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 Written by RotoWire Staff Roupp (2-2) took the loss Wednesday against San Diego allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks over 4.1 innings Roupp's now allowed nine runs (seven earned) over eight innings in his last two starts His ERA is up to 5.10 with a 1.63 WHIP and 35:14 K:BB through six starts (30 innings) this season Roupp will look to get on track in his next outing currently scheduled for next week against the Cubs There are no statistics available for this player 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 « Back Thanks for visiting 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 Thanks for visiting 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.” 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 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 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 Birdsong (8 K's) keeps fight for 5th starter fierceYoung righty battling Harrison Roupp to earn final rotation spotMarch 17th -- The fiercest competition in Giants camp isn’t showing any signs of abating Right-hander Hayden Birdsong continued to put his best foot forward in the battle for the fifth spot in San Francisco’s rotation, striking out eight over five scoreless innings in a 7-3 win over the A’s on Sunday afternoon at Scottsdale Stadium Left-hander Kyle Harrison came in after Birdsong and allowed three runs over three innings but he flashed his best velocity of the spring topping out at 95 mph with his four-seam fastball Birdsong and Harrison’s outings came two days after the third contender, Landen Roupp delivered a dazzling performance at the Giants’ Minor League complex at Papago Park where he struck out 13 over five scoreless innings in a High-A ball game against the Rockies It’s certainly making for a dramatic finish to the fifth-starter competition, though the Giants know that all three youngsters should have a chance to contribute to the rotation mix at some point in 2025 all three of these guys are going to pitch for us this year,” manager Bob Melvin said “I don’t think there’s any doubt about that But it’s kind of cool to have three guys that are as talented as they are pitching for that last spot The competition won’t necessarily be decided on paper though the 23-year-old Birdsong has certainly strengthened his case after logging a 0.75 ERA with 18 strikeouts and zero walks over 12 innings across his first four Cactus League appearances His ability to limit the free passes has been a key step forward for him as he averaged 5.4 walks per nine innings after debuting with the Giants last season which often prevented him from pitching deeper into games on a consistent basis Birdsong had no trouble filling up the strike zone on Sunday as he needed only 60 pitches to get through five innings for the first time this spring but he mostly leaned on his offspeed stuff to stymie the A’s hitters using his changeup to induce seven of his eight punchouts “It gives me a little confidence boost,” Birdsong said Hopefully that translates to during the season.” Harrison, 23, has been a little behind Birdsong and Roupp this spring, as he fell ill right before the beginning of camp and ended up losing approximately 13 pounds. It took him a while to get his strength back, which helps explain why his velocity mostly sat in the 91-93 mph range during his first few Cactus League outings Harrison is back to his original weight now and recently worked on raising his arm slot helping him restore some zip to his pitches on Sunday “It’s definitely good to see that,” Harrison said “I’m in a good spot now and have been putting in the work so it’s good to see it’s finally paying off a little bit A lot of those things I’m trying to work on I saw a little bit of it come to fruition today.” Harrison came into camp as the favorite to nab the final spot in the Giants’ rotation after logging a 4.56 ERA over 24 starts as a rookie last year but he’s recorded a 10.80 ERA over his first three Cactus League appearances and likely won’t have enough time to get fully stretched out before the regular season begins which could dampen his chances of cracking the Opening Day roster “We’ll see where we are with him,” Melvin said it seemed like there was a little bit more life in his arm While there’s only one opening available in the Giants’ rotation the club could opt to carry at least one of their young starters in the bullpen The 26-year-old right-hander came out of nowhere to win a spot in San Francisco’s bullpen last spring and is making another push for a roster spot after logging a 3.75 ERA over four Cactus League appearances “It’s definitely giving me confidence going into the season “I don’t think the competition is going to be over until the last day of camp I’ve still got to pitch well and continue to do what I’ve been doing.” Channelsreels-531857Reelsarrow-expand-531858Landen Roupp escapes a jam in the 4thGiants @ PhilliesApril 14 2025 | 00:00:09add-reel-531859Reelsshare-square-2-531860ShareLanden 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 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 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 HELIOT RAMOS ESTÁ READY YA 💥 pic.twitter.com/uIfpa4n5rW Roupp to start spring opener in search of rotation