Jane Njoku

The Chicago Cubs intend to promote top first base prospect Matt Mervis, a source relayed to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Chicago is yet to confirm the news, which broke first in the midst of innings of Thursday’s series finale.

Here is the back story for this development: The Cubs’ sleeping offense awoke a bit on Thursday to stage a three-run comeback before falling to a 4-3 walk-off loss to the Washington Nationals, in Washington, where Alex Call’s game-winning home run off Brad Boxberger ended Chicago’s uninspiring road trip on another disappointing note. News that reinforcements were being brought in had broken before this happened.

1B prospect Matt Mervis is indeed being promoted to Cubs, a source tells @Feinsand. Mervis is No. 6 on @MLBPipeline’s Cubs list.

‘22: .984 OPS, 36 HR, 40 2B, 119 RBI, BB/K rates improved at each level from A+ to AAA.

‘23: .962 OPS, 6 HR, 19 K/18 BB in 24 games with @IowaCubs.

— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) May 4, 2023

See: Mets’ Max Scherzer struggles in return from suspension, eager to ‘move forward’

Matt Mervis was one of baseball’s best prospects in 2022 when he shelled out 36 homers across three levels and led the minor in extra-base hits, total bases and RBIs. Mervis also got off to a strong start this season with Triple-A Iowa, batting .286/.42/.560 with six home runs and 27 RBIs in 24 games. Mervis did not just continuously crush it at Major League pitching, but he showed impressive patience in Iowa too, walking (18) almost as much as he struck out (19).

This is what Chicago should expect from its No.6 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline:

“Mervis features the best combination of power and contact in the Cubs system, and he took off when he improved his bat path and his swing decisions. His bat speed and the strength in his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame are obvious, but he’s more than just a masher. His relatively compact left-handed swing enables him to make consistent hard contact and he did a much better job of handling same-side pitchers in 2022 than he did in his debut.”

Chicago needs to make one corresponding move to include Mervis, who is not on the 40-man roster. Their live roster features two skilled primary first basemen, Trey Mancini and Eric Hosmer, who like Mervis, have low defensive flexibility. But he will be joining a lineup that could benefit from a shot in the arm after struggling heavily in its 1-6 road trip.

In total, the Cubs have averaged 3.5 runs per game and hit .180 with runners in scoring position over their past 12 games. They lost 9 of those 12.

“These are definitely the moments that test teams,” said right-hander Jameson Taillon, who returned from the injured list to throw three innings in his first start since April 15. “But I think it helps that we’ve had a lot of guys who have run the race of 162 for many, many years. You know that these types of tough losses happen and you don’t want to overreact. Obviously, it’s not time to hit the panic button or anything. But I think we’re going home with maybe a sense of urgency, like, ‘Let’s step on it a little bit, get back on track.’”

See also: Red Sox win Blue Jays 8-3 extend winning streak to 5

When the Cubs exited Chicago a week ago, the team was four matches over .500 and were just off a series victory against the San Diego Padres, preparing for a pair of upcoming series against two of the NL’s weaker clubs. They will take back a game lower than .500, dropping three of four to Washington despite getting fantastic pitching all week. That was delivered on Thursday by Javier Assad, who breezed through five scoreless innings behind Taillon before the offense stirred awake.

Patrick Corbin staged the Cubs to two hits over the first seven innings before Mancini and Miguel Amaya tailed RBIs in the eighth. Nico Hoerner connected a game-tying single off Hunter Harvey later on in the frame, but Chicago blew a second-and-third, no-out opportunity in the ninth before Call’s first-pitch home run off Boxberger.

Chicago’s offense splits so far this year are bad:

First 19 games: 6.0 runs per game, .290 AVG, .820 OPS, .326 AVG w/RISP

Last 12 games: 3.5 runs per game, .235 AVG, .703 OPS, .180 AVG w/RISP

Another bat may help the Cubs. That is where Matt Mervis comes in, making him an anticipated MLB debut this week.

“[Today] was a tough loss, for sure,” manager David Ross said. “Definitely a tough loss. But this group’s shown they don’t quit. They fight really hard.”

LA Galaxy player, Chicharito Hernandez spoke about his complicated divorce and how difficult not seeing his children regularly has been on him, after separating from his wife: Sarah Kohan. The MLS player confessed that he felt a gaping emptiness inside him despite all his achievements while highlighting how important his family is to him.

Read: Ex-MLS player Contreras pleads guilty to being leader of drug cartel

Chicharito talked about how complex a separation is, not just from his spouse, but also the consequences and everything that followed it, like speaking to his children via social networks, and telecommunications just to be close to him.

