Watch All Subscriber Events NASCAR SERIES Landen Lewis earned a dominant win in the zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock feature at Ace Speedway, while Carson Ware claimed his first CARS Tour win in the Pro Late Models. ShareTopLanden Lewis returned to zMAX CARS Tour victory lane on Saturday at Ace Speedway winning the Late Model Stock Car portion of the Folsom Fence 275 Lewis dominated the 125-lap Late Model Stock contest winning by nearly two seconds over former Ace Speedway track champion Ryan Millington A large part of Lewis' success on Saturday started in qualifying Lewis qualified 20th or worse in three of the first four zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car events to start the 2025 seasons Starting fifth at Ace Speedway made for a much easier race "The last two weeks we have been on a roller coaster for sure We qualified pretty much dead last and having to run the top every race to make it to the top 10." Lewis took the lead 32 laps into the Late Model Stock feature and paced the field the rest of the way for his second career win with the zMAX CARS Tour We're just working hard and showing up to the race track with well-prepared race cars and that's what it takes to win a championship We're just going to keep fighting away." Those championship standings will see a shake-up after the race at Ace Points leader Connor Hall salvaged an 11th-place finish on a tumultuous day while Kade Brown finished sixth after entering the race second in points Lanie Buice finished fourth for the highest-ever finish by a female driver in the Late Model Stock division for the zMAX CARS Tour while Landon Huffman rounded out the top five Rick Ware Racing made it back-to-back in the zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model division this time with Carson Ware taking the checkered flag Ware inherited the lead after a multi-car incident in turn one on lap 16 DeCaire and Keelan Harvick all collected out of the top five Dylan Garner had just suffered a mechanical failure and those four drivers spun in fluid from Garner's car as they entered turn one maintained control of his car and held off Maier on the ensuing restart Maier started to close the gap on Ware on the following green-flag run but rain started to fall just as the race reached its halfway mark with Ware holding on to a half-second lead over Maier and officials declared the race official as the rain settled in at Altamahaw "I had some big shoes to fill with Luke kicking their butt last weekend," said Ware in victory lane "I'm glad we could do it again this weekend." Ware knew with the potential for a rain-shortened race getting to the front of the field would be pivotal on Saturday We knew it was going to be pretty aggressive out of the gate and we were going to have to try to get as much track position as possible my spotter did an awesome job and we were able to get through turn one and we had it covered from there." then it was up to Ware to hang on until the yellow flag waved "It was a little sketchy through three and four we really decided to dive deep into this CARS Tour series Troy and everybody that works on these things I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity." Related ArticlesPASS Modifieds Oxford Plains Opening Day Postponed, PASS Still On As Scheduled Watch North/South SLM Challenge at Nashville on RacingAmerica.TV Cole Quinton Using Racing to Give Back During 2025 Season UTAH UTES FOOTBALL 4:39 PM | Updated: Apr 25 BY BRIAN PREECE SALT LAKE CITY – Utah redshirt senior tight end Landen King has entered his name in the NCAA spring transfer portal after two seasons with the Utes Multiple sources reported that King had placed his name in the transfer portal on Thursday Utah tight end Landen King has entered the transfer portal with a do not contact tag, @On3sports has learned Former Auburn transfer has 23 career catches for 303 yards and 5 touchdowns. https://t.co/VxSGJETKD9 pic.twitter.com/oSvdJxOSU7 — Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) April 24, 2025 making three grabs for 54 yards and a touchdown He was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team He leaves Utah with 17 catches and four TDs 9 tight end prospect by ESPN and considered a top-50 player in the state of Texas making 53 catches for 853 yards and nine touchdowns King found the end zone ten times while piling up 975 yards on 65 grabs king wants a championship @Landen_King3 👑 pic.twitter.com/oVIfWBe9zT — CTESPN Utah (@Ctespn_Utah) April 2, 2025 King played for the Auburn Tigers as a true freshman in 2021 making five catches for 59 yards and one score King transferred to Utah ahead of the 2023 season and earned playing time in all 13 games The communication major ended the season with 14 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns He set a career-high with 63 yards receiving and matched his career high with four catches against then-No Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis You can find KSL Sports coverage of the Utes here Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect; follow us at @kslsports Brian Preece is a KSLSports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24 Follow @bpreece24 Most every week, Scott White will highlight some of the more notable changes to his rest-of-season rankings. You'll find said rankings here and are urged to bookmark them if you haven't already There's no better resource for gauging player value throughout the long season Take it from the guy who has to scour the waiver wire for 10 streamable options every week: Starting pitcher has been picked clean there's basically no one rostered in less than 80 percent of leagues who's worth adding a shocking development this early in the season It's why the lack of interest in Landen Roupp is so baffling to me. Even days after his recent gem at the Angels -- when he allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and nine strikeouts in seven innings -- he's still rostered in just 54 percent of leagues Perhaps a move up the rankings can change that .. Utah’s offense is reportedly losing another veteran piece Tight end Landen King has entered the NCAA transfer portal with a “do not contact” tag 247 Sports’ Chris Hummer reported Thursday afternoon Utah tight end Landen King has entered the transfer portal with a "do not contact" tag, @mzenitz and I have learned for @247Sports. King began his career at Auburn as part of the 2021 class. https://t.co/SR7fLMwk6v pic.twitter.com/JnY7Svne6P King has spent the past two seasons at Utah after transferring from Auburn and started five games over that timeframe He had 17 catches for 220 yards and four touchdowns over the past two years The 6-foot-5 redshirt senior was expected to have a major role in the Utes’ offense this season with Brant Kuithe exhausting his eligibility though the emergence of redshirt freshman Hunter Andrews helps alleviate some cause for concern at the tight end position King follows several other Utah players into the transfer portal during the spring window among them wide receivers Zacharyus Williams and David Washington safety Jelani Davis and cornerbacks Quimari Shemwell and Sammie Hunter Utah tight end Landen King has entered the transfer portal with a "do not contact" tag, @mzenitz and I have learned for @247Sports. King began his career at Auburn as part of the 2021 class. https://t.co/SR7fLMwk6v pic.twitter.com/JnY7Svne6P « Back Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here There are no statistics available for this player Thanks for visiting Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Roupp comes out on top for final Giants' rotation spotMarch 25th SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants’ Opening Day rotation is set, with Landen Roupp officially edging out Hayden Birdsong for the final spot in the starting five Roupp will join Logan Webb, Justin Verlander, Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks in the rotation though the Giants also plan to carry Birdsong on their initial 26-man roster and have him pitch out of the bullpen to start the year The fifth-starter competition was one of the most intriguing spring storylines for the Giants though the 26-year-old Roupp ultimately came out on top after striking out eight over five innings of one-run ball in his final exhibition start against Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday “It’s exciting,” Roupp said following the Giants’ 6-4 win over the Tigers on Monday night at Oracle Park I knew I had to compete and pitch well to make the team also impressed after logging a 0.75 ERA with no walks and 18 strikeouts over his first four Cactus League appearances but he was hampered by a cracked fingernail in his outing against the River Cats on Sunday and gave up three runs on three hits and two walks while recording only one out It’s the second straight year that Roupp has earned a spot on the Giants’ Opening Day roster as he also came out of nowhere to win a bullpen job last spring Roupp primarily pitched in relief last season but he got a brief look in San Francisco’s rotation at the end of the season and showed his potential by recording a 3.86 ERA over four September starts especially at the end,” manager Bob Melvin said Both of them are kind of made to be starters But I think [Roupp] pitched a little bit more towards the end Bird had a little bit of a cracked nail that kind of affected stretching him out yesterday Birdsong doesn’t have a ton of experience pitching out of the bullpen though he was used as a reliever in college which could help him acclimate to the new role Birdsong got stretched out to five innings during Cactus League play so he should be available to provide length out of the bullpen and could easily slide back into the rotation if needs arise during the regular season “We want to start with what we think is our best group,” Melvin said we feel like we have a lot of depth as far as starting pitching if he gets some outings that are three innings or more I don’t know that he couldn’t be stretched out and be that guy But we’re trying to reward guys that have had good springs and deserve to be on the team.” it’s my first Opening Day I get to be a part of,” Birdsong said but I know that’s not always in my control I’m still going to probably try and get that at some point.” The decision to slot Birdsong into a relief role also clarifies the outlook for the rest of the bullpen who was also informed he made the team on Monday The final spot is likely to come down to two non-roster invitees -- Lou Trivino and Joel Peguero -- both of whom didn’t give up a run during Cactus League action One notable omission from the relief mix will be Sean Hjelle who spent the entire 2024 campaign in the Giants’ bullpen but was surprisingly optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday after logging a 6.75 ERA over seven Cactus League appearances this spring “Here’s a guy that was on our team the whole year last year,” Melvin said But the message is we’re trying to keep as many guys as we possibly can here and sometimes it comes down to results in spring Some other guys that are here right now have had better springs But you go through so many pitchers over the course of the season The message was make sure you stay ready because it can happen very quickly.” Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball One of the many Toronto Blue Jays prospects who received Tommy John surgery last season has returned The Florida Complex League began its season on Saturday with the FCL Blue Jays taking on the FCL Phillies Starting the game for the Blue Jays was Landen Maroudis who pitched for the first time since April 21 FCL’s gameday tracker doesn’t count the number of pitches thrown Maroudis pitched well for a player who hasn’t pitched in over a year as Maroudis quickly became one of the most intriguing players in the Blue Jays’ system last season the righty allowed a single run in 10.2 innings pitched for a 0.84 ERA and a 2.43 FIP Despite pitching just 10.2 professional innings and missing over a year of time, Maroudis ranked as MLB Pipeline’s eighth-best Blue Jays prospect He also features a 50-grade curveball and slider with a changeup that lags behind It’s an encouraging sign that Maroudis is back, but a lot of the Blue Jays’ best pitching prospects required Tommy John surgery last season. Ricky Tiedemann is set for a return in the second half of the season. Their first-round selection in 2022, Brandon Barriera, is also not too far away from appearing in games who looked solid in the big leagues before requiring surgery Left-handed pitcher Adam Macko is also close to returning but he hasn’t pitched this season because of knee surgery these prospects can get healthy soon and come back stronger than ever This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission customized to your favorite sports and teams Roupp holds up his end of another duel at Oracle ParkApril 9th SAN FRANCISCO -- One night after Logan Webb and Hunter Greene matched up in a classic pitchers’ duel, Landen Roupp and Nick Lodolo decided to stage one of their own Roupp tossed six innings of one-run ball in the best start of his young career, but he was bested by Lodolo, who worked six scoreless frames as the Reds shut out the Giants for the second straight night at Oracle Park. The Giants’ 1-0 loss ensured their first series loss of the year But their bats have gone cold against Cincinnati’s pitching which has allowed only eight hits over the first two games of this series “It’s tough to waste two really good pitching performances in the last couple of nights but we’ll get back at it tomorrow,” manager Bob Melvin said Roupp kept the Giants in the game by scattering seven hits while walking none and striking out four in his 2025 home debut He allowed the only run of the game in the third inning advanced to third on a single by Jake Fraley and scored on Jose Trevino’’s RBI groundout The Reds also threatened after putting runners on the corners with one out in the fifth but Casey Schmitt -- who was making only his third career appearance at first base -- came charging in to field a safety squeeze from Trevino and threw to catcher Sam Huff who tagged out Steer at home to keep another run off the board Despite being charged with the tough-luck loss Roupp crossed off a couple of notable milestones with his efficient 81-pitch effort on Tuesday He recorded his first quality start after getting through six innings for the first time in the Majors but I’ll try to go longer next time,” Roupp said Roupp’s performance certainly validated the Giants’ decision to carry the 26-year-old right-hander in their rotation after he beat out Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison in the fifth-starter competition during Spring Training Roupp lasted only four innings in his first start of the year against the Astros last week but Melvin felt he might have been affected by his disrupted schedule Roupp had to travel to Cincinnati and Arizona before finally getting a chance to take the mound in Houston “I think he was just settled,” Melvin said “His schedule was a little uneven the last time out He only gave up the one run in six innings Roupp leaned on his curveball while working primarily out of the bullpen as a rookie last season That is one of the reasons the Giants believe he can develop into a long-term rotation piece for the club He threw his sinker 52% of the time against the Reds which is a new pitch that he hopes will help him better neutralize lefties this year “It’s probably as good as I’ve felt with it since the first game of Spring Training,” Roupp said “I got some weak contact on it and swing-and-miss The Giants ended up using only two pitchers on Tuesday as Birdsong came in after Roupp and gave up one hit over three scoreless innings hasn’t allowed a run over seven innings in his first three relief appearances this year showcasing the young pitching depth that has become the strength of the Giants’ organization in recent years “I think he’s just pitching,” Melvin said of Birdsong He just embraced the role that he’s in right now “Getting a key strikeout with a man on third It just looks like he’s really confident out there.” SCOTTSDALE -- After the third inning at the Giants' minor league facility on Friday, bullpen coach Garvin Alston approached right-hander Landen Roupp in the dugout we're going to put some runners on for you," he said, laughing.  Roupp was so dominant that getting on base wasn't even a reasonable goal Simply making contact against Roupp was difficult enough stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams The 26-year-old pitched in a High-A game to get his pitch count up while Jordan Hicks faced the Milwaukee Brewers a few miles away He started the afternoon with nine straight strikeouts but didn't realize what was going on at first All the minor leaguers have to stay and watch us so some of my friends that I got drafted with were screaming after I struck someone out and I was like 'What are they doing?' I guess it was because I struck out nine in a row," Roupp said "I noticed that and realized what was happening but during the moment I didn't know that I was doing what I was doing The 13 strikeouts were a lifetime high at any level for Roupp who twice struck out 12 in a game in college He said he couldn't remember ever getting more than six in a row.  but often that's a tougher test for big leaguers since hitters in the low minors view those matchups as opportunities to make a name for themselves and often are needlessly aggressive Roupp didn't give them a chance to chase base hits; the majority of his strikeouts came on three pitches and he needed just 66 -- 51 of which were strikes -- to get through his five innings analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California A day later, Alston said Roupp's outing would be impressive against any level of competition. The right-hander certainly chose a great time to be that sharp, as manager Bob Melvin skipped the big league game to get a closer look at Roupp, who is trying to beat out Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong for the final rotation spot Melvin said he was impressed by how Roupp got his adrenaline and intensity going in front of only about 50 people Roupp has been nearly as dominant at times this spring in Cactus League games. He allowed just one hit and struck out 11 in his first three appearances before stumbling last weekend against the Chicago Cubs and allowing five runs Roupp said he didn't feel focused against the Cubs for some reason Birdsong and Harrison will try to keep pace in Sunday's game against the Athletics and the Giants insist the competition is still wide open Melvin wouldn't commit when asked Saturday if Roupp has at least locked up a bullpen job but at this point it's hard to see how the Giants could head to Cincinnati later this month without Roupp "I don't think the competition is going to be over until the last day of camp," he said "I've still got to pitch well and continue to do what I've been doing." Roupp continues to work on a cutter that he hopes can become a weapon against left-handed hitters. He's already comfortable with a changeup that is modeled after Logan Webb's and the curveball and sinker are as deadly as ever Nearly half of them came in a memorable hour at the minor league facility he offered perhaps the understatement of the spring.  Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast The senior lefty personally saw to it there'd be only joy for the boys in black Tuesday, April 22 Doll dominated with a complete-game no-hitter and Jackson made the most of its two hits for a 5-0 high school baseball win over Hoover at Dick Miller Field Jackson and Hoover split the Federal League championship last year and entered the day tied atop the league But it was the Vikings winning both regular-season matchups and a Division I regional semifinal showdown with the Polar Bears last year Jackson coach Bill Gamble shrugged off the effects of 2024 on Tuesday We know every time we get together with them it's going to be an outstanding game."  especially to be able to do it with my boys," Doll said after his first career no-hitter at any level especially for the guys who have been here and the guys coming up They understand the pain we went through last year "Coming back and being able to get the first one is really special."  