spotFebruary 21st SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Last year, Landen Roupp didn’t get a chance to make his first Spring Training start until the penultimate game of Cactus League play He won’t have to wait long this time around as the 26-year-old right-hander will take the ball for the Giants in their 2025 exhibition opener against the Rangers at Surprise Stadium on Saturday afternoon Roupp is slated to pitch approximately two innings and kick off the battle for the fifth spot in the Giants’ rotation Justin Verlander and Jordan Hicks locked into its starting staff but the final spot is expected to be an open competition between young starters like Roupp Hayden Birdsong and Keaton Winn this spring The Giants slow played Roupp last year after injuries limited him to only 10 starts in the Minors in 2023 but he quickly emerged as the biggest surprise of last spring once he finally got a chance to take the mound Armed with an electric fastball-curveball combination Roupp performed well enough to earn a spot in the Giants’ 2024 Opening Day bullpen and ended up delivering a 3.58 ERA over 23 appearances as a rookie He got a brief look in the Giants’ rotation in September and is expected to be stretched out and return to his starting roots this spring “It’s pretty exciting,” Roupp said Thursday I think I started one [Cactus League] game Starting Spring Training this year already as a starter is pretty exciting for me It’s just been getting to work and not having a leash on me Roupp is hoping the normal ramp-up will give him a chance to round out his arsenal heading into his second year with the Giants He’s focusing on getting more comfortable with his four-seam fastball and changeup and is also working on a new cutter to help keep left-handed hitters in check moving forward Roupp’s versatility should give him multiple paths to making the Giants’ Opening Day roster for the second straight year as he could also be in contention for a bullpen spot if he’s unable to crack the starting rotation this spring “You can always build guys up as starters and put him into the bullpen depending on need,” manager Bob Melvin said “But you also want to have your options open if something happens during camp or someone gets hurt he was really good at times in the bullpen and in the last few starts Roupp said it was challenging to adjust to pitching out of the bullpen for the first time in his career last year but he feels that experience has set him up to thrive in whatever role the Giants assign him in 2025 “I was definitely happy with making the team,” Roupp said just to be there and be in a situation that I was not technically comfortable in But the takeaways for me were that I can pitch out of the bullpen or as a starter Wherever the team needs me is where I’ll be.” Worth notingMelvin said infielder Tyler Fitzgerald is progressing well from the back tightness that has sidelined him from the first week of full-squad workouts and has resumed some baseball activity The latest update on Tom Murphy wasn’t quite as encouraging as Melvin said the veteran catcher is still “struggling” with an oblique strain that shut him down last week Heliot Ramos provided perhaps the loudest swing of camp so far on Wednesday when he homered off the Scottsdale Stadium scoreboard in left field while facing Verlander in live batting practice The no-doubt shot drew a loud expletive from Verlander who celebrated his 42nd birthday on Thursday HELIOT RAMOS ESTÁ READY YA 💥 pic.twitter.com/uIfpa4n5rW “You don’t see balls hit like that usually early in camp,” Melvin said so I’m not surprised by it,” fellow outfielder Mike Yastrzemski said Washington's offensive line drew the bulk of the criticism in Jedd Fisch's first season at the helm. Tasked with replacing all five starters from a Joe Moore Award-winning unit in 2023, the Huskies struggled to find a cohesive unit all season one of the main reasons they underperformed en route to a 6-7 record 2025 got off to an inauspicious start when offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Brennan Carroll left on Monday to take a job in the NFL joining his father Pete's staff with the Las Vegas Raiders UW replaced him with assistant offensive line coach Michael Switzer who had been promoted from senior offensive analyst earlier in the season Presumed starter at center Landen Hatchett knows 2024 wasn't the best year for anybody involved with the Huskies offensive line we didn’t play to our standard [last season] That’s something that we’re working on and need to improve on I think we’re at a great starting point with who we've got We have the talent in the room and we just need to come together and keep pushing that we were disappointed with our performance in multiple games but also get past that and keep improving," Hatchett said on Monday at winter media day With Hatchett and guard Gaard Memmelaar on snap counts to start the season and injuries to Soane Faasolo and Maximus McCree at left tackle Washington was forced to shuffle the lineup multiple times mid-game another major factor in the unit's struggles Nobody was really able to cement and continuously be in there I was coming off my knee for the first half of the season and finally was able to go full-time [later in the year] I think the most improvement is just understanding