One of the solutions Hernandez used to cope with his divorce, walking the spiritual path of self-questioning is the one that brought him the best result, and not just to find peace in the estrangement, but to feel less bothered by comments of third parties too.

“On that path, I began to ask myself why, so that was the first turning point because that’s when I began to discover that I am not my goals, I am not even my clothes. I started a very deep spiritual and philosophical path in which I realized that I didn’t care what people thought about me.

Chicharito Hernandez divulged how difficult making the decision to divorce Sarah was.  “I was terrified to make the decision that the marriage was not where it should be and that we had to look for another way and that it could not happen, because I knew that these prices could come”.

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MLS Toronto FC ranked 24th most valuable football club in the world

A former Super Bowl rival, Donovan Smith is coming to Kansas City Chiefs to help their dream of becoming world champions again.

The veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Smith is to sign a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs which is worth up to $9 million, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday, via a source.

Read: 2023 NFL regular season: Eagles-Chiefs among top kickoff options

After a second-round selection of the Buccaneers in 2015, Donovan Smith constantly graced the Tampa starting lineup over the past eight seasons. He began 124 career games, with 13 last year when he suffered an elbow and foot injury.

Smith who ranked 64th position as a free agent in Gregg Rosenthal’s top 101 list, played a crucial role in Tampa Bay emerging as Super Bowl champions in the 2020 season, which involved the Buccaneers led by Tom Brady defeating the Chiefs led by Patrick Mahomes. Now, the question remains if  Smith will go from protecting Brady to defending Mahomes. If everything goes as planned, Smith will oversee the left tackle spot, Pelissero said.

Another large signing for Kansas City this offseason was bringing in ex-Jacksonville Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Taylor. Taylor was expected to move to left tackle after signing a four-year, $80 million deal. 

Early this week, in a post-draft news conference, the general manager for the Chiefs, Brett Veach affirmed that Taylor would “run left tackle with the ones,” while Lucas Niang and third-round pick Wanya Morris would compete for the right tackle spot.

Adding Donovan Smith to the lineup would change some of the Chiefs’ plans.

No matter how it plays out, the Chiefs have acquired a 29-year-old veteran tackle who is championship material to their plans for a repeat.

More NFL News:

Isaiah Foskey Saints rookie DE wants an opportunity to learn from Cam Jordan

Freshly-drafted New Orleans Saints defensive end Isaiah Foskey hopes to be the next Cameron Jordan. However, playing alongside his idol would be okay too.

Jordan who set the sack record for the Saints in January, is the poster child for defense presently. As coach Dennis Allen mentioned, he’s not a bad player to have a mentee either.

See: The five most improved clubs of the 2023 NFL offseason

“I guess if you’re going to try to learn from somebody, that would be a good one to learn from,” Allen said.

“It’s no wonder the Saints’ second-round pick is eager to meet the player he calls a “Hall of Famer’ type of guy.”

Foskey and Jordan share the same record-setting mentality, with Foskey holding Notre Dame’s record of 26.5 career sacks.

“They’ve been playing football for a little while, so we felt like he was a pretty good player for us,” Allen said smiling after the draft.

But, Isaiah Foskey who was chosen with the 40th pick last week, has more ahead than a mere learning chance. He and defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, New Orleans’ first-round pick, have the power to set their marks on a reformed defensive line.

“I wanted to go to a team that’s defensive, d-line pretty much, oriented,” Foskey said. “That first pick, Bryan Bresee, me and him are going to be dominating the front seven, so that’s great.”

The possibility of becoming a Saint was something Foskey wanted from the start. He met the coaches in the spring through video chats, film study, and in-person visits at the NFL scouting combine, Notre Dame’s Pro Day and the Senior Bowl.

As things were unveiled, Isaiah Foskey held on to the idea of joining New Orleans.

“I fell in love with them, love the coaches, I talked to them a lot. Just the vibe of the whole team, New Orleans,” Foskey said. “I kept telling everybody, this is who I want to go to.”

Isaiah probably also fell in love with the empty slate on the depth chart. Besides Jordan, his biggest competitors are 2021 first-round pick Payton Turner (13 career games, 3 sacks) and Carl Granderson (54 career games, 14.5 sacks).

Considering the way the Saints rushers are rotated, there are good chances for everybody.

Bresee and Foskey are the newest and youngest faces in a team that did an overhaul. Defensive tackles David Onyemata, Shy Tuttle and Kentavius Street were replaced with free-agent selections Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd.