walked one and needed only 80 pitches to move to 5-0 for the season actually faced the minimum 21 batters since he picked off the base runner he walked in the fourth inning I was able to miss barrels," Doll said of his upper 80s heater Doll added a change-up to befuddle the Vikings (8-5 who never came very close to getting a hit "If you want to come out and PBR him and look for 90s all the time What you're going to get is a guy who knows how to pitch you enjoy watching this young man do his thing."  Hoover coach Bryan Ashby appreciated the performance even if it came at his team's expense He's got another year of experience from last year to this year and he proved why he's playing at the next level next year That's what you have to do in high school baseball."  All of Jackson's offense came in the third inning bases-clearing double to deep center just out of the reach of Jack Andes to stake the Polar Bears (10-3 senior Derak Staudt pulled a two-run double down the left field line to make it 5-0 so getting a crooked number is a big deal," Gamble said Those two doubles were Jackson's only hits All the other traffic on the bases came from walks Hoover starter Jake Donaldson suffered his first loss of the season allowing the five runs and walking six in 2⅔ innings So we'll regroup and we'll get after it tomorrow We'll flush this and get back after it tomorrow."  Sophomore Roman Geiselman pitched 4⅓ innings of hitless relief for the Vikings the Vikings and Polar Bears will go back at it Wednesday Jackson won its first nine games of the season then had dropped three straight heading into Tuesday Doll never doubted the mindset of his Polar Bear teammates "and homegrown means you're going to be with your boys whether you're winning or losing."  Reach Josh at josh.weir@cantonrep.com  Roupp utilizing mentorship in his quest to crack rotationJanuary 24th This story was excerpted from Maria Guardado’s Giants Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox When Landen Roupp learned that Justin Verlander was signing with the Giants “I can’t remember what I was doing at the time,” said the young right-hander I’m gonna get the opportunity to learn from a Hall of Famer.’” they also hope he’ll become a resource to the youngsters on the pitching staff and the learning process has been a major theme for him not just during his rookie campaign last year As one of eight players from the Giants to participate in the annual Rookie Career Development Program -- the others are Hayden Birdsong Carson Ragdale and Carson Seymour -- Roupp took advantage of the chance to absorb knowledge and wisdom about how to make a successful transition to the big leagues The four-day program is designed to help prepare young players for the many ways their lives may change after reaching the Majors from working with the media to handling finances to sorting through competing demands for their time and tips on proper nutrition and other health-related topics the breakout sessions -- in which former and current Major League players shared advice with the next wave of young players -- were particularly helpful “Like I was saying to the guys today in our discussion group just learning about all the resources we have was great,” said the 26-year-old “It was good to be able to listen to guys who played 20 years ago and how things were so different then than they are now.” Roupp said that one of the most intriguing topics he learned about was blood tests and other ways of improving performance through nutrition He heard about that not from a former player but a current one -- D-backs star Corbin Carroll who is heading into his third full MLB season Carroll wasn’t the only active player involved the flamethrowing phenom of the Pirates and the reigning National League Rookie of the Year as well as three-time batting champion Luis Arraez As he heads into his first full Major League season Roupp is looking to take a big step forward in 2025 he posted a 3.58 ERA over 50 1/3 innings (four starts Now he’s looking to crack the Opening Day starting rotation his relief experience in 2024 was big for him “One thing I didn’t expect going into last year was being in the bullpen,” Roupp said “I had never been a reliever in my life up to that point So that was new for me and I had to learn a new routine.” Roupp said he’s hoping to utilize his changeup more in the upcoming season he’s learning from the ace of San Francisco’s staff “I talked with Webby [Logan Webb] in Spring Training last year about the changeup,” Roupp said “We kind of have the same arm slot and a similar arsenal I kind of got his grip and started throwing it Roupp entered the game in the seventh inning He threw 14 changeups over two frames against the Red Sox As he competes for a rotation spot in 2025 Roupp will strive to turn his education into results but his unexpected stint in the bullpen last year could serve him well As will the many other learning experiences he’ll have as a young player trying to establish himself in the Majors “There’s still a lot to work on,” Roupp said ERIE – Who is the best sprinter in the family That is the question after the brother and sister duo of Landen and Giuliana Nastale both won Track Athlete of the Meet honors at the 60th annual Erie Mason Track and Field Invitational Saturday “I think I am,” Giuliana said with a giggle Full circle: Erie Mason's Joel Liedel commits to Detroit Mercy for second time Their resumes on their home track were very similar Saturday Both were champions in the 100 and 200 meters She anchored winning efforts in both the 400 and 800-meter races Landen ran the same two races for the boys Both of his teams had to settle for second place they are both beasts,” said Mason’s Beth Sweeney who repeated as overall Girls Athlete of the Meet was clocked at :11.39 in the 100 and :23.32 in the 200 posted a time of :12.47 in the 100 and went :26.06 in the 200 “I guess we are,” Giuliana said when asked if she and her big brother are competitive The children of Jayme and Anthony Nastale were rooting for each other Saturday “We weren’t talking about (both winning Most Valuable Awards) at first but we started thinking about it with the way things happened,” she said She won Girls Athlete of the Meet honors by winning the high jump (4-10) and low hurdles (:45.71) and taking second in the low hurdles She also ran a leg on the winning 800 relay Her time in the lows broke the meet record Getting edged by Ida’s Julia Hughes (:15.51) in the highs provided motivation for the rest of the day “She put in a lot of work in the off season Ida swept the Field Athlete of the Meet honors with Addysen Wilt winning for girls and Jaxon Bolster taking boys honors Wilt won the discus at 106-9 and was second in the shot-put Bolster set a school record of 14-2 in winning the pole vault He topped a standard set by Eric Mashlin in 1986 Bella LaFountain (5:39.91 for girls) and Christian Craanen (4:40.88 for boys) of St Mary Catholic Central won the Gerald Wing Memorial Mile trophies The Boys Athlete of the Meet award went to Alex Richards of Hillsdale Academy third in the long jump and ran on a winning relay Erie Mason got individual wins from Zach Worden (400) Lincoln Murbach (low hurdles) and Logan Goodin (high jump) and ruled the 3,200 relay with Parker Campbell SMCC finished first in the 400 and 800 relays with Vince Harris Drew Harris and Cole Reinhardt running on both and Jefferson’s Josh Hargreaves took the long jump Mason’s girls crossed the finish line first in both sprint relays with Nastale Paige Konrad and Taeviannah Couthen running on both Jefferson only brought part of its team after competing in the Flat Rock Level Pebble Classic Friday but had a pair of champions: Claire Miller in the 3,200 and Katie Powell in the long jump and Monroe’s Nina Gauvin took the title in the 400 meters a coach or a player will say something in the media gathering following a University of Washington spring football practice that sort of goes over everyone's head until you rewind later and listen to it again the Huskies' starting center and one of the more upbeat players on the roster As people asked him questions this past Saturday it felt good to have his brother Geirean back on the team his surgically repaired knee was no longer an issue in his progress 320-pound Hatchett has been part of three decidedly different groups of UW offensive linemen in his Montlake stay the Huskies fielded the nation's finest collection of line talent as judged by them winning the Joe Moore Award the UW had a ragtag bunch of players that resulted in uneven performances including giving up an embarrassing 10 sacks at Oregon in a four-touchdown defeat "I love the culture in this O-line room," Hatchett said but the culture of of O-line at U-Dub doesn't change we didn't live up to that standard and that culture." While that last line might not sound like a major indictment on his part it was the first time anyone in-house actually called out the 2024 line for what it was rather than simply suggest it just was too young or too light Three freshmen coming in at 350 pounds or more and not acting like wide-eyed newcomers is one reason for new optimism Forty added pounds on left guard Paki Finau's frame is another Carver Willis' transfer from Kansas State and installation at left tackle is still another Yet a healthy and happy Hatchett will go a long way in determining the success of this offensive unit during the coming season While Willis has huge credentials -- 52 immediate pursuers reached out once he hit the transfer portal -- Hatchett just might be the