the game and that’s what the offseason is for," Hatchett acknowledged Monday Fisch and Carroll - before the latter's departure - honed in on the trenches Washington will enter the spring with 18 scholarship linemen and 2 walk-ons up from just 7 total linemen at points last spring while Hatchett and Memmelaar rehabbed knee injuries "I'm really excited where we're at right now at a certain point we had 7 guys going [last spring] So I'm excited to get a true offseason under my belt I feel like this is when you grow and improve the most so I'm excited to see what I can do personally I feel like we're really good where we're at obviously there's room to grow and only up from here especially compared to where we were last year I'm excited to get into the spring," Hatchett said Part of that great starting point is who Washington brought in this offseason who will play left tackle after spending last season as Kansas State's starting right tackle who returns to Washington after a year at Oklahoma I mean my brother has been around this program He’s just one of the guys who molds well with all of us We’ve already hung out a ton as an O-line and gotten together And that’s one of the big things - we’re all pushing each other in the weight room this offseason and just seeing how good we can make each other," the younger Hatchett said of the two additions' adjustment to the program Switzer wouldn't go as far as to say the Huskies hope to have a solidified starting five by the end of spring practice but going into Fisch's second season at the helm That start should set them up much better for success heading into sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr.'s first season as the starter 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 — Spring training takes place in February and March but every major-league camp will have a few mayflies fluttering about There’s the non-roster invitee who plays out of his mind Or the organizational player who comes to camp throwing cheddar Or the sleeper prospect who hits like Ty Cobb in exhibition games one of those out-of-nowhere Cactus League developments will become the origin story for an All-Star career But most of these desert scenes turn out to be mirages Ardent followers of the San Francisco Giants might remember the spring when Brian Dallimore hit .500 or when Chris Marrero appeared poised to smack 30 home runs Remember two springs ago when former Texas Rangers slugger Ronald Guzmán was throwing 98 mph off a mound and inspiring talk of becoming a two-way roster threat A torn flexor tendon scuttled the thought by mid-March Guzmán inspired some tremendous spring training copy That’s what makes Giants right-hander Landen Roupp such an interesting case study He was the talk of major-league camp last spring He was a rehabbing 2021 12th-round draft pick who wasn’t supposed to pitch in exhibition games or stay past the first wave of cuts But he kept impressing with every side session and exhibition appearance He was a surprising inclusion on the Opening Day roster Now for the best part: Last year’s spring training head turner is also this spring’s head turner He has allowed one hit in 8 1/3 scoreless innings over his three starts while striking out 11 and walking one He is ahead of right-hander Hayden Birdsong who throws 98 mph as easily as he brushes his teeth He is poised to unseat left-hander Kyle Harrison who entered camp with near to ordained status 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/ficVPVrGnN — SFGiants (@SFGiants) March 4, 2025 Even if Harrison reasserts himself and adds velocity to his 91-92 mph fastball in the final three weeks of camp there isn’t much chance of Roupp getting bumped to Triple-A Sacramento He is on a clear path to a place on the Opening Day roster for the second consecutive season And he’s even better equipped to maintain his place “It’s funny when you look back on it,” Giants pitching coach J.P we’re gonna keep you on a six-day (schedule) and you might throw some live (batting practice) but you’re not really going to pitch.’ And then next thing and he had such a good August and September probably one of the best six-week runs of any pitcher in the league last year He’s a legitimate threat to be one of our guys.” The Giants took pitchers with 10 of their top 12 picks in the 2021 draft Yet the 26-year-old right-hander is the only Giants signee from that draft class who has reached the major leagues Roupp moved quickly through the minor-league system in 2022 and posted a 1.74 ERA in 10 starts for Double-A Richmond in ’23 before a lower back injury ended his season That’s why the Giants initially were tentative with his workload last spring But catchers raved about his uncanny curveball command after every bullpen session Roupp issued too many walks in his initial big-league stint in 2024 Louis Cardinals in the Giants’ third to last game of the season when the right-hander had to wear it because Blake Snell declined to take his last start and the Giants were short on innings then Roupp posted an 0.89 ERA and .162 opponent’s average in 30 1/3 innings over 11 games after rejoining the team Aug Ask Roupp when he gained the most confidence last season and he points to two shutout innings in relief from his initial stint April 30 at Fenway Park It wasn’t the kind of growth experience he anticipated while warming up and stressing over a two-seam fastball that was darting all over the place The Giants were down 4-0 and Roupp was so concerned that he asked bullpen coach Garvin Alston to radio the dugout and let catcher Patrick Bailey know to expect an unconventional pitch plan ‘Make sure Patty knows.’ I threw more changeups than curveballs that game (Rafael) Devers swung at one down and away They saw 88 (mph) and thought my two-seam velocity was down It’s a pitch that sort of came out of nowhere but that was the day I gained confidence in it.” Roupp arrived in camp this spring with one more assignment: develop a fourth pitch “We knew he could get through a season on a sinker and a curveball but we really liked the possibility of him throwing a changeup as well as a shorter slider,” Martinez said “He’s really embraced those pitches this spring He punched out (the Padres’ Xander) Bogaerts on the changeup looking earlier this week He threw a bunch of them versus Seattle in his other start He’s getting really comfortable with that pitch versus lefties and righties And the slider-cutter has shown really well So I think he’s got a legitimate four-pitch mix now.” Roupp went to Logan Webb for advice on tightening up his slider but credits Alston for showing him the grip that he used to create a repeatable movement profile Roupp’s curveball remains the separator in his repertoire Now he feels he has the other pitches to complement the curve and establish count leverage to make the pitch more effective “Having those four pitches is a game changer for me,” Roupp said But the cutter was to keep lefties off my curveball and to show them another pitch I’ve put away the bigger slider and am going to go cutter full-time.” Roupp threw his curveball 44.1 percent of the time — the third-heaviest usage among 431 major leaguers who threw at least 600 pitches Even if he dials back the curveball to 25 percent of his pitch mix he would be against modern pitching trends Last season’s overall curveball usage of 8.2 percent was the lowest in 16 seasons for which Statcast data is available Uncle Charlie doesn’t get invited to as many family reunions these days “There’s been such an obsession with breaking-ball power,” Martinez said “Sometimes because they’re 75-76 (mph) they get looked at like they don’t have power But Landen’s curveball is a really high-spin efficiency There aren’t many guys who can throw that anymore: Charlie Morton And then you combine Landen’s touch and feel for it 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." of Osgood passed away Tuesday afternoon November 26 2024 near Osgood as the result of an automobile accident Survivors include his father Dale (Ashley Butt) Comer of Holton; his mother Amber (Mitchell Bruser) Wilson of Florence and Zoe and Reagan Bolser; paternal grandparents Mark and Marsha Comer of Osgood; maternal grandmother Debra Wilson of Osgood He was preceded in death by his grandfather David Wilson paternal great-grandparents Arthur and Edith Comer and William and Edna Abbott and maternal great-grandparents Leslie and Joyce Wilson Landen graduated from the Southeastern Career Center in Building Trades in 2022 and was a 2023 graduate of Jac-Cen-Del High School While playing for the Eagles baseball team in 2022  He was employed with Goodwin Landscaping in Dillsboro He also enjoyed coaching in the Jac-Cen-Del Little League Landen was known by those around him as the guy who could light up the room with his presence and his love for everyone He had a huge heart and doted on his brothers and sisters Landen was a member of the Holton Fire Department and his life aspiration was to be a career firefighter Landen attended the Hopewell Baptist Church Visitation will  be on Saturday from 2 p.m at the Stratton-Karsteter Funeral Home in Versailles and from 1 p.m until time of services Sunday at the church Memorials may be given to the Holton Fire Department in care of the funeral home 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) Roupp didn't factor into the decision of Thursday's 6-5 win over the Brewers He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out two over 3.2 innings Roupp was tagged for a run in three of the four innings he pitched He was lifted after tossing 78 pitches (44 strikes) with only five whiffs and his two punchouts were his lowest across five starts this season Roupp has given up four earned runs in two of his last three outings 1.52 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB across 25.2 innings for the campaign Roupp's next start is tentatively slated for next week on the road against the Padres The one big roster question that hung over the San Francisco Giants all Spring Training has finally been answered, as the team has finalized and formalized the plan for their trio of exciting young starting pitchers. On Monday, a few hours before their exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers Giants manager Bob Melvin announced that right-hander Landen Roupp had won the competition and will be the Giants fifth starter Melvin also announced that fellow right-hander Hayden Birdsong will begin the year on the roster Hayden Birdsong also made the team and will pitch out of the bullpen This all comes a few days after lefty Kyle Harrison was