Sports
Dodgers notes: Evan Phillips' return is 'pretty exciting' development for bullpen
Managing a 4-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night was like sitting in the back seat of a self-driving car for Dodgers field boss Dave Roberts.
Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a quality start, giving up one run and seven hits in six innings and turning the game over to the bullpen with a three-run lead.
With his three highest-leverage relievers available, Roberts used Daniel Hudson in the seventh inning, Blake Treinen in the eighth and closer Evan Phillips in the ninth, a clockwork-like strategy that Roberts had been able to deploy … like, never, this season.
Phillips had an 0.66 ERA and converted all eight of his save opportunities in his first 14 games before going on the injured list because of a right hamstring strain on May 5, the same day that Treinen, who missed most of 2022 and 2023 because of shoulder injuries and was slowed this spring by fractured ribs, made his 2024 Dodgers debut.
Hudson, who also missed most of 2022 and 2023 because of surgeries on both knees, has been a back-of-the-bullpen mainstay all season, with a 2-1 record, 2.35 ERA and three saves in 23 games entering Tuesday’s game at Pittsburgh, and Treinen has not allowed an earned run in 9⅔ innings of his first 10 games.
But Saturday night marked the first time this season that all three right-handers pitched in the same game, a luxury Roberts likened to receiving a Christmas gift.
“To go to Hudson, Treinen and Evan was pretty exciting for me,” Roberts said. “Treinen and Huddy have been so good for us — for them to come off injury last year and be inserted into their normal roles and thrive has been great. And to have Evan back and do what he did, it certainly makes you feel good about the back end of the game.”
The return of Phillips, who struck out one of three batters in a clean ninth inning Saturday night, should solidify the back end of the bullpen.
“Now we know that every time we get a lead in the ninth inning,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández said, “it’s close to 100% that we’re gonna win the game.”
But even with Phillips, the relief corps remains far from whole. Right-hander Brusdar Graterol, who went 4-2 with a 1.20 ERA in 68 games in 2023, has been sidelined all season because of shoulder inflammation and has not even resumed throwing.
And right-handers Ryan Brasier, who had a 4.63 ERA in 12 games before suffering a right calf strain in late April, and Joe Kelly, who had a 1.69 ERA in 10⅔ innings of his previous 12 games before going on the injured list because of a shoulder strain in early May, are weeks away from returning.
“I think when our entire staff is healthy, we’re going to be in a great position to win,” Phillips said. “We still have a lot of major pieces missing. We’re waiting for Joe Kelly and Ryan Brasier … to picture that bullpen when the time comes will be a lot of fun.
“We’ll see when that time is, but some of the new guys that have been here the last couple of weeks have picked up some of the slack and have been really impressive.”
Sho stopper
Shohei Ohtani looked like a leading National League most valuable player candidate in mid-May, the slugger batting .364 with a 1.108 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 12 homers, 16 doubles, 30 RBIs, 34 runs, 38 strikeouts and 22 walks in his first 43 games.
But Ohtani has been in an extended slump since then, batting .193 (11 for 57) with a .621 OPS, two homers, one double, eight RBIs, seven runs, 15 strikeouts and five walks in his last 15 games, dropping his average to .322 and OPS to .988 entering Tuesday.
Ohtani had two hits, including a two-run homer, and three RBIs in the first game of a doubleheader sweep of the Mets in New York last Tuesday, but he had a quiet weekend against the Rockies, going one for nine with four strikeouts, three walks and a stolen base in three games.
Ohtani suffered a right hamstring bruise when he was hit by a pickoff throw from Reds left-hander Brent Suter on May 16. Roberts believes there is a correlation between that injury and Ohtani’s recent struggles.
“His words, he doesn’t feel it when he’s swinging the bat,” Roberts said. “But he’s a finely tuned machine, and sometimes, in the context of a sports car, when it’s not firing on all cylinders, it just doesn’t run right.
“When his back was bothering him a little bit [in early May] you saw some funkier swings, a little bit more chase. His hamstring is bothering him a little bit, you see a little bit of the same thing. But I think that he’s getting close to where he needs to be physically. I think that staying to the big part of the field is a remedy.”
Second to none
Miguel Rojas has made only eight of his 36 starts this season at second base, a position he has made 39 starts at during his 11-year career, but the veteran utility man who was the team’s regular shortstop in 2023 has made a quick study of the position.
Rojas teamed with third baseman Kiké Hernández to turn two slick double plays in Sunday’s 4-0 win over the Rockies, the first with a lightning-quick glove-to-hand transfer on Brandan Rodgers’ sixth-inning grounder to Hernández’s left and the second on Kris Bryant’s one-hopper right at Hernández to end the game.
“When you’re really watching the game and valuing outs and the usage of pitchers, you know that Kiké cutting off Mookie [Betts, the shortstop] to get that ball [from Rodgers] and Miggy Ro turning the double play was huge,” Roberts said.
“And the last one, Miggy makes a good play turning it and Freddie [Freeman] stays on the [first-base] bag … I mean, those are plays that change games and allow me to keep guys fresh and save arms, too.”