Huskies' top NFL prospect up front Consider in his recovery from a Sugar Bowl practice knee injury in 2023 Hatchett started at three different line positions for the UW last season Landen Hatchett prepares to snap the ball to Demond Williams Jr / Skylar Lin VisualsHe feels motivated by the new Husky line coach in Mike Switzer who was a four-year starting guard at Ball State and spent time with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent "I felt Switz has brought in great energy to the room," Hatchett said "He's been a guy that's been in our shoes and played in the league for a little bit And with this enthusiasm and understanding of the trenches being passed down Hatchett feels the quality of Husky line play has improved and better resembles the group of two years ago rather than this past season "With the combination of Switz and the new guys coming in," he said "I feel like we've banded and created that culture back again." To get the latest UW football and basketball news The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER SAN FRANCISCO -- A year ago, Landen Roupp pitched his way onto the Opening Day roster Manager Bob Melvin revealed Monday that Roupp was the surprise winner of a spirited competition for the fifth starter spot who will make his first Opening Day roster but will begin the season as a reliever he's a pretty determined young man," Melvin said of Roupp "Both of them had great springs so really we could go either way with it but I think [Roupp] pitched a little bit more towards the end [of the spring] [Birdsong] had a cracked nail that kind of affected stretching him out Left-hander Kyle Harrison entered camp as the favorite to fill out the rotation, but the Giants determined pretty early on that it would be a two-horse race Harrison spent most of the offseason rehabbing an inflamed shoulder and lost significant weight just before camp because of a virus Roupp and Birdsong were neck and neck all spring and both threw well enough to lock up a rotation spot Roupp pitched 22 innings across Cactus League games minor league games and the exhibition in Sacramento on Sunday night and five of his six earned runs all spring came during one poor performance in early March he allowed one hit to the River Cats and struck out eight in five innings.  but a cracked nail on his middle finger limited him to one-third of an inning he had a 3.68 ERA in the spring with 21 strikeouts to three walks in 14 2/3 innings Birdsong said he wasn't concerned about the nail and that it happens to him often He'll be ready to go on Thursday in Cincinnati if needed.  Sam Huff will be the backup catcher and Luis Matos likely will be the fourth outfielder and get some DH at-bats The Giants still are trying to finalize their bench David Villar and Christian Koss in the mix has made a strong push lately to be a backup infielder Roupp wasn't supposed to make the initial roster last year but he was too good in the spring to be left out He had a 3.58 ERA as a rookie and looked comfortable in four starts at the end of the 2024 MLB season Birdsong is the one who now will have to adjust but the Giants are confident they can keep him stretched out The hope is that they can find multi-inning outings for him early in the season it's a lock that Birdsong will be in the rotation at some point.  Melvin said that at the start of the season the front office and staff wanted to reward both young pitchers and go "with what we feel is our best" roster a serious worker who nearly kept his emotions in check when Melvin delivered the news.  I think I saw a little hint of a smile," Melvin said Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast Channelsreels-350546Reelsarrow-expand-350547Landen Roupp escapes a jam in the 4thGiants @ PhilliesApril 14 2025 | 00:00:09add-reel-350548Reelsshare-square-2-350549ShareLanden Roupp gets Trea Turner to hit a grounder right back to him to end the bottom of the 4th You can now search for over 3 million videos by player Use the search box to start your search with a player or a team and then use the filter panel to refine your results You can also start by selecting filters from the panel Videos can be embedded and shared directly from MLB.com Bienvenido a la nueva búsqueda de videos de MLB Ahora puede buscar más de 3 millones de videos por jugador Use el cuadro de búsqueda para comenzar su búsqueda con un jugador o un equipo y luego use el panel de filtro para refinar sus resultados También puede comenzar seleccionando filtros desde el panel Los videos se pueden insertar y compartir directamente desde MLB.com/es There was an error when executing your search Please refresh the page or try another query to get results If you are still having trouble, please describe your issue here and we will do our best to resolve it Por favor vuelva a cargar la página o intente con otros parámetros para obtener resultados Si aún así continua teneindo problemas, por favor descríbalo aquí y haremos todo lo posible por resolverlo It looks like there are no results for your search Please note that \\\"Play\\\" filters are only available after the 2015 season Videos from 2015 and prior can be searched by player Examples of \\\"Play\\\" filters:Hit ResultPitch ResultPitch Type\"},\"es\":{\"title\":\"¡Ponchado!\",\"body\":\"Aparentemente no hay resultados para tu búsqueda tenga en cuenta que los filtros de Play sólo están disponibles después de la temporada 2015 Los videos de 2015 y anteriores se pueden buscar por jugador There were no clips found for this selection Please refresh the page or try again later No se encontraron clips para esta selección Actualiza la página o vuelve a intentarlo más tarde In the commons area of Magnolia High School last Wednesday Magnolia Distance Runner Landen Davis signed a ceremonial commitment to attend West Liberty University and participate in their track program in the fall of 2025 Landen has in his four year high school career achieved an outstanding record in cross country and track At the present time he holds the school record for the 3200-meter (9:41:07) Landen plans on studying sports management at West Liberty with aspirations of becoming a coach and Athletic Director During his career at Magnolia high school he was named All-OVAC in cross country and track each year He also qualified for the State Track Meet in Charleston each year and has captured several awards and medals in each of the events Landen has proven to be one of the premier runners in the state in the distance events while at Magnolia and has led his team in several categories He will be an asset to West Liberty University’s Track and Field team Congratulations to Landen and good luck the rest of his track season as he prepares form the upcoming state meet The New Martinsville City Council met on Monday evening April 21 at the City Municipal Building for their .. | https://www.wetzelchronicle.com | 1100 Third Street As the early season dust has settled and more of the obvious breakout players and impact rookies are unavailable we need to look a bit deeper to find gems on the waiver wire because there are still a handful of players that are widely available and have the chance to be difference-makers in both the short and long term Here are three players that are under 40% rostered on Yahoo leagues that you should strongly consider adding If you want a larger list, Eric Samulski wrote his extended waiver wire piece on Sunday Roupp’s rostership is criminally low for how impressive he’s looked so far this season he beat out Hayden Birdsong for the Giants’ fifth starter spot and has one of the highest strikeout rates among all starters in the league at 31.2% he is a bit of a weird case and I suspect that’s why many are still weary to buy-in on him side-arm delivery that looks quite unorthodox on the mound After a long first inning in just the seventh start of his career, Landen Roupp BATTLED, throwing a career-high 101 pitches 👏 pic.twitter.com/SguNAOZbZz He broke camp with the Giants last season as a reliever and walked eight batters in 13 2/3 innings before being demoted The plan was to stretch him back out as a starter in the minors but he immediately went on the injured list with an elbow injury he returned mid-season for a handful of extended relief outings and made a few starts in September he had no semblance of a plan for left-handed batters That means his pitches almost entirely move on a horizontal plane a pitch that traditionally moves more downward has significantly more horizontal movement than downward compared to other curveballs he’d fall into patterns where he’d use that pitch to try and pick off called strikes like sweeper-focused righties do to lefty batters he walked more left-handed batters than he struck out He has not had the same problems this season He’s tightened up the vertical movement on that curveball a bit and has committed to burying it below the zone as a whiff pitch it’s forcing a 44.4% whiff rate against lefties its whiff rate against them was just 19.5% his changeup is generating more arm-side run and he’s been more confident throwing it as a put-away pitch he developed a new cutter in lieu of a poor four-seam fastball and tight slider that he’s scrapped That cutter has been a valuable tool for him because it has a very different movement profile than the rest of his pitches and that surprises hitters He’s throwing it 14% of the time against lefties – mostly when he’s behind in the count – and it’s bailed him out with a ton of weak contact He’s still lights out against righties too and few pitchers in the league are missing more bats or forcing more swings at pitches outside the strike zone than him This is likely your final chance to add him before his ascension continues ERA can be our greatest aid in finding worthwhile pitchers on the waiver wire but has made some material changes start to start that could change their fortunes That is the case for Rocker who allowed 10 earned runs over his first three starts that spanned just 11 1/3 