
Fading Nationals are left as roadkill by the surging Brewers
The blueprint for another loss, this one by an 8-3 margin Friday night to the surging Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field, unfolded early, with starter Mitchell Parker surrendering six runs, all earned, in the third inning. That uprising all but ensured Washington's sixth defeat in seven games, dropping the Nationals (38-56) further into the depths of the National League East standings.
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Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chris Vernon joins KOC from Las Vegas! Plus ARod & Marc Lore talk Wolves ownership
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NBC Sports
20 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Curveballs are disappearing in MLB as velocity obsession reshapes pitching landscape
ATLANTA — Curveballs have been thrown a curve by a modern game valuing velocity over variety, disappearing from the major leagues by more than 20,000 annually. The Athletics have thrown curves on just 2.5% of pitches this season. The overall big league figure dropped from 10.7% in 2019 to 8.1% last year, the lowest since MLB starting tracking in 2008, before rising slightly to 8.5% this season. There were 22,962 fewer curveballs in 2024 than five years earlier. 'You don't really see a lot of people throwing 12-6 curveballs anymore,' Tampa Bay pitcher Shane Baz said. 'They'd rather have a hard cutter/slider. It's a lot easier for guys to throw a sweeper than it is a 12-6 curveball.' Baz's 28.1% is seventh in curveball use among those who have thrown at least 1,000 pitches this season. Baltimore's Charlie Morton, first at 39%, learned to throw a hook from his dad. 'He was reading some article or maybe he was reading some pitching book,' Baltimore's 41-year-old right-hander said. 'You basically throw it like you're re-throwing a knife.' Curveballs have been around for a century and a half Hall of Famer Candy Cummings, a 145-game winner, is credited with inventing the curveball in 1863 when he was 14, discovering the movement when he threw sea shells into the Atlantic Ocean. Some attribute the curve to amateur pitcher Fred Goldsmith in 1870. With an average velocity of 80.2 mph, curves are the slowest and loopiest of breaking pitches, often disrupting the timing of batters set for smoke. The phrase 'thrown a curveball' has become part of the English language, much like 'screwball,' more a phrase than a pitch these days. Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan and Clayton Kershaw were among the consummate curveballers, bamboozling batters as balls they gave up on dropped like hang gliders into the strike zone. 'It's become an industry of throwing over pitching,' New York Yankees senior adviser Omar Minaya said. 'When you pitch, you use different pitches. 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Starters have averaged just under 5 1/3 innings this season, down from 6 1/3 innings in the 1980s. Their pitch count averages 85.7, down from 97 in 2010. Throw as hard as you can for as long as you can is the mantra Average four-seam fastball velocity is a record 94.4 mph this season, up from 91.9 mph when MLB started tracking in 2008. But fastballs — four-seam, two-seam and cutters, have dropped from 62.1% to 55%. Those missing hooks and heaters have been replaced by sliders, sweepers and slurves. They are 22.6% of pitches this year, up from 13.9% in 2008, and their average velocity has risen to 84.8 mph from 83.4 mph. Colorado throws curves the most often at 15.6%, not that it has brought any success to a team that entered the break at 22-74, on track for a 37-125 finish and the post-1900 record for losses. The Athletics haven't thrown 10% curveballs since 2017. 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'The hitters are up there trying to swing as hard they can. If they hit it with hard contact, make 27 swings that are really hard, you got a chance to hit a homer here and there. And it's taken away from the contact-type pitchers.'


Fox Sports
20 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
2025 MLB All-Star Game MVP Odds: Can Ohtani, Judge Win For First Time?
MLB All-Star Game MVP isn't as prestigious as regular-season MVP — but it's still a nice accolade for the trophy case. The Midsummer Classic is set for Tuesday at Truist Park in Atlanta. Will the two biggest names in the sport finally bring home their first piece of hardware from the All-Star showcase (8 p.m. ET, FOX)? Let's check out the odds at Fanduel Sportsbook as of July 14. 2025 All-Star Game MVP Shohei Ohtani: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total) Aaron Judge: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total) Ronald Acuna Jr.: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total) Cal Raleigh: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total) Pete Crow-Armstrong: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total) Fernando Tatis Jr.: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total) Freddie Freeman: +2300 (bet $10 to win $240 total) Manny Machado: +2300 (bet $10 to win $240 total) Ketel Marte: +2300 (bet $10 to win $240 total) Bobby Witt Jr.: +2700 (bet $10 to win $280 total) Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: +2700 (bet $10 to win $280 total) If you look at the most recent winners of the All-Star Game MVP, there are some names that might shock both true baseball and casual fans. Last year it was Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran. The year before, it was Rockies catcher Elias Diaz. Both Duran and Diaz were making their All-Star debuts and have not made it back to the game. Prior to those two, Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton won in 2022 and Blue Jays slugger Vladdy Guerrero Jr. won in 2021, both star names. There are two superstars, however, that have yet to win ASG MVP: Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. Ohtani, a five-time All-Star, won AL MVP in 2021 and 2023, and NL MVP last season. Judge, a seven-time All-Star, won AL MVP in 2022 and 2024. Last season, Ohtani hit a three-run homer, while Judge went 0-for-2. However, the AL won the game, creating a blockade from Ohtani likely winning MVP. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic