NFL

• Bills sign EDGE Leonard Floyd to one-year, $9 million contract
  • The Bills are loaded with pass rushers. Floyd had nine sacks a year ago, and will join Von Miller, Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa, and Shaq Lawson off the edge. That quartet combined for 26 sacks in 2022, a group that will only be made better with the addition of Floyd. The Bills, yet again, will be contenders in the AFC with Floyd on this reasonable deal.
    Grade: B

NCAAF

• Five-star LB Sammy Brown commits to Clemson
  • Brown is one of the better linebacker recruits in quite some time, so this is a great get for Dabo Swinney. The Tigers haven’t exactly been dominant on the recruiting trail the last few years, so perhaps landing Brown can spur some momentum towards Clemson, where competing for national championships is the standard.

NCAAB

• St. John’s transfer SF David Jones commits to Memphis
  • Jones averaged 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for the Red Storm, and could potentially be an All-AAC player for Memphis in 2024. The Tigers are a great bet to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

MLB

• Rays 4, Red Sox 1
  • The race for the AL Cy Young may end up being tight, but right now, Shane McClanahan should be the clear favorite. After throwing six innings of one-run ball in this contest, McClanahan is 9-1 with a 2.02 ERA.
  • Things have been going downhill for Nick Pivetta for awhile. The righty was recently sent to the bullpen, and his outing yesterday went poorly, as Pivetta walked three batters in less than an inning.
• Phillies 8, Tigers 3
  • Trea Turner isn’t back just yet, but his performance in this game was a step in the right direction. The much-maligned Phillies shortstop went 4-5 with two homers and three RBIs yesterday, upping his slugging percentage to nearly .400. Another good sign for the Phillies: Aaron Nola pitched seven innings, allowing just one hit and striking out 12 batters.
  • Joey Wentz was effective as a rookie, making seven starts and pitching to a 3.03 ERA, but he’s been a disaster this season, and should probably be optioned to Triple-A. After getting shelled yesterday, Wentz is 1-6 with a 7.49 ERA for the fading Tigers.
• Pirates 5, Athletics 4
  • What a win for the Pirates. Beating the Athletics is far from impressive, but this comeback victory put Pittsburgh in first place in the NL Central at 32-27 — a huge accomplishment for the rising club. Bringing Andrew McCutchen back to town has paid dividends, as the veteran has been instrumental as both a clubhouse presence and bat at the top of the lineup. McCutchen drew three walks and drove in two runs yesterday.
  • Oakland is now 12-50. It’s been a mighty fall for an organization that used to be in the mix, year after year.
• Astros 11, Blue Jays 4
  • Yordan Alvarez, 25, is off to an amazing start for his career, and he’s taken his game to another level in the RBI department in 2023. After driving in two runs yesterday, the slugger is on pace 143 RBIs — 39 more than his previous high, set in 2021. Players rise and decline at different times and paces, but if Alvarez keeps it up, he could go down as an all-time great hitter.
  • The struggles of Alek Manoah are starting to get uncomfortable. Manoah was ace material for Toronto during his first two seasons, but he has a 6.36 ERA after lasting just 1/3 of an inning in this contest. It would be harsh and awkward to send Manoah to the minors, but something may need to be done to fix him.
• Reds 2, Brewers 0
  • I sympathize with Jake Fraley, who was scratched from Cincinnati’s lineup yesterday due to allergies. This allergy season has been brutal. Top-100 prospect Andrew Abbott made his debut in this game, and he didn’t disappoint — at all. Abbott pitched six innings and allowed just one hit for the young Reds.
  • The Brewers’ lineup is pretty dreadful, despite the team being 32-28. Milwaukee is dead last in the National League in runs scored, and the team doesn’t seem to have much staying power at the top of its division. Sell your Brewers stock.
• Rangers 4, Cardinals 3
  • Texas’ lineup has no weaknesses. All nine position players that played in this game for the Rangers exited the contest with an OPS of at least .793. Where are the easy outs? It’s hard to find one for the 39-20 Rangers.
• Padres 5, Cubs 0
  • The Padres have received absolutely zero offensive production from their catchers this season. Gary Sanchez is changing that. The newly-acquired Sanchez homered in this game, increasing his season OPS to .893. If the catcher can come even close to hitting at that clip for the rest of the season, San Diego will be very happy.
  • Christopher Morel’s big league numbers for this year still look great — .256/.318/.641 — but he’s suffering from a big cold streak at the moment. The Cubs can’t afford too many cold streaks at fourth in the division.