Marcus Davenport who was heavily invested in by New Orleans in the first round of the 2018 draft, went with the Minnesota Vikings after spending five seasons and delivering 21.5 sacks in New Orleans. The Saints have a new defensive coordinator and new defensive line coach too.

Jordan aged 33 is the only player in the room above age 30, and his longtime teammates leaving have been a bittersweet experience for him.

He mused before the draft that Onyemata, who joined the Atlanta Falcons, was one of the last linemen in the locker room that was close to his age.

However, as sad as Cameron has been to watch his teammates leave, he’s been stoked about the draft all offseason, tweeting mock draft selections and hinting at the need for a defensive tackle for New Orleans.

“No, that’s exciting. No such thing as a mass exodus for me,” Jordan told ESPN prior to the draft.

He added: “I think that when you have guys that you played with, and you see them get paid, I’m excited for them, like, ‘Hey Shy, way to make your money,’ or ‘Hey David, how could you go to the dark side? You know, why would you go to the losing side?’ … You think about guys going to different teams, and you understand it’s part of the game.”

In a few ways, Jordan is a reminder of the Saints’ past. When he was chosen in the first round of the 2011 draft at 6-foot-4, he was one of the tallest guys on the defensive line. Defensive tackle Turk McBride who signed on as a free agent in 2011, was the only other lineman of the same height.

Now, Cameron is one of the shortest.

The New Orleans Saints since then, have consistently evolved their prototypes, striving to grow and get taller in front. Foskey (6-5) and Bresee (6-5) align with this trend.

“Not a lot of big men walking the earth right now that have that type of athleticism. You know what I mean? There’s just not very many of them,” Allen said. “They’re a top priority for us. It’s a big man’s game. I’ve said that all along, we like size, length, athleticism, and the prototypes that we talk about are a big part of what we do. I think we philosophically believe that the ability to control the line of scrimmage is important in winning football games. So yeah, it’s been a point of emphasis for us.”

However, Jordan’s success is attributed to more than just height or physical characteristics, and Foskey who boxes as one of the ways to hone and study his pass-rushing technique, knows this. It is something he and Al Washington, his defensive line coach at Notre Dame, talked about.

“You think about Cam Jordan, he’s arguably one of the best defensive linemen in the game,” Washington said. “I think what makes Cam unique is not so much the physical, it’s the way he views the game, his intelligence. I think he makes great decisions, and he has years of experience to look to. For Isaiah, him coming in Day 1, he should be a sponge to a guy like that because really it’s almost like a passing of a torch.

“I know Cam is not done, but I think it really will help a player like Isaiah, who is intuitive and passionate about the game. I think he absolutely will take advantage of that and being in that locker room.”

This is something Isaiah Foskey is definitely up for doing.

“I can learn from him, be a sponge and soak it all in, but compete at the same level as him, try to go on the other side of him, or be him.” Foskey said. “That was like the biggest thing I wanted to do, be underneath a vet, be with a vet. And New Orleans was a great thing, you had Cam Jordan right there.”

Related: 2023 NFL regular season: Eagles-Chiefs among top kickoff options

According to a report by Sportico, Toronto FC is the 24th most valuable football club in the world with a present value of $705 million.

This report placed the Reds one position behind Dutch club Ajax ($710 million USD) and one ahead of MLS side D.C. United ($700 million).

Amongst other MLS clubs, Toronto ranks behind four teams: the Seattle Sounders (22nd, $725 million), Atlanta United (18th, $855 million), LA Galaxy (17th, $865 million), and LAFC (16th, $900 million).

In total, there were 18 MLS clubs in the top 50, with an accumulated value of $11.8 billion. MLS had more clubs represented in the top 50 than any other league globally.

The top 50 of the most valuable soccer clubs in the world are collectively worth $73 billion@MLS did not place any teams in the top 15, but it had 18 teams overall in the top 50, twice as many as the EPL; Serie A was third with seven entries.

Full list: https://t.co/yVfyVtrf2O pic.twitter.com/06OemttsjY

— Sportico (@Sportico) May 3, 2023

Sportico also reported that Toronto made $64 million in 2022, an amount that is $28 million higher than the club’s total amount in 2021. Ontario’s COVID-19 restrictions ended, and several marquee signings, including Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernadeschi, not only saw many Toronto FC fans return to the BMO Field but the general public too.

Speaking on the club’s $705 million valuation, it should be noted that its owners MLSE paid only $10 million as an expansion fee for the MLS club before the team’s inaugural season in 2007. To put this in perspective, Charlotte FC paid a huge sum of $325 million in expansion fees to kick off in 2022.

Toronto FC is operated by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), this company also runs the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, and the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL.

