Latest news with #Whitlock
Newsweek
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Red Sox Bullpen Continues to Bleed; This Trade Could Solve Problem
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Boston Red Sox have relied this season on 29-year-old Garrett Whitlock to get games to fireballing closer Aroldis Chapman. But Whitlock, acquired by the Red Sox from the New York Yankees in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft, has been badly overworked, as Red Sox starters have frequently made early exits. WIth 40 innings pitched already, Whitlock is tied for fifth-most by relievers in all of MLB. On Monday, Whitlock came into a 5-5 game against the Los Angeles Angels in the seventh inning, but after one scoreless frame, he melted down in the eighth, surrendering four runs and putting the game effectively out of reach, leading to Boston's third loss in a row. ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 23: Manager Alex Cora #13 of Boston Red Sox looks on in the top of the fifth inning during the game against the at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 23,... ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 23: Manager Alex Cora #13 of Boston Red Sox looks on in the top of the fifth inning during the game against the at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 23, 2025 in Anaheim, California. MoreFor that matter, the Red Sox bullpen as a whole has thrown the eighth-most innings in the majors, with 296 1/3 heading into Tuesday's middle game of the three-game road set against the Angels. The Red Sox bullpen needs help, and a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays could bring some. According to an analysis by Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan published on Tuesday, Rays closer Pete Fairbanks is likely to be available at the trade deadline, if not before. The report assesses that Fairbanks has a 60 percent chance of being shipped out by the deadline. Why? It wouldn't be his performance. His 13 saves against just one blown opportunity have played a crucial role in getting the Rays to their 43-35 record, just two games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East. The problem is that Fairbanks is playing the final season of his three-year, $12 million deal in Tampa Bay. The club has an option that will cost $7 million for next season, but with the third-lowest payroll in baseball at $55.76 million, Tampa Bay seems unlikely to pick that option up. Fairbanks would in effect be a rental. After the season, the Red Sox could choose whether to keep him around. That means his price would probably be lower than his value might otherwise command. More MLB: Could NL Contender Be Trade Partner For $120 Million Red Sox Infielder? The Red Sox could probably avoid dealing away any of their top 10 prospects, pulling from the next tier instead. Given Tampa Bay's history of developing young pitching, the Red Sox could look at sending their 2024 eighth-round draft pick, one of the youngest players in that draft class, 18-year-old Conrad Cason for Fairbanks. Ranked at No. 16 in the Red Sox system, Cason is a two-way player. A right-handed pitcher whose fastball reaches 98 mph, the Georgia native out of Greater Atlanta Christian high school is also an athletic, strong-armed shortstop. The Red Sox plan to develop him as a two-way player, which may also appeal to the cost-conscious Rays who would be getting both a pitcher and position player for the price of one, simply by giving up Fairbanks. More MLB: Giants Announce Unfortunate Rafael Devers Injury Setback
Boston Globe
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
A healthy Garrett Whitlock gives Red Sox options out of the bullpen in the late innings
It was his first save since Sept. 29, 2023. 'It's been a while,' Whitlock said. 'Good time for it.' Whitlock entered the game in the eighth inning with runners on first and second, one out and Aaron Judge up. Judge swung through a high fastball. Whitlock then went down and away with a slider. Judge grounded it to third and Abraham Toro started a double play. Advertisement 'Amazing defensive job right there,' Whitlock said. 'It was really cool to see.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The ninth inning was a 12-pitch wipeout as Cody Bellinger grounded to second before Whitlock struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe , both swinging at fastballs. Whitlock has worked 8⅔ scoreless innings in his last seven games, allowing only three hits and striking out 11 with two walks. He has a 2.97 ERA over 26 games with 45 strikeouts in 36⅓ innings. With Aroldis Chapman getting a needed two-day rest, Whitlock was the choice to close. Fathers, sons, and baseball In recognition of Father's Day, the Sox players had the names of their fathers above their lockers. Some of the players used light blue equipment. For Sox manager Alex Cora , it's a bittersweet day. He lost his father, José Manuel Cora , to cancer in 1989. Cora was about to turn 13 at the time. Advertisement 'I didn't have too much time with him,' Cora said. 