Sports
Rays look to repeat power display in rematch vs. Red Sox
Sep 17, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA;Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jose Caballero (7), outfielder Jose Siri (22), second base Brandon Lowe (8), left fielder Christopher Morel (24) and outfielder Josh Lowe (15) celebrate beating the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images The Tampa Bay Rays started their final homestand of the season the right way with a convincing victory in the series opener against the Boston Red Sox.
On Wednesday night, the Rays (74-77) will send out one of their better pitchers in the rematch against their American League East rival in St. Petersburg, Fla.
In Tampa Bay’s 8-3 victory on Tuesday, the club erupted for 12 hits — seven for extra bases, including four home runs. That’s considered foreign production from manager Kevin Cash’s generally punchless bunch.
Josh Lowe, Brandon Lowe, Junior Caminero and Jose Siri all went deep as the Rays damaged the wild-card aspirations of the Red Sox.
“It makes it easy for me when our offense is that great,” said Shane Baz, who allowed two runs on two hits in seven innings and got the win.
Hard-throwing Ryan Pepiot (8-6, 3.76 ERA) will get the start on Wednesday for Tampa Bay.
In his first season with the Rays, Pepiot has blossomed into the type of hurler the organization expected when it acquired him from the Dodgers in the trade that sent ace Tyler Glasnow to Los Angeles.
The Rays also received Jonny DeLuca in last December’s trade. Batting just .210, the outfielder slots first on the club in triples (four) and is fourth in stolen bases (16).
Meanwhile, Pepiot has a staff-high eight wins in the depleted rotation, which is missing Glasnow, Zach Eflin, Shane McClanahan and Aaron Civale from 2023.
Pepiot allowed three runs on two hits in four innings of a no-decision in his lone career start against Boston in an 8-5 loss on May 22.
Tuesday’s loss was a devastating one for the Red Sox (75-76), who have dropped four of their past five decisions. They have a losing record for the first time since June 11 and fell games out of the final AL wild-card spot with 11 games left.
“It’s not a lack of effort,” Boston manger Alex Cora said. “It’s not happening for us right now.”
The Red Sox will turn to right-hander Tanner Houck (8-10, 3.24) to make Wednesday’s start.
Houck had been expected to start last Friday’s matchup with the Yankees in New York, but his shoulder was not 100 percent and he was scratched.
He has posted a 1.17 WHIP and struck out 150 hitters this season. However, he has toiled through a career-high 169 2/3 innings, bettering his previous high of 106 set in 2023.
That led to concerns about his workload in the Yankees series.
“This guy’s very important for us, not only now but for the future,” Cora said of the decision to have Houck skip another start. “For him to go out the way he was, we were going to pay the consequences after that one.”
His most recent start was on Sept. 4 in an 8-3 loss at the New York Mets, who handed him a defeat for the fourth consecutive decision. He last won on July 11 in a 7-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Against the Rays, the 28-year-old is 1-4 with a 4.45 ERA in seven outings (five starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tigers place 2B Gleyber Torres (oblique) on 10-day IL
Detroit Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) bats a single against Texas Rangers during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, May 2, 2026. The Detroit Tigers placed three-time All-Star second baseman Gleyber Torres on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a left oblique strain.
Torres, 29, had progressed in recent days but continued to feel pain while swinging. He was unable to serve as a pinch hitter, leading the Tigers to put him on the IL, retroactive to Monday.
“It’s a mild left oblique strain that continues to nag him,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “Obviously, Gleyber has been getting treatment and getting looked at by doctors — and it continues to be stagnant. Hopefully, this will resolve itself within a short time period, but nowadays, I don’t know.”
In his ninth MLB season, Torres is hitting .259 with two home runs, 11 RBIs and a .716 OPS in 32 games.
“I was getting better and better, but I still feel it a little bit in that area,” Torres said. “At this point, we don’t want to push it. It’s not a really big strain, so hopefully, I can get back (on a rehab assignment) in five days — not two weeks. Let’s see what’s going to happen in the next couple of days.”
Torres is a career .264 hitter with 156 homers, 526 RBIs and a .769 OPS in 1,065 games with the New York Yankees (2018-24) and Tigers.
Third baseman Jace Jung, 25, was recalled from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move. He has appeared in two games this season for Detroit, collecting one hit and one run in four at-bats.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tigers' Framber Valdez suspended for beaning Trevor Story
Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, on May 5, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan, with players and coaches from the Tigers and Red Sox on the field after a hit-by-pitch from Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez. Detroit Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez received a six-game suspension and an undisclosed fine Wednesday for intentionally throwing at Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story on Tuesday night.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch also received a fine and a one-game suspension, which he will serve in Wednesday night’s series finale against the visiting Red Sox. Bench coach George Lombard will fill in as manager.
Both benches emptied in the fourth inning after Story got plunked by a fastball from Valdez, earning the pitcher an ejection following the worst start of his career.
Valdez allowed a career-high 10 runs (seven earned) on nine hits, including three homers, in three-plus innings, taking the loss in the 10-3 setback.
Valdez, 32, is 2-2 with a 4.57 ERA through eight starts in his first season with Detroit, which signed him to a three-year, $115 million deal in February.
A two-time All-Star with Houston (2022, 2023), Valdez is 83-54 with a 3.41 ERA in 196 career games (174 starts) with the Astros (2018-25) and Tigers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
'Everything hurts': Michelle Wie West making first LPGA start in 3 years
Michelle Wie West watches a practice round of the 2025 Masters. Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Serving as tournament host is not what’s making Michelle Wie West nervous at this week’s Mizuho Americas Open in West Caldwell, N.J.
Wie West, 36, will tee it up in an LPGA Tour event for the first time since stepping away from competition after missing the cut at the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open. She joked Wednesday that she “knew a few people” who could help her secure a spot into this week’s field, as Wie West prepares to play in next month’s U.S. Women’s Open.
After three years away from competition, Wie West was asked if the mental or physical side of the game is the most difficult to prepare for this week.
“Definitely mental. I don’t know physical. I feel pretty old right now and everything hurts. But I would say mental for sure,” Wie West said. “I get hit with moments of being nervous and I freeze up.
“To be fair, I feel like I have a lot of really good clarity on the feeling of being nervous and whatnot. But kind of getting back into the mode of playing there is really only a few things I do when I get nervous. I need to just not do them. That’s easier said than done.
“Yeah, it’s all difficult.”
A little more than a year after playing in her last LPGA Tour event, Wie West gave birth to her second child. She has spent much of the time since in various endeavors, including using events like the Mizuho Americas Open to mentor youth athletes.
The itch to compete and grow the game of golf also remains. In addition to the two upcoming events, Wie West is one of 14 women who have signed on to compete in the upcoming WTGL, the tech-infused indoor golf league co-owned by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
“I think any platform that can give LPGA players a sounding board and opportunity to showcase their talent, personalities, I think TGL is perfect for that,” Wie West said. “I think we’re going to reach new audiences hopefully.
“With the innovation and technology, I think it’s a perfect place to showcase everyone’s talents.”
Nelly Korda is the most prominent name yet to commit to the WTGL. However, like the world’s top-ranked player, Wie West hopes the league will grow to see PGA and LPGA Tour players compete together.
“From day one I got very excited about the aspect of playing co-ed matches. I think that would be really exciting,” she said. “I think these players, LPGA players, have such amazing personalities.”
–Field Level Media
Tigers place 2B Gleyber Torres (oblique) on 10-day IL
Tigers' Framber Valdez suspended for beaning Trevor Story
