Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes has been named the starting pitcher for the American League side in this year’s All-Star Game, per announcements from Major League Baseball and the O’s. This will be his fourth All-Star selection but his first time starting.
Burnes, 29, has been one of the best pitchers in the majors in recent years. He spent most of his career with the Brewers but came to the O’s via an offseason trade.
From 2020 to 2023, Burnes logged over 600 innings with Milwaukee, posting a 2.86 ERA in that time. He struck out 30.9 percent of batters faced, limited walks to a 7.1 percent clip and kept balls in play on the ground at a rate of 46.4 percent. He made the All-Star team in three straight years from 2021 to 2023 and won the National League Cy Young in the first season of that stretch.
Since coming over to the American League, he has largely continued in the same manner. Through 19 starts as an Oriole, he has a 2.43 ERA in 118 2/3 innings. His 23.3 percent strikeout rate is down relative to his past work but he’s also lowered his walk rate to 5.3 percent and increased his ground-ball rate to 49.4 percent.
It was a bit questionable as to whether Burnes would be able to participate in the game as his wife recently gave birth to twins, but she apparently signed off on him appearing in the game, per Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic on X.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy is the skipper for the American League and mentioned the success of the O’s as well as the track record of Burnes as factors leading to his decision, per Jake Rill of MLB.com on X.
Burnes is in his final season of arbitration and will be a free agent at season’s end. He placed second on the most recent edition of the MLBTR Free Agent Power Rankings, trailing only Juan Soto of the Yankees.
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The Cincinnati Reds have Optioned Will Benson to the Louisville Bats in Triple-A to start his season. The Reds made this decision ahead of their Cactus League game today against the Kansas City Royals. With the addition of Austin Hays and Gavin Lux, the new Reds Manager Terry Francona more options. He has to decide what to do when Spencer Steer returns for this lineup. These options have afforded him the option to send Benson to Louisville to work on his approach at the plate. Purchase tickets via Ticketsmaster Will Benson – OF The Cincinnati Reds have optioned Will Benson to Triple-A to start the year with the Louisville Bats. Benson struggled to hit for average with the Reds last summer. He will begin the 2025 season in the Minors. Benson had 25 at-bats by the end of camp. Benson scored four runs and had five hits. He hit two home runs with three RBIs. He also had one stolen base and a .200 batting average. Last year, he played in 128 games for the Reds because TJ Friedl was injured. This injury created space in the lineup. In those games, he had a .187 batting average and a slash line of .274/.376/.650. He showed some pop with 14 home runs, 19 doubles, and 43 RBIs on the year. Unfortunately in 343 at-bats he also struck out 154 times just over 44% of his trips to the dish. Summary Benson has talent. He needs to go to Triple-A. There, he can work on his plate discipline and try cutting down on his strikeouts. The Reds picked up Austin Hays this off-season. They also have TJ Friedl back. Therefore, Benson making the opening-day roster was never a sure thing anyway. Stuart Fairchild will be the 3rd outfielder. Jake Fraley will be the 4th outfielder to start the year for the Reds. The Reds head into the final stages of Spring Training. They are finalizing what the roster will look like. They will take on the San Francisco Giants to kick off the season at home. The Reds should be a team that will surprise some folks this year. They are preparing to push the NL Central division foes all year long. They hope to reach the postseason.
Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has announced the team's starting netminder for tonight's clash with Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. After a quick trip to Calgary on Wednesday, the Vancouver Canucks returned home for practice on Friday ahead of back-to-back games this weekend against the Chicago Blackhawks and Utah Hockey Club. The Canucks hit the ice this morning at Rogers Arena for an optional skate and afterwards, we found out who will be starting tonight's game against Chicago. Rick Tocchet announces starting goaltender for Saturday's game When speaking with reporters after the morning skate, Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet shared that 23-year-old Latvian netminder Arturs Silovs will be getting the start tonight. 'Arturs Silovs starts tonight, per Rick Tocchet.' Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet shared on X. Silovs, a native of Riga, has appeared in nine games this season for the Vancouver Canucks where he has a 1-6-1 record, along with a 3.85 goals against average and an .858 save percentage. The decision to give Arturs Silovs the start tonight means that Finnish netminder Kevin Lankinen, who signed a five-year extension back in February, will be between the pipes against Utah Hockey Club tomorrow night. Utah Hockey Club and Vancouver are in a tight race for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, with just two points separating the teams heading into action on Saturday. With Kevin Lankinen having a pretty solid season for the Canucks to this point with 23 wins, a 2.55 goals against average and four shutouts in 42 games, it makes perfect sense to have him in net tomorrow. But first, the task at hand tonight - the Chicago Blackhawks, with North Vancouver's Connor Bedard making only his second trip to Rogers Arena of his young NHL career. Puck drop for tonight's game against Chicago is set for 7 pm PT on Sportsnet and CBC as part of Hockey Night in Canada.
Nikita Grebenkin was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Philadelphia Flyers in the deal that sent center Scott Laughton to Toronto at the NHL trade deadline. Coming over from Russia as one of the KHL's top players, Grebenkin, 21, has played in seven games this season for the Leafs and has been a key player in the AHL for the Toronto Marlies, now in Philly's system as a top prospect for the team's future alongside friend and fellow Russian Matvei Michkov. Now, Grebenkin has spoken on his personal feelings that he's no longer a member of the Leafs, and he's revealed his thoughts on the trade that moved him out. Grebenkin admits that his trade from the Maple Leafs did not surprise him much. Grebenkin told RG he felt he could be traded from Toronto: "I knew I could be traded. I wasn't completely sure, but there were signs." Without a first-round pick in 2025 and reports of Grebenkin, along with fellow top prospects Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten linked out, it was clear that the Leafs' top prospects were at risk of being on the way out. Minten, who was traded to the Boston Bruins at the deadline in a deal for Brandon Carlo, said, similar to Grebenkin, that he thought he may be dealt. He told The Hockey News, "You can go on PuckPedia and see [the Leafs] don't have that many assets, so you know it's possible." Grebenkin has been a fan favorite among Leafs fans for his sense of humor, something Grebenkin admitted; however, in the interview with RG, he struggled with wanting to be known for his hockey skill rather than his humor. Grebenkin, who before the NHL came up in the Metallurg Magnitogorsk system, was a fifth-round pick of the Maple Leafs in the 2022 NHL Draft, 135th overall.
The Toronto Marlies have made a trade, picking up additional help up front with the acquisition of a physical winger. The trade deadline may be over in the NHL, but that doesn't mean that the Toronto Maple Leafs organization as a whole is done making moves. Earlier on Friday, the Toronto Marlies acquired physical winger Brandon Baddock from the Rockford Ice Hogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Toronto Marlies have made a trade, picking up additional help up front with the acquisition of a physical winger. "The Marlies have added more depth after losing pieces at the NHL trade deadline. Toronto adds Brandon Baddock from Rockford for future considerations. 6-foot-3 physical winger who has 7 points and 86 PIMs in 38 games," per insider Kyle Cushman. Ice Hogs general manager Mark Bernard released the following statement in which he thanked Baddock for his contributions for the franchise and wished him luck in the future. "I want to thank Brandon and his family for all of their contributions on and off the ice during the past two seasons. Brandon and his wife Hannah have made an incredible impact in the Rockford community right from the start of their time here. With the roster constraints we have experienced this season regarding the league's Veteran Rule, I wanted to provide Brandon the opportunity to play night in and night out." Baddock was drafted 161st overall in 2014 by the New Jersey Devils. The Marlies next play the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday.
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