'I was very upset at life because I didn't have my dad but then I was happy I had him for 12, 13 years.' José Cora was a baseball man. He founded the Little League in Caguas, Puerto Rico, and was a radio broadcaster of winter league games. One of Cora's fondest memories was traveling to New York in 1986 with his father to see his brother, Joey , when he was called up to the majors. Joey Cora didn't get in a game but the trip was special because of the time Alex spent with his father. 'Just to be around him was awesome,' Cora said. Back to work Tanner Houck is set to start a rehab assignment with Triple A Worcester on Wednesday against Buffalo at Polar Park. He is scheduled for 2-3 innings. Houck has not appeared in a game since May 12 when he allowed 11 runs over 2⅓ innings at Detroit. In an amazing coincidence, the righthander was diagnosed with a flexor pronator strain two days later and placed on the injured list. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu is set to play for Worcester on Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for coming off the injured list in San Francisco on Friday. He has been out with a left oblique strain. Wild, wild west The Sox flew to Seattle after the game and will start a nine-game, 10-game West Coast road trip on Monday night against the Mariners. Lucas Giolito , Walker Buehler , and Garrett Crochet will face the Mariners before a day off on Thursday. Three-game series at San Francisco and Anaheim will follow . . . The home run Rafael Devers hit in the fifth inning was the 500th extra-base hit of his career. At 28 years, 234 days, he is the youngest Sox player to reach that milestone. Carl Yastrzemski holds the franchise record of 1,157. Devers is 12th in team history . . . Cora introduced his seven-year-old twin sons to Judge on Saturday. Even a Yankee, he told them, can be a good role model . . . First base coach José Flores was back in the box after missing two games following a medical procedure . . . After a fantastic version of the national anthem by Fenway Park staple Michelle Brooks-Thompson , Jax Buchholz threw out the first pitch to his father, Clay . The former Sox righthander was in town for a charity event. Carlton Fisk and Mike Timlin were at the ballpark, too. Timlin hosted the Sharon Timlin Memorial 5K race in Hopkinton on Saturday to raise money for The Angel Fund for ALS Research in honor of his mother. The race, held since 2004, has raised more than $2 million. Advertisement Peter Abraham can be reached at
Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Luke Littler sent warning over playing darts tournament that 'levels people out'
Luke Littler will make his World Cup of Darts debut on Saturday as he looks to lead England to the title alongside Luke Humphries, but former winner Simon Whitlock has called for caution Luke Littler has been handed words of caution by Simon Whitlock ahead of the teenager's World Cup of Darts debut. The Warrington youngster's rise in the darting sphere has been stellar, with him reaching a world final in 2024, but even he missed out on one competition last year. In the World Cup of Darts, teams are determined via the PDC Order of Merit, and the top two players from each participating country qualify. Twelve months ago, Luke Humphries and Michael Smith, both former world champions, outranked Littler and subsequently led England to their first triumph since 2016. Littler, who is now a world title holder, has made the doubles tournament this time around and is slated to team up with Cool Hand in what appears to be a formidable pairing. However, 2022 champion Whitlock has issued a warning. "I love the World Cup. I mean, it's pairs. It's something different," Whitlock said, speaking at the MODUS Super Series 24/7 on Pluto TV launch. "There's only one tournament in the PDC, the whole calendar [that is a pairs competition], and it's a great tournament. "But it sort of levels people out. You're not just playing for yourself, you're playing for your partner and your country as well, which makes it unique from everything else, and I really do believe they should be playing more pairs tournaments." While Whitlock, who defeated England's Smith and James Wade en route to the title three years ago, acknowledged the challenges of the format, he heaped praise on Littler's exceptional abilities, reports the Express. "Luke Littler, he looks calm; he never looks flustered," Whitlock said. "I'm not being disrespectful, but he is an absolute freak of darts. He's absolutely brilliant, and he deserves all the wins he gets. He's just an incredible player." Ahead of his World Cup debut, 18-year-old Littler expressed his excitement and admitted that many were confused why he was unable to participate in Frankfurt last year. "I cannot wait," he said. "Last year, people were confused about the ranking system. Everyone was asking why I wasn't in the World Cup, and I had to explain that I'd just started my career. But now, with the major ranking money contributing to the rankings, it's a different story." Humphries has also commented on the duo's prospects, acknowledging that, due to the format, he will let the prolific scorer Littler throw first. "I will probably put him first," Humphries told Sky Sports. "He is definitely the best scorer in the world. That's not a lie, it's obvious. So, you're going to put your strengths forward. You put him first, he is probably better at going for the bullseye than I am, getting the throws. "Only if he's comfortable with it. If not, I'll go first but I played the anchor role last year. I felt really good going second, so maybe that is my role for this year as well." As England retains the No. 1 seed for the 2025 renewal thanks to their pairing ranking the highest on the PDC circuit, Littler and Humphries will team up for the first time in the last 16 on Saturday, June 14.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dayton Children's now uses AI; Here's how it works
