Chase Burns faces Zack Wheeler in Reds-Phils rubber match
On Sunday, he'll get a good look at what it takes to be one of the league's top pitchers when he faces Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Burns (0-1, 13.50 ERA) had a productive major league debut on June 24, when he allowed three runs in five innings against the New York Yankees, striking out eight without a walk. However, his luck turned upside down against the Red Sox in Boston last Monday, as he allowed seven runs -- five earned -- while recording only one out in a lopsided 13-6 defeat.
The Reds believe that Burns was tipping pitches in his first career road start and they hope to have that issue ironed out before the Wake Forest product takes the mound at Citizens Bank Park in Sunday's series rubber game.
"Hopefully (we got it figured out)," Cincinnati pitching coach Derek Johnson said. "It could be a little more challenging based on what it is. But we'll give it an old college try and find out."
The 22-year-old Burns would love to one day be as consistent as the 35-year-old Wheeler (8-3, 2.27), who is coming off a sensational month of June. The reigning National League Cy Young Award runner-up allowed two earned runs in 31 innings last month, good for a 0.58 ERA.
Wheeler put an exclamation point on his sparkling June by striking out 10 without a walk over eight scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the San Diego Padres last Monday.
"I don't think I've had a pitcher that, whether I'm coaching or managing, that has had a month like that," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. "Maybe I have, but he was pretty much dominant the whole month. ... Just efficient, strike-throwing ability, command, velocity. He had it all."
Wheeler, who is 2-2 with a 2.61 ERA in eight career starts against Cincinnati, will likely be named to the NL All-Star team on Sunday. He has a good chance to be named the league's starting pitcher, although his teammate Ranger Suarez is another contender for that honor.
Suarez limited Cincinnati to one run over five innings in Saturday's 5-1 victory for Philadelphia, as the lefty improved his ERA to 1.99.
"It's great competition," Suarez said through an interpreter in reference to the Phillies' stable of quality starting pitchers. "I think that's what drives us to be better. We look at each other. We watch each other. We just try to learn and be the best we can."
The Reds allowed three home runs in the game -- a solo shot by Edmundo Sosa and two-run bombs by Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber. However, given the quality of the Philadelphia lineup, Reds manager Terry Francona had a hard time being upset with Cincinnati starter Nick Lodolo, who allowed three runs (on the homers by Sosa and Bohm) over six otherwise solid innings.
"Some of that's that lineup," Francona said. "They're pretty good, man."
Cincinnati's Elly De La Cruz has recorded two hits in each of the first two games of the series. However, he hasn't homered since June 23.
--Field Level Media
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
MLB All-Star snub 2025: Juan Soto among top players left off rosters
Still, sometimes the formula doesn't work in the favor of the game's greatest players, particularly with the X factors of fan voting, the timing of player voting and the stipulation that all 30 teams - yep, even those in the Mountain time zone and the South Side of Chicago - are represented. With that, we take a look at a half-dozen players omitted from the July 6 roster drop, yet may find themselves summoned to the Atlanta suburbs come July 15: Juan Soto, OF, Mets Money can't necessarily buy happiness, and now we know it can't ensure All-Star spots, either. Soto, signed to a record $765 million contract in December, got off to a predictably slow start as he reacclimated to the National League and joined a new lineup. But look at him now: A .396 OBP (second in the NL, fourth in the majors), 21 home runs and a .904 OPS (seventh in the NL). Put those numbers next to another player and you'd say, "Should be an All-Star." Just because they're not quite Sotoesque doesn't mean the man doesn't deserve his fifth Al-Star appearance. And hey, the viewing public does watch this game to, you know, see the stars play. Michael Busch, 1B, Cubs Sometimes it really does come down to timing. Had Busch not waited until the Fourth of July to drop a three-homer game on Chicago's archrivals, he might have scored higher in the player or fan voting. Alas, his .939 OPS (fourth NL, seventh in the majors) and 18 home runs will be free to go fishing next week. The democratization of All-Star voting - thanks largely to online balloting, as opposed to who draws the most fans - is generally a good thing. Yet the Cubs and their 53-36 record - just shy of the Dodgers for best in the NL - are strangely underrepresented with just three selections. Slugging outfielder Seiya Suzuki also has a strong case, but the Cubs will have