total innings while only striking out six batters and walking four These rough starts were not against marquee offenses either Rocker threw progressively fewer sliders over those three poor starts That slider is hands down his best pitch and the one keeps his potential sky-high its usage bottomed out with just four total thrown in that rough start against the Mariners He was clearly struggling to command it and favored his curveball and more sinkers over it to no avail something clicked with that slider in between his last two starts because he threw 45 of them last week against the Angels That was nearly three times more than he threw any other pitch and it was highly effective forcing 12 whiffs He will be a highly effective starting pitcher if he can consistently rely on that pitch and his high ERA makes it a great time to sneakily buy back in on him Ramírez was promoted somewhat surprisingly earlier this week and looks ready to hit the ground running it’s expected that he plays nearly every day The Marlins’ other options at catcher are Nick Fortes none have anywhere near the pedigree nor physical tools than Ramírez does A consensus top-100 prospect and peaking at #55 on Baseball Prospectus’ pre-season top-101 list Ramírez was the centerpiece of the Marlins’ return for Jazz Chisholm Jr He accumulated 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in his 176 total games across double-A and triple-A over the last three seasons speed combo is unheard of for a catcher and Ramírez looks like he could sustain it to a degree in the big leagues During his debut on Monday That is a well-rounded ball game if I’ve ever seen one Ramírez showed off his gaudy raw power this spring training when he laced a single 115.1 mph Random Players Doing Cool StuffAgustín Ramírez is a power-hitting catcher that was traded from the Yankees to the Marlins for Jazz ChisholmHe smacked this single 115.1 MPH yesterdayThe only catchers to hit a ball harder last season were William and Willson Contreras pic.twitter.com/H9heGlRqKK He already has some of the best raw power and speed for any catcher in the league There are some concerns with his defensive ability but the Marlins likely didn’t call him up to sit on the bench He has a great chance to be a top-10 type of catcher right away A Division of NBCUniversal DISCLAIMER: This site and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only and there is no gambling offered on this site This service is intended for adult audiences No guarantees are made for any specific outcome Landen Roupp leans heavily on his high-spin curveball, and Hayden Birdsong is a purveyor of the kick-change which is a big reason the right-handers are being counted on to provide quality innings in their respective roles with the San Francisco Giants this season; Roupp is in the rotation while Birdsong is working out of the bullpen who is scheduled to make his second start on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds made his season debut on April 2 in a 6-3 Giants win over the Houston Astros The start wasn’t great — he was removed with the bases loaded and nobody out in the fifth inning and was ultimately charged with three runs — but his eight strikeouts were encouraging Seven of those strikeouts — and none of the four hits he allowed — came against his curveball He threw his signature offering 34 times in his 83-pitch effort Birdsong has thrown four scoreless innings over two relief appearances One of his four strikeouts has come courtesy of the kick-change which he has thrown nine times out of 53 total pitches has primarily attacked hitters with his high-octane heater (56.6% usage) The stories behind Roupp’s hook and Birdsong’s changeup I broached the subjects with the right-handers in Giants camps shortly before the start of the regular season “I’ve thrown it my entire life,” Roupp said of his curveball “All that’s really different is that I’m getting stronger with more mobility learning ways to make it move more and spin harder… learning and growing into my body has made it a lot better having confidence in it is the biggest thing.” A 12th-round pick out of UNC-Wilmington in 2021 Roupp spun his curveball at 3,056 rpm in his April 2 outing comfortably within the 2,900-3,100 range he’d described to me Roupp also said that he “gets about 19 to 22 [inches] of horizontal [movement] and something like negative-11 vert” when he is executing properly When he’s out of sync with his delivery it doesn’t come out of his hand exactly as he’d like Roupp showed me his two-seam fastball grip He explained that he throws his curveball just like his two-seamer Roupp’s curveball is “pretty slow,” averaging 77.4 mph since the start of last season He said the speed differential between that and his fastball — his two-seamer averages 93.4 mph — is a big part of its effectiveness he threw the curve 41% of the time in his first outing which was slightly less frequently than he did last season (44.1%) With the caveat that one game is nowhere near a large enough sample size to determine what a pitcher’s usage rates will be that dip was notable given that Roupp told me this spring that his plan was to throw his curve less often this season they were telling me I was throwing it too much,” Roupp said “That was more about developing my other pitches But while I might throw it 40% of the time I do think I’m going to lean back a little bit now that I have the changeup and the cutter I want to implement those and get people off my curveball so that it’s even more effective at the big league level.” “I have a high-vert heater with pretty good velo,” Birdsong said when asked to describe his full arsenal “My curveball is the opposite of my fastball in that it’s just straight down; it’s negative-15 vert when it’s good My slider is kind of in development and is more of a cutter and it’s developed into one of my better pitches.” The right-hander supposedly learned it at Tread Athletics… except Birdsong explained that while “everybody says that,” he’s never been to Tread nor has he talked to anyone who works there then began experimenting with the grip the following day “I started playing catch with it — this was in spring training — and I’m not sure I can even remember who my catch partner was,” said Birdsong, whom the Giants took in the sixth round of the 2022 draft out of Eastern Illinois. “It might have been Spencer Bivens But my changeup had been horrible the year before one that wasn’t a splitter — I didn’t want to mess with one of those — so I started looking at videos Birdsong’s previous attempts to find a quality changeup had all been for naught he’d never thrown one “under nine vert.” All of a sudden The first coach he approached with that news didn’t believe it “I was throwing it, and it was tumbling,” Birdsong said. “It was doing what I wanted it to do. I told [bullpen coach Garvin Alston] that I’d thrown a changeup in the bullpen and it was negative vert ‘Let me go take a look [at the data].’ I asked him about it the next day and he said As Davis Martin and Matt Bowman explained here at FanGraphs last September the pitch that Birdsong is now throwing has a close-cousin relationship with the better-known split change “I saw the video and called it a spike change,” said Birdsong “I showed the grip to somebody — I forget who it was — and he was like there are some guys who used to throw that is that you’re kicking the axis of the ball Love articles like these that explain the growth of non super high profile guys that have the potential to be super high profile guys Let’s mine Statcast data for the non-universally rostered pitchers with the most effective pitches thus far trying to find lower-rostered hurlers who have at least one great arrow in their quiver We’ll look at a starter and reliever for each standout pitch But it means these pitchers are closer to turning things around than we might think Note: Stats are courtesy Baseball Savant 8% rostered) is getting 41.9% whiffs on his four-seamer the four-seam fastball is generally the pitch that hitters hit the best so being about 80 points below average in xWOBA is outstanding I’d have him watch-list only in 12-team mixed leagues until he puts together two strong starts in a row This makes little sense by conventional wisdom which holds that the best reliever is the closer his lack of velocity is holding him back from the role but he’s getting 30% whiffs on the pitch (87th percentile) And hitters have a .140 xwOBA versus his four-seamer (No 30%) has the best curve among low-rostered starters and the whiff rate against it is an absurd 56.8% but he also has a changeup that gets 40% whiffs Roupp has an expected ERA of 2.92 and should be picked up everywhere right now 5%): I get that he doesn’t have a path to closing and is a lefty but 71% whiffs against his curve demands a roster spot but it’s turned his fastball into the game’s third-best pitch in actual runs saved — with an xwOBA allowed of just .171 23%) generates 47.5% whiffs from his change Olson’s xERA is not far from his 4.50 actual so you can’t pick him up yet as a mixed-league starter If he threw the change 40% of the time instead of 25% I bet it would make his fastball perform at least average and he’d be a plus pitcher in mixed leagues we have to wait and see if there are any signs of this Chris Bassitt (TOR) is 85% rostered but has probably a one-start leash with his fantasy managers — I think it deserves to be two starts if not longer His cutter gets 38.2% whiffs and has an xwOBA allowed of .124 — outrageous numbers He’s throwing it 18.2% of the time in 2025 but he gets 34.6% whiffs on his cutter with a .179 xwOBA allowed Ryan Helsley seems broken with almost 20% walks Maybe Maton could be a lesser version of Mariano Rivera in the closer role I understand he doesn’t fit the closer profile but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy and probably won’t be able to stay healthy this year He’s getting 53.5% whiffs on his slider with an xwOBA of .196 Note that throwing