More From MLS

Ex-MLS player Contreras pleads guilty to being leader of drug cartel.

A former Detroit Pistons employee says a team executive Rob Murphy sexually harassed her over a period of months, preceding his firing as assistant general manager Wednesday.

DeJanai Raska when speaking to Detroit Free Press in a story released Thursday said Murphy performed many harassing acts after she started working as his executive assistant in September 2021, this includes: grabbing her buttocks, groping her in front of her 4-year-old daughter and saying he wanted to “put a baby in her”. 

Raska also accused Murphy who was president then and general manager of the Pistons’ G League team of trying to force her into having sex.

She is suing the Pistons and Rob Murphy for sexual discrimination and harassment.

“Silence is not an option,” Raska told Free Press. “It’s not for me. It shouldn’t be for any woman. … This is my chance to voice the truth … and to take my power back.”

Murphy was let go from his position as assistant general manager Wednesday, with the Detroit Pistons telling the Free Press in a statement that he was fired “for violation of company policy and the terms of his employment agreement.”

“The facts that gave rise to his termination surfaced during a review, assisted by a national law firm, of allegations made by a former employee,” the Pistons said.

Murphy who declined to comment on the Free Press, was placed on leave in October at the beginning of the team’s investigation into the allegations. He had been the assistant GM after a promotion in the 2022 offseason.

Raska told the newspaper that she was scared of being fired if she brought forth her accusations. She mentioned losing her job in May 2022 when Rob Murphy sent a fake email to the team’s human relations department saying she had resigned.

She accused the Pistons of not taking any actions after she reported to the team attorneys what he did, which caused her to sue.

“We came forward before filing a lawsuit with the goal of having the Pistons do the right thing,” said attorney Megan Bonanni, one of Raska’s lawyers, adding, “The organization condoned and approved and were complicit in what he did. And they were hoping that Ms Raska would go away.”

Murphy has been the Pistons’ G League team president before he became general manager.

He was head coach at Eastern Michigan for a decade before joining the Pistons. Like Troy Weaver, Murphy too is a former assistant coach at Syracuse, amongst other positions within college ranks.

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Kevin Durant will appear in ‘Call of Duty’ multiplayer

Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant will be sharing his talents with “Call of Duty’’.

Kevin Durant who adopted the moniker “easymoneysniper’’ on Instagram, will be featured as an Operator skin in Season 03 Reloaded of  “Modern Warfare 2” and “Warzone 2.0’’. Players can buy Durant’s appearance as part of a limited-time store bundle offered in the game.

See: Joel Embiid crowned 2022-23 NBA MVP over Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo

This bundle contains weapon skins that refer to Durant’s “easymoneysniper’’ and “Slim Reaper’’ nicknames, including a special finishing move and other cosmetics.

This is not the first appearance made by a professional athlete in the “Call of Duty’’ franchise. Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, and Neymar Jr. were among the players featured for the 2022 World Cup; Marshawn Lynch (“Black Ops 3”) and Conor McGregor (“Infinite Warfare”) made cameos too.

Easy Money Sniper is drafted to Call of Duty for his rookie season 🏀

Kevin Durant will be available in a special, limited-time Store Bundle to be released during Season 03 Reloaded. pic.twitter.com/qJkZolNoEr

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) May 3, 2023

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Emmanuel Valdez, Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida all drove in two runs and the Boston Red Sox maintained their winning streak to five games, sealing that deal with an 8-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.

“We’ve been doing that since Day One,” manager Alex Cora said. “Just moving the ball forward, hitting behind runners, running the bases well.”

See: Mets’ Max Scherzer struggles in return from suspension, eager to ‘move forward’

Nick Pivetta (2-2) went for six innings and gave up three runs, including single homers by Daulton Varsho and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who cleared the Green Monster with a shot in the third that left Fenway Park.

“They’re a really aggressive lineup,” Pivetta said. “I was able to execute my offspeed early and then use my fastball later and then flip-flop that around. I’m not just here to throw. I’m here to pitch and execute all pitches in the zone.”

Alex Manoah (1-2) allowed five runs, two earned, and eight hits in five innings.

Manoah staged Boston hitless until there were two outs in the third, but caught a rough stretch after a sharp line drive off  Rafael Devers’ bat with one out in the fourth hit his right calf. Dever placed second when Alejandro Kirk fielded the carom and threw the ball into right field.

Devers moved to the third after Manoah’s pick-off effort entered into center and scored on Jarren Duran’s double. Casas’ single tied the game at 2.

Read: 2023 MLB monthly award winners for April announced

The Blue Jays took the lead in the fifth when Kevin Kiermaier led off with a double, took third on George Springer’s sacrifice fly and scored on a baulk by Pivetta.