to make do with the very deserving Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker and Matthew Boyd. Cristopher Sanchez, LHP, Phillies This would have been back-to-back All-Star nods for Sanchez, and deservedly so. He ranks seventh in the NL with a 2.68 ERA and has given up just seven home runs, his 0.62 home runs per nine ranking fifth. He's also in the top 10 in strikeouts per nine innings. While the 6-foot-6 left-hander's strikeout total (108 in 100 innings) pales a bit compared to some electees, the Phillies are 9-2 in the 11 starts in which he's completed at least six innings, and 13-4 in all his outings. Perhaps he'll be the first one to hear his phone ring when Chris Sale (rib fracture) is declared out due to injury. Trevor Megill, RHP, Brewers In this day and age of nasty stuff and bullpen hyper-specialization, it's rare when a capital-C closer is viewed as a snub. Yet Megill has been the busiest and perhaps best of them in the NL so far. He's converted 20 of 23 opportunities, an 87% rate that's second only to the Mets' Edwin Diaz among relievers with at least 13 saves. More notably, the Brewers have been one of the game's best teams and stories all season and have just one All-Star - starter Freddy Peralta - to show for it. A reliever's life is always volatile and there's no guarantee Megill has a season like this going forward. Perhaps he'll get a just reward in coming days. Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays This one's fairly shocking, and more the product of positional glut than anything. The timeless Jose Ramirez won fan voting and was joined by player's vote winner Alex Bregman, both deserving recipients. But Caminero has more than exceeded the breakout year expected of him, with 21 home runs and an .809 OPS. He's probably a little more deserving than Rays teammate Brandon Lowe, who got a reserve nod at second base with 19 homers and an .813 OPS. Caminero's .301 OPS didn't do him any favors, but it's hard to argue with 40 extra-base hits and a .508 slugging percentage before the All-Star break. Framber Valdez, LHP, Astros Valdez should get some measure of revenge come the winter, when he may receive the largest free agent contract among pitchers. For now, his resume speaks pretty well on his behalf: 115 strikeouts in 115 innings, a 2.90 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP. But man, the AL pitching field is so loaded, Valdez's ERA is good for just 11th in the league, and eight of the 10 arms before him got selected. Valdez has one of the top overall profiles when you combine innings pitched, strikeout rate and ERA, but this is a tough crowd to stand out in. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news -- fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Mexico 2-1 USA: El Tri wins Gold Cup title in dominant fashion
Update: Date: 2025-07-07T01:39:46.000Z Title: Topic A for the', 'USA', 'is … Content: Mexico won the 2025 Gold Cup title after Edson Álvarez's winning goal in the second half. Read Beau Dure's minute-by-minute report. Beau Dure Mon 7 Jul 2025 02.26 BST First published on Sun 6 Jul 2025 22.30 BST 2.26am BST 02:26 Last word to Scott Martin: 'In the referee's defense, He has a solid 'not a foul' signal, and it would be a shame not to use it.' I warm up for games by yelling 'advantage' a lot. I should probably stop using that as a crutch. But these games are incredibly difficult to officiate, and it would've taken some baffling decisions to give the USA a chance in this one against a superlative Mexican team. Good night to those in the USA, and happy Monday to those in other time zones. 2.24am BST 02:24 Topic A for the USA is … … who took advantage of their teammates' absences to stake a claim for the World Cup roster? I don't know that anyone surprised us with their standout play here except perhaps Alex Freeman. Malik Tillman and Diego Luna already have a decent amount of buzz. Maybe Matt Freese, with his penalty shootout heroics against Costa Rica? Still a very long way to go. 2.20am BST 02:20 Landon Donovan: 'Other guys kind of fell apart during the match.' The USA won the Fair Play Award. It's presented to Ream, who poses with USSF president Cindy Cone. Mexico's Luis Malagon wins the Golden Glove. Honestly, he was a bit lucky on the saves he made tonight, but it's hard to fault him on the goal. Edson Alvarez gets the 'best player' award. 