Rojas has played only 71 innings at second base but has already accumulated two defensive runs saved there, according to Fangraphs, which would rank him seventh among qualifying major league second basemen.
“It’s a little bit of adjustment for me because I haven’t played second base in a while, so I’m getting that [internal] clock back,” Rojas said. “When I know a runner can fly, I do my best to throw the ball as fast as I can. It doesn’t matter if it’s not a perfect throw, because I know if I get it there, Freddie will do a good job of getting it.
“But I know like the last one Kris Bryant hit, I have all the time in the world, so I can make sure that I catch the ball and make a better throw to first.”
High bar for Buehler
Walker Buehler seemed relatively patient with his inability to recapture his dominant 2019-2021 form immediately after returning from a second Tommy John surgery and a near 23-month-long absence in early May.
“I’m not freaked out — I’m actually pretty encouraged by a lot of the things I’ve done,” Buehler said after giving up three runs and five hits in 3⅓ innings of a 4-0 loss to San Diego in his second start on May 12. “I’m kind of giving myself a little grace for a few more starts, and then after that, that kind of ‘happy to be here’ thing will go away.”
That grace period clearly ended Friday night after Buehler gave up four runs — three earned — and six hits, struck out seven and walked four in six innings of a 4-1 loss to the Rockies, dropping the right-hander to 1-3 with a 4.32 ERA in five starts in which he’s struck out 24, walked seven and been tagged for six homers in 25 innings.
Asked to assess his overall performance, Buehler said he “feels like [crap]” and is “not anywhere close to where I want to be … it’s kind of put-up or shut-up time for me.” Roberts felt the ultra-demanding Buehler was being a little too hard on himself.
“I guess that’s how you want it, but there is a balance of managing expectations, and I think that’s where [pitching coach] Mark Prior and I come into play,” Roberts said. “Individually, he’s gonna expect the best of himself, but for me, for our organization to sort of temper [expectations] and know that this is still a process is important.
“I think Walker can take something positive out of each outing. A year ago today, he was at home in Kentucky watching his teammates, so there’s been a world of change since then, and he’s put in a lot of work [to get here] so we can’t lose that perspective.”
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The best Indianapolis 500 finish could be subjective, depending on which driver a fan was rooting for to win.
It certainly is in the eye of the beholder.
So take this list for what it’s worth. One view of the 10 best finishes in Indianapolis 500 history. Of course, it skews to more recent decades when the runs have come a little faster and the finishes have had a tendency to be a little closer.
We’ll add one each day to this list of fantastic finishes ahead of the 110th running of the Indy 500 on May 24 (12:30 p.m. ET on FOX).
10. Ericsson outduels O’Ward (2022)
After a red flag, Marcus Ericsson held off Pato O’Ward in a two-lap shootout. The shootout didn’t last two laps, though, as there was a crash on the final lap behind them. Ericsson had a comfortable lead when the red flag came out for a crash with four laps to go, a situation where in past Indianapolis 500 races, they likely would have ended the race under caution with Ericsson as the winner.
9. Foyt survives chaos (1967)
How does a driver who wins by two laps end up on this list? It’s because the win nearly didn’t happen on the last lap. A big crash with cars and debris littering the frontstretch just ahead of Foyt as he came to the checkered flag forced him to navigate through the wreckage for the win.
8. Sato can’t catch Franchitti (2012)
This was one of those finishes where the leader holds on for the win, but boy did the leader have to hold on. Takuma Sato tried to pass Dario Franchitti early on the final lap but to no avail and Franchitti sped off for the victory. This was one of those Indy 500s that made you hold your breath all the way to the checkered flag.
No. 8 UCLA stuck with right-hander Taylor Tinsley throughout the Los Angeles Regional and that faith in the senior paid off.
During the Bruins’ NCAA tournament opener at Easton Stadium, Tinsley gave up 10 runs before her teammates rallied for a walk-off win. She returned less than 24 hours to pitch against South Carolina, giving up two earned runs in a victory. Tinsley was back in the circle Sunday afternoon, yielding one run in UCLA’s 15-1 victory over the Gamecocks to advance to the super regionals.
“I am proud of Taylor’s resiliency, the ability to do whatever she can to help this team,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “She got stronger through the weekend. I am proud of that.”
Tinsley and her teammates will host Central Florida in a super regional that begins Friday.
“I feel good,” Tinsley said after pitching three key games in three days. “I could have gone more innings if needed.”
South Carolina right-hander Jori Heard gave up only one hit through two innings, keeping UCLA’s potent bats relatively quiet. The Gamecocks had runners on first and second with two outs in the second, but Tinsley escaped the inning with a pop-up to left field.
The Bruins got on the board first with a two-run home run from left fielder Rylee Slimp in the third inning. The Bruins followed it up by loading the bases with no outs in the fifth for right fielder Megan Grant.
Grant cooked up a grand slam to make it 6-0. She has 40 home runs, extending her hold on the NCAA single-season home run record. Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells trails Grant with 37 homers.
“Its just incredible because I am blessed to be able to say the number 40,” Grant said.