Dayton Children's Hospital is now using artificial intelligence. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, every day, nurses spend lots of time working to understand what a patient is going through. TRENDING STORIES: 13-year-old boy killed after falling off trailer during Memorial Day parade identified Miami Valley native known for 'Hang On Sloopy' and 'Weird Al' hits dies Man fishing under Ohio train bridge saves 14-month-old hit by train 'Then you're trying to document that, at the end of the day, you think you might ever have difficulty remembering which patient was which,' Dayton Children's Chief Information Officer J.D. Whitlock said. Whitlock told News Center 7's Mason Fletcher that they want to be fast followers of technology and have implemented an ambient AI software over the last three months. The software is being used by about 25% of their providers. It is designed to automatically transcribe conversations with patients. Dayton Children's Nurse Practitioner Hayley Hammersand said this helps her work more efficiently. 'It saves us time typing up the notes. It also helps with accuracy because it collects the data in real time, and it also allows us to have a little bit better work-life balance,' Hammersand said. She added that nurses and doctors have to get consent from each patient or their parent before using the software, but nearly everyone has been on board. Whitlock said the software is very secure with the information. 'The vendor that we use, Abridge, has a very good integration with our Epic electronic health record and so that the data is transferred very securely. So that's not really a problem,' Whitlock said. The hospital emphasized that this software will never diagnose a patient or prescribe any medicine; it simply helps nurse practitioners keep track of everything. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
San Francisco Chronicle
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Garrett Whitlock of Red Sox honors late brother with song 'Bury Me in Georgia' when entering games
BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock has quietly found a way to honor his younger brother, who drowned nearly two years ago. When he enters from the bullpen at Fenway Park, the 28-year-old right-hander jogs to the mound with country artist Kane Brown's song 'Bury Me in Georgia' playing in the background. 'When my brother did pass away, I would hear that song and it would remind me of him a lot,' Whitlock told The Associated Press while standing at his locker before Friday's game against Atlanta. 'I also just like the flow of it and stuff, so it kind of has dual purpose, but I do enjoy the song and that does remind me about my brother.' On Sept. 2, 2023, Whitlock's 23-year-old brother, Gavrie, slipped running down a dock and fell into Lake Lanier in suburban Atlanta. Whitlock, the team's Jimmy Fund Captain for the third straight season — a charity the club works with to help children with cancer since the 1950s — said he thought of using the song as a tribute 'two or three weeks ago.' 'Just because I heard it for the first time in a long time and I was like: 'Man, I really enjoy that song and it reminded me of my brother,'' he said. 'So, I was like: 'You know what, that would be kind of like a cool way to do both.'' Whitlock said he hadn't even told his wife, Jordan, or his mother about the tribute. Before making the switch, he walked to the mound to 'Long Black Train' by Josh Turner. 'I hadn't really told anyone yet,' he said. 'I hadn't told my wife or anything yet. I hadn't told my mom anything. Actually, I don't think Jordan's heard it yet. She hasn't been here when I pitched yet.' Whitlock said he thought of his brother when he came out of the bullpen the first time after making the change. 'I did. That's one of those: You know, when I think about him, I definitely get emotional and everything,' he said, speaking softly. 'But, like I said, kind of a cool way to enjoy the song and always remember him.' He didn't think his teammates even noticed the tribute — except maybe fellow reliever Brennan Bernardino — because most of them weren't with the team when he learned of his brother's death during a trip to Kansas City. He said Bernardino approached him when the team was playing at Kansas City last weekend and asked how he was doing. 'A lot of these guys weren't here when it happened,' he said. 'Bernie came up to me in Kansas City and was like: 'First time being back. You OK?' I know Bernie's really conscious of it.' ___