2.15am BST 02:15 Tim Ream's interview is abruptly cut short because the people at the desk apparently needed to say something. He was saying something about calmness. Not sure if he meant Mexico having it or the USA not having it. 2.13am BST 02:13 The great drummer Neil Peart once said of an album release by his band, Rush, that it's everything you hate about Rush. This game was everything you hate about Concacaf. Cynical fouls, with a referee struggling to keep pace. An awkward playing surface – specifically, grass trucked in and put over artificial turf. US supporters being outnumbered in the crowd by their opponents. An opening ceremony that left a thick haze in the stadium through much of the game. And a dreadful game by the US team. They make take some positives from this tournament, but they can take no positives from this game. They were outplayed in every aspect of the game in nearly every minute. The absences, of course, were noteworthy. No Christian Pulisic. No Weston McKennie. No Antonee Robinson. But several of these players will be disappointed in their performances tonight, and rightly so. The Fox Sports crew is spinning it as a way for the younger players to gain experience. To be sure, that's true for Alex Freeman (age 20), Damion Downs (21) and Diego Luna (21), all of whom had some good moments in this tournament. Malik Tillman is still 23, though a game like this will age someone quickly. But the 2-1 score flatters the USA. This could've been so much worse. Full credit, however, to Mexico. This is a team that knows how to possess the ball and knows how to win it back. Their lack of finishing acumen will limit their progress in the World Cup, but in Concacaf, they are absolutely the top team of 2025. Updated at 2.14am BST 2.05am BST 02:05 Call it what you like, but don't call it undeserved. 2.03am BST 02:03 90 min +7: Aaronson bundles the ball over his own goal line to concede a corner. 2.02am BST 02:02 90 min +5: In roughly the amount of time it takes a first-time novelist to complete a draft, Mexico take a throw-in. The USA go off to the races when they get it back, and Montes simply takes the ball away from Freeman. 2.01am BST 02:01 90 min +4: Freeman tries to switch the point of attack, but Vega sees it all the way and easily picks it off. 2.00am BST 02:00 90 min +3: Ruiz with a timely step to break up a US attack. The seams in the grass are plainly visible. Footing has been a problem at times. 1.59am BST 01:59 90 min +2: Whatever the USA tried to do off that free kick didn't work. But Ream knocks it forward, and it's a CHANCE for the USA. Downs, perhaps thinking he was offside, leaves the ball for Agyebang, who doesn't make clean contact. That was very close to a stunning equalizer. 1.58am BST 01:58 90 min: We should have about 800 minutes of stoppage time. We'll have seven. Actually, that's probably about right. But add on to that – Freeman is down after being shoved to the ground. Free kick for the USA near the sideline, 40 yards from goal. 1.56am BST 01:56 88 min: Aaronson rolls a couple of times after being tripped. Gimenez, who just came into the game, is down. Seems suspicious, but a closeup shows a finger that bent in a way you do not want fingers to bend. 1.54am BST 01:54 87 min: After spending a few minutes on the substitutions, play resumes with the USA getting a couple of touches in the Mexican penalty area. 1.53am BST 01:53 85 min: A brilliant slide tackle from Alvarez stops Agyemang's promising run. Raul Jimenez gets a yellow card for time-wasting as he takes an epoch or two to leave the field as he's subbed out for Gimenez. Reyes replaces Sanchez. Huerta comes on for Alvarado, who had a tremendous game. Tolkin replaces Arfsten, which seems a bit unfortunate. Aaronson replaces Luna. 1.51am BST 01:51 83 min: Alvarado shoots wide, then drops the ground. Possible cramp. Or time-wasting. Gimenez and Huerta are about to come on Mexico; Aaronson and Tolkin for the USA. 1.49am BST 01:49 82 min: McGlynn replaces the ineffective Adams, who kicks something on the bench in frustration. 1.46am BST 01:46 The VAR decision is that Alvarez barely stayed on. I suppose, but given the way the freeze-frame technology usually finds some fingernail in an offside position, I don't know that I buy it. 1.45am BST 01:45 At least for now. The ball is played across the area, off one Mexican player's head and then off Alvarez's head and into the net. But he's offside. Or … 1.43am BST 01:43 76 min: Strong defensive play from Berhalter near the top of the penalty area, but Mexico regain possession, and Luna is called for a foul. The ball is near the far sideline. 1.42am BST 01:42 74 min: Mexico bring in Pineda for the youngster Mora, who certainly made his presence felt in this game. 1.40am BST 01:40 73 min: Alvarado has a sliver of space, but the US defense swarm to take it away. 1.39am BST 01:39 72 min: Pochettino sent Downs into the game with instructions to be relayed to his teammates, and it appears they were not correctly relayed. The team are in disarray. 1.38am BST 01:38 71 min: Against all odds and all stats, this game is still 1-1. Mexico gets their 11th corner kick. The USA have none. 1.36am BST 01:36 69 min: US sub: Downs for de la Torre. Today is Downs' 21st birthday, so if the USA were to somehow win this, he'd be allowed to taste the champagne. 