the slider is not an elbow killer It’s the fastball and the deceleration of the arm that causes these injuries But his slider gets 53.3% whiffs with an OK .270 xwOBA allowed Leasure’s xERA is 2.03 with an xBA allowed of .143 but we just don’t know it because the White Sox never win Someone probably gets 15 saves on this team 70%) is a hold even after getting rocked on Tuesday (these stats are through Monday’s action) It feels like he hasn’t pitched since Carrot Top was a headliner I want to see Carrot Top and May in the same room Through Monday,  May’s sweeper was getting 38.7% whiffs with an xwOBA of .186 We’re not likely to ever get the strikeouts we want from him Dennis Santana has 5 K in 10 innings and is not a closer but his expected is 3.01 (Santana’s is 5.04) but I recommend a set-it-and-forget-it approach with him for now He’s in your rotation unless he’s bad for a month His splitter gets 37% whiffs and a third-best .127 xwOBA against 10%) is 35 but has a 40.4% strikeout rate due to his splitter It’s fair to say the Yankees’ pen is clouded in uncertainty Lefties are 2-for-16 with 7 K against the righty Cruz 36%) has a sinker that’s tied for the fifth-best pitch in preventing runs (actual His xERA is 4.2,7 and his ground-ball rate isn’t even above average I had to put some starter here for the sinker which I believe should be junked by 70% of pitchers (Severino is in the other 30% 9%) throws the sinker on 62% of pitches and has an overall ground-ball rate of 73.9% Trevor Megill is fighting a sore knee and has generally been ineffective so Uribe could be next in line for saves for the Brewers given the strikeouts are not high enough to roster as a non-closer Baseball Forums the San Francisco Giants and starting pitcher Landen Roupp will take on the San Diego Padres at 4:10 p.m pitcher stats to see how the Padres' bats might perform in this matchup Watch MLB, other live sports and more on Fubo! Use our link to sign up for a free trial Place your bets on any MLB matchup at BetMGM, and sign up with our link for a first-time deposit bonus! Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER BOX SCORE SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants' original City Connects weren't at all popular when they were first released Tuesday nights at Oracle Park came to be associated with winning The creamsicles were 30-16 before getting retired last September The new version took the field for the first time on Tuesday but it was another quiet night for the lineup and another loss to the Cincinnati Reds The series loss is their first of the year and they'll try to avoid the sweep on Wednesday behind Justin Verlander Debutando nuevos uniformes 🟠🟣 pic.twitter.com/Vfzf8ZWkUT A night after getting overwhelmed by Hunter Greene the Giants had just three hits in six innings against lefty Nick Lodolo they got a leadoff single in the bottom of the eighth but the runner was quickly erased when Heliot Ramos bounced into a double play Willy Adames followed with his third strikeout of the night and 15th of the season The Reds got a leadoff double from Gavin Lux in the top of the ninth but Hayden Birdsong got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts that stranded Lux on third Birdsong allowed just one hit over three innings Here are three observations from the Giants' second consecutive shutout loss: Landen Roupp fought his command the first time out but on Tuesday he looked just like the pitcher who spent all spring winning a rotation job Roupp needed just 81 pitches to cruise through a career-high six innings Roupp got two strikeouts on his sinker and two on his curve It's a pitch Roupp added in the offseason as a way to give lefties a different look and he threw 10 of them Casey Schmitt had a costly misplay in Houston He was starting at first base for the first time in six years and had just a couple of days to prepare before games and a lot of extra coaching on this homestand Schmitt looked much more comfortable Tuesday.  but Schmitt charged it and made a perfect exchange and throw to the plate The Giants always knew Schmitt had the hands and athleticism to handle first but they were concerned that it might take some time for the natural third baseman to figure out where to be on every play Schmitt nails the runner at the plate ‼ pic.twitter.com/mmn5RfGQzx Schmitt also picked up his first two hits of the year a double down the left field line and a single to right that was the first hit off Lodolo's changeup this season.  Schmitt wasn't the only one who put a batting average on the scoreboard Sam Huff was hitless in his first 10 plate appearances of the year but he lined a single through the right side of the infield in the third inning and then singled again to lead off the bottom of the eighth Huff also made a strong throw down to second in the fourth inning to keep Christian Encarnacion-Strand from swiping a bag The Giants need their backup catcher to keep it up because they're having a hard time finding breaks for Patrick Bailey The starting catcher has appeared in all 11 games this season He has entered all four of Huff's starts in the late innings Christian Koss took over as a pinch-runner Bailey was behind the plate for the top of the ninth.  MLB Trade Rumors By Anthony Franco | March 24 who was the remaining competitor for that spot also made the team but will start the year in relief Roupp breaks camp for the second straight year The righty pitched mostly out of the bullpen during his rookie season He started four of 23 appearances and tallied 50 1/3 innings of 3.58 ERA ball Roupp’s 21.7% strikeout percentage and 47.2% grounder rate were close to league average but he has thrown plenty of strikes this spring Birdsong had an even more impressive Spring Training The 6’4″ righty ran an 18:0 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 12 innings of one-run ball but he’ll work in relief for the first time since his 2022 draft year Birdsong started all 16 MLB appearances after earning his first major league call last June He turned in a 4.75 ERA through 72 innings Birdsong punched out nearly 28% of opposing hitters but walked 13.7% of batters faced It’s been a similar pattern throughout his minor league career The Eastern Illinois product has a 34.4% strikeout rate against a 13.7% walk percentage in the minors Kyle Harrison entered camp as the favorite for the fifth starter role. The Giants optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento over the weekend in large part because a virus delayed his ramp-up this spring but his exhibition performance was so loud that he left the team little choice but to carry him on the MLB roster in some capacity Pavlovic writes that the Giants will use Birdsong in multi-inning appearances to keep him stretched out There’s a good chance he’ll get a rotation opportunity before long as injuries arise throughout the season San Francisco Giants Hayden Birdsong Landen Roupp 1 month ago I see some sense in Roupp starting with Birdsong in the pen it will be good for Birdsong to get experience coming in as a reliever 1 month ago I’m happy for Roupp Landen in the rotation 1 month ago it wouldn’t have surprised me if it had been Birdsong But I’m good with whomever they decided on 1 month ago and even Harrison will all end up in the rotation at some point 1 month ago Birdsong reportedly wouldn’t stop chirping about missing out on the rotation spot 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago The problem was that he was crowing about making the rotation before it happened Talk about counting your chickens before they hatch… 1 month ago Looks like everyone’s flocking to the comments with bird puns 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago Birdsong will end up in the rotation by the end of the year and Roupp in the pen How could you not see that you must be halfway across the world on a goat farm 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago I think the more odd aspect about the frugalfarhan (gourmet) is that they think goat farm is some kind of insult frugie wishes he could attend to a goat farm 1 month ago The most horrible takes are the ones that claim to be able to know what’s going to happen in the future 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago Not as comical as understanding that a very talented pitcher cannot be a reliable starter when they have a BB rate that has been consistently close to 14 % 1 month ago 1 month ago Because he’s nothing but a ducking fodger with weird sissy hand moves 1 month ago Birdsong didn’t walk a single batter this spring He changed his footing on the mound because of advice from Verlander I don’t really see a good reason to give Roupp a shot over him 1 month ago To be honest they should go to a 6 man rotation Loupe will have a good year but I love Birdsong and believe that he’s the real deal 1 month ago Roupp is exceptional and is a little older and needs to settle in as a starter Birdsong will get his opportunity this year 1 month ago Carries momentum from last season into spring Not the biggest fan myself but man he earned and deserved it Baseballs not a game where you make your product angry and demand production out of that Doesn’t typically work but hey buster thinks he knows what he’s doing and I stands on mountain that he doesn’t have a clue in the least yet 1 month ago and he’s already done a tour as a reliever 1 month ago Now he’s over the organization in any negotiation capacity 1 month ago Cuz Birdsongs “hot hand” got lit up 1 month ago without looking into who specifically each pitcher faced I can’t actually say which of Roupp or Birdsong had the better spring I’m inclined to say they performed about the same There’s so little signal in 15ish regular season innings Spring innings are only about 70% as useful for analysis according to Dan Szymborski 1 month ago which is why we should trust the decision of the Giants’ staff and know better than fans do what to look for I’ve been a fan of Roupp for a while but had they chosen