Sale has inflamed elbow, no serious injury
Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale’s inflammation in his pitching elbow is just that, ESPN’S Jeff Passan reported Monday afternoon.
Sale met with Dr. James Andrews in Florida on Monday and the noted orthopedic surgeon confirmed the prior diagnosis, Passan said, adding the left-hander “is expected to avoid Tommy John surgery.”
The 30-year-old Sale reported soreness in his elbow after his start on Wednesday against Cleveland, in which he struck out 12 Indians in 62/3 innings. A subsequent MRI exam could not rule out damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, which typically results in the surgery, so the pitcher visited Andrews for a second opinion.
The Red Sox acquired Sale in a December 2016 trade with the Chicago White Sox and signed him to a five-year, Us$145-million contract that takes effect next season. He is being paid $15 million this season in the final year of his previous contract.
On the season, he is 6-11 with a 4.40 ERA. Sale is in the midst of his worst season statistically of his career since he entered the White Sox rotation in 2012, posting career lows in starts (25), wins (six) and innings (1471/3) and the highest ERA at 4.40.
The fan who landed a contract with the Oakland A’s after throwing a 96-m.p.h. fastball struck out the side in his first professional inning.
Nathan Patterson made his debut Thursday in the rookie-level Arizona League against a Chicago Cubs affiliate and needed 18 pitches to fan all three hitters swinging in the first inning.
“I’m not gonna lie, the nerves were flowing until I threw strike one,” the 23-year-old right-hander posted on Instagram. “After that, I took a big deep breath and realized all the hard work over the last year has prepared me for this moment. It could not have gone any better.”
Patterson’s story went viral after lighting up the radar gun on the concourse at a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field in Denver last month. The Athletics signed him to a contract on Aug. 1.
The European Tour announced a plan Monday to speed up play next season, including stricter rules, stiffer fines and smaller fields.
“We are already at the forefront of pace-of-play management in the professional game, but after being mandated by our tournament committee to be even firmer in dealing with this issue, the time was right to take these additional steps,” European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said in a statement.
Slow play has been a hot-button issue in Europe and on the PGA Tour, notably when England’s Eddie Pepperell called Bryson Dechambeau a “single-minded twit” for taking too much time at the Northern Trust earlier this month.
The European Tour’s plan introduces a one-stroke penalty if a player goes over his time allotment two times, down from the current allowance of three bad times.
A pace-of-play system, to be tested at the BMW PGA at Wentworth next month, will provide on-tee displays to show golfers their position relative to the group ahead of them.
Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt said he plans to continue coaching despite being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Blatt currently coaches Greek professional team Olympiakos, which released a statement on his behalf.
The 60-year-old Blatt said he was diagnosed a few months ago when he began experiencing symptoms that impact the central nervous system.
Blatt was hired by the Cavaliers in 2014 and led the team to the NBA Finals. He was fired after a 30-11 start the following season, which resulted in a championship under Blatt’s replacement, Tyronn Lue.
Major League Baseball announced the 2020 spring training schedules for all 30 teams Monday.
Three games kick things off on Feb. 21, with all 30 Cactus and Grapefruit League teams in action on Feb. 22.
March 23 will mark the debut of Globe Life Field, the new home ballpark for the Texas Rangers, with the St. Louis Cardinals visiting Arlington, Texas.
The 2020 MLB regular season begins March 26 with all 30 clubs on the docket.
The Colorado Avalanche signed free agent forward Valeri Nichushkin to a one-year contract on Monday.
According to multiple reports, the deal is for $850,000.
The six-foot-four Russian winger spent the past four seasons with the Dallas Stars, registering 74 points (23 goals and 51 assists) in 223 career games. He had 10 assists in 57 games in 2018-19.
Nichushkin, 24, was the Stars’ first-round pick (10th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Nichushkin helped Team Russia win a bronze medal at the 2017 IIHF World Championship and also represented his country at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.