1.35am BST 01:35 67 min: Vega's cross sails across the front of the net, and Richards chests it out for a corner. Replay shows the defender certainly put a hand on the ball while it was sitting on the ground. From a common-sense point of view, I can understand why that wasn't called, but from a Laws of the Game perspective, I don't. 1.33am BST 01:33 67 min: Arfsten beats one defender but not the next, but the defender puts a hand down to the ground and … maybe handles the ball? 1.32am BST 01:32 65 min: Mexico's eighth corner kick is deflected for Mexico's ninth corner kick. But we'll pause as the ref notices the two Mexican players once again giving Berhalter a noogie. 1.31am BST 01:31 64 min: Adams slams into Alvarado and is surprised to be called for a foul. Joe Pearson: 'According to the ELO rankings (not the band), Mexico are 22, USA are 40. Seems about right.' Speaking of Elo ratings, congratulations to Magnus Carlsen for breaking the 2900 mark. 1.29am BST 01:29 61 min: Tillman slides through two Mexican players and is called for fouling at least one of them. Before that, a half-chance for the USA as a through ball pops into space, but Malagon alertly races out of his goal to play the ball. He was probably getting bored. 1.26am BST 01:26 58 min: As a referee myself (very, very low level), I hate to criticize the people with the whistles, but after a sound decision to establish control early by blowing the whistle often, he seems to have misplaced it. Tillman is just getting clobbered out there. 'His threshold for a foul is insanely high,' says one person on the refereeing forum I peruse. Hey – foul called as Agyemang is held like a long-lost brother at midfield. Updated at 1.27am BST 1.24am BST 01:24 56 min: Just an embarrassing sequence for the US defense there, as Alvarado goes 1-on-2 and arguably wins. Then a desperate lunge masquerading as a slide tackle fails to do the task, and in the end, it's a deflected shot/cross that Freese awkwardly punches out for a corner. Then no one is marking Vega, and his cross slams into Freese and, to the US keeper's relief, stays under him. 1.22am BST 01:22 55 min: Tillman is mauled at midfield, and while our intermittently attentive referee blows the whistle, he still takes the time to let everyone know he doesn't appreciate that. Updated at 1.28am BST 1.21am BST 01:21 54 min: CHANCE for the USA, with Arfsten getting into the attack, faking out one defender and launching a shot that goes just over the far upper corner. 1.19am BST 01:19 53 min: Presumably, the US will have another touch on the ball before the game ends. 1.18am BST 01:18 51 min: CHANCE for Mexico, and that was so close. Alvarado, from near one corner of the penalty area, just misses the far post. 1.17am BST 01:17 50 min: The Turf Monster causes a Mexican attacker to trip. About time the USA's most consistent defender made an appearance. 1.16am BST 01:16 49 min: Jiménez lofts a cross from the right flank, and this time it's Freeman doing just enough to disrupt the attack. Mexico attack again, and Richards has to scramble back to knock it out for a corner. Updated at 1.19am BST 1.15am BST 01:15 48 min: Ream wins a header to stop a promising Mexican attack. It still looks too easy for Mexico to make incisive passes, while the USA have had … one? Maybe? 1.13am BST 01:13 47 min: The USA start by stringing a few passes together, which is an improvement. 1.12am BST 01:12 Second half is underway … and it's still hazy. 1.08am BST 01:08 Kurt Perleberg asks how far a full-strength US team can go in the World Cup next year. I'll say Seattle. 1.02am BST 01:02 Stat time Concacaf has some intriguing stats, including the aforementioned 'touchmap' that was, until now, more or less devoid of US touches in the Mexican penalty area. The Jimenez goal was graded at 0.149 'expected goals.' I'd have expected more. Freeman's shot was actually higher – 0.152. Mexico has a 5-0 edge in corner kicks, a 10-2 advantage in interceptions, and 298 passes to the USA's 162. They completed 85.9% of their passing attempts; the USA clocked in at 76.5%. The USA have an edge in something they probably don't want – clearances (27-7). Good news – the foul count has slowed. Just six a side at halftime, though the referee made several correct advantage calls and several possibly incorrect no-calls. 12.56am BST 00:56 Mexico have dominated, and yet the USA should consider themselves unlucky not to be up 2-1 right now. 12.55am BST 00:55 45 min +1: A minute ago, the US had exactly one touch on the ball in the Mexican penalty area. They nearly made it two goals on two touches, as the onrushing Freeman heads the ball straight into the face of the fortunate Malagon. The ball stays in the area, and the USA have a couple of potential shouts for a penalty, though they don't make a big deal of it. It ends up with Luna blasting the ball high. 12.53am BST 00:53 44 min: YELLOW to Montes for banging into Agyemang as the US forward was about to get past the defender. It's not a red card because Agyemang was too far to the side for it to be a 'last man' situation (or 'DOGSO' in ref speak). Updated at 1.17am BST 12.51am BST 00:51 43 min: Winston Smith takes me to task for neglecting to mention Jimenez's tribute to Diogo Jota after his goal. The soccer world is a small one in many ways, and Diogo Jota clearly touched so many people. Jimenez played with him at Wolves. Updated at 1.15am BST 12.50am BST 00:50 42 min: Another corner, and two Mexican players are giving Berhalter a noogie. Not sure why our referee is allowing it to continue. 