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San Francisco Chronicle
11 minutes ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Giants call up right-hander Carson Seymour, option Sean Hjelle to Sacramento
CHICAGO — In need of a fresh arm, the San Francisco Giants recalled right-handed pitcher Carson Seymour from Triple-A Sacramento before their game against the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Sean Hjelle was optioned to Sacramento as the corresponding roster move. Hjelle's wife had recently posted allegations of abuse against the reliever that the league is looking into. Hjelle said last week he and his wife are in the process of divorcing, but he has not made an official statement on the allegations, adding that he will 'have one eventually.' Hjelle has a 6.75 ERA in nine appearances this year and allowed four runs in one inning in the Giants' loss to Miami on Thursday. He pitched in three consecutive games and manager Bob Melvin said his demotion had most to do with the lack of long relief options available on Friday in Chicago. Hjelle 'is probably down for a couple days, we've used some bullpen, you kind of have to keep an eye on what potential length you need and we don't have a ton of it today,' Melvin said. 'That's why Seymour is here.' Seymour, 26, was scratched from his scheduled start with the River Cats on Thursday to join the Giants at the start of a three-city road trip, where he's looking to make his big league debut. Seymour isn't daunted by the shift in role, saying he thought that would be his future when the New York Mets drafted him in the sixth round out of Kansas State in 2021. 'When I first got drafted I thought, relief? And they were like, 'No, you're going to start.' And I thought, 'OK!'' Seymour said. 'So I'm just happy to be here.' Seymour, who stands 6-foot-6, was a standout during big league camp this spring and is ranked as one of the Giants' top pitching prospects. The Giants acquired him in a 2022 trade along with J.D. Davis for Darin Ruf. Much like Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison (before he was traded to the Red Sox) earlier this year, Seymour's addition to the bullpen allows the Giants to get one of their touted pitching prospects a taste of the big leagues. Plans in the years to come are to have Seymour compete for a spot in the rotation along with two other top pitching prospects named Carson — Carson Whisenhunt and Carson Ragsdale. No, he didn't gloat to the other Carsons that he is the first of the Carson trio to get called up to the majors. 'It just kind of worked out that way with the lining of the rotation,' Seymour said. 'We're all equally great, I'd say. … We all love each other.' Added Melvin on Seymour: 'We saw it in spring training. It's big stuff, high velocity, down the mound. There's a lot to like, there are strikeouts involved. He's someone we have a bright future for; it's not a bad idea to get guys here to get a taste of the big leagues. We do have a need for some length right now and that's how he'll be used, but just being around the big league team — because at some point in time he will be a big leaguer — we're excited about having him.' The bullpen, one of baseball's best, got roughed up during their last homestand, posting a 5.84 ERA over the team's last six games against the Boston Red Sox and Miami Marlins. Seymour brings to the group a 3.89 ERA with 83 strikeouts and 37 walks in 15 starts this year, strong numbers in a Pacific Coast League that is unfriendly to pitchers. Notably, he has a 10.1 strikeout-per-nine innings rate. Seymour attributes the strong strikeout numbers to an eclectic pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball that can touch the high-90s mph, a two-seamer and two different sliders, one with bigger horizontal movement and a tighter, gyro slider, plus a changeup and cutter he's sprinkling in. 'I'm really trying to expand the mix,' Seymour said. 'I've been throwing a lot of fastballs and mixing all that in has done a lot to help on the sliders.' Seymour's wife, parents, sister and uncle were to be in Chicago to see his potential debut. As was his father-in-law, Donnie Campbell, who is the real-life inspiration for the television character Ted Lasso. Campbell, a high school basketball coach in the greater Kansas City, Mo., area, coached Jason Sudeikis, who developed the HBO show and plays the titular role. Briefly: Casey Schmitt was out of the lineup for a second straight game nursing a sore left hand, but was to take dry swings on Friday with hopes of playing in Saturday's game. Schmitt was hit in the hand with a pitch on Wednesday; an X-ray and CT scan showed no fractures or damage.
