MLB All-Star Game starters: Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal starting pitchers
Had Wheeler, who pitched Saturday night against the San Diego Padres, opted to participate, it would have created a tough decision for MLB and NL manager Dave Roberts. Wheeler has likely had the objectively superior first half - though not by much - leaving the league to decide between Wheeler and the buzzier, if you will, Skenes.
The call to National League Starting Pitcher, Paul Skenes ???? pic.twitter.com/s38F41vV4o — Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 12, 2025
That won't be a problem come Tuesday, as Skenes, who has a 4-8 record despite 4.8 WAR and a 2.01 ERA, will throw the first pitch at Truist Park against the AL All-Stars. Skenes will be first out the chute for the AL, thanks to his 2.23 ERA and a staggering 153 strikeouts in 121 innings.
Other stars who have opted out or been replaced due to the timing of their final first-half starts include Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez, Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez and Texas right-hander Jacob de Grom. Others, like Atlanta lefty Chris Sale and Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman, are either injured or returned very recently from injury and won't play.
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Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
GPs to make football available on prescription for depression sufferers
The plans, drawn up by GP turned MP Dr Simon Opher (Stroud) and Mr Vince, will see patients at surgeries in Gloucestershire given the chance to attend games at National League side Forest Green Rovers. Mr Vince has owned the club since 2010. The initiative is part of a move by Dr Opher who has pioneered offering social prescribing to patients with mild or moderate depression instead of antidepressants. Both comedy and gardening have previously been prescribed to patients by Dr Opher. He said on average around four-in-five tend to stick with prescribed activities, with one of the main benefits of tackling loneliness. Dr Opher told the PA news agency: 'I do think there's something about watching football which does give you a sense of community. 'I think one of the biggest problems in our society is social isolation. 'It's really quite toxic, actually, and it's created in the modern world by social media. 'Pubs aren't so popular, we don't get out as much, we don't live in extended families, so that is very bad for you. 'You can quantify it, it's the same health risk as smoking about 20 cigarettes a day. It's really bad. 'One of the things here is just getting people out and socialising.' A view of the fixture board on Another Way near the stadium, before the Sky Bet League One match at The Bolt New Lawn Stadium, Nailsworth (Nick Potts/PA) He added: 'Football isn't going to be for everyone. Nothing is, but we need a range of options. 'Football is about socialising and roaring on your team, getting excited, taking yourself out of your own life for a short while, and living through something else.' Dr Opher has previously spoken about his concerns on the over prescription of antidepressants. He said he does not believe they should be given to patients if they have moderate or mild symptoms. The number of people of antidepressants rose by 2.1% last year, compared to 2022/23. He said: 'If you've got severe depression then I would always recommend antidepressants, but a large majority of people have got what they call mild to moderate depression, and the tendency at the moment is to give them tablets, because there's no mental health support really, it can take six months to get it, and you feel like you need to do something. 'That's why we've got to a stage where we've got 8.7 million people on antidepressants, so we need to try something else.' Patients at a dozen surgeries in the county near Forest Green's The New Lawn ground in Nailsworth will be given the chance to be referred to go to a game. The initiative is planned to run for the whole season, beginning with the side's first home game against Yeovil Town on August 16. The tickets are being donated for free by Forest Green. There's no guarantee action on the pitch will lift the spirits of depression sufferers, as Forest Green suffered penalty heartbreak in the playoffs last season, losing to Southend. Mr Vince bought the club in 2010, and has since turned them into the world's first vegan, and carbon-neutral football club. Under his ownership the long-time non-league club reached League One, before suffering two back-to-back relegations. Mr Vince is best known for founding green energy company Ecotricity. It has previously donated £5 million to the Labour Party. He said: 'I think it'd be a great thing if football clubs up and down the country could reach out to people and do this. 'Men typically don't really talk about their issues, that's the thing, and you get loneliness and things like that as well. 'In my life I've had periods of my life where I've been a bit fed up, and excluded … a bit down from time to time, it's easy to spiral downwards when you're not in contact with people and I just wanted to do something with that.' He added: 'Forest Green has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I'm keen to share that.' Dr Opher's scepticism towards widespread antidepressant prescription came after he began his career as a GP in 1995. 'I'd started seeing there's a lot of people depressed out there, a lot of people with low mood, so I started putting a lot of them on antidepressants or referring them to mental health,' he said. 'Quite a few of them, one in four, maybe even more, would just come back no better, but with intractable problems. 'What I realised is that tablets didn't help them, we had nothing to help them. 'I thought we needed to try something different and do a different behaviour.' He added: 'For the people it did work for, it was transformative, and also they got onto the next thing, they stopped coming to see me, which is a great sign.'