Birdsong for the 5th spot 1 month ago He’s pitched very well since call to justify that job I bet he got the news before and just had pressure hit him on it Again stuff the giants don’t need to be doing vs filling out a rotation 1 month ago You assume a lot when you think the Giants based their decision on a hiccup I can guarantee you they were looking at everything Then you’re assuming even more when you suggest his bad outing was from finding out he was going to the pen If Birdsong is any kind of player and teammate he’s aware of Roupp’s upside and is looking to improve on his own performance and Martinez didn’t make this decision without a lot of thought They had more to look at than just ST games and stats They know way more about baseball than I do 1 month ago The fact that Roupp did a lot of successful relief pitching last season and Birdsong pitched well as a starter last year and exceptionally well this spring while never pitching in relief in MLB and not in minors since 202: is why Birdsong should be the starter and Roupp the reliever 1 month ago has been a starter almost his entire career until the Giants put him in the pen last season Since both he and Birdsong were both primarily starters throughout their MiL careers there’s no difference from Birdsong going into the pen this season not only what they’ve observed in ST games and wouldn’t disagree had they chosen Birdsong if you think you’re right and better equipped to make that decision than the professional baseball people 1 month ago Isn’t Birdsong more valuable as a starter in AAA than in relief in the big leagues He seems to be one of the better starting pitching prospects in the farm and is young 1 month ago They might use him as an opener/spot starter/long-man someone in the present rotation will end up on the IL at some point 1 month ago Over the course of 162 both should get plenty of playing time 1 month ago 1 month ago I don’t get keeping birdsong up when hjelle actually had success as a reliever and long reliever 1 month ago 1 month ago Roupp’s early-inning groundball tilt could set up games for Hicks (high-variance) and Ray (strikeout-heavy) while sparing a bullpen that ranked 21st in ERA (4.28) last year 1 month ago But I think Birdsong will be in the rotation 1 month ago It’s good to know Birdsong is the next guy up 1 month ago I trust Buster and the collective decision making on this I’m sure it was discussed thoroughly and there were no coin flips 1 month ago you couldn’t even read the first paragraph of the article 1 month ago At first Birdsong to the bullpen surprised me but when I think about a guy coming out of the pen who can throw 98 for multiple innings I get it 1 month ago 1 month ago Debating the Giants bottom of the rotation starters for the start of the season is barely above arguing about opening day lineups 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago 1 month ago Log in Register MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball Register it looked like the first spring training game of the Giants season might be delayed by reunions.  Bruce Bochy walked out onto the field and immediately saw Bob Melvin a steady stream of Giants came out of the dugout to see the four-time World Series champion and then Triple-A manager Dave Brundage and longtime trainer Anthony Reyes and the crowd got bigger when Texas Rangers hitting coaches Donnie Ecker and Justin Viele walked over Several coaches and players ran out to hug the two former Giants coaches Sam Huff starred against his former Rangers teammates and Nick Ahmed and Joc Pederson took at-bats in blue It was nothing but handshakes and hugs as the Cactus League season kicked off They won their opener 6-1 and gathered on the mound afterward.  The story early was the automatic ball-strike system and Huff, a candidate to be the backup catcher. After the game, the attention was on Bryce Eldridge, who homered in his Cactus League debut Here are three more takeaways from all the action in between: the Giants had no plans to have Landen Roupp on their Opening Day roster But the right-hander was so sharp that he left them no choice -- and then posted a 3.58 ERA as a rookie.  Roupp primarily was a reliever but showed enough as a fill-in starter late in the season that he will get a shot this spring to compete with Kyle Harrison Hayden Birdsong and Keaton Winn for the fifth spot in the rotation he walked one and struck out three in two hitless innings Roupp was particularly sharp in the second freezing Pederson with an inside sinker and then getting Adolis Garcia on a big curve "Today was a lot better than (my bullpens) have been and I'm glad it was in a game," Roupp said Roupp would have to be pretty dominant this spring to pass both Harrison (who is a week behind because he got sick right before camp) and Birdsong (who will back up Logan Webb on Sunday) but he still looks like someone who will be on the initial roster There are at least a couple of bullpen spots available and it's hard to see how the Giants will have better options than Roupp who did well in that role as a rookie.  Roupp said he's excited to compete for a rotation spot this spring but he also will be happy to end up in the bullpen at the end of March if that's what the Giants prefer but helping the team out in any way possible is what I want to do," he said.  Jung Hoo Lee had not seen a pitch in any sort of game since last May 12 so it wasn't a shock that he swung at the first one Lee hit a 105-mph single to right in his first at-bat back and he was immediately tested in his return to center field.  It was a ball to the wall that led to Lee hurting his shoulder last season so of course the first ball he saw in 2025 was a liner to the track in left-center Lee showed no hesitation and made a nice running catch "That ball was smoked and I knew he had it the entire way," Roupp said.  Lee said his plan all along was to swing at the first pitch so he could get an early test of his mechanics and hand speed The Giants are taking a look at him as their No but it's on defense where he might make the greatest impact their outfield ranked 28th in the Majors in Outs Above Average last season.  because I certainly don't want to see him come up against the wall," Melvin said It was a nice play that he made look easy." Marco Luciano had to wait a bit to get tested in left but in the third inning he got back-to-back balls Luciano looked like a longtime outfielder on a high fly ball and then did everything right on a laser off the wall in left-center taking a good path to the ricochet and getting the ball back in quickly.  "Left field in these spring training games is the toughest field (because of the sun) He looks like he's a little more grounded at the plate Luciano was 0-for-3 at the plate but did have a 111.6 mph groundout It will be hard for him to win a job at the plate this spring although the bench competition is a bit murky Jerar Encarnacion is a strong bet as a fourth outfielder/DH and Luis Matos has a chance to work his way into a semi-platoon in right field who hit a homer on Saturday but will have a difficult time breaking through this spring unless Lee gets hurt The likelihood is that Luciano opens in Triple-A and continues to work on the transition from shortstop to left field he looked like he's already most of the way there Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast SALT LAKE CITY — Nobody would have blamed Utah tight end Landen King if he transferred after last season After a promising first season with the Utes — a season in which he had 166 yards and three touchdowns on 14 catches — following a move from Auburn King saw a significantly diminished role a year later as Utah sputtered on offense As Utah's offense struggled to move the ball at a consistent rate King was rarely even considered as a target for his junior campaign King's first catch of the season came in Game 10 against Colorado — a 21-yard reception — before finishing out a down season with 54 yards and one touchdown on three catches a transfer out of Utah was seemingly in the cards The promising talent elected to stay with the Utes for another season with hopes that a rebound would be in order that he'd be viewed as a top returning target for transfer quarterback Devon Dampier to have at his disposal in a new offense Utah returns an up-and-coming tight end (who was named to the leadership council) that is making continual progress to be even better than the years before And in just a few practices during spring camp "Landen's done a nice job," Kyle Whittingham said "He's put some weight on; he's about 10 pounds heavier than he was last year he's not really a true hand-in-the-dirt tight end and he's not really a true H-back mover; he's a tweener But I think we're using him in a lot of good ways and doing some different things with him." King looks to be a key piece in a new offense brought to Utah by offensive coordinator Jason Beck who didn't utilize the tight end position as much last season at New Mexico has emphasized that he will scheme to his personnel and that the players in his "circle of trust" will be a factor in the game plan That includes the tight ends in this Utah offense even with a greater emphasis on the run game we've got tight ends over here," King emphasized "I don't know what they had in New Mexico you know you're going to get put in that spot." King feels confident in all of Utah's tight ends — including Dallen Bentley and Hunter Andrews — making an impact in this year's offense and believes the group will "all bring something different to the table." Whittingham said Bentley has been one of the most consistent players on the offensive side of the ball in spring while noting that Andrews will be a hybrid player that sees a lot of action in various roles within the offense although not as much 12 personnel and first down groups with two tight ends that we've used in the past they're going to still be a big factor," Whittingham said Utah tight end Landen King celebrates