San Francisco Chronicle
12 minutes ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Arizona governor caps off quarrelsome legislative session with budget approval
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed on Friday a bipartisan budget that boosts pay for first responders and increases spending on social services, capping a quarrelsome session of the Republican-led Legislature that brought the state to the brink of a government shutdown. The first-term Democrat broke her veto record, sparred with Republicans over agency leadership nominations and got on board with bipartisan proposals that ruffled the feathers of some members of her party. The session unfolded while Hobbs' 2026 bid to hold the reins of the battleground state loomed large. Hobbs began the session with an uphill climb, confronting expanded Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Arizona is one of eight states where the governor's office and legislature are controlled by opposing parties. Hobbs' office chose to negotiate on just a handful of issues this session, including water policy, funding for some of Arizona's most vulnerable residents and renovations to a stadium used by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Budget barbs The Legislature sent the governor a $17.6 billion budget after GOP lawmakers traded barbs with each other and Hobbs' office. The Senate approved one version, but it lacked votes in the House, leaving lawmakers in that chamber to introduce a measure meant to keep state operations running while negotiations continued. On Wednesday, Hobbs vetoed the proposal favored by House Republicans and the continuation measure, calling them partisan and reckless. House Speaker Steve Montenegro introduced amendments to the budget proposal Thursday, and the chamber passed it that night, clearing the way for the Senate to sign off. Border security Hobbs indicated last fall that she was willing to work with the Trump administration on border security issues like stopping fentanyl trafficking and followed up in January calling the Laken Riley Act 'an important step forward" in a post on the social platform X. The act requires detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crime. Hobbs' stance drew praise from GOP Senate President Warren Petersen, while members of her own party criticized the measure. She signed an executive order in February to create a task force that would oversee expanded operations at the border, but she later vetoed a measure that would have required local and state officials to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts. Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan, a Democrat, said her caucus pushed Hobbs to limit spending on border support, saying it had 'drawn a hard line' and planned to withhold votes on the state budget until the border funding was reduced. Senate Assistant Minority Leader Sen. Catherine Miranda, who voted against the budget, said last week that she could not support a budget that has language that opens the door to immigration enforcement. 'And while I know that Gov. Hobbs has promised she will not use the Local Border Support Fund to enforce immigrant laws, the language included in a bill has as much impact as the actual policy implementation,' Miranda said. Progressive lobbyist Marilyn Rodriguez said she would have liked to see Hobbs take a less hawkish posture on border security. Despite some frustrations, House Democratic Leader Oscar De Los Santos said the budget delivers on priorities that include public education, Medicaid and expanded health care for certain patients. 'We also make big investments to bring down the cost of childcare and make college tuition free for Arizona's students from working families,' he said in a statement. Hardball with Republicans Hobbs is no stranger to the veto pen, which she has wielded to knock down what she considers proposals that are out of touch with the state's purple electorate. This year, she vetoed about 170 bills, including an attempt to speed up the counting of ballots. She's repeatedly accused state Sen. Jake Hoffman, who chairs the Legislature's Freedom Caucus, for politicizing the confirmations of her agency head nominees. Her fight with Republicans over funding for a state agency that provides services for some of Arizona's most vulnerable residents led to a moratorium on bill signing, and she has criticized Republicans for hitting the breaks on a proposal that could have led to increased regulation of groundwater pumping in rural areas of the drought-stricken state. Hobbs has said she'd take action on the water front in the absence of a legislative deal, which could set up another round of sparring with Republican lawmakers as she prepares to seek another term. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
41 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Authorities arrest fugitive who police say posted on social media following New Orleans jailbreak
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana authorities captured on Friday one of the 10 men who escaped from a New Orleans jail six weeks ago and who police say released videos on social media while still on the run. Antoine Massey, 33, was taken into custody at a residence in New Orleans about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the jail, said New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. 'He actually walked out of a home peacefully,' Kirkpatrick said. 'He peacefully gave up to law enforcement who had surrounded the house.' Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said she had received a tip Friday morning and immediately notified other law enforcement authorities, who arrested Massey by midafternoon. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges said authorities were still investigating how Massey was able to stay at the residence where he was recaptured. 'It's pretty obvious over the last six weeks to remain a fugitive that long, he had assistance, he had help,' Hodges said. Authorities had recently investigated social media posts by a man who identified himself as Massey and earlier this month raided a New Orleans home where they believed the videos were produced but did not find him. 'Great work by all our law enforcement partners who have been working so hard for this outcome,' Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said after Massey's capture Friday. 