12.48am BST 00:48 40 min: Mora shoots from 22 yards, and Freese probably should've held that ball rather than palming it wide and conceding a corner. 12.47am BST 00:47 39 min: Berhalter has dropped to right back, with Freeman pushing forward. It's working in the sense that the USA still have possession, but it's not going anywhere.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Taylor v Serrano 3 – all you need to know
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano face off in the ring for a third time on Friday at Madison Square Garden in New trilogy encounter is unprecedented for a major female boxing rivalry and Taylor is two wins to the good against both fights were incredibly close and so the multiple-weight world champions return to the scene of their first, now classic, 2022 is also a stacked undercard with Britain's Ellie Scotney, Ramla Ali, Savannah Marshall and Chantelle Cameron all in you need to know about the event is below. How to follow Taylor v Serrano 3 on the BBC? Live text commentary will begin from 01:00 BST on the BBC Sport website and will be able to follow most of the undercard, including Scotney and Marshall's world title Sport will bring you daily coverage from New York in fight week with Steve Bunce delivering episodes of his 5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce podcast. What time is Taylor v Serrano 3? Alycia Baumgardner's world title defence is the co-main event, meaning Marshall and Scotney will probably fight between 01:30 and 02: and Serrano are expected to make their ringwalks around 03:30 BST. Who is on Taylor v Serrano undercard and what is the running order? How many rounds and what weight is Taylor v Serrano 3? Taylor and Serrano have already shared 20 rounds together and their latest fight is scheduled for ten, two minute first fight was at lightweight and the rematch was at light-welterweight. The trilogy will also be at light-welterweight. Taylor v Serrano fight week schedule Tuesday - open workouts from 22:00 BST The Oculus World Trade Center hosts the workouts which will see every fighter in the ring from 17:00 local - news conference from 23:00 BSTAll boxers will gather for the news conference at the the Theater inside Madison Square Garden from 18:00 local - weigh-in from 23:00 BSTThe Theater hosts the public weigh-in from 18:00 local time. Many of the fighters will weigh in earlier in the day before doing another weigh-in in front of fans. How do Taylor and Serrano's records compare? Taylor and Serrano have two of the best records in boxing, not just the women's is a seven-weight world champion while Taylor is among an elite club in the modern era to win undisputed titles in two weight 39, has 24 wins and just one loss on her record, a 2023 defeat by Cameron she avenged in her next 36, is one of the most experienced pro-female fighters on the scene today with 47 wins, three losses and one draw on her has two victories over Serrano, while the other defeat was way back in 2012 at super-featherweight to Frida saw in the first fight how their styles gelled perfectly and just how many punches were thrown between them. A combined 320 punches were landed over the 10 rounds and after 20 rounds that figure rose to 861 won a narrow split decision in an instant classic at MSG three years Irishwoman suffered her first defeat since then while Serrano became undisputed champion at featherweight as she amassed five more fight last November was another epic as Taylor leaned on her reactions and experience while a badly cut Serrano refused to take a backwards step. Remarkably, after 40 minutes we still haven't seen a knockdown. Who won Taylor v Serrano 1 & 2? Taylor and Serrano's two fights couldn't have been much closer. The first encounter was a split decision for Taylor while the rematch was a little wider for the and grit for both women was a massive factor in each fight, with Taylor digging deep to stay on her feet at MSG before Serrano battled through a terrible cut above her eye through much of the rematch in Texas. On both occasions, Serrano slammed her foot on the gas from the very first bell, throwing a huge amount of punches. She out-landed Taylor in both fights, with 324 punches to Taylor's 217 in the the volume wasn't enough for Serrano as she failed to put a real dent in Taylor. The defending champion used her counters and speed to deal with the onslaught and landed more of the meatier Serrano had visibly hurt Taylor in the first fight, she was unable to rock her rival in the either woman come out with a different game plan for the trilogy or will we see another all-action firefight?