However, the Red Sox went on to 5-3 in the bottom of the inning by scoring three unearned runs off, Manoah with two outs, plus Valdez’s two-run singles.

“I thought he was getting on a roll a little bit,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Manoah. “It was kind of typical Alek. He was making good pitches, but we didn’t help him defensively. You can’t have four errors, throw the ball around and expect to win. I thought he was good.”

Red Sox and Blue Jays combined for six errors, including four by Toronto that caused four unearned runs.

Anthony Bass the Blue Jays reliever, replaced Manoah, he also took a line drive off himself in the sixth. Yoshida’s shot scored Connor Wong and extended Yoshida’s hitting streak to 13 games. Justin Turner’s single to center drove Bass from the game with Boston up 6-3.

Yoshida’s two-out RBI double in the seventh of Trevor Richards made it 7-3.

Boston added another run in the eighth when Casas reached a one-out single to left, took second on left fielder, Varsho’s throwing error and scored on Kiké Hernández’s single.

Kutter Crawford, a Red Sox reliever who started the eight, left with one out in the ninth, seemingly slipping on the mound. Ryan Brasier got the last two outs to seal the victory.

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New York Mets ace Max Scherzer struggled with his first game since being suspended Wednesday night, he allowed six runs on eight hits in 3 ⅓  innings against the Detroit Tigers during the second match of a doubleheader.

“I was spraying the ball, especially out of the stretch, and that’s what you expect coming off a long layoff,” Scherzer said. “The No. 1 thing was getting through this start healthy, and we did that. Now we can move forward.”

The Tigers won 8-1 to sweep the twin bill.

Read: Robbie Ray likely to miss start of ‘24 due to Tommy John surgery

Major League Baseball suspended Scherzer for 10 games on April 20 after a foreign substance was found in his pitching hand during his April 19th start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Max was facing the Tigers for the third time since exiting the team after the 2014 season. In the first of those starts, he matched a league record for a nine-inning game with 20 strikeouts in a May 2016 win in Washington. Then he scored 14 more over eight innings when he returned to Comerica Park.

Scherzer walked Zach McKinstry to start the first inning, the first walk Detroit had gotten from him since he left town. He allowed two runs in a 22-pitch inning.

In the second inning, Scherzer retired Matt Vierling on the first pitch, but Eric Haase delivered his second home run to make it 3-0. Andy Ibanez followed with a base hit, but Scherzer scaled through the inning without more damage.

He then got a drama-free check for sticky substances from first base umpire Adam Beck.

“It was just a normal check,” Scherzer said.

When the Detroit Tigers went down in order in the third, Akil Baddoo was to start the fourth and Vierling ensued with a long home run to left-center field. Scherzer sent out Haase, but Ibanez and McKinstry singled, bringing Buck Showalter out of the dugout and reliever Zach Muckenhirn into the game.

“Obviously, we were hoping for a little better results, but I think his command was just off,” Showalter said. “That happens with pitchers. I’m sure he’ll be better the next time out.”

Tigers fans gave Max Scherzer a loud ovation as he walked off the field with his head down.

“It is hard to enjoy something like that when you pitch badly, but I have always appreciated the support from the fans here,” he said.

Ibanez scored on Riley Greene’s single, including another run to Scherzer’s pitching line.

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P.K. Subban body-shamed Lizzo live on-air when doing an analysis of an NHL playoff game for ESPN on Tuesday night and his comment was extremely offensive, that many people online are demanding an apology from the ex All-Star.

Subban who became a part of ESPN’s hockey coverage after he retired in 2022, made the remark when breaking down Game 1 of the Panthers vs. Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Playoff series.

PK Subban randomly dissing Lizzo was NOT on my bingo card for tonight😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Gvc8rq7HB6

— DaCaniac (@CaniacDaBaby) May 3, 2023

Co-host John Buccigross advised that Toronto should “pack a lunch’’ after they lost 4-2 – insinuating that the team should eat more so that they will be stronger in Game 2.

Subban agreed and then used that opportunity to fire a cheap shot at Lizzo, which was uncalled for.

“Maybe they need to pack a Lizzo-sized lunch,” Subban said.

His words were immediately condemned on social media, with many users asking the former New Jersey Devils to apologize. Others on Twitter called for ESPN to sanction its top hockey analyst for what he said.

Related: The New Jersey Devils speedily advance to the second round of NHL playoffs

Up until now, neither P.K. Subban nor ESPN has come out to address the controversy. Lizzo, known for immediately setting the record straight with things like this, has not commented too.