Sports
Reds aim to continue dimming Braves' playoff hopes
Sep 17, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (29) high fives shortstop Elly De La Cruz (44) after the victory over the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images The Atlanta Braves will try to rebound after blowing a four-run lead in a critical loss as they oppose the host Cincinnati Reds in the second game of a three-game series on Wednesday.
If the Braves (81-70) don’t reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017, the Reds will have played a major role. Cincinnati (74-78) has won all four meetings this season, with just two games remaining in the season set.
The Braves blew a 5-1 lead on Tuesday in the series opener and fell 6-5 to the Reds. With the Mets routing the Washington Nationals 10-1 and the Diamondbacks losing to the Colorado Rockies 8-2, the Braves are two games back of New York and Arizona for the final two National League wild-card spots.
Injuries might finally be catching up to the Braves, who captured the 2021 World Series and won 100-plus games in 2022 and ’23. The team lost staff ace Spencer Strider to an elbow injury in April, right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. to a torn ACL in May, shortstop Ozzie Albies to a fractured wrist in July and third baseman Austin Riley to a hand injury in August.
Albies might be able to return this weekend after homering in his first rehab game on Tuesday.
In their loss to the Reds on Tuesday, the Braves went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 14 on base, including the tying run in scoring position in the ninth.
“It’s hard,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We’ve been talking about it all year, really. We were talking about it before all the injury bugs started, really. But you know what, honestly, that’s not an excuse. We are what we are, we got our guys, and they’re all capable of doing the job. It’s just, I think, about not trying too hard and adjusting in some situations.”
Once a candidate for the National League triple crown, Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna has slumped lately, going 26 games without a home run.
The Reds, meanwhile, are enjoying the spoiler role, having won three of their past four games, all against playoff contenders. Spencer Steer belted a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning to cap the Tuesday comeback.
“I think we can hopefully string together a really good couple weeks here in the season and have our heads held high going to the offseason,” Steer said. “We know what we’re capable of. And when we play clean baseball in all phases of the game, I think we’re really tough to beat. So I think that’s gonna be a big focus for us going forward.”
It was Steer’s 20th homer of the season to go along with his 25 steals. Steer and Elly De La Cruz, with 24 homers and 64 stolen bases, are the first Cincinnati teammates since Barry Larkin and Eric Davis in 1996 to reach 20-plus homers and 20-plus steals in a season.
The Braves will send rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (6-7, 3.73 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday. Schwellenbach earned a win in his latest outing, allowing four hits and two runs over six innings in a 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. Schwellenbach has never faced Cincinnati.
The Reds will counter with one of their hottest pitchers, right-hander Jakob Junis (4-0, 2.73 ERA), making his fourth start as part of the injury-riddled Cincinnati rotation. Junis allowed three hits and one run over five innings on Thursday in a no-decision against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Junis is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in three career games (two starts) against the Braves, all while he was with the San Francisco Giants the previous two years.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Lions running back David Montgomery “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Montgomery, however, immediately appeared to refute the report on X, posting: “Damn, Dmo told you that?”
The ESPN report claims the Lions would want “a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder)” in the 2026 NFL Draft in return for Montgomery, who turns 29 in June and is owed $6 million next season.
The report follows general manager Brad Holmes’ remarks after the season about Montgomery being unhappy with his playing time in 2025. Sharing a backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery rushed for a career-low 716 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (no starts).
“Those are conversations that we’re going to have to have because I’ve got a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said of Montgomery in January. “He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized, and so yeah would love for it to be here, but if it can’t be here then you’d just love to see where could work out best for him.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Holmes said the situation with Montgomery is “fluid.” He signed a two-year extension during the 2024 season that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign.
“Yeah, I have been in touch with David’s agent, and his representation,” Holmes revealed. “Obviously, we love David, he’s a great player, we love to have him, you know, kind of want to put last year in the rear view, and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. The conversations are still fluid, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Montgomery has rushed for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games (28 starts) in three seasons with Detroit (2023-25). He has 76 catches for 650 yards in that span.
He began his career with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Montgomery rushed for 3,609 yards and 26 scores in 60 games (51 starts) with the Bears (2019-22).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees LHP Ryan Yarbrough joins U.S. roster for WBC
Jun 18, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (33) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images New York Yankees left-hander Ryan Yarbrough was added to the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic on Sunday.
The 34-year-old reliever replaces Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, who is dealing with low back tightness. Ryan moves into the designated pitcher pool, meaning he is eligible for a call-up after each round of the WBC.
Yarbrough went 3-1 with a 4.36 ERA and one save in 19 games (eight starts) during his first season with the Yankees in 2025, striking out 55 batters and walking 19 in 64 innings.
Ryan Yarbrough has been added to our roster for the World Baseball Classic!#ForGlory???? pic.twitter.com/RrtKJQ20gz
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) March 1, 2026
Team USA will play its first game of the 2026 WBC on Friday night, meeting Brazil in a Pool B contest in Houston.
Yarbrough has a career record of 56-41 with a 4.22 ERA and four saves in 215 games (76 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays (2018-22), Kansas City Royals (2023), Los Angeles Dodgers (2023-24), Toronto Blue Jays (2024) and Yankees. The side-arming southpaw signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal in November to return to New York in 2026.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ex-pitcher Dan Serafini gets life sentence for '21 murder
Dan Serafini (file photo) pitched in MLB with seven teams. He was convited of first-degree murder. Former major league pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday for the 2021 shootings of his in-laws in North Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Serafini, 52, was convicted in July of the first-degree murder of father-in-law Gary Spohr and the attempted first-degree murder of mother-in-law Wendy Wood during a burglary. Spohr, 70, died from a single gunshot and Wood, then 68, survived but died by suicide the following year.
In the courtroom on Friday in Auburn, Calif., Placer County prosecutor Morgan Gire described Spohr and Wood as loving grandparents.
“The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence,” Gire said.
Serafini, who pitched for six MLB teams from 1996 to 2007, addressed the court and maintained his innocence. He said he was out partying with his wife, Erin Spohr, at the time of the shooting and referred to himself as a “broken, imperfect man that makes mistakes,” according to MyNews4.
The Minnesota Twins selected Serafini, a native of the San Francisco area, with the No. 26 overall pick in the 1992 MLB Draft. He made his debut in 1996 and went on to appear in 104 games (33 starts) with the Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies before his retirement in 2007.
He had a 15-16 record with a 6.04 ERA and one save. He threw 263 2/3 innings and struck out 127 batters.
–Field Level Media
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
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