'One more to go!' Authorities are still searching for convicted murderer Derrick Groves. Police previously captured the other eight escapees following the May 16 jailbreak, one of the largest in recent U.S. history. Authorities said the men yanked open a faulty cell door inside the New Orleans jail, squeezed through a hole behind a toilet, scaled a barbed-wire fence and fled into the dark. The men's absence wasn't discovered until a morning headcount, hours after they bolted for freedom. Authorities found a message drawn around the hole the men used to escape: an arrow pointing at the gap and the words 'To Easy LoL.' Officials have pointed to multiple security lapses in the jail, but authorities remain adamant that the men also had likely had help. A maintenance worker at the jail was arrested for allegedly helping the men escape by turning off the water to the toilet where the hole was cut behind. His lawyer says he has denied knowingly aiding them. Massey faced charges of rape, kidnapping, domestic violence involving strangulation and violation of a protective order, authorities in nearby St. Tammany Parish said. In Orleans Parish, he faced charges of motor vehicle theft and domestic battery. Murrill said Massey will face additional charges for his role in the escape. A woman police identified as being in an on-again, off-again relationship with Massey was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice and as a principal to aggravated escape, court records show. Authorities said the woman knew of Massey's escape plans beforehand, communicated with him afterward and misled authorities. A $50,000 reward remains for tips leading to Groves' recapture, authorities said. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
NFL coach Jim Harbaugh added to lawsuit about hacking allegations against former assistant
DETROIT (AP) — NFL coach Jim Harbaugh was added Friday to a lawsuit against the University of Michigan and a former assistant football coach who is accused of hacking into the computer accounts of college athletes across the U.S. to look for intimate photos. Attorneys claim Harbaugh, who was Michigan's coach, and others knew that Matt Weiss was seen viewing private information on a computer in December 2022 but still allowed him to continue working as co-offensive coordinator in a national playoff game roughly a week later. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel and other officials were also added to the lawsuit in federal court in Detroit. 'The university's delay in taking meaningful protective action until after a high-stakes game sends a clear message: Student welfare was secondary,' said Parker Stinar, who is the lead lawyer in a class-action lawsuit arising from a criminal investigation of Weiss. Messages seeking comment from Manuel and Harbaugh, who is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, were not immediately returned Friday. Separately, Weiss has been charged with identity theft and unauthorized computer access from 2015 to 2023. The indictment says he got access to the social media, email and cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 college athletes, as well as more than 1,300 students or alumni from schools across the U.S., to find private images, primarily of women. He has pleaded not guilty. 'Had Harbaugh implemented basic oversight of his staff, plaintiffs and the class would have been protected against predators such as Weiss,' the updated lawsuit states. 'Instead, Weiss was a highly compensated asset that was promoted by and within the football program, from which position he was able to, and did, target female student athletes.' The lawsuit says a staff member saw Weiss viewing private information at Schembechler Hall, headquarters for the football team, around Dec. 21, 2022, and reported it before Michigan played Texas Christian University in a playoff game days later on Dec. 31. Weiss was fired a few weeks later in January 2023 during an investigation of his computer use. Earlier this year, after charges were filed, Harbaugh told reporters that he didn't know anything about Weiss' troubles until after the playoff game. He said the allegations were "shocking." Weiss worked for Harbaugh's brother, John, on the coaching staff of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens before joining the Michigan team in 2021. The lawsuit says Weiss' university computer had encryption software that had to be disabled by an external vendor as part of the investigation. Authorities disclosed in April that thousands of intimate photos and videos were found on his electronic devices and cloud storage accounts.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Texas Rangers CF Wyatt Langford to IL again with oblique strain while RHP Nathan Eovaldi returns
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers center fielder Wyatt Langford has been put on the 10-day injured list because of an oblique strain for the second time this season. Chris Young, the team's president of baseball operations, said Friday that Langford has a 'very low grade' strain. The second-year outfielder hasn't played since Tuesday in Baltimore. 'Feel like it's just the right thing to do. With two off days, it shortens the amount of games missed,' Young said. 'Just getting this right on the front end.' The Rangers, also before the opener of their home series against Seattle, activated right-hander Nathan Eovaldi from the 15-day injured list to start Friday night, exactly one month after his last game before going on the IL because of elbow inflammation. Right-handed reliever Dane Dunning was sent back to Triple-A Round Rock. Michael Helman, a outfielder-middle infielder who was claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh last month, was being brought up from Triple-A to take over Langford's roster spot. Young said Langford's issue was 'just on the cusp' of whether he needed to go on the IL. But the move was backdated to Wednesday, and combined with off days for the Rangers on consecutive Thursdays, Langford will miss only eight games if he has the expected minimal IL stay. He would be eligible to return July 5 at San Diego. Langford missed nine games in mid-April while on the IL with a right oblique strain, while the latest issue is on the left side. He is hitting .232 with a team-leading 13 home runs and 31 RBIs. Bradford's surgery Young said Bradford's surgery was successful, and that team physician Dr. Keith Meister did an internal brace procedure rather than a more extensive procedure. The pitcher will still be out at least 10-12 months, but that is shorter than if he had needed Tommy John surgery. Bradford was expected to be part of the starting rotation this season, but was shut down during spring training in mid-March because of elbow soreness. His rehab had been going good until Bradford felt something in his elbow when he resumed throwing after a recent flu bug. The 27-year-old Bradford is 10-6 with a 4.28 ERA in 34 games (21 starts) for Texas the past two seasons. As a rookie, Bradford was 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in five relief appearances during the 2023 playoffs when the Rangers won their first World Series title. He pitched a scoreless inning in both of his World Series appearances. 'The brace procedure, optimistically, would mean a shorter timeline to returning to competition,' Young said. 'All things considered, everything went smoothly. It was the best of the outcomes we could have anticipated.' ___