optioned to AAA Sacramento with Melvin saying that Harrison was never really in the race for the fifth starter given how behind he started following offseason shoulder rehab and an illness that wiped him out at the beginning of camp Roupp winning the job was hardly surprising given how well he pitched this spring He officially made four starts and pitched 12 innings with nearly all of the damage occurring in one outing But what he did in the unofficial games was perhaps more impressive Roupp reportedly struck out 13 batters in just five innings in an exhibition game against his AAA Sacramento teammates Roupp struck out eight batters in five innings Birdsong was only able to record one out while allowing three runs and dealing with a fingernail issue Birdsong heading to the bullpen is a bit more surprising the young Giants pitcher with the most potential and that was on display with a dominant spring in which he gave up just six hits and one run in 12 innings with a flawless 18-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio His future is unquestionably in the rotation so it’s a little bit surprising seeing the Giants place him in the bullpen Many teams prefer to keep their starting pitcher prospects in rotations — even if in the Minors — while others prefer to get their best arms to the bigs in any capacity It seems the new Giants brass is operating under the latter mindset and it might be in part so that they have the option already in-house should an injury-prone veteran like Justin Verlander or Robbie Ray need to skip a start and Harrison will all make plenty of starts in the Majors this year so it will be interesting to monitor all of their performances in the early going and see if the latter two are able to put any pressure on the former 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 A former Auburn transfer who put together a promising first season in Utah King saw his role diminish significantly in year two with the Utes recording three catches for 54 yards after posting 166 receiving yards in the 2023 campaign King indicated earlier this spring that he wasn't going to transfer but with the rise of redshirt freshman tight end Hunter Andrews this spring it's unlikely King would've taken on a greater role in 2025 220-pound redshirt senior Otto Tia from receiver to the tight end spot toward the end of the spring window 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 King had more targets come his way down the stretch of conference play He recorded a career-high 63 receiving yards against Arizona while hauling in a career-high four catches which he matched the following week against Arizona State King's first touchdown with Utah came on a 7-yard reception in Utah's 14-7 win over UCLA earlier that season King was less involved in Utah's struggling passing game in 2024 His first catch of the season wasn't until Week 10 against Colorado King is the ninth Utah player to enter the portal during the spring window notably joining wide receiver Zach Williams among the departures from last season's 5-7 squad When a player enters the portal with a do not contact tag it indicates they do not want to be contacted directly by coaches or programs while in the portal The college football transfer portal closes Friday at midnight COLE FORSMANCole Forsman has been a contributor with On SI for the past three years, covering college athletics. He holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University. A community is left mourning the lives of two young men after they were killed in a head-on crash last Tuesday many reached out to the Comer and Vogelsang families when they heard about the collision that occurred before 3:00 p.m Stephen Wheeles of the Indiana State Police – Versailles Post the crash happened when a 2001 Ford F-450 dump truck was going southbound on US 421 near County Road 100 North and crossed into the path of a northbound semi pulling a Mack box trailer being driven by Oleh Hrudnenko They were both employed with Goodwin Landscaping in Dillsboro and bright spirits left a lasting impact on all who knew them Our family will forever have voids in our hearts for them.” Comer was a firefighter (#123) with the Holton Fire Department with hopes to become a career firefighter He started with the department in 2020 where he was a Cadet Fireman He worked hard to complete his mandatory fire certification along with being a State Certified EMR “Landen had a huge impact with the fire department with dedicating his time serving the citizens of Otter Creek and surrounding communities,” the fire department shared he had accomplished much with earning certifications It was evident at the funeral service on Sunday December 1 that his brothers at the fire department cared deeply for him as well A procession left the Stratton-Karsteter Funeral Home at noon carrying Comer to the Hopewell Baptist Church It was led by the Holton Town Marshal Ron Buchanan with the hearse being surrounded by three fire trucks the fire community came together with over 30 different departments showing up in support of their fallen brother where he was known for his kindness and big heart He loved animals and helping those who were in need Editor’s Note: Full obituaries for both men can be found on page two of today’s paper  Site by Scheidler Web Solutions