivlin provided his credit card information to pay for the shuttle, but was concerned once the rep started asking for his date of birth. Since Royal Caribbean already had that info, it seemed suspicious, so after hanging up the phone, Rivlin checked his credit card statement, and noticed a charge from a foreign company he’d never dealt with before. After that, he noticed a small charge to the American Cancer Society, and called the credit card company to cancel the card.
As of this article, if you ask Google who that spam number belongs to, the automated result (not even the AI Overview, mind you) will say Royal Caribbean. That’s pulling from a website that appears to be impersonating the official simpler.grants.gov site. If you click the link, the page is dead, but Google is still pulling the information that existed while the site was still up. Based on this, it appears scammers are listing fake numbers on fraudulent websites, and tricking Google into sourcing that data. Google’s AI then sees “Royal Caribbean” next to this phone number on a .gov site, thinks it’s legit, and surfaces it in an AI-generated result.
Digital Trends then highlighted this example from a Redditor posting to r/ScamNumbers. The Redditor was googling “how to fix a misspelled name on Southwest,” which lead them to an AI Overview result with a scam number. This user appears to have either already known the legitimate Southwest number, or perhaps located the real number to compare to the one from this result, and saw through the scam without calling.
If you google the phony phone number, you can see a link to “Document360,” as well as the following snippet: “To correct a passenger’s name or Change Name on an Southwest Airlines Flight Ticket, reach out to Southwest Airlines customer support. Call +1-855-234-9795.” This is, again, a tactic to trick Google into presenting the scam number in its results. This time, the scammers are phishing for users searching for this specific issue, which increases the chances Google will deliver this result for this specific search.
Digital Trends also highlights a since-deleted post on Reddit, one user came close to getting scammed when googling the customer support number for a food delivery service. Similarly, in a final example, one man lost over $3,400 when he called the number that appeared for the food delivery service Swiggy’s.
Don’t assume the AI answer is correct
Google’s AI Overviews isn’t malicious; rather, it’s flawed. The underlying tech can struggle to distinguish between legitimate and false information. It lacks the awareness to understand that a site impersonating a government page can host a number and claim it to be a certain business: To the AI, that means that’s the business’ number, and, as such, it includes it in the results. It’s the same flaw that lead to Google’s disastrous rollout for AI Overviews last year. Back then, the model was even worse, pulling jokes from Reddit as legitimate sources. (No, glue does not actually make your cheese stick to your pizza.)
That’s not to say that the AI answer will always be wrong. The technology can still pull from high-quality sources and return results that are accurate. But there are flaws here that make AI answers too risky to count on. If you’d rather not scroll down to check out the traditional list of links yourself, at least click through the AI answer’s sources to see where it’s pulling the information from. If the source is sketchy, assume the answer is too.
When it comes to company contact information, I’d recommend always going directly to the source. If the company doesn’t list the phone number on their website, assume it doesn’t exist, and try to find a different contact method directly through the company. Scammers are too clever to rely on the open web for this information.
