Joe Cool

Detroit Loses A Winnable Game Against The Cardinals

· Yahoo Sports

Outside of this being the first Sunday night game that the Tigers have played on the new Peacock streaming service, there wasn’t anything particularly memorable about this ball game. I don’t think that we’re going to look back on this Cardinals team as anything special. It was a back-and-forth affair with the Cardinals, pulling away in the later innings. As I said, nothing spectacular, but it’s one of those games that, depending on how the standings look at the end of the season, is one of those contests that you look back on as a loss that probably should’ve been a win.

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Detroit came into tonight‘s game really strong. Keider Montero weathered the very difficult conditions at Comerica Park. He looked really sharp through four innings. I was there, and while watching the entire time, all I could think about was the fact that Justin Verlander was probably pretty happy that this wasn’t going to be his Comerica debut as his second go-around as a Detroit Tiger. It was brutally cold. I thought Detroit's swings for the most part were pretty solid, but as the game went along, they wasted a few opportunities. I talk in the video all about some of A.J.‘s overmanaging and how I feel like it got in the way of what could’ve been a victory tonight.

I still really like the back end of this bullpen, and even though they blew that game in Arizona, I think that the three-headed monster of Vest, Finnegan, and Jansen, is going to be really solid. Still, if this team doesn’t have their starting pitcher go six innings, they’re going to be in a little bit of trouble, because I just don’t find myself trusting that middle relief right now. It’s too early in the campaign for me to give up on anybody, but just watching these guys pitch, there’s nothing spectacular about Drew Anderson, Emmanuel de Jesus, or Connor Seabold. For as much as we have praised this organization for the depth they’ve developed amongst position players, the same can’t really be said about their pitching department, which contributed to a loss on Sunday.

Detroit will not have an off day tomorrow as they travel to Minnesota to face the Twins at Target Field. Casey Mize will be on the mound going up against the Twins' Opening Day starter Joe Ryan.

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Billy Donovan pay raise likely with jump from NBA to North Carolina

· Yahoo Sports

Billy Donovan pay raise likely with jump from NBA to North Carolina originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

With Arizona's Tommy Lloyd and Michigan's Dusty May out of consideration for the opening at North Carolina, Tar Heels officials are not scrambling to find the next men's basketball coach. There have been a few names to surface from the college ranks, but one NBA name hasn't gone away. 

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Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan has been linked to being a strong replacement for Hubert Davis in Chapel Hill. And it sounds like UNC is preparing to make a push to close the deal.  

"North Carolina is now solely focusing its efforts on Billy Donovan," Field of 68's Jeff Goodman said on Sunday night. "They're going to go hard after him, per sources. They expect to know more in the next 24 hours." 

At first, Lloyd was said to be a possible top target for UNC. He signed a lucrative extension to stay in Arizona and turned down more money in the process. 

According to CBS Sports' Matt Norlander, "UNC offered Tommy Lloyd a top-two contract in CBB. Lloyd took less to stay, but will still bump up to $7.2 million starting next season. Staff pool also will get a huge bump + incentives brought back to their contract structures. He'll also no longer report to the AD." 

With the report out about what UNC is willing to offer, the presumption is Donovan could receive an offer above $8 million per year, which is what Arkansas' John Calipari is at as the second highest-paid coach in college basketball, according to USA TODAY Sports.  

If this becomes reality, the sum would give Donovan a pay bump from the reported $6 million per year he's currently making in Chicago. This gives UNC weight in the situation to possibly land a championship-level coach and bring him back to college in the NIL era.  

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Pirates fly up the power rankings with Konnor Griffin in tow

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Pirates fly up the power rankings with Konnor Griffin in tow originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates did not have the start that they had hoped for. On Opening Day against the New York Mets, Paul Skenes was chased out of the first inning after he gave up a few runs. 

They would go on to lose the game 11-7 and lose the second game as well, losing the series. However, they were able to win their next series against the Cincinnati Reds

For their third series, the front office decided it was time to unleash the top prospect in all of baseball, Konnor Griffin. He made his MLB debut on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, and he wasted no time getting involved. 

MORE: Oneil Cruz trend is encouraging news for Pirates, troubling for MLB pitchers

Pirates fly up the power rankings with Konnor Griffin in tow

In Griffin's first at-bat, he got a pitch he was looking for, sending it to the gap in center. It was an easy double for the youngster and an RBI moment that he will never forget. 

The Buccos went on to win the game 5-4, but it did not stop there. They also won the second and third game of the series, sweeping the O's, and they now find themselves in second place in the NL Central early. 

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter came out with his latest power rankings recently, and in it, he has the Pirates making the jump from No. 23 to No. 6, the highest jump of any team in the power rankings. 

"A quick look at how the new and improved Pirates offense is faring compared to last season:

2025: .231 BA (28th), .665 OPS (30th), 117 HR (30th)
2026: .240 BA (12th), .736 OPS (7th), 12 HR (4th)

A solid second start from Paul Skenes also helped alleviate some concerns after he was shellacked on Opening Day, and that improved offense is backed by a 3.33 ERA from the pitching staff that checks in sixth in the majors."

The emergence of Konnor Griffin has really gotten this offense looking like a well-oiled machine. If he can continue to be a presence and guys like Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn continue to keep the pressure on, the Pirates may find themselves fighting for an NL Central championship later this year. 

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