Western Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
GPs to make football available on prescription for depression sufferers
The plans, drawn up by GP turned MP Dr Simon Opher (Stroud) and Mr Vince, will see patients at surgeries in Gloucestershire given the chance to attend games at National League side Forest Green Rovers. Mr Vince has owned the club since 2010. The initiative is part of a move by Dr Opher who has pioneered offering social prescribing to patients with mild or moderate depression instead of antidepressants. Both comedy and gardening have previously been prescribed to patients by Dr Opher. He said on average around four-in-five tend to stick with prescribed activities, with one of the main benefits of tackling loneliness. Dr Opher told the PA news agency: 'I do think there's something about watching football which does give you a sense of community. 'I think one of the biggest problems in our society is social isolation. 'It's really quite toxic, actually, and it's created in the modern world by social media. 'Pubs aren't so popular, we don't get out as much, we don't live in extended families, so that is very bad for you. 'You can quantify it, it's the same health risk as smoking about 20 cigarettes a day. It's really bad. 'One of the things here is just getting people out and socialising.' A view of the fixture board on Another Way near the stadium, before the Sky Bet League One match at The Bolt New Lawn Stadium, Nailsworth (Nick Potts/PA) He added: 'Football isn't going to be for everyone. Nothing is, but we need a range of options. 'Football is about socialising and roaring on your team, getting excited, taking yourself out of your own life for a short while, and living through something else.' Dr Opher has previously spoken about his concerns on the over prescription of antidepressants. He said he does not believe they should be given to patients if they have moderate or mild symptoms. The number of people of antidepressants rose by 2.1% last year, compared to 2022/23. He said: 'If you've got severe depression then I would always recommend antidepressants, but a large majority of people have got what they call mild to moderate depression, and the tendency at the moment is to give them tablets, because there's no mental health support really, it can take six months to get it, and you feel like you need to do something. 'That's why we've got to a stage where we've got 8.7 million people on antidepressants, so we need to try something else.' Patients at a dozen surgeries in the county near Forest Green's The New Lawn ground in Nailsworth will be given the chance to be referred to go to a game. The initiative is planned to run for the whole season, beginning with the side's first home game against Yeovil Town on August 16. The tickets are being donated for free by Forest Green. There's no guarantee action on the pitch will lift the spirits of depression sufferers, as Forest Green suffered penalty heartbreak in the playoffs last season, losing to Southend. Mr Vince bought the club in 2010, and has since turned them into the world's first vegan, and carbon-neutral football club. Under his ownership the long-time non-league club reached League One, before suffering two back-to-back relegations. Mr Vince is best known for founding green energy company Ecotricity. It has previously donated £5 million to the Labour Party. He said: 'I think it'd be a great thing if football clubs up and down the country could reach out to people and do this. 'Men typically don't really talk about their issues, that's the thing, and you get loneliness and things like that as well. 'In my life I've had periods of my life where I've been a bit fed up, and excluded … a bit down from time to time, it's easy to spiral downwards when you're not in contact with people and I just wanted to do something with that.' He added: 'Forest Green has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I'm keen to share that.' Dr Opher's scepticism towards widespread antidepressant prescription came after he began his career as a GP in 1995. 'I'd started seeing there's a lot of people depressed out there, a lot of people with low mood, so I started putting a lot of them on antidepressants or referring them to mental health,' he said. 'Quite a few of them, one in four, maybe even more, would just come back no better, but with intractable problems. 'What I realised is that tablets didn't help them, we had nothing to help them. 'I thought we needed to try something different and do a different behaviour.' He added: 'For the people it did work for, it was transformative, and also they got onto the next thing, they stopped coming to see me, which is a great sign.'
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Taylor Ward, Angels finish series at Phillies with a bang
July 20 - Taylor Ward doubled twice and drove in four runs to cap an outstanding series as the Los Angeles Angels rolled over the host Philadelphia Phillies 8-2 on Sunday. Ward drove in multiple runs in all three games in Philadelphia, finishing the weekend set with two home runs, three doubles and eight RBIs. Mike Trout joined in on the fun Sunday, pitching in two RBIs, while Zach Neto had two hits and scored three times for the Angels. The strong offensive attack by Los Angeles made a winner of Jose Soriano (7-7), who allowed two runs and six hits over seven innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out five. Otto Kemp singled and homered for Philadelphia, which has lost six of its last nine games. Phillies lefty Ranger Suarez (7-4) endured his worst start in more than two months, allowing six runs, eight hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. Los Angeles opened the scoring with four straight singles against Suarez in the second inning. The fourth hit in that sequence was Neto's RBI hit to right field to make it 1-0. Two batters later, Suarez walked Trout to force in another run. Ward then followed with a bases-clearing double to center as the visitors surged ahead 5-0. Rafael Marchan's two-out RBI single got Philadelphia on the board in the bottom of the frame, but the Angels got that run back in the fourth on Trout's sacrifice fly. LaMonte Wade Jr. opened the sixth with a home run against Joe Ross as the Angels grew their lead to 7-1. Kemp responded with a sixth-inning homer for the Phillies, but Ward countered with an RBI double in the seventh to make it 8-2. Wade finished 3-for-4 in relief of Nolan Schanuel, who exited with a wrist contusion after getting hit by a pitch in the first inning. Philadelphia sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, who combined for five home runs in the first two games of the series, collectively went 1-for-8 with four strikeouts in this one. --Field Level Media