before a home game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sept (Photo: Scott Stevens for KSL.com)King even sees Andrews as the next version of Brant Kuithe for Utah football with all he's able to do on the field The talented redshirt freshman has been moved around from running back to linebacker to running back again But that highlights Andrews' versatile skillset that will be utilized this fall on the offensive side of the ball as a hybrid player — similar to how Kuithe was used for Utah "He's kind of like Brant Kuithe — I don't want to say it and I think he's a very good addition to our room Bentley or Andrews getting in on the action — or all of them together — King remains happy to be a team player he wants to have more catches to showcase his skillset; but to him it's about chasing a Big 12 championship and a playoff berth I'm trying to get that Big 12 championship and get a chance in this playoffs," King said "This is my last year in college football just taking advantage of this as a team aspect of it I've never won a championship in my football career "So being able to come out here and work toward that goal that's what's been keeping me going." and committed to a Utah program that has had a noticeable shift in mood and mentality after back-to-back down seasons "We're not even really thinking about that we already know that we got that bad taste in our mouth and really just seeing the new culture here at Utah." as fans waited for them to make a decision Kyle Harrison was starting for the River Cats With each strikeout of his former and future teammates an unspoken message would be sent: It wasn’t too late for the Giants to change their minds Birdsong threw a third of an inning and allowed three runs in a rough relief outing and Harrison was scratched before the game started The Giants didn’t officially announce that Roupp would be the fifth starter to start the season Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the River Cats will sure look strange in retrospect Here are some notes from the last exhibition game away from Oracle Park Roupp’s numbers from his final start of March: five innings It was the kind of tuneup you might expect from a starting pitcher who will be in the Opening Day rotation But there’s an actual line between the opening paragraphs and this paragraph and there will be a line indicating when the next section starts So you’re literally reading between the lines right now The assortment of pitches made Roupp look like someone who belonged in a rotation and not a bullpen he threw a sinker or a curveball 84 percent of the time and he rarely threw more than two sliders in an outing He added a cutter in the offseason specifically to attack left-handed hitters. As Eno Sarris notes in his starting pitcher rankings Roupp has been throwing it often this spring with great success saying after his appearance that he “threw some really good ones It still needs some improvement on location Roupp’s curveball is good enough to get by with his (mostly) two-pitch arsenal from last season but a third pitch — especially one with swing-and-miss potential against lefties — would help him get through lineups a second and third time There was a roster shakeup before the game: Reliever Sean Hjelle was optioned to Triple A If the Giants are moving away from the idea that bullpens should be filled with multiple long relievers there’s plenty of symbolism in them sending Hjelle down The Giants seem content with Spencer Bivens in the janitorial role and they’ll save the rest of their spots for higher-octane arms It’s one thing to carry just one left-hander in the bullpen but it’s another to stock up on right-handed pitchers that left-handed hitters see well One of those higher-octane arms could be Birdsong or Roupp but it’s notable that right-hander Joel Peguero is still in camp Triple-digit fastballs in the strike zone all spring will get a pitcher the longest looks possible Max Stassi hit a line-drive double in his only at-bat of Sunday’s game As a player with six years of major-league service time who finished last season on a major-league roster he could have opted out of his minor-league contract on Saturday Manager Bob Melvin confirmed before the game that Sam Huff will be the backup catcher on the Opening Day roster which means the Giants are likely to have enviable catching depth in Sacramento Stassi could have found another team in another city that offered a better chance at a job in the majors this season but it’s hard to imagine a better situation for the pride of Yuba City High if a major-league job wasn’t guaranteed It’s supremely unlikely that the Giants will need only two catchers all season — the 2016 Giants were the only team in the San Francisco era to use just two in a full season — so it’s probably just a matter of “when” and not “if” for Stassi Almost every team calls on their catching depth throughout the season Everyone should have made a bigger deal about Buster Posey and Trevor Brown catching every pitch of the 2016 season Pleasant injury update: Jung Hoo Lee was back in the lineup and he lined the second pitch he saw from River Cats starter Keaton Winn for a loud double He added a walk in his next plate appearance He had a misadventure in center field in the fourth inning that was responsible for the only hit Roupp allowed — the route was clean but the timing of his sliding catch attempt was not Unpleasant injury update: Jerar Encarnación will need surgery to repair the fracture in his left hand The Giants were the home team for Sunday’s game and they got to use the River Cats’ very nice and renovated clubhouse The River Cats were relegated to being the visiting team in the visiting clubhouse None of these locations are to be confused with the Athletics’ very very nice and renovated clubhouse Best of luck to anyone and everyone involved with the logistics it will require to have a major-league team and Triple-A team use the same ballpark (Top photo: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images) We are hard at work trying to fix the issues The content on this site is for entertainment purposes only and 247Sports makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event This site contains commercial content and 247Sports may be compensated for the links provided on this site Sign In Register (AP) — Landen Roupp struck out a career-high nine over seven innings and the San Francisco Giants held on for a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night Roupp gave up two runs and five hits and walked one in his 96-pitch effort Tyler Rogers retired the side in order in the eighth and Ryan Walker got Nolan Schanuel to fly out to left field with a runner on second in the ninth for his fifth save Roupp (2-1) relied heavily on a 77-mph curveball to induce 12 of his 18 swinging strikes giving him a major league-high 42 swinging strikes with his breaking ball this season which Mike Trout turned into a pair of home runs Trout’s franchise-record 28th multihomer game gave him eight homers this season tied for second in baseball behind the Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom with nine Angels starter Kyle Hendricks (0-2) gave up three runs and four hits in five innings Chapman drove a changeup 384 feet over the left-field wall in the first inning for his fourth homer of the season and a 2-0 Giants lead Mike Yastrzemski doubled to right-center with one out in the third and scored on Willy Adames' RBI single to make it 3-0 Trout sent a drive to the wall in left-center in the ninth where Heliot Ramos made a leaping catch to deny what would have been Trout's third homer of the game The Angels have struck out 89 times and walked only eight times in 71 innings over their last eight games 4.13 ERA) will start the series finale for the Angels on Sunday AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb 180-pound five-star was rated as the Most Valuable Player in Southeast Texas according to High School on SI’s Dennis Silva II The talented prospect caught up with High School on SI to discuss his previous season and current off-season plans “My season at Randle went great I had good stats Me and my team made it to state and won state within 4-5 years of the school opening which is very good,” Williams-Callis said We all know that Williams-Callis is an elite prospect The talented running backs weigh in on what some viewers may not expect “What makes me a good prospect is how coachable I am and how I can juke anybody in front of me and burn off on them.” The talented back will be on the move this spring taking visits to schools despite having plenty of time to do so He has already started to receive offers from top schools like Tennessee “My recruitment has been going good I’m just enjoying it I’m only a sophomore and I’m still planning on going on some unofficial visits this spring No school is really standing out right now they’re all doing a good job recruiting me.” Williams-Callis has set two extremely hard goals both of these goals are achievable for an elite back just like him “ My goal is to set my own record and make it hard for them to reach it and to be the number 1 prospect out of class of 27.” Follow High School On SI throughout the 2024 off-season and 2025 high school football season for Live Updates the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App CALEB SISKCaleb Sisk has been a sportswriter in the Dalton He started as a graphic designer with his own company that was and is run through social media and has experience traveling back to his hometown and all throughout the state of Tennessee North Carolina and South Carolina to cover high school sports He has written for many On SI sites and has worked with Rivals in the past He also expresses the enjoyment of writing about multiple sports and topics although his first love for writing has always been recruiting He began contributing to High School On SI in 2025 © 2025 ABG-SI LLC - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.