South Carolina broke through on an RBI single from left fielder Quincee Lilio to cut UCLA’s lead to 6-1 in the fifth inning after being held to just one hit since the first inning. The Gamecocks couldn’t cash in the rest of the way.
The Bruins resumed scoring in the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and Grant at bat again. Fans at Easton Stadium anticipated another grand slam, holding up their cellphones hoping to catch some magic. Grant served up a two-run RBI single to expand the lead 8-1.
Jordan Woolery added to the scoring with a two-run RBI double down the left-field line, and Kaniya Bragg hit a home run to left-center field. Soo-jin Berry put a bow on the win with one more home run.
Sports
Pro wrestling star learns what ‘land of opportunity’ means in US as he details journey from Italy to America
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Cristiano Argento has been tearing up opponents in the ring for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as he worked his way up the ladder to get a few shots at some gold.
But the path to get to one of the most prestigious pro wrestling companies in the U.S. was long and a path that not many wrestlers have taken.
Argento was born and raised in Osimo, Italy – a town of about 35,000 people located on the east side of the country closer to the Adriatic Sea. He told Fox News Digital he started training in a ring at a boxing gym before he got started on the independent scene in Italy. He wrestled in Germany, Sweden, France and Denmark before he came to the realization that, to become a professional wrestler, he needed to make his way to the United States.
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Cristiano Argento performs in the National Wrestling Alliance (Instagram)
He first worked his way to Canada to get trained by pro wrestling legend Lance Storm. He moved to Canada, leaving most of his friends and family behind and without a firm grasp on the English language.
“At the time, my English was horrible. I didn’t speak any English at all,” he said. “But I was with my friend, Stefano, he came with me and he translated everything for me. I probably missed 50% of the knowledge that Lance Storm was giving to us because I was unable to understand. I was only given a recap and everything I was able to see. I’m sure if I was doing it now with a proper knowledge of English, it would have been a different scenario.
“Eventually, I moved back to Italy after the training and I said, OK, now, I want to go to the U.S. So, I studied English more properly, and eventually I got my first work visa that was in Texas. I was in Houston for a short period of time. I trained with Booker T at Reality of Wrestling. I got on his show, which was my debut in the U.S. That was awesome. I eventually got a new work visa in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I currently live since 2017. Since then, my wrestling career, thankfully, kept growing, growing, growing and growing until now wrestling for the NWA. One of the bigger promotions in the U.S.”
Argento said that his family thought he was “nuts” for chasing his pro wrestling dream.
He said they were more concerned about his well-being given that he was half-way around the world without anyone he knew by his side in case something went sideways.
“My family, friends, everybody was like why do you want to move to the opposite side of the world not knowing the language, not knowing anybody, by yourself, to try to become a professional wrestler? And I was like, well, we have one life, I love, and that’s what I’m gonna do,” he told Fox News Digital. “Eventually, my family was really supportive. But when I first said, ‘Hey, mom and dad, I want to do that.’ They looked at me like, ‘Are you nuts? Are you drunk or something? What are you talking about?’ And I said, no that’s what I want to do. And they knew I loved this sport because in Italy I was traveling around Europe, spending time in Canada training, so they started to understand slowly that’s what I want to do with my life. They were proud of me.
Cristiano Argento works out in the gym. (Instagram)
“They’re still proud of me. I think more like the fact that you’re gonna try that, that it’s hard than more like you’re gonna leave us. The fact like, oh, my son is gonna go on the opposite side of the world for a six-hour time difference and we’re gonna see him maybe, when, like, I don’t know. Not often. I think it was more that. And for me too, it was really hard. It was heartbreaking not being able to see my family every day or every month. Like once a year if I’m lucky. I think that was the biggest part for them because of concern or that I was here by myself and if I have any issue or any problem, I didn’t have nobody. So they were scared. Like, you get sick, if you have a problem, anything, and they’re not being able to be here next to me. But they were really supportive since day one.”
Argento is living out his dream in the U.S. He suggested that the moniker of the U.S. being the “land of opportunity” wasn’t far from what is preached in movies and literature – it was the real thing.
“I was inspired by people who came to the U.S. and made it big,” Argento told Fox News Digital. “The U.S. was always like the land of opportunity. That’s how they sell it to us and this is what it is. I feel like, in myself, that was true because anything I tried to do so far I was able to reach a lot more than if I wasn’t here. I’m not yet where I’d like to be but I see like there’s so many opportunities in this country. Not just in wrestling but like in any business to reach the goal. I’m really happy of the choices I did here.
National Wrestling Alliance star Cristiano Argento poses in Times Square in New York. (Instagram)
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“But my big inspirations were big-time actors who moved to the country, who didn’t know English, with no money, no support system. I had one dream, I have to go right there to make it happen and I’m gonna go and do it and I’m gonna make it happen. So those people were always the biggest inspiration even if it wasn’t in wrestling, just how they handled their passion, how they pursued their dream without being scared of anything, how far you are, how alone by yourself … You don’t know the language, you’re like, let’s go, let’s do it.”
Outside of the NWA, Argento has performed for the International Wrestling Cartel, Enjoy Wrestling and Exodus Pro Wrestling this year.
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